Cinerati

Fanboy Meets Hellboy

2008-07-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

I am a fan of both Hellboy (comics, rpg, and films) and Chuck, so I really couldn't ask for more than this Hellboy II preview.

Okay, I could ask for more. I could ask that Chuck be reassigned the the BPRD. Like that will ever happen.

(via SF Signal I really have to ask those folks to be on my podcast some time.)

Sporadic Geek Update (7/7/08)

2008-07-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Professor Nokes' "Morning Medieval Miscellany," I bring you the Sporadic Geek Update. Since the arrival of my lovely twin daughters, it has been next to impossible to post on this blog regularly. For that, I apologize. Between the all-consuming endeavor that is newborn fatherhood, researching a series of posts about film criticism (which I intend to begin this week), and hosting a weekly podcast, I have struggled to find time to write. I fully intend to find a way to better balance my time and provide you with my thoughts on popular culture on a regular basis.

Excuses having been given, let's check out today's Sporadic Geek Update:

Gizmondo gives us a look at what the future of television might look like, if it is left up to AT&T.

Speaking of the Plex, Xbox's new name for their Xbox Media Center, Gizmondo has a great piece highlighting some of the updates to the service.

Media Center

360 and Media Center PC

Remember the Commodore 64? Me too. Ever think you could have a C64 LAN party? Me either. I was wrong. It appears that someone is geeky, and tech savvy, enough to do just that. Now if only I can find my C64 in storage and 12 of my close friends.

The Chicago Tribune's RedEye has an online polling contest for "The Greatest Superhero of All-Time." Cast your vote if you'd like to see your favorite last beyond the first round of voting. I'd hate to see Wonder Woman lose to Spawn or The Shadow lose to The Thing, so go now and vote the same way I did. My votes below in bold.
No. 1 Superman vs. No. 8 Mr. Fantastic
No. 4 Capt. America vs. No. 5 Capt. Marvel
No. 3 The Thing vs. No. 6 The Shadow
No. 2 Wonder Woman vs. No. 7 Spawn

No. 1 Batman vs. No. 8 The Spirit
No. 4 Thor vs. No. 5 Buffy The Vamp. Slayer
No. 3 Silver Surfer vs. No. 6 Popeye
No. 2 The Flash vs. No. 7 Flash Gordon

No. 1 Spider-Man vs. No. 8 Phoenix
No. 4 Black Panther vs. No. 5 Punisher
No. 3 Green Lantern vs. No. 6 Green Arrow
No. 2 Iron Man vs. No. 7 Elektra

No. 1 Wolverine vs. No. 8 Sub-Mariner
No. 4 Hellboy vs. No. 5 Daredevil
No. 3 Hulk vs. No. 6 Aquaman
No. 2 Catwoman vs. No. 7 Kitty Pryde

I found it hard to decide in a couple of the pairings. Both The Flash (Jay Garrick) and Flash Gordon are two of my favorite heroes. I voted Flash Gordon in the end since the poll seemed to be implying the Barry Allen or Wally West Flash. I like them both, but I love Flash Gordon. The Green Lantern/Green Arrow battle was also a tough one for me. They are two of my all-time favorite characters. But when forced to choose between the two, I go with Hal Jordan by a nose. Two of the categories featured heartbreaking results to date (at least heartbreaking for me). Spawn is beating Wonder Woman...WTH?! (That's a polite version of WT_) And Black Panther is getting shellacked by the Punisher. For me, there is no contest. Black Panther is much cooler than that psychopathic anti-hero. Notice I wrote anti-hero? The Punisher is a freakin' Spider-Man villain!
When are Americans going to wake up and realize, like the Japanese already know, how awesome the PSP is?

Some Film Trailers of Interest

2008-06-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you crossed SEMI-PRO with KUNG FU SOCCER? Me either, but someone did. I give you...KUNG FU DUNK. No...really.

The bizarre must, naturally, be followed by the brutal. I seem to remember Jet Li saying that he had made his last "Kung Fu Epic." I know, I know, I know. There is a difference between the style of film as represented in ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA and the historical film like HERO. I am just saying that apparently historical epics don't count. That, and that I can't wait to see THE WARLORDS.

Speaking of Jet Li. I am eagerly awaiting the August 1st release of the new MUMMY film. Why? Let's see. Mummies, Martial Arts, Terra Cotta Warriors, Magic, Dragons, Pulp, and a Multi-Headed Fire Breathing Dragon...what's not to like? It's even directed by the guy who brought us DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY. Did I mention Michele Yeoh? No? Well, she's in it too.

You can see a better version of the MUMMY preview at http://papajohns.com/mummy3/.

Xbox Live will soon begin delisting certain titles.

2008-06-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has apparently decided that it hates making easy money from its Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace. They will soon be delisting titles (that means removing them from purchase-ability) that have a "metacritic" score below 65%. Essentially, this is the equivalent of movie theaters deciding that they will not screen films with a Rotten Tomatoes score of less than 65%, but with less talented reviewers.

The metacritic rating is only one of the factors that Microsoft will be considering when it measures whether to keep or drop a title, but I want to fully make my straw man attack against them before I add the other factors.

Frankly, on the face this seems ridiculous. Metacritic may be a good review aggregation site, but let's face it reviewers are often very much out of touch with what people enjoy. They are especially out of touch with what I enjoy. Let's have a look at some successful films and how their metacritic scores line up.

If SEX AND THE CITY were a video game, it would be delisted. That 53 Metacritic score isn't even close.

National Treasure 2? 48% and it only made $239 million.

Does Microsoft realize that 48% means "mixed or average reviews?" They probably do. In fact, they probably notice that the ratings for video games seem ridiculously forgiving. It's as if people are judging games with 100s of hours of content upon a couple of hours of play time, or just on how "cool" they think the idea is. This explains the 65% as a measure of critical quality for games, especially given that it wouldn't work so well with movies. But let's hope it isn't the only criteria since there are over 45 XBox Live Arcade games with Metacritic scores below 65.

Let's see how many of them I own and enjoy...

Time pilot... ummm... classic.
Arkadian Warriors... I bought this game due to an add on the XBLA site. It's fun.
Rocketmen... Disappointing? Sure, but it's a fun Robotron style game.
Battlestar Galatica...Crap. Total Crap.
Battlezone...Not updated enough for some, but still fun to play.
Tempest... ummm... classic.
Tron... ummm... classic. 1337 gamers must not like the old school.
Cyber Ball...Plain old fashioned fun.

Now for the real comment. Thankfully this 65% only applies to games that have less than a 6 percent or lower trial conversion rate. Meaning that if the sales numbers are more than 6% of the number of trial downloads the metacritic rating doesn't apply. That means if we as consumers are easily entertained, lowest common denominator boobs, other people will be able to share our misery.

See how that 6% conversion rate changes things? That's why I left it out of my initial comments. It makes Microsoft reasonable, and we can't have that...can we?

I have now officially changed my name!

2008-05-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

For all of those out there who knew me as Christian Arthur Johnson, that person is no more. As of 10am this morning, I stand before you as Christian Arthur Lindke.

Years ago, Jody and I decided that I would take her name rather than she take mine -- only to discover the lack of equal protection regarding ease of name change for husbands. The expense of the process was a cause for delay, but the birth of our daughters made that excuse trivial. So 9 weeks ago, I filed a civil claim to change my name and today my petition was granted.

I'd like to thank Jo Benincasa, an attorney friend of mine, for walking me through the steps of the process.

Flash Gordon and Highlander to See Big Screen

2008-05-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

It seems that Hollywood is hell bent on destroying my childhood and teen years.

First, they made a campy version of STARSKY AND HUTCH which, like the Tom Hanks DRAGNET, was entertaining but made a mockery of something that was at times pretty dark. Okay, that applies more to DRAGNET than S&H, but the Michael Mann episodes of STARSKY AND HUTCH hold up very well and are good neo-noir.

Then they made the new FLASH GORDON and BIONIC WOMAN television series, which are unarguably awful. FLASH is so bad that watching it must surely be classified as the punishment that Satan gives Judas when his jaw is getting a little tired.

Then I found out that Seth Rogan was going to play Brit Reid in the new GREEN HORNET movie. Ummm...the Green Hornet is viewed by the public as a CRIMINAL and scares the crap out of people, that makes a good Seth Rogan comedy?! I'll still go see it because it stars Stephen Chow, but I know I'll hate it.

Why can't Hollywood do these things without irony? Oh, that's right because if you do a movie, like SPEED RACER, without irony you aren't "cool."

Which brings me to the latest news. Apparently, FLASH GORDON is returning to the big screen and they're remaking HIGHLANDER. I would have hopes that the FLASH GORDON might learn from the lessons of the TV show and go retro, but as it is produced by one of the producers of the aforementioned GREEN HORNET I have my doubts. Sure he also produced the new I AM LEGEND, and the director is going to be the guy who directed SAHARA -- and I am one of the 10 people who liked SAHARA -- but anyone who makes GREEN HORNET a Seth Rogan comedy is suspect. Personally, I'd cast Vince Vaughn and play it straight

Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Announces Origin Awards Nominees (Part Two)

2008-05-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

Today we continue our coverage of the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Origin Award nominees. Yesterday we covered the miniature and book related nominees, but today we get to focus on my favorite group of nominees...the games themselves.

ROLEPLAYING GAME

This year's list of Roleplaying game nominees is one that should give fans of the hobby a great deal of hope for the future. While the folks at Boing Boing may lament the new GSL and believe that it is the end of the roleplaying game industry and the beginning of the end of civilization, they are wrong.

All the OGL did, and still does by the way, is allow other people to make money on the backs of other people's hard work. The GSL will still allow that, it will just require that your derivative work be attached to a newer "operating system." This is not to say that a great deal of OGL products weren't creative and worthy products, they were (the Iron Kingdoms or Paizo's Pathfinder come to mind), just that they were derivative. Even the True 20 RPG, one of the most innovative adaptations of the d20 system ever created, is still an innovative adaptation. It should be noted that most of the independent gaming press is "closed."

Meanwhile in the world of game designs not dependent on other people's work, some game companies have created some remarkable game systems of their own and attached them to some great settings. For years we've seen high quality narrative design, but this year's nominees are showing us that design creativity is not a thing of the past.

Grimm
Published by Fantasy Flight Games
Written by Robert Vaughn and Christian T. Petersen

Ever since 2003 when I first caught a glimpse of Fantasy Flight's d20 mini-campaign book for Grimm, I have wanted to see Fantasy Flight Games develop this great concept into its own roleplaying game with its own task resolution system. The initial book had promise and style, but the integration of the d20 system with the dark -- yet playful -- tone of a game where children adventure "in a world of twisted fairy tales" never quite meshed.

I waited four years until I was rewarded with last year's non-d20 GRIMM RPG. Gone is the d20 system and in is the Linear d6 system. This new system is easy to learn and allows those that are skilled at a particular task to succeed more often than they fail. Sure, there is still room for failure at tasks that should be routine or success at tasks that should be impossible, but those cases are rarer in the Linear d6 system than they are in many other games. This lack of wildly disparate results allows for the darker side of this game to shine. If a task needs to be done in order for the children to escape, but no one has sufficient skill in that area the tension of the scene is escalated and that is the root of horror.

My only quibble is that at $39.95 the book isn't full color. Given that the 1983 DMG for AD&D cost the equivalent of $31.93 in inflation adjusted dollars, this isn't too big a deal, but I would have liked to see more of the fairy tale artwork in color.

The Savage World of Solomon Kane
Published by Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group Written by Paul "Wiggy" Wade-Williams (with Shane Lacy Hensley)

I have long been on the Savage Worlds bandwagon. If you want a quick and easy, yet surprisingly adaptable, game system you can do a lot worse that the Savage Worlds roleplaying game. The original Savage Worlds rpg was inspired by pulps, Flash Gordon serials, pirate movies, and westerns and the games focus was on fast, furious, and fun action. Savage Worlds succeeded in general at this task. With The Savage World of Solomon Kane, Shane Lace Hensley and Paul "Wiggy" Wade-Williams take that general success and apply it to the particular. The result is one of the finest licensed roleplaying games ever written.

Wade-Williams writing is clear and concise, the artwork is of sufficient quality to capture the tone, and the fast, furious, and fun Savage Worlds rules set works as a perfect skeleton to run adventures in the world of Robert Howard's dark Puritan Kane. If you are a fan of Howard, or a fan of good rpgs, you can't go wrong with this game.

CthulhuTech
Published by Mongoose Publishing
Written by Matthew Grau and Fraser McKay

This game combines four things that any real geek loves: HP Lovecraft, Mecha, Modern Horror, and roleplaying games. CTHULHUTECH takes high concept to the next level and it pays off. Like the other games in this category, this game uses a "closed" system. As the designer puts it, "Framewerk, the proprietary system upon which CthulhuTech is built, is not only simple and intuitive, it is cinematic, exciting, and puts destiny back in the hands of the player. Its easy to grasp nature makes the game straightforward to learn and quick to start. Its clever dice mechanics make even the simplest of task resolutions exciting." At $49.95, you might balk at the price, but this is a strong entry in the field.

Battlestar Galactica
Published by Margaret Weis Productions
Written by Jamie Chambers

Jamie Chambers applies the Cortex system he developed for the SERENITY roleplaying game to Margaret Weis Productions second licensed television show roleplaying game and it works equally well. The system focuses on quick and easy resolution in an attempt to simulate the subject matter. The rules are very good, but as with any licensed product one must ask how well they apply to the material and how well researched is the material in the game. In both cases, the answer is quite well. Jamie Chambers is one of the hardest working people in the industry and it shows in this game. I can't wait for MWP to release their SUPERNATURAL roleplaying game and I will certainly be purchasing the forthcoming Cortex rulebook.

Faery's Tale Deluxe
Published by Green Ronin Publishing
Written by Patrick Sweeney, Sandy Antunes, Christina Stiles, and Robin D. Laws

FAERY'S TALE DELUXE attempts the very difficult. It attempts to be a roleplaying game that can be taught to children 6 and older while still appealing to the core (older) roleplaying audience. I think that it succeeds. Patricia Ann Lewis-MacDougall's artwork is reminiscent of Arthur Rackham's work providing the book with a real sense of wonder, but allowing it to be (as Barrie would put it) "innocent and terrible." The fairy's that the players of the game control are good at heart, but if their magic is put to evil purposes there are consequences which can be terrible. The game system is easy to learn and simulates its source material well. It's not a "universal" system by any means, but it is a good simulation of fairy interaction. The game, and supporting adventure products, is high quality and inexpensive.

Aces & Eights
Published by Kenzer & Co.
Written by Jolly R. Blackburn, Brian Jelke, Steve Johansson, Dave Kenzer, Jennifer Kenzer and Mark Plemmons

Have you ever wanted to play a really robust simulation of a showdown at High Noon? Have you ever wanted to use a plastic overlay to determine just what part of the varmint you just shot with your Colt Peacemaker was pierced by your bullet? Have you ever wanted to play in a detailed "Old West that Never Was?" If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then ACES AND EIGHTS might just be written for you. This is a game which has rules tailor made for its source material. Blackburn and crew put their nose to the grindstone and created a worthy successor to BOOT HILL.

MY PICK: All of these are worth your money, but there's something about GRIMM that keeps me coming.

Next Week, I'll hit the remainder of the nominees.

Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Announces Origin Awards Nominees (Part One)

2008-05-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

Last week the Game Manufacturer's Association (GAMA) announced their annual list of Origins Award Nominees. The Origins Awards are the most prestigious award in the Adventure Gaming hobby and the winners are determined by the members of the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design, a committee of GAMA. This year's list contains a wide variety of nominees, covering many genres within the gaming hobby.

Below is the list of nominees followed by my own commentary regarding the individual products:

The first category this year is MINIATURE OR MINIATURES LINE. As one might guess, miniatures can be an important component of the adventure gaming hobby. There are those who prefer to play "merely in the minds of the players," and that works very well for many games. But as someone who has gamed for over 25 years, there are times -- surprising as it may seem to say -- when using miniatures can add a wonderful narrative component to an evening's play. A picture can be worth a thousand words after all.

MINIATURE OR MINIATURES LINE

Having limited talents in the painting of figures, and even less time to develop an talents I do have, my unpainted miniatures purchases have always been limited. Add to that the creation of the D&D Miniatures pre-painted line and my purchase of unpainted miniatures has completely died off. This being the case, I'll leave opinions of which line/individual miniature deserves this year's award up to you the reader. Following each nominee I am providing a representative image provided by the manufacturer of the line/individual miniature. Some of these are particularly nice.

Skarrd Raze #2
by Dark Age Games

George R.R. Martin Masterworks - Premium Miniature Line
by Dark Sword Miniatures, Inc.

Titanius Fury
by Dragonfire Laser Crafts Inc.

Apparently this is a typo at the GAMA site. According to the Dragonfire site, it should be Titania's Fury. If this is indeed the product in question, it gets my vote hands down as a useful and innovative product.

Bronzeback Titan, HORDES: Evolution Miniatures Line
by Privateer Press

Dark Heaven Legends Fantasy Miniatures
by Reaper Miniatures

You really need to click on the link above to get a sense of the entire Dark Heaven line produced by Reaper Miniatures. It is the last of the old school lines of RPG miniatures and is a very good, and very deep, product line. Below is a sample of one of the figures in the line.

Following the MINIATURE or MINIATURES LINE award comes the award for best MINIATURES RULES. It should be noted that this award is central to the adventure gaming hobby. Were it not for H.G. Wells' book Little Wars or for Gary Gygax and Jeff Perrin's CHAINMAIL, the adventure gaming hobby would not exist as it does today.

MINIATURES RULES

Classic Battletech
Published by Catalyst Game Labs
Created by Jordan Weisman
Edited by Michelle Lyons, Diane Piron-Gelman

In an era of click based miniature games and collectible card games, it is heartwarming to see that one of the great miniature games of the past continues to perform strongly and receive the recognition it is due. Classic Battletech is one of the few games that truly deserves to have the word "classic" attached to it. The latest version of the rules updates battlemech construction to ensure more balanced encounters and has been well supported by the fine folks at Catalyst Game Labs.

Saganami Island Tactical Simulator, Second Edition
Published by Ad Astra Games
Created by Ken Burnside and Thomas Pope

While my friends might believe that I own every game actually in print, I don't own a copy of this space combat miniatures simulation. The game is inspired by Baen Books' Honor Harrington military SF fiction series. When it comes to ship to ship space combat games, I tend to stick with SILENT DEATH and BATTLEFLEET GOTHIC or RENEGADE LEGION. When it comes to fun and games, I tend to avoid those that require the use of 3D vector space. I'm chicken. I admit it.

Forces of WARMACHINE: Pirates of the Broken Coast
Published by Privateer Press
Created by Brian Snoddy and Matt Wilson

Pirates, Steam Powered Magical Robots, and a coherent rules set...what's not to love. Privateer Press' WARMACHINE line is a great product line that rivals Rackham for the quality of sculpts. Unlike Rackham's games, one doesn't have to read awkwardly translated French to learn the rules. This is a great addition to a great game. Privateer Press is an exciting gaming company. From their first module for 3rd edition D&D to their card games, they strive for quality.

AT-43
Published by Rackham
Created by Arnaud Cuidet, Jean-Baptiste Lullien, Nicolas Raoult, and Jerome Rigal

Having been a WARHAMMER 40K player for over 15 years, it would have taken something pretty special to get me to pack up my Eldar and Space Marines in favor of another game system. AT-43 is that system. As a Rackham game, it has simply some of the best sculpting I have ever seen in the gaming industry. Rackham miniatures are beautiful, and AT-43's are pre-painted. Add to this a good list of affordable terrain features that can be used in other games as well, and I didn't mind having to read poorly translated French in order to learn how to play this game. This is a fun game with beautiful components and an interesting backstory which, like many games coming out of Europe today, has some salient things to say about modern international politics.

Song of Blades and Heroes
Published by Andrea Sfiligoi
Created by Andrea Sfiligoi

It's quite the honor for a "independent" game to be nominated for an Origin award. I haven't play tested this game, but at $15 with an Origin nomination this game is on my short list of games to buy and try.

MY PICK: AT-43 -- It's a great addition to the French invasion in adventure gaming. If only I could find a copy of Asmodee Games' C.O.P.S. roleplaying game. I'd be a happy man.

There's more to adventure gaming than the games. Many gaming companies publish non-fiction and fiction books in support of their product lines, the hobby, or topics related to the hobby. TSR was the first company to publish media tie-in fiction with their roleplaying game, but many have followed and some companies publish non-media tie-in fiction as well.

PUBLICATION, FICTION

Astounding Hero Tales
Published by Hero Games
Edited by James Lowder

While related to Hero Games' PULP HERO sourcebook in theme, this anthology of pulp fiction is a worthy addition to any pulp fans bookshelf. Edited by James Lowder this anthology includes stories by Hugh B. Cave and Lester Dent in addition to pulp tales written by veterans of the game industry. Cinerati's companion podcast Geekerati had an interview with editor James Lowder last year where discussion of this book came up.

Dragons of the Highlord Skies
Published by Wizards of the Coast
Written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

The line of books that established that rpg media tie-in books could be profitable continues with this bestselling novel. With this book, readers learn what happened "between the lines" of the original trilogy.

Frontier Cthulhu
Published by Chaosium
Edited by William Jones

In BLACK STRANGER, Robert E. Howard spun a yarn simulating what might have happened if Conan had lived among the native Americans. The Picts of that tale were closer to the Sioux than the historic Picts. With the Frontier Cthulhu anthology, Chaosium Games gives us 14 tales of what might have happened as people explored American frontiers.

The Orc King
Published by Wizards of the Coast
Written by R.A. Salvatore

Who says archetypal pulp adventurers are dead? In THE ORC KING, R.A. Salvatore shares with us the continuing saga of one of the most popular characters in fantasy fiction Drizzt Do'Urden. Where Elric was the anti-Conan, Drizzt is in many ways the anti-Elric.

The Time Curse
Published by Margaret Weis Productions
Written by James M. Ward

Last year saw a return of the Endless Quest/Choose Your Own Adventure style books of my childhood and Margaret Weis Productions were at the forefront of that wave. James Ward's THE TIME CURSE is a fun jaunt and a good representation of the genre. And while the book is still available, it is sad to see that the Weis Productions website is downplaying the Paths of Doom line of books.

MY PICK: ASTOUNDING HERO TALES, but you should really pick up THE TIME CURSE as well. It's only $4.50, and it's fun.

Last year was a big year in non-fiction publication for the adventure gaming hobby. Some great books came out last year, and the list of nominees shows that strength.

PUBLICATION, NON-FICTION

40 Years of Gen Con
Published by Atlas Games
Written by Robin D. Laws

Long gone are the days when Gen Con, the largest gaming convention in America, was held in Milwaukee, WI. I attended the con the final year it was held in that fine city and I had a great time. In this volume, edited by Robin D. Laws, several gaming luminaries -- including the now deceased creator of the D&D game Gary Gygax -- share their thoughts on the first 40 years of this conventions history. Given that the company who currently hosts the con is having some legal troubles with Lucas, let's hope that this doesn't become the definitive complete history of the con.

Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress: A Girl's Guide to the Dungeons & Dragons Game
Published by Wizards of the Coast
Written by Shelly Mazzanoble

This book, by Shelly Mazzanoble, was aimed at informing women about roleplaying games in general and D&D in particular. Shelly succeeds masterfully at this task. And though she has received some minor criticism from some members of the the "He Man Women Hater's Club," she has also managed to write what might be the best introduction to the D&D game published to date...regardless of sex. While it's true that male readers will have to tolerate side comments about Sex in the City and trips to the mall, it is also true that Shelly has captured the essence of what makes this hobby so much fun for me.

Shelly was recently a guest on the Geekerati Podcast.

Grand History of the Realms
Published by Wizards of the Coast
Written by Brian R. James and Ed Greenwood

While the Forgotten Realms isn't the first world setting for a roleplaying game, it is one of the best selling...if not the best selling. This non-fiction -- and rules free -- book is a must have for any long time fan of the Realms, whether in its game of fiction form. This book gives a good overview of the history of the Realms and gives some glimpses at what the future holds in store as well.

Hobby Games: The 100 Best
Published by Green Ronin
Edited by James Lowder

In HOBBY GAMES: THE 100 BEST, James Lowder brings together 100 essays written by the cream of the crop of the gaming industry to write about their favorite hobby game. Over the years there have been too few books about the gaming hobby, but books of this quality fill quite the gap in quantity. Most of the 100 essays in this book are insightful and well written. In fact, I'll bet you that if you buy this book you will buy no fewer than 5 new games based on the stories/recommendations herein. You might even spend a month on Ebay looking for a good copy of an out of print game. Lord knows I did. James Lowder discussed this book in detail during our podcast interview last year.

No Quarter Magazine
Published by Privateer Press
Nathan Letsinger, editor-in-chief
Eric Cagle, editor
Josh Manderville, art director

NO QUARTER seems to have taken this year's slot as "token gaming magazine" in this category after the death of the physical DRAGON magazine this past year. It will be interesting to see if next year's awards include Wolfgang Baur's KOBOLD QUARTERLY or the online editions of the DUNGEON and DRAGON magazines.

MY PICK: It's a tough toss up between Shelly Mazzanoble's book and the James Lowder Collection, but I'm going to have to cast my vote for CONFESSIONS. If you want a copy, let me know and I'll mail you one (only applies to the first few requests).

Tomorrow, I'll cover part two of this list...The actual games.

One Month?! Holy Cow!

2008-05-06T14:54:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that it has been one month since the last post, but it has. I have no one to blame but myself...well myself and my lovely twin daughters who have been squeezing the lifeblood out of me, in a surprisingly pleasant manner.

I promise that tomorrow this blog will return to its regular scheduled programming, which -- in the upcoming days/weeks -- will include:

1) A series of articles discussing Film Critics and Film Criticism: Did the Internet Kill Critics/Criticism?
2) A series of reviews of books discussing roleplaying games. These reviews will take a keen look at some of the various primers that have been written over the years.
3) Some random nonsense and possibly a film review, or dissection of a review I don't like. A review of a review, how post-modern is that?

Anyway, I promise good things ahead now that I am getting more reasonable amounts of rest.

Video (games) Haven't Killed the Mo-oo-vie Star...or the TV Star, or Table Top Gaming, or...

2008-04-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

Today's Gamasutra has an excellent interview with game developer Peter Molyneux which accurately describes the impact the gaming industry has had on other media, particularly film The verdict? You have to read between the lines, because Molyneux is talking more about gaming's success than its effects on other media directly, is that gaming is a large marketplace, but hasn't taken the place of other media when it comes to entertainment.

I'm as fond of anyone when it comes to telling screenwriters and other entertainment creators that gaming has effected the box office and tv ratings, though likely less than internet piracy in my opinion. In fact, I have a "conversation tape" I like to repeat mantra-esque to demonstrate how big gaming has become. "Do you ever wonder why NBC Universal feels like they are in such a position of power when they negotiate? It's because they have the equivalent of a $140 million blockbuster every month with World of Warcraft." Gaming matters, but those who see "doom and gloom" on the horizon for other media are also missing the point. Have a look at some of Peter's comments:

PM: I would say, to a great extent, we in the development community have really let this industry down. Because I wouldn't say there were exponentially more people playing computer games today than there were when Game Developers Conference first started. Fifteen years ago? Twenty years ago? It's been quite a while.

When it seems to me that the number of people that use computer games as entertainment isn't getting exponentially bigger. Although the market is getting bigger, and we're selling eight million units.

But I've been really thinking about, I remember back in the early eighties... when Clive Sinclair in England released the Sinclair Spectrum. And he famously said, "Every home in Britain will have one of these, and people won't watch television anymore, they will play computer games." That was a dream that was put forth in the seventies, when this thing had 1K of RAM -- and for a little while, we all believed that.

Now, there seems to be this big barrier that exists. And I was actually just in the shops, down here -- I'd forgotten to bring a shirt -- and I was talking to the bloke who's selling me a shirt, and he said: "Aw, I don't play computer games. Because I'm not good enough. I can't get my head round this thing. [Molyneux holds up an Xbox 360 controller.] Every time I do it, I hit my head against a wall." Now that's a huge failure. That's our failure. For not being really, truly as big as movies. Because we're not. Because we only sell -- what do we sell? Eight million?

What is amazing about Molyneux's comments isn't that he's correct that gaming is "not really, truly as big as movies." It's that he's wrong. Look at the figure he uses regarding the number of units sold, eight million. Let that number sink in for a minute. He plans on selling eight million copies of FABLE 2, and he doesn't see himself as big as the film industry. Apparently, he doesn't realize that a movie with eight million viewers has approximately an $80 million box office (likely more since I don't really know where I can see a movie for only $10.00). When you add that video games cost four times as much as films, and the fact that most gamers are likely also movie goers, it would be fair to assume that gaming has already had its impact on film going. And what is that result? According to Variety, "All in all, the 2007 box office was up 5% over 2006, while admissions were up 1%. So far this year, the B.O. is running 9% ahead of the same frame in 2007, fueled by the continued success of "Legend" and "Alvin" along with a solid crop of 2008 films, including "Juno," the highest-performing specialty pic in six years."

That's right "admissions were up 1%." Never forget that all the doom and gloom regarding theater attendance during the past few years has been in comparison to a year that had a record high box office.

So with video games having already become as successful as films, eight million units is like $80 million B.O. (except that it's actually $320 million in sales, $160 for the game maker), the number of people watching films in theaters has increased. The same can be seen in the board game industry as well. While individual sales of some board games have decreased, we are in a boom of available games. The largest problem with the board game market is how fragmented it's become, there are too many publishers publishing too many titles. Take a visit to Board Game Geek and look only at the games released in 2007, compare those to 1997. The same even applies to role playing games.

Chirp, Chirp...Waaaah! The Twins Have Arrived.

2008-04-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

You may be noticing it's been a little quiet around here lately. Maybe you were overwhelmed by the sound of chirping crickets. Maybe you were wondering if the Cinerati blog had gone the way of the dinosaur.

Fear not noble readers.

While it is true that there has been a disturbance in the Force, it is a positive one. I, Christian Johnson, your humble host here at Cinerati am now the proud father of lovely twin girls. My daughters, Nora Thekla Lindke and Clio Millie Lindke, were born on March 24th at 10:45 and 10:46 respectively. Nora was born hale and hearty, but Clio had a little trouble catching her breath and had to spend a few days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Everything is fine, she was suffering from a common respiratory complication, but it did make for a few hectic days shuffling around and trying to make sure my family was doing alright.

Hence, no posting. The girls are more beautiful than I ever imagined they could be, especially since everyone says they look like me, and I am overjoyed to have them home. They are so adorable, I don't even mind the lack of sleep...but you can ask me about that again in two months or so.

I have to admit that I am pretty excited about the March 24th birthdate as now I can sing a special birthday song to my little girls every year. I'm sure they'll be sick of it in their teens, but as all SINGIN' IN THE RAIN fans know March 24th is Don's lucky day. These girls will be lucky if everyday doesn't start, "Good Mornin', Good Mornin' We've talked the whole night through. Good Mornin'. Good Mornin' to you."

This seems like an opportune time to make another announcement as well. You may have noticed that the little girls have their mother's last name. As of May 23rd, I will too. Jody and I have talked for years about me taking her name, but it was the arrival of the twins that made us finally pony up the cash to pay for the court costs.

I will be sending emails to friends with pictures of my little minions later this week. Since posting things on "teh interwebs" is not at all private, I won't be posting any pictures to the site. So those of you who want pictures, mention it in the comments section and make sure you include an email address.

I Blame Michael Moorcock...or Del Rey Give Moorcock the Howard Treatment Part One: The Personal Version

2008-03-18T13:36:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, Del Rey released the first in a series of books collecting Michael Moorcock's definitive Elric saga. The collection will contain Moorcock's Elric stories in the order they were written/published and contain some great "bonus features" for long time fans of the character. I am one of those long time fans, so much so that I have had trouble deciding whether to write a "personal" essay about the release of the book that focuses on how important Elric/Moorcock is to me, or an article "merely" discussing the release of the new book.

I couldn't decide between the two. So, here is the first of the two essays -- the personal one.

The first words I ever read by Michael Moorcock were, "This is the tale of Elric before he was called Womanslayer, before the final collapse of Melniboné." It was 1983, the Fall semester of my 7th grade year, and a friend of mine and I were in a bit of a competition. I don't know when the "I can find stuff to read and play that you can't" competition with Mark Williams started, but I know that the Elric books were right in the middle of the competition.

By right in the middle, I mean somewhere between the "Christian found the Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks" early salvo and the "Sweet Pickles Bus Proliferation" that ended our friendship. If you don't remember the Sweet Pickles Bus, watch the commercial below. The Sweet Pickles commercial starts at about second 20.

Looking at it now, the bus look kid of creepy as it drives up to the house. But back in the day, ordering about a dozen of these and having them sent to Mark's house seemed like the perfect way to get even with Mark for no longer being my best friend. Boy does that seem petty, but 7th graders aren't known for their mature ability to deal with relationships. I'm pretty sure that Mark and I were single handedly responsible for a policy change regarding whether kids were allowed to order these themselves over the phone or not. It really got ridiculous, especially on my end, but that is another story.

Returning to the tale at hand, Mark and I both shared a love of role playing games and we were both familiar with the awesome Bill Willingham illustration on the back of the fifth printing of the White Plume Mountain module. The illustration featured this cool looking albino with a black bladed sword, the black so deep it contained stars. It was quite striking to my 7th grade mind, but I had no idea what had inspired this representation of the blade "blackrazor" -- other than the fact that it was an item in the module.

But then Mark walked into our Algebra class with a copy of ELRIC OF MELNIBONE. He had searched high and low for the inspiration behind the Willingham cover, and he found it. He also made sure to show me how he was able to find the work of fantasy, a work much more badass than LORD OF THE RINGS. I immediately rushed out to my local used paperback store and purchased a collection of the entire Elric saga. I was struck by the image of this albino protagonist.

I didn't yet know what an antihero was, nor did I fully comprehend what the Greeks meant by Tragedy. As I read the books, I discovered the meaning of both. It was really remarkable and transformative, but not for the reasons one might expect. Yes, by 7th grade I'd read LORD OF THE RINGS, but other than that book my fantasy exposure was pretty limited. When I thought of fantasy, I thought of the Greek and Egyptian myths, and the stories of Sinbad. I hadn't read C.S. Lewis or Lloyd Alexander, those would come in the next year, my mind was wide open for a definition of what fantasy was. Moorcock provided that definition. Fantasy was social commentary, it was mournful, tragic, and Wagnerian. I loved every minute of it, and I still do.

That's why I'm so excited about the latest Elric release from Del Rey. Like they did with Robert E. Howard's Conan stories, they are providing us with the Elric stories in wonderful editions that will let us read the stories in the order they were released. There's even the added bonus of the inclusion of some of Moorcock's defenses of his theories regarding what fantasy should be. The cover of the first edition, as well as the interior, is expertly illustrated by John Picacio. Take a look at the cover and interior below, they are quite excellent.

Excuse me while I sit back and relive the tragic tale of the last emperor of Melnibone.

Watchmen Costumes Revealed and Other Random Geekery

2008-03-06T15:02:00.000-08:00

Over at WatchmenComicMovie.com they have pictures of the cast of THE WATCHMEN movie in costume. The images were posted on the WB site at 11:55 PM last night, that's a easter egg for all you fans out there, and are quickly spreading through the internet.

I wish I were more excited about this production. Zack Snyder is directing, which bodes well. But this is still THE WATCHMEN we are talking about. It's the book that comic snobs use to praise themselves for being fans of an "art form." Here's a sample of dialog with one of these bozos:

ME: "Hey fellow comic fan, what books are you currently reading?"
COMIC SNOB: "Warren Ellis' new book, that new thing by Neil Gaiman, something edgy by Garth Ennis, the latest Grant Morrison, a bunch of indies, and I just picked up the ABSOLUTE WATCHMEN."
ME: "That's cool. How is the new Grant Morrison book, I find him to be hit or miss. ANIMAL MAN was great, but his JUSTICE LEAGUE left me flat -- as did his DOOM PATROL. He just seems to have no feel for straight books, or how to do camp without it being parody."
COMIC SNOB: "WTF?! How dare you question the great Grant Morrison. Next thing you'll be trashing on WATCHMEN, which is indisputably the best piece of writing in the latter 20th century and one of the best works of political philosophy to date."
ME: "I thought it was okay, but I think that Steve Ditko would take issue with the fact that Moore made Mr.A/The Question into an insane person. I still prefer the old Charlton tales that Moore based the Watchmen characters on. As for the political philosophy...you're kidding right? I mean taking a stereotypical 60s doomsday clock vs. the aliens story isn't exactly deep analysis, and his twisting of Objectivism is laughable."
COMIC SNOB: "You obviously don't know what you are talking about. You can keep your Keith Giffen written JUSTICE LEAGUE, I'll read literature."

WATCHMEN is the cool book to like and the sentiments that many of the snobs who like it have result in things like JT LeRoy and other manipulators of the "cool." The comic book literati, and the real literati who like WATCHMEN, are just too much for me. There's some rebellious part of my soul that wants to tell these pretentious boobs, who likely prefer Lichtenstein to Russ Heath, where they can stick their "graphic novel." I'll just open my long box, pull out the 12 issues and read the comic book.

As a comic book, WATCHMEN is great. As a "piece of literature," I'll stick to Chesterton and Faulkner. As a work of "political philosophy," I'll stick to Hegel, Marx, Strauss, Plato, and Rand.

All that said, I really do like WATCHMEN. I even actually believe it is of artistic and literary merit. I think it is genuinely great...though that ending is a little to John W. Campbell formulaic. As long as things like AVENGERS FOREVER, or better yet INVINCIBLE, are being overlooked in favor of something ideologically trapped in the Cold War cynicism of the 80s, I'll keep my own pretentious rejection of pretense.

It's the same reason I like Michael Chabon, but don't like most of his fans. They seem to want to be hip by liking "the best," but they lack the genuine desire for fun of a "real" fan.

I sincerely hope, and think, that WATCHMEN will be a good comic book movie. Peter Cannon -- Thunderbolt's costume, I mean Ozymandias's, looks great, but why is the OWL so thin?

My credo? "Down with Graphic Novels! Up with Comic Books!"

Alea Iacta Est: Ernest Gary Gygax ( July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008)

2008-03-04T14:20:00.000-08:00

For geeks like me, today is a day of great sadness. E Gary Gygax, co-creator with Dave Arneson of the Dungeons and Dragons game, died this morning at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

As I wrote, it is a sad day for me. After all, this man created a game that provided me with untold hours of entertainment, a game that introduced me to great literature (and horrible drivel), a game that helped me form life long friendships. Because of this man's creation, my life (and many others) were made better and more enjoyable. My prayers go out to Gary's family, especially his wife Gail.

Surfing the internet today and reading people write about Gary has been a very nice experience. It seems that today is the day when no gamers are fighting. The grognards and the noobs are consoling each other for the loss. It's nice, if not a little surprising. As one might guess from reading Matt Forbeck's entry on the topic, Gary Gygax was a bit of a controversial figure within the gaming community. Not because the community wasn't thankful for his contribution, rather because of his disdain for others in the field and his temper at those who continued his legacy. Gary didn't really like others "improving" on his creation. To be fair no one would expect him to, but those of us who have moved on from Gary's truly original creation to later "refinements" have had to endure venomous comments from Gary and his most ardent admirers. To be honest more from the admirers than from Gary, but Gary gave his share as well.

It seems that every gamer worth his or her salt has a Gary Gygax story, and I envy those that do their stories. I have no "when I met Gary story." Instead, I have a when I "almost" met Gary story.

You see...last April I was on a trip for work in eastern Wisconsin -- Racine to be specific, and I decided I wanted to do two things. First, I wanted to watch a baseball game in Wrigley field. I am a huge Cubs fan, and there is no better place to watch baseball. Second, I wanted to tour Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, the birthplace of gaming in America. Trust me. Whether you play modern boardgames, video games, collectible card games, or role playing games, the game you are playing likely has some connection to the gaming movement started in that small Wisconsin town.

So I drove to Lake Geneva and toured all of the locations that once housed the offices of TSR, the company that published D&D. Then finally, I stood in front of Gary's house and took about 10 pictures from across the street. It was relatively early in the evening and I contemplated walking up to the door and knocking, just to tell Gary how much entertainment his game has provided me over the past three decades. I walked up to the cars parked in front of the house (pictured below), but then I thought..."what if it is the wrong house?"

What if I walk up to the door, knock and ask for Gary and it's the wrong house? What if it's the right house? What kind of crazy stalker gamer knocks on a game designer's door uninvited?

So...I walked to the library, took a couple of pictures of the beautiful lake, walked around the small downtown area, and left. I was angry at myself for not emailing/message boarding Gary earlier, or later, and I promised myself that I would do so when I next traveled to the Wisconsin or Chicago area.

That day cannot come now.

God bless you Gary.

My group and I will have a moment of silence this weekend and I think we'll even do a small reading from one of the books you wrote. We all need to push through a little Gygaxian prose every now and then. Maybe I'll open up "Master of the Game," or read the introduction to the Player's Handbook (1st edition) one more time. That introduction made me feel like I was part of something special, even before I rolled my first die.

Gary Gygax has passed

2008-03-04T11:49:00.000-08:00

Gary Gygax the creator of Dungeons and Dragons has died at the age of 69. Personally, I am a little sad at this news, it is like part of my childhood slipping away. In a small way the world won't be the same.

4th Edition D&D The Movie: Ching Siu-tung's "The Empress and the Warriors"

2008-02-29T11:42:00.001-08:00

My friends and I used to say that SWORDSMAN II starring Jet Li was the perfect movie to watch before our weekly D&D 2nd edition game. If THE EMPRESS AND THE WARRIORS (starring the awesome Donnie Yen of HERO and lives up to this preview, it may well become the defining D&D style movie for me.

One might ask why SWORDSMAN II is the perfect D&D movie, and not a more "literary" or "important" Wuxia film or a high quality western fantasy film like LORD OF THE RINGS. It's really quite simple. There are a lot of wonderful, and serious, wuxia films that contain great plots, great acting, and stylized action. Classics like LAST HURRAH FOR CHIVALRY or BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR come to mind, as do more recent films like CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON and HERO as examples of serious wuxia films worth watching many times. There are also quite a few excellent fantasy movies in the western canon, like EXCALIBUR, but they all lack the one element that makes SWORDSMAN II perfect for inspiring D&D play. They lack the element of playfulness.

I don't know if the playfulness of SWORDSMAN II is intentional, or if it is a legacy of Jet Li's winning smile, but the film has this quality in spades. The playfulness isn't present in THE EAST IS RED, SWORDSMAN's sequel which also stars Li, a film that contains a wonderfully tragic narrative. From the opening moments when the protagonist is running on the tops of wheat stalks, using "sword energy" to cleave horses in two, to the final fight against the Eunich sorcerer where a character uses a cannon barrel like a quarterstaff SWORDSMAN II is sublimely excessive. Which is exactly what I want my D&D games to be.

Yes, interactive storytelling is a central part of the role playing experience, but so too is fun and SWORDSMAN II is fun.

To be fair SWORDSMAN II is also whimsical, which isn't the necessary component. All I need is a larger than life narrative that is fun to inspire a great day of game play. If THE EMPRESS AND THE WARRIORS ends up a serious film, like CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER, I will still enjoy it, but that will mean that my search for the next great D&D inspiration -- much needed given that 4th edition D&D is coming soon -- will continue. I like to find a film to define play for each edition of D&D, and I hope this one is it for the new edition.

Hat tip to friend and HK/Bollywood expert David Chute for the preview.

Conan and Jem: Christy Marx on Geekerati

2008-02-29T09:50:00.003-08:00

What do CONAN: THE ADVENTURER

and JEM

have in common?

Christy Marx was a Writer and Story Editor on both of these animated series (and a whole host of others. Listen to last week's Geekerati episode as she talks about these shows and her career as a television, animation, comic book, and video game writer. You can also visit her website to find some great advice if you are looking to become a writer in the television, animation, comic book, or video game fields.

A Small Defense of 4th Edition D&D...in Theory

2008-02-21T12:50:00.000-08:00

I haven't seen a copy of the 4th Edition rules. I only know what I've read in the various hints on EnWorld and on the Wizards site about what 4th Edition will look like. But there is one thing I know, and it is that I am sick of hearing on various boards that 4th Edition is a game made for children or those of a childish mentality. I am board with those who write, "this is D&D for 10 year olds" or "if I was 10 I'd like this version."

Why? I'll give you one guess.

I started playing D&D when I was 10, thanks to the first Red Box Basic set (the red box with Erol Otis art), and haven't turned back from playing the game in each subsequent edition for 25 years.

Has anyone really gone back after years of playing later editions and read the 1st edition rulebooks? Go ahead, read the combat section regarding initiative...all of it. How many attacks per round does a Magic User with a dagger get against a Fighter with a two-handed sword? Nope, not one. You'd better check out that chapter in the DMG again.

Worse yet, try reading the white box with the three booklets? Those are almost unplayable. In fact, if I hadn't played so much Warhammer Fantasy Battle over the past few decades, I wouldn't even be able to make heads or tails of this game. At least if I wouldn't if I was using the core combat mechanic -- the Chainmail miniatures rulebook -- and not the "alternate combat rules which require that I already know how to play D&D.

In fact, without either ignoring a lot of rules, or making up your own stuff, these games are pretty much are unplayable unless you already know how to play. The books don't teach you how to play, rather they provide the reminders for those who already know how to play. Back in the day people learned to play D&D from people who already knew how to play.

To quote John Eric Holmes in Dragon 52 (you know the guy who wrote the very first blue box Basic set):

When Tactical Studies Rules published the first DUNGEONS & DRAGONS rule sets, the three little books in brown covers, they were intended to guide people who were already playing the game. As a guide to learning the game, they were incomprehensible. There was no description of the use of the combat table. Magic spells were listed, but there was no mention of what we all now know is a vital aspect of the rules: that as the magic user says his spell, the words and gestures for it fade from his memory and he cannot say it again.
When I edited the rules prior to the first edition of the D&D Basic Set, it was to help the thousands (now millions) of people who wanted to play the game and didn’t know how to get started. Gary Gygax acknowledged that some sort of beginner’s book was badly needed, and he encouraged me to go ahead with it.

The fact is that Hasbro, and WotC (as well as TSR back in the day), want new players to play the game. They don't want people to have to "learn" from other people who are already playing. They also want to increase the amount of mechanical balance (maybe to satisfy some of us old timers who like games like Hero that are internally consistent).

There are changes, to be sure, and the game is being aimed at being more accessible, to be sure, but don't you all remember what it was like when you first played the game?

I remember my first D&D gaming experience, in fact I'll never forget.

I was at my friend Sean McPhail's house and his older brothers had been talking about this new fangled game called Dungeons and Dragons that lets you play out adventures like those that you read in fantasy novels or watch in films like THE SWORD AND THE SORCERER and KRULL. From the initial description, I knew that this was the game for me.

So on a blustery Saturday when Sean's older brothers brought over someone who claimed to be an experienced "Dungeon Master." I was thrilled that I would get my first taste of this groundbreaking new game.

I was ten at the time and didn't bat an eye when the "DM" said he didn't need the rulebooks (which I had been perusing for the past few weeks) or any prepared materials to run his dungeon adventure...all he needed was his mind.

He had it memorized you see. I was wide eyed with with anticipation. My first character, borrowed from the characters Sean had already designed, was a first level Magic-User named, uncreatively enough, Gandalf. Sean, Gandalf, and I were ready for adventure and action. You know, all the stuff I'd read and seen in various fantasy adventures.

That's not what I experienced though. Instead, I was turned into an Axebeak during the first 10 minutes of play after I tried to read a scroll to see if it was magical. The "DM" made me make a Petrification and Polymorph save and I rolled poorly. I missed my saving throw on this "save or get hosed roll." Not that I couldn't have lied, the "DM" had no idea what roll I needed, but that's meaningless. What is meaningful is that my "great and powerful wizard" was now a weird looking bird with no intelligence. I was out of the game and useless.

That's my first memory as a player.

Since that day, I have hated save or die effects. I also don't tend to like "killer dungeons" or things that take individual players out of the "action" for long periods of time. Sure, I've played through brutal Ken St. Andre solo adventures, and those are mean, but those were for distraction when I was alone. Speaking of those, they tend to remind me of my first adventure experience. I wonder if that "DM's" name was Ken.

When it comes to RPGs, I like cinematic action . D&D has always advertised, but rarely delivered (at low levels especially), cinematic action. It is my hope that 4th Edition will finally capture the feel that has been advertised for so long, and I have high hopes. Don't get me wrong, I don't want D&D to become Feng Shui (though I do like that game), I just want it to be more balanced, better able to simulate cinematic action, and I want it to be fun.

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith to Release in June

2008-02-15T14:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, here's the quick and dirty.

According to a Press release celebrating the June release of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith,
"Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock fans will have the opportunity to download and jam to Aerosmith's "Dream On." The song will be available for free from February 16-18 on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system."

I'll take the free song, but I think I'll pass on buying the whole disk.

Sure the game promises to "put players in the shoes of Perry (guitar), Whitford (guitar) and Hamilton (bass), as they rock out alongside frontman Tyler and drummer Kramer." It even claims that, "Gamers will experience Aerosmith's GRAMMY® winning career, from their first gig to becoming rock royalty, in a way that no other entertainment vehicle offers."

But who wants to spend a couple of weeks pretending to be Aerosmith? Do we get to rock through the stages of addiction?

Thankfully, no. The game will lack that level of verisimilitude. There will be no wireless syringe controller which triggers psychedelic imagery on the screen.

As much as I might mock the thought of buying an entire game devoted to the music of Aerosmith and the bands they have influence, which shouldn't be taken as me saying I don't like the music of the band, I have to admit that when it comes to new technologies Aerosmith is usually one of the first bands to jump on board.

Do you remember the old Aerosmith arcade shooter (Revolution X) where you shot compact disks at the dreaded forces of the PMRC (I mean the NON)? I do.

I was stickin' it to Tipper Gore (I mean Mistress Helga) daily...ewww...not that kind of stickin', I was shooting her lapdogs with cds and rockin' out to the Aerosmith soundtrack.

Mmmm...Mistress Helga.

On a side note, the formal press release has a great quote from Joe Perry about how games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band are revitalizing the music industry. He states, "On a larger scale, it's cool for us to be pioneers helping to rebuild the music industry through a format like video games. It's great for rock since the record companies are struggling to make sense of how things are changing. Fans want to get and experience music in new formats--and there are going to be some of them who will play the game, then pick up the guitar for real and start bands. It's what's happening now, and it's only going to build more momentum in the future. It's a massive change for the music business."

Gore Verbinski on Films and Games

2008-02-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

Today's Gamasutra has an article covering some comments that Gore Verbinski made during a speech at the DICE Summit about the film and video game industry. There's a good deal of the type of comment one would expect at any conference dealing with entertainment. You know, the "be original," "hire talented people," and "find your own artistic voice" kinds of comments.

Not that these comments are not true, they are, it's just that they are a little cliché.

What isn't cliché is one of the final comments by Verbinski in the Gamasutra article. Verbinski states:

"This is not a debate between active and passive engagement," he added. "A novel requires active participation by imagination... a film used to do that, but now it just reminds people of that other film. Let's not do the same thing with games. You haven't even scratched the surface of what is possible."

I am absolutely in love with this passage. Lately, I have been doing a good deal of reading regarding game design theory and there are those who are dismissive of other media because they believe non-video game media are non-interactive. I usually find myself with a desire to murder these people and remove their faces to make masks I can where during speeches I give (as them of course) recanting "their" previous position. Not really, but I do find the pretense of these people as annoying as those who deny narrative elements in many modern video games. Sorry, but I believe you have to be intentionally obtuse to think that Fable or Mass Effect aren't narratives.

Verbinski gets it. He sees that novels are an interactive an immersive experience that requires "user participation." Interactivity isn't exclusive to the video game world. He is also asserting, and I'm not entirely in agreement with this part of his argument, that films don't do it as much, anymore, as books or video games. I think that whether watching a film is a passive or active experience depends upon the individual film and how that film balances Boorstin's "three viewing eyes," which he writes about in Making Movies Work: Thinking Like a Filmmaker.

Arguably one could use his three eyes theory of viewing and combine it with whether a film is passive or active to create a kind of film review matrix. Such a matrix might look something like this:

Voyeuristic/Active Voyeuristic/Passive
Vicarious/Active Vicarious/Passive
Visceral/Active Visceral/Passive

In fact, I might try and elaborate on this theory later when I have a copy of the Boorstin book in front of me. Like when I'm at home.

Midweek Miscellany of Geekdom

2008-02-06T12:26:00.000-08:00

Following in the footsteps of one of my favorite Medievalist bloggers, I have decided to include a weekly feature which highlights oddities and exciting news I have read about on a given day. Naturally, all such information will be some how related to geekdom in general.

Though it's a year late for my tastes, last year was Robert Howard's 100th Birthday, Fantasy Flight games will be releasing the Age of Conan boardgame this summer. The game will be designed by Nexus games and will use mechanics similar to those used in their excellent War of the Ring boardgame. They have yet to post pictures of any of the game's components online. Given the track record of Fantasy Flight Games and Nexus, I expect the components will be of very high quality.

As Thulsa doom might say, "Contemplate this on the tree of woe."

Gamasutra has an excellent, and long -- 10 pages, article covering the history of the first video game console roleplaying game I ever played. The article, "The History of Dragon Quest," discusses the success of the franchise and also finally explained to me my unnatural enjoyment of Dragonball Z. You see, Dragon Quest had character design art created by Akira Toriyama, the man behind the Dragonball mask. And that jem came on the first page of the article. When it comes to the Dragon Quest series, I have never had so much fun "killing" smiling slimes than the first time I loaded Dragon Warrior into my Nintendo Entertaiment System.

Isn't he cute? Shh...don't alert him. I need to bash his brains in with my longsword.

Do slimes have brains? What about smiling slimes?

Media Tie-In Author extraordinaire, Lee Goldberg, informs us that media tie-in authors now include the snooty and artsy fartsy literati. Dave Eggers, of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius fame, is writing the novelization of the upcoming Where the Wild Thing Are film adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's picture book. Thanks Dave. Now I'll have to get into fist fights with people about how the new novelization, of a movie based on a 300 word work, has now elevated the form. Add to this all the fist fights I get into with people explaining that Blankets is a graphic novel, but Watchmen is a "trade paperback collection," I'll be spending so much time brawling, I won't be able to blog anymore.

Apparently, the basic Risk boardgame is being revamped so as to no longer end marriages and friendships. For years, I have tried to explain to people that the Risk variants, which limit game length and add "objectives" to the victory resolution system aren't as bile causing as the basic Risk game. For years, my friends have continued to play the basic game, only to have long lasting friendships lost in the process. I don't know what it is about Risk that causes this. Games like Diplomacy and Junta are all about betraying your friends, but when the game is over everyone still likes one another. It only takes a couple hours of Risk to create hatreds that last generations.

This image from the article over atGamers with Jobs, shows the "playtest" edition Hasbro is releasing to create buzz.

You wanna create buzz? How about giving me a copy to promote on Geekerati Radio? I'll even schedule an interview where fans can call in. Sheesh!

A Call for Writers

2008-02-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

Despite the fact that I have been pretty lax in my posts the past few weeks, this is not a post soliciting writers for this blog. I have enough co-writers, who don't do enough co-writing, at this time.

What this is is a call for writers who want to write for a new online magazine designed to support the Geekerati webcast radio show my co-hosts and I air each week. Essentially, I am looking for writers who are willing to work for no-pay now, hopefully pay in the future, who will write quality articles about some area of geek culture which will be published in a Monthly online magazine via the Issuu service. Here's what I'm looking for.

A reliable illustrator or two: b/w line art is dandy as is someone who can do cover designs.
A video game reviewer: we'll need 2 to 3 video games reviewed each month.
2 to 3 book reviewers of various genres: do you want to write about mystery, fantasy, children's lit, comic books?
A television reviewer: Shawna...I'm looking at you. We need 2-3 television show reviews a month.
Games reviews: We need someone who can write 1 or 2 table top game reviews a month.
A film reviewer: (David Chute and LYT, I'm looking at you guys) Are your reviews not published in enough places? Try our magazine
A tech writer who knows a thing or two about the gadgets out there.

Any writers/illustrators will be invited to participate in our online radio show on a fairly regular basis.

As I wrote earlier, these positions will be unpaid until we can build an advertiser base, but when/if we do that we will pay a fair rate.

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