The KM Top 10 of Everything

Series, Teams, History, Behind the scenes etc. - all discussed here.
GrimaldineGrimwold
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The KM Top 10 of Everything

Post by GrimaldineGrimwold »

I wanted to start a topic where people could pick their own themes, indulge themselves by talking on their pet topics, and, of course, list their favourites. This topic welcomes any Top 5 or Top 10 lists, so long as they're Knightmare related. So you can be serious ("Top 10 Teams", "Top 5 Characters"), silly ("Top 10 Double Entendres in KM"), etc. etc. etc. Explain your lists if you want, or let them speak for themselves.

Just to give you the idea, I'll start with something pretty simple of my own. Have fun- I look forward to reading your contributions.

GG's Top Ten Excellent Character Names in Knightmare- the original, the imaginative, and the otherwise fantastic.

1. Sylvester Hands - It just flows so nicely. And the abbreviation to Sly Hands has to be the most fitting name for a thief ever.
2. The Brangwen She - Fitted so well with her manner, somehow.
3. Julius Scaramonger - Sums him up pretty well while still being original.
4. Mellisandre - Well, her full name, really, which must have taken her a while to memorise. Pity she's such a dull character to go with such an imaginative name.
5. Grimaldine - Okay, I had to include it. It's just a wonderful word.  
6. Hordriss the Confuser - Got to thank the Druids for calling him that. Hugo seems to have great fun saying it. So much more original than other Mages we could mention.
7. Golgarach - A nice, emotive one. Sounded so cool when he said his own name while angry at a brat who'd stolen a pie or such. Wouldn't sound so fearsome if he was shouting "WHO DARES TO STEAL FROM THE TABLE OF BERT", would he?  
8. Smirkenorff - I wouldn't mind being a dragon if they get cool names like Smirky's, although it means the other dragons can make vodka jokes at parties, which I guess isn't fun.
9. Greystagg - Such a less obvious witch name than some.
10. Treguard - Well, I guess I had to include it, really, didn't I?  
Last edited by GrimaldineGrimwold on 29 Oct 2003, 04:28, edited 1 time in total.
"Sometimes of the Grey, but always of the Green, dearie. Shurrup Brollachan! Have you seen Festus, my dear? I need to take him back to Cornwall. " [cackle]
GrimaldineGrimwold
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Re: The KM Top 10 of Everything

Post by GrimaldineGrimwold »

The inevitable complement (all slightly tongue in cheek, of course).

GG's Top 10 Awful Character Names in Knightmare - the unoriginal, the pointless, the oh so easily forgettable.

1. Ah Wok - Not sure if it'd even be allowed today, in these days of over-political-correctness.
2. Romahna - Hmm, haven't I heard that a few places before...?
3. Lord Fear - Yeh, you want to identify him as the evil guy. I know, let's put Fear in his name! Probably grew up teased by his peers for having such a silly name, and thus in an ironic twist turned to evil to get his revenge.
4. Mildread - It has DREAD in it! You can bet she won't be handing out tea, sandwiches and help with a name like that.
5. Skarkill - Hmm, he kills people, and he's got a scarred face. Any ideas for a name, anyone?
6. Brother Strange - Do I even need to explain?
7. Pickle - Treguard hired him at the last moment ahead of his brothers Gherkin and Beetroot.
8. Majida - Sounds pretty cool, I admit, but I can imagine an American version taking that awful step we once spoke of and renaming her Magic Gal.
9. Fidjit - Useless guy, pointless name.
10. Bumptious - I can't take anyone seriously when they have a name like Bumptious! Still, at least he's not called Pickle.
 
Somehow Lissard escaped this list. No, there's no justice, you're right.
Last edited by GrimaldineGrimwold on 29 Oct 2003, 05:07, edited 1 time in total.
"Sometimes of the Grey, but always of the Green, dearie. Shurrup Brollachan! Have you seen Festus, my dear? I need to take him back to Cornwall. " [cackle]
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Re: The KM Top 10 of Everything

Post by Elita »

7. Pickle - Treguard hired him at the last moment ahead of his bothers Gherkin and Beetroot.
 
Of course, if Treguard HAD hired his brother Beetroot he'd still have been played by David Learner with exactly the same costume. Only they'd have put him through a red filter much like Smirkenorff/Bhal-shebah.

Anyway I have a (snarky) Top 5! The Top 5 Worst Costumes!

5: Maldame - What's with the balaclava?
4: Rohmana - "Hi, I'm Gwendoline the Greenwarden, only I have a silly mask and a crossbow!"
3: Elita in Series 5 - It's not a bad costume. If you're an extra in a poorly budgeted Peter Pan panto that is.
2: Snapper Jack - Glove puppets just aren't intimidating.
1: Captain Nemanor - (the fake pirate) Another panto reject, only he's from Aladdin. Also holds the #1 spot for Stupidest Hat.
Last edited by Elita on 29 Oct 2003, 05:01, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The KM Top 10 of Everything

Post by Lowebo »

Top 10... KM Puzzles! pycr, cob, Causeways (A classic!)


10. Minecart (not a puzzle, just enjoyed it!)
09. Trial By Spikes
08. Great Causeway (Normal ones were harder!)
07. Ariadne (Just get the hell out!)
06. Rooms with parts of the floor missing!
05. Fireball Rooms
04. Play your cards right
03. Causeways
01. Block & Tackle
01. Corridor of Blades

  Joint winners! Both were simple, yet were awesome in making Dungeoneers panic!
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Re: The KM Top 10 of Everything

Post by KaM »

Right, I'll have a go at the Puzzles one.

GG - Love your character name ones: Think (don't tell yer dad) Honesty Bartram was quite a good one as well. As cleverly as Scaramonger sounds something rather cunning but without being scandalous, Honesty Bartram is just such an antithesis. I'd take Mellisandre out and move all up for Bill Cashmore to slot in the bottom. The whole name was funny, but we never got that all the time, unfortunately.

10 RuneLock Combinations
(New for S8, to use the Reach Wand. I know it got repetitive and sometimes a bit of a pain to watch - but teams were rarely allowed to get through this unchased - by either goblins, trolls, miretrogs, or even Red Dragons if no combination learned.)

9 Knight Moves
(Sorry, film I like - but thinking of the Room of S2, facing the dungeon knight on a chess board. Just thought that was cleverly thought out, and needed more thinking than perhaps instantly acknowleged.

8 Ariadne's Lair
(Built up in S4 by previous woodland room, but the ceiling web was menacing, and knew what was coming. Easy to escape with either a spell or helping hand)

7 FireChambers
(Often used for vital clue objects, loved these rooms with both moving sections of floor, and protruding cannons which would come out at intervals and shoot fireballs across. Barry's team made this spectacular by trekking across to the back, then heading into the middle, almost into goblins' reach, getting Grimaldine's staff piece, and making it out alive)

6 Block & Tackle
(Claimed several teams in S4. Several memorable encounters: one for the directional lapse, and one memorable for directional mayhem [Giles]. Clever, but quite plain - and calm tended to win through in the end - even if the final teams' erratic stumblings got them through. [Thanks for pointing out the obvious errors]!)

5 The L3 Thin Ledge Rooms (L1, L3)
(I liked the L1 room which needed a diagonal step to get across; you just know it needs care. Really loved S3,Tm6 - Morghanna's Vale - only used once, but gets 5 on my list)

4 Play Your Cards Right
(not so evil in S8; but took many good teams out. Helped by the thin ledge and ghastly looking drop, even threat of chasing by goblins. Not necessarily the hardest to work out; but needed to note the shift from hearts towards the end)

3 Trial by Spikes
(needed swift movement, stopping and starting promptly, and rather violent looking end if not done correctly)

2 Causeways
(symbols made it harder than numbers, but most of the numbers were timed - brilliant..needed thinking, intricate guiding and speed as well; and never a challenge that was appraoched with any kind of sight aid - brilliant)

1 Corridor of Blades
(swipe! Even saw controversy of blood on screen S8;Tm2. Simple challenge, but the sheer pace of it was the exhilarating thing; kinetic energy certainly got everyone frantic. Used as a difficult challenge from S4 onwards, or one used to bypass in the code of 'short-cuts'. Still - wonderful puzzle; great stuff.)

My favourite non-puzzle in that way wouldn't be the mine-cart; even though it was absolutely fab seeing that yellow tunnel fleeing past; but dwarf tunnels for me. Looked terrifying, meeting anyone or anything in there set off panic, and just set your heart beating, along with the odd piece of incidental music, every time they appeared.
Last edited by KaM on 29 Oct 2003, 21:02, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The KM Top 10 of Everything

Post by SrWilson3S »

Just to let you know red mage the block and tackle didnt claim Giles :D he survived it ......JUST lolol he gavea good example how not to do it though.
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Re: The KM Top 10 of Everything

Post by KaM »

Ack.. dear me. Good point sir, good one indeed. Shows I need to proof read better before I submit. Yep - point intended to be how memorable those two instances were: the first, yes, the moving mechanisms didnt even claim! Just fell straight down the harmless gap to the left hand side. The second case, Giles - memorable for the mayhem in running, twisting, turning in the middle of the room and bundling through eventually. Last action of the series too; how to end on a strong note!
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Re: The KM Top 10 of Everything

Post by Cull »

I guess it could be argues that Giles did the Block & Tackle in precisely the right way! :D

I fancy pulling together a "top ten dungeoneers" list... have to sift through the episodes and see what I can piece together! ;)
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Re: The KM Top 10 of Everything

Post by Lowebo »

Barry at one!!!!!
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Re: The KM Top 10 of Everything

Post by Emii »

I second that!
"The alarm, Master! The opposition's tracked them! Oh good grief...look - Lord Fear's frozen Christopher!"
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Re: The KM Top 10 of Everything

Post by Lowebo »

There we have it - Emii and myself agree on Barry, so therefore he is the official Knightmare God. Must get him and the rest of his team back for knew knightmare in some capacity!! Come on Emii, Barry's team for official cult status who become Knighting regulars!
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Re: The KM Top 10 of Everything

Post by Lord_Bob »

worst teams anyone?
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Re: The KM Top 10 of Everything

Post by SrWilson3S »

Simons team arent half as bad as some ERHMM Douglas series 3 and Akash series 2 etc.
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Re: The KM Top 10 of Everything

Post by Emii »

Lol I'll tell Barry he's the official KM God - He'll either be very frightened or very pleased :D

Does anyone else remember the thread where we made the KM christmas song? Someone dig it up quick! That's the kind of thing that needs to go in the archives - perhaps we could do a new song this year?
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Re: The KM Top 10 of Everything

Post by GrimaldineGrimwold »

I really like the puzzle Top 10s. And if the people who've commented want to make a list of best or worst dungeoneers, you're very welcome to do so!

Top 10 Reasons Why Series 3 is my Favourite Incarnation of Knightmare (so far) - I always say how much I personally love it, and it's often a benchmark against which I judge other series. This is why.

10. The Character Set Up. Not so much the characters themselves, although I love some of them, but the way in which just about anyone is a possible enemy- or, at least, you're not going to get much help for nothing. You have to earn respect in this dungeon. There are many characters who are pretty much out for themselves, but that you can get on your side if you can persuade them that your interests coincide.
9. You Need To Rely On Your Wits. Linked to #10, you're on your own. You don't have Eye Shields or Reach Wands to help you. You don't even know what your Quest is for unless you earn that information from a Wall Monster. This is true "in at the deep end" stuff.
8. Some Really Great Silly Moments. Everyone knows I'm going to pick out "Julie and the Goblins", but there are a lot of genuine comedy moments this series. They're not tacked on artificially, they grow out of the situations or the behaviour of the teams.
7. Treguard. I think he's especially wonderful in this series. The atmosphere in the antechamber is just right, and I think to an extent Pickle and Majida changed that. He's also not as insane as in Series 1 and 2. I much prefer the balanced, but still fairly neutral Treguard of Series 3. He can help at times, and occasionally he can still be abrupt. I really feel that here he best fits his role as "The Referee of the Greater Game of Luck and Glory", which I prefer to his attachment to his Dungeon earlier on and to The Powers That Be later on. His introductions and sign-offs this series are superb and set the atmosphere well. There's one particularly well directed start of episode that begins with a shot of some candles before refocusing on Hugo, which is just hugely effective.  
6. Hordriss Is Introduced. He's my favourite character in Knightmare, he's nicely original and well-acted throughout his tenure, and he gets his first outing this series. That puts it up a great deal in my estimation.
5. The Best Clutch Of Wall Monsters. I like to see wall monsters somewhere in the dungeon, and both Golgarach and The Brangwen She are great, as far as I'm concerned. The actors invest them with genuine personality and menace.
4. Difficulty. Linked to #10 and #9, I like to see a difficult, but not impossible dungeon. I think most teams here are treated fairly, but you're not going to succeed by default in this Dungeon. With perils at every turn, each step is an achievement. Teams who didn't get to Level 2 this series were often the teams who in later series would have perhaps even made it to Level 3. Cutting off the inadequate teams early gives more possibly genuinely good teams the chance to tackle the Dungeon.
3. Some Really Fabulous Little Puzzles/Scenes. Okay, there's not the wonderfully inventive floor puzzles this series, but some of the rooms are nonetheless challenging and memorable for the way they looked. I think especially of the Quicksand Path in Level 1, the Minecart Ride, and the Laser Cat Thingumy Whatevers.
2. Mrs. Grimwold. I couldn't leave "her" out. She's played really well for comedy value without becoming completely ridiculous. There are laughs in every scene she's in, and I guess that rather a lot of people have tried their hand at imitating her voice and catchphrases. The interplay with "Festus" is fantastic, and despite being played by a guy (or perhaps because of it?), she's so much more interesting than your archetypal "witch".
1. Knightmare Moves On. I personally think this is the first year where we really see wholesale changes, proof that we're not going to see the same things as we saw in Series 1 repeated every year until people get bored. Part of the excitement of watching the show was wondering what new puzzles and characters and such would be introduced in the new season. The production team showed they wouldn't rest on their laurels, that they'd continue to work to bring new ideas and try to tame the newest technology to express them. It must have been a pretty bold move to get rid of a lot of the Series 1 and 2 characters who'd proved popular and were by now easily recognisable, but it was done so the show would never remain stale. This year, I think, Knightmare came of age.
 
Those are my reasons. If other people want to sell another series or post other reasons, feel free to post a list. :D
Last edited by GrimaldineGrimwold on 30 Oct 2003, 17:56, edited 1 time in total.
"Sometimes of the Grey, but always of the Green, dearie. Shurrup Brollachan! Have you seen Festus, my dear? I need to take him back to Cornwall. " [cackle]
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