Introduce yourself a bit

[titus]

Tell everyody a bit more about yourself.
it would be a great way to create the family feeling on the forums :)
I will soon post more about myself but don't think I have time anymore now, because I need to get ready for school :p
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY :D

[Sei Daneic]

Random facts about me:

- I am genereally only on forums when at work.
- I am a liberal socialist, and a damn hippy at heart. Still, I wear a tie and uniform at work, so I guess I have been somewhat pacified. :)
- The best RPG of all time in my opinion is 'Planscape: Torment'.
- I am a quarter of a century in age.
- I am generally easy going and tolerant of other opinions, but I can get passionate about some subjects.
- I sit in front of my computer for too many hours, but it doesn't feel even halfway enough.

[Corwin]

Well, I was a hippy, And I refuse to wear a tie, anywhere!! :) Everyone knows that PS-T was the best RPG ever!! Oh, and I'm way more than a quarter century old!! :)

[titus]

I am 22 years old
still a student, going for a bachelor diploma for law practicus.
I am usually on forums the times I am not gaming, or sometimes both at the same time.
I love to play Magic the Gathering
First rpg I ever played was Diablo, wich was much more fun than D2.
Momentarilly I only play the mmorpg: conquer online
I also love games about vampires: Vampire the masquerade, Soulreaver and Blood omen, ow and Devil may Cry is cool too.
I usually hang out in the "Witte non" or translated the white non, a hard rock cafe, well the door says so, but it is more a metal cafe full of goths :D HOT HOT HOT.
THE gothic games are the best games I ever played, but still would like to find something that I like even better, But finding that is a huge challenge.
Don't know what to say anymore so any questions? just ask

[Illuvatar]

I'm a 25 years old unix engineer that loves to read, watch movies and ofcourse; play games.

Favorite books:

- A song of Ice and Fire -- George R.R. Martin
- The Prince of Nothing -- R. Scott Bakker
- The Malazan Empire -- Steven Erikson

Favorite movies:

- The Elephant Man -- David Lynch
- Braveheart -- Mel Gibson
- Happiness -- Todd Solondz

Favorite games:

- Fallout -- Black Isle
- Planescape: Torment -- Black Isle
- Baldur's Gate II: SOA -- Bioware

[Korplem]

Ah, another Prince of Nothing fan! Congrats on being awesome!

Heh, well, back on subject: I'm 21, been in the (u.s.) navy for 2 years. I've spent most of that time in Groton, CT; currently stationed in Pearl Harbor on the U.S.S. Olympia, a 688-class attack submarine.

My favorite game of all time would probably be Ultima 7 or Gothic. I can never make up my mind on that.

Favorite book [series] would be, hands down, the Prince of Nothing.

I'm a long time 'Dotter, came to the Watch in this mass exodus.

[Illuvatar]

Ah, another Prince of Nothing fan! Congrats on being awesome!

Hehe..Scott Bakker isn't very famous (yet), but if you ask me he wrote one of the best Fantasy series ever. Only Martin and Erikson can keep up with him!

[Nicolai]

Je m'apelle Nicolai. Je suis le brill d'utter.

[josephwatson]

I'm a 29 year old graduate student in the U.S. working on my PhD in neuroscience. While I wouldn't classify myself as a socialist, I am one of the most adamant democrat supporters I know. However, I prefer for neither party to fully hold power (checks and balances only work if someone's actually doing them). I've been playing computer/console games since I was 5. 1st RPG was Ultima 4, and my favorites are Ultima 7, part 1 and 2, Planescape: Torment, Fallout, BG II, and, strangely enough, Knights of the Old Republic. I'm currently playing Geneforge 3 and Fable, and waiting desperately for Gothic 3 (it's a good time to be European :( ). Bookwise, I love Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, and David McCullough (a really great historian). And I love a good debate.

[Neo]

Well, my name is Robin, nicknamed Neo on this site and the Dot -- on the Dot my name is Neo_Genesis -- though lately I have been taking on a different nickname. Anyway, I live in the Netherlands -- Holland -- and I am a big fan of Fantasy RPG's, Reading, writing, baseball, and partying.

My favorite books would be:

Fool's Fate - Robin Hobb
Magician - Raymond E. Feist
Assassin's Quest - Robin Hobb

As a hobby, which I also use as freelancing jobs, is webdesigning (sites, lay-outs, signatures etc).

I currently work as an Outbound agent at a Telemarketing company, recently started.


EDITh: Oh, and my favorite games are World of Warcraft and Gothic 2 :). I dont know about G3 yet since Im only level 12.

[txa1265]

Hi - I'm Mike, a 40 year old Optical Engineer / Physicist from Massachusetts in the USA.

One of my big hobbies is music - I am an avid jazz fan, tending towards general avant garde stuff. I also had a nice little home studio I would noodle around in, but when we redid the house that got maginalized, so I need to rebuild it - we're getting there ... on the list ;)

I like to read, but tend to bring the PSP or DS to bed instead. I read a bunch of Salvatore recently - Cleric Quintet & Icewind Dale Trilogy - as my light stuff. My favorite thing recently is 'Life of Pi' - you should really read it, it is a great novel. Now I'm re-reading Joyce's 'Potrait of the Artist' for the first time in 20 or so years.

I like to mix up my gaming - a 'primary' and 'secondary' game on the PC, and one each on my PSP & DS. This is going to get very hard with all of the stuff coming in the next two months ... makes me glad I'm in th eUS and won't get my Aspyr release for another month ;)

[JonNik]

My favorite books would be:

Fool's Fate - Robin Hobb
Assassin's Quest - Robin Hobb


The Liveship series are also very Good. Check them Out If you havent.

[Cm]

Not telling my age so don't ask. I am old enough to know most everything, and young enough to still enjoy it all too.

I love all rpgs and have always played them. Only MMORPH I played was guild wars for a while and A Tale in the Dessert. I love NWN have played multiplayer with the same bunch for years now.

I will give advise, I love music, and I love to tease. I also enjoy picking on Corwin. ;)

[txa1265]

So how old did you say you were?


;)

[Cm]

Wonders if she has to start adding people to her list this soon into the new site? :D

[txa1265]

Just making sure we all feel cozy here ... I'd offer you some tea, but a bit of teasing will have to do :)

[aboyd]

I'm a RPG lover going back to PnP D&D and Crystalis. Recent favorites include Planescape: Torment. I was a NWN hater for the first 4 years of its life. But in the last 2 months I've been playing Daggerford, Pirates of the Sword Coast, Wyvern Crown, Dastards Morrow, The HeX Coda, etc. Basically, a lot of good NWN mods. Once I gave up 100% on the OC, the game became a lot more interesting.

Nice to be here. Good luck with new site.

[Corwin]

I know CM's age and for the right inducement......... :)

[ShadowMoses]

25, recently married. I live in the north west of England and run a small company with a friend from uni.
Spare time is taken up mostly with work on Ashes (see sig), writing / recording music and playing RPG's.

[josephwatson]

Ashes looks interesting, ShadowMoses. I love independent RPGs!

[Corwin]

Most of us here are very interested in Ashes and we look forward to hearing a lot more about it here from the Man himself in the weeks and months to come!!

[Londonchris]

Chris from London, 36.
Well i live in Finland now,and after moving here and making 2 kids i`ve got abit behind with the games.
Nice to find this place,feels quite homely already.
I mess around with precious stones and metals for a living and when i find time i`m going to start on Gothic #1 !!! (i did say i was abit behind).

[Sei Daneic]

I'm a 25 years old unix engineer that loves to read, watch movies and ofcourse; play games.

Favorite books:

- A song of Ice and Fire -- George R.R. Martin
- The Prince of Nothing -- R. Scott Bakker
- The Malazan Empire -- Steven Erikson

Favorite movies:

- The Elephant Man -- David Lynch
- Braveheart -- Mel Gibson
- Happiness -- Todd Solondz

Favorite games:

- Fallout -- Black Isle
- Planescape: Torment -- Black Isle
- Baldur's Gate II: SOA -- Bioware

I love your taste.
Although I never really got into the books of Steven Erikson, my all time favourite is George RR Martin, and having just begun on Bakker's books I see that the series have alot of promise. All the games you mention are favourites of mine, although in another order.

[Jaz]

Hmmm... I'm 40, married, a son (who is responsible for my current sig, among other things) and joined RPGDot in early 2002. Currently, my primary, full-time job is administative (a mixure of sysadmin and PA), my secondary, part-time job as well (doing the HR stuff and selling games for the family SW/HW/web-hosting company), and then I have a tertiary part-time job as a beta reader/translator/ghostwriter.
Needless to say I don't have the time anymore to play as many games as I would like to, or as I did years ago... even though I sell the stuff. But the fascination remains!

I'm mostly a p&p RPGer, still GMing the occasional RPG, yet I also like CRPGs. I'm not much of a rules type when it comes to p&p, and regarding CRPGs I'm not much of a 'purist', either, preferring hybrid games myself (action-adventures and games with RPG elements, so to say) - the most important aspects for me are ambience/atmosphere and immersion.

My favorite games/series of CRPGs or games which border on the RPG-ish are... let me think... the Lands of Lore series, Thief series, everything Elder Scrolls except the Travel games (which I don't have) , System Shock 1, DX 1, the Heretic and Hexen series, the Gothics, Diablos, Shadowcaster, Realms of the Haunting and perhaps Undying.
I'm not a very passionate reader of Fantasy literature, but that's probably because I'm paid for beta-reading/translating Fantasy, Horror and Historical lit; thus I consider it work instead of a passion.
My favorite ('free-time reading') authors include Asimov, Heinlein and McDonald Fraser. I also loved Traviss' first Republic Commando novel, but the second one was a bit of a disappointment IMO.

My favorite movies? Well... too many to choose from, but I really like historical drama, comedy, Star Wars and Fight Club.

[Sem]

To introduce myself:
I'm Sem, but in real-life I'm mostly called Folkert
Been with RPGDot since May 2003, later became a news poster for GothicDot and was with the crew during the secret RPGWatch operation. Stopped doing that several weeks ago, because my real-life prevents my from visiting the internet and the site regularly.

Luckily I'm a lot younger than people like Corwin and Cm (what's with the "gamer"), they were already ancient when I joined the site. Have been on Cm's list several times when we still had the barn and the beach.:D

[Jaz]

Luckily I'm a lot younger than people like Corwin and Cm (what's with the "gamer")
Our forums don't like 2-letter names.

[txa1265]

My favorite ('free-time reading') authors include Asimov, Heinlein and McDonald Fraser. I also loved Traviss' first Republic Commando novel, but the second one was a bit of a disappointment IMO.
Crap ... I thought the first one was decent as well ... the second is sitting on the bedside table waiting to be read ...

[StraitLacedDeviant]

I'm 23, Irish, living in Germany. I've never frequented the RPGDot boards, I'm a RpgCodex regular and I read of the Dot diaspora and decided to wander over. Best of luck with the new site, already liking the layout, RPGDot was fugly, no offence.

My tastes run to the usual, Fallout, PS:T um.... I know there are others.

[Jaz]

Crap ... I thought the first one was decent as well ... the second is sitting on the bedside table waiting to be read ... It topped my 'most anticipated' list for quite some time, but I expected too much (I guess). Don't get me wrong, it's a decent book, but it's not as good as the first one... good characterization, but too much unsolicited Mandalorian cultural history for my taste, and then the 'Dating Club'... aww, don't get me started on this.

[Prime Junta]

Another old fart here. Been playing PnP since the original D&D boxed set came out. Currently gamemastering a campaign that's gone on for over a decade, every other Sunday at five, with occasional breaks of course. I work in IT, lately more on the design and management end of things than actual coding.

I'm pretty eclectic in my tastes on the computer game side of things. Lately I've been re-playing Rome: TW, KOTOR, and just started on Gothic 3.

I loved, in no particular order:

+ The Fallouts
+ Planescape: Torment (classic love/hate one, though -- some things about it drive me absolutely up the wall, but the good parts are so good it's all worth it)
+ Deus Ex
+ KOTOR and KOTOR II, despite the rushed ending
+ Rome: Total War (esp. with the Total Realism mod)
+ Myth 2 (more so than Myth)
+ Gothic 2 (never played 1 so far)
+ Arx Fatalis
+ Vampire: Bloodlines
+ The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
+ SimCity 2000
+ Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (not to mention the old Prince of Persias)
+ Escape Velocity: Nova. Also some mods, like Frozen Heart.

I liked, as in, played and mostly enjoyed, or would-have-loved-except-for-some-niggly-thing, or that just made me go "nice, but meh..."
+ NWN: Hordes of the Underdark (everything else NWN I've played was pretty boring IMO)
+ The Half-Lives (1, 2, Episode 1)
+ Thief 2 and Thief: Deadly Shadows
+ Rune
+ Far Cry (great vehicular combat though)
+ X2: The Threat
+ Myth
+ Morrowind

And I was disappointed in (for any of a number of reasons:)
+ Baldur's Gate II
+ Oblivion
+ NWN (everything other than HotU; beats me why I always bought new stuff hoping that maybe *this* is the thing that realizes the potential of the game)
+ DOOM 3 (there's only so much mileage to be had out of things leaping at you from dark corners and going BOO!)
+ Both GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas (great music, though)
+ Deus Ex 2 (wasn't everybody?)
+ X3: The Reunion (like watching paint dry, only not quite as exciting)

I haven't played but think I oughta, if I can find them:
+ System Shock 2
+ Arcanum
+ BG 1 (perhaps it'll make me like BG2, too)

I don't really have any hard dogma about what makes a good game good, other than those empirical, really-hard-to-pin-down qualities that just make you come back to it and don't let go. There are games on my "love" list that absolutely should not work, and there are games on my "meh" list that absolutely should (and that I'm assured by people whose taste I respect *do* work).

[Corwin]

My only addition to your list would be get System Shock 1 first. It's a classic!!

[txa1265]

And I was disappointed in (for any of a number of reasons:)
+ Deus Ex 2 (wasn't everybody?)

Isn't being disappointed by Deus Ex 2 like saying Titanic is the most over-rated movie ever ;)

[lostnumber]

My favorite game of all time is Blade of Darkness, the gothic and HL series are at a very close second. I'm an open minded political moderate seeking a job in outside sales (currently tech support) while attending school for my MBA (Keller GSM - its not Harvard but the teachers are great!). I've been part of the community in one way or another ever since I took a chance on buying the original Gothic. I am a 24 year old white, straight, male from the Chicago IL. area in the good 'ol USA. I have been in a relationship with my lovely girlfriend for three years. Hobbies include: PC games (rpg and fps mostly), target shooting (expensive and I'm not that good), weight training (doesn't take coordination) and spending time with my very cute and very old Cairn terrier named Maggie. I have a deep appreciation for this community and I wish it many more happy, healthy, and positive years.

[txa1265]

My favorite game of all time is Blade of Darkness, the gothic and HL series are at a very close second.
So you must be totally jazzed about the upcoming Dark Messiah game ...

spending time with my very cute and very old Cairn terrier named Maggie.
We have a wonderful Norfolk, and just put in with the breeder for another. Got her because of my wife and son's allergies, but are just thrilled!

[Jaz]

Isn't being disappointed by Deus Ex 2 like saying Titanic is the most over-rated movie ever ;)I wasn't disappointed by DX2 :p. Or was I? Not sure, the game fell into a time when I was a tad disappointed by every game that came out, so it doesn't really count.

And I can't WAIT for Dark Messiah!

[lostnumber]

Mike, you must read minds; I am completely psyched about the release of Dark Messiah! I played the demo and couldn't stop. I must have stabbed about 50 orcs in the neck since then. The combat is satisfyingly brutal and kinetic. The atmosphere is brooding and engrossing, and the visuals are simply stunning (thanks Valve). As far a blade goes I accidentally stumbled across it back in my undergrad days. The controls really do take a little getting used to, but doing so is very rewarding. I can honestly say that no matter how hard anyone else has tried no one, simply no one, has been able to match that fighting in a pc game. I have played that game so many time over I've literally lost count. In fact I have about 5 different games going right now. Now don't get me wrong, dark messiah has great combat, but until I see an orc stagger in front of me after I removed his head from the rest of him my opinion stands. I know the general tone of this post is rather violent, but what the hell is a fighting game supposed to be? I remember the days of Mortal Kombat on the SNES. Beating sweat off of the bad guy just didn't cut it. I know the difference between reality and virtual-reality; and when it comes to games I likes me my blood, violence, dismemberment, and an overall violent visceral charge. Really though outside of that I'm a nice guy, sometimes to a fault.

[xSamhainx]

President and founder of the CCA (Catnip Connoisseurs of America)
-likes various forms of music, tho my favorites are doom, symphonic, and gothic metal
-loves rainy days, yay for Autumn
-has a fetish for peculiar or forgotten films
-ex WoW addict in recovery
-jack of all games, master of none

[lostnumber]

Oh and BTW Norfolks are adorable. They have a very similar appearance to Cairns, dare I say cuter? Nay... Sorry Maggie.

[txa1265]

Mike, you must read minds; I am completely psyched about the release of Dark Messiah!
Naw - that one was easy ;)

Love Blade of Darkness, great music, nice combat - graphics still look pretty nice. And of course the Gothic connection (3rd person RPG), and Half-Life just join together to complete the puzzle.

I did the closed beta for quite a while ... don't know how much multi I'll do when it comes out, but the SP will be grand, I'm sure.

[txa1265]

Oh and BTW Norfolks are adorable. They have a very similar appearance to Cairns, dare I say cuter? Nay... Sorry Maggie.

I never appreciated Terriers until we needed to look at a very few specific possible breeds for the allergies (or no dog at all).

[lostnumber]

Terriers are great, they are fiercely loyal, unbelievably loveable, and more energetic than a hopped up crack-head. They do of course bark way to damn much; something which tends to be more of a high, pitched ear piercing yelp than a baritone bark. In addition to that mine likes to vomit at the most inopportune times. She also had this issue with peeing when she got to excited. Sadly, a few people found this out the hard, warm, and smelly way. Thankfully she has largely outgrown this. Interesting though, how is it that terriers are less inclined to aggravate one's dog allergies? Mine sheds like all hell.

P.S. I just got word that Gothic arrived. That means I get Gothic 3, 2 GB of RAM and a new .22lr bolt action (used with a scope and hard-case at a price that was a steal!!!). Someone's having the best week ever! Ahem...

[magerette]

Hairs and dander of terriers are dispersed into the upper atmosphere by their whirlwind progress thru the plane on which we attempt to coexist with this alien lifeform. Have Jack Russells ourselves.
Beyond dogs, I'm an old hippy as well, from Chicago but now happily rusticating in the sticks. Been playing crpgs since my son wangled me into Baldurs Gate(1),
All time favorite is Planescape Torment, but I quite liked the Gothics and Diablo, and have a masochistic streak which finds me frequently playing turn based strategy(HOMM2-5, MOO2-GalCiv)
Best wishes to the site--the ever-shrinking font and news column and ever-increasing and intrusive ad shell over at RPGDOT was a big turnoff.
This OTOH is way good:cool:

[Defiler]

Hello,

I have been playing RPGs since the late 80's. I started out as a youngin on Bard's Tale, Legacy of the Ancients, and some other games I have long forgotten about. I went through a dry period during the early 90's until we got a family PC about '95 or so. In the next few years I got into Fallout(1 and 2), Might and Magic VI, the Dark Sun games(which they really need to re-make!), and last but not least Daggerfall. I did a little AD&D when I didn't have access to a computer. Does anyone know of any Dark Sun fan projects(or any in the works)?????

[xSamhainx]

you mention that like it's a bad thing.

[chamr]

count another terrier fan here. but mine have been of the rat and pit bull variety. :)

[Remus]

I'm Malaysian (Where's Singapore?) and born in 1972; a History graduate (Master)but end up as restaurant manager and love all things computer. Addicted to PC games when staying in dormitory and took over my roommate's computer to the first Warcraft game and Wolfenstein 3D. Best RPG = Planescape: Torment; Best Shooter = Halo. Others = Deus Ex, Thief series, Elder Scrolls series, GTA series, etc. Games currently playing = none as i'm too busy - 12 hrs/day and 7 days/week!... need to end this madness!. Luckily i managed to spend couple hours to watch selected Japanese animations during rest hours for entertainment.

[Arma]

Well, I'm 21. non-married for the time being and not planning to do it soon. An aspiring student, right now struggling with Sociology.

I like playing games. Really favorite ones include Geneforge series, Heroes of Might and Magic, Disciples, Arcanum, ToEE, Legacy of Kain series excluding Defiance, Civilization. Overall, I prefer games with interesting story.

I also like watching anime, right now checking out Death Note. My all time favorites are Hellsing, Witch Hunter Robin, Full Metal Alchemist (anyone seen this one would recognize my current avatar), Slayers, Gankutsuou : The Count of Monte Cristo, The Mysterious Cities of Gold.

On the movies front I am not very active, but I liked Kill Bill and Underworld (but not Evolution). Some times find some Latin telenovella entertaining on TV and right now I watch from time to time La mujer en el Espejo (The Woman in the Mirror) and another one but I can't remember the title right now. And I watch TV series, right now following Weeds, Commander in Chief and Boston Legal, but several months ago I really enjoyed the short-lived The Inside

I love the Thraxas books by Martin Scott and everything Discworld. And I've endured the Wheel of Time and the only reason I've not strangled Jordan so far is that we have not met :)

Music I like includes everthing from anime and movie sountracks passing by 90s music to pop-folk.

[txa1265]

Well, I'm 21. non-married for the time being and not planning to do it soon.

No rush - enjoy being young!

[chamr]

Going to become a porn director and also appear in my own movies as i direct.

Direct wile i perform thats my motto.

OK. Between this one and the one in the "post a pic" thread, did someone hijack this guy's account, or what?

[txa1265]

OK. Between this one and the one in the "post a pic" thread, did someone hijack this guy's account, or what?

I hope it was his twelve year old brother or something ... I'd thought other comments of his were reasonable.

[Corwin]

You can always report a post, but we are being much more lenient here than at the dot!! Also, he hasn't crossed the line in any of the forums I'm a mod for!! :)

[Jaz]

I'd thought other comments of his were reasonable.They were? Need to take a second look at them, then ;).

[moxie]

I have a bio up at the Dot, but there's been a few updates since that was written. I'm a Staff Writer at a private college for geeks and I'm going to Arizona State for my Master's in Journalism. You think that'd help me out as a games journalist, but right now it tends to rob precious game time and creative energy.

Love for RPGs was fed at a young age with the Ultima series and Might and Magic. I like most RPGs in some way, but my favorite game memories probably come from Ultima Underworld, Ultima 4 & 7, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Thief 3, Deus Ex, and Arcanum. I have to thank the guys at RPGDot for introducing me to the incredibly great world of Gothic. I'm currently saving up sick days for NWN2 and G3.

Anyone who has caught the sickness called MySpace, can catch me here:
http://www.myspace.com/trustfundkid
I've tended to be picky on MySpace friends, but anyone who mentions RPGWatch will definitely be added (for as much as that's worth).

[xSamhainx]

I'm going to be doing one of those MySpace things soon. After all, it's free.

Arma, you sound like a very interesting young lady :)

[Gulshog]

I'm surrounded by Nerds! :D

Nerd here, and proud of it.

I grew up playing the Red box D&D set...actually got it for Christmas if you can believe that. I've also played AD&D, of course, Warhammer, Star Wars, Call of Cthulhu, Rifts, Gamma World, Talislanta, Lejendary Adventures, Harmaster, DC Heroes, Marvel Super Heroes, and others that I cannot think of at the moment.

I love board games as well, mainly Axis and Allies, Risk, plus I have fond memories of all the old mainstays...Stratego, Life, etc.

In that same vein I enjoyed playing Battletech, and Star Fleet Battles when i was younger.

As far as games for the PC go, I enjoy a lot of different things. Heroes of Might and Magic V, Combat Mission (all 3 games), Kohan II, Civilization IV, Pacific Fighters, IL-2 Sturmovik, Freedom Force 2, Vampire: The Masquerade, Temple of Elemental Evil, Half-Life 2, Red Orchestra, Call of Duty 2, Hearts of Iron 2: Doomsday, are some of the games I've been playing in the last couple of years. For a while I was on the MMO kick, and played WW2 Online, City of Heroes, and World of Warcraft. The only one I want to play again is WW2 Online.

But, I've played all the old stuff, Bard's Tale, Ultima, Dungeon Master on the Amiga (one of my all time favorites), Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, etc. I love RPG's, and WW2, as you can tell.

Music...I love all kinds, really. Kyuss is my all time favorite, though, along with COC, Led Zeppelin, Electric Wizard, Misfits, Metallica (Black album and earlier), Meshuggah, Sepultura, Soulfly, The Gathering, Hendrix, The Doors, Rolling Stones, Danzig, Stone Temple Pilots, Monster Magnet, etc. You get the picture.

I also like Big Band music...WW2 theme there, I guess.

As far as movies, I like war, sci-fi, and fantasy, mostly. I just saw Flags of our Fathers yesterday, and anyone interested in that vein of cinema should go see it. It's the best, and most realistic WW2 movie I've seen to date.

My favorites are:
War: Flags of our Fathers
Science Fiction: 2001
Fantasy: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

[Jaz]

TalislantaNow that was unexpected. Somebody actually played it? :) I shouldn't talk, we actually played Justifiers, among other exotic RPGs.
Red Orchestra Great game. I was a beta tester for RO when it was relatively new, and when we were doing a gameplay clip for the trailer...
Clip director, hidden in a bush beside a bunker: "Action!"
The Russian team came out of the bunker; the German team started to shoot. The bush wobbled, then the director keeled over.
Me: "Oops. I shot the director."
Teammate: "No Oscar for him, then."

[Corwin]

Isn't that called friendly fire!! :)

[slam23]

Hi everyone,

I just turned 34 today actually. I live in the Netherlands and work as a neuropsychologist at a outpatient rehabilitation clinic, working predominantly with people with brain injuries. My girlfriend whom I live with is also a psychologist and she is also into gaming (yes they do exist :-), am I a lucky bastard or not?).

My gaming history dates back to the Apple IIe, way back in the early 80's. Besides playing platform games like Lode Runner, Karateka and Frogger I quickly latched on to CRPG's like Wizardry and Ultima. I didn't know that they were RPG's at the time but man, did I have fun with those. A lot of the time I played those without manual and Internet didn't exist then, so when you were stuck, it could be weeks before any progress was made. I always was somewhat of a daydreamer and with graphics that left a lot to the imagination (and I mean that literally) RPG's ignited my fantasy like putting a gallon of gasoline on the family bbq. Then I discovered the Might & Magic series and was completely hooked for a time, actually drawing the total world map of "secrets of the inner sanctum" by hand on math paper. Bard's Tale III followed and then it was onto the PC. At first RPG's were hard to come by so I was stuck with Hero's Quest, later named Quest for Glory because of copyright issues. That rekindled the RPG fire in me. I had to wait till Baldur's Gate (and till I could afford a decent PC that could run the thing, being a student and all) for the next fix. That also introduced me to the world of pnp D&D so I had a kind of reverse evolution in that respect. Now I knew what those kids were playing in the movie ET. I sometimes join a pnp RPG group that uses GURPS as governing rule set.

Planescape:Torment (top favourite), Daggerfall, NWN, GothicI+II, BGII, Fallout, Morrowind, KOTOR I+II are some of my recent favourites. The jury is still out on Oblivion....looking forward to NWN2 and GothicIII. Besides RPG's I like storydriven and "intelligent" FPS like HalfLife 2 and hybrid games like Deus Ex and the occasional sim like CIV and RailRoad Tycoon. I also sometimes play NBA Live to get my bball fix when I'm not on the court myself.

Outside of the computer world I do have some other interests like listening to classical music (rabid J.S. Bach fan) and playing the piano and bass guitar. I like to watch sci-fi series and movies, at the present I'm watching Battlestar Galactica new style and Firefly. And I like medical series like House, ER and especially Grey's Anatomy. I have to watch Desperate Housewives with my girlfriend and we also follow Lost. I just read Lord of the Rings for the 20th time (that probably trumps Gulshog in the department of Nerdiness :-) and I own all the special extended DVD editions for which I also bought my widescreen TV and 5.1 surround set. Been visiting www.mvgroup.org a lot for some really good documentaries, hotly recommended. Best book I read this year (besides LOTR): "a short history of nearly everything" by Bill Bryson. I also enjoy playing board and card games with friends, favorites are Puerto Rico and Texas No Limit Hold'em. Last but not least I like to travel and hike. Best trips were New Zealand, Western US, Canada and Iceland.

I was a frequent lurker at RPGdot and with some of you guys starting RPGwatch I had to come over and check it out. Nice job! Seeing that a lot of you are just RPG fans like me that like to share experiences made me want to go from lurking to posting. So there you have it, and mind you, I'm not known for short posts :-)

[Corwin]

Welcome. Have you ever tried the System Shock games? I think you'd like them and they should be available cheap!!

[txa1265]

... and there are graphics replacement mods that do *wonders* for the look - at least for SS2!

[slam23]

Thanks Corwin. I think I have read about the system shock games but haven't played them. Supposedly they have brilliant atmosphere and the sound effects scared the living daylights out of people? I'll look into obtaining a copy, maybe underdogs have 'em (yep: http://www.the-underdogs.info/downloadfile.php?file=games/s/sysshock2/files/sysshock2.zip&id=3924 ). I'm also following the development of Bioshock a bit, I like the premise of the underwater dystopia setting and promise of open-ended play. Got my birthday present yesterday from my girlfriend: a voucher for GothicIII ! So I'm off to my nearest game retailer :-)

[Corwin]

Bioshock, is the 'spiritual' successor to the SS series!! SS1 WILL play in DOSBOX. I replayed it last year and enjoyed it just as much as the first time. Apparently SS2 has issues with XP. Not sure if there's a workaround, but ask- someone will know!!

[slam23]

Got it working (not the easiest thing to do with running it on XP and dual core!) and playing it now. Updated the textures and it is passable enough for me now. Gameplay definitely reminds me of Deus Ex, this has way better pacing though! There is constant pressure to move and act. And the sound effects are is very good. I'm at the point where I have to purge the radiation from some tubes, I stumbled across a nice supply of protocol droids in a cargo bay that are just now comin' out of their gift wrappings.....and I'm down to one shotgun pellet....

[Corwin]

I actually preferred the original, but the graphics are very dated now. Back then they were almost revolutionary. Still, enjoy the experience. Deus Ex owed much to the SS series too. Look who did the original!!

[xanaki]

I'm just under 34 years old guy from Finland. Been playing all kinds of games since year '81 or so (Pong :). I can claim that I've seen quite a bit of gaming in my years. Since '99 I've somewhat constantly been involved with MMORPG games. I've played all of the western MMO's that are currently online and many of those that never made it (in betas) to the release.

Currently playing: Eve Online, WoW, Gothic 3, Titan Quest and Dark Messiah of M&M (yeah quite busy).

In real life I work as a team leader and specialist in Software engineering. Work is related to mobile phone software (Series60, UIQ, Symbian). I have a wife, two dogs and two cats (one of which likes to sleep on my computer because it generates so much warmth :) ). Oh did, I mention. I like games and especially RPGs.

In my past I have been also RPGDot's news editor and forum moderator. And if needed I can continue doing that again after a long pause.

Looking forward to see RPGWatch as a good replacement for RPGDot :)

[Corwin]

Welcome back!! :)

[Haitham]

Greetings,
my real name is Haitham Musa - I'm originally from the drown land of Palestine, but I currently live in Jordan [to study]. I was born on 1991 - So I've passed 15 years of this life so far. At the start of my Internet activity I was a member on the Dot as "Beliarsclew" - Which is my nickname on games. I'm a big fan for some RPGs like Gothic, and Dungeon Siege. For 1 year I was being an addict to the famous game "World of Warcraft" - I regret every second I did waste on that "Warcrack".

I used to spend most of my time behind a PC [gaming, other PC activities] but now I realized that I should work on re-arranging priorities - I started to care about real life, social life and family life more than before (Trying to re-build what I destroyed due to PC addiction ) ...

I'm also a big fan for the old band "Pink Floyd" - I honor these guys, I also listen to some Rap/Hip-Hop songs, and of course some "Arabian Respected Songs" - So called in common.

Peace, Good luck, and good lives to all.

[LordRac]

Rob from CT, USA. I've been playing RPGs since Adventure on the Atari 2600. OK wait...maybe it wasn't a real RPG, but I think Dragonstomper was. :)

I've been pretty disillusioned by the latest crop of RPGs since Oblivion, and it doesn't look too much better with Gothic 3 (though I'll still try it once patched up), so I've been into retro-gaming for my RPG fix. Any RPG from the 80s-00s will do, and I think I can get some good recommendations from here!

[Cm]

Well the list could get really long. You might want to tell us what you have played already and then I know you can get a good list from this group to match your tastes. ;)

[slam23]

@Haitham: I think addiction to gaming/PC use is an all too common and underestimated risk for all of us, but especially so for the more impressionable brains of young adults, so good for you that you recognized it that early. Did you know that neuroscientific research yielded evidence that gaming excites the same brain areas as in drug users when they get high? Especially for games that had a intermittent reward structure, like CRPG's. I had a good look in the mirror when I read that article.....

[Haitham]

They does work the same as I noticed; One time We (the family) did go out of country for a vacation, I was so nervous - I wanted to go back so badly that i ruined that vacation just to game little WoW and waste time on it, so about the Drugs & PC Addiction [especially to games which provide fun] - I think they're the same, maybe the Drugs can cause death a bit more quickly. :)

[Korplem]

Yeah, a gaming addiction is a slow, unmerciful death. You can't O.D. on games (well, if you don't eat you wont last long as some have found out) so you can have as much as you want...

[LordRac]

Well the list could get really long. You might want to tell us what you have played already and then I know you can get a good list from this group to match your tastes. ;)

OK Hmm......I'll try to come up with a quick list.

CRPGs I've already played:
Ultima series (plus Underworld 1 & 2)
Wizardry series
Baldur's Gate 1
Wasteland
Questron 1 & 2
Elder Scrolls series
Betrayal at Krondor
Lands of Lore 1
KotOR 1 & 2
Pools of Radiance
Might and Magic 1-5

CRPGs I have on my list to try:
Planescape: Torment
Baldur's Gate 2
System Shock 1 & 2
Gothic series
Magic Candle 1
Arx Fatalis
Darklands
Might and Magic 6-9

There's probably some other good ones I missed, but I know I'll be busy with the ones I haven't tried yet. Between the 90s and early 00s I missed out on some really good RPGs. I think Ultima IX left me very disappointed in recent CRPGs especially after I saw the missing plotline and content, plus the original 2D screen shots was the game I really wanted.

[slam23]

My priority list for playing the ones you have to try yet would be like this:
1. Planescape Torment
.
.
.
.
. and then comes the rest:
2. Baldur's Gate 2
3. Gothic 1+2
4. Arx Fatalis
5. System Shock series (I only know 2)
Magic Candle and Darklands are not known by me. I will try to think of anything you may have missed in your shortlist and is worth playing.
And may I add that Ultima IX is not in any way a good representative for more recent CRPG's.....

[LordRac]

And may I add that Ultima IX is not in any way a good representative for more recent CRPG's.....

That's for sure! I didn't know whether I was playing Ultima or Zelda....and I meant no insult to Nintendo! :)

[Khass]

Hey-o. Me Dan, I've seen 15 winters, and just to diversify this place even more - I'm from Romania, which many people have said it's better than their own country. Come visit me sometime :biggrin: I was a two-time member of RPGDot, first known as CassRo, then as Provok.

I've been gaming for about 6 years, was the mastah at games like Lotus, Prince of Persia 3D, FIFA '92 and '94, Lemmings, Dune 2, Red Alert 1 and some other "oldies". I can't really make a list of games I like, other than Gothic 1, because I've played almost anything my hands have touched, right back from the first game I played (something similar to jump-and-hit volleyball arcade games of now, with worse graphics). Same can be said with books, though I'm a big fan of LotR (ask me anything about it, and I'll know 99% of the time).

I'm more of an off-topic poster, because as you can imagine, I'm not that experienced with RPGs, but I'm eager to learn. :)

[txa1265]

Welcome Khass - it is great to see articulate younger folks here!

[Jaz]

Aaaah... finally :). I wondered when you would arrive at our new home.

[Khass]

Aaaah... finally :). I wondered when you would arrive at our new home.

Yes ... departing from the Dot was sad :(

It was the first forum I whole-heartily enjoyed, made some great friends there, it was the place I grew up in, and where I started a love for RPGs and role playing. Ah well ...

And before I forget, congratulations on releasing the book! ;)

[slam23]

Hello Khass,
Would gladly take you up on your challenge of quizzing you about LOTR :) I'm a big fan also. But it would go off-topic fast, so maybe in another thread? Nice to see another LOTR-fan here at the Watch, I reckon we two are not the only ones though. Do you visit theonering.net?

[Jaz]

And before I forget, congratulations on releasing the book! ;)Uh-oh... well, thank you! :D

Do you visit theonering.net? *ahem*I used to go there. But I forgot my login.*ahem*

[slam23]

@Jaz: Yeah right.... :) The old "I was there but I forgot my login"-excuse. That boast will require a thorough quizzing ;) Let's set up a thread for that! Anyhow, the official LOTR-TORN-RPGWatch submember count is up to three, who wants to come out the closet too?

[Jaz]

But I *did* forget my login data. I just remember that I changed my avatar to a picture of Lurz after the first movie came out, because the hardcore fans hated him so much (and I must admit he was a darned fine specimen).
I have so many accounts at so many boards under so many names... I have a list with my most important login data, just in case. I even forgot my Steam account login... I'm so grateful for the option to retrieve login data by giving a game code ^-^...

[Khass]

I have so many accounts at so many boards under so many names...

Uh ... why? Don't really see the point in this, unless you have rabid stalkers after you asking for an autograph on their book :D

And like slam23 said, you need to prove it by posting in the appropriate thread ;) And no, I don't visit the site, would be one too many things to do online. But I've browsed it a little. Seems very interesting :)

[Jaz]

I just don't like to go by the same name twice, that's all, although I finally found a solution - nowadays my handles change with the topic of a board, meaning that my user name is the same for all shooter boards I frequent, etc. I even have a list with my most important login data, or I'd be lost.

As for proving 'it'... I never said I was a Tolkien buff! I'm not. I just read the Trilogy, the Hobbit and the Silmarillion when I was seventeen, and re-read them one year later. I also saw the animated LotR movie when it came out, but that's about it, I'm pretty positive I couldn't answer a single Tolkien trivia question (you probably had a better chance with Moorcock).
What I did admit to was having an account over at theonering.net (a friend of mine is a regular over there and made me curious enough to join), and while writing this post I even remembered my login name :biggrin:.

[Maylander]

I'm.. me. Student/software developer from Norway, I spend all my time in front of a computer, either developing fairly boring applications or playing games. Other than that I watch a whole lot of football(soccer to our friends over the sea), my team in England is Arsenal, in Norway it's Brann.

Regarding gaming: I used to play all sorts of games, strategy games like C&C, adventure games like Monkey Island, Larry and Space Quest, sports games, simulators and so on, but today I only play RPGs and RTS games with RPG elements(SpellForce, Warcraft 3, etc). My all time favourite games are probably Baldur's Gate 2 and Gothic 1, although there are many that should be mentioned, from Heroes of Might & Magic 1 and Magic & Magic 6, to modern games like KotOR1-2.

I also do a fair bit of reading, but again I've become more boring over time. I used to read a lot of Jules Verne, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and so on, but lately I've only read fantasy books and series. My favourite is probably The Wheel of Time - a lot of people critisize it for it's incredibly level of detail, but I enjoy it. The few annoyances I have with the series are the same as always - why do they not use teleport as means of communication more? Why doesn't Gandalf use his pretty birds to drag Frodo into Mt. Doom in an hour? Why does Sherlock Holmes always wait for that dimwit Mr. Watson to walk about asking ridicilous questions before revealing who the killer is? You get the point..

Anything else? Just ask. :)