DW: Wishing Well

Next batch of DW books. First is Wishing Well by Trevor Baxendale. (Damn you Terrance Trent D'Arby!)


The best thing that Trevor does in this book is: NO DAMN KIDS!!! Too many of these books have inserted a kid, because, well, these are the books for the kiddies after all. But not so here, Trevor gets it, it can appeal to children without needing children.

And the book is simple, with just six main characters aside from the Doctor and Marsha (and one other, but not for long), and they are written well. It's easy to keep track of who is who, and that has been a tricky thing with some of these books. Not to say that these are deep characters, because they aren't. Motivations are basic, which means we aren't bogged down in overextended arguments passing for exposition.

The plot is also fairly straightforward, this being similar to the other books, all of which do tend to rocket along. The overall arc is pretty clear, bad things happen and build up to a big fight, but then what story isn't like that? The story is an easy read, and enjoyable, and doesn't overtax the mind.

Certainly not the deep books we got from Baxendale in the EDA books, but this is a good read for this series.


Order: whatever, before Utopia is fine.

[END]

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Fatboy does a Runner

When I went to see Run Fatboy Run the theatre contained more than a handful of people, most of whom (and I am no judge of ages) early teens if not younger. I have to say, I don't think this movie was for them. I'm not sure if they were expecting a more Pegg movie (ala Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz), or a more out-and-out comedy, but I suspect they didn't find the movie as interesting as I did.

That said, this is a fairly standard romantic comedy - guy loses girl, then goes to extremes to get girl back again, finding himself in the meantime. The main points in this movies favour are more the actors than the story: with Dylan Moran, Hank Azaria and Thandie Newton, how could one not enjoy oneself? They are playing great characters, and there are others, including the great Mr Ghoshdashtidar (played by Harish Patel).

The comedy is light, and one needs to be able to engage with the story to really enjoy it, and that is what I think was beyond most of the younger patrons (to completely dismiss any chance of maturity on their behalf). But I could so, yeah, it worked for me.

Yeah, so see this movie, but try to avoid the kiddie companions.

[END]

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Shutter bug

I thought I knew at least of most J-Horror (as we must refer to the genre, thank you mindlessing America...) movies, but had never heard of Shutter, and yet this Shutter is an obvious take on a J-Horror movie... which turns out to be a Thai movie which I had never heard of before. (Ah, those wacky Thai.)

(Actually, I was also reminded a lot of The Sun Dog from the Four Past Midnight collection, but fortunately there is no Stephen King here.)

Certainly some mainstream J-Horror elements here, spirits turning up, strange things caught out of the corner of the eye, and of course something mundane turned into a source of terror (in this case, the camera). Not to mention atmosphere, which is something I always find separates Asian from American films (in that Asian films have it, American ones don't). Like The Grudge, Shutter has a Japanese director, who knows what he's doing, unlike the remake that was complete crap (yes, I'm talking about The Ring here).

All this adds up to great horror. Not as many deaths as some J-Horror movies, but the ones we get are pretty good. Plenty of scares abound as well, and not one due to a cat.

At 90 minutes it doesn't overstay it's welcome, and while it isn't Ju-On, it's still a decent film to see (if you like the genre at least).

[END]

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The good, the bad and the lovely

Yesteryear was 20 years of Star Trek: The Next Generation and there were celebrations aplenty! (Probably.) One such celebration were a set of big exciting books in the ST:TNG series. Not sure how many there were, but I picked up three.

Resistance by J. M. Dillard features the return of the Borg. 'Cos you just can't keep a good villain down. This could easily serve as a prequel to First Contact with the Borg gearing up to a threat that Picard and co might attend to, despite all wishes of higher up (in this case, Admiral Kathryn Janeway). It's a decent book, but it does take a little time to get started. Once underway there is some Borg action, but there could easily be more. There is a more cerebral approach to taking on the Borg, but there does get to be some kind of fight scene in the end. Certainly a book to note.

Q&A by Keith R. A. DeCandido features, strangely enough, Q. This book is set after Resistance, which is quite easily to tell as over half the book is spent with the characters moaning on about how the events in Resistance affected them, or giving in depth back story to the new characters. However, I read this book first, so that aspect didn't mean anything to me. And there is very little Q. Fine, an omnipotent being does tend to ruin the plot a little, but it would have been nice to have plot to ruin! In fact, this book is a battle between plot versus character development, with the author wanted to do a lot of the latter while grudgingly giving time when force to the former. And there's yet another retcon on why Q did the things he did! This is a book to avoid.

Before Dishonor by Peter David features... the Borg! This is a sequel to Resistance in a way that Q&A never could be. Following on from events in Resistance the Borg take another evolution in how they act, and this time in the hands of a true master author. The Borg are back and way nastier than ever, and the entire book basically becomes a big battle to try to stop them. Now this is a decent story truly well told, although it does make reference to a previous Peter David book (Vendetta) which I have only read once (which is at least helpful over referring to things I haven't read). There is also an ending which... I'm not sure if it will stick in the ST universe, but will definitely create interesting waves if it does. (And I also note there is another New Frontier book coming out, yay!) Definitely a must read (but do pick up Resistance and Vendetta).

So I don't just read Doctor Who, but this does show that any series output can very wildly in quality from book to book.

[END]

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Scion

Another month, another WARGS meeting. And at this one, I got to play a game of Scion named Ethel of Troy. (The most beautiful woman in the world, who has gone missing.)

My overwhelming impressions: combat system a little too hard to actually do any damage, and this is to d10s what Shadowrun is to d6s.

Which isn't to say we didn't have fun. I was a son of Hel, and a paranormal investigator (I see dead people... and can talk to them. Very helpful when investigating crime scenes). Not that there was too much crime scene investigating (no-one dying when we started, and the death that did occur we could work out quite easily who did it, because we were there), but we all got do flashy abilities and engage in a long fight scene.

Not much interest in the vampire side of role-playing games, which While Wolf specialise in, but I'd be happy to return to this world again.

Interestingly, at the meeting, less than half were actually involved in the roleplaying (which was just this game. There were two games on offer, but only a handful of people, and half of us had done the other game, so...). The others were board/card gaming. Really putting the R in WARGS...

[END]

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Barbigazl: Part Five Notes

DM’s Notes and Final Thoughts. [by Peter A. This is it, folks!]

Barbigazl didn’t end the way I’d hoped, with something of a cliffhanger on an encounter that was definitely planned from the beginning, somewhat signposted, and was designed to test the loyalty of the party to an NPC leader whose own authority had taken a huge knock. Perhaps it’s best this didn’t happen, although by accounts talking to the players later, it’s likely the party would have stuck with Hurin. Would they and could they have beaten back the Dwarves of Nikulburg, or would diplomacy have had to see them through? I can’t say, although the conclusion written yesterday provides my casualty-free compromise.

The game ended pretty much where it could, at the end of a very busy night and one player down (this being Paul, although Jamas had joined us by that stage of course). The party had treasure, they’d faced some interesting challenges, and pretty much everyone had had their chance to shine. As games go it could have been worse. It also didn’t appear from my side of the DM’s shield to be too railroaded – there was definite objective which was adhered to, the Halls were found, and even ‘a’ forge, but there’s no escaping the feeling that had that last battle been fought or negotiated in game time it would have been much better.

Certainly there was literally no more game to play, although the very tip of the iceberg that was Barbigazl had been explored – but I'd written no more! And to be honest, with us all twenty years older and with jobs and daytime commitments, that was pretty much all we were going to be able to spare time-wise. So there it is.

As for thoughts I took away from DMing the game, there are a few. It’s not rocket science, but they still stand up years on from when we first played:

1. Have a timeframe organized for real time and adventure time

This was obviously more pertinent in the game recently than before. Paul’s commitment was for two nights, and we could really do no more than three, so a normal-sized game would have to be divided evenly.

2. Find out where your story ‘nodes’ are

Continuing from the first point, give the story suitable ‘chapters’ where certain goals can be reached and rewards encountered. I think we did that by splitting it between the climb up the mountain, the Gnome encounter (more of a cliffhanger of course) and the eventual battle in the treasury (although the vampire fight in the library was more dramatic, but probably for the wrong reasons). If the game has to end there, then it’s not that bad. It was interesting to find out part of the way through an encounter that what was about to be played through was probably going to just be a distraction and not a reward or a plot point. The Ice Mummies fizzled out, and the werewolves were totally unnecessary.

3. Don’t Overcomplicate the Backstory

I guess I did this, with a potted Dwarven history and the mystery of what happened to Barbigazl, and then of course the introduction of the Gnome subplot. Of course solving the mystery was a big part of the story – in hindsight it may have been better to just give the guys the dungeon-crawl they were no doubt expecting. I also broke a few cardinal rules with similar names – Hurin/Hrothgar/Harga. And then there were the red herrings – namely the story of the dragon, Flast (of course there was going to be one. I just hadn’t figured out where to put it!), and the mysterious Farer Nohan whom Lotus was looking for. These can all ‘seed’ further stories, and who knows- maybe they will. But in this case it may just have been too much all at once.

4. Don’t overpopulate the party!

Enough said! Again, it was intended that the party be outnumbered, but I could have managed it better combat-wise. And giving the players NPCs to look after actually slowed things down more.

5. Let everyone get a piece of the action.

This I think I did manage to do, which is all the more remarkable given that we were playtesting two new character classes. The bard proved to be an effective spell caster if not a great fighter (having only a 1d6 hit dice). Jamas and I tinkered with him a little more before the follow-up story ‘The Temple of Death’. By then he was working really well and was occupying a good niche in the party as knowledge-gatherer and exposition dump for the DM. It started here though! Morf had less opportunity to prove himself as a partial replacement for the thief Thaddeus, but given another game this might yet come to pass. He was certainly a fun character to create, and I think story-wise he’s got the farthest to go of all the party. Hopefully we can find out where that might lead in the not too distant future.

[END]

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Barbigazl: Part Five

Barbigazl: The Conclusion [by Peter A. Picture is the device of Nikulburg]

Throin of Nikulburg has two trusted lieutenants, each resurrected companions of old. Smali is known to Argon and Panadyn as a former adventuring mate; he is easy going and well-inclined towards other races - or was, until his death. As unnatural as the process has been, Forge-born Dwarves brought back from the dead have a reputation for being grimmer and shorter of tempter. This can certainly be said of Throin's other lieutenant, Slugur, whose sometime enmity with the Dol Curin dynasty is long-burning, and whose former life's experience of Habenath was only slightly less pleasant. In short, some non-Dwarven members of the party could be in big trouble, having been discovered on disputed Dwarven ground, far from the safety of their homes.

Hurin holds his tongue, perhaps aware that Throin himself is no stripling, and bears a formidable weight among his people. But rescue of some form comes from Olbin and Hongur, both of whom were themselves former companions of Habenath and Panadyn. Easing the tension to hear how Nikulburg's army found the halls of Barbigazl, they provoke Throin's appointed spokesman to explain that Nikulburg was altered to the discovery of the halls when they themselves were researching the history of their kingdom and found reference of Orpin. Sending a delegation to Gundolar they were an unwitting audience to the news that spies near Redbeak had reason to believe Dwarven activity had awoken there, and the name of Barbigazl mentioned. Instantly Throin's curiosity was piqued, and only in the days that followed when he had amassed a small contingent of stout warriors to seek the forgotten realm, did he discover the apparent link to Nikulburg. With rage over a past betrayal burning, Throin's fellowship sped across four countries to the Dragon Mounts, and to Redbeak, there to settle the score long ago drawn by Hrothgar of Barbigazl.

Olbin explains that there is a stalemate - Hrothgar is dead, along with his stolen queen, and no heir was produced. The Nikulburgers are stunned and scandalized to hear that the woman in question was no Dwarf, and demand to see evidence. When this is produced, Throin in his wisdom suggests a moot between his kingdom and the men of the pretender Hurin Hewstone to discuss how the remains of Barbigazl may be shared, if they are of any worth. All that remains then is to determine the fate of those non-Dwarves present, for their business is not that of Dwarfkind, and events from this point on would best not include them. In fact, as Slugur says bloodthirstily, it would be best if they were not alive to share its secrets.

Hurin does not reply, and it remains for Olbin to remind his lord of the oath all of the PCs present swore - to serve him until death or his will released their bond. Smali asks who the party is, besides Argon and Panadyn, of whom he is well aware. Olbin, speaking for the group introduces the members of the Pentad and their companions. It does little good that between them the non-Dwarven PCs represent the immediate human neighbours of Barbigazl (and by that extension natural rivals for the territory and resources, uneasy neighbours of Nikulburg, and an elf. Argon, kneeling before Hurin, offers his services anew to the would-be king: he would gladly take the mantle of Hurin's champion in a duel with a representative from Throin's retinue - the winner would determine the fate of those present and claim ownership of Barbigazl for their king. Slugur hefts his great axe Widowmaker, ready to meet that challenge, but Hurin waves Argon away, and Throin watches the Dwarf Lord intently as he delivers his decision. Hurin explains that Olbin was charged with the duties of enlisting the members of his non-Dwarven retinue, and was wise to choose those he did. From the human lands of Gondalia, Angria, Mondasia and Dol Banden's Haven are themselves champions worthy of seeing the glory of Barbigazl - but no further. He charges those present to return to their lands and speak freely of the discovery of Barbigazl; say that it has been found and will have a new king, and is guarded well by the lords of Nikulburg and Khazum, and their allies from Khaz-kimun and Barak-Kund. He orders the Bard create a new song to be sung where ears would hear it, of the great deeds that delivered Barbigazl out of the dark, and finally of the love of Nim, its last queen, for the three peoples she called her own. He trusts them all to state that Barbigazl would be the friend to all, but that it belongs to Dwarves only, and will not look kindly on rivals. This is his last order to the party, and says that if they do this to the last man, their bond is released.

Throin lauds Hurin's wisdom, and states that he would add a further order, that each member swear never to return to the halls of the Kings or invite others to its doors. This is a right only to be conveyed to its king, Hurin, whom he himself will see invested as ruler before the remaining Dwarven kingdoms. Hurin bows as his men cheer, and says that he will release the party from their bond with the conditions set before, and rewards them at length for their trials and efforts. To Argon and Panadyn he is careful in his choices of treasures, but no less generous, and to Morf he grants his mercy, for although they met with deadly intent, the Gnome proved his worth several times since in service. As the party is escorted to the foot of the mountain, Morf asks that the remaining Pentad stay near while he clears the forests of Azhfelton. Though he has Hurin's mercy, he is still under oath to Orpin though nothing can be returned to the Gnome king save Nim's harp, which the Bard himself offers to return anonymously. Morf says that he is persona non grata, and to Orpin his life is forfeit, and to Azhfelton a likely exile. His fate lies in the hands of those he is with. Kogaun, as unofficial leader of the Pentad tells him not to worry, that in the Pentad will have friendship and protection, and as a new party as yet unnamed, Kogaun, Habenath, Alric, Morf and the Bard leave Hurin's kingdom for new adventures. [For example...]

[END]

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