[Games Anatomy] Monkeys Optional

A couple of weeks ago, Aurenian asked a rather searching question of me: "how rules-lite is too rules-lite?", and it came with the suggestion that I turn my scathing gaze on Risus, 'the Anything RPG', by S. John Ross.

Risus posits itself as a complete game in six pages, ideal for those occasions 'when the brain is too tired for exacting detail' and, cheeringly, presents us with a 20 second character creation process.

Intriguing.

[Musings of a Game Store Owner] GGP: Which Way to Go?

You have a great project. You've playtested it. You think other gamers will love it.

So how do you get it to them? Where do you go to get your design published?

Do you stand before the gates of the great castles and hope for entry?

Direct Publication

Do you Rapunzel your way in?

Third Party

Do you say "forget that castle, I'll build my own"?

DIY

 Do you rent your ideas out in hopes of funding your own castle?

Kickstarter

No matter your chosen option of getting where the people are (inside the castle, duh), it's figuring out HOW to get there that bogs many people down.

Rules Questions?

Hello there. It's been a while. Lantz here as the newest-old writer for the HoP. You may remember me from the first HOP Idol, from the Where In The World Is Lantz series or from one of the other blogs I've written for. There are a few. Anyway, I'm back here at HoP on a post-here-and-there kind of agreement with the HoP gang and to start I'd like to offer up my rules knowledge to all of you. Let's face it, 6th Edition of 40k hasn't been out long and no one is an expert. No, not even that friend you have that's absolutely positive that a Death Ray can hit flyers. So how does this work and why do I feel I can be the conclusion to whatever slap-fight you and your gaming group have gotten themselves into? More after the jump.

UK Games Day- The Cynic's Perspective

 Hi all,

On Sunday I had the pleasure of attending the annual UK convention for Games Workshop- Games Day. Now, for all the US readers out there- you guys know how to do conventions. You tend to be quite good at it- enthusing people for the coming year, knowing that the biggest fans of whatever product is being shilled are all in one place. In the UK, it's now the same; conventions tend to be roughly equivalent to a big club night. 

 

As result I went to UKGD2012 with... expectations. I expected to queue in the rain for 2 hours before being let in. I expected for no new information to be forthcoming. I expected to waste a full half of the event to wait in line to buy the Blood Angel Captain (Fantastic! I now have a limited edition model of the most redundant entry in the Codex....) Yes indeed, my cup runneth over.

So what actually happened?

HoP Idol II:The Year We Make Contact Voting is Now LIVE

Hey Folks, I bet you thought we had forgotten you on this lovely fall Monday.  Not so!  The HoP staff loves each and every one of you more than the others.  It's true.  We have enormous hearts.

All the better to pump the thick, viscous fluid we all have instead of blood.  Black as coal it is.  Well, with the exception of SinSynn.  We're not sure WHAT his blood is all about.  We've had some scientists working on the problem and the best guess so far is that it's some kind of peanut water.

So those of you with nut allergies, should probably just avoid physical contact with the SinSynn for the time being as a precaution.  We are, however, assured by the science staff that his posts are still safe to read in regards to any food allergy concerns.

Wow, that was a tangent, huh?

As of now, the latest HoP Idol voting is now live and since it has been faaaaaaaaar too long since we posted the last round of entries, here they are so you can refresh your collective memories:

Dok - House Rules

Doc Brian - Let's not bicker and argue about who killed who

The King Elessar - House Rules (different from the above)

Gar Tenzing - It's Just a Ride

Special thanks to Wyrd of Miscellaneous Minis for writing the challenge.

As you know, there are four contestants remaining and you all get three votes.

All right, let's get voting! 

The Politically Incorrect Gamer Part Two- Video Game Connection

Hey, folks. SinSynn here.

Ermahgerd- Borderlands 2. Entirely too much fun.
Da purple loot am mine! Gimme! Y U take it? DUAL NOW!....Awww. Y U kill me?
Must. Stop. Playing. Slots. At. Moxxy's...Soon. One more pull. Gimme Iridium! Three Bandits NOOOO!!
Hold that Golden Key! I'll wait till Level 50...but wait, won't one of the DLC's bump the cap to 60?
0_o

Sigh...My tentacles are cramped up and locked into the shape of an XBox controller right now, so I'm experiencing technical difficulties with typing.
GUNS FOR THE GUN GOD!
Far more interesting to say than 'Blood for the Blood God,' since GW went and made the new Chaos Codex FIFTY BUCKS! Lolz! Or you can haz da 'limited edition' book for eighty three.
It's a whopping 104 pages.
No, I won't be buying that, G-Dubs. I WILL, however, bootleg it offa da internet and slap it on my smartphone, you idiots.
Oh, and single figs costing twenty to thirty bucks? Aspiring Champion 20, Warpsmith 30?
-_-
No. Just no. Especially since I know you'll beef those guys up in yer overpriced Codex and make them 'must-haves.'

Clearly, the folks over at Games Workshop have lost their tiny lil' minds.
Which brings us, in a sorta roundabout way, to the subject(s) for today's post- video games, and the folks in 'the industry.'

*And then you charge ridiculous amounts of money for it, amirite?*