Grom the Enlightened

From the weird archives...a very odd Pathfinder character. I don't even remember what game this was for, or if he was a PC I was going to run or an NPC I was going to subject the party to...anyway, he might make an interesting guest appearance in a Starfinder game. Hmmm.

Grom the Enlightened

Male Awakened Gorilla  level 4 XP 9,000

STR 19 (+4)                      Alignment neutral

DEX 19 (+4)                     AC 19 (+4 hide mail; +1 natural, +4 Dex) FF 15 Touch 14

CON 20 (+5)                    HP 40                 

INT 15 (+2)                      Speed 30           HD 4D8+16

WIS 15 (+2)                     BAB +4   Melee +8 Ranged +8

CHA 8 (-1)                       

SAVES:  Fortitude +9, Reflexes +8, Will +3

Racial Cass Abilities: 2 slams, scent, lowlight vision, dark vision 60 feet, acrobatic and climb racial bonuses

Skills: acrobatics +13, climb +19, perception +9, stealth +11

Languages: common,

Feats: power attack, simple weapon proficiency, martial weapon proficiency, medium armor proficiency

Armor:  Hide armor (+4 AP, +4 max dex)

Weapon: 2 slams (1D4+4 damage, attack +8, crit 20/X2)

Greatclub (1D10+4 damage, Attack +8, 20/X2 crit)

6 bolas (1D4+4 nonlethal damage, Attack +8, Crit 20/X2, range inc. 10 ft)

Equipment: satchel, belt, loincloth

Grom escaped from a mad wizard’s tower and has been slowly discovering his dramatically enhanced abilities ever since. Grom understands common, though he is unable to speak it with any clarity. He learned a simple form of sign language that the wizard taught him, mixed with a few symbols from thieves' cant that a thief whom the wizard had imprisoned also taught him (before the thief was transformed by the wizard). 

Starfinder Campaign Ideas Take 3: Exploring the Conarium Expanse (An expansion on the universe of Enzada)

As I continue to toy around with Starfinder I have worked out one more "starting point" for a setting. This one specifically does not require reinventing anything currently in the game, presumes that somewhere in the galaxy are the Pact Worlds, and keeps everything suitably ambiguous....there's not a lot of assumptions about this universe at this point outside of the basic outline below.

Exploring the Conarium Expanse

Premise: Current year is 8,850 years since the dawn of the era of spacetravel, roughly, but usually called the year 3,200 of the Old Karthan Empire. The Old Karthan Empire could be considered a region of space in the unexplored frontier far from the Pact Worlds (so typically base travel to this region is at least 5D6 days).

The Conarium Expanse

The Conarium Expanse is a region of space in the Frontier of the Galactic Rim (the Vast in Pact Worlds terms). Its dominant human controlled system is the Enkannu system, which was the first colonized world in this expanse.

The Conarium Expanse was first found by human scouts and settlers approximately 1,100 years ago, but little headway was made due to the dangerous nature of local uncharted space and hostile local species. Enkannu is the heart of the human center of trade and commerce, providing a support network to roughly one hundred colonies, but the expanse has over three thousand unexplored or contested worlds.

Rumor is that those who dwell too long in the Conarium Expanse develop a form of enlightenment, a “third eye,” followed by a revelation of madness. This is where the name comes from. In truth, few regard this as a risk, but claim that the closer you get to the center of the expanse, dominated by a dense cluster of suns claimed by the Dominion, the likelier you are to “go strange” while traveling in the Drift.

Long cut off from the rest of humanity save for some treacherous trade routes, few have adopted the old ways of worship. Other gods rose to prominent belief in the Conarium Expanse, and include Pegara, the old goddess of luck who was worshipped by the first explorers in the region. There is also Samathros, the god of well being, Tythor who is the god of conflict and Deremondre, the goddess of technomagic. Kayhindrel, an obscure nonhuman deity of travelers has long been adopted in this region as well. Golgothra, the Ysoki deity of wealth and abundance, is also incidentally popular among those seeking wealth.

Stories exist of even older, darker alien gods. There are five old Star Gods as well that are said to exist in the void beyond the Outer Rim, but are believed to have long ago destroyed the forgotten cradle of human civilization once called Enzada.

The Old Karthan Empire and the Orion Expanse

The Old Karthan Empire is located in the Orion Expanse, which is located some distance away. Between Conarium Expanse and the Orion Expanse is the Serpentine Nebula in the Ophidian Expanse. Here lie the star kingdoms of the Vesk, who conquered this region thirteen centuries ago, splitting the Karthan Empire in half. The part that is located in the Galactic Rim includes the Conarium Expanse.

The Drift, the mechanism of star travel is considered semi-divine, and the nature of technomancy and the solarians is a given. The origins of these powers is lost to time, but many religions and strange beliefs have risen on dozens of worlds as a result. The most noteworthy is the Church of the Techno Union, which is the official religion of the Old Karthan Empire. The Techno Union espouses the belief in the First Sun, which they consider a monotheistic deity of creation, and believe the source of all magic and power in the universe.

The Old Karthan Empire is called such because after the sundering by the Vesk, dozens of smaller regional powers grew up in single worlds, systems and clusters. Only the Conarium Expanse lacks any true central authority, due primarily to the threat of the Outer Rim races such as the Drow and the elder beings called the Deh Nohlo of the Dominion. The existence of the Nether is also strong in this region, with light-year long nebulae bleeding the abyssal nether into realspace from the Drift. Periodically an empowered noble of the Karthan Empire seeks to gain power and prestige by finding a new, safer passage to the Outer Rim and to then conquer the colonials in the region.

One such noble, Duke Kalas Atrophion has recently established a beachhead on Sorovas, the closest world in the Karapath Expanse edgeward along the Conarium Expanse. There he is now exploring the uncontrolled region to seek control, even as his private army conquers the local planets of the Karapath Expanse in the name of the empire. His eyes are set on Conarium Expanse though, and it is believed that he thinks there is hidden power there kept by the Dominion which he seeks for himself.

Notes:

Some core conceits of this setting:

1. "standard" or classic fantasy race options exist, but are not really indigenous to any region discussed (Old Karthan Empire or Conarium Expanse). So they can be viable PCs but I won't have to worry about imagining ancient galactic star empires of elves, which seems to be the trigger for my anachronistic meltdowns. In fact in this universe I kind of like the idea that elves may only come from the Pact Worlds, or be a relic race that doesn't take well to technology and space so are exceedingly rare as a result. Only drow seem to thrive.

2. The Conarium Expanse is the "frontier of the frontier" and seems like a good way to put the PCs in a SF/fantasy setting with lots of potential for limited tech resources and difficulty escaping to safe planets in a pinch.

3. I'm fully embracing the idea that there are ancient star gods. I am implying this is the same galaxy that Enzada exists in, which is fine with me because A: Enzada was built from ground up to be a Pathfinder campaign originally, and B: the underyling plots of that fantasy setting strongly imply that it's been meddled with by ancient aliens, star gods and a supreme AI who is responsible for the creation of most deities. It allows for possible cross-over with a campaign setting that embraced the underlying fantasy/sci fi principles behind Pathfinder and now Starfinder, so requires no shoe-horning.

4. Why are Deh Nohlo fully statted out in Starfinder but Neh-Thagglu are only referenced? I love the brain collectors and need to convert them ASAP!

Anyway, I'm planning the next game for Starfinder to happen soon. I am also starting a "family night" of gaming using Starfinder. It will help my wife and I teach our son how to game in a tight group with the infinite patience of parents...heh....

Music - Three Albums To Listen To - Dead Planet by Eat Static, Balle by Yullipe, and Tamoanchan by El Buho

One thing I want to do with this blog in 2018 is to explode it a bit. I can only write about games so much, but I also happen to love music, archaeology, astronomy and other stuff such as good books. I won't ever dive into politics -the blog is my happy space!- but I'd love to write about these other interests more, and how they might also bend around gaming. Music, for example, is excellent for background noise during games. Indeed, I used to do this more often on the blog a few years ago....

I'm a huge fan of Bandcamp, which is a fantastic resource for finding and supporting a bewildering variety of musicians on the world scene. Over the last couple years I've discovered some really incredible gems at Bandcamp, and thought I'd share them with you.

Fair warning: I love music, but I'm eclectic in my tastes and I'm not much of a critic, so if you want to read the almost poetic and nuanced reviews of music available elsewhere....well, head on over to elsewhere and get that! I'll just be using my plain language attempt to convey what is so cool about this stuff, while linking you to it since listening to the actual music at Bandcamp is so easy, anyway.

First up, the album I love the most and have listened to almost more than anything in the last two years or so...

Dead Planet by Eat Static:



The science fiction thematics, the electronic conveyance of lost worlds and strange stars, the general sense of the otherworldly are all embedded deep in this music.

Next up is Tamoanchan by El Buho.  his is a deep, modern take on traditional Mesoamerican themes, mixed with modern dark tones and content. It's very resonant and excellent mood music.



For something especially different and haunting try Balle by Yullipe, a Japanese artist who marks industrial music such as Nine Inch Nails as well as 90's Japanese theatrical bands (which feel a bit to me like the Japanese version of grunge from that time) as her influence....but listen to her work, it's singularly unique and haunting. An interesting article is here about her and the Japanese music scene, along with the problems of public dance spots in Japan.

Death Bat's Gaming Predictions for 2018

So, I guess I'd be remiss if I didn't make some predictions for 2018, so here they are:

1. Kult: Divinity Lost will finally come out (in PDF, at least)

It may not happen until December, but Helmgast may indeed have something "final" in time for 2018 release. This was a Kickstarter I almost backed, but thanks to my risk-aversion I refrained from actually getting involved (dodged another bullet there). Modiphius is set up to be the publisher for whenever this does arrive, and I did pre-order the PDF for when it's released on a sale for $5, so with any luck we'll see this in some form in 2018. I'm not betting on it, even though I am predicting it!

2. Still no Pathfinder 2.0 in 2018

This is reverse psychology vs. the universe (and Paizo). No Pathfinder 2.0 beta test will be announced or even hinted at in 2018! Nope, not at all. Nothing to see here.

3. Melee, Wizard and/or The Fantasy Trip will Kickstart in a Big Way

Steve Jackson has the rights back to his work on the Melee/Wizard and Into the Labyrinth portions of the original Metagaming RPG which was the precursor to GURPS. Indeed, GURPS exists because back in the day they wouldn't sell it to him for less than a million dollars and now that they are long gone he's patiently been able to win creator rights back to his works. Steve has already suggested a new release with a Kickstarter for a high quality deluxe set of Melee is a possibility, so I expect we'll see that announced and Kickstarted in 2018, with a 2019 release. This one seems like a no-brainer. With any luck we won't have to wait that long for a more generalized "no frills" release....i.e a Melee/Wizard boxed set ala the Car Wars re-release SJG did, for example.

4. A New Marvel RPG will be announced

After Margaret Weis Studios lost the rights to this it's been in limbo, but I will go out on a limb and predict that some large entity (WotC or FFG, for example...or Modiphius) announce the rights to produce a new Marvel Superheroes RPG, possibly with tie-in or visuals to the films. Long shot, but hey....let's have some fun in the predictions here.

On the video game side Marvel is, in fact, working on a new Action RPGs after they released their contract with the makers of Marvel Heroes Omega; which was a good game, at a certain point, but I understand that the publishers/devs were a problem for Marvel to work with for many reasons, and the game lost a lot of fan support after it changed the name to Marvel Heroes Omega.

5. Wizards of the Coast Ramps up Production to Four Books; and Eberron Returns

Right now WotC seems to be releasing two adventure tomes and one rules tome of some sort, and have done so for the last couple years. I predict this year they will add a fourth tome in the form of a setting book which will then tie in to at least one of the adventure books. My bet is on Eberron.

6. Not Gaming, but I Predict The Movie Apocalypse Will Actually Happen in 2018

This video talks about the issue from back in 2016, but points out that Hollywood blockbusters in 2018 will reach and exceed a saturation point. I am inclined to agree, and I think shades of this are evident in 2017's robust and excessive blockbuster release schedule. Hell, I skipped quite a few movies I would otherwise have seen simply because I only have so much free time and cash to actually catch films...and so many I would otherwise have seen had to get repurposed as "wait for Netflix releases" as a result. Anyway, I really do expect 2018 to pan out much as the video suggests, with a lot of Hollywood studios suffering due to the massive over-saturation of the market as a result. Only Disney is likely to weather the storm.

On the plus side, the tendency for theaters today to adopt luxury pre-assigned seating in theaters is a nice trend which makes me more willing to see movies with the comfort of knowing I don't have to wait in lines, so there is that! But I don't think this will save them from financial doom.

7. Video Games will Aim for Different Monetization Schemes in the Wake of EA's Loot Crate Controversy

This year is almost certainly going to see Triple-A publishers try to figure out how to avoid the controversy that EA experienced from the Star Wars: Battlefront II loot crate backlash. I will be wrong here, of course, if all of the controversy is media-driven but behind the scenes gamers continue to happily buy the loot crates, so we'll see....but I genuinely think the crowd has changed on this, and people are tired of seeing content that used to be part of the base-price being hidden behind randomized gambling-like purchases now. Bungie has been criticized for doing this in Destiny 2 (you can ignore the loot crates, but means being forever a guardian wearing dirty browns and greys), and even single player titles like Middle Earth: Shadows of War have been blasted (maybe with less vitriole, though). And of course Actiblizzard is considered the modern trend setter and devil for its Overwatch crates.

Anyway, my expectation is many Triple-A producers will either resort to the safer season pass/DLC packs which gamers seem mostly okay with, or refine the loot crate process to keep it focused on cosmetics.....but really, people still hate this, and it will only go away if that hate transcends internet opinionism and turns in to actual "speaking with my dollars" by not buying. And I have a hard time believing gamers can actually restrain themselves.

8. Still no Fantasy AGE Companion in 2018

I think Green Ronin's interests lie in other directions. I predict we'll see a revised Core rulebook before we see a Companion. We might see a Titansgrave sourcebook, though.

9. Runequest will release

Safe bet here, as it really should. I predict it will be a very cool system, people like me will continue to bitch that it is no longer generic, and we will still have to wait for 2019 or later to see what the new "powered by BRP" systems look like. Alas, Chaosium is just not on board with a good core "all in one" tome anymore.

10. Genesys Core has Legs and Will Grow...A Lot

I really think this system has a lot of potential, and it's clear and explanatory enough to get most gamers over the hump of strange dice. FFG seems to be very reliable on producing new content, and the general buzz out there is extremely positive, so I predict we'll see a lot of product love for Genesys in 2018.

11. Starfinder Will be Make or Break in 2018

People are all over the place on this, with a lot loving it, many being so-so or having issues (such as me) and a few regretting it. The Pact Worlds book will be out in 2018 for sure, and if sales continue briskly for the game, Paizo will announce at least one more hardcover and the start of a second adventure path next year.


Okay, that ought to do it for now!

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year from Camazotz in the House of Night and the rest of the underworld lords in Xibalba!

Death Bat's 2017 Year in Review and Gaming Plans for 2018

2017 In Review

Well, 2017 was a rough year for me for a lot of reasons, and I suffered from a lot of burn-out, I will admit. I have been growing tired of the standard level/class formula of D&D and it's myriad clones. I had some turmoil in gaming throughout the year which, without going in to detail, meant that fewer campaigns were completed with the consistency that I might have desired, and certain friends with whom I might otherwise have enjoyed gaming more with have fallen to the wayside for many and varied reasons. Sometimes, unfortunately, a person may be a great and interesting personality but that can also translate into deep frustration with how they function as a gamer....we'll just leave it like that.

The highlights of the year were getting much more involved with the D100/BRP systems, specifically a long running Call of Cthulhu campaign which remains ongoing, and a short stint with a Mesopotamian Adventures campaign using Mythras. Running Mythras again reminded me that in the end I prefer the simpler combat mechanics of other BRP games, but luckily I have a solution to continue that campaign in 2018: OpenQuest 2, which will be a ridiculously easy conversion thanks to it being built on the RQII OGL Mongoose put out years ago, which is the same framework from which Mythras springs.

I also ran a 13th Age campaign which also concluded in a spectacular and very satisfying manner, and in so doing convinced me very much that 13th Age will remain one of my eternal favorite systems. Ironically I did not feel class/level burnout while running 13th Age.

Also, Traveller this year was a lot of fun! Traveller has some weird limits in its implied universe and tech, and Mongoose failed to deliver on some pivotal supplements (the Companion, especially, or any alien books), but it's a robust system and with the core books out now (Rules, High Guard, Central Supply Catalog and Vehicle Handbook) I essentially have all I really need going forward.

I have, of course, run multiple D&D campaigns this year. But my drive on running these is, I admit, based more on familiarity and ease of the system than any special interest I have in the D&D-style fantasy genre right now. I just haven't felt as excited for my campaigns this year with D&D as I should be, and it's not because I lack interest in the game or worlds...it's just over-saturation, burn-out. I need to give it a break.

The weird dark horse experience of 2017 was Starfinder. By all rights I should not be bothering with this system anymore: it's full of the sort of anachronistic blend of fantasy and SF that drives me nuts, and dovetails nicely with other games such as Shadowrun and Rifts, games which I like in principle but don't run in fact because as a GM I personally have a hard time sustaining my suspension of disbelief when running them. But...damnit,  I keep thinking about Starfinder and what I can do with it. Even while being annoyed with the anachronisms and the Very Big Questions of how the frickin' universe functions while running my test games on Starfinder I was still enjoying it. Every time I finish working out a new idea for it I am reminded that I would, in fact, prefer exploring real SF....but Starfinder just has a demented, fun simplicity to it that I keep getting trapped by. Grrrrr.

Plans for 2018

So what's up for 2018? I'm going to try very hard to be more considerate of my own time and my players' by staying more focused and avoiding so much bouncing around. Some of this can be accomplished by actually....you know, playing games I have genuine interest in and not buying so many other games that end up as distractions. For 2018 this means the following:

More Call of Cthulhu

And lots of it. I want to continue the ongoing Weird Oregon Campaign, and then I want to tie that in to an old west campaign using Down Darker Trails, and maybe later in the year see if people are interested in a Cold War era campaign as well. All of them will relate to one another.

Mesopotamian Adventures powered by OpenQuest 2

I really like OQ2. It takes the strengths of the BRP/RQII systems and turns them in to a perfect package for gaming. I want to use this to continue the ancient Ubaid campaign I am running, set in Eridu around 3,100-2,900 BC which I feel has between 6-10 sessions of play left in it, and then expand from there if the group interest continues. If I find myself sufficiently enamored with OQ2 after that, then it may be the ideal solution to running my long-planned but often put off Pergerron campaign (a sort of high-fantasy ancient Mesopotamia), or maybe Sarvaelen (the dark fantasy setting).

Genesys Core 

I need to try this one out. It's a great system, very flexible, and it hits a lot of my requisite bells and whistles. Just not sure how, yet, to use it....but we will see!

More Traveller

Everyone in my group likes Traveller, and I have plenty of content ready. The only question is....where to fit it in?

Starfinder

Look, I am very confused about this game, but I admit I love it like I love fatty foods and sugary products that I am not allowed to eat. I don't think I'll get this monkey off my back until I actually run it with serious intent. If the group is willing, I will propose an actual Starfinder campaign, in some capacity, in 2018...probably doing a new location/universe, but one which still ties in to all the Pact World thematics to make compatibility with existing content easier.

Okay so the above all seem likely to happen right now, safe bets for sure. So how about the rest?

A New 13th Age Campaign

I'd really love to do another 10-15 session 13th Age story arc sometime this year. What world I'd set it in and other details remain up in the air, and it's sufficiently unplanned that it won't happen right away, but I think for what I need out of level/class style D&D systems right now 13th Age is it.

Less D&D

As much as I continue to love D&D, I've played it to death in it's many iterations for the last 36 years now and I think I need to give myself some sort of a break (barring 13th Age) in 2018. If I can actually stop running it entirely for a few months, it might help me to reinvigorate interest. I haven't really taken a break from running D&D weekly since like...um....1996 or so! Seriously. I think I went 3 months without a D&D game in 2005 as well. Dang, no wonder I feel burnt out.
(Three days in to the new year and it's already clear that this ain't gonna happen. D&D, I can't quit you! I just enjoy it too much.)

Cold & Dark Campaign

I am really eager to actually run this. Cold & Dark is exactly the sort of dark, horror-themed SF I love and the die-pool mechanic of the system sounds solid to me. I'll run this just as soon as I can convince my group to try it. Assuming I can find a spot to fit it in!

Wishlist: Symbaroum, Conan RPG, Adventures in Middle Earth

I'd love to play all three of the above, but finding the time to plot this out is the problem, never mind finding the time to actually play! For now I'll continue to collect and read each of these systems, but who knows, maybe inspiration will strike right when time is free in 2018. There are other games in this boat which I'd love to run, but it turns out I have a hard time "absorbing" 600-700 page rulebooks: Zweihander and Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea, I am looking at you! Both are "on the list" but damn, I actually think I'd have preferred if each of these tomes were broken up in to 2 or 3 volumes....the psychological impact of one massive book vs. three volumes is a terror to my brain.

That's it for now....everyone have a great New Year!

Death Bat's Top 5 RPGs of 2017

2017 was a flood year for new RPGs, as well as the year in which many big Kickstarters finally saw fruition. Here's my list, as best as I can manage it....too many games this year to ever play!!!

5. Best New Fantasy RPG of 2017: Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of

This game is gorgeous, the character generation mechanics are impressive and provide an elaborate character for you to play, it has loads of support on the way, and the entire game is a very smartly designed tribute to Robert E. Howard's character and world. Even if I never get to play the game I am very much enjoying reading it. Modiphius is doing very good work here.

Runner Up: Zweihander RPG, the OSR retroclone of classic Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. It's a beast of a tome and the most comprehensive new RPG I bought in 2017.

4. Best Universal RPG System of 2017: Genesys Core RPG

The funny-dice system by Fantasy Flight Games which previously powered the Star Wars RPGs is an amazing design and despite a toolkit approach is really accessible and easy to work with. I definitely look forward to trying this game out in  depth in 2018.

Runner Up: FATE Core Adversary Toolkit is a great resource for FATE GMs who would like more tools for building opponents.

3. Best Comeback: GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Boxed Set

The GURPS Kickstarter for Dungeon Fantasy bore delightful fruit, in the form of a meaty boxed set, Companion book, GM Screen and pretty much everything you need to stealthfully teach your players GURPS without them realizing it. DF demonstrated beyond a doubt that GURPS has a bright future, especially in the form of focused "all in one" titles.

Runner Up: Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea 2nd edition released in 2017 and this monstrous tome is a fantastic package and easy way to introduce your players to a dark, alternate-reality swords & sorcery themed version of AD&D 1E.

2. Best Sourcebook: Xanathar's Guide to Everything for Dungeons & Dragons

This was a much needed sourcebook for the D&D 5th edition system, with content split between useful new class options for players and tons of delightful DM content. And not a moment too soon! Everything in this book has already proven invaluable to my gaming table. More like this WotC, please!

Runner Up: World War Cthulhu: Cold War is already one of my favorite tomes of this year even though I've only had a few days to read it. Check it out for a great in-depth take on Cold War spying, Mythos style.

1. Best New Science Fiction RPG of 2017: Cold & Dark RPG

This deep delve in to the dark and horrific blend of science fiction and horror provides a fantastic experience, one which I have many plans for in 2018. Excellent art, a robust setting with plenty of details to customize and make it your own, and an excellent all-in-one book design makes this one of my favorite RPGs of 2018. Thanks again to Modiphius for bringing this amazing game to print.

Runner Up: this was a tough choice, as a lot of SF RPGs were released in 2017. In the end, I had to go with Starfinder, even though it's arguably "science fantasy" and not straight SF. That said, it's streamlined Pathfinder rules, excellent focus and design and beautiful art make it a very distinguished game and one I suspect a lot of people (including myself) will be playing more of in 2018.

0. Game of the Year Award: Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of

I was very tempted to give this to Dungeon Fantasy, which gets runner-up, but the Conan RPG is really a masterpiece, and easily one of the nicest designs and most carefully developed books I've seen. Even if you never play it, this book remains worth owning for any fan of Howard or sword & sorcery in general.

Runner Up: Dungeon Fantasy Boxed Set is an amazing all-in-one purchase and an excellent gateway drug to GURPS proper. Even if you never touch another GURPS product, Dungeon Fantasy will serve you all on its own just fine, though.

Honorable Mention: Star Trek Adventures RPG is, like all other games produced by Modiphius, pure gold. Alas, I have found myself having a hard time "returning" to the Star Trek universe once more after all these years and so it has been neglected.

Stars Without Number Revised is Here

I just spotted this: Stars Without Number Revised Edition is in the wild. You can get the free download here, and then go over here to buy a copy. No doubt Kickstarter backers have already been notified.

I'll be perfectly honest with you, this is one of the best "inspired by" retroclones on the market, possibly the best. It's an elaborate, deep science fiction RPG, and the revised edition is something I've been waiting very patiently for. I couldn't back the Kickstarter (purely for financial reasons; Kevin Crawford is 100% reliable and guaranteed to produce fantastic works) but I knew he'd have this out on time...or early!

Anyway, check it out....for the low price of free you can see what an amazing product this revised edition is. I'm going to have to save up for the premium hard cover edition!

Death Bat's Top 5 Computer Games of 2017

Here it is! As the year come to a close, once again we review the year. I didn't get as much game time in this year as I'd have liked, but still somehow managed to squeeze some good ones in. So without further delay....

5. Game We Love to Hate to Love: Star Wars Battlefront II

Despite the negative press due to the ridiculous Loot Box issue spurred on by EA's bottomless pit of greed, Battlefront II remains a fun game to play and has a fantastic single player campaign. It contains split-screen co-op and competitive as well, which means my son and I can have fun together. It's the best Star Wars video game experience you can get right now. Despite the loot box controversy. Just....don't buy the loot boxes, m'kay? They turned that option off for now, but the consensus is that EA will retool it and turn it back on as soon as they think no one is looking.

Runner Up: Call of Duty WWII. Impressive multiplayer and a painful single player experience!

4. Best MMORPG Expansion: Morrowind for The Elder Scrolls Online

This robust entry into the DLC content for TESO was well worth exploring and added many hours of additional story-based content to what is arguably the only significant remaining innovative MMORPG on the market right now, in a market that is growing cobwebs otherwise.

Runner Up: Ummmm. Yeah.....I haven't bought any other new expansions for any MMOs this year.

3. Best new RPG+++: NIER: Automata

Look, Nier: Automata is a lot more than just an RPG, and it's also a lot more than just a JRPG. If you are a traditional RPG gamer with poor motor control skills this game is going to suck in many ways, but if you want to see how an RPG can genre-bend into a pretzel and remain a powerful RPG at the same time, then you really need to try N:A out. It's worth the experience, trust me.

Runner Up: Star Ocean: Faithlessness and Integrity, which actually came out in 2016 but I only just discovered it so....yeah. But a ton of fun!

2. Best new Shooter: Destiny 2

I loved the first Destiny and am very much enjoying the continuing story and evolving world of Destiny 2. I don't know if I can talk much about this game as a multiplayer experience, since I approach Destiny 2 like a single-player story-driven shooter experience, but if you play it that way then the game will be amazing....and anything else will just be a happy side perk.

Runner Up: Prey, which was also well worth getting for those who prefer single-player story driven experiences.

1. Best Adventure Game and Overall Game of the Year: Horizon: Zero Dawn

Alas this is only available on the PS4, but it's a good enough reason to actually buy a PS4 if you don't have one. Horizon: Zero Dawn is a better post-apocalyptic experience than you will find in just about any other RPG, as well as providing a distinct blend of open-world and story driven experience that does not get tiring with repetition and manages to impart a sense of urgency even as it tickles your need to explore in random directions. Best game I have played this year, hands down. A new expansion (The Frozen Wilds) recently released as well, and I have much more to play in this game.

Runner Up: Ghost Recon: Wildlands. This game has kept me playing in the post-apocalyptic wilds of Bolivia for months now and while it can get repetitive at times, the game does play best when you pay attention and strive for perfection.

Reviewing the 2017 Gaming Predictions

Back in December 29 of last year I made some gaming predictions/analysis about where things ought to go for 2017....so how did it stack up?

1. A Companion Book for Fantasy AGE

--NOPE!!!

As it turns out, Green Ronin got Blue Rose out this year, announced a Modern AGE (though that will probably not come out until sometime in 2018) and that was about it.

2. WotC Releases a Player's Tome for D&D 5E

--YEP!!!!

Sure enough, the did it: Xanathar's Tome is also for DMs, but contains plenty of new archetypes for players, new background details, and loads of little bits that D&D 5E needed. I wish they'd do this every year, but understand that the game's focus is on less splat...so maybe 2018 will give us a new monster book, instead.

3. Starfinder support for straight SF

--NOPE!!!!

Starfinder is fun, but it's pure fantasy space opera of the Nth order. I still contend it needed to be a broader toolkit, but for what it does set out to do, it does very well. So I suppose this is a wash. Given how saturated the market has become with SF game options, though, I would suggest that Starfinder probably is doing fine by distinguishing itself with its fantasy-based Pact Worlds universe and this was probably a smarter move on their part than directly competing with Star Wars, Star Trek, FrontierSpace, a re-release of Star Frontiers in POD, Traveller, Coriolis, and probably two dozen others I haven't mentioned, never mind all the generic systems with SF support. So yeah.

4. Swords & Wizardry goes mainstream

--NOPE!!!

The new edition came out but it doesn't appear to have changed S&W's saturation in the market. If anything the OSR seems to be dominated by the more innovative titles which are better described as "inspired by" as well as a slew of weird "we are going to repurpose the fuck out of B/X D&D" releases on rpgnow that are all over the place. So no mainstream OSR title.

5. GURPS Returns

--YEP!!!

Hell yeah it did. Dungeon Fantasy has re-energized GURPS, and then Steve Jackson Games got GURPS on to rpgnow which was a bold decision on their part, but brings it back in to the "view" of most gamers who don't frequent e23. They are looking to a future of new stand-alone, Kickstarter-funder releases similar to Dungeon Fantasy, and lastly Steve Jackson also regained control of his content for The Fantasy Trip, which was GURPS's predecessor, which based on his comments on the GURPS forums he plans to re-release as-is, meaning a very "lite" version of the system which inspired GURPS will be available again soon.

SJG could move too slowly on future plans, but for 2017 at least GURPS got some much needed love and attention.

6. Pathfinder 2.0 

--NOPE!!!

They could be quietly working on this, but they didn't announce it. There are lots of streamlined design decisions in Starfinder, but I feel many of those are designed to suit the space fantasy laser gun elements of the setting and may not be so ideal for straight fantasy gaming. There's a planned release schedule that suggests no 2.0 announcement for 2018, either....and judging from the diehard dislike of the Wilderness Adventures book's shifter class, the Pathfinder core will not be happy with anything that isn't fully public in playtest, so I suspect no 2.0 is in the works right now, or the foreseeable future.

So...2 out of 6! About par for the course with any good fortune teller, in other words....