Messages

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General / Re: FFT - ROUND of 16 - The Out vs Brink - Heat 02

« on: Today at 09:15:39 AM »

Both really good and a tough choice, but has to be Brink - for reasons elucidated so well by better forum members than me already in this thread. Despite my recent gripes on the spoiler threads, it's a tour de force in suspenful comics.

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Prog / Re: Prog 2295 - Burns Black

« on: 15 August, 2022, 02:25:29 PM »

My Saturday Prog run ends but Monday Prog still brings delight.

Dredd Very much enjoyed this especially coming after the serious previous story: one of the things I like about Dredd is the ability to switch from grim to farce week on week. Moe Hallam's ability is daft but that's the point. Enjoyable innuendo and some lovely art from Dan Cornwell.

Skip Tracer This continues to be the low point of the Prog. I feel I've given it enough chances, had enough now.

Brink I've read the last few Brink episodes all together. Really good stuff when read together, and a good ending that just raises more questions. It's an unpopular opinion I know, but this didn't need 23 weeks build up, as Kev says above - That's almost as long as the Apocalypse War. Stretched out like that the story couldn't maintain the tension for me and the payoff wasn't enough.  Chop half a dozen episodes off and I think it would have been better.

Jaegir Love this. Things is moving along at quite some pace and I hope this doesn't mean a quick conclusion. Whilst the quest of getting the Kali virus from 3 nutcases is a bit contrived seeming, the story is interesting and exciting enough to carry it. The swampy, trippy colours are indeed a highlight. Lovely stuff.

With Nolan's adventures barely registering, excellent Prog!

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General / Re: FFT - ROUND of 16 - Lawless vs Firekind - Heat 01

« on: 15 August, 2022, 09:01:07 AM »

Clear win for Lawless here for me.

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Games / Re: Gamebooks

« on: 13 August, 2022, 10:43:08 AM »

For you knowledgeable Gamebook-ers, what would you say is the current state of the art in this genre?

That's a good question. Gamebooks are definitely niche stuff now, so the art is very variable. I think a lot of it is sadly below par but as Richard says Tazio Bettin is doing the latest FF and I've just got a gamebook with art by Neil Googe.
My Freeway Warrior books have new art and it's quite cartoony in feel - feels more modern and less classic, if that makes sense?

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Off Topic / Re: RIPs

« on: 12 August, 2022, 01:54:50 PM »

Condolences IP. It's heartbreaking to lose a devoted friend.

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Games / Re: Gamebooks

« on: 11 August, 2022, 10:59:46 AM »

I've never played that so very interested in how you get on / how it plays!

I'm sure I remember seeing an advert for the boardgame. It's qute Heroquest-esque, but had an audio element where Zargor would mock the player, or produce sound effects. Tbh it sounds incredible.

I seemed to be forever playing catch-up to Barrington, so I've ploughed ahead with the titles I own and got another five playthroughs/write-ups in the bag for when everyone else catches up to those books.

I've slowed up on purpose on the FF books as I felt I was getting too far ahead! I have flexible working and my job is generally reactive, so I can have quiet periods where playing a gamebook is possible (and actually easier than reading a normal book) so I get lots of opportunity to play them that I guess others don't. Currently I'm getting my pirate ass handed to me on Seas of Blood.

I have the first 25 (so everything up to Nightmare Castle) and then sporadic books after that. I think realistically I can do the first 35 but won't be able to go much beyond that given the cost of the books, but I did splash out a little and get myself Moonrunner and Shadow Warriors. So there's a way to go yet!

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General / Re: Forum’s Fav Thrill - Zenith vs. Anderson PSi Division Rd 5 Heat 15

« on: 11 August, 2022, 09:41:32 AM »

Zenith

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General / Re: Forum’s Fav Thrill - Nikolai Dante vs. Survival Geeks Rd 5 Heat 16

« on: 11 August, 2022, 09:40:43 AM »

Nothing wrong with Survival Geeks but easy draw for Dante here.

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Games / Re: Gamebooks

« on: 10 August, 2022, 05:48:19 PM »

Dogfish island is where the book begins. I may have passed through Flax in the book too, but I didn't pay that much attention!

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Games / Re: Gamebooks

« on: 10 August, 2022, 03:54:13 PM »

Here's that map - lots of familiar places on here:



...and because this is pretty much the only place I can show this off:

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Games / Re: Gamebooks

« on: 10 August, 2022, 03:39:59 PM »

I'm pretty sure I still died a few times in Usurper: I mainly remember being killed over and over by that stupid golem!

I'm working from home today and had a go at Assassins of Allansia. I haven't done a full writeup as I suspect it'd be full on spoilers for most, but it's quite good fun. The premise of the book is that Lord Azzur of Blacksand has put a bounty on your head for the killing of Zanbar Bone, and has dispatched a group of assassins to kill you off.
As you can tell just from that it's got lots of nods of other books, referencing a number of other places and characters, with a cameo from a FF companion of old (no, not Mungo) and I'm not giving much away by saying it ends as another book starts...

I got killed three times on my playthrough before I made the end: strangled by a hand of death, killed in combat by a Decayer and assassinated by one of the assassins in an especially gruesome way having drunk water contaminated by devil bug larvae.... that aside the book was reasonably straightforward, with two of my deaths coming right at the start and most of the fights being quite straightforward: the bulk of the assassins rely on killing through stealth and subterfuge and are therefore a bit weedy in combat, although a couple of them are brutal. That said I didn't win the book, as I got all the way to the end only to find I'd missed one of the assassins and it was game over for me! The assassins themselves are a varied and interesting lot though and they're the best thing about the book imo.
Overall it was kind of fun with it's concepts and callbacks to other books in the series but wasn't the strongest of books on it's own. The map itself seems fairly linear and you acquire a huge amount of items, most of which do nothing, and a lot of which award SKILL bonuses. This is good as the first part of the book has LOADS of ways to lose skill.

Should also note the art is pretty bad in this book, although I have a posh edition with a lovely map of Allansia in it and a great Karl Kopinski cover.

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General / Re: 2000AD Lego builds

« on: 10 August, 2022, 03:14:28 PM »

Bloody hell. That is INCREDIBLE.

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General / Re: Forum’s Fav Thrill - Brass Sun vs. Savage Rd 5 Heat 14

« on: 10 August, 2022, 09:01:23 AM »

Savage was starting to go off the rails towards the end but for me is far better - gritty, nasty, packed with action and a dubious, brutal anti-hero. Patrick Goddard draws the hell out of it as well when he comes in, from sidestreet firefights to tigers to full on warfare, and it's reminiscent for me of the glory days of Battle. The strip really peaks for me when Savage and Co are stuck on that bridge - it's desperate, tense stuff, yet still humanises the Volgans with that little plot about the birdwatcher. Yes, the dialogue is often ropey but it's a genuine modern classic for me. Gets my vote!

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General / Re: Forum’s Fav Thrill - Kingdom vs. Rogue Trooper Rd 5 Heat 13

« on: 10 August, 2022, 08:52:41 AM »

IP sums it up nicely in that Kingdom has the feel of a classic strip but done in a modern style. When it's good Rogue was superb, but that doesn't happen often enough to make it the better thrill here for me. Another vote for Kingdom

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Games / Re: Gamebooks

« on: 09 August, 2022, 09:54:56 AM »

Cheers dude. I don't think there's much of the army in post-apocalypse America tbh.
In the tradition of post-apocalyptic stuff I immediately assumed these army guys would be evil so I'm surprised they aren't (or at least yet!)

Glad you wrapped up Usurper. That fight is so cheesy, I think that's a legit way to win.
How did you do with Golspiel? I only didn't get betrayed by him because I used Shin-Ren to sus him out, but there's a load of stuff in the next book about dealing with his betrayal, so I assume it's the default setting.
Really enjoyed reading your playthrough.