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Exmond posted:So uhh, this might not be the place with it but after my RPG group failed to start up Dresden Files RPG (Lot of effort to make a city) we are starting up Urban Shadows. Kind of has the same urban fantasy premise and the system is more focused on Story rather than mechanics. Has anyone tried it out? Stephen Blackmoore's "Dead Things" has what you're looking for, I think.
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Nov 29, 2016 21:25
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Grave's Pact also has a literal deal with a devil premise.
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Nov 30, 2016 04:28
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Exmond posted:So uhh, this might not be the place with it but after my RPG group failed to start up Dresden Files RPG (Lot of effort to make a city) we are starting up Urban Shadows. Kind of has the same urban fantasy premise and the system is more focused on Story rather than mechanics. Has anyone tried it out? Having played a shitton of both, Urban Shadows does Urban Fantasy really well but doesn't do Dresden particularly well because it's not very cooperative. Players will be doing their own thing and there's a lot of inter-party conflict in Urban Shadows. Monster of the Week is more cooperative Urban Fantasy stuff, for apocalypse world, but is more of a Buffy-like and some of the moves are pretty poo poo compared to later games in the line. So the problem with DFRPG proper is that it's old. Really old. Newer versions of FATE are straight up improvements to that system. If you're into RPGs at all then I highly recommend using Atomic Robo as a system to run Dresden in, and have written a full conversion guide. Evil Hat is releasing Dresden Files: Accelerated soon as well, (no eta yet but the beta's been around for over a year) and it's both excellent and way easier to get into than the old DFRPG game. Wish we'd get an update on when that's coming out though. What wasn't working about city generation? Usually I just say "We're playing here, everyone give me a couple locations of interest and a couple npcs who live there" and go! You probably want a theme and threat for the overarching plot but you can do a lot of fill in as you go style play too. Shameless plug for Nawlins, which is my PBP DFRPG game that's coming up on our fifth year. Almost done with Book Three!
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Nov 30, 2016 16:23
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newts posted:Grave's Pact also has a literal deal with a devil premise. Sorry! It's Graves Pact by Matthew Stinson - I realized putting that apostrophe in there made it impossible to find on Amazon. Actually a pretty fun little book. eta: Ignore the terrible cover. I swear it had a better one when I originally bought it. I kind of hate that the covers of my Kindle books change whenever they update something 
newts fucked around with this message at 02:43 on Dec 2, 2016 |
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Dec 2, 2016 02:39
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Finished The Hanging Tree, what an absolutely great book.
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Dec 2, 2016 09:29
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tithin posted:Finished The Hanging Tree, what an absolutely great book. I really enjoyed it too, especially the new characters. As a side note, the book has the best handled trans character I've seen by a cis author recently (though Ben Aaronovitch has always done a great job on the diversity front - aside from the one-page trans character in Book 2(?) that was kinda cringeworthy). It mentions that she's tall, but it doesn't obsess over her 'manly' features or repeatedly point out that she's trans like most authors do (the last book I read by a lesbian author really liked the former). The only part I didn't like was how it just sort of petered out at the end; apart from the new characters and the reveal of the Faceless Man's identity, nothing really happens. I guess I expected that Book 6 (and the third Faceless Man book, since the 'main plot' happens in even numbered books) to be more important. Foxglove Summer had a similar problem sticking the landing another way, where it immediately ends right after Beverley rides a train into fairy land to save Peter, with no "resolution chapter" of any sort. Anyone else think this after they finished it? Melusine fucked around with this message at 15:31 on Dec 2, 2016 |
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Dec 2, 2016 11:06
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Daphnaie posted:Anyone else think this after they finished it? No, because it isn't available for those of us that live in the US and can't be bothered to change their address to one in the UK because we can't be bothered to look up a fake address to use.
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Dec 2, 2016 13:05
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Daphnaie posted:I really enjoyed it too, especially the new characters. Who was the trans character? Seriously trying to think who it could be. Surely not Lady Ty? Was a bit disappointed by the Faceless Man identity reveal. It's been made into enough of a big deal that I thought it was going to be a major plot twist. And yes, I'm wondering when they're going to get onto the big 'everything will change' plot by the Faceless Man that's been hinted at in the last two books. Presumably it's going to be something to do with Mr Punch as per the end of THT. Something do with the Faceless Man taking his power in some way maybe? And what's the deal with Lesley? Since she's gotten her new face, which was her motive for going to the Dark Side in the first place, what's keeping her working with him? She didn't seem like the sort who'd go fully evil for the sake of it, so either she's looking to get as much information on his plans as she can or there's something else she wants from him.
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Dec 2, 2016 14:23
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Daphnaie posted:I really enjoyed it too, especially the new characters. I was a bit disappointed in the book to be honest, partly for the same reasons you mention. I mainly got tired of the protagonists being so utterly incompetent and loving up at every turn though. I get the feeling that Aaronovitch wants to keep the Faceless Man and Leslie as mysterious bad guys for as long as possible, while still having them run into the protagonists as often as possible, so they have to somehow escape capture every time. It just gets silly when they just walk out of an elaborate trap that went off perfectly though (Nightingale duelling the Faceless Man one-on-one while Lesley was handcuffed on the floor with two police officers on top of her). The scene where the Faceless Man was finally revealed also required baffling levels of incompetence from Grant. It was repeatedly stated that interviews were going slowly because Peter had to bring Nightingale just in case the interviewee turned out to be the Faceless Man. Then after doing that a few times, Grant decides to run off to interview someone he suspects might be the Faceless Man, without Nightingale and just Guleed for backup, and then it's his turn to make a miraculous escape. The new female characters also seemed a bit contrived. An ancient order of British wizards as old as the Folly, and Nightingale hasn't even heard of them until they just suddenly turn up? And yet there's instant, mutual trust and friendship apparently. I don't mind the characters themselves, but their introduction could have been better. I agree with you about the poor endings, and plot resolution in general. Aaronovitch really seems to be dragging out the story for too long, and always blaming it on police incompetence rather than the bad guys being particularly clever.
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Dec 2, 2016 14:35
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I pretty much chalk up anything truly dumb about how Peter Grant explains things to Peter Grant being stupid. Unreliable Narrator is a real crutch when it comes to that though.
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Dec 2, 2016 15:09
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biracial bear for uncut posted:No, because it isn't available for those of us that live in the US and can't be bothered to change their address to one in the UK because we can't be bothered to look up a fake address to use. Hemp Knight posted:Who was the trans character? Seriously trying to think who it could be. Surely not Lady Ty? Hemp Knight posted:snip I'd rather what's going on with Lesley to not be drawn out too much longer too, because you're right, I'm not sure why she's still loyal to the Faceless Man at this point. I was also admittedly disappointed by the reveal that Lesley got her magic from Mr Punch. The idea that she taught herself lux over the course of the second book was so cool; that she got magic as a consolation prize for being mind raped rather than her own effort left a sour taste in my mouth. Apoffys posted:I was a bit disappointed in the book to be honest, partly for the same reasons you mention. In regards to the Faceless Man story, for some reason I honestly thought things were going to come to a head this book - especially after Leslie's apocalyptic hints in the last book. With a title like The Hanging Tree I honestly expected Nightingale to die duelling the Faceless Man (since Dumbledore always has to die eventually). If that still happens, some rich middle-aged nerd killing Nightingale is going to be so much less satisfying than the creepy and mysterious Faceless Man doing it too. In any case, it remains to be seen, but I think Aaronovitch shouldn't be dragging this out (since next book will presumably be unrelated to the metaplot). Just wrap up the Faceless Man and have another villain become the Big Bad. Especially if stuff like how Lesley May escapes after her capture keeps happening. At least if she'd been captured at the end (if only temporarily) while the Faceless Man escaped, the novel would have really felt like it made progress. At the moment, however, The Hanging Tree felt like a fun but mostly inconsequential addition to the overarching plot. I'm glad I only started reading this series six months ago to be honest. Waiting two years for this book would have left me a bit more salty.
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Dec 2, 2016 15:59
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Daphnaie posted:
Did she? Peter said early in the book that there is no innate magic ability. Everyone can become a mage, they just need to apply the forma and train, train, train. I thought Mr Punch is "just" in her head somewhat guiding her for his own goals. Daphnaie posted:I agree about it being a bit odd Nightingale hadn't heard of the ancient Italian(?) wizards. It'd have made more sense if he'd heard of them, but not the mother-daughter off shoot Lady Helena belongs too.. Yeah, that's what bothered me too a bit. 500 years of tradition would be noted down somewhere in their archives, even if you want to chalk down suppressing the tradition to patriarchy. Especially since Helena clearly had many contacts in the supernatural London underground, the same Nightingale and Peter frequent constantly. But, he isn't the first author to flesh out and retcon early worldbuilding to make the world and story bigger and meatier. Really liked the book, lots of fun, decent overarching story development (although I read the books more for the "case of the book" than for it), interesting new characters. Decius fucked around with this message at 16:52 on Dec 2, 2016 |
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Dec 2, 2016 16:42
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biracial bear for uncut posted:No, because it isn't available for those of us that live in the US and can't be bothered to change their address to one in the UK because we can't be bothered to look up a fake address to use. You can order a physical copy mailed. Waterstones and Amazon will ship.
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Dec 2, 2016 18:06
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:You can order a physical copy mailed. Waterstones and Amazon will ship. I'd rather stick to my electronic copies because my dead tree book storage shelves are fully loaded and I haven't enough space to store more books.
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Dec 2, 2016 19:10
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:You can order a physical copy mailed. Waterstones and Amazon will ship. I think the Book Depository might do worldwide free postage.
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Dec 2, 2016 19:25
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biracial bear for uncut posted:I'd rather stick to my electronic copies because my dead tree book storage shelves are fully loaded and I haven't enough space to store more books. I'm sorry, but you can never have too many bookshelves.* * Includes makeshift bookshelves
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Dec 2, 2016 19:38
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biracial bear for uncut posted:No, because it isn't available for those of us that live in the US and can't be bothered to change their address to one in the UK because we can't be bothered to look up a fake address to use. biracial bear for uncut posted:I'd rather stick to my electronic copies because my dead tree book storage shelves are fully loaded and I haven't enough space to store more books. This, but mostly unironically and I already did look up a fake address but after switching for the last 2 PC Peter Grant books I can no longer be arsed. A. Beaverhausen posted:I'm sorry, but you can never have too many bookshelves.* My makeshift bookshelves before I gave up were made of books.
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Dec 2, 2016 20:46
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ulmont posted:This, but mostly unironically and I already did look up a fake address but after switching for the last 2 PC Peter Grant books I can no longer be arsed. My current bookshelf situation is that the books themselves are stacked in the shelves such that they are providing support for the books on the shelves above them. If I take too many books off of one of the lower shelves then the bookcase in question will collapse. Also, we're talking one full wall in my bedroom of bookshelves, one wall is a window, third wall is the dresser/etc., fourth wall is the bed and door to leave the room. Not much else to do there.
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Dec 2, 2016 22:10
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Wheat Loaf posted:I think the Book Depository might do worldwide free postage. Yup, this is how I bought it.
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Dec 2, 2016 23:42
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I've enjoyed the first two Kate Daniels novels and was looking at the Mercy Thompson books. I like the world building and Kate's character but endure the romantic aspects. How do the Mercy books compare?
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Dec 3, 2016 02:15
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I personally like the fact that Peter is getting Better he's better prepared, has contingency plans, and he's no longer on the fringes of the police world, people know what he can do, people will work with him and respect him, albeit grudgingly. I like that it's a very human reason that's caused the faceless man to accidentally reveal his real life identity, I like that Peter has recognised the trap he almost walked into and managed to get out of it I like that the bullshit with Lady Ty has finally been resolved, and they've come to a mutual understanding with each other, even if they don't like each other particularly much. I like that there's a small opportunity that the folly is going to finally undergo reform and possibly even expand. I want to see some of the people that have worked with the folly over the last 5 books come out and go, no, we need to work with this because this poo poo is becoming more prominent, I want to learn. Can you imagine a wizard version of DCI Seawoll? She'd have none of the faceless mans bullshit. The Magic is coming back, and The Folly is not ready. The only part I don't like is the continued reliance on Lux as Peters primary offensive spell, and the fact that the faceless man hasn't recognised it yet. It seems a willful blind spot for someone who's got almost as much as experience with magic as Nightingale has, and who has a drawn out duel with him that he almost wins mod edit added spoiler tags Somebody fucked around with this message at 22:43 on Dec 3, 2016 |
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Dec 3, 2016 04:05
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Really, I should fake a U.K. Address because gently caress the us publishers for constantly releasing three to six months later in the states for no loving reason.
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Dec 3, 2016 04:15
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Velius posted:Really, I should fake a U.K. Address because gently caress the us publishers for constantly releasing three to six months later in the states for no loving reason. Malet Street London, WC1E 7HU United Kingdom Phone: +44 (0)20 7862 8000 Go nuts.
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Dec 3, 2016 04:20
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I'm like 1/3 of the way through Moon Over Soho and I want to repeatedly beat Peter over the head with a D&D monster manual.
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Dec 3, 2016 05:34
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Durendal posted:I'm like 1/3 of the way through Moon Over Soho and I want to repeatedly beat Peter over the head with a D&D monster manual. Peter is a tremendous idiot which is intentional but is also incredibly frustrating.
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Dec 3, 2016 05:37
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Robot Wendigo posted:I've enjoyed the first two Kate Daniels novels and was looking at the Mercy Thompson books. I like the world building and Kate's character but endure the romantic aspects. As a word of warning, the romance levels increase while the character becomes more dependent on "Need my Alpha Billioniare Werewolf Pack Leader to save me" stuff and the worldbuilding gets sillier.
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Dec 3, 2016 05:43
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Robot Wendigo posted:I've enjoyed the first two Kate Daniels novels and was looking at the Mercy Thompson books. I like the world building and Kate's character but endure the romantic aspects. How do the Mercy books compare? Yeah, they're much worse in that regard. Don't do it. I wish I could be more helpful and suggest another series for you... edit: Maybe check out The Edie Spence series - it's actually pretty good. I liked it well enough. Bear in mind, it's still romancy. Definitely check out ML Hanover's series Black Sun's Daughter. I actually really liked this one a lot. Solid series.
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Dec 3, 2016 08:49
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Khizan posted:As a word of warning, the romance levels increase while the character becomes more dependent on "Need my Alpha Billioniare Werewolf Pack Leader to save me" stuff and the worldbuilding gets sillier. Honestly, I kinda think there's the opposite problem. The werewolves get their snouts pushed in so often that they've become the Worfs of the series to show how clever Mercy is that she can outwit the big bad the wolves can't fight. Oh look how badass the new threat is, see he beat the poo poo outta some werewolves....just like the last five villains have. At this point, especially since Mercy joined the pack and even she isn't afraid of them anymore, the menance has been almost completely drained from the poor dumb furballs.
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Dec 3, 2016 08:57
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tithin posted:
Lux is his main go-to because, as he states, it is the first spell that wizards learn. They learn it because it is probably the easiest of the formae to pick up and subsequently modify-- the Faceless Man can't totally prepare for a lot of what Peter does because it's all stuff that he's created himself based on his observations and needs. I think Peter's actions are easier to understand in the context that he's not really fish or fowl-- at the start of his career he was scheduled to be assigned to evidence control or some sort of similar clerical job because his mind wandered too much to be an investigator. He's not completely a wizard in the mold of the Folly either, because he's too much a policeman (in particular, he has a knack for community outreach and policing that is becoming a more prominent part of most force's activities). moderator edit to add spoiler tags Somebody fucked around with this message at 22:42 on Dec 3, 2016 |
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Dec 3, 2016 20:19
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please use spoiler tags for detailed discussions of books that are not released in the US yet
Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 22:43 on Dec 3, 2016 |
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Dec 3, 2016 22:40
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jng2058 posted:Honestly, I kinda think there's the opposite problem. The werewolves get their snouts pushed in so often that they've become the Worfs of the series to show how clever Mercy is that she can outwit the big bad the wolves can't fight. Oh look how badass the new threat is, see he beat the poo poo outta some werewolves....just like the last five villains have. I was talking about the Kate Daniels books, not the Mercy Thompson ones. I've never read the Mercy ones. Khizan fucked around with this message at 23:10 on Dec 3, 2016 |
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Dec 3, 2016 23:06
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:please use spoiler tags for detailed discussions of books that are not released in the US yet Didn't realise it wasn't out in the US yet, sorry. Fearless posted:
While I'll acknowledge that the modifiers to Lux are being used in-combat in an interesting way, it's the only "visible" spell that he learns on camera, so to speak. He learns Aquis off camera, and uses it with a modifier during the book once in combat, and once when showing off. It's been five books, and while I get the Lux is interesting, Peters training really needs to take a massive step forward if the combat side of the books is going to be kept interesting. I mean hell, Lesley's been gone for two books, and she's weaponised techology in that span of time. Peter's still faffing about with Lux. quote:I think Peter's actions are easier to understand in the context that he's not really fish or fowl-- at the start of his career he was scheduled to be assigned to evidence control or some sort of similar clerical job because his mind wandered too much to be an investigator. He's not completely a wizard in the mold of the Folly either, because he's too much a policeman (in particular, he has a knack for community outreach and policing that is becoming a more prominent part of most force's activities). Agreed - there was a very telling series of lines during the book with Peter not so subtly reminding Nightingale that technically, they are police. They are the arm of the law. "We're either the police, or we're not" which I don't think is something that Nightingale has really taken on before, he's done his job on his own terms up until Peter comes along and reminds him that he has a duty, and Peter takes his oath as a policeman extremely seriously, so much so that it's caused Nightingale to have some introspection and start stepping up to the plate in that respect, with him modernizing his policing techniques. I personally think that Nightingale needs Peter a great deal, both to keep him modern, and to give him a goal in life, something I'd argue he didn't really have prior to taking on Peter as an apprentice. The Folly was falling apart, and Nightingale was functionally on his own, now he has hope of a sort, and there's the chance that the folly will continue when Nightingale goes - and I do think that Nightingale will eventually die in combat, probably to the faceless man when his grand plan comes to fruition
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Dec 4, 2016 02:51
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tithin posted:
First book made it pretty clear that Lesley was a better natural magician than Peter was, and possibly a better policeman. Peter's pretty good at the politics/diplomacy stuff though, even with how he fought with the Lady Ty.
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Dec 4, 2016 17:49
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ulmont posted:Malet Street
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Dec 4, 2016 20:56
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Drifter posted:Yeah, they're much worse in that regard. Don't do it. I wish I could be more helpful and suggest another series for you... Thanks, Drifter. I'll look into those ones. I didn't know ML Hanover was actually Daniel Abraham. I've enjoyed his work quite a bit.
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Dec 4, 2016 23:24
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tithin posted:Didn't realise it wasn't out in the US yet, sorry. Lesley's also had tutelage from someone that has none of Nightingale's scruples and then there's the whole matter of what sort of influence has Punch had on her too. She's also had ample time to devote herself to her training now that she has no other job, while Peter still has to be a police officer. It's mentioned a couple of times that training to be a competent magical fighter takes years and even then, a wizard can be stopped much the same as another person with a bullet or explosives. I think Peter is where he is supposed to be-- it's Lesley's progress that's unnatural. Just a thought, but it's also worth remembering that Nightingale came into the police role after completing his rehabilitation post-war. Prior to that, there have been some hints that he worked for the Colonial Office before taking up arms during the Second World War. He was seconded to the Met by virtue of being the last remaining practitioner in the Folly, so he really does sit outside of the police culture as he was never really immersed in it like Peter was during his academy days. Remembering this helps keep his actions in context, he's not just old fashioned. Hieronymous Alloy posted:please use spoiler tags for detailed discussions of books that are not released in the US yet I'm sorry, I'll do this going forward.
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Dec 5, 2016 01:49
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Robot Wendigo posted:I've enjoyed the first two Kate Daniels novels and was looking at the Mercy Thompson books. I like the world building and Kate's character but endure the romantic aspects. How do the Mercy books compare? Mercy series is better than kate Daniels by far. the early books in each of her series suffer from the "should I love him" internal dialogues, but frankly, you can skip those parts easily because they're segregated in the books, and don't permeate normal chapters. and they lessen as each series moves on. Briggs does the fae better than any of the other urban fantasy writers, better research and connection to old tales, and her native American stuff is well done, too.
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Dec 5, 2016 15:11
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anilEhilated posted:I thought the common practice was No. 10 Downing Street, don't tell me they stopped buying that. 221b Baker Street worked fine for me previously.
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Dec 5, 2016 22:50
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I just noticed this on my Amazon recommended items list Bound Alex Veras Had no idea it was coming out this quickly.
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Dec 7, 2016 00:52
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I've picked up Nightshifted, Unclean Spirits and the first Mercy Thompson. (Thanks Torgeaux and Drifter). Started Mercy. God, she's so nice. After two novels with Kate, I'm not used to this.
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Dec 7, 2016 01:43
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