The Atomic Array Podcast

Now it is an odd thing, especially considering my level of gamer joy, love of Internet radio streams, and technocratic initiation, but I have never been one for podcasts. But, that has changed now with the addition of Atomic Array to my iTunes subscription for upload to my iPhone. As of late, whenever I drive, my choice is either my eclectic music tastes or the latest upload from Atomic Array.

First off, I enjoy the hosts and their sense of humor. I mean, not only are they gamers, but Ed Healy and Rone Barton are designers and developers, too. I would go into more detail, but when I think about their ages and my age, as well as their level of varied success....well, it is too early in the day for a double of my fine Glenfiddich single malt.

Although, it is quite good scotch.

But, regardless of my neurosis of the moment, the tone, humor, and obvious joy at doing their gig has made the hosts of Atomic Array an excellent draw. It is quite easy, I think, for a podcast with a good idea and steady guests and subjects to lose their audience simply due to a lackluster ensemble of hosts. Mumbling introverts need not apply, folks, but boisterous blathering folk are damn fine additions to a show.

Not only are the hosts solid, but they are obviously gamers, first and foremost, with an enjoyment for the variance in the industry that lends for an in depth discovery of new games from a trusted source. Another reason for the podcast, as I doubt that they would mark out or shill themselves for a mediocre or bad game, Ed and Rone both come across quite ethical, too. Odd and eccentric, but honest.

Next up are the guests, who are fairly consistently fun to listen to, in that you get a solid presentation on their products, while Ed and Rone ask solid questions, interspersed with humor and mini-skits, such as Cthulhu calling in to ask for tech support. It is the interviews, which are the bulk of the shows, that are the best resource since they give an excellent breadth of coverage of the game topics at hand. Between the hosts and the guests, you should have a solid feel of whether you would like to buy the aforementioned game or not.

In addition to the excellent interviews, you have some segments that I will call editorials, but they are more like focused skits, rants, or raves by either Ed or Rone. These little bits are quite good and offer solid breaks from the normal cadence of the interview.

Last, but certainly not least, are the giveaway and contests that Atomic Array have, which you have to listen to the podcasts, in order to know how to participate, and that is all I am going to say about that. They are cool and fun, I think, and make for some interesting listening, too.

When you think about your gamer life, if you see yourself as more of a widely read gamer, who prefers learning about any and all systems, then Atomic Array is for you. But, if you are a gamer who is loyal to one system or another, maybe more, then Atomic Array is still for you, you just have to pick and choose. 

My advice; subscribe to Atomic Array with whatever podcast device and system you prefer, as I think you could a lot worse than Ed and Rone.

Review of OtherWorld Creations' Strike Force 7 by Caias Ward & Hyrum Savage

Strike Force 7

by 

Caias Ward and R. Hyrum Savage

Published

by

OtherWorld Creations

In effort to maintain full disclosure, the following review is based upon a complimentary copy of the PDF, however this was unsolicited and with no expectation of favoritism. The following is based upon unbiased opinion and review.

In fact, it should be noted that this PDF product was an after-the-fact holiday present that was in response of an article I wrote on my livejournal, which can be found here, where I was waxing nostalgic about a foundation element of my childhood - G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. You see, I was obsessed with G.I. Joe as a boy, I still enjoy the comics and toys today, even the cartoon is a modern guilty pleasure of mine, thus I felt the need to talk about it in my journal.

All of which brings me the OtherWorld Creations product known as Strike Force 7, by Caias Ward and R. Hyrum Savage, which is Spycraft variant and alternate history take on the modern anti-terrorism activities with healthy super heroics similar to popular comics and cartoons, such as G.I. Joe or S.H.I.E.L.D.. Now Spycraft, originally Published by AEG, is a espionage role-playing game using a variant of the d20 rules that is currently in the 2.0 edition of the rules and published by Crafty Games.

As with G.I. Joe and S.H.I.E.L.D., the perspective of Strike Force 7 is very American-centric, even though it is a joint strike force with international elements, but that is also its target audience and they creators hit a fairly solid mark with that choice. Within the 72 pages of this PDF, not only are you treated to an interesting variant on the Spycraft version of d20, but you are also presented with an alternate history for the last 50+ years of American military history, intrigue, and its impact on the foundation of the clandestine military force that was recently brought out into the public light.

Right off the bat, Strike Force 7 starts to put you into the feel for this science fiction/fantasy genre of super heroic military action. Not only the foundation elements of background, who you are and why you are in SF7, but also which "Team" you are a part of, which determines ability variation and bonus feats for your team member. There are five teams total, four of which are overt and a covert fifth team that is a secret from many of those within Strike Force 7. Be it the rank and file of the Military Operations team, the hard hitting Counter-Terrorists, the skilled techies of the IT team, the charismatic Media Relations, or the infamous Furies, you will be much more than an average soldier.

In addition to the Teams, there are also two prestige classes, one that is heroic and one for the villains; they are, respectively, the Strike Force 7 Commando and the Anubis Warrior. Be it the ultimate soldier from a cadre of ultimate soldiers, which would be the SF7 Commando, or the technological tyrant who is the Anubis Warrior, these two prestige classes are not only full of flavor, but interesting crunch, too.

Speaking of Anubis Warrior's, it is time to talk about the enemy against whom Strike Force 7 came out of the ammo bunker to fight publicly, which is Skorpian. As an analog for various enemy and terrorist groups, both in fiction and, to some degree, in reality, Skorpian is themed off of Ancient Egyptian lore and mythos, which adds an excellent cultural feel, as well as trope familiar to comic book fans. Not only is this organization ruthless, but they have been attached to some of the more savage moments in this alternate history's view of media laced terrorist. On a global level, Skorpian terrorizes the world with vicious, focused violence that can slow even the heroic Strike Force 7, thus drawing them to even deeper acts of valor.

All in all, Strike Force 7 is an enjoyable piece that could make for an enjoyable range of super heroic military campaigns or one-shots, be it as the expected character types, the heroes of SF7, or the unexpected, as members of Skorpian. The only thing that could make this comfortably priced PDF, currently discounted at $6.99, down from $10.00, would be for it to have full color on the interior and, perhaps, more internal artwork, specific to the trademark weapons and imagery of the characters. But, that would be more icing on the cake, than it missing sugar in the mix, so it is not too bad of an issue.

Currently you can find this product at RPGNow.com, here, for $6.99.

Review of Rite Publishing's The Living Airship by Soren Keis Thustrup

The Living Airship

by 

Soren Keis Thustrup

Published

by

Rite Publishing

In effort to maintain full disclosure, the following review is based upon a complimentary copy of the PDF, however this was unsolicited and with no expectation of favoritism. The following is based upon unbiased opinion and review.

The Living Airship, by Soren Keis Thustrup, is an adventure for 4-6 player characters, ranging in levels from 7th to 10th, in a campaign that uses Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved. Usable in any setting using the Arcana Evolved ruleset, the Living Airship is easily converted from the Diamond Throne with modest tweaks, be it for your own homebrew or Heroes of the Jade Oath, the in-development setting by Rite Publishing, under the Patronage model. For more information about Rite Publishing and their Patronage projects, visit here and here.

While the concept of the adventure is enjoyable and interesting, where Vallorians steal a faen airship, to twist to their own machinations, the designer and developer, Soren Keis Thustrup, in addition to the normal seeds and plot hooks, adds a personal touch by commenting how the adventure was in his original campaign. While it is not an in-depth walk-through, full of anecdotes, it is a nice touch that gives an interesting feel to the adventure.

In addition to the personal touch, Soren also puts the adventure in a place that seems unusual, as the player character's are seeking a hijacked airship within a far away mountain. With a title like the Living Airship, images of swashbuckling amongst the clouds, instead you are swept deep into a subterranean realm. Using the Vallorians, the reclusive, malevolent race of subterranean masters of living weapons and armor, is a nice twist on the "living" in Living Airship, as the idea of this secretive race, with a hatred for the surface, possessing living airships should scare any party.

Wrapped around the classic trope of a dungeon crawl, the Living Airship challenges the player characters to traverse the subterranean realm, overcome the unusual foes within, in a hope to recover the stolen airship before the villainous Vallorians twist the technology into their own vile means. An enjoyable romp through a classic fantasy event with a new twist, The Living Airship is a welcome adventure for Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved, joining the modest, yet well received, list of adventures for the system.

You can find the Living Airship here, normally listed at $9.99, the adventure is currently on sale for $6.99.

Kobold Quarterly's Behind the Spells

Now, just when I thought Kobold Quarterly had come up with one of the coolest ideas to date, Wolfgang and company comes up with, yet again, something pretty cool and interesting. That something cool is Behind the Spells, which launched its self with Color Spray, and is pretty darn interesting.

Kobold Quarterly is hoping that other gamers are like me, too, with respects to our wonderment at where spells came from and from whom these interesting spells sprung, not to mention the state of mind that helped the creation. While there are memorable spells with the names of their creators attached to them, so well known are these folk that I do not need to mention them, so I will not, but you know of whom I speak.

Maxolt Alberiim, a "human" fighter-mage, walks use through the unknown histories of some tried and true spells, of lore unknown, forgotten, yet we know exists because spells had to have come from somewhere, someone, right? Maxolt, voiced by author Bret Boyd for the color spray article, walks us through not only the history and usage of the tried and true spell, but also strategy and alteration of the spell's focus and effect.

Once again, in my not so humble opinion, Kobold Quarterly has hit it out of the park, again, in an article that is free on their website. While KQ has been a much heralded replacement for Dragon magazine, they are quickly cutting their own path and surpassing the legendary periodical, and well they should.

So, people, go and enjoy Kobold Quarterly's Behind the Spells, I know it is part of my regular habits, now.

Addendum: Tricky Owlbear Publishing is the publisher of the Behind the Spells series, by Bret Boyd, author and company president, as well as the series Behind the Monster. So, not only can you see Behind the Spells articles at Kobold Quarterly, but you can also find the series at Tricky Owlbear Publishing. My apologies for missing this important detail, it was not intentional.

Review of Rite Publishing's Items Evolved: Conflict

Items Evolved: Conflict

by 

Steven D. Russell

Published

by

Rite Publishing

In effort to maintain full disclosure, the following review is based upon a complimentary copy of the PDF, however this was unsolicited and with no expectation of favoritism. The following is based upon unbiased opinion and review.

At the low price of $1.99, this 9-page release, third in the Items Evolved series, introduces us to items of conflict, a common theme to Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved, with which it fits nicely. Conflict gives us 13 items that could easily be dropped into an existing Arcana Evolved campaign, either as an interesting, yet simply reward or as an interesting twist, side quest, or sojourn. Whole sidelines could be designed around each item, adding a depth to a planned adventure, enriching the game play for your players with new items.

Each item has the basic information of cost or cost modifiers, body slots, caster level, and so forth, as well as a flavorful description, but we are also presented with a detail object loresight listing, as well as a source for skill-based checks and difficulty class with specific information attached to it, as well. Be it an article of clothing, a weapon, a piece of jewelry, or stones, precious or otherwise.

If you are looking for more items of note and power, so as to inject a bit of flavor into your campaign, then Rite Publishing's Items Evolved: Conflict is an excellent, low-cost PDF of good quality with interesting items. Overall the quality of the layout of the PDF is good, with the need for errata or corrections low, in fact one of the only issues that was noticed was a missing difficulty class number for lore check on the Belt of the Ghi-Nammor Chrysalis, which is probably a 25, anyhow.

All in all, Items Evolved: Conflict adds an enjoyable flavor to any Arcana Evolved campaign, cutting down on the preparation time for the DM/GM with the interesting object loresight provided for each item, plus the author provides us with an insight into the method for generating the loresightings in the design notes on the credit page. It is well worth the modest price of $1.99, which can be found here.

Paizo's doing it again...

...and I'm not talking about convincing me to spend what little mad money I've got left on their awesome products, but I'm talking about Paizo doing another Open Call for writers to work on some of their products. Although not as complex as RPG Superstar, we're still talking about a potentially awesome opportunity for someone who would love to be a freelance RPG designer and developer, if they're not already one.

Now, I'll admit, I'm a big fan of open calls, as two of my three published credits came from open calls, one from Sword & Sorcery Studios and DragonWing Games (actually, it was Bastion Press, before it's IP was moved to DWG), and I feel that they give the fan, as well as semi-profession and even professional writers, a chance to make a break into the role-playing game industry and follow their passion. Wizards of the Coast even did an open call, with their setting search a few years ago, which gave us Keith Baker and his setting of Eberron, a setting that I enjoy, a lot.

Not only is it an opportunity for the winner of open calls, when they are in a contest form, but there is opportunity for those who participate, if they catch the right person's eye during the contest. It is an excellent way to make a good impression on people in the industry, as they will attach your name to good work, or if you do it badly, well, then there is that bad impression, but the risk is well worth the reward.

So, I wish those of you who look into this open call, or other open calls, all the luck in the world, however I cannot, in good faith, wish that you win, since odds are I'm competing against you. Enjoy yourself, though, and see you on the other side.

D&D Insider - The Character Builder Beta

Okay, first off, as a slight caveat, I know that the Character Builder is in Beta, as well as what it means for software to still be in beta. I've worked in the customer service and information technology industry for over a decade, be it as a customer service technician, corporate help desk, or field services, so I'm familiar with the concept of  beta and its expectations.

Now, with that said, the only real displeasure I found with the D&D Insider Character Builder was the installer, as it was not that user friendly and had a major hanging point with the confirmation of the web install of Microsoft .Net's 3.5 SP 1. It'd just get to the end of what should be a normal install point and hang, seemingly forever, before giving up and telling you that your net connection was the issue. But, after a quick run to Microsoft's .Net website, as well as a download, I just re-installed the Service Pack and all was well.

But, it really shouldn't be that hard, the install package for software is the one thing that a company should always have down pat, since it is one of the more memorable parts of the software experience, when things go wrong, and heavily effects a customer's view of the software, right or wrong. While the Character Builder is a beta software, it is a beta that people are technically paying for, at least with respect for D&D Insider subscribers, so you'd expect the installer to be a bit more tight than it is. However, glitches are to be expected in a beta and, hopefully, Wizards of the Coast are paying attention to this and it'll be fixed, or tightened up, down the line.

We shall see, but now onto the more pleasurable aspect of  this beta, the usage of the Character Builder.

Overall, I'm really enjoying the Character Builder, as it does what it is expected to do and it does it quite well, almost seamlessly. While there are some layout issues with the window, such as it not working well with small displays on laptops that are a bit older and running at a modest desktop size, even on a more modern laptop (convertible to a tablet), the Bug Report link, from the bottom left, is a bit out of sight. But, as said, it is a beta, so these things, more than the installer issue, are expected and should be understandable, so long as they're fixed.

Usage of the character builder is quite impressive, as it walks through a standard character build, step by step, including options from releases outside of the initial core, such as Dragon content and the Forgotten Realms. Also, there is the ability to select a portrait for your character from a minor list of art from the core books, but there is the obvious fact that you could add your own images to the gallery, too. One of the biggest "It" factors for me, though, is the finished product of character building, the character sheet.

With the Character Builder, not only do you get a filled our, detailed, and useful character sheet, but it also includes your power cards in what is quite obviously a print out that promotes cutouts. While the install had some issues, the usage of the application, thus far, is going quite smoothly, doesn't seem to have any math issues (that I've noticed, yet), and produces something that a lot of folk have wanted since the release of 4e, which is detailed, printable power cards.

If you're someone who is sitting on the fence, with respect to buying D&D Insider, the Character Builder beta is a good selling point, currently, and would easily be worth a monthly subscription to check it out, if not a full year. One good thing to think of, too, when it comes to the DDI, is that the subscription pays for further development and features. Now, all WotC needs to do, is tighten up that install so that folks don't have to need customer service and tech support without even getting the software installed.