Flipz

"I've got the Cleric. Em, Arnulf, Nevron, if you could take one of those Chromoids, I'll finish it off round after next." Arthur's Actions: >Arthur (Healing Staff) VS self (back): Darkness VS Cleric (back)

OOC: Free Hits are off. It should be Magnus vs Arthur (no damage, because Blind), then Chromoid A vs Boomingham, then Chromoid B vs Arthur, then Karie vs. Nevron (no damage, because Blind). I'm guessing you didn't note them because of Blind, but thought you should know just in case. "Couldn't have put it better myself, Lord Boomingham." "You're both right. Believe me. I've been there." "Turn back now, Karie. Stop this madness, or you will regret it for the rest of your life. How do I know this? Because I once stood in exactly your shoes." "Few have heard of the mission of a massive band of Heroes who left the Hall--and Heroica itself--to stop the Chaos-user Wren from becoming an all-powerful god. It is an injustice for the others, who faced horrors mortal men cannot fathom, several of whom died saving this city from her plans. But in a way it is good, for if our mission were celebrated for the heroism that occurred that night, I would doubtless be included amongst the Heroes. And that would be an injustice far greater that the city's collective forgetfulness." "I don't know if I ever told any of you this, but I'm a Chaos-user. I'm not active any more, but it's the sort of magic that clings to you, even when you leave it behind. I joined that mission, hoping to oust Wren, but also hoping to redeem Chaos, to use it for good. And when Wren stood ascended, on the cusp between mortal and divine...I declared her my goddess, and chose not to attack her. I betrayed the others, whom I had fought alongside for many battles on that awful night, and many battles before, who had protected me from beasts and demons and cannibals, who had even saved me from the fruits of my own folly when I tried to match my power directly against Zoot. I stood against Heroes, and though I realized the folly of my ways before the end, I should not have lived to be able to do so. For that act I will live in eternal penance for the rest of my days...which is eternity itself." "Do not make my mistakes, Karie. Do not follow in my footsteps. Believe me. It's not a path anyone should ever walk." Arthur's Actions: Frailty vs. Duelist (back): Darkness vs. Cleric (back): "Arnulf, leave Magnus and take the Duelist, please. Lord Boomingham, if you could put Nevron or yourself between my actions, that would spare me an Essence--as it is, I'll take both hits from the Chromoids, and I could barely handle that even at full health."

Definitely looking forward to Arthur getting to meet Passion's sister. He could use some Hope right about now... Actually, I think this has been one of your best quests battle- and error-wise since 38. I'd still put 38 as your best Quest to date, but 68 comes in a close second.

"Don't do this, Karie. You're making a huge mistake. Trust me. I've stood in your shoes. I've made the mistake of siding with evil to try and achieve good. Don't make that same mistake." "Kayla thought Ulric was a force for good, you know. Don't let the Stealer become your Ulric. Don't follow in your sister's footsteps. Please...please...don't make me have to fight you." Actions: >Blindness on Magnus (BR) >Drink Elixir from hollow Blade (BR) >Blindness on Magnus OR if already Blind, Blindness on Karie (BR)

This video series basically sums up my reaction to the Console Wars at the moment (particularly with regards to 10:30-11:30 of the first vid--note that this was posted on June 11th, so...kudos to the guy in the video for predicting the future!):

Suddenly, the horrible realization struck Arthur--he didn't need the Compass to find Karie. "Oh gods. Oh crap. Oh f***." Arthur's Actions: >Arthur uses Remedy on Syndicate Peon (Rapier) (back): >Arthur drinks Elixir from Hollow Blade Dagger >Arthur (Lightning, Hollow Blade Dagger) VS Magnus (back):

OOC: Just noticed, earlier I had put an Elixir in the hollow blade instead of the Mulled Wine, so... "The Emergency Essence would just pick me back up--but I would prefer not to use one up just yet if I can avoid it." Arthur casts Blindness on Magnus from the Back Row, repeating if he is unsuccessful or casting an Ice spell at Rapier from the Back Row through his Hollow-Blade Dagger, drinking the Elixir stored inside the blade before his second action either way.

Also note that we get a fair deal of resentment because we do earn Gold. Even when we do our best to support our team at our own expense and share the rewards, we get lumped into the "selfish" stereotype along with...I actually can't think of any Rogue who plays that way out-of-character (yes, there are Rogues who play into the selfish stereotype in-character, but they keep that in check for the sake of out-of-character fairness). The most inconsiderate and self-centered players I've seen (and no I will not name names) have all been non-Rogue classes. It can get rather hurtful, actually, to constantly get lumped in with the group. (Another reason I'm strongly considering switching classes.) It comes at a price, though--we tend to get overcharged for things (which is why we "need" a certain amount of cash--the average Quest costs me 750 gold or more just in upkeep, and that doesn't account for buying new gear to accentuate our stats), and as mentioned there are emotional tolls as well. I'd really love a return to that style of gaming, actually. (Yes, I know I bear some fault for my analysis, but it wasn't my intention to influence people to min-maxing; analysis is just something I do, looking at patterns and trends and strategies--it's a part of who I am in general.) I picked Mage when I started because I wanted to have fun slinging spells around. I honestly can't remember the last time I roleplayed with simple elemental powers--I think it might have been in Dastan, probably the infamous torture scene. Never underestimate the power of positive presentation. Five battles of treasure being looted from the room post-victory will go by a lot faster (perception-wise, anyway) and be remembered a lot more fondly than five battles of "enemy cannot be stolen from". There's a definite stamina for players as they play through a Quest--if Heroica becomes more of a chore than a hobby for someone, then they'll post less often, behave less actively in-Quest, and participate less in Heroica in general. It's especially acute for QMs, but it also happens to non-QMing players, though it's harder to spot there in most cases. It's sort of like hunger saturation in Minecraft; a hidden stat that nonetheless has a HUGE impact on how you're able to play. I'll have more on the power of presentation later, once Q70 is over.

Why is everyone looking at me? Those damned scraps of paper are basically ARI on steroids, with the Tonics being Tripto. (Yes, I just finished watching a Heavy Rain playthrough, why do you ask? ) I, at least, really enjoyed watching 68. The plot point at the beginning explaining which Hero was which could have been a little better-explained, but that was the only real negative criticism I had of it. I definitely think that it needed this specific party; without Althior's roll-free undead, or his and Ellaria's ability to revive, or Atramor's awesomely broken build (kudos for proving that an optimized build doesn't have to break battles for everyone else, by the way), the party would have been so screwed.%

Well, never thought I'd actually be saying this, but... My Scrolls and Lens? Complete waste of time and money. I can't believe I tried to buy even more before 66. What was I thinking?!

Oh come on. Why do I even bother having SP, or picking a Mage class? "Make sure someone gets Magnus and the Cleric. Avoid Rapier. I'm going to try to Stun the rest." Arthur throws his Unlucky Horseshoe at Bomb from the Back Row, then casts a Darkness Spell at Bomb through Sir Roderick's Sword (also from the Back Row) if he's successful or tries throwing his Unlucky Horseshoe again if not.

Not a "what if" for me.

"And all my Etherial might." Arthur shoots a death glare at the Syndicate foes. "If you've harmed even a single hair on her head or touched a single thought within, you will face my wrath...and all the powers of Order and Chaos combined will not be enough to spare you your fate."

Don't do that to yourself--it doesn't matter what the setting is, you can always draw thematic elements from other things even when the settings are different. One of the first things I realized when I started looking into writing as part of a professional career was that stories are universal. You could set Heroica in space or in Rome or in the modern day, and you could still find many of the same characters and many of the same stories and themes. Things would be different, but they'd also be the same--because people are people are people, always. I'm sure you've read Campbell, whose work exemplifies certain universalities of storytelling, but I'd also recommend looking into structuralism and semiotics--keeping in mind, of course, that neither is the be-all end-all of literary theory, but they're good starting points for analysis.

Star Wars is a movie series, and Doctor Who is television... For me, I pull from Star Wars and Lord of the Rings...but I also draw from less-used sources. I have a tendency to create Loads and Loads of Characters, all linked together with shared experiences, most likely due to the influence of (pre-reboot) Star Trek (think about it); likewise, I pull a lot of "ancient magitech"-type material from Indiana Jones, along with characters with a lot of expertise about the past. I'm not sure what I take from Harry Potter...it's really the first franchise SINCE the original Star Wars to attain SUCH a level of cultural immersion that you don't even notice yourself using it. Other sources: BIONICLE, Back to the Future (there is a LOT of smart storytelling in that series, particularly in the first and last films), Samurai Jack, Ace Attorney, and lately Doctor Who and .I also know I've been heavily influenced by theatre, particularly Oscar Wilde's form of linguistic wit (as seen most famously in The Importance of Being Earnest) and Neil Simon's brand of strongly human conflict humor. (Arthur owes a lot to Neil Simon, even though he's a (for the most part) very serious character.) I know I could come up with more if I thought about it, but I can already see everyone's eyes glassing over, so I'll stop now.

My first time through, I was rather young and got bored with it easily, so it took me about two weeks. Nowadays, though, I'll eat through it in an afternoon. *(Because I forgot that quotes don't quote quotes): context: The Silmarilion.

OOC: Dang it, I was going to buy that drumstick! Grr...stupid broken keyboard keeping me from getting online... "Good work, Arnulf." Arthur tosses the potion woman 550 Gold and scoops up 6 Grand Potions, 6 Remedies, 4 Elixirs, and 3 Emergency Essences. He passes one Essence to Boomingham and one Remedy to Nevron before following Arnulf down the hole.

Sarge is. Yeah, what Mizuki tries to do is VERY hard, believe me. I've tried doing it in 70, as well as trying to keep everyone up with Remedies and Potions, and it's QUITE draining on the wallet. When I run the numbers, I spend roughly 150 gold per battle, minimum, buffing myself and keeping the team alive (though I'm certain I'm being inefficient somewhere in there). Even discounting the Mead and Nostrum (Smelling Salts aid the party by letting me target more enemies and by letting me spread statuses quicker), that's 100 Gold per battle, plus whatever I choose to give away, which adds up very quickly. I'm hoping I can still earn a thousand Gold by the end of this Quest, so I have enough for both a class change and the consumables to get me through whichever Quest I sign up for. Speaking of which, I'm super excited about Doc's Quest, but I'm also torn--I'm rather interested in joining the Q50-ers for Ji Pei rep, and I'm also deathly afraid I'll miss Byblos' Quest. Thoughts?

That is strange, considering there are Heroes who want to curry favor with the Bonapartes--who require handcannons for their Expert Class.

"I will be back later. Perhaps then." Arthur moves to the food and drink vendor. "And what are your wares?" Arthur hisses to Arnulf, "Good lead, go ahead and follow up."

"Perhaps later, sir." Arthur moves to the potion shack. As he looks through the wares she has to offer, he asks, "Excuse me, miss, but have you seen anyone around these parts wearing unusually-colored, face-covering hoods? It's important."

Anyone want one of those hoods? I'm happy to accept the same sort of rates I've been offering other players.

Arthur equips his Stingy Gloves and walks over to the clothing stall. "Excuse me, sir, have you seen anyone wearing purple clothing lately? And, what sort of gear do you have that would be suitable for someone in a rough line of work like myself?"

I'd rule that as correct, considering that Guardian Angel prevents Counterstriking as well. According to the page for BKs, though, Special Dodge only passes on the Special itself. It says nothing about avoiding Free Hits. That's not how it's been run in the past, though, and I believe that includes Sandy's run on 66.

You already know how nuts my EC build is. It's not quite as nuts as yours, but with Ambrosia and Nostrum I'd still be able to take the Obsidian Dragon 1-on-1 and be completely untouchable. A battle's a battle, though, and I'm sure the Quest will be a nice long one to balance that out. (Plus that's like one of the best selling features for a Brickdoctor Quest--nice and long, lots of battles. I remember with fondness earning 10 experience increases on EACH of the last two Quests I went on with you. )