New Releases: November 2009

[Da' Vane]

Still no let up in the issues that are plaguing my RL right now, so updates will remain sporadic until further notice. That said, with the upcoming release of Spirit Tracks in December (UK & European Release Date), I am wanting to try and push on with some more of the mythos of the setting.

I am focusing on the games I have actually played, and since Freshly Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland wasn't released in the US, it features a lot of new material that most forum members probably wouldn't have seen, let alone experienced. Surprisingly, it is a fairly solid game, even if it is quite a diversion from the normal action seen in the rest of the series, and the story is as good as any of the others. It contains a number of quirky characters, and rounds out what could otherwise be mistaken as an annoying minor figure in the mythos seeking only to screw Link out of every last rupee.

For reference, FPTRRL is considered to take place in between Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. It is set in the Tingle Isles, an archipelago of islands to the west of the mainland, which stretch from the Sea of Storms to the south to Termina in the north. The islands themselves are grouped into three main 'continents', the islands of which are connected by bridges. This series of islands is not actually named in the game itself, but the Tingle Isles is as good a name as any, as this is Tingle's homeland. More details will be explained through the adventure, so hopefully you will have as much fun exploring these lands as I will have writing it up for you (when I can!)...

So, until next time, may the way of the rupee lead you to the Tingle Isles!

[Da' Vane]

Just a quick update today to post bits and bobs needed for the next encounter in FPTRRL, where we meet Uncle Rupee at the Western Pool.

The Western Pool represents something of an interesting dilemma, as the events in FPTRRL do not allow for this site to be preserved through the timeline. The pool/tower doesn't reset (It can't, it's embedded in the moon, which may explain the glaring squint we see in Majora's Mask...) and such leaves us with just a gaping hole in the landscape. Of course, a 35 mile deep hole in the middle of a clearing is somewhat interesting in it's own right, and who knows what crafty GMs may decide to put down there.

As such, the material for using the pool/tower as it prevously was has also been included for use with the actual adventure. Also, it is possible that a preserved copy of the Western Pool remains intact in the Golden Realm - we've used this rationale before with Ancient Hyrule/The Great Sea, so there's no reason why it cannot be used once again to keep this site intact for future use. Since the tower could apparently shrink if it wasn't maintained with a regular rupee sacrifice (more on this later), maybe it retracted fully into the ground and it's secret was lost for all time once Tingle destroyed Uncle Rupee in the finale?

Feel free to share your ideas and theories on how these sites may be used in your encounters. I'm just itching for an excuse to have a combat set here now...

[Da' Vane]

A bit of an update for my RL status - for those that are interested, my main issue right now is that I am due to be evicted by my local council, without limited opportunity to obtain alternative accomodations. The date for the eviction has been determined as December 2nd. As you can probably understand, this doesn't bode well for any aspect of my life, and will provide significant disruption, if not the premature termination of the Legend of Zelda Roleplaying Game, and so close to the release of Spirit Links, too! At least, should I disappear, you will all know why, and rest assured that I will endevour to get back on my feet and back online ASAP!

Meanwhile, I might as well use the spare time I have productively, and therefore have continued to update the FPTRRL adventure with two new optional encounters - representing the rest of the intro to the game where the player meets Pinkle! It's not exactly a hard puzzle, and gives the PCs a base to adventure from and a means to develop a relationship with Pinkle which is important for fulfilling an optional subplot late in the campaign.

In addition to presenting Tingle's Home, these encounters provide rules for using three strage devices inside - the cooking pot and potion storage device Tingle uses to brew his potions and broths, and the Tingle Terminal, which works like a large DS-type interface for communicating with Tingle. We already have various degrees of electromagnetism in the technology of the setting, and we now have radio transmission technology too, making the Legend of Zelda more like some fantasy victorian steampunk setting without the massive urbanization that the industrial revolution brought about. Just perfect for bringing the tech level up to what should be required for Spirit Tracks...

Finally, there's a new - if somewhat pointless - splash weapon for you to try: Tingle Fireworks. It's not actually a combat tool in FPTTRL, but hitting someone with a glass jar has to hurt, right? This will bring the discussion over the combat utility of illusions to the fore once again, but crafty PCs and GMs should be able to find uses for these without requiring the effects themselves to have innate abilities. If you can make an image of a fearsome monster appear, and act as if it is a fearsome monster, then opponents should normally act as if it is a fearsome monster! Of course, while some opponents would run away, certain foes, particularly those regarded as 'adventurers' are more likely to charge it and reveal the illusion for what it is. In a similar manner, these fireworks do nothing more than provide a random display, but a successful Bluff check could have a PC pull off the idea that this is the manifestation of a more powerful spell or effect, or even some form of signal for a secret ambush, and some particularly weak-willed onlookers may even be inclined to stop and watch them, particularly if they are not in the midst of actual combat!

Until next time, watch out for Tingle!