DGC Comm

note: I will translate this later into Czech and post it at Czech L5R Forum.

RND 1 - Stepan Kadlec Lion Uniques
My opponent got loads of gold - 3x Dockside Market, 2x Copper Mine and Smuggler port (10 holdings in total) which was bad for me. My gold production wasn't that good at that time even though it was good anyway. My opponent after two keeps got all holdings and then started playing personalities. But still he managed to get Tamago in play and that was a problem for me as RA 7 does not kill it and I did not have Overpowering assault. I knew that this would cost me a game most probably.

My opponent destroyed some of my provinces and I managed todo the same. In the end we had each of us one province. On my side there were two personalities (Utemaro and Seisha) and on my opponent's side there was Tamago, Tsudoken and Senzo. I knew that attacking would be a suicide as he got Akodo's Guidance in play and Tamago would not die from the first action due to redirection about which I was sure my opponent had (it was true). So I decided to buy one more personality and wait for a miracle. I drew something completely useless. My opponent attacked. I expected Deathly Aura, Senzo and three personalities dead and that is what happened. Deathly Aura on Senzo who targeted Tamago. Then Tamago killed my first Seisha unit. Utemaro died to Senzo's being sacrified to Akodo's Guidance and logically the last personality died to Tamago as well. Tamago was shielded by Hiroshi's Legion so my RA would not even be able to kill him. It was fun game.

RND 2 - David Paznocht - Spider Paragon

My opponent got Chaozu in the game early. I played one personality and two holdings as I had to catch up with gold production (I bought two 2 gold producing holdings in the first round which is bad normally and especially when going first). I attacked as soon as possible with Sunagawa and Taoist archer, I expected to die in the battle. My intent was to get at least two cards out of my opponent. I was shown Reinforce the Gates and Strength in Terror. I let my personality die as I wanted to keep my cards and gold and bought two personalities and a holding.

Chaozu then attacked and destroyed a province via Murderous Intent. Then it was my time to attack. Playing Unwavering assault and a personality with a follower I destroyed a province. Chaozu destroyed another of my provinces again playing Murderous intent. My second personality was defending Chauzu in the next round. I had Taoist Archer attached. I managed to get Strength in Terror out of my opponent twice as I had Muscle and Steel. After destroyed yet another province unopposed and waited for final attack. My opponent attacked with three personalities and he got home bowed Susume that was there from early game as well. He was bowed though as he was bowing a unique personality. I was glad about this as I knew that I would be left with one province. I was defending the other province hoping that Chaozu would not assign there but I planned to kill him with my first action anyway.

My opponent being mostly tapped out and only left with two personalities and Dark Oracle. I had Utemaro with Iron Gauntlet Brothers that were holding my opponent at bay for most of the time and Sasake with Taoist Archer. I had also Gidayu but without a follower and he joind Utemaro in a attack that followed. Sasake would lose his follower due to Dark Oracle and I would play Obfuscation killing the other Personality there. I attacked and killed the first personality from Naval. Taoist archer died, I played obfuscation and killed the other. A win for me.

RND 3 - Breeder - Jakub Bauer
In my third round I played against Breeder. From early games against Breeder I knew that it shouldn't be such a suicide. My opponent played two holdings and I tried my best to get what I could. Actually my hand was good and I got holdings I needed but NOT AGAINST Breeder. That made me angry^^. Anyway I played one personality and holdings so I could catch up later in the game.
I destroyed the first province easily by being unopposed. I attacked in the next round again this time being opposed. At one province I killed a zombie and two undead appeared from Unclean Sacrifice reaction. I expected Mountains of the Phoenix or Flanked by Nightmares and the latter is what my personality died to. On another province I bowed Katsume so he would not kill anything and waited yet once again for a card like Flanked by Nightmares or the terrain. My opponent had nothing and I killed everything in resolution while still destroying a province.

After that my opponent got a lot of undead into play. He got 5 undead, two Udos, Atsuro and Gutobo. That did not look too well but I was hoping for an attack so I could try destroying a province in retribution. Getting rid of Dead do not rest would be fine even if I wouldn't be able to destroy the province. Anyway with all that force he did not want to get killed and did not attack. He played more personalities and it was my time to play once again. I managed to destroy another province but my opponent got even more undeads. It started to look bad but I got Crossing the Forbidden Seas and my opponent did not have Forwarning this time. (Census was countered)

I my two personalities attacked the last province ending up opposed only by two Udos and Atsuro. I killed all of them and won the game.

RND4 - Jiri Hes - Unicorn Uniques
First personality in play was Tairu. I don't like this personality as it can move back to the battlefield and I knew that this will be a problem if it stays in game. It got Rising Sun Blade which was much BIGGER problem as I cannot deal with such weapons. I have 4 cards that deal with that. In this game I got a lot of gold but I did not have wooden barricade nor Imperial Artificers. That was bad as I really needed to get to Fearless Defense or Overpowering Assault. I managed to play Taoist Archer twice and Heavy Elite but none of the cards I drew were of help (I drew 3 followers and Obfuscation).
Tairu was joined by Paneki's Disgrace later by Moto Kang and Ki-Chang XP. Tairu destroyed first two provinces as I couldn't do anything on the battlefield defending. So I waited for a miracle so I could turn the game. But I did not draw anything. So I was preparing for a last battle which I needed to win, but everything looked bad. Actually it looked promising till the moment where my opponent got Shinjo's Guidance. I expected that my opponent would probably twice redirect my actions but Guidance was too much. In the last battle I faced these four personalities which got +2 from the Guidance and Outsider Keep and I had 3 personalities with 2x Heavy Elite and Taoist Archer. From my first action I destroyed Awakening blade as that would take down whole unit. I couldn't target a unit as it would get redirected and I would surely die from a card or the blade.
One of my units died to attached Hand of the Obsidian Dragon in battle. I tried Fire on my Command twice hoping to get a deflection from my opponent. He played Outer Walls each time though which was a problem and I lost a card advantage. I played obfuscation on Heavy Elite and destroyed the used Hand in hope that I would draw something else. Bad draw I thought. I drew Deadly Orders.
Now it was more about force totals. I could get max 41 force if nothing else would die. My opponent could get to 43 maximum. I played deadly orders on Heavy Elite but the unit died to Awakened blade played from the discard pile. After this my maximum could get to 31 if I counted with the Shinjo's Guidance. My opponent's maximum could be 34 though (counting that he would not kill me anything). After calculating this I gave up the game as my last two cards were Legion of Toshigoku and Ronin Brotherhood.

DGC Commanders

Dynasty deck: 40
I Am Ready
Imperial Census
New Order
Yoritomo's Guidance

2x Permanent Encampment
2x Imperial Artificers
2x Wooden Barricade
3x Rich Coffers
3x Kobune Port
3x Border Village
1x Shrine to Yoritomo

Yoritomo Iwata
Yoritomo Naizen
3x Yoritomo Kurei
1x Tsuruchi Gidayu
3x Yoritomo Sasake
Yoritomo Takara
Yoritomo Utemaro
Tsuruchi Shisuken
3x Yoritomo Sunagawa
3x Tsuruchi Seisha
Moshi Nakata
Moshi Kalani XP
Tsuruchi Sanjo

Fate
3x Legion of Toshigoku
2x Veteran Advisor
2x Ronin Brotherhood
3x Taoist Archer
2x Iron Gauntlet Brothers
2x Heavy Elite

3x Muscle and Steel
3x Unwavering Assault
2x Overpowering Assault
1x Hold
2x Superior Mobility
2x Fearless Defense
3x Obfuscation
3x Fire on My Command
Do Not Turn Your Back
Ring of Water
2x Retribution
2x deadly orders

After playing the tournament I would probably drop Legion of Tenshigoku and Deadly Orders and maybe the last Hold! I would play bigger attachments (Brotherhood, Advisor) and Certain Death probably. Yeah, true rout would also help. We will see, but I have to say that Rising Sun Blade is a problem. I would not expect big attachments being played now but it seems that they will be still played. So I need a response to that. Otherwise I can just wait till I lose all the provinces.

I have to admit that today I ran into holdings problem. I saw artificers only in one game and I permanent encampment wasn't seen that much either. I had Wooden Barricade almost in each of the games though. It happened to me twice that I had to buy 2 gold producing holdings in the first round...wasn't happy about that.

Anyway the tournament was lots of fun and I enjoyed all the games (the one against breeder wasn't really interesting but it wasn't bad.) Even though this is my worst standing in this series of tournament I don't regret playing DGC Commanders. Nice experience. ^_~.

L5R Alters

In the last few days I started working on L5R alters, it's nothing special just the borders were erased and replaced with what could possible be on the image...
Here's one of them. (if you click on the first image it will get to the others as well)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10 (DMC-ZS7)

Disclaimer: don't expect some serious review on this camera.

I got this camera for Christmas as mine Samsung NV11 got stolen before the end of semester (the worst time it could happen) and well this camera makes me go crazy each time I use it.

The specs of this camera are great (for the price). It has good optics and really good zoom even though I have to say that from my experience Olympus C740UZ is what I would prefer for taking good photos. Anyway I tried to make few photos with the camera and the results were catastrophic.

With my preview cameras I was capable of setting "correct" settings and take a sharp photo with good colors (no blurring on the edges). I'm no photographer and I don't understand a thing...anyway I was able to take photos of fast moving objects and take photos under whatever light condition and of no matter what.

The camera set on automatic was capable of two different settings on a very same shot under the same circumstances. One picture being shot at ISO 80 and one at ISO 800? The shot was taken in a room with not so bright light. One shot ended up so dark you could not even distinguish what's on it and the other one was darker than it should be and it wasn't sharp enough...but well my problem I guess.

In most photos I took the blues are too blue (yellows being more greenish kinda) and I did not manage to make a sharp photo (corners always a bit more blurry). The highlights usually ended up being to bright. I tried setting the camera myself so I would get the results I wanted but in the end it was never what I expected (what a different camera I have experience with would do)

I was used to be taking photos without flash and without any stabilization and I still could get a sharp photo. This camera has one setting of a flash and usually it's too strong (at least it was and highlights were ....um well too bright again).

With this camera I can't take a sharp photo no matter how still I am. I can't spend 5 minutes setting the camera and taking a shot. Ok maybe in half a year I will find the setting suiting me best for the kind of photos I take...

The videos are recorded in HD. The result is really nice, but I did not manage to convert the videos. I wrote a script that makes 848x400 xvid from it. I tried using different software to convert the video and most of the programs crashed. I never managed to get what I wanted. The script works...the problem is with sound though. Anyway I wrote a second script that takes care of the sound as well and makes it 640x480, 25 fps. Anyway my computer can render the video in real time with sound no problem but when I export the video I just get some rubbish. I don't know what's wrong. Anyway THIS makes me crazy.

The camera has a battery but it does not last for long compared to what I was used to (if you are making just photos the battery lasts actually quite long). The LCD display and taking videos probably drains the battery a lot. The display is really nice with high resolution but who needs it? I don't.

The camera saves and loads data pretty fast and also starts fast as well (roughly 2sec).

Well...whatever there's some info you can use. Anyway it seems that this SHOULD be a pretty good camera as the specs are really good and it is capable of doing a really good photo. But it does not seem to be user friendly at all and even if you know what you want from the camera it just won't do it. So how should I approach this goddamn camera? (As it should be a good one for sure...)