Getting Out Of Debt

Wargames are games that usually use military tactics while focusing on some fantasy type situation. In the real world military war game means that they will try out some military training maneuvers in a game like setting. These exercises help real soldiers to develop strategies and learn how to be prepared for any tactical situation.

In 1898, the creation of non-military type of wargaming was created by F. Jane who was famous for recreating sea battles, using lead and tin solders to replicate whole armies were the basis of these recreations. These collections of earlier armies were used to show how famous battles were won and lost.

In the 1970's and 80's wargaming opened new doors when they added science fiction situation and fantasy scenarios, using these miniature figurines whole lives could be created and entire wars could be carried out. These games quickly became a favorite of gaming enthusiasts and science fiction fans, people all over the world could live out whole lives in these games and create complicated strategies for winning, causing many companies to come up with many different wargame games.

The wargaming environment comes in three different categories, each with different types of game play. The first of these games is the historical wargames, in these games you are recreating historical wars, you can play games such as Napoleonic Wars, or the American Civil War. These games can be exciting recreations of interesting wars. The next type is the Naval games which recreates the famous at sea battles such as Jutland and Trafalgar. The last of these three are the most fun of all of the types is the fantasy wargame miniatures, they come in popular types such as Warhammer, The Lord of the Rings and Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures.

Playing these games require strategy in how you collect your pieces and build your terrain using skills like building a model railroad. You will want to research the history and make accurate recreations. Figures are usually made using pewter, lead and in many cases plastic. The games themselves are usually made up by the creator of the game and are usually based on history. Many like to create their own models, however in many cases, you can buy these sets in specialty stores and through their manufacturers.

There are some normal scales for the actual height of the figures; in any of the series you will find that they are all about these sizes.

The figures have standard sizes, most are 1 inch high or about 25 mm, and this is called the 1:72 scales. Usually this is the size of most toy soldiers. Another popular scale is the 1:32 scale in which the figures are about 2 3/8 inches high or about 54-56 mm high. Many of the British soldiers are this height. The more modern miniatures are somewhat smaller; because the belief is that if the figure is smaller the battle can be bigger. The models come in many small sizes such as microarmor which is 1:285 or 6mm and Dungeons and Dragons miniatures are 1:64 or 1 1/4 inches or 25mm and is one of the most popular for fantasy role playing games. There are also some that are used specifically for heroic leads, which may be 28mm.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for board games, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures. You will find all these things and more if you visit used board games, chess boards.

AP - Wall Street tumbled again Wednesday as investors worried that the global economy is poised to weaken even as parts of the credit market slowly show signs of recovery. The major indexes fell more than 4 percent, including the Dow Jones industrial average, which finished off its lows with a loss of 514 points.

So you and your weird friends are about to sit down, eat some pizza, shuffle some papers, roll some dice, and get deep into the bowels of an unexplored and monster-filled dungeon, on the site of the ruined tower of a historic evil arch-mage.

I'm sure you notice the disparity there. While you are all comfortable leaning over the coffee table looking at your character sheets and sitting on a comfy couch, your alter-egos are slogging through the feces of years of orc travel, seeking a few gold pieces and a magic sword or two. Quite simply, you aren't going to be able to instill fear into your players hearts...or are you?

Setting the mood in a movie or play involves a lot of tricks, and many of those are applicable to a role-playing environment. Lighting, sound, dialog and movement are your keys to lock the attention of your players into your RPG world, and none of this needs to be complex in order to accomplish a bare level of what you seek.

First, are you well lit? In a dungeon? No, you can't be. Certainly you need enough light to be able to see the numbers on the dice, and to read and write on the character sheets, but not much more. In fact, when you are playing with the lighting you might even do things like not let people see the map unless the lights are turned all the way off and they just have a candle to read by (then take away the map before the electric lights come back on). One of the greatest ways to accomplish this is to use some of the remote-controlled lights and home automation tools available nowadays. Hiding behind your DMs screen, a slow drop in the lights via a remote-controlled dimmer switch can subtly shift the mood without expectation. An immediate turn-off of the lights timed with a sound effect at the right moment can put them into an immediate fear for their character's safety. The use of candles for lighting (perhaps one in front of each player, to simulate their torches, replaced with a flashlight for those with magic ability) can help give a real "trudging through the dungeon" feel.

When your lighting is in place and likely to make them feel more in-character, playing with sounds can put them into shock. Just the drip-drip-drip of water can create anticipation and shivers, as they start to wonder if it's water dripping or the footsteps of something coming up from behind them. Punctuated by distant screams, the players will definitely start to worry about what they are getting into. If you've got a laptop with speakers, there are numerous sound effects CDs available for sale on the internet to accomplish this, or you can purchase programs specifically for playing such sound effects. There should always be some level of noise going on, except when there is intentional silence. The lack of sound is one of the most important tools you can have...when all the other sounds stop, your players will stop and wonder what's about to happen. Don't abuse this tool though. It should be reserved for the really horrible events about to occur. Watch a movie that has a really good soundtrack that's appropriate to the scenario you are running. The Lord of the Rings movies by Peter Jackson won awards for their sound, and there is a good reason. Ignore, for the moment the actual songs in the movie and pay attention to the bursts of audio and moments of silence. This is what you want to achieve.

Dialog can be extremely important in setting the mood of conversations and confrontations, but you don't have to be a master of impersonation to accomplish this. When the players are interrogating a gnoll, imagine what his speak sounds like with a mouthful of teeth and a snout with a long floppy tongue. He's going to slur and spit and any hard 'g' sounds will be following with an 'rrr'. "I will g(rrr)ive you nosthing, do-g(rrr)ooders!", says that gnoll. Simple. You don't have to be consistent or complete to get your point across.

If the gnoll in the above example is waving his arms about as he speaks, don't say that he's waving his arms about as he speaks...wave your arms about! If someone the players are watching is skulking as he creeps along a wall, hunch your shoulders and speak in hushed tones, moving your head up and down in the rhythm of that creeping skulker's walk. You'll get a lot across that otherwise is unexplainable.

This all may sounds complicated, but really it's not. Begin with one aspect (movement and dialog is easiest) and see how appreciated and effective they are. It won't be long before a simple forgettable game session becomes something your players tell stories about years later. Have fun!

Greg Webster is a long-time gamer, having played in numerous games since the early 1980s, and gamemastering numerous others. He also in very involved in online forums and other places online where the interaction between people needs a careful eye and occasionally a quick blade. He writes more on these and related subjects, including information and examples of all of these things on his blog, available at http://d20bg.superhappyfuntime.com/

AP - A girl in pigtails bounds into the kitchen after school and asks her mother to guess what she learned that day. "I learned how a prince married a prince, and I can marry a princess," she exclaims to her mortified mom.

X-Men Legends is based on the 1963 comic book, "The Uncanny X- Men." A tale about a group of mutants led by Professor Charles Xavier, the world's most powerful mutant with mental abilities, learning how to deal with society's hatred toward them. The X-Men compose the following members with their codenames: Storm, Jean Gray (the only one who doesn't go by a codename, go figure), Cyclops, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Colossus, and Iceman (just to name a few). Xavier formed the X-Men to fight threats to mankind, to teach the X-Men how to control their powers for good, and to one day hopefully live peacefully side by side with society.

Plot and Gameplay: 4.5 out of 5.0

X-Men Legends (XML) was masterfully crafted by a group of former Marvel comic writers called 'Man of Action.' The story centers around Alison Crestmere who possesses the mutant ability to control lava even changing her human form to a flaming version of herself. Hence, she earns the name of 'Magma'.

Magma is thrusted into the limelight after the grotesque, obese mutant called the Blob of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (the antagonist mutant team who is lead by the immensely powerful Magneto) kidnap Magma. Why would Magneto need this girl? Immediately, the player is controlling Wolverine hot on the trail of the Blob and to find out why Magneto desires this particular mutant.

XML is a fan boy's dream comes true as you finally get to control the X-Men in a Role Playing Game (RPG) fashion instead of the individual most gamers are used to playing them.

The game requires a player to go through various linear missions in order to solve Magneto's plot from the Artic to the Sewers (yes, those who are use to RPG know that no RPG would be complete without a trip to sewers, right? Thanks, JadesFire.). There are times where an X-Man will go off on a solo mission. So the freedom is not there to explore without limitations compared to RPG's like the Final Fantasy Series or Morrow wind.

XML strategically tucks away puzzle elements in the game forcing the player to make use of a X-Man's powers needed to continue on their quest. Unfortunately, the developers hold players by the hand displaying a large 'X' over areas that can be affected by a character's powers. If a player has the wrong X-Man, backtracking is allowed and Xtraction points can be used to change team members.

Graphics/Visual Presentation: 4.25 out of 5.0

Activision, during the earlier stages of XML, had made a smart move to leave the traditional bit images for the X-Men for cell shading technology. This brilliant move makes the player feel as if they are turning the pages of a virtual comic book. Each character is detailed just enough to tell them apart. Enemies and bosses are not very impressionable in appearance (not on par as DOOM 3) yet well done over all. The lighting effects are good quality when a player unleashes Cyclops' eye beam or Jean Grey's Psychic Scream. The environments are destructible which makes interesting eye candy when a player utilizes an X-Man's power on walls, generators, chairs, etc. The developers were cautious to include some detail (such as Blob's massive footprints in the street when Wolverine is on his trail) yet not to the point of overkill. There are some clipping issues (graphics that melt into another by mistake) yet these are easily overlooked. The cell shading cut scenes are slightly embarrassing (The X-Men look like puppets in this environment. Think "Thunderbirds" from the old television show series). Fortunately, the developers redeem themselves by adding more detailed cut scenes that will astound you in their cinematic feel.

Sound Quality: 4.75 out of 5.0

XML's biggest strength is the voice acting for the X-Men (the only exception is Cyclops whose dialogue in battle sounds like a bratty, smart aleck teenager than the rugged leader of the X-Men). Fans of the series will get goose bumps as Patrick Stewart breathes life into Professor Xavier's lines and the witty comments of Wolverine will cause chuckles for sure. Foley artists did a superb job in producing punching and kick sounds, explosions, and sounds for the X-Men's powers. While the music is not powerful orchestral pieces (personally, this would have made the gaming experience much more rousing), sleepy music selections are sadly the norm. The music can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. Music rushes in when enemies are near (a great way to warn the player of impeding danger) and can be soft music that loops over and over with no direction.

Violence: 4.75 out of 5.0

A RPG would be hard to do without conflict and battle and XML does not pander to over the top violence crowd.

[SPOILER AHEAD]

The only blood visible in the game is when the X-Men infiltrate a military base and discover that General Kincaid is experimenting with humans and Sentinels (the blood is on the surgery floors). X-Men and enemies beat each other without any visual consequences even when Wolverine uses his claws on a foe. Powers as well do not cause any visual damage to ally or foe alike.

Language: 4.25 out of 5.0

Unfortunately, there are some parts that I cited as concern for me as a Christian. Nightcrawler, in the comics and in the game, professes to be a believer in God. He comments when he levels up: "My God, I am invincible!" or "I can beat the devil himself." These comments bothered me in light of such Scripture as Exodus 20:7 ("Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain") and Proverbs 16:18 ("Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall"). Cyclops, surprisingly, tells his brother Havok to 'go to hell.'

Sexual Content: 4.75 out of 5.0

Psylocke, an X-Man, dresses in tight leather pants that reveal the suggestive outline of a thong when she fights. There is an option to change her costume to a more conservative one.

Spiritual Content: 4.50 out of 5.0

Magneto's power hunger makes him think that all mutants are like gods. Magneto, in thirst for revenge against humans, created his own line from Genesis and the creation story by stating that: 'on the eight day, I looked down on creation and said, 'Let there be darkness.'" Nightcrawler, unashamedly, mentions God in a positive light in regards to his faith.

[SPOILER AHEAD]

X-Men also have to go to the Astral Plane to save Professor Xavier whose mind and assumedly soul is trapped in this dimension. This can be looked as touching the New Age or Eastern philosophies.

Value: 4.0 out of 5.0

As a RPG, XML soars in the action, gameplay, and storytelling departments. When a player finishes the game though, XML crashes and burns on replay value. Once a player has completed the game, there is not much left to do. A player cannot go back with high level up X-Men to play the game a second time around (I peaked my team between levels 35-37). The Danger Room offers unlocked characters as well as multiplayer or player vs. player matches. A player can view all concept art, cinematic, and load screens. Other than the Danger Room, the excitement level wanes rather quickly.

Christian Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0

Positive: The X-Men truly teaches about teamwork and how each member cares about each other. As a player goes through the storyline, a true sense of unity is felt as the story unfolds about each X-Man's life and what they struggle with. Sacrifice and harmony is seen through their actions, a far cry from most games on the market today.

Negative: X-Men's theme of evolution is present as an explanation for their powers as a result of man getting better over time. However, the Bible is contrary to these beliefs. As a Christian, true power only comes from God Almighty (Ps. 62:11) and without Him; we are nothing (John 15:5). God alone is the Creator of mankind and any other 'power' outside of Him is definitively questionable (Ec. 12:1). The Astral Plane is the realm where only psychics can go in the X-Men Universe. This can be likening to the spirit realm where even Saul tried to contact the dead by the witch of Endor (1 Sam. 28).

Overall Outlook/Score: 4.50 out of 5.0

X-Men Legends, although not a perfect RPG, is a quantum leap in the right direction for the franchise. The premise of teamwork, sacrifice, and unity are great pillars holding the story together as well as good vs. evil. This premise is a great reminder of the need to be selfless in this day and age. Christian parents would be wise to remind their children about the murky view of evolution from the prism of creationism, where true power comes from, and the 'Astral Plane' in view of Scriptures. After the agonizing shoddiness of Activision's failed "X-Men: Next Dimension" (a fighting game), X-Men Legends gives a much needed jolt to the possible dying hopes of fans desiring a solid X-Men game. This is a game I could honestly recommend for one's library without shame.

Review supplied by Christian Spotlight's Guide to GamesTM, a ministry of Eden Communications. Copyright Eden CommunicationsTM, a ministry of Films for Christ

Griffin J. Lilly Jr is sensi and pen warrior of Samurai Freelancing. From his humble beginnings as a frustrated English major to a breakout rising star on the writing market, you can count on him delivering for you the very best your project desires. You may contact him if you want to hire his service, and more important, he is a sucker for Japanese seafood buffets and tempura.

AP - Gov. Sarah Palin charged the state for her children to travel with her, including to events where they were not invited, and later amended expense reports to specify that they were on official business.

Console Gaming companies are still doing well in sales thanks to demand, but for how much longer will they be a viable sector of the growing video game industry? Some analysts predict that with online video games growing so rapidly, that the all in one console games could be on their way out. Not so fast say many manufacturers of console games, rather they believe they are evolving with these new venues. Console gaming plus, online interaction with online gaming communities is where it's at says one executive from a popular console game manufacturing company.

Indeed, why can't you have the best of both worlds? Sure the older console games end up in the free box at the garage sales or flea markets but not the new stuff, which has more interaction and the latest graphics and speed. Online gaming has some distinct advantages, in that it has increased inflows of venture capital, the latest talent and new advertising revenue streams of major brand names looking to make a connection with the primarily younger gaming demographic.

So the question on many minds of those who follow this sector seems to be; are all-in-one Console Games out and if so is this just the evolution of Gaming Technology, which is causing its extinction? "The older games are definitely out and have lost significant ground to the online gaming communities and the XBox," stated a gentleman from the Online Think Tank recently. Interactive consoles that can hook up to online gaming communities and be used as self-contained gaming consoles will always be a favored method for the online gaming gamer.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance Winslow's Bio

AP - An anti-war protester confronted former Bush administration aide Karl Rove while he spoke at a San Francisco mortgage bankers' meeting.