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Sass Perilla (36 KP) rated Frankenstein in Books
Aug 9, 2019
The plot and major themes. (1 more)
Further work it inspired.
Readable, but disjointed and repetitive in parts.
Contains spoilers, click to show
Fundamentally, the problem with this book is the narrator, Victor. He is thoroughly detestable. A selfish, cowardly, irresponsible, excuse ridden, narcissistic d****e-bag of the highest order. And unfortunately, it is Victor Frankenstein’s POV that we are forced into for the majority of the novel.
My hatred for and frustration with the self-pitying, feckless behaviour of the (pseudo)
protagonist made this an irritating read for me- and to an extent I think this was Shelley’s intention. Victor isn’t designed to be the likable, affable, morally “good” man fallen from grace he believes himself to be, and the horrific events that befall those around him are of his making.
However, this doesn’t make him any less grating! The "monster" (to me reminiscent of Caliban with his lyrical speech and enforced isolation, being neither man nor not man) is eloquent and persuasive when he asks his creator to account for his misdoings. So, you’ve got to ask yourself, if an infanticidal, demonic, bag of sew together corpses is actually more engaging than the main storyteller, is that storyteller really the
right character to be telling the story?
Now, with all that said, it is an important book. A work by a female author with strong female characters (albeit background characters) who was only nineteen when she wrote the initial draft. Very impressive. But, for me her youth is evident. When we teach secondary school pupils to write creatively, we often give them the ambiguous instruction “show don’t tell”, and for me the book is more of a list of horrible and horrific events told in a Chinese puzzle box style story within a story, rather than an engaging and “complete” narrative. It feels like she chooses to place focus on the wrong “bits”- for example the whole of chapter nineteen where Victor travels the British Isles, comments briefly on the local architecture of each town and city and
then repetitively reminds us that he couldn’t enjoy the surroundings because of his angst.
And I would have at least like to have seen some of the courtroom drama when Victor is tried for the death of Clerval...
So, I hate to be “that” gal, who poo-poos these fantastic works of fiction (we know they’re great because some clever-britches told us they were) but in all honesty, the novel ain’t that good, and I’ll maintain that stance no matter how clever the britches of the opposing schools of thought.
I think the continuing appeal is in it’s universal themes: parenting, nature versus
nurture; morality and scientific advancement- and the whole idea of stitching a creature out of
corpse-parts and electrocuting it to life is pretty darn cool. And there are some really effective
horror scenes, such as the vignette of Victor ripping apart project lady-monster (I kind wish she had a name- a working title- but given he can’t even be bothered to name monster number one I guess this was all too much to hope for).
It’s readable, but it’s value, for me at any rate, lies in the offshoots and creativity it has spawned, rather than the work itself.
My hatred for and frustration with the self-pitying, feckless behaviour of the (pseudo)
protagonist made this an irritating read for me- and to an extent I think this was Shelley’s intention. Victor isn’t designed to be the likable, affable, morally “good” man fallen from grace he believes himself to be, and the horrific events that befall those around him are of his making.
However, this doesn’t make him any less grating! The "monster" (to me reminiscent of Caliban with his lyrical speech and enforced isolation, being neither man nor not man) is eloquent and persuasive when he asks his creator to account for his misdoings. So, you’ve got to ask yourself, if an infanticidal, demonic, bag of sew together corpses is actually more engaging than the main storyteller, is that storyteller really the
right character to be telling the story?
Now, with all that said, it is an important book. A work by a female author with strong female characters (albeit background characters) who was only nineteen when she wrote the initial draft. Very impressive. But, for me her youth is evident. When we teach secondary school pupils to write creatively, we often give them the ambiguous instruction “show don’t tell”, and for me the book is more of a list of horrible and horrific events told in a Chinese puzzle box style story within a story, rather than an engaging and “complete” narrative. It feels like she chooses to place focus on the wrong “bits”- for example the whole of chapter nineteen where Victor travels the British Isles, comments briefly on the local architecture of each town and city and
then repetitively reminds us that he couldn’t enjoy the surroundings because of his angst.
And I would have at least like to have seen some of the courtroom drama when Victor is tried for the death of Clerval...
So, I hate to be “that” gal, who poo-poos these fantastic works of fiction (we know they’re great because some clever-britches told us they were) but in all honesty, the novel ain’t that good, and I’ll maintain that stance no matter how clever the britches of the opposing schools of thought.
I think the continuing appeal is in it’s universal themes: parenting, nature versus
nurture; morality and scientific advancement- and the whole idea of stitching a creature out of
corpse-parts and electrocuting it to life is pretty darn cool. And there are some really effective
horror scenes, such as the vignette of Victor ripping apart project lady-monster (I kind wish she had a name- a working title- but given he can’t even be bothered to name monster number one I guess this was all too much to hope for).
It’s readable, but it’s value, for me at any rate, lies in the offshoots and creativity it has spawned, rather than the work itself.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Quests & Cannons in Tabletop Games
May 17, 2021
Fantasy Yarharrr! The isles have been borne and offer wondrous resources, but only for one o’ ye. Gather yer factions and fight for control and survival, or suffer a fate worse than death… which, in this case, is extinction! Okay, this is way less dramatic, but the stakes are high when bunnies, eagles, and piggies battle on the high seas for control of the islands and assurance of their race’s survival.
Quests & Cannons is a giant melting pot of mechanics rolled up into a cute little package with an interesting modular board with multiple setup options. In it, players take control of one of the aforementioned animal races and board their ships to claim islands and exploit their resources. The first player to amass 15 or 20 prosperity (VP) by the end of the game will reign victorious!
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
There are so many steps to setup, and about a thousand bits and pieces, so I will save both your eyes and my fingers explaining. However, once setup, it should look somewhat similar to the photo below. Each player receives their own upgradeable ship board to track resources, action points, and other game-necessary components, along with a specific character and matching boat token.
On a turn, players will have three action points they may spend in any order on the following actions: Movement, Gather, Attack. Movement is one nautical hex in any direction per action point used, unless a player uses one of their sails. Sails add one hex to a movement and is spent for the rest of the round. The thing to keep in mind with movement is that different tiles affect movement in different ways, so luckily reference cards are included in the game. Once a ship discovers a new island, the player receives one coin and a Quest card in addition to flipping over the question mark Island Feature Tokens. These tokens show specific resources, which Quest cards require to be completed, at specific locations on the board.
Players can spend an action point to Gather resources from an island. Players are able to fill up their ships’ holds with as much of the resource as they wish, and it can be replaced with other resources on future turns.
Map Clues are cards that can be worked on during play, similar to Quest cards, and usually require an action point to be spent. These are special circumstances, and the action points are not available to be spent on every turn. Similar special circumstances include visits to Outposts, Trading Posts, and Starting Spaces. These spaces allow players to buy and sell items, and upgrade and repair ships.
The last option for action point spending is by attacking. A player may Attack another player when they share the same space on the board. The attacking player spends an action point to fire their cannons equipped on their ship. The ammo is tracked and represented by ammo dice. Once rolled, the attacker scores hull damage for every four pips rolled. If the ship takes as many or more hull damage than they have HP hearts, their ship sinks. Fortunately, this does not eliminate the player, but they lose many resources and coins, and will need to respawn at their starting location.
The player who earns 15 or 20 prosperity (depending on game mode) from attacking players, completing Quest and Map Clue cards, and possibly some other secret methods, will win Quests & Cannons and leads their race to eternal glory!
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, but I’ll tell you what, if the finished project comes with even slightly better components, it will be a monumental accomplishment. This is one of the highest-quality home-made prototypes I have ever received. I know most art and many items are final, but everything is on the table for upgrades, with a successful Kickstarter campaign. The colors are great, the art is fantastical and amazing, and it looks phenomenal on the table. I really enjoy the different characters with their unique special powers, and the double-layer ship player mats. Everything has its place and is organized beautifully. I am very excited to see the final product that Short Hop Games achieves!
This kind of game is really right up my alley: head-to-head combat (without player elimination), exploration, and pick-up-and-deliver. The only thing this is missing to be the perfect Travis game is a deck building element, but that certainly wouldn’t fit here. Quests & Cannons is chocked full of mechanics that, I believe, work really well together to provide a great game experience without adding a ton of complexity. The hexploration is strong, and the pick-up-and-deliver mechanic is tasty. All the mechanics, components, and artwork synergize so well that I am surprised this is a title from first-time designers and publisher.
What I like most is that though the rules are plentiful, once you get them down you have a wonderfully fun versatile game that can be played with many different group permutations and modes. The variety in setup options are endless, and the rulebook offers nine or ten different setups. The game also comes with lots of extra map bits, so any player could dream up several unique setup options at any time. The Quests are great, and the Loot cards (though I didn’t mention them in the overview) offer lots of ways to improve players’ strategies. With the abundance of upgrades available and unique special powers, this one is a big winner for me.
If you are in the market for something a little different, with a great theme and interesting combination of mechanics, then Quests & Cannons is certainly worth a look. I am very excited to follow the progress and the campaign for this one. I think backers will be receiving an incredible game with excellent components and tons of replayability. Now to challenge my wife so she can mop the poop deck with me.
Quests & Cannons is a giant melting pot of mechanics rolled up into a cute little package with an interesting modular board with multiple setup options. In it, players take control of one of the aforementioned animal races and board their ships to claim islands and exploit their resources. The first player to amass 15 or 20 prosperity (VP) by the end of the game will reign victorious!
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
There are so many steps to setup, and about a thousand bits and pieces, so I will save both your eyes and my fingers explaining. However, once setup, it should look somewhat similar to the photo below. Each player receives their own upgradeable ship board to track resources, action points, and other game-necessary components, along with a specific character and matching boat token.
On a turn, players will have three action points they may spend in any order on the following actions: Movement, Gather, Attack. Movement is one nautical hex in any direction per action point used, unless a player uses one of their sails. Sails add one hex to a movement and is spent for the rest of the round. The thing to keep in mind with movement is that different tiles affect movement in different ways, so luckily reference cards are included in the game. Once a ship discovers a new island, the player receives one coin and a Quest card in addition to flipping over the question mark Island Feature Tokens. These tokens show specific resources, which Quest cards require to be completed, at specific locations on the board.
Players can spend an action point to Gather resources from an island. Players are able to fill up their ships’ holds with as much of the resource as they wish, and it can be replaced with other resources on future turns.
Map Clues are cards that can be worked on during play, similar to Quest cards, and usually require an action point to be spent. These are special circumstances, and the action points are not available to be spent on every turn. Similar special circumstances include visits to Outposts, Trading Posts, and Starting Spaces. These spaces allow players to buy and sell items, and upgrade and repair ships.
The last option for action point spending is by attacking. A player may Attack another player when they share the same space on the board. The attacking player spends an action point to fire their cannons equipped on their ship. The ammo is tracked and represented by ammo dice. Once rolled, the attacker scores hull damage for every four pips rolled. If the ship takes as many or more hull damage than they have HP hearts, their ship sinks. Fortunately, this does not eliminate the player, but they lose many resources and coins, and will need to respawn at their starting location.
The player who earns 15 or 20 prosperity (depending on game mode) from attacking players, completing Quest and Map Clue cards, and possibly some other secret methods, will win Quests & Cannons and leads their race to eternal glory!
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, but I’ll tell you what, if the finished project comes with even slightly better components, it will be a monumental accomplishment. This is one of the highest-quality home-made prototypes I have ever received. I know most art and many items are final, but everything is on the table for upgrades, with a successful Kickstarter campaign. The colors are great, the art is fantastical and amazing, and it looks phenomenal on the table. I really enjoy the different characters with their unique special powers, and the double-layer ship player mats. Everything has its place and is organized beautifully. I am very excited to see the final product that Short Hop Games achieves!
This kind of game is really right up my alley: head-to-head combat (without player elimination), exploration, and pick-up-and-deliver. The only thing this is missing to be the perfect Travis game is a deck building element, but that certainly wouldn’t fit here. Quests & Cannons is chocked full of mechanics that, I believe, work really well together to provide a great game experience without adding a ton of complexity. The hexploration is strong, and the pick-up-and-deliver mechanic is tasty. All the mechanics, components, and artwork synergize so well that I am surprised this is a title from first-time designers and publisher.
What I like most is that though the rules are plentiful, once you get them down you have a wonderfully fun versatile game that can be played with many different group permutations and modes. The variety in setup options are endless, and the rulebook offers nine or ten different setups. The game also comes with lots of extra map bits, so any player could dream up several unique setup options at any time. The Quests are great, and the Loot cards (though I didn’t mention them in the overview) offer lots of ways to improve players’ strategies. With the abundance of upgrades available and unique special powers, this one is a big winner for me.
If you are in the market for something a little different, with a great theme and interesting combination of mechanics, then Quests & Cannons is certainly worth a look. I am very excited to follow the progress and the campaign for this one. I think backers will be receiving an incredible game with excellent components and tons of replayability. Now to challenge my wife so she can mop the poop deck with me.
