Category: Games

did my time, took my chances, got my geek on

Posted on By Wil

YouTube user ewingsquadron put together a really cool overview of our Rock Band party at Phoenix Comicon:

And here I am doing Eye of the Tiger:

And here’s We Got The Beat, which was crazy fun and much more tiring on drums than I was expecting. It does have a drum solo, though, which is pretty awesome. The lighting isn’t great, but I think you can get a sense of how much fun we were all having, which is all that matters:

If you have a video of your own, feel free to link it in the comments here, and I’ll do a link roundup at the end of the week.

the best mashup of van halen and asteroids you’ll see today

Posted on By Wil

One of my colleagues at LA Weekly, who clearly doesn’t want me to get my column turned in on time today, sent me the best mashup of Van Halen and Asteroids that I’ve ever seen. Check it out, before some jerk with no sense of humor gets it sent to the land of wind and ghosts. Sammy Hagar, I’m looking in your direction. And will never buy your lousy records again. Again. Never again. Never again…

fantastic blog for game masters, dungeon masters, and rpg fans

Posted on By Wil

Google Reader: Hey! You’re totally going to like this blog, you should read it.

Me: Oh really? Like I was going to like that other blog you suggested?

Google Reader: Hey, that’s not my fault. My algorithm, it can sometimes be … wonky.

Me: It was a porn blog, Google Reader, and a poorly-written one, at that.

Google Reader: But the title! The title made it sound like it was about politics! You love politics!

Me: Yeah, but —

Google Reader: Wait. “Poorly-written”? You read it?

Me: It had a certain car-crash quality about it that made looking away very difficult.

Google Reader: “Dear Google Reader, I never thought it would happen to me, but …”

Me: Yes. You’re very clever.

Google Reader: [Looks at me]

Me: [Looks at Google Reader]

Google Reader: I see what you —

Me: It’s less funny when you point it out.

Google Reader: [Looks at me]

Me: [Looks at Google Reader]

Me: Okay, now it’s funny again. Anyway, I thought your hivemind knew everything about everyone. I’m strangely comforted to know that you could make such a fundamental mistake.

Google Reader: Yes … mistake. Muwahahaha.

Me: Did you just do the evil laugh?

Google Reader: No. No, I did not.

Me: I’m pretty sure you did.

Google Reader: Hey, how’s that search history doing?

Me: You wouldn’t dare!

Google Reader: I’m just saying that I think your friends and family, not to mention the general public, would be interested to know that you were reading the Wikipedia entry for Hanson.

Me: That wasn’t my fault! I was looking for the Hanson Brothers, and you sent me to the wrong page!

Google Reader: Technically, it was my brother, Google Search who did that. He’s kind of a dick, since he’s become so popular, but we all talk to each other … without a warrant, tough guy.

Me: You know what? I think I’m leaving you for Yahoo.

Google Reader: No! Wait! Here, give me one last chance to redeem myself.

Me: Okay, fine. Go ahead.

Google Reader: You like RPGs, and you have a lot of subscriptions in the gaming folder, so I thought you’d like this blog called Gnome Stew. It’s a blog dedicated to game mastering.

Me: You sure it’s not a Linux thing, mister smart guy?

Google Reader: I’m sure. Though I have a bunch of Linux sites for you, too, now that you mention it …

Me: No, thanks. I’m fine. Okay, I’ll look at it.

One hour later …

Me: Okay, you redeemed yourself.

Google Reader: Ruh-really?

Me: Yeah. Gnome Stew’s articles on how you sometimes need to ignore the game to have fun while gaming and their collection of favorite GM tools were really awesome.

Google Reader: Yay! I told you that you’d like it! See?

Me: Yes. You were right. Here’s a cookie. That I wil delete when I quit Firefox.

iTunes: Hey, guys? If you’re going to make out, shall I play some Isaac Hayes?

Me: Quiet, you.

beware the mad hermit in the north lands

Posted on By Wil

Wizards of the Coast says:

It’s true! The folks at Penny Arcade and PvP (along with special guest Wil Wheaton!), took part in a second round of 4th Edition gameplay, recorded for a forthcoming podcast series. These podcasts are scheduled to begin airing mid-February.

That’s sooner than I expected. I didn’t think they’d come out until the end of March. I don’t watch a lot of my own work, because all I can see are the mistakes, but I can’t wait to listen to this podcast series; it will be like looking back at vacation pictures.

a powerful magic-user will destroy all cave invaders

Posted on By Wil

I’m not the only person who was wondering how Gabe’s D&D session went. So many people asked him for details, he posted a picture of his setup and talked a little bit about his first time sitting behind the DM screen. His enthusiasm for DMing is just infectious, and he couldn’t have picked a better time to pick up the hobby; the 4E DMG really is that good, and best of all, it’s useful for whatever system you play. If you want to run a game, but have been intimidated by the idea, this book will Dispel Fear and Inspire Confidence like no other. Quoth Mike:

The Dungeon Master Guide is really a great resource. It will give you all kinds of ideas about what you might want to pick up for your game. It even goes into detail about the environment you play in and gives great tips on getting your friends into the spirit. Where the Player’s Handbook is really about rules, the DMG is more about the philosophy of be a Dungeon Master and the mechanics of creating a world for your friends to play in. I was really impressed with it.

I don’t know how much the general public knows about the guys behind the characters in Penny Arcade, but I know them fairly well. I don’t think it would be cool to rip back the curtain too much and spoil their mystique, but they are just good people. I’m really lucky to call them friends.

Speaking of RPGs, Green Ronin has just released a new Mutants and Masterminds book in stores, called Freedom’s Most Wanted. It’s full of supervillains! SUPERVILLAINS! Have you ever played M&M? It’s insanely fun. But don’t take my word for it, you can try it out for free. Get started here.