Encounters: Shadowrun — Modified Solo Play Rules
In which I codify my homebrew rules for Encounters: Shadowrun, hopefully making the game more satisfying for solo play while adding a fun narrative layer to make it more immersive.
Five Things: December 14, 2023
“Comixology was temporary pain relief, never the cure.” Five Things: December 14, 2023.
Shadowrun Subverted? A First Look at Subversion RPG
Remember the “This is the world liberals want!” meme? Subversion is the game they’d be talking about, and I mean that as high praise. While it has the requisite cyberpunk trappings of economic dystopia and extreme power imbalances, it flips Shadowrun’s integration of fantasy on its head, imagining a world that a) always had magic and fantastic lineages (aka, races), and b) building upon Babylonian mythology as its foundation instead of the usual European inspirations. In Neo Babylon, magic has ruled for eons and technology is trying to level the playing field, disrupting the balance of power while crushing the underprivileged between them. In this world, the cops (Lawjacks) are implicitly a gang.
Into the Shadowrun Rabbit Hole: Character Creation
I’ve had an itch to write something in this ridiculous and ridiculously cool world since I finished Shadowrun Returns a couple of months ago, like I used to for D&D, and have started sketching out my first character’s backstory.
On Shadowrun: Nostalgia for a Game I’ve Never Played
I honestly don’t know how Shadowrun escaped me all these years, but its combination of D&D, The Matrix, and Mission: Impossible is 100% my shit! Imagine: fantasy races, magic, cyberpunk, and elaborate heists sitting atop an intricately fleshed out near-future world that uses the Mayan Long Count calendar and corporate greed as its main pillars. It’s as problematic, corny, and compelling as you’d think — and I’m totally digging it.
OH, SNAP! My Games of the Year for 2022
I’m rarely playing the newest releases so most annual lists don’t often reflect my favorites, but thanks to Game Pass, my 2022 playlist included a broader range of new (and new-to-me) games than usual, including several I probably wouldn’t have played otherwise. After all of the above, it might be surprising that Marvel Snap isn’t at the top of my list, but as much fun as it is, Citizen Sleeper was better in different ways.
How Manga Took Over My Bookshelf — and the World!
Between research for Comics Plus (aka, the day job) and many hours of the wonderful Mangasplaining podcast, I’ve been able to zero in on stories that are most likely to be up my alley without putting too big a dent in my wallet. As a result, manga has become the majority of what I’ve read and enjoyed this year.
Five Things: November 17, 2022
Five things for November 17, 2022. That’s it! That’s the excerpt.
Five Things: August 19, 2021
Five things for August 19, 2021. That’s it! That’s the excerpt.
Five Things: May 13, 2021
Five things for May 13, 2021. That’s it! That’s the excerpt.