Sam Ashen Seeks the Spell of Mastery

[Sam Ashen]

Hello everybody and welcome to my sixth Challenge.  This one actually gets a theme!

 

Almost without exception, I play a Warrior Class in RPG's, perhaps to make up for something.  Here on NF, we are playing RL as if it were an RPG and I still play a Warrior class.

 

The Rebel Forums do not have a Mage Guild, but I suppose I can say I resemble that more closely.  A real Warrior would have very high STR, DEX, and CON and nothing else matters.  A Mage is INT dominant and very often has the eccentric personality that goes along with it.  The other party members have no choice but to suck it up and deal with it.

 

The profession is very knowledge intensive and has a very long learning curve and we get more powerful as we age.  Scraps of parchment with random indecipherable scribbles litter my desk.  Then there is the Spell Book.  Yes.  I really do call it the Spell Book.  (I even took a picture of it, but somehow I lost it, so the picture will have to wait.)

 

So this is a Mage who wants to be a Warrior Challenge.  With that in mind, I will theme this Challenge after another ancient game that is all about Mages and may the best Mage win!  And so the Challenge is titled:

 

Sam Ashen Seeks the Spell of Mastery

 

 

I have only a little bit of experience playing Master of Magic.  I did not play it when it came out and picked it up much later, when the game was already old classic.  Maybe I have just a few victories under my belt.

 

A great strategy starts with mixing a synergistic combination of Spell Books and Traits and Race Characteristics to arrive at a strategy that is total CHEESE!  In honor of the Hobbit Assassins who made such a valiant attempt to dispose of the One Ring in the last Challenge Cycle, I will play:

 

Horus the Halfling Life Mage Warlord.  He will lead our Half-pint Heroes to glorious victory!  Normally he is a Life / Sorcery Archmage, but we will customize him to be a pure Life Mage Warlord in charge of a tiny Halfling Hamlet.

 

Life Magic has great synergy with Warlord because the Warlord trait grants and extra experience level on troops and heroes and the Life Spell Book includes a spell that grants the maximum experience level to a unit.  So the Elite unit becomes Ultra-Elite.  An End-Game spell grants yet another experience level and we have Champion troops.

 

Halflings because Slingers are among the best ranged units and available early in the game.  Ultra-Elite Slingers just sound way too cool.  They wreck things.

 

Quest 1:  Great Strategy involves the liberal application of Cheese.  So does great Cooking.  We are back to our old familiar Cooking Quest and the last one worked out nicely:  Cook something new!

 

When we start the game, we find ourselves in a tiny Halfling village somewhere on the world of Arcanus.  We might be on a tiny island.  We might be on a massive continent.  We might be all alone or we have neighbors.  To find out, we must explore.  But we want our troops to stay at home and protect our tiny hamlet.  But the Life Spell Books include a Guardian Spirit we will summon to do the exploration for us.  Another spell will make it move faster.  Once we know the extent of our home island or continent, we can decide how we want to expand.

 

Quest 2:  Fast-moving Spirit to do the exploration for us.  That sounds like Mobility work!  This time we will try the mobility work while watching videos.  Maybe I will find a Let's Play series on MoM!  Get the Mobility Work done!  Try watching videos while doing Mobility Work.  Count Days of Mobility Work.  The target shall be 24.

 

In our exploration, we might find ourselves all alone on a tiny island.  Or we might find some Neutral cities to conquer.  We might even find ourselves on a massive continent with an opponent or four.  All of this needs to be taken over!  But first, we need to build our tiny Hamlet.  So the building plan for a band of Half-Pint Heroes with Bad Attitude will be Granary - Marketplace - Farmers Market - Sawmill - Armory - 7 Slingers and hopefully a Hero to lead them.

 

Quest 3:  This sounds like our Building Quest:  Train!  Strength.  Conditioning.  Olympic Lift Practice.

 

There are some form issues in the Olympic lifts I would like to clean out while a couple of workshops are relatively fresh in mind - before I forget the cues.  Here is what my last attempt at a big Clean and Jerk looks like:

 

 

Granted this was after a bunch of work, but some part of the hang clean I don't have much faith in.  Or feels like something is missing.  Maybe the hip explosion?  Still trying to stick the Jerk.  Look around 0:31 where there is a wee bit of a press-out on the right side.  I am thinking lots of work will make the technique come more naturally.  (I might just put this one back into the Form Check and see what they say.)

 

Back to our Game - I suppose I could have equated training with leveling our Mage's skill level.  

 

We start with a Spell Book with a few Spells in it.  In our case, we start with 8 Spells.  We have to build on this.  To build our or Spell Book, we must build Libraries and devote resources to research.  Ultimately, in the End Game, and assuming we have not already destroyed our opponents with our Epic Hordes of Half-Pint Heroic Slingers, we will fill our Spell Book and start research on the Spell of Mastery and ultimately win a Research Victory.

 

Quest 4:  I have never done anything resembling a professional / career Quest, so here goes:  Start assembling my very own Spell Book!

 

There is knowledge that needs to be committed to paper.  Granted this is an ongoing project that will take much longer than six weeks, but let's get a start!  The general theme of such a pursuit is every time I do something like this (derive a calculation) the knowledge gained serves me like you would not believe.

 

Side Quests:

 

Side Quest 1:  Resource Management:  Just as there is an element of resource management in the game, there is resource management in real life.  This would be Budgeting and Investing.  So we will be discussing some of this as I hide real numbers behind Silver Pieces and Gold Pieces.

 

Side Quest 2:  There is a parallel plane, Myrror, that also needs to be explored.  Similarly, Christmas vacation is coming up and I need to plan my travel.

 

Side Quest 3:  Have you noticed how the Mage lives like a hermit in that Tower?  That hoser needs to get out some time!

 

Side Quest 4:  Diplomacy is broken in the game, but we can still draw Heroes to help our cause.  Work on that Facebook-fu skill!

 

Side Quests as they get added.

 

So there it is!  A Challenge all themed out!  Here's to my Mobility work being as much of a Stretch as my Logic was in linking the Game to the Quests!

[Sam Ashen]

Reserved for Quest Summary.

 

Quest 1:  Great Strategy involves the liberal application of Cheese.  So does great Cooking.  We are back to our old familiar Cooking Quest and the last one worked out nicely:  Cook something new!

 

Week 1:  Nope.  Not yet.

 

Quest 2:  Fast-moving Spirit to do the exploration for us.  That sounds like Mobility work!  This time we will try the mobility work while watching videos.  Maybe I will find a Let's Play series on MoM!  Get the Mobility Work done!  Try watching videos while doing Mobility Work.  Count Days of Mobility Work.  The target shall be 24.

 

Week 1:  4/24 Days.  Found a couple series on MoM to watch.

 

Quest 3:  This sounds like our Building Quest:  Train!  Strength.  Conditioning.  Olympic Lift Practice.

 

Week 1:  3 Days Strength, 1 Day Crossfit, 1 Day Functional, 2 Days Rest

 

Quest 4:  I have never done anything resembling a professional / career Quest, so here goes:  Start assembling my very own Spell Book!

 

Week 1:  Nope.  Not yet.  The first thing I should do is find the Spellbook-sized binder.

 

Side Quest 1:  Resource Management:  Just as there is an element of resource management in the game, there is resource management in real life.  This would be Budgeting and Investing.  So we will be discussing some of this as I hide real numbers behind Silver Pieces and Gold Pieces.

 

Week 1:  It is early in the month, so I am closing out the rest of the bills as they come in and trying to predict how much will be available for the next budget cycle, which starts on the first Friday following the 20th of the month.

 

Side Quest 2:  There is a parallel plane, Myrror, that also needs to be explored.  Similarly, Christmas vacation is coming up and I need to plan my travel.

 

Week 1:  Nope.  Not yet.

 

Side Quest 3:  Have you noticed how the Mage lives like a hermit in that Tower?  That hoser needs to get out some time!

 

Week 1:  I was out for dinner with a buddy last night, but that doesn't really count.  Today is Saturday.  Mostly lazy.  Blood in the afternoon.

 

Side Quest 4:  Diplomacy is broken in the game, but we can still draw Heroes to help our cause.  Work on that Facebook-fu skill!

 

Facebook is coming along.  Most of what I do there is post food porn because it is so easy to do.  A few lift videos, too.

 

Average Score for the Week:

3286 Calories

351 Carbs

134 Fat

177 Protein

 

Overall MFP Score for the week:  +0.80.  (MFP says I will be up 4 pounds over the course of 5 weeks.)

 

88.8 kg open weight

88.8 kg high

86.6 kg low

88.3 kg close

 

I think I have four weeks of tracking like this.  It is almost enough data to set up a candlestick chart.

[Grizzy]

I'm impressed by your clean and jerk!!!

[Stronkey Kong]

I'll be trying to keep up as usual.

 

I love the spell book idea.

[BlackTezca]

Hey hey!  I see you a lot on stars thread and since I have decided to invade the warriors I have also decided to watch you!

 

Love the RPG write up of this challenge and awesome quests too!  Looking forward to hearing about what you cook as well as your lifting journey

[starsapart]

Here for this, of course~

[Sam Ashen]

I'm impressed by your clean and jerk!!!

 

Thanks!

 

 

Hey hey!  I see you a lot on stars thread and since I have decided to invade the warriors I have also decided to watch you!

 

Love the RPG write up of this challenge and awesome quests too!  Looking forward to hearing about what you cook as well as your lifting journey

 

You live in her town, right?

 

 

I'll be trying to keep up as usual.

 

I love the spell book idea.

 

8)

 

Meanwhile, on Facebook, I posted some more about my adventures:

 

 

 

My adventure in Facebook is still only three weeks old. Today I decided to track down some kids I knew 12 years ago, back when I was a Monk. (at night) One of them is now has become a Yoga instructor in Seattle and does amazing stuff with inversions. It's motivational - you know?

[Big_Show]

Found you!

[SpecialSundae]

Stalking yoooooooou.

[skinNbones]

Hi Sam, Following along, again.

[AugustaAdaByron]

Hey! You had me at Quest 1! Are there going to be food pictures again?

[insanity]

1st... Stalking now

 

 

2nd... Naming a parallel plane, Myrror is a lot funnier to me than it should have been.

[shaar]

 

That hoser needs to get out some time!

 

 

Ah, found the Canadian. XD

 

WOO HOO!!

[Kagetsukai]

OH HAI!

[Urgan]

Here for the food porn...FOLLOWING!

[goodbye_farewell]

I'm here for the CNF withdrawals support group.

[shaar]

I'm here for the CNF withdrawals support group.

 

Is this where we meet?

 

*sits in a metal folding chair, clutching an orange bandana and weeping silently*

[Big_Show]

Is this where we meet?

*sits in a metal folding chair, clutching an orange bandana and weeping silently*

*gasp*

You mean you took yours OFF?

[Tankweazel]

 

Side Quest 4:  Diplomacy is broken in the game, but we can still draw Heroes to help our cause.  Work on that Facebook-fu skill!

 

Diplomacy is for the weak!

In for crying about you catching me on squat.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Found you again.

[matty_mcfly]

Need to actually read but still following as always

[Sam Ashen]

Diplomacy is for the weak!

In for crying about you catching me on squat.

 

That might take a while yet.  This is the fourth week following the informal CNF PL Competition.

Week 1: Sick.

Week 2: Junk Cycle.  Ran through Olympic Lifts.

Week 3: Virtual Weightlifting Competition.  Tech needs help.

Week 4:  Two days in.

 

In the competition, I got a 142.5 kg squat and got stapled by 145 kg.  So my current PR's are: (10x102.5 kg; 5x125 kg; 3x136 kg; 1x142.5 kg)  Most likely I will be working sets of 10 and 5 in the cycle and I am leaning towards the idea of letting my weight go up all the way to the end of the year and go with the weight goes up, but so does strength.  (Why fight the Holidays?)

 

If my goal is a 155 kg squat, then my quick calculation says I should shoot for a 10RM of 115 kg and a 5RM of 135 kg.  Ouch.

 

Post-competition is also a good time to look at form and decide on issues to fix.

 

You talk about mobility a lot, so I have a question for you:  Do you have a philosophy with regard to left/right symmetry and do you have any advice about how to fix it?

[BlackTezca]

You live in her town, right?

 

Late reply, but yeah we both are Colorado folks near the main metro area (though she is North and I'm South).

[Grizzy]

Late reply, but yeah we both are Colorado folks near the main metro area (though she is North and I'm South).

You and I live nearish each other then! *Flails happily*

[Sam Ashen]

Another great side-quest might be remembering Who's Who and in What Guild.