What’s new in tabletop gaming | Boing Boing
August 16, 2022
What’s new in tabletop gaming | Boing Boing:
Dungeons & Dragons: Journeys Through The Radiant Citadel (Wizards of the Coast, $30)
If there’s one compelling reason to buy this book it’s because of the racist reactions it has inflamed. It was written by people of color (and marketed as such). And it contains cultures and ideas not commonly found in Western fantasy literature and games like D&D. So, of course, that’s enraged snowflakey conservative players. I, for one, embrace our inclusive gaming future and especially appreciate the introduction of different cultures and mythologies to the game. The adventures in this anthology draw from Asian, African, Native American, Arab, Hindu influences. But, all great intentions aside, buying the book wouldn’t be more than a vote for greater inclusiveness if the content wasn’t good. It is. It all hangs around the Radiant Citadel, a hub-world on the ethereal plane that’s a crossroads and melting pot for diverse cultures from throughout the multiverse. It acts as a jumping off point for the other adventures in the book. There are 13 adventures in all, for levels 1-14, that are designed to be dropped into any adventure, or as a campaign setting. “From glittering night markets to undersea cities, from curse-afflicted villages to angel-ruled city-states—each adventure in this anthology takes inspiration from the writer’s personal connection to real-world mythologies and cultures, creating a rich tapestry of never-before-seen lands and stories for you to explore.” I haven’t played any of it, but reading through the handsome book, it’s definitely an excellent anthology and collection of usable content worthy of your support. And, for every copy sold, a Proud Boy gamer fails all of his saving throws.
Good enough reason for me!
Really – I haven’t delved into D&D at all during it’s recent revival, or any tabletop gaming really given the whole
GLOBAL PANDEMIC
but Wizards seems to be holding a cultural stride that I can’t help but love.
Nova Open Infuriates Hobbyists With Their Policies
August 9, 2022
Nova Open Infuriates Hobbyists With Their Policies:
tl;dr – Nova Open cares about it’s attendees more than the venue, and some people are really angry about it.
Nintendo Sound Effect (acapella) – YouTube
June 11, 2022
8 Queer Video Games Worth Playing | WIRED
June 9, 2022
8 Queer Video Games Worth Playing | WIRED:
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH to all the gaymers! During pride this year, as a celebration, I’m replaying a few of my favorite video games with LGBTQ+ representation. Even though many modern video game companies are committed to diverse representation, the execution still misses the mark at times. As a queer person, I value gaming experiences that leave me feeling included and understood.
After hours of dutifully playing through a variety of titles, I rounded up eight quality games where the LGBTQ+ characters feel natural, with a strong preference given to independent studios. This isn’t a complete list, by any means, so use them as a starting point to explore even more great queer games from queer creators.
Loom EGA/VGA comparison – superrune
June 7, 2022
Loom EGA/VGA comparison – superrune:
The original EGA background art for Loom was made by Mark Ferrari. The character art was done by Gary Winnick and Steve Purcell. Gary Winnick designed the sprites and did most of the sprite animation, while Steve Purcell did the larger character portraits and some additional animation. Ken Macklin did the effects animation, such as moving water and twinkles.
I love Mark Ferrari artwork across many games and formats…
https://assets.tumblr.com/post.js
This is one of the things I see in Star Trek Online sometimes when I play… People being like “Why is this corpocratic society being framed as Evil?” … Have you ever seen a Roddenberry production? He was flat out contemptive about using paper to keep score of power.
Mythforce looks like a first-person 80s cartoon | Rock Paper Shotgun:
Beamdog, the Canadian studio behind the ‘Enhanced Edition’ remasters of Planescape: Torment and Baldur’s Gate, have announced their first original game: Mythforce. It’s a roguelikelike first-person stabber with a striking visual style inspired by 80s children’s cartoons.
I was excited about this until I saw it was an Epic store exclusive. Let’s see if I still care in a year.
jwz: Playing old PS3 games
March 7, 2022
About once a year I think, “Hey, maybe I’ll play that old video game that I used to enjoy.” It never ends well.
With more recent consoles, PS3 and Wii U onwards, it can be a nightmare to keep access to old games working… A tide of Bit Rot is wiping away a ton of art in the form of games from this era.
Meet Minnesota gamers and game developers of color working to see themselves on screen | MPR News
February 24, 2022
Meet Minnesota gamers and game developers of color working to see themselves on screen | MPR News:
Some scoff at diversity in video games. But for Horn, who identifies as lesbian and Black, seeing herself in characters or stories is powerful — and further inspires others to dream big, which is why representation matters to her.
The only people I’ve actively heard/seen scoff at diversity are white dudes who are so over-represented in games that they don’t ever need to reach to find themselves… but if you take even a single character from them, their ire over “woke gaming” gets awfully loud.
“NFTs are a scam,” says indie game store Itch.io | Rock Paper Shotgun:
The store’s Twitter tweeted over the weekend:
A few have asked about our stance on NFTs:
NFTs are a scam. If you think they are legitimately useful for anything other than the exploitation of creators, financial scams, and the destruction of the planet the we ask that please reevaluate your life choices.
Peace ✌️
— itch.io (@itchio) February 6, 2022
Pocket Realities 