Last week, I was approached by Odin himself who assigned me at all costs to discover who the top five recurring Star Trek characters are. Last week, we found out No. 5 was Lwaxana Troi. Who took the fourth spot?
(Find out after the jump)
Apr 052012
Apr 042012
The night that Alex and Meyer decided to gang up on Paul and murder his character, I was completely unprepared. I stared down at my session notes, now almost completely useless in the face of the left turn my campaign had suddenly taken, barely able to speak. Paul scanned his character sheet in silent frustration, searching for an action that could perhaps save him from a messy death at the hands of his fellow party members. Across the table, Alex and Meyer high-fived each other, reveling in their success. Once the deed was done, I called the game, both for Paul’s sake and to give myself a chance to regroup.
In the aftermath, I was left with several nagging questions. What were these idiots thinking? Why didn’t I see this coming? What could I have done differently?
(Find out after the break.)
Apr 032012
It’s finally happened: YouTube has taken its first steps into becoming a true provider of video entertainment. I know what you’re thinking. “Alex, you dumb schmuck, there are plenty of cool videos on YouTube already!” And you’re right. But now there are YouTube channels — run by media personalities and icons, they offer professionally-produced material instead of cat videos. It may be yet another nail in cable television’s coffin.
(Read more of my thoughts on YouTube channels after the jump) Continue reading »
Mar 292012
I was recently approached by Odin himself, who was in a state of fury. He was being plagued by nightmares caused by a single unanswered question.
“This has been gnawing at me since before Thor and Loki were even gleams in my eye!” he thundered.
This question is, of course, who are the top five recurring Star Trek characters? He appointed me, personally, to investigate this matter and come up with an answer for him. And over the next five weeks I shall do just that.
(Find out who’s No. Five after the jump)
Mar 282012
According to role-playing jargon, a railroad is the metaphor which most accurately reflects the extremes of control that a game master has over her players. If she leads them through the plot, as if on a train track, taking them from one “stop” to the next without any flexibility, she is said to be “railroading.” On the other hand, if she gives the players carte blanche to do whatever they like and they go somewhere she never intended, the game has gone “off the rails.” Understandably, neither of these scenarios is very much fun in practice, but acknowledging this raises an important question: how much control can a GM give her players while still remaining in the driver’s seat?
(Find out what I think the answer is after the break.)