The Queue: Get in losers, we’re going to outer space (maybe)

Just how is Amazon going to adapt Mass Effect for TV? I don’t know, and I’m afraid to ask.

But while I’m being anxious about that, let’s answer some questions, shall we? Starting with my favorite video game.

I have to go with my favorite game, Mass Effect, which has actually been optioned by Amazon for a TV show, but I’m not holding my breath on that turning out well. But it’s a franchise with so much potential: a great ensemble cast (yes, even Ashley and Kaiden) with friendship, heartbreak, romance, and all of the personal drama you could want; a web of secrets and conspiracies and political intrigue; space! exploration!; and of course plenty of action. It has everything you could possibly want for a long-form sci-fi drama series and it’s all right there.

The problem, of course, is that while the ME trilogy has a strong plot and characters, it’s hard to take that and directly turn that into TV that fans will love, because we all have our opinions on who Shepard is and how they act. Anything that clashes with our personal headcanon may be a hard sell, and feel jarring.

And what is Mass Effect without Shepard, Garrus, Liara, Tali, and the rest? I don’t know. Telling a story about Shepard is hard, but telling a story in the Mass Effect universe without them may be even harder. I can picture a perfect Mass Effect series that fits what I think about the game, but I don’t know that it would fit what anyone else thinks about the game… it would be a very fine line to walk.

Much like your suggestion of BG3, in which so many have played and had their own personal experiences with the game that will be extremely divergent from what other players experienced or thought about. It’s hard to tell one singular story about that… and what works for one person won’t work for everyone.

Still. Fingers crossed for Mass Effect. (But I’m not going to hold my breath because it would be bad for my health.)

This is a tough question, because I’m a dual faction player. Right now I’m playing a gnome, but my — as in Liz’s — ideal house would really be a blood elf style tower.

Meanwhile my character is a gnome, and doesn’t have any gnomish options!

I really am at a loss for what my home will look like, except that it will have the absolute maximum number of pink flamingos you can put in a lawn. (I’ll be reporting in on the final number as soon as I know.)

(1) The worst LFR fight is always the latest end boss, so right now it’s Dimensius. It’s a lengthy fight with a couple of intermission mini-bosses, not one but two flying segments, and essential positioning requirements in all phases. And that doesn’t even mention that if anyone clicks on one of the portals before the whole group is ready, the encounter starts immediately. It’s just hard to get everything to line up.

(2) Hot apple cider.

(3) One summer is usually as good as another. I’m more of a fall person, though.

Savory all the way.

I don’t know where we can go after managing to book you to talk about Guild Wars 2 and the trouble with TTRPG alignment. Do you think we could talk Red into joining us?

I say B, or possibly C. She’s retired from the heroics business (as much as one can in Azeroth), and is just here to rescue orphans or help kittens or to rescue orphaned kittens or something.

Thanks for reading! I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday (as wonderful as it gets, stuck here in the middle of the week), and I’ll see you back here next week. Take care everybody.