Saturday Morning Gaming: Book of Hours
Back in 2018, a little indy game called “Cultist Simulator” came out and it was like nothing else I had ever played before. Set in a strange Edwardian time, you begin as a doctor, or police officer, or ingénue, or as just an average schmoe.
And as you play, you learn about dark secrets and unlock doors that are probably best left chained shut.
Read rare books. Paint. Start a cult. Remove your skin. Never grow old.
Well, playing the game was downright difficult. You had to keep up with your funds to pay the bills, you had to fight off ennui, you had to make sure you avoided mania, and there were a *LOT* of plates that you had to keep spinning. Every now and again, you’d have everything spinning at once and then you’d have the opportunity to really start leaning into cult stuff.
Remember those youtubes of the kiddos making a bunch of fidget spinners and then, once all of them were going, they’d dab?
Yeah, it was a little like that.
On top of that, there were a bunch of very difficult things to figure out once you got into the game. The sites you wanted to excavate likely had things to be overcome. You needed to send the appropriate followers to overcome it… like, locked doors required followers with the “knock” skill. There were places to explore in your dreams and you needed to have the appropriate keys to get past various doors.
It took me *MONTHS* before I got to one of the “good” endings. Months.
The game was exceptionally complex and exceptionally difficult and was probably the best game of 2018.
Well, the game has a sequel now and, thankfully, it’s less punishing. We’re back in the same universe but, this time, you’re a librarian at the Hush House. It’s not really about overcoming the weakness of the flesh anymore, it’s about collecting books and making sure that the Hush House is returned to its former glory.
I’ve only spent a few minutes with it but it already feels less stressful than Cultist Simulator. You can mosey in the library. You can take your time. You don’t have to keep all of those fidget spinners going. You can just dab.
I feel more relaxed already.
So… what are you playing?
(Featured image is the Book of Hours menu screen.)
Cultist Simulator consumed me during the pandemic, and I’ve been waiting not-so-patiently for Book of Hours. About 10 hours in, similar but a more relaxed vibe. If you ever have a hankering for a LARPing experience in the same milieu, check out https://locksmithsdream.com.Report
Two days ago, did the savescum thing on Baldur’s Gate and got 8 rolls under 10 in a row. That’s one heck of a 50/50 run of all tails.
There are shenanigans.Report
“Let’s use the best random number generator to determine who goes first…”
An hour later, it selects Major Tom.
The next day: it selects Major Tom again.
…
A week later.
“Let’s just let Major Tom go first.”Report
I haven’t experienced any success/failure streaks this pronounced and I do not have Karmic Dice turned on. Have you experimented with turning that feature on?
https://www.polygon.com/baldurs-gate-3-guides/23818568/karmic-dice-setting-on-offReport
This was the first I heard about Karmic Dice, and I am surprised it is on by default. I will be sure to turn that setting off next time I play.Report
I turned it off immediately, and the article I linked to recommends the same.Report
I dabbled in Cultist Simulator for a bit on my tablet, probably after reading Jaybird’s post about it. I never fully figured out what I was doing though. I did enjoy it, so maybe I should revisit it sometime.
My wife and I started BG3 together, which has been a fun experience. As long as it holds her interest, I think the likelihood of finishing the game in a reasonable time goes up significantly. It is much easier to justify spending most of a Saturday or Sunday playing a video game when we are doing it together. On the other hand, it also makes it much easier to ignore stuff we should be doing, because we are both sucked into the game.Report
I absolutely adored cultist simulator for the incredible lore background. The game is, indeed, fiercely challenging. I’m looking forward to trying Book of Hours.Report