#root-maps-stats

[rootclan-files]

Hi an update is coming eventually i am just crammed w school and life but have a figstar who is relieved that i only have 1 moon 3 page left

[hgfictionwriter]

Changes

Jessie Fleming x Reader

Summary: Jessie’s used to change, but lately life has hit her with one thing after the next. When her best friend announces she’s leaving, she’s left wondering where it leaves her.

Warnings: none

A/N: Short little comfort piece based on this request.

“You haven’t had any of your tea,” you noted as you watched Jessie out of the corner of your eye.

She reacted slowly. After a few moments giving you a small noise of acknowledgment before she sat up on the couch and took a brief sip of her drink. She set it back down without a word or look.

Janine delivered her news today and Jessie had been very quiet and subdued all evening. She relayed the update to you over text earlier like it was something so trivial and commonplace. You’d asked questions, but even now as the day drew to a close, she very purposefully didn’t elaborate further.

You and Jessie hadn’t been together all that long, just a few months, but you knew her well enough to know that you shouldn’t push. She’d reveal more when she was ready.

So here you were, both quietly sitting on the couch, each immersed in a book. You read the same few paragraphs over and over, thoughts going astray and losing focus, made worse by how you noticed Jessie hadn’t flipped a page in several minutes.

Eventually, Jessie shifted, restless almost. You kept your eyes fixed on your book knowing it was best to let her come to you. In time she cleared her throat and spoke into her book.

“Janine’s leaving - moving away, getting married. Heck, who knows, maybe she’ll have kids soon. Sinc’s retiring. Maybe leaving, too, to be closer to her family.” She sighed quietly, opening her mouth to speak and stalling. She sighed once more. “I don’t know.”

Jessie set down her book and sunk further into the couch. She picked at her fingers absently and was quiet for a moment before giving you a fleeting glance.

“I guess part of me feels like maybe I’m falling behind in some way.” She stared vacantly at the floor before shifting again with another small sigh. “Or being left behind. I don’t know.”

“Hey,” you interjected gently, resting a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t react. “Even if it feels that way, no one’s intentionally leaving you behind. They both love you a lot and you’re important to them.” You struggled to find the right words. “I can’t say for sure, but it seems to be the nature of your work. It’s not easy to put down roots or stay in one place for long. That must be really hard though.”

Jessie exhaled, letting her head fall back against the back of the couch to stare up at the ceiling.

“It is,” she said simply.

“And you’re not falling behind. National team captaincy. You’re a consistent starter for a Shield winning team. The list goes on.”

“The National team is great, but there’s so much bullshit too. I’m doing what I can, but I can’t help but feel like I’m not doing enough,” she sighed, rubbing her forehead. “And I don’t always feel like I’m gelling with the team here. I may start, but I don’t know, sometimes I feel like I haven’t necessarily made the impact I’ve wanted to.”

“There’s absolutely no road map for what the national team is going through. You led them out of a near impossible situation. I’d say you did exceptionally. And as for the Thorns, even if you feel that way, your stats say otherwise. It’s still a new team for you, it’s okay to feel like you’re still finding your place.” You sought eye contact with her, which she offered briefly. “And I think we both know you’re your worst critic.”

“Well. Considering my best friend is leaving to be closer to her fiancé and to, you know, build her life and career and I’m sitting here feeling sorry for myself instead, I’d say I deserve some of that criticism,” Jessie said with a slight edge in her tone.

“Jess,” you said softly. “You need to be kind to yourself right now. It’s okay to feel bad or upset. I’m sure you were supportive when she told you and we both know you will be in all of your actions. You can still feel what you feel and be a good friend - all things can be true.”

She was quiet a moment longer before chancing a brief look at you before shifting and rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

“I don’t know. It just feels like a mess,” she said with a huff. “I guess I’m questioning some things now too. A big part of why I came here was to play alongside her and Sinc and in a few short months every aspect of that will no longer exist,” she relayed. “And I left Chelsea with so much confidence that this was the right move, that I’d never grow or get more of a chance there, but things have changed so much over there now I’m wondering what would’ve happened if I’d stayed.”

You cast your gaze downward for a moment, a pang going through you at her words. You hushed it immediately and refocused on her. This wasn’t about you.

“That’s understandable,” you said. “A lot of variables have changed. You couldn’t have known that would be the case though. You made the right decision for you in the moment and that’s really all you - or anyone - can be expected to do.”

She nodded quietly, eyes still trained on the ceiling. You tried to not let your emotions get the best of you. As apprehensive as you felt by this shift, Jessie was not yours to keep. You couldn’t and wouldn’t ever want her to stay unless of her own accord.

“Is that something you want to explore?” You asked, keeping all implications and judgement out of your voice. “Talk with your agent? See what options you might have?”

She shook her head right away. “No. I’m just - just talking. You’re right, I need to give myself time here. I’m just in my head. And being hard on myself.”

She offered you a small smile.

“And in some ways Portland feels more like home to me than London did even after three or four years,” she said. “Not only just lifestyle-wise, but I wouldn’t have met you if I didn’t come here.”

Despite her words, all you could muster was a half-smile that you hoped was reassuring.

“You do seem at home here,” you chuckled, but soon grew earnest. “But, if you wanted to explore other options, I hope you know I wouldn’t hold you back. That’s the last thing I would want to do. I love you and want to support you in wherever your life takes you.”

You did your best to seem nonchalant. “We’re still new, I’m aware of that. So I hope whatever you choose to do, that it’s with solely you in mind. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Jessie turned to you now, her body language opening up as she looked at you. She took your hand.

“Hey, I know we’re new, but I love you, too. Even if everything was falling apart here - which, it isn’t, even if I’m talking like it is - it would all be worth it because I got to meet and fall in love with you.”

You held her gaze, digesting her words before smiling and nodding your acceptance.

“That’s really sweet. Thank you. I really hope you feel like there’s still a lot of good for you here - outside of me,” you said.

“I do,” she said with a soft smile. She released a quick breath, looking away before meeting your gaze again. “I just need to remind myself that everyone’s on their own path. Janine has hers. Same as Sinc. And I have mine too. They don’t need to always be parallel or intertwine. I just need to adjust.”

“That makes a lot of sense. You came here with a particular expectation and vision and it’s turning out differently than you pictured. It’s normal that you need some time to adjust.”

Jessie sighed, more contentedly this time and leaned her head on your shoulder. A rush of warmth and affection went through you and you kissed the top of her head. She wrapped her arm around your middle and cuddled in.

“Thank you for being so sweet,” she said. “And patient.”

“Of course,” you told her as you kissed her head once more.

“No. Some people don’t get it. They have a hard time giving me space when I need it. Like Janine,” she joked before humming softly. You gave her a squeeze.

“She’ll still be your best friend,” you reminded her. “You’ve spent more time apart than together and you’re solid - it’s never stopped you before.” You gave her a light nudge. “You may just have to take on more media now that Janine won’t be jumping to step in front of the mic.”

Jessie groaned with a laugh. “Don’t even put that out there.”

She exhaled, resting against you more fully.

“Truthfully, I’m feeling a bit lost or uncertain in some ways, but I have trust in myself and in the process. I know even if I’m feeling apprehensive about all of the change and upheaval around me, I know this is where I need to be. And to be here with you feels absolutely right.”

[dungeon-roving]

Current monster thoughts

Baraselia - Having trouble coming up with something akin to this one. Perhaps some kind of variant giant flytrap? The main problem here is that that thing has a CR of 10. Nothing that sturdy is going down in one sword to the roots. At a loss for stats here.

Basilisk - Variant Cockatrice? Perhaps make the poison one that, like its petrifying cousins on Golarion and Melini, deal Dex damage but they just outright kill instead of turning you to stone. Two bite attacks, one kick attack?

Tentacles - Variant Canopy Creeper with a paralysis ability.

Giant Frog - Giant Frog, probably with added disarm abilities and tactics rather than just tonguing your enemies to death

Bladefish - SWARM OF DIMINUITIVE CREATURES. Marcille you can blow them up now, an axe will do nothing.

Kraken - giant (the template), giant octopus. Steal tenacious grapple from the PF Kraken.

Undine - I'm sure there was a PF2e monster that would work here?

Shapeshifters - Get a good DM, do it over discord with multiple maps, because that thing is not going to be statted.

Red Dragon - Not sure what the hell I'm going to do here to be honest. They're so different from Pathfinder dragons it's not funny.

Faligon - Variant Red Dragon from Golarion, no breath weapon but Cleric casting.

This is just me jotting down notes. Once I have a good way to stat up the Basilisk, I'll post it here. It's been a real delight rereading the manga with such laser focus on the worldbuilding this time around though.

[nebmia]

Reviewing every rpg book on my shelf: 8, A Folklore Bestiary

From the same team that bring you KNOCK! magazine, which I have reviewed previously, This is an excellent collection of folkloric creatures. What this brings, in contrast to your usual monster manual, is creatures which are still deeply connected to their stories and also much more grounded in an environment and in connection to the people who live there. These are not monsters stat blocks to lift and populate any random dungeon with.

The stat blocks that there are, which tend to make up a relatively small part of each entry, are for old school essentials so will be suitable for and b/x derived game. But the real value here is in everything else there is for each creature, so the content can be useful for a pretty wide range of games (I have even used one for a blades in the dark one shot). There is also a 5e edition of the book, but I cannot in good conscience recommend 5e content on my blog.

Each entry begins with one or more narratives to introduce the creature, often relating to different people interacting with the creatures but sometimes a more straightforward backstory if the creature has a more singular origin and story. These are great for introducing the creature, but also for giving you inspiration for how to run them in ways other than 'you turn up in its lair and murder it')

The other two things each entry has is a beautiful illustration by Letty Wilson and a number of hooks for possible adventures relating to the creature. From there on the content diverges to an array of useful sidebars and additional content specific to each creature. There are tables for things like motivations, loot, other people who might be hunting the creature, reactions or specific examples of the creature you might meet . On the weightier end some creatures have dungeons, hex maps, or short adventures associated with them and a few have a new character class.

On top of the general value of the folkloric approach to monsters the book takes, there is a specific joy in finiding the creatures that are rooted in your own region. This is much more likely if you are from europe (and even more so if you are from france) as that is where the book primarily draws from. For me this joy came from the scucca, which draws from the east anglian legend of black shuck, as I have even seen the supposed burnt paw print on a church door that is referenced in the text (It doesn't look much like a paw print).

All in all a great little book and an excellent source if you wanted to run a 'monster of the week' campaign travelling between locations and dealing with specific issues with monsters that are deeply tied to those locations.

[satoshi-mochida]

Turok remaster now available for PS5, Xbox Series; all versions updated with new features and improvements - Gematsu

Nightdive Studios has released PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions of the Turok remaster originally released in 2015, the company announced.

Additionally, the remastered release has been updated on all platforms with new features, menu options, bug fixes, and improvements.

Get the full patch notes.

New Features

Optimized renderer for Vulkan and Nintendo Switch.

Support for high refresh rates.

Ported to Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

Improved gamepad functionality and vibration support.

Localized Achievements / Trophies.

The Brachiosaurus from a Turok beta rom has been found and recovered. You’ll find these dinos stomping around in the Treetops level.

You can now swap ammo types for the Tek Bow and Shotgun whenever you want, just like Turok 2.

The Run / Walk toggle button has been added from the original game. By moving at walking speeds on the ground, you can get closer to enemies from behind before they notice you.

You can now bind multiple weapons to the same button to cycle between them.

Restored the High Priests homing blue magic attack and the Purlins unused leap smash melee attack.

Restored the Gallery cheat code with the addition of viewing the Bosses and Turok. You can also preview animations on each of the enemies.

-New Menu Options

You can reset menu options to default with the “Reset to Defaults” menu option.

The Input Bindings menus now shows icons instead of text.

Added binds in Action Bindings menu for Changing Ammo Type and Walk Toggle.

Controller Options: Button Prompts (PC), Look Smoothing, SouthPaw (Swap Sticks), Enable Vibration and Intensity, DeadZones.

Gameplay Options: Radial Fog, Player Shadow, Enable Walk Toggle, Enable Change Ammo

Head Bobbing Options: Added strafe and jump bobbing options and you can now adjust the scale of how much the screen is tilted for each bobbing option.

HUD Options: Automap Show Player, Automap Show Compass, Show All Health Stats (Shows health when you have Armor), Show Alt Ammo, Flash Intensity, Shake Intensity, Horizontal Positioning of the HUD.

Graphic Options: Always Show Lens Flares, Antialiasing: SMAA, FXAA, FXAA Fast, Off

Audio Options: Master Volume, Audio Output, Low-Pass Filtering, Enable Underwater Music, Ambient Environment Sounds

Video Options: Switch between Vulkan and Direct3D (PC)

Save file level names are now localized. The most recent save file is marked in green. The date displayed is now in the format yyyy/mm/dd hh::mm::ss.

-Fixes and Improvements

Improvements to the font.

Fixed animated textures skipping the first frame.

Enemies that have been blown up into air are now able to fall off cliffs and float/sink in water.

Fixed the red and orange Attack Robots from having a huge melee hit radius and removed their random explosion effect being spawned during certain animations.

Reduced the frequency enemies will teleport and their animation is updated right away while teleporting in so you won’t see them pop in for a frame at the start of their animation.

Enemies that are waiting to be triggered can no longer be damaged or killed.

Fixes to enemy headtracking.

Simple shadows take into account the fog when they are drawn. Fixed shadows appearing briefly at the start of enemies dropping from the sky. Fixed shadows drawing on top of other shadows.

The Purlins melee attacks no longer play ambient bird sounds.

Enemies no longer stutter in place when they’re in their initial animation and transition to a root motion animation.

Enemies are no longer removed from the map if they can respawn when the player moves far away from them.

Enemy grenades can impact more surface types instead of just disappearing on impact.

Bosses are now affected by the difficulty setting and have a modifier for the damage they receive similar to regular enemies, to match the original version.

Humvee can no longer be knocked back when damaged and will restore its death state animation correctly when respawning in the arena. The Humvee can be knifed again allowing (glitchless) knife only playthroughs. The wheels no longer spin forever when destroyed and certain sound file paths have been fixed with underscores instead of single quotes.

Fixed Longhunter from being damaged during his non fight states.

Restored Campaigners original behavior with the weapons that can damage him and what weapons get removed from the player. Additionally you will now see your weapons get taken from you and destroyed.

Arrows will now fire from the correct player height when crawling.

Restored super arrow shot chance for enemies to drop Mortal Wounds. Also, only enemies that had the “Teleport Avoid Cliffs” spawn flag set could be hit by a super arrow shot. Corrected to be when the “Mortal Wound Impact” flag is set.

Restored Quad-Rocket Launcher original ammo usage to 4 and max ammo to 24. (48 with backpack)

Particle Accelerator / Shockwave weapon can now freeze dead enemies just like the original and also works on beetles, robots, and turrets.

Dealing direct hits to dead enemies from the Tek Bow and Shotgun explosive shells will now blow enemies away.

Exiting water from the side will now re-equip your previous weapon.

Fixed enemy explosive damage only doing a quarter of the damage to the player.

Fixed players height not getting restored when entering and exiting crawl sectors quickly. As well as after certain animations are played.

The player’s eye height is now used instead of the actor’s height to determine if the player is in water.

The player is now kept at the correct water surface height when swimming on top of the water and water friction is now applied correctly to the player’s z velocity.

Explosive damage no longer does very little damage on enemies under certain conditions.

When entering a Spirit World portal your exact position will be used when you come back through the portal.

Fish will now always try to return to their initial height position in the case you lured them up a ramp.

Falling rocks are now hidden until they are activated.

Minor fixes to a few models.

The small and large cell ammo pickup models were swapped and have been fixed.

Extended weapon models for Ultrawide resolutions.

The underwater screen color now blends to the water color and is now displayed even when the “Show HUD” option is off.

Water surfaces are now displayed at the correct height and are no longer incorrectly offset down by 8 units.

Fixed weapon wheel movement.

Fixed issues caused by interrupting map change cinematics.

Improved noclip sector positioning.

Minor fixes to almost all maps.

Fixed the Time Trial map to no longer show the help messages and play sounds.

In the Ancient City, the time it takes for the gate to raise after pushing the short timed button has been increased.

There were 2 enemies and 2 Life Forces in The Treetops level that were placed far below the floor (in the original as well). They are now placed correctly on the platforms above.

When spawning at the Mantis save point you will no longer immediately be asked if you want to save the game.

In the Catacombs, the Mantis pillars and bars around a level key and the chronoscepter piece now animate correctly.

The water in the outside area in The Catacombs level now drains correctly and will not drain again when reentering the level and stepping on the button.

Fixed audio reverb. Spiritual Invincibility no longer has reverb effects. Added reverb effects to the Spirit World levels.

Sprite bleeding for the bullet splash, fire, and waterfall steam sprites has been fixed.

Fixed artifacts around frames for sprite fx005.

The Boss and Air bar textures now look more like the original, with color.

Platforms that are moving upwards or downwards will no longer force Turok to the floor at high speeds which prevented the player from being able to jump during that time.

Fixed issues with actors z position while on platform sectors.

LifeForce pickups are no longer snapped to the floor when they start in water. Fixes the LifeForces in the level 4 water pillar area.

The precise projectile collision option now works correctly.

Projectile collision against sectors that were linked to another sector and had bridge sectors has been fixed.

Projectiles that collide with ceilings will now use the sector’s wall impact instead of their floor impact.

Particle Emitters will continue to be shown even when only partially off screen.

Particle Trails will now create a final segment when they impact an object or expire.

Fixed some effects like the pulse rifle shots not being affected by game speed.

Billboard effects are now set to use no culling.

Particle effects with the bStickOnTarget flag now works correctly. (Chronoscepter and Shockwave weapons will hit actors origin point + half height)

The Particle effects RestrictAim flag now works with the Projectile flag, and the target must be within a 90 degree field of view. This allows you to dodge certain attacks such as the Ancient Warriors blow darts if you’re fast enough to get behind them.

Lots of additional scripting features for modders. (PC)

Turok is available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam, GOG, and Humble Store.

[huggingtentacles]

Elden Ring is on sale. Dear newcomers, here is your no-spoiler guide to PvP for your first playthrough.

It's really not as terrifying as it seems. It's intimidating, yes, but it's also really fun if you're prepared for it. It does require quite a bit of preparation.

LEVEL UP YOUR VIGOR! Seriously, for a beginner you only have to care about vigor. If you find a cool weapon, you can level up just enough damage stats to wield it, but aside from that, please just level your red bar. Get to at least 25 before you even think about investing in anything else.

Make sure you have some sources of poison from the start of the game. Explore caves and poisonous areas to find greases and recipes. Poison will help against gamers with lag. Likewise, if you ever find cures to status effects, always buy them/pick them up and have at least some on hand at all times.

Move your flask from your quick bar to your pouch. This will allow you not to circle through your item belt every time you need to heal/recover FP. It's the second best habit to get used to in the beginning of the game. The first best habit is changing your controls layout to make it more comfortable for you to use crouch. Crouch attacks are very powerful in PvP AND PvE, and you should learn how to utilise them!

Fire grease is easy to make and gives you decent damage against most opponents. There is no reason not to have some. Mark places on the map where you can find Root Resin and Smouldering Butterflies close to a grace. You'll find the recipe very early if you explore some encampments.

With all of that being said, you will still probably die to your first invader or two, that's just how the game works. You die, you respawn, you get better, and try again.

What, you wish to try invasions yourself? Well.. If you're into that, you might want to check out @invaders-cookbook

That blog does have very minor spoilers, but it contains advanced advice and strategy to all things concerning invasions. You can also send me an ask about everything invasion-related!

[temporaklepticgalanty]

A Non-Comprehensive List of Aspectish Nouns

Abbs, aches, acts, aims, air(s), alms, airde, amps, angst, arcs, art(s), ash,

bags, bails, bait(s), bales, balls, bands, bangs, bark, bells, belts, bends, berths, binds, births, bites, bits, blades, blame, blanks, blasts, blight, bliss, blobs, blocks, blooms, blunts, blur, bolts, books, boons, bounds, bows, braids, brains, brands, brawls, brawn, breadth, breeze, brews, brinks, brooms, bulbs,

cairns, cards, canes, casks, cells, chains, chants, charts, chests, chords, coins, clout, clouds, cords, crafts, crows, crimes, crowds, crowns, crusts, crypts, cubes, cues, cults, cups, cysts,

dams, darts, dawns, deaths, debts, depths, dice, dreams, droughts, drums, dunes, dusks, dust(s),

eggs,

facts, fakes, fangs, fates, fires, flames, fifes, flats, flaws, flies, flint(s), flips, floods, flows, fluffs, flutes, fog(s), fonts, foods, forks, forms, fright(s), frosts, fruits, funk,

gags, gains, gales, gasps, gates, gears, gems, ghosts, gifts, globes, gloom, gloves, gourds, grails, graves, grids, grime, grit, groove(s), grounds, groves, growth, goth(s), gusts,

halls, harps, hawks, haze, heads, heaps, hauls, health, hearths, heed, heft, heights, heists, hell(s), helms, hems, herbs, herds, hills, hives, hoards, hooks, hoops, hordes, holes, horns, hosts, hounds, howls, hues,

imps, ink,

japes, jaunts, jests, jewels, joints, joists, jokes, jolts, joy

kilns, knives, knits,

lairs, lakes, larks, laughs, lawns, leaves, lengths, lines, links, loam, locks, looms, loops, luck, lutes,

maps, masks, means, meat, might, mist, milk, mobs, moods, myths,

names, nerves, nights, nodes, noise, norms, notes,

oil(s), ooze, ores, orbs, oars, oughts,

packs, pacts, paints, pangs, parts, pasts, paths, pikes, pipes, plagues, plains, planes, planks, plinths, plots, ploys, plows, pluck, points, poles, ports, praise, pranks, prayers, prey, primes, probes, proof(s), prose, pull(s), push, punk(s),

qi, quakes, quales, qualms, quarks, quests, quills, quilts, quirks,

racks, rafts, rags, raids, rails, rain, ramps, range, ranks, rants, raps, rats, rays, reach, realms, reams, reeds, reins, rests, rhyme(s), riffs, rifts, rings, risks, rites, roads, roars, rooms, roots, ropes, rot, routes, rows, rules, runes, rungs, ruts,

sails, sand(s), salt(s), sauce, saws, sax, scales, scams, scars, scares, scarves, scenes, scents, schemes, schticks, scope, scores, scorn, scrap(s), scrawls, screams, screens, screws, scripts, scrolls, seams, seas, sects, seeds, shacks, shade(s), shame, shapes, shards, sharps, shawls, shields, ships, shoots, shoulds, shouts, shreds, shrouds, sides, sighs, sights, signs, silk(s), silt,

sims, sins, sites, size, skates, skeins, skies, skills, skulls, slabs, slag, sleep, slime, slings, slits, sludge, slums, smiles, smog, smoke, snacks, smurfs, snails, snakes, snarls, sneaks, sneers, sniffs, snow, soaks, soap, soil, songs, sores, sounds, spades, sparks, spears, speech, spells, spheres, spice, spikes, spills, spines, splits, spoils, spooks, spores, sports, sprawls, sprays, spring(s), sprites, sprouts, spuds, spunk,

squads, squalls, staff/staffs/staves, stains, stairs, stakes, stamps,  stars, starts, states, stats, stealth, steeds, stems, stench, steppes, steps, stew, stitch, stick(s), stilt(s), stings, stinks, stipes, stives, stock(s), stone(s), stools, stops, storms, stoves, strain, strands, straw, streams, strength, stress, strides, strife, strikes, stripes, stuff, style, suits, sump(s), suns, surf, swag, swales, swamps, swarf, swarms, swells, swines, swords, synths,

tacks, tag(s), taint, talc, tales, tarns, tarts, tasks, tears, tech, teeth, tents, tests, text, there, things, thirst, thneed, thorns, thrills, throats, ticks, tides, tines, tints, tithes, toads, tombs, tomes, tones, tongues, tools, torque, toys, trails, trains, traps, trash, trees, tricks, tropes, trust, truth, tubes, twine, type(s),

valves, vapes, vaults, veils, veins, verse, vibes, vines, voice, vows,

walls, war, wards, warmth, wastes, waves, wax, ways, weal, wealth, webs, weeds, wells, what, when, where, who, why, width, wile, will, wind, wine, wings, wire, wit, woe, wood(s), words, work, worlds, worms, wounds, wrath, wrongs, wyrd, wyrms,

yokes, yolks,

zeal, zen, zilch.

Also, red, blue, black/jet, gray, white, gold, green, bronze, plum, cream, jade, lime, mauve, tan, beige, brown, peach, pearl, pink, puce, rose, rust, slate, taupe, teal, wheat. Colors are so abstracted that they can be made to mean anything. I'd recommend rust, bronze, gold, lime, green, jade, teal, blue, plum, pink, pearl, jet, but maybe that's just the ol’ brainworm wiggling.

All entries are monosyllabic with my pronunciation. Bolded items are those I feel are particularly potent. Italicized items are those I feel are particularly weak or otherwise humorous. Most of these are more appropriate as components of lands than full aspects, but "void" and "space" are both stretched beyond recognition in canon (not even touching blood and rage) so, honestly?, just do whatever. For best results, they should be conceived of as sets, which I can provided when sufficiently distanced from sobriety. Thematic links will elevate anything.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Are there any RPGs where the player(s) control a plant? The more realistic the better!

THEME: Play A Plant

Hello friend! Oh do I have the recommendations for you!!

Moss Creeps, Stone Crumbles by Adam Roy.

A bird perches on a tree branch, singing. A snail crawls across a bed of springy moss. Sunbeams shine through the canopy, their dappled light sparkling on the forest floor.

Moss Creeps, Stone Crumbles is a game about the slow, gentle march of nature. Using drawings and words, you’ll tell the story of a forest grove and how it changes over the course of 100 years. You can play with any number of participants from 2 through 20.

This game feels like a drawing version of Telephone - it requires each player to add something to a continuously growing map. It feels more like a creation exercise than a drawn out game, and the meditation that the author includes in the play document solidifies this feeling. If you want something simple, focused, and good for a large number of people, check out Moss Creeps, Stone Crumbles.

Undercover Houseplant, by ToriBee.

Welcome, Agent, to the most challenging operation of your career. You've been chosen for this mission due to your exceptional ability to adapt and overcome. In an unconventional twist of fate, you find yourself deployed in the field not as the usual two-legged agent, but rather a zero-legged operative: a houseplant.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to infiltrate the enemy's premises, blend in with the local flora, and gather valuable intel from the unsuspecting individuals who dare to conduct secretive conversations in your vicinity.

This is a solo journaling game in which you are a secret agent, transformed into a houseplant in order to spy in on top-secret conversations. As you attempt to gather intelligence, you risk raising suspicion using a Suspicion Score. This will raise every time you fail a Growth action, which is meant to improve your ability to gather information, or a Communicate action, which involves subtle changes in your patterns in order to communicate what you’ve already learned. If you want a solo game with a humorous premise, I recommend Undercover Houseplant!

Rooted Together, by Monroeroe.

Play with a group of friends in this journaling game (that utilizes a d6) where you are mushroom folk trying to build a community. Rules light and open to expand to whatever sort of play style you find best.

I don’t have a copy of this game, so I can’t give much of an overview for this one, but based on the price and the description, I have a feeling it’s a rules-light game and likely uses prompts, considering it’s a journaling kind of game. If you want a bit more sentience and mobility in your plant (or plant-adjacent) game, consider Rooted Together!

Mushrooms & Magic, by FeatherBoy.

Years after a mysterious series of magical Churnings, kingdoms of Mushrooms awoke in a world left behind by the Ancients, surrounded by strange beasts and remnants of ancient technology from when "humans" walked the soils. In the years following, Mushroomkind fought and explored, discovered and innovated. But Mushrooms are small, and the world is large; much remains to be learned, and countless adventures are still to be had. Will you answer the call?

Mushrooms & Magic runs using a modified Powered by the Apocalypse / Monster of the Week-like system, with new mechanics for tool crafting, abilities, and several magic types. The game only requires one die - a d20 - and makes use of just four basic stats. While not necessarily rules-light, plenty of room is left within the game's structure for players to modify core abilities and attributes (and add their own!) as wanted within campaigns, and GM's are encouraged to have fun with the setting above all else.

This is probably the farthest from your request mostly because you are more like uplifted mushrooms - with very human-like attributes such as tool use, clothing, and the desire for adventure. However, it’s probably also the biggest game in this list, with a very interesting stat wheel, which is an interesting deviation from typical PbtA games. It’s a bit more granular while using the same rule-system, and I’m interested to see what that means in play.

Where Sunflowers Grow, by Darkheart Games.

You and your friends are sunflowers growing in a field once torn by human war. The battles are long over, but the soil your roots drink from holds the memory of blood. When the memories wash through you, you share your experiences with your friends.

Where Sunflowers Grow is a game for three to six players and can be played remotely or in person. The game requires ten unshelled sunflower seeds (or ten small slips of paper) in addition to the PDF in order to play.

I think this game is the most grounded in a real setting, with the unique perspective of plants growing on a field where violence took place. Your characters weren’t present for the conflict itself, but the violence has still managed to affect your life. I really like the thematic element of using sunflower seeds to randomize the memories which your sunflowers will move through. However, this is not a game for everyone - make sure to prepare your table for conversations about violence, trauma, and attrition if you want to suggest this game.

The Flora, by Affinity Games Collective.

The Flora is a meditative structured freeform game for 1-6 players. 

In it you will play a long-lived plant, rooted in place, their history and responses to the elements, fauna, their human caretakers and the human-shaped world. The game starts with fledgling Flora growing in our present day, you will feel the marks of human activity, the shifting seasons, and the changing climate as you adapt and grow, and eventually decay and die. 

You’ll be answering questions, choosing options from tables, telling or writing stories about the Flora and the different caretakers in the Flora’s life, drawing and updating a map of the Lot on which they live, and drawing the Flora throughout their lifespan. 

It looks like this game can be played either solo or in a group. The “what you will need” list on the game page recommends a timer, so it looks like you have the ability to play the game in short bursts. The primary focus of the game is observing the growth of a plant through a series of caretakers, until it reaches the end of its life. I think there are also different options for the kind of flora you play!

Gardenborn: Knights of the Green, by Verdant Green Games.

You play as sentient plant knights called "Gardenborn" as you quest to find a long-lost Grail that holds the key to ending a devastating fungal plague ravaging the wilds.

Gardenborn is a cooperative TTRPG designed for one GM and 2-5 players. As sentient plants, you will venture into the Deep Wilds, where a plague called the Bloodrot festers. There are monsters such as Toadgres and infected stags, called Deergons. I like the stats for your characters: willow, hardy, tolerant and creeping. The game is still in its initial stages, so expect less setting and perhaps a few pieces that are rough around the edges, but the setting is lovingly present even in just the first draft!

Mossy Mechanics, by Diwata Ng Manila.

You've seen the power of the Succulent Sorcerers, you've experienced how a Petal Paladin enacts their order, and you have been beholden to the strength of the Bonsai Brawlers - now, be enchanted by the prowess of the Mossy Mechanics!

I’ve recommended the other instalments of Sin’s previous plant games, and it is only fitting that I include the last one here. You used to just be a clump of moss, but the “Other Mother” has awoken you in her first step of a plan towards world domination. Will you fight for her? Or against her?

This is such a sweet little system with the same basic stats across all games. All characters have Resist pips and Raw Magic pips, which determine your threshold for success. In Mossy Mechanics, you choose a Mechanic Form, which gives you your basic stats, as well as a Mod, which gives you special abilities. There’s also a quick little page containing everything your Garden master needs to know. If you want something cute and small and easy to run, I recommend Mossy Mechanics.

(I also have share-able character sheets for this one!)

[sheppi-isometrics]

📜Basic creature stat block for the Black Dragon (Young)

Black dragon lairs are as foul as their souls. The floors are littered with rotting meat, and plundered treasures line the muck and slime of their dank caves amid twisted roots and creepers. Such places are often crawling with pests, snakes, and slimes.

Though they claim natural caverns when they can, they make do with areas of dense, twisted vegetation within a swamp. Black dragon treasure hoards primarily consist of gems and expensive glass work, as valuables of softer substance can't survive the dragon's acidic presence.

—Source: Archives of Nethys Remastered

By supporting us on Patreon you will get access to more than 400 creatures, maps and assets! Complement your campaigns with hq hand-drawn tokens and start building the adventure of your dreams with our isometric and 2D assets 🏰!

[deramin2]

Are you looking for an escape from The Horrors that also engages with the the root problems of society like capitalism and environmental destruction while giving you a chance to make your own better society? Do you like adorable animals in a solarpunk or cyberpunk dystopia society? Then you should try Timberborn!

It's a survival/resource management city builder set in a future where humans have wiped ourselves out in a climate catastrophe and intelligent beavers are spreading out to build new cities. Help them grow and prosper while surviving cycles of drought and toxic Bad Water.

It uses increasingly advanced water physics to let you build dams, manage irrigation, and safety divert the Bad Water. It uses a 3-dimentional block grid map and allows many building to be stacked on top of each other to manage space.

Mechanically it's one of the best city builders I've ever played. Lots of stats if you really want to dig into things (although no graphs yet), but mostly you can operate on basic numbers and vibes. It's easy to learn and hard to master, but any need to master anything really only applies to late game. (Lots of influence from Banished, but not nearly as hard to survive, especially in the beginning.) The crops/tree growing planting areas are so flexible and feel more organic.

The tutorial does a descent job of getting you going and setting up a stable colony, through I felt a tad lot at first figuring out the production chain for advanced buildings (mostly because I was overthinking it). But it also gives you all that information very clearly from the build menu if you actually read it.

Don't let it being an early access game deter you. The regular release branch is very stable, the new mechanics are being carefully expanded, and Experimental Release branch players are testing out all those new features (even those releases have relatively few bugs). It has more of the feeling of Stardew Valley where the work is never finished, but each iteration is also very solid.

Behold my Tower of Babel apartment and warehouse tower spanning two different districts. And my giant Bad Water diversion channel precariously traveling over my crop lands and full of hydroelectric waterwheels, windmills, and gravity batteries. It's not visible from here, but that dam is also partially suspended over my crops and directly threatening my main city if anything fails. I love videogame hubris.

[amazinglyegg]

JAY! JAY! JAY! JAY!

The most basic survivor with the most basic story! Very long ramble about him below the cut (sorry)

Physical appearance

Short, skinny, pale (malnourished vibes)

Part way through his story he loses his eyes from a grenade and gets synth eyes as prosthetics

Has scars all over his body from that incident, as well as the average amount of scars for a wastelander

Always wears long sleeves, usually a white tshirt

Jean jacket over top with some silly little patches!!!

I am terrible at clothes so idk what pants he wears. Vaguely grey probably

Other outfits you'll see him in are any random clothes he needs when going undercover in the railroad (he keeps an outfit in his bag for synths still in their old uniform!) and rarely the Brotherhood flight suit when it's laundry day

Backpack

Big ol' hiking backpack he scavenged in sanctuary, also ties his sleeping bag on the bottom

Food, water, and caps are necessary

Sketchbook and pencil to keep him busy while having to sit around and wait, loves sketching and journalling

Teddy bear! Lovingly named Mr. Cuddlesworth, keeps him tucked away so nothing bad happens to him

Fancy Lads for any synths he comes across, also (not in the picture) a blank box filled with chems for bribing his way out of problems with raiders and the like

Uses his baseball bat, especially before he got comfortable with guns, but occasionally uses Rightous Authority and a combat shotgun

Keeps an extra knife on hand as well as pepper spray and a rape whistle, both of which he kept on his body since pre-war

Stats!

Physically weak but very perceptive - not very high charisma but his perception usually helps him along

High perception means he has very sensetive ears, which can both be useful and a problem (prone to sensory overload!)

His perks aren't based on his SPECIAL at all

Medic - he was trained as a scribe in the Brotherhood of Steel, much more comfortable healing than fighting

Vans - He's practically reliant on his pipboy to keep track of all his quests! It has a detailed map and GPS that can even give directions out loud

Rooted - He's a freeze response type of guy. 100% deer in the headlight vibes

Personality

He's a big ol' scaredy cat!

Trauma from the vault has left him absolutely terrified of enclosed spaces, the dark, and radroaches. Also dislikes loud sounds, the cold, alcohol, and chems

He likes touch and always gives out hugs and handshakes! He also likes the sun (and light), nature, sweets, sleeping, being non-violent, and brahmin

He's a crybaby and will cry at every little thing. Just give him 15 minutes and he'll be fine

He's very naive and trusting, especially starting out. He just blindly goes along with what anyone says, and that becomes an extreme as he tries to cope with how much the world changed

Everything's in ruins now? Okay. There's cows with two heads? Okay. You're going to rob me and steal all my money? Okay... wait.

Always tries to see the best in people and things, and will much rather get shot than risk shooting someone who may not be a danger to him (hey, maybe they're only aiming a gun at him because they misunderstand! We can talk things out!)

Very rarely gets angry or loses his cool - tends to just cry instead. Not too great in the wasteland!

He doesn't like kids (and didn't like Shaun, which he feels guilty about...) despite being so childish and friendly. He gets along with them great! He just... doesn't like them...

Story

Jay has two storylines of sorts, one of my first playthrough and one of my second playthrough that diverges a bit

My first playthrough is a Railroad playthrough

Jay is Shaun's older brother. Their father was a veteran and Sanctuary was a small neighborhood specifically advertised as PTSD/veteran friendly (AKA HOA had a field day with banning fireworks and loud parties, and didn't bother with much else...) - Codsworth was also part of a pack for veterans!

Jay gets some basic survival skills from Preston and the group (after becoming severely ill due to a 200yr old immune system, but whatever) and leaves with Codsworth to Diamond City

He meets Nick and joins the Railroad quickly after! However Codsworth gets pretty beaten up in Vault 114 and after staying with Arturo for a while Jay convinces him to go to Sanctuary where it's safe

At some point Jay runs off on his own to try and collect the last few of Winter's holotapes, which is where he gets cornered by gunners in Quincy and throws a grenade which bounces off the wall and back near his own feet

He was mostly blind and severely injured, and staggers his way back to Railroad HQ (thanks to his high perception + VANS to guide him) where he gets taken to Doctor Amari and gets his synth eyes

He infiltrates the Institute and befriends X6, and also finds out he's a synth after reading a terminal he was told very sternly not to look into

In the same way Shaun is sort of a test for child synths, Jay is a test for teenage synths, as well as to study personality and emotions, and how a synth would grow if they believed to be human

Barely anyone knows this, save for Father and maybe a few other scientists, so Jay keeps it a secret until the Railroad is attacking the place, where he tells Father on his deathbed that he knows the truth

Father tells him that they're not real brothers and he feels nothing for him, and Jay responds by telling Father that he loves him and that their parents would be proud of him before mercy shooting him in the head

He adopts synth Shaun and gets adopted by Nick, making a family of entirely robots (including Codsworth!)

Far Harbor comes after this and stuff happens idk this is getting very long, but DiMA is his uncle!!

The second playthrough, which is forever unfinished, is a Brotherhood playthrough, follows all the main plotpoints above with a few changed details

Instead of immediately leaving to Diamond City after Call to Arms, he and Codsworth stay with Danse and his group with the promise of food, shelter, and in-depth survival and weapon training (he's still relying on his baseball bat at this point despite his horrible strength stat)

Codsworth eventually goes back to Sanctuary (all this fighting stresses him out) and Jay does still find the Railroad and go along with them, but he spends a majority of his time on the Prydwen learning everything he needs to know

Jay's still supportive of synths but is less active in the Railroad, and he finds out he's a synth around a week or two before the events of Blind Betrayal

After Blind Betrayal Jay leaves the Brotherhood and goes for a Minutemen and Railroad ending, where the two factions sort of combine, and a lot of settlers are either rescued synths or helping the Railroad in some way

Danse is also in the Minutemen! Although he's mostly unaware of how involved in the Railroad they are - Jay is trying to ease him into it slowly but it's taking a WHILE to unlearn all that Brotherhood propaganda!

Jay isn't as active in the Railroad in this playthrough, and he's more critical of their ways of doing things. He's a bit more distant with Nick (as Danse sort of takes the roll of surrogate father) but generally the vibes are the same

These two stories somehow both exist equally in my head, so I guess they're both "canon"!

Fun facts!

Jay is a genre of person. Whenever there's an RPG and I can't tell if I should make an OC or pretend to be myself, I make Jay! He also exists in Stardew Valley!

Jay is my middle name, but not on purpose. While getting my name changed my mom offered to include Jay as a middle name (unrelated to my OCs) and I went along with it. Jay had already existed for a while before this!

Jay's original design included a hard hat. I decided it wasn't for him.

Jay disliked Codsworth and Shaun before the war. He was going through an angsty phase and was a bit jealous of not being the only child anymore. He feels very guilty about it now

He can't bring himself to go back to Sanctuary anymore so most of the Minutemen's work is done at the Castle

During The Lost Patrol he finds himself alone at the Revere Satellite Array and trades a bunch of food, water, and caps with the Super Mutants in exchange for Scribe Faris' holotags (and his life). Danse is not happy about this

Despite the fact I never travelled with Curie or Strong in my playthroughs, he's friends with them! He thinks they're pretty chill

The first person he tells about being a Synth is X6, and he asks whether he knew. X6 had no idea.

He doesn't tell Nick for a looong time because of his reaction when DiMA asks if he's a synth. He asks DiMA for advice after the events of Far Harbor before he tells Nick.

[TRIGGER WARNING beyond this point for claustrophobia, suffocation, roaches, PTSD, and suicide] He spent several hours stuck inside the vault, barely able to move or breathe due to having to dethaw in an already cold room. His cryopod couldn't open from the inside and he was slowly suffocating as the seals were air-tight. He had to claw his way through the cushioning to get to some wires that, when broken, finally released the doors.

He was still too weak and pained to move, and the radroaches started swarming him once they sensed fresh meat. They didn't do much damage to him but it was still very traumatizing

The first thing he did as soon as he got out of that room was try and shoot himself with the 10mm. The safety was on and he didn't know how to switch it off, so he gave up

Attempted suicide again a few days later after the power armor from the Museum of Freedom reminded him of the cryo pod and triggered a nasty flashback (plus the general stress of everything), but gets stopped by Codsworth. After retelling this to Captain Cade he finds out that it's not a "normal panic attack" and that he does in fact have PTSD, and that he's not allowed in power armor until he gets his symptoms under control.

[eclipsedcrystalstar]

Not sure if I’ll continue the idea, but doodles of a toon based on the Lotus as portrayed in Greek Mythology.

My idea for their mechanics if I continue the idea:

Is able to instantly restore their own stamina with their active ability. Haven’t really thought about the stats but not speed oriented, probably 5 stamina.

This Rare Twisted summons lotus tree roots across the map. Running over the roots will apply Slow 1 and Tired 2 to the toon that did so for 3 seconds. Following the roots will lead you to this Twisted’s Tree. This twisted gives out lotus items, items that work as their regular countparts but will apply a debuff {Slow, Tired, Confused} until 50% of the machines on the next floor after usage of the item are complete. The twisted also gives out lotus fruit. Lotus fruit is pretty bad as an item, only increasing stamina regeneration and can only be used when the toon is at 0 stamina. However, if lotus fruit isn’t taken at a certain time point or if items are taken first, this twisted will anger and roam around the level with the speed of Toodles, and the lotus items will disappear.

[arduousfanfare]

Thesis Statement: Blizzard wrote itself into a corner with Diablo 4 and are now trying to reconnect the dots to past games/lore.

Spoilers For: Diablo, Daiblo 2, Diablo 3, Diablo Immortal, Diablo 4. Pedantically discussing the larger pieces.

On a personal level what isn't considered spoilers, to me, is facts that are instantly found on any wiki, general lore in the basic of searches. Including game information, art, etc.

For Context: In Diablo 4: Season 3, Season of the Construct is led by Zoltun Kulle. Diablo 4 takes place 50 years after the DLC of Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls. Diablo Immortal is supposed to put the gap between Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. Between Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 it's 20 years. Between Diablo 1 and Diablo 2 it's 2 years.

The Focus: Game World Maps, expanding the world created in December 1996 with every iteration except Diablo 4 can be both good and bad.

The Problem: How each game ends, tying into the world "transformation" but poorly in the sense as with each iteration creates more disconnect.

And now without further ado...

In the beginning there was a town. It was cursed. The NPCS are few and far between but all serve specific purposes as you descend down into the darkness of the blighted church.

The roots heavily inspired by a table top game, Dungeons & Dragons. A lone hero fighitng to defeat the evil that has poisoned them. As the years go on this basic format warps significantly. There is no world map at this point. There is 3 character classes without limitations on what items and skills they can develop. The player can choose what points to invest in their basic stats and skills to invest in as well as some items will provide their own skills.

In Diablo 2 you are in a hodgepodge camp with other survivors. Two look familiar but not exactly. If you do look it up from Diablo 1 the Warrior, Rogue, Sorcerer are Prince Aiden [Becomes the Dark Wonderer and brings the blight of Diablo to the rest of the world], Jazreth [Becomes Diablo 2 Villain the Summoner], and Moreina [Becomes Blood Raven formerly of the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye]. The town of Tristram has fallen a second time and a familiar face joins the journey through the lands through an ACT structure. That is the only way to orient the world. The world if Procedurally Generated while the Camps is what orient and grounds the player.

The player can choose between multiple classes this go around with more unique basses, skill trees, basic backstories. All NPCs proceed to comment on whatever you choose. Continuing to give purpose in every step as to why the player is here.

Each ACT has a completely different Tileset, with different color enemies of similar statures mixed with new ones to continue to test your mettle against. As you progress it does feel like you are traveling the world.

Lore Point:

The End of Diablo 2: The World Stone is destroyed and exposes Sanctuary more to Heaven and Hell. Wrapping up key stories like the Barbarian Tribes being scattered without purpose after losing the stone.

Everything serves a significant purpose and is extremely detailed.

These trappings are what forms a style that people continue to enjoy today in other games based on this format of using a town to ground the player in the world. Path of Exile taking advantage of this format.

In Diablo 3 you choose your class, you are a traveler who make their way to New Tristram, talk to a Familiar NPC, meet the real Protagonist of the game, retread old enemies and plot points. You do Travel the World, you do have an ACT structure tied to the World Map. You see Sanctuary for what it is. A super continent.

You do get to visit Islands and Heaven/Hell through portals. It all comes together in an established thing.

Lore Point:

Diablo Immortal: Uses the same map and locations as Diablo 3. Continuing to bridge the game between 2 and 3.

The End of Diablo 3: You kill Diablo, trapping him with the other Evils into the Black Soulstone.

The End of Diablo 3; Reaper of Souls: Malthael shatters the Black Soulstone, the 7 Evils are released into the world, the final prophecy of Adria comes true.

Your Player Character is now a retconned child of the Nephalem, you do have a background but again it doesn't play into any significant story beat as you are not the Hero of this story. You are more of a witness.

With all that being said, laid out, established...

[On one hand, this could've been the reset that this franchise needed. This could've been a great leap forward with deepening every piece in a new but familiar space. This could've been Diablo's WoW moment. It hasn't been. This is Diablo Casual.]

In Diablo 4 you are a lost person who tries to weather the storm only to stumble into the cult of Lilith and start the journey to understand her reawakening. Only to find out you're not the Hero of this Story either and you can skip the campaign by making 1 character, get past the cutscene and forget about it. You don't have to play it at all. Which means you can get right into killing demons and getting that sweet loot.

Arguably the actual Campaign is so poorly written and with how it "ends" on a cliffhanger of the real Main Character sailing away... Its mind numbing when the entire game world has been this one significant space and islands dotting around it. Heaven/Hell accessed by Portals but Heaven is silent. Hell is developed a little more interestingly but its not enough.

The Main Antagonist of the game Lilith is devolved into a cartoon villain. There was an opportunity to present these legendary characters into a more moral grey light, possibly adding real rpg components and pushing the story forward in a significant way. None of this happens.

The map is a super continent. Each significant town is a main hub with smaller places spread out. None of the previous locations are mentioned. The character classes are back to basics with only 5 without a knight type. There are distinct tile sets but the enemies are reused/recolored like Diablo 2. There are some enemies who represent classes from Diablo 3, like cultish Zakarum and the monks. But there is no grounding. There is no roots. There is no reason.

Overall the disconnect is surreal. Even more so with "story themes" [in the clinical loosest meaning] being put into Seasons and Zoltun Kulle being hunted for in season 3. It feels out of left field. It could've been tied in better with previous game mentioned Horadrim, deepening how this continent has deep dark roots to previous games. That just like trying to renovate an old house the bones will remember what was lurking there. People have in ancient times rebuilt cities on top of the same points like the city of Troy. Each iteration pancaked on top the next to do in theory better. Building its history.

I understand this is a new game in an established franchise. I understand they wanted to go back to darker, gritty roots that feel more reminiscent of Diablo 1. I understand they took almost every axed feature of Diablo 3 and put it into Diablo 4. Dedicated PvP areas, Paragon Boards, deeper but simpler character creation with builds. Wanting to provide an easier point of entry into this. I understand not everyone really cares about Lore. I understand the first two games were made by essentially the same people/team and then the next two/three games by different people. I understand that even if the original creators had stayed on it wouldn't have made any difference and its just mental conjecture.

I don't understand the why. I can't even figure out if its the execution of these ideas that's bothering me the most or whoever is allowed to write it hasn't put in the work about it. I'm not saying we need the original team back on this because that's a boring argument. I'm saying there is no cohesive structure. No one seemingly at the wheel making these decisions in a significant way that would further the story of this particular game.

It all feels out of left field. Not disappointment. Just disconnected.

Is asking more from a Billion Dollar AAA company too much? Some would say yes. I wouldn't say so. Expectations is a loaded word. Everyone has their own biases and I wouldn't mind a Diablo MMO. But perhaps Blizzard has been clouded too long with WoW. There is so much potential but it continues to feel wasted.

[splatzposting]

Drums vs Guitar vs Keyboard Summary

Results, personal stats, review and pics under the cut! If you don’t want to spoil the results, don’t read more!!!!

Results

Personal Stats + review

Title: Keyboard Ruler +2

Total Conch shells: 31

Open Clout (average): 11314

Open Clout (total): 758088

Tricolor Clout (average): 8328

Tricolor Clout (total): 158234

I ended up getting two 100x battles and winning both!

I normally don’t like tricolor and don’t end up playing much of it, but I actually really enjoyed this map! The placement of the defending teams spawn gave multiple roots to take, and the ultrasignal placement was very open, adding more of a challenge to obtaining it! I do wish that some of the uninkable walls shouldn’t have been added.

The addition of fizzbangs was great! I like how they work with the number you can hold and get increasing as the match goes on. Although on their own they aren’t super useful, they combo well and are a great way to gain a bit of turf and keep an approaching playing at bay when multiple are used!

One small thing I really enjoyed was the colors for this fest. I feel like I haven’t enjoyed many of the color combos for splatfests, but this one was really nice! The only issue I had was sometimes on drums vs keyboard matches I couldn’t tell if a super jump indicator was pink or purple.

Pictures!

I’ve already posted quite a few pics from this splatfest, but here are the rest that I haven’t had a chance to post yet!

[satoshi-mochida]

Touhou Genso Wanderer: FORESIGHT announced for PC

From Gematsu

Publisher Phoenixx and developer Aqua Style have announced Touhou Genso Wanderer: FORESIGHT, the next entry in the Touhou Project fan game dungeon crawler RPG series. It will launch for PC via Steam on May 15.

“Touhou Genso Wanderer: FORESIGHT returns to its roots thanks to a straightforward dungeon crawl experience with tons of depth,” said Aqua Style head JYUNYA in a press release. “The story is as compelling as the gameplay, and it’s been a pleasure to work with the various artists, musicians and developers who have made this game a possibility.”

Here is an overview of the game, via Phoenixx:

After defeat in battle, Reimu Hakurei has fallen unconscious, waking in the pillaged Hakurei Shrine with no recollection of recent events. With the help of Touhou heroine Marisa Kirisame, embark on a quest to piece together the mystery lost to memory, and save Gensokyo from destruction at the hands of an unknown enemy. Defend Gensokyo alongside one of over 60 Touhou characters, each with their own distinct attributes. Dive into dungeons in search of supplies to rebuild the Hakurei Shrine to its former glory, collecting weapons, usable items, and 20 different spells along the way. Confront a cadre of diverse enemies including fairies, vampires, and supernatural shapeshifters that lie in wait during every dungeon dive. Strategically position the team to unleash melee strikes or ranged Danmaku attacks, and equip special spells that can deal damage across the entire screen. Ration rice balls and green tea to teammates to manage mana supplies, and keep an eye on Reimu’s stamina levels — she’ll receive damage over time when her levels reach zero. Advance through dungeons enacting spells to illuminate unexplored map tiles, or risk triggering traps that stun, cause blindness, spread poison among team members, or even disarm equipped gear. As a Touhou Project fan game title, enjoy a full-fledged Touhou experience with a star-studded voice cast and background music by Tatsuyuki Toyota (soundtrack, Super Robot Wars DD, Super Robot Wars 30).

And here is the Steam page description:

About

A new dungeon crawler RPG game in the Genso Wanderer series! Embark on an adventure with Reimu and friends to solve incidents! This title is a fan-made game based on the doujin game Touhou Project (by Team Shanghai Alice) as a dungeon-crawler RPG where the dungeon layout and dropped items change each time you play.

Story

In a corridor somewhere… Reimu Hakurei loses a battle and faints. She comes to and finds herself at Hakurei Shrine. She’s unable to remember anything… What had she even been doing in the first place? Having regained consciousness, Reimu sets out together with her friend Marisa Kirisame to solve incidents. Reimu must now save Gensokyo… From the various incidents, some of which she’d already solved before. —Reimu has no idea what she’s in for.

Gameplay

Leveling and Travel Mechanics

You lost a battle and ended up back at Hakurei Shrine?!

Just when you’d leveled Reimu up and upgraded her weapons, too…

Well, no need to worry about that anymore!

You get to keep your items and current level in the story’s dungeons.

You’ll also be able to fast travel to places you’ve already traversed.

Reimu Gets Stronger After Every Encounter With Friends!

Solve incidents and help those in the Human Village get through their problems…

Encountering the inhabitants of Gensokyo will help you acquire “boards” that can raise your basic stats.

Characters get stronger as you progress through the game!

Make Hakurei Shrine Better Than Ever

Restore the tattered shrine to its former glory by asking for help from Suika Ibuki, who’s settled there.

Invest in the building and facilities for more convenient travel.

Newly Revamped Illustrations

The inhabitants of Gensokyo are expressive.

Almost every character gets new illustrations.

Keep your eyes peeled for the girls’ new looks.

Almost Every Right Hand-Wielded Weapon

And left hand-wielded armor are newly drawn.

Equip them to discover the abilities each piece holds.

Now then, time to explore those mysteries!

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.

Announce Trailer

[theseventhoffrostfall]

I was bored enough to commit a cardinal sin and bought remnant 2 already. The “dialogue” will make you side with the root but once you’re out playing the game it’s a worthy sequel. Core gameplay is the same but your stats and bonuses are a little more in depth. Maps are MUCH larger and can take a couple hours to explore thoroughly. Guns are a little lopsided, I’ve got the infinite ammo cube gun which is fantastic but I’m still using the lever action rifle because no fun long guns have dropped yet. Also there’s a permanent dog companion if you choose the best starting archetype that can serve as a tank, healer, or dps.

Well Remnant 1's dialogue ranged from forgettable to pretty bad, so it sounds like 2's is up to par. A brief lookup tells me that the best character (Brabus) is now a regular character and merchant, so that's a plus.

Also there looks to be a bunch more and much cooler weapons, which is a plus.

Game seem to be reasonably bug-free, thus far?