Once again, Gen Con is upon us. You can check out my schedule if you’re so inclined. More importantly, there are games to check out and buy. This is not a comprehensive list: if you want a bigger look at what board games are available there, I recommend checking out the Board Game News list. […]
The Architect DM: On Modern and Futuristic Settings
I’ve talked quite a lot about worldbuilding and running roleplaying games in fantasy settings, but I’ve been planning on addressing modern and futuristic RPGs for a long time as well. One of the big hurdles that I have to overcome when thinking and writing about modern/future settings is that they seem inherently more difficult to deal with than their fantasy counterparts. For a modern or even a historic RPG I believe the difficulties come from the game being based in a real world that brings with it a vast amount of expectations from the players. If you’re running a game in these settings and a player at your table knows more about history than you, it can become very intimidating to even try to plan or run the game. Science fiction and futuristic games are a little bit better, but you’re still dealing with a lot of heavy science and realistic elements that can lead to issues where they might not have arisen in your typical elves and magic infused setting.
Inq. of the Week: Quinto vs. Quinto
A while back, over two years ago it seems, we had an epic showdown Inquisition between Ian McKellen and Ian McKellen…errr, I mean between Gandalf the White and Magneto! The mysterious White Wizard ending up kicking considerable ass in the poll, but it generated some interesting debate about who would actually win in a fight.
Fascinating, Captain
As I sat watching Star Trek on Sunday, I was struck with a strong (but familiar) thought: “damn, I really want to run a campaign set in this. ” About 4 years back now, I tried starting up a Star Trek campaign using d20 Modern/d20 Future and a few house rules (mainly for playable races). I […]
YouTube Tuesday: To Boldly Go Where No Edition Has Gone Before
Above, the Death Star blowing up the Enterprise, to consider our SW vs. ST theme this week. Below, links to a number of other Star Trek videos (from the various series) that I’ve collected. Enjoy!
Inq. of the Week: The Stars Are Trekkin’
Over the weekend, I caught the newest entry in the battle between Star Wars and Star Trek, as the Federation Strikes Back with the new update, featuring a rebooted franchise and cast (with one exception). I was not alone in this, as many showings were sold out as everyone and their mother (literally) sought out the new adventures of Kirk and Spock. Thus, for all you new and old Trek fans alike, to balance the scales of last week, I present to you the following query…
Inq. of the Week: Summer Movies ’09
Last week The Main Event posted an Inquisition on a topic that I love to discuss, power creep in 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. With people voting on which parts of the PHB2 they thought most displayed power creep, 42% of you actually don’t think there’s much power creep in the book at all! In […]
Review: “Fanboys”
It has taken a journey worthy of the Hero Cycle: the movie Fanboys, written over a decade ago before Phantom Menace came out, has struggled against setbacks and massive executive meddling, has finally been released. It was many years in development and suffered delays (I first heard about it two years ago, when it was set to be released in the summer of ’07), so the question is, has it all been worth it?
The answer, as Master Yoda would say it, is a solid “Yes, hrrrrrmmmm.”
May The DPS Be With You
IGN calls it “one of the worst kept secrets in the industry“, but the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO was announced at a huge event yesterday. Details are still scarce, but like any number of other MMOs, you can join the Good Guys or the Bad Guys, with some potential moral grays. (“For the […]
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