The USS Quad Damage

So I tried a cigar yesterday, in anticipation of our poker night which really ought to happen some time, but probably won’t. I’ve never smoked anything in my life, except for Moh’s Hookah, which was great fun: Sitting around chatting while a plume of smoke rises from your general area is pretty freaking cool. It also tasted of roses.

Cigars are quite a different experience. The overwhelming “taste” of a cigar (if you can call it that) is that of ash. That’s probably because it is ash. The guy whose cigars they were smoked in a particular way and ended up with a some ash on his tooth. There are other flavours there, and some of them are actually pleasant, but the ash part is overpowering. I’m curious to know if a cigarette would be different, considering it’s filtered.

You’re not supposed to breathe a cigar into your lungs. You’re supposed to let the smoke sit in your mouth and then blow it out. I think you might smoke a cigarette differently, but I’m unsure. Supposedly some people can get ill from smoking their first cigar, but I didn’t get that. However, after smoking it, I felt a bit ill, but I was also drinking, and the effect was fairly minor, so I can’t be sure.

I’m fairly certain my clothes now smell of cigar smoke, and the dude’s house probably also smells like it was recently burnt down. I’m also not addicted. In fact, I can’t really feel any real effects from the cigar at all, save for the fact that even today, I occasionally smell or taste ash. If I smoked more regularly I might like the taste of scotch whiskey more than I do, because I would’ve adjusted to the smokey taste.

Do I recommend it to others: No, not really. I’m not even considering any medical or social reasons here. It’s just not all that. Even having a carbonated drink is a more interesting experience than smoking a cigar. Do I think we should smoke for the poker night: Hell yes. Combined with old scotch, it really does set that mood you see in movies, and I think it’ll really add to the experience. However, we can’t just do it in someone’s house, owing to the terrible smell afterwards. I would recommend in a dingy basement somewhere, with cobwebs and dirty glasses.

I just hope we can do it in a hot enough environment that people start sweating as a “tell”.

Ben Mattes thinks the Prince of Persia game he produced is awesome because it took so many risks which did fairly well.

Ben Croshaw (yahtzee) thinks the new game is “meh”. This is considering he thinks the sands of time series is the best game evar. Exactly how much is Mattes is filling his own sail is hard to tell, but considering Croshaw’s criticisms (and he’s usually on the money with this stuff) it’s kind of unforgivable to call yourself “revolutionary” when clearly your risk taking profile’s been on the conservative side.

In a platforming game, if you don’t jump with absolute conviction, you’ll fall into the ditch. If you don’t jump, you make a carbon copy game which everyone buys and doesn’t really like. If you make the jump, the critics will love it but the more humdrum players will be left behind. If you try and please both, everyone will hate you.