Happy Hogmanay!
31: New Year
“And a happy New Year!”
With the post-Dickens modern tradition of Christmas as a time for family, New Year’s Eve has become the big noisy drunk party point on the late December calendar. Time for going out to see friends, or partying.
If your characters have links to a nightclub, as is quite common in the Vampire family of games, this is a Big Night which could make or break the business. Bad time for a rival vampire to summon rats into the kitchens...
We’ve made Hogmanay a big Scottish branding event, and here in Edinburgh we’ve been having street parties since before I was born, and organised ones with big bands and fireworks since 1993, these days ticketed and increasingly inconvenient for people living in the demarcated areas. And when we come in, as First Footers we may or may not provide good luck for the year ahead.
Of course it’s also the symbolic end and beginning of years, a liminal time. What is to come in the year ahead?
Twenty years ago, the Millennium Bug could have wrecked a vast number of computer systems if not for a lot of work to avert it.
The Eighth Doctor Who TV movie was about the then-futuristic millennium as well. The Arnold Schwarzenegger movie End Of Days had New Year 1999 - local time, since he asks - as the potential marker of the Apocalypse. Buffy fought a literal Millennium Bug in a Dark Horse Comics special written by Doug Petrie. And we also have GURPS Y2K.
And this year we go into 2020, and a lot of early Cyberpunk players feel very, very old.
Tuesday, 31 December 2019
Monday, 30 December 2019
Hunting
Over the holidays I saw a documentary about returning big cats kept as pets to the wild, and one cat was totally tame until they finally got him to hunt, and suddenly he was snarling at them to protect his kill. I think about that with vampires...
December 30: What Comes Next
As Twelfth Night follows Christmas Day...
30: What Comes After
“We’ve got to find Jack! There’s only 365 days left until next Halloween!”
The Christmas story doesn’t start and end at the manger. It’s preceded by the annunciation and followed by the arrival of the Magi, the flight from Herod, and a bunch of other stuff. In a heavily religious setting like medieval Europe, it’s one of many events in the calendar, some connected and some not. What does your setting’s saviour do between their miraculous birth and getting down to the business of saving everything?
30: What Comes After
“We’ve got to find Jack! There’s only 365 days left until next Halloween!”
The Christmas story doesn’t start and end at the manger. It’s preceded by the annunciation and followed by the arrival of the Magi, the flight from Herod, and a bunch of other stuff. In a heavily religious setting like medieval Europe, it’s one of many events in the calendar, some connected and some not. What does your setting’s saviour do between their miraculous birth and getting down to the business of saving everything?
Happy birthday mum!
Happy birthday to my mother. Seven Worlds One Planet, a new Miss Fisher book, chocolate and mince pies. Apple strudel to follow.
Sunday, 29 December 2019
December 29: The Selection Box
Okay, one more odd secular Christmas tradition.
29: The Selection Box
“There’s no foot inside but there’s candy...”
When stuck for a gift you can often fall back on a selection box of chocolates, or a cheese board or something like that. In case there isn’t enough food in the house.
You could also do this with gaming if you have time for a biggish session in between regular meetups. If somebody got a one-shot friendly game or adventure for the holidays and wants to run it, if somebody got a board or card game and wants to try it, if someone has a goofy idea that wouldn’t fit a regular game... do them all!
29: The Selection Box
“There’s no foot inside but there’s candy...”
When stuck for a gift you can often fall back on a selection box of chocolates, or a cheese board or something like that. In case there isn’t enough food in the house.
You could also do this with gaming if you have time for a biggish session in between regular meetups. If somebody got a one-shot friendly game or adventure for the holidays and wants to run it, if somebody got a board or card game and wants to try it, if someone has a goofy idea that wouldn’t fit a regular game... do them all!
Not today, Satan!
Not today, Satan!
Tomorrow isn’t looking good either. I have some openings next week. How’s your Tuesday, mid-morning?
Kiersten White
Tomorrow isn’t looking good either. I have some openings next week. How’s your Tuesday, mid-morning?
Kiersten White
Saturday, 28 December 2019
December 28: Getting Away From It All
Entering that strange weekend between Christmas and New Year...
28: Getting Away From It All
“Come out to the coast, we’ll get together, have a few laughs...”
If a holiday or other event is overwhelming enough, it might be tempting to go and do something else. People jet off on holiday for Christmas, and not just to visit family and friends.
You can also take a break from the festivities with gaming and run a regular session or a totally un-festive one-shot. Look at all the times something like The Great Escape is on TV during holidays.
28: Getting Away From It All
“Come out to the coast, we’ll get together, have a few laughs...”
If a holiday or other event is overwhelming enough, it might be tempting to go and do something else. People jet off on holiday for Christmas, and not just to visit family and friends.
You can also take a break from the festivities with gaming and run a regular session or a totally un-festive one-shot. Look at all the times something like The Great Escape is on TV during holidays.
Friday, 27 December 2019
Cyberpunk 2077 action figures
Cyberpunk 2077 action figures coming soon from McFarlane Toys, featuring Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand and (for now) only the default male V. I hope for rather more, like female V at least, let alone some of the assorted other characters...
December 27: The Lord Of Misrule
An idea I thought was connected to Boxing Day, but apparently not...
27: The Lord Of Misrule
“Then Mister Oogie Boogie Man
Will take the whole thing over then”
A Christmas tradition relating to the Feast of Fools, the Lord of Misrule is in charge of the more anarchic revelry of the season, either actually organising some of it or as a symbolic king-for-a-day situation.
While the real historical Lord of Misrule could only disrupt the social order to a certain extent, a real king-for-a-day situation could make a real mess of a fantasy setting.
And it’s also the kind of mess a player character might get himself into, even without the sometime addition of killing them at the end of their temporary reign.
It also gave its name to Lords Of Misrule, a British folk horror comic about horrible faeries and other folkloric oddities, as well as a Nigel Tranter novel starting a trilogy about the Stewart dynasty.
27: The Lord Of Misrule
“Then Mister Oogie Boogie Man
Will take the whole thing over then”
A Christmas tradition relating to the Feast of Fools, the Lord of Misrule is in charge of the more anarchic revelry of the season, either actually organising some of it or as a symbolic king-for-a-day situation.
While the real historical Lord of Misrule could only disrupt the social order to a certain extent, a real king-for-a-day situation could make a real mess of a fantasy setting.
And it’s also the kind of mess a player character might get himself into, even without the sometime addition of killing them at the end of their temporary reign.
It also gave its name to Lords Of Misrule, a British folk horror comic about horrible faeries and other folkloric oddities, as well as a Nigel Tranter novel starting a trilogy about the Stewart dynasty.
Thursday, 26 December 2019
December 26: The Morning After
Boxing Day, also known as...
26: The Morning After
“Ouch...”
Time for leftovers, hangovers, holdovers...
Christmas boxes given to servants give the day its name.
Ever dealt with the cleanup after a grand celebration?
The formerly January sales begin, notably in furniture stores, having already started online, not counting Black Friday and more. Some revelers are very happy to get out and be on their way.
26: The Morning After
“Ouch...”
Time for leftovers, hangovers, holdovers...
Christmas boxes given to servants give the day its name.
Ever dealt with the cleanup after a grand celebration?
The formerly January sales begin, notably in furniture stores, having already started online, not counting Black Friday and more. Some revelers are very happy to get out and be on their way.
Wednesday, 25 December 2019
December 25: Christmas
Merry Christmas if appropriate! Have a good day in any case.
And now in this December challenge I should mention the titular Christmas story...
25: Christmas
“Unto us a child is born.”
The Nativity is one of the touchstones of human culture, not just in Christianity as plenty of other traditions have miraculous births marked by signs and wonders. Hercules strangles snakes while in his crib, Athena emerges adult and armoured from the brow of Zeus, Mithras is a miraculous birth around the winter solstice, Anakin Skywalker, Connor in Angel...
Anyway, the specifics of the Nativity have the mother in need of shelter and safety as she’s about to give birth, with an evil king pursuing the mother and baby to raise the stakes, some wise men who may be kings and/or wizards, some earthy shepherds, optionally talking animals...
In the Fantazia magazine article that started me waffling on about Christmas in games, Alison Brooks suggested the heroes helping with a birth. “Is the child a new Messiah, or is the message of hope implicit in every new birth?”
And being me, I went and did it in Vampire: The Masquerade. It does seem somewhat apt as the game roots the Kindred in the story of Cain and has cross-wielding hunters among their problems and angels and demons in various guises in the setting, as well as its own prophecy of the Last Daughter Of Eve.
Of course it’s best to check sensitivities around the table before pulling something like this.
And now in this December challenge I should mention the titular Christmas story...
25: Christmas
“Unto us a child is born.”
The Nativity is one of the touchstones of human culture, not just in Christianity as plenty of other traditions have miraculous births marked by signs and wonders. Hercules strangles snakes while in his crib, Athena emerges adult and armoured from the brow of Zeus, Mithras is a miraculous birth around the winter solstice, Anakin Skywalker, Connor in Angel...
Anyway, the specifics of the Nativity have the mother in need of shelter and safety as she’s about to give birth, with an evil king pursuing the mother and baby to raise the stakes, some wise men who may be kings and/or wizards, some earthy shepherds, optionally talking animals...
In the Fantazia magazine article that started me waffling on about Christmas in games, Alison Brooks suggested the heroes helping with a birth. “Is the child a new Messiah, or is the message of hope implicit in every new birth?”
And being me, I went and did it in Vampire: The Masquerade. It does seem somewhat apt as the game roots the Kindred in the story of Cain and has cross-wielding hunters among their problems and angels and demons in various guises in the setting, as well as its own prophecy of the Last Daughter Of Eve.
Of course it’s best to check sensitivities around the table before pulling something like this.
Tuesday, 24 December 2019
December 24: Making Christmas
It’s Christmas Eve. Hopefully by now you’ve done your shopping and any seasonal gaming. And spare a thought for those working over the holidays...
24: Making Christmas
“Making Christmas, making Christmas...”
Given the number of stories with Santa and crew as main characters, that could be playable. A one-shot or even a series about the creators and deliverers of a magical event.
The Prep & Landing series of shorts would gamify very easily for example, playing with heist and spy setups for the elves making Santa’s job a little easier.
Various versions of the Claus family like Arthur Christmas and Noelle could work too, with a series maybe looking at what happens around the rest of the year.
And of course there’s the Tolkien version which is somewhat relevant to gamers.
24: Making Christmas
“Making Christmas, making Christmas...”
Given the number of stories with Santa and crew as main characters, that could be playable. A one-shot or even a series about the creators and deliverers of a magical event.
The Prep & Landing series of shorts would gamify very easily for example, playing with heist and spy setups for the elves making Santa’s job a little easier.
Various versions of the Claus family like Arthur Christmas and Noelle could work too, with a series maybe looking at what happens around the rest of the year.
And of course there’s the Tolkien version which is somewhat relevant to gamers.
Monday, 23 December 2019
December 23: Toy Story
A one-shot idea that should be kid-friendly...
23: Toy Story
“T - O - Y, TOY!”
Toys come to life and have an adventure around Christmas, which is hardly a new idea but has obvious advantages such as the availability of playing pieces and scenery. How will Christmas Tree Angel get from the tree to the sofa?
And if you have an army of villainous miniatures lying around, you have ready-made bad guys. :)
Rules-wise you could use something like Puppetland even though its setting wouldn’t really work for this purpose.
23: Toy Story
“T - O - Y, TOY!”
Toys come to life and have an adventure around Christmas, which is hardly a new idea but has obvious advantages such as the availability of playing pieces and scenery. How will Christmas Tree Angel get from the tree to the sofa?
And if you have an army of villainous miniatures lying around, you have ready-made bad guys. :)
Rules-wise you could use something like Puppetland even though its setting wouldn’t really work for this purpose.
Sunday, 22 December 2019
Looking For Leia
Looking For Leia, a documentary series on women and non-binary fans of Star Wars and what it means to them.
December 22: The Winter Solstice
It’s the Winter Solstice. So...
22: The Winter Solstice
“Comes the sun again...”
The longest and shortest days are natural points to mark the passing of seasons.
Christmas is (allegedly) three or four days after the solstice because of taking over Saturnalia, and the Romans wanted to make sure the days were getting longer again before celebrating.
And there are days when the old tradition of having a big party around Hallowe’en and then staying indoors for four months sounds quite sensible.
This would be particularly true in settings with extreme and lengthy seasons, like Westeros or Helliconia. The eventual arrival of the time of renewal would be cause for great celebration. Once you’ve confirmed it’s happening, of course.
22: The Winter Solstice
“Comes the sun again...”
The longest and shortest days are natural points to mark the passing of seasons.
Christmas is (allegedly) three or four days after the solstice because of taking over Saturnalia, and the Romans wanted to make sure the days were getting longer again before celebrating.
And there are days when the old tradition of having a big party around Hallowe’en and then staying indoors for four months sounds quite sensible.
This would be particularly true in settings with extreme and lengthy seasons, like Westeros or Helliconia. The eventual arrival of the time of renewal would be cause for great celebration. Once you’ve confirmed it’s happening, of course.
Saturday, 21 December 2019
December 21: The Robin
One of the odder symbols of the season here...
21: The Robin
“I? I’m hope that never dies, that is reborn at the end of every winter, laughing at despair! I am its symbol and its harbinger! I am the spring, the promise implicit in every birth, the wonder that rises with every new day! I am The Robin.”
The above quote comes from a Detective Comics story written by John Ostrander in which, because Batman is a public figure, someone starts publishing a Batman comic in Gotham City.
But anyway, it’s a quote about robins, a suggestion of why Batman’s partner took up that title.
The little red-chested bird is a splash of colour most noticeable in winter, our national bird, and with mythic and symbolic connections to the season making it the star of many a Christmas card.
What heralds the end of winter in your game?
21: The Robin
“I? I’m hope that never dies, that is reborn at the end of every winter, laughing at despair! I am its symbol and its harbinger! I am the spring, the promise implicit in every birth, the wonder that rises with every new day! I am The Robin.”
The above quote comes from a Detective Comics story written by John Ostrander in which, because Batman is a public figure, someone starts publishing a Batman comic in Gotham City.
But anyway, it’s a quote about robins, a suggestion of why Batman’s partner took up that title.
The little red-chested bird is a splash of colour most noticeable in winter, our national bird, and with mythic and symbolic connections to the season making it the star of many a Christmas card.
What heralds the end of winter in your game?
Friday, 20 December 2019
December 20: Christmas Dinner
I am now done with The Shopping, except for the food. So... much... food.
20: Christmas Dinner
“The smell of cakes and pies is absolutely everywhere...”
Turkey is a Christmas thing here as we have no Thanksgiving. (What is the usual Christmas dinner in the US?)
Along with... mince pies (mincemeat... not mince or meat)... Christmas pudding... fruitcake... Yule log... lately stollen and panettone have been added... gingerbread... chocolate coins... chocolate from advent calendars... candy canes... more chocolate...
What do characters eat at celebrations in your setting?
20: Christmas Dinner
“The smell of cakes and pies is absolutely everywhere...”
Turkey is a Christmas thing here as we have no Thanksgiving. (What is the usual Christmas dinner in the US?)
Along with... mince pies (mincemeat... not mince or meat)... Christmas pudding... fruitcake... Yule log... lately stollen and panettone have been added... gingerbread... chocolate coins... chocolate from advent calendars... candy canes... more chocolate...
What do characters eat at celebrations in your setting?
Thursday, 19 December 2019
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker
Spoilers up in a week. In the meantime...
I liked some of the choices made, but not all.
Tonally, unsurprisingly closer to The Force Awakens. Plot-wise, some may be familiar from certain other Lucasfilm productions.
I liked some of the choices made, but not all.
Tonally, unsurprisingly closer to The Force Awakens. Plot-wise, some may be familiar from certain other Lucasfilm productions.
December 19: Going To The Movies
Another way to give your players a gift - go large.
19: Going To The Movies
“Showtime!”
Jaws was only a summer blockbuster because it was late. Star Wars too. They were meant to be out for Christmas. Even though Jaws is set around the Fourth of July and Star Wars starts out on a desert planet. That was the usual time to roll out a big movie, and it’s still the time for animated features, and James Bond, and now for Star Wars again.
So a festive session would be a good time to do a big crazy fan-service-y session as well. Ever wanted to play the legendary Golden Age heroes your regular game’s characters carry artefacts from? Or the big meta-crossover between your superhero team and all the others the players and GM have introduced to the setting?
19: Going To The Movies
“Showtime!”
Jaws was only a summer blockbuster because it was late. Star Wars too. They were meant to be out for Christmas. Even though Jaws is set around the Fourth of July and Star Wars starts out on a desert planet. That was the usual time to roll out a big movie, and it’s still the time for animated features, and James Bond, and now for Star Wars again.
So a festive session would be a good time to do a big crazy fan-service-y session as well. Ever wanted to play the legendary Golden Age heroes your regular game’s characters carry artefacts from? Or the big meta-crossover between your superhero team and all the others the players and GM have introduced to the setting?
Wednesday, 18 December 2019
December 18: The Totally Canon Special
And where there is one idea, the opposite may also apply.
18: The Totally Canon Special
“’Tis the season. Whatever that means.”
Some ongoing series make their Christmas episode hugely important. In the soaps Christmas is often celebrated with a murder. Doctor Who had The Christmas Invasion as the Tenth Doctor’s first adventure, and The Time Of The Doctor as the Eleventh’s last. Buffy The Vampire Slayer had one Christmas episode and the villain went on to become the Big Bad for the final season.
The last session before a holiday break might not be the best time to raise the stakes like this, especially if players miss it due to last-minute packing and the like, but it could certainly play host to a cliffhanger ending...
18: The Totally Canon Special
“’Tis the season. Whatever that means.”
Some ongoing series make their Christmas episode hugely important. In the soaps Christmas is often celebrated with a murder. Doctor Who had The Christmas Invasion as the Tenth Doctor’s first adventure, and The Time Of The Doctor as the Eleventh’s last. Buffy The Vampire Slayer had one Christmas episode and the villain went on to become the Big Bad for the final season.
The last session before a holiday break might not be the best time to raise the stakes like this, especially if players miss it due to last-minute packing and the like, but it could certainly play host to a cliffhanger ending...
Tuesday, 17 December 2019
December 17: The Non-Canon Special
Is your Christmas special... canon?
17: The Non-Canon Special
“Incidentally, a happy Christmas to all of you at home!”
Due to tone, fourth wall breaking, strange appearances, or other spikes in Weird Level, special episodes of regular series for the holiday season or other events may not “count” in the official timeline, being included among spinoffs even if they appear in the series’ home medium.
The most notorious example in geek culture is of course the Star Wars Holiday Special. Despite Boba Fett making his debut in the animated section and some other elements being included in Legends and even the modern canon (notably Fett’s tuning-fork rifle being the basis for The Mandalorian’s ranged weapon of choice, and mention of Life Day in the premiere) it’s still very very not counted. In another universe, perhaps Lucasfilm kept a tighter grip on things or they only made the animated section and Star Wars Holiday Specials became a much-loved tradition... And it could still happen!
Less extremely, the above quote comes from the Christmas Day 1965 Doctor Who episode The Feast Of Steven, as William Hartnell led a toast for the Doctor’s companions and then turned to the camera to toast the audience as well. It’s an oddity, but nothing compared to the continuity issues of the 30th anniversary Children In Need telethon special Dimensions In Time which featured a crossover with EastEnders - it has since been established that each show exists as a TV show in the other show’s setting.
So the session nearest Christmas might be a good time to get a bit relaxed with continuity, in keeping with the partying festive spirit.
My plan for Sounds Like Hell involved adorable talking animals. Which might still happen in season two, if I’m feeling weird enough.
Due to tone, fourth wall breaking, strange appearances, or other spikes in Weird Level, special episodes of regular series for the holiday season or other events may not “count” in the official timeline, being included among spinoffs even if they appear in the series’ home medium.
The most notorious example in geek culture is of course the Star Wars Holiday Special. Despite Boba Fett making his debut in the animated section and some other elements being included in Legends and even the modern canon (notably Fett’s tuning-fork rifle being the basis for The Mandalorian’s ranged weapon of choice, and mention of Life Day in the premiere) it’s still very very not counted. In another universe, perhaps Lucasfilm kept a tighter grip on things or they only made the animated section and Star Wars Holiday Specials became a much-loved tradition... And it could still happen!
Less extremely, the above quote comes from the Christmas Day 1965 Doctor Who episode The Feast Of Steven, as William Hartnell led a toast for the Doctor’s companions and then turned to the camera to toast the audience as well. It’s an oddity, but nothing compared to the continuity issues of the 30th anniversary Children In Need telethon special Dimensions In Time which featured a crossover with EastEnders - it has since been established that each show exists as a TV show in the other show’s setting.
So the session nearest Christmas might be a good time to get a bit relaxed with continuity, in keeping with the partying festive spirit.
My plan for Sounds Like Hell involved adorable talking animals. Which might still happen in season two, if I’m feeling weird enough.
Monday, 16 December 2019
December 16: Christmas... In... SPAAAAACE
So the ghosts of Christmas past, present... and future.
16: Christmas... In... SPAAAAACE
“And Mrs. Claus has positively identified the kidnappers as Martians.”
Given how much Christmas traditions have changed over the past centuries, and particularly the last century (with humanity’s first actual Christmas in space in 1968 and a number celebrated since on the ISS) what will the holiday be like in another century?
Robot Santa?
Star Trek: Generations had a very traditional Dickensian Christmas in Picard’s mindscape, apt as Sir Patrick Stewart has also performed A Christmas Carol as a one-man show and a film.
Judge Dredd Christmas stories have included Weather Control putting on snow, very briefly, and stores sending Santas out on flying sleighs with robot reindeer.
Hardware has a last-minute Christmas present in a post-apocalypse city prove to be a very bad idea.
16: Christmas... In... SPAAAAACE
“And Mrs. Claus has positively identified the kidnappers as Martians.”
Given how much Christmas traditions have changed over the past centuries, and particularly the last century (with humanity’s first actual Christmas in space in 1968 and a number celebrated since on the ISS) what will the holiday be like in another century?
Robot Santa?
Star Trek: Generations had a very traditional Dickensian Christmas in Picard’s mindscape, apt as Sir Patrick Stewart has also performed A Christmas Carol as a one-man show and a film.
Judge Dredd Christmas stories have included Weather Control putting on snow, very briefly, and stores sending Santas out on flying sleighs with robot reindeer.
Hardware has a last-minute Christmas present in a post-apocalypse city prove to be a very bad idea.
Sunday, 15 December 2019
Corporate Cthulhu
Your call of Cthulhu is important to us. A short story collection, including No Doves Come From Raven Eggs by my brother Mark, on DriveThruFiction Deal Of The Day.
December 15: Fairytales
As a family event, a lot of family-friendly stories are brought out around Christmas.
15: Fairytales
“When you wish upon a star...”
In the UK, pantomimes are a big thing in theatres around this time, telling often deeply meta and strange versions of fairytales with a lot more drag and pop culture jokes than a new observer might expect.
Likewise, Scottish Ballet has a fairytale-themed child-friendly show over the holiday season - this year, The Snow Queen - and other shows are on in theatres and special screenings in cinemas as well as on the TV.
Disney films and other versions of various fairytales are also likely to show up on TV and sometimes in seasonal rereleases and screenings, even if there isn’t a new one out for the holidays as there is this year with Frozen II.
So that’s another option, perhaps going higher fantasy than normal for one session if the Weird Level allows it.
15: Fairytales
“When you wish upon a star...”
In the UK, pantomimes are a big thing in theatres around this time, telling often deeply meta and strange versions of fairytales with a lot more drag and pop culture jokes than a new observer might expect.
Likewise, Scottish Ballet has a fairytale-themed child-friendly show over the holiday season - this year, The Snow Queen - and other shows are on in theatres and special screenings in cinemas as well as on the TV.
Disney films and other versions of various fairytales are also likely to show up on TV and sometimes in seasonal rereleases and screenings, even if there isn’t a new one out for the holidays as there is this year with Frozen II.
So that’s another option, perhaps going higher fantasy than normal for one session if the Weird Level allows it.
Saturday, 14 December 2019
December 14: Games
As well as toys, Christmas is a time for something even more relevant here...
14: Games
“Let’s play!”
While Christmas doesn’t have specific party games connected to it like Halloween does, it is a time for family get-togethers including such pastimes. Card-playing is listed among traditional activities in the pre-Dickensian Christmas histories.
Geeky families may well give games and try to have a play during the holidays. Non-geeky families may fall out over M*n*p*ly.
Ever swiped a plot from a board or card game setup? A country house murder mystery with colour-coded suspects, perhaps...?
And one of my earliest Christmas-themed RPG sessions started as a board game, Sleigh Wars from White Dwarf issue 72.
14: Games
“Let’s play!”
While Christmas doesn’t have specific party games connected to it like Halloween does, it is a time for family get-togethers including such pastimes. Card-playing is listed among traditional activities in the pre-Dickensian Christmas histories.
Geeky families may well give games and try to have a play during the holidays. Non-geeky families may fall out over M*n*p*ly.
Ever swiped a plot from a board or card game setup? A country house murder mystery with colour-coded suspects, perhaps...?
And one of my earliest Christmas-themed RPG sessions started as a board game, Sleigh Wars from White Dwarf issue 72.
Friday, 13 December 2019
V5 sourcebooks on the way
Coming soon: The Fall Of London (preorder get a PDF) from Modiphius, and Cults Of The Blood Gods via Kickstarter from Onyx Path.
Also, Jackalope and Event Horizon running a Camarilla LARP, In Plain Sight.
Also, Jackalope and Event Horizon running a Camarilla LARP, In Plain Sight.
December 13: In The Bleak Midwinter
It’s twelve days before Christmas but it’s also Friday the 13th, so...
13: In The Bleak Midwinter
“And they call him... Sandy Claws!”
Christmas and horror and related genres.
Christmas is a time for ghost stories besides A Christmas Carol. M. R. James would premiere stories at Christmas readings, hence the BBC adaptations traditionally showing around the season too.
There’s a subgenre of seasonal horror movies popularised by Halloween of course - but the original Black Christmas predates it.
Oh, and there’s that thing I keep quoting...
When else would you want a strange magical being to enter your house while you sleep, by the chimney no less?
13: In The Bleak Midwinter
“And they call him... Sandy Claws!”
Christmas and horror and related genres.
Christmas is a time for ghost stories besides A Christmas Carol. M. R. James would premiere stories at Christmas readings, hence the BBC adaptations traditionally showing around the season too.
There’s a subgenre of seasonal horror movies popularised by Halloween of course - but the original Black Christmas predates it.
Oh, and there’s that thing I keep quoting...
When else would you want a strange magical being to enter your house while you sleep, by the chimney no less?
Thursday, 12 December 2019
December 12: Presents
We’re halfway through the Advent calendar. Do you have your shopping done?
12: Presents
“What do you get for the man who has everything?”
It’s better to give than to receive, supposedly. Christmas encourages you to do both. A lot.
Characters’ gift choices may say a lot about them. As may how they react to the gifts they get.
There have been entire stories told about the hunt for the latest craze present, from an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie to an episode of Frasier.
Gift-giving is rarely a moment to introduce major power-ups, although it happens in Narnia.
And the question of what to get for someone who has everything may be a pressing issue if, say, you have to attend the royal court or the city’s vampire Prince’s winter solstice party...
12: Presents
“What do you get for the man who has everything?”
It’s better to give than to receive, supposedly. Christmas encourages you to do both. A lot.
Characters’ gift choices may say a lot about them. As may how they react to the gifts they get.
There have been entire stories told about the hunt for the latest craze present, from an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie to an episode of Frasier.
Gift-giving is rarely a moment to introduce major power-ups, although it happens in Narnia.
And the question of what to get for someone who has everything may be a pressing issue if, say, you have to attend the royal court or the city’s vampire Prince’s winter solstice party...
Wednesday, 11 December 2019
December 11: Christmas Pre-Dickens
Before A Christmas Carol made the Christmas we know today, there were over eighteen hundred of them.
11: Christmas Pre-Dickens
“Low the tide, low the light, Comes the sun again”
After a few centuries of arguing when to have Christmas, Christians settled for December and mostly stuck to that. Charlemagne popularised being crowned on Christmas Day, and William the Conqueror followed his example. Feasts and gift-giving and caroling came in, and James VI and I had plays put on every Christmas night, so can be partially blamed for panto season.
Sir Gawain And The Green Knight starts at King Arthur’s Christmas / New Year feast, as Pendragon GMs should know.
11: Christmas Pre-Dickens
“Low the tide, low the light, Comes the sun again”
After a few centuries of arguing when to have Christmas, Christians settled for December and mostly stuck to that. Charlemagne popularised being crowned on Christmas Day, and William the Conqueror followed his example. Feasts and gift-giving and caroling came in, and James VI and I had plays put on every Christmas night, so can be partially blamed for panto season.
Sir Gawain And The Green Knight starts at King Arthur’s Christmas / New Year feast, as Pendragon GMs should know.
Tuesday, 10 December 2019
Kavalier And Clay, the series
Michael Chabon is bringing his breakthrough novel, The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay, to TV, telling the tale of the Golden Age of superhero comics through a pair of fictional creators. Previous non-book work related to the story includes actual comics of the heroes’ superhero creation the Escapist.
December 10: Happy Life Day
But what if your setting doesn’t have Christmas?
10: Happy Life Day
“You mean Exmas?”
So you have a setting with no direct connection to our last two thousand years of history, like a fantasy world, but want to do a festive special anyway. What to do?
You could look at related real festivals like winter solstice celebrations for inspiration, run with the satire, or play with one of the stories or other ideas connected to Christmas but not really part of the setup, like A Christmas Carol or “It’s A Wonderful Life”. The player characters could be visited by ghosts, or be the ones setting someone else up for an apparent visitation.
You could likewise have a festive session for a fictional event at any time. When and how does the Reikland celebrate Sigmar’s birth? How does the New Republic mark the fall of the Emperor?
10: Happy Life Day
“You mean Exmas?”
So you have a setting with no direct connection to our last two thousand years of history, like a fantasy world, but want to do a festive special anyway. What to do?
You could look at related real festivals like winter solstice celebrations for inspiration, run with the satire, or play with one of the stories or other ideas connected to Christmas but not really part of the setup, like A Christmas Carol or “It’s A Wonderful Life”. The player characters could be visited by ghosts, or be the ones setting someone else up for an apparent visitation.
You could likewise have a festive session for a fictional event at any time. When and how does the Reikland celebrate Sigmar’s birth? How does the New Republic mark the fall of the Emperor?
Monday, 9 December 2019
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Four Ghostbusters movies, four different tones. And Afterlife looks the most different yet. The trailer music sounds more like The Force Awakens, which is also about a new generation discovering that some mystical legends are true and wielding the relics of a previous battle...
December 9: Let It Snow
Thanks to Dickens growing up during the Little Ice Age, Christmas is a holiday with its own weather pattern. (Halloween has dark and stormy nights, of course.)
9: Let It Snow
“The cold never bothered me anyway...”
Christmas comes in winter in the northern hemisphere, and while British winters are more likely to have snow later on, the beautiful blanket of strangeness would seem to make the world peaceful.
In Christmas stories it’s often actively magical - see Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s one Christmas episode, Amends.
Snow and ice can affect movement, muffled sound making stealth easier but giving much clearer footprints or risking loss of footing, as well as the chill affecting the body.
And consider characters with cold powers. You can fight with it, or create art...
9: Let It Snow
“The cold never bothered me anyway...”
Christmas comes in winter in the northern hemisphere, and while British winters are more likely to have snow later on, the beautiful blanket of strangeness would seem to make the world peaceful.
In Christmas stories it’s often actively magical - see Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s one Christmas episode, Amends.
Snow and ice can affect movement, muffled sound making stealth easier but giving much clearer footprints or risking loss of footing, as well as the chill affecting the body.
And consider characters with cold powers. You can fight with it, or create art...
Sunday, 8 December 2019
Wonder Woman 1984
All the world is waiting for you
The 80s as a historical setting still weirds me out, but...
The 80s as a historical setting still weirds me out, but...
I’m an NPC!
Free Guy, starring Ryan Reynolds as a background character in a video game who discovers what his world really is.
This idea comes up in RPGs, usually like this for humour as a way of looking askance at the norms of games, although Over The Edge suggested it more-or-less seriously as one of its possible arc plot.
This idea comes up in RPGs, usually like this for humour as a way of looking askance at the norms of games, although Over The Edge suggested it more-or-less seriously as one of its possible arc plot.
December 8: A Kiss Under The Mistletoe
One of the aforementioned Christmas traditions...
8: A Kiss Under The Mistletoe
“A kiss can be even deadlier... if you mean it.”
Wow, I keep making Burton Batman quotes here, don’t I? Thank meeting Danny Elfman for that.
While the specifics of using mistletoe are puzzling, romance makes sense in any festive occasion with lots of people gathering and having parties. There’s a whole subgenre of Christmas-specific romantic comedies, with optional Christmas magic being involved. (This year Netflix has made one about a time-traveling knight, complete with the modern-day heroine hitting him with her car a la Thor.)
More generally a subplot than a main plot, of course.
8: A Kiss Under The Mistletoe
“A kiss can be even deadlier... if you mean it.”
Wow, I keep making Burton Batman quotes here, don’t I? Thank meeting Danny Elfman for that.
While the specifics of using mistletoe are puzzling, romance makes sense in any festive occasion with lots of people gathering and having parties. There’s a whole subgenre of Christmas-specific romantic comedies, with optional Christmas magic being involved. (This year Netflix has made one about a time-traveling knight, complete with the modern-day heroine hitting him with her car a la Thor.)
More generally a subplot than a main plot, of course.
Saturday, 7 December 2019
Star Trek: Discovery on UK TV
Star Trek: Discovery starts on E4 starting on Sunday the 15th. Season one is mostly fun with some issues, notably pacing, but worth it for the characters and style, I think. (Season two is more fun, I think, though still paced oddly.)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture was released in the US forty years ago today.
It had been more than ten years since the end of the original series (and five since the animated series) and Star Trek was back, looking beautiful and presenting an optimistic vision of the future.
Famously troubled, it started as the pilot script for a planned TV revival while other film scripts came and went, regained Spock after moving to the big screen, and used that screen to show the Enterprise and the threat of V’ger to an epic extent, though it has been observed that the runtime-filling giant uncut effects shots, often beautiful, add to its slow pace.
An interesting experiment in 2001-like big ideas SF using the established characters, being cinema-ified and released in response to Star Wars didn’t help.
It had been more than ten years since the end of the original series (and five since the animated series) and Star Trek was back, looking beautiful and presenting an optimistic vision of the future.
Famously troubled, it started as the pilot script for a planned TV revival while other film scripts came and went, regained Spock after moving to the big screen, and used that screen to show the Enterprise and the threat of V’ger to an epic extent, though it has been observed that the runtime-filling giant uncut effects shots, often beautiful, add to its slow pace.
An interesting experiment in 2001-like big ideas SF using the established characters, being cinema-ified and released in response to Star Wars didn’t help.
“What we got back didn’t live long. Fortunately.”
Dude, not the time to be hardbitten and noirish.
“Starfleet Order Two Zero Zero One.”
I see what you did there.
Its main effect on the following films and shows was in swinging away from it. The Wrath Of Khan would follow a zippier action-adventure tone with a straightforward villain and more emphasis on dialogue and humour, and subsequent films include a lot more Khans than TMPs. That, and giving the theme tune to Star Trek: The Next Generation. But it provided a future for the setting, and for that I am grateful.
Its main effect on the following films and shows was in swinging away from it. The Wrath Of Khan would follow a zippier action-adventure tone with a straightforward villain and more emphasis on dialogue and humour, and subsequent films include a lot more Khans than TMPs. That, and giving the theme tune to Star Trek: The Next Generation. But it provided a future for the setting, and for that I am grateful.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse fifth edition
Werewolf: The Apocalypse fifth edition, release date 2021, from Hunters Entertainment and Renegade Game Studios, creators of Kids On Bikes and the Altered Carbon RPG.
December 7: Santa Claus
One week in, time for one of the stars of the show...
7: Santa Claus!
“Ho-ho-ho!”
As noted yesterday, Santa Claus is pretty strange. A conglomeration of St. Nicholas, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Lord of Misrule, the pagan overlord of a Christian festival.
Various interpretations and non-Nicholas origins have been presented since he rose to prominence - there’s a new one on Netflix this season, and a new chapter of the Grant Morrison and Dan Mora comic version of the same name - and he has official D&D stats, is available in miniature form from various companies, made a notable surprise guest appearance in The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, was the narrator of a series of letter by J.R.R. Tolkien to his children, and Comics Alliance used to adapt odd St. Nicholas stories and discuss his importance in various superhero universes and other settings.
How you might use him in a game depends very much on the game, its general tone, its overall Weird Level and the seasonal adjustability thereof...
7: Santa Claus!
“Ho-ho-ho!”
As noted yesterday, Santa Claus is pretty strange. A conglomeration of St. Nicholas, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Lord of Misrule, the pagan overlord of a Christian festival.
Various interpretations and non-Nicholas origins have been presented since he rose to prominence - there’s a new one on Netflix this season, and a new chapter of the Grant Morrison and Dan Mora comic version of the same name - and he has official D&D stats, is available in miniature form from various companies, made a notable surprise guest appearance in The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, was the narrator of a series of letter by J.R.R. Tolkien to his children, and Comics Alliance used to adapt odd St. Nicholas stories and discuss his importance in various superhero universes and other settings.
How you might use him in a game depends very much on the game, its general tone, its overall Weird Level and the seasonal adjustability thereof...
Friday, 6 December 2019
Star Wars representation
Finn and Poe will not be getting together. Will somebody? Someday, surely... We have LGBTQ representation in the books, comics and the like, and recently non-hetero flirting options added to The Old Republic MMO, but not yet on the live-action screen...
December 6: Christmas Traditions
Or, a story all about Christmas and its various accrued traditions, and how weird they can be...
6: Christmas Traditions
“What’s this? What’s this? There’s colour everywhere! What’s this? There’s white things in the air!”
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is all about someone having his first experience of Christmas, and while he likes it he really doesn’t get it. And then in attempting to get it, he tries to appropriate it.
And Santa Claus has to explain what he does, without really explaining why. Really, what is it with kissing under mistletoe? Or Santa’s sleigh being pulled by flying reindeer? Or...
6: Christmas Traditions
“What’s this? What’s this? There’s colour everywhere! What’s this? There’s white things in the air!”
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is all about someone having his first experience of Christmas, and while he likes it he really doesn’t get it. And then in attempting to get it, he tries to appropriate it.
And Santa Claus has to explain what he does, without really explaining why. Really, what is it with kissing under mistletoe? Or Santa’s sleigh being pulled by flying reindeer? Or...
Thursday, 5 December 2019
Knives Out
Knives Out was fun, tricksy, I would watch further adventures, though not as consistently funny as I was expecting from comparisons to Clue.
December 5: Die Hard
One of the less traditional Christmas stories...
5: Die Hard
“Welcome to the party, pal!”
The festive season makes an ironic backdrop for action. See also most Shane Black films. Maybe it’s related to the season - a big party being the target for thieves - or not.
See also also Christmas horror movies. And Batman Returns. And quite a lot of romcoms, that just happen to be set around Christmas. How many of the 2005-2017 Doctor Who Christmas specials were really Christmassy? One?
5: Die Hard
“Welcome to the party, pal!”
The festive season makes an ironic backdrop for action. See also most Shane Black films. Maybe it’s related to the season - a big party being the target for thieves - or not.
See also also Christmas horror movies. And Batman Returns. And quite a lot of romcoms, that just happen to be set around Christmas. How many of the 2005-2017 Doctor Who Christmas specials were really Christmassy? One?
Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Trinity Continuum
The Trinity Continuum core and Aeon bundle out now!
It’s been quite a ride, and it feels really good to have it out to the wider world.
It is very strange seeing news snippets I wrote laid out as artefacts, and groups I created with logos and character art. But I could get used to it!
It’s been quite a ride, and it feels really good to have it out to the wider world.
It is very strange seeing news snippets I wrote laid out as artefacts, and groups I created with logos and character art. But I could get used to it!
Dr. vs. Dracula
In keeping with the current tradition of BBC One showing genre stuff when I’m probably going to be out, the new Doctor Who and Dracula are both apparently starting on New Year’s Day.
December 4: The Christmas Number One
I will refrain from Whamming you.
4: The Christmas Number One
“I hate this song.”
An odd British tradition, the fight to get your song to the top of the singles chart for the Christmas week. It is now such a ye olde tradition that BBC One music chart show Top Of The Pops now only happens at Christmas, it’s one of the plots in Love Actually, and heroic battles to prevent talent shows winning by default have led to such winners as Killing In The Name Of by Rage Against The Machine, now my karaoke standard.
Gaming-wise... hmm, unless the PCs are involved in music... an earworm could be part of a villainous plot. Even better with advertising jingles, though...
4: The Christmas Number One
“I hate this song.”
An odd British tradition, the fight to get your song to the top of the singles chart for the Christmas week. It is now such a ye olde tradition that BBC One music chart show Top Of The Pops now only happens at Christmas, it’s one of the plots in Love Actually, and heroic battles to prevent talent shows winning by default have led to such winners as Killing In The Name Of by Rage Against The Machine, now my karaoke standard.
Gaming-wise... hmm, unless the PCs are involved in music... an earworm could be part of a villainous plot. Even better with advertising jingles, though...
Tuesday, 3 December 2019
D.C Fontana
Dorothy Catherine Fontana, the pioneering Star Trek writer known as D.C. to avoid casual viewers knowing she was a woman, has died, aged 80.
December 3: A Christmas Carol
One of the two big stories around the season...
3: A Christmas Carol
“No. Your past.”
Charles Dickens did about as much to codify the modern traditional Christmas as anyone (rivalled maybe by Victoria and Albert, who we have to thank for trees and the like) and there are... quite a few versions of this story. So there’s plenty of room to chop this one around and inflict it on the PCs, or have them use it on a villain with a shot at redemption...
(Not mentioned: Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s only Christmas episode, Amends, where the ghosts tormenting Angel turn out to be something else...)
3: A Christmas Carol
“No. Your past.”
Charles Dickens did about as much to codify the modern traditional Christmas as anyone (rivalled maybe by Victoria and Albert, who we have to thank for trees and the like) and there are... quite a few versions of this story. So there’s plenty of room to chop this one around and inflict it on the PCs, or have them use it on a villain with a shot at redemption...
(Not mentioned: Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s only Christmas episode, Amends, where the ghosts tormenting Angel turn out to be something else...)
Monday, 2 December 2019
December 2: The Little Shop
It was Shop Local Saturday this weekend, the Vision-like good offspring of Black Friday.
2: The Little Shop
“As if by magic, the shopkeeper appeared.”
Genre fiction is full of strange little shops for various purposes - adventurer supply stores first and foremost - like the costume shop Mr. Benn frequents, the cursed antique store in Friday The 13th: The Series. Magic shops are such a feature in Buffy that Giles took one over after the latest owner fatality in season five.
The little shop that wasn’t there before and isn’t there when you go back is a staple of fantasy and horror as well. Where else are you going to get a monkey’s paw at this time of year?
2: The Little Shop
“As if by magic, the shopkeeper appeared.”
Genre fiction is full of strange little shops for various purposes - adventurer supply stores first and foremost - like the costume shop Mr. Benn frequents, the cursed antique store in Friday The 13th: The Series. Magic shops are such a feature in Buffy that Giles took one over after the latest owner fatality in season five.
The little shop that wasn’t there before and isn’t there when you go back is a staple of fantasy and horror as well. Where else are you going to get a monkey’s paw at this time of year?
Sunday, 1 December 2019
December 1: The Parade
Something celebratory!
1: The Parade
“I want a parade! Hot dogs, balloons, the whole schmeer!”
Floats, balloons, bands, possibly torches. Macy’s sponsors the big one at Thanksgiving in New York, a feature of many a Thanksgiving or Christmas movie or TV episode, but it’s far from the only one around the world - more locally, Linlithgow has a torchlit Advent Parade on St. Andrew’s Day, as I discovered when attempting to get across the city centre one year.
In gaming, parades are usually either targets for villains, or celebrations of the PCs’ heroics, or both. But any event that draws a crowd could be a chance to make new acquaintances in other ways too.
1: The Parade
“I want a parade! Hot dogs, balloons, the whole schmeer!”
Floats, balloons, bands, possibly torches. Macy’s sponsors the big one at Thanksgiving in New York, a feature of many a Thanksgiving or Christmas movie or TV episode, but it’s far from the only one around the world - more locally, Linlithgow has a torchlit Advent Parade on St. Andrew’s Day, as I discovered when attempting to get across the city centre one year.
In gaming, parades are usually either targets for villains, or celebrations of the PCs’ heroics, or both. But any event that draws a crowd could be a chance to make new acquaintances in other ways too.
December Advent Calendar O: The Party Christmas Party
In lieu of chocolate, an advent calendar of gaming blog stuff!
0: The Party Christmas Party
“My dearest friend, if you don’t mind, I’d like to join you by your side...”
The most basic idea for a seasonal session of a regular game - what do the characters do for the holidays?
Do they spend it together or apart? What presents do they get each other? What other events do they attend? Snowman monster attack optional.
0: The Party Christmas Party
“My dearest friend, if you don’t mind, I’d like to join you by your side...”
The most basic idea for a seasonal session of a regular game - what do the characters do for the holidays?
Do they spend it together or apart? What presents do they get each other? What other events do they attend? Snowman monster attack optional.
Saturday, 30 November 2019
Danny Elfman
Knowing Danny Elfman’s work mostly through film, his violin concerto Eleven Eleven had me thinking of scenes in various places, as well as the second part of the concert being from his film work - Eleven Eleven solo violinist Sandy Cameron appears here as she did tonight in the Edward Scissorhands suite.
(Oh, and the encore was the extended theme from The Simpsons.)
(Oh, and the encore was the extended theme from The Simpsons.)
Patron Saints
Happy St. Andrew’s Day!
As well as patron saint of Scotland, St. Andrew is patron saint of (among other things) Greece, Russia, singers, fishmongers, women seeking to have children, and sore throats. That’s quite a varied portfolio, and might be hard to design a Scion character around. Many saints have a lot less going on.
Does your setting have saints, household gods, or other patron beings for narrow fields like this?
As well as patron saint of Scotland, St. Andrew is patron saint of (among other things) Greece, Russia, singers, fishmongers, women seeking to have children, and sore throats. That’s quite a varied portfolio, and might be hard to design a Scion character around. Many saints have a lot less going on.
Does your setting have saints, household gods, or other patron beings for narrow fields like this?
Friday, 29 November 2019
Thursday, 28 November 2019
Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving, if applicable, US readers!
(Note to self: Thanksgiving episode in a US-based game.)
(Note to self: Thanksgiving episode in a US-based game.)
Wednesday, 27 November 2019
The road goes ever on
Cubicle 7 is to cease publishing Middle-earth games after a licence contract issue and The Lord Of The Rings second edition of The One Ring will not be published. This is a real shame after an excellent run, and the well-received Adventures In Middle-earth spinoff game, but so it is with licences. (Now would be a good time to grab PDFs during the Black Friday sale.)
Tuesday, 26 November 2019
Faith Erin Hicks on Anakin Skywalker
Faith Erin Hicks is rewatching Star Wars and has some thoughts on Anakin’s origin. The Jedi do not come off very well.
The sound of The Mandalorian
Ludwig Göransson on scoring the series as well as the influence of Star Wars, including his own introduction to classical music through John Williams.
Monday, 25 November 2019
Hmm.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer is a roleplaying game written by CJ Carella and published by Eden Studios. I believe it was based on a TV show.
The Onyx Path at Twitch after a mention of Willow in relationship to hubris.
The Onyx Path at Twitch after a mention of Willow in relationship to hubris.
Sunday, 24 November 2019
How to avoid a filler episode
Might have hit the build-up to the Sounds Like Hell season finale a week early. Which is better than a week late, but still. Hmm.
Advice so far includes more twists and Christmas episodes.
And a note from Morgue:
Advice so far includes more twists and Christmas episodes.
And a note from Morgue:
Desert Island Discworld
Al Kennedy of House To Astonish presents Desert Island Discworld, a new podcast where a guest talks about a Discworld novel and an assortment of related matters.
My next Star Wars game
Why am I thinking about my next Star Wars game? No reason...
Well away from any modern canon (Old Republic or a future era maybe) with the PCs as the characters who get the biggest space on the poster. Big space things exploding. Maybe a bit of Force. Some straightforward high-stakes action, and some personal issues in there too.
Well away from any modern canon (Old Republic or a future era maybe) with the PCs as the characters who get the biggest space on the poster. Big space things exploding. Maybe a bit of Force. Some straightforward high-stakes action, and some personal issues in there too.
Precursor artefacts
Weird Old Things In SPAAAAACE. Of course I threw in a psychic beacon that might be important long-lost data or might be a love story or a recipe.
Saturday, 23 November 2019
Great Monsters Of Buffy
A list of great monster moments from the Buffyverse, by Slayer author Kiersten White:
Yes yes I know I forgot the Halloween fear demon but otherwise please enjoy this top-ish ten list of Buffy’s Monsters of the WeekNote: ends with The Body.
Friday, 22 November 2019
Frozen II
Return to the world of Frozen, where the question of where Elsa’s power comes from will be answered... or will it?
Either way, it’s an unusual setup, with a possibly magical superpower front and centre in a world with magic otherwise at the edges, a superhero with no villains on her level...
Either way, it’s an unusual setup, with a possibly magical superpower front and centre in a world with magic otherwise at the edges, a superhero with no villains on her level...
Thursday, 21 November 2019
Mandalorian toy rumours
While you have no doubt been spoiled about a specific character who appears in The Mandalorian, I won’t name names of who you might be able to get a toy of for Christmas, months before we’re supposed to be able to watch the show. Ah well.
Wednesday, 20 November 2019
What Renfield Does In The Shadows
Universal continues making monster movies... and plans a Renfield comedy in a... shadowy sort of style.
Tuesday, 19 November 2019
The Watch casting news
Anna Chancellor as the Patrician, James Fleet as Ridcully and Ruth Madeley as Dibbler, among other announcements.
Monday, 18 November 2019
Iannucci... In.... Space!
Avenue 5, a space cruise comedy from Armando Iannucci, with Hugh Laurie as the captain.
Sunday, 17 November 2019
Sometimes player and GM ideas fit together just right.
In this case, I had some of the reveals planned, but not the method. Or the emotional fallout...
And it really helps to have plot ideas in your back pocket on a night like this.
And it really helps to have plot ideas in your back pocket on a night like this.
Alien Invasions
I just watched Independence Day for the first time since seeing the sequel, and the new BBC War Of The Worlds starts tomorrow. So now I want to run an alien invasion game again.
Probably not a long one. Start it in the present, minimal twists.
My last game along these lines was The Stars On Fire where the invasion targeted a future human civilisation, so the setting was unfamiliar too. Not counting invasions in superhero games and the like, where they aren't the focus.
Probably not a long one. Start it in the present, minimal twists.
My last game along these lines was The Stars On Fire where the invasion targeted a future human civilisation, so the setting was unfamiliar too. Not counting invasions in superhero games and the like, where they aren't the focus.
Saturday, 16 November 2019
A whole lot of Trail Of Cthulhu on Bundle Of Holding
Starting here, also including sourcebooks and adventures in a second bundle for what Cat calls an embarrasingly low price.
Happy Vampire: Bloodlines Night!
To celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the original Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines GOG has it at 45% discount.
Thanks to the unofficial Bloodlines Twitter run by... someone I may know...
Thanks to the unofficial Bloodlines Twitter run by... someone I may know...
Friday, 15 November 2019
Anthem to get a second verse
Anthem, BioWare’s Destiny-ish multiplayer mecha shooter, looks set to get a major revision. Having gone through several before it started, what will this one entail?
Star Trek gets animated again
Star Trek returns to animation, this time in Short Treks.
I’ve always thought a modern CG animated Trek series or film would work, especially since seeing WALL-E, but these are far from typical Trek stories.
I’ve always thought a modern CG animated Trek series or film would work, especially since seeing WALL-E, but these are far from typical Trek stories.
The Mandalorian sounds like...
Pedro Pascal, but not where I was going.
The theme for The Mandalorian and score for Chapter One by Ludwig Göransson are already listenable online. Some very Ennio Morricone wind instruments, and naturally some very John Williams brass (sounding quite like a passage in Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom specifically).
The theme for The Mandalorian and score for Chapter One by Ludwig Göransson are already listenable online. Some very Ennio Morricone wind instruments, and naturally some very John Williams brass (sounding quite like a passage in Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom specifically).
Thursday, 14 November 2019
Great severed hands in cinema
Important research at the Guardian. Via The AV Club, which spoils the winner.
Wednesday, 13 November 2019
Tuesday, 12 November 2019
Disney+
... This space reserved for March 31st 2020.
While we wait, apparently Han shoots first again but now Greedo cusses him out.
Also, it amuses me that Iron Man director Jon Favreau wrote The Mandalorian and it has so much armour being hammered into shape.
While we wait, apparently Han shoots first again but now Greedo cusses him out.
Also, it amuses me that Iron Man director Jon Favreau wrote The Mandalorian and it has so much armour being hammered into shape.
Monday, 11 November 2019
Interview With The Vampire
The film of Interview With The Vampire opened in the USA twenty-five years ago. It worked incredibly well, elegantly adapting and distilling the book.
November 11th
The Veterans Site. (For helping US veterans. Other Greatergood sites are all over the world.)
Sunday, 10 November 2019
Science and trickery for good
Scientists making fake rhino horn to break the poaching market. This is a great idea, and something we could have included in the Trinity Continuum introductory articles section.
Scion: The Musical?
Chorus, an interactive urban fantasy musical about an up-and-coming singer accidentally becoming the vessel of Calliope and therefore getting in trouble with the Greek Gods, just crowdfunded.
The mechanics of gaining musical flow like a combo reminds me of Morgue’s post on how to gamify the Riff-Off in Pitch Perfect, as well as the dialogue-option inspirational speech in Mass Effect. Great ideas that would require prep rather than relying on pure improv in our usual kind of game.
The mechanics of gaining musical flow like a combo reminds me of Morgue’s post on how to gamify the Riff-Off in Pitch Perfect, as well as the dialogue-option inspirational speech in Mass Effect. Great ideas that would require prep rather than relying on pure improv in our usual kind of game.
Saturday, 9 November 2019
The Berlin Wall
Tonight in 1989, the Berlin Wall started to come down. I remember it well, such a wonderful night.
Having been to Berlin, the city is united by public transport but divided in many other ways - pedestrian crossings of different designs and street lights of different colours, as well as the ghost of the wall marked with a line of poles, built up close on the east side of the line but still with open space on the west.
Having been to Berlin, the city is united by public transport but divided in many other ways - pedestrian crossings of different designs and street lights of different colours, as well as the ghost of the wall marked with a line of poles, built up close on the east side of the line but still with open space on the west.
Friday, 8 November 2019
Trinity Continuum
My copy of Trinity Continuum, Aeon and screens arrived today!
Photos to follow with daylight tomorrow.
Edit: Photos in daylight! Less terrible photos to come soon.
Photos to follow with daylight tomorrow.
Edit: Photos in daylight! Less terrible photos to come soon.
Thursday, 7 November 2019
Disney+ UK March 31 2020
Disney+ launches here on March 31st.
It should have all of The Mandalorian season one and other weekly series from the overall launch, at least.
It should have all of The Mandalorian season one and other weekly series from the overall launch, at least.
Santa!
Klaus, a secret origin of Santa, produced in old-school 2D animation. Trailer here. It looks really pretty and might be fun.
(Not to be confused with any other origin of Santa called Klaus. There are only so many Santa-related titles that work, after all.)
I have talked about Christmas specials before, here and more on ye Who blog, but hey... Santa.
(Not to be confused with any other origin of Santa called Klaus. There are only so many Santa-related titles that work, after all.)
I have talked about Christmas specials before, here and more on ye Who blog, but hey... Santa.
Name our lion cubs!
Name the Asiatic Lion cubs born this summer at Edinburgh Zoo. There is no Liony McLionface option.
Bondi Slayer
An Australian satirical vampire-stabbing webseries! Note: swears. Thanks to Morgue for the news.
Wednesday, 6 November 2019
Color Out Of Space trailer
Color Out Of Space - Richard Stanley directing Nicolas Cage adapting H.P. Lovecraft.
And hey, a No Flesh Shall Be Spared collage.
And hey, a No Flesh Shall Be Spared collage.
Mummy: The Curse Second Edition
Mummy: The Curse Second Edition, now live on Kickstarter. (Edit: and funded!)
Tuesday, 5 November 2019
Vox Machina
Amazon has licenced Critical Role: The Legend Of Vox Machina for two seasons, with Kickstarter backers to see it first.
Monday, 4 November 2019
The Venice flood
On this day in 1966, the Venice flood threatened the city that had stood for centuries like never before. A unique city, a notorious trade empire and famous cultural hub, built on marshes and lined with canals. There were plans to convert more of them to roads, but they went with flood defences instead.
Sunday, 3 November 2019
His Dark Materials
Planning to tackle the whole trilogy and some ancillary material, with the weight of the BBC and HBO behind it, His Dark Materials should succeed where the film of The Northern Lights, The Golden Compass failed to produce sequels.
Saturday, 2 November 2019
AV Club Horrors Week 2019
A roundup of features including Tom Savini, ominous birds, new songs, zom-coms...
Friday, 1 November 2019
Nationals Oneshot, over a year away...
I will be missing the Nationals in 2020, as (for the second time IIRC) they clash with Dead By Dawn and I can’t really commute from Edinburgh to Sheffield...
Thursday, 31 October 2019
Halloween 2019
Why did the ghosts get into the lift?
To raise their spirits!
There were quite a few trick or treaters and guisers out tonight, not least at the house a few doors along with the ghosts projected on the front wall. :)
We also had several movies on TV, although the main TV special was Autumnwatch...
Goodnight!
To raise their spirits!
There were quite a few trick or treaters and guisers out tonight, not least at the house a few doors along with the ghosts projected on the front wall. :)
We also had several movies on TV, although the main TV special was Autumnwatch...
Goodnight!
Chuffed
A very positive review of Trinity Continuum. With a P.S. noting a plan for a Les Fantomes series!
Also, we have a Jack O'Lantern bucket just like this...
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| Picture from Avanti Press |
Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Green Lantern and Strange Adventures on TV
Green Lantern and Strange Adventures, coming to HBO Max, from Greg Berlanti, mastermind of the Arrowverse, among other things including new Sesame Street and Game Of Thrones spinoffs and an SF series from Ridley Scott.
Tuesday, 29 October 2019
Monday, 28 October 2019
Trinity Continuum out in the world
Ian Watson reports that his copies of Trinity Continuum and Aeon have arrived, and on RPG.net a question about who’s already playing it, which includes some advice and observations.
Birds in horror, fantasy and reality
A deep dive on the symbolism of birds in myth and genre at the AV Club.
Sunday, 27 October 2019
The next Dracula
The first teaser for the forthcoming Dracula from Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss and OWWWWW that fingernail 14 seconds in.
Also, more vampire-hunting nuns than I was anticipating.
Also, more vampire-hunting nuns than I was anticipating.
Escape Room
Escape Room (2019) is like a rollercoaster version of Cube with less grisly but much more OTT traps. The upside-down room is particularly odd. And amusingly stars a DM (Deborah Ann Woll) as well as having a villain called the Gamesmaster.
The Clocks Go Back
We have entered The Hour That Does Not Exist.
You are advised to keep all limbs in the space-time continuum for the duration of the Hour.
Reminder: all crime is not legal. That’s The Purge.
Michael Scot The Wizard legendarily went searching for the eleven days that vanished when we changed calendars in the 18th century. What if he found them...?
You are advised to keep all limbs in the space-time continuum for the duration of the Hour.
Reminder: all crime is not legal. That’s The Purge.
Michael Scot The Wizard legendarily went searching for the eleven days that vanished when we changed calendars in the 18th century. What if he found them...?
Unfamiliar Halloweeny songs
Some unfamiliar Halloweeny songs, as well as some familiar ones. Including a band called Lovecraft, Link Wray riffing on The Shadow, and Ryan Gosling doing a creepy voiceover before bringing in a children’s choir.
Saturday, 26 October 2019
TimeWatch weekend sale
A Timewatch PDF sale to celebrate the achievements of Einstein, the dog in Back To The Future.
Halloween ComicFest
Halloween ComicFest is today! Like Free Comic Book Day, but (about 50%) spoopy!
(I might grab the Dark Red intro issue if I see it.)
(I might grab the Dark Red intro issue if I see it.)
Friday, 25 October 2019
The chat show of your setting
The Jim Henson Company are bringing a talk show to Disney+ which is hosted by an alien.
Talk / chat shows are a weird format, one that generally only works here weekly but in the US there seem to be multiple on most networks every weeknight. The larger entertainment industry helps, of course, although that doesn’t explain the deep oddness of such shows, for example the Craig Ferguson run of The Late Late Show. Or the question of whether Stephen Colbert is real. K has suggested you could do something like that as a feature in a World Of Darkness game with basically no changes.
See also Space Ghost Coast To Coast.
And of course The Muppet Show is a variety show with celebrity guests, which is a related form, though the trouble with getting it made every week is the main focus.
What would your modern-ish settings’ talk shows be like?
This may not come up unless the PCs watch one... or are invited on one, or their actions make the news and the opening monologue... or the game is set around producing one!
Talk / chat shows are a weird format, one that generally only works here weekly but in the US there seem to be multiple on most networks every weeknight. The larger entertainment industry helps, of course, although that doesn’t explain the deep oddness of such shows, for example the Craig Ferguson run of The Late Late Show. Or the question of whether Stephen Colbert is real. K has suggested you could do something like that as a feature in a World Of Darkness game with basically no changes.
See also Space Ghost Coast To Coast.
And of course The Muppet Show is a variety show with celebrity guests, which is a related form, though the trouble with getting it made every week is the main focus.
What would your modern-ish settings’ talk shows be like?
This may not come up unless the PCs watch one... or are invited on one, or their actions make the news and the opening monologue... or the game is set around producing one!
Thursday, 24 October 2019
Gargoyles
Stone by day, warriors by night!
A surprising choice for the Disney Afternoon lineup, Gargoyles premiered twenty-five years ago.
A clan of gargoyles allied to a Scottish warlord, defeated by treachery and sent to sleep for a thousand years, awoken in modern New York by a scheming billionaire, making a few allies among humans and friends and enemies among the other beings living secretly among us.
Its ongoing story arcs and developments were a rarity at the time, though sadly they never quite paid off due to behind-the-scenes issues. I particularly remember the gun safety episode, where the Gargoyles’ main human ally Detective Elisa Maza is injured - and she’s still injured in the following episode. And the recurring character of Macbeth is based on the historical king, even though there are a lot of Shakespeare references in the show, among others.
A surprising choice for the Disney Afternoon lineup, Gargoyles premiered twenty-five years ago.
A clan of gargoyles allied to a Scottish warlord, defeated by treachery and sent to sleep for a thousand years, awoken in modern New York by a scheming billionaire, making a few allies among humans and friends and enemies among the other beings living secretly among us.
Its ongoing story arcs and developments were a rarity at the time, though sadly they never quite paid off due to behind-the-scenes issues. I particularly remember the gun safety episode, where the Gargoyles’ main human ally Detective Elisa Maza is injured - and she’s still injured in the following episode. And the recurring character of Macbeth is based on the historical king, even though there are a lot of Shakespeare references in the show, among others.
Wednesday, 23 October 2019
RPGs for teens
There seem to be a lot of threads about this on RPG.net right now. Not the start of a new term, is it?
Tuesday, 22 October 2019
Call Of Cthulhu: Crusader States
A University of Edinburgh project to make a Cthulhu historical sourcebook, now open to all students and alumni.
The Rise Of Skywalker, final trailer
The story lives forever.
That slow triumphant version of the main saga theme... and yes, the tears...
That slow triumphant version of the main saga theme... and yes, the tears...
Monday, 21 October 2019
Investigative Roleplaying Masterclass
Investigative Roleplaying Masterclass with Cat Tobin, Robin D. Laws and Lynne Hardy, at the Kraken convention.
Vampire: The Miniatures Return
Modiphius announces 32mm Vampire: The Masquerade miniatures sets. This follows the boardgame Chapters, which has 40mm miniatures.
I’ve never used miniatures in Vampire, though I do have a few of the original official 25mm-ish line from Ral Partha and the Fantastique Noir Vampyres from RAFM, in a purely toyetic collectible way.
Going for signature characters, Bloodlines characters and other specifics is a good call, I reckon, as most Vampire characters should blend in to crowds, or at least miniatures-friendly crowds of gang members, corporate suit types and the like.
I’ve never used miniatures in Vampire, though I do have a few of the original official 25mm-ish line from Ral Partha and the Fantastique Noir Vampyres from RAFM, in a purely toyetic collectible way.
Going for signature characters, Bloodlines characters and other specifics is a good call, I reckon, as most Vampire characters should blend in to crowds, or at least miniatures-friendly crowds of gang members, corporate suit types and the like.
Critical Role: UnDeadwood
The first episode of Critical Role’s Deadlands game UnDeadwood is on Youtube, with three more to follow.
Dang I envy that table town setup, not least the ominous camera pans over it.
Dang I envy that table town setup, not least the ominous camera pans over it.
Sunday, 20 October 2019
Werewolf: The Apocalypse fifth edition
From Paradox Interactive show PDXcon comes a trailer for the Werewolf: The Apocalypse computer game Earthblood and news that W5 is on its way to tabletop, Paradox working with a partner.
Saturday, 19 October 2019
It sucks to be the Quarren
Three years on from my decision to feature a heroic Quarren in my next Star Wars game because they keep betraying the good guys whenever they get a line in the official media, here we are again.
And yes, Sergeant Sliss was a great and valiant hero of the Rebellion.
“Come on, mammals, show some of that backbone you’re so proud of having!”
And yes, Sergeant Sliss was a great and valiant hero of the Rebellion.
“Come on, mammals, show some of that backbone you’re so proud of having!”
Friday, 18 October 2019
Rian Johnson on Brick and mysteries
Rian Johnson looks back at Brick, ahead of Knives Out.
Every single person who does any kind of mystery — it was like this with Brick, it was like it with Knives Out — you’re on set living in a constant state of fear every time an actor comes up to you with a question. Because you’re 95 percent sure they’re about to ask something where you’re gonna blank and realize your entire story doesn’t make sense!
Thursday, 17 October 2019
Come Join Us By The Fire
A new audio series of short horror stories from Tor imprint Nightfire.
Apparently only available in north America at this time. :/
Apparently only available in north America at this time. :/
Two weeks to Halloween
Are you ready?
Trick Or Treat Rat is so conscientious.
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| I love the little swing and lowering the handle. |
Wednesday, 16 October 2019
The Enemy Within Returns!
Enemy In Shadows launches in PDF for the new edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, ahead of physical copies at the start of 2020. Dare you visit Bögenhafen?
Tuesday, 15 October 2019
Tonight, the scary special!
Time for the annual Cameo Quiz scary special, which I won solo in 2017. Buffy T-shirt at the ready!
Update: And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over the Cameo Film Quiz. Which was nice.
Photo of me with our host and quiz-winning thanks to teammate Sean!
As host Ian said, he brought out the Red Death costume last time I won and this time as well, so he’ll now offer to wear it any time I need a win. Maybe next time I vote for something...
And now...
So, you play your wits against mine? We got 41 out of 47...
Update: And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over the Cameo Film Quiz. Which was nice.
Photo of me with our host and quiz-winning thanks to teammate Sean!
As host Ian said, he brought out the Red Death costume last time I won and this time as well, so he’ll now offer to wear it any time I need a win. Maybe next time I vote for something...
And now...
So, you play your wits against mine? We got 41 out of 47...
Monday, 14 October 2019
Conservation in action
I went to Edinburgh Zoo today with my mum. It’s lovely, and can always inform monster special attacks.
Also quite happy with this photo of Ginger, the new mum Red Panda.
Trinity plot hook: The Sun Bears were rescued from an illegal private collection. Conservation in two-fisted action!
Also quite happy with this photo of Ginger, the new mum Red Panda.
Trinity plot hook: The Sun Bears were rescued from an illegal private collection. Conservation in two-fisted action!
Sunday, 13 October 2019
Jungle Cruise
Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt in Jungle Cruise, which looks more Adventure! than expected.
Saturday, 12 October 2019
GM Basics
I think the GM Basics talk went okay. We certainly got a lot of questions, not always the case in Q&As.
(I also mentioned this to artist Darick Robertson as the reason I got to his three-hour signing at the last hour, and his son has started GMing! He played in his youth but never got to enjoy it as he ended up drawing everyone else’s characters. “No, I think a long sword!”)
(I also mentioned this to artist Darick Robertson as the reason I got to his three-hour signing at the last hour, and his son has started GMing! He played in his youth but never got to enjoy it as he ended up drawing everyone else’s characters. “No, I think a long sword!”)
Friday, 11 October 2019
The Crow (2019... but not)
The cancelled reboot of The Crow starring Jason Momoa was scheduled to come out today. What would that have been like?
Momoa looks like small arms fire would bounce off him normally, so having him play a regular guy who needs a supernatural upgrade for his battle with his killers seems like a stretch. I imagine him killing T-Bird by holding on to the hood of his car and goading him into crashing it into a wall, then freeing himself from the burning wreckage and walking away.
But the theme of Detroit recovering from its worst times could play well. And would we get Zola Jesus on the soundtrack?
Momoa looks like small arms fire would bounce off him normally, so having him play a regular guy who needs a supernatural upgrade for his battle with his killers seems like a stretch. I imagine him killing T-Bird by holding on to the hood of his car and goading him into crashing it into a wall, then freeing himself from the burning wreckage and walking away.
But the theme of Detroit recovering from its worst times could play well. And would we get Zola Jesus on the soundtrack?
The Name Of The Rose
I haven’t seen any adverts for the new TV version of The Name Of The Rose, starting tonight on BBC Two, so here is a note that it exists.
Phone PDF RPGs
Phone PDFs launch at DriveThruRPG, and to celebrate, Pugmire is currently free in the new format.
Thursday, 10 October 2019
For Greg Stafford
On the first anniversary of founder Greg Stafford’s death, Chaosium launches WeAreAllUs, a campaign to share RPGs, with free adventures for all of their major game lines, including one of his own for Pendragon.
Wednesday, 9 October 2019
Clones
Gemini Man has been in development for so long that they could almost have filmed it Boyhood style without needing the de-ageing effects.
Have you ever had a PC cloned, outside of Paranoia? Or a fantasy doppelganger or something similar? They’re usually more or less identical rather than noticeably different like the younger Gemini copy, to cause confusion and trouble for the original.
I once had a high-power Cyberpunk PC who was actually a batch of clones, each trained in a different skill, so that they could record their skills and plug in expertise. And latterly a Marvel SAGA character based on a similar idea, able to upload his mind into different cloned bodies engineered for different specialisations.
And The Watch House included Milli being reincarnated from a magical parallel universe... and the parallel versions of the rest of the PCs coming to get her back.
Have you ever had a PC cloned, outside of Paranoia? Or a fantasy doppelganger or something similar? They’re usually more or less identical rather than noticeably different like the younger Gemini copy, to cause confusion and trouble for the original.
I once had a high-power Cyberpunk PC who was actually a batch of clones, each trained in a different skill, so that they could record their skills and plug in expertise. And latterly a Marvel SAGA character based on a similar idea, able to upload his mind into different cloned bodies engineered for different specialisations.
And The Watch House included Milli being reincarnated from a magical parallel universe... and the parallel versions of the rest of the PCs coming to get her back.
Tuesday, 8 October 2019
No pressure
So this weekend I’m talking at a GM Basics workshop. Hopefully I won’t demonstrate too clearly why I blog rather than vlog.
Monday, 7 October 2019
Sunday, 6 October 2019
Saturday, 5 October 2019
Spaceship shows are back (and comics too)
New seasons of The Expanse and Lost In Space.
And a new comic series from Jamie McKelvie, The Killing Horizon.
As well as Green Lantern series Far Sector from N. K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell.
And a new comic series from Jamie McKelvie, The Killing Horizon.
As well as Green Lantern series Far Sector from N. K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell.
Friday, 4 October 2019
Cable Street
On this day in 1936, people in London stood up to the British Union of Fascists. It can be done.
A Darker Shade Of Magic
The writer of John Wick is adapting a series about a secret mystical world sideways of our own. Hmm.
Thursday, 3 October 2019
Long Beach By Night
B. Dave Walters, Undisputed Baron Of The Valley, starts a new V5 chronicle on Sunday, noon PST, at queuetimes on Twitch.
Update: episode one is now on Youtube, going straight in to a cold open for the first 48 minutes.
Update: episode one is now on Youtube, going straight in to a cold open for the first 48 minutes.
Happy birthday dad!
Happy birthday to my father. He went for lunch and a walk in Peebles, and the Colin Baxter steam train print I sent arrived in time!
Tuesday, 1 October 2019
Wendy’s Critical Role
Coming soon, a Critical Role one-shot sponsored by Wendy’s, the American burger franchise. Which is... an odd decision for corporate synergy.
(I note this as news. There aren’t any in the UK, so it doesn’t work so well as a marketing ploy here.)
Critical Role is donating their profits from this week’s sponsorships to Farm Worker’s Justice.
And now the game has its own free PDF rulebook. Print copies are available at New York Comic Con.
(I note this as news. There aren’t any in the UK, so it doesn’t work so well as a marketing ploy here.)
Critical Role is donating their profits from this week’s sponsorships to Farm Worker’s Justice.
And now the game has its own free PDF rulebook. Print copies are available at New York Comic Con.
Monday, 30 September 2019
Marvel to publish Warhammer comics
Marvel to publish Warhammer comics.
Marvel don’t do a lot of licences apart from Star Wars lately, but it’s not unheard of. Still a big deal for GW, who have previously produced their own and more recently licenced with Titan.
Marvel don’t do a lot of licences apart from Star Wars lately, but it’s not unheard of. Still a big deal for GW, who have previously produced their own and more recently licenced with Titan.
Wynonna Earp season three
I feel like three different mind control episodes in the first nine - and possession in episode ten - is a bit much. (The first being the best - vampires being incredibly casual with emotion control.)
I did appreciate the touch in episode three of changing the credits theme to a different version for its specific mood.
I did appreciate the touch in episode three of changing the credits theme to a different version for its specific mood.
Sunday, 29 September 2019
Buffy: Loud As Hell
Always a good sign when a player’s happy to have their character be a member of a sinister local family.
Saturday, 28 September 2019
Behind the scenes
Doors Open Days always make me want to run games in the back rooms of places. Set there or actually located there, or both.
Friday, 27 September 2019
Thursday, 26 September 2019
Triple Force Friday reveals
Yes I’m watching the live preview of toys coming out before Star Wars Episode IX!
Yes there are so many!
Yes Kelly Marie Tran and Naomi Ackie are geeking out over a popup book! (It is a very cool popup book!)
Yes there are mysterious characters!
Yes Joonas Suotamo is lovely!
Yes The Mandalorian has a repainted junker AT-ST!
Yes there are so many!
Yes Kelly Marie Tran and Naomi Ackie are geeking out over a popup book! (It is a very cool popup book!)
Yes there are mysterious characters!
Yes Joonas Suotamo is lovely!
Yes The Mandalorian has a repainted junker AT-ST!
Wednesday, 25 September 2019
Ghost Rider
Looks like the Ghost Rider TV series is not happening. A spinoff of the version brought to live-action by Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. was to be part of the Hulu lineup rather than Disney+.
Packing in your plots
New Amsterdam is a hospital TV series (not to be confused with the 2008 series about an immortal detective) and while pilots are often rushed, this pilot is really packed. The only public hospital in New York has its own school, a prison ward for Rikers, and it’s the closest to the United Nations. And the new boss upends the system, is trying to get back with his six-month-pregnant wife and has cancer. And there’s an ebola scare among the cases of the week.
Tuesday, 24 September 2019
Jim Henson, born today in 1936
“Watch out for each other. Love everyone and forgive everyone, including yourself. Forgive your anger. Forgive your guilt. Your shame. Your sadness. Embrace and open up your love, your joy, your truth, and most especially your heart.”
Jim Henson
Jim Henson
Hurricane Dorian charity bundle
A charity bundle for hurricane relief at DriveThruRPG. It includes a lot of supers, including the core rules for Icons, Brave New World, and indeed Supers.
Monday, 23 September 2019
Aron Eisenberg
Tributes to Aron Eisenberg, best known as Nog in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one of the characters most developed through the series.
Halloween 1981...
The first US TV showing of Halloween was quite a time. The extra footage added at the network’s request, which John Carpenter added tying it into Halloween II... and the charmingly inappropriate adverts.
I first saw it on UK TV when I was closer to adulthood, starting well after 9pm. (And on the BBC, so no ads.)
I first saw it on UK TV when I was closer to adulthood, starting well after 9pm. (And on the BBC, so no ads.)
September 23rd
Happy birthday to my brother and happy start of a new season, autumn for me and spring for him!
Sunday, 22 September 2019
Running Buffy
Running a Buffy game for people who know Buffy, which is nice. Going to get some use out of the Sounds Like Hell playlist!
Friends at 25
Google celebrates the 25th anniversary of Friends. Okay, remember it ran for ten years before feeling too old.
Erm
Three and a bit hours to go, still have two game ideas. That’s okay, right? I mean it’s down by one on yesterday...
The Great Wall
The Great Wall (2017) is, if nothing else, efficient. It gets Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal to the Wall and witnessing the alien siege in the first fifteen minutes, and piles on the “buh?” throughout.
Saturday, 21 September 2019
Happy birthday, Stephen King!
A new film of In The Tall Grass premiering, a new miniseries of The Stand on the way and the 1994 version on Blu-Ray...
Friday, 20 September 2019
You can't take the sky from me
Firefly premiered 17 years ago tonight.
Also, the RPG licence is about to end, along with other Cortex games such as Leverage, get the PDFs while you can!
Also, the RPG licence is about to end, along with other Cortex games such as Leverage, get the PDFs while you can!
Thursday, 19 September 2019
Deviant: The Renegades
Deviant: The Renegades, the new Chronicles Of Darkness game is live on Kickstarter!
You woke up… different. Someone changed you: on a slab, an operating table, an altar. By luck or by fate, you escaped. Hunted by your creators, they hold all the cards, and it seems they might recapture you. Except, what they don’t understand is they’ve stoked the fires of vengeance; what they did wasn’t right. What they don’t know is that now — you’re hunting them.
You woke up… different. Someone changed you: on a slab, an operating table, an altar. By luck or by fate, you escaped. Hunted by your creators, they hold all the cards, and it seems they might recapture you. Except, what they don’t understand is they’ve stoked the fires of vengeance; what they did wasn’t right. What they don’t know is that now — you’re hunting them.
International Talk Like A Pirate Day
It be September 19th!
You might think a pirate’s favourite letter is R, but their first love is the C!
You might think a pirate’s favourite letter is R, but their first love is the C!
Wednesday, 18 September 2019
The Cameo Quiz goes west
Scanned to let my absent teammates see. I should really scan the Fairytales quiz from last month as it’s more relevant...
Tuesday, 17 September 2019
Battlestar Galacticagain?
All of this has happened before, all of this will happen again. Announced on the 41st anniversary of the original series, a new version of Battlestar Galactica could be on the way to the NBC streaming service, from Sam Esmail, the creator of Mr. Robot.
It seems soon, as the previous reboot started in 2004 but ended in 2009 and had spinoffs running as recently as 2012.
And it followed various attempts to restart the setting in the interim.
So what to do with it? A continuation, or...?
Going dark and gritty has kind of been done.
Would a return to big family-friendly space opera work? Unlikely as the modern fandom is likely bigger, Sam Esmail is mostly known for an SF-adjacent character study, and it’s specifically for streaming, which suggests “we can’t show this on the network” might be part of the remit.
Update: Mr. Esmail has stated on Twitter that it’s a new story within the mythology. Presumably the (old) new mythology, based on the rest of the tweet.
It seems soon, as the previous reboot started in 2004 but ended in 2009 and had spinoffs running as recently as 2012.
And it followed various attempts to restart the setting in the interim.
So what to do with it? A continuation, or...?
Going dark and gritty has kind of been done.
Would a return to big family-friendly space opera work? Unlikely as the modern fandom is likely bigger, Sam Esmail is mostly known for an SF-adjacent character study, and it’s specifically for streaming, which suggests “we can’t show this on the network” might be part of the remit.
Update: Mr. Esmail has stated on Twitter that it’s a new story within the mythology. Presumably the (old) new mythology, based on the rest of the tweet.
You meet in a tavern...
Having now had a GEAS social in a tavern... no way would you be able to hear the old man offering you a quest if it were half that busy.
“You want us to bite a flagon?”
“You want us to bite a flagon?”
Monday, 16 September 2019
Jurassic World: Battle At Big Rock
A new short film from the makers of Jurassic World. It feels very much like a pre-credits for a JW film, hits some familiar suspense beats... and shows that the world is getting to be kind of a mess. I’m not a fan of the World films, but I do like this particular bit of escalation.
Sunday, 15 September 2019
Saturday, 14 September 2019
V20 plus 8
It’s the eighth anniversary of the V20 launch at the Grand Masquerade in New Orleans.
This was in the lobby at my hotel. Kind of set the tone.
And having known them for years, I met Ian Watson. Rose Bailey, Conrad Hubbard, and more, and due to a delayed flight got to hang out with Tim Bradstreet...
This was in the lobby at my hotel. Kind of set the tone.
And having known them for years, I met Ian Watson. Rose Bailey, Conrad Hubbard, and more, and due to a delayed flight got to hang out with Tim Bradstreet...
The BBC Proms 2019
Tonight is the Last Night Of The Proms, a series of classical concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, this year celebrating the centenary of founder Sir Henry Wood.
I always hope the end of Pomp And Circumstance will segue into the Star Wars theme....
I naturally tuned in for The Sound Of Space: Sci-Fi Film Music concert (with composer Jed Kurzel joining in on his theme for Alien Covenant) among others.
I immediately want to use new composition Horror Vacui by Jonny Greenwood, premiered at the last Late Prom on Friday the 13th, to soundtrack something creepy.
And base an NPC on mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton...
I always hope the end of Pomp And Circumstance will segue into the Star Wars theme....
I naturally tuned in for The Sound Of Space: Sci-Fi Film Music concert (with composer Jed Kurzel joining in on his theme for Alien Covenant) among others.
I immediately want to use new composition Horror Vacui by Jonny Greenwood, premiered at the last Late Prom on Friday the 13th, to soundtrack something creepy.
And base an NPC on mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton...
My Vampire NPC requirements
A Prince or equivalent.
And someone for them to not get along with.
And also a Nosferatu.
Nosferatu representatives set a lot of the tone with the specifics of how they look and how they’re creepy. And also how they provide information because I tend to run investigative Vampire and the information source NPC will be a major figure. They aren’t all the standout NPCs but they sure are some. Jonas in Unwanted and the Mara in From The Dust were both great fun to play. As I consider another Vampire game, my first thought after the basics of a setting is what my next Nosferatu would be like...
And someone for them to not get along with.
And also a Nosferatu.
Nosferatu representatives set a lot of the tone with the specifics of how they look and how they’re creepy. And also how they provide information because I tend to run investigative Vampire and the information source NPC will be a major figure. They aren’t all the standout NPCs but they sure are some. Jonas in Unwanted and the Mara in From The Dust were both great fun to play. As I consider another Vampire game, my first thought after the basics of a setting is what my next Nosferatu would be like...
Friday, 13 September 2019
Not my most ad hoc game ever...
So, there were more than 70 players at the GEAS taster. So pulling out emergency Buffy. Not even using canon characters as the players were not familiar. So... they seemed to have fun.
Jinkies
Apparently today is Friday the 13th and a full moon (first time since October 2000) and the fiftieth anniversary of Scooby-Doo.
Thursday, 12 September 2019
Consent In Gaming
A free guide from Monte Cook Games.
The worksheet and advice such as movie rating suggestions could be very helpful.
The worksheet and advice such as movie rating suggestions could be very helpful.
Scarred Lands Creature Collection
Now on Kickstarter, monsters for D&D Fifth Edition for the Scarred Lands setting.
The Watch cast
Sir Terry Pratchett’s The Watch cast announced. Richard Dormer is a reasonably grizzled Vimes.
Tuesday, 10 September 2019
Carnival Row
An official Carnival Row RPG, using the Cypher System, released free. It apparently needs a Cypher rulebook, but could work as a sourcebook.
Monday, 9 September 2019
Sunday, 8 September 2019
Leverage: The Korean TV spinoff job
A new Korean version of Leverage. As linked by original series EP Chris Downey.
Having seen the opening two-parter (which covers the same basic ground as the original pilot in twice the time) the riffs are pretty varied. It looks to be setting up a super-conspiracy Big Bad. The Thief being a slinky cat burglar and the Hacker being geeky are archetypes and their angry ex partner dynamic is different (although the Thief goes for the taser as well) and the Hitter is more different still, but the Mastermind being an art insurance investigator drawn in to do one job because of an experimental treatment for his son’s terminal disease and the Grifter being a terrible actress he chased before are rather more specific to the source...
Having seen the opening two-parter (which covers the same basic ground as the original pilot in twice the time) the riffs are pretty varied. It looks to be setting up a super-conspiracy Big Bad. The Thief being a slinky cat burglar and the Hacker being geeky are archetypes and their angry ex partner dynamic is different (although the Thief goes for the taser as well) and the Hitter is more different still, but the Mastermind being an art insurance investigator drawn in to do one job because of an experimental treatment for his son’s terminal disease and the Grifter being a terrible actress he chased before are rather more specific to the source...
Star Trek at 53
Happy Star Trek Day!
Today is the anniversary of the U.S. premiere in 1966. It’s been quite a year. Boldly go.
With Discovery continuing, and Picard and Lower Decks on their way and a Georgiou spinoff and a second animated series planned, the setting has an ever more diverse array of series coming, so this would be a great time to look at non-standard Trek setups as well as the classic ship and crew series.
What would my new Star Trek be?
Maybe... a small science ship, mostly civilian, looking at a specific phenomenon? Change the character types in the format, have someone from Starfleet but not many, and include room for some one-offs in with the arc.
Today is the anniversary of the U.S. premiere in 1966. It’s been quite a year. Boldly go.
With Discovery continuing, and Picard and Lower Decks on their way and a Georgiou spinoff and a second animated series planned, the setting has an ever more diverse array of series coming, so this would be a great time to look at non-standard Trek setups as well as the classic ship and crew series.
What would my new Star Trek be?
Maybe... a small science ship, mostly civilian, looking at a specific phenomenon? Change the character types in the format, have someone from Starfleet but not many, and include room for some one-offs in with the arc.
Saturday, 7 September 2019
Mad Charitea Party
Josephine McAdam (Eva in L.A. By Night) is hosting a Twitch event today/tonight (noon to midnight Pacific time) for a Multiple Myeloma charity, including... Fresno By Night. Jason Carl promises “Vampire: The Masquerade may never be the same.”
Friday, 6 September 2019
Storytellers Vault: Year Of The Road
The first World Of Darkness group prompt at the Vault is Year Of The Road. I have no strong ideas off hand, but if a fiction anthology happens...
Thursday, 5 September 2019
V5 Sabbat suggestions
Ideas for Sabbat games in Vampire: The Masquerade fifth edition from, among others, Jason Carl.
Ad Astra
Ad Astra looks stranger (and more Aeon-ish in the early moon base setting) than I had thought based on the first trailer. It mentioned a mission a generation ago and established a space elevator. Now I see... pirates on the Moon.
Wednesday, 4 September 2019
Tomb Raider 2 again
Ben Wheatley is signed up to direct a second Tomb Raider film with Alicia Vikander. Which is a pleasant surprise, as the first was pretty fun.
Tuesday, 3 September 2019
Raiders Of The Lost Past
Tomorrow, Dr. Janina Ramirez with a series about the shaky history of archaeology.
Monday, 2 September 2019
Buffy rewatch partners
Back to my annual Buffy rewatch, this time accompanying Alyx Dellamonica at Tor, the biggest fan of Ted I’ve ever seen.
Sunday, 1 September 2019
From The Dust finale
Saturday, 31 August 2019
RPGaDAY 2019 roundup
RPGaDAY 2019
As well as the Autocratik posts and the Runeslinger videos, RPGaDAY 2019 has also seen posts, videos and signal boosts from G*M*S, Bat Brewster, and in an idea I was tempted to follow, every post from Geek-Life Balance is about planning a specific game, as well as Twitter responses from Simon Burley, S. John Ross, Tanith, Shawn...
And on we go! Thanks to all for reading and participating.
As well as the Autocratik posts and the Runeslinger videos, RPGaDAY 2019 has also seen posts, videos and signal boosts from G*M*S, Bat Brewster, and in an idea I was tempted to follow, every post from Geek-Life Balance is about planning a specific game, as well as Twitter responses from Simon Burley, S. John Ross, Tanith, Shawn...
And on we go! Thanks to all for reading and participating.
RPGaDAY 2019 31: LAST
RPGaDAY 2019
31: LAST
The last game ideas I had.
Currently juggling three main options as we go into the new term - and no, I’m not planning on running a game at all three GEAS sessions. No I’m not!
ICONS, playing as the Big Team of a setting, the Avengers / Justice League kind of thing, where the PCs also bring their own nemeses and the like. So a tech hero means there will be tech villains, a spy means there will be spies, a refugee Atlantean princess means an invasion from Lemuria and so on.
Vampire: The Masquerade Fifth Edition, as From The Dust has been a success and I can do more but probably with a new city and with lessons learned from the last year.
Buffy, because I am me. And it’s a mix of superheroics and monsters so it would push me to make both of the above different.
31: LAST
The last game ideas I had.
Currently juggling three main options as we go into the new term - and no, I’m not planning on running a game at all three GEAS sessions. No I’m not!
ICONS, playing as the Big Team of a setting, the Avengers / Justice League kind of thing, where the PCs also bring their own nemeses and the like. So a tech hero means there will be tech villains, a spy means there will be spies, a refugee Atlantean princess means an invasion from Lemuria and so on.
Vampire: The Masquerade Fifth Edition, as From The Dust has been a success and I can do more but probably with a new city and with lessons learned from the last year.
Buffy, because I am me. And it’s a mix of superheroics and monsters so it would push me to make both of the above different.
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