May 2019 BotM: NPCs (Spells, Swords, & Stealth #1)

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, *good karma*]

The May 2019 BotM is NPCs by Drew Hayes!

Please remember to use spoiler tags: < spoiler > spoiler > (remove spaces)

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I found this some time ago and loved it. The premise of the book cracked me up and it bore out the promise.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, *good karma*]

It looks pretty good!

It's also in Kindle Unlimited so I'm excited I get to read it and I don't have to buy a copy!

[Jackie]

I got the Kindle Unlimited copy also. Looking forward to it!

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, *good karma*]

I'm about 3% in (just started today) and I'm already liking it!

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I just recently read the 4th book in the series and it still holds up. If you are a gamer (D&D type) this is the sort of thing people laugh about as in.... how the NPCs act and react to the characters/player characters.

[Jeremy]

Finished listening to NPCs Monday night. I liked it a lot and downloaded and started Split the Party (book #2 in the series) last night.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, *good karma*]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "I just recently read the 4th book in the series and it still holds up. If you are a gamer (D&D type) this is the sort of thing people laugh about as in.... how the NPCs act and react to the charact..."

I'm about 30% in right now! It's a lot of fun. While I've never played tabletop, it still reminds me a lot of computer RPG games.

I love the way the party changes jobs and duties. I love it was nothing they expected.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, *good karma*]

Jeremy wrote: "Finished listening to NPCs Monday night. I liked it a lot and downloaded and started Split the Party (book #2 in the series) last night."

That's good praise!

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Once I finished this one I've grabbed them as they came out. While maybe not always as good as the first they hold up really well.

[Jeremy]

Just an FYI to everyone - I had previously read Drew Hayes' Super Powereds series, and absolutely loved them.

Hayes used the same technique in this series of starting out with a set of stereotypes and then switching things up.

One caveat - they're *reaaaaally* long (50-60 hours for each of the four audiobooks, not sure of how many text pages), and there are a few places that drag.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Yep, read/listened to those also. Agree they're good reads.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, *good karma*]

Finished!

I had a great time! I loved almost everything about it. I'm not sure I want to tabletop if those are the types of people you play with. Not that I'd know where to look.

I liked everything except for the lack of details about the bridge. It didn't give me enough information.

[Emily]

I started it, but I’m not very far yet. I’m enjoying the (view spoiler)[revelations in the goblin camp, especially the one that Gabrielle is more guest/accomplice than hostage. (hide spoiler)]

[Emily]

Did my spoiler tagging work, or does it just say “spoilers removed” to everyone?

[carol. , Senor Crabbypants]

It worked!

[Mike (the Paladin)]

MrsJ You find out more about the bridge with each volume of the story.

No I wouldn't game with the...negative...gamers either. As it happened I just got home from our bi-weekly D&D game (7:30 to 1:00 AM this time, LOL). It's my turn to DM for a while and the game seems to be going great (to play in my world/game you must play a good aligned character...a strain for at least 2 of my players). I wish we lived closer I'd invite you to play in our game.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Emily (view spoiler)[well, she was pretty much captured by them regularly, LOL. (hide spoiler)]

[Emily]

A little over halfway and enjoying the cleverness. I’m probably missing some inside jokes, since I’ve never participated in a RPG, but I still like the flipped perspective. Reminds me a little of what Jasper Fforde did in his Thursday Next series, once we got to see the separate lives of book characters. Or Wreck It Ralph. :)

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, *good karma*]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "MrsJ You find out more about the bridge with each volume of the story.

No I wouldn't game with the...negative...gamers either. As it happened I just got home from our bi-weekly D&D game (7:30 to 1..."

That's the thing, I wanted more info now. But it makes sense that its an over-arching plot.

I'd like that! I've looked around a bit on Craigslist and see nothing. Not sure how much effort I'll put in it as I'm a newbie...most people in dedicated games/game nights aren't into teaching.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, *good karma*]

Emily wrote: "A little over halfway and enjoying the cleverness. I’m probably missing some inside jokes, since I’ve never participated in a RPG, but I still like the flipped perspective. Reminds me a little of w..."

I LOVE the flipped perspective. I also love the idea of not being a jerk because your actions have consequences. There's no need to tear up a town and kill inhabitants. Also, game makers (in computer games) need to stop giving good stuff when people do taht crap.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I don't know your area MrsJ but table top gamers tend to (still be) a bit old school. If there's a game store that caters to table top rpgers they probably have like a bulletin board or some way to contact groups looking for players.

That's how I met the friends I game with now and one of them then went on an internet tabletop gaming sight and got us in contact with some other players.

So there may be some dedicated web sight for your area to.

[Snarktastic Sonja]

I am currently finishing up The authors Super Powereds series and will pick this up next. I don't want to read concurrently for fear my brain will get tangled. :D

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I hate it when my brain tangles....

[Snarktastic Sonja]

I know, right? And, it happens more and more frequently! :D

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Yeah, I get that. And once tangled it's a pain to get untangled.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, *good karma*]

My brain feels permanently tangled...

[Mike (the Paladin)]

How would you know??????

Oo
----

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, *good karma*]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "How would you know??????

Oo
----"

LOL, I probably don't

[Brian]

I am loving NPC’s. I am about halfway through and can’t wait to find how several things turn out. I have a feeling there will be a meeting between the NPC hero’s and the re-rolled original hero’s. I am probably most excited to see how this meeting turns out.

[Jackie]

I've started but haven't got very far yet. So far I'm liking it .

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, *good karma*]

Brian wrote: "I am loving NPC’s. I am about halfway through and can’t wait to find how several things turn out. I have a feeling there will be a meeting between the NPC hero’s and the re-rolled original hero’s. ..."

:-D

[Snarktastic Sonja]

Ok. Even going in with the best of intentions . . . my brain is tangled! I just finished (as I said earlier) the author's Super Powereds series (which I loved unreasonably) and the narrator of this book is the same as the narrator of the Pax Arcana series. I do not hate him - but there is something about his cadence that throws me off. I am finding myself listening - and then going back and reading what I listened to . . . I get lost . . . or some such.

I *am* enjoying it. I just wish it were not so much work . . . much of that is *my* fault. . . I need to listen to something, and this book was up, but, honestly, I'm finding it hard to listen to and much easier to read.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, *good karma*]

LOL! I'm so sorry! I'm not laughing at you but more like I know exactly how you feel.

I'm reading one audio but keep flipping to a different one (multiple different ones).

But I agree. I am very much digging this series. I want to move on to book 2 but i need to finish up this other bookclub book.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Happens a lot. I love this series (and I like the Super powered series). Library books often seem to be my Achilles heel. I keep getting them and setting my own books back to wait.

[Snarktastic Sonja]

Ok - I've figured out why my brain is tangled! To me, the narrator doesn't change voices enough with POVs. So, all of a sudden I am somewhere else and I didn't realize I'd moved! This is written in a very similar style to Super Powereds and I think the narrator there did a better job.

Or maybe I'm just spoiled.

Right now, I'm really glad that I always elect not to kill NPCs in games when given an option . . .

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I have one player in my game who tends to play rather...chaoticly. I wish he'd read these, LOL.

[Jackie]

I finished and enjoyed it. The characters are a very likeable group and I look forward to reading about their further adventures.

[Emily]

The characters were what I liked most about it, enough that I’d like to read the next. The writing was kind of a no frills style, nothing I could take huge issue with, but nothing that knocked my socks off either. But the combination of the sweet characters and the witty ideas won me over.

[Snarktastic Sonja]

I also finished. I am still terribly confused as to how the 2 worlds played with each other. I think I need to go re read the last few chapters . . . . Can't remember being this confused as to a story in a long time . . .

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, *good karma*]

Snarktastic Sonja wrote: "I also finished. I am still terribly confused as to how the 2 worlds played with each other. I think I need to go re read the last few chapters . . . . Can't remember being this confused as to a st..."

I *think* this is how it happens: (view spoiler)[I think the our-world gamers create characters that appear in their-world and control those characters actions. But the bridge allows the ability to cut that cord. The "Character" is now a full person in their-world along with the pros/cons/powers the gamer supplied. (hide spoiler)]

Mike, am I right?

[Mike (the Paladin)]

(view spoiler)[ Yes, as we find out more about the bridge I suspect we will find that the two worlds can be brought together somehow (and maybe were ? as the bridge is broken up into parts?). (hide spoiler)]

[Snarktastic Sonja]

Ok - so - I am not stupid? It was a tad bit confusing? and all right there in a rush at the end?

[Mike (the Paladin)]

The end kind of leaves us with a partial tie-up and our real world protagonist wondering about getting the next game module... Very much a "there's more to come" ending, LOL

[Words]

I just started this one and it’s a little slow going for me for some reason. I keep reading a page or two and putting it back down to do something else before coming back for another page or so of reading. If only I could get in the zone, so to speak...

[Words]

I’m using the app and am unsure if my tags are correct...so, following Emily‘s test:
Are my spoiler tags right?
(view spoiler)[ strawberries are packed with fiber (hide spoiler)]

[Mike (the Paladin)]

It worked.

[Words]

Thanks. Part of my post is missing when I view it from the app (but not a browser), and I didn’t know if it was the app or the tags..

I’m on chapter 13, and the book so far is much different than what I expected. :) I have a hard time knowing what makes a spoiler, so I’ll just put the rest under tags.

(view spoiler)[
Based on the title and synopsis, I thought the story would be going for the tongue-in-cheek references to rp’ers and their gameplay. I thought, npc’s might/might not be aware of their supporting role, but we’d get the insider’s account of what they think of the “real” players. Like, why are players so attack happy (regardless of alignment)? Why do they spend hours looking for soft furry paws? (..Okay, WoW vanilla)

There were a few references here and there in the beginning, but otherwise the story is proceeding as a fairly standard fantasy adventure...so aside from the rp’ers at the beginning, I’m not sure what makes this book “NPC’s” so much as “The Adventures of Thistle and Friends”, you know? I have to say, though, that there are a lot of little details of the story that seem well thought out on the author’s part.
Anyway...reading onward!

(hide spoiler)]

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, *good karma*]

Words wrote: "Thanks. Part of my post is missing when I view it from the app (but not a browser), and I didn’t know if it was the app or the tags..

I’m on chapter 13, and the book so far is much different than ..."

I never thought of it in that way. (view spoiler)[I see it as the NPCs having to step in and deal with the fallout from the players' actions. The group didn't want to adventure. In fact, all the adventurers seem to be players - and even the thing the King wants is player related. (hide spoiler)]

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I'll try to be....generic here...so as not to leave spoilers.

The books have a bit of both in their "feels". Sometimes you get the tongue in cheek while at others it's not there so much. It's like some comedy action movies, LOL. The relationship between the two worlds gets more examination as the book series advances.