The Tavern Chat Podcast - Episode 86 - Is The Punisher Watching the Watchmen?

I just watched The Watchmen - Ultimate Edition. Make it stop. Please, make it stop...

Some thoughts on The Watchmen, the Netflix Marvel Universe - especially The Punisher, Supers Gaming and such.

Link to Episode 86 - https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/Episode-86---Is-The-Punisher-Watching-the-Watchmen-e2059a
Link to the Tenkar's Tavern Patreon - tenkars-tavern.games/patreon

Link to the Tenkar's Tavern Discord Server - tenkars-tavern.games/Discord

News - Netflix to Focus its Originals on Fantasy / SciFi

Here are the bullet points from Business Insider (full article at the link):

• Science fiction and fantasy" became the most popular genre of Netflix original show among subscribers in Q1 of 2018, according to data compiled by the analytics firm Ampere Analysis.
• Netflix has been able to "anticipate" an increase in demand for the genre by rapidly expanding its production of original sci-fi and fantasy shows and movies, according to Ampere.
• More than one quarter (29%) of upcoming Netflix originals are in the sci-fi and fantasy category, higher than any other genre.

It's a good time to be a fan of Fantasy and SciFi :)

Dungeons & Dragons article in the New York Daily News - Stranger Things brings D&D back into Focus

There is a D&D article in the New York Daily News, talking about how the Netflix series Stranger Things is bringing the game back into the light:

Dungeons & Dragons is rampaging across pop culture like a fearsome Demogorgon.
The quintessential game for geeks is resurging 42 years after it was first published. It’s a central plot device in the Netflix summer hit “Stranger Things.” It plays heavily in “The Dwarvenaut” documentary hitting VOD on Friday, about a Brooklyn artist who crafts dungeon models and figurines. And “Divergent’s” Ansel Elgort is in talks to conjure himself into a live-action D&D film. 

“We’re going through a renaissance here. It’s just so much fun to play,” says Stefan Pokorny, the D&D addict who is ready for his closeup in “The Dwarvenaut.” “The kids in the 80s, the 12 and 13-year-olds who were playing, the outcasts who were told they were nerds — now we’re 40 and 50 years old like, ‘Screw you guys — I still love this game!’”

Which is all fine and good, but it's the next paragraph that I find most interesting:

If you’ve been too cool to crack open a Dungeon Master’s guide or roll a 12-sided die, you’re becoming the odd man out. Or odd woman out, as role-playing games have expanded their gender roles. While Wizards of the Coast, which manages the D&D franchise, won't share sales figures, reps tell the Daily News that Millennials (ages 25 to 34) presently make up the largest group of D&D players, followed closely by those aged 35 to 44 and 18 to 24 — and up to 30% of these gamers are girls.

So, up to 30% of current D&D players are girls. About what I would have pegged it back in High School and College - 20 to 25%, and almost all brought in by their significant others. So, the percentage of female gamers hasn't changed much, but the age group is skewing higher, and older gamers generally have more disposable income, which is good for the market.

It's nice to see The Dwarvenaut also get some attention.

Netflix on Demand - Lilyhammer

Netflix producing it's own "TV Series"?  No way!

yeah, apparently No Way is right.  Local company sold the rights to Netflix.

Yep, the first Netflix series is called Lilyhammer.

It's the story of a well placed NYC mobster who survives a hit on himself (but loses his dog), decided to go state's evidence and gets relocated, as per his wishes, to Lillehammer, Norway (NOT Finland ya dumb American! ;).  Hey, what can he say? It looked like a nice place when it hosted the Winter Olympics back in 1994.

Filmed on location in Norway, with Norwegian actors (the exception being our lead - Frank Tagliano played by Steven Van Zandt), this is actually a fun little series.

Alright, I've only watched the first episode so far, but I really do like what I see, and the next 7 episodes are waiting for me to watch them.  Heck, the wife really enjoyed this too (after which I put her to sleep with Ironclad).

It's funny and witty with the fish out of water show of watching Frank trying to transition from NEW York to Norway.  I suspect he's going to expect Norway to conform to him.

It's  good watch, and I'm sure some decent plot hooks to be found for those GMs running games in the modern era.

Sunday Movie Matinee: The Expendables

I just watch The Expendables on Netflix on Demand.  It's pretty much the usual action hero shoot 'em up, but with the Save The Princess angle added to it, just to make the mercenaries a bit less mercenary in nature and appearance.

What surprised me, but really shouldn't have, is that the movie played out damn close to a D&D session (pretty much any edition).  The good guys (player characters) disposed of the "mooks" with single blows, took multiple blows to kill the minor henchmen, took an encounter to take out the major henchmen and took out the main baddie after a huge battle with many bullet wounds and a knife through the back.

Heck, they even stormed a castle and had to go through the dungeon.  Stallone was even wearing body armor.  Change the clothes and the weapons and it was D&D.

Scary.

A Day of Success, But Little Time For Play

I spent the afternoon installing the flooring in what will be (in part) my "Man Cave".  The first row was a real PITA trying to fit it around the radiator.  Ughhh!  Still, with my father's help and expertise we got about 2/3 of the floor laid down and I should be able to finish it off tomorrow.  Yay!

I'm seeing a lot of similarities in this process with any creative project I've been with, especially today as we hit our stride and I didn't want to stop even with dinner waiting.  I get similar emotions when I write (as rare as that is these days - need to get into it again).

I'm looking forward to getting the kitchen done by a professional - that's just a cash outlay - someone else can break their back ;)

Spending quality time at the moment with the future Mrs Tenkar watching some National Geographic on Netflix on Demand :)

Found "Emergency!" on Netflix on Demand

I grew up watching Emergency! on a 9" B&W TV.

Can't believe all 122 episodes are available on Netflix.

There has to be a RPG campaign that could be built around this and maybe Adam 12 ;)

Netflix Gaming Inspiration - Flashpoint

My son dragged me kicking and screaming into watching the Flashpoint TV series on Netflix.  It details the activities and actions of the Strategic Response Unit.  The city is unnamed so far, but I'm pretty sure Toronto is where it is set.

As far as a SWAT type unit, this one has all the toys.  It also has personalities and an ongoing background story even tho' each episode wraps up fairly neatly - kinda like a good gaming session with a nice background thread.

Now, my son would watch 3 or 4 episodes a nite if he could, but my limit is one or two.  Each episode is a fairly realistic roller-coaster ride.

I could see this making a good sourcebook for a modern era GURPS campaign, or even adapted to a sci-fi ruleset.  Not sure I could make this work for a fantasy game, but if it did, it would be with Rune Quest or some other skill based ruleset.

Damn, i really have to put some thought into this.  It could be fun.

Tuesday Nite Netflix - From Paris With Love

I feel like I'm watching a runaway train and the wheels are about to come off.  I hope it gets better.  Maybe.

I can't stop watching.  I think the action scenes are blinding me to the general stupidity of the whole thing.

God help me.

Watching the Real Life Ranger

I spent last nite and part of this afternoon watching Survivor Man.  Les Stroud is a modern day ranger.  Less of a showman then Bear Grylls, he spends a week in the wilderness each episode, with just a handful of equipment and no camera crew.

His knowledge of edible plants is amazing, and I enjoy watching him build shelters and fires, and watch him set snares and traps for game.

Just taking a few choice bits and pieces from watching the show should add some nice realism to any wilderness trek in your choice of RPG, and give real flavor to any ranger's skills.

Watching on Netflix on Demand.  God, I love my Netflix ;)

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena - Round 2

Anyhow, I told my girl / woman / she who will soon control the discretionary spending - about my experience last week watching the first episode of Spartacus.  She decided she wanted to see what I was talking about.  Not wanting to re-watch the first episode, we started up the second episode (I filled her in on who pissed on who - etc).

Thankfully it wasn't AS graphic as the first episode.  I'm no prude, but throwing the sex scenes in for "historical accuracy" is a load of bull.

Thankfully, this episode was more story, less gory.  We may continue with the series.  As my girl said: "hey!  they put a penis in this episode - cool!  Finally some equality."  Me, I'm enjoying it for the combat scenes mostly.

At least it wasn't as painful to watch as the first episode of Conan which we had watched just prior to Spartacus.  The pain!  heh