Intrigue, deception, and adventure on the high seas. These are the things promised to readers of Pirate’s Honor, the latest Pathfinder Tales novel. Wonderfully, writer Chris A. Jackson delivers all of this and more in his delightful tale of an honorable pirate trying to pull of the biggest heist of his career. This book is an incredible mix of the standard sword and sorcery fare mixed with the kind of suspense and intrigue you’d expect from a Hollywood heist film like Ocean’s Eleven. What really make it special, though, is that Jackson has also snuck in a love story that simultaneously complicates the story and makes it so much more worthwhile.
I didn't like Lara Croft. The busty, dual-wielding explorer wasn't the bada--, Indiana Jones type I wanted her to be; she was a two-dimensional character intended to sell video games with her cleavage. So, imagine my surprise when the reboot of Tomb Raider washed all of that away, started from scratch, and built a strong, female character I grew to admire and adore.
When's the last time you read the instructions of a board game and felt like you were at a feminist rally of gamers? As they picket the headquarters of a gaming company demanding equality and burning pink game pieces in effigy? When? When? When?! If your answer is more than zero, then you are probably in the 1% section of gamers and most likely have a restraining order against you. But, why does it have to be "Parker Bros," when it was the Parker sister's idea, probably? When will we get our day in the sun, ladies? As we sit in a basement or coffee shop rolling 12-sided dice, daydreaming of being wooed by Klaus Teuber or Leslie Scott, and having them create a RPG where the goal is to garner our attention and approval. It's time for a bit of recognition and kudos for being the minority in a culture saturated by mouth-breathing breeders.
Wizards of the Coast. If you've ever rolled a 20-sided die, you know that name. Hell, the recent movie Unicorn City gave the company a nod by naming a game designing firm in the movie "Warlocks of the Beach." If you're reading this, you've already taken a step into a much larger world . . . but enough about my ego, let's talk Dungeon Command.
"A Look at the Edge" is a series of reviews covering the Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Roleplaying Game by Fantasy Flight Games, which will review newly released products and supplemental online content and discuss experiences playing and running the game.
Fantasy Flight Games is off to a great start providing additional content for Edge of the Empire. Accompanying the Beginner Game are two additional character folios and a full supplemental adventure, The Long Arm of the Hutt.
"A Look at the Edge" is a series of reviews covering the Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Roleplaying Game by Fantasy Flight Games, which will review newly released products and supplemental online content and discuss experiences playing and running the game.
When Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) announced the Star Wars: Edge of the Empire game back at GenCon 2012 with the release of the game's Beta, my nerd heart just about burst in my chest I was so excited. Star Wars brought me into geekdom, Star Wars roleplaying was my introduction to the GM's chair, and many of my fondest gaming moments have been set a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. My gaming tastes have changed significantly from the rules crunchy d20 systems used for the last two Star Wars games, so I was even more delighted when I learned that FFG is taking Star Wars to a rules light, almost indie game design, which has a greater emphasis on roleplaying and characters than tactics and micromanaging. The Beta book was a fantastic way to kick off Edge of the Empire, but now we finally have the first true product in the new Star Wars line of games, the Beginner Game.
Beginning in 2007, the Assassin's Creed series has spent a lot of time building up to this much-anticipated sequel. Assassins' Creed III (AC3) wraps up the modern-day story of Desmond Miles and introduces a new ancestor, Connor, a man of mixed Native-American and English heritage, who struggles to preserve his tribe while fighting in the Revolutionary War to free the Colonies from British rule.
Skulking through shadows, lining up your perfect kill, and, oh yeah, freezing time and teleporting across rooms to your heart's content. Dishonored is another in a growing trend of assassin games, but it offers plenty of new concepts to the genre. After the Empress is murdered and the blame pinned on you, her protector, you don a mask and set out to eliminate those behind the conspiracy that killed her and ruined your life, one by one . . .
FTL is a rogue-like space exploration and survival game that began as a Kickstarter earlier this year. You play as a Federation starship with the mission to deliver vital information to the fleet with the Rebel armada in hot pursuit. The interface is relatively simple with you moving crew members from stations aboard the ship and repairing damage while making use of the ship's systems like weapons, shields, and engines to overcome obstacles before jumping to the next star system. The game has some RPG elements where systems can be upgraded and new items bought at stores to increase your effectiveness.
Borderlands 2 is the successor to what was one of the most popular new IPs in 2009. Maintaining the same first-person shooter/RPG gameplay as the first, players take on the role of a Vault Hunter on the planet Pandora and have to fight their way through bandits, robots, and alien beasts while looting and leveling to their heart's content. Borderlands 2 surpasses its predecessor in almost every way, delivering the same great combat and offbeat sense of humor with more guns, great characters, guns, varied quests, more diverse settings, and, oh yes, guns.