We celebrate Batman Day every September, and although the Caped Crusader is a most worthy subject for this post, I am going to think outside the belfry before the summer comes to a close and talk about some other fictional bats. Bats are one of the classic go-tos for Halloween decorating, but they aren’t really […]
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If you play Dungeons & Dragons, especially as the DM, you’ve probably come across the Game Master Books. They’re a series of 5e books designed to help you create your games and sessions that are meant to apply to a variety of campaign settings—as well as offering tools for people who homebrew. I got lucky […]
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Author James L. Sutter has been busy. In between the releases of his romantic young adult novel (Darkhearts, Wednesday Books/Macmillan) and two comics (Starfinder: Angels of the Drift #1, Dynamite Entertainment and the story “Remakers” in Schlock Mercenary #17: A Little Immortality) in June, plus writing for future projects, he found the time to answer […]
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With all of their Indiana Jones-related releases, Funko Games is certainly setting up to make this summer one full of Indy adventures. We’ve previously played Something Wild! Indiana Jones and Indiana Jones: Throw Me the Idol! This time we were intrigued by the new Indiana Jones: Cryptic game, an escape room-style game centered around the original […]
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I grew up on Indiana Jones movies as an older millennial the way other kids grew up on The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast. In retrospect, the Disney movies would have been far more age-appropriate, but Dr. Jones and his adventures ended up having a more significant impact on my childhood years. When […]
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I’ve been playing various tabletop roleplaying games for over two decades now, but it wasn’t until the past year that I took the seat on the other side of the screen and became a DM. It started when I got the chance to run some more family-oriented games as a way of pulling our two […]
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N.K. Jemisin’s Hugo-winning Broken Earth Trilogy is getting the RPG treatment. Green Ronin Publishing is now crowdfunding on BackerKit for The Fifth Season Roleplaying Game. This RPG is set in the Stillness, a world with unstable tectonics. To the people who live in the Stillness, it seems that Father Earth hates them and is actively […]
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Of the many Christmas traditions I embraced upon moving to the US, the hit movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation did not come easily. And while I still might find Chevy Chase a little off putting, I adore Beverly D’Angelo and it has become one of those movies that the season is not complete without. Like […]
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Turing Machine may be the best deduction game ever created. It features logical problem-solving with an almost never-ending supply of puzzles and the added touch of nostalgia from good ol’ fashioned punch-cards. Because we all know, nostalgia sells. And it sure did sell! There were no copies left at PAX Aus 2022, and I hear […]
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It’s the most popular game in the world. It’s also one of the hardest games to master. And finally, someone has tapped into the inherent story element I have loved since reading Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Whether you are brand new to the game or looking for a way to up your […]
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The last time we met for PAX Aus Tabletop in person was in 2019. Sure, video games were still available online (see here and here), but tabletop is a bit harder to do in the digital sense. Tabletop Simulator on Steam allowed for a virtual testing ground, and for that, I am grateful. However, it’s […]
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It seems like every game has a DLC these days, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe included. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great way to extend the playable experience of a family favorite. Bigger maps, more characters, extra features. It all comes down to value for money. Does the DLC really add anything to the game? […]
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Trivia games have been pretty popular (at least in some circles) since Trivial Pursuit came out in the 1980s. Though many of their versions cover general knowledge, some are more focused, including their Baby Boomer, 1960s, and 1980s versions. Having been born in 1973, I really enjoy ’80s trivia, since it’s the one decade that […]
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Though I got bored with them pretty quickly as a kid (apologies to my sister), I’ve realized as an adult that I actually enjoy putting together jigsaw puzzles. They’re a good meditative, unwinding activity that I enjoy sharing with family members. I do enjoy doing puzzles I’ve put together before, but it’s even more fun […]
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Gullet Cove is not our first time playing Animal Adventures, and I feel confident in saying it won’t be our last, but it’s probably been our most exciting set of adventures so far. I have two kids A (age 11) and W (age 8) who helped me first test out Animal Adventures from Steamforged Games. […]
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My kids have been into Minecraft for a long time, their obsession dating almost back to the stone age, ahem. We have playsets and LEGO kits, we have stuffies and action figures. We have interactive toys, and wall art. When Ravensburger came out with Minecraft: Builders and Biomes in 2019, I knew it would be a hit. […]
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Back in November, I got the chance to review one of the first three puzzles from Ravensburger’s new Escape Puzzle Kids line. For anyone not familiar, these puzzles are one part standard puzzle and one part escape room with a scenario and a series of clues hidden in the completed puzzle. Recently, Ravensburger sent me […]
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My two sons A (age 11) and W (age 8) have recently joined the world of tabletop gamers. The thing that really kicked off their inner tabletop gamers was the Animal Adventures line from Steamforged Games. We used the Animal Adventures RPG Starter Set to let them get a feel for things (I wrote about […]
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I love a game with tactile elements. Something you can touch, feel, and blame on your uncoordinated chonky fingers when everything goes pear-shaped. Floating Floors is precisely that, and more. It was first previewed with PAX Aust 2021 (I mentioned it here) and is now ready to launch via Kickstarter on February 8, 2022! Time […]
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Many of us have gained new hobbies while we’ve been at home in the past two years. (Yes, it really has been that long.) One of mine has been dipping my toes in the world of being a GM and not just a player. My kids have started picking up being tabletop role-playing gamers. These […]
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In plenty of time for Women’s History Month in March, Ridley’s Games has come out with a couple of products that highlight notable and inspiring women from the past couple of hundred years. We can learn about them and be reminded of their accomplishments and struggles as we put together a 1000-piece circular puzzle or […]
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Many of us have gained new hobbies while we’ve been at home in the past two years. (Yes, it really has been that long.) One of mine has been dipping my toes in the world of being a GM and not just a player. My kids have started picking up being tabletop role-playing gamers. These […]
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One of the most common questions I am asked about Role Playing Games (RPG) is: How do I start? Followed closely by: How do I introduce it to my kids? In all honesty, it all comes down to storytelling. Bonus points for cute characters and visual cues but the real appeal comes from a game […]
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One of the most common questions I am asked about Role Playing Games (RPG) is: How do I start? Followed closely by: How do I introduce it to my kids? In all honesty, it all comes down to storytelling. Bonus points for cute characters and visual cues but the real appeal comes from a game […]
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A lot of us have picked up new hobbies and skills during the pandemic. One of my new skills has been starting to learn to be a Tabletop RPG Gamemaster (GM) via some pre-made game sets that have been designed to get our two kids A (a fifth grader) and W (a second grader) into […]
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A lot of us have picked up new hobbies and skills during the pandemic. One of my new skills has been starting to learn to be a Tabletop RPG Gamemaster (GM) via some pre-made game sets that have been designed to get our two kids A (a fifth grader) and W (a second grader) into […]
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My introduction to How The Grinch Stole Christmas came through a glimpse of the green meanie in Home Alone. An English childhood lends itself more to Beatrix Potter than Dr. Seuss, and it was years before I actually saw this classic movie in full and became somewhat obsessed with the deep tones of Thurl Ravenscroft. […]
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Sometimes it’s the little card games that can create lots of fun. Funko Games has been releasing a lot of smaller card games this year that are perfect for taking to a relative’s house or tucking into a Christmas stocking. Do you want to be able to play a quick game with the kids, but […]
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What is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim The Adventure Game? The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim The Adventure Game is an official tabletop game based on the hugely popular Skyrim video game. The game can be played solo or cooperatively with up to four players aged 15 and up, but with an expansion, this can be […]
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Components for ‘Escape Puzzle Kids: Jungle Journey.’ Photo by Elizabeth MacAndrew. One of my favorite additions to the Ravensburger puzzle line is their Escape Puzzle line, which is designed to essentially be an escape room in a puzzle. I’ve reviewed several titles from that line here and here. Since my fifth-grader is really good at […]
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