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And isn't there a pool just a couple of blocks away? Water hole!  

And a sycamore. IIRC, there's a sycamore in the front yard. Or was that only MY folks' house?

[ November 08, 2007: Message edited by: Calean Mac Gealach ]

Thank you. And get a tissue!

The editor in me twitched at that, yes. But it's an understandable error. It doesn't bother me near as much as misused apostrophes or the improper usage of "that" vs. "which."

It's really horrible what being an editor can do to you, isn't it?  

But yes, the Scary Guy is most rocksome!

See? I'm in recovery!  

[ November 02, 2007: Message edited by: Calean Mac Gealach ]

Wow. Rocksome indeed!

quote

...a monkey with a keyboard would bring me to tears...

No fooling! Keyboards are hard, and monkeys have those long arms, and they're pretty strong, too!

And that is why I'm an animator and not a primatologist.  

And wow, can that guy sing! I was blown away. Not quite moved to tears, but well on my way. If they played the entire aria in that clip, it would've done the trick! Wow.

[ October 31, 2007: Message edited by: Calean Mac Gealach ]

I don't think ol' Curtis would play very well these days, since he died in the past tense in a song that was released over 30 years ago. That kind of thing usually puts an end to one's active musical career. But, it being the Halloween season, I suppose we COULD dig him up and prop him up in the corner...

Y'know, maybe with a suitably rusty dobro and some animatronics, we could make this thing work!

BTW, pink kilts - OK. Jari in a pink kilt? That's workable, too. It's the frills that scare me. I mean, OK, if it's lace trim on the hem, that's fine. Even with little satin ribbons woven through the eyelets. But NO FREAKIN' CRINOLINES WITH A KILT!

We have to maintain certain standards, y'know?

[ October 29, 2007: Message edited by: Calean Mac Gealach ]

Barbeque at Dominic's camp! Don't forget the mopping sauce!

And a dobro. We need someone playing a dobro.

Happy SamGraymaelO'WeenHain!

I think that about covers it.  

I started building a new sword for Dag's B-day. Thrusting tip, complex hilt, but not as long as a true rapier. More of a spada-da-filo. I'm going to see if a bit of DAP and ripstop nylon will make the tip last a bit longer.

The rest of the day I spent job-hunting, pumpkin carving, and trying to fix a weird user profile error message on my computer.

Happy Birthday Dagorhir!

I don't know. Likely not for another ten years or so. Watch out for subtle signs, like purchases of sports cars, and hiring of red-headed 19-year-old receptionists.

No, that can't be right. That's the formula for an entity that was too responsible during its youth. Maybe it'll be heralded by a sudden interest in religion, politics, or social action. Maybe it'll suddenly settle down and start having kids.

Or maybe it's a well-balanced entity that's happy with the direction of it's life?  

"When In Rome"? That's an interesting one! I can see how that could work pretty well, but the slower, lyrical parts seem like they could be troublesome if you didn't make them coincide with a pause. Still, the mixer in your head is way better than any piece of software or hardware commercially available.  

Come to think of it, there's a lot of bluegrass, Americana, Celtic Trad, etc. that could work pretty well. Cajun and Zydeco, too - they make a lot of use of 12/8 time.

Always wanted to make flamenco work for me, but I don't have enough of a library of flamenco built up in my head. There's some classical that could work pretty well, though. Mostly Romantic period (Tchaikovsky, Moussorgski, Beethoven if you consider him a bridge from Classical period), but also some Modern stuff. Not much from Baroque, although Hayden's Water Music has possibilities. Beethoven's 5th and 9th Symphonies could work, as could certain compositions from Stravinski and Copland. Bartok might work, too, but Bartok scares me!

C'mon! More feedback! I need data! Can't form good theories without data!

[Added] BTW, I'm modifying my earlier theory a bit. I think the pace for a good fighting theme can be anywhere from 90 bpm to 120 bpm. Slower than that, it drags you down. Faster than that, it gets too frenetic. And the third harmonic of that range works out to 12Hz to 16Hz, which coincides with the freqency range of low alpha brain waves - alert, but not concentrating. A good state to be in if you're in the thick of things!

[ October 21, 2007: Message edited by: Calean Mac Gealach ]

Heh, heh, heh...

"It's easy once you know how it's done
You can't stop now, it's already begun..."

Never could make "We Will Rock You" work for me in action. It does work as a warm-up for me! Parts of "Bohemian Rhapsody" come close, but still not quite there. Oddly enough, "Under Pressure" (with Davie Bowie) sorta works, but at a slower, more stately pace. Maybe for an archer duel.  

Just thought of another B-52s tune that's a good theme song: "Strobe Light"

Lyrically, it has nothing to do with fighting (quite the opposite, in fact), but it's the MUSIC that's important, here.  

Added one more: Black Sabbath - Iron Man (a seeming violation of the syncopation and 120 bpm rules, but it works - killing at a different pace)

[ October 19, 2007: Message edited by: Calean Mac Gealach ]

This is NOT the music you listen to when you want to get psyched up before a battle. This is what plays in your head while you're fighting, giving you that drive and rhythm, lending you its power and lyrical grace, helping you perform at your peak.

So what's your tune (or tunes)?

To tell the truth, I don't really play music in my head much when I'm fighting. But sometimes, I remember to do it AND I can think of a good song to cue up AND I can actually remember how it goes well enough to make a loop of it in my head.

OK, my fighting theme songs:

Jethro Tull - Aqualung
The Caesars - Jerk It Out
The B-52s - Rock Lobster (hey, it's multi-purpose! Dancing at wedding receptions, fighting in battles, animating football plays, cleaning house...)
Molly Hatchet - Flirting With Disaster
Nine Inch Nails - Down In It
Santana - Smooth

There's a lot of salsa and old swing that could work really well, too. Stuff like "Take the A Train" or "In the Mood." I think it has something to do with a strong, syncopated 4/4 beat at about 120 beats per minute. Maybe even something like a 12/8 beat. 3/4 just doesn't work for me - it encourages a pause on every third beat, where 4/4 flows directly into the next action.

Next!

Oddly enough, I'm now reading the Silmarillion for the fourth, maybe fifth, time. Also working through "Fighting with the German Longsword" by Christian Tobler.

Recent reads include the Captain Alatriste series by Arturo Perez Reverte and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by some Brit chick named Rowling.  

Next up might be more Perez Reverte and/or John Michael Greer's translation of "Academy of the Sword" by Girard Thibault. And yes, Thibault DOES cancel Capo Ferro, and yes, familiarity with Agrippa may moderate those results.  

Or maybe I'll finally get around to finishing reading "The Man in the Iron Mask" to Beth. We'd almost made it through the entire Musketeers cycle when Shimena was born and the whole project came screeching to a halt. Might have to start again back at "La Vicomte de Bragellone," just to get familiar with all the characters again.

You're all a bunch of pikers! You know you've been away from practice too long when some of the punks who are kicking your butt weren't even BORN the last time you came out!

THAT is how you know you've been away too long!  

A really strong left arm? Oh, wait - that's not a skill.

I don't know. To me, the need for skill with a shield is in inverse proportion to the size of the shield. I suppose you'd need to be able to switch from blocking to deflecting when facing someone with a red weapon. How are people using wall shields these days? Are they mostly a line-fighting kit? If so, there's a whole different art to fighting in a line. You fight as a team. Defend the guy on your left, attack the foe to the right. Hook opponents' shields to open up targets for your spears. Stuff like that.

The number one skill to teach for any weapon combination: how to fall down safely, also known as ukemi. Start out each training session with warmups, then practice rolls and breakfalls before anyone picks up a weapon.

The number two skill: footwork. Gathering steps, passing steps, compass steps, lateral steps. On compasses and laterals, make sure they're not crossing their feet. When you cross your feet, you're vulnerable to an attack.

For melee weapons, the next skills are tempo and measure. What's your range? What's your opponent's range? What's quicker - the hand, the arm, or the foot? How can you interrupt an attack?

For missile weapons, the next skills are peripheral awareness, reloading on the run, and the quick shot. Basically, I agree with Lykos.

I also agree with Akeron regarding beginners who want to use something huge or to dual-wield (I hate the term "florentine"). It's not a good idea until they have some basic skills (like control of their weapon) down. I wouldn't forbid it, but I'd discourage it. Furthermore, dual-wielding requires a certain amount of ambedexterity that not everyone has.

OK, that's all I can think of for now.

<Added>
Just thought of something for training people to dual-wield. Start them off with a single weapon in their off hand. Train them up on that, by itself. Then give them a little time to bring their primary hand up to speed. Then start them on dual-wielding. Point out certain adaptations they have to make, such as always holding their weapons at different levels (one high, one low) to prevent an opponent from sweeping their weapons together.

[ October 10, 2007: Message edited by: Calean Mac Gealach ]

I'm pretty sure that was Aratar. It sounded like him, and I've known him for awhile.

Then again, I might be part of the Old Geezer Conspiracy, spreading confusion and disinformation to herd all the young kids into abberant behavior. Maybe Aratar never even existed! You don't know, do you? BWAHAHA! Maybe I don't even exist. Maybe Graymael made me up. Has anyone ever seen me? Besides those other, alleged old-time vets?

OK, now I'm scared. I think I just erased myself. That can't be good.  

Hey, Aratar! Greetings back atcha! Greetings to Edaina and the kids, too!

Thanks for the update. Just normal human misunderstandings, I guess. So it goes.

BTW, I have a sixpack of your favorite malt beverage with your name on it, just waiting for a visit. No, that's a lie. But if you ever come out to Dallas or if Beth and I ever head out your way, I'll be sure to ask what that beverage is these days, buy some, and put your name on it. It'll be fresher that way.  

Here's mine:

Violence remains part of our world because violence is a whole lot of fun. The main problem with violence is that people get hurt.

Dagorhir takes care of that little problem!

I can't for the life of me recall the details of the Apollyons vs. everyone story, but AFAIK Blackhawk indeed was the guy who got shot out of the tree in the PM Magazine show.

Was this that big every-unit-for-itself woods battle out at Fields Road? That was a day full of amazing stupendousness for a lot of people. If that wasn't it, I'm drawing a complete blank.

Blackhawk, tell us the tale! Give everyone the crazy details! Kids want to know!

Sharks? Again? Gray, I thought you swore off rum!  

I remember the first first battle after the PM Magazine show, which was also the first time I wigged out with a dagger, killing an unknown number of bad guys (and one or two teammates, I think) and found myself the last man standing on my team. I ran, of course. As I ran, several archers were trying to gun me down, and somehow I knew when and where each arrow was coming in. I bowed my back to avoid an arrow that should've hit my left kidney. I nodded to avoid another arrow to the head. I threw my shoulders forward to get out of the way of a chest shot.

Then I tripped over a root, did a face plant, and got tagged out by one of the shieldmen on my tail.  

[ October 07, 2007: Message edited by: Calean Mac Gealach ]

Actually, I do know of a long-term-stable polyamorous family. Two straight guys, one lesbian, and their twin daughters. Go figure.

And yeah, the woman does have most of the fun.  

Quakers have all sorts of technology. They just don't have weapons. I think you might be confusing them with the Amish, who have neither weapons nor internet, although their cousins, the Mennonites, do have sewing machines.

<added, to keep this on topic>
I don't think any of the above have too many people of either sex who prowl for those who are already spoken for. Something about morality. They're pretty big on that morality thing.  

[ October 09, 2007: Message edited by: Calean Mac Gealach ]

It's a sad thing when someone feels that threats have to be raised to enforce common civility and basic ethics. Mostly it means that someone out there is running roughshod over the social norms, and doing it enough to be really annoying. It also means that the same someone needs a bit of guidance from their friends (I'm assuming that it's too late for their parents to be of any influence).

At any rate, the rules of courtesy always apply. Moreso when you're annoyed than at any other time. Icily polite indignation can cut through quite a bit of hormonal and alcoholic noise, and it's more likely to get the result you want than hot anger.

BTW, if you're in a group where someone's having trouble with a insistent wannabe seducer, don't be afraid to act as backup. Even if it's only a cold stare. A few people with cold stares can put a serious chill on somebody's behavior. At the very least, don't egg the offender on.

<added the following>

But don't stop flirting! Flirting is fun. If you're afraid the person you're flirting with is getting a bit too serious, mention your mate in a positive way. If they don't get the hint, come up with an excuse to go find your mate. Slow escalation of force - that's the way to go in social situations.

BTW, where were all these throw-themselves-on-you gals when I was young, single, and looking for such companionship?  

[ October 04, 2007: Message edited by: Calean Mac Gealach ]

OK, the article on cheaters was in the September issue of Game for Windows magazine. There's apparently a book out on the subject. Anyhoo, the most interesting part to me was the definition of a game and the categorization of players. Given that a game is an activity with a defined goal and a set of rules for reaching that goal, people involved in the game tend to fall into one of the following behaviors:

1. The Player - follows the rules to achieve the goal (moves the chess pieces properly and in turn while pursuing a strategy that will hopefully win).

2. The Cheater - selectively disregards the rules to achieve the goal (takes extra turns, steals pieces, or moves pieces in ways that aren't allowed while pursuing a strategy that will hopefully win).

3. The Dabbler - follows the rules but disregards the goal (making random legal moves in turn with no thought for strategy).

4. The Spoilsport - disregards both rules and goal (kicking over the table and scattering the pieces).

There was also a column in the August or September issue of Game Developer that examined how to design games for people with different goals. That's where the thought came from about people who want to "game the play." It can be a good thing (like the pacifistic stunt-man league in certain war-themed shooters) or a bad thing (griefers).

Something to chew on while you're jack-slapping the bozos who want to stick it to The Man!  

Well, I thought it was Gamasutra. I just checked, but it's not there.   Maybe it was Game Developer magazine (but they usually have cross-content with Gamasutra) or even Games for Windows. Gah. Now I'll have to go digging through my stack of magazines.

Genz, please don't take this personally, but I've always had the sneaking suspicion that many anarchists and libertarians just want to get the government out of their way so they can set up their own petty fiefdoms.  

People like rules. They're nothing but an agreed-upon set of behavioral parameters. In a small society of a dozen or so people, the rules don't even have to be defined. Everyone just knows what they are. When the group gets larger, the rules have to be spelled out, things get more formal and rigid, and some folks start balking.

In a way, I guess it comes down to whether someone wants to play the game or game the play.

There was an interesting article on cheaters recently on the Gamasutra web site. It's a good read. The basic idea is that cheaters have fun by making a game of beating the defined rules of a game. So what do you do about it?

OK, I think I'm rambling. I should get back to work, now. It's crunch time, after all!

 

Politics - the game that plays you.  

 

quote

Calean Mac Gealach is gay!

Nah - he's just a happy kind of guy.

LHISPER is gay.  

Or you could just take a weapon with a green tip, write "It" on it, and go hunting.  

No, wait - that'd be "sticking it IN the man."

[ October 12, 2007: Message edited by: Calean Mac Gealach ]

quote

You know your a failure when you try to read "u no ur a failr wen u type liek dis" and can't because your eyes hurt too much to do so.

No, that's how you know you're getting old. Or at least your eyes are getting old.

You know you're a failure when...

uh...

Wait, it's coming back...

Oh, hell. It's gone.

I guess I screwed THAT one up!

I always enjoyed fighting in character. Oddly enough, I always fought better in character, too. Because Whisper was a hunter and didn't think much of warfare, I'd frequently go out with just a bow and a dagger, and pretend that I'd had the bad luck to be caught up in a battle. I'd shoot lots of people, then lose an arm, flip out with the dagger, and end up dead. The fun part was that I usually took a few people with me.

Other times, I'd tote a spear or a minimum red sword. In later years, I'd play with a round hand-shield and a short sword. Sometimes I'd have an axe as my archery backup. But Whisper/Calean was the one who picked the weapons, not me.

Just remembered another memorable miss. This one wasn't so much a great shot that went awry as a sure shot that wasn't so sure after all.

Another woods battle, this time in Prince George's County, MD. Early 80s. This was the one where Musashi broke the arrow, leading to his invitation to not return.

Anyway, the battle had been going for a couple of hours, and my team still hadn't found the other team's fort. So I took a little stroll, trailing some bad guys after a skirmish, acting like I was part of their team, being all nonchalant as I wandered about among them. After awhile, I saw their fort off in the distance and started falling back from the crowd. Their commander (Jimmy Lee - what was his Dagorhir name? I can't recall), who knew me pretty well, was standing about 20 feet away at the time, with his back to me. He heard me moving, looked over, thought for a moment, and said "You're not on my team."

I cocked my head thoughtfully, said "You're right!" and snapped off a shot that would've hit any normal human being square in the chest before they could flinch. Jimmy ducked under it and was on me before I could take a step backward, going all Cuisinart on me. That was the second fastest I've ever seen anyone move!

The fastest was Lindsay Eagle (what was her Dagorhir name?) getting out from beneath a tray of strawberry daquiris that were on the way to the floor via her chair. I swear she teleported! But that was Graymael's missed shot story...

All you missile-weapon people, I'm sure you've had plenty of amazing shots during your careers, but I want to hear about the shot that would've eclipsed them all, had it only connected with your target.

In my case, it was at some park in Virginia, behind an elementary school. It was a long creek valley, and the battle that day was a 3-way flag battle. I was with the Celts fairly late in the day, after a lot of walking. We ran into a small force from the third team and got into a running fight. I ended up on top of a rock formation about 40 feet up from the creek bed, with fighting going on below me. One of the bad guys went running from the fight, up the creek, carrying the flag. I didn't see him until he was already past max range for a flat-ground shot, but I pointed my bow up 45 degrees and in his direction, drew, and let fly anyway. Up the arrow went, in a long, true arc. The guy with the flag was still walking up the creekside path, oblivious to his doom. The arrow started falling, falling... Oh, yeah! Gonna be right in the small of his back! So sweet! Here it comes...

He paused and half-turned, as if he heard something.

The arrow bounced off the rim of his shield.

I screamed "NO! Dammit! I'm gonna kill you! I'll shoot you down like the dog you are! Get back here!" as I slapped a new arrow onto my bow and started sliding down the cliff. His eyes got big enough that I could see the whites of them before he turned an ran.

Then I met his teammate with the sword and board at the bottom of the cliff.

Game over, man!

At the start of practice, throw around a medicine ball. Start stationary, and then start moving around in a circle as you toss it. Toss it randomly, but be sure to call out the name of the person you're throwing it to - an accidental hit from a medicine ball can hurt! To really spice things up, get a tennis ball going, too.  

Everyone get a partner. The lead partner holds out their hand, palm up, and the following partner maintains fingertip contact while keeping their eyes closed. The lead moves around, changing orientation, and generally trying to throw off the follower's sense of where they are without breaking contact. The follower maintains contact and moves with the leader, trying to always face their partner. It's a good exercise for building a sense of where your opponent is and where they're going.

Drill footwork. Drill specific targets against a pell. Drill moving from guard to guard. No, I'm not talking modern fencing guards - they're not very useful in Dagorhir. I'm talking guards from Marozzo or Liechtenauer or Silver. Stances from which you can launch an attack. If you always move from one position of threat to another, you have a very big advantage.

If you're an archer or javelineer, practice running with a nocked arrow, firing on the run, turning and firing, etc. Fast pivot turns are useful, too. Practice the fast draw or the hand draw (extra arrow in your bow hand - flip it quickly to the string and nock it).

For line fighters, practice moving together. Stand shoulder to shoulder and call out motions. Right, Left, Advance, Retreat, etc.

That's a quick brain dump. I'm sure I can come up with more. I have some regular drill sargeant ideas that I could inflict on anyone who's willing to try them.  

But I promised NOT to talk about the woading of Caesar! Truly a bummer, since my wife was the ringleader.  

REG: All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?

XERXES: Brought peace.

REG: Oh. Peace? Shut up!
[bam bam bam bam bam bam bam]
[bam bam bam bam bam]

BTW, my motto is "Termini nosco donec termini transeo." I have no idea how badly I've butchered the grammar, but there it is. Loosely translated, it means "You never know how far you can go until you go too far."

[ September 26, 2007: Message edited by: Calean Mac Gealach ]

Shrike, I don't have the heart to tell her about the Militia, the tutus and the zucchinis. You tell her.  

quote

I just don't wanna know anymore... *shakes head*  

It's probably all for the best. Just keep telling yourself it was only a dream. If you do it enough, you might convince yourself it's true!

Now where did I leave that copy of the Lesser Banishing Ritual? Pesky demons...

Umm... A shadowy figure with big bat wings and a beaked leather mask just informed me that that information is classified.

*ahem*

So, maybe it _was_ a dream. Yeah. That's it. It was a dream. Never happened. Nope.

quote: Dominus and Graymael coming into our camp (dont know what event it was at) singing 'If you're Happy And You Know It' and carrying around rubber chickens.

 

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but that wasn't a dream.  

So he did talk to Aratar? Whaddaya know? I guess I'll just sit back, shut up, and watch how it plays out, then.

Added: Looking back over my own posts, I have to admit that I'm guilty of putting words in Aratar's mouth, too. For that, and for going off half-cocked (not my usual modus operandi), I apologize.  

[ September 21, 2007: Message edited by: Calean Mac Gealach ]

Yes, thearabus has been around for 21 years. It's possible, nay, probable that he met Aratar and knew him on a casual basis. Heck, it's possible that he and I killed each other on more than one occasion and laughed about it! But I still hold that his opening statement held self-contained proof that he had not talked to Aratar lately. Bry isn't the kind of guy to be "disappointed in the direction" of something that he let go of years ago. He's way too egalitarian for that. Yes, I reacted harshly. I don't like seeing false words being put in a friend's mouth.

For what it's worth, I did come back and ask thearabus what his personal complaint was, and I did it politely. He hasn't answered, except to swear off tequila. Fair enough. I'm willing to drop it. It was probably just a bit of drunken silliness that's spiralled way out of control.

BTW, thearabus - apology accepted (if a bit belatedly). No hard feelings, OK?  

Ah... tequila... it's all clear, now.  

I think PVC came later - 1980 or so. Fiberglass almost simultaneously. There was a real renaissance in weapon technology in the early 80s, between the Silver Tree research department and the brilliant artisanship of Thorinor. The first boffers were closet rod and rolled-up open cell foam. Mostly. I wasn't around for the first year or two, so I don't know what the prototypes were like. I remember hearing of one early rejection - something about an axe handle wrapped in a pillow.   I know that Graymael started in the game about six months earlier than I did. He might remember more.

IIRC, Aratar's about 6 years older than me, and I'm 45. Steeleye, who was the eldest of the really early Dagorhirrim, is about 11 years my senior. So, yeah, mostly 40s and 50s.

Sheesh! Why does that freak me out more than the fact that my favorite bottle of 18-year-old scotch went into the aging casks the year I got married? NO! Turn off the Pink Floyd!!!  

OK, so I'm wondering what exactly it is that YOU are disappointed with. You've expressed disgruntlement twice so far, the first time by false citation (and why on earth would you do that?). If you have a problem, how can anyone help you resolve it if you don't say what it is?

Y'know, Grimhan, you've got a good point, there. The game indeed belongs to those who play it. I'm pretty sure Aratar would agree.

Myself, I DO care what he thinks, but that's just because he's an old friend.  

Ha indeed. You don't know Aratar. You've never met him. Your opening statement gives you away. Bye-bye!

I was wondering about the rumble of those wardrums down to the south. I was almost ready to pass it off as congestion, or the thrum of the AC compressors on top of the building where I work!