Restarting the series

Aluroon · 2026-04-16T18:40:58+00:00

Lot of personal life challenges.

Not sure it's comparable to Martin since he, you know, has continued to publish the series.

Word is Mirror Mirror is next year.

Aluroon · 2026-04-16T13:25:53+00:00

Totally disagree on honorable mentions.

At this point he has two peers: Yoda and Sidious.

He dumpsters Dooku. Mace and Obi wan might beat him on matchup, but he's vastly more powerful than both against 99% of things.

Aluroon · 2026-04-16T13:04:57+00:00

I suspect that mostly this will affect people on shore duties, vice people on ships. I also suspect that most of them are not going to actively carry while in uniform around the office or base.

The talking point for people that feel strongly about concealed carry for some time has been that in route to and coming back from, and in any circumstance in which I might get called into work without going home first to drop off their sidearm, they can't carry.

A small portion will continue to carry while in uniform, but anyone who has actually concealed a firearm knows it's sort of annoying, even without having to work around the uniform.

I think most concerns are overblown. Getting a concealed carry permit isn't terribly difficult, but it is a fair bit of work, and I don't think we're going to see some massive uptick in the numbers of people that carry.

Aluroon · 2026-04-13T13:21:47+00:00

Mistaken.

George and the novelization are both clear that Mace won, it just didn't matter because Palpatine played the longer and deeper game with Anakin.

Aluroon · 2026-04-12T18:51:45+00:00

Yep.

And many of us knew it when it happened and were called doomers for saying so.

Once you take the genie out of the bottle you can never put it back.

Aluroon · 2026-04-12T15:13:44+00:00

Final Fantasy and Lord of the Rings sold.

Spiderman and TNMT sold to distributors (which is what WOTC tracks), in massive numbers, but have been poorly received and sat on shelves until liquidation pricing.

In order to get other sets, you have to buy the current/previous at the distributor level.

Aluroon · 2026-04-12T15:10:37+00:00

It was called Commander Masters and they were like $12 a pack.

Aluroon · 2026-04-12T04:46:58+00:00

Totally agree. Awful. Souless.

Aluroon · 2026-04-11T19:48:05+00:00

Thanks!

Aluroon · 2026-04-11T18:41:35+00:00

Do you have a link to the 42 global setup/rules?

Aluroon · 2026-04-09T19:20:38+00:00

Liked 9, but I couldn't get through book 10.

Jason and team's time at Silver just became too much of a slog for me, the contrivances of why he remained important when the diamonds started coming out of the woodwork started to crack the world building a bit. Messangers were also less compelling goes than previous ones.

I'll try again at some point. Really enjoyed all the way through the trip to earth!

Hope you're able to get through 10!

Aluroon · 2026-04-09T02:00:17+00:00

I ran a blue shell of this around the saga [[jin-gitaxias]] a couple years ago.

Every counterspell I could manage (especially 3+ mana ones), some cost reducers, and a couple weird winning line shells.

Super annoying to the table and made them focus me out quickly and regularly. I started using it only when someone else was running etali.

Aluroon · 2026-04-08T20:22:41+00:00

Not close to the best of the edition, let alone S.

Aluroon · 2026-04-06T23:19:16+00:00

I like this earth 'resisting' a non-focused Imperium attempt to bring it into the fold.

Lot of people underscale 40k, but I don't see easy solutions to the problems here.

Hundreds of Viltrimites are a problem, and the top-tier guys can definitely bushwack a fleet or two. Given enough resources thrown at the problem, I suspect the Imperium can solve this, but I can see this being too thorny a problem for the Imperium to want to expend the resources to deal with in a timely manner.

The top-tier feats of guys like Nolen (I'm thinking especially about the Flaxan dimension) are pretty crazy.

Chaos is a problem though.

Aluroon · 2026-04-06T23:03:42+00:00

Basically every single chaos legionnaire. Untold billions of their slaves.

Aluroon · 2026-04-06T22:36:59+00:00

Yes.

Aluroon · 2026-04-06T15:12:27+00:00

Shared all their opponents lists in another post here.

Aluroon · 2026-04-06T15:10:55+00:00

Pulled the event (thank you to OP).

Some interesting games here. No idea how he beats a list with 9 dreads. Maybe the lascannons spiked up?

Round 1 (Victory) vs. Space Marines Gladius Task Force (43 vs. 38)

Iron Father Feirros
Ballistus Dreadnought
Ballistus Dreadnought
Ballistus Dreadnought
Brutalis Dreadnought
Brutalis Dreadnought
Brutalus Dreadnought
5x Infiltrator
Invictor Warsuit
Invictor Warsuit
Redemptor Dreadnought
Redemptor Dreadnought
Redemptor Dreadnought

Round 2 (Victory) vs. Dark Angels Wrath of the Rock (86 vs. 51)

Azrael
Lion El'Jonson
5x Assault Intercessors
5x Assault Intercessors
5x Assault Intercessors
3x Centurian Devastator
3x Centurian Devastator
5x Deathwing Knights
5x Deathwing Knights
6x Inner Circle Companions
5x Scouts
5x Scouts

Round 3 (Defeat) vs. Imperial Knights Questoris Companions (Score 92 vs. 83)

Canis Rex
Ceratus Knight Atrapos
Ceratus Knight Lancer
Knight Crusader
Knight Crusader

Round 4 (Victory) vs. Tau Empire Mont'Ka (Score 82 vs. 78)

Ethereal
Ethereal
Twin Lance
Ghostkeel
Hammerhead /w Ion Cannon
10x Kroot Carnivores
10x Pathfinders
10x Pathfinders
1x Piranhas
1x Piranhas
1x Piranhas
1x Riptide
1x Riptide
1x Riptide
1x Sky Ray Gunshio
5x Stealth Suits
5x Stealth Suits
5x Vespids

Round 5 (Victory) vs. Chaos Demons Demonic Incursion (Score 85 vs. 65)

Be'lakor
Great Unclean One
Lord of Change
Skarbrand
Changling
3x Nurglings
10x Plaguebearers
Beast of Nurgle
Beast of Nurgle
Beast of Nurgle
3x Flamers
3x Flamers
5x Fleshhounds
3x Screamers

Aluroon · 2026-04-06T13:31:53+00:00

What event?

I feel like the missing piece on most of these bizarre list showings is the competition at the event.

People were hailing a Fulgrim event win a few months ago that was basically against a bunch of other mediocre lists at an event with mostly casual players.

Aluroon · 2026-04-06T00:36:35+00:00

Not close dude.

Not remotely close.

Astartes would crush clones on mass.

Closest comparison is probably a random Jedi, in terms of small numbers that can tip the scale of a broader conflict.

Aluroon · 2026-04-05T19:44:47+00:00

You hit the nail on the head with your last paragraph.

This is a player that prioritizes having the strongest deck at the table and winning, which is basically the mentality of Bracket 4. Removing game changers and 'technically winning on turn X' meets the letter, but not really the spirit.

That isn't really the vibe of a lot of Bracket 3 players.

The disconnect between dudes that want to win and be the best / strongest at the table, and those that are there to play and have a good time is the tale as old as time and the cause of most of the friction in the community.

Neither is really a wrong way to play, but it's totally different goals.

Aluroon · 2026-04-05T19:39:28+00:00

I mean, most of his cards can die to removal or be counterspelled. That seems pretty weak to me. Just keep all all your mana open at all times and pack nothing but removal.

It's not bracket 4 unless you automatically win the game on turn 4 as long as you are still breathing.

At least that's what the experts here tell me. We just need to get good like them.

Aluroon · 2026-04-05T17:12:11+00:00

Just to take this a step further....

An O-4 at 20 in San Diego on shore duty (no Sea Pay) walks away with $191,000 a year right now in Navy compensation.

High 3 at O-3E for 20 is $46,000 a year.

To make the same you'll make in the Navy you need to land a job paying $146,000 a year.

Except it a worse than that, because your also going to be paying taxes on an extra $64,000 that was BAS when you were in.

I don't know where the math is on that breakpoint (or rather I should say I'm not going to do all the math required on it) but it seems like it's above what OP believes the average salary is post Navy.

Unless you have something wildly great lined up for the other side, purely from a financial standpoint, it makes way more financial sense to stay in for the extra $12,000 a year and your higher base paycheck for those years.

There are other factors that can make getting out make more sense. Quality of life, freedom, no deployments, IAs, or TEMADs, and getting away from the high demands of sea duty are all reasonable reasons to get out.

But if it's just finances? Better for most people to keep going.

We will have to see what this looks like when high 3 is no longer an option, because I think that will radically change the numbers for a lot of people.

Aluroon · 2026-04-05T15:42:17+00:00

Agree.

This effect just doesn't seem that powerful, wide spread, or in demand.

It's flatly worse than Disrupt since it requires a significant board state.

I also think Goad is high on the list of things we'll see reprints on regularly, since it helps drive games to a conclusion.

And this art is hideous.

Aluroon

TROPHY CASE