Yesterday was Father's Day, right?
Jun. 21st, 2004 12:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
terryclothBecause of that, the Sunday game was moved up to 11:00 -- which meant I had to hurry back and forth to be able to take care of my sister's animals way over in Seattle and still get back in time. I was a little late, but no later than everyone else.
We spent some time working on characters (Eric pointed out the Bioware option that I hadn't known much about, which is basically a way to get 3 more points of essence worth of cyberware for a street samurai) and familiarized ourselves with Shadowrun by playing with some pregenerated characters through a short scenario.
I got stuck playing the mage, and spent the entire combat (the scenario was 'you're in a bar and get attacked by a gang') horribly fatigued and wounded, both, with a moderate wound and serious fatigue. Took out the sub-boss, though.
Afterwards, Tom said he wanted to take everyone out to play mini-golf, and then have a cook out, if people wanted to stay, but instead of doing that he started playing City of Heroes with Dave -- I didn't find out until I went back to check what was taking them so long to get their shoes on, after fifteen minutes or so of watching kids playing pinball. So I decided to just go to the Sunday gathering that I'd thought I'd have to miss, instead.
I tried to play some magic there, but ended up getting in a big argument with Snowwy's new housemate, Kitsunetaur, over a rule. I'd brought the comprehensive rules with me, and showed them how they said I was right and they were wrong, but they kept inventing new, nonexistant mechanics that of course weren't explicitly spelled out in the rules as not existing, except in the sense that they were the COMPREHENSIVE rules and things not mentioned in them or written explicitly on a card don't exist at all. Also, these made up mechanics contradicted each other, and kept changing as I'd find counterexamples or explain why it wouldn't actually help them -- basically, they were flailing randomly and refusing to admit defeat.
They finally decided to appeal to authority, saying that Blake had told them that that was the way the rules work, and Blake 'played in tournaments'. GRRR. Yes, I knew that Blake felt that way, that's why I'd brought the comprehensive rules. Apparently he's spreading his poisonous misinterpretations widely throughout the local furry magic players. }:P
The ruling in question: they wanted to respond to me playing an ability that included tap as the cost by tapping my creature, to counter it. Or prevent me from tapping it by tapping it first. Or going back in time and re-tapping it, cancelling out the previous tap that I already did, and therefore removing the ability from the stack. Or interruping my 'intended tapping' floating around so that the effect fizzled on resolution. Or using their chance to respond 'at any place where a comma appears on the card' to tap it after I pay the red mana but before I tap it. I think there were two or three other explanations they went through, too.
The actual rules say that you play activated abilities any time you have priority. In response to my abilities, they get priority when I have priority and pass. I get priority after the ability is on the stack, WAY after all the costs are paid. The costs are everything before the colon on the card (here, "red, tap: deal damage to target creature"). All costs are paid simultaneously. Finally, abilities on the stack exist independantly of their source.
So, after two hours, with that game never getting past turn 4 where the argument showed up, I said 'hell with it' and played with other people instead. And with a different deck where that ruling was less likely to come up.
There was some confusion about what to do afterwards. Lexx invited me to come over to his place, because he'd finally found his Pentavus that I wanted, but it turned out that he was going to Teeka's instead, and that I was supposed to go to Legend's. (??) At the last second, I was told that since Grayfox was going to Legend's, Teeka had said it was okay for me to go there, but first I needed to take Kitsunetaur home.
Of course, I didn't really know how to get to Teeka's place, but she lives on top of a local landmark, so everyone just assumed I'd be able to find it. 'It's near the stadium!' 'Oh, and Kitsunetaur can give you directions when you drop him off.' Directions were not forthcoming.
Eventually, I found my way over to her place, after wandering around the city a bit (I knew what the building LOOKED like, at least), and even found a place to park on the street, free on Sundays. But now I was stuck outside the building without any way to get in -- I didn't know her last name or apartment number (actually, I still don't }:P). I tried using a pay phone to call Lex's cell -- he'd given me the number in case of emergency -- but the phone said it would cost $8 for the first minute (!!!). Which seemed a bit of an excessive charge to get let in.
So instead I tailgated a group of people through the security door, and followed them into the elevator. "Does this go to the roof?" I asked. "Um... what roof? There's no access to the building's roof. Do you live here?" "Yes there is... I was here before. I'm visiting a friend, but I don't remember their apartment number or know their real name. I guess I'll just look around." They gave me a strange, worried look, but didn't stop me.
So, eventually I found the roof-courtyard thing (on floor 1 -- I went up to floor 5 first, oops!) and wandered around the general vicinity of Teeka's apartment until Skykit showed up in the window and started throwing nickels at me.
Teeka's place was really crowded, and had usually-mostly-empty cans of pop ALL OVER THE PLACE covering every surface. This is not a good environment for me to be in. It seemed like I couldn't turn around without knocking something over that would have to be cleaned up. >.<
The main activities seemed to be drawing on the walls, drawing on the whiteboard, drawing on Skykit, and sitting around bullshitting. There was also some music, and later, video games... and magic cards were around, with Lex doing his best to scam a stack off Teeka. };) We ended up staying there pretty late -- to the point that I wasn't really sure I wanted to go down to Lex's, since I'd have to leave so soon and come right back. But I was their ride, so I had to...
Of course we got lost trying to find the freeway. That always happens. We also nearly got killed by a psycho taxi. That happens less often, although more often than not with Lex in the car (two out of three times, so far). He must be cursed.
We ended up taking I-90 to I-405 to I-5. A ways out of the way. We had time to do some trading, though, and play a couple games, before I had to leave, so the trip wasn't a waste. When it was time to leave, Morphy suckered me into ONE MORE GAME which took a while. I ended up getting to sleep at 3:30am. x.x BARELY made it home alive.
So, yeah, I was late to work this morning. v.v
We spent some time working on characters (Eric pointed out the Bioware option that I hadn't known much about, which is basically a way to get 3 more points of essence worth of cyberware for a street samurai) and familiarized ourselves with Shadowrun by playing with some pregenerated characters through a short scenario.
I got stuck playing the mage, and spent the entire combat (the scenario was 'you're in a bar and get attacked by a gang') horribly fatigued and wounded, both, with a moderate wound and serious fatigue. Took out the sub-boss, though.
Afterwards, Tom said he wanted to take everyone out to play mini-golf, and then have a cook out, if people wanted to stay, but instead of doing that he started playing City of Heroes with Dave -- I didn't find out until I went back to check what was taking them so long to get their shoes on, after fifteen minutes or so of watching kids playing pinball. So I decided to just go to the Sunday gathering that I'd thought I'd have to miss, instead.
I tried to play some magic there, but ended up getting in a big argument with Snowwy's new housemate, Kitsunetaur, over a rule. I'd brought the comprehensive rules with me, and showed them how they said I was right and they were wrong, but they kept inventing new, nonexistant mechanics that of course weren't explicitly spelled out in the rules as not existing, except in the sense that they were the COMPREHENSIVE rules and things not mentioned in them or written explicitly on a card don't exist at all. Also, these made up mechanics contradicted each other, and kept changing as I'd find counterexamples or explain why it wouldn't actually help them -- basically, they were flailing randomly and refusing to admit defeat.
They finally decided to appeal to authority, saying that Blake had told them that that was the way the rules work, and Blake 'played in tournaments'. GRRR. Yes, I knew that Blake felt that way, that's why I'd brought the comprehensive rules. Apparently he's spreading his poisonous misinterpretations widely throughout the local furry magic players. }:P
The ruling in question: they wanted to respond to me playing an ability that included tap as the cost by tapping my creature, to counter it. Or prevent me from tapping it by tapping it first. Or going back in time and re-tapping it, cancelling out the previous tap that I already did, and therefore removing the ability from the stack. Or interruping my 'intended tapping' floating around so that the effect fizzled on resolution. Or using their chance to respond 'at any place where a comma appears on the card' to tap it after I pay the red mana but before I tap it. I think there were two or three other explanations they went through, too.
The actual rules say that you play activated abilities any time you have priority. In response to my abilities, they get priority when I have priority and pass. I get priority after the ability is on the stack, WAY after all the costs are paid. The costs are everything before the colon on the card (here, "red, tap: deal damage to target creature"). All costs are paid simultaneously. Finally, abilities on the stack exist independantly of their source.
So, after two hours, with that game never getting past turn 4 where the argument showed up, I said 'hell with it' and played with other people instead. And with a different deck where that ruling was less likely to come up.
There was some confusion about what to do afterwards. Lexx invited me to come over to his place, because he'd finally found his Pentavus that I wanted, but it turned out that he was going to Teeka's instead, and that I was supposed to go to Legend's. (??) At the last second, I was told that since Grayfox was going to Legend's, Teeka had said it was okay for me to go there, but first I needed to take Kitsunetaur home.
Of course, I didn't really know how to get to Teeka's place, but she lives on top of a local landmark, so everyone just assumed I'd be able to find it. 'It's near the stadium!' 'Oh, and Kitsunetaur can give you directions when you drop him off.' Directions were not forthcoming.
Eventually, I found my way over to her place, after wandering around the city a bit (I knew what the building LOOKED like, at least), and even found a place to park on the street, free on Sundays. But now I was stuck outside the building without any way to get in -- I didn't know her last name or apartment number (actually, I still don't }:P). I tried using a pay phone to call Lex's cell -- he'd given me the number in case of emergency -- but the phone said it would cost $8 for the first minute (!!!). Which seemed a bit of an excessive charge to get let in.
So instead I tailgated a group of people through the security door, and followed them into the elevator. "Does this go to the roof?" I asked. "Um... what roof? There's no access to the building's roof. Do you live here?" "Yes there is... I was here before. I'm visiting a friend, but I don't remember their apartment number or know their real name. I guess I'll just look around." They gave me a strange, worried look, but didn't stop me.
So, eventually I found the roof-courtyard thing (on floor 1 -- I went up to floor 5 first, oops!) and wandered around the general vicinity of Teeka's apartment until Skykit showed up in the window and started throwing nickels at me.
Teeka's place was really crowded, and had usually-mostly-empty cans of pop ALL OVER THE PLACE covering every surface. This is not a good environment for me to be in. It seemed like I couldn't turn around without knocking something over that would have to be cleaned up. >.<
The main activities seemed to be drawing on the walls, drawing on the whiteboard, drawing on Skykit, and sitting around bullshitting. There was also some music, and later, video games... and magic cards were around, with Lex doing his best to scam a stack off Teeka. };) We ended up staying there pretty late -- to the point that I wasn't really sure I wanted to go down to Lex's, since I'd have to leave so soon and come right back. But I was their ride, so I had to...
Of course we got lost trying to find the freeway. That always happens. We also nearly got killed by a psycho taxi. That happens less often, although more often than not with Lex in the car (two out of three times, so far). He must be cursed.
We ended up taking I-90 to I-405 to I-5. A ways out of the way. We had time to do some trading, though, and play a couple games, before I had to leave, so the trip wasn't a waste. When it was time to leave, Morphy suckered me into ONE MORE GAME which took a while. I ended up getting to sleep at 3:30am. x.x BARELY made it home alive.
So, yeah, I was late to work this morning. v.v
