Blatant Plug: Vorpal Chainsword Interviews Jen Page

...You Know You Want to Check This Out

My fellow blogger over at the Vorpal Chainsword has a podcast where he interviews all of the most exciting people in nerdom. 

His latest interview is with the amazing Jen Page.

Check out the interview and see how she fares in the deadly Quizblast.

It's all here at the Vorpal Chainsword.

How to Learn a New Board Game in The World of The Future: 2015

The Future is Now, so Why Not Play More Games?

Games. I need lots of games.

My recent trip to Gen Con confirmed one thing: the board game industry is thriving. It continues to expand at a fantastic rate. If you’re like me, you have a (not so) small collection of board games, some of which you have kept in shrink wrap, the ultimate board game sin.

Yes, I know your mint copy of Space Hulk, still in shrink wrap is worth quite a bit (he says, checking eBay…) but the purpose of a board game is to play it. To have fun with it. To cause angry arguments that end friendships! Ahem, okay, we’re talking about games other than Diplomacy here. That's what this column is about.

I was recently talking with my fellow blogger over at the Vorpal Chainsword, and lamenting the games we both have yet haven’t played yet, and we started to discuss the best way of changing this. Since it’s 2015, and we’re technology nerds, we thought there had to be a better way to learn to play, since we’re in the year of Back to the Future II, which is definitely the future. So re-hydrate a Pizza Hut pizza with me, and take your fax machine off the hook for a few minutes, and let’s talk about learning a new game you own.

Manners Maketh Man: A Kingsman Review

Movie Sign! A Review of Kingsman: the Secret Service

Kingsman: The Secret Service (Kingsman, hereafter) had it’s opening last weekend against the cinematic juggernaut 50 Shades of Grey. I’m happy to report that Mrs. Sith and I saw the former film. OnTheDie doesn't do many movie reviews, because there are very few films that interest me enough to write one. Kingsman is such a film, and so here we are.

Whither Dungeons and Dragons?

...Or Where is the Game Heading?

If you’re reading this blog and you haven’t been living under a very sturdy rock, you know that Dungeons and Dragons has released a new edition.

D&D is the flagship of role-playing games, and when a new edition is in the works it is one of the few games in the hobby that makes the news. A reboot of an edition is a great opportunity: people who've only heard about the game or who last played it many years ago are reminded that it still exists, and as it launches, they have an opportunity to get into it in an easy way.

All of that makes the recent launch the most excitement that fans of the game have seen since, well, the last launch. The launch is over now, and so the question I’d like to raise is: “where do we go from here?”

Well to answer that, we have to talk about where “here” is, and how we got there. Buckle up, it's going to get bumpy.

13th Age Campaign Session V: That is not Dead Which can Eternal lie

13 Age Campaign Session V -- That is not Dead Which can Eternal lie

When we last left our heroes, a priest of Dagon had just plunged his ensorcelled blade deep into his chest.

You fools! Dagon will not be denied this night! She will not be denied!

Something was coming.

Nerd Things I'm Thankful for Today

It’s Thanksgiving, and that’s a day that even the Sith pause for a moment to reflect on what they’re thankful for. So come along with me and explore that (nerdish) things that I’m thankful for on this day.

Here is my first annual White Hot Top 5 of Thanksgiving thanks for 2014.

Toolkit: The Montage

This is part one of a new series over at ‘OnTheDie, items you can use as part of your toolkit when you run a role-playing game.

Last time in my 13th Age campaign summary, I mentioned that I used a montage mechanic for how the group found one of the bad guys. As promised, let’s talk about the montage and what it can do for you.