A Role Playing Games Blog
Humor
Putting my (hypothetical) money where my mouth is!
8June 14, 2011
It’s an old adage (and yes I do love that word, I’ve used it often enough) that it’s not the system; it’s the Game Master that makes the role playing experience enjoyable. As a result of recent discussions with friends about which system to use for a possible sci-fi game (a topic I’ve mentioned often before here in the blog), and the wonderful interview Game Knight Reviews did with our fearless leader Michael, specifically question 8 about Michael’s favorite games to play, I’ve been thinking about this a lot…
I have heard variations of the idea, but it basically boils down to the concept that an able (and what THIS constitutes can be a whole other subject open to discussion) GM can make any system entertaining. In effect a good game master can turn a turd into a gem! I have been guilty of saying this myself, often without giving it much though. If we think about it, this is not completely true. There are some systems that are really not salvageable. Be it because they way the rules are written (the intent or the actual use of language) makes them incomprehensible, or the mechanics are so confusing or nonsensical, that no one can really play the game. And I’m not discounting attempts at humor or parody in RPG form, which may not be meant as actual games at all, and can be fun.
Plastic Crack is Wack!
1May 26, 2011
As I’ve said before, miniatures in my games a relatively new addition, only since 2001 when we started playing Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition. I was not weaned into gaming through minis; I did not migrate from wargames to RPGs, instead I jumped right into gaming and was pretty much self-taught, so I never used miniatures. In fact I resisted! When D&D 3rd edition came out I realized the game required some sort of miniatures or counters (the arguments can be made that it CAN be played without them but indulge me for a minute) so I reluctantly dug out my old HeroQuest and Battle Masters miniatures and got to playing.
I figured I had a pretty diverse set of miniatures from these two games. True the Battle Masters minis had unit bases with various miniatures grouped together, but I solved this by getting some foam board, cutting out bases and inserting the miniature on the base. I packed them on some craft supplies boxes and I was set. I told myself I needed no more minis.
See, I had friends who owned a LOT of minis. I had played some Battletech and Epic but always with their miniatures, and I had seen the obsession with these little then lead, and later pewter, figurines. I had flirted with the idea of painting them, actually ordering a set of dwarves and skavens and trying my hand at painting them… Let’s just say the results were less than flattering. Unpainted miniatures looked so, unattractive that I was uninterested in them, so I figured that with no natural talent I was immune to the lure of miniatures.
The Dungeon Master
0April 29, 2011
A couple of weeks ago, fellow blogger Youseph let me know about a new gaming-related short film called “The Dungeon Master”. Here’s the synopsis cited from the original site:
After they discover they were both fantasy geeks as kids, Shane and Cooper decide to spend a night playing Dungeons and Dragons. But they canʼt remember the rules, so they invite a true gamer to help them. When he shows up in a cape, things get awkward very quickly…
According to the director’s statement, the film is mostly based on a true story and contrary to what the trailer makes you believe, the story slowly pushes the identification away from the “cool kids” to the geek in a cape. This is definitely a welcome change to the majority of gaming-related films who make fun of our beloved hobby.
The Dungeon Master Trailer from The Strong Brothers on Vimeo.
Hopefully the full short film will be available on DVD at some point in the future, since I doubt I’ll make it to any of those film festivals where it’s shown.
Exciting Alternity news!
7April 1, 2011
We’ve been sitting on this for a couple of weeks, dying to share it with our readers, but we couldn’t until all the details were worked out. Now that all that is taken care off we can share some exciting news… Here is the press release going out to gaming magazines (the two left) and gaming blogs later today.
PRESS RELEASE
Wolf-Micheri Ltd. Publishing
Löhnberg, Germany
San Juan, Puerto Rico
editorinchief@wmltdpub.com
April 1st, 2011
The much beloved sci-fi game Alternity is back with a vengeance! The RPG originally published by Wizards of the Coast in the late 90s continues to have a huge fan base online, long after the line was discontinued by its publisher. The fans have clamored for a new edition and we listened. The newly formed Wolf-Micheri Ltd. Publishing has acquired the rights to publish Alternity materials.
The publishers have confirmed they are working on a second edition of the game integrating years of fan developments. They also intend to integrate the best innovations in game design theory that has developed since the line’s cancellation.
The stated purpose is for all past Alternity products to be partially compatible with the new edition with minor conversions. The new books, to be published in electronic form first and via major POD services in the coming months, will continue to be developed around the core two books; one aimed at players, the other at game masters.
The development team is composed of the best and brightest game developers in the blogosphere and Mr. Micheri has confirmed the new edition of Alternity will integrate elements modern gamers have come to expect: tactical combat rules, rules for the use of miniatures in the games, an upcoming miniature line, random collectable cards for skills, psionics, bionics and special equipment. The publisher went on to say, “Just because we criticize others for doing, doesn’t mean we won’t milk this baby for all its worth!”
Stay tuned to the blog for the launch of the official website coming soon.
Be ready for a new, exciting Alternity RPG. Not your father’s sci-fi game!
Have a great first day of April…
Lazy Friday Video Post: “Mike Mearls talks about the future of D&D”
6Check out what Mike Mearls, who is currently in charge of D&D development, told us about the future of D&D. You probably won’t believe a few of the changes they have in store for us!
What do you think? Will this change what we think about D&D? Do you intend to give 5th Edition a chance? As always all your comments are highly appreciated.
You have a question about an existing or upcoming Stargazer Games product? Ask away! You want to know what we think about a recent development in the RPG industry? Send in your questions. You always wanted to know what we think about game X? Send us an email.
