#merely roleplayers studio

[merelyroleplayers]

▶️ Now playing in the Studio

The cast talks generational games and the joy of petty grudges. Matt talks to Ursidice, designer of Court of the Lich Queen, about what’s next for the game.

Follow us on your usual podcast app - search Merely Roleplayers or head to www.merelyroleplayers.com

COMPERE: Matt Boothman

CAST

Representing the Draugr Earldom: Naomi Clarke

Representing the Skeletal Duchy: Fiona Howat

Representing the Wraithlight Dominion: Matt Boothman

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Court of the Lich Queen (beta), designed by Ursidice

MUSIC BY: Matt Boothman

SOUND DESIGN BY: Matt Boothman

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

[vieuxnoyesrp]

It has been whispered throughout history that winter is a punishment, the death of the earth as punishment for the sin of avarice, wanting for your own what is not yours to have. Winter has fallen upon the Crescent City, La Nouvelle Orleans, and it has no intentions of being kind.

Three magical vortices are putting pressure on an already unstable fabric. The magical threads that weave together New Orleans are in danger of unravelling, a fate that would leave not only the magic of the city in shambles, but the city itself. Such a fate can be stopped, but not without blood. 

                                                      ⚜  ~ T H E   F A L L E N ~ ⚜

Beneath the cut, you’ll find an extensive summary of the character-specific plot drops that will occur during our event.

Please note that while we have laid out this guide,  we are open to changes and suggestions if anything doesn’t sit well with a player. It is up to the individual roleplayers to decide when and how to start these threads. In order to do so effectively, please makes sure to read or at least skim each other’s threads on the dash, so as to make sure your character jumps it at the right time (in the case of a three-way para, for example) and doesn’t interrupt the flow/chronological order that is roughly set out in the summary below. Also, please read ALL of the plot under the cut; not just the section that pertains to your character. This will become increasingly significant as the event goes on.

The event will take place in two stages. Before moving onto the next stage, a post will be published on the Main. Open/casual starters are permitted aside from the plot-threads listed below, though please manage your time accordingly so that the plot-threads are completed by the end of the event. Note that not every character got a role in this event. We tried to fit as many people in as we could, but it wasn’t possible to fit everyone (for those roleplayers having multiple characters). If you see an opening for one of your characters, you are welcome to propose it to us so they can be fit in, but remember, activity is doubly important in a coordinated event, and no one will be penalized for prioritizing event-related characters. 

Please tag your starters with VNFallen and VNStarter! If you have any questions, ideas, or concerns, please do not hesitate to message the Main! We know there is a lot going on and a lot left vague, but we are here to help!

Most of all, remember to be inclusive to as many people as possible (without biting off more than you can chew), get creative, and enjoy!

~ The Admin Team @ VN

The Ancestors have watched from beyond the veil as their warnings went unheeded, and the magic of the Harvest Children wreaked havoc on the city. They won't have to wait much longer; one way or another that magic will return to the earth. Davina Claire has long suspected her time was running out, and she's not wrong. Sophie Deveraux has come to collect, using a spell to track the currents of magic in the quarter. Her magic has located three hot spots, and she knows one of them is the little traitor she seeks. She just needs to choose the right one. Helping her with that errand will be one Damon Salvatore. An old fling and a reliable weak spot, Sophie hopes to use Damon’s love for his brother Stefan, who she’s... incapacitated for the time being, to get him to help her find her lost Harvest child. She’s got eyes out for Isaac, and has Mercy right where she needs her. The only one left is Davina. 

Two other witches are stirring up the arcane on this unseasonably cold night. Estranged sisters, Freya Mikaelson and Jennifer Blake each seek power, one the power of blood ties, the other the power of blood sacrifice. Freya Mikaelson has learned of the missing Mikaelson caskets, containing the two siblings who had an affinity for the craft. Kol, she's never met, but she's heard stories. Finn, though, Finn was the playmate of her earliest memories, the only true sibling she has ever had. Using the benefit of her current anonymity, she's collected an artifact from her three other blood-siblings. A single strand of long white-blond hair from the collar of Rebekah's jacket, saliva from the glass of wine she had shared with Elijah, and a smear of bloodied canvas, acquired from the studio Klaus painted in. Using the power of her siblings' DNA, along with her own, she seeks to send a message to her remaining brothers. You have not been forgotten, I am coming for you, help me find you.

Jennifer Blake, however, has less noble intentions. With the influx of supposed kin running amok in the quarter, she'd like to pay them tribute and make clear what her thoughts are regarding her "sisters." Though not originally part of the plan, Jennifer has decided to add a category of sacrifices to her cause: the traitor. Lucky for her, she has the perfect candidates in mind: Allison Argent, for turning her back on her family legacy, for being a sympathizer with animals, Lydia Martin, for turning her back on her family's elders, for letting her grandmother wither away while she lived in splendor, and Cora Hale, for turning her back on her family in flames, for leaving them to die in the smoke while she breathed clean air. The three teens were easily incapacitated with an hex on the assignment she handed out for homework, and brought to the attic of the LaLaurie Mansion. Home to intense lingering emotions and rumors of malevolent spirits, Jennifer plans to sacrifice all three traitors together, increasing her magic a hundredfold, plenty enough to avoid detection in the manhunt that will no doubt follow.

Unfortunately for Jennifer, her traitorous teens are not without friends of their own. Both Malia Tate and Stiles Stilinski have noticed their friends missing. In an effort to locate the teens, they recruit the help of Tyler Lockwood, hoping that he might have information about his step-sister’s whereabouts. It just so happens that he had received a location ping from Lydia (who had texted a record seven times since their parents had gotten married), and had figured it had been a mistake. Hayley Marshall Labonair and Derek Hale both follow their instincts, feeling something wrong shiver through their respective pack bonds. Hayley gets a call from Tyler, and she and Derek separate to figure out who is attacking their packs. 

Mary Sibley has felt the tears in the fabric of the magic which blankets New Orleans. Between what she has learned of this “Harvest” ritual, and the careless destruction wrought by Rain’s ward, she can tell that disaster is imminent. The magic of the city is so fragile that it threatens to burst. The catastrophic implications of such an event are beyond even her wildest imagination. She has locked onto the same three vortices of spell-work that Sophie has located, and she tracks down the nearest, only to find her long-lost eldest sister, Freya Mikaelson. She has no choice but to fight her for control of her spell. She will prevent this catastrophe from occurring, even if it puts her in the regrettable position of magical custodian. 

Meanwhile, Marcel Gerard and Elijah, Klaus, and Rebekah Mikaelson have gathered in a last-ditch effort to save Davina. Davina Claire attempts to channel Klaus' vitality in order to purge herself of the excess magic, using the Paragon diamond hidden in the Claire family tomb. Davina struggles to complete the spell, and is interrupted when all three siblings are hit by a massive wave of magical energy, and fall unconscious.

Unknown to the king of the Quarter, his home base is under attack — kind of. Chris Argent has had enough of playing the waiting game and decided to take things into his own hands. Innocent or not, Kate is his sister, and he doesn’t trust the vampiric equivalent of justice. If anyone is going to decide what to do with her, it’ll be the hunters she turned her back on. 

Frederick Egrid has had his ear to the magical floor, trying to find the pulse of the Coven of New Orleans. He's learned from Sophie about the night of the Harvest, and done his research. It had been mere chance to spot the boy Sophie had been searching for lurking in the alley behind Egrid's shop, perhaps intending to dumpster dive for dinner. Isaac Lahey was a staunch advocate for constant vigilance, but he hadn't been prepared for the ice cream man's icy spell. Egrid intends to bring Isaac to Sophie at Lafayette Cemetery. Luckily for Isaac, his not-quite-nemesis Jaxon Whittemore had been attempting to follow him. Out of sheer curiosity, or a more genuine intention he doesn't care to examine, Jaxon had spotted Isaac and decided to tail him. When Isaac is taken down with what seems like some seriously fucked up Elsa shit, Jaxon finds himself embroiled deep in witchy politics.

Jaxon isn't the only one intending to play savior. Elena Gilbert seeks the help of John Alden in order to save her aunt Jenna from Klaus’ clutches. Unfortuntely for her, John happens to be in the midst of training her younger brother when they come to seek out his help. Refusing to sit on the sidelines this time, Jeremy Gilbert joins the team, and they set off for the Mikaelson Estate, only to find the place deserted when they show up. No sign of the infamous siblings, nor Jenna. Not willing to waste an opportunity, they raid the place for clues to her whereabouts.

[observcnt-blog]

You know the producers of homecoming confirmed she isn't supposed to be actually MJ right? or even a version? It was all just for laughs

Hello, kind anon! Yes, actually, to answer your question: I’m aware that she’s not MJ. I’ve actually stated that in my rules, that while I, personally, see her as an MCU’s version of MJ, she might clearly isn’t and never would be. Michelle is this whole other character — which I really love — and there’s still so much we don’t know about her. So, that’s really fun to explore, right?

However, I have, have to disagree with your last statement stating that “it was all just for laughs”. I have wanted to play Zendaya’s character ever since I knew she’d be apart of Spiderman: Homecoming. But then there were these clashing rumours where she’s MJ and then she’s not, and I did some research.

There’s this article, I couldn’t find it unfortunately and for that I apologise, which states that while Zendaya’s character wouldn’t be playing much of a role on the upcoming Spiderman movie, she would have a significant one as MCU progresses. So, from that statement alone, it’s already obvious that while Zendaya isn’t up to play Mary Jane, she’s going to be important. However, whether that be towards Parker as Spiderman or otherwise, that’s for us to find out as years unfold.

This is a statement released by Kevin Feige as he teases about Zendaya’s future roles in MCU very recently:

“Zendaya just made her MCU debut in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige teases what the future holds for character. In the lead up to Homecoming, the interest in Zendaya’s role remained high thanks to a variety of reports regarding just who exactly she was going to be playing. Throughout the process, everyone involved continued to state that she would be playing Michelle, not MJ, as previously revealed. Still, rumors of her actually being Mary Jane Watson or even Vulture’s daughter persisted. 

With Homecoming now in theaters, everyone can finally see for themselves who she is playing. But it’s complicated. While these statements turned out to be true as Zendaya’s character’s name is Michelle, the closing minutes of the film point to something else. It is in the final few scenes when she utters the phrase, “My friends call me MJ.” This appeared to confirm previous reports that she is actually Mary Jane, but it may merely be the inspiration for her future.”

[…] What is so interesting about his answer, is him stating Michelle is not Mary Jane Watson at all, but that the initials have been used to generate a similar goal. In setting up this will be a very different thing, she’s not Mary Jane Watson, that’s not who the character is. But giving her the initials that remind you of that dynamic certainly is intriguing about what could go forward.

Michelle’s role is actually rather small but she is present throughout the movie. She keeps an eye on Peter Parker, which many have noted, is similar to MJ who has done the same in the comics so they’re certainly drawing inspiration from MJ’s character but to what extent, Feige says:

Clearly, she says she’s not obsessed with him, she’s just observant. But she’s there. And to have fun with that while at the same time having it be different characters that can provide a different dynamic [is the point].

Feige continues on to say that the logic behind this was to take Peter Parker in a fresh direction and to avoid treading tired ground of previous Peter Parker and Spider-Man relationships:

“Peter’s had a lot of friends over the years in the comics, and a lot of schoolmates and characters he’s interacted with. It wasn’t just Mary Jane Watson; it wasn’t just Gwen Stacy; it wasn’t just Harry Osborn. So we were very interested in the other characters, and that’s where Liz came from and that’s where the version of the character Michelle came from.”

Taken from here and here.

A few things you could get from that, anon, is that no, Michelle is not Mary Jane — but you couldn’t deny that they drew small inspiration from MJ in the comics in the way that MJ was always watching Parker, which meant the fact that they have the same initials is supposed to give an impact. I personally don’t know why they’re doing this, like are they setting up for the big reveal that she’s actual Mary Jane or if these coincidences are gonna give room for the actual Mary Jane or Gwen Stacy to stroll over — but hey! Whatever it is, I’m excited. I love Michelle no matter what roles she’d be playing.

And do you see how significant and different it is, to not have a Mary Jane or a Gwen Stacy as this very HUGE romantic interest in a spiderman’s plotline. Like, yes, of course, Liz Allan played a role as Peter’s source of infatuation and crush, but Peter’s whole development in the story doesn’t — for once — revolves around a love interest. Peter doesn’t have to save anybody in particular, doesn’t have to antagonise over anybody leaving or whatever the drama was before. He was having this whole revelation of being the balance of Peter and Spiderman all on his own, with help from Stark and May, who are both adults. Which, I think, is far more realistic? Peter’s a teenager, and the most important support somebody like Peter needs are of somebody who is much, much more stable in life. In this case it’s Stark and May with Stark being an experienced / veteran Avenger and mentoring Parker in that aspect, reminding him what’s most important, and May being this somebody who catch Peter whenever he falls from grace — like she’s always done.

I think it’s awesome that — whether Michelle became a romantic interest or not — that the Production have began Parker’s story in such a way. It paves for new paths that they’re definitely going to take Peter’s story to a whole new level. It’s not gonna be a repetition of all the other adaptation of Peter Parker in films before.

Second fact you should get from those is anon, it’s definitely not for laughs. Zendaya’s role is going to grow. MCU has never, ever, put anybody in it without a reason. They’ve got plans, I’m sure of it. And with how much Zendaya’s getting the attention from people? (Or else the MCU production wouldn’t put Zendaya to promo Spiderman: Homecoming with Tom Holland as much.) I do think we can expect more.

Thank you for coming into my inbox, anon. I’m sure you didn’t expect me to ramble a whole lot about it, but here you go! For future references? I do hope you refrain yourself from impolitely “calling me out” about where I stand with my portrayal as Michelle. As a roleplayer who’s really here to have fun, I feel offended to have my muse pointed out as “just for laughs” like she’s not even worth exploring into. I’m sure that’s not what you meant however, and that you must only meant well :)

But thank you, regardless, and have a nice day!

[project-two-five-zero-one]

Games I Played in 2016 - Batman: The Telltale Series (PS4)

I am what could maybe - generously - be called a modest Batfan. I don’t have any powerful childhood attachment to the character and mythos; I’ve only read a couple of the more iconic graphic novels; I hated the Christopher Nolan movies; even my exposure to the DCAU is mostly by way of sporadically catching Batman Beyond and Justice League on Toonami. But I do like Batman - if anything my appreciation for Batman is growing with age, and with appreciation for its symbolism. Of late I’ve developed a real fondness for the kind of tragic archetype epitomized by the darker, more ambivalent portrayals of Bruce Wayne: these romantic pop-cultural portrayals of tortured, duty-bound masculine identities borne out of trauma, individualist personae built in response to a world of random violence and chaos antithetical to their very existence. (see also: my resurgent fondness for Berserk, my crankish stubborn insistence that Death Wish is a misunderstood masterpiece about violence and grief.) Batman’s appeal taken at face value may be as some kind of quasi-fascist power fantasy, but his longevity comes from tapping into this deeper narrative of tragic masculinity. Also, he has cool gadgets. So it’s no surprise that demand is high for a video game that truly encapsulates the Batman Experience. 

According to The Internet, if I want the definitive Batman game experience I can do no better than the Batman Arkham (hereafter “BamHam”) series. Having played all of the first game, a bit of the second one and a large portion of the handheld spinoff, I can answer this recommendation with a resounding “fuck that”. BamHam Asylum is one of the dullest, most uninspired games I’ve ever played. The design is a hodgepodge of second-rate elements (combat, stealth, puzzle-solving, backtracking, skill tree progression) laid out with minimal cohesion across an endless series of gray industrial corridors. Rocksteady Studios almost certainly designed the game by coming up with a checklist of “stuff Batman can do”, developing a stultifyingly literal-minded mechanical representation of each bullet point, and shoving it arbitrarily into a likely pre-designated number of relevant points in the game. You have the Scan Visor from Metroid Prime, but with less diverse environments or interesting interactions; the environment-manipulating tools from Zelda, but with only the most superficial lock-and-key mechanics from those games (“there’s an X here, so use Y”); stealth like Splinter Cell or MGS, but without the deep toolbox of possible NPC and environment interactions that make those games interesting; storytelling via (*yaaaaawn*) audio logs because after BioShock came out every AAA action game on the planet was obsessed with audio logs; big stagey setpiece boss fights like Metal Gear, only again with far less mechanical depth and also less narrative depth too, because instead of developing any of the characters with interesting dialogue or a coherent narrative structure the game relies on the audience’s prior knowledge of these characters to fill in the dramatic gaps and takes near-constant narrative detours to force in one more iconic villain with a truckload of backtracking-based fetch quests to pad out the game length. The game’s most fleshed out and widely praised mechanic is its “free flow” combat system, and it’s a sham: one button to attack, mostly automated character movement, and a maddening facade of “difficulty” imposed by punishing the player for zoning out and mashing that one attack button eight times in a row instead of seven, or what have you - you know, the thing every beat-em-up constantly encourages you to do. Yes, it’s a truly masterful combat mechanic whose difficulty hinges on whether the player can resist becoming too mindlessly ensconced in its own repetitiveness to pay attention to their every move.   

I’m convinced that the widespread praise for Arkham Asylum, and thus the ensuing Arkham franchise, came from comic book fans so gleeful that a licensed Batman game - with Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill in it and everything! - was merely MEDIOCRE rather than ATROCIOUS that they were ready to praise it on high as something it fundamentally was not. What makes this especially painful is that, narratively, the game doesn’t feel like a good encapsulation of Batman either, or at least any Batman stories that are actually good. Stripped of the five zillion pointless detours mentioned above, the basic plot is: Joker springs a trap. Joker has an eeeeevil plan in the works. Batman beats up a lot of guys. Batman beats up the Joker. The Joker’s plot is foiled. The End. No character development. No social commentary, subtle or otherwise. No deeper exploration of Bruce or Joker’s psychology. No philosophizing about law versus chaos. No zesty one-liners, even; the dialogue fizzles at every turn, and while it’s been too long since I’ve played to recall a specific example (suffice to say it’s not memorable) you can always go and watch the cutscenes on Youtube if you want proof. The writing equates “dark and gritty” with characters saying “bitch” and “hell” and Batman beating the shit out of people in slow motion and a bunch of nameless NPCs being slaughtered. The characterizations are trite to the point of being stereotypical: the thugs you beat up all talk with the same cartoonish Brooklyn patois and indicate no motivation beyond being “evil” and “criminal” in some intangible, essential, and - evidently - irrelevant way.   

Am I asking too much from a video game plot? Have I been spoiled by my exposure to the Batman mythos coming predominantly from Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Tim Burton, and the writers in the DCAU who aren’t Paul Dini? Gliding off of rooftops and punching people repeatedly are prime examples of video game actions that can and should be fun - and there are plenty of other games to show us that (Just Cause and God Hand, respectively). But I’m pretty sure what draws people to Batman, as opposed to just any dime-a-dozen superhero, is the characters, the dialogue. There’s a reason, say, Joker is practically obligated to show up in each and every one of Batman’s myriad adaptations, and a reason those adaptations have ranged in style, tone and medium from the Technicolor Adam West camp sagas to last year’s R-rated cartoon adaptation of The Killing Joke (which I thought got more hate than it deserved, but that’s another discussion altogether). A video game defined primarily by traversing empty rooftops and beating indistinct hobos will only ever capture a small fraction of what Batman has to offer. So it’s been long overdue that someone should make a Batman game where narrative is the primary focus, dialogue and abstract choice-making the primary interaction, and the long legacy of Batman films and graphic novels the primary template. And it’s highly fitting that the developer for such a game should be Telltale.   

I’ve been a fan of Telltale and their reinvented brand of “adventure games” ever since I tried the first season of their Walking Dead series on a whim (it came bundled with my PS Vita) and got instantly hooked. I’ve heard frequent allegations that their titles aren’t “real adventure games”, that they’re mechanically shallow, that their much-vaunted systems of choice are illusory since the player can more often determine only HOW plot events happen and not IF they happen. Some of these criticisms likely carry some weight, but I can’t really bring myself to care. I’ve always been attracted to games with a strong narrative component (I’m juuuust old enough to remember when people’s choices for a narrative-driven game experience on consoles were JRPGs or bust) and I’m thrilled that there’s a successful subgenre now of games molded entirely around interactive storytelling, where the writing is actually the selling point, the developer’s most fleshed-out resource in the game, and not just secondary to the mechanics. More importantly - the writing IS the mechanics. This isn’t one of those David Cage abominations, where “cinematic” events play out on screen in accordance with one pretentious manchild’s stunted idea of quality screenwriting, and you occasionally get to press a button. Telltale games constantly bombard the player with active choices - they demand the player’s involvement - and if the majority of those choices are inconsequential, the cleverness of the games’ design lies in the fact that distinguishing the choices with long-term consequences from the ones that are mainly filler is often not an easy task, even in retrospect. (Assuming you play on Minimal Interface mode, as any true roleplayer should.) I played through their Game of Thrones series for the second time last year, and between in-game experimentation and looking in guides I found myself repeatedly surprised by discovering which plot points I could or couldn’t change, and how. Telltale’s products could be compared to Japanese visual novels (a genre that rarely attracts the same kind of backlash in the West, perhaps due to its niche audience), but really they’re more like Choose Your Own Adventure books by way of premium cable dramas - and as someone who has enjoyed the former as a kid and the latter right now, I’m not shy about embracing this inventive synthesis.   

Likely thanks to the lucrative backing of DC Comics and Warner Brothers Entertainment, Batman is Telltale’s most elaborate and polished effort to date. Up to now, even their big-label games have tended to be plagued with technical problems - choppy framerates, graphical glitches, shoddy animations and textures, outright bugs and crashes. Playing on PS4 in 1080p, for the first time I can see a Telltale running smoothly and looking… good. The cel-shaded graphics wear their comic book inspirations on their sleeves, with bold lines and saturated colors that actually look good in motion, and - at least compared with Telltale’s previous work - they’re not overly hampered by framerate problems and glitches. No more of those washed-out flat backgrounds used in Game of Thrones, that look like someone took a still-wet oil painting and splashed it with their own urine. Much is owed here, narratively and mechanically, to Telltale’s previous comic book-based effort The Wolf Among Us, also an easy contender for their best game so far.   

Mechanically, Telltale predictably don’t stray far from their Walking Dead template, but with each new project they take on they find new ways to expand and experiment within the confines of that formula, and Batman hints at some exciting new directions their work might take in future. New “detective” segments are light puzzle challenges which task the player with sussing out clues from a crime scene to reconstruct offscreen events, CSI-style; while they’re a bit lacking in flexibility and occasionally descend into monotonous pixel hunts, it’s a decent idea for a new kind of mechanic that might enable substantive game interaction beyond dialogue choices and QTEs. (Next time, Telltale, include multiple solutions.) QTEs also have some kind of grading system now, where optimal executions charge up a glowing blue meter that does… something. Seriously, I played all the way through the game and never figured out what this actually did. I like the idea, though! Again, if these games are already structured so that different dialogue choices can open up branching paths, what could be the harm in fleshing out the occasional action and puzzle sequences to enable similar flexibility? Any step toward making QTEs an inconsequential gesture meant only to facilitate the illusion of action is another step forward for Telltale’s design model. Already they seem to be pushing ever forward with the flexibility of their narrative structures, with choices in this game seemingly leading to far more diverse outcomes than previous titles - even if this occasionally leads to strange inconsistencies in character (I went out of my way to treat Harvey Dent like a friend, but when the inevitable happens Bruce’s attitude towards him seems to shift irrevocably on a dime). Every new project is another baby step forward for the Telltale crew, and I fully believe that the perfection of the narrative game subgenre they (re)invented is yet to come. The best idea for now: at the very end, the game evaluates not merely your key choices, but the overall tenor and characterization of “your” Bruce Wayne; “honest” or “cunning”, “collaborative” or “individual”, and more. The core exercise of the Telltale model - narratively, mechanically - is roleplaying, the way the player chooses to embody and express their assigned character given the options available. The more attention Telltale pays to reading and deepening this aspect of their games, the better they’ll be. Read how I roleplay, and respond. Evolve the story along the narrative trajectory I’ve chosen to see. Be a good dungeon master.   

So what about the actual story? Telltale takes a curious tack, distancing it as much as possible from previous Batman media and starting from square one in much the same manner as a Hollywood adaptation (from back in the days before the Marvel Cinematic Universe turned every superhero film into a stultifying morass of cross-brand continuity and pandering to comic readers). None of the characters are voiced by actors involved in any previous adaptation - the cast is led by a trio of Funimation veterans (Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, and the ubiquitous Troy Baker) which can make certain scenes feel more like some kind of Fullmetal Alchemist reunion special than the DCAU. A stable of familiar cast members - Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Selina Kyle, Harvey Dent, Oswald Cobblepot - are introduced as though the audience had never met them before, in newer, younger forms freed from the strictures of any existing canon. Bruce and Harvey are best friends (or can be, if you think it makes for a more interesting story); Harvey and Selina are romantically involved; characters may take on roles or become privy to knowledge that directly defies DC tradition. Without giving too much away - since making choices without full knowledge of their possible implications is such a large part of the fun - certain sacrosanct elements of the Batman mythos are fundamentally altered for the purposes of this story in this universe, which has no obligation to tie itself to any other piece of media but itself. Bruce is of the more talkative, emotionally balanced variety than I like him - Telltale goes for dark and gritty, but not to the extent of diving head-on into the Batworld’s central metaphor of fractured identity and trauma - but everything is carefully considered and deliberately placed within the particular vision of the Batcanon Telltale has imagined. Hell, the Joker doesn’t even show up outside of a minor role in the last two episodes, with only limited opportunities to truly ham it up, and if that’s not an indicator of writerly restraint in a Batman adaptation I don’t know what is.   

The overall tone and narrative arc is most clearly influenced by the Nolan films, but the script blessedly has numerous advantages of not being written by the Nolans and/or David S. Goyer. There’s humor, wit and a modicum of self-awareness, for starters (you can crack jokes about the Batsuit and flirt with reporters); verbal exposition and speechifying are kept to reasonable levels, and there’s none of that horrible tendency to try and pass off meaninglessly vague pronouncements delivered in ominous tones as freshman-level “deep” dialogue - thank the fuck Christ. (“Sometimes… the hero… has to be… the villain… to be… our hero…” *BWAAAAAAAM*) Characters are allowed to have personalities - even female characters! Yes, Catwoman has motives and personally traits in this one, personality traits that are clearly identifiable and run deeper than “sexy”, “duplicitous”, and “butt”. (And “Batdick”.) She’s not even the only woman with a speaking role! How about that! So it’s like… if Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy were actually fun to watch, instead of a set of movies about a man in a bat suit punching a man in a clown suit that carry themselves with the portentous dourness of a fucking Bresson flick.   

Ironically, despite nailing tone far better than Nolan and Rocksteady, Telltale has miraculously been granted the freedom to go far grittier than previous adaptations. Some of the crime scenes are outstandingly gruesome; major decisions can result in characters being permanently maimed; Batman can brutalize his enemies to the extreme, if you so choose; and Bruce Wayne spends as much time navigating through seedy political entanglements as chases and brawls. In this monent of American fear and unrest, the mad crucible of Gotham feels like an especially cathartic funhouse mirror in which to gaze (no matter how little sense it makes that Batman’s America seems to have no state or federal government). With the episodic format and TV-like presentation, Telltale has taken the opportunity to fold the Batverse into its obvious match in the gritty crime procedural; no one will mistake it for The Wire or even Sherlock, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find video games doing this particular brand of genre fiction any real justice.   

There’s one more element to the game that I didn’t try, but I wish I did: a new “party mode”, where people can sync a mobile app with the game on console and vote for dialogue choices as a group. It seems like it would either be a dumb, hilarious clusterfuck or a fun and engaging group game, and a totally unique experience either way. For what little my praise is worth, I will always applaud a game for seeking out new ways to facilitate a social experience, capitalizing and expanding upon the inherently participatory nature of games that electrifies people such that millions of people are even willing to watch others play on Youtube (something I’ll never personally understand). The more I can share the act of playing a game, the better.   

So… what are the best Batman books? I’m taking recommendations.

[untitledzoned]

Lifestyle before and now

I’m a frustrated blogger since I was like 8 years old. I had plenty of tumblrs and blogs, yet it is not that famous. I don’t know why pero I don’t care, just blogging to express my thoughts inside not to express. I just reblog and write blog since 8years upto now. May tumblr ako ang dami followers, nawala lang because of the password so created one and this one will be probably the last and forever blog. Naoopen ko naman yung isa, pero reblog reblog na lang. I was 8 when I started technology. Games, blogs, youtube. That’s what I do back then. Addict to online. I had just almost do a vlog, nahiya lang lola niyo. I was 12 back. I used to make and edit videos, I even edit videos for our class. Gladly and I was so proud that they, somehow, trust my editing. It was an highschool life. That was the best of my highschool of my entire life, well the mere fact is I don’t do anything just to sleep and do some homeworks shit. 

I also do stories. Back when I was 4th grade, it was started. Till to that wattpad started, I was addcted and had a guts to do one. Ngayon, nakakarami na ko ng stories. My life was so boring then, for others but for me, it was fun. I even disguised myself as a roleplayer. My life was surrounded online. Well mayrong din naman offline friends, pero mas madalas lang sa online. Paano ba kasi, home and school lang gawain ko. 

I love how my life then, and right now I still love to do again. Ang pinakagusto ko lang talaga mangyari is, to ride a motorcycles and have a vlog to show my singing and dancing talent... unfortunately, I don’t have one. So that, after this pandemic I know now what will be my business is. A dance and recording studio, plus a photography studio business. It’s my passion and since YOLO, I have to express my passion. After all, success is not just money, but to express passion and hapiness. My happiness is arts. 

Recording, dance studio... please wait for me. We will meet soon. 

[merelyroleplayers]

Opening this week in the Studio

Josh Yard is our guide to Bureautopia and lands beyond, in The Office Party Act 1 — the first of a 5-act actual play of Quest!

Like all our Studio productions, The Office Party is a standalone story ��� you don't need to be caught up on Merely Roleplayers to jump in here.

[merelyroleplayers]

Next up in the Studio:

The Queen's Dead

an apocalyptic political tragedy in 3 acts

Act 1: One year before the Dawn prophesied to end the reign of death, the Lich Queen’s dread courtiers make plans to prevent it – even though it might mean working together.

Act 2: Tension builds between the Lich Queen’s dread courtiers as their realms crumble around them. The Wraithlight Dominion proposes a quest.

Act 3: The day of the prophesied Dawn is at hand. As light and life threaten the Lich Queen’s dominion, her dread courtiers must stand together – or fall apart.

Representing the Draugr Earldom: Naomi Clarke (@thekilda, @realmspod, Who Lives Who Dice)

Representing the Skeletal Duchy: Fiona Howat (What Am I Rolling?, The DM's Book Club)

Representing the Wraithlight Dominion: @merelymatt (@merelyroleplayers)

Game: Court of the Lich Queen (beta) by Ursidice

The house opens on Tuesday 13 June

Take your seat at www.merelyroleplayers.com

[merelyroleplayers]

Meanwhile, Backstage in the Studio...

Character creation continues: what about each of our denizens could help or hinder us on our journey?

Coming next on 13 August – Labyrinth Untold, Act 3

Programme notes

This production contains memory loss and dead animals.

Credits

GOBLIN QUEEN: Natalie Winter

STARRING:

Helen Stratton as Linda

Ellie Pitkin as Sir Barold von Branwick

Strat as Winkle

Matt Boothman as Gundle

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Jim Henson’s Labyrinth The Adventure Game by Ben Milton (adventure) and Jack Caesar (rules), published by River Horse

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst

SEASON PLANNED BY: Natalie Winter

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

Find us

On Instagram

On Tumblr

www.MerelyRoleplayers.com

[merelyroleplayers]

Nominate Merely Roleplayers in the CRIT Awards 2024

The Creator Recognition in Tabletop RPG Awards are open for nominations until the end of May, and lots of our stuff from the past year is eligible!

You all got us to the final ballot in 2 categories last year – thank you again, it was incredible to hear the words "Merely Roleplayers" read out alongside so many luminaries of roleplaying and storytelling!

Could we make it 3 this year?

Could we even make it to a win??

At this nomination stage, you're free to nominate whoever and whatever you like in each category. It's free choice, not multiple choice. Then people/things with enough nominations get put on the final ballot for everyone to check out and vote on.

Most of the categories ask for a link or social media handle to help the CRIT team vet nominations. Plus, I know from filling out my own nominations how hard it can sometimes be to work out what actually falls within the eligibility period (which this year is 1 Jan 2023–29 Feb 2024 – RPG vendors please put the publication date on the game's page!!).

So here's a handy list of what we've done that came out in that period, the categories you could nominate them in, and the relevant links and handles:

Best of Actual Plays

Best Series

Vigil: The Great Fire https://foggyoutline.com/roleplayers-episodes/category/The+Great+Fire

Vigil: Chief/Exec https://foggyoutline.com/roleplayers-episodes/category/Chief%2FExec

Vigil: Fear Itself https://foggyoutline.com/roleplayers-episodes/category/Fear+Itself

(and in the Studio...)

Falling Cadence https://foggyoutline.com/roleplayers-episodes/category/Falling+Cadence

The Queen's Dead https://foggyoutline.com/roleplayers-episodes/category/The+Queen%27s+Dead

The Office Party https://foggyoutline.com/roleplayers-episodes/category/Office+Party

Best NPC

Any and all NPCs from the above 6 productions, including 2023 nominee Ernest Bering, Agent of DoOm...

It's up to you to decide, based on his actions in Vigil: Fear Itself, whether oor Ernie belongs in this category or in:

Best Villain

Any and all villains from the above 6 productions, including Ada Lovelace (Great Fire), Max Dashwood (Chief/Exec), Morrigan the War Chieftain (Chief/Exec), the Harlequin (Fear Itself) and (possibly, as above) Ernest Bering, Agent of DoOm.

Best of their Games

Best Game Master | Indie

Matt Boothman https://www.instagram.com/merelymatt/

Josh Yard https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

Best Player | Indie

Ellie Pitkin https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Persephone 'Percy' Byron in Great Fire and Camilla Parnell in Falling Cadence)

Dave https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Mick Mason in Great Fire and Josh in Office Party)

Strat https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Brier in Great Fire and Jerome Picklepants in Office Party)

Chris MacLennan https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Kincaid in Great Fire)

Natalie Winter https://www.instagram.com/winternatters/

(plays Gwynned in Chief/Exec and Bess in Office Party)

Marta Da Silva https://www.instagram.com/nanaluvren/

(plays Harper in Chief/Exec)

Josh Yard https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Jinny Greenteeth in Chief/Exec)

Vikki https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Renko in Chief/Exec and Cadence Fairchild in Falling Cadence)

Alexander Pankhurst https://www.instagram.com/apankhurst/

(plays Graham in Fear Itself and Reginald 'Skinsy' Skinner in Falling Cadence)

Chris Starkey https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Cameron Jarvis in Fear Itself and Neville Flounder, aka the Living Shadow, aka Night Gannet in Office Party)

Ellen Gould https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Jess Butterworth in Fear Itself)

Helen Stratton https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/

(plays Stella Sylvester in Falling Cadence)

Fiona KT Howat https://www.instagram.com/unspeakablyfiona/

(plays the Skeletal Duchy in The Queen's Dead)

Naomi Clarke https://www.instagram.com/naomithinksit/

(plays the Draugr Earldom in The Queen's Dead)

Best of Podcasts

Best Podcast

Merely Roleplayers https://www.merelyroleplayers.com

Best Podcast Host

Matt Boothman https://www.instagram.com/merelymatt/

Thank you! Can't wait to see who gets nominated this year!

[merelyroleplayers]

Now playing (fetch) in the Studio

Go inside the writers’ room of your favourite canine adventure show, then join four lost dogs as they trick, trial and treat their way home.

This season, we're playing a selection of individual micro-roleplaying games from The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book, edited by James D'Amato! Look out for:

Summer Break! by Joey Barranco

Wonders by Alex Flanigan

Follow us on your usual podcast app - search Merely Roleplayers or head to www.merelyroleplayers.com

FACILITATOR: Strat

STARRING:

- Ellie Pitkin as Kevin

- Josh Yard as Enzo

- Natalie Winter as Peppercorn

- Matt Boothman as Wallaby

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Hero Dog Saves Town by Alex Roberts and Wild Rovers by Shanna Germain, published in The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book, edited by James D’Amato

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst, inspired by Horse Elevator

SEASON PLANNED BY: Strat

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

[merelyroleplayers]

Join us Backstage in the Studio

Kicking off character creation with the important question: what flavour of Labyrinth Muppet do we all want to be?

Coming next on 30 July – Labyrinth Untold, Act 2

Programme notes

This production contains memory loss and dead animals.

Credits

GOBLIN QUEEN: Natalie Winter

STARRING:

Helen Stratton as Linda

Ellie Pitkin as Sir Barold von Branwick

Strat as Winkle

Matt Boothman as Gundle

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Jim Henson’s Labyrinth The Adventure Game by Ben Milton (adventure) and Jack Caesar (rules), published by River Horse

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst

SEASON PLANNED BY: Natalie Winter

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

Find us

On Instagram

On Tumblr

www.MerelyRoleplayers.com

[merelyroleplayers]

Curtain up! Now playing in the Studio

Act 1 of 5: The Stone Walls. The Goblin Queen is displeased to find four of her denizens outside the Labyrinth.

Coming next on 23 July – Kin (Labyrinth Backstage)

Programme notes

This production contains memory loss and dead animals.

Goblin Queen Natalie Winter also plays Dungeons & Dragons and other games on Twitch with Roll Together! Find her as the Dungeon Master of Nexus and Nexus Revolutions, using fantasy to send up sci-fi, or playing Elodie Fogg in Roll Together’s ongoing steampunk campaign, Chronicles of Aeodrun.

Credits

GOBLIN QUEEN: Natalie Winter

STARRING:

Helen Stratton as Linda

Ellie Pitkin as Sir Barold von Branwick

Strat as Winkle

Matt Boothman as Gundle

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Jim Henson’s Labyrinth The Adventure Game by Ben Milton (adventure) and Jack Caesar (rules), published by River Horse

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst

SEASON PLANNED BY: Natalie Winter

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

Find us

On Instagram

On Tumblr

www.MerelyRoleplayers.com

[merelyroleplayers]

Now playing in the (recording) Studio

It’s only going to take one song to get everyone to stand up and take notice, and then your career will open wide in front of you. You all work so perfectly together. How hard can it be?

This season, we're playing a selection of individual micro-roleplaying games from The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book, edited by James D'Amato!

Follow us on your usual podcast app - search Merely Roleplayers or head to www.merelyroleplayers.com

CREDITS

FACILITATOR: Matt Boothman

STARRING:

- On vocals, Matt Boothman as Skinny Steve

- On lead guitar, Strat as Jimmy Danger

- On the keys, Ellie Pitkin as Pixie Dust

- On rhythm guitar, Josh Yard as Sludge

- On the bass, Natalie Winter as Spacy Stacy

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Wonders by Alex Flanigan, published in The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book, edited by James D’Amato

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst, inspired by Horse Elevator

SEASON PLANNED BY: Strat

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

[merelyroleplayers]

Now playing in the Studio

("playing" in so many senses of the word)

Before getting thrown face-first into school, cling to your final summer break with family and defend your childhood fort from dangers that are definitely not allegories for adulthood!

This season, we're playing a selection of individual micro-roleplaying games from The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book, edited by James D'Amato! Look out for next week's finale: Wonders by Alex Flanigan!

Follow us on your usual podcast app - search Merely Roleplayers or head to www.merelyroleplayers.com

FACILITATOR: Natalie Winter

STARRING:

- Natalie Winter as Max, aged 10 ¾

- Strat as Billy, aged 10 ½

- Ellie Pitkin as Cara, aged 12

- Josh Yard as Sam, aged 14

- Matt Boothman as Ani, aged 8

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Summer Break by Joey Barranco, published in The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book, edited by James D’Amato

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst, inspired by Horse Elevator

SEASON PLANNED BY: Strat

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

[merelyroleplayers]

Now playing in the Studio

Some of the galaxy’s (best?) event planners have gathered to plan the celebration for the Gantrofax’s final moulting. Of course, we have limited time and budget. Everything is fine, though. Happy moulting!

This season, we're playing a selection of individual micro-roleplaying games from The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book, edited by James D'Amato! Look out for:

Hero Dog Saves Town by Alex Roberts

Wild Rovers by Shanna Germain

Summer Break! by Joey Barranco

Wonders by Alex Flanigan

Follow us on your usual podcast app - search Merely Roleplayers or head to www.merelyroleplayers.com

FACILITATOR: Ellie Pitkin

STARRING:

- Ellie Pitkin as Madame Flux

- Josh Yard as Chef Octo-Ramsey

- Natalie Winter as Dee-mar the Vee-spar

- Strat as DJ Clorox

- Matt Boothman as Gravalax the Living Company

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Event Planning in Zero G by Jenn Martin, published in The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book, edited by James D’Amato

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst, inspired by Horse Elevator

SEASON PLANNED BY: Strat

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

[merelyroleplayers]

Please take your seats in the Studio

for a rare completely standalone episode of Merely Roleplayers that's a little bit Carry On Doctor.

It’s time to push the boundaries of modern medicine, and maybe to make out with a bitter rival in the on-call room!

For the next 5 weeks, instead of a 5-episode arc of one game, we're playing a selection of individual micro-roleplaying games from The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book, edited by James D'Amato! Look out for:

Event Planning in Zero G by Jenn Martin

Hero Dog Saves Town by Alex Roberts

Wild Rovers by Shanna Germain

Summer Break! by Joey Barranco

Wonders by Alex Flanigan

Follow us on your usual podcast app - search Merely Roleplayers or head to www.merelyroleplayers.com

FACILITATOR: Josh Yard

STARRING:

Josh Yard as Dr Artery Hartwell and Penny

Natalie Winter as Dr Miranda Anderson and Steph O’Scope

Strat as Dr Henry Mole and Chris Wandsworth

Ellie Pitkin as Dr Cynthia Cutting and Marjorie Hartwell

Matt Boothman as Dr Achilles Miles and Jonathan Blackhead

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Heartbeats by Keith Baker and Jenn Ellis, published in The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book, edited by James D’Amato

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst, inspired by Horse Elevator

SEASON PLANNED BY: Strat

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman