The Great Big List

[Ryvita]

Taking advice from a friend whose boarded before, I'd like to start a list of kit to be brought.


Passport photo for lift pass
Gloves
Hat
Lip balm
Sunglasses/Goggles
Sun block
Sun cream
Ski Insurance
Camera and Film
Toiletries
Ski/knee supports
Knee/Elbow/Arse/Wrist pads
Passport (signed and valid for whole trip)
E111 (From the Post Office)
Sterling, Euros
Credit card
Thermal underwear
Fleece
Waterproof jacket
Waterproof Overtrousers
Warm hat
Warm gloves
Warm walking socks
Rucksack
Torch and Batteries
First aid kit (Heavy on the plasters)
Water bottle
Penkinfe
Ear plugs
Snack bars/chocolate
Sleeping bag
Piste map


This is by no means complete or conclusive, but it now means I can safely loose the piece of paper it's been sitting on for the past week. :)

Discuss, add to it.

Ryv

[Aardvark]

If you're not a boarder you don't need any of the padding, because you do not fall over like an utter peen every 2 minutes. Theres a lesson in there somewhere... :D

To rip the list apart: you don't need a sleeping bag, unless you're planning on a night under the stars? And getting a piste map BEFORE arriving in the actual resort will be somewhat tricky :)

[Ryvita]

Were you planning on sleeping on the train at all?

I am fully prepared to take my entire ice-hockey kit of pads, certainly the voluminous hockey shorts with the cocxyx (sp?) protector, if it will in any way remove the fear of falling over and hence make me learn quicker...

Ryv

[Aardvark]

Additions:


Scarf
More Gloves
Phone + Charger + Adapter (vital!)
Snowproof footwear (Baroness I am looking at YOU :D )
Alarm Clock
Magic cards
Sense of balance :)

[Aardvark]

Originally posted by Ryvita
Were you planning on sleeping on the train at all?

I am fully prepared to take my entire ice-hockey kit of pads, certainly the voluminous hockey shorts with the cocxyx (sp?) protector, if it will in any way remove the fear of falling over and hence make me learn quicker...

The problem with sleeping bags is space, I'm already planning to pack the actual world.

As for padding, yes you're right, boarders need to be wrapped in cotton wool :) Your coccyx WILL be taking a pounding :D

[andyf]

coccyx, that'll be the ass bone then, eh. Luckily I've already got natural padding in this area :p:

[Ryvita]

better than a scarf are those tubular fleece neck sock things... Can be pulled up to cover your nose and don't fall off when you wipe out, unless you actually rip your head off in which case your scarf is further down the priority list.

Ryv

[Zakalwe]

You missed out on:

- Skills
- No sense of smell (if you're in the 5 man room with Bvark and Andy:))
- A cast-iron sense of humour
- An understanding of the correct time to retire to bed rather than falling asleep on the sofa...

[phil]

Originally posted by Ryvita
better than a scarf are those tubular fleece neck sock things... Can be pulled up to cover your nose and don't fall off when you wipe out, unless you actually rip your head off in which case your scarf is further down the priority list.

... and they have the added bonus that you look like a nonce

[Zakalwe]

Ok here's the actual comments:

Originally posted by Ryvita

Passport photo for lift pass - definitely, although you can get them there
Gloves - big padded gloves, NJ likes mittens
Hat - the cooler the better, get one with a robotic Ninja Monkey on it.
Lip balm - girl
Sunglasses/Goggles - yep
Sun block - yep
Sun cream - yep
Ski Insurance -yep
Camera and Film - film? What are you some kind of luddite?
Toiletries - I think you mean soap
Ski/knee supports - alright grandad
Knee/Elbow/Arse/Wrist pads - impact shorts
Passport (signed and valid for whole trip) - yep
E111 (From the Post Office) - yep
Sterling, Euros - yep
Credit card - hell yep
Thermal underwear - the tighter and whiter the better :)
Fleece - for teh apres ski
Waterproof jacket - ski jacket will be better
Waterproof Overtrousers - no you NEED ski trousers not waterproofs
Warm hat - didn't we have a hat earlier?
Warm gloves - ditto? what were the others, cold gloves?
Warm walking socks - no, ski socks gettem from Decathlon when you pop over to me.
Rucksack - or any other bag
Torch and Batteries - wtf?
First aid kit (Heavy on the plasters) - heavy on the ibuleave and aspirin matey
Water bottle - probably not
Penkinfe - if you like
Ear plugs - yeah
Snack bars/chocolate - they have these in France you know? although the call them Le Snack bar...
Sleeping bag - not sure you need this, train should provide sheet sleeping bags and be quite warm
Piste map - get it there.

[phil]

First aid kit (Heavy on the plasters) - heavy on the ibuleave and aspirin matey

Definitely it's muscle pain all the way. Any injury on the slope will either be the aching annoyance type, the wrap around a tree type, or the falling on your head repeatedly while attempting an abitious icy black run type. None of which plasters can do much for. ;)

The chalet will have a first aid kit for cuts and scrapes due to drunken stupidness.

[phil]

Zak, I think you missed out on some of Ryv's finer details behind his choices:

Ski/knee supports - alright grandad

These are actually for apres-ski. They allow you to keep standing even when your alcohol intake would normally make your legs give way.

Warm hat - didn't we have a hat earlier?

The first one was a normal hat. A WARM hat is a Weatherproof Anti-Rectum Manipulation device. Essential for any trip to a French backwater.

Torch and Batteries - wtf?

This is in case you get caught in an avalanche. You can use the torch to slowly melt a path to the surface.

Piste map - get it there.

No, that's what they want you to do. They change it for foreigners you know. They put "super fun joy slope" where it should actually say "death by snow cannon".

[her0n]

Possibly even better than a water bottle is a Camelbak style 'bladder' with drinking hose thing :) Camelbak make them built into backpacks and Platypus make just the bladder insert w/ hose things (so you can put them into any bag).
I've got a Platypus 2 litre one and it was SO HANDY for a quick slurp on the slopes, also the hose has a small clip, so you an attach it to your rucksack strap. I found I remained refreshed and hydrated at all times ;)

Both can be bought from Blacks, Millets other camping shops etc etc..

[bvark]

A list of things you don't have to bring because the vengabus will bring them or there'll already be there.

- Tools
- Waxing equipment
- Consoles
- Hub and networking equipment (you geeks)
- Bongo drums
- Opening Champagne (likely non-vintage, though. If you need vintage champagne I'd suggest buying as a carry out from an expensive restaurant)
- Cards & Poker chips

Some things that Ryvita has overlooked which he likely will need
- Rope (300m)
- A shovel
- Ice axes
- Crampons
- Piton drill
- Dynamite
- Water purification tablets
- Avalanche repellent spray
- Kevlar vest (preferably waterproof)

[Ryvita]

How many laptops will we have between us and will it be enough to play DotA?

Also, someone find the last version of Worms which was any good (World party?)

Ryv

[afty]

The laptops didnt get a great deal of use last time (though we did try some Civilization) because we played quite a bit of magic. I imagine it will follow a similar pattern.

Ryvita, on that score I'm thinking of picking up some new cards so I can do some old and new mix 'n' match deck building while over there... what's best to get? Some 8th Ed Core and some Champions of Kamigawa? I'm not up on what was released and when...

[her0n]

I have a laptop. I command you all go and buy Worms 2!

(Apparently Worms Armageddon has ISSUES with XP? either that or KBB couldn't install it properly :p: )

[Ryvita]

Ok, well fair enough on the laptops. It's probably more hassle than it's worth, though one to check email and the like would be nice.

As far as the modern cards are concerned, you will find the following sets around:

8th edition: This is the core game that they market at beginners. As such most of the cards are fairly simple and will include a lot of reprints you will be familiar with (Mahamoti Djinn, Shock, Terror etc.) You can get standard boosters and 40 card prebuilt monocolour decks. If you want any of this I've got a fair amount of it that I don't use anymore so can lend. Released some time ago, though still tournament legal and not set to be replaced by ninth edition until some time next year. Includes the normal game mechanics like flying, fear, walls etc. butnothing new or that you would be unfamiliar with.

Mirrodin/Darksteel/Fifth Dawn: This is the last completed cycle of expansion packs, Mirrodin being the largest and the block name. Mirrodin was released last year and Darksteel & Fifth Dawn earlier this year. You will probably need to hunt around or buy on line to find large quantities of these sets now that the new block has started (see Kamigawa below). The theme of the Mirrodin sets is a metal based world. HUGE amounts of artifacts (just under half the total card numbers I think) lots of combo opportunities, neat interactions and some interesting game mechanics. standard 15 card boosters and 60 card pre-built decks that tend to focus around one of the mechanics or a similar theme.

Affinity for X: Pay less mana cost based on the number of X you have in play, where X is lands of a certain type or artifacts. Big stuff cheap if you've set your deck up correctly for it. A blue favourite for cheap counters and big fliers.

http://www.wizards.com/global/images/magic/mirrodin/assert_authority.jpg

Entwine: On some spells you are given a choice of effects, this or that. Pay the Entwine cost as well and get both. Similar to the old Kicker mechanic. The two halves of the spell normally have a synergy but can work well independantly giving increased flexibility. A green favourite though all colours make some use of it.

http://www.wizards.com/global/images/magic/mirrodin/journey_of_discovery.jpg

Equipment: The big one. Equipment Artifacts act like creature enchantments, where you pay a cost to attatch to a creature giving bonuses like +1/+1 (And lots, lots more in some cases). If not attached does nothing, if the creature dies, drops back into play ready to be reattached. Very powerful, flexible, cheap and hard to get rid of. Perfect for white weenie.

http://www.wizards.com/global/images/magic/mirrodin/loxodon_warhammer.jpg

Modular: 0/0 artifact creatures that come into play with +1/+1 counters on them. When they die the counters move to any other artifact creature. This one (Ravager below) became the scourge of tourneys everywhere. Good with black or red sacrifice.

http://www.wizards.com/global/images/magic/darksteel/arcbound_ravager.jpg

Indestructible: Does exactly what it says on the tin. Cannot be killed by lethal damage or removal. Can be got by sacrifice effects and sapping to 0/0. One of the card types most likely to get Zakalwe to say "Hax".

http://www.wizards.com/global/images/magic/darksteel/darksteel_colossus.jpg

Scry: On spells, scry two means look at your next to cards and put them on the top or bottom of your library in any order.

Sunburst: 0/0 artifacts (and artifact creatures) that come into play with counters on them based on how many different colours of mana you used to pay their casting cost. A fun attempt at encouraging five colour play

http://www.wizards.com/global/images/magic/fd/infused_arrows.jpg

There may be some others but those are the most important ones.

Champions of Kamigawa: This is the newest set. It has a japanese style to it (samurai, ronin, spirits and kami). This first set in the new Kamigawa block came out last month and I haven't really got into it yet. Some new mechanics and a very differant play feel (Not so many artifacts, though it retains equipment). This post's too long already so go look on magic online if you want to know more.

UnHinged: This is a non-tournament legal set of fun cards. This set is the successor to the old Unglued one and continues where it left off. Patently insane in every way.

http://www.wizards.com/global/images/magic/unhinged/pointy_finger_of_doom.jpg

Ryv

[andyf]

argh another thread going down the Magic Pan ;)

[afty]

Looks like (with them being the newst by quite some way) I will grab a host of Kamigawa cards - tbh I can probably throw my old land in, but do you know what the deal is these days with theme decks/standard decks/boosters and card rarities?

Back in my day they only sold:

Standard 60 card decks, approx. £12 and contained 60 cards biased slightly toward lands and commons.

15 card booster decks, more likely to find rares etc. in these, less likely to find land.

Is this the case? I don't really want to buy theme decks (I consider them to be analogous to cheating, tbqfh though nothing wrong with learning from them) so would I be better from an rare-card and financial point of view to by a bunch of basic decks or a much larger bunch of boosterS?

[Ryvita]

A standard booster is fifteen cards of which 11 will be common, 3 uncommon and one rare. These ratios are constant, there is a random chance that any of these cards will be a foil version. You occasionally find one land in these but not often. (An exception is the UnHinged Boosters, which each contain one of the Extremely pretty full picture land cards.)

http://www.wizards.com/global/images/magic/unhinged/mountain.jpg

Tournament packs have 60 cards, in proportions something like 4 rares, 12 uncommons, 10 land, rest commons. Not so sure about these, but it's something like that. Again, random foils turn up.

Theme decks are indeed cheating, though they are the easiest way to get a start for a deck. They normally have a couple of rares in each theme deck and perhaps a slightly lower ratio of uncommons than you would find in boosters, however obviously they will all be on colour and will synergise nicely.

Your call. To build a reasonable deck you could just buy a few tourney packs and mix in with your old cards. That should work fairly well. Or if you want to go solely new school, buy a theme deck you like as a basis and go crazy with the boosters to get upgrades or buy singles.

This is a good online supplier. (http://www.psi-soft.co.uk/)

I would also point you here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/arcana/663) which is an article with a few interactions between Kamigawa cards and some older fare.

Have fun,

AndyF. You know what to do. Go to it man, you know you want to. :)

Ryv

[Aardvark]

Oh you ****cake. Now I have a source I will only end up spending money.

Words cannot express the WORLD OF HATE!!!!

[Pingman]

Originally posted by her0n
Possibly even better than a water bottle is a Camelbak style 'bladder' with drinking hose thing :) Camelbak make them built into backpacks and Platypus make just the bladder insert w/ hose things (so you can put them into any bag).
I've got a Platypus 2 litre one and it was SO HANDY for a quick slurp on the slopes, also the hose has a small clip, so you an attach it to your rucksack strap. I found I remained refreshed and hydrated at all times ;)

Both can be bought from Blacks, Millets other camping shops etc etc..

seconded, ive got the one that inserts into any bag, does the job.

[afty]

Cheers Ryv, thanks for the info on rarety/land presence etc. That will help alot in me deciding what to buy.

Oh, and as for the supplier, thanks for that, couldn't find a decent one (I was *AMAZED* there was no Amazon Z-Shop capitalising on this) I'll check their prices, but I have a "relationship" with the guys at Tower Models on a seedy backstreet in Blackpool, from whom I bought my original cards. They still sell Magic stuff and I should get a fairly hefty discount in volume. If it's significantly better than online, I will post back here..

[afty]

On the rarety/card front it seems intelligent to go for boosters if the per-card cost is the same (assuming you already have a decent amount of basic land, which I do - or many exp. players could trade you cheaply anyways).

Looking at the online cost, buying in bulk the costs are almost identical... intellesting.

[Ryvita]

If you turn any up I'm currently after copies of Beacon of Creation and Eternal Witness...

Boosters are probably the best way to go. You know you'll always get something good plus it's always nice when you get lucky and turn up a rare that is going for ten pounds as a single. :)

Ryv

[Ryvita]

Or you could talk to this guy. (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=19115&item=5938589374&rd=1)

Ryv

[Aardvark]

I can't believe the Unhinged series doesn't feature the World's Smallest Violin. Although afty would have to be banned from using the Avatar of Me, he's too tall/clownfooted...

http://www.psi-soft.co.uk/images/M/UH/Avatar_of_Me.JPG

[Aardvark]

Oh and everyone must bring laptops. This is a requirement, I demand DotA when bored :)

[Ryvita]

No Vark, We've covered this. Too much hassle. We'll have worms tho. Plus you now what happens when we get started on Dota and I'd rather go to Tignes to Ski than just Larn :)

They have made a card specially for Afty:

http://www.wizards.com/global/images/magic/unhinged/little_girl.jpg

Ryv

[Aardvark]

Hmm, if I got some skills I could maybe feel an MPUK set of Magic cards. That would indeed be good... :)

[afty]

OOOoooops. I just ordered 792 cards from the Champions of Kamigawa set. Oops. What a shame. Should be here for StratLAN. Downer.

;)

[andyf]

Originally posted by afty
OOOoooops. I just ordered 792 cards from the Champions of Kamigawa set. Oops. What a shame. Should be here for StratLAN. Downer.

;)

oh god you are such a punk. fancy a game, though ?

[afty]

Hell yeah. But that would mean you buying some cards ;)

[Valane]

Afty may be a little girl but damn can he swing a club.

[Aardvark]

I bought 660. What can I say except 'whoops'?

[Aardvark]

Originally posted by bvark
Some things that Ryvita has overlooked which he likely will need
- Rope (300m)
- Ice axes
- Crampons
- Piton drill


Yes, I want to go ice climbing. And well looky here, theres a place in the resort that does it... :D

[Ryvita]

Nice one lads. :)

Afty: How did you end up with 792? Collection of boosters plus the odd single? What theme/block are you going for?

Aardvark: Could you not have found six more you wanted? That would have freaked out the dealer. :) Same question, what block/theme are you going for?

AndyF: JOIN US!

I was playing in a constructed tourney last night, did OK, came fifth. More importantly I managed to trade for four of this little puppy (below). Bwahahaha! The insectile deck of doom nears completion. My time approaches!!

Wictory will be mine!!!!!

http://www.wizards.com/global/images/magic/fd/beacon_of_creation.jpg

Ryv

[Zakalwe]

Heheheheh.

Can we say black deck with 1st edition pestilence to really piss james off? :)

[Ryvita]

Oh yeah, I freely admit it's not foolproof. It's just fun. :)

I got about thirty insects out last night only to walk straight into this:

http://www.wizards.com/global/images/magic/darksteel/echoing_truth.jpg

Bouncing all my tokens and making them fizzle for a lousy two mana. :(

Had he not had it he would have enjoyed this:

http://www.wizards.com/global/images/magic/darksteel/echoing_courage.jpg

...and a subsequent 90 damage. Them's the breaks. :)

Ryv

[Zakalwe]

I just like the point that once pestilence is on the table it stays there and costs just 1 mana to kill ALLLLL of your insects:)

[Ryvita]

Yeah, but I can normally produce them at a rate of about 5-8 per turn, every turn, using various recycle cards, graveyard management and other tricks.

How many pestilences have you got?

Ryv

[Zakalwe]

bout 8, but it's an enchantment, i.e. it STAYS on the table and can be used as many times as you like (no tap effect)

[Ryvita]

Hmm, might need to think about that...

Enchantment removal sidebarring in now.

Ryv

[her0n]

OMG put the magic shiz in another thread or something PLEASE! goddammnit! :o

[Ryvita]

Sorry, thread going up.

More things for list.

Paracetamol
Those clever anti-headache pills that rehydrate you.

Ryv

[Aardvark]

Topped for the benefit of fresh meat :)

[bvark]

The real list of essentials:
1. Spare underwear
2. Money

(1 is optional if you have 2)

[Aardvark]

Interesting, this brings us back to a time when Afty was a Magic noob. Theme decks cheating, indeed! :D

[Ryvita]

Thread Necromancy!

Ryv