Tabletop Gaming
First of all, my apologies... I not only had no internet access all weekend, but I also lost my camera the first day of the con, so I got a not great picture of the larger than life serra angel sculpture and not much else.
I'll do some in depth discussion of some items later in the week, but the highlights went something like this:
Wednesday: Planes have never had much leg room, but the cigar tube planes I ended up stuck on the journey to GenCon had me cursing my great height. To add insult to injury, despite great reductions in fuel costs overall, I still paid more for my flight than last year. By a fortuitous coincidence, I ended up on the final leg of the flight with half of Paizo, who I'm sure were just thrilled to deal with fans before they even reached the con (I'm joking, they really were on my flight, but beyond saying hi, I tried to leave the poor guys alone). That evening I got to see more of the Paizo crew and even caught an advance look at a full color proof of the Pathfinder Bestiary, which Erik Mona had brought with him to the con and was sharing with a group of contributors and Pathfinder Society volunteers. The art director deserves some serious credit, the artwork is stunning and I'm looking forward to picking up a copy of the book when it becomes available.
Thursday: Let it be known, attend your RPGA meetings! I skipped the immediate entry into the exhibit hall, remembering the complete the insanity all too well from last year. Instead I attended a midmorning RPGA seminar... in which Chris Tulach handed out one of the coveted treasures of the delve: an RPGA Player reward card. Okay, so the wooden boxes were much cooler prizes than cards, but to get the card all I had to do was show up! Chris shared some great info about the RPGA scenarios and upcoming events. Weekend in the Realms sounds like it will be a killer event, and the upcoming Worldwide D&D Day that coincides with the release of Dungeon Masters Guide 2 sounds like it will be a really different and innovative event. I am also intrigued with the release of the mini-campaign adventures for Living Forgotten Realms. I wasn't signed up for the premier mini-campaign adventure, so I can't say how it went, but it sounded very cool.
Friday: Two highlights here... first off, 4e D&D Extravaganza... I took notes, but the big revelation was the announcement of the next setting for 2010. As I expected, it will be Dark Sun. I'm really looking forward to it, as Dark Sun is a big step into something different and I'm fascinated to see how they put it together. Second the ENnies... congratulations to Wizards of the Coast who took gold in Best Publisher (Paizo took silver in this category). A special congratulations also to relative newcomer Kobold Quarterly, which took an ENnie for Best Writing.
Saturday: Did I mention that I went to GenCon to game too? And on Saturday that's exactly what I did. I spent the afternoon in an RPGA session playing the LFR adventure Ghosts of the Past. The adventure was sickeningly hard, but we did survive and even managed to get the most crucial of the story rewards. My message: ongoing damage SUCKS at low levels. For the evening I was hosted by the fabulous WereCabbages for their open gaming night. This isn't an official GenCon event, but is a highlight for me, because it means an opportunity to game with some incredibly creative folks. One of the cabbages brought the designer of Venus Needs Men! to the event and I spent the evening learning the game (more on that later).
Sunday: Dungeon Delves are a rather unique experience, but also great fun. I got an opportunity to play an artificer in the Delve - not a class I've looked at much, and managed to accumulate enough tokens to get a second RPGA Player Reward Card - this time Kenku Explorer, which permits the card holder to create a kenku character for Living Forgotten Realms play. After that it was time to wrap up with a too quick lunch, a final pass in the hall, and a sickeningly inconvenient series of flights back home.
So, the gift giving season is here... and I'm just as flustered with it as I am excited. I mean, I love getting gifts, but whenever anyone asks, I am at a loss to say what I might want. I mean, a man is the obvious choice for me... but I have one, and asking for two... well that would just be greedy!
Favorite things I'd like to see?
A subscription to Kobold Quarterly is high on my list... I mean, I have one, of course, but it can always be extended, right?
One of the new 4e Dungeons & Dragons books... I am still torn on the new edition, enough so that I haven't been buying everything that comes out. Also, the new books are expensive, so I am reluctant to shell out the big bucks for them. On the other hand, unlike many of my fellow grognards, I like the game, so the new Manual of the Planes or Draconomicon I: Chromatic Dragons might be nice...
On the Paizo side of things, the new Pathfinder system is gaining steam. In addition to their Adventure Paths (they are finishing up their third, so now is the time to get on board for the fourth, Legacy of Fire!), they have a dizzying array of products. One of the ones I haven't picked up yet and holds, frankly, a lot of attraction, is their Planet Stories line of books... yes, plain old non-rpg books. One of their best products is also currently free: the Beta playtest rules for the Pathfinder RPG, also sometimes referred to as 3.75 or 3.P - a Paizo spin on the OGL rules.
As for card games, I will stick with my very favorite... I still need to get my hands on a couple different decks for Killer Bunnies from Playroom entertainment.
For board games? I am still looking to get my hands on the new edition of Talisman.
What sort of gifts are you looking for? Have I missed a gem? Tell me soon... my man is demanding a list, or I will go without swag this year!
Greetings! I am happy to say my medical crap is now (finally) behind me so that I can start posting again. I want to start with a return to Game Of The Week, which lately has been more of a game of the month. My apologies. So on to it!
This week's Game of the Week is Wizard's Gambit. I discovered this game at GenCon Indy thanks to a good friend who recommended that I stop by the Gryphon Forge booth. I hadn't heard of this company before, frankly, and I had my doubts, but I found that the game play was pretty cool. Also, I'm all for some good non-collectible card games, since not all of us can afford to pump the regular funds into a game like that (yeah, I'm a recovering Magic: The Gathering addict).
Check behind the break for some more information on the game from the Gryphon Forge website.
From GayGamer: On an article posted to John McCain's website yesterday in response to plagiarism charges from the liberal blogosphere, McCain's campaign bashes gamers in a venomous ad hominem attack tucked into the last paragraph:
It may be typical of the pro-Obama Dungeons & Dragons crowd to disparage a fellow countryman's memory of war from the comfort of mom's basement, but most Americans have the humility and gratitude to respect and learn from the memories of men who suffered on behalf of others.
Right - because gamers can't quite possibly understand the sacrifice our troops make to keep us safe. Good job, ignorant and bitter McCain campaign staffer; you've shown the same amount of savvy that a typical High School bully shows as he kicks around the little guy in the classroom.
In that one sentence you've not only insulted gamers like me who have utter respect for our troops, but you've insulted those members of the military who themselves enjoy rolling the dice and dungeon crawling as an enjoyable hobby. There are at least three members of my regular gaming group who are service members, and you just insulted every single one of them.
Way to go.
Smears the Left Can Fight For [McCain]
And the news is in, the GSL isn't quite as restrictive as we recently thought it might be! It seems the GSL will require that product lines make the full conversion. How restrictive is this? We don't know until we see the definition of "product line," but it is certainly less restrictive than the company wide conversion that seemed in the cards two weeks ago.
I'm encouraged by this news and hope that we may yet see some Paizo and Green Ronin materials for 4e. There are still many companies who are (at least publically) on the fence, but I wouldn't expect to see firm decisions from anyone until they see the license.
Here's a tidbit:
There has been a lot of speculation around the details of the new GSL, and I feel like there is need for some clarification. Our intention is to encourage publishers to design for 4th Edition, not to jeopardize independent third-party games published under the OGL. With that in mind, publishers are going to be able to decide -- on a product line by product line basis -- which platform they will use for developing their products. If a publisher has an existing product under the OGL, we would love for them to update it to the GSL; however, that is not a requirement.
--Scott Rouse, Senior Brand Manager
For more info check the D&D GSL FAQ.
I've got to admit, when I first heard about Gleemax way back at Digital Life, I was skeptical. Partially this was because I'd just stumbled off the plane from Tokyo and was, frankly, no longer familiar with the direction formerly known as "up." Also, I underestimated both Wizards of the Coast and the momentum generated by their three-pronged approach to modernizing tabletop gaming, gaming reference resources, and social networking.
But their showing at GDC stepped up their game big time. From their position as platinum sponsor of the IGF awards, and the dead-awesome awards they had manufactured (a brain in a green sphere gripped by some kind of awesome bronze steampunk business), it became obvious that Wizards is taking Gleemax all the way. While an alpha of the site is open now, don't expect the full features to be rolled out until later in the year when D&D 4.0 arrives - and when the site does go fully live, a certain subset of gamers will be psyched to explore the community portal. More will follow, because WotC is giving Gleemax something for everyone.
Avalon Hill celebrates their golden anniversary this year... and they're celebrating by re-releasing some of their coolest and most enduring games. This week's Game of the Week was always one of my favorite board games... Diplomacy.
I don't know that you can really say much about this game... it's a legendary game for a reason. Perhaps the intrigue and deal making aspect are what draw me to it, since I'm an rpg guy. But the fact remains, this re-release is a chance to get into the game of international intrigue that has been going on for ... well, ages! Avalon Hill has scheduled the re-release for mid-March. For those who have never played the game, here's a tidbit from their website:
At the turn of the 20th century, the seven Great European Powers engage in an intricate struggle for supremacy. Military forces invade and withdraw, shifting borders and altering empires with subtle maneuvers and daring gambits.
Form alliances and unhatch your traitorous plots as you negotiate and outwit—in a delicate balance of cooperation and competition—to gain dominance of the continent! In Diplomacy, your success hinges not on the luck of the dice, but your cunning and cleverness.
Okay, it's here... slightly delayed by a bad internet experience, but hopefully back up and strong. This week's Game of the Week is from Titanic Games which has just released their next game. I rather liked the idea of Stonehenge, but Key Largo, already a hit game in Europe, seems to be more of a "hunt for the treasure" sort of game. It must be all the Disney pirate movies... but pirates are in. Hmmph. I'm in the ninja camp myself, but for those who like pirates - Go get thee some booty!
Here's what their website has to say about the game:
As the new century dawns, players ply the thriving trade of finding treasures in shipwrecks around the island. Before a hurricane hits, players need to search the many shipwrecks and sell the lost treasures to the island denizens for as much cash as possible.
[via Titanic Games]
Titanic Games recently released the first expansion for its Stonehenge: An Anthology Board Game. The expansion Stonehenge: Nocturne includes several additional pieces as well as rules for playing three new games with the stonehenge board and pieces, all designed by known names in the tabletop gaming industry. The whole idea of an anthology board game is a fascinating one - that game designers would use the same board and pieces for a variety of games with different rules - and I encourage any gamer to take a look. Here are some details on the new expansion:
This expansion continues the tradition of bringing the best board game designers in the world together to work on different games using the same pieces.
Stonehenge: Nocturne features three wildly different games by four world-class designers. This expansion's designers are Klaus-Jürgen Wrede (designer of Carcassonne), Andrew Looney (designer of Fluxx), and the team of Bruno Cathala and Serge Laget (designers of Shadows over Camelot). The games uniquely showcase the personalities of their designers, giving players a wide variety of play experiences.
Nocturne also expands Stonehenge by introducing pieces for sixth and seventh players. Previously published games can also be played with these extra pieces.
Okay, so I confess... I love my Order of the Stick. It's one of the best web comics out there and I get a kick out of reading it whenever it's posted. This week's Game of the Week is dedicated to that awesome comic and the tabletop game based on it from APE Games - The Order of the Stick Adventure Game: The Dungeon of Dorukan. Other than an unseemly long name, I've nothing really bad to say about this game, which I got for a friend over the holidays. Like most of my favorite games on the market it allows for players to be cooperative or to stab each other in the back... I like that freedom - it allows the game to be versatile and really makes the game experience different depending on who you're playing with. Now if only it revealed dark eldritch secrets (like what gender Varsuvius really is)...
Welcome back to Free Game Friday! Last week I looked at Ars Magica, so for this week I've decided to highlight a less rules-intensive RPG that you can just dive into with minimal effort and appropriate amounts of beer and pretzels. What I speak of is the game with more purple stick figures than I've ever seen collected in one place—Risus: The Anything RPG.
I'm not going to explain the rules here—heck, it's only six pages long, so any explaining I do would be silly since you should really just read the damn thing. As briefly as possible, though: it's meant for funny games but can be adapted to more serious ones, character creation takes about 20 seconds, instead of "character classes" there are "Clichés," the core rules end after the first four pages (the last two pages being "Advanced Rules"), but the hardcore Risus fanbase has made tons of expansions for the game into various genres just in case you want to go more in depth (including translations of the game into Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Danish, Croatian, Dutch, Czech, Polish and Norwegian).
Risus is a +3 hoot, wonderfully effective at making a satisfying and amusing game when you and your group are totally burnt out, and best of all—it's free!
Making one of the most natural fits I've ever seen in gaming, WizKids games and Disney have cooperated to bring the ships and crews of the phenomenal Pirates of the Caribbean movies to the Pirates constructible miniatures game with the new and aptly-named Pirates of the Caribbean expansion. To hype the expansion, the two companies are putting on a giveaway with a few thousand prizes and one heck of a grand prize:
WizKids Inc. announced today prizes for the Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean PocketModel™ game sweepstakes. The sweepstakes grand prize is a trip for four to a Disney Theme Park, including round-trip airfare to a Disney resort, hotel room, tickets to a Disney resort and $1,000 spending money. There will be other Pirates prizes for thousands of instant winners.
To enter, all you have to do is grab a booster pack of
Pirate's Pirates of the Caribbean expansion, fill out the sweepstakes card inside, and send it in. Sounds easy. For more details, you can check out the
contest's full rules and details.
Contest or no, any game where I get to send my tentacled beastie after Jack Sparrow gets my gaming dollar!
And girls who like girls who like breastplates!
Game of the Week
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