Cinematic Unisystem: Witches of East End

It really should be no surprise that I enjoy Lifetime's Witches of East End.

Yes it is a "chick show" and yes it is soap opera-y but really I don't care.  It is a a fun show and it has witches in it.  Plus I love Mädchen Amick and was drawn in because of her.

But a few surprising things happened.  First I was not prepared to walk away saying "wow Julia Ormond was really great in that!"  I NEVER liked Julia Ormond, I never liked her work.  Yet this show made me do a complete 180.  I think she is great in this and now I am wondering if I was just underestimating her as an actress.  OR I think she needed to mature a bit more (and maybe me too) so I could appreciate how good she is.
Rachel Boston and Jenna Dewan-Tatum are both great as the younger witches Ingrid and Freya respectively.

Honestly it is like the a crossover between "Charmed" and "Practical Magic".

Of course I was bummed out when Lifetime canceled it after Season 2.
Though there maybe hope yet. There is a massive campaign to get the show back and it seems to be making a lot of head way. Even William Shatner is Tweeting that it should not have been canceled.
Checking on the #RenewWitchesOfEastEnd hashtag on Twitter it seems to be gaining more and more ground.

Witches of East End for Cinematic Unisystem

My normal mode here is to use Classic Unisystem for books and Cinematic for TV shows.  Well Witches of East End is both.  For this posting I am going to focus soley on the TV show and do Cinematic Unisystem.  This is mostly Buffy/Angel stats, but a lot of Ghosts of Albion added in since it is a better fit for the show.
The Beauchamp witches are considered to be a supernatural race so they can choose some supernatural qualities and drawbacks normally denied to humans.

Joanna Beauchamp
Witch
Str: 2  Dex: 2 Con: 2 Int: 5 Per: 4 Wil: 7

Life Points: 39
Drama Points: 10

Qualities
Age 10, Attractive 1, Contacts 2 (occult), Control Weather 5, Hard to Kill 5, Healing Touch 3, Immortal, Magic 7, Nerves of Steel, Occult Library 3 (The Grimoire), TK 7, Unique Kill (Argentium)

Drawbacks
Adversary 5 (various witches, warlocks and members of Asgard that support her father),  Emotional Problems (must protect her girls above all else) 1, Honorable 2, Love (Tragic), Obsession (Find a cure for her family curse), Secret (is immortal from another world) 2

Skills
Acrobatics 1, Computer 1, Crime 1, Doctor 3, Driving 3, Engineering 1, Getting Medieval 3, Gun Fu 1, Influence 3, knowledge 6, Languages 4 (English, Latin, Greek, Asgardian), Notice 5, Occultism 8, Science 2, Sports 1

Spellcasting: +22
Deflect: +22

Joanna is the matriarch of the Beachamp witches.  She is sister to Wendy and mother to Ingrid and Freya.  Joanna is over 1,000 years old and has been living on earth in exile. She tries to maintain a low profile when she can in order to keep her girls safe.
She works as an art teacher in the small town of North Hampton

Wendy Beauchamp
Witch
Str: 3  Dex: 4 Con: 2 Int: 4 Per: 4 Wil: 5

Life Points: 54
Drama Points: 10

Qualities
Acute Senses 2 (night vision, smell), Age 9, Attractive 2, Contacts 2 (occult), Control Weather 4, Hard to Kill 8, Healing Touch 2, Immortal, Magic 6, Nerves of Steel, Occult Library 3 (The Grimoire), Supernatural Form (dual form, human and cat), TK 6, Unique Kill (kill all her nine lives)

Drawbacks
Addiction 1 (mild lechery), Adversary 4 (various witches, warlocks and members of Asgard that support her father),   Love (Tragic), Secret (is immortal from another world) 2

Skills
Acrobatics 3, Crime 2, Doctor 2, Driving 3, Engineering 1, Getting Medieval 4, Gun Fu 1, Influence 4, Knowledge 6, Languages 3 (English, Latin, Asgardian), Notice 6, Occultism 8, Science 2, Sports 3

Spellcasting: +19
Deflect: +19

Wendy is Joanna's younger sister. She is flighty and free spirited, but is fiercely devoted to her sister and nieces.  Wendy and Joanna were estranged for while when Wendy accidentally killed one of Ingrid's incarnations.

Ingrid Beauchamp
Witch
Str: 3  Dex: 2 Con: 2 Int: 6 Per: 4 Wil: 4

Life Points: 39
Drama Points: 10

Qualities
Attractive 2, Bookish, Control Weather 1, Hard to Kill 2, Healing Touch 2, Magic 3, Nerves of Steel, Occult Library 3 (The Grimoire), TK 3,

Drawbacks
Adversary 2 (various witches, warlocks),  Honorable 2, Love (Tragic), Secret (is a semi-immortal from another world) 2

Skills
Acrobatics 1, Computer 4, Crime 1, Doctor 3, Driving 3, Engineering 1, Getting Medieval 3, Gun Fu 1, Influence 3, Knowledge 6, Languages 3 (English, Latin, Greek), Notice 5, Occultism 5, Research 4, Science 5, Sports 1

Spellcasting: +12
Deflect: +12

Ingrid is the oldest daughter. She has only discovered that she is in fact a witch.  She spent most of her life as a rational skeptic.  She has similar powers to her mother but can also write new spells.
Ingrid currently works at the local East End library. She is also working on her dissertation on witches and witchcraft.

Freya Beauchamp
Witch
Str: 3  Dex: 2 Con: 3 Int: 4 Per: 4 Wil: 3

Life Points: 37
Drama Points: 10

Qualities
Attractive 3, Control Weather 1, Hard to Kill 1, Healing Touch 1, Magic 3, Nerves of Steel, Occult Library 3 (The Grimoire), TK 3,

Drawbacks
Adversary 2 (various witches, warlocks),  Honorable 2, Love (Dash, Killian), Secret (is a semi-immortal from another world) 2

Skills
Acrobatics 2, Computer 2, Crime 2, Doctor 3, Driving 3, Engineering 1, Getting Medieval 3, Gun Fu 1, Influence 3, Knowledge 5, Languages 1 (English), Notice 4, Occultism 4, Research 3, Science 2, Sports 2, Wild Card (Making Potions) 3

Spellcasting: +10
Deflect: +10

Frey is the youngest and usually the first to fall in love.  She is not as strong in her magic as her sister or mother, but has a special affinity for making potions.  She is also the daughter that gets along the best with Aunt Wendy.
Freya has calmed down a lot since her "wild child" days (which also makes her Wendy's favorite) to get married to a man named Dash. Though she falls in love with his brother, Killian.  Both brothers are warlocks though.   Freya currently works as a bartender.

Personally I think they would work great in any Cinematic Unisystem game.

I'd love to see more of this show (and so would the rest of the fans).

If you feel so inclined, send a Tweet to @Lifetime with the hashtag #RenewWitchesOfEastEnd.
I would consider is a personal favor.

Also if you are so inclined then please check out this petition.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/renew-witches-of-east-end

Zatannurday: Constantine

Sorry for the delay.  Have a party we are getting ready for today.


Last night was the premier of the TV series Constantine on NBC.
What did you think?

Well the critics seem to be mixed and the ratings were only ok (4.3 million). But it was up against the World Series, so hopefully we should see a ratings climb by next week (even if it is Halloween).

The actors were fine, but could have been better.
A number of comic book elements make an appearance including a few name drops (Nergal for example) and the Helm of Nabu from Dr. Fate.  Though not quite as much as say the new Flash series.  I am still quite hopeful that we will see Zatanna at one point.

I think it has potential to be honest.  Can't wait to see where it goes.

Zatannurday: Helm of Fate/Nabu on Constantine?

Some more images coming from the new Constantine TV show including more glimpses into the DCU.
First up the Helm of Nabu as worn by Doctor Fate.

The image, as scooped by my good friends at the Tower of Fate  Blog.

Could a Zatanna guest shot be in store as well?
Keep an eye here for any Zatanna related Constantine news and over at Tower of Fate for any Doctor Fate news.

Zatannurday: Constantine on NBC

This week we were treated to the new trailer for the upcoming NBC series Constantine based on the Hellblazer comics (not the Justice League Dark ones).

I have to admit it looks rather cool.  To say it is better than the Keanu Reeves movie is an understatement.



Welsh actor Matt Ryan really looks and sounds the part.

How long will it be before we see his on again, off again girl-friend Zatanna?  Hopefully soon.




[Zatanna] You taste like cigarettes, Constantine by JamesLeung on deviantART


Everything she does is magic by gabbie on deviantART


Smallville: Harbinger by gattadonna on deviantART


JLAD by CookieMonster-Of-WAR on deviantART

The Light's Winning: True Detective

Wow.

That is really all I have to say about the season finale of HBO's "True Detective".

I am not going to discuss the finale at all here, there are still people that have not seen it here or overseas.  But honestly this is one of the best things I have seen on American TV in a long, long time.

Not only were Matthew McConaughey (Det. Rustin "Rust" Cohle) and Woody Harrelson (Det. Martin "Marty" Hart) fantastic, they were the best I can ever remember seeing them.

The story pulled you in and kept you in till the end.  Honestly I kinda want to rewatch it just to make sure I caught everything.

It is one of the best "Southern Gothic" stories I have seen in a long time, and I will admit to having a soft spot in my heart for this genre. It was not just Noir-ish cop drama, although it works as that too, there is an undercurrent of pure darkness here that should disturb any rational thinking person.

A lot has been made of the "Lovecraftian" (ok really "Chambersian") uses of "Carcosa" and "The King in Yellow".  The fact that it was all steeped in hard reality and not some mythic world made it even more terrifying.  It certainly makes any other use of Carcosa seem pale and immature in comparison.  Seriously.

This would make such a fantastic Call of Cthlhu adventure it staggers my mind to think about how cool it could be. Horror, even 'Lovecraftian' horror, does not have to be about the monsters from beyond.  Especially if the monsters in the bayou or the local church school work well enough.

If you have not had the chance, check out the companion website, http://darknessbecomesyou.com/

If that is not enough then listen to the title song ("theme song" seems wrong). Haunting.


I am very surprised that something unseated American Horror Story as my favorite show of 2014.

Zatannurday: Serinda Swan

It dawned on me this week that I have never posted anything about Serinda Swan here.
Afterall she has the honor of playing the only live action version of Zatanna on TV in Smallville.   She was just recently spotted on the CW's updated Tomorrow People.  I have a feeling we will be seeing more of her.

In the meantime here she is as Zatanna from Smallville.

American Horror Story: Coven

Finished watching American Horror Story Coven last night.

Wow. That was a trip!  Pretty much everything you have read here put into a blender and poured out on to my TV.  I loved every minute of it.

I have some ideas on how to incorporate it into my ongoing games, but want to wait till next week when everyone that is going to watch it has and, well, I got caught up in work today.
(and Blogger is acting up. took me forever to post this)

I already pre-ordered the Blu-Ray.  I gotta see the behind the scenes features and listen to the commentary.

Personally I see plenty of potential for Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies.

Salem on WGN

So Witches of East End is done till Season 2 and American Horror Story Coven is done now (no spoilers, I have it on DVR).  Sleepy Hollow rescued Katrina for a few brief seconds and now it is done till Season 2.
How am I going to get my witches on TV fix now?



Oh!

Thank you WGN America.  Not sure if that is the same as the WGN we get here in Chicago, but I am sure I'll be able to find it somewhere.

The Power of the Witch & Witchcraft: Myth and Reality

A great little video from England in 1971.

Talks about witches and witchcraft but gets it all confabulated with satanism.  It does feature noted witchcraft experts Alex Sanders and Doreen Valiente.

Still though, exactly the sort of thing I would have been watching in the 70s and 80s when I was gaming and playing wizards, priests and witches.




Another one from around 1998 is Witchcraft: Myth and Reality.




It is a bit more even handed.

Watch these and you will get an idea of the sort feel I wanted in The Witch and Eldritch Witchery.

Bitten on SyFy

"Bitten" is the breakout novel from author Kelley Armstrong. It deals with Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf.

With Bitten Kelley began a 13 novel epic story of many lives and different types of supernaturals collectively known as "The Women of the Underworld".  The last novel of the series came out this last year and it was a very satisfying end to the series.

It is also the name of the new SyFy Channel's new series based on the book.



It stars Laura Vandervoort, in what might be the best bit of casting ever, as Elena.

Can't wait for this!

Of course I am looking forward to seeing Paige, Eve and Savannah; the Witches of Underworld. And Jaime, the Necromancer.

Tomorrow is her birthday, so stop by her site and wish her a happy birthday and a congrats on the new series.  http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/

Stevie Nicks on American Horror Story Coven

The writers for American Horror Story: Coven continue to pick ideas out of my head and will be featuring Stevie Nicks on an upcoming episode.

Seriously, it is like they read this blog! (Ok, I know they don't)

New Orleans? Check and check
Witchcraft Traditions? check
Stevie Nicks? Check
Witch Queens? Check.

Ok all of that is to be expected really.  But it has still been a really fun ride!

In other TV-Witch news, "Witches of East End" has been picked up for Season 2.

Winter is...well not here just yet

I tried. I did. And I failed.

I tried watching Game of Thrones and didn't make it past the first 4 episodes.  I might try again.
I just tried reading the book and only got about half-way through it before putting it down in favor of picking up the Hobbit again.

This weekend in Illinois was a good metaphor for this. Winter had been coming then it was in the 60s (with tornadoes) all weekend.

Recently I had been a big Conan kick thanks to +Jason Vey and I was impressed on how good they were now reading as an adult than when I tried reading them as a kid.  I had hoped that GoT was going to be similar in that respect (better than I remembered).  No such luck.

Though I love the imagery of a long winter coming after a period of long summer, I would have thought the people of the world would have been more anxious about it's coming.  Maybe in later books.  Still though I could not help but think this was the same planet from the 4th Doctor's Key to Time episode, The Ribos Operation.  Something I am planning on using in my current AD&D game.

Maybe I should try to reread Jack Vance now.  I actually enjoyed what little I read of the Dying Earth books.

Review: Cartoon Action Hour: Season 3

I just got my pdf of Cartoon Action Hour: Season 3 thanks to pledging in their Kickstarter.

This one was a no-brainer for me.  I loved CAH:S2 and have really enjoyed all of Spectrum Games products to date.

How does CAH:S3 stack up?  In an 80's word, Awesome!

CAH:S3 takes us back to the 80s Saturday morning (and week day afternoon) cartoons AND the toys that were so linked to them.   But I am getting ahead of myself.

And while I am still ahead of myself this game has the most awesome character sheet EVER!

Cartoon Action Hour: Season 3 (CAH:S3) is a game about cartoon and toy emulation. Specially 80s cartoons and toy emulation.  So there are some things that a given out of the box.  You won't see any deaths. Violence happens in terms of gun fire, explosions and maybe a fist fight, but you won't see people getting hurt.  There is a moral or message to every "episode"  and the bad guy is going to get away in the end only to be back next time like nothing happened.

The book, like Season 2, is divided into "Channels".  Channel 1 is the intro material, Channel 2 is the game system, Channel 3 is series creation (potentially more important than the characters themselves), Channel 4 is all about the Players, Channel 5 is the Game Master's section and finally we have an Appendix.

Channel 1 is the simple introductory material, but more over there is a great overview of how these cartoons (and this game) worked. There is a logic at work here in these and to get the most out of this game it is one you should follow.  The best feature of this Channel is of course the overview of the 80s cartoons.  It's not a laundry list of every toon, but a selective "bibliography" and must see TV.  

Channel 2 covers the game system itself.  In many games this is the Character creation chapter, but since character creation and series creation are so closely tied together we will discuss the system first.   The game is made up of a Series (the game), Seasons (a campaign), Episodes and Scenes.  Characters are PCs and GMC (Game Master Characters).  A Season for example is made up of 6 Episodes.  I might stick with my more familiar 12 and allow a mid-season break.  Why is this important? At season breaks is when you can improve your character or change it all together.

Characters are made up of Traits and Qualities.  Traits are something definitive about the character like "Strongest Man in World" or "Sneaky Thief" or "Leader of the Decipti-bots".  Stuff like that.  Qualities are more quantifiable and are measured based on how powerful your series is.  Characters can also be ranked in terms of their Star Power.  Stars (and PCs) have the highest at 3, your nameless, faceless goon has 1.  If there is only one star, then they are Star Power 4.

Oomph is the power-, hero- or drama point mechanic.  Collect "Proofs of Purchase" to get more Oomph!
It is equal to your Star Power but changes through out the game.

The basic mechanic of the game is the Check.
Traits and Qualities (and Oomph) add to the dice rolls on a Check.

Characters may not die, but they can loose an important scene.  For that there are Setback Tokens.  These Crucial Checks are usually the ones right before a commercial break or even worse, the ones at the end of an episode and continued next time (granted there were not a lot of those, but GI Joe first season comes to mind).  Gain more Setbacks than your Star Power and you are out of the scene.

Season 3 has something new in it, or at least something I don't recall from Season 2. Gestalts.  This allows you to combine powers, bodies or whatever into something greater.  Think Voltron or some Transformers.

I think one of the rules I like the most here is "The Movie" which allows you, within the game, to throw out some of conceits of the game.  So in this characters can die! Bad guys hit their targets!  Mechanically you get more Oomph and damage and Setback tokens are not removed as often (no commercials after all) the risks are higher but characters that make it out gain experience and can be changed.  Think "The Transformers Movie" from 1986.

Channel 3 covers Series Creation. Wait, where is Character creation you ask? Well it's here too.  Series and Characters are created together.  You can't have GI Joe without the Joes or Transformers without the Autobots.  First this is create a Series guideline.  First figure out what your series in named and it's tagline.  So the example I used last time was The Hex Girls with the tagline "We'll put a spell on you!".   Next up figure out the details of the series. Tech level, twists, genre.  What is your elevator pitch on this.  "Modern Earth, magic is real, but no one believes in it. Characters are supernaturals and try to lead normal lives." Something like that, only more detail.   The newest feature of the series creation is the Dial. Dials tell you the levels of the game.  How comedic is it? How realistic? What's the violence?

Now we get into character creation.
Characters are ranked as either human, superhuman or cosmic.  The GM will decide, based on the series, on what traits can't be used, or limits on the traits and other details before the characters are made.   So as an example a series about wizard kids must all have a trait "Wizard" at 3 or better, but no technology-based traits.
After that character creation is a breeze.
There are some special abilities and then we discuss GMC (Game Master Characters). They are created much the same way, only less details.  Some templates such as goons and Master Villains are presented.
Playsets are where the action takes place and they are created in a similar way.

How cool is this sheet?

Character advancement is handled next.  Among the obvious places for advancement you can also put in points to the playset to upgrade your base.  So something like in Season 2 getting a new super smart computer in the base or a new book of spells.

We end with 8 series ideas.

Channel 4 covers advice to the Players.  A game like CAH requires a lot of buy in from the players.  You can't go into it like you do other games.  This is not "Dungeons & Dragons" this is the "Dungeons & Dragons cartoon".  So the players have to go in with the right frame of mind.  You want your game to be like the first season of G.I. Joe where everyone worked together, not the seasons that featured (and were dominated by) Sgt. Slaughter.

Channel 5 has similar advice for the Game Master.  Again emphasis here is placed on cartoon logic, and creating a fun series and episode. Don't forget the "And Now You Know" messages at the end! That's not a bug, it's a feature of the game.

In the end what we have is a crazy fun game again.  If you were a kid in the 80s and watched any cartoons then there is something here for you.  It is also a great change of pace from all the other games I play. This game focuses on having fun as well as being fun.

There are no conversions for CAH:S2 here.  But the conversions look simple to be honest.  Enough that I feel fine moving characters from one to the next with little to no effort.

Character Creation is much improved in this edition and much more streamlined.  Series creation is about the same, but it was just right in the last version.

Looking forward to doing a lot more with this one!

Links

• Spectrum Games
• Spectrum Games on Facebook
• Cartoon Action Hour Fans Yahoo Group.  Tons of great material here.

The New Witches of TV

2013 is turning into the TV Season of the the Witch.  Rarely has there been this many witches on TV at once.

American Horror Story: Coven
What's not to like about this one? Witches. New Orleans. Voodoo. Stevie Nicks music. Sounds like my kind of show.  Plus it has Jessica Lange as "The Supreme" or what would be called in one of my games, the Witch Queen.  So far the story is engrossing and I am sure there is going to be a fairly hefty body count.
The witches on this show seem to have a signature power as well as the ability to cast some spells.  There are only a handful of witches left in America (having been hunted down) so there is a sense of "us vs them" in this.  Actually given the voodoo angle it is likely to be "us vs them vs them".
ETA: Totally "us vs them vs them".

Witches of East End
This show is based on the books by Melissa de la Cruz.  This is much more campy and much more soapy.  Here the witches don't have a power each, but a signature curse.  I kinda like that to be honest, very Practical Magic about them.  It deals, much like Charmed and Practical Magic, with sisters.  I will say that this is the first time I have watched Julia Ormond in something and I liked her in it.  It also stars Mädchen Amick, who I have liked since her brief appearance on Star Trek The Next Generation back in season 2 (1988-89).
Comparisons to Charmed and Practical Magic are going to abound in this one. The house even reminds me of the Halliwell Manor home.   It is not quite as good as American Horror story, but there is fun about it.

Sleepy Hollow
Though not a witch-show per se, it does feature Katia Winter as Katrina Crane who was/is a witch.   I liked Katia Winter during her recent stint on Dexter, so her roll her is very different but gives you just enough to make me want to know more about her.  Plus I want to know how this character differs from the original Katrina Van Tassel.

Two other shows that don't presently have any witches but very likely might are the new Dracula series on NBC and the upcoming Bitten on SyFy based on the books of Kelley Armstrong. Then there is also the rumor now of Charmed coming back to TV as a reboot.  Way too early for that to be honest despite how much I enjoyed Charmed.

Zatannurday: Constantine on the Little Screen?

Constantine on TV?



Looks like we might be getting a Constantine based TV show.

http://comicsalliance.com/new-john-constantine-tv-series-nbc-daniel-cerone-david-s-goyer/
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/27/constantine-tv-show-in-development-at-nbc
http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/28848/
http://dcwomenkickingass.tumblr.com/post/62414638457/nbc-picks-up-dcs-constantine-for-development

Of course right now this is only talk and talk means very, very little in Hollywood. But honestly with the recent batch of supernatural themed shows and the successes of Smallville and Arrow, this could become a real thing.

I can only hope the Zee makes the occasional appearance.

D&D TV

I don't think I ever remember seeing this one on TV.



Do you remember any D&D commercials on TV?
The only one I ever remember was this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1wGlOwn1pM&feature=share

May Monster Maddness: Dracula

Dracula is an old favorite here at The Other Side.
I have seen just about every movie featuring the Count, read scores of books about him and I was even in the play back in High School.

So it is with some excitement and trepidation that I report on the new series coming to NBC.

The trailer looks interesting and I am glad it is set in the Victorian Era rather than modern times.



The trailer looks good, and it seems to be a retelling of the Dracula novel and/or play.  There is a character named "Browning" in the cast that I am sure is a nod to Todd Browning.

It stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers from The Tudors as Dracula, so that is a good start.
Sure he is a bit young looking, but that is not a big deal.
I see they are going with the "immortal love" angle from recent movies though.  Not fond of that idea BUT it does give Drac a reason not to kill Mina right away and prolong a series.

I would have preferred to see to see this on Showtime or HBO, but hey at least we are getting something right?

I am looking forward to this.  Should be on the air about the same time True Blood takes their season finale.

Enjoy this? Please check out the other monster posts today!

Review: Tacky, Tawdry and Tasteless: the Reality Show RPG

I have been neglecting my reviews.
So I am going to feature some games I have bought in the last few months.

Tacky, Tawdry and Tasteless: the Reality Show RPG
From Spectrum Games

A great game that comes in at just under 10 pages. Spectrum Games has made a name for themselves in Genre Emulation.  Since Reality TV is often criticized as not needing any writers, the game brilliantly is equally as brief.  Foregoing the typical "this is an RPG" section, the game gets right into the various types of reality TV shows are discussed.  Once your group decides what sort of game they are going to do (or maybe your Director has decided for you) and then you go!
You then need to make your character. You figure out your name and stereotype then roll your stats. Figure out your positive and negative qualities and you are good to go!  Like other Spectrum Games these qualities are not listed; instead you decide what they need to be.  Typically these are needed to point out some character flaw your character has.
For rules, the only checks are ability checks (roll under, apply qualities as needed) and dramatic checks.
You also get "Edit Tokens" which work a lot like Drama Points.  Tokens are awarded for good roleplaying and Sticking to Genre.  You can also spend your tokens to change what is going on; such a "Oh No You Dit'unt!" and "I Ain't Goin' Nowhere!".
The basic structure of a game is also laid out, including Commercial Breaks.  These can affect the Shows "Popularity" this can affect the amount of Edit Tokens the players can get.

The game is fast and is great for a like minded group. Given the nature of reality TV you could have enough material here for several "episodes" of material.

Personally I'd like to try it out sometime with people bringing in characters from any game and do a reality "TV Show" where all these characters have to live together in a house in between their normal adventures.

Zatannurday: DC Nation

Today is the day!

Today is the day we get new DC Nation shows and that means new Young Justice.

The clips from the website feature all sorts of cool things and the return (and sometimes for the first time in this show) of some familiar faces. The ones I am looking forward too are Slade, Apache Chief (what! He was cool in Super Friends and this version looks awesome), Doctor Fate and of course Zatanna!

It will be fun to see 20-something Zee given the recent (semi-recent) version of her in Justice League Dark #0.

New YJ also mean new Green Lantern (which has gotten better) and new DC Shorts, which I am really looking forward too.  Sadly the Subuffs aka SBFF aka Super-Best Friends Forever will not be back.

We are getting new Thunder and Lightning and Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld.
This is never a bad thing.

Just a couple more hours...

October Challenge: Girl vs. Monster (2012)

Girl vs. Monster (2012)

So I was not originally going to count this one till my wife pointed out that it is actually better and scarier than  some of the other movies I have forced her to watch with me.  This one was obviously my kids' choice but it turns out it is kinda fun.  There are homages to Buffy, Ghostbusters (lots), and Beetlejuice in this.

Skylar, a fearless teen discovers near her 16th birthday that she is a 5th generation monster hunter. Not a bad premise really. Her mom and dad have a Steampunk-looking Ghostsbusters like lab. Where they keep all the ghosts, vapors and spooks they catch.

The special effects are not bad. Not great mind you, but not bad.  The message is not a bad one either; you are going to have fears, but they don't have to control you.

From my point of view it would make a cool game for kids.  I can certainly see Disney doing a sequel to this one.

I'll count this one as a horror movie, but I am going to have watch something scarier soon.


Tally: Watched 23, New 18

What are you watching?