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Designated Heir: In the Most Serene, but not Most Democratic, Republic, Doges are elected. Of course, not many people get to vote, and a certain level of bribery is expected even for people whose votes can be counted on by a specific candidate, so it's pretty easy to predict the likely winner of an election ahead of time. In this case, it is expected that the next Doge will be the son of the current Doge, as played by Rowan Atkinson. I really need to go back and name everybody.

Monster That Threatens the Entire Kingdom: The Jabberwock. Created using practical effects by Weta Workshop, in conjunction with Adam Savage.

Theme Music: Composed by Eric Idle.

Villain: Bela Lugosi. A shift away from my previously British casting. In retrospect, Bazza sniped me by casting Cristopher Lee, but I hadn't considered Lee at that time. On the other hand, if you are going to cast an actor that played Dracula, you might as well cast one of the best.

This Scottish reporter was tricked into wearing full protective gear to hold a fearsome Aussie drop bear

Since I didn't pick yesterday, two picks today. Obligatory Fantasy race: Orcs! Stealing from another Set/Studio: Orc prosthetics, costumes, makeup, equipment etc from the Lord of the Rings movies. Our Orcs Are The Same.

Wizard pick: The Wise Woman will be played by Miriam Margolyes. Unrelated to Margolyes, here is some inspiration for her role: --- Blackadder: Tell me, young crone, is this Putney? Young Crone: [cackling] That it be! That it be! Blackadder: "Yes, it is," not "That it be". And you don't have to talk in that stupid voice to me, I'm not a tourist! I seek information about a Wise Woman. Young Crone: The Wise Woman? The Wise Woman?! Blackadder: Yes. The Wise Woman. Young Crone: Two things, my Lord, must ye know of the Wise Woman. First... she is a woman! And second... she is... Blackadder: Wise? Young Crone: [normal] You do know her, then? Blackadder: No, just a wild stab in the dark - which, incidentally, is what you'll be getting if you don't start being a bit more helpful! Do you know where she lives? ---

Attention Hermit. My sovereign pick isn't in my roster either, despite me repeating it in today's pick - which you did add.

First, a reminder of my pick from yesterday: Today's pick: Greatest Warrior in all the Land: Captain Thello, snappy dresser, magnet for the ladies and mercenary swordsman, will be played by Danny John-Jules.

This area is a bit odd. They didn't "just" make it anything, and instead provided a set of dials and switches (Advantages and Disadvantages) that can be chosen to model a particular power. There's no generic "killing attack" any more. I really need to study it to work out what is going on, but at the moment I'm happily ignoring it. To be honest, there are a few potential deal breakers, at least in the pre-publication draft that I am looking at.

I honestly don't get what you mean with the training wheels stuff. Six phases, 12 phases or 29 phases is all pretty arbitrary. Post segment 12 recovery? Meh. It just means that you have to use one of your phases when you need to recover. Also, END costs are 1 per 5 Active Points, not 1 per 10, so you will need to recover more often. The game is actually harder to play well. Character generation is a bit easier. That balance seems right to me. There is one problem with the 6 segment turn: it's too easy to buy a 6 Spd. But there are other demands on your point budget that make it a non-trivial choice.

Sovereign pick: His Most Serene Excellency, the Doge of The Most Serene Republic will be played by Peter Sellers. Of course, Sellers was famous for playing multiple roles in his movies, which mean I should be able to cast him multiple times, but I won't push my luck.

True, but he came from a rich family. Rich families in Brazil are rarely Afro-Brazilian. Bleaching him would probably make that aspect of him more plausible. 🙁

I'm not sure of the details, but the Most Serene Republic has a State Church, similar to that in, for example, The Princess Bride. Its Bishop, naturally, is played by Peter Cook.

Iraqi parliament votes to expel US troops — awaits government approval