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Monster Hunter Rise Ultra Basics

I am not a Monster Hunter expert by any means, but I have attempted to introduce many friends to the game. The action-packed epic battles, the nerdy customization, the cool aesthetic… and it’s multiplayer so I want people to play it with! Here are some answers to common questions I get about this somewhat obtuse game that I love so much.

Image of the many items in Monster Hunter
What do I do with all this stuff? Good thing the Item Box is bottomless!

What do I do with all these items???

You’ll collect dozens (dozens!) of items during your quests that will end up sitting in your supply box. Now what? The answer is that you let them sit there until you need them.

When it comes to many items, you won’t even know what they are for, or why you have them. Random monster fur? What’s that do? Eventually, you will need these to craft some armor, a weapon, or some other item to help you with a hunt. You do not need to consider selling off all your random items for money. In this game, money will rarely be the obstacle preventing you from getting what you need, but rare items are hard to come by! Hang on to your items and you’ll be thankful later when you’re off to craft new gear!

Monster Hunter View of Liolaeus from a Cliff
Monster Hunter View of Rathian from a Cliff

The quest is to hunt this monster, but there are so many other monsters on the map too, what do I do about them?

Your goal is to complete the main quest goal. If you don’t complete that goal in the allotted time then your quest will fail and most of your progress for that time will be lost.

So what about the other monsters? In short, if you have the time, you can hunt and carve them for items. That’s it. Nothing else that you do to them will count for anything. So either ignore them, or take them out and get the loot.

Monster Hunter Weaponsmith
He can make many weapons, but which one is for you?

Which weapon should I use?

It may help to think of Monster Hunter as a game like Street Fighter. They are both made by Capcom after all. In Street Fighter when you change your character your entire move set changes, and the strategy that you use to win should also change. Monster Hunter is like that in regards to weapons. Each weapon will dramatically change what the buttons do and how you play the game.

For example, with the long sword you get relatively close and slice and dice. A meter builds up and you can unleash a power attack. With the bow you stay back at a distance and try to line up power shots whenever possible. You’ll press and hold a button to charge up a shot. You also need to have coatings, that can make your arrows poison tipped or explosive, and you’ll change them on the fly in the field.

There is no right answer to which weapon one should use. They are all competitive and it’s up to you to decide which you enjoy the most. For something not as fiddly, try the hammer or long sword. For something more technical, try one of the bows or gunlance. The possibilities are endless!

Monster Hunter Rise Chat Menus
So many menus!

The menu maze is endless… what do I do with a ll these gestures and the camera and poses and fixed phrases and stuff?

You don’t need to do anything with them. It’s just for fun. Worry about it later!

Try Hunting! Might be fun!

Love this Zelda Boss Key Charm from Fandom Regalia – The Best Gamer Swag

Fandom Regalia is a company in Toronto that makes high-quality jewelry around geek themes ranging from Mario to Star Trek. I have started a small collection of sterling silver charms for my keychain. The stuff at Fandom Regalia is mainly meant for necklaces, but I’ll do me you do you.

Keychain
Added some bling to my keychain.

They have many attractive items. As someone who likes video games in particular, I was interested in the Mario Mushroom, the Zelda Boss Key, and the Mario Boo. I ended up going with the Large Zelda Boss Key, mainly because it is a larger size, and it is double-sided while many of the other designs have a flat back. It’s also one of those icons where, if ya know ya know — while if you don’t know, it still looks interesting.

Boss Key!

Ordering was easy and shipping was quick. When arrived it was more detailed than I had imagined. It was also smaller than I imagined, but that’s just silly because the measurements are on the website, and I checked them against a ruler before I ordered. Rest assured it’s sized as documented! The other charms that I have on my keychain are all larger, so it just looks small in comparison. If a double-sized XL Boss Key were ever created, I think I would jump on that.

Check out their stuff, might be fun!

Fandom Regalia on Facebook, and on their official website.

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Der Clou: Roll & Heist – A Print and Play Board Game

Der Clou: Roll & Heist is a solo or cooperative print and play roll and write board game. That was a mouthful. All you need to play is to print out a few files, a pencil, and three six-sided dice.

A snapshot of part of one of the character sheets

BoardGameGeek.com rates this game highly. It’s definitely worth a look, especially since it’s free!

To put it simply, in this game you will find yourself rolling dice, and deciding how to use the values to carry out a heist. Get as much loot as you can to maximize your score before you run out of time and set off the alarms. There are different characters and character sheets, and different scenarios which adds to the replayability.

Here’s a thorough review by someone who has played the game several times.

Ready to give it a try? Head over to the official English page for Der Clou: Roll & Heist or BoardGameGeek site to download the files you need, print, and play!

Here’s some videos featuring Der Clou: Roll & Heist.

If you’re looking for another print and play board game that is just a little less involved, try Raging Bulls that I blogged about before. It’s a solid game!

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Japanese Lesson from Games: 図太い bold

Fire Emblem Three Houses - Zubutoi
sasuga wa sensei, zubutoi ne

Japanese: 流石は先生、図太いね。

Hiragana:さすがはせんせい、ずぶといね。

Romaji: sasuga wa sensei, zubutoi ne.

Meaning: Bold, shameless, cheeky, brash.

I did not know the term zubutoi before encountering it here. This term can be used to both praise and criticize. It refers to someone who is bold and self-confident in their actions, not caring too much about what others may think of them. This person remains calm, cool, and collected, thus you’ll often see the word 平然 (heizen) used in the definition of zubutoi. You can probably understand why this could be taken in a negative sense in Japan, where society often drives individuals to think about how their actions might be taken by the entire group.

Fire Emblem Three Houses is FILLED with advanced Japanese phrases and vocabulary. The game is entirely voiced, and you can replay any dialog you want as long as you don’t leave the dialog sequence. The Nintendo Switch is region free, and many (not all) games, including Fire Emblem, have the full Japanese text and audio available in the U.S. release of the game. No need to import from Japan! This is an amazing resource for gamers who are learning Japanese. Look forward to more. This game is the gift that keeps on giving.