Last weekend, I was playing Adventurer’s League with my Tiefling Paladin, Zehiri. This was the first game where Zehiri was a level #5, meaning she could attack twice. I had a blast being able to not only attack twice but also incorporate a smite into one of my melee attacks for extra damage. As I reflected on the session, I realized I have had quite a few memorable role-playing moments from various sessions I have played in. I wanted to share a few of my favorite roleplaying moments from various types of roleplaying games.

Using a Saxophone as a Weapon – Call of Cthulhu

I played in a one-shot Call of Cthulhu game where our characters were trapped in an “abandoned” asylum. Our characters had nothing as far as weapons, money, or accessories. Our group was investigating the music room before being attacked by supernatural beings. I asked our keeper (Call of Cthulhu terminology for a Dungeon Master) if there was a saxophone in the room. He agreed that there would be. I picked up the saxophone, slung it on my back, and prepared to use it as a club against these beings. It led to a fun conversation about how much damage a saxophone could cause, and it led to our group escaping with our lives. It shows how roleplaying can bring out creativity in both the keeper and the players.

Hellish Rebuke – Takedown of an Ogre – Adventurer’s League

During one of our Adventurer’s League sessions, we were going to rescue hostages from some ogres. As I ran into battle, I was face-to-face with an ogre champion. She swung her club at me and dealt close to twenty damage. I was ready. I had Hellish Rebuke lined up. Hellish Rebuke is a reaction spell that forces the enemy to hit you to make a saving throw. No matter what, the opponent will take damage. The ogre failed her saving throw, and I ended up rolling extremely well. This dealt the last remaining damage needed. One of the items the ogre had was the “Gauntlets of Ogre Power,” which gives the wearer a strength score of 19. The group agreed that I could have the Gauntlets, which have proven useful in future sessions.

Successfully Punching a Nazi – Call of Cthulhu

In this one-shot, our setting was the 1940s, and our characters were on a ship. As our group was investigating disappearances in the crew, I noticed a group of Nazis at the bar. I immediately beelined to them and told our keeper that I wanted to slap one of them. Everyone in our group didn’t think this would go well and was preparing to defend me if needed. I ended up rolling a critical success, much to the keeper’s delight. I was able to slap a Nazi and get away with it.

As I was writing this post, I was flooded with memories of memorable sessions. I’m going to save a few of them for a potential part #2 post.

I felt myself missing playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I go through a spurt where I play daily, and then I don’t play for a month or two. I decided to return to MaplePeaks and continue working on beautifying my island. As I logged in, I was reminded that it was my first anniversary of starting Animal Crossing, and I wanted to celebrate by posting photos I had taken in-game.

Before building a full house, there’s a starter tent. I took this photo on one of the first or second days I started playing Animal Crossing. I didn’t have any cute clothes, and my island is filled with weeds. My island has come so far!

One of the most significant aspects of Animal Crossing is catching insects, diving for underwater treasures, and fishing. There’s an encyclopedia that can be filled in, and badges are earned for catching everything. I still have a long way to go to complete the encyclopedia, but I’m for sure halfway through.

In Animal Crossing, there are several buildings you can build. One of those is Nook’s Cranny, a general store of sorts. Right next to Nook’s Cranny is the Museum run by Blathers, an owl wearing a brown sweater. The buildings provide heart to the island and help generate bells, along with donating all the items that can be collected.

Animal Crossing has an Easter event where you can run around the island and collect eggs. The eggs can be used to craft Easter-themed furniture and outfits. I was wearing a green egg dress and shoes while I collected eggs. I hope Animal Crossing has a Halloween-type event because I missed it last year.

To help navigate my island, I can build bridges or inclines to make it easier to hike. This is a photo I took pretty recently. There are several options, but since I want a fall-themed island, the red brick fits my island’s aesthetic. I created a brick pathway to help match the brick stairs to the brick path.

One of the most memorable parts of Animal Crossing is the animal villagers. Genji is featured in this screenshot I took today. Genji is one of my favorites. Genji was one of my first villagers and, for whatever reason, is the villager who most often visits my home.

The last photo is the one that makes me laugh. I love how in Animal Crossing, you can carry whatever you catch in your pocket. I caught a Great White Shark, and I’m just holding it, absolutely no big deal. Every time I look at this photo, it makes me laugh.

Animal Crossing never fails to make me happy. It’s a game that I always get completely lost in.

I have been playing a lot of animal-themed games lately. Earlier this year, I played Donut Country, and now I finished Backbone. Playing as a Raccoon is entertaining, to say the least. Backbone is a neo-noir game focused on a Raccoon PI uncovering corruption at every turn.

Backbone begins with Private Investigator Howard Lotor as he’s preparing to see his first client. He’s greeted by Odette, a well-dressed mouse who’s missing her husband. The case seems pretty standard to Howard. Through Howard’s investigation, he discovered Odette’s husband died under suspicious circumstances. Howard flees in terror and realizes this case may be much more dangerous than he previously thought.

One of the first things I noticed about Backbone was the music. I don’t normally pay attention to music in video games, but the music in Backbone was unsettling. For a game starring animals, I found myself on edge as Howard slinks through the town. There’s a part of the game where Howard is captured, and the music becomes more intense, where I found myself sitting on edge throughout that moment. The music helped capture the neo-noir experience Backbone was going for.

Besides the music, I liked the options throughout the game. For example, Howard is tasked with breaking into a nightclub. He can either go through the back door or go onto the roof. I liked being able to pick and choose how I wanted to proceed through the game. I chose the roof, and that seemed to work out splendidly. Additionally, there are different dialogue options with different characters. Depending on the dialogue options chosen, this can lead to secret achievements being unlocked. I liked that about Backbone because it leaves some replay value to the game.

Backbone was a fun surprise, as I wasn’t expecting to like the game as much as I did. Backbone can be downloaded on Xbox Game Pass or purchased through Steam.

It’s been a bit since I posted a Controllers & Coffee gaming update! This is one of my favorite posts to write because it keeps me accountable and on track with my gaming goals. I wanted to share what I have been playing and what’s next on my gaming backlog.

Consoles

I was planning on 100% completing LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga until my game glitched. It’s unfortunate because I still think this is a fun and well-made game. Since my game glitched, I’m going to move on to play Jedi: Fallen Order. I originally played Jedi: Fallen Order back in 2020 during quarantine, but I never finished it. I’m debating going back to my original save file or starting over and getting the full experience. I’m leaning towards the latter. I can always change my mind and go back to my other unfinished save.

After Jedi: Fallen Order, I could pick up Far Cry 5 again. I’m notorious for starting games and not completing them.

I’m also planning on going through Xbox Game Pass and seeing if there are any games there that I want to play. I like having options depending on what I’m in the mood to play.

PC

I haven’t played any PC games for a while now. Coffee Talk is a great game, but it’s just not enticing me to keep playing. I want to look at either playing through another Nancy Drew game in my Steam library or starting a new game.

Board Games

The only game I played recently was Doctor Who Fluxx, which was a quick and easy-to-learn card game. I’m hoping to host a board game day soon with family and have more updates on this end.

Roleplaying

I’m still playing Curse of Strahd every other Thursday at Badwolf Adventure Studios. I’m loving it! It’s been nice being able to play DnD regularly. Once Curse of Strahd is over, I definitely want to hop into another campaign at Badwolf.

I haven’t been able to play Adventurer’s League in a while, so Zehiri (my Tiefling Paladin) has been left in the dust. I am planning on signing up for a session soon, as I miss it.

I have also been getting back to watching Critical Role Campaign #1, Vox Machina. I took a break when I prioritized Star Wars content last month. I’m on episode #70 right now, which was right after the resurrection of one of the characters who died in battle.

Miscellaneous

As far as gaming news, a new trailer for Stray – the game where you can play as a stray cat was released. I’m a big cat person, so I think this concept is cute. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the sequel to Jedi Fallen Order, had a trailer drop during Star Wars Celebration. I want to finish Jedi: Fallen Order so I can be prepared when the game releases in 2023.

I’m looking forward to playing Jedi: Fallen Order, getting inspiration from PC gaming, and finding something new to play on Xbox Game Pass. Let me know what you’re playing through in the comments down below.

I love listening to Dungeons & Dragons or TTRPG podcasts. The frustrating part about them, however, is getting lost within the story. Each podcast has so much world-building that I find if I’m not paying attention to every second, I might miss something. Some podcasts may have a recap before each episode, while others have opted out of that altogether. I wanted to share what’s been working for me to keep everything straight in the podcasts I have been listening to.

I started this with Critical Role specifically. I started keeping a Google Doc per campaign where I write down my favorite moments, key NPCs (non-playable characters created by the Dungeon Master), and memorable bits from each episode. I started this Google Doc last year and kept up with it even when Critical Role began airing campaign #3. It’s been fun keeping a record of moments I don’t want to forget, and it’s helped me get into the world that’s being created. This document is now eleven pages long! This includes moments from campaigns #1 and #3, so I may end up breaking them apart into two separate documents.

If anyone else is a fan of roleplaying podcasts, I currently have a Google Doc created for both campaigns #2 and #3 from NADDPOD and campaign #1 and campaign #3 of Critical Role. I’m happy to share them if anyone is interested.

I had my eye on LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga since the game was announced. I’m a fan of LEGO games as I think they are relaxing to play in between something more intense. I wish I had pre-ordered this game. As it turns out, it was difficult to find a copy. I lucked out because I was able to find a last-minute copy at Best Buy on the PS4. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is an extravagant rendition of a nostalgic game.

The first thing that jumped out at me was how open-world this game is! I’m on episode #2, Attack of the Clones, and I like that I can explore Coruscant in great detail. There are bricks to collect, side missions, and characters to unlock. It seems every Star Wars planet will get this same overhaul. This goes beyond being a LEGO game. My husband walked in while I was playing through this game and laughed when he realized I was simply walking around collecting bricks and not advancing the story. I love that there is so much to do.

Speaking of collectibles, there are at least 1,000+ blue bricks to collect throughout the game. I’m a completionist, which means I like collecting everything and unlocking every single trophy. It’s going to take me forever to unlock everything, but it’s a challenge that I have accepted.

I wanted to keep this post short and sweet. Once I complete the game, I will write a more in-depth review. My first impression of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is that it’s a game well worth the money and perfect for any Star Wars fan of any age.

Xbox Game Pass is so worth the money. I mentioned Xbox Game Pass before, and I will keep reiterating how much I love it. There are so many games to choose from, and I like being able to try a game to see if I like it. During the week, I like playing relaxing games such as Animal Crossing or visual novel games like Coffee Talk. I don’t want to have to concentrate on something, as work at times leaves me feeling drained. One game I decided to try was Donut Country.

Donut Country is a puzzle physics game in which players play as a sinkhole that will suck up various buildings, animals, and people in this town. The story follows Mira, who, along with her raccoon friend, BK, works at the local donut shop. BK started doing donut deliveries to save for a remote-controlled helicopter. Mira learns that instead of donut deliveries, sinkholes have been dispatched and are sinking various residents. BK realizes that something is amiss as he doesn’t want to sink the town; he only wants his helicopter. How will Mira and BK revert the town to the way it was before the sinkholes?

The gameplay in Donut Country is where the game thrives. I had a lot of fun maneuvering this sinkhole around. Since some of the objects are larger, the sinkhole has to be appropriately placed to complete a level and capture the objects. Some levels have a puzzle component where certain levers have to be pulled, and objects are catapulted out of the sinkhole to complete the level. I liked the puzzle aspect of the game as I think it added a layer of complexity to the levels. Besides the puzzle aspect, I liked the graphics. They were cute, colorful, and had their own memorable art style. The town takes inspiration from LA. The boss level is similar to the Griffith Observatory which I have been to before! I thought it was a nice touch to see where the game draws its inspiration from.

The only downside I can think of to the game is the story. The story at times felt a bit convoluted. I’m still not sure where the sinkholes came from. It’s revealed who summons the sinkholes, but I’m not following how they randomly popped up. I think the point of the game is to be unrealistic, so I think it’s worth suspending some disbelief while playing Donut Country.

Donut Country was an entertaining and relaxing game to play. I probably wouldn’t have played this game had it not been on Xbox Game Pass. Donut Country is available on Xbox Game Pass.

I haven’t played board games in such a long time! I used to play board games regularly, whether with friends or family. Thankfully, I was able to join a family board game night last weekend. As we discussed what we should play, it was decided to give Doctor Who Fluxx a shot. I have never played a Fluxx game before trying out Doctor Who Fluxx. Doctor Who Fluxx was easy to learn and quick to play.

To win a game of Fluxx, a player must meet the goal. Different goal cards can be drawn and played, and sometimes the goal changes. Besides goal cards, there are rule cards that change the rules of that particular round. This can include increasing or decreasing maximum hand size, altering the number of cards drawn per turn, and changing the number of cards that can be played on one turn. There are keeper cards that are played in front of the table, along with action cards, which allow for shenanigans to occur.

Since this was Doctor Who Fluxx, the cards are characters and themes from Doctor Who. The keeper cards could be the various doctors or companions. My personal favorite was the Ponds, as I ended up winning one round by having a Tardis and the Ponds as keepers on my board. As I was playing through Doctor Who Fluxx, it reminded me that I’m due for a Doctor Who re-watch soon.

Doctor Who Fluxx is the perfect brewery or picnic table game. It’s easy to teach someone else how to play; it’s quick, and it doesn’t take up the whole table. I’m tempted to order my copy to have on hand. Doctor Who Fluxx can be purchased at your local game store or anywhere where games are sold.