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Post by The Doctor on Jul 4, 2011 17:31:01 GMT
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Post by legios on Jul 5, 2011 19:39:26 GMT
Interesting, and somewhat unexpected.
They have a good track record for getting decent writing and directing talent so it could have the potential to be quite good.
Karl
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Post by blueshift on Apr 19, 2014 18:02:28 GMT
I thought it might be worthwhile having a catch-all thread for non-Who Big Finish stuff.
Apparently they have just got the rights to Terrahawks!
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Post by Pinwig on Apr 19, 2014 22:16:49 GMT
I enjoyed their prequel trilogy to Earthsearch, those I kept the CDs for. I'm also very eager to hear the upcoming stories based on the Survivors, which is another of my favourite BBC SF shows. I have been tempted by the new Pathfinders audios, not because I play the game, but because I like fantasy in general and I don't think I've heard a decent fantasy radio programme since the BBC LotR (although the recent Neverwhere adaptation was quite good). I may buy the first of those just to hear what they're like.
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 20, 2014 9:25:35 GMT
Terrahawks on audio boggles my mind!
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Apr 25, 2014 17:40:05 GMT
I am curious as to how Pathfinder will actually work on audio. The default setting of Golarion is a bit more kitchen sink than most High Fantasy stuff - up to and including having pistol packing gunslingers along with wizards, sorcerers and whatnot - so they have a range of options in terms of how mental they opt to go with it. Mind you Big Finish actually have a track record with the Gothic Fantasy end, having been producing Warhammer 40K audio drama for Black Library for a few years now so it isn't entirely untrodden ground for them.
Karl
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 25, 2014 18:36:13 GMT
I do find it odd that BF's own website has no mention of their Warhammer audios. Some licensing issue? Still mad though.
On a BF vein, I do recommend their Sherlock Holmes audios. Great stuff.
-Ralph
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Post by blueshift on Apr 25, 2014 19:00:09 GMT
I imagine if the license has expired and they are out of physical stock there's no reason for them to.
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 25, 2014 19:03:04 GMT
But they've NEVER had that range available for sale on their website! Hence my confusion.
-Ralph
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Post by blueshift on Apr 25, 2014 19:08:57 GMT
Oh right, really? How odd. How are you supposed to buy it then?
EDIT: I see, it looks like some sort of exclusivity deal, with several production companies making Warhammer audios that this one site has the monopoly on selling.
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Post by legios on Apr 25, 2014 19:30:30 GMT
Yeah, the stuff they do for Black Library is a "work for hire" deal, effectively they are working as subcontractors for Black Library who sell the resulting material through their own distribution channels and under their imprint, rather than being a property that BF have licensed to produce material in their own name (That was never going to happen. The history of GW and licensing their material out is...rocky...)
Karl
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Post by blueshift on Apr 30, 2014 20:09:47 GMT
I just finished listening to the last Sapphire and Steel audio. I have really enjoyed the three series worth, but the last one was pretty awful. So apparently the entirety of Big Finish's Sapphire and Steel run was JUST AN ILLUSION THAT NEVER HAPPENED AND THEY ARE STILL IN THAT CAFE AT THE END OF THE TV SERIES. God dammit Big Finish, why do you think that is an acceptable plot (similar things happened recently in two or their ranges, don't want to give spoilers though). I find that really insulting to the audience. "You're a fool for buying these and engaging with them, they are not real haw haw". I think I will uh, pretend this one doesn't count, or that a future series 4 would resolve that. Becuase seriously. God. Dammit. Big Finish. |
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Post by legios on May 1, 2014 11:21:37 GMT
That sounds rather unsatisfying to say the least. I've only heard their first season of Sapphire and Steel, and I thought that was pretty good - even the one I'm not likely to want to listen to again for personal reasons.
Karl
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Post by The Doctor on May 1, 2014 22:31:11 GMT
I had a loan of S1. Found it to be a bit of a chore to be honest. I wasn't inclined to go pick up the following stories.
-Ralph
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Post by blueshift on May 2, 2014 18:46:52 GMT
Just had series 2 of Jago and Litefoot plop through my door!
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Post by The Doctor on May 4, 2014 13:27:07 GMT
They are doing a series of The Omega Factor which is very obscure. The dvd of ye olde series seems to be out of print but it is on youtube...
-Ralph
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Post by legios on May 4, 2014 19:47:48 GMT
Good grief! That is extremely obscure! Usually only mentioned as an "...also worked on".
Karl
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Post by The Doctor on May 9, 2014 16:01:59 GMT
Terrible, terrible news. Paul Spragg has passed away. Such a fun and entertaining fellow on their podcasts and did a lot to keep the BF site running smoothly: www.bigfinish.com/news/v/paul-spragg-Ralph |
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Post by blueshift on May 9, 2014 16:59:52 GMT
What the heck?!?
Oh my god, that's awful! Whenever I had problems with Big Finish customer service, he would always reply personally and get it sorted out; it always struck me how friendly and helpful he was. My goodness.
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Post by Philip Ayres on May 9, 2014 18:08:46 GMT
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Post by legios on May 9, 2014 19:37:16 GMT
That is genuinely saddening news. I've had some dealings with him on the customer service side and he always struck me as a genuinely fine person, amiable, and highly efficient.
Karl
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Post by Pinwig on May 19, 2014 21:11:27 GMT
Pathfinder Legends: Rise of the Rune Lords 1 – Burnt Offerings
Spoiler Free Review
Couldn't resist trying out Pathfinder Legends as I am a fan of fantasy in general and gave it a spin in the car today to ward off the Monday blues. Been looking forward to it all weekend after it arrived on Friday and was pleased to find myself not entirely let down.
I'm not acquainted with Pathfinder as a game, although I have played D&D in the past, and I see from a quick bit of research that Pathfinder is spun out of the D&D 3.5 rule set by people wanting to take it in a new direction. Rather successfully it seems. Pathfinder has a regular publication called the Adventure Path that provides playable campaigns in monthly instalments, and this series of six Big Finish plays uses the plots from the first 'arc' that comprises issues 1-6.
So with that in mind you know immediately what to expect from the first episode, presumably entirely if you've played the game. It's a short, self contained story which hints at a broader continuation that as a game would be designed to acquaint players with the basics of the RPG system and give them a first run out. This really does show through in the structure of the plot, which follows the usual exposition/combat/exposition/combat structure of any D&D session. You can see the game scenario roots in this very clearly. The question though in terms of this being an audio adaptation is whether writer Mark Wright has taken that and turned it into an enjoyable listen.
It's a good first effort. It isn't a stunner, by its nature this is more 80's Sword & Sorcery B movie than Game of Thrones, but if you want the former you won't be disappointed. The characters are one dimensional and fit the usual stereotypes, with vague attempts to differentiate them from the norm (we have a tea drinking dwarf here), and the story wastes no time on an origin tale; the group are preformed and ready for adventure from the outset with associated banter and jokes. A town's in trouble, the mayor needs a band of hearty adventurers to lend a hand, and that's where we start.
The production quality is the usual Big Finish standard; it's slick and fast paced and reminiscent of the 2000AD series more than anything Doctor Who based. It's probably the presence of the ubiquitous Toby Longworth that emphasises that, here playing the voices of various monsters and the mayor. Judge Dredd: Solo proved Longworth's brilliance in creating a vast array of different voices, but here they all sound too similar, and also too similar to Dredd, which gives this a feeling of familiarity it could have done without. Also, audio-wise the battle sequences all sound very similar very quickly, and even by the end of this first episode you're left wondering how long the series can sustain the same collection of grunts and sound effects. It's atmospheric, but it's samey.
My only other criticism really is in some lazy dialogue, but then I don't think I've ever read anything from the Mark Wright/Cavan Scott double act that has really stood out, which worries me slightly knowing all six of the plays in this series are by them. At times the writing is too by the book when it could have gone in different directions, and there are some eye-rolling clichés - especially the 'now I have you in my clutches I shall explain my evil plan' moment, which arrives with all the finesse of a bulldozer.
These aren't show stopping problems though, and I should say I really quite enjoyed this. It's reminiscent of other RPG derived fiction like the Dragonlance books, or the usually paper thin plots of fantasy video games, in that it wears its badge of origin with pride. This isn't high fantasy and doesn't pretend to be, it is what it is, which I think is what I was looking for from this. While I did find myself wanting to know more about the world this takes place in, its history and society and the place the cast have within that, for now the adventure itself was enjoyable enough to make me curious about the second instalment, and where the story will go next. Perhaps the back story is better left to the gaming manuals.
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Post by legios on May 20, 2014 19:17:06 GMT
Pathfinder Legends: Rise of the Rune Lords 1 – Burnt Offerings
Spoiler Free ReviewI'm not acquainted with Pathfinder as a game, although I have played D&D in the past, and I see from a quick bit of research that Pathfinder is spun out of the D&D 3.5 rule set by people wanting to take it in a new direction. Rather successfully it seems. Pathfinder has a regular publication called the Adventure Path that provides playable campaigns in monthly instalments, and this series of six Big Finish plays uses the plots from the first 'arc' that comprises issues 1-6. Pathfinder basically was created so that Paizo can continue publishing the Adventure Path module series which they started doing for D&D 3.5 and were very successful in sales terms. When Hasbro, having bought Wizards of the Coast decided to discontinue 3.5 and replace it with a fourth edition, which wasn't under the Open Gaming License Paizo needed to find a way to keep the ruleset "current" so as to maintain the market - hence they took all the open content from 3.5, cleaned it up and released it as Pathfinder, which they continue to support. In my limited experience "samey" is a fair description of combat under the Pathfinder/3.5 rules... so one could say that this is "realistic" from an in-world perspective. :-) I've actually been quite fond of a lot of their Doctor Who stuff in the past - things like "Project:Twilight" which I rather liked. Out of curiosity, who is the director on it? (For some reason my brain is telling me it is probably Lisa Bowerman, but I don't know why I assume that). I'm glad to hear it is off to a good, if not entirely found its feet, start. I can't say that I've been that tempted by it at the moment, but one day when time allows and I have the spare cash I may give it a go. I certainly am always pleased whenever Big Finish find an additional route to diversify - their output is good and the more bases of support they have the better in my view. They may well find their feet over the course of the first season, depending on the pace of the recording. Karl |
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Post by Pinwig on May 20, 2014 19:44:23 GMT
Pathfinder basically was created so that Paizo can continue publishing the Adventure Path module series which they started doing for D&D 3.5 and were very successful in sales terms. When Hasbro, having bought Wizards of the Coast decided to discontinue 3.5 and replace it with a fourth edition, which wasn't under the Open Gaming License Paizo needed to find a way to keep the ruleset "current" so as to maintain the market - hence they took all the open content from 3.5, cleaned it up and released it as Pathfinder, which they continue to support. Ah, thanks. That's the most concise and complete explanation of that I have read. I see. So if Rise of the Runelords was the first Adventure Path publication, was that released as a module for D&D 3.5, or was it actually branded Pathfinders in the first place? I tend to default assume Lisa Bowerman these days, but the Pathfinders are directed by John Ainsworth. I'm going to keep going with it because I love that kind of fantasy. If you're into D&D have you listened to a podcast called Critical Hit? produced by Major Spoilers productions? it's a gameplay podcast with five guys basically playing D&D and recording it, but as it's an offshoot from other successful podcasts from the same people they know how to do it and make it interesting. It's really gripping. |
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Post by legios on May 23, 2014 18:14:33 GMT
Ah, thanks. That's the most concise and complete explanation of that I have read. I see. So if Rise of the Runelords was the first Adventure Path publication, was that released as a module for D&D 3.5, or was it actually branded Pathfinders in the first place? No, that one was the first thing they published adventurewise for Pathfinder, but Paizo had been the holders of the license to produce the "Dragon" and "Dungeon" magazines, and the Adventure Path format started in Dungeon, where things like "Age of Worms" would be published in the magazine on a monthly basis. That format of long-form mini-campaigns published episodically on a regular basis was pretty popular and was the basis for what they did from "Rise of the Runelords" onwards. I tend to default assume Lisa Bowerman these days, but the Pathfinders are directed by John Ainsworth. Ah, decent enough director then. I'm going to keep going with it because I love that kind of fantasy. If you're into D&D have you listened to a podcast called Critical Hit? produced by Major Spoilers productions? it's a gameplay podcast with five guys basically playing D&D and recording it, but as it's an offshoot from other successful podcasts from the same people they know how to do it and make it interesting. It's really gripping. I've actually got less time playing D&D and AD&D than most - it was more a fall-back game which I play when folk aren't keen to run anything else. I've far more time in Sci-Fi themed games than I do with AD&D (My limited tastes in fantasy run more towards Conan-esque Swords and Sorcery, or Wu Xia-style stuff than western High Fantasy). Karl |
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Post by legios on May 23, 2014 18:22:48 GMT
In other news, I've been listening to the first of Big Finish's "Dark Shadows" plays. Now I'm not a "Dark Shadows" fan by any means - it is more something I know of than something I am familiar with, and is a little outside my usual genre choices. That said, it is appropriately gothic and melodramatic. There are a couple of very scenery-chewing performances which are quite enjoyable and the whole thing has the kind of setting atmosphere which certainly feels like I would expect from what little I know of the series. I'm not sure whether these are entirely my thing, but I have a couple more of the first season so I shall give them a go and see how I feel then.
Karl
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Post by legios on Jun 8, 2014 18:08:50 GMT
I've now heard another two of the "Dark Shadows" full-cast plays. I don't really have an investment in the setting perse, but I do enjoy the somewhat melodramatic and larger-than-life performances that the leads are giving. The whole conceit of this tiny cast supposedly rattling around this gigantic cursed house, none of them quite trusting each other but banding together to try to deal with the worse supernatural evil that is attracted into their lives whilst continually jockeying for advantage over each other is kind of fun.
I'm not in a tearing hurry to buy any more of this series I will admit, but what I have heard has been reasonably entertaining.
Karl
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Post by Pinwig on Jun 30, 2014 17:47:23 GMT
Apparently today is the last day of the discount price for the Survivors box set. This has been top of my BF purchase list, so it's now bought. No idea what the normal price will be, but four plays for £25 (£20 download) seems pretty good going by their usual box set prices.
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Post by blueshift on Jun 30, 2014 18:21:09 GMT
I have preordered Avengers vol 2!
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Post by blueshift on Jul 9, 2014 18:01:38 GMT
Avengers vol 2 is out! Downloading now!
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