Blog Posts - Erathoniel's Musings

Weekly Post: Drakensang

5/19/2011

Ok, just a quick announcement before I put up a review, there's a contest going on at DriveThruRPG called "Tell Us About Your Character". In the off chance a real human should be reading this, you may wanna enter. You'll have a chance to win a tablet and an illustration of the character you submit, as well as a potential to win gift cards for money!

Ok, other part now, Drakensang: River Of Time. Now, as you may have realized, I'm a huge fan of tabletop games, and River of Time is heavily based on a German game that, as far as I know, has never been released Stateside in English, so I can't really vouch for similarity to core material. However, it's still an awesome game, with perfect art and music to create a feel in a wonderful fantasy world. It's different enough not to be another Dungeons & Dragons game mechanically and setting wise, so it's worth a shot for fans of the genre. Also, it's really, really awesome.

Weekly Post: Tomes Galore!

5/12/2011

Ok, this week's been a "slow" one for me because I re-read Eclipse Phase in honor of its third printing, a feat which I finished yesterday, meaning that I haven't had time to look for any video games to review. However, I did review a tabletop game supplement, Tome of Monsters for Pathfinder RPG.

Ignoring my usual digs at the d20 system (seriously, people still use that?), Pathfinder is the best implementation of it I've seen, and Tome of Monsters has a lot of unique new content, as well as some old favorites. It's $10, but comes with lots of art and typesetting that doesn't make me cry. Check it out at DriveThruRPG via the link above!

Weekly Post: Oh So Many Awesome Things!

5/5/2011

Ok, this is a week of quite a few things happening, and I'm just getting back into DDO, so I'm gonna be a little crazy and terse here.

First, we have Caves of Qud. I'm a roguelike guy, a fan of games like GearHead, ToME and ADOM (though I never got far in ADOM), so I love it. Basically picture Dwarf Fortress's adventure mode (only a little more polished since the game focuses exclusively on it), in a mix of Fallout and The Mutant Epoch (no, it's not exactly the same, but I'm actually kinda poorly read on my post-apocalypse, so that's the most well known similar example I have), with all sorts of crazy mutations and fun combat, with loads and loads of survival (for instance, finding food and water) tossed in there.

Second, Eclipse Phase apparently released their third printing, as well as updating their pdf's. As Eclipse Phase is incredibly awesome, I recommend checking it out.

Third, Section 8: Prejudice released for PC. It's awesome. The co-operative swarm mode is great, though I haven't gotten far in the campaign yet (courtesy of my insistence of playing it through on hard difficulty the first time). The only downside from its predecessor is the lack of locational damage for armor (at least as far as the HUD goes it's been removed, though I can't be quite sure without a fair deal more testing than I've had time to do), but it's still the same great game, now with reduced price.

Fourth is Stellar Wind, which I somehow missed reviewing when I first got an offer to. Given that it looks like it was sent to me during April, which was pretty busy, I'm not too surprised, though I do wish I had reviewed it, since it's pretty awesome. If you like sci-fi, and Eclipse Phase is too dark and harsh for you, Stellar Wind provides an Asimov style game that's got lots of good

Weekly Post: Spiral Knights!

4/29/2011

Ok, I recognize that what I am playing is an emasculatingly light-hearted kid's game, but it's still pretty good.

Picture a 3d Zelda game in the perspective of the original Zelda, then put it in a clockwork (I hesitate to say Steampunk, since while the theme's there the mood isn't, but it may give an idea of how the world's set up) and cooperative play.

It's pretty good, all things included, though there is an energy gauge that can wind up meaning that you can only play a limited amount per day, though additional energy can be bought with cash (in-game or in-reality). It's published by Sega, so that could give you an idea of the quality level - it's a full quality game with F2P MMO trappings.

Ultimately, it's a kid's game. However, it's a really solid, fun kid's game that a parent could play without too much shame (since it is, after all, awesome for the gameplay and art).

Still not quite weekly!

4/24/2011

Sorry, my memory is awful, and I forgot to update.

Short last-minute update: Splinter Cell Conviction.

It is awesome. Other than swearing every other sentence, probably more than sailors do, it's really a fun and awesome game.

Oh, and The Mutant Epoch. Great game, not one for the kiddies, though. Lots of content on their site, and priced lower than some competitors with at least as good content, one to check out at DriveThruRPG for $13!

Well, not quite weekly. (Or "Borderlands is Evil")

4/16/2011

The Borderlands DLC is evil. It was on sale this week ($7.50 for all four), and it's pretty darn awesome.

They swear a lot more than I remember them doing in the original, but otherwise it's the same old Borderlands fun, with a lot less restraint (they seem to have embraced the over-the-top nature in more ways, if that's possible), and a lot more guns.

Y'know, I don't think I ever reviewed Borderlands, so here goes:

Sci-fi post-apocalyptic-ish awesome RPG shooting fest. It's got gorgeous comic-book style graphics, lots of guns, more guns, and even more guns, shields and grenades with special effects, four characters to play as, each with a unique skill tree (Mordecai is my fave) that makes them unique without making them unbalanced, and loads of zany over-the-top humor. However, it's important to note that it's *not* one for the kids. Even slightly. There's a lot of innuendo and swearing, as well as gorgeous bloody violence. Did I mention that there are decent vehicular sequences?

Worth every cent.

Seriously though, Mordecai needs a new Equalizer. Badly.

Off Hiatus

4/8/2011

Some people may have noticed that the site's been on hiatus, what with me being busy and having other stuff that I've been working on, namely reviewing for DriveThruRPG (on site there, rather than here).

From now on, I'll be updating on a weekly basis, and if I don't, write an angry letter to [email protected].

Anyway, I'll start off with a list of ten products I've reviewed during the hiatus that I'm sure will appeal to anyone's fancy (ok, maybe not all of them to everyone, but a lot of people will love them).

I'm not gonna link to each product. Just look to the right and go to DriveThruRPG via my Recommended SItes panel, and then type them in search. They're there.

Eclipse Phase: Absolutely awesome sci-fi horror, but you could really run it as just a relatively hard sci-fi game. Transhumanism is fun!

Outbreak Undead: Realistic zombie survival, lots of fun, I loved pretty much everything here. Plus, you can take a short test on the creator's website, and I'm not sure what to say, but check out the quick-start rules and look into getting the whole thing because it's awesome as all get out.

Chronicles of Arax: Free solo adventure game with additional content that you have to pay for, but even if it's not your thing you can get the core rules and an adventure free. It's at least worth a look, especially if you're into a quick fantasy game akin to Sryth or Avernum in tabletop form (albeit shorter, but that's the result of being meant for a quick play session rather than months of booting up your computer).

Spellbound Kingdoms: Wow. Just wow. It's a fantasy game that's pretty much one step short of Steampunk, but it's got a great system for both combat and non-combat that is one of the most unique and interesting I've ever seen.

Die Type System: It's video games in a tabletop game. Reminds me of all the JRPG's I've played (which is quite a few!), and makes me happy deep inside. It's pretty fun, the rules are simple, and you probably wanna skip to the fluff before reading the entirety of the rules, but it's worth it, since the fluff's pretty good.

Oathbound Seven: Best d20 game ever. I'll go that far. Yes, it even beats the Star Wars licensed game. I haven't seen anything as unique and well thought out with as much system background and more.

Legend of the Five Rings: Medieval Japan with a great system. If you haven't played this, you should. If you have played this, you'll know why. The art is magnificent, too. I love everything about this.

Stars Without Number: Free sci-fi RPG that earned its way into DriveThruRPG's print line, it's very simple and retro, but I love it for its depth nonetheless. Definitely a read through, since it's free.

Grey Ranks: This one makes me cry due to the depth and quality of characters and stories created while playing it. Seriously. It's that well written. WWII era storytelling game set in Poland. I'm not sure if I can say anything else about this, but it's moving and dramatic. Missing out on this is like missing out on a hundred lesser games.

Heavy Gear Arena: Yeah, it's Heavy Gear, which I've been a fan of even before my hiatus, but it's also awesome. How awesome? If I were to spread out my arms, I'd come nowhere near to describing how awesome it is. Basically it's got everything you would want in an arena fighting game, and more. More of a wargame than a tabletop RPG like I'm usually into, but it's still really, really good.

June in Review

6/30/2010

Here's where I'm just gonna post quick brief blurbs about various things from this month.

Tabletop Games:

Starship Troopers: The Roleplaying Game: 4/5, Mongoose Games, modified d20 OGL, overpriced, so get it used or pick up the pocket edition. It's a good read, but unless it's gonna be your only d20 book, it's not worth $35.

Robotech: The Roleplaying Game: 5/5, Palladium Games, loads of art, good for fans of the series. Takes a fair amount of experience with the setting (read as Hulu binge, 12 hours worth).

Robotech II: The Roleplaying Game: The Sentinels: 4/5, Palladium Games, lots of art, sample adventures, but requires a lot of background knowledge to understand.

Shadowrun: Germany Sourcebook: 4/5 FASA Games, good looking, lots of detail, but runs into detail overload. Not really a book for the kiddies.

Shadowrun: Sixth World Almanac: 4/5 Catalyst Game Labs, good source of information, nice typesetting, lots and lots of info, not a book for the kiddies.

Vintage Battletech Rulebooks: FASA (Released by Catalyst Game Labs): 5/5, giant collection of books, 12 dollars, nice history of Battletech, and also has a lot of gameplay potential in it.

Books:

Never Deal With A Dragon: 4/5, good Shadowrun novel, but it's got a few things that just don't feel right.

Games:

Counter-Strike: Source: 4/5, good video game, but it's got a heavy dependence on the other players; if they're boring, the game can degenerate, despite its merits.

World of Zoo: 4/5, heavily kids oriented, but as an old Catz player, I gave it a shot, and found it immersive and enjoyable.

Killing Floor: 4/5, nice game progression, but all in all fails to deliver a horror experience, atmosphere broken by some of the character voice, but other than that good. Lots of replay, and using the katana is fun (though the chainsaw needs work, it feels like a chore. Really, really not one for the kiddies.

Mass Effect: 5/5, good feel, style, art, only gripe is cookie-cutter environments. Shallow RPG play is rescued by a heavy focus on action. Awesome views, good weapons.

Supreme Commander 2: 4/5, has a decent feel and good gameplay, but has gone too heavily to shorter, simple games, unlike its Total Annihilation roots.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising: 4/5; has a fun game system, but it seems too shallow to really be enjoyable. Gains points for reckless mayhem.

Minecraft: 3/5: Good game, but is really dependent on playing with friends, gets boring quickly solo (in build mode, and survival mode is hard), and has limited in-game communication, requiring external communication (like Xfire).

Back in force!

6/15/2010

Woo! I'm back and ready to go!

That said, I haven't gotten around to Firepower Flier, despite getting back Saturday. The reason is not pure laziness, however. I've engaged in one of my longest (maybe one of my old projects was longer, but it's been lost to time) tabletop game writing projects ever- Telgrathia. It's a more traditional fantasy system (well... kinda) with a focus on a more unconventional system- Blackjack.

Yep. It's card based. And it's pretty much finished in terms of core rules and basic examples, if you wanna get started with it. Links after the break.

Gonna be gone.

6/3/2010

Sorry for my inability to finish the Firepower Flier. It's just always slipping my mind when I have time, and now I'm gonna be away from my computer for a while.

Sorry to not get it done, but I will finish it as soon as possible when I get back.