Reading Marvel Comics, The Untold Story

     So, with finances being crap and my recent time without internet I have started visiting the library recently. My last trip led me to this amazing book from 2012 by Sean Howe, Marvel Comics, the Untold Story. If you have any interest in comics (industry or otherwise), maybe just creative types in general then this is for you. It strikes me how similar some of the stories are to the gaming industry, especially the doomsayers that seem to come out when changes happen. The author manages to be somewhat objective, surprisingly difficult when it comes to Jim Shooter's time there. Initially I had a hard time understanding why people would burn their boss in effigy, I had heard the story before I had read the book, but after reading that section *hoo boy* it sounded intense.

     The back and forth between Stan Lee and Jack Kirby is a bit sad, especially since they seemed to start off so well. There is a story about Kirby being a telephone guest on a New York radio station for the event of his seventieth birthday. Stan called the station to wish him a happy birthday, praise his artwork, and basically reminisce for about ten minutes before saying "I'll say this: every word of dialogue in those scripts was mine." A little grumbling back a forth and then Stan says goodbye, leaving Kirby and the co-host flustered "Uh... you can understand now, what it was really like back then."

     The part that I really love is how and where these guys were getting their ideas. If someone were to write a book like this for DC or to focus on the history of X-Men or Spider-Man, I would be all over that! So give it a look and let me know what you all think!

Tinker schematic rules change

     No more schematic chart mandating how many of what level schematic a tinker can use, it will be up to the GM whether the character has access to the design to create it. To use a device just roll a d20 and subtract level of the device, looking to roll above 10. You get to add your intelligence bonus to the roll. A failed roll means it works but needs repaired before being used again, costing 5 gp per level of the design. A one on a failed roll means it does not even go off and you still have to repair it before you can use it again. So far I have given a quick description of how each device might work, usually key wound. I f you have an idea how you would like it to work, run it past your GM. Happy holidays and happy gaming!

PS. I adapted this from the Owl Hoot Trail rpg's gadgeteer class.

Holidays are not made for blogging

     Christmas and New Years are rapidly approaching and here we are, pressed for time. This means, as you may have noticed, I am not worried about keeping up with the daily schedule from November. There will at least be one or two posts a week, especially if something comes up. I have more schematics waiting to be written up for the tinker, hopefully enough to make the class more interesting. I still have to finish telling you all about the rest of my time at Con on the Cob this year. Of course we have the Time of the Doctor Christmas special coming up! I am in the process of get the Shaintar adventure ready for January 18th, and there is plenty of room if anyone out there wants to sign up. Another game I am planning for next year is the Labyrinth Lord game where the players explore Vol' Choloris' lair. I am excited about what I have planned for next year and I hope you are as well!

OMG, watching Alphas

     Growing up I was big into super hero comics, all from the big two since my only access to comics was gas stations and the little corner store in town. Television super heroes were mostly in cartoon form on Saturday mornings, though there were a few that made it into prime time/live action. After awhile they seemed to disappear, except for Misfits of Science (though not based on a comic, still super heroes) and that Gen X Marvel thing.

     In recent years we have had a resurgence of live action super hero media, kicked off in the movies with Toby Maguire in Spider-Man then with Smallville and Heroes on the small screen. I have been watching Alphas on Netflix and it is a lot of fun, somewhat akin to early x-men. Every "alpha" has one power, and the normal populace is scared of them, ready to imprison and dehumanize them when possible. During the season one finale, there was a big shoot out between the government and an alpha terrorist organization called Red Flag. During the fight there were two alphas that resembled characters from the Marvel New Universe comic D.P.7, Mastodon and Scuzz. I was hoping that maybe the show writers were fans, possibly slipping obscure nods in here and there, but so far that is it. I still have season two left to watch, so fingers crossed.

     So jumping to a slightly connected topic, Ron Blessing has an idea spinning off Alphas and other such stuff. It is Fr3@k$:Humanity Evolved and it sounds great, though that was from March of 2012. Hopefully there is something more there, I will see what I can find out and if any of you know anything, please leave a comment. Later guys!

Sign up sheet deployed

     Photographic evidence that there is a sign up sheet at Ravenstone Games earlier today.
So feel free to come on in and sign up, it starts at 12:30 PM. on January 18th, 2014. If you have any interest in Shaintar or savage worlds, give it a shot. Take care all!

a little conversation

     I am sitting here at home hoping that things pick up tomorrow. My furnace is having some issues and it is currently 18 degrees Fahrenheit outside, so typing is helping keep my fingers moving. Coming off last month has me feeling like posting more often than I was before. This blog allows me to interact with the gaming community, even when I can't be in or run a game, which helps pick me up when I feel down. I am looking forward to next year and everything that it promises.

      I hope that in some way I can help others here as well, with my interviews and pointing out various kickstarters and such. So many things come out that it is hard to pick just one thing to back or purchase, and some of these do not get as much public notice as they should, so I thank you if you checked out Meg Lyman, Heather Kreiter or Lydia Burris's art. I love sharing my appreciation for Doctor Who with you all, notably with this past month being the 50th anniversary and all. Podcasts are another love of mine, at least when they are interesting. Even if it is about something I like, if it is uninteresting I cannot listen to it for very long.

     My "day" job can be very taxing at times, and it limits when I can do things since most things happen at night when I am working. Writing here eases the rough times, especially seeing how many people have looked here and the different countries you all are from. Even more wonderful is when I get comments from you guys. If anyone has suggestions or would like to see an interview with somebody specific, let me know. I leave you now with a little beard/mustache action.

Games for 2014

     So Shaintar in January, but what about the rest of the games? Nothing is set in stone, but here is what I have to work with. Savage worlds is a big part of my gaming collection; 50 Fathoms, Evernight, Rippers, Deadlands, Necessary Evil, Slipstream, Sundered Skies, Low Life, Tour of Darkness, Weird War II, Streets of Bedlam, Agents of Oblivion and Iron Dynasty. In addition there is Dungeons and Dragons, which has been a part of my gaming life since the beginning. In I love the retro clones, they clear up some of things from the originals example Labyrinth Lord refines basic/expert D&D, Mutant Future is a Labyrinth Lord compatible version of Gamma World, and finally Cryptworld is the new Pacesetter version of Chill. Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space is also on the table. I would be amenable to running any of these in 2014, and look forward to any preferences if any of you were interested in playing at Ravenstone. Remember, comments are welcome.

January's Game: Shaintar

      January 18th, 12:30 PM at Ravenstone Games I will run Shaintar. That is, of course using the savage worlds rules, Sean Patrick Fannon's high fantasy setting. As it is/will be winter here, expect a game full of snow, so if you are going to play, practice your shivering because it will be quite chilly. There will be a sign up sheet at the store, 1675 Karl Ct, Columbus, Ohio 43229. There will be pre-gens, but if you would like to make your own, message me, or arrive at noon, and we can work something. The Shaintar player's guide is currently pay what you want (pdf) here, but since it is savage worlds as long as you have knowledge of the system you will be fine. That said any newcomers to the system are welcome, as it is very intuitive. Take care everyone!

An Idea for 2014

     I have been thinking about the recent lack of gaming in my life and how I could fix it. Here is what I am planning, next year I will try and run one game a month at my flgs, starting in January. Still have to settle on a date but it most likely will be a Saturday. Which game you ask? I have narrowed it down to one of three; Shaintar, Streets of Bedlam, or Zombie Run. I have plenty of settings to choose from, mostly Savage Worlds and some OSR Goblinoid Games stuff. I will get the details together in a week and let you all know. Take care everyone!

Ravenstone addendum

     I can't believe I forgot, because Mike reminded me, but there is space for open gaming. You can post games on the bulletin board and there is plenty of space, so if you decide to just show up, as long as there is space, you can play. I have ran games there plenty of times and it is great. Again, check it out if you can.

Ravenstone Games

Mike Williamson, owner

     Ravenstone Games! My friendly local game store. I have some lovely memories here and felt I should share this place with you all. When I travel, I like to visit game stores local to where I am going. I felt I should cover my local store. Ravenstone has been  a Columbus, Ohio fixture founded by Joe Turner in 1996, starting out in Westerville and eventually moving to it's current location at 1675 Karl Ct. Columbus, Ohio 43229. It later years it gained new owners, but today it is run by Mike Williamson.

     The Pathfinder Society has an active presence, with games happening on Thursday and Saturday and Dungeons and Dragons 4E Mondays and Tuesdays. Apparently someone is running a Dragon Storm game Fridays, which is awesome to see one of the original collectible card/role playing games getting some love. Heroclix games are Thursdays and Star Trek Attack Wing is one Wednesday a month (just started recently). The second Saturday of the month has COGA running miniatures games starting at 10am. Of course they do the Magic pre-releases and will soon be getting into the Friday Night Magic scene.

     The website is not quite up to date, and there is a you tube video if you are so inclined. If you are looking for the latest and they do not have it, he can most likely order it for you.Next time you're in Columbus, get it a look. Take care guys!