Category: From the Editor’s Desk

Well, here we are in the last month of the year.

Actually, here we are in the last month of the final Mayan Calendar Cycle.  Sure, some believe that this means that the Mayans had predicted the end of the world.  Others believe that their calender can only be (physically) so big that they couldn’t fit any more symbols on it (and then stopped making calenders because, well, you know, they exploded).  And still others believe that the Mayans actually (purposefully) set in motion a chain of events that would ultimately end the world in this month simply by creating the damn thing (said destructor calender).

Whatever you believe, know this: Stargazer’s World has been chosen as our favorite site of the month for December 2012.  Either we’ll all die in three weeks (December 21st) and Stargazer’s World will be the last of Stuffer Shack’s Favorite Sites of the Month – or, we get to read more coolness over there for years to come.  I just had a thought: What if our world gets destroyed, and a new one is created?  Will they call it Stargazer’s World?  Hmmm, I hath doth uncovered another mystery.  Let’s think on that, after reading what Michael Wolf has to say…

“Stargazer’s World was started back in August 2008. I had acquired the domain some time earlier and wasn’t really sure what to do with it. I’ve been playing roleplaying games since the early 1990s and I’ve always enjoyed writing, so I combined the two and started Stargazer’s World. In February 2010 I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to let other authors join the fun and so the blog slowly  turned into what it is today.

Stargazer’s World is still first and foremost a place where we (that’s me and a team of co-authors) can talk about our favorite hobby: roleplaying games. In the last four years we have reviewed countless RPG-related products, done a couple of interviews with people from the industry and basically tried to share our love for the hobby with a wider audience. I am also an amateur game designer and so I use the blog to talk about my current and upcoming projects from time to time. Currently I am working on a project for NaGaDeMon that is one of the reasons why there are not as many posts as usual. After about four years and over 1400 posts it can sometimes get a little hard to come up with new stuff to write about, but I still enjoy blogging very much (and I guess the same can be said for the rest of the team), so I hope that Stargazer’s World will be still alive and kicking for many years to come.”

Stargazer’s World, by Michael Wolf – It’s a good, clean site… easy to read, fun to read, and he seems like a nice, jovial chap.  Or, at least, that’s what the Mayans wanted us to believe…  Check it out and decide for yourself!

I would like to give a shout out for a Kickstarter project that will be closing later this week.  It was successfully funded just a few days after it was launched, but you should still take a look…

Nova Praxis has already hit it’s first two stretch goals, and is aiming for a third.  With the quality of product that Mike McConnell put out with his first two books, this role-playing game is sure to be a solid gem.  The stretch goals simply increase the Kickstarter rewards, making a fantastic value even better…

#1 ($15,000) – If we get to $15K, all PDFs or printed copies of the book will also come with a PDF of our first supplement, the GM’s Companion, when it goes on sale. The GM’s Companion features additional NPC write-ups, an introductory scenario, and suggested plot arcs for missions and campaigns.

#2 ($20,000) – All printed copies of the book will also come with a full color poster map showing the Sol System and its relation to the other inhabited star systems.

#3 ($30,000) – Everyone who gets the PDF or printed copy of the core book gets a free copy of the PDF for our first published scenario, The Vantage Strain, when it goes on sale.

Watch the video – it’s pretty cool.

Also, here’s an interview with Mike about the game, and Greywulf gave us a great preview.

So, by now, you probably know that I like to read a variety of gaming blogs.  However, there are so many sites out there with great stuff that I just can’t read them all.  Having said that, there is one that I do manage to go back to every so often, and that’s 1958Fury’s Campaign Journals.

 

Here’s Matt:

1958Fury’s Campaign Journals is where I record the events of gaming sessions I’ve played in, and also where I express my opinions about the RPG industry.  As a relative newbie to gaming (I started playing D&D about 5 years ago), I have a strong preference for simpler, easy-to-learn gaming systems.  I hope to provide a fresh perspective that is influenced more by playability than nostalgia.

In any gaming group I’ve been in, as a player or DM, I’ve always been the record keeper.  I started this blog because it seemed like the easiest way to make the information available to all the members of my group.  Then I started branching out by posting reviews of RPG products, rants about rules systems I’ve tried, pictures of my miniature collection, and occasionally my own original modules for public use.  I am currently working on several more modules that I will post in the near future.

What Matt didn’t say is that he’s intelligent, and a smooth writer.  Sometimes I think he could be writing about grass growing, and I’d still tune in.

1958Fury’s Campaign Journals, a good read.

Have you been there?  Alton has.  In fact, he’s been there since the beginning of 2011, consistently (and with dedication) writing about D&D 4e.  Of course, I’m talking about the cool 20ft Radius…

Here’s Alton:

“20ft Radius is my baby.  I started the site off like it was going to rule the world.  Not so; not even close.  I did learn quite a few things though.  Be yourself, be kind to others and don’t sweat the small stuff.  It has been quite the journey, a journey filled with acquaintances and new friends and experiences I thought I would never have.

The site contains articles based around 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons material.  Articles range from humorous, to serious, tactics, monsters etc…  I do a few book reviews of some of the current novels in the D&D world.  My focus lately seems to be on public play, specifically D&D Encounters, where Derek Myers from Dungeon’s Master and I podcast the good, the bad and the ugly of the weekly sessions at our FLGS.  The podcast is called Recounting Encounters.

I owe a lot to Tourq Stevens for encouraging me to write and find that part of me that is the gamer.  Without that push, my site would only be another statistic.

I am greatly honoured that my site was chosen as site of the month and will wear this badge on the site with pride.”

I’m not much of a podcast kind of guy, but I have to admit – listening to Recounting Encounters is turning me around.  Also, since I’m not playing 4e right now (I wish I were!), 20ft Radius is the perfect fix!

Keep up the good work, Alton!

Hello fans of the Blog!

Today I have a quick announcement from the Editor’s Desk – The Boston Festival of Indie Games is happening this Saturday (the 22nd) at MIT. It’s a free festival celebrating all the different types of Indie Game development we have here in Boston, including video games, but also tabletop games! If you want to go, registration is free on their site.

I’ll be there in the tabletop/card/board/rpg area all day exhibiting a little game I’ve been working on called Pulp!. What’s Pulp! you ask? Why it’s this game I’ve been tossing around the back of my mind for the last few years that I’ve finally gotten around to writing down this summer. It focuses on simplified characters that can easily stick on a post-it note. Your attributes are also your hit points, so the longer you fight before resting – the harder things get. It’s all based around a d6, so it’s filled with big successes and big failures. Best of all, it’s quick to learn and fits in your pocket!

I’m still early in play-testing, so there’s nowhere to get the game yet, in case you were worried that you missed it. I’ll likely be bringing it to a few more cons before anything gets released to make sure things are polished.

Some come on down if you’re in the area! It’s destined to be a fun day for all.

When we first introduced our Horse Minis a while back, I almost shelved it all because I wasn’t happy with the bases.  Then we found some bases that worked much better, and I was much happier.  However, they still weren’t perfect, so I kept looking for bases that were.  I eventually found them, but they were too darned expensive.  I didn’t want to raise the prices on the Horse Minis, so I just kept looking… 

Well, I FINALLY found the perfect bases at reasonable prices.  What makes them perfect?  Well, they’re not the old original chipboard bases that can tear, and they’re not the clear plastic bases that I’ve had to personally paint (which can scrape); they’re awesome shiny acryllic discs that are dyed black when first made.  Sweet!  Less prep, no paint, no scrapes, no ruined discs, same price, awesome look, win!

It’s kind of a big deal for me, because the product just became more professional without me having to raise the prices (and that’s a win for everyone!). 

So, here’s the deal: for every three Horse Minis, Exotic Mounts, or Monster Minis you buy, I’ll throw in an extra Horse Mini of your choice – for free!  You can buy the miniatures individually, in Random Packs, or as part of the Advenurer’s Bundle (with a Random Pack or Adventurer’s Bundle, you’ll end up saving even more).

• 3+1 free!
• 6+2 free!
• 9+3 free!
• 12+4 free!
• 15+5 free!
• etc…

So, for example, if you bought a Super Saver Adventurer’s Bundle, you’d get Mini Counters 1-10, Bloodied Markers (10), 10 random Horse Minis, and three other Horse Minis of your choice for free!

When making your orders, simply tell me which you’d like in the Special Instructions box, or through our contact page.

If you have any questions, just ask!

This promotion will last until the end of September

Hey!  This is just a quick reminder to go over to Chaotic Shiny (one of our absolute favorite sites) and win stuff!

Ok, there’s a little more to it than that, but it’s really easy.  Plus, you get to play around with some of their awesome generators.  With all of the fun encounters I’ve designed using those generators, it’s like a win already.

Plus, Stuffer Shack is one of the sponsors providing prizes, so check it out…

Yes, it’s that time again… time to announce who our favorite site of the month is…

If you’ve been on the net lately (well, around the gaming part of the net), you’ve no doubt run into shortymonster. Only three months ago he jumped the gates and hit the ground running. He’s gotten his blog up and put up several posts worth reading, and has taken part in several discussions around the gaming web.  Really, when I think of shortymonster (or Shorty), I think of enthusiasm, and that’s something all us bloggers could use a bit of.

Here’s Shorty:

Shortymonster was started as a way to get some practice writing stuff that other people may want to read. I’ve always enjoyed the writing process, but had no idea if I was any good at it. It made perfect sense to start writing about the hobby that’s been such a huge part of my life for almost two decades, but after just two articles I knew that that was pretty much all I wanted to write about. I’ve been a gamer since I was a kid, most of my friends game, and I’ve met them through the hobby. I’m immensely proud to be a part of the RPG scene, and Shortymonster has been my own little way of giving something back to a hobby that’s already given me so much.

The blog has since introduced me to a bunch of great people, all of whom have been overwhelmingly positive and supportive. I can’t thank everyone who’s come out in my corner, as there are just too many of them. The most gratitude though goes to anyone and everyone who’s clicked a link and read what I’ve written. 

If you get the chance, check out his site and say Hi.

I do not have a personal blog.  Stuffer Shack is for gaming, period.  That’s what one of my major rules was when I started this RPG blog.  Still, once in a while something comes up that I just want to share, and it has nothing to do with gaming.  For example, take the following article posted in the Technology section on Yahoo.com.

See that line there?  The link to the article isn’t on Yahoo anymore, but here it is (I hope it’s still valid).  The article has to do with AT&T charging you in new ways for using your phone as you always have been (or something like that – I’m not really sure how it works, as I’ve refused all contact with this futuristic gizmo – the Cyberdeck’s precursor – because, you know, what futuristic movie ever showed us that we won’t eventually be enslaved by technology?).

Anywho, I just get a kick out of the title of the article, and that fact that Yahoo somehow let this article slip through the cracks.  Come on, not only is the word “Dick” used derogatorily in the title, but the article also spouts the usage of “shit” and “fucking.”  It has to be a Netrunner or Technomancer who pulled this off as a prank, right?  Well, the article bashes AT&T, and then has T-Mobile ads placed all over the rest of the page, so I’m thinking Yahoo agreed to this stunt as a way of getting attention.  Heck, I’d bet your hard earned dollars that Yahoo’s new CEO (Marissa Miller, who was literally acquired by way of a clandestine Shadowrun corporate kidnapping from Google) staged the whole thing.  Yes, she has to be behind this.

Hah!  I referenced “gaming” in some form or another ten times in this article, so it still qualifies as being a post about gaming.