Posts Tagged ‘games’

The sun rose reluctantly, carefully stretching its wan rays of light through the misty morning fog air to rest on the huddled forms on the sidewalk. One of them stirred, a tousled head emerging with a yawn. "Is it time yet? Are they here?"

Next to him his comrades slowly struggled to their feet, swaying slightly. They were bundled in coats, knit hats, and blankets against the chill but their steely eyes blazed with resolute purpose. There was a palpable feel of intense anticipation; these people had a mission and they were determined to see it through, no matter the cost. For hours they had waited in hardship, with hours more to come, and still there was no sign of wavering or weakness. I was one of them, holding silent vigil in the December morning, and my goal was as clear as the paper sign taped to the wall: "Nintendo Wii Line Starts Here."

I was one of the greenest, having arrived at a measely 6 a.m., only two hours before the stated sell time. Hard-bitten veterans near the front of the line had been bivouaced for days, with their base camps of sleeping bags and massive Thermos mugs established on the Wal-Mart sidewalk. They talked among themselves in spirited terms as they shared donuts and power bars, laughing and confident of their success.

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Time to fire up the dice again, tomorrow is Dungeons and Dragons Day. This jolly holiday, which in an amazing coincidence is sponsored by D&D game company Wizards of the Coast, brings together gamers from around the world to huddle in small comic book and collecgible card shops to rattle dice at each other and save the world. Sign up for official play is closed, but you can still gather around and gawk at the players or celebrate in your own home.

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Bob "The Price is Right" Barker is retiring. A huge shock to his faithful fans, and a slightly smaller shock to those people who thought he'd retired already.

After 50 years in television, 35 of them associated with name-brand appliances and nearly hysterical contestants, the 82-year-old Barker is stepping down "while I'm still young." He's remaining open to other offers, but he did set down some ground rules.

"I refuse to do nude scenes. These Hollywood producers want to capitalize on my obvious sexuality, but I don't want to be just another beautiful body."

I'll miss the man who did cartwheels on stage after being let go as host of the Miss America pageant for being too old, and who appeared on Futurama to cuss out the animated crew. Godspeed, Bob, and spin the wheel.

Years ago, a 6-foot tall dog in a suit and a hyperkinetic rabbity thing were the heroes of a dark, surreal, and funny comic book, a somewhat-less-dark-but-still-surreal-and-funny Saturday morning cartoon, and one of the most popular video games of the 90's (which was back to being dark, surreal, etc). And now, despite LucasArts, they're back.

Max: Good lord, he's buck naked.

Sam: So are you.

Max: Yeah, but I'm cute and marketable.

It wasn't easy. "Sam and Max Hit the Road" was a hilarious game that followed a missing sasquatch all over the country and every tourist trap along the way. The dialogue was funny, the solutions to puzzles were generally bizarre, and the unique graphical style and jazzy soundtrack made it fun to play. When LucasArts announced in 2003 that a new Sam and Max game was coming out, fans rejoiced. Those would be the same fans that flooded LucasArts with letters and petitions after it was announced, in 2004, that the game was cancelled because there wasn't a market for it (although it was listed as one of the most anticipated games by a bunch of gaming magazines and Web sites that clearly didn't know any better).

Sam (holding a bomb): Max, where should I put this so it doesn't hurt anyone we know or care about?

Max: Out the window, Sam. There's nothing but strangers out there.

Sam: I sure hope there was no one on that bus.

Max: No one we know, at least.

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Voyeurs, take note: now you watch the same person in two different places at once! What a timesaver!

To demonstrate a) the amazing potentials of the online 3D world Second Life, b) the amazing flexibility of some Intel thingamabob, and c) that New Yorkers are capable of ignoring anything, acclaimed virtual designer Versu Richelieu is spending 72 hours in a storefront window at 5th Avenue and 39th Street living her life entirely through a computer. She is also inside Second Life, where her avatar is busily designing a copy of the street she's on in real life. Got all that?

For the next three days she'll be ordering her food and entertainment online, demonstrating the usefulness of computers and probably boosting her WoW levels to some ridiculous, Cartman-killing number. I stopped in and watched as she whipped up a street sign and some traffic lights. It was sort of like watching God, if God wore Lennon glasses and was into urban renewal. Versu stepped away from her creations and answered a few questions.

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BWAH!, the popular versified card game that spawns more expansions than an all-you-can-eat buffet, has just popped out another one.

BWAH! Still Flyin brings you 9 new character cards and 9 new action cards. Fess Higgins! Alliance Counselor! Bazaar pickpocket! Officious doctor!

You'll need the BWAH! game to play, and you might as well get the rest of the expansions while you're there. Check here or here for the latest download locations.

The first adventure written for the award-winning Serenity RPG game is out, finally. Had a few months of delays, some confusion over contracts, and I received an e-mail from Amazon saying they were canceling my preorder because they weren't getting it the same day Margaret Weis Productions announced it was available.

All is well, I got a copy, and eagerly dove in.

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Would "about time" sound too snarky? Probably, so never mind.

One of the few problems with the award-winning Serenity role-playing game has been added as a free PDF download at the official site. Two-sided, with some simple charts, places for you to keep track of your life points, dice steps and plot points (as well as your stats and the like), it's designed with a classic Cortex look. Stylish, well laid out, and, like very company-designed character sheet from the dawn of time, it only gives you a half inch to write your name in : )

Download it here!

Margaret Weis Productions' Serenity RPG won the Gamer's Choice Award for Best Role Playing Game of the Year from the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design.

This award was voted on by the gamers themselves, and we have spoken. The Serenity RPG by Jamie Chambers and Margaret Weis excels at worldcrafting, is easy to play, and it's a fun and exciting system to bring you into the 'verse, not to mention a beauty to look upon thanks to the stunning artwork of 11th Hour. Now, a quick-roll system for whomping up characters would be nice…

More details on the game here.

If you've been paying attention or just cruising Amazon for unannounced Serenity stuff (please tell me someone else does that besides me), you probably noticed that the new adventure for the Serenity role-playing game, "Out in the Black" by Tracy and Laura Hickman, didn't come out on March 15 like Amazon promised. Not surprising, since (apart from Harry Potter) books rarely have a firm ship date, but still a bit disconcerting. Never fear! I've got the latest word from Jamie Chambers, vice-president of Margaret Weis Productions:

"With licensing it’s always tricky because of variable approvals, but we’re hopeful to have the book out within the next 6-8 weeks. I’ll send out updates once we know more."

Keep checking back. The Serenity RPG is one of the best games to come along in years, and we want more of it. So do a lot of people, apparently; the game just went back for a fourth printing! The new copy will include errata and an index.