The ice has just about thawed, so it’s time for a quick Spring Preview. We’re planning the now usual coverage of tabletop RPGs, graphic novels, boardgames and exceptional videogames:
The 2010 E3 show is near and videogame companies are already in a frenzy. There’ll be a lot of talk about Grand Theft [...]
The Settlers of Catan boardgame is an excellent example of a tabletop game that allows players to use a deceptively straightforward rule set to enjoy a great variety of gameplay. Players may start the game with relatively few resources but those who think ahead, and adapt to changing circumstances, soon create plenty of [...]
Any kind of games design, blogging or web design relies on working quickly and easily with a range of graphics software. Professional software like Photoshop and Illustrator are expensive and often contain features which go beyond those needed for most jobs. We use a variety of free software which is either very easy [...]
‘Serious Games’ that set out to deliver some form of training or learning have been around for years. Unfortunately, almost all of these games put the ‘learning’ before the fun, which usually involves bolting weak videogame elements on to content-heavy training materials.
There are examples of such games that are so unbelievably [...]
Between us we get through several graphic novels a month. Some of them probably merit a post but don’t make the cut. That’s mainly because sticking to ‘the best of the best’ helps to showcase the entertainment (and skills) delivered by good graphic novels. Another reason is to avoid disappointing fans of graphic [...]
To our surprise Apple’s iPad delivers most of the features on our touch tablet ‘wish list’. It’s light, thin, has a 9.7” screen, offers 10 hours of battery life and comes with WiFi as standard. The pricing is equally impressive, as a £310/ $499 entry point for a device that brings together personal, [...]
Traveller
Traveller has been around for almost as long as D&D. It arrived as a stripped down set of SciFi rules with streamlined character design and straightforward combat rules. Character advancement was only sketched out, combat often ended badly and there was a distinct shortage of aliens.
There haven’t been a great many [...]
Nintendo recently released statements about being in no rush to produce an upgraded Wii console and a policy of delaying hardware releases until software support is in place. It was also suggested that the next versions of Zelda and Metroid Prime for the Wii would not be arriving any time soon.
With [...]
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition
Like original D&D, AD&D 4e often involves going down dungeons, beating up monsters and taking their treasure. However, 4e is a ‘rules heavy’ game that works differently from original D&D. It uses a ‘battle game’ model where the exact positioning of units, tactical expertise in applying [...]