Way....way back in the day, there were these cool things called Microgames. Not really role-playing games, but also not really minatures games either, they still have a niche in the history of the development of games in this business.
Nostalgia games indeed!
Dwarfstar Games
"The Dwarfstar Games were a line of small-box science fiction and fantasy themed boardgames published in 1981 and 1982 by Heritage USA.
"Reaper Miniatures has graciously granted limited permission for you to download and print six of these games, for your personal use.
"While this site was created in conjunction with permission granted by Reaper Miniatures, this site was not created by Reaper Miniatures and they are not responsible for the content posted here.
"The page devoted to each Dwarfstar game contains the descriptive text from the back of the game box, scans of the front and back of the box, selected quotes regarding the game, links to other websites related to the game, references to vintage magazine articles, and a set of game files for download."
Check these out, and enjoy. Obviously, in order to Download you click on "Download," and then go to the "Index" page. A few hoops to jump through, but worth the effort.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Flame Warriors
A humorous listing of online "archetypes." I am sure that you have encountered at least some of these individuals.
Flame Warriors
Flame Warriors
T.E. Lawrence
I saw a movie about him last night on television (one of Ralph Fiennes' early movies) about his life after Arabia. Great movie, and it made me realize how under-utilized Lawrence is/was as a character in RPGs. Sure, the "notorious" individuals like Crowley becoming gaming cliches, but someone like Lawrence never gets used, despite his importance to Middle Eastern history. Well, here is some information for all of those people running games (or writing them) for that period betweent the World Wars.
T.E. Lawrence
"British archeological scholar, adventurer, military strategist, and the writer of THE SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM (1927), an ambitious work, which combines a detailed account of the Arab revolt against the Turks and the author's own spiritual autobiography. T.E. Lawrence's enigmatic personality still fascinates biographers and his legend has survived many attempts to discredit his achievements. T.E. Lawrence was better known in his lifetime as 'Lawrence of Arabia' because of the dashing role he had in helping Arabs against the Turks during World War I. At 31 Lawrence was an international celebrity but embittered by his country's policy he chose obscurity and died at the age of 46 after a motorcycle accident."
T.E. Lawrence
"British archeological scholar, adventurer, military strategist, and the writer of THE SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM (1927), an ambitious work, which combines a detailed account of the Arab revolt against the Turks and the author's own spiritual autobiography. T.E. Lawrence's enigmatic personality still fascinates biographers and his legend has survived many attempts to discredit his achievements. T.E. Lawrence was better known in his lifetime as 'Lawrence of Arabia' because of the dashing role he had in helping Arabs against the Turks during World War I. At 31 Lawrence was an international celebrity but embittered by his country's policy he chose obscurity and died at the age of 46 after a motorcycle accident."
Friday, March 04, 2005
Gone But Not Forgotten - Dead 80s Pop Stars
Interesting lists...
Gone But Not Forgotten - Dead 80s Pop Stars
"The world of rock and roll never fares well when the Grim Reaper comes calling. In fact, it seems like it does worse! So, curl up in the fetal position in front of your computer with a libation, perhaps a Bloody Mary, and find out how many of our favorite 80's Musicians shook off their mortal coil."
Gone But Not Forgotten - Dead 80s Pop Stars
"The world of rock and roll never fares well when the Grim Reaper comes calling. In fact, it seems like it does worse! So, curl up in the fetal position in front of your computer with a libation, perhaps a Bloody Mary, and find out how many of our favorite 80's Musicians shook off their mortal coil."
"We Are The World" Celebrates 20 Years
Maybe it's not dorky, but I thought that I would throw this up on my blog in light of the Tsunami Relief project PDF that I am working on (currently in editing/layout...hopefully to be done very soon). Actually it was a line from this song that helped me to decide to organize this project, "There comes a time when we all must lend a hand."
Twenty years ago? Wow...I was 17 way back then and I had never heard of the Internet. I'm not sure if Al Gore had invented it yet...yes that is sarcasm.
"We Are The World" Celebrates 20 Years
"This week marks the 20th anniversary of 'We Are the World,' a song that made music history. To commemorate the occasion, a new DVD is being released with behind-the-scenes footage of the recording session."
I would probably buy a copy of this, I always thought that it was a good thing (whether I liked some of the artists or not). It is always good to do something to help others.
Twenty years ago? Wow...I was 17 way back then and I had never heard of the Internet. I'm not sure if Al Gore had invented it yet...yes that is sarcasm.
"We Are The World" Celebrates 20 Years
"This week marks the 20th anniversary of 'We Are the World,' a song that made music history. To commemorate the occasion, a new DVD is being released with behind-the-scenes footage of the recording session."
I would probably buy a copy of this, I always thought that it was a good thing (whether I liked some of the artists or not). It is always good to do something to help others.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Planetary Photojournal
Another good image resource for publishers. This page is a repository of royalty-free images from the Jet Propulsion Lab/NASA archives. Some interesting stuff here.
Planetary Photojournal
Planetary Photojournal
Steve Darlington's Role-Playing Website
This site has some pretty good general articles on role-playing games, as well as being the home of the free Matrix RPG (There Is No Spoon). A site that is well worth checking out.
Steve Darlington
"In 1997, I founded the now infamous internet fanzine Places to Go, People to Be, and worked as editor for it for four years. I have also written many articles for PTGPTB, one of which was published in the now-defunct British RPG magazine Arcane, and nine of which formed the quite well-renowned History of Roleplaying. More recently, I have work appearing in the Eden Studios magazine, Eden Studios Presents and penned one of the settings for the print version of Spectrum Games Studios' Cartoon Action Hour.
"On top of this is a large number of reviews written for RPGNet (email me if you would like me to review your game). Plus some rules for Unisystem and other games I have come up with.
"And my Matrix RPG, There is No Spoon, which is proving very popular, can also be found on the rules page."
Steve Darlington
"In 1997, I founded the now infamous internet fanzine Places to Go, People to Be, and worked as editor for it for four years. I have also written many articles for PTGPTB, one of which was published in the now-defunct British RPG magazine Arcane, and nine of which formed the quite well-renowned History of Roleplaying. More recently, I have work appearing in the Eden Studios magazine, Eden Studios Presents and penned one of the settings for the print version of Spectrum Games Studios' Cartoon Action Hour.
"On top of this is a large number of reviews written for RPGNet (email me if you would like me to review your game). Plus some rules for Unisystem and other games I have come up with.
"And my Matrix RPG, There is No Spoon, which is proving very popular, can also be found on the rules page."
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
QuestWorlds
Interesting announcement from Issaries, Inc. regarding their new generic game. I've never played the new HeroQuest, and I am only familiar with the old RuneQuest because of it sharing the BRP (Basic Role Playing) system with Call of Cthulhu.
QuestWorlds: "Issaries, Inc. is pleased to announce our forthcoming game, QuestWorlds.
QuestWorlds is a poly-genre roleplaying adventure game in which players portray characters from any imaginable genre of fiction. From the seedy alleys of noir detective stories, to the dusty, sun-baked streets of an Old West town at high noon, to the deathly silent cryo-chambers of a ship lost among the stars, QuestWorlds allows you to experience adventure like no other.
QuestWorlds is
* Simple yet sophisticated. One system is used for ALL resolutions, whether mortal combat, intellectual debate, torrid seduction, racing spaceships or horses or giraffes, mercantile bickering, or even (depending on the scale) a worldwide nuclear war.
* Based on the popular HeroQuest roleplaying game, designed by award-winning Robin Laws, and often praised for its cleverness, ease of learning and fun.
* Limitless. Only the players' imaginations limit their options.
* A story and narrative game, not slowed down by cumbersome mechanics.
QuestWorlds has FIVE GAMES IN ONE BOOK. The five games are:
1. Western. Cowboys, indians, cavalry and the Great American Wilderness.
2. Occult. Ghosts, zombies, strange dimensions and dark magical arts.
3. Super Heroes. Zap, bam and pow, with sinister plots to destroy the world.
4. Science Fiction. Aliens, space ships and strange worlds set across the universe.
5. Wuxia. Kung fu, karate and tree-leaping feats in the exotic Orient."
QuestWorlds: "Issaries, Inc. is pleased to announce our forthcoming game, QuestWorlds.
QuestWorlds is a poly-genre roleplaying adventure game in which players portray characters from any imaginable genre of fiction. From the seedy alleys of noir detective stories, to the dusty, sun-baked streets of an Old West town at high noon, to the deathly silent cryo-chambers of a ship lost among the stars, QuestWorlds allows you to experience adventure like no other.
QuestWorlds is
* Simple yet sophisticated. One system is used for ALL resolutions, whether mortal combat, intellectual debate, torrid seduction, racing spaceships or horses or giraffes, mercantile bickering, or even (depending on the scale) a worldwide nuclear war.
* Based on the popular HeroQuest roleplaying game, designed by award-winning Robin Laws, and often praised for its cleverness, ease of learning and fun.
* Limitless. Only the players' imaginations limit their options.
* A story and narrative game, not slowed down by cumbersome mechanics.
QuestWorlds has FIVE GAMES IN ONE BOOK. The five games are:
1. Western. Cowboys, indians, cavalry and the Great American Wilderness.
2. Occult. Ghosts, zombies, strange dimensions and dark magical arts.
3. Super Heroes. Zap, bam and pow, with sinister plots to destroy the world.
4. Science Fiction. Aliens, space ships and strange worlds set across the universe.
5. Wuxia. Kung fu, karate and tree-leaping feats in the exotic Orient."
1000 Monkeys, 1000 Typewriters
I haven't explored this site as much as I would like to, but it seems to be a pretty good resource for people looking for free RPGs. It may have a bit too much of an indie stance for my tastes, but I find most so-called "indie" games to be a bit pretentious and over-intellectualized for my tastes. But that doesn't mean that it wouldn't be a good resource for others.
Free Online RPGs
Free Online RPGs
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)