cranebump

Added Lady M's bio. Here it is, for what it's worth:

Give Me Liberty [ID: 69444] by @Darmian So the guy takes, like, 50 years off, the comes back and writes another masterpiece. Do we hate Darm? Yes. Yes, we do (pst…we don’t…we’re just envious, and slightly in awe). This L33 has you working for a humorous lich (yes, you read that correctly) seeking out his lost (and somewhat crae-crae) master. It’s a typical Darmian arc in that it’s masterfully crafted, perfectly clean, well-written, detailed, and well-balanced. Really CLEVER use of clues that allows teams to get the details they normally miss. Plus, you get your CoT fix (assuming you needed a fix), some interesting customs (with a boss that can whammy you, if you ain’t careful), and a great, arcane story. Worth a play (as all Darm’s arcs are). We ran with a gun-toting blaster and had a…well, a BLAST. Verdict: 5/5, with a not-as-lich-gloomy-as-you-might-expect Seal of Approval. Enjoy the romp! PLAY IF: Just play it. (unless you have something against ancient Egypt?).

Of course I ran the damn thing, you fiend.:-) Really strong arc. Nice details (as usual). CLEVER use of clues to address teams. And the contact is one of your best. Extra points for Princess Bride ref.:-) I did find this ONE thing.

Can't believe I forgot Lady Macdeath's Bio. Derrrrrrrrr....

But how do you know he’s just not trolling you?:-)

Messenger of Death [ID: 4093] by @Corlagon This L1-54 arc from 2019 has you “putting a new vigilante in her place.” Sounds like a job for Solumbra (or someone…a lot of someones, considering that level range).:-) So, off we go. First off, Arachnos has appeared in Galaxy City! Or they’ve never left it after the Shivving stopped. We’ll see. (FYI: The contact is one of my favs, Kiros Nandelu. Unfortunately, his image has been replaced by the insidious (and shepchanging?) Mek Man, probably due to updates and such. No worries. A Kiros by any other name, and I’m still a Fandelu).We get some help from a cat-tailed Messenger (is THIS the Viggy?). By the end of the mish, we find out that, “Yep – it IS the Viggy! And she’s been running around KILLING the bad guys!” (GASP! Well, I nev-...okay maybe I have. I don’t know where they go after I’ve set them on fire). Of course, we find out that The Messenger is not who she appears to be. Or rather, she’s EXACTLY who/what she appears to be. I mean, she didn’t really lie about anything. Not that I know…I trust people (sigh) In any case, we follow the trail smack into the middle of assorted cultists and their machinations (or maybe “spellinations?”). There’s a LOT to do in the finale mission, but you have some help. If you want it. And it can keep up with you, when you forget you have sprint on and are running everywhere, leaving them behind like a douche bag (ahem…now who would do that?). Competently executed. Writing is clean and clear (though there’s some awkward syntax from time to time [“I’ve got to hand something to you!” {Ooh! Really? What is it?...Hey…where’s my SOMETHING, you bastard!..Ah! A punch to the chops. THAT something. Okey doke…”). Custom allies have VERY nice (sometimes interlinked) bios. Some stock vills, with a custom cult, and some bosses that could be trouble on higher settings/larger team sizes. A breeze on default with an incarnate (erm…yeah, that was me – taking no chances in the AE grinder today). Excellent placement of finale objectives (most every required thing in one place–bravo [I’d shorten the timers on the multiple glowies, though–they’re about 2 secs too long).:-) Verdict: Worth a play. Would recommend bumping level or team size if you’re playing one of your badasses through it. Reads like a an in-game arc. Has Kiros, so +2 Million gratitude points (Crane loves those lowbie contacts). An arcane Seal of Approval. No whammies!:-)

I wish Adamaster had some sort of debuff attack that emanated from his armpit.

"In the arrrrrrms ooooof the minotaur... Far awayyyyy frommmmm here, In the arrrrrms ooooof a minotaur, I have found true love, my dear..."

So, soulless minions of orthodoxy...

"Stop bragging about your sex life, Synapse."

Anky gets bonus points for the Rocky Horror Ref in the M4 title of Engineria's current run.:-)

Go to the AE part of the boards. There are reviews and recs there. The Devs DO have better tools. But I’d put some of the writing and arcs in AE up there with anything they’ve done (and a lot of the AE stuff is at least on par with the legacy arcs from ye olde days). Further, they’re doing it without all the fancy widgets, which is pretty impressive (more so, if you’ve ever tried designing anything yourself — then you truly know how hard that can be).

Accidental reply to the wrong thread. with a smiley face

Unrelated nostalgic tangent. With a smiley face.

Is that bass the instrument? Or bass the fish? Because if it’s the second, I’m giving 5 Stars right now.:-)