Friday 30 January 2015

#15 The Rings of Kether (Kee-thur? Keth-thir? - whatever)

Blah, blah, blah...

Fighting Fantasy #15 - The Rings of Kether


Dramatic. Needs to be dramatic... Nah, fuck it.
Honestly this book is still strange. It was strange when I was 8, and its still strange now that I'm squiggly-squee and a half.

I think that its Andrew Chapman's writing that does it (for he is the one responsible) Some of the shit going on just doesn't fit? There just seems to be no way to grasp what is going on at most points in this book to ever feel like you are solving a mystery or at the very least tracking down the drug cartel. This book is bi-polar, it doesn't know if it is Blade Runner or Dune. Battle Beyond the Stars or Outland. 2001 a space odyssey or Herbie rides again.

Ok, so the basic idea is sound. You are a Narc agent blah, illegal drugs blah, travel to Kether system find cartel and wipe out blah blah.
All good stuff really and it does start out with quite a bit of 'futuristical-ness' with hyperspace travel and spaceports/cantinas etc, but then you run into trouble.

So not counting my initial run through of this book (which happened in a time when I went to school on a dinosaur's bum) I played through it about three times.
From what I can gather there seems to be two distinct ways to get to the end (and two options of HOW it will end while I'm at it)
Method number one which I seemed to play through twice, revolves around being in space a lot, sneaking about by yourself, not really meeting too many people or discovering much in the way of perpetrators etc. And then randomly having a eureka! moment and ending up flying out to where you need to be without too much fuss or bother.
Method number two apparently paints a bullseye on the back of your scrotum and has you dealing with everything from petty thugs and crims all the way to getting thumped and kidnapped by the perps of the cartel themselves - escaping, a la' Batman style, and then hunting the druggies down and flying (sometimes literally) through an endless shit-storm of death until you catch a break and end up where Method number one kicks in.

Seriously. That's how this book plays.
Needless to say I enjoyed Method number Two immensely!
Not only did it make the adventure feel twice as long but you also got to meet and interact with far more NPC's and the kidnapping/threatening/rescuing etc actually gave the book a cool 'Blade Runner' feel that, well felt a lot better than Method one's 'Scooby Doo in space' flavour.

So yeah, one of the weirder titles in the early line up but not a bad read. I suppose its like I said, the book just has a personality problem. My advice to potential readers is just pick the sections that sound like you are going to get in a whole lot of trouble... and you will!
 It's much more fun that way =)

What else? Nice cover by Terry Oakes (is he a villain?, is he a crooked Fed? - not Terry, I mean the geezer on the cover!) Mr Oakes is responsible for countless sci-fi and fantasy covers and also did this...


Anyone who gets to do a cover for Hawkwind is endlessly cool in my opinion.

The interior is illustrated by Nik Spender and is awesomely sci fi feeling, this being my fav


I want that guy's jacket...

There's even a babe shot!


Oh baby. Be still my beating loins... (I, um. No. I'm sorry ok?)


Ok so that's that. Next up is 'Seas of Blood' a def favourite of mine from the wonder years. I should have the chance to start it tonight, all things going well.
And speaking of things going well - they are!
My LOTR Moria box set is nearing completion! Photo's of Gandalf, Legolas and Freudo tomorrow.

Huzzah!

Ace

Monday 19 January 2015

Painting plans...

I noticed a lot of people have been posting 'New Years Resolutions' style lists about what they would like to achieve with their modelling/painting/gaming etc.

I don't know about this. I sometimes feel that list making is the road to guilty procrastination (a road I have travelled soooo many times) But then again there's nothing like the feeling of crossing out every entry on a list that is bursting at the seams with good intentioned brain farts.

So what do I propose to tackle this year? You guessed it; faaaar too much.

1 I really, reeeeeally want to play some HeroQuest and Space Crusade!
The boxes are complete and the figures are just waiting to be sullied by beer and chip soiled fingers.

2 Infinity. I managed to get a squad of Shasvastii troops done last year and have yet to play a game. I think a club of sorts is starting up at the local model shop so it might be a good time to branch out and make some new acquaintances

3 Finish off my box of 'The Mines of Moria' - almost there!

4 Finish enough gangers/flunkies to play a decent campaign in Necromunda and/or Mordheim. I love both of these games and haven't played them in years. Fuck that. I want some VIOLENCE!

5 Get some Hybrid action going. No, nothing to do with a threesome in an electric car. I mean the Rackham game... Honest.

6  Finish my Blood Bowl teams and get a cup series/thing started. This one is a loooooong shot as I play 2nd Ed Blood Bowl. Not many peeps out there with the patience or balls.
(Look at that, I'm not even playing BB yet and I'm already trash-talking!)

7 Get my HotWheels Mad Max gang finished. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it. I've just always wanted a grubby bunch of toy cars and badlands assholes with machine guns I can play with and shout random 'Road Warrior' quotes. "YOU CAN RUN! BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE!"

8 Convert some Dinosaur toys for games... just because that's the sort of shit I get up to.

Ok, that's more than enough.
Where are my dinosaurs?

Ace


Wednesday 14 January 2015

Space Crusade -

Some Progress!





Officers always leave a mess.


What a handsome young man. Bionic eyes... so hot right now.


Almost there - I can't actually remember finishing the game as a lad on my Amiga. Looking forward to seeing if there is any kind of 'End Game' sequence.

=)

Thursday 8 January 2015

Happy New Year (last week...)

Yeah, so I'm late. Story of my life!

Check this out...


YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I HAVE LOOKED FOR THESE BOOKS!!!!
Seriously! I can even remember years ago, standing in a secondhand book sellers with a copy of 'Portal of Evil' IN MY HAND and going...
"Meh, probably got that one..." IDIOT!

That was literally YEARS ago! 'Keep' and 'Moonrunner' I haven't had much luck with finding either and then bam, my sister comes round with a bag full of books and says
"want any of these?"

And there they were...

=)

Right, so other things.
These were given to me by awesome peeps as Christmas gifts, to be completed soon-ish...


Look at that, my fist Tamiya 1/72 aircraft kit... I cant even! Seriously too good for the likes of me!

Also on the aircraft front I have noticed that Airfix have released their Do17z kit and are currently making kits for the Defiant and Beufighter! Excellent =)

What else? I was gifted a copy of GW's Mines of Moria a looooooong time ago - I am pleased to report that it is almost completed!
Yes, I mean it! I only have to paint the Heroes. (What is that all about? I always rush in, paint up all the Evil blighters cackling maniacally to myself; and then MAYBE decide to throw some paint over a few do-gooders...) What an evil git I am.

If anyone is interested - I have also managed to get my emulator to play 'Space Crusade' FINALLY!

It's not going too bad for the Ultras atm...


Just look at that shade of lippy... hot as. (Though the white Power Armour probably makes my ass look big...)

2 Missions down and about 8 marines are already off to see the Emperor.
Not a great kill ratio.

Fighting Fantasy #15 'Rings of Kether' is up next for a review. I had already managed to get through it several months ago for a post but that was several months ago and my memory would have played all kinds of tricks on me trying to recall what I did. -
"Attack the drug smuggler, get the flowers and tickle the elephant, do not pass go, leave earth in a spaceship shaped like a mushroom, after freeing the gnome listen to his tales of heroic lingerie shopping, eat the beans..." ETC

Um. Yes.

Ace