Miners not minors...

The story of Renza continues...

“Taste arrow death!” shouted Renza as she charged into Torchlight. But no one was there to sample her offering of pointed demise. The town was relatively vacant save for the few merchants who began to peek out from behind their stalls. An elderly man dusted off his cap, glancing up to see the Vanquisher’s puzzled face. He arched his brow and pointed to the other end of town.  

Renza dashed off with Chevron at her heels, fresh corpses of villagers and beasties littered the streets. The Vanquisher followed the now clear sounds of battle. The mouth the mine could be seen and two humans battling a mess of furry faced Ratlins. A square-jawed man bashed the whiskered  face of a red eyed rat-man with his shield. The dazed creature was then made a pin cushion by Renza's arrows, dropping it in dead heap.  The other human was magically blocking the bridge that led into town from the mine with ball of crackling force. Chevron took off and began snap his jaws at a cave troll as Renza continued her volley,  quickly launching several arrows into mix dropping two of the small  rat creatures in the rear of the mob. The melee ended, but the man chased after the retreating monsters. The dark haired woman quickly introduced herself as Syl. She pleaded with Renza to follow her friend into the mines. She went on about her Master or some such, but all Renza heard was the part where she said,  

"I can pay you well. Please catch up with Brink before he gets himself killed." 

Renza chased after Brink into the Orden Mines in Torchlight, grinning. 'Shortest. Interview. Ever.'

Can you tell me how to get, how to get to...Torchlight?

As I recently stated on the podcast (Lobbycast ep. 121) I am attempting a fun little self-imposed writing assignment. I have started yet another playthrough of Torchlight on hard AND hardcore (permanent death). I will be writing a sort of character journal, a bit of the ol' roleplaying if you will. So pull up a chair and welcome to Lou's Storytime Lunch Break-

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The Vanquisher

Meet Renza the Vanquisher

Renza had to pee. She really, really had to pee. The floodgates were being knocked with each footstep. Torchlight was just up the road so she didn’t want a denizen of the boomtown to catch her with skirt down. ‘I am a Vanquisher. I am the Baroness of Bows, Radiant Countess of Revolvers. I can snipe a ratlin’s wart from across a field. Now please let me finish my tinkle,’ was something she didn’t want to deal with so early in her prospective employment. The Vanquishers had standards, and public urination was not among them, at least not chiefly.

Her short-legged companion trotted alongside her obediently. His fur was matted and his breathe wreaked of dog, but he was an excellent co-worker. He was always ready for his shift, carried his (and Renza’s) load and worked for table scraps. She called him Chevron, for he was like an insignia of honor and loyalty. He called her Jiggly. He was bred to be an adventurer’s pet infused with hyper intelligence. Hyper intelligent for a dog is still not that far from the cognitive capacities of a 12 year old boy. And she did wear a leather corset very well. Give the dog a break.

 It’s not like he could talk, but Renza felt that her scruffy companion did occasionally eye her too intently to be comfortable. She would just distract him by saying, “you wanna get the ball? Get the ball Chevron, get the ball,” only to throw the classic invisible object. Magically enhanced mutt or not, dogs love balls.

The lovely Vanquisher squirmed the last few paces until she saw Torchlight; the town where the Ember flows like water. Ember, that magic and rare ore that can be used to imbue crafted items with great power or corrupt the most pious heart. However things did not seem well in Torchlight the day that Renza first arrived and it didn’t look like it was going to get any better any time soon. The town was under attack.

Renza looked down at Chevron and said, “Pee first, then, we battle!”

A return to simpler times

You hit the spot Torchlight, and for that I love you

In the midst of E3 with Nintendo putting their lot in with Sony and Microsoft, I look towards a more, dare I say it, casual experience. I long to throw myself into harsh and frightening new Tomb Raider. It created the perfect emotional response, making me have actual concern for Lara Croft (who looks considerably better with her redesign, nicely done Crystal Dynamics). I cannot wait to delve into the depths of Skyrim, but the prospect of the time involved is intimidating. Though my question is, when will be able to immerse myself in this world  when so many other worlds, virtual and real also call my name. Can I casually play these games? I don't think so. I recently tried my hand at Fallout New Vegas, and the looming size of the game sent me scampering. I suppose it's not so much that I want to play casual games, that I need to play games casually.


It was a thirty minute delve into Torchlight last night that I realized that I have become a different kind of gamer. I am simply enamored with Torchlight. It is honest, simple but tasty. I have managed to get towards the end of Dragon Age: Awakenings, though at a handicap. As in previous posts, I have had to dial down the difficulty I play on. So I can enjoy my gaming experience. I have forsaken multi-player, so I can enjoy my gaming experience, and I now I regress to my want of accessible, enjoyable gaming, in lieu of harsh, hardcore experience. Maybe not regress, it feels more like a side-stepping of the blitz of the Modern Warfares, Battlefields, Halos and Gears of Wars. They are awesome achievements of storytelling and gaming, but not for me.

You may be a little too much for me Skyrim, gosh I hope not....

I think it's like this; I have been helping myself to bowls and bowls of ice cream for years, now I just want a scoop. I want to remember why I like games. I have a SNES that sits under the entertainment center that peeks out at me, hearkening back  to those days when I could feel the game in the pit of my stomach. I am sure there will be a time when I can spend more time playing games, but until then, I will opt for the bite sized experiences without feeling bad for not playing more.

I may be calling upon you someday old friend