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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel in TV
Feb 22, 2021
Scarily glamourises internet sleuthing
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel is the latest stylised true crime documentary from Netflix, and it’s a pretty scary watch, but not in the way you’d expect from something that has been advertised as a supernatural murder mystery.
The 4 episode documentary series focuses on a notorious hotel in downtown L.A, Hotel Cecil, and the disappearance of a Canadian student, Elisa Lam, who went missing from the hotel in unexplained circumstances and who was later found dead. On paper this has everything a true crime lover wants: CCTV footage of the victim acting strangely, a creepy hotel with a dodgy history and a lot of strange and unusual circumstances, which culminates in Elisa Lam’s decomposing body being found in a water tank on the hotel roof days after her disappearance, the same water that the hotel guests have been drinking all along. It’s a truly fascinating story and if done properly, would have been very interesting. However in the hands of director Joe Berlinger, the disappearance of Elisa Lam has been turned into a dull, drawn out affair that dangerously glamourises baseless conspiracy theories.
One of the two main problems is that this documentary has been drawn out over 4 hour long episodes, when realistically the true story of Elisa Lam’s disappearance could still have been told effectively in an hour, maybe two maximum, without detracting from the facts. And I guess that’s really the problem with The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, it isn’t necessarily all that concerned about the facts but rather just wants to create a film-like entertaining story, with the facts almost an afterthought crammed into the final parts of the last episode. It features lengthy and pointless interviews from other guests and tourists to try and give us a feel of what life at the Cecil was like, and these are entirely unnecessary, as some short exposition from the hotel manager or officers involved would’ve sufficed. Every part of this case is stretched so thinly that you almost lose track after having to weed out the truth and facts amongst all the irrelevant interviews and chatter. It isn’t helped by the narration of some of Elisa’s Tumblr posts, which comes across as cheesy and irritating rather than emotional and meaningful like it was probably intended.
What is most irrelevant and dangerous about this documentary, and the second main problem, is the focus on internet sleuths. These are mostly YouTubers who have spent hours dissecting every aspect of the case and have put forward many outrageous theories, all of which are completely laughable. But instead of mocking these idiots, this documentary glamourises them and their theories, and has dedicated more of it’s runtime to them than it has to any of the real life detectives and investigators involved. Watching these people wheel out one ridiculous theory after another had me wanting to throw my remote at the screen to make it stop. The theories ranged from the questionably plausible (foul player or murder) to the downright ludicrous - someone copying the film Dark Water, possible links to the Lam-Elisa TB test and a vast cover up jointly orchestrated by the police, hotel management and coroners staff are the ones that made me laugh and cringe the most.
All jokes aside, this focus on internet sleuths is extremely damaging and dangerous and this is illustrated by the awful accusations they made about Pablo Vergara aka Morbid, who’s only crime was to make music that wouldn’t be considered mainstream. If this documentary had focused on slamming these people and highlighting the dangers of them getting involved, then it would’ve redeemed itself. But it doesn’t, it gives them centre stage and debunking their theories is almost an afterthought. They aren’t even condemned for their treatment of Pablo despite the obviously long lasting effects on his mental health. These people are crazy and this only serves to highlight the huge problem with internet, video streaming sites and social media – how Joe public can ever think they know better than qualified pathologists and investigators is beyond me. And how this documentary can indulge and glamourise these people is even worse. From working a day job in the emergency services, I know how damaging this sort of interference and public perception can be.
The story of Elisa Lam’s disappearance at the Hotel Cecil is undoubtedly an interesting one. However in Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, the real story has been mauled and disrespected by the focus and respect given to the internet sleuths and their absurd theories. I feel like I’m being generous giving it a 3, it made me so angry.
The 4 episode documentary series focuses on a notorious hotel in downtown L.A, Hotel Cecil, and the disappearance of a Canadian student, Elisa Lam, who went missing from the hotel in unexplained circumstances and who was later found dead. On paper this has everything a true crime lover wants: CCTV footage of the victim acting strangely, a creepy hotel with a dodgy history and a lot of strange and unusual circumstances, which culminates in Elisa Lam’s decomposing body being found in a water tank on the hotel roof days after her disappearance, the same water that the hotel guests have been drinking all along. It’s a truly fascinating story and if done properly, would have been very interesting. However in the hands of director Joe Berlinger, the disappearance of Elisa Lam has been turned into a dull, drawn out affair that dangerously glamourises baseless conspiracy theories.
One of the two main problems is that this documentary has been drawn out over 4 hour long episodes, when realistically the true story of Elisa Lam’s disappearance could still have been told effectively in an hour, maybe two maximum, without detracting from the facts. And I guess that’s really the problem with The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, it isn’t necessarily all that concerned about the facts but rather just wants to create a film-like entertaining story, with the facts almost an afterthought crammed into the final parts of the last episode. It features lengthy and pointless interviews from other guests and tourists to try and give us a feel of what life at the Cecil was like, and these are entirely unnecessary, as some short exposition from the hotel manager or officers involved would’ve sufficed. Every part of this case is stretched so thinly that you almost lose track after having to weed out the truth and facts amongst all the irrelevant interviews and chatter. It isn’t helped by the narration of some of Elisa’s Tumblr posts, which comes across as cheesy and irritating rather than emotional and meaningful like it was probably intended.
What is most irrelevant and dangerous about this documentary, and the second main problem, is the focus on internet sleuths. These are mostly YouTubers who have spent hours dissecting every aspect of the case and have put forward many outrageous theories, all of which are completely laughable. But instead of mocking these idiots, this documentary glamourises them and their theories, and has dedicated more of it’s runtime to them than it has to any of the real life detectives and investigators involved. Watching these people wheel out one ridiculous theory after another had me wanting to throw my remote at the screen to make it stop. The theories ranged from the questionably plausible (foul player or murder) to the downright ludicrous - someone copying the film Dark Water, possible links to the Lam-Elisa TB test and a vast cover up jointly orchestrated by the police, hotel management and coroners staff are the ones that made me laugh and cringe the most.
All jokes aside, this focus on internet sleuths is extremely damaging and dangerous and this is illustrated by the awful accusations they made about Pablo Vergara aka Morbid, who’s only crime was to make music that wouldn’t be considered mainstream. If this documentary had focused on slamming these people and highlighting the dangers of them getting involved, then it would’ve redeemed itself. But it doesn’t, it gives them centre stage and debunking their theories is almost an afterthought. They aren’t even condemned for their treatment of Pablo despite the obviously long lasting effects on his mental health. These people are crazy and this only serves to highlight the huge problem with internet, video streaming sites and social media – how Joe public can ever think they know better than qualified pathologists and investigators is beyond me. And how this documentary can indulge and glamourise these people is even worse. From working a day job in the emergency services, I know how damaging this sort of interference and public perception can be.
The story of Elisa Lam’s disappearance at the Hotel Cecil is undoubtedly an interesting one. However in Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, the real story has been mauled and disrespected by the focus and respect given to the internet sleuths and their absurd theories. I feel like I’m being generous giving it a 3, it made me so angry.
David McK (3372 KP) rated Star Wars: Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel in Books
Jan 28, 2019
In much the same way that 'Rogue One: A Star Wars story' acts as a prequel to the original Star Wars movie (since subtilted 'A New Hope') by detailing the mission to steal the plans for the Death Star, so this is a direct prequel to Rogue One itself.
That movie starts, remember (minus the traditional opening crawl) with the Erso's hiding out on a planet before they are found by Director Krennic, with Galen Erso then forced to finish his work on the weapon that the Death Star was built to house before jumping forward about a decade or so to his daughter in a prison transport: Jynn then becoming the main focus of the rest of the film.
This novel details hiow they came to be hiding out on that planet in the first place, focusing nearly exclusivley on Jynn's parent Galen and Lyra Erso: the former a genius involved in the study of Kyber crystals (those that power the Jedi's lightsabre's) believing - at least initially - that he was involved in exploring new methods of renewable energy; the latter his wife and assistant.
Te novel takes place over a span of years: as it starts, the Clone Wars are still raging across the galaxy, with Order 66 yet to be implemented by the soon-to-be Emperor Palpatine: a character who, though mentioned, has no direct impact on the events in this at all. Indeed, the conclusion of the Clone Wars, the fall of the Jedi and the appearance of Vader are all really only background noise, 'fluff' (if you will) to the story told in this, with the novel split into three segemens: the first showing the friendship(?) between Erso and Krennic (or, at least, the latter manipulating events so that the former would believe this is the case), the middle segment Erso's work on the Kyber crystals leading up the first test-firing of the super-weapon (with Krennic keeping this secret from Erso) and the final section with Galen and Lyras growing doubts and disillusionment about the work they are involved in - doubts and disillusionments shared by the secondary character of Has Obitt who finds himself going from working for Krennic to being instrumental in providing the Empire for excuses to take over worlds to joining the (pre)Rebellion rebellion against the Empire before being captured and employed by Tarkin to spy on Krennic - yes, Tarkin also plays a role in these proceedings, albeit not to the exten he does in Rogue One, via his rivalry with Krennic.
Solid if not spectacular entry in the 'new' Star Wars canon - be prepared to find out more than you could possibly want to know, though, about crystals!
That movie starts, remember (minus the traditional opening crawl) with the Erso's hiding out on a planet before they are found by Director Krennic, with Galen Erso then forced to finish his work on the weapon that the Death Star was built to house before jumping forward about a decade or so to his daughter in a prison transport: Jynn then becoming the main focus of the rest of the film.
This novel details hiow they came to be hiding out on that planet in the first place, focusing nearly exclusivley on Jynn's parent Galen and Lyra Erso: the former a genius involved in the study of Kyber crystals (those that power the Jedi's lightsabre's) believing - at least initially - that he was involved in exploring new methods of renewable energy; the latter his wife and assistant.
Te novel takes place over a span of years: as it starts, the Clone Wars are still raging across the galaxy, with Order 66 yet to be implemented by the soon-to-be Emperor Palpatine: a character who, though mentioned, has no direct impact on the events in this at all. Indeed, the conclusion of the Clone Wars, the fall of the Jedi and the appearance of Vader are all really only background noise, 'fluff' (if you will) to the story told in this, with the novel split into three segemens: the first showing the friendship(?) between Erso and Krennic (or, at least, the latter manipulating events so that the former would believe this is the case), the middle segment Erso's work on the Kyber crystals leading up the first test-firing of the super-weapon (with Krennic keeping this secret from Erso) and the final section with Galen and Lyras growing doubts and disillusionment about the work they are involved in - doubts and disillusionments shared by the secondary character of Has Obitt who finds himself going from working for Krennic to being instrumental in providing the Empire for excuses to take over worlds to joining the (pre)Rebellion rebellion against the Empire before being captured and employed by Tarkin to spy on Krennic - yes, Tarkin also plays a role in these proceedings, albeit not to the exten he does in Rogue One, via his rivalry with Krennic.
Solid if not spectacular entry in the 'new' Star Wars canon - be prepared to find out more than you could possibly want to know, though, about crystals!
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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Bumblebee (2018) in Movies
Jan 23, 2019 (Updated Jan 23, 2019)
Chock-full of tropes (1 more)
Pretty lazy in most aspects
Bit of a Buzzkill
When this movie dropped late last year, I never paid any attention to it. Everything in the Transformers series has been awful since the first movie and although I knew that Michael Bay wasn't directing this one, I was still more than happy to skip it. However, after it opened to rave reviews, it peaked my interest a bit. I was hearing all sorts of good things, with this movie even being compared to the likes of ET and The Goonies. Well last night we went to the cinema planning to see Glass, but had missed the previous showing and didn't want to wait around for hours until the next one so we decided to check out Bumblebee to see if it could live up to the hype surrounding it.
TL;DR - It didn't...
I think that I did go into this movie with fairly lofty expectations, but that was due to what I had heard from other people through word-of-mouth. In fact, I don't think I heard one bad review for this thing, so I really was expecting something great. Unfortunately, what you get is a mediocre Hollywood shlock-fest with some pretty impressive CGI, but a painfully formulaic story with a lazy script and actors phoning in their performances.
Let's start with the main positive of the movie; the CGI. The animators really did do an incredible job here and there are some truly awesome action sequences that were really impressive to witness, (it's just unfortunate that we had already seen most of these sequences prior to seeing the movie in the trailers.) The robots also felt much more grimy, weighty and realistic in this film as opposed to the more slick and polished feel that they all had in Bay's Transformers movies, which helped to make it more convincing that the robots were actually present in the room with the actors rather than being added in later in post production.
The other bright spot in the movie was John Cena. Sure, he has played the stereotypical army jarhead plenty of times before, but he is still charismatic and engaging whenever he is onscreen. His career is definitely benefitting from taking roles like this where he is able to be taken less seriously rather than trying to be a super serious action star in forgettable movies like The Marine.
Unfortunately that is about it for the positives, everything else is extremely lazy and generic. The direction is serviceable, the cinematography is nothing special and the score goes through the motions it has to in order to meet the tone of each scene. The script is full of extremely cheesy lines which is delivered half heartedly by the cast who it feels like are pretty much sleepwalking through this thing for the most part. Some characters are fairly irritating such as Memo and Ron, but nothing anywhere near as egregious as Mudflap and Skids from the previous Transformers movies.
And that last statement pretty much sums up my opinion on this movie. Sure, it isn't anywhere near as annoying, obnoxious, or cringe-inducing as the movies that Michael Bay previously gave us in the main Transformers series, but it is still really cheesy and lazy and isn't anything special at all.
I think that this movie serves as a lesson for managing your expectations when going to see a film. Due to the fact that the previous Transformers movies are SO bad and so poorly regarded, most people went into this one with little to no expectation that it would be any good. When it actually turned out to be surprisingly half decent, people were so shocked that they began telling everyone else how fantastic this thing was, when it actually isn't fantastic in any way, it's just less garbage than what we were getting before with these movies. Then, because of all of these brilliant reviews, I have went in expecting something substantial and meaningful and came away sorely disappointed because it turned out to be unremarkable and mediocre.
Overall, I probably would have got more out of this movie if I was told beforehand to just switch off my brain and expect a cheesy popcorn flick. Instead I went in expecting this generation's E.T because of the overblown reviews and was let down pretty hard. It's not the worst film of last year and it is better than anything else in the Transformers series since the first movie, but it's still not anything special. There are a few highs throughout the movie, but in general it's pretty unremarkable and I don't seeing it standing the test of time in the same way that the movies that it's being compared to have done.
TL;DR - It didn't...
I think that I did go into this movie with fairly lofty expectations, but that was due to what I had heard from other people through word-of-mouth. In fact, I don't think I heard one bad review for this thing, so I really was expecting something great. Unfortunately, what you get is a mediocre Hollywood shlock-fest with some pretty impressive CGI, but a painfully formulaic story with a lazy script and actors phoning in their performances.
Let's start with the main positive of the movie; the CGI. The animators really did do an incredible job here and there are some truly awesome action sequences that were really impressive to witness, (it's just unfortunate that we had already seen most of these sequences prior to seeing the movie in the trailers.) The robots also felt much more grimy, weighty and realistic in this film as opposed to the more slick and polished feel that they all had in Bay's Transformers movies, which helped to make it more convincing that the robots were actually present in the room with the actors rather than being added in later in post production.
The other bright spot in the movie was John Cena. Sure, he has played the stereotypical army jarhead plenty of times before, but he is still charismatic and engaging whenever he is onscreen. His career is definitely benefitting from taking roles like this where he is able to be taken less seriously rather than trying to be a super serious action star in forgettable movies like The Marine.
Unfortunately that is about it for the positives, everything else is extremely lazy and generic. The direction is serviceable, the cinematography is nothing special and the score goes through the motions it has to in order to meet the tone of each scene. The script is full of extremely cheesy lines which is delivered half heartedly by the cast who it feels like are pretty much sleepwalking through this thing for the most part. Some characters are fairly irritating such as Memo and Ron, but nothing anywhere near as egregious as Mudflap and Skids from the previous Transformers movies.
And that last statement pretty much sums up my opinion on this movie. Sure, it isn't anywhere near as annoying, obnoxious, or cringe-inducing as the movies that Michael Bay previously gave us in the main Transformers series, but it is still really cheesy and lazy and isn't anything special at all.
I think that this movie serves as a lesson for managing your expectations when going to see a film. Due to the fact that the previous Transformers movies are SO bad and so poorly regarded, most people went into this one with little to no expectation that it would be any good. When it actually turned out to be surprisingly half decent, people were so shocked that they began telling everyone else how fantastic this thing was, when it actually isn't fantastic in any way, it's just less garbage than what we were getting before with these movies. Then, because of all of these brilliant reviews, I have went in expecting something substantial and meaningful and came away sorely disappointed because it turned out to be unremarkable and mediocre.
Overall, I probably would have got more out of this movie if I was told beforehand to just switch off my brain and expect a cheesy popcorn flick. Instead I went in expecting this generation's E.T because of the overblown reviews and was let down pretty hard. It's not the worst film of last year and it is better than anything else in the Transformers series since the first movie, but it's still not anything special. There are a few highs throughout the movie, but in general it's pretty unremarkable and I don't seeing it standing the test of time in the same way that the movies that it's being compared to have done.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Fray: Champions of the Everyverse in Tabletop Games
Jul 1, 2020
Welcome to the Grand Center – an arena of elite combat. As a Watcher, it is your job to bring forth Champions to fight in the ultimate battle royale of the every-verse. It matters not from what time-period your Champion hails, or what fighting styles they possess – if their realm exists, they are viable candidates. Can your Champions collect valuable loot and knock opponents out of the running? Or will they fail to rise above the Fray? The last team standing wins, so put your Champions to the test and claim glory for yourself!
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 pending Kickstarter campaign, purchase it from your FLGS, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -L
Fray: Champions of the Every-Verse (referred to as just Fray from now on) is a game of dice rolling, grid movement, and fighting in which players are trying to eliminate all opponents and be the last remaining player in the arena. Before setting up to play, you must first determine how many Champions each player will control. Controlling only 1 Champion is considered “Single Mode” and makes for a quicker play-time. Players can control up to 3 Champions in a single game. After determining how many Champions each player will control, set up the game as described in the rulebook. You are now ready to begin!
A game of Fray is divided into a number of rounds, and to begin each round, all players must select one of their Champions to be the round leader, then roll a d6, and add the appropriate Initiative modifier. This determines the turn order for the round – the highest Initiative gets to go first, and so on in descending numerical order. It is important to note that in future rounds when determining Initiative, you may not select the same Champion to lead for consecutive rounds. After Initiative has been determined, player turns begin. On your turn, you will perform 2 Phases: an Item Phase and a Champion Phase. During the Item Phase, you have the opportunity to play as many Item cards from your hand as you wish. Item cards can give you special abilities or buffs for future turns, or can be played as reactions to opponent’s actions, depending on the card.
Once your Item Phase is done, you move to the Champion Phase. To begin your Champion Phase, choose which Champion you are using and roll the 3 Battle Dice. These dice help activate abilities on your turn. The chosen Champion may now move a number of squares as stated on their card. After movement, your Champion can now activate 1 action from the following: Attack, Defend, or Champion Ability. All actions require you to spend a number of resources in order to perform them, so this is where the Battle Dice come into play. Once you have performed your action, resolve abilities as needed (rolling a save against an attack, rolling the damage die, etc.). If, after resolving abilities, you still have unused Battle Dice, you can choose to store up to 2 of them for use on your next turn. You then repeat the entire Champion Phase with your next available Champion. Once you have used all of your Champions, your turn ends.
After all players have had their turns in a round, you move to the Loot Phase. Any player with any Champion within 3 spaces of the Loot Marker on the board gets to draw 1 Loot card. The first player then rolls a d6 and the Scatter die, and moves the Loot Marker appropriately for the next round. The new round is ready to begin, with all players rolling for Initiative once again. During play, if a Champion is reduced to 0 hit points, that Champion leaves the game. The player with the last remaining Champion on the board is the winner!
Ok, I know that seems like a lot, but the gameplay is actually pretty intuitive and streamlined. Here’s how a turn breaks down: play Item cards, roll Battle Dice, move Champion, perform 1 action, resolve, repeat with your other Champions, turn ends. That’s it! After going through the steps with my first Champion, the process just clicked and the gameplay flowed pretty seamlessly. It admittedly seemed pretty daunting at first when I was reading through the rules, but in the actual game, it is easy to pick up.
With the purpose of this game being knocking out all your opponents, obviously strategy is a pretty big aspect of the gameplay. All Champions have special abilities, attack combos, and types of attacks. Some Champions are only melee fighters and can interact with opponents 1 square away, others are only short- or long-ranged and must be at a distance to attack, and some have the option to be either melee or ranged. Each Champion requires a bit of a different strategy to be played successfully, and you’ve got to be able to adapt on the fly. That being said, this is a competitive combat game, so some players might not like being pitted directly against opponents and being targeted by others. The other strategic aspect to consider is the location of the Loot Marker on the board. The only way you ever get to draw Item cards is if you are within 3 squares of the Loot Marker at the end of the round. Are you willing to risk combat for a chance to gain an Item card? Or are you content with skirting the battlefield and letting your opponents take each other out? All things to consider when playing Fray.
The biggest drawback of Fray for me has to do with some components, or lack thereof. But as I stated earlier, this is only a prototype copy of the game, and I am sure that these things will be addressed in the final production copies! For starters, I’d like to see Turn Order Markers. Since the turn order varies each round based on Initiative, it would be nice to have some numbered markers to help players keep track of the order for the round. Along those lines, maybe a Turn Order Reference card for players could be added as well. The turn steps are generally pretty straightforward, but just having a reminder of the different types of movement, or what resources are required for which actions would be nice. And my final consideration for edits would be to include on each Champion card whether that Champion is a melee, short-ranged, or long-ranged fighter. That breakdown is in the rulebook, but having it on the card would be beneficial as well! Besides those three notes, the components of this prototype copy are phenomenal. The board, cards, and chits are all nice and sturdy. All of the game dice are high quality and easy to read. I know Brain Sandwich Games has plans for sculpted minis for the Champions, but even the simple standees in this copy are easily identifiable and will withstand many plays. The art of the cards is very detailed and awesome to look at. All in all, already a pretty great quality game!
Ultimately, I think Fray is a great game. It may need a little polishing up with some components, but the current gameplay is ready for production. I am not typically someone who enjoys directly competitive games, but Fray was one that I thoroughly loved. It has enough elements of strategy, combat, and luck of the dice rolls that it doesn’t feel targeting or confrontational. I am eager to follow the Kickstarter campaign and see what else Brain Sandwich Games has in store for an already awesome game! I would definitely recommend checking this one out – it’s a unique twist on a standard arena combat game.
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 pending Kickstarter campaign, purchase it from your FLGS, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -L
Fray: Champions of the Every-Verse (referred to as just Fray from now on) is a game of dice rolling, grid movement, and fighting in which players are trying to eliminate all opponents and be the last remaining player in the arena. Before setting up to play, you must first determine how many Champions each player will control. Controlling only 1 Champion is considered “Single Mode” and makes for a quicker play-time. Players can control up to 3 Champions in a single game. After determining how many Champions each player will control, set up the game as described in the rulebook. You are now ready to begin!
A game of Fray is divided into a number of rounds, and to begin each round, all players must select one of their Champions to be the round leader, then roll a d6, and add the appropriate Initiative modifier. This determines the turn order for the round – the highest Initiative gets to go first, and so on in descending numerical order. It is important to note that in future rounds when determining Initiative, you may not select the same Champion to lead for consecutive rounds. After Initiative has been determined, player turns begin. On your turn, you will perform 2 Phases: an Item Phase and a Champion Phase. During the Item Phase, you have the opportunity to play as many Item cards from your hand as you wish. Item cards can give you special abilities or buffs for future turns, or can be played as reactions to opponent’s actions, depending on the card.
Once your Item Phase is done, you move to the Champion Phase. To begin your Champion Phase, choose which Champion you are using and roll the 3 Battle Dice. These dice help activate abilities on your turn. The chosen Champion may now move a number of squares as stated on their card. After movement, your Champion can now activate 1 action from the following: Attack, Defend, or Champion Ability. All actions require you to spend a number of resources in order to perform them, so this is where the Battle Dice come into play. Once you have performed your action, resolve abilities as needed (rolling a save against an attack, rolling the damage die, etc.). If, after resolving abilities, you still have unused Battle Dice, you can choose to store up to 2 of them for use on your next turn. You then repeat the entire Champion Phase with your next available Champion. Once you have used all of your Champions, your turn ends.
After all players have had their turns in a round, you move to the Loot Phase. Any player with any Champion within 3 spaces of the Loot Marker on the board gets to draw 1 Loot card. The first player then rolls a d6 and the Scatter die, and moves the Loot Marker appropriately for the next round. The new round is ready to begin, with all players rolling for Initiative once again. During play, if a Champion is reduced to 0 hit points, that Champion leaves the game. The player with the last remaining Champion on the board is the winner!
Ok, I know that seems like a lot, but the gameplay is actually pretty intuitive and streamlined. Here’s how a turn breaks down: play Item cards, roll Battle Dice, move Champion, perform 1 action, resolve, repeat with your other Champions, turn ends. That’s it! After going through the steps with my first Champion, the process just clicked and the gameplay flowed pretty seamlessly. It admittedly seemed pretty daunting at first when I was reading through the rules, but in the actual game, it is easy to pick up.
With the purpose of this game being knocking out all your opponents, obviously strategy is a pretty big aspect of the gameplay. All Champions have special abilities, attack combos, and types of attacks. Some Champions are only melee fighters and can interact with opponents 1 square away, others are only short- or long-ranged and must be at a distance to attack, and some have the option to be either melee or ranged. Each Champion requires a bit of a different strategy to be played successfully, and you’ve got to be able to adapt on the fly. That being said, this is a competitive combat game, so some players might not like being pitted directly against opponents and being targeted by others. The other strategic aspect to consider is the location of the Loot Marker on the board. The only way you ever get to draw Item cards is if you are within 3 squares of the Loot Marker at the end of the round. Are you willing to risk combat for a chance to gain an Item card? Or are you content with skirting the battlefield and letting your opponents take each other out? All things to consider when playing Fray.
The biggest drawback of Fray for me has to do with some components, or lack thereof. But as I stated earlier, this is only a prototype copy of the game, and I am sure that these things will be addressed in the final production copies! For starters, I’d like to see Turn Order Markers. Since the turn order varies each round based on Initiative, it would be nice to have some numbered markers to help players keep track of the order for the round. Along those lines, maybe a Turn Order Reference card for players could be added as well. The turn steps are generally pretty straightforward, but just having a reminder of the different types of movement, or what resources are required for which actions would be nice. And my final consideration for edits would be to include on each Champion card whether that Champion is a melee, short-ranged, or long-ranged fighter. That breakdown is in the rulebook, but having it on the card would be beneficial as well! Besides those three notes, the components of this prototype copy are phenomenal. The board, cards, and chits are all nice and sturdy. All of the game dice are high quality and easy to read. I know Brain Sandwich Games has plans for sculpted minis for the Champions, but even the simple standees in this copy are easily identifiable and will withstand many plays. The art of the cards is very detailed and awesome to look at. All in all, already a pretty great quality game!
Ultimately, I think Fray is a great game. It may need a little polishing up with some components, but the current gameplay is ready for production. I am not typically someone who enjoys directly competitive games, but Fray was one that I thoroughly loved. It has enough elements of strategy, combat, and luck of the dice rolls that it doesn’t feel targeting or confrontational. I am eager to follow the Kickstarter campaign and see what else Brain Sandwich Games has in store for an already awesome game! I would definitely recommend checking this one out – it’s a unique twist on a standard arena combat game.
Multinational Business Finance, Global Edition
David K. Eiteman, Arthur I. Stonehill and Michael H. Moffett
Book
For courses in International Finance. Authoritative, Comprehensive Coverage of Contemporary...
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated The Core Fulcrum in Books
Apr 6, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
The Core Fulcrum by Prashanti Talluri has multiple details that made me think it was largely inspired by Harry Potter. The school has rooms that move daily which were a big reminder of Harry Potter but there were multiple little things as well.
Snowball and Goldie are two kittens that have just started the fifth grade. Like the school's humans are used to there are classes that everyone has to take an optional class. It is one of these optional classes that Snowball, Goldie, and some of their friends choose that sends them on an amazing and scary adventure. They all choose to take part in the class called “Curiosity Kills the Cat”, but so does their class bully Hisky.
In this class, after passing a test they learn of the Core Fulcrum. They learn that the Core Fulcrum is a powerful artifact that is responsible for all the cat’s extraordinary abilities. The problem is that the Core Fulcrum is missing and that could cause major issues for all cats unless it is found soon. Their solution is to enlist the help of kittens in school to join the dangerous search for this all-important item. Can they find it before it it's too late and the rats figure out how to use it?
I like how it acknowledges how cats essentially got their independence from humans (although I can’t help but wonder what happened to the people). It was also interesting how the casts and rats have created separate kingdoms from each other and even seem to war with each other to some extent. Honestly things like the snakes that bite their tails to function as seat belts just seemed a bit farfetched, along with busses that seem to be living animals at the same time (or maybe just created to mimic animal abilities, I am not sure). Then there was how the cats were in harnesses to practice for their version of the Olympics yet they were going through tunnels without getting tangled and finishing in around fifteen seconds seemed unrealistic even for cats.
This is a children's book all the way. I don’t think may people past middle school would be all that interested in it or find it very enjoyable. It may even be questionable for some middle school readers. It all depends on how well a reader can accept the strangeness of this book. I rate this book 2 out of 4. This is because the base story is good but the details just felt awkward. I just don’t think anyone but younger readers are going to be into it. I could be wrong though.
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Snowball and Goldie are two kittens that have just started the fifth grade. Like the school's humans are used to there are classes that everyone has to take an optional class. It is one of these optional classes that Snowball, Goldie, and some of their friends choose that sends them on an amazing and scary adventure. They all choose to take part in the class called “Curiosity Kills the Cat”, but so does their class bully Hisky.
In this class, after passing a test they learn of the Core Fulcrum. They learn that the Core Fulcrum is a powerful artifact that is responsible for all the cat’s extraordinary abilities. The problem is that the Core Fulcrum is missing and that could cause major issues for all cats unless it is found soon. Their solution is to enlist the help of kittens in school to join the dangerous search for this all-important item. Can they find it before it it's too late and the rats figure out how to use it?
I like how it acknowledges how cats essentially got their independence from humans (although I can’t help but wonder what happened to the people). It was also interesting how the casts and rats have created separate kingdoms from each other and even seem to war with each other to some extent. Honestly things like the snakes that bite their tails to function as seat belts just seemed a bit farfetched, along with busses that seem to be living animals at the same time (or maybe just created to mimic animal abilities, I am not sure). Then there was how the cats were in harnesses to practice for their version of the Olympics yet they were going through tunnels without getting tangled and finishing in around fifteen seconds seemed unrealistic even for cats.
This is a children's book all the way. I don’t think may people past middle school would be all that interested in it or find it very enjoyable. It may even be questionable for some middle school readers. It all depends on how well a reader can accept the strangeness of this book. I rate this book 2 out of 4. This is because the base story is good but the details just felt awkward. I just don’t think anyone but younger readers are going to be into it. I could be wrong though.
https://www.facebook.com/nightreaderreviews/
https://smashbomb.com/nightreader
https://nightreaderreviews.blogspot.com/
Erika (17788 KP) Mar 1, 2021
Sarah (7798 KP) Mar 2, 2021