Game2016

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

RPG

Developer Troika Games

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura is a 2001 role-playing video game developed by Troika Games and published by Sierra On-Line for Microsoft Windows. The game's story takes place within a fantasy setting currently undergoing a transformation from its own Industrial Revolution, in which magic competes against technological gadgets, and focuses on the efforts of a zeppelin crash survivor to find out who… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

106 reactions from 2 sources (Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 6, 2026 · last updated Oct 7, 2026 · How this works

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Steam's own rating
Very Positive
1,786 of 1,995 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)

What people are saying

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Reactions

60 of 106 · most liked first
  • Sasha's Retrobytes 🏳️‍⚧️ @sharkabytes.bsky.socialBluesky · Nov 12, 2025

    When High Fantasy meets Vernian Steampunk: Arcanum: of Steamworks & Magic Obscura. (2001) Troika Games' first game, one of three they'd develop in their short life, taking the narrative freedom of Fallout 1 & 2 and applying it to a world steeped in magic and industry.

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  • Tai grrr @taigrrr.bsky.socialBluesky · Nov 28, 2025

    My favourite example is Arcanum: of steamworks and magic obscura, a PC RPG, which had both magic and tech. Unless you took the magick allergy background, which meant you couldn't use magic. It turns out that this means you can't equip a plot critical amulet, so you can't finish the game.

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  • dragonkid11 @11dragonkid11.bsky.socialBluesky · Jan 8, 2025

    Arcanum is a 24 years old game and its incredibly short opening before the real opening was honestly peak aesthetic. When I say I want more guns in fantasy setting, this is the image that comes up in my head.

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  • RPG towns @rpgtowns.bsky.socialBluesky · Aug 20, 2026

    Qintarra Game: Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura Dev: Troika Games 🇺🇸 Release: August 21, 2001 🥳🎂

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  • RPG towns @rpgtowns.bsky.socialBluesky · May 9, 2026

    Tulla Game: Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura Dev: Troika Games 🇺🇸 Release: August 21, 2001

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  • RPG towns @rpgtowns.bsky.socialBluesky · Jul 30, 2026

    Dernholm Game: Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura Dev: Troika Games 🇺🇸 Release: August 21, 2001

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  • Steam user Steam user …7457Steam reviews · Sep 15, 2025 · 4 h played

    I do not recommend this game on Steam. It's much easier to tweak, finetune, and otherwise modify (which you will need to do) from GOG Galaxy. Once you get it from GOGG and get it up and running, you're in for one of the deepest, most interesting CRPGs; it almost rivals PlaneScape: Torment in its story depth. So buy it! Just not on Steam

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …1434Steam reviews · Jan 21, 2026 · 1 h played

    While playing Do NOT ALT+TAB or your game will be broken you won't even be able to save, the save gets currupted if you try to save you'll lose progress just because the game gets broken the moment you alt+tab.

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Dragon Cobolt @dragoncobolt.bsky.socialBluesky · Jan 28, 2026

    One of my favorite gameplay and narrative connections is in the game Arcanum - a wizard rapidly becomes a nearly godlike power in the battlefield, while a technologist never quite gets as powerful …but the technologist can give the entire party his steampunk power armor and railguns

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  • RPG towns @rpgtowns.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 1, 2026

    Shrouded Hills Game: Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura Dev: Troika Games 🇺🇸 Release: August 21, 2001 Screenshot by FrenchCat

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  • OldSchoolVGMs @oldschoolvgms.bsky.socialBluesky · Jun 8, 2026

    Game - Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura Song- Tarant Year - 2001 Developer-Troika Games Genre - CRPG Composer-Ben Houge

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  • Dungeonbuster @dungeonbuster.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 4, 2024

    Troika's RPG, Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura, had a number of themed ads promoting a world welding together a steampunk-styled Industrial Revolution and spells like this two-pager from 2000 featuring a mage leaning against a wall with a zeppelin in the sky behind him.

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  • Steam user Steam user …6433Steam reviews · Jun 3, 2025 · 35 h played

    This game gave me one of the greatest gaming memories of my childhood. I never actually finished it myself, but i watched my dad complete it multiple times. That didn’t matter to me - I got so much enjoyment simply from exploring and LIVING in its world. I remember being on a family vacation and, instead of enjoying it, i was DAYDREAMING about all the things i’d do in Arcanum once I got back home. And don’t even get me started on what i truly believe is one of the GREATEST gaming soundtracks…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Dragon Cobolt @dragoncobolt.bsky.socialBluesky · Jul 4, 2026

    something I adore about the game Arcanum: of steamwork and magick obsucra is how the central plot involves events from 2,000 years ago, but 99.9999% of the game is deeply and intimately related to stuff that happened in the past 50 years

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  • stellastra @stellastra.bsky.socialBluesky · Jul 5, 2025

    Artfight 2025 Attack 1: "Fancy Portrait of the Living One" artfight.net/attack/97000... The lovely Yvon Chu for @ammonoideas.bsky.social #Art #ArtFight #Artfight2025 #TeamCrystals #Arcanum #ArcanumOfSteamworksandMagickObscura

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  • Steam user Steam user …8783Steam reviews · Jul 5, 2026 · 19 h played

    "Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura" DESERVES a remaster. WITHOUT changing the story to suit "modern audiences".

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • RPG towns @rpgtowns.bsky.socialBluesky · Aug 26, 2026

    By the way, the ultimate goal of the mod is to voice every single Arcanum NPC, all 900 of them! If achieved, the amount of VA in the mod will rival AAA games like Skyrim. The project needs you. Have zero experience? Think your recording setup is not good enough? We'd still like to hear your voice.

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  • Steam user Steam user …7140Steam reviews · May 15, 2025 · 81 h played

    I played the entire game on a Steam Deck using the unofficial patch 2.0.2. The original version launches and runs fine. I had to make a few adjustments to install the patch and add custom portraits, but it wasn't anything complicated. It's unclear why the game is labeled as unplayable on the Steam Deck. Overall, it's a fantastic adventure created by talented and intelligent people, which is a rarity in the video game industry.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • SpamInHand🔞 @spaminhand.bsky.socialBluesky · Nov 6, 2024

    Some concept sketches for my dnd setting, Blackwell! Lotta inspiration from Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. Love that game to death and wanna take the ideas and run with them for my own setting. So hopefully you'll be seeing more of it and my ocs (who I hope you all love) place in it!

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  • doctober @docseuss.bsky.socialBluesky · Feb 9, 2025

    The pitch started out because I went "I would like to make an RPG that surpasses Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura and Fallout 2, but it needs to actually feel good as hell to play" and we made a world and narrative and some game design shit that's... gonna do WEIRD shit to your brain. :)

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  • Steam user Steam user …2007Steam reviews · Jan 22, 2026 · 54 h played

    kill gnomes, behead gnomes, roundhouse kick a gnome into the concrete, slam dunk a gnome baby into the trash can, crucify filthy gnomes, defecate in a gnomes food, launch gnomes into the sun, stir fry gnomes in a wok, toss gnomes into active volcanoes, urinate into gnome's gas tank, judo throw gnomes into a wood chipper, twist gnomes heads off, report gnomes to the IRS, karate chop gnomes in half, curb stomp pregnant gnomes, trap gnomes in quicksand, crush gnomes in the trash compactor, liquify…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Dragon Cobolt @dragoncobolt.bsky.socialBluesky · Oct 4, 2026

    favorite fantasy video game settings masterlist is now Eora Terratus Arcanum Tamriel Faerun Golarion

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  • stellastra @stellastra.bsky.socialBluesky · Jan 2, 2026

    "I...uh hereby dedicate, no, uhm...commit my life to the Living One." - Virgil On January 1, 1885, the Living One's wondrous journey across a land of steamworks and magick obscura began in flames and prophecy~ #Art #Arcanum #Arcanum:OfSteamworksandMagickObscura #ArcanumOfSteamworksandMagickObscura

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  • stellastra @stellastra.bsky.socialBluesky · Mar 18, 2026

    Play Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, I'm beggin' y'all. It's cheap & just needs the unofficial patch~ GOG: www.gog.com/en/game/arca... Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/500810/A... Unofficial Arcanum Patch: terra-arcanum.com/drog/uap.html UAP install guide video: youtu.be/pKgvwCiAmac?...

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  • Idylwild @idyl-wild.bsky.socialBluesky · Jan 25, 2025

    🔮 New Release! 🔮 Idylwild’s Arcanum: magical items for your game! -Staves, wands, potions & crystals -Runestones, scrolls, grimoires & more -Perfect for RPGs & fantasy worlds 🔗 Browse here: idylwild.itch.io/idylwilds-ar... opengameart.org/content/idyl... #PixelArt #GameAssets #IndieGameDev #Free

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  • SpookMind: The Cortex of Fear @itsphetz.bsky.socialBluesky · Oct 23, 2024

    I miss physical game manuals for the weird stuff like this that they’d throw in there. The Arcanum manual had cool art and like themed cooking recipes and shit

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  • RPG towns @rpgtowns.bsky.socialBluesky · May 12, 2026

    Imagine Arcanum being your first crpg and your first exposure to steampunk. This game one-shotted my little ass.

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  • Steam user Steam user …2545Steam reviews · Feb 17, 2026 · 36 h played

    This game feels outdated and rough around the edges, but it still delivers the depth and freedom you expect from a classic CRPG. If you can live with the clunkiness, it is easy to get pulled into a rare, unforgettable RPG world.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • stellastra @stellastra.bsky.socialBluesky · Nov 18, 2025

    I wanted to draw Rí'an in an outfit more closely based on her in-game equipment, mixed with Victorian sportswear because she's gotta be fit for adventure! 💪 #Art #Arcanum #Arcanum:OfSteamworksandMagickObscura #ArcanumOfSteamworksandMagickObscura

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  • Star Anvil Studios @staranvil.bsky.socialBluesky · Nov 25, 2024

    Hey Everyone Lots of new faces! I'm Brandon, the founder of Star Anvil Studios. We would love to hear any questions you have about our game lines. Go ahead ask us! The Secret World, Starbreaker, Knights Arcanum, Dominions of Steel. Lots done and more to come.

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  • Steam user Steam user …9085Steam reviews · May 26, 2026 · 17 h played

    Saying Planescape: Torment has the greatest story ever told in an RPG is like saying water is wet. It's almost annoying to read at this point because it has been declared ad nauseam, but truly I can not go a week without thinking about the game narratively and thematically. The same thing for me applies to Arcanum here as well. It lead me to think about Role-Playing Games in regard to narrative itself. The recent gold-standard champion for so many being Baldur's Gate 3. I don't think Baldur's…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • melina | madameoni - comms open @melinanovelli.bsky.socialBluesky · Apr 16, 2025

    A lovely character redesign commission for @stellastra.bsky.social 🫶 This was fun and sweet- we did a reinterpretation of an npc from the game Arcanum. | #myart #art #commission #artcommission #characterdesign |

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  • Steam user Steam user …3444Steam reviews · Jul 23, 2026 · 55 h played

    I enjoyed my time overall, but its hard to recommend Arcanum. I needed to download 2 different patches to get it running properly, and even then it would still crash or freeze sometimes. The start is also extremely rough and its very hard to find resources to figure out a functional build. Even if you do, the beginning is not intuitive and its very hard to know what to do or where to go, so its not surprising that most people just give up in the beginning. I would not recommend this game to…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …3542Steam reviews · Feb 27, 2026 · 29 h played

    Would I reccomend Arcanum? Ehhhh, it's complicated. I'm leaning towards Yes, but only if you meet a few criteria: - You enjoy Fallout 1 & 2 and wish to have a similar itch scratched (as the game was made with Tim Cain as project lead, in a very similar engine.) - Combat is not very important to you and you're willing to slog through it. - You don't mind long paragraphs of text. If you meet those criteria, you will absolutely love Arcanum. It's a rich world full of lore and intrigue…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • melina | madameoni - comms open @melinanovelli.bsky.socialBluesky · May 22, 2025

    An outfit commission done for @stellastra.bsky.social ✨ This was very fun, we worked on an outfit redesign for Raven- a companion npc from the game Arcanum. | #art #myart #commission #arcanum #artcommission |

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  • stellastra @stellastra.bsky.socialBluesky · Jul 29, 2026

    A doodle drawn to answer a tumblr ask. Sorry, Charlie. No mercy for ungrateful bastards, even in death. #Art #Arcanum #Arcanum:OfSteamworksandMagickObscura #ArcanumOfSteamworksandMagickObscura

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  • Dragon Cobolt @dragoncobolt.bsky.socialBluesky · Feb 7, 2026

    I played Arcanum for the first time when I was 14 - way back when the game first game out, around 2004. It was on CD and I had the manual. My first somewhat woeful run at the game was as a half-orc technologist. In this game, if you get a high technical aptitude, people comment on it.

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  • stellastra @stellastra.bsky.socialBluesky · Mar 21, 2026

    post-game nonsense #Art #Arcanum #Arcanum:OfSteamworksandMagickObscura #ArcanumOfSteamworksandMagickObscura

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  • Lennart Breede @breede.bsky.socialBluesky · Jan 6, 2026

    ✨ I spent the last ~2 weeks diving headfirst into low-level game dev and accidentally wrote an isometric game engine from scratch. #Rust + #raylib only. Inspired by Fallout & Arcanum. #gamedev #indiegame

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  • Steam user Steam user …9405Steam reviews · Dec 14, 2025 · 44 h played

    WARNING: THIS GAME REQUIRES YOU TO REALLY ENJOY GRINDY OLD RPGs That said, this game is EXCELENT. The Character Systems are unique and interlocked, The world is greatly full of secrets, great writing, cool side experiences and a world full of lore that really felt alive, for its time. I am blown away by the layers of writing and hidden text options for a game of this age. It really attempted to push the envelope on what a cRPG. I secretly hope someone picks up and runs with the IP since it…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Funranium (AKA Phil Broughton) @funranium.bsky.socialBluesky · May 6, 2025

    I am informed that the solution to all my problems in this game, much like Arcanum and reality, is a gun. Need to see if the NRA is in the credits. It’s been a while since I’ve listened to the Arcanum soundtrack. I should do that.

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  • Da Scary Rose @modernmodron.itch.ioBluesky · Oct 17, 2024

    are YOU making a game and want to put a tarot deck in it? consider : the Arcade Arcanum licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, you can these cards for personal and professional works, remix, whatever! modernmodron.itch.io/the-arcade-a...

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  • stellastra @stellastra.bsky.socialBluesky · Jul 16, 2026

    Virgil's rambling at the start of the game is so funny to me if you play as an elf (or half-elf). #Art #Arcanum #Arcanum:OfSteamworksandMagickObscura #ArcanumOfSteamworksandMagickObscura

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  • Dragon Cobolt @dragoncobolt.bsky.socialBluesky · Jul 4, 2026

    btw, i've actually gone through and tried a bunch of Arcanum builds that are less optimal or weird and...honestly, if you know the game well, you can make a shocking amount of things work really well

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  • Steam user Steam user …4267Steam reviews · Apr 18, 2026 · 9 h played

    My favorite game of all times and probably the only one that I replay every damn year (there are hundreds of hours I spent playing it throughout my life). Bought it on steam just to respect it by having in my library. Now, I admit there is a significant nostalgia factor, but still - this game is a cult classic ama lemme tell you why. It has a good, intricate story, exquisite dialogues (they are very rarely voiced but the quality of voice acting is top notch), interesting characters to meet…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …7713Steam reviews · Sep 14, 2025 · 1 h played

    Great game if you can get it working, just some tips to get it running. Install unofficial patch, set the ini to 1920x1080 and run the install bat, then rename ddraw to 000, then set monitor to 60hz or lower and 1920x1080, restart PC then try to run it, that's the only way I've been able to get this game to run consistently, also turn off G-sync on your monitor if it's on.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • stellastra @stellastra.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 13, 2025

    I colored the grayscale follower portraits shown in Prima's Official Strategy Guide for Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura~ The individual portraits can be viewed here: imgur.com/a/arcanum-of... #Arcanum #Arcanum:OfSteamworksandMagickObscura #ArcanumOfSteamworksandMagickObscura

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  • Steam user Steam user …3269Steam reviews · Aug 1, 2025

    One of the best RPG's of all time. Don't play vanilla though, Drog's UAP is the way to go.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Esoteric Collector @vcreedsabretooth.bsky.socialBluesky · Jul 19, 2025

    Warhammer Fantasy Battle 8th Ed July 2011 "Storm of Magic" supplement and Monstrous Arcanum 2012 books finally had Fimir stats again for WFB. Total War: Warhammer 2016 video game also included Fimir in official Games Workshop publications. Lots of fan based Fimir material+minis have been made 23/24🧵

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  • Steam user Steam user …3606Steam reviews · May 18, 2025 · 122 h played

    beneath the roughness of Arcanum lies a brilliant story, revealed by peeling back the silent layers of its immensely rich worldbuilding. it is a shame that this mystery is oftentimes lost in the game’s excessively unrestricted combat and exploration systems

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • GrimFenris @ulfrgrimdark.bsky.socialBluesky · Mar 30, 2025

    Random shot from the character creation menu for New Arc Line, a steampunk game a bit like Arcanum in that its a technology vs. magic situation.

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  • Steam user Steam user …0554Steam reviews · Mar 23, 2025 · 286 h played

    Even though the graphics are outdated, I keep coming back to this game. It was ahead of its time when it comes to offering different choices and routes to the player.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Fat Barry @fatbarry.bsky.socialBluesky · Dec 4, 2024

    The challenge is to choose 20 games that greatly influenced you. One game per day, for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, no particular order. #GameChallenge #Games #GameDev #PromoSky ↘️ Day 14: Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura

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  • Steam user Steam user …8004Steam reviews · Jan 7, 2026 · 19 h played

    Fantastic CRPG from Timothy Cain

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …7711Steam reviews · Dec 11, 2025 · 19 h played

    In serious need of a remaster, or better yet, a remake. Otherwise, quite good.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …1798Steam reviews · Dec 2, 2025 · 11 h played

    Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura stands as one of the most ambitious CRPGs ever created, a sprawling experiment that throws players into a world where industrial progress collides violently with ancient sorcery. The game opens in dramatic fashion: you awaken as the lone survivor of a fiery zeppelin crash, entrusted by a dying stranger with a mysterious ring and a plea that sets a grand mystery in motion. It’s an introduction that immediately establishes uncertainty, danger, and a sense…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …9166Steam reviews · May 28, 2026 · 7 h played

    the racism lore in this game is rich and complex.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …1751Steam reviews · Dec 23, 2025

    While playing Do NOT ALT TAB or your game will be broken also i love TİM CAİN

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Zufos Fatebreaker @zufosfatebreaker.bsky.socialBluesky · Nov 7, 2025

    Feeling the closest I possibly have is a Lord-Arcanum "Tempest" Lord. Bonus pic of my underwater game vs some Idoneth/NH at Shadowcon recently.

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  • Steam user Steam user …1908Steam reviews · May 31, 2025 · 6 h played

    This is like Fallout but instead of being the chosen one or someone saving many lives you're just some dude going around doing things because you can

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →

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