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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Contagion (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
A couple of years ago, news and health agencies the world over were concerned about a possible pandemic stemming from bird flu and swine flu. Thankfully like SARS a few years earlier, the outbreaks were rather small thanks to a wealth of precautionary information and measures. In the new film “Contagion” director Steven Soderbergh paints a frighteningly realistic look at a worldwide pandemic that spread without warning, and its devastating aftermath.
When businesswoman Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow), returns from a business trip to Hong Kong with what appears to be a simple case of the flu, her husband Mitch (Matt Damon), figures it’s nothing to be overly concerned about. When Beth all of a sudden begins to convulse and later dies unexpectedly, doctors are at a loss to explain what happened.
Over the next few days, more and more people become sick and die including Mitch’s young stepson, which gets the national and international disease control organizations working overtime to try to trace, identify and treat this mysterious ailment that sweeping the globe. Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) leads the investigation in the United States and calls in Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet), to track who may have come into contact with Beth upon her return to the Minneapolis. The World Health Organization sends Dr. Leonora Orantes (Marion Cotillard) to Hong Kong trace possible origins.
As the first week passes more and more people become sick worldwide, cities start fighting a losing battle against frenzy and panic. In time the virus is identified but due to its unique nature, finding a vaccine and producing it can take several months with thousands of lives lost with each passing day. With chaos breaking loose and the bodies piling up, the authorities find themselves unable to deal with the threat they are facing and go to extreme measures such as closing the state borders to try to contain the spread of the virus.
Adding to the confusion is a freelance blogger named Alan (Jude Law), who has amassed a large audience with his conspiracy claims that there are indeed cures available for the mysterious virus. He contends the government elite and the pharmaceutical companies are exploiting the situation in order to milk maximum profit from the inevitable release of a vaccine.
The film deftly moves around the world showing the victims, scientists and investigators and how the crisis is affecting them. It also shows how quickly society can break down as scene after shocking scene of chaos and devastation are introduced juxtaposed with the number of days since the outbreak of the virus.
Soderbergh keeps you on the edge of your seat and doesn’t give you a moment’s rest. Characters are introduced and given just enough of a back story so that you understand their place in the film. Most heartbreaking is Matt Damon’s role as a father who’s left watching over his only remaining child, going to great measures to keep her safe while also dealing with the death of his wife and the unfolding secret of the last days of her life.
There is truly an impressive array of stars in the film, some of whom play brief but significant parts in the overall story. However, the movie’s strength is also its weakness in that with so many primary characters,there were some diverging storylines that did not get fully fleshed out.
While “Contagion” is not the first film to deal with viral outbreak, it is perhaps the most realistic as it doesn’t resort to any Hollywood standards such as car chases, explosions, starcrossed lovers and so on to tell its story. Instead it focuses on stark, somber scenarios and the struggles of each character is very easy to relate to.
Kudos has to be given to many of the stars of the film for their understated but pitch perfect work in very unglamorous roles. Their subtle & poignant acting underscore the dire situations that their characters find themselves in. It was refreshing to see leading men and women looking quite ordinary and letting the story carry the picture rather than focusing on one individual to save the day.
All throughout the film I found myself captivated and never once did I lose interest in the scenarios or characters nor did I find anything in the film impossible to believe. The film doesn’t go overboard on pointing fingers instead it gives an honest and unflinching look at a scenario that we can only hope will never happen. But as the film points out, viral outbreaks have occurred all throughout history. Hardly an encouraging message, but thanks to the stellar cast and gripping subject matter “Contagion” is a film you will not want to miss.
When businesswoman Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow), returns from a business trip to Hong Kong with what appears to be a simple case of the flu, her husband Mitch (Matt Damon), figures it’s nothing to be overly concerned about. When Beth all of a sudden begins to convulse and later dies unexpectedly, doctors are at a loss to explain what happened.
Over the next few days, more and more people become sick and die including Mitch’s young stepson, which gets the national and international disease control organizations working overtime to try to trace, identify and treat this mysterious ailment that sweeping the globe. Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) leads the investigation in the United States and calls in Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet), to track who may have come into contact with Beth upon her return to the Minneapolis. The World Health Organization sends Dr. Leonora Orantes (Marion Cotillard) to Hong Kong trace possible origins.
As the first week passes more and more people become sick worldwide, cities start fighting a losing battle against frenzy and panic. In time the virus is identified but due to its unique nature, finding a vaccine and producing it can take several months with thousands of lives lost with each passing day. With chaos breaking loose and the bodies piling up, the authorities find themselves unable to deal with the threat they are facing and go to extreme measures such as closing the state borders to try to contain the spread of the virus.
Adding to the confusion is a freelance blogger named Alan (Jude Law), who has amassed a large audience with his conspiracy claims that there are indeed cures available for the mysterious virus. He contends the government elite and the pharmaceutical companies are exploiting the situation in order to milk maximum profit from the inevitable release of a vaccine.
The film deftly moves around the world showing the victims, scientists and investigators and how the crisis is affecting them. It also shows how quickly society can break down as scene after shocking scene of chaos and devastation are introduced juxtaposed with the number of days since the outbreak of the virus.
Soderbergh keeps you on the edge of your seat and doesn’t give you a moment’s rest. Characters are introduced and given just enough of a back story so that you understand their place in the film. Most heartbreaking is Matt Damon’s role as a father who’s left watching over his only remaining child, going to great measures to keep her safe while also dealing with the death of his wife and the unfolding secret of the last days of her life.
There is truly an impressive array of stars in the film, some of whom play brief but significant parts in the overall story. However, the movie’s strength is also its weakness in that with so many primary characters,there were some diverging storylines that did not get fully fleshed out.
While “Contagion” is not the first film to deal with viral outbreak, it is perhaps the most realistic as it doesn’t resort to any Hollywood standards such as car chases, explosions, starcrossed lovers and so on to tell its story. Instead it focuses on stark, somber scenarios and the struggles of each character is very easy to relate to.
Kudos has to be given to many of the stars of the film for their understated but pitch perfect work in very unglamorous roles. Their subtle & poignant acting underscore the dire situations that their characters find themselves in. It was refreshing to see leading men and women looking quite ordinary and letting the story carry the picture rather than focusing on one individual to save the day.
All throughout the film I found myself captivated and never once did I lose interest in the scenarios or characters nor did I find anything in the film impossible to believe. The film doesn’t go overboard on pointing fingers instead it gives an honest and unflinching look at a scenario that we can only hope will never happen. But as the film points out, viral outbreaks have occurred all throughout history. Hardly an encouraging message, but thanks to the stellar cast and gripping subject matter “Contagion” is a film you will not want to miss.
Coping with Chloe
Book
Anna and Chloe are twins. They share everything. Even Chloe's terrible accident hasn't split them...
Barbarossa Derailed: The Battle for Smolensk 10 July-10 September 1941: Volume 1: The German Advance, the Encirclement Battle and the First and Second Soviet Counteroffensives, 10 July-24 August 1941
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At dawn on 10 July 1941, massed tanks and motorized infantry of German Army Group Center's Second...
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Overlord (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
You say zombie and I'm sold. No matter how serious they are they're still pretty funny, usually unintentionally. I'm not sure what it says about me when I laugh at someone fighting a zombie to the death/re-death but I can't help it... it's too daft not to!
I thought the trailer for Overlord was very good. Specifically the point where Boyce looks into that hole in the wall. We all knew there was something freaky in there and yet they didn't try and scare us with it. It certainly left me intrigued, but my main hope for this was that it would be better than Red-Con 1.
I enjoyed the retro feel opening sequence with the voice over. It really did go a long way to making the time period of the movie come across. But my joy was short lived because of the sheer volume of what came next. I could feel it in my stomach. Technically it was quite effective as I imagine it resembles the feeling of being in the plane quite well, but my god did it make me feel queasy. What then developed in this scene was incredibly difficult to watch, again, on point for what was happening but not ideal for the viewer. Almost everything happening on screen was rendered obsolete by the chaos.
This is then followed by a mid-air sequence that basically feels like audience participation. Boyce is in freefall. It's strange and fake... yes, I know it IS fake, but I've seen enough films do that sort of airborn story line to know it can produce great results.
Despite those issues his eventual arrival on solid ground rounds out the beginning of the film nicely.
Overlord does show one of my favourite movie character faux pas. Never have dreams. Bad things will happen to you. If you're in a life threatening situation give up on every hope you have for your future and just focus on making it through the next 2 hours of your life.
The supernatural side of the film presents you with two very different types of zombies. Chloe's aunt is a classic wheezing zombie, mooching around just being a little creepy, and the ones we encounter in the bunker are much more rage filled. Being that they are mostly born of experiments it makes me wonder if calling this a zombie movie is entirely accurate.
There is what I would call a classic take from a B-movie hidden within the German bunker. Part of me hopes that somewhere within the magic of movie timelines that this is actually the pre-cursor to Fiend Without A Face. But to be making any suggestions that this itself is a B-movie would be entirely misplaced.
The effects are generally well done. We see a transformation brought about by the German's serum which is the first time the characters have witnessed it. The only thing that let the scene down for me was the change of the character's actual character. That felt more unnatural than what happened to them.
Where there's good, there's also bad. The effect's are tainted by Two-Face. He makes a very creepy inclusion but because of the extent of the damage it looks a tad ridiculous in the action sequences. There were ways around it, they could have given him a different injury or a mask, but the latter would have possibly taken you into Captain America and Wonder Woman territory.
One thing I seriously think about this film is that they should make a second one. Not a sequel. Make this a second film. Keep Overlord as it is but also make a war film. Everything up until the creepy bits was a really solid start. It would only need a few tweaks to the bunker scenes to make them less sci-fi and the whole thing would make a great 15 certificate production.
What you should do
It's not a bad watch, probably more of a lad's night out sort of thing. (I'm not trying to be sexist there, it was literally me and 14 blokes watching it.) It certainly doesn't feel like you completely wasted your time seeing it, so give it a go sometime.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
When it comes to zombies I'd much rather have Ed from Shaun Of The Dead than any of these ones, so if it's possible to get that serum concoction for super strength without the creepy side effects then I'll go for that please.
I thought the trailer for Overlord was very good. Specifically the point where Boyce looks into that hole in the wall. We all knew there was something freaky in there and yet they didn't try and scare us with it. It certainly left me intrigued, but my main hope for this was that it would be better than Red-Con 1.
I enjoyed the retro feel opening sequence with the voice over. It really did go a long way to making the time period of the movie come across. But my joy was short lived because of the sheer volume of what came next. I could feel it in my stomach. Technically it was quite effective as I imagine it resembles the feeling of being in the plane quite well, but my god did it make me feel queasy. What then developed in this scene was incredibly difficult to watch, again, on point for what was happening but not ideal for the viewer. Almost everything happening on screen was rendered obsolete by the chaos.
This is then followed by a mid-air sequence that basically feels like audience participation. Boyce is in freefall. It's strange and fake... yes, I know it IS fake, but I've seen enough films do that sort of airborn story line to know it can produce great results.
Despite those issues his eventual arrival on solid ground rounds out the beginning of the film nicely.
Overlord does show one of my favourite movie character faux pas. Never have dreams. Bad things will happen to you. If you're in a life threatening situation give up on every hope you have for your future and just focus on making it through the next 2 hours of your life.
The supernatural side of the film presents you with two very different types of zombies. Chloe's aunt is a classic wheezing zombie, mooching around just being a little creepy, and the ones we encounter in the bunker are much more rage filled. Being that they are mostly born of experiments it makes me wonder if calling this a zombie movie is entirely accurate.
There is what I would call a classic take from a B-movie hidden within the German bunker. Part of me hopes that somewhere within the magic of movie timelines that this is actually the pre-cursor to Fiend Without A Face. But to be making any suggestions that this itself is a B-movie would be entirely misplaced.
The effects are generally well done. We see a transformation brought about by the German's serum which is the first time the characters have witnessed it. The only thing that let the scene down for me was the change of the character's actual character. That felt more unnatural than what happened to them.
Where there's good, there's also bad. The effect's are tainted by Two-Face. He makes a very creepy inclusion but because of the extent of the damage it looks a tad ridiculous in the action sequences. There were ways around it, they could have given him a different injury or a mask, but the latter would have possibly taken you into Captain America and Wonder Woman territory.
One thing I seriously think about this film is that they should make a second one. Not a sequel. Make this a second film. Keep Overlord as it is but also make a war film. Everything up until the creepy bits was a really solid start. It would only need a few tweaks to the bunker scenes to make them less sci-fi and the whole thing would make a great 15 certificate production.
What you should do
It's not a bad watch, probably more of a lad's night out sort of thing. (I'm not trying to be sexist there, it was literally me and 14 blokes watching it.) It certainly doesn't feel like you completely wasted your time seeing it, so give it a go sometime.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
When it comes to zombies I'd much rather have Ed from Shaun Of The Dead than any of these ones, so if it's possible to get that serum concoction for super strength without the creepy side effects then I'll go for that please.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
This is an entertaining film. I definitely came out of it with a smile on my face. At the same time though, as an adult, it surprisingly gave me several pauses for thought. It's about change and friendship, jealousy and insecurity... things as a grown-up that you perhaps push to the back of your mind so that you can carry on. I was in danger of thinking a bit too deep at one point, but luckily something funny happened to distract me (much like real life).
But enough of that deep sigh moment.
Ralph is still the bumbling bad guy and inadvertently causes the mayhem that sets off the main storyline in the film. That coupled with the new whiffy... wifey...? in the arcade means that they get to meet a whole new world on the internet.
It's a fun way to think about going online, everyone milling around like it's a shopping centre. And I'm sure that we've all been in Ralph's position too, shopping on the internet and forgotten to be prepared with our credit card to checkout. Of course I don't think we've ever thought to do what he does to fix the problem.
Vanellope makes a few new friends in the form of Shank and her crew from GTA style game, Slaughter Race. Just like the first movie all the different styles went well together. But my favourite bit about their first outing in Slaughter Race were the player avatars. Those slightly stunted turns and limb movements were perfect and took me back to my days of game play. I've also got to give the shark an honourable mention, his next staring role should be "The Meg: The Musical".
I can't do a review for this and not mention the Princesses. I'm not sure they're as good as I'd hoped they'd be. Pocahontas gets the biggest praise for her constantly fluttering hair but they were all just kind of... there, and there wasn't much else. They do at least teach V that she can channel her inner Princess by staring into some water, but gazing at her reflection doesn't quite have the desired effect.
When the story goes back to Ralph it's a little sad to see that he can't let it go and see how Vanellope has found a new home. They do at least give him some redemption and he realises that she's a girl worth fighting for and goes about fixing all of the drama that he's caused.
As well as the fun there's some truths about the internet in there too. First rule of the internet, don't read the comments, and the troll at the Q&A. Good luck explaining those things to your kids... "When people grow up, some of them become dickhead and upset other people because they have nothing better to do with their spare time."
Watching this I did at least find an answer to the age old question of why I occasionally lose my internet connection! Watching all those poor unfortunate souls losing theirs... well it'll probably make me less stressed to imagine that happening when the whiffy box says no next time.
Honestly, this waffle will end soon...
Ralph Breaks The Internet is like the kids version of Ready Player One. I spent so much of the movie looking around for all the little hidden tidbits. What websites can you spot? Which characters? Dial-up Express amused me, and it's certainly one for the adults to laugh at. I also took a pause at Stan Lee, I nearly had my own Princess moment in a puddle of tears.
Lastly we obviously have to mention the credit scenes. Two of them. I got super annoyed when the credits started to roll, as you may well do, but scene one really turned that around. You have to stay right until the end for the second one, it will reeeeeally annoy you, so enjoy that!
What you should do
You should watch it. The kids will love it because of all the characters and daft antics, and you'll love it because of those two things and all the hidden references.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
So many choices. I wouldn't mind having my own amusement arcade... oooooooh or Princess hair... ooooooooooh or animals that sew clothes... ooooooooh or... I could be here a while, why don't you click on a pop up ad and go heart some videos instead of waiting around.
[I'd like to apologise for more waffle than usual, but when I accidentally put one Disney song title in a sentence I couldn't pass up the chance to try for more!]
But enough of that deep sigh moment.
Ralph is still the bumbling bad guy and inadvertently causes the mayhem that sets off the main storyline in the film. That coupled with the new whiffy... wifey...? in the arcade means that they get to meet a whole new world on the internet.
It's a fun way to think about going online, everyone milling around like it's a shopping centre. And I'm sure that we've all been in Ralph's position too, shopping on the internet and forgotten to be prepared with our credit card to checkout. Of course I don't think we've ever thought to do what he does to fix the problem.
Vanellope makes a few new friends in the form of Shank and her crew from GTA style game, Slaughter Race. Just like the first movie all the different styles went well together. But my favourite bit about their first outing in Slaughter Race were the player avatars. Those slightly stunted turns and limb movements were perfect and took me back to my days of game play. I've also got to give the shark an honourable mention, his next staring role should be "The Meg: The Musical".
I can't do a review for this and not mention the Princesses. I'm not sure they're as good as I'd hoped they'd be. Pocahontas gets the biggest praise for her constantly fluttering hair but they were all just kind of... there, and there wasn't much else. They do at least teach V that she can channel her inner Princess by staring into some water, but gazing at her reflection doesn't quite have the desired effect.
When the story goes back to Ralph it's a little sad to see that he can't let it go and see how Vanellope has found a new home. They do at least give him some redemption and he realises that she's a girl worth fighting for and goes about fixing all of the drama that he's caused.
As well as the fun there's some truths about the internet in there too. First rule of the internet, don't read the comments, and the troll at the Q&A. Good luck explaining those things to your kids... "When people grow up, some of them become dickhead and upset other people because they have nothing better to do with their spare time."
Watching this I did at least find an answer to the age old question of why I occasionally lose my internet connection! Watching all those poor unfortunate souls losing theirs... well it'll probably make me less stressed to imagine that happening when the whiffy box says no next time.
Honestly, this waffle will end soon...
Ralph Breaks The Internet is like the kids version of Ready Player One. I spent so much of the movie looking around for all the little hidden tidbits. What websites can you spot? Which characters? Dial-up Express amused me, and it's certainly one for the adults to laugh at. I also took a pause at Stan Lee, I nearly had my own Princess moment in a puddle of tears.
Lastly we obviously have to mention the credit scenes. Two of them. I got super annoyed when the credits started to roll, as you may well do, but scene one really turned that around. You have to stay right until the end for the second one, it will reeeeeally annoy you, so enjoy that!
What you should do
You should watch it. The kids will love it because of all the characters and daft antics, and you'll love it because of those two things and all the hidden references.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
So many choices. I wouldn't mind having my own amusement arcade... oooooooh or Princess hair... ooooooooooh or animals that sew clothes... ooooooooh or... I could be here a while, why don't you click on a pop up ad and go heart some videos instead of waiting around.
[I'd like to apologise for more waffle than usual, but when I accidentally put one Disney song title in a sentence I couldn't pass up the chance to try for more!]
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Set a Watch in Tabletop Games
Sep 26, 2019
Purple Phoenix Games Solo Chronicles
I love a good fantasy-themed game. We’ve all, at some point in our lives, probably dreamed of being adventurers – traveling across the land, fighting monsters, and saving all of humanity. Sounds like it could maybe be fun to me. So whenever I see a game that emulates that theme, I am drawn to it. Such was definitely the case when I stumbled across Set a Watch as I was perusing Kickstarter one day, and the rest is history.
The kingdom is under attack. Hoards of creatures are amassing at locations around the realm in an attempt to resurrect ancient Unhallowed monsters. Their ultimate goal? To take control of the world. You and your fellow adventurers have been tasked with stopping this uprising. By traveling to these various locations, you will attempt to clear the area of evil-doers and maintain peace in the kingdom. Keep a vigilant watch, and your team will be successful. But if you wane for even a moment, all could be lost.
DISCLAIMER: This review uses the Deluxe version of Set a Watch that we backed on Kickstarter. Some components may differ from components found other versions. -T
Set A Watch is a cooperative game for 1-4 players in which players must secure nine locations around the realm to prevent the release of the deadly Unhallowed monsters. The party always consists of 4 adventurers, regardless of actual player count. In each round, one adventurer will stay back at camp, resting and taking strategic actions, while the other 3 adventurers take watch and fight off the creatures attempting to infiltrate the camp by using special abilities and powers to aid in battle. The game ends in victory if the adventurers have successfully secured all locations. If, at the end of a round, all adventurers on watch are exhausted, the camp is overrun and the game is lost.
So how does solo play differ from multiplayer games? It doesn’t! A solo game of Set A Watch plays identically to a multiplayer game – the solo player just controls all 4 adventurers at once instead of being split up among the players. Obviously, as a solo player, you have to make all of the decisions, which is sometimes nicer than playing with other people. You get to play whatever strategy YOU want to, without having to compromise with other players. On the flip side, that could be treacherous if your strategy is too bold/too meek or if you get in a tight spot and are at a loss for what to do next. Other than the aspect of solo decision-making, the gameplay remains unchanged. One adventurer still rests at camp while the other 3 stand watch and battle monsters.
Typically, I am not a fan of solo games in which you are forced to play multiple characters. That just feels like kind of a cop-out way to say ‘Yeah, we have a solo mode’ when in reality you’re still playing a multiplayer game, just by yourself. That being said, I actually don’t mind this aspect in Set A Watch. Why? Because there really are no ‘turns’ to track. One adventurer stays at camp and acts first, but the other 3 go to battle and act whenever/however they want. There is no real turn order. I make the characters act when and how I want them to, and that really opens the rounds up to a lot of freedom. I don’t have to sacrifice special powers/abilities because it wasn’t that character’s ‘turn’ – I can come up with some sweet combos, utilizing whichever characters I need to, to really do some damage. The lack of turns makes this a truly cooperative game, even when playing solo.
Overall, I love Set A Watch. It was, admittedly, a little intimidating at first, but once I got the hang of it, it plays great! The components are nice and sturdy, the box transforms into the game board, and the artwork is very nicely done. Set A Watch is a game I would definitely play either multiplayer or solo, and not as a last resort. The gameplay is engaging, the strategic options give you a different game every play, and the theme itself is just exciting to me. I am very happy with this Kickstarter purchase, and I look forward to any expansions/reimplementations that could be in the works!
The kingdom is under attack. Hoards of creatures are amassing at locations around the realm in an attempt to resurrect ancient Unhallowed monsters. Their ultimate goal? To take control of the world. You and your fellow adventurers have been tasked with stopping this uprising. By traveling to these various locations, you will attempt to clear the area of evil-doers and maintain peace in the kingdom. Keep a vigilant watch, and your team will be successful. But if you wane for even a moment, all could be lost.
DISCLAIMER: This review uses the Deluxe version of Set a Watch that we backed on Kickstarter. Some components may differ from components found other versions. -T
Set A Watch is a cooperative game for 1-4 players in which players must secure nine locations around the realm to prevent the release of the deadly Unhallowed monsters. The party always consists of 4 adventurers, regardless of actual player count. In each round, one adventurer will stay back at camp, resting and taking strategic actions, while the other 3 adventurers take watch and fight off the creatures attempting to infiltrate the camp by using special abilities and powers to aid in battle. The game ends in victory if the adventurers have successfully secured all locations. If, at the end of a round, all adventurers on watch are exhausted, the camp is overrun and the game is lost.
So how does solo play differ from multiplayer games? It doesn’t! A solo game of Set A Watch plays identically to a multiplayer game – the solo player just controls all 4 adventurers at once instead of being split up among the players. Obviously, as a solo player, you have to make all of the decisions, which is sometimes nicer than playing with other people. You get to play whatever strategy YOU want to, without having to compromise with other players. On the flip side, that could be treacherous if your strategy is too bold/too meek or if you get in a tight spot and are at a loss for what to do next. Other than the aspect of solo decision-making, the gameplay remains unchanged. One adventurer still rests at camp while the other 3 stand watch and battle monsters.
Typically, I am not a fan of solo games in which you are forced to play multiple characters. That just feels like kind of a cop-out way to say ‘Yeah, we have a solo mode’ when in reality you’re still playing a multiplayer game, just by yourself. That being said, I actually don’t mind this aspect in Set A Watch. Why? Because there really are no ‘turns’ to track. One adventurer stays at camp and acts first, but the other 3 go to battle and act whenever/however they want. There is no real turn order. I make the characters act when and how I want them to, and that really opens the rounds up to a lot of freedom. I don’t have to sacrifice special powers/abilities because it wasn’t that character’s ‘turn’ – I can come up with some sweet combos, utilizing whichever characters I need to, to really do some damage. The lack of turns makes this a truly cooperative game, even when playing solo.
Overall, I love Set A Watch. It was, admittedly, a little intimidating at first, but once I got the hang of it, it plays great! The components are nice and sturdy, the box transforms into the game board, and the artwork is very nicely done. Set A Watch is a game I would definitely play either multiplayer or solo, and not as a last resort. The gameplay is engaging, the strategic options give you a different game every play, and the theme itself is just exciting to me. I am very happy with this Kickstarter purchase, and I look forward to any expansions/reimplementations that could be in the works!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Sorrim in Tabletop Games
Sep 2, 2020
Head to head competitive games are great, especially during the current lockdown situation. My wife and I could play 1v1 games all the time and be quite happy. That’s why we really enjoy abstract games so much. However, head to head fighting card games are something that my wife and I can kinda get heated over. How did Sorrim do for us? Keep reading.
Sorrim is a competitive 1v1 (or 2v2 or 3v3) card game for two players. A player wins once all of their opponent’s fighters have been knocked out. Fighters are all of differing magic (element) types and therefore can only be equipped with sigils (spells and attacks) of matching type. Whittling the opposing fighters’ health to zero will award triumphant players victory!
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are retail copy components, and all copies will have components matching these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, but to give our readers an idea of how the game plays. You are invited to order from The Game Crafter directly, your FLGS, or purchase through any retailers stocking it after it is released. -T
To setup the game, separate and shuffle the fighter deck and sigil deck. Deal each player a set of colored chips to keep track of values for each fighter. Fighter cards will be flipped and revealed at the beginning of the conflict. Roll the die to determine starting player and the game can begin! Note: this preview will be using the introductory 1v1 setup, though games can also be played on 2v2 and 3v3 modes with slightly different rules.
Each fighter will have their own stats to track as shown on their cards: Might, Altruism, Trickery, Health. Fighters will also possess special abilities printed on their cards to be used during the game.
Sigil cards will show either the word “Passive,” which will be active throughout the game or triggered by a special event, or they will show a group of numbers to indicate the required rolls needed to launch a successful attack.
On a player’s turn they will consult the fighter’s passive abilities to see if they will trigger. Next, the player will roll the die and compare with their cards to cast a sigil (spell). If the rolled result matches a sigil it may be cast. Opponents will check any passive abilities and adjust Health by amount of the fighter’s Might. Play continues in this fashion until one player’s fighters are all reduced to zero Health. That player loses and the winner must then mock the loser until the next game played.
Components. This game consists of some cards, a die, and some translucent chips. Each copy will be provided a link to the designer’s document to print off the rulebook and the stat sheets to track fighter stats as they change throughout the game. The cards are acceptable quality, the die is just an entry-level normal d6 (we were sent green with white ink), and the chips are TiddlyWink style. Everything is… fine. The art leaves some to be desired, especially in this era of gaming where art can elevate a good game to great, and a great game to amazing. This art does not help Sorrim. It’s not terrible, but it’s not wonderful either. Not my style.
All in all, the game is actually pretty decent. It is very quick-playing, especially the 1v1 mode, and after playing one game you kinda want to try some of the other fighter and sigil combinations. Any time a game makes you want to play more, that’s a great thing.
With Sorrim, my final thoughts are that it is a good game. I wouldn’t call it great, but there are several interesting mechanics and the variability/replayability built in is quite good. There are lots of two player battle card games, and Sorrim brings something a little different. The theme is enjoyable, and the gameplay is fast. There isn’t a ton of strategy involved as turns are dependent on rolling a number that matches your sigil cards, but it does deliver an easy-feeling, low-stress battle game for two. For some reason you just don’t feel annoyed when you lose, as can be the case with other PvP games. If you are looking for something in your collection that gives you this quick gameplay and is relatively rules-light, head over to The Game Crafter and give Sorrim a try.
Sorrim is a competitive 1v1 (or 2v2 or 3v3) card game for two players. A player wins once all of their opponent’s fighters have been knocked out. Fighters are all of differing magic (element) types and therefore can only be equipped with sigils (spells and attacks) of matching type. Whittling the opposing fighters’ health to zero will award triumphant players victory!
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are retail copy components, and all copies will have components matching these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, but to give our readers an idea of how the game plays. You are invited to order from The Game Crafter directly, your FLGS, or purchase through any retailers stocking it after it is released. -T
To setup the game, separate and shuffle the fighter deck and sigil deck. Deal each player a set of colored chips to keep track of values for each fighter. Fighter cards will be flipped and revealed at the beginning of the conflict. Roll the die to determine starting player and the game can begin! Note: this preview will be using the introductory 1v1 setup, though games can also be played on 2v2 and 3v3 modes with slightly different rules.
Each fighter will have their own stats to track as shown on their cards: Might, Altruism, Trickery, Health. Fighters will also possess special abilities printed on their cards to be used during the game.
Sigil cards will show either the word “Passive,” which will be active throughout the game or triggered by a special event, or they will show a group of numbers to indicate the required rolls needed to launch a successful attack.
On a player’s turn they will consult the fighter’s passive abilities to see if they will trigger. Next, the player will roll the die and compare with their cards to cast a sigil (spell). If the rolled result matches a sigil it may be cast. Opponents will check any passive abilities and adjust Health by amount of the fighter’s Might. Play continues in this fashion until one player’s fighters are all reduced to zero Health. That player loses and the winner must then mock the loser until the next game played.
Components. This game consists of some cards, a die, and some translucent chips. Each copy will be provided a link to the designer’s document to print off the rulebook and the stat sheets to track fighter stats as they change throughout the game. The cards are acceptable quality, the die is just an entry-level normal d6 (we were sent green with white ink), and the chips are TiddlyWink style. Everything is… fine. The art leaves some to be desired, especially in this era of gaming where art can elevate a good game to great, and a great game to amazing. This art does not help Sorrim. It’s not terrible, but it’s not wonderful either. Not my style.
All in all, the game is actually pretty decent. It is very quick-playing, especially the 1v1 mode, and after playing one game you kinda want to try some of the other fighter and sigil combinations. Any time a game makes you want to play more, that’s a great thing.
With Sorrim, my final thoughts are that it is a good game. I wouldn’t call it great, but there are several interesting mechanics and the variability/replayability built in is quite good. There are lots of two player battle card games, and Sorrim brings something a little different. The theme is enjoyable, and the gameplay is fast. There isn’t a ton of strategy involved as turns are dependent on rolling a number that matches your sigil cards, but it does deliver an easy-feeling, low-stress battle game for two. For some reason you just don’t feel annoyed when you lose, as can be the case with other PvP games. If you are looking for something in your collection that gives you this quick gameplay and is relatively rules-light, head over to The Game Crafter and give Sorrim a try.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated The Children Act (2018) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
“And the Oscar goes to”… (or should go to)… “Dame Emma Thompson”.
Given my last review was for “The Equalizer 2“, where Denzel was judge, jury and executioner, it’s a nice seque that this film follows the life of a senior judge in London’s Law Courts: trying to do the justice job, but in the right way!
Judge Maye (Thompson) is a childless wife to her loving husband Jack (Tucci), but is also a workaholic. This is driving the long-term couple to the point of infidelity: a fact the ever-focused Fiona – whose life, to her, probably feels to be in a perfect if selfish equilibrium – is oblivious to. With Fiona’s intense but comfortable world about to cave in around her, her increasing stress is not helped by the latest case she is working on: one where Adam ( Fionn Whitehead from “Dunkirk“), a Jehovah’s Witness boy and a minor, is refusing on religious grounds the blood transfusion he desperately needs to fight his leukaemia. Fiona’s decisions in the months ahead go much further than a simple judgement on the case.
Two acting giants – one born in London; one born in New York – tower over this Ian McEwan adaptation like leviathons. I bandy around the phrase “national treasure” a lot in these reviews but, if there was a league table of national treasures, Emma Thompson would qualify for the Champion’s League every season. Here she is simply breathtakingly powerful in the lead role of Judge Fiona Maye, exhibiting such extremes of emotion that you would like to think that an Oscar nomination would be assured. (However, before I run out and put a £10 bet on her to win, the film is such a small British film that unfortunately both a nomination and a win seem unlikely! THIS IS A CRIME! So I have added the tag #OscarBuzz to this post…. please share and lobby people, lobby! Perhaps at the very least we can hope for some BAFTA recognition).
Sometimes a masterly lead performance can make a co-star performance seem unbalanced, but no such danger here. Stanley Tucci makes a perfect acting foil for Thompson: if he were a wine he would be described as “exasperation, frustration, compassion with strong notes of respect”. And he carries it off with perfection.
This is an incredibly intelligent film, working on so many different levels and subject to so much interpretation. Fiona’s feelings for the troubled teenager feel more maternal than sexual, but when those feelings become returned and escalate the whole piece develops a queasily oedipal quality. Many films have focused on illicit attractions between teacher and pupil, but here lies a new variation, with Maye fighting against her best professional insticts to ‘do the right thing’. “I’m frightened of myself” she eventually wails to a colleague.
In his opening hospital scenes*, Adam seems completely other-wordly compared to a typical teen and this comes across as utterly false. That is, until you consider the oddness of his family background and Jehovah’s Witness upbringing. As such, the film just about gets away with it. Whitehead does a good job with a difficult role. (*It took my wife to point out – after the film, thank goodness – the similarities between this hospital scene and a famous guitar-playing scene in “Airplane” at which I dissolved into guffaws!).
If you’ve been in a court, you’ll know that there is something regal and magical about a judge in full regalia entering a packed courtroom. So it’s unusual to see the view from the other side of the door… a non-descript office corridor and a non-descript door. Helping the judge on this side of the door is her PA Nigel, played by the brilliant Jason Watkins: a TV regular (e.g. “Line of Duty”, “W1A”) but seen far less at the movies.
As a story of obsessive fixation, it borders on McEwan’s disturbing earlier work “Enduring Love”. And it has the potential to go in lots of interesting directions as a sort of bonkers platonic love triangle (“He wants to live with US?” splutters Tucci). Where the story does end up going was not particularly to my liking, and a melodramatic concert scene was – for me – a little overdone. However it does give rise to a scene (the ‘sopping wet’ scene) that shows Thompson at her most brilliant: if she DID get Oscar or BAFTA nominated then this will be her pre-announcement snippet.
It’s a great film for showcasing acting talent, but beware: it’s not got a “lot of laffs”. As such it’s very much a “Father Ted film” that takes a while to recover from.
Judge Maye (Thompson) is a childless wife to her loving husband Jack (Tucci), but is also a workaholic. This is driving the long-term couple to the point of infidelity: a fact the ever-focused Fiona – whose life, to her, probably feels to be in a perfect if selfish equilibrium – is oblivious to. With Fiona’s intense but comfortable world about to cave in around her, her increasing stress is not helped by the latest case she is working on: one where Adam ( Fionn Whitehead from “Dunkirk“), a Jehovah’s Witness boy and a minor, is refusing on religious grounds the blood transfusion he desperately needs to fight his leukaemia. Fiona’s decisions in the months ahead go much further than a simple judgement on the case.
Two acting giants – one born in London; one born in New York – tower over this Ian McEwan adaptation like leviathons. I bandy around the phrase “national treasure” a lot in these reviews but, if there was a league table of national treasures, Emma Thompson would qualify for the Champion’s League every season. Here she is simply breathtakingly powerful in the lead role of Judge Fiona Maye, exhibiting such extremes of emotion that you would like to think that an Oscar nomination would be assured. (However, before I run out and put a £10 bet on her to win, the film is such a small British film that unfortunately both a nomination and a win seem unlikely! THIS IS A CRIME! So I have added the tag #OscarBuzz to this post…. please share and lobby people, lobby! Perhaps at the very least we can hope for some BAFTA recognition).
Sometimes a masterly lead performance can make a co-star performance seem unbalanced, but no such danger here. Stanley Tucci makes a perfect acting foil for Thompson: if he were a wine he would be described as “exasperation, frustration, compassion with strong notes of respect”. And he carries it off with perfection.
This is an incredibly intelligent film, working on so many different levels and subject to so much interpretation. Fiona’s feelings for the troubled teenager feel more maternal than sexual, but when those feelings become returned and escalate the whole piece develops a queasily oedipal quality. Many films have focused on illicit attractions between teacher and pupil, but here lies a new variation, with Maye fighting against her best professional insticts to ‘do the right thing’. “I’m frightened of myself” she eventually wails to a colleague.
In his opening hospital scenes*, Adam seems completely other-wordly compared to a typical teen and this comes across as utterly false. That is, until you consider the oddness of his family background and Jehovah’s Witness upbringing. As such, the film just about gets away with it. Whitehead does a good job with a difficult role. (*It took my wife to point out – after the film, thank goodness – the similarities between this hospital scene and a famous guitar-playing scene in “Airplane” at which I dissolved into guffaws!).
If you’ve been in a court, you’ll know that there is something regal and magical about a judge in full regalia entering a packed courtroom. So it’s unusual to see the view from the other side of the door… a non-descript office corridor and a non-descript door. Helping the judge on this side of the door is her PA Nigel, played by the brilliant Jason Watkins: a TV regular (e.g. “Line of Duty”, “W1A”) but seen far less at the movies.
As a story of obsessive fixation, it borders on McEwan’s disturbing earlier work “Enduring Love”. And it has the potential to go in lots of interesting directions as a sort of bonkers platonic love triangle (“He wants to live with US?” splutters Tucci). Where the story does end up going was not particularly to my liking, and a melodramatic concert scene was – for me – a little overdone. However it does give rise to a scene (the ‘sopping wet’ scene) that shows Thompson at her most brilliant: if she DID get Oscar or BAFTA nominated then this will be her pre-announcement snippet.
It’s a great film for showcasing acting talent, but beware: it’s not got a “lot of laffs”. As such it’s very much a “Father Ted film” that takes a while to recover from.
Paul Kellett (118 KP) rated Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) in Tabletop Games
May 4, 2019
Plenty of expansions (1 more)
Decent quality miniatures
App can be buggy (1 more)
One side can snowball after a couple of wins
Descent: Journeys In The Dark has been around a long time now, starting as a huge dungeon crawler and morphing into a tactical skirmish / objective-based campaign game. It is supposed to be played with 2-5 players with 1 player being the "Overlord", controlling all the monsters and playing nasty cards on the other players playing the group of heroes (at least 2 heroes required). The game is a fun dice-chucker with a decent amount of strategy and on the whole, well balanced.
With a couple of big-box and half a dozen small-box expansions, not to mention the various hero & monster packs, there is a ton of stuff available and if you own everything, you will be able to choose from 72 heroes with 22 different class decks; fight against 45 different monster types, and encounter around 15 lieutenants over a total of 182 different scenarios. That's plenty to keep you quiet for a while.
So many cards...
Descent: An Overview In The Dark
Descent is a scenario-based game where you work through a tree of different missions, choosing the next one based on whether the heroes or the Overlord worn the last. Each scenario will have specific objectives - anything from stealing an item and reaching the exit to interrogating prisoners and defeating a fearsome Lieutenant of the Overlord. Some of the monsters to be encountered are specified in the scenario text with other free groups able to be chosen from traits specific to that scenario. This gives some variety meaning you will never face exactly the same monsters if you replay the scenarios.
The good players choose a hero from the stack of basic skill types - Fighter, Healer, Scout or Mage and then choose from one of the many class decks for each type so the Fighter could be a Knight or a Berzerker, the Mage a Necromancer and the Healer a Bard, etc. These decks give each hero their skills and form their general strategy.
Meanwhile, the Overlord player chooses one of two Basic decks of cards that will form the base of his defence against the heroes. One deck is more about springing traps while the other has more things to enhance monster attacks. After choosing the basic deck, the Overlord can choose a specialist deck. These can be used to fine tune the Overlord's strategy and at first, only one card is available, the others will be purchased with experience points after each scenario. Finally, if the relevant expansion packs are available, the Overlord can choose a Lieutenant deck which adds further depth to his strategy and also offers the chance to bring a powerful figure into play later in the campaign.
Solo? How So? Redjak has the answer.
With all that going on, it sounds like a fairly daunting if not impossible task to play a solo game of Descent but a fan going by the name of Redjak created two card-driven AI decks - Redjak's Automated Monster Variant (RAMV) and Redjak's Automated Overlord Variant (RAOV). These decks both allow a player, or group of players to play the game as a fully co-operative experience with the cards replacing the Overlord player.
I will say that it is preferable if you have a grasp of the basic rules before jumping into these variants as there can be a lot going on if you are trying to learn the game and the solo rules at the same time. It's probably best to only choose two heroes at first as playing four heroes is more involved but ultimately more rewarding.
These variants are available to download and print out and are also available from the Printer Studio website if you search, although if you are not in the US, then shipping gets expensive.
RAMV
The Monster AI deck is the simpler of the two AI's, being just concerned with the monster actions and leaving out all the Overlord's cards. I haven't played much with this variant but the rules are fairly straightforward. You will set up 4 decks - an Event deck, a Dark Influence deck, a Conditions deck and a Monster deck.
After choosing a scenario to play, you draw cards from the Monster deck, finding ones with icons matching those of the current scenario. This keeps things random and you will always have different things to fight. The selected monster groups will then be placed in "Teams" underneath a row of team cards that will give them their activation order. Finally you will place the encounter objective card for the current scenario. This will give you specific things for each monster group to focus on in terms of stopping you from winning.
You will take your turn alternating hero and monster groups, drawing cards at various points when the monsters should react to attacks, certain scenario triggers ond other in-game events.
It is a fairly simple system but it works really well, giving a solid, straightforward dungeon crawl feel of exploring a map and fighting monsters while trying to complete your quest. Definitely a good starting point and good if you want a 'quick' dungeon crawl.
RAOV
This is the meat, the full experience. Although daunting at first, if you are familiar with the game rules (and have possibly played RAMV a bit), then it will make sense once you get stuck in.
RAOV differs over RAMV in only having one deck, but the rule book is more in depth describing how everything gets played.
You set up as normal, decide on what decks the Overlord will be playing with, draw his starting hand of cards placing them face up on the table. (This variant uses D10 dice anytime you have to make selections)
and take all your heroes actions. If at any point one of your actions would trigger an Overlord card, then that card is played and discarded. Having an open hand means that there are fewer surprises and the Overlord cant be as evil as a human player would be, but it is still tricky and knowing what cards might trigger forces you to think about your strategy in a different way.
Once the heroes have all activated, then the Overlord take its turn, playing any cards that would trigger at the start of the turn. Then, you flip over the top card of the AI deck and activate the first monster group. These cards have a primary target, shown by the corresponding hero symbol and several secondary targets. This gives the monster a focus for its actions. The main text of the card is a list of actions and essentially you work down the list doing whatever actions you are able. Each monster that activates will draw a new card and follow it's orders.
That in a nutshell is it. The Overlord's cards will trigger at the first available opportunity and the monsters will follow a list of options. Once you get used to it, it flows really well and doesn't feel too fiddly at all.
An Open Dungeon
As well as the two AI variants, Redjak also created Delven Deep - a deck of cards each displaying a different map tile that you can use to play a completely randomly generated dungeon crawl. I have yet to try this out, but it is another option if you don't fancy playing through a scripted scenario and just want to explore a random map, killing things.
For The Digital Generation
Fantasy Flight Games have also released an official, free companion app on Android, Steam and IOS that will take control of the Overlord player. This app comes with, I think 2 campaigns - a short training story and a larger, full campaign. Other campaigns a random dungeon generator are available to purchase in the app. None of the printed scenarios are playable using this app and it doesn't use any of the overlord cards, plot decks, event cards or encounter cards.
I will say that I am not a fan of apps for board games and it was actually this app in particular that soured me on the whole idea. Many people really enjoy this app and it has breathed a new lease of life into the game, but unfortunately on my first playthrough, it decided to crash near to the end of a campaign and I essentially lost 6 hours of gaming. I would have had to start all over again from the beginning. That was not a fun experience and put me off completely.
The app borrows heavily from Redjak's work, giving you a list of options to work through when activating the monsters, and various other triggers. Unlike the printed scenarios, all the maps in the digital stories are hidden until you explore them, so you never know what you will encounter. Also, there is a hidden timer in the program that means if you take too long exploring, fighting or whatever, then the game will start throwing nastier and nastier events at you. This makes the game much more of a race than its cardboard cousin and ramps up the difficulty at a fast pace making you feel like you never have enough time to do what you want.
In My opinion, RAOV is the best way to play Descent solo. It uses absolutely everything in the box and gives the most realistic feeling of playing the complete game.
With a couple of big-box and half a dozen small-box expansions, not to mention the various hero & monster packs, there is a ton of stuff available and if you own everything, you will be able to choose from 72 heroes with 22 different class decks; fight against 45 different monster types, and encounter around 15 lieutenants over a total of 182 different scenarios. That's plenty to keep you quiet for a while.
So many cards...
Descent: An Overview In The Dark
Descent is a scenario-based game where you work through a tree of different missions, choosing the next one based on whether the heroes or the Overlord worn the last. Each scenario will have specific objectives - anything from stealing an item and reaching the exit to interrogating prisoners and defeating a fearsome Lieutenant of the Overlord. Some of the monsters to be encountered are specified in the scenario text with other free groups able to be chosen from traits specific to that scenario. This gives some variety meaning you will never face exactly the same monsters if you replay the scenarios.
The good players choose a hero from the stack of basic skill types - Fighter, Healer, Scout or Mage and then choose from one of the many class decks for each type so the Fighter could be a Knight or a Berzerker, the Mage a Necromancer and the Healer a Bard, etc. These decks give each hero their skills and form their general strategy.
Meanwhile, the Overlord player chooses one of two Basic decks of cards that will form the base of his defence against the heroes. One deck is more about springing traps while the other has more things to enhance monster attacks. After choosing the basic deck, the Overlord can choose a specialist deck. These can be used to fine tune the Overlord's strategy and at first, only one card is available, the others will be purchased with experience points after each scenario. Finally, if the relevant expansion packs are available, the Overlord can choose a Lieutenant deck which adds further depth to his strategy and also offers the chance to bring a powerful figure into play later in the campaign.
Solo? How So? Redjak has the answer.
With all that going on, it sounds like a fairly daunting if not impossible task to play a solo game of Descent but a fan going by the name of Redjak created two card-driven AI decks - Redjak's Automated Monster Variant (RAMV) and Redjak's Automated Overlord Variant (RAOV). These decks both allow a player, or group of players to play the game as a fully co-operative experience with the cards replacing the Overlord player.
I will say that it is preferable if you have a grasp of the basic rules before jumping into these variants as there can be a lot going on if you are trying to learn the game and the solo rules at the same time. It's probably best to only choose two heroes at first as playing four heroes is more involved but ultimately more rewarding.
These variants are available to download and print out and are also available from the Printer Studio website if you search, although if you are not in the US, then shipping gets expensive.
RAMV
The Monster AI deck is the simpler of the two AI's, being just concerned with the monster actions and leaving out all the Overlord's cards. I haven't played much with this variant but the rules are fairly straightforward. You will set up 4 decks - an Event deck, a Dark Influence deck, a Conditions deck and a Monster deck.
After choosing a scenario to play, you draw cards from the Monster deck, finding ones with icons matching those of the current scenario. This keeps things random and you will always have different things to fight. The selected monster groups will then be placed in "Teams" underneath a row of team cards that will give them their activation order. Finally you will place the encounter objective card for the current scenario. This will give you specific things for each monster group to focus on in terms of stopping you from winning.
You will take your turn alternating hero and monster groups, drawing cards at various points when the monsters should react to attacks, certain scenario triggers ond other in-game events.
It is a fairly simple system but it works really well, giving a solid, straightforward dungeon crawl feel of exploring a map and fighting monsters while trying to complete your quest. Definitely a good starting point and good if you want a 'quick' dungeon crawl.
RAOV
This is the meat, the full experience. Although daunting at first, if you are familiar with the game rules (and have possibly played RAMV a bit), then it will make sense once you get stuck in.
RAOV differs over RAMV in only having one deck, but the rule book is more in depth describing how everything gets played.
You set up as normal, decide on what decks the Overlord will be playing with, draw his starting hand of cards placing them face up on the table. (This variant uses D10 dice anytime you have to make selections)
and take all your heroes actions. If at any point one of your actions would trigger an Overlord card, then that card is played and discarded. Having an open hand means that there are fewer surprises and the Overlord cant be as evil as a human player would be, but it is still tricky and knowing what cards might trigger forces you to think about your strategy in a different way.
Once the heroes have all activated, then the Overlord take its turn, playing any cards that would trigger at the start of the turn. Then, you flip over the top card of the AI deck and activate the first monster group. These cards have a primary target, shown by the corresponding hero symbol and several secondary targets. This gives the monster a focus for its actions. The main text of the card is a list of actions and essentially you work down the list doing whatever actions you are able. Each monster that activates will draw a new card and follow it's orders.
That in a nutshell is it. The Overlord's cards will trigger at the first available opportunity and the monsters will follow a list of options. Once you get used to it, it flows really well and doesn't feel too fiddly at all.
An Open Dungeon
As well as the two AI variants, Redjak also created Delven Deep - a deck of cards each displaying a different map tile that you can use to play a completely randomly generated dungeon crawl. I have yet to try this out, but it is another option if you don't fancy playing through a scripted scenario and just want to explore a random map, killing things.
For The Digital Generation
Fantasy Flight Games have also released an official, free companion app on Android, Steam and IOS that will take control of the Overlord player. This app comes with, I think 2 campaigns - a short training story and a larger, full campaign. Other campaigns a random dungeon generator are available to purchase in the app. None of the printed scenarios are playable using this app and it doesn't use any of the overlord cards, plot decks, event cards or encounter cards.
I will say that I am not a fan of apps for board games and it was actually this app in particular that soured me on the whole idea. Many people really enjoy this app and it has breathed a new lease of life into the game, but unfortunately on my first playthrough, it decided to crash near to the end of a campaign and I essentially lost 6 hours of gaming. I would have had to start all over again from the beginning. That was not a fun experience and put me off completely.
The app borrows heavily from Redjak's work, giving you a list of options to work through when activating the monsters, and various other triggers. Unlike the printed scenarios, all the maps in the digital stories are hidden until you explore them, so you never know what you will encounter. Also, there is a hidden timer in the program that means if you take too long exploring, fighting or whatever, then the game will start throwing nastier and nastier events at you. This makes the game much more of a race than its cardboard cousin and ramps up the difficulty at a fast pace making you feel like you never have enough time to do what you want.
In My opinion, RAOV is the best way to play Descent solo. It uses absolutely everything in the box and gives the most realistic feeling of playing the complete game.
Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Assassin's Creed (2016) in Movies
May 4, 2017
Action sequences (4 more)
Cast
Practical and CGI effects
Plot
Highest free fall performed by a stuntman in almost 35 years.
Apple of Eden (1 more)
Not as much Past sequences as I'd like
Nothing is True...
Okay, so I have been a huge fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise since the beginning and have enjoyed, at least to some extent for certain ones, all of the games that have been released thus far. I was so excited for this movie once I heard it was being made and spent the years waiting, worrying. Videogame Movies have had nothing but a bad rep throughout the many years and this was one I was hoping did not fail, or at least not be a failure for me.
To give an example of what I mean, the Prince of Persia film was one I actually really enjoyed but to the world it was a flop and people despise it and dread to talk about it. Yes it's not as great as it could have been but neverless I enjoy what they tried to do with it. This film is both similar and yet different for me, because I didn't enjoy what they tried to do, I enjoyed what they did.
Though many will disagree with me I would like to at least get my view of the film across so that other might understand how someone can enjoy the film. So here it goes;
First of all Michael Fassbender is brilliant as both Callum Lynch and Aguilar de Nerha. As Callum he brilliantly portrays the anger, confusion, intrigue and then of course the characters progression into his focus and his determination to fully understand what it means to be an Assassin, not just in the past but in the present. As Aguilar we watch as Fassbender portrays to us his ancestral character as a much more skilled individual. Someone you can tell has been through years of intense training, has been taught to focus his mind on the task at hand and to understand that nothing is more important than his mission. Even if that means that people, no matter how close they are to him, must not be mourned in death until the mission is complete.
Other cast members such as Jeremy Irons and Marion Cotillard, are brilliant in their roles as their characters each have their own goals, and both require Callum Lynch, so their interactions together are shown in very different ways, although both are sincere.
The action in this movie is brilliant and is almost very reminiscent of the games themselves (the later games in the series at least, since the combat becomes more evolved and fluent compared to the first game/s). The actions of the Assassins such as the air assassination, the free running, the leap of faith and others, are exactly what I wanted to see in this film. The best part about them is that they are practical effects. The cast are actually free running, they are actually fighting, and doing somersaults (with the help of stunt doubles of course) and my favourite, the leap of faith is actually performed using a crane and a crash mat, by British gymnast and free runner Damien Walters. He free falls from the crane lift at 125 feet in the air, and in 3 seconds, he lands on the crash mat. This is actually the highest free fall performed by a stuntman in almost 35 years.
The connections to the games are beautifully blended into this new and refreshing plot that we haven't seen before. Everything from the different Assassin Insignias, to the leap of faith, the weapons, Abstergo Industries, and of course the Piece of Eden, is everything the fans wanted and possibly more. They even included a version of the Bleeding Effect that we haven't seen the likes of before, which I adored.
Probably my only issue with this film is the Apple of Eden, simply because, unlike the game, it doesn't do anything, except glow. The look of it is beautiful, just like all the other props and clothing in this film. However, when the orb is activated, there's simply some lights thrust out of it but it doesn't do anything besides show some pretty lights. In the game it can control minds, even break them and kill, or make someone run away in fear. Besides that, I have no real important issues with the film. The plot is, to me at least, brilliant and whilst there are some minor nit picks here and there, I love this film enough to not let them bother me. I saw this film twice in the cinema and would have gone a third time if I had the chance. Sadly I was too busy.
If you're a fan of the game franchise I highly recommend you give this film a chance. If you don't like it, like most people, then that's fair enough, but as I say about most films such as this, and comic book movies, give them a chance...you never know, you just might like it.
To give an example of what I mean, the Prince of Persia film was one I actually really enjoyed but to the world it was a flop and people despise it and dread to talk about it. Yes it's not as great as it could have been but neverless I enjoy what they tried to do with it. This film is both similar and yet different for me, because I didn't enjoy what they tried to do, I enjoyed what they did.
Though many will disagree with me I would like to at least get my view of the film across so that other might understand how someone can enjoy the film. So here it goes;
First of all Michael Fassbender is brilliant as both Callum Lynch and Aguilar de Nerha. As Callum he brilliantly portrays the anger, confusion, intrigue and then of course the characters progression into his focus and his determination to fully understand what it means to be an Assassin, not just in the past but in the present. As Aguilar we watch as Fassbender portrays to us his ancestral character as a much more skilled individual. Someone you can tell has been through years of intense training, has been taught to focus his mind on the task at hand and to understand that nothing is more important than his mission. Even if that means that people, no matter how close they are to him, must not be mourned in death until the mission is complete.
Other cast members such as Jeremy Irons and Marion Cotillard, are brilliant in their roles as their characters each have their own goals, and both require Callum Lynch, so their interactions together are shown in very different ways, although both are sincere.
The action in this movie is brilliant and is almost very reminiscent of the games themselves (the later games in the series at least, since the combat becomes more evolved and fluent compared to the first game/s). The actions of the Assassins such as the air assassination, the free running, the leap of faith and others, are exactly what I wanted to see in this film. The best part about them is that they are practical effects. The cast are actually free running, they are actually fighting, and doing somersaults (with the help of stunt doubles of course) and my favourite, the leap of faith is actually performed using a crane and a crash mat, by British gymnast and free runner Damien Walters. He free falls from the crane lift at 125 feet in the air, and in 3 seconds, he lands on the crash mat. This is actually the highest free fall performed by a stuntman in almost 35 years.
The connections to the games are beautifully blended into this new and refreshing plot that we haven't seen before. Everything from the different Assassin Insignias, to the leap of faith, the weapons, Abstergo Industries, and of course the Piece of Eden, is everything the fans wanted and possibly more. They even included a version of the Bleeding Effect that we haven't seen the likes of before, which I adored.
Probably my only issue with this film is the Apple of Eden, simply because, unlike the game, it doesn't do anything, except glow. The look of it is beautiful, just like all the other props and clothing in this film. However, when the orb is activated, there's simply some lights thrust out of it but it doesn't do anything besides show some pretty lights. In the game it can control minds, even break them and kill, or make someone run away in fear. Besides that, I have no real important issues with the film. The plot is, to me at least, brilliant and whilst there are some minor nit picks here and there, I love this film enough to not let them bother me. I saw this film twice in the cinema and would have gone a third time if I had the chance. Sadly I was too busy.
If you're a fan of the game franchise I highly recommend you give this film a chance. If you don't like it, like most people, then that's fair enough, but as I say about most films such as this, and comic book movies, give them a chance...you never know, you just might like it.
