A DnD Tale - Waterdeep: Dragon Heist - The Case of the Missing Noble and the return of the Black Viper

 

Everyone hates the sewers.

We continue the adventure in the sewers by cleaning out the rest of the rooms. Not much, the first room they check is a storage room with furnitures after hearing some scraping sounds. Looking through they find a coffer with rat bones. As they are about to leave they are attacked by the coffer that turns out to be a mimic. After that they are pretty much paranoid about every door and room. But since there isn't anything there they just waste time pretty much. 

Back out and the week is finally over so that they can get paid. The next day they head to Vincent Trench and ask him for a way to find the Xanathar Guild. They pay him and he leaves... I tried hinting that they actually have other connections to use like the Harpers, Emerald Enclave and Zentharim, but they liked Vincent, he was cool they stated. Glad to hear that, harder to improvise so I probably have to gather the information that all people have and give to them, maybe not the infiltrators since they haven't aligned themselves really with anyone. But I think I will have him appear on their day of and lead them toward one of the entrances and then leave them there, they don't really need more manpower at their high level.

Meanwhile they do the Zentharim quest and try to find Dasher Snobeadle that have disappeared. Ulf and Freya follows their lead to the Waymoot at Highnoon where they meet Dasher who has left his oppressing family that tramples on the workers shoulders to maintain their illusion of wealth. So he joined the gang Shard Shunners to fight against the capitalistic system that oppresses the poor. That and he turned into a were-rat. They return to the pub and continue their day. During the evening they get visited by Savra Belabranta, the leader of the Order of the Gauntlet that looks for help from Ulf since he was saved by them as a kid. He's invited to the temple of justice during the next day.

He gets the quest for stopping a fight in the Field Ward which Hope goes with him. After that he gets a quest to look into the reappearance of the thief Black Viper. Everyone gets involved as they look into a news paper editor that tells them about the Black Viper that disappeared 100 years ago after being cornered and apparently burned to death. According to the rumours it is believed to be a hidden sister to Ammalia Casstalanter who they meet in the presence of the Greyhounds. They get in and Freya is told that that is complete bullshit. They also goes to the prison at the castle to speak with Davil Starsong, but he can't really help them since he's in prison (they mostly resent the fact that since he was captured they haven't gotten paid as well). 

In actuality, the only reason why I forced these quest was so that they would have gotten more information about the Black Viper since she appears in the infiltration of the Cassalanter estate in search for the key to the vault. Or so it does in my version of the game. And with this everything is set to enter the Xanathar's Guild. Gotta prepare the maps for this one. 

Adventures of the Gummi Bears

 

And all because Michael Eisners son had a craving for gummi bears.

Well, continued the Disney afternoon shows with the Adventure of Gummi Bears. The story of the six last gummi bears living in Gummi Glen, as they protect the land of Danwyn from the ogre forces of Duke Igthorn as they hide from humans and try to contact the ancient gummies that left 500 years ago. Mostly an episodic show where the gummies either has to stop Ightorns plan or something magically happened that need to be fixed or finding a gummi machine or something magical from the ancient gummies causes problems. There is the grumpy gummi that builds everything, grammy gummi that is designated cook as well as the one making the gummi berry juice that allows the gummibears to bounce around while humans get super strength, the magician gummi that has a short memory, Tummi the fat one (what else is there to describe him really?), and the two children. Later they added the artist gummi with the talking bird, Artie Deco (I get the pun at least). I can't recall the other names since I was only familiar with the Swedish version... and the Danish version

Yes, my parents had recorded two episodes on VHS and those where in Danish, the Gummadoon episode with the ancient city that appears every 100th year and then the griffin and prankster-fairy half-episodes. I don't think I ever understood them until I just watched them now (maybe I watched them on TV afterwards, but I can't recall that). Then we taped a couple of episodes from the Swedish Disney Afternoon. The first one where they meet Cavin that give them the gummi medallion in order to open the gummi book, the Ursalia (Ursa being latin for bear, stargazing has a bit of advantage sometimes) episode with the barbarian bears, the golden armour episode which Toady used, the sir Tuxford episode. I can't recall any other episodes and it's rather interesting that it's all over the seasons. I recall watching the spider episode with the spinnster, but watching it now I have a completely different memory of the sequence of events in the episode. Maybe just the hint of a spider made me think that it was a two-parter and too be continue.

Looking through the series again... I enjoyed it for its fantasy elements. And sometimes the animation was rather good as well as great music, but I don't think some of the dialog sits so great with me. A bit too goody like and morals ending every episode. At least the first season. A bit of contrived setups and sometimes I just don't like the characters (especially the children gummies) when they get entitled. But it at least got a decent ending in the King Igthorn two-parter, although I would say that a secret weapon that is a termite feels rather underwhelming. Of course, I have a big problem with Igthorn's voice, I don't like that smarmy sound he makes and the Swedish dub at least made him sound angry with some omph behind it.

Metroid Prime (Wii)

Deja Vu

I've just been to this place before

Higher on the street and I know it's my time to go

Well, I couldn't stop playing Metroid Prime so after getting a serious beating from Meta-Ridley in hard mode I went back to my Wii version that I hadn't finished before and played through it from start to finish. Kinda easy when you learned every trick there is after three playthroughs before it. A bit harder to get used to the control though. And I don't know about it. Some say it's the best way to play, but too often for my liking I felt the controls not doing what I wanted to do. The camera controls especially. And then we haven't talked about the range of the sensors. I had to move the sensor bar in order to get a comfortable playing seating and I still wound up putting my legs in way of the sensors moving around. 

Still, I got it around 8 hours and that included scanning everything to get the 100 % logs. So practice makes perfect. Forgot to mention the logs last time as well. Quite groundbreaking for the series cause it gave the series some much needed world building. You have the pirate logs from the space pirates that tells heir scientific studies on the planet and their weapon development to try to take over the galaxy as well as stop Samus Aran aka the Hunter. Those are the most interesting when they begin to panic about Samus appearing on the planet and hunting them. Then is the chozo that tells of their settling of Tallon IV and the disaster with the meteor strike that poisoned the planet and let Metroid Prime almost loose on them. There is also small bits here and there that isn't saved for easy reading, but it works, as well as leaving hints here and there.

A difference with other versions is also the fact that you get credits for different things, like beating a boss or finding an artefact. You then use them buying concept art, music or special things, like the Fusion suit. Won't use it since I feel the remastered edges out with it's ease of pick up and play as well as saving in on using AA-batteries. That and I already got all credits for that game. Funny how they use different triggers for getting the soundtracks and galleries. Sadly, can't get everything since they obviously had to incorporate a system of friend vouchers to get some of them, and since you can't log onto the internet from the wii system when they closed that down it's locked away for ever, unless they put them in the rereleases. 

I went back and finished off the final stretch of the Switch remaster on hard mode. Meta-Ridley being the worst one where patience is more important as well as a trained trigger finger. I hope they don't put the last things behind finishing the hard mode on the rerelease of Prime 2 that surely be coming. I couldn't beat normal on the Gamecube, so will be interesting how far I can get on the Wii version. 

Metroid Prime Remastered (Switch)

 

A fresh coat of paint.

Had to continue the GameCube remasters for the Switch and had to get the physical version of Metroid Prime (so waited like 2 weeks compared to everyone else) and finished it off in a weekend. The remastered version of Metroid Prime as we await news for the fourth game in the series that have had no news since they showed the original screen with the number 4. Metroid Prime starts with Samus Aran investigating a distress signal around the planet Tallon IV where she finds a derelict space pirate ship and traveling through it learns about how the space pirates investigates the nearby planet and as the ship is beginning to explode she discovers Meta-Ridley traveling towards the planet so she has to follow.

While landing she gets signal from some chozo ruins that tells the history of how the chozo settled on Tallon IV and meet there end as a meteor struck unleashing the poison phazon that mutated the wildlife. Now the space pirates look for a way to unlock the impact crater the chozo locked away with 12 artefacts that lies scattered across the planet (or at least the areas you visit in this game). Travel across the planet getting items to enhance your armour and be able to travel to even more places and find the 12 artefacts and destroy the titular Metroid Prime at the centre of the impact crater. Game is hardest in the beginning when you have no weapons or reserves, but after the first missiles and energy tanks the game is rather easy (if you continue finding the upgrades in decent intervals) until Omega Pirate where the last bosses will be a bit troublesome (that of course until I met him in Hard Mode and learned that Power Bombs are the way to easily trigger the vulnerability phase). Meta-Ridley being the worst after that, the third phase when he goes on a rampage is more about avoiding damage until you can hit him. Metroid Primes first phase become easy when I began using the special beam weapons to deal max damage. 

I got the original back in the days for the GameCube (still got it as well as the Wii version) after getting into Metroid with Fusion as it was released before Prime in Europe. Watched a lot of the previews and got really into it, which makes it even sadder that this yet once again a game I took several years to finish, especially when I finished it in 15 hours this week as the first playthrough, and played through a second time during the same weekend (ended just below 8 hours) and the third run on Hard Mode ended around 8-9 hours. It could be due to the new controls which works fantastic, although some parts like morph ball jump is x while normal jump is b (doesn't help that I learned the ball jump at the end of my first playthrough while trying to get every item and looking at a video) and changing weapon needs to get used to (it was mapped to the c-stick in the original so a bit easier to change in the middle of battle). 

Overall, the game is great and the remaster is definitely worth it and shows what Tales of Symphonia should at least have been. There is something for the atmosphere to walk around on the planet alone, reading the lore of the chozo or the logs of the space pirates, especially when they begin panicking about Samus being on their tail. Taking your time and trying to get around on your own in the first playthrough is amazing. I would recommend though to have a spreadsheet that you can input every item and lore piece so that you can keep track on what you have got if you wanna look up what you missed. I missed two items (I think I know where one is, but the other is a complete mystery and I still checked every area again). I recommend the one I found here.

Hope we get the other two as well, especially since I never finished them, 2 especially since it was really atmospheric but the last boss is tough as nail. One minor nitpick is that they didn't add the fusion suit... or it's still there, you can't just get it. It was in the original and the Wii version, why not keep it? Some speculate it will be added later, maybe with the release of Metroid Fusion for the NSO. There is also a casual mode which I don't remember from the original (and looking at my original save, it was not mentioned there), great for a newcomer. They got rid of a couple of beehives that made it easier to get around and you take less damage and enemies dies easier. Got through Hard Mode as the last mode and got all extras. Just from the beginning I can say I had a lot easier time to fight the Hive Totem on the remastered version than the original in Hard mode. One thing in comparison with the 2D game I missed is the map function to mark where there is power-ups for a more easy time in backtracking.

Ducktales (2017)

 

Woo-Hoo!

Had to watch the reboot series after the original. And... it's fine. It had some really fun moments. My sisters complained about the art style since it wasn't the original one, but I didn't mind, it looked much closer to Carl Barks drawings if I'm gonna be honest. And the references to all Disney afternoon-series like Gummi Bears, Rescue Rangers, Goof Troop, Darkwing Duck and Talespin made it rather fun for someone like me. Music also fine, but it's nothing compared to Ron Jones original. Best actually when they referenced the other shows.

Good things is actually have story arcs that tie everything together. Introducing Della Duck beyond the Don Rosa picture and the letter from the first Donald and nephews short. Also separating the nephews personalities so that they stand out from each other. Problem is that they are kinda unlikeable, Dewey with his self-importance and Louie with his greed. Huey probably the only likeable, but he also needs to be the center of things which the Junior Woodchuck episode showed. And all the kids have some kind of ADHD. Also, the humour can be fun, but I also feels that the meta-commentary and "hip" language makes it really dated and irritating at times. There is also that due to all that make the show feel cynical, take Gyro Gearloose who can't be a wacky inventor, instead a disgruntled employee of Scrooge that invents robots that threatens to take over the world because his mentor took his first robot and made it a destruction machine.

Yes, this is a scene where a supposed ghost strangles Scrooge McDuck, all played with suspenseful music, no equivalent scene in the new series.

Also the ending episode... works fine, but I can't say that it is as epic as the original ending. Here is just feels dumb since the main bad guy tries to stop adventuring, I think the meta-humour get a bit to strong meaning they can't make a serious threat. The original had the golden death engulfing the world, but that would be taking it seriously so instead we get something about family and clones and all with more references to the Disney Afternoon. Glomgold is another hint at that since here he is just stupid, he was threatening at times in the original, but here he is just a joke about his schemes. Actually, everyone is stupid to a higher degree than in the original. So mixed bag really. Might be nostalgia since I grew up with the original, but it felt more serious and the music really made it feel like it. This one is watchable and has great moments, but I would say nothing beats the original.

I mean, it didn't get more scary than this back in 1987 (or 1991 for this particular moment).

Tales of Symphonia Remastered (Switch)

You Inferior... Being!

Had to get this game, the first Tales-game I played and as I think still the best one, for the most part. Story is that the world of Sylverant is dying so as the Tower of Salvation appears the chosen Colette sets out with her friends Lloyd (the main character) and Genies on a pilgrimage to save the world. On their journey they have their teacher Raine, who is Genies older sister and Kratos, a mercenary paid to protect the chosen since the last several chosen have failed (I assume). They fight the evil Desians, half-elves operating from human ranches where they enslave humans to create exspheres, crystals that will empower the user under the right conditions, otherwise it turns you into a monster. So this part is basically Final Fantasy X, you travel the world visiting temples and Lloyd learns that Colette as the chosen has to sacrifice herself for the world to regenerate it. Meanwhile they encounter the assassin Sheena that intends to kill Colette, but ends up joining them. So, at the tower of Salvation Colette loses her soul and the truth is revealed, that the order of angels, Cruxius that is behind it actually is behind the Desians as well and uses the regeneration journey to balance the worlds of Sylverant and Tethe'alla (the opposing world that have been phased into a parallel dimension) as they fight for the sliver of Mana that is generated by the Karhlan seed.

They travel to Tethe'alla and meet the chosen of that world, Zelos, and girl named Presea and Regal, a convict on death road that was the former duke and president of a big company. They uncover the truth that 4 000 years earlier, the half-elf Mithos Yggdrasill ended the Kharlan War by splitting the worlds in two and now heads the organisation Cruxius in order to create a vessel for his sister Martel that died at the end of the war after being betrayed by a human. As well as creating the Age of the Half-elves by making everyone into lifeless beings in order to end discrimination as elves and humans shuns the half-elves. Basically a communist! He succeeds in using Colette to bring Martel to life again, but she just calls him out on his foolishness before deciding to give Colette back her body. He goes on a rampage as his friends and family have now all abandoned him, you get the power to wield the Eternal Sword in order to set it back, but you have to fight Mithos once again and after that set all right. Well, at least till the sequel.

I loved the game as a kid, it was rather complicated with several fractions fighting each other with spies everywhere, including in your own group. The moral of discrimination is bad is done very good with both racial and class aspects. But this Tales-game has the best villain of all I have played, you sympathise with Mithos, the great hero (and I learned way to late that the voice actor for older Mithos is Tidus in Final Fantasy X). And as his broken body just mutters "I'm going home", when you know he has been cast out by everyone. It's also rather fun to replay with the different ways you can play it, temples can be done in varied orders, your affection for different characters gives differences to certain scenes and you can actually play as different characters for the most part. The music is fine (made by famed Golden Sun composer Motoi Sakuraba) and the graphics still looks good, although looking at the original Gamecube on a modern TV I gotta say, the pixelated remnants as you move looks rather hideous. Which brings us to the remastered version on Switch... and it doesn't look good.

First off, I can accept that it isn't the original intro from the Gamecube version, and 30 FPS verses 60 FPS don't bother me that much either. But god damn, the loading times after finishing a battle can drive you nuts and then we have the lost effect of glass breaking as you enter combat. Doesn't help that the frame rate drops something fierce at "intense" areas, for example the very first town Triet and its desert storm or the amusement park with its attractions. I mean, everyone have already mentioned this, but the remaster is bad on the Switch. Now, as of writing they have mentioned that they are looking into fixing some of the problems (probably helped that the Switch version is apparently the best selling version), but who knows how long that will take (well, as of release of this post they have at least released two patches fixing some issues), Chrono Cross took a year to get an update. I might not replay it on Gamecube again since it looks worse now (even if it might play better), but the PS3 version might look like the better choice (it plays better than the Switch, looks better than the Gamecube and you have the Trophies for yet another reason to replay it). If they fix it the ease of play might make it worth it, but since it also misses the sequel (that was in the package for the PS3 and I have the original for the Wii) it might even put PS3 above the fixes as well). Stupid me also got the Chosen edition with a steel case and several poster cards. Strange decision to not include a normal red case, but I'm not that bothered, but my boss told me he preferred normal cases so that it looked uniformly. Well, it was fun watching the credits again... wait, the credits are also stuttering? God dammit!

Ducktales (1987)

Woo-Hoo!

Well, what Disney show to continue with? Well, why not the best one of them all, the original Ducktales. Of course it's good, it came out in 1987 like every good thing ever. Basic plot is that Donald Duck has left his nephews Huey, Louie and Dewey at their great uncle Scrooge McDuck so they go out on adventures for more treasures or stoping the reacurring enemies of Flintheart Glomduck, the Beagle Boys or Magica De Spell.

The second season introduced the characters Bubba the cave duck and Fenton Crackshell and his alter-ego Gizmoduck while getting rid of supporting characters like Doofus Drake, Donald Duck and shrinking the different Beagle Boys into the 4 regulars. 100 episodes total and a movie to boot. Being an avid Donald Duck reader this was the best way of getting to see your favourite characters on TV. Of course, season one was the best one, which incidentally was the one we sporadically had a couple of episodes taped on VHS or even bought some of the official VHS. The official ones are a real rip-off I might add, 2 episodes on a VHS which you gotta pay full price for. 

The official ones we had was the Lost Crown of Genghis Khan and the Money Vanishes (which was my tape) and Hotel Strangeduck and Super-Doo (which was one of my sisters). I also recalls one time I was sick and mom or dad had rented the tape with the Phantom Blot stealing the invisible jet (and I think it was the Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that was together with it, hard to remember as I was sick but a faint memory of a Sherlock Holmes parody appeared in my head). The taped one was the viking episode, the killer whale sub and Aqua Ducks, Double-0-Duck, Scrooge First Dime, the hypnotist that get Donald to steal the navy's sub and Nothing to Fear. They also showed season 2 and onward on the Swedish public channel from 1991 so we taped all those episodes (except Scrooge Last Adventure for some reason, don't know why we didn't have that). We had one episode in english which was the Valentine episode with Aphroducky so my parents had to have taped it when they showed the valentine special back in 1990. That episode is also a bit strange since it's from season 3, but it doesn't feature either Bubba or Fenton so I always assumed it was part of the first season and it fits right in there, and I assume the intro wasn't there on the recording we had cause I think I would have been extremely confused by seeing Bubba and Gizmoduck in the opening (they were there when they showed the Swedish version, but then I was accustomed to their presence). 

Overall, rewatching it now I find it to be more fun than I remember. Could be due to watching it in english and getting a lot more of the references, and realising it actually is references. Also having gotten a taste for satirical parody and political topics. You can see the quality dropped a bit after season 1 (the colours aren't popping like the first season for instance). Another good thing is that the voices are more coherent than the Swedish version, Glomgold, Launchpad and even the ducklings changes voices from season to season, and worst is probably Bubba that changed voice from his first episode to the second (and it's the same voice actor in Swedish). The Swedish version has its moment though, for example the Hotel Strangeduck had a great moment near the end when Strangeduck explains the plot and calls his assistant a "silly boy", in Swedish he says "what an idiot" which was really fun to me as a kid. Would love a physical blu-ray release so that I can future proof it. Also a big shout-out to Ron Jones that did the music, it was amazing as every cue heightened the action scenes, made you sad at the sentimental scenes and very scared for the intense thriller scenes. 

Chip & Dale - Rescue Rangers

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chip & Dale - Rescue Rangers

Haven't been playing any video game during the beginning of 2023, mostly not feeling it. But instead I got a craving for watching old Disney shows. Started with the complete collection of the Chip & Dale Rescue Ranger that they released on blu-ray to coincide with the release of the movie (which I haven't watched). 

Basically it tells the story of Chip and Dale as they solve crimes together with Gadget, Montgomery Jack and Zipper. Apparently supposed to be a sequel-series to Bernard and Bianca's The Rescuers, but they changed it to Chip and Dale since the movie wasn't that popular, which was proven when the sequel failed as well. They stop the dastardly plans of Dr Nimnul, Fat Cat and other criminals, or just solving problems caused by accidents. We watched these on Disney Time on Fridays on channel 1, recorded most of them on VHS as well. That was mostly from the later half of the show, the one where they didn't have the white plane and red balloon, but rather the brown aeroplane.

I liked the show as a kid, well most Disney adventure shows so maybe not so strange. And I gotta be honest, the Swedish dub makes the show much better. First off, Dr Nimnul? Dr Grym in Swedish (translated as Dr Cruel) and Fat Cat becomes Svinpäls (directly translated as Swine Fur, which is a Swedish insult) which makes the villains sound more evil. And I guess the dub had to use more voice actors since it isn't the same 5 voices all over.

So, the blu-ray collection. Only english voices so that is a bit sad. It's also in production order, not story (the little there is) so you have the problem that the introduction adventure of how the rescue rangers meet isn't the first episodes, but in the middle of disc 2 or something like that. No bells or whistles here, so no commentaries or documentaries, not even the music video of the theme song. So mostly bare bone, but if it's the only way to have a physical copy of the show you get what you can. The quality is mostly alright, but one episode isn't remastered since it appear it wasn't saved. I also found it strange that intro varied from episode to episode with good or bad quality.

A DnD Tale - Waterdeep: Dragon's Heist - The Undead Shall Rise Again!

Aren't you a bit short for a necromancer?

And we are back with the most action oriented session of all the played games. And with a new player as well, Ulf, the unlikely paladin. A human paladin that used to be a farmer boy until the age of seven when his village got slaughtered by demons but Ulf survived when a group of Helm paladins and saved him, or what's left of him since he has a peg-leg (I suspect his player have played some Diablo 1). He ends up in Waterdeep one night as the rain falls down and spots a person heading into an alleyway and some beeping sound. Curious he follows and overhears the person talking to someone in the alley about a stone and an explosion. The person grabs something from the person on the ground when two drows jumps down from the roof and ask Vincent Trench, the private detective from the Tiger's Eye agency to give them the stone so that Jarlaxle doesn't get cross with him. Ulf tries to intervene and as the surprised drows turn around Vincent pulls up sleeping powder and douses them. The commotion causes the city watch to come to their location so he drags Ulf with him so that he can report back to Barovian. 

They wake up in the morning and is informed by Parker that the City Watch apparently was burgled during the night, but no one ones what have been taken. Vincent appears with Ulf and gives them a map he took from the destroyed Nimblewright he found in the alley and warns them that a third party have been known, the Bregan D'aerthe so they better hurry to the Dock Ward the map points out. They end up at Mistshore where some thugs from the Xanathar Guild tries to break in to an old woman, but they subdue them and is told that the stone is hidden in her family mausoleum in the City of Dead. They head there but finds the crypt open and by the footprints they deduce that people have been here and taken the stone already, leaving only a steel key. As they leave 4 duergar shows up looking for the stone for the Bregan D'aerthe. They fight them off and heads to a locksmith that tells them it belongs to Losser Mirklav that lives in the sewer in the Trades Ward. They sneak in and finds the door the keys fits into and go through it. They find a hidden door and on the other side they notice shadows and sounds of several skeletons. Unlucky for them, Immeral stumbles alerting them of their presence so a battle ensues where they fight off 12 skeletons. On the other side at the other door they find Losser Mirklav as he mumbles about the stone was a small price to get his hands on the magical emerald from the City Watch.

He finishes to attach the emerald on his staff and he summons 3 skeletons and 2 zombies and accuses them for killing his skeletons. An intense battle start as they try to destroy the other creature's first and the heavy hitters strike at Losser which I bumped up to a full necromancer wizard with a CR 9 since they are level 8 and pretty much stomps over anything in this adventure. So at first chance he cast Circle of Death which kills one skeleton and puts all but one zombie on 1 HP while most of the players get 24 necrotic damage. Then he dies next round since they still can beat him up fairly easy. And here we had to end since we had to get going to a LiveQuiz at the local theater. 

That was a rather intense session, pushing them on a full day of adventure with the need for haste as they chased after the stone, and yet it ended up in the hands of the Xanathar guild. In the adventure you're actually supposed to go through several other shorter sequences like a chase through the street as you run after an enemy carrying the stone after finding Losser Mirklav being almost killed by Xanathar, but the chase is based on character with maximum of 30 feet, while Immeral have 40, so if he goes before the kenku in this case, he will get past it and be able to take the stone without me contriving the sequence. So I gave them a battle against a hard enemy instead and setting up them having to infiltrate the Xanathar's Guild. Question is if I shall should do side-missions next session as they get information and centre it a bit around the new player so that he gets a bit more experience than battle after battle. 

A DnD Tale - Van Richten's Guide to Raveloft - The Fall of the House of Lament

 

The image of the missing picture!

So we continue the House of Lament story. As Immeral have waken up in the tub with the words of Mara in blood on the mirror he returns to the parlour where van Richten and Hope still sleep. They begin by returning to the third floor and the nursery to try getting in to the locked door. A vision of a shield appears... and here I gotta complain a bit about the book, since it clearly references the seal of a god, but in none of the books I got (and I got pretty much every official book from Wizard of the Coast regarding DnD 5e) I could find it, neither Player's Handbook, nor Dungeon Master's Guide or even the van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft or even Curse of Strahd. I don't even know where people got the image above, but I'm suspecting one of the older books? How can you miss that? Not all of us have been here since the 1970's!

Anyway, van Richten is mentioning that it is missing the Belladonna for the image to be complete and they recall that there was a lone living flower in the conservatory below so they go down to get it and then return and enters the room after presenting it to the visage. They enter the children bedroom and sees a skeleton in a rocking chair and hear the voices of a boy and a girl from two toys, a purple dragon and a tin knight. They tell them about the hungry ones and how there mother locked them in their bedchamber and prayed to the god Ezra to protect them from the darkness and they want to leave. They are told by van Richten that the spell protecting the room now is gone so they should take the toys with them. They return down, but in the corridor they hear the coughing from the master bedroom. They enter and sees something shivering under the bed sheets. Immeral pulls it off and from the bed rises a zombie plauge spreader. It's dispatched without any problem, other than I rolled so bad for van Richten that he didn't hit any.

They go back to the foyer and see that the mist outside now have crept closer to the house and they seem to be surrounded. They head to the parlour and take a long rest to prepare for the end and a final seance. They ask Theodora for help and they get the message of "GET THEM OUT". They are hinted to go to the tower where they saw the vision of the bricked up prisoners. In the gallery they are attacked by four flying death's head that came alive from the busts. van Richten missed every attack, but the other was able to kill the other's without problem. They enter the tower and sees blood dripping from the ceiling and forming an alcove in the wall as well as running to the floor and seemingly pain a stairway down. As they investigate an armoured hand breaks out from the wall and a ghastly voice screams for Mara. A armoured knight breaks out together with two boneless creatures. van Richten is able to go first and actually doing pretty well against the first boneless, but is still hit by it twice so that it begin entangle itself on him. The other's take care of the boneless so that they can attack the knight alone. As he falls to Immeral's strikes and the light within the armour extinguish, the stairway down appears. They climb down and finds a door that leads to a wall with a gate leading to the storage room that they investigated earlier (the supposedly correct way to get down here, but it was a bit hard getting that, and getting the knight fight made it more fun). A short rest later they investigate a pit where they except Hope hear their voices echoing in the dark. Hope hear someone calling her and a faint amber light. They enter.

They end up in a cavern with an amber pillar standing on a patch of land surrounded by some black ink. Immeral and Hope recalls the amber sarcophagus from the Amber temple. Hope touches it and sees a vision of a spiralling eye, the eye of Tharizdun together with the image of a spider. Call back to their mission to get the rod of law as well hinting about the evil that the Temple of Elemental Evil is trapping (I just now realised that I don't have a name for the wizard/monk giving them their mission, oops). Also rather fun how I used the books vague description that you can tempt the players with any of the dark gifts detailed in the book, but the Amber Temple only had one per god, meaning that this is some real powerful god. Sometimes inspiration strikes right at the last moment. Hope has the Mark of the Raven, an amulet that now begins to glow which causes the pillar to almost scream in agony. Five tendril arises from the dark ink and a spectre appears above them. Now, I don't know how you would make it on an ordinary level 3 party, the tendrils act like shadows and drain your strength with every hit, meaning that instead of the 60 hit points they usually have my party have around 10 Strength to worry about. Thankfully they have the sun sword that showers all enemies in sunlight and they are affected by disadvantage on every roll. They are able to kill the tendrils and stun the spectre with the Mark of the Raven. Hope uses the sun sword and gets a critical hit as she thrusts the sword into the amber and filling it up with light. Another round and she repeats the action and the light burst through the stone and it cracks and then explodes. The murky water disappears and the spectre leaves her sword behind. They get the treasures and head out. Theodora seems to have created a corridor through the mist and as they leave they see the shadows of the children in the toys appearing in the mist and running to their mother before they leave. The End!

Well that was fun. The most action in any game we played. And the ending battle with the amber pillar was fantastic really, maybe better if I thought through the consequences of putting a level 3 end boss against 2 level 8 PC and an NPC of challenge rating 5. Made some changes in the spur of the moment, in Theodora's path you actually just need to leave the house after getting the toys, but even if that the best emotional ending it doesn't feel that earned. So I dropped in both other endings as well. What's better than a gauntlet of fighting the undead and a cursed artefact below the house to seemingly allow Theodora to get them through the mist? So that is that side story. We are thinking about using one of the compilation books to play other adventures, but the problem is that most of them are quite high experience and they already are a bit miffed about losing something like 3000 exp in the final session? Still, two weeks to next game, and this time with all sisters plus another player. 

The Rusty Sword: Vanguard Island (Switch)

Another pirate game huh?

Well, been one of the non-playing times again so a huge backlog, but not feeling it for any game. And then I found this little game and besides the old-school graphics and music it was the description of a short game that caught my interest. And that it only cost 11 SEK (which is like what, 1 € or $?). 

So it begins with a pirate or adventurer arriving at the titular Vanguard Island in search of the Vanguard Relic. You explore the island and find the dungeon and defeat the boss and get the relic, the end. Yes, that was pretty much the whole game. There is a house on the island where you can get a life potion (which I didn't get till after finishing the game and start from the beginning to see what I missed). 

It looks good, sounds great and is rather fun playthrough. You have the option to play with a friend for some co-op. It basically a short Zelda game, they even references the old man in the cave at the start,  even use the same line, although it was just a sign telling us about the 2-player mode. 

Now, it feels like this is actually a tech-demo for a bigger game they would be working on. I would hope so. There is a lot of empty spaces on the character menu for more items beside the bombs. So, for a short break it is fun, no more than 15 minutes of play, if even that.

*After some googling* Well what do you know? They are actually developing a sequel and it's supposed to come out in Q4 2023? Sign me up!

A DnD Tale: Waterdeep: Dragon's Heist - Underwater Fantasy

 

Under the water where the seaweed grows
There is a world of fascination
Beneath the waves is where the coral glows
There is a world of jubilation

Another session with the main group. I should probably have read the last post since I forgot they gave the nimblewright detector away to the private eye. And instead they spent the whole session walking around using the detector in every district... oops. Lucky most things didn't have anything to do with the nimblewright, I just made them do all the side-quest for the different fractions. For example they went to the Blackstaff Tower to ask for the pinecone that the city watch dug up from the ground in the fields, which they want to send back to the wizards of the wine. The Blackstaff just scoffed at the request, but gave them a quest to look for a bronze dragon in the harbour. They went there on their off day, got a fisherman to take them to some sunken ships that have been reported as the place where some kind of fish creature had been observed. The fisherman believed it was a triton. They dive in with some potion of water breathing they got from the Blackstaff. There they find this young bronze dragon that have collected so much treasure it can and hiding in the shipwrecks, all while getting more "shiny-shiny". They convince him to stop stealing from above land and just take what have fallen into the water, and they also give him one of the platinum masks they had from Barovia, and realising that they actually are a lot more loaded than they thought. He warns them off the "big shadow" he has observed in the water that makes that awful noice and frightens him. They get some dates and head back to to land to investigate.

At the harbour they get to the harbour office and checks the logs of the ships and notice that the ships that have been here during the observed dates is their own ship and three ships belonging to a Captain Zord. The dates also corresponds to incidents like the fireball and Graalhound villa attack. They check the ships and discovers a nimblewright on the ship, but the crew sends them to captain Zord that is on his flagship the Eyecatcher. He dines with them and tells them of the nimblewrights he got from the island to the south and how they help in their parades and also working as servants. They return and report to the Blackstaff. Rest of the days they meet the inspectors and invite them to their pub, but also get information like Davil Starsong still in custody and they are cracking down on the Zhentarim operatives and that they soon will get Istrid Horn (which our heroes helped escape from the city last time). They also met Mirt who gave them a mission to help a friend to the Harpers that have been attacked by a monster and is currently holed up in her home trying to kill her cat. Our heroes investigate and are attacked by a gazer, the same type of monster they encountered while walking through the sewers in the first session of Dragon's Heist. 

Next, Hope is contacted by the flying snake and a friend of Davil who want to meet her in the cementery. She need their help in investigating the disappearance of a halfling noble and they begin looking in the dock and south ward getting a meeting for the next day with the halfling. They are also tipped of by the Zhentarim that Floxin might be looking into kidnapping Renaer again so they ask Mirt to set up a meeting with Renear in the morning. And here the session pretty much ends. Not much in actual story, but they got more world building and to look for their own quest... or the quests I hinted at least. They are pretty much prepared to break out Davil themselves. I have to retcon the nimblewright stuff next time and get them to just walking around promoting their pub. I should probably set up that the necromancer steals the pinecone from the city watch so that they don't pester the Blackstaff about it. I have a couple more side-quest so that they are in phase for the next part when finding the nimblewright. Should probably get the necromancer side-quest they haven't done, but give it to another faction. 

A DnD Tale: Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft - The House The Gods Forgot

Cornwall and the harbor
Where witches went mad more than once and
Until this day
In dreams at least
The lighthouse at Lost Christabel
Squat and hugely tilts
Upon the strand where Grandad's house was built

A continuation of the dnd side-story two of my sisters are having. After taking care of the ordeal of Hope waking up in the cellar being rescued by van Richten and Immeral they decide to investigate the cellar portion a bit more, they find a storage room behind the wine cellar, but its isolated and the roof seems to have caved in. They at least find some treasure and a key. They do notice that one wall sticks out and looks like the tower portion of the house. They go back to the tower, but find nothing that looks to lead to the bottom. Immerals wall of secrets seem to indicate something in the wall, but no way to get there. They decide to climb the tower instead, but halfway there a mighty wind blows down on them while they hear the scream of someone falling over and over. Van Richten is the only one strong enough to get past the wind and reach the top, from there he throws down a rope to help the others climb up and pass the wind. Doesn't help Immeral as van Richten rolls a 1 and Immeral fails the strength check so he rolls down to the bottom of the tower. They tie a rope and pulls him up together. At the top they find a chalk circle with the mark of the Raven and a crimson red armour belonging to one of the previous owner, Mara Silvra. The armour has no magical properties or so, but they get that they can use the armour as an exhibit back in Ravenloft so they pick it up to bring it with them after the adventure. Every way a capitalist.

They climb down... or fall down since none of them could withstand the strong wind. And afterwards goes up to the second floor going from room to room. Nothing much happens really beside some strange sightings, the best being when Hope enters the morning room and see a big eye looking at her through the window. And then while looking in a tea cup see the dried leaves forming a screaming face with a missing eye. They also finds an office where they look find the will of Loren Halvhrest and the deed of the house. Van Richten is able to pocket a pistol with 49 bullets (since it's anachronistic to the playstyle of my sisters and it makes a rather weird continuation error if my sisters use it in the main campaign) and another key he hands over to the pair. They also finds the balcony and then goes up to the third floor. As they enter the third floor they hear a clock chimes 13 times. Van Richten ask them to return to the parlor for another seance as the spirits seems restless. The spirit of Theodora tells them again to "SEEK THE WHITCH STONE" and then showing a candle. As the seance ends they hear the sound of thunder and rain outside. They go to bed and this time Immeral awakens in the study as a phantom accountant places sins and good deeds on scale weighing his soul. The ghost asks him to repent before vanishing before his eyes.

The storm is still raging outside, but they have deciphered Theodoras words as they learn that a witch stone is an ornamental stone that lets witches rest on the roof during their nightly travels. So they got to get to the roof. They enter the balcony and the rain pours down. They uses a grappling hook and is able to climb toward the widows peak and locate the chimney. Unfortunately the roof isn't stable and the bricks tends to careen down if one steps on them. They tie a rope to the ladder to the third floor (which they realised they could have used instead of climbing on the outside) and at its end tie a rope for each that attach to themselves as they try to get to the chimney. All fails so they end up hanging from the roof. Hope is able to get up to the chimney and tries to help Immeral while using her tail to secure herself. Which fails and she gains one level of exhaustion. 

Been watching a bit of Thunderbirds so now I can only hear this action music during potential disasters, that we used as that scene played out.

After a couple of more attempts with the rain pouring down they all get to the chimney and find the witches stone. They place a candle and lights it while using a brick from the chimney to protect it from the rain. They use the ladder down to the third floor and back to the parlor. They light the fire and tries to dry their clothes. As night approaches they use the spirit board again and are given another instruction from Theodora, to "RESTORE HER SHIELD" and then showing them a vine with flowers. They go to bed again and Immeral wakes up in the master bathroom in the tub and sees the words "Bloody Mara" written in blood in the mirror. And the session ends. 

Not much happened really this session, but the action scene on the roof was rather fun. A problem so far seems to be that the adventure enjoy a lot of strength checks like acrobatics to succeed, both passing the wind in the tower and climbing over the roof to the chimney and none of the characters in play are strength based (Hope getting out of the wine casket was another one from last session). Hope has the highest strength modifier with a 0, Immeral and van Richten both have -1. Maybe should have allowed acrobatics skill checks instead of the suggested Athletics since it was kinda one-sided. Then on the other hand, they at times rolled so bad it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Wii U)

 

"I'm a captain of a ship

My ship is charmed, and called Plutonia."

After Ocarina of Time I got a bit tasty for another one, but which one to play? I just bought the Wii U virtual console versions of the DS Zelda games since the eshop was shutting down so I gotta play it? Released originally on the DS back in 2007 I got it first day and played through it twice if I recall and nothing after that. I have very few memories of this game, mostly about sailing and collecting ship parts. Nothing about the dungeons or bosses besides the final boss and the Temple of the Ocean King... helps a bit that you constantly travels to it. 

Story is a direct sequel to Wind Waker where Link and Tetra and her pirate crew are sailing across the sea in search of the Pirate Ship that terrorise the ocean. They find it, Tetra jumps on it, disappears, screams and Link follows after but ends falling into the water. He dreams about Tetra being captured and wakes up on an island where a fairy named Ceilia takes him to her grandpa that tells Link how to fight the evil of the ghost ship to rescue Tetra. Collect three fairies corresponding to the triforce, Courage, Wisdom and Strength. 

After that you enter the Ghost Ship and finds Tetra, but she is now petrified into a stone statue, so you learn that grandpa is actually the mythical Ocean King that was sealed away by Bellum, the evil that controls the ghosts ship. To defeat it you need the Phantom Sword... which doesn't exist so you gotta get three ores that you then create the sword from. You get the sword, get to the bottom of the Temple of The Ocean King, defeats Bellum, Tetra awakens, Bellum merges with the ghost ship, you blast it open, Bellum possess Linebeck (the owner of the ship you have been using during the adventure), you stab him in the back and the games over, the end.

It was fun replaying it since it's probably 15 years since I played it so it feels like a completely new game. Problem was getting used to the controls again, but once I got a hang of it, it was kinda enjoyable. Interesting knowing that every gimmick the DS could hold was used for this game, you gotta use the microphone to talk to people, fight some monster (just like the original Legend of Zelda on the Famicom), the game is completely controlled with the stylus and the original at one point you had to close the lid on the DS to print a map onto your map, which they fixed by pushing the home-button on the Wii U. I played the screens separated for most of the time, except on the damn archery mini-game. Which I also used the save-function to get past it. Don't think I cleared the mini-game back in the day.

It might not have the amount of dungeons or such like the other Zelda's (just 7 dungeons, that's like Zelda II numbers), but it has a lot to do if you have time to spend. Collecting ship parts, salvage treasures, fishing, archery mini-game, cannon mini-game... mostly to get ship parts, but it can be fun to build your own ship, a bit disappointed to learn that the numbers of hearts only correlates to the numbers of parts from the same set. I also checked my old save and saw that I missed a heart and a couple of gems for the different fairies, but I had every single treasure collected through the game without selling it... cash bonanza!

Overall, a fun game. Is it in the bottom of the Zelda games? Maybe, the graphics are a bit rough and the music is pretty much just Wind Waker music recycled so it doesn't stand out in anyway. A bit small as mentioned with very few dungeons and such. But I like Linebeck so that is a plus. Was a bit worried when I realised that all items you had to change in real time against enemies, but since I just brute forced my way through the Temple of the Ocean King and defeated him even though badly hurt by the phantoms and such you can take some hits and being slow. So I should be able to play it again when I turn 50.

The 7th Guest (Book)

 

Welcome Back!

For some reason I seem to like to get novelisations of supposedly horror games. After playing the 7th Guest I looked on TV-Tropes and got a bit more backstory on the game, and I think everything was taken from this book. The first chapters being the intro sequence from the game with Stauf how he murdered the church-going lady, got visions of a doll and then began selling them. Inbetween each of the Stauf chapters there is a time jump to the "present" and how each guest got the invitation and setting up their motivation. Edward Knox meeting a couple of hired goons that want to cash in on his debt, Martine that returned from New York after she was dumped by her then boyfriend and feeling distanced from this small town and wanting something grander, Brian Dutton who have nightmares about seeing the death of his brother as he fell into the lake and drowning while they were iceskating which gave him the opportunity to make something of himself, Julia that have been fired from her banking job due to being drunk on her job and finally Hamilton Temple, the former stage magician that have grown to old to continue his acts of magic.

Interesting set up for the characters, but most is given to Henry Stauf and what drives him, namely the voices in his head. It appears the book hints that Stauf is given instructions by some spirits from another dimension, demons or something, and their goal is to accumulate enough child spirits to open a portal to earth so that they can pass through and wreck havoc upon the world. We could probably guess something like that was happening due to knowing that children were trapped in the dolls and how he seemed to have demonic powers at the end, but it is neat to have the end goal spelled out. Something that wasn't explained in the game is that after the murder he is taken into custody, but are not suspected on the murder due to another drifter being caught stealing the coat of the victim (which leads to that person hanging himself after two days of "questioning" by the local police that even roughed up Stauf for begging, according to the police at least). The money he got went to pay back the latest victim of a theft he caused, but I thought he used the money to get some drinks that then lead to exchanging the doll he carved for room and board. But the doll was all he had. 

After this it's basically going for the people arriving at the scene and every scene is described in chronological order so you get what is happening since the game is a bit out of order. Which is a strength since you have the scene of Julia strangling Hamilton fairly early creating this feeling of what happened? The game has the advantage of seemingly giving different death scenes, Hamilton either gets strangled by Julia or is killed by an apparatus in the lab, Dutton either gets stabbed by Edward or gets some flesh eating chemicals that eat through his arms (I thought at least while playing the game, I mean, his room lead to a laboratory). Martine seemed to escape unharmed in the games if you look past the turning into a monster in the crypt or disappearing into the bath, in the book she just dies in the crypt as Edward is killed by Hamilton, which probably also shows a bit of problem with the book since it tries to tie up loose ends and it doesn't always succeed. An example is, how did Hamilton get to the lab? It is past the chapel behind Duttons room and the book just hand-waves it that he went through some doors and ended up there. Same near the ending as Julia is just sent from one floor to where Tad is and then is brought up to the attic to Stauf. They explain it that the powers behind Stauf alters the house for him.

Overall, a couple of scenes was added that you didn't see in the game. First is the things that happened they describe in the library scene (the one that gates you from continuing after doing some puzzles), the mad choir Dutton hears, the blood running in the basement that Elinor experience and some kind of Lovecraftian horror that Hamilton sees in the library that tries to get through the glass-doors. Then we had two scenes with Elinor, the first is after looking through the mace in her room she gets a vision of a man sitting beside her and beginning kissing her, but she resist that as it then turns into Stauf. Which is interesting since it mirrors Edwards fall as he is seduced by Martine, but he doesn't even try or not for long at least. The second scene is as she goes to the attic after learning about the children together with Hamilton and she begins the transformation to the mannequin. Which is kinda horrifying. One scene that disappeared was the bathroom scene with Martine, I guess because nothing actually happens, no dialogue, it was more selling on its sex appeal which isn't that easy in the book. Maybe if they had done it like a thing before the library gathering, but she was sceptical which means they would have to redo the scene. 

One thing that bothers me in both the game and the book is that the ending doesn't make sense. The main player is playing as an older version of Tad that now have gotten a second chance to make right (I assume it failed the first time since they all haunted the mansion) and somehow send Stauf to the devil. The book makes an explanation that the souls of the children channeled through Elinor Knox (that is described to being psychic, or almost the Shining  from the Stephen King novel) somehow allows the good ending to happen. It's a bit messy. And it's ends very abrupt like in the game, but I wonder if Tad escaped the mansion (all adults are pretty much dead so that ain't happening). And if that happens, how is Tad's future version supposed to exist? I haven't been able to play the 11th hour as of yet and it doesn't appear to be a book version, the only book is some children book.

Final note, it was decent enough, probably only for those that have played the game. Which makes the book better since you can hear the voices of the characters as they speak. Especially Hamilton and his overacting style. I mean... REAL Magic, could STAUF do this, FOR ME? It's awesome!

Shining in the Darkness (Sega Mega Drive II Mini) (1 000 post)

 

Guess the magician is evil?

So what shall be the first game to play off the Mini II? What's this? A game made by the people behind the Golden Sun-series? And it's an RPG? Sign me up! This is Shining in the Darkness, the first game in the Shining-series, that would turn into a tactical strategy fantasy game. But at its start it was a dungeon crawler rpg.

Game starts with you, the son of Mordred, the greatest knight of the realm (which I named ERIK since it had a 5 character limit and my real name has 6 characters in it, that and I didn't learn that his official name is Hiro until way later) being summoned to the king since Mordred and Princess Jessa have disappeared and is believed to being held in the nearby Labyrinth of the Ancients. You set out alone and delve through the first level of the Labyrinth until you defeat the first boss and finds the Royal Tiara belonging to the Princess. As you take it to the king he tasks you to find a party and rescue his daughter. You find your friends Pyra Myst and Milo Brax in the nearby town and together you set out to find the Princess. Pyra being a wizard herself and Milo being a cleric we have a power-trio dnd party.

Turns out she has been kidnapped by the magician Dark Sol so you have to traverse the trail of the Ancients, consisting the caves of Strength, Courage, Truth and Wisdom to climb to the higher levels of the Labyrinth. I played the game first on the Wii Virtual Console when I lived with my parents and I thought I got pretty far, I had my hand-drawn maps of the four caves and the first two floors of the Labyrinth, turns out there was 3 more levels. So I got to complete my maps after like 8-9 years. Yeah, I found my old maps so that made the early stage fairly easy, as soon as I was able to figure out what I meant. 

Graph paper, an adventurers best tool for exploration.

You finds out that Dark Sol is actually the wizard Melvyn that have acted as a consul for the king and even told you about the trail of the ancient. On the 4th floor you find Princess Jessa trapped in a cell and the key protected by a brainwashed Mordred that you have to kill. You break out the Princess and returns to the king and then prepares for the final battle against Dark Sol. You have decked out your knight with the light arms, Milo with mythril equipment and Pyra with everything left. Without grinding I got up all characters between 56-51 levels and that was easy enough. Dark Sol's motivations wasn't that clear, at first it sounded like he only wanted the power of darkness that was sealed in the Labyrinth, but as I faced him he talked about finally finding someone that could challenge him. He got vaporised anyway after his second form was defeated. You return, becomes a first knight and lord of a castle, Milo joins you while Pyra becomes the apprentice of the wizard Xern, the former master of Melvyn... is that really a good thing? He already created one dark lord and Pyra does have some evil tendencies since in her first appearance she puts slow on a person that bumped into her that we then had to save from the Labyrinth when he got caught there.

It was a fun game. Music catchy and the graphics was really nice. I could clearly see where Camelot got some of the graphical ideas that they used later on in Golden Sun (menus and such). There is a nod to Golden Axe with the Weapon Merchant being the dwarf from those games as well. Problems? The menu systems would need an overhaul since it's a lot back and forth to find what you want in the shops and that there is no easy way to see if equipment is better or worse when you look at them is a rather irritating nuisance. But it's at least worth trying. Lastly an interesting thing I noticed on the statistics of the characters, the mage characters Pyra and Milo has so much higher ground stats for defence meaning they actually take less damage until the end game when the main character gets the light arms. I get why, you got a lot more amor for the fighter, but it feels weird in a dnd way that the mage at least is bulkier (since I currently have a cleric dwarf in the campaign I get they can take some damage).

This also seems to be the 1 000 post I've ever done! Only took me 15 years to reach, and it all began with me travelling to the US to study international relations... didn't get much use for that in my career, but at least the internship allowed me to get the job at the public agency. Here's for another 1 000 posts!

Sega Mega Drive Mini II

 

Now it looks almost right!

It arrived, the second mini console from Sega made by M2, the first one I wrote about back in 2020 just before the global pandemic hit all supply chains stopping productions on most things. Now it's 2022 (as of writing) and it looks that the world economy is about to tank after post-pandemic cuts in the welfare states, housing crashing, inflation rising and the Ukraine-Russian war still continues. So why wouldn't I get the console that looks like the one I owned as a kid and let nostalgia surround me and just hide from the world outside? I also spent some time waiting for confirmation of any European pre-order and when it was released I put in the pre-order for it on the British Amazon and got it without problem during my autumn holiday week. Thought I would have some problems with the Brexit deal, but I think I lucked out since then the British government imploded sending the £ falling meaning I might have got it a bit cheaper since the order was in £. Thanks Liz Truss! (Topical Political Humour, the brand of a political scientist)

More serious, what was in the box? The console, some cables and only one controller, but it was a 6-button one, so If I ever want to play Street Fighter I have a perfect controller. The best button is the mode-button which that takes you to the system menu so that you can save your game, restart or get back to the main menu and choose another game. The games then? It has 60 games total, 12 being Sega CD games and 7 being unreleased games (I think, it says presenting on the back but Space Harrier II is on both mini consoles and I don't know why). Not that many games that haven't shown up before in compilations or virtual consoles, especially the CD-games. The only games I got before are Phantasy Star II, Shining Force II, Shining in the Darkness, Sonic CD, Golden Axe II, Alien Soldier and I think I got Ristar on a Sega compilation. They even got ToeJam and Earl 2, famous from the Clan of the Grey Wolf-review!

In actuality, the game selection isn't that grand and I was a bit happier with the first console. There are some omissions that I would have liked, for example the Lunar games, but I understand that it didn't get added for the western release since the owner of the english localisation wanted a bit more payment for the english translation and you got them on the japanese version. As stated in my post on the PC Engine mini console, I would have liked the Sega CD version of Snatcher so that I actually could play it in english. Neat with some of the CD games that I only seen on youtube reviews, like Night Trap and Sewershark... but they look awful. Night Trap I get is re-released not that long ago that makes it look good and probably a better purchase than the original Sega version.

Still, I gotta say I like this song.

Is there anything else that the console does? There is some games that have gotten updates. For example Phantasy Star II that got an easy mode where EXP and gold is given out in higher amounts, diminishing the grind, which makes that probably the best version to play since I've heard that is one of the problems with the original version (that I now own 4 versions of, Wii Virtual Console, PS3 compilation, Switch compilation and now this mini console).

Is there something else? I don't like that the manuals are locked on the web, should have been accessed from the menu so I could read it directly on the console (especially when certain games need it to understand what the hell I'm doing), but didn't happen on the first console either. As mentioned above, I already got the Space Harrier II (and on the Switch compilation as well) and it's a bit of a cop-out with with Ecco CD since they gave me Ecco on the last mini console as well, but that is 2 out of 60 games so I can overlook that. And I assume the CD version have better music. I would say to me I will probably play most games on here before any other version (at least Wii and PS3 due to simpler save functionality and ease off start and quit the console, which goes for all mini consoles, only my Switch would be easier).

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Turtles in Time (Arcade) (Switch)

 

They're heroes in a half shell and they're green!

The second arcade game of TMNT games. Now Kraang appears on live television and steals the Statue of Liberty so the turtles suit up and fight on some construction that takes them to the sewer where Shredder sends them true a time portal to prehistoric time so the turtles gonna fight their way back to stop Shredder and his evil plans. After prehistory they end up on a pirate ship captained by the mutants from the second TMNT movie and then a train ride in the wild west. If I wouldn't know better it sounds like the music for this stage sounds like Sunset Riders? And coincidently they both came out in 1991. The boss is the alligator dude.

If it's the alligator dude I read in the comics he apparently was some small time thief that stole a crystal ball from a witch and while in New York dropped it into the sewer where he encountered the witch again and was turned into the alligator dude (I don't recall his name). That was terrifying as a kid and the worst part was that the comic was at least a 2-parter and we only had the first issue. So I don't know what happened.

After that they travel to the future, first a futuristic city on earth where they fight Kraang on a highway and then a starbase from the year 2100. After that back to 1991 and the final confrontation with Shredder. A much easier game, proven if not by a much lower death count. Started with 101 (added an extra life by accident) and ended on 52, almost 25 lives less spent on this game, and it felt like I did a lot better as well. A better game overall than the last game. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade) (Switch)

They're the worlds most fearsome fighting Team!

Something short, the Arcade version of the Teenage Mutant Turtles game on the Cowabunga Collection for the Switch (and other platforms). A fire burst out in Apil's apartment so the shelled crusaders set out fighting through hordes of footsoldiers and mousers to rescue April and later on Splinter from Shredder, Bee-Bop and Rocksteady, Baxter Stockman, Kraang and... the rest of the bosses I don't recognise. After April's apartment it's the streets of New York, above and below followed by a factory that is the entrance to the Technodrome where the final confrontation of the Shredder. After his defeat the Technodrome explodes, our heroes escape and the game is over.

I was a huge Turtles fan as a kid, which is strange since we didn't have the series, but our neighbour had several of the episodes taped on a VHS. The ones I recall is one where some crazed scientist invents a machine that freezes people (where the ending is Donatello hanging frozen over a pit of acid or something) and one episode where a vase contained a genie (?). We got some comics from my cousins that also had the NES-game. The comics was based on the TV-series and not the original comics run or something. I got a Raphael toy with a motorbike that turned into a helicopter as well. And I saw the first two movies when we borrowed it from the neighbour when they came out.

Not much say about the game, short, brutal at least for one player (but it's solved with infinite continues). Started with something like 108 continues that ended somewhere just above 40. Would have liked a bit more recovering frames after each hit since I got pummeled over and over by the last bosses. No stake with the arcade version, but still,  quarter muncher is a rather telling description of the game.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Wii U)

 

LINK! He Came to Town!

He came to save the Princess Zelda!

As of writing it has just been Halloween and I have my yearly autumn semester to recharge the batteries after been working for 3 months straight (besides the one sick day due to Covid I got after the Swedish election). I intended to play Bayonetta 3, but my copy didn't show on time, and maybe that was good enough so that the controversies around it got known (and solved as far as I know). So I went on to my other choice of game that was Ocarina of Time which I haven't played in ages and that was for the 3DS. So I played it on the Wii U version since I have it on the TV (gotta use those 65 '' for something). 

So it begins with Link being woken by a fairy and a summon to the Great Deku Tree. The Tree have been cursed by a man from the desert so Link enters the tree to fight Gohma which is a throwback to one of the bosses of the first game (and I assume the entering the tree is also a reference to the first dungeon of the first game). Leaving you get the Kokirik Emerald and the quest to seek Princess Zelda in Hyrule Castle before the Deku Tree dies. Link leaves and find Zelda that send him to find the other spiritual stones, one is the Goron Ruby that you get from Darunia after saving the Gorons from the Dodonga infestation in their food cave where it was sealed by Ganondorf from the Gerudo desert... I think we found the one responsible for the death of the Deku Tree. The third stone is in Zora Domain, the Zora Sapphire that you get from Ruto after rescuing her from Lord Jabu-Jabu's Belly after she got lost there. Returning with the stones to Hyrule Castle Link is almost run over by a fleeing Zelda and Impa (her nursemaid) that are being chased by Ganondorf, leaving you with the titular Ocarina of Time that you need to open the Gate of Time with the Song of Time in the Temple of Time to reach the Sacred Realm. But as you open the gate and find the Master Sword you are transported into the Sacred Realm and put to sleep for 7 years as Ganondorf followed you and take the Triforce and rules the land.

As you awake you are greeted by Rauru, the Light Sage and one of the Seven Sages who gives you the light medallion and sends you back to the Temple of Time, where you meet Shiek that instructs you to awaken the other 5 sages. You gotta travel to the Forest Temple to rescue Saria, your childhood friend of the kokiri, the fire temple where the Gorons have been abducted by Ganondorf to be feed to an ancient dragon if you and Darunia can't stop them. The Zoras meanwhile have been frozen in ice so you and Ruto gonna get to the Water Temple and restore Lake Hylia. After that you get back to Kakariko village that is under attack from the Shadow Demon Bongo Bongo that Impa sealed in the well, but now have escaped to the Shadow Temple. The last is the spirit temple that is beyond the Gerudo desert where you have to travel back and forth through time in order to save Naboro of the Gerudo from Twinrowa, the gerudo sisters that raised Ganondorf. After awakening all sages Shiek revels his true form as Zelda and the seventh sage. She gives you the light arrows and is immediately kidnapped by Ganondorf and taken to his castle. The sages creates a rainbow bridge that allows Link to enter where he once again destroy the six seals that allows the sages to destroy the barrier of darkness and allows Link to climb the tower where he face of against Ganondorf and rescues Zelda. After the battle the castle is collapsing so both of them flee and then Link has to face Ganondorf again, but this time as Ganon. In the end Ganon gets the Master Sword square into the head and Ganondorf is then sealed into the Sacred Realm by the sages. Everyone celebrates, Zelda sends Link back in time to live out the 7 years that was sacrificed so that he would defeat evil. The end!

Now the Children don't play!

But they will when Link saves the day!

HALLELUJAH!

It isn't as majestic as playing it for the first time back in 1998. I recall that dad got a call from the video game store that they had a copy left since it hadn't been claimed and I assume we weren't one of those that had a sure way preorder. He of course went and got it and he started up the game and played the first part in getting the sword and shield. It took us weeks to get through the first dungeon. I recall I was the first one getting to Gohma, but my arachnophobia got the better of me (plus I didn't get how to use the slingshot so I couldn't stun lock him fast enough). My sister got in second and defeated him so that we finally could leaves Kokiri forest. Dad was able to get Dodonga Caverns and we got to Jabu-Jabu, but I couldn't stomach (haha) the weird claustrophobic feeling inside with the jellyfish and tentacle monsters. I think we got the guide after that and it still took a long time, but I was able to get through the dungeon with a lot of coaching. So we probably already had the game for half a year at this point. With a guide. Then dad beat the Forest temple and I was able to get through the Fire Temple and after a lot of time got through the Water Temple, and then I stopped since we got to the Well and Shadow Temple, the scared little child I was couldn't handle that. Took me what, 4-5 years to get through the game and that was going on a restart and reading the guide from cover to cover (which took away some surprises like Sheik being Zelda, but since it took me 5 years it might have been excused). I recall finishing it in the summer when I was home after getting some chemical pollution at my summer work that made me sick. 

I wish I had it on a N64 mini console with the right controller, cause even though modern controllers are a bit more comfortable the fact that the game is rigged with the c-stick instead of c-buttons make certain aspects of the game harder. It's a bit flimsy with using the c-weapons if you happened to stray only a little (so I changed everything to c-> since it appeared to be the least messing up). Why not activate the d-pad for the c-stick as well so I at least could play the ocarina a little bit better? I had to change every button for the frog mini game since it didn't work with the stick. It at least forced me to learn how to close the tablet since I wanted to use my pro-controller. Especially since the battery is 80 hours compared to the 3-6 hours for the tablet, plus since my charge died a couple of years ago I had to use a usb-charger with separated cord, but sadly the charger gets a bit fried if it is on at the same time. So now I ordered a new charger that can handle the voltage. 

Game still decent, got 100 %..., well, I did't do the race to get the cow, but it was nothing you really needed anyway. Graphics are a bit dated, but I'm used to them and I find them rather charming. Music is amazing. Nothing beats entering the Temple of Time and hear the song of Time by that chanting choir. The dungeon themes on the other hand are all really eery and haunting. I would like them to get the 3DS version on Switch so that we can get the graphical update as well as better control schemes (getting iron boots on the c-buttons is a godsend in the water temple), maybe in a Zelda 3D All-Star Collection with Majora's Mask, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess? 

A DnD Tale: Waterdeep: Dragon's Heist - The Plot Thickens

They seek her here, they seek her there!

Those City Watch seek her everywhere!

So back into the campaign they are contacted once again by the Zehntarim Davil Starsong with yet another request, this time by getting some potions of mind reading and delivering it to a woman in a purple cloak. Easy Peasy and they earn some rather needed platinum to stabilise the economy. I mostly put it in here because it was a bit weirdly placed if you went through the chapters. Somehow it appeared like they at the end of the chapter they were in we either went from level 2 to 3 or 2 to 4. Which would screw up the game since the end of the chapter causes an event that affect Davil and take him out of the game and you are supposed to already gone past that part of the game, but I seemed to miss that. Anyway, they do the deed and start the wine delivery to the Gralhounds villa. 

 They appear in the middle of the day and knock the door to the inner garden of the villa. No sound. They enter and they hear a skirmish within the villa. They climb the balcony and find Yashal Gralhound and her bodyguard trying to block the door to the hallway as fighting happens outside. The gang agree, jumps down and enters through the kitchen and kills the two zhentarums in the hall and at the top of the stairs they see three Zhentarums fighting four guards while Lady gralhouse shouts that the city watch is on the way. They hear a sound from a nearby door where they rush in and find Urstul Floxin who tries to break down the door to a room where lord Gralhouse is hiding. They try to attack him, but truth be told I cheated a bit. Every hit landed that was supposed to land, but I gave him the ability to just run through them to get out. Didn't stop Freya to throw confusion on him, but I lucked out so that he was able to escape on his own until he shacked of the effect of confusion and could escape. I also gave him and the zhentarim full life (if they are supposed to be level 3 and they came up with level 8 I say that feels a bit more equal). Also, the zhentarim was able to push the guards into the bedchamber, block them and then began attack our heroes, which easily dispatch them anyway. All zhentarim are killed, but Floxin escapes out the garden and then the City Watch shows up and freezes the scene. 

Freeze, this is the City Watch! Hands over your heads!

The Watch is unable to capture Floxin, but is able to take statements from the survivors. The constables that have been on the case from the beginning make a snarky comment that the gang and them seems to run into each other a lot, but since they seems to have saved the Gralhounds they share some information with them what appears to have happened. The gang heads home. During the night Hope is contacted by Istrid Horn, Davils second in command that needs her help. Meeting at the cemetery the next day she tells her that Davil has been taken in for questioning by the City Watch as know operative for the Black Network. Istrid needs a place to hide during her Currency fraud and wants to stay at the gangs pub. She appears the next day completely dressed up like a male dwarf named Jorn that will stay with them for a tenday. Meanwhile the Emerald Enclave sends them on another mission to patrol the cemetery for a tenday in order to capture the Necromancer that have started troubles. After four days they are attacked by 6 skeletons that rises from their graves and they fight them off, the most damage on our heroes coming from their own attacks as Freya once again casts Confusion and hits all but one. They get paid for their job and then a couple of days later Istrid leaves the pub, paying for her full stay soo they are a bit awash in cash for the moment, so I gotta mitigate that. But first they make a visit back to the Gralhound Villa where they wonder if they should deliver the wine and also to get some information from Lady Gralhound. Freya decides to read thoughts and get the gist that the Gralhounds tried to kill Floxin that was injured from the fireball attack caused by the nimblewright that gathered the stone and now again was lost.

They recall they sent the private eye on a quest for looking into the necklace of fireball they found at the attack in Troll Skull Ally. They get to his office and he is a great way to get them to speed on everything they missed since they skipped the morgue scene as well as skipped most of the juicy information they could have gotten in the Gralhound Villa as well as alert them on the different factions fighting for the stone of Galorr. I also realise they wont like the search of the city for the nimblewright so I basically reveals his true form as a Rakshasa and gives them an opportunity to pay 600 gp and lend him the nimblewright device, which they do. And we pretty much quits there.

Things I think of adding later on the campaign. Pretty much do most of the factions quest since they add pieces to certain characters. For example they first meet the Black Viper giving her the potions of mind read in the beginning of this session, but she also appears in the Order of the Gauntlet quests and I know she appears in one of the main "dungeons" of the bad guys. They also been exposed to the necromancer that appears in the next chapter, but I'm thinking of bumping him up from a mage to a Wizard Necromancer (which I read in the Monster of the Multiverse as I put the statistics into my Ultimate Reference Guide that I uses to plan the battle encounters), it will at least be a bit more tuned to their level, even though I gotta put the cleric I made, Parker Bronzebeard, to heal and crowd control the undead. That will be fun.