Saturday, January 29, 2011

Follow-up: But where will we loiter?

In a previous posting regarding how games are bought and sold, I ruminated on the Friendly Local Game Store (hereafter referred to as FLGS), which I fear is in a somewhat precarious position. In a tepid economy and assailed on several fronts, simultaneously its fate is affected by how people buy games, and its fate might have an effect on the hobby itself.

Yeah, heavy stuff, I know. And I usually hate anyone writing such an article for fear of coming off like a smug, pretentious ass, especially if they turn out to be wrong. Writing that article wasn't easy. Writing the follow-up where I propose solutions has proven harder.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Double-Book Blogging

This is just a quick notice, ladies and gentlemen (okay, just one lady so far, but you know what I mean), that choice bits of the commentary I spill here may be found reprinted on GameSalute.com.

This is good. First, it means more exposure for me. Second, it means I have more reason to write stuff here, since I don't feel right sending everything I write here over there. (This one, for instance? Fuhgeddaboutit.) Third, it means more people have opportunities to comment on what I'm blathering on about, and that means more lively conversation on the hot topics of the day. Watch both places for comments.

Just bear in mind that there are some conversion issues. Namely, the "visual" editor in Wordpress macerates my HTML. I at least know the difference between the italic and emphasis tags.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Games We Don't Play

So right now, between bouts of writing up bizarre encounters for my own Champions campaign, I'm playing this freaky little game called 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors, which plays like a cross between Saw, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Village, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. It's for the Nintendo DS series of handheld game console, and...

"I'm sorry, but what does this have to do with tabletop roleplaying, which is what this blog is ostensibly about?"

Frankly, nothing. And that's what I'm lamenting.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Review: Cartoon Action Hour, Season Two

Have you ever pondered the nature of nostalgia, and thought about what might make the list of future trends to be remembered fondly?

And would you have put the cartoons of the 1980s on that list? You know the ones, the half-hour commercials for action figures and playsets that intertwined bouts of frenetic adrenalin-pumping action with a bolted-on afterthought of a positive message, making for a sort of four-color Frankenstein morality play?

Yeah, I wouldn't have either.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

But where will we loiter?

When you think SMOGging, you think long diatribes about the state of the industries, the well-being of individual companies, the ways in which specific games play... in other words, you tend to think length, as in these people tend to have a lot to say.

For that reason, you tend NOT to think of Twitter.

But interestingly, there's been some talk going on there, generally centered on #philipjreed which has import on the future of gaming. Like for instance, where people have been buying their games and whether print or PDF is preferred. And a little bit on what effect this will have on the production of future games. And the hobby in general.