Yetian Inspiration
September 3, 2008
I’ve always had a certain fondness for the yeti, who along Bigfoot/Sasquatch and the Loch Ness Monster, rounds out the "Big Three" cryptozoological creatures. Living in the Himalayas, out of reach of modern society, the yeti or "abominable snowman" has a certain mystique and a few grains more plausibility than the other two.
I recently saw the third of the Brendan Fraser mummy movies, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, which had a scene involving yetis, and well…at least it got me thinking about yetis…. Read more
GenCon 2008 Trip Report
August 24, 2008
GenCon 2008 was earlier this month, and I thought I’d share some impressions of the convention for those who didn’t make it. Realityforge didn’t exhibit this year, since EpicTable is still in development, but I went for Trade Days and to scout things out for next year…and to be surrounded by games and gamers for the better part of a week.
Descended from Dragons: Kobold Quarterly
July 31, 2008
Kobolds. Plucky little reptilians that some (well…some of them anyway) say are descended from dragons. In the case of Kobold Quarterly however, one can easily see the Dragon heritage.
Hopefully, Kobold Quarterly is old news to you by now. If it’s not, and you’re a d20 gamer, you need to check it out. KQ fills the massive void left by the discontinuation of the printed versions of Dragon and Dungeon magazines. If you’re playing d20, you’ll find loads of information that’s very relevant to your game. Even if your gaming tastes run counter to d20, Kobold Quarterly might be worth a look.
Artist Spotlight: Adam Vehige
June 21, 2008
Back before EpicTable was “EpicTable”, when its name and image were still bits of uncongealed thought floating in the primordial ooze that was Realityforge LLC, I was looking for a mascot. I needed a logo, but what I wanted was a mascot. As a long-time Iron Maiden fan, I wanted my virtual tabletop to have its own Eddie—an iconic character to represent my product line through the many versions, twists and turns that lie ahead. Arguably, I spent way too much time trolling through online artist communities, but in the end, I found Adam Vehige. Read more
Welcome to the Sideshow: The Dark Art of David Hartman
June 15, 2008
I don’t recall how I stumbled upon David Hartman’s site: http://www.sideshowmonkey.com/. Maybe I don’t remember how I got there because I spent the next couple hours lost in this dark little world he’s created.
Did I mention it’s dark? Yeah, a lot of David’s work is pretty dark, and it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea (which is an oddly inappropriate expression to use when talking about monsters, zombies, and the like), but there’s a comic/pulp feel his work that I really like. Read more
Pulp gaming inspiration: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
June 15, 2008
I just saw the latest Indiana Jones movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Now, I can’t give you a very objective critique of the movie, because it has crumbly jungle ruins, crystal skulls and monkeys. And if there’s anything that blows my objectivity, it’s crumbly jungle ruins, crystal skulls and monkeys. Read more
Fear Itself - The Sacrifice
June 13, 2008
Did anyone happen to see the recent episode (”The Sacrifice”) of NBC’s new horror anthology, “Fear Itself”? I just got around to watching it, and I was surprisingly impressed. There was kind of Colonial Gothic horror feel to it, with the bestial vampire, the old-fashioned dresses, bloody axes, an old fort…. Even the premise–a community protecting the outside world by keeping a creature contained within their midst–was pretty cool.
One has to assume that the place is warded to keep the creature in, and I’m sure there are other logical flaws (like why did it take so long to think of burning the creature in the pit used for sacrifices?), but the atmosphere and visuals were very nice. I can definitely imagine this as a chapter of a Gothikus game (a story game in development, chronicled over at Polyhedral Hepcat).
Thoughts on “My Life with Master”
June 7, 2008
In a recent post, I talked about the value of trying other game systems, particularly the so-called “narrative games” or “story games”. All this was a little abstract, and it strikes me that saying “this is a good thing” without really explaining why isn’t terribly helpful. In this post, I look at a specific example: my recent experience with My Life with Master. Read more
(The Wait for) 4th Edition is the Best Thing to Happen to Gamers in a Long While
April 25, 2008
Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition was announced last GenCon, and since then, both game vendors and purchasers have been reluctant to put money into a to-be-obsolete game system. The roleplaying game industry has come to a standstill…. Or has it?
Virtual Tabletops are More Than Maps
March 27, 2008
Virtual tabletops—my own EpicTable included—tend to put the spotlight on maps. Most (probably all) virtual tabletops provide a lot more than maps. There’s chat, character sheets, rules automation, and various kinds of media that a GM can send to the players…but still, a lot of the focus is on maps.
I’ve said to myself all along that there are other aspects of the gaming experience that are important—especially to the more story-oriented crowd, and I’ve imagined EpicTable following the roleplay vector more than the wargame vector over the next several years. Don’t get me wrong—I think maps are important, and I’m a long-time D&D player, so I’m not throwing away my battlemat anytime soon…but I had an interesting couple of experiences this week that put virtual tabletops into a little bit different perspective for me. Read more