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Cozy Vikings! (Catan - Part 1)
284 Plays3 days ago
We are reading Catan, by Karl Teuber and it's good. And long. And also kinda a cozy viking story so far?
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Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
half a year at point i can i i can go into it and maybe uh uh garter some some joy out of it we'll see uh because i just i love the universe so why not right enjoy it you know so we'll see we'll see um but that that's that's that's in there i'm gonna gonna have to play with that so that was that was good time to have a few steam bucks that worked out fine yeah yeah um you know what else is a company store oh what's that hey there everybody. Welcome back to Pixel It. My name is Kevin. With me, as always, is Phil. And on today's show, we are diving into Catan!
00:00:36
Speaker
Exclamation point? There's no exclamation There might as point. But I don't think the Germans have the exclamation point in their language, to fair. exclamations are assumed. Yes. but but I think Bavarians are the only ones who have exclamation points.
00:00:50
Speaker
Yes, Bavarians, of which I believe my family, i believe that that side of my family originally hails from Bavaria. Well, you guys are Catholics, so that would be, yeah, that's the that's the Catholic region. I think it's the... I think really close to the... to the ah Austrian border. If i if I'm ah correct, I believe my my folks found a bunch of Erhards in a town. Oh, nice.
00:01:18
Speaker
A lot of gravestones. Yeah, sure. Good German gravestones carved out of the side of beer barrels. That's right. That's right. And if you would like to get your name carved on the side of a beer battle barrel, go to patreon.com slash pixel at pod, where you too can get your name shouted out in every episode for just $10 a month.
00:01:41
Speaker
We got other tiers, $5, $1. $1 gets you in the door for Phil's book reviews. And let let me tell you, every Monday, Phil gets you a fresh and hot ready $1 review. Yeah. It's like a... They're worth a buck.
00:01:57
Speaker
They're worth a buck? i think they're worth a buck, yeah. For knowing what horror book that you should read, and they're going to be mostly horror because that's yeah that's Phil's bailiwick. It's a lot of horror and and and some 40K sprinkled in. And occasionally 40K, which is you know always going to be horror adjacent. Well, i'm I'm also reading, I'm making a point to read classics this year. So if you guys would like to see me add things like, for example, I just finished Toni Morrison's Beloved, which is kind of a horror book, ah to be fair. um If you would like to see me put the classics in there with it, let me know. I'll be happy to to start sprinkling those in, too. author Toni Morrison.
00:02:39
Speaker
That's a New Girl reference. Ha, ha, ha.
00:02:44
Speaker
Anyway, $5 gets you access to the bonus episode in $10. Like I said, gets you your name right off in every episode. So to that end, I want to thank and your hiding song. 85 Jesus loves you. Ruthless, mutter, middle of thing. Sigma South, sanguine, flatulence, shallowed, beaks, dumbass, thick and friendly friend. Thank you so much for being a friend. Patreon.com slash pixel at pod.
00:03:08
Speaker
Do it today. Do today. So, Catan. Catan? Yeah, the book Catan. It's literally Catan the novel. The novel. the novel Written by Klaus Teuber, which is also based on the game Catan, designed by Klaus Teuber. That's right. So, a lot of overlap yes in in in this.
00:03:36
Speaker
in the coverage of of the background of this one so katan if you haven't seen it before it's kind of go ahead and google what katan looks like oh man yeah hexagonal tiles that you're putting down and uh it's it's like a strategy game you're you're playing as settlers and You are trading things like wo you wool and resources, wool, grain, lumber, brick, and ore, and all that fun stuff. I've played it like twice, and I think it was the junior version. So I'm not a Catan expert by any stretch of the imagination.
00:04:18
Speaker
That being said, ah the game came out in 1995, 31 years ago, and it has since been ah you know expanded and re-released in ah and a bunch of fun formats.
00:04:34
Speaker
So, yeah. ah It's the The Settlers of Catan. Original name, actually, the original name was just The Settlers. Yeah, yeah, yeah. ah And then Settlers of Catan and then Catan.
00:04:47
Speaker
so There he is. there there There you go. How how experienced with Catan are you? I used to play a lot of it. ah Me and my friends would um play it in coffee shops or Denny's frequently, in fact, at Denny's, ah which was always fun because we required like two tables, basically. So we were considerate. We did make sure if we went in there in the place was packed, we're like, oh, no, no, no, no. Let's let's go some other place. um But we did take up space and we we'd always make sure to order dinner and that or breakfast as the case may be. and and But we played it a lot. yeah we We played a lot of it. It's it's just a very um it's a very ah friendly game. It's... it's Yeah, that's the thing. is
00:05:33
Speaker
it it seems complicated at first. It looks like one of those those board games that if you're not a huge board game person, you look at it and you're like, oh, that's intimidating. yeah Because it's not... it's it's There's a lot of pieces. and there's There's little things that you pop out from the cardboard yeah when the first the first time you're setting it up. And there's the tiles and all that stuff. But ah it is...
00:06:00
Speaker
I'll say more satisfying than Monopoly. Yes, I would say. Which simpler board game in a way. You'll still want to kill your friends by the end. But but Monopoly, you really want to murder other people by the end. Yeah. catanias Catan a friendly time.
00:06:21
Speaker
Yes. yeah it's It's the reason my family never picked up Catan. we We're a Monopoly family. ah Yeah. Emily's played it with us once and vowed never again. ah sure She's like, you too you you people are just too hardcore about it. Having met your family, I can understand. Yeah.
00:06:39
Speaker
The issues. Yeah. the The dynamics. I mean, I just imagine the colonel raining propaganda flyers down onto you guys while playing it.
00:06:51
Speaker
dad Dad played. with he didn't He doesn't play with us as much these days, but he used to. And he basically... started the whole thing for us in the sense that, you know, everyone's got house rules and that sort of thing. And dad's the house rule that dad introduced to the family. One of the only ones that has stuck around since we were like literal little kids um was if you don't ask for the money and and the next person rolls the dice, I don't have to pay you.
00:07:21
Speaker
ah so you have to be paying attention so if someone lands on your prop so if i like land on your property i'll go okay and not say oh i landed on boardwalk i say all right and and you and you don't just go all right your turn your turn you just but you have to you have to give it a beat and say okay uh i'm not gonna do anything uh kevin i think it's your turn and that is hilarious yeah and if you're not paying attention ah The person is not under any legal obligation to pay you because you didn't you didn't bill them, basically.
00:07:55
Speaker
yeah Yeah, no, that's no bill, no no sale, no rent. Monopoly is already a game that goes on for way too long, and my family makes it go on for longer because we will negotiate, and if it's it's if it's something that's going to knock us out of the game, there's a very good chance we'll say, you know what, if you give me these properties and promise me half off the next time I land on one of your properties, I'll... i'll I'll waive the fee this time around and we'll literally write it down. So you don't forget. and Like we will make a goddamn contract.
00:08:31
Speaker
ah And so a game that normally takes people three hours now takes five. ah and And the biggest irony of all is, Kevin, do you know when we play this game the most?
00:08:44
Speaker
Well, the holidays, imagine. It's yes Christmas. And you really you're just trying to stir up some bad feelings that's right around the or sometimes Christmas like when you're really into it And it's in the evening after dinner and everyone's drinking cocktails and making merry. And there's not Nat King Coles playing in the background. maybe Maybe a Christmas story is on. And we're sitting there arguing over, you know, who got this stretch and who got that stretch. And we all have reputations in our family. I'm i'm the slumlord because I always, I like, I guys. You that first row? Oh, that's my favorite row. one right after go. Yeah, it's not ideal. What you want is the second row, which my brother is always very good at getting. um but
00:09:35
Speaker
But I do enjoy... ah i rarely win, but I make everyone's life miserable. Sure, you're taking their gold money. Exactly. I'm like, I'm like, I'm just, I'm just slowing them down. I never, I don't think, I don't know if I've ever won with this strategy, but I have ruined so many people's games ah by being that guy. And that's what I'm there for. That's your win. That's my win. And I think everybody has to have their own goals when it comes to Monopoly. The look on my brother's face when he passes go and collects $200 and then has to give me $450 because he landed on Baltic Avenue with a hotel.
00:10:13
Speaker
ah And yes, that is the exact amount of money ah that he'd have to pay. ah And it's and it's not it's not, oh, I'm out of the game, you motherfucker. It's, you piece of shit.
00:10:26
Speaker
God, all right, all right, here's your fucking money. Pay yeah for your slumber lord, you know, row here. ah And then he rolls a four and and lands on Oriental or something like that. You're like, more money, $550 now. it's it's a it's It's a terrific game. I wonder Atlantic City has changed the names of of some of these streets.
00:10:49
Speaker
I wonder. and You would think they wouldn't, right? Like, they're kind of iconic. They are kind of iconic, but Oriental is kind of like a yeah dated term. Marvin Gardens, I think, is still there.
00:11:03
Speaker
Oriental Avenue is still there.
00:11:07
Speaker
Anyway, Catan. Catan.
00:11:11
Speaker
Who is Klaus Teuber, the creator of the Catan and the author of this book? Yeah, a very important game designer. ah He left us, ah unfortunately, a few years back in 2023. The only thing I can find on it is that ah they they use that UFO as a brief illness, which... you know suggests uh you know he got hit pretty hard and uh and rest in peace my friend um but he yes he designed this but he also and and katan is this game that a lot of people credit with starting like the golden age of board games uh where where these kinds of games became in vogue games that were really complicated and a shit ton of them came out of germany
00:11:56
Speaker
um but before that he was he was designing uh other games they just i just don't know how popular they were outside of his home country but before that he was a dentist uh that's his whole thing he was a dentist he didn't like being a dentist he was a geek he played like old strategic war games like the old ones where you've got like little you know cardboard chits you know for your uh for your pieces and what was it i looked it up the game he played he played Romans versus Carthaginians.
00:12:27
Speaker
Uh, uh, and he actually did, he was actually a soldier, so he's one of those military geeks. Uh, so, sure, yeah. So he, he, he, he came about it honestly. But he played, uh, yeah, the Punic Wars, Rome versus Carthage. I think that's the game he, like, credits with getting them started, and it's one of those old school cardboard shit, uh, six-sided dice, um,
00:12:51
Speaker
gigantic game but they still keep it in like a box about the size of a shoe box uh kind of thing um super old school geek you wouldn't expect anything less uh and he he developed some games that i i feel like he because he won some awards uh he did barbarossa which is his first game and i think that did really well uh yeah i'm looking at a picture of barbarossa and i'm like well i have no idea how you'd play this Yeah, it's like super geeky shit. It's wonderful. There's cones. It's like, is this where the cones of Dunshire come from? Yes, 100%. And Parks and Rec. They're absolutely making fun of these kinds of games, at least. But yeah, you had clay in it, and you're trying to get people to... Oh, yeah, it looks like you had to make things. yeah and people had to guess correctly what you were making and but it's also based on like some old fantasy trilogy and so it's uber geek uh um and i and it did well in europe i uh but i don't think that it came over to the states but katan uh was the thing that got his name in the history books uh that was that is a worldwide smash And by the time it started getting really popular over here, it already had expansions and stuff like that. And so it was built to make them some goddamn money when the geeks got their hands on it. Right.
00:14:17
Speaker
a Very interesting guy and and and a very talented writer. Well, not a very talented writer, a good enough writer. Yeah. Spoiler alert, better than I expected he would be. um Better than I expected that a dentist towards turned board gamest. Exactly. Board gamest. I like that. i want I want that to be the actual term.
00:14:41
Speaker
um Yeah. I mean, gamed it's game designer, but that's less I like board. I like gamest. Like a chemist. Gamest? think that's fun. The gamest. I'm a gamest. It's the gamest. Yeah.
00:14:54
Speaker
i I think that he... Yeah, he's a really cool guy. ah he he was very important. And he this is not the first Catan book, ah interestingly enough. This is just the first one I noticed. He did work with, oh, i should have I should have had her name pulled up. But he worked with Rebecca something. something like that um yeah he he met her at like a con or something like that and and they got to talking and he has he had this idea for a katan book in his head and she said i'll write that uh and so she wrote the settlers of katan um and uh and i that was even and here's the thing i don't know if you guys if for those of you listening to the podcast this is a big goddamn book
00:15:40
Speaker
That is a beefy book. i And look at the gold lettering on that. i mean, that it's a lovely book. That is gorgeous. Yeah. it' That is a gorgeous cover. That is a nice red. Just, just it's it's lovely to have. pops. It pops. It's it's going to look great on the bookshelf.
00:15:56
Speaker
uh i bought it without i was like oh shit a game based um a book based on katan kevin we're doing this and uh bought the book and and and it and i got it in the mail and it was in you know a padded envelope or something like that and i opened it up and i was like what the fuck is this i don't i don't remember ordering anything is this like a is this something i backed on kickstarter or something and forgot about and uh and i pulled this out and i went Oh, oh, shit. It is 500 pages long. Yeah, we're going to do four episodes on this book just yeah because ah it's it's a beefy book. It's a beefy book. It is not...
00:16:39
Speaker
it's not It's not hard to read. It's hard to keep track of. Yeah. Because there's just so many fucking characters who are brothers and half-brothers and servants of and whatever. Yeah. I'm really looking forward to this episode from my angle because I am like, okay, I think I got. I know what happened. Yeah.
00:17:07
Speaker
But who was that guy again? Yeah. and i And for that reason, I am i am keeping this very simple ah because you're right. It does twist. It turns. We've got lineages and we've got, you know. We've got lineages. oh my God. We've got fiends. families that are are clans that are mad at other yeah and we got we got jarl's people we got jarl's yeah it it is it is a whole goddamn thing um but but as i said but but before the ah the first settlers of katan book is actually a hundred page longer than this
00:17:43
Speaker
ah So it could have been so much worse ah in terms of length. um It's easily one of the longest books ah we've read on the show. I'd have to look back to see where it stacks up there. I want to say Gabriel Knight or Bioshock might have been the longest ones.
00:18:01
Speaker
Bioshock was pretty long. Bioshock was pretty long. would... i would have to I would have to do a word have to do a word count check yeah because sometimes the pages are not a accurate way to determine the length. That's true. That's true. i feel like I feel like word count wise, I feel like it's still going to go to Bioshock, but we'll find out. Yeah, we'll find out. well It was a dense one.
00:18:24
Speaker
But yeah, so ah you want to get into it? Yeah, let's put the body in the marsh. Let's put the body in the marsh. Let's marsh it up, marshies. Tell me how they found him so fast.
00:18:36
Speaker
Somebody walking a fucking dog in three feet a month? What kind of fucking size a dog is that? ah We open with a prologue just a few pages long. Our narrator Bjorn introduces himself. ah Basically says... Hi Bjorn. Hi Bjorn. He says that these stories were told to him by his great uncle,
00:18:57
Speaker
or his great great uncle, ons it's just an ancient old man. ah He lives in Catan, they all live in Catan and it's a glorious, lovely Eden like kind of place they live in, but it wasn't, it was ah it was ah hard to get there. and And he basically says that his great uncle is one of the founders of ah one of the first settlers ah in Catan. um Yeah, so we get we get that story. Just like ah I'm telling you this story and here it is.
00:19:26
Speaker
i'm He literally says like I'm retired now and I've got actual time to tell this story. So here we go. i'm I'm retired from living on paradise. Right. Now here's the story of how we came to paradise. Yeah. And how I'm writing in paradise, which is pretty good.
00:19:43
Speaker
Um, chapter one, we start in the winter of yeah the year. i know Domine 860. Uh, uh, so we meet Asla.
00:19:54
Speaker
She is the daughter of a local chieftain and she is getting married off to another chief. And it's a classic, uh, uh, this guy's had Like two wives before he's a shitty guy. He beat them both. They both died. He's in his fifties. He's nasty. He's gnarly. Uh, uh, uh, Disney princess. I, I, I want to, you know, I don't want to marry him. I want to marry my true love. Uh, who is this guy named Thorolf?
00:20:20
Speaker
um I believe that's how you pronounce it. It's Thor, like the the the Viking god. Yeah, for I think it's Thorolf. Thorolf. So she has been planning, they've got a plan, she's going to escape into the woods with him and his brothers and and run off. And his brothers are named Yngwie and Digor. Uh, so they're going to run off together. Then they've been passing messages between them with her little sister, Steena. Uh, when they meet up in the woods, Steena surprises them all by showing up, uh, and says that I'm coming too, because here's the thing. If you don't marry, uh, uh, this guy, then I'm going to have to marry this guy. I'm not that much younger than you. uh but i'm way older yeah and like that's just what's going to happen and that all the rest of their siblings are are way too young for that even this is 100 like a marriage for for politic politicking reasons yeah this guy merging of the families exactly this king like he fancies himself the king of the north this is all in in uh iceland uh and and he fancies himself the king out there no one actually agrees with him on this. There are lots of Jarls and kings and chiefs and all that shit. um
00:21:27
Speaker
but But he wants to actually situate himself as this kind of thing. And in order to do that, he's got to, yeah, combine houses. And this is basically the first step in him doing that. um Right.
00:21:40
Speaker
So ah Stina shows up. She demands to go to. We get a moment with Digger, who's ah the the warrior of the three brothers. He's he's described as this gigantic warrior. um I believe people call him like Thor's Black Hammer or something like that. He's famous for being a straight up cold blooded murderer. ah It's all that shit.
00:22:02
Speaker
and he's And he's the quiet one. Like at one point, at one point yeah he's he says like a three word sentence and one of the brothers thinks to himself, gosh, he's being really talkative tonight. It's that kind of thing. It's terrific. And he's clearly got some uncomfortable slash comfortable feelings about Steena. He's feeling some some feelings and he's not comfortable. He's feeling some feelings. He sure is.
00:22:26
Speaker
um So they have a three-day... horned, there's some horniness in this book. This is shockingly horny. ah It's not the horniest book we've ever read.
00:22:36
Speaker
No, no, no. I didn't... like It's like, first, all the S.D. Perry novelizations. well yeah. Yeah. yeah And then there's some others in there. Yeah, yeah, but this is, I didn't see that coming. I don't think you did either. It was just like, Catan. mean, okay, all right. Catan, the game boardist, Klaus Teuber? Look at the great game boardist of our age. great game artist of our age, Klaus Teuber. Horny on main. Horny on main. Because it's the Vikings, and they're all fucking. They're all fucking, and we learn all about that shit. let's be honest.
00:23:17
Speaker
Let's be honest. Sucking. Sucking. Oh, lots of that. Absolutely. There's no way. There's no two ways about it. Actually, there are those are the only two ways about it. ah Fucking and sucking. So...
00:23:31
Speaker
ah The other brothers are merchants. that That's what they have made their fortune doing. They are also the sons of an a nearby chieftain. um So it's all, you know, kind of privileged ah people ah in the area. But yeah they have the upper crust.
00:23:48
Speaker
Exactly. and And the girls expect that they're going to ride one of their boats back to because they're going to like, escape with them to their home turf. Uh, and, and they were like, oh no, people are going to be looking for our boats. So we're hiking. So they have like a three day hike ahead of them to his father's house. Um, but don't worry about it ladies. Cause they trek through the night. Uh, uh, and, but they're almost immediately found by Hilmar who is Asla's brother. Uh, who is like the heir, uh, to their father, uh, Haldor, I believe his name is. Um, yeah.
00:24:25
Speaker
Anyway, that's that's not really that important. ah But they they they show up and they're like, hey, Steena, you got to hide because they know ah that Asla's here.
00:24:37
Speaker
But if Steen is here, it's it's it's real trouble. If you're like trying to steal two of his daughters as opposed to one. ah So she agrees to go off and hide somewhere in the woods while they like kind of try to talk down Hilmar.
00:24:53
Speaker
Steen hides. And then Asla admits to them, like it basically tells everybody for the first time that she's pregnant. And so therefore she will in no way uh, being going, be going back to marry this guy because Thorolf threw a baby into her and, uh, and Thorolf didn't know. and he's shocked and he has to take a minute to, to get his bearings. Um, so everyone's kind of frustrated. There's, they're kind of at an impasse because her brother, uh, uh, has, he's sworn that he will die before he allows, uh,
00:25:30
Speaker
her to not come home with him. Basically he's got, he's like a blood oath here. So if he does it, right it's, it's like his honor on the line. So, uh, they have a fight. Uh, he says, we got to fight for, and it has to be a fight to the death. Um, Which is awkward because Thorolf and Hilmar are friends. They're friendly. Like, they they don't dislike each other. ah And so it's not really an appealing, ah you know, suggestion, but they don't really have any choice because honor rituals being honor rituals, they've got to do it. assault It's the It's the
00:26:07
Speaker
It's a different time. Yeah, different time. They were really bored. They didn't have the internet. It's just they had to believe in things like honor and shit. It was weird. It weird time.
00:26:18
Speaker
So they have a they have a battle, and it like lasts for like... a full day like they are fighting for like 18 hours or some goddamn thing they start in the morning and it continues into the night and yeah it it only ends they're pretty evenly matched it only ends when thoralf not thoralf sorry hilmar uh as his brother literally slips and cracks his skull open on a rock uh uh so he just he just trips and dies Yeah, Thorolf, and it's not like Thorolf tripped him. He didn't, there was no chicanery involved. He just, he just, he just, the motherfucker slipped and died. ah It's kind of embarrassing, really. ah But he has agreed that, you know, he's going to make sure that he dies. When he dies, he'll put his sword in his hand so the Valkyries will come and take him to Valhalla.
00:27:06
Speaker
uh where he is awaited uh so he wins question mark uh and then he ends up killing thorolf's uh second because he like tries to jump oh yeah the second and the second is like new even though yeah yeah knut was told uh by what's his name hillmar not to do anything the second had been uh countermanded to by the king to execute what's his name yeah thorall yeah so because and he's so pissed thoroff so pissed about this turn that he like throws his sword into the woods so that he won't go to valhalla And when there was the ah the rest of their party come back, they're like, hey, look, no, you got to write like he did that because he had to. He also swore an oath. So could you be a bro? And he's like, oh, yeah, yeah. Swords over there. It's li it's it's really silly because.
00:28:04
Speaker
I mean, it's interesting and it introduces you to these notions, but rather than be like, no, fuck that guy. He jumped me. He's like, oh yeah, my bad. Like here's here. he I think I threw it over there somewhere. And like, thanks bro. Let's get a sword in his hand so he can go off with a Valkyries. ah It's very strange. So ah word comes down and Asla is pissed because there's no winning here ah for her. ah She's either going to lose her boyfriend or her brother. And so she... Stina's kind of like shocked, but she they like they say she's she was never really too close to him, so it wasn't that big of a deal for her. um
00:28:43
Speaker
But ah Asla was very close to her, and so she blames Thorolf for her brother's death. and this is goingnna be And this is still the first trimester, so she's going to be real emotional. So this is not going to be a fun pregnancy. Not a fun pregnancy. I'm just speaking from experience. This is not going to be a good time. ah You got the whole...
00:29:02
Speaker
morning sickness thing you've got the i killed your brother thing it's just it's there's like so many forces working against you here dude yeah um so they they continue on because what they're carrying on what else what else are they supposed to do um eventually steena who has been like thinking to herself how hard this has been on her feet but is doesn't want to like bitch about it in front of everybody uh uh she ah basically he says Hey, could someone take a look at my feet? I can't feel them.
00:29:35
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. And she's getting frostbite. She's like, she she has been bitten by frost. Right. Yeah. Yeah. She's been bitten by the frost. That whole thing. It's it's it's fantasy tropes. you You know, it's like, you know, you turn morphine into, you know, milk of the poppy. It's it's it's all stuff we can recognize. But we we we add a few words to make it a little more.
00:29:57
Speaker
Ooh, uh, you can quote me. Uh, so, Digger, uh, the big galoot says, all right, I'm going to carry you. And he like stuffs her feet into his tunic so that she's like warming her feet up. Uh, and so they continue on. And we get a little background of him and his half brothers because those are his half brothers. He was like the he was the son of one of their father's slaves. um And I think they say she's she's she's dark skin. She's from.
00:30:28
Speaker
ah She's from some other country. ah They yeah give it a name, but it doesn't clear where they're talking about. Yeah, I'm not sure. But I think it's a i think it's very interesting, that though, that he really naturally folds in ah that, oh yeah, no, it's It's Yeah. Yeah. That's...
00:30:46
Speaker
its the it's the eight hundreds and there's black people here yeah and yes that's like yeah That's historically accurate. Like, yeah, they these these fucking wannabe nerds, they're not even full nerds. These wannabe white supremacist nerds who are like sitting there going, the Vikings were all blonde hair, blue eyed. A, that's not true. B, they were raiders. they show They went all over the world. They went to America, for Christ's sake. You know, yeah there was yeah Iceland, there's Greenland, and we were Vineland. That's what they called us, Vineland.
00:31:21
Speaker
and yeah and So, ah Robert Eggers, um this is this is for you, Robert Eggers. Yeah. Yes. Yeah, there there can be black people in your movies. Yeah, I know.
00:31:32
Speaker
We love you, buddy. Do better. But do better. I mean, it's getting a little so suspect. It's a little suspect. It's been a minute. It's been a minute. You've had a minute.
00:31:44
Speaker
ah But yeah, so it's it is, but that is the case. And so he's he's darker um and it adds a level of mystique to him. And he also has a reputation, as I said before, of being this badass warrior who's killed like countless people. And he's got a little bit of PTSD about it. ah You can tell. they don't They don't try to hide the fact that he's a little fucked up over over what he's had to do. um but we've But we get a little Steena.
00:32:12
Speaker
Ooh, this is a very large and handsome man who's carrying me. This is fun. ah So we're getting a little beep, beep, beep, beep. There, you can quote me. Yep. So...
00:32:25
Speaker
Uh, so yeah, he's, he's basically, and he, he stopped being in the army for a while and he's now basically the muscle for his brother's trading business. Uh, so they get to the village and Yngwie, who is the, the wacky brother, he's, he's kind of a nut, uh, and he sleeps around and he drinks. He's a party boy. Um, and the plan is they're going to have Steena live with this, uh, charcoal burner. The guys, that the family makes charcoal. Um, and,
00:32:54
Speaker
He's going to, she's going to cut all her hair off and they pretend to be a boy and they'll hire her that way until they can figure out what to do next. Um, and, uh, so that's the plan and he calls in a favor on this guy and, uh, and, and the dude agrees, uh, uh, to take him on, take her on as a, as a apprentice basically.
00:33:15
Speaker
um chapter two they arrive at their dad ulrich's house and uh they catch him up on uh how far along and everything that's happened yeah yeah they give him a catch up uh uh it's not it's ulrich is not happy he's pissed yeah he is he is not a happy camper here uh because correctly he's like dude this is gonna be war like we gotta do and And Thorolf is like, look, no, I'm going to give him all of my money, like all the money I've made, and he'll have to be happy with that. And Ulrich rightfully points out, he goes, he's got money. He doesn't want money. He wants alliances. That's what he's after. You fucked up.
00:33:53
Speaker
ah So. He basically says that he basically says you're you're all banished for seven years ah and that's your punishment. ah You will have to leave. I don't know where you're going to go, but you can't come back for seven years. And it's a pretty harsh punishment, but it's a fair one. And they all kind of ah this is where we're getting into how even when there's conflict, this is kind of a warm and cozy book so far.
00:34:18
Speaker
Because it's it's one of these things where it's like, i hate to do this. I love you, my boy. You are you are my blood, and I love you. gotta leave. You gotta leave. and Father, you're an honorable man, and I understand, and I love you too. and like It's... it's it's it's It's cozy. Just a bunch of well-adjusted Vikings. It's it's exactly It's Vikings that went to therapy. It's, so you know, well, eight eight hundred the 800s therapy. ah yeah But yeah, so it's it's it's an interesting ah kind of thing. Asla makes friends with Thorolf's sister, Isolde. She's feeling guilt over the death of her brother because it's this whole thing of like, you know, if I hadn't run away, he wouldn't have had to do this. And
00:35:05
Speaker
She's not wrong, but she's also not right. It's all very stupid. um Yeah. So, yeah. So basically, Ulrich, he has the choice of handing. he Either he's going to have to exile them and give them like a really harsh punishment or he has to hand them over and he's not going to do that. ah So that's that's what we're going to That's how we end on that particular chapter. ah Chapter one is like way longer than most of the other chapters. Yeah. um ah Chapter three. ah Ulrich is throwing a party ah because they're celebrating the return of a merchant who has brought back some serious riches. and Serious riches. Yeah, he's brought back.
00:35:43
Speaker
Riches. Riches. he's got He's probably got like some salt. Probably, yeah, salt and bread. ah He's probably got, he might even have cinnamon. Who knows? Mm-mm.
00:35:54
Speaker
That would be some crazy shit. No, but he, he um as is the tradition, after after everyone's done drinking and feasting, he regales everyone ah with stories of this tiny island that he found called Catan. And it's a very, it's like, do you want something? It's there. They got honey there? You bet your ass they got honey there. Is the ground like good for growing crops? Motherfucker, they got more crops they know what to do with. It's there.
00:36:22
Speaker
they got They got women with their their boobies out. Yeah, yeah. You betcha. True old school National Geographic shit. It's it's what they do. And it's it's a little it's because its there is it is a little problematic. It's like, yeah, man. and the set you know They were lovely people. They're really nice. We really need to encroach on their land. Yeah, they're nice. They're too nice. They're super nice. Like way too nice, in fact. ah hey They banged us all like five, ten times a day. you know It was great stuff. It was really nice. ah So, yeah. Meanwhile, Haldor, as this father, he he's hired a bunch of men and they are burning down houses in the area. um ah These Vikings kill the charcoal burner ah who has taken in Steena and immediately find her. Immediately. i mean, to be fair, they haven't like they haven't like fully, you know, made her up as a boy yet. But like, sure, they they're they're way too so quick for that. ah So they're going to take her back. But before they can, Digger shows up and just kills the shit out of them.
00:37:35
Speaker
uh the shit out of the show they they also like hurt the dog they do they hurt the dog so they they really it's like the first instance of like oh these are the bad guys yeah yeah it's a very as my wife would say a very cheap way of pointing out that these are the bad guys uh yeah but but truly the dog's name is loki by the way which i love i'm gonna i wanna wanna name a dog loki i love it um yeah poor loki um so yeah we get a big fight it's it's not even a big fight he takes them out uh and uh he saves steena and they they flirt a little there's kind of some like flirting chat before they remember that hilda the wife of the coal burner is still in the house that they've burned they're they're burning and they're like oh shit we should probably we should probably help her yeah uh so they because they killed the charcoal burner uh and knocked her out uh and and and the dog is also in the burning house let's get in there take care of them uh they get them they rendezvous with asla who uses her witch science uh to help treat the wounds we get uh a lot of these little moments of it
00:38:45
Speaker
it's It's very 90s TV where like she's like, I'll take this water and herbs and I'll set it to a boil and drop the sewing needle into it. And it will then I'll make a poultice. Right, yeah. And like and the the wound will not fester as easily when I use this needle. Tis the in you know the the herbs and the you know it's it's science. and But it's very witchy. it's like yeah you're sterilizing the needle yeah exactly that' and someone even says they say are the the properties of the herbs entering the needle now and she goes yeah I think so I don't know ah so the witch lady back home was teaching me how to do this and I did it works it works I can tell you that much ah so Asla is our kind of ah she's our healer she's our support ah character ah basically and
00:39:42
Speaker
the next day comes and everyone's trying to put the pieces together ah we don't have proof outright that it was haldor but we all know it was haldor uh many people blame asla uh for the situation they know what's going on the people know what's happening a lot of them are homeless now because where someone throws a rock at her uh they are they are not happy with her um But as I said before, let's remember cozy.
00:40:08
Speaker
So Ulrich comes in and does what no, they even say this. I'm not, I'm not, they they say no Viking chieftain would ever do this, but he goes ahead and says, Hey, listen, everyone takes somebody in.
00:40:23
Speaker
ah I will pay you the difference in how much you have to buy for food for them. And in the spring, we will build new houses. And in the summer, we're going to go a Viking. And we'll go and we'll just fucking cut some people's heads off and steal their shit. We're going to do a little bit raiding, pillaging. We'll recoup the cost. it's It's going to be a very good year. Don't worry about it. And and it's... Okay, so very very cozy. What a lovely man this Ulrich is. Cozy Viking story. a Cozy Viking story. And you know what?
00:40:57
Speaker
I'm here for it. Like, genuinely. I texted Phil saying, is like is this like Viking Bridgerton? It is, yeah. and And I can see where a lot of people, if if if you're coming to this thinking that it's a Viking story, you might go, don't know. But if you're coming to it because it's Catan,
00:41:17
Speaker
then yeah you're getting it's it's the right attitude it's it's the right yeah it's the right tone yeah it's the cup of coffee with extra cream and sugar is basically what it is um so that's gonna happen and he said you know the summer we're gonna make some money we're gonna kill some irish gonna kill some anglo-saxons and i'm like hey hey hey uh back off um so yeah nice real nice everything's going great ah comes Everything's good. ah We come to part two. It's a couple months later, the winter 860 in the year of our Lord. ah Chapter four, Asla has spent the season with the local local healer woman ah and is learning more. She's leveling up. She's taking another level and in Druid. Uh, basically, uh, uh, good stuff.
00:42:05
Speaker
You need, you need, yeah, they need to get through this early section, at least a level three, uh, before the real campaign starts. Yeah. Yeah. Do a little grinding and, you know, get up and then you'll you'll be good. You'll be ready to raid. Um, she has still, she has been avoiding Thorolf, uh, uh, this entire time, uh, uh, which,
00:42:26
Speaker
Yeah, but at the same time, you're like, you're going to have to fucking figure this one out, girl. ah you you You got his baby. And they have said they have said her brother before he died had said, like, there are ways we can.
00:42:39
Speaker
he's like He's like, we can give you an abortion. We can take care of this. we can you know And yeah she's like, uh-uh, we're not doing that. So she's already put her foot down. She's like, no, I'm having this kid. So Thorolf is very sad. He's he's doing your standard thing.
00:42:54
Speaker
oh my girlfriend took to me kind of thing it's very sad uh digger visits uh steena again she is now she is now got her hair cut and she's living like a boy and uh every time he goes to visit her she gives him a big hug and a kiss and he likes her but we get a illusion to the idea that she looks to him like a girl that he killed So we've got some foreshadowing is a literary device that ah and ah so the people fill their hours basically at this point ah fantasizing about Catan.
00:43:35
Speaker
uh the merchant who's come back that he's they you imagine at this point he's just sick of it uh because they're like so tell me more about this place they got this they got that and it's like look it's everything it it's it's kick-ass it is so good right over there it's it's it's excellent so the brothers who are going to have to they're gonna have to get to their exile at some point uh it's been a couple of months I guess it's like the exile clock is ticking. I know. I think they're sticking around to help like rebuild. I think that's, yeah, they got to rebuild a little bit. We can put it all holli doors. Bullshit.
00:44:07
Speaker
Yeah. like Yeah. Basically and made the exile to happen a little bit later, a little later, a little, which pushing it back so we can get some houses built. ah But they all agree. What we're going to do is when we have to leave, let's go find this Catan place and we'll, cause the, the merchant still remembers where it is.
00:44:24
Speaker
And he's not going there, but he can. They're like, we'll follow you and we'll keep going down that way. And before they know it, they've got a whole damn crew to go with him. A shit ton of people who live there are like, yeah, I'm coming with you. ah And so we've got ah we have our settlers. We have the blacksmith. They got the, you know, the brothers. They got all that stuff. Yeah, we've got our healer. We got we got a nice mixed party. You know, you got you got your classes represented. it's pretty good.
00:44:54
Speaker
uh chapter five we get right this is my favorite chapter at the book and it is a total aside is this is chapter five the aside that is that is absolutely what this is and it's just titled like whale hunt it is yeah This chapter has nothing to do with shit. it don't I take it back. It has a little bit to do with shit.
00:45:15
Speaker
But all right. So what we get is news of a whale in the fjord, which is great news because they have been worried about a famine ah coming. And ah so I will feed you forever. wildf fish for a good long time uh so they start getting a hunting the party together to go kill a whale very dangerous shit uh because they are in rowboats uh this is this is not ah a a ah mission we're in the 800s yeah exactly we don't have a galleon against wood against whale yeah yeah it's it's it's not great uh so uh uh asla finally approaches thor off gives him ah a bruoch a brooch a brooch is that easy a brooch and uh and like a yeah yeah and a cloth that she made i guess uh so she gives him these these these these gifts it's kind of a little tender moment then she runs off uh uh and and it's kind of like the first the first inklings of like
00:46:12
Speaker
Well, I know you killed my brother, but you're still my my baby daddy. So, yeah. And I know my dad tried to murder everybody. everybody you're Everybody that your father ah that is in your father's yarldom. But, you know, yeah. i That's fine. We'll call it even. We'll call it even. yeah She runs off. So Thorolf is like, hes he's he's on cloud nine. He's like, oh my God, my girlfriend's talking to me again. Thank God. um
00:46:43
Speaker
So what follows is a pretty kick-ass whale scene. ah ah ah Like a ah a genuinely...
00:46:55
Speaker
well-paced, exciting whale fight. Yeah. Herman Melville could never. yeah It's, it's, it's pretty great. It's, it's really exciting and fun. And the whole time I'm sitting there going, why the fuck are we doing this? Like,
00:47:14
Speaker
we get we get ah It's a moment to get Thorolf and Asla back together. That's basically how this is. Because by the time this ends, a bunch of people are fucking dead. ah They have killed the whale. Thorolf is like the hero. He's he's like finally put the put the screws to the whale. But at the at the same time, he like just goes in the drink and he is freezing to death. And they're trying to get out of the fjord and get back to the city. So Yngwie, his brother...
00:47:43
Speaker
is basically everyone they're piling you know all their coats on top of him and at one point in bay gets under the coats and like just you know shares body heat with him and he he he makes it he makes it it makes it alive uh but by the by the time they get back to shore he's he's still alive so we've got our yeah our whale killer hero thorolf he's really kind of cut his teeth uh on this and uh theoretically we'll have a we're gonna have a lot of fun we're gonna lot of fun in the future ah so And that's ah and that's ah that's chapter five, and that's ah that's the first pages of this
00:48:15
Speaker
ah that's that's crazy ah yeah for for you know so ah kevin what what do you think so far i I like it so far. I just got kind of lost in the sauce on the on who was related to who and what was and like who was doing what. yeah The book definitely breaks my rule of more of a guideline.
00:48:40
Speaker
of like try not to name multiple multiple characters with the same letter and i know that's tough h it's harold hilda hillmark like it's it's it's a lot of h hallador hallador uh yeah yeah it is egregious you you mentioned that you you texted me and i said it is egregious they they yeah ah they yeah they took your role and they wiped their ass with it they said nah i It's like, it's obviously you can do whatever the hell you want. If you're a writer, I'm just saying for the sake of your reader, keeping track of people. Sometimes it makes sense to vary up the letters because you're not going to have 26 characters in the book. Yeah, yeah. I think the only thing that's missing really that would have been a good idea, and you've seen it in 40K novels, a dramatist persona, like just a list of the cast and just a little sentence of who everybody I used to in Star Wars books, too.
00:49:39
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. We're so, so, because you've got, because it's a huge cast. And so you're able to like go, okay, Hilda, who the fuck is, okay, okay it's the wife of the Colbert. Yeah, yeah, a dramatist persona would be, is, I feel like if you're going to have more than like six characters, named characters that are important to the plot, I think you need to have one of those. And when you've got like this intersection of families, and that's clearly very important for this story, yeah um that's just going to, it's, it's, it,
00:50:08
Speaker
It's almost a necessity with a story like this, with with the the book this goddamn long. ah Right. Yeah. So, yeah. So, but otherwise... Feeling good. I'm enjoying it.
00:50:20
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. It's fun. It put me in the mind a little bit of the eco ah novelization we read. Sure. Which is interesting because it's also a translated book. This was translated from the German ah by Lisa Reinhardt, who i I couldn't find much about her. She's just a a working translator. Um, yeah but she's done a wonderful job.
00:50:41
Speaker
Uh, I, I forgot to bring her up at the beginning, i but you can't underestimate the importance of a translator. And I just remember when we were reading eco, I just remember how this, this is not a word, but novelly it was like, it was, it was, it was, you know, This feels like a real book. Right. Exactly. Exactly. And and and I think a lot of that is going to have to do with a good translator. And and obviously, Klaus has got he's had this big story in his head. And I think they've done a fine job so far. ah I think if this is meant to be a actually based on Settlers of Catan, ah we need more arguments about sheep.
00:51:22
Speaker
uh but there's time for that i guess there's plenty of time for for sheep and wood arguments yes i don't i don't need any fucking sheep uh there's time for that um but yeah okay great so that's part one of four uh settlers no not settlers katan the novel just katan exclamation point yeah optional up the musical the musical is with the the musical would be kit
00:51:50
Speaker
it's it's just that it it inspires the jazz hands that's just all this inspires the jazz hands written by Lin-Manuel Miranda right so probably um all right well now that that's done ah Kevin I do have one last question ah hold on let me get my notes so I say this right what are you playing Oh, I'm gonna check my steam, login it to steam.com.
00:52:15
Speaker
Okay, so I finished Mina the Hollower, um which was all right. ah it's It's one of those games where it's like, oh, this this feels like ah So Yacht Club, ah they took a while to make this. Obviously, they were still working on the DLCs and all that stuff for Shovel Knight for a long time. But Mina the Hollower, it there's something slightly unbalanced about certain parts of it that were just... The frustration was just a little bit too high for me. And...
00:52:47
Speaker
um I know that there's a thousand little ways you can tweak the difficulty, but one of pet peeves is that it's one of those games where if you touch any of those, it turns the ah achievements off. Right. Which is just kind of annoying. I mean, I'm not an an achievement guy, but...
00:53:07
Speaker
Still, it's like the principle of the thing. I think so, too. That's that's annoying as hell. So, yeah, anyway, I beat me another hollower. um It has a weird ending, a weird bummer-ish ending. And then I was like, okay, well, I i played that.
00:53:24
Speaker
that's That's done. I don't know. I'm almost disappointed in it a little bit. And I'm sure there's other people who might feel the same way. Okay.
00:53:36
Speaker
that There's something... is There's a certain je ne sais quoi that is missing from the game that I was expecting to have. Some chewiness that was supposed to be there that isn't. it And it just feels a little bit unbalanced in terms of difficulty, particularly in the platforming portion of it. where there's That's interesting, because that's where... yeah Hollow Knight, not Hollow Knight, Shovel Knight shined. like Yeah, and I think for take because it's top-down, it's different than Shovel Knight, which was side-scrolling platformer.
00:54:15
Speaker
There's just this level towards the end where it's just like an auto-scroll area ah before the final boss that is just... I was stuck on it for like an hour and a half just doing this one auto scroll part where have to jump and burrow and all that stuff. It was driving me insane.
00:54:39
Speaker
And I was looking at it, I was like, I'm not even sure how you're supposed to do this regularly. because i would just like fall off the edge and then it would respawn you after you fall off the edge and i would like advance that way and then i would heal and i would be like i'm not sure it was like almost like i spammed my way through it i right i don't know i would have to watch somebody do it to to actually get an understanding of of what it is so mean at the holler um Otherwise, I started playing Vultures, Scavengers Death, which is something that you recommended. Yeah, yeah. It's it's fun so far. i like it. It's turn-based, Resident Evil.
00:55:18
Speaker
ah you know you just then there's ah There's a good good amount of strategy to it, I've noticed. especially when it comes to the giant rooms full of zombies and be like i just go in sneak mode and even if they they see you just try to get out through the other door before you have to do combat because bullets don't grow on trees no um what are bullets made out of maybe they do grow on trees they thinkre i think bark mostly so maybe bar to mostly yeah mostly bark yeah
00:55:49
Speaker
Mostly bark. Well, that's bullets in Vampire Diaries. so Right. For my CW heads right out there who appreciate a Vampire Diaries reference.
00:56:04
Speaker
Because that's how you heard a vampire is with wooden bullets. Wooden bullets. you got you got us mini Or as I like to call them, tiny stakes. Tiny stakes. Yeah. Yeah.
00:56:15
Speaker
That's real, by the way. that's That's an actual thing that the vampire hunters in the show use as as wooden bullets. um How do those work? I have no idea.
00:56:26
Speaker
Functionally. um But... How do they don't like burn up or explode on the on the way out of the chamber? don't know. Yeah. sure there's Trust me, bro. I'm sure somebody's figured it out.
00:56:38
Speaker
um Anyway. So, and I haven't played anything else. I am ah just ah downloaded the beta for Mortal Shell 2, which is a Mortal Shell was a Souls-like that I played a few years ago. That was pretty good.
00:57:01
Speaker
I'm curious to see how much they improve with the the the sequel. And that is about it. Nice. And Phil, I have one question for you then.
00:57:17
Speaker
warm plan Oh, oh, oh, so glad you asked. Um, I, I'm almost done with Vultures, Scavengers of Death. Uh, I kind of love it.
00:57:28
Speaker
ah it is, yeah it is, it is so janky. There is, they're it is, it is so, uh, indie janky, um, but i But that kind of adds to the charm of it.
00:57:40
Speaker
ah i i just The PS1 vibe, the the the strategy. can You're right. there there is some There's some real but actual strategic elements to it. I will say one thing that I i i don't like about it is, and it's something indie developers, ah you don't need...
00:57:58
Speaker
the you don't always need the post-processing visuals on these games yeah because it is i mean that i know there's there's kind of like a chroma shift a little bit of a blur thing happening to make it look more like a ps1 on a crt screen but i was there it doesn't look like that Yeah. Yeah. It's really missing. It it just doesn't look right because. ah They're actually making it look more modern. You're making it look more modern. Yeah. By doing that.
00:58:35
Speaker
Don't try to force the CRT aesthetic. just just Just let it happen. Skip it. Just let it happen. Just let it happen, guys. It's fine. We don't need the CRT aesthetic, mainly because most times that games try to do it, it is almost never correct. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. So...
00:58:54
Speaker
so Anyway, that was my that those was might one aside when when it came to jankiness. as like It reminds me, it's like maybe there's somewhere to turn these visual effects, the post-processing on it off so it's not doing the you know ah weird thing it's doing.
00:59:12
Speaker
Yeah. um Yeah, i I think I'm like a level or two away from finishing it, really enjoying it. ah it's just It's just satisfying. It's a really satisfying game.
00:59:23
Speaker
I highly recommend it. um and it's And it also follows the tropes of Resident Evil really, really well. I just ah fought ah a ah vampire dude who ah his original form, he looks like Orlok from Nosferatu. He's got the mustache and everything. Nice. And then he like, he like dramatically throws his cloak off and turns into this like giant abomination monster. And it's hilarious and good. Well, the dramatic throwing of the cloak is very Dracula Castlevania Dracula. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's got that, too. ah It's it it just it's it's leaning into its influences. And I applaud them for that. I think that's terrific. um So i i I'm still playing that. I played a couple of demos. ah some Actually some pretty good stuff. I played Ascenders Beyond the Peak.
01:00:20
Speaker
okay And when you look at the art style, we've got we've got some definite ah Darkest Dungeon vibes. um But as the name suggests, it's actually a game about climbing mountains.
01:00:32
Speaker
ah As far as I can tell, You don't actually fight things so much. There are creatures you've got to get past and stuff, but it's not a tactical game in a traditional sense. You've got to keep an eye on your stamina. You've got to take breaks and rest at different points. You've got to help because it's multiple people on your team. You're all... uh you know on belay together and and and i think that's the term uh you're all lined up together and it's a patience kind of thing you've got to pick the right places move out of the way for falling rocks and collect food along the way and resources and treasure and all that it's pretty tense um it's really unique i i enjoyed it i enjoyed the demo you know it's
01:01:28
Speaker
It's really interesting, and I would be and ah be curious to see if anybody's done a video on the the influence that Darkest Dungeon has had on that indie game, certain indie game horror-adjacent aesthetic.
01:01:46
Speaker
There's a ton of it out there. Because there's a lot of games that kind of borrow from vibes and aesthetic of And the art style. I mean, literally, just like, it's like, this is just the literal art style from Darkest Dungeon in some cases. Yeah. um That, and now I'm not saying it's like a ripoff. I'm just saying it's like, it's very much in that.
01:02:06
Speaker
And maybe Darkest Dungeon got it from somewhere else. That's the thing i would have to actually. Maybe, but they're the ones that made it famous. No question about it. No question. Yeah. um yeah I think you're right there's something to that and and it's interesting that there's this is this is as far as I can tell there's no Lovecraftian vibe to it it's it's got its own thing it just also has that like really thick line work um I don't know how it's the interesting proportions stuff like that line work chiaroscuro shading Yeah, yeah. ah it's it's ah the The game isn't out yet. I think the game's come out in the third quarter. Let me see. Yeah, this is Q3. So not too long. But the ah the demo is it's it's nice and meaty. ah you can I didn't even finish it, to be frank. ah But i I did really enjoy it.
01:02:57
Speaker
um i also I also played, and this is kind of a ah different one for me. There was something about it that interested me. I played the demo for Stardust, Wish of Witch. and this is the most anime thing I've experienced in forever.
01:03:14
Speaker
ah And I guess it's, it's, it's a, a old school strategy RPG ah kind of game in the demo. You're it's, it's you and your friend and you are this girl who wants to be a hero. And she's, the you know, if if for I don't watch a lot of anime, but the stuff that I do have experience with is typically a little older. And so the best comparison I can make for is she's get a lot of Lena inverse vibes ah from the Slayers of her. She's very, uh, uh,
01:03:45
Speaker
hyperactive and can-do and excited and she's a swordswoman and it's goofy and funny and she's got her disinterested, ah bored wizard boyfriend and and they're going on adventures together. She's kind of dragging him along.
01:04:00
Speaker
um A very... You know, kind of straightforward strategy RPG, but the art style kicks ass. ah And it's a deck battler. That's right. It is a deck battler. Yeah. ah it's And it's got it's got very interesting ah combo mechanics. ah Some you know defense mechanics are really interesting. that That makes it stand out a little bit. But honestly, it's mostly... um the vibes it's got really good vibes uh it looks neat it is it's very it's it's charming it's funny uh it it's it's again i'm not really uh uh an anime guy but there was something about this that i was like fuck i might actually
01:04:45
Speaker
i might only actually buy this like this this yeah this looks like a lot of fun um so it's definitely going on my wish list i didn't put it yeah i need to put on my list fascinating just looking up lena inverse oh yeah that her her design was based on audrey heppern was it really The inspiration for her character was audrey was Audrey Hepburn, which is very interesting. That's very interesting. I did not know that. Yeah.
01:05:12
Speaker
Wow. Okay. That's... Series illustrator ah Rui Arizumi took inspiration for her visual design when he by chance came upon a vintage film with the actress Audrey Hepburn. Huh.
01:05:25
Speaker
I don't see it. ha. I don't see it either. i don't see it. ah But cool. ah Maybe the big eyes is just kind of the. That's that' that's that's where all anime comes from now. audre is Audrey Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn. Yeah. Yeah. i ever and I think you can watch this. I think you can watch a lot of Slayers on YouTube for free. I might i might just. Oh, nice. Wash some nostalgia. Fire it out very fantasy uh uh comedy kind of shit very fun um so but that's that is me that's that's what i've played
01:06:00
Speaker
Awesome. And just to add on, by the way, we're both very excited about the fact that Alien Isolation 2 is still grinding along and there's a trailer for it.
01:06:12
Speaker
It's coming. Oh, Lord, it's coming. And so is Resident Evil Veronica. Yes. Oh, God. Come on, people. Oh, God. It looks... Yeah, Alien Isolation 2 looks so good.
01:06:25
Speaker
It looks... I've played that first game through, think, four times at this point. I might play it again just to myself up. think I'm on the same.
01:06:36
Speaker
ah i'm just going to go ahead and add it to my wish list now. Yeah, I'm doing that too. I can't believe I had it. I don't feel like realized it was on Steam. Pre-alpha capture. god fucking damn it that was it just honestly one of the probably the best video game based in that universe uh bar none uh followed very closely by aliens versus predator the arcade game uh I thought it was ah your... What about the... fire it Was Fireteam Elite? Was that the one? Oh, oh, ah yeah Dark Descent.
01:07:09
Speaker
Dark Descent. Dark Descent, yeah. that's that is ah That's my actual second favorite. yeah Alien Isolation is the best Alien game. Aliens Dark Descent is the best Aliens game.
01:07:21
Speaker
Yeah. And Fireteam Elite is just a shooter. It's there. It's there. that's it Isn't that the co-op shooter? Yeah, yeah, we played it together a couple of times. We played yeah. yeah i i I would actually, because there's a sequel coming out, um I wouldn't mind playing.
01:07:37
Speaker
i wouldn't You know what, I feel like you and me, we keep talking about it. We've got to find some time to actually ah get on together and play some games. We we don't play games ah together as often as you would think.
01:07:48
Speaker
Right. Yeah. Family. Family. he's a bitch right ah we love him yeah oh god yeah anyway that'll do it for tonight's episode if you can go ahead and follow us on blue sky instagram subscribe to us on youtube or your podcast platform of choice thumbs up five stars all that great nonsense really helps out uh Josie lives Josie lives