The Giant’s Seat by Dave Butler, Book Review

The Giant’s Seat is part two of the series The Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie by Dave Butler. Butler picks up the action shortly after the closing scene of The Kidnap Plot (review here), continuing the action. Our hero, Charlie, and three of his friends, Bob, Ollie, and Gnat have set off across England to warn Charlie’s bap's friend, Caradog Pritchard about the Iron Cog.

The Story

One of the last things Charlie’s dad told him to do was to make his way to the mountain Cader Idris and find his father’s old friend who could help Charlie. The Giant’s Seat picks up two days into that journey as the group of adventurers are on Bob’s flyer. But a storm separates Charlie from the rest of the group.

Charlie undertakes a frantic search. His friends are missing, and Charlie knows it is perilous to be on his own. This leads him to meeting new people, an extended family of dwarfs. And, like many times when meeting new people, the relationship starts out poorly. The situation is rough on Charlie, but he makes the best of it and eventually he and the dwarfs become friends. He even finds out they have shared interests. Along the way he also meets an aspiring wizard who is having problems of his own and Charlie inspires him onto new adventures that bring the two together later.

With the help of the dwarfs, and elves, Charlie makes it to Wales and Cader Idris. In the town at the base of the mountain he is reunited with the rest of his travelling companions. Together they complete the quest they thought they were on and prepare to start a new one.

There are many new sights and experiences for all of them. But as a group working together our young adventures rise to the challenges in the same fashion as in The Kidnap Plot. The events are new ones. Butler does a wonderful job of continuing the story through his second book and not just going through what we already read in the first.

The Setting

The Giant’s Seat moves out of London, but the steampunk feel is maintained. The inventions presented are done with a sense of fun mixed in with the power of coal, water, pistons, and springs. The descriptions allow for a visualization of what is there without breaking the language used during the period of the time the story is set in.

The Writing

Dave Butler delivers another wonderful story. The Giant’s Seat follows right along with The Kidnap Plot. This isn’t just in the story being followed, but in the way the style and language presents the story.

The characters coming forward from the first book are given even more depth as their own stories are developed. The new ones have the same level of detail expected after the first book. And, where racial traits are presented in the first, they are carried forward to give continuity.

The Giant’s Seat continues with the multiple levels of plot. This series is set for middle grade and it is paced and presented in a language readers at that level can comprehend and work through. Butler keeps the story active by not stopping there. The additional levels of complexity give more advanced readers the opportunity to have a deeper experience.

The pace of the book is engaging. I kept reading, being drawn forward without getting sidetracked. I think it will keep other readers equally engaged.

There are lessons presented without beating the reader over the head. Butler empowers Charlie and company with the will and desire to do what is right. They learn the benefits of helping others. The story presents loss, and how it is dealt with. There are risks, rewards, and punishments for the actions chosen.

Author (from the book jacket)

Dave Butler’s first book for children was The Kidnap Plot, which The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books called “a strong start to a new series.” Dave lives in an old house and works in a study where one of the biggest bestsellers of the twentieth century was written. He has kept the room’s original shag carpet and wood-veneer walls. He likes games, guitars, languages, and, most of all, his family.

Dave lives in Provo, Utah. You can find him on the Web at davidjohnbutler.com.

Overall

The Extraordinary Journey of Clockwork Charlie; The Giant’s Seatis a fun and fantastic journey. Although it continues the story of Charlie and his friends, it is a work that can stand on its own.

People of all ages can enjoy this book.

The characters are intriguing and each has their own story.

I give it 4 ½ out of 5.

The Giant’s Seat is published as a Borzoi book published by Alfred A. Knopf (Random House).

I was given a copy of The Giant's Seat by the author for review purposes.

The Giant's Seat is available on Amazon (link).

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Finders Keepers by Janek Sielicki, D&D 5th Edition Adventure Review

There are great forces of good and evil in the world. In the Forgotten Realms the forces are always on the prowl, looking for ways to improve their position against their adversaries. Information has surfaced about the Book of Keeping, a magical artifact containing the true names of some of the stronger evil creatures living in the dimensions. Names that can bind the creatures of evil into the service to those who know them.

Janek Sielicki’s adventure Finders Keepers is for a party of 20^th level, Dungeons and Dragons 5^th edition, characters. Either by choice or accident, the party finds themselves in the middle of a world changing situation. It is a paced adventure that was written for players who might not have played such heroic levels before.

In Sielicki's introduction he states his desire to create an adventure for players who don't get a lot of opportunity for playing characters at this level as a standalone scenario. And, at the same time, provide an adventure that can be inserted into an existing campaign or be used as a starting point for more high-level adventures. I received a PDF copy of Finders Keepers for review purposes. This is the third adventure of Sielicki's I've reviewed and the first set in the D&D 5^th edition system.

Finders Keepers delivers a grand adventure for inexperienced and experienced players. There are some limitations in the writing because of the publishing requirements, however, the challenges created are fitting to create the grand scale players expect from an adventure at this level. Sielicki also delivers on the opportunity of an adventure for players who have experience with only lower level characters.

A selection of twelve characters is included, each a different class. The characters are presented in two formats, with and without magic. These options give players and dungeon masters (DMs) options on how to handle the game. The various levels of preparation given means players can spend more or less time getting ready, or personalizing, for the adventure. As the DM, this allows you to do some customization for your players to create a game to their style of play.

Players can also create their own characters, or bring existing characters for Finders Keepers. The variety of characters emphasizes that Finders Keepers is written to allow players options on how they play the adventure. There are hooks and ending scenarios allowing players to take different paths to a conclusion of this adventure, or for setting up future play. It is wonderful to see how he created a multiple possible endings.

The Book

The PDF I reviewed has some nice attributes. I was happy to see the file had already been bookmarked so it was easy to use and allowed me to make quick reference between sections.

The artwork supports the epic grandeur of the adventure. The art used also breaks the writing up nicely to give separation along with story support. This flows over into the maps.

Maps are prepared for players and DMs. Player maps have been created on their own pages, so they can be printed, or shown, without the DM being concerned about displaying too much information.

The first 54 pages of this 71-page book is the adventure. The last section is about how Sielicki created and developed his adventure. He keeps his final article focused on the process used for creating this for Dungeon Master's Guild. It is good information in general for anyone wanting to write adventured for them, other groups, or for their own.

The Adventure

Finders Keeper is an adventure in three chapters. Each chapter has some massive combat, as it should for characters of this level, which is also fitting for the game system. There are also other challenges to take the characters beyond the combat.

Everything starts in the city of Phlan in the Forgotten Realms. Don't let this turn you away if you are not using that setting. If you are using that setting and have used some of the supplemental information, it might not follow to what you have. In either case, enough information is given in the adventure about what is needed in the location to adjust it to fit in other settings or in an existing storyline.

The encounters are built to provide the experience of playing epic level characters. Sielicki keeps with the games namesake and has a battle with a dragon. I would expect this in an adventure wanting to provide an experience of playing high levels for those who might not have done it ever before. This is the opening encounter and he steps it up from there.

The adventure continues, and characters are faced with dealing with others of epic abilities. The party encounters demons, devils, angels, and gods. The challenges are not just how characters fight, but include challenges to make the players think through what they are doing, and why.

All of this comes together at the end of the adventure, which can also be your beginning. The development of events with different outcomes allows the DM and their players to take what is started here and continue. Fulfilling the goal of creating a high-level adventure that can be the springboard for a new campaign.

Overall

Finders Keepers is another successful adventure from Janek Sielicki. There are multiple levels of play taking place. It doesn't limit players to having to be the heroic do-gooders or agents of a particular side in a conflict. It doesn't even require the players to be on the same side as other players (of course that takes more work for players and DMs).

Finders Keeper can be used in an existing campaign, for starting a new campaign, or as a stand-alone adventure.

On the down side, I noticed the copy editing in this adventure was not at the same level of the other two adventures I have reviewed from Sielicki. If you are a grammar fanatic, it might cause some concern. The items I noticed didn't take away from the impact of the adventure. So, I suggest overlook the minor issues and dive into the greater scale of the ideas being presented.

I recommend Finders Keepers for the pure enjoyment of being involved in battles and situations of the magnitude presented.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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The Dark City Hork: Two Goblin Tribes

Forgotten Realms Goblin

This is a guest article from Sean Holland. I started a conversation with Sean in the comments of the article The Dark City, Hork: Political Power Structure about the possibility of goblins providing food to the orc city. Here is his article about two tribes living near the city.

Goblins in and around Hork

While the orcs rule the City of Hork with an iron fist, the goblins have found space on the fringes to advance their own ends. There are two tribes, the Darkened River and the Shadowed Forest, which hate each other and if you are friends with one, you are an enemy to the others.

The Darkened River Tribe

The Darkened River goblins wear grey and blue clothing and tattoos of water symbols on their cheek and arms. Their weapons are fishing spears, wicked daggers and nets, their elite guard wear scale armor made of alchemically hardened shell. They often refer to Mother River when talking of the water.

They fish, gather crawfish and shellfish and harvest some river plants (cat’s tails among others) for the insatiable desire of the City of Hork for food. They also make items out of fish bone, shell and drift wood which they sell, their shell charms for fertility and easy childbirth are among the most popular. To a very select clientele, the Darken River will sell poisons refined from natural toxins but they are very careful who they sell to.

Those who need items smuggled in or out of the city by water will find that the Darkened River goblins are proficient at such but their services do not come cheaply and they expect professionalism from those that hire their services.

The Shadowed Forest Tribe

The Shadowed Forest goblins wear green and brown clothing with tattoos of plants and growing symbols on their arms and neck. Their weapons of choice are the bow, hunting spear and dagger, they favor light leather armor made from the hides of various forest creatures. They make oaths by the Mother Tree and her seven daughters,

They gather mushroom, plants, and hunt small animals all to provide Hork with food and clothing, providing furs and rough-spun cloth, and worked wood for a variety of purposes. The Shadowed Forest also produce a variety of medicinal, stimulant and hallucinogenic herbs and concoctions, to be smoked or consumed, which they sell to those in need of such.

To those in need of somewhere to lie low near, but not too near, to the city, the Shadowed Forest will act as a place of refuge for a reasonable price as long as the heat is not too high.

By aaronflorento on deviant art

Goblin Politics

The two tribes of goblins are always at odds with each other and tales of vicious raids and ambushes by one group against the other occasionally swirls through the taverns. In the City of Hork, they keep their rivalry to shouted insults and the occasional brawl. They actively discourage outsiders from getting involved in this conflict as it is a matter or tribal honor and not for others to interfere with.

In fact, the two tribes are firm allies, sharing information and using their apparent conflict to manipulate prices and demand in the city. They have no wish to get involved in the politics of Hork more than is required to keep their ability to trade in the city, as the goblins are obviously so weak and divided, there is not much of a constituency to ban them from the city. The goblins do pay the occasional bribe and support any attempt to make life difficult for traders from distant lands.

Goals in Hork

The goblins seek to build a strong economic position and a secure base of operations. That being said, their core wealth is all portable and there are constantly updated plans and preparation to flee should the orcs ever decide that the goblins are good targets or the forces of light (broadly defined) should ever decide to march on Hork. The goblins are not interested in a stand up fight but in delaying any attacker, by use of traps, ambushes and other distractions, so that the main body of the tribe can escape.

The goblins, of both tribes, are frequent buyers in the slave markets acquiring goblins to add to their numbers and halflings and other smaller races for use as servants. They also purchase weapons and items useful for alchemical and magical work, which the orcs may have overlooked as useless, from the city market.

Adventure Seeds

•  The caravan/ship the characters are travelling with/on is attacked by goblins “raiding” into their rival’s territory. If the attack goes badly, the local goblins will arrive to “rescue” the caravan/ship (and dragging away wounded raiders “to be tortured and killed”) subsequently implying that they deserve a small fee for aiding the caravan/ship.
• One of the orcish groups has come into possession of a goblin artifact, but have not realized the fact. Not wishing to tip the orcs to the value of the item, they hire the character to gain it by fair means or foul.
• The Darkened River goblins have been hired to smuggle an item into the human lands, which is outside their ability to deliver, so they need agents to take it the rest of the way. They will pay well but require magical oaths of their agents.

About the Author

My name is Sean Holland and I have been a gamer for a very long time. Starting with war games and soon moving to roleplaying games, where I have stayed ever since. Gaming is my primary hobby, but not my only one, I am also an avid reader (fantasy, science fiction, and history), watcher of politics and general geek.

I hold a degree in History (BA, minor Philosophy) along with an unfinished MA in the same field. These days I work at Tyche’s Games, a small games store in Athens, GA, and do some freelance writing for the gaming industry along with my work on the Sea of Stars and the occasional piece of fiction.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

You can also join Guild Master Gaming on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter (@GuildMstrGmng)

 

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Japanese, Game Review

Almost everyone I know speaks another language, or wants to learn one. Those who want to learn one talk about not of having time and how tedious it is to read through the books or listen to tapes. Unnamed Method (UM) has addressed these issues by making a game out of learning a language. I met some of the people at Salt Lake Comic Convention 2017 and picked up a deck of the core cards for their game Japanese.

Japaneseis a card game designed to have fun while learning the language. The core deck is 108 cards: 4 reference cards and 104 cards with words and grammatical components of the Japanese language. It can be played as a competitive, cooperative, or solitaire game. All three variants are similar in style, it really is how you decide to keep score and who is available to play.

In the competitive version each player creates a grammatically correct sentence or sentences. You win if you are the first person with 20 points laid out on the table or have the most points when the deck runs out. There is only one round of play, which makes it easier to focus on the sentences instead of tracking the score between rounds.

Unnamed Method

When playing cooperatively, everyone works on sentences together. You can play this to create the points, or just run through to the end of the deck to see what sentences you come up with. When playing cooperatively you can do it in turns or let everyone join as a free-for-all. Consider who you have at the table if you want to do the free-for-all. If you have a dominant player who takes control, someone is bound to be left out.

The solitaire version is really working through the deck. If you really are wanting to learn the language, this works well because you can use the game as a filler just about wherever you go. All you really need is a place where you can set the cards out. Or, if you can hold them in order, you don't even need the table space.

Every card has information about the sentence structure and the word(s) on the card. They explain which part of the sentence the word belongs to, how to write it, how to speak it, and an example of a sentence it would be used in. The reference card provides information for how sentences are structured and advanced grammatical use. The playing cards and the reference cards are easily cross-referenced.

The cards have a color code for easy use. The sentence structure is broken down by colors which are included on the cards. The reference cards show the order of colors to provide an easy visual reference of the sentence structure.

The rules for playing Japanese are on the company’s web site. It is recommended to have 25 or 50 cards per player (one location I found said 25 and another said 50). They also make another recommendation of each player having their own deck. This would make all the words available to everyone playing and not just a portion. I didn’t try this variation because I have only one core deck.

As you advance in your ability of playing Japanese, you can increase the challenge by picking up any of the five expansion decks. Each adds a specific area of knowledge or advanced language skill. The expansions are half the size of the core deck, or the size of a standard deck of playing cards.

There is no listed age or time for game play. The age limit would be a function of capability of reading. The length of time becomes a variable based on your skill with the language. We took a little while with our game as we spent time reading and reciting the words and how they are used. I’m sure the more time spent with the game would make it shorter to play because you are learning the words and the language.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Cold Shadows, Game Review

The cold war was fought between the superpowers by the government agencies involved in espionage. The tension, real or imagined, gave rise to a genre of spy thrillers that has given us great books, movies, and role-playing games (RPGs).

Cold Shadows from Gallant Knight Games is a recent addition to the collection of RPGs that every player who enjoys espionage should have in their gaming library. Cold Shadows is based on the ruleset by John Wick as presented in Houses of the Blooded and Blood & Honor.

This is not a long book, just under 130 pages (and they’re half pages), which provides everything needed to create and play an espionage setting. The game is foremost espionage and then setting it in the period of the cold war. The information is not limited and with just a little creativity could be easily applied to running spies in another genre.

The initial part of Cold Shadows provides all the information needed to set up the agency, division, field of operation, and the agents. In Cold Shadows everyone is playing characters in the same agency and division, these are people who know each other, or at least the best they can, considering the circumstances of their employment. This level of creation is done by the entire group, players and game master (Narrator).

Most games have one player (the game master) create the base setting and then introduces the players/characters to the setting. In Cold Shadows the players have an integral part in the creation. The players decide what the director is like and what are the goals and assets of the Agency. What they decided during this part of creating the setting influences what characters can choose from and what they have available later.

I like the setup process. It allows players to build a setting they want to be involved in. It can be built for more aggressive characters, or with a higher level of intrigue for delving deeper into the clandestine operations. It also works well because the style of the Agency would dictate what style of recruits the Agency would be going after. This allows for a method of creation where all of the characters have a certain level of similarity to provide congruency throughout the game.

Characters are diverse, but have certain aspects bringing them together under the umbrella of their Agency. If the group builds an Agency with a dangerous director they get to draw upon a different set of advantages and disadvantages than a group that has a paranoid director. This is because the director would be recruiting agents who are better for the way they are directing their Agency.

 

How a character is created affects the dice pool they create when attempting a risk. Simply, a risk is when someone is attempting an action that can influence the story. In Cold Shadows a player is not rolling to attempt a success or failure. The roll is to determine who controls the next part of telling the story. Even if a player wins the risk, they don’t have to succeed at the action. Or, they could succeed with side effects. The outcome is not based on the dice rolls, but on the player, or Narrator, in control of the story at the time.

Additional information can be obtained when a risk is being done with additional wagers with the dice. Wagering dice means you don’t use them in the attempt to win the risk, but use them afterwards to allow the player to create more aspects of the story. This works even when there is more than one player involved. Privilege to tell the story rotates through the successful risk takers.

As the story unfolds, what is told becomes the story as the players know it. When another player gains privilege to continue the story they are not allowed to nullify a part of the story already told. The story can be altered with additions being added to the facts, but the story once spoken is what the players know. An example given is a player states their director is an alcoholic. Then, another player adds, it is because of the marital problems the director is facing.

This narrative style of an RPG allows players to gain more control over the story. In our group it even means many times players are adding in their own plot twists without the help of the Narrator. But, the Narrator has a little more control over the story. The Narrator has a specified number of story points (gained during the creation process) that allow them to take make the changes the players can’t. These can be major plot twists that alter what the characters know.

In this style of a narrative RPG the mechanics of all the possible equipment and gadgets can be simplified. There’s no reason to go into pages of tables of weapons with rates of fire, accuracy, ranges, etc. etc. etc. There are some differences presented to certain styles of items which allow additional dice to the pool when taking a risk. But, the focus is on the story and the tools of the trade are in support of the characters instead of the driving plot points.

Dice designed for Cold Shadows

All of this allows for a quicker start into the gaming scenario and easier flow through the story.

Cold Shadows also has another level of play besides the characters, the Agency. The game moves through seasons, just like the year. In each season the group takes actions for the Agency. This allows for the group as a whole to improve in general ways as the characters improve in specific ways. This also gives a power limit to characters. Characters age, and as they age eventually hit a point of retirement, if someone hasn’t already retired them.

With this being a game of intrigue, trust is a major issue. Cold Shadows has components for characters to create, maintain, and even lose trust with their fellow agents or other Agencies. These elements provide great fodder for the storyline. If one agent is feeling on the outs with the rest of the group, it may be time for an opposing agency to court their friendship. And, again, this doesn’t have to be done just by the Narrator. A player can explain how their own character is turning, or how they see another agent turning to the opposition.

The end of the book finishes with methods of play for when there are only two people, or even when you are by yourself. The solo adventure creation is mentioned as being a good source of creating adventures for a larger group. With a few quick decisions, or dice rolls, in the tables presented a scenario can be ready to drop characters into.

Cold Shadows is another success for Gallant Knight Games and the creative efforts of Alan Bahr, Ben Woerner, Elizabeth Chaipraditkul, Tobie Abad, and Drew Wendell who were the writers.

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The Darkest Hour, Movie Review

World War II was a time in our history that is ripe with storytelling material storytelling. The Darkest Hour, directed by Ridley Scott, is a rich and complex story that looks at only a small time segment of the greater story of the period, or the complexity of even the events portrayed. Winston Churchill (played by Gary Oldman) was made Prime Minster of England at the time Nazi Germany had initiated their Blitzkrieg across Europe, giving the movie its title.

The scope of the movie is focused.

The Darkest Hour is the story of Churchill from the day before his appointment to the day operation Dynamo took place to rescue England’s troops at Dunkirk. I will say straight out this movie had more impact on me because I saw the movie Dunkirk (review here) and the timing of the two stories brings the peril of the situation to greater heights. I recommend seeing both of them.

There was more happening than just the war. The political intrigue taking place in parliament is well represented. There are also the relationships outside the political arena. We are given Churchill’s story in a manner that is raw and refined. But, again, we’re focused on what is happening to and around Churchill.

Anthony McCarten wrote a compelling story that draws the audience in quickly. This is a story of intrigue and personalities. Don’t expect to see an action war movie. But, instead, a deeper representation of what the war was doing to the people who were not on the battlefronts, but plotting the battles.

We are also given a glimpse of the people in London, and in France. With the high overview given, which was used to great symbolic effect, there are scenes showing how the struggles of the times were being dealt with by the commoners along with the politicians. And how the decisions interacted.

The cast of the supporting roles was superb. The actors fit the role they were cast in. Each showed their own strengths and weaknesses without portraying them as “bad” people. Instead they were shown as people who had their motives to accomplish what was right according to their understanding.

Two strong supporting roles were the two women who were the closest to Churchill during this period of time. Kristen Scott Thomas as Churchill’s wife, Clementine (Clemmie), has some powerful scenes showing the emotional burdens that she was going through with few words. Lily James portraying Churchill’s secretary, Elizabeth Layton, is able to also give us insights into the lead character along with the bridge to the common people caught up in the struggle.

There has been a lot already said about the acting and the makeup in The Darkest Hour. Seeing it on the screen was a real treat. Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill gave one of the best performances I have seen. If he doesn’t receive a nod to a number of different awards I will be surprised and saddened. His requirement of having Kazuhiro Tsuji as his makeup artist was a sign of knowing who should be where at what time. Oldman becomes Churchill in full, not only in acting, but in physical representation. The rest of the movie, cast and settings, all looked like they were right out of the 1940s. I was also struck by the near claustrophobic conditions of the war rooms underneath #10 Downing Street.

Overall

The Darkest Houris a powerful movie about the events near the start of World War II. It is concise on its scope to provide depth without getting lost in the larger story of the time.

The production, from writing, casting, acting, directing, and editing, come together in an event worth watching.

I give The Darkest Hour 4 out of 5.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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The Kidnap Plot by David Butler: Book Review

The Kidnap Plot is book one in the series The Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie for middle grade readers by Dave Butler. Butler takes the reader on a great adventure through a steampunk/fantasy London in the Victorian era. I received a copy of The Kidnap Plotfrom the author for review purposes.

Charlie Pondicherry is a boy who is small for his age and lives with his father in White Chapel. His bap (dad) doesn’t like him to go out much because he is worried about Charlie’s safety. Then when his bap is kidnapped by the Sinister Man, Charlie has to figure out a way to rescue his dad and a grand adventure ensues.

Charlie gets the help from Henry Clockswain (his bap's business partner who’s a kobold), Bob and Ollie (two young chimney sweeps with their own secrets), Mr. Grumblesson (a troll lawgiver), and Natalie de Minimis (a pixie in line to become the baroness). This unlikely crew of adventurers work together, for their own ends and to help Charlie and his dad, Mr. Pondicherry.

Together, they hunt down the clues to solve the multi-leveled mystery involving the kidnapping: who is the Sinister Man, why did he call Mr. Pondicherry Dr. Singh, what is the Iron Cog, and who is the Anti-human league?

This leads them into political intrigue within the pixie court, battles with rats, and dealing with the gang side of the city. We get to see the richness of the creations steampunk settings are known for along the way.

Setting

Dave Butler creates a grand mystery in a steampunk setting with mythical creatures and magical elements. The mixture of historical facts with the fiction provides a place where the fantastic seems to fit in better than the reality ever did.

The adventure moves along through different neighborhoods of London where Charlie has new experiences. There are policemen riding zebras, and vehicles running on steam or being drawn by the likes of rhinoceroses, elephants, and even horses.

The descriptions take the reader into a realm of make believe where everything comes together with the past and the present to create a place for extraordinary adventures to take place.

Characters

Without giving away the twists set in the story, I will say the characters are well thought out and each has their own story hanging in the wings. We are given bits and pieces from beginning to end for the movement of each of the character.

Charlie learns he is a mechanical boy—I don’t think this is a spoiler based on the title and the cover art. Along with his own discoveries he learns something about each of his new friends and what they are working to accomplish in their own lives.

I have always enjoyed rich sideline characters in a book and The Kidnap Plot has them.

The Writing

The Kidnap Plot contains interwoven storylines. The presentations are easy enough to be followed by younger readers. They’re not so complex where your younger readers will be wondering what is happening. However, they are deep enough to stimulate conversation about what they are reading.

I recommend parents read the book with their younger readers, or read it first. This is not because of any questionable content. I really do think there is enough in here where children will want to talk about what is happening.

There are plenty of clues to provide the foreshadowing of the turns that take place. The story is for younger readers, and the language works well for the age group. However, The Kidnap Plot is written with more than just the younger readers in mind. It is written so more experienced readers, who understand more about foreshadowing, story arcs, and character arcs, have another level of enjoyment.

Overall

I highly recommend The Kidnap Plot by Dave Butler. Here is a book that is target for middle grade that can be enjoyed by all ages. There is enough fun in the story to keep younger readers and enough story for the older ones.

The characters are intriguing and each has their own story that could be told.

I give it 4 ½ out of 5.

The Kidnap Plot was first published in 2016 and is a Borzoi book published by Alfred A. Knopf (Random House).

The Kidnap Plot is available on Amazon (link).

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Movie Review

I know Star Wars: The Last Jedi is strife with controversy. I have seen the social media posts calling it great and an absolute disaster. I have seen the comments calling for it to be torn from the annals of time and others who claim it is the best Star Wars movie to date. And, yet, here I’m wading into the fray.

The short version is this is a good movie if you allow yourself to get past what people are saying based on events and attitude outside of the movie. I went in trying to remove so many of those notions and found I wasn’t able to do it. I even drafted a review based on my experience. Then, I got involved in a conversation with a dedicated fan of the Star Wars Universe.

For some this might mean an immediate falling out, or an immediate approval—one extreme or the other. But, I felt alright talking this over with them because they are a person who has read every one of the books before the rights were sold to Disney. This is a person who hated the idea of what was presented by the studio about how they were moving forward. Here is a person who after seeing the first, gave a little. Then seeing the second disliked the treatment of the older canon. And came away from this movie with a new appreciation. I had to know why. There statements made me take another look at what I saw and how it fit with the earlier movies.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a bridge in the middle of a trilogy, which is a bridge to the new storyline. Both those means there is usually going to be a lot of forced and seemingly arbitrary conditions used to keep the story moving forward. I felt this way about the movie when it was done. I found plot holes, it to be long, and the ending to be drawn out. Then the conversation.

Going back I found we’re given a movie doing what the first movie started—it’s paying homage to the original series. Like The Force Awakens is a remake of A New Hope, The Last Jedi is a retelling of The Empire Strikes Back. It isn’t as obvious to those of us (me) who are not as immersed in the story, but once a few points were brought to my attention, I can see the respects being paid.

Using that viewpoint as the basis changed the way I perceived the movie. Here is a movie serving multiple purposes.

First, The Last Jediis a bridge from the introduction to the conclusion of a trilogy. Not an enviable spot to begin with because there is still setup being done, new characters need to be introduced, and you also need to create a standalone story.

Next, this trilogy is a bridge from the original story and characters to the new. Here, again, you have to deal with the concepts of what has gone before and connect them to what is going to happen later.

On these first two points, The Last Jedi delivers.

The last major point is paying homage to the original. This is what I was missing because I was so focused on getting across the bridges to see what is on the horizon.

I saw the connection between the character arcs, like between Luke and Rey. I missed the grander vision of how the movie’s storyline was formatted to match with the presentation of the original. This included how the time felt like it was moving at different paces for the different character stories, or how the ending seemed to go on as each of the arcs were being wrapped up individually, instead of in one grand finale. But, it was there in the original and carefully recreated.

Along with the tribute to the older movies there was great new material about the universe and those living in it. Being part of the geek community I hear stories, even if I don’t get to read them all. I found not everything I had heard about from the books has been abandoned. The production is carefully selecting what they are going to use. This happens with every movie based on a book or short story.

A great example is the scene with the sith lord. In that scene they did a great job of portraying the ability of reading and masking thoughts for the progression of an apprentice to a master. They also did a wonderful portrayal of the battle of wills. They created visual effects for things written that would have looked pretty stupid in a movie.

The visual effects are one of the things setting this franchise apart from the beginning. In The Last Jedi we are not disappointed. There are new races, gadgets, equipment introduced. Throughout the movie there are added features (Easter eggs?) in the background people are going to go and watch the movie again to see what they missed behind the action.

Overall

The Last Jedi is a fun filled story of a fantastic adventure taking place in space. Sit back, relax, enjoy the ride, and take in the scenery.

The characters are developing more depth.

There are differences between the first movies and these to leave with some anticipation of not only how they are going to pay tribute to the past, but what are they going to do with the future.

I give Star Wars: The Last Jedi 4 out of 5.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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The Dark City Hork, Astherfen a Drow Wizard

Drow Wizard by johnnyhr on deviant art

A male drow doesn’t get many opportunities to lead a rich life.

Astherfen was born in a minor house in the nearby drow city a couple of centuries ago. That meant he wasn’t expected to live long because the house was considered just as disposable as him. In fact, the house was disposed of by one of the stronger noble houses while he was still young.

Astherfen was called a servant, but that only meant he was a drow slave. His station in life wasn’t much higher than the orc and kobold and other lesser creatures moving about the cellar regions of the noble house. What saved him was his aptitude and cunning.

Astherfen caught the attention of one of the noble house mages and his fortune grew a little better when he was sent to learn the art of magic. He learned quickly, in both magic and intrigue, which was a blessing and a curse for the apprenticed wizard.

Although Astherfen was a servant of a noble house, he wasn’t a member, so he was not extended the same protections. More than once his abilities (magic and planning) saved his life when other apprentices attempted to take it. This drove Astherfen to study harder and to learn to rely more on his own capabilities than what others offered.

The noble house recognized the young wizard’s potential and he was made a consort to one of the daughters of the family. It was not a marriage of love, nor has it ever been a relationship built on feelings the two might ever develop for each other. In fact, they seldom see each other and Astherfen prefers that arrangement. The marriage provided what Astherfen truly desired, a place in the mage guild.

Astherfen’s change in status allowed him to become a teacher. This allowed him access to more powerful magic and greater protection. Of course the protection was expected to be repaid with loyalty. The combination of the noble house and the guild allowed Astherfen to progress and become a powerful wizard.

Living in the hall of wizards was a better life than he had ever thought possible. But, that only lasted until the orcs claimed the underground dwarven city.

The Drow didn’t know what to expect from the orcs. Unlike the dwarves, which had become very predictable, and, therefore, the border with them could be well controlled, the orcs were untamed savages.

For years the drow nobles fussed and fought about what should be done. Chaos reigned on the subject and no real action took place as every house was waiting to see what every other house would do. Each looking for the advantage in the mistakes the others would make.

The wizards’ guild approached Astherfen to take action on behalf of their interests. His ties to his noble house were weak and he could be gone for a long period of time and possibly never even noticed as being away. He would go as a spy to the city of Hork. This would give the guild a stronger position in the drow city.

Astherfen’s life was good and he didn’t want to leave the drow city. But, the offer included aspects he didn’t want to turn down. The wizards didn’t care how he did his job, he would have no superior to report to for his actions. Further, if he wanted to find a way to make more money than the guild was willing to stipend him, they didn’t care about that either (although it would be appreciated if he shared). The only requirement they gave him was to keep his mission a secret from the nobles.

Astherfen knew the support he would get from the guild was minor, if any. If he was discovered as a spy for the guild, he had no idea what the orcs in Hork could do. The noble houses would probably start some type of political war with the school of wizardry.

In the outer tunnels of Hork, Astherfen ran into some orcs who were living there. It wasn’t close to any clan controlled lands and he wasn’t expecting them. In the moment he was dispatching them, one surprised him by begging to be taught to be a wizard. He was allowing the orc to grovel while deciding on how to kill the creature. Then a plan for the future opened to him. He agreed to take the orc, Simp, as an apprentice.

By Michael O. Varhola on d-Infinity

Astherfen is Simp’s master. Teaching the orc has allowed Astherfen to be near the center of the city and learn many secrets. He established himself in the open, instead of trying to hide who he is. And is promoting himself as a drow wizard interested in establishing trade between members of the two cities.

Astherfen uses Simp as a means of collecting information by cultivating relationships with others who have some of the same problems as the orc wizard. Astherfen knows Simp looks for acceptance, and by teaching him how to accept others of lower standing, the orc has been able to get many of them to become an unwitting spy network.

Another part of Astherfen’s plan has been setting up his own connections and establishing minor trade back to the drow. This has become his means of sending and receiving information and has kept the noble houses from digging into his activities. Some of the trade is in magical components, delicacies, and other bits of information back to his wife and her family. He has made sure he doesn’t appear to be making much money and he has spread the rumor back he is living in a relative place of safety outside the city where he has weak family ties. Astherfen has also established a small treasure of his own because of his spell casting and morals.

Astherfen is a drow, and his first loyalty is to himself. He doesn’t really care about others. He sees the place of where he is living as a holding point until a better offer arises. If at any point he feels himself, or what he is doing threatened, he has no qualms about taking whatever action is needed.

Astherfen doesn’t know how long he will stay in Hork. He used to think he would return to his home and chambers in the wizard’s school, but now he isn’t as sure about that. He has seen new opportunities by being out in the world and the pleasures he can afford.

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