Albert Howard

[martok]

Can we please get rid of this son of a bitch already? He's been spambotting the place for five days now.

[Obsolete]

LOL, not only that, but the spam bots seem to keep quoting the same text they plagerize from the forums.  Or maybe the bots are just plagerizing each other, who really knows.

[sabre1]

Just wait till they get good enough to respond intelligently. I think I need to find a new noncomputer hobby. Back to boardgames, looking at manuals drooling over counters, and nobody to play with.

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: sabre1
Just wait till they get good enough to respond intelligently.

I heard Cyberdyne Systems is working on one [:D]

ORIGINAL: sabre1
I think I need to find a new noncomputer hobby. Back to boardgames, looking at manuals drooling over counters, and nobody to play with.

Use http://www.boardgamegeek.com to find gamers in your area

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[junk2drive]

You should see where he lives.

[Josh]

ORIGINAL: sabre1

Just wait till they get good enough to respond intelligently. I think I need to find a new noncomputer hobby. Back to boardgames, looking at manuals drooling over counters, and nobody to play with.

Now that has me worrying too. Up till now you could, more or less, discern the spammer from a new member. But as we are seeing now "computer AI's" that can defeat a human in a game like jeopardy: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/scien ... atson.html
I mean, hmm, one day they could be a member of a forum for years and you wouldn't even notice it was a bot.... playing a game like WitE and asking sensible questions, things like that... scary.

[Phatguy]

I think I will dedicate my life to being a semi-intelligent spam-bot......Sooooo, who needs new wedding gloves? Anybody?

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: junk2drive
You should see where he lives.

The 'bot or "sabre1" ?

Rant coming up ...

One day I was getting tired of "I don't play boardgames because I have no-one to play with" messages so I took one guy up on it and in 10 minutes of Googling I found 2 wargamers within 20 miles of his home. The excuse then became "I don't want to drive that far to play a wargame" after which I duly pointed out that *every* activity involving more than 1 person means you have to get off your lower backside. So the argument changed to "yeah, but then we have to work out a date and time and I want to play wargames whenever some free time appears on my busy schedule".

Seriously : what do these guys expect ? That someone will mysteriously show up in their living room exactly during that spare hour they have each week ?

Yesterday's tabletop game was 20 miles from my place and from 20:00 'till midnight. You want to play wargames, you make sure you get there. And yes, that meant I slept only 5 hours last night (can you tell I'm slightly cranky ? [;)]) and yes that's the price you pay if your *really* want FTF wargaming.

So I've come to believe very strongly that those who claim they don't have anyone to play with actually like it that way, that they're not really into playing FTF wargames and prefer playing against a computer. There's nothing wrong with that, but they should come clear on that and stop making excuses.

Unless they really live in the Sahara desert that is. Or Alaska.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[junk2drive]

sabre1 and we both live in the middle of nowhere.

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: junk2drive
sabre1 and we both live in the middle of nowhere.

Ever looked for (war)gamers in your zip code in the BGG user database ?
Ever left a "wargamer wanted" note on the message board of your friendly local gaming store ?
Ever went to Vul-con in Phoenix ? - http://www.vul-con.com/ - and try to find people interested in wargaming ?
Ever checked *here* if there are wargamers from your general area ?

Like I said, there's nothing wrong with prefering pc wargaming and it sure keeps Matrix in business but most who claim not to find FTF opponents never really look very hard. Or object to driving an hour or so to get to one. Or want to play wargames only at 02:00 AM.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[BAL]

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

ORIGINAL: junk2drive
You should see where he lives.

The 'bot or "sabre1" ?

Rant coming up ...

One day I was getting tired of "I don't play boardgames because I have no-one to play with" messages so I took one guy up on it and in 10 minutes of Googling I found 2 wargamers within 20 miles of his home. The excuse then became "I don't want to drive that far to play a wargame" after which I duly pointed out that *every* activity involving more than 1 person means you have to get off your lower backside. So the argument changed to "yeah, but then we have to work out a date and time and I want to play wargames whenever some free time appears on my busy schedule".

Seriously : what do these guys expect ? That someone will mysteriously show up in their living room exactly during that spare hour they have each week ?

Yesterday's tabletop game was 20 miles from my place and from 20:00 'till midnight. You want to play wargames, you make sure you get there. And yes, that meant I slept only 5 hours last night (can you tell I'm slightly cranky ? [;)]) and yes that's the price you pay if your *really* want FTF wargaming.

So I've come to believe very strongly that those who claim they don't have anyone to play with actually like it that way, that they're not really into playing FTF wargames and prefer playing against a computer. There's nothing wrong with that, but they should come clear on that and stop making excuses.

Unless they really live in the Sahara desert that is. Or Alaska.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

...and some people just like to bitch for no good reason (referring to the guy in your story). A short tour around any wargaming forum - including this one - is proof of that. [8|]

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: BAL
..and some people just like to bitch for no good reason (referring to the guy in your story). A short tour around any wargaming forum - including this one - is proof of that. [8|]

I think it's more a case of not wanting to look anti-social or a sociopath or such if you simply prefer to play wargames in a comfy chair in front of your computer instead of having to deal with what Sartre called hell i.e. "other people".

They should get over that - if you prefer the comfort of a pc opponent who's always there when they feel like gaming, doesn't object when you reload a turn and lets you try out daft tactics without making fun of you I say more power to you. But just say so, and don't make excuses like you live in a shed in the middle of the desert somewhere.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[ilovestrategy]

sterckxe, I love your avatar. 

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: ilovestrategy
sterckxe, I love your avatar. 

It's my dog playing Highway to the Reich. Not photoshopped, he just does his utmost best to mimic his boss by randomly hitting the keyboard and the mouse - pretty much my gameplay style really [;)]

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[vonRocko]

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

ORIGINAL: junk2drive
sabre1 and we both live in the middle of nowhere.

Ever looked for (war)gamers in your zip code in the BGG user database ?
Ever left a "wargamer wanted" note on the message board of your friendly local gaming store ?
Ever went to Vul-con in Phoenix ? - http://www.vul-con.com/ - and try to find people interested in wargaming ?
Ever checked *here* if there are wargamers from your general area ?

Like I said, there's nothing wrong with prefering pc wargaming and it sure keeps Matrix in business but most who claim not to find FTF opponents never really look very hard. Or object to driving an hour or so to get to one. Or want to play wargames only at 02:00 AM.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

I don't know Eddy, I want to play with friends, not a stranger whose ad I see at the hobby shop. You have to worry about compatability, do I want a stranger over my house? Do I want to go to his place? Will he mind my smoking and drinking? Is he a sore loser? Will we listen to Black Sabbath or Liberace? I guess, over time, we would become friends, but it could be very akward. What I say is: I wish more of my friends would play board wargames.

[planner 3]

Sterckx: All I want to know is does the dog ever win ?

[junk2drive]

I don't play boardgames. Just commenting on sabre's post.

I am an anti social curmudgeon. I am 5 hours from Phoenix. My shed in the middle of the desert is pleasant enough. No hobby shops but lots of gun stores and pawn shops.

[sabre1]

Playing a boardgame does require at least for me having to at least like or get along with the guy I'm playing FTF with. In my circle of friends I cannot get them interested in playing wargames. These are people who I like to socialize with, but they are not interested in historical boardgames.

Junk2drive intimated, we both live in remote areas with money and time for me being a very real and limiting factor.

I have found a pretty reliable PBEM partner, but he's on the other side of the freaking world. But we seem to get along, and have an easy going play style. He generally stomps me into the ground.

Again, FTF is a wonderful experience, but you usually build a social circle from people you play with, and I have not met anyone that I wanted to hang with or have them into my home in the immediate area (my area is high on drugs and other types of crimes). I must say politics are also an important consideration in terms of getting along. But that would take this thread to a place I don't want to go.

I'm skirting a lot of things in this post, so I apologize for not speaking more plainly. I don't mean to start a flame war, or anything else, and I love all you guys and gals (Rhonda) for the many years of entertainment you have given me and lightened my day many times when I was down.

We are all entitled to our opinions wants and needs in how we wish to pursue this fascinating hobby.

[ilovestrategy]

Another factor of boardgames is time. I live in San Diego where there are tons of people playing boardgames. With the wife and kid, I am always on the go. For example, I spent 4 hours driving them around on errands. Saturdays we're in the car and I get home at night. Now that my teen kid has a job(she's a senior in HS) I am now taking her to and from work on weekends. I post on this forum from my phone.

But after she graduates I plan on being a StarFleet Battle playing son of a <insert bad word here>. [:D]

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: planner 3
Sterckx: All I want to know is does the dog ever win ?

His dogged <ahum> persistence makes him a tough opponent ... but then I distract him with a dog biscuit and slam my panzers into his flank and win the day. All's fair in war [;)]

All kidding aside : few people know that you can actually play the Panther games multi-player on the same computer. You start up a MP game as the host, then you start up another instance of the game and connect to the host game on your own computer at IP address 127.0.0.1. Alt-tabbing then let's you play both sides - very interesting if you want to test out some what-if theory or if you want to play hot-seat against your dog.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx