The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
I can’t quite decide what I want to do next (I’ve mainly been focused on quests from and around Markath for a long time now, but should I finish off the few that are still outstanding? Or do I head back to Whiterun and resume the Companions quest line that I paused partway? Or do I pick up one of the threads I’ve had waiting for hours and hours and hours that would lead me to Falkreath or Riften or Windhelm or Solitude? Or, heck, I could do something else entirely (even the main quest!), but those seem like more than enough broad, lengthy options).
Rather than make a choice today, I dove into the pile of ingredients I’ve been saving up for yonks (it's over 60 hours of playtime since the last time I spent a whole session on this) and crafted a shedload of potions. I spent over 2 hours doing that in the end, with my Alchemy stat surging up multiple levels while I did it. I then sold a few of them, but all the merchants I already know aren’t rich enough between them to touch the sides of what I have to sell. I’ve got the same issue with tonnes of weapons (and raw materials to improve them) stashed away. Maybe they’ll be my focus tomorrow… It wouldn't be so ridiculous if I could break the habit of looting every little thing I see in dungeons, etc, but... well, we already know I’m a hoarder by nature.
Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Tabletop Games
EXIT: The Game Advent Calendar:
The Silent Storm
December 9th—10th
I was rather looking forward to this — as someone who enjoys puzzles or riddles, especially when narratively connected (like point-and-click adventure games), I thought it would be a bit of fun every day — but I'm finding it increasingly frustrating and therefore disappointing. Perhaps it's a skill issue (maybe I'm just not as good at puzzles as I thought), but I do think it's at least partly weakness of design. Day 2 was, at best, overambitious; at worst, poor; and I think that left a sour taste that future days haven't been ingenious enough to overcome. Day 9 is another example where execution doesn't seem to match intention.
It leaves me resorting to the hint guide, which I don't like to do. It offers two hints and then just the solution — I keep finding the first two hints are the 'obvious' bit I've already worked out, so I have to go straight to the solution, rather than getting a 'final step' hint for the point I've got stuck at. More frustration.
I've started so I'll finish (especially as, y'know, I've paid for it), but it's all-round a shame.
The Silent Storm
December 9th—10th
I was rather looking forward to this — as someone who enjoys puzzles or riddles, especially when narratively connected (like point-and-click adventure games), I thought it would be a bit of fun every day — but I'm finding it increasingly frustrating and therefore disappointing. Perhaps it's a skill issue (maybe I'm just not as good at puzzles as I thought), but I do think it's at least partly weakness of design. Day 2 was, at best, overambitious; at worst, poor; and I think that left a sour taste that future days haven't been ingenious enough to overcome. Day 9 is another example where execution doesn't seem to match intention.
It leaves me resorting to the hint guide, which I don't like to do. It offers two hints and then just the solution — I keep finding the first two hints are the 'obvious' bit I've already worked out, so I have to go straight to the solution, rather than getting a 'final step' hint for the point I've got stuck at. More frustration.
I've started so I'll finish (especially as, y'know, I've paid for it), but it's all-round a shame.
Monday, 8 December 2025
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
I've got to be up relatively early for a long day tomorrow, so I knew I wouldn't be watching a film or much TV or anything like that this evening. I still jumped on Skyrim, of course... for 5¼ hours (to be precise). Part of that was making the mistake of going "yeah, I'll just do this quest" and then spending over 2 hours completing it. That's just how they go sometimes (others seem to only take minutes).
I've got to be up relatively early for a long day tomorrow, so I knew I wouldn't be watching a film or much TV or anything like that this evening. I still jumped on Skyrim, of course... for 5¼ hours (to be precise). Part of that was making the mistake of going "yeah, I'll just do this quest" and then spending over 2 hours completing it. That's just how they go sometimes (others seem to only take minutes).
Tabletop Games
Daggerheart:
Dragon Heist in the City of Splendors
&
Curse of Strahd
I forgot to mention these last Monday, not because they stopped, but because I'm still playing them both every day and so sometimes forget to log them just once a week. (Listing them every day feels like clutter, especially as some days it's only a couple of minutes' interaction.)
EXIT: The Game Advent Calendar:
The Silent Storm
December 8th
Dragon Heist in the City of Splendors
&
Curse of Strahd
I forgot to mention these last Monday, not because they stopped, but because I'm still playing them both every day and so sometimes forget to log them just once a week. (Listing them every day feels like clutter, especially as some days it's only a couple of minutes' interaction.)
EXIT: The Game Advent Calendar:
The Silent Storm
December 8th
Sunday, 7 December 2025
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to pop on Skyrim for a bit, do a couple of things..."
2 hours later, I'm forcing myself to put it down. Do that a couple of times each day and, well, that's how I spent over 6 hours playing it today. I did consider doing something else, like watching a film or some TV (the new Doctor Who spinoff started today!), but I decided I'd just rather play Skyrim.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to pop on Skyrim for a bit, do a couple of things..."
2 hours later, I'm forcing myself to put it down. Do that a couple of times each day and, well, that's how I spent over 6 hours playing it today. I did consider doing something else, like watching a film or some TV (the new Doctor Who spinoff started today!), but I decided I'd just rather play Skyrim.
this week on 100Films.co.uk
This week month on 100Films.co.uk, it was time for the final monthly review of the year (sure, there's another 2025 monthly review to come, but it'll be published in January).
And with it, as always, a whole host of failures...
More... someday.
And with it, as always, a whole host of failures...
More... someday.
Saturday, 6 December 2025
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
A few new titles this week, including a 4K upgrade for Criterion's Barry Lyndon, a DVD-to-4K leap for Hammer's Scars of Dracula (although the former is in a box set so goes nowhere), a trio of '60s Fantomas films from Eureka, and an early arrival for Indicator's 7th Columbia Noir set.
And all that just in time for the penultimate running time update of 2025. Yes, in a month's time we'll find out the (no doubt crazy) figures my collection has increased by this year.
Number of titles in collection: 3,645 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 979 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,666 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 488 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,760 [up 9]
Number of films: 4,677 [up 10]
Number of additional cuts: 476 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,188 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,280 [up 2]
Total running time of collection (approx.):
613 days, 9 hours, and 43 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 17 hours, and 53 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
A few new titles this week, including a 4K upgrade for Criterion's Barry Lyndon, a DVD-to-4K leap for Hammer's Scars of Dracula (although the former is in a box set so goes nowhere), a trio of '60s Fantomas films from Eureka, and an early arrival for Indicator's 7th Columbia Noir set.
And all that just in time for the penultimate running time update of 2025. Yes, in a month's time we'll find out the (no doubt crazy) figures my collection has increased by this year.
Number of titles in collection: 3,645 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 979 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,666 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 488 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,760 [up 9]
Number of films: 4,677 [up 10]
Number of additional cuts: 476 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,188 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,280 [up 2]
Total running time of collection (approx.):
613 days, 9 hours, and 43 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 17 hours, and 53 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 5 December 2025
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
"I ought to go to bed... but I could just play a little Skyrim first..."
An hour-and-a-half later: another "oopsie".
That was last night, so obviously I went back later and played even more. I'm now past 73 hours total, and my quest stats look like this:
For perspective, there are 270–350 named quests in Skyrim (estimates vary due to some being repeatable), and I've completed just 10. Sure, you can't complete them all in a single playthrough (there are instances where choosing a side locks out the other side's quests), but that only affects a handful. Also of note, I've done a lot of "miscellaneous quests", i.e. unnamed ones — that's why my "Misc Objectives" total is so much higher. Nonetheless, either I knuckle down to more questin' or it might be 2,500+ hours before I 'complete' this thing...
"I ought to go to bed... but I could just play a little Skyrim first..."
An hour-and-a-half later: another "oopsie".
That was last night, so obviously I went back later and played even more. I'm now past 73 hours total, and my quest stats look like this:
For perspective, there are 270–350 named quests in Skyrim (estimates vary due to some being repeatable), and I've completed just 10. Sure, you can't complete them all in a single playthrough (there are instances where choosing a side locks out the other side's quests), but that only affects a handful. Also of note, I've done a lot of "miscellaneous quests", i.e. unnamed ones — that's why my "Misc Objectives" total is so much higher. Nonetheless, either I knuckle down to more questin' or it might be 2,500+ hours before I 'complete' this thing...
Thursday, 4 December 2025
TV
Critical Role
4x06 Knives and Thorns [final half-hour]
Not that I didn't enjoy the episode, but getting through it by breaking it down into five parts has felt like a bit of a slog. Spreading those over two weeks won't have helped, either. I guess I need to go back to dedicating longer single periods to watching it (damn you, Skyrim!)
[Watch it (again) for free on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Critical Role Cooldown
Campaign 4, Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
"I haven't been playing that long, I guess I can do one more dungeon..."
"Now I'll just travel to my next destination..."
"Well, the last dungeon was quite short, so maybe just one more..."
"One more" turned out to be a really long one. I even ended up stopping somewhere in the middle of it (possibly near the end, but there's a whole new location to open next) because by that point I'd played for 4½ hours today. Oopsie.
"I haven't been playing that long, I guess I can do one more dungeon..."
"Now I'll just travel to my next destination..."
"Well, the last dungeon was quite short, so maybe just one more..."
"One more" turned out to be a really long one. I even ended up stopping somewhere in the middle of it (possibly near the end, but there's a whole new location to open next) because by that point I'd played for 4½ hours today. Oopsie.
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