misterdaniel

Things I Unashamedly Love #1: Theme Songs

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 16:11:17 GMT

So I figure one good use of a blog is to post about the things I unashamedly love. A chance to be positive and be me. For the first of these reflections, I want to talk about theme songs. I love a good theme song; completely and unashamedly.

I have never before taken the time to mull over as to why.

The concept of a theme song seems to date back to the 1930-40s with the advert of radio and then TV shows. However as programming became more sophisticated/commercialised, so too did theme songs. As a child of the 1980s and 1990s, I think we were especially spoiled by the proliferation of quality theme songs and the work of such composers as Mike Post and Shuki Levy.

But why do I love theme songs so much? Here are a few thoughts:

1. Its Just Good Music In many ways, and in many cases, there are theme songs that are just straight up bangers or otherwise good tunes. I mean, take "The Devil's Gallop" which rose to prominence as the theme to the BBC radio serial 'Dick Barton'. That seems to be a case of a show co-opting some epic music. There is no shame at all in recognising that "I'll Be There For You" would be an entirely solid pop song even without the association with Friends.

But that leads me to my second point...

2. Association A theme song does not exist in a vacuum. It is, by its very nature, associated with the show that it foreshadows - and that's powerful. In the days before pausing/recording TV, the theme song was a siren to come sprinting to where one could experience the show. The music was associated with beloved characters and emotive storylines. It has the weight and power of nostalgia on its side. When you - or at least I - hear a theme song, its not just good (or just halfway decent) music, its a gateway to memories and simpler times. And I am a sucker for that.

3. Tone / Narrative One of the things that marks out theme songs from other music is that, by design, they are intended to set the stage, the tone and - in some cases - set up the story of what is to come. It has to musically make a promise that the subsequent show has to keep. The 1980s were rife with shows that featured an introductory narrative to bring the casual viewer up to speed before kicking into some up tempo (often synth) tune. It was not just music, it was a story (and if you know me you know I love stories).

So if you are riding in a car with me and my playlist offers up a theme song, this is why.

And just for fun:

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Games Demos: Unlock!

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 16:35:44 GMT

So the last weekend of January saw the return of "To Boldly Game" at the National Space Centre in Leicester. This was the second time the Space Centre has teamed up with the forces behind the UK Games Expo to bring sci-fi and STEM-based games to the centre. And I was there to demo games.

I have already mentioned MLEM and I don't really need to mention Dobble, but let's talk about Unlock!
by space Cowboys.

Unlock! is, in a nutshell, an "Escape Room In A Box". You get a deck of specially made card and download an app and then you are presented with a scenario, a series of puzzles and a ticking countdown.

If that sounds like fun, it is. If it doesn't, then its not for you. Its that simple.

For demo purposes, the Star Wars Unlock! includes a 10 minute tutorial that I helped run for people repeatedly. Not only have I enjoyed solving the puzzles but I have enjoyed watching others put the clues together - and 90% of them making the same mistake that the game pretty much expects them to. Its a good time.

The Big Box versions contain 3x 60-minute adventures plus a 10-min tutorial. Its a great small group (or solo) piece of fun that you can do in the comfort of your own home, or someone else's.

The downside? Well, once you know the puzzles, you know the puzzles. Its one and done in that regard, i.e. very little in the way of re-playability. That might lead one to question the value for money aspect. However, at £24-30 per Big Box then that is £8-£10 per adventure. You would spend that on a cinema ticket and more on an actual Escape Room.

Plus, once completed, you can share the box with friends - or use a reselling site to recoup some of that.

The other option is that an Unlock! game would be a great way to spend time at a Board Game cafe which likely have one or more on the shelves.

So yes, Unlock! games are recommended for those who like that sort of thing. Like me. So, with that in mind, would anyone like to join a group for exchanging Unlock! games with one another?

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Game Reviews: Survive the Island, MLEM and Inori

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 10:25:49 GMT

Diary of a Games Demonstrator

So at the weekend I did games demos at the ReRoll Board Game cafe in Leicester. Lovely venue, very friendly staff, great decor, good games selection and tasty foods.

I was given three games to demo so I thought I would do some brief reviews.

1. Survive The Island (aka 'What If Forbidden Island Was PvP not Co-op'). In Survive The Island, you need to get as many of your treasure hunters off the island and to safety before they are either eaten by sharks, sea monsters or consumed by volcanoes. Where the island sinks is in the hands of the players so its very common to find your person who thought they were safely inland suddenly floating in shark-infested waters.

Stats: 2-5 players and I agree with the box that it is for 8+ and plays in around 45 minutes.

Review:This is a 'family game' for a family that can have a good laugh at the catalogue of misfortunes befalling their team and others. It played well with my family, was well-paced and did not outstay its welcome. Plus you can build a different island every time. If you have a chance to play I recommend it. Also it has a 3.5 minute 'How to Play' video that is extremely well put together in both teaching the game and building hype. Recommended

2. MLEM: Space Agency (aka ' Why You Don't Put Cats In Charge Of A Space Programme'). In MLEM, the players choose a cat astronaut (catastronaut?) to put aboard a rocket and then dice are rolled to see how far out of the solar system they can travel, ideally without crashing. Spoilers: Cats crash space rockets with alarming regularity. The dice use a 'push your luck'-style mechanic which is great for that whole "Yeah, but maybe we can make it just a little furt... nope we crashed" energy.

Stats: 2-5 players and also good for 8+ and plays in 45 minutes

Review:Another 'family game' as tested on my family and well-received. The art is cutesy and the core game plays well. The game also comes with a wealth of add-ons, bonus rules and features to add further complexity which I have yet to test but which may increase the games longevity. I will happily play this game with anyone. Recommended

3. Inori Inori is a 'worker placement game' where you place your meeples upon the great tree and try to earn the favour of the spirits. Compared to the previous two, the gap between 'game' and 'theme' was bigger. Thankfully the game itself is very solid and once I started to get the hang of it there were a wealth of options available.

Stats: 2-4 players with a 30-45 minute play time. Box suggests 10+ age and I would agree.

Review:Another recommend but you definitely need to play with someone who has played it at least once as - for me at least - it needs easing into. However, the art is beautiful and when it gets going the game is very engaging. I will be interested to see how it plays with the family.

OVERVIEW: When I was demoing, MLEM was by far the easiest to pitch as a concept and to pick up in terms of showing people how a typical turn plays.

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RPG Commentary: Unconventional D&D

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 16:46:41 GMT

In fiction, I love juxtaposition. I love unholy mash-ups of things that do not go together and yet somehow do. I love the subversion of expectations. In fiction, I haven't seen a status quo I haven't wanted to upend or an apple cart I've not wanted to knock over. (I tend to be more conservative (small 'c') in real life where such things involve the lives of real people but that's another discussion).

This is perhaps very evident in my approach to LRP and RPGs where there is an entire fictional setting laid out just teeming with tropes and expectations to subvert.

It is one of the reasons I love to DM/GM games, because I have the power to do unconventional things. Now don't get me wrong, if I am running a game of D&D for you then you can fight the goblins, cast the fireballs and sway folks with charisma. The expected is always on the table.

However, for variety - and because it has amused me to do so - here are some examples of the things I done to stray from the norm:

1. A random encounter table prompted me to have a circus in town. Since I had a dinosaur mini, I made it the star of the show. Because Jurassic Park exists, it proceeded to be 'enchanted' and go on a rampage. This is pictured below. The red motes are 'innocent civilians'. Our heroes had to save the civilians and find out which of six quicklings was concentrating on the spell that was causing the rampage. It was a lot of fun.

2. Whilst travelling through the Feywild, our band of heroes had to take up instruments to engage in a Battle of the Bands versus an Archfey with a judgemental audience disapproving with psychic damage for poor Performance.

3. In order to discourage criminals from crime, our heroes engaged in a cooking competition with the prize being enough money to pay the criminals' debts. This involved a lot of skill checks and presentation (and sabotage). With an octopus familiar providing Guidance-by-Proxy it got a bit Ratatoille.

4. In order to free a group of grippli from the Yuan-Ti who had conquered their village, our heroes engaged in a Strictly-style dance off against the snake invaders - and triumphed.

5. Having defeated the bad guys, our heroes discovered that the information they needed was available in the form of a play - and proceeded to do a read through of the play (their characters taking on the roles) as a novel form of exposition).

Back in the late 1980s, I was given one piece of advice in running games that I carry through to this day:

'Give Your Players A Good Time'

It was excellent advice then and its excellent advice still

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Skeleton Crew

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 13:49:59 GMT

= Star Wars: Skeleton Crew =
The acquisition of Star Wars by Disney has had something of a spotted history. 'The Force Awakens' was an exciting return of the franchise to the screen deliberately designed to push feelgood buttons hard enough to hide just how much of a re-tread it was of the first trilogy. However, it had all that was good about JJ Abrams but - notably - all that is bad about JJ Abrams (i.e. mostly a lot of mystery boxes with no payoff). The wheels wobbled with 'Last Jedi' and 'Rise of Skywalker' for well-litigated reasons. 'Rogue One' was good. 'Solo' was OK.

On TV, the Mandalorian has been solid entertainment. Other projects have been mostly fine (Book of Boba Fett being the worst, imo) with 'Andor' being an elevated and fresh perspective on the Galaxy.

All of which brings us to Skeleton Crew. I love Skeleton Crew.

It could have been dreadful, starting with four child protagonists. However, the kids are very well played and if they have annoying moments it is well-judged and dare-I-say accurate. They squabble, they dream, they goof off when they should be serious - and they are a mix of brave and terrified.

The pitch may be "Star Wars + Goonies" and thats true to a point but its more. The Treasure Island references are strong with pirates galore, a droid called SM33 which is meta in an acceptable way, and then there is Long John Silver or rather Jon Silva. Jude Law is crushing it with this character, playing it with more layers than twenty cakes. He has grandiose highs and terrible lows. Is he a surrogate parent? A black-hearted villain? All of the above and nothing?

He has no business being this good in a "kids show". And thats the lie. Skeleton Crew is not a kids show. Its an all-age show with kids in. The comedy is funny. The Chekov plot devices are well woven and pay off well. Its clearly set in the War Wars setting but is not beholden to other Star Wars content.

I just hope that it sticks the landing.

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