Christian Lindke's Cinerati

D&D Next: What Replaying Warhammer Quest Taught Me Regarding Nostalgia, Fun, and Expectations

2012-01-27T14:53:00.000-08:00

For the past twelve years, I have been playing roleplaying and board games with roughly the same group of people. We have a couple of core members and have had a couple people wander in and out of our group, but by and large it is the same group of players. The group has a high level of commitment from the players, so much so that one of the group regularly plays via Skype even though he has moved 6 hours away.

While the majority of our game play consists of two D&D campaigns -- one 3.5 and the other 4e -- I like to bring in some board game play, playtesting, or one-shot adventures from time to time. Sometimes this corresponds with one of the unwritten rules of our group. For example, when someone new joins the group at some point we will arrange for that player to experience some Moldvay/Cook Basic D&D goodness. It is one of the two gaming rituals our group has.

The first -- much to Steven Schend's dismay -- is that all new members of our group must watch the video that accompanied the TSR Dragon*Strike game. Players who can endure that video and laugh will likely fit in well with our gaming group. If you haven't experienced the 33 minutes that is the Dragon*Strike video, it's kind of like The Gamers only it wasn't trying to be a comedic look at the hobby. As I mentioned earlier, the other is that that player will eventually play in a Moldvay/Cook era adventure.

The first time I ran a Basic D&D adventure for the group, I used the Keep on the Borderlands module. The players prepared themselves for adventure and started off toward the Caves of Chaos. On the way, they encountered a mysterious hermit. Within 5 minutes -- real time -- the entire party had been killed by the hermit and his pet mountain lion.

Last year, I ran another session. This time I used one of the "Black Box" era modules, The Eye of Traldar. I selected the adventure because the black box era modules were more narrative and story oriented than some of the early D&D adventures, and because I thought it would be less lethal than Keep. The player's rolled up their characters, a fighter, a cleric, an elf, and a magic user, and we discussed their character backgrounds. As this was a black box adventure and it took place in Karameikos, I pulled out my Karameikos Gazetteer and we added backgrounds for all the characters and created a back story describing why this band of merry adventurers were adventuring together. This done, we began the first encounter of the adventure and rolled initiative. Within seconds the magic user was dead, and the other characters started to worry. The magic user's player experienced immediate and serious disappointment. He had taken the time -- about half an hour -- to come up with a background, only to see that character killed off in a random fashion.

Needless to say, this was not a very satisfactory experience. It's one of the reasons that, as much as I love the Mystara setting, I don't run a Moldvay/Cook campaign. Character death can come seemingly at random, and that can be a serious downer for some players.

A similar thing happened three weeks ago when I pulled Warhammer Quest off the shelf and set it up for the group. We were down two players, so the four of us made for a perfect WQ party. We set up the game, made our characters, and started our cooperative dungeon crawl. At first, we were having a good time. We were all laughing at some of the absurd encounters and marveling at how hard the game was. We were also experiencing some pretty bad rolls. Then we hit one hallway and the world fell apart. Our wizard rolled a one in the power phase, creating an additional foe, on repeated occasions. We were swarmed by hostiles, and our Elf was brutally murdered. It was a disappointing end to what had been two-hours of enjoyment until that point.

Like The Eye of Traldar and Keep on the Borderlands, Warhammer Quest is an adventure game with a default setting of Hard. In fact, it seems that this is the default setting for many of the games of the early rpg era. No one would say that Call of Cthulhu is a storytelling game of heroic achievement and guaranteed success. Paul, over at blog of holding, has a recent post describing the design philosophy and play philosophy of some designers during that era. To quote him:

In OD&D, there's no guarantee that things are fair. One of Gary's and Rob Kuntz's favorite stories, says Mornard, was Clark Ashton Smith's The Seven Geases, in which (spoilers ahead) the hero survives a horrible death at the hands of seven different monsters only to die meaninglessly slipping from a ledge. That was one of the seminal texts of D&D, said Mornard, and one of the stories it was designed to model. "The story that D&D tells," said Mike, "is the story of the world. Heroes aren't invincible."

The thing is, that I don't really like that kind of game. I don't like whimsical and meaningless deaths for player characters. This is especially true for games where character creation is a long process where significant narrative choices have been made. The player quickly becomes attached to the character, and to have that character "meaninglessly slipping from a ledge" is unsatisfactory to most players.

Geoff Engelstein describes why this is true in a recent article on The Dice Tower podcast entitled Colonoscopies and Game Design. In the podcast, Geoff discusses the psychology of pain and how people who experience pain -- say the pain of a colonoscopy -- will evaluate how much pain they felt by taking an average of the most pain they felt and how they feel at the end of an event. If the moment of most intense pain comes at the end of a event, or play of a game, then the experience will be negative. If the end of an experience is pleasant -- even though the moment of highest pain was the same or worse -- the over all experience will be viewed as a positive one. It's funny how the psychology of the mind works isn't it.

What this means for those old games where death comes easy and the default setting is Hard, is that whimsical death's can still occur but that they should occur as part of a process and not as an ending. It also means that if whimsical death is a possibility, one should not be encouraged to come up with detailed backgrounds for characters as those are a part of the playing process too. If 30 minutes of game play are taken up with coming up with a background, and those 30 minutes are followed by 30 seconds in which your character is brutally cut down, then that isn't a very satisfactory experience.

Whatever direction D&D Next goes, I think that it needs to keep in mind this part of human psychology. If death is to be whimsical, then find a way to make death a middle part of the process. Encourage multiple characters like Paranoia or make character creation so quick that new characters can be inserted instantly. You won't get very "narrative" games with rich character development, but you might get some fun ones where players vent out their own secret desires.

Personally, I hope that D&D Next falls somewhere between 3.x and 4e with regard to ease of death. One might add more specific "knock out" rules, or rules for defeat without death, but I would be disappointed to see a return to a game set on Hard. Those already exist, as do games on Easy. I want to see a game set on Normal where death is a possibility, but where it isn't the only or primary signal of a failed endeavor.

AD&D's Appendix N? What About the Moldvay Appendix?

2012-01-25T15:28:00.000-08:00

As James Maliszewski-- author of the excellent science fiction role playing game Thousand Suns -- has pointed out, the Appendix N that Gary Gygax provided on page 224 of the 1st Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide has "now become a widely used shorthand for the literary origins of RPGs." James' site often includes discussions of the appendix, its influence on the early days of the hobby, and from time to time he even reviews books and authors featured in the Appendix.

Given that he has taken the time to review the Carnelian Cube, a book that fellow Appendix N advocate Erik Mona has found "wanting," it is my hope that James will someday review the Kothar series by Gardner Fox. Though if that doesn't happen I might just find the time to do so. Having endured a couple of Lin Carter's Thongor books, I figure they cannot be much worse. That said, Carter at least has the virtue of being one of the best editors in SF/F history even though his Thongor stories fall very short of the best of Sword and Sorcery fiction.

If I were to say that the influence of Appendix N extended beyond the gaming table and that many of the works therein are also seminal works of Science Fiction and Fantasy, I don't think there would be many who disagree. The Appendix includes luminaries like Leigh Brackett, Edgar Rice Burroughs, J.R.R. Tolkien, Manly Wade Wellman, and Robert E. Howard -- and many others beside. But the list is also incomplete. There is no listing for Clark Ashton Smith, for example.

But this is not the only list of recommended reading that the Dungeons & Dragons games have provided their readers. No indeed. The Erik Mona edited Pathfinder roleplaying game, or as I call it D&D Golarion, has it's own Appendix 3 which features a list of recommended reading. It is a longer list than Gygax's, and a good one.

My own favorite "Appendix N" is a combination of the "inspirational source material" provided by Tom Moldvay on page B62 of the 1981 Dungeons & Dragons Basic and in the module X2 Castle Amber. While others may have based their youthful Fantasy purchases on Appendix N, I based mine almost entirely on the Moldvay list. It should be noted that Tom Moldvay was assisted in the creation of his list by Barbara Davis who was Children's Librarian at the Lake Geneva Public Library. Davis eventually became the Library Director from 1984 to 1996. I don't know where she is now, but I'd like to thank her for the many hours of joy the list she worked on has provided many young people.

Maliszewski has already written a brief comment about how the Moldvay list differs from the Gygax one, and argues that it represents a shift from material that influenced the design of the game to a list that might provide inspiration or entertainment for those who play the game. To quote James, "Whereas Gygax's list was a list of the specific books and authors who influenced him in creating the game -- and are thus a window into how he saw the game -- Moldvay's list is a generalized quasi-academic survey of fiction and non-fiction that might hold some interest to players of D&D."

His language is strong, and as much as he demurs from the quote being used as a "this list is better than the other list" statement, it seems clear to me that the use of the term "quasi-academic" is somewhat loaded.

Let's just say that James and I hold similar, but not exact positions on the lists. I agree that the Gygax list is a specific list that influenced him in creating the game. I think the list was also one which he thought would appeal to people who were currently playing D&D. That is to say, adults. When AD&D was first published, the game was just beginning to escape from college campuses and niche SF/F reading circles and into the mainstream. The Moldvay list, on the other hand, is written for a generation of emerging players. It is written for the young.

Both lists include some overlap -- Fritz Leiber, Robert Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, and J.R.R. Tolkien. But Moldvay's list is divided into many sections.

There is Fiction: Young Adult, which includes Lloyd Alexander, L Frank Baum, and Ursula Le Guin.

There is Non-Fiction: Young Adult, which includes Olivia Coolidge's Legends of the North.

There is Fiction: Adult Fantasy with Poul Anderson, Leigh Brackett, Avram Davidson, E.R. Eddison, Heinlein, Jack Vance, Karl Edward Wagner, and a host of others.

Adult Non-Fiction includes Jorge Luis Borges' The Book of Imaginary Beasts and Thomas Bullfinch.

In most ways, the Moldvay list is inclusive of Appendix N. There are only four authors Moldvay's list leaves out that are in the Gygax list. These are Frederic Brown, August Derleth, Margaret St. Clair, and Stanley Weinbaum.

If you want a wonderful overview of the Sword and Sorcery field, I would argue that you should start with the Moldvay list and add the four authors that Moldvay excluded. If your primary mission is to see the books that influenced Gygax, stick to Appendix N.

Both are good lists, but I still prefer the Moldvay. That attachment probably stems from an overall affection for the Moldvay Basic Set, but...

Gaming and the Screenwriting/Cartooning Widower #1 -- Meeting the Cartoonist

2012-01-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, my wife Jody and I decided to attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon while riding a rocket aided motorcycle. Okay, that's not exactly true. We decided to attempt something even more impossible. We decided that Jody was going to become a successful screenwriter and cartoonist. Jody applied to USC's prestigious School of Cinema and Television, and we counted the days until the rejection letter would arrive and shatter all our dreams.

That day didn't come. Instead, we received a very large envelope inviting Jody to attend the school. We were elated, but also quite amazed by the situation. I think Jody best described our emotional state when we first arrived on the USC campus in order to get her a student ID card. She said, "But Christian...no one actually gets to go to school here. This place is for remarkable people."

There was no irony in her tone when she made the statement. She believed it. You see, Jody has a serious case of underestimating her own talents and worth. In Champions/HERO System terms, Jody has around a 30 point psychological disadvantage in this regard. On the plus side, she spent all 30 of these points on her various skills and talents.

Last week, Jody started up a blog called "Are You Famous Yet?" where she has been sharing her thoughts and experiences as she navigates the mysterious pathways that make up the Entertainment industry, or as it is typically called in Los Angeles...The Industry. I thought that I would spend some of my blogging time sharing some of my own experiences as a "Screenwriting/Cartooning Widower." Jody's struggles and long hours would make for lonely days and evenings were it not for the fact that I am an avid gamer and a working graduate student.

Speaking of gaming, the idea for the title of this post and subsequent posts on the subject, come from an article in issue 54 of Steve Jackson Games' old gaming magazine The Space Gamer.

When I was an undergraduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno it was a golden age for that schools Cartoons page. There were two well done cartoon strips (one about college life and one about a bear), and one cartoon strip that was something quite special. That special cartoon strip had a truly bizarre name. It was called Nicnup, and it told the story of a group of young people as they encountered life's oddities. To say it "told a story" is a bit of a misstatement. It contained jokes which featured young people encountering life's oddities.

I had no idea who drew the strip, but I read it religiously in every issue of The Sagebrush. It was the primary reason I read the school's paper. It was a great strip that seemed to be getting better every issue as the artist better learned the craft. I had no idea who the artist was, only that this person was named Jody Lindke. (For those of you wondering, I took my wife's last name.)

One day I was sitting watching NFL in the television room of one of the dorms, I was waiting to see my friend Rich, when I see this friendly looking young woman carrying her bicycle up to her room. I quickly ask if she would like to watch the game with me and she said yes. After taking her bike back up to the room, we watched the game and chatted. Mostly, we chatted. I was quite smitten by this young woman named Jody and made arrangements to chat with her again in the near future. Several more discussions later, I was inviting her to play in a Champions superhero campaign that I was running for some other friends. She asked what day we played and I told her Monday. She said she would be delighted to come but that she had to make sure she met her deadline first.

"Deadline?...hmm...?" The words sounded important, but I made no connection at the time. It wasn't until after a couple of weeks playing that I finally figured it out. Jody was running late for the game, so I walked up to her dorm room to see if she could make it and that was when I found out she was the illustrator of Nicnup. I was surprised. Here I have been the friend of the best cartoonist in the school paper for over a month, and I had no idea that Jody and Jody Lindke were the same person...even after hearing references to this mysterious "deadline" thing. I guess I'm pretty dense.

Anyway, for the next few months Jody would either show up on time or be late as the muse hit her or she struggled through coming up with a new idea/joke and therein lies the root of screenwriting/cartooning widower-dom. The creative muse. Coming up with ideas is difficult, more so when you are trying to come up with an idea that has the potential to entertain millions of people -- quite a few more than the thousands she entertained with her cartoon strips.

In the years since graduating, Jody no longer plays in my gaming groups. She likes the people I game with, she likes the hobby, but the time she needs for her creative efforts has multiplied a hundred fold. When we were in college, I could count the number of times she had to stay up all night to finish a cartoon on my fingers and toes.

In the time since, I have lost count of the number of all-nighters Jody has experienced in the advancement of her career. But there is one that comes to mind more vividly than any other. It was the first "mix-week" she experienced at USC. Twice each semester, student films have their sound mixes completed in a mad dash cram called "mix week." During this time, the sound designers, sound department, and TAs work for a full week without ever coming home. Near as I can tell, they work the entire week without any kind of sleep whatsoever.

The frantic nature of these weeks, as well as film school in general, made for a pretty lonely marriage experience. Pre-film school, we were a couple who essentially dated every night and had massive movie marathons every weekend. During film school, I was lucky to see Jody for more than 5 minutes on some days. I imagine that this kind of grueling schedule could put a strain on a relationship, but it didn't strain ours. I made sure to visit Jody on her campus as much as possible, and I had my gaming hobby to fill in the lonely hours while she put her nose to the grindstone. I was working full-time and in a Grad program, but I was the one with "oodles" of idle time in comparison to Jody. I never felt resentment that Jody "didn't want to spend time with me." It was pretty clear every time that I saw her that she would much rather spend time with me, but the demands on her time were severe.

I was also lucky that Jody didn't resent my gaming time. Yes, there was some minor resentment for the tabletop gaming I got to do. That was spending time with other people after all, but there was absolutely no resentment for the hours I spent playing Final Fantasy. Or as Jody calls it, "the walk around on the very big map and do nothing game."

The key thing I had to focus on was to make sure that my gaming time lined up with her busy time, and that I was free as often as possible during her free time. Let me stress that this free time was not a lot of time, and that whatever time there was had to be spent doing more than watching a 30 minute sit-com. There was often a week's (or two) worth of discussion about the world. There was the need for hugs and quality time. I made every moment count, and I think I managed to let her know how deeply loved she is in my efforts to cram a weeks worth of marriage into 45 minutes.

Film school was good practice for Jody's time in the "Industry Agency" trenches. Those were days when she not only worked long, but in an environment that isn't exactly conducive to self-esteem.

I learned a lot about marriage during film school, about what is really important. Communication and letting your spouse know your care are vital. When your spouse is working ridiculously hard, it is important to recognize the fact and to sympathize. Don't think they are doing it because they want to be away from you. That way lies madness.

Instead, pick up a book, a hobby, or a "long map game" to pass the time, and use that time to think about how you are going to maximize the little together time that you are going to have together. May I recommend quick jaunts to Culver City or Monrovia for dinner, or a nice hike at Griffith Park, or a brisk walk on the beach.

When your spouse is trying to get a paying gig in a creative field, it's important to remember to be the net/parachute. Don't resent any work you have to do to support them, financially or emotionally. Because your loved one is taking the rocket jump across Snake River Canyon and they are scared enough without having to worry about how things are going at home.

Reverb Gamers #14

2012-01-14T20:50:00.000-08:00

REVERB GAMERS 2012, #14: What kinds of adventures do you enjoy most? Dungeon crawls,
mysteries, freeform roleplaying, or something else? What do you think that says about you?

My preferred game is something that crosses heavy roleplaying and a mystery. Our long running 3.5 D&D game is about urban investigators solving supernatural crimes for the city watch in Sharn. It's even inspired our 4e campaign about the same thing. In a roleplay/mystery I can develop my character and solve a puzzle simultaneousy. I like to tell stories about interesting characters and places but I love a good mystery. Mysteries in RPGs can be tricky though. If finding a clue is based on requiring specific steps be taken by the PCs the threads can go unpursued. Gumshoe does an interesting thing and guarantees that each scene reveals a clue but it's up to the players to role play how that find them. I think I may need to play more Gumshoe.

12-Sided Die: Should You Be Game for this New Webseries?

2012-01-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

Earlier today, the team @12sideddie blasted the internet with a solicitation of their new gaming themed web series 12 Sided Die.

12 Sided Die is a web series directed by Daniel Murphy and written by Curtis Fortier that is aimed at the table top gaming community. According to the show's website, the show is:

A hilarious new web-series about romance, geeks, and graph paper.

Our hero: Curtis Foster, Permit Processor by day, Level Fourteen Wizard Warrior by night.

If theres one thing Curtis loves most on this Earth, it's playing a rousing game of "Swords and Swordsmen" with his friends Chris and Eric.

Sadly, the group is growing older... Eric is newly married, Chris is a father, and the time between games is growing larger with each passing day.

So, on their eve of their first game in over six months, when the stakes have never been higher, Curtis is convinced that nothing can get in his way.

Except, perhaps, a surprise distraction of his own: his neighbor Cynthia.

But is the show hilarious, and does it really capture geek romance?

The answer to this central question is maybe. The first episode of the series (embedded below) suffers from a significant dose of what I like to call "pilotitis." This is the slight awkwardness that many pilot episodes suffer from which fails to capture the full potential of the idea underlying the show, or the talent of the creators and performers of the show. A good historical example of pilotitis is Star Trek. The show's original pilot was pretty bad, but by the time they reworked the show for the second pilot the show's potential really shined through.

12 Sided Die has a good concept. It's a show about gamers and romance, but it is also a show about the difficulties of balancing a hobby with real life. Anyone who has played games, or had a passionate hobby, in their post-college/high school years understands how difficult in can be to find the proper balance in time to meet all your obligations and still find time for your hobbies. For example, I love playing board and role playing games. I also love running around the park with my wife and daughters, the allure of spending time with History and Mystery (our 3 1/2 year old twins) is a pretty significant obstacle to making time to play games. I am thankful that the girls really like the people who come over to game twice a month, and even more grateful that my friends like spending time with the girls. To be honest, if they weren't willing to let the girls "watch" us play it would be a deal breaker. History and Mystery would win out in the battle of hobby vs. family and which provides more joy. That said, my group does enjoy having the girls come around and the girls love to play with our "little men." It's that kind of tension, though other tensions as well, that underlie the dramatic/comedic conflicts of 12 Sided Die. Just add a dose of 30 something and single/looking for a relationship, and you've captured the show perfectly.

Back to the show's pilotitis. It leaps out at you from the first scene. The lighting during the play session in the opening is a distraction. The room looks unnaturally yellow, when it should be lit to look like a normally lit apartment. The problem is that they filmed a normally lit apartment, and normally lit apartments don't look like normally lit apartments on film. This scene is also a tad overacted. While Christopher Gehrman's over the top performance as the dungeon master can be forgiven, as he's playing an over the top dungeon master, Curtis Fortier's performance in this scene needs to be backed down a little. Not his "in character" performance, but his "I'm so excited about where the game campaign is going" performance, the same should be said of Eric Vesbit's performance in the scene as well. As the show progresses, the actors seem to fall into more natural rhythms and I don't see this being a problem in the long haul. It is just something that needs to be pointed out. As Hamlet would say:

Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to
you, trippingly on the tongue:but if you mouth it,
as many of your players do, I had as lief the
town-crier spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the air
too much with your hand, thus, but use all gently;
for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I may say,
the whirlwind of passion, you must acquire and beget
a temperance that may give it smoothness. O, it
offends me to the soul to hear a robustious
periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to
very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings, who
for the most part are capable of nothing but
inexplicable dumbshows and noise: I would have such
a fellow whipped for o'erdoing Termagant; it
out-herods Herod: pray you, avoid it.

It should also be noted that the sound design is a bit off. There is an overuse of score, and the individual sound edits don't always match up with what I'm supposed to be hearing. This is particularly acute during a scene in which Curtis makes himself some "Strawberry Milk."

The show's strongest suit is in the story, it has a nicely done cliffhanger that is timed almost perfectly. This is a tale of a group who hasn't met to continue their game for almost 6-months given their current responsibilities, what happens when a new romance enters one of their lives? It's a nice touch, and well done. Kristina Lynn Bell is a nice choice for the romantic interest. I was a bit concerned with her introductory performance. Her acting to the audience "behind the fourth wall" started out a tad over the top, but by the end of the scene she won me over. The camera angles were bit off, but her performance really started to hit a sweet spot.

All of this can be written off as pilotitis, and I will certainly return for a second episode. The show as it stands did leave me wanting to see what happens next. It really left me wanting to see what happens next. So...what happens next?!

But there was one thing that I couldn't quite write off as pilotitis, and it affected the verisimilitude of the entire show. That was the use of "made up game mechanics" that didn't quite sound like real game mechanics. I can understand, and appreciate, the desire to avoid violating other people's copyright. But in a d20 license world, there is no reason for a character to utter the line, "I'll cast my Pyro spell." Especially when one could just as easily say "I'll cast my Fireball." Heck, even in a pre-OGL world, you could have gotten away with that. This was magnified by the fact that the writers were willing to include real world references to Coke and Mountain Dew, but stumbled at the mention of concepts that would most appeal to their target audience. Don't be afraid to say D&D. Even better, if you want to have a little "geek cred" as Erik Mona and crew at Paizo if you can use the Pathfinder brand as your game of choice. If they say no, it doesn't matter. The rules are Open, just avoid Golarion specific references.

All of my criticisms are written with the understanding that these people are working really hard to provide something entertaining that they really believe in (see Jody Lindke's recent blog post on the subject). But they are also written in the hopes that the show will address small problems and continue to improve. There is something here. Something that is already worth watching, for gamers, but it is something that could appeal to an even broader audience if it continues to improve on its strengths and address any weaknesses. Entertaining people at all is hard. The 12 Sided Die crew have already succeeded in entertaining me, now I want them to blow me away.

12 Sided Die - Episode 1: To Be Continued from Daniel Murphy on Vimeo.

Reverb Gamers #13

2012-01-13T12:12:00.000-08:00

It's Friday the thirteenth of January. What does that mean? It means it is time for Reverb Gamers Post 13.

Who's the best GM/storyteller/party leader you've ever had? What made him/her so great? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

This question is a bit tricky. I have a few solid long time gaming groups that I have been in. How do I answer this question without upsetting someone? I could pick a GM, a storyteller, and a party leader and still upset all my other gaming friends. I could go the vanity route and say I am, but that's just not true(I've played with a lot of skilled Role Players in the short while that I've been gaming). Gaming groups are sometimes fragile things just waiting for egos, and interpersonal drama to crack them like eggs. I will try to talk about what makes a great GM/storyteller/party leader in non-specifics(I really don't want to upset anyone).

Ask open ended questions that invite collaboration from other players at the table. Everything is open and friendly even in the most tense moments of narrative. above all encourage and facilitate fun for everyone. Don't try to mash up three things together as one thing(limit yourself to 2 things). Genre emulation is hard only try it with a group where everyone is buying in.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #12

2012-01-12T12:58:00.001-08:00

Do prefer collaborative or competitive games? What do you think that says about you? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

I definitely prefer colloboration over competition. When it comes to boardgames it's how I ended up being Design partners with Evan Denbaum. He and I formed a band of cooperative board gamers at EndGame's Boardgame Night.

I still like to win though so competition is still important to me(our first game design to be published will be competitive). I would just prefer to work with others toward victory.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #11

2012-01-11T15:56:00.000-08:00

Have you ever played a character that was morally gray, or actually evil? Why or why not? If yes, did you enjoy it? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

People in general are morally gray, so of course I've role played evil and morally gray characters. This happens most often when GMing NPC villians. But I've played many characters who fall into this category. Sure it's fun to play the hero in the classic dungeon crawl but playing the backstabbing rogue can be just as fun(in fact for many players this is the default moral setting).

Fiasco, anyone? It's a game where Everyone is of questionable moral fiber. I've had lots of fun playing and facilitating this RPG.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Repbblic and Mass Effect have in-game mechanics for monitoring evil and good acts. I once ruined a save file of KOTOR II by deciding my straight arrow jedi was tired of it all in the Sith Academy and decides to turn to the dark side. I must tell you that it was not rewarding, because the dialogue choices for a fallen paragon Jedi don't exist and the game just stalls out when it loads conversations with your fellow Sith apprentices.

Reverb Gamers 10 - Doctor Who?

2012-01-10T22:10:00.000-08:00

Have you ever played a character originally from a book/TV/movie? How did the character change from the original as you played? If not, who would you most like to play? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

The most recent time that I played a character originally from a book/TV/movie was at last year's Dead of Winter Invitational(it's a local horror RPG gaming convention in the Bay Area put on by the Terror Rabbit). I was asked to play The Doctor. Who? Oh you know...

It was the morning game at the very beginning of the convention. Everyone but one other person was already around the table waiting. I took the empty seat closest to the door and waiting for me there was a fez(fez's are cool. I wear a fez now), a sonic screwdriver(a replica prop of the 11th Doctor's "magic wand"), and a picture of Matt Smith. So I sat don't and thought "Geronimo."(see I'm already getting into character). The GM felt it was important for his story that The Doctor be played by one of the players. We had the options of all the canon characters from Season 6 Doctor Who including (Spoilers!). No one had seen a lot of the show except for me, I was the person at the table with the most Whovian cred.

I think the major difference for me playing the doctor is that I had absolutely no idea what was going on in the story and was essentially winging it by making stuff up and trying to sound like I did(okay, it wasn't different at all). It was a lot of fun. We were playing the cubicle 7 role playing game which means that the Doctor is capable of anything and everything put has no plot points and really has to rely on the Companion players to move the story along, even when it means watching other players fail rolls that the Doctor could easily make. It is a strange balance that replicates the TV show well I feel. It is a little unusual for an RPG though, for one player to have all the skill power(I guess it's akin to high level 3.5 D&D in that way but in this case the skilled character isn't driving the story at the expense of other players).

An Alternative Vision of the Hobbit that Never Was -- Thank Heaven

2012-01-10T14:07:00.000-08:00

Over at the Tor books website, there is a post discussing a short animated version of The Hobbit that was produced long before the Rankin/Bass film adaptation with which most people are familiar. The film was worked on by Gene Deitch, who shares the genesis of the project on his website.

As I watched the approximately 12 minute adaptation, I was struck by two thoughts. The first was how similar the animation style was to the illustrations on the covers of the paperback editions of The Lord of the Rings that my parents had sitting around the house when I was a child.

The second was how little the illustrations captured the feel of the fiction for me. I never felt that the Ballantine covers truly captured the magic of Middle Earth. They were dynamic covers, but they were too faux surreal and angular for my young tastes. The Fellowship cover, above, captures neither Hobbiton nor Rivendell for me. This isn't to say that those places might not look surreal, just that these images fail to capture my vision.

The same holds for the animated film. It's adaptation of Thorin and the insertion of hearts into the costuming of various characters seems bizarre, though I do like the angular Gandalf who has a darkness that the other characters lack.

Watch the clip and judge for yourself. One thing is certain though, the name change they gave Smaug is nigh unforgivable.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #9

2012-01-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

Atlas Games is hosting a new RPG blogging group called Reverb Gamers that is posting a writing prompt(1 each day in January) with a focus on RPGs LARPs and MMORPGs. I missed yesterday because I really couldn't think of an answer and I got sucked in by Star Wars The Old Republic. Sometimes you just have to play games instead of blogging about them. Anyway today's post:

Have you ever played a character of the opposite sex. Why or why not? If yes, how did the other players react? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

I have played characters of the opposite sex before. I usually only play female characters in single adventures or convention RPG games though. Our home campaign has a rule that you can only play characters of the same sex as you, which invariably someone tries to break(and usually they get away with it). The reaction was the same as if I had played a male character, from what I can tell.

It does, however, remind me of a odd thing about MMORPGs and the Internet. MMO avatars can provide a strange kind anonymity. I have seen people get upset when they think they are talking to a male or female person based on the sex of the avatar. Hey, I thought you were a woman/man.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #8

2012-01-09T10:22:00.001-08:00

What's the one gaming accessory (lucky dice, soundtrack, etc.) you just can't do without? Why? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

Don't really have one. If you pushed me I would say good players. If the game doesn't have creative players at the table I'm checking out and going home.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #7

2012-01-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

How do you pick names for your characters?

I covered this briefly yesterday with the story of Hal Duran, here. For that I just chose two names that I thought sounded cool and made the characters first name and the second their surname. It only turned out to be a cool "in joke" name after the fact. Depending on the genre, the game length era its from I choose different names.

For four color supers its important to have rhyming or sound alike names or aliteration. My supervillain for Necessary Evil is called Darklight. Darklight because he is a lantern weilder in the style of Green Lantern and Sinestro. Where does the rhyming come in? With the civillian Identity of Dr. Marcus "Marc" Wright. For our Gamma World game I made a fiery leader with a temper named Paul Cano which sounds like volcano when you say it fast.

One way I like to name characters is to brainstorm random words, write them out on a sheet of paper and sound them out string them together put different emphasis on syllables and recreate sounds you like with new spellings.

For D&D one-shots I use the random name generator on DDI until I find something that matches my character concept.

Another way I like to name a character is through play. Come up with a title or a nickname and then through play find the characters history by connecting yourself to other NPCs. is there a family in distress who needs the party's help. Take their surname and say that your character is a distant relative arriving in time to save the day. Thus creating backstory on the fly and a name approriate to the setting.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #6

2012-01-06T10:18:00.000-08:00

Describe your all-time favorite character to play. What was it about him/her/it that you enjoyed so much? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

My all-time favorite character to play, huh? Sounds like another bad episode of Let me tell you about my character.... My retailer friends will often complain that while running a game store they have to hear a lot of the "let me tell you about my character..." stories. Hear enough of them and you'll snap. I think because for the person telling the story it's a very personal thing. A connection you make in your own mind between yourself and the character you are creating and playing. For someone hearing the story without that context it's just details strung together. For those who wish to avoid such nonsense please read no further.

My first character in a "real" RPG with a real gaming group is probably my favorite character to play. A male Twilek Jedi Padawan named Hal Duran in my friend Wes' Star Wars SAGA edition game. It's set during the Clone Wars and Dark Times eras between The Phantom Menace and A New Hope. In an early session it was pointed out to me that "Hal Duran" sounds like Alderaan. I swear it wasn't on purpose. My Jedi's name is not a tribute to that doomed world. The inspiration for the name was from HAL 9000, the computer in 2001: a Space Odyssey and the band Duran Duran, they combined as an interesting name for a Jedi Padawan.

What do I enjoy most about playing this character? Hello? Jedi. For this game it's all about cinematic action. What highly improbable feet of acrobatics, and sword play will Hal pull off this week? Probably my favorite scene so far was chasing a personnel carrier with a speeder bike. It's hard to fight a moving target with a light saber. So I maneuvered the speeder in front of the carrier while using my light saber to protect myself from it's guns. Then I leaped off the bike while spinning like a top with light saber held angled in front of me, cutting a hole through the plasteel window simultaneously killing the driver and wounding the co-pilot. I landed on my feet in the back of the carrier. So I was fighting the guys inside while the carrier is crashing. Mandalore bounty hunters coming in the top and jumping off just in time for the carrier to explode from a thermal detonator. Boom! Awesome. That was just as a padawan, just gained knighthood in the last session.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #5

2012-01-05T12:13:00.000-08:00

Have you ever introduced a child to gaming, or played a game with a young person? How is gaming with kids different than gaming with adults? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

This question strikes me as funny. I was a young person once(a long time ago, I know). And when I was young we were introduced to gaming by our parents. And with a little brother around I obviously played with " a young person" as a a young person(as a child I played games with other children).

I must of course interpret the question as: Since you became an adult, "have you ever introduced a child to gaming or played a gane with a young person?

Sure of course, I have. It is very different than playing games with adults. For one you have to watch your lanquage. No swearing in front of the impressionable youth. usually parents of kids don't want to have to explain bad words to their kids at a young age. One of my college friends and his younger siblings would come over to my house and play D&D as a family. I really had to alter the content of my usual game to account for the wide range of ages at the table. I also had to take time to explain the rules with a new mindset. it took a lot of patience. We played several sessions but never actually finished the campaign.

Space Crusade (1990): In the Grim Darkness of Table Top Gaming, There is Only War

2012-01-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

I promise to catch up with Eric on the Reverb Gamers posts, but first I have to share a bit of awesome.

Some of my fondest gaming moments are the years I spent playing the various editions of Warhammer (Fantasy and 40k) before moving down to the Los Angeles area. My friends and I would meet every week to do battle with our half-painted (or at least all "primed") armies for hours on end. We were devoted fans who not only played the "hard core" miniature battles games, but also most of the "Specialist" games released by Games Workshop in support of their war games.

Games Workshop was, and pretty much still is, on a rotating schedule of providing a new rules edition for their war games every 3 years or so. During the year prior to a new rules release, they would roll out a Specialist game that covered a related theme. If a new edition of 40k was coming out, we'd see "Gorkamorka." If a new edition of Warhammer Fantasy was around the corner, we'd see "Mordheim." It was great fun.

In the late 80s and early 90s, Games Workshop teamed up with Milton Bradley to create a couple mainstream adaptations of their signature games. For Fantasy, those games were Heroquest and Battle Masters. I own both of these games and they are prized possessions that have provided many an hour of entertainment.

Sadly, as passionate as I was about these games, I somehow missed out on Space Crusade. Space Crusade is a popular market adaptation of Games Workshop's signature Specialist game Space Hulk. I say adaptation, but the more I look at it the more it looks like an "improvement." I desperately would love to get my hands on a copy, but alas and alack they are rare and expensive. When I see the components, I can see why. Unlike Space Hulk which focuses solely on the conflict between Space Marines and Tyranids (Genestealers), the Space Crusade game includes Orks, Eldar, and crazed Androids who look suspiciously like Necrons to the mix.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #4

2012-01-04T10:20:00.000-08:00

Are you a "closet gamer?" Have you ever hidden the fact that you're a gamer from your co-workers, friends, family, or significant other? Why or why not? How did they react if they found out? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

Addendum: Do you know anyone who is? Would you ever "out" another gamer? via Twitter

No. Definitely not. It's my primary social network. At my day job I let everyone know that I'm a gamer. I may not wear distracting gamer attire but I let my words and actions communicate that "I am a Gamer". I had a co-worker who totally wore gaming shirts all the time. It was okay with the people at our work so I guess sometimes it's okay to let your gamer geek flag fly at work, it just wasn't for me.

As a a game designer it's in my interest to let people know about the hobby and to try to spread the word. How else will anyone know about my work and the awesome work of my friends and colleagues.

I've known a few people who like to play it off as if they don't game when we got socially, but I wouldn't out them. It's a personal thing. They shouldn't be embarrassed by their hobby but I understand it. Just like you shouldn't be embarrassed about anything that you genuinely are.

Reverb Gamers 2012 Prompt #3

2012-01-02T19:50:00.000-08:00

What kind of gamer are you? Rules Lawyer, Munchkin/Power Gamer,Lurker, Storyteller/Method Actor, or something else? (Search "types of gamer" for more ideas!) How does this affect the kinds of games you play? For example, maybe you prefer crunchy rules-heavy systems to more theatrical rules-light ones.

Role-Player not Roll-Player with a nice side of Storyteller. I am into story and theatrical combat. I try to bring what my friends call the 'awesome'. Christian's daughters rightly capture my play-style by shouting "Boom!" at the table.

I think Ryan Macklin does a good job of pointing out that this prompt "It's a trap!". I feel like all of these lavels for types of gamer apply to me depending on the game. sometimes more than 1 label at a time.

I enjoy mastering the rules for my PC when playing D&D so crunchy rules/Rules lawyer. But when I run D&D I care more about facilitating fun for everyone else and don't let things like rules get in the way of everyone's fun.

In Savage Worlds the rules are so simple that I find myself lurking in most games and occasionally trying to play the 'troublemaker'.

For Do it's a storytelling game so it's all about telling silly stories for me.

In the big picture I would say that the rules of a game and its themes will dictate my play style.

Reverb Gamers 2012 Prompt #2

2012-01-02T19:36:00.000-08:00

REVERB GAMERS 2012, #2:
What is it about gaming that you enjoy the most? Why do you game? Is
it the adrenaline rush, the social aspect, or something else?

It's definitely the social aspect. I have met many great friends through gaming. One bit of statistics based evidence for you. It was pointed out to me by the Face Book that more than 25% of my friends on Facebook are fans of a little FLGS(Friendly Local Game Shop) called EndGame. This also doesn't include more of my friends who game but aren't local to Oakland. So they only know about because I talk about it so much. Gaming is definitely a social thing for me(also I love telling stories; to people, with people, for people; the collaborative story telling that RPG play allows for is another major reason that I play games).

Reverb Gamers 2012

2012-01-01T07:15:00.000-08:00

Atlas Games is starting a new RPG blogger group called Reverb Gamers 2012. You can follow the results at their website and also on Twitter @ReverbGamers. For each day in January they are posting a prompt for RPG, MMORPG, and LARP players to discuss. I will endeavor to write a response, however brief, to each one.

Prompt for the 1st:

REVERB GAMERS 2012, #1: What was your first roleplaying experience?
Who introduced you to it?
How did that introduction shape the gamer you've become?

How should I answer this one? Do they mean formal roleplaying experience like with rules and stuff? Everyone's first roleplaying experience is when we are little kids and we imagine that we're the 'police' chasing down our 'robber' friends or some similar game. Do I count the Milton Bradley published Hero Quest, which is really a boardgame now that I look back on the experience? You know what? that's it.

Hero Quest 1989

It was designed by Stephen Baker, according to boardgamegeek.com. HeroQuest was developed by GamesWorkshop, you know The Hobby Games guys. It was released in 1990 in North America by MB so I must have first played this game when I was 8 or 9 years old. It was the go to boardgame for me, my brother, and our best friend Chris. We would all imagine we were our characters and take them on each quest in sequence in the game. We'd take turns playing as the evil Zargon. Eventually we upgraded the game and got the two expansions as they game out. Kellar's Keep and Return of the Witch Lord. And when we finished those we started 'hacking' the game. We made up new heroes using the stats for the other characters mixed up. I think one of the characters we made was really weak in dice rolling but had access to Zargon's spell cards. We also made a ranger. And we upgraded some of the characters so we could play the game with fewer heroes and really roleplay one character at a time(in the three player games we usually played two heroes per player for balance reasons).

It is the earliest in my life that I considered game design as a career path. I think I was 10 or 11 at the time. I always dabbled with the idea in middle school and high school. Turn the clock forward 20 years and I'm finally starting a career in game design. Just last week I was looking through some old notebooks and found card designs for MtG from the mid-nineties that I wrote while I was in high school. So I guess the lesson is pay attention to the career dreams of your 10 year old self.

My copy of the game is pretty beaten up. It is not at all like the video I posted above. My heroes and a few goblins are painted but are chipping badly. The box is not holding together and some of the cardboard furniture is missing. This game was a gift from my parents so thanks Mom and Dad for making sure I was a lifelong hobby game enthusiast. It is something of a treasure that I will never think about parting with though.

Happy 4th Day of Christmas -- A Belated Merry Christmas

2011-12-28T16:17:00.000-08:00

I meant to put this cartoon up on Christmas Eve, but alas I was too busy getting the house ready for Santa Claus.

Second Battleship Preview Leaves Me Wishing They Made "Battleship Galaxies" Into Film

2011-12-22T14:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I tweeted that I might be the only person in America who is excited to see the upcoming "Battleship" film directed by Peter Berg. I think that Berg has a talent for both the artistic and for the popcorn, and think that his "Battleship" film looks like pure popcorn. Ridiculous popcorn.

Like, doesn't make any sense popcorn.

Not only that, but popcorn that follows the typical invasion story formula.

Earth encounters alien force
Earth gets owned by alien force -- the "Footfall" moment
Earth keeps fighting against hopeless odds
Some change/shift occurs
Earth wins/Aliens quit

In Footfall the aliens stop when they realize that humans are crazy and won't ever give up. In "Independence Day," we create a "virus" to even the odds. In War of the Worlds, the aliens catch a cold. It's a common formula, tried and true. A little staid perhaps, but I don't mind if the film is pure popcorn. Heck, even "Skyline" followed this formula even though it ended just as the shift toward "human" victory begins.

Regardless, after seeing the alien designs in this film, and having played the "Battleship: Galaxies" board game, I personally wonder why they didn't just base the film on that game. It would still have the transmedia marketing tie in, and it would make sense to include the aliens.

In Defense of Candy Land

2011-12-21T15:50:00.000-08:00

In a recent episode of the Dice Tower podcast, Eric Summerer gave some surprising praise for the classic Milton Bradley board game "Candy Land." To those who are casual gamers, rather than obsessive hobby gamers, it might seem odd to call praise of "Candy Land" surprising, but it is. While the "child's first game" is a staple in most households, it isn't a well thought of game in the hobby gaming community. For example, the hobby gamer's go to website for opinion research is the excellent Board Game Geek website, and its members have given the game a lowly 3.2/10 rating (with an N of 1568). This rating falls somewhere between "bad" and "not so good."

My opinion of the game has changed over the past year, and now falls pretty squarely in line with Eric Summerer's praise, and also with Rob Donohue's. He praised the game as a great introductory game that he was playing with his son. If memory serves, Mr. Summerer stated that "Candy Land" was the first game where his son actually started playing by the rules. I had a similar experience with my 3 and a half year-old twin daughter's Mystery and History. They adore this game, and have learned some valuable game playing lessons from the game. Like Mr. Summerer's son, they play the game by the rules...well with one small exception. Rather than the goal of the game being to "go home" as is written in the rules, Mystery and History are on a journey to have tea at Hello Kitty's house. To add to the immersion, they have placed Lego Duplo "cat legos" on the board at both the home and peanut brittle house squares. The home square represents Hello Kitty's house and the peanut brittle house is the domicile of Hello Kitty's apocryphal twin sister "Boxie."

I am pretty sure that my own heightened opinion of the game is stronger than that of Mr. Summerer's. Where I once found the game "simple" and not really worth playing, I now believe the game to be a vital addition to any gamer's collection. But one must own the game for the right reasons.

"Candy Land" was created in 1948 by Eleanor Abbott. Eleanor was a retired San Diego school teacher who suffered from Polio, and she created the game as a fantasy world into which children suffering from the disease could escape. The game was first played by children in a polio ward in a San Diego hospital and was published in 1949 to great success.

The game is quite simple. Players draw cards which have and illustration of either a colored square (or two) or a board location. The player then places their game piece on the next square of the color drawn, or the location in the illustration. The first player to follow the track all the way to the "home" square wins. The cards are only shuffled once, unless the entire deck has been gone through and then you shuffle again. There is no strategy to playing the game efficiently, and the players make no tactical decisions.

It is a game of pure chance.

I believe that this one of the primary causes for the low rating the game receives on Board Game Geek. To elaborate, I believe the following to be the reasons the game is so disdained:

The game is purely random with player decisions having no influence on play.
Due to the single shuffle, the game's outcome is effectively decided before the first piece is moved.

There seems to be a preference on Board Game Geek on games where players have control and where the role of luck is minimized, but this is a view that I personally don't share. I love games of skill, but most games of skill are also solvable games akin to Nim. An eventual "best strategy" can become known and that means that the game is only fun/challenging insofar as the people playing the game have incomplete knowledge. Tic Tac Toe is only fun when both of the players lack mastery. This is never true of a game that incorporates chance. Chance allows for variation in play, and allows weaker players to beat stronger players. Reiner Knizia, in his book Dice Games Properly Explained, describes games of luck in the following way, "Even though you have no tactical influence, these games provide great entertainment. It is like watching a good movie. You cannot change the course of the action, but you join in the excitement."

I agree.

A good game of "Candy Land" is very much like watching a good movie, especially if you are playing with people of the recommended age group of 3 to 6 years old. Watching Mystery and History act out their journey is a great part of the fun of the game play.

But the benefits of "Candy Land" are more than just the entertainment of play, which does in all honesty have limits. The highest benefits of playing the game are as follows:

Teaches turn taking
Teaches following the rules
The lack of tactical contribution minimizes "bad losing/gloating by winners"
Teaches color matching
Engages the imagination in storytelling
Introduces all the basics of future board game play in a conflict free environment

That's a lot of benefits. One could add "can be used as the basis for a discussion of Markov chains and even a full discussion of statistics" if one were so inclined, but I don't think my 3 and a half year-old daughters would be up for such a discussion.

I think that the benefits of "Candy Land" far outweigh the first criticism of the game, that of "pure" randomness. Opposition to chance in games is more a personal taste issue than any transcendent rule of game design. That said, I do think that the second criticism -- that the game is decided before play actually begins -- has a good deal of merit. Therefore, I'd like to offer the two following variant rules for "Candy Land."

Bag Draw
In this version of "Candy Land," all of the cards are placed into a bag, or hat, and the players draw a random card from the bag on their turn. This makes the game more purely random, and eliminates the pre-determination factor of the game.
If players wanted to eliminate completely the influence of prior draws from future play, cards can be immediately put back into the bag after it has been used for movement determination.

1 to 4 and Left or Right

In this variant, players shuffle the cards as normal at the beginning of the game thus setting the order of cards for the remainder of the game. The first player draws as normal and is considered Player 1 for the remainder of the game. The other players in counter-clockwise rotation are players 2 through 4.

After the first player's draw, all future draws are decided through the roll of a six-sided die. On a result of 1 to 4, the player of that number draws the next card. On a result of 5, the player to the left of the current player draws a card. On a result of 6, the player to the right of the current player draws a card.

Neither of these optional rules eliminates the role of chance in play, but both add a level of mystery and change the Markov dynamics. of play.

I have found that this game is perfect for its intended audience, and believe it a vital part of any gamer's collection. It can also be used as a point of departure for design and the creation of house rules.

The "Boxie" character should not be confused with Hello Kitty's real twin sister Mimi, and is a creation of my daughter Mystery.

Walsh, Tim (2004). Timeless Toys.

A Victory Point Games Christmas

2011-12-16T12:11:00.000-08:00

Victory Point Games is an independent small press gaming company located in Southern California that is both a game company and a classroom. Not only do they want to produce fun to play games, but it is their mission to turn game players into game designers. They are a friendly and talented crew.

For the past few years, VPG has released playable game after playable game. What the games have sometimes lacked in quality of components, they have more than made up for in quality of play. Recently, VPG has made two corporate decisions that will bring the physical/visual quality of their products in line with the play quality. First, they have ordered a die-press in order to produce high quality die-press counters for their games. They have been hand pressing and cutting the individual games in the past. Second, VPG has slated a series of digital adaptations of their games.

VPG has just released their first digital game, an adaptation of Chris Taylor's "Loot and Scoot" fantasy game. The digital version of the game does a good job of capturing the simple charm of the printed version of the game. It also features significant graphic improvement over the tabletop game. You can compare the digital version's graphic presentation to that of the original by looking at the images below. The first two images come from the new digital edition, while the second two images come from the physical version of the game.

I am quite fond of the physical game, and there is no replacing a good face to face board game experience, but the digital game is both cheaper and slicker than its physical counterpart. The new digital game -- available for both iPhone and Android devices -- comes in at an inexpensive $2.99 where the physical copy has a $17.95 price point if purchased direct. The digital game is competitively priced, where the physical game reflects the costs associated with limited print runs, both are worth the price. Get yourself a copy of the digital game, and purchase a copy of the physical game for a friend.

In addition to "Loot and Scoot," VPG has a large catalog of fun games that make perfect Christmas presents. My top ten list (in no particular order) are the following:

Hero of Weehawken: The Aaron Burr Conspiracy
Gettysburg: The Wheatfield
Forlorn Hope
Nemo's War
Empires in America
Zulu's on the Ramparts
Waterloo 20
Final Frontier
Ancient Battles Deluxe
The Barbarossa Campaign

I've Got to Get Jody to Do Another Fantasy Toon Soon

2011-12-15T20:44:00.000-08:00

Cinerati Netflix Recommendation: "The Last Detective"

2011-12-15T10:12:00.000-08:00

Picture, if you will, the typical American police procedural. If you have the same picture in your mind that I do, then you are picturing a team of detectives rushing to solve a crime. They are rushing to fight against the "First 48" hours after which the solution of a murder/crime becomes more difficult. They receive their forensic data at lightning speed, have a coroner on call, and the episodes often contain exciting chases and flashy gunfights.

Sometimes, just sometimes, we get to see the actual procedures of the investigator -- if we happen to be watching a classic episode of "Law & Order." Even then, the show is episodic and mystery driven. Certainly, in the best procedural dramas like "Justified," the main detective evolves as the season progresses and his life is an on going sub-plot that ties episodes together. But it is rare that the detective's story move beyond sub-plot to become the driving force in the show, and it is the mysteries themselves that dominate. The best procedural dramas have strong sub-plots that become long standing arcs where the characters evolve over time and become real to the viewers. In the worst procedural dramas, some of which are among my guilty pleasures, the detectives never become more than ciphers who rampage through mystery after mystery. Yes...rampage through mystery after mystery, their gunfire solving crimes as often as the justice system.

The ITV drama "The Last Detective" is the best sort of police procedural. It's mysteries take their time in resolving themselves, and the detective exploring them is a delight to watch. He is calm, understated, and intelligent. Detective Constable "Dangerous" Davies, played by Peter Davison, is anything but dangerous and is initially disliked by his fellow detectives for his low key personality. In the first episode, he increases their dislike of him when he relentlessly pursues a mystery investigation to its unfortunate end. "Dangerous" is given the title "the last detective" because of this investigation. It is his supervisor's way of telling him that when a crime comes to the department, Dangerous will be the last detective called to investigate it. That is unless the crime is so lame/irritating that no one else will do it.

The manner in which the pilot episode allows the investigation to reveal the life and personality of the murder victim is a marvel to watch. As the investigation unfolds the viewer comes to care for the victim, a rare phenomenon in procedural dramas. The third episode has that rarest of rarest occurrences, an unsolved crime, but that unsolved crime leads to an interesting narrative of obsession and the risks that detectives constantly take.

I have always had a soft spot for Peter Davison as an actor. He was the first "Doctor" I watched on television and the "Fifth Doctor" is still my favorite. Davison brings all of his charm and charisma to this show. If you've got the time, give it a try.

Is a "True" Dungeon Master a "Fire in Which Players are Consumed?"

2011-12-09T15:10:00.001-08:00

Wednesday's Penny Arcade comic completed their "Conflux" storyline in which Tycho convinces Gabe to run a Pathfinder game for a group of 4th Edition D&D players. A theme of the storyline has presented a "Pathfinder is hardcore like older editions of D&D" narrative, one that ends with Gabe now knowing the horrors of edition wars and why they happen. We as players have preferences. We like what we are used to, and changes are sometimes hard to adapt to.

I have always found it interesting that most players I know are willing -- if not even tremendously eager -- to try new game systems, but will react in horror when their favorite role playing game is released in a new edition. With the exception of Call of Cthulhu, it seems that if a game has a new edition it has a schism within its player base. It has happened several times for D&D. It happened with Traveller, Hero System, Vampire/World of Darkness...and on and on.

In the case of D&D, some of those who disparage the newest edition of the game often wax nostalgic for an era in which the players and the DM were almost akin to foes. For these players, the past was an era where players died cruelly at the whims of a harsh Dungeon Master. It was the challenge of succeeding in spite of such DMs, or failing spectacularly because of them, that was what made the Old School Games so great. You can find such nostalgic tales throughout the OSR sphere. You can also find tales of how great it was when the game assumed that the players would backstab each other and betray each other at any given moment. It is this point of view that is expressed by Tycho in the Conflux storyline. To quote Tycho in the storyline's finale, "A True Dungeon Master is a Fire in Which Players are Consumed!"

This was certainly the attitude the first person who I ever had as a DM had. He didn't hesitate to transform my Wizard into an Axe-beak -- a bizarre combination of Ostrich and mythic beast. I felt humiliated. The character wasn't my own, my friend Sean had rolled the character up. He had named the character Gandalf, I had high hopes for the young mage. In all honesty, after this first gaming experience -- which I have blogged about before -- it is really a miracle that I play these games to this day.

But that adversarial DM was just playing the game the way it was intended to be played, right? Old School D&D is cutthroat and the DM is your enemy, right?

What do the old rule books actually say is the role of the DM?
One almost finds a quote supporting this position on page 9 of the first edition AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide. On that page, when discussing how to use "wandering monsters," Gary Gygax uses the phrase "if a party deserves to have these beasties inflicted upon them..." which seems to imply a cruel whimsy underlying the job of DM. But taking that phrase out of context leaves out his advocacy of making the game fun. To quote, "if your work as a DM has been sufficient, the players will have all they can handle upon arrival, so let them get there, give them a chance. The game is the thing, and certain rules can be distorted or disregarded altogether in favor of play."
It seems here that Gary Gygax is arguing that the DM's job is to make the game fun for the players...including by bending the rules in their favor. To quote page 110:

Now and then a player will die through no fault of his own. He or she will have done everything correctly, taken every reasonable precaution, but still the freakish roll of the dice will kill the character. In the long run you should let such things pass as the players will kill more than one opponent with their own freakish rolls at some later time. Yet you do have the right to arbitrate the situation. You can rule that the player, instead of dying, is knocked unconscious, loses a limb, is blinded in one eye or invoke an reasonably severe penalty that still takes into account what the monster has done. It is very demoralizing to the players to lose a cared-for-player character when they have played well.

Here Gygax argues to not let dice get in the way of a player's enjoyment. Though I find the use of player and character to be clumsy in the above paragraph. It is no wonder some people thought that D&D was about "real" magic, when you write that "a player will die through no fault of his own." Player?! Holy!
Okay, so the AD&D DMG has some comments on making sure the focus is on fun and not competition between the DM and players, but what about the other old school books?

The Underworld and Wilderness Adventures (Original D&D)

(p.6) The fear of "death," its risk each time is one of the most stimulating parts of the game. It therefore behooves the campaign referee to include as many mystifying and dangerous areas as is consistant (sic) with a reasonable chance for survival ...For example, there is no question that a player's character could easily be killed by falling into a pit thirty feet deep or into a shallow pit filled with poisoned spikes, and this is quite undersirable in most instances.

Even in the advice scarce Original D&D rulebook, Gygax goes out of his way to point out how traps with guaranteed lethality are "undesirable" in most instances.

Holmes Basic

(p.22) In setting up his dungeon, the Dungeon Master should be guided by...so that the adventurers have a reasonable chance of survival.(p.40) Traps should not be of the "Zap! You're dead!" variety...

It appears as if Dr. Holmes agrees with Gary that the adventures should be challenging, but not adversarial through his use of language.

Moldvay Basic

(p.B60) It is important that the DM be fair, judging everything without favoring one side or another. The DM is there to see that the adventure is interesting and that everyone enjoys the game. D&D is not a contest between the DM and the players! The DM should do his or her best to act impartially when taking the part of monsters or handling disputes between characters.

Unlike earlier quotes, the bold and italicized emphasis in the Moldvay quote are straight from the book. It's as if he is reacting to what he saw as a trend in the DM-ing styles he was seeing in the day.

I don't believe that the rules of D&D ever advocated an adversarial relationship between DM and players. I think they always viewed the DM as the arbiter of the rules and the facilitator of fun. In my opinion, it was individual egos, and the natural desire to win sometimes, that created the killer DMs who believe as Tycho shouts.

My own credo is that a great DM has to be a great loser. Yes, there are times when the monsters will win, but the DM is required to make it exciting for the players when the monsters are losing as well as when the monsters are winning.

ePawn: One Step Closer to an Affordable Digital Game Board

2011-12-09T11:11:00.001-08:00

Even before I first saw the video of Carnegie Mellon students using the Microsoft Surface to play roleplaying games, I have been genuinely excited about the potential to have a fully interactive digital game board to use in my role playing an board gaming experiences. The amount of storage space taken up with "dungeon tiles" and terrain on my gaming shelves is more than I'd like. It includes cardboard tiles, printed cardstock tiles, and actual terrain pieces. It would be nice to have a playing surface that projected the images, and only have to have 3-D terrain pieces on my shelf.

The main problem so far seems to be affordability, but based on this article at Tech Crunch affordability seems to be approaching. The new ePawn pad plans to provide a decent playing area (26") for $400. It also looks like it would be a great surface to play some of those app transitioned board games like "Small World."

What are your thoughts? Are you looking forward to integrated digital/physical gaming?

Mythbusters Fires a Broadside at Dublin, CA

2011-12-07T13:39:00.001-08:00

Thank goodness that no one was hurt in this accident, because we can now make Monte Python/Mythbusters references.

Which RISK Would You Buy?

2011-12-06T10:37:00.001-08:00

This holiday season features two intriguing new additions to the library of RISK games. The first is the release, by Hasbro, of RISK: Legacy. In this edition of the classic game, the rules of play evolve over the course of play and game balance and rules will differ on play 7 from what they were when you opened the box. This new version of the game has sparked some conversations through the gaming community, and I have to admit that the concept of choices made during one play of a game affecting later "fresh" plays of the game is an intriguing feature. Fortress AT has a good discussion of the game and its features. Tom Vasel gives a nice overview in the embedded video below.

The other intriguing RISK entry for this season is a SOLID SNAKE themed version of the game by USAopoly.

I am looking forward to both versions of the game, but which would top your Holiday shopping wishlist.

John Carter of Mars: Andrew Stanton Channels My Imagination

2011-12-05T16:17:00.001-08:00

It is rare that film translations of fiction visually translate anything resembling the reader's imagination, but that is exactly what Andrew Stanton appears to have done with his adaptation of John Carter.

What if Kurt Russell had Landed the Han Solo Part?

2011-11-22T16:39:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Geoff Boucher of the invaluable LA Times Hero Complex, I found this intriguing audition where Kurt Russell reads for the part of Han Solo opposite William Katt of Greatest American Hero fame. Believe it or not, it is a real possibility that Kurt could have landed the Han role. Thankfully he didn't. He's a little too Dexter Riley in this reading, and too little Snake Plissken. I would argue that Russell had so much of the residual fairy dust from his Disney live action films, that he may have made a great Luke. He has the charm, he just lacks the ruggedness.

I'm a big fan of Russell's, but if I had seen this footage before watching Escape from New York or Tombstone even I would have had a hard time believing that Russell could emote "grimness."

I have also realized another thing after watching these, and other, auditions for Star Wars. I realized that had I been directing the films, the actors may have become frustrated with hearing a single piece of direction uttered by me. That phrase would have been, "FASTER...MORE INTENSE!" It's true of the Harrison Ford audition as much as it is of these. The actors just seem so calm when they are delivering these lines.

Ben Thompson Reminds Us How Badass History and Mythology Are

2011-11-17T12:08:00.001-08:00

I love to read about history and mythology. Heck, I love to read just about anything. This is true despite the efforts of several teachers who assigned meaningless "coming of age" stories like A Separate Peace and history texts that were as dull as spoons. To be fair, the history texts were likely the fault of administrators but I also had teachers who did little to make the words in those dull history texts come alive.

There were wonderful exceptions to be sure. I had a Nevada History teacher who would lavishly illustrate the chalkboard with a glimpse into the past -- in colored chalk no less. I can only imagine the hours of effort it took for her to create images that were overlooked by most of the students in the class. She was a hard grader, but an engaging teacher. She made John Fremont and the Donner Party vividly real for me.

Excepting this teacher -- and a couple of others -- I was lucky to come out of my early education with a love of reading. Seriously...have you read A Separate Peace?

Lucky...except for one thing. Role playing games existed and they fueled my reading passion. Thanks to the many creators of the role playing games of my youth, my interest in the exciting playground that is world history was kindled. I can thank people like Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson, Graeme Morris, and Greg Stafford for reminding me that the stories are what make history so exciting.

Today's young readers don't have something I didn't have. They have the internet and Ben Thompson's excellent Badass of the Week website.

At the site -- and in his two books -- Thompson does the world a huge favor. He makes history more than fun. He makes it hard core. His books and website are the DragonForce of history/mythology books. They are "metal." In short, he rocks.

Over the past few years Thompson has become my favorite historian. Will his work be lauded ages from now as the quintessential history texts? Will they become the text books of University Core Curriculum programs? No.

They will inspire readers -- at that most cynical and needed age...the teen years -- to become interested in history.

Thompson recently gave a Google Talk where he did a reading from each of his two books. He's unnecessarily nervous and self-deprecating.

Do yourself a couple of favors. Buy his books on Amazon and visit his website weekly.

His biographical sketches -- like this one about Wolf the Quarrelsome whom Ben mentions in the Talk -- are engaging. They also make for wonderful inspirational fare for D&D campaigns.

Here's hoping that Ben is able to get a TV deal out of this.

[Cinerati Cartoons] -- Nicnup: Exciting Employment Opportunity

2011-11-16T13:45:00.001-08:00

Jody uploaded this strip today. Though she did it years ago, it still seems topical.

[Cinerati Cartoons] -- Nicnup: Gesundheit

2011-11-11T09:45:00.001-08:00

My wife Jody has a wonderful and visual sense of humor. In this Nicnup strip, she manages to capture how I have felt almost every time I've had a loud sneeze. They do sometimes feel earth shattering.

SHAOLIN (2011) -- Powerful Drama, Passable Martial Arts

2011-11-10T13:16:00.001-08:00

Jet Li's 1982 film Shaolin Temple is a fantastic martial arts film that signaled a sea change in the Hong Kong film industry. It was the first Hong Kong martial arts film to be filmed in mainland China, it had brilliant choreography, and it had the uniquely charismatic Jet Li. The film's story of a young refugee in 7th Century China who seeks refuge and training at a Shaolin temple in order to avenge the death of his father is based on common martial arts themes, but the use of naturalistic settings and the fluidity of the martial arts choreography are what make this film a standout to this day. The film's martial arts are amazing, but real -- and all the more amazing for it. The film didn't rely heavily on wire-work, as many earlier and later martial arts films have done. It is a masterpiece, and to "remake" such a film is pure folly.

The futility of making a "remake" didn't stop Benny Chan, Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse, Jackie Chan, and Wu Jing from trying with 2011's SHAOLIN. The result of their attempt is an extraordinary film that is emotionally powerful, even if the martial arts lack the grace captured in the earlier Jet Li classic.

The story is similar to the 1982 film, but with some significant differences. As this is the 100th Anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution, the updated SHAOLIN is set during the era of warlord struggle that occurred during the aftermath of the fall of the Qing dynasty. As presented in Benny Chan's film, this is a period of chaos, bloodshed, and treason where China's very soul is at stake.

At the beginning of the film Hou Jie (Andy Lau) is a powerful warlord who has just won a major victory, and who has a chance to stabilize the region and bring about a peace that he doesn't yet understand he desires. In the celebration over his victory, General Hou's sworn brother General Song Hu congratulates Hou and proposes that they formally unify their kingdoms and their houses through an arranged marriage. Given Song's tone, Hou's paranoia takes over. He wonders why Song has not asked about the massive wealth he acquired in the battle. Hou's concerns are further fueled by his ambitious lieutenant Cao Man (Nicholas Tse) who goads Hou into using the marriage arrangement dinner as an opportunity to ambush Song and end a threat to Hou's hegemony. Cao Man is also attempting to convince Hou to trade with foreign entities who wish to build a railroad in China. The foreigners will trade water cooled machine guns for the right to use Hou's land. Hou resists the temptation to sell out his country to foreigners, but accepts the plan to ambush Song.

As one might guess, Hou learns of Song's sincerity and fidelity too late. Hou finds himself betrayed by Cao Man -- to whom Hou had been cruel and dismissive. Hou tries desperately to save himself and his family during the ambush. He manages to escape, but in the process of escaping his daughter is fatally wounded. He takes his daughter to Shaolin temple in the hopes that they can heal her, but it is too late. Hou finds that in his pride and greed, he has caused the death of his daughter and the end of his marriage as his wife comes to hate him for his actions.

It is a powerful opening filled with emotional pull. Andy Lau is compelling as Hou and gives his motivations enough plausibility that we never think of him as evil, even as he is causing others suffering. He is ruthless and paranoid, but he is a loving father and husband.

The story progresses from their as Hou becomes a monk, is asked to learn cooking due to his impure heart, but who is eventually allowed to study Kung Fu under a senior brother (Wu Jing). The audience watches as Hou transforms from a ruthless man into a redeemed man, but not yet a man at peace. Hou must still find a way to bring balance to the harm he has caused the world.

He is given the opportunity when he discovers that Cao Man is using laborers to dig up antiquities -- China's history and soul -- and is selling them to the foreigners in exchange for guns. Cao Man is willing to betray his own people, and murder them to keep it quiet, without one moment's remorse. Nicholas Tse is masterful in his presentation of the ambitious and treasonous Cao Man. What looks like it might be an over the top melodramatic performance, shifts subtly as Cao Man eventually faces the horror of his own actions and overcomes his longing for status and revenge. This transformation occurs during the fight scene between Hou and Cao, a fight scene that is routine in physical execution but exquisite in emotional appeal.

Given that the film includes Jackie Chan in the cast, one might expect him to steal the show. While his performance is entertaining enough, it is also somewhat formulaic. He is a combination clown and hero, a role that Chan has provided us many times before. He does so ably here, but his performance isn't overpowering or overly memorable.

What is memorable is the performance of martial arts prodigy Wu Jing -- Wu has done some fantastic work over the past few years including a spectacular fight with Donnie Yen in Kill Zone. If any actor can be said to bring the kind of charisma that Jet Li brought to the first Shaolin Temple it is Wu. His character has very few lines in the film, but his facial reactions to events within the film provide volumes of detail. He has a natural ability to convey emotions, an undeniable charm, and his solid performance provides the hub around which the narrative takes place. The film is -- in many ways -- the story of how Hou becomes more like Wu Jing's character. The one fight scene that is more than routine is Wu's, sadly it is also the fight scene with the worst camera work. His grace is remarkable and I look forward to seeing him in more films.

Like many of the best martial arts films to come out of Hong Kong, Shaolin is a deeply patriotic film that is as much about the spirit of the middle kingdom as it is about the narrative being shown. The movie is well acted, has some spectacular camera work -- even though there are about 2 crane shots too many, and has passable kung fu fights that rely too much on wires and not enough on the grace of the movements.

There isn't as much action as one might imagine a kung fu film to have, this is a kung fu drama and drama is its greatest virtue. The score and the acting manipulated my emotions perfectly. I worried for the characters, and wept at all the right moments. The final scene between Hou and his wife is one of the best scenes I have watched in a Hong Kong film. It is romantic and tragic, it is everthing I watch movies in order to feel.

If the martial arts had been as good as the acting and the story, this film would have been a classic. As it is, it is merely excellent.

Romance: Cinerati Style

2011-11-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

My wife and I have a very comfortable romance. We love date nights as much as any other couple, but we also enjoy a cozy night enjoying our favorite past times. A couple of years ago, before the twins were born, my wife drew this image of what one of our typical evenings might look like. The picture was a nice snapshot of our home at the time. Jody is there, I'm there, tons of books are there, our two cats (Goose and Pumpkin) are there, and so is our dog Oreo.

The image is of our home a few years ago, so if she were to draw it today Oreo and Pumpkin would be absent from the picture. Both were quite old when she drew the image and neither are still with us today. There would also be two tremendously energetic twin daughters in the image, and Jody and I would look a little more exhausted. We would still look just as comfortable. We have a comfortable romance. There is no one I would rather spend every day of my life with.

Since my wife is a cartoonist, I'll put it in cartoon terms. Linus has his blanket, and I have Jody. I feel just as lost without her as Linus did without his blanket. There is an emptiness in the small moments I am away from her, and her smile is all that can fill it.

Phoenix Wright, from Nintendo DS to the Big Screen

2011-10-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

Those of you who have been reading this sight for a couple of years, know that I am a huge Phoenix Wright fan. The game series is a splendid addition to the procedural/detective game genre. A genre that includes many great video games, as well as some of the best table top games ever created.

At first glance, the game might seem a little strange. It is entirely narrative, requires keen observation and logic skills, but almost no coordination. It requires a skill set that is typically used in board/card game play and when used in those it tends to be in an "abstract" fashion. Most video games that use this skill set -- exclusively -- also tend to be abstract. Think Chess, Solitaire, and Minesweeper for examples of the kinds of games that have historically been observational/logical in game play. Very rarely are these games narratively exciting.

Somehow, the Phoenix Wright game manages to be exactly that -- exciting. Sure, the random "OBJECTION!" from time to time wakes up the mind in a brute way, but it is the engaging stories and humor that really make these games worth playing -- and replaying. It should be noted that game designer extraordinaire did work on a "Harvey Birdman" game for the Wii that is more humorous, but similarly entertaining.

Engaging stories and humor...hmmm...that sounds like a good combination for a film, and low and behold there is a Phoenix Wright film in the works. The official trailer should be released November 5th and the film will be released in Japan on February 11th. The film will be directed by Takashi Miike of 13 Assassins, Ichi the Killer, and Audition fame.

One might think that Miike is an odd choice for a humorous attorney film based upon a video game, but players of the game are familiar with how gruesome some of the murders in the game actually are. One can only hope that Miike is able to balance the gore, humor, and engaging narrative in the same manner as the games.

A Blacksmith's Macaroni and Cheese? Pure Cheese!

2011-10-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I have ever posted a commercial video on this website before, but the new Velveeta ad campaign is incredible. I don't know who came up with the "Liquid Gooooold!" slogan, and the idea of using a blacksmith to sell Mac&Chee, but this is hilarious.
Here is the first ad I saw.

But it is the next ad that really brings the cheese!

Should I laugh at the absurdity of comparing cooking to blacksmithery?

Should I be offended at the sociological implications of the ad?

Should I wonder if the person who came up with the campaign plays D&D? Wait, they probably do. "Smite them with the liquid gold until there can be no more smiting!" Only a D&D player could write that.

What's next? Will the blacksmith fight hordes of fast food goblins?

Make Tonight a Vincent Price Night

2011-10-25T15:04:00.000-07:00

On this day of Creepiness,
When rampant ghoulies run,
and kids go masked about,
Enjoying pagan fun...

Witches feast on human flesh,
While we recall a host,
(A haunt himself in living)
Recently turned ghost...

Scary movies [were] his thing,
(Theater gave '[i]m a try)
Whales of August I liked best.
My favorite was The Fly.

We do request a brief repose,
(A moment should suffice)
of silence just to say,
"So long" to Mr. Vincent Price.

Fine, Silence, and then we get the candy?!

SH!

Yow!

5-27-1911 to 10-25-1993

October 25th, 1993, Vincent Price, a horror film legend, left this mortal coil. The horror films that Vincent Price starred in were not the violent shockfests people so often imagine when they thing of the words "horror film." His films were not about gore, or quick cathartic release of tension, rather they were about fear. H.P. Lovecraft, a pioneer in American "Wierd Fiction", wrote in his essay Supernatural Horror in Literature :

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is the fear of the unknown...their admitted truth must establish for all time the geniuneness and dignity of the wierdly horrible tale as a literary form. Against it are discharged all the shafts of a materialistic sophistication which clings to frequently felt emotions and external events, and of a naively insipid idealism which deprecates the aesthetic motive and calls for a didactic literature to "uplift" the reader toward a suitable degree of smirking optimism...men with minds sensitive to hereditary impulse will always tremble at the thought of the hidden and fathomless worlds of strange life which may pulsate in the gulfs beyond the stars...

This horror of the unknown is the kind of horror that permeated the films of Vincent Price. To be sure some like the Tingler had moments of visual shock, but most of the horror in Price's films was internal to the viewed characters. The audience felt the horror not as an immediate thing which passes when the musical sting chimes, but as a lingering afterthought which remained with the viewer long after the film had been viewed.

An image from The Tingler more akin to modern horror.

Vincent Price and Roger Corman's screen adaptations of Edgar Allen Poe tales are some of the best examples of this lingering kind of fear. With modern special effects making the imagery in The Pit and the Pendulum tame, possibly completely enervated of shock value, in comparison to the slaughter a Jason Voorhees is capable of committing. It is not the violence in Pit which horrifies, it is the thought of what man is capable of doing. This is the best kind of fear, the fear that reminds us as we look into the abyss that the abyss is looking back into us. True fear is horror at the possible meaninglessness of existence and the potential cruelty of man. How horrible is the realization in Fall of the House of Usher that Roderick Usher had accidently put his living sister prematurely into the tomb? The audience who watches this film can imagine both having to dig oneself free of an early grave and the terror of realization Roderick comes to when he realizes what he has done. There but for the grace of G-d go I.

When Price first died, I worried that the "lingering fear" horror tale was dead. I "feared" that all I would be able to watch were gorefests made purely for shock value, but I should have known better. There were already hints that filmmakers knew what kind of fear was most valuable. In John Carpenter's version of the Fog, the horror wasn't that the dead had come back for revenge. It was why they came back, and that it didn't matter who they killed to get the requisite number of victims in compensation. Even a child would have sated their lust for vengeance. There were other films as well, but I would like to focus on what has come since Price died.

The Others, starring Nicole Kidman, is a wonderful example of personal realization bringing horror. Sure there are moments of suspense, but what keeps you talking about the film is the moment of realization. The same goes for Sixth Sense, but I think that the Village with its demonstration of what people will do to create a "just" society is more horrifying. Even if you guess the "twist" in the Village the lengths the Elders go through to maintain the serenity of the village is frightening. Eric Kripke's story about the Boogeyman isn't about gore, it is about how we give power to our fears. The same can be said for the numerous Japanese horror films which have come our way over the past few years. They often contain shocking images, but it is the lingering thoughts of the spitefulness of the dead which have value in the long term. The most Lovecraftian of recent horror tales was The Forgotten in which humankind were naught but play pieces for aliens in a G-dless materialistic universe. Julianne Moore, and all the other characters, were truly helpless against the antagonists and the resolution that she was "okay" isn't cathartic because the threat remains for everyone else.

Sporatic Geek Update -- Battleship, D&D, and Donkey Kong

2011-10-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

In the process of maintaining a blog about popular culture and Geek activities, I often find articles that would make for good blog posts. I tend to leave these articles as open tabs on my web browser, intending to at some point come back to them and give them the full length discussion that they deserve. Eventually, months pass and these topics go untouched. Guilt ensures that the tabs stay open, but a busy life ensures that the full posts don't get written. That's why I created the "Sporatic Geek Update" a couple of years ago.

The update isn't meant to be regular, hence the "sporatic" part of the name, but it is filled with things that I think are wonderful and worth checking out. Here are some of the things that have happened over the past 3-5 months -- that's right months -- that I wanted to talk about, but haven't.

Jonathan Liu over at Geek Dad wrote a great article about the latest Battleship related boardgame Battleship: Galaxies. The game is an exciting, if not well known, war game of the kind that I hope Hasbro continues to manufacture. As the good folks at Heroscapers point out, the game was designed by Craig Van Ness who also designed the fantastic Heroscape board game. The game is available at Amazon -- and at your friendly local game store -- and is a perfect holiday gift.
David Ewalt of Forbes Magazine has an interview with Shelly Mazzanoble about her latest book Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from Dungeons and Dragons. Shelly is an Associate Brand Manager at Wizards of the Coast who's first real encounters with D&D came as a Hasbro employee. She is a wonderful writer and a great advocate for the hobby.
Robert Schwalb has written an excellent post about how "checking your ego at the door" can help you become a better game designer. I would argue that this article is also a must read for managers and "authors" in any creative field.
Gamasutra covers the "Secret History of Donkey Kong." Donkey Kong was one of the games that sparked the arcade revolution, and its legacy still echoes through the video game industry.
Matthew D. Wilson, the Chief Creative Officer of Privateer Press, made a steampunk version of "Little Red Riding Hood" entitled Wolfsbane.

That's it for this "Sporadic Geek Update." There's quite a bit of exciting stuff in it. Let me know your thoughts.

Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula? Yes Please!

2011-10-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

Bill Cunningham -- the mad pulp bastard -- and his crew over at Pulp 2.0 are releasing a string of exciting products over the next few months. This week, they announced the release (digitally and physically) of THE MIRACLE SQUAD, a comic series that was originally published by Fantagraphics in 1987.

This is the first time that THE MIRACLE SQUAD has been sold in a collected edition, and the book provides a nice glimpse into the halcyon age of independent comic books. During the 1980s, direct comic book stores were on the rise and so were quality independent titles. It was an exciting time to be a fan of comics, a time when the medium itself was in transition as it adapted to new business models (the "death" of newstand and the birth of "direct sales" which allowed greater access to customers and greater interaction with customers) and new technologies (more sophisticated printing techniques, better paper).

In many ways, it was a period like today. The market is once again becoming more consumer driven as creators become less dependent on retail stores to give them direct access to consumers, just as the direct market allowed companies to target a market more accurately than convenience stores, supermarkets, and newstands. Bill, and the folks at Pulp 2.0, understand this market change isn't "coming," it's here. There upcoming line of books seeks to demonstrate that not only is the new market capable of allowing companies to profit with new offerings, but that it allows a unique opportunity to make sure that no product ever goes out of print again. Let me say that one more time.

The new publishing market provides a unique opportunity to make sure that no product ever goes out of print again!

This means that publishers big and small, and creators have opportunities to generate revenue that were before unimaginable. Enough about the market, how exciting it is, and how smart Bill is about this topic. Let's get to the real issue being discussed here, Dracula and Sherlock Holmes.

This December, Pulp 2.0 will be releasing a 25th anniversary collected edition of SCARLET IN GASLIGHT by Martin Powell and Seppo Makinen. The series collected in the 25th anniversary edition has been praised in the Washington Post -- of all places -- and is a highly entertaining read. Rumor has it that Bill has licensed additional books in the series as well. SCARLET IN GASLIGHT was published by the now defunct Eclipse Comics (publishers of MIRACLEMAN, THE ROCKETEER, and SCOUT) presents a confrontation between two of the most iconic figures in literature, Sherlock Holmes and Count Dracula. In 2011, this is a pretty common mashup idea, but Powell and Makinen execute the idea very successfully. I cannot wait to see how the Pulp 2.0 crew have packaged this edition. I'm sure to buy it in print and digitally!

[Film Trailer] Justice League: Doom -- Looks Interesting

2011-10-20T15:49:00.000-07:00

DC's theatrical releases have been hit or miss -- I'll be posting my Green Lantern film review soon -- but their animated projects have tended to be excellent. Everything from Batman: The Brave and the Bold to All-Star Superman has been entertaining. By the looks of this official preview, that trend is continuing.

[Film Trailer] VIRAL FACTOR -- Forget CONTAGION, Give Me Gunfights and Amnesia

2011-10-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks to BeyondHollywood.com for pointing me to Daniel Lam's latest science-fiction suspense actioner. It looks like a combination of Hard Boiled, The Bourne Idenity, and Outbreak. The folks at Beyond Hollywood recommend that you familiarize yourself with the plot before you watch the video:

A mission to escort a witness from Jordan to the Netherlands leaves International Security Affairs agent Jon severely scarred: a bullet is lodged in his brain, his fiancée and fellow agent Rita is dead and their traitorous colleague Sean has nabbed their witness. While contemplating leaving the force, he finds out that his father and brother, Wan Yang, are still alive. In his search for them, he discovers that his brother is working as a mercenary for Sean, who has evil plans to force scientist Rachel to cultivate a mutating virus to unleash on the world. The brothers unite to stop Sean but finds out that he has an even bigger plan for international blackmail. The battle heads to a showdown in Hong Kong where Sean has decided to release the strain of deadly virus.

I am currently wondering how I could translate this film into a Night's Black Agents campaign.

[Film Trailer] MURAL: Strange and Inspiring Fantasy

2011-10-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

As much genre influence as Hong Kong films have had on American cinema, there is one genre where Hong Kong's influence has yet to have significant impact on American film making. Every modern American action film has some touch of the gunfu and kung fu films of Hong Kong's heyday, but one rarely sees touches from amazing fantasy spectacles like The Bride with White Hair, Dragon Inn, or Warrior of Zu Magic Mountain in American productions.

When we do get film influenced by HK fantasy films -- with the exception of John Carpenter's magical Big Trouble in Little China -- the American adaptations/translations are mere shadows of what could be cinematically. It's as if Western film makers are afraid to truly push the envelope regarding what a fantasy story can be. The Forbidden Kingdom is a perfect example. The film stars two of Hong Kong's greatest actors, yet the film makers decided to add an American protagonist and to mute the fantastic elements of Sun Wu Kung's tale. The movie is an inelegant patchwork of a number of wonderful tales. Even when talented Hong Kong directors make films with elements of HK fantasy, like Warriors of Virtue, the fantasy is targeted at young children and the warriors become kangaroo versions of Ninja Turtles. In these fantasy translations, the "anything can happen" narrative and the "nothing is too extreme" attitude of HK fantasy is lost, only to be replaced with tamer shadows that hint at what could have been. There are moments of The Forbidden Kingdom and Warriors of Virtue that shine through, but they are only enough to make the film's moderately entertaining when they could have been spectacular.

Thankfully for fans of Hong Kong fantasy, and you should really be one, the HK film industry is still making fantasy spectaculars. This September saw the release of Gordon Chan's latest film Mural. The movie is an adaptation from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio a classic collection of Chinese fantasy stories of Vampires, Ghosts, and Magic. Gordon Chan's Fist of Legend is one of the best martial arts films ever created, and if this trailer is any hint we might be in for something special with Mural. Let's hope it gets released stateside soon.

[Film Review] THE TRIP: Commentary and Cuisine

2011-10-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

In 2010, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon starred in an award winning BBC sit-com entitled The Trip. The show lasted for six critically acclaimed episodes. The show was nominated for a BAFTA for best situation comedy and Steve Coogan won a BAFTA for best male performance in a comedy role. In 2011, the television series was edited into a feature film distributed in the United States by IFC films.

The movie, like the television series, is a mockumentary about two comedic actors named Steve and Rob whose careers and lives bear a striking resemblance to those of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.

The film opens with Steve calling Rob to ask if Rob would be available for a trip critiquing a number of high end restaurants in the north of England. Steven has accepted a commission from The Observer newspaper to do a travelogue and review column of the locations along the trip. When he had initially taken the commission Steven had planned to have his gourmand girlfriend Mischa accompany him, but their relationship has been put "on hold" as she has traveled to the United States in the hopes of getting some journalistic commissions of her own. Steven has run out of options for companions, and so he asks his co-worker of 11 years Rob to join him on the trip.

The movie is a delightfully buddy comedy which takes advantage of the Steven's and Rob's comfortable friendship to create a touching and believable narrative. While one can enjoy the film just for the buddy comedy that it is, it is also a film that works on two other distinct levels.

First, as a visual representation of the north of England it is beautiful. The cinematographer captured the moors, mountains, and pastures magnificently and the picturesque representations of bucolic England are one of the best advertisements for a vacation to the country that one could imagine. Add to the visual beauty food that ranges from the exquisite to the weird, and a nice touch of history, and you have a film that works as a proxy for the travelogue that the Steven character is supposed to be writing. In making a film depicting a writer journeying to acquire material, the film has managed to visually tell the tale as the character might well be writing.

The second, and more profound, level of the film is the nature of the lives of Steven and Rob and the social commentary contained therein. Steven represents the urban sophisticate and Rob the bourgeois.

Steven is the more "internationally famous" actor who has starred in American films and who is seeking more work in America, and who tells his British agent that he doesn't want to do any more British television. He wants to star in important independent films, and doesn't have time to star as the "baddie" in an upcoming episode of Doctor Who. Steven is not content with his professional life, and seeks to do something "important."

Rob's work has mostly been in British television where he is known for his uncanny impressions and for a particular vocal gimmick called "small man trapped in a box." Before I continue describing Rob's life, you really must experience the small man bit. It is remarkable, and I couldn't believe it wasn't done with post-production tricks -- but it is something very real.

Rob is portrayed as a working class actor who is quite content with his career and who deeply appreciates the respect and admiration he receives from his fans. Where Steven is dour, Rob is cheerful -- infectiously so.

It isn't merely creatively that Steven is frustrated. His personal life is also the shambles. His girlfriend has just left him, though he is trying to keep a connection to her, and his divorce has had a predictable affect on his relationship with his son -- a son who is rebelling a bit and who is in need of a positive role model. Steven can't maintain a long term relationship, and he cannot quite keep track of the one night stands he has had. He is so caught up in the life of the "artiste" and trying to be a kind of tragic artist in personality, that it is hard for him to truly connect with another person. There is a wonderful moment in the film where he is getting high in a room once used by Coleridge. Steven is trying his best to affect a kind of moody poetic persona, that it creates a powerful yet muted comedic moment.

The opposite is true of Rob's life. He and his wife have only recently had a baby. They have a strong and delightful relationship filled with laughs. Where Steven's phone calls end in sighs and "I have to go nows," Rob's conversations don't end on screen. One can imagine that the playful dialogue between Rob and his wife continues until either they both fall asleep or until the baby awakens in need of some care. The moments where Rob converses and flirts with his wife on the phone are some of the most personal and magical in the film.

It should be noted that all of Steven's phone calls take place via cell phone, and that his quest for cell phone signals is a humorous sub-plot on its own, while all of Rob's phone calls are on land line. The cell phone is presented as cold and distant and never really allows the people on either end of the phone to "connect," whereas the land line is portrayed intimately and conversations via land line are akin to cuddling.

Once more the "urban sophisticate" is contrasted to the simpler "bourgeois," a major theme of the film that is portrayed in a number of ways -- always with the "sophistication"/elitism being shown as failing or inappropriate. Steven rents a Land Rover because "the north has hills," he has accepted a commission to write about food without any real knowledge of food, and so on.

Two of my favorite moments (displayed below) are the very much talked about "Dueling Michael Caines" scene and the "We Rise at Dawn" scene. The "We Rise" scene is maybe one of my favorite comic bits ever. It ranks with "Who's on First" in my mind.

Witty, subtle, beautiful, and rewatchable. The Trip is one of those rare films that makes a short trip seem like an epic journey, all while never being anything other than a small trip. It praises family over fame and friendship over facade.

What is "The Asphyx"?

2011-10-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

For the past few days, I have been excitedly tweeting about a horror film I adored as a child. I first saw the film on either Bob Wilkin's classic Creature Feature program on KTVU or on the Chiller Diller Matinee program. I cannot remember which, but I vividly remember sitting in my grandfather's den watching the story of one man's pursuit for immortality and the high costs of his obsession.

It has been many years since I have seen the film. In all honesty, I haven't seen it since I was a child. But I have recently acquired a copy of the movie and plan to watch it as a part of my Halloween themed October viewing.

I hope it lives up to my memories and expectations. I might just have to try to adapt the tale to a CHILL or Call of Cthulhu adventure while I'm at it.

Adventures of Tintin -- Can Digitally Animated Fight Scenes and Stunts Satisfy?

2011-10-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

The more I look at the advertising for the upcoming Adventures of Tintin animated film, the more it looks like the film will provide for a few hours of pleasant entertainment. There is still one major question lurking in the back of my mind...How much more exciting would all of this be if it were a live action film?

The stunts look unbelievably exciting, check out the motorcycle stunt toward the end of the trailer, but I keep asking myself "what if Jackie Chan did the stunt coordination for a live action film?" I understand that there are limits to what the human body can do, and there are very good safety reasons to use digital effects to supplement stunts, but this film seems so action packed and exciting that I want to see it as "real" and not animated. It seems that the film makers would be pushing more of the medium's boundaries if they attempted to recreate some of these fight scenes and stunts with real people.

I hate video game to movie comparisons as much as the next guy, but isn't one of the major reasons people attend a Tomb Raider film, or desire to watch an Uncharted movie, specifically because they want to see exciting digital experiences translated into live action.

Isn't the fight scene between Donnie Yen and Collin Chou in Flashpoint so amazing because it has real people and you can imagine the real physical effort required to create the action sequence?

But the new Tintin film uses "motion capture" so the actors are physically engaged you say? Some stunts can only be created digitally? I don't buy it, and can easily imagine Jackie Chan, Harold Lloyd, or Buster Keaton doing that final motorcycle stunt.

None of this takes away from the fact that the Tintin movie looks engaging and entertaining, I'm looking forward to it. I'm just saying that it looks like it would be "AMAZING" if it were live action.

1911: Revolution (2011) -- Jackie Chan's 100th Film in Theaters October 7th

2011-10-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

Jackie Chan's 100th film releases in American theaters this Friday. It also marks the 100th anniversary of the Wuchang Uprising, the topic of Jackie Chan's latest film 1911: Revolution.

Unlike a majority of Chan's work, this film is not a martial arts or action comedy but like much of Chan's work the film is a patriotic one. For example in Drunken Master II, the viewer gets a sense of Chan's deep patriotism as Wong Fei-hung battles a ring of antiquities smugglers. In that film, Fei-hung battles for the preservation of China's history.

In 1911: Revolution, Jackie Chan stars as Huang Xing who is fighting for the soul of China. Huang Xing was one of the founders of the Kuomintang and one of the revolutionary leaders who fought against the Qing Dynasty in a series of uprisings. These uprisings finally culminated with the defeat of the Dynasty in the Wuchang Uprising and establishment of the Republic of China.

From the trailer, one can see that director Zhang Li has lost none of the aesthetic talent that made Red Cliff such a beautiful visual experience. His camera work captures broad strokes in a way that doesn't overwhelm the view, and he is a master of highlighting an emotive figure in a chaotic environment.

Filmgoers in the Los Angeles area will be able to see the film at the following locations:

Alhambra -- Edwards Alhambra Rennaissance 14

Monrovia -- Krikorian 12

Los Angeles -- Rave 18

Los Angeles -- Mann Chinese 6

City Under Siege (2010) -- Hong Kong Does Superheroes

2011-10-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

When one asks the average film goer what kinds of films they think of when they hear the words "Hong Kong Cinema," the words "exciting superhero action" aren't the first words that one would expect to hear. None the less, those words are an accurate statement about the HK film industry. In addition to marvelously exciting police dramas, and the worlds best martial arts films, some very entertaining superhero movies have come to America from Hong Kong's creatively fertile film industry.

These superhero films -- like BLACK MASK, HEROIC TRIO, and LEGEND OF THE FIST -- also happen to contain some fantastic kung fu action, but their plot lines more closely follow a traditional American comic book plot than a Louis Cha novel or Kung Fu historical tale. That isn't to say that the shadow of jiang hu doesn't loom over these films, it does. These are still martial arts films that can contain traditional wuxia elements, but they are also superhero films.

This year's San Francisco Film Society's Hong Kong Cinema celebration (September 23 - 25) features a recent entry into the HK superhero film genre, and we can see the influence of shows like HEROES in the overarching narrative. In CITY UNDER SIEGE, a group of circus performers find a cache of WWII gold that they expect will change their lives financially. When they go to claim their prize there lives are changed in another way as they are exposed to a strange toxic chemical that transforms them into superhumanly powerful beings. After the exposure these performers decide to use their new found powers to commit crime after crime...all except one of the group.

Collin Chou -- who starred in MATRIX REVOLUTIONS and who is Donnie Yen's foe in FLASH POINT where they exhibit one of the most exciting martial arts sequences ever film -- plays the main villain of the feature which bodes well for the action sequences. The film is directed by Benny Chan who directed NEW POLICE STORY and SHAOLIN recently released on DVD.

By the looks of the preview CITY UNDER SIEGE the film combines superheroes, comedy, and martial arts excitement. I wouldn't expect the serious drama of IP MAN or HERO from this film, but it does look like it might be a lot of fun. Let's hope an American distributor picks this one up.

Jet Li is the Sorcerer in "The Sorcerer and the White Snake"

2011-09-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

My old gaming group used to watch Jet Li's classic film Swordsman II at least once a month. The film's combination of martial arts, magic, and just pure gonzo supernatural action (Sword Energy!) was the perfect inspiration for all of our D&D gaming experiences. In the days before Peter Jackson tackled the challenge of making a genuinely entertaining and emotionally powerful fantasy film experience, Hong Kong films were the go to place for Fantasy that was light years beyond Krull when it came to engaging characters.

To this day, the Fantasy stories presented in Hong Kong and Chinese cinema define the lens through which I view the worlds of D&D campaigns. Bride with White Hair would make a wonderful gaming campaign, and is an exquisitely beautiful film. My love for these films prompted me to read first Barry Hughart's excellent tales of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, and eventually led me to read translations of Louis Cha novels. Trust me, if you are looking for an alternative to run of the mill American/British fantasy, you can do a lot worse than reading some Louis Cha.

To go back where this all began though...I think it can easily be said that Jet Li is my favorite of Hong Kong's many talented stars. Any time he appears in a new film, it is guaranteed that I will hunt it down for viewing. Insert Jet Li into a Fantasy epic and my eagerness knows no bounds. It should be noted that I never fear whether the film will be good or not. It's a Jet Li film, and his performance in Kung Fu Cult Master turned what could have been a campy and agonizing film into pure viewing pleasure.

After watching the preview for his upcoming film The Sorcerer and the White Snake, I don't have even the slightest tinge of worry regarding the quality of the film It looks beautiful. The story is based on a traditional Chinese tale called the "Legend of the White Snake" and by the looks of it, this film will take a tragic yet sentimental view of the legend. Wonderful and tragic stuff.

What Every 40k Geek Needs: Warhammer 40k Lore in About a Minute

2011-09-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

The Warhammer Universe is a rich environment that has provided millions of gamers with countless hours of entertainment. The setting has been used as the background for role playing games, miniatures war games, board games, card games, video games, and a quite entertaining animated film written by Dan Abnett. But a rich environment can be intimidating to neophytes.

For those of you wanting to know what this whole 40k thing is about, some wonderful chaps have created Warhammer 40k Lore in About a Minute. Remember...in the Grim Dark Future of the 41st Millennium there is Only War.

Sony Pictures THE RAID -- Holy Moly!

2011-09-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

I'm not deeply familiar, or even moderately familiar, with the action film scene in Indonesia. But if this is any indication of what they have been creating, I'm going to have to change that soon.

THE RAID was a selection at this year's Toronto International Film Festival (apparently still the go to festival for all things awesome) and the preview looks remarkable.

The film is the tale of a SWAT raid on a tenement controlled by a Drug Kingpin that has almost every possible thing go wrong. I can't wait to see this action with real sound effects, and a real score.

Donnie Yen's WU XIA to be Released in the US

2011-09-28T13:14:00.001-07:00

Master martial arts stylist Donnie Yen will be featured in a remake of the classic martial arts film One Armed Swordsman later this year in a film entitled WU XIA (its American release title will be DRAGON). Yen's work is consistently wonderful, and the story of One Armed Swordsman is quite compelling. Our friend David Chute did commentary for a Dragon Dynasty release of the film a couple of years ago. I recommend you go out and buy a copy.

The choice of Wu Xia as the title of the film can be translated a number of ways -- including "armed swordsman" -- but most of the translations infer a kind of moral code on the part of the hero. Western readers have tales of chivalry and tragic sagas. Chinese readers and viewers have wuxia tales of larger than life heroes who often seek to leave the "world of martial arts" behind them, only to be drawn back into a life of violence. The films and stories are often deeply melodramatic and filled with wonderful commentary on the role of honor, romance, and justice. It is no wonder that so many of these films get made, and remade.

The decision to call WU XIA by the title DRAGON in the US seems an odd one, and one that is hopelessly trapped in associating martial arts films with Bruce Lee and his legacy. To be fair, Bruce Lee is one of the greatest martial arts stars the world has ever known. But are American audiences so limited in their appreciation of the genre that they need a title like DRAGON to bring them in?

I think not. The preview speaks for itself and demonstrates a combination of martial arts realism with a touch of wuxia wire work. This looks to be an engaging and exciting film.

Don't Talk Like a Pirate, Play Like a Pirate

2011-09-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

In 2008, I began advocating that people should celebrate "Play Like a Pirate Day" rather than participate in "Talk Like a Pirate Day." My contention was that one of the most irritating things you can hear your co-workers say is, "Aaaargh, Avast, Ye Mateys" a couple times an hour in some half-hearted participation in a day of international live action role playing. Even worse are the inconsistent uses of "Yar!" I think what makes it most irritating is the fact that these small offering of participation are lackadaisical at best.

I would rather my co-worker show up dressed in full "Age of Sail" apparel, blunderbuss and cutlass in hand, and charge into the office while staying in character as much as is possible for the day.

That might be fun, in the "employees showing up to work in costumes on Halloween" kind of way. You know... like when a person comes to work in their full blown Optimus Prime costume -- one where they can actually "transform" from robot to big rig -- you are truly impressed with your co-workers commitment. On the other hand, when your other co-worker shows up with only a pair of "cat ears" on and a mild scowl on their face, it's annoying.

Most participation in International Talk Like a Pirate Day is of the cat ear type, and not the Optimus Prime type. That's why I still believe that it is time for the phenomenon to die. That doesn't mean that we should no longer have a day "celebrating" piracy and the outlaw attitude, or as the founder of Talk Like A Pirate Day called it "Piratitude." Pirates are still awesome (though not as awesome as Transforming Robot Pirate Ninja Dinosaur Mutant Demon Hunters), it's just talking like a pirate that is lame. I think gamers, and geeks of all kinds, should lay claim the holiday and re-cast it as "International Play Like A Pirate Day." That way the costume role players can "play pirate" and other people can play pirate themed games, read pirate themed novels, or watch pirate themed films.

As I wrote last year, "from now on September 19th will be a day when families and friends get together and enjoy some form of Piratical Recreation. Such recreation can include celebrating by talking like pirates, certainly role play (in the traditional sense) is play. Our celebration is inclusive, not exclusive. But families and friends will no longer be limited to listening to the 'yars' and 'aaarghs' of everyone around them. Some might choose more formal ludographic participation -- that's game play."

Here is a list of recommended activities for this year's festivities -- thankfully the Day doesn't fall on a Weekday this year:

1) Play a pirate themed roleplaying game. In particular, we recommend Pinnacle Entertainment Group's excellent PIRATES OF THE SPANISH MAIN. This is highly recommended for those who want to talk like a pirate. It encourages such behavior in an appropriate venue. Besides, by role playing (in the game sense) participants can act far more Piratical than is allowed under modern mores and laws.

If you want a more heroic bent with mystical aspects, you can always play Pinnacle's 50 Fathoms instead.

2)If you own a copy -- and not many do -- play an exciting session of the classic Broadsides and Boarding Parties

If you don't own a copy of Broadsides, try one of these two excellent pirate games from GMT Games.

3) Blackbeard: The Golden Age of Piracy. The game is a redesign of Avalon Hill's classic game of the same name. The new version is suitable for 1 to 5 players and has less "down time" for players who aren't in their current turn.

4) Winds of Plunder is a quick and fun game that is more in the style of the "Eurogame" than Blackbeard or Broadsides.

5) You can play the previously reviewed Sword and Skull.

6) Lastly, we recommend watching one of your favorite pirate films. We've included some of our favorites in the carousel below.

Or your can sing "For I am a Pirate King!"

Geekerati Radio: Once More Speaking Out with Our Geek Out

2011-09-16T14:15:00.000-07:00

On May 14th, 2007 the Geekerati Radio podcast streamed its first "live streaming" episode at Blog Talk Radio. That day I turned on my computer, started up Skype, and dialed a conference call with Bill Cunningham, Eric Lytle, and Shawna Benson. Within minutes we were discussing what we thought of the then upcoming 2007 summer blockbuster movie season. We scheduled the show to run for one hour, and the episode ended up at 73 minutes. Sixty of those minutes streamed live, the remaining minutes were "overtime."

Given our love of all aspects of popular culture the "overtime" feature became a regular component of our show. Unlike most podcasts, those based at Blog Talk Radio are live shows that can receive callers and we wanted to take advantage of that benefit. We also seem to have an uncanny ability to speak on and on about the things we love. So this left us with circumstances we could leverage to make our show a little more distinct from other podcasts/online radio shows. We could have live callers like a radio show (not that we ever received too many of those), and we could have bonus footage that could only be heard on the archive of our episode. Those who listened live could call in, but those who relistened -- or listened at a later date -- could hear the full content of our show. We loved it.

Between May 14th, 2007 and September 13th, 2010 we recorded 131 episodes of the show. For the first couple of years we aired weekly almost without fail, but that changed as life's obligations intruded one time too many into our schedules. The show came to a grinding halt, but that is all about to change.

Tuesday marked the 1 year anniversary of the "last" episode of Geekerati Radio, but this Sunday marks the triumphant return of an activity I deeply enjoy. Shawna Benson and I will be joining forces to discuss the upcoming fall season of television. Shawna is quite the television buff and she's got the lowdown on what's hot, what's not, and what the sleepers and disappointments will be. It should make for a great discussion.

Join us this Sunday at 4pm Pacific as we discuss the upcoming season, reminisce over Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and ponder the future of "television scheduling." We live in an exciting era for content. If you want to participate in the conversation, you can call us at (646) 478-5041 during the episode. We'll be happy to take your call, it can't be as weird as our infamous "what is this show about" call.

Our past episodes include interviews with:

That's only a smattering of the guests we've had in the past, and the kinds of guests we'll be having in the future.

Geek Out About Your Job

2011-09-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hi! Eric here again.
Speak Out With Your Geek Out is all about getting rid of the negative sterotypes about geeks. Both on the internet and in your 'real' life. Almost everyone has something that they do for a living. It should be something you're proud of and fulfill you in some way. That's not always the case but it's something to which most of us aspire.

My second post for #speakgeek week is about loving what you do for a living. You can geek out about anything. That's what makes the word so common. You can be a Fantasy Football Geek or a Food Geek. But you can also geek about what you do at your job. For me, my job is in the field of Chemistry. Analytical Chemistry is wonderfully rewarding profession.

I have always enjoyed chemistry from my early days of childhood. I was always watching science shows like Mr. Wizard, Bill Nye the Science guy, and even Beakman's World. Remember them?

Mr. Wizard

Bill Nye the Science Guy

Beakman's World

At my work for California EPA I've had a lot of fun doing things for my job. We've blown up explosives in a microwave. I get to shoot things with an X-ray gun to analyze them. I've dissolved all types of stuff in concentrated acid to analysis with plasma. 10000K, hotter then the sun, Plasma! How awesome is that?!? I've also had great opportunities to teach kids and adults about chemistry in some of public outreach events.
Oh and then there's my other job: game designer. I'm having a lot of fun doing that too.

Go Out and Game Out

2011-09-14T15:48:00.000-07:00

Hello, Eric here. It is officially Speak out with your geek out week and this is my first post for the event. What is Speak out? It's a pro-geek event that encourages you to be positive about your geeky hobbies and vocations. Blog, post on Facebook or Tweet with the hashtag #speakgeek all week long with us! It was put together by friends of the blog Monica Valentinelli , Jessica Banks and Amanda Valentine. This will be the first in a short series of geek-talk posts.

For today I want to talk about one of the things I geek out about the most, hobby games. More specifically Boardgames and D&D Encounters night at my favorite game store, EndGame in Oakland. The positive message for you today is find a local gaming community and go out and play.

Let's talk about why I go here once a week for seven hours of gaming every week, all in one great evening. It's a great place to meet people who are as excited about boardgames and D&D as I am. We have a very regular group of people who make the core group of the night, but new players are always welcome. EndGame prides itself on community building and Wednesday night is one of the prime examples of this. The environment is a really fun and loose. You'll never have to sit out of a game. People bring lots of new games try out every week. I've gotten to try out many new games(both newly released and older games I've missed) from all different genres here. It is also a good place to meet people who like to design board games. Prototypes of new games can often be seen on the tables on Wednesday nights. It's also where I met my co-designers Evan Denbaum and Chris Ruggiero. We designed Race to Adventure together at one of these Wednesday night events. Check out the blog for the game's origins here: Race to Adventure! aka the wallet game

I also help run Dungeons and Dragons Encounters here on the same nights. We have two tables for the current season Lost Crown of Neverwinter. This is a fun free publisher sponsored event for playing D&D at your local gaming store. At EndGame it is 1-2 hours starting at 7pm every Wednesday. When play is done people are welcome and encouraged to stay for boardgame nights. One good bridge for this group is the D&D adventure board game Castle Ravenloft. We are stuck on the last adventure trying to defeat the evil vampire Lord Strahd.

He's the toughest villian in the game, by far.

I greatly encourage you to find a local FLGS (Friendly Local Games Store) to play hobby games. It is a great way to share your geek hobby with others. If you can't find a FLGS with board game nights, ask them if you can start your own event at their store. Most store owners are more than happy to host events if someone else is passionate in organizing them. And if you don't have a neighborhood game store, try finding gamers in your area on the BoardGameGeek website.

Wong Kar Wei and Tony Leung Chiu Wai Take on Ip Man with "The Grandmasters"

2011-09-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

The Wilson Yip directed and Donnie Yen starring martial arts action film Ip Man is easily among the most entertaining martial arts films ever made. Yen's charisma and mischievous smile -- and his prodigious martial arts talent -- combine to make his depiction of the Ip Man one of the pantheon of great kung fu lead characters. It ranks right up there with Bruce Lee's character Lee in Enter the Dragon, Jackie Chan's portrayal of Wong Fei-hung in Drunken Master 2, and Jet Li's portrayal of Chen Zhen in the classic Fist of Legend.

Had you asked me within the first few moments after my first viewing of Ip Man if there could be another portrayal of the character as memorable as Yen's, I would have laughed at the thought. Of course, I would have been overlooking the Hong Kong film industry's ability to make multiple films about the same character that all add some new interesting point of view -- a point of view worth experiencing.

Jet Li's characterizations of Wong Fei-hung are as wonderful as Jackie Chan's, though the portrayals are very different. Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and Donnie Yen have all portrayed Chen Zhen in dynamic and exciting films that each have a different feel politically and aesthetically. Ip Man itself shares many features with the story of Chen Zhen.

If Hollywood were to release as many films about the same subjects and same characters as the Hong Kong industry does, critics would write screeds about the lack of originality in the industry. One's first thought might be to agree with such critics, and extend that assumption to Hong Kong film makers. Such an assumption would be wrong. The Hong Kong film industry has demonstrated with films like Fist of Legend, Legend of the Fist, and Fist of Fury (aka The Chinese Connection) that it is entirely possible to get tremendous variation, depth of vision, and creative interpretation while making multiple films about the same subject.

All of which explains why I can be so excited when I hear that Wong Kar Wei and Tony Leung Chiu Wai have worked together to create their own version of the Ip Man story, even while loving the Yip and Yen production. I cannot wait to see this film.

h.t. to David Chute

[Rethinking 4e -- Freeform D&D] Monster Manual 3 on a Business Card

2011-09-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

One of the most frequent assertions you will read throughout my "Rethinking 4e -- Freeform D&D" columns is that levels don't matter. The reason that this is true is that the game is designed to have the same level of risk for the characters no matter the level they have attained. A 1st level character fighting level appropriate characters is just as likely to perish as a 30th level character fighting against foes of his or her level.

The game features a static risk profile, meaning that characters must always have some level of concern for their survival. This is partially mitigated by the fact that the characters are fairly durable at all levels, but the level of danger always remains. This is a good thing. It also means that once you understand the underlying intentions of the game, and the math, it is very easy to run a 4e game without having characters actually gain levels beyond a certain point.

I will be writing a lot about this in the weeks to come and that writing will be presenting some of the underlying assumptions of the "power level" of characters and monsters. Character power levels will be based on the recent Essentials products. I am choosing them because while they are not "optimized" to the point of maxing out every possible point of damage from the system, they provide a nice base line for mechanical assumptions. I will also be using the monster building information from the Monster Manual 3 update -- which you can read on page 7 of this document. Even better, you can check out the Blog of Holding website where the author has taken all of the information in the MM3 update and condensed it into information that can fit on one side of a business card.

That's right, you can build any monster you want -- for any level of foe- with nothing more than 8 lines of text. That's pretty awesome, and that's how simple 4e is. The only thing that the card lacks is how much damage an ongoing effect should do -- that's 5 hit points per tier of creature by the way -- and what special effects can be added to a given power. That doesn't really matter though, because if you want a power to "daze" or "stun" or "push" an opponent you just have the attack do that (and possibly reduce the damage 25% to represent that effect).

[Rethinking 4e -- Freeform D&D] Diceless Skill Challenges

2011-09-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

I recently visited one of my favorite gaming blogs Playing D&D with NSFW -- that's not the actual name of the site, and the site is surprisingly safe for work given its name -- and entered into a discussion with Zak who runs the site.

To make things brief, Zak reviewed The Slaying Stone, one of the modules for the 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons that has come out in the past year or so. Of the modules recently released by Wizards, The Slaying Stone has received some fairly positive reviews for the way it gives more freedom than many modern modules. The module isn't as linear as many of Wizards, or Paizo's, offerings and is a nice move toward more open settings -- especially considering how linear most 3rd edition and 4th edition modules have been.

While others may have been happy with the "open-ended" nature of the module, Zak was very critical. Most of his points are valid, but most also apply to any written module. Then again, Zak wants DMs to be more DIY than many are/can be. His vision is that players be given freeform and interactive gaming experiences from their DMs, a vision that combines art and game in a way that would make Greg Stafford proud. To put it another way, DMs are people with imaginations and not computers that are limited by the programmed choices they are given and they should act that way.

I get it. I even agree...to a point. Share that attitude in the Savage Worlds community and you'll get some support, but you'll also get blank stares from the working/gradschool attending/ fathers who make up a good part of that community. They'll tell you that professional modules are a boon to their gaming livelihoods.

I was fine with all of Zak's criticism of the module, until he wrote the following quote, "Because it [The Slaying Stone] demonstrates even with an author with the best will in the world making a conscious effort not to write a railroad the basic requirements of new D&D push published modules in the more-sucking direction."

In essence, Zak is stating that 4e's mechanics require that the game's adventures must follow certain rules. That is complete and utter balderdash, and this series of Rethinking 4e posts -- however slowly they come out -- is dedicated to eliminating that assumption. [Edited after great clarifying exchange with Zak over on his blog -- additions are in italics below.]

Zak is criticizing WotC's module writing guidelines here as articulated on page 31 of The Slaying Stone, but there are those who would point to pages 189 and 202 of the Essential Dungeon Master's Book or pages 57 and 104 of the 4th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide and argue that the phenomenon is endemic of the entire edition of the game. They would argue that the rules of 4e make all adventures predictable and identical. If it takes 8 - 10 encounters to gain a level and those encounters are all based on experience point "budgets," DMs are hindered.

Those who take Zak's criticism of module writing and extend it to how the game "must be played" are taking things too far.

As Zak writes in his piece:

"Type IV DMs can run whatever adventures they want (just like everybody else) but if they want to get them published they have a ton of hurdles to jump."

His criticism is limited to writing for published modules, and rightly so. WotC wants their modules written to the Rules as Written, and those are written with "safety wheels."

~~Zak, and those who agree with him,~~ Those who take the argument further than Zak are mistaking all of the "safety wheels" of 4e for the actual rules of the game. You see, 4e has safety wheels all over the place. From the way powers are written to the Essentials approach to the use of clearly articulated cards that instruct players how "powers" work, the game is set up for any DM to be able to walk into a random room of 5 people and to get them all playing the game within 10 minutes. This is any random room. No one other than the DM will need any gaming experience, or to have read any of the rules. With its "safety wheels" 4e is quite simply one of the two easiest role playing games to teach ever written.

Rethinking 4e is about getting beyond these "safety wheels" and straight to the rules. When you do that, a couple of amazing things happen. First, levels almost completely disappear from the game. I'll post on that in a later post, but suffice to say that since the danger level of the game is static throughout the level scaling that levels are now fluff. Second, the game is extremely simple and free form. Players may "want" to roll for skill challenges, but they don't have to. Third, this game is easy and elegant. It is elegant in a way that Fudge or FATE or Burning Wheel are elegant. Fourth, it is ideal for creating storytelling games where "role playing" overpowers "roll playing," though it certainly allows for the latter as well.

So...let's get to the "safety wheel" I want to address in this post...Skills and Skill Challenges. Skill Challenges are one of the hardest things for people to grasp in the 4e system. So much of the game seems centered on structured play that when you get to the Skills and Skill Challenges section where it essentially tells GMs to force players to create narrative that many people react in shock. Skill Challenges almost seem out of place. They belong in games like Burning Wheel, Mage the Ascension, and My Life with Master not in a "combat" game like 4e. Players get so caught up in looking at 4e as a descendant of 3e/3.x that they forget that it is also a descendant of every role playing game ever written. D&D has influenced every other role playing game, but many other rpgs have influenced 4e.

Nowhere is that more apparent than the Skill Challenge, where players are asked to present ideas to solve a problem by using their skills. Any player may use any Skill -- whether they are trained or not. There are only small limitations on how skills may be used if untrained, only a couple of the skills have uses that can only be done by those trained in the skill. For example, you can only "detect magic" and see the forces of magic flow through the world if you are Trained in Arcana. But you can still use Arcana to cast a malevolent ritual if you are untrained. You are less likely to succeed, but you can still try.

The problem is that every Skill Challenge presents a list of sample Skills that can be used and Sample Difficulty Classes for those attempts. They also provide information about what succeeding at those attempts mean. Some read these as the "only" things that can be done that matter...that would be wrong. That would be playing the game like a computer. You are a DM, reward creativity. Make stuff up. It's okay. Let the players use Skills in creative ways. Look at the Skill Challenge to see what can be done and if a player finds another way of doing it, let them try.

In fact...I recommend trying it without dice at all.

Huh? What?! No dice, but that cannot be done!

Yes. Yes it can.

You see, there are two kinds of people in 4e, trained and untrained. Anyone can attempt any action, but trained people are much better at things related to their skill.

How much better?

In 4e players are expected to have a 65% chance of succeeding at an "Easy" Skill Challenge of their level. What "of their level" means is up to the DM, but amounts to 1st level characters can hide from normal guards and 30th level characters can possibly hide from powerful arcanists with means of detecting infiltrators. Low level characters can long jump 7 feet and Epic characters are straight out of Wuxia.

By the way, that's any character -- trained or untrained -- who has a 65% chance of succeeding on an Easy challenge. What about trained characters? If they have a good statistic in the area, say Strength for Athletics checks, then they succeed 100% of the time. A "natural 1" is meaningless on a Skill Check. The difficulty of an "Easy" check at 1st level is 8. You need to roll an 8 or better on a twenty-sided die, after modifiers. A trained individual adds 5 to their roll, so only needs a 3 or better. That means they only need to have a 14 in the related statistic to be able to succeed on an "Easy" task 100% of the time.

A "Moderate" check requires a 12 or better, which means it is designed for a person with an 18 or higher in the related statistic to have a 65% chance to succeed (an 18 in a statistic adds +4 to rolls). A trained person with no stat has a 70% chance and with an 18 has a 90% chance of success. All of this is without help from friends, or the right equipment, or any number of other things that could alter the number.

A "Hard" check requires a 19 or better to succeed. This means that an average person has a 10% chance of success, a high stat person has a 30% chance of success (15 or better for the 18 statistic). A person who is trained, and has a high stat, has a 55% chance of success. If that person has a +2 bonus from background or race, very likely given that "Hard" checks are supposed to be for those who are the best at what they do, then they have a 65% chance of success.

Though I provided the difficulty numbers for 1st level, it doesn't matter if the test is higher. Why? Because the difficulty increases scale with the assumed improvements of the characters as they go up in level. In other words, levels don't matter for skill checks.

All that matters is the difficulty you want to set. Is the test something that everyone in the group is capable of doing (Easy), something only the physically/mentally capable or trained are capable of doing easily (Moderate), or something that only the best of the best can do when conditions are right and their approach is good (Hard). And in that description comes a hint as to how you can do Skill Challenges without rolling dice -- unless someone happens to want to know who does something "better" when they have equal ability.

If you want to run a diceless skill challenge. First decide on the difficulties of doing certain actions. Is finding the clue/jumping the chasm Easy, Moderate, or Hard based on the above criteria?

Once you know that, have the players describe what they are doing as they use the ability and use that description in the place of the die roll. The more difficult the task is for a particular individual, the more specific and elaborate they must be about how they are achieving their goal. The low stat and untrained player can describe how his or her character is meticulously examining a crime scene, using their real world experience as a mystery novelist to aid them, and you can use that in the place of the roll. That is, if you want the game to be about "player skill" rather than "character ability." If you want to balance the two, you allow reasonable but within character explanations. An unintelligent character isn't likely to examine a scene like a forensic investigator, so how would that character succeed at a "Hard" action? They likely wouldn't, that's what training is for -- trained versus untrained. If they happen to come up with a wild and creative way of achieving the task, then let them succeed but it is more likely that they follow the instructions of a skilled individual and "aid" that character.

Here are some guidelines for adjudicating Skill Challenges without dice, based on the difficulty and the stats/training of those attempting to use a skill.

Difficulty	Low Stat & Untrained	High Stat or Trained	High Stat & Trained
Easy	Moderate Detail	Any Plausible	Automatic
Moderate	Highly Detailed	Moderate Detail	Any Plausible
Hard	Improbable	Highly Detailed	Moderate Detail

Looking at the chart above, the DM could set the difficulty and allow the players to describe their actions and adjudicate success based on the solutions offered by the players. Given that the players are, at some level, supposedly role playing the character on their sheet (meaning that a low intelligence character shouldn't act like a super genius), any offerings should be made within the context of the character's implied limitations.

Taking the character's "persona" into account, the DM could adjudicate the investigation of a room by asking the players to explain what they are doing as they look for clues. Let's say one character lacks training or Wisdom, one is a Wise Cleric, and the other is a high Wisdom Thief with training in Perception. The players should describe their attempt in ways that are appropriate to their "persona," but if the check is easy and the non-Wise character give a moderately detailed description of what they are attempting you can reward that character with a clue that could "easily" be found. The same goes for the other characters.

Key here is to make sure that the players are portraying their characters, and to reward them if they do. If the low stat and untrained character has a player describe in wonderful and hilarious detail how they accomplish a task that is nigh-impossible, you can let them succeed. The player will be happy, and the group will be entertained. If it is a wonderful description, that doesn't quite fit with even an "improbable" description, then use this as a chance to have the character fail "spectacularly." Don't punish good role play, but don't necessarily give success either. The character might fail in an interesting way, a way that requires a High Stat & Trained character to provide a wonderfully detailed description of how they help the other character.

This is a chance to really make the game far more free form, and it fits well within the rules. Remember, all things being equal and routine a character has a 65% chance of performing a challenge of equal level so long as they have the right kind of character for the job. You could even get rid of "stat values" if you wanted and replace them with descriptors and it would work easily.

But that is a discussion for another time.

Play an Unfamiliar RPG on Labor Day Weekend

2011-08-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Roleplaying games are a wonderful hobby. The provide a great social atmosphere where you can hang out with friends and experience a combination wargame/improvisational theater. Depending on your gaming group, it will likely tend toward one more than the other.

Though they are a wonderful hobby, roleplaying games are still arcane and mysterious. If you haven't played a role playing game before, the presentation of statistics, abilities, powers, hit dice, skills, and combat resolutions systems can look as daunting as statistical notation. Neither are actually difficult to understand when you know what you are looking at, but both are nearly incomprehensible to the neophyte. Let's face it. People who play roleplaying games are friendly, but roleplaying games themselves are sometimes elitist snobs. This creates an obstacle for new players, and sometimes an obstacle to existing players trying new things.

How many people hate the 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons partially because it has "new fangled" and arcane ways of handling things? (ex. "What do you mean Fighters have powers? They're Fighters, not spellcasters.) How many people avoid the Indie RPG movement because if it's obsession with terminology like "gamist, narrativist, simulationist?" Assuming x a person who hates/avoids based on the criteria given, I think the answer to both of those questions is:

Given that games themselves often present the obstacles to recruiting new gamers, or inspiring players to play new games, it is incumbent on us "the gaming community" to bring new people into the hobby or to try out new things.

We can be thankful for the fact that there are plethora opportunities for us to recruit new players or try out new games...without spending a dime.

That's right. There are free games out there.

I'm not just referring to the many free role playing games one can download at 1000 Monkeys 1000 Typewriters. Nor am I just referring to great free games associated with children's literature. Though I am referring to both of those.

In recent years, there has been a wonderful event each June entitled "Free RPG Day." The event is coordinated by an ad agency that gets game companies to sponsor the event by offering products. These products often include basic rules of the game, and are often beautifully designed (textually and visually) professional projects. If you go to your local game store on Free RPG Day, you can pick up Free RPGs.

But what if you missed the Day?

Thanks to the Internets. Every day is "Free RPG Day."

You can download games from this year's "Free RPG Day" from the internet for free right now. Why not use this as an opportunity to talk all of your friends into a crazy Labor Day Weekend gaming session?

Here is a list of games/adventures from "Free RPG Day 2011" that are currently available:

Eden Studios
All Flesh Must Be Eaten Quickstart & Adventure

Exile Game Studios
Hollow Earth Expedition Quickstart & Adventure

Fantasy Flight Games
Black Crusade Quickstart and Adventure and characters

Goodman Games
Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG Quickstart

Green Ronin
DragonAge Quickstart

Paizo
“We Be Goblins!” Pathfinder Adventure

Paradigm Concepts
Arcanis RPG Quickstart & Adventure

Pinnacle
Savage Worlds Quickstart & Adventure, titled “The Wild Hunt”

Stone Tablet Games
Aspect Quickstart Adventure

White Wolf Publishing
World of Darkness Quickstart

I highly recommend the DragonAge and Savage Worlds offerings.

Have some fun!

Upcoming Space Marine Game is Looking Pretty Sweet!

2011-08-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying the spare moments I have been able to devote to playing "Space Marine: Kill Team." It's a fun little coop game that fills the "I want to play Gauntlet, but with Space Marines" void quite nicely. It starts as a simple mission where your small squad must explore the interior of a Space Hulk, and we know how simple Space Hulk missions tend to turn out.

Let me just say that I thought "Kill Team" was wonderful time wasting perfection, but then I saw the trailer for "Space Marine" over at Kotaku. It blew my mind.

Apparently, the entire purpose of "Space Marine: Kill Team" is to set your expectations of what a Space Marine game can be at a really high level, just so they can blow those expectations out of the water.

First a D&D Song, Now One Inspired by "The Jerk"

2011-08-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

Allie Goertz's latest song is a love song inspired by Steve Martin's classic comic film The Jerk. As it uses quotes from the film, it's got some amusing moments and is a great listen. All that's missing is an Opti-Grab on her glasses.

It was the Best of Conans, It was the Worst of Conans

2011-08-23T23:11:00.000-07:00

Do me a favor and give a quick look at the Conan poster below. It shows Conan battling against some tentacled horror. Think about it for a few seconds. Do this because the review and discussion I am going to write below may not be exactly what you are looking for. I'm not going to write with great ire about the Neo-Nihilism of the film, or how it fails to meet Howard's vision. Nor am I going to blog about how it perfectly captured the "Panther like grace" of Howard's epic hero with a visually stunning world that for the first time has captured Hyboria.

If you want to read reviews by other passionate Howard fans, you can find Leo Grin's here, James Maliszewski's here, and John R. Fultz's here. All three are people who have written critical comments about Pulp, Howard, and/or Role Playing Games that I have found thoughtful.

I want to write about Conan: The Barbarian (2012) from a different perspective, from the perspective of "vast narrative," and how the phenomenon of "vast narrative" doomed this particular theatrical adaptation of Conan to be a troubled film at best.

Keep your thoughts about this image of Conan in your mind as I discuss "vast narrative" below.

What is "vast narrative" and why is important when discussing an adaptation of a character who has his roots in the pages of a much admired Pulp magazine?

In Pat Harrigan and Noah Wardrip-Fruin's book Third Person: Authoring and Exploring Vast Narratives (published by MIT Press in 2009), they discuss certain types of "vastness" that might appear in combinations for some narratives. In particular, there are the following types of vastness.

First, is vastness of "narrative extent" which is akin to The Wire taking a single season to cover one investigation, or Patrick Rothfuss taking 600 pages in order for his fantasy hero to go to college and acquire student loans -- thus beginning his journey to greatness.

Second, is vastness of "world and character continuity" where characters "operate withing less cyclic narrative models" and where "often ingenious methods [sustain] open-ended narratives are a major theme of the project." Think of a narrative that attempts to adapt the stories in order to keep up with the times. Soap operas have this kind of vastness.

Third, is vastness of "Cross-media Universes." This is the kind of vastness we will be most discussing regarding Conan and Harrigan and Wardrip-Fruin describe this vastness as follows: "Though it is now typical for a blockbuster narrative (e.g., The DaVinci Code or Harry Potter) to sprout multiple instantiations (e.g., novels, films, games, comic books, or narrated tours of real locations), one narrative form is generally still considered "canonical," from which the others are derived. On the other hand, some narrative 'universes,' such as those of Doctor Who and Star Wars, instead treat contributions from many media as authorized (often elaborately authorized) elements of a vast fictional quilt." (emphasis mine)

Fourth, is "procedural potential" which represents how computational power has allowed interactive narrative techniques to far exceed the paper forms of Choose Your Own Adventure books. The Fabled Lands novels achieve high vastness in this area, as do many interactive video games.

Lastly, there is "multiplayer interaction" where fan culture creates vast narrative universes around many types of media. This includes online fiction, any fan created art, table top rpgs, and MMOs. -- (Harrigan and Wardrip-Fruin 2009, 2)

As I mentioned above, we are most concerned with issues of vastness that arise from "Cross-Media Universes." Like Star Wars and Doctor Who -- possibly moreso than either -- Howard's Conan exists in a vast Cross Media Universe. What is Hyboria? For Leo Grin, James Maliszewski, John R. Fultz, and Me it is Robert E. Howard's world in its purist form We go back to the "canonical" texts as we find them to be the most rewarding. They are rich tales that we, or at least I, consider to be among the great works of the American literary tradition. You can read some of my thoughts on Conan's importance and subtlety here (I quote Plutarch in that essay).

For others though, this might not be the case. For some the real Hyboria, and the real Conan for that matter, might be the Conan "resurrected" by L. Sprague DeCamp. De Camp's interpretation and adaptation of the Barbarian are scorned by most modern Howard fans, but the character might have fallen into obscurity if not for his efforts -- and the efforts of Glenn Lord made sure that the harm DeCamp did could be limited. But many only know the DeCamp literary Conan, or the Robert Jordan (yes that Robert Jordan) Conan. Many hands have written books about Conan, often featuring Boris Vallejo covers, that many readers have enjoyed -- for all that they are depictions of Conan that lack any of the depth of the character as Howard wrote him. For these fans, the Thrud and Blunder tales provide enjoyment, and they are what they expect to see in a Conan film.

Still others have fond memories of Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor Smith's Comic Book adaptation of the character is "canonical." This audience doesn't come close to covering all the different Comic Book interpretations of the character which are as vast in their interpretation as Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor Smith's are different from Kurt Busiek and Cary Nord's and includes dozens more interpretations of the character.

There have been television series featuring Conan, including a children's cartoon, a couple of role playing games, and a number of video games. Then there are the two Arnold Schwarzenegger movies.

That is a very vast array of source material to draw from, each appealing to a different audience. To which audience should a director or producer appeal? That may seem like an easy answer, which will certainly be based on ones own biases, but the real answer is "the one that seems to appeal to the broadest audience." Ideally, this would be one that combines elements from some of the most populous fan groups -- and this seems to be the strategy that the Conan: The Barbarian team undertook. In an interview with Empire Magazine, Jason Momoa -- the actor playing Conan -- stated, "if people are really stuck on Conan being their own one thing, I think it's time to address it. We wanted to give respect to Robert E Howard, but you can't just focus on his fans. There are eight decades of stories and comics and movies since him, so Conan is different things to different people. You can't please everybody, but you can re-imagine Conan every couple of generations, like Batman or Bond."

Momoa's response is straight out of a description of the dilemma I presented, and presents the thought that one can "re-imagine" a character. Sadly for Momoa, and for the filmmakers, the recent success of Batman and Bond as marquee titles has been due to a return to emulation of "canonical" material -- even when presenting entirely new stories the "new" interpretations "feel" like the literary companions.

Combining the interpretations of multiple audiences is a tremendous challenge, but it can be done and done well. In Pendragon and The Great Pendragon Campaign, Greg Stafford manages to interweave disparate Arthurian sources into what may possibly be the greatest role playing game products ever written. In these texts Stafford uses material covering "Celtic Arthur," "Historical Arthur," "Early Romance Arthur," and "Late Romance Arthur" with great love and tremendous talent. (Harrigan and Wardrip-Fruin 2009, 94 -95)

It is possible to achieve greatness while taking into account a variety of narrative audiences, and while incorporating a vast narrative. Stafford carefully eliminates things that occurred after a certain point, and stresses certain Arthurian themes that repeat across narratives to create his game.

In translating Conan though, the obstacle isn't as easy to overcome as it was for Stafford in presenting Arthurian tales. Stafford had the benefit of centuries of academic scholarship to aid him. The Conan production team had no such allies, though they had some they seem to have underutilized. Instead, they were faced with what John Clute described in the Encyclopedia of Fantasy as follows.

Given the fact that something like 200 story fragments were found in [Howard's] papers, and that his style was very much heavier on heroic action than on the delineation ofcharacter, it is not perhaps surprising that many of these fragments were recast and "finished" as Conan tales: in some cases, a simple substitution of Conan's name as the avenging hero probably sufficed. As a result, the Conan bibliography is quite extraordinarily jumbled...These assortments of exfoliating texts constitute a genuine assault upon the perception of the reader, and the original figure of Conan tends to become more obscure...

Granting the challenges that the Conan team faced, how did they do and what did they do?

As the title of this blog post suggests, the created the Best of Conan films and the Worst of Conan films. The story is fractured and confused, as is the character, and the motivations of the character are mixed. He both is and isn't Howard's Conan and this is a direct result of some of the film's inspirational choices.

They "honored" the filmic audience by taking the revenge motif and slaughtered family from the John Milius film, and by having an overarching story that echoed Conan: The Destroyer's quest to awaken a dead god through the acquisition of an artifact and the sacrifice of a "pure blood" to activate the artifact. Just looking at their filmic influences they chose elements from both what was already the best Conan film, flawed as it was, and the worst.

They honored the comic book audience by including shots and costumes that seemed pulled out of Cary Nord's illustrations.

They honored fans of Howard by providing us with Easter Egg references to stories and by pulling lines of dialogue straight out of the fiction, sadly these lines were some of the worst performed lines in the film.

They also included the Giant Monsters from the God of War inspired Conan video game, and I swear one of the sets looked just like the game -- the temple where Conan fights the "sand warriors."

The Conan team didn't seem to have a coherent vision for the character, or the world. Some of the shots of Hyboria are spectacular, and Cimmeria looks like Cimmeria should, but others look straight out of the Milius film. It all points to lack of overarching artistic vision.

It seems clear that the team wanted to make a good film, and you can see the money on the screen as they say. It seems equally clear to me that they lacked any overarching artistic vision. Given the patchwork and collaborative exercise that film making is in its nature, this can destroy a production.

Is the film worse than an Uwe Boll film? No.

Is it Neo Nihilism run rampant? No.

Is it crap? No.

Is it good? No.

I'll still buy it when it comes out on DVD so that I can watch it again, but that's because I think modern Sword & Sorcery film fans are spoiled. Those who are overly harsh need to go back and watch Deathstalker, Gor, Yar, Ator, Zardoz, She, Deathstalker, Beastmaster 2, or one of a hundred other films from the 80s.

Those were miserable. Conan the Barbarian was merely flawed. I think those that are reacting strongly against it are often doing so because thy can see glimpses of just how good the film would have been with a consistent vision.

I think they should have gone back to "canon" only for inspiration, but then again I don't know how much I'd enjoy watching Conan run away from what might be a giant frog -- as he does in "The Scarlet Citadel." (To be fair it's likely Clark Ashton Smith's froglike demon/god Tsathoggua.

Twin Suns Entertainment and the Fourth Generation of RPGs

2011-08-23T14:40:00.001-07:00

In 1993, Mike Pondsmith of R. Talsorian Games provided an answer regarding what he thought the "Future of Gaming" would be. Pondsmith is a designer who has often been ahead of his time conceptually, and this was no exception.

His answer to the question was interesting. It wasn't a "new game that would change the future of RPGs!" or "The greatest roleplaying game ever!" Those are marketing-speak used to promote existing games -- some of them quite good -- but they aren't the future of gaming.

According to Pondsmith, "a revolution in roleplaying games is coming. It's sneaking up on us on little flat feet, but it's coming." What was this revolution going to be? It was going to be what Pondsmith termed the 4th Generation game.

First Generation Games were the original games that descended from wargames.

Second Generation Games were more systems based and about sophisticated mechanics.

The Third Generation was about genre.

Each of these generations provided the community with excellent games.

But the Fourth Generation wasn't about design, mechanics, or genre, it was about POPULAR CULTURE.

Fourth Generation games would "generate crossmarketing" be "recognized as legitimate media" and would become a part of the general cultural background. They would be games designed to do this, either through the use of public education or expanding media.

Pondsmith provided more criteria, and I will blog about 4th Generation Games here on my Cinerati blog soon, but it is an inspiring read. And I think that Pondsmith was spot on in his analysis, just DECADES ahead of his time.

We can already see designers and companies attempting to move into the Fourth Generation.

Daniel Solis' excellent educational storytelling party game "Happy Birthday Robot!"
Gareth Skarka's "Far West" and it's use of Transmedia
"The Guild"may be about MMOs, but Felicia Day Tweets about Tabletop RPGs frequently.
Epic Level Entertainment's "Dungeon Bastard"
Green Ronin's books on Hobby and Family Gaming
Stan!'s "Warriors" game
Margaret Weis Productions excellent work in licensed games that have accessible rules with new philosophies of play
Lego's new Heroica Line.
and
Wizards of the Coast's D&D Boardgames (as well as Pokemon Jr.)

These games are all evidence that the revolution is happening.
Role Playing Games are finding their way back into popular culture, and without the need of scandal to fuel the surge.

My partners and I created Twin Suns Entertainment to be a part of this Revolution. It is our goal to work with the other companies to expand gaming communities and to promote the hobby by making the best games we can make.

Join us as we attempt to join the companies named above -- and others -- in creating the Fourth Generation of role playing games.

Because My 80s Nostalgia Won't Die: Psych -- "Flashback" Don't You Forget About Me

2011-08-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

I can't help it. Whenever I hear the "Classic 80s" Simple Minds tune Don't You Forget About Me, my mind grows nostalgic and I remember the angst ridden teen that I was who believed that The Breakfast Club was one of the most important films ever made. It was a film that portrayed all the "cliques" that had existed for prior generations of high school students, cliques that still exist but that aren't as rigid as they were in the annals of high school history. The Breakfast Club showed us that no matter your clique, you shared teen discontentment and frustration.

There were at least four characters in the film who I believed represented me, or who were aspects of my personality.I think this was true of many Gen X-ers, and probably a lot of teens today.

I may not still believe that The Breakfast Club is one of the great works of Art in Western Civilization, but I do think it is a darn good film and holds up pretty well. I fully admit that could be by nostalgia goggles clogging up my judgement though...

Anyway, to the reason for the post. USA's television show Psych is gearing up for its new season and their promo is based on the old Simple Minds video.

It's pretty genius.

As always, the Psych creative crew has managed to touch all my nostalgia buttons, while still making me feel young and hip. The Shawn and Gus characters are still to young to be as nostalgic for the 80s, but James and Dule and show creator Steve Franks are right in the sweet spot to share the same nostalgia.

My favorite thing about all of this? That everyone looks like they are having fun.

Jody Lindke's Pattie Kaiks and Changes in Perception

2011-08-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

The image below has long been one of my favorite panels of my wife's "Pattie Kaiks" strip that ran in the Reno News and Review for quite a few years. It combines our love of pop culture, with the culture shock that we had to share our love with an entirely new generation of fans. Looking back at the strip now, as the father of twin girls, my perceptions of the comic have changed even more. My heart leaps for joy when my 3 1/2 year old twins History and Mystery sing the Iron Man: Armored Adventures theme song, and I cannot wait for them to see the Star Wars films with me. They just watched The Wizard of Oz for the first time yesterday, one of my favorite films all time maybe my absolute favorite depending on the day, and the wicked witch left a significant mark on History's sub-conscious. Mystery, on the other hand, seemed unfazed.

Max Brooks is Better than C.L. Moore According to NPR

2011-08-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

I hate top 100 lists. They force reviewers, participants, and readers to ranks books in order of "importance" or "quality" in a way that is truly unhelpful. Matters of which book is better or worse are not merely a matter of subjective standards, the subjectivity often lacks any real weight of opinion. As someone what their 54th favorite book is, and the answer will likely be different each and every time. This is even true if the individual hadn't read any books between askings.

The one thing that top 100 lists are good for is spurring discussion and possibly, just possibly, highlighting works that may be overlooked by those who want to explore a particular subject or genre. But the 1001 "blanks" to "blank" before you die books do a similar thing and don't have any arcane selection systems.

Recently, NPR finalized their "Your Picks: Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books" list. It was a list that seemed to have rules constructed specifically to rule out Harry Potter and to guarantee that Tolkien would be placed at the top of the heap. It's a list that contains some truly excellent examples of genre writing, but it is also a list that demonstrates the flaws so apparent in top 100 lists. One wonders what "new shores" or discoveries the individual seeking to delve into SF and Fantasy will find if they pick from this list -- a list filled with well known names and tilted toward New York Times best-sellers, as well as some writers favored by the literati. The list is sadly lacking in some truly excellent names, while including all of the "modern favorites." One knows they are reading a flawed list when the first Michael Moorcock book is listed at spot 90 behind such longstanding and influential works as World War Z and Timothy Zahn's "Thrawn Trilogy" of Star Wars media tie-in fiction. I loved World War Z and the Zahn is one of the best writers in the Expanded Universe, but neither of these contain the literary merit or influence of the Elric books -- or Moorcock's work in general.

There are authors on the list, high ranking authors, who consider Moorcock to be mandatory reading, yet he ranks in the bottom 10 of the top 100.

If only this were the worst of the sins. Low rankings on a list can be dismissed as mere subjective differences, but out and out exclusion of important voices -- while other writers receive multiple entries -- is nigh unforgivable.

Who was excluded?

Are you a fan of fantasy history and look to the past for great writing? Are you looking for some names you might remember from English Literature courses?

Never mind Samuel Butler or Edmund Spenser, you won't find them on this list.

Patrick Rothfuss' "The Name of the Wind" (a wonderful book btw) comes in at #18, but "The Faerie Queene?" Nah that's not a top 100.

The writer who created one of the most entertaining genre's in all of SF, the Planetary Romance, should be there right? Nope. Edgar Rice Burroughs is a less important contributor to SF/F than Terry Brooks. Friends who know how much I love and defend Terry Brooks know that I make that statement not out of lack of respect for Brooks, but for those who think he has more "important" works than Burroughs.

Where are C.L. Moore, Leigh Brackett, C.J. Cherryh, Elizabeth Moon? Thankfully Connie Willis and Lois McMaster Bujold manage to make the list (at #97 and #59 respectively) or the list would be a complete fraud.

Edmond Hamilton, Manly Wade Wellman, David Gemmell, Gordon R. Dickson (wtf? no Gordon R. Dickson?!), Harlan Ellison, or Jack Williamson? All of these writers are of lesser contribution than Max Brooks.

John Brunner, who wrote a book that one could argue paved the way for Brook's World War Z entitled Stand on Zanzibar? Nope.

Worst of all. There are two Stephen King books and not one by Howard Phillips Lovecraft or Edgar Allan Poe.

What books or authors do you think were left off the list that are top SF/F writers?

Do you prefer "to be read lists" to "top 100" lists?

Downshadow by Erik Scott de Bie [Review] -- The Birth of a New Forgotten Realms Hero Franchise?

2011-08-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I wrote a brief review of Don Bassingthwaite's recent D&D Core World novel The Temple of the Yellow Skulls. In that review, I praised Bassingthwaite as a writer and discussed how the lack of mythological depth in D&D's Core World limited his ability to tell a compelling story. In any Fantasy tale, a rich backstory is a necessity for the creation of compelling stories. A good story requires interesting people doing interesting things in a rich and believable world. Bassingthwaite had two of those -- people and things -- but hadn't been given the third, nor it appears had he been given the freedom to create the third. One of the major limits of media tie-in fiction, as much as I enjoy the genre, are the confines provided by the milieu that the story is tied to. Wizards of the Coast has been, until recently, dedicated to keeping the Core World (aka the Nentir Vale, the Points of Light Setting, or PoL-and) as generic as possible in the hopes that adventures there will be useful to anyone playing in any game world. The lack of success of this experiment, and how it allowed competitors to fill a market desire, are fodder for future posts. Just let it be said that a sparse setting can stifle a writer's ability to tell a compelling story and the Nentir Vale was until recently a very sparse setting.

The Forgotten Realms, where Erik Scott de Bie's 2009 novel Downshadow takes place, is another story entirely. The setting began as the brainchild of game designer and author Ed Greenwood long before there was a Dungeons and Dragons. The Forgotten Realms was Ed Greenwood's fantasy world, a world he wrote stories for and for which he eventually wrote several articles in Dragon magazine. Eventually, the Forgotten Realms became one of the major core settings for D&D and has had tens of thousands of pages devoted to its characters, its unique rules, its mythology, and its history. One can easily get lost perusing the Forgotten Realms wiki.

The Forgotten Realms is a rich and well developed setting that has endured for decades and has a devoted following.

Downshadow takes place in one of the major cities of the Forgotten Realms world, a city called Waterdeep. Since the God of Murder and Strife (Cyric) killed the Goddess of Magic (Mystra) over one hundred years ago, the Realms have been a place of chaos and despair. With Mystra's death, the Weave of Magic that surrounded the world shattered and much of it fell to the world infecting the world and its residents like a disease in an event called the Spellplague. This event -- and others -- changed the world forever. Many of the great heroes who once protected average citizens have died or been driven mad in the ensuing years. Waterdeep, a once great and wondrous city, was as greatly affected by the Spellplague. Both in terms of physical destruction and in becoming a refuge for those who were cursed by the Spellplague. These cursed individuals now live in a part of the city called the Downshadow, a city that lives under the city of Waterdeep. Strange and dangerous things lie all around the Downshadow in the form of monsters and traps of ancient magic, but strange and dangerous things live in Downshadow as well. Where there is civilization, there is crime and where the shadows are deep the criminal element is even more powerful.

The city watch of Waterdeep has formed a special Guard unit that is given the duty of protecting the citizens of Waterdeep from the dangers of Downshadow and with protecting the citizens of Downshadow, but even they cannot do enough. Aiding the brave members of the watch is a troubled vigilante named Shadowbane -- the main character of Downshadow. Shadowbane was once a beggar, thief, and murderer who had been both blessed and cursed by the Spellplague. He heals faster than most people and has near superheroic strength, agility, and stamina. He used these abilities for evil purposes in the city of Luskan until he met a Paladin who gave him faith in a higher purpose and who provided the young man with a legacy. Shadowbane went from a dark stalker on the edge of society and transformed into a shadowy vigilante who used his knowledge of how the criminal elements operate to combat them where they hide.

As one can imagine from the description above Downshadow is a combination Fantasy and Superhero adventure tale that owes a good deal to many prior stories. Reading the novel one can see the influence of Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and Batman. Like the tales of these heroes, Shadowbane hides his real identity from many of those he loves and strives to balance his bloodthirsty nature against his need to provide justice for and not vengeance to those he hunts. The Spellplague has given him power, but it is also slowly killing him and removing his ability to feel physical sensations. This phenomenon is symbolic of his own growing emotional distance from those around him. Shadowbane must learn to love and protect, it is not enough to hide and avenge. And it is in the narrative of Downshadow that Shadowbane must make this choice.

The story of Downshadow is fairly simple. There is a criminal mastermind in town who wishes to stir up chaos in the aristocracy of Waterdeep and expand his influence. To do this he uses his provocateur protege Fayne to create scandalous situations and reveal the secrets of those who wish secrets kept. He also hires an assassin named Rath to eliminate those he cannot ruin. He seeks to ruin the High Priestess of Sune and to destroy Shadowbane whose vigilantism interferes too much with his machinations. Shadowbane must do his utmost to oppose the plans of the mastermind while discovering who he really is and what his true purpose will be. Into this struggle enters a mysterious young woman named Myrin. Myrin appears out of nowhere and has no memory of her own past, but it seems that she too has been touched by the Spellplague (or has she) and given abilities she cannot truly control.

Can Shadowbane stop the plans of the mysterious mastermind? Can he protect those he loves? Can he keep his secret hidden? Can he meet his destiny?

These are the questions that work themselves out in the novel, and the answer to the above questions isn't always yes.

Erik Scott de Bie meets the challenge of writing a compelling story while working within the constraints of a media tie-in novel. Though the tale is based on a D&D world, one rarely sees game mechanics leak into the storytelling. A major challenge a writer in a D&D novel faces is making the magic and action feel like the D&D setting without making it seem too much like a reader is reading mechanics out of a users manual like the Player's Handbook. de Bie demonstrates a deep knowledge of the Forgotten Realms setting and infuses the narrative with bits of history and mythology where necessary. Reading Downshadow, I very much felt that the story was taking place in a larger world that had a rich history. de Bie was able to convey information about Shadowbane's heretical Paladin order and the origins of the Spellplague without the information seeming overly expository. The exposition is presented narratively and only when necessary. The story is compelling and the outcome open enough to compel a reader to desire more. Shadowbane himself is a bit of a cipher, but his character does grow as the story progresses. He starts as a generic superhero, but by the end of the book readers are beginning to see the personality behind the mask. I am eager to see the character develop further. Many likable characters die in the story and there is a cameo or two from other Forgotten Realms tales that provide nice Easter Eggs.

The only flaw with the novel is that the narrative sometimes jumps from one scene to another in a mildly awkward way that caused me to double back and reread past passages to make sure I didn't miss any information. Given the breakneck pace of the book, these slight speed bumps interrupted the flow of the story. That said, I eagerly await the next novel in the Shadowbane series Shadowbane which is being released as an e-book exclusive this September.

POST REVIEW MUSINGS IN WHICH I TELL YOU ABOUT MY CHARACTER

The Shadowbane character is based on either the Shadowbane Inquisitor or Shadowbane Stalker class from the Complete Adventurer book for the 3.5 edition of Dungeons and Dragons, though there are some significant differences.

Shadowbane's sect is heretical because it believes that the essences of two dead gods are still active in the world, rather than the opinion that one god has taken over the "portfolios" of the dead gods.

Shadowbane reminded me of a fusion of the only two characters I have ever played in Forgotten Realms campaigns. The first was a 2nd Edition AD&D Paladin of Tyr who had the Swashbuckler kit from The Complete Fighter. How could one not want to be able to specialize in 4 weapons?! I have always been a fan of Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and the Three Musketeers, so I really wanted to play a happy go lucky swashbuckling Paladin. Since Paladins had been typically portrayed as humorless, this was fun.

The other character was a Fighter/Mage/Thief I played in a Living Forgotten Realms campaign. The main character was a fop who investigated troubles with his brave companions, but who fled when the going got tough and let his "bodyguard" take care of all the meaningless little things like combat. This character required buy in from those who played in my group who had to separate character knowledge from player knowledge. Some tried to "cheat" to discover my secret or demonstrate that they "knew" my secret, but most of them discovered it made for better role playing moments -- humorous and dramatic -- to play along. Thus some of those who once "knew" my secret eventually "forgot" as well when they discovered how much fun ignorance could be.

Marketing is Hard: Paul Rudd Pitches "Our Idiot Brother"

2011-08-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

Since Clueless, Paul Rudd has been among my favorite comedic actors. He has a great sense of timing, is a good writer, and a very likable personality. In this Funny or Die skit, Rudd pitches potential marketing campaigns for his upcoming film Our Idiot Brother."What if we put our Trailer in the Middle of the Movie?!"

Paul Rudd Pitches Harvey Weinstein from Paul Rudd

HT: Anne Thompson's Essential "Thompson on Hollywood!"

Allie Goertz is Better than Rebecca Black -- D&D Tonight is Better than Friday!

2011-08-10T10:07:00.000-07:00

The internet is filled with many wonders and perils. It is a place where one can find beauty and horror, and one doesn't even have to look to far to find either. It is also a place where a person can inexplicably go from moderately talented high school student to pop music sensation in nanoseconds.

The most famous case of this phenomenon is Rebecca Black, whose Autotuned voice can be heard singing two songs that are so cliche that they border on being a parody of modern pop music. One can listen to Rebecca Black's song "Friday" back to back with Katy Perry's pop hit "Firework" and wonder where the real difference is. Both are products of a pop-industrial machine that produces things that have a pleasant sound, but are almost completely lacking in "heart" -- even when they are attempting to be inspirational.

While Rebecca Black has been successful in promoting herself on the internet, she has also been the target of much scorn. This is partly due to envy, and partly due to the trivial and formulaic nature of the songs she sings. It is also because there are people of greater talent, but less exposure, who put forth their artistic creations on the internet in the hopes that others will appreciate their efforts. We aren't talking about people seeking to make a dollar, rather those who wish to share their creations. It takes a lot of courage to promote yourself on the internet -- this applies to Rebecca as well -- it can be a cruel place.

While I was flying toward that wonderful -- and geeky -- annual celebration of hobby gaming called Gen Con, another young voice was being uploaded to the internet. It is a wonderful voice. Where Rebecca Black's song is formulaic with industry-esque production values and Autotuned vocals, this new artist's song is recorded by a microphone attached directly to the computer with a video recorded by a webcam. Where Rebecca Black's song was written by professionals and sounds as if it were programmed by a "pop song writing machine," the new artist wrote her own song about something she enjoys.

That new artist is Allie Goertz. Her voice sounds like a combination of Xenia and Dia Frampton of NBC's "The Voice." Her lyrics combine her own love for Hobby Gaming with a touch of Tom Lehrer.

So give a listen to Allie Goertz's song "Tonight." She's an artist so humble that she apologizes for sounding too pretentious when she says the word "essentially." Though I think that's just her being a little "punny" regarding the latest edition of Dungeons & Dragons.

I am Now Officially a Game Designer!

2011-08-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

Every game master is a game designer at heart. Every game session GMs make little decisions regarding player actions that seem to lay just outside the parameters of the rules as written for the game at hand. We're used to making these decisions, but we don't often think of these things as formal game design. That doesn't stop almost every game master from dreaming about becoming a professional game designer. I imagine that most Fantasy Heartbreakers got their origins in the mind of a game master turned game designer.

(I have my own thoughts about the current trend to use Fantasy Heartbreaker derogatorily, but that is another post entirely.)

For years, my own design itch was scratched by game play and on line forums. I spent a long period of time scouring Greyhawk texts for minutiae and discussing them with fellow fans on the AOL Greyhawk boards. I also spent time on the various DC Heroes boards arguing about rules and coming up with new "fixes" for things within that rules set. Anyone who doesn't think of DC Heroes as an "effects based" game should hunt down those old boards in the wayback machine -- sadly many of theme were lost when the "alt dot" archives faded away. My participation in these boards eventually led to me contributing to the Blood of Heroes roleplaying game where I had written some rules contributions in a couple of the powers -- Superspeed is one of them if I remember correctly. While this initial contribution might have led some to leverage participation in one product into a career, it didn't have that effect on me. Graduate school, work, and adjusting to living in a new city (Los Angeles) took up the majority of my mental focus and dreams of being a designer faded into the background.

That all began to change about a year and a half ago when I started soliciting opportunities to playtest new games. I have a regular gaming group made up of some very imaginative and thoughtful gamers, and I thought to myself they would be the perfect sounding board for new ideas and games. How right I was. I began playtesting a number of games, some of which are listed on the right hand column of this blog, and have had a great time doing it. In fact, this playtesting has caused me to begin to feel very comfortable with the concept of designing games and I have begun reaching out in that direction recently.

One of the opportunities that emerged as I began reaching out was George Strayton's The Secret Fire project. I was initially invited in to write some flavor text for some sections of the rules -- in fact my some of my flavor text is among the quotes praised in the RPG.net forum praising/dissing the game -- but my role quickly evolved into rules development itself. I was involved in discussions of game mechanics, balance, intentions, combat, spells, etc. and it was a great time. The game was recently formally announced and is now available on Lulu, though it will soon be available from a variety of sources. George was a great lead developer to work with -- his credits include Star Wars d6 -- and he allowed me to play devil's advocate and to offer seemingly random ideas. He turned game design into a sand box of joy.

The experience has inspired me and you will definitely be seeing more game design from me in the future. I am currently putting together a pitch for the first The Secret Fire expansion, a couple for Super Genius Games, some for Victory Point Games, and my own company -- Twin Suns Entertainment LLC -- will be designing a number of games in the coming years.

IT'S MARVEL!!! --- Margaret Weis Productions Announces New RPG License

2011-08-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks, Margaret Weis Productions has been hinting that they were making a HUGE announcement regarding a new RPG license they had acquired and how excited they were about producing this particular product. Questions were being asked..."Is it Glee?" "Is it CSI?" "Is it Star Trek?" "Is it GoBots?"

Most of the questions focused on games that players assumed would fit within the Cortex+ mechanic, with the understanding that Cortex+ focuses on relationships and not "crunchy combat."

Today, Margaret Weis Productions made the announcement at 1pm Eastern. Their new license is...

HULK SMASH!!!

While many gamers might believe that the "relationship driven" mechanics of Cortex+ might seem an odd fit for a Superhero rpg, this is a true match made in heaven. The grand innovation that Marvel Comics added to the comic book superhero genre was the blending of heartbreak dating comics with superhero action. Think about Spider-Man during the Ditko/Lee era. How many superheroes were worried about getting a date before this book came out? How about the Fantastic Four and their family dynamics?

MWPs Smallville game was a sea change in game design mentality, and one that will have significant affect on the industry. Instead of having a character's success in an action being determined by how "uber" he or she is, that character's success is determined by how the character's relationships with others are affected by the action. Instead of a Paladin's skill fighting devils being represented by a high combat score, it can be represented by a high dedication to protecting innocents and his or her relationship to individuals or communities. The mechanic ensures that players interactions with nemesis characters matter, and the mechanics aid players and GMs in the creation of exciting and engaging narratives.

A Marvel game based in interactions and relationships harkens to what is great in comic book storytelling -- remember the Claremont/Byrne era of the X-men? It has some epic battles, but it also has engaging tales of relationships. When Sabretooth attacked the mansion trying to kill Psylocke (in a beautifully illustrated issue) it was Wolverine's concern for her safety -- and hatred of Sabretooth -- that fueled the issue. A similar discussion could be had of the Juggernaut vs. Colossus fight issue. The relationships are what make it work.

MWP plans to release 16 products within 15 months for the game structuring the expansions around major comic events. The first product will be a Basic game, which has everything you need to play, and the first event will be Marvel's "Civil War" -- a perfect playground for relationships. Each "event" line will have two editions an essential edition which merely has the campaign advice and an edition that includes a copy of the basic rules. The events will be supported by three support products, and then it's on to the next event. All of the products will be designed to be shelved with the trade paperbacks covering the same event.

This is big people!

2011 Gen Con -- An Experience to Remember

2011-08-05T09:34:00.000-07:00

Each summer tens of thousands of gamers take over a Midwestern American city to experience the “Best Four Days of Gaming,” the Gen Con gaming convention. Comic book and pop culture fans have San Diego’s Comic Con, Hobby gamers have Gen Con. In 2001, the convention became so large that outgrew Milwaukee’s large MECCA convention center. For the past nine years, Gen Con has been held in Indianapolis’ large Indiana Convention Center and they have been filling it to the brim. Since last year the Indiana Convention Center has doubled in size. But like the freeways of Southern California, the increase in accessible flow space has quickly been filled with excited gamers.

Gen Con LLC won’t release official attendance figures until Sunday night, but those who had pre-purchased attendance badges with the expectation of quickly picking them up were in for a surprise. Both the night before the formal festivities began, and the first morning of the convention, the line to pick up badges extended for blocks. Wise where those who had their badges Fedexed to them before the show.

The event is filled with PR panels where publishers announce new product, industry pros discuss breaking into the industry, game auctions, two awards celebrations, and game design workshops. Oh...and there is a ton of game playing going on as well.

In short, it's like Comic Con before Hollywood descended onto the occasion. It's an event for Hobby Gamers and by Hobby Gamers. Peter Adkinson, the Owner of Gen Con LLC, is a long time veteran of the gaming industry who says that "in recent years I've hungrily devoured many of the games that might be labeled 'indie RPGs' because I love how their designers are turning upside down so many traditional notions about how RPGs 'have to be.'" This veteran's quote hits on something amazing. In a downturned economy, the gaming industry is booming. While sales figures for many games may be below record levels, there has never been a greater variety of excellent gaming product available for play. What's more, the Indie Games are growing in their audience and pushing new demographic ground as well as new mechanical ground.

Speaking of Indie Games -- Wednesday Night, the Diana Jones Awards awards celebration was held. The Diana Jones Awards are an annual award that is won by something that represents "excellence in gaming." It's a broad award criteria that has allowed for a broad array of prior winners. People have won the award for their contribution to the community, conventions have won for their charity work, websites have won, and yes games have won. This year, the excellent Indie Game "Fiasco"

by Jason Morningstar took home the prize.

Fiasco is inspired by cinematic tales of small time capers gone disastrously wrong – inspired by films like Blood Simple, Fargo, The Way of the Gun, Burn After Reading, and A Simple Plan. You’ll play ordinary people with powerful ambition and poor impulse control. There will be big dreams and flawed execution. It won’t go well for them, to put it mildly, and in the end it will probably all go south in a glorious heap of jealousy, murder, and recrimination. Lives and reputations will be lost, painful wisdom will be gained, and if you are really lucky, your guy just might end up back where he started.

Fiasco is a GM-less game for 3-5 players, designed to be played in a few hours with six-sided dice and no preparation. During a game you will engineer and play out stupid, disastrous situations, usually at the intersection of greed, fear, and lust. It’s like making your own Coen brothers movie, in about the same amount of time it’d take to watch one.

There is much more to report, but I am getting ready to head out to a panel hosted by Margaret Weis Productions where they will be announcing their new game license. They say it is a HUGE license.

My Gygax Quiz Results

2011-07-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

To be honest, this was the second take (the first take was 70%). Between takes, I checked my copies of the Gord books and "bam!" did much better. I used Bookshelf fu and not Google-fu. I still missed the word that Gary didn't use in the DMG.

Christian Lindke took the Hardest Gary Gygax Quiz in the World and got 100%!

You are a Gary Gygax Dungeon Master. You are a world expert on Gary Gygax. My guess is you are either a former TSR employee or an extremely obsessive fan. You can be proud of your in-depth knowledge - few are so expert in any subject! Also, I would like to be in your D&D group.

Paladin Code: You completed this quiz without using Google.

A Game Master's "Appendix N" -- A List of Books Every GM Should Own

2011-07-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

Gary Gygax's list of recommended reading, is "appendix," on page 224 of the first Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide holds a special place in the role playing game community. In role playing circles, the list is as influential -- if not more so -- than the Lin Carter Ballantine Adult Fantasy series is for Fantasy fans in general. Gygax provided the list so that Dungeon Masters could be filled with the same wonder and inspiration that eventually culminated in his creation of the Dungeons and Dragons role playing game.

The appendix is quite marvelous. It begins by mentioning that Gygax's father's story telling was a key component in sparking young Gary's imagination. Too often discussions of Appendix N leave out the opening paragraph when discussing the important influences, but we should all remember how important it is to share stories with our children and to take some time to make up our own bed time stories. It is wonderful to read to our children, but by telling them stories we show our children that it is okay to invent their own tales.

But this post isn't about Gary's list. There are plenty of posts discussing "Appendix N," such as this Cimmerian post on the topic. The original "Appendix N" was a list of inspirational authors and works of fiction that Dungeon Masters could read to spark their narrative imaginations, and better understand the kind of Fantasy that would be experienced using the Dungeons & Dragons rules. That was a lofty goal, and one that the list succeeded at, but it is only half of what a good GM needs. A GM needs both food for the imagination, and food for the presentation.

By this I mean that GMs need stories that can lead them to create wonderfully rich narratives for their players, but they also need the tools that will help them to manage very good sessions. Essentially, GMs need both a degree in "Literature that Inspires Good Gaming" and "Game Session Management." Over the 25+ years that I've been running games, and as someone who was once a terrible GM, here is a list of books I've found invaluable. Future blog posts (on no particular schedule) will highlight some of these books and talk about why they are so important.

Aaron Allston's Strike Force
Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering
Prince Valiant: The Story Telling Game
Through Dungeons Deep
DC Heroes
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide
Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide 2
Shared Fantasy: Role-Playing Games as Social Worlds
Hamlet's Hit Points
A Penny for My Thoughts
Game Design Workshop
Vornheim
Role-Playing Mastery
Master of the Game
Shadow, Sword, & Spell
Thousand Suns
The Burning Wheel
A Theory of Fun
The Bones
The Fantasy Role-Playing Gamer's Bible
James Bond 007
Justice Inc.
Call of Cthulhu
Savage Worlds
Vampire: The Masquerade
Amber