Alright, I'll post some thoughts on 139 now. I'll probably have more to say as I think about it and after you post, Zepher. But here it goes.
For the most part, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I concur with Stickfig that it really felt like five different quests all wrapped in one, but I understand the reasons for running it as a single quest. I think that had a lot to do with the slowdown at the end, but I'll start with some positives.
First, I think the quest's best part was seeing familiar NPCs and locations and the aftermath of decisions made on past quests. Hybros had never been to Dastan, but obviously as a host of the trilogy I'm familiar with the characters and the story. And while he had been to Xu, the mission didn't have much to do with what happened on Quest #50. Still, the interactions with past characters involving all PCs was a treat to watch. Arthur was familiar with most of the Dastan characters and of course had been there for the trilogy way back when. Hoke knew Ella and maybe a few others, and Purpearl knew Chauncey. Hybros was the only one from the East quest that knew Guffington and co. already so it was an interesting dynamic that he knew so few of the NPCs along the way. More on that later. The West group was equally interesting in terms of familiarity with NPCs and stories. I want to emphasize how awesome it was seeing the consequences of previous quest choices. In Dastan, the war was over but a new threat loomed. Xu was an interesting take on a more eastern-themed game, and while the effects of the Ji Pei story arc were only mentioned and not seen, it emphasized how secluded and insulated from politics/worldly events the mountain was. It was also cool to see Haddon and Dyric's home city, I loved the character development there. Baltarok as well.
Another point I want to make is the NPC writing. Zepher, you are a master of this and NPCs react in ways that really make sense for their character rather than what is convenient for game mechanics and advancing the plot. You'll resort to that when your PCs are clearly stuck, but it'll still be subtle. I liked most of the "foreign" NPCs that we met along the way. Bellerai was pretty stubborn but I guess even dragons can't escape the traits of old age. It was neat that the one monk fro Xu didn't talk. Ella was probably the best-played NPC because of her being familiar but dealing with new problems in a new role - great character development. Most of the Etheria NPCs were hard to read but I enjoyed Iceborn for his terse and blunt responses. I agree with Flipz in that some of the NPCs in Guffington's group fell flat. Daneeka felt out of place most of the time and rather than helping the party all he seemed good at was getting injured. Felix was rather quiet but in-character, same with U'Or. Chauncey was decent and I enjoyed his interaction with Purpearl - other than that he seemed more of the lead NPC role than Guffington himself. My biggest complaint about NPCs is that Gerald felt pretty absent throughout. Besides the first bit on the ship with the gambling, we didn't get to know him any better on the quest and he didn't have much to say about the mission. Even in Etheria he left most of the explaining to Chauncey and Hope. For an NPC that was truly interesting in the previous two Guffy quests, and one that we'll probably never get to see again, I was really disappointed that he had so little to say or do before his death. This was worsened by the fact that his constituents felt like they were just along for the ride and stood by while the heroes did all the heavy lifting while not really knowing the purpose of doing so. It would have been nice to see some emotional reactions after Guffy's death, too.
Here's where I'll transition to the overall plot. I'll say that it's clear you've been planning the story for a long time now, and for a while during the quest it really felt like things were reaching a climax. But due to a number of factors things actually ended up feeling quite anticlimactic and more confusing than clarified. One reason is that the quest was never fully explained to the heroes until the very end (i.e. Passion's full explanation posted a few days ago). The motives of Guffington and co. were never sufficiently explained, and the bits and parts we did get were somewhat lost along the way. I understand that everything couldn't all be revealed at once, but the slow trickle of information didn't make sense for the NPCs, either. The most I (or rather, Hybros) got out of it was that Guffington and cohorts believed a danger was coming, for some really vague reason that happened mostly off-screen in previous quests. I don't think anyone, Hybros included, understood the motives for the quest and were kind of just along for the ride. The battles and interactions with familiar NPCs gave the PCs more purpose, but ultimately in terms of advancing the story I felt like the PCs were used a little bit. With this in mind I certainly don't blame Hoke for opposing Guffington and actually the conflict on the ship from Dastan to Xu made for the roleplaying highlight on the East quest. I also think part of the reason why Hybros fell flat on this quest was because his choices of reacting to things were limited. I decided somewhere along the way that the best way to play him without disrupting the flow of the quest was to submit to Guffington's requests and just obey the mission, mostly unquestioningly. This made the most sense to me at the time because Hybros trusted Guffington with his past experience and Guffy's help with finding the imps. But it really just made for a boring and predictable character. Could I have taken a different direction? Maybe, but the lack of input from the Guffy NPCs I mentioned before didn't make it easier. The length of the quest and pacing also made me want to focus on completing the tasks in a timely manner rather than trying to invest in roleplaying.
So yeah, the pacing killed the quest, especially at the end. I completely understand a busy schedule but I'm sure you know how we the questees feel after all that. I don't think I need to say more about this but it was definitely draining, which is disappointing because i was looking forward to Etheria and the climax of the story.
So, PCs. I agree with Flipz that the West party was much more interesting, but I disagree that the East party fell completely flat. Here's a quick rundown of my thoughts.
Guts/Scuba: A good leader as always. Blunt, to the point, and determined to complete the mission. The arguments with Zane were interesting to watch, but I could sense that Zepher was getting a little frustrated at Guts' repeated refusal at offers to compromise. Sometimes you do have to let it go in the interest of not derailing the quest. It would have really sucked if the East group got to Etheria to hear that the West group had failed. That being said Guts was a good prescence as the other PC from past Guffy quests. I wish Doc and Pandora were still around for this quest, but oh well. I was also a little disappointed to see you disappear during the last battle.
Arthur/Flipz: I guess Mary Sue would be a good to describe him in this quest, but honestly it's not much of a complaint. Arthur was consistent and Miirym's development was fantastic. You were active throughout and were a big help in strategizing. Arthur seemed omnipresent in the NPC interactions but they made sense. He also fit in well with Guffington and co. As for his and Hybros' interactions, I don't think your criticism is 100% true. Yes I think I was tired from length and pacing and was focused on completing the quest, but there were times where the two had good interactions in Dastan and Xu. And actually, Hybros had been more suspicious/wary of Arthur before the quest. This was really the first time they got to know each other.
Matthias/Stickfig: I've really enjoyed Matthias' character since he joined the game, and I think he's earned respect from Hybros. He's stout and unwavering in his beliefs but knows when to keep it to himself. It was cool having a PC that really opposed everything that was going on, but he never took the spotlight or derailed the quest. You felt present throughout and were great to have along. It'll be interesting to see where this immortality thing will lead him. I remember you saying a long time ago that Matthias was old for a gnome, so I imagine the extended life will have quite the effect on his outlook. Or maybe not, which would also be cool.
Purpearl/PPJB: I was also pretty disappointed in your lack of activity throughout the quest. I was looking forward to interacting with Purpearl but like Flipz said she/you seemed unresponsive to any advances made by other PCs. You also went completely MIA for last month and a half without telling anyone. What really drove me nuts was when Zepher was trying to speed things along for the conclusion and Purpearl was still talking to the Forge Master. It's not really fair to leave your QM and fellow players hanging like that and I hope you consider this for your next quest. I will say that her talks with Chauncey were captivating, but that's about the only time I can recall when she made a big impact.
Hoke/MDM: Like I said before, I thought his choice to question Guffy was appropriate. Hoke has maintained his quiet but tough persona since joining, and it shows. Sometimes I wish you/he would be a little more vocal during quests. Especially with Torc, who doesn't talk at all apparently. It might be cool to develop her into a foil for Hoke but right now she seems to mostly be a tag-along. You were also active all the way through so well done on that.
Dyric/Legonator: I don't have much to say because we never got the chance to interact much on this quest, but Dyric is a great character. He's quiet but also righteous, and is always trying to do what he thinks is the best thing. Glad to have quested with you again.
I'll definitely have more to say later. I really need to start keeping notes along the way rather than writing these stream-of-consciousness responses to quests, and then running out of time to complete my thoughs. I think I said the exact same thing after 129 too. But thank you for the quest Zepher!
