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Bezig met laden... NPCsdoor Drew Hayes
Bezig met laden...
Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. It was meh, just meh. ( ) It’s been a long time since I played RPGs, but I liked the idea of NPCs being forced to take on a quest of their own. As a reader, I could appreciate the RPG conventions. For the characters it was normal life, which worked well, rather than having them be self-aware they were in a game, so to say. (Even if they were aware of “how things like this go” in a broader sense). Despite a fair amount of fighting and bloodshed (it’s an RPG, after all), the tone was pretty cosy. All the characters had understandable motivations, and most had (fairly) good intentions. We occasionally followed the “real” gamers, and they were the ones who felt like intruders in the world. And quite right too! If the movie Free Guy had been about a tabletop D&D game you might have ended up with something like NPCs, the first book in the Spells, Swords and Stealth series by Drew Hayes. A small group of players has gotten together to try out a new game called Spells, Swords and Stealth. Their game master tries to warn them that this game is a lot more realistic than other role playing games they've played. It comes as no surprise when the players ignore this advice make bad decisions which leaves them dead in the inn of the small town of Maplebark. What is a surprise is that four of the non-player characters, NPCs, who witness the adventurer's deaths end up with an impossible choice: pretend to be adventurers undertaking a task of near-certain death or see their town and loved ones destroyed. In an attempt to save the lives of everyone they know and love, the four NPCs don the adventurer's gear and set out on a quest that is likely to get them killed. While the book seems aimed mostly at gamers, I think it could have a broader appeal as the world mechanics, while mentioned, aren't really the focus. The bulk of story is a fairly standard high fantasy tale with a clever meta narrative about the gaming group interacting with the world of the NPCs and vice versa. I was so glad when the player characters died. They were mostly a bunch of jerks! The NPCs are much more interesting and likeable. In a rarity, I like all four of the main characters (Grumph the half orc, Thistle the gnome, Eric and Gabrielle the humans) about equally, having a heck of a time picking a favorite. The story takes a while to find its stride as we're introduced to all the characters involved. There is some fun sorting out who will play what amongst the NPCs with some fun role subversion. About mid way through is when I felt myself engaged and by the end I enjoyed the small twist Hayes had thrown in that I assume is the hook for the rest of the series. If so, this should get very very interesting for future players, PC and NPC alike. I listened to the audio book narrated by Roger Wayne. He does a great job of bringing the characters to life and has quite a vocal range. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
Onderdeel van de reeks(en)
Fantasy.
Fiction.
Literature.
What happens when the haggling is done and the shops are closed? When the quest has been given, the steeds saddled, and the adventurers are off to their next encounter? They keep the world running, the food cooked, and the horses shoed, yet what adventurer has ever spared a thought or concern for the Non-Player Characters? In the town of Maplebark, four such NPCs settle in for a night of actively ignoring the adventurers drinking in the tavern when things go quickly and fatally awry. Once the dust settles, these four find themselves faced with an impossible choice: pretend to be adventurers undertaking a task of near-certain death or see their town and loved ones destroyed. Armed only with salvaged equipment, secondhand knowledge, and a secret that could get them killed, it will take all manner of miracles if they hope to pull off their charade. And even if they succeed, the deadliest part of their journey may well be what awaits them at its end. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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