His Dark Materials

Captivating viewing - His Dark Materials.

Every Sunday at 8pm the family is sat down in the living room, waiting for the latest instalment of His Dark Materials to start on BBC1. It's all very old school; we're tied to a channel and a time and the youngest (8) just can't get his head around why we can't binge-watch the series!

It may come of a surprise to you, but I've never read the books. Blame it on Harry Potter. When the Philosopher's Stone was released, I had so many of my friends telling me that it was brilliant and the next best thing after Tolkien. I excitedly read the book and was disappointed. I've no doubt that the series gets better (having watched the films, I imagine it's the case), but I lost the enthusiasm to go on.

Jill picked up the original trilogy quite quickly and told me it was good, but she'd liked Harry Potter a lot too and I couldn't bring myself to read it.

The Golden Compass - more of a miss than a hit?

I watched - and quite enjoyed - the film version despite its flaws, but it was not enough to make me want to read the book with any sense of urgency. So I failed to get excited about the new BBC series, and how wrong I was!

A great cast.

I'm really enjoying the series; the subtlties and complexities of the world reach out in a way the film never did. I really want to read the books now, but I'm waiting until the series finishes. I don't want spoilers and I don't want to mix my media. Visual arts are different to the written form, and there are always differences.

So far, I highly recommend this.

1 December 2019

Lost in Space

Lost in Space - some reboots are worth watching.

I'm a bit late to the party with this, but the reboot of Lost in Space on Netflix is brilliant. Every now and again, we pick a series to watch as a family. We started this before we went on holiday and watched the last two episodes.

It's classic space opera with a moderately hard SF veneer. We all really enjoyed it, and are pleased that there's a new season coming. Recommended.

We're watching His Dark Materials as a family too.

24 November 2019

Back I'll be...

The Mandalorian looks wonderful...

Curse of Strahd - S1E01: Tea with the Duchess

Tonight was our first proper session of The Curse of Strahd. The party numbers five, all level 1:

• Ser Alys de Rouge (a half-orc Fighter with a soldier background, currently the leader of the town militia of Daggerford), played by Tom (Guvnor). Lawful Neutral
• Kelwarin (Kel) (a half-elf Sorceror flush with the powers of wild magic, an outlander), played by Graham (First Age). Chaotic Good.
• Gaddock Teeg (a halfling wizard and former prizefighter), played by Alex (Doggetay), Neutral Good.
• Roscoe Tosscobble (a halfling Cleric of Life, a follower of Diancecht, god of medicine and healing, former hermit and companion of Ser Adon), played by Jag (Jagusti). Lawful Good.
• Ser Adon of House Starbright (a half-orc Paladin, from a knightly background, with two human retainers and a priest), played by Paul (dr_mitch). Lawful Good.

A completely non-human party, so I will be considering how the somewhat insular and very human inhabitants of Barovia react to them along the way. I can't wait to find out how they develop.

We are playing using Discord for audio, and Roll 20 for visuals. I have the Player's Handbook and Monster Manual on the system so the players have full access to the material to reference in the game.

Season 1 - Episode 1

29th October

The party except for Ser Adon (who has been delayed due to family matters) travel north towards Daggerford. Ser Alys has been sent as escort to bring them to see Duchess Morwen. As they near Daggerford, they hear a child screaming, and see three wolves attacking a child around five years old. [Excuse for a battle to get everyone including me used to Roll 20].

The party surprise the wolves and mostly win initiative. Ser Alys charges into battle, closing most of the gap. Roscoe Tosscobble attacks the wolf closest to the child with a sacred flame, hurting it and then Kelwarin finishes it off with a critical firebolt attack doing 11 damage and setting the corpse on fire. Gaddock Teeg casts a sleep spell and knocks the remaining two wolves out. They are quickly dispatched and the party comfort the child and head into town across the river bridge. The gate guard challenges the visitors [bit of a cock-up here where both Tom and I forgot that his character was head of the militia] and eventually, Ser Alys ordered Johnson the guard to recover the wolves' bodies for pelts, whilst they headed to the castle to see the Duchess. The child was passed to the cook to look after; once fed the housekeeper took responsibility.

The party had arrived a day early, but hearing the tale the Duchess summoned them for refreshments. They shared a rare red Barovian vintage from the Wizard of Wines and enjoyed canopees. They discussed the wolves and the Duchess explained their commission; hunt down the wolves which are raiding the hamlets near the Misty Forest and kill them. Be prepared in case there was a werewolf present. The stories coming back tell of tall wolves standing on their hind legs. The party retire, somewhat concerned about the potential of lycanthropes.

30th October  

The day of the formal dinner. Still no Ser Adon. The party meet with Zelrun Roaringhorn, a Harper Wizard who takes a shine to Gaddock Teeg. He gifts him a magic scroll to remove curses in case anyone is infected. Ser Alys has a discussion with Ser Lanniver Strayl, a Knight of Tyr and member of the Order of the Gauntlet. He gifts the party potions of heroism and healing to help them. Neither of the visitors will accompany the party. The Duchess advises caution and presents the party with a warrant of authority that demands cooperation from those who the part meets. Horses and ponies are procured, along with supplies and some silvered weapons. The part of the Misty Forest that the trouble has been reported near is over thirty miles away, partly across the country.

The party enjoy the formal dinner but know that they must be up early in the morning to start their hunt. Kelwarin charms the Duchess with elven smoothness. Roscoe Tosscobble is concerned that the secret magic amber stone he has is now pulling in eastwards, but swinging from north to south and back.

31st October - All Hallows

The party leave early in the morning, with word left for Ser Adon when he and his retinue arrive. The day is spent hard riding, some twenty miles or so. They stop at Liam's Hold before nightfall on a cold and frosty evening. Mists start to rise as the sun drops. The party called upon Baroness Gwynedd Zenhareth and use the warrant to gain hospitality at the castle rather than the Inn. The Baroness recognises Ser Alys and apologises that she is not dressed as finely as when they last met at court but explains that this is a working farm. They get first-hand information which confirms the reports of abnormally large wolf attacks. The village of Forest Gables has suffered badly, with six members of one family slaughtered and three children stolen away. The party sleep well and rise early with the dawn. The Moon is full.

1st November - All Souls

Setting off to the east, it takes until just after midday to reach Forest Gables. The hamlet shows signs of attack and shutters are secured. The party are greeted by Iverts Arksnis, one of the elders (who they don't bother to find the name off). He explains that the last serious attack was nearly a week ago, and a whole family was slaughtered at the edge of the hamlet. Before that, people on their own and animals have been taken. This has gone on for at least a month.

Set some distance out, the cottage shows signs of a sustained and violent attack with the thatch broken through and windows and shutters smashed. Inside, blood is sprayed everywhere and Iverts describes the six adults present as having been torn limb from limb. They've been buried since. Kelwarin finds evidence of distorted large wolf footprints, and the start of a trail. They follow this on horseback towards the forest boundaries through scrublands. Gaddock spots wolf fur snagged on a branch some six feet about the ground and the party starts to get an inkling of the size of the creature that they may be facing. As they reach the forest boundary, Gaddock spots a child's rag doll, dropped on the floor. Inspection shows that it has some blood on it.

It's close to an hour before sunset, so Ser Alys suggests that the party bivouac without a fire so they can ambush any creatures that come out of the woods heading the hamlet. They dig a foxhole to hide them and get out of the wind and settle down for a cold night. The mists draw in, and the moon shines eerily from behind cloud.

2nd November 

Sometime after midnight, Ser Alys is at watch when she sees movement at the forest boundary, and sees at least four shapes set off and out. Waking her colleagues, she calls out and challenges the interlopers. Turning, wolf snarls are heard out of the mist and a man-size wolf with three smaller companions turns towards the party, surprised...

To be continued on 3rd December 2019

19 November 2019

True Detective Season 3 [spoiler free]

Season 3 of True Detective.

Over the last two weeks, I've watched Season 3 of True Detective, which returns from California to the South. Set in the Ozarks in Arkansas, the landscape and setting is almost a character in the story.

There are really strong performances from Mahershala Ali (Wayne Hays) and Stephen Dorff (Roland West) as two detectives and ex-Vietnam veterans in the state police investigating the disappearance of two children. The story operates across three time periods; 1980 (the original investigation), 1990 (the reopened investigation) and 2015 (the 'now' of the story, when both main characters are retired). The story focuses upon the cost that Ali (and to a lesser extent Dorff) pay as they follow through an investigation that has been with them through much of their life.

Carmen Ejogo plays Amelia, a teacher and writer who becomes Hay's wife. The case brings them together and threatens to pull them apart again. The acting between the two is excellent. By the 1990s, Amelia has written a book on the case and is as much an investigator as Hays.

Parts of the story are dark, but the series does have upbeat moments. I really enjoyed it; it does take its time though. The pacing put Jill off the first series, and if you don't like a slow exploration of a case and its impact on the people involved, then maybe this won't be the series for you. Otherwise, recommended.

17 November 2019

11-11 Musings

On Remembrance Day, I returned home from work (where we'd observed a two minute silence) to find the neighbour's house decorated with a large digital display of a Poppy. The red bathed the street and really stood out, and made me pause.

The Poppy has been adopted by the Royal British Legion (the main veteran's support group in the UK) as the symbol of Remembrance for many years, and each year the Poppy Campaign uses it as a fundraiser. It draws its roots from a poem by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, written at the battlefront on 3rd May 1915 during the second battle of Ypres, Belgium.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!

Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

If you're British, the Poppy Campaign and the solemness of service at the Cenotaph (repeated across the country) will be part of your upbringing. As a Cub, and later a Scout, we always participated in the service when I was growing up. The observation of the silence has slowly returned to be a norm. 

In one of my favourite tracks from Pink Floyd, 'The Gunner's Dream', Roger Waters references the service, and it's one of the most poignant verses in the song. 

Floating down, through the clouds
Memories come rushing up to meet me now
But in the space between the heavens
And the corner of some foreign field
I had a dream
I had a dream

Goodbye Max, goodbye Ma
After the service, when you're walking slowly to the car
And the silver in her hair shines in the cold November air
You hear the tolling bell and touch the silk in your lapel
And as the teardrops rise to meet the comfort of the band
You take her frail hand
And hold on to the dream

A place to stay, enough to eat
Somewhere, old heroes shuffle safely down the street
Where you can speak out loud about your doubts and fears
And what's more, no one ever disappears
You never hear their standard issue kicking in your door
You can relax on both sides of the tracks
And maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control
And everyone has recourse to the law
And no one kills the children anymore
No one kills the children anymore

Night after night, going 'round and 'round my brain
His dream is driving me insane

In the corner of some foreign field
The gunner sleeps tonight
What's done is done
We cannot just write off his final scene
Take heed of the dream
Take heed

I was really surprised to see the Poppy display next door; it felt very garish and unsettled me. I think that the reaction came because I've always felt that the act of remembrance is a shared, solemn, quiet and respectful thing. The neighbour's youngest lad has created increasingly impressive displays for Christmas, New Year and Halloween; they've all been fun celebrations and, in my head, I was linking the Poppy display to them. It seemed disrespectful as a result.

I fear that the Act of Remembrance is starting to become a Festival of Remembrance when people compete to have the best display. You see it with the ways and types of Poppies sold now, the striving in the media to be seen to be the most supportive. It's a small step from remembering the sacrifices and consequences of our veterans to glorifying the wars themselves. I hope we aren't taking it.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Laurence Binyon, 1914

Green Zone

Green Zone - subtitles written by goons.

I caught up with Green Zone this weekend; it's a film that I've been meaning to watch for a while, as it was directed by Paul Greengrass and stars Matt Damon. It's set in the immediate aftermath of the fall of Iraq in the second Gulf War and explores the murky politics that made the cause for war, including the falsification of the existence of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs).

The story follows the NCO lead of a team sent to find WMDs, Chief Warrant Officer Miller (Damon) as he gets increasingly frustrated at all the WMD sites his team are sent to being empty of weapons or evidence, despite the information supposedly being confirmed by a source.

He stumbles upon evidence that the US Administration may have falsified the claims for WMDs and becomes drawn into a rivalry between the CIA and White House teams. Miller is horrified that they may have gone to war on a lie; the CIA operative he is linked to is more concerned that if the Army and Police are disbanded, the country will explode into civil war. The search is on for the source who supposedly corroborated the presence of WMDs.

It's well shot, taught and energetic, and sympathetic to the Iraqi people.

I was frustrated by the subtitles though; they refer to the Iraqi soldiers (dressed as civilians) who are defending the senior Iraqi Army officers as 'goons'. Completely the wrong word to use when the film is trying to be sympathetic to a people whose country has been invaded on a lie.

Overall, a good film. It's on Netflix at the time of writing.

27 October 2019

First Impressions - The Sprawl: Mission Files

Mission Files - scenario frameworks for The Sprawl RPG

I've always had a soft spot for cyberpunk ever since I read William Gibson's Neuromancer as a teenager. I had lots of fun playing the first edition of R Talosorian's Cyberpunk RPG and even more fun running several one-shots and mini-campaigns of Cyberpunk 2020. The first edition of Shadowrun also featured pretty heavily in my early gaming.

I backed The Sprawl as a Kickstarter on the premise that it looked like a well-focused Powered by the Apocalypse engined take on the genre. This proved to be the case; it delivers 'play to find out' approach to the neo-noir genre, and the mechanics of actions clocks are used to drive the missions that the characters take. The heart of a mission hangs around the legwork that the characters do to plan the mission, and then the actual action. If you create noise when you do the legwork, the action is harder, or may even come to you. The mechanic uses two linked action clocks to drive it (count down clocks with linked escalations).

Mission Files was one of the stretch goals for the Kickstarter; a collection of ten mission frameworks for the game that the MC can use to run as one-shots or as part of an ongoing campaign. I have the PDF and the hardcover book version (which is lovely). The cover is a neon-noir city at night. Internal art is predominantly stylised photographs. It is a 107-page book, available from DriveThruRPG. There are two versions - midnight (white-on-black text) and noon (black-on-white text). Clearly, the more cyberpunk version is midnight!

The book opens with a discussion on how to use the frameworks that follow, focussed around the unanswered questions. It also describes how to lift and re-skin elements for other scenarios.

Why frameworks? Each mission is described in the same structure. You won't find maps or detailed NPCs; they are left to expand up as the play requires. The framework structure is effective:

1. Executive Summary - the mission in a nutshell
2. Code Dump - key points about the mission including what character archetypes it's best suited to.
3. Unanswered questions - for the players to research or find out in play.
4. The Meet - descriptions of the Fixer starting the mission and how the characters are drawn in.
5. Mission Directives - key milestones that trigger experience.
6. People and Places - key locations, non-player characters and plot elements
7. The Clocks - as a minimum the Legwork and Action Clocks, and sometimes others.
8. Running the Mission - advice on how to run the mission including observations from playtests
9. Hacking the Mission - advice on how you can twist the mission or re-use elements from it.

Each mission is around 6-8 pages in length. They all have simple three-word titles in a very Robert Ludlum style; The Boyle Recovery, The Bogatyrev Jam and The Cazares-Bell Obsolescence to give three examples. They vary in complexity; some have the potential to be world-spanning chases, and others are a 'simple in and out' mission. The missions will need some light work from the MC, but that's entirely in line with the ethos of the game. Much of the events will develop in play.

Overall, I like this book. The missions catch a real Gibson-esque vibe and the way that they are structured leaves the MC plenty of scope and space to make them their own. The framework structure is worth lifting.

The book could also easily be used for another system such as Cyberpunk 2020.

Recommended.

27 October 2019

Thinking of the iPad

The iPad mini in the wild.

Out and about in Wetherby this morning, I needed to get some designs approved for a function and knew I was likely to bump into one of the decision makers if I dropped into the local Saturday Coffee Shop at the Methodist Church*. I’d sent the designs out by email first thing, but knew there was little chance that they’d seen them, so I grabbed the iPad mini.

I’ve had this iPad since the mini 4 came out; it still feel fast. It’s very portable, and I have it in a Logitech keyboard case that is a predecessor of the versions on the iPad Pro models. It’s a really portable computing device, especially as I have a 4G SIM so data access is available most places. 

I met up with my contact, we reviewed the designs and signed the posters off for print. I’d pulled the designs off Dropbox (which I still rate more highly for reliability than iCloud**), and we reviewed the price quotes on the emails.

This set me pondering; could an iPad replace my Mac?

I think - especially when equipped with a hard keyboard - it could go a long way to doing so now. Certainly much further than it could have done back in May 2010 when I got my first iPad. I think it’s approaching an 80% device. I still prefer the familiarity and flexibility of macOS, but for most of my day-to-day activities the iPad would easily cut it.  If I wanted to go the design side of things, I suspect that I’d need to go to a iPad Pro in one of the larger sizes. In fact, one of my dilemmas with the iPad is whether I get a new mini when I upgrade, or go back to something around 10”. It’s something I’ll consider more when I eventually upgrade my iPhone 7; the new iPhones have bigger screens and that may well influence my decision to go large or not.

That said, when writing I do prefer a decent screen and keyboard. I completed most of my work for Lyonesse using the Lenovo Chromebook; this has a decent (but small) screen and a great keyboard. Plugged in with HDMI to an external screen, it handles two monitors with aplomb and gets the job done. I’m hoping to pass the Chromebook onto Nathan next year and upgrade to an ASUS C434, which looks great.

So coming back to my original thoughts; could an iPad replace my Mac? My answer at the moment is ‘no’, but it could go a long way towards doing so.

* Best Bacon Butties in Wetherby
** iCloud is borked on my desktop, refusing to sync so I need to log everything out and in again.

26 October 2019