Open d6 article on Examiner.com
I honestly have never tried the d6 system, or any product by West End Games, but I'm thinking of picking up at least one of the core books. Probably d6 Fantasy and if I like it maybe I'll buy more. If the system is as fast and friendly as I've heard it may deserve some more support and promotion from the RPG fan community.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
top 10 favorite rpgs
Examiner.com
I've been pretty busy with school and work lately and have let my postings sit on the back burner. I have a ton of things to get up and no time to write them. So I've put a link to my top 10 list to fill the space between posts.
As you've probably already noticed Jason James from the Nutgallery has been kind enough to also fill in with the occasional posts, a big thanks to Jason.
I've been pretty busy with school and work lately and have let my postings sit on the back burner. I have a ton of things to get up and no time to write them. So I've put a link to my top 10 list to fill the space between posts.
As you've probably already noticed Jason James from the Nutgallery has been kind enough to also fill in with the occasional posts, a big thanks to Jason.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Board Game for Readers
A new board game lets people who love to read revel in their knowledge of books. It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: A Game of First Lines challenges players to identify the author or title of a book with only the book’s first line as a clue. It’s that simple and that challenging. It Was a Dark and Stormy Night covers everything from novels to poetry, from mysteries to children’s books, from science fiction to books made into movies, and six other categories, so there is something for every interest.
The game, which features hundreds of clues, a design that blends modern and old-world imagery, and wooden pawns is currently sold at a dozen Chicago-area bookstores and is available online at www.goodreadgames.com. The game retails for $39.95.
The game, which features hundreds of clues, a design that blends modern and old-world imagery, and wooden pawns is currently sold at a dozen Chicago-area bookstores and is available online at www.goodreadgames.com. The game retails for $39.95.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Geek Gazette on Examiner.com
While looking for RPG related news I stumbled upon Examiner.com. It is basically an online news and events site. While the focus of the site is not gaming there are quite a few Examiners that do specialize in various games. There are Examiners, each writer is called an Examiner, for video games, boardgames, music, paganism, atheism, politics and the list goes on and on.
There are examiner pages for most of the major cities in the U.S. and each of them is employs 1 Examiner for the various topics. These aren't exactly blogs, though some aren't far from it. Still there is a wealth of good information on these site and they are worth checking out.
Here is a list of the some of the gaming related Examiners, but there are many more.
Chicago Games and Hobbies Examiners
Minneapolis Games and Hobbies Examiners
Los Angeles Games and Hobbies Examiners
Indianapolis Games and Hobbies Examiners
Atlanta Games and Hobbies Examiners
and of course me The Louisville Table Top Game Examiner
I figured after years of putting the Geek Gazette out as a print fanzine, and now a blog, I'd try my hand at writing for someone else. You will likely see some cross-content, but the Gazette will predominately remain my place for opinions and musings about comics, gaming and other geeky stuff.
So check out the various examiners and if there isn't one in your area, maybe you should take the title of the local Examiner.
There are examiner pages for most of the major cities in the U.S. and each of them is employs 1 Examiner for the various topics. These aren't exactly blogs, though some aren't far from it. Still there is a wealth of good information on these site and they are worth checking out.
Here is a list of the some of the gaming related Examiners, but there are many more.
Chicago Games and Hobbies Examiners
Minneapolis Games and Hobbies Examiners
Los Angeles Games and Hobbies Examiners
Indianapolis Games and Hobbies Examiners
Atlanta Games and Hobbies Examiners
and of course me The Louisville Table Top Game Examiner
I figured after years of putting the Geek Gazette out as a print fanzine, and now a blog, I'd try my hand at writing for someone else. You will likely see some cross-content, but the Gazette will predominately remain my place for opinions and musings about comics, gaming and other geeky stuff.
So check out the various examiners and if there isn't one in your area, maybe you should take the title of the local Examiner.
Monday, April 20, 2009
I'm Back!
Due to some issues with my ISP, I have been without internet for over a week and it has been a royal pain. I have spent the past couple of days catching up on all the things I have missed and given the fast pace of the internet, that's a lot of stuff to catch up on.
Since I don't really have any thing of great importance to post right now I thought I would share this little video with you.
Since I don't really have any thing of great importance to post right now I thought I would share this little video with you.
Friday, April 10, 2009
I Need a New Shop
Another comic book and hobby shop is closing the doors.
Between classes yesterday I had a little free time so I drove over to the comic book shop where I get my books. As I pulled into the parking lot I noticed all the lights were off. At first I though they might have changed their business hours and were now closed on Thursday, which seemed odd. I was just about to turn my car around and head back to class when I noticed the sign in the door. The shop was going out of business!
I've been going to Pulp Heroes for the better part of a decade and I've been happy buying my product there. Is it the greatest shop I've ever been in? No. It is a fairly small shop, in an old strip mall, right next door to a Mexican restaurant/grocery. They often had to special order books I wanted because the selection of books on the shelf was pretty much the most popular indie and mainstream books, but there was nothing wrong with that. My taste in reading material does not stray too far from the mainstream superhero books. When you compared my little shop to some of the larger, chain owned shops across the river, they may not have seemed so great. I have heard some customers complained it was too dark and cramped, but I never noticed. If anyting I liked the atmosphere of the shop and I liked the people.
They didn't carry a lot in the way of gaming material, mostly just comics and action figures, but I still found some great deals on RPG books, such as the Authority RPG I got for $5. They also carried Heroclix, Magic and Pokemon cards and that is pretty much it. Still I really liked my little shop and didn't want to go anywhere else.
In this economy and with stores closing all across the country I don't guess I should be surprised, but I most definitely was. There always seemed to be a small, but steady stream of customers going in and out, so I never considered they fact they would close. I guess you just never think it will happen to you.
I bought my books at Pulp Heroes for so long for several reasons. First it was convenient, it was really the closest shop I knew of, I went by it on my way home from work and they were always really nice to me. I've seen quite a few guys behind the counter over the years, most of whose names I honestly can't remember right now, but every time I walked in I was greeted with "Hi Mike." It was kind of like Cheers, everyone knew my name.
If I missed a book that should have been in my pull file, the owner, or one of his employees always made sure I got it. Even if they had to give me one of the higher priced variants at cover price. They would pull books for me that I didn't normally buy just because they thought I might like it, or it had an appearance by a character I really liked. I wasn't obligated to buy these extra issues, they put them in my file just in case I wanted them. They actually took the time to do that and I appreciated it.
So, stunned, I sat there in the parking lot trying to figure out how to get my comics. I considered all the shops across the river in Louisville. Then I thought about how much farther I would have to drive and quickly dismissed the idea. I figured I would just be stuck ordering my gaming and comic books online, beefing up my my mail subscriptions and even *gasp* buying more pdfs and subscribing to digital comics. I was not a happy camper but I had class in less than an hour, so decided to head back to campus.
On my way I suddenly remembered another shop that wasn't too far from my old shop. I had completely forgotten Empire Comics and hadn't been in that shop in years. So I drove around for a little bit, until I remembered where they were. They were open!
I went in, and was instantly struck by how many customers were inside. It was almost crowded. I met the owner, who was a really nice guy and he told me that he was picking up a lot of new business because of the closing of my old shop.
Now the comic selection was comparable to that of Pulp Heroes, but Empire also has a lot of gaming stuff. They run tournament games, I think only Magic and D&D, which means they have a game room for people to gather and play. Which means I may be able to get in on some games.
When I filled out the form to make sure my weekly comics were pulled, the owner described his program to me. Everything is pretty much computerized or automated in some way. He sends out weekly emails telling you what is coming out the following week. If you see something on the list that you want him to pull, email him back and let him know. He also sends out an excel spreadsheet letting you know what is in the Previews catalog. All you have to do is fill in what you want, send it back to him and he can order that stuff for you too. On top of that he sends out a Dungeons & Dragons newsletter. Did I mention he also has a website where you can order and a message board? Can't make it into the shop for a while? Call him, use your credit card and he will ship your books to you.
Needless to say I was shocked. I haven't seen this kind of attention and customer service in any shop I've ever visited. I honestly began to feel guilty. I was genuinely excited about the new shop and felt like I was betraying a friend by consorting with the competition, changing my allegience.
I sincerely will miss my old shop and have many fond memories of my time as a customer there. It is always sad to see an "old friend" go, and even more saddening to know that someone who was living most fanboys' dream, just saw that dream fall apart. I wish the PH crew the best of luck and hope to see the shop reopen sometime in the future.
Despite the tragic story of another shop disappearing, there is a bright side to this. Business just increased for another shop, meaning he will be in business that much longer. Hopefully, I'll be happy with my new shop and won't need to look for another new shop for many years to come.
Between classes yesterday I had a little free time so I drove over to the comic book shop where I get my books. As I pulled into the parking lot I noticed all the lights were off. At first I though they might have changed their business hours and were now closed on Thursday, which seemed odd. I was just about to turn my car around and head back to class when I noticed the sign in the door. The shop was going out of business!
I've been going to Pulp Heroes for the better part of a decade and I've been happy buying my product there. Is it the greatest shop I've ever been in? No. It is a fairly small shop, in an old strip mall, right next door to a Mexican restaurant/grocery. They often had to special order books I wanted because the selection of books on the shelf was pretty much the most popular indie and mainstream books, but there was nothing wrong with that. My taste in reading material does not stray too far from the mainstream superhero books. When you compared my little shop to some of the larger, chain owned shops across the river, they may not have seemed so great. I have heard some customers complained it was too dark and cramped, but I never noticed. If anyting I liked the atmosphere of the shop and I liked the people.
They didn't carry a lot in the way of gaming material, mostly just comics and action figures, but I still found some great deals on RPG books, such as the Authority RPG I got for $5. They also carried Heroclix, Magic and Pokemon cards and that is pretty much it. Still I really liked my little shop and didn't want to go anywhere else.
In this economy and with stores closing all across the country I don't guess I should be surprised, but I most definitely was. There always seemed to be a small, but steady stream of customers going in and out, so I never considered they fact they would close. I guess you just never think it will happen to you.
I bought my books at Pulp Heroes for so long for several reasons. First it was convenient, it was really the closest shop I knew of, I went by it on my way home from work and they were always really nice to me. I've seen quite a few guys behind the counter over the years, most of whose names I honestly can't remember right now, but every time I walked in I was greeted with "Hi Mike." It was kind of like Cheers, everyone knew my name.
If I missed a book that should have been in my pull file, the owner, or one of his employees always made sure I got it. Even if they had to give me one of the higher priced variants at cover price. They would pull books for me that I didn't normally buy just because they thought I might like it, or it had an appearance by a character I really liked. I wasn't obligated to buy these extra issues, they put them in my file just in case I wanted them. They actually took the time to do that and I appreciated it.
So, stunned, I sat there in the parking lot trying to figure out how to get my comics. I considered all the shops across the river in Louisville. Then I thought about how much farther I would have to drive and quickly dismissed the idea. I figured I would just be stuck ordering my gaming and comic books online, beefing up my my mail subscriptions and even *gasp* buying more pdfs and subscribing to digital comics. I was not a happy camper but I had class in less than an hour, so decided to head back to campus.
On my way I suddenly remembered another shop that wasn't too far from my old shop. I had completely forgotten Empire Comics and hadn't been in that shop in years. So I drove around for a little bit, until I remembered where they were. They were open!
I went in, and was instantly struck by how many customers were inside. It was almost crowded. I met the owner, who was a really nice guy and he told me that he was picking up a lot of new business because of the closing of my old shop.
Now the comic selection was comparable to that of Pulp Heroes, but Empire also has a lot of gaming stuff. They run tournament games, I think only Magic and D&D, which means they have a game room for people to gather and play. Which means I may be able to get in on some games.
When I filled out the form to make sure my weekly comics were pulled, the owner described his program to me. Everything is pretty much computerized or automated in some way. He sends out weekly emails telling you what is coming out the following week. If you see something on the list that you want him to pull, email him back and let him know. He also sends out an excel spreadsheet letting you know what is in the Previews catalog. All you have to do is fill in what you want, send it back to him and he can order that stuff for you too. On top of that he sends out a Dungeons & Dragons newsletter. Did I mention he also has a website where you can order and a message board? Can't make it into the shop for a while? Call him, use your credit card and he will ship your books to you.
Needless to say I was shocked. I haven't seen this kind of attention and customer service in any shop I've ever visited. I honestly began to feel guilty. I was genuinely excited about the new shop and felt like I was betraying a friend by consorting with the competition, changing my allegience.
I sincerely will miss my old shop and have many fond memories of my time as a customer there. It is always sad to see an "old friend" go, and even more saddening to know that someone who was living most fanboys' dream, just saw that dream fall apart. I wish the PH crew the best of luck and hope to see the shop reopen sometime in the future.
Despite the tragic story of another shop disappearing, there is a bright side to this. Business just increased for another shop, meaning he will be in business that much longer. Hopefully, I'll be happy with my new shop and won't need to look for another new shop for many years to come.
Another Legend Passes
Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Dave Arneson dead at 61
Dave Arneson, born in 1947, an American game designer, teacher and entrepreneur and the co-creator of the seminal Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, passed away on Tuesday, April 7, after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife and daughter.
He met up with Gary Gygax at the second official Gencon. From there they decided to write Dungeons & Dragons. Since they were unable to find a publisher they started TSR and published the book themself.
It saddens me to see the founders of such a wonderful game and genre passing. Over the years greed, lack of leadership, and lack of concern of the product has driven fans away. Plus technical advances in society, video games, and tv have prevented new fans from flocking to the game. It is almost like living in a d&d world were the Gods have left us to fend for ourselves.
I send my best wishes to his wife and daughter
Jason James
www.thenutgallery.com
Dave Arneson, born in 1947, an American game designer, teacher and entrepreneur and the co-creator of the seminal Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, passed away on Tuesday, April 7, after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife and daughter.
He met up with Gary Gygax at the second official Gencon. From there they decided to write Dungeons & Dragons. Since they were unable to find a publisher they started TSR and published the book themself.
It saddens me to see the founders of such a wonderful game and genre passing. Over the years greed, lack of leadership, and lack of concern of the product has driven fans away. Plus technical advances in society, video games, and tv have prevented new fans from flocking to the game. It is almost like living in a d&d world were the Gods have left us to fend for ourselves.
I send my best wishes to his wife and daughter
Jason James
www.thenutgallery.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)