This game is really fun - ID: 1663
FORUM: Gossip - The rusty dagger tavern
This topic was started by Laurelian on 29/09/2021, 21:32:43
I just wanted to say, this game is really fun - it brings me back to games I played in my childhood (and did not fully understand then!).
Once I get paid tomorrow I will buy the expansion (I have just defeated Big M in the main game).
Things I particularly enjoyed:
What did you lot find particularly enjoyable?
Hello Laurelian, congratulations on defeating the Big M! The first time I did it, I found it a bit of an anticlimax because it was too easy. Icetear tweaked the game to make it harder, and the next time, it was a nail biter! Icetear really cares about this game, and the best part of playing back when the board was really active was that he would respond to issues and tweak the game, explain what he was doing, and take suggestions. He was a dream developer!
Trying to pick a favorite part of the game is hard! I really liked Castilla Artonsa and the Ridge Fault, but I think my favorite was Horon's Sanctuary. I used to go there sometimes just to watch the lava falls.
You are right about the Burial Mound being a major jump in difficulty. There were some minor flaws in the game here and there, but I always felt that the biggest was that when you reached Savage Crossing, you were completely on your own and weren't remotely close to tackling the Burial Mound, but kept getting pushed to go there. I thought a little guidance from the ranger or the druid would have helped there. But I'm glad you learned the tactics needed to tackle it and escape with the sickle!
And you are right about the game being fun! Icetear did a marvelous job planning and plotting, and somehow made it a world you could explore freely however you wanted, mostly in any order you wanted, while still providing enough structure for you to follow the plot and make it to the end. Maybe I'll go back and play again! :)
I‘m still alive, just in case someone forgot ;-)
And I still listen to suggestions and might add some to the game.
Glad you like it! Thank you very much :-)
Kind regards
Mario
I played with the default party until Annsharbor, where I decided to add Ulfhild the Barbarian Warrior of Awesomeness. I liked that I could go back to the start and acclimatise her to the adventure before throwing her into Annsharbor. I did enjoy summoning stuff, but always felt bad when it turned on me and I either had to let it get killed, or remove it at the campfire.
I had had a SafetyWand before I went into the Burial Mound, but had not tried it. Once I tried it it was like a light came on and I realised I could control the distances. (I also started to spam Farther Foe as Spell Points allowed).
I tried to print out the Compendium, but my printer ballsed-up the double-sidedness and made it useless.
I do get your point about Savage Crossing, and feeling like I was out of my depth, but I found that quite a pleasant change from being hand-held in other games, without it being the daunting prospect of a full open world. The moment I could kerb-stomp the Guardians on the shortcut between Castle Cranbrough and Savage Crossing was glorious. I did have moments of feeling like, “well, what do you want me to do, then” when I had TPKs, though.
It also emphasised the feeling of this being a land on the brink of destruction, and that was solidified when I made it to Annsharbour and found it and evil-infested cesspool rather then a bastion of Hope.
Icetear, I want to say from depth of my heart, that you made a really good game :-)
Well, that's an interesting challenge! I have played the game several times, each time in a slightly different way or challenge (e.g. trying to finish without ever saving) but each time I dropped the default party and rolled my own. Hmmm, maybe I'll try it your way!
Your point about the feeling of being in a land on the brink of destruction is a good one: I don't know how many times Icetear added some detail -- an abandoned farm, a ruined house, a distant sighting of refugees slaughtered by orcs -- that emphasized that. Unlike some games, the story and ambiance were as important as the fighting.
P.S. Mario -- I didn't mean to write a memorial to you, just to the game (or discussion board), which seems to have dropped to three users. :( It's sad because it deserves more players.
...and to make it worse: I seldom use Discord *shame*
I forgot all about discord. I just checked, and there are some more players on there. But no posts since July. (Congratulations on having a son!)
Glad to see this game still making some rounds!
Yes, get the expansion and all perks! It’s not much (considering how great the game is anyway) and I’ve personally grown too spoilt on sending loot straight to the bank vault!
After purchasing the expansion, I found way more satisfaction starting a new game and implementing new features like Alchemy, it felt like “New Game +”
My favorite spots : Going through the castle cellar with a new party, and the many hours I spent grinding Ridge Fault’s fixed battles up to the statue (much more satisfying than the cave grind after your characters can go toe-to-toe with the dwellers).
I liked the idea that Big M caused such chaos and destruction. Then I read the real backstory, about how these were newly rediscovered lands and that the ruins are the result of being deserted for eons, and that we are recolonizing rather than recovering. That backstory isn’t really represented much in the game, and I suppose I was willing to give M too much credit! After all, he wasn’t THAT difficult to beat! <EMOJI seq="1f609" tseq="1f609">😉</EMOJI>
Good to see you, Icetear! Still willing to buy another expansion if you ever get the urge to spend a million hours to make it!
