Well, another thing is that we barely get content. We used to have a book every three or four months, now, I don't remember the last time one came out.
Oh for gods' sake, it was only the middle of the summer! Admittedly, with the COMPLETE ball drop they had with Paths (and Paths in general, terrible call) the flow of info has grown to a slow syruppy consistancy. Still, TPF hasn't been out THAT long guys. It only launched on July 7th. I suppose the very least they could do would be toss us another webcomic more frequently, but those things are REALLY labor intensive with no immediate payoff.* Still, I will continue to grouse about them killing some sort of book for reprints of the webcomics.
*the payoff is long term with the webcomics. they keep the readers interested long enough for the revelations to come into play when the novels launch.
Ok so, A. concerning Bolas: I realize that he wants revenge against all these people that caused the Mending that stole his powers blah, blah, blah, but, correct me if I'm wrong, wouldn't the majority of these older characters be dead by now? Especially since the Mending ripped the nigh-immortality out of planeswalkers. I seem to remember it being said somewhere that, currently where we are in our storyline, is many years after the Mending.
But it does not mean that said old people didn't find a way or so to strengthen themselves/lengthen their lives. (Unless they were the less brilliant of Old Planeswalkers) I mean Sorin did and he's still around, tho depowered.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Serra Stan - Angel Enthusiast - Garruk and Tyvar thirsty follower - Flavor and Art Enthusiast
But it does not mean that said old people didn't find a way or so to strengthen themselves/lengthen their lives. (Unless they were the less brilliant of Old Planeswalkers) I mean Sorin did and he's still around, tho depowered.
In all fairness, Sorin might not have relied upon "I iz made of manaz" that all the other ones did. I mean, his magic IS Sangromancy, which tends to consolidate power by shedding blood.
In other words, he might be oldwalker powerful just because he's spilled that much blood for power. Y'know... Minus the shapechange and I'm calculating a Pi to the trillionth place while doing my crossword mental state. (which always was some real BS)
In all fairness, Sorin might not have relied upon "I iz made of manaz" that all the other ones did. I mean, his magic IS Sangromancy, which tends to consolidate power by shedding blood.
In other words, he might be oldwalker powerful just because he's spilled that much blood for power. Y'know... Minus the shapechange and I'm calculating a Pi to the trillionth place while doing my crossword mental state. (which always was some real BS)
Plus Sorin's a vampire, so doesn't that like naturally make him immortal or something?
I really don't know if Sorin is undead like most vampires (I tend to say no because, you know, undead beings normally cannot be planeswalkers), but he definitely is a vampire in the biological sense IMO. Just look at him... his look is typically vampiric (pale skin, bloody glowing eyes, sharp teeth).
Well, I meant that it was his magic that vamped him instead of something like the Zendivamps, which we've been led to believe is like the scifi vamps. All viral and junk.
So you mean that he turned himself into a vampire by using magic to preserve his eternal life? That's a brilliant idea! I'm quite sure Liliana would be seriously interested in this spell if she knew Sorin...
That's just my take on it. I can't swear to his origins.
Regardless of whether or not your origin idea is completely correct, I think you're right that Sorin is fundamentally different from the Zendikar vampires. I'll have to look it up, but I think one of the Guide posts included a quote from him that discussed the Zendivamps as though they were of a different lineage.
@Tezzeret:
Yeah, I tend to like stories that include interesting characters, whether I can relate to their specific circumstances or not. I can see how "Bolas: The Novel" would receive mixed reviews, though.
Look, whatever kind of vampire Sorin was before his ascension doesn't matter. Once someone becomes a planeswalker, be it Old Style or neowalker, all bets are off.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
[I was permabanned and all I got to show for it was .... well, nothing.]
...Bolas is probably the least relatable character in the Multiverse since Yawgmoth. That's just my point of view though...
Tezzeret, how could you not see it? I've always felt that Bolas was a kind of creative snub to all the fans who dislike the Mending. In his contempt, at the very least, he is relatable. As to his incompetence... well, that's another topic entirely.
I do hope CotCV triumphs in the face of adversity, though. Knowing that tPF was to be the last publication for the year really thwarted a lot of the momentum Creative built around the published content. Basically, we're not going to receive any new information concerning the world of Magic for close to nine months (Path really shouldn't have disrupted publishing schedules except maybe to be added as a separate bonus), so CotCV has a lot of pressure on it.
Well, more than the usual boatload of mismanagement the content receives at least.
Yeah, but it's Bolas. I'd be offended if he didn't completely fail to defeat an enemy with not even a hundredth of his experience or power. At least Ajani wasn't wearing a dress. So I guess that's a minor improvement over his last fail.
You know what? Phyrexia should kill him. If they're bringing them back, have Croag or Gix or somebody tear him to pieces for good this time. They're a hell of a lot better and more interesting as the main antagonist(s) than the stupid lizard.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
AIM - EidTelNVil
Xbox Live - eidtelnvil
PlayStation Network - eidtelnvil
Currently reading It by Stephen King
Currently playing Persona 4
And that's fine. I personally liked Yawgmoth as an antagonist, but people can have different opinions on whether or not he's interesting or effective. But Bolas? He's messed up royally with everything he's tried to do. Presumably, he's had millions of plans that worked out just fine ... but we have to take his word for it, because every master plan we've seen him orchestrate has failed miserably. He has great prose in McGough's or Marmell's hands, but so did, say, Szadek. The difference between Szadek and Bolas is that Szadek was an evil mastermind that had plans that actually worked.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
AIM - EidTelNVil
Xbox Live - eidtelnvil
PlayStation Network - eidtelnvil
Currently reading It by Stephen King
Currently playing Persona 4
And that's fine. I personally liked Yawgmoth as an antagonist, but people can have different opinions on whether or not he's interesting or effective. But Bolas? He's messed up royally with everything he's tried to do. Presumably, he's had millions of plans that worked out just fine ... but we have to take his word for it, because every master plan we've seen him orchestrate has failed miserably. He has great prose in McGough's or Marmell's hands, but so did, say, Szadek. The difference between Szadek and Bolas is that Szadek was an evil mastermind that had plans that actually worked.
Except McGough and Marmell never wrote Szadek.
Herndon is the only one to have ever written the vampire.
As for how well his plans worked... sort of depends on if you see the glass half-empty or half-full.
Also, I agree with Tezzeret about Yawgmoth. The Thran was the only time I found him compelling AT ALL. Aside from that, I thought Volrath was about a hundred times more interesting than any other phyrexian agent on the antagonist side. Gix is at least a close second.
Yes, that was what I was saying. It probably would've been clearer if I would've said "Bolas has good dialogue (as long as Beyer isn't writing him). But so does Szadek. The difference is that Szadek's plans are actually interesting and successful. Whereas Bolas's are overtly stupid and fail in overtly stupid ways."
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
AIM - EidTelNVil
Xbox Live - eidtelnvil
PlayStation Network - eidtelnvil
Currently reading It by Stephen King
Currently playing Persona 4
I am tired of the "villain with a plan!" Yawgmoth, Szadek, Bolas, Laquatus...almost every villain in Magic has to have a massive plan in order to move the story along. I hope that with the Eldrazi coming into the storyline that they are huge beasts with not alot going on in their heads. MtG could really do with a brood-type storyline where the protagonists don't have to scooby do their way into stopping the bad guys plans
Yeah, I'm a fan of the Chessmaster trope. But the difference between Bolas and Szadek is that Szadek really is a Chessmaster, whereas Bolas thinks he is, but is usually quite inept.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
AIM - EidTelNVil
Xbox Live - eidtelnvil
PlayStation Network - eidtelnvil
Currently reading It by Stephen King
Currently playing Persona 4
Well, I like plans. But I see a huge difference in whose plan it is. When a protagonist has a super-complicated plan, I don't mind it being imperfect or even stupid (remember Urza?). But a villain's plans should better work, or at least they should be well-laid. What Nicol Bolas calls "plans" is usually ridiculous...
We have had the villain with a plan since the birth of Yawgmoth! Yawgy basically had a chess set in "The Thran" that he used with powerstones during the fight...it just gets old and after 30+ novels it is time to break the mold and try something a little different.
I don't mind chessmasters on small scales. Szadek was great because his entire plan unfolded across one block. We didn't get a random bit here and there and have Brady tell us that its just part of a larger plan. At some point the peices will be so scattered across the books that the plan either has to be...
A) Extremely simple for us to grasp it.
B) Unseeable. As the nuances of Bolas's plans would be lost on us.
Also you have to read all the books that he's in in order to grasp the plan.
Small chessmasters are fun if used sparingly, having a multibook scheme just seems like a bad idea.
Yeah, that's what I think is going to happen as well.
Bolas - "Curses and drat! My master plan foiled!"
Readers - "Wow, that was stupid."
Brady - "Part of a larger plan."
Bolas - "Haha! Victory is mine! Hey, what does this do?"
Readers - "What an idiot."
Brady - "Larger plan. Part of it."
Bolas - "Yes! After centuries of planning now I can, oh, why do I even bother?"
Readers - "Zzzzz."
Brady - "Larger. Get ready for it."
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
AIM - EidTelNVil
Xbox Live - eidtelnvil
PlayStation Network - eidtelnvil
Currently reading It by Stephen King
Currently playing Persona 4
Yeah, that's what I think is going to happen as well.
Bolas - "Curses and drat! My master plan foiled!"
Readers - "Wow, that was stupid."
Brady - "Part of a larger plan."
Bolas - "Haha! Victory is mine! Hey, what does this do?"
Readers - "What an idiot."
Brady - "Larger plan. Part of it."
Bolas - "Yes! After centuries of planning now I can, oh, why do I even bother?"
Readers - "Zzzzz."
Brady - "Larger. Get ready for it."
that has been the thing from day one, even in Yawgmoth's hayday. We are suckers and trust the creative team will bring somehting big about and usually they fail at doing so: ie Karona.
Well, I think it's really down to the author's execution. Szadek's plan, and Mairsil's way back in the day, were generally enjoyable. But, yeah, if it's part of a larger multi-block storyline, the big reveal usually ends up being stupid. "Why did Yawgmoth even bother with the Invasion if he was just going to show up and kill everybody in two minutes?" "How is dying repeatedly part of Bolas's genius plan?"
That, and I generally enjoy disliking Bolas.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
AIM - EidTelNVil
Xbox Live - eidtelnvil
PlayStation Network - eidtelnvil
Currently reading It by Stephen King
Currently playing Persona 4
Well, we can have a villain who's thoughtlessly destroying everything and everyone without any plans, but would that be enjoyable?
This post almost made me weep. It holds deep, but very sad truth...
I love the Brood in X-men. The borg is the only thing I liek about Startrek. Every villain doesn't have to sit back in a chair and plan out every single detail by like writing out a list.
1) Send minions.
2) Appear mysteriously in th emiddle of their journey.
3) Make big reveal everyone will love!
4) Tell the good guys what my plan was all about!
5) Win.
Let's jus thave a villain that likes to kill or a mindless gorup of monsters(hopefully Eldrazi) trying to destroy the Multiverse and the walkers need to stop them.
The villain with a plan is just a writing tool and Magic has been a one trick pony from the beginning with their villains. Szadek, Lim dull, Yawgy, Mishra...all of them were "smart" and in the end all of them end up dying, like Eid said, in such a stupid situation that it makes the whole story a joke at times. Ie: Bolas mirror fight in Alara.
I'd like to see another villain like Hidetsugu. One who has an aura of malevolence but only goes bat☺☺☺☺ berserk when provoked. There need not be any Szadek-like plots or Yawgmothian scheming. Just a pissed off, bloodthirsty murder machine...that is suitably pissed off.
Hidetsugu didn't die, if you remember. In fact, he did the polar opposite.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Jace was an awesome character and the neo-walkers seem like they will be a good concept given what I read in Agents of Artifice.
Oh for gods' sake, it was only the middle of the summer! Admittedly, with the COMPLETE ball drop they had with Paths (and Paths in general, terrible call) the flow of info has grown to a slow syruppy consistancy. Still, TPF hasn't been out THAT long guys. It only launched on July 7th. I suppose the very least they could do would be toss us another webcomic more frequently, but those things are REALLY labor intensive with no immediate payoff.* Still, I will continue to grouse about them killing some sort of book for reprints of the webcomics.
*the payoff is long term with the webcomics. they keep the readers interested long enough for the revelations to come into play when the novels launch.
But it does not mean that said old people didn't find a way or so to strengthen themselves/lengthen their lives. (Unless they were the less brilliant of Old Planeswalkers) I mean Sorin did and he's still around, tho depowered.
Serra Stan - Angel Enthusiast - Garruk and Tyvar thirsty follower - Flavor and Art Enthusiast
In all fairness, Sorin might not have relied upon "I iz made of manaz" that all the other ones did. I mean, his magic IS Sangromancy, which tends to consolidate power by shedding blood.
In other words, he might be oldwalker powerful just because he's spilled that much blood for power. Y'know... Minus the shapechange and I'm calculating a Pi to the trillionth place while doing my crossword mental state. (which always was some real BS)
Plus Sorin's a vampire, so doesn't that like naturally make him immortal or something?
Depends on the type of vamp.
I think he's only a vamp by way of magic anyways, as opposed to cursed or biologically changed.
Well, I meant that it was his magic that vamped him instead of something like the Zendivamps, which we've been led to believe is like the scifi vamps. All viral and junk.
That's just my take on it. I can't swear to his origins.
Regardless of whether or not your origin idea is completely correct, I think you're right that Sorin is fundamentally different from the Zendikar vampires. I'll have to look it up, but I think one of the Guide posts included a quote from him that discussed the Zendivamps as though they were of a different lineage.
@Tezzeret:
Yeah, I tend to like stories that include interesting characters, whether I can relate to their specific circumstances or not. I can see how "Bolas: The Novel" would receive mixed reviews, though.
FRAGMENTS: A Shards of Alara Anthology
Tezzeret, how could you not see it? I've always felt that Bolas was a kind of creative snub to all the fans who dislike the Mending. In his contempt, at the very least, he is relatable. As to his incompetence... well, that's another topic entirely.
I do hope CotCV triumphs in the face of adversity, though. Knowing that tPF was to be the last publication for the year really thwarted a lot of the momentum Creative built around the published content. Basically, we're not going to receive any new information concerning the world of Magic for close to nine months (Path really shouldn't have disrupted publishing schedules except maybe to be added as a separate bonus), so CotCV has a lot of pressure on it.
Well, more than the usual boatload of mismanagement the content receives at least.
You know what? Phyrexia should kill him. If they're bringing them back, have Croag or Gix or somebody tear him to pieces for good this time. They're a hell of a lot better and more interesting as the main antagonist(s) than the stupid lizard.
Xbox Live - eidtelnvil
PlayStation Network - eidtelnvil
Currently reading It by Stephen King
Currently playing Persona 4
Xbox Live - eidtelnvil
PlayStation Network - eidtelnvil
Currently reading It by Stephen King
Currently playing Persona 4
Except McGough and Marmell never wrote Szadek.
Herndon is the only one to have ever written the vampire.
As for how well his plans worked... sort of depends on if you see the glass half-empty or half-full.
Also, I agree with Tezzeret about Yawgmoth. The Thran was the only time I found him compelling AT ALL. Aside from that, I thought Volrath was about a hundred times more interesting than any other phyrexian agent on the antagonist side. Gix is at least a close second.
Xbox Live - eidtelnvil
PlayStation Network - eidtelnvil
Currently reading It by Stephen King
Currently playing Persona 4
Xbox Live - eidtelnvil
PlayStation Network - eidtelnvil
Currently reading It by Stephen King
Currently playing Persona 4
A) Extremely simple for us to grasp it.
B) Unseeable. As the nuances of Bolas's plans would be lost on us.
Also you have to read all the books that he's in in order to grasp the plan.
Small chessmasters are fun if used sparingly, having a multibook scheme just seems like a bad idea.
Bolas - "Curses and drat! My master plan foiled!"
Readers - "Wow, that was stupid."
Brady - "Part of a larger plan."
Bolas - "Haha! Victory is mine! Hey, what does this do?"
Readers - "What an idiot."
Brady - "Larger plan. Part of it."
Bolas - "Yes! After centuries of planning now I can, oh, why do I even bother?"
Readers - "Zzzzz."
Brady - "Larger. Get ready for it."
Xbox Live - eidtelnvil
PlayStation Network - eidtelnvil
Currently reading It by Stephen King
Currently playing Persona 4
that has been the thing from day one, even in Yawgmoth's hayday. We are suckers and trust the creative team will bring somehting big about and usually they fail at doing so: ie Karona.
That, and I generally enjoy disliking Bolas.
Xbox Live - eidtelnvil
PlayStation Network - eidtelnvil
Currently reading It by Stephen King
Currently playing Persona 4
I love the Brood in X-men. The borg is the only thing I liek about Startrek. Every villain doesn't have to sit back in a chair and plan out every single detail by like writing out a list.
1) Send minions.
2) Appear mysteriously in th emiddle of their journey.
3) Make big reveal everyone will love!
4) Tell the good guys what my plan was all about!
5) Win.
Let's jus thave a villain that likes to kill or a mindless gorup of monsters(hopefully Eldrazi) trying to destroy the Multiverse and the walkers need to stop them.
The villain with a plan is just a writing tool and Magic has been a one trick pony from the beginning with their villains. Szadek, Lim dull, Yawgy, Mishra...all of them were "smart" and in the end all of them end up dying, like Eid said, in such a stupid situation that it makes the whole story a joke at times. Ie: Bolas mirror fight in Alara.
Hidetsugu didn't die, if you remember. In fact, he did the polar opposite.
Xbox Live - eidtelnvil
PlayStation Network - eidtelnvil
Currently reading It by Stephen King
Currently playing Persona 4
Which remains to be AWESOME.