People News Chris Avellone gives his blessing to inXile's Torment successor, probably won't join

[CappenVarra]

Githyanki and Githzerai ARE AS AWESOME AS IT GETS. MCA didn't make up that they were captive to Mind Flayers that's right from the setting, and how awesome is that? Not even Planescape but way back from unearthed arcana. It would be almost impossible to fail to make them interesting as hell, same with mindflayers, beholders, and the demons and devils.

D&D trivia time!

Though The Fiend Folio certainly had some silly monsters (such as the flail snail and the much-satired flumph), it also was influential in a number of ways. First, it got Don Turnbull directly involved with TSR – a relationship that would only increase in the future. Second, it was the first major British addition to the D&D game.

Third, it introduced many notable monsters to the game, among them the death knight, the githyanki, the githzerai and the slaads. The author of those four greats was none other than Charles Stross, who has since become a Locus and Hugo winning novelist.

 

[hiver]

"The first step in designing a new Torment story is to ask the primary question. I'm older than I was when I worked on Torment, and my questions now are different than they were. I have children now, and I look at the world through their eyes and through mine, and that's changed me - in fact, the intervening years have changed me so much that I have new answers for the central story in the original Torment. So now that I know what can change the nature of a man, I ask: What does one life matter? … and does it matter at all?" he scribbled

Anyone who can toss out a glib answer to a question like "What can change the nature of a man?" and suggest that he only found the question interesting because of youth and inexperience, does not earn my trust for a spiritual successor.

My gut says he just expressed himself poorly, but really... that's not a good sign either.

Anyone who can blurt out such imbecile opinions only shows he actually didnt get the point and didnt understand Torment or its question.
i.e - youre a complete moron.

OH YEAH?!

yeah.

 

[Kosmonaut]

D&D trivia time!

Though The Fiend Folio certainly had some silly monsters (such as the flail snail and the much-satired flumph), it also was influential in a number of ways. First, it got Don Turnbull directly involved with TSR – a relationship that would only increase in the future. Second, it was the first major British addition to the D&D game.

Third, it introduced many notable monsters to the game, among them the death knight, the githyanki, the githzerai and the slaads. The author of those four greats was none other than Charles Stross, who has since become a Locus and Hugo winning novelist.

Wow! I didn't know that! I enjoyed his Laundry trilogy. Thanks for this bit of trivia.

 

[Kirtai]

Wow! I didn't know that! I enjoyed his Laundry trilogy. Thanks for this bit of trivia.

The Laundry is now four books, with a fifth just completed.

Incidentaly, the mind boggles at what kind of game you could make in that setting.

 

[laclongquan]

Sample a few of Stross' non-PST writings, didnt like it much.

 

[Jasede]

The flumph is fucking awesome. =/

 

[FeelTheRads]

Looks like the wife of

 

[Jasede]

"Oh my!"

 

[Wyrmlord]

Charles Stross introduced the death knights? They are pretty cool. I remember that I had a really powerful level 30 Sorcerer in Icewind Dale 2 in Heart of Fury mode that I was soloing with. There and then, some enemies among Sherincal's gang summon several Death Knights of Xvim. They slaughtered Sherincal & co., tore through my 6 Pit Fiends, and then went after me. Scary as hell.

 

[jewboy]

Sample a few of Stross' non-PST writings, didnt like it much.

I thought Singularity Sky was pretty good. Admittedly I didn't actually read it, but listened to it as an audiobook while I was fixing my roof. I couldn't get into the sequel, Iron Sunrise, though. I didn't even know Stross wrote Fantasy. I thought he was strictly scifi. Despite my fondness for fantasy RPGs I've never actually read and enjoyed a fantasy novel in my life.

 

[Kirtai]

He can be a bit hit or miss. I liked the Laundry books and Saturns Children but couldn't get into Accellerando at all.

 

[skuphundaku]

D&D trivia time!

Though The Fiend Folio certainly had some silly monsters (such as the flail snail and the much-satired flumph), it also was influential in a number of ways. First, it got Don Turnbull directly involved with TSR – a relationship that would only increase in the future. Second, it was the first major British addition to the D&D game.

Third, it introduced many notable monsters to the game, among them the death knight, the githyanki, the githzerai and the slaads. The author of those four greats was none other than Charles Stross, who has since become a Locus and Hugo winning novelist.

Wow! I didn't know that! I enjoyed his Laundry trilogy. Thanks for this bit of trivia.

If you're into Charlie Stross in general, and The Laundry Files in particular, you may find it useful to know that the 4th full-length novel, The Apocalypse Codex, should be available by now ( http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2012/07/attention-british-readers.html ). Moreover, he's working on his 5th one, The Rhesus Chart, as we speak ( http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2012/10/whirr.html via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Stross#The_Laundry_Files )

Edit:

Kosmonaut, here are some links for you:
The Apocalypse Codex; amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Apocalypse-Codex-Charles-Stross/dp/0356500985/
The Apocalypse Codex; amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Apocalypse-Codex-Laundry-Novel-Files/dp/0356500985/
US edition books, Charlie Stross' blog: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/buy-my-books/buy-my-books-us.html
UK edition books, Charlie Stross' blog: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/buy-my-books/buy-my-books-uk.html
German edition books, Charlie Stross' blog: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/buy-my-books/buy-my-books-de.html

Check out on the US/UK edition books pages from Charile's blog the fact you could get the English language books autographed.

 

[skuphundaku]

Sample a few of Stross' non-PST writings, didnt like it much.

I thought Singularity Sky was pretty good. Admittedly I didn't actually read it, but listened to it as an audiobook while I was fixing my roof. I couldn't get into the sequel, Iron Sunrise, though. I didn't even know Stross wrote Fantasy. I thought he was strictly scifi. Despite my fondness for fantasy RPGs I've never actually read and enjoyed a fantasy novel in my life.

I like the Eschaton series even more than The Laundry Files. Too bad that he seems to have abandoned it. As for which is better, Singularity Sky or Iron Sunrise, I'm firmly in the Iron Sunrise camp. I have the Halting State series, Accelerando and, most importantly, The Rapture of the Nerds on my to do list, and I have no interest in the fantasy stuff. The Rapture of the Nerds sounds really cool, but I haven't gotten around to getting it.

 

[Kosmonaut]

If you're into Charlie Stross in general, and The Laundry Files in particular, you may find it useful to know that the 4th full-length novel, The Apocalypse Codex, should be available by now ( http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2012/07/attention-british-readers.html ). Moreover, he's working on his 5th one, The Rhesus Chart, as we speak ( http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2012/10/whirr.html via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Stross#The_Laundry_Files )

Thanks. I was aware that he was writing the fourth novel on that "setting" (so to speak), but didn't know that he already finished it, and that he's now grinding the fifth one. I'm going to check on Amazon later.

 

[CappenVarra]

Somewhat on/off topic, while Torment did a good job of using the Planescape setting, I always wished it implemented more (or even better, all) Sigil factions. Where's mah Doomguard TNO that finally sees his unnatural imperishability as an affront to entropy that must be erased at all costs? A Fated TNO that embraces his immortality and only wants to unlock the ability to remember and retain his powers, never mind this whole dying business? Yeah, not exactly canon with the story, but a berk can dream...

 

[Gozma]

Eh, to me the factions shouted "THIS IS CORNBALL TSR BOXED SETTING FILLER" based around taking the D&D wheel of morality stuff more seriously than it warranted being taken. The factions that got the most showing in PS:T were the dusties and sensates, which not coincidentally were the ones least caught up in creakily overloaded D&D alignment bullshit, unlike "Chaosmen" or w/e.

 

[CappenVarra]

Well, I partially agree (Dusties getting some attention for a change sure was a nice start) - but taking the D&D wheel of morality stuff more seriously than it warranted being taken is arguably one of the cornerstones of Planescape... So we're getting back into the whole Torment vs. Planescape thing again. Damn this inescapable wheel of cyclic history!

 

[Gozma]

My specialty is reading the last half page of a thread I haven't noticed lately bro

 

[Kirtai]

Thanks. I was aware that he was writing the fourth novel on that "setting" (so to speak), but didn't know that he already finished it, and that he's now grinding the fifth one. I'm going to check on Amazon later.

According to his blog he just finished the first draft of book five a few days ago and is likely to make book six from Mo's viewpoint.

Can't wait for either of them...

 

[Wyrmlord]

The factions were one of the weakest elements of Torment.

I started out the game as a Dustman, switched to Godsmen, and then switched to Sensate, sticking around with each group long enough to draw the benefits of each group, then ditching them. Alternatively, I have also done the whole Dustmen, then Chaosmen, then Chaosmen infiltrator in Godsmen line as well.

It's like playing BG2 in a way that gets you the mage, the soldier, the paladin, and the ranger strongholds in a single playthrough.

 

[Azrael the cat]

The factions were one of the weakest elements of Torment.

I started out the game as a Dustman, switched to Godsmen, and then switched to Sensate, sticking around with each group long enough to draw the benefits of each group, then ditching them. Alternatively, I have also done the whole Dustmen, then Chaosmen, then Chaosmen infiltrator in Godsmen line as well.

It's like playing BG2 in a way that gets you the mage, the soldier, the paladin, and the ranger strongholds in a single playthrough.

The game seems designed in a way to encourage you to try all the factions, at least for a time. If nothing else, TNO has history with many of them, and given that so much of the game revolves around piecing together backstory (and storyfag all you like, but one of my favourite bits of that game was the way you learn early that at least one of your prior selves is actively trying to kill you, which encourages further exploration). If you look at it as a 'faction system' then it's shit. But it doesn't really work that way - there's nothing you can do to really advance the interests of one faction over another - they're just sources of quests. If you view them as a series of different views on the setting, and a way of guiding the player through the setting, then they work just fine.

 

[laclongquan]

PST is good despite the DnD trappings. So I say it is the Torment 1 set in Planescape universe...

So the fact that Torment 2 wont happen in DnD or Planescape, is not a thing to cry about.

 

[DwarvenFood]

They way the factions were not mutually exclusive actually worked well in PST because the game mostly revolved about figuring out who you were. Joining and researching the factions helped achieving this goal. Unlike the more modern games where you join a faction just for the side quests/loot they provide, then switch to the next faction, etc.