Weekly Geekly Rundown for February 16, 2024
From adapting RPG to the Razzies
Portraying and Adapting Role Playing Games to Television and Internetelevision
Sixteen years ago my friend David Nett and his merry band of film making friends created a YouTube series called Gold. It was an amazingly visionary film series for the time. This was years before live plays were the huge phenomenon they are today. While play examples have been a part of D&D from the beginning, and play reports have long been a vibrant publication genre in Japan since the 80s, the actual play broadcast of Acquisitions Incorporated was first streamed in 2008 and Critical Role premiered on March 12, 2015.
In David Nett’s 2008 vision of the future, a vision that was filmed in 2007, role playing games had become so popular that people watched live stream competitions of real play. When I first saw the film in 2010, I gave it a mixed review and highlighted that “every work of fiction has its one "gimme," in the world of GOLD that gimme is that there is a role playing game league that has enough fans who wish to watch games being played that role playing is a professional sport.” I thought that the concept of people excitedly watching people play a role playing game was unrealistic, so it was the science fiction/fantasy “gimme.” I was wrong. Nett was visionary here. Over the years, I ‘ve come to believe that I was initially too critical of the film and have come to really enjoy it, though I do think the sequel is even better. Give the first season/movie a try and start with the prologue.
I’ll share my review of the first season, with annotations reflecting how I’ve changed over time, next week. For now, I want to highlight how my initial resistance to David’s premise was rooted in the fact that translating what makes role playing games a fun experience to a passive media is a daunting task, but it is one that he accomplished remarkably well. The way he directed the role playing in Gold is very similar to how modern actual play streams work and he does an even better job in his sequel.
Over the years a number of creators have tried to bring the excitement of gaming to the small screen and I’m currently working on a post discussing wargame television shows, but as challenging as those are I think translating the role playing game experience is different.
Given that British television was the first market to attempt a wargaming television show, it’s not surprising that they were the first to try to adapt the role playing game experience to the small screen as well.
In the late 80s and early 90s CITV produced a role playing based game show called Knightmare. Prior to this week, I was completely unfamiliar with the show, but now I’m obsessed. CITV is/was the children’s branch of ITV, and as I often say if it’s British, entertaining, and not Doctor Who, it was probably produced by ITV. The Avengers, UFO, The Tomorrow People, Robin of Sherwood, and so much more were ITV shows and they are among my all time favorite shows. And if the first few episodes of Knightmare are representative, then it will be added to the long list of ITV shows I love.
Like Gold, Knightmare faced the daunting task of bringing translating a role playing game experience to a viewing audience. Where Gold tried to demonstrate a way in which televising actual role playing games as they are being played might work, Knightmare went a different route. Knightmare created a game show where one player was guided by other players through a fantasy environment in attempt to complete a quest.
The YouTube Channel Back in the Day has produced an excellent documentary about the show and you can find the episodes fairly easily with a search on YouTube. The documentary goes over the manner in which Knightmare structured game play to make it engaging for both participants and viewers as well as how the content changed over the many seasons of the show.
More recently, in 2014, ABC ran a television show called The Quest that combined the Knightmare approach with modern reality game shows like The Amazing Race. Instead of having contestants being a part of a larger team where their teammates guide them through a maze you cannot see, and where the environment only exists on a screen, The Quest used make up and practical effects to immerse contestants in a fantasy world. Viewers’ of the show saw an even more fantastic environment as CGI effects and opticals were added for our entertainment, but the combination of epic story and fantasy setting was real enough that the players became more actors than contestants.
The prime example of how different this show was from other reality competitions of the time is in the inclusion of Bonnie Gordon as a participant. Where the casting directors for shows like Survivor and Big Brother seem to aim at finding the most toxic people possible in order to create conflict and thus good narrative, the creators of The Quest picked people like Bonnie. Over the course of the show, she turned the contestants into a family and shared many aspects of geek culture with them. This, combined with her using her prior role playing game experience to complete immerse herself in the setting from day one, gave the show a spirit and entertainment value few reality shows have.
One of my friends has been an editor on a couple of reality shows and he often describes it as “taking the truth, hauling it into a dark back room, strapping it to a dentist’s chair, and getting to work torturing out a story.” That story is typically one of shock and betrayal, but that was not the case with The Quest and Bonnie was a big part of that.
Though Bonnie has had some personal success as an actor and performer since the show aired, I was sad that the show didn’t get picked up for more seasons. I guess conflict sells better than comradery and fun, at least for a game show. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Disney+ did a new version of the show with a younger audience in 2022 and I’ll be adding it to my viewing list, and if this show has any participants as warm and committed as Bonnie was I’ll write a full review later.
Given the fact that I didn’t find out about this show, and I’ve subscribed to Disney+ since day one, until I was googling links for this article, it looks like this show didn’t catch on either.
Around the Substackverse and Blogosphere
Ethan Sabatella, over at his Senchas Claideb Substack, has been providing a rigorous and scholarly review of Paul Bolger’s graphic novel Hound which covers the legend of Cú Chulainn. I’ve been a fan of the saga of Cú Chulainn since I first read A Storm Upon Ulster by Kenneth C. Flint as a kid. It’s a legend that shares some thematic elements with the Iliad while containing a number of very interesting differences that touch upon duty, honor, and family. Of particular depth and power is the battle between Cú Chulainn and his childhood friend Ferdiad. The battle mirrors the battle between Hector and Achilles in many ways, both are the best of men, but the manner in which it differs gives a richly unique tragedy to the conflict.
Where Achilles’ overabundance of Thumos (θυμός) leads to tragedy for first the Greeks and then himself, it is Hector’s Storge (στοργή) that dooms him. Achilles is right to call out Agamemnon for his cowardice and manipulation of the spiritedness of his warriors, but his rage and desire for glory make him act rashly and vaingloriously. So too is Hector right to want to defend his family, and the scene where he says farewell to his son is one of the most beautiful in all of literature, but his loyalty to Paris is wrongheaded as Paris is not worthy of filial love, or any love at all. The clash of these two warriors, each representing the best of their homelands, eventually leads to both of their demise.
This conflict, and the pairing of the conflict of spiritedness and filial love, is central to the battle between Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad, but all of it is internalized in Cú Chulainn’s emotional struggles during the battle. He must fight his friend, it is necessary both for honor and to save his people/family, but in doing so must potentially kill someone he loves.
In both legends, neither combatant is the villain. There are only heroes, but only one can leave the engagement alive. It’s powerful stuff and Ethan’s review of Hound has me eager to buy the book to see how (or if) it portrays this momentous battle.
Sean McCoy, the creator of Mothership, has a discussion of what your realistic expectations should be when you publish your first role playing game over at his Win Conditions Substack. It’s a sobering overview, but it gives a good look at how much an independent designer can really expect to earn in the modern gaming market.
Kevin Beckett discusses a couple of cool things coming down the pipeline in the Sword & Sorcery market. Of particular note is that New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine will be featuring a new Jirel of Joiry story. Obviously, the story won’t be written by C.L. Moore, rather by Molly Tanzer, but the story does have the approval of the Moore estate.
Lyn Perry’s invaluable S&S Roundup goes into even more detail regarding what’s happening in the Sword & Sorcery genre. His Roundup includes a number of important links for those who want to read deeply into this particular fan community.
Dave Thaumavore is doing something really cool over at Thaumavoria. He’s released a full “dungeonsynth” album for our listening pleasure. I wasn’t familiar with the genre before Dave’s post, but it is a musical genre where composers tell stories via music. Dave’s story is about a Sorcerer who is faced with temptation and succumbs, with each track on the album containing one of the encounters/scenes of the tale. Musical narratives were quite common in “Classical” music from the Baroque to the Romantic periods. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons has an accompanying set of sonnets to be contemplated as one listens to the music. Beethoven’s Fifth contains powerful musical metaphors, as Dr. Robert Greenberg discusses in this lecture on Beethoven’s anger. Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, as any Disney fan knows, is the story of Chernobog.
Music often contains metaphor and emotion and is a powerful emotional medium, so much so that even Plato discussed how music could shape people’s souls in his Republic. He objects to soldiers listening to Lydian music in his Republic, because it is the music of lamentation and sorrow and listening to it can shape the soul away from virtue and towards cowardice, which makes it interesting that Rick Beato demonstrates that much music of heroism is in the Lydian mode. Demonstrating once again that one must look for irony in Plato’s descriptions.
Our last foray into the broader internet, is this examination of the characters Duchess and Candella by game designer Tim Brannan on his personal blog The Other Side. The early D&D modules and rule books are filled with minor NPCs that have captured players’ imaginations. Ask any fan of Mentzer’s Basic D&D rules how they feel about Aleena the Cleric and you’re likely to get one of two responses. You’ll either see the beginnings of a tear form in their eye as they sadly murmur, “Too soon,” or you will see their eyes fill with rage as they shout “Kill Bargle!” There is a reason he’s infamous after all. Aleena and Bargle are only in the Basic set for a moment, but they have inspired many an adventure. So too have Duchess and Candella, who are NPCs characters can encounter in the Palace of the Silver Princess adventure. Tim does a great job of covering their history and legacy, so I’ll just recommend that you stop by his blog and read up on these interesting characters.
Weekly Film Article Cavalcade
Lamentations of Luke Y Thompson
Luke has two interesting reviews this week. His first review is a look at Sony’s new film Madame Web in which he’s very critical of the film. The movie has received generally negative reviews, as you’ll see as more of our regular reviewers share their opinions of the film, but Luke doesn’t bring his snark hammer to the review battlefield. He treats the film seriously and finds it lacking.
His review of the new action film Land of Bad, which he says would better be entitled “World of Shit” if we want to really capture the common military saying being referenced by the title, is very positive. He’s especially fond of Russell Crowe’s performance in the film. I’m a big fan of Crowe than Luke, even his recent work like Unhinged which I thought was a wonderful reimagining of Falling Down, so I’m not surprised that he is able to be compelling when doing what are only mundane tasks.
Luke’s critiques of the film fall into where many might find the film to be socially insensitive, and he spends some time discussing those elements, but overall he finds the film to be entertaining in the same way as the Chuck Norris actioners of the 1980s and 90s were. Given that Good Guys Wear Black, and yes Delta Force and the Missing in Action series, are films I enjoy watching on a regular basis, I’ll be adding Land of Bad to my viewing list. Speaking of Delta Force, I love watching it and Megaforce back to back, if only to see the same equipment used in films with completely different tones.
Courtney Howard’s View from the Center Seat
Courtney Howard was very impressed with Jennifer Lopez’s new production This is Me…Now: A Love Story. In her very persuasive review for the A.V. Club, Courtney describes the parallel between this film and Lopez’s prior artistic work This Is Me...Then. The combination of the two works of art make nice bookends to a long and emotional love story in her real life.
We may be entering into a Renaissance of RomComs, but that means we are going to get a lot of bad romantic comedies mixed in with our new classics. If Courtney’s review of Players is accurate, then this gender flipped remake of Hitch will be included in the list of films we endured as we searched for the new classics. While she’s highly critical of the film, she does find that there are moments of charm which gives me hope that even if this film fails to deliver that the Renaissance will continue.
Speaking of negative reviews, Courtney’s review of Madame Web for FreshFiction.tv is very critical. To say she didn’t enjoy the film would be an understatement as it received the lowest rating I’ve seen her give a movie. While Courtney appreciates art films, she’s also a big fan of popcorn fare so her disappointment should serve as a warning.
Extra Scoops from Scott
Three strikes and you’re out they say, and Scott Mendelson’s negative review of Madame Web over at The Outside Scoop makes it three for three among my regular critics. This suggests that the film is miserable. Even if I liked Mobius more than most I’m of the belief that if none of these three liked Madame Web there’s something to their complaints.
The fact that Madame Web is terrible makes me sad because I’ve decided that I like the movie. Have I seen it? No. Will I see it? Sure, when it comes out on streaming. But I’ve decided it’s my new favorite super hero movie. Not because of the reviews of Luke, Courtney, and Scott. They’ve convinced me it’s very bad indeed. They’ve done so in reasonable reviews that include comments about what the film actually got right. In short, they are informative reviews. Sadly, these reviews are not reflective of the typical Madame Web review on the…web. In that vast network of tubes filled with cats, reviewers are crawling over one another to see who can spin the most elaborate metaphors capturing how awful the film is. In short, they are rants and not reviews. Most of the reviews focus on narrow aspects of the film and demonstrate nothing of the reviewers’ tastes, but only their meanness. The reviews I’ve shared today are gems among a pile of hateful shit and in response to that hateful shit, I’ve decided this film is my jam. When I watch it, I will find the one thing this film does right, and every film gets at least one thing right, and I am going to praise it for as long as I have breath. I’ll do it even if, and maybe because of the fact, that the star of the film hates it too.
Oh, and you should really listen to Scott’s podcast. He’s putting together something really special.
Thompson on Hollywood
Anne Thompson is one of the hardest working and most insightful people working in film criticism. She’s now at a point in her career where she mostly writes about the business side of things or edits other people’s work, but she also gets some wonderful interviews from time to time. Her recent interview with Edward Zwick about his new book does what few interviews seem to do anymore, it gets him to reach outside of his talking points and reveal some real moments of vulnerability. Check out the interview at IndieWire.
Music Recommendation
My music recommendation for this week is simple. Sit back and listen to some Shoegaze.
Start things off with the hypnotic and mellow tones of Ride’s Vapour Trail.
After that, give a listen to the Post-Shoegaze stylings of Silversun Pickups song Lazy Eye. It’s interesting that Silversun Pickups began hitting their stride, and getting play, just as Shoegaze was fading as a genre. Their sound is clearly inspired by the musical genre, but the stronger vocals connect with the listener in a way that some Shoegaze singers failed to do.
Finish it all off with the classic tune Black Metallic from Catherine Wheel. Though this band had a long run, they never quite captured the public’s imagination. I got to see them twice in concert. The first time was at a large festival style concert where they were one of many great bands. It was a wonderful concert experience, but it wasn’t my favorite with this band. My favorite concert with them was the second time I saw them. At this point, they were already fading from routine radio play so the show was small. It was “in the cafeteria at the Student Union” small, and they kicked ass. They made the tiny venue feel huge and the music was overwhelming and layered. They performed with all the rage and professionalism of the big show and they won me over for life.
Movie Recommendation
With awards season coming up, Criterion Channel has decided to take an interesting approach on what films to highlight in the coming month. They’ve decided to highlight a kind of “Best of the Razzies” film list. All of the films were nominated for Razzies, but many of the films are among my all-time favorites.
Heaven’s Gate is a masterpiece. It’s main flaw is that it cost too much and so the studio sent out notes to critics which were then used to inform the reviews. Don’t believe me that the critical reviews were studio driven? Hunt them down and read them. How many of them are about the costs of the film? How many of them discuss the cinematography, the real world range war that inspired the film, the acting? Almost none. They focus on the length and cost.
Ishtar is another underappreciated film. It’s far from perfect, and it’s certainly an example of the narcissism of its creators, but it is a genuinely fun and funny film. It’s a highly quotable comedy and the songs are genuinely catchy.
To make it three recommendations, and to take one off the beaten path, I’ll also recommend Cocktail. I know, I know, I’m supposed to hate Cocktail. I don’t. I love it. Like Wall Street, it captures the excesses of the 1980s in abundance and it’s beautifully shot. It also has a couple of nice critiques about MBAs (I’ve got one so I appreciate the critique) on the one side and get rich quick plans on the other. Add to this that Bryan Brown does the impossible, he absolutely out charismas Tom Cruise in the production and steals the show. Brown shows why for a brief moment he was an “it” actor in Hollywood. He’s compelling and tragic and it’s beautiful and sad to watch his story. The love story between Tom Cruise and Elisabeth Shue is predictable, but it isn’t the real love story in the movie. The real love story is the one between Cruise and Brown’s characters and it is powerful and has real insight into the responsibilities we have as friends and mentors.
The rest of the list contains many excellent, and many not so excellent but still noteworthy, films. One of which will resonate with at least one of my readers. You know who you are.
Til next time. Keep on geeking out.
Nice roundup. Thanks for the HT.
Great music today