Part Fifty-Five: 2019, Be All That You Can Be. A Historical Overview of Role-playing from the Trenches

In the world of 2019 real-life news I am compelled to mention the new US Space Force! With an emblem evocative of Star Trek, and a vibe that brings to mind the Space: Above and Beyond show, I couldn’t help but feel a frisson of glee. What didn’t bring me glee was the dissolution of …

Review: Forbrydelsen (aka “The Killing”)

And we’re back with another spoiler-free review. Forbrydelsen (which actually means “crime,” not “killing”) was a Danish show that premiered in 2007 and had three seasons. It starred Sofie Gråbøl as Inspector Sarah Lund, a homicide detective in Copenhagen. As I’ve mentioned before, I watched this because I’d already seen Gråbøl in the British series …

Artist Retrospectives X – Kay Nielsen

Kay Nielsen was a Danish illustrator, 1886-1957. His parents were well-known in the world of theater. Reminds me of Canty, or panels in Cerebus. He studied art in Paris, and he became fascinated by the work of Aubrey Beardsley. Pierrot Nielsen moved to London in 1911 and gained success as an illustrator, but WWI interrupted …

Part Fifty-Four: 2018, The Enemy Within. A Historical Overview of Role-playing from the Trenches

We lost two luminaries in 2018. First up, multiple award-winning author Harlan Ellison. Awards: Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Edgar, Stoker, Méliès and Inkpot. He was a larger than life personality and reading a biography would be well worth your time. Ellison wrote fiction (Repent Harlequin Said the Ticktockman, A Boy and His Dog, I Have …

Review: Fortitude, “the Twin Peaks of Norway”

Twin Peaks Way back in the dawn of time (1990) a quirky creator named David Lynch gave us a television phenomenon in the form of Twin Peaks. This slow, eerie piece was set in a lumber mill town in the middle of Washington, isolated from the mainstream world. The cast was quirky and reality was …

Artist Retrospectives IX – Willy Pogany

Willy Pogany was born as Vilmos Andreas Pogány in Hungary, 1882. An award-winning artist of the Golden Age of Illustration, Pogany is best known for depictions of myths and fables. He also did mural work, sculpture and magazine illustration, as well as costume and set design. I haven't been able to dig up any details …

Part Fifty-Three: 2017, At the Centre of it All. A Historical Overview of Role-playing from the Trenches

Goodbye Major Tom, there’s nothing I can do. The year 2017 carries plenty of future shock. Gaming thrives, but let’s take a look at the zeitgeist first. Because gaming doesn’t happen in a vacuum (unless I get to retire to a space colony). Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook is busily working in the field of artificial intelligence. …

Artist Retrospectives VIII – Edmund Dulac

Monsieur Dulac. Edmund Dulac was born in France in 1882. Initially he studied law, but transitioned into art. He subsequently moved to England, eventually becoming a British citizen. For The Dreamer of Dreams. These big black horses are really a thing, aren't they? This one for Sinbad the Sailor. For Andersen's The Snow Queen. For …

Review: Cyberpunk Edgerunners

I will attempt to avoid spoilers. If you’re a fan of cyberpunk genre fiction you’re probably aware of the Cyberpunk role-playing game by Mike Pondsmith, first released back in 1988. You’re probably also aware of the related Cyberpunk 2077 video game released in 2020. The licensing keeps expanding, and this year marks the release of …

Gamma World / Metamorphosis Alpha / Orphans of the Sky / Non-Stop

I expect many of you know of the Gamma World role-playing game by James Ward, set in Earth’s post-apocalyptic future world and filled with neon-colored fantastic mutants and humanoid animals with blasters and air cars and killer robots. Homicidal chickens, smart-alec giant badgers, and murderous six-foot-tall rabbits who can turn metal into rubber. It’s not …