Midnight the Movie - the Review

Short and sweet: not bad at all! Much better then either of the two Dungeons & Dragons movies that were released. It's a real shame that it was intended as the intro to a TV series that just never panned out.

It really has gotten me to want to dig out my Midnight source books from the bottom of the closet, but since I ordered the movie with the extra PDFs for an extra 5 bucks I can probably add it to my DX for convenient reading.

Damn, its been a while since I've done a DX-ability review of anything. Time for me to get off my ass ;)

Pathfinder RPG PDF Non-Review ;)

This is a quicky: The Pathfinder RPG PDF is a beauty to behold. I haven't done much more then look at the pretty pictures on my computer screen and think "wow, I wish I I had ordered the printed book!" Heh

I'm sure it will work fine of the kindle dx, as you have the option to DL it as either one big file or by chapters. Still, that will need to wait for when I have the time to dig into that RPG 10 course dinner ;)

Midnight the Movie is released on RPGNow

Midnight, the straight to download on RPGNow movie has been released (link is to the trailer). Twenty minutes into the full movie and it is already better then the first Dungeons and Draons movie by leaps and bounds... not that that feat is all that hard.

Midnight is a setting where the Dark Lord defeated the forces of good, and has enslaved the world for the past 100 years. This is the Lord of the Rings gone bad, story wise that is. Production quality is on par with some of SciFi Channels mid to lower end made for tv movies. Still, the first 20 minutes have been enjoyable so far ;)

As a RPG setting it is one I have wanted to play or DM for a while. Assuming the other players don't mind a world where things are hopeless and success in the long run is damn near impossible. Kinda like Warhammer in that regard I guess... heh

Korgoth Of BARBARIA!!!!!!

Oh My Freakin' God! How did I ever miss this? Korgoth Of BARBARIA!!!!!! Best frickin cartoon evah! Heh, shame its just a pilot and was never picked up by Adult Swim.

Astak 5” EZ Reader Pocket PRO to Ship at the end of August

Yeah, I know I seem to have ebook readers on my mind recently... well, ore so then usual. It just seems that there are more new releases then usual ;)

Here's the skinny on the Pocket Pro: 8 shades of greyscale, PDF reflow (may or may not be a selling point... was spotty on my sony), uses SD cards up to 16 gb, text to speech (and at 100 bucks cheaper then the Kindle 2), and reads a crapload of formats: ADE (Adobe Digital Editions), PDF, TXT, PDB, DOC, HTML, FB2, LIT, MP3, EPUB, PRC and some others.

I'm not going to call this a Kindle killer, but PDF use and text to speech for less then 200 bucks is damn attractive and tempting. Hmmm, if it could read PDFs to me I could go to sleep with an RPG lullaby...

So, before you ask, yes I placed a preorder on a black one... I have Lit files that I just can't read on my Kindle ;)

New E-Bok Readers Coming From Sony

The Sony 300 will hit at a price point of $199. It will read PDFs via reflow, which has been spotty at best when used with RPG products (I have current Sony reader qith reflow and generally have not been pleased with the results). It does not appear to have any expansion memory like an SD card and it is indicated that it will hold 350 books - I doubt that is 360 books in PDF format.

The Sony 600 has SD and Memory Stick Duo slots for expansion, a touch screen, a stylus and the ability to take notes. It will have a price point of $299 (same as the kindle2). While it might be a real competition to Amazon as an ebook reader, as a PDF reader the DX will probable still be the better choice, especially for gamers.

EnWorld - Its Up, Its Down - Part II

EnWorld is getting to be a waste of time to even attempt to visit. Damn shame. It's still too damn slow!

I'm thinking of not checking it again for a month or so, but I expect it will still suck to load even then.

Ah well, there are other places to play on the net.

A Week Later... Where Did it Go?

I just realized its been a week since I added anything of use to this thing we call the "internet".  Its been a busy week, what with birthdays, work, vacation, health scares... that thing we call life is a real biatch.

So now I'm stuck staring out a crap load of PDFs I'm waiting to read and thanks to the fine posters over at Dragonsfoot I stumble across this truely bizarre and highly entertaining review of RIFTS.  RIFTS and I go way back:  The first and only GenCon I ever attended was the year RIFTS was released, and I got my copy of the rules signed by the two Kevins.  RIFTS holds a special place in my gaming heart despite the failings of the system iteslf... the fluff was simply amazing.

I'll see if I can do something productive tomorrow... don't hold your breath ;)

Kobold Quarterly 10 - Capsule Review

Well, I have a print and PDF subscription of Kobold Quarterly and just received the print copy in the mail today and it is a beauty to behold. 3.5e and 4e in the same package. Only problem was when I started flipping thru the magazine... I realized I read most of it already... in PDF on my DX. I downloaded my copy on sunday ;)

I give the mag a steady 5 for quality... you can pick up any issue and be sure that it will be top notch. DX-abiity is a solid 5.

On a side note, EnWorld is loading... slow as frozen molasses flowing uphill, but loading none the less.

EnWorld - Its Up, Its Down

I happen to enjoy the EnWorld site. I enjoy it enough to be a community supporter (I'm actually a paying customer). So, what have I been getting recently? This wonderful message:

Traffic is through the roof at the moment. The effect should die down in a day or so, but we've had to temporarily cap the number of users online to 3000 or so in order to keep the site running at all. Once traffic drops down to below 3000 or so users, we'll remove the cap. Apologies for the inconvenience!

So, let me get this straight... when traffic drops below 3000, they'll remove the restriction of the traffic exceeding 3000. Sure, that makes LOTS of sense.

I haven't been able to get into the site for the past few days, and there have been days this summer where I haven't gotten anything but a web page that times out.

All I want for my yearly donation is to actually be able to access the site I've been donating too. Is that too much to ask? Maybe priority login for Community Supporters, or maybe even adding some bandwidth.

Hmmm, is it even technically a donation or more like an optional user fee for additional privileges?

I'm ranting because I can. I'm ranting here because I can't rant on a site I can't even log in to.

Castles & Crusades: Season 2 starts August 8th

Yes, the Company of Delvers weekly Saturday night session will return on August 8th. By that point it wil have been nearly 2 months since our last C&C Fantasy Grounds 2 game (we've been on a summer hiatus).

Tenkar, my Dwarven Cleric (who'da guessed? heh) just hit 3rd level at the end of last session. This opens up a whole lot of possibilities for Tenkar now... or if not a whole lot, then a wee bit more then being the secondary tank / healbot. Not that he didn't fill those roles well, but sometime a third dimension (in this case 2nd level spells) should add a little to my so far usualy strategy of "knock heads, heal tanks... rinse, repeat".

I find that C&C plays very close to AD&D in practice. As my younger gaming years were mostly AD&D, it has made the transition to using a VTT nearly painless. Then again, it didn't hurt that I had been playing in a almost weekly Dark Heresy game using FG2.

I am (hopefully) close to running an online gaming session or two myself. I am waiting on iTabletop to see if its all that it appears it will be. Fantasy Grounds I am comfortable as a player, but not as confident in my abilities to actually run a game session.

It's a Circus I Tell Ya!

I never imagined I'd be able to enjoy a podcast. I like to read and listening to people talk amongst themselves is what talk radio is for. So imagine my surprise when I saw that The Free RPG Blog was highlighting RPG podcasts this week.

I was intrigued, and decided to listen to RPG Circus. It was actually entertaining. Yes, mark me surprised. I doubt my girlfriend would want to listen, so headphones are advised to protect your family from the game speak you will find yourself being enthralled by. I listened to episode 3 tonight (the latest as I write this) and it kept me to the end. At over an hour that's pretty damn good. Then again, I'm a multitasker, so I was surfing other blogs at the same time. If you are like me and suffer from GADD (Gamer's Attention Deficit Disorder) DOWNLOAD the podcast and play it back using your favorite media player, otherwise you'll find yourself clicking links on the blog page that relate to the podcast and you'll loss the podcast.

I haven't checked out the other podcasts listed in the article but I'll be listening to them soon for sure. 5 out of 5 on the entertainment scale.

Plethora of PDFs - Upcoming Reviews

Lets see... recently I've picked up the Ultimate Toolbox, HeroQuest, The Day After Ragnarok, took a second look at some PDQ games I have, still need to download the latest Dragon and Dungeon mags I subscribe to... I have a full plate and then some of items to review and upload to my Kindle DX to test DX-ability.

Time to get off my ass and get to work on these reviews it seems.

Did I mention that iTabletop is offering 5 year memberships with 5 floating player licenses for 99 bucks? Not sure if that is good or bad in the long run, but in the here and now the price can't be beat.

Tenkar's Minor Tidbits - Thocar's Excessive Automatic Cannon

Thocar's Excessive Automatic Cannon was designed by a dwarven engineer with obvious gnomish influence. This magical item takes on the appearance of 4 inch cubed metal box with dwarven runes etched into the sides.

Upon activation with the command word the box transforms into a miniature cannon that stands approximately 2 feet high. Using the command word a second time will cause the cannon to fire at any enemy the user designates within 200 feet. The cannons projectiles inflict minimal damage (1 to 2 points), however it can unerringly strikes its target every combat turn. A third use of the command word deactivates the cannon and return it to its minimal cube size. However there is a 5% chance that they can will not deactivate and will continue firing at its previous opponent even if said opponent is no longer in the area or his now deceased. If this is the case the cannon will continue to fire for 10 to 30 minutes before deactivating.

A side effect of the cannon's projectile firing is the loud boom that accompanies each round. This loud boom is extremely distracting and causes a -1 adjustment to the combat abilities of all creatures within 50 feet of the cannon.

Thocar's Excessive Automatic Cannon was designed as a way to keep interlopers, rodents, and the random goblin away from Thocar when resting on the roadside during his travels. The side effect of the constant BOOMS drew the attention of local highwaymen, who promptly relieved Thocar of both his cannon and his life.

Swords and Wizardry - Quick Start Rules - Capsule Review

Some might have noticed I spend a good amount of time reviewing retro clones.  There is a simple reason for that.  Most have their rules for free in PDF format, and I just loves me some free PDFs for my Kindle DX ;)

Anyhow, on to the quick and dirty review of the S&W Quick Start rules - Holy condensation Batman!  An amazing job was done in turning already concise rules into an even easier, more concise format.  Heck, over half of the 30 some odd pages are taken up by the module / adventure (which includes GM advise).  You'll need the full ruleset to level past 1st level, but that not the point.  This little PDF is an excellent introduction to roleplaying.

5 for the amazing product, and a 5 for DX-ability.  Damn good piece of work!

Spewing My Worthless Opinion...

Re: Mishlers ranting about of the state of the gaming industry and my various responses on various blogs and EnWorld have taken time from my own blogging.

Coming up soon: my review of the Quickstart rules for S&W and the latest with iTabletop.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Hackmaster 5e Basic - First Inpressions

The cover is awesome. Erol Otis did an amazing job.

Build Points are hard to follow. They aren't explained well and the rules for them are spread out.

Hit Points - the kicker is smaller and classes only get a new HD every other level. Constitution no longer adds a HP bonus per level. Combat looks deadlier.

Spells - spread out with spell levels advancing with character level. Need to look closer.

Haven't finished flipping thru it yet. I think it's more likely I'll steal bits and pieces from Hackmaster Basic then run it whole. I'll know more when I read more.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

New and Improved - Same Crappy Posts

Looks like I found my template. Cool. Now on to bigger and better things, like reviews, rants, and general mischief... heh.

Wanted - iPhone App to organize my game planning

Is there any such beast? I'm not looking for a Mind Mapping app but something more along the lines of The Keep by NBOS Software. Any ideas just add a comment.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Tenkar's Minor Tidbits - Daev's Healing Draught

Daev's Healing Draught has the look and taste of a normal healing potion, although the astute drinker may notice the after taste is reminiscent of cherry wheat.

Game effects are much like the normal healing potion according to your game rules, at least as far as the character is concerned. Wounds are apparently healed, bleeding stops, bruises seem to fade, pain lessens, etc. In truth these are but illusionary gains... the character suffers no ill effects from his current wounds until he takes damage equal to the amount "healed", at which point all damage is again in effect for the character. This could lead to a warrior still fighting when he should be unconscious or dead. The illusionary healing fades in 24 hrs, again returning the character to his correctly wounded state.

Daev's Healing Draught was conceived as a way for unscrupulous mercenary leaders to get the most fight out of their men while at the same time ensuring there will be less survivors left to collect their pay. The cost of Daev's Healing Draught is generally half of that of a normal healing potion, although some charlatans attempt to pass off Daev's Healing Draught as "the real thing".

(Tenkar's Minor Tidbits will be an irregularly recurring topic. Sometimes the thought strikes you, sometimes its as elusive as a vorpal blade)