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Sudanna

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About Sudanna

  • Birthday 05/08/1994

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    scout.sivar@gmail.com

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  • Real Name
    Scout Sivar

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Understated Ur-Drakon

Understated Ur-Drakon (15/17)

  1. I don't think I mentioned worldbuilding consistency, everything I said was about the themes. The disjointedness characterizing the way we know the martians works for me, it adds to the larger picture. And obviously I do think it has a coherent theme, even as individual stories can diverge from it, I said what I think that theme is.
  2. All of that is very true, though! Pick a vanished society, you can valorize and romanticize and aestheticize them to no end. Look at them in truth and in context, and they're as parochial and brutal and shallow and human as anything that still exists and dismays you. And their death is still a tragedy, it has to be, because they're as human as anything else, and as unique as they are not. The absurdity and odd-angled incomplete assemblage of the martians from limited and unflattering stories is a part of it, not apart from it. Their death in the background, without the time or space or stories to understand them, makes the loss all the more dire. The theme is not conquest or justice, it's loss. Of course they become sympathetic in their dying, we pity and mourn the dying. Of course their death leaves their legacy to the living, that's the fate of every legacy. That's the thing, that's the book!
  3. I think it's popular because of the ways it diverges from straight science fiction. That's why I like it a lot, anyways. I haven't read it in a long time, but the emotional themes of everything being lost, a lost people and a lost world, the melancholy and mystery of it, the dead canals, the dead planet, the silver masks and obscure nature of the martians, it's collectively all very potent even as it's vague. Bradbury does best with vibes-based writing, and Chronicles has really great vibes.
  4. Plus, you can play a party of all sliths and just pretend to be space aliens, nobody's seen one of you before!
  5. dflfpobhbron. The known letters so far line up with choices I made, though I might be the first person to get a d in #1. I was a medium-skin-tone low-weight prince with the long wavy black hair and the most neutral facial expression and the eyebrow scar. I never once referred to myself as a prince, but was otherwise appropriately formal. I was gentle to people and loyal to Haven. I defeated the Nisse without taking any wishes. I had their dreams, but not the final one, though it was offered. I asked to serve at the end.
  6. How do you declare the Ukat your Favored Vassal if you side with the Brokk? I made the Favored promise to King Borgen before allying with the Brokk, and I don't think that's carried over after siding with the Brokk.
  7. Oh, hey, it occurs to me. Geneforge 1 - Mutagen has a name cameo that I know because I put it in there, thanks Kickstarter. Hiley, the flute-playing servile in the basement of The Tombs, has a number of references to the book *cough* Sudanna, Sudanna in his dialogue, not least of which is his name, shared with a character in said book. His flute, his dorky hat, elements of his backstory, you see what I've done here. Even the ghosts, from a thematic standpoint. Ta-da!
  8. Sudanna

    Where to start?

    The easiest answer is Geneforge 1: Mutagen, the most recent release. It's a renovation of the original Geneforge 1 from twenty years ago, with updated mechanics and a lot of new content. It's easy to compartmentalize, because it's divided into discrete zones. If it seems a little odd or hard to get into, try Queen's Wish instead.
  9. If you kill or help the rebels on the second island, one of them will leave. You can move on from the second island without doing either. Depending on a mandatory choice you make at the end of the third island's main questline, one of them will leave. This choice also determines what side of the war you're on. It's possible to have them both leave if you mismatch your decisions on the second and third islands. If you keep one of them after the third island, they'll stay with you for the rest of the game.
  10. I must dissent against the above mechanical criticisms of Pillars of Eternity. They're the only ones of these kinds of games that I ever replay, specifically because I enjoy the mechanics. Otherwise, good descriptions of them. Tyranny is another game from the same company, and has a very similar design ethic. There are three Shadowrun games that are probably exactly what you're looking for. None of them are direct sequels to each other, they can be played independently. The first, Shadowrun Returns, is fine but not super interesting and ultimately I would recommend skipping it or playing it last if you really like the other two. The second, Shadowrun: Dragonfall, is fantastic and exceptional and has a story and characters that are very dear to me. The third, Shadowrun: Hong Kong, is also very good. The two recent Pathfinder games, Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous, were pretty good if you can get through the mechanical morass of Pathfinder. Very long, if that's what you're looking for. They both have decent, intricate, involved storylines, but expect to spend a wide majority of time just fighting things in Pathfinder. The second has solidly better writing and characters, and they're narratively unrelated, so that's the one I'd more recommend. Underrail and The Age of Decadence aren't party-based, but otherwise fit the bill. The Age of Decadence has a particular emphasis on wildly divergent storylines and paths through the game, including several non-combat ones. Wildermyth is a recent release that is maybe sort of adjacent to what you're asking for. It's got a recognizable tile-based combat system, but is both mechanically and narratively very light and procedural. It emphasizes the passing of time, your adventurers grow old and are replaced by new generations, and the scars and weird magical changes that accumulate. Ultimately, I found it a little thin, but it's alright.
  11. There can be a distinction. Most obviously in, like, procedural matters. If you think you should take Main Street rather than First, you aren't necessarily offended if the driver chooses otherwise(though people certainly can be). The nudity issue seems clearly like a matter of offense.
  12. Hey, thanks! I didn't know I wanted this until I saw it, but I really want it.
  13. The point is not to extrapolate all mechanics into the setting, it is to opt to reconcile them when one has the option. For starters, it makes for a more interesting world than the alternative. Control has not been a relevant mechanic for me in Mutagen. I put a bunch of points into essence, I make as many very high-level creations as possible, and it's fine.
  14. It is best to find synchronicity between the game mechanics and the narrative, rather than deliberately separate them.
  15. As is typical of Spiderweb games, bathrooms are actually fairly common. What else do you think all those slimy bucket rooms are? Regardless, most of those are specifically brought up by the text, very intentionally brought in as parts of the world by Jeff. They're not inconvenient or uninteresting mundanities.
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