Month: June 2019

Dungeons and Dragons – Brilliantly Weird

Posted on by in Gaming, tabletop

Whenever people think of gaming, it’s mostly about the next generation of consoles and how many individual hairs you can make out on a character’s arm. However, tabletop gaming is one genre that is often overlooked. When you think tabletop games, a lot of people’s minds go to those classic board games such as Monopoly and Scrabble, or Cluedo. A large amount of my childhood was spent playing those games – to the point where anytime my sister suggests we play Monopoly, I resist the urge to make a run for it. Despite a keen interest for most of my life in the wider world of tabletop gaming, I never really dove into it until 2016.

Every so often, my secondary school friends and I would go to the board game café in Oxford (Thirsty Meeples if any of you ever want to give it a go) and try out all sorts of games. From exploring haunted mansions to accusing one another of being a spy, some of our favourite memories have come from those sessions and I still love to go back from time to time.

Probably the most well-known tabletop game (at least to people my age) is Dungeons and Dragons. Whether you’ve seen it being played in tv shows or been dragged into it by your partner, most people have at least heard of it, even if they have no idea what it entails. I found D&D in year 5 when I was in my primary school’s tiny library which was mostly made up of worn books from charity shops. One of the shelves had a series of books called the Endless Quest. Despite being released in the 1980s/1990’s, they’d ended up in my school and I adored them.

Fun Fact: I used to write my own choose your own adventures.

In the style of Choose Your Own Adventure stories (like the Sonic one I used to read almost every day as a kid),  but based in the D&D worlds, these books gave you a fleshed out character with a backstory, that you followed through to one of the various endings. I can say with clear certainty that these books sparked my interest in fantasy writing, which is a genre that I read frequently and occasionally write in. Once I hit secondary school, I watched people play D&D online and read everything I could get my hands on but never got to play until I hit university.

I’ve been actively playing D&D for nearly two years now and I can honestly say that some of my best memories have come from those sessions. Having a portion of time set aside each week to just be someone else and to face the wacky shenanigans that the DM has created, is a great comfort. I know that no matter what garbage the world throws at me, I still have something to escape to and I have friends who will be there for me, even if I’m punching their character at the time. I do love playing as a character and escaping into it, but the role of DM always appealed to me, right from the start.

From writing to art to weird ideas that pop into my head late at night, I’ve always been a creative person. I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve written in different worlds, how many odd characters I’ve sketched concept art of and full storylines I’ve fleshed out but never properly written. When I realised that my work could bring joy to others, it inspired me to do more and to improve, something that I try to apply to everything that I do. So, when I decided that I wanted to try my hand at running a session, I was both excited and terrified. Especially since I’d somehow managed to agree to a session with seven players (SEVEN IS TOO MANY I CAN SAY THAT WITH CONFIDENCE)

Simultaneously the best five hours and most stressful five hours of my life. BRILLIANT.

After several weeks of preparation, panicking and sitting down with each of my players to help them through the process of creating a character, it was time to run the session. I had created a simple world, one focused on two warring cities, leaving plenty of room for change and expansion if my players liked what I had made. More than anything, I wanted my players to enjoy themselves. Our session was in the middle of exam season and we all had a lot going on in our personal lives, so an afternoon of just laughter and ridiculous antics was something that we all needed. Looking back on it, it was probably the second-best weekend of the year (with first going to Rezzed) and probably the most I’ve laughed in a long time.

The main message to take from D&D is that it is entirely what you make of it. If you want to go all in and have a detailed backstory for every NPC, region and rock that your players come across, go for it. If you’re just making it up as you go along and only really have names for the core elements of your story, that’s great too! No player or DM will be the same, meaning that basically anything is possible. For example, my players in their attempt to escape a jail cell, decided to distract the guard by singing One Direction, then failed to steal his keys so the sorcerer of the group chose to blast half the guys face off with their Chromatic Orb spell (or as they referred to it, DEADLY BALL OF DEATH). It also produced probably the most relatable quote for all DM’s:

“You can build the most intricate world you want, but someone will throw a sandwich at it” – CaitlinRC, 2019. Just replace the sandwich with any of the weird things your players get up to and it’s far too relatable.

I give myself two months before I have more dice than clothes.

As overwhelming as D&D can appear to new players, there’s not actually a lot to it. Sure, the character sheet looks intimidating but at its core, D&D is about roleplaying and the luck of the dice. You can have a ridiculously sneaky thief who sets off every alarm in the building, just by them failing a roll. It’s an experience that’s hard to put into words because it’s such a personal experience. I’ve only run one session and I can say that hands down it was the most fun I’ve had playing the game yet. Even if my players did make me want to pull my hair out sometimes (looking at the player who decided to run away from literally every plot point), I can’t wait to run a game for them again.

There’s an incredibly satisfying thing about D&D. Whether it’s successfully pulling off a ridiculous manoeuvre that really shouldn’t work out but does (like using a bomb to allow you to surf your shield over a wall) or watching as your players unravel the prophecy you gave them, you feel a sense of joy and achievement. Even though it’s all fictional and often luck based, sometimes having those little wins can have a big impact on your mood. I know from experience that I’ve walked away from games with a massive grin on my face and memories that can still make me laugh to this day. Having something like that in your life can be a major boost to your mental health.

Obviously, there is so much more to tabletop games than just D&D, but I haven’t yet had the chance to explore those. I’ve had a brief run in Call Of Cthulhu and had a phenomenal time at Rezzed playing various board games (seriously the board game room at Rezzed is great, people should spend way more time in it) but overall, I have only scratched the surface of this incredible genre of gaming. If you have any suggestions of tabletop games I should try, or just regular games, do let me know, I’d love to try any and all of them!

Until next week,

CaitlinRC

Professor Layton – This Article Reminds Me of A Puzzle

Posted on by in Gaming

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a massive fan of the Professor Layton games. As a kid, I was always (and still am) a major nerd when it comes to puzzles. Logic puzzles, riddles, you name it. So, when wandering through a game store, looking for something to spend my birthday money on, I spotted Professor Layton and the Curious Village. I read the back, saw the word “puzzles” and was instantly excited – running over to my mum and showing her with a massive grin on my face.

The puzzles, the story, the characters and the music are all a part of what makes this series so impactful to people like me. It reminds me of Agatha Christie, just with a bit less murder and trauma (though Miracle Mask STILL MAKES ME CRY). It was a passion I shared with one of my closest friends, Olivia. We used to sit and watch the cutscenes during lunchtimes, chat about the characters and share inside jokes that others had no clue about. To this day, we still share the occasional meme about it.

To this day I still frequently come back and play through the games again. It’s interesting to see which puzzles I find easier now that I’m older. For example, I’m a lot better at sliding block puzzles nowadays than I was as a kid – I cannot tell you how high the move counter was back when I was eleven, mainly because I think it stopped when you got to 999. I’m still horrific at visualising what a cube should look like when you fold up the given net but that’s why we have walkthroughs.

My brain cannot cope with these types of puzzles

The Layton games take a lesson from the Star Wars films, where the first three games are not canonically the first in the timeline. Once the creators realised the popularity of the games and the loyalty of it’s fanbase, they created the prequel trilogy which delved into the past of the character’s, explaining how Luke and Layton met, what Layton’s past was like and introducing fan favourite Emmy (aka my ninja wife). Each of the six main games are brilliantly written, with emotional interactions and dramatic twists throughout, all pieced together by the brilliant mind of gaming’s favourite gentleman.

Here’s a CaitlinRC synopsis of each of the games, in canonical order:

  1. Spectre’s Call – Introduces Emmy, you get to meet Luke in the days before his time with Layton – features sadness, soul resounding music, rooftop jumping crows, corrupt police, a whole lot of mist, Emmy’s quest for sweets and giant over the top mechanical creations (LOOKING AT YOU DESCOLE)
  • Miracle Mask – A more Layton focused game, we switch between his teen years with his best friend and the present day – with carnival shenanigans, Luke on a feisty donkey, EMOTIONS, the robot revolution, a terrible storybook, the blame game, Indiana Jones but cooler and child endangerment.
  • Azran Legacy – Ties up many of the loose ends in the series, with a world travelling adventure with our favourite envoy of ancient civilisations Aurora who just needs LOVE AND HUGS OK. Probably the most emotional of all the games – with BETRAYAL, the most dramatic egg hunt ever, terrible parenting, A VERY TRAUMATIC FINALE, bridal vanishing acts, Duck Layton and snowmen.
  • Curious Village – Probably the hardest game in terms of puzzles but also very heart warming. You meet Don Paolo aka Oh God Its Him Again and get to spend time with sweetheart Flora, featuring – cat chasing, Tetris Hotel Edition, WHY DOES THIS VILLAGE HAVE A DRAWBRIDGE, angry Ferris wheels, far too many chess puzzles, sewer exploration and Layton having the most dramatic escapes ever.
  • Pandora’s Box – Probably the oddest out of the games, considering some of the twists and turns but still an intriguing story and good moments of suspense, following the myth of Pandora’s Box and trying to uncover what its true nature is. Featuring – angsty vampire grandad, the weirdest train ride ever, disturbing disguises, treasure hunting, THAT HAMSTER, Layton being a badass, a very odd baby and dramatic revelations over tea.
  • Lost Future – Time travelling hijinks, future versions of themselves and a whole lot of emotional upheaval. Thrown into Future London, Layton and Luke try to track down the missing prime minister and scientists, whilst avoiding the eye of “Evil Layton”. Featuring – furious rabbits, far too many stairs, STOP HURTING LAYTON HE DESERVES HAPPINESS GODDAMIT, angry youths, the destruction of London, ridiculous massive robots like what the hell where did you get all the resources for it and crying in a river.
Why are Layton villains always so extra?

There are also three additional games in the Layton universe, that take place separately – Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright, Layton Brothers Mystery Room and Layton’s Mystery Journey. There is also a feature film based around Layton which is genuinely good (surprising I know) called Professor Layton and The Eternal Diva. Layton vs Phoenix follows an intriguing story with courtroom segments and puzzle segments whilst Mystery Room is a series of condensed cases in a more “investigative style” following Layton’s son Alfendi and his … strange alter ego. Meanwhile, Mystery Journey follows Layton’s daughter Katrielle, who is searching for her father through establishing a detective agency and solving cases.

Although the games have not yet been ported from the DS/3DS consoles, a few of them are available on mobile – which you should give a shot if you haven’t experienced the series before. Mystery Room is a good starting point, it gives off a Sherlock Holmes vibe whilst staying true to the Layton narrative. Plus, the first few cases are free so if you don’t like it, then your bank account doesn’t need to worry!

A well-designed game series is one you can come back to and enjoy it more each time you play it. I’ve played through all the games more times that I can count but manage to discover something new every single time. Whether its character dialogue providing subtle hints to future events or quiet references to past games, it is clear how much love and care the developers put into these games. Every puzzle, every spoken line, every chord of the music, it is all given the attention it deserves to make these games shine. (Though Layton’s appearance in PL vs PW is a tad unsettling)

Note to self: Don’t stand between Layton and the truth.

I can’t exactly explain why, but the Layton games have always brought a sense of calm and peace to me, even when my anxiety is running rampant. I often listen to the soundtracks to cope with my panic attacks, focusing on the music and the memories it evokes in order to slow my heartbeat and breathing back to a normal pace. I’ve built up an association between the series and my happy memories, to the point where I know even talking about the games can put a smile on my face.

We should aspire for our lives to have a positive impact. Be it through spreading a message, raising awareness or just bringing joy to people, if your work can make the world around you a better place then you have lived life to the fullest. Humans are inherently social and cooperative creatures, forming unbreakable bonds with friends and family members, sharing experiences be they good or bad. For me, the Layton games have been that source of light. It’s something I can share with my friend. It’s given me so many good memories and provided me with a coping mechanism for the anxiety I’ve fought all my life.

I could ramble on for hours about these games, but I think you should experience them for yourselves. Try any of them and let me know what you think of them, as well as any games you would like me to talk about in a future article! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go watch the cutscenes from Miracle Mask and cry like the grown adult I am.

If you play any of the Layton games, play this one.

Be sure to like, comment and follow the site for updates on all future content 😊

See you soon,

CaitlinRC (@OurMindGames)

Octopath Traveller: A Kraken Good Time

Posted on by in Gaming

Opening a game and immediately being told to choose between eight characters, is a tad daunting, to say the least. However, I am a sucker for story-driven RPG’s so I didn’t let it put me off and threw myself into the game, starting with H’aanit – because I saw she had a snow leopard as her best friend and I wanted in on that immediately. When you choose a character at the beginning, you are given a basic description of their personality, abilities and where their story is going to go. The eight you must choose from are:

  1. H’aanit: A hunter, who can tame beasts to help in your quest and is loyal to the balance of nature. Has a pet snow leopard and is phenomenal with a bow. A good starting character for anyone unsure of where to begin with this behemoth of a game.
  • Alfyn Greengrass: An apothecary, who travels the land providing care and treatment to anyone who needs it. Can be extremely powerful if you learn how to mix ingredients properly, but difficult to master.
  • Primrose Alezhard: Her story line is not for the fainthearted. After witnessing her father’s murder at a young age, she grew up as an exotic dancer, trying to survive and searching for her father’s killers. Proficient with a dagger and able to buff her teammates during battle, she is not to be overlooked.
  • Cyrus Albright: He is a scholar, with ridiculously powerful magic attacks that can affect multiple enemies at once. I’d recommend making him a staple in your party, especially if you’re out grinding levels for a weaker party member. Word of warning though, he’s a bit of an idiot, which can cause you to cringe in response to his actions.
  • Ophilia Clement: The best darn healer in the game. You want her in your party, always. ALWAYS. She is a kind, sweet girl who deserves the world and I will MURDER ANYONE WHO HURTS HER. Anyways. She can also inspire NPC’s to fight by her side, giving you that extra edge in battle.
  • Tressa Colozone: A merchant, whose appeal doesn’t seem majorly obvious at first. Her storyline is about discovering herself and improving her “merchant skills”, which isn’t that interesting but her ability to pick up endless amounts of loose change from the ground is essential for being able to afford those shiny new swords.
  • Olberic Eisenberg: A knight, who can probably beat you to death with his little finger if he wanted to. He is a very honourable man, seeking the truth behind his friend’s betrayal of the king they served. A tad cliché but you can’t help but like him, he’s a good man and one of the heaviest hitters in the game.
  • Therion: A thief, with the ability to steal anything off anyone (if the percentage gods are in your favour), and after a failed robbery, ends up on a mission to retrieve some valuable artefacts and track down his childhood friend. Not the best fighter but stealing is fun, right? Right?
H’aanit or Olberic are good starting characters, as they have a strong enough attack power on their own. Once you have one of them, go get Ophilia because lord knows you’ll need a good healer.

Whoever you choose to start the game with, is locked into your party until you complete their storyline. However, you can still meet every other character and experience their stories, coming back to your main character’s tale when you think you are ready for it. Like most RPG’s, you can have four character’s in your party at a time, meaning you can’t have all eight of the adventurer’s at once and encourages you to switch out your companions to suit the situation you are facing. You can switch characters at an inn, which are present in every single town you come across – so you don’t have to run across the entire world every time you want Ophilia in your party. The only restrictions on who you can have in your party, is the character you chose to start with and the character whose storyline you are attempting to follow (because you can’t really follow Therion’s story if he isn’t there)

Octopath Traveller is a game more suited for handheld systems like the Switch. Not because it is a short game, but because like any RPG, you can get a bit fed up of it if you play for too long at a time. Boss fights can take half an hour, so being able to work your way through a dungeon to a boss, then take a break and come back to kick its butt, is quite relaxing. Save points are frequent, normally right after you complete a section and are always present right before a big fight, so you don’t need to trek all the way back if the boss pounds you into a bloody pulp.

The first thing people will notice about Octopath, is that it is a beautiful game. Developed in a 2D-HD style, the world is mesmerising. Every place you go to is unique, no location looks like a replica of another, even dungeons can range from mansions to caves, to sewers and abandoned ruins. The sprites of your characters are expressive and a joy to watch, especially when executing new moves in combat. However, the best art in the game must go to the bosses. Typically, the enemy sprites are small, around your size or slightly bigger, depending on the monster. However, bosses, have gigantic unique sprites that are incredibly detailed and stun you for a moment when you first enter battle with them.

Who doesn’t want to attack a giant demon bird thing.

The soundtrack of a game often makes or breaks an experience. After all, a game can be as stunning and interesting as you want, but if the music is abrasive and irritating, you won’t want to play it as much. Trust me when I say, the game’s music doesn’t disappoint. Every location and character has their own unique theme. Tense cutscenes have dramatic music playing underneath it, sadder scenes make use of piano chords to tug at your heart strings whilst boss fights inspire you with kickass tunes (even when you are getting beaten to a pulp).

It’s hard to put into words how much I love Octopath, even though it’s story can be a bit weak in places (looking at you Tressa and Therion). A lot of people’s criticism of it, is that the stories are quite separate from one another. Excluding the “secret final dungeon” after you beat all eight stories and some specific side quests, there is very little linking the characters together. However, for me, this makes sense. We are all living our own stories, walking our own paths. Sure, I may be sat in the same coffee shop as about ten different people as I write this, but it doesn’t mean our journeys through life are intertwined in any way.

I think if all eight characters were linked together by the story, the game would lose its impact. By having four chapters focused entirely around a character, you get to understand them on a deeper level. Having so many playable characters means that the amount of attention you can give each one, is limited. So being able to break the story down and follow one person’s tale at a time, results in good character writing and storytelling, rather than reducing some of your party members to boring, rushed NPC’s with a brief backstory.

H’aanit speaks in a very Old English style, which takes some getting used to but LOOK AT THE KITTY.

More than anything, Octopath is about travelling. Shocking, I know. No matter who you are playing as, you get to experience the world built by Square Enix with little concern for accidentally coming across story spoilers. The game lets you know the rough level requirement for an area, so you don’t walk into a level thirty forest when you are still only level twelve (totally not talking from experience). There’s something calming and fulfilling about Octopath. From the little interactions between your party members, to getting to know every NPC you come across, to exploring the lush landscapes and fighting everything you come across, this game is incredibly detailed and a lot deeper than most people expect.

A big example of this, is the combat. Like most RPG’s it is turn based, where depending on your character’s speed, each party member can make an action each turn (or several depending on your perks, thank god for H’aanit being able to attack twice). Enemies have a certain defence level that can be broken by attacking them using weapons/magic that they are weak against. Once their defence is broken, they are stunned, will not attack you for a turn and take greater damage from your attacks. All generic enemies have set weaknesses, that once discovered, will appear next to them in future encounters – so you don’t have to recall every single enemies’ weakness. Bosses, can change their weaknesses mid-fight, so be prepared to switch up your attacks and have a good range within your party, otherwise you might be wiped across the floor.

In summary, Octopath is probably one of my favourite RPG’s I’ve ever played. From the intricate combat system that forces you to think ahead and strategize, to the beautiful art style and haunting music, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with these characters and have sunk over a hundred hours into it, from the main storyline, to levelling up my weaker party members, to completing side quests and stealing everything I can (sorry not sorry). If you like RPG’s and want one you can really sink your teeth into, I cannot recommend it enough.

What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is mine.

What games do you recommend I try out? Which ones keep you up at night? Let me know in the comments and maybe I’ll write my next article on them! I’m currently thinking childhood nostalgia in the form of a certain puzzle solving gentleman. Remember to comment below and subscribe to my site so you get notified whenever I post a new article! If you want to keep up to date on what’s going on, follow me on Twitter @OurMindGames .

Until next time,

CaitlinRC.

Minecraft – A Far Bigger Part Of My Teenage Years Than I Care To Admit:

Posted on by in Gaming

It’s weird to think that Minecraft is over ten years old now. Even weirder to think about how I started playing the game about six or seven years ago. Up until that point, the only games I had played on the computer were flash games on websites such as Newgrounds or Friv. I have many fond memories of eating lunch as quickly as possible and then racing my friends back to the classroom, just so we could play Fireboy and Watergirl together. So, when my friend ran up and showed me the game, I was immediately hooked.

I spent several months just repeatedly playing the demo version of the game, as I didn’t have any way of purchasing the account myself (after all, I didn’t have a debit card or anything at the time). Eventually, I sidled up to my parents around Christmas time and showed them the demo of the game, expressing my interest in a way that was hardly subtle. I’m relatively sure my parents did a full look into it but on Christmas Day, my dad built the word “Minecraft” out of Lego’s and put it under the tree for me, though it did take me a minute to figure out what it meant (because come on, whose brain works at 7:30 in the morning).

I logged onto the game the other day and was immediately killed by a polar bear. WHEN DID WE GET POLAR BEARS?

Roughly three years of my life were spent playing Minecraft in my spare time, from playing online with new friends that I’d made or just messing around in survival. I found YouTubers who had a dedicated following for their Minecraft content, and I joined a community that although I am no longer a part of it, still had a big impact on me. In fact, some of my closest friends came from those communities and my online pseudo name harkens back to those times (looking at you RC crew).

At the time, I wasn’t sure why the game appealed to me so much. Sure, it was kind of like “living Lego” and as a kid, I loved building and creating my own structures – to this day we still have a box of Lego in the house. However, now that I’m older and wiser (probably), I can see all too clearly why the game became such a refuge for me. It made sense. It had rules. There were specific ways to craft the items you needed, a process to follow to achieve your goals. The real world didn’t have that.

We all fear that we will make the wrong choices in life. That the words we choose to express ourselves aren’t the right ones, that our decisions will always hurt someone no matter how hard we try not to. For some of us, this manifests in conditions such as anxiety. For as long as I can remember, the sheer volume of information and potential outcomes of situations has overwhelmed me. I’m terrified of missing a key piece of information, of selecting the wrong path.

So, a game where I control each aspect of the world, from the structures I create to the tools that I craft, is calming. I always know what the outcome will be, there are no unknowns to fear. No matter what enemy I come across or new environment they add, there are set rules and algorithms that I can follow to ensure my success.

Even the Nether makes sense once you get used to it (and don’t put down any beds!)

I know that concept must be confusing to some people but I’m also aware, that a few of you reading this can relate. Most of you probably think this rule bound and mathematical approach is taking the fun out of a lot of what makes Minecraft special, but it adds to it. Think about it. At our core, we are simply made up of atoms. These atoms combine to form elements, which are the building blocks of the universe. Everything we see in the world around us, is built from these simple particles, following the specific rules of creation.

The insane creativity of the community is what I believe has kept this game so popular, for so long. From designing your own texture packs to insane mods to custom made adventure maps, the game provides players with all the tools to basically reinvent the world. I remember spending countless hours building the perfect home from scratch in the game, collecting every resource possible and perfecting my simple abode with my limited artistic repertoire. Meanwhile, you look around and see scale models of Buckingham Palace; working recreations of games such as Space Invaders and even the game being used to teach kids how to code.

Even if the game isn’t your cup of tea, you can’t deny the impact that it has had on the world. Sure, the creator is… problematic to say the least, but the reach of the small sandbox game he released ten years ago, is phenomenal. People use it to test machine learning algorithms, to teach economics, to learn about programming, to encourage people to go into architecture and more. When I was a kid, Lego was my main form of creativity and I adored it. Sure, Lego is still massively popular today, but it feels that Minecraft is the right step for kids to move onto to encourage their self-improvement when they feel they are “too old” for Lego. (Spoiler Alert: You’re never too old for Lego)

I’ve taught kids how to code using Minecraft and they’ve loved it. Never deny the power of games to help kids learn.

Apologies that this piece seemed a bit more scatter-brained than usual, I’ve just finished exam season myself and there is a lot going on personally. Plus, this idea came to me at 3AM the other day so it’s slightly hard to format thoughts when you’re having a staring contest with the seagull outside your window (Cardiff problems). I’d love to write more pieces about the game’s you guys know and love, so leave your suggestions in the comments!

Much love,

CaitlinRC.