Skyrim - I'm still playing it, how am I playing it?

Ok, so this post is as much for myself as anyone else. This is really a place for me to write up the backstory and ideas around the Skyrim characters I'm currently leveling, but if it gives anyone reading it some ideas for their own playthroughs then that's awesome too!


Scout Draccus - 

Draccus is a scout with the Imperial Army. Dropped in Skyrim behind enemy lines during the civil war to scout out Stormcloak positions. Unfortunately during this he was caught along with many Stormcloak soldiers by a group of Imperials. Having not yet been made known to General Tullius and having no papers of identity or uniform on him, to avoid being spotted by the Stormcloak soldiers, he was to be executed along with them when a dragon attacked Helgen. After escaping he makes his way to Solitude to once again join the Legion. Many would question this action after they nearly killed him but he's loyal to the Empire and understands if he'd kept his papers it wouldn't have happened. After helping the Legion crush the Stormcloak rebellion he retires as a soldier to stay in Skyrim. Later joining the Companions of Whiterun, and then the Dawnguard as the vampire attacks become a problem. Now he travels Skyrim and Solstheim protecting people across the land, with the honour of a soldier.
He will not join the Thieves guild, as he sees stealing as honourless, nor will he join the Dark Brotherhood as he only kills those who threaten others. The Mages' College is of no use to him either.
Sneak - one handed (dual wield) - archery - light armour - smithing


Storm-Caller Drakir - 

Drakir is a Nord, one of an ancient bloodline. He has traveled Tamriel for years searching for others like himself. He is a Shaman, one of the last. The Nord's recent distrust of magic has made it hard for him to find anyone to pass on his unique brand of Nord Shaman knowledge onto, and thus he may end up as the last of the Storm-Callers. He has no affiliation in the civil war, having been nearly executed by the Imperials when he was picked up with a group of Stormcloaks who had shared their camp with him on his arrival back in Skyrim you would think he'd side with the Stormcloaks, however while he understands the cause, being as well traveled as he is he doesn't agree with Ulfric's rejection of other races, and also feels the Empire may be the best way to keep the Thalmor at bay (seeing as they vehemently hate the Shaman way of life and use of magic) as well as keeping travelling routes open for all. 
As his name suggests the Storm-Caller uses the power of the storm in combat, utilising frost and shock magic, alongside Frost and Storm Atronachs and his two axes, usually also enchanted with frost and shock effects. Slowing and weakening foes with hits from magic before sweeping in with fast, sharp attacks from his axes while the elemental atronachs aid him. 
The Mages College is a definite place to go for the Shaman to enhance his knowledge. His protective nature will also lead him to defeat the great evils of the world, Alduin, Harkon and Miraak to name a few. The dark brotherhood, companions and thieves guild are paths this protector will not take. The civil war may be done either way if he makes up his mind but he is no soldier. 
Light Armour - Destruction - Conjuration - One handed - smithing - enchanting 


Lord Drakkul -

Lord Drakkul is a Breton of renown within the Empire. Rising through the ranks in the Legion and with some impressive feats on the battlefield he became a knight of the Empire. However after some time he became bored with the politics that comes with this and abandoned his country mansion in search of more power. The power that many mages wield, the power over the mind and the power over life and reanimation had always intrigued him. Shedding his wealth and title so as to not arouse suspicion as to his identity, afterall how many necromancers would trust a knight of the empire, he went in search of the more villainous mages, the sort he would normally rescue villages from, in hopes of gaining their knowledge. Now he has ended up in Skyrim. His money and identity back in his Daggerfall country mansion, he wishes to try these new found powers on all who stand in his way. 
With the aim of becoming powerful and famous within Skyrim itself he will strike down any who try to stop him. While he must keep his necromantic practices secret from the general populus, rumours will be spread about him.
A behemoth in plated armour with a massive axe, he can barrel in swinging through any enemies, but also likes to mix things up with illusion, causing his foes to fight each other for him, and necromancy. The fear and confusion on the faces of his enemies as they kill each other, and then get raised from the dead to fight their friends again fascinates him. 
Do not mistake him as being intrinsically evil however, he will still fight evil, Alduin, Harkon and Miraak being the obvious ones. His obsession with manipulating his enemies minds and life force does not come from cruelty and he will not do it to those who would not hurt others. However he does do things for personal gain more than to help others. 
Dark Brotherhood and Companions would be good places for Lord Drakkul to start and he may well return to his roots as a soldier to fight in the civil war. He would benefit from joining the mages' college also, as it's a place he can practice his necromancy without the judgement of others. The thieves guild would not fit this heavily armoured tank. 
Heavy Armour - Two Handed - Conjuration - Illusion - Smithing - Enchanting


Knight-Paladin Dracsus -

Dracsus was originally a knight who discovered he had a gift with healing magic, however he found the edicts of the traditional Paladin orders did not suit him. No drinking, no marriage, all politics and no action. Plus the Paladins had a very black and white way of looking at the world, you're either evil or you're not, whereas Dracsus' experiences told him that nothing was that simple, people could do evil but with noble intentions, or vice verca. As such he named himself Knight-Paladin. A knight with the capabilities of a paladin but without the restrictions of their various holy orders. He seeks to destroy sources of pure evil but help those who have no choice but to be evil. This can sometimes lead to him being taken advantage of however, which is how he has arrived in Skyrim with nothing but rags.
He will never claim to be flawless nor expect anyone else to be.
Mages college presents him with opportunity to expand upon his knowledge of restoration magic and the civil war could use his hand. The thieves guild and dark brotherhood are too questionable for his presence however. He is not, nor will ever be a sell sword and thus companions would not be a good fit. The dawnguard however would be an obvious home.
Heavy armour - one handed - restoration - smithing - enchanting


Pirate-Captain Dracholos

Dracholos started out as a captain in the Imperial Navy, however due to some misjudgements of his higher ups, for which he got the blame, he sailed the seas as a pirate for many years. While still loyal to the empire he made sure to only attack merchant or Thalmor ships, he made an exception when he spotted the ship of the admiral whose decision had cost him his career. While getting his revenge he lost many of his crew and was left with barely enough men to steer the ship to ground. Skyrim was the land on which he grounded, on the northern coast. Here he and his men went their separate ways, each in search of their own fortune. With his trusted saber in hand he will ravage the land as he did the seas in search of fortune and fame. A silver tongue and some magic tricks insuring all around him will listen and fear....
Any quest line really is open to this guy due to his flexibility and mix of skills.
Light Armour - One handed - Illsuion - Smithing - Enchanting - Alchemy - Speech - Maybe sneak.

24 Questions Americans have for the Brits (Buzzfeed response 2)

So following from yesterdays blog, my girlfriend decided to pose these questions from a similar Buzzfeed article to me today... This was the result.

24 Questions Americans have for the British

1. Why do you call cookies biscuits?

Because they are biscuits. If they don’t have chocolate chips in them then they're biscuits.

 Better yet, what do you call America's version of biscuits?

Are they those things we had at the barbeque? Scones. Those are scones.

2. Why would you eat something called spotted dick?

‘Cause it tastes real good.

3. In fact, why are most of your food names sexual?

They aren't all like that, just the few that make it out of the country.

4. Why do your judges still wear powdered wigs?

I dunno, I just think they're all still stuck in the 1800's.

5. Why do you call diapers "nappies"?

Dunno, just the way it’s always been.

(Authors note: I notice a trend.)

6. How many times do you need to be reminded to mind the damn gap?

Thanks to the American's, we have to put warnings up on everything to avoid getting sued. Also, the gap is scary.

7. Why do you drink tea in literally every situation?

‘Cause tea is just...tea is just right for everything.

8. How on earth do you deal with the weather?

Where I live it's not too bad, it's just dull. It can also be unpredictable and impossible to get used to though.

9. Why do you all strip down when you see the slightest bit of sun?

If your summer was only three weeks long, you would want to make the most of it too.

10. Why do you think Marmite tastes good?

I don’t. Marmite is a vile concoction that should never be touched, much less eaten.

11. Why do you have two taps instead of one?

Not many do, but some people just do it for tradition.

(AN: Treeeeeend)

12. What the hell is the deal with Cricket?

I dunno, I played it in primary school and I had no idea what I was doing. It seems like the only people that watch it are 50 year olds anyway.

13. Why do you lose your accents when you sing?

Not all artists lose it, it just seems to be a pop thing. They want to be successful in America where the money is, so they tone down the accents a bit. Most artists just want to get the fuck out of the UK anyway so it works.

14. Speaking of accents, why do you have SOOO many?

My personal theory is that it's from way back when the counties were all separate and kind of did their own thing and it just stuck.

15. How come your headlines are on a whole different level?

Because wouldn't you buy that newspaper?

16. Why are you all so stoic?

I dunno, it's just the way were brought up but it’s starting to change.

17. How many BBC channels do you have?

Christ. I think there's five.

18. Why do you think men wearing dresses is the epitome of comedy?

Cause it's just funny. And they all have a good time.

19. What do you want to be called? Britain, Great Britain, England, the United Kingdom or the U.K.?

Oh boy, here we go. To my understanding, England is a part of Britain and Britain is the combination of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. And the United Kingdom is what Britain combined with all the other territories.

20. How come you're so obsessed with the royal family?

We’re not really, that seems to be an American thing.

21. Why do you pluralize "math"?

Because the full word is "Mathematics" which is plural so the shortened word should be pluralized too.

22. How is this a condiment?

Cause what the fuck else are you supposed to eat with your roast lamb?

23. Why do you call your lines "queues"?

Because it's just the word for it.

24. And finally, how come your cursing and slang is so much better than ours?

Cause we're just a bit more bloody inventive than you lot, 'int we?

24 Questions Britain has for the US (Buzzfeed response)

So as some of you know I'm British, living in the UK but my girlfriend is American, currently living in the US. We were skyping when I saw this buzzfeed article (http://www.buzzfeed.com/robinedds/questions-britain-has-for-the-us#.krypneGYe6) and decided to ask her the questions in it and record her answers.

Thus, this was born:

1. Why are you always so patriotic?

A: 'Murica. I don't know, I think it's just like "Woo! we got guns 'n' shit!"


2. Why would you live somewhere that can get so cold?

A: I live in the desert [Arizona], so ask all those nothern people.


3. Why do so many people give Obama such a hard time?

A: 'Cause we're dicks. He's a great guy but everybody wants to blame him for everything.


4. Is a Chicken Nugget setting on a microwave totally necessary?

A: I'm blissfully unaware of this. I'll just enjoy my popcorn setting.
*Author's note: Chicken Nugget settings are always necessary.


5. Does alcohol taste better when drunk out of a gun?

A: Shotgunning is a thing, where you drink from the barrel of an actual shotgun. I imagine it tastes awful. I must be a poor representation of my country as I've not done this.


6. Why is everything so much bigger?

A: Cause we like to show off. 'Murica.


7. [Picture of a minivan (people carrier for the UK) with a lift kit]

A: Mom's gotta have fun too!


8. Do you have any of your own actors or are you going to just keep stealing ours?

A: The Supernatural crew are all Texan. But we like your accents so we'll keep stealing yours.


9. What have you got against the letter U?

A: Cause that's some French bullshit we don't want anything to do with.


10. What exactly does freedom taste like?

A: Riding on a motorcycle with your bald eagle.


11. [In reference to the grid system] Why are your streets so boringly predictable?

A: Because it makes everything easy. We don't like streets that end in nowhere.


12. What's with the whole "being happy and confident talking to strangers" thing?

A: We like to hide our insecurities and let them out in small bursts. 


13. Why must you confuse us thankless Brits with the concept of tipping?

A: Our waitresses would die of starvation if we didn't tip.
Author's note: Waitresses in the US, because of tips, don't make minimum wage like ours do. Or at least like our's are supposed to.


14. This confused me.. It looks like bacon to me... Skipped it.


15. Why are your TV ads for drugs so batshit crazy?

A: I don't know, they all seem fairly normal to me? I've not encountered a drug ad that seemed crazy.


16. Why must your cups be red?

A: Solo cups? Red cups mean shit's going down. Mainly beer pong. 


17. Why do your toilets have so much water in them?

A: I don't why but I hate it, it's a waste of water.


18. Why are there giant gaps in public toilet doors?

A: I really don't know but it creeps me out.


19. How do we get in on this whole pizza breakfast thing?

A: You order pizza breakfast, or eat left over pizza....
Author Note: I have breakfast pizza a lot... Is this unusual in the UK?


20. Why do you still have to sign when paying rather than using chip and pin?

A: I use chip and pin on debit, just not credit. 


21. Exactly how many countries take part in the world series?

A: One. I love baseball, don't even.... 'Murica.


22. And how is it possible that this is a college football game?

A: I have no clue, it's probably part of why our tuition is so expensive.


23. How did Miss Florida not win Miss America? She slapped a shark as a kid.

A: Because the pageants are based on beauty not their personal merits unfortunately. So even though she's badass she didn't win.


24. People aren't actually called Randy, right?

A: Not anyone that I've met...


In closing she said "Sorry for being so stereotypical, please don't hate me!" 

So yeah. That was a thing.


~Rusty.

Skyrim Build: Thief

Thief

Intro -
The Thief is a master of stealth with loyalty to no one beyond his brothers and sisters in the Riften Thieves Guild. Walking in the shadows he swipes coin from anyone careless enough to leave it tied to their belt and makes off into the night before they realise. Utilising his skills with lockpicks, stealth, alchemy and sometimes magic this silent figure makes his riches without drawing blood. 

Race Selection -
Khajiit - This is what I personally went for, lore wise it fits and starting skills are good. Plus seeing in the dark is handy if you run a lighting mod that makes dark actually... well, dark.
Argonian - Again it works well lore wise, the starting skills are good and water breathing could add a new aspect to stealth
Wood Elf - Stealth and archery good early game stats.
Dark Elf - Alright, but not a personal choice
Other Races - Not ideal but nothing stopping them being a Thief!

Armour/Weapon Selection - 
Weapon - One handed sword - Nightingale Blade, Ebony Sword for looks. 
Off-hand - Dagger - Ebony/Daedric. Illusion spells - Calm, Fury, Fear
Armour - Light Armour - Thieves Guild, Nightingale, Guild Master.
PC ONLY -
Weapon - Fist Weapon provided by Perkus Maximus mod, Sword damage scale, called Katana.
Off-hand - Knuckles/Claw fist weapons added by Perkus Maximus. Same spells as previous.
Armour - Same as previous.

Standing Stone - 
Thief stone for 20% boost to thief stat exp gain, Lover Stone for 15% boost to all, Shadow Stone for invisibility daily power.

Skills/Perk Selection - 
Sneak - Stealth (5/5), Muffled Movement, Light Foot, Silent Roll, Silence
Pickpocket - Light Fingers (1/5), Night Thief, Extra Pockets, Cut Purse, Key Master, Misdirection, Perfect Touch, Poisoned
Speech - Haggling (1/5), Allure, Bribery, Persuasion, Merchant, Investor, Fence, Master Trader
Alchemy - Alchemist (5/5), Physician, Poisoner, Concentrated Poison, Green Thumb
Enchanting - Enchanter (5/5), Insightful Enchanter, Corpus Enchanter, Extra Effect
Illusion - Novice Illusion, Apprentice Illusion, Adept Illusion
Light Armour - Agile Defender (1/5), Custom Fit, Unhindered, Matching Set, Wind Walker, Deft Movement
One Handed - Armsman (1/5), Fighting Stance, Bladesman, Dual Flurry, Dual Savagery
Archery - Overdraw (1/5), Eagle Eye, Steady Hand (1/2)

As you can see this is a lot of perks on a lot of skills, it will in fact take you to level 59. Now I will say here that archery, illusion, enchanting and alchemy are all optional and down to personal preference, but I found my one handed and light armour alone wasn't keeping me alive when things went wrong. Which they will, often when your sneak is low. If like me you use the Perkus Maximus mod or a similar overhaul, these skills still apply, under their new names, and similar perks can be found.
Lockpicking is left out because it's a waste of perk points.

Quest Lines
Alduin/Main Story - Optional, however I advise on ignoring Whiterun early on and not letting the dragons spawn as your combat is weak till later.
Civil War - Optional.
Dark Brotherhood - Possible. For me no, but a Thief may get bored of just stealing.
Thieves Guild - Yes, in fact, this should be your first quest line, oddly enough.
Mages College - Maybe. Illusion could lead you there.
Bard's College - Maybe.
Companions - Personal Preference
Dawnguard - Yes, can join either side. 
Dragonborn - Why not?
Thane Quests - Title is useful for getting out of bounties.
Side Quests - Yes, for money.
Daedric Artifacts - Yes, thieves like trophies.

I found this build fun, but hard to play early on due to putting perks into sneak, pickpocketing and  Speech, thus leaving me with very little damage or survivability. It is fun and rewarding and a true way to play the Thieves Guild quest line, in my opinion, the best quest line. However it doesn't quite lend itself to other quest lines so well, be warned.

~Rusty

Skyrim Builds - More coming

I've been getting back into Skyrim in a big way and remember thoroughly enjoying writing up my build ideas. I am going to do more and have some that I'm working on but I've noticed some of my previous builds have had a lot of views! Over a thousand on the Death Knight! 

So please, if you have a build idea you want to see come to life, whether it be just a name, a backstory or some skills you want to see used together, please comment on this blog with them and I will do my best to get them done!

Upcoming builds -

Paladin - Revised
Thief
Night Blade
Elemental Hunter
Shaman
Priest
Pacifist

Thanks! 

~Rusty

Besiege - First Impressions

So I picked up Besiege on Steam for a fiver the other day and now I want to talk a little bit about it...

Besiege is a vehicle construction type game, similar to Kerbal Space Program except that instead of rockets and planes you build medieval war machines. It's in early access right now, and as such only a small portion of the game is available to play, but it's very, very fun, and here I shall explain why.

My first impression was made, as always, at the main menu, being the first thing I saw. It's smooth, stylish, simplistic and easy to use. You have the earth in the centre with islands making up the level groups, the moon off to the top left which in itself seems to be another level group and then a small cube to the top right which is the sandbox. 

I got stuck into the levels straight away and I have to say the user interface is one of the best I've seen in years! It's simple, clear, easy to navigate and easy to use. The tutorials are simple but don't leave anything out and from their on it's up to you and your imagination.

The levels themselves are fun, you could build a machine to take them all on or build a new machine for each level as I did. Currently only one level group is available but I've had tons of fun with it, without spoiling what it includes I will say that the difficulty increase is well balanced and fun, you'll learn as you go.

The Sandbox too is very fun, not huge but with lots of different 'stress-tests' as I've taken to calling them for your machine. I noticed also that they claim the Sandbox is not complete. I'd say it's more than adequate so the idea of getting more is exciting.

Beyond this there's not an awful lot to say, the construction is clever, not too many pieces but enough that you really can do whatever you want. It's simple, fun and as challenging as you want it to be. I can't wait to see future updates and take on more challenges!

~Rusty. 

So I'm back! (hopefully)

Yo!

I'm back! I think.

So I kinda forgot about this blog after a while. I've had a whole ton of stuff happen in life over the last year and ended up not having the time to really game or blog a whole lot until now.

I'm back to being unemployed as my work was only temporary, standard warehouse work, meaning I have time to start this once again.

I've been working on a few different things. Got back into Skyrim recently, been playing on PC with lots of immersion mods and a perk overhaul. Stopped playing Warcraft, which I'll get into in a second. And lastly spent some time in Arizona with a special someone.

So I'm going to start posting on here again. I may also include the tattoo blog I used to run rather than start up and try to manage two blogs.


Warcraft - 

So yeah, Warlords of Draenor launched and not long after I stopped playing. Not because it's bad, in fact I love the expansion, but I'm finding myself less interest in the day to day grind of WoW. I got a few classes to lvl 100, enjoyed the new race models, enjoyed the new dungeons, although I did find some of them became less fun and more frustrating after a little while. I did try and get into raiding but seems no one is taking on people that don't have prior raiding experience right now so that fell flat, and ended up back in PvP. That started to get boring too after some time however. So yeah, not really playing it any more.


Skyrim -

Skyrim has made a comeback for me recently. I'm hoping to post some more class builds on here, been messing around with some things.

Reviews - 

When I get a job and can afford to buy new games I will try to get back to some reviews too!

That's really it for now.

~Rusty.