Labor pains, RPGs and Napoleonics

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Kim Beazley and Kevin Rudd are squaring off. Julia Gillard will be challenging Jenny Macklin. I used to think Beazley was a good Labor leader up to the 2001 election. Since then I have been lukewarm about his abilities. Rudd seems to be a more popular and intelligent candidate and whilst Macklin is a better comrade, Gillard is more politically astute and is well known. Of course, neither Macklin or Gillard will ever be leader because they're from the Left, they're from Victoria and they're both female. Such are the factional balances.

Hopefully whoever ends up leader will pay attention to the fact that we've now spent $20 billion on the "war on terror" and, according to a recent report from University of Texas global warming is already causing mass destruction among frogs, butterflies, polar bears and penguins.

Ran Aesheba Everway on Friday night. A good session, with players now familiar with the setting, the GM (re)familiar with the mechanics, and thus opportunities for story development. The DragonQuest/Barbarian Kings game now has a name; "DragonLords" (the object of the game in its title) and I have completed the first chapter which I feel pretty happy worth. It's a alien-fantasy world that's sufficiently exotic but doesn't disobey basics of science (unlike many fantasy novels). tau_iota_mu_c has been most helpful in double-checking my astronomical equations and will be getting a credit.

In alternate realities in a different medium, have spent a fair bit of time in the past fortnight playing Waterloo, a genre of strategic and historical wargaming I was hitherto unfamiliar with. The game itself is extremely good; the historical research is of very high standards, the fictional scenarios are attractive "what ifs" and the game mechanics provide plausible results. Napoleonics provide some interesting historical-military lessons; Roman tactics are still useful for formation and flanking, muskets are next to useless in skirmish or small groups but devastating en masse and cavalry shouldn't ever charge up hill.

In other news, I didn't complete the 50,000 word target for NaNaWriMo (indeed, not even half), but am continuing with the novel. Prosper Australia has published an edited version of the Education Kit I wrote for them. Finally, mais oui!; French primary school children to learn wine appreciation.

Comments

[cptjohnc.livejournal.com]

I think I wish I was a french school child!

[filarete.livejournal.com]

On Thursday afternoon I sat in on a primary school French class and the 'special activity' to celebrate the end of the school year was watching a copy of the film Toy Story in French.

In France, Slinkies are apparently called Zig Zags, so whenever a character called the Slinky dog over, there was a chorus of 'Zeeeeg, Zeeeeg, Zeeeeg'... It's those little differences that are interesting.

[tau-iota-mu-c.livejournal.com]

double-checking my astronomical equations and will be getting a credit.

W00t! I passed! :P

[tau-iota-mu-c.livejournal.com]

Hey, at least they are "increasing focus on accurate and timely intelligence".

If they spent $341 million instead of $69 million in 2001, then perhaps they would have had accurate enough intelligence to realise that WMDs were bogus back then, and saved $20B.

[purrdence.livejournal.com]

Never was I more glad than when I moved out of Beazley's electorate...

[curufea.livejournal.com]

I have Everway. Quite interesting. I've been trying to think of ways to include the cards in other systems. Annoyingly I can't find th ecard guide, just the other books. Oh well.

Fatso vs Steelman

[laura-seabrook.livejournal.com]

I don't know - I think that whoever wins, we all lose.

Waterloo & Roman Tactics

[laura-seabrook.livejournal.com]

The Waterloo game looks quite good. Ah, my days of simulation games and minatures - still interested in what people are doing in those areas.

I see they also do Civilisation III - I came across c-evo the other day but I haven't tested it yet.