Tag Archives: writing

Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader is as fantastic as I expected

I received Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader for free to review for my site. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews or the rest of my content, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

Rogue Trader is the cRPG you should be playing right now. As the newly appointed Rogue Trader for the Imperium, you must brave the uncharted reaches of space, face its terrifying dangers, and make that money in the process. Face off against heretics, fight off bloodthirsty Xenos, and make the choices that will determine your future. Do you have what it takes to survive the grim-dark horrors of the 40k universe?

Owlcat Games has done it again by creating another game you want in your collection. If you enjoy Tabletop Roleplaying games but need that fix off the table, you can’t go wrong with any of the Owlcat Game titles. I love their Pathfinder games, but Rogue Trader has easily become one of my favorites. I love the flavor of the 40K universe, and I prefer the combat system in Rogue Trader. 

Rogue Trader is an amazing-looking game. Warhammer fans will appreciate the amount of effort put into creating such an authentic experience. New fans will be left wanting more. The story is a nice dive into a fantastic universe, and I struggled to pull myself away. Everything from the dialogue, the music, and the gore all worked together to create an atmosphere you’d expect from a game set in the 40k universe. 

The gameplay is where Rogue Trader earns its love and reputation. I love playing TTRPGs, and this game provides the perfect substitute outside my weekly sessions. I love that there are failable skill checks and social interactions. I even love that my attacks can fail. The randomness of the dice rolls makes everything more exciting. Most of all, I enjoyed that I could roleplay my character how I wanted. Want to take charge and treat everyone like the lowly scum they are? Want to be an overzealous devoted follower of the Emperor? The choice is in your hands and the choices you make matter. With the amount of customization and choices available, this game has a good amount of replay value.

The combat is my favorite part of this game. I don’t normally like strategy games, but Rogue Trader does it right. I played on normal difficulty and found it perfect for my skill level, but you can get as hard-core as you want. The mechanics are easy to learn, and combat is engaging enough without becoming complicated. But mostly, I enjoyed watching enemies explode.

My only complaint about the game is that some objectives are hard to see. To avoid this, press the tab to highlight all clickable items on the map. This was never a deal breaker, but it is a cruel reminder that I am getting old. 

I loved everything about Warhammer 40000: Rogue Trader. If you are looking for a new game, check out Rogue Trader. You don’t need to be a Warhammer fan to enjoy this game. The story is pretty straightforward, and the game translates any words you might not know in an easy and convenient format. The only downside is that you’ll want to know more about the universe, but there are a lot of great videos on YouTube to help fill the gaps. Keep in mind that there is a bit of reading and random chance involved if that matters to you. Otherwise, Rogue Trader is a fantastic 40k RPG. You can pick up your copy for $49.99 on Xbox, PlayStation and PC via Steam, GoG, and Epic Games.

Digimon Seekers Chapter 3-12: Raiding the Gateway

I know this is late, but work has been crazy. Make sure you always support the original. If you enjoy this project, please leave me a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. Thank you for reading!


Satsuki’s call sounded serious. Yulin rushes out of the Ryusenji’s lab and makes her way back to the station. The station is a plain glass building with the department’s logo displayed on one side. The words Denrin Police Station are printed clearly over the entrance. There is an eerie calmness that hangs over the station as her boot heels echo off the concrete steps.

Once through the glass doors, Yulin is greeted by the cacophony of chaos that fills the building. Alarms blare around her as she pushes her way through the hurried officers. They stop to greet her respectfully before returning to their panic.

Satsuki hurries to meet her in the middle of it all. She dresses in her casually altered uniform and smiles as she joins the captain’s hurried steps. “Nice of you to join us Captain,” she says playfully.

“What’s going on?” Yulin asks as they enter her office. Only a few cabinets and a big wooden desk fill the office. On her desk, there are a few neat stacks of paperwork and a computer that waits idly. She makes her way to her seat as the door closes behind them. The sounds of the chaos outside become muffled behind the small fogged glass that decorates the door.

“We’re picking up a large-scale Code Cracker activity in the Wall Slums.” Satsuki stands attentively in front of the captain’s desk. She holds onto a tablet.

“How large? “

“Maybe 200 or so.”

“Have they made contact? What do they want? Who’s leading them?”

“I’ll give you a guess,” Satsuki says as she hands her the tablet. Yulin plays the video that had been sitting idle on the screen. The words “Sons of Chaos” appear briefly as the video cuts to a chorus singing.

“I should have known…Fucking Tartarus…” Yulin grumbles. She watches as hundreds of Digimon storm through the slums. One figure catches her eye. “Dorumon?” Yulin gasps.

“We’re headed to the depths!” Tartarus’ voice carries through the madness.

“Dammit Kosuke…” Her voice trails off as she becomes lost in the video. Yulin jolts up suddenly as she is hit with a sudden realization. “They’re going for the Gateway!”

Satsuki nods her head. “It’s a mad dash to the center of the slums. Most of them are bots running simple commands, but there are a few high ranking crackers in the mix to make things…interesteing.”

Yulin slams her fist on her desk and shouts “Dumbass!”

The sudden outburst shakes Satsuki. “I’m sorr..,”

Yulin raises her hand to cut her off. “Not you. Its these dumbass Code Crackers! They’re messing with things they don’t understand.” Yulin becomes visibly frustrated. “Do we have a recon team on the ground?”

“Of course! “I’ll bring them up now.” Satsuki taps a few commands on the tablet. A virtual monitor appears behind her and begins playing footage of the wall slums. “Seasldramon, this is HQ, what’s your status?”

“Copy that. This is Seals leader. It’s a warzone out here. The Code Crackers are clashing with the Gatekeepers.”

“Can you confirm this is a SoC attack?”

“No confirmed SoC units present, but it seems that Slum Digimon are also on the move.”

“What?” Yulin takes a closer look at the footage. She can make out groups of Digimon that Code Crackers hardly use rushing the Gateway.

Yulin raises her Digimon Linker and taps on the screen. “You seeing this Ryudamon?”

Ryudamon’s hologram suddenly appears in the space next to Yulin. “Indeed,” it responds as it watches the video.

“Are they being coerced?” Yulin asks.

“Not all of them. Some of them are helping the humans out of their own accord. Some of those Digimon just want to go home to the other side. There are also Digimon that respect Dorumon and see it as their leader. It wouldn’t be hard for them to rally the slums for their cause.”

Yulin’s eyes widen as she listens to the explanation. “Dammit!” she grumbles as she switches to the emergency channel.

“We have reason to believe that the Sons of Chaos are inciting this attack on the Gateway under the orders of their leader, Tartarus. They are planning to crack the Gateway and gain access to the depths. This will cause irreparable damage to the Digital World should they succeed. We must do everything in our power to stop this attack and bring them to justice. All officers, prepare for immediate dispatch. Equipment type D!”

“Ooo, the new stuff!” A mischievous grin creeps up Sastuki’s face.

“All A Rank units and above, mindlink prior to departure. All Cargodramon, even those in maintaince are to be deployed.” Yulin turns to a giddy-looking Satsuki. “That includes you Satsuki.”

Satsuki stands tall and salutes. “Copy that!” she replies as she hurries out of the office to her desk.

“If anyone sees Tararus out there, contact me immediately. Do not engage!” Yulin sits back at her desk. “You can’t win Kosuke,” she mutters to herself as she engages her Mindlink.


The mountain of debris and junk data that looms over the center of the Wall Slum had become a warzone. Hordes of cyborg-type Digimon flood towards the center, fighting off the swarms of Gatekeepers. The air fills with smoke and explosions. Laughter and playful banter escape from amongst the chaos. To most of the Code Crackers in the Frey, this was just a game.

Hight above the battlefield, in the skeleton of an old rotting building, Marvin watches with a grin. “Magnificent,” he as the glow of explosions lit up the sky.

Dorumon walks up next to Marvin. “Wall Slum mobilization is higher than anticipated.”

“It’s all thanks to Loogamon,” Tartarus replies as he admires the scenes below.

“Can you hear me Eiji? Loogamon?”

“Tartarus?”

“You did good kid. Where are you now?”

“Were still on the subway.”

“We’re almost at the last stop. We’ll take off running from there,” Loogamon adds.

“Move quickly. We have to keep this momentum for this to work.”

“Understood.” Eiji replies.

“Just so you know, the 9th District Digimon will quit when they feel like it.” Loogamon warns.

“That’s fair. We can’t control them all, but there should be enough to get the job done,” Tartarus replies.

“It’s getting hard to hear..chat.”

“Leave your admin channel open. I’ll be in touch,” Koske commands as he ends the call.

“Sir! We have a problem!” A panicked voice reaches through the radio.

“What is it?”

“The DigiPolice!” the voice shouts. A squad of Cargodramon suddenly appear over the concrete horizon of the Wall Slum. “They’re here!”

Character design/illustration illustrator: malo

“It’s about time,” Kosuke says as he watches the incoming Cargodramon. He pets Dorumon on its head. “Thank you for everything.”

“Hm?” Dorumon asks, his eyes glued to the battlefield.

“This is it Dorumon. Are you ready?”

Dorumon nods and points at the Cargodramon. “They’re looking for something.”

Kosuke smiles. “Yeah. Us. Let’s go say hi.”

I’ll see you soon Saya. 

Age of Wonders: Planetfall the Board Game is so much fun

I was sent Age of Wonders: Planetfall for free to review for my site. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall is the best way to get into the resource management genre. The game has cool art, fantastic flavor, and it is easy to pick up. Explore the remains of the Star Unions as you seek dominance over the other factions. Challenge your friends in what will be a memorable game of exploration and conquest.

Players choose from one of the six factions and begin their journey through the different planets. Each planet has new adventures and challenges, but what you gain from them will determine your place in the universe. The game is pretty easy to learn. I recommend you check out the tutorial by Rahdo on YouTube to get started.

How to Play

The Sample Size

I am the only person in my family who plays board games, but I have been slowly convincing people to play with me. My wife doesn’t like anything more complicated than Uno and refused to play Planetfall when she saw all the pieces laid out. My sister is a bit more tolerant. She agreed to play but wasn’t as enthusiastic as me and her boyfriend, even though she ended up winning. Her boyfriend is always ready to play board games. 

The Game

This box is going to look great on any shelf. Fans of the video game will appreciate the art a lot more. I don’t usually keep my boxes because I don’t have space for them, but I’m willing to make an exception. The board and design are cool and easy to read. The cards and their flavor are fantastic. Even if you haven’t played the video game, you’ll appreciate how cool the art is. The pips are wood, which I prefer to plastic.

Impressions

Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a fantastic introduction to the resource management genre. It has enough moving parts to keep things interesting without becoming overwhelming. The setup was fast and easy, and we started almost instantly. I like to explain the rules as we play, but it didn’t take long for everyone to get settled and work towards strategies. 

One of the biggest mistakes I made during my session was ignoring the flavor. It wasn’t until I explained to the table that we were landing on planets and taking over different objectives that they started to get into it. I was amazed at how quickly the conversation turned from being focused on the points to being focused on fighting a certain unit or discovering this landmark because that’s what their commander would do. 

My sister ended up winning, and we were left wanting a rematch. She says she wasn’t trying, but I think deep down she knew what she was doing. We loved the game for its change of pace, ease of play, and flavor. It is going to be a hard sell for people who don’t like board games, but everyone, it makes for a nice change of pace from Monopoly. For my table, Age of Wonders: Planetfall is as complicated as we’ll get, and I don’t mind it. The gameplay offers enough room for strategy, but with options to keep it casual to fit our current level of experience. I’ll continue working on bringing more complicated games to our sessions. 

If you looking for a new sci-fi game, resource management game, or simply love the video game, I recommend you go pick up Age of Wonders: Planetfall. You can pick up your copy from the official Arcane Wonders store for $44.99, or cheaper at Miniature Market ($31.99)

GAP: A Simple and Quick Card Game Staple for Game Night

I was sent the board game GAP for free to review. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

GAP is a quick 2-6 player card game that is easy to learn and teach from our friends over at Arcane Wonders. The goal is to be the first person to get 15/30/70 points by matching the colors on the card. The point goal depends on how of a game you want to play.

The best way to learn the game is through the tutorial video on the official Arcane Wonders’ Youtube.

How To Play

In summary, you have a deck of four colored cards. The goal is to collect the most of a single color. You collect cards based on the numbers on the card you put down. For example if I put down a yellow 9:

You would only pick up the numbers written on the corner, with the biggest taking priority. In this case, you would pick up all the 9s from the middle. If none of these numbers are in the middle, the 9 is added to the pile, and nothing gets added to yours. You repeat this until everyone runs out of cards and tally the scores.

The Game

The game comes in a palm-sized compact box with one multi-color deck. The colors are easily distinguishable, and the shine looks beautiful. The cards do feel a little flimsy and are a little hard to shuffle. While they look nice on the table, I am not confident in their longevity, especially if you play with kids. I recommend using card sleeves.

Sample Size

I am the only one in my family that likes board games. My family agreed to help me with my review but were reluctant. My wife doesn’t like board games, and she’ll check out if it starts to get more complicated than Uno. My sister is a little more accepting, but she also has her limits. Her boyfriend is always down to play anything. 

Impressions

What I loved most about this game is how easy it is to get started. The rules are easy to teach, and the game is easy to understand once you get started. Halfway through our first game, everyone at the table was working on a strategy. By the second game, everyone knew what they were working towards. As simple as this game is, the randomness makes it engaging. My sister had a round where she was consistently working on a stack of blues when one turn forced her to pick up other colors.

Games of GAP only go for about ten minutes, depending on the type of game to play. Ten minutes is perfect, especially if you have people at your table who don’t like board games. Longer games at my table aren’t really an option, so I found this a blessing.

I loved it, and I am happy my family loved it too. If you’re looking for a game to play with your non-gamer buddies, GAP is a fantastic choice. It takes seconds to learn, and it’s fun enough to keep people engaged. GAP goes for $14.99. You can pick GAP up at the official Arcane Wonders’ store or online retailers like Knoble Knight Games.

Extremely Powerful Capybaras: At least it’s cute

I was sent Extremely Powerful Capybaras for free as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please comment, like, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

Extremely Powerful Capybaras is a cute bullet hell roguelike available now on Steam. Players can team up with friends or brave it alone as they defend their village from endless hordes of monsters. Do you have what it takes to become the most powerful capybara on the island?

Players choose from four classes of capybara before queuing up to survive against the horde. Each capybara has a unique weapon to start with. As players level through combat, they unlock access to other weapons and upgrades. The weapons and upgrades are RNG-reliant, but the RNG is fair. The classes did feel unbalanced, but later upgrades helped mitigate that a bit. 

Unfortunately, Extremely Powerful Capybaras aren’t fun. The game runs great and looks adorable, but the gameplay feels slow, even in the crazier stages. I appreciate how much work went into the flavor and creativity of the weapons and upgrades, but they were often more work than they were worth. Maybe the game is better in multiplayer, but even then, there are better party games.

Extremely Powerful Capybaras is cute with some terrific flavor, but it isn’t fun enough to recommend. If you are looking for a bullet hell roguelike, Brotato does it better for cheaper. Otherwise, you can pick up Extremely Powerful Capybaras on Steam for $5.99.

Realm Protector VR: A Unique take on the Tower Defense Genre

I was sent Realm Protector for free as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

Realm Protector is a creative tower defense game for the Meta Quest 2 and above. As a Realm Protector, players build towers to stop hoards of monsters from getting through the portal and wreaking havoc on humanity. Where other games in the genre let you sit back and watch, Realm Protector places players in the towers. Do you have what it takes to keep the realm safe from evil?

Realm Protector’s gimmick is that players can control the towers in a first-person mini-game after building them. While unmanned towers do auto attack, towers controlled by players do more damage. Each tower has a unique quirk for combat. The Ice Tower has a drum mini-game to cast ice spells, which might be a reference to Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Arcane lets players blast away monsters with a minigun, the Flame lets players explode them with fireballs, and the Electric tower lets you shock them with chain lightning gloves. The key to this game is to plan accordingly and switch between towers efficiently. 

I like that each level lets you see the monster’s stats to give players a chance to plan their tower placement. I love that selling towers doesn’t ruin you financially. There is enough strategy involved in this game to keep players engaged, but its interactive mechanics are what sets Realm Protector apart from other games in the genre. That said, the game still feels like a tower defense, and unless you enjoy the genre, it’s going to be a hard sell. You’ll enjoy it for what it is, but whether or not you play it for the long term depends on how much you enjoy the genre. 

I like the game, but I enjoy the genre. I find the repetition soothing, but enjoy the change of pace the game brings to the genre. The art is on the cartoony side, but it shouldn’t matter when it runs fine. I never had issues switching between towers, changing upgrades, or doing combat. The strategy involved is a lot more intense than the art and flavor imply, but manageable even for the most casual of gamers. 

Realm Protector is fine for what is, and for $7, you can’t go wrong. It’s a little short, but again, $7. You can pick up Realm Protector on the official Meta Quest store.

Alien: The Roleplaying Game is getting its newest adveture

Free League Publishing releases their Building Better Worlds module for their award-winning Alien: The Roleplaying Game on January 16th. You can preorder your copy of Building Better Worlds ($46.03) from the official shop today. 

Build Better Worlds is the RPG’s second story module. It promises a new action pact adventure as players explore uncharted loss worlds and face never-before-seen Xenomorphic creatures. The module introduces new gear, ships, and character options to freshen up your next campaign. 

Building Better Worlds is only an expansion. You’ll need to core the rule book in either physical or digital format to play the game. Keep in mind that buying any of the physical copies gives you instant access to the PDF version. You can pick up copies of the Core Rulebook ($54.70), Starter Set ($51.81), or any other expansions on the official Free League Publishing website.

I got an early copy of the book, and it looks amazing. I am always amazed at how full of authentic flavor these movie-themed games always turn out to be. I haven’t had a chance to play this game but will review it as soon as I can. Probably after all my Dragonbane content. Until then, if you’re a fan of the Alien franchise, or simply looking for a horror RPG to bring to your table, you should definitely look into Alien: The Roleplaying Game. Don’t forget to preorder your copy of Building Better Worlds while you’re at it. 

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Rooms of Realities is the best VR Puzzle games you need to play

I was sent Rooms of Realities for free as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. If you’re looking for accessories for your VR headset, like magnetic prescription lenses or a high-quality charging cable, get it at ZyberVR. Use discount code CHURAPE for 15% off. You can also always buy me coffee. 

Rooms of Realities is the escape room VR game you need in your library if you like puzzle games. It is available now on Steam and Meta Quest. It looks great, runs amazingly, and the puzzles are challenging and fun. Rooms of Reality features nine levels of puzzles featuring three themes: a timeless pyramid, a forsaken asylum, and an underwater station. I am partial to the asylum levels because they had such a cool macabre aesthetic. All of the themes are well-designed, and the puzzles are creative. More levels are planned for the future release, and I am excited to see what they come up with. 

This game is one of the best-performing VR games I played in a while. I got a Steam copy and didn’t need a wire to play from my Meta Quest 2. This might change if you play online with other people, but the solo experience is phenomenal. 

The puzzles are designed with multiplayer in mind, so grab your friends for some wholesome puzzle-solving shenanigans. Don’t have friends? There are matchmaking functions, and you can always try looking for a group on Discord. I didn’t have much luck finding people, but I keep strange hours. While some puzzles are easier in groups, there is nothing wrong with playing solo. I never felt like I was at a disadvantage for not having friends to play with.  

I love puzzle games, and Rooms of Reality has become one of my favorites. The puzzles are challenging and well-designed, and I appreciate all the work that went into creating the themes. If you’re looking for a puzzle game in what I consider one of the best VR experiences out there, do yourself a favor and pick up Rooms of Reality. 

You can pick up Rooms of Reality on Steam or the Meta store for $17.99. You can also try the demo on Steam if you need more convincing. 

Lovecraft Classic The Dunwich Horror just got a beautiful update

My full review is up


Free League Publishing has just released a copy of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dunwich Horror, and it looks amazing! The book is illustrated by François Baranger, and the images are terrifyingly beautiful. 

Synopsis

In the remote Massachusetts village of Dunwich, lost in the depths of the inhospitable countryside with its dark, bramble-covered valleys, ancient witch stories live on and strange underground noises sometimes echo beneath the hills topped by mysterious stone circles.

On an isolated farm in the area, the simple-minded Lavinia Whateley gives birth to a child, Wilbur, whose father is unknown. Old Whateley, Lavinia’s father, raises Wilbur with the distrust of the locals, who are frightened by the child’s rapid growth and repulsive face. Rumors of witchcraft have always circulated about old Whateley, and after his death, Wilbur, as an adult, seems determined to increase the ungodly knowledge that was passed to him.

To this end, he travels to Miskatonic University in Arkham to borrow the copy of the sinister Necronomicon that resides in its famous library. Professor Armitage, understanding the malicious intentions of his visitor, refuses to grant his request. Determined to get the book, Wilbur tries to break into the library at night, triggering a series of tragic events…

The Book

The book looks amazing, and I like the concept of bringing classic stories like these into the modern lens in such a cool format. I’ve never read any Lovecraft, but I appreciate the media it has inspired. I’ll be getting my copy over the weekend, and I am excited to start on a journey that I have been putting off for some time now. Stay tuned for that!

You can pick up your special copy of The Dunwich Horror, and other special illustrated versions of classic Lovecraftian stories from the official Free League Publishing site for $33.14 each. I’ll have to get my hands on it first, but this seems like a fantastic addition to the book shelf.

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The Electric State RPG Kickstarter fully funded after only 30 mins!

The Electric State Roleplaying Game Kickstarter campaign just went live, and it was fully funded after only half an hour. That’s a fantastic sign for a beautifully illustrated RPG with an interesting concept. 

The year is 1997, and the world is on the brink of collapse. America faces its second civil war. People find escape through cheap VR headsets but become lost in the Electric State. Set off on an adventure through a war-torn countryside, and occasionally risk becoming lost yourself. The goal of this game isn’t the end but the journey you make. 

The Electric State Roleplaying Game is based on Simon Stålenhag’s art book of the same name. The art is beautiful, and if you are a fan of the art book, the RPG will feature never-before pieces from the same collection. There’s a movie in the works, which I hope is as awesome as this book looks. 

The game uses Free League Publishing’s Year Zero Engine, which I have been enjoying a lot. I love the flavor. What’s not to love about a post-apocalyptic 90’s aesthetic? If you like sci-fi and story-driven adventures, or what promises to be a very pretty rulebook, you’re going to want to look into this Kickstarter. The Kickstarter runs until December 20. People who are back during the first 24 hours of the campaign also get a bonus 216mm x 279mm print of the cover art for display. Backers of the Kickstarter will also get access to an alpha rulebook to get their journey started. 

If you don’t like physical media, the PDF is $24. You’ll get access to everything you need to get started instantly, and any of the early versions as well. 

If you want the book in your library, there are two levels you’ll need to consider. Both come with PDFs and all the stretch goals. $87 gets you the regular book, and $127 gets you a special edition only available to Kickstarter patrons. If you’re a fan of the art book or know this will be your main RPG for a while, there’s nothing wrong with paying a little extra for the special edition book. Whether you back or not, it’s worth at least looking at the project to appreciate its art. 

I’ll be reviewing the game as soon as I get a copy. Stay tuned for that. If you enjoy these updates, make sure you leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.