Wouldn't it be great if Hasbro released a Heroscape based skirmish game for this film?
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Heroes of Normandie: Bridging the Gap Between Euro, Rpg-er, and Grognard?
The vast majority of the gaming I participate in on a regular basis is role playing, Euro, or Ameri-treasure. I own a large number of role playing games, and I get to play many of them with my gaming group. I have a sizable Euro and Ameri-treasure collection and am often able to convince my regular gaming group to pause our campaigns to play a quick game of MUNCHKIN, GLOOM, or CATAN. This means I get to play a lot of wonderful games...and yet all this gaming doesn't sate my gaming appetite. You see, I am cursed with a voracious and insatiable ludographic desire to play games from all genre/classifications. In addition to the game genres above, I love miniatures gaming and microscopic chit based monster wargames. It's not hard to find people to play miniature games with, though they do have to be willing to tolerate my "primer gray" armies.
It is nigh impossible to find people who have the time and interest to play microscopic chit based wargames -- even of the less than monster variety.
This is why so many of the chit based wargames include a "solitaire" rating on the side of the box. A lot of us GMT, MMP, DECISION, and old AH and SPI gamers have to be willing to play many of these games ourselves. This is because the chit based wargame can be an intimidating beast. The games often focus heavily on simulation -- accurately portraying a historical event -- instead of playability and that can lead to some extremely complex rules. Check out the rule book for A WORLD AT WAR, which comes in at 192 pages, and you get a small glimpse of what I mean. Avalon Hill's ADVANCED SQUAD LEADER is similarly intimidating, but the old SQUAD LEADER -- with it's programmed learning system -- is less so.
The other disadvantage that some of these games have is that they are often not very graphically appealing. This has changed over the past decade, but a look at some of the classics of the simulation genre with their abstract unit notations can be off-putting as well.
These limitations led to the near death of the wargaming hobby in the early 90s, but innovations in graphic design and rules have led to growth in the field so that the hobby is now fairly stable. Stable, but for those of us who love it still to small. This is why "crossover" games are so important. These are games that fall within the wargame milieu, while also appealing to other gamers. Games like MEMOIR '44 and BATTLELORE (both using the Command & Colors system) are great examples of this kind of game. These two games have simpler rules that appeal to the Eurogamer, while still having customizeability, expandability, and rich enough mechanics to satisfy the wargamer itch. There are other games that cross the Eurogamer/Wargamer line, and there are those that cross the RPG/Wargamer line. Games like DUST TACTICS have some appeal to RPG gamers and incorporate wargame elements -- though they push players over more toward miniatures gaming than wargaming. If one views DESCENT by FFG as a skirmish game -- which I do -- it too has some crossover appeal.
There aren't many games that try to have Euro/RPG/Wargamer appeal, and it looks like the French Designers at Devil Pig Games are trying to do exactly that with their current Kickstarter campaign "Heroes of Normandie." The game looks like a simple to play Euro/Wargame crossover, and the addition of the ACHTUNG CTHULHU! inspired Cthulhu expansion "Shadows Over Normandy" it looks like they are trying to get the whole trifecta involved.
I'm not surprised that it is a French company that would be among the first to try to come up with a game that crosses all three genre. The French wargame seen is huge and the wargame magazine BATTLES is one of the best in the business. There is a strong French RPG industry that has seen some of its games, like IN NOMINE, imported to the United States -- though I'm still waiting for C.O.P.S. to find its way to our shores. And Eurogames are exploding in France as they are in the rest of the world.
The Devil Pigs Games crew seem to be leveraging all of the attributes that contribute to the robust wargaming industry in France and bringing them over to an internationally distributed game. One look at one of the insert wargames in BATTLES magazine, or at the games advertised in the magazine, and you can see that the French gaming industry is doing some amazing things graphically and thematically with their games. HEROES OF NORMANDIE looks to be no exception. Have a look at these game play videos to see what I mean. The graphics on the pieces are wonderful, and the statistics on the pieces appear to be easy to understand. This looks to be a wonderful game.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Ron Howard's RUSH: Will It Be One of the Rare Breed?
For as popular as motorsport is domestically and internationally, one would expect there to be a long list of quality motion pictures depicting the excitement that brings fans to watch race after race. Sadly, this is not the case. The vast majority of films about motorsport are poor at best, and sometimes downright awful. It seems that too often directors get caught up in trying to have exciting crashes and forget that the most important thing that a film can do is tell a compelling story. The Sylvester Stallone vehicle DRIVEN is the perfect example of this flawed approach to the subject. To much time and money was spent depicting cars launching from the race track in spectacular ways, and too little was spent on telling a plausible tale.
When I heard that Oscar Award winning director Ron Howard would be directing a film about Formula 1 entitled RUSH, I was filled with excitement and dread. Howard is a truly talented film maker who has directed films in many genre with a human touch. The interviews with Howard about the process hinted that he was taking his subject seriously, but in the back of my mind -- as an F1 fan -- there was the underlying fear that this would be yet another spectacle film and not one that focused on story. F1 is filled with compelling stories, and I thought it would be a shame if a modern F1 film failed to capture some of the sport's magnificent history.
Then I saw the first trailer for RUSH...and all my fears melted away.
RUSH focuses on the 1976 rivalry between drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Lauda had been World Champion in 1975, and would win the title two more times before his retirement, but 1976 was a year of struggle and a near fatal accident. Niki's story alone would make for a compelling film, but add to the seriousness of Lauda's season the playfulness of James Hunt and you have a combination of elements that could make for a wonderful film. Hunt's party boy attitude is legendary and when one of my favorite drivers -- Kimi Raikkonen -- wants to race incognito in non-F1 events he has been known to use James Hunt as his nom-d'fun.
You can see the real footage of Lauda's accident in this short piece:
And you can catch a glimpse of Hunt's wild personality here:
If you are wondering what racing films are worth watching, here is my list of 6 or so racing films that are worth your time (in no particular order).
When I heard that Oscar Award winning director Ron Howard would be directing a film about Formula 1 entitled RUSH, I was filled with excitement and dread. Howard is a truly talented film maker who has directed films in many genre with a human touch. The interviews with Howard about the process hinted that he was taking his subject seriously, but in the back of my mind -- as an F1 fan -- there was the underlying fear that this would be yet another spectacle film and not one that focused on story. F1 is filled with compelling stories, and I thought it would be a shame if a modern F1 film failed to capture some of the sport's magnificent history.
Then I saw the first trailer for RUSH...and all my fears melted away.
RUSH focuses on the 1976 rivalry between drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Lauda had been World Champion in 1975, and would win the title two more times before his retirement, but 1976 was a year of struggle and a near fatal accident. Niki's story alone would make for a compelling film, but add to the seriousness of Lauda's season the playfulness of James Hunt and you have a combination of elements that could make for a wonderful film. Hunt's party boy attitude is legendary and when one of my favorite drivers -- Kimi Raikkonen -- wants to race incognito in non-F1 events he has been known to use James Hunt as his nom-d'fun.
You can see the real footage of Lauda's accident in this short piece:
And you can catch a glimpse of Hunt's wild personality here:
If you are wondering what racing films are worth watching, here is my list of 6 or so racing films that are worth your time (in no particular order).
- GRAND PRIX
- THE LAST AMERICAN HERO
- TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY
- HEART LIKE A WHEEL
- CARS
- SPEED RACER
- SENNA
- GRAND PRIX: THE KILLER YEARS
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Dark Minions: Amazon Steps into the On Demand Marketplace
I'd like to thank The Big Bang Theory's David Goetsch for pointing this show out to me. DARK MINIONS looks entertaining and the space ship design (straight out of THE BLACK HOLE) really appeals to me.
Watch it at IMDB here.
Watch it at IMDB here.
Pat Robertson: Still Getting D&D Wrong After All These Years
One aspect of some people's Christian faith has always baffled me. It's what I term the "magical world view," where one believes that the world is filled with witchcraft and sorcery -- and Satan stands in every shadow trying to tempt the faithful away from the righteous path. My use of the term "magical world view" may lead many to think that I am an agnostic or an atheist. While there are many gamers who are atheists -- possibly due to the negative association with religion that the "AntiD&D" wars of the 80s presented -- I am not. My wife and I attend mass at a local Roman Catholic church and take our duty to raise our children in our faith very seriously. I consider myself a little more Positivist Materialist than most of those I attend mass with, but I have a pretty strong faith.
The purpose of this post isn't to discuss my faith, or lack thereof, rather it is to examine how living in fear the way that those with a "magical world view" often do can lead to some pretty ridiculous assumptions with regard to what can be highly beneficial past-times. The reading of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and the playing of role-playing games, feeds young minds. It helps the imagination to grow, fosters creativity, teaches critical thinking, and is a great educational tool. Needless fear that these things contain witchcraft, and should thus be avoided, undermines those very benefits.
Over the years, one of the chief opponents and demonizers (pun intended) of the role playing hobby has been the 700 Club's host Pat Robertson. He is probably second to only Jack Chick in his hatred and misunderstanding of roleplaying games.
Since I was a child, Robertson has been cursing D&D for its evil influence and for its anti-Christian worldview. With the 80s far behind us, one might think that Robertson might have reconsidered his earlier views given the numerous examples of well adjusted citizens who grew up playing role playing games. Alas, this is not the case. Recently, Robertson stated -- in a video much shared on Facebook -- that D&D has "literally destroyed lives."
For all that Robertson and his ilk claim that D&D is a sinister game leading children to the demonic darkness of Satanism...a game created by evil secular humanists...it should be noted that one of the creators of the game -- Gary Gygax -- was a practicing Christian himself. Gary briefly discusses the controversy in this video from Icosahedraphilia: (check out 4:21 for a quote regarding why Gary hadn't discussed this more)
As early as 1969, Gygax was sharing with his friends why as good Christians his family didn't celebrate the Christmas holiday.
According to the Christian Gamers Guild, David Arneson was also a practicing Christian.
The particular argument about Christmas above is one often seen in practicing Jehovah's Witnesses, so it is possible that Gygax was one in 1969. Given the fundamentalism of that faith, it is unlikely that Gygax would willfully attempt to bring young people to Satan through the creation of a game. I think it would take someone with a paranoid magical world view would believe that the devil secretly whispered game design ideas into the ears of the faithful to create a game that propagates witchcraft.
From personal experience, I can tell you that reading about Paladins -- the looking up their mythical roots -- did more for my faith than the time when I was 10 years old and asked the 700 Club to pray for me when I was scared. The research on Paladins led me to the discovery of the writings of St. Augustine and the reading of many Arthurian tales. The call to the 700 Club led to me being asked how much I was willing to donate. Let's just say that the bold faced money grubbing to a 10 year-old is far more damaging to faith than telling stories about noble warriors fighting against demons.
So...Pat...how much did you ask the questioner you told D&D was demonic to donate before taking the time to answer the question?
The purpose of this post isn't to discuss my faith, or lack thereof, rather it is to examine how living in fear the way that those with a "magical world view" often do can lead to some pretty ridiculous assumptions with regard to what can be highly beneficial past-times. The reading of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and the playing of role-playing games, feeds young minds. It helps the imagination to grow, fosters creativity, teaches critical thinking, and is a great educational tool. Needless fear that these things contain witchcraft, and should thus be avoided, undermines those very benefits.
Over the years, one of the chief opponents and demonizers (pun intended) of the role playing hobby has been the 700 Club's host Pat Robertson. He is probably second to only Jack Chick in his hatred and misunderstanding of roleplaying games.
Since I was a child, Robertson has been cursing D&D for its evil influence and for its anti-Christian worldview. With the 80s far behind us, one might think that Robertson might have reconsidered his earlier views given the numerous examples of well adjusted citizens who grew up playing role playing games. Alas, this is not the case. Recently, Robertson stated -- in a video much shared on Facebook -- that D&D has "literally destroyed lives."
For all that Robertson and his ilk claim that D&D is a sinister game leading children to the demonic darkness of Satanism...a game created by evil secular humanists...it should be noted that one of the creators of the game -- Gary Gygax -- was a practicing Christian himself. Gary briefly discusses the controversy in this video from Icosahedraphilia: (check out 4:21 for a quote regarding why Gary hadn't discussed this more)
As early as 1969, Gygax was sharing with his friends why as good Christians his family didn't celebrate the Christmas holiday.
 |
| Image from Playing at the World |
The particular argument about Christmas above is one often seen in practicing Jehovah's Witnesses, so it is possible that Gygax was one in 1969. Given the fundamentalism of that faith, it is unlikely that Gygax would willfully attempt to bring young people to Satan through the creation of a game. I think it would take someone with a paranoid magical world view would believe that the devil secretly whispered game design ideas into the ears of the faithful to create a game that propagates witchcraft.
From personal experience, I can tell you that reading about Paladins -- the looking up their mythical roots -- did more for my faith than the time when I was 10 years old and asked the 700 Club to pray for me when I was scared. The research on Paladins led me to the discovery of the writings of St. Augustine and the reading of many Arthurian tales. The call to the 700 Club led to me being asked how much I was willing to donate. Let's just say that the bold faced money grubbing to a 10 year-old is far more damaging to faith than telling stories about noble warriors fighting against demons.
So...Pat...how much did you ask the questioner you told D&D was demonic to donate before taking the time to answer the question?
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Batman Doesn't Kill...Or Does He? Patton Oswalt's Penguin Addresses the Issue
I don't think they had to make Batman so dense to make their point, but this is a pretty amusing video regardless. I also think they should have added a moment where Batman feels betrayed by Alfred when he figures out what's going on.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Man of Steel: Still Looking Good
While there are still to many shots "taken" from Richard Donner's two excellent Superman movies in this trailer, there is enough here for me to think that MAN OF STEEL looks promising. Any Superman film has the difficult task of choosing which version of Superman to use -- Gold/Silver/Bronze/Tin/Byrne -- and Snyder seems to have leaned a little in the Byrne direction. This can be a good thing, but it can also backfire. Too many directors -- I'm looking at you Andrew Stanton -- think that "modern audiences" can't handle white knight characters unless they have a shade of grey. Thing is, authors have been making that mistake for generations. It isn't having "troubled" or "grey" heroes that audiences find compelling. It's having heroes who experience conflict and for whom there are stakes. Donner got that with his Superman, and Burroughs understood that with his John Carter. I hope that Snyder gets it.
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