DarkUnicorn

Hello, Australia.

This week was rather annoying. Not because of actions by you, mind you. For some reason, I was removed as a member of Australia! This made gathering the horde rather difficult to say the least, and while we did have an impressive turnout this week - the most at one point was 7 people - it was difficult to get a large team rolling for maximum fun (and xp profit!)

However, I digress. We started at level 12, and by the time we finished another arc in Imperial City, I had reached level 16! This goes to show you that the power of a large group is impressive, especially if you want to go through the lower levels safely in Praetoria.

I'd like to thank

Demon Maestro
Charged Impulse
Captain OINK
Jesor
Army of Indice
Ms. Fingerbang
Kid Flash

for their assistance in this week's endeavours.

I'm finding Praetoria more and more interesting as you advance in power in the game. Although the reward merits are unusually low - can ANYONE name a Praetorian arc that grants more than 3 merits? - the team dynamics are definitely different, and present a new challenge for play.

So, let's keep rolling! This Friday, I will be running a Loyalist arc team again. Level 16 is my starting point, and my current contact is Ivy. Join me this Friday for one last romp through Praetoria!

Week after that .... I think it's time for a shift.

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

This week's run of Loyalist Praetoria went swimmingly well, and had a good turnout. People shot from level 5 to 11-12 in the 3 or so hours that I ran, and were (with few exceptions) relatively immune to team wipes. Combined with the patch that weakened some of the earlier foes, this may make the next run more fun for those seeking to level quickly.

I'd like to give a big shout out to

ms. fingerbang
Natural Focus
MrWhiskeyTangoFoxtrot
Demon Maestro
Miss Arranged
forte solus

for their participation.

This week - we'll continue! Starting in the level 12 range, we'll continue the Loyalist arc! Bring your true followers of Emperor Cole, and show the citizens what loyalty rewards you with!

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

OK, so everybody and their grandmother is now doing Going Rogue. Fine, I'll jump on the bandwagon, too!

Please roll up a new Praetorian and get them as high as level 5. You choose what side you're fighting for. We'll meet Friday, and rock the free world!

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

Alas, this past Friday our plans of doing a MoITF fell - when, of all things, I died during the computer controller bit - getting perpetually knocked down and preventing me from swallowing my candy to keep me alive. (Mine was not the only death - we had to restart 2 times due to deaths on the first mission due to ambushes!)

This led to a completed ITF, but not a MoITF. I'm sorry, gang.

I'd still like to thank

Stripe of Fate
Ekem
Miss Information
Dual Indice
Flora Kinero
MithralWarrior

for your help in finishing a botched run. I welcome any thoughts/suggestions/comments.

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

It's ba-ack...

MASTER OF ITF call-out! This Friday, 8:30 pm AEST start. Bring the good stuff.

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

This week's turnout was ... not as impressive as last week's, since we never had more than 5 people on the team at any time (myself included). Still, I'd like to thank

Fai
Miss Calculate
Cytoplasmette
Grinning Banshee
Psycho-Logical
Alishandra
SINISTER-Stalker

for your participation. Remember, I run this stuff for you. If there's something you want to do, ask. I'm a fairly democratic plant.

As for ths week - it's been WAY too long since I've ran an ITF. So go read the ITF thread.

I, too, once had a ton of toons elsewhere before discovering the joys of the Australia channel. The first free transfer period, I shuffled most of my toons to Justice, and some 50s I retired to other servers for space purposes.

Now, it's time to retire some more, and make way for some new toon concepts I can't wait to bust out.

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

Well, going back to a simple PUG format seems to have worked! I had TONS of people in a rotating 8-being group, and together we went from kissing Captain Mako's feet to kicking his sharky butt!!!

I'd really like to thank

Miss Information
Kaerg
Sintrax
Alishandra
Psycho-Logical
Illyra Obscura
Lampona
Miss Arrange
Psynaptical
ZeroCool
Ash Silver Aleph
Soldier of Indice
Crabman
Darth Briah

for your help and participation!

This week - more of the same! Although your host may change!

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

This week's Renault SF was a resounding success despite the lack of CC toons other than my level 30 stalker to serve as 'tank'. Think about that for a second...

I'd really like to thank

Rebel without a clue
Miss Cast
Mr. Thistle

for their efforts. Although it was not run at +2 for simplicity, the SF still proved an interesting challenge.

This Friday, I'm going to run something I have not run in a while - a simple pick-up group. That's right, log on, jack in, and let's go! Your host will be the Disco-era villainess herself, Juke Joint Jezebel!

Hi, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

This week was a lowbie week, but the turnout was decidedly lower than expected. I'd like to thank

Miss Demeanors
Mexican Pete
Fai

for their participation.

It seems that people are just not interested in my attempts at getting newer players (Fai is brand spanking new - less than 2 weeks on account), so I don't think I will be running lowbie stuff for a while. Instead, I am going to try running a +2 Operative Renault SF (25+) next Friday. Start time may have to be changed, since I will be at a training seminar an hour away. I'll keep you posted if there is a time change.

In keeping with the incredible spirit of Ascendant, here's the first in what I hope will be an ongoing series of PSAs in these messages.

Today's episode of Friday Night Villainy, brought to you by:

Black Widow, the beer drunk by Arachnos Soldiers! Drink! OR ELSE.

And now, for the results of the first-ever 'staircase' ITF:

23 deaths
<2 hours (can't remember the exact time, but we DID beat the 2-hour clock)
SUCCESS!!

I'd like to thank

Sintrix
Mis Pronounced (who went from 47 to 50)
Mr. Thistle
Tweenage Rampage
Natural Wonders
Hardt of Stone
Mental Mastermind

for their contributions!

I think this is a great success story, one worth repeating. Keep your eyes peeled...

Hello, everybody! You're STILL talking to the plant!

Sorry this post is a bit late, gang - had one fun weekend. See the ITF thread for the results of last Friday.

This Friday, I'm taking it easy. Lowbie time! Bring any toon you want, and let's rock! Host TBA.

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

Well, this Friday, we tackled one of the harder arcs to open and complete with the help of the flashback system! We headed to Port Oakes, took down many many ghosts, and complete one of Veluta Lunata's story arcs, complete with shiny new Ouroboros badges and all! I'd like to thank

Grinning Banshee
Sa'kage
Lorien's Curse
Mis Information
Mr. Thistle
Kanundrum (a new player to the game, and one of my rl friends in SWITZERLAND!!)

for coming out and enjoying the fun!

As for this week ... see the ITF thread for this week's plan! I think you'll find it interesting.

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

Guess what time it is? Yup, ITF time again. This time, I'm not gonna be suicidal and run the whole ITF at +4. Hear me out.

Recently, I ran a Silver Mantis on FNV. But due to the fact that I had not changed my diff since the last ITF, we started doing the Silver Mantis at +4. This was a gruelling challenge that dramatically lengthened the whole SF, so, after the first mish, I dropped the diff down to +0.

This got me thinking about the failed +4 ITF. If you can drop the difficulty after each mission, how would it work? Even a +2 Requiem and +1 Nictus Rommi is a challenge for a good team now, so...

Introducing the 'staircase' ITF! The Oracle mission will be done at +4, the Shadow Cyst mission at +3, the Computer console mission at +2 and the final mission at +1. I think this will be an interesting challenge for all - a progressively easier TF that has a rough start and a still difficult ending.

Because the entire ITF is not being done at +4, those who are capable of entering an ITF but are not level 50 WILL BE ADMITTED. I'll run with my namesake for simplicity - that guarantees one level 50 toon will be on the team. And since this will be run this Friday night at 6 pm AEST (7 Tokyo), you've got plenty of warning as to whom you wish to bring.
Post in this forum to let us know who you want to bring!

VILLAINY!!

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

Friday's lowbie team went very well, with a slowly growing populace. I'd like to thank

Feral Tundra
Miss Calculate
Widow Noodle
Uncivil Engineer
Itty Bitty Rage

for their assistance. All of us listened to the radio, and dealt out some amazing tunes on their bones!!

For this Friday, flashback is the name of the game! Harken back to a simpler time, when you were less villainous, and the world needs to re-learn the meaning of fear! I, Plantatia, will be hosting!

VILLAINY!!!!!

Hello! You're talking to the plant!

Alas, this week turnout was very low (perhaps everyone just needed a rest from villainy?), and we only managed to get a Silver Mantis SF completed. I would like to thank

Kurai Huntsman
Chaositect
Portal Worker TH
Calashandra
Asymptope Man

for their participation!

This Friday, I will be running lowbie mishes with Dark Maple Witch (currently level 10) as your host. Bring out your lower toons, and we will run through some of the game's arc together. See you there!

JR Rail passes cost so much because, with the exception of the fastest bullet trains, you have UNLIMITED travel within Japan on JR lines, including bullet trains, overnight trains, and small JR lines. (The fastest ones are 10 mph faster and make fewer stops).

UNLIMITED.

A bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka or Kyoto is nearly 150 bucks US each way and is a 2.5-3 hour trip covering over 400 miles. And you still have to get from Narita (I assume you're coming in from the US in Tokyo) to Tokyo station - a mere 45 MILES - which is another 20 bucks if you stop at every station on the way. If you do just this round trip ... that's 340 bucks, and all you did was ONE round-trip train trip.

That JR pass will also get you as far as the southern end of Kagoshima on Kyushu, Sapporo and points further north on Hokkaido, the (until 25 years ago) remote and beautiful Shikoku, and all points inbetween.

Let's put that in perspective: a travel pass that lets you travel the equivalent area of the Eastern seaboard in all but the fastest trains, at the numbers you quoted, will cost you 40 bucks a day - no tickets, no transfers, just show the pass (and your passport), and you're on your way anywhere.

The pass is a VERY good deal. Even if you don't travel a lot around the country on the whole, traveling around the Kansai area will be a tad more convenient with only one pass to worry about.

As for the speed of the trains - you can get from Tokyo to Fukuoka on northern Kyushu in 6 or 7 hours, or Tokyo to the northern end of the main island (near Aomori) in about 5 hours. That's over 1100 miles in one day if you really had to push it. Even if you are staying in Kyoto, cities like Hiroshima, Nagano, Tokyo and even Fukuoka become day trips via bullet train. A great deal.

Hello again! You're talking to the plant!

You can see the results of the ITF attempt on the ITF thread. This week, however, I would like to try and do 2 SFs.

The first is a Silver Mantis SF. It pays the most merits, and has a low entry requirement (level 20, capped at 25, powers to 30).
The second is everybody's favorite game show, the villainous tri-spec. Yes, I am going to run all 3 villain respec trials, starting with the 1st. All 3 can be done within an hour with a fast team, and again, has a low entry at least for the first respec (24). Your host for this week WILL BE the plant herself!

See you there!

Oh my, someone is coming to Japan? You mean, for a while, I won't be alone out here?

I'm living and working in the Tokyo area (actually, not that far north of the airport), so I can definitely give you some advice/hints if you like.

Rush/Bolt covered a lot of details, so really a lot of what I can offer requires specific information (time of year, where you're coming from, etc. etc.) But here are some generalized hints/helpers

1) Try and at least learn hiragana - the Japanese script alphabet - since all train stations will have their name in hiragana, too. This will also help you if you need directions, since Japan, by and far, have NO NAMES FOR THEIR ROADS. They'll refer to things by area - near the train station, near the post office, and so on. If you can read hiragana (there's only 47), you can piece together a lot of information.

2) IF you need more money once you get here - banks are NOT open late!! ALL banks close at 3pm M-F and are not open weekends. ATMs are also not open 24 hours - most are closed after 6 pm, some after 7 (CitiBank is the ONLY exception - it IS open 24 hours). If you need to get money and a CitiBank is not convenient, head to any Japan Post Office with an ATM machine (aka almost any one in the Kyoto area) and use your bank card there.

3) I have only been through Kyoto area once or twice, so I can't recommend things i that area. If you want recommendations for areas I have lived in, post here and I'll be glad to provide more info.

4) Sake (aka rice wine) is an awesomely strong drink, hot or cold. There's a reason you see Japanese people in manga or movies use those small cups. Go easy on the stuff.

5) Each city has its own festivals. Head to the town office and ask - they'll be glad that a foreigner is interested in their festivals.

That's all I have for now. Lemme know if you want more

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

A most humble and sincere apology for the failed effort on Friday. Having people leaving was part of the problem, but not bringing enough damage was, as your host, MY fault. That being said, I will run another ITF soon - maybe this Sunday - but I don't think I'm gonna try for a +4 ITF until I join one.

I'd like to thank

Radius Prime
Supertanker
Show Me The Money
Fiora Kinereo
Oedipus Tex
No brain no pain
Mr. Heat Blister

for their participation!

Ack, that would explain a lot of what went wrong. Alas, it was not the only thing, so I think I owe everyone here an apology for running that TF without a solid end-game plan. We did well - FRIGHTENINGLY so - until we ran into Romi and his amazing friends.

Perhaps I'll try again another week. But not this week.

Stay tuned to this channel to my running of the ITF!!!

(And expecting a phonecall from Spanish lawyers about trademarked "Running of the Bulls" infringement...)

Hi there! You're talking to the plant!

Since I tend to host a LOT of ITFs, I'd thought I should simply add a thread for when I run one (on FNV, natch). So for the first ITF on this thread, I'm calling all of Australia out, 'cause I'm gonna need your help!!

A +4 ITF will start 6:30 West Australia/8:30 AEST Friday, June 18th, to be hosted by yours truly. This will be an absolute mess, so I want to make it clear - bring your best, most IO-decked-out toon for this, 'cause we ain't gonna make it otherwise!

Please use this thread for indicating your interest, and what toon you want to play. Remember, we'll need the best of the best, AND a well-constructed team, to pull this one off!

Welcome back! You're talking to the plant!

This week, we had a huge gang of rolling membership, including an 8-person team to start! We made sure that the heroes had more Outbreak to deal with than they knew what to do, went ghostbusting, and started to give Veluta Lunata some nightmares!

I'd like to thank

Mis Judged
Kurari Huntsman
Adorra
Lyna
Sparkie74
Naturalize
Widow Noodle
BlackBeyond
Aglala Bloodstorm

for their participation!

Next week is close enough to my birthday that I want to try something different - a +4 ITF! Look for that thread elsewhere on this board!

Welcome back! You're talking to the plant!

Well, today was shortened by the entirely unannounced server maintenance at 9 am EST or 10 pm Tokyo time. This is AFTER there was maintenance yesterday - so right now I am eagerly awaiting City's explanation of this recent shutdown.

That being said, this week was rather interesting. First, Dizzy Clown of the Cirque du Sinistre fame aided my in clearing out King's Row of every last important thing that wasn't nailed down or burnable.
Then - since nobody was on (possibly with advanced psychic knowledge of the servers going down), with help managed to fire off a 6-person Cap SF. I'd like to thank

Dizzy Clown
Dante's Enchantress
Sgt. Bismarck
Maxed Out
F7

for their participation in the event, which saw Inferno and Bat'Zul fall like matches in a hurricane to our combined might.

Once again, next week I am going to run a lowbies night - no SFs or TFs. Starting time is 7 Tokyo (+9 UTC), so look for me ot be on, and we shall commence with the villainy!