Lurker > BlueCrystalTear

FYI: My Complicated Mafia setup is for 18 people... there's no way we could get that many, is there? Could downsize it to 15 maybe, but that's less fun (and less complicated).

Dancedreamer posted...

Happy Birthday!

Thanks

Bump for now. My body has been feeling too weird tbqh and IDK why...

birthday bump, will figure out if I wanna get back to this sooner or later

I hope I can make this happen.... wish me luck.

I really wanna get Rebirth so I don't get spoiled on what's changed.

Will get it done. I get home a week from tonight and will probably play in the couple days after.

For now, keeping this alive!

FYI I did play more. Didn't have much to say. Fang and Hope both awakened to their Personae and those scenes have become pretty predictable (Vanille is the only one who hasn't yet). Got to Pulse - we're gambling that we can find a way out of the l'Cie curse, since Oerba is apparently the last place we could find an answer. Because it is.

I then get to this huge open area that's unlike anything I've seen in the game before and I get slaughtered by the behemoth enemies, even after I grind on the weaker ones.

Was too preoccupied with getting packed to play more so that'll have to wait another two-plus weeks. Sorry about that!

MartinFF7 posted...

yay for beating Cid. The juxtaposition between the hallway labyrinth tedium and the greatness to come is considerable!!!

The good news is that at least it's not a maze for the game, even if the place is built like one. It would have taken several play sessions if it was like that. The place is so redundant of itself that it would be easy to get lost if it wasn't so linear. It simply never ends.

The bad news is that there's nothing to break up the monotony. I wish there was something like skits from Tales. If you're going to have a game like this one where character interaction carries the day, the more of it you have, the better. I only heard a couple lines of dialogue during that entire hour-plus. I also died in battle a few times.

Will play more today or tomorrow. I want to beat this one before I leave, then play the next one when I return.

I've been through some empty, boring, redundant labyrinthine hallways before, but that had to be the emptiest, boringest, redundantest, labyrinthinest I've ever experienced.

I had more fun trying to come up with a fun way to say that than I did fighting anything in this dull, linear complex. At least give us some character interaction!

Yippie ki-yay, motherfucker!

Yeah, that's pretty much how this felt. I had thought I was just testing the waters on this, but then I saw it, and the answer dawned on me. Somehow, Raines was both buffing himself and debuffing me! So THAT'S why his attacks packed so much punch all of a sudden. It wasn't just one - it was both!

I solved this by changing to two Saboteurs to get rid of his buffs, then had Esuna-casting from Vanille and Lightning take care of the debuffs.

Anyway, before the fight, Raines went and explained everything that had happened. We're tools, the Fallacies couldn't destroy Cocoon because it would break their oath and defy their nature, and all that. They wanted to restore the Maker so they set up a party of capable people to do this. They needed Serah to lure both Snow and Lightning into their trap, as those were two of their chosen ones, even though Loverboy is an idiot who naively thinks it's okay that Raines is there even though Fang realizes it makes no sense unless he'd betrayed them.

Raines himself is a l'Cie and his Focus was to set us on the right path, but seeing us fight the Sanctum revived an old dream of his, to reimagine a better Cocoon for the people... and for some reason fighting us, despite our unwillingness to actually complete our Focus, will make that happen? It makes no sense, at least not until I kill him and he says he just wanted to sing "Still Alive" just this one time! "This was a triumph..."

But yeah, I kill him, and he crystallizes swiftly despite apparently not have completed his Focus in its entirety. I don't know what to make of this since it HAS been a while, but at least this was the first scene I rewatched because it was a nice refresher on a lot of things.

Should be able to play more tomorrow.

I'll give this a whack tomorrow, hopefully.

If I don't get it done, I'm really sorry. I have another vacation coming up so I want to close this first game out while I'm home.

That place seems pretty chill. A good place to play Mafia if you don't want total chaos, but not where you go for a truly serious game. This is based on the one game I replaced in for, though.

I plan to pay there again whenever I have a need for a less stressful game. Which you all know is going to happen. I think Chris just wanted to take it easy, but he also knows this site doesn't have any features for Mafia. Maybe we should try having a game where he wants. I'm game for that now tbh

I stupidly closed my account due to some emotional turbulence and need to re-add you guys as friends.

Lesson learned but thought I'd explain what happened!

Crescent-Moon posted...

I have both on block, what do I care?

May I ask what Lopen and Scare each did to you to warrant being blocked? Was it a light insult, perhaps?

KCF0107 posted...

Bears have released CB Curtis Brown. He wants the same contract as Gillmore

FYI I have a contingent release this round, if an offer goes through. That OK with you?

Thanks!

I will get back to this. I promise. Will try to force myself to grind tomorrow. Welp. Not looking forward to that tbh, but I hope the payoff is worth it.

KateMarsh posted...

I wouldn't have wanted to see Cody or Cameron win either, and would have been... okay with an Xavier win but I do find him to be extremely boring and generic. I really wanted either Taylor or Brittany to win and would have been perfectly fine with a Frankie/Danielle/Josh win.

Finally finished Reindeer Games myself.

This was the most likable Nicole has been since BB18, but Taylor winning would've been SO much better (Britney would've been my #1 choice, but Taylor's easily #2). It was fantastic to see the double-upset in the semis, though. Even if Frankie was nowhere near as insufferable as he was in BB16.

Overall, this had its ups and downs. The ending was pretty whatever though.

KateMarsh posted...

I literally don't even get what you're going for with this one

It's easy to compare the narcissism and demands that the jury just award the two of them the money. They are eerily similar.

KateMarsh posted...

I remember recently looking at the edgic chart for 43 and seeing the name James and legit couldn't remember him and had to look him up. And that was someone who made the merge/jury.

The guy who bickered with Owen and was the lone vote for Cassidy Hantz, right?

He was one of the more memorable people from 43 (that isn't saying much), and you forgetting him is saying something about how 41 to 44 were edited with a twist focus that made them redundant and easy to mix up.

Mewtwo59 posted...

I'd say even 90 minute episodes can't keep this from being my least favorite of the new era

Both a hot take and a bad one.

This was by far my favorite of the New Era, largely because the cast was mostly bad at the game. I found myself more emotionally invested than I had been since WaW, a returnee season. And I feel like I'll actually remember these people, whereas I just learned that there was someone named Lindsay on either 43 or 44 and I couldn't even picture her. My mind went to Lindsay from 42.

If you disliked this season, I think you might be watching Survivor for the wrong reasons. Like we all know foolmo does.

FYI, I'm at my parents for over a week and won't be able to play until New Year's Eve. Maybe the day before. Sorry about that.

Finally finished watching. Yesterday was a travel day for me.

That F5 vote was a disaster - everyone got votes! Amazing TV. Katurah losing because she got cold feet was awesome - it shows a lesson that you should trust your gut and not second-guess yourself. Katurah still had a weird story, but she was great. A lot of this cast was great. (What's this Inviso ranking people are talking about? That link I can't open?)

Dee is a fine winner. Seems as if she actually dropped the bombshell early at FTC to rattle Austin and he had to claw back. I get Drew voting for him but not Kendra or Bruce. Jake deserved 2nd because he was nobody's bitch. He didn't deserve to win because of his Charlie Brown defeatist energy, but he didn't suck like Austin.

Great season and my favorite of the New Era. The 90 minutes helped. The cast largely being bad at the game helped even more. Will need to re-watch next year to see if that holds up - it's the first New Era season I've wanted to do that for.

TheSultanOfSlam posted...

Thought of an absolutely terrible idea.

1 day Mafia everyone is a vig.
Keep shooting or Lynching until their is a winner lol

sounds similar enough to Han's "Oops all vigs" game

Which was hilarious to watch, mind you.

Feeling discouraged about the grinding.

That and I've been keeping busy with things I've mentioned in other places.

MartinFF7 posted...

Not sure I agree with the game not having very good writing, I think it could be a mix of some info still not being relayed yet (for plot purposes), but also maybe some more helpful info being dumped in the datalogs. Neither of the next two games have that issue, at least.

I think the problem I have is just how much is in the datalog - it makes it hard to care about Cocoon. I like the characters enough, sure, but the setting does nothing for me, and I don't care whether the Focus succeeds or not.

KateMarsh posted...

Emily, Jake, Bruce, Kaleb, Kendra, Kellie, Sabiyah and Katurah all are stars and every season needs a cast of this calibur where the top tier is literally almost half the cast.

Not a single Reba. Despite Drew being someone to silently loathe and Austin being a dumbass, they're not in the top half of this cast.

Mewtwo59 posted...

And I strongly disagree about Kellie and Katurah. Kellie's gotten really obnoxious on the jury and it's really soured me on her, and Katurah is a one note character who has kept anything fun happening strategically.

Katurah has had some pretty funny confessionals, and Kellie's doing her best to channel Eliza's GIF reel. I happen to enjoy it. Bitterness just adds another layer of fun.

I keep seeing people saying that Dee is for sure winning but... something just bugs me about that. It feels like she's getting too cocky and we're supposed to root for her demise. Similar to Cassidy, only with less narcissism.

KateMarsh posted...

I mean I need to rewatch this season at some point because I literally dozed off for at least a little while during almost every episode

This is precisely why I would avoid a re-watch tbh

The 90 minutes did Amazing Race no favors. It took a boring product and made it even more boring. It will be even worse next season, which had the COVID restrictions.

Last night's Survivor episode was okay - a little too one-note, but it was amusing to watch Drew get blindsided as he was getting more and more delusional. But I felt like there was something missing from the final product - Emily leaving really hurt the season, and there wasn't enough of Katurah or Julie. Just too much of Austin and Dee showmancing and Drew getting cockier. Not enough people connecting any dots. This may have been the 90 minutes talking - like I had thought, the F6 episode didn't need to be that long. But it's the first episode of the season to be that way, so I'm not complaining. At least there was some good stuff like Jake idol hunting as a "strip search" lol

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Funny how that works sometimes. Was trying to figure out what my fourth guess was going to be but I didn't need to!

Drew's cockiness is through the roof. Does he not realize how dumb he sounds? The times you should be the most paranoid are those when everything seems too easy.

I'm eager to see the look on his face.

KateMarsh posted...

This is like the Rodney's birthday episode. It's great.

I've honestly compared this season to Gabon and Worlds Apart, with a lot of bad strategic play but the chaotic characters that make it really interesting.

I prefer this to 41-44 any day.

KateMarsh posted...

What a mixed bag. A lot of really good and a lot of really bad.

I see two "really bad" here. I see four I'm like "whatever" to and three I'm like "Yesss!"

Also, regarding Survivor, why does nobody realize that Dee was the rat?

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I didn't cheat, I swear!

Phenomenal episode.

And I legit don't know who's winning this now. Emily was easily my odds-on favorite to win and... welp.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80637586
here ya go

Wasn't feeling well yesterday. I'll post sign-ups today, if that's alright.

This Raines fight is some shit

That's twice now I've gone from like 90% HP to 0% and losing in a matter of seconds.

Time to grind, ugh.

(Yes, Raines being an enemy does not surprise me. Note how I was saying he was clearly trying to further his own ends... and I was right. That said, he's bucking the Fallacies... how? Why? What does fighting us have to do with stopping their puppeting everyone when we don't wanna be puppets either? It was all a bunch of blah blah blah, but at least this refreshed my memory on some previous events.)

Mewtwo59 posted...

The 90 minute episodes have nothing to do with the boots being obvious (and I'd argue the first three boots weren't obvious by the halfway point either), it's because these teams keep digging themselves into deep holes

The editing has made it even more obvious and that's made TAR even duller. Their insistence on making every leg a "RACE TO THE FINISH" when it's anything but has gotten really, really old; only the most daft of people wouldn't have been able to pick up on it by now. And since they don't showcase culture like they used to, I no longer watch. There's no point in the show anymore. The cultural exposition that made the early days of the show click is mostly absent and the "race" isn't exciting at all.

I'm kinda surprised that it hasn't been canceled. The show ran out of steam years ago and aside from a flash in the pan season here and there (okay, 29 and 30 were two in a row) has been repetitively mediocre for quite some time.

Promise it'll be Sunday or Monday. I PROMISE!

TheSultanOfSlam posted...

A holiday simple mafia could be fun. Flavor being holiday time

We don't need role flavor, just story flavor. Again, keeping it simple, so people can't meta the flavor. Before I ask around for a co-host, I know we do need 11 players for this. And I'd much rather host than play right now.

And yes, thank you, Blade.

Eddv posted...

This is proof really that personalities make the season. I know its a straight pagonging with an emily twist but ive found it pretty enjoyable anyway

Good luck helping foolmo understand this. He doesn't get it since he hasn't watched all that long. He thinks we should be watching for the GAME and the STRATEGY, and not for the human interaction, because he wasn't watching when the show was consistently better.

I am enjoying this season a hell of a lot more than the last four because the extra 30 minutes has granted us the character moments that were sorely missing. Constant strategy shit is forgettable. Stuff like the "Girls' Night" vs. "Guys' Night" set to Top Gun music are what this show is about.

I can host a quick game of Simple Mafia if anyone wants. Would only want 11 people. Open setup of 3 scum, one cop, one doc.

I actually will have time for it as my busy two weeks just ended.

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Second word should be obvious.

The guys' scene with the Top Gun music was one of the funniest things I've seen on this show in a while.

That challenge was pretty blah, except for Katurah losing it. And now she's suggesting voting out Julie. That may get her voted out. But the others really do need to get rid of a Reba...

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Chaeix posted...

Guys I actually ugly cried at Bruce realizing not only his game was overbearing but he was probably a helicopter dad

You could just see his reality shattering behind his eyes

Yeah, I really enjoyed that part. I just wish the rest of the episode was that good.

Bruce could... actually be the winner? And his story just truly started. Never expected that. Honestly, my top three right now are Emily, Bruce, and Austin.

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Underleveled posted...

Survivor 45 - the one with multiple specific Pokemon references

As much as Dee's increasing arrogance frustrated me, talking about evolving into a Charizard tugged at my heartstrings.

Lame episode, though. Too much focus on a terrible twist that only served to stifle a potential big move that Emily was considering. Imagine her rallying Belo, including Katurah, to take out a couple Rebas before duking it out. This is why more twists = a bad thing.

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I need to bump this again. It just hasn't happened. There have been a few nights where I've just.... checked out, then I had an anime con, and now's the holiday.

I will try to play Friday evening. I will need to unwind. Maybe an hour tomorrow night if I'm lucky.

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