"For Russ and the Allfather!"

A massive new campaign just dropped for the mobile Space Wolf game. So much for Injustice 2...

The Lay of the Lost Horn

The boys were knocking around on Saturday with nothing to do, so Amy suggested D&D. I popped open my Shattered Realm file and I started a new campaign for them: "The Lay of the Lost Horn."

After a journey fraught with goblin raids and other dangers, the two young heroes -- Matthew's dragonborn sorcerer and Nathaniel's human ranger -- have reached the besieged village of Palisade. Pics below!

Not Feelin' It

I logged a lot of time playing the original mobile version of Injustice, but for some reason, I'm just not feeling Injustice 2. When I have a few idle minutes for mobile gaming, I'm instead turning to challenge missions in Space Wolf. Maybe I'll let Injustice 2 sit for a while and jump back into it the next time I'm on a business trip...

World Builders

The boys had a hankering to dip into my vast collection of four-inch action figures, so we've spent the better part of the last two evenings transforming our spare bedroom into a sprawling fantasy world. They each built up a "civilization", so I -- never one to miss an opportunity for world building -- asked them to sit down and write up some notes about the domains they created. I've added their notes to my master spreadsheet for the Shattered Realm campaign world, so one day, in a future D&D adventure, they'll be able to explore their creations in an entirely different way!

Injustice 2

Injustice 2 is out for mobile on both iOS and Android platforms. The screens are very "busy" (i.e., cluttered) in the menus as well as during the fights, and I'm still not sure what a lot of the icons and symbols mean, but overall it seems like a lot of fun and a worthy successor to the original game. My immediate source of frustration, though, is that the blocking control is entirely different from the first Injustice, so sometimes my heroes just  have to stand around and take a beating while I'm fumbling to hit the right spot on the screen!

FCBD Today!

Free Comic Book Day is today! Head over to your friendly local comic book store for some free stuff!

An End to My Torment

I finished up Planescape: Torment tonight. In the final encounter, I talked the main villain into submission and then my character was dragged down into some sort of horrible hell-dimension. Somehow, it seemed a fitting end...

FCBD 2017

Quick reminder: Free Comic Book Day 2017 is coming up this Saturday!

Progress!

I finished up the single-player campaign for the 40k mobile game Space Wolf yesterday (casualties were high in a scenario aptly titled "No One Lives Forever") and made some good progress on Planescape: Torment. I estimate that I'm about 80% of the way through Planescape. My goal is to have it finished up before Injustice 2 comes out in a couple of weeks...

Critical Mass

If I play a video game for long enough, I usually reach a "critical mass" point (or, to put it less charitably, the point at which I fall prey to the sunk cost fallacy) and decide that I'll actually finish the game even if I'm not really digging it. I think I've hit that point with Planescape: Torment. I still find it oppressively verbose, but as long as I can skim past the dialogue and focus on the snippets that are included in the main character's journal, it's bearable.

One criticism that is not likely to go away, though, is the setting. I'm about 20 hours into this game and I'm still traipsing around in Sigil. What's the point of using the Planescape setting if so much of the game is rooted in one city? Granted, Sigil is a cool and quirky location, but there's really no reason this game couldn't have been set in Waterdeep or Greyhawk or some other iconic D&D city. Are we actually going to see other planes in Planescape?

Dragonfire

Wellity, wellity, wellity...

It looks like D&D is finally joining the deckbuilder craze. (Is it still a craze, though? I was actually thinking not long ago that this type of game was playing itself out. Anyway...) With a product that's sure to evoke endless comparisons to Paizo's astoundingly awesome Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Wizards is partnering with Catalyst Game Labs to release a D&D-themed deckbuilder game called Dragonfire. (Cue the scene from late-'80s Doctor Who when the freezing dude's face melts off.) All snark aside, I will play the hell out of this game!

Voices In My Head

I won't get into the details -- it's a long story -- but Tim W came up with a great use for a non-combat spell. Facing a foe who was unfamiliar with magic, the wizard Cathbad (of Druid Cycle fame) used a Sending spell to put strange voices in the guy's head. I love it!

New 40k Edition

A new edition of Warhammer 40,000 is on the way. It's hard to believe that my Dark Vengeance boxed set is now going to be several editions out of date!

It's Torment Indeed

So I ended up shelling out twenty bucks for the PC version of Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition, and I can't say I'm in love with it. I'll try anything that resembles Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale (this game is built using the same engine as those two classics), but Torment is turning out to be slow and talky. I'm a couple of hours into the game, and I'm now wandering around the slums of Sigil (all the while killing the same bandits that keep respawning in exactly the same places) in search of information. Each new map brings about the same grim exercise in identifying every named NPC, initiating dialogue with them, and scanning through reams of text to figure out if they have anything truly useful to say. Not sure how far I will get with this game, especially with my copy of Tales From the Yawning Portal scheduled to arrive today...

Time to Torment Myself!

The enhanced edition for Planescape: Torment is now available. Can't wait to download it for my tablet!

Moral Panic

I've been playing D&D (or modified versions of RPG games) for decades now, although not as heavily involved as my friends, it has always been an escape that I've enjoyed, allowing me to create a fictional narrative that I have always been unable to do so on my own.

We were probably at the tail end of the first generation of D&D players, or perhaps the very first of the next generation so a lot of the hysteria had subsided by the time we were playing. I recall there was a little bit of reluctance on the part of the schools that we attended to allow us to use "dice" in the classroom and I am sure that is part of the lingering effects of the hysteria. Most of our gaming activity occurred either at home or on the local BBS's.

With that being said, the "moral panic" and hysteria around the first generation of D&D players has always fascinated me. This is a great article about an early Tom Hanks vehicle, Mazes and Monsters.

"...it's a cautionary tale about the supposed impact of RPGs on delicate young minds - and perhaps best remembered as the first feature role for a young Tom Hanks."

I haven't had a chance to watch this crap-tastic sounding made for TV-movie, but the article does give a nice summary of the era and the movie itself.

Battle Scene

Okay, before I put these guys away, here are a few shots of the completed armies, along with the terrain pieces that I painted as part of this project.

For the Emperor!

Here we go...the last three Ultramarines models! First we a veteran Space Marine clad in Terminator armor, toting a storm bolter and power sword.

Next up is a fearsome Dreadnought!

Finally, the most difficult model of all, the Space Marine Captain. This guy gave me a lot of trouble (especially that stupid flag!) and he didn't turn out great, but he's good enough to carve up those pesky Orks!

Today brings my grand adventure with Warhammer 40,000 painting to a close. Well, at least until Shadow War: Armageddon is in stock...

We March for Macgragge...

...and we shall know no fear!

The first batch of Ultramarines is done -- or, at least, as done as they're going to get! I was pretty satisfied until I looked at the close-up photos and saw all sorts of areas for improvement. However, with other gaming stuff coming up soon, I've decided to put these guys aside. We've reached the point of diminishing returns.

Anyway, here they are! The photo below shows a trio of Space Marines armed with bolters.

Next up, a flamer! (Yes, that's really what it's called. Yikes.)

And now we have an Ultramarine toting a missile launcher.

Last but not least, here's the chainsword-wielding sergeant -- the leader of this squad.

In the next post, I'll share photos of the last three Ultramarines models from this starter set.

Confrontation: The Age of Rag'Narok

So...what the hell is this?

Apparently, it's Confrontation: The Age of Rag'Narok (their spelling, not mine), a decade-old miniatures wargame from a now-defunct French company. I picked it up sight unseen on Miniature Market for twenty bucks as a clearance item (click here to see if it's still on sale!). The box arrived today, and, as you can see, it comes with a lot of cool bits.

Not sure if I'll ever play the actual game, but I'll certainly make good use of the miniatures, the cool terrain piece, and the double-sided battle mat. At this price, maybe I'll pick up a second box!