Critical Role
4x09 To the Hounds! [1st hour]
Having not watched any Critical Role since mid-December (January was my first CR-free month since February 2024) due to personal time constraints, I'm now terribly behind (the most recent episode is 17, which means I have 32½ hours of viewing to catch up — even before you count Cooldown and the first episode of their new periodic talk show, Tale Gate, which together add another 4 hours and change). Even worse than that was the memory challenge to get my bearings on what was going on. Thankfully they still do recaps at the start of the episode proper, but the cold open was borderline baffling!
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Sunday, 8 March 2026
TV
Video Games
Monument Valley
Forgotten Shores
Placid Plastic Duck Simulator
This is a strange... game? It's not really a game. I feel like I'm missing something. Possibly "the joke". Though, from what I can tell from a quick bit of interneting, there really is nothing to it. Except naming the different ducks. That's kinda fun, coming up with good names.
Forgotten Shores
Placid Plastic Duck Simulator
This is a strange... game? It's not really a game. I feel like I'm missing something. Possibly "the joke". Though, from what I can tell from a quick bit of interneting, there really is nothing to it. Except naming the different ducks. That's kinda fun, coming up with good names.
this week on 100Films.co.uk
With the start of the month falling in the middle of last weekend, my regular monthly posts on 100Films.co.uk have been split in two (again). But hey, at least that means I'm currently doing two of these 'weekly' posts each month!
Anyway, this week's one and only post was my 'failures' from February...
More next Sunday? Anything's possible.
Anyway, this week's one and only post was my 'failures' from February...
More next Sunday? Anything's possible.
Saturday, 7 March 2026
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
Monument Valley
Having raced through the first nine levels, the tenth and final one put up more of a challenge — actually thanks to the puzzle design, rather than just battling the still-awkward controller controls. (I don't know what they could do to make them better, to be fair. This was clearly designed to be played with a touchscreen, but I try to avoid smearing my fingers all over my Steam Deck's screen.)
Also made a start on the first expansion, Forgotten Shores. It adds another 8 levels, but based on the length of the first of those vs the length of early levels in the main game, I think it might take as long as the original. Not bad for something one might ignore as mere "extra content".
Monument Valley
Having raced through the first nine levels, the tenth and final one put up more of a challenge — actually thanks to the puzzle design, rather than just battling the still-awkward controller controls. (I don't know what they could do to make them better, to be fair. This was clearly designed to be played with a touchscreen, but I try to avoid smearing my fingers all over my Steam Deck's screen.)
Also made a start on the first expansion, Forgotten Shores. It adds another 8 levels, but based on the length of the first of those vs the length of early levels in the main game, I think it might take as long as the original. Not bad for something one might ignore as mere "extra content".
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Bought a bunch of stuff during Rarewaves latest end-of-month 10% discount period, but only one arrived. I guess they're just slow.
Number of titles in collection: 3,669 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 974 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,695 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 509 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,811 [up 2]
Number of films: 4,712 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 485 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 10,163 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,282 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Bought a bunch of stuff during Rarewaves latest end-of-month 10% discount period, but only one arrived. I guess they're just slow.
Number of titles in collection: 3,669 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 974 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,695 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 509 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,811 [up 2]
Number of films: 4,712 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 485 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 10,163 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,282 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 6 March 2026
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
Made it to city #6 today — four to go! And one of those is from a DLC, so slightly feel like I should leave it until after I've done the main quest. But we'll see.
Made it to city #6 today — four to go! And one of those is from a DLC, so slightly feel like I should leave it until after I've done the main quest. But we'll see.
Thursday, 5 March 2026
Fiction
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Book One, Chapters 11–20
Reached the end of 'Book One' (of three). Expected it to mark a break or change in the story for that reason, but no, it's in the middle of a battle! That feels like it should be the climax, even though there's 70% of the book to go. Interesting structural choice...
Book One, Chapters 11–20
Reached the end of 'Book One' (of three). Expected it to mark a break or change in the story for that reason, but no, it's in the middle of a battle! That feels like it should be the climax, even though there's 70% of the book to go. Interesting structural choice...
Articles
Esoteric Ebb isn't just the best Disco since Disco, it's the closest anyone's come to the magic of tabletop D&D in a videogame
by Ted Litchfield (from PC Gamer)
I was very interested in Esoteric Ebb before I read this review, but now I'm positively excited for it. Might even buy it right away.
...but will I play it right away? I mean, I'd have to cut into Skyrim (gasp!) And as I've not played the likes of Disco Elysium or Baldur's Gate 3, but do own both and very much want to play them, should this really be jumping ahead? There's always the chance it'll get patches and improvements down the line, as so many games do nowadays. Maybe I should just play the literally hundreds of games already in my backlog and wait a year or two.
...but it sounds so fun!
by Ted Litchfield (from PC Gamer)
I was very interested in Esoteric Ebb before I read this review, but now I'm positively excited for it. Might even buy it right away.
...but will I play it right away? I mean, I'd have to cut into Skyrim (gasp!) And as I've not played the likes of Disco Elysium or Baldur's Gate 3, but do own both and very much want to play them, should this really be jumping ahead? There's always the chance it'll get patches and improvements down the line, as so many games do nowadays. Maybe I should just play the literally hundreds of games already in my backlog and wait a year or two.
...but it sounds so fun!
Wednesday, 4 March 2026
Films
PK (2014)
[#9 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2026]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2026 #1
[#9 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2026]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2026 #1
Fiction
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Book One, Chapters 1–10
So, the new Daggerheart game I mentioned joining takes place in a world inspired by the Redwall series. I was aware of those books as a child but never read them, for whatever reason, and in recent-ish years have considered trying them. Well, joining a game inspired by them was the push I needed!
Book One, Chapters 1–10
So, the new Daggerheart game I mentioned joining takes place in a world inspired by the Redwall series. I was aware of those books as a child but never read them, for whatever reason, and in recent-ish years have considered trying them. Well, joining a game inspired by them was the push I needed!
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
Over an hour of play and, to be honest, I felt like it was all admin: selling loot, enchanting a few things, moving stuff around, decorating a couple of my houses... I don't pay too much attention to in-game time (because it doesn't actually matter how many days pass), but I teleported all around the map to do that, so my hour of doing a few bits probably took the 'characters' half a week or more!
I think this also demonstrates how you can sink so much time into this game. I mean, I didn't feel like what I did took over an hour, or that I was wasting my time, per se. But you couple that with things like spending two hours just making potions (and I've done that more than once, which I'd forgotten 'til I looked up those posts!) and, yeah, you see how I've played 182 hours without advancing many storylines or even visiting half the map.
Over an hour of play and, to be honest, I felt like it was all admin: selling loot, enchanting a few things, moving stuff around, decorating a couple of my houses... I don't pay too much attention to in-game time (because it doesn't actually matter how many days pass), but I teleported all around the map to do that, so my hour of doing a few bits probably took the 'characters' half a week or more!
I think this also demonstrates how you can sink so much time into this game. I mean, I didn't feel like what I did took over an hour, or that I was wasting my time, per se. But you couple that with things like spending two hours just making potions (and I've done that more than once, which I'd forgotten 'til I looked up those posts!) and, yeah, you see how I've played 182 hours without advancing many storylines or even visiting half the map.
Tuesday, 3 March 2026
Fiction
Swords in the Mist by Fritz Leiber
VI. Adept's Gambit Chapters 6–9 [the end]
These are so great, I'd probably happily move right on to the next book again; but I have something else I want to interrupt with first.
VI. Adept's Gambit Chapters 6–9 [the end]
These are so great, I'd probably happily move right on to the next book again; but I have something else I want to interrupt with first.
Monday, 2 March 2026
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
I had plans to read a book, watch a film, do all sorts of stuff today. Instead... I played 4½ hours of Skyrim. Oh well.
Towards the end of that time I hit 180 hours. Even more importantly, today I hit level 50, at which point you get the "Master" achievement on Steam. I believe the game's original level cap was 80 (I think the DLC made it unlimited), so in theory I'm a significant way through what's possible. Maybe I should actually start the main story soon... or maybe I'll just continue my way doing side quests (also earned the side quest-related achievement today) and exploring the world (I've still not visited half of the cities! And I'm not even close to completing the quests in all the ones I have been to).
I had plans to read a book, watch a film, do all sorts of stuff today. Instead... I played 4½ hours of Skyrim. Oh well.
Towards the end of that time I hit 180 hours. Even more importantly, today I hit level 50, at which point you get the "Master" achievement on Steam. I believe the game's original level cap was 80 (I think the DLC made it unlimited), so in theory I'm a significant way through what's possible. Maybe I should actually start the main story soon... or maybe I'll just continue my way doing side quests (also earned the side quest-related achievement today) and exploring the world (I've still not visited half of the cities! And I'm not even close to completing the quests in all the ones I have been to).
Tabletop Games
Daggerheart
This past week I added a third PBP Daggerheart game to my schedule, so a slight shift in how I'm listing them here: I've decided to ditch the 'titles' and just stick with a comment along the lines of "all 3 games continuing". Something like that, anyway.
This past week I added a third PBP Daggerheart game to my schedule, so a slight shift in how I'm listing them here: I've decided to ditch the 'titles' and just stick with a comment along the lines of "all 3 games continuing". Something like that, anyway.
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