For those who are interested in this sorta thing, HumbleChoice games
for February 2023 are now available
https://www.humblebundle.com/membership

This month, we're getting the following games
(note: links below are to Steam for descriptive purposes, not where
you get the games. If you wanna claim 'em, you gotta go to the
HumbleChoice website and pay for the privilege. Still, it's $12USD for
the bundle, so it's not as if you'd be paying a lot ;-)

* Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1184370/Pathfinder_Wrath_of_the_Righteous/
Essentially, this is "Baldur's Gate" for the Pathfinder table-top RPG
system. Basically the same monsters and rules, except tweaked just
enough to be legally distinct. It's a completely different setting and
story too. But the short of it is: if you liked "Baldur's Gate",
you'll probably like this game; if not, move on.

* Fallout 76 (w/Fallout 1)
https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/1151340/
This one needs little introduction: it's a Bethesda Fallout game...
but online! Wander post-nuclear Virginia, collect loot, kill monsters.
After an extremely rocky start the game is greatly improved from
launch (although it's still the weakest of the bunch). If you're an
MMORPG fan and love Fallout, this is probably a must get. Otherwise?
Ehn. (But it does come with the original Fallout game from 1995, if
that sweetens the pot)

* Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
https://store.steampowered.com/app/973760/Thronebreaker_The_Witcher_Tales/
A very light RPG/adventure/deck-builder game thingee. Look, it's a
Witcher game and it's obviously riding on the coattails of Witcher 3
and the TV series. It's not a bad game but it's not particularly deep
and if the Gwent mini-game in Witcher 3 didn't entrance you, you'll
probably hate this. Plus, there's almost no Geralt (the eponymous
Witcher). But fans of the franchise probably should add it to their
library.

* Othercide
https://store.steampowered.com/app/798490/Othercide/
X-Com with a weird setting and a monochromatic (plus blood) color
scheme; that's what this basically boils down to. Lead your army of
"the Daughters" to fight freaky monsters in turn-based close-combat
melee and save the world. Fun game, if a bit unpolished.

* Shady Part of Me
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1116580/Shady_Part_of_Me/
An world of unsaturated hues explored by a young waif thrust into
horrific situations navigated in typical platformer style. Hey, is
this an Indie game? Yup. I mean, it's a fine game but dammit
Indie-devs, get a new genre already!

* Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1298140/Fobia__St_Dinfna_Hotel/
First-person horror-survival as experienced through the lens of a
video-camera; this sounds familiar. Yeah, it's been done a dozen times
before and Fobia doesn't really seem to do anything novel; on the
other hand, it doesn't do anything wrong either. It's not going to win
any prizes for originality but if you like the genre, it's a good
game.

* Five Dates
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1353270/Five_Dates/
The title probably gives it away, but this is a dating sim. This one
uses full-motion video with real people, but other than that it
doesn't seem that exciting. But maybe I'm not the right person to
judge; this is definitely not a genre I'm interested in.

Anyway, that's this month's selection. Humble continues to stumble
along the line between being worth it and not; of the above, only one
game really excites me, and the others are okay but not anything I'd
go out of my way to acquire (and one I'd usually avoid). Still,
"Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous" normally sells for $40USD, so
picking it up for 1/3rd the price means I'll stay subscribed for at
least another month. But I'm not sure I'd recommend the service to new
gamers...

On 07/02/2023 23:57, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> * Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
> https://store.steampowered.com/app/1184370/Pathfinder_Wrath_of_the_Righteous/
> Essentially, this is "Baldur's Gate" for the Pathfinder table-top RPG
> system. Basically the same monsters and rules, except tweaked just
> enough to be legally distinct. It's a completely different setting and
> story too. But the short of it is: if you liked "Baldur's Gate",
> you'll probably like this game; if not, move on.

That a nice little add to this month's selection but from reading the
reviews it seems a bit too combat focused for my liking.

On Tue, 07 Feb 2023 18:57:28 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>Anyway, that's this month's selection. Humble continues to stumble
>along the line between being worth it and not; of the above, only one
>game really excites me, and the others are okay but not anything I'd
>go out of my way to acquire (and one I'd usually avoid). Still,
>"Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous" normally sells for $40USD, so
>picking it up for 1/3rd the price means I'll stay subscribed for at
>least another month. But I'm not sure I'd recommend the service to new
>gamers...

Pathfinder sells for $50 on Steam and from what I can see, it
definitely looks like Baldur's Gate. This is the only game in your
list that interests me so I am probably better off just buying this
one when it goes on sale on any site that hands out Steam keys.

On Wed, 08 Feb 2023 09:12:49 -0500, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com>
wrote:

>On Tue, 07 Feb 2023 18:57:28 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson
><spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>Anyway, that's this month's selection. Humble continues to stumble
>>along the line between being worth it and not; of the above, only one
>>game really excites me, and the others are okay but not anything I'd
>>go out of my way to acquire (and one I'd usually avoid). Still,
>>"Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous" normally sells for $40USD, so
>>picking it up for 1/3rd the price means I'll stay subscribed for at
>>least another month. But I'm not sure I'd recommend the service to new
>>gamers...
>
>Pathfinder sells for $50 on Steam and from what I can see, it
>definitely looks like Baldur's Gate. This is the only game in your
>list that interests me so I am probably better off just buying this
>one when it goes on sale on any site that hands out Steam keys.

Just a side note: games purchased on HumbleChoice (usually) are made
available as a Steam key. Humble does have it's own app for a rotating
selection of titles - it's "HumbleTrove" - but those are a bonus to
people who pay for the HumbleChoice. All the games you pay for are on
Steam (or, very occassionally, one of its competitors: Origin,
Ubisoft, Epic, or GOG). All this month's titles that I mentioned above
are on Steam.

Also, there's no real 'subscription'; you can buy the games one month
and never give them another dime. The only thing you'll lose is access
to the aforementioned Trove after the first month. You're not tied
into any on-going monthly payments and you keep any games you claim on
Steam (or even if you don't claim them; the keys remain valid
regardless) if you never give them another dime.

If you're interested in a specific game, it's often hard to beat the
price of getting it through HumbleChoice. The overall selection is
disappointing but when you see a $50USD game for $12USD? It's unlikely
you're going to see that sort of deal again any time soon.

The only real downside is that, yes, you have to create
Yet-Another-Account with Yet-Another-Website... but after you claim
the game you want, you never have to deal with them again if you don't
want to.

I always feel sorta icky shilling for Humble because - overall - I
feel their product isn't providing the sort of value that it used to,
and that it shouldn't be rewarded for being worse. But if there's
that one game you want and it's cheaper than you could get it
elsewhere... well, you'd be silly not to grab it. IMHO, YMMV, etc.

Also, also: I skipped a game in my initial listing one of the games on
tap this month:

* ScourgeBringer
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1037020/ScourgeBringer/
An Indie platformer. Very fast paced, very retro graphics. Was made
available on Amazon six months ago but you can get it on Steam now if
you want.

On Wed, 08 Feb 2023 11:56:12 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>I always feel sorta icky shilling for Humble because - overall - I
>feel their product isn't providing the sort of value that it used to,
>and that it shouldn't be rewarded for being worse. But if there's
>that one game you want and it's cheaper than you could get it
>elsewhere... well, you'd be silly not to grab it. IMHO, YMMV, etc.

I already have an account with Humble Bundle. I have purchased bundle
deals from them before. In fact, that is how I ended up with an extra
copy of Icewind Dale to give away. But I never signed up for their
membership thing to get that bundle deal.

I want to make sure I understand this. If I sign up for their
membership thingy for $11.99, will I instantly get all of those games
you mentioned? Then I can cancel my membership and not pay another
dime?

On Wed, 08 Feb 2023 14:04:07 -0500, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com>
wrote:

>On Wed, 08 Feb 2023 11:56:12 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson
><spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>I always feel sorta icky shilling for Humble because - overall - I
>>feel their product isn't providing the sort of value that it used to,
>>and that it shouldn't be rewarded for being worse. But if there's
>>that one game you want and it's cheaper than you could get it
>>elsewhere... well, you'd be silly not to grab it. IMHO, YMMV, etc.
>
>I already have an account with Humble Bundle. I have purchased bundle
>deals from them before. In fact, that is how I ended up with an extra
>copy of Icewind Dale to give away. But I never signed up for their
>membership thing to get that bundle deal.
>
>I want to make sure I understand this. If I sign up for their
>membership thingy for $11.99, will I instantly get all of those games
>you mentioned? Then I can cancel my membership and not pay another
>dime?

That's how it works for me!

Select the games, pay the $12USD, then click cancel... never see
another charge from Humble again.

Directly from the HC FAQ*:
"Q: I only want to be charged for 1 month, what should I do?

A: If you only want to purchase the current month of Humble Choice,
you may cancel the plan right after your payment has been
processed for the monthly plan. Canceling prevents you from
being billed on the next automatic payment date. "
and

How do I cancel?

"You are welcome to cancel your membership at any time
without losing the content you've already paid for.
Canceling your memberships means that we will not
be renewing for the current month (if not already
purchased) or future months."

You lose access to the "perks" (access to the HumbleTrove/app and a
discount on their store) but the main games - the ones listed above -
are yours to keep even if you never claimed the keys.

Actually, I've never even been auto-billed, but that's probably
because I've been grandfathered in on an older plan from before they
updated the service to 'HumbleChoice'. AFAIK, they bill in the last
week of the month.

But if you're nervous, try using a virtual credit card (many credit
card providerss offer them) with a maximum spending limit of $15USD or
an expiration date for this month. That way any attempted future
charges will bounce.

Now I've shilled for the corporation two posts in a row. I need to
take a shower.

* https://support.humblebundle.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037968813

On Thu, 09 Feb 2023 11:53:11 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>Now I've shilled for the corporation two posts in a row. I need to
>take a shower.

Sorry about that.

But seriously, thank you.

On Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 3:57:39 PM UTC-8, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> For those who are interested in this sorta thing, HumbleChoice games
> for February 2023 are now available
> https://www.humblebundle.com/membership
>
> This month, we're getting the following games
> (note: links below are to Steam for descriptive purposes, not where
> you get the games. If you wanna claim 'em, you gotta go to the
> HumbleChoice website and pay for the privilege. Still, it's $12USD for
> the bundle, so it's not as if you'd be paying a lot ;-)
>
> * Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
> https://store.steampowered.com/app/1184370/Pathfinder_Wrath_of_the_Righteous/
> Essentially, this is "Baldur's Gate" for the Pathfinder table-top RPG
> system. Basically the same monsters and rules, except tweaked just
> enough to be legally distinct. It's a completely different setting and
> story too. But the short of it is: if you liked "Baldur's Gate",
> you'll probably like this game; if not, move on.
>

A 3.5e D&D clone system I don't like combined with a game I didn't like.
Pass.

> * Fallout 76 (w/Fallout 1)
> https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/1151340/
> This one needs little introduction: it's a Bethesda Fallout game...
> but online! Wander post-nuclear Virginia, collect loot, kill monsters.
> After an extremely rocky start the game is greatly improved from
> launch (although it's still the weakest of the bunch). If you're an
> MMORPG fan and love Fallout, this is probably a must get. Otherwise?
> Ehn. (But it does come with the original Fallout game from 1995, if
> that sweetens the pot)

Got it already. It was pretty good when I played it a couple years after
it came out. The pvp multiplayer base control part was utter trash, but
when isn't pvp? I know, standard FPS shooters like Quake. Fortunately
you can just not do that part of the game, though some resources will
take longer to collect.

A fallout game they actually keep improving?! Wow! On the other hand,
a Bethesda game you can't mod? Ugh.

> * Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
> * Othercide
> * Shady Part of Me
> * Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel
> * Five Dates
> Anyway, that's this month's selection. Humble continues to stumble
> along the line between being worth it and not; of the above, only one
> game really excites me, and the others are okay but not anything I'd
> go out of my way to acquire (and one I'd usually avoid). Still,
> "Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous" normally sells for $40USD, so
> picking it up for 1/3rd the price means I'll stay subscribed for at
> least another month. But I'm not sure I'd recommend the service to new
> gamers...

Most of those are interesting (except Five Dates) to me, I really should,
but on the other hand the big game isn't, so probably not.

- Justisaur