Part Twenty-One: 1988, Life After Death – A Historical Overview of Role-playing from the Trenches

The Magic Goes Away I will confess that by this point, the gaming hobby had lost its luster for us. The curtains had been drawn back, revealing the businessmen. It didn’t really seem so much about fun anymore, as it was about maximizing profits. Don’t get me wrong, *we* were still making good memories together; … Continue reading Part Twenty-One: 1988, Life After Death – A Historical Overview of Role-playing from the Trenches →

Re-watch: Kindred, The Embraced

Back in 1991 a role-playing game called Vampire the Masquerade was released that allowed you to play vampires a la Anne Rice’s novels. I was one of the gamers who picked it up on its release and began running an adventure campaign that lasted for a couple of years. As a result, when this TV … Continue reading Re-watch: Kindred, The Embraced →

Tékumel Encounters in the Underworld

I've been running parties of adventurers through the Tsuru'um of Tékumel for years now. And unlike, say, D&D, there are only a limited number of "monsters" you can place there without introducing your own creations, or importing monsters from other games or cultures. Just as in D&D, a substantial number of encounters should be with … Continue reading Tékumel Encounters in the Underworld →

Part Twenty: 1987, Star Trek, Star Wars, and RPGs! And They Sue Regularly – A Historical Overview of Role-playing from the Trenches

1987, Things Fall Apart TV’s Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) debuts And now for something completely different. You’ll remember that I’m a huge fan of the original Star Trek. As I’ve written elsewhere, the 1970s were a great time to be a Trek fan. 70's collectibles We had conventions, we had sing-a-longs, an endless … Continue reading Part Twenty: 1987, Star Trek, Star Wars, and RPGs! And They Sue Regularly – A Historical Overview of Role-playing from the Trenches →

Part Nineteen: 1986, Gettin’ Mad, Baby – A Historical Overview of Role-playing from the Trenches

In the November 1985 issue of Dragon Magazine, Gygax had mentioned reorganizing AD&D into a second edition, with the work to begin in 1986. He name-dropped his second-in-command Frank Mentzer as slated to work on it. What we didn’t know was that Gygax had been fired in October of 1985. His name just disappeared after … Continue reading Part Nineteen: 1986, Gettin’ Mad, Baby – A Historical Overview of Role-playing from the Trenches →

Ally McBeal – A Retrospective

I’ve just completed binge-watching a series that I loved in its initial run. I thought I’d report on my impressions the second time around. I have to say that the binge-watch makes a big difference in the experience. Episodic television becomes as long-form as it could possibly get. Instead of the impact of a show … Continue reading Ally McBeal – A Retrospective →