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: Reviews
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
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
2020 Reading List
During the 2019 holidays, I had a conversation with my sister about our reading habits. At this time I didn't feel like I read all that much. More than the average American, surely, but probably right around the "one book per month" goal she was considering. Consequently, I decided to spend time this year (2020) … Continue reading 2020 Reading List
Review — A Rough Guide to Glamour
The Jonstown Compendium—Chaosium's community content program for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha—has on offer a variety of fan-produced game supplements, all in digital formats. Until now! A Rough Guide to Glamour, from Nick Brooke, Chris Gidlow, and Mike Hagen, is the first release on the storefront available in hard copy, printed on demand. Consequently, this review will … Continue reading Review — A Rough Guide to Glamour
Binge-Streaming and the Mini-Series
With the rise and continued growth of services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon's Prime Video, the way in which many people consume stories has changed. Before these streaming services, film stories were presented for consumption in basically two ways: serially over television, or in a one- to three-hour block, as a movie. There were … Continue reading Binge-Streaming and the Mini-Series
Akhelas 