Wrapping Up 2020

As you may have noticed, I haven't been very active on here lately. Suffice to say, 2020 has really done a number on my mental health.

Back in March, I made the spur-of-the-moment decision to go back to my hometown. The idea was that if there was a lockdown, I'd be spending it with my parents rather than on my own in my student accommodation. The only problem was that I ended up staying at home for six months, losing the independence I have at university. When you're getting closer to 30, living with your parents can really cramp your style. Especially when you've gotten used to living away from home. In normal circumstances, I would have gone home for Easter then stayed in my accommodation over the third term. After all, I would have still been paying rent for the term - although they did waive that instalment - and there's more to do in the town than in the country. I just don't have the social life at home that I have at university, so summer gets lonely. Most of the people I grew up with finished university long before I started, and are living further afield now. Those who aren't are working full-time and possibly have kids. 

This pandemic happening on the tail-end of a strike by the Universities and Colleges Union meant that I missed the last month of teaching. Fortunately, the university extended all post-March deadlines and implemented a "No-Detriment" policy to ensure that marks affected by the loss of teaching time would not affect overall grades. I was able to pass my second year, but since I wasn't able to celebrate with my friends on the course, I didn't get much of a sense of accomplishment out of it. I hit a major creative slump after running out of deadlines, but I did finish the first draft of a screenplay for Camp NaNoWriMo in July.

One of my biggest highlights of the summer is my annual visit to the Swanwick Writers' Summer School, but that got cancelled as well. That hit me pretty hard, especially because I wasn't able to do much over the summer. My parents went on a couple of walking holidays, but I wasn't invited. I don't actually like walking holidays, but I was resentful of the fact that they could go on holiday when I couldn't, not having access to a car and public transport being too unreliable in the country.

I went back to university in October, but pandemic student life feels a lot like a soulless 9 to 5, which I originally went to university to get away from. I have one virtual class every week, and another class every other week which was on campus for one session and subsequently moved online. Everything else is my portfolio. Societies have either moved online or haven't gone ahead, and I can't have parties unless they're online.

Anyway, anything good happen this year? Well, I was finally able to (legally) watch The Mandalorian. The second season has been fantastic, and I'll say it's been almost as good as The Empire Strikes Back. I also got to finally experience my favourite roleplaying system, Savage Worlds, as a player rather than as a GM. I've even on occasion been allowed to playtest a setting that's in the works.

I hope this vaccine gets rolled out soon.

Fuck off 2020.

The Fools Who Follow

I've moved back to my university accommodation now. And trying to build a new social life on Discord. Anyway, I've mentioned before that one of my biggest social activities has been role-playing games. I'm in the university's game society, and we had our online taster session during Freshers' Week.

Always looking to offer players a game which isn't 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, I stumbled across a quick game called The Fools Who Follow, a narrative-focussed game by Richard Woolcock.

Taking place in a fantasy world, The Fools Who Follow relentlessly mocks the "Chosen One" cliché found in many fantasy stories. The said Chosen One is Prince Rufus, the wielder of the legendary Starblade who is destined to vanquish an evil sorcerer king. The only issue is that he's an irresponsible plonker who's more interested in having a good time than saving the world.

The players assume the role of Rufus' companions, who have to keep Rufus out of trouble and ensure he stays on the quest. However, the GM assumes the role of Rufus, whose purpose is to do anything but further the quest. There is a table which the GM can roll on to determine what Rufus gets up to, and how it pans out. For example, I had one occasion in which he had wandered off to a nearby tavern in the night and ended up losing his magic sword in a bet. And one of the options involves him ending up butt naked.

The Fools Who Follow utilises a system I've discovered recently called Tricube Tales. As stated above, the system has a greater focus on narrative than on character building. Instead of classes, characters have a "calling". All skill rolls are done with two six-sided dice, with the aim to roll at least a 4, 5, or 6 on one die depending on the difficulty of the task they're rolling for. If the task fits a character's calling, they roll an extra die, giving them a better chance of success. If it's outside the scope of their calling, they only roll one die.

Overall, it's a fun game and good for chaotic scenarios. However, it may be difficult to prolong the humour for a campaign. Granted, I haven't tried running a campaign, but I think it's probably suited towards one-shots.

I especially like finishing scenarios with some Looney Tunes style cliffhanger. For example, the quest in the one-shot was to recover a magic gauntlet with a gem that glows when it's wielded by the Chosen One. At the end of the scenario, I narrated how Rufus puts on the gauntlet, admires the glowing gem...which stops glowing after he starts scratching his crotch with the gauntlet.

The Fools Who Follow is a free download, available from Richard Woolcock's website here. I highly recommend it after a few drinks.

Franchise Reviews - Pirates of the Caribbean: Wrap Up

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a strong film, and remains one of my favourite films to this today (not quite my top ten, but a strong contender in my top 20). It's a fun revival of the Hollywood Swashbuckler, with an interesting moral: Just because someone is a criminal doesn't mean they aren't a good person. They had a breakout character audiences loved, and a franchise to give him more adventures.

The only trouble is that the later films were marred by complex stories and lore, along with lengthy diversions. I still love the action and humour, but even that begins to become more cartoonish and slapstick-heavy as the films went on.

I'm going to steal "borrow without permission" something from The Nostalgia Critic which pretty much fits the view I hold of the franchise, albeit slightly tweak it:

1. The Curse of the Black Pearl: Awesome.
2. Dead Man's Chest: Kind of awesome.
3. At World's End: A little less awesome.
4. On Stranger Tides: Hey, let's see what the ninjas are up to.
5. Dead Men Tell No Tales: There's a fifth one?

I feel that the filmmakers wanted to keep escalating the fantasy elements. There's supposed to be another one in the works at some point, but I sometimes wonder if it's time to scale back the fantasy. To paraphrase another critic; "Why can't Jack Sparrow just go after buried treasure or something?"

In conclusion, I'd say just watch the first one. The rest don't add much.

Franchise Reviews - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

 

I got so bored that I gave up on my first viewing. Dead Men Tell No Tales (also known as Salazar's Revenge) is the latest instalment in the franchise, released in 2017 (six years after On Stranger Tides). And I can tell they're out of ideas.

The film takes place 22 years after the events of At World's End, introducing a new protagonist in the form of Brenton Thwaites as Henry Turner. The son of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, Henry seeks The Trident of Poseidon, which he believes will free his father from his service as captain of the Flying Dutchman. To that end, he seeks the aid of Jack Sparrow, who is looking to recover the Black Pearl after finding it in a bottle from Blackbeard's magic. Unfortunately, Jack has been abandoned by his crew after a failed robbery in Saint Martin. When he barters his magic compass for a drink, he unwittingly frees Captain Salazar - an undead Spanish pirate hunter played by Javier Bardem - from the "Devil's Triangle" he'd been imprisoned in many years earlier. Salazar begins attacking Captain Barbossa's privateer fleet and enlists his aid in hunting Jack down. Meanwhile, Jack and Henry also team up with Carina Smyth, an astronomer and horologist played by Kaya Scodelario.

A lot of this film seems to be a re-hash of the previous films: Jack is trying to recover the Black Pearl; Henry trying to save his father from being Davy Jones is pretty much the same thing as Will trying to save his father; David Wenham plays a carbon copy of Norrington without the sense of honour an sympathy; and even Salazar's undead crew has pretty much been done before. I do quite like Salazar's backstory though, and it even serves as an interesting origin to Jack Sparrow. So why didn't they just make the film about that? I'd love to see an origin story story for Jack Sparrow. It just doesn't make sense that Salazar would escape from the Devil's Triangle if Jack ever relinquished his compass. He's done it before, in the previous films.

They also reveal that Carina is actually Barbossa's long-lost daughter, but he's reluctant to acknowledge it. I think they could have done more with that as well. I also like Jack's introduction: when the new Bank of Saint Martin is being unveiled, they find Jack asleep in the vault. With the governor's wife. His crew attempt to pull the vault away on horses, and end up taking the whole bank with them. I do quite like the action sequence, but I think it's gotten way too cartoonish at this point.

All in all, I think this one can be passed.

Franchise Reviews - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

 

I've heard it be said that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was the film people were afraid The Curse of the Black Pearl was going to be. At World's End had a pretty solid ending but left some scope for more stories; Cutler Beckett is dead, Will Turner has taken the place of Davy Jones as captain of The Flying Dutchman, and Barbossa has stolen the Black Pearl (again) with the intention of finding the fabled Fountain of Youth using Sao Feng's navigational charts. Except Jack Sparrow had managed to steal the charts and go off himself.

Anyway, the film opens with Jack in London, attempting to save his first mate Joshamee Gibbs. After getting captured, he's brought before King George II and offered a place in an expedition to find the Fountain of Youth before the Spanish can. Leading the expedition is Captain Barbossa, who has become a privateer in the Royal Navy after losing his leg and the Black Pearl. Jack refuses to serve under Barbossa and escapes, when he learns that someone has been posing as him to assemble a crew. Said impostor is a former love interest named Angelica, played by Penelope Cruz. She kidnaps Jack and reveals herself to be the first mate and long-lost daughter of Blackbeard, the notorious captain of Queen Anne's Revenge, played by Ian McShane. Blackbeard is also seeking the Fountain of Youth, because he fears a prophecy that he'll be slain by a one-legged man.

At this point in the series, I sometimes wonder if they could break up the fantasy quests with something a little more down-to-earth every once in a while. Going after the Fountain of Youth is all well and good, but they have to make it needlessly complicated. The quest involves finding two silver chalices which belonged to Spanish Conquistador Juan Ponce de León, and one of those must contain the tear of a mermaid. Two people must drink water from the Fountain with those chalices, and the person who drank out of the chalice without the tear ends up giving their life to the one who drank from the chalice with the tear. I suppose it illustrates a sense of immorality in immortality. Compare this with the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: You have a temple with several traps serving as trials, and the Grail is hidden amongst many false grails which drain life.

Blackbeard seems too similar to Barbossa and Davy Jones, especially with his magic sword which controls his ship.

Jack Sparrow is still fun to watch, and the action is still entertaining. I think they mainly want to focus on what kind of creative action set pieces they can conceive. Which renders the fantasy elements unnecessary.

All in all, I think you can skip this one. I originally did.

Before I go, I'd like to state that this film borrows quite heavily from On Stranger Tides, a 1987 swashbuckler fantasy novel by Tim Powers, mainly its use of Blackbeard and The Fountain of Youth. The book is often credited as being one of the original inspirations for both Pirates of the Caribbean and the Monkey Island series. I sometimes wonder if they should have done a straight-up adaptation as a stand-alone film, rather than attaching it to an existing franchise.

In conclusion, skip the film, but check out the book.

Franchise Reviews - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

 

How long is this movie? And where did all this lore spring up from? Released in 2007, At World's End was filmed back-to-back with Dead Man's Chest.

Anyway, here's a recap; Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl were dragged to Davy Jones' Locker (an afterlife) by the Kraken. Norrington has stolen Davy Jones' heart and delivered it to Lord Cutler Beckett. Will, Elizabeth, and Jack's crew seek refuge with a voodoo priestess named Tia Dalma, played by Naomi Harris. She reveals that they could rescue Jack by making a journey to the World's End (not the pub in Newton Haven). As they need a captain who knows the way, she has resurrected Captain Barbossa.

Okay, that's a decent setup for a sequel. But they've added more plot on top of that: Beckett seeks to eradicate piracy, and is using the heart to leverage Davy Jones into serving the East India Company's fleet now commanded by Admiral James Norrington. He carries out summary executions of anybody remotely associated with pirates, which prompts a summoning of the nine pirate lords who comprise "The Brethren Court". Unfortunately, Jack happens to be one of those pirate lords, and had never appointed a successor. Which means his crew have to rescue him from Davy Jones' Locker (which was their plan anyway). But to do that, they have to go to Singapore to obtain navigational charts from Captain Sao Feng, the Pirate Lord of the South China Sea played by Chow Yun-Fat (even though Barbossa was supposed to know the way). On top of that, there's supposed to be some goddess called Calypso, whom Davy Jones once loved, and Sao Feng believes that Elizabeth is Calypso bound in human form, and wants to release her to help fight off the company. Just get to the bloody final battle we've all been waiting for. And whoever kills Davy Jones has to take his place (ferrying souls to the afterlife).

Yeah, I wasn't keen on this one. They crammed more story and characters into it, on top of an already complex story set up in the previous one. It just results in even more exposition. Meanwhile, Will and Elizabeth have a tense relationship because Will saw Elizabeth kissing Jack when she left him to die at the end of the previous film. That didn't really add much to the last film either.

However, I still like the action, especially the explosive finale, and all the characters are still fun to watch. I'd have loved to see the other pirate lords involved more in the story, but the film's long enough as it is. There's even an interesting cameo by Keith Richards as Captain Teague, who keeps the record of the Pirate Code and is also Jack's father. Apparently Jack Sparrow's mannerisms and design were based quite heavily on Keith Richards. That's kinda hilariously meta.

I'm dreading the next one.

Franchise Reviews - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

 

The Curse of the Black Pearl was a movie with a tight ending. The curse was broken, Barbossa is dead, Will and Elizabeth plan to marry, and Jack Sparrow sails off in the Black Pearl for more adventures. That last part alone could provide plenty of scope for sequels. The first of these was Dead Man's Chest, released in 2006.

Will and Elizabeth's wedding is disrupted by an untimely arrival from East India Company representative Lord Cutler Beckett, played by Tom Hollander. He has them both arrested for aiding Jack's escape, but offers Will a pardon if he recovers Jack's compass which doesn't point north (which has magical properties). Meanwhile, Jack Sparrow learns he is indebted to Davy Jones, a pirate Cthulu played by Bill Nighy who had given him the Black Pearl 13 years earlier. In return, Jack must serve on board Jones' ship, The Flying Dutchman, or he'll be hunted by the Kraken. Jack learns that he could defeat Jones by destroying his heart. Said heart is buried in the fabled "Dead Man's Chest", but he has to find a key first. To complicate things, Jack is also being hunted by James Norrington, who has resigned his commission in disgrace after losing his flagship in a hurricane while pursuing the Pearl.

This is where these films fall flat. The story is very convoluted and falls flat in places. Roughly the first half of the film is taken up by a rather lengthy diversion in which Will tries to save Jack from a tribe of cannibals. It's funny. but it does reach a Wile E. Coyote level of slapstick and doesn't really contribute to the later story. To be perfectly honest, they could have just cut Will and Elizabeth out of the story. Jack's debt to Davy Jones would have been enough, maybe with Norrington.

I also think they went a little over-the-top with the fantasy element, even if I do like the designs of Davy Jones and The Flying Dutchman's barnacle-encrusted crew. I guess they wanted to upstage themselves.

That said, it's still an enjoyable film. I quite like one segment where Jack is wandering through a tavern during a brawl and trying on people's hats to replace one he'd lost.

I also enjoyed a creative three-way sword-fight between Jack, Will, and Norrington, as their motivations for obtaining the Heart of Davy Jones come into conflict with one another: Jack wants to use leverage to call off the Kraken; Will wants to kill Davy Jones so he can free his long-lost father, who's serving The Flying Dutchman's crew; and Norrington wants to use the heart as a bargaining chip with Beckett, so he can regain his honour and status. They fight through a ruined church tower, and later on a dried-up water mill which breaks off and rolls away. It's creative, if a little cartoonish.

Curse of the Black Pearl was awesome. This one...kind of awesome.

Franchise Reviews - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

The first film is, without a doubt, the best film in the franchise. A classic pulp swashbuckler re-constituted as crowd-pleasing blockbuster action (which has been one Hollywood's cash cow formulae since it worked so well with Star Wars).

Johnny Depp stars as Jack Sparrow, the former captain of a notorious pirate ship, the Black Pearl. Ten years before the events of the film, Jack was deposed in a mutiny by his first mate Hector Barbossa, played by Geoffrey Rush. While looking to steal a ship, Jack is arrested in Port Royal after saving the life of the governor's daughter Elizabeth Swann, played by Keira Knightley. Elizabeth is then kidnapped by Barbossa over a gold medallion in her possession, as he believes she is the key to breaking a curse he and his crew are under. Will Turner, a blacksmith's apprentice played by Orlando Bloom and the original owner of Elizabeth's medallion, seeks to rescue her and enlists Jack's help.

You'd never think a film based on a ride at Disneyland would be successful, but they pulled it off brilliantly. Johnny Depp steals the show as the delightfully quirky Jack Sparrow right from his grand entrance. He's a fast-talker, and likes playing everyone off against each other, from Barbossa to Will to Elizabeth's fiance Commodore Norrington, played by Jack Davenport. His peculiar mannerisms and snappy dialogue have become so distinct that most modern audiences regard him as the iconic pirate (a post previously held by Robert Newton).

While Johnny Depp is the star, Jack Sparrow isn't the protagonist. It's Will Turner who goes on the hero's journey, and has the arguably more heroic goal; he wants to save Elizabeth, while Jack wants to reclaim his ship. He also learns about the medallion, which was sent to him by his late father Bootstrap Bill.

I really love the action sequences this film has. One of my favourites is a sword fight early on between Jack and Will. The blacksmith's shop where it takes place offers all kinds of creative moments. I also love the design of the Black Pearl crew's true forms. It's quite funny when Barbossa's monkey is also undead, and gets in a jump scare on Elizabeth. He does it again later in the film, but Elizabeth (and by extension, the audience) is unfazed the second time around.

All in all, it's a film you should see at least once.

Franchise Reviews: Pirates of the Caribbean

This is the week I was meant to be at the Swanwick Writers' Summer School, but since 2020 has pretty much been cancelled, I'm spending the week at home rather than in the picturesque Derbyshire surroundings.

I've got a couple of virtual events, and I'll post about that in due course. I'm also working on a couple of my pirate stories.

With that in mind, I decided to keep getting use out of my Disney+ subscription and watch the Pirates of the Caribbean films. I've often heard people say that this was the film franchise which made pirate films cool again, twenty years after the failure of Nate and Hayes (which I talked about here). It's probably one of Disney's biggest live-action film franchises (unless you count Star Wars now).

Anyway, I'll be posting my review of the first film later today, and I'll be posting the rest in due course.

Western Weekends - Davy Crockett and the River Pirates

After Davy Crockett's success on TV and cinema, Disney were inspired to make a couple more episodes. Despite the fact that the series and the film ended with most of the characters getting killed at the Alamo and Davy making a last stand in what TV Tropes refers to as a "Bolivian Army Ending" (a reference to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). Anyway, they decided to make a prequel consisting of two more episodes which also had a theatrical release in 1956 under the title Davy Crockett and the River Pirates. Unlike the first film, which loosely followed Crockett's life as a frontiersman and politician with a highly romanticised element, Davy Crockett and the River Pirates is entirely fictional. Even the opening theme song explicitly states this.

In the first story, Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race, Crockett and Russell are looking for a market to trade pelts and encounter a blowhard keelboat captain named Mike Fink. Not wanting to pay an extortionate sum for passage to New Orleans on Fink's boat, the pair try and acquire their own boat and crew. When Fink learns of this, he gets Russell drunk and tricks him into challenging him to a keelboat race to New Orleans. The rest of the story follows our heroes as they learn about boating and try to win the race while overcoming numerous obstacles and Fink's dirty tricks.

In the second story, Davy Crockett and the River Pirates, Crockett and Russell are abducted by Chickasaws who are preparing to go to war with the local settlers following a massacre. They deduce that a gang of river pirates have been masquerading as Native Americans, prompting reprisals from settlers. Hoping to avert a war, the pair team up with Fink and his crew to bring down the pirates.

Overall, the film isn't too bad. There are two decent adventures, and both Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen continue to give off good performances as Crockett and Russell. However, the true star of the show is Jeff York as Mike Fink. He is delightfully over-the-top, and so fun to watch. Yes, he starts out as the antagonist, but he later becomes a staunch ally of Crockett, which means he can keep stealing the show. He's similar to Falstaff, with his bawdiness serving as a foil to the more upright Crockett.

While the miniseries is hard to find, both Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier and Davy Crockett and the River Pirates are available on Disney+. I think they're both worth a watch.

Western Weekends - Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier

I've looked at a couple of "Twilight of the Old West" stories, like The Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Rockstar's Red Dead series. I thought I'd mix things up a bit by looking at a "Dawn of the Old West" story. With this in mind, I'm looking at a classic American folk hero, Davy Crockett. Specifically his portrayal by Fess Parker in the 1950s Disney adaptation.

Davy Crockett was initially a three-part miniseries on the anthology series Walt Disney's Disneyland. It stars Fess Parker as Davy Crockett, and Buddy Ebsen as his sidekick Georgie Russell. The miniseries follows Crockett and Russell as they go on numerous adventures:

• Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter follows the pair as they serve as scouts under General Andrew Jackson during the Creek Wars. They butt heads with Jackson's second-in-command, Major Tobias Norton, and Crockett later duels with a Creek war chief named Red Stick
• Davy Crockett Goes to Congress has Crockett going to settle new land in Tennessee. After learning that a local bully named Bigfoot Mason has been running Cherokee families off their land and re-selling it, he becomes a magistrate for the region and arrests him. He later runs for the state legislature to oppose Bigfoot's attorney, and subsequently gets elected to The House of Representatives.
• The final episode, Davy Crockett at the Alamo follows Crockett as he decides his next adventure will be to fight in the Texas Revolution. With Russell, a  cowardly riverboat gambler named Thimblerig, and a Comanche known only as "Busted Luck", they travel to Bexar (present day San Antonio) and join the Texans being besieged in an old mission known as The Alamo.

I haven't seen the original series, but would very much like to. Fortunately it was re-edited as a feature-length film in 1955 titled Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier.

The film is certainly a product of its time, and there's a greater focus on the myth than the man, so if you're looking for historical accuracy, you're in the wrong place. For example, Crockett is shown to be good friends with Andrew Jackson when the latter becomes president. I don't know whether or not that was the case, but I have found that Crockett was a vocal opponent of many of Jackson's policies, most notably the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

Crockett and Russell are likeable characters, and the adventures they go on are kind of fun. It does make the final part quite poignant, as it's made quite clear that Crockett isn't going to survive when Mexican Troops storm the Alamo.

I feel like this series was probably akin to the Pirates of the Caribbean of its time, being Disney's landmark live-action franchise. Yes, it's romanticised, but it's still enjoyable.

In fact, it became so popular that it spawned a prequel. I'll talk about that tomorrow.

I've got the main theme song stuck in my head now...

Western Weekends - Deadlands: The Weird West

Another feather in the cap for my Western Weekends series; role-playing games. I've previously stated that with the move to virtual table-tops like Fantasy Grounds and Roll20, role-playing games have been my primary social activity these past few months. And recently, Pinnacle Entertainment released a reboot of their landmark franchise: Deadlands: The Weird West.

Like the name suggests, The Weird West takes place in The American West, but utilises horror and steampunk elements. The exact year is 1884, but history had skewed into an alternative timeline at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. In this alternative history, the American Civil War continued for longer than it did in our history, ending at The Battle of Washngton in 1871. A massive earthquake hit California in 1868, creating a labyrinth of canyons known as "The Great Maze". It was here that prospectors discovered a superfuel known as "Ghost Rock", which was used to fuel powerful war machines. In this world, players can roam the West dealing with all manner of mundane and weird threats.

Since this is made using a system without classes, you have a lot of freedom with which to make characters. Sure, you could be a gunslinger, a bounty hunter, or a Native American warrior. You could even be a magic user of some kind:

• Blessed, pious souls whose powers come from divine entities as gifts for good behaviour;
• Chi Masters, martial artists who channel spiritual energy directly through their own bodies;
• Hucksters, who gamble with malevolent entities for powers;
• A sub-group of Hucksters, known as Hexslingers, use rune-cast guns to cast some of their spells;
• Mad Scientists, who are inspired by those same spirits to build their contraptions;
• Shamans, who get their powers through bargains with nature spirits.

The Savage Worlds system is great for cinematic games, and handles Wild West gunfights really well. It ultimately depends on who's running the game, but the system is pretty accommodating. It can be especially funny when your plans are ruined by poor die rolls.

I've been collecting a lot of different sourcebooks for this system over the past couple of years, and I'm looking forward to trying them out with either online communities or my university's game society.

On a side-note, I often say that this was the setting that made me want to become a writer. My brother gave me an earlier version of the rulebook when I was 17, but my group had drifted apart at that point. I loved the world so much that I decided to write a story in it.

Western Weekends - The Hateful Eight

Last week, I looked at Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, describing him as the Quentin Tarantino of his day. This week, I figured I'd take a look at Tarantino's second Western film; The Hateful Eight.

Samuel L. Jackson plays Major Marquis Warren, a former cavalry officer and Civil War veteran working as a bounty hunter in Wyoming. Stranded in the wilderness with three bodies he's taking to Red Rock to claim bounties on, he hitches a lift on board a stagecoach with two other passengers:

• John Ruth, a bounty hunter known as "The Hangman" for his tendency to bring bounties in alive so they can be hanged, played by Kurt Russell; 
• Daisy Domergue, a wanted fugitive whom Ruth is taking to Red Rock, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh; 
• They later pick up Chris Mannix, a former Confederate partisan who's due to take a post as Red Rock's new sheriff, played by Walton Goggins.

With a blizzard bearing down on them, the stagecoach driver O.B., played by James Parks, has the group take shelter at Minnie's Haberdashery. At the lodge, the passengers find that Minnie is apparently away, and there are four other people present:

• Bob, a Mexican man who claims to be acting as custodian while Minnie's away, played by Demián Bichir;
• Oswaldo Mobray, an Englishman travelling to Red Rock to serve as the new hangman, played by Tim Roth;
• Joe Gage, a laconic cowboy travelling to meet his mother, played by Michael Madsen;
• Sanford Smithers, a former Confederate General on his way to his son's funeral, played by Bruce Dern.

As all parties endure the blizzard outside, both Warren and Ruth suspect that something is amiss, and soon everybody is at each other's throats. Mannix has a lot of respect for Smithers, whom his father served under, while Warren holds a grudge against him for his war crimes. Meanwhile, Ruth believes that one or more of the lodgers aren't who they say they are, and may be plotting to rescue Daisy.

This film is very reminiscent of a classic whodunit, with a group of characters confined to one location. It isn't long before the bullets start flying and the blood is spilled. It is a Tarantino movie, after all.

The name does live up to its title. Well, the "hateful" part. There are actually nine people in the lodge, since O.B. the stagecoach driver is present. Oddly enough, it's Daisy who's the most sympathetic character for most of the film. Warren has a rather graphic confession he gives to Smithers, and Ruth constantly beats Daisy (but I get the feeling he probably treats most of his captives this way, regardless of gender). She constantly slings insults and taunts him, and it's never really stated what she's wanted for.

The mystery does develop when someone poisons the coffee, killing O.B. and Ruth when they drink it. Warren becomes more suspicious of everyone, but ends up being able to trust Mannix because he almost drank the poisoned coffee too.

I don't want to spoil anything, but I think the ultimate development was a bit of a cop-out.

All-in-all, the build-up is good, but once the violence ensues, the film goes a little downhill.

On a final note, I'd like to say that this film had an original score composed by Ennio Morricone, who passed away this week.

Western Weekends - The Wild Bunch

It's 4th July, so happy Independence Day to my American readers. It's also Camp NaNoWriMo, so I'm working on that while resisting the temptation to start another play-through of Red Dead Redemption II. With that in mind, I've decided to take a look at one of the films which has had a significant influence on the Red Dead series; The Wild Bunch. Released in 1969 under the direction of Sam Peckinpah, this ultra-violent epic revisionist Western deals with outlaws in a rapidly changing West in a new century.

William Holden plays Pike Bishop, the ageing leader of an outlaw gang known as "The Wild Bunch". After a botched robbery in which most of the gang were killed, Pike flees across the border to Mexico with the survivors: Pike's right-hand-man Dutch Engstrom, played by Ernest Borgnine; the brothers Lyle and Tector Gorch, played respectively by Warren Oates and Ben Johnson; the young recruit Angel, played by Jaime Sánchez; and old-timer Freddie Sykes, played by Edmond O'Brien. They find themselves working for General Mapache, a debauched and corrupt warlord in the Mexican Federal Army, played by Emilio Fernández. Robert Ryan plays Deke Thornton, a former member of the Wild Bunch who has agreed to hunt down his partners in exchange for a pardon. He's placed in charge of a posse of bounty hunters assembled by the railroad company, who are probably more ruthless and trigger-happy than the people they're hunting.

This ended up being one of the most violent films of its time, with large-scale and bloody shootouts at the beginning and the end of the film. This was made at a time when the Spaghetti Western was popular, and placed further emphasis on the violence and amorality of the Wild West. The Wild Bunch takes this a step further, and portrays a bleak and savage world where even children are capable of cruelty. The opening has several shots of a group of kids gleefully tormenting scorpions with fire ants in a pit, which they then set alight. And near the end, when Mapache is torturing a rebel by dragging him behind his car, there are kids chasing after him, poking him with sticks, and even riding him. Those scenes are actually grimmer than the shootouts.

The opening shootout establishes the world perfectly. The Bunch attempt to rob a cache of silver from a railroad office, but the railroad's posse are waiting in ambush. The Bunch attempt to escape using a parade organised by the local Temperance Movement, but the bounty hunters fire on them anyway, and many civilians are killed in the crossfire. And when the surviving members of the Bunch escape, they find their loot consists of steel washers rather than the silver coin they hoped for, revealing that the whole thing was a set-up. Thornton argues with the railroad's chief of security, Pat Harrigan, stating that the townspeople should have been warned, but Harrigan had refused out of fear of tipping them off. In other words, lives were lost and neither side got what they wanted.

Amateur historian me is going to take over for a bit, as it's not clear exactly when this film takes place. The general consensus places the exact year as 1913. This is suggested because Mapache is mentioned to serving General Victoriano Huerta, who ruled Mexico as a military dictator from 1913 to 1914. However, there are a few mentions of "the war" - presumably the First World War - which didn't start until 1914, and which the USA didn't take part in until 1917. There's also mentions of General Pershing stationing troops across the border, which happened in response to Pancho Villa's raid on Columbus, New Mexico in 1916.

If you look past the violence, you'll find what's actually a bleak story of outlaws who refuse to accept a changing world. Of course, if violence isn't your thing, then I can recommend Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It's a similar story but without the violence, and it was released in the same year. Actor Strother Martin actually appears in both.

Western Weekends - Blazing Saddles

I could use some laughs right now. With this in mind, I decided to take a look at Blazing Saddles. Directed by Mel Brooks - which he co-wrote with Richard Pryor - this 1974 comedy relentlessly mocks many of the tropes and cliches used in Western films, but also puts emphasis on the racism which was prevalent in the American West.

The ruthless attorney general Hedy Hedley Lamarr, played by Harvey Korman, is intending to profit off an upcoming railroad as it's diverted to the frontier town of Rock Ridge. His henchman Taggart, played by Slim Pickens, is sent to sack the town in a bid to drive the townspeople away. The townspeople (whose collective surname is Johnson) respond by petitioning Governor William J. Le Petomane, played by Mel Brooks, for a new sheriff. When Lamarr hears about this, he decides to appoint Bart, a black railroad worker played by Cleavon Little, who was due to be lynched for fighting Taggart. He believes that when a black sheriff is appointed, the townspeople will be so offended that they'll leave. After befriending The Waco Kid, an alcoholic gunslinger played by Gene Wilder, Bart slowly overcomes the hostility of the townspeople and moves to foil Hedy's scheme.

Let's be honest; the Western is a very whitewashed genre. In fact, it's estimated that a quarter of cowboys working on the cattle drives were African-American. So it's quite refreshing to see a western film with a black protagonist. Yes, there is hefty use of racial slurs. But it also depicts the racist characters as...well...morons. Those who don't change their attitudes get their comeuppance.

The characters are all a blast to watch. Bart is a quick thinker, and devises all kinds of zany schemes to solve the problems he faces; including taking himself hostage to avoid being shot when he arrives at Rock Ridge. The Waco Kid is battling the personal demons which accompany his mythic reputation, with a tragic backstory that's side-splittingly hilarious. Mel Brooks even steals the show with his cameos: the lecherous, cross-eyed, and incompetent governor; and a Yiddish-speaking Sioux chieftain.

The climax is fantastic. The battle between the Rock Ridge residents and Hedley's private army (which includes Mexican bandits, Ku Klux Klansmen, Nazi soldiers, and according to his demands, Methodists) spills out into a neighbouring set where Dom DeLuise is shooting a top-hat-and-tails musical number, and then into a commissary where it becomes a pie fight.

All in all, it's a funny movie, and worth seeing.

Western Weekends - High Plains Drifter

Content Warning: This post will contain a brief discussion of sexual assault.

Last week I looked at High Noon. This week, I'm going to look at something more in line with the return of Deadlands which inspired me to revive this series. Released in 1973, High Plains Drifter is the first of several western films to be directed by genre icon Clint Eastwood. It combines High Noon, The Magnificent Seven, and A Fistful of Dollars, but also combines a possible weird element.

Eastwood plays a wandering gunslinger known only as The Stranger, who has recently arrived in the frontier mining town of Lago. Not long after arriving, he kills three local toughs who harassed him. Instead of being charged, he is given the job they had; to protect the town from a reprisal by Stacey Bridges and the Carlin Brothers, who are due to be released from the territorial prison where they were sent for murdering Lago's marshal, Jim Duncan. Through a series of flashbacks, it's revealed that the outlaws whipped the marshal to death in the street, in full view of the townspeople (which is only the tip of the iceberg). The Stranger initially refuses to help, until he's offered "anything" and takes the offer literally. He takes over the town and makes peculiar demands, up to and including having the town painted red.

While High Noon and The Magnificent Seven utilised heroic protagonists, this one doesn't. After arriving in the town and killing the three gunfighters, The Stranger rapes a woman who deliberately bumps into and provokes him. That does make it difficult to root for the protagonist, and it doesn't really contribute to the story (although the same woman does later sleep with him willingly as part of a plan to ensnare him when some of the townspeople rebel against his rule). Granted, the whole point of the story is that Lago's residents are all terrible people, but nobody deserves that.

That aside, there is still a lot of speculation about who The Stranger actually is. Some claims are that he's Jim Duncan's brother looking for revenge. It's also strongly implied that he is Jim Duncan, who has come back from the grave to punish the town for their role in his murder. As stated above, they're all terrible people, with only two exceptions: Mordecai, a barbershop employee with dwarfism who's bullied by everyone around him, but is made both the sheriff and the mayor by The Stranger; and Mrs Belding, the hotel owner's wife, who is revealed to be the only person who tried to intervene in Jim Duncan's execution.

The film does feel slow and kind of silly in some places, like The Stranger's initial arrival in town being something akin to the West's biggest staring contest. But I like how The Stranger's demands on the townspeople create an uncomfortable atmosphere. And the eerie soundtrack, combined with the subtle and implied paranormal element work together to present something that's actually quite haunting.

I'd say it's worth at least one viewing.

The Job Interview

It’s been a while since I’ve had a job interview. I’m not cut out for 9 to 5 life, and kind of disreputable after my spectacular exit from my last job. I’d seen an ad for a company called Kronos and sent them my CV. Now they’re offering a virtual interview.

I’m a little nervous; I can’t find much information about the role, or the company.

I’m all set up for the video conference, and the interviewer’s webcam is misaligned. Their face is out of shot, and focussed on the Persian cat sitting on their lap.

“Good morning Mr Roberts,” he says with a smooth voice and an accent I cannot determine, “I’ve been expecting you.”

“Nice to meet you.” I try to keep a straight face, “Thank you for taking the time to see me. I’ve been intrigued by your employment packages. What kind of company is Kronos? I couldn’t find much while researching you.”

“We diversify into all manner of fields. Our biggest is tourism. We operate companies in London, New York, Hong Kong, Mumbai, St Petersburg, and Cairo. If you’re successful, you’ll be based at our head office in the South Pacific.”

“Wow,” I say, “Sounds like an impressive empire. Are you seeking to expand further?”

“Oh, we intend to go worldwide.”

“Considering the political climate, it’ll be nice to get away for a bit.”

“I understand that you were dismissed from your last job, and then took some time out to go to university.”

“That’s correct.”

“Your background is in finance, but your degree is in Creative Writing.”

“Yes, I wanted to expand my creative network and dedicate more time to what I enjoyed.”

“And you’ve listed table-top roleplaying games as your hobbies. I bet you love designing lairs for players to go through.”

I can’t help but laugh.

“You’re a role-player too? Yes, I love designing lairs.”

“I think you’ll fit in nicely,” the interviewer says, “You’re smartly dressed for this interview. Don’t worry; we provide uniforms at the site. Boiler suits, specifically.”

I feel my heart race. It’s looking hopeful.

“One final question, to gauge creative thinking; if you’re a villain and have captured a secret agent, what kind of death-trap would you put them in?”

“I’d probably just shoot them,” I’d say.

The video screen goes black. Something tells me they won’t be in touch.

Western Weekends - High Noon

I've been trying get back into a writing routine lately. Since I've been doing another playthrough of Red Dead Redemption and received early access to the new edition of Deadlands: The Weird West, I thought I might start by reviving my old "Western Weekends" series. The other day, I watched Trumbo, a biopic about screenwriter Dalton Trumbo who was blacklisted for being a member of the Communist Party. With this in mind, I decided to take a look at High Noon. This 1952 classic Western was written by another blacklisted screenwriter, Carl Foreman.

Gary Cooper stars as Will Kane, the marshal serving the frontier town of Hadleyville. It's both his last day on the job and the day of his wedding to Amy Fowler, played by Grace Kelly, and they have plans to move to another town to set up a shop. Unfortunately, the wedding is interrupted by the news that Frank Miller, an outlaw whom Kane brought to justice, has been pardoned and is due to arrive on the noon train. Frank's old gang are waiting for him at the station, and it's clear that he's looking for revenge. Kane is sent away, but since he's still marshal and believes fleeing will delay the inevitable, he opts to stay and confront the past; over the objections of his new wife, who's a devout Quaker and pacifist.

The film takes place in real time, as the clocks tick down towards noon, during which Kane tries to recruit a posse to help him confront Miller's gang. But nobody is willing or able to help him, for every conceivable reason: The judge who sentenced Miller is also fleeing; Kane's own deputy is embittered over Kane not recommending him as the next marshal; some townspeople were Miller's friends, or were bitter that Kane cleaned up the town to begin with; others are afraid that a gunfight would discourage investment in the town; even one person who willingly stands by Kane has second thoughts when he finds out that nobody else has volunteered.

The build-up is great, especially one scene in the church. Kane tries to recruit people from the congregation, and even gets some willing people until someone initiates a debate. By the time the noon train arrives, Kane realises he's fighting alone.

I've read that John Wayne turned down the role because he saw the story as an allegory for the blacklist. Will Kane is going against popular opinion, like many people in the film industry who were dealing with the witch hunts of the Red Scare.

It's not action-packed, and it doesn't need to be. It's all about the build-up.

No Swanwick This Year

Well, I finally received the news today. My annual visit to the Swanwick Writers' Summer School isn't happening this year. I suspected this would be the case for some time, but I'm still saddened by the announcement.

I can't imagine how stressful it's been for the committee, especially because the ball hasn't entirely been in their court. The Christian Conferences Trust, who manage the Hayes Conference Centre where the retreat is held, had been intending to re-open by July with social distancing measures in place. If the school committee had intended to cancel when the venue was still willing to accommodate them, they could still be charged for the booking. Such a move, combined with having to refund everybody, would potentially result in the school going into liquidation. In other words, no more Swanwick, and another institution to hold a grudge against.

Fortunately, the Hayes have said they wouldn't be able to implement social distancing. That also means they're not invoking the cancellation clause, and there'll still be a Swanwick in 2021.

Swanwick has had a major influence on my life. When I went for the first time in 2016, I left thinking "I just want to write". I've gone back every year since, and it influenced my decision to go to university. In fact, last year it was the highlight of my summer. Pandemics aside, I live in a small town where there isn't much to do, and I don't have a lot of friends who live locally. Even my writers' group was two towns over. Being a mature student means that most of my friends from my school days have already finished with university and are living further afield. Even if they aren't, most are working full-time now. Some have even got kids. I got more social contact in the one week at Swanwick than I did for the whole three months I was home for the summer holidays. In other words, summer gets lonely, and I feel like a kid being told that Christmas is cancelled.

2020 would have been my fifth Swanwick, and I hoped to commemorate this milestone by running a course. Now that my assignments are finished, it would have given me something to work on with an external deadline.

The school's committee have previously stated that in the event of cancellation, those planning to attend had the option of a refund or their booking to be carried over. Personally, I think it's probably better for it to be carried over (this is something most festivals are encouraging people to do).

Well, maybe I'll be able to run my course next year.

Quarantine Life: Jackbox

A couple of weeks ago, I handed in my last assignment for my second year of university. And since the pubs are closed and most people are at home, organising a celebratory piss-up is kind of difficult.

Anyway, something I discovered while quarantining was Jackbox Games, who develop what can best be described as virtual party games. The idea is to run the games off a big screen, and players use a phone or tablet to take part by going to website and entering a four-letter code generated by the host. While the games are intended to be played by people in the same room, the game can be live-streamed via services like Discord or Twitch, allowing the host to share their screen with players elsewhere.

I was introduced to Jackbox by a member of a university society, and promptly picked up Jackbox Party Pack 3 on Steam so I could host my own games (and introduce it to my parents). The pack includes the following games:

Quiplash

This is a Cards Against Humanity-esque game. Players are given two prompts, and have to come up with a funny answer for each. Each prompt has answers from at least two different players, and the other players vote on which answer is the funniest. Points are awarded based on how many players voted for your prompt, with bonuses if everybody voted.  This is usually played for two rounds, and then in the final round, all the players are given the same prompt. This could either be an acronym or a comic with a blank speech bubble. Everyone else votes for their three favourite ones.

While you need a minimum of three players, it's better if you have more.

Trivia Murder Party

When I introduced the game to my parents, this ended up being their favourite. The players have been captured by a serial killer, who wants to host a trivia night. The killer asks questions with multiple choice answers, and any player who gets the questions wrong is forced to partake in a random mini-game. If they lose the mini-game, they die, but their ghosts can still take part. 

Once there is one player left, they must escape. During the escape phase, each round the player is given a topic and two answers. They have to tick which answers fit that topic, whether one, both, or neither. They go forward a space for each correct answer. However, the ghosts join after the second round, and are given a third option for the topic, meaning they can move faster. If a ghost overtakes the living player, they steal their body and become living. The first player to reach the exit wins.

While a lot of the questions relate to American pop culture, I think that can be part of the fun in not knowing the correct answer.

Tee K.O.

This one's a drawing game, in which the players compete to design t-shirts (with a host who sounds an awful lot like Matt Berry). The players draw two sketches, and then come up with as many slogans as possible. These are then shuffled and given to another player, who designs a shirt using the sketches and slogans. The players then vote on their favourite shirts, with points going to the player who designed the shirt.

Again, this is one best played with more than three people.

Fakin' It

I didn't really get this one, and neither did my folks. I think it's one which everybody has to be in the same room for.

Guesspionage

This is one which involves guessing percentages of an anonymous survey. One player gets how many people have done a certain thing, and the others have to guess if the correct answer is higher or lower than the player's guess. The player who guessed scores points if their guess is within 30% of the correct answer, depending on how close they are. The other players get points for correctly guessing if the correct answer was higher or lower.

If you have enough people, the audience can answer the questions in the survey.

Other party packs include Fibbage, in which players have to provide a wrong answer to a question, and then everyone has to determine the right answer, gaining bonus points if someone picked their lie.

It's a fun collection of games, and I definitely recommend giving them a go. You don't have to buy the games to take part, providing you have access to someone who does have them. It's good for a virtual game night.

Quarantine Binge-watching: Star Wars Rebels

The Force is definitely strong with this one. While procrastinating during this quarantine, I've recently finished binge-watching Star Wars Rebels on Disney+. First aired in 2014, this animated series was Disney's first contribution to the franchise, after re-branding the Star Wars Expanded Universe as Star Wars Legends. This basically meant that all the books, comics, video games, and other media produced up to that point is no longer part of the series continuity. The official "canon" would consist of the theatrical films, the Clone Wars animated series, and anything subsequently produced under the new management, starting with this series.

Star Wars Rebels takes place roughly fourteen years after Revenge of the Sith, and five years before Rogue One and A New Hope. We follow Ezra Bridger, a teenage con artist getting by on the Outer Rim world of Lothal. While attempting to steal supplies from the Imperial garrison, he ends up competing with a band of freedom fighters after the same supplies: Kanan Jarrus, a Jedi who escaped the Imperial Purge; Hera Syndulla, a Twi'lek ace pilot and captain of the Ghost, a freighter which serves as their base of operations; Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios, a Lasat warrior who acts as the team's muscle; Sabine Wren; a Mandalorian gunslinger, mechanic, and artist; and "Chopper", an irritable astromech droid. Ezra promptly joins the crew as they sabotage Imperial operations on Lothal and further afield, while also studying the Force under Kanan's tutelage. They also make friends with various other freedom fighters, gain new ships to form "Phoenix Squadron", and eventually help to establish the Rebel Alliance.

This show is like a blend of two of my favourite TV shows: Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Firefly. The show's creator, Dave Filoni, actually worked as a director on the first series of Avatar. The crew of the Ghost are a rag-tag bunch of misfits, but also fit a family model, with Kanan and Hera having an almost parental relationship with the others.

The show's animation helps produce some great action sequences, while some episodes provide a chance to delve into the emotional depth of the characters. For example, Kanan has had Jedi training, but he's not defined by it (a pitfall for a lot of Jedi characters in the prequels). There's also a chance to have encounters with characters from the films. I especially like the fact that it doesn't present the characters as entirely black and white. For example, the Ghost crew have several encounters with Saw Gerrera, a Clone Wars veteran who leads a band of rebels whom the Rebel Alliance actually regards as too extreme.

All four seasons are on Disney+, and I recommend checking them out.

Star Wars in Role-playing Games

Happy Star Wars Day! A holiday observed today because some once said "May the fourth be with you."

Anyway, to commemorate this, I'd like to discuss Star Wars in relation to role-playing games. I've often made the argument that role-playing games was what got me into writing in the first place. And my first experience of running a role-playing (as a host rather than a player) was the Saga Edition role-playing game developed by Wizards of the Coast (the company behind Dungeons & Dragons). First released in 2007, to commemorate 30 years of Star Wars, the Saga Edition provides baselines for running campaigns in any era of Star Wars. Unfortunately, the product line was discontinued in 2010, as Wizards of the Coast gave up their license.

While spending this lockdown at home, I found my old source-books, including my favourite; Scum and Villainy. This has material and adventures for working on the fringes of society, creating a Firefly-esque campaign where characters attempt to get by, while dealing with the Galaxy's criminal elements.

I'm interested in running such a campaign once I finish my assignments. However, instead of running them using the d20 system they're made in, I'd like to use my favoured Savage Worlds system. This is because that system is good for handling more cinematic adventures. There isn't an official source-book for running Star Wars in Savage Worlds, but there are plenty of fan-made guides, the most comprehensive of which is this video from The GM Table.

The main struggle with running such a game is the races. There are far too many to make a dedicated race list, so I'd follow GM Bobby's advice and just build them during a dedicated session zero. While he's teaching how to run with just the core rulebook for the Adventure Edition of Savage Worlds, I'm also looking at the using the Science Fiction Companion to help develop equipment and other setting rules. I'm also using a blog post by Rodney Orpheus to convert non-player character stat-blocks from d20 to Savage Worlds.

Well, it gives me something to look forward to once I finish my second year work. And thanks to the move to virtual tabletops, I should have no problem finding interested players.

Happy writing, and may the force be with you.

The Mandalorian

Yep, I'm still around. Still writing. Still procrastinating. I must admit that I've been getting a bit of a Star Wars vibe recently, especially after getting hooked on Star Wars Rebels (at the time of writing, I've just finished the second season). It's Star Wars Day on Monday, and Disney are planning to commemorate this by releasing Rise of the Skywalker on Disney+. Which reminds me, I never did that review of Solo.

Anyway, today I finished the first season of Disney's live-action series, The Mandalorian. Finally we Europeans can get some context to all those "Baby Yoda" memes of yesteryear. So, I figured I'd share my thoughts (I'll try and keep spoilers to a minimum).

The Mandalorian takes place roughly five years after Return of the Jedi. The Emperor is dead, the New Republic has been established, but there are still plenty of Imperials around. Pedro Pascal stars as the eponymous Mandalorian, known colloquially as "Mando". A member of a proud warrior clan, Mando travels the Outer Rim in his ship, the Razorcrest, and predominantly makes his living as a bounty hunter for a local guild chapter on the planet Navarro led by Greef Karga, a former magistrate played by Carl Weathers.

In the first episode, Mando is recruited to find a valuable asset for an unnamed Imperial client played by Werner Herzog. Said asset is The Child an infant who hails from the same race as Yoda. Mando soon finds he can't hand The Child over and goes rogue. The rest of the series follows him as he travels the Outer Rim looking for work, while also trying to keep The Child safe from the Bounty Hunters' Guild and opportunistic criminals.

Pedro Pascal does a great job as Mando. He doesn't say much, and his face is concealed behind his helmet, but it's still fun to speculate what's going through his head during his dealings with people. It's also nice to see that The Child is an actual puppet and not CGI. It's almost like a Mogwai from Gremlins.

I love the visual style, which adopts a "Space Western" aesthetic. There's even an episode lifted right out of The Magnificent Seven, in which The Mandalorian is hired by villagers on a backwater planet to protect them from raiders who have access to an old Imperial walker. Also hired is Cara Dune, a former Rebel shock trooper played by Gina Carano, devises a plan to disable the walker. The episode is actually quite poignant, because Mando contemplates leaving The Child at the village where they can grow up amongst other children whom they befriended. But then Cara ambushes a bounty hunter who's been tracking The Child, meaning they can't stay.

I also love some of the humour the series incorporates. You can tell that the writers are long-time fans. Another episode has Mando being recruited for a break-out job by his old associate Ran Malik. Malik's point man for the job is Mayfeld, a former Imperial sharpshooter. Upon learning this, Mando quips "That's not saying much." to which Mayfeld snaps "I wasn't a stormtrooper wise-ass!" What makes the scene funnier is the fact that Mayfeld is played by Bill Burr, who has openly stated he isn't a fan of Star Wars. The show's creator, Jon Favreau, stated that's why they cast him.

Well, I feel like I've caught up now. It was worth the wait, but I'm not in favour of such long gaps between American releases and European releases. It creates a demand that's potentially ripe for piracy. Making the wait a little more painful was the fact that they only released the episodes gradually, putting up the first two when Disney+ was released in Europe, and then releasing new episodes every Friday. Although that does make sense: it stops people from getting a free trial, watching all the episodes, and then cancelling. I think Disney+ needs to be a little more clear about when they're going to post the episodes.

Overall, I enjoyed The Mandalorian, and am looking forward to the next season, which premiers in October.

A "Trip" to Savagecon

One thing I had planned on doing during the Easter holidays was to go to Savagecon. Held in Redhill, this is one of the only UK-based conventions dedicated to the Savage Worlds role-playing system. I figured it would be a good opportunity to try out new settings and experience my favourite system as a player rather than a GM. After the quarantine led to the event being cancelled, the organisers decided to run a virtual convention via Discord and virtual tabletops such as Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds.

Session 1 - Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Jackets

Cockney accents and profanity were abound in the morning session hosted by Harrison Hunt (one of the principal organisers of Savagecon), running a gangster rpg called TuffGuys. An expansion of another game called Wiseguys by Eric Lamoureux, TuffGuys moves the setting from Las Vegas to London, and draws heavily from films like The Long Good Friday, Snatch, and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. 

The characters are members of The Holloway Firm, who come into contact with another organisation who are expanding on the Firm's territory. I assumed the role of "Crazy Dee", a football hooligan who does the occasional odd job for the Holloway Firm. 

Now, I don't actually follow football (which technically makes me a Stoke City fan, according to my flatmate's dad). As a quote on the character sheet identified Crazy Dee as a West Ham supporter, I ended up having a tab open with the Wikipedia article for West Ham so I could reference it. He was meant to be a brawler who mainly fights with his fists or improvised weapons, but I didn't get much opportunity to use that (the other heavy character went berserk during the main combat encounter, and pretty much wiped out the bulk of the enemies before I could close the distance). However, the GM (known in this setting as the Guv'nor) had decided that West Ham had won their last match, which gave me a free re-roll whenever I used my taunt skill. This ended up being used against several foes wielding sawn-off shotguns, with taunts so scathing they couldn't act.

This session was hosted on Roll20, but used physical die rolls. It looks like there are a fair few macros which need to be coded, and finding character sheets for the newer version of Savage Worlds can be tricky.

Session 2 - Devil Knows You're Dead

The second session was a setting call S.P.I.E.S, hosted by Owen Lean. This setting deals with all manner of occult and supernatural horror, combined with modern-day espionage. Forbidden tomes and bullet-proof tuxedos are abound in this one.

For the one-shot, the players are agents of the Supernatural and Paranormal International Espionage Service (S.P.I.E.S), an independent intelligence agency which deals with supernatural threats. My character, Destiny Tsang was a gunfighter from the American West, who ended up in the present day after a time warp. He was good at duel-wielding firearms, and also had a steel-rimmed cowboy hat.

This one was a lot more action-packed and cinematic (something Savage Worlds is built for), but I did end up wrapping up the story prematurely after shooting down the villain's helicopter with a six-shooter loaded with explosive bullets. Apparently the actual climax involved fighting a giant worm summoned in a ritual at the Giant's Causeway.

Like the previous session, this one was run on Roll20, but used macros for dice rolls and keeping track of resources. One thing I did like was the fact that the GM (or for this setting, the Director) had an "X-card" system in place; a card which anyone can anonymously play if they're not comfortable with campaign content or they think another player is being inappropriate. It's something I utilise in my own games, and a good way to make role-playing games more accommodating.

Session 3 - Trouble in Tripoli

The final session was Allen Wroe's pulp setting, Secret Files of Section D. This is another action-espionage one, which takes place in 1938. The players are members of a newly-established Section D branch of the British Secret Intelligence Service, dealing with unusual phenomena (similar to the S.P.I.E.S setting). This one definitely had a strong Raiders of the Lost Ark influence.

My character in this one was Franco Giovanni, a former associate of the Chicago Outfit who moved to England and became an independent consultant on organised crime for Scotland Yard before getting recruited by the SIS for missions in Italy or their colonies.

Unlike the other two settings, this game was hosted on Fantasy Grounds Unity. Unlike Roll20, which is browser-based, this one is software which needs to be installed. It took several attempts to connect to the game, and it seems to use a lot of processor power. Technical difficulties prevented the GM from sharing the battle-maps, so the climax of the game had to be done through theatre-of-the-mind and liberal use of the system's new "Quick Encounter" mechanics. Which was fine, because the climax of the game was spectacular. It's just a shame it wasn't so easy to utilise Franco's combat capabilities.

All-in-all, I had a lot of fun taking part in the sessions. I look forward to coming back next year, and taking part in more settings.

Toy Story - Wrap-up

Well, that was an interesting way of passing the time over the Easter weekend.

I think all of the Toy Story films are strong films, and the release gaps between them allows ample breathing space.

The first three films make a pretty solid trilogy. It's almost as if we as an audience are growing up alongside Andy Davis. In that regard, the fourth film could be a fresh start and a chance to get a new audience.

Overall, I think Toy Story 2 is probably the strongest film in the series. The theme of lasting forever is one I can identify with. Stinky Pete believes that when they're donated to the toy museum in Japan, they'll spend eternity admired by countless children. And while Pete was never played with, Jessie did have an owner who outgrew her. Pete warns Woody that such a fate is inevitable, while Buzz warns him that being in a museum means that he'll be admired but never played with; a toy's real purpose. In the end, he accepts that such a fate is inevitable, but he'll enjoy it while it lasts. Speaking as someone who went from 9-to-5 life to student life, which will inevitably end, I identify with this theme strongly. Nothing lasts forever, and I hope to be able to get a fresh start after finishing my degree.

Things have been pretty rough at the moment, with this quarantine and the gradual loss of things to look forward to. But these films are excellent "feel-good" movies, and a useful source of comfort through these hard times.

Franchise Reviews: Toy Story 4

I'm actually surprised they'd want to make a Toy Story 4. The previous film ended with Andy going to college and donating his toys to Bonnie. I suppose that did leave things open if they wanted to do another film. Well, it's a concept ripe for expansion.

 Since then, Woody has been struggling to come to terms with the fact that he's no longer the favourite toy like he was with Andy. Taking a big risk, Woody hides in Bonnie's backpack as she attends her kindergarten orientation, and discreetly provides her with some crafting materials, including a plastic spork he fishes out of a bin. Bonnie uses the materials to create "Forky" who unexpectedly comes to life in her backpack. When Forky goes through an existential crisis and keeps trying to throw himself away, Woody finds a new purpose in helping him adjust to life as Bonnie's favourite toy. When Forky is lost during a road trip, Woody leaves to get him back. During this journey, he re-unites with his old flame Bo Peep, who was given away by Andy's sister nine years earlier, and now walks the earth helping lost toys find owners. At an antiques store, the group meets Gabby Gabby, a pull-string doll with a faulty voice box, voiced by Christina Hendricks. Gabby soon covets Woody's voice box, and takes Forky hostage to get it.

This is a pretty solid sequel. I especially think it's nice to see Woody go full circle. In the first film, he's jealous of Buzz Lightyear, and fears he's going to be replaced as the favourite toy. This time, he tries to ensure that Forky stays with Bonnie. But if anyone steals the show, it's Bo Peep. She kicks a lot of ass, especially against the creepy-as-hell ventriloquist's dummies which serve as Gabby Gabby's henchmen. Christina Hendricks is also pretty good as Gabby Gabby. Defective out of the box, she yearns to become owned by the antique store owner's granddaughter, Harmony. Her villainy is actually downplayed. Yes, she takes Forky hostage, but she treats him well, and their discussions still make her sympathetic. And unlike Lotso, she actually does earn a redemption.

Another great character is Duke Kaboom, a Canadian stunt rider toy voiced by Keanu Reeves. He's cocky, but he's also suffering a major crisis of confidence after being disposed of by his original owner when he didn't live up to the standards of his TV advert.

I also think there's a lot more humour in this one. In one early scene, Woody refers to his conscience as his "inner voice" in a conversation with Buzz. This prompts Buzz to take the phrase "listen to your inner voice" literally, using his built-in phrases to guide his actions when he sets out to find Woody. It becomes a running joke, but it unusually seems to work out.

If there's anything which tops that, it's the arrival of conjoined carnival plush toys Ducky and Bunny, voiced respectively by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. There's a scene where Buzz has to obtain a key to the glass cabinet where Gabby is holding Forky. Ducky and Bunny suggest three increasingly hare-brained schemes to obtain the key by jumping the store owner, all of which are rejected by Buzz. It's then revealed they did obtain the key...because the owner left it in a saucer right next to their hiding place.

One rather sad part of the story occurs behind the scenes: Don Rickles had expressed interest in reprising his role as Mr Potato Head when the film was first announced in 2014. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2017. Instead of recasting him, Pixar utilised unused audio footage from the previous films and video games.

All in all, it's a worthy sequel.

Franchise Reviews: Toy Story 3

I only saw this film recently. Damn, it's actually kinda dark. I have no idea how I originally missed it. Happy Easter, by the way.

A long time has passed since the events of Toy Story 2. Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bullseye, Slinky, Hamm, Mr and Mrs Potato Head, and three aliens are all that remain of Andy's toy collection. With Andy due to leave for college, they're pondering what their ultimate fate is going to be (whether consigned to the attic, donated, or thrown away). After a misunderstanding, they get donated to Sunnyside Daycare Centre, which turns out to be a harsh dystopia where toys are subject to rough play by the toddlers. Ruling this prison is Lotso, a nihilistic teddy bear voiced by Ned Beatty. Meanwhile, Woody is determined to return home after finding that Andy intends to take him to college. He winds up in the possession of an imaginative child named Bonnie, and learns of Sunnyside and Lotso's true nature. He then becomes determined to rescue his friends.

There was an eleven year gap between the release of this film and the previous one, but Pixar were successful in re-uniting most of the cast. The only real exception was that Slinky Dog had to be re-cast, as Jim Varney had died three months after Toy Story 2 was released. In this film, he's voiced by Blake Clark. The other absence was Annie Potts, who voiced Bo Peep, a porcelain doll and Woody's love interest from the previous films. Presumably she was unable to commit to the role, but would return in the next film.

The film's opening is action-packed and epic. The previous films show Andy playing with the toys from an outsider's perspective, but this time we see it from his perspective. It shows how much the animation has improved in the fifteen years since the first film. I especially like the visual style of Sunnyside at night. The toys are confined to baskets and draws which give the impression of a cell block, with those rollercoaster toys laid across the top of the shelf to resemble barbed wire.

Lotso's a pretty good villain, almost to a Shakespearean level. He comes across as warm and welcoming when Andy's toys arrive at Sunnyside, but his ruthless side is revealed when Buzz attempts to negotiate moving the toys to the older children's classroom, restoring him to his factory settings and making him his lackey. His background reveals that he was the cherished toy of a girl named Daisy, along with a doll known as Big Baby, and a clown called Chuckles. When they were lost during a trip, they struggled home to find that Lotso had been replaced. He took over Sunnyside, with Big Baby acting as his enforcer. Chuckles was later repaired by Bonnie, but is still traumatised by his experiences.

I sometimes wonder if this film was being made for the cadre of existing fans. I was 16 when this film came out, and had not long finished my GCSEs. I can imagine that a lot of people who saw the previous two films in the cinema would be in the same boat. You've got Woody's loyalty threatening to create a genuine rift with the other toys, a clown doll with PTSD, Lotso's gang betting on the outcome of a "What the Farmer Says" toy (with Monopoly money), a Chatter Telephone who acts as a "Deep Throat"-style whistleblower, and a pretty harrowing climax following the epic prison break.

Another strong sequel that holds up really well. Even if I'm a newcomer to it.

Franchise Reviews: Toy Story 2

That Buzz Lightyear game has amazing graphics for a Super Nintendo title. Despite the jump button being "up".

I'd definitely consider Toy Story 2 a member of the "Superior Sequels" club, alongside The Empire Strikes Back, Aliens, and Hot Fuzz. It was also one of my favourite films from childhood. It was a rare treat to watch it again twenty years later and find that not only does it still hold up, but does so really well.

Woody is due to go to "Cowboy Camp" with Andy, but accidentally rips his arm during playtime. As a consequence, he's consigned to the top shelf and left behind. He sneaks off to rescue another toy from a yard sale, and ends up getting stolen by a toy collector named Al McWhiggin. After determining that Al is the chicken-suited proprietor of "Al's Toy Barn" from a TV advert, Buzz sets off to rescue Woody, accompanied by Hamm, Rex, Slinky Dog, and Mr Potato Head. Meanwhile, Woody learns that he was a character from a 1950s TV series, and meets several other toys based on characters from the show: Jessie, a cowgirl doll voiced by Joan Cusack; a horse called Bullseye; and Stinky Pete, an unopened prospector doll, voiced by Kelsey Grammar. When he learns that Al intends to sell them to a toy museum in Japan, he's faced with the choice of escape or a legacy.

One of this film's biggest strengths over its predecessor is the emotional depth of the characters. Woody becomes depressed when he's shelved, and has nightmares about Andy throwing him away. Later, he learns that Jessie has abandonment issues after her previous owner outgrew and donated her. It's a poignant montage. It's then revealed that Stinky Pete is resentful over never being played with, and is determined to go to Japan, where he believes he'll get the love and attention he craves. His calculating and methodical nature contrasts with his dim-witted character in the show. It's very similar to Kelsey Grammar's other big role as Sideshow Bob in The Simpsons.

The Lilliputian-style of the toys in the real world continues to provide some truly creative action sequences, such as the toys crossing a busy road disguised as traffic cones, unwittingly causing a pile-up along with some nail-biting tension as Mr Potato Head is forced to extricate his foot from chewing gum, unaware that a large concrete pipe which fell off a truck is heading towards him.

I also think this one has a lot more humour. We once again have the voice talent of John Ratzenberger, Wallace Shawn, Jim Varney (in what was one of his last roles), and Don Rickles. They all provided some great snark in the last film, but now they have more time to shine in this one. The funniest part is a fake blooper reel which plays during the credits, which Pixar had previously utilised in A Bug's Life the previous year, and would go on to utilise again in Monsters Inc.

Which...leads me to discuss an elephant in the room. One of the bloopers involved a casting couch joke, in which Woody finds Stinky Pete sweet-talking two Barbies in his box, offering them a role in Toy Story 3. This segment was removed in a Blu-Ray re-release of the film last year, and is also absent from the Disney+ version I just watched. Disney had announced that they removed it in response to the Me Too Movement (and it doesn't help that the film's director, John Lasseter, was fired by Disney over allegations of sexual misconduct). Personally, I'm not in favour of altering films in re-releases, because it risks creating another "Who Shot First" scenario. On top of that, it's like trying to claim it didn't happen. However, I do understand why they did what they felt they had to do, and it's not even part of the main film, so I have no desire to make a major issue of it.

Anyway, I think that wraps it up. But before I go, I'd say that the discussion Woody and Buzz have at the end of the film about the inevitability of Andy outgrowing them is kind of sweet. Spending my quarter-life crisis at university, I find myself relating to it now more than I probably would have when I was a kid.