James Floyd Kelly (aka DM Jim) is an avid RPGer and wargamer... and writer. He is the editor of the new gaming magazine, Bexim's Bazaar (beximsbazaar.com) and hosts The Tabletop Engineer YouTube Channel that focuses on creating terrain for gaming.
D&D’s popularity is at an all-time high right now. There are a lot of new players coming to the game, and for those of us who do play, we know there’s a lot to learn. Ten Speed Press is here to help with that. Read More
Here in Atlanta, Georgia, there are twelve of us who are playing in a ‘Frostgrave’ campaign. Below is an account of the fifth scenario (of ten) in the campaign. Read More
I’ve been fortunate enough to live in Atlanta and be able to attend the Southern Fried Gaming Expo for the last 6 years. It’s grown in attendance, grown in how much space is required to hold it all, and grown in experiences it offers to attendees. This year, SFGE will be held at the Marriott… Read More
I’ve written many times in the past about my fascination and love for the works of Jack McDevitt. Steven King called him “the logical heir to Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke,” and I repeat this comparison only for those of you who have not yet discovered McDevitt. Read More
The folks over at Loke Battle Mats have done it again. They’ve released an invaluable new product for RPG and wargame players… two, actually. Read More
Here in Atlanta, Georgia, there are twelve of us who are playing in a ‘Frostgrave’ campaign. Below is an account of the third scenario (of ten) in the campaign. Read More
Here in Atlanta, Georgia, there are twelve of us who are playing in a ‘Frostgrave’ campaign. Below is an account of the second scenario (of ten) in the campaign. Read More
I don’t play video games much these days. I enjoy them, but I just don’t have a lot of time to sit down and dive deep into a game. My boys, ages 11 and 8, however… they love one game in particular. If you’re a parent of a kid age 8+, you know the game I’m talking about: ‘Fortnite.’ Read More
I like to watch people make books, and I like to see the materials that go into the crafting of a book. And that’s why I sat down and shook my head in amazement when I got a review copy of ‘Bookforms: A Complete Guide to Designing and Crafting Hand-Bound Books.’ Read More
‘BattleTech’ is a tabletop wargame that puts players in the cockpit of giant mechanical robots (called BattleMechs). These MechWarriors duke it out by maneuvering in and around terrain such as trees, lakes, and more… and firing deadly weapons such as lasers and missiles. Read More
My opponent, Sebastian, and I created a three-dimensional area of battle, with plenty of places to hide and block line-of-sight… which can be critical to surviving. Read More
The folks at Loke Battle Mats have upped their game. They’ve just released the new Giant Book of Battle Mats; it’s a book of laminated pages that can be used as 2D terrain in any fantasy game setting. Read More
As a laptop user, I no longer have to miss the usefulness of a second screen AND I don’t have to worry about making a second trip to my vehicle to bring in a second screen AND I don’t have to worry about the limited number of power plugs in the coffee shop… thanks to the Vintok Split. Read More
My favorite sourcebook for all things Firefly has been the ‘Firefly: A Celebration’ book from Titan Books. That award has stood for over six years (and you can read my review here), but now… it’s time for the champion to take a step down. Thankfully, the new champion is also from Titan Books—’Firefly Encyclopedia.’ Read More
I’ve had a fascination with the Millennium Falcon since I first saw it on the big screen in 1977. Back at school, on the playground, all my friends pretended to be X-wing pilots… but not me. That “piece of junk” grabbed my attention and has never let go. It’s iconic… instantly recognizable. Read More
For ‘Stranger Things’ fans who are anxiously waiting to see where the summer of ’85 takes Mike and Will and Lucas and Dustin and El, you may want to check out the new ‘Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down – The Official Behind-the-Scenes Companion.’ Read More
I grew up on a steady diet of adventures featuring kids in danger. Scooby Doo. Johnny Quest. The Goonies. ET. Explorers. I think as long as there are books and films about scary stuff and the kids who encounter it, I’ll be around to give it a read or watch. But now, I’ve also got the opportunity to be a participant. Read More
‘The World According to Tom Hanks’ is THE book that fans of the actor deserve. While I’m a huge fan of Mr. Hanks and his movies, I honestly didn’t know much about him personally before reading this book. Read More
True story. When the gaming headphones arrived and I unboxed it, my boys actually argued for over 10 minutes on who would get to try them out first. We flipped a coin. 11 year old won. 8 year old stormed off. Read More
There are two new Kickstarters related to gaming and dragons, and there’s still plenty of time to back them if they interest you. Read More
Geeks LOVE puzzles—escape rooms, crosswords, murder mysteries… the list goes on. Well, I’ve got a new one to add to that list—an artifact-based narrative mystery from The Enigma Emporium. Read More
‘Rolled & Told’ Issue #1 is out — a comic book filled with D&D adventures, articles, artwork, and more. Read More
‘Cryptid’ is a 3-to-5-player game from Osprey Games that has players searching for an elusive creature. Each player takes on the role of a cryptozoologist who possesses a little knowledge about the location of the creature… but not all. The combined knowledge of each player will reveal the location, but who wants to share the credit for discovering it? Read More
There are two new Kickstarters related to gaming and dragons, and there’s still plenty of time to back them if they interest you. Read More
If you’re a parent or legal guardian or after-school club leader or whatever… and you’ve never played an RPG, let alone played one with kids, let me offer you some thoughts on why you might want to gather these young players around a table and get them playing. Read More
If you’ve got a young coder under your roof or maybe you’re a teacher looking for some additional resources for your programming classes, take a look at the ‘Algorithms Magazine’ Kickstarter. Read More
‘KeyForge’ is a card-game for two players from Fantasy Flight Games. Players take on the role of an Archon, a leader of castoffs from three unique Houses (seven Houses in all). Players use a unique deck to put creatures, artifacts, upgrades, and actions into play. Read More
I don’t believe there is any one right way for a DM to learn the ropes (other than actually sitting down and being DM, that is), but a new adventure from Scott Fitzgerald Gray and illustrated by Jackie Musto comes pretty darn close to being the DM Training 101 textbook. Read More
As I continue digging down into my box of retro games and activities, I’d like to share with you another great game from my youth: ‘Dark Tower.’ Read More
Rolled & Told is going to be a monthly comic release that has an interesting premise — inside its pages the reader will find two complete D&D adventures… ready to run. Read More
