Sleeping Gods, Tomb of Horrors and The History of Narrative Choice Games

#boardgames #review #sleepinggods This video is sponsored by Skillshare. The first 1000 people to use the link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/nopunincluded05211
Special thanks to John Iadarola from The Damage Report for being the voice of Gary Gygax. You can find John's channel here: / johniadarola
You can find hbomberguy's video on Lovecraft here: • Outsiders: How To Adap...
Support us on Patreon: / nopunincluded
Music:
Christian Andersen - The Final Days of Captivity
Alexandra Woodward - The Silly Walk
Traci Bryan - Electric Mix
Arthur Benson - Creepy Crawly
Erasmus Talbot - Never Look Back
They Dream by Day - Pruina
Sources:
Tomb of Horrors by Gary Gygax, TSR
www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...
Return to the Tomb of Horros by Bruce R. Cordell, Wizards of the Coast
www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...
Gary Gygax on enworld.org
www.enworld.org/threads/q-a-w...
You are the hero: A history of Fighting Fantasy
www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...
Owl and Weasel "Editorial" (April 1975) by Ian Livingstone
2018 Golden Joystick Awards
• Golden Joystick Awards...
Black in Camelot: Race & Ethnicity in Arthurian Legend by Kris Swank
www.academia.edu/2494445/Blac...
A note on Gary Gygax's first game. There seems to be a lot of internet folklore around this but the most reliable source I found is, sadly, a wikipedia page. Since this reflects a lot of adventure design found in the very first edition of Dungeons and Dragons, I choose to believe that this is most likely true and likely stems from a long lost interview or editorial. However, the part about his daughters losing interest can be found in the above enworld link with Gygax himself being the direct source.
Find us here:
Website - nopunincluded.com
Facebook - / nopunincluded
Twitter - Efka - / nopunincluded Elaine - / nixedpun
Instagram - / nopunincluded
BGG Review list - boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/17...

[@NoPunIncluded]

This video is sponsored by Skillshare. The first 1000 people to use the link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/nopunincluded05211

[@OjoRojo40]

"Skilshare has nothing to do with the content of this video, they just make this video possible".... I don't know if you can notice the dissonance of your statement. Just assume they have an impact on your content, that's fine. We all have to eat in this goddamed system. Thanks for the video, cheers!

[@terrencesoltz8943]

As someone who did play AD&D in the 80’s as a teen, I remember my reaction to Tomb of Horrors. I was generally the DM for my group, and was hugely disappointed after all of the hype. I thought it was a somewhat humorous read, but decided almost immediately that I would never subject my group to such arbitrary punishment…and I was twelve or thirteen.

[@gospelofrye6881]

But... but it's a Deluxe Set! It has over 24 illustrations! Not 23, not 24, OVER 24!

[@billmiller5722]

The early D&D players were originally miniature wargaming enthusiasts doing something different with it, and it really shows at times. As alluded to briefly in the video, "tournament D&D" was actually a thing with groups competing to complete a given dungeon the fastest, and gaming groups could sometimes be very adversarial. Tomb of Horrors is not good for typical play. It is good for being needlessly punishing for jaded players looking for something that is technically beatable but also as arbitrarily difficult as possible. It can also be a fun jokey one-shot for people wondering what such a thing would look like as a brief break from their real game (this is how I played it). The tragedy is that anyone, including the publishers reprinting it, ever thought it was good for anything else.

[@themagus517]

It's a funhouse dungeon without the fun.

[@danielmahdavi9419]

As my board game collection has grown, I've drifted away from watching board game reviews in order to avoid testing my willpower, and the unfortunate consequence of that is missing out on your great content. Coming back to your channel and finding these deep dives into board game culture and history has been really awesome, and I'm really glad it's infused with both the same thought and same wit as your reviews. My wife and I were lucky enough to sit at a table with you in Bristol to play a mega game a few years ago, and the people you were when relaxing and enjoying the game was very much the people I've seen speak so thoughtfully and eloquently in these videos. I was glad you were as nice in person as your online "personas" and I'm also glad you're as vocal about the horrible parts of our culture without dismissing or discarding the experiences those things have given. Thanks for speaking up about these subjects, and I hope you keep making stuff like this!

[@josephdutcher2917]

I’m really enjoying these larger scope videos. They really enrich the hobby space. Thank you for taking the time to draw the history and context of games into such a compelling narrative.

[@thejfreak93]

I genuinely believe this is the niche that NPI can fill unlike anyone else. There are so many short video reviews with humor online, they are doing something unique with these.

[@jimvalentine8952]

Talking of progression through failure- anyone else love Disco Elysium?

[@szymon_archon3514]

No, I dropped the game after 20 minutes because I died twice in that time. Once because a kid made fun of me and I "gave up", and another time after looking at a lightbulb and then getting bumped when I went downstairs. Horrible design in my honest opinion.

[@MinosDaedalus]

@@szymon_archon3514The game sucks at pointing out the repercussions of your character build and let you do whatever you want without any hints. You can build your character with a mental health pool of literally one (or two), meaning that the slightest nuisance will "kill" you (same goes for physical health). However, if you have a little bit of a bigger pool (you'll get plenty of chances to recover lost HP, mentally and physically) you're not constantly on the death's door. I've had a similiar experience, restarted, and only died twice or thrice over the course of the whole game just with that little change. Was much more fun. I'd recommend to give it a one more try if you're generally into complex cRPGs.

[@szymon_archon3514]

@@MinosDaedalus Maybe I'll give it a go if I have more time. I don't understand why one of the recommended presets gives you these stats though, seems like a pretty big oversight.

[@zachm638]

Your long-form content is hands-down the best boardgame content on the Internet

[@abesapien9930]

It was abysmally long.

[@tinstargames]

One clarification: the pool that changes your gender (for laffs) that appears in Arabian Nights comes directly from Arabian Night stories, not from Gygax.

[@JonTripp115]

Years ago, I used to read a fanzine that had feature-length record reviews that sometimes took as long to read as it took to listen to the entire album. But they were always incredibly well-written, thoughtful, and led me to some of my all-time favorite bands. This hour-long review of Sleeping Gods reminded me of that, and now I have to play this game.

[@elfboy745]

I can't help but notice at the end, Efka's dressed like he's about to go out on a Hawaiian fishing trawler, while Elaine's dressed up like she's heading out to the North Sea. And so the crew of the Manticore has their first dilemma...

[@reytheist]

As someone who started to play D&D in the 80s, I can say with certainty that the Gygaxian approach was not universal, and that we've always known that Tomb of Horrors was created as an eff you to his players. We only ever tried it as a one-shot out of morbid curiosity.

[@Gabefalconb]

Great job on the video. I came for a Sleeping Gods review and I discovered why 7th Continent never “clicked” for me

[@choppertown]

Me too. Set the whole thing up, started playing and decided I hated every playable character, put it away and sold it.

[@c.w.2000]

If Sleeping Gods is Red Raven’s magnum opus, it is fitting that it is paired with NPI’s magnum opus.

[@rjkral]

Ha! I described it similarly having not read your comment yet! Undeniably true!!

[@carpemkarzi]

Great video. I’m old I started playing D&D when I was 13-14 . My first group was run my a university aged male DM who felt the game was Them vs Me. We dumped him after the first game. The second DM..female aged 20 ran the group from then on. We have 6 people 4 male 2 female +DM. Tomb of horrors was a crap dungeon designed for people like our first DM.p but in the hands of our new DM it became something better , DM means dice modifier and GM means Game Modifier and our DM altered and made the whole module better. The gender switch gate became a class switch, the naked game was a separation game, we lost all weapons and material and appeared in mini dungeons in ‘street’ clothes with the ability to randomly talk to other group members while attempting to solve logic puzzles. I started DMing when I was 17ish and did so until a few years ago, so about 40 years and in that time I relied on the memory of that experience that as a DM it was not to beat the shit out of the group (except for rules lawyers, fuck rules lawyers) and let them tell a story and discover what I have laid into the campaign. I feel for those who bought into those bullshit tropes. Also that same group played many other board games ( I was a SSI nerd) so yeah a good group is just a group that likes to play..all genders welcome..except for rules lawyers..see above.

[@gomerspile5091]

That's it. Ultimately, it was about the group's imagination and not limited at all to the hang-ups of the creators.

[@psterud]

"DM" does not mean "dice modifier." It means "Dungeon Master." But I think I know what you mean, that a DM can alter the story through dice rolling and its affects.

[@gregoryheeren]

Wonderful to have a video that strings together multiple games. This is exactly what I’m missing so often in other channels. Please do more of these!

[@matthewpowers5000]

When I was in college I wrote a paper with far too much background information and the professor told me "You needed to know all of this to write the paper, I did not need to know all of this to read it." About 5 minutes in to this review I thought that was going to be my take away here. But I was wrong, the lead-in to the review was both very interesting and built the themes and concepts that paid off in the Sleeping Gods section. One of my favorite reviews and I honestly got slightly emotional when you talked about how much you liked the game.

[@Bluebeetle2008]

Took me a moment to realize how a dude from Tulsa teamed up with a dude from the UK in the early 80's, but then got to the point where that Steve Jackson was not the Other Steve Jackson.

[@blakehorsfield3379]

Steve Jackson UK > Steve Jackson US :-p

[@tylerken000]

Thanks for making these long videos, they are clearly made with a lot of love. Keep up the great work!

[@DullDishwater]

Wow, probably the best thing you've ever done on this channel. Amazing work. Love the long form contextualization.

[@drdanielbirch]

So incredibly well done!! Very much enjoying NPIs new take on these docu-like board game reviews. Thank you for spending the countless hours on producing this great material.

[@EmilyF0915]

Thanks for this incredible video, NPI. I had been interested in playing Sleeping Gods for awhile and my boyfriend and I decided to watch your review over breakfast one morning to see if it was worth tracking down a copy. We didn't look at the run time, and were riveted, shocked to find nearly an hour had passed. Your incredibly thoughtful exploration of these games and their histories is something we still talk about regularly nearly six months later and we both recommend this video to all our gamer friends. Keep up the fantastic work, and thanks for all you do!

[@NoPunIncluded]

ah, thank you so much!

[@johnmarcgreen]

This short doc made me so happy. I collect branching narrative books and games, and now your video will be part of my collection of media about branching narrative media. This film also just made me wistful, a bit sad, and hopeful too. Very thought provoking and so well crafted.

[@lucasmccarthy9905]

This may be the best game review that I have ever watched. So interesting and spot on. Thank you for your thoughtful analysis.

[@choppertown]

I was going to say this, but you already did so. Thumbs up this comment.

[@NonnyOrJonny]

this was lovely to watch! thank you so much for the thorough and thoughtful analysis :)

[@richardcterry]

This is a great piece of work. Love to see this longer form material that gets to really tease out topics. Such a great idea to pair these think pieces with a new game, like you did with Fort. Looking forward to more of this kind of thing.

[@Hippydippy935]

I have been thoroughly enjoying your reviews, unique and leave me thinking about the content for hours later. The last few have been masterpieces. Keep up the great work you two!

[@KeithAndersch]

Another well thought out piece. I really appreciate y'all work in this space.

[@MartinHinsch]

Excellent video. While I started playing RPGs in the 80s I was lucky in that I had a group and a GM who were more interested in cool stories, upgrading the characters and silly humour than in competition (amongst the players and with the GM). Even if we had played D&D (we played MERP, WRPG and Midgard) something like Tomb of Horrors would have completely tanked in our group (or been modified into oblivion). That said, in the early 00s I played for a while in a D&D group GM'd by someone I would consider close to a genius, in any case by far the best GM I've ever played with. He repeatedly managed to describe scenes so vividly and emotionally that we players were literally rendered speechless. Interestingly this GM while being a fantastic story teller was also the only one I knew who openly subscribed to the 'me vs. the group' ethos of early D&D, or at least claimed to do so. He was also one of the few who would occasionally let player characters die. When it happened, however, then always either as an avoidable consequence of (stupid) player actions or - very rarely - to give the story depth. And he was so good at it that the player deaths always (with one exception IIRC where he killed off a persistently annoying player) felt as if they belonged to and in fact enhanced the character's story and left the player with a feeling of closure. So, I think even in a heavily story-centred game permadeath can play a valuable role (if done correctly). The other context where punishing difficulty and/or permadeath make sense in my opinion is when it gives a sort of campy horror feel to the game/story. Sort of like in an over the top creature feature where you *know* that most of the cast will be eaten but you are cheering for the monster anyway so that's totally fine.

[@freedomtweezle8697]

Your reviews, narrative, jokes, and insights are BRILLIANT. Keep it up!! These are board game reviews leveled up.

[@Terabiel]

I'm an old schooler. I was born in 76 and played D&D as early as age 5. I'm bi and trans and a childhood rape survivor. I'm also a member of multiple minorities. Never once has being naked in character been a traumatic experience to me, nor to the best of my knowledge, has any of the hundreds of people I've gamed with, many of them also not male, not straight, not white, or some combination of the above. The Tomb is terrible, yes, but making a character, male or female, played by male or female characters, naked is no more sleazy than the group makes it. And if the group is going to make it sleazy, I guarantee they don't need the nudity to do so. That said, the biggest issue I have with this is your disdain for genderswapping magical items. As a child, this was my very first exposure to the concept, and while it wasn't revelatory in and of itself, it did allow me, a young AMAB who had always felt uncomfortable in my own skin, the freedom to have my male characters become female for a time and experience that. Now, I know you're thinking "Why not play a female character to start with?" I'm sorry, but it wasn't until I was 11 years old that I actually felt comfortable playing a female character except when they were NPCs (I started running my own games at age 8 because, well, someone had to). You sound like you find it sexist or genderist to cast genderswapping in a humorous light, but I have to tell you that Ranma 1/2, which did exactly that, saved my life. It came out my freshman year of highschool and allowed me to finally put into words the unhappiness I'd been feeling for a decade at that point. If you're straight, it's okay to be horrified at swapping genders. And it's okay to have that kind of content in a game that seeks to some degree to replicate life. If you're queer, bi, or trans... maybe having it happen to you will be liberating in some way you wouldn't find out about until much later. I'm not the only player from the old days that experienced a kind of moment of satori from things that happened to my characters, and while (by and large) I've been very lucky to find players who are not jerks, and been lucky to play with so many players outside of my own demographic, I think the modern disdain for having experiences that speak to the fears of many if not most people in the real world is... at best, dismissive and at worst actively harmful. Fantasy worlds can be whatever we want them to be... but if we make them utopias, what is there to fight for?

[@pclynes7]

Completely agree with what you said. Creepy GM's make scenarios creepy, not the details themselves. High level characters losing all their powerful gear makes for interesting role playing. Similarly gender swapping can lead to great roleplaying. If your character was say a misogynistic male, how would he react suddenly being a female. Or if you're a heroic warrior, going off to save the damsel in distress, wouldn't your perspective change by being viewed as that damsel? It allows for character growth and interesting interactions. These ideas are not inherently wrong or bad. It depends on the GM and the gaming group.

[@JohnHoliver]

Thanks for sharing

[@SomeMrMindism]

I think Efka's criticism of the gender-swapping elements was not in the gender swapping itself (I too thought that it could introduce/normalize transexuality), but that gender-swapping was treated as a joke, it was played for laughs. As if: it's ridiculous to play as a female

[@kossowankenobi]

I witnessed one bad case of gender-swapping magic items (there was much ridicule being made of the effects in a public forum), and the trans person standing behind me in the audience got visibly upset and had to leave the room. I was mortified, even as a spectator. It's incredibly hard to navigate these waters, but perspectives like yours can help with the dialogue. Thanks for sharing this.

[@iruns1246]

Nobody you've played with experienced it as traumatic "to the best of your knowledge". Do you think it's wise generalize based on your own (one person's) experience and others that you simply make assumptions of? Also, the worst scenarios can be a great experience if you do it with great people. Maybe a lot of other people aren't as lucky as you to have played them with great people.

[@argaille]

Man, i coud see your reviews for days. The way you speak and "explain things" is addictive.

[@Kaizenoku]

Came for a review, stayed for the history.

[@TheFlood2009]

Thank you for the video. It was absolutely amazing!! Going to watch everything else on the channel now.

[@jackdempsy7104]

Your first 16 mins are brilliant. Eloquently put. I haven’t watched the rest, yet, but wanted to let you know in case I forget to say it by the time I finished watching the rest.

[@simontaverner3121]

What a fantastic video. A cut above the cut above a typical review, I love the fact this discussed some of the wider themes that affect the culture of boardgaming. More like this please!

[@eriksjogren800]

This is so great! Love the run through of historical build up. And agree about the game, so beautiful!

[@pierreguenette6359]

i watch every video you make and they are great. your writting, the way you’re explaning and reviewing is of the chart. but in this video you’ve outdone yourself. this is the best video review i’ve watch and i watch gaming video everyday from different people. keep on the good work and can’t wait for the next one :)

[@pc124122]

loving these longer/documentary style reviews!

[@jartree]

I knew I recognized that voice. Nice job John. Love it when two parts of my world collide.

[@EmrysTernal]

Yeah! I thought that voice sounded familiar, and then I saw the end credits.

[@davidenania7386]

Great quality as always, guys. Love this kind of videos.

[@RyanHipp]

The Love that went into this video from the start to the middle to the finish is so compelling.

[@CreakyTableGames]

I don't generally tune in for the longer videos, but I did and found it enjoyable. Good job!

[@howardgreenwich490]

Bravo! Another brilliant review. I was one of those teens that played D&D with a group of friends in the 80s (in a rural town, a lot like Stanger Things). What you said about those adventure books in the UK (which I had never heard of) rings true for our D&D games, even with the Gygax written modules - whenever something went bad, we just replayed it. It was always about the laughing and re-telling of our hijinks later - I can't imagine having fun if we had really played by the rules. I think that for many, many people who played tabletop D&D the subversion of the Gygaxian storytelling was just making up our own rules as we went along. The DM rolls a d20 and you all die... except a mysterious thing happens and you dont really die and go on to defeat the goblins! Overzealous DMs just got fired. For us geeky, unpopular boys, it was about overcoming the odds and feeling sense of collective adventure and success. However, the core game, as you say, is sexist, racist, homophobic and ableist. In some ways, we embraced the very hyper-masculine norms that made us feel like shit in the real world. For that, we were all responsible, not just Gygax. Anyways, thanks for the thought provoking work you do!

[@sirpoupadou]

Just discovered your channel and thoroughly enjoy these in-depth reviews. I find i learn as well as i figure out if the game reviewed might be for me, which is awesome. Inspiring words and reflectins, thanks for such great material! 👍👍

[@twothirdsanexplosive]

Really enjoyed the dive into the history and your clear thoughts on it the trajectory as a way to frame Sleeping Gods. Hope to see more videos like this from you!

[@Pouk3D]

So much work put into this video, thank you.

[@diegocasanova8735]

Wonderful video, I'm so glad that you two are part of our community, such a positive influence!

[@astrophe-cat]

Gary Gygax developed D&D out of war games. I wonder if he simply failed to see that there is a big difference between the two: Storytelling. While women MIGHT be less intrigued to "play general" and order troops around, the storytelling aspect of RPGs is much more appealing (see also Randy Pausch's video on how his female students were equally excited about programming computer simulations but for slightly different reason). In the end, Gygax & Co. likely created a self-fullfilling prophecy by assuming female players are not interested, so writing content that focused on appealing one gender more than others.

[@jimvalentine8952]

Ha, much as I love the idea of Dark Souls being a key example of sudden death and repetition leading to learning in a fantasy setting... my empty wallet as a kid says Dragon’s Lair got there first ;)

[@writerian]

This was brilliant! It was intelligent, enthralling, entertaining and just plain enjoyable. The best board game review I've ever seen. You've got yourself a new subscriber. Thanks so much for this! Cheers!

[@haloslippin6894]

Your videos are so great, man. Just had to share that. You are obviously super passionate about the games you talk about and it comes through so well.

[@kovray]

Youre simply incredible. The amount of time these must take , I cant even imagine but so insightful, so much great perspective and thought provoking conversation to be had. Super thankful youre in this space.

[@NoPunIncluded]

Thank you Ilya and or Tylor. Please make sure Beasley and Maggie get extra pets today - it's v. important.

[@heyitsMattyP]

Loved your insight into breaking down the adversarial nature and culture of early D&D. Great work!

[@konstantinossklavenitis6372]

Trial and error in games and more specifically in video games was a tool in the hands of creators to make a game bigger and more challenging with the tools,technology and ideas of their time. While you chose dark souls as trial and error example you skipped decades and thousands of “3 lives and game over” games (there were always exceptions to the rule but the general rule was this). The games were at most 30-40minutes from start to finish without dying.Later we had stage codes, saves, checkpoints etc They evolved they “matured” and the games managed to become more complex ,bigger ,better (IMO) Both video games, board games and role playing games started from somewhere,sometime in the past and reflected the place ,time and their target group back then. They weren’t made with targeting the future or the changes in society. Boys were playing with balls and guns and and girls with dolls and dollhouses . The marketing was more black or white no shades of gray(don’t know if it was intentional). The exceptions were games which had features so fresh or so polished that became later classics and their core mechanics transcended time and they are even today playable. And even those games newer generation of players with the standards of today will not give them a second glance ( I see it from my younger sister when I show her games earlier than 90s it is always the same response - it is nice considering it’s age ). Anyway thank you again for the video and keep up the good work.

[@thishurtsyouinquisitor3797]

A fantastic and thoughtful review of both the game and history of narrative decisionmaking in board games. Well worth watching.

[@patrickvalo8822]

This style of video really works for you. Id love to see more like this sometimes. It was really cool

[@Trystaticus]

As a fan of Ryan Laukat's who has not played Sleeping Gods, you had me in total suspense leading up to 35:00. Great to see you had a rewarding time with it; I really think Ryan's one of the most interesting minds in games right now. Love the video as always, and thanks for all the hard work.

[@kikiah9586]

I’m really loving this new format. Please keep it up. One thing I would I just challenge is the point on 7th continent not being able to reset. Some things I’d say is: - It isn’t a coop game. It really is a solo game pretending to be coop and your criticisms are incredibly valid. No one wants to “cheat” with other players around. - While obviously not what intended, I think 7th continent is a joy to play if you really don’t take it’s mechanisms too seriously and focus on the exploration. There are times where I’ve just decided “close enough” and given myself the success. - I’d also argue that map-making while encouraged but not mandatory for 7th continent really does help make the game special. When I look back at my tabbed book of maps and see the scribbled totems and danger signs it really does make me feel like I am discovering and learning. The game almost demands this type of side project or you are right it is very difficult to reset without restarting. All that said, Does the fact i am consciously and often subverting the rules mean it had major design flaws? Yes. Does the need for labour intensive side project (map-making) to make things easier mean that they probably should have provided something themselves? Yes Does it desperately need failing forward mechanics and I pray 7th Citadel will? Yes Does everything you said about HP lovercraft ring true. YESSSS. Designers really need to stop putting real people in games. To conclude, I can’t say 7th Continent is a good game but a great experience and I really do think if one is able to look past it’s flaws what it provides is honestly awe-inspiring.

[@goodlookingcorpse]

0:41 Missed opportunity to say "We acquired them in...[narrows eyes and steeples hands] other ways."

[@mkaiww]

Previously I've only heard the scenario with 3000 copper pieces presented not of a joke "you have all this money but can't use it hahaha" but as a puzzle "you have all this money how are you going to make it so you can use it?"

[@michael3123]

Fantastic video, love what you are doing with these videos! Please keep them coming.

[@Tablenauts]

Such a good video. Thank you for creating it.

[@jean-philipperoyer9891]

Many thanks for your time, talent and efforts!

[@thomasgits7433]

Loved every second of this video! Thanks for investing so much time and energy into the history of "CYOA and role-play games". I'm a big fan of the genre and never found a video on this subject that had so much attention for modern life topics. I'm subscribing to your channel! And i'll be looking forward to similar videos of you :)

[@DonBisdorf]

Thanks for another well-written deep dive.

[@marymamabear5415]

This is so well done, and it is just what our hobby needs thank you!!!!

[@nicholaspollock3616]

What an amazing video. Brilliant work!

[@ToasterDude1]

Wow. This was a very enjoyable journey trough gaming history. Thank you.

[@onemikeonegame]

I have been thoroughly impressed with your last few videos (not that I didn't like your previous videos, but wow!) and this one has only set the bar higher. You are definitely taking board game videos in a great direction.

[@lucypatton42]

Ya know, while watching this I was thinking how your recent in depth videos have reminded me of hbomberguy video essays. Then you mentioned him!!

[@NoPunIncluded]

Have you missed out on our Catan video? You should check it out if you have.

[@AlmightyCow1]

Fantastic video! I thoroughly enjoyed that.

[@koltasxx]

Oh yeah Baldur's Gate in Lithuania - brings back memories

[@PeterHaderlein]

Fantastic video! Great insight into how board game narrative and mechanics changed for the better to produce something cool.

[@Chevalerezk]

Fantastically interesting! Thank you!!

[@aaronbosch6561]

Yes, please! I love these deep dives into games and the inequities inherent in them.

[@phryas]

Great video, not just a review but a history lesson!

[@GiovanniNaufal]

Ok, now I can finally listen to the podcast episode! Great video, and great storytelling. It definitely got me interested in this game!

[@jedipoz]

Great job as always!

[@CheveeDodd]

I don't watch a lot of board content because, for the most part, tabletop time is more about socializing for me and less about finding the next game to fill my shelves. So happy I found this video though. This is the kind of personal, in-depth content I love to see across many YT genres. More please! Oh, and Sleeping Gods is frigging amazing. We played through 2 campaigns in about a month (2 player) and it has been some of the most amazing time at the table I've experienced in the past decade.

[@tangentric]

This would have to be one of my favourite of all your videos - I'm on my third watch. While I'm not saying all your reviews need to be so grandiose, the insight in this is just delicious

[@yobasux]

I was concerned at the length of this review at first but I watched every minute and liked the history showing your issues with the genre. I look forward to seeing you play this on twitch. I have enjoyed every play you have done on there and I have been missing your guys . Saying that, I enjoyed your hades playthrough too.

[@PetrVojtech]

Just wanted to stop by and say thank you for this amazing video. Good job!

[@rossjaax]

I don’t stay tuned for board game reviews of over 20 minutes, unless it is a NPI review. Excellent!

[@garathon66]

Amazing video guys. Really loved it.

[@banditbrothers3972]

Loved this video. Absolutely cool analysis and great breakdown of earlier fantasy tabletops. Kudo's!

[@adamjohnson672]

This is probably the best documentary I ever watched.

[@zanchito]

Damn such a great video. Excellent arguments, interesting topic and amiable and honest host. Thank you for sharing!

[@alfyb4512]

The way many of these games handles death/failure is a perennial issue. From 7th Continent to Tainted Grail to all their predecessors, this is something I’m really hoping designers will give more attention in the future. Good to see Sleeping God is showing the way.

[@channingjones]

I really like games likes this one that progresses the art of making games. Also thanks for providing all the background and history of the genre, too, very interesting! I feel videos like these are a more mature form of critique, like we see in other art forms.

[@wallyvdb87]

Maybe it's because I can totally relate with everything you say about 7th continent, maybe it's because you give sooo much depth, history and awareness in a sooo compelling way, or maybe it's because I also Love Sleeping Gods for it's mechanisms And storytelling... But this must be the BEST review I EVER watched! (And made me become a patreon without a doubt!) Keep up this phenomenal work! 👊

[@maxmartinez7123]

You guys, made an awesome review of the game and the topics. Congrats, really!

[@thewobblyninja]

thumbs up for all the extra history on "choose your own adventure" history

[@steffen6252]

Just a fantastic video! Amazing job, I was enthralled throughout. Now I just wish I could buy Sleeping Gods somewhere...

[@LordoftheBoard]

Didn’t back the Kickstarter and now I’m KICKING MYSELF. Gonna have to go pick it up! Loved how this was framed and built up. And then you put in payoffs at the end and I just love that. well done!

[@JM32JM32]

There's no kickstarter exclusive content, don't worry!

[@LordoftheBoard]

@@JM32JM32 YAY good to know :) thank you

[@NoPunIncluded]

Thanks Sam. Let me know how you get on with it!

[@Linnir]

Watching this again as sleeping gods is close. A really entertaining video, you really do a good job!

[@katstar1982]

This video was so smart, so insightful, so beautifully articulated. And I enjoy Tomb of Horrors! But seriously, thank you for this. When you directly addressed me (and all women who love games), in response to Gygax's "determinism" comment, I got a bit choked up.

[@adraogames826]

Very interesting that you take the history and process of game development all the way back! I read most Fighting Fantasy gamebooks when I was a kid, and was a DM for many years. The Warlock of Firetop Mountain is a classic, and always deserves a mention as it kick-started the gamebook genre. However, Interactive Fiction in general has greatly improved in the last 10 years or so, overcoming many of the pitfalls of earlier games (as all games genres do). There are many such examples Choice of Games, or their sister label Hosted Games.

[@patrickperl8741]

Your analyses are top notch! I don't always agree but I find your reviews and videos absolutely fantastic. I'm a huge fan!

[@josejasso3298]

Such a great video. Thank you

[@christopherhealey8807]

Efka, thanks. Considered and thoughtful as always with a passion and a good narrative structure. `No death traps here. My first play through of sleeping gods with my wife was our first true campaign of anything, we ended up rushing the last hour to finish but 20 hours of sitting and learning and exploring was fun. Most important issues is as you say to enjoy the story and art as you do! Cheers again

[@JM32JM32]

Legacy of Dragonholt was ***so good*** and now I need to play it again

[@adamanderson1979]

Sadly replaying it myself, not as strong as the first game. That said, let’s all keep vigil that a sequel will come.

[@raffaelsteinmann7296]

What's so good about it? Should I give it a go?