Ars Sekrit Santa 2024 Loot Thread!
- Thread starter rtrefz
- Start date
Jeez someone is really setting the bar high for the rest of us slackers if the rumors of a received gift are true.
I'd just like to formally tell the early gift recipient that I am not your Santa. Sure, the red outfit, beard, and the belly may fool you, but that's their intent. It's supposed to be a sekrit.
More (or less) in a bit,
7z7
A free trip over the rainbow to a magical pony land where ###### became p****dent? Say it ain't so...?
Looks like I'm the big wiener for being the first to receive their Ars Sekrit Santa gift!
Came back from a hockey tournament late Sunday and an amazon box was by the front door!
The contents of said box!
Now I have not opened the bag yet and by feel, it seems like some sort of liquid is involved...
Still debating when to open it completely!
Came back from a hockey tournament late Sunday and an amazon box was by the front door!
The contents of said box!
Now I have not opened the bag yet and by feel, it seems like some sort of liquid is involved...
Still debating when to open it completely!
Oh the suspension!Looks like I'm the big wiener for being the first to receive their Ars Sekrit Santa gift!
Came back from a hockey tournament late Sunday and an amazon box was by the front door!
The contents of said box!
Now I have not opened the bag yet and by feel, it seems like some sort of liquid is involved...
Still debating when to open it completely!
I know! I was hoping by thanksgiving to open it, but it just sitting there taunting me
well crap, ill make haste then!
"Open it. Open it Open it. I hope you like it.From S*"
Lewt!
I didn't photograph the Amazon box. And the gift was not wrapped, so no picture of an unwrapping, Here are the goods:
This is excellent timing, as we have just started up a semi-regular gaming night again, so I can show up with something new to play.
Thank you, Santa!!!
I didn't photograph the Amazon box. And the gift was not wrapped, so no picture of an unwrapping, Here are the goods:
This is excellent timing, as we have just started up a semi-regular gaming night again, so I can show up with something new to play.
Thank you, Santa!!!
What's this I see?
Hmm...that name seems familiar.
Time to open it up!
Oh, some nice instructions, looks tasty.
I win! I got the Portillos box! I've been wanting to get this for years. Yay!
Now...invite some friends over or hoard it for myself? And should I get the gas grill going or stove top in cast iron? Hmm....
Hmm...that name seems familiar.
Time to open it up!
Oh, some nice instructions, looks tasty.
I win! I got the Portillos box! I've been wanting to get this for years. Yay!
Now...invite some friends over or hoard it for myself? And should I get the gas grill going or stove top in cast iron? Hmm....
Loot box arrival yesterday, but household chaos/busy-ness meant I took photos, but didn't have the chance to actually do anything with them until today.
The box was left in a very weird spot, and if Ms Cognac hadn't noticed it there's a very non-zero chance it would have sat there for days and not been picked up until the next round of gardening. But all good, box arrived.
Amazon gift wrapped. Other than being heavy there's not a lot to go on here, I suspected at least one book.
And I was right! It also appears that Santa either has mega-reflexes given the very recent chat in the main thread, or did some top-notch stalking!
And what's this?
Another vegetarian cookbook?! Amazing! Two books! Santa is very generous, but which books? Will I know of them?
Whoah!!! Ottolenghi!!! We've used a friend's copy of Plenty before, and it was super interesting! I didn't know that there was a follow up!!!
Thanks Santa! Incredibly generous, and very on point! These two will be taking up residence on the most-used shelf of my soon-to-be-finished bookshelf in the very near future!
Merry Arsmas!
The box was left in a very weird spot, and if Ms Cognac hadn't noticed it there's a very non-zero chance it would have sat there for days and not been picked up until the next round of gardening. But all good, box arrived.
Amazon gift wrapped. Other than being heavy there's not a lot to go on here, I suspected at least one book.
And I was right! It also appears that Santa either has mega-reflexes given the very recent chat in the main thread, or did some top-notch stalking!
And what's this?
Another vegetarian cookbook?! Amazing! Two books! Santa is very generous, but which books? Will I know of them?
Whoah!!! Ottolenghi!!! We've used a friend's copy of Plenty before, and it was super interesting! I didn't know that there was a follow up!!!
Thanks Santa! Incredibly generous, and very on point! These two will be taking up residence on the most-used shelf of my soon-to-be-finished bookshelf in the very near future!
Merry Arsmas!
An unexpected package arrived bearing strange and arcane markings such as "perishable." I opened it quickly!
Amazing choice! I have been wrestling a really bad set of autumn crud symptoms this week, so I will wait until my palate is returned to normal before I tuck in, but I really can't wait. These are amazing flavors that will go great together!
Thank you Santa!
Amazing choice! I have been wrestling a really bad set of autumn crud symptoms this week, so I will wait until my palate is returned to normal before I tuck in, but I really can't wait. These are amazing flavors that will go great together!
Thank you Santa!
Cheese curds are best when fresh (but still good later!) and will "squeak" when you bite in to them if fresh enough. Might be worth trying one even if your palate is compromised.
You can also heat in a cast iron or microwave for 5 seconds (add another 5s if it doesn't squeek).
Neko went out to get the delivery and came back with a little something extra.
A wild package has arrived from the Amazon.
By feel and weight, and the subtle thump of the contents within, it is obvious that there be a board game inside. It seems my Santa took advantage of the updating I did to my Elfster wishlist. I now have enough of these things that I'm going to finally set up my Board Game Geek profile to avoid the potential for duplications. See what you've done, Santa!
Within, along with the packing slip and gift receipt, there came a note: "I have enjoyed this game with my family. I hope you enjoy it, too. From An Ars Elf." Lovely.
The game in question? Parks. It looks like a delight, and has arrived just in time for me to take to our monthly board game meet up tomorrow. Impeccable timing, Santa!
Merry Happy!
A wild package has arrived from the Amazon.
By feel and weight, and the subtle thump of the contents within, it is obvious that there be a board game inside. It seems my Santa took advantage of the updating I did to my Elfster wishlist.
I now have enough of these things that I'm going to finally set up my Board Game Geek profile to avoid the potential for duplications. See what you've done, Santa!Within, along with the packing slip and gift receipt, there came a note: "I have enjoyed this game with my family. I hope you enjoy it, too. From An Ars Elf." Lovely.
The game in question? Parks. It looks like a delight, and has arrived just in time for me to take to our monthly board game meet up tomorrow. Impeccable timing, Santa!
Merry Happy!
Gaming night has happened, and game has been played. The game has a lot of bits and looks to be complex, but while there are a lot of various things, they're not all going at once, so the game is a lot less complicated than it looks at first blush. I look forward to trying out the solo mode.
Finally got around of opening the gift as its been crazy busy prepping for the holidays and weekend hockey tournament!
Amazon does a nice job wrapping, lovely paper!
Holy crap even more wrapping! F-R-A-G-I-L-E, must be French!
what what? Hot sauces!
Not just any hot sauce, whiskey hot sauces!
I can't wait to taste these! THANK YOU SEKRIT SANTA!
Amazon does a nice job wrapping, lovely paper!
Holy crap even more wrapping! F-R-A-G-I-L-E, must be French!
what what? Hot sauces!
Not just any hot sauce, whiskey hot sauces!
I can't wait to taste these! THANK YOU SEKRIT SANTA!
You are welcome I hope you like them.Finally got around of opening the gift as its been crazy busy prepping for the holidays and weekend hockey tournament!
Amazon does a nice job wrapping, lovely paper!
Holy crap even more wrapping! F-R-A-G-I-L-E, must be French!
what what? Hot sauces!
Not just any hot sauce, whiskey hot sauces!
I can't wait to taste these! THANK YOU SEKRIT SANTA!
What's this? A second gift?
The gift of Trapp! Exceedingly well-stalked, Santa. I'm still in quarantine, but I look forward to giving it a try as soon as I'm back with humans.
Thank you for such generous gifts!
The gift of Trapp! Exceedingly well-stalked, Santa. I'm still in quarantine, but I look forward to giving it a try as soon as I'm back with humans.
Thank you for such generous gifts!
Finally got to know who my sekrit santa is! I really suck at reverse stalking! THANK YOU!You are welcome I hope you like them.
Unexpected Amazon package! Yay!
Inside is a gift box! Intriguing! (Ignore the mess on the table. It's gotten out of hand.)
A message! It is from my sekrit santa! The hint has me curious...
The gift is book shaped! Fiona is wondering why the hairless ape woke her for this.
And the gift! A vegetarian grilling book!
Thank you Santa! My wife and I are doing more vegetarian meals this year. This book will be a lot of fun the next time I break out the grill.
Due to my lead Elf powers I won't reverse stalk my santa.
Inside is a gift box! Intriguing! (Ignore the mess on the table. It's gotten out of hand.)
A message! It is from my sekrit santa! The hint has me curious...
The gift is book shaped! Fiona is wondering why the hairless ape woke her for this.
And the gift! A vegetarian grilling book!
Thank you Santa! My wife and I are doing more vegetarian meals this year. This book will be a lot of fun the next time I break out the grill.
Due to my lead Elf powers I won't reverse stalk my santa.
I have received An Gift. I have also been advised that this is part 1, and more is coming in meat space. But for now, I have received digital goods, and I wish to speak of them!
A collection of very, VERY early cRPG games. As I told my Santa (who communicated via Super Sekrit Santa Post), this is not a genre and a time period that I have a lot of nostalgia for, so these are all new to me.
www.gog.com
www.gog.com
www.gog.com
For those that don’t dither about in the GESC fora, I play a LOT of games across a pretty wide variety of genres. And yet, these? Never played them. I have (of course) heard of them, and heard about how influential they and games like them were, with some of those influences and trickling down all the way to current day. The only thing I will say about Spelljammer? If I was starting a fresh 5e D&D campaign right now, I’d be grabbing the 5e Spelljammer book and running adventures in that. Because D&D plus Spacepirates == Duh.
So I look at this rather ancient collection of computer games and I think, “What I am going to do with this?”
And I came up with this: I’m going to treat this like an archaeological exploration of gaming’s past.
Let me explain.
At a pace of about a game a month, I want to do the following; dredge up previews and reviews and press from when the game was new (if possible). See what was said about it back in the day, get an idea of how they were anticipated and received. Then, find a game guide and start playing - take screen shots, follow the guide, take a lot of notes, and treat it as an exploration of a museum piece. Completing the game I don’t think will be necessary. It’s all about experiencing and seeing the games in action and those influential pieces which reverberate forward. Then, find modern retrospectives - how is the game received now. Videos, both of reviews and playthroughs. Maybe some odd theories. Speedruns!
Gather all of that and the notes and the screenshots and make a big post about it. Move on to the next game. Spread it out over the next year.
Not sure if I’ll be able to stick with it. But that is the plan. I like this plan. I think it could be a fun way to experience these oldies.
In closing, thank you Santa (And yes, I know who you are - GoG told me ).
These are games I never would have bought for myself. But now that I have them? I think I have a fun idea for how to experience them. Time will tell.
BEHOLD!
A collection of very, VERY early cRPG games. As I told my Santa (who communicated via Super Sekrit Santa Post), this is not a genre and a time period that I have a lot of nostalgia for, so these are all new to me.
Ultima™ 1+2+3
In the beginning of this adventure, hordes of nightmarish creatures stalk forth from the
Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace
SOLAR WINDS CARESS your face as mystic powers propel the majestic galleon through the atm
The Bard's Tale Trilogy
Experience the events that led to The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep and The Mage's Tale! T
For those that don’t dither about in the GESC fora, I play a LOT of games across a pretty wide variety of genres. And yet, these? Never played them. I have (of course) heard of them, and heard about how influential they and games like them were, with some of those influences and trickling down all the way to current day. The only thing I will say about Spelljammer? If I was starting a fresh 5e D&D campaign right now, I’d be grabbing the 5e Spelljammer book and running adventures in that. Because D&D plus Spacepirates == Duh.
So I look at this rather ancient collection of computer games and I think, “What I am going to do with this?”
And I came up with this: I’m going to treat this like an archaeological exploration of gaming’s past.
Let me explain.
At a pace of about a game a month, I want to do the following; dredge up previews and reviews and press from when the game was new (if possible). See what was said about it back in the day, get an idea of how they were anticipated and received. Then, find a game guide and start playing - take screen shots, follow the guide, take a lot of notes, and treat it as an exploration of a museum piece. Completing the game I don’t think will be necessary. It’s all about experiencing and seeing the games in action and those influential pieces which reverberate forward. Then, find modern retrospectives - how is the game received now. Videos, both of reviews and playthroughs. Maybe some odd theories. Speedruns!
Gather all of that and the notes and the screenshots and make a big post about it. Move on to the next game. Spread it out over the next year.
Not sure if I’ll be able to stick with it. But that is the plan. I like this plan. I think it could be a fun way to experience these oldies.
In closing, thank you Santa (And yes, I know who you are - GoG told me
). These are games I never would have bought for myself. But now that I have them? I think I have a fun idea for how to experience them. Time will tell.
Oi, crikey, it's almost shipping deadline! Ya'll with the early lutez always boggle my mind that someone is like BLAM, I AM FIRST TO SANTA!!! ...and can hear them steepling fingers in their frozen gift dispensary with great satisfaction. Fuckers.
Well, you've got plenty of reason to be a bit late this year, so I think it's OK if you end up being a bit of a deadbeat. We know you'll get to it.
We have already had a Backup Santa reach out and express their desire to distribute maximum velocity cheer. But we do appreciate the sentiment!
Shit no, but thank you. I was hoping to pull off a hand tailored parcel though I’m on it. Thanks all.
That would indicate that a GM/Chevy had leaked coolant. Probably not safe, either! But I hear it is sweet.
Going through my morning email pruning, I found a pair of emails, telling me that I have gifts! On Steam! Chosen from my Wishlist! Woohoo! 
Thank you very much, Santa Thorvard!
Thank you very much, Santa Thorvard!