#I have a character which was the first ever rpg character i made like 5 years ago

[isitthemoon]

Does anyone have an open slot in an online lgbtq+ friendly ttrpg group? I wanna play so bad 😭

[j4gm]

SPOILERS!!! REFERENCES AND EASTER EGGS IN F&C ep. 5: DESTINY

I'm a week late on this post because I had some stuff going on last week, but let's go!

The opening scene reintroduces us to Ice Finn, who was briefly cursed by Evergreen's crown. We see him abducting a family, who will become part of the pile of frozen bodies that made up the area where he and the Lich opened a portal to the Multiverse in Crossover. At the end of that episode Prismo moved the crown to the site of the Mushroom Bomb's explosion, freeing Farmworld Finn from the curse. But he remains a frightening figure in Farmworld's mythology, as demonstrated by this scarecrow that Simon steals his new clothes from.

Fionna telling Simon to relax because she's an expert at post-apocalyptic RPGs is ironic considering that Simon has survived and raised a child in an actual apocalypse.

Big Destiny appears alongside returning Destiny Gang members Tromo (far left) and Trami (fifth from left, just next to the mast). Tromo was assumed to be a boy in her first appearance; it's possible she's transed her gender. Big Destiny claims he was the one who defeated Ice Finn, which is most definitely not the case, but it seems like nobody is in the mood to dispute his claim.

This is Farmworld Wildberry Princess. She's a butcher just like her Ooo counterpart. Fionna also assaults Farmworld Starchy, and Farmworld Chet is the guy who was surprised to hear that Cake could talk. I'm not sure if there are any other recognisable characters amongst the crowds at the Farmworld meeting place, except of course for...

Choose Bruce! He was the person who gave Farmworld Finn his sword-arm in his debut episode, and is obviously the Farmworld version of Choose Goose. The evilness of his Ooo counterpart doesn't seem to have manifested in quite the same way, except that he is as shady a salesman as ever.

Fionna has a copy of a magazine called Mle, which seems to be the Fionna and Cake version of Ble. She also has Finn's iconic flute.

Peanut exclaims "magic fist" when he sees Cake use her powers, which was the name of Finn and Jake's wizard disguise when they entered the tournament in the episode Wizard Battle.

Peanut also mentions Fionna's missing nose, which is the first time someone has brought up the art style discrepency in canon. Fionna does in fact have a nose. It's just not drawn in her universe's art style.

Farmworld Finn's house is reminiscent of the Tree Fort, with its corrugated roof, haphazard wooden construction, steel chimneys, and the ladder steps leading up the trunk of the tree behind. But it still has its own unique design.

And here is Farmworld Finn himself! His retractable axe-arm is cool.

He is a widower with five children. As you probably already know, Jay (previous image) and Bonnie (third on left) are named after Finn's kids from Puhoy, who were themselves named after corruptions of Jake and Princess Bubblegum's names. The other three kids on the right are unnamed in the episode's credits, but have characteristics of some of Finn's other "children". The first on the right could represent Neptr, who Finn created in the episode What is Life. The middle on the right likely represents Stormo, who was spawned from Finn's DNA in the episode Goliad. The far right can't really be identified with any existing characters, but he has green eyes like Huntress Wizard, perhaps symbolising the potential of Finn's relationship with her or even being an explicit indicator that Farmworld Huntress was the mother of these children.

Jake is still alive in this universe. He was possessed by the Lich for a while, but was freed at the end of Crossover.

Finn throws a stick of bubblegum into the soup for some reason. I've seen various theories about what this is meant to mean but none of them really seem likely to me. It was probably just a nod to the fact that Princess Bubblegum doesn't appear anywhere else in Farmworld.

Old lady Marceline's broken laser gun and Farmworld Finn's sword arm are mounted on the wall, alongside other artifacts.

Bonnie has doodled a Candy Kingdom on the wall.

This is the first of at least two times that Cake suggests selfcest.

This is the crater from when the Mushroom Bomb blew up. Just like in its original appearance, it remains unclear why its impact was small compared to the bombs that exploded during the war. Perhaps time dulled its power, or perhaps the Lich's spirit was enough to make it more threatening than any conventional nuclear weapon. As previously mentioned, the crown got blown up here because Prismo teleported it here in Crossover. Out-of-universe, this was an explanation for a minor continuity error where the crown was present in a scene it shouldn't have been in during Finn the Human.

Little Destiny is afflicted by a lesser version of the curse of Evergreen's crown, since she's only wearing one of the jewels. This is why Jay says she feels cold.

Bartram! This is Farmworld Finn's beloved mule. He was reluctant to sell Bartram in order to pay off the Destiny Gang, which was the catalyst for his discovery of Evergreen's crown. It's good to see that he was at least able to keep his mule after that whole ordeal.

This show has conditioned us to expect blood when someone dies, so perhaps Farmworld Finn isn't dead despite this looking like a killing blow. Either way, I don't think we'll be seeing him again.

The dream in this episode's credits is a bunny with a sword.

[sevilemar]

If you're a GM, and a player asks you for a 'go out in a blaze of glory' ending in the final boss fight, do everyone a favour and say no. Because it does not work. The medium of ttrpg is not made for pre-made stories like that.

If it happens organically at the table, and you all lean into it in the moment, it's such a great experience for everyone. But if you try to force it, plan it beforehand and try to make it part of the design, it just falls flat and feels wrong.

For those of you who follow me, you know that this request from one of my players was what gave me the most headaches in planning my final boss fight. It felt weird from the start, but it was my first campaign as a GM, and her first time in an rpg ever, and I thought I'd at least try.

Here's why it didn't work for us:

- Communication. Turns out the player had quite a specific image in her head, but I understood it in broader terms. She wanted to look bbeg in the eyes and have a shootout, killing each other. I heard 'I want my character to sacrifice herself, enabling the other party members to kill bbeg because of it'.

- I do not control my PCs. Once I set the scene and combat starts, I relinquish most of the control to my players and the dice. I do not know if they will go for the things I think they will go for, or who will do what where. Sure, you can lead them by the way you describe things, but not to the degree that you'll need for something pre-planned like this.

In this case, it went like this: The players killed my distractions way sooner than anticipated, so they were free to concentrate on the bbeg way sooner than I thought. And another PC decided to help the one on a suicide mission, since that's what players do in a situation like this. And before I could offer the suicide PC their blaze of glory moment, the other PC did the last hefty bit of damage necessary with a lucky shot, and I was bound by the rules I had already established to let it happen.

And so the suicide PC still died while doing the lion share of helping their friends take out bbeg as the player wanted, but it was by the hand of a party member, and there was no fanfare about it, and their death could have easily been prevented if they hadn't played to loose. It felt very contrary to the spirit of these kind of fights, and it does not sit right with me.

- Someone else had prior claim to the kill shot. My bbeg had personal beef with another PC, because she killed her mentor. That was the reason the party got together in the first place, and that was also why I wanted that PC to get the final shot if at all possible. If not, that's the game, too.

- Exhaustion. We had been playing for close to 5 hours by that point, all of which I had spent juggling a ton of henchmen and monster stats and strategies, made some up on the fly because my players went through them way too easily, while trying to keep the pace up and the tension escalating, coming up with rulings on the fly for the weird shit my players did, at one point directing a whole cavern full of monster's and NPC's, and remembering the history which my bbeg was taunting the players with verbally because I wanted them to have that information.

Plainly speaking, I was exhausted. And when I get tired like that, I get quiet. Now, that's not a good thing for a GM, who creates stories with words, and it certainly did not help me with making her death as meaningful as I could. I think I did OK, but I missed one crucial thing, which was giving her a glimpse that her sacrifice had worked. I wish I had done it, and I will definitely do it if I am in that situation again. And when I get together with the player next, I will offer to re-do it if she wants.

I'm gonna talk it over with the player one-on-one, see what she thinks about all of it. But I wanted to put this here as well, so you have a chance to learn from my experience as well.

[indigo-scribbles]

AMA with Owlcat's devs

Some time ago Owlcat had small AMA event ont their discord server. Here are some anwsers that I think you guys may like to read.

How many games are you currently working on?

We have several new games in development. We will announce them when we are ready - stay tuned! Meanwhile, we continue the support of existing two projects - Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

How much voice acting are you looking at for future projects?

We believe that full VO has become a must-have feature (even if it takes a significant budget to implement) and are currently working to make full VO applicable to all future titles.

Can we expect to see more Pathfinder stuff soon? Or ever? Or Starfinder?

We don't exclude such possibility in future, but there's no Pathfinder or Starfinder game in development right now.

I believe it was mentioned at some point in the past that you'd like to (theoretically, of course) make a WoD game. If that's still true - which of WoD many lines would be most interesting to you in that regard? (and edition too) Still purely theoretical, just as a matter of personal interest, with no consideration of real-world complication, licenses and all that

We really love this IP (as we love many others), but we aren't working on such a game right now, so we haven't really discussed it.

How was working with GW and the Warhammer IP? Are there any plans for future titles, like we've seen with Pathfinder?

It was a quite fruitful cooperation. A lot of important feedback that helped made the game as 40k as it can be. Both sides are happy with how RT turned out! We plan to continue further improving the game through QoL updates and new content. For now we already have two DLCs planned, and we'll see what comes next!

Recent article/interview hinted the studio is working on 4 different games - when would we find more about these unrevealed titles?

We can't wait for the moment in future when we can finally tell you about each of the new projects in development! But we need to be ready first, and it still may take some time. We'll reveal each of the projects in its due time. Stay tuned, we're certain you will be as excited as we are when you finally get to see them!

I was wondering if you will step away from your known tech/engine and dare to move towards something new like Unreal Engine 5 ?

At least one of the new projects is done with Unreal Engine 5. We're pretty excited for the new possibilities it gives us. But at the same time, we have a lot of expertise with Unity, and would prefer not to waste that potential. It means that you'll definitely see more traditional isometric games from us based on a familiar approach seen in Pathfinder and Rogue Trader!

Will the UE5 game (the one hinted at by that recruitment post a year ago or so) still be party-based or is it closer to something like the Witcher? If the former (which I dearly hope for) then should we expect about the same number of companions, both in general and in the active party or will it be reduced?

In all our games, the story always involves many different characters, some of which may choose to join the protagonist as companions. This game is not an exception. ☺ That is all we can share at the moment.

Does that UE5 project (with mocap cutscenes and all) represent your plans going forward or is it on a parallel track and you still plan to continue making those old-school isometric games with classic long text dialogues too? Is the team’s opinion on the topic unanimous or are there different “factions” now? xD

This is a new direction we're exploring, but we're working on more traditional old school isometric RPGs simultaneously as well, as you may have guessed by previous answers. We're not moving away from that. ☺

On that topic - can you share something from your personal experience/feelings about working with a new engine and consequently a different style of game? Which parts of “exciting” and “dauinting” was it?

We will be able to properly answer this once we're done developing the game. ☺ Of course, the new engine requires people with new expertise and various changes to the development pipeline. But it also allows us to explore new opportunities and possibilities, which is great.

Do you want to/plan to return to the Pathfinder/Warhammer worlds or are you more interested in exploring new settings?

Diving into new settings is exciting, but there are certainly parts of the team who would love to explore the Pathfinder and Warhammer 40,000 worlds further. Where this will end up, remains to be seen.

Is there any specific setting that you’d love to make a game within if you didn’t have to deal with these pesky real-world issues of IP licenses, marketability and such?

We're pretty open-minded about this. Many major universes were proposed on internal meetings at some point (literally most you can think of!). It all comes down to the mix of team's excitement about a specific setting and the terms that we are offered.

Was there something that you really wanted to do in one of your already-released games but had to drop the idea, due to either artistic vision or time/resources/technical constraints?

Many times. This happens in game development all the time, when time and budget constraints come into play. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous could have more content for some of the existing Mythic Paths or a deeper Crusade system. Rogue Trader could have the option to get new, bigger ships, more psychic disciplines and more unique character abilities. A big chunk of a planned content for Santiel's Pride was cut, as well. Sometimes these chunks return in later DLCs or free updates (like it happened with the Devil in Wrath), hopefully that'll be the case with Rogue Trader as well!

How was the response to the Dance of Masks DLC?

Overwhelmingly positive. Despite being released almost a year later, it is close in popularity to DLC4 - The Last Sarkorians, which is a very big sign of success. We're very excited to see how well it was received. And we owe this to the community itself - the concept of the DLC was based on the results of a large community survey where we asked what the people wanted.

Is it looking hopeful for a possibility of more DLCs like that in your games?

Absolutely. You may see by the Season Pass 2 DLCs that we're learning from our mistakes and are willing to listen to the community. And this type of DLCs seems to be what our players enjoy a lot.

With how huge the changes in the patches for RT is - do you still plan to do an EE eventually, like with the Pathfinder games, or did you decide to change the approach and we can expect more big patches instead of a new edition?

In Rogue Trader, so far we're leaning towards multiple big updates over the lifetime of the game, rather than an Enhanced Edition. Two of them have already went live, each with massive updates and improvements.

Would you consider doing a World of Darkness, Star Wars, Rifts (Kevin Siembeida) or DnD game? Would you be willing to do a Warhammer Fantasy cRPG?

These all sound interesting and have their dedicated fanbase among the team. Choosing one would be hard though!

Would you consider making Icewind Dale 3?

We love this franchise, but don't see such opportunities for us, at least in foreseeable future.

Would you consider creating your own IP for a game?

Absolutely. Every game developer eventually wants to create something of their own. We already have multiple ideas inside the studio and while we haven't established any specific plans yet, we will certainly move forward with this sooner or later.

What is your next project?

There are multiple projects in development right now. All we can share now is that one of them is based on Unreal Engine 5, has a way bigger production scale than our previous games, and is a way more cinematic experience than our previous games.

Can we have a DLC connecting Kingmaker and WotR?

It was one of the proposed options in the big survey (30 000 people) back in 2022, where we asked the community about their preferences regarding DLCs. This option ended up slightly above the middle of the list, so we went with a more promising variant which you now know as a Dance of Masks. As of now, while the concept definitely sounds fun, it is rather unlikely we will be doing any more paid DLCs for Wrath of the Righteous. The team is slowly moving on to the next project.

Are there any plans to translate WotR to Portuguese-BR?

We don't plan on adding more officially supported languages to Wrath of the Righteous at the moment, but things can always change if we find a good opportunity. Meanwhile, there are multiple existing fan translations, PT-BR among them, that can be installed as mods.

Do you plan to add the Telekinesis discipline for Psykers in Rogue Trader at some point?

It is a good potential DLC material, but there have been no decisions about this yet.

Would you be willing to add a full respec option in Rogue Trader?

Unlikely, as this is a deliberate design decision. We do have plans for major improvements for the levelling UI and experience as a whole though, process is already underway.

Would you be willing to add Real Time w/ Pause to Rogue Trader?

No. The game is not built with RtwP in mind and it would require a complete overhaul of the game to make that happen.

Will there be an offline physical copy for Rogue Trader on PS5?

No plans at the moment. If anything changes, we will certainly let everyone know.

Why are Rogue Trader companions so much different from what we received in WotR?

Well, it's a different universe and a different game, why would they be the same?

If you do another Pathfinder game would you be willing to add the gunslinger class? Will you ever do a PF2E game or remaster Kingmaker/Wotr into that rule set?

Gunslinger mismatched a bit with the themes of the first two games, and it also would require a major mechanical rework and a whole new type of weapons only useable by that class, which was a bit too much work for a single class. If we are ever to do a new Pathfinder game, we'd probably have a long debate which edition to base it on, leaning towards PF2E because it's more up-to-date. As for the Gunslinger class, could happen if it fits thematically. The idea of remastering the older games at some point in distant future has certainly visited us, but it's too early and currently we are too focused on new projects to even consider that.

Would having fully voiced games hinder your ability to write sprawling and reactive dialogues?

It certainly adds to the budget and complexity of development, but solutions for these issues exist and we believe it will not affect the quality of our writing or limit our ideas.

Have you thought about how to automate buffing in your games?

It's a complicated question. It's important to not automate things too much, as it may hinder some of the 'old school' magic of the game. But we know it may get tedious on higher difficulties, especially for console users. We've considered implementing an analogue of buffing mod into the main UI during the Enhanced Edition, but other features took precedence back then, and we never had a chance to revisit it. Unfortunately, at this point it's unlikely something this big will be added. In Rogue Trader, we've significantly changed our approach to buffs, and it should be way less of an issue.

What is your process for expanding and changing npc’s in adventure paths?

Comes naturally during the videogame adaptation. To improve the player experience, you often have to change or alter something from the original adventure path, as a videogame functions a bit differently from a tabletop RPG.

Are there any plans to collaborate with Chris Avellone again in the future?

It was a tremendous pleasure to work with Chris. He is an amazing narrative designer, and we love the stories he tells. Still, we also have a lot of our own narrative ideas we'd like to explore, so there are no existing plans to collaborate on that matter. At least, for now.

Is it likely your games will come to Gamepass?

We certainly recognize the popularity of Gamepass, and would be interested for that to happen. However, currently we don't have any such agreements, so we can't give any promises.

[komajordan]

Media I’ve Experienced in 2024 (March)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica:Rebellion (8/10)-Big Cake Round Cake Right in Front of Me!

The Little Mermaid 2023 (6/10)-The singing was good besides that wack Awkwafina rap

Craig Before The Creek (8/10)-While I liked Craig of the Creek, I wouldn’t call myself a fan but this prequel was pretty fun into was the main characters were like before

Madame Web (0/10)-No reason to watch, awful effects, bland characters, boring story

Megaman X5 (7/10)-Honestly, the story was kind of stale but the gameplay was still top notch

Peacemaker (9/10)-After playing him in Mortal 1 Kombat, I loved this show. Fun characters, funny dialogue, and some pretty good fights

Megaman X6 (5/10)-Guilty pleasure, while a lot of it was annoyingly hard, I liked the virus stuff and the story

Avenue Q (9/10)-Pretty emotional musical about adulthood despite being played by muppets

Kung Fu Panda 4 (6/10)-Waaay too safe, the villain was intimidating until being defeated in 3 hits

Secrets of the Furious Five (8/10)-Pretty neat special, I liked the Furious Five from their movie screentime and the show and this helped fleshed them out

The Button of Doom (6/10)-While not as good as the movie. This is something Megamind 2 wishes it could be

South Park (8/10)-After 26 Seasons, this show is still pretty good. It has moments that make me laugh while still being shocking and there are characters I find likable to watch like Butters and Kenny

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (10/10)-Takes my favorite disk of FFVII and expands hard on it. Traversal feels freeing, the locations feel more full, and the story takes some wild turns.

Smiling Friends Season 1 (8/10)-This shows that adult cartoons don’t have to be about nihilism and can be about hope and enjoying life.

Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy (3/10)-While I find Seth MacFarlane funny this didn’t do it for me. The comedy while having decent setups, is ultimately too lazy to make it funny

Megaman X7 (4/10)-Gameplay was repetitive, the voice acting was bad but hey still liked it more than X3

Megaman X8 (8/10)-The gameplay is pretty fun this time, and Lumine is a pretty good villain if they expanded her more

Megaman X:The Day of Sigma (5/10)-The animation is good don’t get me wrong but the pacing couldn’t keep me engaged

Saw (7/10)-Pretty good story about someone who wants to help people realize they want to live by putting them in death traps

Fairy Tail 100 Years Quest Manga (Currently 8/10)-My favorite anime is Fairy Tail and this sequel expands pretty well, the Dragon Gods concept is interesting, the characters are still as they were which is how I like them, and the art during fights are really well detailed

Hello Kitty Super Style (9/10)-I love Supercute Adventures and this show honestly feels like if we got a full 11 minute show.

Mortal Kombat 1995 (8/10)-Fun action and characters. Effects didn’t age the best

Grave of The Fireflies (9/10)-Really emotional movie about those suffering during war

Persona 3 Reload (10/10)-The best gameplay and presentation Persona has ever been.

Godzilla:King of Monsters (9/10)-Really cool action and monsters

King Kong:Skull Island (8/10)-Pretty good story and action

Godzilla 2014 (5/10)-Probably spoiled by how good future Monsterverse but the spectacle was kind of forgettable

Godzilla vs Kong (10/10)-Yup still as fun as I remember it

Hunter X Hunter 2011 (9/10)-As much as I want to strangle Gon the rest of the series is pretty fire

Kaguya Sama Love is War!:The First Kiss That Never Ends (9/10)-Pretty funny and emotional movie

Komi Can’t Communicate (9/10)-Fluttershy as an anime girl

My Senpai Is Annoying (8/10)-I came in wanting Kurobe, left loving Futaba and Takeda

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon:Explorers of Sky-Beyond Time and Darkness (5/10)-The dub is too goofy

OFF The RPG (Opinion Has Changed as of September) (8/10)-Originally I found the fights boring and the fact I was softlocked made it lower. That was a mistake. The story is really haunting and dark, the fights are really basic but not bad, and the locations have an eerie feeling to them

One Piece Film Z (10/10)-Z is a really intimidating villain and the action is pretty good

My Little Pony:The Manga (7/10)-Cute artwork, I wish the stories were better

[thesmumbo]

Smumbo's top 10 games he happened to play in 2022

Not necessarily games that were released in 2022, just my favorites that I played for the first time last year.

10: Night in the Woods (2017)

by Alec Holowka, Scott Benson, and Bethany Hockenberry

Peak fall vibes game. Night in the Woods features a compelling mystery and some great spooky moments. The setting and characters really resonated with me, so I got a lot out of it.

9: The Pedestrian (2020)

by @skookumarts

Pleasant puzzle game inspired by the signage that surrounds us in our day-to-day lives. Some of the puzzles were quite difficult, and I kind of dislike the direction the game took in its last act, but it was still a very fun and unique experience.

8: South of South Mountain (2022)

by @colorbomb

Cute & hilarious visual novel with a fantastic art style. I could not stop laughing throughout the whole experience.

7: Portal Reloaded (2021)

by PORTANIS

From a pure gameplay standpoint, this was a very satisfying sequel to Portal 2, and it's possibly the closest we'll ever get to a Portal 3. Portal Reloaded introduces a third portal which allows you to travel to the same place at a different time, so certain things have been moved/removed. It gets really complicated, and I’m amazed this was able to be created as a free standalone mod for Portal 2.

6: Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery (2022)

by Grace Bruxner and Thomas Bowker

Approximately 3-4 hours of pure, unadulterated joy and whimsy. I can’t believe it took me this long to play Frog Detective, but I’m so glad I did. Everything about these games resonated with me strongly.

5: OneShot (2016)

by @girakacheezer, @nightmargin, and Eliza Vasquez

A transcendent experience. Explores the unique ways in which video games can tell stories, and the nature of free will. Features some interesting meta game mechanics which require you to interact with files outside of the game. The visuals and soundtrack are spot-on as well. Weird how there’s so many great RPG Maker games which work so well in spite of the engine.

4: Scorn (2022)

by Ebb Software

An incredible audiovisual experience. I liked the gameplay too, even though it seems like a lot of people were disappointed by it. I'm amazed that a game like this even exists. Absolutely oozing with atmosphere and symbolic meaning. The story spoke to me on an incredibly deep level despite lacking words, or even any semblance of humanity.

3: What Remains of Edith Finch (2017)

by Giant Sparrow

One of the greatest games ever made. All of the vignettes and set-pieces throughout the game are flawlessly paced, with a wide variety of gameplay and visual styles. Packed with detail, made with love, and so emotionally resonant. I loved this game.

2: Bloodborne (2015)

by From Software

For years, I would try to play Bloodborne whenever I had access to a PlayStation 4, but I wasn’t able to do a full playthrough until 2022. It lived up to the hype. This is my favorite From Software game, and it’s already one of my favorite games of all time. I really hope this gets a remaster/PC port some day. It’s a masterpiece.

1: SIGNALIS (2022)

by @rose-engine

One of the greatest horror games I’ve ever played. Amazing visuals and atmosphere, fascinating world and lore, and a captivating, mind-blowing cosmic horror sci-fi story. I especially loved the evocative UI designs throughout. Highly recommended if you like Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Dead Space, PS1 style games in general, or if you have even a passing interest in survival horror. This is my #1 game of 2022.

[foundry-fabrications]

System Spotlight: Ironsworn

Hello everyone, and welcome to my first ever System Spotlight! Before we begin, let me explain a little about what this is and what to expect.

This is a series I've wanted to do for a while where I talk about RPGs other than D&D, their mechanics, and my overall thoughts on them. There are thousands of wonderful RPGs out there and I want to shine a spotlight on some of the ones I feel could use more love or just give my two cents on ones that are already popular.

This won't be a regular weekly series or anything like that, but I do want to write these so there's less of a gap between content posts. I also want to use them as a sort of primer/101 for future projects made for those systems. I'm known for 5th edition and it's likely the system you fine folk are most familiar with so I want to give you the basics of whatever system I'm working with so the associated project makes some sense. And hey, if even one of you takes in interest in a game I talk about then that's a win in my book.

I would also like to preface that I have not actually played every game I will be talking about in this series, though I have read about them and gone through whatever core rules they have at the very least. I will state whether or not I have played in each post for transparency and so you can judge my opinions accordingly.

Anyway, that's enough preamble, let's Undertake a Journey and talk about Ironsworn!

Are you the Forever GM and never get to play? Are you in-between games or groups and want something to scratch that RPG itch? Perhaps you want to try GMing your own game but don't want the pressure of other players. You're not alone! Turns out there is a huge community for the solo play of RPGs and I am fascinated by it. People have been finding ways to play RPGs by themselves for years and there are lots of tools to let people do just that (I'll get to those at some point), but recently there has been a certain game that has become very popular that is built for just such a method of play.

Created by the wonderful Shawn Tomkin, Ironsworn is game built from the ground up to be solo or co-op and entirely GMless, though you can play traditionally if you wish. It's based on the Powered by the Apocalypse system and is more narrative than mechanics focused unlike a lot of other RPGs, especially games like D&D. Basically, the mechanics are designed to be in service of the story. Speaking of mechanics, let's talk about ‘em!

Dice

Starting with dice, Ironsworn uses a d6 and two d10s for everything. The d6 is your Action Die and acts like a d20 in other systems. The two d10s are your Challenge Dice, which set the difficulty of whatever it is you're trying to roll for.

When you roll to do something, you roll the d6 and d10s together adding your relevant stat and any bonuses you have to the d6. If your action die is over both challenge dice, you get a Strong Hit. If it's only over one of the challenge dice, it's a Weak Hit. But if it's under both of the challenge dice then it's a Miss. Now, if both of the challenge dice are the same, you either have a Strong Hit or Miss with a Match. Matches are like crits in other games, making your Strong Hit or Miss way better or way worse for you.

Moves

So how do you actually do stuff? Like most PbtA games, you make Moves, each with their own mechanics that tell you how to resolve them. For example, let's look at a common move: Gather Information.

For this example, we roll our dice and get a 3 on the Action Die and a 4 and an 8 on the Challenge Dice. We'll say our character has a 2 for Wits and no other bonuses, bringing our Action Die total to 5. This would be a Weak Hit, revealing some troubling information and giving us +1 Momentum (we'll get to momentum in a bit). Pretty simple, right? Whatever you want to do, there's a move for it.

Momentum

Now, about momentum. Momentum is a really cool mechanic that gives you some much needed control over your dice when you really need it. Most moves give you momentum when you succeed, up to a max of 10. When you roll, you can burn your momentum to cancel out any challenge die that is less than your momentum, letting you turn a Miss into a Weak Hit or a Weak Hit into a Strong Hit. Your momentum then gets reset back down to 2 so you always have a little.

Characters

Ok, let's talk character creation! Characters in Ironsworn have 5 stats: Edge, Heart, Iron, Shadow, and Wits. Edge is your quickness and is for ranged combat; Heart is your courage and charisma; Iron is your strength, constitution, and is for melee combat; Shadow is your sneakiness and cunning; Wits is your intelligence and wisdom. You set your stats with a stat array, putting one number for each stat: 3, 2, 2, 1, 1. They even have alternate arrays with higher and lower numbers to make the game easier or harder, which is cool. Your stats will never change during a game so be sure to choose wisely.

Health, Spirit, and Supply

Characters have 3 meters to represent their status: Health, Spirit, and Supply. They each start at 5 and can be increased or decreased by failing moves or taking damage. Health and Spirit are pretty self explanatory, representing your overall physical health and stress levels. Supply is a little different. You don't have equipment, money, or resources in Ironsworn so Supply is used as an abstract representation of how prepared you are during your adventures.

Assets

Now it's time to pick your assets. Assets represent your skills and traits, giving you bonuses to certain things and letting you make new moves. There are 4 asset types: Companions, Paths, Combat Talents, and Rituals. Companions are pretty self explanatory. Paths are your background, skills, and training. Combat Talents let you do special moves with whatever weapon you wield. Finally, Rituals are how you perform big magic in the world of Ironsworn. You get any 3 assets of your choice when you create your character and you can get more through character progression. Assets can also be upgraded, unlocking new abilities and benefits.

Iron Vows

So how does character progression work? In Ironsworn, you earn experience by completing quests, or Vows as they're called. When you take on a quest, you literally swear on iron that you will do whatever it is you set out to do, hence the name of the game. But should you forsake your vow, there are consequences. You always start a game with a background vow, which is basically your personal quest and what drives your character, and an immediate vow to get the story going.

Once you complete a vow, you get experience based on how dangerous it was. Experience can be spent on upgrading your assets or buying entirely new ones.

Combat in Ironsworn

So how does combat work in Ironsworn? Well, a bit like everything else, using moves and with a greater focus on the narrative instead of the nitty gritty details. To be honest, I still have trouble wrapping my head around combat coming from a background of the crunchy, tactical style combat of D&D.

Basically, when you enter combat you Enter the Fray and roll to see who is in control of the situation. Whether or not you are in control determines what moves you can make. Rolling well means you gain or maintain control and you can mark progress towards ending the encounter and claiming victory, whatever that looks like for you. I know my explanation is probably woefully inept at best, so I encourage you to check out Matt Risby’s explanation and example. He does a much better job than I ever could.

The Oracles

Now that you have your version of the Ironlands, you need people, places, and things to populate it with. For that, we turn the the Oracle tables. The oracles are d100 tables filed with words and descriptors to help you flesh out your world and spark inspiration when you're not sure what to do next. There is even a dedicated move called Ask the Oracle, which many other moves reference to help you out if you're not sure what their results might mean for your character.

But what if you need to generate something? For example, say we just entered a new settlement and we want see what it's like and what might be going on there. For that, we turn to the Settlement Oracle tables. We roll a 45 so our settlement is named after a creature. Then we roll and 97, giving us the name Dragonshadow. Now let's see what's going on in Dragonshadow. We roll a 65, giving us “families in conflict”. Squabbling nobles perhaps? But I think you get the idea. There's 19 oracles in Ironsworn and you're even encouraged to make your own.

The Ironlands

Now that the basics are out of the way, where are we? Welcome to the Ironlands! The Ironlands are a low fantasy, low magic, viking-esque setting that honestly reminds me a lot of Westeros from Game of Thrones. It's a harsh, unforgiving land that has made it's people tough and hearty, people who have already dealt with great hardship after a cataclysm drove them from their homeland, or The Old World.

But the best part is that the Ironlands are yours to create. Alongside character creation you create your own version of the Ironlands based on a series of prompts. The basics remain the same as above but the details are up to you. You determine what drove the Ironlanders from their home, how society works, are there monsters or magic, what horror lurk in the dark, and so much more. And if you don't like one of the prompts, change it! Make up whatever you want, it's your world!

Hacks (or Homebrew)

But what if you aren't a fan of the Ironlands period? Perhaps you want something a little more fantastical or even high tech? Then hack it! There's an entire section in the game that encourages you to rework the game to suit whatever needs you have. Don't like the setting? Make up a new one! Want new equipment or backgrounds? Rename the existing assets or make new ones! Don't want to do the work yourself? There are dozens of hacks and hundreds of custom assets created by the community, most of which are free! Whatever flavor you want Ironsworn to be, it can be with a little tweaking.

Ironsworn: Starforged

Now I can't talk about Ironsworn without talking about it's sister game, Starforged. Starforged is a new version of the game with updated and expanded rules in a new sci-fi setting known as the Forge. All the basics are still there with only minor changes so if you've played one you can jump right into the other without much issue. Everything I've said before goes for Starforged as well so if fantasy isn't your bag maybe give it a go instead!

My Thoughts

I'll just come right out and say it, I fucking love Ironsworn. But sadly I've yet to actually sit down and start a game to experience it for myself, which is honestly a crime. It's completely changed my perspective of what an RPG can be and has really opened my eyes to the incredibly wide world of solo play, which I will be delving into further. I have nothing but nice things to say about the game, its creator Shawn, and its incredible community.

To get into specifics, the biggest thing I love is the simplicity of Ironsworn as a system and how easy it is to expand on it. The fact that you're actively encouraged to customize it is amazing too. The layout of the book is clean, simple, and explains things very well. It even includes examples of play. I love momentum as a mechanic, I think it's a brilliant way help keep the story moving and I would love to try and come up with something like it for other systems. And while low fantasy isn't my bag, I can appreciate it for what it is and I can always customize it to suit my tastes.

But the best part about Ironsworn is its completely free! You can download everything you need to play on the website at https://www.ironswornrpg.com/. Starforged on the other hand is paid, which you can get a pdf of on DriveThruRPG for 20 bucks, which is more than reasonable in my opinion. But should you get a physical copy, you get a pdf for free!

If you're not sold on the game just yet, or just want to see it in action, I highly encourage you to check out Me, Myself, and Die Season 2 (season 1 not required), The Bad Spot podcast, and Errant Adventures podcast. MM&D S2 is just Ironsworn while both The Bad Spot and Errant Adventures do both Ironsworn and Starforged. All of them are fantastic live play shows that are well worth your time in my humble opinion.

If you're still with me, thanks for listening to me ramble about a game I love for a bit. I know it's different than my usual content but different is good and I've wanted to do this for a long time so I appreciate you sticking around while I experiment. Let me know what y'all think, about this as a thing I do now, if you're familiar with Ironsworn, and what other games you'd like me to look at. I have one hell of a list already but I bet y'all have some gems I don't know about and it will help me gauge interest. Anyway, that's all for now. As always, stay safe, don't forget to love each other, and I'll see you again soon.

[wandringaesthetic]

Top 5 JRPGs

So in order to answer this question I had to have a few existential crises. First: what is a JRPG (we just don't know)? I'm going with the more purist answer here since we're narrowing it down to 5. So no action RPGs or tactical RPGs. Second: do I just put down my personal favorites here? because that's going to be 4 Final Fantasy games and idk Suikoden II, probably, and that's not very interesting. I don't really believe in objective quality, but at the moment I find it interesting to take a stab at it or at least name things I think are genuinely very good and polished and have relatively universal appeal. In the end, ugh, whatever, here's a list:

Final Fantasy VII - this is the one that made me fall in love with the genre. I don't have much to say about it that hasn't already been said. I will say, while I mostly like Remake/Rebirth there's something about the original they're never going to catch, and there's a lot to be said about being (relatively) more succinct and focused and leaving some things to the imagination.

Dragon Quest V - This is as good as the UrJRPG series gets. Charming and funny and bright and occasionally tragic. It's about growing up and family and perseverance. It did the monster recruitment thing before Pokemon. I played the Super Famicom version via fan translation and emulation, so I don't know if the remake(s?) of this have quite the same charm. It's helpful for older games to look their age so you can put them in the context of their time, I think. I feel like relatively few people in the west have played this one, which is a shame because it's the missing piece in the influences of Lufia, Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, possibly even Pokemon. Really fun, really solid game that was genuinely touching and made me feel childlike wonder.

Suikoden II - I first played this one when I was in college and Going Through It, and I've been meaning to replay it ever since. So, my memories are a little muddled but I'm going to do my best. Two boys take diverging paths to the same end. A war story that takes on a human scale by developing a huge cast of characters and by having your base grow around you. It takes one of the most interesting middle chapter twists I can think of in a video game. It's one of the best looking and sounding sprite based games to exist. It has an iron chef cooking mini game.

Shadow Hearts Covenant - balances between horror and quirkiness. Atypical setting (in the shadows of IRL World War I). Atypical protagonist with many demons, literal and metaphorical. Really good gameplay. Takes the FFX conditional turn based thing, where you can see the turn order and where some skills alter it, and runs with it. Timed hits, but it's customizable so you can make the system more or less forgiving and balance risk/reward with precise inputs versus guaranteed, but lower, accuracy. Adds up to a really fun game. Vibes are immaculate. Cast is great. But I cannot speak to how good the plot is because I don't remember most of it. It and the rest of the series have never been ported or remade and likely never will be. Keep circulating the tapes.

Chrono Trigger - I mean if you're only going to play one JRPG this is the one. The love child of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, with the bright, fun adventure qualities of DQ and the scifi/fantasy fusion and existential angst of FF. Did gameplay stuff it took other games decades to do and did it better. One of the best looking SNES games. The music makes me feel feelings I can't name. I paradoxically think it's overrated even though I'm putting it on the list, because it's not a personal favorite and I don't think anything in the world lives up to the hype around this game. It is very good, however, and a distillation of the genre.

[self-loving-vampire]

your posts have gotten me interested in checking out the wizardry series! do you have any suggestions for where to start? i was thinking of checking out the remake of wizardry 1.

There's options depending on your preferences.

The remake of Wizardry 1 is definitely looking good based on what I have seen.

The SNES port of Wizardry 1, 2, and 3 (Wizardry I-II-III: Story of Llylgamyn) is also good option if you want to jump right into the classic series as most people know it. This port has graphical and UI improvements over the original. Make sure to get the English translation and look at the manual.

Wizardry 5 is the last of the "classic" Wizardry games (not counting the clones and spinoffs) and has similarly enhanced ports on top of some general gameplay improvements. Stuff like new spells, friendly dungeon NPCs roaming around, etc.

Wizardry 6-8 form a very different and more modern trilogy. They are generally not what all the Wizardry clones are based on, and they have a few sci-fi elements like aliens mixed in. I'd say they're still fun (if sadistic at times) and I especially had a good time with Wizardry 8 using the enhancements mod to speed up combat animations a bit and improve the balance.

While you can transfer your character from Wizardry 6 to 7 and eventually 8, I think it's completely fine to give 8 a try by itself with the understanding that it is pretty different from the other games while still having the same DNA.

The one game that is truly terrible as a starting point is Wizardry 4, which is considered one of the most difficult RPGs ever made and most people cannot even exit the initial room. It also has significantly different gameplay in that you play as the evil wizard from the first game and must escape from the dungeon rather than dive into it, summoning monsters to guard you while you are hunted down by parties of adventurers.

[legend-of-voltron-rewrite]

(This is just a few random questions I think abt when i find an author i like-)

What other media/hobbies do you indulge in? What's some of your biggest interests? (Other than voltron ofc) Is there another Fandom you'd write for? Favorite childhood show(s)?

Big question, favorite volron paladin? Favorite character in voltron? (No limitations- you could answer bii-bob-bi tbh. hes a fantastic choice)

BIGGER QUESTION!! What inspired you to write this rewrite and how do you motivate yourself to continue?

That's all! Hope you're having a lovely day! :)

Hello!

-

I'm very big into anime - I started watching them when I was eleven and never stopped. I watch other animated shows (Western), which I'll list in a later segment.

I'm also into manga, though not comics, (never really knew why, just couldn't get into it). Games, too, mainly RPGs, though I have been into FPS co-op as of late.

Don't judge me: K-Pop. I only really interact/watch content for one group, (will come up later), but I used to juggle between many groups.

As for hobbies other than writing: I'm big into art. Took classes for them and everything. Though this may have been obvious from early chapters of book one.

I've tried to get into making animatics, but I ended up stopping half-way through everytime I started. I like voice acting, though I've only ever done it once for someone I'm no longer friends with haha.

I used to be big into baking, but was never good at it. I'm much better at cooking, though mainly Asian dishes, (due to heritage and such).

My biggest interests... I'll keep it limited to five, else this segment would be much longer.

One Piece, (generic but it's popular for a reason), is a favourite of mine. The writing, world building, characters, relationships, messages, themes - I love it all. Definitely a high reccomendation.

Gravity Falls, because it's just that good? Even the weakest episode would be considered top tier if it was in another series. Dipper and Mabel's relationship is everything to me, and Stan was the uncle I always wanted. Love him.

Fullmetal Alchemist, mostly MangaHood, but the 2003 anime adaptation is great too. It's honestly of the best written works I've ever interacted with, and it makes perfect sense that it's highly rated.

SHINee, the K-Pop group I mentioned before. I'd call them standards for the industry, but then nobody would be able to share the stage with them. I'm a Shawol for life baby!

Finally, Katekyou Hitman Reborn. This was the first fandom I wrote fics for, back on my WattPad days, and I still love it to this day. I wish for the fandom to be revived so I may read the trashy fanfics I once adored and now hide my face in shame to.

Other fandoms I write for: Fairy Tail, though I haven't touched the AU I started in months. My Hero Academia, though only through my Tumblr page @my-rewrite-academia. I've been working on a Persona 5 fanfiction behind the scenes for a while, though I haven't progressed past chapter three.

I have an alt AO3 account, where I've written for MHA, Kuroko No Basket, Persona 5, SuperM, and the Banana Bus Squad (Vanoss and Friends).

My old WattPad has mostly Katekyou Hitman Reborn, and a sprinkle of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Neither of the previous two shall be linked, as I honestly just want to leave behind those fixs behind, considering I wrote them when I was thirteen and nothing made sense.

My favourite childhood show(s): Spongebob, Mr. Maker (only British kids will understand), Pokemon, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Also Sonic Boom, though that was exclusive to my teen years than childhood. The How To Train Your Dragon shows were also a favourite of mine, including Riders and Defenders of Berk.

If movies count, then How To Train Your Dragon, Shrek, Megamind, and Scary Movie(s). Scary Movie(s) sound like a weird thing, and it was. I was in the room with my older siblings when they put it on and never bothered to leave.

-

Now the Voltron-related segment!

Favourite Paladin: Keith. I hope it's not entirely obvious in my writing, as I wish to treat every character equally, but he is my favourite. I relate to him a lot and he ticks a lot of my boxes.

Favourite character: Keith, again. Other than Keith, however, it's Coran, the Gorgeous Man. He's always so jolly despite the heartbreak he's been through, and the writers were able to balance his comedy so well.

(Apart from the Voltron Show where they were clearly running out of ideas and/or time and made him more annoying than funny.)

-

BIGGEST QUESTIONS:

"What inspired me to write this rewrite–" (first half)

I actually started writing it in 2021, where I went on a three-year break due to losing motivation and my interest dwindling, at the time anyway. I was initially inspired to write it when I grew more and more frustrated with how canon handled many things.

As with many teen shows, I began to wonder if it would be handled better had it been intended for a more mature audience. It didn't help that I read the fanfics before I watched the show, so I had a certain level of expectations that weren't quite met.

I won't blame the writers, as it's usually just two or three people higher-up who make all the decisions. I was disappointed in DreamWorks, not the team behind it who have no choice but to follow orders.

But, yeah. The turning point, what really pushed me into starting and publishing the rewrite, was when I started thinking about how I'd handle each character and each arc. How I'd write different relationships, how I'd write each theme.

From there, I decided to put my money where my mouth was, so to speak.

It was a terrible start, really. When I first started writing it, I only had a vague idea of how I'd go about it. When I came back to the rewrite, the first thing I did was create a proper plan, else it'd just end up like the show - disappointing and missing so much.

I can remember, when I started, I just wanted to write a better story, which is a terrible mindset. This idea that the only thing that mattered was being better than the show is a toxic one.

My mindset is a lot better, of course. I've grown up since then, and spite-writing is something of the past. Maybe there are things I'm displeased with in canon, but I don't allow that spite to control me.

Rather, I feel more enthused, viewing it as more like adding onto what canon missed - filling in scenes rather than being better.

So, consider this a PSA to authors who spitewrite - get out of your minds. It feels much better to write if done with good intentions rather than negative. Words come easier and it doesn't feel like a chore.

-

"–and how do you motivate yourself to continue?"

Keeping a schedule, first and foremost. It differs from person to person, but having a set schedule of every '—day' helps a lot. It urges me to write, and the pressure helps me more than debilitates.

Of course, others may disagree. For others, having a strict schedule may feel constricting and thus hinder creativity, but it's helpful to me. This idea of, 'I have to do this', 'if not now then when?', helps me a lot.

It's also my longest fic to date, so to stop now would feel like a large disservice to both me and to the people who read each new chapter.

Then there's you! I'm not kidding, either. Comments, now more than ever, are usually so rare.

I once saw a post about an author discovering a discord server where their fic, (which had very little comments), was being heavily dicussed, and people had nothing but praise for it. When they asked why they didn't comment, they said that they didn't feel the need to, or that it would be embarrassing. That they never knew what to comment, despite the praise they had for it.

The author then decided to abandon the work upon finding this out. Because we don't get anything from posting our works. All we ask for is some form of praise or acknowledgement, and comments are just that.

Even if it's [<33] or [This is good!] or even [please update], we appreciate it all. Honestly, the only time I refuse to comment, rather than simply forgetting, is when an author holds fics hostage. The whole, 'I want x-many comments or else I won't update'. At that point, I lose any respect they had.

Comments are our lifeline, yet the idea of asking for comments feels like tabboo. As if we're less for leaving even a small note of, 'comment please', feels like it's asking for too much.

So to have a repeat commenter, to have you, is everything to me! If all else fails, if I can't find the motivation, I often think about those people who subscribed, who have my fic bookmarked, who comment on each update, and I think about how there are people who get excited with each update, who want to know what's going to happen next, who want to see this fic to its end.

It may sound corny, but my biggest motivation really is my readers, and those repeat comments give me life. It helps in ways that I never realised could.

-

And that is the end of the AMA/Q&A segment!! Thank you for sending this, stay tuned for the next update, have a great day, and look both ways before crossing the road!

[joculine]

DIE Issue #5 Reread (Gillen & Hans)

We are so back. Lets get into Premise Rejection.

This is my second favorite issue of the first arc, after Issue #2. I think it holds my favorite panel, which we'll get to later. This is a really bombastic finale to the trek to Glass Town and it sets up what will become a wild couple arcs. I'm sure you aren't expecting a standard ending to this "hero's" journey from DIE and that's certainly not where we're going. Let's get into it.

Art

I really like the design of this harvest god above. He's massive and lanky, and seems like kind of a mess.

I absolutely adore the design of this robot brain guy from the Eternal Prussian forces. Look at him.

What a weird little thing!

This issue is also full of stand out appearances for Ash and Sol. And gosh... are they stand out...

Good lord these two are volatile together. This is a great example of a relationship between a GM and their most "In It" player. The issue is really just long fight for control over the plot. I love that they are made for each other in the worst ways possible.

So About The Fallen

Part of why this is my second favorite issue of the arc is that it has the second Oh Shit moment of this comic. The reveal that the Fallen are dead players is such a great plot point. It clicks with the whole fantasy becomes reality becomes fantasy again deal, it keeps Sol around to stir up trouble after his death, totally re-contextualizes this type of enemy and how they've treated them, and, best of all, raises far more questions than it answers.

Big contender for my favorite Sol panel.

So everyone who has ever played this game and died ("the word is die") is revived as The Fallen. What does that actually mean? Aren't our crew here the only kids who have played the game? How are there so many Fallen here already? What about the elf queen, who was an NPC Sol made?

For those first questions, perhaps this is the Homestuck in me or perhaps this is me back-reading some later plot into this, but it seems pretty obvious some sort of time shenanigans needs to be in play. And it eventually sort of will be. (It will be quite similar to how Skaia functions actually.) We'll save that for the issue it shows up in, wayyy down the line.

As for the NPC Fallen, I believe there's some clarification in the RPG book here—there are Fallen, the monster and enemy a GM can throw out and there is the Fallen class, which all players receive upon dying in DIE. Diegetically though, I think there is not much difference between an NPC who has been abandoned or skipped over and a player character (or player as the case is here) who has died. They are both expended beyond their purposes and given a new role as detritus. They also have a drive to claw relevance back from the blood of the Paragons, something that would bring them back to life (and back into importance.) DIE has a zombie curse but only for those who would make the most emotionally painful zombies to deal with. Very on theme.

In this way, it's also very Dark Souls, isn't it? I wondered about this too for those games. Why can Ornstein and Smough not just come back hollowed and kick my ass again? They lack the curse of Undead, that tormenting anchor of relevance that only affects those hungry enough for dominance to keep going past the point of death.

Those who are Fallen (like the Paragons or the Chosen Undead) are meant to exist as long as needed to see their stories to the bitter end. Is that curse something imposed on them? Yes. Is it something they feed into themselves? I think so. There's nothing stopping Sol from just giving up at this point. But that's not what he's going to do. He's going to keep going because he can't let go of the game. Dying is no reprieve. And hey, now the Fallen aren't so morally simple to kill after all! Remember what Izzy was saying about the House Rule? Looks like they may have been cutting into actually Real People from the Real World for some time now. Ruh roh. We'll see this play out more soon. For now, we can think about how poor Sol has found out he is more at the whims of Die than he may have thought.

Speaking Of, Sol Has Kind Of Always Been Like This

Which I'm sure comes as a very painful shock to him. He's someone that views himself high above the players, a plotter pulling the strings. A real mastermind GM type.

That's what this boy is telling me. His work, be it Legos, Glass Town, the ruleset, or his grand second game, it all exists in a complete, crystaline state. You admire it. You follow the path he has set out for it. It is "finished" before any of the players set foot back on Die.

This is, of course, not how things will go. The title of this issue is Premise Rejection after all. Ash figured out quite quickly that Sol has put them in a railroading Saw trap to force them to play along. In response, she is guiding the party to pull it apart by the screws. Rather than look for these keys or whatever the Chamberlain was talking about, everyone has used their skills to pick away at Glass Town's defenses and put the big robot army against Sol's cool magic castle. With a fairly light application of their magical power, they manage to pull of city wide carnage at little risk to themselves.

This is classic player behavior and a great example of how a little thinking can tear down even the grandest GM constructions. Remember how we talked about how Glass Town was a pretty poorly thought out city? Sol is finding out just how problematic his plot holes are proving to be.

I love watching him come down with his big stupid cape. Look how unprepared for this he was. Do you think he was hiding at the top of Glass Town the whole time? I bet he even had a palantir or something. What a dork.

Very quickly we watch him start to edit the rules on the fly like a flailing GM. The damage is already done, so at this point he's flexing out of spite. Look, he's even restricting class abilities:

I do find it interesting how Sol's Master abilities are written to reflect Ash's Dictator ones. They're both italicized and both have squiggly lines around the speech bubbles. They're also both highlighted in colors, Ash with red (a major one in her color palette) and Sol with blue (also in his palette).

Let's connect their magic briefly with color (we'll talk more about color very soon) and say the red Dictator compulsions in this issue are destructive and "game breaking" while the blue/purple Master laws are defensive and "game enforcing."

Importantly, they both deal with the narrative but in different ways, Ash more with emotion and motivation, Sol with what people and things can literally do. We know from go that a Dictator is a story-teller and a plan-maker... that's not too dissimilar from a GM!

But Sol, huh? What a sore loser.

A Dictator's Best Weapon

I never really got why Ash has this crazy death touch thing. It struck me as an odd choice to give the social manipulation class. Chloe shared her thoughts with me when we were talking about DIE a few months back and it's illuminated things for me.

The Dictator commands emotion, yes, but they command narrative as well. What is this death touch if not the ultimate command—a powerful punctuation to the Dictator's arsenal. If making you love her doesn't work, making you dead will get the job done too... and there's certainly no way to argue with Ash on that. It's as though she's walking around with a big pen she can use to strike out bits of Sol's story she doesn't like. She went big here and scratched out the author section. Yikes. Hope you got a plan to follow up on that, Ash!

Look at her go, already editorializing just seconds away from killing Sol. Do we think Ash believes the narrative she's telling herself? Do we think she believes she can make us buy into it? The great part is, I don't really know! It's moments like these that pull us out of the story and remind us we're being given most everything through Ash's words that get to the core of what DIE is after. It's about these people trapped in stories of their own making and how it turns them into quite awful characters.

This is probably the darkest we've gotten so far. A great reminder to Ash's friends and first example to the reader at just how much she can commit to playing the anti-hero. Anyway, let's get back to the death touch.

This is the other half of that power—the power of its implication. See how Hans has set up this panel: first, your eyes hit the glowing hand, the brightest object in the panel and the thing that has just killed Sol. Then you move back to traditional left to right and see Ash. She's crying, but resolute. Then her words. They're harsh. Maybe understandable though? Then back at that hand. It's not just the weapon that killed Sol now, but the thing that may touch someone else. She's reaching out for their hands to start the ritual. She's letting them know what "anything" means... they'd better be unanimous. Now that's a master manipulator at work.

This is that favorite panel BTW.

How Far Is Too Far?

Here's another stand out panel from this issue. Ash's expression is exquisite: pain, anger, thrill, resolve. It's all there. This comes moments after using the voice to completely dominate the Chamberlain of Glass Town and it's not what I'd expect to see from her.

She's filling her role both as Dictator and schemer and yet I feel like she's about to throw up or cry. Or both. The metaphor here paired with the destruction she saw the from the Steel Dragon in Issue 3 is delectable. She's recognizing the horrible power she's choosing to wield in order to bring ruin to Glass Town... but she's also not rejecting it.

This is a question DIE is going to keep asking of its characters: how far are you willing to go with your role? Will you play your part even if it is horrible? What if harnessing the power of a Paragon is your only option? What if it's not?

Here's Angela, the badass cyberpunk, failing to both be grizzled or distant from her humanity. I think it's interesting Case, such an innocent pet, is mechanical, especially given that our other examples of robotic entities are all warmongering automatons. She treats him as so real, while she views the Prussian leaderbot as a tool to be hacked and who's autonomy is to be overridden. That's not to say I think that leaderbot is isn't merely an automaton though... I actually think this is more damning to how Angela anthropomorphizes Case.

I said last issue Case is a pricey distraction. I think that's still correct. Even here she feeds him one last piece of Fair Gold, understanding he will probably die again tomorrow. It's a bit of a waste before what's going to be a dangerous battle.

Matt, meanwhile, seems perfectly able to indulge in his pain enough to... save his friends? Or start an attack on a city full of people? Both I suppose. Not a great look but one he appears to have little issue with for now.

This interaction stood out to me this read. I've always had trouble understanding why the Emotion Knights have talking weapons. It's cool, obviously, but I had trouble seeing something deeper than that. I realized tonight though, these weapons are their emotions, not separate entities.

That sword is Matt's own worst impulses, weaponized both literally against his enemies and psychologically against himself. After all, what is a knight but their weapon? "Don't listen to it," Ash says. She might as well say "That's just the depression talking." Yeah, no shit.

Another quick observation... is she even listening? Getting "back to [his] family" is exactly what the sword (Matt's own grief) is worried about. Very empty words, but perhaps very intentional to keep Matt on track and focused.

Chuck has no problems living as a swashbuckler in a fantasy world because he is Chuck. No other comment needed.

Imagine for a moment that I stopped there and moved onto Isabelle. I feel it's important to at least entertain the hypothetical joke if we're going to talk about the Fool. Chuck (and his class) exist as a joke, but he's a joke you have to take seriously eventually, right? And be respectful and shit.

We see his carefree and self-focused attitude come to a head when he draws a gun on Ash. Yes, Chuck has no problems living as Die wants him to and he's willing to go frighteningly far to keep it that way.

Joining him is Izzy, who has begun to take her role as a "cleric" very seriously. What's going on here is complicated. Let's lay out the facts:

Isabelle is the one who brings up the House Rule. "We treat Die as if it's real." She's also expressed fear at being relied on as a teacher (both holy and high school), while still assuming responsibility of it.

This moment is a union of those two traits. She wants to stay in Die because these are real people who's lives they've ruined and she feels like someone needs to step up and guide them. While she hates the idea of doing that, she (very rightly) does not trust anyone else to a good job of helping the residents of Glass Town (or perhaps any job.)

This is especially odd with the role of the Godbinder, who deals in debts and balances with the gods. As she describes in 1991, she's an atheist with pets—really more demonologist than cleric.

Excepting Angela (who I think is underused in this issue TBH,) the party is in full roleplay here. What comes of that commitment? The burning of Glass Town. Not a good sign.

The Emotion Wheel

This is already so damn long and emotion wheel talk is going to drag it even more... but I need to do it at some point. Let's start with the first proper introduction of the wheel.

Oh look, it's Plutchik's wheel of emotions. This is not an original insight, it comes directly from one of Gillen's essays in the back of each issue. I think we might respond to those directly soon.

The wheel posits that all emotional states are variations of mixtures of 8 core feelings. This is how the Dictator and Emotion Knights function (the former mechanically, the knights more textually. Sol may be a fan of Plutchik's work.) Dictators treat this as a palette to work with, Emotion Knights as a sworn order to follow.

I think there is a strong connection between the coloring used in many of these panels and the colors on the wheel. Memory scenes, for instance, play with purple and blue: disgust, sadness, remorse, disapproval. Ash's story of the Joy Knight is pink and red, quite far from the yellow of joy and closer to contempt, loathing, and anger after many years walking as a corpse.

But Cassie, you may say, Ash's dictator powers are always red... and so is Matt's sword! Hold onto that thought with Matt, but it's also not an exact key. Which is good! I think that would be pretty boring!

As I noted in the Dictator/Master section, I've thought of reds and blues and destructive and constructive magic. This follows with the red skeleton, the blue magic core mantaining Glass Town's shield, the red sword that destroys it, and Isabelle's portals to escape.

I also think that Fantasy Heartbreaker is just a really really red arc. If I remember correctly, future arcs have a more varied palette. Perhaps there will be more color for us to explore there.

Now that I've dropped this big unwieldy graph, I also want to share a bit about how much I love Emotion Knights. I've run a game with a Fear Knight before, which was a lot of fun. And could you imagine a Trust Knight, sapping and destroying bonds between people to use as critical hits? I can imagine a very potent relationship between her and her Dictator wife. Really just a fantastic and juicy concept. I think they should be in every game.

Other Thoughts

I don't have anything to say about this other than it's great.

I think it's fun how badly Ash reads Sol's eye theming. I don't think he's afraid at all.

It's almost impossible to see Dominic and Ash as the same person. Ash is just so... confident in everything. She schemes. She kills. She's beautiful. She's a dominatrix... but outside Die she just... isn't that at all. She's so scared and so hollow on Earth.

I say almost impossible, but that's not really true. I think it's a familiar feeling to many trans women. It's scary to see how hard she's fighting to go back to that in this issue. Is it good for her to do that? I don't think so. Not entirely. Is it easier for her to be on Earth than Die? I honestly don't know. But I think it appears easier to her. Die is the world in her closet, but it can be so painful to stay there when there's so much waiting for you outside it. And yet... I don't think she's ready to go. There's still deeper for her to go.

Kieron writes her well.

Next time we'll be talking about either the end of issue essays or just jump into issue #6, I haven't decided. It'll be much shorter than this, but we had a lot of character stuff to cover. I'll leave you on my favorite line.

[gwenthebard]

Making a Character in Maid to Serve

Make a character in Maid To Serve is a simple process, able to be completed in a matter of minutes. With four easy steps, I'll be going through them to create a sample character:

Step One: Concept

Before we can choose the values of our Skills or which Archetype we'll be using we need to come up with a concept first. I'm thinking my Maid's someone who grew up in the manor and has been a life long friend of their Lord.

We'll use it/its pronouns, my favorite, and I think it'll be named Lilac Darling, that's a last name I like to use for a lot of RPG characters.

Step Two: Skills

There are four skills in Maid to Serve (Confidence, Connections, Elegance, and Physicality), and we need to assign each one one of the follow values:

-5

-4

-3

-2

I think Lilac knows a ton of people in the area from growing up here, and focuses a lot on how it's perceived, but perhaps doesn't exercise as much as it wants to and has little trust in itself.

Its Skills are as such:

Confidence- 2

Connections- 5

Elegance- 4

Physicality- 3

Step Three: Archetype

There are 20 Archetypes in Maid to Serve, with each one based around a different trope and struggle. Each one provides an idea of what our character might be like, an Activated Ability we can use, a Core that describes something we struggle with and gain Luck for leaning into, and a list of Advantages we can pick one from.

Lilac grew up around the manor and has known its Lord their whole lives, growing up extremely close. For it, we'll be using The Yearner Archetype.

The Yearner gains the following features:

Activated Ability: Once per episode while helping our Lord we can get 2 Automatic Successes on a Connections Test.

Core: Our Lord doesn't exactly see us as a romantic prospect, and more likely we're too close a friend or like a sibling to them. This means though if we present ourselves in a way that leans into this view of us, we gain Luck

Advantages: We have three options for Advantages, though for Lilac we'll pick "Open Book Life". This means we generally know everything about our Lord's past, friends, and goals, with no test needed. The fact we've grown up alongside them this whole time means this feels the best.

Step Four: Finalization

When finishing off our characters we need to do two things: pick a Major Connection and decide our Relationships.

Our Major Connection decides someone we know or a relationship we have which always gives 2 Automatic Successes when using. For Lilac I think it's probably friends with some of The Lord's family, and in this case we'll say The Lord's sister probably runs a high-end tailor shop and likes us. If we're ever in a situation we need clothes repaired, costumes made, or supplies for that sort of thing, we'll get 2 Automatic Successes towards our Test.

For Relationships we choose how we know each of the other Maids, though since we're building this in isolation we can't really do that. In this case we'll pretend my lovely girlfriend and my best friend both made characters. For these purposes, we'll say Lilac is dating my girlfriend's Maid, and my best friend's Butler and I grew up working together.

All these steps complete, you're ready to take on the apron and start your game!

[emmebearpaw]

Every time I see a discussion on if DND 5e is a good system and when it’s a good system vs when it isn’t I always wish I had more to comment. Especially as someone who has played DnD in the past and wants to do table top roleplay again but isn’t necessarily excited about the prospect of trying to find a group to play any other games I’m more interested in. And then I remember how atypical my complaints about DnD are and I wonder how much my experience was colored by a bad DM.

Authors note: one of these points has a pretty major content warning. For in game rape. If that makes you uncomfortable it’s at the end after the cut.

My number one complaint about DnD is the feeling that doing anything hinges on having a good die roll. This definitely goes back also to my first table top rpg experience which unfortunately for me was Model UN in a social studies class. I get weird about doing things for grades. Asking me to roleplay running a country and then having to roll to see if the idea worked made me so stressed. Because it doesn’t actually matter if you come up with a good solution. The piece of plastic can say “nope everyone dies”.

Back in highschool I played with two different GMs but they both had very similar styles. By the books. Little tolerance for deviation from it. Combat focused. Basically, very DND. I wasn’t the biggest fan but I sort of… jumped in late and to be fair probably wasn’t super wanted at one of those tables anyways. So I didn’t complain. I made my very first character, a cleric (which was probably a bad idea as it meant I had a lot of spells to learn so I was overwhelmed in combat but that was on me) and showed up the next week for the one-two hour session where you do a combat encounter and then go home. Because it was after school and that’s how long people could stay. Anyways I kept showing up to those sessions, hoping to learn anything about the story or why we were fighting. I don’t think there was one. But there is one encounter I’ll probably always remember. We were fighting a giant spider and I got caught in its web after being flung into it! Oh no! To get out I had to roll like, a 13 or 14 strength check. So the next time my turn came up I rolled my d20, added my modifier and don’t make the check. Oh darn. Turns went around again after a few minutes and I asked for the d20 again and rolled again and I don’t make the check.

I basically didnt play again for the rest of the day. I think I got one more turn before I had to go home. Meaning I maybe had 3 turns in combat in 2 hours. After a while I just laid down on the concrete benches we played on and would sit up to roll the die and lay back down. I’m unlucky with checks like this. I’ve had this happen to me in one of my best friends favorite board games. I fail the check over and over and over and never play the game again. Personally, I think a good GM would avoid this problem. You know. Maybe lower the skill check after a couple turns? Give a player who can’t do anything… something to do besides scroll tumblr? I would have helped play the enemy in the combat! I just think it’s very easy to get stuck in skill check hell. And not fun. Which doesn’t help the anxiety I feel over the dice fucking me over I have to overcome to go roleplay!!!

Basically, a good GM, I think, should be willing to bend the rules a bit in the interest of players actually having fun. Even if they want to play very by the books, they presumably want people to… play??

Number 2: A sense of progression.

Maybe it’s just because it’s been years but like. I barely ever really getting to go to town to go shopping. It was just “walk a bit. 5 goblins jump out at you guys while you make camp. Ok they are dead. You rest for a bit and eat some food. You are walking again. 4 guys jump out at you to rob you” so on and so forth.

I’m sure for some people that butters their toast but like. Can we get to a town? Can we talk to people? Why are we even traveling? Where are we going again? Why are we going there besides “to save the world?” Can I level up? Do you have a good way for me to keep all these spell cards I made safe so I can maybe have a chance to remember my long ass list of cleric spells?

Number 3: Lack of… concern for the players (Content warning. Rape of a player character by an NPC.)

Ok. This is the DM complaint I… don’t know where to talk about? Bringing it up with anyone literally shuts down any conversation I’ve ever tried to have and there isn’t a good response to it. So I’m shoving what happened under a read more besides the content warning. I know it isn’t a normal problem in specific but I do feel like the problem of “What does everyone at the table want out of this roleplay experience?” Is a thing a lot of players and GMs a like can miss. Obviously that’s what those safety tool things are for but the newest players who probably need them the most are the ones who aren’t going to know to use them. And so things that seem obvious to not include to one player end up getting casually tossed in and it ends up being a mess. This wouldn’t have happened if I had a discussion with my GM but… how was I supposed to know to ask the GM to not do that?

Specifics below cut. The ultimate culmination of my complaints about DnD. Yes this is where the content warning begins.

So. We were down most of the party because I played with theatre kids and like 3/5 of the party were in a production and it was tech week (week before the show!) so they were gone. It was me, one other player and the GM so we decide to take it easy and do some world building. He was going to introduce us to who I could only presume was a minor antagonist. Which excited me as we hadn’t had much plot! We meet this guy and he’s here to collect the taxes for the town but he is asking for an exorbitant amount. Me and my party member go to confront him, and the DM has him and one of his goons grab and restrain my character, saying that if my character. A woman was so eager to help the town not owe so much, then I could help. With my body. Ok so combat is starting. That’s unfortunate. Oh I���m grappled. Ok can I get ungrappled? Oh ok I just need to make a strength check and I can break free, but they get a turn and they manage to drag me into a horse drawn carriage and our Druid tries to help me escape but fails. So now I’m in a cart being pulled by horse down the road and our Druid starts running after.

The villain then pins my character down in the cart and forces himself on my character. As I roll and fail every strength check. The Druid has wild shaped into a bird and is giving chase to the cart. But a horse drawn cart got a good lead before he transformed, so it’s going to take several turns for him to dash and catch up.

As my character is just getting raped.

we beat the guy up but.

Well. My character wasn’t much of a character. It was sort of just me as a cleric, we didn’t have much time for roleplay or characterization.

I suddenly became very aware I was the only person assigned female at birth at that table. Even when everyone was there.

The DM said the whole encounter didn’t really matter since the whole party wasn’t there and we would be continuing with the main plot in two weeks once the show was over. There wasn’t going to be anything the next week because he was going to go see the show.

I didn’t go back. It turns out it isn’t fun to not be able to do anything because the dice keep fucking you over when the thing you are trying to avoid is not just, being stuck but what very much feels like a threat of violence the DM is taunting you with. I mean. It was just him, one other guy and me in a secluded corner of the school two hours after it let out.

Like I said I… sort of don’t know what to do with this complaint. It’s not like I ever brought it up to him. I never played DnD again after that except for a single one shot me and my best friends at the time did after that we only got an hour into before we abandoned it to goof around instead. Besides, I had to go to school with my GM. He was my GM because he was a friend of a friend. And bringing it up now does nothing but make everyone uncomfortable. There shouldn’t be much of a lesson in it either. So it’s not like there is anything for you to do with this info and you probably shouldn’t have received it.

im sorry. This isn’t much a criticism or defense of any particular system. It’s just me having shitty luck and new, freshman in high school (I was also a freshman) DMs. It’s not like I’m asking for perfection. I just think that whatever system you play. It should be fun for everyone at the table and also everyone should get to play it.

[randomthefox]

What was your first exposure to the Dragon Quest series and which installment was the first one you played?

It was probably an advertisement for Dragon Quest 8 of some kind, or seeing the game on display somewhere. DQ8 was the first really big hit the franchise made in the west, so I must have been exposed to it on one of my many trips to Game Stop back in the day.

Truthfully the exposure that really sticks out in my memory are the Seth Green commercials for Dragon Quest 9

These commercials were all over TV when I was around seventeen. They must have worked cuz my brother got a copy of the game for his DS. I remember popping into it once or twice but it bounced right off of me.

To be honest I only really started getting into Dragon Quest pretty recently in my adult life. Probably mostly because of my boyfriend if I think about it. He played the original Dragon Warrior on the NES as a kid, so the series has some nostalgia for him. Something at some point maybe a video I watched maybe the trailer for Your Story made me wanna start playing Dragon Quest 5 on the DS. And THAT game REALLY got its hooks in me, I fucking loved every second of it. After that I downloaded the original NES games and their SNES remakes and played them, beaten the 1st game in particular a handful of times now I find it a very zen experience.

I was always much much more into Final Fantasy while growing up. But I'm very happy to have given time to the DQ series, I think it's a franchise with so much personality and I kind of adore that it's a series that never rested on its laurels. Dragon Quest INVENTED the Japanese RPG, but it strove to subvert the conventions that it more or less created every step along the way. Dragon Quest 4 and 5 in particular are games that challenge and flip standard fantasy epic formulas in such a delightful way. In DQ4 you spend the first half of the game playing as the PARTY MEMBERS that eventually join up as the Chosen Heroes traveling companions, and it is tens of hours before you ever even start playing as the Main Character (in the original NES game at least, the DS remake adds a prologue where you play as the hero first). And Dragon Quest 5 is quite simply one of the best RPGs I have ever played in my life, I don't even know where to start and I'd be loath to spoil anything about it.

I intend to absolutely devour the Dragon Quest 3 remake when it comes out this month. I'm very much a late comer to this series but I heckin dig it and cannot recommend it highly enough. I would genuinely suggest starting with Dragon Quest 1 because I think it lays the best foundation for the series and is a very simple basic and charming game and it's not very long only about a dozen hours or so. After that the DQ3 remake is probably going to be the one stop shop for anyone wanting to break into the series when it comes out. After playing those I'd say the DS and mobile ports of DQ 4 and 5 would be worth playing because you'd get the most out of them with that experience of the standard that those games gleefully subvert. Personally I find 6 and 7 pretty meh but tastes vary. 9 is worth playing if DQ3 really hit for you because 9 has the most in common with 3.

If all of those games are a bit too retro for you, I don't think it'd be wrong to start with Dragon Quest 8 because it's a bit more of a modern experience with full english voice acting, which might be more what people would expect and find tolerable from a long RPG. DQ11 is the most recent game and is an incredible experience but I personally feel it benefits the most from having experience with previous games in the series rather than just jumping right in with that title, but hey all of the games are designed to be accessible as someone's first so there's no wrong choice.

I haven't touched the spin off games like Heroes and Builders personally but they all look pretty fun too.

[shippingmyworld]

Three hours into Veilguard so I'm spamming yall with pictures I've taken of my Rook, Oscar Thorne. He's a pessimistic punch-first and ask-questions-later Grey Warden Warrior.

(who I'm lowkey in love with??? I didn't mean to make him this pretty)

Random thoughts about the game so far below the cut (spoiler free of course):

HOLY SHIT COMBAT IS SO MUCH FUN!!! The prerelease footage did not do this game justice. I'm barely level 5 with like 2% of the skill tree unlocked, and I'm struggling to not race through the game just to get to the next combat encounter. I admit I'm a huge fan of action rpgs, so the new combat system might have clicked faster for me, but if you're not a fan of this gameplay, I wouldn't worry. I'm playing on normal difficulty, and most enemies go down to a single basic chain attack. I'm debating restarting my game to play at a higher difficulty, just so that combat encounters last longer.

Speaking of the skill tree, it looks like you can respec any time without penalty. I invested all my points into defensive skills that reward perfect guards at first but then refunded them towards more aggressive skills instead.

I am so thankful I haven't encountered the Hinterlands 2 lmao. The zones I've explored so far feel more direct, but still have small areas off the main path i can explore, which can trigger companion dialogue or reward me with extra resources

Dialouge has been a hit or a miss for me. The delivery on a handful of lines makes them come off as either melodramatic or emotionless. Admittedly it's a lot of Hardings dialouge that's lacking, but she's not the only perpetrator. Neve is very melodramatic and Rook made me cringe in his reaction to meeting Bellara. Its not terrible, but you do notice it enough that you wonder how it got approved. I will take it over the 2 second pause that Inquisition always had between sentences though.

One thing I do love about the dialouge is the companions actually talk to each other and react to you. One of the Warriors charged attacks let's you do a double spin attack and I managed to take out four Darkspawn at once, and Harding shouted "Save some for the rest of us Rook!"

Not to validate the dudebros, but the Darkspawn designs are a bit goofy and less scary, was kinda disappointed by the ogre. I also miss the old Demon desgins, if im honest. This game definitely leans far more heavily into magical fantasy aesthetics, where as Inquisition felt more like a high medieval fantasy, and origins and 2 hit more of the edgy dark fantasy (like the witcher series) that i think all the greifers are chasing. The graphics and aestheics aren't a deal breaker though, and I quickly got used to them. Plus the deeper you get into the game and closer to blighted stuff, you do see the darker and edgier graphics come front and center.

I can not tell you how much I appreciate that the dialogue wheel is no longer just the three options of "Good and Rightious, Sarcastic and Out of Character, or Complete and Utter Asshole." Many times you're given 4-5 options to choose from, and even when it's only 3 it's not always the traditional top middle and bottom options like past games, sometimes you can choose from sad, shocked, and angry or joking, positive, and shocked options. Plus, I think they did a better job of making those options, and your companions' reactions flow better than pervious games. IMO, Inquisition relied too much on the "In any case," line in order for your companions or advisors to just brush off the Inquisitors response, like they were just there to make a witty one-liner joke and move on. Plus there's less of the 'Missleading Options' in Veildguard than previous DA games. Like Inquisition specifically felt like if you ever picked the bottom option, it always came out more aggressive than the prompt suggested it would. (Best example I can think of is that there's been no "Glass Him" problems so far lol)

[styrmwb]

I Beat Final Fantasy XIII-2

If I had a nickel for every time travel RPG I played in 2024 I would have two nickels

This is a game that I've been meaning to play for a good long while now. I beat the first XIII in... 2020, if Steam is correct, so it's been quite a gap between this and that. I liked XIII-1 (as I will heretofore refer to it) well enough. It was one of the first FFs I was ever exposed to (alongside XI and FFTA), so in my quest to play all the mainlines, it was a high priority at the time. I liked the main party, I liked the world, I was Not Great at the combat (fuck Barthandelus), and overall I definitely didn't hate it as much as the general public did/does. Subsequent entries that I played left more of an impact/a higher positive impression on me, however. I think the two biggest reasons for that are 1. I was bad at the combat so it was hard and 2. It didn't really have a strong supporting cast and villains to me. XIII-2, I feel like it centered itself around being everything that XIII-1 was not; and overall, I think it very much worked. Let's talk about why!

Last Things First: 900AF

Real quick I just want to get my biggest complaint out of the way and it is something that I do not hold against the game itself at all I hold it against Square; the PC port sucks shit. I had to mod it to make it playable. What The Fuck. It didn't run as good as it should, and sometimes it would break and I'd have to reset and lose my progress! Square: fix your shit you small indie company anyways:

Gameplay: 003AF

XIII-1, as everyone probably knows at this point, is a linear game. It's also a slow burn type of game; you very gradually get all your stuff and your party together as you run through Cocoon, and when you land on Pulse is when the game really opens up. The game is gogogogo all the way forward no looking back, which to be fair works narratively.

XIII-2 is not that at all. When it comes to the battle system and your paradigms and all that, you're pretty much thrown right into it from the start. You have your whole party of 2 people, the crystarium is good to go, it feels like the game is saying "yeah you know what this is go do it". When it comes to the levels/story, yes it's technically linear, but as this is a time travel game, it's split up into different levels of different areas at different times that you can move back and forth freely and can even reset and replay if you need/want, which is really cool! I loved it. Also, on top of your 2 characters, the game has a whole monster collecting/leveling bit that works as the 3rd member of the party.

I think when it comes to the battle system, I jived with it a lot more than XIII-1. There's a couple factors that make this;

The lack of party members. With the paradigm system, you're already switching your jobs and roles constantly throughout battle. In XIII-1, everyone had their own niche, so you had to worry about picking the right character As Well as the right paradigm, not to mention if you have someone you like you might never really be able to make them work. When you just have 2, your main focus is on what paradigms you need, when you need to use them, and the bulk of the customizability lies in your monsters. I really liked that.

The flow of battle felt smoother. Unlike XIII-1, switching between paradigms is quick and reactionary. This makes battles high speed and actiony despite it still being a menu based RPG. "Oh shit! big attack coming, I gotta switch to Tortoise quick enough!" Despite me making mistakes occasionally due to Being Clumsy, I still enjoyed that aspect.

I think the difficulty of the game was overall easier. Now I can get for some people this is a bad thing, but again, I wasn't really good at XIII-1 (fuck you Barthandelus), so feeling like I can actually play this game made me very happy. It's also possible that I'm just a better gamer in the 4-5 years since then, but this is about my experience, I'm not doing a serious game review or anything lmao

And as I mentioned up above, I really did like the "world map" (time map) that the game operated on. Nothing was truly missable, I could grind, I could go back and get monsters that are apparently broken, and because of the nature of this being a time travel game, the fact that you would go back and forth between the same location was really fun and honestly something you Have to do if you wanna make this style of game work.

Couple other things I appreciated: The fragments. Having tidbits of lore or funny dialogue behind these side quests felt really nice, and a good way to more naturally tie the datalog into the actual flow of the gameplay. Also, how the random encounters worked, and the Mog Clock. Even though it's the classic RPG random battle, it lets you actually react properly to it. You can attack early, or run away. Yet it also takes what XIII-1 had with different enemies behaving differently in the overworld. You see a lobo spawn and you think "yeah I'm not running away from this let me get the preemptive attack." It actually adds skill to what is classically completely random. Although the slashing and attacking is a little clumsy.

However, as in anything, there are flaws. I have 2 major ones: the crystarium, and monsters. The Crystarium is THEORETICALLY cool. It's a chill, manual way to level which is always very fun, and a part of XIII-1 that I really enjoyed. However, every move you make is PERMANENT. It is SO EASY to accidentally fuck up your whole build by pressing one button and then you have to either deal with the consequences which can lead to you not being able to do some of the endgame content, or reloading which means Numbers% progress is gone. Like, at least it could have given a confirmation, or an animation of it moving ala XIII-1, or what it should have been; The Option To Fucking Go Back While You're Leveling. Because the game just throws you into the meat, it's SO EASY to fuck it all up from the start without truly understanding, which is what happened to me. I had to reload a couple times before I could really start. Monsters also have this issue, but it's a little better because you can just get another guy so it's not nearly as permanent. I can't get a new Noel (it's a time travel game I should be allowed to get a new Noel); no, the problem with monsters, and I don't have a solution for this I just know I didn't like it, was the drop chance and the materials needed. Just... fucking drop the monster I want. And then I gotta find the singular monster that is the only source of endgame crystals for my guy and he never spawns and even when he does and even if I beat him and get 5 stars I still might not get the thing; it was annoying, I hated it, those are my major problems with the gameplay that actually felt like they impeded my experience. Other than that though, XIII-2 is ABSOLUTELY an overall improvement over XIII-1.

Story: 015AF

I remember seeing complaints about the story before I played it, so I was nervous going in. But honestly? I liked it. I often saw people say "oh it retconned the ending of XIII" but like; yes. That was the point. Time broke and despite that ending happening, Serah was the only person who could recall it. Yeah, sure, time travel isn't for everyone and it's fucky, but I enjoyed it and I actually felt like it was solid and understandable all the way through, which is a big achievement for a JRPG lmfao, especially the sequel to a pretty confusing entry.

Another really big plus in XIII-2's favor is having a really good villain. The fal'Cie were kinda all over the place and I never found my fit, but Caius was enthralling. I COMPLETELY understood his motivation, his pain, and not to mention: he fuckin won. He got exactly what he wanted. I think Caius alone is the biggest reason why I enjoyed this story so much.

I really enjoyed the nature of paradoxes. Sure, it might not be the traditional definition of what a paradox is, but it was a nice overarching explanation. Time fucked up. This is why things is bad. This also leads to some really cool interactions of changing the past and future, as well as them all being interconnected. My personal favorite bit is in Augusta Tower 200AF when Serah and Noel are fighting the artificial fal'Cie; and the thing that saves them is Serah getting so frustrated with Hope that her feelings go through time, causing Hope to never start the project in the first place, leading to Adam not being able to throw itself into a Garland loop. I fuckin loved that bit so much.

As for things I didn't care for as much: I think the concept of Chaos was a little hard for me to wrap my brain around; what was it, why is Etro it, I could have used a little more explanation or like a datalog or something on that. Or maybe I'm just dumb! That's a possibility. I also felt that how it treated the previous cast was a little off. Now, as one of the 3 Hope Enjoyers, this game was fucking HUGE for me. I got to see that guy grow up and be cool and awesome and he was a mainstay and it made me very very happy. But when it comes to, say, Lightning and Sazh, I was a little iffy. Now, again, it's been a while since I've played XIII-1. I definitely don't remember the finer details, but something about Lightning being so willing to serve a godly force just felt off to me. Something about her felt still. Now, she has been in Valhalla for Numbers centuries, so that changes a person, but something still felt off to me. And Sazh; why did that poor man have to get stuck in the casino for like the whole plot off screen and then only appear at the end? I wish he was around more. I'll go more in depth in a second.

But regardless, I overall enjoyed the story and I think it stuck with me a lot more than XIII-1. The ending hurt, but I think knowing about Lightning Returns didn't make it hurt as much. This game definitely feels like it was made with a 3rd game in mind, for better or for worse.

Characters: 015AF

To get into a little more nitty gritty of my favorite aspect of any video game, as well as to double the length of my post, let me do my traditional List Of Characters And How I Felt About Them (I love these sections I hope other people do too)

Serah - Admittedly, Serah was a bit of a MacGuffin in XIII-1. She drives everyone to become l'Cie and then appears fine at the end. So there was a lot to build on and create here. I did really like her in the hero role, though. Sure, she's kinda plain, but I think the most charming aspects about her to me are her relationships with people feeling very healthy (girl main character not falling in love with boy main character??? holy shit (yeah she has a fiancee but that doesn't stop people)), and that little bit of "meanie Miss Farron" that comes out. It's just the little things shown throughout that prove that Serah's actually quite strong willed.

Noel - I fuckin love Noel dude. This poor guy did not deserve ANYTHING that happened to him. This is a dude who deep inside just wanted his friends, his family, but the world could not give it to him. He was hurt by the past, and continues to be hurt in the future. He was such a good choice to be the deuteragonist, and the literal link between the past and the future.

Mog - Kupo. Mog's a little dissonant to the rest of the game's vibes, but I still like him. He's a moogle. It's hard not to like them. But I will say the kupos got to me after a while, kupo.

Caius - I already pretty much said this above but. Caius. God Damn. I kinda experienced him in Opera Omnia, but I don't think I truly appreciated him until now. The concept of an ageless warrior who's only purpose is to protect a girl/her reincarnations who constantly dies over and over and over and over which drives him to madness is wonderful (not in the sense that it's good for him but like, it's compelling). I completely understood Why he was doing what he was doing, despite like, obviously breaking time is not good. His goals, his design, his consistency in fights, his theme, all of it. It's a shame that he's in a sequel to a controversial entry, because I truly think he's one of the best FF villains.

Yeul - Similar to Serah in the previous game, Yeul (the Yeuls) are a bit of a MacGuffin to the plot. Which does stink, I think I would have appreciated a little more heart to heart with her, maybe some extended time in Noel's time with his Yeul. Regardless, good design, cool character concept.

Lightning - It stinks a little that she was in the background for so much of the game. As I said, something about her characterization in this entry felt off, but it's been a few years, so I could be wrong.

Hope - HOPE!!!!!! Hope is my favorite character in XIII-1, which I know is a hot take. I loved seeing him grown in this entry, I loved that he was so important to the story. It felt like a narrative rendition of his gameplay. He was the best medic, sitting back long range to help the party, and here, he stays behind in time, using his intellect to progress humanity and to save the world. I love Hope, man.

Alyssa - sus among us. It took me until the paradox ending where she fuckin gets arrested to really connect the dots of "oh she did a bad". I fully acknowledge that I could just be dumb and I missed some plot beats, but her character didn't feel well communicated to me. Regardless, I did LIKE the concept of her character. Someone who died in the main timeline being revived in the new one, and through paradoxes feeling something is wrong, and doing something about it. That's really fucking cool. I just wish it was a bit more apparent (or maybe I just need to slow down and read more sometimes!)

Snow - Snow is Snow. He is EXACTLY like he was in XIII-1. Hard headed idiot who runs off to be a hero. I understand he's not exactly likeable for a lot of people, but I do love that he's consistent. I really appreciated that sense of trust between him and Serah, they're getting married for a reason lmao, although maybe just a teensy bit more romance would have been nice? Just a crumb. Regardless, I do love this dumbass. Also, his l'Cieining being unexplained (or maybe I'm dumb) is another thing that convinces me that this game was made with a XIII-3 in mind.

Chocolina - If you had told me that the little baby chocobo in Sazh's afro was going to turn into a hot lady with a singsongy voice I would not believe you. What???

I think the thing about this game is while its cast is small, that core selection is really enjoyable. Those few people that you're with the whole game through. It's just a little rough when it's a sequel and it has to build off of that correctly. Some characters feel different, some were turned into crystal so they don't count, and some were sent to the casino dimension and weren't allowed to exist until the end :(

Graphics: 200AF

XIII-1 had a special sauce to it. That game is Fucking Gorgeous despite being 15 years old at this point. I don't know what they put in it to make it last so long. XIII-2 has a similar sauce. It's a little weaker, there's a little more roughness, I can see the facial expressions be a little stiff, but that sauce still remains. XIII is peak "Final Fantasy is on the cutting edge of visuals". My absolute favorite scene is the first phase final battle with Caius, on the beach of Valhalla. Something about the lighting against the water, against the sand, and against the characters, was stunning. I don't even pop off at things like this often but God Damn.

Music: 230AF

Fuck. Before I ever played this game, even back when I picked up Theatrhythm Curtain Call for the 3DS and I really only had XIV under my belt; the little selection of soundtrack I got hit different. XIII already has amazing music, but XIII-2 is Fucking Peak. I love it so much. The lyrical songs are earworms, the Aggressive Mixes when you get into combat, the battle themes, the slower themes, aaaaaaagh!!!!! It's got that XIII violin that goes insane, Caius's Theme has that grand, dark choir, you have symphonic, you have techno, you have slow piano moments, I cannot get enough of it. There were times where I would just sit in the Historia Crux, listening to the music. I know some people said that it doesn't always fit the game, and I get that, especially in the boss themes, but I didn't mind at all. I think it helps that I already loved the soundtrack before I played it, but even in gameplay and hearing these tracks a lot more frequently did not diminish ANYTHING. I think I gotta make another top 5 list.

DLC: 5XXAF

I did it! It was fine. Sazh's DLC was nice to give me context on what he was doing, plus a little Chocolina lore, but it's gambling. I'm bad at gambling. The fucking faces he made in the card games were absolutely hilarious though

why did they do this angle it's so funny

Lightning's was cool. Repeatable Caius battle, get better and better at it. Plus you get a real sauced up unit from it (still couldn't top Chichu)

The Coliseum was the real meat of this, and it was the last thing I did before going for the secret ending. All very cool fights, and I get another Gilgamesh battle. Fuck that Ultros and Typhon fight though holy shit I was getting pissed off.

The Future To Come Is What We Make: 700AF

Couple other thoughts I had that I couldn't think of where to put it: I think I would have liked just a single extra area. Something about the number of zones we got, felt like it was just a tad too small. Maybe Gapra Whitewood? Somehow? I dunno. Also, I liked the paradox endings. They were fun postgame bonuses, they fit really well into a game about time travel and changing the future or past, not to mention they cleanly slot into the time map and fragment systems. Just a bit of extra content that feels allowed to be fun or give extra info. Anyways:

Despite the fact that I've played SO many FFs, I've only 100%ed/Platinumed 3 of them. FFI and II (the pixel remasters), and now XIII-2. That's gotta say something about this game, that I actually wanted to go the full way and finish the whole thing. Despite my complaints, the monster grinding and the crystarium weren't enough to stop me, and the difficulty of endgame was something that I felt was approachable enough. While I would have liked some of the more grindy elements (AHEM MONSTERS) to be more consistent, it still feels like a game that was near perfectly sized. I don't usually do direct games one after the other, cause I need variety else I get really burned out, but this has me honestly considering going straight for Lightning Returns next. We'll see how that turns out.

8/10. An overall improvement over the first entry in gameplay and story. Despite it being clunky or annoying in some consistent areas, it regardless has that sauce that had me locked in.