In 1982 Chaosium published the innovative species-specific "splatbook" Trollpak. This boxed set detailed the culture, religion, history, and society of the Uz—called trolls by humans—thereby fleshing this species out as a player option, rather than a statblock. It seems rather fitting that a nice, round forty years later indie publisher Legion Games began to release … Continue reading REVIEW: Duckpac
Tag: review
REVIEW: Yamadonga
This review contains general spoilers for the film Yamadonga, but tries not to reveal specific twists. My introduction to Indian cinema came through the Glorantha community's recommendation of the fantasy epic Baahubali. I fell in love with director S. S. Rajamouli's vibrant duology almost immediately. In short, it feels like an Indian Lord of the … Continue reading REVIEW: Yamadonga
REVIEW—Akborítha
For this week's book I've got a lovely small-press treasure by Tolkien scholar Richard W. Rohlin: Akborítha, to which is appended The Songs of the Seven Cities. I stumbled across this work courtesy of the God Learners podcast interviewing JM DeFoggi and Evan Franke, because JM mentioned a forthcoming roleplaying game which intrigued me, Amboria: … Continue reading REVIEW—Akborítha
FIRST IMPRESSION—Elkoi Expansion
Elkoi Expansion is a new Jonstown Compendium release by Anders Tönnberg which bundles a variety of full-color maps in multiple styles together with a 34-page PDF providing additional details about the Balazaring clans near Elkoi, and mapped-out sites of interest inside the city. It is written for use with Griffin Mountain from Chaosium. I kept … Continue reading FIRST IMPRESSION—Elkoi Expansion
REVIEW: Bug Fables
The 2019 videogame—I know, a videogame, from a tabletop guy?—Bug Fables: the Everlasting Sapling first caught my attention because of it's open inspiration by one of my all-time favorite games: Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64. There's just something special and nostalgic about that game for me, much in the same way many people feel … Continue reading REVIEW: Bug Fables
REVIEW: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
This review is spoiler-free. Despite having a cinephile as a close friend, I don't see a lot of movies in an actual theater. Even discounting the last few years of shutdown, going to a theater was still fairly rare. It only happened when there was a film interesting enough to get one person riling everyone … Continue reading REVIEW: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
REVIEW: Origins of the Wheel of Time
Robert Jordan's megalithic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time, holds a special and complicated place within my heart, like it does for many modern writers of fantasy. It's a series which I love, but never dare recommend due to its length and inconsistent pacing. Michael Livingston's recent release, Origins of the Wheel of Time, is … Continue reading REVIEW: Origins of the Wheel of Time
REVIEW: Ruins of the Lost Realm
The thick red leatherbound second edition of The One Ring (TOR) roleplaying game enchanted me the moment I opened the Kickstarter reward. Reminiscent of the "Red Book of Westmarch" described in Tolkien's prologue to The Fellowship of the Ring, that volume's illustration, graphic design, and rules design together presented a game which said to me, … Continue reading REVIEW: Ruins of the Lost Realm
REVIEW: The Spiral
Disclaimer: The author of this work, Nikki DeKeuster, is one of my colleagues and friends. I was a beta reader for her connected novelette Red String. I was not solicited to review her debut novel. The finest compliment I can give to a work of fiction is my time. I bull-rushed through the back half … Continue reading REVIEW: The Spiral
Weekly Update – 2/7/18
Hello, Internet! I'm gonna go ahead and call this past week an "almost" week. That's how it feels, for most of my goals set in my last post. That's not particularly disappointing for me. A new class started this week for my MFA, and I'm adjusting to the change in workload. My last class, a seminar … Continue reading Weekly Update – 2/7/18
Akhelas 