Mattman

This is really turning into an element of "Who can you trust?" and there's really good evidence not to trust either.

First, the Orenbagan version (Mu attacked unprovoked to wipe us out out, they were jerks). Well, right away you start wondering if you can trust guys who have been hanging out intimately with demons and spirits for eons. Sure, Akarist seems to have gone over to the "Good side" but I always thought his switch-over was a little suspect. Why now? Why is he the first? Just seems strange to do it now...did he really have moral misgivings or is he playing games? And as for the peaceful Orenbagans...that's pretty good evidence that maybe we should think of the Orenbagans as good guys...or is it? We've got alterante dimensions where Statesman is an evil Tyrant and Countess Crey is a freedom fighter. Just because the Orenbagans in that dimension are "good" (and presumably preserved their civilization since the Mu attack didn't happen) who's to say that OUR Orenbagans were really good? Perhaps they were evil before the attack and Akarist is putting his spin on things or deliberately misrepresenting things?

As for MAGI, sure we should trust them because they're the good guys, but they're a little suspect. They don't hold on to their itmes very well...is that purposeful? And Azuria doesn't seem to bat an eye about how this Hequat pretty much went on a path to genocide. Plus, her connection to Mu is kinda strange...you get the sense that perhaps she'd cast her lot in with other Muvians over the rest of humanity.

I'm really leaning toward the theory that if Recluse is the Incarnate of a God, it's a fictional one. Like an evil spider god who had this secret cult.

And the reason the Vikings became especially villified in the literature that came out of the time was that they were one of the last remaining pagan civilizations with any strength. The majority of Europe had become Christian centuries before the Scandinavians, so when they sailed the coasts and started hacking people up in Christian monasteries and towns, that was pretty shocking.

However, if you look at a source like Tacitus's Germania, written in the first century, he refers to the Germanic tribes (from whom the "Vikings" were an offshoot) as a very warlike poeple who very much glorified battle. He even went as far to say as to describe them as lazy: they'd rather get what they have by taking it by force then making it themselves. Of course, Tacitus had a huge Roman ego, and got numerous facts wrong, so take it what it's worth.

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Anyway, I'm interested in the answer to this. Arawn definitely applies but he did say Manannan Mac Lir, which is the Irish version of the name. Arawn is one of the Welsh psychopomps so his expected answer might be different.

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I just wanted to compliment you on slipping the word "psychopomp" into relatively casual conversation.

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Can I pat myself on the back for knowing what it means?

Great article!

Unfortunately during the time Azuria was being interviewed the CoT and BP made off with an armload of artifacts from MAGI

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That just seems kinda sad to me. These are by far the rudest, most flame-filled boards I've been to.


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This forum is incredibly sane, ESPECIALLY if you sidestep the posts that you know are going to be a minefield. You *know* that certain posts are going to be bad just on their title, so you gotta go into them knowing you're not going to be offended.

Diva Dauntless...THERE'S a blast from the past. For the life of me I can't remember what it was she called for Geko's resigning over...people like that is probably why he doesn't go to cons

And someone mentioned Qlop from the old boards...who I remember from his Hug_Master_Pug days. He wasn't a doomsayer so much as your classic troll, just out to get a reaction, and some of his posts were pretty hilarious.

Anyone remember Arkaine from the old boards or from Beta? Or PumpinIron? THEY flipped out in style.

Vegetor was also pretty popular with me.

Sad to see ya go, V. Hope your promotion works out for you!

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you know...that brings an interesting question... if zuse's father was a titan why is he a god...?... send me a pm?... would love someone to argue this stuff with.... kinda lacking where i am from

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This is a running theme through Indo-European mythology, especially contrasted against Judeu Christian beliefs. I know in Norse, Greek, and a lot of the Sumerian type beliefs, that their gods definitely have a beginning, they are born of someone else or created somehow, as compared to the JC god that has no beginning but has existed for infinite time.

But to your question, it seems mainly a nomenclature thing. Zeus was born of Titans, but he and his offspring were NOT Titans, but gods. Odin was born of a giant (probably) and his family intermarried with giants, but they were known as the Aesir and different from the giants, but not because of relation but mostly becaused they lived in Asgard. Marduk's parentage was monsters and such, but he was considered different.

And correct me if I'm wrong but Eris/Discord is one of Ares's helper gods along with Deimos and Phobos. She was also not invited to that one wedding where she threw the "To the Most Fair" apple that started the beauty contest that Paris judged that letd to the Trojan War.

Ok, so there have been a lot of cool theories about what an Incarnate is...but I'd like to throw another thing in the mix.

* Onthe CoH website, when they describe Statesman's return from WWI as a costumed superhero they described him as having powers " It was undeniable that Cole possessed something that hadn't been seen since the age of the Greek Heroes: superpowers."

* Manticore has posted in this thread that Statesman's "Inner Will" explanation may not be the whole truth. Specifically, that people are really questioning this explanation now that Statesman is seemingly unaging.

* Manticore also dropped that Statesman has a unique ability which is represented on his Heroclix figure: The lightning of Zeus.

* Let's face it, like a lot of comic fans, the dev teams LOVES mythology. Heck, Statesman himself is very well schooled in it.

So, here's my idea: The "Incarnate" ability refers to being the power of a god "Incarnate". Statesman may be Zeus, he's incredibly powerful, and can call his lightning. Perhaps Recluse is the incarnate power of some vile spider diety (thus his reference to a "curse", perhaps Statesman sees him being 'cursed' to the incarnate of that evil being). Perhaps when we become an Incarnate we get to pick a unique ability..like Statesma has his lightning, representing Zeus. Perhaps we pick a "diety" and get an ability corresponding to it.

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Manticore posted he wasn't dead.

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Mor Dev konspearesey!!!111

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It's to not offend Europeans. So many Europeans died in World War II that they refuse to show people dieing in the movies because it brings up bad memories.

Posi remade himself as a Rad/Rad when he found out how ub3r they were

But yeah, he's a Rad/Rad Defender as Manticore explains...and, of course Anti-Matter, his Praetorian, is Rad/Rad.

Well, Synapse getting smashed is a pretty accurate representation of what happens in game.

Synapse is an Elec/Elec blaster

He ran ahead "to scout"

Now what happens when that uppity Blaster in your group decides he's gonna "Scout ahead"? He ends up a grease-spot on the mission buildings floor

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Evil Team: 1 loss
Good Team: 4 losses

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They're getting better though, last year Liberty and Brawler got pwnt by the FREAKSHOW of all people.

AWESOME CGI movie.

Statesman looked bad-[censored] rocking the cape, and Positron's blast had the actual correct SOUND effect! The Widow's chick power seems EXACTLY what I wanted for a magic user type character...maybe I'll make my Dr. Fate clone after-all..but have him EEEEEEEEEEEEVIL. And now I want my Archery Defender even more. Electric Arrows!

Only thing that would make me happier is if States and Recluse started releasing some gameplay info at E3!

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I hate you, Mattman. BRING BACK STUPIDHEAD!



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He's my evil (And dumb) alter-ego that Sister Psyche is keeping in check. Or maybe this is the sinister one...I'm confused...

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I won't be paying much longer if my enjoyment is curtailed.

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Nor is anyone asking you to.

Well, Mattman might. He's a jerk like that.

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Muahaha, I've begun to cast a long shadow over these boards!

And yeah, the fact that your skills aren't bound to your character like powers are to your hero mean that nerfs hit you less. Of course, I still think you're going to here people complaining about generic "Mesmer nerfs" or what have you.

If you hate PVP, I'd recommend second guessing Guild Wars.

Sure the PVE is fun but its really good a big PVP focus, and all that entails ("Nerfs"/"Adjustments")

Ghost Falcon is the Praetorian version of Invisible Falcon from our world. (SPOILERS) In our world Invisible Falcon investigated Crey and wound up dead. In the Praetorian Dimension, the evil Ghost Falcon was kidnapped by the alternate reality Countess (who's a freedom fighter) and turned to good)

Serafina is the contact in Bricks. She's a powerful Genie who can help you.

I'm surprised to see the split between "Trick Arrows" and Archery, but it makes for some really interesting combos with Archery its own Independent secondary.

Dark/Archery, Storm Archery, Trick Arrow/Power Blast...

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Due to the upcoming Power Sets Manticore is actually a Trick Arrow, Archery Defender.

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought for sure SONIC was going to be the Defender Set and Archery was going to BLASTERS. Whoo-boy, this is big news. I'm definitely rolling me an Archery/Archery Defender, baby!

I like the "Sister Servers" type idea. IE, Server 1 is called "Virtue" for heroes and "Vice" for Villains. Thus Virtue heroes always fight Vice villains, "Justice" fights "Injustice", "Guardian" fights "Invader" etc.

While I'd love to see shifting, it may be complicated. Like, we know we're going to fight over objects of power. So say on Server A a villain team has possession of the "Crown of the Overlord" but on server B, a hero team has that artifact in their base for protection. Now if B's hero's start fighting the villains from A, there would be TWO "Crowns of the Overlord" because both a villain and a hero group had it before the switch.

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I don't think I like the whole "everyone in the zone loses their powers part". What kind of spell can stop EVERYONE's powers regardless of what their source is?
Turns off a mutant's genes, stops a tech hero's armor from functioning, strips the power from magical artifacts, keeps magic heros from casting spells, somehow keeps the changed body chemistry/whatever of science heros from functioning, strips kheldians of their natural alien abilities....

So we get the cop out "a wizard did it".

-_-

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Actually, that's how I tend to divide magic and science/tech in my head.

Magic is best at doing things that seem impossible: Like simultaneously turning off all powers regardless of source. Science and technology is best at doing individual tasks efficiently.

Think of it this way. Turning a guy into a newt. Now for science, that's impossible. You gotta reconfigure his genetic/cellular/molecular structure and its incredibly difficult. Magic? *SNAP* of the finger: guy's a newt.

However, if you wanna make a device capable of blowing up the sun? That's something with a singular purpose (Sun=Good bye). Science and Technology would have the edge here.

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Instead of the first five levels being debt free, the first TEN levels will be debt free.

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Ghetto Hospital 'Port for the win!

Just kidding, I can't bring myself to kill my character purposefuly but people will get a kick out of this.

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actually, the Tsoo are definately Hmong in origin. One of the pedestrian comments in Talos is "Those Tsoo make the rest of the Hmong community look bad."

I spose you could argue that pedestrian doesn't know what they are talking about, but once you start ignoring the in game info sources, then you leap off into the wonderful realm of unsupported hear-say.

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One of the Skyway contacts tells you outright that they are Hmong.

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The oriental guy in the lower levels near the tram right? Thao Ku, magic contact, L15-20 missions.
(though looking at artphobia/cohol, it could be Kong Bao or Cho Ge too)

Upsen.

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I think I remember Kong Bao tells you explicitly they're Hmong as well. His description is that he's a Hmong community leader who works with the city to help the Hmong immigrants. He's upset at the Tsoo for giving his people a bad reputation.

I don't want to argue with someone who actually knows what they're talking about.

But if you go to the website Shockz0rz linked to, "TS" is indeed pronounced with a "J" sound like "Jot" in the Hmong language. And "ee" and "oo" are always followed by a "ng" sound. (Okay, I was off with "dong" and "Djong" but I was close). And the meaning as "to break or smash" sounds suitably violent for a group of gangsters.

However, what I've just described only matters if the Tsoo introduced themselves with a card that spelled out "Hi, we're the Tsoo)" in which case it'd be correct to pronounce it "Jong"

It's logical to assume that didn't happen but they SAID, "Hi, we're the (wound sounding like the start of Tsunami" and we spelled it phonetically as Tsoo. However, that's NOT how the English sounding "Tsoo" would be SPELLED in Hmong. Since the site says " txh: pronounced like the 'ts' in cats" and "u is prounced somewhat similar to the 'o' in do or the 'ou' in through". So the group we call Tsoo would actually be spelled "Txhu" in Hmong and in English we spell how it's phonetically pronounced.

Interestingly enough "Tub Ci" is the leader of the "Txhu"
Tub in Hmong means "Son" (and is used in phrases to describe different groups of people like messenger and soldier) and "Ci" means bright or to shine. So his name might mean something like "The Bright Son".