Turn the Gold to Chrome

Three top Tolkienesque gaming experiences this weekend:

1) Skirmish game - commercial set brought by A and W - pretty good although not earth-shattering. The Nazgul should be far harder.

2) T and I did our next playtest for FTLOTT - questing was the focus and it went well - some decent solutions were arrived at - just need to neaten it up now and much of it is ready for next spring.

3) War of the Ring with the new expansion - D tried for an Elf-first tactic with the new Witch King but turned aside at the last moment and headed north to the Woodland Realm. Rivendell and Woodland Realm both under siege but should hold for a while. Heavy Elf losses including Legolas.

Ea

Avari?

In the heat of the night
In the heat of the day
When I close my eyes
When I look your way
When I meet the fear that lies inside
When I hear you say
In the heat of the moment
Say, say, say:

"Someday,
Someday,
Someday,

Dorwinion

Paris en Printemps et les soeurs

Went to Paris on the May Day weekend, and it rained.
Il pleut les chats et les chiens. Et aussi les chattes et les chiennes.

Went to Rex, in the Poissoniere district for the first night, after becoming rapidly appalled at the price of beer. S wanted to go to some strange looking lesbian night nearby, but we were inexorably sucked in by the bleepy techno. Actually quite a cool club, but the music was way too quiet - civilised conversations next to the speakers were completely possible - and, to be honest, a bit sh*t. Did get into it and had a decent dance until some monkey threw his beer straight in my eye. Also slightly interrupting any potential euphoria was the guy behind me shouting "allez, allez, allez-allez-allez!". Great. The best bit was this nutty North African guy with an Afro spanking the table with his hands and the ashtray. Better rhythm than the DJ.

Next day, despite late late rising, we went to the Louvre. At least, 4 of us did. The others went to the catacombs. Saw most of Denon, including the Mona, the Winged (but headless) Victory of Samothrace, all the renaissance Italian paintings, some Flemish stuff, lots of Greek and Roman statues and some other bits and pieces. Louvre is like the BM and the National Gallery rolled into one, although with lots more people and probably more tat, although the best stuff is almost as good as the National and the Uffizi. I think in terms of scope it's probably the most impressive place I've been to (Hermitage and Papal museum come close). The palace itself (three massive wings) is huge - and the ultra-modernist pyramid in the middle is cool.

Lots of decent eating ( I had three fantastic steaks in Paris) and bar-hopping accompanied by the endemic indecision and debate followed. We found a fin-de-siecle dining hall for dinner which was cheap and decent, although my steak was pretty damn raw despite my inevitably pointless 'bien cuit' requests. Bars along the Poissoniere again - we sought Absinthe Dark Dogs in vain but did have some top rap courtesy of M's drunken abuse of D and others.

I was going to repeat it but it's not suitable here.

Monday in the rain - Notre Dame (really impressed - stained glass and revamped front as well as the vaults were all really amazing). Latin Quarter (a bit like a cross between Camden and Venice without the skunk and the canals), Sorbonne (terrible grey blocky buildings), Pantheon and Saint Suplice via various parks, cafes and boulevards. Good clean fun.

Then out for the best meal - North African/French fusion via a microbrewery where I decided that the optimum 'strategic solution' was for the west to start a land war in central Asia. Staggered back via Thermidor - our late night lobster hang-out. Decided to go to Greece next.

Went back early the next day to see the Sisters of Mercy with D at the Astoria. Far too quiet but still fun. Maybe someday (they'll play the) Dominion.

Over and out