apklosky.bsky.social
Writer, editor, nerd, queer, liberal/progressive.
Creator of "Cold Steel Wardens: Roleplaying in the Iron Age of Comics".
159 posts
488 followers
183 following
Getting Started
Active Commenter
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Reverse dungeon ftw!
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DAO--Warden's Keep questline
DA2--End of Act II
DAI--The Still Ruins
DAV--Weisshaupt and Isle of the Gods
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Titans, please!
More dwarf coverage in general!
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Stat blocks. Especially when I need a bunch of them. Laborious to do and very easy to make errors that go unseen until publication.
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Al's or Portillo's?!
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Cheaper option?
Sleeves to put documents into 3 ring binders.
Dry and wet-erasable, lightweight, and you can get a giant box of them for maybe $6.
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I actually did use the "meet in a tavern" trope for a short-lived campaign a few years back. However, it started with the town guard detaining everyone after a crazy night at the tavern, with most of the session being a flashback to what led to them collectively getting arrested!
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In the Ravenloft campaign we wrapped up this past summer, the group met at a funeral of a mutual acquaintance, as they were all named as beneficiaries in his will.
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*blush* aww, shucks...
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Designer/writer/editor/gremlin here. Best known for Cold Steel Wardens, but also The Laundry Files, and FFG/Aconyte Books' Arkham Horror IP.
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Necrobiotic and Eat the Reich!
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Yup.
Cold Steel Wardens.
De Civitates Dei.
Cocytus.
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VG could never live up to the weight of 10 years of anticipation/expectations. There would always be complaints, coming down to what people want from DA.
VG gave *me* the lore, story, and character elements I wanted, with combat that was actually engaging and enjoyable. That made it a hit for me.
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Much obliged! It was a blast to work on!
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My take on Taash is that she's Daria Morgendorffer, dragon slayer. Sarcastic, autist-coded, surly late-teen with maternal issues and an inferiority complex.
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Sure, count me in!
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Overall, though? I can't give a ranking yet, but it's going to be high. Inquisition is my high water mark for DA, and they're certainly jockeying for position. Regardless, high praise and a must play for anyone who loves the world.
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I absolutely love the Gear system in VG. The idea of upgrading your gear through duplicates needs to be used in other places. I love unlocking new stats and abilities on each piece, making lots of different options at any given point. Unique items have been really cool as well.
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Companions are good, though I need to complete their arcs to really get the full picture. Neve, Lucanis, and Harding were expected favorites, though Emmrich and Bellara are both surprisingly nuanced. Davrin and Taash have been somewhat one-note so far, but there's more coming, I'm sure.
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Dialogue is pretty solid, for the most part. A few strange or missed lines here and there, but nothing egregious. I really fail to see the "Marvel-ized" complaint that seems to be going around.
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Loving the storyline so far. The Evanuris feel like an omnipresent threat and this is a much better take on the "unite against a common threat" narrative than Origins. Can definitely feel the ongoing time pressure. Rook is up there with Hawke in terms of the best realized protags in DA.
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Combat in VG is the best it's been in any DA game, and I genuinely don't miss direct party control. So many things that would have been abilities in earlier games have just been folded into the combat system. Parrying/dodging alone is so welcome. Reminds me of Arkham games by way of Horizon.
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Oath of Sorrow for Paladin? I'm intrigued...
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The MCU is at its absolute best when messy queers make their relationship drama into explosions. :D
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#DragonAge #Veiltober
October 31 DA Hot Take
I genuinely think VG has the opportunity to be the best of the series. The culmination of so many major plot points, phenomenal graphics, and engaging, reactive gameplay. I honestly cannot wait until noon, when I can dig in for the first time.
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#DragonAge #Veiltober
October 30 DA Hot Take
The best "side content" from all 3 of the games is The Still Ruins, from DAI. Unique dungeon layout, a clever hook, worthwhile loot, and a story that unveils itself as you play. Masterclass in dungeon design.
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I'm sure I will, tbh! I put about 1300 hours into Inquisition across 3 platforms. I know I'll get my mileage out of VG!
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I should be all right-- I'm getting scar tissue removed following my ACL reconstruction in January. But with DA? I'm not chancing my playthrough to percoset! Been waiting far too long to try and play through a haze! I'll likely just watch streams until I'm cogent enough to play again.
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So, I took off Thurs/Fri, but now I'm having knee surgery on Friday! So I'll get about 12 hours of VG before I spend the weekend on pain meds!
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#DragonAge #Veiltober
October 29 DA Hot Take
The "hide helmet" option should be the default. DA hats are, across the board, phenomenally ugly. And who doesn't want to see their HoF/Hawke/Inky/Rook's face during cut scenes?
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That's a damn fine birthday present, that!
Now, go raise a glass and start your next playthrough! :D
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Good way to be! Carry on and good luck!
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#DragonAge #Veiltober
October 28 DA Hot Take
I really like how VG's combat looks. Being able to actively dodge and parry attacks is incredibly welcome and brings echoes of the Arkham series. It feels like this is what DA2 was leaving towards, only done right.
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#DragonAge #Veiltober
October 27 DA Hot Take
I hope there is no way to *save* Solas.
Note: I hope there is a way to *try* to save Solas, which ultimately ends in failure like with Kirkwall in DA2.
I want to be able to walk through that tragedy, knowing that there's no happy ending.
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#DragonAge #Veiltober
October 26 DA Hot Take
I'm not *that* upset that only a handful of choices are carrying over into VG. Yes, I'd like to see more, but few of the earlier impacts are even relevant.
I'm more interested in how npcs react and how VG itself progresses through my choices.
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That's perfectly fine on my end! Still excited to hear all your thoughts!
Any chance you'll also be streaming? I know it's hard, with the wee one.
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So glad you got a full review copy! I'm eager to hear your full thoughts!
By chance, are you allowed to tell us how long it took you? I imagine you did as much as possible...
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#DragonAge #Veiltober
October 25 DA Hot Take
Cassandra was the best choice for Divine. The Chantry needs change, but while Leliana is in the right, she'd upend too many things that are working to fix those that aren't.
Vivienne...I love you, girl, but you don't need to be pope.
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Without trying to criticize at all, maybe consider something other than NaNo? I've done it twice, but the people who run it are very pro-AI and have taken questionable stances on creator's rights.
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And yes, there should have been a keep in each major area. Exalted Pains is huge and would have made a ton of sense to have one. Same with the Hissing Waste.