This Week: Deus Ex, Trenches, PLAYTESTS, and Frontier

Welcome to This Week, a weekly series where I discuss all the gaming (both video and tabletop) content I've played, made, prepped, run and seen that's cool this week.

Let's jump in with what I've done This Week...

What I've Played

I finally got around to starting Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and I'm enjoying it - though not as much as Human Revolution. Maybe I just need to give it more time, but at the moment it feels very much like it's relying on you having loved the last one to carry it. It doesn't feel enough like a stand alone game. I keep getting the impression that it's pointing to HR and saying "Ay! Look at how cool we still are!"

(Image from SquareEnix.)

But I'm keen to be proven wrong! I loved HR, and I look forward to loving MD just as much. Graphically and functionally, MD is clearly superior, but I've found some things that wrankle me - like the tutorial at the beginning being in places too intrusive, and in others weirdly not intrusive enough. The camera also feels really clostrophobic to me... Which is weird... Anyway, I will report back in 50 years when I get around to finishing it!

What I've Made

After being inspired by Peaky Blinders (which I am now up-to-date on), and with the v8 release of Blades in the Dark (I haven't stopped screaming in excitement), I decided to write a short supplement that covers the Unity War. It's called Remnants of War, and I only just posted it up here on versamus, but for This Week's sake I had to talk about it again.

(Image from Imperial War Museums, edited by me.)

Go here to check it out!

What I've Run

In my continuing efforts to get Do or Dice off the ground, I ran my first session of the proper playtest campaign this week. We're playing in the Ameshirel: A World Reforged setting I am developing alongside it, and things are thus far looking good.

(Image from William McAusland, used with permission.)

We've got a psychopathic Polder, a gloomy Dwarven coward, a drug addicted Elven alchemist, a mysterious Human necromancer priest, and a Orcish bard who just wants everyone to chill out. I will be posting more about this campaign as it develops, and the rules as they develop from the playtesting! The plan at the moment is to open up playtesting to the public once I have ironed out the kinks with this campaign, and I expect it to be ready in a few months time - SO KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED!

What I've Seen

Lastly, I watched Frontier on Netflix this week (I got through the whole thing, as I've been a bit unwell and idle) and, frankly, I wasn't impressed. The acting, the writing, the... Basically everything felt flat. There were a few cool characters, and some interesting stuff thrown in there - but on the whole it was a mighty Meh.

(Image from Netflix.)

I'm willing to see where the next season goes, and it's worth a watch if you like the time period. Just don't expect anything amazing...

That's all for This Week this week. I'll talk to you next week, and tell you of all my adventures again! In the mean time, fill your own week with as much awesome as possible.