We got back a few days ago from our first official family road trip. We decided to go on short notice because Kate's mid-winter break, Dundracon, and Nicole's mom's surgery all coincided in a workable way. So we spent a couple of days in Portland, the weekend in San Ramon for Dundracon, and then the final few days in San Francisco. Overall, the ( Read more... )

EndGame Oakland is, simply put, one of the best game stores in the country. This isn't just a matter of product selection or location. No, what makes EndGame a great store is that it is a center of community. Through its game space, mini cons, and knowledgeable staff, EndGame became a true destination store and one that pulled gamers together. ( Read more... )

When I first started going to GenCon, I got to play games wall to wall for four days and it was awesome. These days I spend most of my time working the Green Ronin booth or in meetings. I always try to get in at least one game though, because it wouldn't be GenCon without it. Oftentimes, it's a chance to get together with friends from my college ( Read more... )

I've had a chance to play a couple of games of the War of the Ring miniatures game by GW and I have to say I'm really enjoying it. It's late so just a few points ( Read more... )

I spent the weekend in Olympia at Enfilade, a convention put on by the NHMGS (Northwest Historical Miniature Gaming Society). This has become a yearly event for Rick and I, and I enjoy the opportunity to go to a con just for fun. No business, no booth duty; just playing games. This year turned into something of a marathon because we added in a ( Read more... )

As a gag I was going to design a short Ramones RPG, in which you'd make characters and then throw them away and shoot heroin. My thought was that you'd define your character with a series of I Wanna/I Don't Wanna statements in the spirit of many Ramones song. Then I thought those would make fun aspects in Spirit of the Century, so why not just go ( Read more... )

I swear weekends are shorter and shorter. It's getting to the point where I feel the weekend is almost over by Saturday morning.

This past weekend I was a guest at local Seattle show Conquest Northwest, hosted by the always effusive Mondo Vega. I went the first year of this con and it was nearly its last. Monda has really turned it around though ( Read more... )

Last week Battlefront announced Open Fire, a starter set for their Flames of War miniatures game. It contains an introductory booklet, a mini-rulebook, 3 American tanks, 2 German assault guns, and dice; everything you need to get started. I thought this was a great idea. Flames of War is one of the few historical miniatures game with good ( Read more... )

Over the summertime I got to be a judge in the PAX 10 game design contest. I spent a day in a computer lab at DigiPen, trying out and rating about 10 of the 100 odd entries. One of my favorites was A Kingdom for Kelflings. In the game you play a giant helping the diminutive kelflings build their community. It has similar gameplay elements to other ( Read more... )

I think we'll see 5th edition D&D in 2013, or 2012 if sales decline faster than expected. 5th edition will be the next iteration of 4th edition, as tightly related to it as 3.5 was to 3.0. This new edition will have no OGL or GSL.

When 6th edition rolls around (in, I dunno, 2016 or 2017), it will abandon the 4E structure entirely and go back to ( Read more... )