New Zealand, Solstice, Stolen Wages, Gaming, Threads

[tcpip]

Well, tickets to Bali were next to impossible to get at a reasonable price, so caseopaya and I are heading to the South Island of New Zealand in the New Year (gee, anyone would think I like the place or something). Currently thinking of a tour from ChCh to Dunedin to Invercargill to Te Anau to Queenstown to Wanaka to Twizel then back to ChCh. Should be manageable in six days ;-)

Last Sunday attended the Unitarian Church concert, which was the usual standard. Special guest in attendance was missmilky. Monies raised, on my asking, went to the indigenous Stolen Wages campaign, of which I gave an impassioned speech. The Australian Senate has come down with a report on this issue just a fortnight ago. It will probably become a major issue in 2007. Solstice dinner was with severina_242, _zombiemonkey and caseopaya. We chewed the fat, drank a lot, and I ended up letting severina_242 cut my hair; I now have an eighties style bob with fringe.

Have received several games over the past few days; treated myself to PDFs of Dogs in The Vineyard and the most excellent Kill Puppies for Satan (you've got to read the hate mail). Have borrowed _zombiemonkey's copy of Over The Edge for more inspiration. Have also received a heartbreaker' in the form of a game called 'Fantasy Imperium' which the author sent me. Physically, it's a magnificant piece of work. Hardbound, good binding, good art, over 500 pages.. but sweet Jesus, the game sucks.

Hat-tip to greylock. The nuclear war film, "Threads" on is avaible on Google video. If you're under 25 you need to see this to understand people my age. No really, you do.

Comments

[missmilky.livejournal.com]

"I now have an eighties style bob with fringe"

You must post a pic!

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

OK, I'll get one up by the end of the day...

severina_242 did quite a good job, especially considering how much wine we all drank (hic).

Piccie!

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Here you go...

http://www.levlafayette.com/images/lev200612.jpg

[purrdence.livejournal.com]

Very thought provoking speach about the Stolen Wages.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I was little choked up when I gave it. It's one of those issues I have a quiet, but seething, anger over.

[zey.livejournal.com]

Or, if you'd prefer a decent copy, Threads is available on BT here.

[stephen-dedman.livejournal.com]

Either way, Threads not something I care to see a second time - and I've seen The War Game more often than I can remember.

Of course, if people under 25 want to understand how the governments of our time could even contemplate starting a nuclear war, they need to see the last War Room scene from Doctor Strangelove.

[anthonybaxter.livejournal.com]

I now have an eighties style bob with fringe.

GIFs! GIFs!

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

By request:

http://www.levlafayette.com/images/lev200612.jpg

[curufea.livejournal.com]

I couldn't play Kill Puppies - I don't swear - but could you tell me what the system is like?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I don't swear

True that; but it's roleplaying!

C'mon push yourself! ;-)

but could you tell me what the system is like

Straight from the book (excuse the cussin')..

now let’s see, oh yeah mechanics. here they are: roll a
d6 and add your stat. if they add up to at least a 7 you
succeed. if you’re doing something easy, gm’s call, they
only have to add up to at least a 6 to succeed. if you and
somebody else are both trying to do something, and only one
of you can do it, whoever rolls higher wins.

the combat system is, if you’re fighting with somebody, if
you roll higher you hit them, and if they roll higher they
hit you. if you tie then i guess you block each other or
some shit.

if somebody hits you, a. make a relentless roll or fall
over, and b. subtract 1 from your relentless. it doesn’t
matter what they hit you with, their fist, their purse,
a .45, who gives a fuck. you can stand up again when the
gm says so, and the gm can feel totally free to give you
whatever penalties and grief seem warranted. you get the
relentless point back when you’ve totally recovered and
healed from the hit, and the gm decides when that is too.
shoulda thought of that before you cheated, shouldn’t you?

[lula-neith.livejournal.com]

The hate mail for "Kill Puppies" was fabulous!

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Isn't it wonderful to discover that there's a correlation between:

a) People who can't distinguish between actual events and a game?

b) Who think Satan is real?

and

c) Think the Internet is AOL?

[valeskah1.livejournal.com]

We just got back from a whirlwind trip to NZ. It's looking fabulously green at the moment, especially the South I. Take warm clothes!

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we've been checking the weather reports (and I've been reading your journal). Looks nice and cool!

Hmmm... I'd better get that review in for you!

[soporificfrog.livejournal.com]

NOTE: All this assumes that you haven't been there before and haven't chosen the spots mentioned for a "I want to go back" reason. If you have and know all this stuff, forgive me :)

Skip Twizel, big time. Tekapo is about 15-20 minutes up the road (towards Christchurch) and it is *much* nicer. Twizel is a ghost town.

Also, if you've only got 6 days, I'd skip Invercargill and just head right for Queenstown or Te Anau. Te Anau is pretty small and quiet, but it does leave you with only a 2 hours drive down to Milford Sound. On Milford, if you are planning on heading down to there, here are two tips:

1. Go early in the morning (and I mean *early*). We stayed the night in Te Anau and had a 9am cruise booked. With the 2 hour drive down there, that meant an early start. However, at that time of the morning, it was a fantastic drive, virtually nobody on the roads. We realised just how much of a blessing this was when we were coming back, seeing all these cars stuck behind camper vans coming down the tight, twisting and turning road.

2. It gives you plenty of time to amble over to Queenstown (4 hours). The first part of the drive from Te Anau down to Milford Sound is pretty nice, and there are little spots to pull off the road and have a look around. Take a packed lunch, because this is the best time to eat it.

Queenstown rocks. Wanaka is also really nice.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I'm going to have to forgive you, because I have been to all the places you've mentioned and most within the past year ;-)

(Although I was less than nine months old last time I was in Te Anau)

It's also been pointed out to me that I've actually got 8 days..

Queenstown rocks.

I know. I've been using it as desktop image for a few years now..

Frogs do like Java, don't they?

[severina-242.livejournal.com]

Lev, you may want to get a qualified professional to neaten up the hacking I did to your hair...... I was enormously smashed and I was only trying to remove the length so that shaving was easier.... or when you get back I'll trim it whilst sober. You seem quite attached to your hair I must say.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

For a drunkard I reckon you did a great job (I haven't been getting any funny looks).

Attached to my hair? No way. I couldn't care less about it. It's just hair, it grows back..

[ozraptor4.livejournal.com]

Threads... images of the dying cat, the shattering milk bottles, the Kemp's mother screaming in the searing flash and the silhouettes of burnt human faces against the inferno... gave me nightmares then and it gives me nightmares today.

The other 80s nukefest that sticks in my mind is Raymond Briggs' "When the Wind Blows" (both the animated film and the book)

Erk... well have a merry Xmas at least!

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Heh. Season's greetings to you to ;-)

"When the Wind Blows" was great, a real sad story of very normal people in the circumstances, although I never saw the film.

[zey.livejournal.com]

Just watched it for the first time in many years. It's still a very potent film.

The most surprising thing to me came at the end in the credits: it was a Channel 9 Australia co-production! I honestly can't remember the last time Australian commercial TV contributed to anything even close in terms of quality content like this.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Goodness, I didn't know that. That's incredible.

Imagine Ray Martin doing the intro!

South Island

[morrigan77.livejournal.com]

Hey!! Hope you get down to this :)
When driving in South Island - remember the distance may not look much but the drive (or better a bus ride) may take a bit of time!! It would take about 3.5 days to just drive that route (especially The Q'town/Wanaka Rd, it may only be 80km but can take up to 2.5 hrs) - and that's if you don't want to get out and take a look!!

I will be in Auckland for a week in January and then there permanently from March so if you like it that much you I would welcome the visit! :)

Re: South Island

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

When driving in South Island - remember the distance may not look much but the drive (or better a bus ride) may take a bit of time!!

*nods* I know, have done this a few times. Usually it's either Queenstown or Wanaka...