Feralia.net blog. episode 128: My first foray into Fire Emblem

There are so many great games out there that it’s really hard to keep up with all of them, and a bunch of popular games and series that I’ve just never got around to playing. Fire Emblem was one such example until recently.

After playing some desktop campaigns with friends (and a ongoing Pathfinder campaign with my daughter), I’ve wanted to find a similar experience for single player. The closest I could really find in years past would be RPG video games like Final Fantasy, and more recently games like Pathfinder Adventure Card Game a desktop, card and dice game which I’ve had a blast with. A couple more fantasy video games I’ve gotten into more recently are Pathfinder: Kingmaker (which I’d like to get into in a future entry) and the Fire Emblem series.

Fire Emblem features turn-based grid combat, not unlike popular tabletop RPGs. My only major experience with these had been Final Fantasy Tactics (Playstation 1, 1997 Japan and 1998 US). While many of the Fire Emblem games of the past were notoriously brutal, featuring permadeath (if a character dies in battle, they’re gone for good). Some players are eager for the challenge. Me, nowadays, not so much with the limited time I have to play. I’d rather enjoy the story and other features.

Cover art for Fire Emblem Awakening, © Nintendo. You can’t tell from this picture, but the background is a really cool reflective paper.

Fire Emblem: Awakening was the perfect introduction to the series for me, including both the hard modes and more forgiving options. What I loved about it most was the combat. Sure, it isn’t a replacement for the tabletop games you love playing with friends, but it works well and is fun while you’re playing alone.

Another major thing for me were the music, and story. Fans of fantasy video game soundtracks will love it. The variety of soothing tracks and rousing themes will ensure that you’ll want to have your headphones ready.

The characters are likable too, and easy to get attached to. The main protagonist, Robin (unless you choose to rename him of her) has a pretty cool backstory that is told along the way.


You can choose the gender of the main character Robin, and rename him or her if you like. © Nintendo

While I’m nerding out about the game, I have to mention my ‘best girl’ from Fire Emblem Awakening, Tharja.

Tharja © Nintendo

Despite her attempts to come across as a dark and possibly evil person, her true colors are shown as her character is developed, revealing a funny and sweet person beneath the façade.

In conclusion, I loved this game, and I think that fans of turn based combat and fantasy stories will too!

-Clint

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Feralia.net blog. episode 127: Ewe Got This!

So at Awesome Con this past weekend our company Alicia’s Anime was part of the Pin Bazaar! We had an exclusive pin featuring art by my amazing wife, Alicia Cassa! (She also did the artwork for Feralia & Feralia Revised Edition.)

You can get one of these adorable pins HERE. They’re limited to 300 pieces, so grab one while you can!

-Clint

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Feralia.net blog. episode 126: My kid’s favorite games

[Reposting from my entry on the Alicia’s Anime & Video Games Blog. https://www.aliciasanime.com/blogs/blog/alicias-anime-blog-episode-6-ivys-top-20-video-games ]

Our daughter was born into a family of nerds, and pretty much immediately got into anime, video games and cosplay. Here are the top 20 games from the youngest of the Alicia’s Anime Crew.

In no particular order…

So that’s it from a kid’s point of view. What are the favorite games of the kids in your life? Drop a comment here or on Facebook!

Stay safe everyone!

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Feralia.net blog. episode 125: I believe

Just a few things that feel strongly about and needed to share…

I believe that we as human beings should follow the principle to love your neighbor. And to me, neighbor means any person you come in contact with, regardless of any difference. I believe in kindness, in love, for every type of person, regardless of race or color, religion, social status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, body type, disability and every other special attribute that makes each of us unique. I believe in equal rights, that all of the aforementioned people should have the right to the same care, opportunities, respect and salary (to name but a few).

And that is all for now. There are other details, issues, that I could get into, but that is enough for this writing. I could discuss differences of opinion, but it’s not necessary for what I’m feeling.

What matters is kindness and love.

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Feralia.net blog. episode 124: Featured Artist: Alicia’s Anime & Video Games [….us! ;)]

Our booth at MAGFest 2020
Another view of our MAGFest 2020 booth.

So if you’ve spent any time here on the website, you’ve likely heard me mention Alicia’s Anime & Video Games, or Alicia’s Anime for short. Alicia’s Anime is a small created and operated by my wife and I (with lots of help from our beloved con-crew-family!). We carry anime video game merch and accessories as such as t-shirts, keychains, lanyards, pins, bags and backpacks, as well as other cute stuff like bento boxes, imported by us directly from Japan! We even sell a few retro games as well, which we’ll be working on adding more to over time.

We got started in 2004 and normally attend around 30 to 35 conventions/festivals/events per year while selling online as well.

Alicia’s Anime has been the perfect place to distribute the Feralia novels and merch and also feature the books at conventions as well and I love that they’ve been able to go hand in hand.

Check out our site here, and check out Conventions Page to see if we’ll be attending an event near you!

Stay safe!

-Clint

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Feralia.net blog. episode 123: Other blogging activities!

Things are back in full swing at the moment, and hopefully will remain safe enough to stay that way! We’re in the middle of a 4 week stretch of back to back conventions at Alicia’s Anime, and it’s been amazing seeing con friends and fam, staffers, attendees and even our own con crew!

Once things slow down in a few weeks I’ll be getting back to working on Feralia: Book 3 at a better pace again. I’ll also be trying to keep updating here, as well as the new blog on AliciasAnime.com which can be found here:

https://www.aliciasanime.com/blogs/blog

There we’ll update as often as we can with convention news, featured products and other stuff we love in the world of anime and video games. Hope to see you there as well as here!

-Clint

Next up I’ll write a bit about what it is we do at Alicia’s Anime & Video Games.

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Feralia.net blog. episode 122: Pathfinder Adventure Card Game – a single player solution

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Mummy’s Mask, © Mike Selinker, Paizo.

If you’re like me, you’d love to jump into a fantasy campaign… but life doesn’t always make it easy. In fact, it sometimes makes it next to impossible. And it seems like there aren’t a lot of options designed for single players. I mean sure, there a a ton of great fantasy video games, but sometimes it’s nice to roll actual dice, to hold onto something physical, like cards or pencils.

One of the very few options that I’ve found is Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. It allows you to easily play a single player game and play vs. the deck. It’s easy to play as more than one character as well. The stories are interesting and well written, and you even get to level up your characters over the course of the game!

You will need a space to set things up, preferably a table that you can come back to and play at your convenience, although, I have found creative ways to take a small deck and dice with me on trips, enabling me to play in hotels and other places such as conventions. If you’ll be playing at home though, it’s nice to have and leave everything set up.

This brings me to another point if you’ll be leaving your game set up…….. cats. My cats are almost always a menace to any game left set up! I’m sure to come back to dice and cards scattered all over the place! So if possible, cover the game or ban them from the room. The latter option of course ends up making it their life’s goal to enter. You know your cats best, so you’ll be the best judge of how to deal with this menace, but don’t underestimate them. ;P

These are two of mine. They look cute and innocent, right? DON’T TRUST THEM! They will bring your campaign to a chaotic end!

With the menace hopefully taken care of, it’s really nice to have a space to spread the game out, as there are multiple paths you can take.

There is a bit of a learning curve, especially if you’ve never played a trading card game. Knowledge of tabletop RPG’s will help immensely too, as there are many similar principles and mechanics. Don’t be discouraged though! Watching a YouTube video which shows you how to play along with the directions and you’ll be up and running on your own in no time. It’s worth the time spent learning for the hours of enjoyment you’ll get out of the game.

PACG is also a lot of fun as a multiplayer game, so you can have any guests jump in and out as well! (My daughter and I have had fun playing together whenever the mood suits her!)

Aother of my favorite features is that there are a bunch of different class decks which can be purchased seperately and used in any game! My favorite is the Druid deck, but there are also Bards, Rogues, Barbarians and Rangers just to name a few. Most come with the iconic Pathfiner heroes to play as (including my favorite, Lini!)

the Druid Class Deck
My favorite Pathfinder character Lini, with her snow leopard companion Droogami. Isn’t she freaking adorable??

Lastly, and and one of the best things about PACG briefly mentioned above, are the stories and absolutely beautiful art. I used the Mummy’s Mask base set as the featured picture for this article since it was my first foray into the game and I love Egyptian mythology, but there are lots of others, including the newest, the Core set, and the Curse of the Crimson Throne Adventure Path. The new sets bring some new rules and adjustments that improve the game but still work with all previous sets and decks, which for me personally much appreciated.

I’ve had a blast with PAGC, and if you’re looking for a single player game with the option of multi-player, it might be great for you as well, so check it out!

-Clint

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Feralia.net blog. episode 121: It’s still a thing

If you’ve been touched or affected by covid-19, it sucks. Over the past several weeks, three members of my family have been battling the disease. Two were hospitalized, including my 89 year old Grandma, and another with with acute respiratory failure. Thankfully all three have made great progress, and those hospitalized are back home.

But it isn’t over yet.

Please be considerate.

Please be safe and be well.

Sending much love to everyone,

Clint

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Feralia.net blog. episode 120: No Gods No Masters

© Garbage, 2021

Today I wanted to take a moment to talk about how excited for the new album from Garbage (who are one of the bands dearest to my heart), which came on June 11th: No Gods No Masters. Garbage has been really special to me ever since their self-titled album when I was a teeneger. This new release is no different, with the band’s signature heavy guitars and electronic aspects, and as always, lyrics which resonate with me on a personal level.

No Gods No Masters is another timely release, protesting injustices while promoting kindness, all the while maintaing Shirley’s often crude (and fun) manner. I feel like some of their best songs to date are on this album, and the second disc includes some singles which were released between albums, which is a great way to catch up if you’ve missed anything, or just a nice place to have everything together.

So the music is great (I feel like longtime fans will be happy), and so is the message. Themes of equality and kindness are ones that everyone should take to heart.

-Clint

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Feralia.net blog. episode 119: Conventions!

So it’s been about 17 months since my last con! After doing 34 events in 2019, I did just 4 in 2020 because of the pandemic. Finally, some of the shows we work with are being able to resume their events. I’m looking forward to working with them as they safely begin again. This weekend, come out and see me with Alicia’s Anime at Galactic Con in Howard County Maryland this Saturday! We’ll have both Feralia books as well as a ton of other cool merchandise!

Hope to see you there!

Check out the Conventions Page for more.

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