Two Great Tastes that Taste Great Together

What the hell is this? Awesome, that's what.

So, today's post isn't going to be very long or insightful, 'cause I've got Rogues and Traders to write about. I've got something on my mind though, and that's the time-honored tradition of the mash-up.

Class Warfare or Why I Hate Class/Level Systems

Pass me a fresh character sheet.

I guess I don't really hate class/level systems per se, I just feel like I've, I don't know, outgrown them. See, it seems the older I get, the more inclined I am toward more open ended, customizable gaming experiences. More specifically, what I like is to be able to build characters that meet my character concept without being limited by another game designer's ideas as to what makes a character. I dislike being told what skills or abilities I can or cannot take just because someone thinks that a fighter/warrior/soldier/whatever should have to pay extra for the ability to, say, read.

The Old Ways are the Best Ways

Look at 'dat dragon...

Yes, another two weeks without a post. Yes I know. I know it's bullshit. Even more so that the last time I went on an unannounced two-week hiatus. Anyway, to give you a quick recap, since I got back from GenCon things have been pretty busy here at The Shop. I've had a flurry of rewrites for both Deathwatch and Rogue Trader, another Rogue Trader assignment that I'm not at liberty to discuss, and a bunch of other personal stuff. All of that combined reduced my desire and ability to make post, or even be online at all except in a bidness capacity. But now I'm back, I'm back and I want to talk about the evolution of RPGs through their different editions.

A Day Late and A Dollar Short

I see you, indeed...

So, the wife and I finally got around to seeing Avatar last night. I know, I know. Look, I know, okay? It's just that neither of us can stand going to theaters anymore, unless it's this one. Anyway, so we sit through the whole thing, which is admittedly gorgeous, and afterward as we had our typical post-movie debrief we both came to the same conclusion: "Well, it sure looked pretty." Which, honestly, isn't enough.

Gencon

Man, the costume contest was intense this year*

Okay, here it is finally. Now that I've been able to catch up on sleep and unpack everything that happened, here's my post about GenCon 2010. Let me preface this by saying that this is from my point of view, and I'm just some opinionated smartass with a 'blog. I am, in no way, objective or unbiased and I implore you not to assume in any way that this is real journalism. If I miss stuff here, it's because I missed stuff at GenCon, and I wasn't going to pretend that I was a really real reporter with a fedora and a little card that read "press" in my hatband. So, keeping that in mind and without further ado, here's my report!

Guess What!

You saw that coming, right?

No post for you! Well, no long, drawn-out review of GenCon for you at least. You see, I've got a deadline to meet today, so you'll have to wait 'til tomorrow to hear about how awesome GenCon '10 was. Did I mention it was awesome? It was awesome. I'll probably do it tomorrow, to justify my press credentials if nothing else.

Oh, by the way...

Here's the results of last nights Ennies. Enjoy.