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You are here: Home / Archives for Dave

What… is your quest?

November 9, 2007 by Dave

When it gets right down to it, there are three main reasons I design games: I look at a design and say “I can do that better.” I have not yet achieved all of my “Holy Grails” of game design. My brain won’t let me stop. It’s the second that I’m mostly concerned with today. […]

Filed Under: Board, Card, and Miniature Games, Critical Threats

YouTube of the Week: Wood for Sheep Edition

November 7, 2007 by Dave

A double dose of Catan video! The first, a trailer for a Catan superhero movie, and the second, some kind of prototype device used to make a virtual Catan board.

Filed Under: Board, Card, and Miniature Games, YouTube Tuesday

Plot Arcs and Themes: The Stories that Games Tell

November 3, 2007 by Dave

There are two (and sometimes three) ways that games tell stories. There’s the theme, which is the conceptual framework given to us by the game to understand it and give us motivation. For example, in my game Get Bit!, you’re told that you are swimming away from a voracious shark. This gives you the prime […]

Filed Under: Board, Card, and Miniature Games, Critical Threats, Featured

Tomorrow is Worldwide D&D Game Day

November 2, 2007 by Dave

Grab a d20 and head on down to Worldwide D&D Game Day! Well… maybe. The official WotC page says “pre-register with [a retailer] today!” Lame… I want to be able to walk into a store and play something and not be bound to an RPGA-ish schedule. Thankfully, here in Maryland we have plenty of quality […]

Filed Under: Critical Bits, News, Roleplaying Games

"You are mistaken, commissioner. The Hostess cup cakes are the real hero."

November 1, 2007 by Dave

On a quest today to educate Bartoneus on the wonders of Hostess Fruit Pies, I came across this awesome archive of all the real Hostess Fruit Pie comic ads from the 70’s and 80’s. I could probably spend hours basking in their ridiculousness. And don’t forget that they can stop all manner of villain!

Filed Under: Comics, Critical Bits

A few quick Halloween hits…

October 31, 2007 by Dave

I’ve been getting a kick out of Zombie Fluxx lately, after a while of being burnt out on Fluxx. It adds some new neat things to the game, and hey, it’s got lots of zombies and classic zombie references. I’ve been hearing good things about Last Night on Earth as a bigger zombie board game, […]

Filed Under: Board, Card, and Miniature Games, Critical Bits, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: halloween

RPG Superstar!

October 31, 2007 by Dave

Paizo, the fine folks behind many awesome Dungeon and Dragon issues (until recently), have started a new contest to attract people to the RPG writing biz. They’re calling it “RPG Superstar“, and the first stage of the contest, a completely open call, starts today and accepts submissions for the next two weeks. The first thing […]

Filed Under: Critical Bits, News, Roleplaying Games

YouTubes of the Week: No Connection At All Edition

October 30, 2007 by Dave

Two videos I just had to blog about this week, but they’re both short. The first, “Mike Tyson’s Brunch Out” which is hilarious and difficult to describe. And after the jump, the first trailer for the first Dragonlance animated movie… and boy, it does not look good, despite some awesome voice talent.

Filed Under: Movies, Roleplaying Games, Science Fiction & Fantasy Genre, Video Games, YouTube Tuesday Tagged With: dragonlance, punch out

You can do that to Magic cards too, it's just not a big deal

October 29, 2007 by Dave

We’ve talked briefly about Eye of Judgement before, the Sony/Wizards of the Coast game that merges the CCG with the PS3. I haven’t played it, nor to my knowledge has anyone on the staff here, but reviews say it’s pretty fun. It still has a huge cost of entry, however. Well, maybe not so bad, […]

Filed Under: Board, Card, and Miniature Games, Critical Bits, Video Games Tagged With: ccg, eye of judgment, magic the gathering, ps3

First Impressions: Guitar Hero 3 (Xbox 360)

October 29, 2007 by Dave

I strolled right into my local GameStop yesterday and picked up Guitar Hero 3 (game only) for the Xbox 360. (Also grabbed the Orange Box, but resisted Halo 3 for now.) Using my trusty band THAC0, I’d estimate I’ve played through about half of the game on Medium, maybe a little more. I still don’t […]

Filed Under: Music, Reviews, Video Games Tagged With: guitar hero, xbox 360

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About the Author

  • 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.

    Email: dave@critical-hits.com

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