Offensive Content, Censorship, & Market Forces
It’s rare that I feel like I have anything I feel like commenting about concerning tabletop roleplaying games these days. Not that I’m not involved in the hobby, quite the […]
Culture
All about the traditions, misconceptions, and squabbles of gamers.
Post Gen Con 2012 Wrap-Up
Another Gen Con has come and gone (been history for at least a couple of weeks now) and I’m sure there are plenty of gamers feeling the PostGenConBlues… which can […]
IUPUI: GenCon Educational Partner Pilot School
It was recently announced that my alma mater, Indiana University & Purdue University of Indianapolis was selected by Gen Con to be the pilot school in their forthcoming Educational Partners Program. So I called up a former professor of mine, and good friend, Mat Powers to find out more about what this partnership means. Mat, who is a lecturer for the Media Arts & Science program at the IU School of Informatics, spearheads IUPUI’s part in the partnership. Mat was contacted a couple of months ago by Jake Theis, the senior marketing & communications manager for Gen Con, LLC about participating in the program. Unfortunately, I can’t share much about what they’re cooking up, because IUPUI and Gen Con don’t want to announce anything too early as they are still working out the details. Since the program is in its infancy, the partnership is exploring all their options.
Official GenCon Beer
Local Indianapolis brewer, Sun King (literally a block away from where I work, big fan of their Sunlight Cream Ale) will be crafting the (first) official beer for GenCon this […]
Transgaming: Bridging the Gap Between Tables & Silicon
Transgaming is a nascent game design paradigm that provides interconnected gaming experiences. Two or more different games share the same the world and actions where events in one game also affect all other games sharing the world. For example, a real time strategy game that determines the vehicles and tech levels available to the players of a first person shooter. Though the concept isn’t new, CCP’s[1] Dust 514[2] is the first title to provide a transgaming experience.
Age of Patronage
Societal trends usually ebb and flow like the swing of a pendulum and we’re seeing the beginning of the return swing for the system of funding creatives known as patronage. […]
Tunes of the Weird West: Ghoultown
When crafting or playing in the Weird West, it’s often handy to have some inspirational tunes spinning in the background. The band that I immediately think of for Weird West warbles is Ghoultown.
Welcome to Wild West Weeks
Over the next two weeks, Mad Brew Labs is hosting Wild West Weeks. For the following fortnight, I will be showcasing tabletop games, video games, miniatures, movies, music and other tools gamers can utilize to travel back in time and experience the freedom and grit of the Old West. The American Frontier is a setting rife with opportunities to be exploited at the game table.
RPP-401: RPG Community
Recent discussions among the online RPG community I follow and associate with has been focused on social theory. I won’t revisit the topic here. However, an interesting corollary of this recent trending topic is the question of what constitutes a community?
RPP-450: Roleplaying is a Pastime
So what would it take for D&D to become a national pastime? It’s hard to put hard requirements down because there are lots of variables. Recognition, intimate knowledge, and acceptance all play major roles (and maybe seasonal shelf space at Wal-Mart). I suppose A-list celebrities might help. But the complexities, requirements, and buy-in of D&D are too great for this too ever happen.