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Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Finally, something that Dwarven Forge compares favorably with on price
BrickQuest: Master Maze with LEGOs.
So the Forge DID explain what they hell they were talking about!
It turns out that what I was looking for - a brief introduction to role-playing theory as it’s applied in what James Wallis’ Hogshead used to call “new-style” games - was right under my nose: Ron Edwards’ essay from 2001, “GNS and Other Matters of Role-playing Theory.” It’s clear, readable and beautifully organized. I’d been led astray by the repeated insistences of Ron and others on the Forge forums that this essay had out-of-date bits and/or could not convey a complete understanding of RPG theory without reading a string of subsequent essays in order. But the Forge is a game design forum, so those warnings really only apply to people who want to apply RPG theory to design work. For the rest of us, who just want to understand our gaming better and see if there might be another way to play that makes us happier, the 2001 essay is more than adequate.
I was worried that the presence of the now-controversial “Simulationism,” the S in GNS that’s usually applied to old-style RPGs, would be a liability in this essay, but lo and behold this bit from chapter 2: “Controversy: is that third box really there?” This section jibes well with the Forge’s current position that Simulationism as a design genre is really kind of mythical; I prefer just to call most games previously described as Sim by the descriptor “old-style.” Why ascribe a theory to a game that was designed without one?
OgreCave, your source for celebrity news
Via Boardgame News (which incidentally is the new home of the much-lauded gameblogger Rick Thornquist, ex-GameWire): “actress Daryl Hannah is looking to earn herself a name in a new role: Game designer. That’s because Hannah and her best friend, fellow actress Hilary Shepard, have taken their passion for board games to store shelves with the new game ‘Liebrary.’ ” Game is essentially Balderdash. The duo claims to have designed another mass-market-aimed game which was altered substantially by the publisher.
Pinnacle to create WizKids RPGs
In a press release today, it was announced that Pinnacle Entertainment Group has been granted the rights to create roleplaying products based on WizKids properties like Mage Knight and the Pirates CSG. Pinnacle, in the form of Great White Games, will also be able to design scenario books for WizKids lines, up to and including new game pieces. This seems like a smart partnership, especially for WizKids. When wading out into a new market, always swim with a buddy.
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OgreCave Christmas Gift Guide 2005, part 1
Once again, OgreCave has some suggestions for holiday gift shoppers in the form of our Christmas Gift Guide 2005. The first part of our annual list, Twelve Games At The End Of The Bed, recommends game gifts for $20 or less apiece. Over the next few days, we’ll put up our other lists of quality gift ideas, and hopefully provide an idea or two to ease your shopping worries. Stay tuned.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Deryni Adventure Game shipping
The fine folks at Grey Ghost Press have announced that The Deryni Adventure Game, long-awaited by many, is now shipping and should be in stores early December. The 256-page RPG is based on the Deryni series of fantasy books by New York Times best-selling author Katherine Kurtz, and will retail for $39.99. In a year that has seen Green Ronin’s Blue Rose doing quite well, the climate may be just right for The Deryni Adventure Game to be a hit.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
The only thing scarier would be a used car salesman
Here’s a quick break from feasting, shopping, or whatever you’re up to this Thanksgiving weekend: the best car commercial ever, in my humble opinion, is this one. Cthulhu fans, take note, and have a happy holiday weekend.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Gen Con SoCal ‘05 attendance numbers up 12%
Official word from last week’s Gen Con SoCal is in, and apparently attendance was up a bit. According to Peter Adkison, CEO of Gen Con LLC, “Unique attendance was about 6,300, an increase of 12% from 2004.” So more of us gamers came to the show, which is good. If a few more of the problems holding the show back could be sorted out (schedule book errors, convention hall union issues, the “Best Four Days of Gaming” being closer to three this time, to name a few), Gen Con SoCal just might be around for years to come. We’ll talk more about this in our next audio report, but despite the attendance increase, the jury still seems to be out on California’s Gen Con spin-off.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Race Day and High Stakes Drifter hit stores
As my schedule continues to recover after four days in Anaheim, it’s nice to note that other schedules are recovering as well. In this case, WizKids has been doing the recovering, as the delayed High Stakes Drifter CCG just hit stores. At the same time, the company’s NASCAR tie-in game, Race Day, has also reached retail shelves. As you’ll hear in our next podcast, the game looks damn good, and is likely to be another successful CSG release for WizKids. Both press releases follow.
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