Ser Not Appearing

Never read it. And now I never will. Hard pass.

I struggle somewhat with the juxtaposition of random guy interrupting a meeting and how that was so grievous an act as to result in him killing himself and his young child ... and then the end of episode 4.

So, a few things ... 1. I started watching when 3 episodes were released and, at that time, the episodes listing has those three, plus four and five listed as 'to be released' of some sort (I don't recall the actual wording). Based on that, I thought it was a five episode series and was really confused by that length ... which only grew as I watched the first three episodes and was super confused how they'd possibly resolve it by the fifth episode. And then I watched episode four and was legit angry because the resolution could only be absolute trash if it was going to take a single episode. So I googled it to see if others were up in arms and it turns out I'm just a fool. THANK GOD IT'S 10 EPISODES! 2. On the whole, this show has been pretty dang satisfying. I'd say it's (so far) about the best overall quality I've seen in a show since the early seasons of GOT. There aren't very many things that take me out of the moment and I almost never (excusing the boat stuff at the end of episode 3 which seemed a flimsy premise for an obstacle as well as a somewhat unsatisfying resolution for the main group, followed by a jarringly abrupt edit and then a goofy-feeling escape for Blackthorne) feel the director's / writer's hands on the plot-wheel. The artistry and pacing is excellent and the acting seems pretty even. Just a really good show.

Huge miss for Starfield not to have more QoL updates and modding focus by now. Just ... self-defeating.

Wait. I guess I never looked into it but I figured that guy had to be a troll, a random tag-along or a noob to the fights of some sort. I never once believed he was a legitimate player. If he was experienced, what the hell did he charge in for?

LEEEEEEEROOOOOY JEEEEENKIIIIINNNNS! Sorry. Don't know what came over me.

Ha! Yes, good point. We're doing The Dark Elf Trilogy, so it's Homeland, Exile and Sojourn.

That's ... less than appealing.

Looks so good!

Just saw Xbox reiterated they're bringing the full Activision portfolio to Gamepass. I'm gonna play so much of the old zombie moves in COD games. ... just as soon as I finish BG3, Zelda, play some more Diablo IV, dive back into Starfield, do the Elden Ring DLC, complete Palworld and stop playing so much Smite...

My buddy is the one who read Piers Anthony. I never did. No idea what his stuff is like, tbh. But I used to give him crap about it, so this is our test to see if I was wrong.

By the way, the next series we're reading is the Legend of Drizzt series. We are tentatively shooting for recording in May, is anyone is interested in trying to read / share in the experience beforehand. Might do Dark Sun after that.

Hahaha Song of the day is always an adventure. We always pick whatever was #1 on the charts on the day the film released and I've come to the conclusion that the surest way to find a song that maxes out at just alright is to pick whatever was #1 on the charts. We've yet to hit a truly iconic song.

Oh, interesting. Most people seem not to remember this movie (though I'm only 42 and maybe you're older). Something of a forgotten gem, imo. I'm interested in your thoughts on the episode but especially interested on your own thoughts on the movie itself if you've rewatched it recently.

More than basically anything else we've covered, this really did break the podcast name for me ... which is why the podcast took so long to come out. I had trouble reading these and had even more trouble organizing my thoughts on why and how, which may have detracted from the episode. Anyway, that's what you get when it's just a couple jokers like us discussing things. No, that's not a good sell of the podcast but ... that's never been the point.

We released the Dragonlance Chronicles episode this morning. I ... apologize ahead of time. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-33-dragonlance-chronicles-mid-month-mini/id1650146526?i=1000645573294

The stick layout is what breaks my brain.

Abandon Xbox consoles? I doubt it but that would be fine enough. Just don't make me use a flipping PlayStation controller. I can't go back to that layout.

Is it not a bit weird that BG3 is so good early that it was able to win game of the year despite that many people talk about act 3 like is borderline unplayable in many ways? Sometimes I think about that and it almost does begin to feel like an injustice to whoever the other competitors were. Almost like rewarding a bait and switch.

I believe this with absolute certainty. Edit: Though I guess I'm confused over the difference between what you might bean between "gameplay" and "mechanics"

"Welcome to the family. Now ... GTFO."

Beating a dead horse but I figured I should mention - just in case anyone is only informed of the game by my listing if simultaneously - that you throw balls at pals (that often look like the exact character models of Pokemon) to capture them in Palworld and there's a Pokedex listing (by another name). You then use them to fight other people and pals in the wild (some of whom also summon their pals for the fight) as well as tower bosses (gym leaders).

Looks like Nintendo said they're going to investigate it now: https://www.gamesradar.com/the-pokemon-company-appears-to-break-silence-over-palworld-we-intend-to-investigate-and-take-appropriate-measures-to-address-any-acts-that-infringe-on-intellectual-property-rights/ And here's something discussing the models (not a ton of detail): https://www.gamesradar.com/game-developers-arent-really-buying-the-similarities-between-palworld-and-pokemon-to-accidentally-create-a-complex-model-mesh-with-so-near-exact-proportions-is-practically-impossible/

Which is wild because even I can identify exactly which Pokémon are ripped off for a number of these models. They also basically have shinys that glitter and have an icon like shinys but they're larger "pals" and have unique abilities instead of color palette changes. Heck, they even gave egg incubators like Pokemon Go. It's the equivalent of that Rothfuss knock-off author that was being discussed elsewhere. Such a clear ripoff.

I've never been into Pokemon (a bit of Pokemon Go but that's it). My 10 yr old played one of the most recent and was crazy addicted. It always struck me as a bit too boring. For me, adding the base building, having battles be dynamic instead of turn based and adding the zelda-ish exploration really changes things and I'm a bit addicted to this one.