Donn’s Hill by Caryn Larrinaga, Book Review

Donn’s Hill, by Caryn Larrinaga, is a wonderfully told, haunting tale of Mackenzie Clair. A women in her late twenties who decides she needs a new start, after returning from her father’s funeral and finding her boyfriend in bed with another women. Mac has fond memories of the town of Donn’s Hill, a place her mother took her every year for the Afterlife Festival. The memories gave her hope. A place to start a new life away from the one she hadn’t really wanted herself, but had become a part of by following her now ex-boyfriend, Josh, after graduating from college.

I was given a copy of Donn’s Hill by the author at a recent writers’ event sponsored by the League of Utah Writers (website) for review purposes. Donn’s Hill received the award of Silver Quill from the League of Utah Writers in the Adult Book category and a finalist in The Dragon Awards for Horror category in 2017. Donn’s Hill and Caryn Larrinaga deserves both of these honors.

Plot

Donn’s Hill was a peaceful place from Mackenzie’s past. It was where she had happy memories of a time when it was her and her mother. She didn’t know her dad then, only after her mom passed away did she meet him. Now that her father had also passed away, and other parts of Mac’s life fell apart, she wanted a new start. She wanted a peaceful place.

Some townspeople remembered Mac’s mother and were quick to identify her because of their close physical resemblance. But her first greeting as she passed the town’s sign was a tortoiseshell cat. But, Striker, the cat, was not the first resident to seek out Mac.

While Mac works to create a new life for herself, she comes to understand she has the same gift her mother had, she’s psychic. And she is now an important part of solving a murder that happened before she arrived in town.

Style

Donn’s Hill is a great combination of mystery and the paranormal. The book is suitable for young adult readers with enough complexity for older readers. The location is well developed. The first person point of view lends itself to the telling, and the story elements are well handled.

Caryn Larrinaga does a wonderful job of creating the fictional location. The town of Donn’s Hill is known for its Afterlife Festival and its history of dealing with the supernatural. It is also listed as one of the most haunted locations in the states. With all of this going for it, the townspeople know truths about the supernatural that most people scoff at.

Mac tells her own story. Key points of her backstory are nicely interwoven with the events she’s now facing. This keeps the pace moving without bogging it down from an overload of details not important to the current situation.

Foreshadowing was given, an important aspect of mysteries, which helped build the story and deliver the climactic scene. The twist was still relevant without being overly exposed. Hardcore mystery readers will probably figure it out earlier, but it is still a fun read to see how Mac pulls the clues together.

Characters

There are great characters through Donn’s Hill. Mac has depth that is presented throughout the book. The characters are heroine interacts with have their own motivations as well. They are not stagnant characters as they move through the storyline on the sidelines of Macs activities. By the end of the book there are others who we have met that you will want to find out more about.

This is a good book to recommend for young adult readers. There are strong female characters throughout Donn’s Hill. We start by meeting Mackenzie, but along with her we have Penelope Bishop, the Deputy Mayor, Dr. Lee, the town veterinarian, Kit Dyedov, a new friend, Gabrielle, owner of the Nine Lives Book Exchange and old friend of Mac’s mom, and Deputy Wallace. These reminded me of women in my own life and it was good getting to know them.

The portrayal of Striker was a fun interlude between the points of tension. Anyone who’s had a close pet knows how they sense the mood of the people around them. Caryn uses Striker as a great counterbalance to relieve tension in the story, which pets naturally do.

Overall

Donn’s Hill was a good read that kept me interested. I quickly went through the 328 pages and was left thinking about what comes next for Mackenzie Clair.

The story is strong and has emphasizes the mystery. The horror element is present in the use of the supernatural and in solving the mystery. Since it is about a murder, there are some details written in.

Characters are alive and personable. They have depth even when they only come to the page a few times.

I look forward to reading more from Caryn Larrinaga (website).

I rate Donn’s Hill5 out of 5.

Donn’s Hill is available from Immortal Works (website).

Donn's Hill is available on Amazon (link).

About the Author (from the book)

Caryn Larrinaga is a Basque-American mystery, horror, and fantasy writer living in Utah with her husband and cats. Despite obtaining a degree in Anthropology (which is much cooler that you might think), she explored several career paths before deciding that she had to follow her passion. Suddenly, writing fiction was the only thing that made sense.

Watching scary movies through split fingers terrified Caryn as a child and inspires her to write now. She lives in a 90-year-old house with a colorful history, and the creaking walls and narrow hallways send her running (never walking) up the stairs from her basement whenever she has no other choice but to go down there. Exploring her fears through writing makes Caryn feel a little bit less foolish for wanting a buddy to accompany her into the tool shed.

When her fingers aren’t glued to her laptop keyboard, Caryn also enjoys binge-watching superhero television shows, reading, playing video games, and filling up her phone’s flash memory with pictures of her cats. She loves music, and plays the bass guitar.

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Dark City of Hork, the Market Bakery

Orc Cook by notmuchnormal on deviantart

Bread has been a staple of sedentary life. The rise of communities, towns, and cities is in one way or another because of the cultivation of grains and the making of bread. It is upon this same lengthy and proud tradition that Hoocha runs a bakery at the edge of The Market, in the city of Hork.

Hoocha is not attached to any of the tribes of the city. Instead, she is a member of The Merchants’ Guild. This lack of affiliation has made her bakery a place of common ground between the tribes. The location is open to everyone who buys her goods, and peace is maintained by the protection of The Guild.

The Bakery’s Layout

Inside the front of the bakery there are a number of tables for patrons. Along with baked goods that are taken away, like travelers’ tack and loaves, there are smaller pastries and drinks that can be eaten while there. This area is set to allow around forty orcs to sit easily with 4 to 6 at a table.

Not much is known about the back of the shop. Besides Hoocha the only others who are known to go back there are other female orcs who are in her service. There is also a storage entrance from a back hall where deliveries are made to a room that is locked off from the rest of the bakery.

The middle section is believed to go up a level, where the oven is, and down a level to a living area. Hoocha travels out every few days to place orders with other merchants and seems content to never leave The Market. If the bakery has need of doing business further away, she usually conducts it through a guild emissary.

Hoocha

Hoocha is a middle aged orc who arrived in the city with her mother. They set up the bakery and were accepted in because of what they produce. The mother passed away a couple of years ago and Hoocha took over running the shop.

Although some males have made advances to have a relationship with Hoocha, she has refused all comers. She is without children and the female orcs she has taken in to work with her have all been orphans.

Hoocha doesn’t talk about why she and her mother came to Hork. Nor does she talk about her father. When she is asked questions about either of these topics she just stares at the questioner. If the questioner continues, she will either walk away, ask the other to leave, or call on the help of a Merchant’s Guild Guard.

Asisistants

Four younger orc females currently are in the employ of Hoocha at her bakery. All four are without family and have no association with the tribes of Hork. They have different stories of why they are now here working at the bakery.

Kuitha the Cook on The Elder Scrolls

Goods

Hoocha’s bakery has a wide variety of goods for sale. Most everything are baked goods of the basic kind, but there are always some specialty sweet treats for sale. The breads and other goods are made from a wide range of flours. The flours are both considered mundane and exotic. Consider how flours can be produced from grains, fruits, vegetables, other seeds, fungi, and insects when determining what you would like available at different times from the counter of Hoocha’s. A number of these flours she purchases through the goblins that provide foodstuff (the goblin tribes).

The flours are used to produce in creative ways for making breads, rolls, pies, cakes, and travelers’ tack. Nearly everything is more on the savory side with few sweet items. There is also always a selection of meat pies (again, the selection of meat is widely varied).

Some basic drinks are also available for those who stay and eat. These include hot and cold drinks. Hot drinks are brewed, or steeped on site while the colder (more like room temperature) ones are purchased from other locations in Hork and served here.

When eating at a table, there is no table service. Patrons make their purchase at the counter and find their own table. This also means there is no one wandering around the table who could listen in on a conversation

Patronage

Everyone is allowed in the bakery, but not everyone feels welcome. The orc males of the city usually stay away from the bakery and talk of it as a place for the females to go. Travelers are a little more frequent because of the travelers’ tack that is sold along with other baked goods.

The main portion of patrons for the bakery are female orcs of the city. It is known by the females of Hork as a place where they can get away from the male population. And, they have come to use it as a major place of discussion issues of concern for them and the city.

Many of the females who come to the Bakery use it as a place to exchange information. There are different types of information exchanged for different reasons. A main one is to help keep peace between the tribes by the females who are involved with intertribal politics requiring actions other than drawing a weapon. Regular house servants of several of the tribal matrons come here to talk on behalf of their matron. Other information is also shared about nontribal business the females are involved in.

Conversations are usually kept low to include only the others at the table. When others come in there is a subtle change in the common room. When male orcs are present, there is usually very little conversation taking place, and that which is going on is extremely mundane. This is also the same that happens for known females who work in associated with the males in terms of the regular warfare with the city or a clan.

Strangers who enter the bakery are given much the same treatment as male orcs, females are given a little leniency, especially if they are orc.

The common room of the bakery is a good place to pick up information about a number of activities in and about Hork. However, if the person trying to gather some insights is a male, he is going to have a much harder time than a female.

Rumors

The bakery has a regular delivery of wood. But, there are some who think the order for wood is much less than what would be needed for the amount of baking that Hoocha does. They believe that she either has a piece of magic that helps, or a fire elemental.

Hoocha and her mother ran away from a powerful orc of another tribe.

One of the younger female orcs ran away from the betrothal to a powerful orc of another tribe.

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Andy Warhol Presents, a Twofer Retro-Movie Review

I had the unique opportunity of watching two cult classics originally released in the early 1970s. Both of these films were produced by Andy Warhol and created in the studios he had at that time for film projects pushing creativity. They were Flesh for Frankenstein(1973) and Blood for Dracula (1974). I wouldn’t be surprised if you said you haven’t heard of either of these flicks.

They are billed as horror because genre identification is usually required for marketing and placement. However, these two films are dark comedies in a horror setting attempting to be light pornography. The mashup works if you are looking for a movie to share with a group of friends who are already into the campy and are not easily offended.

Both Movies

More blood comes out of single wounds than a body should hold. This is one of the over-the-top aspects used in these films. It is clear they were made to push boundaries from the use of full frontal nudity, shocking statements, and use of sexual premise for the basis of the stories. Of course, this fits with the other films from the studio and the writer/director.

Written and Directed by Paul Morrissey, these were his last two films made in conjunction with Warhol Studios before he left in 1975. Frankenstein and Dracula were his more main stream releases and by some standards considered his best successes during the entirety of that period of work. He no longer makes films due to not being able to maintain an independent stance free of outside influences.

Three actors star in both movies in similar roles: Udo Kier plays The Baron and The Count, Arno Jurging is his assistant, and Joe Dallesandro is the sexual interest.

Udo Kier didn’t start his career with these movies, and has been productive ever since. Kier is an actor many people have seen and don’t recognize with nearly 250 acting credits for both the big and little screen. This includes 12 movies scheduled for release during 2018 and more after that.

Arno Jurging played Otto and Anton, the assistant to the title character in each movie. His ability to play off the lines and acting of Udo Kier was something to watch. I believe a major reason for getting these roles was the use of his eyes. He continued acting for another 10 years in Europe.

Joe Dallesandro was part of the Warhol movie factory experiment with a number of movies. In both of these movies he was given lead billing. His participation was most likely due to his popularity at the time. He has maintained a presence in front of the camera since that time, even if his star power wasn’t brought forward. At the time of this writing he has a movie in post-production due in 2019.

Both movies are testaments to the time period in which they were made. There are scenes that probably wouldn’t be allowed today, and if they were would create a backlash. Our standards have progressed to which some of the scenes which were clearly made to be shocking aren’t and others that make people feel uneasy about what they are seeing.

Flesh for Frankenstein

Baron Frankenstein is out to create his own race of humans/zombies. The man and woman are his first step, with his eventual goal being their children. Those will be his perfect children. He is assisted by Otto, a man who wants to emulate the baron.

The Baron is married to his sister and they have two children. Early in the movie, while at dinner, the adults talk to set the facts of their parentage. The Baroness complains about how bad their parents were and their peculiarities including how bad their mother was due to her sexual appetite. Which you find out is very much the same for the Baroness. The children sit and watch (between them only one word is spoken in the entire film).

Because the Baron and Otto are working to create a new race of humans, the Dr. must find the perfect head for his male. He explains to Otto how they need a man with an unmatched sexual appetite, which is located in the head, so they go stake out the nearby brothel. Unfortunately they mistake the movies sexual interest with his friend, who at the best is nonsexual and ready to go join a monastery, or is homosexual and interested in his friend and ready to join a monastery.

During his working in the lab, the good doctor has a close brush to necrophilia. After a scene where he is on top of the female cadaver with his hand inserted through an incision into her abdomen he delivers one of the strangest lines I’ve heard, “To know death, Otto, you have to fuck life... in the gall bladder!” Of course Otto ends up killing the maid and the female zombie as he attempts to do just that in his attempt to be like the great doctor.

There is a pile of bodies and a lengthy death scene at the end. Our sexual hero is left hanging from a chain with the two children in the laboratory. And, if you want to know what happens next, then you will have to decide how to watch it.

The look of the laboratory seems to have influenced the laboratory in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which came out a couple of years later.

Blood for Dracula

As with its predecessor, this movie focuses more on challenging the societal norms of the times. The sexual theme is pretty much the same. Some are disturbing based on a different approach.

The opening sequence is Dracula applying makeup and hair dye. An interesting touch showing he is old. Soon we learn he is dying because vampires need virgin blood. We learn this when Anton explains his plan to save the count, the last remaining vampire because they go and place Dracula’s sister in her coffin. As you can tell by now both of these movies use a lot of maid and butler dialogue to convey the story.

The locals have become wise of the Dracula family and there are no virgins in the area. Anton has developed a plan to save the Count by traveling to Italy where there must be virgins because of the Vatican and influence of the Catholic Church. His cover story is the Count is looking for a new wife who, according to family tradition, must be a virgin.

They end up at an estate that is going bankrupt with four daughter, and the hired woodsman. The oldest daughter is considered off the market because she is considered tainted and ugly. The next two are of marrying age. And, the youngest, at fourteen, is too young. The parents believing they have the opportunity of regaining some of their wealth gladly invite the two men into their home.

Of course the two of marrying age are having at it with the hired hand. This is shown as a controlling/abusive relationship with him having, literally, the upper hand. The oldest daughter is more directed than her next two younger sisters and is working at maintaining the household as best as possible from going into ruin. While the youngest is naive.

Dracula attempts to feed on the two middle daughters which makes him violently ill. Using his control over the two bitten women, he has them go to fetch their youngest sister. The planned kidnapping goes badly and the woodsman figures out the visiting noble is a vampire. To protect the youngest sister he rapes her against a wall, which she decides she likes.

The woodsman goes after Dracula and cuts of his arms and legs one at a time during the chase. While lying on the ground the eldest sister comes running to Dracula’s rescue. When the axe handle is forced through his chest she throws herself upon it to be with him.

Dracula is a wimp. The movie actually does a pretty good job of getting you to start feeling sympathetic for a vampire because he is so physically sick. The only power he is seen to have is a little bit of control of the two daughters after they are bitten.

Final Note

Again, both of these movies are for those who are into campy “B” flicks. They are offensive to some modern ideals. And, they are not family movies.

On the other side they are dark comedies that won’t really make you laugh, except at the absurdity of what you’re watching, but at how they were using horror to mock the prevailing/ruling culture of the time.

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Magnum Vice: Fury Force by Alan Bahr, RPG Review

The wind is blowing through the open windows of your Fiero whipping your hair around as Money for Nothingpounds out of the car’s sound system. It’s a great afternoon in Southern California, when your pager goes off. Cruising down the 5 you clip the beeper off your belt to see “911-99”—kiss, kiss. Cathy. The day is about to go radical. You swing over to catch the next exit to find a payphone. Steve must have found our something about the smugglers.

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Magnum Vice: Fury Force by Alan Bahr of Gallant Knight Games (website) is a minimalist ruleset for “Totally Awesome ’80s Roleplaying.” Based on the action, adventure, and crime shows of the 1970s and 1980s, you can be like one of your favorite television or movie heroes. I received a copy from the author for review purposes.

Setting

Magnum Vice: Fury Force isn’t focused as much on the place, as the when. This was when pagers (beepers) were everywhere and being cool was king. Styles were across the board, you could dress any way you wanted and fit in somewhere from preppies to rockers to surfers. Your clique was the important one and you only spent time with the others you were pulling detention with.

Because it is based on a time period, you’re gaming adventures can take place anywhere in the world. Shows like the A-Team and MacGyver took us everywhere. Others kept our heroes in one location, usually someplace exotic like Florida or Hawaii, while all the problems came to them.

Mechanics

Alan Bahr has demonstrated in other games his ability to create a role-playing game (RPG) in minimalist fashion. Magnum Vice: Fury Force continues that same successful pattern. Here we have a game that is quick to learn and easy to play. All you need to get started, besides the book, are some six-sided dice and pen and paper.

Characters are based on the archetypical heroes of the period. During creation you can choose a backstory or generate one by rolling two dice. Then select one of the six hero archetypes and three “Totally Rad ’80s Skills.” Again, these can also be determined randomly by using 3 dice. Each character also has an Archetype Power for total awesomeness, starting stamina, and equipment. After that, players choose three traits. All that’s left is choosing your personal tagline and a theme song.

Magnum Vice: Fury Force is narrative driven with rolls being made for Tests. Tests are events the game master (GM) determines can influence the outcome of the adventure. Normally two dice are rolled and if either lands on five or six, you succeed (if you are familiar with Tiny d6 rules, you’ve got this one). There are ways the pool of dice can increase to three or be reduced to one, or to tighten or relax the success range. Of course, any time the GM feels the roleplaying supplies enough for the story, they can determine no test is needed.

Players can earn “Awesome Action Points” they can use to help them during play. These are points earned by using your Totally Rad ‘80s Skills, or saying your tagline at a relevant point in the game. And, let’s not forget your theme song.

Every player, including the GM, chooses a theme song for their character. To help create the proper environment of the shows we remember (some only by rerun, but some of us watched them as they first aired), initiative is done by shuffling the character theme songs on a player and letting it decide whose turn it is. Yes, you can be like your favorite (old-time) movie and be chasing down the bad guy while your song plays.

Book

Magnum Vice: Fury Force is a 44 page collection of, like, radical information for playing. It even has a section covering the use of magic if you want to include it into your game or scenario. There is enough here to get a group started the same night you introduce the game to them.

Artwork introduces the game and each of the archetypes. The collection is fun and fits with the theme of the game. With a quick glance you understand what the characters are about.

Overall

If you are looking for fun based on the over-the-top action sequences, Magnum Vice: Fury Forceshould be part of your gaming library.

Creating adventures can be easily done by taking notes while watching a show (TV or movie) from the time period. It is narrative based so you don’t have to work up a lot of mechanics to get the adventure to the table. Of course, most gamers will never follow the script you’ve created, so an outline of major events works great.

The genre is easy to introduce. Just about everyone has seen a summer blockbuster movie based where the action heroes race to save the day. Or, like me grew up knowing Kit, Crockett and Tubbs, Magnum, or Kelly, Kris, and Sabrina would be there to make things right.

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The Hunger, Anthology, Book Review

If you like your horror in smaller bites, The Hungerprovides a menu worth perusing. This is a collection of short stories and poetry provided by the Utah Chapter of the Horror Writers Association (website). All of the inclusions are from Utah writers, and most have a dash of local flavor enhancing the fare.

The Hunger is presented in a menu format, providing three courses of consumption. As the reader, you have 24 selections you can work through by finding particular items appealing to your appetite. Or, like me, you can be gluttonous and devour everything from start to finish.

Entree

There are 14 entrees. The selections range from 3 to 19 pages, providing something fitting for anyone looking for anything from a small plate to a full serving. The range of tastes is also quite exquisite. Each is titled to give a hint of what it brings to the table. But, to get the full enjoyment of the plate, I suggest you just dig into one. And, then have a serving of another.

Intermezzo

Here we have 6 pieces of poetry providing palate cleansing. As the diner, you may choose to intermix these smaller delectables between your selections of entrees. Some prefer these selections together so they may savor the flavoring of witty word play.

Digestif

Four items are available and this section concludes the menu. Here we have those which the talented staff have selected to help in the final consumption of the meal you have been enjoying. The choices range from 4 to 14 pages and each leaves a different taste.

Overall

The range of topics around the title theme, The Hunger, is broad enough to appeal to just about every taste of horror consumer. There will always be a favorite, and one that just didn’t go down right. But, as they are placed together, they make a good menu.

The Hunger does contain some stories parents might not consider suitable for their younger eaters. Young adult diners may have already encountered some of the ideas presented and I leave that to the discretion of the adults managing their diets.

The authors include some with collections of short stories and books already on the market to new ones earning their earliest publications. It is a nice mix of established flavors and new tastes. All fit in well and are stories fitting with the theme of the completed work. This isn’t a vanity work, but a collection highlighting talented Utah authors.

I’m glad I picked up a copy of The Hunger at a recent event in Salt Lake City. After satiating the pangs welling up from the depths of my being, I am looking forward to trying some of their other servings. I am also looking forward to the after dinner discussion with friends to find out which ones they enjoyed the most.

The Hunger is edited by Caryn Larrinaga (Managing Editor), Johnny Worthen, Callie Stoker and Terri Baranowski and published by Twisted Tree Press.

Bon-appetit.

The Hunger is available on Amazon (link).

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Tank Brawl by David Gonsalves, Game Review

The morning fog limits your sight across the field. But, as your tank sits quietly idling, you can hear the enemy moving to the right of your position. The battle is about to be engaged. You call down through the hatch to have your crew prepare themselves and the gun. You call the other tank commander to let him know you’re ready. The German tank is almost between your two Shermans and it is time to spring the trap. Hoping that single tank you hear is not the bait of a trap being set for you.

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Tank Brawl by David Gonsalves from Fantasy Realm Games (Facebook page) is a tabletop game for players looking for a military feel without the heavier overlays associated with military/historic games, giving it an easier learning curve. It moves the player from the tactical planning of the battlefield to the strategy of commanding a tank. Tank Brawl is still in development and I had the opportunity of playing a prototype at SaltCon (website and Facebook page) 2018.

Setting

Tank Brawl is set in World War II post D-Day Europe (or at least that is where we were). This worked well for the rounds I saw played and the one I was involved in. Scenarios are being developed for historical settings and balance of play. Having a limited scope of play based within a specified setting allowed players unfamiliar with strategy war games to quickly be involved in the action.

One of my convention spies, a hardline war gamer, confirmed David Gonsalves’s efforts to bring the player into the tank were successful. My spy was even getting another war gamer to take a look at Tank Brawl,who is retired cavalry and could recite tank statistics. Later, I got back word the game does a good job of presenting the facts within the game’s design to provide information about the different tanks.

Mechanics

Tank Brawl uses a dice pool as its main mechanic. David told me this came about after trying several other methods. Using dice allows each player a limited number of commands that can be used for the personnel inside the tank.

In turn order, each player takes three actions by giving orders to members of the crew or taking personal actions as the commander. The commander can attempt to spot a target or purchase cards that can be used later. They can also give orders to aim, load, and drive. Once the gun is loaded and aimed it can also be fired. Players have to create a balance of activity within their tank to be ready.

Every attack has the opportunity of creating another level of damage or complication. When the attack is made (dice rolled) success is determined if you hit hard enough to do damage to the armor. However, a card is also drawn that can add complications. Each card has a designated roll combination that can lead to another act of damage, even if you don’t do any damage to your opponent’s armor.

More art

In the game I played, I was commanding a tank for the Allied forces and our team struck a German tank twice for additional damage. One of the hits damaged the gun, even though the shot failed miserably in doing damage in any other way. The other did damage to one of the opposing crew, which led to a loss of a die for that position.

Art

Even though Tank Brawl is still about a year out there is artwork by Shane Molina. The banner and concept art gave an immediate impression of what the game is about. Again, my military strategy friends were impressed.

Overall

Tank Brawl's easy learning curve allowed for a quick start. After a brief explanation we started our game. And, after the second round we were quickly moving through the actions.

I was able to watch a game played by a person who was a self-professed non war gamer who caught onto the game quickly and enjoyed the time spent at the table.

Tank Brawl looks to be a good light version of what most people expect of war gaming. Or, it could be used as a gateway game to determine the interest level for more complex strategy/military history games.

I look forward to seeing more of Tank Brawland how it turns out. As it was presented, this could be one we could use for some quick one-on-one or small skirmishes while waiting for the larger gaming group to arrive. Of course, once our group arrives I could also see them wanting to jump into a tank and head out into the fray.

David recorded comments my friend, Rob, and I made after the game at SaltCon and has it on his Facebook feed for May 5, 2018.

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The battle took only a few minutes and there was a toll taken by both sides. Although the Shermans are quicker, they are lighter and don’t have the same gun power. And, all those qualities came into play during the skirmish. Your tank moves closer to your lost companion, but the field is clear for the infantry.

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World of Dew by Ben Woener, RPG Review

You stand in the doorway of your small shop watching people hurry along the muddy street. The rain is a steady, black drip. The water isn’t black, it’s just a dark foreboding like the gnawing feeling deep within you. Although, rain is a good for business here in your sake house. That is, as long as the local yakuza don’t start too many problems and the police don’t have to get involved.

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World of Dew by Ben Woener (from Gallant Knight Games) is a roleplaying game (RPG) set in Japan during the period of the Tokugawa Shogunate. That is a period spanning the early 1700s to late 1800s. A time when the samurai were falling out of power and the middle classes of Japan were climbing. World of Dew is an expansion/sequel to John Wick Present’s Blood & Honor and can be played with or without the preceding game.

Ben Woener expresses his enjoyment of the literature and movies of this period of Japanese history. The stories are usually portrayed in a noir style giving it a dark and gritty feel. Japan is in a time of transition as the class structure is shuffling and foreigners are becoming more a part of the society. Starting his work after Blood & Honor and giving it a different feel in the structure of the stories, World of Dew creates its own realm while building on the earlier work.

I received a copy of World of Dew from the author for review purposes.

Characters

Players are encouraged to take on the roles of the people living and working in the rougher side of the community. You can create character who may be climbing in the social structure or those whose status is decreasing.

You decide your giri. This is your duty or calling, or profession. Or, more in game terms, your class. It is more of a broader term and provides a guide to the character of how they see their position within the society.

Each character has, based in part on their giri, virtues, aspects, and advantages. Each of the choices affect how the player/character interacts, and influences the outcome of risks determined during game play.

Characters start by knowing each other in some way. The last part of character creation is making connections with the other characters. This doesn’t mean everyone has to be getting along, it means they know each other in some level so players can create deeper interactions from the beginning.

Mechanics of Creating the Setting

World of Dew uses the same mechanics as its predecessor. All of the players work with the Narrator in creating the game world by adding themes, locations, threats, organizations, and faces.

At the beginning of this phase of the game, each player is given tokens they can spend to create truths about the shared game world. One player can add a tea house they like to frequent, while another adds how the Protestant priest is creating conflict by preaching near their vegetable stall.

Once a piece has been added to the game, the player turns in one of their tokens to the Narrator, and from that point on the piece added is part of the game. The added feature is now a truth for the game and following players can alter the truth, but not deny that it exists. Such as, not only is the Protestant priest creating conflict within the market, but he is gaining a congregation that come and translate and defend his speeches.

This doesn’t mean everything created is the absolute truth, just the truth as it is known by the players. During game play the Narrator can use the tokens received from the players to create plot twists. More on this in the next section

This setting creation mechanic creates a place the players and Narrator are familiar with. When I was involved with this level of creation, I found we were all creating plots and subplots. By the time we were ready, spent the tokens we wanted to, everyone was excited to start.

Mechanics of Game Play

World of Dew is based on creating a combined narrative. The mechanics are about gaining privilege to tell how that particular part of the story develops.

Any time there is a point in the storyline where characters create an influencing force, they take a risk. A risk can be against an obstacle, another player, or against someone under control of the Narrator. The outcome of a risk is determined by the players involved by creating a dice pool of 6-sided dice. The number of dice is based on the characters, places, and surrounding circumstances.

After creating a dice pool, players secretly decide if they want to set some of the dice to the side as a wager. Then the remaining dice are rolled. If a player succeeds in the risk, and scores higher than who they are challenging, they gain privilege to explain the outcome. The wagers are used to add facts about the event as it unfolds, but the player doesn’t have to use all of their wagers at that time. The next player involved who succeeded gains privilege to tell the story after the first player finishes their part.

This process continues until all of the successful players have had privilege and there are no more wagers to be spent. Wagers can also be used in other ways, so they don’t have to be used during story creation.

One fun part about the sequence of privilege is once a part of the story has been added it can’t be denied. Whatever the first player tells can be added to with “Yes, but...” and “Yes, and...” but proceeding players cannot say it didn’t happen. This adds some interesting twists as players get into the idea of knowing their storytelling sets the scene.

The Narrator has some rights of changing the facts of the story. This is when they use the tokens they have gathered from the players. These points are for creating interesting plot twists.

The Rulebook

I have the print version of World of Dew. The book is about 225 pages in an oversized paperback format (about 115 full size pages).

The book is enjoyable to read and the concepts of how the game works were easy to comprehend. Throughout the book traditional Japanese woodprint images and calligraphy are used. The wonderful pictures and graceful characters add to the feeling of what the game is about.

There is also a section for inspirational and research material for creating your game, or setting the mood you while playing.

Overall

World of Dew is a fantastic RPG, capturing a place and time in historical Japan that is interesting and provocative.

For those who have enjoyed samurai stories, it provides the next chapter of their story for consideration. Those who enjoy the Japanese noir settings, this is a game that will become a standard.

For me, World of Dewis part of our gaming list. And, the list of reference material is now on my book and movie lists.

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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Movie Serials, Where Are the Avengers Taking Us?

Avengers: Infinity Warhit the theaters this past week almost as hard as the characters hit each other in the movie. There are a multitude of reviews and, for most people going to see the movie, none of them matter. The same is true for the previous release, Black Panther. Both movies came out as huge opening weekend successes. And, this happened at a time when there are reports how movies aren’t doing well in general.

If movies aren’t doing well, why are the Marvel movies breaking records?

People have said it is because these movies are great. And, to them, they are great movies because they're part of the movie's fandom. You will get the same reaction from Star Warsand Star Trek fans. You can also watch the sparks fly when you get the super fans of these different universes together to discuss what’s best.

I have the pleasure of knowing big fans of each of these three universes along with Middle Earth. When listening in on what they say, there is a universal truth that emerges. They want more stories from these settings.

There is an argument the movie industry makes too many sequels. Many sequels try recapturing the story of the first movie. Not a continuation of the story, but the same story with the same lead characters doing the same basic things in a new setting, or maybe the same setting. I’m sure everyone has gone to a follow-up movie because of we liked the first one only to leave the theater after the second hating it. We knew what was going to happen and by the time we got to the end and the predictability left us flat.

We go because we already know the characters and have a level of bonding with them. That is a big reason people like trilogies in movies and books. We don’t have as many introductions to go through and by knowing a level of the backstory we get more out of the next installment.

This is nothing new. There were the Saturday serials. Every week you could go to the movies and see the feature and the latest installment of the Lone Ranger. I’ve heard people talk about how they went to see the next chapter of the serial, not caring what the feature film was. They already had investment in the story and characters and wanted to see more of them.

The first James Bond movie hit the screen in 1962 and has 25 movies (not counting spoofs) telling the spy’s stories. The Marvel universe has released 19 movies so far in this storyline. The Harry Potter universe has released 9 movies, as has Star Wars. And Star Trek has 13 released. None of them look like they are going to stop making movies soon.

They are making movies based in a universe, or world, of their own creation where there are more stories to tell. Stories people want to see because they already know something about the characters or the world. Then, as new characters are introduced, they want more of them. And, it could be argued we are watching sequels.

There is a difference. Some of these are rebooting a story because it sat idle, but there are new stories moving in new directions. They have layers of backstory fans already know from earlier movies, books, television, and late night discussions on the theories of who shot first.

I think we are going to see more universal settings develop with the rise of the blockbuster serials. There have already been some other story universes introduced. For movies, these may be newer concepts, but they have been around in books. And, that is one reason these serialized movies are going to keep developing and get better.

The Hobbit showed where a complex setting in a book can be done in a multi-movie presentation. A number of other book series have also come to the big screen. Most of these have been single author series, which is different from what we get when dealing with Marvel, Star Trek, and Star Wars. Each of these have many writers creating original works beyond the movies. They have been creating stories within the confines of the universe setting to great success. This is why there will be more, and better movie universes coming.

Along with the hundreds of books supporting each of the Star Wars, Star Trek, and Marvel universes, there are other collections of stories to be drawn upon we haven’t seen on the silver screen.

What I want to know is, what universe already being written about in another media would you like to see come to life when the lights go out after the trailers have run?

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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Considerations When Choosing a New RPG: A Test Drive

Hobby gaming can get expensive. But, even when you are spending only a few dollars, it’s nice knowing what you’re getting. You can read the reviews (please, include mine when you do) and even read the excerpts released by the company. But, those just aren’t the same as having a character on the table.

I’ve seen roleplaying game (RPG) books that read really well, but the game fall apart in play. I’ve also had the pleasure of reading something bad that was a lot of fun to play. The extremes are rare. However, there are RPGs that are sitting on that edge where they can fall either direction after getting the first information. You just can’t tell where it will land until the dice are rolled.

Some of us don’t mind having more game books on the shelf. My wife thinks it is odd I have a couple hundred RPGs, but she understands I enjoy gaming and writing about it. (I even know some people who have way more than I do.) Then again, you might not want to buy something to find out you don’t want to play it.

What can you do?

Take the Game for a Test Drive

There are some great ways you can test out a game before you buy it. If you’re looking at the game at a local shop, ask about it. Almost every time I have seen a game in a shop it is because there is someone in the area playing it. The shop owner can probably give you a lead on who’s playing it. Many times they may even help set up a meeting in the shop. I’ve even known one shop that would go a step further and set up a game in their store.

SaltCon gaming floor

This has a number of benefits. People like to share the games they enjoy, especially when someone new expresses an interest. This gives you the opportunity to find out how the game plays from their experience. If you can sit in on a game, you now have intimate knowledge of how the RGP works. If you have ever had a hard time filling a table, now you have created a broader network of players. I have seen new groups form this way. The experienced players are usually a resource for explaining issues arising within your game. They can be a source of additional game mastering (GMing) material. I know of a GM group that trades adventures they create, which gives them five times the material to run for their home group.

Conventions and game days are other fun places to try out new games of all sorts. I enjoy playing new games at conventions. I like the person to person socializing and learning a game from an experienced GM wanting to teach and play the game. It gives an immediate lift to the session. These games are usually run on three levels.

The first are the organized gaming groups. If you haven’t tried some of the major games on the market, these groups are great at showing what their game is about and helping people get involved. They also have the benefit of having an organization backing them, which usually means they get together on a regular basis and are welcoming to new players.

Next up are the local GMs the organizers have recruited. These can be some really fun games. These people are fans of the games they are running. Their enthusiasm shows and they almost always know the game inside and out. They are running adventures to show what the game is about. They are sharing their fandom with like-minded players, but are also looking to show it off to new people.

Part of SaltCon's Game Library

The third level is game developers and company representatives. I like these people because they are looking for new players. They are willing to talk about the game besides just running a game. Many times I have seen, after taking a short break from a 2 to 4 hour gaming session, they are back in a position answering the questions of those who played. Yeah, it’s their job. And, I’m willing to bet there many people reading this right now saying they would like to be able to play games for a living.

This all applies to the big and little gatherings. Around here we have regular conventions and game days because of a strong gaming community. Many game shops put together open gaming sessions. There is even the free RPG day where you can find games to sit in on.

If you are in a position where you aren’t able to attend an in-person event, there is the internet. All sorts of gathering places are out there for RPGs. If you are looking for a particular game, you can usually do a search and find a support group. They can help find a game close to you, or many conduct on-line games. Some companies support internet games along with sending people out to conventions.

Not every option is going to work for everyone. But, get out there and kick the tires and see what is under the hood and find out if you feel good in the seat of the game. Have fun with it. And remember, there is nothing like that new game smell when you crack the spine of that book.

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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