Episode 13: Stab first, ask questions later

[Brave Sir Robin]

The revenge of the statue was truly epic. I think we would all watch the spin off "Bertie the Human Statue".

I love how high pitched my voice got during the post-combat discussion. It was not really intentional, it just sorta happened. I found this conversation really interesting from a perspective of getting to know the characters better. Perhaps a bit dark compared to what we've encountered previously. What did you think?

[Oneiros]

I actually did a double-take when that part of the episode came up - quite a dramatic shift tonally from the rest of it. Nicely done and not dwelt on overlong. From previous experience, I know that those kind of PC vs PC disagreements can spill out into much larger conflicts (and take up huge amounts of game time) so it was good to see that there was a bit of concession on both sides in order to move forward. I daresay the matter will be revisited...

It was good to see Zolf affirming his faith and belief in the tenets of Poseidon, as his faith hadn't really come up before. I think it's all too easy in games to overlook the fact that clerics (often but not always) serve a deity with prescribed acts of faith and dogma and should display this in rituals and prayers and such. Glossing over this, I feel, reduces the cleric to 'just another spellcaster', only seen as the 'healstick'. 'Power comes with a price' was very much on display here - so kudos to Ben and Bryn for playing that out.

It's also an interesting juxtaposition showcasing the nature of their powers - Hamid's spellcasting is inherent and instinctive, deriving from his blood and ancestry, whereas Zolf's is bestowed by his belief. I think Zolf calling Hamid on his use of magic, particularly with the claw manifestation in the previous battle and the general stress of being in Other London, helps beautifully heighten Hamid's own confusion about who he is and what he's doing.

Another great episode, although it did feel it suffered a little from the old 'we've been playing for 6 hours and only advanced a minute of in-game time' scenario (which can't be helped at times)

[Brave Sir Robin]

Yeah, something I don't think has actually come up in the podcast so far is that Hamid doesn't actually know he's a sorcerer. No one really knows what a sorcerer is - Hamid just thinks he's a super cool sorta weird wizard. Obviously the whole sorcerer things is likely to get explored in future episodes, though I assume it will be a slow burning sort of plot.

Trying hard not to spoiler future episodes, I will just say we don't ignore it going forward. It would be easy to fall into typical rp habits of just doing the correct game action when it's obvious, but the issue doesn't just go away instantly, which I like.

[Alex Newall]

I am looking into various ways of speeding up gameplay relative to recording time but all suggestions are always welcome.

[Mauley Stopit]

Once again running late into the room BUT I loved this episode. I loved Hamid and Zolfs' interaction and it REALLY made me think about what a cleric can be (which might be fun for future games on my part). The idea that Zolf serves a god that doesn't just pat people on the head or let them pick marigolds for a sacrifice to them. Power comes from somewhere, and the stronger the magic, the stronger the sacrifice/cost. It surprised me how dark it got, but it really helped solidify Zolf's character for me. I loved it!