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A Fistful of News

16 May 2013 by 8 Comments
ANN

I don't know about you guys, but I'm keeping my highly caffeinated eyes watching Twitter during summer, because that's when release schedules start getting crazy. Our pocket books may weep, but plenty of this installment will have you jumping for joy.   Always/Never/Now You were the best. Underground, cyberpunk street samurai, burglars and breakers, agents of a mysterious spymaster with half a name, zero history, and a plan. He made the missions and you carried them out. You were the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dungeons & Dragons / RPGs Tagged With: , , ,

RPG Thursday: Recent Play

9 May 2013 by 5 Comments
GAMES

I’ve been trying to play more games this year, so this week is a quick rundown of my recent table game adventures. Grey Ranks It’s 1944. You’re child soldiers, members of the Grey Ranks (Szare Szeregi). Designed by Jason Morningstar, Grey Ranks casts your table as members of the Polish partisans, and their lives before, during and after the Uprising against the Germans. In the hands of players who wish to fully explore the subject matter available to a Grey Ranks game, it is an … [Read more...]

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Flaming Deathpits Are In: Dungeon Bastard Wants You For a Dungeon Crawl

2 May 2013 by 11 Comments
Dungeon Bastard_quote

Dungeon Bastard Bill Cavalier is a popular sage of gamer wisdom. Continually upping the ante and leveling up in awesome every year, 2013 is full of new videos, a campaign against half-elves, and what may be the best Kickstarter to inspire GMs this summer.   What have you been doing since the last time you graced my humble column? First of all, I've been leading a one-man campaign to eliminate half-elves. They're an ABOMINATION against elves AND humans. Plus, shouldn't a half-elf … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dungeons & Dragons / RPGs

RPG Thursday: Reading Shelf

25 April 2013 by 7 Comments
nordiclarp

Amid the bright blue skies and hail storms of the Seattle spring, I've been trying to get back to my habit of reading a number of books simultaneously. These are the three books at the top of my reading pile right now.   Kicking It: Successful Crowdfunding Monte Cook, Shanna Germain. Stone Box Press, 2013. I've been a part of a few Kickstarters, and a couple of GoFundMe campaigns. I bought Kicking It to see what wisdom I'd gain for the future, and give it a good once over to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dungeons & Dragons / RPGs

Things I Think About Cons: Registration, Size and Culture

18 April 2013 by 5 Comments

PAX Prime opened up for selling passes on Wednesday, and my social media lit up with people talking about it. I've had some feelings and thoughts about cons for awhile, and the conversation I've watched on Twitter about Prime this week prompted me to share some of them. There are some broad ideas folks have been discussing around me for years concerning cons, and I want to highlight them. Registration I see reg concerns get broken down frequently into these three … [Read more...]

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Pointers for Panel Audiences

11 April 2013 by 10 Comments
My name tent from Norwescon. I've got to get one of these laminated.

I had a whirlwind Norwescon this year, moderating panels and a Q&A with Lee Moyer. It was my first time moderating at a con, and my first time doing a live Q&A interview. I loved the experience, but it was particularly draining to not be a member of the audience. While it's possible to have bad panels and poor moderators, bad audience members happen too. If you recognize yourself or someone you know in these how to do it better tips, I hope they're helpful in assisting you becoming an … [Read more...]

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It’s a Soundtrack, Not Your Mix Tape

4 April 2013 by 8 Comments
Still unpacking. There's another filing box full of CDs. MIX CDs.

Music can do a limited number of things for a game session: make it awesome, have a neutral influence, or make the entire night suck. If you're going to commit to providing a little mood music to your game, there's some things to keep mind. Whether it's instrumental or has vocals, regardless of language or musical genre, it should add to the session. It also shouldn't add to the session solely for you. These are my troubleshooting tips for using music at the table. Buffering is Not A … [Read more...]

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RPG Girl Thursday Rides Again

28 March 2013 by 6 Comments
UNPACK. ??? ADVENTURE

It’s hard to let go of a favorite game book, long-lived gaming group or your local LARP. But I just moved to Seattle, paired down some of my gaming books, and get to set my sights on the most fabled adventure a gamer can dream of. The Fresh Start I don’t belong to any game nights, groups or LARPs right now. If I want to, I can take my time to shop around. I think I want to get back into gaming face to face regularly with folks outside cons. I also feel a little overwhelmed by what it … [Read more...]

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Resisting the Urge

21 March 2013 by 24 Comments

It's easy to respond to someone else's allegiance to game, or piece of entertainment media, with everything about it that didn't work for you. Sometimes we're having a dialogue with friends or strangers that includes critique and exchanging opinions. Sometimes is not usually. If I log into Twitter and remark about a movie, game, television show or book I enjoy, I will receive more negative comments than positive. I will get comments from people who never engaged with those things, and their … [Read more...]

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Surviving Meeting Your Heroes

14 March 2013 by 3 Comments
L with Spy vs Spy cosplayers at ECCC 2013. Almost too shy to ask for the photo.

I’m a fan of a lot of people. It’s good to be a fan, to have so many game designers, artists, editors and publishers who I appreciate dearly. Waiting for stuff to come back into print (or to hit print) isn’t a downside of being a fan. Pricing isn’t something I really shake my fist at, and I learned years ago that I won’t get to see everyone I want to at a convention. The thing that gets me down about being a fan is that I turn into a pile of pink confetti when I meet a lot of my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Geek Life
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