Gaiscioch Magazine - Issue 12 by Gaiscioch Magazine

Gaiscioch Magazine Issue 12, 2017

hank you for being a part of Gaiscioch Magazine’s success over the past 3 years. It’s hard to believe that just 3 years ago we started this magazine as a way to share our knowledge and passion with others.

Benjamin “Foghladha” Foley Founder & Managing Editor

Gaiscioch Magazine

foghladha@gaiscioch.com

Follow the Gaiscioch Magazine Online at: http://gsch.info/mag Learn more about the Gaiscioch Community at: http://gsch.info/ Discord: http://gsch.info/voice Facebook: http://gsch.info/facebook Twitter: http://gsch.info/twitter Google+: http://gsch.info/google YouTube: http://gsch.info/youtube Twitch.tv:

What started as a hobby publication has grown to be a widely known member of the gaming media. We now receive invites to every major conference around the globe, gain early press access to games not yet released and have been mentioned by other major media providers as a reputable source. We look forward to growing with you and continuing to provide you with unique content from the perspective of the avid gamer. Whether its a new game coming soon or taking a look back at a classic, Gaiscioch Magazine prides itself on bringing you fresh perspectives of games, technology, music, movies, food and even life itself. In this issue we sit down with Potato Killer Studios’ own Melissa Spandri and Beatrice Pelagatti to discuss the art of their upcoming CCG hybrid which acts as a prelude to Land of Britain called “Fangold”. In addition we interview upcoming Chillstep sensation Sizzlebird. Our correspondent from across the pond, Ed “Screenager” Orr brings us some first looks at the hottest titles of the 2017 PC Gamer Weekender. We also take our quarterly look at RIFT, Guild Wars 2, and Elder Scrolls Online complete with fiction, guides, and previews of upcoming content.

Magazine Staff Gaiscioch Magazine is a quarterly, volunteer driven, no-profit, digital magazine for game developers and enthusiasts alike.

Managing Editor & Layout Foghladha

Senior Editors: Briseadh Gilliebod Jairone

Editors / Columnists: Carwyn Eiahn GmaFog GpaFog Izmina Lakshmi MrFallenAngel MtDEWD Pops Pudgy Alpaca Robdalf Samethyst Screenager Soren SwordandKeyboard Twilah

I do hope that you enjoy this magazine and look forward to bringing you another year of great content.

We welcome you to send us your feedback at: magazine@gaiscioch.com. Thanks again for supporting our publication! Slán go fóill!

Join the Gaiscioch Magazine volunteer team by visiting: http://gsch.info/mag Send guest articles, art, requests, comments and feedback to: magazine@gaiscioch.com

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COVER STORY:

The Art of Fangold Page 8 Featuring an interview from Melissa Spandri & Beatrice Pelagatti of Potato Killer Studios

Contents

FEATURES

SizzleBird Brings an Inspiring New Sound to the Chillstep Scene

Omni Gamerz talks eSports, Conventions & Paragon

Elex: Magic, Machines, and Mayhem in the undergrowth

Swords, Sorcery, and Severed Arteries in Mirage: Arcane Warfare

Battling the elements In Ruin with Tarhead Studios

Pocket Money Augmented Reality in Swapbots

84 4

GUILD WARS 2

RIFT

Guild Wars 2 The Head of the Snake First Look

Building the Telara Saga Public Community Adventure

Misty and Cookie: A Dark and Stormy Night

Guide to Becoming Notorious in Rift

Recipe: Misty and Cookie’s Charr Meatloaf Sandwich

Rift Auction House Basics

Through a Game Junkie’s Eyes: The Discovery of Rift

GUIDES 84

ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE 54

Housing from Scratch

The Social Experiment

The Weekend Warriors Absolute Beginners Guide to Paladins

PREVIEWS Goblins! Squirrels! Loot! A first look at Guardians of Ember

Enter the Brutal World of Conan Exiles

100

An Immerse Gamer’s Look at ARK: Survival Evolved

104

Rise & Shine: A boy, a quest, and a new breed of smart weapon

108

Ludoria: Preview

REVIEWS 110

The Many Pleasures of a Brut@l Gameplay

112

A Look Back at Sleeping Dogs

100

Contents

LIFE 115

Pop’s Musings’ of Life: Paying it Forward

116

Worth Playing: Top Picks for Winter 2017

120

Gaiscioch Business Directory

110

112

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About the Gaiscioch Family

he Gaiscíoch (pronounced Gosh-Kia) began on November 11th 2001 in the industry pioneering MMORPG “Dark Age of Camelot”. They began on the Nimue roleplaying server with a focus on creating a fun and enjoyable community for players of all ages and skill levels. The Gaiscíoch takes it’s name from an Irish legend found within the “Lebor Gabála Érenn” and “Cath Maige Tuired” which chronicle the first people of Ireland, the Tuatha de Danann. Specifically the First Battle of Moyturna where the Tuatha de Danann hand picked the most honorable and loyal warriors to fight alongside the Celtic Gods in a battle against the Fir Bolg. These warriors were known as the Gaiscíoch. The Gaiscioch are a social gaming community with a relaxed approach toward gaming. They allow their

members to play how they want, when they want, as long as they want and do not constrict them with quotas or requirements. The overall focus of the Gaiscioch is to support the server communities and real world communities they are part of. They accomplish this by hosting public community events, participating and hosting community forums, interacting with game developers, and providing new players information through our in-game advisers and out-of-game guides, maps, and videos. With a strong focus on community our endgame goal is to create memories, friendships, and participate in the overall success of the community. It is through gaming, athletic competition, and social interaction that we forge new friendships and relationships.

Supporters

e would like to take a moment to thank all of our readers for their continued support and encouragement. Without your support we would not be able to keep this magazine going. In addition we would like to thank the following companies who have our undying gratitude for their support of the Gaiscioch Magazine & Livestreams productions. These companies have shown their support by providing interview opportunities, special access to their games, and social media exposure for our publication.

Without the support of our readers and the contributions from gaming studios we could not make this magazine so successful. We are happy to report that Gaiscioch Magazine has been read more than 250,000 times by over 30,000 unique readers to date. This is a huge accomplishment for a team that is staffed entirely by volunteers and we thank all of you for your continued support. Thank You!

We Appreciate Your Support!

Cover Story

“Scathach”

Art by Silvia Cucchi & Beatrice Pelagatti 8

Cover Story

The Art of

By: Briseadh

Today we are interviewing Melissa Spandri (M.), Lead 2D Artist and Beatrice Pelagatti (B.), 2D Artist, of Potato Killer Studios (PKS), about the artwork involved. PKS will have an early access of Fangold: The Eventful Adventures of Land of Britain in Q2 2017. The game is a multi-platform free to play digital card game with MMO style adventures to help you acquire items and craft new cards for your deck. You can even decorate your own tavern for a place to relax after battling other players in the card game. First tell us a little about yourself, how you became interested in art and what led you to join PKS. B: Drawing has always been part of my life, since I was a child pencils and pastels were my favorite play, but I remember the day when something changed: I was around my 20s and a videogame/fantasy addicted girl, working as a shop assistant in a book store. I had just started to doodle again, after a year of doubts about my life path. One day I was browsing a collective book of fantasy artists, before putting it back on the shelf, when I understood that there were people out there that draw and paint for a living and that it is a proper job. My dream job! Then I moved to another city, started an Illustration class and there I met Melissa. We became close friends during the school years. I remember one of our teachers saying that the relationships that we were building, could

become the start of great collaboration and he was right! She actually led me to PKS. Our friendship and sharing the same passion push us to grow and work harder every day. M: Yes, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m the Lead Artist and started working at PKS after being contacted by another artist via Facebook. The project was at its very first steps and PKS was a small group of people from many Italian cities. When the studio started to grow and needed more artists, I brought Beatrice aboard. And many other artists followed. As for my passion for art, well, it is something strong that I have had since I was a child. I studied architecture in high school and then I took the path of Comics and Illustration, at the same school where I met Beatrice. 9

Cover Story

I know several steps occur to get an idea through concept and into a 3D format. I have seen PKS share both 2D and 3D art through social media. Can you elaborate on the process that PKS uses?

M: We work both with traditional mediums and digital ones. I often sketch with real pencil and then transfer the line art onto the computer for the coloring phase.

B: Our process is made of three basic steps: first of all the writers put down in words their ideas. We have a strong lore behind our products and the “roots” for any concept are connected to it. Then they add practical information about the details and features to give us a base to work on.

B: Me too, especially when I come to draw for an illustration for a card or a banner, I prefer to feel the paper and the pencil under my hand. While others prefer to draw directly with digital supports.

M: When the written concept comes to our department, the artist assigned to it, produces many rough and quick sketches. Then I choose the best one and he/she defines it, doing all the studies that it requires. We usually provide at least a front, back and side drawing. After the concept art is ready we send it to the 3D department that proceeds with the digital sculpture and texture, to get the final model. When creating an idea, do you use a mix of traditional mediums and digital or do some of you prefer to go fully digital?

What has been the biggest hurdle in getting an idea through the process? M: To me the most important and hard thing to do is to keep a balance between the personal view of a single artist - 2D or 3D, we all put a piece of ourselves in what we do - and a visual unification for the whole project. It’s beautiful that we add a personal touch to the final result, but we have to keep in mind that the design needs a strong identity to be recognized everywhere. B: Since we are an indie and don’t have a physical office yet, working from home with 20 other people, can be something big to deal with. We have a weekly online-meeting with all the team, then, during the rest of the week, we keep in contact with the people

Cover Story

involved in the asset we are developing. It isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always easy, believe me! - laughHas any design come as a surprise in how well or quickly it was produced? *Melissa and Beatrice look at each other smiling* B: They are like children for us, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a hard question. Almost all of them were happy surprises in a way or another, and when a design doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make us happy, we usually keep working on it, until we are.

Was there anything which really challenged you because of the origin of material here? Maybe some aspect of the legends which was outside your normal art set? M: I found those challenges interesting. Since we are a team of five artists, we have to do many different things and there is so much to learn when you have the chance to get out of your comfort zone! B: Yes, indeed! And I like that the lore is rich of legends from the European folklore and influenced from many different cultures. It can be challenging to

Cover Story

put them together and design things that don’t seem matched by a clown, but it is in that moment that we can create something new. On the topic of the legends involved with Britain, was there a particular influence for design from classical works? M: Not a single one indeed. As Beatrice said, our lore is based on a mix of cultural influences. This applies to anything we design. We usually take inspiration to those real cultures and their typical designs involving classical art and architecture, fashion and handcraft. Then we make a step further mixing them with our imagination. What is your favorite work done so far? Can you share it with us, or is it part of something PKS plans to save for game launch surprise? B: I particularly enjoyed drawing a series of portraits for some of Fangold’s cards. They all have classical composition, but the subjects are creepy fairy characters from the game setting. Also I really like to study and sketch a character’s concept and equipment.

M: My favorites are the character designs of the 9 playable characters. It’s something that I’ve never done before and it was great to have the chance to test me on them! I want to thank you for taking the time to share with us about the art of Fangold. Are there any parting words that you have for our members and readers? B: We are all professional artists, writers, sculptors, graphics, programmer, game-designers and so on, but first of all, our team is made mostly by gamers, in fact, many of us started doing our jobs just because we wanted to create something we’ve always dreamt to play at. We are very grateful to be on this journey together and to have this chance to create our own game, hoping that people like us can have fun with it and, maybe, find inspiration to believe in their dreams and work hard to make them happen, as we are doing right now. To find out more about Fangold: The Eventful Adventures in Land of Britain go to: https://fangold.potatokillerstudios.com

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SizzleBird Brings an Inspiring New Sound to the Chillstep Scene By: Benjamin “Foghladha” Foley In my eternal search for music, I ran across one artist who instantly popped imagery into mind and captivated me. I ended up adding their entire library to my playlist and listened to it for a few weeks picking out my favorites to add to our ClubGaiscioch playlist. What I found was most of his songs made my list. The artist is SizzleBird, a classically trained Violinist who began playing at age 5. Born in Barcelona, Spain, then his family moved to London to help further his education as he studied at the Purcell School of Music under Carol Slater and later at the Guildhall School of Music. It was here that he began to fall in love with electronic music. SizzleBird blends electronic dance music with the classical sound of the violin in a harmonious sound that makes your soul dance. We’ve been granted a special opportunity to sit down with SizzleBird and hear first hand what it was like to follow his passion to the ends of the earth.

Thank you for joining us and allowing us the opportunity to speak with you about life, music, and family. First, can you tell us a little about your background in music and where you came from? I started playing violin in Barcelona where I was born, at the age of about 5 and went on to play in some summer schools around the area and a few concerts. This gave me a foundation for my electronic music and violin fusion that I now create, it was not until I was 15 that I started working with computer software to create music and then from there I learnt to mix and put together my own tracks. While doing a little research for this interview I came across an article that mentioned that your parents picked up and moved from Barcelona, Spain to London, England to place you in a more prestigious music school. I have to say, those are some pretty hard core parents. To pick up and change countries to better your child’s chances to follow their passion into a career. Can you share a little about your relationship with your family?

My parents always wanted me to play violin but I am not sure if they expected me to ever take the path I have chosen. The classical side of my training was more important at the time that I started at the music school. I think now they are happy with how far I have come and they support my music in all the ways possible. They even buy my music occasionally!

days of me producing tracks I was listening to a lot of Drum & Bass. This inspired me to write a lot of tracks in that style. This did not feel entirely right, so I messed around with several others like Dubstep and Chillstep. I still find that there isn’t a defining genre in my music, maybe because I listen to as much variety as possible and that translates into my music.

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When did you first get your hands on the violin and realize that was what you wanted to play? I was too young at the time to remember playing the violin but close members of my family have told me that I used to pluck the strings from very young. I think it was a family friend that gave me my first ever violin, which was an 8th. Basically 8 times smaller than the violin I play now! Can you tell us a little about your violin? I imagine you’ve used dozens of violins over the years, which has been your favorite? My violin is my most prized possession in many ways as it symbolizes what I believe in and what I love doing. It is the same violin I have been playing for over 10 years and I don’t see that changing in the near future. I have grown fond of it and I look after it as well as I can so it lasts. What introduced you to the electronic music world? Who are some of your favorite electronic musicians that inspired you as you were creating your own style? It was a mixture of different influences that made me want to create the music that I make. I never think of my music as fitting a certain genre, but in the early

How did you come by the Sizzebird / Ot Bird name? What does it mean to you and how did you come about choosing it? I came up with the name SizzleBird back in 2005 and it was never a name I thought would stick with me until now, let alone have an impact on my career. In fact, when I came up with the name it was purely for fun as I was messing around with a certain percussive element called a “sizzle” on my music making software and then I added some bird sounds I had in an old file. It occurred to me that the track should be called SizzleBird, in the end I did not title the track and just called the track “SizzleBird”. It was this first use as a title for a track that I started using it as my artist name.

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Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talk tech for a moment. What kind of computer do you use to create the electronic portions of your music? Any special equipment or software you use? Simple enough. I use fruity loops 8 which may have been the software stone age man would have used 1000s of years ago. I find that upgrading to a later version isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessary as I am still learning on the one I use. Apart from that I occasionally use a drum pad and I also have a mini keyboard and loop pedal for

creating more live based tracks and ideas. Being a gaming focused magazine I have to ask, Do you play video games and if so which ones are you playing most these days? I find some time to play video games, mostly older games like Age of Empires 1 and 2. I am a big fan of strategy games and the AOE series is just awesome! I also play League of Legends quite regularly as it has

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so much scope. You can be good or bad at the game, there’s no limit to how much you can learn which is also great! Through your years you have played at many prestigious locations, do you have a favorite? Over the years I played classical music I played in the same hall the music for the Lord of the Rings was recorded and I have played in Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Several other smaller local venues too! What’s next for SizzleBird? Any dreams still left to be fulfilled? Think in the near future going for a flight in a small two man plane would be a great experience and it would fulfill my desire to fly! Maybe a paragliding adventure! I think SizzleBird would be proud to get to do something like this.

Where can people learn more about you and your music? There are several outlets for my music including soundcloud, spotify and youtube. Most of the latest info is posted on my Facebook page. That being said I am planning on revamping my website so that more up to date info is posted there too! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. Do you have any final words for our readers? I’d just like to thank Ben at Gaiscioch for letting me be part of this edition and letting me share some words to you. It’s a privilege to do it and it’s a big thanks to you guys for reading and supporting! Peace!

Learn More At: https://sizzlebird1.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/pg/SizzleBird/ http://www.sizzlebird.com/ https://twitter.com/OtMorunoBird 17

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Omni Gamerz eSports, Conventions & Paragon By: Benjamin “Foghladha” Foley Through the years Gaiscioch has run across many interesting gaming communities that specialize in areas we have not yet touched. Omni Gamerz (OGz) is one of those communities. Their focus has been in competitive gaming and they have taken gaming to the professional level. Today I sit down with TheUntamedCo to discuss Omni Gamerz experiences in the competitive gaming scene. Thank you for joining us today! I would like to kick things off by having you introduce yourself and your role with Omni Gamerz. My name is Matthew Elliott and I am the mutual co-founder of Omni Gamerz. I have been gaming since I could hold a controller. I am heavily involved in all different genres of games. I have played console and PC recently switching back to PC for good. 18

Can you give us a little background to Omni Gamerz and what they are currently involved in? Omni Gamerz originally was called Guillotine Gaming. My co-founder and I started as just an idea and now it is gaining a lot of traction with gamers around the world. We started in Call of Duty and decided we wanted to go bigger and build a brand. We changed the name to Omni Gamerz and have since grown rapidly as a gaming community. We are involved in multiple games Paragon, Titanfall 2, Overwatch, Destiny, and many more. We also are looking forward to the releases of For Honor, Conan Exiles, and Ghost Recon Wildlands. Over the years you’ve dabbled in several games. What do you feel is one of the key factors to whether a game sticks or slides on by?

A loyal gaming community. So many times games are created and then forgotten or mismanaged. They get old because no new content is released. Also I would say another key factor is the players that the gaming developers back sometimes. They seem to back the players that may be good but extremely toxic to that specific games community and followers. Gaming is fun and competitive and I believe sometimes people lose sight of that.

Constant release of new content and new challenges. A well managed game after launch where the designers stick with the game and continue to push it to its limits makes the games fun and never die out. You’ve been streaming for a while and have a pretty solid following. What trends have you seen with streaming? Any advice for new upcoming livestreamers? Best advice that I have discovered is get in on the alpha testing and new games coming out. Put the time and effort in and interact and be positive with your followers. The more content you put out and the more effort you put in will get you noticed. I’ve seen that a great deal of the action at Omni Gamerz is focused on Epic Games’ new MOBA Paragon. I had the chance to get hands on with it and found it to be quite enjoyable. What drew you to Paragon and what makes this game more enjoyable than others in your perspective?

I have never been a MOBA player. What do you feel is the current meta strategy for Paragon? Any tips for a total noob like me? Best advice get in and grind. Watch youtube videos and streamers. Then take what you have learned go to play some games vs the AI. Once you start to get the hang of it jump in and have fun in the competitive side on PVP.

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I’ve got to ask, from a professional gamer standpoint, what makes your perfect game? What makes it both exciting to play and entertaining for viewers?

constantly changing, updating, and releasing new content.

In our earlier conversation you mentioned that you would be an exhibitor at a gaming conference this spring. Can you tell us a little bit about this? This is currently still in development so I will update in a future article on our live events that we attend at the beginning of this year. So what’s next for Omni Gamerz? What goals are you guys pushing for? We are striving to build a brand. We have our hand in every social media outlet and are rapidly growing. We want to provide a place for all gamers casual and competitive to come and have some fun. Our next big goal is to break into Esports and become well known in that world. We look forward to providing the opportunity to all gamers to come and reach your dreams with us.

Paragon is my first MOBA. We run the second largest Paragon group on Facebook and have run the largest tournaments to date for Paragon. The competitive side and all the new content they release makes this game addicting. Every match is a new challenge. This mirrors what I said earlier they are Learn More at: http://www.Omnigamerz.com

Twitter: @omnigamerz

Facebook: facebook.com/OmniGamerz

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Elex: Magic, Machines, and Mayhem in the undergrowth By Ed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Screenagerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Orr

The world is ravaged by devastation, thrown into chaos and the only thing that seems to mean anything is the Elex. Scattered across the land after an apocalyptic meteor strike, the Elex is the key to humanityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future in a future that melds machines, magic, and monsters. Piranha Bytes brought this world to the PC Gamer Weekender recently and I took the opportunity to venture into their upcoming title. Developed by the team behind the Gothic series and published by THQ Nordic, Elex is a single player RPG set in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Filled with a wide array of lush vegetation, unstable volcanoes, and barren desert wasteland, Elex is an adventure on a grand scale. This early look drops players into an open environment full of forest and covered in undergrowth. Crumbling highways wind through it while a conglomerate of hostile outlaws, clerics, 20

robots, and even the local wildlife are out to get you. Almost instantly, the lineage of Elex is clear. Combat and controls are consistent with other Piranha Bytes games, using a fairly standard WASD approach that allows players to move around the environment. The third person approach feels familiar and combat, like the Risen series before it, provides an array of options at the bottom of the screen for players to use against enemies. Graphics are recognizable, although they are significantly improved upon previous Piranha Bytes efforts and the world is completely seamless. Unlike previous Gothic and Risen titles, this world looks and feels expansive. If you are expecting comparisons to Horizon Zero Dawn then Elex might disappoint, and although up-close animations do not always meet the standards of the biggest AAA titles, they are still very impressive.

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Map layout also seems well constructed and makes clear logical sense. Procedurally generated environments can provide great variety in these sort of instances, yet Piranha Bytes has opted to hand craft their new world. This is, partly, to encourage exploration. A whole new level of vertical exploration towers off into the sky and while players in London did not get access to Elexâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s infamous jetpack, I found myself scrambling over ledges and climbing through the landscape. Abandoned camps provide refuge for travellers, where you can even take a well-earned nap. Corpses lie abandoned on the roadside while unattended radios whine off in the distance, warranting further investigation. It is clear that everything in Elex has its place. Unfortunately no quests or story were present in the demo build offered to players in London, but Piranha Bytes has just finished work on English character dialogue. Over 300,000 words of spoken script will fill the final game, and with so much content it is likely we will enjoy the same great story telling that permeates other Piranha Bytes titles. Instead of extensive narrative, adventurers at PC Gamer Weekender were given a glimpse of the open world and its inhabitants. Elex excels with an ample variety of adversaries. While the local wildlife and bandits are relatively consistent, shooting, hacking, and clawing you to pieces, not everything is quite so easily dispatched. Mechanoids are massive war

machines that stalk the land, employing spotter drones to pinpoint their enemies. Used by the Albs faction, these gargantuan monsters can rain destruction from extreme range so rushing in sword first is not an option. This mix of encounters keeps combat engaging, as does the array of weapons available to players. Futuristic energy cannons, more traditional automatic weapons, and some inventive swordplay all help make combat interesting and provide more than one approach to crushing opponents. Rush in chainsword first or use a flaming sabre to cauterize enemies. Alternatively players can hide in the bushes and snipe at range. A new combo system also rewards skilful play. Working best with melee weapons, it allows players to unleash an extra burst of damage when their combo bar is full, making the chainsaw even more satisfying. Combat, like much of Elex, seems to build on Piranha Bytes existing systems, throwing in some neat new ideas and ratcheting the scale up significantly. If this peek into Elex is any indication, we can look forward to a unique sci-fantasy world and an interesting story of redemption when Elex launches. In the meantime, we took the opportunity to chat to Piranha Bytes about Elex, its development, and Fred the skeleton. Check it out at: https://youtu.be/2SYoKYduhgI 21

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Swords, Sorcery, and Severed Arteries in Mirage: Arcane Warfare By Ed ’Screenager’ Orr

After shifting millions of copies of their Medieval Warfare title, Chivalry developer, Torn Banner, plans to propel players out of their castles and into a brand new realm. A realm where magic still thrives, curses are more than mere words, and the sands run red with blood. This is Mirage: Arcane Warfare. Torn Banner recently brought Chivalry’s successor to the PC Gamer Weekender during February and Gaiscioch took some time to feel the sand between our toes as we mercilessly gutted our enemies. Mirage continues in a similar vein as Chivalry, in this instance pitting two teams of six against each other in a typical competitive multiplayer scenario. Despite Mirage’s bloodline, this is more than Chivalry with a new lick of paint. Entirely new environments are open to players, each with a stylized aesthetic that screams for attention amongst the noise of the PC Gamer show floor. The crumbling ruins, elaborate palaces, and abandoned towns that populate Mirage 22

are all intricately constructed with a bold series of angular shapes, reminiscent of Motiga’s Gigantic and the cell shading of the Borderlands series. Even the colour palette distances Mirage from Torn Banner’s previous products, swapping a dull dirge of brown and gold for a blazing oranges and outrageous purples. With a total of twelve competitors jousting for supremacy, you might expect a huge variety of classes clashing in the arena. You would be wrong. Mirage provides six adequately defined characters to choose from, the Alchemancer, the Entropist, the Taurant, the Tinker, the Vigilist, and the Vypress. Each of these characters plays a very particular role and carries three unique abilities into battle, alongside their primary weapon. For example, the Vypress can zip across the battlefield using Pounce and unleash an explosive Dash Attack to assassinate unsuspecting foes.

Swords, Knives, spears, and balls of destructive mystical energy can all be blocked in Mirage. In an effort to balance Mirage’s infusion of magic, Torn Banner has incorporated melee combat behaviours into many of the game’s more outlandish abilities. Chucking a ball of mystical energy has the same weight to it as swinging a sword, the result of a solid

physics engine, making every attack you make feel meaningful. In essence this succeeds in keeping slower melee focused characters, like the Taurant, relevant while spells clash and swords cross on the battlefield.

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Finding a fight in Mirage is incredibly easy. The same set of controls that worked well in Chivalry are present. Map flow is intuitive with a number of capture points throughout the demonstration map, which are obviously telegraphed using clear visual aids and a series of audio queues. These character and map design decisions give new players an incredibly easy introduction to Mirage: Arcane Warfare. At PC Gamer Weekender I was surrounded by youngsters merrily flailing around the map spamming Q, E, and F keys in a vain effort to crush some skulls. Despite the constrained skill set, a small roster of characters, and an uncomplicated approach to match design, this does not make Mirage a shallow game. Like Chivalry, skilled play is rewarded. The best combatants can take advantage of a responsive control set to circumvent opponents, avoid attacks, or blocking anything thrown at them.

More than anything, I found my time with Torn Banner’s latest game to be immense fun. Like Doom, Mirage: Arcane Warfare’s simplicity belies its real depth. Beneath the oodles of gore and satisfying evisceration, lies a game that requires skill, teamwork, and great timing. Mirage: Arcane Warfare is coming to the PC and I, for one, will be there to experience the magic when it releases later this year. Check out our Interview at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE9PK4La8Ps

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Battling the elements In Ruin with Tarhead Studios By Ed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Screenagerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Orr

Sometimes, the best place to be at a gaming convention is far away from the bustle and noise of the main thoroughfare. While the biggest exhibitors compete for players attention and the waves of noise collide against each other, some of the biggest surprises can be found hidden away in the indie zone. Before I left Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PC Gamer Weekender, I took a look at some of the titles that Wargaming Labs brought along and came across Ruin. Ruin is a top down competitive arena title that deposits players into a constancy devolving environment in a desperate battle to survive. While players busily battle, time and the elements are stacked against competitors. Ravenous lava flows devour solid rock, surprise traps pounce on suspecting players, and violent storms that constrict around players like a noose, leaving only one option. Players must defeat their enemy before the elements defeat them.

Inspired by a Warcraft III mod named Warlock, Ruin updates and expands on the ideas in this aging classic, as a stand alone title. Modern graphics, unique races, dedicated maps, and redesigned combat systems are all present, powered by the Unity engine. The team at Tarhead Studios has been busily developing Ruin for some time already and with most of the game already complete, Tarhead are now in the middle of a Kickstarter campaign that will allow them to launch this online multiplayer. With internet connectivity at a premium I had to settle for the opponent next to me when I sat down to play Ruin. Unfortunately that turned out to be Martin Erikson from Tarhead Studios, and so began a series of crushing defeats at the hands of a far more competent opponent than I was prepared for. We also took the opportunity to corner him and chat about the game

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Before your own fight for survival begins, Ruin opens with character customization. Many similar competitive online multiplayer battle arenas tend to contain a diverse range of characters, with a static range of skills. This tends to keep the barrier to entry low for new players. Champions that fit a particular play style help to direct players while remaining consistent and predictable. Other Ancillary systems tend to provide greater levels of customization down the line for more experienced players. Ruin flips this on its head almost entirely. Character models are entirely cosmetic in Ruin. Three tribes are available to choose from, the Bears, the Apes, and Red Pandas. These all have a range of armour and equipment to earn, from simple rags to legendary armour. These three character templates are all very appealing but largely inconsequential to the combat system as all players must select six abilities to take into battle. Split into five different categories, sixteen different options make up the list of available abilities open to players, making more than 520,000 combinations to take into battle. Rather than balance every single possible permutation, Tarhead has taken the approach that every skill should have a viable counter. For every option that provides crowd control, a mobility skill exists, and while a range of devastating attacks are at player’s disposal there are some equally effective defensive abilities on show. Providing reasonable common sense balancing goes on, this should allow

Tarhead to easily add new options as time progresses although, like DOTA, it runs the risk of eventually creating a ludicrous level of complexity. Ruin’s control scheme is in no danger of perplexing players. Like many MOBAs, it uses a WASD control scheme with skills bound to the Q, E, and F keys. Targeted skills are selected and subsequently triggered using the left mouse key, which also acts as the primary attack. This set of simple controls and an uncomplicated match design allows players to focus on the action. Even against a single player, Ruin gets hectic fast. Players dodge and weave around the receding safe space, projectiles bounce around the arena, and anybody unlucky enough to be pushed back into the elements, by one of the game’s knock back utilities, will notice leaving the arena is very detrimental to a character’s health pool. I only got a glimpse of Ruin during PC Gamer Weekender, and while I still have a few concerns around skill balancing and the visibility of drafting before a match, it still has definite potential. Ruin looks wonderful and should run well on a range of systems. Combat feels engaging and the riotous action should make great fun with friends. You can check out more about Ruin on their Kickstarter campaign page right now. Watch our Interview with Tarhead Studios at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTzeGrY7nIw

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Pocket Money Augmented Reality in Swapbots By Ed ‘Screenager’ Orr

Back in my day things weren’t so different. The Epoch Barcode Battler is my earliest memory of the smart toys market, a section of the video game market worth billions of dollars every year, according to Juniper Research. True, the graphics were binary, the gameplay was chronically repetitive, and decapitation of supermarket cereal boxes was a real threat, but technology has moved on tremendously and now a close knit indie team, based in the north of the UK, is bringing a little bit of their own 90s nostalgia to the market with the launch of Swapbots.

with the fun of playing games. We were talking about childhood games, and story books, and kids being able to play with augmented reality so it’s more than just a novelty. It’s something that actually enriches the experience and gives them something really exciting. And it’s not just like it’s one moment. You go to school. You give it. You seem to keep coming back to it and it provides just as much fun and challenge every time. One of the things that we talked about was the first germ of of an idea around two players and this little robot character made up of little blocks.”

We had the opportunity to speak to Andy, one of the founders of Draw and Code, the team behind Swapbots, about their inspiration.

Those blocks became Swapbots, a fusion of physical product and augmented reality aimed at reproducing the extended experience of the major toys-to-life franchises without the shackles of a home console. On their own, these toys might appear to be fancy colored Lego, but just like the Barcode Battler handheld, when combined with their companion app they really come to life. An augmented reality app, for both Apple and Android devices, allows players to dive into the Swapbots world or add a new layer to our own.

“So we’ve been working on Swapbots for just over a year now. And if I’m to be honest Swapbots has been bubbling around for awhile. Just under three years as an idea. As a team we were talking about how Swapbots, as a concept, could be something that combines the joy and magic of augmented reality 26

It’s a concept that seems to borrow elements from a range of toys, old and new. Swapbots draws parallels with the recent success of Pokemon Go, more traditional toys-to-life franchises, and even good old Top Trumps, as Andy pointed out.

Delivering a collection of nine bots into children’s pockets, these collectable cubes stack together to make a range of neon minions. A single Swapbot is the combination of three cubes which can be rearranged in any imaginable order. From Griff the griffon to Kubuto the samurai, there are 729 possible characters for players to use. Wings, weapons, and tentacles all sprout from the Swapbots when placed in front of a smartphone camera, running the companion app. As players collect, build, battle, and play they can earn game currency, called bolts, from all of the app’s game modes, be it battling other botters, campaign modes, or even completing minigames in the companion app. “We’ve developed a lot of mini games for the app because we felt that the initial emphasis was on battling Swapbots. Since then we’ve developed a lot of fun minigames, for example a bug busters game where you have to stop these little robot bugs stealing

With the ubiquity of the smartphone and tablet, as well as the flexibility it provides, Draw and Code seems to have settled on a hole in the market. With so many children using a smart device, Draw and Code has priced Swapbots directly for this target market. The bots will come in at around £5/$8 depending on pack sizes with absolutely no in-app purchases. All game currency is earned in the Swapbots app. Andy gave us a bit more insight into this decision when we spoke earlier today

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“Some of the stuff that we really loved inspired us into making Swapbots, like Top Trumps and arcade games. It was just fun trading stickers and cards and toys when we were kids in a playground. So we created the idea of swapping these little robots that came to life. What if we broke them up into their different pieces so the blocks that have been cut change their function with the different parts you use.”

your hard earned bolts. There’s this one that you can play on your own or with other players. There are various battles you can complete with or without the Swapbots to customize your different accessories. So, when you play a single player or multiplayer, all those stats that you collect as a character will have an impact on your game play both offensively and defensively. And the more you play the more you can upgrade them.”

“We’re all big fans of the toys-to-life arena as it is. We like the beautiful characters and feel like a lot of the games that have been made are really awesome. We kind of feel like there was this hole in the mobile toy market where we could slot in. When Pokemon Go launched everybody loved playing that and the use of augmented reality but there’s no representation of that on the shelves really. Everybody could play Pokemon Go and it became so popular because it was free. You just wander around your street and play it. That’s what it felt like and that’s why the community was so fun to be a part of.

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We feel similarly that we want something that you don’t need to sit down and talk about how expensive this is going to be and this has to be a big Christmas present or birthday present. It can be something that the kids can buy with their own pocket money or the parents don’t feel like it’s something expensive. They’re not worried by it. The stuff that really frustrated us were the the kind of purchases in other games, the credit card having to be put in there, and the advertising kids have to watch. All that stuff. I mean we were really keen to to make something and coming up with this idea of this swappable toy and video game. It was very transparent for parents and kids so it was very much like if you get this toy you’re buying. While it might be financially safer to develop Swapbots and hand it off to a big toy company, Draw and Code are bringing their idea to Kickstarter. We asked Andy why they wanted to use Kickstarter rather than pass the idea onto a major global brand. We were really excited about producing Swapbots as an independent and being able to drive the creativity and passion through from where we were to where we are now to finally getting it on the shelves. We’ve been able to talk to some really exciting people. We’ve made some really great partnerships without having to have a big toy manufacturer looking after Swapbots. We partnered with Vuforia, who provide the augmented reality platform, and we’ve partnered with Unity as well, and they are really excited about the fact that we’re making this and that we’re independent in this 28

space and that doesn’t happen very often. So, we’re really excited to take our dream and our crazy idea out to the wider gaming community. We all support amazing Kickstarter ideas and we wanted to open it up to that community of people that I love supporting a really passionate innovative fun silly ideas and help it get to fruition.” If you have a soft spot for Top Trumps, Pokemon Go, and the legendary Barcode Battler then you might want to head over to Kickstarter and have a look at Swapbots. Visit their Kickstarter Campaign at: http://gsch.info/q/ swapbots

Guild Wars 2

Contents The Head of the Snake First Look

Misty and Cookie: A Dark and Stormy Night

Misty and Cookieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Charr Meatloaf Sandwich

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Guild Wars 2 The Head of the Snake First Look By Ed ‘Screenager’ Orr

Taking to the front lines in the latest Living World adventure For players that ventured into the Maguuma Jungle, escaping the Heart of Thorns came at an incredible cost. Tyria’s greatest heroes now remain scattered, the Pact is a fragile shadow of its former glory, and new threats creep across the land on all fronts. Today ArenaNet reminds us that in Tyria things can always get worse with the release of The Head of the Snake, the latest instalment in Living World Season 3. The fourth episode of season three marks a swift change of direction for Guild Wars 2’s Living World. After mining the bowels of Braham’s personal demons, players depart the Bitterfrost Frontier behind and return south, to warmer climates, where the fog of war has finally descended on Divinity’s Reach. An 32

urgent summons from Queen Jennah returns players to Divinity’s Reach where the consequences of a resurgent White Mantle are causing serious problems for the seat of human power. The opening of episode four returns players to the royal court and a very familiar setting. The human dynasties have regularly been the backdrop for stories surrounded by subterfuge, betrayal, and authority, and they surface here once more. Players that have fought their way through previous Living World seasons may find initial instances in Head of the Snake feel mechanically similar to the Party Politics story from Living World Season 2. While this might undermine the beginning of episode four a little, the return to Divinity’s reach is an absolutely welcome change of pace for Living World.

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The Bitterfrosts are mechanically interesting maps, but the tone of perpetual winter can be a little homogeneous. Central Tyria is not quite so dry. Divinity’s Reach greets players with its usual cacophony of light and colour, the streets buzz with activity, citizens go about their business, and the auspicious Central Plaza is lush and inviting. Similarly. The latest stage of Living World is a pleasure to visit. Despite assertions that we would not see it, Lake Doric is the latest addition to our expanding map of Tyria. This is not the map recently discovered by Chinese players, but a battleground that threatens to spill over into Divinity’s Reach. Here, the green and gold hues surrounding shores of the lake are a wonderfully serene backdrop to the visceral battles that carve through the countryside. Glittering jade artillery streaks overhead while the White Mantle entrench their positions. Seraph outposts lie overrun, villages are awash with fear, and it’s up to players to push back the looming threat. The bulk of episode four’s content is located here, just outside the human capital, and I found the area thriving with activity. Escort events, starving troops, civilian unrest, dwindling supplies, White Mantle assaults, and even

a man stuck down a well all help this instalment avoid the rather plodding progression present in A Crack in the Ice. One particular highlight finds players on an infiltration mission. Subterfuge and sabotage missions do not exactly redefine the genre but it does, once again, underline the pointed differences between The Head of the Snake and its predecessor. Dressed as a White Mantle soldier, players are tasked with stealing plans, poisoning supplies, and freeing Seraph prisoners. Where I found Svanir transformations during episode three a throwaway transition between chapters, this is an integral story component that actively engages players and has more than one way to complete. It is, therefore, a surprise to see a substantial portion of The Head of the Snake’s content locked behind a gating mechanism. Lake Doric event participation is a mandatory prerequisite to ensure Seraph army combat readiness and a push past the White Mantle’s assaults on Lake Doric. While this sounds unusually prescriptive for Guild Wars 2, the breadth of events available around Lake Doric makes it a genuinely enjoyable experience and just about avoids any grind from setting in. 33

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Content primarily revolves around the ongoing conflict between the Seraph and the White Mantle. A series of push and pull events cycle across the map as both sides vie for control over the map. Seraph troops regularly storm across the terrain in an effort to retake the villages the White Mantle have subjugated, rewarding players with a map specific bonus for capturing and defending objectives. ArenaNet has produced a genuinely different set of encounters for each of the mapâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary objectives with a particularly interesting point in the north of the map, defended by a Centaur Siegemaster, that causes chaos by spewing burning tornados over your party.

Dispatching the White Mantel leads episode four towards its closing chapter, the Shire of Beetletun, and a final stand for Lord Caudecus. The region and its residence has largely been neglected in Guild Wars 2. As dungeons have been gradually superseded by fractals and raiding content, Guild Wars 2 now provides an extremely narrow set of incentives to ever visit Caudecusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Manor. Episode four marks a welcome return to this house and from the off, players are dragged into a deluge of action. Swarms of White Mantle and jade bows patrol the outer grounds, entrances, and interior. Fending off the White Mantle and their minions requires some nimble footwork

between a series of narrow corridors and constricting halls. The resulting close quarters combat can be chaotic. Jade bows bounce players around the manorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gilded rooms like a sack of leaves while the remaining White Mantle overwhelm any survivors.

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Subduing an unstable Lord Caudecus is equally hectic. Infused with Bloodstone magic, Caudecus displays a range power and madness that has shades of Scarlet, and although his opening salvo includes some interesting teleportation techniques, it is his final stand that proves more challenging. Situated in the deepest catacombs of his inner sanctum, Caudecus hides behind a series of unusual riddles, rotating rooms, and several giant facades of himself, once again reasserting his ego and madness. Mechanics common to the residents of Bloodstone Fen and Ember Bay are repurposed for this fight. Caudecus makes repeated use of magical barriers, pours ample quantities of spectral agony over your party, and rains jade elementals down on opponents.

This all makes for a satisfying crescendo to Caudecusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story arc. The Head of the Snake successfully changes the pace of Living World, giving players the opportunity to dispense with the Elder Dragons for a time, dig deeper into Krytaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s civil unrest, and foil a much more direct threat. ArenaNet makes outstanding use of some returning locations and Lake Doric is a fine addition that will stay relevant long after season three concludes. Unbound magic continues to be the central unifying currency of season three, providing the widest possible flexibility on how to play and encouraging Tyrians to return to its shores. While slaying the Elder Dragons may sound epic, sometimes these more human stories are the most enthralling part of the adventure. Players can bank the episode, for free, by logging into Guild Wars 2 right now.

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Misty and Cookie: A Dark and Stormy Night By Gpa (David) Foley, Photos & Recipes by Gma (Esther) Foley It was a Dark and Stormy night, like most Tuesday and Friday nights had been for a month. The moon shone bright, surrounded by a necklace of sparkling star jewels as warm, gentle breezes stirred the leaves. Foggy Mist, the big Snow Leopard, led “Humble” Misty and “Cookie” la Boomboom up the well worn path to John Dark’s small tavern. Stormy, John’s jet black wolf companion, met them at the door, his brilliant yellow eyes standing out from the dark background like lanterns. The wolf snarled and immediately charged the big 36

leopard, who snarled back and reared to meet the challenge. The two merged into a Yin and Yang ball of black and white fur as they rolled a dozen yards down the hill. They broke apart then immediately romped off together down the trail in anticipation of an evening of hunting and play. Misty and Cookie chuckled watching the pair’s ritual meeting, then moved into the warm tavern lit by a snapping fire on the hearth and a few candles on the tables. A pair of oil lamps behind the bar reflected in mirrors and their light danced between bottles

shelved there. John himself moved to welcome them, a pair of mugs in hand. They moved to a table occupied by an older woman with a Peggles board already set up. The woman was unknown to both Misty and Cookie, but that wasn’t uncommon. John’s place was well known for it’s standing open Peggles games, fine ales, and quiet, friendly environment. One of the reasons for the quiet environment was John himself. At first glance he was an average older guy, of normal height and build beneath his knit sweater. His face bore a permanent smile etched

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deep and a steel-grey beard. His voice rumbled with the echo of a hearty laugh whenever he spoke. On a bit closer look, however, the steel in his eyes matched his beard, the quickness of his hands and easy grace with which he moved tables, chairs, and supplies showed his hidden strength. His calloused hands showed the effects of hard work, but also the scars of combat. John had been the field commander of a group of Seraph known as the “Dark Angels”, a squad sized unit of the “Fallen Angels” of Ebonhawke. Their mission was generally infiltration, intelligence gathering, sabotage, and “key target elimination”. Their effectiveness as a unit was proven by the difference between the tales of their adventures as told by friend and foe.

Few around here knew of his background, but a troublemaker would very quickly learn that John was not a man to be challenged in his own pub. Regulars at the pub would whisper to uppity newcomers the story of the scars high on the wall at the end of the bar, above a coat rack, and point out the lamp hanger in the center of the room. The story went that a huge Charr Centurion had come into the bar and made “unreasonable demands”. When John politely refused his demands the Centurion got in his face and started with the insults, calling John “puny human livestock” among other things. John just stared him down and refused to either respond or obey. Finally the Centurion worked

himself up to the point he drew his dagger and took a swipe at John. That was a mistake. The scratch marks bore witness to where John had pinned the giant Charr, his head literally nailed to the wall with his own fangs. The Centurion had to be carried out by his warband, toothless and disgraced. Cookie had checked after hearing the story the first time. The coat rack consisted of a matched pair of Charr canine teeth embedded deeply in the wooden wall and broken off at the base. A close look at the lamp at the center of the room revealed a Charr dagger embedded in the ceiling with an oil lamp hung on each quillon of the hilt. Few chose to challenge John. None challenged him twice. 37

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The lady at the table rose to meet them, extending a warm hand and introducing herself as “Lady Grey”. Her handshake was firm but friendly, her smile genuine, but Misty detected the subtle bulge of a dagger hilt on each side beneath her flowing grey cloak. The thrownback hood showed short hair of snowy white and surprisingly intense dark eyes along with the broad smile. She seemed genuinely friendly and pleased to meet them, as if they had been expected, and yet there was something about her that triggered warnings in Misty’s head - there was more to this lady than she revealed. Still, being a friend of John’s was a trustworthy credential.

10 beans to a pebble, 10 pebbles to a peg. Pegs are removed from the board to pay debts, and earned Pegs are added to the board. Die are cast to determine movement of the pegs, one die for each active peg a player has on the board. Pegs can be moved in any direction along a path or at crossings, but meeting a peg belonging to another player initiates combat. The outcome is based on a complex relationship of the cards, the number of spaces moved to initiate combat, and the relative size of the bets. The rules are somewhat fluid and open for interpretation, discussion, and sometimes confrontation, so it is a game best enjoyed by unarmed friends.

The four of them took their seats at the table and set up their pieces for the game. Peggles is an amalgamation of many games of different races. The active pieces are wooden pegs placed in a board of curling, looping, and crossing paths with holes drilled at regular intervals. No two Peggles boards are identical, making mastery of the game even more problematic than the convoluted rules would imply. In front of each player is a deck of cards and five marked spaces, one for each of the five allied races, representing Ferocity for the Charr, Guile for the Human, Strength for the Norn, Technology for the Asuran, and Spirit for the Sylvari. Cards are dealt from each player’s deck at the beginning of each round into each space. Bets are placed, in a friendly game, using beans, pebbles, and pegs -

The two other patrons of the pub watched the game for a while, then said their goodbyes and left as the evening grew longer. Cookie was eliminated first, his conservative style quickly overwhelmed by the other three all playing increasingly aggressive strategies. He retired to the kitchen to prepare snacks for what looked like a long session. Misty was trailing badly, but the other two seemed more intent on battling each other than finishing her off. Misty was watching their eyes - there was more between these two than just a friendly competition, but yet no hostility. Moves and results that would have brought anger or outrage from many brought wry smiles and occasional snickers from the two nearly deadlocked opponents. The evening wore on as pegs were won and lost and the ebb and flow

of stylized battle refused to pick a winner. John was contemplating a risky move to block two of Lady Grey’s pegs when a distant howl echoed faintly up the hill from the valley below. John’s chair toppled backward as he instantly rose and his face went hard and cold. “Trouble” was all he said. The game abruptly ended. In two steps he reached the bar and retrieved a shortbow and quiver from a hidden recess. Lady Grey had moved fluidly to a position with her back to the wall next to the door, a matched pair of daggers appearing in her hands. Her stance was that of a trained warrior. Misty took the hint and retrieved her sword from the rack near the door. Cookie ducked behind the bar to check the load and prime of his brace of pistols. John opened the door a crack, blocking the base with his foot, and peered into the darkness, his bow at the ready. A moment later he stepped back and threw the door open as two streaks of fur raced through the opening and skidded to a stop in the room. The heavy door slammed and the bolt snicked home as John spun to face the two companion pets. Stormy had debris and what looked like streaks of blood on his fur and his lip was curled in a toothy snarl. Foggy Mist was carrying a prize as he approached Misty - a human forearm and hand that looked like it came from a long-dead cadaver - except that the fingers of the

hand were moving, grasping at anything in reach. Foggy spat the rotting flesh on the floor at Misty’s feet and stepped back. Misty’s heel landed hard on the writhing fingers and quickly ground the bones of the hand to dust. “Undead” she growled, “What are they doing around here?”

John looked up at Lady Grey and asked, “Do you think they know?” “I think we have to assume that they do. We need to prepare, and I think we should let our friends here know what they may be in for.” Misty looked confused, and Cookie looked clueless, at the discussion. “Who?”, “What?”, “Huh?” came as disconnected fragments of a question from Misty. Cookie just looked back and forth between the other three, hoping to catch a bit of context at some point.

glint of metal and sharp profiles of armor. His pistol was coming up as a hand fell over his and forced it back downward. “It’s OK” came John’s voice. “Let us explain.” The figure resolved in the dim light into a warrior in the dark armor and angel’s wing shield of the Fallen Angels. “This is Lady Grey, also known as Commander Alita Lawrence of the Fallen Angels, my former commander. She, and this mission, are the reason that Queen Jennah requested that you stay in this area for a while.”

“Dim the lamps and check that the shutters are secure” said John, as he moved to recheck the door. “There are peepholes in the walls beneath any picture that shows a soldier.” He pointed to one that showed a tired warrior kneeling with a Banner of Defense and looking over a scarred battlefield littered with dead. Cookie was surprised to find the shutters much more substantial than they appeared. The wooden slats were merely a facade over solid iron sheets on heavy hinges. Deadbolts top and bottom secured each shutter. Misty dimmed the lamps and shovelled a bit of ash onto the fire to bank it down, then began locating and checking the peepholes in the walls. The pets lay side by side staring at the door, tails twitching in unison.

Misty’s eyebrow rose in surprise. The orders for their secret mission came directly from Queen Jennah, sealed and coded. Nobody should know what was in them. The surprises were coming quick tonight.

As Cookie finished with the last of the shutters he turned to see a shape coming up the hidden stairway. At first he thought it was Lady Grey, but then he caught the

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John’s hands quickly checked Stormy. “Just scratches and small cuts, nothing serious.” He scratched the big wolf’s ears then turned to the bar. Retrieving two bowls he tapped a measure of ale into each, then set them on the floor in front of the two companions. “It helps get the taste of undead out of their mouths” he said to nobody in particular. Foggy lapped at the bowl, then looked at Misty as if to ask “How come you never thought of that?”. Misty, for her part, was pondering just how John may have come to this knowledge himself.

John reached up and pushed, rather than pulled, one of the taps on the bar, then rotated an unused candle stand on a post at the end of the bar a quarter turn counterclockwise. He then picked up an odd-shaped bottle from the shelf behind the bar and shoved the top into what appeared to be a knothole in the wall and twisted the bottle. There was a sharp click, and the entire bar pivoted on it’s center, revealing a hidden staircase. Lady Grey quickly disappeared into the hidden basement.

The four gathered around a larger table in the middle of the room, all arranged on one side so they could all face the door. Alita spoke first: “There is an Asuran who has been working alone and in secret to complete a weapon specifically for use against the Undead and hopefully the Risen. It uses properties isolated and extracted from Oozes and traces of Foefire. Used directly against the undead it consumes them in a purified fire so intense that it breaks the bond of soul and spirit, releasing the undead forever from this world. It also contains an Etheric Toxin that travels back up the Spectral Channel to the controlling 39

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Necromancer, poisoning and destroying it. If it works on Risen as well as on Undead, we may have a way to turn Zhaitan’s minions into weapons to be used against him. We may be able to destroy his strongest lieutenants without having to face them directly. It could even threaten the Dragon himself.”

Alita said. “It may be coincidence that some wandering necromancer was practicing in the area and the pets just bumped into his minions while playing…”

“But…” Misty filled the pause.

Foggy rose to his feet and his tail went straight back, just the tip twitching, as he crouched into an alert position facing the door. Stormy began to pace and sniff, nose high, around the room.

John sighed heavily and spilled the bad news: “Somehow, it seems word of his work has reached Zhaitan. Spies have been seen everywhere. A decoy patrol supposedly escorting the Asuran to Divinity’s Reach was ambushed and nearly wiped out. It seems Zhaitan will do anything to ensure the destruction of the Asuran and his work. Alita and I have been tasked with getting him to safety. Both of us report directly to Queen Jennah in this effort. I have the resources of the Order of Whispers available to me, and Alita has the full force of the Vigil, but force alone cannot seem to guarantee success in this case. As of right now, only two people know where this Asuran is.” “In the Cookie.

basement.”

stated

“No, I don’t believe that either.” Alita’s shoulders slumped a bit.

“They are coming.” Misty and John spoke in unison. John went to a closet behind the bar and rummaged about for a moment before coming out with what looked like a cross between binoculars and a moonshine still. “Gift from a friend of sorts,” he explained. “It can see etheric energies. I will try to see what we are up against. There are view slots in the attic.” He grabbed his bow and went up a ladder in the closet and through a ceiling hatch.

“And apparently a few undead.” Misty added, less than helpfully.

A few moments later his head appeared in the hatch. “I can see only about a dozen of them, but they have the place surrounded. The Necromancer is on the next hill to the west, well out of range.”

“We don’t know that for sure”,

“Only a dozen of them? Well

“OK, maybe three, or now four.” said John with a pained look.

Five pairs of eyes stared at her.

that’s encouraging,” replied Cookie. His tone was not altogether serious. The attack began with heavy strikes against the door and shutters, but the heavily reinforced structures easily resisted the assault. Soon they could smell smoke, as the attackers attempted to burn their way through the door, only to be met with glowing hot iron. Next they could hear scrabbling on the roof and against the walls as the undead attempted to claw their way in through the solid stone. Several choruses of Twang - Thump - Howl - Thud were heard as John cleared the roof of intruders, firing through his viewports. At one point Cookie heard a rustling at the chimney and a dessicated foot slipped into view at the flue. “Close your eyes!” he shouted as he pitched a fist-sized lump into the fireplace. There was a brilliant flash and a sudden “Whump!” as the packet hit the embers on the hearth. The foot was gone. John was laughing hysterically up in the attic. “I wish you could have seen that fireworks display from up here,” he gasped when he could catch his breath. “There were three of them packed in that chimney, and they went off like fireworks. There are little sparkly flaming bits of undead raining down everywhere! Those three won’t be reanimating anytime soon.”

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The Living World

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Alita turned to Cookie and Misty. “We can’t just wait for them to come to us. We are trapped in here and nobody knows where we are. Our situation is unlikely to get better with time. We need to get word out, and that means we need to break out of this trap. Dawn is coming, better for us and worse for them. At first light we need to break their siege.” “What about the secret antiundead stuff?” Cookie asked. “We have only a tiny sample, and it hasn’t been fully tested. I’m afraid it won’t be of much use to us.” “It won’t help if neither our charge nor the sample makes it out of here intact” pointed out Misty. “True enough,” agreed Alita, “but let’s save it for a last resort if we can.” “How about the Asuran, can he fight?” “He may be able to talk them to death. He never shuts up. Ever. I don’t think he’s much of a fighter, though. He hides at the first sign of a threat. I’ve never seen him pick up a weapon.” “So just the six of us, then,” John stated flatly. “The best course I can see is that we set an ambush at the front door and fight our way out, send the companions ahead for help, and make our way to Ebonhawke and the Asura gate to 42

Divinity’s Reach.” Heads nodded in agreement around the room. Half an hour later they were ready to make their move. A Flame Turret faced the front door, with Misty and John behind it with arrows nocked and full quivers. Alita waited beside the door, sword and shield ready to deal with any creature that managed to cross the threshold. The pets had been equipped with short notes describing their location, situation, and plans, and stationed behind the bar until an opening could be made through the opposing forces. Cookie had intended to equip his flamethrower, but had to opt for his pistols after he was “nominated” to look after the Asuran. The Asuran, for his part, was making muffled but decidedly uncomplimentary noises. His mood was due in no small part to having lost an argument, something he was clearly not accustomed to. He had insisted on staying in his basement hideaway until they were rescued. He made a very logical case that he was far too valuable to take a chance on having himself captured, injured, or even killed by the undead or some servant of Zhaitan. After all, as the only Asuran in the group he would be easily targeted. The others resolved his reservations by the simple expedient of shoving an oversized helmet filled with clothes on his

head, effectively muzzling him, and stuffing him in a backpack where he was not only hidden but also seated on a live grenade. It was then pointed out that he was unlikely to be captured by the enemy, and if he were to perish it was unlikely that there would be sufficient remains to reanimate, even for an accomplished Necromancer. The fact that both Asuran and Grenade were strapped to Cookie’s back didn’t exactly improve Cookie’s mood either. Alita looked to the others, counted down from three, and slipped the bolt. There was a brief look of surprise on the face of the undead Brute that had been pounding on the door incessantly for hours as it swung freely open. Then he took the full force of the flame turret blast and a double shot to the face from Cookie’s pistols and the look went away along with the rest of him. The bows began to sing as the two Rangers targeted anything moving in the dawn light. An undead Asuran ducked under their fire and made a run for the door. He met Alita’s sword halfway through, and her boot lofted his newly independent head back out the door and well down the hill. In moments the door was cleared of threats. The two Rangers traded bows for swords and joined Alita as they set about clearing the area and making sure that reanimating any of the corpses wouldn’t be an easy task. It was a short and dusty battle. It would have been a short

and bloody battle except, you know, the undead don’t do much in the blood department.

Cookie joined the others, who began moving down the path forming a protective wedge ahead of him. They had gone only a few dozens of yards when they spotted motion and a cloud of dust coming up the hill. They crouched under cover, watching as the cloud resolved into a mass of undead, at least twenty in just the first rank, storming up the hill. “Back to the pub.” ordered John. There was no disagreement. John and Misty dropped a hail of arrows on the trail to slow the assault and cover their retreat. Back in the pub Cookie disarmed the grenade and freed the Asuran

“This is bad,” said Alita, stating the obvious, “there are too many of them. This isn’t just a Necromancer or two trying to gain favor with Zhaitan. These must be Risen. I have never seen them this far from Orr. The Dragon knows we are here. It’s only a matter of time until he gets sufficient forces here to overwhelm us.” As if in response to her statement the building shook as something massive slammed into the bolted door. Weapons came to the ready and all eyes went to the door. Dust filtered down from the ceiling, beams creaked, but the door held. “They have an Abomination.” This time it was John stating the obvious. “The door can’t stand up to that for long.” Alita outlined their strategic situation. “We have to hold out as long as possible, and hope the companions can bring help. We will blockade the door and windows as best we can, set traps inside, and retreat to the basement when the time comes. The stairs are narrow and curved, and will force them to attack single file unless they simply poison or burn us out. We should be able to hold for a while. Cookie can rig a deadman charge so if the last of us falls it will ensure that none of us get reanimated as

undead. We all know too much to let that happen.” Heads nodded slowly. It wasn’t a plan anyone was particularly anxious to execute. Cookie moved his Flame Turret to the now-cold fireplace and mounted it facing up the flue. A Rocket Turret was mounted in the back corner behind the bar, where anyone would have to move all the way across the room and behind the bar to reach it. “You know this is going to make a mess of this place if it starts firing, right?” he mentioned in passing to John. “It’s not really rated for indoor use.”

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As the last undead were reduced to scraps the two Rangers whistled in unison and the Wolf and Snow Leopard leapt through the door, searching for threats and looking disappointed when they found none. John pointed in the direction of Ebonhawke and instructed, “Find friends.” The big black wolf canted his head in question, as if to say, “Aren’t you coming?” A nod and second point and the Wolf bounded off, disappearing almost immediately in the half-light of dawn. Misty knelt to scratch her big cat’s ears, then made eye contact and simply pointed in the opposite direction. The big cat hesitated just a heartbeat, then vanished into the underbrush.

who quickly scampered back to his basement hiding place while throwing insults and complaints over his shoulder at anyone who would listen. Which was nobody.

“If it needs to fire the mess is already made,” replied John. “Just make sure it doesn’t start firing while we are still in the room.” Misty and Alita moved the big table so its top was against the door, then wedged another table up against it and nailed that one to the floor. The Rangers set an entanglement trap just inside the door, and spike and flame traps along the most likely paths of movement. The hits against the front door continued, and the iron plate was now bent, the hinges and bolt loosening in the mortar of the rock wall. John had gone back to the attic with his shortbow, but couldn’t bring it to bear so close to the building. He picked off several Risen that were just standing back waiting for the door to give, 43

though, and forced the rest to back off or take cover. “John! Get ready!” shouted Alita as the hinges finally gave way. A couple more hits and the horde would be inside.

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John scrambled down from the attic and the others took aim at the door. “Downstairs!” shouted John. “It will take a while for them to figure out where the stairs are if we are closed up before they get in.” The four scrambled down the stairs. John operated the lever to swing the bar closed, while Alita stopped at the bottom of the stairs, pivoted, and went to a defensive stance with sword and shield at the ready. The little Asuran was hiding under the table on the far wall reciting the value of Pi to himself. Cookie and the Rangers arrayed

themselves to fire over Alita’s head at anything moving down the stairs. The building shook with a heavy impact, then a second, then two more in rapid succession. Dust rained from the ceiling and flaked from the walls. John and Cookie looked at each other curiously. John spoke first. “That didn’t sound right, and I don’t hear anything happening upstairs.” There were more thumps, now clearly explosions rather than physical impacts. Faint sounds of a pitched battle filtered to their underground refuge. A few moments later it was Misty’s turn to suddenly look to the ceiling. “Foggy Mist. He’s close. And happy,” she said in slightly puzzled tone. “I think maybe our help got here.” There came a rhythmic tapping of metal on metal from upstairs.

A quick round of raised eyebrows, shrugs, nods, and hand gestures established a consensus that emerging from their refuge might not be immediately lethal. John pulled the release handle while the rest tensed for an attack. It didn’t come. Alita led the group up the stairs. There was light showing around the door, but the braced table was still intact. There was no sign of undead or Risen inside. The tapping continued on the bent iron of the door. Alita cautiously reached and tapped the same rhythm with her sword. “Ah, so there is someone home,” came a gravelly but very unundead sounding voice. “We would have come in but we figured you might not be too welcoming to uninvited visitors just now.” “Identify yourselves!” commanded Alita through the sagging door.

There was a heavy sigh, and then in the tone of voice reserved by soldiers for filing reports and reciting regulations came, “Fourth Warband, Second Company, Iron Legion. Legionnaire Kut Sharpeye” and in a low growl, “at your service.” Cookie looked up in surprise. “I know that unit. Advanced scouts.”

“You gonna let us in or do we have to keep chatting through the wall? We got a big white cat out here that really wants to get inside for some reason.” The request was accompanied by the screech of claws on iron. “Foggy!” Misty called. “It’s safe, Foggy says they are OK.” It took several minutes to disarm all of the traps and remove the obstacles they had set up. The big Charr finally lifted the heavy iron door and tossed it aside like a well-used rag. A streak of white zoomed through the opening and jumped to meet nose-to-nose with Misty, who promptly set to scratching ears and making baby noises to the big cat. Five Charr followed the cat through the door, doffing helmets as they entered. Five clearly well used battle axes lined up by the door as they entered. They quickly set about straightening tables

John stepped through the door and looked around. What had been forest was now a dead and blasted wasteland. Undead corpses, or rather pieces of undead corpses, littered the area. A few craters still smoked. It smelled of the peculiar dusty, acrid odor of burning undead. He turned back into the pub. “What happened out there? There must have been close to a hundred of them. How many casualties did you take? Any injured we need to recover?” “Whoa there, pilgrim.” Kut’s big paws made slow-down motions in the air. “They were so busy trying to knock your little door down they never saw us coming. We had reports of a Risen group on the road, and were already headed this way when your Cat found us. We just circled around behind ‘em and took out their Necros before they even knew we were there. Once those were out of commission the rest didn’t have a brain between ‘em. Then we just opened up with mortars and walked ‘em down toward us, thinning them out. By the time they were running past us it was no problem at all for each of us to cut down eight or ten apiece. I might have gotten a clean dozen, but your cat there stole a couple of my kills.” He chuckled. “We may have to make him an honorary Charr.”

“To say we appreciate your efforts is a vast understatement,” said Alita with a bow. “We owe you our lives.” “Fine,” said the Legionnaire with a wave of his hand. “This is a pub, right? We haven’t eaten since dawn. Got anything to eat or drink around here?” He grinned. Charr grins can be scary. John quickly checked the taps. “Got ale.” he said and started drawing mugs. “Cookie, can you check the pantry?”

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“What happened out there?” inquired Alita, in a more conversational tone.

and chairs and clearing dust and debris.

Moments later Cookie returned with an armload of sandwich fixin’s. He began to unwrap a loaf of bread on the bar when the Charr stepped up and slapped a big paw down on the loaf. “We are warriors doing battle. Don’t try to feed us this pasty grain stuff you humans seem to like so much. Try this instead.” He pulled a similar looking loaf from his pack and dropped it on the bar, where it landed with a heavy “thump” that didn’t sound at all like bread. Cookie unwrapped the loaf and found a solid log of ground and spiced meat wrapped in bacon. He pondered for a moment then picked up his chef’s knife to slice the loaf. “Allow me,” rumbled the Charr as he flexed his claws and neatly separated four slices at a time with simple efficiency. “Too bad you haven’t got a grill going. It’s better warmed to fresh meat temperature. A human cook conscripted into one of our Warbands developed this as 45

a field ration. It sure beats having to hunt for lunch every day.”

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Cookie had a suspicion who that cook might have been, but didn’t mention it.

A quiet cough from one of the other Charr drew the Legionnaire’s attention. Two of them were standing at the end of the bar, the one with the cough standing with one paw resting on the coat rack. As Kut looked his way he opened his palm, revealing the embedded tooth, then his eyes flicked to the dagger in the ceiling. Kut’s eyes followed, then narrowed as he looked back at Cookie.

him several steps forward into the middle of the room. “There isn’t a Charr under his command that wasn’t glad to see that arrogant ‘Captain Windbag’ retired. You have done us a great service. Hear hear!” He drained his mug in one draught. The others followed suit, and John was surrounded and nearly mauled with congratulatory expressions of respect. It was far more attention than he was comfortable with. “All right already!” John shouted. “Let the bartender do his job and refill some mugs!” His statement was met with cheers of hearty agreement.

“So this is the place. You?” The topic was clear, the intent not so much. Cookie took a step back and helpfully pointed at John Dark.

Cookie turned back to Kut and said, “If you can loan me a soldier or two I think I can fix the grill issue.”

Kut raised his voice as he faced John. “Band! Ten-hut!” Chairs scraped as the Charr snapped to attention facing their leader. “This is the human,” he growled as he pointed a single extended claw toward John, “that humiliated and forced the retirement in disgrace of Centurion Barok Foulwind.”

Kut nodded to the two by the bar. Cookie directed them to retrieve the iron door and set it up as a flat surface across a few piles of stones out front. He retrieved his Flame Turret and in short order had it modified to emit short bursts of flame continuously under the newly constructed iron grill.

There was a moment of tension as everyone in the room froze, trying to figure out what was coming next. Then one corner of Kut’s lip curled, and he barked, “Lift your mugs in salute, you are in the presence of a hero of the Charr enlisted man!” He broke into a belly laugh, slapping John on the back hard enough to propel

Misty and Alita had finished setting out various ingredients and sliced produce on the bar. “Lunch is served!” shouted Misty. Even Foggy Mist joined the hastily forming queue. Plate, slab of Charr ‘meatbread’, a selection of cheese, produce, thin-sliced meats, condiments, and

another slab of ‘meatbread’, then out to the grill to sear it all together into a crispy-gooey handful of rich and filling goodness. It was a simple but quick and effective recipe. Cookie swung the bar open and went to check on the Asuran. “Stinky cheese, spicy mustard, and extra pickles,” came a voice from the shadows. “Medium well. And I am NOT coming upstairs until it is entirely safe.” As an afterthought, “Oh, and a container of fizzy water if you please.” Cookie sighed and retreated up the stairs. He returned a little later with a plate and mug of the closest thing John could find to ‘fizzy water’, some awful concoction John had called ‘Light Beer’, whatever that meant. The Asuran deemed it acceptable, which in Cookie’s mind put it firmly in the ‘unfit for any purpose’ category. In short order the entire crew, sans Asuran, was gathered outside enjoying the sunshine and the occasional contented belch. War stories and tall tales were being shared, each more extravagant than the one before. John’s head snapped around and his attitude went suddenly cold as a howl was heard in the distance. “Stormy,” he whispered. “A warning.” Alita vanished into the pub and returned with John’s binocularstill combination. She began scanning the horizon. “Big energy

concentration to the south. Can see movement. Must be close to a thousand of them. We need to get moving out of here.”

Alita confronted Kut “We are vastly outnumbered, in a position to be trapped, and we can’t even close the bloomin’ door,” she pointed out. Kut’s grin held no mirth, but the look of a hunter who knows his prey has no chance of escape. “We are a scouting unit. We don’t travel alone. Your knowledge of the strategic situation is incomplete.” He chuckled. A moment later a sleek dark figure topped the hill to their east and in moments skidded to a stop in front of John, tail wagging so hard the big wolf could barely stand. Not far behind came another dark figure, this one on two legs, and not moving nearly as fast. “Good boy, Stormy, and I see you brought friends,” John said while

“How will we know when it’s time?”

The soldier in Fallen Angel armor reached them, panting. “We came as soon as we could… there is a large contingent of Risen headed this way, nearly a thousand of them, killing any living thing in their path.” Then he looked around. Destroyed entrance, blasted earth, pieces of what had once been undead mixed incongruously with what appeared to be a casual outdoor picnic and a bunch of armored Charr arrayed to watch some sporting event. Finally his eye landed on something that made sense and he snapped to attention and saluted. “Commander Lawrence! Lieutenant Gervis at your service. What are your orders?”

“Oh, you’ll know when it’s time,” rumbled Kut with a toothy grin. “Trust me, you will know when it’s time.”

“At ease Lieutenant. We are all friends here. What have you brought for me?” “We have two full companies of Fallen Angels following, about ten minutes behind me. The Ebon Vanguard are also sending a unit, but they are a bit further behind.” He looked at Stormy and then up a John while while rubbing a set of tooth-shaped dents in his greaves. “Your Wolf is pretty good at getting the urgency of your message across.” John just nodded, smiled, and went back to scratching ears. “Have your units hold behind the ridge until it’s time,” ordered Alita.

Lt. Gervis looked curiously at the Charr. It seemed odd that Commander Lawrence should be so easily and casually taking commentary from someone so recently considered an enemy. Still, Rank was Rank. He saluted his commander with a, “Yes Sir!” and headed back down the hill toward his troops.

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“I don’t think so.” said Kut. He ducked into the pub and returned with a chair and his helmet and axe. He promptly used his helmet to prop the chair in a reclining position against the pub wall, propped his axe alongside, and sat down, crossing his arms across his chest in a totally relaxed and unconcerned manner. “This is gonna be fun,” he said to nobody in particular. The members of his warband snickered and went to retrieve their own chairs.

scratching ears and enduring a rough-tongued face wash.

They watched the approach of the cloud of dust until it resolved into a mass of Risen creatures heading directly toward them. The Charr were relaxed, the others a bit tense. As the mass resolved into individual Risen the Charr began to chuckle and joke. The others picked up their weapons and began looking for firing positions. As the horde began to climb the hill the Charr became downright giddy. The others began thinking maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. The companions began to crouch and growl. Finally Misty had had enough. She nocked an arrow in her Molten Longbow and chose a target as the range closed. There was a rumble, like thunder in the far distance, and she heard Kut say, “Here it comes!” as she drew the bow and settled into her combat mode, choosing the point of impact for her arrow. 47

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Just as she was about to release the shot her target disappeared in a puff of smoke. She quickly shifted to another target, and just as quickly that one disappeared as well. She lowered the bow as the entire front rank of Risen disappeared under a heavy and steady rain of mortar rounds forming a curtain all the way across the hillside. The Charr were on their feet cheering, making the kind of hissing whistle usually reserved for epic battles between champions. The others were stunned at the ferocity of the attack, and so far not a single combatant on their side was visible. That was about to change. The ground shook and trembled as four huge Charr battle tanks, each larger than the entire pub, crested the ridge to the west. As soon as their turrets cleared the ridge they opened fire on the massed targets 48

in the valley below. Hundreds of Charr warriors followed the tanks over the ridgeline, then began a headlong charge into the valley in tight, disciplined units. The Risen forces wheeled to meet the onslaught against their flank, but as they did the sky to the east darkened with arrows. Seconds later the Fallen Angel forces rose from their hiding places and began pouring fire into the rear of the Risen lines. The Risen forces still on their feet lost all direction, and in confusion attempted to withdraw back to the south. There they ran directly into the ranks of the Ebon Vanguard troops moving up from Ebonhawke. It was a fierce, but ultimately one-sided battle as the three combined forces encircled the Risen forces. There were flashes of magical power answered instantly by heavy weaponry and explosions. Those at the pub could only watch in awe as overwhelming

power devastated the Risen ranks. Only Cookie heard Kut’s quiet statement: “When Metal meets Magic, Metal wins.” In less than an hour the battle that would become known as the Third Battle of John Dark’s Hill was over as Human and Charr forces met over the remains of the Risen army. That evening it was crowded behind the makeshift door of John Dark’s pub. Commanders of each of the major units had assembled. Hands were shaken, stories told, a few weapons exchanged, and a great deal of ale consumed. Well into the evening Commander Lawrence stepped up onto the fireplace hearth and tapped her beer mug with her dagger for attention. Slowly the room quieted and all eyes turned her direction. “A few short months ago we

would have been enemies, the current combatants of a war so old that our grandparents were not alive to see its beginnings. The Truce of Summit Peak brought peace at last between Human and Charr. Today, our joint efforts defeated a new, and dangerous, common enemy. Never have the Risen ventured so far from Orr, and never have they been defeated in such numbers in so little time.”

“Common enemies make for strong alliances.” More cheers erupted. “I would like to recognize one unit in particular. Legionnaire Sharpeye, would you bring your warband up here please?” The phrasing was unusual for a Charr command, and it took a few seconds for Kut’s slightly inebriated brain to realize the polite request was not really a request. He quickly motioned for his band and moved to the hearth. Alita reached down to take his paw, apparently to help him up on the relatively small hearth. Instead of the offered paw, however, her hand overshot and firmly grasped the Charr’s wrist. Kut’s eyes widened as he looked up at her in surprise. Alita looked back, smiled, and nodded slightly. Kut’s paw gently wrapped around Alita’s wrist, and an audible gasp could be heard throughout the room as she guided him up alongside herself.

Among the Charr it is the ultimate sign of trust and respect. In this grip merely flexing the claws would open the veins and sever tendons rendering the other nearly defenseless. It is never used in social situations. It literally symbolizes putting one’s life in the hands of another. In one motion this handshake spoke more than all of the words written on the document of truce to those assembled. “These six,” she motioned to Kut and the five assembled soldiers in front of the hearth, the four who had been at the pub and a lithe female built along Cheetah lines that had been the messenger sent to bring the other troops. “These troops moved to assist others that they did not know, those not of their Legion, or clan, or even race. They took on a force that outnumbered them nearly ten to one, and emerged not only victorious but unscathed.” There was a polite smattering of applause. “The Risen, the Brand, and now the effects of the Bloodstone

all present new threats, new challenges, and new problems to be resolved. We can no longer hold on to old differences. That which binds us together must be stronger than that which would tear us apart.” “I would like to request, on behalf of Queen Jennah, that these troops, along with the commanders of the two Fallen Angel companies and the Ebon Vanguard unit, be allowed to accompany me to Divinity’s Reach for special recognition by the Queen herself as an example of what can be accomplished as we work together for the good of all Tyria.”

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Cheers rose around the room, Charr and Human side by side.

This grip, hand to wrist, has special meaning among both Human and Charr. Among Humans it is a Comrade’s Grip, all but unbreakable except by mutual agreement. It symbolizes a strength of unity that goes beyond friendship. It is the grip used when a life hangs in the balance.

Alita turned and whispered into the big Charr’s ear: “I have a special request for your band as well, an escort assignment of sorts..” More applause, more speeches, and more Ale followed. The next morning the Charr warband moved out toward Ebonhawke along with a large contingent of Fallen Angels and Commander Alita Lawrence, all surrounding a very talkative Asuran that nobody wanted to walk close to. Four days later… It was a Dark and Stormy night. The stars shone bright as Foggy Mist, the big Snow Leopard, led “Humble” Misty and “Cookie” la Boomboom up the well worn path to John Dark’s small tavern...

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Misty and Cookie’s Charr Meatloaf Sandwich By Esther (Humblemisty) Foley

Ingredients: • • • • • • • • •

1 lb Ground Dolyak (Beef) 1 lb Ground Warthog (Italian Sausage) 2 eggs ¼ cup Sauted Onions 1 tbsp Chopped Garlic 1 tsp. Ascalonian Herbs (Italian Seasoning) 1 cup crumbled bread (panko crumbs) 1 lb bacon 4 Slices of cheese

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350. 2. Finely chop onions and saute with the fresh garlic. Let cool for 10 minutes. 3. Combine ground Dolyak, ground Warthog, eggs, bread crumbs, onions, garlic and Ascalonian Herbs in a bowl. 4. Mix it up until all ingredients are distributed and smooth. 50

5. Shape into a loaf and set aside. 6. Lay bacon out on a piece of parchment paper. You can get fancy and make it into a lattice if you like. 7. Flip the meatloaf upside down onto the bacon and wrap the bacon around the meatloaf by pressing the parchment paper around the loaf. 8. Get a lightly oiled roasting pan and flip the meatloaf over onto the pan with bacon side up. Then peel the parchment paper off. 9. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees - 1 hour in oven - (Time for a game of peggles)

Now for the good part: To make the Charr Meatloaf sandwich, let meatloaf cool before trying to slice. Cut into 1-1.5 inch slices and grill each slice to warm it up. Then take two slices of cheese and put between the slices of meatloaf. Grill in a pan and flip until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Enjoy with your local warband crew!

Elder Scrolls Online

Contents

Housing from Scratch

the Social Experiment

Elder Scrolls Online

ESO Housing from Scratch by Robert J. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Jaironeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mann

The Premise: To see how difficult it would be to get housing on a brand new character with no help. To see how drop rates seemed balanced for materials and patterns. To see what restrictions would appear on housing.

Experiment 1: Level 1 For my first foray, I set off with a character. The goal here was to see materials and recipes I could gather in island. I went the Ebonheart Pact route, the official Gaiscioch faction.

brand new how many the starting as that was

Starting off, I decided I would loot everything I could. This left my inventory strained by the time I left 54

the first island, and I shortcutted Bal Foyen to get to a banker. However, I noticed I had a decent haul, with a couple dozen materials for furniture and two recipes. Of course, I had nowhere near enough gold to buy, nor the skill to craft my housing items. Thankfully the first inn room is free, but to get there I needed to access quest locations several zones away. I decided to put this experiment on hold, since that was a long ride!

Experiment 2: Level 50 base For my second experiment I pulled out one of my characters who was level 50, but had done next to nothing at level 50. I had only used the character to set VR1 dungeons! So off I rushed to see how long it would take to complete the quest, and what I could gather in the course of things!

Requirements: One thing I did notice, while running around, was that completing the housing lead in quest seemed to be required to proceed. No matter how much gold I had, whether I had done it on another character, or had housing items on me, attempting to purchase a house with gold was locked without completing that introductory quest. Since travel to the third tier zone is required, if you have not been there already you have a long trip ahead of you. Which means a lot of chances to gather materials and patterns, if you look at things as a journey! Still, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect to spend an hour on a character who is new and end up with a house.

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One hour later, I had results. Not only had I completed the quest, I had spent half an hour just running around looting. My gathering had resulted in 18 crafting materials for housing items, and my thievery had scored me an epic pattern for a rug. The material cost for the epic pattern was far higher than the normal patterns found on my first experiment. My gathering attempts in dungeons did not produce a pattern. I would, however, not be surprised if that was another place they dropped.

Gold costs are fairly high, and many houses are locked to an achievement or quest. This means completing content will often be required for those looking for a particular house, if they have not already done so.

Still, it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exactly expensive to complete the first quest, given that buying a piece of furniture costs a mere 100g. Doing this allowed me to play with the system. As reported, pets, mounts, and assistants can be placed, and the system locking your placements to the ground/walls/ceiling can be turned off.

Advice on housing as a new player: Since you tend to need a variety of materials, if you wish to craft housing goods or have somebody else craft them for you, then gathering everything is important. A great method of making the money required to cover your expenses will be taking many of the normal materials and selling them, whether to a vendor or to other players.

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Trying to have a nice home without help, as a new player, will take some patience. You will be able to enjoy a decent home without spending too many weeks on it. Do anything you like, just save up as much gold as possible if you want a bigger home. Advancing your

inventory size will likely be a requirement, but outside that you are most likely better saving than spending. Remember that all the equipment items you get and are not using should be broken down or researched at a crafting station. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need the inspiration to make your furniture. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget that daily crafting quests can help you here, as well as provide a decent gold haul and maps. Maps will be especially important as they provide nice, dense harvesting chances for materials. Finally, depending upon what you are looking for in a house, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid to try to trade patterns or offer your crafting services. You may be able to obtain items cheaper, or make a good profit, by doing so!

Elder Scrolls Online

ESO and the Social Experiment PC and Consoles: so different, yet so much alike. by Eiahn Matthews I had set out on my Elder Scrolls Online journey on PC during the closed beta periods. I fell in love with this game, mainly because of my deep interest of the Elder Scrolls Universe. That said, I had never played a MMO before and was convinced I would not like the multiplayer “part” and would probably stick to the solo content as much as I could. It did not take long for me to be proven wrong, as I joined a guild during the testings, made some friends, did group content on a regular basis, and basically learned to enjoy the group content with the multitude of players questing around me. It was an instantaneous collaboration to take down world bosses, the last second heals from a complete stranger, the possibility to join forces to face the daedra and defeat Molag Bal’s attempts to drop dark anchors into our world. All of these examples and of course many, many more, are what makes Elder Scrolls Online a great game to jump into.

To be able to get a general pulse of the region you are playing in is an essential part of the social experience for me. You are able to see if there are new players asking for aid or veterans uniting to conquer group content. You can verify if your guild has an event occurring soon or you can send open invitations to your friends, guild members and players questing in the same zone, to one of your own events. So when I got injured and had difficulties sitting at my computer for long periods, I decided to get the Console version of ESO: One Tamriel, to be able to continue to play the game I love. I wasn’t sure if I would find the same level of social interactions that I found in the PC version but I was soon to find out for myself. Now of course, the first obstacle that came to be, was the controls. When I started playing games on PC, it took me a long time to get used to keyboard and

mouse as my “controller”, and now I was struggling to use what was once the only way I knew how to play…a controller. After a few hours of dabbing with the game though, it came to feel quite natural to control the gameplay and I could finally concentrate more on enjoying the adventure. To be honest, I thought that hopes of having a comparable social experience on the console, as I had on PC were improbable. I could barely see anyone posting text messages in zone chat, and even when I figured out how to get connected to the voice channel for those same zones, it was pretty quiet apart from the occasional blurb coming from someone that appeared to have forgotten their open microphone. It was okay though. Different but okay. I was fine with playing on my own, grouping up as it would become needed.

Opening up the Guild menu and looking for who was in voice chat became one of the first actions I would take when logging into the game. I found that there was a large range of players who didn’t necessarily have the same interests. Some were solely focusing on power levelling while others wanted to experience all that the game had to offer and take their time. Yet, just like my experience on PC, everyone seemed to get together without much effort and enjoy each other’s company whether they were grouping up or all doing their solo adventures. I found a sense of community once again and it confirmed that although the mediums might be altered or somewhat changed, the community within the game was still a great one to be a part of. So whether I am on computer joining GSCH on adventures or getting cozy on my couch while on Console questing in Tamriel, I am still enjoying this game as much if not more than when I first started playing it and YES, the socialization aspect of it definitely has something to do with it.

Elder Scrolls Online

A few days later though, I happen to come across a message in zone chat, that was mentioning a guild welcoming new and experienced players alike. Curiosity got the best of me and I sent a whisper inquiring about any requirements. None were asked of any members. This is when I joined the only guild I am part of to this day on Console. It is also when it got quite interesting for me, on the social front. All of a sudden there was a flood of voices coming through my headset. After asking them, I came to find out that there was dedicated guild voice chat, with additional channels available for raiding and group chat. I also discovered that I could choose to have the voice chat

come on automatically when I logged in, should I wish to do so. That night, I found the social aspect I was looking for. Perhaps a slightly different delivery method, but it was still there, available for the taking.

So if you do venture into the world of the Elder Scrolls Online, feel free to message me and group up. Who knows what kind of adventures will then await us.

Contents Building the Telara Saga

Becoming Notorious in Rift

Rift Auction House Basics

Through a Game Junkieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eyes: The Discovery of Rift

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Building the Telara Saga Public Community Adventure By: Benjamin “Foghladha” Foley

By now, most RIFT players have seen mentions of the Telara Saga, it’s filled their chat channels, their forums, and the gaming press. From the outside many will look at the adventure and see a highly organized, and professional view of rather normal activities in the game many have overlooked. Creating the Telara Saga took a lot of work. From developing the raffle system and website to promoting it across all known RIFT Fan Base channels. This event was a massive undertaking by more than 40 people. It’s easy to look at an in game event and think that it was just some pickup group, or a fly by the seat of our pants event. This simply is not the case. 62 62

Conceptualizing the Event Before we ever announced the Telara Saga, a team of Gaiscioch members got together and brainstormed ideas. We made a list of the known content of RIFT, and what would be accessible to many people at the same time. As we discussed, we came to a vision of where we wanted to take this season of the Telara Saga. We saw a massive gap in content for players returning to the game or just beginning. Most of the Storm Legion and Nightmare Tide content was skipped by these players. When we asked around

many people have never even heard of a Hunt Rift or the World Bosses of Dendrome and Planetouched Wilds. We started looking into the sheer number of achievements that these events offered and found that we could get people more than 200 achievements by clearing the Hunt Rifts, Strongholds, Nightmare Rifts, World Bosses, and Speed Run Greenscale Blight and River of Souls. On top of the achievements, players will walk away with a new mount, 7 dimension trophies and a bucket of loot. They will also see the old content and unlock the ability to revisit it at any time.

Building a Foundation Once we had the plan, we needed the content. We began work on a website immediately and set the launch date three months away. We created several versions of the event pitch. One directed at Trion, one directed at the media, and another directed at players.

Creating the Platform We began with putting the player pitch on the website. The website lists all the vital information, as well as, a little story background to help players get more attached to the series of events. The final step, getting registration open, was a critical step. By having players register, we began gathering contact information that we will use to send weekly email reminders of the event and also share each weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winners. It also gave us a platform for handling the raffles with ease. Our setup was fairly simple. We have a database that players will enter a claim code during the events to add their name to the weekly, chapter, and season raffles, as well as, give them one grand prize ticket that they can choose which prize they would like to try for. The basic raffles just pick a random winner from the list of participants based on the week number, chapter number, and series. The base prizes are awarded in the form of a Key which the winning party can use to purchase the item they desire out of each tiers trove.

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When planning events of this scale, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very important to give yourself time to organize and prepare. As a standard, Gaiscioch traditionally schedules events three months ahead of the time we finally draft the concrete plan. This allows us to set goals and deadlines and ensure that all parts are ready to go by the time of the event.

After we lay the foundation itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to create the platform which will drive this event.

We use a 4 tiered vault system.

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Silver Trove - Worth anywhere from 10 to 50 platinum, these items are the low end of our prizes

Saga we put a call out to our members to send supplies to our crafter who was mass producing bags.

Gold Trove - Valued at 50 to 100 platinum, these items are the mid range prizes.

We also looked at what items were highly sought after. Most of them would take a great deal of fundraising to acquire, others would take completing quests or raids to obtain. Once we have our target list we go to it and gather the necessary pieces to make it happen. We never commit to something we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have in hand, so the public list is different from our target list.

Platinum Trove - Valued at 100-500 platinum, these items are the top tier prizes. Grand Prizes - Valued at more than 500 platinum, these prizes offer participants a chance to use their grand prize tickets for the raffles they want to compete in. Thus giving players a chance to win the loot they actually want. Giving the player choice of which item they want prevents people from winning items they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want, while others watch in envy.

Having a diverse array of loot is important as not everyone plays RIFT the same way. Crafters value some things differently from Raiders and Dimensioneers values things PvPers might just toss on the Auction Hall. Having something for everyone is very critical. This gives everyone a desirable prize that will keep them coming back.

Gathering the Loot The staple in any game we do this in is bags. Everyone needs bag space and we always start with bags as prizes and grow it from there. For the Telara

Shaking the Cage By now the prizes are stacking up, the website is completed, and you are ready to start shaking the

cage. This is when you should build a social media plan, create Facebook fan pages, schedule tweets to go out on a regular basis, recruit friends to help spread the word in games, and make a flashy trailer to introduce your event. At this point we send our announcement to the press and try to stir up some additional excitement.

The Kickoff

See it in Action I welcome everyone who is curious to see it in action to come out for the Telara Saga or our upcoming Great Tyrian Adventure in Guild Wars 2. Join us February 2nd - April 4th on Thursdays from 6-8PM Pacific. You can also find replays on our YouTube at: http://gsch. info/youtube and live on Twitch at: http://gsch.info/ twitch. Learn more about the Telara Saga at https:// www.TelaraSaga.com/

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The first event is always the hardest. Even now, 15 years after I ran my first, I still get nervous at the kickoff. I know that if the first event doesn’t sell the crowd, the event won’t be a success. This is the most important week of your event as you need to leave a positive memory in our audience’s mind. If they enjoy

it, they’ll be back next week. If they love it, they will take to social media and share the event with their friends which in turn will help your event grow.

Favorite Moments of the Telara Saga

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By: Eldritch

By: Foghladha

By: Kitty

By: Eldritch

By: Spiritress

By: Briseadh

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By: GmaFog

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Becoming Notorious in Rift By Althea â&#x20AC;&#x153;Briseadhâ&#x20AC;? Damgaard Players in Rift will soon become aware of groups of NPCs that represent factions within the game. Players can gain affinity with these factions using a progression called Notoriety. Unlike some other games you can gain affinity with multiple factions with no penalty. There are a lot of ways to gain notoriety in the game of Rift and way more factions to work on than some games I have played. Questing and killing certain mobs are the main ways to increase notoriety, but some notorieties can be increased by turning in items. This article is aimed at what to do with those items and the factions associated to them. The first item is called Commendations of Renown, which can be turned in at any time in multiples of ten. You can have a max of 250 at any time on your character. These are acquired from Instant Adventure caches. Instant Adventures are a great way to level, 68

but are also a great way to increase notoriety with a faction that accepts Commendations of Renown. The other item currently in game for increasing your notoriety is called Mark of Notoriety. It is acquired by completing zone events around the world. These items are restricted to one turn in a day per NPC that accepts them. You can have a max of 50 at any time on your character. You will need five marks in exchange for the notoriety you would like to increase. In Starfall Prophesy, Marks of Notoriety are the only item that will help increase notoriety outside of questing and completing objectives. As you increase your notoriety with a faction, you can unlock access to higher quality goods. Most of these items can only be found at the vendors associated to the faction.

Notoriety Progression: • • • • • • •

Neutral Friendly Decorated Honored Revered Glorified Venerated

Where Are the NPCs Accepting Commendations or Marks? Each expansion has it own set of NPCs that will accept commendations or marks. NPCs that you can turn commendations or marks into will show on the minimap as a green circle with a white box in it.

/setwaypoint x y - puts a marker on the map of the location. If you see location notes in any guide it will usually look like (x,y) or (x y) but not all guides will tell you this command. For example, Tacitus the Elder in Fargle Plaza can be found at (5476 5591). To put a waypoint on his location you would type in the command: /setwaypoint 5476 5591

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Many of the worthwhile items can be acquired by reaching Decorated. Your class and what you plan to do with your character should determine the notorieties to increase. I will note that for Starfall Prophecy factions everything at Decorated is good and the Planar Defense Force is the only faction notoriety you will want to increase beyond that. This could be subject to change in the future if Trion decides to add new items to the vendors.

refresher upon returning to the game. You use one command as follows:

An X with an arrow to it should show up on your map and at least an X on the edge of your mini map if the location is not close to you. Make sure you have moved to the correct zone, in the case of Tacitus it is Draumheim, before typing in the command. The following list is all of the NPCs from Vanilla Rift to the latest expansion of Starfall Prophecy that accept Commendations of Renown and Marks of Notoriety. Each is listed with the level of notoriety, money and XP that will be given. All money and XP values are the base amount, patrons will acquire an additional bonus amount.

Before I jump into listing all of their locations, I would like to quickly explain how to mark a location on the map for those that are new or needing a 69

Classic Rift

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Found within the home cities, of Meridian and Sanctum

Defiants in Meridian

Guardians in Sanctum

Optio Lyis

Sergeant Duecer

Located north of the Porticulum • Takes 10 Commendations of Renown for 1500 Notoriety • Also awards 31G 50s 6,720XP

• Takes 10 Commendations of Renown for 1500 Notoriety • Also awards 31G 50s 6,720XP

Available Rewards

• • • • • • • • • • • 70

Located in the crafting area near the Master Artificer

Freemarch Decree Quarry Rats Decree Red Scar Trackers Decree Arcane Hand Decree Order of Mathos Decree The Keepers Decree Granite Falls Decree Icewatch Decree Runeguard Decree Dragonslayer Decree Kelari Decree

• • • • • • • • • • •

Quicksilver Scholars Decree Gloamwood Waykeepers Decree Quarry Rats Decree Icewatch Decree Iron Claw Trappers Decree Runeguard Decree Arcane Hand Decree Dragonslayer Covenant Decree Order of Mathos Decree Farclan Decree The Keepers Decree

Storm Legion

Nightmare Tide

Found within Tempest Bay

Found within Draumheim

Tacitus the Elder Plaza Aurentine at (13102 11516)

Tacitus the Elder Flargle Plaza at (5476 5591) - Commendation • Takes 15 Commendations of Renown for 650 Notoriety • Also awards 3P 83G 78S 103,194XP

Nerina Uluan

Dispensary NPC

Plaza Aurentine at (13132 11511) • Takes 5 Marks of Notoriety for 1250 Notoriety • Also awards 2P 55G 103,194XP

Next to Tacticus - Marks • 10 Marks of Notoriety for 650 Notoriety • Also awards 3P 83G 78S 103,194XP

Available Rewards

(via both Commendations and Marks)

(via both Commendations and Marks) • • • • • • • • •

Eternal City Survivors Decree Necropolis Decree Empyreal Alliance Decree Lycini Decree Qaijiri Decree Achyati Decree Hailol Decree Available Rewards via Marks only Torvan Hunters Decree

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• Takes 10 Commendations of Renown for 1250 Notoriety • Also awards 2P 55G 103,194XP

• • • • • • • •

Atragarian Decree Onir Decree Cerulean Rhenke Shal Korva Available Rewards via Marks only Manugo Decree Ghar Decree Pelagric Order Decree

Alittu for Starfall Prophecy No Commendations of Renown turn in for these factions

Available Rewards

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Blainey

On the top floor at (4189 6458) • 5 Marks of Notoriety - there is no set number listed for the notoriety acquired. I have seen 968 in a chat message as a patron the last few times I handed marks in. • Also rewards 6P 66G 41S 2,969,400XP

• • • • • •

Bailghol Decree Mages of Alittu Decree Saint Taranis Decree Feilbocan Decree Planar Defense Force Decree Thedeor’s Spear Decree

Faction Vendors Every faction has at least one Quartermaster that offers a variety of items for sale. Your eligibility for purchasing items is based on your level of Notoriety with the faction the Quartermaster represents. The Quartermasters can be found throughout the world and not all of them are located in the main cities. Nor are they all labeled with a title of Quartermaster, though the majority are. The factions for the original game, will not be listed since their items do not go over level 50 and people quickly move on to the higher levels.

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Storm Legion Quartermaster Locations In Tempest Bay: • Caretaker Quartermaster - Purla Ilira - Canals (12674 11667) • Lycini Quartermaster - Chiela Forto - Canals (12782 11706) • Eternal City Survivors Quartermaster Serrik Tavalon - Canals (12683 11608)

• Lycini Planar Goods - Kikilani Fremda - Plaza Aurentine (13120, 11517) • Torvan Hunters - Hunt Merchant - Cora Temarin - Plaza Aurentine (13126, 11523) She is the only Hunt Merchant that has lures that require notoriety with the Torvan Hunters. The rest are based on achievements from completing hunt rifts.

• Qaijiri Quartermaster - Eelo - Canals (12662 11575) 73

In The Dendrome (all are not far from the porticulum for each village/outpost): • In Hailol - Hailol Quartermaster - Mr. Boots (3919 5602) • In Solstice Tower - Empyreal Alliance Quartermaster - Elforsi Hologan (3135 5584) • Achyati Village - Quartermaster of the Profits (Achyati Notoriety) - Sesa Sikka (4166 4633)

In Seratos: • In Necropolis - Caretaker Quartermaster - Tarla Sevilla (10870 4957) In Ashora: • In Nurjak Vostra - Qaijiri Quartermaster - Tovoh - (3593 8205)

Nightmare Tide Quartermaster Locations In Gobboro Reef: • Atragarian Well - Atragarian Goods - Cora (2869 7022) • Temple of Ranri - Pelagic Order Planar Goods - Pelagic Order Store (3924 7883) • Ghar Station Mem - The Ghar Planar Goods - Deyazhad (3919 6495)

• Pelagic Order Planar Goods - Pelagic Order Store • The Onir Goods - The Onir Store • Manugo League Goods Manugo League Store In Tarken Glacier

• Ghar Station Mem - Manugo League Goods - Palash (3920 6473)

• Ghar Station Tau - The Ghar Planar Goods Equipment Fabrication Dispenser (3710 4002)

• In Draumheim - Flargle Plaza (all four next to each other at (5503 5569)

• Port Scuddra - Cerulean Rhenke Goods - Gulpine (6589 4294)

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• The Ghar Planar Goods - The Ghar Store

Starfall Prophecy Quartermaster Locations In Alittu on the top floor in various corners. • Mages of Alittu - Fierranzold (4176 6472) same corner as Blainey • Planar Defence Force - Lenora (4141 6348) • Feilbocan - Elchorn (4038 6387) • Saint Taranis - Bidbak (4027 6388) • Thedeor’s Spear - Aruday (4026 6382) • Bailghol - Jurro (4034 6379) In Feilbocan in the Scatherran Forest • Feilbocan Quartermaster - Elchorn (4907 5770) - up on a ledge area across from the porticulum

In Saint Taranis in the Gedlo Badlands • Saint Taranis Quartermaster - Bidbak (3601 6466) - you will be facing him when you arrive at the porticulum In Bailghol of Xarth Mire • Bailghol Quartermaster - Froki (4249 3911) - he is the only merchant in this village In Camp Quagmire of Xarthmire - take light blue glowing portal to the Skull (4188 4502) • Mages of Alittu Special Quartermaster - Evora In Thedeor’s Spear in Ashenfell • Thedeor’s Spear Quartermaster - Aruday (2641 4275) - in a tent not far from the porticulum

Conclusion This article was made to compile information in one place and to help you understand what to do with Commendations of Renown and Marks of Notoriety as requested by players of Gaiscioch starting or

returning to the game. I would like to thank the members of Gaiscioch that helped me find and confirm the information gathered. May this effort help you find your way to becoming notorious in Rift.

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Rift Auction House Basics By Althea “Briseadh” Damgaard

Rift has one of the most extensive auction house setups in any game I’ve played. However, it appears that most of its functionality is ignored by the majority of players. This leaves the Auction House boiled down to a self-service kiosk rather than a functioning auction by the players. Most items are listed with buyout prices rather than letting people bid on an item. Maybe this is because we want it now and if we have the money we will grab it and run. I don’t mind bidding and waiting if I have the option. Either way, the Auction 76

House is a great way to buy and sell items with other players. You can find auctioneers in Meridium (Defiant only), Sanctum (Guardian only), Tempest Bay, and Draumheim in Margle Plaza west of the Porticulum and the Choreburg District (crafting area) attached via a blue portal northeast of the porticulum. Starfall Prophecy’s Celestial Realm does not have any auction houses. I think they are scared to commit to a comet that will supposedly annihilate Telera.

Buying (Browse Tab) Talking to an auctioneer automatically opens the Auction House window in the browse mode (tab is highlighted on the bottom left of the window). There is a menu on the left and further search criteria selection options across the top. The right hand side will give you a preview, if available, of how your character will look wearing the item. The center area will show any item that fits your search criteria.

Narrowing the search options: If you are looking for a specific item, you can type the name or part of it into the search text box

at the top left and then click the search button near the bottom left. All items containing the text will show up. Many times we may be looking for armor or a weapon that simply works for our character and is an upgrade. There are quite a few ways to narrow your search and I will list the primary ones to use first and then list the rest as secondary.

Primary Choose a category from the menu on the left. The example in my screenshot is Armor - Cloth. This now limits anything else I put into the search options at the top to cloth armor.

Type in the level range to help narrow things further. There are two boxes to type in for the range at the top of the window under Level. Since Teicneo is max level I put it as 70 and 70, but if you are still leveling I suggest going from a couple levels lower to your level to see what is available. The Calling is your class. I suggest this one to be sure you are buying something you can use.

Secondary I never bother picking the stats, but you can pick one from the drop down list and the boxes below allow you to put in a range. If you are not sure of a range for the level RIFT

you are searching for, I would leave the boxes empty. Rarity is another drop down box where you can keep it at the default (All Rarities), or chose one specific level. If you want to see more than one level of rarity, you need to leave it at All Rarities. The drop-down list goes from most common to rarest.

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There are two check boxes on the top right. Check Usable Only in order to make sure the list truly lists only things the character can use. If you check this, but have selected a level range going above your character’s level, it will not show anything above your current level. Make sure this is not checked if you are looking for future gear to wear. The other check box limits you to seeing Buyouts only. You will not see auctions that do not have a buyout price set. Most people, even if they set a bidding price, will have the buyout price listed. I prefer not to check this. The last thing you can use to narrow the search is to set the price range you will pay for a buyout. I don’t use this as I usually have no idea what to expect to pay for the item I am seeking.

If you don’t like your search options, you can hit the clear button. If you are satisfied with the options, click the search button and a list will appear if there are items listed on the Auction House that fit your criteria.

Making the Purchase Once you have successfully completed your search you will have a list of items in the central part of the window. To select one simply click on it. Two things can happen when you do this. One, the buttons below the list should light up depending if you can bid, buy multiples, or do a buyout. Two, if it is a wearable item to be seen on your character, the preview screen on the right will show what it will look like. For most items you will only have the buyout option, like shopping at a store rather than being at an auction house. Buyout only is the preferred option of players at this time. The first price seen is the unit price and the second is the buyout price for the entire stack. In the previous screenshot I highlighted the only item in the list that is set up for bidding as well as

a buyout so you can see how the bid and buyout buttons light up, but buy +1 will not, due to it being a single item. Sometimes you will see the option to buy more than one on a single item even if no others are available. I am not sure why this happens. If you wish to bid, click the bid button. If you are the first person to start bidding, you will be asked if you want to go with the starting price or cancel. If the bidding has started, it will ask what value you want your bid at. Never bid more than a buyout price! I will note that bidding is a rare thing. Of all the level 70 armor available for any class at the time of writing this guide, this one in the screenshot is the only one I found and no bidding had started. The buy +1 is great for stacks of consumables. For example, if someone is selling a large stack of an item, but you only want 10, you can click this button and enter the amount you want. If you want the entire quantity, simply click buyout to complete the sale. You will find all items you acquire from the Auction House in your mail.

Selling (Create Tab)

You can have up to 200 sales on the auction at one time. Your total is noted at the top over the large central block of the window where your items will be listed. The main thing to watch on the item information is the time in the center to tell you how long is left for the item. The item I have in the screenshot, already set for a simple

buyout price, still has 5 days and 8 hours left. When the time runs out, any item not sold will return to you via the mail. Buyout is the recommended way to list items, but you can also make it a bid only or both. If you choose both I recommend you put the buyout at what you really want and the starting bid price at something lower, but reasonable to similar items already on the market. A price will be suggested automatically and will follow the trending chart. To see the price trend of the item, use the Legend on the right of the window. I told it to track everything (boxes are checked) for the last month. Faecap Mushrooms

are used in crafting and you see that the unit price for one over the month of January varied quite a bit, like a real market fluctuates as supply and demand changes. The suggested buyout prices per unit of 1 platinum 18 gold and 90 silver is based on the current dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s average and the trend of at least the past week of it increasing in price. I love this tool because I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to go browsing to see what has gone on with sales of the item and will see if an item I want to sell has not had a sale in 30 days. That actually happened with the essence I have listed in the shot, so I picked a price based on similar essences on the market for the day.

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To open the side of the Auction House where you can sell items you need to click the Create tab at the bottom of the window. The item you want to sell must be in your inventory and when you right click on it, it should appear in the upper left of the window. My example shows I am thinking about selling some Faecap Mushrooms..

The last item to chose is the

duration of the auction: 12 hours, 48 hours, or 7 days. Most items I have seen are listed for 7 days and is the best thing to do as the player base is worldwide and busier on weekends as well.

Once everything is set how you want, click on the create auction button and the item will show up in the list under My Auctions. I did not create the auction for the Faecap Mushrooms, but my essence is a good example of how the item is listed.

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The Deposit shows the cost to list the item with the Auction House. I have seen this vary, but never more than around 3.5%. In the case of my Faecap Mushroom the deposit is 3.3% of the unit price. I have to play with

it more as I get items to sell to see if it stays about this amount. This charge is not returned if the item does not sell.

Browse Buy Orders This tab allows you to see orders that have been created, but have not been fulfilled. This is a great tab to check out before selling. You can use the search text at the top left to name the item specifically, or give a list of items by using the menu. Like the Browse tab you can narrow the search further with options along the top of the 80

window. Rarity will narrow it to one type of rarity unless you keep it at all. The next item has two check boxes which is great for crafters wanting to make some money. You can make sure you only see what you can craft and even narrow it further to what you have materials for. If you check ‘Ready To Fulfill Only’, the item will need to be completed and in your inventory. Again, I tend to ignore setting a

buyout price when doing a search. Once you are happy with your search selection, hit the Search button on the bottom left. If you don’t like your settings, clear everything with the Clear button. In my example I made it list all the buy orders for consumables. You will see a trend of the pricing of the item you select. In my example it is a Soul Slice. Just

like when browsing to buy, you can set how the trend information shows with the options on the right. In my example, I wanted to see all the trending information for a month. If you want to sell your items at the price listed, you

either click the Sell 1+ button and chose the number you want to sell or you can chose to sell the largest stack currently in your inventory. Stackable items can have a max of 99 items per stack. The transaction will be completed when you okay it and the auction house will send you your money.

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Create Buy Orders If there is something you really want to buy and want to keep it to a certain price level, this is where you can do that. There is a five percent fee for each buy order you list and you can have a max of five at one time. The Auction House automatically looks for the item on the market matching your willing price to pay, and buys those up first when filling your order. This can be convenient in a few ways rather than just going and buying directly. You can set your top price

and give it time to find the amount you want. In my example shot, my Salving Pod suggested price was below any on the market by two silver. If there are any of the item requested on the market in your price range, it automatically buys it for you. Even better is that you will not be charged at your set price if that item shows up cheaper and the difference will be returned to you when the item is bought. You must have access to the item you want to buy, for instance my examples are stackable items

to help with stats and health regen and they were in my bag. I simply right clicked on the item and it was listed, but you can also do a drag and drop as per the instructions seen before an item is selected. However, you might not have the item. In that case you need to have a link to it that you can do a ctrlshift-click on. This latter is when it is good to have friends that might even give you some to help you out, but if they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have extra they can at least link it for you in chat. Once you have the item you 81

want showing in the upper left of the window, the next thing to do is determine the number of units you want and what price you are willing to pay for it. Like several of the other screens you can choose on the right what trending results you want in order to help determine the price. The suggested price is really close to the trending price, but may be a little low if the trend is going upwards or a little high if you are lucky to see a downward trend. I usually pick suggested price and then tweak it based on the trending information. Pick how long you want your buy order to exist, I suggest to go for the max of seven days due to how the market fluctuates based on game activity and to be sure it is filled. The buy order ends when it is fulfilled or when the time runs out. If the time runs out, the funds for the unbought items will be returned to you.

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I would like to note that where it says stacks for your order list is not the number of full stacks, but actually the number of items to be fulfilled yet by the buy order. This made me do a double take at first knowing that the Salving Pod can stack to 99 and I definitely did not want 5 stacks of 99.

If at any time, you do not want to keep your buy order open, you can cancel it with the Cancel Buy Order button just below where your list of orders shows in the window.

Bids As I stated above when buying, there wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be many times you have the option to bid and will only be able to go with the buyout price. However, if you do find something to bid on, while the auction is going, you can check this tab to see how the bidding is going and if you need to increase your bid or quit if the highest bid is already beyond what you want to pay.

Conclusion Despite it mostly working like retail shopping rather than a real auction, the Rift Auction House is definitely the best way to buy and sell many of the items in the game.

Through a Game Junkie’s Eyes: The Discovery of Rift By Eiahn Matthews

Rift, from Trion Worlds, was just like every other MMO out there for me, until Elder Scrolls Online hit the scene, I had never played a MMO before and barely even paid attention to them. To be honest, I was convinced they were not for me and that I would not enjoy playing them. Oh, how I was wrong... I was so wrong... First, ESO strengthened its grip on me, then I started having curiosity about some of the other titles out there. While researching one of them, I met this gamer named Foghladha, who offered his help and welcomed me into his gaming family, Gaiscioch.

Needless to say, I ended up getting many of those games afterward, especially considering most of them were free to play. It wasn’t too long that I started joining on some of those “other games” adventures from time to time. And this is where and when I first discovered Rift. Foghladha was planning a stream of the game and called out to all interested players to join in with

Gaiscioch used to have a chapter in Rift, before I joined the community, and in light of the upcoming expansion there was a renewed spark of interest in the game.. So you guessed it... I reinstalled the client and started a new game, a new character and took some time to discover Rift for myself. There are so many different levels of gameplay in Rift, that I believe it can be interesting to many types of players. The questing is straightforward and the group content is enjoyable although the details still confuse me to this day. Members of the community helped me discover the use of macros, the different builds and their usefulness, as well as simply helping me realize just how much I need to spend time in this game to understand and experience it all for myself.

RIFT

After that point, I succumbed to the addiction that is online gaming and could not find enough time nor energy to play all the games I was suddenly finding out all about. Not making the situation any better for me, was a Twitch Stream that I started following, led by this same individual who welcomed me with open arms, Foghladha. The Stream of Epic Adventures, it was called. It would present different games to the viewers and offer the chance to see a group of friends play through some of it, giving their insights and impressions along the way.

him for the event. All you had to do was to create a character and get it out of the tutorial area. The game piqued my curiosity. Unfortunately, the stream was a short burst of play, and I quickly put the game on the shelves, through sheer lack of time to invest in it.

To this day, I am still torn every which way between ESO, GW2, Rift and so many other games, that it is quite difficult for me to be able to list them all off the top of my head. I do know one thing though, and it is that Rift has won its place in my “playlist” and its world has grasped my imagination! I look forward to many more hours in this game and perhaps, at another time, I will let you know about some of the new adventures I had while playing Rift. 83

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The Weekend Warriors Absolute Beginners Guide to Paladins By Ed ‘Screenager’ Orr Welcome Warriors. Paladins is a new team-based competitive multiplayer, and one of my standout games of last year. Currently undergoing beta testing, it drops players into a first person arena brawler, sprinkles on a little of developer Hi-Rez’s magic and delivers a deliciously vibrant world. Paladins has given the Gaiscioch Weekend Warriors no end of riotous action throughout 84

2016 and we have compiled a getting started guide so you can join us during 2017. The first thing you might notice when starting up Paladins is the clear choice of options stacked down the left of the launcher screen. Hitting Play gets you straight into the action without delay. From here you can choose some training in the tutorials, create a custom

match, or just launch headlong into the action. Those of you that want to train a little can choose tutorial from the following screen and try out the champions in a safe space. If, like us, you prefer to rush rudderless into battle, sword drawn and ready to learn the hard way, start off by choosing casual play and introducing yourself to your new teammates.

Picking a Team

A solid team composition is key in Paladins which

generally means your team will benefit from one support, one front line, and a variety of damage or flanking champions. This isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always strictly true but more often than not a team without a front line or healer is simply swept aside. Once a champion has been selected, it will be visible to you and your team on the left of the screen. Pick quickly though. Once the timer reaches zero, champion selection is locked in for the duration of a battle. This might seem restrictive when compared to the hot swapping of Overwatch, but Paladins provides at least two other ways to specialize: Card Decks and Items.

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A team consists of five characters, picked from a roster of over twenty two warriors. Each of the champions fits into one of four broad archetypes. Most of these definitions are fairly intuitive, with front lines acting as walking walls, support supplying heals, and damage types deploying some utterly devastating attacks. Flanking characters are a little more unorthodox, combining a mix of damage, manoeuvrability, and stealth to harass opponents and make the most of any opening that appears in an enemyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lines.

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Card Decks Card Decks are supremely important in Paladins. They allow players to modify a champion to suit a variety of play styles and are generally configured before even queuing for combat. Decks are constructed using a range of cards, unique to each champion, which provide a variety of passive bonuses. Characters have space to save eight card decks. Decks can be accessed and customized using the Champions screen and then choosing the Deck tab on each champions. A total of five cards can be allocated to any particular character deck, sharing a pool of twelve

tier points. Cards can be selected or swapped out by clicking on any of the available card slots. Points can be distributed at the player’s convenience, using the + and – buttons at the bottom of each card to change the tier. A minimum of one and a maximum of four points can be distributed to an individual card. Colored gemstones, set into the top of each card, allow easy identification of a card’s tier with higher values generally providing more favourable passive boosts to a champion. Tier one cards have a green stone set in them, tier two is represented by a blue gem, tier three

has a purple gem, and tier four cards carry a gold gemstone. In the above example, the particular card’s effect is clearly outlined on the front face. Every available card like this falls into one of four categories, each of which synchronise with an individual champion’s traits and abilities. Cards are a one-time unlock, either as a leveling reward or through direct purchase, using game gold or cash shop gems. There is, however, no need to spend real world money on unlocking these cards. Given a little time you will have a sufficient gold to unlock everything you require.

Decks do make a discernible difference when you’re fending off the flames of war. You will get an opportunity to assign a custom card deck or some of the very competent default decks to a champion in the prologue before a match starts. Once assigned these cannot be modified during a match, unlike the item system.

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Items

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Items, or burn cards, compliment Paladin’s deck system by introducing a temporary progression system that players can use to influence champions throughout a match. Unlike card decks, which are unique to each champion, the item system presents a uniform set of twelve buffs, available to every player. A total of twelve items are split into four rows, Defense, Utility, Healing and Offense. It is only possible to apply four buffs to any one character, choosing one from each row. Each base item has an associated credit cost to it. Three levels of item can be purchased, each becoming increasingly powerful and expensive as players climb tiers. Depending on game mode and development changes, players start a match with anywhere from a few hundred to thousands of credits. Additional credits are earned by participating in matches and for very particular types of behaviour.

Basic credits are awarded for; • • • • • • • • •

Participating in a match Standing near an objective contesting an objective capturing an objective killing an enemy dealing damage healing allies taking damage taking shield damage

Behavioral credit substantially rewards the four champion archetypes: front line, support, damage, and flankers, for actively playing their intended role. Flankers fill their coffers for kills behind enemy lines, support profit from healing, front line benefit most from sitting on objectives, and damage champions from unleashing a fiery wrath upon their enemies. In short, know your role and play to its strengths. When credits start rolling in, players can buy items by pressing the I key after respawning or directly before the start of a match.

Abilities

Matches

Once you have selected a champion and settled on customizations, you will need to know how to use it. Pressing the K button at any time during a match will display a characterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skills. Basic skills are located on the left and right mouse buttons, generally aligning with your primary weapon. More advanced skills are mapped to the Q and F skills on the keyboard. These vary from one champion to another but tend to synchronize with a characterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intended playstyle. Ultimate abilities are bound to the E key. These charge over time and provide a short burst of overwhelming power. This ranges from outstanding heals to immortality. You can see some of these abilities in our champion recommendations, later in this guide.

PvP Matches come in two distinct types, siege and payload. New formats, such as PvE, are being incrementally added, but this guide focuses on the competitive aspect of the game. Both Siege and Payload style matches are objective based encounters and pit two teams of five against each other.

Siege Siege matches are a hybrid mode with success judged on the first team to reach five points. A mix of traditional king of the hill capture systems and payload challenges creates a game that absolutely rewards great teamwork.

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The first point in a Siege match is awarded for capturing a central objective point, equidistant from both team spawns.

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Standing on the objective, and quite possibly obliterating any enemies that dare intrude, will increase your team’s objective ownership. You can find this at the top of the screen draped in your team’s color and it will increase over time.

If your team is under pressure you can, equally, help stall enemy possession of an objective by standing in the center circle, although we only recommend this when you aren’t vastly outnumbered.

Capturing an objective requires 100% possession, rewarding teams with one point and ownership of the upcoming payload. A payload cart will spawn directly after the capture stage and begin a crawl from center of the map towards the unsuccessful team’s home. With one more point up for grabs, delivering the payload into an enemy base will secure a clean sweep of the round. Repelling the payload will, however, award that point to the defending team. Payloads are time sensitive so think quickly and try not to die. As the payload gets further from your respawn point it takes even longer to get back in the fight. For more information on Payload mechanics see the next section.

Payload Payloads, are fairly uncomplicated match types. These are timed escort of a moving objective from your home spawn into an enemy base. Much like Sieges this match is played out with two teams of five. Each side has an equal opportunity to attack and defend with the payload. Attacking teams will find a payload waiting just outside their home spawn. Staying within close proximity to the payload will ensure it progresses towards the end of its journey. While no attackers attend to the payload, it will not progress. Progress is highlighted at the top of the screen in the attacking team’s color. The opposing team defends, generally trying to halt progress by destroying the attacking team. Winning teams are defined by either the quickest journey from start to end or, if neither side completes the journey, the furthest progress.

roast. Coupled with a generous health pool and a massive mobile shield, Fernando is a very powerful champion, with a low skill floor. When selecting items for Fernando be sure to stack into Haven.The majority of the damage being flung in your direction will be as direct damage. Characters like Victor, Tyra, Cassie, and Ruckus all have some absolutely devastating projectile weapons and Haven will help reduce the damage you take.

Support

Front Line Absolute beginners should consider Fernando for their first Champion. The rugged Italian might look an awful lot like Overwatch’s Heinrich but he is definitively hotter. Wielding a deadly flamethrower, Fernando is incredibly easy to use. If you are not a well-oiled precision sniper, Fernando’s flamethrower makes it incredibly difficult to miss. Just point and

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Basic builds

Getting started as a support character isn’t exactly straight forward in Paladins. A plethora of possible choices all come with a huge variety of support playstyles. Pip is an inviting choice for veteran shooter players and Ying can be click and forget, but for absolute beginners looking to make a keep their team in one piece, we recommend branching out into Grover. Grover has fantastic sustainability in a fight, few secondary mechanics to manage, and a good range of heals. Grab Grover, stick close to your team and they will definitely turn into tree huggers. When running around the map with Grover be sure to stack into Chronos. Grover has great sustain but is a huge target on the battlefield. If you are healing it is in your interest to survive and to get those heals out as

for damage is currently Viktor. Tyra and Viktor both feel incredibly intuitive to fans of FPS games. Both characters mix adequate mobility, a sufficient health pool, and an ability to shower the enemy in bullets. It is the combination of continuous dps output and forgiving health pool that make Viktor so attractive.

quickly as possible. The Chronos item will reduce the cooldown time for all of Grover’s abilities, including heals.

Damage

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Damage dealers are probably the easiest type of character to jump into without any experience. While the highest level of play requires lightning fast reflexes and incredible skill, new players can rest easy in the knowledge that many damage characters can, quite literally, just point and shoot. Our recommendation

When choosing items, stack into Cauterize and Life Rip. These are a great combination for players who can continuously cause damage. Cauterize will reduce an enemy character’s ability to heal and Life Rip will steal a portion of your target’s health every time you hit it. Coupled with a grenade that inflicts aoe damage and a machine gun that spews out projectiles, these item choices can devastate the health pool of enemies and simultaneously reduce the pressure on your own healers. Just remember when venturing out into the wilds with Viktor not to push too far forward and watch your six.

Flank Flank characters are designed to breach enemy lines, using their mobility to keep opponents off balance. While they can also dispense incredible damage, they have little room for error, requiring fantastic reflexes and a steady aim. If you are confident, courageous, and quick on the draw you might want to try a flanking character. We honestly

had a hard time picking one character for beginners, but after much debate the general consensus here at Gaiscioch is that Evie is your go to pick for absolute beginners. Like all flanking champions, Evie will take some time to understand, but her extremely powerful default attack and a click and forget ultimate make life just a little bit easier to manage. When entering the arena with Evie, try to stack up on Kill to Heal and Cauterize. While you may not be able to take down everyone solo, the Kill to Heal will let you attack and gain healing while Cauterize is always

a welcome addition to anybody doing damage. While there are a number of other options that are viable including Life Rip, Nimble and Chronos, these two are the ones that you want to get straight away. With that we feel you should have enough information to get a good start in Paladins. These recommendations may change as Hi-Rez continues to develop the game but for now pick up a weapon, keep the sharp end away from yourself, and have fun.

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Goblins! Squirrels! Loot! A first look at Guardians of Ember

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By Ed “Screenager” Orr

Guardians of Ember is the latest in a line of titles to be imported to western shores by Insel Games. This hack and slash adventure pits players against a world of magic and monsters, combining classic dungeons crawlers with the massive playable realms of the Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Guardians of Ember is available as a buy to play title right now on Steam’s early access platform, so we went ten rounds with Taiwanese developer Runewalker’s latest. Like Trion’s Devilian, this title takes a third person, isometric view of the world. Created with Runewalker’s own RENA engine, Guardians of Ember already looks incredible. Whether it is due to the aspect changes or simple advancements in technology, this title’s

visuals easily outshine those of Dragon’s Prophet, Runewalker’s 2013 MMORPG, which was also created using RENA. The lush meadows and forests of Olyndale are impressively detailed and seem to hold up well on a range of machines, consistently tumbling out of my screen at over sixty frames per second. Even the character models and user interface poses level of quality that surpasses the bargain basement budget that burdens many early access titles. Character creation is similarly consistent. Four races populate the world. Cardboard prefab Humans, Dwarves, and Elves are joined by the Neia. A race of child like beings, the Neia are magic and nature. They come from an ancient tree but look nothing like Guild Wars 2’s Sylvari. They are, however,

instantly comparable to Blade & Soulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lyn, Devilianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cannoneer, or a dozen other child like races. Despite this, the Neia still feel sufficiently fresh to make character creation relevant and introduce some much needed diversity. Even across the more traditional races, a good selection of facial presets, height changes, and muscle sliders are available. Over twenty individual body measurements can be modified on a character and it is all complimented by an even wider range of hair, eye, and skin complexions. The RENA engine does a great job of translating these selections into the game and while it cannot hope to compete with games like Black Desert Online, arguably the current gold standard for character customisation, I still managed to lose thirty minutes debating which unnaturally vibrant shade my hair and eyes should be. Taking those first few steps from the character creation screen into a new adventure can go wrong in so many ways. Torturous exposition, broken mechanics, or simply no direction can end in blinding frustration. Thankfully Guardians of Ember has an intuitive WASD control set, allowing you to instantly start exploring the opening town of Rye Ridge. This welcoming little

town is full of traditional NPCs, instantly recognisable shops, and even a fishing merchant. After clearing out an intimidating, if somewhat harmless, troll, the quests at Rye Ridge send players skipping out into the surrounding forests. A mix of menial tasks await from delivering messages to chasing down goblins, but this is only the first few levels. A suitably prominent mini map provides clear pointers for the uninitiated and the consistently linear quest lines do tend to follow the natural flow of the landscape, making it incredibly difficult to get lost in the wilderness. These quests, which can sometimes fall into an uninspiring repetition of fetch and kill, are interspersed with a regular series of dungeons. They are a welcome opportunity to find glorious loot, change the pace of play, and challenge the nastiest enemies that Olyndale can throw at adventurers. These particular dungeons show some definite promise while maintaining room for improvement. The linear layouts which fill the dark caverns and rocky cliff sides of early arenas are patrolled by repeating waves of trash, followed by something with a bigger health pool. While this is acceptable for early dungeons, predictability quickly comes at the expense of engagement. Boss encounters are sometimes unique, but more often do

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not require any real ingenuity. Dungeons continue to compound this problem as the trudge through trash gets longer but not any more dynamic. For now, early dungeons come in two difficulty modes. More stars designate a higher difficulty and although dungeons remain challenging, they are not overwhelming. Extra difficulty levels, more dynamic encounters, and less trash mobs would benefit the dungeons. I do expect Runewalker to enhance the overall experience before Guardians of Ember launches.

Players can crawl the dungeon corridors blowing away any unfortunate goblins, bandits, and even the odd bear with a set of active skills that are evenly

distributed across the bottom of the screen. Control systems are satisfyingly responsive but do start to run into difficulty as combat breaks out in earnest. Particularly peculiar is Runewalkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s use of the same mouse actions to target, attack, and move characters, which results in party members randomly veering off into the surrounding undergrowth while a scurry of mutant squirrels go nuts around you. When compared to other recent dungeon crawlers, such as NCSoftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Master x Master, combat does not feel nearly as dynamic or fluid as it could. A lack of any dodge function makes telegraphing feel a little pointless and the fixed camera angle makes Guardians of Ember

feel more cumbersome than it really should.

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Although movement could benefit from further work before release, class systems are reassuringly well developed at this stage. Stats, skills, and character progression are all in place and provide an abundance of builds for any character. Levelling up rewards players with points to spend on four primary attributes, seventeen secondary stats, over three hundred active and passive skills, and a cavalcade of weapon choices, all of which knit tightly together to create an intricate maze of decisions that could almost leave new players a little bamboozled.

In many ways, the class system is indicative of Guardians of Emberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current state. It is a beautiful piece of work and manages to exceed my expectations on some levels. The character design, class systems, progression, and environmental art all stand up very well against some of the biggest names on the market. Other systems, however, are clearly still incomplete or bear some hangover from the original Taiwanese free to play model. Guardians of Ember is still in flux, but if it manages to master its own combat, content, and challenges then Insel Games could have a very solid success on the horizon. You can follow Guardians of Ember on steam.

Enter the Brutal World of

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by Shea “Pudgy Alpaca” Fort

Blood and brutality; this is what makes Hyboria what it is. The gritty beauty of Robert E. Howard’s world comes to life in Conan Exiles, the newest offering from FunCom, creators of Age of Conan and The Secret World. Exiles offers a refreshing look at the survival genre, one that takes the world it’s set in to heart. Speaking of hearts, all you Set worshippers will find plenty. But more on that later. You begin with character creation, with all kinds of presets, options and sliders available for you to play around with. Seriously.

All kinds of sliders. Cough. One thing I love about Exiles is that there is a somewhat cohesive story for your existence in the Exiled Lands. You were charged with crimes you may or may not have committed (it is up to you to decide) and left, crucified, for dead. As you feel your breath fading, Conan the Barbarian himself cuts you free. Where you go from there is up to you, but do not try to leave the Exiled Lands. The bracelet on your arm will kill you the moment you step foot past the Cursewall. As you explore the Exiled Lands (currently limited to the desert biome in this stage of early access

with more promised) you will learn about those who came before. That’s right, you’re not the first one here. There are settlements here, even cities filled with others. As you delve into the secrets the Exiled Lands have left behind, you will come to understand why you are there, what that bracelet is, and why Conan set you free. While other survival games have a story, there typically is not much of it, and what is there is added generally as an afterthought. While there are no quests or overarching plotline to follow, the story is certainly available, and is definitely a focus for the developers.

The story is found in clues you’ll find in caves, notes, and the world design itself. Here, the game feels built around the story; a benefit of being set in an established world the developers already have experience building in with Age of Conan, no doubt. During your stay within the Exiled Lands, you will fight for survival amongst the threats of hunger, thirst, wildlife, cannibals, and corruption. Yes, corruption. Delving into caves and dungeons will impact your mind, decreasing your stats and hindering you mentally. Luckily, there are ways around this.

Unlike ARK, which is famous for its dinosaur taming mechanics, you will not be taming wild beasts here in the Exiled Lands. Instead, Conan Exiles favors a different approach: humanoid NPCs that roam the land and offer you friendly faces to talk to -- or unfriendly ones to bash in. The latter you can knock unconscious, drag back to your home, and break on the wheel of pain to serve as entertainers, crafters, archers or fighters to protect you. And then there’s the religion system. As of now, there are four

deities: Set, Mitra, Yog and Crom (who serves as the atheist choice, since he seeks no worship and offers no aid). If you gather enough favor, you can actually summon your deity’s avatar to crush your enemies below their heel. Or tentacles. Or scales. The sheer destruction they can wreak is aweinspiring, and makes for some epic wars. (Screenshot 3) All of these things come together in a cohesive, powerful way to create an excellent foundation for what could very well become the most immersive, roleplay-friendly survival game to date. Just... “Watch out fer de Picts.” -Laranga

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The game’s been designed with immersion at the forefront; this is a world you are not meant solely to survive in, but to live in. There

are plenty of tools other than just building to assist in that endeavour. You can craft all manner of decorations, such as rugs, trophies, chairs, tables and even a mighty throne for you ruling types like me.

An Immersive Gamer’s Look at

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ARK: Survival Evolved by Shea “Pudgy Alpaca” Fort

I woke up under the scorching sun of the island’s beaches. As I climbed to my feet, I noticed the... thing on my wrist. Some sort of... implant? Strange. I made my way inland, scrounging for supplies – wood, fiber, thatch, stones... anything I could use to survive. I was too afraid to light a fire, for fear of what it might draw to me. Before long, the sun had set, and I began to regret not starting a fire. Alas, as the tree before me fell, I spotted lights coming from the crevasse below me. Spying down through the bushes

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I could see them. Hunters. They had brought down a giant... dinosaur. A tyrannosaurus... I quickly scurried out of the area; I’d wanted no part in this. I gathered what I needed to start the smallest of fires, saying what prayers I could that it’d keep me not only warm, but at least somewhat concealed. As the light from the flames lit the immediate area, I could feel the warmth of the utahraptor’s breath on my neck. Where had I awoken?

ARK: Survival Evolved is full of moments like these. Let your imagination soar while you immerse yourself in its world and its moments. But among the exhilarating trepidation – and the excitement – lies a faint outline of frustration. If you’ve ever played a survival game, the first thing you’ll notice upon spawning on the beach is just how by-the-books ARK handles itself. Naked, with little more than your hands and feet to keep you alive. I had never been impressed with survival games; they never really enthralled me. But me, being the childhood-self-proclaimed Junior Paleontologist I am (disclaimer: Contrary to 10-year-old me’s words, I am not a Paleontologist) saw dinosaurs and had to jump on the train. Yet beyond the familiarity to survival game veterans such as DayZ, Rust, or even Minecraft is a land of mystery and, yes, dinosaurs. This is no postapocalyptic wasteland. It’s a beautiful island, filled with just as many gorgeous treats as it is things that want to kill you and eat you. ARK has been in development since October 2014, and entered early access on June 2015. The sheer

amount of content that’s been put into it since then is incredible. There are multiple tiers of structures you can build, as well as, the game’s signature trademark; taming. Most of the creatures you can discover on the island can be tamed to either fight/harvest with you, or become a mount. For the longest time, my camp was filled with an army of utahraptors because... well, utahraptors! Now I’m pretty much glued to my wyverns. And then you realize that one of the game’s biggest draws is also one of its biggest flaws. ARK’s taming mechanic requires you to (in most cases) knock out a creature, then feed it until it decides it wants to do your bidding. This can take a few minutes for smaller creatures, but for the larger ones, it can take hours. You have to sit there – feeding it narcotics to keep it asleep and food to progress the taming – for as long as it takes. On official servers, this can be upwards of nine hours or more depending on the dino, level and the kind of food you’re feeding it. The example here is a Giganotosaurus, level 120, fed raw meat. Not to mention the 1000+ narcotics you’ll need to keep it asleep.

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And then there’s breeding, which takes the waiting game to a whole new level. That Giganotosaurus’ baby can take upwards of a week, maybe even more, of constant babysitting to hatch and mature fully. This makes ARK a huge timesink if you want to play on official servers and dive deep into taming and breeding. It can be much less of a hassle if you play on an unofficial server, however, as I run my own. Just be sure to find admins and players you trust. Yet, at the same time, you don’t need to in order to enjoy the game. The building and exploration mechanics alone have kept me playing since shortly after the launch of early access. There’s plenty to do here, and it’s kept me plenty entertained. The constant updates and additions don’t hurt, either!

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One of the latest additions is probably one of my favorites. The TEK Tier. I admit, I’ve always been a purist for immersion in my video games. I roleplay every single game I play, even if I do so alone, and I put myself into the shoes of a character and live in their world.

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So, when I wake up stranded, naked and afraid on an island full of dinosaurs, I want to stay primitive. I don’t want to run around with AK-47 assault rifles

and rocket launchers. Yet with the introduction of the TEK Tier, I had to try it. And now, I love it. The TEK armor is essentially a basic version of an Iron Man suit. You can fly, you can super-punch things into oblivion, you can use night vision and so much more. It’s OP as hell, yet at the same time, it takes a lot of work to obtain. Enough work that it makes it feel like you’ve really earned it. They’re still expanding on the TEK Tier, and will be adding new structures, creatures and items for the foreseeable future. Did I mention a laser-shooting set of armor for the T-Rex? (Screenshot 3) ARK has been in early access for quite some time, longer than most would feel it should have. I feel they’re keeping it there as long as they need to in order to add the content they want to the game, as well as fix issues. Despite it still not being ‘fully released’, ARK plays and feels like a fully-featured game, despite the optimization not being perfect. A little playing around can easily fix performance issues, though. All in all, ARK offers not only a sense of survival, but one of adventure, mystery, awe, and beauty. And death. Lots and lots of death.

Rise & Shine: A boy, a quest, and a new breed of smart weapon By Ed â&#x20AC;&#x153;Screenagerâ&#x20AC;? Orr

Preview

Super Awesome Hyper Dimensional Mega Team definitely cannot be labelled as a boring studio. Their small but unique catalogue already includes a cute, story driven bubble popping puzzler and Pro Zombie Soccer. Now, a new duo join the line up with the release of Rise & Shine. Published by Adult Swim Games and out now on Steam, this adventure aims for glory with a blend of personality, puzzles, and platforming that might just make it stand out amongst a myriad of other indie platformers.

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This 2D side scroller follows Rise, a child of the planet Gamearth, as he is thrown into the midst of a brutal planetary invasion. Through a series of rather calamitous circumstances, that might send the best of us into therapy, Rise is paired with Shine, a weapon of legendary power and importance. Burdened by destiny, and with no responsible adult willing to relieve this unfortunate child of his fate, Rise & Shine takes the protagonist on a quest to find the King, use an ultimate weapon, and save Gamearth from certain doom.

On his way to find the King, Rise needs to survive an onslaught of space marauders, killer robots, mines, zombies, and the odd brain teaser. Early levels in Rise & Shine are a straightforward run and gun experience where players get to blow their way through some fairly untaxing enemies, avoiding the odd ledge, and getting to grips with the basic control systems. As with any side scrolling platformer the fundamentals of movement are instantly intuitive, and a thirty second tutorial covers the remaining combat mechanics.

Precision quickly becomes paramount as Rise ventures further through the ruined cityscapes of Gamearth encountering an array of bigger, nastier, and more perplexing villains. Sporting bigger guns, more armour, smaller hit boxes, and a variety of phases, this flow of cannon fodder keeps progress interesting and forces players to utilize Shine’s expansive arsenal. Shine sports a number

of options when blasting their way across the screen, which can be electrified, detonated, and even propelled around obstacles, allowing players to circumvent line of sight issues. Although blowing away monsters is always an enjoyable romp, Rise & Shine’s puzzle elements are where it really excels. A variety of boss encounters and environmental head scratchers are dotted across the horizon, that require the right ordnance, some precise timing, and a steady trigger finger. A pattern of trial and error quickly develops that is only broken by victory or, more often, death. This is clearly intended as wielding Shine imbues Rise with infinite respawns, allowing players to dust off their mangled limbs and adapt. An abundance of save points also make death fairly inconsequential without undermining the challenge

of each encounter. The venue to this life and death skirmish begins in a rolling Gamearth skyline decorated in destruction and eventually ventures into a pleasing mix of other backdrops. The team at Super Awesome Hyper Dimensional Mega Team set out to illustrate entire levels rather than rehash library assets and the result is a setting so enthralling you might forget it is a war zone. The opening cityscape is incredibly detailed, with a stylised architecture that gives the crumbling metropolis its own distinct personality. Following levels are just as intricately illustrated and character models are equally impressive. The art team’s experience in traditional animation shines through in this endeavour. Everything from the game’s hero to the gargantuan killer robots are big, bright, and

Preview

Keyboard and mouse controls are satisfyingly accurate, responsive, and suit the precision targeting required later on. Controller support, however, is not quite as sublime. After attempting to make use of the advertised controller support I found that analogue control sticks simply bludgeon the game’s aiming system, lacking the finesse of a mouse and turning the game into a frustrating mess as it progresses.

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Preview

appear to have escaped from a bold comic book adventure. Rise & Shine is simply stunning to look at.

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Visuals aside, Rise & Shine is not perfect. The entire world is utterly lathered in references to classic video game culture, making for some really fun moments. NPC island is a particularly inspired creation, taking an RPG trope and contorting it into an entire level filled with quirky mini games. Some

of these, however, just do not wash. The game’s Legendary Warrior and King are obvious examples that just feel like an unnecessary intrusion on the game’s story. In fact, much of the game’s faults lie in the story telling. I had trouble with a largely perfunctory plot that sends a child out to die repeatedly with just a revolver and tried to simply hang a lamp on some serious logical inconsistencies.

Rise & Shine clearly never really sets out to be an epic tale. At three or four hours of gameplay, it has enough challenge to keep anybody interested for the duration and its mechanics manage to propel it above its rivals. It is my first must play game of 2017 and at $11.99 £10.99 on steam, you can absolutely afford to give it your time, too.

Ludoria: Preview By Robert J. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jaironeâ&#x20AC;? Mann

Preview

What is Ludoria? Ludoria is still in the pre-release phases. The concept is an interesting mix of things seen around gaming. Take a little bit of procedural generation, some monster capture and training mechanics, some transformation mechanics, and combine all that with exploration, world alteration, and home building. You could say this is a voxel-esque minecraft meets pokemon where you actually transform into the monsters instead of just summoning them. Planned for multi-platform support, including mac and linux computers, the game should be available on your system (short of mobile.) It will also feature multiplayer support.

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So what makes it different? To start with, Ludoria is one of very few games that offers you the chance to transform into various other beings. In most cases this is very limited, but from all appearances Ludoria bucks that trend. Instead, the use of your creature transformations will be vital to exploration and gathering. You have a base human form, which can use a flashlight and do a few things, but other abilities seem best suited to those transformations. Additionally the game world is nice looking, with just a little of the cartoony look. It avoids the sharp contrasts of block based worlds, and has some interesting touches. One of my favorite points about the work so far is that you see actual rolling structures for hills and terrain, which still allows for things like

ridgelines. It really strikes that tone of looking like what one might expect of a world, which is somewhat newer for the procedural generation systems. It also has an elevation and temperature based biome system, which helps things fit together better, rather than having sand dunes pushing up against a frozen tundra!

When can we expect to see it? The creators of Ludoria expect to have their first playable release ‘sometime this month.’ That was in mid January. As we all know, sometimes those plans don’t work out, but I would expect that if not already in early access at the time of you reading this, it will be shortly!

Learn More at: http://ludoria.com/

Preview

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The Many Pleasures of a Brut@l Gameplay By Eiahn Matthews

Review

Brut@l is a game developed by Stormcloud Games and published by Rising Star Games. It was officially released in February 2017. When I heard about a chance to play and review Brut@l, I was onboard within minutes. Call it nostalgia or perhaps curiosity, but I was looking forward to see and experience how the game would feel and play, especially with the fact ASCII letters was all that was used to create the world objects, the heroes, the weapons, the mobs, etc. From the get go, the game developers make it clear they strongly suggest that players use a controller for the best game experience. After that, it is up to you to choose how you play the game. Your first action will be to choose a class between Warrior, Ranger, Mage or Amazon. Once selected, you are dropped in a procedurally created dungeon. Each level has a trap door for you to find, which will lead to the next level. Within every dungeon, there are a 110

multitude of foes to slay, objects to break, loot to pick up, chests to open, keys to find and doors to unlock. Oh, and did I mention potion brewing, weapon crafting and enchantments? There is a total of 26 levels for you to go through, provided you did not die in the process. Did I mention this game uses a Perma-death feature? Yes my friends, you screw up and die, you lose all you have gathered so far, you lose your levels and start fresh from the character selection screen. Frustrating you say? Absolutely! But it is also a feature that makes this game that much more interesting for me. You have to weigh every action and decision you take. Rejoice though, as there is a possibility to fall in favors with the gods, which might result in an extra life being given to you. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mightâ&#x20AC;? being the key word here! The first time I played Brut@l, I got dropped in a randomly created dungeon with my ranger. It rapidly

became obvious I should smash everyone and everything standing in my way. All the letters I collected, could be used to craft weapons and enchantments, provided I found the appropriate book of knowledge. I found a few armor pieces in the different containers I looted, which helped me stay alive while figuring out how to defeat the different foes and traps I encountered in the dungeon. I must say, I did find it frustrating that my ranger, with whom I wanted to shoot a bow, could not do so because I had not found all the letters necessary. I ended up fighting through all the rooms of the first level with my fist, a torch and the only weapon I managed to craft, a goblin pike. That adventure did not last long as I died attempting to jump over a precipice. Truth be told, it would not be my last death by “falling”… I did not count the number of deaths I suffered but I still find myself mesmerized by this game, several dozens of playthroughs later.

If you enjoy playing along with a friend, please note you can also play in co-op mode. If you are the creative type, like me, you will definitely enjoy the last mode available, which is the dungeon creator. No manuals needed for this one either. Jump in and follow the simple steps available to create your very own level. You can start from nothing or take the option of having some floor plans already laid out to get you started. There is a limited number of items you can fit in each room and you must choose wisely if you wish to complete a dungeon level interesting to play through. Before the dungeon is available however, you will have to validate it (Player spawn point presence, trap door, etc.) AND run one time through the level. I have enjoyed my experience with Brut@l and will still play

it long after this review hits the virtual shelves. For me, it is a refreshing take on a classic with enough elements to keep coming back.

To sum it up: Graphics hypnotizing

Simple

but

Sounds - Contributes well to the flow of the game Controls - WIth controller: it is quickly mastered. With keyboard and mouse: there might be difficulties with the camera control, but it still can be enjoyable Gameplay - I found it’s worth it to play all the classes, although I wish the differences in abilities and limitations of each class were more distinctive. The element of “just one more try” is in full effect with this game, as a death only kindles the desire to get further on your next try. For more information on this game or the team behind it, head to http://www.brutal-game.com/

Review

All in all, the game mechanics are pretty self-explanatory. And a death always gifts you with some levels of insights to bring with you in your next dungeon level.

You do want to venture behind those blind spots as they often hide letters and other welcome loot.

The 3rd person camera did get annoying for me at times, as the angles were sometimes putting it behind door pillars and such, but I found that moving slightly around would make the structure become translucent, letting me see what was hidden behind. Word of advice: 111

A Look Back at

By MTDEWD

Review

Sleeping Dogs is an open world sandbox game. You play as Wei Shen, a C.I.A. agent in Hong Kong. You are undercover with a gang trying to work your way up the ranks of the Triads so you can take down a gang leader named Dog Eyes.

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The story in this game is really engaging. When you first start the game you and a friend are trying to get some drugs from a dealer when things go south. You and your friend start running from the police. After this happens, you find out your character, Wei Shen, is an undercover C.I.A. agent. From there the story just keeps getting better and better.

Gameplay The gameplay has you talk to someone to get a mission and you must do it to move the story along. There is also stuff you can find. There are statues you can aquire that you turn into the local dojo master to learn a new technique. When you are fighting people in the game you can use guns, or do hand to hand combat. The hand to hand combat flows very well. You can be fighting someone and block another attacker that joins the fight.

Leveling system In this game you have two different skill trees. One is for the police side of your character and the other one is for the gang member side. Each time you level up one of your experience bars, you can spend your skill point for a new ability. The skill trees are really easy to figure out because you just move up the skill tree when you spend a skill point. The skills you get are very helpful in the game.

One of the skills you can unlock makes it easier for you to steal a car. When you normally steal a car you smash out the window. Doing that puts your cover at risk because if someone catches you they could call the police. With this skill your character will use a slim jim, which is a flat piece of metal, in between the window and door of the car to unlock the door.

Review

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Graphics The graphics on this game are really nice. The character’s tattoos look realistic. You can see the water falling and the flowers look bright and colorful. When it rains your characters clothes actually look like they got saturated.

Overall This game surprised me. The story is engaging and the graphics are well done from the tattoos, and cars, to the weather effects. Sometimes you just want to stop and look at the flowers or if it’s raining, you might just feel like watching it as your character’s clothes get saturated. So if you get a chance to play it I recommend checking it out.

Review

I give this game an 8 out of 10.

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Pop’s Musings’ of Life

Paying it Forward By Wally “Pops” Anderson

In a novel by Ray Bradbury, “Dandelion Wine”, Bradbury wrote...”How do I thank Mr. Jonas, he wondered, for what he’s done? How do I thank him, how to pay him back? No way, no way at all. You just can’t pay. What then? What? Pass it on somehow, he thought, pass it on to someone else. Keep the chain moving. Look around, find someone, and pass it on. That was the only way.” I really don’t know when I first heard it, probably in 2000 sometime. It was the name of a movie I never saw, “Pay it Forward”. I heard the term and thought, pay for what, how much did they pay, and for how long? A short time later I heard the term used as it was meant to be used and in the proper context. It hit me hard and I thought “what a concept”. Evidently it hit others the same way too. Soon they had a Pay it Forward (PIF) Movement, a PIF Foundation, and even a PIF Day (28 April this year). I guess we should have us a “Year of the PIF.”

Life

I now believe it was paying it forward that caused so many feelings...the happiness, gratitude, satisfaction, and the sense of fulfillment. I was actually amazed that I had not ever connected the dots on some of these memories. As I thought about it more, I smiled to myself and was proud. For I had been practicing paying it forward for a very long time without putting a name to it. I’ve talked to many people and found

It is so hard to put into words the feelings you can get from paying it forward. First, the sense of fulfillment you get and the satisfaction of knowing you helped support a friend, a stranger, hell...anybody in an endeavor of theirs. You ask for, nor receive, anything in return. You might get a thank you, or a smile. Sometimes nothing but the nod of a head. You know, and they know, what just passed between you two was a genuine feeling of love of all mankind. Yes it makes them feel good, but it also makes you a rock star. You did it because you wanted to, not because you had to. The smile on your face, the lump in your throat, and joy in your heart is a result of a simple act of kindness. I’ve always loved that feeling within me, as I’m sure you do too. As the receiver of an act of kindness of some sort, you have almost identical feelings as the giver. The truth of it all...it makes you smile and the gladness and thankfulness in your heart make you want to continue this selfless act of kindness, i.e. “Paying it Forward.” And so it shall continue and grow. For it is us that makes the world smile as we continue to do many good and wondrous things.

Review

I thought back to times far in the past. Odd how some memories fade, yet others are as crisp and vivid as the sunrise you watched yesterday. It was the crisp and vivid memories that stood out and they usually consisted of a smile and a tremendous sense of wellbeing.

they all had the same type of feelings after doing something like paying it forward. This knowledge not only renewed my faith in humanity, but I found an uplifting of spirit, attitude, and gratitude. In fact what I found most amazing is that when I was a recipient of a “pay it forward” type deed, I had the same feelings as if I were the giver.

Pay it forward or the “Golden Rule”, both are very similar concepts. Now if only we lived in a perfect world.

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Worth Playing Top 5 Picks for Winter 2017

Foghladha

Soren

1 Tom Clancyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ghost Recon Wildlands

Night in the Woods

2 Styx: Shards of Darkness

Horizon: Zero Dawn

3 Folktale

Torment: Tides of Numenera

4 Uncharted 4: A Thiefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s End

Life

Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing

5 Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem

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I am Setsuna

Worth Playing Top 5 Picks for Winter 2017

Smitty

Screenager

Oxygen Not Included

Horizon Zero Dawn

Guild Wars 2

Revelation Online

Sims 4

Witcher 3

WWE 2K17

Persona 5

Subnautica

Paladins

Life

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Worth Playing Top 5 Picks for Winter 2017

Mika

Samethyst

1 Guild Wars 2

Resident Evil 7

2 Torment: Tides of Numenera

Horizon: Zero Dawn

3 Diablo 3 - Ultimate Evil Edition

The Last of Us

4 Uncharted 4: A Thiefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s End

Life

Urban Empire

5 Overwatch

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Skyrim: Remastered Edition

Worth Watching Top 5 Games to Get Excited About!

MMORPGs

Crowdfunding

Ashes of Creation

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

Tera (Consoles)

The Banner Saga 3

Revelation Online

Pine

Legends of Aria

Mordhau

Skyforge (PS4)

Shardbound

Life

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he Gaiscioch Family extends far beyond the game. Our members have a very broad professional background extending from teachers to CEO’s. Our members are involved in the businesses, organizations, and government agencies below. We are very proud of our diverse community and support our members in all of their real life accomplishments. 3M

Black Nova Digital

DFW Honda

Great Wolf Lodge

ABB Inc. - Robotics

BNP Paribas

DJO Global

Harris Siding & Windows

Absolute Software

BNYMellon

Documatik Limited

Hawt Websites

ACE Network Consulting

Bollinger’s services

Duke Energy

HCL Axon/Fortis BC

Addtech Controls

Boondocks PC Repair

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HDD Broker Inc.

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Bowman Consulting Group

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ADP Dealer Services

Box Home Loans

eBay Enterprise

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advantage metal Products

Edict Systems

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Air Transport International

Brilliant Bees LLC

EFFIIS

Howell Associates

Alachua County BOCC

Buchanan First United Methodist Church

Eley Guild Hardy Architects

HP/Vertica

EMC

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Expeditors International

Hunton & Williams

Exterran

I.B.E.W.

Facebook

IBEW Local 1141

Faellin Angels Realm LP

IBM

Firestone Building Products

IGT

Fitzgibbon Hospital

Infor

Information Resources

Flagstar Bank

Inserso Corporation Insitu

All Smiles Orthodontics AMD

Life

Amercian Coalition of Healthcare Recruiters

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Bypass Mobile Calumet Park School District 132 Campus Crusade for Christ

American Express

Cardomain Inc

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CareFusion

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CEB

Apples & Arrows

Cerner Corporation

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Chinook Pharmacy

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ClarkBetty.com

Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute

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Flypaper Studio, Inc

AS Computers

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Food and Drug Admin

Asialink Realty Pte Ltd

Comcast

Franchise Update Media

ITI INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORTATION INC.

AT&T

Coram Deo Academy

Franchising.com

Jasmine-Dragon

Atlantic Bay Mortgage

CSG International

JetBlue

Atwater Aloha Floral

Cubic Corporation

Freeport Welding & Fabrication, Inc.

Barclays

Culinary Institute Virginia

Barrister Global Network

CW Technology

Beck et al. Services

Dallas Center - Grimes CSD

Becton Dickinson

Dane Massage

Benihana

Decoy’s Dork Decor

Bernard Simulacao Gerencial

Delta Steel

Bethel School District #403

Department of Defense

Bishop Investment Services

Developmental Disabilities

Fry Productions Fujitsu Geek Squad/Notre Dame General Mills Gerald Blakemore, CPA P.C. Global Exposition Services Government of Canada GPC Company

International Paper Isolation Equipment Services

Johnson Surveillance, LLC Kazmarek Technology Solutions Kenedy’s Cakes and Donuts Inc. Kingsley Associates Kissa’s Kreations Konecranes Kroger L’Anse Creuse Public Schools Laurmar Associates

Ledbury and District Amateur Swimming Club

Construction and Facilities Maintenance Office

Legacy Express

One Point Home Health and Hospice

Leslie’s Pool Supply Lightyear Network Solutions Lincoln Loop Logic Technology Inc. Looking for one Los Angeles DHS M&S Technologies Made Men Inc. Magnolia ISD Marlow White Uniforms Massage Envy Mathematica Policy Research McDonald’s MCT Worldwide Media Bridges Mercedes Morgan Photography Micro Center Microsoft Mind Wrack Mississippi Museum of Natural Science

Oregon State University Own Pacific Union Finanacial Panasonic Avionics Corporation Panther Energy Company PCM PCM Inc. Pender County Schools Pink Zebra Home Placer SO Polaris Premiere Inc Professional Medical Writers Promise Keepers Canaa Proteus Europe QSI Quantum Security & Innovations Radio Shack Realty/Youtube Ref-Chem

Missouri State University

Regional Manager for UPS

Mobile Fire-Rescue

Reid Hospital and Health Care Services

Mobile Sports Chiropractic Montana State University College of Nursing

Signature Transcription Services

Unique Useables

Signs Manufacturing Corporation

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SoftFile DCS

University of

SolutionSource

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Sony Online Entertainment

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University of North Carolina Charlotte

SpeedCast Spencer Gifts Spiritually Speaking LLC SplitZero Designs Staples Starrlight Jewelry & Designs State Farm Steris Corporation Steve’s Computer Rescue Stevens Transport Stevens-Henager Online Stewart Lender Services Stewart’s Market place Suddenlink Communications Sutton Creative Studios

University of Utah US Army US EPA US NAVY USAF Vanderbilt University Vantiv Verizon Conferencing | Verizon Business Video Game Auctions.com Virtela an NTT Company Vishay Intertechnology Vital Network Services Waelwulfas dotOrg

Talaria Press

Washington State Dept. of Early Learning

Reinsurance Group of America

Target

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Technicolor and Throw the Gauntlet Productions

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moran sheetmetal

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Muler Pasific Labelindo

Retired

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Round Table Media LLC

nlmosler.com

Techpath Techtell inc Tellepsen Builders Tetra Design, Inc Texas A&M University Texas A&M University Corpus Christi

Wayne Russell Search Consultants We Do Windows Computer Services Weapons Squad Leader 2nd PLT C Co 3-21 IN ; 1-25 SBCT Weibel Services Welcome Home Design Wellcare

The Boeing Company

Westmark Industry

SanMar Corp.

The Last Frontier & New Phoenix Casinos

Whole Foods Market

no thanks live alone

Scentsy

The McGraw-Hill Companies

Nokia Siemens Networks

Scentsy, Inc.

The Mirage

Norfolk Southern Railroad

Schneider Electric

The North West Company

Notnat Technology Services

SDL

The Sawmill Ltd

Nova Engineering

Seagate

The Ultimate Software Group, Inc.

Nova Engineering, Inc.

Seagate Technology

Theres’s No Box

NTT Data

SEC Contractors

Ticketmaster

NYPD

self employed

Tool Using Monkeys

Odessa College

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triumph

Office Essentials

Sep

Tweddle Group Techologies

Ohio EPA

Shaw Inc.

UC Davis Childrens Hospital

Oklahoma Military Dept:

Siemens

Union County Pet Hospital

Wildcat Striping & Sealing William S. Frates II P.A. Williams Buick GMC Wireless Advocates Wizards of the Coast WSP www.SKLURB.com Xerox Yellowknife direct charge coop

Life

Xyvid Inc. Zappos

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