As I mentioned recently this is a pretty quiet blog lately. Often I try to write here with a relentlessly positive, comedic, or detached academic tone. This is going to be one of those rare times I write something vulnerable and personal instead. Partially, I’m hoping that nobody reads it except the people who really care, but sometimes I need to collect my feelings on things.
This is kind of about Devil May Cry.
This is a post mortem about my experience running the 5th edition D&D module Tomb of Annihilation.
If you’re a player who may experience this as a campaign, don’t read this post, since it will contain spoilers for the module.
If you are a DM who is considering running the module, you might find this post useful. If you have no interest in running or playing the module, you might still find it interesting, though not entirely comprehensible. If you’re one of my players, this is safe to read as this doesn’t contain any spoilers for anything you haven’t seen yet. It may also shed some light on things that might have been confusing during play. If you’ve already played or ran the module, this is (probably) also safe to read, and I’m interested in hearing your thoughts about how you did things differently or whether you think my critiques are off base or not.
First, some background: I ran the ToA with an advance copy provided by Wizards of the Coast. I had a slight head start on some players in running and prepping this, though it was officially released a few months after our campaign started live streaming it. My players are mixed: some very experienced, some only somewhat experienced. A couple have been playing D&D for a very long time. I have one player who playing in his first campaign, and another who is playing 5e for the first time but has previously played 3.5.
Fifth Edition has proven to be a great D&D edition for me and my group. Let me preface that by saying I was quite fond of 4th ed and did not like 3.5 very much. That puts me in a minority. A minority of very smart people with excellent taste, mind you, but a minority nonetheless, so when you read this, you might want to keep my tastes in mind.
Spoilers below the jump.
Have a Super Mar 10! For Mario March I am creating Mario-inspired food and drink.
I’m going to be playing Braid today. In the spirit of The Drunken Moogle, I thought it would be nice to create a cocktail to celebrate this game, and drink while I play.
Some game and geek cocktails only mimic the aesthetics of the thing they are trying to tribute. But I am determined that my Braid cocktail should capture not only some of the game’s painterly look, but also the spirit of Braid, pun intended. Obviously, the first alcoholic beverage that comes to mind is a bottle of wine, spilled on your dinner date.
But what aside from that? Braid is a meditation on the concept of regret. Once you consider that, the choice of spirit is clear: there is no spirit that you regret more than tequila. Specifically, I regret the tequila sunrises that I had in Cancun, but that may be on a more personal note.
I don’t want to just recreate a Tequila Sunrise, so let me instead present my Braid inspired version, which I call Tequila Sunset Over Tim’s House.
Take 1/2 oz of your tequila, the sugar, and 3 or 4 blackberries. Muddle all together, until the liquid is dark, then add the Creme De Cassis (berry liquor)
Mix this dark and foreboding liquid gently, then pour it into your chosen cocktail glass.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add the orange juice and the rest of the tequila. Shake.
Using the back of a spoon if you need it, layer the orange juice mixture over top of the berry mixture. Create an ominous fiery sunset over a dark city, like the starting screen of Braid. Add a few more blackberries to float on top to symbolize dark clouds looming on the horizon.
Drink.
Regret.
Hi Everyone!
Have you been watching my Twitch stream?
No? Well, it’s at http://www.twitch.com/litagemini
This is a really good place to find me lately, since I’m trying to get into a habit of streaming more often. I’ve gotten involved with an awesome group of streamers all locally in Philadelphia, and it’s a blast playing games and hanging out.
This month there’s a vibe going on that Elliface started, and that’s Mario March, where many of us in the community are playing Mario games all month.
However, because I’m an Indie Hipster, I’m not going to play many actual Mario games. Instead, I’m going to also play Mario-like games that are made by independent developers.
Sure, I’ll play Braid. I feel that I’ve been challenged to 100 percent it, so we’re going to sit around and stare at clouds. But I’ll also play Omegaland, so get ready for that. If I manage to get the right equipment, I’m also interested in trying Galaxy or Odyssey, because I actually haven’t played either of them…
I’m also going to stop by the Cooking with Heat stream to cook some Mario-inspired food. Woot!
I might even wear my Princess Peach cosplay…. which I wore to PAX and MAGfest. I met a swell bunch of Princesses there.
Look our community up for the fun!
PH16 on Twitch!
