Greetings traveler,

A happy new year and welcome to the twenty-seventh edition of the alcarin.com newsletter.
There is an archive of the previous newsletters in the Townhall and the columns are added to the Town Square, so you can always read it again.
This month has brought us many new additions to the RPG Archives in the School. A total of 1 feat, 2 monsters and 2 items. In the Town Square, there's a review on the LotR: The Two Towers movie. Furthermore, the site has got a new navigation system. I've dumped the old frame-navbar system and added a table that is printed on every page instead. As for this mailinglist, I didn't have the time to work on a Close-Up this month, so we'll have to do without.
Enjoy reading.

This letter's content:
1. What's New
2. Coming Up Soon
3. Column: Men with a Mission

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WHAT'S NEW:

15/01/2002 - new item in the School: "Portable Orchestra"

14/01/2002 - new feat in the School: "Melee Archery", fixed new navigation layout problems

13/01/2002 - 2 new monsters in the School: "Dhaikler" and "Miniature Rhino", optimalized Dunékàr city register (complete list of normal pages; Townhall)

11/01/2002 - implemented new navigation system / site design

10/01/2002 - uploaded new Forums logo

09/01/2002 - new item in the School: "Umbreoth's Scimitar"

07/01/2002 - added user comment to "The theft of the holy horse" mission (Barracks)

06/01/2003 - new review in Town Square: "Lord of the Rings: The two towers" (movie)

Visit http://www.alcarin.com/townhall/updates.htm for the latest updates.

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COMING UP:

With the new site navigation tables and layout online, there are still a few things to do with navigation. The Forums will get a new header system and a link back to the Town Screen of alcarin.com. I will probably also reinsert banner ads there. Another thing on the list, is a script that makes the citizen communication windows stay on top of the main screen.
The new D&D Third Edition mission "The Crypt" will have to wait a while. I haven't had the time to work on it this month and I don't think I will get to it the coming month either. If there is any progress with this, I will post it in the mailinglist and on the Announcements Forum. Maybe I will work on some smaller items, like adapting the submission forms. Any new submissions to the RPG Archives will of course be added as soon as possible.

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COLUMN: MEN WITH A MISSION
A column by Wouter vd Zandschulp; wouter@alcarin.com

"Friends between race"

An Elf, a Dwarf and a Human, what an unlikely pair to wander the fields of Rohan.

All throughout the movie: 'Lord of the Rings; The Two Towers' I liked the friendship that had formed between Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. Especially when I saw the three of them standing in Helms' Deep.
Although Gimli was used a bit too much for the comical moment, hereby making the impression the honourable hardworking race of the Dwarves are just some funny little men who now and then get squashed under big animals and who make fools of themselves whenever one needs a laugh at a too serious moment. And that is not fair. That's what Gnomes are for.
Anyhow, their friendship was clearly visible on the screen. At some point, actors cannot fool their audience, and therefore something tells me those actors really where friends. Three is a good combination. Four gets a bit too much.
Sam, Frodo and Gollum also are nice and interesting. Three is good.
In the case of Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas you've got Aragorn as a leader. He's got some natural differences with Legolas, the Elf, but they grow to respect each other. Then Gimli comes in for some comical delight. Or at other moments Aragorn is to busy leading the way to disagree with Legolas. So then Gimli and Legolas can set forth their good old Elven-Dwarven rivalry.
It touched me to see the support they provided to one another. The dept of their friendsfriendship. It sets a good example to this world. What those three did, because they had to, was working together though their races weren't all that familiar with one another. Differences in appearance and customs create distance. Not understanding the ways of others creates distance.
Distance makes the lack of understanding even bigger. Not understanding once ways creates fear, fear of the unknown. The great Darkwing Duck once said: "Nothing frightens a criminal more than that what he does not know."
Fear and not understanding each other brings some sort of panic that makes it much easier to go into fights, disagreements and war. But then Sauron. The good Sauron created a situation so terrible these different races had no choice but to cooperate. And then they got to know each other. And from getting to know someone you come to understanding and from understanding to acceptance and in this case even to friendship. And then you discover how racial differences, when you do not fear them but use them, might come in very handy in the battle against some giant eye in a tower who had put all his power in a ring.
The important thing is to try to get to know your fellow beings as they are and not to get rid of the differences, but to accept them. And how do you accept this? To understand the way the other person thinks. And that is something a lot of people need to learn.
Well, I especially liked this friendship about the movie. Also did I like the way the movie made the message of the story very clear. And it's friendly of the makers to change some essential parts of the movie so that there still are some surprises for the ones that haven't read the book (this last sentence was meant in a sarcastic way).
Too bad they haven't burned the ring yet, though. Now Sam, Frodo and Gollum will have to walk another year until they get another chance. Well, better luck next year.

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Well, that's it for this month's newsletter. I hope you enjoyed it.
Lord Gildor
"May the stars guide you on your journeys"
http://www.alcarin.com

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