Why is your important client willing to pay so much to buy that
<name of worthless trinket>?
Why is there fresh blood, for the third morning in a row, on the
statue of <revered person>?
Why do all the horses refuse to travel <name of road>?
Why have all the cats begun to gather at the <name of old,
abandoned house>?
Why are those vicious assassins trying to kill that <very
unimportant person>?
Why are all the men of <name of village> blind?
Whose brain did they put in that flesh golem...?
Why does that 300-year-old portrait have your <wife's or
husband's> face...?
Why does the Baron keep his son hidden away from the sight of the
world?
Whose baby was left on the doorstep of the magician's guild, and why
are all the magicians acting so strangely?
Who keeps digging up the body of your dear Aunt Eunice, and why...?
Who killed the notorious <type of monster> that was terrorizing
the whole countryside, and why haven't they taken credit for it?
What could that odd spinster Agnes be doing so late at night in the
swamp?
Why did that <type of monster> kill all your friends but spare
you?
What's buried under the Cardinal's flower garden?
The King is returning this afternoon. He left one prince, but now
there are two -- both identical in every way, each claiming to be the true
prince. Can you solve this riddle before
the King arrives...?
What's the secret of the "Elminster Code"...?
"Dude, where's my chariot?"
Hi, everybody!
I found time to play Ray Dyer's UANL Mystery Challenge mod, "Game R10: A Series
of Mysterious Events" (gamer10.zip)
The mod is nicely paced, quite interesting, and fun. The new music and art were
well-chosen. Evocative, descriptive text brought to life a variety of different
settings. By Ray's adroit wordsmithing, drama was deftly added to many key
scenes. Dialog between characters was equally flavorful. Background and depth
of motivation were given to many important characters, including the player's
own protagonist. Yet, none of those things is the real marvel of this mod...
By my count, Ray incorporates 13 (perhaps 14) different mystery scenario suggestions
into a single storyline. When he said that he had done this, I wondered if he
had used those mysteries simply as unrelated mini-quests in an episodic and
meandering adventure, or, if he had done it the hard way by weaving all the
individual threads into one, interconnected web of intrigue. To my delight, he
did the latter. This type of multifaceted integration is a daunting artistic
challenge for any author, but Ray accomplishes it in an unstrained and
fascinating manner. Bravo!
The strengths of this mod are so worthy of praise that it seems nitpicky to mention
any weaknesses. However, I must report that there are a few minor bugs of the
repeating event variety. The party's first meeting with the cardinal should be
a one-time-only occurrence, but if you try to explore his church, he will seem
to develop a short-term memory problem. So will a few lesser characters, like
the innkeeper and the barmaid.
Also, if you come from the wrong direction in the swamp, you may see an incident
begin that you have already resolved.
I expect that working under a tight deadline is mostly to blame for those oversights.
Ray completed the whole design in a week (a fact which adds on to my high
esteem of this mod)! Those bugs, as I say, are minor, however, and don't
detract any from the playability.
I give "A Series of Mysterious Events" an unqualified, hearty recommendation.
All by itself, this mod has more than justified the UANL's Mystery Challenge.
Indeed, that idea cannot now be seen as anything less than inspired.
Terrific work, Ray!