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You are here: Home / Archives for 2009

Archives for 2009

Battlestar Galactica: The Beginning of the End Starts Tonight

January 16, 2009 by Dave

Tonight at 10 EST, the last half of the last season of the remake of Battlestar Galactica premieres (or more simply, Season 4.5… since we all know that calling things “.5” is an awesome idea). For those of you not caught up, I recommend avoiding this post since it contains some SPOILERS, and will probably […]

Filed Under: Editorial, Science Fiction & Fantasy Genre, Television Tagged With: battlestar galactica

“But that’s not how it went” Tokens

January 15, 2009 by The Chatty DM

A few months ago, I was musing on other ways to use D&D 4e’s action points. Since, I’ve been pondering the unfamiliar elements of Narrative Control (i.e. who decides where the story goes).  Being a somewhat rigid DM when it comes to storylines and how scenes are played out, the concept of sharing control with […]

Filed Under: Musings of the Chatty DM, Roleplaying Games

New Feature: Character Class Reference

January 14, 2009 by Dave

Just a quick announcement that I’ve put up another Feature: a reference guide for 4e classes. I didn’t have much luck finding fan-made classes, so do let me know if there are any I should add. Hopefully you find this useful when choosing your next character, or if you’re just curious about what all is out there.

Filed Under: Critical Bits, News, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, classes

Book Series Review: The Malazan Books of the Fallen

January 14, 2009 by The Main Event

The Malazan Books of the Fallen is a mouthful to say, but really that’s for the best, because it’s also a whopper to read. Currently on book eight of ten, the universe also encompasses a bunch of novellas (which I have yet to read) and an entirely different author writing novels in a shared world. Steven Erikson was an anthropologist by trade and boy does it show.

Filed Under: Featured, Librarian's Tome, Reviews, Science Fiction & Fantasy Genre Tagged With: malazan, malazan books of the fallen

Chatty’s Mailbox: Writing an Adventure

January 13, 2009 by The Chatty DM

As some of you may know, I just finished writing a draft for a D&D 4e adventure to be possibly published by Goodman Games (if the editor likes it).  I’ve been posting vague updates on Twitter and Facebook  and such for the last few weeks and some have been following it, being very supportive. So […]

Filed Under: Adventure Prep, Musings of the Chatty DM, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: Tropes

YouTube Tuesday: Guinness Armor Edition

January 13, 2009 by Dave

What happens when a beer-chugging rock band goes up against a group of LARPers? The results might surprise you. Warning: this video is metal.  (via ENWorld)

Filed Under: Music, Roleplaying Games, YouTube Tuesday Tagged With: larp, metal

Chatty levels up to 36!

January 12, 2009 by The Chatty DM

Today marks my 36th birthday! I’m not one to make a fuss about my age.  I’m a kid at heart and the number attached to my physical shell has been mostly immaterial. However, I feel I’m at a crossroad in my life.  I’ve discovered the world of writing in the last 18 months that sustains […]

Filed Under: Musings of the Chatty DM

Inq. of the Week: Oh Oh It’s Magic

January 12, 2009 by Dave

While an interesting magic system is not enough to drive a fantasy setting, it does appear to be part of the main hook when getting readers. Likewise, in a fantasy RPG system, this provides an immediate appeal to playing the game if the magic is interesting enough.

Filed Under: Featured, Inquisition of the Week, Roleplaying Games, Science Fiction & Fantasy Genre Tagged With: ars magica, D&D, eragon, gurps, mage: the ascension, malazan, mistborn, song of fire and ice, sword of truth, wheel of time, WoW

Bedtime Campaign: Pilot Nico’s Battlebot!

January 11, 2009 by The Chatty DM

This post is part of a growing series relating the role playing bedtime stories I make with my kids.  I hope you still enjoy them. Over the holidays, I concluded Nico’s Sword of Dream story.  I’m not going to write about it, mostly because I forgot to record them and I don’t remember much from […]

Filed Under: Musings of the Chatty DM, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: Bedtime roleplaying, gaming with children, Gaming with Kids

Critical Bits for the week ending 2009-01-10

January 10, 2009 by Gato the News Robot

New DDI Updates: “Prepare for the Resolution” http://is.gd/eMtl “Fist of Mourning” http://is.gd/eMtt “Don’t let the XP grind you down” http://is.gd/eMtD # Retweeting @thewanderingmen: Planescape: Torment fans might find this interesting: http://tinyurl.com/77cawc # WotC updates: Sylvan Cathedral http://is.gd/eRBL Whose Mug is That? http://is.gd/eRCj Digital Insider http://is.gd/eRCl #

Filed Under: Board, Card, and Miniature Games, Comics, Critical Bits, Roleplaying Games, Video Games Tagged With: D&DI, twitter

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  • Dave

    Dave "The Game" Chalker is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of Critical Hits. Since 2005, he has been bringing readers game news and advice, as well as editing nearly everything published here. He is the designer of the Origins Award-winning Get Bit!, a freelance designer and developer, son of a science fiction author, and a Master of Arts. He lives in MD with e and at least three dogs.

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