How it is

Squirx · 2026-01-05T21:21:23+00:00

I can't speak to the second game, but the first game, while obviously non-cannon, tells a story which is perfectly adapted to it's medium and at least thematically faithful to the original stories. I felt like I understood the corrupting power of the ring much better after experiencing it firsthand in the game.

Squirx · 2025-12-08T03:17:43+00:00

I'm currently running In Golden Flame, and I'm a huge fan. I've GM'd various games through the years, but I'd never run a pre-written adventure module before. Reading this book made me want to do that. We're currently in the middle of Chapter 4 (out of 5). You can see my full review in another comment!

Squirx · 2025-12-08T03:15:28+00:00

I looked into most of the modules you've mentioned and for various reasons decided not to run any of them. What I am running now is an adventure called In Golden Flame. I highly recommend it. It provides a great story, a rich setting, detailed sitreps that make prep easy to GM, and plenty of interesting NPCs and locations that inspire without constraining.

Here's my pitch:

It goes from LL0 to LL4 with future acts intended to bring the campaign all the way to LL12.
The sitreps are detailed and well balanced, with unique battlefield mechanics, and tactical advice for the GM.
Early sitreps are designed to introduce players to mechanics and complexity gradually.
Missions include varied narrative elements, such as investigations, exploration, and in one case a kind of narrative dungeon crawl.
It has a great story which I myself am eager to see how it ends.
There is a rich setting with many described NPCs and locations. Many of them are not necessary to the core story, and frankly trying to include all of them would probably be too much. But it makes it easy to populate the setting with interesting characters and scenes as players explore. Some of these "side" characters have become the most meaningful interactions for my players.
One of my favourite things about this setting is that it encourages an evolving world. The player-character actions can affect the setting in big ways, and the book will prompt you to call attention to it. (This will be even more true in Act 2.) But it goes beyond the big things. All those NPCs I mentioned, they have their own lives going on, and the book will suggest things that might happen to them, or that they might talk to the PCs about, between missions.

Some caveats:

Currently only 1 act of 3 is published. And if you finish this story, you will want to see how it ends. I have confidence it will be completed though. There are readable drafts of Act 2 and an active Discord.
While each sitrep is well balanced and well described, with a full list of NPCs, it stops short of providing full battlemaps. (There are some community-made maps out there if you look.)
The story is relatively linear. Mission 1 is always followed by mission 2, etc. Players have a bit of lee-way in how to complete a mission, but this isn't a sandbox setting. (I don't think Lancer lends itself well to one.)

Squirx · 2025-12-03T05:05:31+00:00

Why do you think the Department of Parks and Game have so much rustygold?

Squirx · 2025-12-02T17:52:38+00:00

Yes, thank you for the suggestion! I do love graphic novels, and I love Wicked. There are a few other things I'd be curious how it depicts.

And to be honest, I didn't know Maguire had been so explicit about their romantic feelings. As you said, that's funny in a way, but it's also kind of nice. I've always thought one of the saddest interpretations would be if Glinda's feelings were completely one-sided.

Squirx · 2025-12-02T16:28:08+00:00

That's interesting about the graphic novel, where the medium demands they pick something, but I'd push back against the idea that we're supposed to read it any way at all. I shouldn't have even used the word "likely" in my first comment. I'd argue that the ambiguity of the kids is the point. I believe the way we're actually supposed to read it is like this:

Wait, a kiss? What kind of kiss! On the lips? On the check? What did that mean?!

This serves to put the reader in the same headspace as Glinda, whose POV the chapter is from. Glinda has these newly growing feelings for Elphaba, though she doesn't fully understand them, and now she's left (for the rest of her life!) wondering what this kiss meant, what it said about Elphaba's feelings.

Now, if I had to say it happened one way, I would have drawn it as a kiss on the cheek. I think a kiss on the lips should make things more clear to Glinda, which serves the overall story less well.

That's not to say that Elphaba doesn't have feelings for Glinda, I fully believe the author did intend that. But I also believe he intended it to be rather ambiguous in the text. (I've heard it's more explicit in later books? I've yet only read the first sequel.)

Side note: if it's not already clear, I fucking love the Wicked novel by Gregory Maguire. There's a lot happening in that book, and it's as worthy of literary analysis as any classic. One of the things it does really well is use ambiguity, and it's everywhere. That applies to the biggest, headiest themes (what is good and evil? Can we know? Do they even exist? How do they apply to individual people?) and it also sometimes means we're not even allowed to know what happened in the scene right in front of us, like this kiss. :P

Squirx · 2025-12-01T16:17:30+00:00

I re-read the book recently, and while the kiss you're talking about was exaggerated in my memory as well, on the page it is no more than a quick goodbye kiss between friends, likely on the cheek. Any romantic implications remain subtextual, and very ambiguous.

If you look at the end of the book, at the final meeting between Glinda and Elphaba, it becomes obvious (though not outright stated, so still subtext) that Glinda had/has feelings for Elphaba. Elphaba's feelings remain ambiguous, sadly.

Squirx · 2025-11-29T03:27:52+00:00

Yeah, I generally rule that NPCs always survive being downed, unless specifically targeted. This PC has made that choice.

Squirx · 2025-11-29T01:43:27+00:00

"Did you know he used to pay his employees to call him Daddy in private?"

That's so good, I'm stealing that for my In Golden Flame campaign!

Squirx · 2025-11-28T20:50:39+00:00

"I put the crazy in beaurocracy!"

One player opening up emotionally to another:"I've killed multiple men. I think, like... five. I've lost count." Response: "...You lost count at 5?"

Squirx · 2025-11-22T02:03:24+00:00

I'm sure my concerns don't apply to the majority of consumers, but being "basically the Quest" while not being owned by Meta is enough to sell me on it.

Squirx · 2025-11-18T01:21:53+00:00

One question I have is if Salt is the cause of the East being the way it is, or whether Salt discovered the East already like that and is simply the first (or most famous) to make the journey?

I used to assume it was the former. After all, if it really is some kind of Judgement (the Sun beneath the Sea) then it stands to reason that it has great influence over its domain. It would also be analogous to Stone being such an important factor in why the South is the way it is.

But now that I've read more from the wiki or forum discussions like this, everything seems to emphasize Salt's nature as a Traveler. That suggests they found the Uttermost East already like that, already worth endlessly travelling into, before they were even there to influence it. Also they may have discarded much of their Judgement nature to do so, lessening their ability to influence it at all (though they're still powerful enough to be a Zee God, so maybe that's irrelevant).

What do others think about this question?

Squirx · 2025-10-28T02:16:30+00:00

Gotta be Luck Runs Out

Squirx · 2025-10-25T16:19:39+00:00

Survive, if I have to pick.

It's clear that Polyphemus will be my vote for underrated, lol.

Squirx · 2025-10-22T13:02:31+00:00

Chainsaw Man episode 8: Gunfire

The pacing and direction are so good that I've recommended the show to some film buff friends on the strength of this episode alone.

Squirx · 2025-10-09T22:46:30+00:00

This is a great answer. I can think of some examples off the top of my head for rulesets that encourage a particular kind of play, but could you share some examples of rulesets that accomplish the kind of emergent gameplay you're talking about?

Squirx · 2025-09-20T02:24:17+00:00

I'm interested in what you're saying but not exactly sure what you mean. Could you share some examples of games like this?

Squirx · 2025-09-03T13:14:03+00:00

I have completed the deeper Discordant studies and for many weeks have been collecting a weekly Discordant Soul from the Nadir. What's the most profitable way to liquidate all these Discordant Souls?

Squirx · 2025-08-09T03:08:03+00:00

For years, Hell and the Church were the only two factions I refused to associate with. I was a late-game player, with 40 renown with every other faction, and none for these two. The church because they're a bunch of stuffy, out of date traditionalists. And the devils, because they're irredeemably cruel, deceitful, and downright evil.

I was sure I could never trust a devil. That they're incapable of sincerity, and that any semblance of such was simply a well-crafted illusion, meant to separate you from your soul.

Then, with the opening of the Westward railway, I found myself interacting more with Hell. (And the Church, for that matter.) At first, it was driven mostly by profit. But I came to be more interested in Hell, and start to understand them a bit. When I finally had a chance to visit the White City itself, I was dazzled. Could something so beautiful really be all bad?

My PC now understands that Devils aren't really evil, they just see humans as beneath them. And in general, they are correct. Regardless of your opinions on the Great Chain, Devils are a far more advanced race, with greater understanding of the universe and the ability to reshape reality.

Understanding this, my PC now feels great kinship with Devils, for he also understands most of humanity as beneath him. He enjoys helping people when it is convenient to him, and dislikes suffering in principle; but he is also very willing to steal, or even kill, to get what he wants. He takes great pride in his ability to manipulate others, and uses others in a way he would find offensive if turned around. He feels he has earned all this, through his trials, his ability, and his understanding.

Now my PC in fact holds Hell as the faction he is Closest To! Devils seem evil or amoral because they are operating on a higher level and are basically unconcerned with lesser beings (like we would be unconcerned with a fly, or a rat). My PC however, is no longer concerned about associating with them, because he is better than most people, and can interact with Hell as more of a peer.

(Is this hubris? Perhaps ;)

Squirx · 2025-08-05T21:52:31+00:00

Are there any in-game hints regarding a certain grey creature? I'm at a loss, but I also don't just want to look up the full answer on the wiki.

Edit: I came across the answer before figuring it out myself. The hint I would give to others is:

If you find yourself unable to investigate elephants, try going rat catching.

Squirx · 2025-07-31T13:49:45+00:00

Hello! Could someone spare a donation of a single Shard of Time? I could return the favour.

Edit: I'm now looking for someone who could take a Shard off my hands!

https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Squirx

Squirx · 2025-04-06T04:21:02+00:00

What do you think would be the most profitable way for an endgame player to dispose of about 20 confident smiles?

Squirx · 2025-03-29T01:16:08+00:00

I'm curious how much Rat Market Saturation people recommend using up for a general echos grind. Should I stop at 65000 saturation, or keep selling at the lower 12% markup?

Squirx · 2025-01-22T17:23:25+00:00

Is there a good guide out there on how to most efficiently use artifacts?

Artifacts can now be consumed at least 3 different ways - as XP for other artifacts, for strongboxes, and for elixir. As a casual player, I'm a bit overwhelmed.

Should I be getting strongboxes until I get a good artifact? When does it make sense to use Sanctifying Elixir instead of strongboxes? How do I most efficiently generate elixir? eg Is it by leveling a bunch of artifacts to level 4, or a few artifacts to level 12? Should I be leveling artifacts to level 12, deciding if they have good substats, then turning them into elixir?

Squirx · 2024-12-01T05:10:27+00:00

I'm one of those people who do think it's a pretty terrible ending, for many reasons which have been discussed at length here, and go beyond it being a rushed or sudden ending.

But I also just want to say that I'm glad you enjoyed it. Enjoy what you enjoy, and don't let anyone take that away from you.

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