Beginnings Blogfest

I am participating in the Beginnings Blogfest hosted by L.G. Keltner over at Writing Off the Edge.

The theme of this blogfest is to talk about why you started blogging in the first place.

I actually have two reasons, but the first was to start out as a design blog/journal for my work on Eldritch Witchery and The Witch.  I was going to talk about what I was doing, the playtests and the writing process.
I did do all of that, though not to the level I thought I was going to do.  Instead reason number 2 took over.

I used to be very active in online message boards. I spent a lot of time on Planet AD&D, Eden's Boards and various boards for other systems. I was also involved a lot in RPG.net and the Kitten Board forever.  Boards are fun, but rules over what you can post vary.  D&D boards don't want to hear about my Unisystem stuff, and visa versa.  Some boards have very strict mods while others don't.

With blogging I got to post what I wanted, the way I wanted to post it.
If I wanted to spend a week on vampire movies or anime or stats for various witches in various game systems, I can.

Getting to know other bloggers was just a really nice and totally unexpected benefit.

I hope that doing this has improved my own writing and opened up a new avenue of social networking for me.

Note:  White Dwarf Wednesday will appear later today.

Meanwhile at Hero Press...

What the hell is this thing???

I have no idea. Neither does Tim over at Hero Press.  But if you do it could be worth something.
Worth a copy of Icons or "'With Great Power...' The Stan Lee Story".

He is sponsoring a contest to name and flesh out this monster as part of his 6th anniversary of blogging.

So go over there and ... dare I say it...give him a hand!

DriveThruRPG Sale

We have not had one of these in a while, but DriveThruRPG is holding a January sale.
Their "New Year, New Game" promotion with select games at 40% off.

Among the games listed here are a just a few of my favorites:

• Albion - not Ghosts of Albion, but equally as fun!
• Aletheia - have had it for a bit and really need to play it.
• Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul - really fun comic game
• Conspiracy X 2.0 is the best Modern Conspiracy game there is.
• Diana: Warrior Princess - ever wonder what future archeologists will say about the late 20th/early 21st Century? Wonder no more!
• Icons - a great FATE based Supers RPG.
• Leverage - one of the cooler Cortex+ systems out there.
• Little Fears: 10th Anniversary Edition - great creepy game. The original rules for Little Fears. My review.
• Mutants & Masterminds 3.0 - I have talked about how great this game is a lot here.
• Myth & Magic: Player's Guide - looks a bit like 2nd ed AD&D.  I have a review going up soon.
• Primeval RPG Core Rulebook - based on the English TV show about rifts in Time and Space. Compatible with their Doctor Who system.  My review.
• QAGS - See my review for this one!
• Shadowrun: 4th Ed. 20th Anniversary Core Rulebook - The cyberpunk meets the future meets magic game. Reminds me of going of to college. 
• The Victory System - the only one on the list that I didn't know much about.  It is by Dakkar Unlimited and I have known Dakkar for years, so I am willing to try it out based on that alone.
• Traveller Main Rulebook - I have enjoyed Traveller in the past even when it frustrates me.  I will give Mongoose a lot of credit for cleaning it up so much.
• Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - this nearly 530 page tome is a MUST BUY for any fan of the Vampire game.  40% off the PDF is a great savings.
• Villains and Vigilantes - my first ever Supers game.  Glad to see this one back as well.

There are plenty more.

AND if you use this code:

happynyng2013 

You gain an additional 15% off.

New Kickstarters

I really need to kick my Kickstarter habit.

Maybe later.
All of these are already backed.

First up is an update to the Ron Edwards classic Sorcerer.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/847190685/sorcerer-upgrade

And what I described as the Kick-Starter of the Year, the new Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/994700393/deluxe-tunnels-and-trolls

Not sure if I am going to pledge in either yet, but both are games I have enjoyed in the past and I am happy to see them get some cash for some high end production value.

There is also the new FATE Core rules.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/evilhat/fate-core?ref=home_leanback

That one is so ridiculously funded that it doesn't need my help really.  It is even linked on the front page of the Kickstarter home page. But you have to give Fred and Evil Hat credit (and kudos) for having such a successful campaign.  Plus for a buck you have access to the draft rules right now and a physical book for only 30 bucks.  Also, and lets be honest, cybernetic Kung-fu gorilla on the cover?  How can that not be cool?

The trouble with all three of these games is I don't need anymore games. But there they are, out there, taunting me.

Known by the company you keep

Then my book is in some pretty good company here.

Not trying to indicate any compatibility here at all.   But they all sure do look good together.

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...

Star Trek RPGs, Part II

I feel the need to make this "Wrath of Something" or "Into Dorkness" jokes.

Anyway, last year (snerk) I was talking about Star Trek RPGs.  Well fellow blogger, sci-fi fan, all around good guy (with a GREAT name) Tim over at Hero Press posted these gems today.
http://www.heropress.net/2013/01/fleamarket-friday-gaming-where-no-die.html

First we have the Pre-Order for the Traveller based Prime Directive.
http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpgs/traveller/core-rulebooks-accessories/traveller-prime-directive.html
I am not sure what you all know about Prime Directive, but it is almost a thing onto itslef.  It is based on the TOS era Star Trek, but it goes in a different direction all together.  Now the purist in me used to reject this.  Especially when the later movies and TNG began to air.  But these days I find it much more appealing.  Plus, like I said, Prime Directive is now almost a thing into itself with a rich history, while not quite as equal to Trek, it is still fun.

As many of you know from my White Dwarf Wednesday I have a history with Traveller, something I want to rectify someday.  Could Prime Directive be the game for me?  At the current exchange rate that would be $50 or so.  So I might wait to see after it out in PDF.

Another game that gets mentioned to me is Where No Man Has Gone Before.
http://www.abillionmonkeys.com/trek

I don't know much about it at all save that most people seem to like it.

Maybe this is the year I find my Sci-Fi RPG.