Jun 202012
 
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We in the Rag-NERD-rok Crew have elected to participate in the massive play-test of the newest release of Dungeons and Dragons, D&D Next! Join us, along with special guest and veteran D&D player Derek, for an in-depth discussion of the new version of the classic role-playing game, its strengths, weaknesses and peculiarities. Later, we touch on this year’s E3 in another 10 in 10 segment, and Will stops by to read us his children’s story, Paul the Adventurer. It’s a fun-filled, orc-slaying, dungeon-looting episode, so grab your dice and pray to Pelor that you roll 20s!

(Show notes after the break.)

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Mar 262012
 

Dear Rag-NERD-rokers,

There’s really no way to say this: we done fucked up.

We had been posting regularly here on the site. But in recent weeks, our posts have…waned. And we feel just awful about that (especially Ed. He’s been crying for days).

But fear not! We have plans to make it all up to you. Starting today, we’re getting back to our daily posts. And not just those YouTube clips that we were posting (although those may still sneak in every once in a while). We’re going to work hard to bring you original content that you can’t find anywhere else.

Remember that webcomic that (three of) you voted on a long, long time ago? Well, it’s finally going to happen. Meyer is going to be posting a new comic every Monday. Tuesday through Thursday, you’ll be able to read posts on a range of topics from Alex, Ed and Ryan. And Fridays are sort of a wild card day: some days may be nothing, some days may be guests post and some days may be magic! (Note: magic is not guaranteed)

So we hope you enjoy the new posts from us here at Rag-NERD-rok to go along with our new podcast posting schedule. If there’s anything you’d like to see more (or less) of, let us know! You fine fans are the reason we’re doing all of this, so your opinion counts.

-The Rag-NERD-rok Team

 Posted by at 11:00 AM
Nov 222011
 
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In this week’s episode of Rag-NERD-rok, we discuss some of our favorite independently published video games, the current market for new intellectual properties, and the future of video gaming. We’ll touch on some of our favorite indie titles, such as Braid, Limbo, Minecraft, The Binding of Isaac, and Dwarf Fortress in order to examine the ways in which independent game makers are changing the face of the industry. Later, we each pitch an idea for a new Choose Your Own Adventure style web comic so that you, the listening audience, can choose which one you would like to see produced. Finally, we round off our episode with a word from our sponsor, Big Al’s Quantum Quik-Fix!

(Show notes after the break.)

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Nov 162011
 

For those of you who have ignored the world of YA literature since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out a few years ago, let me clue you in to something wonderful you may have missed: The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins. It’s a fantastic read, an emotional sucker-punch with a fist full of car keys that left me speechless with its honesty and immediacy. Very quickly after I started — within the first 25 pages, I’d say — it made the list of my favorite books. But there’s another reason I decided to give Collins’ work a plug today: Lionsgate is making a movie, and if the new full-length trailer is any indication, it looks *freaking awesome*.

(More after the break. Much more.)

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Nov 022011
 

Earlier today, Rockstar Games released the trailer for the latest installment in its Grand Theft Auto series, and even though I’m not much of a video game fan, I squee’d a little. For me, a huge part of the fun to be had playing GTA games comes from exploring the incredibly detailed sandboxes they encompass, wreaking havoc. Sure, I’ll do the missions, but sometimes, you just feel like stealing an ambulance and running a police blockade, you know what I mean? Plus, there’s always plenty of little Easter eggs to find, if you’ve got time between shootouts with the FBI. Grand Theft Auto V, it seems, will take the series back to the West-Coast-inspired San Andreas area, where there’s limitless amounts of criminal merriment to be made among the palm fronds. The Los Santos locale looks beautiful, and I can’t wait to turn my sociopathic digital persona loose within it.

(Link to video after the break.) Continue reading »