Hey, everybody else has started a let's play and abandoned it. Lets Play X-Com!

[king.com]

Hey, Trazoi risked his life to find it.

Only fair he gets first crack at it.

Since when has ANYTHING about X-COM been fair?

[ZeroNumerous]

Hey, Trazoi risked his life to find it.

I understand sir. Let me go get my gun. Hey, unrelated note.. where does Trazoi bunk again?

[Gralamin]

Since when has ANYTHING about X-COM been fair?

fair: noun, free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules.

We have the following established rules:
1) What the Commander saids goes.
2) What Lopez saids goes.

So if the Commander or Lopez saids something, it must be fair

[EleventhHour]

Alien TV! Alien TV! Dibs!

Well, alright. Do you mind if I borrow the... uh... Wait, where's the remote?

[Cubey]

See, even the aliens see merits of my giant robot-with-lasers design. Only... theirs are not so giant after all. Maybe their production facilities are too small?

[Oslecamo]

Since when has ANYTHING about X-COM been fair?

I'll put flowers on your grave after you're executed for daring to question the commander's orders.

[Trazoi]

I understand sir. Let me go get my gun. Hey, unrelated note.. where does Trazoi bunk again?

I never sleep. Now we have Alien TV, there's no need.

[EleventhHour]

...and I see what you mean about not taking chances with Civilians and Chrysalids. I shot down the poor civvie, and he exploded into another evil beastie.

::And 'Check upstairs.' duty is almost as deadly as entering the UFO first.

[Johnny Blade]

I don't get what you think is so great about Alien TV.

I mean, I can't understand what's going on in these shows most of the time. Language barrier and one or two differences between our cultures, you know?


Although Eldan has been really helpful. Without him, I probably would have understood nothing at all.
I bet he has a degree in media science or something.

[Eldan]

Human Linguistics and Human History, actually. It was very helpful when getting a job with certain agencies. I'm of course talking about X-Com.

Also, it's helpful to note that the alien scumbags value the same entertainment as we aliens*, I mean humans do. This show here is a Survivor clone where musicians who were famous last year get sent on terror missions where Lopez will show up. That's a rather boring quiz show where the winner get's a brand new TV-ball, and that thing where life sized replica of Kngiht and Lopez are burned at the stake is the religion channel.


*That was actually a typo I made without being in character.

[Winterwind]

and that thing where life sized replica of Kngiht and Lopez are burned at the stake is the religion channel.

...because the aliens believe being burnt is what appeases angry gods, or what?

[Eldan]

Never been to one of those quaint european ceremonies where gigantic replicas of evil spirits are burned or hunted out of town with loud noise? They still have those every year here in switzerland at the end of winter. Of course, these have endured a millenium of different religions and a few thousand more years of history and few people remember what they originally meant, but it's still essentially the same custom.

[Winterwind]

Oh, I know that's what you were referring to. I merely wanted to indicate that, considering the sheer badassery of the two people (well, man and tank) you mentioned, I am rather doubtful the aliens would consider them mere evil spirits to be driven out. Vengeful, angered gods that have come upon them in the endtime of their species sounds more like it.

[Artanis]

::And 'Check upstairs.' duty is almost as deadly as entering the UFO first.

That's why I just blast away the walls

[Oslecamo]

That's why I just blast away the walls

Just the walls? In some terror missions I just raze down everything I see and shoot the aliens as they come out of the rubble whitout leaving my position.

[Artanis]

Well, I didn't mean only the walls. More like just went ahead and started shooting terrain.

Yet another reason for keeping laser rifles in the late game

[EleventhHour]

Well, I didn't mean only the walls. More like just went ahead and started shooting terrain.

Yet another reason for keeping laser rifles in the late game

I was stuck taking out the entire floor because I accidentally shot the staircase, after my one guy died.

[BRC]

I Got Bored
X-Comic #7
The Leftovers Dilemma

Spoiler

Show

[Tengu_temp]

Judging by the incantation, we're in a crossover with Harry Potter?

[BRC]

Judging by the incantation, we're in a crossover with Harry Potter?

Not an Incantation so much as a Battle Cry.

[Winterwind]

The choice to let Knight at them first might backfire though. By the time it's the other guys' turn, there won't be much left of those Mutons.

[BRC]

The choice to let Knight at them first might backfire though. By the time it's the other guys' turn, there won't be much left of those Mutons.

When Alex Knight wants to go First, you don't tell him to get in line.

[Artanis]

When Alex Knight wants to go First, you don't tell him to get in line.

Unless it's at the front of the line, of course.

[Tengu_temp]

Not an Incantation so much as a Battle Cry.

Aha! That makes sense. It's pretty cruel they took the cook to a mission, though. I mean, who's going to keep us fed if he gets shot?

[Winterwind]

When Alex Knight wants to go First, you don't tell him to get in line.

No, I guess not.
You three should have tried to let him know last, after the others had their fun already. Could have charged more people this way.

[Alex Knight]

No, I guess not.
You three should have tried to let him know last, after the others had their fun already. Could have charged more people this way.

My psychic powers are pretty focused to letting me know when there's something to thwack.

[BRC]

My psychic powers are pretty focused to letting me know when there's something to thwack.

...You posted that while I was making this

Spoiler

Show

[Winterwind]

Well, that clarifies everything.

[chiasaur11]

Colonel Alex Knight's VIOLENCE LOG. 29 July 1999.

Well, it's been tough dealing with the wimps at this base. All these demands about "Food" and "Something to do other than killing aliens." The new laser HWP, Sheila, is nowhere near Lopez's level of dedication to destruction. And most of the troops seem to have an entirely moronic attitude about the aliens. Something about "A threat", "Being careful" and similar nonsense. I've tried to beat some sense into them, but I have no idea how much of it took.

Only one way to find out. Send them into battle against their fears, and beat any cowards until they stop being cowards and become either X-COMers or corpses.



"Alright men! Death and glory!"
"Don't you mean 'Or'?"
"Murska, you don't know Knight. Kane and I served at GiantintheX-COM. He's the only man on Earth who makes Commander Chiasaur look like Jimmy #(*$ing Stewart."

Obviously, Morale was in the toilet. Not one cry of "Kill the Xeno!", no one saying "Gee it's swell I get to die for X-COM". I decided to deal with the problem by example.

"Right. I'll assault the UFO singlehandedly, capture any Mutons crewing it for interrogation, and restore X-COM's lost honor from Pie Guy's pathetic excuse for a mission."
I was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm for this plan.
Pie guy seemed to be weeping tears of joy, perhaps from seeing how a real leader commands.
"You do that sir. We're (Here he coughed. Poor morale seems to encourage diseases.) all going to miss you for the *coughKnight'sadeadmancough* brief time you're gone."

When I was heading for the UFO, Pie Guy apparantly spotted a Muton and shot it with heavy plasma. Good for a start, maybe, but ranged weapons are all too often a sign of cowardice.

Rapture and Kane seemed to be talking about something.
"He's at the UFO. Ten bucks says he's dead the second he lands."
"He made Colonel, didn't he? I say he'll survive long enough to injure one of these guys."

I entered the UFO. Seemed I'd inadvertantly landed in a large fire, between two Muton security guards. Ah, well. Needed to warm up my thwacking arm anyway.

"He dead?"
"No. Sadly."

No idea what Pie guy was talking about there. Maybe some mascot animal or something.

"Pie guy? Check the Muton you shot earlier. He might be alive, and you can redeem yourself for the earlier debacle. Kill him with your bare hands."


Meanwhile, the tank and I rounded up a last straggler.

Seems he was resistant to the thwacking stick. Laser fire, less so. Some Mutons don't understand the basic laws of physics! Thwacking beats everything. His cunning failure to understand this had nearly protected him from X-COM's proper vengeance.


Sadly, Pie Guy didn't get a chance to tear a Muton up with his hands. Rapture had been testing out the stun launchers. I bet Pie Guy was devastated not to get a warrior's death. Poor guy...

Interrogations of prisoners began in the landing craft. We didn't get far. Nothing but nonsense syllables.
"Stop beating me, I'll tell you everything!"
"We're just scientists for heaven's sake!"
"I have a family!"
And one of them eventually stopped moving after a beating. No idea what was going on there, other than typical alien cowardice.

Maybe the commander can figure it out. Sending them over.

[BRC]

They have developed a Thwack-Resistant Muton!
Cubey, We need more THWACK, Immediately. If Alex is deprived of his one source of emotional output, he'll be forced to take up Poetry or Painting to vent his intense hatred of everything ever, but especially Xenos.