DUNE 2: DUNE HARDER

May Your Blade Chip and Shatter

Confused? I usually play and write about solo games, but this week I’m taking a break to discuss

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I’ve got the first part of The Deep Forest playthrough completed, Spring and Summer. That will come out next week but I wanted to take a break this week and just chat. At first, I was going to talk about all the things I’ve been reading (W40K Eisenhorn series, Indigenous Continent), watching (Atlanta, Ghosts, The Ones Who Live, etc.) and playing (Control, Alan Wake 2, Dark Heresy 2e, etc.) but then I realized there was only one thing I wanted to talk about after seeing it in IMAX on Saturday.

DUNE PART TWO

The first Dune was an incredible movie. I was blown away by the sheer scale, the production design, the artistic choices, the characters and everything else. It was the best experience at the movies since Blade Runner 2049 (another of my favorites). I read the book the summer before it came out. Denis Villenueve somehow created a beautiful film out of the first half of the book, providing just enough information the viewer needs without being bogged down by exposition. It was a phenomenal feat and I couldn’t wait to see the sequel.

Fast-forward to last Saturday. I walked out of the theater feeling ecstatic. Dune part two blew the first one away. Everything that was fantastic about the first one is elevated to another level in this one. The development of the plot, the acting, the action, etc. The way the Harkonnen planet is basically black and white was visually astonishing. The shots and cinematography is some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. The sound design grabs a hold of you and never lets go. Watching the movie is a visual-audio experience like no other. It has humor. It makes changes to the book, especially Chani’s character, that improve the story. (I wasn’t a huge fan of the book. It’s fine.) It excels in every way. I can’t say enough about it. It’s a directorial vision executed to perfection.

It holds a similar place in my heart as the The Lord of the Rings trilogy. An epic genre story, a consistent and creative directorial vision, amazing production design, great casting, beautiful visuals, all used to create a truly fantastic universe.

These are movies I don’t want to end because I want to stay in the world they’ve created. I always want more. I want to spend more time with these characters and see more of the worlds these directors and their teams have made. It’s why I prefer the LOTR Extended Editions, despite being slightly worse films than the theatrical cuts (pacing-wise, etc.).

I was so enthralled I went ahead and purchased the Dune RPG books in the Humble Bundle. So many books for 18 bucks, it feels like a steal. Apparently you play as members of the same Great House and even has a campaign where your house takes over Arrakis instead of Atreides. The books are dense, packed with information and complicated systems including two levels of play, Agents and Architects….Now I just have to figure out how to solo it…

I’m already planning on seeing Dune Part Two again and would suggest anyone else who has any interest to do the same. These movies hit different in theaters. The bigger the screen, the better. You can really feel the size and scope, as well as the pounding sound and thrilling soundtrack.

It’s a great experience.

Other Things

I’m reading the Eisenhorn series of Warhammer 40k fame, to try to get the feel and vibes of the setting since I’ve also started gm-ing a Dark Heresy 2e game with friends. It’s grim-dark, action-packed and pulpy, an enjoyable read.

I’m also reading Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey. I’ve never read the odyssey and am quite enjoying the epic poem. My first introduction to the odyssey was the old TV 2-part miniseries with Armand Assante when I was a kid and I loved it.

One book I’ve put on hold at the moment is Indigenous Continent by Pekka Hämäläinen. It’s a great book detailing the indigenous civilizations in North America and their early interactions with European’s attempts at colonization. It really shows these people were capable, intelligent, and strong, with complex societies long before colonists showed up. I’m just taking a break from history but I’ll definitely return. It’s well-written and fascinating.

I recently beat the game Control and loved it’s vibes, story and gameplay. You fight the Hiss who are taking over The Oldest House which is like an FBI office if the FBI were actually an organization that handled cthulhu-like monsters, parallel dimension-hopping items, and other weird things. It’s a great game.

I quickly followed that up with playing (and beating) Alan Wake 2. I remember playing the first one and enjoying it. The game play was a little rough but I really enjoyed the story of an author creating a Dark Place that begins affecting the real world, and I thought the mechanics of using a flashlight to fight shadow monsters was unique. Alan Wake 2 is a fantastic survival-horror game, with some connections to the first game as well as Control (these all take place in the same world). The production is amazing, with full movie cut scenes, details and world-building that goes beyond any other game I’ve played. It’s fun, with some really unique and enjoyable game mechanics. Remedy, the company behind Control and Alan Wake 2, is one to watch. I’ll be eagerly anticipating anything they put out.

I’ve finally gotten around to watching Atlanta and enjoying it. It’s like nothing else on tv. I know I’m way behind but I just watched Teddy Perkins and it blew me away. I never know where it’s going but the ride is always entertaining. I also watched the first ep of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, eager to get back to my two favorite Walking Dead characters, Rick and Michonne. The episode was fine but didn’t blow me away. We’ll see how the season goes. If you want something wholesome, funny and fun, watch Ghosts. I laugh every episode.

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If you were hoping for more actual-play, I apologize but it will come next week.

I’m curious what everyone else is up to, though. What are you reading lately? What shows or movies have you seen that you enjoyed or hated? What games have you been playing, video or tabletop?

I’ve decided not to pay-wall this off-topic post. Still playing around with what paying subscribers should get or not. They’ll still get input into the games/tools I play and use. Very open to other ideas. Would people want audio versions of posts so they can listen instead of read? Something like a podcast ep version of a post? It would take some doing but I’d consider it if people were interested.

As always, thanks for reading.