January 19 2000 RussCon Report

The RussCon Management regrets any confusion caused by last week's erroneous date (January 12 19100). Those responsible have been sacked. Those responsible for the sacking of those responsible have been sacked. No llamas were harmed.

18 people, 18 games.

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Top Ten Voting Continues One More Week:

Thanks to those who have voted already. I've received 10 ballots so far, which is a good start, but I know more of you hold strong opinions on the best RussCon games of the millennium. We can do better than 10 ballots. Make your voice heard! Vote today! It's your duty, citizen! Sustain the Republic of RussCon! One person CAN make a difference! Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom! We shall fight them on the seas and oceans! Damn the torpedoes! Are you threatening me? I seek TP for my bunghole!

Email me your list of 10 (or fewer) favorite RussCon games (sorted from favorite on downward). And tell me your favorite 1999 movies too, if you're a movie fan. Final results appear next week.

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Game Results:

Frank'sZoo 5 JeffF 4 RussW 2 Clayton 0 JonathanR -2 Marty -4
Prisma 2 Marty 1 JP -1
Prisma 2 JP 1 Marty -1
GolfMania 6 Bob 5 Jay 3 Jerrie 0 Tim 0 Steve -3 Alfred -5
FormulaDe 5 Allen 4 RussW 2 Clayton 0 JeffF -2 JonathanR -4
HongKong 2 Marty 1 Alfred -1
Nile 5 Daniel 3 Steve 3 Marty -1 Tim -1 Alfred -4
Vinci 4 Jay 3 Bob 1 Jerrie -1 JP -3
HongKong 2 Bob 1 JP -1
TrainsportSwitzerland 4 Allen 3 RussW 1 JonathanR -1 JeffF -3
Raj 2 JeffF 1 JP -1
Burp 4 Steve 3 Marty -1 Daniel -1 Alfred -1
Raj 4 Allen 3 RussW 1 JP -1 JeffF -3
Frank'sZoo 5 JeffF 4 JP 2 RussW 0 Alfred -2 Allen -4
Torres 4 James 3 DaveB 1 Darin -1 William -3
Stephenson'sRocket 4 James 3 Darin 1 William -1 DaveB -3
ZirkusFlohcati 3 James 2 William 0 Daniel -2
Bluff 3 William 2 Daniel 0 James -2

I played a couple games of Frank's Zoo, which is sort of like Great Dalmuti but with dynamically changing partners. It's pretty fun, though it has a fair number of odd special case rules that seemed to confuse many of us at first. And for some reason I continually mixed up Mosquitoes and Mice. Pesky little M-critters.

Finally the popular Formula De showed up at RussCon! I'd been wanting to play this car race game for a long time since it's talked about a lot on rec.games.board. It was pretty fun, though suicidal driver JonathanR may disagree.

Allen won great glory by not only breaking even but actually winning his first Trainsport game.

Burp looked like a very bizarre game with sticks and irregularly shaped rocks being stacked up precariously and spinning machinery pushing wooden disks around. That's all I know about it.

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Evening's Soundtrack:

Alice in Chains, Jar of Flies
Grasshopper and the Golden Crickets, The Orbit of Eternal Grace
The Mosquito Coast, Original Soundtrack Recording
U2, The Fly
Voice of the Beehive, Sex & Misery

Am I buggin' you? I don't mean to bug you.

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Rank ratings:
 0.7778 Bob (3 games played)
 0.7500 Jay (2)
 0.6000 James (4)
 0.4286 Allen (4)
 0.3333 RussW (5)
 0.2500 Steve (3)
 0.0526 JeffF (6)
 0.0000 Daniel (4)
 0.0000 Clayton (2)
 0.0000 Darin (2)
-0.1111 Tim (2)
-0.1250 Jerrie (2)
-0.2000 William (4)
-0.2857 JP (7)
-0.3333 DaveB (2)
-0.3571 Marty (6)
-0.6364 JonathanR (3)
-0.7647 Alfred (5)

New Win ratings:
 0.7000 James (4)
 0.6429 Allen (4)
 0.5556 Bob (3)
 0.4167 Steve (3)
 0.3158 JeffF (6)
 0.2500 Jay (2)
 0.0000 Daniel (4)
-0.1000 William (4)
-0.2143 Marty (6)
-0.2500 Clayton (2)
-0.2500 Jerrie (2)
-0.2727 JonathanR (3)
-0.2778 RussW (5)
-0.3333 Darin (2)
-0.3333 Tim (2)
-0.3333 DaveB (2)
-0.3529 Alfred (5)
-0.3571 JP (7)

Bob & James are Co-Devils! Jay & Allen are Co-Vice-Devils. JP wins the Dedicated Award.

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Links:

Total eclipse of the moon TONIGHT!!! (Thursday January 20 2000):
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEextra/TLE2000Jan20.html

Inexplicable anti-Canadian disclaimer at Glaxo Wellcome & SmithKline Beecham merger info website:
http://www.sb.com/disclaimer2.html
"This site is not provided for, or directed at Canadian persons. If you are a Canadian person or are viewing this page from Canada you must exit this part of the site by clicking on the 'I disagree' button."

Spend a little more on your Austin utility bill and support sustainable energy (wind & methane):
http://www.austinenergy.com/greenchoice/

Interesting web animation technology with sporadically humorous comics:
http://www.dotcomix.com/

I've been checking out yoga classes lately, and I found this a useful resource:
http://www.io.com/eds/yoga/

Whip me, spank me, gentrify me:
http://www.salon.com/health/sex/urge/2000/01/15/gentrification/index.html

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This RussCon Report is not provided for, or directed at Canadian persons. If you are a Canadian person or are viewing this text from Canada you must delete this email by clicking on the 'Delete' button.

Russ