tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2834542059157441942024-03-05T14:59:21.380-08:00The Game Dork's Gaming CornerEVERYONE is welcome at the gaming table!The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.comBlogger319125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-72005545662972713462022-03-14T01:35:00.000-07:002022-03-14T01:35:40.261-07:00Free Roleplaying GamesI have been engaged in a debate on social media about whether it's acceptable to refuse to try any roleplaying game that isn't Dungeons & Dragons. One of the arguments that I keep hearing people make is 'I'm poor, and roleplaying games are expensive.'This is a valid point, but I have a solution.Ok, I have a solution and a comment. First, the comment: Hasbro has worked very hard to make peopleThe Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-60084284718454951162021-11-23T20:25:00.000-08:002021-11-23T20:25:19.748-08:00RPG Review: Overlight Almost two years ago, I discovered a roleplaying game that very much caught my attention. I bought it as soon as I was able, and I have not regretted doing so. Now, I am delighted to write a review for this game. Welcome, my friends, to Overlight from Renegade Game Studios.An Overview of OverlightThree thousand years ago, the guardian dragons that watched over the world debated whetherThe Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-17353919233839804702021-10-14T16:17:00.000-07:002021-10-14T16:17:08.954-07:00A Scale for Crunchiness in RPGs? Have I come back from hiatus?No. No, I don't think so.However, after writing the last two articles (review of Modiphius's two new rpgs), I found that I have some things I want to say. So I'm going to write a couple more articles, and then probably go radio silent again for... who knows how long?To start with, I was thinking about crunchiness in rpgs. I started really thinking about it when The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-82565529251134391212021-09-18T14:06:00.000-07:002021-09-18T14:06:10.988-07:00RPG Review - Fallout: The Roleplaying Game Last week, I emerged from my hiatus to post a review of a game that was generally sent to me by the publisher. But they were kind enough to send me two games to review, so today, I shall review the second of those games. So welcome, fellow gamers, to my review of Fallout: The Roleplaying Game.I should take a moment here to point out that when you look on RPG Geek, this game is listed The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-79478995334410598372021-09-11T18:10:00.002-07:002021-09-18T14:06:27.720-07:00RPG Review - Dune: Adventures in the Imperium It has been over a year since I last posted anything. But I return to you today with a very important post: a review of a new TTRPG.I was recently contacted by a representative of Modiphius Entertainment asking me if I'd like some advanced review copies of their forthcoming games. Obviously, I jumped at the chance. So they generously sent me a review copy, which I will now review for you.AnThe Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-40289026839808065582020-03-07T08:00:00.000-08:002020-03-07T08:00:04.862-08:00The End (For Now, At Least)
The time has come for me to take a break. After this article, I will be going on an indefinite hiatus.
There are a number of reasons for this decision. Not least among those is the fact that I am not gaining any dedicated repeat readership. Despite my best efforts, the number of people who come back to read my posts every week remains a very small number. Barely in the double digits.
The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-89417709675832838562020-02-29T08:00:00.000-08:002020-02-29T08:00:03.077-08:00Board Game Review: Underwater Cities
John can be very impulsive sometimes. One day, he showed up to our usual Friday night game night with a new game that he'd seen at the FLGS and bought immediately because he thought it looked interesting.
Well, we played it that night, and again a couple weeks later. The game in question was (of course) Underwater Cities by Vladimir Suchy from Rio Grande Games. It turned out to be an The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-45611983452274514062020-02-22T08:00:00.000-08:002020-02-22T08:00:08.871-08:00The Appeal of Board Games
Not too long ago, I published an article in which I referenced an ex-girlfriend who once told me that I think too much. Specifically, it was in the context of a comparison of casinos to board game cafes, and the differences between board games and gambling. I was reminded of this by two events that recently happened: I attended a friend's party, and a different friend sent me a link to an The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-56510178745887626462020-02-15T08:00:00.000-08:002020-02-15T08:00:08.377-08:00Board Game Review: Draftosaurus
If you're looking for an adorable variant on a card-drafting mechanic, then look no further. Draftosaurus by Antoine Bauza, Corentin Lebrat, Ludovic Maublanc, and Théo Rivière, published by Ankama, is a very simple card drafting game, but instead of drafting cards, you're drafting dinosaurs!
Players take on the role of zookeepers looking to populate their parks with newly cloned The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-78232512736937433052020-02-08T08:00:00.000-08:002020-02-08T08:00:04.101-08:00Ten Candles: A Unique Roleplaying Experience
I recently watched an interesting video entitled '10 Great RPGs That Aren't Dungeons and Dragons.' That was how I learned about Ten Candles, a zero-prep one-shot roleplaying game by Stephen Dewey and published by Cavalry Games. It sounded interesting, so I read the description to the Dork Spouse, who expressed immediate interest.
After purchasing a copy of the rules, I called up a couple of The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-27039450285342687572020-02-01T08:00:00.000-08:002020-02-01T08:00:07.955-08:00Board Game Review: Multiuniversum
John found a game that he really enjoyed when we went to Geekway to the West last year. It's called Multiuniversum, and it was designed by Manuel Correia. It was originally published by Board & Dice, with a second edition published by Last Level, and the current edition is from Grey Fox.
The premise is that scientists working on creating portals to alternate universes have succeeded The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-70071558635045767092020-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:002020-01-25T08:00:00.487-08:00Spoilers, Rage, and Toxic Fandom
Several months ago, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance was released on Netflix. Obviously, I binged it the very next day. And loved it. As I'm sure you can tell from the review I wrote of it.
I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you that I had been a member of the 'Age of Resistance Fan Group' on Facebook leading up to the release. I found it a convenient place to keep up with The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-37714284855244696652020-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:002020-01-18T08:00:00.340-08:00Board Game Review: Blokus
In the midst of the revolution in which a number of amazing companies produce some amazing new games and many small companies produce many more amazing games, it's easy to scoff at the large 'mainstream' companies who continue making games which are intended to appeal to the general public instead of the board game community. But that doesn't mean that some of their games aren't really good.
The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-64132578110375206672020-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:002020-01-11T08:00:00.204-08:00Casinos: Gambling vs Board Games
An ex-girlfriend of mine once told me that I think too much. At the time, I remember thinking this was a strange complaint; thinking, after all, is how we solve problems. It's what separates us from animals; it has enabled all the progress (and, granted, a lot of the problems) that we experience today. Without thinking, we wouldn't have modern vaccines, computers, space flight, air The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-68583154430233264142020-01-04T08:00:00.000-08:002020-01-04T08:00:04.682-08:00Board Game Review: On Tour
Sometimes you find a game that surprises you with its depth. What appears to be a simple fluffy game with no appeal turns out to contain some hefty decisions and require intense thought. On Tour, by Chad DeShon and published by Board Game Tables Dot Com, was one of those games. When I first saw it, I was unimpressed with the theme, and didn't think much of it. But when I actually sat down toThe Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-73951749882970260342019-12-28T08:00:00.000-08:002019-12-28T08:00:03.295-08:00Screwage: 'Take That' Mechanics in Games
Veteran board gamers are familiar with the concept of 'take that' mechanics. The idea is that players take actions in a game that are intended to be harmful to another player's plans, or ability to score points, or otherwise be detrimental to that player.
This is not the same thing as working to achieve victory yourself. Some games operate in a directly antagonistic manner. Games that involveThe Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-46085281113223157122019-12-21T08:00:00.000-08:002019-12-21T08:00:02.628-08:00Board Game Review: Decrypto
One of the new games I got to try at Geekway this past May was an interesting game called Decrypto. John's daughter discovered it, and insisted that she and her friend play it with me and John. It was a fun game, and I bought a copy so that the Dork Spouse and I could play it with our friends Gemma and Caroline. So I think I should review it for you now.
Decrypto, by Thomas The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-62412420008441270412019-12-14T08:00:00.000-08:002019-12-14T08:00:02.861-08:00PinkFae Archive #54: How to GM Part 9: Handling Player ConflictThis is the final entry in the PinkFae Archives. It is also the final entry in the 'How to GM' series. It was originally published on 18 February 2017.
Player conflict is a problem that all GMs must face at least once in their life. It may result from any number of causes. But regardless of the cause, it can result in a total disintegration of the gaming group. Even if everything else The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-63867102200670721972019-12-07T08:00:00.000-08:002019-12-07T08:00:03.440-08:00PinkFae Archive #53: Board Game Review: Power GridIn this, the penultimate entry from the PinkFae Archives, we have the last board game review I wrote for that site. It was originally published on 11 February 2017.
In my quest to play eighty of the top 100 board games, I have finally been able to play Power Grid. I first heard of this game when I read the Cracked article 6 Board Games that Ruined It for Everyone. That article lists Monopoly The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-83473993530858355372019-11-30T08:00:00.000-08:002019-11-30T08:00:07.867-08:00PinkFae Archive #52: How to GM Part 8: Awarding Experience PointsAs we near the end of the PinkFae Archives, we come to the second to last entry in the 'How to GM' series. This article was originally published on 4 February 2017.
The evening is over, and the game is finished for tonight. Everyone is ready to go home. There's one last thing left to do. It's finally time to award experience points. For some players, this is, in some ways, the entire The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-71272720127146992562019-11-23T08:00:00.000-08:002019-11-23T08:00:02.820-08:00Board Game Review: War Chest
When I went to Geekway to the West back in May, I won a copy of the game War Chest by Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson, published by Alderac Entertainment Group, in the play-to-win drawing. I think the time has come to review that game for you!
The premise behind the game is that a grizzled warrior gives a gift to a young prince to help him prepare to be a great leader in times of war.The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-88842479807771812812019-11-16T08:03:00.000-08:002019-11-16T08:03:32.909-08:00PinkFae Archive #51: Fate Core: An Overview of a Great Roleplaying GameWe are getting closer to the end of the PinkFae archives! After today's entry, there are only three more archives left!
This article was originally published on 28 January 2017.
I've played a lot of roleplaying games in my life. I've talked about some of them here before, like Changeling: The Dreaming. The first I ever played was Marvel Super Heroes from TSR. I've tried the big, well known The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-1609170495838007212019-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:002019-11-09T08:00:04.508-08:00PinkFae Archive #50: Board Game Review: Five Tribes
This week's entry is another one from the PinkFae Archives. It was originally published on 21 January 2017.
A couple of weeks ago, I was looking through the top 100 ranked games on Board Game Geek. I noticed, to my dismay, that I had only played about seventeen of them. That was when I decided I needed to fix that. So I made a new year's resolution for 2017. Before the end of this The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-6064334441157497542019-11-02T08:00:00.000-07:002019-11-02T08:00:12.595-07:00The Power of Good over Evil
I was rereading some of the more recent entries in the archives of The Order of the Stick. I came across the strip in which Durkon was talking about how being 'good' can be just as alluring as being 'evil.' And I found myself thinking about that. I'd like to share my thoughts on that topic with you now, if you don't mind.
Again, I know this isn't strictly game related, but it is sort of The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283454205915744194.post-59884356278461153602019-10-26T08:00:00.000-07:002019-10-26T08:00:07.729-07:00PinkFae Archive #49: How to GM Part 8: The End of a Game SessionToday we have another entry from the PinkFae archives. This article is part of the 'How to GM' series. It was originally posted on 14 January 2017.
The evening is drawing to a close. The session is ending. You're nearing the end of the time allotted for tonight's game. All done, right? Time to say, 'See you next session!' and pack up your stuff and go?
Not quite.
The end of a game session The Game Dorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344889532271080386noreply@blogger.com0