Death and Taxes... well mostly taxes...

[licker]

Dan Simmons... Sounds very familiar, though I can't recall if I've read him or not, what exactly has he written? I'm hoping it wasn't the necrophage (or whatever it was called) series, I didn't really care that much for that, in as much as I can't recall the author anymore anyway

No doubt the Gap Series is better than Covenent, and I think Donaldson would say as much, he matured greatly between those two endevors. The Mirror of Her Dreams and A Man Rides Through were also fun reads, if not entirely on the same level. His short stories are fun too, but they are just that, short stories. The cigarettes on Angus didn't bother me nearly as much as what happened to Morn early on, maybe because Angus was so dispicable, or because the incident was in the past (as much as Angus's past explains how he got to be the way he was), I do have that disconect though, retelling of events isn't nearly as dramatic to me as if those events are being presented in the prenent tense.

I will look for those other books you mentioned in the library, though my wife will probably enjoy them more than I will, she has a thing for historical fiction that I can't tap into. Well I'm just another shallow American I suppose...

Anyway, have you read any of Simon Greens books? He did the Deathstalker series (sci-fi) and Hawk and Fisher (fantasy). He's a bit quirky, but his writting style appeals to me greatly, a fair amount of sarcasm, but also a decent wit.

I'll also mention Robert Jorden for the great disappointment I feel in reading the Wheel of Time series, god he needed to end it all a while back, though from reading the first few books I was quite hopeful for a thrilling series. Its a shame that he's turning into L. Ron Hubbard, though without his own personal cult, or at least he doesn't have Tom Cruise as a true believer

As to the fruitfulness of continuing our discussion on the 200% tax issue... well I'm willing to let it drop for the time being, though I don't know what common ground we really need other than both being fans of Dominions2 (oh and being well enough aquainted with the game to discuss some of its finer points). I will remain steadfast that history is largely irrelevent in the discussion, or any discussion of game mechanics for that matter. I will agree though that its better to get something 'right' than to simply make up something in its place, but in this specific case there are ample rationalizations for either viewpoint, so I am quick to discard all of them and try to remain focused on the impact on gameplay and the 'cheese' (or abuse) factor.

Its not a big deal though, I can choose not to use it in SP, and in MP I can just ensure that no one can ever do it to me