Part 2: Imperium

[Sam]

Discussion for second part of The Player of Games

[Sam]

I liked the introduction to this part, with its discussion of gendered pronouns. I was relieved to find out that the storyteller wouldn't be using any weird made up words for the apex sex.

I might of liked more of a description of the gameplay of Azad, but at the same time, I got the impression that it was far too complex to go into. In most of his games, Gurgeh seemed to get a significant Deus ex machina towards the end that caused him to win.

The more interesting parts to me were the parts that happened outside the game, like when Za took Gurgeh to the 'entertainment district', or Flere-Imsaho took him on a tour of the city's underbelly.

The fate of Gurgeh's opponent in the last game of the chapter was pretty gruesome.

I thought Za's description of the inner workings of the empire was neat, with the schools and game as an alternative to a royal family, avoiding the inbreeding and incompetence that could go along with having a hereditary emperor.