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Post by Black Cat on Jan 24, 2021 16:25:14 GMT
Let's talk about the game play. What are in your opinion the most important items to get and most useful path to follow? I've mentionned this in an earlier post: I think it is the only path among the three where you can regain all your EP, so it is very helpful for the rest of the adventure. |
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Post by GhostofLandar on Jan 31, 2021 7:42:11 GMT
Having picked up books 30 and 31 in recent weeks I though I'd add my tuppence here. For the first time, the discovery that there were more than 12 books in the series doesn't feel like a slight let-down, the overarching story works perfectly (or appears to, can't wait to see how Gwynian's prophecy plays out!). My gosh, that's the best compliment we've ever received - thank you so much kolinovic , especially coming from a long-term fan like you. wow! I didn't note (anything overt at least) that carries Gwynian's prophecy closer to its fruition in #31. Please do not neglect this, perhaps it's a spoiler itself since most of us can guess (but I have no idea HOW it will happen, which is all I need) because it would add devastating (in a good way) emotional weight to the conclusion of it all. And for some stupid reason, I didn't realize that it would be the full reversal of the very first adventure, Flight from the Dark. Also, I know people have mixed views of Grant's contributions, but it seems clear that the Chaos prison and the merger of the planes in #30 was inspired by the Birthplace. And since Alyss was so key to Lone Wolf's successful travel through Aon and escape from Dazganon, don't omit her. (i apologize for making demands and don't mean to cause any offense, I just realize it's an enormous task that awaits you at the end and it would be understandable to miss something) |
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Post by zorkraan on Feb 1, 2021 8:50:28 GMT
I didn't note (anything overt at least) that carries Gwynian's prophecy closer to its fruition in #31. Please do not neglect this, perhaps it's a spoiler itself since most of us can guess (but I have no idea HOW it will happen, which is all I need) because it would add devastating (in a good way) emotional weight to the conclusion of it all. And for some stupid reason, I didn't realize that it would be the full reversal of the very first adventure, Flight from the Dark. I'm delighted you still remember this prophecy from the previous book. We leave nothing to chance when we write this saga so it might have a significance (maybe the one you guess, maybe something different who knows??) at some point, even if not in book #31... Speaking of book #31, it does also have its batch of prophecies, but strangely they are not the same as Gwynian's... Also, I know people have mixed views of Grant's contributions, but it seems clear that the Chaos prison and the merger of the planes in #30 was inspired by the Birthplace. And since Alyss was so key to Lone Wolf's successful travel through Aon and escape from Dazganon, don't omit her. Please worry not, every aspect is taken into account. (i apologize for making demands and don't mean to cause any offense, I just realize it's an enormous task that awaits you at the end and it would be understandable to miss something) Thanks for your dedication and support ! |
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Post by moonblade on Feb 2, 2021 19:53:06 GMT
I just got my book a couple of days ago (woohoo, domestic shipping from the US!) and already my mind is blown. I have literally just read the history section that leads up to “The story so far,” and OH MAN. The scale of what is happening in Magnamund is absolutely unbelievable. It really feels as though the planet is in its death throes. Absolutely engrossing writing—well done, Vincent and Ben! I am so excited to get started! Review and feedback to follow!
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Post by moonblade on Feb 5, 2021 2:10:06 GMT
OK! I just finished my first playthrough (went through the Mountains of Morn, got savaged the whole way and ultimately died on the way to Naaros through a series of unfortunate events). I’m still in a bit of shock. That last dream that the NO master has of Lone Wolf very nearly fooled me. The sowing of doubt is extremely persuasive, just like in the bonus adventure of book 29! I was also quite snowed by the number puzzle—I knew the initial answer immediately, but it took me an embarrassingly long time to connect the dots. Really well done visual hints without being too apparent.
Honestly, I’m not going to worry myself about things like names or any typos at this point. I’m just so overjoyed to see years upon years of lore and mythos finally coming to a full, cohesive ending. For me, these last books feel like truly learning the history of your country—the mundanities, the ugly truths, the sad failures, the grim outcomes of poor decisions. It feels so very fulfilling/humbling to hear the whole thing and be confronted with our collective humanity in the face of what really is a war of gods. I am going to try again to get through the book after I rest and ponder where I erred.
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andyc
Kai Lord
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Post by andyc on Feb 5, 2021 13:17:33 GMT
OK! I just finished my first playthrough (went through the Mountains of Morn, got savaged the whole way and ultimately died on the way to Naaros through a series of unfortunate events). I’m still in a bit of shock. That last dream that the NO master has of Lone Wolf very nearly fooled me. The sowing of doubt is extremely persuasive, just like in the bonus adventure of book 29! I was also quite snowed by the number puzzle—I knew the initial answer immediately, but it took me an embarrassingly long time to connect the dots. Really well done visual hints without being too apparent. Honestly, I’m not going to worry myself about things like names or any typos at this point. I’m just so overjoyed to see years upon years of lore and mythos finally coming to a full, cohesive ending. For me, these last books feel like truly learning the history of your country—the mundanities, the ugly truths, the sad failures, the grim outcomes of poor decisions. It feels so very fulfilling/humbling to hear the whole thing and be confronted with our collective humanity in the face of what really is a war of gods. I am going to try again to get through the book after I rest and ponder where I erred. Oh yeah, that dream sequence with Lone Wolf was very good, it almost got me too. Out of interest, did you start with a NO GM veteran of previous books or start from scratch with book 31? |
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Post by moonblade on Feb 5, 2021 16:19:01 GMT
Oh yeah, that dream sequence with Lone Wolf was very good, it almost got me too. Out of interest, did you start with a NO GM veteran of previous books or start from scratch with book 31? A veteran (I've played this character since book 21). Though it didn't help me for the most part, LOL! I made a complete muddle of things because I'm not very good at knowing what items to keep and I didn't get most of the correct paths to pick up the things that might have protected us in the end. Oh well. It was one hell of a nightmare, wasn't it? Guess I'll be starting over!  |
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Post by lorddarkstorm on Feb 5, 2021 17:35:11 GMT
OK! I just finished my first playthrough (went through the Mountains of Morn, got savaged the whole way and ultimately died on the way to Naaros through a series of unfortunate events). I’m still in a bit of shock. That last dream that the NO master has of Lone Wolf very nearly fooled me. The sowing of doubt is extremely persuasive, just like in the bonus adventure of book 29! I was also quite snowed by the number puzzle—I knew the initial answer immediately, but it took me an embarrassingly long time to connect the dots. Really well done visual hints without being too apparent. Honestly, I’m not going to worry myself about things like names or any typos at this point. I’m just so overjoyed to see years upon years of lore and mythos finally coming to a full, cohesive ending. For me, these last books feel like truly learning the history of your country—the mundanities, the ugly truths, the sad failures, the grim outcomes of poor decisions. It feels so very fulfilling/humbling to hear the whole thing and be confronted with our collective humanity in the face of what really is a war of gods. I am going to try again to get through the book after I rest and ponder where I erred. Oh yeah, that dream sequence with Lone Wolf was very good, it almost got me too. Out of interest, did you start with a NO GM veteran of previous books or start from scratch with book 31? Yes, the dream sequence was fantastic. Very well written. |
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Post by moonblade on Feb 6, 2021 15:39:10 GMT
So I played through a second time and picked up a few more things I missed/skimmed over the first time around. Still died (went through the Kelderwoods, decided to leave the Stave in place ... you can guess how well that decision ended), but at least now I have a very solid idea of what my issue is. I think on my third run I'm actually going to play with a random number generator. I would play with a d10, but I have a toddler who is going to take it from me if he sees it. 1. "Desolate Dog." LOL. How rude! 2. Speaking of Vashna, the knowledge that he himself IS the Lake of Blood is ... yikes. (And also gives an ever more unnerving retrospective to section 208 in book 12. Urgh.) 3. I very bitterly thought of the Newborn Homunculus when I didn't have it, of course, but I think there have been an increasing number of hints all throughout this book that hard Left and hard Right do not allow for ideal results for the whole of Magnamund. The NO Master regularly thinks of the alliance of his enemies as "unnatural," but at the end of the book, what does he himself have? An unnatural alliance ready to fight under him. 4. Blazer's sacrifice, and the knowledge that he is in fact quite alive behind the Gate of Doom, makes me wonder very hard about Gwynian's final riddle. I'm still pretty confident that the solution lies with Vonotar, but the angle that Blazer is an unparalleled Mindforce user, and that he's locked in there with Shasarak (also a superb user of Mindforce), and that they would obviously both very much like to be out again, and all of these other forces willingly joining together for a common goal ... ahh, the mind boggles! 5. And going along with that, there's the unsettling new revelation that a significant number of the forces of Good are still withholding information that contradicts their mainline teachings. I do understand why, of course, but ... well, yeah. It certainly undermines your confidence, doesn't it? LOL. I think it might be time to start over from Book 29 at this point.  |
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andyc
Kai Lord
Posts: 206
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Post by andyc on Feb 6, 2021 20:54:07 GMT
Dusk is absolutely a book that makes me want to do another run through of earlier books, especially 20-30. I think, however I might hold off till my current NO GM can finish his quest when book 32 arrives then do a big run-through of all the books again. Happy days!
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Post by zorkraan on Feb 7, 2021 15:50:54 GMT
OK! I just finished my first playthrough (went through the Mountains of Morn, got savaged the whole way and ultimately died on the way to Naaros through a series of unfortunate events). I’m still in a bit of shock. That last dream that the NO master has of Lone Wolf very nearly fooled me. The sowing of doubt is extremely persuasive, just like in the bonus adventure of book 29! I was also quite snowed by the number puzzle—I knew the initial answer immediately, but it took me an embarrassingly long time to connect the dots. Really well done visual hints without being too apparent. Honestly, I’m not going to worry myself about things like names or any typos at this point. I’m just so overjoyed to see years upon years of lore and mythos finally coming to a full, cohesive ending. For me, these last books feel like truly learning the history of your country—the mundanities, the ugly truths, the sad failures, the grim outcomes of poor decisions. It feels so very fulfilling/humbling to hear the whole thing and be confronted with our collective humanity in the face of what really is a war of gods. I am going to try again to get through the book after I rest and ponder where I erred. , thank you SO MUCH for these words, they made my day. I'm delighted by your brainstorming about the Nengud-kor-Adez, the fact Blazer is now prisonner of the Pit along with the demigod responsible for his fall, the discussion about the use of Right and Left-handed sides which echoes what is happening in the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star, and the little secrets of the utterly pragmatic Elder Magi. Also it seems you are a lot to have enjoyed the scene of the nightmare(nearly all the reviewers of the book mentioned it, actually) and to have been nearly fooled by the impostor. I'm really happy, since it implies the speech of the impostor to lure the KGM was somehow convincing... perhaps because it was at least partly true, even if the impostor didn't believe a single word of it himself . |
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Post by rhygar on Feb 12, 2021 20:26:24 GMT
Vincent,
I have little to add to the praises already said in this thread and the others for LW30 and 31.
It is fitting and pleasing to me that incidents within your own rpg sessions made their way into the books, in the same way that Joe's did when he was creating Magnamund in the first place through his D&D sessions.
I knew the Lone Wolf Books were in safe hands immediately after reading The Tides of Gorgoron. The care, effort and attention to detail (by everyone involved) that has gone into the making of these books shows JD made a good choice.
Had he lived, Joe would have been 65 today (12 Feb 2021) and it saddens me that he didn’t live to see the completion of his epic saga started so many years ago, but he would have been immensely proud of you, of his son, and of all the others who have taken up the torch after his passing. I'm sure of that.
Keep on doing what you are doing, and onwards to Book 32!
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Post by rhygar on Feb 13, 2021 14:35:02 GMT
Oh yeah, that dream sequence with Lone Wolf was very good, it almost got me too. Out of interest, did you start with a NO GM veteran of previous books or start from scratch with book 31? Yes, the dream sequence was fantastic. Very well written. It was indeed. Having gone down the Taklakot route, I was perhaps more susceptible to making the wrong decision. The 'downtime' on the skyship was welcome and done well too. |
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Post by rhygar on Feb 13, 2021 21:57:56 GMT
Another thing that was mentionned earlier is how thick the book is. Apart from the fact that they give A LOT of information on the background lore, they also make the characters talk incredibly often. This makes the sections much longer. How many sections are 3-4 pages long? With JD, a 3-page section is pretty rare. I'm ambivalent about this: I love it, it's interesting, it fleshes out the characters but it makes the gamebook look more like a novel as someone mentionned (a gamenovel?). It also breaks the rhythm of the story IMO. It took me 7 hours to just READ it. How long will it take when I will play it? JD was able to summarize long conversation in just 3-4 sentences while here, we actually read the entire conversation. Like I said, I'm ambivalent on this: JD's way doesn't make the characters very fleshed out while VL&BD's make the book much longer. With book 32 aiming to have 551 sections, I think the authors will have to find a compromise to flesh out characters without making the story too long (and the book so thick they won't be able to release it in just one volume). As you say, the conversations can flesh out the characters, but they do take up time and space. In general I'm in favour of stirring speeches and other forms of 'set-piece' dialogue being set out in full, whereas with small-talk or chit-chat I'm not. I'm also fine with the conversations as long as the words that come out of their mouths are in keeping with the sort of dialogue I'd expect from the denizens of Magnamund. Anachronistic words, phrases and attitudes break immersion for me quite quickly. LW31 doesn't do it, but I have noticed it a bit elsewhere. Indeed it does take a while to read/play and that's another thing I approve of. I was up til gone midnight playing it through, before stopping at a natural pause and then carrying on the next day. I understand that some things have to happen 'off-stage' or 'off-camera' but in general I'd sooner experience these events in the main books or the bonus adventures. I've been waiting since 1985 to see what Vashna's undead army would look like and how it would act so I'm glad that was dealt with in LW31 before the story moved on. |
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Post by sunsnake on Feb 17, 2021 4:27:29 GMT
I must say this is one of the most Epic gamebooks I have read.
Admittedly, I have always read through gamebooks more for the story than the game (though I do take note of cool items with cool CS bonuses) even when I was a kid, so this switch to a new style with super long sections, compelling characterization suits me perfectly.
That said, I do agree with someone who mentioned that, a lot of the text about so and so country, their political context etc was kinda boring to me. They often didn't really matter...
Meeting old allies and enemies was nice for tying up loose ends, but there can be such a thing as too much of a good thing. In a sense this book reminds me of Way of the Tiger 7 which also shoehorned a ton of old callbacks (and also added a love interest....) , I must admit it took me a while to remember some of them.
My suggestion if possible is to focus a lot more on Oriah as she clearly stands out from the dozens of poor allies that LW and his discipline start missions with and then have to abandon (though to be fair LW's companions tend to suffer dire fates while NO GM's quite a few survive). Oriah was kind of the only real setback NO GM had prior to the latest books so it is quite nicely done in Book 30 and 31 to have a callback to that. Hope she features more in the last book.
BTW so we have confirmation NO GM is male? I mean they are now throwing around titles like Grandmistress and clearly NO GM is not one.
I agree with those who say the dreams about Good, Evil was quite well done and had me in doubt until the 2nd dream where I went.. "yeah.. obviously a imposter".
Blazer sacrificing himself was epic but expected but omg nothing compared to your surprise ASCENSION TO KAI SUPREME MASTER. There was zero telegraphing of this at all, I was reading this late at night and went WTH WTH my mind had so many questions....
My vote for the number #1 epic moment in all of gamebook history (my favourite game book series is Blood sword for overall epic writing but this peak moment in LW beats that)
I have no idea how you going to top that in LW 32, but you better try. Most people are expecting LW to sacrfice himself which I guess would be fine but expected.
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