tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-158159682024-03-12T18:07:34.373-07:00Timmy's House of SprinklesChristopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.comBlogger1181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-51901439490386001192024-03-09T16:11:00.000-08:002024-03-09T16:13:30.096-08:00Vectorism<p>I was recently chatting with my brother (no, my <i>other</i> brother) about <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/thomas%20pynchon">Thomas Pynchon</a>. We both describe him as one of our favorite authors, despite not really having read a whole lot from him. The Crying of Lot 49 is an incredible book, one of the most gripping and mesmerizing and lingering novels I've read. Beyond that, though, Pynchon gets a lot more challenging, with books that are considerably longer while also being very complex and layered. I've enjoyed everything of his that I've read, but other than 49, it's always taken a real concerted effort and sometimes multiple attempts to finish something.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkQs9a3xibrIh6YlHAZnbbaMSYPUXfpIlb-vrNAaO8EdQ63Npd6IQ0VQcxo833kMoV9VKQFQf8wrHKCimaNI7qcnzBHmw8r3S3qFp7lltm4owHQLNqstyQ-TBH92nz4CzgfAu4c7-bYBs6FqoVpQcIhtRXTK_DRCqehfsYWrSxq3sqvqYbQ/s398/AgainstTheDay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="251" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkQs9a3xibrIh6YlHAZnbbaMSYPUXfpIlb-vrNAaO8EdQ63Npd6IQ0VQcxo833kMoV9VKQFQf8wrHKCimaNI7qcnzBHmw8r3S3qFp7lltm4owHQLNqstyQ-TBH92nz4CzgfAu4c7-bYBs6FqoVpQcIhtRXTK_DRCqehfsYWrSxq3sqvqYbQ/w253-h400/AgainstTheDay.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I just finished reading "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Against-Day-Thomas-Pynchon/dp/0143112562">Against the Day</a>", which I think puts me past the halfway point of Pynchon books I've read. It's a beast of a book at over 1000 pages, but from page to page it's highly readable and fun. Pynchon has an amazing gift for language and voices, a sharp sense of humor, intricate drama and surprising allusions.</p><p><b>MINI SPOILERS</b></p><p>Overall, I think this book most closely reminds me of <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2008/12/reading-rainbow.html">Gravity's Rainbow</a>, both for its epic historical sweep and its deep interest in science. Where GR was set late in World War 2 and dealt with contemporary ideas of ballistic missiles and relativity, ATD spans the time from the late 1800s to the end of World War 1 and is interested in the scientific ideas of that era. The nature of light and the aether are especially important in the early part of the book, and characters both talk about these concepts and see them acted upon in their journeys. Explosives are similarly central to the narrative. One thing that I adore about Pynchon is how he ties everything in together around a central axis but then kind of moves up in a third dimension, circling around a consistent concept but exploring radically different aspects of it. For explosives, an early character named Webb Traverse is very knowledgeable about how to detonate explosives, and can apply that knowledge in his work in the Colorado mines; but over time we see those explosives being turned against the system of capitalist exploitation that drive those mines in the first place, and how they can be used to cripple the railroads and factories. The concrete, technical aspects of explosives segue into the philosophical theory of anarchism, in a way that feels natural and inextricable.</p><p>Pynchon really knows his stuff, and isn't afraid to dig deep into nerding out on science and math. Vectors are a really big part of the story. One of Webb's sons is Christopher, nicknamed Kit, who becomes an expert on vectorism, a practical application of math to predict real-world movements. In the tone of the novel, though Vectorism is most often described like a religion, with its adherents and priests and heretics. Kit moves in the circles of Vectorists, but later on gets mixed up with the Quaternions, a more European branch of mathematics that deals with four-dimensional rather than three-dimensional movement. Quaternions require imaginary numbers and radicals and other things that cannot exist in the real world, yet nevertheless may be useful to analyze real-world concepts. I took one of several detours to Wikipedia to confirm that, yep, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaternion">quaternions</a> is a real thing, though generally not with the mystical overtones they accrete in this book.</p><p>Electricity is a big deal as well, with Tesla playing a somewhat significant role in the first third or so of the novel. Here too, the science of electricity is explored, but so too is the whole social and financial territory in which it is being deployed. In the Chicago World's Fair, electricity is still something of a novelty, enabling late-night activities that previously would have needed to wait for the next day. We see how the landscapes of America and Europe are transformed as they are lit up by incandescent bulbs. Tesla seeks to make electrical power available for free for everyone over wireless transmission. He is subverted by his supposed investors, the real Morgan and the fictional Vibe, who bankroll his experiments while secretly sabotaging them, ushering in the transactional Edisonian world that will ensure regular payments to the wealthy of the world.</p><p>Like I mentioned before, light is a huge concept in the book, and especially refraction and reflection. An early section of the book is titled "Iceland Spar", and it's both a plot point and an analogy, a special type of rock that can doubly refract light, producing duplicated images. During a detour through a traveling troupe of magicians, we learn that this is how they accomplish many of their illusions: but when doubling a person, that person is <i>actually doubled</i>, producing a doppelganger that will continue to live even after the act is over. As with many other things in the book, I initially assumed this was a creative invention, before checking and realizing that, yep, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland_spar">Iceland Spar actually exists</a>. (But it doesn't really create flesh-and-blood duplicates of people. Probably)</p><p>I'll try to not describe every single topic Pynchon dives into, but I will say that one of the coolest has to do with silver. In the first couple of chapters, we learn how fascinated Merle Rideout is with photography: a process by which silver and light interact to freeze an image onto paper. Much of the following action then takes place in the silver mines of Colorado, where men work hard and set off explosives and use pickaxes to extract silver ore from the earth. Those mining operations tie in with the politics and economics of the Free Silver movement and the recent bodyslam of Repeal; for this community, it's just Repeal, everyone knows what was repealed so they don't need to explain it. Doubling back to photography, it's also a matter of light. In film, the cels advance like clockwork, so you're really seeing a still image for a fraction of a second, then another still image for a fraction of a second, and so on. Merle muses that this seems awkward: we should be able to do something with light itself to directly transmit the movement of images. Much much later in the book, Merle invents an process by which a single photograph can be extrapolated into a film: if you consider the act of freezing movement onto a skein of silver as taking the derivative of an equation, it should be possibly to take the integral to restore the fourth dimension, letting the silver flow again. </p>I hadn't made this association before, but it occurred to me while reading this that there are more than a few similarities between Thomas Pynchon and Neal Stephenson. Their styles are very different - Pynchon tends to be more layered and baroque, uses more dialect and shifts between different styles in the course of a book, while Stephenson's prose is more consistent within a given book - but they share a palpable joy for knowledge and a propensity to detour through scientific explanations in the course of their swashbuckling books. The nature of their interests varies a bit; Pynchon seems more drawn towards mathematics and pure research, while Stephenson is more interested in applied science and engineering. Both of them can give an almost science-fiction vibe within their historical fiction novels, showing the latticework that supports their historical society and helping us understand the space the characters are moving through.<p>Both authors have also <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2022/01/queen-of-netherworld.html">recently</a> made me a lot more interested in Venice (as has playing Europa Universalis IV and reading <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2023/11/gift-exchange.html">A Splendid Exchange</a>) - in the past I've just kind of dismissed it as a gimmicky canal city, but it has a really fascinating history, and I've gotten a lot of enjoyment out of reading about it on Wikipedia.</p><p>This book also made me think of <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2019/02/port-avon-needs-seeds.html">Sunless Skies</a>, which is similarly set in the early 1900s and seems animated by the spirit of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne. There's a sense of optimism in the possibility of science, the improvement of humanity, that new discoveries will lead to new benefits and a brighter future. However, the novel is always very aware that a dark future looms, as the narrative inexorably marches towards the mass slaughter of World War I. Even within the context of the book itself, characters receive ominous warnings from the future, as confused dead souls hurtle backwards in time to bear witness to the coming horror.</p><p>It's interesting; I think that when I was growing up, I was particularly bored at this period of history, after the Civil War and before World War II: too modern for cool medieval stuff, too early for cool machine guns and robots. But in recent years I've come to see that stretch from about 1850-1950 as the most impactful century in history, way more important than anything which has happened since. It spans the birth of capitalism, the victory of the scientific method, the migration from rural farms to urban industry, development of modern nation-states, so much of our world. It's incredibly ambitious for Pynchon to have tried to take on the sweep of these decades, and at a big scope too.</p><p>I want to talk about the Chums of Chance! They open up the book, and periodically drop in as the story goes on, although their appearances grow further and further apart as the timeline grows closer to the present. These sections remind me a lot of the kind of books I loved reading as a kid, about other kids going on adventures, learning things and solving mysteries. The writing in these sections also echoes the voice of those stories as I remember them: like, Pynchon won't write that a character "said" something, but that they "cried" or "exclaimed" or "pondered" or "ejaculated", like in old Hardy Boys books. And fun little call-outs are embedded into the prose as well, like "To learn more about what transpired next, dear reader, be sure to check out <i>The Chums of Chance in the Land of the Ophidian Queen</i>."</p><p>It took a while for me to get a bead on exactly how the Chums of Chance fit in with the rest of the (many, many, many!) storylines, and I'm still not totally sure if I have it right. When they first appear, they seem to strain but not break credulity: they travel the world in a hot-air balloon, going on adventures, are friendly with Harvard professors and travel with an incredibly intelligent dog. Later on, they cross firmly into the realm of the fantastical: they travel through the hollow Earth, battle evil gnomes, conduct aerial battles against hostile forces and so on. This is a marked contrast to the rest of the book, which, while hardly realistic, seems considerably more grounded (in all senses of the word.)</p><p>At some point, one of the other characters references a Chums of Chance novel. That made me think for a while that the Chums were a fictional story within this fictional story: further down the wick, if you will. But later in the novel the Chums directly encounter characters from other storylines, which leads me to believe that they're part of the same (fictional) reality, which in turn makes this entire work fantastic, even the passages that read as more realistic. (Though, as a final curveball, in one of the last Chums section we learn how they traveled to the Counter-Earth, a more ominous version of reality, which then leaves me wondering if we, the people reading "Against the Day", reside in the Counter-Earth, and the Chums of Chance and the rest of the novel inhabit the real Earth.)</p><p><b>MEGA SPOILERS </b><br /></p><p>While the Chums open up the novel, the single biggest storyline is probably that of Webb Traverse and his progeny. Webb is a true and dedicated believer in Anarchism; not at all out of a sense of nihilism, but rather the opposite, he sees the grinding gears of capitalism as an evil and destructive force, and anarchism as a human-centric, social way of relating. Webb is pretty fanatical on the topic, and ends up alienating all of his kids in various ways. His eldest son Frank has a lot of aptitude for mining and wants to become an engineer, which to Webb aligns him with the enemy. The shiftless Reef doesn't want to build community or put down roots. Lake loves boys, including the sons of the mine owners, which causes the furious Webb to erupt. And young Kit is very close to his dad, but as a brilliant budding mathematical mind, he receives a scholarship from the hated mine owner Scarsdale Vibe, causing Webb to feel disavowed.</p><p>The most tragic part of the whole book is Webb's betrayal, brutal torture and murder. This passage was really hard to read, and felt a lot like Blood Meridian. For the rest of the novel, Webb's family lives under the shadow of this great loss, variously feeling guilt, anger, resentment, and generally trying to avenge Webb when the opportunity arises. One big exception is Lake, who, shockingly, falls in love with Webb's murderer and marries him. This leads to a very... challenging storyline, with something that may or may not be sexual abuse. I'll have more to say about that later.</p><p>As with science, everything is connected in this book. Scarsdale ordered Webb killed for the immediate impact on his business interests, but there's a very explicit political dimension as well: Scarsdale as well as Webb sees this as a grander battle between capitalism and anarchism. Scarsdale is actually one of the most articulate characters in the book: often hatefully so, but he does come from a fully-realized point of view, and is eloquent at describing his vision for the future of the country, why he thinks it's good and all that he's willing to do to bring it into reality.</p><p>From what I remember of Pynchon's other work, these big shifts in tone from section to section are part of his style. There are some long stretches in this book that are <i>really</i> funny - Kit and Reef reuniting and razzing each other, pretty much everything that happens in Göttingen, most of the Chums of Chance, and so on. That's all a sharp contrast with the bleak despair of much of the Western action. Later in the novel Cyprian's escapades have all the pacing of a farce, but the actual content of his storyline is really disturbing and dire.</p><p>Speaking of which, Cyprian is probably the character who grew on me the most over the course of the book. He's really pathetic early on, a confirmed "sodomite" with a snarky attitude towards everything, and gets tangled up in an incredibly dark and abusive sexual torment. Complicating this is Cyprian's apparent predilection towards some degree of masochism, but he does not at all deserve the terrible things that happen to him. He is kind of "rescued" by Yashmeen, both physically and eventually psychologically as well. There are a ton of twists to his story, but it kind of reaches its full flowering in a polyamorous triad between Cyprian, Yashmeen and Reef. This seems to be such a close mirror to the earlier relationship between Deuce Kindred, Lake Traverse and Sloat Fresno that it must be intentional, down to the favored sexual positions of the women. The whole relationship <i>feels</i> different, though. Yashmeen is absolutely pivotal in orchestrating her companions, while Lake feels more like a victim in hers (I could never quite tell whether Lake actually enjoyed it or had some form of Stockholm Syndrone, but she's definitely responding to her situation rather than initiating it). There's genuine growing mutual love and affection between Cyprian, Reef and Yashmeen, growing out of sexual desire but flowering into affection and tenderness, and eventually a family welcoming a child. It's genuinely sad when Cyprian leaves the other two, and interesting as well. For most of the novel it's seemed like his "deal" was being homosexual, but his last few chapters dwell more on his ambivalence about his gender, as he wants to embrace the more traditionally feminine virtues. It's very odd but fitting that he winds up in a nunnery.</p><p><b>END SPOILERS</b></p><p>I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of this book - we haven't even really gotten into the time-traveling strangers or the Xanadu-esque Shambhala or the hard-boiled tarot detective or Bosnia or the Tunguska Event. A lot of the book feels jumbled-up, and while reading this story a big part of my mind has been devoted to trying to sort it. Some parts feel like true history and science, some parts feel like weird boundary-pushing science, and some parts feel like pure mysticism. It's often unclear just what part a given phenomenon belongs to; some events that read like bizarre alien encounters are actual documented history, after all.</p><p>I've just finished the novel and it's still fresh, but I've got that mulling-over feeling, which to me is one of the hallmarks of a good Pynchon story. There are dots to connect, between events in the story and between the story and real life. There are opportunities to go deeper, and to go broader. There are gut-punching emotional moments to sit with, and rousing developments to cheer, and silly songs to laugh at. Reading this was definitely an investment in time and effort, and feels well worth it.</p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-19533494636254327712024-02-13T20:43:00.000-08:002024-02-13T20:43:43.295-08:00Vote This Way<p>As is <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/politics+opinions+california">tradition</a>, here are the items on the ballot and how I will be voting for them!</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPPITgK4OIhpxhGlDtn26p1FRFhctQJTzDdsO_vecOMMnQ32BHMqnGr7KmofNozAWnQXYw_IwVp8tcG83byOHFunqaxPAdrePnq-lDaA1JZnjR6IxM4ncbmcGPgigYKHM21F2hbvuQNXKK9c11wRsOe2chYoYRuqxpYwM3Bxue37a-VMocw/s240/BallotBox.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPPITgK4OIhpxhGlDtn26p1FRFhctQJTzDdsO_vecOMMnQ32BHMqnGr7KmofNozAWnQXYw_IwVp8tcG83byOHFunqaxPAdrePnq-lDaA1JZnjR6IxM4ncbmcGPgigYKHM21F2hbvuQNXKK9c11wRsOe2chYoYRuqxpYwM3Bxue37a-VMocw/s16000/BallotBox.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>President of the United States: Joseph R. Biden Jr.</p><p>County Committee: <a href="https://www.votejamescoleman.com/">James Hsu Coleman</a>, <a href="https://www.votejesshudson.com/">Jess Hudson</a>, Sandra Lang, David Burruto</p><p>United States Senator Take 1: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYvW4pm0_fI">Katie Porter</a></p><p>United States Senator Take 2: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNOlOY6OyeU">Katie Porter</a></p><p>U. S. Representative: Kevin Mullin</p><p>State Senator: Josh Becker</p><p>State Assembly: Diane Papan</p><p>Judge of Superior Court: Sarah Burdick</p><p>County Board of Supervisors: Jackie Speier</p><p>Proposition 1: Yes</p><p>Senator is probably the most challenging item for me. My heart is truly torn between Barbara Lee, who has been a hero of mine for decades, and Katie Porter, one of my favorite current members of Congress. I had been assuming that one of them would make it to the November election, but it currently looks like Steve Garvey may make the cut (as Schiff follows Newsom's lead in elevating a Republican). Porter seems to have the better chance of advancing, so I Choose Her. I love the idea of doubling the Elizabeth Warren Caucus in the Senate.</p><p>I'm also a little torn on Proposition 1. Long-time readers will remember that, when in doubt, I have two rules of thumb when it comes to propositions. Vote "Yes" on taxes and "No" on bonds; and vote "Yes" on legislature-initiated propositions and "No" on voter-initiated propositions. Well, this one is a legislature-initiated bond. As with every bond we ever vote on, it's for a good cause: this time, treating mental illness. And as with all of these bonds, it will be funded by paying wealthy people tax-free interest for decades to come, taxing the working poor and transferring wealth up the chain. Literally everybody I can find has endorsed it, so I'll hold my nose and vote "Yes" while I continue to sputter about the irresponsibility of relying on bonds to fund continuing programs.<br /></p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-41897096476997003292024-02-03T15:19:00.000-08:002024-02-03T15:19:36.859-08:00All That Is Solid Melts Into Air, All That Is Holy Is Profaned<p>I've enjoyed <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/china%20mieville">China Mieville'</a>s fiction for some time, and recently have started digging into his non-fiction work as well. He is a dedicated socialist, and his nonfiction seems particularly interested in the history of communism and how we might relate to it today. <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2021/06/all-power-to-soviets.html">October</a> was a fantastic novelistic (but completely historical) retelling of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. More recently I finished "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Spectre-Haunting-Europe-Landmark-Library/dp/1786692031/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">A Spectre, Haunting</a>", which is a critical analysis of <a href="https://oll.libertyfund.org/page/marx-manifesto">The Communist Manifesto</a>.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1jWC4NcOtL7yg6EGIPDD0iHaugz7SzTIvkB2QARCuQP5JTVNF6ljIwjbVzwPwJMpuyC-JsRKp69WeW9iovuROieZPlE7SZ25yK0G8h10HuF5W5GW7S6UHxweOXptHhXUy1CflG0sr3C6Jk5b2zdT0TjbWoAfJ4bCebkJhdbHO4z7bOcGKw/s1000/ASpecreHaunting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="651" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1jWC4NcOtL7yg6EGIPDD0iHaugz7SzTIvkB2QARCuQP5JTVNF6ljIwjbVzwPwJMpuyC-JsRKp69WeW9iovuROieZPlE7SZ25yK0G8h10HuF5W5GW7S6UHxweOXptHhXUy1CflG0sr3C6Jk5b2zdT0TjbWoAfJ4bCebkJhdbHO4z7bOcGKw/w260-h400/ASpecreHaunting.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I kind of laughed at myself while reading this; in some ways it feels like penance for or a corrective to my recent reading of the <i>very</i> <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2023/11/gift-exchange.html">pro-free-trade</a> <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2023/09/birth-of-plenty.html">books</a> of <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/william%20bernstein">William Bernstein</a> that I was absorbing last year. There's a fun little bit of synchronicity in these books. Bernstein identifies 1820 as roughly the point where the modern economy of plentiful increase began, and The Communist Manifesto was written just a few decades after that, as people were grappling with the enormous shifts that had occurred within their lifetime. It seems like Marx and Bernstein are writing about the same things, but Bernstein takes the perspective of the capitalist bourgeoisie while Marx and Engels argue from the perspective of the proletariat.</p><p>I'm not sure if I've ever read The Communist Manifesto before. I own <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Communist-Manifesto-Signet-Classics/dp/0451527100">a pocket copy</a>, which I bought back in the 1990s. I definitely wouldn't have identified as a leftist at that time; I was a card-carrying member of the Libertarian Party. But I think I picked it up as a sort of vaguely defiant pro-free-speech act, exercising my right to consume information that might be considered dangerous and that I didn't agree with. A Spectre, Haunting includes as an appendix the complete text of the Communist Manifesto, and other than the beginning and the end it didn't seem familiar at all to me, so I suspect I just bought the book to have on my bookshelf and never actually read it.</p><p>There have been many translations of the Manifesto over the years, from its original German into almost every other language. The first English translation came in the 1850s, but this book uses a preferred translation from 1888, with some very minor noted tweaks. It also includes several introductions from Marx and Engels for subsequent editions; significantly, in these introductions they point out areas where the Manifesto had become outdated. Marxists often have a reputation of being dogmatic and inflexible, and I thought it was cool that the original authors were basically like, "Yeah, turns out we were wrong about this specific point, you can disregard it." But they make the astute point that the Manifesto itself has now entered history, and it would be wrong to modify it; in doing so, they avoid the revisionism that would later define Stalin and subsequent Soviet chicanery.</p><p>A Spectre, Haunting sort of circles around the Manifesto, looking at it from various perspectives and using it as a tool to look at history. Mieville writes about the specific history in which the Manifesto was written, both Marx and Engels' prior experiences and writings and the broader social and economic upheavals of the time. Interestingly, the Chartists prominently figure here - a year ago I didn't know who they were, now they're popping up in all of my books! Later chapters do section-by-section glosses of the Manifesto text, explaining references that might escape us today and analyzing what the authors are doing. Mieville also addresses the various criticisms made of the Manifesto over the years, covering both right-wing attacks on its fundamental arguments as well as left-wing concerns that it paid insufficient attention to other areas like gender, race or imperialism. The last main section of the book sort of muses on what the Manifesto means for leftists (and humans) today: which of its principles are worth holding on to, and how they might be applied to the historical context we find ourselves in in the 2020s.</p><p>My favorite part of this book was probably Mieville looking at the Manifesto as an author: analyzing what Marx is doing with language. He insists on treating the Manifesto as a manifesto: not as a scholarly treatise or a work of journalism. A manifesto seeks to stir action in its readers, and should be viewed and judged in that light. Mieville uses an analogy that I absolutely love: Imagine that, the eve before a battle, a commander is speaking to her officers. She rolls out a map and explains the features of the terrain: good sighting locations, chokepoints, marshes and fields. She points out where the enemy is located and how they will be approaching. She finishes with an exhortation: "We will fight them, and we will win!" Now, the commander is making a lot of different statements during that speech, and there are different levels of certainty and truth associated with them. She probably feels extremely confident that the terrain is as she describes. She believes that her intelligence regarding enemy movement is accurate, but she also knows that intelligence can be flawed, and the actual movement tomorrow may be different. And while she projects confidence in victory, she privately may have reservations. But, we really shouldn't judge her negatively for saying "We will win!" - her <i>job</i> is to inspire her troops, and if she is effective enough at sparking fervor among her followers, that might cause them to fight harder and, yes, win.</p><p>The point is, we can't really assess the effectiveness of a pre-battle speech in the same way we would assess the effectiveness of a weather forecast. They're different forms of communication, trying to do different things, and should be judged at how well they do what they're trying to do. Throughout the book, Mieville insists that in reading the Manifesto, we should remain focused on its Manifesto-ness: trying to create change in the world, not just reporting how things are or predicting how things will be.</p><p>Similarly, Mieville admires what Marx is doing with language on an artistic level. In an early preview of internecine leftist disagreements, he recounts how one scholar has sought to broaden the application of the concept of "Revolution" in the Manifesto: besides the clear political and economic revolution, we can also revolutionize how we think as individuals and how we can remain open to new thoughts and experiences. A dissenter grouses that "Revolution" clearly has one and only one meaning, that of a political rupture, the replacement of an old regime with a new one; if you expand the definition of Revolution to encompass everything, then it means nothing. Mieville notes that, for Marx, Revolution clearly did <i>not</i> just have one meaning: that, in fact, in all of writing, we're expressing multiplicities of meaning through our words. "Revolution" does explicitly reference political rupture, but there's a playfulness in how Marx uses it, so it also slyly alludes to, say, the revolution of one body around another, or the movement of a cycle. Again, I like how this sort of yanks analysis from the joyless single-mindedness of stereotypically dogmatic Marxists and brings these discussions back to the messy and complex historical situations in which they occurred.</p><p>As for the Manifesto itself: It's pretty interesting, rhetorically. Marx actually spends quite a lot of time praising the bourgeoisie and the role they had recently played in overthrowing the old medieval system of monarchs and nobles. There's quite a fusion of admiration and outrage towards this class. Marx's overall thrust seems to be, "we must destroy the bourgeoisie, but on the path towards that destruction, we may occasionally ally with them." As later introductions to the Manifesto would make clear, Marx and Engels rapidly lost that sense of potential collaboration: the nascent capital class was far more terrified of empowered workers than of old nobility, and didn't hesitate to make common cause with their former lords whenever the threat of revolution started to loom.</p><p>In writing about the Manifesto, Mieville covers a good number of what feel like inside-baseball disputes: even back in the 1840s, leftists were far more passionate about denouncing and arguing against one another than in taking on the organized power of the right. A good amount of energy in The Communist Manifesto is directed towards various factions that occupy a similar space to the Communists but have different strategies or goals, like the Utopians or the so-called <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40399877">True Socialists</a>. Many of these groups disappeared entirely shortly after the Manifesto's original publication, and it's weird to think that they seemed worthy of such sustained ire when nobody even remembers them now.</p><p>The name "Communist" itself is fairly explained, at length in the Manifesto (building on <a href="https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/11/prin-com.htm">Engels' earlier work</a>) and in Mieville's glosses. To put it in the most succinct form, communists believe in the community of property; in other words, the abolition of private property. This does not necessarily mean the loss of personal property, but rather, wealth-generating sources (like agricultural lands, mines, factories, and so on) must be seen as commonly owned by the society as a whole, and their fruits must accrue to the whole society, rather than the narrow band of private owners.</p><p>At the time of the Manifesto's writing, it was important to differentiate them from "Socialists". Marx and Engels later came to accept the socialist label, but at the time, "socialism" was mostly used to indicate an interest in social reform: think the temperance movement. They wanted a new term to more clearly denote that they demanded the complete dismantling of the existing free-trade property-rights regime, which could be compatible with social reforms but could not in any way accept them as substitutions.</p><p>While Mieville aptly points out Marx's inside-baseball digressions, I couldn't help but think that some of Mieville's commentary falls into this category as well. As the book goes on, there's a lot of quoting of various leftist writers, leaders and activists, introducing me to feuds that I didn't know existed and still struggle to recognize the significance of.<br /></p><p>I think that one of Mieville's biggest goals for A Spectre, Haunting is to argue that we should still pay attention to The Communist Manifesto even though a lot of it seems to be self-evidently wrong. Communism isn't inevitable. Workers' lives haven't continually gotten worse under capitalism. We don't seem to be heading towards a post-scarcity society. The capitalists have not been forced to ally with their workers. So, why read the Manifesto? It does seem to be important as a symbol, as a point in history, stating battle lines and trying to create class consciousness. Even though Marx's confident predictions mostly failed to materialize (with some <a href="https://oll.libertyfund.org/page/marx-manifesto#measures">notable exceptions</a>, like progressive income taxes and universal education), it feels like he's correctly identified the prime cleavage in the world, between the owners and the workers, and that's still the main tension at work in the world today. He does so with a decently compelling framework, depicting this as a moment in history and explaining how these tensions have driven changes in the past. He also writes with passion and force, seeking to create and instill a sense of destined revolutionary purpose.</p><p>That gets at another kind of awkward thing about the Manifesto, both as it was written and, increasingly, as it recedes into the past. On the one hand, Marx famously asserts (or, to use Mieville's framing, exhorts) the inevitability of communist triumph. The ineluctable forces will inevitably lead to the downfall of the bourgeoisie and the eternal reign of the proletariat. If it's inevitable, though, then why should I as an individual do anything? Why expose myself to hardship, discomfort, ridicule, pain, death, when it's all going to happen anyways? And now, from 175 years in the future, we ask ourselves: if it isn't inevitable, is it even <b>possible</b>? Or is the struggle doomed? And if it's doomed, why should I do anything?</p><p>Mieville directly addresses this. As with a lot of the, erm, "complicated" parts of the Manifesto, it can be helpful to look at what Marx and Engels wrote in their later books. And we also shouldn't necessarily take them at their word: Marx might be saying that triumph is inevitable, but if he actually, truly believed that, then he wouldn't be writing so passionately to convince people to take a stand. Once again, <b>how</b> he writes carries meaning, and is something we should consider along with the literal content of his prose.</p><p>This argument, and others like it, made me think a lot of religion. Growing up in Protestant churches, I've spent a lot of my life reading the Bible and reading writings about the Bible, seeking to explain it, contextualize it, apply it, to reconcile apparent contradictions, to highlight easily-missed asides. And, well, that makes me think a <i>lot</i> of how people write about the Manifesto: having a text that's very important to your movement, but that has a lot in it that seems wrong or irrelevant, and trying to figure out how to relate to it and how your movement as a whole should address it.</p><p>I was glad to see that Mieville directly addresses this religious aspect occasionally ascribed to the Manifesto, and a little surprised that he eventually sort of embraces it: there is a religious tinge to what Marx is doing, even though a lot of people (and, heck, Marx himself) would deny it. Religion is ultimately about faith, and it does take a certain degree of faith to hold fast to the idea of proletarian victory in the face of endless setbacks.</p><p>The book ends with some urgent words for the present day. Without directly naming them, Mieville seems to endorse a <a href="https://www.dsausa.org/">DSA</a> style of strategy, seeing politics and parties as only one potential avenue for struggle. History has shown that workers' movements will likely be betrayed at any opportunity, and it's foolish to pin all hopes on any political organization. The movement should build power wherever it's possible. Sometimes that will mean aligning with other factions to promote the interests of the capital class, but it must do so intentionally. For historical context, Mieville points to the various reforms in England in the late 1800s that shortened the working day and abolished child labor. From one perspective, these changes benefited the capital class by making work more tolerable and reducing the fires of revolution, thus allowing them to keep their comfortable position at the top of the pyramid. But Marx and Engels still supported those movements, as they directly benefited the working class, and, incidentally, provided them with more time and energy for education, organization and action. Likewise, movements like today's "<a href="https://fightfor15.org/">Fight for $20</a>" don't disrupt the existing power structures and arguably legitimize the continued exploitation of marginal workers; but they're still worth pushing for, as they improve lives, make people less desperate and sustenance-driven, and, incidentally, put more dollars into working pockets that could be used to build worker power.</p><p>He also writes about the importance of breaking away from the idea of the "party line" and purity tests. For most of the time since the Manifesto was written, there's been a kind of obsession with defining what the one correct position is to take on any specific issue, and browbeating any dissenters into either embracing that position or leaving the movement. Mieville promotes the idea of a "band" rather than a "line", a range of reasonable ideas that reasonable people might have, and embracing internal discussions and debate without turning every dispute into a do-or-die ultimatum. Reading this reminded me of an old church motto that I've always loved: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity." Leftists must agree on certain core principles: the importance of peoples' needs over oligarchs' luxuries; the right of individuals to control their own destiny so long as they don't interfere with others' rights to do the same; the right of a society to govern itself; that all human being have equal worth. But some leftists might prioritize individual action over collective action, some might feel primarily motivated from spiritual feelings while others are committed atheists, some might seek political alliances while others eschew them. When we see these kind of intra-familial disagreements, we should approach them with an attitude of curiosity and humility, and engage in honest dialogue. Who knows, maybe we'll learn that our own prior beliefs were wrong; and if not, we can still remain in fellowship with our comrades so long as we agree on the big picture, while agreeing to disagree on this or that point.</p><p>Mieville sees the modern socialist movement as being too obsessed with optimism, and I realized that I'm personally guilty of that. When people tell me that they're worried a bad trend will continue or a good movement will end, I have a knee-jerk reaction to emphasize the positive and to state that we are in control of our collective destiny, and a better future is possible if enough people are willing to work for it. It is kind of cruel to berate people for not believing that things will turn out well: they have one level of mild trauma for thinking darkly of the future, likely caused by more trauma in the past where they personally saw bad outcomes, and then you're (I'm) suggesting that their reasoning is flawed and piling on more trauma. I do think it's important for us to have hope - again, why bother fighting this fight if we don't think there's a chance we can win? - but hope doesn't mean that everything will turn out the way we want in the time we'd like. We should be prepared for setbacks and backsliding, and more importantly, not dismiss those among us who warn of them.</p><p>The book ends with a kind of weird call to hate. He explains it pretty well; quoting Aristotle, he says that when you're angry at someone you wish revenge upon them, but when you hate someone you wish for them to not exist. Like many (most?) people, I think of hate as an unalloyed evil, something to be completely eliminated. Mieville argues that in order to complete the great project suggested by the Manifesto, we need to hate the evil institutions that we'll have to eliminate: the hierarchical class system, the exploitation of workers. We can't impassionately analyze and critique and offer compromises and reforms: we must see them as wrong and strive to eliminate them completely. In Marx's analysis, the bourgeoisie loathes the proletariat, but they don't completely hate them, because they need them: without the value extracted from the working class, the capitalist class would cease to exist. So they can deride their manners and fashions and poverty, but not seek to eliminate them. In the other direction, though, the proletariat can absolutely hate the capitalists: they're the ones doing the work, and could get along just fine without their profits being extracted. And so they're free to push for the complete elimination of the other class. They have nothing to lose but their chains.</p><p>That was sort of an odd note to end the book on, which I guess is in keeping with the book as a whole. It's varied and challenging, thoughtfully provocative and grounded, straddling history and the present. I left it with a much better understanding of what actually is and isn't in the Manifesto, a better appreciation for Marx's rhetoric, and a much better context into the endless internecine feuds within the Left. It feels weird to keep bouncing between pro-capitalist and anti-capitalist books, but I like to think that this helps keep my mind sharp and my politics actively engaged.<br /></p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-73855686402815666042024-01-31T19:35:00.000-08:002024-01-31T19:35:00.168-08:00Ring Around the Scarlet Rot<p>It's been a long time coming, but I've finally finished Elden Ring! I <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2023/05/older-ring.html">started playing</a> back in the spring of 2023, and had gotten <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2023/08/rest-in-coffin.html">decently far into the game</a> before pausing it to switch over to Baldur's Gate 3. After the holidays I picked it back up and have been enjoying getting back into it.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoPzts6RVQHVW7MhN3taHJTkbV0OQ1xP3jmAi-De7PweuIJi5FXxY2aIVsf0Icf97sf9wZZWHubGeI-E7MF8KKNFsKHcqcj1O2VPpxei__g4cFNJlgd363H0uHBrnXmK1SS19gUJDYQ74i9UgBUOotyOdoF8YKt-Du3Hq-6rItWsaQHW-4Q/s2560/20240128143651_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoPzts6RVQHVW7MhN3taHJTkbV0OQ1xP3jmAi-De7PweuIJi5FXxY2aIVsf0Icf97sf9wZZWHubGeI-E7MF8KKNFsKHcqcj1O2VPpxei__g4cFNJlgd363H0uHBrnXmK1SS19gUJDYQ74i9UgBUOotyOdoF8YKt-Du3Hq-6rItWsaQHW-4Q/w400-h225/20240128143651_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I wasn't sure if I <i>would</i> be able to get back into it, after a months-long absence. In the past when I've taken prolonged absences from, say, MMORPGs, I've hit such a powerful wall when coming back that I just give up: unable to remember my character's abilities or combat moves. And even games I loved like the original Divinity: Original Sin weren't able to recover after holidays, as the plethora of quests and mechanics of the midgame feel too overwhelming to reconstruct.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAGU9Aq1ICayxRwBg0I_UGGVpvXiciDlaf0lZ5tl24HPfSJ81DPHrTBBloOqjq_Jo2V3IQaBvuinFStErJzkZOZal-L0FIQ1ioPGdFQJwO2Te8FUpx2J4vjSVg08SAHLI7iIujK7EcH_cYnmubEosbym9mShmIJeToGwSL-AiptcK_Zv9YA/s2560/20230802195759_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAGU9Aq1ICayxRwBg0I_UGGVpvXiciDlaf0lZ5tl24HPfSJ81DPHrTBBloOqjq_Jo2V3IQaBvuinFStErJzkZOZal-L0FIQ1ioPGdFQJwO2Te8FUpx2J4vjSVg08SAHLI7iIujK7EcH_cYnmubEosbym9mShmIJeToGwSL-AiptcK_Zv9YA/w400-h225/20230802195759_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I was worried that Elden Ring would be even worse - unlike other RPGs, this is specifically an <i>action</i>-RPG, and requires a fair degree of reflexes and hand-eye coordination that I'd cultivated in my months of play. So I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't take a whole lot of time at all to get back into the swing of things. Part of that may be due to this being a controller-based game, which necessarily limits the number of mechanical options available, but also may tap into muscle memory better than a mouse and keyboard would. And unlike the sprawling western CRPGs I tend to play, I wasn't coming back to 30 unfinished side quests in varied states of progress scattered across multiple map zones.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_l4Sj_zv9v2MzRHGfuPiMsHvz2Ylvfq3LBWRvweeCkkAbGgYgfCIdSEv7qdOo-p0mtFCCOlwNPEVPlerK5sZjg4Pwgb2O4jqSnLLbMpsoisgP6xICRdOJUANOtL0zG4RcCbokzWYX-vxA1t_fOlYkilSXnjwlrhg39c6qj6KTx7gQaMjWQ/s2560/20240101151010_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_l4Sj_zv9v2MzRHGfuPiMsHvz2Ylvfq3LBWRvweeCkkAbGgYgfCIdSEv7qdOo-p0mtFCCOlwNPEVPlerK5sZjg4Pwgb2O4jqSnLLbMpsoisgP6xICRdOJUANOtL0zG4RcCbokzWYX-vxA1t_fOlYkilSXnjwlrhg39c6qj6KTx7gQaMjWQ/w400-h225/20240101151010_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Diving back into it, I realized that one of the many things I love about Elden Ring is the rhythm of play. My favorite sections might be the dungeons. You'll discover one while traveling the overworld, and either start it or mark on your map for later. You'll cautiously proceed into the dungeon, discovering what kind of creatures inhabit it and how best to fight them. You'll learn its route - some are linear, some have branches, some have pretty complex networks of passageways. You may find levers that open up shortcuts and allow you to bypass middle sections on subsequent delivings. Eventually you find a boss, fight them, maybe fight a few more times until you win, and are rewarded with some unique equipment and a large number of runes, usually enough to level up. I find that doing a full clear of a dungeon from start to finish usually takes me about 30 minutes, which is a <i>perfect</i> amount of time between getting home from work and starting dinner, or after a dog walk and before bed. It's just nice to <i>finish</i> something in a single sitting: still making progress towards your overall goals (higher levels, more power), but just checking something off as "done", without having a lot of things lingering.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiee6Occ3ZisakZzqrMD1C5p_K3KMRvuLL9zIuZGKLQ9vTPpgPJQ2iOQiZwOtxSmPTAUZg7jYcCg8U6ympmoVFjtcIlwV4h3VPyDHmAK8OSCBaImkJfya3nRfBgGDG_SOiFdELlLM67olA6pW3VMyjTnN7n06E3Z6Q1VWH_iXiUgq4Kjuqtlw/s2560/20240120153248_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiee6Occ3ZisakZzqrMD1C5p_K3KMRvuLL9zIuZGKLQ9vTPpgPJQ2iOQiZwOtxSmPTAUZg7jYcCg8U6ympmoVFjtcIlwV4h3VPyDHmAK8OSCBaImkJfya3nRfBgGDG_SOiFdELlLM67olA6pW3VMyjTnN7n06E3Z6Q1VWH_iXiUgq4Kjuqtlw/w400-h225/20240120153248_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>That might be the key development of Elden Ring in particular, its marriage of the open world with dungeons. The open world is great for roaming around, seeing beautiful vistas, discovering things: it's (a few specific areas notwithstanding) a peaceful and relaxing vibe. The dungeons, in contrast, are meaningful, rewarding careful planning and careful play.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMH-eHoUcH0LcctpK8kclnA7FwU0DM4Ebk_HLv5ML8JUlmWN0QA80gbX4YtsCW-B_xHj0SKnTW7zCGXBkxdayT_cGOEJJXI68xaD1YFFSJklUucELS0QUxgjMMMzyJ0l1X_URVzn_r0FZp9un-tRcWgM0DNhoAx2iOM92uygPU7srRhdgpg/s2560/20240120161441_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMH-eHoUcH0LcctpK8kclnA7FwU0DM4Ebk_HLv5ML8JUlmWN0QA80gbX4YtsCW-B_xHj0SKnTW7zCGXBkxdayT_cGOEJJXI68xaD1YFFSJklUucELS0QUxgjMMMzyJ0l1X_URVzn_r0FZp9un-tRcWgM0DNhoAx2iOM92uygPU7srRhdgpg/w400-h225/20240120161441_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I also need to shout out the art direction once more. Seeing screenshots of this game (and other Dark Souls games) was a huge factor attracting me to it in the first place, and it's all the more amazing to be <i>playing</i> inside these enormous, awesome, weird, dark, compelling, beautiful spaces, alongside monstrous and delicately unnerving creatures. The art reminds me a lot of <a href="https://www.bromart.com/">Brom</a> - not the exact style, but the "dark fantasy" vibe is better realized here than in any other fantasy RPG I can remember playing.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6N6cYYER_vFsXQGMyzhXQAsCR2K19qRPTpu8QNBnIGek19yGW4Hk0ltC2BdJ8ziyRkK7pwadnwVnf47EeXVgOvek1J0gOf2AayAp-vBikv_eRi6IH4Rn1dcvZ5gM1o33Q0KYIONS3AusnH7OUr86Ymx1Hdmb-7bkgabZJ6wJPDwFinw6ijQ/s2560/20231231134558_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6N6cYYER_vFsXQGMyzhXQAsCR2K19qRPTpu8QNBnIGek19yGW4Hk0ltC2BdJ8ziyRkK7pwadnwVnf47EeXVgOvek1J0gOf2AayAp-vBikv_eRi6IH4Rn1dcvZ5gM1o33Q0KYIONS3AusnH7OUr86Ymx1Hdmb-7bkgabZJ6wJPDwFinw6ijQ/w400-h225/20231231134558_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>While I loved the game, it did start to feel a little less fun (albeit more epic) as I headed into the endgame. The end is mostly a series of Legacy Dungeons - much larger than standard Dungeons, with multiple Sites of Grace (save points), they have more freedom of movement than regular dungeons but without the ease and openness of the open world. They aren't <i>bad</i> by any means, but I found myself missing that rhythm of doing dungeons, exploring and advancing the plot.</p><p><b>MINI SPOILERS</b></p><p>Let's talk about some mechanical stuff. I was pretty much a pure Sorcerer through the whole game. My staff progression was Astrologer Staff -> Meteorite Staff -> Academy Glintstone Staff -> Carian Regal Scepter. I updated the scepter to +10 by the end. As a backup melee weapon, I had a Short Sword for the first part of the game, then a Misericorde for the rest, which I also upgraded to the highest level.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-5McDFfTjr98sg57mbs3bH1-isBi7uPS9gLfySjcY4h6MRo8ciw5YrEFlUn7dH6EXQLwbdcB8GokTL1yTkw6av6LBJh_6821aDlpdD-2RjakiyPn8yh0sj3tj8WGoJS5Q6EmhuGdNkMU_tQxo-BOXHUQnmgowygiv_LMYJGLDXQeKxk_Ww/s2560/20240128151455_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-5McDFfTjr98sg57mbs3bH1-isBi7uPS9gLfySjcY4h6MRo8ciw5YrEFlUn7dH6EXQLwbdcB8GokTL1yTkw6av6LBJh_6821aDlpdD-2RjakiyPn8yh0sj3tj8WGoJS5Q6EmhuGdNkMU_tQxo-BOXHUQnmgowygiv_LMYJGLDXQeKxk_Ww/w400-h225/20240128151455_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Very late in the game, I started very situationally wielding a Horn Bow. This was specifically for toggling those fire/ice pillar things in certain dungeons. You usually need to time their blasts and carefully run between safe spots before getting close enough to bonk them. But you can totally just shoot an arrow at them from a distance and turn them off (or on) with no trouble at all. It might be possible to do this with spells, but I never found a good way to reliably free-aim them, and the bow works much better. I never bothered to invest the stats to wield the bow, but I'd pop on Radagon's Soreseal when I needed to equip it. <br /></p><p>Speaking of stats: By the end of the game, I was INT 80, VIG 60, MIND 40. I think Endurance was around 33 before heading into the endgame, and around 38 by the end. DEX was 13, STR and FAI both below 10.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VQX6TDTnNfQxdr9Lc6WDyUbo7rvljSEh9Kc-YheqyglvkEHab6xZPovYGSMkQqfYd14CJuFwLcKl54UwVa7r-OwJuLQCLY-YH4JX1gHubUJbFQmV0gdZyRYRoUgPAV95n8joKNGvsJH3z4rjh_AQBxw3EFOfEVkVevR68wPNEGVRzt6gZA/s2560/20240126173718_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VQX6TDTnNfQxdr9Lc6WDyUbo7rvljSEh9Kc-YheqyglvkEHab6xZPovYGSMkQqfYd14CJuFwLcKl54UwVa7r-OwJuLQCLY-YH4JX1gHubUJbFQmV0gdZyRYRoUgPAV95n8joKNGvsJH3z4rjh_AQBxw3EFOfEVkVevR68wPNEGVRzt6gZA/w400-h225/20240126173718_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Earlier in the game, I focused on stat-boosting Talismans, especially Radagon and Marika's Scarseals / Soreseals. Once you get close to the caps, though, further boosts don't really help you. My end-game loadout was the Green Turtle Talisman (faster stamina recharge - I found that stamina was always a more limiting factor than FP), Bull Goat Talisman (to reach 101+ Poise), and the Graven-Mass Talisman (boosting sorcery power). For the last slot, I most often rocked the Pearldrake Talisman +2, which boosts non-physical damage negation; my armor was already pretty good at physical negation, so the talisman helped fill a gap. But I would totally swap it out for boss fights, like the Dragoncrest Shield for physical negation or the Haligdrake Talisman for holy negation.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gfQxaTh5-c77Lx2C9s0idsJCM1zmjMRrk3qVi3BuvwjVyY8nL3bPIwjEztlbm0u4bSL0m40IEZ4DV5EpE2twIQ0xCaKJGNvNaz-DDsvePWe9V3WPO2PEskn1RDtycP7vfyNT79kne4e-L1GJ6eY3umJ6dDQOl0ke9XJjiwPiKzOBIzGJJw/s2560/20231229215602_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gfQxaTh5-c77Lx2C9s0idsJCM1zmjMRrk3qVi3BuvwjVyY8nL3bPIwjEztlbm0u4bSL0m40IEZ4DV5EpE2twIQ0xCaKJGNvNaz-DDsvePWe9V3WPO2PEskn1RDtycP7vfyNT79kne4e-L1GJ6eY3umJ6dDQOl0ke9XJjiwPiKzOBIzGJJw/w400-h225/20231229215602_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>For helms, for the first part of the game I used the best INT-boosting helm I could find, which for a long time meant the Twinsage. After I got above 70 INT, though, I swapped it out for the Pumpkin Helmet, which has much better damage reduction and poise, and also protects against headshots.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ99CLk2zG1EuQVVesvqmOLX0KC-Ha4Mez_-V8Ex8qCct7h1ZqpgtDV63dUKJZMp9PwitgPvuobJ0wOzOWDhDniOzWgF6i5q-lm5psYT3rM-ltW1KZ_VIBc0igKv3HUJcIzj7Y4BHlE0a2gkBJImhQUgI1vuwqXC3qO80pgsyB-2KJ3gPj9Q/s2560/20240123164553_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ99CLk2zG1EuQVVesvqmOLX0KC-Ha4Mez_-V8Ex8qCct7h1ZqpgtDV63dUKJZMp9PwitgPvuobJ0wOzOWDhDniOzWgF6i5q-lm5psYT3rM-ltW1KZ_VIBc0igKv3HUJcIzj7Y4BHlE0a2gkBJImhQUgI1vuwqXC3qO80pgsyB-2KJ3gPj9Q/w400-h225/20240123164553_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>For the rest of the armor, in general I tried to wear the heaviest armor I could while still keeping a Medium roll. One exception was for gauntlets, I used the Briar ones, which inflict a small amount of damage on contact with an enemy. I wore these specifically for dealing with undead enemies: I hate hate <b>hate</b> the respawning mechanic, especially as a sorcery user where you have a very narrow window of time in which you can target the body before it regens. With the Briar armor, though, you can just roll through the skeleton and they'll die, which is great. Even 1 point of damage does the trick, so I just wear the gauntlets for that. For the rest of the armor, I used the Carian Knight set for much of the midgame, and Tree Sentinel for the endgame. (At a couple of points in the game where I had to wade into a disgustingly large pool of Scarlet Rot, I used the Mushroom Set for the highest Immunity.)</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JSXml0XaQa-3f9HWev3itS4pBP89dpwfxjawEqvrMCzeZxW2C-DrUg3Cp-XZBOqTqIbcPhMgZ_Ro6KYYyXzrHwRw5BW1-6jDh-vzY9uXZN5aq7hS1Nrs6Y08KVY2HFoFPbRPn8pBokMg8ry-AMPmbsXZiHV-IBQq_lpqnhY5ZwqpsOvtmg/s2560/20240128180922_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JSXml0XaQa-3f9HWev3itS4pBP89dpwfxjawEqvrMCzeZxW2C-DrUg3Cp-XZBOqTqIbcPhMgZ_Ro6KYYyXzrHwRw5BW1-6jDh-vzY9uXZN5aq7hS1Nrs6Y08KVY2HFoFPbRPn8pBokMg8ry-AMPmbsXZiHV-IBQq_lpqnhY5ZwqpsOvtmg/w400-h225/20240128180922_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>As a sorcerer, I mostly focused on high-damage attacks, so for Spirit Ashes I tried to get tanky summons that could distract enemies while I focused on attacking from range. Early on I used the Lone Wolf ashes, then the Jellyfish. Around the midpoint I got Greatshield Soldiers, which are amazing: even a single one would be good, as they can block a lot of damage, but you get <i>five</i>, which also acts as a wall to prevent your foe from moving. I used those for most fights, but when that didn't cut it I'd use my Mimic Tear, which duplicates myself but with more HP.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHL5afTw3vgutVOAVJOSI6E_PeVqgw2YYXDqhjd7_BkqBmWSqsljp-_xPB_dfz6B-PlZlvJBke8GADPkcAI3T3KIiqu5CXZuA4jT8OfkyIsSHNb48XAJWQ_Fqn0uS0ELFXGh48NcP-PS-YoiR1Znrpr-63hxzujdatbct_ITHn5EP2DwqMxQ/s2560/20240122174850_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHL5afTw3vgutVOAVJOSI6E_PeVqgw2YYXDqhjd7_BkqBmWSqsljp-_xPB_dfz6B-PlZlvJBke8GADPkcAI3T3KIiqu5CXZuA4jT8OfkyIsSHNb48XAJWQ_Fqn0uS0ELFXGh48NcP-PS-YoiR1Znrpr-63hxzujdatbct_ITHn5EP2DwqMxQ/w400-h225/20240122174850_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I didn't really use any Ashes of War in this playthrough. <br /></p><p>I had a pretty completionist playthough of the game: I'm sure I didn't 100% it, but I did pretty much everything I could find in the game. I think there were two dungeons I nope'd out on, both of which had Chariots. I was fairly engaged in the wiki for my playthrough. I didn't follow a walkthrough for the game or anything like that, but if I got stuck on a puzzle or an encounter for long enough I didn't feel bad about looking up guidance online.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvWdoyq-cP-4sEmBw7iNc1kyCMwAr2jIsNoZ3kbWphcx-U94jWnFOoEh-_oOdBAofMvMbV5oHRy1ZWjz_xlC6WOwg8XMXNNu_lg-98sFqZy3uTvd1gRvOubgmszSi7ABztzoHpK_45j4IZk-uuDH6cPfQy8JfXRCWUDJY7JgW_6Mkun8Wcg/s2560/20240104165735_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvWdoyq-cP-4sEmBw7iNc1kyCMwAr2jIsNoZ3kbWphcx-U94jWnFOoEh-_oOdBAofMvMbV5oHRy1ZWjz_xlC6WOwg8XMXNNu_lg-98sFqZy3uTvd1gRvOubgmszSi7ABztzoHpK_45j4IZk-uuDH6cPfQy8JfXRCWUDJY7JgW_6Mkun8Wcg/w400-h225/20240104165735_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Without the wiki, I almost certainly wouldn't have discovered multiple huge optional areas in the game, like the Consecrated Snowfield and Miquella's Haligtree. I've thought a lot about how much of game design in 2024 rests on the knowledge that gamers can and will collaborate online to share and find information. Probably something like 0.5% of players would organically find their way to these areas in a blind playthrough, but since so much of the culture of gameplaying is social, many more will be able to experience them.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFD5UwkZasb_c_PJktXJRj8QazBpjB4sk_XVIrb6k2jUrp5XOsN7tLfIzPAQ6PkRgchrSb1LRPFtn7j4mZ8KXf2T7c3sGYv38xm5txHFLJxyLEaNMf-bcsTO__eywR_SpA4NuDHKnSn-TU-boABg3hxlhvD5MqneZOh8Y7LfuxE1xHVOENmw/s2560/20240119202920_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFD5UwkZasb_c_PJktXJRj8QazBpjB4sk_XVIrb6k2jUrp5XOsN7tLfIzPAQ6PkRgchrSb1LRPFtn7j4mZ8KXf2T7c3sGYv38xm5txHFLJxyLEaNMf-bcsTO__eywR_SpA4NuDHKnSn-TU-boABg3hxlhvD5MqneZOh8Y7LfuxE1xHVOENmw/w400-h225/20240119202920_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>And, similarly, even the side-quests in this game almost require a wiki to complete them. Not even because they're especially obtuse, just because it's so easy to completely miss them: there's no giant pointing arrows or quest markers on your map, and you can <i>easily</i> blow past an NPC without even realizing they're there. I'm not complaining, exactly: the game is doing what it's trying to do, and as a result occupying a very unique spot in the field.</p><p><b>MEGA SPOILERS</b></p><p>Speaking of side-quests: These ultimately unlock the main endings to the game. You can get the default ending by defeating the final boss, but options for alternate endings can be unlocked by completing certain side-quests.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4mUV2wikXd1J7TtQQo_i_jZI8erYVDWKXzigvguebw2iTlj5Pqv3yC5JuW9qWfyqWkkIW_1Ya1X8mPy0V92GU8cBxmWoqx2bh7T39IyJ41bjkslf3aU0-iAM__WI5l2YY1jTKwajdy1XYQF-2bL5dWuekVFAC2xmf2q2ooZyEPpg86-ckQ/s2560/20240128180543_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4mUV2wikXd1J7TtQQo_i_jZI8erYVDWKXzigvguebw2iTlj5Pqv3yC5JuW9qWfyqWkkIW_1Ya1X8mPy0V92GU8cBxmWoqx2bh7T39IyJ41bjkslf3aU0-iAM__WI5l2YY1jTKwajdy1XYQF-2bL5dWuekVFAC2xmf2q2ooZyEPpg86-ckQ/w400-h225/20240128180543_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I've beaten the game, and I still don't totally understand what the main plot is. I'll likely dip into a YouTube video or something now that I'm done; I've been trying to remain unspoiled while playing. In general, the story is pretty powerful due to how sparse and evocative it is. In most RPGs, you get lots of dialog and lore books that provide different perspectives on any given concept. In Elden Ring, you'll get a single brief sentence of lore, and need to extrapolate a much larger meaning from that. It's kind of deduction rather than induction, which sort of gives the feeling of a spiritual fumbling towards some greater truth, rather than an investigator chasing down the solution to a mystery.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Qlx30HY1AxlJhE0Iuc7GjCDe-2ApzmKEoK9bW_TnkzQ5RRMUaN4S-t2CH-MwI47BErULEx6AywE2TDO8wW2YfNxUThP4jj5mV3x63i0S7gOe0KRG28JkrIqfyB-yeYLvmGA85jnIN0wAjGektq12NNsy-GA3zSjAQTR4yDe9kTUsUWmtoQ/s2560/20231231144410_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Qlx30HY1AxlJhE0Iuc7GjCDe-2ApzmKEoK9bW_TnkzQ5RRMUaN4S-t2CH-MwI47BErULEx6AywE2TDO8wW2YfNxUThP4jj5mV3x63i0S7gOe0KRG28JkrIqfyB-yeYLvmGA85jnIN0wAjGektq12NNsy-GA3zSjAQTR4yDe9kTUsUWmtoQ/w400-h225/20231231144410_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>But even though I'm likely wrong, here's my vague understanding of the plot:</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfAnFagYx1cPA5NuoCl1hgYJp_gTOaLJyjClbkC961oU1SBY0gL_aTLyXrWpCy0kN3v3gJfCCIrvWUqDnN4OHhhjuJrOR-_Qmz7LpFZBs5z5qq-dbqmsHpOSLjSfqsH1Q5DUd0ZlfVW9N3Q6MHS3tdK7nBpI62wvxFBjfjiHUErI-yBMDAQ/s2560/20230802195723_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfAnFagYx1cPA5NuoCl1hgYJp_gTOaLJyjClbkC961oU1SBY0gL_aTLyXrWpCy0kN3v3gJfCCIrvWUqDnN4OHhhjuJrOR-_Qmz7LpFZBs5z5qq-dbqmsHpOSLjSfqsH1Q5DUd0ZlfVW9N3Q6MHS3tdK7nBpI62wvxFBjfjiHUErI-yBMDAQ/w400-h225/20230802195723_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This game takes place in a separate universe from ours, in a world called the Lands Between. In an earlier primordial time, life force ebbed and flowed: creatures were born, would grow and procreate and die, and the cycle would continue. The power of this cycle was incarnated in the Elden Ring. An early Elden Lord was Godfrey, who basically guided the life of the world.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQnqmJTUSLu9KEO7RDJU_TkWWFDv1Zs3wT4XEU6zE1ycj-cmxx8p8mdO-cfOw8Ytu0qkpn0Qs2ytlrhgkCwkJs0eltk4Wv9fvFT2ULlw1qJrS8sEu7XrRJc9CV2b2huMx8_nODjsPRoTuKl9kzScMgVO73OASSkfPIn_Ivvx1gYho33hcjg/s2560/20240127115143_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQnqmJTUSLu9KEO7RDJU_TkWWFDv1Zs3wT4XEU6zE1ycj-cmxx8p8mdO-cfOw8Ytu0qkpn0Qs2ytlrhgkCwkJs0eltk4Wv9fvFT2ULlw1qJrS8sEu7XrRJc9CV2b2huMx8_nODjsPRoTuKl9kzScMgVO73OASSkfPIn_Ivvx1gYho33hcjg/w400-h225/20240127115143_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Then there's the Erdtree. I'm not totally clear on the relationship of the Erdtree with the Elden Ring, but the Erdtree seems to be a sort of depository of life-force in the world. When people die, their souls are returned to the Erdtree, and then are reborn again. I think this is an in-game explanation for the game mechanics of respawning: when you die, and then respawn, you aren't rewinding time and doing things differently: you <i>did</i> die before, and then your soul was reborn in your body. Likewise, all the enemies respawn for the same reason: even if they died, death isn't eternal.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZgYqQFGdzPUkGQCy8AQ8O-82epLTRlOTIFFSjFOfx-GV5U-vF-ARF4BZQJ1uH0M-TlWFQj1jt-GgiH02x10tv-jBg_3bEwB2XfpNU3s7YTAwjro9kig-WXn_adiQVx7fOYWWlu0IJzTULTzrivwLprnIpDVbxsvZPvtrc4H7GHCZTCDn3w/s2560/20240120150947_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZgYqQFGdzPUkGQCy8AQ8O-82epLTRlOTIFFSjFOfx-GV5U-vF-ARF4BZQJ1uH0M-TlWFQj1jt-GgiH02x10tv-jBg_3bEwB2XfpNU3s7YTAwjro9kig-WXn_adiQVx7fOYWWlu0IJzTULTzrivwLprnIpDVbxsvZPvtrc4H7GHCZTCDn3w/w400-h225/20240120150947_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>At some point in the past, the Shattering occurred. This caused the Elden Ring to split into multiple fragments. Each of these was fashioned into a Rune, and the owner of each Rune became a demi-god. These demigods wielded enormous power over other living creatures. However, because the Elden Ring was not intact, the cycle of life froze. The same beings would die and be reborn over and over again, instead of old things ending and new things starting.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUaApxYi-2tYHQWiaEGAnx3OihUHACmNn4AtfsbomfnvLheDoaB5D5Zxq8JkvRgnsP9NXAS5nSnPz1THefKq2HRIkBuOkdGAKaJPFneo-sopapCx33nUWXeoKXCDT6PcboK16ejz0iTePDoo2CpFwQ-isPlYA9YvX13rG1-_IMN-1lR8-1w/s2560/20240125203139_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUaApxYi-2tYHQWiaEGAnx3OihUHACmNn4AtfsbomfnvLheDoaB5D5Zxq8JkvRgnsP9NXAS5nSnPz1THefKq2HRIkBuOkdGAKaJPFneo-sopapCx33nUWXeoKXCDT6PcboK16ejz0iTePDoo2CpFwQ-isPlYA9YvX13rG1-_IMN-1lR8-1w/w400-h225/20240125203139_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Many of the major NPCs/bosses in the game seem to have storylines tied to the Shattering, which also causes strife and division among the extended family tied to the rulership of the world. Somewhere within there, General Radahn stopped the movement of stars in the sky, freezing some ancient power tied with the night sky. He led armies in rebellion against the lord. A woman, Malenia, created the Scarlet Rot in response, bringing Radahn's armies to ruin and his mind to madness. Various demigods sought to rule from the traditional capital of Leyndell, or rejected the old gods and followed the path of blasphemy, or retreated in sadness from the world and created bubbles of sanctuary sealed off from strife.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBl9ACYdpX83FBB2Wgmh8Z17Pcnu_CrwxNT5uEFdm6NSyeJqEdUFrwlCOJIYzvrbQxiorO2pngwbGlTr_o18GYOoYBrcMH4_4zO4QYbdjhuINcvKUdsad1jYZRGB9MzRQquPjoLHwn7UGTRmLr-uxJ9FtWvYU8pQhJ3Cs4V4cgHvxmnFvNA/s2560/20240128091214_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBl9ACYdpX83FBB2Wgmh8Z17Pcnu_CrwxNT5uEFdm6NSyeJqEdUFrwlCOJIYzvrbQxiorO2pngwbGlTr_o18GYOoYBrcMH4_4zO4QYbdjhuINcvKUdsad1jYZRGB9MzRQquPjoLHwn7UGTRmLr-uxJ9FtWvYU8pQhJ3Cs4V4cgHvxmnFvNA/w400-h225/20240128091214_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>In theory, any person could gather all of the Great Runes and use them to reforge the Elden Ring, in the process becoming a new Elden Lord and overseeing a healthily functioning world. That's the path you're on for most of the game. As a Tarnished, you are one of the many many people seeking Great Runes.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqaZYDRkcERudDMEuuFGqCisVEpEjbHJa2kemHuUqMBfGO0JdKoRYm0WuxWNodJG4jZqHz9j6Npg0DXLth4QmgLXysl5VhLZcJSTCOV0C9GwfqIFrjuzPHtQgOQzXfzYz6-TZDmrpxTL_06Tb3dgk-OFA5hpKzwvgz_nshRBCC4F0rxrp4A/s2560/20240123164510_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqaZYDRkcERudDMEuuFGqCisVEpEjbHJa2kemHuUqMBfGO0JdKoRYm0WuxWNodJG4jZqHz9j6Npg0DXLth4QmgLXysl5VhLZcJSTCOV0C9GwfqIFrjuzPHtQgOQzXfzYz6-TZDmrpxTL_06Tb3dgk-OFA5hpKzwvgz_nshRBCC4F0rxrp4A/w400-h225/20240123164510_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Late in the game, you collect enough Runes where you could reforge the Ring. However, at this point you find that the way is blocked by the Erdtree. It seems that the Erdtree likes things the way that they are, with itself as kind of a chokepoint over the flow of life. This causes consternation and upheaval among the various great powers that are trying to mend the Ring, as they haven't contemplated what to do in the face of an intransigent Erdtree.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIh_BfXHdRogXIAUfyui7v0c05EjYMTo2cFW6JOnC44RWCdEdOjzUAn8ONoTCZeSyohhKzHR3ZstmU4MUby-GU4M1922mzFc1fen_X-IGdxuCtze-EBCZt8Qmg6-ld7ch659-FcjnwTHkHVUCMRBbP8IylhVNmICUzXDaIUlJuEzHsLrw-w/s2560/20231231144620_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIh_BfXHdRogXIAUfyui7v0c05EjYMTo2cFW6JOnC44RWCdEdOjzUAn8ONoTCZeSyohhKzHR3ZstmU4MUby-GU4M1922mzFc1fen_X-IGdxuCtze-EBCZt8Qmg6-ld7ch659-FcjnwTHkHVUCMRBbP8IylhVNmICUzXDaIUlJuEzHsLrw-w/w400-h225/20231231144620_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The game can go a few different ways from here. In my playthrough, my Finger Maiden, a woman named Melina, was willing to go against the letter of the law in order to uphold the spirit: the only way for life to resume is for the Erdtree, the repository of life, to die. She immolates herself as kindling to light the Erdtree on fire. After this, you fight the Beast Clergyman Guranq, later revealed to be the Black Blade Maliketh (sp), the keeper of Destined Death. Once he is defeated, Destined Death is loosed in the world, which allows the Erdtree to die, which in turn opens the way for the Elden Ring to be reforged.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIo9om5W7L6BxIUtu-aKAoQK3FqwNJ_wPWwybjurme0WgokOY1F52o60ot8eGdzQAgYMcQ_dMFOq743f_-FIncFiHK1aDWeGGsU-4bLRHSDctFN5pqoPsEe4prmX_nX5Nlk5mwtkkIMzd3L_3Ntm8S0Jh98wkmgYADBEEwMro1jkZihqfk6A/s2560/20240123164716_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIo9om5W7L6BxIUtu-aKAoQK3FqwNJ_wPWwybjurme0WgokOY1F52o60ot8eGdzQAgYMcQ_dMFOq743f_-FIncFiHK1aDWeGGsU-4bLRHSDctFN5pqoPsEe4prmX_nX5Nlk5mwtkkIMzd3L_3Ntm8S0Jh98wkmgYADBEEwMro1jkZihqfk6A/w400-h225/20240123164716_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The current ruler of the world is Queen Marika, though I'm not clear on whether she's actually an active ruling presence or not: you never fight her, and at the end she just appears as a hollow statue. You can mend the ring in a few different ways, which set the tenor for how the world will work going forward.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtGt4iZTBGYeYA0mhxgWSVT5A41ESXRDlzjlvrtSbnFdFi0cM-z9er4giq_Y-ruNY1_Pi4Cw3-RvLRzLTqXhlPycM15zae8oQYbctaGlicqyi7U_RZg8VE11uFiEZnuJ7fLICBVaJgRG2us76rn-gSuSNA36PWmKhrThkUjBog8PehITVuQ/s2560/20240128143429_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtGt4iZTBGYeYA0mhxgWSVT5A41ESXRDlzjlvrtSbnFdFi0cM-z9er4giq_Y-ruNY1_Pi4Cw3-RvLRzLTqXhlPycM15zae8oQYbctaGlicqyi7U_RZg8VE11uFiEZnuJ7fLICBVaJgRG2us76rn-gSuSNA36PWmKhrThkUjBog8PehITVuQ/w400-h225/20240128143429_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>In my case, I summoned Ranni, who is an ancient being affiliated with the Dark Moon. I'm not totally clear on the chronology here, whether this predates the Erdtree or not. She accepts the power of the Elden Ring and brings the world back under the cool alignment of the moon, with you as her consort.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIKFLFtur2FYlEiQRqXIkUAf_Ts8zYP6oVkHpnXfbtnTh8SPU5eTioqSGIhOsmnPHj7CigI8bxMLntZdgch5o16s63AC5xS7tfJ4OkkGTCzAnRsBaGXhUpsOUs40273GVT9cbn2KGh17A1ZyQJhLCCTyAhaplWQfzryBPuxnPO5LT-EIuyw/s2560/20240128180828_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIKFLFtur2FYlEiQRqXIkUAf_Ts8zYP6oVkHpnXfbtnTh8SPU5eTioqSGIhOsmnPHj7CigI8bxMLntZdgch5o16s63AC5xS7tfJ4OkkGTCzAnRsBaGXhUpsOUs40273GVT9cbn2KGh17A1ZyQJhLCCTyAhaplWQfzryBPuxnPO5LT-EIuyw/w400-h225/20240128180828_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Favorite area: Liurnia of the Lakes</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJ1yx8QfABbt66Kd250pt12NwuH3ulfoXwftehn709WGPOo2ZzGsYIBzfIjPb4ishmb5ehZyXiD97F5CfNKC5VZtDllY4d9IiMauiT1UicokNP1OM0LEq9N6IjAHe-qrtRyzT3_TJzS5TLRsS2O-0o0nbEaU8XplDm98_8Bf6k-wwb5qK6g/s2560/20230428212736_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJ1yx8QfABbt66Kd250pt12NwuH3ulfoXwftehn709WGPOo2ZzGsYIBzfIjPb4ishmb5ehZyXiD97F5CfNKC5VZtDllY4d9IiMauiT1UicokNP1OM0LEq9N6IjAHe-qrtRyzT3_TJzS5TLRsS2O-0o0nbEaU8XplDm98_8Bf6k-wwb5qK6g/w400-h225/20230428212736_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Favorite Boss (Story): Radahn</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DaU1p_kD8UCD0llkBl57bjte1WKJ9R7E3c94spaMUNUwVjtaEWeZfEGsQyHmCHBpzTmd88H6E6wzmv1BOo0w8U-V4YWjKmcm0e2zqlwA1hbVFqGCgiIAWEQAE5fLnG8xZMYtuJf_LRm2K2hE3qLGjP42J2dhGX8QfRuhc4vx37CMS83Yzw/s2560/20230721164325_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DaU1p_kD8UCD0llkBl57bjte1WKJ9R7E3c94spaMUNUwVjtaEWeZfEGsQyHmCHBpzTmd88H6E6wzmv1BOo0w8U-V4YWjKmcm0e2zqlwA1hbVFqGCgiIAWEQAE5fLnG8xZMYtuJf_LRm2K2hE3qLGjP42J2dhGX8QfRuhc4vx37CMS83Yzw/w400-h225/20230721164325_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Favorite Boss (Mechanics): Mohg</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIpdJLSmdUEsZ4dYnxecEn_tpbqO-29FcEHkCA8BY8uMoquSv77__E8WQ7txT_fYREdwglbZ8hUFVap4VGLaNarR9R01KQkEivueJ6emb8eC2D-mKWCckt92EvDuI4bzntnp9ucIE6AWUSTsWdTCGcLdqdO3RBdbhos05Kx4cDqsD2OpkiA/s2560/20240122172909_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIpdJLSmdUEsZ4dYnxecEn_tpbqO-29FcEHkCA8BY8uMoquSv77__E8WQ7txT_fYREdwglbZ8hUFVap4VGLaNarR9R01KQkEivueJ6emb8eC2D-mKWCckt92EvDuI4bzntnp9ucIE6AWUSTsWdTCGcLdqdO3RBdbhos05Kx4cDqsD2OpkiA/w400-h225/20240122172909_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Favorite NPC: Sellen. No, wait! Iron Fist Alexander!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQz0FDYpiIonY01Fx51gXgWwzcmEXHtUZZqy2RGD7kZeOnhy7ssRNhBX0I2tTk8V5hmHFm2cea4vsTMh_YzwCYwCvqJNsntl9XJx7XQMOoVdABvG-7mKxI1meqF7s9LxOKZp9HE_J2aX34CwgvXw5nsrO-tQ2O10cxWcxW6I5Bnr3eH4DLuA/s2560/20240125193205_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQz0FDYpiIonY01Fx51gXgWwzcmEXHtUZZqy2RGD7kZeOnhy7ssRNhBX0I2tTk8V5hmHFm2cea4vsTMh_YzwCYwCvqJNsntl9XJx7XQMOoVdABvG-7mKxI1meqF7s9LxOKZp9HE_J2aX34CwgvXw5nsrO-tQ2O10cxWcxW6I5Bnr3eH4DLuA/w400-h225/20240125193205_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Favorite Dungeon: Cave of the Forlorn<br /></p><p>Favorite Legacy Dungeon: Stormveil</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1bOLWNurGFY97jN9uc5rFhFRM9ik1kApj2SvjKYDtWNfDfqVHfWICyo5msDWRBOVym6krx4Vnid5CNdKqB9iGZeERr_zertavSANjqIPnsXsUuQwvNfnlYd9U3COsrPyhh0xgK3qv8IzUTTGfUQPU8rLpDYaGXCvDE8-cM1uKRhSK5rjUQ/s2560/20230506091314_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1bOLWNurGFY97jN9uc5rFhFRM9ik1kApj2SvjKYDtWNfDfqVHfWICyo5msDWRBOVym6krx4Vnid5CNdKqB9iGZeERr_zertavSANjqIPnsXsUuQwvNfnlYd9U3COsrPyhh0xgK3qv8IzUTTGfUQPU8rLpDYaGXCvDE8-cM1uKRhSK5rjUQ/w400-h225/20230506091314_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Favorite Merchant: War Counselor Iji. (Runner-up: Miriel Pastor of Vows)</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFg5qrHRv4ZyhoSstW8wEY09WmzcOzJaqt6GOikXcedsw12SK-Wg2kR-JoiveyYStzNONBanENZNQq45Xajhp2zOXgwety6mpCPumfe0KsSVjhOKQ91rhssNUh1m8i38dkJlzkTPPIIiztvG8aBxmS6GQTM7gRtYtYikuAES4g-bnPjT3hEA/s2560/20240109163920_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFg5qrHRv4ZyhoSstW8wEY09WmzcOzJaqt6GOikXcedsw12SK-Wg2kR-JoiveyYStzNONBanENZNQq45Xajhp2zOXgwety6mpCPumfe0KsSVjhOKQ91rhssNUh1m8i38dkJlzkTPPIIiztvG8aBxmS6GQTM7gRtYtYikuAES4g-bnPjT3hEA/w400-h225/20240109163920_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Favorite Spell: I used Magic Glintblade by <b>far</b> the most, but Ranni's Dark Moon was the coolest <br /></p><p>Favorite Crystal Tear: Opaline Hardtear</p><p>Favorite Consumable: I used Preserving Bolus the most, but they are <b>not</b> fun! Maybe Boiled Crab.</p><p><b>END SPOILERS</b></p><p>I feel like I ought to be writing a lot more about this game, given how much I've been playing it and how much I enjoy it... but I guess the downside of a fairly minimalist story is that I have a lot less than usual to say about it!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_psIOrr9-IVwRPFZOx1xt2ufzUaNse_GJaNp-OTvoriYVij9wTpDXoO25fiRjbvxYpP2gSRDMMkba6QVR66pmEWNb6ZMpVJnF4p5vAX9sJHqsvyL43ljfOSBFUZHZe5r7EGsjYt1MW-gy6WanvZBJ-4MtKDh81hiAfh-O17evnpxrzEjFEg/s2560/20231230144451_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_psIOrr9-IVwRPFZOx1xt2ufzUaNse_GJaNp-OTvoriYVij9wTpDXoO25fiRjbvxYpP2gSRDMMkba6QVR66pmEWNb6ZMpVJnF4p5vAX9sJHqsvyL43ljfOSBFUZHZe5r7EGsjYt1MW-gy6WanvZBJ-4MtKDh81hiAfh-O17evnpxrzEjFEg/w400-h225/20231230144451_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p> </p><p>This is my first game in the Dark Souls vein, and while I've loved it, I'm not sure yet whether I'll try any other FromSoftware games. I do see the appeal after playing this: it is hard, but fair, and it feels immensely satisfying to overcome obstacles after repeated failure by examining your mistakes and then executing well. But I honestly don't know if I'd have the patience to go through something like that again, without the ease and visual distraction of the open world to break up more punishing sections. Still, I do feel a certain sense of achievement for Having Beaten A Souls-Like Game, and who knows, maybe I will go back for another in the future!<br /></p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-77659637161431025042024-01-17T20:34:00.000-08:002024-01-17T20:34:00.249-08:00The Best DLC<p>Inspired by an off-handed text exchange with my brother, I got to thinking: what are my favorite DLCs? It seems like the sort of thing I'd make a list of, but it doesn't look like I have yet, so I thought I'd do it now!</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9-DEvbE4siGrVVbKWsMLHb7VS-vTm4ptnwZabDIpTfIE1aeKWYTJpdHDL_MNeqc2cSRWo9IcXEypPdTLPY0ZcRRJ80GrrZZi7z9NZWxhbG0flCdCnRsfvtBUZFU_qQtUtCj_Y1HZtJO_3mMR61yZzEPE4YC9z9-X_THPbtUjY8nWnegpCw/s800/Civ4BTS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9-DEvbE4siGrVVbKWsMLHb7VS-vTm4ptnwZabDIpTfIE1aeKWYTJpdHDL_MNeqc2cSRWo9IcXEypPdTLPY0ZcRRJ80GrrZZi7z9NZWxhbG0flCdCnRsfvtBUZFU_qQtUtCj_Y1HZtJO_3mMR61yZzEPE4YC9z9-X_THPbtUjY8nWnegpCw/w400-h400/Civ4BTS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Ground rules:</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>"DLC" means any game that originally required the base game in order to play. I'm including Expansions in this list as well.</li><li>The DLC has to unlock some meaningful content, such as additional story, levels, maps, mechanics, etc.<br /></li><li>While this is obviously very subjective, I'm trying to rank this in order of how much the DLC adds to my enjoyment of the base game. But if I didn't like the base game very much, there's only so much a DLC can do to improve it.</li><li>Obviously, this only includes DLC that I've played and clearly remember. </li><li>This <i>does</i> include expansions that are now always sold with the base game (like Neverwinter Nights), so long as they were originally sold separately.<br /></li></ol><p>This list excludes:</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Free DLC, like Shadows of Hong Kong or Mass Effect 3: Enhanced Ending.</li><li>Free updates, like "Game of the Year" / "Ultimate" editions, even if they add content.</li><li>Episodic content.</li><li>MMO expansions. <br /></li><li>DLC that just adds cosmetics.</li><li>Boosts: free money, gear, etc.</li><li>Mods, like "Fall from Heaven 2".</li><li>Spin-offs or sequels.</li><li>I've excluded most Paradox DLC, because honestly I have a hard time <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/dlc/236850/Europa_Universalis_IV/">keeping track</a> of what expansions add what content. They do make good DLC, though!<br /> </li></ol><p> Without further ado, here are my all-time favorite DLCs, ranked:<br /></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2013/03/citation.html">Citadel</a></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2007/09/time-is-wisest-counsellor-of-all.html">Beyond the Sword</a> </li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2014/03/betrayed.html">Mask of the Betrayer</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2015/10/trespasser.html">Trespasser </a><br /></li><li>Throne of Bhaal</li><li>Fantastic Worlds <br /></li><li>Tales of the Sword Coast</li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2013/02/awoke_7.html">Awakening </a><br /></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2013/02/felicitous.html">Mark of the Assassin </a><br /></li><li>Conflicts in Civilization<br /></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2016/09/witcher-i-barely-know-her.html">Blood and Wine</a> </li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2012/12/dah-dahn-gahn.html">Dawnguard</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2009/06/shivering-good-fun.html">Shivering Isles</a> </li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2006/10/genghis-khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan.html">Warlords</a></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2011/11/mecklenburger-with-extra-cheese.html">In Nomine <br /></a></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2014/03/buried-alive.html">Burial at Sea </a><br /></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2014/06/fall-in-new-and-improved-vegas.html">Old World Blues </a><br /></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2013/02/golem-hunt.html">Witch Hunt</a> </li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2013/07/honors-of-underdark.html">Hordes of the Underdark</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2015/08/down-down-to-goblin-town.html">The Descent</a></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2009/12/dont-buy-dragon-age.html">Warden's Keep</a></li><li>Forge of Virtue<br /></li><li>Tribunal <br /></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2016/09/witcher-i-barely-know-her.html">Hearts of Stone</a></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2015/05/jaws-clamped-shut.html">Jaws of Hakkon </a></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2012/12/alpha-and-omega.html">Omega </a><br /></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2012/08/you-are-true-warrior-and-worthy-of.html">Leliana's Song</a> </li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2013/02/illegacy.html">Legacy</a><br /></li><li>Dragonborn </li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2013/07/under-shadows.html">Shadows of Undrentide</a> </li><li>The Silver Seed<br /></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2009/11/dragon-youth.html">Stone Prisoner</a></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2013/02/golem-hunt.html">Golems of Amgarrak</a></li><li><a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2006/02/theres-bloodmoon-on-rise.html">Bloodmoon</a></li><li>Opposing Force <br /></li><li>Return to Ostagar <br /></li><li>Nights of the Nine</li></ol> I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting some (particularly non-RPG ones), I may add to this list if I remember more!<br />Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-46331029746652941892024-01-08T17:15:00.000-08:002024-01-11T08:38:44.675-08:00Archived<p>I don't consistently write about series I read - sometimes they feel too ephemeral, other times I want to see how a whole arc plays out before organizing my thoughts. It looks like it's been <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2018/09/beach-reads.html">about five years</a> since I last checked in on <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/kage%20baker">Kage Baker</a>'s fantastic <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/41665-the-company">Company series</a>. I'm slowly but surely making my way through, and really enjoying it. I just finished reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Projects-White-Knights-Dossiers/dp/1930846118">Black Projects, White Knights</a>, which is the first short story collection in that series. Some of the stories sounded <i>very</i> familiar, and I eventually realized that they had been included as passages in one of the novels (perhaps "Life of the World to Come"?). These particular stories were very fun romps, especially as explicit riffs on literature. Thanks to the time-traveling conceit of the story, we get some great little vignettes about Robert Louis Stevenson, Shakespeare and other historical figures, as well as some great lore-expanding stories set in the very ancient past or the somewhat-distant future.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93FZtc_v3PR7eCKQhGkPhdZO2ltIDoPZOuOtlrHoP8W-8acbVwrsc7xOJbie8kF6ArkAMOav48LiA4IK-1X2gROrnTX9a5vklxVA1ALI9F-UKiwAxV9s9M2Yk2wj-rM4xJkdAbytErS2eV8QIfWvLvZydHbiIgA8F3jNNxTCgCDReBq094A/s333/BlackProjectsWhiteKnights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="220" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93FZtc_v3PR7eCKQhGkPhdZO2ltIDoPZOuOtlrHoP8W-8acbVwrsc7xOJbie8kF6ArkAMOav48LiA4IK-1X2gROrnTX9a5vklxVA1ALI9F-UKiwAxV9s9M2Yk2wj-rM4xJkdAbytErS2eV8QIfWvLvZydHbiIgA8F3jNNxTCgCDReBq094A/w264-h400/BlackProjectsWhiteKnights.jpg" width="264" /></a></div> <p></p><p>I've also kicked off a new series by <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/charles%20stross">Charles Stross</a>, who has become one of my go-to authors for enjoyable reads. The series is "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Laundry_Files">The Laundry Files</a>"; the first volume is "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Atrocity-Archives-Laundry-Files-Novel/dp/0441016685">The Atrocity Archives</a>" which also includes the novella-length "The Concrete Jungle". The basic conceit is that magic is real, and being kept under wraps by secretive government agencies. The overall feel is kind of like Lovecraft crossed with James Bond crossed with Dilbert. The plot of this particular story gets pretty bonkers, quickly getting to the jaw-on-the-floor point I reached around book three of Merchant Princes. The book is also reminding me of what initially attracted me to Stross, his deep familiarity with computers and technology. Much like Halting State, there are great and fully legible sections here dealing with TCP/IP routing, blinkenlights, kernel security, daemons and more.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrJv2Kwh5UWu9smagIXoIItcwyrv_YxlYP-K4lO1Dr56fOLzcpv4OzWtuWv2w52NAm8jHq68W7H1lqEuOYUFpHzHosNSf9sDzBWjusKM_gRZT_n-Jt46kfV-lmi_RsvNl57JkT6Fw6ZipR8RKN4dcsMHsTU-iVZEjWZjtD33aAJc2rQuVyQ/s500/AtrocityArchives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="321" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrJv2Kwh5UWu9smagIXoIItcwyrv_YxlYP-K4lO1Dr56fOLzcpv4OzWtuWv2w52NAm8jHq68W7H1lqEuOYUFpHzHosNSf9sDzBWjusKM_gRZT_n-Jt46kfV-lmi_RsvNl57JkT6Fw6ZipR8RKN4dcsMHsTU-iVZEjWZjtD33aAJc2rQuVyQ/w256-h400/AtrocityArchives.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Lastly, while it isn't a series, I'll note here that I enjoyed <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/roberto%20bolano">Roberto Bolaño</a>'s "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Last-Evenings-Earth-Roberto-Bola%C3%B1o/dp/0811216888">Last Evenings on Earth</a>", a collection of his short stories. They cover a wide assortment of styles and settings. Some are minimal plot-heavy sketches, others quietly and contemplatively explore a character's soul. Many of the stories only use letters for characters - like "B wrote an article about A's novel" - which at first glance makes this seem more like a draft than a finished story, but also gives a feeling of abstractness, or maybe eternity, as if it's discussing generalized relationships rather than a particular meeting, even though these stories are still filled with detail. My favorite is probably "Henri Simon Leprince", about a talentless poet who improbably performs heroic deeds during the French Resistance.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqdMQ5VHWXcsb1XA98Lg-nTA67dNYY5LeP5DXWZ9mZeo1mM6eUDUwHmUCJgfL2vTX0yi6bHwdPi5VrWI4DmirNXDMWA0dfcClFIOJZ6rg3UOumez_7cRoxkwYPus8f6IqpnGmWgBtg8PwTND5AgwhUJmgLrmYMGGs27BO0l3y2-O8eYErdw/s1491/LastEveningsOnEarth.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1491" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqdMQ5VHWXcsb1XA98Lg-nTA67dNYY5LeP5DXWZ9mZeo1mM6eUDUwHmUCJgfL2vTX0yi6bHwdPi5VrWI4DmirNXDMWA0dfcClFIOJZ6rg3UOumez_7cRoxkwYPus8f6IqpnGmWgBtg8PwTND5AgwhUJmgLrmYMGGs27BO0l3y2-O8eYErdw/w269-h400/LastEveningsOnEarth.webp" width="269" /></a></div><br />Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-75258950870750757272023-12-29T12:45:00.000-08:002023-12-29T12:45:16.454-08:00Lasting<p>This post was written in early December but scheduled for later due to Secret Reasons!</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHnxVP8W8Pou5VWjhdOBjTee6iq78962AjSa4tSJxi6qPtDYOBw0U0ITBMdWMijXOIPswMu210BHQwz2Dy4yVnyMBUU8BordK5Et6-21h4fsocplk7KVuCMRVUoXGHl-T6qFQZF20HNrMC0UqLDHlseXX8T00erwK_xlmJVnJ_kGptJ2X7Kg/s1000/HowToMakeYourMoneyLast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="657" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHnxVP8W8Pou5VWjhdOBjTee6iq78962AjSa4tSJxi6qPtDYOBw0U0ITBMdWMijXOIPswMu210BHQwz2Dy4yVnyMBUU8BordK5Et6-21h4fsocplk7KVuCMRVUoXGHl-T6qFQZF20HNrMC0UqLDHlseXX8T00erwK_xlmJVnJ_kGptJ2X7Kg/w263-h400/HowToMakeYourMoneyLast.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I recently finished reading "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Money-Last-Indispensable/dp/1982115831">How to Make Your Money Last</a>" by <a href="https://jbquinn.com/">Jane Bryant Quinn</a>. I don't closely follow Jane, but have a very dear spot in my heart for her. Shortly after I got my first "real" job and was trying to get a handle on my finances, I read her book "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Simple-Financial-Strategies-People/dp/0743269950">Smart and Simple Financial Strategies for Busy People</a>". It was an <i>excellent</i> book: it formed the foundation of my approach towards personal finance, and I've found its lessons consistently valuable over the last 20 or so year. I followed that up with "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Making-Most-Your-Money-Now/dp/0743269969">Making the Most of Your Money Now</a>", a more comprehensive book that gave me my clearest understanding to date on topics like how bonds work and how asset classes are correlated. I've read a lot more finance books over the years, but honestly I don't think any of them have materially improved on the advice Jane gave.</p><p>In the last couple of years, I've started chatting with my parents as they approach retirement. They've lived pretty frugal lives and in recent years have diligently saved a lot towards their own retirement. Like many people in their position, who have lots of experience balancing checkbooks but not with trading securities, they've had a lot of uncertainty about their situation: Do they have enough to retire? How much can they expect to live on? How exactly will they go about drawing down their retirement accounts once they're in retirement?</p><p>A lot of this area overlaps with topics I'm cheerfully fluent on: I'll happily chat for hours about asset allocations, time horizons and Monte Carlo simulations. But there's a whole lot that I just don't know anything about, since I'm personally decades from retirement and haven't bothered researching it for myself. What exactly is an annuity? When would you want one, and how does it work? I was a bit startled to realize how little I knew about Social Security; I was aware that you got a higher amount the longer you waited, but only in recent months (after researching on behalf of my folks) did I learn how Social Security works with a married couple. (To summarize: if both are entitled to SS payments, then while they're both alive they'll each receive a check based on their own lifetime earnings; when one spouse dies, the other spouse can either continue collecting their personal check, or switch to their spouse's if it would be higher.)</p><p>So anyways, I was delighted to find that Jane Bryant Quinn had written a book that focuses on this topic. I'm planning to get it for my parents, as I think it will be a good resource; most of it isn't applicable to me just yet, but I still read through it to make sure that it made sense, and to learn some stuff as well!</p><p>This book feels a lot like the earlier ones, which I love. Jane is fact-based and also opinionated. A lot of financial "advice" you see online just regurgitates a lot of information and doesn't provide guidance on how to apply it; Jane will clearly say when one strategy is a good approach for most people, or when a specific type of product is terrible and should be avoided. She gives just enough background to help explain what you need to know, without getting lost in the weeds or going off on tangents. The overall structure is great, too: I think the best way to read this book is probably cover-to-cover, skipping over sections that don't apply to your situation (like pension funds for most of us). That's a great way to cover your "unknown unknowns": things you didn't know and wouldn't have thought to ask.</p><p>One major challenge of retirement planning is that everyone's situations are so different, in ways that can drastically impact the optimal strategy. How much you have saved, what support you're entitled to, whether you have dependents, and so on. And some of the most important factors are unknowable: how long you'll live, how bad inflation will be, what the stock markets will do. She cuts through these things in a great and clear way, generally advocating for planning for the worst-case-scenario; if your approach would work for that, then you can face the future with excellent confidence, and most likely have a prosperous road ahead of you.</p><p>There's a ton of great information in here. Most of the stocks-and-bonds stuff is old hat to me by now, but I still appreciated it, especially the focus on retirement income: after all, that's what most of us are socking away money in our 401k and IRAs for. She's a bit more bullish on stocks than I've been; a few years ago I shifted my personal portfolio from 80/20 to 70/30, with an eye to continuing to shift further towards bonds (as classic advice from Bogle, Malkiel, Meyer and others generally have it). As Jane notes, though, it can actually be <i>safer</i> to be more tilted towards stocks, as they are your main hedge against inflation. The key there is how big of a cash cushion you can maintain: if you can keep, say, 2 years of living expenses in cash, then your invested portfolio can be more stock-heavy; if you have a smaller nest egg, though, then you should probably have more bond exposure so you aren't forced to sell stocks at a loss, and this in turn will probably push down your safe withdrawal rate. That's something I need to remind myself of: the actual size of a portfolio matters too, not just its asset allocation.<br /></p><p>The most helpful chapter for me was the one on annuities. I know just enough about annuities to run the other way, as they have a <i>terrible</i> reputation in the online communities I travel in. Jane makes a strong argument for one very specific type of annuity: an immediate annuity. With this product, you make a one-time purchase, and in exchange receive income for life; for example, paying $500,000 might translate into monthly checks of $1,500 for the rest of your life, depending on the age at which you purchase the annuity and what options you pick. This is basically a hedge against living too long: you "lose" if you die earlier than planned (but, as Jane kindly-yet-snidely observes, what do you care? You're dead!), and you "win" if you outlive expectations. For a lot of people, this can make sense: you'll have guaranteed income from Social Security and your annuity to pay all of your expected recurring expenses (groceries, utilities, insurance, etc.) and can dip into your invested savings for specific needs (home repairs, vacations, cars, gifts, etc.).</p><p>Even these "good" annuities do have limitations, though: unlike Social Security, they are not indexed to inflation, so they won't do as well in a period of rising rates (although current rates will impact the paid amount). And super-rich people probably won't need them anyways, if they have enough socked away that they don't have to worry about running out of money. Anyways, I'm just glad to have a clearer idea of what the heck these things are, while I personally consider to shy well away from them.</p><p>I did just completely skip over some of the stuff that doesn't apply to me or my parents (like defined-benefit pensions), which seems to work great; the book is nicely compartmentalized, so no crucial information is hidden in unrelated chapters.</p><p>I do think this is an excellent book for anyone in, say, their mid-50s or later. I don't regret reading it, but I'm also aware that a great deal will likely change between now and when I retire. This is actually the second edition, and apparently a lot was rewritten after the 2018 Trump tax law changes. Who knows how many more changes will arrive in the coming decades? As with her earlier books, though, the overall ideas seem sound and timeless, even if the specific advice gets dated. (As just one example, she mentions Vanguard as one reputable provider of immediate annuities, but they exited the insurance market shortly after this book was published. Sigh...) For people who are younger, a more general finance book would probably be a better match, as those tend to still address retirement but more from the perspective of accumulators.<br /></p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-29724604426213223222023-12-19T16:37:00.000-08:002023-12-19T16:37:25.916-08:00*Compassionate Squeaking*<p></p><p>Woot! Woot, I say! I've finished <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/baldurs%20gate+larian">Baldur's Gate 3</a> at long last. I loved it: I enjoyed the game from the start, and it continued to grow on me as it went along. While at first it felt more like Divinity: Original Sin 3, as the story continues it gradually bends towards a continuation of the Bhaalspawn Saga, and by the end I was wholly on board viewing this as a proper sequel. An accurate and complimentary way to summarize the game might be <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/divinity">Divinity: Original Sin's combat</a> married to <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/baldurs%20gate+bioware">Baldur's Gate's story and scope</a> married to <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/dragon%20age+games+reviews">Dragon Age's companions and cinematics</a>. Which, er, I guess is rather polyamorous, but still, what a compelling triad!</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbAcb5KqGlWnLR6sodPiihOFGUrq_ZEICY_wDFt5Rc6ITtxD5x2dAHlQwqlgX6lyWR9roHNX7z-7MGlvXxWhEOHUOXaGnAH3VgElL9FxMkdOK0HxnkQ3zLr2yJ6fEnrEb0_uPrPBm04BPSswM9IEto74uswGUJriJUpJA2Rs7xKT4MEC1tg/s2560/20231102220213_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbAcb5KqGlWnLR6sodPiihOFGUrq_ZEICY_wDFt5Rc6ITtxD5x2dAHlQwqlgX6lyWR9roHNX7z-7MGlvXxWhEOHUOXaGnAH3VgElL9FxMkdOK0HxnkQ3zLr2yJ6fEnrEb0_uPrPBm04BPSswM9IEto74uswGUJriJUpJA2Rs7xKT4MEC1tg/w400-h225/20231102220213_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Kicking off with some technical and gameplay notes:</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkGc3GDWsXxHOuiC1Jza7AYVRWQxwljxMFjgP_IqPqVA4bdSUSAbBkZJnoCfmFuTND_mVNAkvDOH6_Iu-duQ8WiO8eR6pEUORb-lPIJwiYisLlkI_nW-YrKqkZwu58daYhvbYA2YdCMIrszdARZ4Cn87s72a0bjLd3IkCWisbGA02F71t-w/s2560/20231210131407_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkGc3GDWsXxHOuiC1Jza7AYVRWQxwljxMFjgP_IqPqVA4bdSUSAbBkZJnoCfmFuTND_mVNAkvDOH6_Iu-duQ8WiO8eR6pEUORb-lPIJwiYisLlkI_nW-YrKqkZwu58daYhvbYA2YdCMIrszdARZ4Cn87s72a0bjLd3IkCWisbGA02F71t-w/w400-h225/20231210131407_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I played this game pretty seriously (but not non-stop) from the official launch up until December 14th. Steam thinks I've played for 228 hours, but that's pretty misleading: that includes the time of <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2020/11/baldurs-gate-3-everyone-is-evil.html">my Early Access run</a>, and I would also sometimes leave the game running while I went off and did something else because it takes so long to load into saved games. My final save game says I spent nearly 170 hours; that may undercount it since I think that excludes reloads, but may overcount due to the aforementioned idling. Still, I'm pretty sure I played in excess of 150 hours altogether, on a mostly-completionist playthrough; I didn't intentionally skip any sidequests, but there are probably a few I missed picking up, and a couple were prematurely failed due to my actions.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQxZ0E8LwF_9Ehh2cYNjsoTwy3ejwjxDW2lLowfaMQqbxm9Wf2inDPF9RYUcFAqZ-C426G9N8pPujgfnqlEuQxlLNPXXjC2uwRWUloY4G55NIqCOcrIje_Q2re_9EzNQw8CT_AvgAmz66kXX4ElIHASfzSpQuhauOBA7wkErmuwWKFIsPgA/s2560/20231124180755_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQxZ0E8LwF_9Ehh2cYNjsoTwy3ejwjxDW2lLowfaMQqbxm9Wf2inDPF9RYUcFAqZ-C426G9N8pPujgfnqlEuQxlLNPXXjC2uwRWUloY4G55NIqCOcrIje_Q2re_9EzNQw8CT_AvgAmz66kXX4ElIHASfzSpQuhauOBA7wkErmuwWKFIsPgA/w400-h225/20231124180755_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I was glad that I took my time and didn't rush through, in no small part because I was able to get the benefit of the many patches Larian has already released for the game. I read some online complaints about slow performance in Act 3, but my personal run was unaffected. I also benefited from the <a href="https://baldursgate3.game/news/community-update-25-ain-t-no-party-like-a-withers-party_100">new Epilogue</a> that Larian recently added, which adds an entire lengthy interactive segment at the end of the game that provides more depth and color to the fate of your companions, and further explores your impact on the world. I'm pleased but not surprised: Larian has done a fantastic job in the past of providing free, major updates to their games, well past the point where AAA publishers would have pulled the plug.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimWiPS1E7b_lEg8nsdcKMUnoioJF9gmzDkKwIW_0rgB6s5TScABmRZKy7WAK0uc1jbwvgZ3hFE7WCzFsVnk7VtzkD3WTwMNON0WyjfB8LtXAuk-Vln3wqXZTSoqLSDZL-6uBK5YFjknY7xCJ7v2TfrhOWh499XUXjSvyUOx1AK7sl8BKfHQ/s2560/20231022105856_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimWiPS1E7b_lEg8nsdcKMUnoioJF9gmzDkKwIW_0rgB6s5TScABmRZKy7WAK0uc1jbwvgZ3hFE7WCzFsVnk7VtzkD3WTwMNON0WyjfB8LtXAuk-Vln3wqXZTSoqLSDZL-6uBK5YFjknY7xCJ7v2TfrhOWh499XUXjSvyUOx1AK7sl8BKfHQ/w400-h225/20231022105856_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>As for progress: there is a hard level cap of 12 in the game, and any XP earned after that is just wasted. I personally reached level 12 fairly early on in Act 3, again on a completionist playthrough. If and when I replay, I'll probably be a little less gung-ho on squeezing out every possible bit of XP (like jumping into optional fights even after talking my way through); but at the same time I don't really regret being completionist in this game. Being ahead of the level curve does make things easier for most of the game, since being a single level ahead of your enemy has a huge impact. And while XP ultimately becomes pointless, fights and quests also give good rewards in the form of gear and occasional special abilities, and a lot of that stuff remains useful throughout the whole game, depending on your build and party load-out.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ni4QOIboXb9rY0EP8c_A3gqAR-usD4huVakw9-Jwkz63GwsUX6kYlTKzmA5qmRFQACxeXYFpI6flz7yS99k_TxXKPyuKayXEiC2FBnFnu0F8KFGQywe32Ww9WlWHQyyah_tNTIp01Ut4m_nRtaSzVZu3wSudu29-81IYzvlPXju-a5_ieA/s2560/20231109170703_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ni4QOIboXb9rY0EP8c_A3gqAR-usD4huVakw9-Jwkz63GwsUX6kYlTKzmA5qmRFQACxeXYFpI6flz7yS99k_TxXKPyuKayXEiC2FBnFnu0F8KFGQywe32Ww9WlWHQyyah_tNTIp01Ut4m_nRtaSzVZu3wSudu29-81IYzvlPXju-a5_ieA/w400-h225/20231109170703_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I do kind of miss <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2011/10/ascend.html">Throne of Bhaal</a>, where you could keep earning XP basically indefinitely, just with exponentially increasing thresholds for each new level. In that system, XP never felt useless, just much less useful as time went on, and not valuable enough to grind for. From <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/baldursgate/comments/16nkb4u/comment/k1fp5fl/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">what I've read</a>, though D&D 5th edition scales a lot worse at higher levels than the 2nd and 2.5th version did, due to higher-level spells and abilities that are effectively un-counterable. It does make me wonder if Larian will ever release an expansion or DLC for BG3, and if so, what that would look like. Larian never expanded the D:OS games, just made Enhanced Editions, so an expansion may not be in their plan; but I did love <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2011/08/sarevok-sarevok.html">Tales of the Sword Coast</a> and Throne of Bhaal, and it sounds like <a href="https://gameworldobserver.com/2023/12/01/baldurs-gate-3-sales-7-5-million-copies-estimated">BG3 is selling incredibly well</a>, so they may have some incentive to do it. Anyways, I wonder if they would revisit the level cap if they did an expansion, like how TotSC and ToB raised the caps; or if they would just focus on gear and unique abilities as rewards for any additional content.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZStDuTL6_mvX4G57DM7nbTslPuPBs3b3HI5qoHS9svxCmcnj6S4tCGSADubo_rkilTPDwOOIWrXJfK3PAbywQ9KvwKhWDftcekMDJYw01k_oLyvPo7rAkLG4xWPY1b3sxrEPuXJ7CWcuMoHtlLDQPCa-o7kvzQT5MPzC94WjiY4Ihad2OA/s2560/20231026213649_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZStDuTL6_mvX4G57DM7nbTslPuPBs3b3HI5qoHS9svxCmcnj6S4tCGSADubo_rkilTPDwOOIWrXJfK3PAbywQ9KvwKhWDftcekMDJYw01k_oLyvPo7rAkLG4xWPY1b3sxrEPuXJ7CWcuMoHtlLDQPCa-o7kvzQT5MPzC94WjiY4Ihad2OA/w400-h225/20231026213649_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Let's talk about the economy! I'd complained earlier about how plentiful loot is and how little stuff is worth buying. Once you hit Act 3, though, there is a <i>lot</i> more worthwhile stuff to buy, which does make sense - you're in a city and not a wilderness, so little surprise there are more shopkeepers and merchants around. Very very early on in the chapter, I had to think about the purchases I was making, for the first time ever. But as the chapter goes on, you get a ton more money, both straight-up gold and more valuable loot drops.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_c9HPsUzgpx5R9CD6Z23_00cBHiqZ7Hwb0AaTLppQo01cDMJZQVMiLDOQQnoueWg8Ov0rRXNMdPpzRgLKC2O_Vt_op7obLkelzTGTvxEXElXJqjsfocifiK1zfRfsWiAWyTq9bBCbbKxmghPg0UCnCiQsuNcEQFolV1OhI-HRwX-1LvqGQ/s2560/20231204162702_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_c9HPsUzgpx5R9CD6Z23_00cBHiqZ7Hwb0AaTLppQo01cDMJZQVMiLDOQQnoueWg8Ov0rRXNMdPpzRgLKC2O_Vt_op7obLkelzTGTvxEXElXJqjsfocifiK1zfRfsWiAWyTq9bBCbbKxmghPg0UCnCiQsuNcEQFolV1OhI-HRwX-1LvqGQ/w400-h225/20231204162702_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>In all, I think I had something like 50k unspent gold left over at the end of the game, and could have had even more if I'd more diligently liquidated gear I wasn't using. By the end I was buying good gear for all of my companions, even if they weren't regularly in my party; buying every healing potion I could find; buying some specific scrolls (mostly Misty Step and Dimension Door); and buying lots of special arrows. (The special arrows in BG3 aren't <i>quite</i> as powerful as the arrows in D:OS, but they are vastly more powerful than the special arrows in BG1/BG2.)</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVv3CvmFNpZMAFkaNdAAuhWml-5tHza-4nAhhkaGe_uQgY4zy_eS99w5Pt4Ifqnv7TYthSXhdFPkrV1kBnHnAEuXxAhUy49AYD4ai_D1l_eTRqIY-iVVv44C_itoPgrTRVaC70-aVQuCbYEk0iFEN6PP6pzr-xvAMHvjgnYtiIP3aKwO8Gg/s2560/20231104124058_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVv3CvmFNpZMAFkaNdAAuhWml-5tHza-4nAhhkaGe_uQgY4zy_eS99w5Pt4Ifqnv7TYthSXhdFPkrV1kBnHnAEuXxAhUy49AYD4ai_D1l_eTRqIY-iVVv44C_itoPgrTRVaC70-aVQuCbYEk0iFEN6PP6pzr-xvAMHvjgnYtiIP3aKwO8Gg/w400-h225/20231104124058_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Oh! And I would also buy the Elixir of Bloodlust, and Warg Fangs for crafting more Elixir of Bloodlust. Hm, let's take a tangent and chat a little about elixirs, long rests and game pacing.</p><p>So, one persistent knock against BG1/BG2 is that the game mechanically incentivizes you to Rest after nearly every combat encounter. It will freely heal HP and restore all your spells, and doesn't have any negative impact on the game (other than possibly an ambush, in which case, (a) free XP!, and (b) you'll want to rest while near full health to defeat the ambushers instead of waiting until you're near death). Story-wise, though, it's ridiculous to imagine that, like, your party is in a cave for two months because they're sleeping for 8 hours after every 2-minute fight.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtQrMOK7VDHF8hVqPIYjYb2Fj2Ck-m6bjd2O-HlQI0-dFkqmjkneyqNN0LnmEo9I6AzbeDadZ7R1GIIySiwsQVSz8coNWS8jFmt1YydxAqAF__7SXb0Ch8OmbHydxCAhoa_uRqzMsYnB3QE7VmXdQn-ma3WJONlTfCysmjVreH-SUddBkaA/s2560/20231209145202_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtQrMOK7VDHF8hVqPIYjYb2Fj2Ck-m6bjd2O-HlQI0-dFkqmjkneyqNN0LnmEo9I6AzbeDadZ7R1GIIySiwsQVSz8coNWS8jFmt1YydxAqAF__7SXb0Ch8OmbHydxCAhoa_uRqzMsYnB3QE7VmXdQn-ma3WJONlTfCysmjVreH-SUddBkaA/w400-h225/20231209145202_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>In a real pen-and-paper campaign, of course, the DM will set the pace and just have the party rest at appropriate intervals. In BG3, there are some more mechanics around resting. You can't rest at all in certain "red zone" areas, where there are lots of dangerous enemies around or it narratively doesn't make sense. Depending on the situation, you may be able to evacuate to a safe zone and then rest, or might need to struggle through.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJX_ZWQJFzojlmCrqZaG15Tr3iLph92soh6znW3Ny-riRc6frrarC2IQJ_miW1epHBfaHtl9MUp1N1FyzP-zMk-Sqf1qf1AiT1p7VbPbT1ufbdb8jioqUp7_ASxjlE1D4HHU6Qfy0CSXZ-KyVMSYA7Ud69DiVeSBBvJCV6ulz95MRKSWaNDw/s2560/20231202114939_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJX_ZWQJFzojlmCrqZaG15Tr3iLph92soh6znW3Ny-riRc6frrarC2IQJ_miW1epHBfaHtl9MUp1N1FyzP-zMk-Sqf1qf1AiT1p7VbPbT1ufbdb8jioqUp7_ASxjlE1D4HHU6Qfy0CSXZ-KyVMSYA7Ud69DiVeSBBvJCV6ulz95MRKSWaNDw/w400-h225/20231202114939_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>When you do rest, you don't do it <i>in situ</i> like in BG1/BG2. Instead, you go to "camp", which is pretty much exactly like Dragon Age Origin's Camp: a good thing! Besides resting, this is where you can let your hair down, chat with companions, access party storage, and just take it easy. When you decide to sleep, you need to use 40 "Camp Supplies", which involves consuming some combination of comestibles you've acquired: egg tarts, horseradish, flagons of wine, chickens, whatever. This results in a "full rest" that fully restores HP (not just adding HP like in BG1/BG2) and all spell slots.</p><p>With these mechanics, I naturally opted to rest as little as I could, to save my precious limited camp supplies. And just as naturally, by the end of the game I had thousands of unused camp supplies. As I think I mentioned in an earlier post, I deeply regret not taking more long-rests: this is <i>also</i> when some important story beats take place, romances trigger, companion secrets are revealed, and so on. I was playing as a Bard, so I could take 3 Short Rests instead of just 2 between each Long Rest, which probably even further limited my exposure to Long Rests.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBq-b91OerxOvBhy7ZmzY9YMGQrkxNW_kUeN48FcPAfT-aXie4yf0m5AGz28P_BlA1jTi0uHxOZWVVkgbhNNv_M9TDfmduOf8mqDg4LDe9L3DQy6wrcfLnrrghI5D74jQ4ZY3yGcZf5iDnH8uPB8b6yu9x2Jz3qE6S6rknmyzWuruUHRoKg/s2560/20231107170429_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBq-b91OerxOvBhy7ZmzY9YMGQrkxNW_kUeN48FcPAfT-aXie4yf0m5AGz28P_BlA1jTi0uHxOZWVVkgbhNNv_M9TDfmduOf8mqDg4LDe9L3DQy6wrcfLnrrghI5D74jQ4ZY3yGcZf5iDnH8uPB8b6yu9x2Jz3qE6S6rknmyzWuruUHRoKg/w400-h225/20231107170429_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>So, overall, I mostly wish I had done more Long Rests, as it would have resulted in more story, and also made the game easier, particularly from being able to more freely cast high-level spells. But there is one other specific way in which it's nice to have <i>fewer</i> Long Rests: Elixirs. Elixirs are basically powerful and long-lasting potions. A potion might restore a few HP, or cure a Poison status effect, or temporarily make you immune to falling damage. An Elixir might make you completely immune to Poison, or give you resistance to all forms of damage, or greatly boost your Strength. Elixirs take effect as soon as you drink them, and typically will remain until you drink another Elixir or take a Long Rest.</p><p>I didn't use Elixirs much at all for the first part of the game, but in Act 3 I started to really dig them. They kind of invert the logic around Potions in a nice way. In a typical RPG, you have all this useful stuff in your inventory, but are afraid to use it, because you might need it later. You <i>might</i> bust it out for a boss fight if you really need it. With an Elixir, you could still chug it during a boss fight to give you an edge; but there's absolutely no advantage over waiting until the boss fight to do so. You should have drunk it as soon as you got up that morning, so you could have enjoyed the benefits during the 6 combat encounters leading up to the boss fight as well.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMKLqSHTG4AKy6JLqO_X0uJp9tr7nv_MV_ftwQeKuOQvFDUxtUYnzWE-wSCZQNGQ151H7e7230nXxOfA71Bb15aTQ4BJ72UYM25bncYfde7CNBEJeeE00eXsJmBYGWCUKcVeghFREZl2y2KELE-Q9xPPxdktUKPO6KEOIoEOFA94s40cL6g/s2560/20231112161026_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMKLqSHTG4AKy6JLqO_X0uJp9tr7nv_MV_ftwQeKuOQvFDUxtUYnzWE-wSCZQNGQ151H7e7230nXxOfA71Bb15aTQ4BJ72UYM25bncYfde7CNBEJeeE00eXsJmBYGWCUKcVeghFREZl2y2KELE-Q9xPPxdktUKPO6KEOIoEOFA94s40cL6g/w400-h225/20231112161026_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The elixirs are all varied and useful, but by far my favorite one is the Elixir of Bloodlust. While the elixir is active, killing an enemies grants you an additional Action Point to use that round. This is <i>huge</i> on martial characters: you can use a first attack to kill off a weak or wounded enemy, and then make an additional 3-5 attacks against a boss that round, without dipping into your Action Surge.</p><p>So, as noted above, once I realized I didn't need to skimp on money I happily bought up every Elixir of Bloodlust and item for crafting it that I could find. I had it up on my fighters heading into the endgame, which led to a small bit of annoyance: I realized that, during certain cinematic sequences separating chunks of the endgame, the game silently gives you the effect of a Long Rest. That's probably intended as a helpful thing (especially for parties with arcane and divine casters!), but for me in particular, it was a pain, since I'd chugged the Elixirs in advance and didn't get to use their benefit before expiration. Fortunately I had enough left to get through the end of the game. Anyways, it's interesting that in this case the Elixirs were truly a limited resource, and I actively used them, unlike my normal RPG status quo where consumables are effectively unlimited, and I still never use them.</p><p>Moving along:</p><p>One big thing I was going to complain about in this post is dealing with party inventory. Early in the game you're traveling with most of your party so it isn't a big deal, but if you're recruiting everyone you can, you may have close to a dozen people on your team, only 4 people in your party at a time, and getting access to someone's inventory screen involved a song-and-dance that took way too long. Fortunately, a recent patch has added the ability to directly access everyone's inventory in camp, which is a <i>huge</i> quality-of-life improvement. Kudos to Larian! <br /></p><p>There are other inventory-related annoyances that we're probably stuck with. I've complained about this going back to the D:OS days, but a lot of the interface design is just weird. For example, while you're browsing a container, you can right-click on an object and choose "Send to Camp" or send to a party member; but you can't do that when you right-click on a loose object in the world that isn't inside a container.</p><p>It wasn't until after talking with a co-worker that I realized that you can sort your camp storage chest! That was a <i>huge</i> help, it was taking me ages to find items in it or, worse, not be sure whether I had a given item in there or not. The UI for sorting containers is very subtle, I definitely would have beaten the game without discovering it if it hadn't been for that in-person tip.</p><p>As with a lot of these crunchy RPGs, there isn't a straightforward gear progression, so you have to weigh the relative advantages of different pieces. For example, my PC usually wears a piece of Clothing that has no AC bonus but gives Advantage on Dexterity Checks; this is <i>extremely</i> useful out of combat, as it basically guarantees I'll always succeed at Pick Lock or Disarm Trap. I also have a more combat-oriented suit of armor with a much higher AC and some nice damage reduction. I carry both of them, and <i>should</i> swap into the armor before fights, but almost never remember to do that. Even if, say, I reload to an earlier saved game to retry a failed check, I won't remember to put on the Hat I'm carrying around that gives Advantage on Persuasion roles, even though that's the only reason I'm still carrying that Hat in my backpack.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpQfiwId-UFQP-7BmqPvwBlH8rlLDrFsZbvi71sdVcVMLOL3DaVENDwSYukjC_UYnI8Jb-A5bJqQl92MEMIeBNfFVrbGZq1frFFho_WE3_ohoyQ_SBkyeGS_tpvrKSUPsinUBpFy4RkPVTNt_ev-taH0w9cvIfAoZG1t3T0cbe8esQ6yggg/s2560/20231022150900_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpQfiwId-UFQP-7BmqPvwBlH8rlLDrFsZbvi71sdVcVMLOL3DaVENDwSYukjC_UYnI8Jb-A5bJqQl92MEMIeBNfFVrbGZq1frFFho_WE3_ohoyQ_SBkyeGS_tpvrKSUPsinUBpFy4RkPVTNt_ev-taH0w9cvIfAoZG1t3T0cbe8esQ6yggg/w400-h225/20231022150900_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Alchemy is a pretty cool system, and I definitely did more crafting in BG3 than in either D:OS game, but I know I didn't take full advantage of it. If and when I play again (henceforth IAWIPA), I'll probably have low-level Elixirs up most of the time. I'd like to say I'll also use more potions, grenades and oils, but honestly I'm not sure about that: using a consumable generally takes a Bonus Action, and with lots of fights over in just a few rounds, you're usually much better off using your Bonus Action for something else.</p><p>I think I've talked generally about the combat before, but revisiting it now at the end of the game: Overall I really like it. Combat is definitely more tactical in BG3 than in BG1/BG2, but not as tactical as in the D:OS games. Proper execution is a lot more important than buffing. Use of the environment can be advantageous, but isn't essential like in D:OS. Act 3 definitely has some of the best fights of the game. Some fights are a bit "bleh" because your foes have Resistance or Immunity to certain types of damage. In Act 3, fewer foes are straight-up immune, they just have huge health pools and cool abilities and mechanics, and you can have a lot of fun approaching them as puzzles to solve, but can also just hunker down and brute-force your way through.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZsylGoichJ8iULTfa8IBRmbNIpxTBFyf1z8RmhW3Tk6e8ipJ4Mgs9T6rKxUn2umq3bmMmNpCeVyAM0JOPBkb54z6rd2ZjcbYAVdyKnJgl4cvvXi5z6DyEnS71_St9TVONn5vodrCmtAH0rUlielZncdFbdxHgbMnjy-L-MUHCrJ1uyTAbw/s2560/20231210175813_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZsylGoichJ8iULTfa8IBRmbNIpxTBFyf1z8RmhW3Tk6e8ipJ4Mgs9T6rKxUn2umq3bmMmNpCeVyAM0JOPBkb54z6rd2ZjcbYAVdyKnJgl4cvvXi5z6DyEnS71_St9TVONn5vodrCmtAH0rUlielZncdFbdxHgbMnjy-L-MUHCrJ1uyTAbw/w400-h225/20231210175813_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>One last note on the interface: overall I'm really impressed at how well the camera works. It glides up and down with your character, and there's a pretty cool "looking through walls" effect that prevents the obscuring that often occurs in isometric games. I'm especially impressed at how well the game handles multi-story buildings: in the old day they would have been separate maps with interactable stairs connecting them, but here it's all contiguous with the other stories blacking out once you set foot on a new one. There <i>are</i> occasionally glitches where the camera rapidly bounces around; I think I noticed that in two separate fights, and while that looked weird and was annoying, it's very rare and not game-breaking.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhST9uOFYxPwBeF9jNcpOyIwIkSOK1JROJoK2i35iezALoxYDgiUUtJUsgRGQWbCnvMx9gPiVsCLqVWNwPf-03aj1k2WKauhHGF1R8kDwxt39p7SjMIg27Vro_8vYCEVzR6Q2vXTwJFwplCNSDlbitSnWnIMtVgjqHKM36H4qhK9VlqeNhEGA/s2560/20231026170203_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhST9uOFYxPwBeF9jNcpOyIwIkSOK1JROJoK2i35iezALoxYDgiUUtJUsgRGQWbCnvMx9gPiVsCLqVWNwPf-03aj1k2WKauhHGF1R8kDwxt39p7SjMIg27Vro_8vYCEVzR6Q2vXTwJFwplCNSDlbitSnWnIMtVgjqHKM36H4qhK9VlqeNhEGA/w400-h225/20231026170203_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how bug-free my experience was, particularly for playing such a large and complex RPG at launch. Over that ~150 hours of playtime, I think I had maybe 3 crashes to the desktop, and thanks to my compulsive quicksaving I never lost more than a couple of minutes of playtime. I never got stuck in an unrecoverable game state. I've read a lot of complaints about glitches in Act 3, but I think I only saw 1 or 2 characters with noticeably glitchy appearances. There are a few rough edges here and there - for example, I had a couple of Journal entries that referenced things happening differently than they actually did - but again, nothing gamebreaking and much less than I was expecting. Which is all the more impressive since Early Access players never saw anything past Act 1.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIfz7-1XqlKyytxed2WoR9_JkkvT0QHWYVuORm0P2qGXBM5-E8hB4zUo2GUHcGmNDJKa4dpOVyqNha_XXJc6T5Lc4g5K5EjF4_DmWXkU4ElKduefMB5KQcGzGPt_rXg7ZbNcKCohK1vcDh67vUNHL8Z1-wmTVJxrGhnPeWcsEbuHd0iSaXA/s2560/20231208183118_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIfz7-1XqlKyytxed2WoR9_JkkvT0QHWYVuORm0P2qGXBM5-E8hB4zUo2GUHcGmNDJKa4dpOVyqNha_XXJc6T5Lc4g5K5EjF4_DmWXkU4ElKduefMB5KQcGzGPt_rXg7ZbNcKCohK1vcDh67vUNHL8Z1-wmTVJxrGhnPeWcsEbuHd0iSaXA/w400-h225/20231208183118_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIHODt1in9VDKXYhyphenhyphenxJS-jCIHqNW_reLU6498Ihdev4px3ULFzjQlwdL5KFpf-HRdAvW8j9mPasn0_d0YrhenJIbOD4QAHvVxHxFkPPrLYcJ1P3uz8ftnG5Hxl2W2FCFUqXdjr78W4_EFtYpVSAkPC8ALiWsGCrQ8JT-h1Cgb5Optrfn80Q/s2560/20231208183746_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIHODt1in9VDKXYhyphenhyphenxJS-jCIHqNW_reLU6498Ihdev4px3ULFzjQlwdL5KFpf-HRdAvW8j9mPasn0_d0YrhenJIbOD4QAHvVxHxFkPPrLYcJ1P3uz8ftnG5Hxl2W2FCFUqXdjr78W4_EFtYpVSAkPC8ALiWsGCrQ8JT-h1Cgb5Optrfn80Q/w400-h225/20231208183746_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Gameplay note: In my game, I was playing as a Bard. I had briefly considered dipping into some other classes, but ended up single-classing like I did for nearly all of my characters, and it worked out well. I followed the College of Lore and took Expertise in Sleight of Hand and Persuasion. Overall I was the Face for the party and all-purpose skill monkey. In a nice throwback to my first playthrough of Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, I was by far the least useful party member in combat, but instead of hanging in the way-back and strumming a harp, I was mostly badly insulting enemies, casting Counterspell, and occasionally plinking someone with an arrow.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhI4tzqho7vNIFmkc7pHgVmisaYMEcwH4p6R5hSosnqlL0vnL4DCHuQLVt72ybLfZWmiaMabuoTa7GI3OtPju61LZzMC9WoxOQjeAzwjd2e8Q0GBvRWzMT48ty7rPqVk9VC36WGUdXQMRz6pFbd0Evj_C48SNvO1bt_DVmB687435uJSdHOg/s2560/20231022104851_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhI4tzqho7vNIFmkc7pHgVmisaYMEcwH4p6R5hSosnqlL0vnL4DCHuQLVt72ybLfZWmiaMabuoTa7GI3OtPju61LZzMC9WoxOQjeAzwjd2e8Q0GBvRWzMT48ty7rPqVk9VC36WGUdXQMRz6pFbd0Evj_C48SNvO1bt_DVmB687435uJSdHOg/w400-h225/20231022104851_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I've briefly skimmed several online guides, and it seems like there are a lot of power-builds out there that use multiclassing, but I think for an initial playthrough going the full 12 in a single class is a great idea. Most classes continue getting useful stuff all the way through; it's most pronounced for casters who unlock Level 6 spells and fighters who can get 3 APR, but nobody is really hurting themselves by sticking around (and getting a third Feat).<br /></p><p>And now, on with the game!</p><p><b>MINI SPOILERS (for BG1 / BG2 / BG3)</b><br /></p><p></p><p>As I mentioned above, this feels more like a Baldur's Gate game the further you get into it, which is pretty interesting. I kind of imagine that, if BioWare were to make Baldur's Gate 3, they would be inclined to start off in familiar territory to reassure and orient returning players, and then branch out into new stuff. The Larian BG3 is kind of the opposite: there are almost no ties to the earlier game for the first 3/5 or so of this one, then a few very subtle and easy-to-miss references are dropped, and then <b>BAM</b> we're talking about Bhaal again! It seems to be working really well: I know several people playing this game who didn't play the first two, and they're enjoying the "deep lore" that comes out in the later part of the game.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUHKWXpL2ZOJvkAvskFBIV0BhKp1GsCUZIiNmYnVCnK1__kIG-hM7ux2QocIi_HBZ50I3SOCOgMdg7V0h3fFpK-8cESRpWMEaId31cd2ZA4vdLxqIhctwxoHRtG1d734GzlAWglNCbE_xVh9N0dpJmwcflPb4ClqO1eNrYurkxygs8VkNQg/s2560/20231203174957_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUHKWXpL2ZOJvkAvskFBIV0BhKp1GsCUZIiNmYnVCnK1__kIG-hM7ux2QocIi_HBZ50I3SOCOgMdg7V0h3fFpK-8cESRpWMEaId31cd2ZA4vdLxqIhctwxoHRtG1d734GzlAWglNCbE_xVh9N0dpJmwcflPb4ClqO1eNrYurkxygs8VkNQg/w400-h225/20231203174957_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It kind of makes me rethink how to extend a franchise while welcoming new players. My instinct is to have a friendly explainer at the start, to catch up newbies. But maybe it's better to start everyone off in unfamiliar territory, old and new alike. The veterans may get some extra pleasure over returning to the main storyline later on, and the newbies will already be invested in this specific game instead of bouncing off of a confusing and boring recap.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyv2WkmPuY3pLZy22-CdwdHqhyZZVC98yp9QC4CFqCZMB_NJWwQjEmr-2AqTrwF5MyOmKX_XyBIq6-4jBAaFGzpJOI3RWYBK4JFOFH68myekMFcdxDKCI8NoWTEPf5xKJOJKhYFbi6rTcIRosyJa3HJxeQYIOCHX5VTQ0a2TugcvRl_lCFQ/s2560/20231203122604_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyv2WkmPuY3pLZy22-CdwdHqhyZZVC98yp9QC4CFqCZMB_NJWwQjEmr-2AqTrwF5MyOmKX_XyBIq6-4jBAaFGzpJOI3RWYBK4JFOFH68myekMFcdxDKCI8NoWTEPf5xKJOJKhYFbi6rTcIRosyJa3HJxeQYIOCHX5VTQ0a2TugcvRl_lCFQ/w400-h225/20231203122604_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I wrote about this at length in my previous post, but I'm really impressed by how Larian managed the companions in this game. I'd initially been nonplussed at how "evil" your party seemed, but the key is that it isn't a static thing: your actions and words <i>do</i> have an impact on the people around you, you can draw people towards the light, and ultimately "a formerly bad person decided to become good" is <i>way</i> more compelling than "this good guy continued being good." Of course, it isn't pre-ordained: you can absolutely double-down on the selfish tendencies of your party. But after seeing the whole collection of character arcs, I'm so pleased by what Larian has done here.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFXzOcAcU6oeUj45RrXrcaohgtdPCimJ0tp5W4y2kSNQc_q6lWSeWnnwpfuvXWjv_vT0vRRNCKjyPTS7g90DnSW8vk392R7S2BUfekbWy5XPlGdgBdlY9rsE7exDL0VA9TmTuNMbEuzegM7mRP0G4QtPuAyhma5WPEVWadftCHmm-wYsQGg/s2560/20231209145046_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFXzOcAcU6oeUj45RrXrcaohgtdPCimJ0tp5W4y2kSNQc_q6lWSeWnnwpfuvXWjv_vT0vRRNCKjyPTS7g90DnSW8vk392R7S2BUfekbWy5XPlGdgBdlY9rsE7exDL0VA9TmTuNMbEuzegM7mRP0G4QtPuAyhma5WPEVWadftCHmm-wYsQGg/w400-h225/20231209145046_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><b>MEGA SPOILERS</b></p><p>I think I gave out an audible squeal when I first saw Bhaal's teardrop-surrounded deaths-head symbol deep below Moonrise Tower. What the HECK was that doing here?! As the game continued, more themes and factions and characters from the earlier games rose again. One particular thing that caught my interest was the dopelgangers that BG1 in particular and BG2 to a lesser degree were obsessed with. Orrin is the most obvious example, shapeshifting more than can possibly be healthy, but when I was talking with Captain Grisly in the Blushing Mermaid and she started to shapeshift, I thought "Oh snap, it's Orrin again!!" just to find out that, nope, it was the Hag. Multiple shapeshifters, just like old times!</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNI5JdPgVpoAhmTO9R-b6IObTyW6yyoXZHOgvQ6kfXEoGACJoZW8ZNmUymqVDP84VUicUDTOv0gi1BDfe_NlKQ07pPpxxX-fX0DumYqmBujK-GEixKYs9pySFBaUO1kv3uCpA6aiVzcFqXSG6-tKKaslyk8fg74foK4qyzqlA1weW_MZqPQ/s2560/20231119141158_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNI5JdPgVpoAhmTO9R-b6IObTyW6yyoXZHOgvQ6kfXEoGACJoZW8ZNmUymqVDP84VUicUDTOv0gi1BDfe_NlKQ07pPpxxX-fX0DumYqmBujK-GEixKYs9pySFBaUO1kv3uCpA6aiVzcFqXSG6-tKKaslyk8fg74foK4qyzqlA1weW_MZqPQ/w400-h225/20231119141158_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Speaking of the Hag: She is probably the scariest and creepiest villain in the game, more so than the Dead Three or the Elder Brain. That may be because of how <i>personal</i> she is in inflicting misery on specific individuals, rather than the main villains who want to bring the whole world to ruin. Raphael also doesn't seem very scary, <i>except</i> for when you read the journals in the House of Hope about him enslaving Hope. Both Raphael and the Hag seem to be all about offering deals to people, but it seems like Raphael is pursuing his rational self-interest, while the Hag is specifically trying to trick people and make them suffer.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggYVYomLUKZyLVRT4dShSLJfUCXGgsuWQbHgsoRD2Ie_ghK-7mqo-_kafm-gyE0D9hY8OxwKP-BGEj9Ad_8NmNDfputbyu1oTmA7j7KJt6x-UuJ4fhiDiBdeXIZW9pwRqyK4llQrobKVcTQ5iK7zsj2VnCSpq1W-gaDU4VYoXXbK12BzmKTQ/s2560/20231214184413_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggYVYomLUKZyLVRT4dShSLJfUCXGgsuWQbHgsoRD2Ie_ghK-7mqo-_kafm-gyE0D9hY8OxwKP-BGEj9Ad_8NmNDfputbyu1oTmA7j7KJt6x-UuJ4fhiDiBdeXIZW9pwRqyK4llQrobKVcTQ5iK7zsj2VnCSpq1W-gaDU4VYoXXbK12BzmKTQ/w400-h225/20231214184413_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I stumbled into the secret area under Wyrm's Crossing by shapeshifting Jaheira into a cat, but I couldn't get through the trials with just her, so I consulted the wiki for a guide on how to get my whole party in. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't done this: later in the game, there's a proper narrative quest that brings you here, and I think I got a worse outcome from this section than I would have if I'd waited a bit longer. (On the other hand, I did hit Level 12 while doing this area, so that's pretty fun!)</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Vo9TkQP1ETFtoLvet7qO_aGSb9-MSRYDy-JsvwBf2vWIrw4aRo5mZwdLHQkCuoS23Sq9q7SV0hZpQ49sn7fN2JDHgXD56GWacRmFUq5bPGVXtOXkO3ByMIEahlY_WDJVPd60dq4_f5NiSD8ctBs8fw4cEXpoSaU0jC-bjUxIFH9_X-mrlA/s2560/20231102220303_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Vo9TkQP1ETFtoLvet7qO_aGSb9-MSRYDy-JsvwBf2vWIrw4aRo5mZwdLHQkCuoS23Sq9q7SV0hZpQ49sn7fN2JDHgXD56GWacRmFUq5bPGVXtOXkO3ByMIEahlY_WDJVPd60dq4_f5NiSD8ctBs8fw4cEXpoSaU0jC-bjUxIFH9_X-mrlA/w400-h225/20231102220303_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Romance in this game is pretty great, both my personal experience and what I've heard from other players. I didn't intend to lock in with Lae'zel, but don't have any regrets. She has a really awesome personal arc that leads her to question and ultimately reject her deeply-held beliefs; I'm pretty sure that arc would be the same as friends, but the romantic arc in particular is surprisingly sweet given how it starts: entirely physical from the outset, just an expedient way to resolve some pent-up physical drives, so the fact it gets to a place of tenderness feels really meaningful.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblwmPau-m8keJtdFI-7yEuD2JBaSdBbW0oRR7eftPpIukeRSnQuJ6MeTfYUCXMgah5kIcvm1cR1Ps-rXsdk-lTrfrOXMfg3fkzN6zaO63KlaLFXFokZcjNxZO3j1SwrHRRWQp7Gto-t4w_6cO5sb51hMTK4du5_7-kVdsEKSl66OPH-lv0g/s2560/20231022150836_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblwmPau-m8keJtdFI-7yEuD2JBaSdBbW0oRR7eftPpIukeRSnQuJ6MeTfYUCXMgah5kIcvm1cR1Ps-rXsdk-lTrfrOXMfg3fkzN6zaO63KlaLFXFokZcjNxZO3j1SwrHRRWQp7Gto-t4w_6cO5sb51hMTK4du5_7-kVdsEKSl66OPH-lv0g/w400-h225/20231022150836_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I enthusiastically recruited Jaheira as soon as I could, and Minsc as soon as I could too. They're super-fun: I know that these aren't the original writers or voice actors, but they're very compatible with my perception of the characters. Jaheira is really cool, a recognizable evolution from her hot-headedness in the first two games: she's slightly more tolerant now, retaining her steel while recognizing that some people will go their own way. And there's some great little comedy around her age: as an elf, Jaheira is very long-lived, and she has a kind of wry, slightly exasperated response when people talk about her long years. <br /></p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-HoIPBQtHyTLkAbhGQPXctddpNHPPKvob3WTLexSRt5fc9ztn907Cy-bMcE1m3S2lulT8kO5GyXUzZgeUJRjh6a809NJ5ImFUosOGm3NAm_J1qfYFsC_UK_QL2QWg2m8BFFfi2GGAf2WoBZDnb-yIm_he_ahc7dPRWPl7kHd5a9M3r_KkQQ/s2560/20231126130200_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-HoIPBQtHyTLkAbhGQPXctddpNHPPKvob3WTLexSRt5fc9ztn907Cy-bMcE1m3S2lulT8kO5GyXUzZgeUJRjh6a809NJ5ImFUosOGm3NAm_J1qfYFsC_UK_QL2QWg2m8BFFfi2GGAf2WoBZDnb-yIm_he_ahc7dPRWPl7kHd5a9M3r_KkQQ/w400-h225/20231126130200_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mLVHAcq_Gge54RdZzyFUATSPLt3a7SV9P02tM3QMANqh-Mk6TB8Pn5Qr5zaESkZCxgvhHLflZH6J0bRyALEOKXzRLH3c_4Q5WdL2hOD2ja8rvAnaNmuRQ3qgHbi5ynnOhz6E1wMg77vOx7t066d6rUUrFu0zxW_5mbo1YgyMkgsKtpacwQ/s2560/20231213164241_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mLVHAcq_Gge54RdZzyFUATSPLt3a7SV9P02tM3QMANqh-Mk6TB8Pn5Qr5zaESkZCxgvhHLflZH6J0bRyALEOKXzRLH3c_4Q5WdL2hOD2ja8rvAnaNmuRQ3qgHbi5ynnOhz6E1wMg77vOx7t066d6rUUrFu0zxW_5mbo1YgyMkgsKtpacwQ/w400-h225/20231213164241_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>In contrast, Minsc is, well, pretty much exactly the same guy as always, and that's fun too!</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQoErQc6y8xKyNPkWwR5FGx0aDXZJU3xYzTZSucGmRDn-pjBvvK4HcLOBbnt5QpbB25dD-_LDKbr5U3z_kLEK7PSGnBky67izjmL1xXSnCYUUvzjDk8WfewC2oIQc8NumJJqENzlhaGAaQqNvO5KFsO3Kepx3jvXD89MxcZD-ztIPgFsThA/s2560/20231214171942_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQoErQc6y8xKyNPkWwR5FGx0aDXZJU3xYzTZSucGmRDn-pjBvvK4HcLOBbnt5QpbB25dD-_LDKbr5U3z_kLEK7PSGnBky67izjmL1xXSnCYUUvzjDk8WfewC2oIQc8NumJJqENzlhaGAaQqNvO5KFsO3Kepx3jvXD89MxcZD-ztIPgFsThA/w400-h225/20231214171942_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>For the end of the game, my main party was myself (College of Lore Bard), Lae'zel, Jaheira and Minsc, but I would periodically swap out one or two when doing companion quests. Jaheira and Minsc were actually the only two companions who I multi-classed, mostly because their default builds seemed so weirdly different from their canonical versions. I mean, Minsc with only 12 STR?! For both of them, I did a full respec at Withers, which is important: if you take Fighter at Level 1, you get the Heavy Armor and Martial Weapon proficiencies, but you <i>don't</i> get those proficiencies if you multiclass into Fighter later on.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiojSlgt_EyYyfTXbJSOn24WA50KK_cr4YjvKZc6j6wgJfmsqMIBziF2jSTWFV2nga655JUGilw8wbKGsPwyDzDV5F4_RMjtS0fnQIuIZhBYuveYBRxUC4_v9SrPssITc-kFFlhZSE83wp-M-dP8Xm2HhmKFiBmumeBGbupOYO-X19pmahxeQ/s2560/20231118111351_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiojSlgt_EyYyfTXbJSOn24WA50KK_cr4YjvKZc6j6wgJfmsqMIBziF2jSTWFV2nga655JUGilw8wbKGsPwyDzDV5F4_RMjtS0fnQIuIZhBYuveYBRxUC4_v9SrPssITc-kFFlhZSE83wp-M-dP8Xm2HhmKFiBmumeBGbupOYO-X19pmahxeQ/w400-h225/20231118111351_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>After scanning a couple of Reddit threads, I ultimately did Jaheira as a Fighter 6 / Druid 6. That's enough for her to get access to martial weapons, 2 APR, a good collection of spells and shape-shifting. I made her a dual-wielder, initially with her scimitars but ultimately with some high-powered dual-wield weapons. She very rarely used her Wild Shape, but turning into a Cat was very helpful infiltrating a few areas, and the larger animals can be a really handy get-out-of-trouble button if her HP drops dangerously low. Crowd control can be very effective in this game, so I focused her spells around either buffs or CC.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzxlgJDrzUzzPoUGkApKR1wUtNO1ciSrXm9LR6Mc4jc1M9FK_O2H6kZqi4kFOkE0sJkZakpecPl9-nOpCrWTeh7lTemKnWZVLgdZF2MA9T0D_Zr6U9OK5jQOx4l-3BZ1dY2XS4NWOg-epHnhcjH_3i3D94aBq8ppzRNoPt-PfPA7YFHPAlA/s2560/20231029161519_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzxlgJDrzUzzPoUGkApKR1wUtNO1ciSrXm9LR6Mc4jc1M9FK_O2H6kZqi4kFOkE0sJkZakpecPl9-nOpCrWTeh7lTemKnWZVLgdZF2MA9T0D_Zr6U9OK5jQOx4l-3BZ1dY2XS4NWOg-epHnhcjH_3i3D94aBq8ppzRNoPt-PfPA7YFHPAlA/w400-h225/20231029161519_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I gave Minsc 1 level in Fighter, 5 levels in Ranger (Hunter subclass), and 6 levels in Barbarian (Berserker subclass). And of course reallocated his stats to be heavy STR and CON and very low INT! This isn't an optimal build but was pretty great. I'd gotten a big kick out of Karlach's Barbarian powers, but her Elk Wildheart played very differently from Minsc's Frenzy. He can't rage while wearing heavy armor, but I had a ton of great Medium armor that was sitting around unused, and he wore it well. Hunter doesn't add a whole lot to the table, but it's a great flavor match, and gives a little extra utility and some martial skills.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wIIyVusuUGXJu_aGoxpZp5NQIsGvJu6IJAgwkW3yoX-lUJNMliHb9UlhOcyRUJNIr7qQ1-o8SoOWFBGKfnbEXt8vX1Fp21LU5e_aQcbr2X_kxvh7mXxvU0xMQU3UwSoKnUsR8qHaHD4bnEw6gbGmL31CHW1fX9UfPzGlKfliOX2SWhwpug/s2560/20231124212036_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wIIyVusuUGXJu_aGoxpZp5NQIsGvJu6IJAgwkW3yoX-lUJNMliHb9UlhOcyRUJNIr7qQ1-o8SoOWFBGKfnbEXt8vX1Fp21LU5e_aQcbr2X_kxvh7mXxvU0xMQU3UwSoKnUsR8qHaHD4bnEw6gbGmL31CHW1fX9UfPzGlKfliOX2SWhwpug/w400-h225/20231124212036_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Let's see, maybe I'll just give a quick rundown of some of the major choices I made in the game:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Very pro-Tiefling Refugees throughout the game, tricked and slaughtered the Goblins.</li><li>Anti-Auntie-Ethel, refused all options of collaboration.</li><li>Rescued the gnomes from the duergar.</li><li>Supported the myconids against the duergar (and Spaw over Glut).</li><li>Stole a Githyanki egg from the creche, lugged it around in my inventory for the entirety of the game. (It does lead to a line of dialogue in the epilogue!) <br /></li><li>Stole the Blood of Lathander from the monastery.</li><li>Heard out Vlaakith but ultimately pushed Lae'zel towards Orpheus.</li><li>Helped Jaheira defend the Last Light Inn (including a timely casting of Load Saved Game).</li><li>Convinced Shadowheart to spare Dame Aylin and ultimately rescued her.</li><li>Reunited Taniel and lifted the Shadow Curse. </li><li>Solved The Mystery Of The Explosive Teddy Bear, sentenced the implementing agent to prison.<br /></li><li>Refused offers of alliance with Gortash and Orrin.</li><li>Murdered the Murder Tribunal.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlNN5rapGZl_XSLA59jy2o0Uh8MeA_v5nT6dgu5lYQ2FJRPB_2Hypfl87q2m4lSxyGC73InL4TFxHNSya7NST0VnjOSep6zk2UJgL5XC3sJGhKesW7G00OzFEYgYzB_sbE-T99Om_5IP3VcDQhXX9KkSiWi85Utf6GSCu-SQ8YzlSo1BeJQ/s2560/20231202115120_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlNN5rapGZl_XSLA59jy2o0Uh8MeA_v5nT6dgu5lYQ2FJRPB_2Hypfl87q2m4lSxyGC73InL4TFxHNSya7NST0VnjOSep6zk2UJgL5XC3sJGhKesW7G00OzFEYgYzB_sbE-T99Om_5IP3VcDQhXX9KkSiWi85Utf6GSCu-SQ8YzlSo1BeJQ/w400-h225/20231202115120_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Recruited the Stone Lord, returned all the gold.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oatY_juOnnSTf97EFnh5Jkd1wgF_xnGj6VKehVKzxTWjjRb0XyERMwOI1lLRozXbHVEyXqqOdsEyp-GGYneK6Mox4vxxf47grlITb4W8bCWqnT6gSiQiDIKLWY1LTmNDf2MaYBe3YWQMqxcp1KvZcJJJFNjwIFjKM91wfEEtnjJ3ANDMZA/s2560/20231111132138_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oatY_juOnnSTf97EFnh5Jkd1wgF_xnGj6VKehVKzxTWjjRb0XyERMwOI1lLRozXbHVEyXqqOdsEyp-GGYneK6Mox4vxxf47grlITb4W8bCWqnT6gSiQiDIKLWY1LTmNDf2MaYBe3YWQMqxcp1KvZcJJJFNjwIFjKM91wfEEtnjJ3ANDMZA/w400-h225/20231111132138_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Saved the Guild under Nine Fingers.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJbPyCa3msmTlxtMXvdB_tt4Dmmcomf6NaZgvq47dR5wckDkigZJgOL7KfYQxL0qsNQ0lXp-zcauGknZVCjXKjifG0bhRdoKluItefqHJTBdRjKeU9YRy-GH8-gDIwWpbT_FyHQHrtN8xA7qEjpomSKx_UELy2aa0EnxwQfcpLMXHtq4Y7g/s2560/20231119131747_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJbPyCa3msmTlxtMXvdB_tt4Dmmcomf6NaZgvq47dR5wckDkigZJgOL7KfYQxL0qsNQ0lXp-zcauGknZVCjXKjifG0bhRdoKluItefqHJTBdRjKeU9YRy-GH8-gDIwWpbT_FyHQHrtN8xA7qEjpomSKx_UELy2aa0EnxwQfcpLMXHtq4Y7g/w400-h225/20231119131747_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Wyll broke his pact early, but I was still able to save Ravengard.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgb_oaKwbJrd8MB2-vK0_RQHIwUpzCWWg-5r7ou8wi4LHVlYcfk1ok8FvJLkp642Xua2nNZmuH-YsL7S2aFz7_ROmpAEhdcSn08J_s_HQ1d9kHZzcpmoes-_MIn7OwgXzOgoFehHO3FwEcfDUSdwgi1CkgC5IGOSnQE_7UdemlIR9HD-UaIw/s2560/20231208182747_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgb_oaKwbJrd8MB2-vK0_RQHIwUpzCWWg-5r7ou8wi4LHVlYcfk1ok8FvJLkp642Xua2nNZmuH-YsL7S2aFz7_ROmpAEhdcSn08J_s_HQ1d9kHZzcpmoes-_MIn7OwgXzOgoFehHO3FwEcfDUSdwgi1CkgC5IGOSnQE_7UdemlIR9HD-UaIw/w400-h225/20231208182747_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Convinced Astarion to remain un-Ascended.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIXxav57GiqJec3wcE4BJdE3TkaAV7dbbRac_WFF9Loy2DpN5HcyJhKVtrbNEcN1oeAcUl_351PzO5LpZAoQkIZpKb8bKfJgDeEsv-KUG1dW5cuwvq0eHF0lADR2Lfa2A4MJfob3A6iQQQsm-7dNA1lxdwgdFtfbYBQfLsbtJhUvZl8SptA/s2560/20231124131032_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIXxav57GiqJec3wcE4BJdE3TkaAV7dbbRac_WFF9Loy2DpN5HcyJhKVtrbNEcN1oeAcUl_351PzO5LpZAoQkIZpKb8bKfJgDeEsv-KUG1dW5cuwvq0eHF0lADR2Lfa2A4MJfob3A6iQQQsm-7dNA1lxdwgdFtfbYBQfLsbtJhUvZl8SptA/w400-h225/20231124131032_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Released thousands of bloodthirsty vampires into the Underdark!</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjweOP5MTxLCS_VcloUc4JCMQpYajnx8YKJesmCNffTJI_BsTtT5WTcggSLR7UdHOmY1uL0fTrP0eM4N-zdvRc0PfOxi4qCkfOOifbjZ7EfOAMdeHSFQHWZqvaS02fozxnaSK0qm6BpGZOcc0jIZ_JOLyI1mKd6xeHKL-691J_EB-H8j4RSkQ/s2560/20231124131133_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjweOP5MTxLCS_VcloUc4JCMQpYajnx8YKJesmCNffTJI_BsTtT5WTcggSLR7UdHOmY1uL0fTrP0eM4N-zdvRc0PfOxi4qCkfOOifbjZ7EfOAMdeHSFQHWZqvaS02fozxnaSK0qm6BpGZOcc0jIZ_JOLyI1mKd6xeHKL-691J_EB-H8j4RSkQ/w400-h225/20231124131133_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Killed Shadowheart's parents (it's the good thing to do, I swear!)</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHFl7dhsMAPMOPMWu_v0pklq03eLZ4d7o9joANrQuto4PxcjSv7rDayH89zO_KfO1V-iOba7TyTju5Y2efZ3QZkXMt5RSNqLpBGnzYr62_ueOAulyut2NL0G2qsJzLf_Xq7StzSb-87iNk6dfy3HFbfHiiCt1ctBN5QA8Jhdl6l2lgHdcng/s2560/20231127195618_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHFl7dhsMAPMOPMWu_v0pklq03eLZ4d7o9joANrQuto4PxcjSv7rDayH89zO_KfO1V-iOba7TyTju5Y2efZ3QZkXMt5RSNqLpBGnzYr62_ueOAulyut2NL0G2qsJzLf_Xq7StzSb-87iNk6dfy3HFbfHiiCt1ctBN5QA8Jhdl6l2lgHdcng/w400-h225/20231127195618_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Talked Gale into returning to Mystra's good graces.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QunQOb-0DEDie5oLteB19M9py-dqL-XEw5Ut3NZiiFidXgz6XtzHsiipr5yLWP5yjadFvOpHizsVGX4sPvMTSmshCFH-LTi0MVL9Kge7Laq0Q8ECKAMgsEdrcIN5NWB2bXsObtsMgbYkBnMSSp0K9ONedHqts1s7uCFmf3Yg93fxa0euyw/s2560/20231124174622_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QunQOb-0DEDie5oLteB19M9py-dqL-XEw5Ut3NZiiFidXgz6XtzHsiipr5yLWP5yjadFvOpHizsVGX4sPvMTSmshCFH-LTi0MVL9Kge7Laq0Q8ECKAMgsEdrcIN5NWB2bXsObtsMgbYkBnMSSp0K9ONedHqts1s7uCFmf3Yg93fxa0euyw/w400-h225/20231124174622_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Killed Lorroakan.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdOef-XCZ7VY0h1tHILpYyMbF-8kaE7GTWEpkFNmVVbZPv7WZdADp2sjnSRxfJoPIO9fAQyfPyBuy0mZosboA-P0-WpOch7TtxcRhZ1sov1oxEyBzuT5CZLiTijZ2VrCv7OeM1PrGN7v4VJN3V0MTl48cSEGjTP4_fXDUDJ7f7sIchg_uDA/s2560/20231112162115_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdOef-XCZ7VY0h1tHILpYyMbF-8kaE7GTWEpkFNmVVbZPv7WZdADp2sjnSRxfJoPIO9fAQyfPyBuy0mZosboA-P0-WpOch7TtxcRhZ1sov1oxEyBzuT5CZLiTijZ2VrCv7OeM1PrGN7v4VJN3V0MTl48cSEGjTP4_fXDUDJ7f7sIchg_uDA/w400-h225/20231112162115_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I'm not sure if there's actually a choice here or not, but I killed Ansur.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzrQlaFDey0TnMLgfto5chT7C9QLt_O34cNkS5VNvz01LCdxGWJkxr53pQmxG_43lywJD8r30XyEHSHyYGgOA4j5ajM7AbcQlZUgcrTn_oF8jnwDbgTEBcNQ1EWf_5OxA83mxHu6z_cI2cM-TzYz7EgZtW_LCXag8qaiUe5EsAaUf1ueEtlQ/s2560/20231102215326_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzrQlaFDey0TnMLgfto5chT7C9QLt_O34cNkS5VNvz01LCdxGWJkxr53pQmxG_43lywJD8r30XyEHSHyYGgOA4j5ajM7AbcQlZUgcrTn_oF8jnwDbgTEBcNQ1EWf_5OxA83mxHu6z_cI2cM-TzYz7EgZtW_LCXag8qaiUe5EsAaUf1ueEtlQ/w400-h225/20231102215326_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Rescued all prisoners from the Iron Throne, rescued many but definitely not all workers from the Foundry, exploded all the robots.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qW58hOMvNdEYmW03pHS3EIKCTMrqORtne0mTsRD5p1Xzad79iwxuLcs34cz6ie6i5qUIxWopM1zQcQX0V0DkLSj_asQdvQBMOuvQeMPNvamTc2loEQez82W1YhaZ8_dJ17ULwu9To_3iZIHTZ9kVFGl1VwOl8qO90RMLW4tA19YHk_BulA/s2560/20231208182506_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qW58hOMvNdEYmW03pHS3EIKCTMrqORtne0mTsRD5p1Xzad79iwxuLcs34cz6ie6i5qUIxWopM1zQcQX0V0DkLSj_asQdvQBMOuvQeMPNvamTc2loEQez82W1YhaZ8_dJ17ULwu9To_3iZIHTZ9kVFGl1VwOl8qO90RMLW4tA19YHk_BulA/w400-h225/20231208182506_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Turned over the marine killer to the Sea Queen's justice. This felt very underbaked.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj337Wjr8XDeOU0hoFgxOPN1iGqLY4mcbto7XhHXNTJJK58Z8jZJJSYjZDCv0eMmp88HdYCIAFmfTXQBwgtlh76oEtDMgX7c134n3cJ0_A3BpheybztNYoLF9ExC396KVDERF874o05Fqt9b6RaG3abOrOYDD6qHOJjnJI9PiHDngmSHCOl1A/s2560/20231208183334_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj337Wjr8XDeOU0hoFgxOPN1iGqLY4mcbto7XhHXNTJJK58Z8jZJJSYjZDCv0eMmp88HdYCIAFmfTXQBwgtlh76oEtDMgX7c134n3cJ0_A3BpheybztNYoLF9ExC396KVDERF874o05Fqt9b6RaG3abOrOYDD6qHOJjnJI9PiHDngmSHCOl1A/w400-h225/20231208183334_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Freed the artist dude from his curse. I have grave misgivings about his relationship, but wish them the best.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMO1r2wFeXDWfDrzU8Uzq_YlOjE8aHp7Z7g1hy-9CMI7KSL62N4eOebtaApysUk21X639uGFv16EtFUAOz2RL20leJwuv9137bLFccc3Zcailk-DbRSDZ_1IbdO5a6EwHkch6Fg0F6mCr7Ivc0EAzTsHcnFazgwO8Qe2BgUYSpdzzGIDWwQ/s2560/20231203135841_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMO1r2wFeXDWfDrzU8Uzq_YlOjE8aHp7Z7g1hy-9CMI7KSL62N4eOebtaApysUk21X639uGFv16EtFUAOz2RL20leJwuv9137bLFccc3Zcailk-DbRSDZ_1IbdO5a6EwHkch6Fg0F6mCr7Ivc0EAzTsHcnFazgwO8Qe2BgUYSpdzzGIDWwQ/w400-h225/20231203135841_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Made the deal with Raphael to give the Crown, but broke into his vault to tear up the contract.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-zD3LVS6wDBKGieun2WIlOn_FTEZme24JW-3HCiH8zreFCrt6Ued5G_Tf-VRn2gyTfkpFBUFQ3XvPNaM6aQedC3ZtHSrhqcdyg0JQSC3HWrmmdGzbHrIYA_ANUgWMD7a_sFg7SnLuoh2VgOAGsbZf1YUc9obYrfRR6kPMiGuGTChzIba3g/s2560/20231109170939_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-zD3LVS6wDBKGieun2WIlOn_FTEZme24JW-3HCiH8zreFCrt6Ued5G_Tf-VRn2gyTfkpFBUFQ3XvPNaM6aQedC3ZtHSrhqcdyg0JQSC3HWrmmdGzbHrIYA_ANUgWMD7a_sFg7SnLuoh2VgOAGsbZf1YUc9obYrfRR6kPMiGuGTChzIba3g/s320/20231109170939_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Freed Hope.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3lC7qXyzhKdSbvKxlTGlE_P5TYQEErRV0uXmv6hEAvGpuG6SiNv_eqWIzM5GF9mHme10YlK1cFwhLt6zenIE6F4wdYz3oSHW_AYb9LXk1PXCcDcHIvcDTiBAExx1HSjZLrr1_xuqI0vNvToBPsrvo7z5GKPSSJowuZbCGqLXVxjmOWGXAg/s2560/20231109161619_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3lC7qXyzhKdSbvKxlTGlE_P5TYQEErRV0uXmv6hEAvGpuG6SiNv_eqWIzM5GF9mHme10YlK1cFwhLt6zenIE6F4wdYz3oSHW_AYb9LXk1PXCcDcHIvcDTiBAExx1HSjZLrr1_xuqI0vNvToBPsrvo7z5GKPSSJowuZbCGqLXVxjmOWGXAg/w400-h225/20231109161619_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Broke my deal with the diabolist.</li><li>Freed Orpheus.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdmxbhzNkOrDVzcYF8BxD_IxHVzetH-UxcRtyFgGZZGRHP10gWeq3qnDtDLmibGF0uWMuYHK4_tXLeNJEl8IXI6Jj8fQSb8EfUgOzzU3I1TuEvxmhIbIL0skOMVYnK_jaHO7P3zE2no0jvXc2zaVM6CXxkRMwQ1lDlQMhj6rPt_e95SFKlA/s2560/20231210180323_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdmxbhzNkOrDVzcYF8BxD_IxHVzetH-UxcRtyFgGZZGRHP10gWeq3qnDtDLmibGF0uWMuYHK4_tXLeNJEl8IXI6Jj8fQSb8EfUgOzzU3I1TuEvxmhIbIL0skOMVYnK_jaHO7P3zE2no0jvXc2zaVM6CXxkRMwQ1lDlQMhj6rPt_e95SFKlA/w400-h225/20231210180323_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Became Squidward.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRLJyB94YYtMwOcGp-0TxXB_86dU7voR4RAxd-u9g80yiYcSQH_vkk_9lRK75zgECJarfDRDUc_sm06mmjpdXvAq3CndGmeZ_Eqme8yXekbep5Gf36NCdTBhJzHagckOysiES85-swKz8SEYvkF7yZVf1VtZzAaS63oZkEXwVWwVnIuNY2w/s2560/20231213152151_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRLJyB94YYtMwOcGp-0TxXB_86dU7voR4RAxd-u9g80yiYcSQH_vkk_9lRK75zgECJarfDRDUc_sm06mmjpdXvAq3CndGmeZ_Eqme8yXekbep5Gf36NCdTBhJzHagckOysiES85-swKz8SEYvkF7yZVf1VtZzAaS63oZkEXwVWwVnIuNY2w/w400-h225/20231213152151_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Destroyed the Brain.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3khHLJMer4Wsqf8Lyt2TyuWYFoDGg1iZH6Y_R2quF3Sq_OoG6z14OA0XYZTfTTZOfRYqGJ-BwSSStWxi9o5DHMiN_4J2huvpPlw94PqjSb1WGfa6WvqiXtszatVbvxGvjmGFkQwF18hVSJo_NelVFKPmV2GtizZMisl33shgT3LEVGOyG8A/s2560/20231213163955_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3khHLJMer4Wsqf8Lyt2TyuWYFoDGg1iZH6Y_R2quF3Sq_OoG6z14OA0XYZTfTTZOfRYqGJ-BwSSStWxi9o5DHMiN_4J2huvpPlw94PqjSb1WGfa6WvqiXtszatVbvxGvjmGFkQwF18hVSJo_NelVFKPmV2GtizZMisl33shgT3LEVGOyG8A/w400-h225/20231213163955_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>There's way too much stuff in this game to properly recap, even in a super-long blog post, so I'll just note a few things that happen to be on my mind at the moment.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5GxoP_-x96QObs0jBLKGEngkml_SJOJeikD8yYbfCeYzzIuoZirR8LDalWWOqMjWPJaCTwJMeL3G-_D3h6062De_cIxfq1_dySKZE9Pa5PkGkY75ql892i9eQZcmsPb9oOlpqYBOdjQoXU1OeVMQfpJJpiD0I3dE69KXrdKKrfpHhutMSw/s2560/20231210131759_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5GxoP_-x96QObs0jBLKGEngkml_SJOJeikD8yYbfCeYzzIuoZirR8LDalWWOqMjWPJaCTwJMeL3G-_D3h6062De_cIxfq1_dySKZE9Pa5PkGkY75ql892i9eQZcmsPb9oOlpqYBOdjQoXU1OeVMQfpJJpiD0I3dE69KXrdKKrfpHhutMSw/w400-h225/20231210131759_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>As I mentioned before, I really loved seeing older characters reappear, although I know many other fans are less happy with the changes. Jaheira was an interesting choice because she was a potential romance character in BG2, and depending on your Bhaalspawn's fate, she could end up in some very different situations. There's no Dragon Age Keep-style system here to align your personal playthrough. It seems to lean more towards the BG1/BG2 transition of just declaring a canon outcome; but with the benefit of passing time, Jaheira can afford to be vague about exactly what happened, and I think that silence leaves enough narrative space for returning players to fill in their own headcanon about how she spend the centuries between the BG2 ending crawl and Act 2 of this game.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZjnMK66gxgC_IF7H6s3RO2wRQ0ZBw2lsFIbfgbKEzgsaFIA_8i5uNPr9oNEq-LdKfjps0Yf3Bg9vgYmpfifcLU63ghSV-mQHIkjDsk0Lx9F9P2XdGXerJdZmby6Jcwy_Ogx0cEwObOJFDe3scDXa3EOpKMgR7uitoucyKUiFZ6bfUXHGHA/s2560/20231124212216_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZjnMK66gxgC_IF7H6s3RO2wRQ0ZBw2lsFIbfgbKEzgsaFIA_8i5uNPr9oNEq-LdKfjps0Yf3Bg9vgYmpfifcLU63ghSV-mQHIkjDsk0Lx9F9P2XdGXerJdZmby6Jcwy_Ogx0cEwObOJFDe3scDXa3EOpKMgR7uitoucyKUiFZ6bfUXHGHA/w400-h225/20231124212216_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>On the other hand, Viconia hit me really hard, since she actually was my love interest in one of my BG runs. I worked really hard to try and turn her from the path of evil, and it felt really hard-won and meaningful in Throne of Bhaal when she finally did so. She has the most tragic epilogue of any love interest, wherein she's assassinated and leaves the Bhaalspawn bereft as a single father. I was shocked to see her re-appear in BG3, but it's one of those things that in retrospect makes perfect sense, since so much of her identity in the earlier games revolved around her own devotion to Shar. It was a bummer for her to be a straight-up baddie here. I suppose you can do the same hand-waving with her as you can for Jaheira - this is a world where resurrection is possible, and in the many long years since those earlier events maybe she did fall back into the darkness. Anyways, overall it was a really odd encounter, equal parts "Oh, cool!" and "Wait, what?!"</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fc2bZzFbwI1gGItwDG8AK7PhC4gr4AFDhkneqfRgFw9epqBCIYiFbt80GhNRcNEFjWvhQWkz0J1ep5FGl1YkqCSoTSNHPpeQraYGCiDv12r_wS9_EwUQhVhyphenhyphenvQParNITUnEBSjhNfNBK1jd7Vee47YBVgna1erPRlN9fBugQhTwUWOMsqQ/s2560/20231126125053_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fc2bZzFbwI1gGItwDG8AK7PhC4gr4AFDhkneqfRgFw9epqBCIYiFbt80GhNRcNEFjWvhQWkz0J1ep5FGl1YkqCSoTSNHPpeQraYGCiDv12r_wS9_EwUQhVhyphenhyphenvQParNITUnEBSjhNfNBK1jd7Vee47YBVgna1erPRlN9fBugQhTwUWOMsqQ/w400-h225/20231126125053_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Also, this was probably the hardest fight in the entire game for me. Typically when I lose a fight, I'll reload, take a Long Rest, and easily beat it on my next try. Here I got whupped a few times and ended up going online to look up some strategy tips before attempting it again. I did have Non-Lethal Damage turned on for the fight, so I guess I can write my own head-canon about how Viconia continued her long struggle towards salvation.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6d2oKt54xMU1Pjp7dRjJceVcgeRacnSvscVWWano2mBz2hFLNbhXSnQK9FJ5WIG1P5uxUvPtRnn6SqHkmlZ7UVD7XvF1AswKIEseDPevXKN4d2D8D8eZXlCHo9n5v1kOL_7TPu_yLxI5jekYjc_wbG8JTzO7egQOLzKWjowSVfIXOYVrdw/s2560/20231126171038_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6d2oKt54xMU1Pjp7dRjJceVcgeRacnSvscVWWano2mBz2hFLNbhXSnQK9FJ5WIG1P5uxUvPtRnn6SqHkmlZ7UVD7XvF1AswKIEseDPevXKN4d2D8D8eZXlCHo9n5v1kOL_7TPu_yLxI5jekYjc_wbG8JTzO7egQOLzKWjowSVfIXOYVrdw/w400-h225/20231126171038_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>And then: Sarevok! I'd gotten spoiled that he was in the game, so it wasn't quite as shocking as it would have been otherwise, but still, pretty cool and surprising. Like Viconia, his appearance is tricky here because he can end BG2 in some pretty different places, with the possibility of shifting his alignment from Chaotic Evil all the way over to Chaotic Good. But, he's gone through a more powerful transformation than her: killed and then sent back to Faerun by Bhaal himself. In my game, I had Jaheira and Minsc in my party, and all three of us had so much pleasure in defeating him yet again, just like old times.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWiBsASVWuhVk5xTeR8e9NDKH2xTovHqRoF-9tFtoPnhEiasJIVyC-cMp1Bq0nZdWW7NEbvORn4xm1dChHcnIpAXp4u0TypOai6JesHAJLFrHqWoMgUYMyIWJgUm5k3LS3d8zsGLXyYY4TXvaxYGtmOa1Vba-3v_1eNd74GaZJsdv6W-Ws_g/s2560/20231202115105_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWiBsASVWuhVk5xTeR8e9NDKH2xTovHqRoF-9tFtoPnhEiasJIVyC-cMp1Bq0nZdWW7NEbvORn4xm1dChHcnIpAXp4u0TypOai6JesHAJLFrHqWoMgUYMyIWJgUm5k3LS3d8zsGLXyYY4TXvaxYGtmOa1Vba-3v_1eNd74GaZJsdv6W-Ws_g/w400-h225/20231202115105_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>The Ilithid Powers are a neat element of the game, with a strong mechanical and story element to them, and a little role-playing as well. You don't have any choice about whether you have a tadpole in your brain or not: that happens before the game starts and is the reason any of this is happening. That fact lets the game do a lot of useful narrative leveling: it doesn't matter if you're "good" or "bad", people will feel a certain way about you due to having that tadpole.</p><p>At the midpoint of the game, I opted to remain as human (er, as drow) as possible, much to the Emperor's consternation. There's no real advantage in doing so, I just wanted to stay pretty.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrcE9RqC_CVtk8zdOSvP6XS66xRDan1xdeHJJZ9XYQgzXp_ov9pYKd7JueU8IzFDe4HPADmXvQbefAk6JDql9XACafzb3doCUhyphenhyphendr0JA2YnsmwVk8J7_OmDr-fB1CChlevCKcoGex3kfdbLfjxQzdkLfKFdgalBS_xPJfsIB97sfKGpKdLw/s2560/20231210122528_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrcE9RqC_CVtk8zdOSvP6XS66xRDan1xdeHJJZ9XYQgzXp_ov9pYKd7JueU8IzFDe4HPADmXvQbefAk6JDql9XACafzb3doCUhyphenhyphendr0JA2YnsmwVk8J7_OmDr-fB1CChlevCKcoGex3kfdbLfjxQzdkLfKFdgalBS_xPJfsIB97sfKGpKdLw/w400-h225/20231210122528_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>So, I was really bummed (but in a nice way) when confronted with the choice to fully embrace my Ilithid potential at the end of the game. I was kind of hoping that I could volunteer Minsc to take the plunge, as a great heroic gesture towards the city he loves; but it looks like the only choice (after spurning the Emperor) are yourself or Orpheus. I hemmed and hawwed, Orpheus said "Ugh, I hate the idea but I'll do it to save the universe," then I went "No, no, you have a more important role to follow, I'll do it," then he was all "Ah, I see that you were testing me, and in doing so, you have passed me own test," so I felt good about myself for two seconds before getting all tentacly.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYk26HwI35t1cw7mYa-ysYpVshCBzsuZ651qA1VicfAOW_E6w5VYqEQpG8G68qTgqMjbvYBbyLLmsPM5TmPn63z9XGDvfhMGxwCuSYoIBfBYZdqdt8aBbP3TDNfPnVTuRozoJYHfFZbwOERGKKOuSmD2cLBMPtlIwP1V2Ks8RjO2O-DgCNCg/s2560/20231213163749_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYk26HwI35t1cw7mYa-ysYpVshCBzsuZ651qA1VicfAOW_E6w5VYqEQpG8G68qTgqMjbvYBbyLLmsPM5TmPn63z9XGDvfhMGxwCuSYoIBfBYZdqdt8aBbP3TDNfPnVTuRozoJYHfFZbwOERGKKOuSmD2cLBMPtlIwP1V2Ks8RjO2O-DgCNCg/w400-h225/20231213163749_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>It is a really cool choice; I think I was expecting something like the Ultimate Sacrifice of DA:O, a "who lives or dies?" type of thing. This felt new and more interesting: will you destroy the things you love about your character to accomplish a greater good? Not being mean to <i>other</i> people in an "ends justifying the means" sense, and not a final sacrifice that will be over in moments, but needing to live with yourself for decades or centuries after losing who you are.</p><p>My particular story felt extra tragic and heartbreaking (again, in a good way) due to romancing Lae'zel. She's flying high at the end of the game: killed a Netherbrain, rescued the Prince of the Comet, got a red dragon, is about to fly off to the Astral Plane and overflow Vlaakith. I timidly said something like "Or... you could stay here with me, my love." And she's all "Ugh, I could never be with a ghaik!" and flies off into the sunset. Heartbreaking!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03bB_nvAchwAeAyJPwKTQbZbZQNIZwRNYw6WZFHdbcnDMGtswiSDNXa1n1qawZZJCB-V7Q3QLFRo_IUOmTs7J7k3ze0ly9yMNKqbVYwGl-BMo1KS2pgafPcFRU4_nYXHJoBG9kvHDVhzTSZF2kPEVx2BRFIjSekAPXy7599JJX4_vPfH8rg/s2560/20231213164445_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03bB_nvAchwAeAyJPwKTQbZbZQNIZwRNYw6WZFHdbcnDMGtswiSDNXa1n1qawZZJCB-V7Q3QLFRo_IUOmTs7J7k3ze0ly9yMNKqbVYwGl-BMo1KS2pgafPcFRU4_nYXHJoBG9kvHDVhzTSZF2kPEVx2BRFIjSekAPXy7599JJX4_vPfH8rg/w400-h225/20231213164445_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAB8y9qm3KJSOWiyl82goPm2m2tY8tcc2KWjLdTIzsD7PH19OhrzohFk4MKa-m26aY9ZArwhdHz6PtGtV2QqL2JrbHaFDykmaSggKtTa6-wsocK5FWzCoNqpsJLwi14gOCiet24txrQsKaYOkssefjUXLBPaHI2wHLIX3LUT9mEOpb3kHyOg/s2560/20231213164603_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAB8y9qm3KJSOWiyl82goPm2m2tY8tcc2KWjLdTIzsD7PH19OhrzohFk4MKa-m26aY9ZArwhdHz6PtGtV2QqL2JrbHaFDykmaSggKtTa6-wsocK5FWzCoNqpsJLwi14gOCiet24txrQsKaYOkssefjUXLBPaHI2wHLIX3LUT9mEOpb3kHyOg/w400-h225/20231213164603_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>It does make me <i>really</i> glad that I beat the game after the patch that added the epilogue! And it seems like that's probably true for lots of romances - Astarion bursting into flames, Karlach going to Hell, and so on. The epilogue makes me think in some ways of the Enhanced Ending that BioWare released for Mass Effect 3: giving a lot more of a sense of closure to the game and demonstrating the impact that your actions had on the world.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIQGWL8K891WuH1dqJ6JQYmz7rGa8c3S114GoEFtW7IQiBGnojOkDlKNzwEPi6cEvDPW5Xa53fUPfp4-NAi7tyYGCTql8nBsAqY38btco-w7y_zrDJpaXs8pm8DOc6GRAMyDGjyCMVxYTCg0-JtqKFjt3BfZq1xLj7Pi6_QzncuYmzkhuNg/s2560/20231213164937_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIQGWL8K891WuH1dqJ6JQYmz7rGa8c3S114GoEFtW7IQiBGnojOkDlKNzwEPi6cEvDPW5Xa53fUPfp4-NAi7tyYGCTql8nBsAqY38btco-w7y_zrDJpaXs8pm8DOc6GRAMyDGjyCMVxYTCg0-JtqKFjt3BfZq1xLj7Pi6_QzncuYmzkhuNg/w400-h225/20231213164937_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-3KQ3c_E666_-f-8opp5NiEFmgS84xWuZ8Fo0ottLkKDYMn3agFwjefKhubgThzY4bRMW7y-a6w8crurcVFIy9aN5SQnwQ3jyZypKf4IR_ai4npY3qI1vg4XyQmG_VjhimVPSsA0ztIcr-aNcZlxQuHc9xIKmYa7x08AtiyczkVnzqQQ9w/s2560/20231213165025_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-3KQ3c_E666_-f-8opp5NiEFmgS84xWuZ8Fo0ottLkKDYMn3agFwjefKhubgThzY4bRMW7y-a6w8crurcVFIy9aN5SQnwQ3jyZypKf4IR_ai4npY3qI1vg4XyQmG_VjhimVPSsA0ztIcr-aNcZlxQuHc9xIKmYa7x08AtiyczkVnzqQQ9w/w400-h225/20231213165025_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Playing the epilogue makes me a bit more skeptical that we'll get an actual expansion to the game... but that's okay, I think it narratively ends in the perfect place. I just want more content, but, well, I guess that's what replays are for!</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite companion: Impossible to pick just one, but Karlach is way up there.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzUqFTMMaJ0VsEvaefV4kDBUA0P9V87ACQkgpz_L9CE_eEQLajCZkEcadjTVz94txYJA5xZ6jX3mOohBvsOWynk-ms3a-rdNLk-0wxGi7uN-O7zvC0bhC_LhQzOR2-_0xnoTgB2v4NSW_K8tiK9aDbOd8tiWity0E_nrXx6SYz41p3jasLw/s2560/20231214172444_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzUqFTMMaJ0VsEvaefV4kDBUA0P9V87ACQkgpz_L9CE_eEQLajCZkEcadjTVz94txYJA5xZ6jX3mOohBvsOWynk-ms3a-rdNLk-0wxGi7uN-O7zvC0bhC_LhQzOR2-_0xnoTgB2v4NSW_K8tiK9aDbOd8tiWity0E_nrXx6SYz41p3jasLw/w400-h225/20231214172444_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite companion arc: Shadowheart. </li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdNOsdUHxtvpCytIX-EOxYhOei4LgZSvYs8urthbS1p3YnOLitlSF5KVfbXDYetehImiz-J3WGO8g6_rYuXQqHRQ9LUcCUeU01fZE-Pk5aL9qA4LpS-LWGH9tco4kynqk1VsaiTJBeXFjJIt6vnD5Wf37B0lPEY-vpLYQfaPgGSuC-0qr3A/s2560/20231127195658_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdNOsdUHxtvpCytIX-EOxYhOei4LgZSvYs8urthbS1p3YnOLitlSF5KVfbXDYetehImiz-J3WGO8g6_rYuXQqHRQ9LUcCUeU01fZE-Pk5aL9qA4LpS-LWGH9tco4kynqk1VsaiTJBeXFjJIt6vnD5Wf37B0lPEY-vpLYQfaPgGSuC-0qr3A/w400-h225/20231127195658_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite companion quest: Also Shadowheart.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUXkCJW4U_Z9gyFti9DrvpuelupHNZKqrgzXqEs_-9oUF7iimFd5_JM399Rhn5Z3cIxHqI17oIBR3TlTK1NQrFMmuuK96mCwyYH5jEwNBxfAAJiV3y9XPAZJOUVpglIsER40RiMkAEZSOauMP_1pabnV6mU21R_-6pAANIWTtFu_e0NGTZ3Q/s2560/20231127195736_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUXkCJW4U_Z9gyFti9DrvpuelupHNZKqrgzXqEs_-9oUF7iimFd5_JM399Rhn5Z3cIxHqI17oIBR3TlTK1NQrFMmuuK96mCwyYH5jEwNBxfAAJiV3y9XPAZJOUVpglIsER40RiMkAEZSOauMP_1pabnV6mU21R_-6pAANIWTtFu_e0NGTZ3Q/w400-h225/20231127195736_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite weapon: Giantslayer.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjDoqP2Amlc3M4i-XzM3OYyF1HnYn7QwiIMrvrLRcx3AmOISoGQsDu1ZayFYn-NYJV0Pp-bshxZgHgf6xazGvWcIWs9KvLpSOgSmlnrgA23rEr24tPlS0OoscbkiM4qtuX9kdZIDqfP8voUbQUIRURUPeNj0aAgbee40NhhMwlkQgVXrPg_A/s2560/20231213164217_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjDoqP2Amlc3M4i-XzM3OYyF1HnYn7QwiIMrvrLRcx3AmOISoGQsDu1ZayFYn-NYJV0Pp-bshxZgHgf6xazGvWcIWs9KvLpSOgSmlnrgA23rEr24tPlS0OoscbkiM4qtuX9kdZIDqfP8voUbQUIRURUPeNj0aAgbee40NhhMwlkQgVXrPg_A/w400-h225/20231213164217_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite armor: The Graceful Cloth.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioO3k0y21HuttBHC5er_bvJ9wsFBI1he_DhJyl41Wim53Kst_IqqKo4GdyukRtjKsl3oXysbNzsatxqmhV3okQlg2c3VXZndRCW1GnlZskTmSTkwEflk5B4QVv5obcViRxApC8h5tcNhSTlkYUtFPxZisntLNt7erhr1ODDNX4T7S2ibXhXQ/s2560/20231022155002_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioO3k0y21HuttBHC5er_bvJ9wsFBI1he_DhJyl41Wim53Kst_IqqKo4GdyukRtjKsl3oXysbNzsatxqmhV3okQlg2c3VXZndRCW1GnlZskTmSTkwEflk5B4QVv5obcViRxApC8h5tcNhSTlkYUtFPxZisntLNt7erhr1ODDNX4T7S2ibXhXQ/w400-h225/20231022155002_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite act: 3.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPfmXdll4o1tcjSnR_nSTSJhOEL2Y6uUAMeTYwjK1B3uA9STRfv2LBzHMYAKbq3kwvY792IY3jGzWWcV45AAky8VNRUwB3-ZtoWYRcyovEctSVSqFJqurE0hPbqZ8gGsedhDpg8z2qBv3U51N_66SmmjK0l8TnnJydD-n1JwEPe1e9sQivA/s2560/20231209204429_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPfmXdll4o1tcjSnR_nSTSJhOEL2Y6uUAMeTYwjK1B3uA9STRfv2LBzHMYAKbq3kwvY792IY3jGzWWcV45AAky8VNRUwB3-ZtoWYRcyovEctSVSqFJqurE0hPbqZ8gGsedhDpg8z2qBv3U51N_66SmmjK0l8TnnJydD-n1JwEPe1e9sQivA/w400-h225/20231209204429_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite NPC: Maybe Isobel?</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUuATfzSZ1QtX9xN2WjQ4wcX8CtGAF5Rk-nNZQGwpHtZxk89EH8IDEgjP3oYXYUvoWcUeBUkb2SHP5afGQkbhS9f4ru9f0RyhQqld6JH-dwUAonVmkTBBLmN23XeFa_1fMoqm8L0ilLmwwLSMO3Wqyoj-oPY7EFy-TODzwY4qwW8rhQB3lA/s2560/20231210180939_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUuATfzSZ1QtX9xN2WjQ4wcX8CtGAF5Rk-nNZQGwpHtZxk89EH8IDEgjP3oYXYUvoWcUeBUkb2SHP5afGQkbhS9f4ru9f0RyhQqld6JH-dwUAonVmkTBBLmN23XeFa_1fMoqm8L0ilLmwwLSMO3Wqyoj-oPY7EFy-TODzwY4qwW8rhQB3lA/w400-h225/20231210180939_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite merchant: Dammon.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT7x6iXucmEdnkoJov33SW9IMAtDMPCEtbNJUaH-qkKmnOQeCg9HPE5_hkZtAI_3LmQeAh0AoQi0peR-FuC0K2xRQlQwyVoK-HbNfjJjYeswd8fwW-xz3sIcJixIflOFuK94fR6jBJKHaLHLxIBgOQoTRpX8BeXdm1VClPUJYY0uiQBxfcEA/s2560/20231210180920_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT7x6iXucmEdnkoJov33SW9IMAtDMPCEtbNJUaH-qkKmnOQeCg9HPE5_hkZtAI_3LmQeAh0AoQi0peR-FuC0K2xRQlQwyVoK-HbNfjJjYeswd8fwW-xz3sIcJixIflOFuK94fR6jBJKHaLHLxIBgOQoTRpX8BeXdm1VClPUJYY0uiQBxfcEA/w400-h225/20231210180920_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite cameo: Maybe Elminster? He does seem even more Gandalf-y than usual. No, wait! Naaber!</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCQOin5UkMrXHC8SGWhF4cAKAVjeGH2a6QrQgo2msxcfftgXTtsbW-mrWfDYgdeKueg5lwSGaWFnUlShPLiYUuaLYNvEsRV49XKsNP6OOkY5A9CCgMtAHGZVuHNLwbA-ieAj2Fx6twC80P6nfOJNHNFCQc74g2dLXwZTwTNRpbKPy06Gi-A/s2560/20231029162721_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCQOin5UkMrXHC8SGWhF4cAKAVjeGH2a6QrQgo2msxcfftgXTtsbW-mrWfDYgdeKueg5lwSGaWFnUlShPLiYUuaLYNvEsRV49XKsNP6OOkY5A9CCgMtAHGZVuHNLwbA-ieAj2Fx6twC80P6nfOJNHNFCQc74g2dLXwZTwTNRpbKPy06Gi-A/w400-h225/20231029162721_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite summon: Boo! (Runner-up: Us.)</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3l2YaPJmMYED0BqB5HFhC8FHHh7N_8mt58m-Oex6cz2Fvd1FknVRPgrjMzntuF_gZKETeyiQ7gWOAYzzmIq8Hz2_7qp5H8Xeq0WTd_P2_RQ-yYeCaLVM7_GomBIquvNqO5X4bHkgwrGpHM0vxSVhCH9TfGV9eUvQ70hZz9Yty1bfBnbUbw/s2560/20231210180038_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3l2YaPJmMYED0BqB5HFhC8FHHh7N_8mt58m-Oex6cz2Fvd1FknVRPgrjMzntuF_gZKETeyiQ7gWOAYzzmIq8Hz2_7qp5H8Xeq0WTd_P2_RQ-yYeCaLVM7_GomBIquvNqO5X4bHkgwrGpHM0vxSVhCH9TfGV9eUvQ70hZz9Yty1bfBnbUbw/w400-h225/20231210180038_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite faction: Harpers. Runner-up: The Anti-Hag Support Group.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUq5KUZcyMKOQLbamGodL4n5Fs99MoDvAL0J-D5OjO5xmzwtIdC0TsFS61p8snQGZagHWGv-tZGgi2FK4XUijj1ldLIm4T1egxhSh92VGEaVsor8R4JgHXAv5NNniyNvqKnFN_G6dkhyphenhyphen0gl80nmjnyF_n649y-JQkzooBnTywRET4vgMQsQ/s2560/20231110151723_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUq5KUZcyMKOQLbamGodL4n5Fs99MoDvAL0J-D5OjO5xmzwtIdC0TsFS61p8snQGZagHWGv-tZGgi2FK4XUijj1ldLIm4T1egxhSh92VGEaVsor8R4JgHXAv5NNniyNvqKnFN_G6dkhyphenhyphen0gl80nmjnyF_n649y-JQkzooBnTywRET4vgMQsQ/w400-h225/20231110151723_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7U2xRDcVe-SE3vfAmN3eCDHDO-CH-QAfaIUBlHU0rlL5fKn9k9DSxkPQyYLtzftv86iqwEuC7EtEHV1PKTSuyfKdK4m3ARufOvYvOfWdgxd5poayXWgzEpPtNeUKRmnZmv_ZfzYCbkYhhFqyNhptug1KyKFI-A-5SfmF9DXA129e5LQk3tQ/s2560/20231214175112_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7U2xRDcVe-SE3vfAmN3eCDHDO-CH-QAfaIUBlHU0rlL5fKn9k9DSxkPQyYLtzftv86iqwEuC7EtEHV1PKTSuyfKdK4m3ARufOvYvOfWdgxd5poayXWgzEpPtNeUKRmnZmv_ZfzYCbkYhhFqyNhptug1KyKFI-A-5SfmF9DXA129e5LQk3tQ/w400-h225/20231214175112_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite map: Gosh... either the Astral Prism or the Temple of Lathander.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIFOAog8C7rmOWREeYFhQn7qcYo3uJ3lXnMzFshsoOh2hfHq0QvSqpt6IuoazsgL0YG1Wz2m6AJHRGQrB_OvY0KfLenQe2YmFrtiopV-ufA9RypmtaxVgA5M-lt2CmBjMkfbQazKkmGToVhnkYMkCuyPD7uB0c5a8H1vYYu8wUHZxX1r_OQ/s2560/20231114204818_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIFOAog8C7rmOWREeYFhQn7qcYo3uJ3lXnMzFshsoOh2hfHq0QvSqpt6IuoazsgL0YG1Wz2m6AJHRGQrB_OvY0KfLenQe2YmFrtiopV-ufA9RypmtaxVgA5M-lt2CmBjMkfbQazKkmGToVhnkYMkCuyPD7uB0c5a8H1vYYu8wUHZxX1r_OQ/w400-h225/20231114204818_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite villain: Ketheric Thorm.</li><li>Favorite antagonist: The Emperor. Runner-up: Mizora.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0w7uWlxGZEY4tI5wUrQsXkFriQhwzYhfd08p_crQguoU1XGq1qRajsOP6X2TqGCexTyJrm_qNXAkyANM7VOBa-Jml3jcjO-vBQj0lhuKmXI3_-gygvCWclGyK1S5gci6_b5UhGP8s0xG3r9G5huS0S_O-qCAzQUOogEH47osTyH_o2VvRA/s2560/20231213152325_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0w7uWlxGZEY4tI5wUrQsXkFriQhwzYhfd08p_crQguoU1XGq1qRajsOP6X2TqGCexTyJrm_qNXAkyANM7VOBa-Jml3jcjO-vBQj0lhuKmXI3_-gygvCWclGyK1S5gci6_b5UhGP8s0xG3r9G5huS0S_O-qCAzQUOogEH47osTyH_o2VvRA/w400-h225/20231213152325_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite camp character: Owlbear cub. Runner-up: Scratch.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaCzF15CGnKXiaz8jo1m-0IjyY0ChXx01unwSQlUrFI3P6IL68dW_NufjDSeFgP2eGs4VLVvs9US0-CcE3NYsxNoATEJP6zinCONXj10sXDl0ECdJaP_uuBz1n8cVT0xIdpjZRVks9OmWgQgotODeR7Na49ZKwVtbxTRD2rT7kVoxUlYMNQ/s2560/20231214173901_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaCzF15CGnKXiaz8jo1m-0IjyY0ChXx01unwSQlUrFI3P6IL68dW_NufjDSeFgP2eGs4VLVvs9US0-CcE3NYsxNoATEJP6zinCONXj10sXDl0ECdJaP_uuBz1n8cVT0xIdpjZRVks9OmWgQgotODeR7Na49ZKwVtbxTRD2rT7kVoxUlYMNQ/w400-h225/20231214173901_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite spell: Hunger of Hadar.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEY_-X3yIJgCj_poBLKxUYAxeYIBS5T89XjQotuBpGynQozYBGB2IdLVhCxjCL_NpIU5xlwDeC46IWLvVLrt8y3vTkMeLNG8gsKkahN3Ym0pK9SllQonrqCLtCR078LhlbTeQTSSn5iJInOL09q3hAvv2bV3afCxbtpkgARfPSeRyIp2AQ1g/s2560/20231213153128_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEY_-X3yIJgCj_poBLKxUYAxeYIBS5T89XjQotuBpGynQozYBGB2IdLVhCxjCL_NpIU5xlwDeC46IWLvVLrt8y3vTkMeLNG8gsKkahN3Ym0pK9SllQonrqCLtCR078LhlbTeQTSSn5iJInOL09q3hAvv2bV3afCxbtpkgARfPSeRyIp2AQ1g/w400-h225/20231213153128_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite class: Honestly, fighter!</li><li>Favorite action: Shove.</li><li>Favorite ability: Cutting Words.</li><li>Favorite music: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vofkw9-O18c&list=PLi1CK-rsvz1Nfz83RMBp_9YaIgBWd0l9x">Impossible to pick</a>.</li><li>Favorite lore: Githyanki stuff, after only hearing about Githzerai for the previous Black Isle games. </li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbJk6T7ly8dJZr-kIShWhJTrVcMKxKoADrvyJSD8RFD4o_29ZMu8MK6qw4uPI6qQrUiqNbgakyYug1es3jyufVlrBgO-Uj_wH5BERfiRB6QxepvZxDAtnv3M_ZGNNrs8LNA-43Q-9gTPHkDu61osvdScGMQy9GstFcozgv3B52LDnW_oBcg/s2560/20231213152015_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbJk6T7ly8dJZr-kIShWhJTrVcMKxKoADrvyJSD8RFD4o_29ZMu8MK6qw4uPI6qQrUiqNbgakyYug1es3jyufVlrBgO-Uj_wH5BERfiRB6QxepvZxDAtnv3M_ZGNNrs8LNA-43Q-9gTPHkDu61osvdScGMQy9GstFcozgv3B52LDnW_oBcg/w400-h225/20231213152015_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Favorite deity: Selune.</li><li>Favorite crafting: Adamantine Forge was cool. Anti-Hag potion was very satisfying.</li></ul><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQle0U2LCnGpc6BcZgThZ9TbMkIvoaJQa1Jhyphenhyphenji_PBJpTw21hzzLs_53JweyHezfngN6zNHTmRNsw3G5O9VuVW-QGq9mCFw0Vp_CGuITlba5PwoakTqVtmUSJLaC43RcbIVcMHHTL6mygJlsN__xdCMISG6HF3cIK6qrmff9HusENptlPHA/s2560/20231110154548_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQle0U2LCnGpc6BcZgThZ9TbMkIvoaJQa1Jhyphenhyphenji_PBJpTw21hzzLs_53JweyHezfngN6zNHTmRNsw3G5O9VuVW-QGq9mCFw0Vp_CGuITlba5PwoakTqVtmUSJLaC43RcbIVcMHHTL6mygJlsN__xdCMISG6HF3cIK6qrmff9HusENptlPHA/w400-h225/20231110154548_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Least favorite enemy: Anything that explodes on death.</li><li>Least favorite map: Probably Reithwin Town; it wasn't awful, but was a bit confusing to navigate. (Loved the boss encounters here, though!)<br /></li><li>Least favorite companion: Probably Wyll, though he did grow on me by Act 3.</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1-OYWl0ufmiqTMMEn7UwiqVCQwTJKBrfqzrPD23zzDhrLG1F9O08wXY7iZWL1tC1G-D0qfu5TJqtQ2LSOf4aylHKzqoNPLHxV6zp0ADung8HpmpwRkUTAYML_EZAz74E1hE8pnz9gWIV82pGZ2ztSqLDI_J6WzheLirOaHkfvNTFilq43w/s2560/20231213165142_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1-OYWl0ufmiqTMMEn7UwiqVCQwTJKBrfqzrPD23zzDhrLG1F9O08wXY7iZWL1tC1G-D0qfu5TJqtQ2LSOf4aylHKzqoNPLHxV6zp0ADung8HpmpwRkUTAYML_EZAz74E1hE8pnz9gWIV82pGZ2ztSqLDI_J6WzheLirOaHkfvNTFilq43w/w400-h225/20231213165142_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Least favorite quest: The conclusion of the Explodey Teddy Bear quest. (First part was cool though.)</li></ul><p><b>END SPOILERS</b></p><p>I'm not usually one for ranking things, but yeah, Baldur's Gate 3 is definitely my personal Game of the Year. It's cool when a new game comes from out of nowhere and wows you; it's rarer and more impressive when you start playing a game with high expectations and have them exceeded. BG3 manages to be <i>surprising</i> in a way sequels rarely are. The combat is fun and compelling like in the D:OS games. I love, love, love the characters. All in all, it's a pretty darn perfect package, and a worthy follow-up to my all-time favorite RPG.<br /></p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-19421337578839502262023-12-10T14:48:00.000-08:002023-12-10T14:48:03.133-08:00Hard to Be a Soviet Writer<p>While they definitely aren't "new", I've enjoyed recently discovering and getting into the writings of <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/strugatsky">Arkady and Boris Strugatsky</a>. They've shown up in lists of recommendations from China Mieville and the writer of Disco Elysium, were previously championed by Ursula K. LeGuin, and doubtlessly loved by many. It can feel weird to "discover" something that is already so popular!</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdg4MPgML5irnF-EsAlZWoc2T4HpGeNQTz2DpW3ywRf05a1Av15AkEgGAUSbPItHz6qbmcQUaqOr1pQv4DuO4BBvmvNJc6k_ytGJ71SfDAfXyrbdY-15WnYOaGGRKB5flX_IWGKWyzqBoXmqsiX_aA_eeOIT2Dz9yKRtNe5tST-kWE5LqE_A/s700/HardToBeAGod.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdg4MPgML5irnF-EsAlZWoc2T4HpGeNQTz2DpW3ywRf05a1Av15AkEgGAUSbPItHz6qbmcQUaqOr1pQv4DuO4BBvmvNJc6k_ytGJ71SfDAfXyrbdY-15WnYOaGGRKB5flX_IWGKWyzqBoXmqsiX_aA_eeOIT2Dz9yKRtNe5tST-kWE5LqE_A/w400-h400/HardToBeAGod.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>The other books of theirs I've read have been clear science fiction: set in the near future, writing about humanity bumping up against some mysterious cosmic force. I've just finished reading "Hard to Be a God", which is technically science fiction but had more of a feel of... I was going to say fantasy, but there isn't any magic in it, so maybe more of a historical adventure (or a "romance" in the more classical sense). While I've enjoyed all (three) of their books I've read, this one is probably the most enjoyable and fun.</p><p><b>MINI SPOILERS</b></p><p>The overall setting of the book reminds me in some ways of <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/rosemary%20kirstein">Rosemary Kirstein's Steerswoman Saga</a> (particularly the wizards/Krue), or <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/kage%20baker">Kage Baker's Company novels</a>. The protagonist is an outsider from a technologically advanced civilization, disguised as a member of the less-advanced society he is embedded within. His primary purpose is to observe and record the doings of this primitive people; unlike, say, the Prime Directive in Star Trek, though, he can and does interfere in the lives of the primitives: not uplifting them or revealing his identity, but rescuing certain individuals (artists, poets, nascent scientists) who contribute to the advancement of their species but face the risk of death.</p><p>Unlike those other stories, though, the hero here is a proud and committed Communist. Called Don Rumata for nearly the whole book, he is actually Anton, a Russian from Earth. Along with other members of the Moscow Historical Society, he has traveled to another planet, populated with human-like people who are at a feudal stage of development. Playing the part of a wealthy, arrogant and hotheaded noble, Rumata strides around the city of Arkanar: making love to the ladies, issuing duels to the lords, patronizing or berating merchants. This is all play-acting: Rumata is actually a devoted communist and opposed to pretty much everything about this world: the social ranks, the petty squabbling for money, the lack of sanitation. But he's been doing this for many years, and has a sort of detachment, much like how we might look at ants fighting with a feeling of disgust but not horror.</p><p>In fact, Rumata doesn't really see these people as human: rather, they are people who will <i>become</i> human. He's very aware that his own ancestors likewise needed to pass through the terrible period of feudalism on the inevitable scientific march towards enlightened socialism. While most of this book reads like an adventure, there are a couple of passages that are straight-up political theory, which I honestly really enjoyed: Rumata muses over how the people in power will seek to crush original thinking to preserve their power, but those who permit free thinking will gain an advantage over their adversaries due to superior technology and processes; so over time free thinking will spread, and yet those leaders are planting the seeds of their own demise, as free thinking will lead to the masses realizing that their collective power outweighs the hereditary few, and eventually forming a new social order.</p><p>While the setup is different, this basic relationship made me think of Jack London's "<a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2018/07/socialism.html">The Iron Heel</a>". In both cases, a futuristic and enlightened communist society observes a barbaric pre-communist one; but in The Iron Heel it's scholars from the future reviewing written records, while in Hard to Be a God it's agents from another planet infiltrating that society in real-time. And yet, Rumata thinks of himself as an agent from the future: he's going to show this planet's future communist society how they evolved.</p><p>One thing I especially loved about this book was Rumata's (and, I'm sure, the Strugatsky's) devotion towards art. Most socialist theory I've read has focused on economic and political dimensions, which ultimately revolve around matters of fairness, efficiency and stability. For Rumata, though, the whole point of the communist project is for people to live enlightened, compassionate, fulfilling lives, and the primary measure of those is through art: writing touching stories, expressing feeling through song and verse, observing the majesty of the stars. It's not like you can disentangle the economic and political dimensions from the project, but whereas in the past I've seen the arts discussed as primarily a reflection of health or a means of motivation, it's very cool to here see them centered as the actual purpose of communism.</p><p>(Not that the Strugatskys necessarily believed in this rhetoric, I should say! I'm not an expert on them, but just in the little forewards and stuff from these books I've learned that they were masters at the art of hiding subversive messages in their work, dancing with censors, and fighting to get approval for blacklisted topics. I don't have any basis whatsoever for this, but I like to imaging that they had genuine positive feelings for the aspirations of communism, while being horrified at the bleak and brutal actions of their homeland's regime.)</p><p>Another thing I thought was really cool about this book was its centering of the conflict between Marxist theory and observed phenomena. That's something I've thought about a lot lately, especially highlighted in China Mieville's excellent <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2021/06/all-power-to-soviets.html">October</a> but also more broadly, how often the leaders of a movement are so committed to the theoretical (pure, perfect, rational) theory that they are blind to and caught off guard by the actual circumstances they face. In this book, Rumata is one of maybe fifty or so agents spread across this planet, and the only one specifically planted in Arkanar. He has a strong sense of unease about what's been happening in the city: there's the expected ongoing abuse of the powerful towards the powerless, but something more sinister seems to be afoot.</p><p><b>MEGA SPOILERS</b></p><p>He's particularly concerned about the "Greys", which he (from his futuristic perspective) identifies as proto-Fascists. This is a paramilitary force that upholds the royal regime, but instead of being drawn from the traditional second estate of the nobility, it is drawn from the bourgoise class: sons of shopkeepers and the like. This is concerning because, under Communist theory, fascism shouldn't evolve until after the industrial revolution. Once there, both socialism and fascism will develop, replace the older feudal system, and vie with one another, with socialism inevitably triumphing. In Arkanar, though, fascism has evolved without any socialism to oppose it, so what's a benevolent communist alien to do? This is particularly distressing due to the fierce anti-intellectualism of the Greys: "bookworms" are strung up and executed, literacy is seen as a sign of deviance, and any behaviors of the intelligentsia that aren't actively praising the regime are seen as treasonous.<br /></p><p>Rumata reports to his superiors, but they stubbornly refuse to take him seriously: "Who you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?" The theory of feudal development is held to be axiomatically true, so if Rumata's observations contradict the theory, then that proves that Rumata's observations are incorrect, not the theory.</p><p>After this, Rumata... he doesn't exactly go rogue, but he's aware that he's off the beaten path, and has a lot of self-doubt about his course. There really isn't much that he can <i>do</i>, except around the margins, trying to find a few people who are actually humans and trying to help them survive; but he can't stop history. (Not because of violating the laws of causality, not because of the Prime Directive, just because it won't work: you can't drop 22nd-century ideas into a 12th-century culture and expect them to flourish.)</p><p>The antagonist of the novel is Don Reba, a courtier who has improbably risen in power over the last several years: using political machinations to bump off rival nobles and factions, creating the department of Defense of the Crown, and being de-facto head of The Greys. Reba is not a brilliant schemer or an advanced thinker or anything: he's just a dumb, lucky man, whose flailings have brought him great success. Rumata (and us readers) are preparing for Don Reba to usher in a new military-dominated order with the Greys, and the genuinely surprising twist near the end of the novel reveals that Reba is actually in cahoots with the clergy. He uses the bandits of Waga the Wheel to justify an uprising of the Greys to slaughter the king and the royal family, and then uses the monks to kill off the Greys, restore order and usher in a new ecclesiastical regime. We've seen church-affiliated people throughout the novel, but they're always obsequiously ducking out of the way, and it's shocking to see them rising to command.</p><p>In the end, Rumata and his fellow Earthlings more or less take these developments in stride: they kick themselves for not considering this possibility. I think that their shortcoming is ultimately a failure of imagination, which, in turn, gestures back towards the arts as being of paramount importance, over mere political theory or technological advances.</p><p><b>END SPOILERS</b></p><p>I don't think Hard to Be a God has achieved quite the level of international recognition of Roadside Picnic / STALKER, but I can see why it has grown so beloved over the years. In some ways it's just a really fun read, like a good Ankh-Morpork Discworld novel; it gets at some really interesting ideas along the way, with some possibly-satirical commentary arriving from an unexpected angle. If I ever get in the habit of recommending the Strugatsky brothers to others, this may become my recommendation for a first book to try.</p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-86830018618103982752023-11-28T19:57:00.000-08:002023-11-28T19:57:00.158-08:00"Gift" Exchange<p>Hot on the heels of "<a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2023/09/birth-of-plenty.html">The Birth of Plenty</a>", I've devoured "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Splendid-Exchange-Trade-Shaped-World/dp/0802144160">A Splendid Exchange</a>", another book by <a href="http://www.efficientfrontier.com/">William Bernstein</a> on economic history. As is my wont, let's compare and contrast them!</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlzPmF1DvMa7b2bKZmP8ZQeZI1pujoJmltE8md5ivLcOpZX_DNmvxGGl_OIZ19XBOL6mqf1-lcH4KpdsFQ4mnTXkVCbjGclbQQJOZ7MofQEN2XhrT2c_sHwKGvJ829sv5KbuzhUkaZfyT11UFBtaMyXlY2IS1iSSUDO2lAlAnrSwLvrRzTA/s1000/ASplendidExchange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlzPmF1DvMa7b2bKZmP8ZQeZI1pujoJmltE8md5ivLcOpZX_DNmvxGGl_OIZ19XBOL6mqf1-lcH4KpdsFQ4mnTXkVCbjGclbQQJOZ7MofQEN2XhrT2c_sHwKGvJ829sv5KbuzhUkaZfyT11UFBtaMyXlY2IS1iSSUDO2lAlAnrSwLvrRzTA/w266-h400/ASplendidExchange.jpg" width="266" /></a></div> <p></p><p>"The Birth of Plenty" felt like a book that was written around a thesis, and used examples from history to demonstrate that its thesis was correct. On the other hand, "A Splendid Exchange" feels like a book that's primarily interested in telling stories from history, and then allowing observations from those examples to bubble up. It actually reminded quite a lot of <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/thomas%20piketty">Piketty</a>'s transition from <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2018/10/i-will-return-to-this-point.html">Capital in the Twenty-First Century</a> to <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2020/05/in-conclusion-libya-is-land-of-contrasts.html">Capital & Ideology</a>, where the earlier book makes the argument that certain phenomena will occur whenever other preconditions arise, while the latter book looks at the many varied ways different cultures have behaved over time.</p><p>"A Splendid Exchange" tells the history of global trade, and it turns out, it's a very long history indeed. Bernstein starts with prehistoric evidence we have of tools, metals and decorative stones being moved far from their point of origin, showing that in addition to conquest and raiding there was also an innate drive to "truck and barter" in goods that's been with us from the beginning. Most trade was regional, but there was intercontinental trade over two millennia ago, when Chinese silks made their way to Rome. Romans had no idea that China existed; they got their silks from Asia Minor, which got them from Persia, which for them from India, which got them from the Moluccas, which got them from China. Roman silver coins made their way in the other direction, mysteriously appearing in the Far East.</p><p>One of Bernstein's overarching ideas is that, while we think of global trade is being a modern phenomenon that started after the Industrial Revolution, it has been with us for much longer than that, and it really hasn't changed all that much. We have faster and safer ships now, which brings down cargo cost and puts the price of goods within reach of people other than the Roman Emperor, but the overall system and drive is remarkably similar. (And, not to keep on comparing authors to one another, but that perspective also reminds me a lot of <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/neal%20stephenson">Neal Stephenson</a>'s view of currency, which is basically that nothing new has happened for hundreds of years and the systems set up under Isaac Newton are basically the same ones we're using today.)</p><p>There is definitely a rise and fall to global trade, and that Roman-Chinese silk trade is a great example: after the Pax Romana ended and the trading routes grew too dangerous to travel, the doors swung shut. China still made silks, but they no longer traveled all the way to Europe; Italians still mined gold and silver, but it stayed on the continent.</p><p>Islam plays a <i>huge</i> role during the book, dominating international trade for nearly a millennium. I thought Bernstein was much more complimentary of Islam in this book than he was in TBoP. In the earlier book, he examines why Muslim countries have so badly lagged Western countries, and concludes that it's due to cultural values driven by their religion: a distrust of scientific rationalism and a prohibition on paying or receiving interest on investments. In A Splendid Exchange, he focuses more on the positive aspects of Islam. He notes that it's the only major religion to be founded by a trader, and there's a higher esteem given to traders and merchants under Islam than, say, under Confucianism. He also notes how, for many centuries, the Islamic world was a beacon for scientific advances, with some centers like Baghdad particularly known for attracting scholars. Bernstein observes that the growth of Islam was in large part fueled by economics, and economics drove the further expansion of Islam: Muslims were allowed to raid and pillage non-Muslims, but couldn't raid other Muslims, which gave a strong incentive for nearby neighbors to convert; in doing so they joined a cooperative economic community of lighter taxation and access to markets across Europe, Africa, the middle-East, Asia and Indonesia.</p><p>So, what ends Islam's control over world trade? Mostly technology and guns. First the Portuguese, then the Dutch, then the British establish their own trading system, forcing their way into ancient entrepots and enabling single voyages from Asia to Europe without passing through the Red Sea or the Persian Gulf.</p><p>Perhaps even more so than with The Birth of Plenty, I thought a <i>lot</i> about <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/europa%20universalis">Europa Universalis IV</a> while reading this. The trading system in particular is really closely aligned with it and reflects how different nations profited from, say, the Spice Trade or Cloves over time. I found myself wondering whether Paradox was directly inspired by these books; but also, Bernstein relies on distilling the research from historians, economists and scientists in writing these books; it isn't like he's just making it up, so it makes sense that both these books and this grand strategy video game would reflect the same understanding of truth.</p><p>In EUIV, you will generally make income through some combination of the following:<br />1. Production; that is, the direct value of things you grow and produce.<br />2. Trade, which is based on the value of goods you export and your level of control over their distribution.<br />3. Conquest; directly pillaging enemy land and/or demanding tribute to end wars.<br />4. Directly mining gold.</p><p>#2 is pretty much always the best approach in the game. Production is decent, but if you cede control of trade to your neighbors, they will profit from your own production. Conquest and mining can give significant short-term boosts in revenue, but can spell the long-term death of your economy as they cause inflation to grow, so once you run out of rich neighbors to fight or your mines are depleted, you'll be far poorer than you would have been without conquering or mining to start with. In these books Bernstein shows how, say, Rome and Spain and other once-powerful empires were built on unsustainable expansion and that led to decay and collapse, while other nations like the Netherlands had outsized success and much more graceful declines once they were surpassed.</p><p>Back to the book: In Birth of Plenty, Bernstein has a laser-sharp focus on 1820 as a sort of magical year that separated the pre-modern world of stagnation with the modern world of endless growth. A Splendid Exchange portrays a much smoother and more gradual transition. We see how sailing technology gradually improved, thanks both to scientific discoveries and advances in engineering. Seemingly simple ideas like "Let's cut out some big chunks of ice and sell it!" opened up huge new markets for the export of fresh produce and meat; interestingly, sometimes those businesses started a generation or more after the technologies that enabled them. And while the telegraph was a huge advance in instantaneous communication, even the humble postage stamp was a huge jump forward in the de-facto ease and speed of communication.</p><p>Bernstein seems to have very strong opinions, but he also seems to let the data drive his conclusions. Overall he is extremely pro-free-trade and anti-tariff, and looks critically at the wave of protectionism that arose in the 19th century; but based on studies, he rejects the idea that protectionism caused or prolonged the Great Depression. (Though, as with Chernow's <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2023/08/morgan.html">House of Morgan</a>, he does believe that the one-two punch of reparations and tariffs after World War 1 directly led to World War 2, as the defeated Central Powers were unable to acquire the foreign exchange necessary to service their crushing debt.)</p><p>He sees everything through an economic lens, and so, for example, he sees the American Civil War as more of a result of trading factors than a moral crusade. The South favored free trade, as they wanted to export cotton to Britain, while the North favored protectionism, as they sought to grow their industrial base while keeping out superior British products. I'm personally skeptical that trade policy was the primary factor in sparking the war, but I can definitely understand how it would contribute to tensions.</p><p>Late in the book, Bernstein presents a really interesting and cool framework for analyzing trade disputes within and between nations. When two nations trade with one another, prices tend to normalize between them: so if Country A was selling bread for $1 a loaf, and Country B was selling bread for $5 a loaf, then after they open markets between them, bread will most likely grow more expensive in Country A (as they're exporting more of it and so there's less to sell) and less expensive in Country B (as they can import cheaper foreign bread, driving down the price local bakers can charge). Very crudely, consumers will benefit in County B and be hurt in Country A, while producers will benefit in Country A and be hurt in Country B. Bernstein argues, pretty convincingly, that opening up trade in this way will be a net benefit for the entire system, growing total wealth and lowering total costs; but some individuals will be greatly harmed in the process.</p><p>Bernstein identifies three groups of "scarce factors": land, labor and capital. There's no intrinsic link between these, and depending on a nation's natural resources, population, technology and other concerns, their allegiances can shift dramatically. For example, in the 1800s America had abundant land, but scarce labor and capital; Britain had abundant capital and labor, but scarce land; India had abundant land and labor, but scarce capital. So, it makes sense that in the 1800s America tended towards protectionism, benefiting domestic bankers and factory workers, while Britain promoted free trade, benefiting its own workers and financiers. British farmers were hurt by free trade, but only a tiny fraction of Englishmen were engaged in farming; in contrast, France employed a much higher share of its population in farming, and so their concerns were heeded more than on the other side of the Channel.</p><p>While he's very pro-Free-Trade, he cheerfully concedes near the end that trade is actually a relatively small factor in overall economic growth. The US was highly protectionist throughout the 19th century, yet had enormous growth. Since World War 2, trade has been an increasingly large factor for growth, but far from an unalloyed good.</p><p>The very end of the book covers much the same ground as the end of The Birth of Plenty: looking at the rise in income inequality (which was already evident when he wrote these books 15-20 years ago and has only accelerated since then), the poisonous effects that has on international amity and domestic social cohesion, and what to do about it. He makes a very vigorous case for a stereotypical Liberal program: unfettered private-sector free-market activity, including low tariffs, combined with redistributive taxation that compensates the "losers" with the excess wealth generated. That includes people like laid-off factory workers in America, poor craftspeople in Uganda, and so on. It's a very different approach than the more muscular Progressive economic policy proposals I've been focused on lately, but I can definitely see where Bernstein is coming from and his reasons to advocate for this approach.</p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-7986245475727129242023-11-19T18:47:00.000-08:002023-11-19T18:47:43.637-08:00Mo' Money<p>I was more surprised than I should have been to learn recently that <a href="https://mint.intuit.com/">Mint</a> will be shutting down at the end of this year. Mint is a free online personal finance tool that I've been using for well over a decade: it consolidates all of your linked accounts (banks, credit cards, loans, and investments), giving you a great holistic view of your finances. At the granular level you can see every transaction you've made (so credit card and debit card purchases appear in the same view); you can also zoom out and see how your savings have changed over time, what you've been spending most of your money on, and so on.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4rr8Vobwz7AbtshIWOt1liMD1mWlIFpRfs69vp0IxFjZCJsulW_BUxC6miXqr-hwO-ydVzw98QhdWLDja1feoyLwtypvENr9yPAfS6vKnOcWJN5FYV5obAJqCAVt-J46iLiX9IHYkLUHqdXEBjxV_uWqhEwGebpdIHA65id-zOL84fyX7g/s1538/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-19%20at%206.04.35%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="1538" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4rr8Vobwz7AbtshIWOt1liMD1mWlIFpRfs69vp0IxFjZCJsulW_BUxC6miXqr-hwO-ydVzw98QhdWLDja1feoyLwtypvENr9yPAfS6vKnOcWJN5FYV5obAJqCAVt-J46iLiX9IHYkLUHqdXEBjxV_uWqhEwGebpdIHA65id-zOL84fyX7g/w400-h143/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-19%20at%206.04.35%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiqk4MFNWLZGHQO9-ccykrmfHRX3mETFzW5j-5rkbm6TrYNm05UdprII48jVekD3UtrZqzGVrr-buQGzDrWT4zfXB3JXjITynA2A6E0jHEbyQ7DkYXxF5cfQ3Y_U1srEhUQ9smxtkX_eGuGjDpHh3rHJf05R7H9tPP6K1CCq94xW7r_HJDg/s1320/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-19%20at%206.05.56%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiqk4MFNWLZGHQO9-ccykrmfHRX3mETFzW5j-5rkbm6TrYNm05UdprII48jVekD3UtrZqzGVrr-buQGzDrWT4zfXB3JXjITynA2A6E0jHEbyQ7DkYXxF5cfQ3Y_U1srEhUQ9smxtkX_eGuGjDpHh3rHJf05R7H9tPP6K1CCq94xW7r_HJDg/s1320/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-19%20at%206.05.56%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9IUSWGWXnfx37ravSlIcireoHi1vCZ9YgjfDPOCZHq-Joo6O2sUANQ3EPgmL_13bDyzH1M0U5dNr8hJ-Hy_3k_IRAlfCsFDD-VJuyLptODHnHgAq6rOPpgeG5o1MKlSA4WTKpxID6cnDhs7jL5CbbjPdJHxjgYkN2b-p0BzMAHhArc5D3g/s1520/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-19%20at%206.05.16%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="1520" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9IUSWGWXnfx37ravSlIcireoHi1vCZ9YgjfDPOCZHq-Joo6O2sUANQ3EPgmL_13bDyzH1M0U5dNr8hJ-Hy_3k_IRAlfCsFDD-VJuyLptODHnHgAq6rOPpgeG5o1MKlSA4WTKpxID6cnDhs7jL5CbbjPdJHxjgYkN2b-p0BzMAHhArc5D3g/w400-h180/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-19%20at%206.05.16%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="1320" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiqk4MFNWLZGHQO9-ccykrmfHRX3mETFzW5j-5rkbm6TrYNm05UdprII48jVekD3UtrZqzGVrr-buQGzDrWT4zfXB3JXjITynA2A6E0jHEbyQ7DkYXxF5cfQ3Y_U1srEhUQ9smxtkX_eGuGjDpHh3rHJf05R7H9tPP6K1CCq94xW7r_HJDg/w400-h146/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-19%20at%206.05.56%20PM.png" width="400" /></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>Mint is one of those services that I've felt a lot of irritation at over the years, and yet now that it's going away I feel a lot of disappointment. It had obviously been under-invested in for years and years after Intel acquired it, most obviously in continuing to use Macromedia Flash up until the very last possible minute that Apple and the web browsers eliminated it. A lot of little things irked me, like transfers between accounts showing up as "expenses" that dwarfed my actual expenditures; but still, it's been a really helpful tool for me to keep on top of my personal financial picture for a good chunk of my life.</p><p>I've never been good at budgeting. I think I'm good at <i>spending</i> - I'm a natural saver, and have consistently lived below my means, and don't feel much regret about hings I've bought. But never in my life have I sat down and actually made a plan about what I'm going to spend money on in a given month. That seems so dull!</p><p>That's another way where Mint has been really helpful for me. Where old-fashioned pen-and-paper budgeting and most modern software programs require forward planning, Mint supported a more passive form of reactive budgeting: it tracks how much you've spent on, say, groceries or restaurants over a series of months, and calculates the average you've been spending. It then presents that for the current month, along with your costs to date. This gives a good way to see trends and notice when you're skewing higher or lower, without requiring any up-front work.</p><p>As with a lot of Mint stuff, I tended to focus more on the annoyances. For example, there's a "Gas" category. Since I mostly take transit and rarely drive, I would only need to fill up once every 3 months or so. Mind happily assigned an "average" expense of, like $15 on gas a month, but my actual spend would either be $0 or $45 depending on whether I filled up that month or not, so it wasn't very useful. Still, in retrospect what it was doing was pretty cool.</p><p>The most value I got out of Mint was probably as a short-cut to filling out a separate spreadsheet I maintain. Basically, whenever I'm moving money from a short-term spending account into long-term investments, I want to look at my overall asset allocation between my 401k, my Roth and my taxable account, and direct the incoming money into the appropriate asset class. For example, I'm currently aiming for around 28% of my assets to be in an International Stock fund, so if I'm currently at just 26%, I'll direct most or all of the incoming money into that fund. With Mint, I can just lot into one service, look up the balances for all my accounts and funds, plug those into the right cells on my spreadsheet, and figure out what to do.<br /></p><p>I imagine a lot of other people are in the same boat as me: people use Mint for different reasons, but no matter what that reason is, they'll need a new option. In the past I've occasionally searched for alternatives to Mint, and found that there aren't any other good free services that exactly replace it. Since it's going away entirely, I decided to take another look.</p><p>There are apparently a lot of banks and brokerages that now offer free Mint-like services, where you can link other accounts to the bank, and view all your balances, transactions and history in a single place. Unfortunately, neither my credit union nor Vanguard are among those offering it.</p><p>Intuit is hoping to move the Mint users to <a href="https://www.creditkarma.com/">Credit Karma</a>, another service it runs. Credit Karma doesn't come anywhere close to replicating Mint's features, though: it mostly shows you your credit score and steers you towards sponsored products.</p><p>From some reading around <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/17lskp5/mint_being_discontinued_by_intuit_at_the_end_of/">Reddit</a>, <a href="https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=415838">Bogleheads</a> and other sites, it sounds like <a href="https://www.ynab.com/">YNAB (You Need A Budget)</a> is the most popular alternative. I've been reading about YNAB for years, and it has a lot of enthusiastic adherents. After some more investigation, though, I don't think YNAB is a good match for me in particular. For better or worse, it's heavily budget-based, and is built around the kind of prescriptive forward planning that I dread. I'd need to change my whole approach to personal finance, and man, I just don't want to make that effort!</p><p>I'm currently trying out <a href="https://www.monarchmoney.com/">Monarch Money</a>, which was started by one of the original founders of Mint and seems to share some of its DNA. Like all of these alternative services, it does cost money; I'm on a 30-day trial at the moment, and they're offering a coupon code for half off the first year: ordinarily it's $100 a year, but the first year will be $50. That feels like a <i>lot</i> compared to the $0/year I've been spending for over a decade, and I'm still trying to make up my mind whether that's worth it or not. Mint was my go-to for a financial overview, but I probably only opened it a couple of times a month. Looking at the data is interesting, and it would save me some time over logging into like four accounts individually. Is that worth eight dollars a month? I don't know.</p><p>I can tell that Monarch Money is relatively new, for better and worse. The UI is <i>much</i> better than Mint's: well-designed and intuitive, with nice colors and organization. The default categories are much more 2020s than 2000s; Mint has a category for DVDs! One of the more glaring things I've noticed so far with Monarch is with its charts; after importing 10+ years of data from Mint and viewing my account histories, I noticed that the labels for, like "June 9" and "December 13" were only giving dates and omitting years. If I'm looking at 13 years of history, I want to see those years in the labels!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pDTp13P491bt0p_y_cmoFlhftsIWrJsvnQKYuc3b0oDNBIoElUSmeJ16cfv29iYJ-K2xpH08SPIX4Yzjyk25O0PYaYRc0Jddx8COlo1jxBG7w5ujaKbRriXIfnsxStEcqMU0-xITR9u8F4hZ0pA0w7YrYAuw05x1N7ALHfsQbXkzgDXYPA/s1370/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-19%20at%206.21.40%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="772" data-original-width="1370" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pDTp13P491bt0p_y_cmoFlhftsIWrJsvnQKYuc3b0oDNBIoElUSmeJ16cfv29iYJ-K2xpH08SPIX4Yzjyk25O0PYaYRc0Jddx8COlo1jxBG7w5ujaKbRriXIfnsxStEcqMU0-xITR9u8F4hZ0pA0w7YrYAuw05x1N7ALHfsQbXkzgDXYPA/w400-h225/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-19%20at%206.21.40%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVnio5EQneaiADXohIYRy3exWYXLLQJ44txSHkigsDhpXJVbpreAt6qYZARf3ZiOUph8wZ5KCugne0-El9QVWe-J4t2eT_RV9Ch-JxsvRDF6lPRWqdApnhkn30xQaKjtbP8J1VcOU-uy3KK1fHMa6HvkP3Y1r06EbNRqloFwFSXc5I1THNA/s1128/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-19%20at%206.45.51%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1128" data-original-width="562" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVnio5EQneaiADXohIYRy3exWYXLLQJ44txSHkigsDhpXJVbpreAt6qYZARf3ZiOUph8wZ5KCugne0-El9QVWe-J4t2eT_RV9Ch-JxsvRDF6lPRWqdApnhkn30xQaKjtbP8J1VcOU-uy3KK1fHMa6HvkP3Y1r06EbNRqloFwFSXc5I1THNA/w199-h400/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-19%20at%206.45.51%20PM.png" width="199" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7s_ntN5C2diUB19NbEuCRaleQooNnWh-z2BTgDdP-mX07j6lVKc2xWiULacDNXFQHKis0ZxgF79u-vaRqLt03oSM_d6E6SyOERA4RXaA_iO9cT4yHohEWrTEcyUIcsp-ErOwQy7i1egQHnpKbDG4NEFnAuruw-z1PEKFjlQX5gqop0Cqgw/s1834/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-19%20at%206.23.47%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="1834" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7s_ntN5C2diUB19NbEuCRaleQooNnWh-z2BTgDdP-mX07j6lVKc2xWiULacDNXFQHKis0ZxgF79u-vaRqLt03oSM_d6E6SyOERA4RXaA_iO9cT4yHohEWrTEcyUIcsp-ErOwQy7i1egQHnpKbDG4NEFnAuruw-z1PEKFjlQX5gqop0Cqgw/w400-h120/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-19%20at%206.23.47%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>One thing that is cool about Monarch is that they are very transparent about what they're doing, unlike the absolute silence from Mint for the last decade-plus. Monarch has a really cool public tracker where you can see what feature requests users have made, can vote on the one(s) you want to see, and see what items are in progress and recently completed. Their CEO and their engineers are fairly active on their <a href="https://www.monarchmoney.com/blog">blog</a> and <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/MonarchMoney/">Reddit</a>, not just writing about what they're working on but the reasons behind decisions they're making. Among other things, they have given a frank explanation of the reasons why they charge: as the old adage has it, if you're not paying for a product, then that means that <i>you are</i> the product.</p><p>Monarch does have a Budget (/Plan) option, which I haven't really checked out yet, but from what I've read it's more similar to the reactive Mint approach, so I'm hoping that it works for me: more of an occasional temperature check of how I'm doing than a detailed roadmap of what I should do.</p><p>So anyways, it's been an interesting experiment so far. Part of me kind of wants to massively build out my existing spreadsheet to add transaction-tracking and categorization, but while that would be fun to set up, I doubt I'd have the patience to keep it up-to-date. It's possible that some new free alternative will come around, or maybe Vanguard or my credit union will start integrating the core features for me... or maybe I'll just get used to spending eight bucks a month on this. That's a lot less than Netflix costs nowadays, I guess.<br /></p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-30875223658919338752023-11-10T16:49:00.002-08:002023-11-10T16:49:44.926-08:00Bronze Sunset<p>I think my mind must be slipping. I've been reading "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Iron-Sunrise-Singularity-Charles-Stross/dp/0441012965">Iron Sunrise</a>", a hard sci-fi novel from <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/charles%20stross">Charles Stross</a>. It's the sequel to <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2023/06/ferreira.html">Singularity Sky</a>, which I knew I'd read previously but couldn't remember when. I just checked my blog and saw that I read it, um, just about four months ago! It feels like a lot longer.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTQnD4AdIVhI3oig5wsaH_k9Kv-8065x8r9zkSvkjEvZXXAfDYmO_FIcZLqGlmHEk1Y37_5wFyuQx49HtbLd7Ku05jLWt_biFK_sCMTk6avVC8w9_UDbJOpoBolvkc-cvCRGTJlugGXjdXZf2NtRNVL7XfBLS_sUdQKAtO5Ucog_K9UwhPpA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="618" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTQnD4AdIVhI3oig5wsaH_k9Kv-8065x8r9zkSvkjEvZXXAfDYmO_FIcZLqGlmHEk1Y37_5wFyuQx49HtbLd7Ku05jLWt_biFK_sCMTk6avVC8w9_UDbJOpoBolvkc-cvCRGTJlugGXjdXZf2NtRNVL7XfBLS_sUdQKAtO5Ucog_K9UwhPpA=w247-h400" width="247" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I've now enjoyed reading quite a few of Stross's series. While they've all been sci-fi, they've explored very different flavors of the genre. These two novels form what's apparently called the Eschaton series, and are the most science-based books of his I've read: he grapples really deeply with the implications of faster-than-light travel, how that impacts causality and time travel and such. He <i>also</i> looks at how those technologies impact civilizations, society and culture, but the science is the key to it. (Unlike, say, the Merchant Princes series, where the main impetus seems to be exploring a social/economic framework, with the science a convenient excuse to do so.)</p><p><b>MINI SPOILERS</b></p><p>Iron Sunrise starts with a literal bang: a man-made nova, destroying a star by means of temporal manipulation, essentially accelerating the passage of time of the star's core, fast-forwarding it a few billion years until it has collapsed into iron, then snapping it back into the "present" and unleashing incredible destruction over the entire bounds of a solar system. It's an awe-inspiring bit of prose that makes the stakes feel incredibly high.</p><p>This is set in the same universe as "Singularity Sky", and also shares some of the main characters, particularly Rachel Mansour and her now-husband Martin. The action takes place in different places, though: from the destroyed system (confusingly named "Moscow", apparently named after the Idaho city rather than the Russian capital) to Earth to several other planets, stations and large starships. And other than Rachel and Martin there's a large cast of new characters. For better and worse, they are unevenly represented in point-of-view: some just pop up for a chapter or two, while others end up driving most of the narrative.</p><p>The main character is probably Wednesday, who seems to be inspired by Wednesday Adams: she's a very Gothy teenage girl, always dressed in black and often sulking. Her family are refugees from the Moscow system: they lived on a station outside the Oort cloud equivalent, and so had time to evacuate before the blast wave reached them. She's also in contact with "Herman", a component of the cluster of intelligences and agents that make up the Eschaton, the totally-not-a-god entity who touched off the singularity and has shaped the fate of humanity.</p><p><b>MEGA SPOILERS</b></p><p>The pacing in this novel feels a bit uneven, with a ton of setup and backstory and musings for the first 7/8 or so and then a ton of action crammed in at the end. It's all very readable and fun, though.</p><p>The main villains are, unsurprisingly, the ReMastered. From the beginning they have strong Nazi overtones, with Stross calling out their blond hair and blue eyes. He's pretty vague about what their whole deal is for much of the book, but you can piece it together and infer a lot, so much of the big reveals near the end feel more like the characters catching up than us being surprised.</p><p>It's interesting to think that this book was published in 2004, likely written during 2003, during the height of the rush to the Iraq War. I don't think this book is directly commenting on that, but when Stross notes how the ReMastered used the threat of security and terrorism to whip local populaces into a panic and use that fear to install their own leaders and carry out their agenda... well, I don't think that storytelling is happening in a vacuum. Of course there are the straightforward analogies to the Reichstag Fire besides the more sideways links to yellowcake.</p><p>The plot gets pretty messy and complicated near the end, but I actually really liked that. As Herman warns, there isn't just one group of "good guys" and one of "bad guys", but multiple sub-factions, with the same group often at odds with itself. That feels a lot more real to life than most books; I mean, just look at how frequent turf wars between bureaucracies in the US play out. I appreciated how the characters in the book would share the reader's confusion, with their assumptions of who was responsible for what and to what end being upended, and subsequently questioning the rightness of a course of action.<br /></p><p>Some of the "twists" in the book are incredibly choreographed: it's pretty obvious that Svengali the clown is an assassin <i>long</i> before it's officially revealed. Others did catch me by surprise, especially Steffi's role in the action: it is a neat trick to use a character's POV but elide some topics.</p><p><b>END SPOILERS</b></p><p>Ordinarily this is where I would write "I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series", but in this case, there <i>are</i> no other books. Apparently Stross has found irresolvable problems with how he's set up this particular universe and won't be returning to it. I'm not surprised about the trouble - causality is such a delicate idea both in reality and in fiction, and while it's ballsy to play with it (even within constraints) like Stross does, doing so seems especially fraught. Especially in a hard-science-fiction context like this, where you can't just hand-wave away problems and attribute them to midichlorians or The Weave. I am a little sad we won't get more, especially since (unlike the first book) this one ends by strongly setting up the next course of action. Still, I hugely respect that decision, and hey, there's still plenty more Stross for me to read!<br /></p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-63000772413225694922023-10-27T13:48:00.001-07:002023-10-27T13:48:09.409-07:00Take Three<p>My trip through <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/roberto%20bolano">Roberto Bolaño</a>'s bibliography has been meandering, to say the least. I'm not following publication order or themes, just seeing what the library has in stock whenever I'm in the mood for another book. The latest I've read, The Third Reich, immediately evokes "<a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2018/04/righting.html">Nazi Literature in the Americas</a>," and more broadly his periodic ruminating of <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2021/08/constellation.html">far-right-wing violence</a>.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQBIveq-Ko8Zo5Gjop6MZYhe13nmJPArCzRt7BkXKbLfKGybnY1r6CtvyOB1eoZyf0MzFY0bc_gfeg0qmrBfQ0w9bJadB_wrdR4ItjTps-kSMp4kZPZJkLE6FZkSY9QwOSBtQ11B3szCa3zcMC2AZ7OmWn_VCroDv04zfhbvbLP5TgEXl3w/s1000/ThirdReich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="666" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQBIveq-Ko8Zo5Gjop6MZYhe13nmJPArCzRt7BkXKbLfKGybnY1r6CtvyOB1eoZyf0MzFY0bc_gfeg0qmrBfQ0w9bJadB_wrdR4ItjTps-kSMp4kZPZJkLE6FZkSY9QwOSBtQ11B3szCa3zcMC2AZ7OmWn_VCroDv04zfhbvbLP5TgEXl3w/w266-h400/ThirdReich.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>MINI SPOILERS</b></p><p>The Third Reich is different from his other books in a lot of ways. Most of them have been set in Latin America and feature Latin American characters, while this one is set in Spain with a German narrator. His books are often populated by poets and writers and artists, while this one features office workers on vacation. And this is the only novel of Bolaño's I've read that centers a nerdy activity: tabletop wargaming.</p><p>The narrator and protagonist is a youngish German man named Udo, on holiday with his even younger girlfriend Ingeborg at a Spanish beachside resort town. They are here to enjoy a romantic time together, but Udo also has a specific goal in mind. He has won the German championship for tabletop gaming, and his friend Conrad has convinced him to write a magazine article on his winning strategy for The Third Reich, a game that covers the events of World War II. Upon arriving in their hotel room, Udo immediately sets up the board and commences "working"; that is, playing the game.</p><p>Ingeborg seems to genuinely love Udo, but she detests his game, seeming baffled and annoyed at it. While she's out sunning on the beach, he's studying the board, musing about his next moves, or napping after being up too late the night before.</p><p>I should pause here to note that Udo might be the least pleasant narrator from any Bolaño novel I've read. By the second or third chapter we've seen lots of examples of his internal thoughts and internal actions that set our teeth on edge: he's incredibly rude and hostile to the hotel staff, seems to dislike almost everyone he meets, has a grossly inflated sense of himself, belittles Ingeborg's interests, and has a tendency towards paranoia. He isn't the worst <i>person</i> that Bolaño has written, probably not even the worst person in this book, but I can't think of another narrator that seems as intentionally off-putting as this one.</p><p>The structure of the story is pretty interesting: it starts out small, then expands, and then contracts, growing increasingly suffocating in the second half. But in the early days, Udo's universe consistently expands, much to his frustration and disgust. Ingeborg makes friends with another vacationing German couple, Charly and Hanna, who are staying at a nearby hotel. Udo is very annoyed by these people, especially Charly, but is outwardly polite and endures going out with them for dinner and drinks most nights, and often abandoning Ingeborg to their circle while he "works".</p><p>Through Charly, Udo comes to meet two Spaniards whose names he never learns, but who he calls The Wolf and The Lamb. They have a more dangerous sheen to them: they're locals, partiers, blue-collar people who talk crudely and lead the Germans off the beaten path into wilder environs.</p><p>Through The Wolf and The Lamb, Udo finally meets El Quemado, a badly-burned paddle-boat vendor who Udo has studied from a distance for a while. Udo is disgusted by Quemado's appearance, but there's a weird magnetism between the two, and Udo seems obsessed with getting to know Quemado, despite the latter's reticence and their very different backgrounds.</p><p>While Udo spends most of his time by himself closed up in his hotel room, he doesn't seem to be actually doing much: he isn't writing his article, and isn't playing the game, just "studying" it. He eventually invites Quemado to play against him, and pushes hard until Quemado eventually relents. Udo plays the Axis powers, while Quemado plays the Allies and USSR.</p><p>As another side note, Bolaño's description of the progress of the game are <i>amazing</i>, very accurate to my experience. (Which is limited, but there was a time of my life when I was <i>very</i> into Avalon Hill games like <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/671/bull-run-first-major-battle-american-civil-war">Bull Run</a> or <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/98/axis-allies">Axis and Allies</a>.) A lot of Udo's behaviors are strange, but spending over a day to set up a game is not at all unusual. Once Udo and Quemado get into a cadence of playing, they typically do one or two turns per session, with those sessions lasting several hours. Again: that's how these kind of games go!</p><p>The specific cadence of Third Reich also matches my experience in every simulation of a World War II game. Germany is always <i>very</i> strong out the gate, romping through nearby neighbors, expanding to the coast of Europe, often surpassing their historical reach. But there's almost always an inevitable apogee to the Axis expansion: the thrilling sense of endless victory fades, the industrial might of the Allies' superior production ramps up. Things reach a stalemate, then gradually shift in the other direction, with the Axis powers pushed further back.</p><p>That flow of the game parallels the flow of the novel. The turning point seems to be when Charly goes missing; he has previously disappeared and then returned, so the other three aren't as concerned at first, but it gradually dawns on everyone that he has likely drowned. Hanna returns home. Things grow frostier with Ingeborg, and she departs as well. Udo, oddly, remains behind, well after his scheduled vacation is over. He claims that he needs to do this to handle bureaucratic tasks associated with Charly's death, but nobody believes him, and his continued presence after the matter is closed proves that it wasn't a real consideration.</p><p>He spends more time with The Lamb and The Wolf, but is put off by their increasingly predatory vibe. One very unpleasant element of this book is repeated references to rape. It's never clear whether anyone is actually raped during the book, but it's one of those ominous hovering clouds that Bolaño is so good at invoking. Charly and the Wolf and the Lamb laugh about the possibility that they will rape someone, there are swirling rumors of rapes occurring, Udo contemplates the possibility that Charly himself was raped, the Wolf and the Lamb seem to be on the verge of raping Clarita before Udo interrupts them, and so on. Of course this all felt really off-putting, and seems more jarring than in Bolaño's other novels, though that may be because of the time since I've read them. I do know that <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2009/04/muerto.html">2666</a> refers a lot to widespread sexual violence in Santa Teresa, and multiple novels have grimly borne witness to the rape and murder of the sister-poets. Maybe it's the causalness of references to rape here that make it seem particularly wrong.</p><p>While most relationships wither away in the back half of the book, there's a sort of undertow with Frau Else. When Udo stayed at this hotel years ago as a teenager, he had a crush on Frau Else. He seems determined to make her remember him, and tries hard to establish a rapport with her. She's generally distant with him, but as the book goes on they spend more and more time together, even spending nights full of passionate kissing. Her husband is dying, which seems to delight Udo on some level. I never really got a bead on Else's deal. She generally turns him down, but remains present and occasionally encouraging: does she harbor some deep-seated feelings for him that she suppresses? Is she overwhelmed by her husband's terminal illness and acting erratically? Or is she just put off by this deeply weird nerd, and trying to fulfill her basic duties as a hostess with as little awkwardness as possible?</p><p><b>MEGA SPOILERS </b><br /></p><p>There are two techniques Bolaño uses in his novels that I absolutely adore and keep me coming back for more: absence and ambiguity. He's possibly the best novelist I know at writing <i>around</i> a subject, pointedly leaving things left unsaid, or making someone's absence loom larger than their presence ever could. And he's also a master at forcing us to examine a subject while considering multiple overlapping and contradictory interpretations of what that subject is or means. Both of those techniques are on fine display here.</p><p>There are a lot of absences in this book, but one of the most striking is that of Frau Else's husband. Seemingly everybody other than the Germans knows him and talks with him and sees him, but the tourists never lay eyes on him. It's a bit of a surprise when, in the last few chapters of the book, Udo finally confronts him and has a conversation with him. And what a conversation! As Udo notes, it feels like they're talking past each other: they're using the same words, but seem to be referring to different concepts, each one baffled and vaguely frustrated by the other's inability to grasp what they're saying.</p><p>Another odd absence is one of description. After several play sessions, Quemado gifts Udo with some photocopies. This puts Udo into a very odd frame of mind, kind of passively-aggressively-hostile, and he goes out to bully the hotel watchman into giving him some push-pins and then attaches the photocopies to the wall. And yet... Udo doesn't describe just what those photocopies are! Are they photographs of the war? Newspapers? Game rules? Strategy articles? It's as if, by throwing a mini-tantrum in pinning the photocopies up, Udo can avoid having to actually look at them and consider what Quemado is trying to say through the gift.<br /></p><p>Quemado himself is probably the most mysterious figure in the novel. Conrad has a premonition early on that Quemado is the Devil. Frau Else's husband is very friendly with Quemado, but also fears him, and has pointed warnings for Udo about the terrible danger Udo faces in his relationship with Quemado: again, there are undertones of sexual violence (explicitly rejected, but poisoning the mood by even being mentioned), as well as bodily harm. Udo had somehow made the (accurate!) leap that the husband was consulting with Quemado on strategy, but it turns out that Quemado didn't need any help, and has the raw intelligence and drive to succeed at the game.</p><p>The last few chapters also bring in the specter of Naziism. Clarita asks Udo if he is a Nazi; he's surprised she would even ask, and denies it, saying something like "If anything, I'm an anti-Nazi." Which... that's an interesting and odd thing to say! Despite living inside Udo's head for the entire novel, I don't think we've ever really gotten any hint of his personal politics. He is enjoying playing the Nazi faction in the Third Reich, but this doesn't seem to be connected to nostalgia for the party or a desire that they had won. But I also can't think of any actions he has taken or thoughts he'd have that would qualify him as an Anti-Nazi. Really, he's mostly defined by a broadly malevolent misanthropy. It doesn't seem racialized, but he dislikes almost everybody. Anyways, I just think that's kind of interesting, given Bolaño's very specific and pointed polemics against far-right movements in his other writings, for him to raise that flag here and let it just sort of flap weakly in the air.</p><p><b>END SPOILERS</b></p><p>After finishing the book, I did a bit of light research, and learned a few relevant things. First, The Third Reich is <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1563/rise-and-decline-third-reich">a real game</a>! On the one hand that makes me slightly less impressed that Bolaño so accurately nailed the lingo and cadence of wargaming, since it's based on a real game; but I also think it's really cool that this literary novelist was secretly a super-nerd all along.</p><p>Secondly, like a lot of Bolaño novels this one was posthumously published. I'd assumed that it was a late manuscript of his that was eventually finished after his death. Apparently, though, this was the very first novel he ever wrote: it was written way back in 1989 and just never published. So, while there were several parts in the book where I thought "Ah, Roberto is once again doing that thing he likes to do", but no: this was the <i>first time</i> he did that thing! I think that makes me like and admire this novel even more, since he already had such a mastery of his prose and characterization.</p><p>But that factoid also confused me, since there's one chapter where Udo is wandering the street, and realizes that it's September 11 and everything is closed in remembrance. Naturally, I assumed that this was a reference to the 9/11 attacks in the US, and was a little surprised that a sleepy Spanish resort town would shut down to observe it. But anyways I've done some additional Googling, and learned that September 11 is the date that Barcelona fell, and is honored in Catalonia as a sort of anti-Independence day. Interesting!</p><p>Anyways, back to the actual book: As usual, I really loved this. I've read a couple of Bolaño novels that seem like remixes of other pieces: a short story that spins out into a novel, or the same event told from multiple perspectives, or familiar characters resurfacing at different stages of life. On the one hand, The Third Reich stands apart: its setting, characters and concerns seem wholly unique to anything else Bolaño has done (that I've read, at least!). On the other hand, it's a really powerful demonstration of his fantastic writing chops: creating a sense of a kind of heavy, sleepy, humid summer that saps away your dreams of productivity, conjuring up vaguely ominous presences that hover at the periphery of your vision, following along a mind that's obsessed and yet curiously reluctant to make eye contact with its obsession. I do hesitate a little to recommend it as a "first Bolaño book" mostly because the narrator can be so off-putting, but anyone who already enjoys this author will get a lot out of it.<br /></p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-75196903897477144932023-10-22T10:36:00.000-07:002023-10-22T10:36:08.492-07:00Baldur's Gate 3: Existence Precedes Essence<p>Before I forget, a major PSA: when searching for Baldur's Gate 3 information, I <i>highly</i> recommend going to <a href="http://bg3.wiki">bg3.wiki</a> . This is the community wiki for BG3, and in my opinion is highly superior to the commercial wikis and aggregator sites that crowd the first several pages of Google results. There's maybe a smidge less info on this one than the fextralife one, but also zero ads, no auto-generated repetitive crap ("This is an item. Items are a key mechanic of Baldur's Gate 3. Your character can collect many items in the course of their journey. Items are useful to have. Items may be used in combat or while exploring or traded for coins. The specific item you are looking at has a page on this wiki but absolutely no useful information whatsoever."), a clean UI and a nicely browseable structure. While the plot stuff was a bit thin at launch, it's been filling out nicely, and it's always been a great resource for reading about game mechanics, <a href="https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Classes">classes</a>, <a href="https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Skills">skills</a>, <a href="https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Ability_Scores">abilities</a>, and <a href="https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Die_Rolls">other </a><a href="https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Weapons">factual </a><a href="https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Alchemy">information</a>.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrjS9jSu40bhyphenhyphen4MQJP2MUu1UYADBc6E9AbKk5Iz2ryz1OUswlGjOloZMOmvZQBQs2A6NSknYkQG0TBtjfb24RYGI2fRh2TYh78fHDKuuZlvKNISwwDRBrmYKPJraxyrNGZb880yWkfLqQhhmbIr-U47X1NnGuxhmuk-78WOdtTs5Fn732zg/s2560/20230930150752_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrjS9jSu40bhyphenhyphen4MQJP2MUu1UYADBc6E9AbKk5Iz2ryz1OUswlGjOloZMOmvZQBQs2A6NSknYkQG0TBtjfb24RYGI2fRh2TYh78fHDKuuZlvKNISwwDRBrmYKPJraxyrNGZb880yWkfLqQhhmbIr-U47X1NnGuxhmuk-78WOdtTs5Fn732zg/w400-h225/20230930150752_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Baldur's Gate 3 has less-drastic transitions than the earlier BG or Divinity games did. In the original Baldur's Gate and its sequel, when you reached a certain point you would see a new slide for "Chapter 4" or whatever, and a narrator would intone the latest exposition while you looked at some nice imagery. Divinity: Original Sin 1 and 2 were divided into major Acts, with massive loading screens separating them. For BG3, there's a ton of online discussion about "Act 1", "Act 2" and "Act 3", but those terms don't appear anywhere within the game itself. Instead, there are sort of transitional mini-zones that occupy the space between the major portions of the game, and even after advancing forward you still have some time to retrace your steps to tie up loose ends or even kick off quests you may have missed.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHlmT49msH18Jpzj-rRzLL0n-vHaTULzAcr76WMqoihjzca8CfOUf0fnXx89EfWNQkU01UAaX08APEZwsdEt1gEDLUU7sfZyd_Rwfo6KtaOK9qFZEO_hkfaTCIUDrNwxcJ6hNGpdCKbEu8PJVNz89H5-9YmRjjdi24_TSEZqVrX_PDM0kDQ/s2560/20230930151122_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHlmT49msH18Jpzj-rRzLL0n-vHaTULzAcr76WMqoihjzca8CfOUf0fnXx89EfWNQkU01UAaX08APEZwsdEt1gEDLUU7sfZyd_Rwfo6KtaOK9qFZEO_hkfaTCIUDrNwxcJ6hNGpdCKbEu8PJVNz89H5-9YmRjjdi24_TSEZqVrX_PDM0kDQ/w400-h225/20230930151122_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>All that to say, I think I'm done with Act 2, and I <i>think</i> I'm in Act 3 now, but might be like in Act 2.5 or something. I'm sure all will become clearer later on.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSb8VVlpSi3r3cn7w-i3QgOMEATtilKQ9WS0GpIijo5dRGKQXjzEm407nsSpyuWaZRTs5MwTDjwcBuSOoptIqdNvC668qf_gzT4AqruFQ0XicXCRMufLQVpI236JUvvd_yiWQRAzBI7Cr4Dyb7qTotNpYETOdLI18NqdcD9lDb94AlvcPNQ/s2560/20231009182911_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSb8VVlpSi3r3cn7w-i3QgOMEATtilKQ9WS0GpIijo5dRGKQXjzEm407nsSpyuWaZRTs5MwTDjwcBuSOoptIqdNvC668qf_gzT4AqruFQ0XicXCRMufLQVpI236JUvvd_yiWQRAzBI7Cr4Dyb7qTotNpYETOdLI18NqdcD9lDb94AlvcPNQ/w400-h225/20231009182911_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Some random mechanical thoughts before starting to chat about characters and plot:</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7yeYsvMLESKs9m9BUcq85YphstTfAsdf9yIsnSrvCjr0ne1qJjNhX1xcGF2QHECRPqPrNLV6qca6tDqHDC5IVKA31Q6yhPISjTe8CjcnscPOJF9VHUS7kFSB2E6dTm6KAUKQstoWybRfAake3g6TR_8o0Mb5Faz1iRsUPJL5rqtRflXiDQ/s2560/20231009133748_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7yeYsvMLESKs9m9BUcq85YphstTfAsdf9yIsnSrvCjr0ne1qJjNhX1xcGF2QHECRPqPrNLV6qca6tDqHDC5IVKA31Q6yhPISjTe8CjcnscPOJF9VHUS7kFSB2E6dTm6KAUKQstoWybRfAake3g6TR_8o0Mb5Faz1iRsUPJL5rqtRflXiDQ/w400-h225/20231009133748_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I would be pretty tempted to roll a Monk for a future play-through. There's a lot of cool equipment that seems to be tailored for monks, particularly unarmed combat, and none of the companions can really use it. (Though I suppose Karlach might be a good candidate to respec or dual as a monk.)</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguO5cI6e2noAt44MWWNBeNvTyWsu1v_KvHPW03Xm14CvUGrNgR8KnEFNx6Cq7wE5B8HKbWVwaKclbS8m0tNqnNRCkk3jvnppNPsNekwCpWUNZWRTrBreE4rbt8orjQq-sa4SGIoAe72W0C4Z_jKVFj2KkK-hLDO25NlICllfsr9-IqTmjtlA/s2560/20230929182113_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguO5cI6e2noAt44MWWNBeNvTyWsu1v_KvHPW03Xm14CvUGrNgR8KnEFNx6Cq7wE5B8HKbWVwaKclbS8m0tNqnNRCkk3jvnppNPsNekwCpWUNZWRTrBreE4rbt8orjQq-sa4SGIoAe72W0C4Z_jKVFj2KkK-hLDO25NlICllfsr9-IqTmjtlA/w400-h225/20230929182113_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /><p></p><p>Similarly, I wish I was playing a proper thief/rogue in this game. My PC Bard handles locks and traps just fine, and I don't really want Astarion in my party, but there is a lot of really cool gear that interacts with stealth in an interesting way. Similarly, there are some really cool mechanics that trigger directly off of shadows and light, which I haven't seen much of before. </p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxWfCYPnmbgNGq0SoTE8aFXDlaaKycYQywn931K9DLTkyQpGlRrDa8BliYLuZsyNdoADc-9CxMcDjjm8lBHdDjq5fMZeLe2kXIgmKpv6A7tqjkTFgYz_cPKHvcaAWql6SfQ2l0MObP8Cf_KALJIkS83rvyZFXYw9HOfcwnr_G2C7j3cC-hQ/s2560/20230930141132_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxWfCYPnmbgNGq0SoTE8aFXDlaaKycYQywn931K9DLTkyQpGlRrDa8BliYLuZsyNdoADc-9CxMcDjjm8lBHdDjq5fMZeLe2kXIgmKpv6A7tqjkTFgYz_cPKHvcaAWql6SfQ2l0MObP8Cf_KALJIkS83rvyZFXYw9HOfcwnr_G2C7j3cC-hQ/w400-h225/20230930141132_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I've been thinking of light a lot, in large part due to some Act 2 stuff. In my limited tabletop D&D experience, light is pretty important: a DM will often try to keep track of who's carrying a torch, what characters can naturally see in the dark, etc. In CRPGs, these visual mechanics are usually implemented but very unimportant: you can just switch to a character with night-vision and you, as the player, can see everything fine, even if the humans in your party are theoretically blind. Anyways, BG3 is one of the only games I've played that gets back at this classic D&D focus on light and dark, in a way that works pretty well mechanically and is compelling thematically.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLkxLwsgV-blq_VEf668EJJpNe6-4OGONYn1L3ETMs3f9nuuCQs4AYozIYEEZW_axObt2oAHIUd4NcZy0YYKHx93FUKMHvFdHZItBBeTPYduF6qmpfm-ltPaV5uF8sv4e-S1Uv2UVpE8dUr5cdtkVT7mtMgN7uqcnYF9HDjaDQ5-9Dds2Dg/s2560/20230927202056_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLkxLwsgV-blq_VEf668EJJpNe6-4OGONYn1L3ETMs3f9nuuCQs4AYozIYEEZW_axObt2oAHIUd4NcZy0YYKHx93FUKMHvFdHZItBBeTPYduF6qmpfm-ltPaV5uF8sv4e-S1Uv2UVpE8dUr5cdtkVT7mtMgN7uqcnYF9HDjaDQ5-9Dds2Dg/w400-h225/20230927202056_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I'm playing as a Bard, which plays <i>very</i> differently in BG3 than in BG1/BG2. In the
earlier games they tended to be more passive, hanging in the very far
back and singing songs to buff the rest of the (6-person party);
occasionally you would use a wand to shoot fireballs or something. In
BG3, I have a chunk of pretty good arcane magic: I've been leaning towards loading up on Rituals that help with gameplay outside of combat, but as I reach higher levels I'm getting more spells that are good in-combat as well. I'm also a pretty decent archer, although at 1 attack per round I'm way less effective than dedicated fighters; but, much like the D:OS games, special arrows can be extremely tactically useful, like knocking someone back over a ledge, blowing up an explosive barrel, dispelling an effect, healing someone, teleporting somewhere, etc. Also, in BG1/2 bards could only Pick Pockets, but in BG3 you can pick locks, stealth and disarm traps, making you a full-on thief replacement.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCMX4B17w1U12I13edgr-Zpg9p5VLqiQtpKIdR7Kh15wfilB-0AxN2LB5ltb0ifyrkWc9g4ZkgfuE48mGqeDIFmZVDToFbnW1XYOtVWFngdJLI4RLpymohJ_T-z1cHVNJ51ZNKJH-Poeec0SRyJCFASl4aYHd6YaGsRN8H56DW2ovqva8KQ/s2560/20231001162132_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCMX4B17w1U12I13edgr-Zpg9p5VLqiQtpKIdR7Kh15wfilB-0AxN2LB5ltb0ifyrkWc9g4ZkgfuE48mGqeDIFmZVDToFbnW1XYOtVWFngdJLI4RLpymohJ_T-z1cHVNJ51ZNKJH-Poeec0SRyJCFASl4aYHd6YaGsRN8H56DW2ovqva8KQ/w400-h225/20231001162132_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I almost never use Bardic Inspiration, the most bard-like ability of the class, which buffs a companion. Instead, I almost exclusively use Cutting Words, a College of Lore-specific Reaction. This uses a BI charge, and allows you to apply a D6 or D8 malus to any enemy's roll. So, if they would have hit someone, you can use CW to make them miss instead; if they would have saved against a spell, you can use CW to make them take the effect. This is a <i>crazy</i> good ability, more than making up for the slight squishy feeling of my actual combat actions.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGU1sV03CsVOy2jiiI2TJoHfeeG3NsDqpAB1PojZps0RshKmk6MEr9-aqKh9b0nSSI1wy7ne5v5_jT-A_3zhq_4V0FBh6fj75VhToE8DUioV-BzmCpefUHulha0IO68wNdsICCWdRdss1kYLfJ9py1ym9E39uS5GYsRfvvsy6g5K-TWkukA/s2560/20231009153959_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGU1sV03CsVOy2jiiI2TJoHfeeG3NsDqpAB1PojZps0RshKmk6MEr9-aqKh9b0nSSI1wy7ne5v5_jT-A_3zhq_4V0FBh6fj75VhToE8DUioV-BzmCpefUHulha0IO68wNdsICCWdRdss1kYLfJ9py1ym9E39uS5GYsRfvvsy6g5K-TWkukA/w400-h225/20231009153959_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I'm enjoying the game a <i>lot</i> more since I stopped trying to pick up every piece of trash to vendor later. There's some decent stuff to buy, but as of the end of Act 2 no real money sinks and I have way more gold than I know what to do with.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaKuTbzyf_HMp21Dz7FFUV8gCoqpR5jIDu-kUKTnKSqwpwTl95EswqmT25lxT9E83qjCwOEgkFhhFor-0Gi0hCCy356w3wteYFtHgt2KiQMiBxiCDJNTl7rtsHTToSA_BsEoStCPuhryUL2OgVqTQsoEEQLgk1-G2WaijJ6ks7-JeJEQuKw/s2560/20231009154405_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaKuTbzyf_HMp21Dz7FFUV8gCoqpR5jIDu-kUKTnKSqwpwTl95EswqmT25lxT9E83qjCwOEgkFhhFor-0Gi0hCCy356w3wteYFtHgt2KiQMiBxiCDJNTl7rtsHTToSA_BsEoStCPuhryUL2OgVqTQsoEEQLgk1-G2WaijJ6ks7-JeJEQuKw/w400-h225/20231009154405_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>There's definitely not a pacifist route through the game, but I've been pleasantly surprised by just how many boss-type encounters you can complete just through dialogue. It's pretty cool!</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCqpRqz49mehNKvbIssDO0LwCCyJB7ElDSH_D1OxOM34frmlq8w-wl2fqav3cUTQuPaKFx8HW_LoEBCxKIXmFCYwrIz5F0w7yTA7GUzy-lAYFlq_6PhbSS1t3hbLsB3Nc_HEE6CH35ooyursXzBd-VE1zO4JJ7WEWXb5e-LO8AX1Ubz9vKw/s2560/20231003045028_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCqpRqz49mehNKvbIssDO0LwCCyJB7ElDSH_D1OxOM34frmlq8w-wl2fqav3cUTQuPaKFx8HW_LoEBCxKIXmFCYwrIz5F0w7yTA7GUzy-lAYFlq_6PhbSS1t3hbLsB3Nc_HEE6CH35ooyursXzBd-VE1zO4JJ7WEWXb5e-LO8AX1Ubz9vKw/w400-h225/20231003045028_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>For the most part, it's best to handle dead companions by paying Withers to raise them. Revivify scrolls are more expensive; you can almost always go back to camp between combat encounters, and if you revive someone mid-combat, they raise with 1 HP and will almost certainly die again. Late in the game your clerics can learn Resurrect, but that slot is usually better spent on offense, buffing or a utility spell. But anyways, it is worth carrying a couple of scrolls, because sometimes you'll be stuck in an area without fast-travel or Camp access, and Revivify will keep you from needing to carry the deceased's hundred pounds of gear back to safety.</p><p><b>MINI SPOILERS</b></p><p>One of my few complaints about the game so far has had to do with the companions, or more specifically, that they seem to skew evil: other than Gale, most folks you can recruit seem to fall squarely into the "Evil" camp. After playing much further into the game, I have a much better idea of what Larian is going for here, and am really enjoying it.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZQjLyBmFS1Kxf8P2H0yA4g-dYhTtih4USTWv7nmyjbrUgpwqcPgAedAZ659R5UACxxgj_xkSsXe3kdWrRYQtb4ESJtLaR6gBS-ez1vDPGjj7k2iReFvuSq9oo6x5t0vd8DjcpJAT5D9MWHOYEG558iDZP4DlFwNdU148KdTdTMdmW_S3Tw/s2560/20230927210554_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZQjLyBmFS1Kxf8P2H0yA4g-dYhTtih4USTWv7nmyjbrUgpwqcPgAedAZ659R5UACxxgj_xkSsXe3kdWrRYQtb4ESJtLaR6gBS-ez1vDPGjj7k2iReFvuSq9oo6x5t0vd8DjcpJAT5D9MWHOYEG558iDZP4DlFwNdU148KdTdTMdmW_S3Tw/w400-h225/20230927210554_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>First off, there are characters like Karlach who just weren't a big presence in Early Access. She's great. One of those characters who <i>looks</i> evil: a literal devil! With piercings!!! But she's big-hearted, loyal, brave, has a good sense of humor, just a delight to be around.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPDL9oBkJz9fYdQwes9CnBbiqAevdPiQN-Jhrb0blu5RUEkmLAV0vcSpuh-uOZXxBwFJ2fQbyDhD3-Tp4xW93PgakeUXoz9UpcsL-PF8T-AwXBygEye5E_YIlj-xtZDklkQlihy8JYsRjOmzoFzTt5W52FkXxFmWUXq8vBKNiqegVYpJo7w/s2560/20231009181952_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPDL9oBkJz9fYdQwes9CnBbiqAevdPiQN-Jhrb0blu5RUEkmLAV0vcSpuh-uOZXxBwFJ2fQbyDhD3-Tp4xW93PgakeUXoz9UpcsL-PF8T-AwXBygEye5E_YIlj-xtZDklkQlihy8JYsRjOmzoFzTt5W52FkXxFmWUXq8vBKNiqegVYpJo7w/w400-h225/20231009181952_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>More impressively, though, the "evil" companions are "evil" when you meet them, but don't necessarily stay that way! At least for two of the companions who I've been traveling with, there's a great, long, slow-burn effect where, based on your actions and choices and conversation, they may actually start to question some of their beliefs and rethink their self-conception. Which, honestly, is <i>way</i> more compelling than "This person is evil all the time, now and always!" or "This person is good all the time, now and always!"</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3NF7lRBljpj8FAbI3sfzHxvS4k4-s4iTFfQ4WIMIGBfmI9r3LtJgS7nxX3I-_-8QgDnmP5-Otb_31HgmKZjGqIDFymFJXmjY7HJcLu7MBCSsh8XNjo98b3N3_UBvu_GgNzI9iMq4QW3fIhw9JboX-unRYgJOQ8pATZKpBymeudVhCSnivg/s2560/20230927210258_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3NF7lRBljpj8FAbI3sfzHxvS4k4-s4iTFfQ4WIMIGBfmI9r3LtJgS7nxX3I-_-8QgDnmP5-Otb_31HgmKZjGqIDFymFJXmjY7HJcLu7MBCSsh8XNjo98b3N3_UBvu_GgNzI9iMq4QW3fIhw9JboX-unRYgJOQ8pATZKpBymeudVhCSnivg/w400-h225/20230927210258_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Which, now that I'm writing that out, is not <i>totally</i> unprecedented. There are some games with shifts in the other direction, like Alistair potentially "hardening" in Dragon Age: Origins, or Leliana turning into the murderpope in Dragon Age: Inquisition. And one of the best arcs in Baldur's Gate 2 is Viconia undergoing a similar evil-to-much-less-evil transition through the course of a romance. So I'm not totally sure why I was so convinced that we were "stuck" with these "evil" characters in BG3. Anyways, it's been a real delight to discover that these people get their own meaningful arcs, and aren't just there to help define and guide the player character.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ovZPP0J4GQQblbyz7QqGcey_vZdgKRc8ZXoDQ9pyFUSOHEpkPBJBNqZJk6bweDVafm1ont5kY0lAU-9_yG8foUfVaoN1_rhvTxJQoTKIVXURt5lASxMLO2hwCaS0INgutk3k3vMxlLeyDm81y4pa40XfyhHiT6m6NChdg_D_VqxmS8Ihaw/s2560/20230930150836_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ovZPP0J4GQQblbyz7QqGcey_vZdgKRc8ZXoDQ9pyFUSOHEpkPBJBNqZJk6bweDVafm1ont5kY0lAU-9_yG8foUfVaoN1_rhvTxJQoTKIVXURt5lASxMLO2hwCaS0INgutk3k3vMxlLeyDm81y4pa40XfyhHiT6m6NChdg_D_VqxmS8Ihaw/w400-h225/20230930150836_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I'm not sure if <b>everybody</b> follows this description - it would be funny if, say, Astarion remains a cheekily selfish bastard no matter what - but as long as at least some do, I think that's a sign of A Good Game.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGG-AD1QEXuWZVlvPk1l-rNdR8-sEJRLWocpqiIPnP-IYloRzjcum-KTcjG5RpmTU-hpKNXjD29J1Hfr-Nm9l4sCbrFOraYLJ28f8QD-63WG7InkZI1pWsipbPiZhYKc39n6aGQoDQB77u2XiobpQUOdR9ELbKbJfHFclPeVcI_CrlMwAJ7w/s2560/20230930150646_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGG-AD1QEXuWZVlvPk1l-rNdR8-sEJRLWocpqiIPnP-IYloRzjcum-KTcjG5RpmTU-hpKNXjD29J1Hfr-Nm9l4sCbrFOraYLJ28f8QD-63WG7InkZI1pWsipbPiZhYKc39n6aGQoDQB77u2XiobpQUOdR9ELbKbJfHFclPeVcI_CrlMwAJ7w/w400-h225/20230930150646_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>While on the topic, I'm also deeply loving how BG3 has completely removed the traditional two-axis alignment system from the game UI. I don't play D&D 5E, but from what I understand alignments are now considered optional, and I personally find it very liberating to describe characters rather than sort them.</p><p><b>MEGA SPOILERS</b></p><p>Writing a bit about my own journey thus far:</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNh9kX_bwgC5Nv5GGB9WaO7gqFlWymOr27BJfAdI0gitu6HoKhzWTHTnDVSyi3R2L-l8r6_mUmdXNO0YATWx8H4TIa99eWEKlB0nn8B9PPVb_YPfYQUWOsPp272UaXx5APkPqiz-oMCLXAfTiH2zqD8aoKnzsWaxbO52nnSO5HReCpmckHg/s2560/20230929181852_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNh9kX_bwgC5Nv5GGB9WaO7gqFlWymOr27BJfAdI0gitu6HoKhzWTHTnDVSyi3R2L-l8r6_mUmdXNO0YATWx8H4TIa99eWEKlB0nn8B9PPVb_YPfYQUWOsPp272UaXx5APkPqiz-oMCLXAfTiH2zqD8aoKnzsWaxbO52nnSO5HReCpmckHg/w400-h225/20230929181852_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>My "Tav" is a Drow Bard named Triel. I thought I came up with the name, but apparently it's also the name of a city in Forgotten Realms, whoops. It was funny and mildly disorienting the first time it popped up in a book. I'm curious if I'd read that name before and buried it in my mind or if it's just a coincidence.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWABIgXnBEReErw8i5g33jw0woBSY32bfA5Jor9JKM2cB__QrjLVp4BQBb1u04G8aCgwlcU_vHzwW-6UhlKQtg1-uR5lBPOPL4b50wvi_BIBcV_VkdRrBhmGsO5pZlTnLPdOGLQnHoPFurdBfpq9l9vFLLhuqK0fFcO8g24taRGsyLkN2pQ/s2560/20231005050941_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWABIgXnBEReErw8i5g33jw0woBSY32bfA5Jor9JKM2cB__QrjLVp4BQBb1u04G8aCgwlcU_vHzwW-6UhlKQtg1-uR5lBPOPL4b50wvi_BIBcV_VkdRrBhmGsO5pZlTnLPdOGLQnHoPFurdBfpq9l9vFLLhuqK0fFcO8g24taRGsyLkN2pQ/w400-h225/20231005050941_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Triel has reluctantly embraced at least some of her tadpole powers, picking up some handy passives but avoiding over psionic abilities. She has been resolutely on the side of good, defending the Tiefling refugees against the druids and then defending the grove against the goblins (by slaughtering all the goblins). For the most part she tries to use diplomacy to advance her goals; when that fails, she'll switch to subterfuge; what that fails, murder.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLzdWZ1Hk6mlgQGzeOYQCYAAozVVYog9EKG0JHEJfj3AfFdua1TQA0mR8-nwCn5YmKnVfvIsWQ7eQfs9vGcEnU-ZRXGQU0oO02bFKeoZyT409Q4X_XPp8-Jx-DLljzgMDrILn0WEel0jU94-yH4OQhcJN_Mck48QH0HBfTis3qitfjV2Vtg/s2560/20230922171807_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLzdWZ1Hk6mlgQGzeOYQCYAAozVVYog9EKG0JHEJfj3AfFdua1TQA0mR8-nwCn5YmKnVfvIsWQ7eQfs9vGcEnU-ZRXGQU0oO02bFKeoZyT409Q4X_XPp8-Jx-DLljzgMDrILn0WEel0jU94-yH4OQhcJN_Mck48QH0HBfTis3qitfjV2Vtg/w400-h225/20230922171807_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It's been a pretty completionist playthrough so far. I've probably missed some companion-exclusive things since I tend to travel with the same core group, but for the most part I've done everything to pop up in my journal. The major exception was quietly failing a bunch of kidnapping-related quests in Act 2 due to doing some stuff in the wrong order.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gPlqYNl3jXhpLHCcpBol1Bxk2HsE8hYDW7ngS427vD_XkfDyCDLr2TE6rR8-uSL4A3IU3P_o7s9ISgsVjxsXxmYMbYK8AN_Yb7bysqDK8Ca0GE6LmVOX52IUvod8HvO16QZy4xMO13EYp7_uzbIqtIVnPQECLer0Gfb8VMvpkg0njnkF_Q/s2560/20230921162040_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gPlqYNl3jXhpLHCcpBol1Bxk2HsE8hYDW7ngS427vD_XkfDyCDLr2TE6rR8-uSL4A3IU3P_o7s9ISgsVjxsXxmYMbYK8AN_Yb7bysqDK8Ca0GE6LmVOX52IUvod8HvO16QZy4xMO13EYp7_uzbIqtIVnPQECLer0Gfb8VMvpkg0njnkF_Q/w400-h225/20230921162040_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>My party has shifted a bit. Early on I was the probably-canon group of Shadowheart, Lae'zel and Gale. I <b>really</b> liked Karlach, but at that time was kinda romancing both Shadowheart and Lae'zel, so I reluctantly swapped out Gale. The big hurt there was losing access to a bunch of AOE damage spells, which are game-changing on fights with large numbers of small enemies. Still, this isn't a crazy-hard game, and I've had decently-optimized builds, so the overall loadout has still been working fine.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHc7H-FVAWnFwzZudYIYvY7RfsRf54EyRMka-UZNND2Vjoxaw5l0XtWrEDQn65IiH6wIpTByhWfNMuZaJmCaU3ehqcbaV6_BqsJVsK90BXlCF-4qVuKFetI73jxnlMcP7KyM8PWulp741Iey23P8_47aiJ1rlBc1NkZGVnRuC5RoKNVNQSEQ/s2560/20230924141700_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHc7H-FVAWnFwzZudYIYvY7RfsRf54EyRMka-UZNND2Vjoxaw5l0XtWrEDQn65IiH6wIpTByhWfNMuZaJmCaU3ehqcbaV6_BqsJVsK90BXlCF-4qVuKFetI73jxnlMcP7KyM8PWulp741Iey23P8_47aiJ1rlBc1NkZGVnRuC5RoKNVNQSEQ/w400-h225/20230924141700_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I was kind of trying to romance three ladies all at once, but "locked in" with Lae'zel and have been rolling forward with it. It's a cool romance; she is <i>very</i> different from Morrigan, but the arc of this romance reminds me a little of that one, starting off as a purely physical connection but gradually growing closer together emotionally. That said, Lae'zel is literally alien, and I like how she retains a bit of strangeness throughout, instead of just transforming into a pliant waifu. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXpb0vj0AwFuZBIN8gABmFNbp6TX73WXlWb2aqWW_ICJuCSgoxkaOk6jRMe8O62O1ZxsmD5Ev4nR5B7tJCep7Px5p14cQp891Smbio14HG7NRIAoUKpIFU99-Nzk8gbkQVFnmFzI98cfWMTZoSrJCc-5DkDYpnGxHjd7IbP_pexETOckpIQ/s2560/20230927213544_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXpb0vj0AwFuZBIN8gABmFNbp6TX73WXlWb2aqWW_ICJuCSgoxkaOk6jRMe8O62O1ZxsmD5Ev4nR5B7tJCep7Px5p14cQp891Smbio14HG7NRIAoUKpIFU99-Nzk8gbkQVFnmFzI98cfWMTZoSrJCc-5DkDYpnGxHjd7IbP_pexETOckpIQ/w400-h225/20230927213544_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>In Act 2, I saved the Last Light Inn, reloading after Isobel got snatched during the fight. I raced to get the faerie protection from darkness, then went back east and cleared out all of the wilderness outside the town.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhTnVBC_MtXq0Ca_78bURDyWAAnAQKoa6x5IgPc4qY9RuKBYcy4Y9hlqNBbM1ALGLvBcPUMXGpKDBNMWYlH03r8y8eVWCG6apVtQO0aYr-QmsPmfth_F736QXnKKHAE8sShxIRkPevwuuIdIZrYHCtzxgA9vDfFCCoCk0tQB7iNa5TDVAGg/s2560/20230921163615_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhTnVBC_MtXq0Ca_78bURDyWAAnAQKoa6x5IgPc4qY9RuKBYcy4Y9hlqNBbM1ALGLvBcPUMXGpKDBNMWYlH03r8y8eVWCG6apVtQO0aYr-QmsPmfth_F736QXnKKHAE8sShxIRkPevwuuIdIZrYHCtzxgA9vDfFCCoCk0tQB7iNa5TDVAGg/w400-h225/20230921163615_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Once in town, I followed a mostly pacifist route through the Thorm children, using my bard's superior Persuasion and Deception to defeat them. I could have squeezed out some more XP by initiating fights against their followers, but, eh.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMz3fAKKTOYAfhVUau9kZYsAwfMjN8EUBB-ELjL2u9CM-UhGxuDL6PVfQHwHCxhYAGqVe75aYBm5TVLM6g9uFNFxqj5Tb1S5vfqiv7n5d7sR_scX_ib9EBcm7DSnc_sE03leMBptIccrq73RB-VI9cew2dZNjlOFTgSneWnq_TnLRnWyn7w/s2560/20230923180946_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMz3fAKKTOYAfhVUau9kZYsAwfMjN8EUBB-ELjL2u9CM-UhGxuDL6PVfQHwHCxhYAGqVe75aYBm5TVLM6g9uFNFxqj5Tb1S5vfqiv7n5d7sR_scX_ib9EBcm7DSnc_sE03leMBptIccrq73RB-VI9cew2dZNjlOFTgSneWnq_TnLRnWyn7w/w400-h225/20230923180946_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>My big mistake in Act 2 was clearing the Gauntlet of Shar prior to visiting Moonrise Tower. The game does helpfully display a warning popup window when you're about to progress things, but I had thought that it only referred to the actual Gauntlet of Shar area, not the entire Shadow-Cursed Lands, and thought the only thing I was giving up was a chance to fight Balthazar in the crypt. After completing the very challenging Balthazar fight and completing some very risky die-rolls to persuade Shadowheart to renounce Shar, I noticed that half of my quests involving Moonrise Tower had failed, but was not willing to redo all that gameplay.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0YfBt2OVbspd55UeqftbnkrGhjcR89GRv5Xo__ytD1juPTmHJ0AbmacuMCVJ-p9xWGEhleRCXzQaajko_-F0JCVLiGsD3u5oL6eDMbiVvY1DykuNc5J55aa7F-yLLAQ0RxN7bxdW5z8xC7Wl2ytyXYS87U1nHAILKGUbITjlUYkuuqomCQ/s2560/20230930151036_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0YfBt2OVbspd55UeqftbnkrGhjcR89GRv5Xo__ytD1juPTmHJ0AbmacuMCVJ-p9xWGEhleRCXzQaajko_-F0JCVLiGsD3u5oL6eDMbiVvY1DykuNc5J55aa7F-yLLAQ0RxN7bxdW5z8xC7Wl2ytyXYS87U1nHAILKGUbITjlUYkuuqomCQ/w400-h225/20230930151036_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>As a side-note: I alluded to this above, but I <i>love</i> the arc Shadowheart has so far in this game, it's so darn well-written and earned. I honestly felt a little choked-up and emotional during this section, which also leads into the beautiful and heartwarming reunion of Nightsong and Isobel, which in turn adds another big layer of pathos to Ketheric Thorm's story.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONcmEsPAM1DfbKYJeVPtyyk6PSKAK4dQKKm3ZzWaeOA_svmw1fZPbD8oD4L2M7RSsHO2ZiFawJhFBchNhs24gNq4GX_jrwbPFJesX03lczFueJ8I6m0AuyaTm5AJEMvYoudVQ-r4Dzvl7amc8ojMCJVR5NO1-V8wHMEZbXo0XFKlprmUk5A/s2560/20231009154319_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONcmEsPAM1DfbKYJeVPtyyk6PSKAK4dQKKm3ZzWaeOA_svmw1fZPbD8oD4L2M7RSsHO2ZiFawJhFBchNhs24gNq4GX_jrwbPFJesX03lczFueJ8I6m0AuyaTm5AJEMvYoudVQ-r4Dzvl7amc8ojMCJVR5NO1-V8wHMEZbXo0XFKlprmUk5A/w400-h225/20231009154319_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>In Moonrise Tower, I was able to briefly trick a guard outside, but was forced into combat as soon as I entered the basement. I gradually cleared the tower from the bottom to the top, fighting alongside Jaheira with her Harpers and the Flaming Fist. That's another fight I reloaded a couple of times, mostly because it triggered when I was in a very awkward position and was playing out in real-time to the detriment of my allies while I was running around the exterior looking for a way in. The fight itself was crazy fun, though, with tons of bodies on the battlefield, great use of elevation and terrain: a bunch of archers were stationed on the rafters, so Lae'zel used her Athletic Jump to <i>boing</i> up there, then her Battlemaster Pushing Attack to knock them down and make them go "splat".</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0dX5jx4lBxFIs5JaRpPt4wqedHcEZW-gP1Me55nmAN5budNdU4jklIHJFD9R8H8SbI7qx-zdZIAmEwGITIAsiXz5j1n5eDjLGDFRiCQPg9PTmYJDvwwD_ZJP7cA8cfWXVtQpeBM10mCzT-Zu1Q3v4x_dmFHEYMTrQp_eTd8d0ILa8eAwajQ/s2560/20231003045013_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0dX5jx4lBxFIs5JaRpPt4wqedHcEZW-gP1Me55nmAN5budNdU4jklIHJFD9R8H8SbI7qx-zdZIAmEwGITIAsiXz5j1n5eDjLGDFRiCQPg9PTmYJDvwwD_ZJP7cA8cfWXVtQpeBM10mCzT-Zu1Q3v4x_dmFHEYMTrQp_eTd8d0ILa8eAwajQ/w400-h225/20231003045013_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Fighting alongside Jaheira was so much fun. That character gets some grief from the BG community and isn't as universally beloved as others like Minsc and Imoen, but I think she's great, and it felt so fun to fight by her side again. It's a new voice actress performing her, but it's a convincing likeness, and I think the writers did a great job at her character: it's recognizably her, with her fiery spirit and stubbornness and slightly haughty sheen, but at the same time tempered through two centuries of additional living, more experiences giving her a bit more patience and flexibility.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDFYe8wIe4gQnMd2kVmhv2ejR2CjMIX2P31Lemp69DD5tsFtUhxCEcGjRfJSPSMZ4ayDBxVOZ6UmxmUu153uW7Gk78fJfysY-vcvHE9I_1L0qfdzmEprtDW2A7LP0yfzlZKNtYBp2kaqSO0XjumdoaEu3fwTSq4B_GJcUtym4pED0OS_jHg/s2560/20231001160749_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDFYe8wIe4gQnMd2kVmhv2ejR2CjMIX2P31Lemp69DD5tsFtUhxCEcGjRfJSPSMZ4ayDBxVOZ6UmxmUu153uW7Gk78fJfysY-vcvHE9I_1L0qfdzmEprtDW2A7LP0yfzlZKNtYBp2kaqSO0XjumdoaEu3fwTSq4B_GJcUtym4pED0OS_jHg/w400-h225/20231001160749_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>For the assault on Moonrise, I brought along Wyll and Halsin, because they had mentioned specific reasons for wanting to be there. Wyll was a pretty good choice; you never see his dad the Duke, which was a bummer, but he does get a good long scene with the devil that advances his story. Halsin was honestly kind of a bust though, it sounded like he had some major unfinished business with Ketheric, but they don't have any meaningful dialogue together. There's some minor chatter between Halsin and Jaheira, but basically just "Oh, I've heard of you!" "Oh, that's cool, glad to finally meet you." After finishing this section, I realized that I <i>should</i> have brought Gale: I hadn't realized that we would actually come face-to-face with the Absolute in this section. Oh, well!</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwD7fOBtzEBYDPzJ9aAaK7ufempj9bchV8gZ1Y7YRN45AMpeaDZ4f7w2fRskJBiYMyDzpCpE57fppOBFvzWPx7PCVLUYzoPxx-EopRAhS7A3Cxc8-Kg8z4LT-cIJi0lI4PcRJTntKmGXgYGvsS5mvOTpUzSyL2B81TT9hZhyyoKaO-CYHTPA/s2560/20231005042325_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwD7fOBtzEBYDPzJ9aAaK7ufempj9bchV8gZ1Y7YRN45AMpeaDZ4f7w2fRskJBiYMyDzpCpE57fppOBFvzWPx7PCVLUYzoPxx-EopRAhS7A3Cxc8-Kg8z4LT-cIJi0lI4PcRJTntKmGXgYGvsS5mvOTpUzSyL2B81TT9hZhyyoKaO-CYHTPA/w400-h225/20231005042325_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Like I said before, I just started Act 3. Between starting this post and now, I did the bit inside the Astral Prism with the big reveal about who the Dream Visitor is. It's a pretty cool plot; I'd been wondering if the Dream Visitor was an Illithid, but hadn't predicted the specific background and connections between the Gith and Ilithid and all that. I initially tried to turn down the mega-tadpole with a... I think Insight? Or maybe Wisdom throw; but failed that, even with burning all 4 Inspiration points, so I reloaded and just squashed it. That said: I really, really love the mechanical impacts of this choice. From what I can see and the little I've read online, there's absolutely no mechanical reason <i>not</i> to take the tadpole: it unlocks a bunch of really cool new abilities, and doesn't force you into any particular endings. But there's still the choice to turn it down, following a harder path because you think it's the right thing to do. I absolutely adore these sorts of asymmetrical choice in video games, where it's an actual sacrifice to do the "right" thing, and not just two different labels for equivalent outcomes.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbjtyhZxRwtRmhB22zitUmxv8p3QqZlHRUmGzAtFbCqwi59H5afdsqEqmO3yP_fw_q5YbKf9HrpcXIvk9fN4PVk77mo2vc16MWoVY34JmA9NbHDXQCB3uAaOlVPb1j_kv1z8pKu3EaX6444_AW3RcnKIWm2AXJjCbfCxAvS4YAeQ0t9OT8A/s2560/20231009154159_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbjtyhZxRwtRmhB22zitUmxv8p3QqZlHRUmGzAtFbCqwi59H5afdsqEqmO3yP_fw_q5YbKf9HrpcXIvk9fN4PVk77mo2vc16MWoVY34JmA9NbHDXQCB3uAaOlVPb1j_kv1z8pKu3EaX6444_AW3RcnKIWm2AXJjCbfCxAvS4YAeQ0t9OT8A/w400-h225/20231009154159_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Also, I really dig Shadowheart's new hair!</p><p><b>END SPOILERS</b></p><p>Steam says that I'm about 100 hours into the game, but it's hard to know for sure. I think that includes my Early Access playthrough three (!) years ago, and also a lot of time that I've left the game up and running while I'm away doing something else. In any case, I <i>assume</i> that I'm about 2/3 of the way through. Feeling really stoked to finally get to Baldur's Gate and see how things wrap up!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFf-TIqkV5ZAYPUc7Hc-JTQeq0GGIROYxpcgXCh4kbVAcMmPZyDfD2OZVwJ4gS9_ryBhE_sOmR-jeFgazKBpSDWk_wwUw8NIvAecEabN5qfuz0vr5w_XhuYUsbrdKztmpC08ziYuI1Lxv0lkbaqLy0y49q9ehyphenhyphenYiiGxchPg79dhOAf-ozVaw/s2560/20231005050751_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFf-TIqkV5ZAYPUc7Hc-JTQeq0GGIROYxpcgXCh4kbVAcMmPZyDfD2OZVwJ4gS9_ryBhE_sOmR-jeFgazKBpSDWk_wwUw8NIvAecEabN5qfuz0vr5w_XhuYUsbrdKztmpC08ziYuI1Lxv0lkbaqLy0y49q9ehyphenhyphenYiiGxchPg79dhOAf-ozVaw/w400-h225/20231005050751_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-41589957124386319452023-09-25T21:06:00.002-07:002023-09-25T21:06:18.823-07:00BG3<p>I've recently entered Act 2 of Baldur's Gate 3, so I think this is a decent time for another quick check-in! This post will mostly be focused on my impressions of the mechanics and gameplay of the game, I'll probably get more into the plot and characters in a later post.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0Nz8gKZuVMRZIeJJLvbi5E4wghVscC1tlX_fGTIoMJB-Oah6eVXMA0M07nUJ91tBo56L282u9ZFwwomvk9HQfiAPt0aXUX6ZMsDDesYSP3Tkx9CMMWCkSDEgSfH3Z-ZS58FaPWk8C67J1JCU0l8qL67tBD2obWwG_oAO9X7CgoPXEGEtTQ/s2560/20230904104913_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0Nz8gKZuVMRZIeJJLvbi5E4wghVscC1tlX_fGTIoMJB-Oah6eVXMA0M07nUJ91tBo56L282u9ZFwwomvk9HQfiAPt0aXUX6ZMsDDesYSP3Tkx9CMMWCkSDEgSfH3Z-ZS58FaPWk8C67J1JCU0l8qL67tBD2obWwG_oAO9X7CgoPXEGEtTQ/w400-h225/20230904104913_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Some general tips and thoughts for others who are playing or will play:</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVbaO25ytX6PRaAqO2U0LMridQi_1ah---xMx5OgPlSYZDZNSm3tWn7jeFvpvzTMa2Spnr438zkyYfI0RpsxbDIMQIqURoaOoQbmTDYZYIDnB5PCf5m_rHsYYgSyRBYaDv9AyBRXD32fGpawNoEdHyMt7ChmF_J9JNOQeeSaSK7LPChawmw/s2560/20230910115423_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVbaO25ytX6PRaAqO2U0LMridQi_1ah---xMx5OgPlSYZDZNSm3tWn7jeFvpvzTMa2Spnr438zkyYfI0RpsxbDIMQIqURoaOoQbmTDYZYIDnB5PCf5m_rHsYYgSyRBYaDv9AyBRXD32fGpawNoEdHyMt7ChmF_J9JNOQeeSaSK7LPChawmw/w400-h225/20230910115423_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I need to re-learn this lesson every time I learn an RPG, but: it isn't necessary to loot everything. You get <i>plenty</i> of money through picking up coins and selling the more valuable trinkets, which are highlighted in the map and containers. You <i>can</i> squeeze out hundreds more coins by muling around shields and scimitars and rotten carrots and stuff... but (at least so far) there's no benefit in doing so, since there isn't all that much valuable stuff for you to buy from merchants. That said, <b>I can't stop looting</b>! I'll spend an entire play session just picking up garbage until I've maxed out my weight, then hunting down a merchant, selling it all, trudging back to pick up more stuff, and then curse Larian for my own OCD. This gets especially tedious in some spots of the game: merchants can be killed (sometimes by you!) or move on, which can lead to especially lengthy backtracking to find someplace to offload all of your looted sets of Plate Armor.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XmezzYdLCzswvCjoQPzFKbhGXvYr7wLcwYhSs0W1o-zvs_hu88wnRH-YIn8hPDSVgQwA-L1R2FiTZv25CS1Q0MFCIz8CJjx06uN7f3eYw_0mHis30iKQD463_RCdc8kr4345lH4ZjGwAIx49XvYkD2u3wYqc_KWQgRu-L3X4eY4s07Eprg/s2560/20230917142347_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XmezzYdLCzswvCjoQPzFKbhGXvYr7wLcwYhSs0W1o-zvs_hu88wnRH-YIn8hPDSVgQwA-L1R2FiTZv25CS1Q0MFCIz8CJjx06uN7f3eYw_0mHis30iKQD463_RCdc8kr4345lH4ZjGwAIx49XvYkD2u3wYqc_KWQgRu-L3X4eY4s07Eprg/w400-h225/20230917142347_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>One phrase that often comes up in D&D contexts is "MurderHobo". Seen from a certain perspective, the typical D&D adventurer is someone who wanders around, shows up someplace, kills everyone there and takes all their stuff, then moves on and does it again. In BG3, I often feel like I'm not a murderhobo, just a straight-up hobo: I'll spend an inordinate amount of time poking through crates and barrels and vases and burlap sacks, digging out rotten carrots and tongs and oily rags, then selling those for a coin per pound. You know that smelly guy with the big beard pushing a shopping cart down the street that's full of a teetering mountain of trash? That's me in this game.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBsIp9mXz78NoZPiscJ0MJZ8bMjLKBQD8teysYvzjymRTOmzyFeSaoslSd1CRMzmDeqGDRKM4cSQ4cQcrjIsaGwmEP_XH2PYENvsI0knwu4VQt-zvN0R4CJ5wT46EA1GFo7sDURMDbJBkaGuhl3hTHhIxldqEJLOjraSF0YP3WzOt8YrlHw/s2560/20230908180142_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBsIp9mXz78NoZPiscJ0MJZ8bMjLKBQD8teysYvzjymRTOmzyFeSaoslSd1CRMzmDeqGDRKM4cSQ4cQcrjIsaGwmEP_XH2PYENvsI0knwu4VQt-zvN0R4CJ5wT46EA1GFo7sDURMDbJBkaGuhl3hTHhIxldqEJLOjraSF0YP3WzOt8YrlHw/w400-h225/20230908180142_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Anyways, I'm very belatedly training myself to NOT pick up every piece of near-worthless equipment in the game, and expect to have a better time going forward.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfABGirUem2Xko8M_4uPW-F2ny_BU2z2X0u-a9SNdUlgzh9sFwhKaNnKS-K_PYR27qyLzcFugI6YY2GMy2D8b_U6DBvkY5xMKuAigUf3vNbpPxos9gJUotut7A2zVuBYTL9qF_RbfDWYFU3Y9asYRaRVGiG4_RLQBH5JUAqhatVYaQBGqRAA/s2560/20230920210842_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfABGirUem2Xko8M_4uPW-F2ny_BU2z2X0u-a9SNdUlgzh9sFwhKaNnKS-K_PYR27qyLzcFugI6YY2GMy2D8b_U6DBvkY5xMKuAigUf3vNbpPxos9gJUotut7A2zVuBYTL9qF_RbfDWYFU3Y9asYRaRVGiG4_RLQBH5JUAqhatVYaQBGqRAA/w400-h225/20230920210842_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Some combat thoughts:</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF20DMC59UK_H5DflO1f0i-UoUNIqEUovlxU8Du-sds6ZTEEZ6qB8hmsHu4T7OXpjgb6GpT5GDUyTxW5yreLRznEtI44UwDpIEzsqyomrhbUzz3ETD0kwrYIuz00sEZ2k02jSHGy9wrA15InK_YCHuykwZn8nsKrJ9MZsOWWJqmm1VkvBfFA/s2560/20230901174312_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF20DMC59UK_H5DflO1f0i-UoUNIqEUovlxU8Du-sds6ZTEEZ6qB8hmsHu4T7OXpjgb6GpT5GDUyTxW5yreLRznEtI44UwDpIEzsqyomrhbUzz3ETD0kwrYIuz00sEZ2k02jSHGy9wrA15InK_YCHuykwZn8nsKrJ9MZsOWWJqmm1VkvBfFA/w400-h225/20230901174312_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Shoving enemies into Chasms will insta-kill them and give you XP. You don't get loot from them in 99.9% of the cases (excepting one or two specific fights where you can knock someone into the Underdark and find their body down there later). But only bosses have loot that's particularly valuable or memorable, so there isn't much downside to it. Shoving is really fun, I do it all the time and you should too!</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwaje5bqQHlD7mOyAqjeIy_3p0nrU0S5GzbJx9nQRrvsbE0toKaKG1GuV8tTTDrmR3i7Kqyfm-ll87WUHoPVSPiWAsLtZaoDNEWAnSO7zaVnnn8mc4WS06osPDBABUmqIDSdzx2wzaiMQG9hBBHv4X9zT-9xnk-UD-e4d-ONDZNuQBWT4w0w/s2560/20230924045045_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwaje5bqQHlD7mOyAqjeIy_3p0nrU0S5GzbJx9nQRrvsbE0toKaKG1GuV8tTTDrmR3i7Kqyfm-ll87WUHoPVSPiWAsLtZaoDNEWAnSO7zaVnnn8mc4WS06osPDBABUmqIDSdzx2wzaiMQG9hBBHv4X9zT-9xnk-UD-e4d-ONDZNuQBWT4w0w/w400-h225/20230924045045_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Enemies that are Larger than you cannot be Shoved normally; but they <i>can</i> still be knocked back via Thunderwave and similar spells, so use those instead! (If you have Gale or your spellcaster specialize in Evocation, your party can ignore friendly fire effects, so you can use Thunderwave with impunity even if your melee fighters are in the midst of your foes.) </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0WHwM23j9OANgsZxbLsuEFQSJIsiSUyjxsIljPdbR1cjlrjie526E-B5gAax8FhLtO31t3vQ5ANKBFDtV0AyVeXJzbqNL-_xYLGyYI0aszGwy3AsD_k5b2SsCWFnYNW3rm5YQprZbbWLoeVwfCa76a2Z6FI7TJfFHfrUe5gCbckReFPy8g/s2560/20230910120432_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0WHwM23j9OANgsZxbLsuEFQSJIsiSUyjxsIljPdbR1cjlrjie526E-B5gAax8FhLtO31t3vQ5ANKBFDtV0AyVeXJzbqNL-_xYLGyYI0aszGwy3AsD_k5b2SsCWFnYNW3rm5YQprZbbWLoeVwfCa76a2Z6FI7TJfFHfrUe5gCbckReFPy8g/w400-h225/20230910120432_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I forgot about Dipping until pretty recently, after enthusiastically using it in Early Access. You spend a Bonus Action to dip your active weapon into an elemental source: you can Dip into a lit Candle to turn your arrows into Flaming Arrows, or your sword into a Flaming Sword. This will give an extra... I think +1D4 elemental damage for each subsequent attack. It's a pretty great thing to spend a Bonus Action on!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsgd4zntBUykJq2r_4ePNbQ-db1pilvCPv__3OplinhOIMHblWDo5EbES5cHx7hy4dxx7roOz_ebBzpZ96gHn5VlLkIaxItjHbtadjL0q5l4T4QtBGKo_ds-i6N_x2LyncbBrWCZfLXMUEVc5yKrWMrZGKkBD3CaJyF5QmUDz6-PNkxflfg/s2560/20230910211454_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsgd4zntBUykJq2r_4ePNbQ-db1pilvCPv__3OplinhOIMHblWDo5EbES5cHx7hy4dxx7roOz_ebBzpZ96gHn5VlLkIaxItjHbtadjL0q5l4T4QtBGKo_ds-i6N_x2LyncbBrWCZfLXMUEVc5yKrWMrZGKkBD3CaJyF5QmUDz6-PNkxflfg/w400-h225/20230910211454_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>My thoughts on healing have changed over time as I play. The best defense is usually a strong offense, and so you're usually much better off spending your in-combat Actions on dealing damage to end the fight than on chugging potions, casting healing spells or Aiding fallen comrades. That said, Healing will interrupt the bleed-out counter for Downed characters, so having a ranged Heal spell prepared can be <i>really</i> helpful if someone is failing their Death saving throws. You can also Throw a healing potion at someone to heal them. (Apparently, in Early Access you could throw a potion at the ground which would Heal all characters in a small AOE around that spot; apparently this has been patched, though, so only a single character will now get the benefit of a Thrown potion.)</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_HXGa1YtcZpD2vli0MwJRIwpVfBKKolgV0Y-XOxnPEuWNOyEp8GllCP28vqa0dyhkaCSkTMuYejLv2jVqt5BVX4aoLeV6D9iCIBjEX2DES5C1lJ6V__jFwGfKEXU19g2XZCnohZ9UXzA9bWkm7BteXJxBsc4SCI6eOgJNYfc64SU8fGxyg/s2560/20230916121429_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_HXGa1YtcZpD2vli0MwJRIwpVfBKKolgV0Y-XOxnPEuWNOyEp8GllCP28vqa0dyhkaCSkTMuYejLv2jVqt5BVX4aoLeV6D9iCIBjEX2DES5C1lJ6V__jFwGfKEXU19g2XZCnohZ9UXzA9bWkm7BteXJxBsc4SCI6eOgJNYfc64SU8fGxyg/w400-h225/20230916121429_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>In most cases, then, you're better off Healing out of combat, so you enter fights with high health and can spend your actions killing enemies. I'm still undecided on the best approach for healing out of combat: spells, potions or rests. In most RPGs, I would lean towards healing via spells because spells are rechargable and consumables are not; but spell slots feel really limited in this game, especially at low levels. So, unlike most games, I tend to actually use my healing consumables. A Short Rest will refill half of each party member's maximum HP, and you can do this at any time out of combat. I'll usually Short Rest if all of my party is dinged up OR if at least 2 party members are missing more than half their health.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ErYyeR7phDZwHOF_0Qb_x37S2RGHbm1wW3xO31HcTEESl8AejBcONu7WRTbdP39O56cIoNOVCb_8TRDMiO9ZPxsf7CZLciEvsX7tWPtetaieyQpYO1c2owa-MrXz4kOLFsSJm2FeG8ElwS83unx7nOpzjgFHYGNmyttVl9Y1kzv4Jiz_8Q/s2560/20230908175450_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ErYyeR7phDZwHOF_0Qb_x37S2RGHbm1wW3xO31HcTEESl8AejBcONu7WRTbdP39O56cIoNOVCb_8TRDMiO9ZPxsf7CZLciEvsX7tWPtetaieyQpYO1c2owa-MrXz4kOLFsSJm2FeG8ElwS83unx7nOpzjgFHYGNmyttVl9Y1kzv4Jiz_8Q/w400-h225/20230908175450_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Unlike the original Baldur's Gate games and many other RPGs, you are also limited in your ability to Long Rest. You must spend Camp Supplies to do this, so it feels like something to avoid, and in <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2020/10/toupees-door.html">Early Access</a> I went as long as possible without Long Resting. Much like how I need to tell myself not to loot every item in the game, I find myself telling myself to Long Rest <i>way</i> more often. While technically limited by supplies, there are a ridiculous amount of supplies in the game, probably enough to long rest before and after every single minor combat encounter. Long resting refills valuable spell slots and other crucial resources like barbarian Rages. Finally and most importantly, a <i>lot</i> of plot-related, character-related and romance-related story items only advance on a Long Rest. You seem to get one of these events per Long Rest, so even if you're eligible for a certain scene, you won't see it until you've done enough Long Rests for higher-priority scenes. Anyways, much like how BioWare had to tell everyone "Leave the Hinterlands!", I think Larian should be telling everyone "Take long rests!"</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCLUrXvY_26TOnRE1KGfaeUqKxe0I20TLVYo-BvJZRAzmKnc2SNhZ1_Paoebx5ahdO0zJsmBrpcFzS7QJVviDZcXLgaFnze05ybvW87DPsAuu_N_k2N_6KZDNDKCPJgRyPWb125V4kezGaJ1JqFsjmrrCLUEzbojF6VY-qfhkrQri5a3M-A/s2560/20230917145957_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCLUrXvY_26TOnRE1KGfaeUqKxe0I20TLVYo-BvJZRAzmKnc2SNhZ1_Paoebx5ahdO0zJsmBrpcFzS7QJVviDZcXLgaFnze05ybvW87DPsAuu_N_k2N_6KZDNDKCPJgRyPWb125V4kezGaJ1JqFsjmrrCLUEzbojF6VY-qfhkrQri5a3M-A/w400-h225/20230917145957_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I just hit Level 8 on my party. (n.b.: This was some time after entering Act 2; I'm playing a lot of the game in between writing paragraphs for this post!) So far I've been single-classing everyone, the origin characters in their initial class and my PC in Bard. This has been working well; I'm pretty sure that it isn't optimal and I could be min-maxing more, but there's enough choice in leveling to keep things interesting, and I don't need to worry about shooting myself in the foot.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlo310FYSppUUv4jgj2EMeac8i-ng1dHDg9D47vofbffYkd72pCB4l8Hzse1eG-5_gqvi6hokA8SEhXX3eI-YPzqkKGvNxRhvitsQho_enfaOZiydJ_6Q-eeRRaDKmPdJQ2Kekfkpm9sGqExtQYoyk0MKzqHXOH53lCPiOltOTs9kgejafQ/s2560/20230920052634_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlo310FYSppUUv4jgj2EMeac8i-ng1dHDg9D47vofbffYkd72pCB4l8Hzse1eG-5_gqvi6hokA8SEhXX3eI-YPzqkKGvNxRhvitsQho_enfaOZiydJ_6Q-eeRRaDKmPdJQ2Kekfkpm9sGqExtQYoyk0MKzqHXOH53lCPiOltOTs9kgejafQ/w400-h225/20230920052634_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It's also worth remembering that respeccing is really cheap in this game, just 100 gold (unlike D:OS, the price doesn't seem to scale). Much like in the Pathfinder CRPGs, you may want to focus on what's best for you in a given level, rather than just working towards a final build. For example, Lae'zel starts with 17 STR, 13 DEX and 15 CON. At Level 4, you might want to choose an Ability Improvement with a +1 to both STR and CON to boost her rolls for those skills. When she gets another feat at level 6, though, you could consider respeccing and taking both Athlete and Durable; this would still give a total of +1 to STR and CON, while also giving some other useful abilities. Doing this might have a better experience during levels 4-5 than only taking Athlete or Durable would. Similarly, if you find a great piece of equipment that makes you want to shift up your playstyle, it's very reasonable to swap your stats around to better work with it.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGkqqfUf74DL5GxXVHrUF1MtYzA5AN-Uz88q20SNNL8lGBwk3FPgEHo373XZQNqXORSkDDbQtw0Rp2q63Wx3bY3o8ARPbs8m_4Z_u05qUCJU3gRki5xB8japOI2V365q3uibAL9E_dH5HD9B_dFkY8ErP_MFoc3FzlI9qiB1I38iVqPIIcw/s2560/20230923164629_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGkqqfUf74DL5GxXVHrUF1MtYzA5AN-Uz88q20SNNL8lGBwk3FPgEHo373XZQNqXORSkDDbQtw0Rp2q63Wx3bY3o8ARPbs8m_4Z_u05qUCJU3gRki5xB8japOI2V365q3uibAL9E_dH5HD9B_dFkY8ErP_MFoc3FzlI9qiB1I38iVqPIIcw/w400-h225/20230923164629_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>You get a LOT of XP from fighting. There are a whole lot of optional combat encounters, that you can pretty easily talk your way out of, but be aware that you're leaving XP on the table by doing so. Even setting those aside, doing a completionist clear of a map will net you a lot of levels, and I think the XP you get from fights significantly outweighs that from quests. That said, I have a strong feeling that I'll reach the level cap of level 12 well in advance of the end of the game. I hit level 7 shortly before starting Act 2, on a pretty completionist approach (doing all quests, but not all fights). I suspect players will level fine by focusing on the main plot line and not doing all the side-quests; but to be honest, getting an extra level helps a LOT, and the game is easier if you're consistently facing enemies that are lower-level than you are.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxC31HsHI3B_yjefwR-8MAXLgiN76tSsrnV86fUcxLEPyDDmorCZyXEMK3ZuYUfHZiEE3niJtbtB0aKMU_px0jCPg5BFnI2FxqotpQ4DIR9OIX9MOkgSL-Lm39T1TUsH-5eqzJl9sKOKQqZr-Mh9LZIqEOC_nX4P4g5aw3TOGCzd76_LdiWw/s2560/20230831220307_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxC31HsHI3B_yjefwR-8MAXLgiN76tSsrnV86fUcxLEPyDDmorCZyXEMK3ZuYUfHZiEE3niJtbtB0aKMU_px0jCPg5BFnI2FxqotpQ4DIR9OIX9MOkgSL-Lm39T1TUsH-5eqzJl9sKOKQqZr-Mh9LZIqEOC_nX4P4g5aw3TOGCzd76_LdiWw/w400-h225/20230831220307_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Last cluster of thoughts: conversations. While this game doesn't really feel like <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2011/10/ascend.html">BG1/BG2</a>, it does feel like a <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/bioware+games">BioWare game</a>, specifically in how interesting and important the conversations are. Like BioWare games, it's good to get in the habit of saving your game before starting to talk! "Losing" a dialogue can feel much more devastating than a poor combat outcome.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKCV_GFdkIvzTLy99M5VLh-qTY5bNsmMgEbMPaP_v9syTZFOV3gwhxo5dXGfabjFBRPKOL_lKfPBcWDta-7UsaNvcUCwqbwIFKr6YMrCFSWXzO0iJv1gmAVgCVQ6YoeqrTiVwmhJtTHrEnBR1n6IYRgppy4m-71qBZWeufBDJwJIM_fCipg/s2560/20230903152456_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKCV_GFdkIvzTLy99M5VLh-qTY5bNsmMgEbMPaP_v9syTZFOV3gwhxo5dXGfabjFBRPKOL_lKfPBcWDta-7UsaNvcUCwqbwIFKr6YMrCFSWXzO0iJv1gmAVgCVQ6YoeqrTiVwmhJtTHrEnBR1n6IYRgppy4m-71qBZWeufBDJwJIM_fCipg/w400-h225/20230903152456_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>A lingering frustration from the EA version of the game is that, in any given conversation, only the party member who initially talks can participate in the dialogue. This gets annoying when you want to take a skill check branch that another member would be better suited for, like letting your wizard take an Insight check, your scout take a Perception check or your bard take a Deception check. Other RPGs either always make your PC lead the talk, or let other party members interject at appropriate times. What's most baffling is that even <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2019/09/theres-bodies-in-streets-this-place.html">other <i>Larian</i> games</a> let you swap between party members during a conversation - that was kind of the whole point behind <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2014/09/divinity-initial-thoughts.html">Divinity: Original Sin</a>! I usually just roll with it, since most skill checks just provide more context, but it's still annoying and doesn't make much sense in-game.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdK3VxtgdRBamwBwRgJuQwujsgMXRY7_j68LyvOtJ6vCPTJ8D4b0nfS9qtIIhJw4yIEPgrs8jy8lUobcc9xz558i6ltRy6SeItwyVHQsrr6gAfGMhwaGbDAg-yi5PKL6CcA1gZM9WtOfMlR-AAiG2WPS8AAs1N65PEWs6a71hNQOIQf3XNVQ/s2560/20230916154159_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdK3VxtgdRBamwBwRgJuQwujsgMXRY7_j68LyvOtJ6vCPTJ8D4b0nfS9qtIIhJw4yIEPgrs8jy8lUobcc9xz558i6ltRy6SeItwyVHQsrr6gAfGMhwaGbDAg-yi5PKL6CcA1gZM9WtOfMlR-AAiG2WPS8AAs1N65PEWs6a71hNQOIQf3XNVQ/w400-h225/20230916154159_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I almost always lead with my PC, who is a Bard; there are some really helpful class abilities like Jack Of All Trades that make you at least somewhat decent in all skills and pretty darn good in quite a few. A big improvement from my initial foray into Early Access is the Insight system. When certain things occur in-game, a party member will get Inspired: that might be something like a cleric learning more about her deity, or a warrior defeating a hated foe, or an artisan crafting an exotic weapon. You can bank up to four Inspiration points. Whenever you fail a skill roll in a dialogue, you can choose to spend an Inspiration point to re-roll. This isn't usually worth it for a long-shot, like a DC18 when you just have +1, but it's really great for those moments of "Oh, come <b>on</b>, I shoulda nailed that roll!" I do like this system of having a limited number of a replenishable resource; since it does encourage you to actually use them; it oddly reminds me of Flasks in Elden Ring, but with narrative rather than combat implications.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LU0lxLyIeq0WDMmpqAOG-xIcLuZq-2VjEbFfXPgEKIjQV6Uoh6ZIqivBWtvJNgwTuuqMixoeFRgRJqNYQGDHiSauaXEXi-CHbCgSVytgPvVzuij7XGfaEW1WO1StAIxUAbccz5uFWK-edIYdfmEDiqmld0W6aOyELFBvRXZyMuUzpl2RFQ/s2560/20230909132406_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LU0lxLyIeq0WDMmpqAOG-xIcLuZq-2VjEbFfXPgEKIjQV6Uoh6ZIqivBWtvJNgwTuuqMixoeFRgRJqNYQGDHiSauaXEXi-CHbCgSVytgPvVzuij7XGfaEW1WO1StAIxUAbccz5uFWK-edIYdfmEDiqmld0W6aOyELFBvRXZyMuUzpl2RFQ/w400-h225/20230909132406_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>In my game, I hoarded Inspiration for a while, then started spending freely... a little too freely. When there <i>is</i> a conversation (or conversation-style cut-scene) that has a dramatic impact on the game, it's common for you to need to pass a <i>series</i> of checks. At one point, I got stuck with a permanent debuff on my main character because I couldn't pass 3 varied skill checks that occur back-to-back-to-back in the same dialogue. I had a single Inspiration point left, after squandering some on far-less-significant flavor-related outcomes in a previous conversation. I reloaded until I got the outcome I wanted, and since then I've tried to keep at least 3 Inspiration points in stock unless I'm sure I need them.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0NN6II8FoEYKyFy-0QpU6VH8aVaGNhq-TS307mYQYkPb4asibszSCPDVhtvxHeeiApyLOTsFe4dUCRUNCuk70mdcSb7T4jUd7QuCPSQenE-A9Ub0TC4PBO7X5NEx7k2SMHD7BTeoBJ7foCmWqfD4DJRblVKodYN6zDVr5yUG8TLHCmALdA/s2560/20230916121916_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0NN6II8FoEYKyFy-0QpU6VH8aVaGNhq-TS307mYQYkPb4asibszSCPDVhtvxHeeiApyLOTsFe4dUCRUNCuk70mdcSb7T4jUd7QuCPSQenE-A9Ub0TC4PBO7X5NEx7k2SMHD7BTeoBJ7foCmWqfD4DJRblVKodYN6zDVr5yUG8TLHCmALdA/w400-h225/20230916121916_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Those strategies help, but one seemingly irreconcilable hassle is that many (maybe even most) important conversations automatically initiate when someone gets close enough, rather than by you selecting a character and clicking on the person to talk with. Because of this I switch to have my PC Bard in the lead whenever I'm in a settlement or see NPCs in the area; the rest of the time my high-Wisdom Cleric is in front to help spot traps and secrets.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipd8B1pVkaDe8Buy0E9cT_o186VYZ6R37eEGRk6guD-xCEj9xkW2e6ytP9faHBJvwrXdDT8tlubLD2OIHN0yD7NYfnXWp1p2luXFzgI95AUHP-F14U72vSxx55YOXV-YXPSqmcIM6kb8dsjDhC5gvkIyBUE0wSMoeTmcepDFZsrmNqW_D3xg/s2560/20230920052852_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipd8B1pVkaDe8Buy0E9cT_o186VYZ6R37eEGRk6guD-xCEj9xkW2e6ytP9faHBJvwrXdDT8tlubLD2OIHN0yD7NYfnXWp1p2luXFzgI95AUHP-F14U72vSxx55YOXV-YXPSqmcIM6kb8dsjDhC5gvkIyBUE0wSMoeTmcepDFZsrmNqW_D3xg/w400-h225/20230920052852_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Oh, traps! Traps are <i>still</i> annoying. I know I harped on that in my last post but they still bother me. Traps were actually somewhat decent in the D:OS games: what was cool there was that traps were always part of the environment, so e.g. if you (the player) looked closely you would see a tripwire strung across a corridor, tied to some firing mechanism. You could resolve them however you liked in the physics engine: step around the wire, place a big urn in front of the crossbow, fire at the tripwire from the far end of the corridor, etc. The OG Baldur's Gate games, in contrast, had very abstract traps: if your thief Detected the Trap, a trapezoid on the floor would highlight red, and if you stepped inside that red, you would take damage; your thief could alternately Disarm the Trap, which would make the red trapezoid disappear.</p><p>BG3 brings forward the "detect trap" and "disarm trap" mechanics from BG1/2, and tries to marry that with the physics-based traps of D:OS, and the whole result feels really awkward, unfun and unsatisfying. Unlike BG1/BG2, you don't get any XP from Disarming Traps. Any time you fail to Disarm, you <i>trigger</i> the trap, making it <i>way</i> more punishing than failing to Lockpick. Party AI is often garbage when it comes to traps: they seem to <i>try</i> to avoid spotted traps, but will inevitably jostle one another over the line and then FWOOSH everyone is on fire. Traps feel like the one thing where BG3 is worse than its predecessors.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSaczCty01Mrs7XbmXjNfZ5cvwRMkxVsIfYJhZzWwBjr-Fu3eiGNq6080lXC6rpDyIF9ZzfewS6-Zg_B6qECQpE6-hD42FJFWnlu8kDZ15YZ6OpF8c-78HYT2T-h5sWl9H-zhUeL5BdvHf5UYwnzhyXoKWU9Cfmdk8P2lD1JK8QclJLQEzjg/s2560/20230924055859_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSaczCty01Mrs7XbmXjNfZ5cvwRMkxVsIfYJhZzWwBjr-Fu3eiGNq6080lXC6rpDyIF9ZzfewS6-Zg_B6qECQpE6-hD42FJFWnlu8kDZ15YZ6OpF8c-78HYT2T-h5sWl9H-zhUeL5BdvHf5UYwnzhyXoKWU9Cfmdk8P2lD1JK8QclJLQEzjg/w400-h225/20230924055859_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The only other thing annoying me at the moment: "Pick Up and Add to Wares" seems to be broken for me about half of the time. This <i>should</i> be a decent way to minimize the pain of my loathed inventory management, but more often than not I end up having to go through my inventory and find twelve individual suits of chainmail to sell off, even though I <i>know</i> I went through all the bother of right-clicking and selecting that specific options.</p><p>Other than that, though, it's great! More later, I gotta play more BG3 first! <br /></p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-53415549491271318212023-09-20T20:55:00.000-07:002023-09-20T20:55:00.142-07:00Birth of Plenty<p style="text-align: left;">Every once in a while, I go down the <a href="https://www.bogleheads.org/">Bogleheads</a> rabbit hole. Usually I emerge with a refreshed conviction about my savings and investment plan, but I usually pick up some other stuff along the way. On my most recent excursion, I picked up a book: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Birth-Plenty-Prosperity-Modern-Created/dp/0071747044">The Birth of Plenty</a>, by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_J._Bernstein">William Bernstein</a>. Bernstein is an interesting guy: he worked as a neurosurgeon for an entire career, and along the way got interested in finance. He became one of the most eloquent and passionate early advocates of the philosophy of index-fund-based investing. He started his own financial advising firm, wrote several general-audience books on investing, and then branched out to write on a broader set of topics related to economics.</p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ngRq6kWtjz_EqSUheeetrVi85tyUTticz8BHxhakVM9LF_imZY7uFWxX0eHYxyHZWWDHMRD3EcVWpNfKHUA9i5ne3VpHVkyKqvxudsi-LrbMMWMWqmQFgvEbvazH2OOww8vXV3xvLrGDMwxnNcZvmnAxEQEcrbUD99bY7D5C8zQT34T8xA/s600/BirthOfPlenty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ngRq6kWtjz_EqSUheeetrVi85tyUTticz8BHxhakVM9LF_imZY7uFWxX0eHYxyHZWWDHMRD3EcVWpNfKHUA9i5ne3VpHVkyKqvxudsi-LrbMMWMWqmQFgvEbvazH2OOww8vXV3xvLrGDMwxnNcZvmnAxEQEcrbUD99bY7D5C8zQT34T8xA/w400-h400/BirthOfPlenty.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">"The Birth of Plenty" was the first of these books. It's a sprawling, ambitious project, but the main thing it's trying to do is answer the question: why has the world been growing more prosperous over the last 200 years? He offers a thesis that there are four pre-requisites for a nation to turn into a wealth-generating engine. Prior to those dependencies being available, things will just grind along at barely subsistence levels; once in place, they become impossible to stop, and lead to ever-increasing levels of prosperity.</p><p style="text-align: left;">He wrote this book back in 2003, and I was a little surprised to see how much of its content I recognized from "<a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2018/10/i-will-return-to-this-point.html">Capital in the Twenty-first Century</a>", particularly the first 1/3 or so of that book. I think there are a lot of things that have been generally known to economists for decades, but that only more recently became widely discussed among the general public. One particularly striking area is the last 2000 years of economic history. From roughly 1AD to 1000AD, there was <i>no</i> per-capita growth of income on the planet: things stayed at the same level for fifteen centuries! Obviously, individual people and groups would gain wealth through conquest or exploitation of resources, but it was very much a zero-sum game. Starting around 1000, there was a very very tiny increase in the world's per-capita GDP. Barely 0.1% growth year over year; but over 800 years, this cumulatively did lead to some increase in wealth. Things really took off after 1820, though: there was a drastic shift in the developed nations (the UK, then America, then gradually more "first-world" nations) of roughly 2% annual per-capita growth. The result has dwarfed thousands of previous years of advancement.</p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CrpCWr2zClXdtu8Qc7TzqvoWaRbRSUVVqcQurahazzLRpvnhzwTI05ZK1ekJPZJqoHf8azDdxyUDRrbQuNke1ZiEqkbqgJXnRrApRPA0JfHBSrSrV7Fc1-kHwOpXXP88-3JydUj-sGR4SY301P9s96WUmgsJ9fwUOyfEQJx_60v_mlP0JA/s571/PerCapitaGdp.GIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="571" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CrpCWr2zClXdtu8Qc7TzqvoWaRbRSUVVqcQurahazzLRpvnhzwTI05ZK1ekJPZJqoHf8azDdxyUDRrbQuNke1ZiEqkbqgJXnRrApRPA0JfHBSrSrV7Fc1-kHwOpXXP88-3JydUj-sGR4SY301P9s96WUmgsJ9fwUOyfEQJx_60v_mlP0JA/w400-h289/PerCapitaGdp.GIF" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;">Bernstein's thesis, which he introduces and repeats <b>often</b>, is that four factors must all be present to unlock the compounding advances of the modern economy.</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Property rights. For him this is the first and most important element. Basically, you need to be assured that you will be able to hold on to the results of your labor and your investments, and that neither the state nor private parties can take them from you without following well-established law.</li><li>Scientific rationalism. Embracing an outlook that allows for dissent, looks to advance knowledge via empirical experimentation rather than deductive reasoning, shares the results of science, builds on previous results and remains willing to question and throw out previously accepted ideas that are proven false.</li><li>Capital markets. To start new businesses or expand operations, entrepreneurs need to be able to access money, in sufficient quantities and at reasonable enough rates. On the other side, holders of capital need to trust that they will stand to gain by loaning out their money, rather than keeping it sewn into their socks or mattresses.</li><li>Rapid communication of ideas and movement of goods. The most awkwardly-phrased of the four pillars, this mostly boils down to "the telegraph and the steam engine". The former greatly facilitates collaboration, which enables larger-scale and more efficient planning. The latter greatly expands markets, allowing goods to be sold far away from their point of manufacture, and supplies to be sourced from far away as well.</li></ol><p>Going into these a bit more:</p><p>I've been feeling a bit down on property rights lately, and this book was a good reminder of the arguments in their favor. (More broadly, I think most of my economic readings of the last 10+ years have been arguments against economic liberalism, and I think I'm well overdue to actually read an argument in its favor.) Going back to that period from 0-1000 where there was no growth: during this time, the vast majority of Europeans were serfs living in feudal regions. Under feudalism, there really is no concept of private property or ownership: your entire self, body and labor and land and production, belongs to your liege; your liege, in turn, belongs to his superior, and so on. As a serf, your lord will come by and take almost all of your production, leaving you only enough to live and continue producing. Now, if you were a very motivated serf, you could work a lot harder and a lot smarter and maybe find a way to double your yield: but it wouldn't really matter, the lord would still take all of your additional production and still leave you with the minimum required for subsistence. So why would you want to put in all that extra effort? Multiply that decision-making by the entire population of Europe, and you have a good understanding why there was no growth.</p><p>Property rights are closely bound together with a bunch of other concepts, including civil liberties (basically a property right over yourself), the legal system, and, interestingly, separation of powers. If the executive is the judiciary, then any action that the lord takes is legal: your property rights are only as strong as your relationship with the current king. Having a separate judiciary seems like a technicality, but actually is huge: it's an entity that can say "No" to your lord, or the king, or the President or whatever. This devolves true ownership of property from the king and the state to the individual.</p><p>Property rights doesn't necessarily mean that you get to enjoy uninterrupted use of your property in perpetuity: for example, if you fail to pay someone else what you owe them, you may be forced to sell some property to make them whole. But the key is that this is a <i>legal</i> process, with well-defined rules that are well-known in advance.</p><p>The upshot of all this is creating an incentive to generate more wealth. If you feel secure that you will get to enjoy the fruits of increased labor or a brilliant new invention, then you'll be motivated to take those steps. And that will eventually benefit all of society: you will then be able to buy more goods and services from others, or show others a more efficient way of doing things that will then allow them to increase their own productivity and create more wealth.</p><p>Next up, science! I found myself thinking of Ryan North's "<a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2019/04/everything-that-can-be-invented-has.html">How To Invent Everything</a>" often while reading this book. Most of our technological advances are things that seem trivial and simple in retrospect; if you already know how something works, it's very easy to recreate it. But in practice, it often took a thousand years or more for a thing to be invented after all of its pieces were available. Why did it take so long? In Bernstein's view, the main issue is the historical lack of a <i>system</i> for discovering new knowledge and propagating the results. More specifically, we needed to embrace an empirical system that can be experimented on and proved, rather than lofty intellectual arguments that didn't need to be based in reality.</p><p>A secondary aspect has to do with the intellectual culture that surrounds potential innovators. If you know that your discoveries may cause you to be denounced by the church and burned alive at the stake, you're extremely unlikely to pursue those discoveries, and even less likely to share what you've found. Much like how the feudal attitude towards property kept the masses of serfs from improving their land and work, feudal dogma from the medieval Catholic Church locked up potential advances in European sciences for a millennium.</p><p>There's a bit of a dovetailing between science and property in the form of patents. Patents are a creation of law that confer a temporary monopoly to the creator in exchange for a thorough explanation of how their invention works. Patents replaced the old secretive guild-based systems, in which knowledge was jealously guarded, unavailable for outside improvement, and could be lost altogether - in one of the most startling anecdotes, the Romans knew how to make concrete, but that knowledge was lost during the Dark Ages, again for nearly a thousand years. Patents also replaced the old granting of monopolies, which were typically issued by monarchs for the benefit of a favored group of merchants: these monopolies created wealth for the monarch and the clique, but at the strict detriment of everyone else, and were a net destroyer of value. In contrast, patents generate entirely new value, and open the doors to future innovations in the future.</p><p>Here, I found myself thinking a lot of "<a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2023/06/source-code.html">The Code of Capital</a>" by Katarina Pistor, as I think these two books use slightly different vantage points to describe the same history and outcome. Patents were a creation of the English legal system, are friendly towards private parties, and allowed Britain and then the US to significantly grow their wealth. It's a bit of magic, how the mere "idea" of a patent didn't exist, and then did exist, and brought a whole new major source of wealth along with it.</p><p>Moving on, capital markets are the third major component Bernstein demands of modern wealth-generating economies. A tantalizing question he asks is why Leonardo's helicopters never were produced. The concept seems solid, and there were materials around to make at least a primitive version of it. I don't think Bernestein ever directly answers the question, but capital markets seem like a major explanation. To bring helicopters from sketched doodles and diagrams to real working contraptions takes a <i>lot</i> of effort and a <i>lot</i> of money: experimenting, prototyping, developing, manufacturing and selling. Leonardo himself definitely didn't have the money to fund all that, and even if he did, he would understandably have balked at risking his entire fortune. He was connected with wealthy families in Florence and Milan, but again, the costs and risks were more than a single individual could bear, and there weren't yet the widespread risk-sharing instruments available for shared investments.</p><p>Much like the scientific method, capital markets need both the technical presence of a thing, as well as a broader cultural embrace of it. It's one thing to know how science works, and another to feel safe pursuing new ideas. Likewise, it's one thing (and not a small thing!) to have banks available that take in deposits, pay interest, loan out capital and charge interest. It's another thing to have banks that are trusted enough by the citizens to entrust their hard-earned life savings with them. In countries with low levels of corruption and long histories of financial safety, a large share of a country's wealth will be placed within institutions that can put that money to use in growing the economy. In other countries, such as France in the 18th century or many developing nations today, people will be far more likely to keep their money in household safes or buried in the back yard, thus preserving their value but denying the utility of growth.</p><p>Like many other elements in this book, capital markets form a virtuous circle: as they grow more trusted, people will place more wealth in them, which will generate more wealth in the national economy, which makes more wealth available for investment, which can further grow the economy, and so on. Now that I'm writing this, I realize that it's just another way of expressing Piketty's formula about the increasing share of the national income going to the owners of capital, but told from the perspective of the investor. So long as the additional investment unlocks growth in the economy greater than the rate of return, the total growth will cause the proportionate share going to capital to shrink; but if (e.g.) a 4% rate of return on capital is matched with a 2% per-capita growth rate, then while the economy will continue to grow, it will increasingly benefit the existing holders of wealth at the expense of others.</p><p>Anyways - how does that virtuous cycle get started? Bernstein argues that it's initiated by the state through the issuance of national bonds, like England used to fund its wars. The government is the ultimately reliable backstop of value: if the government isn't in good enough shape to pay its bonds, then as a citizen you're screwed anyways. So people with excess wealth put that money to work by funding their government, experience passive income, and become familiar with the concepts of bonds. Once this is in place, local governments and large private enterprises can likewise begin issuing bonds. Being riskier, they'll offer higher interest rates, and an increasingly informed public can begin funding them. While Bernstein doesn't draw this line, it makes me think of Alexander Hamilton's genius in nationalizing the debt from the Revolutionary War: at a time when everyone else saw the debt as a troublesome burden, he had read enough economic texts to understand that the national debt would begin establishing creditworthiness for the US, and create a sort of financial umbrella that would facilitate the creation of capital markets on this side of the Atlantic.</p><p>Finally, there's rapid communications and transportation. I kind of threw up my hands at this point: why not just have 5 things instead of 4 things where the last one has an "and" in the name? Near the end of the book he tosses in the generation of energy as well. Overall, these things are kind of the magical ingredients that lead to a critical mass of positive developments that cause a self-reinforcing process of growth to occur.</p><p>I found it more helpful to think of this last point in specifics rather than generalities. Property rights and science are all that you need to come up with a good invention that will increase productivity and generate economic growth. Capital markets will allow you to get the funds to make that thing. And... then what? Prior to the creation of the telegraph, most people were only aware of things that were happening within their town or within about a day's ride of it. And before the creation of railroads, most people were born, lived and died within a short distance: long-distance travel of people or goods was extremely hazardous. So, even if you did manage to manufacture a cool new invention, you would maybe only enrich the lives of the 5000 or so people living in your town. With the telegraph, though, you could tell everyone about it, learn which markets were demanding your product, and communicate with local agents to source materials or deliver goods to places where you'd never go. And the railroads could ship more materials to you to ramp up production, and cart away manufactured goods for sale.</p><p>Bernstein is very insistent that all four ("four") elements are required in order to make a wealth-producing economy. In England and the US, the first three of them (property rights, scientific method, and capital markets) were available early on, and once those new technologies became available, they took off. (In an interesting sidebar, he claims that the Netherlands actually got a head start on it, as their capital markets were even better developed than those of Britain; they didn't yet have the steam engine, but were blessed with a geography that was compact and had lots of navigable waterways, which for most of history were far faster than travel by horse.) Because those inventions were the catalyst for the Industrial Revolution, modern economists and policy-makers have tended to believe that the key to improving a developing economy is to introduce these inventions and improve their infrastructure. But to Bernstein, these tools are insufficient on their own. If you're a communist or absolutist dictatorship that doesn't respect private property rights, then your citizens will not voluntarily toil to improve their lot in life and grow the economy. If you're a fundamentalist tribal society that values inherited religious wisdom over the cacophonous seeking of science, then your citizens will be unwilling or unable to engage with the rising tide of technology and make their own discoveries. And if your citizens stash their savings in their socks or in overseas bank accounts because they don't trust domestic financial institutions, then any profits from enterprises will flow to foreigners instead of citizens, causing newly-generated wealth to instantly evaporate from your soil.</p><p>The end prognosis is as clear as it is grim: becoming a "modern" wealthy society is more a matter of history and culture - vibes, if you will - than following a development plan or importing a certain set of technical and legal institutions. The reason why the West is on top of the world is because it lucked out centuries ago in developing a certain set of home-grown institutions. There's nothing about those institutions that's intrinsically tied to our bodies or our soil, but they also aren't something that can be flipped on at will. It will take generations for these institutions to fully take root, in an organic, fully-embraced way. But once they do, nothing will stop those other countries from enjoying the same growth and, eventually, surpassing Europe and the US.</p><p>This book was written in 2003, and one of the most striking and infuriating aspects of it was just how clearly Bernstein knew that George W. Bush's project to export American-style democracy to Iraq and Afghanistan was doomed. And this was written during the heyday of "shock and awe", long before the insurgency started. Bernstein confidently wrote that this was going to be an expensive disaster, a hopeless experiment, that no matter how much money we poured into these countries we wouldn't be able to turn them into Western-style democracies or shift their economies from resource-exploitation to manufacturing and service jobs. Anyways, it's really depressing to see Bernstein get this so right when the vast majority of our elected officials got it wrong. Watching the fall of Kabul nearly 20 years after he wrote this is really humbling; and, in many ways, can be explained through his lens. Why didn't the Afghans fight to stay in power? Well, why would they? Without a sense of ownership and a stake in the success of their country, there was really no rational reason to risk their lives.</p><p>One of the more provocative arguments Bernstein makes is that wealth produces democracies, and not the other way around. For the last 75 years or so, the more-or-less consistent message of the First World has been to encourage developing countries to create systems of representative government, with the thinking being that this will minimize corruption, help untap free-market forces within the country, encourage development and lead to an increase in posterity. From Bernstein's view, this is backwards: historically, political power has devolved in response to economic power devolving. The Magna Carta was signed after King John needed military and financial resources from his vassals. Parliament was empowered after the merchant class became wealthy and influential. The voting franchise was expanded after the economy shifted to industrial and service jobs. And so on. That's a surprisingly Marxist view of the interplay between economic and political power! In Bernstein's explanation, again, it all comes back to property rights: there needs to be enough wealth to be worth protecting, and then that wealth needs to receive legal assurances of durability; this will produce a sizable class of citizens who are invested in the long-term success of the country and will work to protect and expand it, and eventually will have the motivation and power to demand more say in how it is governed. Bernstein feels much better about the long-term prospects for democracy in a monarchy that assures private property rights than he does in a populist democracy can redistribute property at will. Again, this is a very different perspective than most of the other books I've been reading lately! But well-argued and a good perspective to understand.</p><p>I had a kind of hard time following Bernstein's politics while reading the book. He's obviously very focused on private ownership of property, and he <i>frequently</i> rails against socialism and communism. And yet he equally heaps scorn upon libertarians: he absolutely sees a role for government in establishing rules and ensuring everyone plays fairly, and like Piketty he sees value in increasing national tax receipts up to a certain level. In the last few chapters of the book, he abruptly shifts into asking the (very important!) question "What does this matter?". More specifically, does increasing wealth making us happier? Following a data-driven approach, he sees only a loose correlation between happiness and wealth at the national level: residents of very wealthy countries have a general tendency to be happier than residents of poorer countries, but it's only a rule of thumb, and lots of poorer countries report better well-being than richer countries (for example, Columbians are poorer but happier than Spaniards). But, <i>within</i> a country a person's <i>relative</i> wealth has a <i>huge</i> impact on their happiness. The people who are at the top 1% of a country's wealth and income distribution are significantly happier than those at the bottom 10%, and the size of that gap corresponds strongly to the level of misery. In Northern European countries with small gaps between rich and poor, everyone tends to be happier than in England, the US and other countries with larger gaps. And the source of this research that Bernstein cites? None other than Thomas Piketty and Emmanuel Saez! I gasped when I saw them, much like Nick Fury showing up in the final chapter of a Marvel movie.</p><p>The end of the book was honestly a bit of a whirlwind: after spending most of the pages explicitly defending the sacralization of private property, Bernstein shifts towards arguing for high tax rates on the richest people, redistributing wealth via transfer payments to the very poor. I didn't see that twist coming! He has some opinions on how best to do this. He's rather skeptical of funding social programs, like subsidizing higher education or health care, due to the "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadweight_loss">deadweight loss</a>" of value: the dollar price of providing e.g. health care in America is greater than the value a consumer would assign to it. He never uses the phrase "universal basic income", but I think he's advocating for something closer to that, just straight-up taking dollars from rich people and giving dollars to poor people.</p><p>He acknowledges that higher rates of taxation and transfers of wealth will have a negative impact on overall wealth creation and economic efficiency; it removes some incentive to grow wealth at the highest levels since innovators won't retain as much of their income, and may similarly remove some incentives at the lower levels if people are sufficiently comfortable without working very hard. But he still thinks it's a good idea for several reasons. First, it helps with overall happiness, which at the end of the day is more important than money. And relatedly, it also improves social cohesion: people who are desperately poor and hungry are far more likely to steal than those who have their essential needs met. You <i>could</i> have a highly unequal society with a few very rich people surrounded by massive slums of very poor people; but such a society would also need lots of policemen, high walls, private security, and other ongoing costs to defend that wealth. In contrast, a more egalitarian society doesn't need to spend as much of its wealth on maintaining internal security from its own citizens.</p><p>Or, to put it another way: Bernstein, like Piketty and Pistor and Elizabeth Warren and others, doesn't see unfettered capitalism leading to an eternity of inequality; rather, they see unfettered capitalism as bringing about the downfall of capitalism, when the miserable masses have finally had enough and rise up in violent revolt against a system that has treated them poorly. All of them ultimately see capitalism as a machine that hums along and creates wealth that can benefit society, but that needs to be kept in check lest it destroy itself. <br /></p><p>Ultimately, I think Bernstein falls squarely in the category of being a Social Democrat, while being vehemently opposed to Democratic Socialism; where most of us see a gradual continuum between the two, for him there's a very sharp line dividing them. In his view, it's absolutely necessary to reward inventors, entrepreneurs and investors, so it's desirable to have a society where some people are richer than others and where risk-takers receive greater benefits. "Socialism" crosses a red line into a world without private ownership, where people are expected to labor for an amorphous promise of uplifting society rather than concrete incentives of making a better life for themselves.</p><p>Adding a bunch of random thoughts here:</p><p>Reading this book felt a lot like reading <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/neal%20stephenson">Neal Stephenson</a>. There's an ostensible central thread - why and how we changed from a world where the vast majority of people had a subsistence standard of living, and transformed to a world where many people share in an increasing amount of wealth. But it's surrounded and often overwhelmed with a ton of fascinating digressions and side-notes. Orbital mechanics! Farming techniques in the Attican hills of Greece! Calvinism! Intrigues of the Elizabethan court! With both Bernstein and Stephenson, you get the sense that they stumbled across something so <i>interesting</i> that they just couldn't help sticking it into their book, whether it belongs there or no. And there's a huge amount of overlap with The Baroque Cycle and this book, dealing with the creation of reliable specie currency, creation of the scientific method, and investments in long sea-voyages.</p><p>It was actually a bit stunning in just how many ways this book connected with other stuff I've read recently. "<a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2023/08/morgan.html">House of Morgan</a>" was a fantastic concrete example of the creation and application of capital markets, and Bernstein name-checks Morgan as only investing in established technologies, due to the very high failure rate in new ventures. "<a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2023/08/freedom-necessity-revolutionaries.html">Freedom & Necessity</a>" occurred during the social upheaval of post-1820 as the existing social classes adapted to the new economy, and Bernstein's extensive quotations from Engels line up with his presentation in that novel as a businessman-slash-revolutionary. And ALSO I was amazed by all the detailed ways in which this book and <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/europa%20universalis">Europa Universalis IV</a> lined up with and commented on one another, down to details like how granting monopolies worked, why conquest-driven expansion can produce short-term power but leads to long-term economic decline, the ways in which trade-based economies differ from production-based mercantilist ones, and so on. Reading this book made me appreciate EU4 even more, and having played EU4 gave me a deeper appreciation of this book. EU4's institution-embracing gameplay pretty exactly covers the progression out of the Dark Ages through the renaissance and development of property rights, science and trade, and ends in 1821, exactly when Bernstein's modern world kicks off. That makes me want to play Victoria even more!</p><p>As I noted before, this book also dovetails nicely with Pistor's "Code of Capital". Very briefly, Piketty notes how much additional wealth has been created in entirely new categories that didn't even exist centuries ago (copyrights, patents, financial instruments, etc.). Pistor covers <i>how</i> those categories were created, describing the common-law process of private-sphere contracts that endow certain intangible assets with the public protection of property rights. Bernstein more vigorously argues for why it's actually a <i>good</i> thing that more of our wealth is in these new categories, and does so rather persuasively. Prior to the 20th century, most wealth was in the form of agricultural land. The problem with this is that it isn't very scalable at all. Obviously, there's only a finite amount of land on the face of the planet, and all the good land is taken already. If society is going to grow, we need to bring more farmland into production; but because all the good land is taken, that will either mean enormous expense at reclaiming new land (as the Dutch did), or else bringing marginal land into production (irrigating deserts, planting in places with shorter growing seasons, etc.). Increasing investment leads to diminishing returns as worse and worse land gets brought into use.</p><p>In contrast, once we shifted to an industrial economy, we had much lower marginal costs. Building a second factory costs about as much as building the first, and may even be slightly cheaper if you already have plans and know-how. If you start with 1000 workers, and later expand to 2000 workers, you'll probably roughly double your output: the second batch of workers will likely be about as good as the first ones. And in fact, there may be some small <i>improvements</i> in productivity and returns: training 2000 workers costs less per worker than training 1000 workers does. So (making up numbers here), while doubling farming profits might require farming 3x or 4x as much land, doubling industrial profits just requires about double the investment, leading to a much more scalable economy that can continue to grow.</p><p>Bernstein sees even more promise for the more recent forms of capital, particularly digital copyrights and software patents. Without any physical product to manufacture or replicate, your marginal costs are zero, or close to it: it costs Larian about as much to sell 10,000 copies of Baldur's Gate 3 as it does for them to sell 10,000,000 copies of it. There are no supply shortages to be concerned with: you can produce more at will, scaling up to meet demand instantly. This has the potential to lead to even greater growth than industrial and service jobs. Not infinite exponential growth - you're still ultimately limited by the number of people on the planet and the money they have - but far faster growth and far fewer limits than in the past.<br /></p><p>While for the most part I loved this book and found many of its arguments strong, there were certainly parts where the author's enthusiasm and belief seemed to outrun the data. For much of the first 2/3 of the book, he'll be making some argument and say "We'll cover this in more detail in [a later chapter]". In the last third of the book, he turns to a lot of contemporary research and raw data (from surveys, old national records, studies, etc.) to try and prove correlations between things. Often times this takes the form of a <i>very</i> noisy scatter-plot with a trendline drawn in. Beneath one he'll mention "there's a lot of variance here, so it's a weak relationship between [X and Y], just moving from 0-2% between the extremes". But the immediately preceding scatter-plot will look equally messy, and have a trend line moving from -1% to +1%, and yet have been claimed as definitive proof of a strong correlation. I look at these sorts of arguments with extreme skepticism: it's very likely that some other factor better explains the correlation, or, even more likely, that it's a complex multiplicity of factors, nay, individual histories, and there are strong limits on what sort of universal truths we can derive.</p><p>From the opposite angle, while Bernstein makes an eloquent and passionate case for the primacy of empiricism over deduction, he does periodically lapse into deductive arguments. He'll write something like, "Unfortunately we don't have good records of the size of the economy in Britain during the 15th century, but we know that it grew by about 0.1% annually, because the population of London grew by about that amount over that time." Um, no: the correlation between population density and economic development is a theory that your book is trying to argue, you can't use that same theory to infer a fact!</p><p>Overall, I found this a really impressive book. I think that 25-year-old me would have thought it was the most amazing book ever: ambitious, sprawling, persuasive, fascinating, touching on technology and science and warfare and money and politics in one heady stew. Middle-aged me is sorting this somewhere in my much-expanded mental bookshelf, shoving over some Piketty books to make room for this one, mulling whether to move it to a new shelf or rearrange my other tomes. There's a lot to nerd out on, a lot to chew on, and a lot to enjoy about this book.</p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-23716034266822027042023-09-01T20:54:00.001-07:002023-09-05T13:16:18.063-07:00Baldur's Gate 3: Everyone Is Still Evil<p>Whelp, I've gone and done it: started playing <a href="https://baldursgate3.game/">Baldur's Gate 3</a>! I'm loving it so far and can tell this will be another nice big meaty game to dig my teeth into. So far I've played for maybe a dozen hours or so; it's a little hard to tell because I now realize that Steam is (sensibly) including the time I played the Early Access game three years ago.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1ZiR5qMpndG1De4ocfKyVhtfvMkfdIcOzF3wwqG6nGC1wgrGHTXd31O3HRt5MbPbiI7Es6DVKrjFfK3qkS3SVlpDuIgk9BIpKMXOXjbPtsfzWoaiTSgH1iW7Olzi9LAI-revqrYoVFc6z5lgViu9z_wERnwhVZIMW7m47KCnqSLODZ6GdQ/s2560/20230803185446_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1ZiR5qMpndG1De4ocfKyVhtfvMkfdIcOzF3wwqG6nGC1wgrGHTXd31O3HRt5MbPbiI7Es6DVKrjFfK3qkS3SVlpDuIgk9BIpKMXOXjbPtsfzWoaiTSgH1iW7Olzi9LAI-revqrYoVFc6z5lgViu9z_wERnwhVZIMW7m47KCnqSLODZ6GdQ/w400-h225/20230803185446_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>So far, this seems to be very similar to <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2020/11/baldurs-gate-3-everyone-is-evil.html">the Early Access experience</a>: I haven't noticed any changes in the plot so far and only minor additions to the characters. But it's definitely a lot more polished and enjoyable. For example, you can actually disarm traps now! The animated cut-scenes are also a lot less janky; they still don't really look like a AAA game, but have a nice <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2013/01/intermezzo.html">Dragon Age: Origins</a> level of polish, which is plenty for me. </p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2v_4zhH7xFzu0aW7WoQnH3sA2So3IwjUNOQPMQ1yWtJGOn-rKT9tAwQdfytKPFvveyu-SStXZgnSsN4OcP2bPLP9lpQ1mu3PaRWgpDFR0cc0Wz8reCEeGPjoms6H5Y4rJ_GyhqSrT0BipfBOAImFd8M3wTczEr1EttU08KeNfQQ6eBUO5QQ/s2560/20230831175302_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2v_4zhH7xFzu0aW7WoQnH3sA2So3IwjUNOQPMQ1yWtJGOn-rKT9tAwQdfytKPFvveyu-SStXZgnSsN4OcP2bPLP9lpQ1mu3PaRWgpDFR0cc0Wz8reCEeGPjoms6H5Y4rJ_GyhqSrT0BipfBOAImFd8M3wTczEr1EttU08KeNfQQ6eBUO5QQ/w400-h225/20230831175302_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>A lot of my current thoughts line up with my initial post from early access. Recapping those briefly:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>This feels more like <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2019/09/theres-bodies-in-streets-this-place.html">Divinity: Original Sin</a> 3 than like Baldur's Gate 3.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wjrVugmNW4bUJjfqNQx9GNMUu6eWEn3OkiPa_PVOIX3x3oyjdzg4rFviyJWzwZrL9nSed9ohQx2M8Qg9vFXNCQwZsqwgMUTGyRjVMAQXeCg1SzXG_JsQZKiKb4OTNppUkxwW5QsNUGnM7-rL8uyywujkjqcRGqQkrtysANqgHpq-3riW-Q/s2560/20230803191118_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wjrVugmNW4bUJjfqNQx9GNMUu6eWEn3OkiPa_PVOIX3x3oyjdzg4rFviyJWzwZrL9nSed9ohQx2M8Qg9vFXNCQwZsqwgMUTGyRjVMAQXeCg1SzXG_JsQZKiKb4OTNppUkxwW5QsNUGnM7-rL8uyywujkjqcRGqQkrtysANqgHpq-3riW-Q/w400-h225/20230803191118_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></li><li>That isn't a bad thing! Divinity was a great game, and I'm loving the strategic combat (no trash fights), good use of the environment (e.g., traps are driven by physics rather than just triggered by entering an area), exploration, and subtle sense of humor.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExg6NfmLrCXngcvwS0dcLWJBL-xrwDXf7sFy5uTkXefXixjhyhnIUCOTsZM3k6kqHVEUSg6tt_rtuHNzgsqm5HpAtMUDUDTRjl6YA_dC6Xb2AaYYMS1AmCTotPDvCxzFCeTYhwTeaDGugtzA6yrSRwA9XwuzaaJ-yBlJbEx5IBxfVJLOcJA/s2560/20230809160616_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExg6NfmLrCXngcvwS0dcLWJBL-xrwDXf7sFy5uTkXefXixjhyhnIUCOTsZM3k6kqHVEUSg6tt_rtuHNzgsqm5HpAtMUDUDTRjl6YA_dC6Xb2AaYYMS1AmCTotPDvCxzFCeTYhwTeaDGugtzA6yrSRwA9XwuzaaJ-yBlJbEx5IBxfVJLOcJA/w400-h225/20230809160616_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></li><li>Combat isn't as tightly tuned as D:OS, but, again, individual encounters tend to be more fun and rewarding than individual encounters in BG.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3KEl-ZbmtVZAob3rTRfUvsESXWcFRfqpyj1FkRdqZZvsK6wKLEcgj3ZyXYuPQkn0jfjPYH1Wmr7y7DzEhp-jiaIZG8W-k3O_lVOi9yup6CZDrT97aKgUGwQa7W6966taG5DV_pxwlxkD2FNcErbW28-UhEUMVKhi5_ZqKDMatXVS06DNSg/s2560/20230817223330_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3KEl-ZbmtVZAob3rTRfUvsESXWcFRfqpyj1FkRdqZZvsK6wKLEcgj3ZyXYuPQkn0jfjPYH1Wmr7y7DzEhp-jiaIZG8W-k3O_lVOi9yup6CZDrT97aKgUGwQa7W6966taG5DV_pxwlxkD2FNcErbW28-UhEUMVKhi5_ZqKDMatXVS06DNSg/w400-h225/20230817223330_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></li><li>Party members still <i>love</i> walking over discovered traps. This game badly needs an option to automatically stop party movement when a trap is detected; I think every other modern RPG I've played recently has had that option, and I keenly feel its absence here. <br /></li></ul><p>Some technical improvements I've noticed from early access:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I still hate inventory management, but at least they've added powerful sorting options to the inventory (sort by latest, sort by weight, etc.), which helps a ton. They've also added a Search option, which is awesome! The only thing that would be better would be not having an inventory at all!</li><li>You can now select genitalia for your character! And they've further split up the male/female categorization. I think this is the most genderqueer-friendly game I've played: facial hair, genitals, chests and voices are all freely mix-and-matchable. It's a little thing, but I like how when you select a voice, it alternates between masculine and feminine voices, instead of having them all grouped together or defaulting based on your preferred form of address.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKb9ae0ro0TXYzG56TiD_JQJrbmle1T8crtagg5p42mX3GzKfThVKphbcBMZoVojWCFPny_XTXFFDM_I70KghyWEGppSteqPmxkecTI25-B7InPb_o8IMblVPXOU6H0IQPN74GL9Kk8cTptiABuRXZ46x-4XRhwFanfq4vvFMK2TvG-8Nzg/s2560/20230803184809_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKb9ae0ro0TXYzG56TiD_JQJrbmle1T8crtagg5p42mX3GzKfThVKphbcBMZoVojWCFPny_XTXFFDM_I70KghyWEGppSteqPmxkecTI25-B7InPb_o8IMblVPXOU6H0IQPN74GL9Kk8cTptiABuRXZ46x-4XRhwFanfq4vvFMK2TvG-8Nzg/w400-h225/20230803184809_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></li></ul><p><b>MINI SPOILERS</b></p><p>While the high-level plot seems to still be the same, my experience so far has been very different, mostly because I'm playing as a new PC. Instead of playing as a Tiefling... Cleric, maybe? it's been a while... I'm playing as a (Seldarine) Drow Bard. This is <i>drastically</i> changing my experience playing through the game. The Tiefling refugees react to me with a lot of fear and dread, while the goblins react to me with... well, fear and dread, but <i>helpful</i> fear and dread. Whereas before they came at me with a lot of aggression and challenging persuasion rolls, now when a goblin sees me they're always like, "Oh, dreaded mistress! I cower before you in my abject despair! Please tell me how your lowly servant can be of use to you, my dark master!" It's <i>really</i> funny and enjoyable.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTz8mE0EjEiuQn7xppnmN0k61cna71P7TDHf3chv5A2riPy-33sPaMSPOEccpwKdypMtzqhn9jOdPdY9Yw4KKdzuofg9cMSZ9QA2gLCwjaiIPLNtqEksP0v7siuiTsHmBL2i1V-UChbw06fXdV6aU30i_bTsMj7V7DLPEhkh_DyBeLEX5cow/s2560/20230809201136_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTz8mE0EjEiuQn7xppnmN0k61cna71P7TDHf3chv5A2riPy-33sPaMSPOEccpwKdypMtzqhn9jOdPdY9Yw4KKdzuofg9cMSZ9QA2gLCwjaiIPLNtqEksP0v7siuiTsHmBL2i1V-UChbw06fXdV6aU30i_bTsMj7V7DLPEhkh_DyBeLEX5cow/w400-h225/20230809201136_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I've avoided reading reviews, but one thing I have seen noted about this game is its high level of reactivity. My drow experiences are great, but not unique: apparently, everyone gets a lot of custom reactions and dialogue based on their race, class, decisions, and other levers.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3aFarK8f5MtTyUSPobI1Hqt1eGlpM_Lr4Zqdv_1UkfGUnLvf7wWLpYzDBl_BmJua7Qeg4PSlIBZJjKdzG_7upmyIlM3Zhc5lPZPTPIk4oO1E5e19LkqnANvA-iHKF7bfoPFL_z5wIRgCTHLlIXdg5Be7bRVfu8aAPbYeP2x0xSBosC990Hw/s2560/20230817222657_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3aFarK8f5MtTyUSPobI1Hqt1eGlpM_Lr4Zqdv_1UkfGUnLvf7wWLpYzDBl_BmJua7Qeg4PSlIBZJjKdzG_7upmyIlM3Zhc5lPZPTPIk4oO1E5e19LkqnANvA-iHKF7bfoPFL_z5wIRgCTHLlIXdg5Be7bRVfu8aAPbYeP2x0xSBosC990Hw/w400-h225/20230817222657_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Oh, yeah: playing as a Bard opens up a lot of fun stuff as well. I chose Bard in large part because I wanted to be the party spokeswoman, so that synergized with high Charisma and bonuses to Persuasion, Deception and similar conversational rolls. But there's also a lot of straight-up [Bard] dialogue options. A lot of these bypass conversation rolls altogether, which ironically de-values some of the mechanical advantages of being a Bard. But anyways, they're a blast: you might start singing a limerick to fluster an ancient evil guardian, or sing an inspiring song to lift the spirits of a dejected warrior. I'm sure that other classes get similar advantages as well, but I'm loving the Bard experience.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUNVAcJam1qcpyFM1FQ4XpWLN5W4m7wcQtRV-pozaLECEY8_vjv4Ihu9a26tqljJoO6wewW0JFJDbJ_Mz8X9Adgmlx7xVsSkmaNiRR_pV_MjLdl64bIaCWEonfQUCIY4I9QJg736rLomakip_t_gQp5kLowdOy-w3RNv9Mhs86NX8iq52ztQ/s2560/20230817215922_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUNVAcJam1qcpyFM1FQ4XpWLN5W4m7wcQtRV-pozaLECEY8_vjv4Ihu9a26tqljJoO6wewW0JFJDbJ_Mz8X9Adgmlx7xVsSkmaNiRR_pV_MjLdl64bIaCWEonfQUCIY4I9QJg736rLomakip_t_gQp5kLowdOy-w3RNv9Mhs86NX8iq52ztQ/w400-h225/20230817215922_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I've reached level 4. I took the College of Lore specialization at level 3, and am serving as a substitute Thief as well as my primary role of talker. There's a slight annoyance at this specialization - 5E D&D rules say that you should be able to pick any extra 3 proficiencies, and apparently that was implemented in earlier builds of BG3, but in the public release it's hard-coded to always pick Sleight of Hand, Intimidation, and Arcana (!). Proficiencies don't stack, so any duplicates from character creation are wasted. That's a bit of a bummer, but I'm hoping they'll fix it in the upcoming patch, and then I can make use of the in-game respec option to take the proficiencies I actually want. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMjw2tXrG6Jl_yqfQLHGfz4ZzqCR7-mjB1pNiJPjLUmkR2AjFosHkcNQMjWNJD0fcjhYXkOg_NV8oGlyBB2OHWuOnW_1DCQs_E-MV4XGsBLnMe4EareEy2ZAyqpZO7P8eoqZxCxahwJTULLR07yU47CdNI_rQUz4as6U5fvVBNlmj5vrj7g/s2560/20230818082123_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMjw2tXrG6Jl_yqfQLHGfz4ZzqCR7-mjB1pNiJPjLUmkR2AjFosHkcNQMjWNJD0fcjhYXkOg_NV8oGlyBB2OHWuOnW_1DCQs_E-MV4XGsBLnMe4EareEy2ZAyqpZO7P8eoqZxCxahwJTULLR07yU47CdNI_rQUz4as6U5fvVBNlmj5vrj7g/w400-h225/20230818082123_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>(<b>Update</b>: In the time between when I drafted this post and when I published it, Larian released <a href="https://baldursgate3.game/news/patch-1-now-live_87">Patch 1</a>, which does, indeed, fix this bug! Hooray for Larian!) <br /></p><p>Anyways - I'm currently mostly focused in CHA and secondarily in DEX. INT is my main dump stat, and I do like the roleplaying aspect of being a very good-natured and likeable but dumb person. I was initially planning on dumping WIS as well, but Perception rolls are <i>very</i> useful in the game: unlike most skill checks where you just want one party member with a high value, for Perception everyone's roll is potentially useful. And there are a lot of WIS saving throws, which protect against nasty effects.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigxPxQXycYOCN-PQVFV4RiS2hueetFuI-ivt3whm1pCZFZ1ijSU9PIEAP_ysoLUjXNJ16ZTl6mXXr2okUFflmT6cUQM8xAcavZXgytWC7RA1sghCWb2n9bWuXhyVJwT2D8TtaR2VAaN6DLayuj-jIWu-nYkdKOGgclIIvUWZZNWVyBLaVh4w/s2560/20230808202758_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigxPxQXycYOCN-PQVFV4RiS2hueetFuI-ivt3whm1pCZFZ1ijSU9PIEAP_ysoLUjXNJ16ZTl6mXXr2okUFflmT6cUQM8xAcavZXgytWC7RA1sghCWb2n9bWuXhyVJwT2D8TtaR2VAaN6DLayuj-jIWu-nYkdKOGgclIIvUWZZNWVyBLaVh4w/w400-h225/20230808202758_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>My CON is pretty decent; I plan to mostly fight from range, but I'm pretty decent with a rapier, and a handful of useful Bard abilities require being in melee range (including a nice destabilizing attack that can be done as a Bonus Action), so it's good to be able to take a couple of hits. STR isn't very important for me since I can Finesse my melee weapons, but it is a nice quality-of-life for carrying loot and performing my favorite action in the entire game: Shoving enemies off of very high places.</p><p>In combat, I typically try to get to high ground and snipe enemies from a distance with my crossbow, but I'll sometimes move in close to Threaten enemies or draw their attention from vulnerable teammates. All of my spell picks so far have been for out-of-combat utility: Talk with Animals, Friends, Detect Thoughts and so on. I'm honestly not using them a whole lot, except for Talk with Animals, so I may shift some of them into buffs or offensive abilities.</p><p>My main party at the moment consists of La'zel, Shadowheart, and Gale. La'zel is mostly used for melee combat but is also very effective at range when I'm dealing with exploding enemies or other people I don't want to get too close to. She hates me! I haven't found any ranged weapons yet that Shadowheart can use. I'm mostly using her ranged cantrips, but sometimes bringing her to the frontline. Her buffs are useful, but at this low level she doesn't get many casts per day, so I don't get to use her magic a lot. I'm thinking of shifting away from Concentration spells and focusing on buffs that last until the next Long Rest. Finally, I'm mostly using Gale as a ranged AOE damage dealer: I had him take the Evoker specialization, which includes a really nice ability that prevents friendly fire from Evocation spells, which in turn lets him cast with abandon. He also gets a lot of utility out of disabling spells like Sleep. I recall Grease being really useful during Early Access but haven't used it much in this playthrough. I'm hoping to load him up with more utility spells in the future, especially to clear out environmental hazards.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnU_503Qg3VaL-H1yBMaru3EGxvIBIsfLDDQLPgd0bm3bX03tYu9iwQZlfYBe0VcGfGCjEOssUyQgVA8YzOBR3LtXq0huBmN5Gz0bDUsi_wO1aTWmHE0K1Xjni9X8lQhyduIYjYCfo63pTzRPvkciRnnmdF5EF6BQbRbYlZyZvUEiFK_M2A/s2560/20230818081928_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnU_503Qg3VaL-H1yBMaru3EGxvIBIsfLDDQLPgd0bm3bX03tYu9iwQZlfYBe0VcGfGCjEOssUyQgVA8YzOBR3LtXq0huBmN5Gz0bDUsi_wO1aTWmHE0K1Xjni9X8lQhyduIYjYCfo63pTzRPvkciRnnmdF5EF6BQbRbYlZyZvUEiFK_M2A/w400-h225/20230818081928_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Gale's storyline is the biggest difference I've noticed so far from Early Access. I remember La'zel's hunt for the creche and Shadowheart's relationship with Shar, but I don't remember Gale talking about his peculiar condition. I suspect that was added to the game between then and now, but it's possible that I just missed whatever trigger causes him to open up about that. I vaguely remember Gale being the one person in the party who's just generally nice and enjoys doing good things, so it's cool to have a complication to the character now that isn't just "he's secretly evil". I'm still very early in this storyline and very curious where it will lead; so far I'm getting the impression that this is some form of an addiction, and Gale's personality does remind me a lot of some other addicts: very charming and persuasive, which may serve to hide or support the addiction.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0rGVrqqkpdMk03fyN9W4FIRSbiMr1zJUIRrBwzDzBJy7a7eWhS-miLBvwXQXIHv2R6Km3-AdPA5XctS64FcHbwNU22sByXWaJ82-6QlcqIXI7Gl4mkwOprVPd90NdwkpmgjWp4Jiv7AbZQS4JIJExKPXLxBC58CYPOMyeZWtmRuexdBuxA/s2560/20230803214453_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0rGVrqqkpdMk03fyN9W4FIRSbiMr1zJUIRrBwzDzBJy7a7eWhS-miLBvwXQXIHv2R6Km3-AdPA5XctS64FcHbwNU22sByXWaJ82-6QlcqIXI7Gl4mkwOprVPd90NdwkpmgjWp4Jiv7AbZQS4JIJExKPXLxBC58CYPOMyeZWtmRuexdBuxA/w400-h225/20230803214453_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I'm still very early in the storyline, not having reached the Goblin camp yet. So far I'm basically making the same decisions and alliances as I did in Early Access. For better and for worse, the morality system in this game seems more in line with classic Baldur's Gate than with more modern and nuanced systems like Mass Effect and Dragon Age. The "Evil" choices feel <i>very</i> evil, while the "Good" choices are more like the defaults - being good doesn't require truly sacrificing anything important, just behaving decently towards people and protecting them from harm. I think it's cool that the game provides these choices and that players can choose to go down other paths, but personally I never really find it enjoyable to take these kind of cartoonishly evil decisions.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRU27FgrQhxRruANmUZBigWg7ET8MpgBei0RTYANJRUo8recL5nb4sfPdvmXbMwCMZcxsXzEyzATFYepvEYYwMTk23cVFsY6S3o5dszFiHiw1MexyfKm6L57jF_ZQBz6KNHya9CJImOxpy_cHuz9WNsN0wV36SYHM-hWVteT_N8b1erOrgPg/s2560/20230803195903_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRU27FgrQhxRruANmUZBigWg7ET8MpgBei0RTYANJRUo8recL5nb4sfPdvmXbMwCMZcxsXzEyzATFYepvEYYwMTk23cVFsY6S3o5dszFiHiw1MexyfKm6L57jF_ZQBz6KNHya9CJImOxpy_cHuz9WNsN0wV36SYHM-hWVteT_N8b1erOrgPg/w400-h225/20230803195903_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>That said, from what I've seen so far there isn't a formal alignment system in the game: you don't create a character as being "Lawful Evil" or "Chaotic Neutral" or anything like that, and you don't see those labels slapped onto other party members. That's a good thing! Those rigid alignment descriptions have always bothered me, and I'm glad that at least the system isn't beholden to them, even if the writing so far seems to be.</p><p><b>END SPOILERS</b></p><p>I think that's is so far! Lots lots more game to come. I'll probably chime in again as I complete major Acts or something. Don't expect any <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/fromsoftware">Elden Ring</a> updates in the meantime, but I am expecting to jump back into that once I finish this journey in Faerun.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SXyb4C8xKtHa04-3-qwTJGNbOjyaQhI_eZ-MJKm97RmkkRRM_tpAMVd_I5oWMrKBDX1MM9rDsvbTjtaC64dSQvD3FVZJyYw9uwPcbTHDlqs7Nzb_Az4Bmk8H9ohAbeEQ2v-ySy092UeoupxpVHS8XajVUcZxI3RSm__Q9kVJLQdvBpzdeA/s2560/20230817222959_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SXyb4C8xKtHa04-3-qwTJGNbOjyaQhI_eZ-MJKm97RmkkRRM_tpAMVd_I5oWMrKBDX1MM9rDsvbTjtaC64dSQvD3FVZJyYw9uwPcbTHDlqs7Nzb_Az4Bmk8H9ohAbeEQ2v-ySy092UeoupxpVHS8XajVUcZxI3RSm__Q9kVJLQdvBpzdeA/w400-h225/20230817222959_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-47382434802398097382023-08-31T20:17:00.001-07:002023-08-31T20:17:00.150-07:00John Donne's Body<p>I received an unexpected book for my birthday: "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Super-Infinite-Transformations-Donne-Katherine-Rundell/dp/0374607400">Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne</a>", by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/katherine.rundell/?hl=en">Katherine Rundell</a>. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that, despite being an English Lit major, I wasn't completely sure just who John Donne <i>was</i>: I recognized the name, but I don't think I read anything by him in school, and couldn't even tell you what century he lived in.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFGosCs5hXjGnQcIDJF-ri488VIRrzICnccdGl1cNjC40DoJ29XXzyWMl13J-SetQHqQETTqvZQFWbvd-ubkAzqWTZVXzznok_khb-J7v2Bp-br7ec3MI-v6hMnqitVO7SRRHVYElrVoIU1QNpYJo7_tuFD8TcF3kgm43Axz75-f3q3j-iA/s400/SuperInfinite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFGosCs5hXjGnQcIDJF-ri488VIRrzICnccdGl1cNjC40DoJ29XXzyWMl13J-SetQHqQETTqvZQFWbvd-ubkAzqWTZVXzznok_khb-J7v2Bp-br7ec3MI-v6hMnqitVO7SRRHVYElrVoIU1QNpYJo7_tuFD8TcF3kgm43Axz75-f3q3j-iA/w400-h400/SuperInfinite.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Given that lack of understanding, this turned out to be the perfect book for me. It's kind of a mix of biography, literary criticism, collection and history. It's a relatively short book and itself is written really well, forcefully making claims and backing them up with vivid language.</p><p>The book is also pretty perfect for me because, it turns out, John Donne is mostly known as a poet, and I'm not very well versed in poetry - I admire poetry in the abstract, but have a really hard time connecting with it in practice. At first I thought this might be a collection of Donne's poems, and if that was the case I probably would have bounced off of it. Instead, Rundell introduces the context in which Donne was writing, shares brief stanzas of his writing, and cogently draws out what was so startling and refreshing about it.</p><p>Donne was a contemporary of Shakespeare; it isn't clear whether they ever actually met, but they definitely moved in the same circles of London, spanning the reigns of Elizabeth I through James and Charles. Shakespeare is mostly remembered for his plays but also wrote popular sonnets. Donne moved through several different phases of literature during his life. As a young man he wrote poetry; what you might call "love poetry", but even today it's weirdly raw, visceral, engorged, overflowing. At a time when most poets were singing the praises of their beloved in the most ethereal, spiritual way possible, Donne was focused on bodies, on sex, on desire and panting and ecstasy. And while his contemporaries were writing courtly verse with elegant meters and expected imagery ("Oh how my love / Is just like a dove"), Donne broke free of these staid forms, and used unexpected, attention-grabbing metaphors that haven't been used before or since. His poetry collected a lot of indignation and scolding from literary peers in his lifetime and after, but it also made a <i>deep</i> impression on people, lodging in their brains... the evidence of that being that folks are still reading about him over 400 years later!</p><p>Near the end of his life, Donne became, rather improbably, a preacher: Dr. Donne was appointed by James I to be the Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, after a successful career preaching at other churches around London. It seems like quite a leap from an oversexed Catholic boy to a dogmatic Protestant man, but you can tell that it's the same person: in both mediums he was trying to communicate something important to his audience, and deploying terrific imagery and words to do so. His sermons were very popular; in one instance, three men were nearly trampled to death by the eagerness to see him. And much like his earlier verses were copied and passed around between friends, so his sermons were recorded and re-read over the coming week.</p><p>In between his early poetry and his late sermonizing, Donne led a very full life. He trained as a lawyer, and worked hard to try and work his way into the royal court, without ever really succeeding. He was thrown into prison after marrying the 17-year-old niece of his
employer, then proceeded to have 12 kids with her over the next 16 years. He served in several military expeditions. He also did a lot of writing, including some very obtuse metaphysical treatises and a shocking defense of suicide.</p><p>Rundell obviously greatly admires Donne's writing, but she doesn't airbrush any of his imperfections. While his love of Anne seems to have been genuine and lasting, it was also fairly squicky, as they married when he was 30 and she was 17, and their marriage removed her from a life of comfort and support to one of poverty and almost constant pregnancy. John doesn't seem to have been a good father: he wasn't very present for his kids, and only mentioned them when they were born, when they died, or when they were especially annoying. Those of his kids who survived to adulthood seemed to have turned out poorly, variously convicted of manslaughter and embezzlement and other crimes.</p><p>I guess that's kind of the inevitable conclusion of a lot of literary/artistic biographies: "This person did some terrible things, but their art is still really great, and worth experiencing today." While Donne had faults, it does seem like, for the most part, he was honest: honestly grappling with God, with desire, with his personal ambitions for fame and money and comfort.</p><p>I was pleasantly surprised by how readable the Donne excerpts in this book are: I think they're closer to modern English than Shakespeare is. Part of that is because Donne was creating modern English: a lot of our words were first invented by him, as well as some of our best-known phrases ("No man is an island"). So, it turns out, I <i>did</i> known John Donne after all!<br /></p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-34949851838493532442023-08-21T21:33:00.001-07:002023-08-21T21:33:00.143-07:00Freedom & Necessity & Revolutionaries<p>When I'm looking for something new to read, I have a few possible avenues to follow. The easiest is thinking of an author who I already enjoy and finding a book of theirs that I haven't read yet, either because it's their latest book or because I haven't exhausted their catalog yet. I also maintain a reading list spreadsheet; this is where I pop in books that are recommended to me in one way or another (personal recommendations, a positive review I stumble across online, a reference from some other piece of media, etc.). A recent source from the last couple of years has been <a href="https://fantasticmetropolis.com/i/50socialist">a particular list</a> from <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/china%20mieville">China Mieville</a>, an author who I generally enjoy, and who has led me to quite a few enjoyable books from authors I otherwise wouldn't have read.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaXNP0_MveN8oIdgeItWTHhtsBOajJpCzq_RDSos8FKm2xUMchjOKiJoWMG7CKwA6rANBVZfzxAHWPqiPKUrVpYgBKt_M2_5sBKjaelFYZbgWUyfA_zBgrbncR50nealBXQePVyPMxEmKuMUbhlSK44Vs9jwPoKV8_F6upy-e_bGc-5PEKg/s475/FreedomAndNecessity.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="273" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaXNP0_MveN8oIdgeItWTHhtsBOajJpCzq_RDSos8FKm2xUMchjOKiJoWMG7CKwA6rANBVZfzxAHWPqiPKUrVpYgBKt_M2_5sBKjaelFYZbgWUyfA_zBgrbncR50nealBXQePVyPMxEmKuMUbhlSK44Vs9jwPoKV8_F6upy-e_bGc-5PEKg/w230-h400/FreedomAndNecessity.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The latest entry from that list is "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Necessity-Steven-Brust/dp/0765316803">Freedom & Necessity</a>" by <a href="https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?180">Emma Bull</a> and <a href="https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/steven-brust/">Steven Brust</a>. I haven't read (or even heard about) either author before; from some extremely light online research, it looks like they usually write fantasy novels (separately). I went into this book completely cold, not knowing anything other than that China Mieville enjoyed it.</p><p><b>MINI SPOILERS</b></p><p>The first thing I noticed was the form: the novel mostly consists of a series of letters written between the major characters. Each person will usually recount some piece of action that recently occurred, but also include a lot of their personal reflections, references to previous experiences, and maybe some good-natured ribbing. Early on I would typically flip forward to find who signed the letter, then go back and read the whole thing. After a while, though, you get to know the voice of each author so well that this becomes unnecessary. Kitty is particularly easy to identify, with breathless run-on sentences spilling from her pen. Along with the letters we get occasional journal entries: Susan encrypts hers, while Richard does not. And there are a few articles from The Times which, apparently, are taken verbatim from the actual paper.</p><p>Unlike my initial assumption, this is not a work of fantasy, but rather of historical fiction. It's set in England during the 1840s, and while reading this novel I came to realize just how little I know about this period: well after the War of 1812 and long before the peak of the Empire, what <i>was</i> happening in England? There were quite a few times while reading this that I went over to Wikipedia to look up some reference and would swiftly go down a rabbit hole, swept up in the fascinating revolutionary movements of that era that I was completely ignorant of. For some reason I assumed that both authors are British, but I see now that they are American, and I think it's cool that they found and explored this period of history.</p><p>There were some parts early on when I thought that there might be some fantasy to this after all: Kitty writes about opening the gate and communicating with spirits, James speaks in an unrecognizable tongue. Much later in the book there are some other references to pagan-ish rites. The book itself seems resolutely realistic, though. Characters are interested in mysticism because people of that era were interested in mysticism, not because mysticism is real within the context of the book.</p><p>So, what <i>is</i> the book about? It's pretty hard to tell for quite a while! I honestly had a bit of a hard time getting into it. The letters-writing mechanic isn't my favorite, and the plot is so vague and for quite a long time that it's hard to hold on to anything in particular. There's a general sense that something is afoot and various events that seem to be evidence of some form of conspiracy, and that sense of foreboding looms over a <i>lot</i> of the book before you start getting clarity. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing: most of my favorite fiction of these days are from writers like Bolano who specialize in ominous-but-vague writing. The old-fashioned language may have been an issue as well; the book uses modern spelling, but the pacing and writing is a lot like the contemporary Austen and Bronte novels.</p><p><b>MEGA SPOILERS</b></p><p>Once you <i>do</i> get to the actual plot, though, I found it really compelling. There are a lot of different threads in play, but the most exciting one revolves around the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartism">Chartist movement</a>. I'd never heard of this before, but it was a working-class political movement in England and Ireland that was agitating for a more democratic system. That included demands like universal male suffrage, salaried members of Parliament (so people who weren't independently wealthy could afford to serve), proportional representation, and so on. Today all of those demands have been implemented and they sound innocuous, but at the time it was seen as a dangerous, treasonous, revolutionary sentiment, and the Chartists were brutally suppressed, with many leaders thrown into prison or killed by the state.</p><p>One of the main characters, James, has been an undercover Chartist for years. Like all of the other main characters, he was born into the aristocracy, but he sees it as corrupt and wants to overthrow (or at least reform) it. One of the tricky things about the book is that James is coming from a life of deceit, and so a lot of the information we get from his letters (or that others record him saying) isn't accurate. It takes a while for us to get a clearer picture of what's actually been happening.</p><p>While not a key part of the plot, one of the most enjoyable elements of the book is the inclusion of Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx as supporting characters. We barely see Marx at all, but Engels is a great presence: warm, helpful, challenging, curious, bright, passionate. You get a sense that "fellow travelers" existed long before that term existed; Engels is following his own program, but sees the kindred spirits in Chartism and wishes them well.</p><p>The big revelation near the end of the book is that, rather than trying to untangle a single big elaborate conspiracy, they've actually been facing something like three or four separate conspiracies, all after them but for different reasons, and competing with one another as well. That was a pretty clever reveal; it makes things even more complicated, but that feels appropriate to what the book is trying to do.</p><p>The core political conspiracy has to do with the Prussian government stoking a false-flag operation that will cause the British government to crack down on the community of Continental leftist exiles living in England at this time, eliminating the threat to stability that they pose. There's also a set of personal conspiracies revolving around James, the son of Andrew Cobham: Andrew is a wealthy and powerful man in society, and we learn that he also leads the Trotters Club, a secret society organized around ritual murder. There's a three-way struggle within the club: Andrew wants to keep control of the club and eliminate James, his bastard son and a living embodiment of Andrew's shame; Allan Tournier is a longtime foe of James who also joined the Chartists but has been informing on the organization, and now seeks to kill Andrew and James and deliver the Chartists to the government, so he can be rewarded with leadership of the Trotters as well as receiving the old family estate; and Allan's sister has arranged to get impregnated by James and wants her unborn son to inherit the estate.</p><p>It was kind of satisfying to have all these threads finally out in the open and start to draw closer near the end; the flip side was that the novel becomes "The James Show" near the end, with everything being about the character I liked the least. Kitty has the most compelling voice but is almost completely missing from action; Richard is incredibly likeable but is in exile in the Continent for much of the last third of the book, and only appearing to back up James at the end; Susan is great, and does have some really wonderful lovemaking scenes with James, but (her great feminist words notwithstanding) by the end she seems to mostly serve as a window to show us more of James. James himself does change by the end: he's more trusting, less cynical, has a reinvigorated sense of purpose and destiny, while keeping his lifelong determination; but, I dunno, I just didn't like him all that much.</p><p><b>END SPOILERS</b></p><p>Even though it wasn't completely my cup of tea, I did enjoy this book, and liked it a lot more the further I got into it, as I got more used to the language and could wrap my arms around some of the plot. I am pretty curious about exactly how it was written: my assumption would be that Emma wrote the parts that came from the women's perspective and Steven the parts from the men's, but I wouldn't be shocked to learn that they did it differently.</p><p>Looking back, it seems like the 90s may have been the peak time for collaborative novels. When I was growing up I loved the (age-inappropriate) <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/ThievesWorld">Thieves World</a> books, a shared-world setting with a bunch of different authors contributing stories that used each others' characters. Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens came out in 1990 and might be my favorite collaborative novel ever. Freedom & Necessity was published in 1997. I'm sure that people are still co-writing spec-fic novels, but off the top of my head I can't think of one I've read from the last decade. Which definitely could say more about me than about the publishing industry! But it is interesting that in an age where it's so easy to collaborate with one another (both technically, through sharing editable documents rather than mailing manuscripts, as well as through the many tools available for instant communication over long distances), we don't seem to have experienced a corresponding explosion in collaborative works of fiction. <br /></p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-20053535984240697512023-08-03T18:28:00.014-07:002023-08-03T18:28:00.134-07:00Morgan<p>Phew! I just finished reading <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/ron%20chernow">Ron Chernow</a>'s first book, the massive tome <a href="https://www.amazon.com/House-Morgan-American-Banking-Dynasty/dp/0802144659">The House of Morgan</a>. I checked it out from the library at the same time as two more reasonably-long books, and was amused to see that while the others were due on July 8th, HoM was automatically checked out until September 19 - I think it's cool that they would automatically give extra time for getting through it!</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMe4_PV5mo968OH6JJ72bdOCoDWB0jv-OGdcktgyb1ceRf0NWTl-YS30qAB01WvhM-ahK201zDCQMl8KIdelCgOQWaUrwd5v13SAT5Irve15yquaAfzfytNWUrKM4kavwWml-xS0XelclQPNPe94TOdeYB8PxieW9-0Y_5FA2Ob3lenEdb0g/s369/The_House_of_Morgan_(Ron_Chernow_novel)_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMe4_PV5mo968OH6JJ72bdOCoDWB0jv-OGdcktgyb1ceRf0NWTl-YS30qAB01WvhM-ahK201zDCQMl8KIdelCgOQWaUrwd5v13SAT5Irve15yquaAfzfytNWUrKM4kavwWml-xS0XelclQPNPe94TOdeYB8PxieW9-0Y_5FA2Ob3lenEdb0g/w260-h400/The_House_of_Morgan_(Ron_Chernow_novel)_cover.jpg" width="260" /></a></div> <p></p><p>It's a fascinating book, and very well-written, so engrossing that I once completely missed my bus stop and had to loop all the way back around. It covers the history of the J. P. Morgan bank in its <a href="https://www.jpmorgan.com/global">various</a> <a href="https://www.jpmorganchase.com/">manifestations</a>, from a small American outpost in the City of London established early in the 1800s through its titanic presence at the turn of the century through its involvement in the scandals and malfeasance that came to characterize Wall Street in the 1980s. Chernow published this book in 1990 and it continues right up to that point, through the 1987 stock market crash and the presidency of George Bush. It has some aspects of a biography, but it's more of a biography of a dynasty than of an individual person. It's also a fantastic walk through history, especially compelling because it tells a coherent narrative story instead of needing to broadly cover everything that happened over those momentous 150 years.<br /></p><p>I picked this up for a couple of reasons: I've highly enjoyed all of Chernow's other books I've read (biographies of Hamilton, <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2016/12/six-foot-eight-weighs-freaking-ton.html">Washington</a> and <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2019/03/granted.html">Grant</a>), and the financial thrust of this book seemed likely to align with my recent fascination / obsession with topics of <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/finance">wealth and inequality</a>. To my surprise, for once I read a book and was <i>not</i> constantly cross-referencing it with ideas from <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/thomas%20piketty">Thomas Piketty</a>. Instead, the book that most often came to mind was <a href="https://seberin.blogspot.com/2020/02/go-directly-to-jail-do-not-pass-go.html">Matt Stoller's Goliath</a>. Both books focus on roughly similar eras, from the start of industrialization through the present (although the "present" was three decades earlier for Chernow). It is really cool to see the same history through different perspectives. Chernow's book is a lot longer page-wise but its focus is narrower: primarily on the Morgan bank, and by extension the companies it did business with, which includes a lot of other competitive banks and railroads, but not many of the industrial and retail firms that Stoller pays attention to. Some of the people who towered in Stoller's book are barely mentioned here; one of the biggest examples is Andrew Mellon, who is a huge villain in Goliath but here is only fleetingly referenced as Hoover's secretary of the treasury. But they both have a lot to write about Louis Brandeis, and the creation of the Federal Reserve, and the various Congressional hearings of the first half of the 20th century, and how National City / Citibank is and always has been absolutely awful, and how Walter Wriston in particular is terrible, and so on.<br /></p><p>The first 2/3 or so of the book reads like an anthology of biographies, covering the strong-willed men who started the Morgan empire and describing the world in which they operated; Chernow also does a great job at giving layman-level introductions to some key financial concepts, while keeping the focus resolutely on the human beings who execute those transactions and are affected by them. The story begins, oddly, not with a Morgan but with a Peabody: George Peabody, an American who relocated to London and became the de-facto representative for Americans seeking to raise money from the British. One of the biggest themes in this book is the shift in the flow of capital over this period of time. In the 1800s, the British were the world's richest empire and the biggest creditors, investing in projects around the world; the Americans were vibrant and developing upstarts, frequently in debt as they sought funds to build out their railroads, factories and other infrastructure. After the two World Wars, this orientation had shifted, with Wall Street the financial capital of the world and the place everyone went to raise capital, and Britain now playing a financially subservient role.</p><p>The genesis of this bank was having a foothold on both sides of the Atlantic, being able to vouch for the credit-worthiness of virtuous American projects, and acting as a clearinghouse for both lenders and borrowers. In particular this was what was known as a "merchant bank". Unlike a retail bank, which took deposits from individuals and small businesses (checking and savings accounts) and made loans (mortgages and small business loans), merchant banks only operated at the wholesale level, working with large companies and nations to raise large sums of money. They started off as financing mercantile operations such as long ship voyages, and evolved over time to exclusive providers for capital-intensive projects.</p><p>Peabody seems like a copy of Ebeneezer Scrooge. He was very miserly, and there are some great anecdotes about how this fabulously wealthy man would wait twenty minutes for a cheaper carriage to come by. Near the end of his life, he turned into a very generous philanthropist, giving away most of his fortune to care for the poor and other worthy causes.</p><p>Peabody never married (though he was very fond of prostitutes). He didn't want his bank to just vanish after he died, so he asked his American associates to recommend a partner to him, and they sent over Junius Morgan, a bright, serious and hard-working banker. Junius carefully analyzed the operation and agreed to join as a partner. Junius felt some bitter disappointment when Peabody gave away most of his capital rather than keep it in the bank, but carried on after his death, rebranding as J. S. Morgan. He opened another office on Wall Street and thus carried on bank business on both sides of the Atlantic axis, eventually bringing up his son Pierpoint Morgan to manage affairs in one hemisphere while he managed the other.</p><p>Chernow dips a lot into the psychology of the people in this story, which makes for very compelling reading, although I did find myself feeling curious about how confidently we can say what these individuals were thinking and feeling. In some ways, this weighty tome is a story of intergenerational neglect and trauma, a series of damaged men rising to powerful positions while carrying unrequited feelings. Junius seems to have had good intentions in raising his son, but, perhaps to compensate for their physical distance, was extremely controlling and micromanaging, constantly giving advice and orders on how much to chew his food, how to spend his day, how to talk to people and make friends, and so on. Perhaps in response to this, Pierpont became a very driven and cold individual, and seems like he would have been extremely unpleasant to meet: when he was done with a meeting, he would simply stare silently at his visitor until they got nervous and left. Pierpont was a fantastically skilled banker, but unlike his father, didn't get any joy or pleasure from banking; it seems like it was just an obligation to him (albeit an extremely lucrative one). Pierpont's biggest passions were the Church, collecting fine art, and having lots of mistresses.</p><p>Pierpont's relationship to his son Jack was almost the opposite of Junius's relationship to Pierpoint: Pierpont mostly ignored his boy and rarely shared his own feelings or acknowledged Jack's. Chernow sees this resulting in a vulnerability and sadness in Jack; he lacked his father's rough edges, as well as his confidence. Jack also wasn't especially passionate about banking: his own passion was for sailing. It's interesting to see how Junius's strong will carried on for many generations of Morgan men, even in the absence of true feelings for their profession.</p><p>The dramatic human elements are a strong part of the book and a big part of what kept me reading, but personally I was just as fascinated with the economic-historical parts. In the first half or so of the book, railroads loom over most of the activity: raising investments for railroads was by far the biggest focus of Peabody, Junius and Pierpont's careers. Railroads have also come up a lot in other books I've recently read about the 1800s, including histories of labor. I was a little surprised when Chernow confidently asserts that, due to the high fixed costs associated with railroads, they should have been funded as public utilities, and were only created as private enterprises because there were insufficient public resources. Chernow doesn't really back that up or explain why; that idea does sort of make sense to me but I don't think I've encountered it elsewhere.</p><p>A big theme of the Pierpont era has to do with efficiencies. As Chernow explains (and I've read elsewhere), lots of people were starting up railroads, which often traveled redundant routes and competed against one another. This lead to price wars and bankruptcies. Pierpont and his ilk hated inefficiencies, and their drive to consolidate seems as much of an aesthetic and philosophical objection as out of a desire for profit. It's wasteful to spent millions of dollars laying track that doesn't provide any advantage over the existing track, so Pierpont wanted the major players to join into cartels and work out their differences behind closed doors instead of competing in the market.</p><p>I don't remember Stoller spending a whole lot of time on the railroads in Goliath; he's much more interested in heavy industry, which the Morgans mostly eschewed until well into the 20th century. (Industries were very new at the time, used significantly less capital than railroads, and were much riskier.) I'd be curious to hear Stoller's thoughts on railroads, since he invariably values competition over consolidation, even publicly-owned consolidation. I've mulled over it a bit, and I think Stoller might still have preferred the wasteful status quo of the early Pierpont era: slashing rates was terrible for the owners of the railroads, and the banks and wealthy individuals who invested in the railroads, but those same low rates were a huge boon for <i>users</i> of the railroads, mostly small merchants and farmers. "Creative destruction" may have led to investors taking haircuts and lower ongoing prices. (The pains of consolidation are described by both Chernow and Stoller in the debacle of consolidated railroads slashing costs and safety measures, leading to widespread crashes and deaths and triggering nationwide recessions in their wake.)<br /></p><p>Glass-Steagall has been on my mind lately, especially with this year's failure of Silicon Valley Bank, First Republic and Signature Bank. Glass-Steagall is a big presence in this book from the introduction. I kind of knowingly chucked in the first few pages when Chernow lays out his thesis: basically, banks used to be hugely powerful and influential in the 19th century when they controlled the flow of capital, heading empires that ruled over weak corporations. In the 20th century, though, Glass-Steagall neutered banks and corporations became the new goliaths, capable of funding their own expansion through retained earnings, and so today banks are once more serving at the whims of their customers rather than ruling them as their masters. "Ah," I chortled, "Little did Chernow know that by the end of the decade, Clinton would undo Glass-Steagall and banks would rise to once again become powerful and destructive forces in the economy!"</p><p>As I headed deep into the third section ("Casino"), though, I came to realize that Chernow and Stoller actually pretty much share the same thesis: that Glass-Steagall was neutered in spirit <i>decades</i> before it formally ended, and its repeal was more of a burial than a murder. Thanks to decisions made in the 1960s to relax rules around acquiring deposits (which Stoller calls "hot money" and Chernow calls "bought money"), banks regained their muscular power and their ability to reach far beyond traditional loading operations, into increasingly arcane and risky financial speculation.<br /></p><p>And honestly, I think the last couple of chapters of the book sort of belie the claims made in the introduction. We see a world where Glass-Steagall is still technically the law of the land, but completely eviscerated: a few very narrow technical things still can't be done, but there are a dozen ways to do equivalent things, and everyone assumes a formal repeal is around the corner. I was really struck by how similar the lending crises of the 1980s are to the things that happened in 2000, 2008, 2023, etc. I've been conditioned to blame these crises on the repeal of Glass-Steagall, but this stuff was already happening <i>decades</i> earlier. Motivated by greed, and not feeling sufficient caution, banks plummet into disaster again and again.</p><p>Chernow points out a significant change from the pre-Glass-Steagall era to the modern one: governments are now larger, more muscular and effective than the banks, so unlike previous times they are capable of taking direct action and don't need to defer to the banks. But we also start seeing government bailouts, rescues from the risky decisions made by the banks. This feels like another form of co-opting, similar to the creation of the Federal Reserve, which both Chernow and Stoller convincingly portray as a Progressive initiative that was captured by the banks for their own uses. I think of 2008's financial crisis as being a watershed moment, the final nail in the New Deal's coffin: but it was <i>exactly</i> the same as the bailouts from Latin American defaults and other earlier activities, where banks threatened to bring down the economy unless they were rescued. Going back to Stoller, refusing to allow businesses to fail keeps them from acting well. We've created a world where they're strongly incentivized towards the riskiest possible legal strategies: if they profit, they'll reap enormous rewards, and if they fail, they won't suffer meaningful consequences. They get bailed out by threatening economic calamity if they go under, and the solution to that is to keep any institution from getting too big to fail, too powerful to say "No" to.<br /></p><p>Chernow does have the marked advantage of not coming across as racist like Stoller does, though. Throughout the book he carefully notes the prejudices and blind spots of the generations of Morgans and later people who headed the bank; in some cases their antisemitism was perfunctory and clubby, other times it was deeply felt and vicious. Chernow recounts how the Morgans' anti-Catholic prejudice led them to spar with Koe Kennedy, and how antiquated their attitudes towards women were. Unlike Stoller, Chernow doesn't seem at all nostalgic for the days when mediocre WASP men ran the banks.</p><p>Like I mentioned before, I was kind of expecting more "Aha!" moments with Piketty's works than with Stoller's, since these days I seem to read everything through a Piketty lens. I think the difference might be because Piketty operates mostly at the micro level (what's happening with individuals) and the macro (entire countries), while House of Morgan and Goliath are both more focused on the middle level (companies and sectors). But where HoM does overlap with Piketty they seem to reinforce one another. In particular, the transformation from the 1800s to the 1900s is revealing. Previously, central governments had small tax bases and limited power in the economy, and later on they acquired money and power that shifted previously private functions into the public sphere. Piketty persuasively shows at the level of national accounts where, when and how this has happened, while Chernow gives some vivid, on-the-ground examples of this change, most especially in how economic crises have been handled.</p><p>Throughout the book, Chernow does a fantastic job at structuring the narrative. This could have been an unreadable slog, but he thematically groups stories into his major sections: he'll lay out the theme up front, tell the story, tie events back to the theme, and then move on. Things generally progress forward in time, but he'll follow one set of characters or a development through a period to its conclusion, then rewind a few years to tell another subplot. This occasionally feels slightly odd when jumping back in time across a major political event: you'll read one page discussing reconstruction after a World War, and then a few pages later you're back to events that occurred during that war. But it all reads well and is much better than the alternative of a rigid progression through time while simultaneously tracking a dozen actors. This gets even more true in the second half of the book: during Jack's time the bank evolves from the manifestation of one man's will into a collegial team of bright, talented, interesting men; eventually the singular bank shatters into several separate organizations, who first cooperate with one another but eventually turn into vicious competitors. Along the way the hereditary Morgans are nudged out, first as wealthy playboys who are merely token partners and eventually gone altogether. We're left with a revolving door of top executive leadership, and again, it's a huge testament to Chernow's writing skill that the story remains comprehensible at this point. He has a knack for quickly and vividly drawing a few characteristics for a new player, so we can make sense of the brief part of the story they're occupying.</p><p>Why are we reading a book about J. P. Morgan & Co in 1990 (or 2023)? I imagine a big reason people pull this book from the shelf is due to the centuries-long mystique of the Morgans as all-powerful manipulators of finance and politics. Particularly during the Progressive era, the Morgans in particular were often depicted as the shadowy power behind the throne, manipulating nations into profitable wars and inflicting misery to pad their profits. Chernow takes this reputation seriously, pulling back the curtain and exploring in what ways their reputation was accurate and in what way it wasn't. Much of this reputation was a natural consequence of Morgan secrecy, which in turn was a natural outcome of the nature of their business. Merchant banking inherently feels secretive since regular people can't interact with those banks: you couldn't walk in to a Morgan branch office with a paystub and open an account. Merchant banks only deal with companies, nations, and a handful of the wealthiest individuals in the world. Even within the elite world of merchant banking, Morgan always had a very outsized influence relative to the amount of capital it directly controlled. The reasons for this outsized influence (which I and nobody else call the "Morgan Bump") varied over time. Early on, Morgan was lucky to have footholds in both the City of London and on Wall Street, benefiting from connecting the two major sources of capital in the world. Later on its power came from strong personal connections between the bank's leaders and and government officials, central bankers, and the heads of major corporations: a Morgan could get the Secretary of the Treasury on the phone at a moment's notice, and could summon the heads of all the major banks and industries into his office, not because he had bribed these people but because he personally knew and worked with all of them.</p><p>Chernow shows how Morgan often used this unique power for good, stepping in to prevent or limit recessions that were caused by less cautious banks. There's a strong sense of noblesse oblige that colors the first 120 years or so of the bank: they make good money, and feel a social responsibility to keep the economic machine and the nation it resides within humming along as smoothly as possible. As the bank continued through the generations, its reputation grew and became its own source of power. Pierpont seems like an unlikeable and deeply unpleasant man, but he also always kept his word and dealt fairly and straightly with people. Almost nobody liked him, but everybody trusted him, and could count on how he would respond in a given situation. I was surprised to learn that Pierpont never negotiated: he would make or receive a single offer, it would be accepted or declined, and that would be the end of it. I tend to think of business leaders as being cunning negotiators and hagglers, but Pierpont was the ultimate take-it-or-leave-it guy, and in the end, that did more for his reputation and power than he would have won as a skilled haggler. He was feared but trusted.</p><p>A major concept that's introduced at the very beginning and continues through the end is the idea of the Gentleman Banker's Code. This is a certain unwritten but iron-clad code of conduct by which the merchant bankers in the City of London and Manhattan operated. The key principles were basically:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Your word is your bond. If you say you'll do something, you'll do it, whether there's a formal contract or not.</li><li>You serve your clients. Advise them fairly and act in their interest. Avoid any conflicts of interest, even if it means forgoing potential income.</li><li>The relationship between a banker and a client is seen as sacred. Banks won't poach other banks' clients, any more than they would pursue another man's wife. If an existing client wishes to move to a new bank, the new bank will seek the first bank's approval before accepting.</li></ul><p>Chernow repeatedly uses the phrase "golden handcuffs" to describe the relationship between a bank and its client. For much of history, this was seen as a symbiotic relationship: the company could share its deepest secrets with the bank, without fear that the bank would exploit it. The client could count on the bank to raise the capital it needed. In return, that client provided a lot of money to the bank, often in the form of keeping large deposits in the bank that bore no interest.</p><p>Between banks, there was a sort of high-level maneuvering, but competition tended to be very abstract and obscure. A gentleman banker would never dream of "stealing" another bank's client by offering lower fees or better interest rates. Banks as a whole were definitely a cartel, quietly colluding to keep fees high and their clients content. There <i>was</i> definitely competition between banks, but it had more to do with actions they took in the real economy, what sectors and regions they invested in, what new business they sought out and nurtured, as opposed to directly opposing one another. Again, you can see why this spawned so many conspiracy theories about banks, many of which were quite reasonable.</p><p>It's an interesting thought experiment to imagine whether we'd be better off today if the Gentleman Banker's Code was still around. Ending it diminished the power of banks (probably good) and cut into their profit margins (also good), but led them to take increasingly reckless risks that could bring down the economy (very very bad). Individual clients as a whole are getting a much better deal today, keeping more of their money working for them and having more options as a result of the competition for business; but it feels like the economy as a whole is shakier now that everything is transactional rather than reputational.</p><p>I'm reminded of a comment that the Federal Reserve made to Morgan in the 1960s, essentially "It's OK if you do this, but not if other banks do, so we can't let you do it." Morgan was, to its credit, a conservative bank up until the 1970s or so. Banking used to be managed by norms and culture. "We do first-class business in a first-class way" is not just a catchy slogan, but how generations of Morgan men defined their purpose and existence, and that North star kept their banks on a generally reliable course.</p><p>Norms and culture <i>mostly</i> worked, but definitely had problems: less scrupulous institutions could flout the unwritten rules and create major damage, and sometimes even the major banks would turn a blind eye towards bad or risky behavior. After the Progressive and New Deal eras, banking was increasingly managed by laws instead of by customs. That worked really well while the law was actively enforced, with both banks and society as a whole on a smooth, profitable, nicely boring trajectory. Once enforcement of the law eroded, though, the old norms were no longer in place to provide guard rails. My feeling is that bank behavior in 2023 is much worse than it was in 1864, unconstrained by either vigilant government nor a moral sense of obligation.</p><p>Speaking of rules, though, it is interesting to see how strongly different rules in the path impacted investor behavior. Several times we read about how Junius and Pierpont would re-organize a flailing company, which would often include getting bondholders to agree to exchange their higher-interest bonds for lower-interest ones. I wondered why they would agree to this, but it turns out that at the time, people who had a financial interest in a company and stood to profit from it could be held individually liable for other unpaid debts and obligations held by that company. These reorganizations were a little like a private-sector form of bankruptcy, where creditors would receive some amount of payment, bondholders would swallow lower interest rates, owners would put up more capital (often borrowed), and management could be replaced or continue working under less-extreme financial pressure. Anyways, it's interesting to see that just two centuries ago there was a system where investors were incentivized to act for the good of the whole rather than their own narrow best interests. I'd be curious to hear more about how that system worked, when and how it changed: it sounds like reviving a similar system could go a long way towards restoring a more humane and less cut-throat world of business. (As I'm writing this, I'm reminded that Pistor's <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2023/06/source-code.html">Code of Capital</a> writes quite a bit about the history of prioritizing creditors versus prioritizing debtors, which seems to dovetail with this topic.)</p><p>As I reached the last several chapters of the book, it was cool to start seeing familiar contemporary names popping up as characters in the narrative: Robert Reich, Paul Volcker, Alan Greenspan, Rudolph Giuliani, Ed Markey, and others enter the story. In the end, that's one of the great achievements of this style of book: presenting history as a single contiguous narrative that seamlessly brings us to the present. The world we live in now is the outcome of decisions people in the past made, and it provides an implicit reminder that the choices <i>we</i> make, individually and as a society, will shape the lived experiences of people yet to come. With the financial system in particular, we seem incredibly short-sighted; it's depressing to see how banking crises causing depressions and recessions used to recur every 20 years like clockwork, then were held at bay for much of the 20th century, and now are with us once again. House of Morgan gives a really valuable and compelling behind-the-scenes look at just how banks work, how they cause and respond to those crises, and hopefully we can remember the hard-won lessons of the past. We don't need to keep doing this!</p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-16428802666105175922023-08-02T19:15:00.002-07:002023-08-02T19:15:41.773-07:00Rest In Coffin<p>So, I was vaguely hoping to wrap up <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/fromsoftware">Elden Ring</a> prior to <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2020/11/baldurs-gate-3-everyone-is-evil.html">Baldur's Gate III</a> officially releasing on August 3rd. That's not happening! I probably could have done it if I just focused on the main quest, but I'm congenitally incapable of turning down side quests, and I know I haven't even opened up half of the map. So I wanted to write this post to kind of capture where I am at the moment, with the vague thought that I'll likely set this aside for several months while I quest in Faerun, before hopefully returning to the Lands Between. (That said, if there do end up being game-breaking bugs in BG3 [unlikely] or I don't dig the game [even more unlikely], I may come back to Elden Ring while BG3 gets its initial patches.)</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhhWL5MxqR8IcJKOcMW1zvrCdjJjXck4Ys7rE1Acqtk--SIgM0B0_-skAZxW2PuwIYeY8Km4ERYQADaZlKlhYBlLqnBI115wc43PgJBSNm6UkmAxVSnSGDBRpyO_k2Kct_o2RyefP5A0l29RiZwPPGO34mjubdnuRqiZNbP2jn5C_lmI9WA/s2560/20230721203742_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhhWL5MxqR8IcJKOcMW1zvrCdjJjXck4Ys7rE1Acqtk--SIgM0B0_-skAZxW2PuwIYeY8Km4ERYQADaZlKlhYBlLqnBI115wc43PgJBSNm6UkmAxVSnSGDBRpyO_k2Kct_o2RyefP5A0l29RiZwPPGO34mjubdnuRqiZNbP2jn5C_lmI9WA/w400-h225/20230721203742_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Before spoilers, some gameplay things:</p><p>In an earlier post, I confidently wrote about how I'm intentionally boosting INT to increase damage for my sorcerer, while paying less attention to Vigor/Health, with the thinking that the best defense is to kill enemies before they can reach me. I've since done a bit more online reading about theorycrafting, and am grokking why the current recommendation is to initially prioritize leveling Vigor, with just enough in the offensive stat to allow you to wield your weapon or catalyst (staff, seal, etc.).</p><p>The reason for this comes down to how damage is calculated in the game. A given weapon does a flat amount of damage, plus an additional amount that scales based on your stat. The amount that the stat contributes varies based on the scaling level of the weapon. So, as a made-up example, a short sword might do 20 points of flat damage, plus a "B" level of scaling based on DEX. If you have 10 points of DEX, this might add an extra 5 points of damage; if you have 20 points of DEX, it might add an extra 10 points of damage, for a total of 30. As you continue through the game, you will be able to level up your weapons. This will increase the flat damage, but also the scaling amount. After several upgrades, that same short sword might now do 35 flat damage plus S scaling. That same 10 points of DEX could now give 15 more points of damage, while that same 20 points of DEX would now give 30, for a total of 65 damage.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqGfkssMo7dpg5eZE2ZINDilAX6LY166ICOy97PQrnRczMqbG-AbHZKh9cAkVQpL3m8abH2UmGLkvzMwiJvAezoZymImOn0J4Pf8x-pyCtdjWya1f-Hz7pzqiUHStyOUqM3U08n05DtTUGicmaTa50giJcprYvG-YCacurt0hHuNOx2g5ng/s2560/20230728210904_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqGfkssMo7dpg5eZE2ZINDilAX6LY166ICOy97PQrnRczMqbG-AbHZKh9cAkVQpL3m8abH2UmGLkvzMwiJvAezoZymImOn0J4Pf8x-pyCtdjWya1f-Hz7pzqiUHStyOUqM3U08n05DtTUGicmaTa50giJcprYvG-YCacurt0hHuNOx2g5ng/w400-h225/20230728210904_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The point is, early in the game, most of the equipment you find will have a low scaling value, so you don't get much incremental benefit by leveling up your attack stats. In contrast, the extra Health you get from Vigor is consistent throughout the whole game: leveling up Vigor from 10 to 11 will always give the same number of extra HP. Because of this, there's a benefit to front-loading your Vigor points early in the game, because you're already getting the full benefit of that investment. Offensive stat points can be spent later, shortly before you start getting those higher scaling amounts.</p><p>All that said, in my very specific case of a sorcerer who was wielding the Meteorite Staff, my build was still OK: the Meteorite staff can't be upgraded, but has "S"-level scaling for sorcery, so I was getting full benefits from the moment I found that staff. Which also helps me understand why so many online guides recommended picking it up ASAP for these types of builds!</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XJfjEYw2WNHZHlpMuuSY02jeG8x82wxpNY8mM1ZyxPT76TmSpgCYUQ3os7nV3cf4JzctDhFHbmMBm8uXA6uZubi3QjZnQ4tx4jEniQywzwY5hwta6cQrkdVdB4Edw9_tAea8CkhrFpdDydK7m9SDQPAQwi8U26zqybXK4zfgGEakiQ7X0A/s2560/20230721191129_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XJfjEYw2WNHZHlpMuuSY02jeG8x82wxpNY8mM1ZyxPT76TmSpgCYUQ3os7nV3cf4JzctDhFHbmMBm8uXA6uZubi3QjZnQ4tx4jEniQywzwY5hwta6cQrkdVdB4Edw9_tAea8CkhrFpdDydK7m9SDQPAQwi8U26zqybXK4zfgGEakiQ7X0A/w400-h225/20230721191129_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I've also been warned that thee is a big spike late in the game, when enemies can suddenly do a lot more damage in a single hit. Having a big fat hit bar will be essential for getting through that part, and you might as well have extra health before then anyways.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobHJ46vvoaq5DbsvUx8r_zv7lOmHz_rXp2GCKVw_0eIp-zw0-GLsD5RDR1vTibjeFYHpxdgRzPcOr_AGnAlLTlWHWggeubwd8unmSYqseJLxSB-LzPrHQKE8fuaSQ6xgvHaNZMOPkBSS1GyonS_jK9hFzmJn58l_EDTMs-IQDLIwik3kToQ/s2560/20230721164325_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobHJ46vvoaq5DbsvUx8r_zv7lOmHz_rXp2GCKVw_0eIp-zw0-GLsD5RDR1vTibjeFYHpxdgRzPcOr_AGnAlLTlWHWggeubwd8unmSYqseJLxSB-LzPrHQKE8fuaSQ6xgvHaNZMOPkBSS1GyonS_jK9hFzmJn58l_EDTMs-IQDLIwik3kToQ/w400-h225/20230721164325_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Like almost every RPG, health is ultimately the single most important resource: if it gets reduced to 0, you die. This can happen in a lot of ways (fall damage, poison effects, lots of little pinpricks over time, some big swings that connect), but for most people most death will occur during boss fights. Bosses in Elden Ring are tough, resourceful, have unique mechanics and lots of health. As I've noted before, boss fights can feel a lot like puzzles, in some ways like in The Witcher 3: learning about your opponent will allow you to prepare for them, applying the best buffs ahead of time or discovering how to counter their moves in combat. Unlike The Witcher 3, where you could do that research by Witching around the enemy in advance, in Elden Ring you usually get that damage by dying a lot. I've had a lot of moments of going "Oh, OK, that guy swings his whip twice, so I can't just dodge the first and then attack, I need to dodge both before there will be a window."</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIqGy_IoGAqt2QUA57arp9pFBYaQwoIdvqKfr356xaPoW4Drc3dYcNycq4mjxFaiEuicyh9hYOezh_86Yyl4hG1Xr_LpASMilZNJ6PYybbVCKIPgxU9gtvv5J_On8lItlBzoF8VRlUpMTHWvD-Fg2nT9dYV7DZB2Zbl_zNBPWP1OBTnitEQ/s2560/20230728210826_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIqGy_IoGAqt2QUA57arp9pFBYaQwoIdvqKfr356xaPoW4Drc3dYcNycq4mjxFaiEuicyh9hYOezh_86Yyl4hG1Xr_LpASMilZNJ6PYybbVCKIPgxU9gtvv5J_On8lItlBzoF8VRlUpMTHWvD-Fg2nT9dYV7DZB2Zbl_zNBPWP1OBTnitEQ/w400-h225/20230728210826_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Partly because of this, it can be really hard to decide when to keep attempting a boss and when to give up. IF you could pull off every move with perfect timing and perfectly read everything your foe would do, you could definitely beat him/her/it/them. If you mess up too many times, you'll fail. Having more health will let you mess up a few more times, and having more offensive power will shorten the duration of the fight and give fewer opportunities for failure. I've also had the experience many times of fighting a boss, getting them down to ~5% health before dying, then trying again another dozen times without getting them below 80%. I don't really have a hard and fast rule for when to give up... for sure if I've died a lot of haven't gotten them down, but if my frustration rises too high I may call it quits even if I've gotten close multiple times. When this happens, I just open the map and add a Skull marker to the spot. I'll come back 10-20 levels later and almost invariably stomp the floor with them.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYv4NhxLDnqGuxLJjiiYI8XvzPvQmPGiz0XFHSEtBZ50QpWEKT9Bxg6lzx8sp_weLz0Lnd97UekVnIrlZjHtIwAb4ZDrdI43Ma2Jt1DsQEcCV5ITNCJRraZNlarz4FNqv0SHIsI62RXTcEyNIVRKImJJFdx8tTL1MYNWgw0MujH0iEjZCA1w/s2560/20230728200256_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYv4NhxLDnqGuxLJjiiYI8XvzPvQmPGiz0XFHSEtBZ50QpWEKT9Bxg6lzx8sp_weLz0Lnd97UekVnIrlZjHtIwAb4ZDrdI43Ma2Jt1DsQEcCV5ITNCJRraZNlarz4FNqv0SHIsI62RXTcEyNIVRKImJJFdx8tTL1MYNWgw0MujH0iEjZCA1w/w400-h225/20230728200256_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>One of the things I really love about Elden Ring is how different types of areas have different modes of play that reward different strengths. Boss fights are mostly about skill and secondarily about stats. You'll chug your Flask of Wondrous Physick, maybe chug a consumable, and join the dance, maybe using some potions during the fight. Bosses are typically at the end of long dungeons, and dungeons are a game that in my opinion is more about resource management. Particularly as a sorcerer, I have a finite amount of FP available to cast all the spells I'm going to cast between the beginning and end of the dungeon. That FP is based on my Mind, the number of Golden Seeds I've collected and how many Flasks of Cerulean Tears I allocated at the Grace. Even if I'm outplaying all of the enemies in the dungeon, if I run out of FP along the way I'll need to bail and return to the start, respawning the enemies.</p><p>To some extent, this is a little like boss fights where the next time through you'll likely do better. I might have learned that I only need a single cast to take down a particular enemy, so I won't spam my spell and waste FP. I may have already picked up a collectible down one branch, so on my next run I can skip that branch and the enemies inside it, saving my resource for the main branch and the boss. But in some cases I just realize that I need to go explore elsewhere, level up and get more Seeds so I can have the resources I need to finish the dungeon.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwSPYXmFd_Yi1pWfAwrDFcVc9_6P2IEOEmwa3mh2FV7PhJNoeKIdpFjub6y_IeJwE7pbWUCtw2q0PfJHJXr9sJhmCfjD5CYbUaK2rTnROrlflVFvHMp-uK_l5ZjxlOpbdz0vc3MZJGgGzckQknvwTTqohriK8Utw2J4wlHORV03_OzNRtWA/s2560/20230721174444_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwSPYXmFd_Yi1pWfAwrDFcVc9_6P2IEOEmwa3mh2FV7PhJNoeKIdpFjub6y_IeJwE7pbWUCtw2q0PfJHJXr9sJhmCfjD5CYbUaK2rTnROrlflVFvHMp-uK_l5ZjxlOpbdz0vc3MZJGgGzckQknvwTTqohriK8Utw2J4wlHORV03_OzNRtWA/w400-h225/20230721174444_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>There's also the Overworld portion. The thing that's unique about this is that defeating groups of enemies will grant you recharges of spent Flasks. This leads to a more open-ended, wandering feel to things: unlike a dungeon, which has a tight beginning with you at full health and resources, and a tight end where you're bloodied and exhausted but victorious (or just bloodied and dead), in the open world you're typically near, but not at, full Health and FP, and have several, but not necessarily all, of your Flasks. What's kind of fun is that you can just keep wandering indefinitely, without needing to visit Sites of Grace - in fact, I often prefer to avoid them, to keep the map depopulated. Overall the Overworld is much easier than the rest of the game, and I think it's nice to have a rhythm which makes the tense parts feel more tense.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxFhH1PFJRkfv0bWBmomZAoicFP9on9FwWj0Th1YoT11Jiwns5IEGQQf34a9NPXP99XqvcfEnTfhyYV9vR13FM1K4MqAfwvecwHoDISlWVKs3UhjjRbmCZXRFENmAus3PA6dXb121vUWWkuRKZWUuBtdRzVqdMuoypUajQKWMF0snhwkR6A/s2560/20230721173602_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxFhH1PFJRkfv0bWBmomZAoicFP9on9FwWj0Th1YoT11Jiwns5IEGQQf34a9NPXP99XqvcfEnTfhyYV9vR13FM1K4MqAfwvecwHoDISlWVKs3UhjjRbmCZXRFENmAus3PA6dXb121vUWWkuRKZWUuBtdRzVqdMuoypUajQKWMF0snhwkR6A/w400-h225/20230721173602_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Monsters in the overworld tend not to be too worrisome. There aren't any yellow-fog gates, and everything is out in the open, so if you do get into trouble you can typically just GTFO on Torrent's back; you can even escape boss fights this way. The big concerns here are fall damage and, to a lesser extent, status effects. Scarlet Rot is really nasty in the early game but can be easily avoided by staying on horseback; stay out of fights to avoid getting knocked off! Death Blight can kill you in a few seconds, so move quickly to get out of it. Actually, in general, "run away" is a good all-purpose response to bad things happening in the overworld.</p><p>Scarlet Rot is just about my least favorite thing in the game, and for quite a while I've put off doing things that involve this effect. Much like with bosses, I'd drop a marker on my map that basically means "Nope" and then move on. I recently kind of had to deal with Scarlet Rot, so I did a bit of reason on how to handle it. The main thing to do is get your Immunity as high as you can. This slows down the rate at which the Rot gauge will fill up. Once Rot does fill up, you will start taking significant DoT. For some DoT effects like Poison, you can potentially heal through it with enough Flasks of Crimson Tears; in my experience, you can't heal through Scarlet Rot, but if aren't in combat you can fast-travel to a Site of Grace to clear the effect. There's also a rare craftable and consumable item called a Preserving Bolus that helps with this, but I'm honestly not totally clear on how it works, with even online information not being very helpful: it doesn't make you immune to the effect, and may just slow down the effect and clear an instance of the effect on you; I haven't died from Scarlet Rot while using one, so I think it may keep the effect from triggering during some period of time, similar to how the Flask of Wondrous Physick buffs for a period of time.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtM1sLVBUBCgh6aVmDGAUMSwwi91VIOc0Uc-J8nfct4GIMXpv5m5rdF4L_kOrwKmX4ByVobVFHG1T2L58JcnrxSCMtqJ-rgfy1ukjwdh1bjhH87KskWDlS4GRVB4EWD108InPGOxV7rwHLav75g-o1PXbu8XePKt_PnZiSpAm-FSmLkj3vw/s2560/20230727204249_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtM1sLVBUBCgh6aVmDGAUMSwwi91VIOc0Uc-J8nfct4GIMXpv5m5rdF4L_kOrwKmX4ByVobVFHG1T2L58JcnrxSCMtqJ-rgfy1ukjwdh1bjhH87KskWDlS4GRVB4EWD108InPGOxV7rwHLav75g-o1PXbu8XePKt_PnZiSpAm-FSmLkj3vw/w400-h225/20230727204249_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I got to one point in the game with a <i>ton</i> of Scarlet Rot, and resorted to the wiki to figure out how to deal with it. My eventual strategy was:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Go back to a previous dungeon that I had skipped because of the Scarlet Rot in it.</li><li>In here, swap out all of my armor for the pieces I had with the highest Immunity. Some of these were lighter than I would normally use, but there aren't a ton of tough enemies in these areas; also, you can totally swap out equipment while in the field and not just at Sites of Grace, so it's tedious but possible to put one one set while navigating through Rot and swap it out on the other side.</li><li>Equipped a Talisman with a boost to Immunity and another that boosts Immunity, Focus and Robustness. (These come with normal and +1 versions that don't stack with each other, but the different types of talismans do stack.)</li><li>With highest possible Immunity, you usually want to run across Rot for the shortest distance to dry land. Jumping doesn't help but is OK if you need to go up. Rolling is unhelpful.</li><li>Once on dry land, wait for the Rot gauge to tick down. This is very tedious and my least favorite moments playing the game.</li><li>Repeat until you reach your destination.</li><li>In this particular dungeon, I was able to pick up the Mushroom set of armor, which has extremely high Immunity. It makes navigating this dungeon a lot easier, and that other area feasible.</li><li>In the other area, you can race forward and kill an enemy in the rot who drops a +1 version of the Immunity-boosting Talisman. It's impossible to kill him before getting Rot yourself, but you can heal through for many seconds while you grab the talisman and then fast-travel back to the Grace.</li><li>Once again, Run to dry land and try to change the terrain to something you can walk on!</li></ul><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDjNof1e5H1wbLS3G3ERGL8TsqNkwoHvKoB6RT2AbTjcsfYUilkotR3JzplRmD09Tcy6wY9gAsqcGJgZX2VDzbRx3YAN5T1DsGEQpTJhWsPCjnkn2FBCz3JyjuwB_DMx7kJHp7nnIWbe2Ai5WzGiIeahTta1hLl5Dq2sjEqemuQUAjfgDBQ/s2560/20230728180115_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDjNof1e5H1wbLS3G3ERGL8TsqNkwoHvKoB6RT2AbTjcsfYUilkotR3JzplRmD09Tcy6wY9gAsqcGJgZX2VDzbRx3YAN5T1DsGEQpTJhWsPCjnkn2FBCz3JyjuwB_DMx7kJHp7nnIWbe2Ai5WzGiIeahTta1hLl5Dq2sjEqemuQUAjfgDBQ/w400-h225/20230728180115_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>For Spirit Ashes, I think that at the time I wrote my previous post I was mostly rocking the Jellyfish Ashes, which are pretty cool and easy to get early on: it's decently tanky, which is helpful for a ranged fighter like me. Since progressing further in the game I've gotten the amazing Greatshield Soldier Ashes. I'd read about these online, but hadn't realized that it summons <i>five</i> of these guys: huge defensive stats and health, they're the ultimate tanks. They are a bit weak when it comes to AOE, but overall they make battles a breeze. I've since also picked up the Mimic Tear, which duplicates your PR, and leveled it up to 10. It honestly feels a little like cheating to use that Ash so I often don't, but when I do bring it out it's pretty amazing. <br /></p><p><b>MINI SPOILERS</b></p><p>In terms of my progression: in the main story, I'm no closer than the previous post, but I've now cleared most of the major content before I can progress. In particular, I've defeated four of the Shardbearers and several Legends. Radahn was a little frustrating but also one of the coolest fights in the game. With Rykard, I somehow totally missed the Grace right outside the yellow fog and got frustrated when I died, and hated the journey to that point so long that I waited well over a week before trying again. In the meantime I'd done a ton of Nokrun Eternal City and picked up the Mimic Tear, which is <i>insanely</i> helpful for that fight as well as being a great Spirit Ash in many other fights.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFeVltNuL7aYxNTGjPLXxYuHhvNUtq6Td4tjFQ-PhkXLhRZ2Ao5idbpEKGhMbOxNEL19FmI6CNXXOpiufNG2XIAoxcgnDFcgqhlbMPfxex4C6c6esLjnekWSg7df-SC0VLVDWaDku0o8YklUc2JtzjOCyituC87eVcBGAYMotj7zzEc4goJg/s2560/20230728210804_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFeVltNuL7aYxNTGjPLXxYuHhvNUtq6Td4tjFQ-PhkXLhRZ2Ao5idbpEKGhMbOxNEL19FmI6CNXXOpiufNG2XIAoxcgnDFcgqhlbMPfxex4C6c6esLjnekWSg7df-SC0VLVDWaDku0o8YklUc2JtzjOCyituC87eVcBGAYMotj7zzEc4goJg/w400-h225/20230728210804_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I peeked at the Wiki several times to figure out how to progress quests, but I'm trying to play as organically and naturally as possible, without spoiling anything. I had seen a few references to the Shabiri Grape maiden quest, which I discovered I had totally missed due to not seeing her hanging out at a Site of Grace just past Stormveil Castle. I <i>think</i> this was a spot where Boc the Seamster was hanging out, so maybe I just didn't notice her standing there. Anyways, that's a super-dark quest with some really unsettling voice-acting! Even for a game that feels dark, I'm surprised at how much darker it can get at parts. I'm also starting to have real conversations with the Loathsome Dung-Eater, and phew boy, I can tell that will be an ordeal.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8gQexbIOpfJwFn_0YLi_cIReU9wHm6-qQejA6samm4_I3GTuTIYeQ9CMD4_dxgAkUJ_OKtYl6253ADnYNXx2Ytr9DoEvMasb_IrSgpbV72KMrnfqdq5FRgwZzlFH3Qgt6IIeCHA5yL8BCFHI4TAJ_lNCTP2ZLpAy2ajYGD8M13zWMj5fdA/s2560/20230727205033_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8gQexbIOpfJwFn_0YLi_cIReU9wHm6-qQejA6samm4_I3GTuTIYeQ9CMD4_dxgAkUJ_OKtYl6253ADnYNXx2Ytr9DoEvMasb_IrSgpbV72KMrnfqdq5FRgwZzlFH3Qgt6IIeCHA5yL8BCFHI4TAJ_lNCTP2ZLpAy2ajYGD8M13zWMj5fdA/w400-h225/20230727205033_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I'm currently going through Ranni's quest, which I've mostly been able to do without the wiki, and Sellen's, which has needed a little wiki assistance. Ranni's in particular seems really key to the game and the plot, opening up huge new areas of play, and it's really ballsy game design to have these things be so easily missible. I have been wondering if From Soft could or would have made their games this way in the pre-Internet era; trusting that they will be big hits and communities will come together to help answer questions and document solutions probably empowers developers to make more obtuse games than they otherwise would have dared.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9pB41LkMVWgBvPs0CtwnvH8DDzJMfsyAYKwX-lLilgx4I9FHn7de6i5eVt-899XNr5Rj2qWWFs9xKiyVab4Kf1kNqPatXiaYKJ6ti2dDetwkZ3QSgbLBL5VqzuQGQgwMaJZ7caLBS72EmTQW2BIp4iI9096s1jMDEQRW4loZQCYzrP7G0A/s2560/20230721173644_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9pB41LkMVWgBvPs0CtwnvH8DDzJMfsyAYKwX-lLilgx4I9FHn7de6i5eVt-899XNr5Rj2qWWFs9xKiyVab4Kf1kNqPatXiaYKJ6ti2dDetwkZ3QSgbLBL5VqzuQGQgwMaJZ7caLBS72EmTQW2BIp4iI9096s1jMDEQRW4loZQCYzrP7G0A/w400-h225/20230721173644_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>END SPOILERS</b></p><p>This is a great game, I'm loving it, and just about the only thing that could keep me from playing it is the prospect of a return to Baldur's Gate. Until next time, Tarnished.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKNnS46T_Ywn5oAwsK9jbxYPnBUnDuy97gXjJNjldma1kBGIMTY7-Yb7hujIiaTJLaJU9wBf4C1GY5jHP7Q5P5Y0ox2FoUXJsW6j-e7lrFF0Lqy0CktGQ5Zj1uj84kRtp0C-qa4mQWzIgrwVCCfQIbqpP08C-3Ls3srKa_eCCbLLkY_YXIQ/s2560/20230721165248_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKNnS46T_Ywn5oAwsK9jbxYPnBUnDuy97gXjJNjldma1kBGIMTY7-Yb7hujIiaTJLaJU9wBf4C1GY5jHP7Q5P5Y0ox2FoUXJsW6j-e7lrFF0Lqy0CktGQ5Zj1uj84kRtp0C-qa4mQWzIgrwVCCfQIbqpP08C-3Ls3srKa_eCCbLLkY_YXIQ/w400-h225/20230721165248_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-59572673850534449422023-07-14T17:41:00.001-07:002023-07-14T17:45:00.277-07:00A Slightly Older, But Still Relatively Young, Ring<p>It's been a while since <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2023/05/older-ring.html">I posted about Elden Ring</a>! I'm still playing and loving this game.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rGDbcSDNv91jphf5ciF78Yflgs3Y3xMl-eAi1NdRnqVOwjwnuJxwsGMvwHcIaJtohtzEyKdEbho6r2nfej8oRjsDMI_oMhTxX2iabfYoYkS4Q4z1bf_89dmT0RnK8805-hIWHFQUEHfbP4pmntl7m24DBuNzAo1rwQ0WHwq827shaNRYXA/s2560/20230524201125_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rGDbcSDNv91jphf5ciF78Yflgs3Y3xMl-eAi1NdRnqVOwjwnuJxwsGMvwHcIaJtohtzEyKdEbho6r2nfej8oRjsDMI_oMhTxX2iabfYoYkS4Q4z1bf_89dmT0RnK8805-hIWHFQUEHfbP4pmntl7m24DBuNzAo1rwQ0WHwq827shaNRYXA/w400-h225/20230524201125_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>First, some general thoughts and comments on the gameplay:</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3xpJtwD98btlPDiXaOKq3Z9UrJM73zOB8gyKZb4WvzWNH1Eh1ZF-sOJ9NW4SDT89EgWPt6vzi5rskYSAdHU3UUqbrOo2IgAHGAwDDmtPkuSqKH-haNJKbxjXswifSkLcAsAuJ7uCc0YqEUzI8DU7Q_nQn0XcIylv_JStoGcN3d07YF-a4ng/s2560/20230606201303_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3xpJtwD98btlPDiXaOKq3Z9UrJM73zOB8gyKZb4WvzWNH1Eh1ZF-sOJ9NW4SDT89EgWPt6vzi5rskYSAdHU3UUqbrOo2IgAHGAwDDmtPkuSqKH-haNJKbxjXswifSkLcAsAuJ7uCc0YqEUzI8DU7Q_nQn0XcIylv_JStoGcN3d07YF-a4ng/w400-h225/20230606201303_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizDgyrY1qzlpfHAKYLrmqslb7gnE2sdbmZJDUzYzKe5ldgXZ3NceezGh3MXjUPQXED9QTLfT8nksFqwDGOaO8S_Qqub1eqSdaUqb3s8E2NEnd8SbgbEDmxCmAkq32s8vRox8pkVf0eP5uEz4gJyjAIvBoRSoCOqCeYggk_5SLjMw5TUXi9Rw/s2560/20230504185305_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p></p><p>This game is just <i>fun</i> to play. I don't feel like I'm checking off a tasklist: I'm wandering around, seeing cool sights and doing cool stuff. The open world feels really liberating in a way I haven't felt from many other games: it isn't a vast plain to slog through or an overwhelming set of icons on your world map, but it's a fertile land packed with things to explore or - just as validly and importantly - ignore as you wish.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVJgjdWakZhwA5CWOzAAc1UM30vQHXGyW5SnwP8Vke1QVBWyF3I3xH-MjJ88mWQ4XwJSTe86PYST2zf44Evs0Fyq0IWkLfh7YZ2ENsMaxBjiSTx6FXRB6wQDoQdDhejO365qoTFGZ-1AESGvB8CEVbtKplUSXQDL7h9XTvFrl1PN70JLM1g/s2560/20230512204843_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVJgjdWakZhwA5CWOzAAc1UM30vQHXGyW5SnwP8Vke1QVBWyF3I3xH-MjJ88mWQ4XwJSTe86PYST2zf44Evs0Fyq0IWkLfh7YZ2ENsMaxBjiSTx6FXRB6wQDoQdDhejO365qoTFGZ-1AESGvB8CEVbtKplUSXQDL7h9XTvFrl1PN70JLM1g/w400-h225/20230512204843_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The enemies are non-scaling. In a lot of other open-world games or large-zone-based games, there's a sort of soft limit on exploration based on the strength of the monsters you encounter. In Elden Ring, though, outside of dungeons you don't really need to worry much about enemies if you don't want to. You can kick your horse up to a trot and blast past monsters before they even realize you're there. I'm not saying that you <i>should</i> do this, but it's viable, and can even have advantages: for example, by finding Golden Seeds in the landscape you can increase the number of Flasks at your disposal, which in turn can make earlier dungeon content a lot easier.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bloc4EGN9dKOhcszEjw2jPcVgPmMigs3VYeQ1u4wCMx_qIPWITFLyH7KLW13BKCOjbVYjNsTvCJPOExx918EuqHvBmIRY1Cpq-fcYjiliWUOcsfZoNh8BwNmd6BJolI7DkeNBtRA2sUTX2HNBURZ5xQ2mzICch0PmXv01_effZ20khkrGA/s2560/20230608192441_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bloc4EGN9dKOhcszEjw2jPcVgPmMigs3VYeQ1u4wCMx_qIPWITFLyH7KLW13BKCOjbVYjNsTvCJPOExx918EuqHvBmIRY1Cpq-fcYjiliWUOcsfZoNh8BwNmd6BJolI7DkeNBtRA2sUTX2HNBURZ5xQ2mzICch0PmXv01_effZ20khkrGA/w400-h225/20230608192441_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>There are multiple ways to advance through the game: for example, after doing a lot of the Limgrave content and getting to a decent level, you could head south to the Weeping Peninsula or north to Liurnia of the Lakes or east to Caelid. They're all pretty different, but each is a step up from Limgrave. And you could be like me and explore one region for a while, then switch to another for a bit longer.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiybdPJMZ8rXzq8i4VDnYs6RPlMtbK7uMqMv1_zSVTiS1PdBGBo122R62CWMPZEBbCotd-z1shTyd_e-eXfXpkmi9TNL1S_1letrFYLnepzRJ31v9kiWTHzz1qJsl7y6bsUjM-4Gje3cV3Dt47n-7t2YzIaZi-4CzX_CcUYlso4I2yPSo1sA/s2560/20230607213657_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiybdPJMZ8rXzq8i4VDnYs6RPlMtbK7uMqMv1_zSVTiS1PdBGBo122R62CWMPZEBbCotd-z1shTyd_e-eXfXpkmi9TNL1S_1letrFYLnepzRJ31v9kiWTHzz1qJsl7y6bsUjM-4Gje3cV3Dt47n-7t2YzIaZi-4CzX_CcUYlso4I2yPSo1sA/w400-h225/20230607213657_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I think that the actual difficulty for specific areas and encounters probably varies based on your build. My character is a Sorcerer, built entirely around ranged damage, so I do very well in places where I can engage enemies from far away; a melee-focused character would have a harder time in big open spaces, but do much better than me in a tight enclosed labyrinth. And I think it would be interesting to do a Faith-based build, which gives access to a lot of buffs. I think this would allow players to shrug off status effects like Poison and Scarlet Rot that are much more debilitating for me.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhng-Rwr0MglBg2LdhEnrfTWNJNs0gIVNPeJOS_CR_-v6CKTfvXaIKHVqW2CT6Vn58dfhnGrtZnQushcBnrYp-CBR-SYTR-StqeL5IeDMZZMDI2d8AcCX_B004SyM0b0GQG9RIu2NPrvIEu2loJT-iXgT6WrnM9fCKE3vQID1aKZ-CVJNgNyw/s2560/20230621204348_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhng-Rwr0MglBg2LdhEnrfTWNJNs0gIVNPeJOS_CR_-v6CKTfvXaIKHVqW2CT6Vn58dfhnGrtZnQushcBnrYp-CBR-SYTR-StqeL5IeDMZZMDI2d8AcCX_B004SyM0b0GQG9RIu2NPrvIEu2loJT-iXgT6WrnM9fCKE3vQID1aKZ-CVJNgNyw/w400-h225/20230621204348_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Early on I did some reading on optimal attribute allocations during leveling, but in practice it's turned out to be really casual. Overall I'm mostly putting points into Intelligence, some into Vigor and Mind, occasionally into Endurance and a couple of times into Dex. If I realize that my Flasks are fully filling my FP, then I'll bump up my Mind so I can fully utilize my Flask capacity. Early on I took a lot of Vigor so I could survive a couple of hits from bosses. Lately I haven't been leveling that as much; other than bosses, it's usually more effective to nuke enemies before they can reach you (enemies can't deal damage if they're dead!), so a strong Int-based offense is generally superior for my playstyle. For burst damage, Stamina runs out before FP, so Endurance is important to keep that burst high. This is especially useful for bosses: at the start of a boss fight, you often have several seconds while the boss rears up / charges in / unwinds their serpentine coils / otherwise prepares to fight, and if you can be pummeling them this entire time, you'll have a bit advantage heading into the fight.</p><p>Oh: my main spell bread-and-butter these days is "Magic Glintblade". This is a fantastic spell: when you cast it, a projectile will appear above you, pause a few seconds, and then fire off towards your enemy; it can arc slightly to follow your foe if they are moving. This has all sorts of great implications. You can cast it rapidly multiple times in succession, so by the time the first blade fires several more are ready to go. If your enemy is unaware, you can nuke them down before they entire combat (this also doesn't cost Stamina). If they are chasing you, you can line up some shots, then focus on evading, and still do damage while running away. Enemy AI will dodge when you cast the spell, not when it fires, so it's hugely helpful against agile and evasive enemies. It has a good FP-to-damage ratio. Each individual cast is pretty quick and small, so it isn't a major disappointment if a couple of shots fail to land. I use this all the time, on basically every regular monster and most bosses.<br /></p><p>Prior to getting Magic Glintblade, I mostly used the starter spell Glintstone Pebble. This is one of the most economical spells in the game: cheap, decently fast, decently powerful, decent range, with a little bit of tracking. I almost never use it since getting the Glintblade, though.</p><p>Glintstone Stars and Star Shower can be useful against extremely mobile enemies. For the most part Magic Glintblade has replaced these in my arsenal, but these projectiles seem to have better tracking/homing qualities, so I'll switch to one if an enemy is consistently dodging my Glintblade.<br /></p><p>Carian Slicer is situationally very useful. Unlike most of my spells, this is a close-range spell, making a magic sword that sweeps through the area right in front of me. It's a life-saver for boss fights where I can't stay at range during the fight and need to fight in close quarters. It's also useful when fighting against invisible enemies who aren't be targeted.</p><p>Rock Sling is a crucial addition. Unlike most spells, which deal Magical damage, Rock Sling deals Physical damage. There are a few specific enemies, like many of the foes inside Raya Lucaria Academy, that have very high magic resistance. You might spend almost a full bar of FP on casting Glintblades to take down a single zombie. Or just hit them with a Rock Sling. It's a bit trickier to use: the casting time is longer, and it makes large projectiles that can collide with the environment, so it's really hard to use effectively in close quarters. But, again, when facing certain enemies it's a life-saver.</p><p>Oh! Other than spells, one of the biggest things I've figured out in this game is how to use summons. Before a few select boss fights, you can sometimes see a faint glowing space on the ground, which you can activate to summon an NPC to help you in this fight. This usually requires you to have previously chatted with that NPC and/or solved a quest for them. Most of those summon opportunities are early on; as I've gotten further into the game they've become a lot more scarce.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bExefYzs2iKX1exFw1gk1vuqbiymA6n81hU1OOe1X4N7bn-zvfw_m93Hvdrt3GuNls8J4Gq0g7rQ1MDj2g9vzynRIhwnmIFcpwH12QCgauB1LTHgWzWkVatRF_sn-OuhSLV0rHjnrTnb10y1hu6yMNGR5Km_JRgP_YS47KukTrecCLrjxA/s2560/20230504185300_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bExefYzs2iKX1exFw1gk1vuqbiymA6n81hU1OOe1X4N7bn-zvfw_m93Hvdrt3GuNls8J4Gq0g7rQ1MDj2g9vzynRIhwnmIFcpwH12QCgauB1LTHgWzWkVatRF_sn-OuhSLV0rHjnrTnb10y1hu6yMNGR5Km_JRgP_YS47KukTrecCLrjxA/w400-h225/20230504185300_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>A far more common thing, though, is summoning Spirit Ashes. You can acquire these in the world and add them as quick items, like your horse, lantern or consumables. The Spirit Ashes are <i>not</i> consumed, though. You can summon a Spirit whenever you see the portal icon in the center-left of your screen, which includes most boss fights and also more difficult/hectic environmental encounters. The Spirit Ash is controlled by the AI and will support you until it dies, or you leave the area, or all enemies in the area are defeated. You can upgrade your Spirit Ashes (similar to upgrading your weapons). Spirit Ashes vary a lot and can be useful in different situations. Some are better for distracting enemies and absorbing damage, others for inflicting status effects, others for directly dealing damage, others for staggering, and some can summon swarms that will keep your opponents' hands full.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmyFpMqu8wTSaLYfUSERPp5USqhodnpvSsJYQnbr8sxQY9-HxNupbHjKd79EaszEPZ4WJoekgu0r6bt5GM7wYL3_xO_f2Isp0diZNF7qlTdxo_EN23I6Tfxt-DCDcKh7Eooy1h7kuZ-ud1gWwrGDNnVohrtf5ckmuuMUJfWQuVQnKIV3u3A/s2560/20230506091207_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmyFpMqu8wTSaLYfUSERPp5USqhodnpvSsJYQnbr8sxQY9-HxNupbHjKd79EaszEPZ4WJoekgu0r6bt5GM7wYL3_xO_f2Isp0diZNF7qlTdxo_EN23I6Tfxt-DCDcKh7Eooy1h7kuZ-ud1gWwrGDNnVohrtf5ckmuuMUJfWQuVQnKIV3u3A/w400-h225/20230506091207_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Anyways, I didn't really understand Spirit Ashes or summons for my first dozen hours or so of the game, and it got a <i>lot</i> easier once I started using them: there's never any downside to using one, and it's worth bringing one out whenever you see the icon appear. Some fights that previously felt impossible became significantly easier once I had two or three people on my side facing off against a boss. In particular, if you get in trouble, you can focus on running away for a while; your summon(s) should continue doing damage in the meantime, and eventually the boss will pivot back to them, giving you an opportunity to recover, reorient and dive back in.<br /></p><p><b>MINI SPOILERS</b></p><p>For the most part I'm playing the game unspoiled, but one thing I occasionally peek at online is side quests. There aren't a ton of actual sidequests in Elden Ring. Most of the game's side content is nicely self-contained: you'll reveal a map section, notice a cave somewhere nearby, wander over to it, go inside, have a great encounter in there, and just be done when you leave. But some NPCs have longer-spanning quests, which are a <i>lot</i> more vague than what I'm used to seeing in RPGs. They might request an item, which could be anywhere in the world; or as you to deliver a message to someone you've never heard of. As much as I hate the "Go here and do that" style of quest from Elder Scrolls, I do find myself wishing for <i>some</i> guidance in Elden Ring.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvm254DZRdetGJdC6e3hPYIYsNf2U5ZwuPEhfuJAMco8JXxUiYXF6OVTX8VGUdNco-yJv040nCdfQ7bGw3gLv9Dbm-ulntVppgYlRndNX-QioZ0vyoDZLiE8t0J_YVwl3W0E3a6UUJFiCww69ywQFHxo16cYFVNmHVSQl1IKB6-O-WkG-Dw/s2560/20230504183903_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvm254DZRdetGJdC6e3hPYIYsNf2U5ZwuPEhfuJAMco8JXxUiYXF6OVTX8VGUdNco-yJv040nCdfQ7bGw3gLv9Dbm-ulntVppgYlRndNX-QioZ0vyoDZLiE8t0J_YVwl3W0E3a6UUJFiCww69ywQFHxo16cYFVNmHVSQl1IKB6-O-WkG-Dw/w400-h225/20230504183903_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>None of these are essential - these are side-quests, after all - and I'm sure lots of players will have a great time just blasting through the content. Personally, I'm afraid of missing out on stuff, particularly since sometimes a later development will kill or change or relocate an NPC, which may end the possibility of doing their quest. So, I'll periodically consult the wiki to see if I should be doing something before heading out.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5u4hEkHoUSr5xEf4a_02NacUe6yNRCpD49SH2qcrPMUnnqnV1ER3aextIxRghf5FSN9lYRC5Qj0ANJSQloCU8VM0AcoWD8h7M4xN3AiVyaIGaxUPcsxs7SHSuQS9BJmx3n98u4snd2JfXyScUBn7yeLLSxrJ9fEVvE2827bcumLA4ZW_V6A/s2560/20230525201305_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5u4hEkHoUSr5xEf4a_02NacUe6yNRCpD49SH2qcrPMUnnqnV1ER3aextIxRghf5FSN9lYRC5Qj0ANJSQloCU8VM0AcoWD8h7M4xN3AiVyaIGaxUPcsxs7SHSuQS9BJmx3n98u4snd2JfXyScUBn7yeLLSxrJ9fEVvE2827bcumLA4ZW_V6A/w400-h225/20230525201305_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I do kind of wish that there was more of an in-game reference for this sort of stuff (information like "The Tattered Man near Sellen is looking for a Golden Needle" or "Aloquia in Roundtable Hold needs to send a message to Prancis, and thinks he's near a waterfall somewhere"). I do love that there isn't an Elder Scrolls type of quest journal, but it would be nice to have something similar to the "Sites of Grace" locator that would show you where already-discovered NPCs are located. And just having a free-form in-game writeable journal would be awesome; I think some of the early Ultima games had something like that. I think a lot of Elden Ring players play with a pen and a notebook near their controller, and maybe that's something I should start doing as well, which would be more fun than periodically opening the wiki.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_pxGs4o7HkHF1Z5G85sXczZx5vQSSqvYyw_N5Vkldlub5m7A7lFQuyBouP0yngRz_7SGaNdLAPQOQmB7koWwmJX-E3pADB8nGUduhF-vtqa_QWkbtggpzoh59LrK1uZ2Y33BfKSfDlbeWXfS-hEpy7MtqomX2m8mC5my7pxbS1gQ2vV8Xw/s2560/20230608212927_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_pxGs4o7HkHF1Z5G85sXczZx5vQSSqvYyw_N5Vkldlub5m7A7lFQuyBouP0yngRz_7SGaNdLAPQOQmB7koWwmJX-E3pADB8nGUduhF-vtqa_QWkbtggpzoh59LrK1uZ2Y33BfKSfDlbeWXfS-hEpy7MtqomX2m8mC5my7pxbS1gQ2vV8Xw/w400-h225/20230608212927_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>The story itself is interesting. I have a better sense of what this world is and what's going on, but so far the story has been much more evocative than descriptive. It doesn't feel like an epic novel; it's more like an anthology of short stories, all set in the same universe and each one interesting on its own. That's a different feel from the grand RPGs I'm used to playing, which introduce their Big Story early on and keep it in focus throughout the game, but the change in pace is nice. (And, necessary caveat: I have a lot more game to play through, and it may end up being more unified later on.)</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUI00FxZsW1AFEBw0DXMEyg4eTmGs1AEm8EINMkT-EJb-t3XNP1qCev8OprQwo8Mx_mjZpFECbJ-xwibbNnqLRGtoY02mOcUap2pbcxsQwXQT_8fpfLUxUr6VovKFkgehnU3g20uaVywF-8dg73xNRxbR1vmjDooU0J9PB4pfu1GEhHlARQ/s2560/20230517211731_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUI00FxZsW1AFEBw0DXMEyg4eTmGs1AEm8EINMkT-EJb-t3XNP1qCev8OprQwo8Mx_mjZpFECbJ-xwibbNnqLRGtoY02mOcUap2pbcxsQwXQT_8fpfLUxUr6VovKFkgehnU3g20uaVywF-8dg73xNRxbR1vmjDooU0J9PB4pfu1GEhHlARQ/w400-h225/20230517211731_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>MEGA SPOILERS</b></p><p>Oh, and a general checkin on my progress so far: I've defeated two of the Shard-Bearers, Goddrick the Grafted and Rennala Queen of the Full Moon. In both cases I skipped past the boss's stronghold and did a lot of content later in the game before doubling back and defeating them later.I walked around Stormveil Castle and into Liurnia, spending a lot of time there before going back and defeating Magritte the Fell Omen. I found the Goddrick fight really difficult, then realized that I didn't have to fight him alone: I went back in with two summons and beat him on my next try.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmXVwK2oWNFCnjyUz_rpnIgzTRphnuefXGmJQf59epvq14-GL9fMhBGj7EkXpSgDwrWWDR0RlfEUVKEcjodSjxPNrVeuE7mIlezrc-1ntbIctPgwjIuy0x123JLPuLi2qxt3Jm7j2lT7s36ylxUWqwZ1lg2rkPbNKzCI5l30Q_Mzs1av_wg/s2560/20230510202134_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmXVwK2oWNFCnjyUz_rpnIgzTRphnuefXGmJQf59epvq14-GL9fMhBGj7EkXpSgDwrWWDR0RlfEUVKEcjodSjxPNrVeuE7mIlezrc-1ntbIctPgwjIuy0x123JLPuLi2qxt3Jm7j2lT7s36ylxUWqwZ1lg2rkPbNKzCI5l30Q_Mzs1av_wg/w400-h225/20230510202134_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Raya Lucaria Academy is <i>extremely</i> difficult for magic users, since most enemies have high Magic Resistance, so I did basically all of Liurnia of the Lakes and quite a bit of the Altus Plateau before doubling back and finishing it. I did get a lot of great gear out of it, though, including several INT-boosting helmets. And unlike Goddrick, the Remembrance I got from Rennala looks really useful, though I'll need to level up quite a bit more to have the stats to use it.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmC9-7UgdHvDaK2IzYj1d0fNnMThUiqFtCRVVul1zWKJXjvd--bejr08UlsLL2DDF7KNjd-YTLMg7EVTKUX2NWdxidX27B6hDhSBGaN38znqfHbshclVSF37tt4TMYAJH6XM_0YxU2PNiKi-VdIiFP6xVRUu6xWp_rZi2znaAUbexzBOqYA/s2560/20230621201239_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmC9-7UgdHvDaK2IzYj1d0fNnMThUiqFtCRVVul1zWKJXjvd--bejr08UlsLL2DDF7KNjd-YTLMg7EVTKUX2NWdxidX27B6hDhSBGaN38znqfHbshclVSF37tt4TMYAJH6XM_0YxU2PNiKi-VdIiFP6xVRUu6xWp_rZi2znaAUbexzBOqYA/w400-h225/20230621201239_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I've made it to the gates of Leyndell the Royal Capital, but I'm currently focusing on clearing the earlier areas of any unexplored dungeons, undefeated bosses or unfinished-but-finishable sidequests first. It's taking a while, but I'm having a blast doing it.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgY1KG-i39Mh0BdO5PHcL8zWlyOHBKeyc3eH5VyvvCziuvADv5BV2VVCh7MA07wInq2RTYoNhjUK9Q0yzeuFHhfHp-carL9_Lb_78iIMyDw8eFfGOLubcVhDSvE2Rbxp5aV9i_8P8f9keH0Yrw1iJ-9jnrqpEQzalnCSuA9PlxpQQcEuvFw/s2560/20230608211953_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgY1KG-i39Mh0BdO5PHcL8zWlyOHBKeyc3eH5VyvvCziuvADv5BV2VVCh7MA07wInq2RTYoNhjUK9Q0yzeuFHhfHp-carL9_Lb_78iIMyDw8eFfGOLubcVhDSvE2Rbxp5aV9i_8P8f9keH0Yrw1iJ-9jnrqpEQzalnCSuA9PlxpQQcEuvFw/w400-h225/20230608211953_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>END SPOILERS</b></p><p>That's it for now! I think I'm taking a fairly thorough, though definitely not 100%, approach to the game. That means it's taking a while, but I'm thoroughly enjoying myself, and it's nice to overcome some of my natural deficiencies with higher levels and gear. I'm sure I'll have more to check in on later!<br /></p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-90306862166508301122023-07-10T20:58:00.000-07:002023-07-10T20:58:00.141-07:00No (Nah)<p>I had the privilege of taking a whole week off of work, which among other things meant a lot of focused time for reading. I brought entirely too many books, including the absolutely massive <a href="https://www.amazon.com/House-Morgan-American-Banking-Dynasty/dp/0802144659">House Of Morgan</a>, which I may finish in 2026. Balancing that tome, though, was the incredibly fun and readable <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Nona-Ninth-Locked-Tomb-Book-ebook/dp/B09G14BQMM">Nona the Ninth</a>, the third entry in <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/tamsyn%20muir">Tamsyn Muir's excellent series</a> about Necromancers In Space.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSth-7MQHO4PPyRgOt0EINyljjg05KqA4en9q68BkckuGLTXOlYR9PWP6NPOhxMrx4v38bMIOXa3B8EVPqf957CFeh1C_PG5fiDlNgNG3eBjkXyLFWaBcVAV8Gv16aswK5ifnBL6iNiZ2u8MzPJba4bOEorG_PuoH7YkEoxnWxnZueMi7h8w/s395/NonaTheNinth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSth-7MQHO4PPyRgOt0EINyljjg05KqA4en9q68BkckuGLTXOlYR9PWP6NPOhxMrx4v38bMIOXa3B8EVPqf957CFeh1C_PG5fiDlNgNG3eBjkXyLFWaBcVAV8Gv16aswK5ifnBL6iNiZ2u8MzPJba4bOEorG_PuoH7YkEoxnWxnZueMi7h8w/w259-h400/NonaTheNinth.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It looks like I never blogged up my reaction to the second novel, and perhaps partly because of that, my memory of that book was a lot fuzzier than the first. I remembered many specific scenes and characters, but not much about how that book exactly ended, and as a result felt somewhat lost when following the new action here.</p><p><b>MINI SPOILERS</b></p><p>I've enjoyed all three books, but my favorite remains <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2019/11/necrolord-prime.html">the first</a>, almost purely because of Gideon's voice. Harrow and "Nona" are great and well-drawn characters, but it's tough to compete with Gideon's razor-sharp wit, sarcasm, anachronistic pop-culture references and relentless meanness. Harrow wasn't as funny, but felt really dangerous and intense. In contrast, Nona seems like a total cinnamon roll: sweet, helpful, considerate, compassionate. I can see why the people around her act so shocked at her attitude!</p><p>It felt a little constricting to step into a seemingly smaller-stakes story after dealing directly with the Necrolord Prime, the Resurrection Beasts, the River, the Saints and the other high-profile elements of the previous book. I think it works pretty well, though. Living at the smaller scale of a city wracked by fear gives a great sense of the human stakes that are impacting everyone in the galaxy. And at the same time we keep tabs on the grander story proceeding in the background. The most dramatic face of this is a series of flashbacks, between the necromancer emperor ("John") and a female companion, which lays out the origin story of the whole series.</p><p><b>MEGA SPOILERS</b></p><p>It's a pretty cool story, and makes it clear that this story takes place in our future, not some alternate Star Wars-style universe. Things on Earth have continued getting worse and worse, to the point where the whole planet is dying and our species with it. A lot of people (and companies and governments) are debating and experimenting with various last-ditch survival strategies. The big goal is to somehow get humanity to a far-away planet that can sustain life. The problem is how to get there: the distances in space are unimaginably vast, far longer than people can live. There are some suggestions like cryo, freezing bodies for the long journey and then thawing them out; and more radical ideas, like digitizing peoples' consciousness and carrying them on hard drives or scraping a few cells onto a plate and then cloning them after arrival.</p><p>John is working on his preferred approach, and discovers by accident that he is able to animate dead bodies. He experiments with this, getting to learn more about his ability and the underlying powers of thanergy and thalergy. As amazing as this ability is, it still pales in comparison to the threat of species extinction, and he tries to find ways to put his gift to use. There's some limited progress along commercial lines, but he and his followers become supremely disenheartened when they discover that the rich and powerful people bankrolling this effort have no intention of saving all of humanity: they're building a single ark that will get themselves off the planet and leave everyone else to die behind. (Which is sort of an inversion of the Douglas Adams story of the <a href="https://everything2.com/title/B+Ark">B Ark</a>.)</p><p>Things escalate, with John deciding that he'll get more ability to direct things for good by presenting himself as a necromatic wizard instead of some scientist, and using his powers to directly affect things. It all comes to a head when John realizes that individual peoples' souls are all connected to the soul of the Earth, and then he devours the planet's soul, making himself incredibly powerful, able to crush his enemies and bring his plan into action.</p><p>These passages were really compelling: the story itself is pretty wild and bonkers, it does a great job at filling in backstory that was only teased at before, and John himself has a pretty great voice: wry, self-deprecating, chagrined, occasionally angry.</p><p>The main story doesn't rise to those high levels, but I came to really love Hot Sauce, Honesty, the Angel, and the more domestic glimpses of Pyrrha Dve and Sextus Palamades and Camilla. The Sextus/Camilla situation in particular was interesting; again, my memory of the second book is pretty fuzzy, but I think there was a similar scenario in there of multiple memories / "souls" residing in a single body, and the first book also played around some with mistaken identities and swapping bodies. I don't want to say that this book is "about" gender necessarily, any more than Gideon the Ninth was "about" sexual orientation, but it's cool to have a book that's comfortable portraying these ideas in interesting scenarios.</p><p><b>END SPOILERS</b></p><p>This was another really fun book, a quick read but not at all ephemeral. It looks like we have at least one more entry on its way. Next time around I think I'll refresh myself with a synopsis or something before diving back in, but I am definitely going to dive in!<br /></p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-70946333074173860982023-06-27T20:11:00.001-07:002023-06-27T20:11:00.143-07:00Ferreira<p>Well, I've done it again: started a new <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/charles%20stross">Charles Stross</a> series! I've previously enjoyed his near-future cyberpunk "Halting State" and multiple-worlds "Merchant Princes" series. This time I'm jamming on "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Singularity-Sky-Charles-Stross/dp/0441011799">Singularity Sky</a>", which has a bit more of a <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/vernor%20vinge">Vernor Vinge</a> or <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/search/label/iain%20banks">Iain Banks</a> feel to it: further out in the future, after humanity has surpassed the limitations of scarcity and is spreading through the cosmos.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFpaj_wdKFStFzbTEAV5cJDxl59A2h84uhNrCqFAak811rgAKlNR9sdTzoBIvWAJkX39gcEQ-Ov9JQ3QoajK31m4fT3f9hOdC9hY1M-Nk8a2kMyfemMV0vq2mvTju-FX3kDY3SehehFtpSOAF_xKVrcl2U6h6P0_dH0F0RkFy8mD9ZNQM7g/s1000/SingularitySky.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="619" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFpaj_wdKFStFzbTEAV5cJDxl59A2h84uhNrCqFAak811rgAKlNR9sdTzoBIvWAJkX39gcEQ-Ov9JQ3QoajK31m4fT3f9hOdC9hY1M-Nk8a2kMyfemMV0vq2mvTju-FX3kDY3SehehFtpSOAF_xKVrcl2U6h6P0_dH0F0RkFy8mD9ZNQM7g/w248-h400/SingularitySky.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><p> </p><p>I was recently thinking of Stross thanks to a <a href="http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2018/02/why-i-barely-read-sf-these-day.html">post</a> he made a few years back about why he barely reads science fiction these days. The gist of it is that a lot of SF is built around cool stuff: some spectacular scene or neat encounter that the author wants to create. Stross, though, cares very deeply about the science behind those things: could that encounter physically occur? What would that scene actually look like in the void of space? Obviously this is fiction and there's endless license available, but often it seems like authors aren't aware of and don't care about the various laws they're violating (physical, social, fiscal, etc).<br /><br />That definitely matches what I've seen in Stross's other novels, which often take a Stephenson-esque pleasure at explaining why things are happening the way they do. One small example I remember is from the Merchant Princes series. In a previous book, a character discovers that hostile government agents have discovered where she lives, and she flees to another world. Much later, she and another character return to that place, and debate whether it is safe to enter and retrieve some records left behind. Is it likely that government agents still have the house under surveillance? The man she's with does some calculations out loud: how much an FBI agent earns in a day, times the two at a time that would be required to keep watch, multiplied by the number of days since she has left... and concludes that there is no way mid-level management would be willing to keep up this cost after several fruitless months and no assurances that she will ever return. They proceed, and find that, yep, the spooks left behind some passive recording devices but no live men in black.<br /><br /><b>MINI SPOILERS</b><br /><br />Singularity Sky similarly thinks deeply about systems: not just cool stuff happening, but how it can come to happen, and what the effects of it happening are. This extends across all sorts of areas and disciplines. So, there's a "Cornucopia Machine" that can create literally anything by reprocessing matter. Okay, cool, so what does that mean? Obviously the existing economy is toast: there's infinite supply and, it turns out, only limited demand. What happens to society in these conditions? Well, it depends on what the society was like prior to receiving the Cornucopia, right? How about a strongly hierarchical, rigid, moralistic society? And then when it comes to space travel, he's very concerned (as is Stephenson) about delta-vee, not merely getting from point A to point B but matching your velocity with point B so you can actually meet it and not smash through or immediately depart.<br /><br />There are some things that don't have satisfying scientific answers to them, which feels fine here, because Stross acknowledges them and gestures towards the "beyond our ability to comprehend" sign. The big one is how and why humanity has spread across multiple star systems and how to travel and communicate between them. The big force lurking in the background is an entity called Eschaton. Once technology on Earth advanced sufficiently far enough where they (we!) could travel faster than light, 90% of the population instantly disappeared. They were forcibly resettled by the Eschaton, scattered throughout the nearby galaxy. Eschaton delivered a stern message: humanity was NOT to violate causality by traveling at faster-than-light speeds or otherwise playing around with temporal shenanigans.<br /><br />Limitations lead to creativity, and so we have a whole toolbox of options that are available. Quantum entanglement is one: after a physical box has traveled the far distance, it can "instantly" communicate with its partner box at the point of origin; but only a limited number of times, until the entangled atoms are exhausted. And there's a great deal of expertise around "timelike" space travel: if you curve far out in space, then travel really rapidly, you can make up for the extra distance with a lot less time, while not technically breaking the Eschaton's speed limit.</p><p><b>MEGA SPOILERS</b></p><p>The actual plot is pretty breezy and fun. There's a wide cast of characters, mostly focused on two people from Earth who are visiting the Republic with both overt and covert agendas. The romance angle is a bit brief but satisfying, and nicely raises the stakes for what's already a tense (albeit arguably needless) conflict. The villains all seem pretty two-dimensional, but near the very end there's a small nod towards why people might prefer a rigid and constrained society when overwhelmed by chaos.<br /><br /><b>END SPOILERS</b><br /><br />Like a lot of Stross's work, this was a fun read: quick and entertaining, but with a nice solid-feeling depth beneath it. It looks like there are several other books in this series, and I'm looking forward to checking out more and learning about this future.</p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15815968.post-6351172658646149852023-06-17T18:32:00.002-07:002023-06-17T18:32:41.870-07:00Control Alt Delete<p>I thoroughly enjoyed Jason Schreier's "<a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2022/02/reset.html">Press Reset</a>," and have been looking forward to checking out his previous book on video game development, "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Sweat-Pixels-Triumphant-Turbulent/dp/0062651234">Blood, Sweat, and Pixels</a>". Both books cover the same industry and have similar structures: every chapter covers the development of a different video game from a different publisher, with reporting and a lot of (sourced!) quotes from programmers, artists, producers, executives and others describing what happened during the project. The overall feel of the two books is pretty different, though. BS&P's games are mostly huge, popular successes, and the stories cover all of the sacrifices and toil behind the scenes that made them possible. Press Reset's games are mostly failures. Their developers worked just as hard, and had ideas that were just as good, but due to forces beyond their control things didn't turn out how they wished and their stories end in mass layoffs, cancellations and studio closures.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZ8aMcvn8-Cm7YtHsyRK2c5IOqKxf3hAUbu_EnUXvlYYN4HOzWHKpRxyzwSkbg98utmscmz64Ji5scZp5M8jww-aVnyR1yXzpEoXbNxD4OJ-FU8ska3xQ5BuLPvb8OPiqCD5rKSnq0W0d7VLWqYuohhLqFh-e6AbyKEyK81VyxljCvUg/s600/BloodSweatAndPixels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZ8aMcvn8-Cm7YtHsyRK2c5IOqKxf3hAUbu_EnUXvlYYN4HOzWHKpRxyzwSkbg98utmscmz64Ji5scZp5M8jww-aVnyR1yXzpEoXbNxD4OJ-FU8ska3xQ5BuLPvb8OPiqCD5rKSnq0W0d7VLWqYuohhLqFh-e6AbyKEyK81VyxljCvUg/w400-h400/BloodSweatAndPixels.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>The biggest constant between the two books is probably crunch. As I've noted before, crunch is the single biggest reason why I've never even tried to get into the video game industry, despite an almost life-long passion for making and playing games. I really liked how <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/authors/AUvqMRVAZCw/jason-schreier">Schreier</a> presents crunch in this book: never apologizing for it or saying it's good, but complicating some of our knee-jerk assumptions about it. Early in the book he covers the creation of Uncharted 4, a massive game from a AAA studio. A very late reboot in the game's direction puts things severely behind schedule, and the hundreds of people working on the project start working 100-hour weeks to redo everything they did before and make sure everything is fun to play.</p><p>Obviously, this is a terrible situation, and you really feel for the people involved. The people crunching aren't doing it because they were slacking off before or had put in poor work. They're responding to events beyond their control, decisions made by higher-ups and executives, but the low-level workers are the ones who need to bear the burden of those decisions. It feels extremely gross and exploitative.</p><p>And then, Schreier immediately follows that up with a chapter on the development of Stardew Valley, which is kind of the exact opposite game. It's the creation of a single person, a shy college graduate who coded the engine, drew all the pixel art, composed all the music, did all of the testing, and every single other task that went into making the game. He doesn't have any boss to set milestones or any shareholders to appease. And yet, he crunches hard as well, going for years of very late nights and little sleep, living in his parents' house and making this game.</p><p>Later on, we learn about Yacht Club Games, the makers of Shovel Knight. They quit their previous video game employer, which churned out new games every 6 months or so in a crunch-heavy environment. YCG runs a mildly successful Kickstarter that will pay for about 6 months of salaries while they try to finish their game. They decide to squeeze more time out of it, calculating how much they need to draw down to cover their rent and food and utilities, which then gives them an 8 month runway. When they reach the 6 month mark, though, they know that there's just too much left for them to do before they run out of money... so they all start crunching. Missing anniversaries, birthdays, their kids' first steps, so they can make their video game better.</p><p>So, reading all of these, you are left with the grudging impression that there is <i>some</i> sort of real connection between video game development and crunch, not merely the exploitative capitalist tendency to extract maximum labor at minimal cost. People may crunch for their own projects out of passion or perfectionism, because they love what they're working on or because they hate it and can't wait to be done with it.</p><p>Some of this rings true to my own experience as well. It's been years since I did any serious game-y things, but I still vividly remember working on my Shadowrun campaigns, which had a lot of crunch to them. There were more than a few times I'd be up well past midnight, sipping on hot tea and listening to Invocation Array while building out levels or testing combat triggers or structuring conversation trees. Like the Stardew Valley guy, I didn't have anyone else putting pressure on me, but I would slip into a productive zone and just jam on code until I would force myself to go to bed.</p><p>That said, I do love how the penultimate chapter visits CD Projekt Red, working on <a href="http://seberin.blogspot.com/2016/09/witcher-i-barely-know-her.html">The Witcher 3</a>. As with most other chapters, they reach a point where they're racing towards their deadline and not sure if the game is of high enough quality, so everyone starts crunching to make sure things pull together. But, as Jason notes, this company is based on Poland, and so everybody is paid overtime for their extra contributions. To me, that's the single most important factor and the thing that's so gross to me about crunch. More broadly, we have a problem in our country with classifying nearly all white-collar workers as "exempt" salaried employees who don't merit overtime pay, which has been ruthlessly exploited for so many decades to extract unpaid labor. So, y'know, we should stop that! Plenty of other countries require all employees to receive overtime for excess labor, we should do that too. That might result in higher paychecks, but I suspect the more common outcome will be the vanishing of crunch. <br /></p><p>Overall, BS&P is more triumphant than PR, but there are a lot of good variations in the stories. The most common one is probably "People were working on a project, something happened that disrupted stuff, people had to work way harder and get an extension to finish it, but they did: the game launched to positive reviews and sold more copies than they expected." So it's cool when a curveball comes in. Diablo 3 is one of the most interesting chapters: unlike most stories, which end shortly after launch day, Diablo 3 <i>starts</i> with launch day. The team is enthusiastic and proud of what they've built, and are blindsided by Error 37, hatred of the auction house, and negative reviews. That whole chapter is about the post-launch effort to fix Diablo 3 and rehabilitate Blizzard's reputation. There's a ton of interesting stuff in that chapter, too much to go into here, but one that sticks out to me was how one of the things that hampered D3's development was the team's awe and veneration of Diablo 2. As their (new) director points out, though, what they were thinking of was what Diablo 2 <i>became</i>, after the Lord of Destruction expansion, which was quite different from what D2 originally launched as. Likewise, they had to be courageous to reexamine their assumptions about D3, and really the series as a whole. This led to some really drastic reworkings, which ultimately paid off. Today Diablo 3 is well regarded, thanks to the game it has become, not the game it launched as.</p><p>The very last chapter tells the tragic tale of Start Wars 1313, a very compelling and highly anticipated game that was killed off: at first due to the whims of a mercurial owner, and ultimately due to conglomerate corporate maneuverings. It's a sobering tale to end on, and serves as a good bridge to the later Press Reset, which has plenty more examples of games that never launched, or were disowned by their creators, or emerged in a form unrecognizable to anyone who had worked on them. It's also a helpful reminder that for every fun and beloved game that gets released, there are a lot more terrible games that get released... and vastly more games that never see the light of day. As with most examples of "business success" or celebrity in our culture, the cheery optimism that "anyone can make it!" hides the terrible odds facing anyone who tries.</p><p>Overall, I think my recommendation would be for people to read Blood Sweat and Pixels first: it's more fun to read about successes than failures, and odds are you've played and enjoyed at least a few of the games in these pages. You should also check out Jason's many long-form journalism pieces floating around the Internet, he's almost certainly the best person on the video game beat at the moment.<br /></p>Christopher Charles Horatio Xavier King III, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17305941155602648384noreply@blogger.com0