If there’s one medium of horror I can’t stand it’s the Found Footage movie. Too often it’s a lazy excuse for bad shakeycam disguising poor effects whilst no-name “actors” enjoy their fifteen minutes. Also I’ve been spoiled because the first time I saw anything of that ilk was when I watched Ghostwatch on Halloween 1992. […]
We Are the Night: a Review of Blood & Smoke – the Strix Chronicle
After getting my mind completely blown by the greatness that was Demon: The Descent, I decided I hadn’t had enough of the new, post-God Machine World of Darkness. And so I promptly double-clicked on my review pdf copy of Blood & Smoke: the Strix Chronicle and began reading. Did I find more of the same excellent story-gaming […]
Storytelling and war: The Princess and the Pilot review
The Princess and the Pilot is a feature length anime being distributed by Manga Entertainment in the UK. The story is simple but gracefully told. In an alternative world the Levamme Empire and the Amatsukami Impreium are at war. The technology levels are akin to World War II but this is a world with huge […]
Dark cowboy horror: A review of The Shotgun Arcana
One of my favourite reads of last year was R.S. Belcher’s Six-Gun Tarot. I recall playing around with words like “Steampunk” and “Lovecraft” to describe the occult western. In the head I mentioned Cthulhu, the Deadlands RPG but not steampunk. I’ll stick to my guns for The Shotgun Arcana. There’s less Lovecraft in The Shotgun […]
Sneakily gripping: A review of Robotics; Notes parts 1 and 2
This is a review of both parts of Robotics;Notes. I was able to watch both parts in quick succession because of a hurt foot and compulsory residence on the sofa. It makes a big difference to the series. Part 1 (episodes 1 to 11) are great but give the impression of a carefully paced, feel […]
Intelligent and farsighted: A review of the 6d6 RPG 2nd Edition
I got my copy of the second edition of the 6d6 RPG by backing a Kickstarter. The campaign came in 330% funded and that’s a feat that even some of the biggest names in the industry would be pleased with. Gamers who missed the Kickstarter will soon get a chance to buy the books at […]
The Road Goes Ever On and On: Review of Into the Violet Vale
Into the Violet Vale is a straightforward adventure supplement for Numenera, written to play at a convention or as a basic introduction to the game. The adventure was run in official GenCon 2014 Numenera events and you can now purchase and download it in PDF format. Form Into the Violet Vale is a 25-page adventure […]
The end of the line: A review of Plague World
Plague World is the third and final in the Ashley Parker series. If you’re looking for an easy read zombie trilogy to get your teeth into this Halloween then Dana Fredsti’s Plague Town, Plague Nation and then Plague World set is certainly one to consider. The book’s titles rather give away the escalation of Walker’s […]
Dazzling martial arts: A review of Street Fighter – Assassin’s Fist
You have to be kind to The Assassin’s Fist when you start to watch. If you can’t be kind then you’ll never overcome the suspension of disbelief required to accept that maybe, just maybe, this could be a Street Fighter movie that works. You won’t be able to make it past Ken’s flowing blonde hair. […]
Double down for the better: A review of Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan
These are two big franchise titles from the world of anime – Detective Conan and the master thief Lupin the 3rd. Even if you’re not an anime fan you may recognise the names. Conan isn’t the barbarian but named, in the series, after Sherlock Holmes. He’s not even a kid. He’s a young adult shrunk […]
