Question Dim Prisons and Drakes discussion.

Normally I'm more on the ball with things like this. Sorry, net has been spotty lately, and has me distracted.

I will be honest, I did not expect to enjoy this. I was wrong It is light, easy to read, and yet filled with a good amount of potential. It's more amusing for people with an RPG history or bent I think due to some of the sort of assumptions that go with it. I actually would rather have seen MORE people affected by a racial or gendered change than just one. Just one change of the protagonist almost seems a little more odd. I do admit there's still a lot of stuff that could be answered down the road with the weight of the mighty (TBC). There were some changes in terms of peoples age, physique, or rough n touble appearence but most everyone save one person changed. What then, was different about the one person so much? Why were there not other token elves or dwarves in the area? Questions questions...

But it's definitely an enjoyable read

FiddlerFox wrote: I will be honest, I did not expect to enjoy this. I was wrong It is light, easy to read, and yet filled with a good amount of potential. It's more amusing for people with an RPG history or bent I think due to some of the sort of assumptions that go with it. I actually would rather have seen MORE people affected by a racial or gendered change than just one. Just one change of the protagonist almost seems a little more odd. I do admit there's still a lot of stuff that could be answered down the road with the weight of the mighty (TBC). There were some changes in terms of peoples age, physique, or rough n touble appearence but most everyone save one person changed. What then, was different about the one person so much? Why were there not other token elves or dwarves in the area? Questions questions...

But it's definitely an enjoyable read

Oh you'll definitely see more of the changed. The issue isn't the change itself, but numbers. In most fantasy settings, Elves are rare compared to humans; in small human backwaters do you expect to see more than one?

And I tried pretty hard to keep this tale as one someone without an rpg or tabletop gaming background can understand and laugh along all the rest of us with, but there is probably always going to be that element of inside joke that I can't bridge for everyone. Such is life with a piece like this.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. There will be more soon-ish. Just need to edit the crap out of it first. I'm trying to run a fine line between not flooding our makeshift editing department and just dumping on everyone.

Oh! Yay! The thread is here!

My Comment from the Article Comments:

Oooh! Total conversion or something! Massively intriguing!

[Where is this story going? Are they gonna just stay in the world and not try and reverse the process, in which case the Event is just a way of rapidly generating a new setting? Or try and reverse the process, and then the aftermath of that reversal is... what?

...

I'm trying to figure out a satisfying conclusion to this... But, then again, I'm assuming that this has more parts instead of it being a one-shot... And apparently there's more parts...

...

Well, it'd be satisfying if the world they end up with at the end of this adventure is better, or comparable with the world that they left, else it's "You just dumped the world's population into a Crapsack World." Which is depressing?

Nagrij wrote: There will be more

Whoops, thought I got all those type o's. I'll find it.

Anyway, the setting isn't as easy as all that... you'll see.

Gonna echo FiddlerFox here and say that this was indeed more enjoyable than I was expecting. And no, Nagrij, that is not meant to imply that I have low expectations of your writing.

Other than formatting and typeo correction, how different will the one here from the one in BC/TS?

Not very, to be fair. Likely not enough that anyone would notice. Sorry if you've already read it there.

I might be working on stuff that won't go up on BCTS, but that's going to take awhile, I'm booked.

Just realized that "Dim Prisons and Drakes" is a synonym for "Dungeons and Dragons"! *facepalm*?

I guess it's the name of the game that the world was transported into... Although, there might be actual Drakes and Dim Prisons eventually??

The name is an homage to Dungeons and Dragons, yes... and a sort of warning about what to expect. However, that's not the name of the world. We'll get to that.

As for drakes and prisons, yes, you'll see both soon.

Mandrakes?

Phoenix Spiritus wrote: Mandrakes?

Sure, but given the genre, they'll soon be womandrakes.

I was suppossed to exercise tonight, but now its too late and it all your falut. Im a tabletop gamer so I really enjoed this one. Having a portal fantasy change the world, rather then just transport a person was a brilliant begining, I wish I'd thought of it

Thanks. Sort of. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you skip leg day.

Just wait, it'll get even more fun.

Nagrij wrote: Just wait, it'll get even more fun.

*Wonders if that that's a hint that DPnD is gonna be today's release...*

It will be very interesting to see what happens when someone goes up a level. Thew whole instant character advacement thing and all which is such a feature of D&D.

Also a question, do you actually have character sheets for these characters? i do that sometimes when I'm tryin to write a story.

konzill wrote: It will be very interesting to see what happens when someone goes up a level.

Do we even know if there's a level system? Or was there some mention of it and I totally blanked out on it?

... No? The only mention of levels is "eye level":

My small hands were around his large collar, pulling me up to his eye level since I couldn't pull him down. "One more word and it's a toad's life for you."

I was speculating based on the D&D references and my knowledge of D&D. We have clear character classes, and these generally work hand in hand with a level system.

konzill wrote: It will be very interesting to see what happens when someone goes up a level. Thew whole instant character advacement thing and all which is such a feature of D&D.

Also a question, do you actually have character sheets for these characters? i do that sometimes when I'm tryin to write a story.

I do not have character sheets. I do have a rough idea of who the characters are, and what they do. For example, even without all the context, if you know the system, then you know that Muse is around level eight at the start of the tale.

Will advancement be clear cut and obvious? No, because the role playing games it's built around are just that; games. Games which need clear advancement and rules to be fun and entertaining.

That having been said, there will be more of such rules and references which sneak their way into the story, they just won't be hard and fast ones.

Dwarves appear! Kobolds appear! Orcs appear! The mysteries increase! ... Getting hard to differentiate between different people... I'm not focused enough perhaps?

Some dimensional transfer, given they hear sounds from the original world... Or some sort of World End happened to their Earth and then they get transported to this world happened, with them forgetting the inbetween or something?

She really needs to get to reading that book! ... Or chatting with a Deity... ... Will that book have a "Sorry for pulling you into this mess!" From some person??

Dwarves and Elves have builtin enemity... Why? 'Cause Dwarves handle metal, and Elves fear Iron??

This world has history... And we don't get any of it... Important? Or Red Herring?

Is Georgetown important, or red herring?? I think it's important, but Red Herrings are supposed to, after all...

We learn of another elf-thing, Stick! ... How many of them are there??

How long has everyone had, by the end of this part? Less than a week? ... Kobolds work fast...

Malady wrote: Dwarves appear! Kobolds appear! Orcs appear! The mysteries increase! ... Getting hard to differentiate between different people... I'm not focused enough perhaps?

Some dimensional transfer, given they hear sounds from the original world... Or some sort of World End happened to their Earth and then they get transported to this world happened, with them forgetting the inbetween or something?

She really needs to get to reading that book! ... Or chatting with a Deity... ... Will that book have a "Sorry for pulling you into this mess!" From some person??

Dwarves and Elves have builtin enemity... Why? 'Cause Dwarves handle metal, and Elves fear Iron??

This world has history... And we don't get any of it... Important? Or Red Herring?

Is Georgetown important, or red herring?? I think it's important, but Red Herrings are supposed to, after all...

We learn of another elf-thing, Stick! ... How many of them are there??

How long has everyone had, by the end of this part? Less than a week? ... Kobolds work fast...

On the book thing, there probably won't be an afterword like that.

Yes, Kobolds work fast, they are fantasy worlds' vermin.

As for the world's history, you're getting as much as the characters do at the time, and that's very important.

Also, as many can no doubt tell you, calling up a deity for answers is risky at best, and the characters aren't really strong enough to pull that off yet in any case, though they are getting there.

The interactions in the party seem to work well, funny when they're supposed to be, and the sexism is effectively protrayed as irritating? I guess that'll come to a head, if it hasn't already... ... Hmm... Will Lady Muse be the only female in the party still by story's end, or will another one arrive?

I bet Georgetown's thing relates to the Old World sounds... Nice having Lady Muse warn the people and farmers about it. ... Not telling people about the previously human Orcs might come back to bite her... Liking the pacifism. And so, disliking the bloodthirsty pragmatic guy... But makes me think Muse will have at least one kill of a sapient by the end...

... Nice bit with noting to dig the latrine away from the water!

Edit: And I missed that the talk about history is for summary to another character. So we do get everything the characters know.

I was sad to discover no Whateley entry this week, then I started reading this and became less so, until I finished part 2. But then I decided to see if you had any more over at BC, so I'm happy!

...But soon to be sad again.

So obviously I'm enjoying it thus far, although a great deal of mystery remains. I do love those moments where the inner monologue gets repeated as dialogue - keep it up!

Ametros wrote: I was sad to discover no Whateley entry this week, then I started reading this and became less so, until I finished part 2. But then I decided to see if you had any more over at BC, so I'm happy!

...But soon to be sad again.

So obviously I'm enjoying it thus far, although a great deal of mystery remains. I do love those moments where the inner monologue gets repeated as dialogue - keep it up!

I appreciate the kind words. Also, the inner monologue thing is something people do. Well, at least, I do it sometimes, and while I can't prove it without telepathy, I'm willing to bet everyone else does too. There is a little flash of recognition between forming words and speaking them, and that's where the monologue lives.

Unless you're a villain. Then it's whenever you have a moment.

She stepped right into that one.

Of course you can go through all these reports.

Interesting to see how everything confirms to stereotype.

Also a good thing that it does. Early mediaeval reality was messy and brutal, even if you throw in the possibility of magic. Not to mention that the (lack of) technology could support only a percentage of today's population. A city like New York would need to shed 90% of its population somehow and still be among the largest in the world. And require an empire the size of half a continent to support it.

I am glad the story is set in Ohio. That region is relatively empty. This same event seen from the east coast should be nightmarish.

Great to see another chapter! Is more coming soon?

There are 14 chapters posted at BCTS, and 31 on Nagrij's Patreon page.