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- Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
- Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
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Thursday, September 3, 2009
By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
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Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
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By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
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Read more with google mobile : Toy makers look to tech, green materials for 2010 |
Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Save Email Print Reprints Most Popular Most Shared UK govt forced to publish U.S. torture allegations 10 Feb 2010 UPDATE 3-New York Times ad outlook dim, shares fall 10 Feb 2010 Iran hails nuclear advance on Revolution Day | Video 3:04pm EST Jobless claims drop; White House sees job growth 1:12pm EST U.S. would reap billions from $1 cigarette tax hike 10 Feb 2010 Study toasts beer as being good for your bones 09 Feb 2010 Does "thinking outside the box" drive you mad? 10 Feb 2010 UPDATE 3-New York Times ad outlook dim, shares fall 10 Feb 2010 U.S. would reap billions from $1 cigarette tax hike 10 Feb 2010 Google to build high-speed Internet network 10 Feb 2010 Toy makers look to tech, green materials for 2010 Dhanya Skariachan NEW YORK Thu Feb 11, 2010 2:37pm EST Related News Studios descend on Toy Fair with movie merchandise 2:00am EST UPDATE 5-Hasbro optimistic about 2010; shares soar Mon, Feb 8 2010 Mattel sees strong 2010 despite Q4 sales miss Fri, Jan 29 2010 UPDATE 3-Mattel sees strong 2010 despite Q4 sales miss Fri, Jan 29 2010 NEW YORK (Reuters) - From Mattel's "Puppy Tweets" linking pets to a Twitter feed to biodegradable nursery toys, toy makers are focusing on fun technology and green materials to win sales in 2010. Technology | Media The top U.S. toy fair kicks off in New York on Sunday, with an eye to selling retailers on the best playthings for the year. With the country slowly emerging from recession, toy makers will still focus on value, experts say. "There isn't a sweet spot per se. The emphasis is on value more than price," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier. "You will see the manufacturers emphasize how much play time or value the kid gets out of the toy and then talk about the amazing price associated with that play value," she said. U.S. toy retail sales fell less than 1 percent in 2009 after a disastrous 2008, while the recent holiday quarter saw unit sales rise nearly 4 percent over the prior-year period, according to market research firm NPD Group. Toy makers will pull out all the stops to keep that momentum going. Industry leaders like Mattel are focusing on new links to technology, such as a sound and motion sensor called "Puppy Tweets" that attaches to a dog's collar and posts to a Twitter account in the pet's name. Smaller rival Hasbro is putting a twist on the classics, like a new Scrabble word game that lets players shuffle electronic cubes rather than using wooden tiles on a game board. Scrabble Flash Cubes contain "Smart Tile Technology" which recognizes words formed when the letters are placed side by side and keeps score of correctly spelled words. Hasbro is also celebrating the 75th anniversary of Monopoly by relaunching the game with a round playing board and an electronic console that features sound effects and song clips including "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang and "Drive My Car" by the Beatles. U.S.-based Wowwee will tout "Paper Jamz," an electric guitar made of cardboard that produces music from touch-sensitive electronic sensors hidden under its surface. The tech-savvy emphasis is here to stay as toy makers benefit from linking an established brand name to newer technologies like social networking, already popular among children, said Elizabeth Komes, Associate Publisher of Playthings Magazine. Customers are also often willing to pay higher prices for these toys, she noted. GREEN IS IN Toy Fair will also feature a "green" pavilion for environmentally friendly toys for the first time. Reyne Rice, trend specialist for the Toy Industry Association, said about 25 percent of retail buyers at last year's event wanted to see more "eco-friendly" products. Toys made from organic cotton, bamboo or other organic materials are safer for children and could eliminate or reduce huge testing costs associated with playthings, Komes said. While bigger players like Mattel and Hasbro are not prominent in this space, they are becoming increasingly "green" in choosing their packaging material. Toy maker WHAM-O Inc is working with Colorado-based Sprig Toys to make a line of preschool products out of biodegradable materials. Plush toy maker Hosung, known for its miYim organic toy line, has partnered with famed anthropologist Jane Goodall to design an alternative to chemically treated toys. Lesser-known game maker TDC Games even offers puzzles that have flower seeds embedded in each piece. But being eco-friendly comes with a price as many of these raw materials are often more expensive. More traditional toys will also be in the spotlight next week, with Hasbro marking the 50th anniversary of its "Play-Doh Fun Factory." Mattel is betting big on its World Wrestling Entertainment line with figures like "Triple H" and "The Undertaker" already attracting buzz. The toys are priced between $10 and $25. The world's biggest toy maker is also expected to unveil a new doll under its "I can be" Barbie range. It gave fans a chance to choose the 125th career of the iconic doll which made its debut 51 years ago. (Reporting by Dhanya Skariachan; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Matthew Lewis) Technology Media Add a Comment More from Reuters NJ governor declares fiscal emergency as deficit soars TRENTON, New Jersey (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Thursday declared a "fiscal emergency," allowing him to reserve or freeze state spending as part of his plan to tackle one of the largest 2011 deficits among U.S. states. Corrected: Long-awaited jobs bill unveiled in Senate Iran says nuclear fuel production goes "very well" Haiti judge rules for release of U.S. missionaries Call for clean slate on health reform divides U.S. Wall Street jumps as EU vows support for Greece » More Top News The view from Toyota's front line Meet Kazuo Akatsuka. He's devoted 37 years to the "Toyota Way", working and living in Toyota City, but he's seeing changes he doesn't like. Full Article Video: Toyota City feels the pain Politics of bowing: How low do you go? Autos Iran hails nuclear advance President Ahmadinejad says Iran is now able to enrich uranium to over 80 percent purity, close to levels needed for a nuclear bomb. Full Article | Video Interview: Iran's atomic energy chief Iran atom bomb seen attainable Ahmadinejad warns Israel Iran © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Analyst Research Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Labs Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts.com Buyouts Europe: Buyouts Conferences: Venture Capital Journal EVCJ International Financing Review International Securitisation Report Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
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text:
Module IES-1007:
Circuit Theory
Module Facts
Run by School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering
10 Credits or 5 ECTS Credits
Semester 1
Organiser: Dr Daniel Roberts
Overall aims and purpose
To introduce the main techniques of circuit analysis and demonstrate that this is a key framework of electronic engineering
Course content
• Introduction (Passive and Active Circuits, Resistance & Conductance, Ohm's Law); Voltage and Current Sources (Ideal and Practical); Independent and Dependent Sources; Passive sign convention; Kirchhoff's Laws; Voltage and Current Dividers. Introduction to A.C. Circuits: Sinusoidal Waveforms; Concept of Phasors and Phase Angle. • Voltage and Current in A.C. Resistive Circuits, Power Waveform, RMS values; Voltage and Current in Inductive Circuits, Inductive Reactance; Introduction to j-Notation; Voltage and Current in Capacitive Circuits, Capacitive Reactance; Concepts of Impedance and Admittance; Analysis of Series and Parallel Resistive and Reactive Circuits. Power in A.C. Circuits. • Resonant frequency, Q-factor and bandwidth for series and parallel resonant circuits. • Use of Loop/Mesh Current Method, Node-Voltage Method and Superposition to analyse electric circuits. Use of Thévenin's and Norton's Theorems to obtain equivalent circuits
Learning outcomes mapped to assessment criteria
Understand and manipulate the mathematical models of the basic components found in AC and DC circuits.
|Has understanding of the physical laws and the extent of their applicability. Has understanding of phasors notation and its uses.
|Understand Kirchhoff's laws and the passive sign convention. Knows the relationship between the current and the voltage of ideal passive and active components.
|Has excellent understanding of the scientific principles and the limitations of phasors.
Analyse simple AC circuits.
|Can calculate the magnitude of the voltage and current anywhere in a simple circuit and can state the phase difference between the two quantities.
|Knows the principles of AC analysis. Can use j-notation. Can calculate the amplitude and phase of the impedance and/or admittance.
|Has excellent knowledge and understanding of j-notation and appreciates the limitations of a steady state analysis.
Recognise and analyze a resonant circuit.
|Understands why resonance occurs and its practical uses. Can state the resonant frequency of simple resonant circuits.
|Can calculate all the salient features of simple resonant circuits. Understands why parallel and series resonant circuits have different characteristics.
|Able to determine all the salient features of non-trivial resonant circuits. Appreciates how the characteristics of real components influence performance.
Apply various circuit analysis techniques to electric circuits.
|Can state the Superposition principle and the Thévenin's and Norton's Theorems. Can apply the various techniques to simple problems.
|Can apply an appropriate technique to analyse familiar circuits with independent sources.
|Has excellent knowledge and understanding of all the circuit analyses techniques and can apply them to unfamiliar circuits.
Assessment Methods
|Closed Book Examination
|Mathematical exercises that test ability to solve standard AC problems
|Mathematical exercises on Circuit analysis techniques
Teaching and Learning Strategy
|Private study
1 hour tutorials (ran in weeks, 2,4,6,8,9,10)
2 x 1 hour Lectures over 12 weeks
Transferable skills
- Numeracy - Proficiency in using numbers at appropriate levels of accuracy
- Computer Literacy - Proficiency in using a varied range of computer software
- Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
- Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
- Critical analysis & Problem Solving - Able to deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations. To find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, rescources and creativity.
Subject specific skills
- Identify emerging technologies and technology trends;
- Apply underpinning concepts and ideas of engineering;
- Apply knowledge and understanding of the specialist cognate area of electronic engineering in an international context;
- Apply knowledge and understanding of the specialist cognate area of computer systems engineering in safety-critical areas;
- Assess and choose optimal methods and approaches for the specification, design, implementation and evaluation of engineering solutions, especially ones that include embedded microprocessors
- Solve problems logically and systematically;
- Assess and choose optimal methods and approaches for the specification, design, implementation and evaluation of engineering solutions.
Reading list
Electrical Circuit Theory And Technology - John Bird;
Electronics Fundamentals: Circuits, Devices and Applications - Thomas L. Floyd;
Introduction to Electric Circuits (Essential Electronics) - Ray Powell;
Electric Circuits - James W. Nilsson & Susan Riedel;
Electronics: Circuits and Systems - Owen Bishop.
Courses including this module
Compulsory in courses:
- W3H6: BA Music and Electronic Engineering year 1 (BA/MEE)
- H612: BEng Computer Systs Eng (3 yrs) year 1 (BENG/CSE)
- H61B: BEng Computer Sys Engineering (4yr with Incorp Foundation) year 1 (BENG/CSE1)
- H610: BENG Electronic Engineering (3 yrs) year 1 (BENG/ELE)
- H62B: BEng Electronic Engineering (4yr with Incorp Foundation) year 1 (BENG/ELE1)
- H621: BEng Electronic Engineering with International Experience year 1 (BENG/ELEIE)
- H64B: BSc Computer Sys Engineering (4yr with Incorp Foundation) year 1 (BSC/CSE1)
- H603: BSc Computer Systems Engineering year 1 (BSC/CSENG)
- H6W3: BSc Electronic Engineering and Music year 1 (BSC/EEM)
- H611: BSc Electronic Engineering year 1 (BSC/ELE)
- H63B: BSc Electronic Engineering (4yr with Incorp Foundation) year 1 (BSC/ELE1)
- H661: MEng Control and Instrumentation Engineering year 1 (MENG/CIE)
- H660: MEng Critical Safety Engineering year 1 (MENG/CRSEN)
- H617: MEng Computer Systs Eng (4 yrs) year 1 (MENG/CSE)
- H619: MEng Computer Systems Engineering (with International Exper) year 1 (MENG/CSEIE)
- H601: MEng Electronic Engineering (4 yrs) year 1 (MENG/EE)
- H618: MEng Electronic Engineering with International Experience year 1 (MENG/EEIE)

subset: commoncrawl


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Fresh off a very positive response from its premiere screening at SXSW, Lionsgate has released a new red-band trailer for the upcoming romantic comedy Long Shot. Written by Liz Hannah (The Post) and Dan Sterling (The Office), the film follows the unlikely romance between a hard-hitting political journalist (Seth Rogen) and his first crush (Charlize Theron), who now happens to be the current U.S. Secretary of State and is considering running for President.
The film debuted at SXSW this past weekend to incredibly positive reviews, with folks hailing the romcom as genuinely charming and romantic while also incredibly funny. That's no surprise given the talent involved, and I had my eye on this one given the involvement of director Jonathan Levine, who also helmed Warm Bodies and 50/50.
The new red-band trailer offers a closer, dirtier look at the film but it's surprisingly tame as far as Seth Rogen comedies go (see: this week's Good Boys trailer). Instead, the focus is more on the romance angle at the heart of the movie. As a big fan of the romcom genre, I'm incredibly excited for this one.
Check out the red-band Long Shot trailer below. The film also stars Bob Odenkirk, Alexander Skarsgard, Andy Serkis, Randall Park, O'Shea Jackson Jr., June Diane Raphael, and Ravi Patel. Long Shot opens in theaters on May 3rd.


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Geckohits Database Disaster
Geckohits Database disaster which occurred a day ago has unfortunately destroyed important member data which has been maintained since about a year ago wiping out records of new members joining within the last 9 months.
Although regular database backups are kept, the Geckohits database backup was accidentally written over by a family member. Data recovery is possible but not 100 percent reliable and will not be attempted in this case.
All current members that have joined Geckohits within the last 9 months have been accidentally deleted. All members who were affected by the data loss are free to rejoin and will be recompensated with many extras credits if they decide to rejoin.
If you are a former member that was deleted by this disaster, open a help desk ticket to remind me that you were a member after you rejoin and I will adjust your account.


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Merriam Book Fair – Feb. 8-15, 2019 Presented by The Silver Unicorn Bookstore. Merriam's annual Book Fair is right around the corner! We are looking for parents interested in helping during the February Student-Led Conferences (beginning Friday, February 8th through Friday, February 15th) and Family Theme Night on Wednesday, Feb 13th from 6-8pm. If you are interested in helping to sell books any time before school 7:45-9:15am or after school from 3:00-4:30pm that week or any portion of the Family Night, please go to and click on the SignUpGenius Link:
or contact Amy Yadav at email@example.com
Our school earns 25% cash return on the sale of all books provided by Silver Unicorn Bookstore! Any time you can spare will be greatly appreciated!
Support Our School – Support our Local Business!


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I Gave My Life
I gave my life
Want you to live with me
I gave you my love
Want you to love me
I gave you my heart
Want you to save me
I gave you my trust
Want you to be honest
I gave you my body
Want you to hold tight
I gave you my soul
Want you to be eternal
I gave you every thing
To show my love and affection.
A Love Poem From Precious(Visitor).
A Sad Love Poem
You leave me broken hearted
I knew what you wanted
You leave me with tears
Its difficult for me to bear
But still I am standing here.
Amazing Collection Of Love Poems
From Buddy With Love.


text:
Figurine 2-Go Kitby Klaystation, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of AmericaBook NowExplore More
With schools being closed and people being asked to stay home, we are here to save the day.
Introducing Klaystation's Pottery 2-Go.
We have taken every non food related item and have added them to our online store. You can pick from our current stock of figurines, banks, and boxes
Choose any of the pieces shown above and paint it with our FREE acrylic paint kit.
This paint kit includes everything needed to paint in the comfort of your own home. We will package it all up and have it ready for curbside pick up or delivered to your doorstep (within 10 miles of our studio)
Klaystation is open 10am - 3pm for curbside pickup. Call us at 919-848-8079 when you arrive so we can bring out your package.
Please note: Acrylic paint does stain so please wear an apron or old shirt!


text:
Seas, Steven
Costa Rica
Steven Seas has more than 6 years of experience in Immigration Law, and has been an advisor of companies located in Free Zone such as Citibank, 3M, Bekaert, Ferretería EPA, Unilever, Acciona Energía, Acciona Agua, VMWARE, Baxter, Novelteak among others.
Within his work area he attends foreign investors and pensioners who want to establish themselves in Costa Rica, providing legal advice not only in the migratory field, but also in Corporate Law.
Mr. Seas has given seminars and conferences regarding Immigration Law in order to train multinationals companies, In House and independent lawyers.
He is very passionate about entrepreneurial initiatives, corporate social responsibility and business development. He has several ventures under the "MiPYMES" model.
Law Degree at Universidad Fidélitas
Candidate for a specialization in Notary and Registration Law from Universidad Fidélitas
English and Spanish
Áreas de práctica:
Commercial Law, Corporate Law, Immigration Law, Labor Law, Notary and Registry, Real estate law
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text: Say Godiva and a good many of you will think chocolate. So what do you think about Lady Godiva pumpkin? Before you go too crazy on that one, meet the pumpkin with the naked seeds. If you aren't one to eat roasted pumpkin seeds – are you nuts? – then you won't be quite as impressed with this variety from 1972 that makes getting the most out of your pumpkin seeds easy. This Cucurbita pepo variety has lovely green seeds that roast quickly and taste deliciously nutty. Generally the seed cavity is well-proportioned, which means more seeds to eat. As a pumpkin variety, it tends to stay on the green side, although sometimes it will ripen to orange with green stripes. Plant it like you would any other winter squash variety in the spring and harvest in the fall. The flesh isn't edible (well, that's what they say, but I've found you can get away with a lot if you have enough sugar and spices – think pie), but don't waste the shell; make a jack o' lantern out of it. Who says it has to be for Halloween?


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Set sail with us for an eight day adventure along Turkey's gorgeous coastline with endless sunshine and turquoise waters! Sail Turkey's incredible summer spots as you jump on board a traditional gullet boat. Discover secluded bays, sunken ruins, and hidden beaches on a Mediterranean exploration. Soak up the sun on the deck and swim in crystal blue waters during the day. Then roam the charming coastal villages relaxing in small towns as you embark on a voyage of a lifetime.
Superior traditional Turkish gulet | Double cabin accommodation, with ensuite cabins.
7 breakfasts | 6 lunches | 7 dinners
Gulet cruise around Fethiye, Kas and Kalkan
Services of experienced captain and crew of the boat
Turkish Traditional Gulet
At Travel Talk we do not only provide excellent value for premium adventures, but also strive to exceed expectations in every aspect of our trips, which is reflected in an enviable 98.9% customer satisfaction for 2018. We believe that our affordable tours, quality accommodation, transportation and sightseeing tours combined with likeminded people, passionate tour leaders and the overall atmosphere of a Travel Talk tour have made these results. However, we are never ones to rest on our laurels, and we continually try to improve on this year after year; and what do we get out of this? The satisfaction of our travellers!
If you are one of our previous travellers and wish to share your experience with others please fill in the form below. Thanks!
Open until midnight
+44 20 8099 9596
Monday - Friday:
Saturday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday: Closed
W. Europe


text:
Stop Snoring Australia's anti-snore patch has proven itself time and again in helping people all over the world correct their breathing whilst asleep.
We believe that good breathing can be the most powerful, life-changing thing you can do. Mouth breathing and snoring have been proven to cause major health problems if not corrected.
The use of the patch over the mouth during sleep, to regulate breathing and stop snoring was developed by Professor Buteyko a leading international doctor and the founder of the Buteyko Institute of Breathing and Health, with hundreds of thousands of people around the world now using this principal every night.
Stop Snoring Australia's anti snore patch is a TGA medically approved device designed to keep the mouth closed during sleep and to assist in the reduction of snoring. The snore patch is the flexible, simple, safe, comfortable and easy to use, and is BPA, PVC, hypoallergenic, Latex Free and skin friendly.
Our simple yet effective Snore Patch encourages good, regulated nose breathing and the most cost-effective way to help stop snoring.
Our anti-snore patch holds the jaw in place and keeps the mouth closed without covering the mouth.
Remove the backing strip from the Snore patch. Close your mouth and then place the Snore Patch neatly and firmly along your lower lip, ensuring a good seal all the way around. Make sure the face and lips are free of any night cream or moisturizer. For men with facial hair may restrict the desired seal.
Our anti snore patch is simple, safe, comfortable and easy to use.
It is recommended that the Snore Patch be used for one night only for hygienic reasons. There is a tab on each side for easy removal.
Please view the demonstration video to correctly apply the snore patch. If it is not properly applied, it may not work effectively.
For less than a $1 dollar a day, we hope you (and your partner) soon begin to enjoy sleeping again and waking refreshed.
Snoring has been medically proven to contribute to major health problems and is associated with disrupted sleep and an increased risk for sleep apnea. Snoring and associated hyperventilation can also cause or exacerbate asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.
Indirectly, snoring can impact negatively on relationships. The effects can range from poor sleeping patterns to domestic tension. There are widespread reports of bed-partners resorting to earplugs or sleeping in another room. Snoring has been documented as the major cause of some marriage breakdown.
Dangers of Mouth Breathing
When we breathe naturally, through the nose, the small hairs in the nostrils filter dust and other airborne foreign matter, creating a protective barrier for the respiratory organs. When a breath is taken through the mouth, there is nothing to strain the air; from mouth to lungs, any dirt or impure substance has a clear track and the entire respiratory system is unprotected.
Many contagious diseases are contracted by the habit of mouth-breathing. Carefully conducted scientific experiments have shown that soldiers and sailors who sleep with their mouths open are much more liable to contract contagious diseases than those who breathe properly through the nostrils.
An instance is related in which smallpox became epidemic on a British man-of-war in during the 1800's, and every death which resulted was that of some sailor or marine who was a mouth-breather, not a single nostril-breather succumbing. The organs of respiration have their only protective apparatus, filter, or dust-catcher, in the nostrils. When the breath is taken through the mouth, there is nothing from mouth to lungs to strain the air or to catch the dust and other foreign matter in the air. From mouth to lungs the dirt or impure substance has a clear track and the entire respiratory system is unprotected. Moreover, such incorrect breathing admits cold air to the organs, thereby injuring them.
Inflammation of the respiratory organs often results from the inhalation of cold air through the mouth. The person, who breathes through the mouth at night, always awakens with a parched feeling in the mouth and dryness in the throat. They are violating one of nature's laws and are sowing the seeds of disease. Once more, remember the mouth affords no protection to the respiratory organs, and cold air, dust and impurities and germs readily enter by that door. On other hand, nostrils and nasal passages show evidence of careful design of nature.
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Dr Murdoch has been principle investigator for research into the effects and treatment of anaemia in patients undergoing surgery. He has chaired meetings and seminars on the effects of iron deficiency anaemia, and frequently presents on this subject. He regularly sees first-hand the impact of iron deficiency and the benefits of intravenous iron replacement, believing passionately in the effectiveness of this treatment. Find out more at www.gloucestershireironclinic.co.uk
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- Cold intolerance
- Increased risk of infections
- Cracks or ulcers in your mouth
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- Abnormal food cravings (e.g. ice cubes, chalk, paper)
- Fast or racing heart rate
- Shortness of breath
- Looking pale (anaemia: lack of red blood cells)
Dr Murdoch treats patients from the South West and the Cotswolds including Tetbury, Cirencester, Stroud, Cheltenham, Malmesbury, Chippenham, Swindon, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire.


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Banks are showing major profits again, bad debts are reducing fast, emerging markets are growing fast and bonuses are good, so all things are back to normal on the Good Ship Lollipop.
Or are they?
Not quite.
Certainly profits are looking positive as Societe Generale, UBS, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs etc all posted great returns in the last week or so (ignore ING and Credit Suisse), but profits and returns aren't the whole picture.
There's a few murky waters underneath.
First, are the profits real?
Some might say that a large chunk of these profits reflect the overly cautious write-offs of debt that the banks made in 2008 and 2009, when the crisis was at its worst.
Mortgage defaults and corporate bankruptcies haven't been nearly as bad as the scaremongers feared and so debts are now being revalued and re-evaluated.
Such revaluation reflects a leap in profits from written off debts to written back revenues.
Second, the world has changed.
There is a big fear amongst the large banks with investment arms that those investment houses will be shut down.
Between Dodd-Frank, the Volcker Rule, the European Commission and the Independent Banking Commission, everyone is starting to hint that 'casino capitalism' – a term I hate but used widely in the media – is going to be outlawed.
This reflects a future where the investment world is run by hedge funds and private equity, as trading off their own book of business is no longer allowed in banks.
Third, banking hasn't changed (yet).
The reporting season we are seeing right now is one where banks appear to have returned to some sort of normalcy. A kind of pre-2008 sense of success has come back and, even with all of these rumours of new regulations, where are they?
Sure, there are moves afoot amongst the USA, EU and G20 to clamp down on too big to fail risky practices, but I'm at a loss to point to one piece of effective new regulation introduced since the crisis hit three years ago.
And if any of you can show me one, then you're a better person than I Gungha Din.
Which brings me to my final thought: bonuses (again!).
During this reporting season, there's been some interesting analysis of the bonus issue and maybe the real pressure to resolve this one will come from shareholders.
For example, Barclays are awarding almost £2 billion in bonuses on their £6.1 billion profit whilst only awarding £570 million as the pool for shareholder dividends. In 2007, shareholders received £2.23 billion in dividends whilst bonuses were £1.3 billion (admittedly BarCap only had 16,200 investment bankers back then compared to the 25,000 they have today!).
Compare this with 2009, when bonuses rose to £2.2 billion whilst shareholders received just £285 million in dividends.
And there's the rub.
As a proprietary trading firm, Barclays cannot keep throwing the finger at their shareholders whilst giving their elite traders Porsches and Yachts.
However, as banks tend to do, there are ways around this.
First, pay higher salaries in order to reduce the bonus pot … which they are.
For example, whilst Barclays announced that bonuses were down 12%, their average compensation rose 24% after you include payments from previous years, pension contributions and other income.
More interesting may be the move towards CoCo packages.
CoCo's are bonuses paid in "Contingent Core Tier-1 capital", which mean that the investment bankers get much of their bonus paid in the longer term and only if the bank's Tier-1 capital remains above a certain level. If the bank's capital falls below that level then the guys get shares in the bank, rather than cash.
Credit Suisse, Lloyds and other banks are all going down this route and it does change things.
For the better?
Not sure.
For the overly complex discrete coverage of what's being paid to whom, when?
So, all in all, what we are now seeing emerge is banks back to doing well, but with far more complex remuneration, taxation and accounting structures.
Does this ensure that those who invest in, regulate and supervise them, are left wondering what's going on?
It certainly makes me wonder.


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dream. think. create.
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Folks that make a monkey laugh
This my friend Curtis. Curtis is an actor. In Hollywood (obligatory eye roll). I have known Curtis a very long time--since our days in Oklahoma. I have a theory that all males who move to Los Angeles to "act" who are seemingly straight, become a little squirrelly. It is like something about Los Angeles just brings out the femme in all men. I read that there are more men in capri pants per capita in Los Angeles than in any other city in the world.
You can tell by the picture that Curtis is a strapping young man who, in his words "has athleticism". He recently took a trip to Las Vegas where he informed me that the guys he was with (who were from Texas) wanted to drink vodka and Red Bull, but not Curtis....nope. Curtis wanted to drink Kahlua and coffee. Bless his heart. What is it with L.A. and all the coffee?
I really hope Curtis does not get highlights in his hair or manicures. Please Curtis, do not tell me that you get your eyebrows threaded or waxed--but if you do can you tell me who you go to? Thanks. I go to Damone Roberts and he is fab.
Kahlua and coffee.... in Vegas.... on a guys weekend--Seriously Curtis? That is just squirrely.
Another guy friend who moved to LA to "act", wrote me a letter one time and told me he was writing to me instead of writing in his journal--WRITING IN HIS JOURNAL???? Do straight men write in journals? I mean I know all about metrosexuals and all that, but boys with journals? Day Planner even sounds more masculine.
To all you movie producers and or directors who are reading this right now (I happen to have a HUGE movie producer fan base on my blog)if you are making any movies about World War II, or any war for that matter --Please contact Curtis. Also, if you need anyone to hum /sing the score to any Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western--Please contact Curtis.
AND--if you need anyone to critique the cowboy hats in Brokeback Mountain and tell you what unconvincingly gay cowboys Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are- PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD--contact Curtis!
I happen to think Curtis looks a lot like Christopher Reeve (RIP), and I think he would make a great Superman. And, if I were a betting woman, I would bet Curtis could carry a flame thrower.
*I know Curtis is not gay--he is married to a lovely lady and he has 2 adorable sons, but he ripped on my blog--"hole in the wall face cream stores", so this is payback--and I warned him first--and he gave me PERMISSION to use his headshot.*
*My blog is for entertainment purposes only--so no offense to anyone with a penis living in or around Los Angeles County. *
*Hi Curtis!*


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Sea level rise is only one effect of climate warming. But it's one of the most linear and easiest to grasp. On Conrad Hackett's Twitter feed (a must follow, imo) I saw this study which was produced by Climate Central and then visualized by The Upshot. The upshot is that when it comes to the direct effects of rising sea levels – submersion and regular flooding – all countries are not equal. The impact is heavily weighted toward East and especially Southeast Asia.
This isn't terribly surprising when you think about the geography and topography of the globe. But I hadn't seen it visualized in quite this way before. And it's quite striking. I think mainly about the small island nations of Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. But look at that infographic: Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, China, India, Bangladesh.
Some of this is just a factor of having really large populations. But the pattern is by percentage of population too. This chart from Climate Central gives another way of looking at the relative and absolute numbers.
What this makes me think of is how much of the early and mid-century challenges on the climate front will come from these regions – countries China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam. The developed world, led by the US, brought us the carbon crisis. Even if it's not nearly enough I have some level of confidence that North America and Europe can at least get their emissions going down. But in South and East Asia you have hundreds of millions of people lining up get in on the industrial revolution – cars, cities, pervasive electricity, all the life-transforming things which brought us the climate crisis. So even if the energy sources get greener, the demand for energy will grow by leaps and bounds for decades to come.
In Europe and especially in North America it's incredibly difficult to get people to sign on to even marginal increases in energy prices – or at least effectively placing a price on the externalities of carbon emissions, which hits the dirtiest fuels the hardest. These are minor inconveniences compared to the huge cost of not getting access to the range of conveniences and life transforming services people in Europe and North America have taken for granted for roughly a century. This the calculus that makes the climate change outlook look so bleak. But seeing this data visualized made me wonder how this all might be affected by the fact that these countries will get the brunt of the impact from rising seas.
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WWGD – The Skaven Conundrum
As promised, I now present you with the recently dusted-off and re-purposed What Would Gaarawarr Do? in which I attempt to tackle the Skaven Conundrum.
What is the Skaven Conundrum you ask?
That is an excellent question, you're very good at this. ~puts a Gold Star by your name on the board~
What I'm referring to is the upcoming introduction of Skaven to WAR in which, based on early reports from Games Day UK, we will be seeing four types of Skaven that we can change into with our regular characters. In this form, we gain the appearance and abilities of the type of Skaven we turn into, but the Experience/Renown/Influence/etc that are earned while in that form are applied to our actual characters and not the Skaven. It has been said that the Skaven itself has zero progression.
The Conundrum, for me, lies in this lack of Skaven progression. While I think they'll be a fun diversion and will bring tactical utility to the new Open RvR changes, I think this lack of progression does this very interesting Army of Warhammer (not to mention their fans) a huge disservice.
So I did some digging in the Warhammer Rulebook and the Warhammer Armies: Skaven book and attempted to design a way in which what we currently know about the implementation of Skaven could be enhanced in such a way as to add lore-based, engaging progression without turning it into a full-fledged Race/Class system which would not be realistic for WAR currently. I'm also going to do a little theory-crafting about what's coming based on what I've found in the lore as well.
Those of you who are more lore-knowledgeable than I, feel free to read through and add your own comments/adjustments. This is simply a framework from my viewpoint and is by no means a fully fleshed-out design. 🙂
What Would Gaarawarr Do?: The Skaven Conundrum
I'm warning you all now: this isn't going to be a short post. However, I'm going to break it up into segments in an attempt to make it easier to understand.
First, I'll review the information that has been released by Bioware Mythic so far in regards to the Skaven. Second, I'll review some of the more basic, core information about Skaven as found in my reference material. Third, I'll theory-craft a bit about the recently released information about the new Skaven zone and how it might fit with what they've released about Skaven so far. Finally, I'll present my ideas on how to take what they've proposed and build it into a rich addition to the game that includes a form of progression and I'll support my ideas with the lore and outline a possible back-story for this seemingly lore-crushing way of having Skaven working with both Realms that they've announced.
- Dev Info
- Basic Lore
- Theory-Crafting the Skaven Dungeon
- Summary
1. Dev Info
So far, we have two main sources for information regarding how the Skaven will be implemented later this year and what their new zone will be like: Games Day UK (Info sourced from here, here and here plus video here) and the Ten Ton Hammer podcast on 10/2 (Episode 22) with Carrie Gouskos (Recorded link here). Here's a quick review:
The Skaven
There will be four Classes that you will have access to: the Rat Ogre, the Packmaster, the Warlock Engineers and the Gutter Runners. Your regular character "becomes" one of the Skaven Classes and you then play that Class for a limited time period. All Experience/Renown/Influence/etc goes to your regular character but the Skaven itself has no progression. When you take on the Skaven Class form, you have a new ability set based around that class. Here's the current breakdown of the Classes:
Rat Ogre – Very hard to kill, can't be healed by anything other than a Packmaster, only thing other than a Ram that can damage a Keep Door, can charge enemies and knock them back, can toss allies onto Keep Walls
Packmaster – Can heal the Rat Ogre, provides buffs for combat, summons swarms of rats that debuff enemies, can Skitterleap to the nearest Rat Ogre
Warplock Engineer – Places warpstone nodes around Keeps that give AOE buffs, they can repair Siege Engines, wield a Warpstone Flamethrower (single-Skaven Warpfire Thrower I would assume)
Gutter Runner – Permanent stealth with 70% movement speed buff, extremely low damage output, can leap onto Keep Walls, can sabotage Siege Engines
Presumably, they'll have more abilities than what is stated, but this is what we know so far. In combination with regular forces assaulting/defending a Keep, the Skaven will definitely provide a tactical advantage for the Realm that can bring them into play effectively.
The Skaven Zone
The new Skaven zone is an RvR-based Dungeon instance that opens up during the Open RvR Campaign. There will be some type of foreboding announcement and then the ground will open up and Skaven will start climbing out and into Open RvR. Players who are RR65+ can enter the new zone and fight in an instanced 24v24 RvRvE Dungeon. The winning Realm gains access to the new Skaven Classes.
This Dungeon is filled with legendary Skaven bosses along the lines of Throt the Unclean. In the example given with Throt's fight, both Realms will have the ultimate goal of being the side to kill Throt. While he is a boss in and of his own right, he also has minions with him: Rat Ogres. He calls forth two Rat Ogres and sends one to attack each Realm. They announce the player they're after and chase them down. If they kill the player, they announce a new target and the bloodshed continues. If you damage a Rat Ogre enough, they become disoriented and will instead attack the other Realm. When a Rat Ogre is killed, Throt calls forth a new one and sends them back out into the fray. This continues until Throt is downed.
So, like the new City Siege, there are NPCs to deal with. However, unlike the City Sieges, these NPCs are pissed and will beat the crap out of you if you let them. Unlike past iterations of this theme though, this time the NPCs sound like they'll be attacking both sides equally and not just targeting whoever accidentally pulled them first. At least in this example. Keep in mind, this is only one of the bosses to be found in the Skaven zone.
2. Basic Lore
(Image courtesy of Portraits of WAR)
So, there's a lot of Skaven lore. I'm not going to touch on all of it as I feel that would be counter-productive. Instead, I'm going to hit on the points that are pertinent to their upcoming addition to the game, at least from my point of view. That being said, there's still a lot. Let's start with some generalities before we focus in on the four Classes and the new zone.
Skaven Society
Skaven live within an extremely tyrannical hierarchy. Warlord clans make up the bulk of the population. The clans are set up like a pyramid. At the top of each clan is a Warlord (hence the name) and below them is an array of commanders, Chieftains and pack leaders followed by the warrior class made up of Clanrats and Stormvermin. Finally, the bottom layer is made up of the worker-class: the Skavenslaves. At every level of this pyramid, every individual will cheat, steal, scheme and stab each other in the back if it serves to make themselves look better and thus move up the pyramid. Not only do they completely and utterly lack honor or scruples, the more devious, scheming and double-crossing a Skaven is, the more suited he is for leadership.
Above the Warlord clans are the Greater clans. As big as some of the Warlord clans might be, each Greater clan is the equivalent of scores of Warlord clans put together when it comes to their overall power and influence. In fact, for a Warlord to make his clan powerful, he must first strike deals with the Greater clans for the assistance they can provide in terms of weapons, equipment and beasts of war. There are four Greater clans and each has its own specialized niche in Skaven society and the battlefield. They are Clans Moulder, Skryre, Eshin and Pestilens.
Clan Moulder are masters of breeding, mutation and creation of monstrous beasts of war. They sell their creations to the Warlord clans who then use the creations to further their own interests. Clan Moulder is responsible for the creation of such infamous beasts as the Rat Ogre, the Giant Rats, and the shockingly unnatural Hell Pit Abomination. It is also common for Clan Moulder to also provide trained Packmasters to accompany their beasts, however some clans cultivate their own.
Clan Skryre are masters at blending Skaven sorcery with their technological creations. The infamous Warlock Engineers of Clan Skryre have created many fearsome weapons for the field of battle including the Warpfire Thrower, the Ratling Gun and the awe-inspiring Doomwheel.
In a world of shadows and gloom, Clan Eshin are the silent stalkers of the Skaven race. Their agents are scattered throughout the world and not only relay valuable information back to their leaders, but also eliminate any and all threats they may come across. From the lone Assassin to death squads full of Gutter Runners, the use of Clan Eshin's agents is highly sought after amongst the Warlord clans.
Clan Pestilens are known as the Plague Monks as they are the disciples of disease and decay. Infected by their own diseases, they are walking weapons of war. They do not sell their services for profit, instead they align themselves with any that may help further their cause of spreading pestilence and corruption in the name of the Great Horned Rat. They are the feared creators of such vileness as the Oozing Eye Death, the Black Plague and the Red Pox.
Above all these clans lie the two final pieces of the puzzle that is Skaven Society: The Council of Thirteen and the Grey Seers.
The Council of Thirteen is the ruling body of Skaven society. It is made up of twelve of the Lords of Decay with the last seat being held symbolically by the Great Horned Rat himself. Only his favoured can hold seats on the Council currently and as such each member is imbued with a dark aura of power, a blessing from their god. As such, the current Council has remained unchanged for the last few hundred years as none have proven themselves powerful enough to defeat any of the members.
The Grey Seers are the supreme Skaven sorcerers. They make up their own small, yet powerful, clan of 169 members. They are known as both the Prophets of the Great Horned Rat and the Grand Intermediaries to the Council of Thirteen. Their pure white or grey fur and their distinctive horns mark them from birth as different from the rest. Ultimately, they are the master manipulators of Skaven society. Presumably on behalf of the Great Horned Rat, they devise schemes so devious and far-reaching that they may take hundreds of generations to come to fruition. Their long-term goal is the utter ruination of the world and they will go to any length to achieve their goal and bring forth the return of their god.
The Black Hunger
Skaven have an extremely over-active metabolism which accounts for their quick reflexes and infamous speed. However, such expenditures of energy come at a great cost. To continue to function, Skaven must gorge themselves after any prolonged exertion. This phenomenon is known as the Black Hunger and can even drive Skaven to feast on the fallen after a battle, regardless of which side they belonged to. If a Skaven falls under the pangs of the Black Hunger and is unable to replenish his energy supply, he will quickly weaken and die.
The physical manifestion of raw magic, this is the single most sought-after resource in Skaven society. It is the key ingredient in the mutating agents used to create their beasts of war, it is added to their metals and poisons, it is the power supply for their technological creations and it is a basis for their sorcery. It is even used in their society as currency in the form of warptokens. It has been the sole reason Skaven have gone to war against others on many occasions, including the war against the Great Necromancer Nagash (you remember him. he cast the spell that brought forth the undead and the Tomb Kings, not to mention his role in the creation of the Vampires) which lasted over a century and resulted in his being hacked to pieces and destroyed (save for his hand which escaped and allowed for his return).
As such, it should be noted that there isn't much Skaven aren't willing to do if there's enough Warpstone to gain from it.
Rat Ogres
Literally stitched together from the pieces of many other beasts, Rat Ogres have the speed of a Skaven and the strength of an Ogre. They are ravenous creatures, always hungry to the point that they'll even take bites of their own flesh if nothing else is available. These near-mindless brutes are good for only one thing: killing. There are many types of Rat Ogres as their creators are constantly playing around with them and adding extra arms, appendages from other deadly beasts, or simply attempting to make them even larger and more powerful than might seem prudent. In fact, one exceptionally large Rat Ogre variant referred to as a Bonebreaker is used as a mount by some Warlords.
Packmasters are cagey and fierce warriors trained to goad into battle the beasts of war made by Clan Moulder. They favor weapons such as the Whip or Things-catcher and will wade into the fray of battle with their beasts as it is often-times required since otherwise the beasts may not obey. Master Moulders, a rank above the Packmaster, often go into battle alongside both beasts and Packmasters to inspect their performance as well as instill greater control and discipline over the pack.
Warlock Engineers
The artificers of Skaven society, they blend sorcery with technology to grand effect. Some are actually sorcerers and can cast and channel Skaven magic while also manipulating their machinery. It is common to see them replace their own body parts with machine versions that work better than the originals. They often go to war with many devices from the infamous poisoned wind globe to the warplock musket.
Gutter Runners
These are the black-clad death squads of Clan Eshin. They are used to soften up armies before a battle begins. They are tasked with elimination of siege weapons, ambushing exposed flanks and picking off vulnerable units in battle. They are masters of stealth and can sneak up on even the most wary of opponents. They are routinely hired out to up-and-coming Warlord clans and also work on behalf of the Council of Thirteen. They spy, instigate warfare, sabotage, and constantly steal or destroy records related to Skaven existence. Teams of Gutter Runners are often led by a Deathrunner, which is merely the name for the one of them that is the most promising assassin-adept. It is the goal of a Gutter Runner to one day become a trained Assassin.
The Under-Empire
The Under-Empire of the Skaven is the single largest of the known realms. It quite literally stretches beneath the world, spreading outward from the center of Skaven society: Skavenblight. Skaven cities, many of which are built beneath some of the largest human cities, are connected by a vast network of tunnels known as the Under-way. These tunnels allow the Skaven unhindered access to just about anywhere they wish to go and new tunnels are added all the time. To date, only Ulthuan is free of the tunnels, but the tenacious Skaven are always looking for a way to change that.
Hell Pit
The breeding pit for Clan Moulder, Hell Pit is made up of labyrinthine tunnels spiraling in nine expansive circles. Filled with slaves, captured creatures and the abominable creations of the Master Moulders, it is a very dangerous place to come across. The circles of Hell Pit are filled with laboratories, breeding pits, flesh distilleries, combat arenas and skin forges which all allow Clan Moulder to create their abominations. While Hell Pit has been attacked by outsiders on numerous occasions, they were foolhardy expeditions of which the most successful only penetrated the first three circles before they were utterly decimated.
As you can see, there's a lot to the Skaven lore and this is only what I feel is pertinent to our discussion. I'm sure there's more out there. 😉
Note: Disclaimer time: Everything from this point on is pure theory-crafting on my part (i.e. utterly and completely made up). The basis for everything I talk about from here on is what I've presented and referenced above along with the history of WAR's development up to now. Again, all publicly available knowledge. Any similarity to what actually happens with the release of the upcoming content is purely coincidental. I have zero inside information in regards to what is coming. Everything I know is from publicly available announcements/interviews.
3. Theory-Crafting the Skaven Dungeon
OK, so we know the new Skaven area is a 24v24 instanced Dungeon with PvE mixed in for flavor. We were told by Carrie that the opening of the area would happen "randomly" during the Tier 4 Campaign and would be gated to RR65+ players. From what was described, the opening will be heralded to all and Skaven will pour out of the ground and enter the fray in some way. This sounds strikingly like the Skaven are using the Under-way that they have created as part of their Under-Empire to access the battlefields. Since we're not having these instanced fights above-ground based on what has been presented, it can only be left for us to assume one of two things: either we're battling in the Under-way itself or we're using the Under-way like the Skaven do to attack various Skaven Lairs/Strongholds. Either way, underground 24v24 skirmishes while also having to manage the attacks of some notorious Skaven sounds like a good deal of fun to me. Mixing PvE and RvR isn't new to WAR, nor to online games in general, but it already sounds a bit more like the upgraded City Sieges than their previous boring counterparts.
To truly theory-craft accurately about where we're fighting, we have to look at who we might possibly be fighting. Throt the Unclean was the boss used as an example in the podcast, and used with extreme detail. Which leads me to believe he will, in fact, be one of our opponents. If we accept that as fact, we can use it to predict a handful of other possible bosses. In fact, since Throt is one of the named Skaven in the Armies book, let's just assume the other named Skaven in the Bestiary are our other opponents. There are a total of eight named Skaven in the Bestiary, each with an interesting story and a valid reason to be seen as a difficult opponent for a warband of warriors, not to mention two warbands fighting around them. Let's take a look at each one and how they might be implemented.
Throt the Unclean: We already know how this fight is generally set up, but let's look at why it turned out that way and use that to determine the other seven fights. Throt is named as one of the most ingenious and twisted Master Moulders in Clan Moulder and is referred to as one of the nine Lords of Hell Pit. He's responsible for creating some of the most twisted beasts of war in Skaven history, including the infamous Hell Pit Abomination. He is also classified as a Master Controller, so he doesn't just create monsters, he also directs them better than most Master Moulders. He has a third arm jutting from his back and is missing his left eye, but has replaced it with a shard of warpstone hammered straight into his brain. His personal Black Hunger is even more ravenous than most due to his own self-experiments and he eats four times his own body weight in food daily. In combat, he wields a blade and a special Creature-killer that he can use to control even the largest Rat Ogres. In his third hand, he wields a special whip that generates fear in even the most mutated abominations. In short, he's a tough fight even without his Rat Ogres, not to mention 24 members of the opposite Realm fighting you at the same time. This is looking to be a very interesting fight.
Ikit Claw: In a clan full of ingenious engineers, Ikit is the Warlock Engineer supreme. He has traveled the world studying every form of technology and sorcery he can find so as to create even more ingenious devices of his own. He was the driving force behind the building of the massively upgraded warpforges in Skavenblight in his role as lead emissary for Clan Skryre. He has heavily modified his own body to cover up the damage he has done to himself over time from failed experiments. He wears an intricate iron mask over his head and face, he has built a special exo-skeleton out of iron that is powered by a warp generator and enhances his strength and defensive capability and, if that wasn't enough, he added a portable warpfire projector to it just for fun. On top of this, he wields a halberd named Storm Daemon that is wrapped in copper coils and set with warpstone that he uses to hurl warp lightning at his opponents. Expect this to be one hell of a fight against all manner of mechanical contrivances. Warlock Engineers have developed such cunning devices as Ratling Guns (exactly what it sounds like), Warplock Jezzails (long-rifles), Doom-flayers (tunnel/close-quarters combat machines), and the infamous Doomwheel. Who knows what Bioware Mythic would have in store for us in this fight, but it looks like a promising premise for a good time.
Skweel Gnawtooth: While Skweel might not look like much, as he was born a runt, he is considered to be the most successful Packmaster in Hell Pit. He has a natural affinity for the beasts he works alongside, not controlling them with a lash he instead seems to simply guide them forward by manipulating their desire to do his bidding. He has no problem controlling even the greatest breeds from Clan Moulder, but is unable to control the Hell Pit Abomination. Wherever he goes, he is accompanied by a veritable horde of smaller vermin. In combat, he wields a Warp-lash that does incredible damage and at times conveys bonuses from Regeneration to Poisoned Attacks to the pack he controls. If Skweel is one of the bosses we face, expect to fight some seriously savage beasts, not to mention his vermin horde bodyguard, along with Skweel himself.
Queek Headtaker: Queek, the Headtaker and the Dwarf-smiter, is a Warlord in Clan Mors, which while not one of the Greater clans, does hold a seat on the Council of Thirteen. He is said to have an immense ego, a vitriolic temper and a vicious streak that are legendary even for a Skaven. Which, of course, means he's greatly admired. While the grand ruler of his clan relies on him to bring victory to his clan, he also frequently hires Assassins to try to kill him to prevent an attempted coup. It is said he's respected by Orcs, feared by Goblins and greatly hated by the Dwarfs as indicated by his name frequently appearing in the Book of Grudges. He is often accompanied into battle by scarlet-armoured Stormvermin and carries with him the severed heads of his latest opponents on a trophy rack. In combat he wears Warp-shard armour and wields both a barbed sword and the vicous maul called Dwarf Gouger that can punch right through steel plate. Expect a very challenging battle against Queek who will most likely be accompanied by some vicious Stormvermin.
Tretch Craventail: Among a society known for duplicity, it is said that Tretch is a master of fighting dirty. Not only is he said to be extremely underhanded, but he's also famously lucky when it comes to escaping death, or blame which could be said to be the same thing in this society. Many times he has left his own troops to die and narrowly escaped defeat only to reappear on the battlefield and accomplish something astounding. Of interest to us in this is that he was recently given the title Grand Chieftain of the Deep Warrens by disguising himself as a stalactite and dropping from a cavern ceiling to kill the previous title-holder. He now commands a small army of troops and is often assigned what are seen to be suicide missions or impossible tasks from which he continues to succeed/escape. If we fight Tretch, expect every dirty trick in the book to be thrown at us, along with a few invented along the way for good measure.
Lord Skrolk: Skrolk is a Plaguelord of Clan Pestilens, one of their rulers underneath the Arch-Plaguelord Nurglitch who sits on the Council of Thirteen. He is truly a walking disease, having lived longer than even the most long-lived of his Race. It is said that plants whither and die where he treads. His love of corruption and decay is so passionate that he ripped his own eyes from their sockets at the sight of the Arch-Plaguelord as he deemed his corruption to be perfection and wanted it to be the last thing he saw. And yet, he seems to see with a magical sight deemed a gift from the Great Horned Rat himself and has amazing reflexes. He fights at the front of the battle lines, leading by example. While he is surrounded by an aura of pestilence which can be said to be a devastating weapon in its own right, he also wields the Rod of Corruption and occasionally bears one of the volumes of the Liber Bubonicus, the toxic tome of ultimate disease. If we battle Lord Skrolk, expect liberal use of AOE clouds/dots along with focused disease.
Deathmaster Snikch: In a clan full of Assassin's, Snikch is the most deadly and holds the title Grand Nightlord of Clan Eshin. He is so feared, deaths whose nature can't be ascertained are accredited to him even when he couldn't possibly have been there. He is adept at spreading terror where the Council or his Clan wishes and is one of their greatest tools. Heavily fortified strongholds and locked towers are no match for Snikch as once he is unleashed, he never fails to kill his target. In battle he is a mere shadow in the corner of your eye, appearing where he wants at will. He is outfitted with multiple Weeping Blades that he weaves in a blur of movement, including one held in his tail that he uses like a whip. He is also said to wear the Cloak of Shadows which both silences and conceals him from even the most observant foes. Expect fighting Snikch to be like fighting a teleporting uber-ninja version of Master Splinter. 😉
Thanquol & Boneripper: Unlike the other bosses mentioned here, Thanquol isn't one of the usual clan members. He is, in fact, a Grey Seer who happens to be a favoured agent of the Council of Thirteen. He is a master manipulator that has commanded entire armies on behalf of the Council. He is a frequent user of warpstone to the point where it has given him a sixth-sense for danger and as such is able to escape certain death at the last moment…leaving another Skaven to die in his place. Sneaky sneaky. He has spent his life studying humans and devising ways to manipulate them either through straight corruption or copious bribes and has a network of informers and agents in many of the human cities. He is accompanied into battle by his mutant Rat Ogre bodyguard, Boneripper, who was a gift from the Council of Thirteen. It is killed often, but is always regrown/rebuilt into a new, improved version. In battle he wields the Staff of the Horned One, granting him access to a wide array of spells and is known to liberally consume Warpstone to help increase the potency of his spells. Boneripper can only function when in close proximity to his master but has had an arm replaced with a Warpfire Thrower allowing him to be both a melee and ranged threat. A fight with these two is sure to be interesting considering the dual threat offered by Boneripper, not to mention the sheer power of a god-favoured Grey Seer.
Considering the nature of the above foes and their lore, it could easily be that we run into them when we venture into the Under-way since they are known to be sent out into the world to do the bidding of the Council of Thirteen when need arises. We'll talk more about what that need might be in a moment. First, though, we must consider that while these bosses are truly legendary amongst the Skaven, they may not be who we fight and the Under-way may not be where we fight.
Another option to consider based off the mention of Throt the Unclean is that our battles may occur in Hell Pit itself. Throt is said to be just one of nine Lords of Hell Pit. Nine separate bosses, each with their own cadre of mutated beasts of war would make for furious fights indeed. Especially if one were to include the infamous Hell Pit Abomination itself. The spiralling, concentric circles of Hell Pit would make for a very traditional dungeon-like progressive experience. However, while that would make for a fabulous traditional PvE dungeon, I don't know that it would suit the 24v24 RvRvE-based experience we've had explained to us. Only time will tell, but I'm heavily leaning towards the Under-way as our battle location.
As for the purpose of our fight, it can only be to obtain as much precious Warpstone as possible, most likely in the form of Warp-tokens. Seeing as how the playable Skaven "skin" has been likened to hiring out mercenaries to do our bidding, the gaining of Warp-tokens to use as the form of payment seems the obvious choice. In fact, the creation of this type of token-generating content could be used to purchase everything from the use of the four Skaven Classes to various items and other gear. In fact, as the names of the new RR90 and RR100 armour sets was revealed to be "Doomflayer" and "Warpforged", the idea that they may be purchased via the tokens earned in this dungeon has quickly moved to the top of my list as the method of entry for these items. In fact, with the themes of "Power", "Progression" and "Personality" for the new RvR packs, the idea that you would use these tokens to buy the items unlocked from these packs seems a perfect fit. It also allows for the easy addition of both future weapons/armor/etc as well as more powerful siege equipment along the lines of Plague Furnaces and Plagueclaw Catapults to the Screaming Bell itself which has already been hinted about as being part of the RvR packs. In fact, let's take a look at the Screaming Bell since it was hinted at coming as well.
The Screaming Bell: This colossal bell sits atop a wheeled carriage pushed forth by a retinue of hulking Rat Ogres. It is from their unholy perch atop the bell that Grey Seers preach the coming doom of the world. The bell itself is cast out of bronze in the warpforges of Skavenblight and laced with pure warpstone in a 13-day process of which both Warlock Engineers and Grey Seers work together to complete. As the casting cools, Grey Seers chant while coating it in sacrificial blood. Good times. In battle, each toll of the bell grows louder and louder into a cacophony that is unable to be described adequately with mere words. It's abilities in battle include both buffs to its surrounding troops, random spell-casting and both debuffs and damage to its opponents within range.
Such a siege weapon could easily be a much-desired centerpiece of an attack on a Keep, regardless of its cost in Warptokens. Given its lore, it could either convey huge bonuses to the attackers or greatly debuff the Keep and its defenders in some way. Regardless, it would quickly become the target of the defenders if they wished their defense to be successful.
With the new placement rules for Siege, any new devices like this or the other Skaven machines could be placed just about anywhere they were desired on a battlefield to turn the tide of war. And since they're Warptoken-purchased consumables, they could be very powerful without creating imbalance issues in the long-term.
Oh what I wouldn't give to see a Doomwheel randomly careening around the battlefield… ~giggle~
In terms of the apparent limited-duration of the Skaven mercenaries, it could be explained as the effect of the Black Hunger wearing them down over time, effectively causing them to fall in battle. It could even be part of their mechanic that they have to either be involved in the killing of opponents to stay active, like some of the other buffs in the game work. Failure to do so results in loss of the Skaven.
As you can see, with the rich lore of the Skaven and what we have been told about the upcoming content, there is no limit to what can be possible in the future. In fact, it is the very fact that there are so many possible options that make theory-crafting about this so difficult. However, in the most basic sense of what Bioware Mythic has shown us they are capable of producing in the past, I think it's safe to assume we'll see something along the lines of what I've presented above. The use of the Under-way as a battleground, the legendary Skaven bosses from the Armies book and the use of Warp-tokens as a form of currency for Skaven-themed "stores" unlocked with the purchase of the RvR packs seems to be a foregone conclusion to me at this point.
In as much as the lore is concerned regarding Skaven getting involved on both sides of a conflict like this, I can see where it can be seen as a touchy issue. There are definitely reasons why the various Races on both Order and Destruction side of the game to not want to work with the Skaven. However, from the Skaven's point of view, their ultimate goal is the utter destruction of the other Races and the resultant domination of the world by the Skaven. Add into that the fact that they're getting paid in the precious, so precious, Warpstone to do what they'd do anyway (which is kill their enemy and members of their own race, which can be said to be the same thing at times) and you have some very motivated Skaven.
As for the other Races motivation to work with the Skaven, well, it's war. Neither side is above hiring mercenaries to help their side in this scale of war. Whether each individual player is willing to buy that or not is up to them in a role-play sense ultimately. That is what the decision comes down to. Would my character, if it were real as I've imagined him, agree to fight alongside Skaven? That is a personal, RP-based decision a player needs to make, but it has no overall effect on the grand campaign of the game itself. The Order Races are fighting for their very existence against Destruction. When it comes down to it, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. If the Skaven that approach them are willing to give life and limb to further their cause, even in battle against their own Race, then an alliance will be formed, however tentatively. As for Destruction, the very fact that the Skaven are willing to fight on both sides of the battle has Chaos written all over it. On the Realm level, neither side would put themselves at a disadvantage by saying no to an offer of aid of this magnitude, especially when the other side has been given the same offer.
However, while that is all well and good and looks to be a lot of fun, it still doesn't address the Conundrum that caused me to write this post in the first place: the lack of progression as a Skaven in the proposed content.
4. What Would Gaarawarr Do?
So, the addition of a Skaven-themed RvRvE 24v24 dungeon instance and playable Skaven mercenaries wreaking havoc on the battlefield for Warpstone token payment is all fine and dandy, as is the Experience/Renown/Influence/Loot/etc I earn during my time as a Skaven going to the character I "rented" him with. However, with the scheming, duplicitous, ladder-climbing nature of the Skaven, the lack of any progression for them at all seems to be the single unworkable affront to the lore as I've read it. While there are reasons why Skaven would fight alongside both sides of a battle on this grand of a scale and there are reasons each Realm would accept their help, albeit tentatively, there is absolutely no lore-based reason to explain why your Skaven skin-skin thing-thing would fight for you. Yes, he's earning Warp-tokens, but you can bet his clan will be taking those as payment for his services, thank you very much. So why would the Skaven do it? There is only one reason a Skaven does anything: to gain influence and move up in his clan. Even the earning of Warp-tokens is done with that goal in mind. So, given the Classes we know are being added, what would a viable progression-system for them in their role as temporary mercenaries look like?
At its core, due to the very nature of Skaven society, it would have to be temporary and fleeting progression that is kept only via as constant a presence as possible on the battlefield. In Skaven society, daily life is marked by a constant shifting and jostling for power where yesterday's hero is today's meal. That means we'd have to use a constantly decaying influence-like system based on your actions in Skaven-form on the battlefield. In fact, since there are different Classes of Skaven that you can hire, each one would need its own form of earning influence that speaks to its role on the battlefield and confers benefits specific to it. In this way, you both encourage the mastery of Skaven forms so as to have them be more impactful on the battlefield as well as enhance each distinct playstyle that is offered. Let's look at how it might work.
How to Earn Influence
Each individual Skaven has a role to fulfill on the battlefield. As such, they should earn Influence by fulfilling their role and not just gain it generically in battle like one does with Experience and Renown. Let's look at each Class and see how they might gain Influence in their clan.
Rat Ogre: A hulking, powerful brute, their purpose on the battlefield is to do damage. Beating on opponents, especially opposing Skaven, as well as Keep Doors, should be the straightforward way in which this Class earns influence. Additionally, given Skaven's duplicitous, back-stabbing nature and the Rat Ogres ability to hurl allies onto Keep Walls, granting bonus renown for tossing higher-ranked Skaven allies to their deaths on said Wall may be an ingeniously lore-rich way of earning Influence. ~giggle~
Packmaster: Seeing as only Packmasters are going to be able to heal Rat Ogres, it follows that their primary source of Influence should come from keeping their Rat Ogre allies alive while they do damage to things. Additionally, the liberal use of their summoned rat swarms and just their flat out ability to stay alive via strategic use of Skitterleap should be seen as possible ways to gain Influence.
Warlock Engineer: The tactical placement of Warpstone nodes (buffing/debuffing a large number of players), repairing of Siege Engines and straight-out damage from their Flamethrower can all be ways a Warlock Engineer earns himself Influence on the battlefield.
Gutter Runner: Their prime job on the battlefield seems to be the destruction of Siege Engines. As such, their doing so should be their primary way to earn Influence. Until more is known about their abilities, secondary sources of Influence are hard to theory-craft. It is said they'll do very little damage, so that seems to be ruled out as an Influence source.
How the Classes Progress
While it is very easy to figure out ways to earn Influence in battle, there needs to be a reason to do so. Again, each Class is different so each form of progression should be as well.
Rat Ogre: These beasts are constantly being tinkered with by their creators to be more powerful. Titled stages of influence could be the following: Rat Ogre > Mutated Rat Ogre > Hyper-gland Rat Ogre > Black-rage Rat Ogre > Master-bred Rat Ogre.
Packmaster: This Class progresses in a way that helps to greater enhance the abilities of the pack it leads. The titled stages could be as follows: Packmaster Trainee > Packmaster > Apprentice Moulder > Master Moulder > Master Mutator.
Warlock Engineer: Progression here should be based around access to/invention of new, more powerful technologies. Titled stages could progress as follows: Warlock Trainee > Apprentice Engineer > Warlock Engineer > Master Inventor > Grandmaster Engineer.
Gutter Runner: These Skaven are motivated by the desire to gain more skill. As such, they could move up in titled stages as follows: Night Runner > Nightleader > Gutter Runner > Deathrunner > Assassin.
Tracking Influence Gain and the Decay of Progression
As opposed to building in some new form of decaying Influence monitor system, progression for these Classes could be done in as simple a way as reworking things that are already functioning well in-game currently.
In terms of the Influence-tracking system, the current Live Event system could be tweaked to track Influence gain and expenditure on a recurring 7-day cycle. A Skaven-Herald could be created that rewards different items that buff your Skaven-form in relation to their stage of progression or are possibly even equipped by your Skaven-form. The bonuses inferred are different based on the Class and the level of progression in their hierarchy that they have obtained. Rat Ogres could gain more powerful mutations. Packmasters would have their buffs enhanced and maybe even be able to confer mutations on the Rat Ogres they oversee. Warlock Engineers could gain access to more devastating weapons and modifications. Gutter Runners could have their abilities enhanced as well as gain access to fun toys to use on the battlefield.
These items could use the standard Live Event timer that counts down from the moment the Event goes live so as to facilitate a hard reset of the system each week. In this way, all players have the ability to progress to the upper echelon, but those that invest more time in the process get to spend more time at that level before the system resets. The hard reset is in keeping with the lore of the short-term memory of heroic feats that marks the lower levels of Skaven society.
5. Summary
What was the point of all this again? I forget… ~giggle~
As you can (hopefully) see, the proposed Skaven changes are both rich in possibilities and actually keep to the lore in a manner befitting all sides, even if it is a little bit of a stretch on a player-based role-playing level at times. The information Bioware Mythic has announced so far lends itself to what appears to be a fairly straightforward method of integrating the different themes of the upcoming RvR packs with the planned changes to Open RvR. It also points to what looks like a very fun and varied instanced battlefield for high RR players to clash against each other while earning some much-desired items. Have you see the proposed Armor Sets yet? Good lord, they're wild! If the other items introduced with the RvR packs are anything like these, people will finally have a very strong motivation to up their Renown Rank and buy the RvR packs. :p
As for the Skaven Conundrum, by "skinning" a system like the one I proposed over the top of the proposed implementation of the Skaven Classes, you would take care of the issue of lack of progression while making sure that players don't just "max out" each of their Skaven and then forget about them. This system requires frequent use to maintain a good balance between progression and power and does so in a manner befitting the lore.
Speaking of the lore, and going off on a completely unannounced tangent (imagine that), the introduction of something of this scale screams unique Live Event. Following with the Skaven-form idea and mixing it with the lore about the machinations of the Grey Seers, I leave you with one possible storyline for a Live Event introducing Skaven to WAR. But first, until next time…
Have fun!
"Great times are upon us!" squeaked Seerlord Kritislik, rubbing his paws together fervently. As First Seat on the Council of Thirteen, he was rarely as excited as he was on this day.
As he exited the Great Temple of the Horned Rat, he turned and his gaze climbed slowly up the Shattered Tower until it was drawn instinctively to Morrslieb, hanging so low in the sky so as to seem almost alongside the Tower. It had risen there, full and sickly, thirteen days before at a time when every Grey Seer had happened to be in Skavenblight. The annual feast of Vermintide was upon them and the portent meant only one thing: the time had come for the next phase of the Great Horned Rat's plan to go into motion.
It had taken an unprecedented level of scheming and machinations, not to mention liberal use of Clan Eshin, to get the rest of the Council of Thirteen to approve this phase as it meant lifting the veil of secrecy they had shrouded themselves with for centuries. It was well worth the cost though, as the chaos this would create in the world would leave it more vulnerable than it had ever been and would set the stage for the return of the Great Horned Rat himself.
First things first though, the Clan Mors and Clan Rictus were to be sent out into the world and, with the support of the Greater clans, they would weave a deception unlike any attempted before. One would attack the Forces of Destruction, the other the Forces of Order. Each would do their best to appear to be working in tandem with the opposing Realm while messengers would approach the king-things of the Forces and offer up their assistance as mercenaries in the war to help counter the efforts of what would be said to be a "fractious, wholly unsupported group of Skaven" in exchange for payment in warpstone.
Fighting alongside both the Forces of Order and Destruction, the two Clans would work to assure the ultimate mutual annihilation of both sides at which point the rest of the Skaven clans could rise up against both sides at once and finally complete their long-awaited plans of world-wide domination. With the Great Horned Rat's blessing, they wouldn't suspect a thing. The Seerlord eyes sparkled.
"Yes-yes…your doom is coming…"
GSF permalinkOctober 6, 2010 7:32 pm
How do you see this new Skaven aspect of the game fitting in with the current design of three realms battling and the LotD? It seems to me that the Skaven aspect would fit like the LotD in that it is another opportuinity for the two sides to play against each other without taking away from the capstone event of capturing capitol cities.
Yet, I am concerned about the/your idea that the new RR90 and RR100 armour sets are Skaven made. It strikes me as counterintuitive that the Skaven would make better armor than the Elder Races and that anyone but Skaven would wear it. I'm not looking to argue with your thinking rather get a little more of your perspective.
October 7, 2010 8:24 am
I'm excited about Skaven, but I want to sit on the fence to see how the RvR packs pan out
Sancralaïs permalinkOctober 8, 2010 7:03 am
Thanks for that, it's a great work you've done for us all. I'm discovering that I really love skaven background, it's excellent.
October 12, 2010 5:42 am
Nice post! As for the dungeon, it seems very likely that those will be the bosses. The Dungeon itself is called Thanquol's Incursion (TI) leaving me to believe its the underground tunnels beneath the zone you were fighting in rather than in the Skaven area. As for the fights, I believe Thanquol will be the final fight and that when he is almost killed he (true to the lore) runs off in some way. Meaning we won't actually get to defeat him just yet.
As to the loot, I figure each boss will either drop set items or be dropping a (or some) tokens which you can use to buy the new armor with (perhaps at the new blacksmith npc I mentioned?). The latter would actually make more sense as it's a 24 instance and having non usable loot drops would be quite harsh.