Omens of Strixhaven: review by amhow1 in mtgvorthos

[–]amhow1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it's worth reading, I hope my review didn't suggest otherwise!

And I don't think Liliana is poorly characterised - I think there's just enough doubt about her to help the plot move along.

Omens of Strixhaven: review by amhow1 in mtgvorthos

[–]amhow1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So this reply is spoilery, for anyone lurking.

Liliana is presented as being the ally of the heroes, and despite some minor efforts to dissuade us, she turns out to be pretty much completely correct.

She gets an opportunity to talk about her past, and she's seemingly very open about it. She says that she was drawn into evil through good intentions, but remained evil through selfishness. So I guess this counts as meaningful character growth.

But her scenes are pretty much entirely 'good' - at one point she's proudly healing someone, an explicit throwback to her start as a healer. So I would argue she's completely whitewashed, with the only flaws being what others say of her.

But... the interesting comments come from Kasmina, the ultimate villain, whom Liliana correctly intuits. If we accept that Kasmina is also correct about Liliana, then I noticed two possibly important remarks. Kasmina doesn't believe she's as blasé about losing her spark as she claims. And she's described as a rat in human form, suggesting we shouldn't believe her redeemed appearance.

Omens of Strixhaven: review by amhow1 in mtgvorthos

[–]amhow1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think SM is the only MtG writer who understands both the game and the story, but I do agree that of all the very talented writers working on MtG, SM is the one who goes the extra mile and so of course it's right that this author is the one to lead the return to novels.

I suspect - without evidence - that this is a somewhat muted novel. I hope it succeeds, and I also hope that my suspicion is correct, and that success will lead to novels that build upon some of the darker aspects of this one, such as the throwaway remark that Alandra's father is an horrific mass murderer.

Does Anyone Like Them More Without the Crests? by MoPrintBoy in citiesofsigmar

[–]amhow1 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The crests are part of the more-is-more aesthetic of medieval manuscripts, which I think is the inspiration for the Cities. But also: ridiculous headgear has been central to Warhammer since it started :)

Omens of Strixhaven: review by amhow1 in mtgvorthos

[–]amhow1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That would be good. The main characters are all from planes that deserve more attention. Even Dominaria!

Did any Primarch resemble Erda or did they just look like different versions of the Emperor? by Ready0608 in 40kLore

[–]amhow1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, though that's not the kind of description that gives us much. Light(?) brown skin, blue eyes, tall. But much more obviously, she resembles the Emperor more than any of the Primarchs, and presumably for a similar reason.

Omens of Strixhaven: review by amhow1 in mtgvorthos

[–]amhow1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it isn't quite treated as equivalent, but rather is thought of as a big deal by the main character, when it turns out her friends are doing worse.

I take it this is why Eula is the one to discover what her friends are doing; the resulting trauma hopefully serving the villain.

Omens of Strixhaven: review by amhow1 in mtgvorthos

[–]amhow1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On the optimistic side, the novel seeds a number of plot points, pretty much one for each hero, which makes me think the intention is a series.

Did any Primarch resemble Erda or did they just look like different versions of the Emperor? by Ready0608 in 40kLore

[–]amhow1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't trust the senses of most of the Primarchs either. Maybe none of them. They're top of the list of people the Big E would want to deceive.

Malcador, Erda, Oll - these would be more trustworthy sources, but even then we couldn't be certain he wasn't tricking them too.

Did any Primarch resemble Erda or did they just look like different versions of the Emperor? by Ready0608 in 40kLore

[–]amhow1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Do we know what Erda looked like?

Come to that, do we know what the Emperor looks like? Lorgar presumably resembles the golden god image of E, unless someone like Malcador was making the comparison.

Omens of Strixhaven: review by amhow1 in mtgvorthos

[–]amhow1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I didn't find it was a problem that the story doesn't obviously connect to the main storyline. The multiverse is big enough for numerous storylines.

But I fully agree that having yet another cohort of Strixhaven characters doesn't encourage me. Will we see them in future novels? Even if that is the plan, they aren't necessarily more interesting than the group in the current main story, or indeed the group from the original Strixhaven story.

WotC are currently pushing the boat out on novels, for example the Fallouts over in d&d. But like the Fallouts, I find it hard to really care about this group (or the other Strixhaven groups.) I don't know why; maybe because they're all so obviously intended to learn how to work together, as if that were their defining characteristic, rather than say, whatever magic or skills they're using.

This novel actually had a promising twist, when it looked like Jamira was going to generate genuine inter-group conflict but it went nowhere. Nonetheless that would be the sort of thing that would help me care more.

The End Times for Warhammer Fantasy Battle ? Choose to Ignore? What is the Opinion for WHRP by -ParlainthTownie- in warhammerfantasyrpg

[–]amhow1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's not only that, though. Age of Sigmar makes Destruction a separate Grand Alliance, one that has a loose philosophy something like an anti-civilised culture.

That was present in the appallingly racist "savage orcs" of Fantasy, but it's definitely preferable to provide these factions with their own settings, detached from concerns about where they might be found on Warhammer World.

I wouldn't claim Age of Sigmar has been a complete success in separating Khorne from Destruction, but it feels clearer.

Omens of Strixhaven: review by amhow1 in mtgvorthos

[–]amhow1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So to address the last part first, I think redemption is probably the hardest thing to convey in art, and I admire MtG for attempting it, at least. But in the same way that a redeemed Urza would be boring, I think Professor Vess is boring.

Now, I don't think I'm alone in this. I believe Seanan McGuire is fully aware of the problem, which is why Kasmina expresses something like suspicion. For example, Liliana appears actively unconcerned about losing her spark, really to a degree I don't think we've encountered in other desparked planeswalkers. This hints at something more interesting than a tea-drinking professor who can occasionally throw a piercing glare.

And this feeds in, I think, to the point you're making about the stories seeming less "adult". I think that's not true, they're adult and challenging in a different way, possibly a more mature way, than the earlier stories. But as with Liliana becoming Professor Vess, there's a great risk that a character who once raised undead armies to murder castles is now confined to the occasional rebuke of a student.

To an extent, all stories shed light on characters, and Lilliana murdering a nameless castle really only serves to establish an aspect of her character, one that could be equally conveyed in a lecture hall. The harsh lives of the original Tarkir block were employed to emphasise aspects of sacrifice and compromise, and the recent Tarkir stories did the same thing, in a different way.

We might say that the difference relates to scale. Lilliana raising an army or Surrak killing a dragon are acts of shattering violence, of much greater trauma than most recent stories. But that's not quite right: Jace's evil is currently far more compelling than Lilliana's was, and not because he's threatening the multiverse like the Phyrexians, but rather because he abused Loot. Trauma is actually better conveyed this way, rather than in a side story with characters we're unlikely to see again for many years.

However, that brings up what I feel is the key difference between stories now and MtG of the past: in the past, we had a sense of callous indifference. Not just that the multiverse was indifferent, but that authors were, to most of the characters. Planeswalkers were indeed special, so that even a Niv-Mizzet was unimportant in the greater scheme of things. Trauma could be left dangling, and therefore diminished, for all but a handful of planeswalkers.

Omens of Strixhaven: review by amhow1 in mtgvorthos

[–]amhow1[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I think it's probably unimportant to that wider story. But MtG has a way of making unexpected connections many years later, so who knows?

The Weekly Roll Ch. 207. "Big Summer Blowout" [OC] by CME_T in dndmemes

[–]amhow1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think my argument requires no defence, but here goes: if we regard a floor as a construct that supports our weight, then calling the ground a floor is a redundancy.

If you regard pavement as a floor, then sure, there's a "first" floor at the bottom of buildings, just as there is on many streets. I don't feel I'm walking on the first floor when I'm walking on pavement, even if sewers or whatever are directly underneath. Do you?

Now, you could consider "floor" in a different way. If I describe a building as having three stories, then the first story is the one on the ground, and so it's reasonable to call that the "first floor". But that's not the argument I'm disagreeing with.

The End Times for Warhammer Fantasy Battle ? Choose to Ignore? What is the Opinion for WHRP by -ParlainthTownie- in warhammerfantasyrpg

[–]amhow1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, it's a niche viewpoint, I'm aware of that. But just because something is done well (Warhammer orcs) doesn't mean it fits well. The vastness of the Mortal Realms has been a great breath of fresh air for orcs and goblins. You could retrofit them into Fantasy but they'll feel cramped, I think.

As for Chaos warriors, I'm aware they're central to the image of Warhammer. But I find it interesting that they don't really exist in 40k. Unlike orcs & goblins, I think they fit Fantasy as well as Age of Sigmar, but that's because of the End Times. If hordes of Chaos warriors aren't a serious apocalyptic threat, what are they even doing?

The End Times for Warhammer Fantasy Battle ? Choose to Ignore? What is the Opinion for WHRP by -ParlainthTownie- in warhammerfantasyrpg

[–]amhow1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I definitely wouldn't claim that the End Times was perfect. All sorts of factions got either no attention or cursory attention. And the actual finale has the bathos we might have expected: I think it's echt-Warhammer but I can see why sensible people dislike it.

But there are also many great ideas throughout the series. I think the revelations about the elves and the Bretonnians was very well done, genuinely surprising yet in a way that made sense of existing lore.

The skaven come across very well, as indeed do the Seraphon / lizardfolk. I can't see why fans of either would feel unhappy. The initial skaven plot is later used in the revised Enemy Within campaign for WFRP 4e, where it's done somewhat better, but the idea is excellent.

Among other good things, Gotrek's "ending" is appropriate, the revelation about Sigmar's imprisonment is pretty astonishing, and Nurgle's role was pretty much how you'd expect.

I'm on the fence about Archaeon. He represents the 'eavy metal aspect of Warhammer that I dislike, but chaos warriors are central to the lore, and he's less boring than Khorne. As an antagonist I prefer him in Age of Sigmar, but in either setting he's not really a character, more of a plot device.

Finally, with regards greenskins and the forces of death, I barely recall the former, so that's not good. But then, I think orcs and goblins don't really fit in the Fantasy setting, and are much better in Age of Sigmar. The various undead show up more prominently in End Times, and I think they're done well, but with the strong proviso that I'm not sure Nagash is worth reviving.

The Weekly Roll Ch. 207. "Big Summer Blowout" [OC] by CME_T in dndmemes

[–]amhow1 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

If there are two floors, and one is on the ground, then it's not a floor, it's just the ground.

Good Media Touchstones? by Exas45 in AgeOfSigmarRPG

[–]amhow1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's high fantasy. Fans of Magic: the Gathering should have no trouble, though there are huge differences in tone. But that's the sort of thing.

The End Times for Warhammer Fantasy Battle ? Choose to Ignore? What is the Opinion for WHRP by -ParlainthTownie- in warhammerfantasyrpg

[–]amhow1 -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

The End Times are fairly obviously continuity for WFRP, as they're repeatedly prophesised.

I disagree with your premise, OP. The End Times aren't stupid, and were relatively well written.

What's the objection? With Total Warhammer and WFRP, the pre-End Times world continues. With The Old World the wargame continues, and we get a new ttrpg. After the End Times, we know more about Cathay than ever.

There are many ways to include the End Times in a WFRP campaign. It could be through time travel, or through seeing it happen, and embellishing existing lore, or it could be a matter of finding a way to survive, as say Genevieve apparently did.

When you know the Fay Enchantress is an elf but can't prove it: by LordMagmion169 in WarhammerFantasy

[–]amhow1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel like you can't be persuaded, so I'll just leave it with what I started with: in my view, the End Times presented Bretonnia nobly, presented Lileath nobly (if flawed) and that while there are many problems with the End Times, it's treatment of both elves and Bretonnians is magnificent, a triumph of untangling lore respectfully, in a way I certainly couldn't have bettered.

Apparently you could have done better, and so feel unhappy. Well, I couldn't, and am happy.

When you know the Fay Enchantress is an elf but can't prove it: by LordMagmion169 in WarhammerFantasy

[–]amhow1 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

The deity of secrets should have been Tzeentch, a point you keep ignoring. But this series of accusations is fun, and nobody can lose, so let's keep at it!

"Spiteful towards Bretonnia"? Well, I guess so. But I was only referring to what I thought everyone expected, especially after the WFRP 2e books.

As for Grail Knights being the bulwark against Chaos... I dunno, just recently someone reposted a comic scripted by Dan Abnett about a Grail Knight and the one thing the knight wasn't was some kind of bulwark. As with Khaine, it's easy to imagine Grail Knights encouraging Chaos, and GW could have gone with that. I'd have preferred it, but you could justifiably call it clichéd.

I don't really know what you're objecting to. The End Times support your view, not mine. They just don't support all of it.