Tag: Star Wars

Shield of Tomorrow – Beginning my Star Trek Education

Trekucation? Nah. Treducation? Nope. Trekkie Initiation? Nell no. Oh well, I’ll figure out a clever name at some point!

I’ve never been a Star Trek fan, for a variety of reasons, from finding Roddenberry’s vision of the future unappealing, partly because it seems disturbingly militaristic, and the other part because it’s often portrayed as so idyllic (no crime, no poverty, no ignorance, everyone is good and happy and want for nothing) that it’s bland. It’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed some Star Trek media. I really liked Deep Space 9, what I saw of it, because I liked how much the stories were personal, about the characters and how flawed and human they were, compared to those of other series in the same universe–and of course, the Rules of Acquisition. I’ve also enjoyed the recent Star Trek Discovery and even the oft maligned Enterprise, mostly because Doctor Phlox was pure joy to watch.  Continue reading Shield of Tomorrow – Beginning my Star Trek Education

The Ultimate Beastmaster – Gaming Edition – Week 6

Still around halfway there on what I still hope is a full run of the Ultimate Beastmaster Gaming Edition, based on the Netflix reality show produced by Sylvester Stallone, The Ultimate Beastmaster, where competitors from around the world tackle the most vicious of challenge courses, the Beast.

In our gaming edition, there are no coins, rupees or souls to be won, but there is a certain kind of prestige, where one characters steps out of the ruins of the Beast, confident they are the Ultimate Gaming Beastmaster.

Continue reading The Ultimate Beastmaster – Gaming Edition – Week 6

The Ultimate Beastmaster – Gaming Edition – Week 5

Still around halfway there on what I still hope is a full run of the Ultimate Beastmaster Gaming Edition, based on the Netflix reality show produced by Sylvester Stallone, The Ultimate Beastmaster, where competitors from around the world tackle the most vicious of challenge courses, the Beast.

In our gaming edition, there are no coins, rupees or souls to be won, but there is a certain kind of prestige, where one characters steps out of the ruins of the Beast, confident they are the Ultimate Gaming Beastmaster.

Continue reading The Ultimate Beastmaster – Gaming Edition – Week 5

Gaming Q&A: Most Surprising Twists in Video Games

You know me, I’m always up for a good discussion, no matter if it’s games, films, TV series or even books and writing. So, when the crew of Later Levels approached me for a monthly gaming Q&A, hopefully to create some great debates around video games, it didn’t take much for me to see that it could be fun.

Every month, I’ll present you with the question and my answer. If you’d like to join, get in touch with Later Levels. The rules are simple, in fact there is only one to note: your answer must be in 100 words or fewer.

This month’s question is: Which is the most surprising plot twist you’ve seen in a video game? Continue reading Gaming Q&A: Most Surprising Twists in Video Games

Igniters – Planning Stage

Last week I spoke of Igniters and how I had to scrap this series of Star Wars novels for legal reasons, or maybe just to avoid having any legal reasons to begin with.

Since then I’ve been thinking about the best way to handle it, what the setting should be, and how to turn what was once Star Wars into a new idea, something that suits me. Continue reading Igniters – Planning Stage

Star Wars: Igniters – Time for a Revamp

I think if you check this site for five minutes, you’ll probably come across a couple dozen articles that at least mention Star Wars. It’s a big deal for me, one of my favourite franchises and one where I’ve lost hours on, both reading or in other ways consuming stories or making up my own, be it for RPGs or just simple daydream.  Continue reading Star Wars: Igniters – Time for a Revamp

EGX 2016 and Beyond!

EGX, formerly the Euro Gamer Expo, started yesterday. Last year I was there for the duration of the event, but this year due to professional responsibilities—and the fact that I like getting paid for my work—I can’t make it to the first two. But tomorrow and Sunday, you can bet I’ll be there. There are a few games already in my sights, most of them in the Rezzed section. Continue reading EGX 2016 and Beyond!

Dice and Settings – My Favourite RPG Systems

Yesterday I mentioned I’m on a recruitment drive for RPG games. Since writing the article, I haven’t stopped thinking about the many games I’ve played, the characters I’ve created and the great times I’ve had with my friends.

So today, I’d like to talk to you about some of my favourite RPG systems/games. Continue reading Dice and Settings – My Favourite RPG Systems

Writing Perils – The Mary Sue

Whether you’re writing a novel, a short story, a TV series or even a video game and everything in between, characters are extremely important. They are the windows into your world, they take your audience through the grand tour and introduce them to the universe’s rules, society and even nature’s mechanics. The protagonists, antagonists and supporting cast need to be properly developed, so that they may be relatable, likeable and many other ‘ables’.

But when writing characters, particularly protagonist and even more so in a speculative fiction setting, it’s not unusual for writers to want their heroes to be extremely powerful, to be their dreams of glory and high fantastic epic-ness made flesh. The problem lies in that pouring too many good qualities into a character can take them across the deadly Mary Sue line from where there is no return, for you or the audience. Continue reading Writing Perils – The Mary Sue

Genres of Fantasy – Science-Fantasy

Last time I spoke of the Fantasy genre I went on about the Trapped in a Game genre. It was on my mind as I watched the very good Overlord anime, about a player staying on the last day of his MMO’s lifespan, spending the time with the NPCs of his Guild House, then as the servers shut down, he finds himself inhabiting his character.

The series does many interesting things with the genre, particularly with having a nice guy main character that is evil at the same time. Well, not entirely evil but as his character is a Lich, he adopts the personality of an undead lord, cold and detached. It creates a nice contrast between the character’s inner monologue and how he behaves on the outside. Continue reading Genres of Fantasy – Science-Fantasy