The Snowmen: Backstreets of London

Pass the salt

Previous Episode: Sontaran Disturbance: England

Next Episode: The Snowmen: The Latimer Residence

Game version played: 2.4.1

The 11^th Doctor is swanning around in his new Stetson, and with Doctor #10 he has decided that our next stop is London, England, 1892.

With The Snowmen: Backstreets of London we’re back to a TV episode with Yellow Fragments to win. There’s also a little portrait of a Yellow Adipose. However for the first time this will be a Rare drop instead of automatic. We’re not being spoon fed any more. My selected team for this level is the 11^th Doctor (Rank 2), Porridge (Lv. 4), Madame Vastra (Lv. 4), Jenny Flint (Lv.5) and Rory (Lv. 3).

We arrive on a snowy cobbled street, with a warm cosy, glowing window on the left. Hang on. That silhouette in the window, it looks like a …

Never mind that now, we're being attacked by a snowman. 

He has a simple body but it's topped with an evil-looking head, with attack eyebrows and fang-filled mouth. Worst of all he’s Yellow, and as we all know yellow snow is bad news. 

Maybe this one was built with the wrong type of snow because he was reduced to slush in an instant. He has some mates though and the backup is comprised of two more Yellow Snowmen. They’re thirsty for revenge but slow, taking 3 turns to attack. The cold must have slowed me down as well as it took me a few rounds to see them  off. One even bit me for 40 damage. ‘Twas but a scratch but I was annoyed that they got through.

The final wave sees two Yellow snowmen flanking one big Blue snowman, sporting a smile that would give a Great White pause. These blighters must be tough as they all survived my first attack. Big Blue used his Black Ice power to convert all the Blue gems to Black. That stopped the 11^th Doctor doing any damage that round, but it did supply Porridge with ammunition. Black is strong against Yellow so the two wingmen were then out of the game.

Big Blue converted some more Blue gems to Black, but it was futile gesture. He melted like a snowflake in Hell and I won a Time Crystal.

The level was over and I gained enough experience to level up Porridge, Vastra and Rory. I increased their HP, ATK and HEAL respectively. However no Yellow Adipose dropped to join my team and there were no Yellow Fragments either. Humph!

So the game has presented us with another choice. Do we carry on through the storyline to The Latimer Residence? Or do we replay the Backstreets of London for one more shot at the Yellow Adipose?

Playing the level again gives you the same experience and the same chance of a drop. Keep it up and eventually you’ll get your own sentient lump of fat. Your team will also gain levels but the rate of progress will be slower than if you played on. This level earns 1,339 XP, but the next level provides 2,014 XP, the one after that 3,195 XP. You’d have to play Backstreets of London four times to beat the experience earned by playing through the next two levels.

My approach is to keep going up through the levels. When I get to difficult levels that are harder to beat, I go back and play for the remaining rare drops. This boosts experience and wins team members with new skill and colour combinations.

Of course knowing something about the Yellow Adipose might help you make a decision. Well he/she/it has the Lipogenesis ability, allowing it to convert Black Gems into Yellow. It has balanced abilities, so it is almost a Yellow Jenny Flint. When levelling up I boost its ATK ability to make the best use of the Yellow gems it creates.

Ooh he's so 'ickle.
Born from my back fat don't you know

If you do get Yellow Adipose before moving on then slip it straight into the team. Unless you’ve bought extra Companions you’ll still have a space and it makes no sense to leave the slot empty. Yellow Adipose would partner well with Madame Vastra, boosting the number of gems she’ll be able to attack with.

The Adipose first appeared in Partners in Crime but they have cropped up a couple of times since, toddling around as background colour. I admit they are cute and they make me chuckle. Being made of fat puts a disgusting spin on them that balances out their appalling sweetness. They’re also different to most other Who monsters, innocent beings literally living off the fat of others. The temptation to bring them back one day, along with their fully grown parents, must be strong for the show. I wouldn’t mind a percentage of Adipose merchandise.

New Who beats Classic Who into a cocked hat when it comes to humour. The first incarnation had satire and irony, with the odd comedy scene thrown in like John Cleese in the Louvre. Most of the Doctors have been able to clown or tell a gag. However some episodes of New Who are clearly intended to be comedies first and foremost, with action and adventure to keep up the drama. Even the scariest episodes have laughs to reassure you that it’s all going to be okay. I’m with Joss Wheedon "Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke.”

The Snowmen: Backstreets of London is quick and simple, but the introduction of Rare drops gives the game one of its most addictive attractions. 

Sontaran Disturbance: England

Squeeee!

Previous Episode: Dalek Paradox 

Next Episode: The Snowmen: Backstreets of London

Game version played: 2.4

You’ve won the 10th Doctor, so the first thing you should do is add him to your team right? Well, probably not.

The obvious thing to do is put him in that remaining space in your team roster. Unfortunately the game won’t let you do it. Go on, try. Only one space is capable of holding the Time Lord, tap on the first space and you see the list of available Doctors. Select #10 and he swaps with #11. Tap one of the other spaces and you just see the Companions. There’s no way to get 2 or more Doctors in your team. Wah!

Well get over it. That’s the way the game works. You have to decide if you want the perfect 10, or to turn it up to 11. Now if David Tennant is the love of your life, if the 10th Doctor is your Doctor, then nothing I say will convince you to do anything but boot that bow-tied buffoon out and replace him with the real deal. However game-play wise it’s hard to argue for that option.

The first strike against the 10th Doctor is his game colour. He’s Red and you already have Red Jenny Flint. The 11th Doctor is Blue and you have no Blue Companion. Choose the Red Doctor and you become unable to deliver Blue damage. Yes it is true that at LVL.1 Jenny can ‘Smoulder’ Blue gems to Red every 7 turns but this doesn’t make up the difference.

The second strike is the special ability. Rank 1 Doctor #10 Heals allies for 200HP after 15 Combos and 500HP after another 15. Unfortunately you have recently recruited Rory who is also a Healer, though not in the same league. The game is still playing easy and you could manage without any Healer for a while yet, you don’t need two. Take the Healing Doctor and you lose the Damaging Doctor.

The Sontaran production of
'The Full Monty' was not a success

The last and most important thing to remember is that this is a game. You are here to have fun and if you want to play every single adventure with the 10th Doctor alone then good for you. Have at it and send me a screen grab.

The 10th Doctor was played by David Tennant. It’s easy to underestimate how important he has been to the show. With hind sight there was a good chance that the 2005 reboot of Doctor Who was going to be at least a moderate success. However I doubt anyone expected it to be such a smash. Then Christopher Eccleston pulled the rug out by leaving after one series. Would this be another false dawn like the TV Movie, destined to break our hearts? Never fear, the skinny Scot was here.

Tennant loved the show and was determined to wring every last ounce of joy from his time in the TARDIS. Watching him you just knew he was having the time of his life. He knew exactly who the Doctor was and he totally ‘got’ it. Like all of the Doctors in New Who he is a talented actor so there was no problem there, but his super power was his charisma. He was a hit with the ladies, and his geek-chic coolness worked for us boys.

The success of series 1 was surpassed by the 10th Doctor juggernaut, driving the show to become one of the BBC’s flagship shows. Poor old Doctor #9 is now almost overlooked.

At times the 10th Doctor was too cocky, and it became possible to dislike the popular and cool man who was great at everything. David Tennant occasionally seemed bigger than the show, and may have stayed 1 season too long. This is just nit-picking though. He was the most successful Doctor since Tom Baker.

It’s hard to pick a favourite 10th Doctor episode. Blink was a masterpiece but he’s barely in it. I loved Tooth and Claw, but Human Nature and The Family of Blood were better stories and Tennant acted his socks off. If forced I’d have to plump for Midnight, delightfully creepy and a tense ‘base under siege’ story.

In the game, from here on there is at least a choice of Doctors. The team I play with may not be the same one that you used. Not an issue, seeing how someone else got through a game is part of the fun. My team for this level is 11th Doctor, Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, Porridge and Rory Williams. 

Sontaran Disturbance: England is not a TV episode and it is likely to drop Yellow Time Fragments. There is another 100% drop, but this time it’s a costume for the 11th Doctor, the Stetson outfit from The Impossible Astronaut. Our first costume change.

The level takes place in Bexhill,England, with a serene view of green fields and blue sky. Not the place you’d expect to find a squad of heavily armed alien clones from a high gravity planet, but just such a group stands before you. The Doctor identifies them as one of the Sontaran teams going back and changing time. You’d better stop them before they can create more paradoxes.

Wave 1 is a solo Yellow Sontaran. I must have got him right in the probic vent because he went down like a sack of spuds. That kill got me a Time Crystal. Wave 2 is made up of two of the same Sontarans. It took just 2 turns to kill them but no reward was forthcoming.

Then before you know it you’re at the final wave, a Green Sontaran Commander. He can heal himself a little which did keep him in the fight for two rounds but that was all. He died, presumably for the glory of the Sontaran Empire, and a grey portrait fell. The costume.

Putting on an outfit is simple. Go to the character in question’s profile tab and you’ll see a ‘New’ flash. Click on ‘Change Outfit’ and you’ll see that one of the previously greyed out options is now available. Select it and the character portrait is changed. There is no game bonus for the different costumes and no stars for collecting them, but I do enjoy the collect-ability. You can change them at will so feel free to dress your team for each occasion.

There was enough experience awarded to get Jenny up to LVL. 5 and I again boosted her ATK. I had the Time Crystal and the costume but no Time Fragments from the match.

And we’re done, rather quickly. Still you need some calm time so that you can recognise ‘exciting’ when you meet it. No complaints, let’s move on and see what’s next. 

Dalek Paradox

Brilliant indeed

Previous Episode: Asylum of the Daleks: Intensive Care

Next Episode: Sontaran Disturbance: England

Game version played: 2.4

In all the excitement of winning Rory I forgot to look at what he offers. Well he’s your first and only Green of course, so he'll stop you wasting those emeralds that are sure to start falling. He has 68 HP, 35 ATK and 33 HEAL making him your first Healer too, going by the Legacy wiki character type. A Healer’s main role is to convert Pink gems into healing HP. Invaluable once the opposition gets genuinely dangerous.

Then there’s his Power called ‘Stand Firm’, which is apt for the steadfast Rory. This heals your team by 100 HP. That is a small proportion at this point but it can make all the difference. So as well as using those Pink combos to keep you in the game, once every 10 turns Rory can repair your HP regardless of the board. You shouldn’t rush to use this power once it’s charged. If you have less than 100 damage then in most cases it would be a waste. If there is Pink about then use that first. I always feel better when I have a fully charged heal in reserve.

Excited about finally getting to play with all gem colours? Yes me too. Make sure Rory is included in the team. Now we can look at the next mission. Wait. What’s that in the TARDIS? Something’s flashing. Why is the 11th Doctor pulsing like that? What’s it say? Upgrade? Grud on a Greenie. More excitement.

Why is my 11th Doctor ready to upgrade? Well the Doctor doesn’t accumulate experience like the Companions. He depends solely on Time Fragments, so if you’ve got the right colours you can upgrade him any time. Rank 1 Doctor # 11 needs 3 Red and 3 Blue, and I’ve got those. Where from? You may well ask.

For the purposes of this blog I log in and play 1 level at a time, occasionally but not often on consecutive days. This means I get a lot of Red Fragments at the log in bonus, sometimes 2 Blue. Most new players will start the game and go deep before they log out, gaining less early Fragments.

I did wonder if it was fair to upgrade 11 just yet, as most players won’t have the Fragments this early. However everyone will get different drops, log in on their own schedule, and can buy and invest Time Crystals however they choose. You can buy 4 Fragments of either base colour for 2 Crystals, and can get 2 of each for 5. Easier still you can select Instant Upgrade and promote the Doctor directly for 4 Crystals. I’ve earned 4 Crystals so far in this game, so most players will be able to upgrade the 11th Doctor one way or another by now. Personally I wouldn’t spend Crystals this early as the fragments drop regularly enough and you’re unlikely to be struggling, but if you’ve got the Fragments, go ahead. Advancement is one of the pleasures of experience based games.

Internal argument settled, I selected Upgrade for the Eleventh Doctor. First of all I got a chance to change my mind, ‘Are you sure?’ Yes I’m sure. I’ve spent 10 whole seconds considering the mission statement of this blog and the ramifications thereof. I selected ‘Yes’ and a portrait of the Doctor appears with ‘Brilliant’ written across it. A single star appears, and then a second one pulses into join it. As a character advances you earn an extra star towards your total. This took me to 6 stars in total, one for each companion plus 2 for the Rank 2 Doctor.

4 more stars for Perk #3

Before I could check on the Doctor’s new powers, I was alerted that a new perk had been unlocked. Crikey it’s like Christmas isn’t it? First things first though. Let’s see what the new and improved 11th can do. On the Attributes tab we can see the two stars, plus that we need 8 Red, 8 Pink and 8 Blue Time Fragments to get him to Rank 3. I already have the Red but the others will take some work. Moving over to the Profile tab we see that his ‘Cunning’ special ability has become ‘A Fast Plan’. He now does 500 damage to all opponents after 30 combos, and 1,500 after 30 more. This is meaty damage. Even Porridge’s bomb only does 1,000 damage at Rank 1. Red foes beware.

So what about that Perk then? Go to Team and from there to Perks. You’ll see that you now have ‘Colour Enhance I’ active. Tap on it and you’ll see that you can get a 5% damage bonus for one of the character colours. Time to make a choice. Look in your team roster and look at the total damage for each colour. The bonus is a percentage, so obviously if you choose your strongest colour then you will get the most points, which for me would be Blue. Another option is to shore up your weakest colour, Green for me. This would make you more rounded but deliver less points. You could just pick your favourite character or colour and go with that. Don’t worry about it too much. You can change your perks at any time without penalty. If a mission goes sideways, go back and change your perks. I chose Blue for now to get the biggest bang.

Right then. I’ve Perked up, the 11th Doctor is upgraded and Rory is in the squad. Let’s see what Dalek Paradox is all about.

You have the chance to win Blue Time Fragments and Red. Blue hasn’t been up before and this is the first level that isn’t identified as a TV episode. Who knows what you’ll face. Well, Daleks obviously, unless that’s the paradox.

There’s another portrait here too, labelled 100% drop. It’s Red, let’s look a little closer…Oh my life, it’s the 10th Doctor. My cup runneth over. Allons-y.

Look at all the pretty colours

Into the fray and we’re on the Earth’s moon again, this time for real I assume rather than on Hedgewick’s World of Wonders. How are breathing? Are we suited up? No time to wonder about such trivialities as the Doctor is talking. His sonic screwdriver is detecting a paradox up ahead. It must be closed to stabilise time itself. There are strange readings from his past so there’s a need to be careful. Anything could be in there. Right Ho Doctor, consider us warned.

Wave 1 glides into attack and it’s a Blue Strategist Dalek, joined by a newcomer. It’s a Yellow New Paradigm Dalek, the Eternal. Just what is the Eternal all about? Well apparently nothing, at least not yet. It was thrown into the New Paradigm mix as a long term investment, so that it can be used as a future as yet unimagined plot device. Good thinking. Note that Rory i.e. Green is strong against the Strategist i.e. Blue. The relationship between the colours is being filled in. Well if this Eternal had any surprises for me then they were not manifested, as I blasted him and his Blue Buddy into atoms first shot.

Waves 2 & 3 are made up of more Daleks, nothing you haven’t faced before. They were tough enough to return fire and inflict minor damage, but nothing to write home about.

Looks like a 70's rock album cover

Feeling confident I waited for Wave 4 of 5, but then saw a ‘Warning’ flash up. Huh! Up until now that’s only been seen before the final Boss wave. Something Wicked this way comes. It’s a Reaper.

Vastra quite reasonably asks what the Reaper is, the Doctor explains that they hunt through time and space looking for paradoxes. They are not to be trifled with and can’t be destroyed, but once the paradox is closed it will vanish, if you can just get past it. These beasts only appeared once in the series, in Father’s Day, but one actually managed to kill and eat the Doctor. Take a bow Reapers, you are the stuff of legend.

Defeating the Blue Reaper took a while. It has a stun ability which put a couple of Companions temporarily out of action and it can take a lot of damage. However with a few big hits and a Riposte from Vastra I managed to beat it.

Sexy

There was another Warning, and then a Blue Paradox appeared. All crackly and energetic, this is a good looking opponent. I’d been saving Porridge’s bomb for this so the timer was set. The first rounds consisted of me doing small damage to the Paradox, while it kept warping my Green gems to Blue. This could have gone on for a while but I then managed to inflict a significant hit, and heal myself back to 100% using Pink gems.

Just then the Doctor started to flash. Oh yes! A chance to use his new ‘A Fast Plan’ ability. I let him off the leash and the Paradox collapsed under the onslaught. Victory.

Dalek Paradox was a decent contest with new enemies and another step in the story. The rewards were good. I got the ‘No More Yellow’ achievement for beating 10 Yellow enemies, and Porridge went up a level to 4 where I boosted his HP to 152. This was Rory’s first scrap and he obviously learnt a lot. He went straight to level 3 so I had 2 points to award, both went onto HEAL.

Last but not least I got the 10th Doctor in the TARDIS, but that’s quite enough excitement for one day. I think I need to go and lie down. 

Polycystic Kidney Disease

Thursday 4th September has been declared Polycystic Kidney Awareness Day by the PKD Foundation. My wife suffers from PKD, and since I love her it seems only right to stand on my own particular soap box and spread the word.

Before I met her I had never heard of this disease, and even after we were married it was in the background of our life. I knew she had a condition that was going to affect her health in years to come, but the effects at first were slight. She doesn’t smoke which is a plus, she doesn’t drink which isn’t an issue, and she exercises religiously which just shows me up. I’m sure PKD helped motivate these life choices, as well as her insistence on healthy eating, but she’d have done them anyway because she’s far wiser than me.

PKD is accurately if unimaginatively named. It is an inherited disease in which fluid filled cysts multiply and grow in the kidneys. Some people live their whole lives without knowing they have it, but in most cases kidney functions steadily decline, eventually resulting in kidney failure.

My wife and I have grown older together, which was the plan of course, and each year has been marked by regular visits to the kidney specialist. Each time there is a percentage rating of how the kidneys were doing. Sometimes it stayed the same, occasionally it crept up, but overall there has been a downward trend. The visits to the specialists have now become more frequent.

A Polycystic kidney alongside a healthy kidney

The horrible irony of PKD is that while kidney function decreases, the organs get bigger. The cysts swell and multiply, pushing the kidneys out into the rest of the body. Often the liver is affected too and develops its own cysts, growing along with the kidneys. Space is taken up, other organs are squashed, and the torso gets larger. In later stages this becomes noticeable whatever you are wearing. As you can imagine all of this is uncomfortable, painful and distressing.

As the disease has progressed life has become less enjoyable for my wife. She has needed stronger medication to control her blood pressure, with each new prescription bringing its own side effects. Sleep has become difficult due to continual discomfort. Eating is a cost/benefit exercise, searching through the rapidly shrinking menu of foods that are allowed to her, trying to find something that won’t lead to griping pain afterwards. Even the quantity is a trade off. Her constricted stomach can’t handle more than a child’s portion but she needs enough to stop her becoming malnourished. When we got together it was a joy to have a wife who loved to walk as much as I did, but now her shortness of breath means a walk across the park is the limit.

There is no cure for PKD, at least not yet, but that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing that can be done. Good diet, exercise and controlling blood pressure etc. all help. However there comes a point where the organs will fail. Dialysis is one option, and organ transplant is another. A healthy kidney or liver when transplanted into a PKD sufferer does not start to grow cysts. They behave as they would do in any other patient. They do not last forever, current estimates are about 15 years in the UK but increasing all the time, and demand outstrips supply. Doctors and sufferers almost have to play ‘chicken’ with PKD. Transplant too early and you’ll be looking at another transplant 15 to 20 years down the road, as well as perhaps denying someone in greater need. Wait too long and you may be too weak when your chance comes.

My wife has done well but we are now into discussions with specialists about dialysis and transplant registers. Everyone agrees that we are reaching the point where something must be done, what that is remains to be decided. 

This is an account of my experience of living with someone with PKD in which I hope to raise awareness of the condition. Other sufferers will have completely different stories to tell. For more stories, support, information and donation channels then please use the relevant link from the list below.

International          www.pkdinternational.org

UK                       Pkdcharity.org.uk

USA                     www.pkdcure.org

Canada                 endpkd.ca

France                  www.polykystose.org

Germany               www.pkdcure.de

Italy                      www.renepolicistico.it

Japan                    www.pkdfcj.org

There is just one more thing. Please register as an organ donor. When you’ve gone you won’t miss your internal bits and pieces. They can become food for worms, fuel for the fire, or life for someone else. Thanks.