@Agreschn Most of the internet is too much of a pissing contest as it is, @klout just makes it that much worse.Absolutely fascinating article by @wesleyfenlon about #SNES emulation and software preservation over on @testedcom: http://t.co/mslBTQpb
On Monday I was browsing the Steam store, as I’m wont to do on a daily basis, and saw the release of a new free-to-play game that billed itself as “The co-op fantasy mmo shooter”. How could I NOT be intrigued by that? What the hell does that mean?
Being the diligent blogger that I like to think I am I downloaded the game and gave it a whirl. Hit the jump to see a little of what you can expect from Realm Of The Mad God. (more…)
No matter what flavor of Dungeons and Dragons you play, the game is rooted in fantasy. I’m willing to bet that most of us were introduced to the world of fantasy in the same way, through Fairy Tales told to us when we were tiny children.
Witches casting spells on innocent little girls. Magical beasts frolic in mythical forests. Animal monsters prowl the countryside looking for a tasty meal. Players Option: Heroes of the Feywild capitalizes on these themes beautifully.
I will admit, for the longest time when I heard ‘Feywild’ I would just think fairies and cuteness, but flipping through the introductory chapter really got my creative juices flowing with awesome ideas for both characters and adventures.
The book serves to give the player more options to creating a compelling character, similar to the Heroes of Shadow book that came out a few months back. Let’s take a closer look, shall we?
[PS3 version reviewed]
It is telling, our state of post-post-meta-modernism, when a game like Deus Ex: Human Revolution seems slightly old-fashioned. Cyberpunk. I mean, how long ago was it that you read Neuromancer and Snow Crash? Or played Syndicate? What was once a cutting-edge science fiction trope now seems almost old hat. We’ve since moved on to looking for whatever comes after nanotechnology.
That’s what makes the setting of DXHR, in 2011, so interesting. When we were first introduced in the late 80s and 90s to the idea of cybernetic implants, and well, Deus Ex* and cyborgs in general, the technology seemed feasible but not exactly on the close horizon. It was easy to imagine humans with interface implants and extra-strong limbs and organs in the future – surely, someday, obviously, right? But, today… today much of what is portrayed in the game, a mere 16 years hence, suddenly seems that much closer. We’ve seen nimble robots. We’ve seen the rise of the global internet, fabrication technology, huge leaps in computer power, artificial materials with new properties already.
This new perspective on cyberpunk makes DXHR that much more interesting, and disturbing. Now it’s near-sci fi.
Kickstarter is a site where you can post up something you’d like to create but lack the funds to start-up. Other users act as venture capitalists, and can fund the project with small amounts of cash. If the project gets enough backers to reach it’s goal, then you pay the amount you promised. It’s a great way for people to make their ideas a reality.
This week we’re taking a look at the Tabletop RPG game “Age Past.” I was super impressed by the undertaking of creating an entirely new RPG game system. Not just art (though that looks great), not just new books (of which a few are currently planned), but a whole new dice system as well which they’re calling Elegant 10. I really think that’s a fantastic name by the way. The game looks to be shaping up nicely, and if the quality of the art is anything to go by then we’re in for quite a treat when the game is all done! So to learn more about what goes into an undertaking like this I did a little interview with the man behind the project.
So without further adieu, let’s learn a little bit about the RPG game “Age Past.”
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Federal regulations require me to inform you that this week’s 5 Hit Combo is…. Looking pretttttttty good. The whole show actually came together pretty well and covers a wide range of topics. This week we talk the video game Outland, the card game Dominion, mobile android game Hex Defense, Dungeons and Dragons Encounters and how cool it is to stand while you work. Oh, and The Lonely Island gets mentioned too. Yup, a nice wide range… just the way we like it.
Listen and enjoy!
Here’s the link to give Perpetual Geek Machine: Show #00026 a listen!
Here’s the breakdown on where to find/follow us online!
With great podcast comes great show notes. And responsibility…. but mostly show notes. (more…)
Monday night I sat in my study preparing for Wednesday’s session of Encounters. Unfortunately, I was dwelling on the negative. I was disappointed in my ability to get the players to connect with Splintershield in the first half of the season. If I had, then his death would have been more than just a plot device; it would have inspired the players to have their characters live on the edge in defense of their home(s) instead of just going through the paces of the adventure.
This week sets up the rest of the season and is integral in getting the players to buy in to what happens (or could happen) at the climax. If I do this right, it will result in a much more satisfying conclusion to thirteen weeks of work. The challenge for this session is to make sure I role play all my ideas instead of merely turning the first part of this encounter into an info dump. Here is what I planned:
It’s fun sometimes to play the grand knight in shining armor, the man who will lay down his life with honor to save someone in distress or right a wrong. To stand tall and proud against insurmountable odds. But sometimes, it’s even more fun to sneak in the shadow and stab a bad guy in the back with a poison tipped dagger. To call on the shadows and the darkness itself to power your arcane energy. To have noble intentions even if your methods are a bit… shady. The anti-hero.
So it’s in that vein, that desire to both be a hero and with something to hide that Wizards of the Coast has brought us “Heroes of Shadow” a new book of player options for those of us looking to have a character with a little more edge. It’s the book to use if you want your character to draw their power from somewhere dark. Use the darkness to fight the darkness, like is says on the back of the book. There are new classes. races, player hooks, feats, paragon and epic choices. There are even a few new equipment options. All focusing on shadow magic.
And pretty much all awesome.
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I am enjoying running this season of encounters. Big chunks of time between chapters are something new and leave openings for players to add history to their character as they grow. The story is good and I like that they get to face their recurring enemy often, unlike last season when it was eight weeks before they had an encounter with their foil.
I do have a couple requests for the future. Hopefully they could add just a few more paragraphs of information to enhance the story and roleplaying experience. Hammerfast is called a necropolis once in the module. In the adventure summary the plot for this week is revealed as “Vladistone turns the ghosts of Hammerfast against its citizens” but the magnitude of the ghost population is never really revealed until after the boxed text for this session. Just a paragraph or two from the Hammerfast supplement that was released a few years ago would be helpful. A player on his or her toes in week one may have asked, why is Hammerfast a Necropolis? The module does not provide this information. I know as a player I would have gotten much more satisfaction if a big hint got dropped week one that I had a shot at putting together for the future so come week nine we are not caught totally off guard.
