tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78762164941836289992024-03-26T22:42:18.803-07:00The United Federation of CharlesCTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.comBlogger1488125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-60250111564454513302024-03-26T20:19:00.000-07:002024-03-26T20:20:54.780-07:00Star Trek: Picard: Firewall by David Mack review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBfRtaipxyJewagTmutDg77gMc3kCgX9gxOHfBbYSCm-D_dtgMmuIiMS-WGRNWPfrVzaEtb_Se8WsSMVLFbfh-rmYi-pRAR3kZB88JFKPJX9pbBiJmWdhJ72-P1xKhH8ZgXG3eljaZn6LUbrQVuOzwfdtwqGhtNBjD99xCH0FqY1qXhG8iEGhX6ocwbYs/s500/51l94Z8xIkL._SL500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBfRtaipxyJewagTmutDg77gMc3kCgX9gxOHfBbYSCm-D_dtgMmuIiMS-WGRNWPfrVzaEtb_Se8WsSMVLFbfh-rmYi-pRAR3kZB88JFKPJX9pbBiJmWdhJ72-P1xKhH8ZgXG3eljaZn6LUbrQVuOzwfdtwqGhtNBjD99xCH0FqY1qXhG8iEGhX6ocwbYs/s320/51l94Z8xIkL._SL500_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p><i> Star Trek: Picard</i> is a controversial spin off in my circle as it draws out very strong emotions from its viewers. Some people love it, some people hate it, and some people's feelings change between the seasons. On my end, I think the Picard show was of varying quality but came up with some of the best ideas the franchise ever had. Also, I think that it has consistently produced some of the best novels that <i>Star Trek</i> has ever produced. THE LAST BEST HOPE by Doctor Una McCormack and ROGUE ELEMENTS by John Jackson Miller are two of my all time favorite Star Trek novels ever. FIREWALL by David Mack is now up there as well.</p><p> The premise is that Seven of Nine has found herself adrift after the ship's return to the Alpha Quadrant. Starfleet has made the possibly justifiable decision to exclude her from Starfleet based on the idea she might be a danger. Which becomes considerably less justifiable when you remember that if she could be remotely hacked or was going to taken over by the Borg, would have probably happened during the show's seven year run. It becomes even more spiteful and prejudice-filled when you find out they've also denied her Federation citizenship. Which doesn't actually prevent her from living there but exists purely to make her feel unwelcome.</p><p> I wasn't a big fan of "Ad Astra Per Aspera" from <i>Star Trek: Strange New Worlds</i> because it depicted a Federation that was engaged in hate crimes and ghetto-ization of a large chunk of its population in the Illyrians. I like to believe in Roddenberry's future, we may not be perfect but we've moved past Nazi/Terran Empire behavior. I'm more inclined to accept Seven's treatment, though, because it is far more isolated and we see pushback from Janeway and others. It's also practiced only by a handful of individuals in the Federation which, sadly, include people of power.</p><p> Anyway, Seven seeks to find herself by living on the fringes of Federation society that are also pretty dystopian and seem capitalist despite the fact they don't have money. This is a pretty common issue in many works, though, so I don't mind. That's when she's offered a chance to get her membership in the Federation and possible Starfleet commission if she infiltrates an organization called the Fenris Rangers.</p><p> Like all prequels, the actual destination is less important than the journey. There's a lot of interesting character beats in this book like Seven coming to terms her bisexuality and also analyzing the idea that the Federation's Romulan Rescue Plan resulted in a total collapse of necessary humanitarian relief in other parts of the galaxy. It makes the question to cut their losses after the destruction of Mars seem more justified.</p><p> Some fans were offput by Seven's attraction to women but I think it results in some of the more interesting parts of the book. We also get a relationship that is surprisingly drama free and one that I feel like will resonate with queer reader. I really liked the character of Ellory Kayd and hope she shows up in future <i>Star Trek</i> material. I understand that David Mack envisioned her as played by Jessica Henwick and I think that helped my mental picture a great deal.</p><p> The Fenris Rangers are actually given a backstory and we get a sense of what they are, other than having a cool name and fighting crime. Apparently, they were once a legitimate law enforcement/security company (for lack of a better term) contracted to protect the Qiris Sector. When the governments collapsed, they continued carrying out their jobs of enforcing the law of the previous regimes. Frankly, Starfleet labeling them vigilantes in that respect is a sign of Federation arrogance as who else would qualify as a legitimate government in that situation?</p><p> The villains of the book are also interesting because they're some of the vilest ones in Star Trek, up there with the Cardassians, but some of the most easily understood too. General Kohgish and Erol Tazgül are guilty of horrific crimes against sapience but their motives are both believable as well as extremely petty. General Kohgish just wants to make as much bank as humanly possible while Arastoo believes that he's able to keep the Romulans out of the Federation by making a buffer state via any means necessary once the Neutral Zones collapses. I also appreciate Erol isn't a part of Section 31 as that would be the "easy" way to do it. No, he's just a guy who got fired for his extreme politics.</p><p> Admiral Janeway gets something of an off kilter performance and why I put this book as a 9.5/10 instead of a 10 out of 10. Well, that and because I feel like some of the locations like Starfield are a little too like capitalistic intolerant Earth than the Federation should be. Basically, Janeway seems awfully naive throughout the book. She doesn't seem to understand how much pressure and prejudice Seven is getting or that Starfleet's opinion on the Rangers are wholly unjustified. I wonder if those blinders are just something every Federation citizen has or it's because she wasn't in the Dominion War and saw how fallible the Federation's leadership could be.</p><p> In conclusion, I find this to be a fantastic novel and one I really enjoyed. Seven of Nine has always been one of my favorite characters in Star Trek and this is a great bridge between her VOY and Picard personas. I really liked the Fenris Rangers as a concept and hope they eventually invite David Mack to do a sequel or perhaps even a series of novels set between this one and Season One of Picard.</p><p><a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Firewall-Audiobook/B0C7YLJSHN">Available here </a><br /></p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-28266794349129776882024-03-26T16:33:00.000-07:002024-03-26T16:58:57.716-07:00Star Trek: Resurgence (PS5) review<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAANjkzyqqLzHgbkGRXiL74Q_Av3OPcoHdx9TMtgT6qUTJExHVXYVO5iG1wiSPbm281BBlswxWrKAsD4EGPr9XfE9CApd9snyDAG918ya1P2wgu2Yy8B_wX88lYGPMWM-i9-GGj7KHpIgfuuRJrMDLyNLDSjD5_d0TDPuF1PRzHfleCnIGat7Q5SNqBoT/s1000/81n+hHq899L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="799" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAANjkzyqqLzHgbkGRXiL74Q_Av3OPcoHdx9TMtgT6qUTJExHVXYVO5iG1wiSPbm281BBlswxWrKAsD4EGPr9XfE9CApd9snyDAG918ya1P2wgu2Yy8B_wX88lYGPMWM-i9-GGj7KHpIgfuuRJrMDLyNLDSjD5_d0TDPuF1PRzHfleCnIGat7Q5SNqBoT/s320/81n+hHq899L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="256" /></a></i></div><i><br /> Star Trek </i>is a deceptively hard franchise to adapt to video games despite the fact there's been dozens of games that have adapted it. There's good games, good Trek adaptations, and very rarely good Trek adaptions that are good games. Usually, the video games content themselves to try to do one thing very well like <i>Elite Force</i> where you are a bunch of Space Marines shooting up other universes on VOY or <i>Bridge Commander</i> where you single handedly eliminate the entire Cardassian Navy (Commander Saffi Larson, shut up!). <i>Star Trek: Online</i> is like a heart monitor for quality with some missions versus good and others just killing the entire population o the Beta Quadrant. As you can tell, a lot of these games don't fit into the spirit of utopian peaceful cooperation even if they're fun as hell.<p></p><p><i> Star Trek: Resurgence</i> is not a perfect game but it manages the mixture of exploration, investigation, diplomacy, and techno-babble mini-games better than the vast majority of Star Trek games. A lot of reviewers say it is close to a Telltale game (and had several developers who used to make those for a living) but that isn't a very good description. More precisely, it feels like one of the BETTER Telltale games before they just started churning them out and removed all interactivity from them. The game has multiple endings even if the story is mostly linear and you can choose whether some characters live or die based around your actions. A sequel is unlikely, which is a shame, so they do let you make some significant changes.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvx702XZoCGlYh8Ri3TTBDK_qzbOQk-Sd4XBVF51dY-_KGtMSzDW_cjpWcFg4tatnfHjutjRa8ZD2RF1SbpRfTz3TncvTdbnqZfuuprAatqg0u1iZQ1eVlX3ww6HWwg4gsNtwqzXQWoBBciPSylQHUxDt37-dmmGGdDBbdZHjbfcAv8ePgIYT1_WhcO0eu/s1460/star_trek_resurgence_jara.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="1460" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvx702XZoCGlYh8Ri3TTBDK_qzbOQk-Sd4XBVF51dY-_KGtMSzDW_cjpWcFg4tatnfHjutjRa8ZD2RF1SbpRfTz3TncvTdbnqZfuuprAatqg0u1iZQ1eVlX3ww6HWwg4gsNtwqzXQWoBBciPSylQHUxDt37-dmmGGdDBbdZHjbfcAv8ePgIYT1_WhcO0eu/s320/star_trek_resurgence_jara.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The premise for <i>Star Trek: Resurgence</i> is that you are two characters on the <i>U.S.S. Resolute</i>. Random aside but I think <i>Star Trek: Resurgence </i>is a pretty awesome title by itself and it get a little confusing to have the two similar words in the game. Anyway, you are either alien-human hybrid, Commander Jara Rydek (Krizia Bajos) or engineer Carter Diaz (Josh Keaton). Both of them have defined personalities but ones you can choose the leanings of. Jara is cool and professional but torn between being loyal to her captain or the ship's crew. Carter is an amiable lower decker who either wants to do what's right by his friends or do his job professionally. The "right" decision in the game isn't always the immediately obvious one too.<p></p><p></p><p> The <i>Resolute</i> is a ship that just underwent a refit after half the crew was killed in one of those horrifying events that happen to every ship that isn't the Enterprise. Jara is the replacement first officer and notices immediately everyone is on edge and the captain is a lot more conservative than is typical for Starfleet. He demands absolute loyalty and is petty if he doesn't get it. They're on a mission to a planet which recently had a revolution and is between the exploitative overclass versus the exploited laborers. Should be pretty easy, right? Well, it would be if EVIL wasn't involved. </p><p> I won't spoil the plot of the game but it is full of little adventures spread throughout what feels like an entire season of a Star Trek series that never happened. "Episode" happen with a continuing story throughout from picking up Ambassador Spock to investigating weird technology to dealing with ancient precursor races of the kind that had been mentioned in the franchise before. You do flying, shooting, science, and diplomatic missions throughout the game. Whenever you think you're done with new mini-games, a new one is introduced.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcinMQU-WqOX-ixYwtvqaLavatUwEC54vBNAMhSprVqlPQj6L_MS3i05GUc5A8yPvkdZmNwWSPzM5C6nm5Pp42hfr4gMvO-vQqYslhHngdVtXiCrpaFrJ11o9r5RgNuIJtlf_d2PRwHPek3vmpjErItsmQsHpupGnREkEyZx9jmdhGJCaW1w257E4K6mi5/s1280/startrekres_02.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcinMQU-WqOX-ixYwtvqaLavatUwEC54vBNAMhSprVqlPQj6L_MS3i05GUc5A8yPvkdZmNwWSPzM5C6nm5Pp42hfr4gMvO-vQqYslhHngdVtXiCrpaFrJ11o9r5RgNuIJtlf_d2PRwHPek3vmpjErItsmQsHpupGnREkEyZx9jmdhGJCaW1w257E4K6mi5/s320/startrekres_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> This is one of the flaws of the game, however. Basically, a lot of the game is made up of busywork. The real appeal of <i>Star Trek: Resurgence </i>is the storytelling, characterization, and fidelity to the Star Trek universe. This really feels like the TNG era of Star Trek and it is as bright and optimistic as Star Trek usually is while balancing it against drama. I rapidly came to care about a lot of the characters and that's something I rarely say about Telltale games except for rare exceptions (<i>The Wolf Among Us,</i> <i>Game of Thrones</i>, and the original <i>The Walking Dead</i>).<p></p><p> Of the two protagonists, I have to say I like Jara Rydek a lot more than Carter Diaz. It's not that Carter is a bad character, it's just I'm all about those smooth confidant Number Ones. The fact she's an alien-human hybrid also is a nice change of pace from the usual collection of humans. I wouldn't mind having her as the star of a sequel if this game manages to find enough of a following to warrant one.</p><p> I like the simple set up of the Hotari versus the Alydians. The Hotari have been mining dilithium for centuries on behalf of the latter because they were a Pre-Warp civilization that couldn't take advantage of it. Now, they've seized the means of production and are ready to join the galactic community on their own terms. However, the Alydians aren't one-dimensional villains and are more interested in a negotiated settlement versus a military one. <br /></p><p> In conclusion,<i> Star Trek: Resurgence </i>is something that fans of <i>Star Trek</i> will probably get the most out of. It's a very fun game that manages to embody the spirit of the franchise. However, the game tries to insert a lot more gameplay even when it's not necessary. They should have focused on making things like the phaser fights and flying more fun versus throwing in mini-games that, well, aren't.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Resurgence-PlayStation-5/dp/B0CFPRF12L/"> Available here</a> <br /></p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-32021019801382741482024-03-23T16:35:00.000-07:002024-03-23T16:35:23.716-07:00Halo season two review <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uIo0SctMBrtaeRcuTUFhDjYs2lABvoj4Cb8eS5aR9RtjqJ3jOfLhJjHAb66WMCf-Q-UT47MNrWyAfv9YdkQve-B5DB6bc5KKg9cn7CL2cTJitwYTFwq_TjLVbFspn9gcsmnxuudvrHMs6yAFlrfdplFWQdFq7SHjVMGMZ7WMG1yUmyifqzgH8-2PGppT/s4000/f18f0db6-39d8-4a3b-9e8b-818beadfb889_1354x1016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="2700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uIo0SctMBrtaeRcuTUFhDjYs2lABvoj4Cb8eS5aR9RtjqJ3jOfLhJjHAb66WMCf-Q-UT47MNrWyAfv9YdkQve-B5DB6bc5KKg9cn7CL2cTJitwYTFwq_TjLVbFspn9gcsmnxuudvrHMs6yAFlrfdplFWQdFq7SHjVMGMZ7WMG1yUmyifqzgH8-2PGppT/s320/f18f0db6-39d8-4a3b-9e8b-818beadfb889_1354x1016.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br /> This is a big improvement. I'm not the kind of guy who gets caught up in trivialities.
There's plenty of people who would only want a <i>Halo </i>TV show if the
Master Chief never removed his helmet, and it only depicted a straight ten-episode
adaptation of the first video game with most of it being using Needlers on
Grunts. I mean, I'd watch the hell out of that, but it doesn't get into the
deeper lore of the <i>Halo </i>universe. Halo does have a pretty deep lore too
despite being the Expanded Universe for a bunch of third person shooters. I've
read dozens of books in the setting, and they mostly hold up.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> Unfortunately, Season One wasn't good despite the fact it got into things
like the recruitment of child soldiers, unethical medical experimentation, the
Insurrectionists, and the fact ONI is full of a bunch of incompetent man
children. The <i>Halo</i> games were made at the height of the War on Terror
and were influenced by the geopolitical situation of the time. There was the
seemingly all-powerful Covenant and humanity's own authoritarian government as
the two choices for the setting but Master Chief just trying to save everyone.
We're in a post-War on Terror environment, sort of, and the story is much more
muddled in the idea anyone can save anyone. Plus, no one really wanted Master
Chief to have sex. Not unless it was a virtual reality simulation with Cortana.
Ahem.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> Season Two realizes that most viewers want to watch the Master Chief versus
aliens and the Covenant finally shows up to start glassing planets. The fact
the season opens with the glassing of the planet Madrigal and the elimination
of every single plot from that world kind of says what the developers think of
it too. Season Two has the Covenant as a threat humanity is on the backfoot
fighting and that instantly raises the stakes as well as provides the season
some well-deserved focus. Indeed, we finally get the goddamn Halo as a focus
for the season with its discovery a central theme. I feel like the fact the
Halo WASN'T the focus of a show called Halo until this point as one of the
bigger issues of the adaptation. Sort of like The Legend of Zelda without Zelda
(or Triforce or Ganon).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFeQGYusuDC-q_Nm0o9AqeWJf13vk0AIwmPbvUsRHUzpMesnU9AkAm_2X_-KtqgKUdL0faIsSKd55saWb__NcWGuC7YuV3AFxaA4r3tZMRpAU04hBQCSCPdQQxWmeBegXQuWbjau0Gy4e6PsJS3umbxNBf4EfBkTSxzCG6nhzG7bLIgwaJ6cl5MQmGdUgr/s1200/Halo_Season_2_Episode_6_Onyx_Kai_and_UNSC_troops.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFeQGYusuDC-q_Nm0o9AqeWJf13vk0AIwmPbvUsRHUzpMesnU9AkAm_2X_-KtqgKUdL0faIsSKd55saWb__NcWGuC7YuV3AFxaA4r3tZMRpAU04hBQCSCPdQQxWmeBegXQuWbjau0Gy4e6PsJS3umbxNBf4EfBkTSxzCG6nhzG7bLIgwaJ6cl5MQmGdUgr/s320/Halo_Season_2_Episode_6_Onyx_Kai_and_UNSC_troops.webp" width="320" /></a></div> The premise for this season is that humanity is being pushed back by the
Covenant in every engagement with Master Chief considered unreliable after
briefly being possessed by Cortana during their confrontation with the
Prophets. Doctor Hasley is under house arrest for her role in the SPARTAN-II
insurrection and Admiral Ackerson (Joseph Morgan) is now in charge of the
project with Parangosky (Shabana Azmi) seemingly removed from her position as
ONI's chief. Unfortunately, any Halo fan knows this precedes the Fall of Reach
where humanity is opened to full-scale invasion by the Covenant. Makee (Charlie
Murphy), the human raised by the Covenant, also has some of the keys necessary
to find the Halo and has been assigned an Arbiter (not the one from <i>Halo 2</i>)
to help find it.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> There's a lot more going on with the season and the show seems more
interested in redeeming character's plotlines than ditching them. Kwan Ha
(Yerin Ha), Soren (Bokeem Woodbine), and others are still all in the show, but
they are more closely tied together. We also get some casualties among the
SPARTAN-IIS that I feel was badly needed to establish the threat of the
Covenant after their poor showing in the first season. SPARTANS never die but
there's a reason the Master Chief was the last of them for a long time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> Overall, Season Two is just a huge improvement to the series by
incorporating a lot more of what people loved about Halo. Unfortunately, it's
not an unqualified success as the show is still weighed down by cramming too
many extraneous plots into eight episodes. The Fall of Reach lasts all of one
episode when it could have been three episodes of fighting for survival. Hell,
it could have been an entire season. For a show based on an action video game,
Halo suffers from not that much action. Still, there is some action and most of
it is pretty good. I'll never look down on Master Chief versus an Elite using
plasma swords.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> In conclusion, <i>Halo</i> Season Two is a success and I am glad that they
listened to fan feedback to modify what they were doing. They also manage to
finally get the story to where it probably needed to be by the end of Season
One. I'm not going to spoil the ending of the season but a lot of buildup for
fan favorite elements are realized and they leave me excited for Season Three.
Would I have done things differently? Yes. However, it's no longer a series
that I feel fails to represent the franchise that I love. Halo: Infinite on the
other hand...</span></p>
CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-27518235666610783572024-03-17T21:08:00.000-07:002024-03-17T21:08:27.650-07:00Space Punks II: Nightingale's Song by Anna Mocikat review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQhFEv40PksU_N21rge6VL8uuZtTYRqCD7zUB_8m8Bn0Ch0FEKR6KqLPoYVmIFzbv7anME4Kh1GcMzsmSY4FSbFqcwnW1J-PLIsNgiNRhz4g2JMltXerggvuVq83kfs6bsOjsUHkrtGSlsimGYFv5K-pKwBpVP5yTOErI_Cfm6hAX0_A1bT46VvFt7Twhp/s1500/Space%20Punks%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="938" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQhFEv40PksU_N21rge6VL8uuZtTYRqCD7zUB_8m8Bn0Ch0FEKR6KqLPoYVmIFzbv7anME4Kh1GcMzsmSY4FSbFqcwnW1J-PLIsNgiNRhz4g2JMltXerggvuVq83kfs6bsOjsUHkrtGSlsimGYFv5K-pKwBpVP5yTOErI_Cfm6hAX0_A1bT46VvFt7Twhp/s320/Space%20Punks%202.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /> SPACE PUNKS II: NIGHTINGALE' SONG is the sequel to SPACE PUNKS, which is at least a very accurate title to the story. I'm a huge fan of Anna Mocikat's BEHIND BLUE EYES series and really enjoyed the first of this series. If I had to describe it, I'd say it's close to COWBOY BEBOP except hewing closer to cyberpunk motifs instead of Western. A bunch of sexy cybernetically augmented mercenaries live on the starship <i>Nephilim</i>, doing odd jobs for their mysterious boss, while being involved in both organized crime as well as politics. Most of humanity was exterminated when Earth was destroyed in the wars against the machines but the survivors live in comparative high tech luxury.<br /><br /> In the previous book, we had the discovery that newcomer David was actually an android that had been sent to infiltrate the crew. We also had Nightingale being horribly injured This book picks up with giving us David's origins as well as a follow-up on Nightingale's condition. Well, it's not good. If he doesn't receive a super rare part then he'll be dead in a week. He also can't have sex with his girlfriend, Aztec, that he has just proposed marriage to in a time when that institute is considered to be obsolete.<br /><br /> Much of the book is divided between the protagonists showing their complicated and fascinating relationships, world-building so we understand how this new society works, and the "big heist" where they attempt to hit a military depot in order to get the rare part that Nightingale needs to survive. Say what you will about the Nightingale crew but they are willing to do whatever they have to in order to protect one another.<br /><br /> The best part of the<i> Space Punks</i> series is definitely the cast and all of the characters are interesting with a variety of dark and troubled pasts. They're a rare sight in science fiction in that most are in committed relationships and deeply devoted to one another while still being no less "cool" and edgy for it. As stated, the crew is intensely loyal to one another and seeing how they can rely on one another makes them easy to root for despite they're a bunch of dedicated ruthless cyborg mercenaries.<br /><br /> We get a good look at Mars this book and find out how he's gone from being first of Earth's colonies to the center of human civilization in the setting. Despite being a space based series, it is very cyberpunk and the Pentad substitutes for the evil megacorporations of most fiction. They are a ruthless oligarchy with control over all of humanity's vital supplies as well as militaries, so they can do more or less whatever they want without fear from the public. We also get regular tidbits from an in-universe encyclopedia that help fill in the blanks on how the universe functions.<br /><br /> I'm especially fond of Lucien, the villain, who fills all the depraved psychopath folders that make for a good cyberpunk villain. It may be cheating that one of the heads of the cyborg armed forces is also a serial killer but it certainly makes for a delightfully hateable villain. His scenes have genuine menace and you are worried about the protagonists when they are up against him.<br /><br /> In conclusion, <i>Space Punks II: Nightingale's Song </i>is an excellent dark and edgy piece of science fiction that would make a good television show with a sufficiently pretty cast. Anne Mocikat is one of my favorite indie writers right now and if you want dark, forboding, and yet fun adventure fiction then this is definitely for you.<p></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Space-Punks-2-Nightingales-Song-ebook/dp/B0CMNLF4RD/">Available here </a><br /></p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-37832228797594395482024-03-15T01:41:00.000-07:002024-03-15T01:41:05.142-07:00GI Joe: Retaliation review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcW6mcrKA6Dw1AaPuTMtOXBrpMFtniCeAyMxbKTJksvBwckz5tInbr1XYwFLZAiCh7cAw-LRhEOBacBKf6xxXC2Kx1CK4d4-VunvXfkzsUfdNlR1LFY_MQKe78EmKU961jIbbYzuL-sc9eZ2d6cUrIm78-yUz22ZPdxFkxxuKZAXNVDYL2Br7vXwaplLA/s1500/Retaliation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1058" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcW6mcrKA6Dw1AaPuTMtOXBrpMFtniCeAyMxbKTJksvBwckz5tInbr1XYwFLZAiCh7cAw-LRhEOBacBKf6xxXC2Kx1CK4d4-VunvXfkzsUfdNlR1LFY_MQKe78EmKU961jIbbYzuL-sc9eZ2d6cUrIm78-yUz22ZPdxFkxxuKZAXNVDYL2Br7vXwaplLA/s320/Retaliation.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><br /> Oh God, this movie is terrible.<p></p><p> It's fun but it's terrible.</p><p> There are so many weird and inexplicable decisions throughout this film. The cast is fine, better than fine, I'd argue, but what they're working for is a trainwreck. I was somewhat hard on GI JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA but I felt that it was a movie with a lot of potential. It certainly set up the sequel pretty well with the character relationships and world-building off to a good start. Unfortunately, the sequel throws all of this out the window and the result is a mess that none of the cast can save.</p><p> Part of this wasn't the fault of the writers, directors, or producers. Virtually, the entirety of the cast from The Rise of Cobra didn't elect to return to the sequel. Channing Tatum would only return if they killed off his character, Duke, who was the star of the previous movie. Christopher Eccelston said filming the first movie was like having his throat cut. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyO5rLEfLueLAHjSaunqTLYuYM15R_GY7mTWAz8z2yKuCxhdOEFOqF49hyqc7tz_U9tTmiMIBSNzStAXxIB9UQgahbrDA_44dBEIZZcGbrIYqWUK3hRpB6jg5FNVuxSmBWyjcIN4OVsiKhXc7U6JjZBPKGo4kpBE0hnyWg4eg-r5r-gVG_1KeU5z3-3FYC/s2048/GI%20Joe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyO5rLEfLueLAHjSaunqTLYuYM15R_GY7mTWAz8z2yKuCxhdOEFOqF49hyqc7tz_U9tTmiMIBSNzStAXxIB9UQgahbrDA_44dBEIZZcGbrIYqWUK3hRpB6jg5FNVuxSmBWyjcIN4OVsiKhXc7U6JjZBPKGo4kpBE0hnyWg4eg-r5r-gVG_1KeU5z3-3FYC/s320/GI%20Joe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p> Sienna Miller, one of the most popular parts of the film for multiple reasons (including fanservice), also felt she was a horrible fit for the Baroness. Not even Gordon Joseph Levitt returned as Cobra Commander because he was filming Inception. Given so much of the previous movie was setting up the complicated dynamics between all four of these characters, it effectively meant you'd need a total recast or to throw out nearly everything. They chose the latter. Honestly, it probably would have been better to do a total reboot if they hadn't done a recast because the plot barely makes any sense and when it does tie-in, it makes you upset about what's done. </p><p> The premise is that GI Joe has gone from being an international team of heroes to an American group of special forces doing missions in places like North Korea as well as Afghanistan. Duke (Channing Tatum) is now the leader but his second-in-command is Roadblock (The Rock), which already raises questions because Dwayne Johnson is about eight years older than Channing Tatum so why is he his subordinate? </p><p> The President of the United States has been replaced by Zartan (Arnold Vosloo) but, sadly, it's Jonathan Pryce on screen for the most part. Which is fine but he's not exactly projecting menace and I'd prefer Arnold. With Zartan's help, Storm Shadow (Lee Byung-hun) rescues Cobra Commander (Luke Bracey, Robert Bakker) and frames the Joes for terrorism, so they're wiped out by a group of Cobra soldiers pretending to be a new group of American soldiers. The Joes go out to clear their names and, well, screw up.</p><p> The thing is, this is actually a fairly decent premise. Adrianne Palicki is also a great recast for Scarlet and...oh, she's playing Lady Jaye. Just playing her exactly like Scarlet. Okay then. We also have Jinx (Daredevil's Elodie Yung) introduced and the Blind Master (played by RZA), which odd choice in casting aside, sets up a nice ninja arc where Snake Eyes (Ray Park) goes after Storm Shadow to continue their eternal blood feud. If the movie had kept to this premise then it would have been a pretty serviceable flick.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigP5nK931R0asdE7_vPu8p2s-5CXtCijfVPUE-qTyCFgXjxA5XVNej-MgMi4ixsj0fShFirhEhiJvT3wW06wprbgkdoLLwvvV0N7zCGWiEP5CNuRZw_A0dLEzP0ZODVFiFNO7ei71QSktkSPBOAZy0t3K9r7OHX8CVZThtljTozZIkAbqrS1Evdg0esnwE/s1440/GI%20Joe%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="1440" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigP5nK931R0asdE7_vPu8p2s-5CXtCijfVPUE-qTyCFgXjxA5XVNej-MgMi4ixsj0fShFirhEhiJvT3wW06wprbgkdoLLwvvV0N7zCGWiEP5CNuRZw_A0dLEzP0ZODVFiFNO7ei71QSktkSPBOAZy0t3K9r7OHX8CVZThtljTozZIkAbqrS1Evdg0esnwE/s320/GI%20Joe%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> I'd miss Destro and the Baroness but it would have been a good story salvaged from bad circumstances.<br />It's not a spoiler since it's in the trailer but there's an utterly insane and stupid plot about nuclear weapons where Cobra ends up getting rid of all of them before destroying London. Yes, London. The Joes fail to save one of the world's most populous cities and ten million people die. That's not exactly a great premise for future movies in the franchise nor does it really reflect well on our heroes who utterly fail to save the day. There's some good scenes but our heroes kind of get their efforts dwarfed by this.<p></p><p> Yeah, this movie sadly killed the GI Joe franchise for awhile when it could have been every bit as successful as the Transformers one if not more so. It's not hard to do GI Joe as you can do it either like Call of Duty or something much-much sillier. The Fast and the Furious movies basically became the GI Joe movies at one point. Do that. The franchise has since been rebooted with Snake Eyes: Origins but it's been left on the table since. Which is a shame.<br /><br />4/10</p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-16468681470554490392024-03-13T21:14:00.000-07:002024-03-13T21:47:50.688-07:00Argylle (2024) review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNH44NZwRsaAOr3laqlZ_GW9HcN6PrgAY0l8AeWLc5Fr5so3p86oMhTDGB-pwZYB1jHmmkUcTQ1GLmh3xqPVa1mWYyZ-OoOfFTkCsXNNMAMHnv1_S9XIhy8HAtjc7RKNVI9DMQ3h68r2VgVKp9tHY2O81VsCb-O2r7YDikZRfcB0mWYLZakSyYKUG2lgF/s397/Argylle_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="251" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNH44NZwRsaAOr3laqlZ_GW9HcN6PrgAY0l8AeWLc5Fr5so3p86oMhTDGB-pwZYB1jHmmkUcTQ1GLmh3xqPVa1mWYyZ-OoOfFTkCsXNNMAMHnv1_S9XIhy8HAtjc7RKNVI9DMQ3h68r2VgVKp9tHY2O81VsCb-O2r7YDikZRfcB0mWYLZakSyYKUG2lgF/s320/Argylle_poster.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><br /> If Michael Bay isn't willing or able to do the GI Joe movies then Matthew Vaughn might be the person to do so. As the guy who did the Kingsmen movies, he clearly has a great love for the Roger Moore era of James Bond flicks which is something that the more serious Connery and Craig fans turn their noses up. Given GI Joe is basically doing to special forces missions what Bond did to spies, I think it might be a good fit.<p></p><p> ARGYLLE is basically another entry into the Kingsman franchise in terms of tone, comedy, sending up spy movies, and oddball action hi-jinks. The actual Kingsmen don't appear but easily could have if not for the fact each movie keeps killing them off (that's not a spoiler so much as the films mid-point premise). It's a gleefully silly spy movie that's only slightly more serious than Austin Powers and wouldn't be nearly as much fun if it was any more dramatic.</p><p> In this case, the premise is Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a writer of cheesy spy novels starring her idealized man, Argylle (Henry Cavill). After releasing her latest novel, a real-life spy named Aiden Wilde (Sam Rockwell) shows up to inform her that her novels are eerily similar to real life to the point that a rogue intelligence agency called the Directorate is now after her. They're led by Director Ritter (Bryan Cranston), who is about as realistic a bad guy as Doctor Claw. Elly must do her best to survive even as she keeps flashing to Argylle. There's also an adorable, sometimes CGI, cat she's carrying around in a little kitty backpack.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqggrsgvsOSiNELCuKHOvZanC7Ez5vhz5DohfTDYHoNaFfRq2NuEg0flwKttLDN-oquT686rhGtSVRzJ1xxRoilXvx8wcl7rzpmnt1LtUmizERAbcWsr8fbYeSNSl-TwltkZ04tuk7xAWxH-XUiJZtrghb1YKII2VXAt4e7tqL0lhV925foLxcP_J3XDBO/s1296/Argylle-Lipa-Cavill-Still-Apple-TV-Publicity-H-2022.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1296" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqggrsgvsOSiNELCuKHOvZanC7Ez5vhz5DohfTDYHoNaFfRq2NuEg0flwKttLDN-oquT686rhGtSVRzJ1xxRoilXvx8wcl7rzpmnt1LtUmizERAbcWsr8fbYeSNSl-TwltkZ04tuk7xAWxH-XUiJZtrghb1YKII2VXAt4e7tqL0lhV925foLxcP_J3XDBO/s320/Argylle-Lipa-Cavill-Still-Apple-TV-Publicity-H-2022.webp" width="320" /></a></div> This is a gleefully stupid movie and I know exactly why the critics are lambasting it while audience approval is far more forgiving. This is a live action cartoon for adults and a bloodless bunch of action sequences, great music, and utterly nonsensical twists more at home on a soap opera than anything limited to reality. It's fun and the most I cared about anything going on was wondering about that poor cat and it getting constantly thrown about. The movie is like an even sillier version of Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise's KNIGHT AND DAY.<p></p><p> There's a bit of false advertising with the film: Henry Cavill is actually a fairly minor character in the story with Agent Argylle only appearing in a few select (but fantastic) scenes. The real star of this is Sam Rockwell, who I already liked as a spy in Charlie's Angels. I feel like they probably should have tightened things up so that Sam Rockwell or Henry Cavill was the basis for Argylle in her head as well as the "real" secret agent. This is me judging how the movie could have been versus how it is, though. <br /></p><p> Bryce Dallas Howard does an immensely likable character in this role and everyone else is also a lot of fun. Sam Rockwell is also good and is perfectly believable as a ridiculously over-the-top secret agent. Having him show up first as a dirty hippie is a great choice even though we know he's going to morph into the suave superhero later. Bryan Cranston supervillaining all over the place also never gets old. I even liked Catherine O'Hara (you know her as the mom from <i>Beetlejuice</i>) playing Elly's mom and her character going in an odd direction that I won't spoil.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jbiqgNlUAh2IUbuF6K00hyeop93kq6BiHI1IrMgO18qq4S_vbqilAZKHBU_FylSvtHq3JCbpwK60v4UUFG1gMLcGL4GTsszAvea_O5NvnuN8QaH2Xsfwpg3LdiDDl5nOWMRM_btZSn-Ede6t_s33bPyBDG7PaIuxIV62qkMoZx-e1RlHBsrFYHYJd049/s1200/b4e50201282b51d069a700402480742c77-argyll-trailer.2x.rsocial.w600.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jbiqgNlUAh2IUbuF6K00hyeop93kq6BiHI1IrMgO18qq4S_vbqilAZKHBU_FylSvtHq3JCbpwK60v4UUFG1gMLcGL4GTsszAvea_O5NvnuN8QaH2Xsfwpg3LdiDDl5nOWMRM_btZSn-Ede6t_s33bPyBDG7PaIuxIV62qkMoZx-e1RlHBsrFYHYJd049/s320/b4e50201282b51d069a700402480742c77-argyll-trailer.2x.rsocial.w600.webp" width="320" /></a></div> I give props to the movie's soundtrack as well with a lot of disco-esque and neo-disco-esque beats. David Bowie's "Let's Dance", "Electric Energy" by Ariana DeBose, and "Do you want to Funk" by Sylvester and Patrick Cowley are all standouts but a lot of classics that just add to the weird timelessness of it all. The extended musical number during the train fight is definitely a highlight and I'd buy the soundtrack if they still sold music on compact discs. :rimshot: <br /><p></p><p> I don't really know what to say about this movie other than it's an all-star cast doing their darnedest to have as much fun with a ridiculous plot as possible (and the movie not suffering from said ridiculous plot either). The cast is so good I barely remember that Samuel L. Jackson is a central character. If there's any flaws with the movie, it's probably the fact there's an extra ten to fifteen minutes at the end of the film that didn't need to be there and they could have just ended with the heroine's plan working. I won't bring up the specifics of the twist but they added a bunch of complications for some silly action sequences that didn't need to be there. Otherwise, a very good movie.</p><p> Well, very fun movie.</p><p> There's a difference.</p><p>8/10 <br /></p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-90063004347036785652024-03-11T18:44:00.000-07:002024-03-13T21:21:52.653-07:00Vampire: The Masquerade: Blood Sigils review<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNcJH9Joit5VSMX9by4XAtTDWr_JGE7uO8JmAdo162Sof1VVhdImoz2xf0terQdsQMCttgmkR37-zy9Vbk9D3RzKk_ZDkF9JfN1Qno5Swtc4bmc6i3pwn_KFURb_yDilEK_WIsB3SAWUi4605bFzHZVl0iAngJ54mwJwwbjBzKWC7mEq4bp1KwQlb9Yxo/s1280/Blood%20Sigils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNcJH9Joit5VSMX9by4XAtTDWr_JGE7uO8JmAdo162Sof1VVhdImoz2xf0terQdsQMCttgmkR37-zy9Vbk9D3RzKk_ZDkF9JfN1Qno5Swtc4bmc6i3pwn_KFURb_yDilEK_WIsB3SAWUi4605bFzHZVl0iAngJ54mwJwwbjBzKWC7mEq4bp1KwQlb9Yxo/s320/Blood%20Sigils.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><br /> BLOOD SIGILS is a supplement for VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE FIFTH EDITION. It
is a supplement detailing the use of Blood Sorcery, Thin Blooded Alchemy, and
the black market that has emerged around the use of magic among vampires
(called “The Scene”).<p></p><p></p>
<p> Blood magic supplements were quite popular in earlier editions of <i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast;">Vampire:
The Masquerade</span></i> and it is surprising its taken this long to have a
book discussing its use. Could the book have contained more information on
things like Oblivion and Church of Set magic? Probably but we’ll mostly be
judging the book on what it is rather than what it could be.</p>
<p> Overall, I think <i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast;">Blood Sigils</span></i> is one of the
best books released by Renegade Studios so far. I was not fond of <i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast;">The
Second Inquisition</span></i> or<i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast;"> Sabbat: The Black Hand</span></i>
supplements but was much more appreciative of <i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast;">Blood-Stained Love</span></i>.
<i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast;">Blood Sigils</span></i> benefits from a decision that I hope
more books will take heed from in the future: the decision to incorporate more
lore from the classic era of <i>Vampire: The Masquerade</i>. Given so many other
supplements seem interested in ignoring or quietly retconning classic lore,
it’s nice to see this book is best appreciated by those with a decades-long
familiarity with the material.</p>
<p> Seriously, the book’s best parts are updating both Clan Tremere and the Banu
Haqim with references to their extensive history. Not just the now-destroyed
chantry in Vienna is referenced but also House Ceoris from <i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast;">Vampire:
The Dark Ages</span></i>. “House Goratrix” has taken over the section of Clan
Tremere that is attempting to rebuild the Pyramid as it used to be and its
leader is someone that will be familiar to anyone familiar with The
Transylvania Chronicles. We also get a sense of what happened with the Banu
Haqim Schism that was the focus of <i>Clan Book: Assamite Revised</i>.</p>
<p> This book is perfectly usable by players who have never experienced <i>Vampire:
The Masquerade</i> before Fifth Edition and these are just interesting references.
However, as Easter Eggs for those who have spent thirty years playing in the
World of Darkness, they are a reminder that our fandom is appreciated. I could
have done with even more but I’m certainly not going to begrudge the book for
including what it did. Sadly, those looking for updates of things like
Thaumaturgy Paths and specific rituals will have to look elsewhere. The
majority of the book is devoted to the creation of a thriving magical
subculture in the wake of the Tremere’s stranglehold being destroyed by the
Second Inquisition.</p>
<p> Everyone who wants to learn magic can learn magic these days, at least among
the Damned. But being the immortal parasites they are, this comes with a price.
The majority of magic for sale is watered down, erroneous, or from copies of
copies. Experimentation is the order of the day and back alley deals are
happening in every major city.</p>
<p> The central conceit of <i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast;">Blood Sigils</span></i> is that magic is
like drugs and especially drug dealing. Quality, ingredients, violence, crooked
law enforcement (human or otherwise), and cheats are all things you run into in
“The Scene.” It is also strongly related to the Blood Trade where buying nourishment
is significantly easier than buying the blood of a specific seven year old that
was born under a blood moon. Much of the horror is implied and that is what
makes it appropriately punk.</p>
<p> The book contains sample NPCs of dealers, crooked Sheriffs, crooked cops,
dabblers, veterans, diablerists, and Thin Blooded alchemists. It contains a
large number of blood cults and magical secret societies that vary in quality
(my favorite is a Masquerade breaking pharmaceutical company from India).
There’s also several magical artifacts meant to show how they might be
implemented into the setting. Much of the Storyteller advice is based on
creating mood and, for once, actually quite useful.</p>
<p><i> Blood Sigils</i> is probably the most “punk” book that Fifth Edition has produced
and actually reads like someone who has more than a television show’s
familiarity with drugs and the underground night life of a major city. Whether
they have or not, it feels evocative and actually manages to live up to the
potential of Fifth Edition. Paradox Interactive has continually wanted to
capture an adult counter-culture feel for its middle aged veteran audience and
newcomers alike. This actually succeeds.</p><p><a href="https://renegadegamestudios.com/vampire-the-masquerade-5th-edition-roleplaying-game-blood-sigils-sourcebook/">Available here </a><br /></p>
CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-86932089968337232852024-03-08T16:00:00.000-08:002024-03-08T16:00:39.565-08:00GI Joe: Classified by Kelley Skovron review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgB2c0fOoebhjRpRqROcsMlk1tS9qNSuMktpY2sKWzKkoqDNnDCkqdpYMz_u98HNx2sJMEqLbloDyW6uWdWxP6zOZRSimHCJPA_PZ9PTaQGuFllLhFO1GLTI0ZE_vZ0lS0GidcQgOPekWFx_-lw2qVUIAOrhyphenhyphenrwTO2AiR9Eh63U4idl9HRJMlbGYVXtdox/s500/51ESAi9oHBL._SL500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgB2c0fOoebhjRpRqROcsMlk1tS9qNSuMktpY2sKWzKkoqDNnDCkqdpYMz_u98HNx2sJMEqLbloDyW6uWdWxP6zOZRSimHCJPA_PZ9PTaQGuFllLhFO1GLTI0ZE_vZ0lS0GidcQgOPekWFx_-lw2qVUIAOrhyphenhyphenrwTO2AiR9Eh63U4idl9HRJMlbGYVXtdox/s320/51ESAi9oHBL._SL500_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p> I wouldn’t normally think of GI Joe as science fiction even if I
would normally be quite happy to put it under Young Adult. It is, now
that I think about it, a children’s series. I know, right? Crazy. I
mean, I’m forty-three years old and I watched it as a child. How strange
it hasn’t been consistently updated to keep up with my changing tastes
and maturity level like all other media has been.<p></p>
<p> Well, unless you count SPHINX from <i>Venture Brothers</i>. Still, I
stumbled upon this book quite by accident and wondered what a Young
Adult GI Joe book released in 2020 would be about. The very short
version would be that it’s basically GI Joe’s version of <i>X-men: Evolution</i>. <i>X-men: Evolution</i>
is also 23 years old itself. Wow, I need to get to work on stopping
this aging thing. Maybe if I got myself some mutagen. Ninja Turtles are
still new, right?</p>
<p> The premise is original character, Stanislaw (AKA Stan) Migda, moves
with his mother into the town of Springfield for her to get a job with
DeCobray Industries. Even cursory fans of GI Joe can likely guess who is
secretly in charge of this town. Surprisingly, there doesn’t appear to
be any GI Joe to actually face Cobra this time despite the fact the
terrorist organization is real and conducting EVIL EXPERIMENTS (da
dummm) on the local students.</p>
<p> Instead, the protagonists are Scarlet and Zoro-me (Snake Eyes) who,
teamed up with a teenage hacker named Julien, aid Stanley in trying to
keep Cobra from their dastardly deeds. The Baroness is a 10th grade
student, Zartan is the principle, and Cobra Commander is, well, Cobra
Commander. Other characters include the Hard Master and Soft Master
running a local martial arts dojo, school guidance counselor Conrad
Hauser, and Tommy Arashikage (AKA Storm Shadow) as another teenager.</p>
<p> You could make a comparison between this book and fanfic school AUs
but I hesitate to do that because that might imply I dislike this
oddball re-imagining or think its amateur. I use <i>X-men: Evolution</i>
as my standard because I think it’s actually quite good. It’s not what
you would typically think of with GI Joe or I would have written but the
uniqueness is hardly a strike against it. Indeed, I kind of wish they’d
added more characters from the cartoon and toy line as students or
staff. Is Firefly the science teacher? How about Lady Jaye and Flint as
the prom queen and king? There’s a sequel to this novel and I picked it
up as soon as I finished this one.</p>
<p> There’s a fun Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew (or Alex Rider now that I
think about it) energy to the piece as they increasingly come face to
face with the fact their school is a bunch of guinea pigs for Cobra’s
equivalent to AR glasses. There’s some genuinely spooky moments in the
book with them, like the fact that Cobra uses them to manipulate
people’s perception in real time. I shouldn’t be thinking of They Live
during a Young Adult novel about GI Joe but the fact I am reminds me of
some of the crazier Sunbow cartoons like when Shipwreck is subjected to
mental torture in, yes, Springfield.</p>
<p> This is definitely one of those novels that I would recommend a
reader purchase the audiobook version of versus the ebook or paperback
version. Shawn Compton manages to instill a kind of awkward young man’s
energy into his narration and it works well for Stan (who I presume is
named for OG GI Joe creator, Stan Weston). At just under five hours, it
may be less of a book than you’d normally get for an audiobook credit
but I really enjoyed it as an afternoon’s adventure.</p>
<p> Are there some issues? Well, yes. Cobra getting bamboozled by a bunch
of teenagers is going to rub some people the wrong way. Even the fact
the novel is upfront that Cobra Commander could kill them at any time
but doesn’t (seemingly more amused by their antics than threatened)
doesn’t really do much to mitigate this fact. I also feel <i>GI Joe: Classified</i> is a poor title for the series and something like <i>GI Joe: Academy</i> or <i>GI Joe: Teen Heroes</i>
would have been better. Still, I would recommend this for Real American
(or International) Hero readers of eleven to, well, my age.</p><p><a href="https://beforewegoblog.com/review-gi-joe-classified/">Available here </a><br /></p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-33173288211147849582024-03-05T06:38:00.000-08:002024-03-05T06:40:10.458-08:00GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikozOWeLF4sJNiV6db50IawhI86lXUmPnsIqZhrZW3jAun0E2wJQUoUD2x1SCii__ZmbQbgCNwl2dBWlu_Hbl-RVQJtQhy6BG-QwPD60YyrcbiTr7xGglGDTT-7gMi7IIa26fgqG-Un7L79qatDEU9TYUSPex0bIHytkE7vhbTT1DuBwSCnInqItuAXLop/s1000/Rise%20of%20Cobra.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikozOWeLF4sJNiV6db50IawhI86lXUmPnsIqZhrZW3jAun0E2wJQUoUD2x1SCii__ZmbQbgCNwl2dBWlu_Hbl-RVQJtQhy6BG-QwPD60YyrcbiTr7xGglGDTT-7gMi7IIa26fgqG-Un7L79qatDEU9TYUSPex0bIHytkE7vhbTT1DuBwSCnInqItuAXLop/s320/Rise%20of%20Cobra.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br /> This is going to be less of a review than a retrospective and rant. <i>GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra </i>is fine. It's got a bunch of flaws and die hard nutjobs like myself will nitpick it to death about continuity changes but it's got decent action, comedy, and an update of the GI Joe premise. If they'd changed a few things here and there, it'd go from a three star movie to a four star action extravaganza. It's just the sequel that ran this incarnation of the franchise into the ground.<p></p><p> The premise for GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a perfectly fine one. Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) are two American soldiers guarding a nano-tech warhead made by MARS arms manufacturing giant, James MacCullen (Christopher Eccelston), who is up to something nefarious. The warhead gets stolen by advanced super-soldiers led by the Baroness (Sienna Miller) and our heroes are recruited into GI Joe before they lose the warhead again. Duke is revealed to be the ex-lover of one of the Baroness and intends to "rescue" her.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_CLugk3vwrWDBqn71AXIACLgkQ2lZf_rMW1kxNPl-IcULX0NS6s7N-iSVBlZTfk1kI0g9hALnCLhCSBfThnV1Sc-PVc-anURvN7a6JDEoOOwwKte8CfppSk7VvX4zxyXPM_1tOKshbLw2p206IMV23Jsmcg_mTLm9mPfwJvbw7CGkAp0nD1hFiT6V1hO/s1920/Scarlett_Tells_Ripcord_Emotions_Don't_Exist.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1920" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_CLugk3vwrWDBqn71AXIACLgkQ2lZf_rMW1kxNPl-IcULX0NS6s7N-iSVBlZTfk1kI0g9hALnCLhCSBfThnV1Sc-PVc-anURvN7a6JDEoOOwwKte8CfppSk7VvX4zxyXPM_1tOKshbLw2p206IMV23Jsmcg_mTLm9mPfwJvbw7CGkAp0nD1hFiT6V1hO/s320/Scarlett_Tells_Ripcord_Emotions_Don't_Exist.webp" width="320" /></a></div> I don't mention it very often but I am very much a GI Joe fanboy. Given I'm an anarchist nutjob, this is a somewhat bizarre thing but I actually consider the toy commercial/military advertisement to be one of the most formulative things of my youth. I think my appreciation for female heroines probably comes from GI Joe (Scarlet, Lady Jaye, Jinx, The Baroness) and why I didn't develop into a weird guy who seems to think that every heroine kicking ass is somehow a threat to my fragile masculinity.<p></p><p> GI Joe has consistently struggled to find itself a brand identity outside of the comics by Larry Hama (GI Joe's father in the way same Bill Finger is Batman's Stan Lee is Spider-Man's). Part of this may be the premise of a bunch of American soldiers fighting an evil terrorist organization bent on world conquest being a little too "real" after 2001. Part of it may be the fact it doesn't have quite the same broad international appeal as Transformers. Hogwash I say!</p><p> My opinion of G.I. Joe is that I believe the biggest problem it has is that Hasbro is just handling the license terribly. Much the same with Dungeons and Dragons. They seem afraid of embracing the SHIELD versus Hydra sensibility that makes the work clique. It's strange because they have updated it a couple of times with Sigma Six and this very movie having our heroes be a broad collection of international heroes (ala Action Force). Michael Bay was basically made to make this movie and they got the Mummy guy to do it instead and he would have been fantastic...if he'd been allowed to tweek the script like he wanted.</p><p> Famously, this was an unhappy production from everyone involved. Christopher Ecceleston hated playing Destro and I can't help but think it'd have been interesting to get David Tenant (an actual Scotsman and fellow Doctor Who) to do the role. Channing Tatum, an actual GI Joe fanboy about my age, hated the movie from top to bottom. He wanted to play Snake Eyes instead of Duke and, honestly, probably would have done a fantastic job. Both do a great job with what they're doing, Eccelston's bizarre accent choice aside, and aren't the problem with the movie.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-AYsWs8cQ9YIByg9OhRwI95i_t5XvnwdJAtEmPka6tgi01fn8IS3gG8u8hPsT1c4kAmtq6sMg_SP2j1ReKsWOh8g5OOJuFq0LQQvSX4miYESto0TM7LDMr-XrEhhUao59rb8s796Rj31gKLV2k1rLdqpKEAWlJoyEkhvVZvbYpksHBe61ULp5sb159JK/s1200/3000.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-AYsWs8cQ9YIByg9OhRwI95i_t5XvnwdJAtEmPka6tgi01fn8IS3gG8u8hPsT1c4kAmtq6sMg_SP2j1ReKsWOh8g5OOJuFq0LQQvSX4miYESto0TM7LDMr-XrEhhUao59rb8s796Rj31gKLV2k1rLdqpKEAWlJoyEkhvVZvbYpksHBe61ULp5sb159JK/s320/3000.webp" width="320" /></a></div> There's much to enjoy about GI Joe with Rachel Nicholson being a great actress I wish I'd seen more of (she was amazing in Continuum), Sienna Miller being the absolute best thing in the movie by far as the Baroness (even if she should be allowed to be bad!), Ray Park as Snake Eyes being the best sort of casting, and Lee Byung-hun is great as Storm Shadow. I even like Marlon Wayans as Ripcord even if they more or less had to invent his character whole cloth versus the comics/cartoons. The action is big, punchy, and electrifying with a great deal of fun to be had with fun toys on display. Everyone is pretty and there's lots of exploding things. It's a colorful James Bond movie and all the better for it.<p></p><p> So what went wrong? It's tough to say but it's one of those cases where I feel like the minor tweaks lead to bigger problems. Joseph Gordon-Levitt would have been a fantastic Doctor Mindbender (he's clearly the only actor who understands he's in a live action cartoon other than possibly Ms. Miller) or Cobra Commander but combining the two makes no sense. Scarlet being a weird emotionally distant scientist is, again, not really her. Ripcord and her "relationship" comes off more like sexual harrassment and is weird when her two canon love interests are right there. Also, making the Baroness brainwashed gets rid of one of the great female villainesses of children's entertainment and also makes her romance with Destro into sexual assault.</p><p> But weirdly, my biggest issue with the movie is the fact that GI Joe is a bunch of idiots. Throughout the movie, they fail to get anything done and get constantly outsmarted by Cobra. They fail to save the Eiffel Tower, they fail to stop the bad guys from getting their doomsday weapon, and they also let Cover Girl get killed (which is a problem with Hasbro--everyone is someone's favorite figurine). It's something that gets massively doubled-up on in the sequel when it's hard to say our heroes did anything right when London is destroyed. That's not a spoiler since it was in the trailer for the sequel.</p><p> Larry Hama envisioned Cobra as a sort of populist Right Wing crypto-fascist movement in the Eighties and, basically, had the same idea as George Lucas. Cobra Commander would rise to power as a very American sort of dictator and manipulate events behind the scenes to take over the world. People, especially Americans, join Cobra because they want a better life and no longer trust their government. I can understand if Hasbro doesn't want that kind of political commentary in their books but this version of Cobra is all mind controlled and it undermines anything that would give the group punch. If Star Wars can destroy democracy with thunderous applause, so can GI Joe.</p><p> Still, I occasionally watch this film when I want some entertainment. They are very pretty people and there's a lot of pew-pew as well as boom-boom. It has a sense of fun and adventure but if we'd had some of the character dynamics from the show/comics, I think it would have been slightly better. Okay, no, a lot better.</p><p>7/10 </p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/G-I-Joe-Cobra-Channing-Tatum/dp/B0CC6HLKMV/">Available here</a><br /></p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-29359443790084868882024-03-04T13:47:00.000-08:002024-03-04T13:52:40.096-08:00Ten Tips for using Hauglosk in W5<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QEjBFSSFOcNi05LeKvT2iWYbW3mUefQqredWdGIAckstnoh40675g4o3Xo29jDn-g665BF1m9NBEgSuNCUf0-hokrcVuhRqloW9RnMAkhGw7JBxBbNgYRf37WTSrhh65U-gk-rHFthhcTaD6oFoYzMoFQ08NQBTyqrSCrF22EWHRDcyWD_AMLan16WPB/s1280/RGS_Tablet_WerewolfCRB_1280pxls__29984.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QEjBFSSFOcNi05LeKvT2iWYbW3mUefQqredWdGIAckstnoh40675g4o3Xo29jDn-g665BF1m9NBEgSuNCUf0-hokrcVuhRqloW9RnMAkhGw7JBxBbNgYRf37WTSrhh65U-gk-rHFthhcTaD6oFoYzMoFQ08NQBTyqrSCrF22EWHRDcyWD_AMLan16WPB/s320/RGS_Tablet_WerewolfCRB_1280pxls__29984.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p><u>W5 Chronicle Tips</u><br /></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2024/01/ten-tips-to-running-cult-of-fenris-in.html">Ten Tips to running the Cult of Fenris in W5</a></li><li><a href="https://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2024/01/why-metaplot-matters-in-world-of.html">Why metaplot matters in the World of Darkness </a></li><li><a href="https://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2024/01/101-adventure-hooks-for-werewolf.html">101 Adventure Hooks for Werewolf: The Apocalypse 5th Editio</a>n</li><li><a href="https://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2024/03/ten-tips-for-using-hauglosk-in-w5.html">Ten Tips for using Hauglosk in W5</a><br /></li></ol><p> One of the more controversial elements of Werewolf: The Apocalypse 5th Edition is the introduction of the condition of Hauglosk. Hauglosk is effectively the opposite of Harano. While a Garou suffering Harano is someone who sinks into all consuming despair and depression from the futility of their struggles with the Wyrm, a Garou suffering Hauglosk throws themselves into the jaws of the Wyrm in hopes of clawing their way out from their stomach. </p><p></p><p> A werewolf suffering from Hauglosk is someone who is infected by a form of fanatical zeal that effectively turns them into a Gaian fundamentalist terrorist. W:TA's corebook says it best (page 52): "In a desperate fight against an overwhelming enemy, the ends justify the means. Everything is on the table. Victory at any cost. This is Hauglosk, the conviction that your absolute moral certainty justifies everything you do.Hauglosk is a state of extreme righteousness. A Garou in a state of Hauglosk believes that the cause is all, that their way is the only way."</p><p> Given Gaia is dying, Hauglosk seems less like an overreaction and more like the proper attitude to the imminent end of everything. At least to some Garou. Even some long-time players question its utility as it seems like a mechanization of a roleplaying condition. Here are some thoughts on how I'm incorporating Hauglosk into W5.</p><p><b>1. Hauglosk is a choice</b></p><p> Hauglosk should not be treated as the Dark Side of the Force or the One Ring of Power. It's more insidious than that but more a series of compromises and choices that a Garou proceeds to make before they gradually destroy everything worthwhile in them as an honorable warrior of Gaia. It is supernatural and a reflection of the Garou's rage and drive combined with their human minds but not so much that it is not identifiable as having a specific cause then effect. </p><p> Storytellers attempting to use Hauglosk in their games shoudn't rely on the mechanics of it versus the storytelling beats of it. At what point does a Garou cease caring about the collateral damage in their quest to protect Gaia? At what point does culling humans seem right? What about those Garou who are traitors because they're not pulling their weight? Hauglosk is a state that comes in degrees but one that are all too easy to make rationalizations before.</p><p><b>2. Hauglosk is fundamentalist</b> </p><p> Hauglosk is religious fundamentalism, authoritarian militarism, and "my way is only way" blind unthinking fanaticism. Garou suffering for it believe their way is the only salvation for the world and everyone who believes otherwise is either evil or stupid. It can also manifest itself in multiple ways from the Gaian warrior who will do anything to save her to the Litany zealot who thinks any Gaia who refuses to follow ancient outdated interpretations is a blasphemer to the racial purist who has belief that only certain Garou families should survive. </p><p><b>3. Hauglosk is self-defeating</b></p><p> A thing that STs dealing with Hauglosk should remember is the fact that it's a condition that will utimately provide easy answers but, ultimately, wrong ones. The Cult of Fenris turned against the entirety of the Garou Nation because no one would agree with their plan to launch a suicide attack on Malfeas. Now they are warring with their fellow Garou, which certainly is not helping the war against the Wyrm. A Hauglosk infected Silver Fang may decide the only way to save Gaia is to reaffirm their tribes' position of absolute leadership and force all the other tribes to acknowlege it. Another might think the Impergium needs a sequel despite how impossible and stupid said idea is. Hauglosk provides a sense of you having figured out THE SOLUTIONtm and everyone else is just too dumb to see it.</p><p><b>4. Hauglosk has always been there</b> </p><p> One interpretation of Hauglosk is the fact that it is a Garou condition that has been afflicting them since the Impergium and War of Rage but one that's never been wildly addressed among the Children of Luna. Zeal is a virtue among the Garou after all and blind unthinking fanaticism is something that religious cults (of which the Garou could be described as) often extoll rather than condemn. Recognizing it is a problem is, if not something new, something that the Garou are only now coming to terms with in the Modern Nights. However, that means the Garou have to go up against centuries, if not millennia, of institutional inertia.</p><p><b>5. Hauglosk is (probably) everywhere in the Garou Nation</b></p><p> The Get of Fenris falling to Hauglosk is something that has massively damaged the Garou's ability to fight as well as their unity as a whole. Blaming it on Hauglosk is almost a cop out because that let's all of the other tribes off the hook. Except, what if they aren't off the hook at all? What if Hauglosk is rampant throughout the entirety of the Garou Nation? What if it has already taken one or more of them (*cough* Red Talons *cough)? </p><p> What if the only reason anyone noticed the Cult suffering from it was because they chose to turn against their fellows? What if most sufferers of Hauglosk are just on a downward spiral that will end with their "heroic" deaths and becoming examples for others? The Stargazers left the Garou Nation for a reason. Maybe it was because they felt their fellows couldn't be helped.</p><p><b>6. Can Hauglosk be cured?</b> </p><p> There's no system for recovery from Hauglosk but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is incurable in-universe (or maybe it is--ST's perogitive). However, if you are going to allow it to be cured then there's no easy fix. Cult deprogramming is a debunked practice for good reason. However, people do escape from fudnamentalist views and extremist ideologies. It is just a long and difficult process. Storyteller's should determine whether it's possible to cure Hauglosk with either rites, roleplaying, or cleansing by spirits. However, it should probably be done by convincing a Garou to try to fix themselves.</p><p><b>7. Hauglosk should be tempting</b></p><p> Despite Hauglosk being best used as a metaphor for fanaticism and single-minded obsession, it should be something that the Storyteller willingly inserts as a temptation for player characters. Think of it as the voice of the Shadow in Wraith: The Oblivion or the Devil on the shoulder. The ST should not necessarily be overt about it but present opportunities to increase Hauglosk through single-minded obsessive zeal. The chance to win over a clan by gutting a Child of Gaia who advocates for a more peaceful solution or mentioning how disgusting a Kin who has abandoned the war for Gaia to live a "normal" life is.</p><p><b>8. The downward spiral is not necessarily to be avoided</b></p><p> This is something that should be suggested to a player before a ST starts the idea but the roleplaying of a character succumbing to their worst impulses isn't necessarily a bad arc to explore at one's table. If a player is game, his character gradually becoming more radicalized and fanatical in the service of Gaia then it could be a very interesting plot arc. Do they pull out of their nosedive in time or abandon themselves wholly to madness?</p><p><b>9. Identifying Hauglosk should not be easy</b></p><p> Hauglosk is insidious and powerful because it is something that is entirely in line with a strict reading of Garou values. Its users want to save Gaia, its users want to fight the Wyrm, and its users argue that the situation is desperate--which is all correct. They do not so much hide behind tradition as believe that it is the failure of the Garou to do ENOUGH that has caused them to lose the Apocalypse rather than the idea they have gone too far. Many Garou agree with this sentiment even if they are not in agreement over what "enough" would look like. What is the difference between a Red Talon who wants to cull ninety-percent of all humans and one who has been consumed by their inner rage? Is there? And is the Garou Nation turning a blind eye to how deep the rot is?</p><p><b>10. Purging Hauglosk may require extreme measures</b></p><p> One of the greatest victories the Garou achieved of the 21st century was the purging of Sword of Heimdall. It was an act that eliminated some of the worst of their kind and was done by the Get to try to redeem themselves. Sadly, it did not work. The Garou have been reforming themselves for the past two decades but that reform did not come fast enough for the Get and may not come fast enough for the Garou Nation to be saved. Ironically, an extreme solution may be the only way to end the extremism that would have the Garou all commit collective suicide by embracing worthless acts of fanaticism over seeking more cunning solutions. Is the man who suggests they slay all the Red Talons' favoring genocide insane, Hauglosk ridden, or correct?</p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-33045187683192609682024-02-27T12:13:00.000-08:002024-02-28T16:16:52.785-08:00World's Worst Superhero Excerpt - Prologue<p> What comes after THE SUPERVILLAINY SAGA? Here's an amazing sneak peak.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;">Prologue - World's Worst
Superhero</span></b><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">"Updates
on the New Angeles Disaster will continue throughout the hour. The exact death
toll is difficult to determine but is expected to be in the hundreds if not
thousands. The perpetrator of this colossal evil has not been identified but
the Foundation for World Harmony has released the statement to be on the
lookout for self-styled superhero, Captain Treason--"</span></i></p>
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is not my name!" I said, holding my bowl of Captain Crunch in hand while
wearing my bathrobe as well as fuzzy slippers.</span></p>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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mso-para-margin-left:0in;
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 27pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">The six-foot-tall
television set was a weird mixture of the futuristic and retro with it having
been the cutting edge of super technology in the Eighties and about the level
of regular technology in the New Teens. The screen was<i> flat</i> and connected to
the INTER-NET. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 27pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Wild,
huh?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 27pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">That was what
most technology in the BunkerTM was like. The BunkerTM was a secret underground
facility constructed by my father in preparation for the imminent war with
THEM. Who was THEM? Unclear. They were simultaneously behind the Nazis, Soviet
Union, United Governments, a secret cabal that ruled the United States, the
Democrats, Republicans, and the people who produced cartoons staring mice.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 27pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">The
BunkerTM was a full-fledged military base with training facilities, labs, one
hundred years of food stuffs for its projcted one thousand residents, and
hardened steel corridors that could resist the invasion of anything but the
strongest superheroes. I was notably one of about five residents, depending on
whether you counted the robots, and was presently using the break room for the
Praetorian Guard as my lounge. Overall, it wasn't the worst place on Earth to
grow up but I had to admit I was annoyed by the House of Serpents logo on every
single surface and object. Yes, we get it, this place belongs to the world's
second most successful super-terrorist organization. We get it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">"Believed
to be the depraved and deviant son of terrorist General Venom. We are legally
barred from revealing his name but if this station had to </span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">speculate
<i>on his identity, then he is undoubtedly Jack Washington Junior,
twenty-five year old graduate student from Palm Tree City."</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">The
anchorman proceeded to pull up a security photo of me at the coffee house I'd
been working at for the past few years. I had a bowl cut and porcelain white
skin that had convinced many people I was trying for a Goth look. It was a
choice image that somehow meant even if I'd wanted to be the most infamous new
supervillain in the world, which I didn't, I would conjure fear in exactly no
one. Yes, there was a reason that my Captain Patriot, <i>not </i>Captain
Treason outfit, included a mask. I was, sadly, adorable.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Even <i>pretty</i>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Dudes
shouldn't be pretty. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Television
had taught me that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Ugh.</span></p>
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<![endif]--><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">the break room that
I’d modified into my own personal man cave.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">A
superhero's career lasted roughly as long as they were able to maintain their
secret identity unless they were members of the Society of Superheroes. They
could afford to live entirely in their identities as superheroes but it was
also a choice to effectively any possibility of a normal life. I was not a
member of the Society of Superheroes and had been intending to live a normal
life. After all, I hadn't had any chance of doing so until now and was thinking
it sounded pretty interesting as a change of pace.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">But no.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">That was
doomed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Even if I
somehow managed to clear my name, which was a big if, I wasn't going to be able
to fight crime in any meaningful capacity. Once you were "outed" as a
superhero, your loved ones became targets and any house you lived was
officially a disaster zone in the making. Just try and buy property in a
neighborhood with kids. Money wasn't necessarily an issue, necessary, I still
had all of Dad's stolen Nazi gold (yeah, that's a story there) but I didn't
want to live in the BunkerTM for the rest of my life. I'd already spent my
first twenty years here after all.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">"Well,
being as I am an enormous failure, I am going to watch some <i>Captain Power
and the Soldiers of Tomorrow</i>. The TV show not the light gun game," I
said, lifting up my enormous remote to turn on the hyper-advanced technology
(of 1985) in my Super-VHS Player.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">That was
when an Eastern European woman's voice spoke over the intercom. "SERPENT
COMMANDER, WE HAVE AN INTRUDER!"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">"That's
not my name either!" I said, putting aside my bowl of cereal. "I am
Captain Patriot, Soldier for Truth, Justice, and mostly Western Hemiphere
democracy!"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">"INTRUDER!
SCRAMBLE THE S.N.A.K.E BOTS! ASSEMBLE THE FRIGHTBIKERS! SERPENNNTTTS
ASSEMBLE!" The Eastern European woman shouted in a deranged tone.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">I sighed
and got up and went into the break room kitchenette to pick up a laser bazooka.
"The SNAKE Bots don't work anymore. They were hit by something called Y2K.
As for the Frightbikers, they haven't been around since they got RICOed. It
turns out that being associated with a terrorist organization out to conquer
the world will get your assets seized."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">"SERPENTS
ASSSEMBBBLE!" The voice repeated.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">"Yes,
mother," I said, sighing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">The
BunkerTM's AI, which I called Mother, was based on the brain patterns of the
woman I was 97% percent sure was my biological mother: Doctor Ecaterina
Hammerstein Von Bathory III AKA The Countess. She'd been one of the leaders of
the House of Serpents in the Eighties and in some sort of love triangle with my
father, General Venom, and the arms dealer Death Mask.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">I had no
idea how the situation with my mother had shaken up but when the House of
Serpents had been destroyed by the civil wars of the late Nineties, she had
chosen to skip town and leave both of her boyfriends behind. I didn't blame her
even if that had left me to be raised the next couple of decades by my father
in the BunkerTM.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">It had
been a fairly decent childhood even if my number of playmates had been fairly
limited. My father's die hard fanatics had been fairly limited by the time of
my birth and they'd gotten even smaller over the past twenty years. Also, none
of them had been my age. Still, I had to wonder what my father had been hoping
to accomplish, keeping me isolated here. Now I would never find out.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">The
alarms starting blaring with klaxons and spinning red lights as I expected
either the Foundation for World Harmony or one of their sponsored superheroes.
I was guilty of mass murder, at least according to the news broadcast, and I
had no intention of killing law enforcement officers in order to avoid
incarceration. Still, I would try to escape and had modified the
still-working<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>laser bazookas to be
non-lethal.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">"I
do not want to fight you, intruder!" I shouted, inadvertently giving away
my position before I thought better of it. "This has all been a big
misun--"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">That was
when one of the steel vault doors was knocked open like someone kicking open a
door in a police show. The amount of super strength necessary for that was
under Ultragod but above the Super Duper Splotch Man.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Crap.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">"You!
Demon!" the pink-haired woman was dressed in what could basically be
described as a combat bikini, high heeled boots, and unnecessary belts said.
She was carrying a flaming sword, baring her fangs, and had two leather bat
wings sticking out of her shapely back.<br />
Draculisa.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">"Ah
crap," I muttered, aiming the laser bazooka at her and firing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">The last
from the cannon came out in a big blur burst that Draculisa proceeded to knock
away with her flaming sword like she was a frigging Jedi. Weirdly, that
reminded me that there were apparently prequels and sequels to <i>Star Wars </i>out
there. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">I had the
world's largest VHS home media collection in the BunkerTM but it dropped off
sharply after 89' so I really had to go out and see those. I mean, the Prequels
were made by George Lucas, they had to be awesome, right?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">"You
will pay for betraying me, Captain Treason!" Draculisa shouted, coming
right at me with the flaming weapon.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">And I
couldn't help but wonder how I got here...</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> </span></p>
CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-53027603490973627392024-02-26T17:47:00.000-08:002024-02-26T19:13:30.930-08:00Writing Update - February 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpY295pzwJ4FgwuqM33cvicO8J8fnJfOqpopI7I8SjSkXsm7gzKkhufaadIZ7177KUgCD08dX-sXd1hF1IPEN5u8bJNPdnZxS1Hklbrsx834KVMYp-FhLCM_o4bjC-Qkqx4aDi6ssS05QPb_bWOOdbqQUbsPv4xTEonpuE_UY-p9Nr4zttbEg5EnLRTnY/s500/51dWr0nqYeL._SL500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpY295pzwJ4FgwuqM33cvicO8J8fnJfOqpopI7I8SjSkXsm7gzKkhufaadIZ7177KUgCD08dX-sXd1hF1IPEN5u8bJNPdnZxS1Hklbrsx834KVMYp-FhLCM_o4bjC-Qkqx4aDi6ssS05QPb_bWOOdbqQUbsPv4xTEonpuE_UY-p9Nr4zttbEg5EnLRTnY/s320/51dWr0nqYeL._SL500_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>Hey folks,<p></p><p>A current update for my writing. My next book likely to be out is TALES OF HASTUR, which will be the next anthology in the BOOK OF CTHULHU series that contains yet another John Henry Booth story. I have plans on one final book in the CTHULHU ARMAGEDDON series after it, reflecting the long journey and ideas that I have done with it but<a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/B0CWHMT3DX?qid=1708998284&sr=1-2&ref_pageloadid=not_applicable&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_2&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=DJMVJGBGS0Q3ZJF8ZD8S&pageLoadId=Xdc5jFtdswYf3J15&creativeId=0d6f6720-f41c-457e-a42b-8c8dceb62f2c"> please pick up a copy of THE TREE OF AZATHOTH first</a>. </p><p>The next book I intend to work on after that will be the final (for now) Supervillainy Saga book, THE RISE OF SUPERVILLAINY, which will be Gary Karkofsky finally visiting the one corner of his superhero universe that he has thus far strenuously avoided - THE TOMORROW SOCIETY. *90s X-men theme plays* Gary leads a team of suicidal squad members to kill Mage-neto! No, that's not a misspelling. But what does he do when Mandy reveals her secret ties to the world's hated and feared but SEXY team?</p><p>Fear not, fans of the Garyverse, though, because once this series ends, another shall begin with THE WORLD'S WORST SUPERHERO. This will follow young Danny Washington Junior AKA CAPTAIN TRAITOR, an aspirational superhero and champion of Truth, Justice, and mostly Western Hemisphere democracy as he is almost immediately blamed for the deaths of 20,000 or so people. Yikes. Can Danny and his ex-co-workers, Ms. Teri and Draculisa, stop accidentally doing so much evil?<br /></p><p>This year, I will be releasing another installment of SPACE ACADEMY DROPOUTS called SPACE ACADEMY MISCREANTS which will take Captain Vance Turbo to the hidden planet of Crius (future home of Count Cassius Mass) in order to find his alleged child! Along the way, he will meet a band of pirates led by his parents and also discover what his reputation means as the galaxy's truest most defender! Jack and savit and jack left town.<br /></p><p>The long overdue sequel to BRIGHTBLADE AKA BRIGHT EYES will revive the United States of Monsters books for a time and I hope inspire more work to be done in this world. I also have plans on finishing off the MOON COPS trilogy with MOON COPS ON THE MARCH. Hopefully, this will keep me occupied for much of the year but I have other projects in the work too!</p><p>In addition to THE TREE OF AZATHOTH, <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/End-of-the-Cyber-Dragons-Audiobook/B0CS11Q8Y5?qid=1708998200&sr=1-1&ref_pageloadid=not_applicable&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=KP9QGA6KGFDE398FYEF8&pageLoadId=XKN7hmtezOXUgXXI&creativeId=0d6f6720-f41c-457e-a42b-8c8dceb62f2c">please also check out END OF THE CYBER DRAGONS</a> on audiobook! That shows the tie-ins between my AGENT G and SPACE ACADEMY books as well!<br /></p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-2514397579210731462024-02-22T16:16:00.000-08:002024-02-22T16:21:43.978-08:00Prince of the City by Keith Herber<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7FKyJsI9zjVkNWepKewvrB9reo0gp0Ao69ugTHUCHRcObgQIzSladrjtZndbdFz-ZHkqRiG5jFclWe0fhQ58VjlNRywgUfDMZgPeGwf2DGgq3ttbnuXHVxdzwwWKnN5pgWnG9H3J9uIvFyQqAdwT-2C8gmXKSVVotnao2VpiZB5ej4VKb5IzK5FDquFi/s1500/Prince%20of%20the%20City.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="949" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7FKyJsI9zjVkNWepKewvrB9reo0gp0Ao69ugTHUCHRcObgQIzSladrjtZndbdFz-ZHkqRiG5jFclWe0fhQ58VjlNRywgUfDMZgPeGwf2DGgq3ttbnuXHVxdzwwWKnN5pgWnG9H3J9uIvFyQqAdwT-2C8gmXKSVVotnao2VpiZB5ej4VKb5IzK5FDquFi/s320/Prince%20of%20the%20City.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><p> PRINCE OF THE CITY by Keith Herber is both a prequel as well as sequel to the book DARK PRINCE by the same author. It is one of the early VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE novels that is set in the WORLD OF DARKNESS where supernatural entities live among us, hiding their existence so they can prey upon us better. Dark Prince was a fantastic novel with a hard gritty street-crime edge and a loathsome protagonist that, nevertheless, manages to undergo serious character development. It introduced the character of Vannevar Thomas and I was interested in seeing where this book would take him as Prince of the City stars said supporting character.</p><p> <i>Prince of the City </i>is a very different book from Dark Prince despite so many crossover characters and including Vannevar's perception of the events in the latter. It's a credit to Keith Herber that he's so dramatically able to shift his style. If I had to compare it to any other book, I'd say it's most similar to Interview with a Vampire as it's essentially a centuries-long biography of Vannevar from his days as a Revolutionary War soldier embraced by his deranged uncle to his rise to power as one of the early residents of San Fransisco.</p><p> One of the first things to note is that Vannevar Thomas is a far more likeable protagonist than Sullivan. He's a vampire and feeds off the living but all indications are he's about as nice a person as you can probably be and still survive in Kindred politics. He's a progressive minded fellow that rescues a black man from being lynched (making him his ghoul), supports California joining the Union during the Civil War, and shows unexpected mercy that occasionally pays off. This makes him far easier to root for but does take away some of the book's edge. Really, the worst thing that Vannevar does is turn a blind eye to all of his much-much nastier fellows' doings.</p><p> Keith Herbert obviously did a lot of history of San Fransisco and the book is a decent travelogue of the city through its various changes across multiple centuries. We follow the city from its days as part of the Wild West and Gold Rush to its transformation into an organized city as well as its ultimate fate as a counter-culture mecca. Vannevar trying to figure out what the hell hippies are saying when tracking down his LSD-blood drinking childe, Margaret, is one of the rare humorous parts of the story.</p><p> Keith Herber really "gets" the early Vampire: The Masquerade handling of Kindred as the book is filled with dozens of unique vampires interacting off one another. The politics in the city frequently change and we often get characters who are fully realized, only for them to die or be replaced within a few chapters. A deranged sea captain Malkavian that rules the docks and frustrates Vannevar? Dies in the great earthquake. </p><p> A union leader Brujah that has ties to the Inner Circle of the Camarilla? Executed along with a previous prince. Vannevar's archenemy for a century? Shuffled off after an opportunity to kill him pays off. There's no canon fodder and the colorful personalities illustrate both how long Vannevar has been at this and the kind of unique weirdos vampirism creates. Undead politics are a dangerous business and we watch Vannevar manage to weather them better than most across his long-long unlife.</p><p> If I have any complaints about the book, it does go for "fridgeing" as a means of giving Vannevar emotional pain. One of Vannevar's love interests across the centuries suffers a horrific assault that leaves her insane, another dies horribly during a riot in Chinatown, and a third, well, almost rather comically dies when they run out into the sun while high as a kite. Remember kids, drugs are bad. Still, this is a really solid book and probably the second best of the V:TM line.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Prince-City-Keith-Herber-ebook/dp/B0CW2W58J4/">Available here </a><br /></p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-78589497451181324632024-02-17T10:08:00.000-08:002024-02-17T10:09:41.450-08:00Wraith: The Oblivion: The Ebon Mask by Richard Lee Byers review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrQNFZEjZpzChW6l3I3W2bcXQr2gc15hkPkcl9uoifDXCadfrdDMwl1rD5rPHYxjVU1lDCcKQKx2IeVZUO19vSN1KAidVvOTcVmZhimB8APTYu_oarpz9Y_hNYJbTdbDozxJCJ5IBmIZNAUjp5k41L6GzWb1WaYCBZPbMAqxbeNbx0fHuQVkYPN0saXP1/s1400/The%20Ebon%20Mask.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="838" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrQNFZEjZpzChW6l3I3W2bcXQr2gc15hkPkcl9uoifDXCadfrdDMwl1rD5rPHYxjVU1lDCcKQKx2IeVZUO19vSN1KAidVvOTcVmZhimB8APTYu_oarpz9Y_hNYJbTdbDozxJCJ5IBmIZNAUjp5k41L6GzWb1WaYCBZPbMAqxbeNbx0fHuQVkYPN0saXP1/s320/The%20Ebon%20Mask.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><p></p> THE EBON MASK by Richard Lee Byers is
a novel set in the WRAITH: THE OBLIVION gameline. I was never a fan of
Wraith while it was being printed but am reasonably familiar with the
world. You play as one of the truly dead, a spirit who has found
themselves in the Underworld, and must figure out how to deal with the
complicated relationship between this world (called the Skinlands) and
the politics of the great beyond.<p></p><p class="_1qeIAgB0cPwnLhDF9XSiJM"> The
Ebon Mask, book one of the Dark Kingdoms Trilogy, is divided between
living and dead protagonists. On one hand, there is James Graham AKA
the Maquis of Montrose, who is a former Protestant rebel against King
Charles I. Now a servant of the Smiing Lord, he spends his days hunting
down and attempting to destroy Heretics. He long ago sold his soul
because he doesn’t believe there’s anything worth pursuing with his
soul other than power. Montrose also still pines for the woman who
betrayed him to death in life, Louise, who has discovered religion
postmortem and become a priestess of the Norse Gods.</p><p class="_1qeIAgB0cPwnLhDF9XSiJM"> On
the living side of things, Frank Bellamy is an FBI agent that is
investigating a series of brutal murders of clergymen throughout the
American South. “The Atheist” serial killer is obviously something
supernatural but Bellamy doesn’t know anything about such things. So
much so that when he finally does find out something weird, he is warned
off by both his psychologist as well as a mysterious branch of the FBI
called the Special Affairs Division.</p><p class="_1qeIAgB0cPwnLhDF9XSiJM"> I
really liked the characters in this book with both leads being strong
enough that they could have handled the role of lead by themselves. Of
the two, I think I prefer Frank a lot more than Montrose. Montrose is
deliberately despicable and someone who is the worst sort of Heirachy
slaver. He’s worse than an overt sadist because he genuinely believes
all of the atrocities he’s doing are justified because the Hierarchy
doesn’t offer what he views as a false sense of salvation.</p><p class="_1qeIAgB0cPwnLhDF9XSiJM"> Frank,
by contrast, is the classic archetype of a cop who has a case he’s
been put off and does his best to solve it anyway. He ends up in New
Orleans, the perfect city for an occult investigation and meets a
colorful cast of characters each attracted to the supernatural for their
own reasons. There’s members of the Arcanum, hippie New Age girls, and
the leader of a gay night club who aspires to Awakening. All of them
provide new and interesting twists to the puzzle that is who wants to
cover up these murders and why.</p><p class="_1qeIAgB0cPwnLhDF9XSiJM"> If
you’re not familiar with <i>Wraith: The Oblivion</i>, probable since it was
the lowest selling of the World of Darkness gamelines, you should still
be able to enjoy the setting as well as its characters. The universal
themes of death and afterlife are ones that resonate through the pages.
This is only book one of a trilogy and ends on a cliffhanger but I
think it is definitely worth continuing after finishing. Richard Lee
Byers is a fantastic author and this is a book trilogy that I think
really “gets” the World of Darkness without going grimdark.</p><p class="_1qeIAgB0cPwnLhDF9XSiJM"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ebon-Mask-Dark-Kingdoms-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B0CVNNN78B/">Available here</a> <br /></p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-75484224269072616652024-02-17T05:58:00.000-08:002024-02-17T05:59:36.135-08:00Halo season one review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUC7Eri1nHG-LJLbZduqqlF1qJmFlVqpq1_bpIpd6WqvxnrDM8nE7az7zEgQxP7lSEm2clupCrBrWDA0ZDhEyA5M5PdGfD7sTqWE-8PsqikApzldB7zyUMIcTRx7hu-nsXg12YLu33ywuEDGy2t0jI_o-in6g1bpe_sVjyyrm2sr6OnQlDVlg9c40TEJ3/s3000/Halo%20Season%20One.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUC7Eri1nHG-LJLbZduqqlF1qJmFlVqpq1_bpIpd6WqvxnrDM8nE7az7zEgQxP7lSEm2clupCrBrWDA0ZDhEyA5M5PdGfD7sTqWE-8PsqikApzldB7zyUMIcTRx7hu-nsXg12YLu33ywuEDGy2t0jI_o-in6g1bpe_sVjyyrm2sr6OnQlDVlg9c40TEJ3/s320/Halo%20Season%20One.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p></p> HALO is one of the all-time most successful video game franchises. It's also a very well-developed science fiction setting with the books including some of my favorite outside of STAR TREK and STAR WARS. While not necessarily apparent in the video game, the setting is incredibly dark with humanity reduced to near-extinction and the only hope of humanity being the SPARTAN-IIs that are made from kidnapped children.<p></p><p> <i>Halo</i> has a lot of appeal for the fact the first three games are all-time classics of the X-Box, and its fans are as devoted to the Expanded Universe as the other franchises above's fans are devoted to theirs. Doctor Catherine Halsey, Cortana, Sergeant Johnson, and Admiral Keys are all well beloved characters. The sequels, <i>Halo</i> 4, 5, and Infinite are less regarded. But some of the spin off games like <i>ODST</i>, <i>Reach</i>, and <i>Halo Wars</i> are fantastic. There have been a lot of attempts to make a Halo series or movie before, so it was interesting to hear about it finally debuting on Paramount+. Top production values and the full support of Microsoft. So, how was it?</p><p> Watchable?</p><p> Usually?</p><p> I mean if it sounds like I'm damning it with faint praise then, well, I am. The first season of Halo is something that proved very controversial with fans and it was (mostly) justified reasons. There's some good decisions, bad decisions, and changes that work alongside changes that don't work in the slightest. The result is a work that is perfectly fine for newbies to become acquainted with the Halo franchise but isn't exactly what a lot of fans wanted.</p><p> The premise of the series is that the United Nations Space Command is currently engaged in a struggle against independence movements among its colony. This becomes rapidly irrelevant as the Covenant, a theocracy of dogmatic aliens with technology more advanced than Earth, start engaging in attacks on Earth's colonies. In what should be a massive escalation that calls humanity to join together against a threat to exterminate them (as it does in the games), well, things keep going with the UNSC versus Insurrectionists occasionally interrupted by aliens.</p><p> A lot of the criticism in the show is directed at Pablo Schreiber's interpretation of Master Chief aka John-117. He is a character who undergoes a story arc where he's slowly forced to question his allegiance to the UNSC, forced to remove the cybernetic implant that suppress his emotions, and discovers a potential romantic interest in Covenant agent Makee (Irish actress Charlie Murphy). </p><p> This would be fine but for the fact that Master Chief is a character defined by his stoicism and dogged devotion to the protection of humanity. Also, to an extent, his chaste romance with his AI Cortana. I'm not inherently opposed to a Master Chief who ****s but that really isn't the character as we know him. The horrific treatment of the SPARTAN-II candidates and them rediscovering their humanity could and should be a story that is told but runs into the fact that it's happening with the arrival of genocidal aliens. Basically, imagine it's D-Day and you're about to fight the Nazis only to spend the movie dealing with your issues about being drafted.</p><p> The show also has several supporting cast members who range from the very good to the okay. One of the major issues I have with the show is the plotline of Insurrectionist Kwan (Yerin Ha), who hates the UNSC and wants nothing to do with them on their home planet even after the Covenant kills her family. She's a fine character but her logic (UNSC bad, Covenant doesn't matter) makes her seem stupid to anyone who knows anything about the Covenant. Her being forced to join someone she hates might have been interesting but the story sort of goes in weird directions and she refuses to acknowledge Master Chief saving her life multiple times.</p><p> Another interesting character is Soren (Bokeem Woodbine) who is a SPARTAN-II who deserted the UNSC to become a pirate. He is a married family man and shows what sort of life that John could have had if he hadn't remained so doggedly loyal to the people who kidnapped then turned him into a weapon. He's a lot more interesting character than Kwan, to be honest, and Bokeem does a fantastic job with him but how he relates to the larger plot is tough to understand.</p><p> The saving graces of the show are Catherine Halsey (Natascha EcEihone) and Cortana (Jen Taylor). It's a little strange seeing the two played by different actresses but they're both fantastic. Doctor Halsey is just the right mixture of maternal and mad scientist. Cortana also takes some of her qualities but has removed most of her rougher edges. The familiarity of the voice also immediately buys a lot of good will. Perhaps not enough to set off the bad will for the changes (at least among purists) but it goes a long way.</p><p> Still, I've seen worst seasons and I'm going to watch the second season. There are just too many ideas in this show and they keep distracting from what we want to see: The Master Chief versus the Covenant with humanity's survival at stake.</p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-51518524166198291012024-02-13T20:28:00.000-08:002024-02-13T20:28:18.877-08:00Glass Onion review <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xS-yhr3pd5ZJv-Gc06-eVEHPElIV-oY3CQ02FphXDvk-YQlnt6w0tXbocaxEvOUN61XNHua4I0GQKxQrVdrXtkRv6vgw4auTjMJWCyVS2gby5fYMcR_Lvl7OBftdrS1poXMLNaqUBcrbhyciUi1xTnTP7PTlMgPVc_agcQ7qvOm81DNLEr51WUqp3OjW/s1350/ems.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xS-yhr3pd5ZJv-Gc06-eVEHPElIV-oY3CQ02FphXDvk-YQlnt6w0tXbocaxEvOUN61XNHua4I0GQKxQrVdrXtkRv6vgw4auTjMJWCyVS2gby5fYMcR_Lvl7OBftdrS1poXMLNaqUBcrbhyciUi1xTnTP7PTlMgPVc_agcQ7qvOm81DNLEr51WUqp3OjW/s320/ems.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br /> GLASS ONION is something that I've definitely missed the mark on reviewing as everyone who was a fan of KNIVES OUT probably watched the movie already and everyone who hasn't seen either should probably watch Knives Out first. However, if you are insane and still want to hear me rhapsodize on a fun mystery movie then, by all means, stay and enjoy the resulting article. It's a good movie and I kind of regret that its franchise was purchased by Netflix but it's not something that I worry about the future of if Glass Onion is any quality indication. It's every bit as good as Knives Out, even if it's good in different ways.<p></p><p> The premise is yet another Agatha Christie-esque tale of a genius detective invited to a rich man's estate. Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is heading to the private island of blatant Elon Musk parody Miles Bron (Edward Norton). There, Miles has assembled a collection of his closest friends and supporters who are all under his thumb in one way or another. These include Men's Rights Activist Duke Cody (Dave Batista), Democratic Governor Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr), and Instragram influencer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson). They're also joined by Cassandra Brand (Janelle Monae) who is someone all of the guests think has reason to kill Miles.</p><p> The plot is the usual Agatha Christie nonsense that we all know and love. There's the subtle social commentary and class warfare going on with the guests being all oblivious to how much they're dismissive of anyone outside of their social circle. Fans from both sides of the aisle can see exaggerated caricatures of both the Far Right as well as limousine liberals. As before, there's people who are ostensibly sympathetic to the disenfranchised who will immediately throw them under the bus if it means benefiting themselves. One of the rules of Christie-style mysteries is that everyone must have a motive to kill the victim and you're usually willing to believe they will commit murder. Which means the victim is often awful and suspects are terrible people themselves.</p><p> The parody of Elon Musk is particularly heavy handed with much of the movie existing to debunk the idea that he's some sort of visionary genius that will lead us through the Dark Ages to miracles of technology. Instead, Miles Bron is nothing more than a psychopathic man child who is utterly incapable of understanding how the science behind his ideas isn't there. He is a fantastic salesman, though, and that convinces people to go along with his obviously ill-conceived ideas. That and he's rich. You could argue the movie is also making a commentary about other kinds of privilege in the movie too but it doesn't need to do so directly.</p><p> The movie takes place during the 2020 pandemic and we get some small nods toward the fact the rich chose not to isolate themselves in the slightest while the majority of us were suffering cabin fever and addicted to things like Among Us. It adds another sense of subtext to the film that doesn't really need to get too deep into lecturing the audience that there were rules for the public that just didn't apply to other people. In this case, Miles Bron has his own island resort that he can ride out the pandemic from without anyone or anything affecting him.</p><p> If I had one small complaint about the movie, it's that Janelle Monáe has some big shoes to fill as as Benoit Blanc's new companion. Ana De Aramis did a fantastic job as Marta and I kind of wish she'd shown up as his regular sleuthing partner this time around. Janelle does a decent enough job but there's not as much for her to work on as with poor Marta trying to make sure she wasn't blamed for Harlan Thromby's murder. </p><p> Rian Johnson was a poor fit for Star Wars because a lot of us geeks just want to see our heroes have the happy endings they deserve. However, he's a fantastic director when it comes to doing mysteries and light comedies. The stakes are serious in Glass Onion, just like Knives Out, but it's one of the most hysterical films I've ever enjoyed without going into full-on comedy. Really, Knives Out and Glass Onion are the sequels to Clue that I never got in my childhood. I don't much care what they do with a certain painting but that and a few minor other quibbles are the only things I have to bring up. It is a very fun, entertaining movie.</p><p>9/10<br /></p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-72724893259278582052024-02-11T16:57:00.000-08:002024-02-11T16:59:15.592-08:00There are ten basic Vampire: The Masquerade plots<p> I thought I'd share a bit of humor that I came up with and ended up meme-ing. </p><p>Link: <a href="https://imgur.com/AAxKcqK">https://imgur.com/AAxKcqK</a><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsYPOmkO5Irw7RfrFzMuNdeuV-ZfofImSC7-SNpDtyW9umLuULmFFbPHE2yffqAUykpi_HoftY5UZGpoJHLGRFA6ZF0WQMt730CSnXHkc8e2-QmDpCenQnEBcl9GAz3jymzgynvvvp3y3lRFCxtA-6SauVlFJx3hSBKo5gFBdSq1XhI6W7FG-K3M07pBj/s763/AAxKcqK.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="763" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsYPOmkO5Irw7RfrFzMuNdeuV-ZfofImSC7-SNpDtyW9umLuULmFFbPHE2yffqAUykpi_HoftY5UZGpoJHLGRFA6ZF0WQMt730CSnXHkc8e2-QmDpCenQnEBcl9GAz3jymzgynvvvp3y3lRFCxtA-6SauVlFJx3hSBKo5gFBdSq1XhI6W7FG-K3M07pBj/w400-h309/AAxKcqK.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-4220700348295091532024-02-08T00:13:00.000-08:002024-02-08T21:38:16.319-08:00Vampire: The Masquerade: Dark Prince by Keith Herber review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vXtg68mh2o-T_t-TSX_MWFj4Z9Uvy3WlJ4OrUww1kvix8bW-Y79Sq4O_oBObVhroC0PAt7nhoBw15xC8zNbPxR-HUis3ZPZKOFCVjYdREtGYrCjLK9IIlvmHI8oZKPGuvtyqHf_LomlCFSAGNxh4tmMJhIxIANSK5ItXRvP2GsCuy_ZTtxz-_EsX_bzE/s1968/DarkPrince.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1968" data-original-width="1207" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vXtg68mh2o-T_t-TSX_MWFj4Z9Uvy3WlJ4OrUww1kvix8bW-Y79Sq4O_oBObVhroC0PAt7nhoBw15xC8zNbPxR-HUis3ZPZKOFCVjYdREtGYrCjLK9IIlvmHI8oZKPGuvtyqHf_LomlCFSAGNxh4tmMJhIxIANSK5ItXRvP2GsCuy_ZTtxz-_EsX_bzE/s320/DarkPrince.webp" width="196" /></a></div> <br /> DARK PRINCE by Keith Herber is the first full-length novel for the World of Darkness and, more specifically, VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE setting. It was published in 1994 and introduced the character of Vannevar Thomas. It also imagined a complicated interlocking web of undead politics taking place behind closed doors in San Fransisco. <p></p><p> <i>Dark Prince</i> would have a single sequel in PRINCE OF THE CITY before having a lot of its lore retconned or ignored in SAN FRANSISCO BY NIGHT. Later, it would be recanonized with Jason Carl's fantastic LA BY NIGHT incorporating some of the characters as well as their lore. The book would be out of print for about two decades, not even available on RPGNow in PDF form, until Crossroad Press re-released it in 2024.</p><p> With that history lesson out of the way, I'm going to admit my horrible bias towards this book. I read this book when it first came out in 1994 and would buy it used a couple of more times. It's not just a good Vampire: The Masquerade story or even a good vampire story but a good novel period. It's gritty, dark, and incorporates all of the weirdness of the World of Darkness without requiring any knowledge of the setting beforehand.</p><p> Indeed, that is probably my main selling point for Dark Prince. The lore of tabletop RPGs, especially the World of Darkness, is often impenetrable to outsiders. You either get too much of it and can't enjoy it unless you're already a player like the Clan Novels or they just go with the vampire horror element ala WALK AMONG US and you don't have enough to differentiate it. Here, the story manages to capture the interlocking web of politics, horror, and characterization to make a perfect example of what <i>Vampire: The Masquerade</i> should be. Just one small problem: the main character is a complete scumbag. Another is, well, let's just say this isn't necessarily the most culturally sensitive book in the world either.</p><p> The premise is San Fransisco in 1994 where a particularly scummy Caitiff vampire named Sullivan is intimidating prostitutes under his control and shaking them down for twenties. Sullivan works for the Family, a group of Chinese vampires who have been working the docks since the 19th century and don't seem to follow the Cainite clan structure but are still able to make their own. Sullivan is neither particularly smart nor insightful but he's doggedly loyal. So much so that the Family has kept him on despite the fact they only Embraced him as an intermediary with the white criminal element.</p><p> Unfortunately, for Sullivan, Kindred power games don't care if you're loyal or not and he's soon set up as a traitor to the mysterious Grandfather. Sullivan finds himself bouncing from one faction to the next in San Fransisco, trying to find someone who will protect him from his sire. This includes the Anarchs, Prince, Primogen, old friends, and even older enemies. Sullivan soon finds out that his banal street level of evil has nothing on elder vampires or the Sabbat. He also finds himself shamed by vampires who actually tried to help others during the AIDS crisis among other human tragedies.</p><p> <i>Dark Prince</i> knows how to keep a careful balance between lore and character development. Garou, hunters, a frigging Bane, and (arguably) the Kuei-Jin show up in the book but you're never overwhelmed. The focus is entirely on Sullivan realizing he's wasted his vampire life and debating whether or not he should try to become a better person or pursue something more meaningful than being the exact sort of low level scum he's been for a century. As you might guess, power and prestige don't go well with personal growth. Neither does maintaining any sense of freedom or command over your own destiny.</p><p> I really recommend this book if you want to get started in the World of Darkness but also note that, well, the lead is a scummy pimp who only begins to become someone you don't want to see staked for the sun later on. Also, there's the koala scene. Let's just say that the Sabbat don't get any sympathy in this book. They're very much of the irredeemable monster interpretation even if they talk a good game about freedom. Still, it's got a lot of drama and the ending is superb. I'm glad it's available back in print after twenty years.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CV7GSYXN">Available here</a><br /></p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-17418281530213344592024-02-06T15:22:00.000-08:002024-02-06T15:22:13.080-08:00Review - Clan Novel: Assamite by Gherbod Fleming<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOiYwd5FRGFJndhM1oI0fjKj9RfYwDLazk5hyphenhyphen5uBjKzHqLiNwXb8Js_kr9xMjDdxtoYpETizm_fenp9gsvDk64ItD226BN8vJk6M39u5LES7pEZ8JVeRNV8C5ehhASlIlNJo-OXWAG2iBprzS5ioUJb_JoQ5nxRemCrDqulGBgsWEepKzxmU8nCCpPtpDh/s1500/Clan%20Novel%20Assamite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="846" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOiYwd5FRGFJndhM1oI0fjKj9RfYwDLazk5hyphenhyphen5uBjKzHqLiNwXb8Js_kr9xMjDdxtoYpETizm_fenp9gsvDk64ItD226BN8vJk6M39u5LES7pEZ8JVeRNV8C5ehhASlIlNJo-OXWAG2iBprzS5ioUJb_JoQ5nxRemCrDqulGBgsWEepKzxmU8nCCpPtpDh/s320/Clan%20Novel%20Assamite.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /> CLAN NOVEL: ASSAMITE by Gherbod Fleming is book seven of the Clan Novel series. Set in the World of Darkness, more specifically the Vampire: The Masquerade setting, it follows the thirteen clans as they deal with a Sabbat Crusade across the United States' East Coast while Gehenna (the vampire apocalypse) looms in the background. I very much enjoyed Gherbod Fleming's previous entries in the series with Clan Novel: Gangrel and Clan Novel: Ventrue. In a very real way, I feel like he was the author trying hardest to tie together all of the various disparate plot threads while others were more interested in their own private storylines. No shade on the genuinely talented authors who wrote said plotlines like Kathleen Ryan.<p></p><p> The premise for Assamite is that Fatima al-Faqadi is assigned the task of assassinating Sabbat Cardinal Moncada, sire of Lucita. This doesn't bother Fatima, no matter how formidable Moncada is personally, so much as the fact that she's aware as soon as she kills him then she will be assigned to kill Lucita. Which is a problem because in the grand tradition of female vampires in literature, Fatima is a lesbian vampire and Lucita's sometimes lover. Note: Fatima is possibly bi but if there's ever been a male vampire she's been attracted to we've never seen it (unlike Lucita).</p><p> Fatima's got bigger problems than the fact she's meant to kill an immensely powerful Lasombra elder, though. Hard as that may be to believe. This is set during the in-universe retool of the Assamites from being a bunch of blood-drinking fanatical Muslim assassins (*sarcasm* can't imagine why that wouldn't be considered embarrassing *sarcasm*), to being a much more rounded clan that just so happens to include a bunch of generically religious fanatical assassins. Some worship Allah, others worship Haqim the Antediluvian (i.e. an ancient evil blood god). As anyone with an even cursory knowledge of Islam might guess, this is a no-no and Haqim's disciple, Ur-Shulgi, is quite clear there's no room for human faiths in the Assamites.</p><p> The religious conflict is both the book's biggest strength and biggest weakness. The original Assamite write-up was mostly ripped off from the book that inspired Assassins Creed and were "problematic" in that the primarily brown people clan was a bunch of brainwashed cannibal terrorists. The other two non-European clans introduced weren't great either. Later edition's transformation of the Assamites to Banu Haqim did a pretty good job of redeeming their concept but this book was written when the developers were still trying to figure their way out of the hole they'd dug. That doesn't mean the conflict between faith and secular loyalty isn't interesting and kept me invested throughout the book. No, it did. It is a very well-written book with a lot of interesting concepts.</p><p> The problem is, well, Fatima is a frigging nut. Likable as Fatima may be, reverent to her faith, and torn between love of God versus love of Lucita versus love of clan, well, she is part of an evil murder cult. An evil murder cult she was entirely fine with until it made her stop paying lip service to her religion. It's hard to take her struggle between her religion and Haqim seriously when the latter is something she's clearly not seen a problem with serving beforehand. Switch around the names and make it a conflict between a man unable to choose between Jesus, his lover, or Dracula and you'd have someone that most texts would rightly call out as missing the point of all three.</p><p> I'm not exactly a fan of Lucita's portrayal either. The rebellious princess of the Lasombra acts like a spoiled brat throughout the novel. She frequently calls Fatima foul words, walks right into a trap of her sire, and abuses the brainwashed slaves of Moncada. There's even a point when she kills a male prostitute and displays it in Moncada's villa to annoy him. It's hard to see what Fatima sees in Lucita or vice versa.</p><p> In conclusion, <i>Clan Novel: Assamite</i> is a pretty enjoyable book. It has action, drama, religious struggle, and internal conflict. However, Fatima is a character that it is hard to take the internal struggle between as she's apparently unable to note the difference between serving God versus serving a deranged ancient Enochian vampire. Now in real life, there's plenty of religious people who can't tell the difference between their religion's professed ideals and the exact opposite of their teachings but it doesn't make a great protagonist.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Clan-Novel-Assamite-Book-Saga-ebook/dp/B07PK569L4/">Available here <br /></a></p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-56154525295802033092024-02-06T14:28:00.000-08:002024-02-06T14:28:48.455-08:00Vampire: The Masquerade: Justice review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfjaED3Xig72ticXv3D6yTg51o3cBUcUIZIrBK9i8d8hKR_ELrhNj0UXb9veHQf0IPFLonH5s4QCqHeGVXXyJEE7cxTskrlA6kFUXisf87JvbRnp-GQUZFTlXX1E1cQYwjCQ2EbqASfn7jalf-lURgpb1YPkv4BoC5S6F3NOpl0Xbl3ZQO5LHrMfkfk28/s460/header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfjaED3Xig72ticXv3D6yTg51o3cBUcUIZIrBK9i8d8hKR_ELrhNj0UXb9veHQf0IPFLonH5s4QCqHeGVXXyJEE7cxTskrlA6kFUXisf87JvbRnp-GQUZFTlXX1E1cQYwjCQ2EbqASfn7jalf-lURgpb1YPkv4BoC5S6F3NOpl0Xbl3ZQO5LHrMfkfk28/s320/header.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE: JUSTICE is a virtual reality
video game that is available on the Playstation 5, Meta Quest 2, and Meta Quest
3. It is set in the World of Darkness published by Paradox Interactive and,
more specifically, the <i>Vampire: The Masquerade</i> setting if the name
wasn't a big enough tip off. The setting is an urban fantasy horror setting
where supernatural creatures live among us and wage covert wars for power.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> The premise is you are a member of the Banu Haqim clan, formally
a bunch of assassins but now having moved to a more generic "justice"
motif. Specifically, you are a member of the clan called "Justice" so
points for branding, I guess. Justice's sire has been murdered by parties
unknown and a sacred relic of the clan has been stolen. Justice must journey to
the city of Venice and murder his way through rival clan, the Hecata, to avenge
his sire as well as recover the relic.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jg6gzQqSZmnoOLecsb-fVMkjDvtR9U_uqpyIS5hOIJJ2P1Hw7fXTxDiHTalxA8kGldJCOVt6tYRfiaSEI8ZLvubsqsyl7MvB9GykBycn0ciHrG5zQ0Jku0EWzghCtIXNLSd-_WCMaxXz2ghUMHqrxiKGtZW5O7YN8JK824Gv8EvZjMaILu_eXIOIYBIT/s740/Revised%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="740" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jg6gzQqSZmnoOLecsb-fVMkjDvtR9U_uqpyIS5hOIJJ2P1Hw7fXTxDiHTalxA8kGldJCOVt6tYRfiaSEI8ZLvubsqsyl7MvB9GykBycn0ciHrG5zQ0Jku0EWzghCtIXNLSd-_WCMaxXz2ghUMHqrxiKGtZW5O7YN8JK824Gv8EvZjMaILu_eXIOIYBIT/s320/Revised%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> I'm not a big fan of VR and only the fact that I am a big
fan of the World of Darkness has me investigating any of these games
whatsoever. I'm hardly alone in this opinion and it's something that will
immediately turn off a lot of gamers. However, the fact that being a vampire intrinsically
appeals to a lot of gamers as well. This means that this is the kind of game
that is tailor made for VR. Horror and first-person perspectives are also
something that works well together as <i>Resident Evil VII</i> (also an excellent
purchase for VR) shows.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> The no-nonsense short review of the game is that it feels
very much like a stripped-down version of <i>Dishonored</i>, which isn't an
insult but may be damning with faint praise. Justice is a serviceable character
but he's very much on the generic side of things. He doesn't like his sire and
he's mostly doing this entire adventure out of obligation rather than genuine
feeling. This makes it hard to become invested in the game's campaign as
support character, Pietro the Nosferatu, was held prisoner by the Hecata for
sixteen years and seems like he would have been a more interesting perspective
to follow.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> The villains are similarly generic with Tomasso Giovanni,
Elena Giovanni, and the mysterious Masked One. If you are familiar with Cults
of the Blood Gods, you will probably have no idea what they're talking about
when they refer to the Cappadocians and Samedi taking over the Clan. The most
interesting character in the game, as mentioned, is Pietro. The Nosferatu
serves as your guide through Venice and seethes with vengeance because the
Hecate not only used him as a juice bag for their experiments but killed his
mortal family as well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> The gameplay is stealth based with Justice having a
"blink" ability very similar to Corvo in <i>Dishonored</i>. You sneak
around corners, go through vents, and use a miniature wrist-mounted crossbow to
either drug or kill the countless ghouls wandering around Venice. Sometimes you
must deal with security cameras and other times you need to use your powers. To
refill your blood meter, you can and should chow down on literally hundreds of
guards to keep yourself in top form.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbQO6KFL608q8bCN7nMIWmzSWjzmnYQedkpZ-x58sK8AvYQpFypr7GOHoYSbk5vSpGAItvL7frg8dHU1QJSuwCMktrF927c_hT0CdaNaejOMFiUUwTxNKIt4WY_dcGWfIU6UeDPJ-sGJmWJFgzwBNn-dLY9RYzaaKNsAiH-SSQBggVTVJf0a1jkAQoLrJ/s740/Revised%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="740" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbQO6KFL608q8bCN7nMIWmzSWjzmnYQedkpZ-x58sK8AvYQpFypr7GOHoYSbk5vSpGAItvL7frg8dHU1QJSuwCMktrF927c_hT0CdaNaejOMFiUUwTxNKIt4WY_dcGWfIU6UeDPJ-sGJmWJFgzwBNn-dLY9RYzaaKNsAiH-SSQBggVTVJf0a1jkAQoLrJ/s320/Revised%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> You go through various levels with no real choices or
alternate paths to take. It is a linear story and ends pretty much in the same
place no matter whether you sneak past the guards or triple Venice's yearly
murder rate. But distilled to brass tacks: it's fun. This is 4-6 hours of
gameplay, depending how good you are, and none of it is an hour wasted. The
graphics are serviceable but nothing spectacular.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> The fact I paid thirty dollars rather than sixty also
shows that it's reasonably priced for the experience. Would I have preferred a sixty-dollar
version of the with a more elaborate story, various weapons, and choices
available for regular console play? Probably. However, this is a game free of
jank and disastrous choices in a sea of more ambitious ones full of both. Go to
Venice, kill the necromancers, get back the statue. Drink a lot of blood along
the way. There are worse ways to waste a couple of days</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> 7/10</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/2431700/Vampire_The_Masquerade__Justice/">Available here</a> <br /></span></p>
CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-59171892605240550622024-01-30T14:46:00.000-08:002024-01-30T14:46:51.790-08:00Vampire's Kiss (1988) review <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzrCTXRHu4QVYWTEudo6Qfa4gaPMQBYQZj7i3xsuLLWTWQMb8iBXtD7THWiFKRo3BzTfShDg1_feVU9w0dJ6yoyTgCLgzkGBnRk4PxR8x5T7Z2P2BsXdigz3ShAncWBdW6yO9aRgDZTKfgQ2-AJ1zDUvnLd0pt2HAR2Ih2Q3u9_pIDG3tOJKoECSq9T_k/s1023/Vampire's%20Kiss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="682" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzrCTXRHu4QVYWTEudo6Qfa4gaPMQBYQZj7i3xsuLLWTWQMb8iBXtD7THWiFKRo3BzTfShDg1_feVU9w0dJ6yoyTgCLgzkGBnRk4PxR8x5T7Z2P2BsXdigz3ShAncWBdW6yO9aRgDZTKfgQ2-AJ1zDUvnLd0pt2HAR2Ih2Q3u9_pIDG3tOJKoECSq9T_k/s320/Vampire's%20Kiss.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /> What does it take to make a movie
classic? That is an interesting question and something that varies from person
to person. For fans of vampire cinema, VAMPIRE'S KISS is something that I think
exists roughly in the middle between a genuine classic of the genre versus a
cult classic that is more guilty pleasure than cinematic masterpiece. It's just
such a WEIRD movie that you have to accept the ups and downs as both building
to something part of the greater whole. It is, however, something that I
definitely consider to be one of the must-see vampire movies of all time.
Assuming you consider it a vampire movie at all.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> The big "twist" (in so
much in that it is only a twist if you expect one going in) is the fact that
it's ambiguous whether the protagonist is a vampire at all. Indeed, the typical
movie goer probably leans towards the fact that Peter Lowe (Nicholas Cage) is
just having a psychotic break where he thinks he's a vampire. Either that or he
got rabies from being bitten by a bat. It doesn't matter, either way, because
seeing the transformation is horrifying (and hilarious) at once.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> The premise is Peter Lowe is a
literary agent working in New York during the Eighties. A yuppie in their most
deplorable cocaine-addled, sexist, and entitled form, Peter is not someone to
admire to begin with. He's particularly cruel to his secretary, Avla (Maria
Conchita Alonso), who is implied to be someone he wants to sleep with but
rebuffs any of inappropriate office advances. Just to settle what kind of jerk
that Peter is, whenever he has a one night stand, he brags about it to his
female therapist.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaEI0eRwXoLNKrmjTHEgYFPTeejirOmQyowaEiKjH2zRI-tGxL-SGcqeiehP2O9gU1aBCLtYMk4o5_AEUzri4IKvYpR8mazIr3tpCYhQA3hfrDiOY65No-FS_Igk8AmYkw72-fJ93kTBXHDjEyF19PKJ7WBK0zF9FadbspeWc-E6k9kOKj9vMZVP1YGlfm/s1200/1077.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaEI0eRwXoLNKrmjTHEgYFPTeejirOmQyowaEiKjH2zRI-tGxL-SGcqeiehP2O9gU1aBCLtYMk4o5_AEUzri4IKvYpR8mazIr3tpCYhQA3hfrDiOY65No-FS_Igk8AmYkw72-fJ93kTBXHDjEyF19PKJ7WBK0zF9FadbspeWc-E6k9kOKj9vMZVP1YGlfm/s320/1077.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> Peter's life goes topsy turvy when
he has a chance encounter with a bat followed by a date (Jennifer Beals) who
bites the hell out of him during a sexual encounter. Afterward, Peter starts to
degenerate both mentally as well as physically. Nicholas Cage pulls out all of
the stops in his bizarre overacting and starts doing things that verge on the
silly (turning his couch into a makeshift coffin) to the outright horrifying
(starting to terrorize Alva over a file that she can't find). Eventually, this
moves from comedy to outright horror when Peter assaults Alva and buys a pair
of plastic fangs to try to kill people for blood.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> A warning about <i>Vampire's Kiss </i>for
those sensitive to such subjects, there is a sexual assault in the movie that
is a main plot point. Nothing is shown in particular but the traumatic
horrifying effects it has on its victim is shown in full. Peter Lowe also eats
a live cockroach (that Nicholas Cage ate in real life), does graphic murder,
and generally behaves in a manner of someone who is turning into an
all-too-believable monster when he's not acting like a vampire. It's this
darkness of the <i>American Psycho </i>variety (Christian Bale even said he
took cues from Nicholas Cage in this movie) that makes the story so memorable.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> Is this a good movie? I mean, it
certainly sticks in the mind and is a fascinating experience but it's not
exactly a fun one. The horrific bits contrast with the satirical, almost goofy,
acting style of Nicholas Cage. This is a movie that spawned the infamous
"I'm a vampire! I'm a vampire!" running scene that has to be seen to
be believed. It's dark, disturbing, and ridiculous in equal measure. Some
people like that kind of eclectic handling of the material while other people
hate it. I think you'll have to judge for yourself.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> 9/10 <br /></span></p>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Vampires-Kiss-Nicolas-Cage/dp/B000068IET/">Available here</a><br />CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-39731537408110948602024-01-30T07:43:00.000-08:002024-01-30T14:41:50.754-08:00Castlevania: Nocturne review<p><span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVAC86Z8pdj1ztWDyhzxJmwG_eA3QcAE9-uZ48vLLxLpnGUrFTSXVaj4PxtEB77hvmWVYmYEynjZ5WojOFcqJho1bXZGXB0x-XLe4nto99zCNv_r1XpYXr8pYT_XofpqLnlJ9dz7wwD4HM70Po6_vsaydpX8cacgaibp2NQRrCKKhTTUskXvNuo9ejhCD/s2048/Castlevania.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1382" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVAC86Z8pdj1ztWDyhzxJmwG_eA3QcAE9-uZ48vLLxLpnGUrFTSXVaj4PxtEB77hvmWVYmYEynjZ5WojOFcqJho1bXZGXB0x-XLe4nto99zCNv_r1XpYXr8pYT_XofpqLnlJ9dz7wwD4HM70Po6_vsaydpX8cacgaibp2NQRrCKKhTTUskXvNuo9ejhCD/s320/Castlevania.jpg" width="216" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
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<![endif]--></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br />
CASTLEVANIA: NOCTURNE is the latest installment of Netflix's <i>Castlevania </i>series,
originally written and produced by Warren Ellis. The original series, starring
Trevor Belmont (voiced by Richard Armitage) and Sypha Belnades (Alejandra
Reynos), was a loose adaptation of CASTLEVANIA III with Dracula as the main
antagonist for the first two seasons. It last four seasons and was generally
very well received by both fans of the game as well as newcomers. Making a new
series with a new cast seemed a reasonable assumption given the video games'
continuing storyline as well as Warren Ellis being terminated from the project
for reasons that you can research on your own. </span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> Fans of CASTLEVANIA: RONDO OF BLOOD, which this series
is ostensibly based, will note that this story has very little in common with
the video game version of the story. For whatever reason, they chose not to
bring back Dracula for this installment of <i>Castlevania </i>and that is going
to rub a lot of fans the wrong way. I feel like this was a mistake and hope
Dracula will make a latter appearance in the story because for a lot of us,
well, Dracula is <i>Castlevania</i>. Still, as an original story, Nocturne has
a lot going for it.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> The premise is that it is the French Revolution.
Vampires have been spreading through the noble houses of Europe and have taken
their place among the aristocracy before the people lashed out against them.
Maria Renard (Pixie Davis) and Richter Belmont (Edward Bluemel) are young
vampire hunters loosely aligned with the Revolution. They believe the vampires
are plotting something big, though, and turn to a local Abbot (Richard Dormer)
as well as the Knights Hospitaller to get their aid against the undead.
Unfortunately, it turns out that the Church would rather side with the powers
of darkness than the atheist revolutionaries.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">
There's a lot more going on in the story despite this already solid premise. An
escaped Haitian slave, Annette (Thusa Mbedu), and opera singer named Edouard
have their own reasons to hunt vampires in France. The vampires are a peculiar
mix of the deluded self-styled goddess Ersebet Bathory (Franka Potente), the
succubus Drolta (Elarica Johnson), and the Aztec vampire Orlox (Zahn McClamon).
Orlox has a peculiar relationship with Richter Belmont, having killed his
mother Julia but being a man who has far more sympathetic qualities than the
other undead.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> A lot happens in the first eight episodes, and I would say
this is close to the same level of quality as the first two seasons. There's a
lot of complicated character development, use of period politics, and good
action scenes. The animation is excellent, and the character designs are
extremely well done. I particularly like both Julia Belmont and Tera Renard as
they're adult women in a genre typically defined by teenage heroes. The lack of
the original cast is somewhat disappointing but its centuries later so what are
you going to do?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> The original series went overly hard on their
anti-Catholicism, and this takes it up to the eleven with antagonist being such
a monstrous self-deluded hypocrite that it is possible he'll go down as one of
the worst religious characters in fiction. However, this is a time when the
slave trade had the implicit approval of the Catholic Church so it's difficult
to say any of it is unfair. There's much anti-colonialist sentiment throughout
the series but it's woven into the story seamlessly. Still, this is a story
that will make people with a romanticized view of history uncomfortable and
that's good.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> There are some flaws to the story. Maria and Richter
being teenagers mean they're axiomatically more annoying than the adult
protagonists of the original series. Yes, this is a theme in my reviews.
Seriously, though, they do sometimes seem like their voice hasn't cracked. A
lot of the season is also set up for the next season as well. The so-called
Vampire Messiah also seems to be one-dimensional, which is fine since not every
baddie has to be. There's plenty of other three-dimensional characters in the
series. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> Overall, I recommend the anime and suggest people check
it out if you like R-rated horror animation or the previous series.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">8/10 </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p>
CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-53042450595130060092024-01-21T12:31:00.000-08:002024-01-21T12:37:11.219-08:00Vampire: The Masquerade: Blood Hunt review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQvrXd4It5i3BS4Hpa2CFrvJK0LKmnmCvGFzUImfWi1Yvoiwa5fNuPtrxbZYhgjW0I1yhM0wCNfBm_H4IGPxjEwSc-3VHls0a9IQcDqPU54dptvrGD65b-qiBK-Cht2jYmgXsHEp5gPrkIKgtFq-aDa1AqEJB_FkszdEa7YD1uZHMvEQcKE-c8zPs07XM/s1024/Blood%20Hunt.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQvrXd4It5i3BS4Hpa2CFrvJK0LKmnmCvGFzUImfWi1Yvoiwa5fNuPtrxbZYhgjW0I1yhM0wCNfBm_H4IGPxjEwSc-3VHls0a9IQcDqPU54dptvrGD65b-qiBK-Cht2jYmgXsHEp5gPrkIKgtFq-aDa1AqEJB_FkszdEa7YD1uZHMvEQcKE-c8zPs07XM/s320/Blood%20Hunt.webp" width="320" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE is near and dear to my heart due to the fact I started playing it when I was fourteen and have not really stopped since. It's a heavily social game that is probably best experienced with Bloodlines by Troika games but was still fun with the visual novels Coteries of New York and Shadows of New York.<br /><br /> BLOOD HUNT is not one of those games and barely has any plot whatsoever (sort of-see below). It is a battle royale game where you pick a vampire archetype, go out into the streets, and fight other players in an increasingly smaller ring until only one of them remains. Sometimes, you can fight computer-controlled enemies as well.<br /><br /> There actually is a plot to the game that was being steadily updated by the developers until recently, but it is something that is incredibly hard to engage with. Something about Prince Markus of the Ventrue hosting a peace conference between Anarchs and Camarilla agents before the Second Inquisition attacked as well as the attempts by the Brujah Sheriff to take over the city. However, finding out these details is very hard since the characters aren't voiced and there's no Codex for describing who is what or what they're up to.<br /><br /> I give credit to Sharkmob, the developers, that Blood Hunt is an extremely pretty game. The city of Prague is well-realized, and the Elysium has a lot of character to it despite its small size. It looks like a Triple A game, and you can practically smell the environment. There's a lot of verticality to the setting as well as environmental storytelling. Prague is presently under a lockdown by the Second Inquisition (called "The Entity" for some reason) and there's little bases spread throughout the map. I think they did a fantastic job on the graphics and give them a lot of credit for capturing the "look" of what I think a Vampire: The Masquerade game should appear like.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ACyA4SHnDYDZy0-nBbIEnlhSH2mAY6t9rznSYJTYAa1RIJDa1pgD5JhkshI9VM3BmdoUYbgHWl9eDXhXnCbZ78m3gNtMN6cg5QC9_L9jkjajunjs4h_0xgVQUdwNFMfYHfpjtZ0cdkFYZTg6ZhSwzP4ATCa1npDQ0z76r1oBnZKD2xlhXSx9ErJze6nW/s2000/Blood%20Hunt%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1270" data-original-width="2000" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ACyA4SHnDYDZy0-nBbIEnlhSH2mAY6t9rznSYJTYAa1RIJDa1pgD5JhkshI9VM3BmdoUYbgHWl9eDXhXnCbZ78m3gNtMN6cg5QC9_L9jkjajunjs4h_0xgVQUdwNFMfYHfpjtZ0cdkFYZTg6ZhSwzP4ATCa1npDQ0z76r1oBnZKD2xlhXSx9ErJze6nW/s320/Blood%20Hunt%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> I also really enjoy the use of verticality in the game with the fact that all the vampires can climb the buildings around the location. If you're losing a fight against a fellow vampire, then it's entirely possible to just leap over the side and fall forty feet to get away. There's ladders on the side of buildings that aren't meant for the undead but help immersion. I also like the Blood Hunt rules where you suddenly become a huge target for other players if you feed on a mortal with witnesses or kill an ordinary human for no reason (or more likely mistake them for a fellow vampire). Solo players get two lives, which is a great innovative idea to encourage players.<br /><br /> At heart, the game is a battle royal, though. The rules are simple, thirty players or however many players and some bot enemies, jump into the fight only to hash it out. There's a magical circle that gradually tightens around the player characters before eventually leaving only one victor. You find weapons in the area, you feed on bystanders, and you try to survive until the end. You level up, you try to win cosmetics, and you switch around the various kinds of vampire you can be. It's fun if you like that sort of thing.<br /><br /> Unfortunately, this review comes at the tail end of the ultimate failure of Blood Hunt as a successful franchise. Despite starting strong, it just couldn't compete in the extremely competitive and ruthless field of battle royal franchises. It reminds me a bit of Marvel's Avengers in that it wasn't that the game wasn't fun, it just wasn't what the player base really wanted from them. It looks like a game that would have been extremely fun to explore as an RPG or single-player adventure game, but it doesn't have the story for such or the craziness of a successful battle royale.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFxcPvgQaLJE0aU5cHuzg_deKoFN-XIHEktzrHLNBDDQxHmMx8mM2EQNxvpjxiRf241ZQ0Q6bZsRP8SRNb2QY8LgqxFFHcboiFNrqCf9HzR83Ke_ThZTfPuROG4ZKSao4k9-Kwb0Rx4ZKdCCIsiE8cWxpwj9xNOFp0u-25C0yMTBWG7u3nE22DKJwJNerq/s1920/Blood%20Hunt%203.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFxcPvgQaLJE0aU5cHuzg_deKoFN-XIHEktzrHLNBDDQxHmMx8mM2EQNxvpjxiRf241ZQ0Q6bZsRP8SRNb2QY8LgqxFFHcboiFNrqCf9HzR83Ke_ThZTfPuROG4ZKSao4k9-Kwb0Rx4ZKdCCIsiE8cWxpwj9xNOFp0u-25C0yMTBWG7u3nE22DKJwJNerq/s320/Blood%20Hunt%203.webp" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> Even as a long-time vampire fan, it was hard to get into the manic energy that the battle royal required. If I'd been designing this game, I would have given the option to side with the Anarchs or the Camarilla rather than making the Camarilla the default option. I would have added the Second Inquisition as a "team" to play on and/or eventually werewolves. It seemed like there's a lot of fun things they could have done with this game that, admittedly, may just amount to, "It's a battle royale game and everyone who wants to play those sorts of games has other options."<br /><br /> It's unfortunately probably too late to save this game and I really hope they save the assets of the game for something else. They really could do a great Vampire: The Masquerade game set in the Prague open world they created. It probably is a backhanded compliment to the developers that it would be awesome to do a single player game made from their game's corpse, but it just wasn't what I was looking for. <br /><br />6.5/10 <br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-10525342924263157152024-01-20T12:02:00.000-08:002024-03-04T13:53:08.669-08:00101 adventure hooks for Werewolf: The Apocalypse Fifth Edition<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgir0WLbgfS-J2mPAzN6YXy8QS0EiT9dxaYOyt3kI_Js94OHEngK932o5MvwWsLNAWTT6RVFRKL8IBqA-fHd8uje0Werm1Rq5QuhNX97Hv7ZQihnI2DFEzJ3ylOyrX1OwIfML8_g5ydpmXLtEX557onqLWsJayEsHMX3Na8QwEdAvAunF6428EMdxl2HNlM/s1280/RGS_Tablet_WerewolfCRB_1280pxls__29984.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgir0WLbgfS-J2mPAzN6YXy8QS0EiT9dxaYOyt3kI_Js94OHEngK932o5MvwWsLNAWTT6RVFRKL8IBqA-fHd8uje0Werm1Rq5QuhNX97Hv7ZQihnI2DFEzJ3ylOyrX1OwIfML8_g5ydpmXLtEX557onqLWsJayEsHMX3Na8QwEdAvAunF6428EMdxl2HNlM/s320/RGS_Tablet_WerewolfCRB_1280pxls__29984.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p><u>W5 Chronicle Tips</u><br /></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2024/01/ten-tips-to-running-cult-of-fenris-in.html">Ten Tips to running the Cult of Fenris in W5</a></li><li><a href="https://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2024/01/why-metaplot-matters-in-world-of.html">Why metaplot matters in the World of Darkness </a></li><li><a href="https://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2024/01/101-adventure-hooks-for-werewolf.html">101 Adventure Hooks for Werewolf: The Apocalypse 5th Editio</a>n</li><li><a href="https://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2024/03/ten-tips-for-using-hauglosk-in-w5.html">Ten Tips for using Hauglosk in W5</a></li></ol><p>Hey folks,<br /><br /><i> Werewolf: The Apocalypse </i>Fifth Edition has recently released and has a bunch of controversial changes ranging from the removal kinfolk and Garou born of other Garou to the fall of the Get of Fenris. As a huge fan of W:TA, I think the best way to address this is provide plenty of plot hooks for Storytellers that are unsure about what sort of adventures they should have with the new edition. Many of these tie into older lore despite the contradictions and I hope that fans of both classic Werewolf and W5 will love them. </p><p><u>101 Adventure Hooks for Werewolf: The Apocalypse 5th Edition</u><br /></p><p>1. The PCs have found a fairly straight forward target in a Endron chemical plant poisoning a local forest and community with chemical waste that will kill hundreds over the next few years. It needs to go and blowing the place up with a minimum of casualties seems the most sensible direction to take.<br /></p><p>2. See #1, the Garou Elder is suffering Harano and afraid doing this will result in a crackdown by the human authorities. He's looking for a less violent option or some way to cleanse the land.<br /></p><p>3. See #1, a pack of Cut of Fenris show up under the flag of truce and offer to help just burn the place to the ground.<br /></p><p>4. See #1, human activists are actually interested in using this as evidence for a class action lawsuit that could theoretically shut the entire branch of Endron down with hundreds of billions of dollars in fines as well as damages. It would require years, though.<br /></p><p>5. See #1, a Ghost Council elder has the idea of trying a ritual to cleanse all of the damage but will require all of the Garou to endanger themselves by summoning an extra-powerful spirit as well as slaying the Endron chemical plant's bane. Is this useful or just esoteric nonsense to deal with a mundane problem?<br /></p><p>6. A Lost Kin is nearby and the player characters must explain to her the nature of being a Garou.<br /></p><p>7. See #6, she has no interest in a Garou or worshiping a Mother Goddess but wants to stick with her middle class white Protestant family that she is now (unknowingly) a danger to.<br /></p><p>8. See #6, a Cult of Fenris pack is nearby and claims they want to offer her a fair choice between the two sides. Will they back down if she refuses them? Will the players?<br /></p><p>9. Endron has gone bankrupt ala Enron, just decades later and the rest of Pentex has decided it's too much of a money sink to rescue. Especially since they've acquired Albion Petroleum. The players are assigned to make some choices regarding its headquarters.<br /></p><p>10. See #9, the players can assassinate the executives fleeing the sinking ship.</p><p>11. See #9, they can attempt to use the chaos to get as much information on the rest of Pentex as possible. <br /></p><p>12. See #9, a Leech's representative offers to bail out the company if the Garou help him eliminate his competition. This seems like an insane and counterproductive move until they see their green energy plan as well as plot to destroy Pentex's other energy companies across the next fifty years.<br /></p><p>13. See #10, a particularly desperate Glass Walker elder has the same idea but intends to acquire it via large amounts of Weaver-magic and fraud. The player characters will also be required to do a heist of the liquid cash reserves of Endron.<br /></p><p>14. A strange coyote-like shapechanger arrives with a Grand Klaive and claims to know where King Albrecht has disappeared to. Dare they follow him into the Umbra?<br /></p><p>15. See #14, it's just a prank and they end up in a dangerous part of it with no immediate way to get back home. <br /></p><p>16. See #15, it's absolutely true and they have found Albretch was seeking a way to slay Wolf so Wolf can reincarnate without its madness.</p><p>17. A delegation from a strange tribe of gator shifters sends delegates to the local Garou. Can these mysterious beings be trusted? What is their agenda?</p><p>18. See #17, they're actually refugees as the Cult of Fenris has taken their caern and massacred everyone there.</p><p>19. See #17, they are sincere representatives who want to make alliance with the Garou but a minority in their nation.</p><p>20. The player characters find themselves darted and wake up in a compound with neck collars that suppress their changing and a bunch of deranged rich people hunters. Can they get them off and turn the tables?<br /></p><p>21. See #20, they are actually being hunted by a Silver Fang suffering Harano and believing the Garou are doomed.<br /></p><p>22. See #20, they in the Umbra and this is actually a test by a Patron Spirit who wants to see how they behave.There are many subtle tests throughout.<br /></p><p>23. A drunken Child of Gaia known as "Evan Knows Nothing" is suffering Harano. He blames himself for the Get of Fenris' fall and other ridiculous things. The PCs have the job of either smacking him out of it, taking him on a hunt, or euthanizing him as an embarrassment to his tribe.<br /></p><p>24. An entire sept has been brutally massacred in Chicago. The Shadow Lord/Ghost Council sept called the Fanum was killed by a cannibalistic THING that has the powers of a Garou but superhuman strength, speed, and other abilities. It, however, only hunts at night and stalks the sewers. The Leeches also want it, calling it a "wight." It is something much worse.<br /></p><p>25. A massive area of Nevada's desert is cordoned off by the US military and law enforcement with not even satellite footage able to be accessed. The players are sent in to find out if its Garou related after some visions from a Theruge.<br /></p><p>26. See 25#, it is a dead Thunderwyrm and the Black Spiral Dancers are as freaked as everyone. They are unable to defeat the Project: Twilight soldiers (or something worse) protecting their now-dead caern. The players must either make sure it's dead or find a way to destroy the massive monster corpse along with any evidence left behind.<br /></p><p>27. See #25, it is a portal to Malfeas and being stupidly observed versus someone trying to seal it up.</p><p>28. Tellus Enterprises has released a jank filled crappy video game. However, they're desperate to get it recalled now because the people who play it are having an alarming frequency of becoming Kin. Is this just a coincidence or has something powerful touched the copies? Are these new Kin even Garou or Stolen Moons?</p><p>29. Samuel Haight, yes, that asshole, is back. However, he's become a Patron Spirit and helping teach the Rite of Stolen Moon to anyone who wants to become Garou. He doesn't even need to kill Garou but seek out the corpses of dead ones (and only one versus five). Some Garou think he might be a weapon worth utilizing, assuming its Haight at all versus something assuming its form.</p><p>30. Riots at O'Tolleys are happening due to a cartoon tie-in over the Special Sauce. The Special Sauce is actually something that contains powerful Wyrm magic. The player characters have the dubious job of tracking down its warehouses full of the stuff to burn it to the ground.</p><p>31. An entire caern of Black Spiral Dancers have committed ritual suicide. Another one is found soon after with only a single BSD Ragabash surviving. It says that they are doing so because the Apocalypse has happened and the Wyrm has not yet manifested. They are trying to kill themselves to summon something greater still. Should the PCs let the BSD destroy themselves or seek whatever is causing their mass destruction? Is it a Bane of Despair, a Garou waging a psi-op, simple religious ferver, or something more mysterious?<br /></p><p>32. A heretic Garou is being judged for his belief that Gaia is dying but only the planetary Incarna of her and the rest of the Umbra is fine. Even then, he argues that the world will recover once humanity is dead. Is his argument sound or just madness when the Garou need clear thinking?<br /><br />33. A Cult of Fenris Ahroun is hunting down Red Talons guilty of things like mass murder, eating humans, and other atrocities not explicitly forbidden by the Litany. This is how he believes he is purifying the Garou Nation.<br /><br />34. A Garou couple has been raising their human child in secret despite how terrified and confused they are by its parents. The local Garou sept leaders are incensed because child services has become involved. Normally, a child like this is given to human relatives to raise.<br /><br />35. A 101 year old Silver Fang Garou elder asks the PCs to help in its ritual suicide. His eldest grandson is ready to kill them if they do, believing the Litany is wrong, but said elder is afraid of going senile and killing innocent people, including his human family. Other relatives want access to his fetishes and maybe even mortal fortune.<br /><br />36. A Nexus crawler has been imprisoned by a particularly ruthless Theruge in a human child who has no idea their subconscious contains a monster. The easiest way to banish it is to kill the child but another Garou wants to do a much more difficult exorcism. The Nexus Crawler may start "leaking" out or the child will become a Formori. It may also never manifest.<br /><br />37. The RED Network has a history of recording its executives for blackmail purposes. The Monkeywrenchers think they can access to stockpile if the PCs go undercover with suitable magic as behind the scenes assistants. It is an office of affairs, blackmail, hate, hypocrisy, harassment, and the occasional literal monster in the closet.<br /><br />38. A caern has decided to throw off the Litany and make new rules for the Garou in the 21st century. It has almost immediately degenerated into pure chaos and the PCs are asked to go serve as diplomats before someone arrives with klaives or claws to get them back in line.<br /><br />39. A Garou group wants to work with a bunch of human environmentalists against Pentex. However, they want to warn them against the supernatural powers and dangers they face. This is very close to breaking the Veil.<br /><br />40. See #39, the Garou, in fact wants to reveal his true nature to them because he is in love with one of the activists who is carrying his child.<br /><br />41. See #39, revealing the truth would be a complete disaster as the environmentalists would immediately turn to believing monsters are among them and conspiracy theorists.<br /><br />42. See #39, the group has secrets of their own and are actually a mixed collection of sorcerers (their terminology is nonsensical to Garou) out do their own salvation of the world. The Other Garou would never trust them and demand their deaths.<br /><br />43. An insane Theruge has an idea to kill the Sun. More specifically, he has an idea to kill the fallen Sky Incarna that represents Global Warming. He believes that if they get an army of tigers or other nonsensical ingredients (he has been in the Umbra too long), they can go into the Umbra and do it. Then climate change will be set back a century or so.<br /><br />44. See #43, he's not wrong. It would actually work. Where to get the juice and participants necessary, though, is anyone's guess.<br /><br />45. See #43, this plan will NOT work and is a massive trap for the Garou. However, it has a great deal of support among Red Talons and other Garou who are glad for at least SOME idea of how to save Gaia.<br /><br />46. The player characters are asked to participate in a ritual designed to remove Hauglosk or Harano through a vision quest. It is very traditional and involves facing one's fears and going through a spiritual cleansing.<br /><br />47. See #46, it works extremely well and offers new hope to the Garou Nation.<br /><br />48. See #46, it actually is a forbidden rite because the Hauglosk or Harano becomes a pretty big ass Bane or could make it worse.<br /><br />49. See #46, killing the Bane at the end is a perfectly addition to the ritual in today's environment. The decision to ban the rite was a mistake.<br /><br />50. A pack of Moneywrenchers have an unusual request for the PCs in that they wish them to steal a copy of the next edition of <i>Lycanthrope: The Rapture</i> before it is released. This is a seeming trivial task except for the fact that is actually because a Kin is the writer and has filled the book with a stream of horrific barley contained rage at what he views as the hypocrisies of the Garou Nation. <br /><br />51. A Garou archaeologist wants to go to Roanoke to investigate the claims of the legendary sacrifice of the Galestalker's sept there. There's a great deal of passive evidence that the entire story of their sacrifice to destroy Eater of Souls was, in fact, made up to make it look like the Wyrmbringers were honoring their native brethren. The sept may not even be extinct but simply withdrew from Garou Nation life.<br /><br />52. The Howl of Gaia haunts the players' dreams and starts causing temporary Harano or Hauglosk. Is this a natural struggle they're dealing with or have they fallen attack under a particularly insidious bane or rite's attack?<br /><br />53. A Garou marriage is about to occur and there is joy in the caern until one of the participants is murdered. <br /><br />54. See #53, it is done by a crazed fundamentalist who claims an older version of the Litany forbids such unions.<br /><br />55. See #53, it was done by their own child who resents that their relationship was hidden for years because he did not inherit the gift. Alternatively, it was done by the surviving spouse's ex-consort, who joined the Cult of Fenris.<br /><br />56. See #53, it was done by the other spouse in a moment of Rage and they are now trying to cover it up while degenerating rapidly into Hauglosk.<br /><br />57. A Silver Fang genealogist is rather obsessed with the idea that there is a correlation between becoming Garou and biological lineage. He's assembled a rather fantastic family tree of Garou on his computers.<br /><br />58. See #57, this is, of course, a massive danger to the entire Garou race and needs to be destroyed before someone hands this over to Pentex or another group.<br /><br />59. See #57, he's not wrong but Garou have been living alongside humanity so long that all human beings actually carry the gene on some level. It's just awakened by spiritual triggers that are less common these days.<br /><br />60. See #57, it's actually eugenicist trash and nonsense designed to justify breeding human families and bloodlines that a few septs in Europe and America have been doing in compounds, Much data has been falsified or ignored.<br /><br />61. The Black Furies have a longstanding camp devoted to women's issues because, let's face it, it is a longstanding issue. A hacker is attempting to go after their list of human contacts in protecting victims of domestic violence, seeking care for reproductive health, and other "controversial" topics before publicizing it.<br /><br />62. See #61, the person responsible is a new kind of Weaver Formori that provides leet hacking skills to particularly odious individuals on the net. The player characters destroying it may require them to track down the origin Bane of this new Formori and destroy it before it lays thousands of eggs to create more. It is located on the Umbral reflection of a particularly obnoxious set of forums.<br /><br />63. See #61, it is actually a minor Pentex subsidiary that harvested the data and is posting it because evil. In addition to going to their HQ and utterly trashing their servers and data, the PCs are to work with the Monkeywrenchers to get their data to use against their other clients as well as parent company, LifeWatch.<br /><br />64. See #61, this attack was actually done by the Cult of Fenris who have an ex-Monkeywrencher who is incensed the Black Furies are attempting to protect their mortal families from them. This choice is actually controversial among the Black Furies and will require the PCs to argue it.<br /><br />65. See #61, a Black Fury Theruge named Mari is being framed for this data breach as part of a political struggle with a rival that has no limits to what they will do for power.<br /><br />66. A particularly obnoxious but influential Glass Walker bought a Pentex aligned social media company he's become obsessed with and has seemingly made it much-much worse. The Garou Nation want to do a status check on the guy for Hauglosk or Wyrm taint and whether it'd be better to eliminate him or not.<br /><br />67. See #66, he's actually just an idiot who thinks that maximum freedom and his ill-conceived ideas will save the world. <br /><br />68. See #66, he's been corrupted by the Banes that have been hanging around the platform that have played upon his already incredibly immature personality. This may have been a while ago and illustrate how money-obsessed the Glass Walkers have become.<br /><br />69. See #66, one of his polygamous consorts is a Cult of Fenris infiltrator who has racial supremacist beliefs that they want to spread as a "cure" for Gaia. She survived the purge of an old camp of Cultists because they were a child at the time of the purge. <br /><br />70. See #66, the Glass Walker's children include Kin who want to off him "Knives Out" style or would be "very sad" to inherit his vast fortune. They try and influence the PCs' inspection.<br /><br />71. Pentex is breaking up! Praise Gaia! Or not as that would multiply their enemies. The news is sending is the stockholders into a tizzy as there's a feud at the top with the death of the immortal Chairman. Adrian Newberry wants to keep it together but Enzo Giovanni represents the people who want to break it up among several competing groups. Right now Enzo is winning. The PCs must decide whether to just try to kill them all at their first face-to-face meeting in decades at a secluded compound or help one party triumph over the other. <br /></p><p>72. See #71, the information was dropped into their lap by the Leeches. It is their hope to wrest control over a massive amount of Pentex's fortune.</p><p>73. See #71, the information was actually dropped into their hands by Project: Twilight. They've incorrectly assumed that Pentex is a werewolf owned company and want to break it up to protect capitalism as a whole.<br /><br />74. See #71, the information was leaked by the Incarnae Wyrm spirit of Pentex itself, called Hydra, who is suffering a struggle with the Wyrm spirits of its other heads. This may be a chance to strike at it directly.<br /><br />75. See #75, it is in fact Fly who leaked the information as it is terrified of Hydra consuming it and becoming the new patron of its employees. Slaying some of the heads will allow it to feast on their corpses.<br /><br />76. The player characters are asked to act as bodyguards for an ancient Red Talon named Growl. Growl hates humans, believes they should be destroyed, and is objectively evil by human standards. However, Growl is a voice in the Garou Nation that continually smacks down any voice that suggests the Red Talons should go rogue or against the other tribes.<br /><br />77. See #76, Growl is being hunted by a pack of Garou who are the human survivors of a town he destroyed that was believed to have been destroyed by a train derailment. Are they all empowered by Gaia, Stolen Moons, or had they just been the local sept. They want him dead, consequences be damned.<br /><br />78. See #76, Growl is dying of cancer and relies on Child of Gaia Gifts as well as fetishes to keep himself alive. His hypocrisy is something he doesn't remotely care about and just wants to cling to life as long as possible.<br /><br />79. See #76, Growl is a traitor and long ago succumbed to Wyrm taint from eating humans. He's also the leader of a group of Red Talons that do it ritualistically. However, Growl points out that the Wyrm doesn't "care" about individual politics and it has kept him alive as well as in charge. The elders may even know about his habit.<br /><br />80. See #76, a group of Red Talons wants to slay him because they suspect he is either working with the Cult of Fenris (now that an alternative has presented itself) or because they want to. Either way, they feel he needs to go and don't intend to duel him over it.<br /><br />81. A Garou claiming to be a Stargazer shows up at the sept and speaks of how they're doing fine outside of the Garou Nation's corruption. He invites them to consider that working outside of it may be Gaia's salvation.<br /><br />82. See #81, he's actually a Ragabash trying to test the PCs loyalty and the faith of younger Garou as a whole. So far the results have not been promising.<br /><br />83. See #81, he's actually sincere and the Stargazers are building a coalition of other shifters and Garou as an alternative. He must be destroyed before he corrupts others!<br /><br />84. See #81, he's actually a Starving Remnant of a Garou trapped in the Umbra who has taken to wearing the skins of other Garou and luring them in to keep "living."<br /><br />85. The PCs come across the enormous remains of Whippoorwill, a Wyrm tainted bird totem that has seemingly been slain and left to rot in the Umbra. Who killed this being? Why? What does the death of a Patron Spirit mean?<br /><br />86. The legend of Crystal Falls National Forest is one of dozens of campers, hitchhikers, and stoners disappearing over the past fifty years. Now a podcast and series Kickstarter-funded movies are about to make it a national tourist spot. The Garou who murdered the people involved are feeling very embarrassed by this and are worried about their caern.<br /><br />87. See #86, the PCs are asked to clean up this event nonviolently if possible. The last thing they need is make its role as the "Home of the Real Jason Voorhees" a Tik Tok phenomenon.<br /><br />88. See #86, a bunch of Twisted Slasher Formori empowered by the faith and murders have shown up to make their horror movie roles real. They're a LOT more powerful than they should be normal and may even come back from the dead.<br /><br />89. See #86, this is actually all organized by a pretty Goth Girl Woman online horror show host who has been secretly doing this all to try and get national attention on what happened to her brother twenty years ago.<br /><br />90. See #89, the missing brother is actually a Garou who joined the local sept and is now a frothing Hauglosk ridden monster who would kill her for endangering the Veil.<br /><br />91. See #89, Oh and she's Kin too.<br /><br />92. The PCs are contacted by a human mysteriously immune to the Delirium who claims to represent the government. He'd like the PCs to start eliminating targets that the government is avoiding but endangering the public among vampires.<br /><br />93. See #92, This is absolutely a chance for him to find out more about the Garou by putting out bait.<br /><br />94. See #93, That doesn't mean the information isn't good and eliminating him wouldn't cause more problems.<br /><br />95. The suspicious suicide of Geoffrey Ephraim, Pentex hedge fund manager and Formori of Vice, has attracted a bunch of podcasters and investigators. One of them has heard stories of the deaths of many of his associates in a word he shouldn't know. Who or what was the Seventh Generation? Was there a conspiracy by a weird New York religious cult to wipe them out?<br /><br />96. The elders of the sept want a Glass Walker killed who has been posting images of Garou slaughtering people online. The Glass Walker (currently in hiding) claims they're all faked footage and he's about to post an app so everyone can make footage. That will protect the Veil, won't it? Others think it will just draw attention.<br /><br />97. A Native American Glass Walker and their Children of Gaia lawyers are working on blocking a government built pipeline through their human tribe's territory. A Galestalker pack of outsiders want to "help" them by blowing it up.<br /><br />98. A Child of Gaia has successfully cleaned a former Endron nuclear plant after eliminating its Wyrm spawn. They argue that nuclear power is actually the way forward and cleansing them is a chance to save Gaia. Their argument is solid enough that those against nuclear power want to kill them. It doesn't help they're a teenage girl and climate change activist.<br /><br />99. A Get of Fenris pack is still active in Poland, murdering Cult of Fenris and hostile to any Garou that say they have to choose a new tribe. They are suffering from a corrupted spiritual connection to Wolf, though, and must choose a new totem or succumb to Hauglosk. Can the player characters convince them?<br /><br />100. The government has declared it law in a state to eliminate 98% of the wolves. The Garou admit the Red Talons have it right and are assembling a hunt to kill as many hunters as possible. Will this help matters or is it just a satisfying but counterproductive solution?<br /><br />101. Bat fell to the Wyrm when his children were slain. What happens when the vagaries of genetics and spirit birth the first Camazotz in centuries? Can the players save them from the Black Spiral Dancers and corruption?<br /></p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876216494183628999.post-50735379807791424072024-01-18T12:37:00.000-08:002024-01-18T12:37:49.101-08:00Why metaplot matters in the World of Darkness<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJO5rC5KhCcWEOTYmpVzQatXQu75_yh_fvJ8FJOKWZeJ0P45SA6BrnHpzi3JaS3Da1mtteHjBIWdJPLl0u2u_irs_OkpyuP_1M1H1UzJ40F8sdNzNPPCbM6ObKqRsloKbFRUBNqd5GVr1QkeiAfI4XM2Dpw0mmOqyrz4GYz6tATjSssu6c2DZZYA4-O31Q/s365/Vampmasq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="274" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJO5rC5KhCcWEOTYmpVzQatXQu75_yh_fvJ8FJOKWZeJ0P45SA6BrnHpzi3JaS3Da1mtteHjBIWdJPLl0u2u_irs_OkpyuP_1M1H1UzJ40F8sdNzNPPCbM6ObKqRsloKbFRUBNqd5GVr1QkeiAfI4XM2Dpw0mmOqyrz4GYz6tATjSssu6c2DZZYA4-O31Q/s320/Vampmasq.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> Recently, I had a conversation with a friend who was talking about how he thought the World of Darkness should have had a complete reboot for Fifth Edition versus reviving the Old World of Darkness. He argued that too much continuity was something that caused people to move away from the setting and was a barrier to new players. This got under my skin for some reason and made me less than pleased for reasons I couldn't quite put into words. <p></p><p> I am a huge and long time World of Darkness fan that probably is the closest you could come to say is a "Grognard" of the setting. I was fourteen years old when I first started playing the game in 1994, only three years after the release of Vampire: The Masquerade 1st Edition. I played it in my best friends' basement and we were absolutely terrible at coming up with concepts. I think my 1st character wa a Humanity 10 Ventrue Prince who fed only on animals but wanted to be the Prince of Chicago.</p><p> I was overjoyed when the Old World of Darkness was announced to be the basis for Fifth Edition. While I'd enjoyed 4th Edition/20th Anniversary from Onyx Path Publishing, it had always been something that had left me a bit "ehh" for reasons that I couldn't quite put into words. I never really jumped onto it until the very end with the release of Beckett's Jyhad Diary. My reasons for this would be because, for most of its existence, 20th Anniversary was metaplot agnostic. The games disregarded metaplot and thus I could never really enjoy it as much as I wanted to.</p><p> Metaplot, for those unfamiliar with the term, is basically big story events going on in a game world that don't necessarily have anything to do with the player characters. A good example would be the endless series of disasters that befall the kingdom of Rokugan in Legend of the Five Rings that are determined by the card game's latest events. Another would be The Time of Troubles or other edition changing events that regularly befall the Forgotten Realms.</p><p> Metaplot is controversial and for good reason. Changes to one's home game can be made that render the player character's own efforts and activities utterly irrelevant are common. The destruction of the Tremere Antitribu rather nastily impedes any players who happened to have one of those at their games. So might the Sabbat conquering Washington DC if you happen to have your Camarilla game set there. Other metaplot provides campaign bases that many players have enjoyed such as <i>Under a Blood Red Moon</i>, The Giovanni Chronicles, and Transylvania Chronicles.</p><p> For me, metaplot is about establishing the nature of a setting as a living world. It's also why I believe the Signature Characters and continuity is equally important for making the World of Darkness actually worth paying books for. A major part of what makes a world worth caring about is the idea that it is continuing to change and develop around your PCs. But really, I think it's also because metaplot only matters if you care about the characters involved.<br /></p><p> "Do you give a shit about the characters in your
favorite media?" This is the most fundamental question you can ask about
any property you have any investment in. Do you care about Spider-Man?
Do you care about Mary Jane? Do you have any investment in Iron Man or
Captain America or Wolverine or so on? What about Harry Potter or
Katniss Everdeen. They are fictional characters and nothing that happens
to them matters. HOWEVER, it is a story that you must fundamentally
have BUY IN for if you want to buy anything. I CARE about the characters of <i>Vampire: The Masquerade</i>, <i>Werewolf: The Apocalypse</i>, and other settings.<br />
<br />
I care about Lucita, I care about Theo Bell, I care about Victoria Ash,
and I care about Lodin and Modius. Same for Albrecht, Mari, and Evan Heals the Past. So much so that I wrote an adventure
to wrap up the characters in Gary for Storyteller's Vault and have
played HUNDREDS of stories involving them with my player characters.
They are not as real to me as real people but they are toys that I have
played with and I want to see/read/hear more about them. I don't need books about Blood Sorcery rituals, I don't need Disciplines, and i certainly don't need books about new Clans.<br />
<br />
I am here because the game world as established in Legacy/OWOD has
enough characters that I want to know more about what they've been up to
for the past 20 years. I *LIKE* The Old World of Darkness because I
like the characters that live in it. I don't play it because of the
system, I play it for the world that has been created and the chance to
play around in it.<br />
<br />
It's why I fundamentally enjoy <i>Beckett's Jyhad Diary</i> more than any other
book ever written because it is the book of, "Hey, remember these
guys?" Without metaplot, the characters are frozen and static and the
supplements don't provide you anything other than empty rules. It's why
I've never really cared about Eberron versus, say, Dragonlance or
Forgotten Realms. "What is Raistlin up to?" is a question far more press than King
Boranal. Because King Boranal is the same place he was a decade ago.
Because Eberron's timeline doesn't advance. </p><p> It's why I feel like the important thing for the World of Darkness to remember with future supplements is to understand that fans aren't here for the rules. They're here for the characters and the elaborate interconnecting webs of relationships established in each of the books. New fans aren't going to know about the past characters but presenting them for new audiences is better than trying to make new ones each time. Basically, every new generation deserves a chance to get to know Spider-Man and Batman's Rogues Galleries but the trick is reintroducing them.</p><p> This is why I believe the most successful products for Fifth Edition are the ones that are relying on the proven foundation and material established in Legacy World of Darkness. <i>Chicago by Night 5th Edition</i>, <i>Let the Streets Run Red</i>, <i>Cults of the Blood Gods</i>, and even <i>Fall of London</i> to an extent. <i>Coteries of New York</i> and <i>Shadows of New York </i>rely heavily on <i>New York by Night</i>. So does the <i>LA By Night</i> livestream that combines Bloodlines with Los Angeles by Night.</p><p> In conclusion, I hope that the good people at Paradox Interactive continue to insert metaplot into their books as well as rely on past lore. There's a reason that audiences fell in love with the World of Darkness in the first place. It's because the characters and their stories are things we were interested in following. We may not always like the Second Inquisition or Beckoning but seeing how people like Helena or Isaac Abrams react to them is always fun.<br /></p>CTPhippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226189019351004118noreply@blogger.com0