When You’re Going through Hell, Twilight 2000 RPG Campaign Log: Session 2, Part 2 @FreeLeaguePub
This is the final chapter of the saga of my review and ongoing campaign log for Free League Publishing’s Twilight 2000 RPG. Last time, you caught the end of Kyle’s story. Here are some bonus stories from our brief starting campaign along with the rest of the review.
But what happened to Nadya? Follow along as she shares the rest of her story:
So I was mad, and I did something really stupid. I stormed off and trekked back to Kepno alone. Thank God I didn’t run into more soldiers or the Shepherd’s Flock, though I did get attacked by a wolf when setting up camp and ran into a very hidden and fortified village that was none too happy to see anyone. Fortunately they let me pass by so long as I just kept on my way and gave them a wide berth. I managed to get back to Kepno alive.
When I returned they were dismayed to see me, despite my having done expert work on the vehicles I worked on for them, and my heart sank when I learned why. That bear Aleksy had shot in the woods and we’d traded to them for the still was heavily irradiated. After we left, they cooked it up and a bunch of townsfolk ate it. Now people are sick of radiation poisoning and some are dying, including many of the young ones in the daycare.
I am able to stay here in Kepno and do mechanical work; they desperately needed someone with my expertise. But there are a lot of townsfolk here who hate my guts and want to see me gone. They think we did it on purpose. It saddens me beyond measure that our cluelessness and idiocy led to this. All the more reason to just bury myself in my work and keep my nose under the hood where it belongs…
As an added bonus, here are some notes from Roger’s personal journal after the break up of the group:
It’s not easy being black – all my life I’ve had to work twice as hard and always with a yessir, no-sir, I’m-your-right-wing-man-sir. But now I know it’s even harder being green. I wasn’t ready for any of this, I’d barely finished officer training when I was thrust into this war and sent out here into the great big world to do my duty to my country. Was my driving to blame for the truck? Was there any way to smooth things over? I don’t know. I can only wish upon the distant starlight. It’s that hope that keeps me going, that makes me want to live to fight another day. Because, beyond all else, I still want to believe that Someday we’ll find it… The Rainbow Connection… The lovers, the dreamers and me…
From a Gaming Perspective – How Did It Go?
Game play in Twilight 2000 RPG is intense. It’s a lot different fighting other people than engaging with wildlife. Battle is terrifying and confusing and conveys both the horror and glory of war well. Somewhere along the way in the first big confrontation with a Soviet patrol, we forgot to have dinner in real life.
There are a lot of things to remember and look up as you determine your actions. Figuring out the logistics of fighting with penalties for cover was a challenge but we got the hang of it as time progressed. It’s frustrating to get shell-shocked and find yourself unable to act, especially if you are out in the open and cannot get to relative safety or counter-attack. We didn’t play enough to get a good sense of ideal fighting distances and were never really on the offense, so we were at a notable disadvantage every time we engaged in fighting with other humans.
The Twilight 2000 RPG system is different than others I have gamed in before. I really like the mechanics but need to restrategize how I create characters. A lot of the RPGs I’ve engaged in previously (D&D, AD&D, D&D3E, GURPS, Iron Heroes, etc.) encourage min-maxing and uber-specialization whereas, in the Twilight 2000 RPG system, it seems diversifying would be better in many ways. It’s food for thought for the next time we create characters, and it will be interesting to find a sense of balance in that.
From a referee standpoint, the game benefits from more planning than is implied as necessary and I’m glad my husband took the time to flesh it out and track everything. He is a very good referee. I think he was happier with the results as well, since he is a realist and is rather particular about details. Although it can be played essentially as a series of random encounters, the experience holds more interest if there’s more background: how much or how little likely depends on the gaming group and people involved.
Also, the background setting seems to be drawn somewhere between the end times of The Fall and a more Post-Apocalypse Mad Max view. The timeline is set essentially at the end of the big war but civilization has already devolved several decades beyond where one might expect given what was described as happening and how quickly that evolved, especially regarding the hyper-aggression of the wildlife and the scarcity of resources and infrastructure even in more remote areas that would not have been affected in the same ways. The result is a bit disjointed but does maximize dramatic effect.
Overall, I give the Twilight 2000 RPG system 4.5 Cthulus. I enjoyed the game and look forward to revisiting it in the future on my own. The mechanics were generally well thought out and play was enjoyable. Skill rolls and combat were well-orchestrated and don’t get too bogged down in logistics. There are a few things that could benefit from being better fleshed out, especially regarding survivalist considerations like food, water, camping/sleeping gear, and so on, but I imagine each gaming group can determine how to tackle these things unto itself as far as what happens at the start on all sides and what sort of things are and aren’t readily available. I am interested in seeing what a longer form campaign could bring.
(4.5 / 5)
As a side note, going back and playing out what happened at the end with Nadya is a testament to the power of story evolution in this game. No one planned this – my husband legitimately drew the encounter from the deck and the party did what was in the best interest of everyone by trading the bear to the town. My husband thought he would not be able to disclose what had happened until the party passed back through, and when we were captured it seemed as if that story would not have a chance to become known. Except Nadya had booked and was returning to Kepno, and for all that we doubted she would make it back, she miraculously did so. Finding out how her story ended legitimately sent chills up my spine when it revealed itself. All came full circle with the horrors of war and the consequences of our actions laid bare. Well played, Twilight 2000 RPG, well played – this legitimately earned another 0.5 Cthulus on top of the 4.0 rating I had initially planned to bestow.
Thank you for joining us for When You’re Going Through Hell – if you have enjoyed this series, you should consider getting a group together and picking up the game for yourselves…
Gaming
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones (2019), a Game Review
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones (2019) is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Cultic Games, evoking Lovecraftian horror.
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones (2019) is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Cultic Games, evoking Lovecraftian and cosmic horror. Published by Fulqrum Publishing, this game is available through Linux, macOS, and Windows. This review will cover the $19.99 Steam release.
The Great Old Ones have awakened, exiling Arkham after the events of Black Day. Design your character and face the abominations of Arkham. Explore the 1920s through a Lovecraftian aesthetic as you unravel the secrets that plague Arkham, facing unknowable cosmic horror and malicious abominations.
What I Like Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
The depth of character creation starts the game off on the right foot. While appearance has various options, the game provides greater variety in motives, age, and origins, adding different gameplay elements. For example, age reflects lived experience and physical competency. The younger your character, the less experienced but more physically capable. This dynamic requires trial and error to find the best choice for you.
The paper cutout art provides a unique interpretation of a familiar (but stylish) Lovecraftian aesthetic. While not the most haunting execution of the Lovecraftian, it still manages to unsettle and unnerve while maintaining visual interest. That said, if the style doesn’t suit the player’s taste, Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones might leave that player wanting.
While I find the story engaging and the mysteries worth exploring, there’s a massive caveat to that claim. Regardless, if you fancy the Lovecraftian, few care as deeply and express as much knowledge of the genre as Cultic Games in this installment. This love and knowledge shines through in the often subtle allusions and references to the expanded universe. It may earn its place as the most Lovecraftian game out there.
The characters vary in interest and likability, but there’s usually something about them to add to the overall mystery. Naturally, this remains most evident in the companions that accompany the player on their journey.
In terms of horror, Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones achieves notable success. Despite the subjective points of aesthetics, the game brings out the most unsettling and uncomfortable elements of Lovecraftian and cosmic horror.
Tropes, Triggers, and Considerations
With an understanding of the Lovecraftian comes the question of how to deal with racism. Most properties try to remove this context, but Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones recognizes the text and era (the 1920s) with caricatures such as a lunatic in blackface. I won’t say it fully explores these toxic elements, but it’s not painted in a positive light.
Insanity and mental illness play a large role in the mechanics of the game, such as becoming a key component of casting spells. Loosely related, drug addiction and usage are mechanics with varying degrees of necessity depending on your build.
If these are deal breakers, perhaps give Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones a skip.
What I Dislike about Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
In terms of story, this game is unfinished, leaving many plots, quests, and arcs with unsatisfying cliffhangers. My understanding is that Cultic Games planned to finish the game, but money ran out, and the focus shifted to an upcoming prequel. I imagine the goal is to use this new game to support a continuation. But that doesn’t change the unfinished state of Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones. The beginning and middle remain filled with content, but the final act (loosely stated) falls monstrously short.
While this unfinished state mostly affects content, I did run into game-breaking bugs. From my understanding, these bugs completely hinder progress. Most are avoidable, but some are unlucky draws.
It’s these points that make this a challenge to recommend, requiring the potential player’s careful consideration.
Final Thoughts
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones accomplishes what many games fail, bringing to life the Lovecraftian. Unfortunately, this game falls short at the end and leaves game-breaking bugs as potential deterrents for full enjoyment. If what you read above entices you, it may be worth the investment. However, it’s unfair to recommend this game within its compromised state.
(2 / 5)
Gaming
Ashen (2018), a Game Review
Ashen (2018) is a souls-like action RPG developed by A44 and published by Annapurna Interactive available across all platforms.
Ashen (2018) is a souls-like action RPG game developed by A44 and published by Annapurna Interactive. This game provides a single-player and multiplayer experience with passive multiplayer mechanics. For this review, I am discussing the 39.99 Steam release, but it’s also available in the Epic Game Store, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation.
In this bitter world, your character seeks to make a home for yourself and others. This goal requires you to fight for every inch of land, building connections and alliances to maintain a thriving village. Venture further to make the world a more hospitable place, but know the further you travel, the greater the threats.
What I Like about Ashen
In 2017, Ashen earned a nomination for the Game Critics Awards’ “Best Independent Game.” It would later earn several more nominations in 2019. At the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards, it received nominations for “Game, Original Role Playing” and “Original Light Mix Score, New IP.” It was nominated for “Most Promising New Intellectual Property” at the SXSW Gaming Awards. Finally, at the Golden Joystick Awards, it earned a nomination for “Xbox Game of the Year.”
The multiplayer experience remains essential for Ashen, focusing on you and a partner venturing together to explore an open-world environment. However, the single-player experience is my focus and the game accounts for this gameplay. Ashen often pairs you with a villager who helps with the challenges.
The art style remains a plus throughout the gameplay. Though muted in colors and lacking finer details, the style creates a unique world that allows players to get lost along their journey. If the aesthetic doesn’t evoke that curiosity, then Ashen becomes hard to recommend.
Vagrant’s Rest and the inhabitants remain a strong incentive to continue on your journey. Seeing the progression of the town and building connections with the people provide the most rewarding experience.
In terms of horror, the art style often evokes an eerie atmosphere. However, I won’t go so far as to say the game is haunting. Instead, it evokes emotions that can unsettle and unnerve the gamer.
Thoughts and Considerations
The souls-like influence remains straightforward. Progression requires the player to defeat enemies and collect currency for weapons or certain item upgrades. Ashen simplifies and focuses its gameplay, reducing variety to polish its choices. The gameplay remains fluid, with a few hiccups that might be a computer issue.
If you prefer magic or defined classes, the gameplay doesn’t enable this variety. Item upgrades and choices define your playstyle, allowing most items to be playable at any stage of gameplay.
Weapons make a greater difference in playstyle. Most of these differences are self-evident (i.e. blunt weapons are slower but stun), but upgrades make any weapon viable. You pick an aesthetic and function, sticking with it until something better catches your eye.
What I Dislike about Ashen
As mentioned, the game had some technical issues. I often assume this to be my computer, but I did note a few others mentioning similar issues. The gameplay remains fluid, so take this comment as a small point of consideration.
With limited roleplay options, liking the characters or art style remains essential for your time and money investment. As mentioned, the game doesn’t hold the variety of FromSoftware, which means their selling point comes from that unique art style and world.
Passive multiplayer is a major part of the marketing for Ashen. While I don’t mind this mechanic, 6 years after release reduces the overall impact. When so few wanderers appear in your game, it’s hard to see the overall appeal.
Final Thoughts
Ashen delivers a highly specialized souls-like experience, preferring to perfect what it can at the cost of variety. If the art appeals and the thirst for a souls-like has you wanting, Ashen stands as a strong contender. However, there are many contenders which make this hard to overtly recommend.
(3 / 5)
Gaming
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1995), a Game Review
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1995) is a point-and-click horror game based on Harlan Ellison’s award-winning short story.
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1995) is a point-and-click horror game based on Harlan Ellison’s award-winning short story of the same name. Developed by Cyberdreams and The Dreamers Guild, this adaptation brings a new perspective to a familiar story. I heard of free purchasing opportunities for this game but cannot verify the quality. For this review, I played the 5.99 Steam release.
Play as one of the remaining humans on earth: Gorrister, Benny, Ellen, Nimdok, and Ted. Each faces a unique challenge from their common torturer, the AI supercomputer known as AM. Chosen by AM to endure torment, these challenges require the participants to face their greatest failures and tragedies.
What I like about I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
Having experienced this story a few times, Harlan Ellison provides the most substantive execution of his vision and moral questions in this game. While all have individual merits, I assume the added content and context better dive into the relevant points he hoped to explore. He also played the voice of AM, giving us the emotional complexity of the machine as he saw it.
As the above comment indicates, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream remains a faithful adaptation with only one notable change. While that one change does reflect in that character’s journey, it uses that opportunity to the fullest. Where the short story left room for potentially inaccurate interpretations of the characters, this added context makes us better understand them.
The game’s writing remains a selling point for this story-driven experience. It dives further into the lore of the human characters and even allows further development of AM in the process. There are many ways to progress, and the multiple characters allow gamers to adventure further if stuck. That said, progressing individual characters to complete their journey remains essential for the true ending and experience.
As a point-and-click game made in 1995, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream holds up well. In many ways, it pushed the genre in its time with dynamic storytelling and game features. Harlan Ellison was someone who pushed boundaries to challenge himself and others. He saw the gaming industry as another opportunity to evoke story-driven art, a focus reflected here.
Thoughts, Triggers, and Considerations
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream adapts a dark and bleak story from an author notorious for his dark material. This game is no exception to that standard. Mental illness, sexual assault, genocide, and torture envelop the game. These elements are handled with attention but remain triggering to those sensitive to such dark material.
If these are deal breakers, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream will likely earn a skip.
What I Dislike, or Considerations, for I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
While the short story remains a haunting example of fiction in every sentence, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream doesn’t evoke the same tension. It allows room to breathe or refocus on another character, which reduces the horror such a story evokes. While the characters participate in their torment, the loss of agency and hopelessness doesn’t translate in the execution.
Some mechanical and gameplay issues are noteworthy. For example, the saving mechanic remains dated, piling up if you save often or for specific reasons. Most of the mechanical issues stem from outdated UI from a gamer of a more modern era. Play it long enough, and elements start to click, but it needs that user investment.
Point-and-click caters to a niche audience, so modern gaming audiences aren’t inherently the demographic. The puzzle-solving and gameplay won’t win you over if the genre isn’t to your taste. Even within the genre, many of the puzzles remain challenging. For fans of the genre, this likely earns a positive merit. For those looking to continue the short story, this challenge will prove an obstacle.
Final Thoughts
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream provides a new opportunity for the award-winning story to reach new audiences and continue to grow. Not satisfied with repeating his story in a new medium, Harlan Ellison expands this bleak world through the point-and-click game. While not as haunting as the short story, this game provides the most context and development of any adaptation before it.
(4 / 5)
