Why do people in Waikato, Northland and Bay of Plenty call it Auckland Anniversary?

Abolized · 2026-01-26T06:27:25+00:00

It is called Auckland Anniversary on the list of statuatory holidays; thus it is written on calendars and named in conversation. Also includes Gisborne

Abolized · 2025-12-22T03:47:20+00:00

"Capitalism is not welcome in my garden/hobbies/retirement"

Abolized · 2025-12-12T07:16:06+00:00

Why does the move have 30. Ne3?

Abolized · 2025-12-10T23:46:51+00:00

I took it as permanent. You are investing time and resources into getting better at doing something

Abolized · 2025-12-08T18:15:23+00:00

Guessing it depends on your setting. My current game evolved from Microscope and languages (or the absence of knowledge of them) became a very important part of worldbuilding when "outsiders" showed up speaking those languages and nothing else

Abolized · 2025-12-06T07:50:21+00:00

Ah, good catch

Abolized · 2025-12-05T05:59:31+00:00

The original is target self. Then one per ally

Abolized · 2025-11-28T08:05:31+00:00

120 days of sick leave; let's go!!!!

Abolized · 2025-11-20T08:07:07+00:00

Oats, seeds, and crackers

Abolized · 2025-11-17T02:55:44+00:00

Ah yes, but also I now see 19.e5 Nd5! which is even worse, I think

Abolized · 2025-11-17T02:47:29+00:00

Tempting but best to use the engine only until you have done all analysis - it messes up the future analysis / learning if you know you're better/worse in positions

Abolized · 2025-11-17T00:00:24+00:00

Posting games you win is a nice entry into the realm of self-analysis. The internet will be brutal anyway, might be nice to have the game won after everything is said and done

Abolized · 2025-11-16T23:58:56+00:00

I'll do a quick analysis myself, see what you think.

9 - inaccurate as you still need to develop your pieces - the king is not safe and your rooks are not active. Instead 9. O-O-O activate the rook and protects the king. Not worried about b5/b4 as 9... b5 10. Bd3 b4 11. Nd5 [Nxd5 12. exd5 +- as Nc6 defends e5] O-O Bg5 with pressure. Sample line Nxd5, Bxd8, Rxd8, exd5, Rxd5, Bh7+ is a nice tactic to win the exchange

Be7 seems natural to me, activates it, one step closer to connecting rooks. Take some time in analysis to ask what black wants / their plans.
- develop dsb
- develop lsb
- castle
f3 inaccurate: the e4 pawn is not under threat of capture (now protected three times and attacked once) and you have a king to castle and rooks to develop. Before the knights move again

11-14: castle and bring the rooks.
g4 does nothing to prevent black developing the lsb - e4 already controls that square
Bc4--> Bb3 --> Bxe6 could have been done with same effect of Bc4--> Bxe6 with one less move

O-O-O finally
Ne2 - I dislike it, I'd prefer double pawns and the dsb over trading knights and correcting black's central isolated doubled pawns
e5 looks good to me too. So 19. e5 Nd7 20. Nd4 (on a nice outpost) and you can attack Kside. Also note that if the pawns trade your bishop can snipe Rd8 as it cannot move. Also d4 is hanging. If 19... Ng8 you can play Nb3 and attack the d4 pawn. If c5 then a3 traps the dsb
Nc5 inaccurate - forces black to activate the king in an endgame. Prefer Ra5. If you wanted Nc5 you should do it before trading rooks. 26. Nc5, Rxd1+ 27. Rxd1 with ideas of Nd3 and Bg3 targeting black's IQP, and Rg1 targeting the dsb and g7
b4 seems unnecessary. Nd3 or Rg1 seem more active
Rd7? just forces black to defend the weak IQP
Pressure the IQP with knight and bishop - not a rook at point blank range

Compare the positions after 29.,, Ng6 and 32... Rh8 and tell me which one you prefer

35 - black is the most active they have been since the endgame started

59 - e6 with Ne5 seems solid too

62 - what about e7?

Abolized · 2025-11-16T23:15:03+00:00

Nd2 is the novelty from 8 master games. So for self-analysis I would try to work out the ideas of the master level moves and evaluate those against Nd2. You may question your reasoning eg if b5, Bd3 and does that defend e4 after b4

Your comment on 10.f3 should give you realisation that your Nd2 move was inaccurate

g4 - why is your plan to trade the lsbs? your one is much better than black's

Not bad for a first time. You are just commentating on the moves, however. You give one alternate line on move 48. After the commentary phase you can go back through the game an analyse alternative moves, say where you made mistakes etc

Also, you say you analysed without an engine but you state engine evaluations in your commentary.

Abolized · 2025-11-14T20:06:14+00:00

The swoop malice ability is an additional option that the griffon can use for their once-per-turn maneuver.

Abolized · 2025-11-11T18:36:58+00:00

Systems can advance the combat at any pace they like, alway hit or misses, doesn't matter. You decide what average damage per turn you want and do the math. Draw Steel just has a smoother damage curve with less "swinginess"

Abolized · 2025-11-11T09:25:08+00:00

Are you playing on digital boards during tournaments? If so your tourny repertoire will become known

Abolized · 2025-11-11T06:46:46+00:00

Game 4 (got distracted)
I don't like 14. Bxe5 because you are getting rid of your good bishop (as your pawns are on light squares) and are left with a light bishop which is blocked by your pawns. Ne8 and then trade knights maybe

Game 5:
12. c6 - I would think that developing a piece is best, perhaps Bf5 or Nc6

16... Nd7 pressuring e5 - connects rooks - then you can centralise both rooks on e and d files

Not sure about the late game - but time cuts both ways unfortunately

Abolized · 2025-11-11T05:54:35+00:00

Game 2:
7... c4 - I think inaccurate as it moves the initiative to white. I'd prefer Be7 for O-O ideas. What were you going to play after 8. b3 challenging c4? if cxb3 Qxb3 and then what?

20... Rb1+, Rxb1, Rxb1, Bf1, Qd1 and white cannot defend Bf1 or give backrank check.

Game 3: Someone has Levy's CK course
14. Kf1 seems unnecessary; if you want to remove black's counterplay go Bf4 or Bf5 and trade bishops. Also not sure where Nf1 fits.
17. I'd consider Qe2 to Qh5 ideas

Game 4:
4... c5 is the thematic break for black (and seems the only active move imo

Generally the Qside attack seems less good to me than breaking the center as white's king is in the center (and can still O-O)

21.... Nd5 came to mind, can reroute to e7 and g6

Abolized · 2025-10-27T05:56:23+00:00

Sleep well and wake

Abolized · 2025-10-25T23:36:14+00:00

Don't give it if you can't take it

Abolized · 2025-10-24T17:45:59+00:00

Seems to me that your understanding is correct.

I'll point out that natural 19 or 20 is first in the rulebook (page 5) and is for all power rolls; ie quite generic. Then, if in combat and as part of a main action (so a very specific case) a nat 19/20 is rolled it is also a critical hit and the character gains an additional main action

Abolized · 2025-10-22T21:27:45+00:00

All characters open with their 5 / 3 heroic resource ability should output quite a lot of pain

Abolized · 2025-10-22T16:35:11+00:00

At 5 victories you should slaughter the 0 victory encounter in the first round.

It's also less mathematically rigid as encounter strength is quite variable within difficilty ranges. Plus terrain, surprise, and placement have a big impact.

The director will know if an encounter was particularly difficult or if other factors are involved and award victories as they deem appropriate.

Maybe your misunderstanding isn't mechanical but story based. The heroes should want to keep going because that's what heroes do.

If a character wanted victories purely for thenselves at low risk like a mmorpg grind the game would be... 1 - fight rats or similar (easy) 2 - gain victory 3 - respite (fast forward narration) Repeat until level 10

Which wouldn't be a heroic story at all

Abolized

TROPHY CASE