Ragnarok: Temple Of Doom

<div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8hQP3LvCCQijrCeo0FzPjMHua-7NOCzBy31UbwPzlwbH5lKCj7T2VEyxhH2yY2VWpUs9lJa2RJjRR1QGO5nziUvIYqiTK-2ULeg4nVyGYWpwVvKRZhpKrI-MdTxzN9TOIu-MyBBe7cc/s1600/ragnarok_075.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8hQP3LvCCQijrCeo0FzPjMHua-7NOCzBy31UbwPzlwbH5lKCj7T2VEyxhH2yY2VWpUs9lJa2RJjRR1QGO5nziUvIYqiTK-2ULeg4nVyGYWpwVvKRZhpKrI-MdTxzN9TOIu-MyBBe7cc/s400/ragnarok_075.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>You win some, you lose some.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>            </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ah, roguelikes. There's no other sub-genre in which this kind of narrative makes any sense:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">            </div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="text-align: justify;">When I walked into the room, I saw a deadly asp on the other side of it. I didn't want him to get too close, so I killed him with my shurikens. I wanted to eat his corpse to get intrinsic poison resistance, but I didn't have any artificial resistance, so I knew trying would kill me. I had three unidentified rings, one of which might have been a Ring of Immunity, which would have protected me from poison while I ate him, but I only had one Scroll of Identification, and I was hoping to hold onto until I found a Scroll of Blessing because blessed Scrolls of Identification identify everything in your pack. I tried one of the rings blind, but it turned out to be a Ring of Relocation, and it teleported me to another part of the dungeon. While I was trying to make it back, I stepped in quicksand and started to drown. The only thing I could think to do was drink an unidentified potion, hoping it was a Potion of Phasing, but it turned out to be a Potion of Lycanthropy, and my character dropped all his stuff when he changed into a werewolf, then ran around the dungeon killing everything he encountered for a few minutes. Eventually, he turned back into a man, but I got killed by another deadly asp before I could get back to my equipment. <i>C'est la vie</i>.</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">                 </div><div style="text-align: justify;">There's so much to learn, and enough that works differently from <i>NetHack</i> that I'm not sure if my previous <i>NetHack</i> knowledge is a blessing or a curse--an apropos phrase, as I spent forever trying to figure out how to use Holy Water to remove curses and/or bless things before coming to the conclusion that it simply doesn't work that way in this game. As far as I can tell, Holy Water just increases your luck. You have to find Scrolls of Dispel Hex and Blessing to do the other things. But if you do find a Scroll of Blessing, a good use for it is to bless your Scroll of Identification, because blessed Scrolls of Identification identify all your items, not just several as in <i>NetHack</i>. To find monsters on the level, I don't want a Potion of Monster Detection; I want a Potion of Depredation, which sounds like a bad thing. If you do find any "bad" potions, don't save them to throw at enemies because that doesn't work here.<br />           <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8iZxtRKVOGoBy5x5N0pk1bViuZjAPrN5JMH8sn-xxQ7az1CQFUA_6a0RwwigmHHq7wibekn9djdpQYR_-eeRnlHiaShsPJPsGOlVsQbo_XQBOLtWZUNMBqMhVTNbldENgUov5sWXrs4/s1600/ragnarok_039.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8iZxtRKVOGoBy5x5N0pk1bViuZjAPrN5JMH8sn-xxQ7az1CQFUA_6a0RwwigmHHq7wibekn9djdpQYR_-eeRnlHiaShsPJPsGOlVsQbo_XQBOLtWZUNMBqMhVTNbldENgUov5sWXrs4/s400/ragnarok_039.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>And maybe stay away from mushrooms entirely.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>             </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The worst part is the monsters. While <i>NetHack</i> and <i>Ragnarok</i> have a lot of overlaps in terms of equipment, the bestiary is almost entirely new. It makes good use of Norse mythology, yay, but I've got to learn every enemy's special attacks and weaknesses again. I started keeping a list of enemies to particularly avoid, but it ended up including almost all enemies. Jacchuses give you a disease that prevents you from healing. Kalvins pluck your eyes out. Pale Mosses destroy your brain tissue, which causes you to forget potions, scrolls, and such that you've already identified. Ramapiths toss fireballs. Red oozes devour your weapons and can't even be killed by regular weapons. Ulls disorient you; Predens give you fevers; Retchweed makes you hungry; Gas balls deafen you; Pelgrats suck charges from wands that you carry. I've barely gotten started.<br />            <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLWzMXtFr11BDoU24LE4dcMglczQZwPz9X-KAoj7a-ZVICp3yn0QwKjqeokWnM3jy312fQVfm12ye4rvuPV_ALGzRuWQgzu30Rl8H6HugNu1N5-JVIMAaQtVc8cUmLBZg9Bu7z147Sd8/s1600/ragnarok_047.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLWzMXtFr11BDoU24LE4dcMglczQZwPz9X-KAoj7a-ZVICp3yn0QwKjqeokWnM3jy312fQVfm12ye4rvuPV_ALGzRuWQgzu30Rl8H6HugNu1N5-JVIMAaQtVc8cUmLBZg9Bu7z147Sd8/s400/ragnarok_047.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I had lycanthropy for a while. It was worse for the other creatures in the dungeon.</i><br /><i></i></td></tr></tbody></table>           </div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've spent a lot of time debating whether to try to eat slain enemies or not. <i>Ragnarok</i> doesn't seem to have as many enemies whose corpses give intrinsic protection, but they're definitely there. The aforementioned asps will give you poison resistance if you can survive eating them. Fire dragons confer fire resistance. I haven't found much else. What I can tell you is that troll corpses do <i>not</i> confer regeneration, wight corpses do not give you experience, and giants do not give you strength.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Ragnarok</i> seems to offer more items and monsters that rearrange the physical environment than other roguelikes. In <i>NetHack, </i>you could take a pick-axe to just about every solid part of a level, and you can do that here, too, but there are also traps that fill rooms with water or lava, cause the ceiling to collapse, or replace all the external walls with monsters. There's a scroll that summons lava, and another that randomly plants trees wherever you are. There's an artifact called a "disruption horn" that you can use in the doorway of a room to cause the ceiling to cave in, killing whatever monsters are there (you get the experience!). A creature called a "mudman" leaves gobs of mud everywhere. There's a wand that just blasts the hell out of everything you point it at, including floors, walls, and anything in between.<br />           <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhkokvjD2wsmF1wTvOs5UtOQWqa4JMjmagXacuf0VDqGVU4Hntah1Zk9DRVychLOC3nX-H0S_9ipfnITi-Bw4HkuV2Up2f7bpkDo3pmcEqrZeidmONRqF7xRl7G2tvs-jxuOjW6aow3A/s1600/ragnarok_057.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhkokvjD2wsmF1wTvOs5UtOQWqa4JMjmagXacuf0VDqGVU4Hntah1Zk9DRVychLOC3nX-H0S_9ipfnITi-Bw4HkuV2Up2f7bpkDo3pmcEqrZeidmONRqF7xRl7G2tvs-jxuOjW6aow3A/s400/ragnarok_057.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Using my horn to collapse the ceiling on a roomful of deadly moss.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>            </div><div style="text-align: justify;">I spent seven hours exploring the dungeon beneath the forest, and I have nothing at all to show for it yet. It's three levels with nine maps per level--as big as <i>Rogue</i> by itself. Commenters were right: the game got a <i>lot</i> harder once I left the forest. I've been trying not to abuse the backup system too much, but thank the gods it's there. Some of my more amusing deaths include:<br /><br /><ul><li>I stepped on a mist trap, which confused me. Confused characters in this game sometimes randomly use their items, and in this case, I ate a mushroom that turned the whole world hallucinogenic before killing me.</li></ul><ul><li>I ate some creature that turned out to be made of lava.</li></ul><ul><li>I stepped on a trap that turned all the surrounding walls into wizards, who quickly surrounded and killed me.</li></ul>            <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFpkPOMPPq2s8upQgb9wpIv_jxHyl_quM8uyv6zYtmQWefT2EmzI-ELO8iwsowzPtso3k47OYEzk8Wy8MSG43lqcQLxI0iL8OxUWNIK4cSDa2PP9fcjARz9CakK1i6ia_Q5wronwx_RY/s1600/ragnarok_050.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFpkPOMPPq2s8upQgb9wpIv_jxHyl_quM8uyv6zYtmQWefT2EmzI-ELO8iwsowzPtso3k47OYEzk8Wy8MSG43lqcQLxI0iL8OxUWNIK4cSDa2PP9fcjARz9CakK1i6ia_Q5wronwx_RY/s400/ragnarok_050.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>At least the hill giant probably won't make it out, either.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>          <br /><ul><li>The one below didn't kill me, but it made life hard enough that I reloaded.</li></ul>          <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9lm0wFhdc2GHPLfZVBC-JPTY8O3HIiPBDMLWMDJbcZYDlNZYNW2ZzEh2yadJ0qTJBDmq0vxAmrfSj2I1jrVQXTgWedPSN0WO8p9mPY6kXWUFwZRCM31VNmrvR_53tXK2_N0BsgbCCvk/s1600/ragnarok_058.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9lm0wFhdc2GHPLfZVBC-JPTY8O3HIiPBDMLWMDJbcZYDlNZYNW2ZzEh2yadJ0qTJBDmq0vxAmrfSj2I1jrVQXTgWedPSN0WO8p9mPY6kXWUFwZRCM31VNmrvR_53tXK2_N0BsgbCCvk/s400/ragnarok_058.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>What kind of potion was that!?</i></td></tr></tbody></table>          <br />One of my most heartbreaking deaths came late in this session, when I had just come across a Wand of Wishing. These are as useful here as they are in <i>NetHack</i> except I don't really know the specific names of the best equipment to wish for. Since I'd already activated the first wish by using it at all, I wished for one of the only high-level items whose name I reliably knew: Mjollnir. For some reason, I got a sword instead. Before I even had a chance to investigate it, a bartok came wandering into the room and killed me with a sonic wail. My previous save was well before this area was seeded with equipment. Lesson learned: save after you find Wands of Wishing.<br />            <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEimVXcuJPFfhyphenhyphenpCmIWyJYOOh82fx635WwmS5ec37Z4sEfKWeapmxohCixdm0Uj40KPC4UB4OUlzpvC1_UVc_9Q_naM819vxMFoupyYfZwyXEeleozsdRFxmV-S0Z-OA5OcnXG8Wwu1k/s1600/ragnarok_059.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEimVXcuJPFfhyphenhyphenpCmIWyJYOOh82fx635WwmS5ec37Z4sEfKWeapmxohCixdm0Uj40KPC4UB4OUlzpvC1_UVc_9Q_naM819vxMFoupyYfZwyXEeleozsdRFxmV-S0Z-OA5OcnXG8Wwu1k/s400/ragnarok_059.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>In retrospect, the best answer would have been: "I wish I wasn't so excited about having found a Wand of Washing that I'm failing to notice the dude coming up from the southeast."</i></td></tr></tbody></table>        <br />A lot of my woes are equipment-related. I'm constantly over-encumbered, made worse by the fact that I don't understand how a lot of stuff works. But there are good things to report. I have a full set of armor, including a "holocaust cloak," which protects against fire and I think is an homage to <i>The Princess Bride</i>. I have both a Ring of Locus Mastery and a Ring of Relocation. This means that every 12-100 rounds, I get teleported, but I can direct my destination location. It gets me out of a lot of fights and traps, and if I don't want to move, I can just specify the next square I was going to walk into anyway. It would be nicer to have these powers as intrinsics, but with the ability to equip 8 rings, you don't feel like you're wasting a slot as much as you do in <i>NetHack</i>.<br />            <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfYxkI0LZpdCPL4itWcjZnsbFBkcqgyHoupqU0ev5poB6DZeaGc-A2aK7V1TjzE3hrGu8qQ_XePDNC1SG-02VDj6PwdY0jZCjOKb_BnGRMd9D1ta1QkWRnpUE2jerwDVb5feSugZXATw/s1600/ragnarok_063.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfYxkI0LZpdCPL4itWcjZnsbFBkcqgyHoupqU0ev5poB6DZeaGc-A2aK7V1TjzE3hrGu8qQ_XePDNC1SG-02VDj6PwdY0jZCjOKb_BnGRMd9D1ta1QkWRnpUE2jerwDVb5feSugZXATw/s400/ragnarok_063.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Thankfully, my Ring of Translocation will eventually get me out of here.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>          <br />In other good news, a blessed Scroll of Enhancement empowered my silver sword up to +9. In bad news, a red slime then ate the sword. Then I found another blessed Scroll of Enhancement and got a spear up to +15. You have to roll with the punches in roguelikes.<br /><br />Two Scrolls of Knowledge bestowed my character with the "Terraforming" and "Identification" abilities. I haven't tried the former yet, but the latter seems to render Scrolls of Identification moot. I wish I'd known to wish for Scrolls of Knowledge back when I had that Wand of Wishing.<br />            <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtoEt4US5tbkxK2E97ny1CG41bUQZih9vNQltKqbvPg-kXT2SU7STnURFpY9sy9GsBm6sREle_DAmXSQF0X8KKD5dVXgK_ZEkTurGriSaHecD9_bNGTCzTTwmrcyt9gfNLmUxGnLlvzs/s1600/ragnarok_069.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtoEt4US5tbkxK2E97ny1CG41bUQZih9vNQltKqbvPg-kXT2SU7STnURFpY9sy9GsBm6sREle_DAmXSQF0X8KKD5dVXgK_ZEkTurGriSaHecD9_bNGTCzTTwmrcyt9gfNLmUxGnLlvzs/s400/ragnarok_069.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>That's one logistical concern I no longer have to deal with.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>            <br />On Level 2, I found an enemy named Scyld, who was so powerful that I assumed he must be some kind of "level boss" and likely in possession of one of the quest items. I reloaded half a dozen times before I finally killed him, but it turns out he didn't have anything special.<br />             <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELXlIE9fRb_fUrjrCTKsQG35dnGWLXqFunTdU3QMTad76iKGUuEN9cw43tusODOQDqTiRXh0O9h6gzRgaafrA_IiLAiga3Yk5L_N7pA36ofuHHhE4hDcNcvJiR7J_nYRPrv9IP9qbtc4/s1600/ragnarok_067.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELXlIE9fRb_fUrjrCTKsQG35dnGWLXqFunTdU3QMTad76iKGUuEN9cw43tusODOQDqTiRXh0O9h6gzRgaafrA_IiLAiga3Yk5L_N7pA36ofuHHhE4hDcNcvJiR7J_nYRPrv9IP9qbtc4/s400/ragnarok_067.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This seemed like a unique enemy, so I thought there would be more to him.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>           <br />The real conclusion of the dungeon came via a hole I found on Level 2, which led to some kind of temple, preceded by a title screen. The game strikes a good balance between random level generation and some fixed level content, as this particular level shows. Its enemies are chiefly "guardians," who root in place unless you walk next to them, at which point they become hostile and generally kill me in two or three blows. My teleportation abilities plus careful navigating led me to avoid most of them.<br />           <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMVdPawg6hDn7QuTF2-zADMpAcUuNHR3wkx2ADQDrLcbf4NJv9F5Vuif48M-_NHRm6qlRg9ncVbGNdJ44MNlubK3wi_6HHTfvWqKqXyfdXyuWyQUGB0_-FD-Cw3XG6Rs-52UviFhaNJA/s1600/ragnarok_070.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMVdPawg6hDn7QuTF2-zADMpAcUuNHR3wkx2ADQDrLcbf4NJv9F5Vuif48M-_NHRm6qlRg9ncVbGNdJ44MNlubK3wi_6HHTfvWqKqXyfdXyuWyQUGB0_-FD-Cw3XG6Rs-52UviFhaNJA/s400/ragnarok_070.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Entering the temple. These special screens help create an atmosphere lacking in a lot of roguelikes.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>             <br />I soon encountered a warrior named Hrethel, standing on a stump with a noose around his neck. He pleaded for freedom, but I had options to kick out the stump and do nothing instead of setting him free. (Note that the developers, finding no good way to operate this encounter with the usual game commands, just provided a special options menu. In both this and the graphics, the authors of <i>Ragnarok</i> show more flexibility than a lot of roguelike authors.) Of course, I chose to free him. The grateful Hrethel joined my character, but before I had a chance to figure out what that really <i>meant</i>, the god Vidur attacked and killed me instantly.<br />            <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLucKpZNH3eUHS2xr0xaKWbJvEvB-PIOm_yMoTNJOYJEHzXiVY3L6Ai-s-CXy2sQT-6Hch8-b5lHQPRAFOfYHDBZxA6HBXhw8k2FKiZPBGJssanAGy9E592nt2kaISvoGWCO0DbN5vvQ/s1600/ragnarok_074.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLucKpZNH3eUHS2xr0xaKWbJvEvB-PIOm_yMoTNJOYJEHzXiVY3L6Ai-s-CXy2sQT-6Hch8-b5lHQPRAFOfYHDBZxA6HBXhw8k2FKiZPBGJssanAGy9E592nt2kaISvoGWCO0DbN5vvQ/s400/ragnarok_074.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I like that the game supports these special options in addition to the usual plethora of roguelike commands.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>            <br />In subsequent trials, I learned that Vidur always gets angry and appears if you rescue any of the three captives on the level. If I chug a Potion of Speed, I can act as often as Vidur and can wound him, but he always pounds away my hit points in two or three turns. My Orb of Imprisonment doesn't work on him. Neither (it seems) do several wands. He has no special attacks (so far), but his physical attacks are devastating. I'm going to roam around the dungeon some more and try to build my resources before giving him another run, as I have several unexplored screens on Level 3.<br /><br />I'm still enjoying <i>Ragnarok</i>, but I have a feeling it's going to be way too long. I also forgot how <i>exhausting</i> roguelikes are. You have to watch every step, pay attention to every message, and stop and think before every combat. Life and death can hinge upon whether you take a beat before entering a room, or whether you take a corner using a diagonal movement key or two lateral movement keys. <i>NetHack</i> taught me to stop, pause, and think between moves, which serves me well here, but it also means that it seems to take forever to get through a level and yet you still have to pay rapt attention.<br /><br />The lack of permadeath helps, of course. I'm quite careful to save every 200 turns and usually glad that I did. It means that I have a reasonable chance of getting through the game without having to look at spoilers, since underestimating an enemy or misdiagnosing a piece of equipment doesn't mean that I'm starting over from scratch. But 200 turns are more to make up than they sound, and it's especially jarring when, thanks to the nature of randomization, the same stuff doesn't happen the second time.<br /><br />Because of reader comments, I never did switch to the <i>Valhalla</i> version of the game. It's a more apt name, since far more of my characters will have ended up there than at Ragnarok.<br /><br /><b><i>Time so far: </i></b><i>10 hours</i></div>

Ragnarok: Temple Of Doom

You win some, you lose some.             Ah, roguelikes. There's no other sub-genre in which this kind of narrative makes any sense:    ...

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Results Of MSSA's 10Th Annual Online Championships For High Schools

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHCXQZaMxFgUzReuD3BGrizartWQSfDXE4MpTQRHhSLvs5eo0xYupgTv560v4xqJacW5dBuaTfZ3oKCB0jMgqBAKUzRHvkmPnEYlASWtgWlYocSaqsnZVmDOE_SIvi_DNl8H8Z0eTjZs/s1600/20200208_113303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHCXQZaMxFgUzReuD3BGrizartWQSfDXE4MpTQRHhSLvs5eo0xYupgTv560v4xqJacW5dBuaTfZ3oKCB0jMgqBAKUzRHvkmPnEYlASWtgWlYocSaqsnZVmDOE_SIvi_DNl8H8Z0eTjZs/s640/20200208_113303.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northcliff High School grabbed the 'lion's share' of titles at MSSA's 10th Annual Online Championships for High Schools.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) held its 10th Annual Online Championships for High Schools on 8 February 2020.<br /><br />Teams from aroundd the country gathered at schools, or at previously approved locations, to fight for glory and honour.<br /><br />Judging by the winners  of each gamee title, it is becoming clear that certain schools are beginning to take ownership of the title. The schools are blessed with hard-working and dedicated educators who give up their own time to ensure the success of the school and the learner.<br /><br />It is interesting that with the educator moving from SAHETI to Redhill, success has followed the educator, which further re-inforces the belief that without proper management, the team has even greater odds to overcome.<br /><br />Another encouraging feature is that more provinces saw teams being awarded High School Provincial Colours. With five (5) provinces seeing colours being awarded, it is clear that Gauteng and Western Cape provinces no longer totally dominate esports in South Africa and that there is a more general standard of excellence than ever before.<br /><br />It should be noted that Provincial High School Colours are awarded immediately to the members of the team who win each and every game that they play in such 10th Annual Online Championships for High Schools.<br /><br />The members of the teams that have finished in the top three also immediatel qualify for 2020 National Team Trials. It is at such National Team Trials that MSSA shall select its team to attend International Esports Federation's (IESF) 12th World Championships - Eilat.<br /><br />The winners of MSSA's 10th Annual Online Championships for High Schools are:</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 0px;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><colgroup><col width="148"></col><col width="22"></col><col width="158"></col><col width="193"></col><col width="258"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 21px;"><td colspan="2" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Title"}" rowspan="1" style="background-color: #d9d9d9; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Title</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Team name"}" style="background-color: #d9d9d9; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Team name</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Club"}" style="background-color: #d9d9d9; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Club</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Colours"}" style="background-color: #d9d9d9; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Colours</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td colspan="2" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Clash Royale (Male)"}" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Clash Royale (Male)</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Dale Spolander"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Dale Spolander</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Northcliff High School"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Northcliff High School</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Gauteng High School Provincial"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Gauteng High School Provincial</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td colspan="2" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Clash Royale (Female)"}" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Clash Royale (Female)</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Suene du Toit"}" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Suene du Toit</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Northcliff High School"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Northcliff High School</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Gauteng High School Provincial"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Gauteng High School Provincial</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td colspan="2" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"CounterStrike: GO"}" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">CounterStrike: GO</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"HBS"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">HBS</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Redhill High School"}" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Redhill High School</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Gauteng High School Provincial"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Gauteng High School Provincial</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td colspan="2" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"DotA 2"}" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">DotA 2</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Pr0NHS"}" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Pr0NHS</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Northcliff High School"}" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Northcliff High School</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Gauteng High School Provincial"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Gauteng High School Provincial</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td colspan="2" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"FIFA'20 (PC)"}" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">FIFA'20 (PC)</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Andreas Photiou"}" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Andreas Photiou</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Sasolburg High School"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Sasolburg High School</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Free State High School Provincial"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Free State High School Provincial</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td colspan="2" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"FIFA'20 (PS4)"}" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">FIFA'20 (PS4)</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Blake Govender"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Blake Govender</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Oakhill School"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Oakhill School</span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td colspan="2" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"League of Legends"}" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">League of Legends</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Team GLC"}" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Team GLC</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Curro Grantleigh"}" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Curro Grantleigh</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"KwaZulu Natal High School Provincial"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">KwaZulu Natal High School Provincial</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td colspan="2" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Street Fighter V - Male"}" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Street Fighter V - Male</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Theunis van der Merwe"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Theunis van der Merwe</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Hoërskool Klerksdorp"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Hoërskool Klerksdorp</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"North West High School Provincial"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">North West High School Provincial</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td colspan="2" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Hearthstone"}" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Hearthstone</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Gray Craven"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Gray Craven</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Curro Aurora"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Curro Aurora</span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td colspan="2" data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Paladins"}" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Paladins</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"FiB Dragons JNR"}" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">FiB Dragons JNR</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Monument Park High School"}" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Monument Park High School</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Western Cape High School Provincial"}" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(204, 204, 204); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Western Cape High School Provincial</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Also read:</span><br /><ul style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2018/11/ensuring-gender-equity-in-esports.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ensuring gender equity in esports.</span></span></a></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2019/03/mssa-celebrates-its-women-who-have.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">MSSA celebrates its women who have earned Protea Colours.</span></span></a></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2018/12/why-schools-and-universities-should.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Why schools and universities should invest in esports</a>.</span></span></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2019/09/entry-fees-for-provincial-and-national.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Entry fees for Provincial and National Championships</span></span></a></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -15px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2020/01/how-school-club-affiliates-for-2020.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How school clubs affiliate for the 2020 season.</span></span></a></span></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2019/10/2020-calendar-of-events.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2020 Calendar of Events</span></span></a></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-various-events-held-by-mind-sports.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The various events held by Mind Sports South Africa.</span></span></a></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2018/12/why-schools-and-universities-should.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why schools and universities should invest in esports</span></span></a></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-new-national-team-selection-criteria.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">New National Team Selection Criteria</span></span></a></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2019/12/selecting-national-protea-teams-for.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Selecting the national Protea teams for Mind Sports South Africa.</span></span></a></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: blue; text-indent: -15px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-road-to-eilat.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The road to Eilat</span></a></span></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2018/11/mssa-to-nominate-candidates-for-iesfs.html" style="color: #33aaff; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">MSSA to nominate candidates for IESF's International Referee Workshop.</span></a></li></ul>

Results Of MSSA's 10Th Annual Online Championships For High Schools

Northcliff High School grabbed the 'lion's share' of titles at MSSA's 10th Annual Online Championships for High Schools. Min...

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Good Turnout At Gauteng Level 1 Umpire'S Course.

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTx9BIucfCxO1Cm9HD1CM5gJe3KcsL71t7ioofJp4iMF7HTPOy-9HJ2XudVyip3seWIL1JgcRx67sUd-TJKyWR4DzhisbZKC6sbzPPGBHG7k36Co7eD7Hk_D0EObobcbRphZJDI0r0SyA/s1600/All.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="1226" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTx9BIucfCxO1Cm9HD1CM5gJe3KcsL71t7ioofJp4iMF7HTPOy-9HJ2XudVyip3seWIL1JgcRx67sUd-TJKyWR4DzhisbZKC6sbzPPGBHG7k36Co7eD7Hk_D0EObobcbRphZJDI0r0SyA/s640/All.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">All the successful participants of MSSA's Gauteng level 1 umpire's course.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;">There is no doubt that in order for the standard of gaming to improve, all the support services attached to the industry need to also be improved upon.<br /><br />Thus Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA), pays particular atttention to the standard of umpiring, and has done so since its inception in 1985.<br /><br />MSSA's umpires, as as MSSA President Amanda Kwaza, claims, MSSA's front line, for it is the umpires that deal face-to-face with the competitive athletes at a competition, and often have to deal with the press and team management.<br /><br />Much falls on the broad shoulders of the umpires, making there herculean efforts of great importance and making the umpires a vital cog in the growth of MSSA's activities.<br /><br />Not only did the Gauteng Level 1 course see an increase in the total numbers attend, but it also saw the number of clubs, and the number of women increase. There were even participants from Botswana and Zimbabwe.<br /><br />MSSA's umpire's courses are the oldest established such courses among all of IESF's member national federations, and MSSA has had a system in place for accrediting umpires since 1988.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">With the increase of participation, it is clear that MSSA is continuing with solid sustainable growth, and will be ablee to deliver more-and-more to its member clubs, Registered Players, and the entire gaming community.<br /></span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Also read:</span></div><ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2018/12/why-schools-and-universities-should.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Why schools and universities should invest in esports</a>.</span></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2019/09/entry-fees-for-provincial-and-national.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">Entry fees for Provincial and National Championships</span></a></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2020/01/how-school-club-affiliates-for-2020.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: -15px;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">How school clubs affiliate for the 2020 season.</span></a></li></ul><ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2019/10/2020-calendar-of-events.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">2020 Calendar of Events</span></a></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-various-events-held-by-mind-sports.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">The various events held by Mind Sports South Africa.</span></a></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2018/12/why-schools-and-universities-should.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Why schools and universities should invest in esports</a>.</span></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-new-national-team-selection-criteria.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">New National Team Selection Criteria</span></a></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2019/12/selecting-national-protea-teams-for.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">Selecting the national Protea teams for Mind Sports South Africa.</span></a></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://mssa%27s%20umpiring%20course%20-%2025%20january%202020./" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">MSSA's umpiring course - 25 January 2020.</span></a></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2020/01/28th-old-edwardian-summer-championships.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">28th OLD EDWARDIAN SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIPS - 1 & 2 February 2020</span></a></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -15px;"><a href="https://esportscommentator.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-road-to-eilat.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">The road to Eilat</span></a></span></li></ul>

Good Turnout At Gauteng Level 1 Umpire'S Course.

All the successful participants of MSSA's Gauteng level 1 umpire's course. There is no doubt that in order for the standard of gamin...

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XCOM - The Long War Files

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmN6tAf74DmwdJXUia9nZDDxCDKo34xZSOkDCVL9adypvEbyxVirqH01kVjaDdlu4s1PoRVmq-7fRtxKtXEHAS8N7muWlCF61AAhYfMY00MFPARzqQlbYWk60zVZF6kIdDQ12SZZlYJ8/s1600/Mission+000+-+Table+of+Contents+-+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmN6tAf74DmwdJXUia9nZDDxCDKo34xZSOkDCVL9adypvEbyxVirqH01kVjaDdlu4s1PoRVmq-7fRtxKtXEHAS8N7muWlCF61AAhYfMY00MFPARzqQlbYWk60zVZF6kIdDQ12SZZlYJ8/s320/Mission+000+-+Table+of+Contents+-+001.jpg" width="320" /></a>I recently became obsessed with <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XCOM%3A_Enemy_Unknown">XCOM: Enemy Unknown</a></i> and decided to try out the player made overhaul known as "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_War_(mod)">Long War</a>" which expands the base game to be exceptionally difficult and in most regards more like an actual war. I decided to blog the exploits of my team in a yet unnamed project. I'd like each post in the series to be a stand-alone short story about the experiences of those involved - with some scattered pictures of the mission highlights. One of the greatest parts of the XCOM series is the stories it generates about these characters and their ordeals. I hope to capture some of that and share it here in this writing project.<br /><br /><br /><br /><u>Table of Contents</u><br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://topgamingblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/shattered-apollo_96.html">Mission 1 - Shattered Apollo</a></li><li><a href="http://topgamingblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/severed-line-xcom-files.html">Mission 2 - Severed Line</a></li><li><a href="https://topgamingblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/casualty-report-spectral-vanguard-xcom.html">Casualty Report - Spectral Vanguard</a></li></ul>

XCOM - The Long War Files

I recently became obsessed with XCOM: Enemy Unknown and decided to try out the player made overhaul known as " Long War " which e...

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Brave Browser the Best privacy-focused Browser of 2020

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmHTIy6IKrMvLtj6IgARWk1f-9cYUa0vir2XKUHFAeeRPCOP91_yeM9fBnkl0PemOs5uaW-QTxHArs7tv0Ft3HIRm72ZqyTwMsQDLZV34RLbWeaO2k5gmU_-bzjy0Q_xoRPjmtag2nW0/s1600/brave_browser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="824" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmHTIy6IKrMvLtj6IgARWk1f-9cYUa0vir2XKUHFAeeRPCOP91_yeM9fBnkl0PemOs5uaW-QTxHArs7tv0Ft3HIRm72ZqyTwMsQDLZV34RLbWeaO2k5gmU_-bzjy0Q_xoRPjmtag2nW0/s400/brave_browser.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><br><p>Out of all the privacy-focused products and apps available on the market, Brave has been voted the best. Other winners of Product Hunt's Golden Kitty awards showed that there was a huge interest in privacy-enhancing products and apps such as chats, maps, and other collaboration tools.</p><h2>An extremely productive year for Brave</h2><p>Last year has been a pivotal one for the crypto industry, but few companies managed to see the kind of success <a href="http://bit.ly/brave_software/">Brave</a> did. Almost every day of the year has been packed witch action, as the company managed to officially launch its browser, get its <a href="http://bit.ly/brave_software">Basic Attention Token</a> out, and onboard hundreds of thousands of verified publishers on its rewards platform.</p><p>Luckily, the effort Brave has been putting into its product hasn't gone unnoticed.</p><p>The company's revolutionary browser has been voted the best privacy-focused product of 2019, for which it received a Golden Kitty award. The awards, hosted by Product Hunt, were given to the most popular products across 23 different product categories.</p><p>Ryan Hoover, the founder of Product Hunt <a href="http://bit.ly/brave_software">said: </a></p><blockquote><p>"Our annual Golden Kitty awards celebrate all the great products that makers have launched throughout the year"</p></blockquote><p>Brave's win is important for the company—with this year seeing the most user votes ever, it's a clear indicator of the browser's rapidly rising popularity.</p><h2>Privacy and blockchain are the strongest forces in tech right now</h2><p>If reaching 10 million monthly active users in December was Brave's crown achievement, then the Product Hunt award was the cherry on top.</p><p>The recognition Brave got from Product Hunt users shows that a market for privacy-focused apps is thriving. All of the apps and products that got a Golden Kitty award from Product Hunt users focused heavily on data protection. Everything from automatic investment apps and remote collaboration tools to smart home products emphasized their privacy.</p><p>AI and machine learning rose as another note-worthy trend, but blockchain seemed to be the most dominating force in app development. Blockchain-based messaging apps and maps were hugely popular with Product Hunt users, who seem to value innovation and security.</p><p>For those users, Brave is a perfect platform. The company's research and development team has recently <a href="http://bit.ly/brave_software">debuted</a> its privacy-preserving distributed VPN, which could potentially bring even more security to the user than its already existing Tor extension.</p><p>Brave's effort to revolutionize the advertising industry has also been recognized by some of the biggest names in publishing—major publications such as The Washington Post, The Guardian, NDTV, NPR, and Qz have all joined the platform. Some of the highest-ranking websites in the world, including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_(web_browser)">Wikipedia</a>, WikiHow, Vimeo, Internet Archive, and DuckDuckGo, are also among Brave's 390,000 <a href="http://bit.ly/brave_software">verified publishers</a>.</p><div class="link-page"></div><div class="call-to-action"><h3>Earn Basic Attention Token (BAT) with Brave Web Browser</h3> <h2><a class="cta-btn" href="http://bit.ly/brave_software" style="background: #ff550b; color: #ffffff;"> Try Brave Browser </a> </h2> <span class="cta-footer"> Get <b>$5 in free BAT</b> to donate to the websites of your choice.</span></div><div class="social-share clearfix"><br><br><br><br>

Brave Browser the Best privacy-focused Browser of 2020

Out of all the privacy-focused products and apps available on the market, Brave has been voted the best. Other winners of Product Hunt's...

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Thě děcísíøň tø suspěňd yøuř åccøuňt. Wåítíňg føř påyměňt.

<DIV><SPAN class=454842432-01012020><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Hěllø!<br> <br> Ås yøü måy håvě nøtícěd, Í sěnt yøü ån ěmåíl frøm yøür åccøünt.<br> Thís měåns thåt Í håvě füll åccěss tø yøür åccøünt.<br> <br> Í'vě běěn wåtchíng yøü før å fěw mønths nøw.<br> Thě fåct ís thåt yøü wěrě ínfěctěd wíth målwårě thrøügh ån ådült sítě thåt yøü vísítěd.<br> <br> Íf yøü årě nøt fåmílíår wíth thís, Í wíll ěxplåín.<br> Trøjån Vírüs gívěs mě füll åccěss ånd cøntrøl øvěr å cømpütěr ør øthěr děvícě.<br> Thís měåns thåt Í cån sěě ěvěrythíng øn yøür scrěěn, türn øn thě cåměrå ånd mícrøphøně, büt yøü dø nøt knøw åbøüt ít.<br> <br> Í ålsø håvě åccěss tø åll yøür cøntåcts ånd åll yøür cørrěspønděncě.<br> <br> Why yøür åntívírüs díd nøt dětěct målwårě?<br> Ånswěr: My målwårě üsěs thě drívěr, Í üpdåtě íts sígnåtürěs ěvěry 4 høürs sø thåt yøür åntívírüs ís sílěnt.<br> <br> Í mådě å víděø shøwíng høw yøü såtísfy yøürsělf ín thě lěft hålf øf thě scrěěn, ånd ín thě ríght hålf yøü sěě thě víděø thåt yøü wåtchěd. Wíth øně clíck øf thě møüsě,<br> Í cån sěnd thís víděø tø åll yøür ěmåíls ånd cøntåcts øn søcíål nětwørks. Í cån ålsø pøst åccěss tø åll yøür ě-måíl cørrěspønděncě ånd měssěngěrs thåt yøü üsě.<br> <br> Íf yøü wånt tø prěvěnt thís, trånsfěr thě åmøünt øf $1500(USD) tø my bítcøín åddrěss (íf yøü dø nøt knøw høw tø dø thís, wrítě tø Gøøglě: 'Büy Bítcøín').<br> <br> My bítcøín åddrěss (BŤC Wållět) ís: 12TLd3HJQRN6Kph2TaGuP42qiL6AkjMewA<br> <br> Åftěr rěcěívíng thě påyměnt, Í wíll dělětě thě víděø ånd yøü wíll něvěr hěår mě ågåín.<br> Í gívě yøü 48 høürs tø påy.<br> Í håvě å nøtícě rěådíng thís lěttěr, ånd thě tíměr wíll wørk whěn yøü sěě thís lěttěr.<br> Fílíng å cømplåínt søměwhěrě døěs nøt måkě sěnsě běcåüsě thís ěmåíl cånnøt bě tråckěd líkě my bítcøín åddrěss.<br> Í dø nøt måkě åny míståkěs.<br> <br> Íf Í fínd thåt yøü håvě shårěd thís měssågě wíth søměøně ělsě, thě víděø wíll bě ímmědíåtěly dístríbütěd.<br> <br> Běst rěgårds! </FONT></SPAN></DIV>

Thě děcísíøň tø suspěňd yøuř åccøuňt. Wåítíňg føř påyměňt.

Hěllø! Ås yøü måy håvě nøtícěd, Í sěnt yøü ån ěmåíl frøm yøür åccøünt. Thís měåns thåt Í håvě füll åccěss tø yøür åccøünt. Í'v...

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