Amulet Volume 6: Escape from Lucien (Kazu Kibuishi)

Shortly after last time . . . Emily and Max head into the Void, determined to deal with the Voice once and for all, while Navin and company flee an elf attack and end up in Lucien, a city with secrets. Both parties will encounter things they do not expect . . . and may not survive.  

The art remains amazing. The story seemed rushed in places (and, for me, confusing . . . but maybe that's the penalty for interleaving multiple series). There was a good message or two in this one, too.

Rating: A-

Once & Future, Vol. 3: The Parliament of Magpies

Continuing from last time . . .

With some monsters vanquished, Duncan, Gran, and Rose think on the two leads they have to Merlin and follow one of them. They are not prepared for what's coming . . . all sorts of entities, from our world and the other, are about to get involved while Merlin sets his focus on the grail and turning the world into an Arthurian horror story. Who will prevail?

I am really enjoying (though also distrubed by) this twisted take on Arthur. One review called it "eerie" and "brainy"—a good description. It is gory and dark to be sure, but an intriguing story with good dialogue and fascinating characters. You'll enjoy it more if you know the 'classic' Arthurian tales.

Rating: A-

Redemption CCG

Today's review is of the 1995-present release, Redemption. This Collectible Card Game is for 2-5 players and takes 30 minutes.

Overview

The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Can you do your part to rescue lost souls—and stop your opponent from doing the same?

In Redemption, you play with a deck consisting of heroes, evil characters, enhancements for both sides, and other cards (like sites, artifacts, or lost souls). Your goal is to rescue 5 lost souls from your opponents' land of bondage before they can do so. A simplified turn structure:

Draw phase: draw 3 cards (first player ignores this during their initial turn). Whenever you draw a lost soul, place it in your land of bondage and draw a replacement card.

Upkeep phase: complete upkeep actions, if any

Preparation phase: play heroes, evil characters, artifacts, sites, etc. from your hand to your territory

Battle phase: choose 1 hero (from your hand or territory) to make a rescue attempt on a lost soul; move them into the field of battle. your opponent may play an evil character (from their hand or territory) to block you. Each player may play enhancements to strengthen their character or negate effects/etc. (Note: enhancements must have a matching brigade, or color, to the character.) When everyone passes, the battle resolves by comparing strength of the hero to toughness of the evil character (and vice-versa).

- Battle outcome: if the hero wins (by beating the evil character, even if the hero dies too), rescue one lost soul and place it in your land of redemption. Otherwise, return surviving characters to their respective territories and discard all enhancements used during the battle.

Discard phase: you can play heroes, evil characters, and so on to your territory, then discard down to eight cards.

As you'd expect, there are plenty of special abilities that can negate cards, discard characters, or do other actions. Any special abilities on a character do not activate until/unless that character engages in battle. 

The below two graphics are screenshots from the quick start guide, showing card anatomy and field of play, respectively:

Turns continue until a player has rescued their fifth lost soul. They win! For more information, rules and guides has some helpful links (including this one-pager). The official Redemption page will point you to the Land of Redemption for more resources, to include set releases (each with a card list), resources (with rulebook, 'exegesis guide' or comprehensive rules, deck building rules, etc.), and more.

Review

Tackling any overtly religion-based game is difficult because of all the associations that come with it. Redemption is a mixed bag. To its credit:

- Each card has a Bible verse on it, exposing players to Scripture and its events/characters/etc. in a way that might 'make them stick.'

- The game itself is decent. It moves along quickly, drawing 3 cards per turn is cool, and there can be lots of twists (since there are no costs to play cards) in a given battle.

On the other hand:

- There is no cost to play any card. I think that hurts any collectible game, in the sense that there appears to be 'no point' to playing weaker characters once you get your hand on the stronger ones. 

- Some rules or game mechanics are unclear. There is no point to initiating a battle if there are no lost souls in play, but the rules mentions being able to do so. Why? I don't know. There are other examples; the answers are probably out there, but I'll have to dig into the comprehensive documents and see.

- The theology underpinning the game is (in my opinion) way off. For example, assigning strengths and toughnesses to Biblical characters, binning each as wholly good or evil, and having them in one-on-one battles introduces a host of inaccuracies. Also, playing both good and evil characters sets up this weird dynamic where you are both trying to save lost souls and prevent other people from doing the same (again, bad theology). I could mention more . . . 

I appreciate that the designers felt that a Christian theme would be wholesome. But (as I argue here in summary and here for games specifically) the content we consume is a little trickier than some believe. Putting a Christian theme on a game does not inherently make it good; in fact, it may make the designer's job harder, as you have to both design a mechanically sound (and fun!) game while being theologically accurate. I appreciate what Redemption is trying to do, but I think it misses the mark.

Rating: C+

Amulet Volume 5: Prince of the Elves (Kazu Kibuishi)

Last time, Emily survived her encounters in Cielis, but that's not much comfort with the Mother Stone gone, giving the Elf King access to incredible power. As he sets out to wage war, the heroes race to stop him . . . but will they be enough? And can Emily truly trust the Voice in the stone?

The consistently solid series continues on its trajectory: great art, average story (albeit with some nice twists in the last two books), and mixed messages (I've never found the "believe in yourself" message accurate or appealing).

Rating: A-

Total Truth (Nancy Pearcey)

We all have a worldview—a "perspective on all reality" that "tells us what the world is like and how we should live in it. A worldview "is like a mental map that tells us how to navigate the world effectively." "Our worldview is the way we answer the core questions of life that everyone has to struggle with: What are we here for? What is ultimate truth? Is there anything worth living for?" We all live by some set of convictions. In Total Truth, Nancy Pearcey looks at worldview through three strands:

1) The secular/sacred dichotomy (what it is, how it came to be, why it is false, and why it matters)

2) Creation, "the foundational starting point for any worldview." She critiques Darwinism—"both its scientific claims and worldview implications."—and shows how the latter has been extended far beyond science into many spheres of life.

3) History of the American church acquiesing on worldview, or 'how we got here.'

She concludes with some practical and personal application. After all, "Christianity is not just religious truth, it is total truth—coveraing all reality."

Some thoughts from this work (not intended to be a comprehensive summary):

- "Humans are inherently religious beings, created to be in relationship with God—and if they reject God, they don't stop being religious; they simply find some other ultimate principle upon which to base their lives." Everyone has (or seeks) answers to life's basic questions, to include where did we come from, what is wrong with the world, and what is our purpose in it?

- Nobody (and no philosophy) is neutral. "Every system of thought begins with some ultimate principle," and "whatever a system puts forth as self-existing is essentially what it regards as divine." From there, "we always process data in light of some theoretical framework that we have adopted for understanding the world."

- For the Christian, the basic framework is Creation, Fall, Redemption. "A genuinely biblical theology must keep all three principles in careful balance: that all created reality comes from the hand of God and was originally and intrinsically good; that all is marred and corrupted by sin; yet that all is capable of being redeemed, restored, and transformed by God's grace." Thus, "there is a biblical perspective on everything—not just on spiritual matters." All we do must be viewed through, and transformed by, the Gospel. Everything is sacred.

In any field, the way to construct a Christian worldview perspective is to ask three sets of questions:

1. CREATION: How was this aspect of the world originally created? What was its original nature and purpose? 

2. FALL: How has it been twisted and distorted by the Fall? How has it been corrupted by sin and false worldviews? Cut off from God, creation tends to be either divinized or demonized—made into either an idol or an evil.

3. REDEMPTION: How can we bring this aspect of the world under the Lordship of Christ, restorting it to its original, created purpose?

- A worldview involves total truth, but over the centuries, a dualism (or two-story truth) has arose and continued: call it secular vs. sacred, matter vs. mind, truth vs. values, reason vs. romanticism. Whatever the terms, the theory behind it is the same: that reality is split into 'neutral/true for all' and 'subjective/true for me.' This false dichotomy produces significant (though often unchallenged) problems and contradictions for its adherents.

- Creation is the starting point for all worldviews, and merits special focus. The major competing worldview to Christianity is naturalism, based on Darwin. The Darwinist is "already persuaded of philosophical naturalism: that nature is all that exists, or at least that natural forces are all that may be invoked in science." And so they restrict "science to methodological naturalism," and look at life as "a closed system of cause and effect." That is an assumption—their ultimate principle and unquestioned truth. In being unwilling to consider an intelligent design in any part of what they observe, they show a bias based on their underlying worldview. The "claim that science can operate without any philosophical premises proved, in the end, to be a cover for discarding Christian premises while smuggling in naturalistic ones." Again, nobody is neutral. We all have assumptions. 

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This book makes a lot of good points. I agree with Pearcey on nearly all fronts. That said, I found the book repetitive. The same basic point (worldview is a total truth, and the dichotomy prevalent today is a problem) is stated again and again, in different ways, at different points. Throughout the history of the world and of the church, she shows myriad ways how the dichotomy manifested itself and why it mattered. Not a bad thing, but it got repetitive. In addition, I felt some of her arguments treated the opposing viewpoints a touch unfairly (or her claims made assumptions I'm not sure were valid). I agree with her arguments, but you still have to be fair to the opposition. Finally, the last section felt more like a rant against specific things than a general practical/personal application, so that was a letdown. I am focusing on the negative things here . . . overall, the book is solid, but I like The Soul of Science book better.

Rating: A-

Once & Future, Vol. 2: Old English

Continuing from last time . . . 

Duncan, Gran, and Rose have scored a slight victory over undead King Arthur, but their actions from last time altered the Otherworld and now other characters have entered the story. Arthur is still intent on returning to rule, and now the heroes have a new problem: other characters of legend have come to Earth. And they're not great, either.

This second volume continues the spirit of the first: a twisted take on the Arthurian legend (and other classics). I didn't care for the occult aspect of the story, but enjoyed everything else: an intriguing concept, engaging characters, good art, some good dialogue, and a bright future (of the story arc . . . not sure the world will be happy).

Rating: B+

Amulet Volume 4: The Last Council (Kazu Kibuishi)

Last time, the heroes found the lost city of Cielis. They seek an audience with the Guardian Council, and Emily prepares to face the test to join their ranks. But something is not what it seems . . . the city is strangely silent and fearful. As secrets unfold, Emily realizes it is hard to know whom to trust. She must commit to doing what is right, helping who she can along the way, and seeing how things end. 

My thought on this volume echoes that of the series: great art with so-so story. Though this time, I felt the wisdom involved was a tick better than earlier messages. Almost an 'A,' but not quite.

Rating: A-

Sorcery: Contested Realm

Today's review is of the 2022 release, Sorcery: Contested Realm. For two players, it takes 15-60 minutes. Note: this is a collectible card game, with two releases (alpha and beta) to date.

Overview

You are an Avatar, charged to shape the world (by playing sites) and control it (by playing minions, artifacts, and other things). Each Avatar starts with 20 life; the first to drop the other to zero wins! A select and simplified overview follows. You can get a more thorough overview here.

The Beta set of four preconstructed decks

Sorcery is played on a 4x5 grid. Each player starts with their avatar in the center of their back row. Each has two decks:

- an atlas deck, containing sites

- a spellbook, containing all other cards

To begin the game, each player draws three cards from each of their decks, as shown below.

A player's turn has three phases:

- Start (untap your cards, get mana from sites, trigger any abilities, draw a card from either of your decks)

- Main (play a site to a legal space in the realm, use mana to play cards from your hand to a site, move and attack with your minions, etc.)

- End (trigger relevant abilities, remove damage from surviving minions, etc.)

Sites have an affinity (an elemental symbol like Air, Earth, Fire, Water) and generate 1 mana each turn. To play a spell, you must have the necessary mana and affinity; you can play a minion to any of your sites. To play a site, you must tap your Avatar and play the site adjacent to one of your existing sites (see below aid).

During the main phase, you can battle by moving and/or attacking with your minions. Minions can attack an opponent's site (doing damage to it will damage your opponent's Avatar) or an opposing minion (compare strengths; highest wins and the other dies) or Avatar (decrement their life total accordingly). Minions (and Avatars) tap to move (in cardinal directions only) and/or attack. You can also defend attacks by moving and blocking with minions.

Once you do 20 damage to your opponent's Avatar (either by damaging sites or the Avatar directly), they are "at death's door," and cannot be further damaged that turn. On a subsequent turn, however, any damage dealt to that Avatar will enable you to win the game.

Some minions have various keywords like airborne, burrowing, or submerged. The latter two enable them to survive underground or underwater, respectively. There are times where it is strategically wise to use these abilities.

There is a lot more to say . . . check out the aforementioned 'how to play' video, look at the official site, read the rulebook, or check out the card gallery to get an idea how this game works.

Review

This game bills itself as an old-school CCG experience. In that, it succeeds. The art is astounding, the play is fun. There are similarities to Magic: the Gathering, but there are notable differences:

- sites (and associated movement/ranged possibilities)

- the ability to choose from two draw decks (that's pretty cool)

- the lack of instants (casting spells on your opponent's turn; you can use your mana on your turn only)

The rulebook is okay but does not cover every scenario or concept; note the golden rule in the above aid ("some text is intentionally informal or necessarily compact. Use common sense and be cool"). That is my primary complaint at present. Magic has had decades to tighten the wording and streamline the rules; you won't find that here. A fair amount is left up to player decision. That is okay . . . so long as everyone is cool. 

They are releasing an Arthurian-themed expansion later this year. That intrigues me. I enjoyed playing the four precon decks, and might get a pack or two of the current set, but I'll probably hold out for Arthur to explore the game more.

Rating: A-

The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook (Alan Lee)

Artist Alan Lee spent six years producing 2500 drawings to bring to life the 400 sets and myriad characters that would be involved in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. In The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook, he shares his insights into the movie-making process as well as copious amounts of the sketches he made during it. Two examples are below.

This book is fun. Peter Jackson (director) said Lee's art had a lyricism about it that he wanted to capture in the films; I think he succeeded, and I'm glad he did. I've long been a fan of both Alan and John Howe (the other LOTR artist); their works evoke a memory of something lost, a longing for restoration, and often have an impression of depth to them. I was surprised how many of Lee's drawings were precisely portrayed in the films: they took his sketches and used CG (or the props department) to bring them to life. His work, combined with Tolkien's story and Jackson's "understanding of the text, and of the possibilities of cinema," has made for an amazing experience indeed. Well done all around.

I had hoped this book would feature more finished watercolors (Lee's specialty and my favorite); most of the work is sketches in various stages of completion. But it is a sketchbook, so I shouldn't have expected otherwise.

Rating: A

The Story of the Champions of the Round Table (Howard Pyle)

The Story of the Champions of the Round Table is the second of an Arthurian quadrilogy by American author and illustrator Howard Pyle (here is the first). Written in 1905, it covers three of Arthur's most famous knights: Sir Launcelot, Sir Tristram, and Sir Percival. In this second volume, we have the following stories:

• The Story of Sir Launcelot
• His origins (being delivered to, and raised in, the Enchanted Castle of the Lake)
• His knightly adventures (escaping a trap by Morgana le Fay, helping King Bagdemagus beat the King of North Wales, saving a town from the Giants, and more)
• The Book of Sir Tristram
• His upbringing and being made a Knight of Cornwall
• Fighting in Ireland on behalf of King Mark
• Loving (be being forced apart from) the Belle Isoult due to King Mark's evils
• His friendship with Sir Lamorack
• How he went mad for a time and met his end
• The Book of Sir Percival
• His naive and isolated upbringing
• His introduction to, and achieving knighthood from, King Arthur
• His training by Sir Launcelot
• How he freed the Castle of Beaurepaire

Like the first volume, Pyle presents the court in a favorable light (Sir Launcelot's love for Guinevere is entirely noble, for example) and he fleshes out the earlier Medieval stories. In this volume, Arthur is largely absent. The bulk of the book is about Sir Tristram, and his tale (along with Sir Percival's) are particularly well done. It is repetitive (the "solve all problems by jousting" gets old), to be sure, but solid.

Rating: A-