Yeah. I am really looking forward to this!
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
The Light's Winning: True Detective
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.
Happy Birthday to The Other Side...sorta
March 10 is the unofficial birthday of The Other Side.
I say that because this is the day I set up my first website, also called the Other Side, back in 1996. I remember working on it at work during the week and and scribbling down some code in class (I was still getting my Ph.D. then).
I finally got it up and live over the weekend. I suppose I should say it was 11th. That was when I let people know. But the 10th was when I uploaded my index.html page to make it all work.
It wasn't much to be honest, but it was mine.
So happy birth to my site which died and then returned as this blog.
I say that because this is the day I set up my first website, also called the Other Side, back in 1996. I remember working on it at work during the week and and scribbling down some code in class (I was still getting my Ph.D. then).
I finally got it up and live over the weekend. I suppose I should say it was 11th. That was when I let people know. But the 10th was when I uploaded my index.html page to make it all work.
It wasn't much to be honest, but it was mine.
So happy birth to my site which died and then returned as this blog.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
March Madness OSR Challenge! Part 2
Here is part 2 of my list. Hope you enjoy!
9 What superhero RPG have you enjoyed most? Why?
Mutants and Masterminds is one of my favorites. I also enjoyed Villains and Vigilantes and Superbabes.
I just liked the way M&M worked to be honest.
Back in the day we used to take our D&D characters and drop them right into V&V. It was the 80s things like that were allowed.
10 What science fiction RPG have you enjoyed most? Give details.
Doctor Who Adventures in Time and Space is my current favorite sci-fi game. I like it's flexibility and it's openness. Plus being a big fan of Doctor Who doesn't hurt. But in all seriousness it is just a really fun game and really forces you to think about how to do things other than fighting all the time.
11 What post-apocalyptic RPG have you enjoyed most? Why?
Gamma World or Armageddon. I am not a huge fan of post-apoc games to be honest, but I have had fun with them in the past. Gamma World is gonzo fun and Armageddon is a nice addition to the WitchCraft line.
12 What humorous RPG have you enjoyed most? Give details.
Army of Darkness. I think counts. It has a solid humor element. Same with Ghostbusters. Witch Girls Adventures also has a humor to it that I like. I like to inject all my games with a bit of humor. Temper the darkness a bit.
13 What horror RPG have you enjoyed most? Why?
Too many to count really. Chill, Call of Cthulhu, GURPS, WitchCraft, Buffy, Army of Darkness, Vampire, Mage, Ghosts of Albion, Kult, Monsterhearts, Wraith and lots more. I love horror games. I even run my D&D games as horror games.
14 What historical or cultural RPG have you enjoyed most? Give details.
Not sure what this one is asking. I like anything Victorian. But outside of that Mage the Sorcerers' Crusade for playing in the Renaissance. For a purely historical RPG, Victoria is one of my favorites.
15 What pseudo or alternate history RPG have you enjoyed most? Why?
Castle Falkenstein is one of my favorite alt-history games. Victoriana is another good one. And Space: 1899. Anything in the Victorian period really.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Zatannurday: Zatanna by Stephanie Buscema
Links
- Blog, http://stephaniebuscema.blogspot.com/
- Etsy, http://www.etsy.com/shop/wreckinbyrd?ref=em
- Homepage, http://www.stephaniebuscema.com/
- Twitter, https://twitter.com/StephBuscema
- Tumblr, http://stephbuscema.tumblr.com/
- Comic Vine, http://www.comicvine.com/stephanie-buscema/4040-47849/
- Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Buscema/270727659633788
Friday, March 7, 2014
Dark Dungeons: Reloaded
"Because, as we all know, the path that leads straight to hell is paved with lead miniatures and polyhedral dice!" - Tom Servo
So a number of years ago I made a little thing called "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Dark Dungeons".
An MST3k style send up of the terrible Jack Trick tract "Dark Dungeons". The original is gone (it was on an older version of the Other Side website) but there are lot of places where you can find it now.
I love seeing send-ups of this piece of crap.
Here is one from the Escapist that is funny, http://www.theescapist.com/darkdungeons.htm
But this it one that has me laughing the most today.
From Hugo and Jake of "The Bible Reloaded".
There are more I know. But this one is funny.
"I don't know about you, but Jack Chick taught me that witches rock! They get to fight zombies, wear cool clothes, hang out with Ms. Frost, and engage in mind bondage." - Crow T. Robot.
Don't forget we have a Dark Dungeons movie coming out too.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/130778-Jack-Chick-Dark-Dungeons-Movie-On-Course-For-Gen-Con
Dark Dungeons the RPG (RC retro-clone) can also be found here: http://www.gratisgames.webspace.virginmedia.com/
So a number of years ago I made a little thing called "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Dark Dungeons".
An MST3k style send up of the terrible Jack Trick tract "Dark Dungeons". The original is gone (it was on an older version of the Other Side website) but there are lot of places where you can find it now.
- http://www.rpglibrary.org/inspiration/darkdungeons/intro.html
- http://www.humpin.org/mst3kdd/
- http://www.fecundity.com/darkdung/
- Original, https://web.archive.org/web/20010619152118/http://www.planetadnd.com/humor/DD-MST3K/index.php
I love seeing send-ups of this piece of crap.
Here is one from the Escapist that is funny, http://www.theescapist.com/darkdungeons.htm
But this it one that has me laughing the most today.
From Hugo and Jake of "The Bible Reloaded".
There are more I know. But this one is funny.
"I don't know about you, but Jack Chick taught me that witches rock! They get to fight zombies, wear cool clothes, hang out with Ms. Frost, and engage in mind bondage." - Crow T. Robot.
Don't forget we have a Dark Dungeons movie coming out too.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/130778-Jack-Chick-Dark-Dungeons-Movie-On-Course-For-Gen-Con
Dark Dungeons the RPG (RC retro-clone) can also be found here: http://www.gratisgames.webspace.virginmedia.com/
Thursday, March 6, 2014
What Will $50 get You?
So I am slow at this. Sorry, been sick.
The price point for the first releases of the next edition of Dungeons & Dragons has been leaked by Barnes & Noble.
The Player's Handbook has a MSRP of $49.99. (link now dead)
The "Starter Set" has a MSRP of $19.99. (link also dead)
(the Escapist has commentary and screenshots)
And queue the rounds of people saying it's too expensive.
Let's look at the Player's Handbooks over the years. I have included the price, the number of pages, and the retail price. I am also including the adjusted price for inflation based on the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.
AD&D 1st Ed. (1978) 128 pages, $19.95 ($71.68)
AD&D 2nd Ed. (1989) 246 pages, $20.00 ($37.73)
D&D 3.0 (2000) 302 pages, $19.95* (special intro price, increased to $29.95) ($27.10, $40.68)
D&D 3.5 (2003) 302 pages, $29.95 ($38.07)
D&D 4th (2008) 320 pages, $34.95 ($37.97)
D&D 5th Ed. (2014) xxx pages, $50.00 ($50.00)
Maybe $40.00 is the sweet spot on this, but $50.00 does not seem too far out to me.
Compare this to a new video game, $60.00. Ah, but you say, you can't play D&D with just the player's book, you need at least another 100 bucks for the DMG and MM. Well. You can't play a video game by itself either you need a system (anywhere from $300 to $400).
So really. This is not a huge expense in today's market. It is also likely to be 300+ pages, full color with, what I have seen so far, great art.
I am planning on buying these at my Favorite Local Game Store. I believe in keeping game stores in business and supporting my local economy. So yeah, that means I am in for at least $120.00. I will get the starter set too.
But you know what? I am an adult. I make good money. I can drop that much on my favorite hobby, on my favorite game.
Currently the modules for D&D 5 run from $5.00 (Vault of the Dracolich) to $18.00 (Dreams of the Red Wizards: Scourge of the Sword Coast) to $30 ($18 on sale) (Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle).
I like the art and expect that the rule books will be about the same.
So honestly, this sounds fine to me.
The price point for the first releases of the next edition of Dungeons & Dragons has been leaked by Barnes & Noble.
The Player's Handbook has a MSRP of $49.99. (link now dead)
The "Starter Set" has a MSRP of $19.99. (link also dead)
(the Escapist has commentary and screenshots)
And queue the rounds of people saying it's too expensive.
Let's look at the Player's Handbooks over the years. I have included the price, the number of pages, and the retail price. I am also including the adjusted price for inflation based on the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.
AD&D 1st Ed. (1978) 128 pages, $19.95 ($71.68)
AD&D 2nd Ed. (1989) 246 pages, $20.00 ($37.73)
D&D 3.0 (2000) 302 pages, $19.95* (special intro price, increased to $29.95) ($27.10, $40.68)
D&D 3.5 (2003) 302 pages, $29.95 ($38.07)
D&D 4th (2008) 320 pages, $34.95 ($37.97)
D&D 5th Ed. (2014) xxx pages, $50.00 ($50.00)
Maybe $40.00 is the sweet spot on this, but $50.00 does not seem too far out to me.
Compare this to a new video game, $60.00. Ah, but you say, you can't play D&D with just the player's book, you need at least another 100 bucks for the DMG and MM. Well. You can't play a video game by itself either you need a system (anywhere from $300 to $400).
So really. This is not a huge expense in today's market. It is also likely to be 300+ pages, full color with, what I have seen so far, great art.
I am planning on buying these at my Favorite Local Game Store. I believe in keeping game stores in business and supporting my local economy. So yeah, that means I am in for at least $120.00. I will get the starter set too.
But you know what? I am an adult. I make good money. I can drop that much on my favorite hobby, on my favorite game.
Currently the modules for D&D 5 run from $5.00 (Vault of the Dracolich) to $18.00 (Dreams of the Red Wizards: Scourge of the Sword Coast) to $30 ($18 on sale) (Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle).
I like the art and expect that the rule books will be about the same.
So honestly, this sounds fine to me.
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