Phase Gamer

TRoS

2008-09-26T13:06:00.001-07:00

The Riddle of steel is a R.P.G.
That I have always wanted to try but have never been able to bring my self to buy.
The Game Lives Here.
And has a forum here.
yes like most games sites I visit, it looks like a pile of steamy ass and has not been updated since Nov 2007, but all the important stuff is there.

Please allow me to quote the site:

The Riddle of Steel™ is a unique Fantasy Roleplaying Game that breaks
all the old rules and carries players and Game Masters alike into a new
kind of RPG. Tearing away from traditional roleplaying conventions, The
Riddle of Steel provide players with unequalled amounts of control over
the creation and—more importantly—use of lifelike, well-thought
characters. Focusing on story and "narrativist" premise this
revolutionary new game builds on individual strategy, teamwork, group
tactics, and the principle of “cause-and-effect” to provide
a different, intense, and powerful alternative to hack-and-bash-and-slash
or melodramatic storytelling found in today’s mainstream hobby-game
market. We call it "Blood Opera," and after your first session
you'll see why.

Sounds allot like some of our goals when we first started Phase does it not?
Further the game proposes to have one of the most complete and realistic combat systems made. The system is deep enough to bring about topics like this one located here.
All good stuff, and game design thought provoking.

Again I quote

The most realistic, dangerous, and strategic RPG combat system ever
developed. Based on years of research, practice, experimentation, and
training in authentic Western European Martial Arts, combat in The Riddle
of Steel revolves around picking your fights—and carefully planning
the ones you pick. No hit points or other absurd measures of damage
or combat are involved, instead pitting skill and tactics against other
deadly foes, where each fight might really be your last. Wounds, armor,
techniques, and weapons are founded on real-world historical models.
Found within the pages of The Riddle of Steel are over twenty detailed
fighting systems, from Irish pugilism to the English quarterstaff, the
German longsword and greatsword to early renaissance cut and thrust
swords

Just another game? Perhaps but it has rabid fans, and a decent player base.
One of those games to keep in mind if we are ever gettign board and want to look for the next thing.

Live action Robotech goodness?

2008-09-24T14:13:00.001-07:00

LIVE ACTION ROBOTECH!

Maguire, WB attack the big screen with 'Robotech'

September 07, 2007 WB Pictures has picked up the rights to bring anime classic "Robotech," which featured giant robots known as mechas, to thebig screen. Maguire is producing through his Maguire Entertainment banner and is eying the lead role in what the studio plans on being a tentpole sci-fi franchise. A sprawling sci-fi epic, "Robotech" takes place at a time when Earth has developed giant robots from the technology on an alien spacecraft that crashed on a South Pacific isle.

Source is:
Hollywood Reporter.

If they treat it right it will be my favorite movie of all time..
Also if they treat it right I will eat my hat.

New 4th ed books (note 4 is just a $ with out the shift)

2008-09-24T14:04:00.001-07:00

http://www.rpgbloggers.com/

This is a great place to get information considering new stuff coming down the RPG pipe ..
With that said I have to talk about the New Adventurer's Vault from WOTC.

This Book , Which I ERRRRR... have seen....And if you ask me...

Is filled with new weapons , tables of mounts, and a bunch of stuff like that for the AD&D 4th edition game.

In my humble and not so humble opinion it is 100% packed with things that SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN A $35 players book.
Having said that though and excepting that for all intents that is a dog that just does not hunt int today's R.P.G. fun house, the book is pretty useful.

I mean there are hundreds of magic items.. a bunch of new "Master Work" Armors ( I would like to have seen more "real" versions of historic armor types.. What if my native island warriors need to wear woven armor?)

Mounts .. every thing from griffons to elephants to Giant ants..

and a whole bunch of nifty trinkets to beg your Gm ahem.. Dm for.

The coolest thing for my money in teh book is the Alchemy .. hich seems to work like the rituals out of the PHB..
When I err mean if I run a 4th eddtion campaighn..I would like to work them both Rituals and Alchemy into the game in more than the glad hannded way they are treated in the books.

My one complaint is this.
There are literally volumes dedicated to weapons alone over the years.. and more volumes dedicated to armor.
As for magic intems there was a 4 volume encyclopedia magica a few years ago that covered alot of ground and then some.

So this book adds some things from all those catagories, tosses in some new feats , skills for mounts, but it realy is just a skim. I can see more of these $35 books in the future. I own (yes own) a book called the Encyclopedia of medevil weapons and castles that was put out a long time ago by by paladium books you can still find all the same info in the books listed on the paladium store page if you realy want a weapons suplement do yourself a favor .. buy them .. they are very acurate, complete and are very user frinedly. (yes the old book had all the midevil stuff from those 4 books packed into one huge book NICE)
As for mounts and companion animlas.. It is nice stuff really it is but I ask,why not have rules for making a companion or a mount out of any non smart monster in the MM you just spent $35 on?

As For the Forgotten realms book.. I have seen it .. and I have read parts but not enough to give me the right to talk about it here, Yet..
I do know how ever there be Drow in there... and a new Warlock pact called "dark pact" to go along with the drow.. that ought to be enough to get a bunch of dark elf fans to buy teh book.

Car Wars..

2008-08-31T09:56:00.001-07:00

The official car wars site from Steve Jackson games...
not much to look at but one of these days we should give it a spin again .
HERE
The game of cars, driving, and blowing shit up.
But lets face it the site sucks and has not been updated in about 5 years..
try gear jammer for example cars and one umm race track which is a nice example map.. and some good links..

Blood Bowl online

2008-08-31T09:37:00.001-07:00

Just another helpy kind of blood bowl link..
here
Links to free PDF rule book .. I will be grabbing that myself..
and teams other people have put together .. though i am not so impressed with that section.

Current events.

2008-08-31T08:39:00.001-07:00

Due to current events in our gaming group I figured I should share this link.
Blood Bowl the video game coming soon apparently.

Release date .. who knows here is what I could find.
Here

What I do gather is..PC, DS, and PSP and XBox live so it does not look like it is going to be a big time release..

Forgotten Realms..

2008-08-31T07:34:00.000-07:00

Go here.. for the first 10 official reasons 4th edition Forgotten realms differs from the venerable older version of AD&D's oldest .. almost.. setting.
This is to me a telling quote.
"Some of the larger changes they’ve made (mostly getting rid of high-level NPCs). Doesn’t bother me at all, and is consistent with 4e’s attitude that everything that’s come before is meaningless."

Meaningless is a big word, considering how many 3rd party companies hooked into the 3rd addition's Open gaming license for the D20 system.
Prepare to scour bargain bins for some of that 3rd ed material you always wanted. Apparently in the eyes of Hasbro and WOTC .. it means nothing.