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Overdue Who Review: The Power of Kroll

Season 16, 1978-1979, 4 parts, Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker)

All the tropes of classic Doctor Who are here – a corporation looking to exploit resources which disturbs an otherwise peaceful monster, in turn worshipped by the local savages who are controlled by a zealous high priest. The only thing missing is the myopic scientist over-invested in his work.

I can’t get over Neil McCarthy’s face – he’s the actor who plays the head company man Thawn. He also played Calibos in the 1981 Clash of the Titan and was in the movie Zulu! I feel for the actors and crew having to film on location in a marsh, and Wikipedia tells me the green dye used on the ‘swampies’ (what a name) wouldn’t come off for some time after production ended. All in all not a terrible episode, but pretty par for the course.

Next: The Armageddon Factor

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20 Minute Monster Series: AD&D Monster Manual

In 2022 I started a drawing series in which I attempted to draw a monster from each letter of the alphabet from the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual (1977).

These were livestreamed on my twitch and my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Donqe1si-cY&list=PL0iWsCKEXj0CBn2c0LgbRb2NzCy6F21T3

I went through the same process for the Fiend Folio and as of this writing I am working my way through the Monster Manual II so come visit on Sunday mornings!

I also post to instagram @torenatkinsonartist

If you enjoy what I do please send me a dollar on patreon!

https://www.patreon.com/torenatkinson

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Overdue Who Review: The Androids of Tara

Season 16, 1978, 4 episodes

Fourth story in the Key of Time series. The Doctor and Romana split up immediately and Romana is captured by the evil Count Grendel, who is using android duplicates to try to seize the throne. The Doctor and K9 have to rescue Romana twice, culminating in a sword duel. Also the princess is a doppelganger of Romana for an unexplained reason. 

A fairly basic plot with low stakes, which could have been improved with tighter writing and directing. Apparently this is a take on The Prisoner of Zenda, which I have not read. Baker and Tamm have a good time. Not what I would call an essential episode by any stretch, but there’s horses and regal garb so there’s that.

Next up: The Power of Kroll

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Post-Apocalyptic Movie Review: Slipstream (1989)

“By the end of the century” climate change has destroyed most of civilization and created a “river of wind” call the slipstream. A small time, fast-talking, womanizing crook (Bill Paxton) absconds with the quarry (the well dressed “Byron”) of two bounty hunters (Mark Hamill and Kitty Aldridge). An airplane chase takes the characters to a sect of wind-worshippers who crucify Byron on a kite in a windstorm, until the enemies call a truce to rescue him. We learn Byron is more than he appears. A lady appears and leads the fugitives to her home – a hidden museum – which has the residents worried for their security. Rightly so, because the bounty hunters show up and all hell breaks loose.

Sloppy, confusing outing by Star Wars producer and Tron director. The audience is just as lost as the characters, although they….might…be looking for balloons? The actors do what they can with trite lines that they shoot at eachother. Ben Kingsley and F Murray Abraham are astonishingly confined to very small roles in dark corners where the camera struggles to make them out. The aircraft are barely kept aloft by Elmer “Ghostbusters” Bernstein score as they languidly glide after each other. All in all a waste of talent and resources that could have made something good.

Tropes: opening narration explains apocalypse; asshole who is shitty to woman gets the woman; bounty hunters; poisoned hero requires antidote before critical time passes; hidden enclave of rich aristocrats; robot discovers love; plane crashes don’t hurt anyone.

Toren’s rating: 4/10

Now back to Toren’s Post-Apocalyptic Movie Guide

https://tubitv.com/movies/326258/slipstream

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Post-Apocalyptic Movie Review: Rats: Night of Terror (1984)

225 A.B. (after the bomb) a gang of dimwits in leather garb, headbands and spiked gloves roams into a ghost town and investigate a… hotel? bar? where they find a greenhouse, a source of clean water and food, as well as an inscrutable computer. Each howling dumdum is killed in turn by hordes of insatiable “mutant” rats despite being able to walk away at any time.

Rats were absolutely harmed in the making of this film, including set on fire. Beyond that, the motivations and statements of the characters are mercurial and conflicting, and the acting is generally gawdawful. Is it so bad it’s good? I wouldn’t go that far, but one saving grace is the corpse that explodes with rats.

Watch out for the twist ending!

Tropes: opening narration and text crawl; sudden but inevitable betrayal; recording explains everything; woman screams and screams; mystic

Toren’s rating: 3/10

Now back to Toren’s Post-Apocalyptic Movie Guide

As of publication you can watch Rats: Night of Terror on Tubi.

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Toren’s Taiwan Trip 19: Ocean Fantasy Museum at Chengching Lake, Niaosong District, Kaohsiung (A Sad Octopus)

TUESDAY MARCH 8 2022

About a half hour Easty (Northy) of downtown Kaohsiung there is a pleasant lake called Chengcing Lake. There’s lots of very pleasant park area around it.

Here’s the 2-star hotel “Chengching Lakefront Resort right next to the Ocean Fantasy Museum.

The lake looks nice, but don’t touch

Ooh – Lions Club lion looks different than the one in Canada

There’s a nice walk along the edge of the lake with many things to see!

Check out the marvelous Nine-Cornered Bridge! I think corners are supposed to confuse ghosts, so they made the bridge zig-zaggy? Maybe? I guess watch out for ghosts when you’re not on the bridge.

Finally, the Ocean Fantasy Museum, built from a converted anti-nuclear underground bunker!! It’s fascinating as a piece of cold war history, and also as a fairly humdrum aquarium with sad animals.

And now, a gallery of sad sea creatures

Tragic octopus.

Here’s a video I found on youtube touring the facility:

In conclusion, the park and lake are lovely to visit and a nice walk. I found the museum fascinating due to its history, with kitschy art, but the octopus and other marine animals in small sterile cells made me feel sad inside. I feel like this would be a nice park to bike around if I had the chance.

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Toren’s Taiwan Travel Blog 18: Sanduo Shopping District (Kaohsiung)

Monday March 7

A ‘rest’ day today so we went to the FE21’ Mega Far Eastern Department Store Kaohsiung Branch to watch The Batman and do a little shopping.

it’s got The Enterprise int he little window but it looks like the Infinity Gauntlet.

I love these Japanese Hotwheels – they’re very interesting

a closer look

Did not buy

Back home I wandered around the nearby night market and got a Taiwanese shawarma. Quite different than what I’m used to in Vancouver, but tasty

Next time: Ocean Fantasy Museum at Chengching Lake, Niaosong District, Kaohsiung City

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Toren’s Taiwan Trip 17: Return to Lotus Pond

SUNDAY MARCH 6 2022

Had some unscheduled time today so, after I grabbed breakfast from Mei Zi Quan Breakfast Restaurant 美滋泉早餐店 (or maybe it was Tian Tian Wu Breakfast Restaurant 甜甜屋早餐店),

I walked aimlessly and found myself at Anning Street where umbrellas decorated the space between buildings overhead

Time to grab a U-Bike!

And go where? Why a little bike tour from Lane 450 to Lotus Pond and back. Like this:

The Love River

Finally, did a little bit of shopping at PX Mart

Next: Sanduo Shopping District

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100 NPC Names Your Players Will Remember (Probably) – Part Two: Actor Names

For part one, see https://torenatkinson.com/2023/09/07/100-npc-names-your-players-will-remember-probably-part-one-car-names/

One issue I’ve noticed both as a player and DM is that names of non-player characters get lost in the mix, sometimes because they are too banal or otherwise forgettable. If you as a DM want your players to remember that important NPC’s name, I’m here to help you pick one!

My friend Tony on facebook said “As a GM I am not a fan of celebrity or joke names in serious games as it breaks immersion for me.” and I get that. I’m not putting names like Bogart and Pacino on this list because I think they might be TOO ripe for caricatures. One way to mitigate this concern is to swap gender, for example: Theron the dwarf priest; Lugosi the tabaxi handmaid. Another trick is to use old-timey celeb names for groups of younger players, and names of hot new tiktokkers for groups of old grognards. The players might have heard these names peripherally, but can’t connect them with an individual. So hopefully they will remember the names without a preconceived association – if that is your wish.

The idea here is using familiar names as a ‘hook’ to jog player memory. You, the GM, control the NPCs personality and looks. There may even be a few names on this list that resonate with you but you can’t place them without googling!

Anouk
Arkin
Bela (a baron?)
Bo (alt: Beau)
Bronson
Chavalier (a chancellor or chamberlain?)
Claude (alt: Klod)
Cobb
Crispin
Cybill
Damon (definitely NOT a tiefling, heh heh)
De Havilland
Dench (a deputy?)
Diaz (a duchess or duke?)
Eckhart
Elba
Firestone
Forest (a priest? Father Forest, or Forrest)
Furlong
Goldie
Guillaume (gee-yohm)
Gwyneth (a traditional Welsh name for happiness)
Hagen
Harrison
Herzog (sounds like an orc or bugbear to me)
Hoagy
Humphrey
Irrfan
Izzard (…the lizard wizard?)
Jada
Jaffe (alt: Jaffey)
Joaquin
Karloff
Keitel
Khan
Kiefer
Kingsley
Klaus
Krige (alt: Kreeg)
Kruger
Kubrick
Lakshmi
Lancaster
Langella
Lansbury (a legate? Legate Lansbury?)
Lithgow (lord or lady?)
Lugosi
Lundgren (a lieutenant?)
Mads
Mervyn
Mifune (a magistrate?)
Monaghan (a marquis?)
Morgan
Nimoy
Novak
Odenkirk
Ogden
Omar
Orlando
Orson
Palance
Patel (Prince Patel?)
Pfeiffer (Fifer)
Quan
Quinn
Radcliff
Radner
Rama
Rathbone
Ratzenberger
Red
Richter
Rockwell
Rogen (alt: Rogan)
Rutger
Sandoval
Sarsgaard
Savalas
Scarlett
Seacrest (the notorious)
Sigourney
Simu
Skelton
Slezak
Sloane
Stormare
Sutherland (alt: Southerland)
Swinton
Takashi
Talia
Tallulah
Tautou
Theron
Tremayne
Uma
Viggo (a vassal, no doubt)
Vincent
Voight (alt: Voyt)
Warwick
Winkler
Wolfard
Yaphet
Yul
Zane

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY… 500 Post-Apocalyptic Place Names https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/370354/500-PostApocalyptic-Place-Names

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Toren’s Taiwan Trip 16: Taiwan Sugar Factory (Qiaotou District, Kaohsiung)

SATURDAY MARCH 5 2022

Drove the car to Taiwan Sugar Factory Museum in Qiaotou district (North Kaohsiung). Took many photos of rusty textures and post-apocalyptic structures. Enjoyed a Taiwanese sausage and Pocari Sweat.

The site was quite interesting also because it was build under the Japanese occupation. The main office building had gun holes to defend people resisting Japanese authority. Also according to this site https://topics.amcham.com.tw/2020/07/taiwans-sugar-industry/ US bombers targeted Taiwan sugar factories because they also produced ethanol.

For less crappy photos check out https://www.taisugar.com.tw/english/Attractions_detail.aspx?n=11997&s=318&p=0

In the evening we went to a Japanese BBQ place where the service was slow, unfriendly, and a homeless guy selling stuff kept coming and the staff yelled at him. A barking dog sat nearby. We were there OVER 2 HOURS and I was very bored so I walked around outside to stertch my legs and take photos of things!

Next – bike ride to Lotus Pond!