Games Blog

Games Blog, including board games, roleplaying games, and video games.

RPG Legends: Warcraft

by

RPG universes are a dime a dozen. There’s more of them out there than anyone would care to count and most are easily forgettable.

Not Warcraft, though.

Since the release of the first game in 1994, Warcraft has been an absolute phenomenon. Now encompassing a handful of video games, over a dozen novels, and even a feature film, it’s a juggernaut in its own right.

It didn’t start out like that, though. It all started with a single game.

Warcraft takes place on the world of Azeroth, a planet home to a handful of races and kingdoms. The main games have concerned Azeroth’s wars against invaders from other worlds, including the warlike orcs and the Demonic Burning Legion.

For nearly twenty-five years, Warcraft has captured the imagination of players around the world. It is one of the few games that has as loyal an audience outside of its country of origin as within. New material is still constantly released and consumed by millions.

This setting is one of the true legends of the role playing world, ranking up there with the settings of Dungeons and Dragons or Vampire: The Masquerade. Taking a moment to look more deeply into the phenomenon will help you to understand why.

Fun Real-time strategy (RTS) Games

by

Video games allow players a chance to take basic gaming concepts and expand them out to their natural conclusions. Gamers have been playing at war from the earliest days of the PC, taking the games they loved on the tabletop and finding new ways to interact with those same mechanics. When it comes to war, the obvious solution was to put pieces in motion. Instead of taking turns, players would be able to guide units while they were in motion. Once games started moving into real time, war games would never be the same.

The real time strategy genre has become more popular over the years, especially now that the internet can connect players from across the world. These games are a combination of strategy and learning, in which players must know must their opponents and the systems of the game. These games require the ability to manage an economy and an army all at once, putting any player’s skills to the test. Even those who play only casually will admit that RTS games require a great deal of brainpower.

Looking at the growth of the RTS genre can be an interesting exercise. Certain concepts start off as novel, then become the norm, and are finally found obsolete. As these games grow, so too do the ways that they are played.

7 Spooky Tabletop RPG Horror Games

by

Horror is a fascinating genre. From books to movies, people have always delved into that which has scared or unnerved them. It should come as no surprise, then, that so many people have sought out role playing games that do the same …

Neverwinter: 3D Action MMORPG

by

Neverwinter is one of the first names that come to mind for PC players who love Dungeons and Dragons games. It’s been around since the early 1990s, giving players a way to interact with the D&D world and one another. It should …

RPG Legends: Conan the Barbarian

by

There are a few characters that take such deep root in the public consciousness that they become part of the background fictional landscape. These characters are so important than those who have never read or saw their adventurers feel familiar with them as a concept. One of these characters is Robert E. Howard’s Conan, a character who has become the byword for barbarian hero throughout the English-speaking world.

Conan started as a character in pulp magazines, but he has become much more. He’s appeared in novels, comic books, and newspaper strips. There have been successful Conan films, video games, and board games. Conan is part of popular culture – and understanding his origins can help fans of fantasy understand how he transitioned from pulp hero into the icon that he is today.

8 Great Tabletop Superhero RPG

by

Looking for Superhero RPG (pen and paper)? We have you covered…

It’s not much of a stretch to say that superheroes are in the midst of a golden age. While comic sales might not be at their all-time highest point, superheroes dominate the movie and television industries. It’s no wonder, then, that people are always on the lookout for ways to feel more like heroes themselves with superhero tabletop games.

One of the most popular ways to have a super-heroic experience has long been in the form of tabletop games. These games allow players to create their own heroes and live out the adventures they have always wanted to experience. Below are just a few of the most influential games in the pen and paper Superhero RPG world. 

Ashes of Creation MMORPG

by

Massively Multiplayer Games Role Playing Games are in a strange space at the moment. While there are a handful of very successful free to play titles, the traditional games are all but dead. With a few notable exceptions like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV, most recent subscription-based games have crashed and burned.

Why? Some would say it is because these games continue to try to follow the leader, never really innovating or differentiating themselves from the pack. One game that seeks to buck that trend, though, is Ashes of Creation. The game has a solid team behind it and looks to change the way that players interact with MMORPGs.

Why Jumanji is LitRPG

by

Is the new Jumanji movie LitRPG? Let’s take a look…

One of the most consistent debates (and in some cases, outright arguments) in the LitRPG community concerns exactly what constitutes a part of the genre. Since there’s not even a mutually agreed upon definition for LitRPG, this means that anything that isn’t explicitly labeled as such tends to be taken on a case by case basis.

While most of the works that are argued about tend to be literary in nature, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other works in other mediums that can qualify. As an example, there’s a very strong argument to be made that Jumanji – both the original film and the upcoming sequel – is a work that falls under the LitRPG banner.

High Fantasy: The Wheel of Time

by

The world of fantasy can easily be divided into high and low. Low fantasy has often been the stuff of popular entertainment – swords and sorcery, realistic worlds and problems therein. High fantasy, though, has always been something special. High fantasy is something higher, something a bit nobler in form.

While the stakes aren’t always higher than those in low fantasy, they are often much grander. There aren’t many books that really give readers the sense of scope that this subgenre calls for, but the few that do really stand out.

While the classic series of high fantasy will always be The Lord of the Rings, there’s one other series that has come close to capturing the same scope and depth as those books. Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series is perhaps the best-known work of modern high fantasy, one that has sadly lived on past the life of its author.

The Wheel of Time incorporates much of what one would expect from a high fantasy experience, but does so in a manner that creates a world that seems quite familiar at the same time. From the books to their various adaptations, the world that has been created is one that has amassed a legion of fans.

Four Hot RPG Games Coming in 2017-2018

by

E3 – the Electronic Entertainment Expo – is over, but we’re still digesting all the news about great new games coming to market. If you didn’t know, E3 is the annual video game conference and show at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This year it was an even bigger event with many game companies showing off their latest offerings. We’re going to have more roundups over the summer about great games coming, but we’re starting with a look at four super-hot RPG titles coming in this year and next. Both 2017 and 2018 are shaping up to be years RPG gamers will love. 

From Total Annihilation to Spring RTS

by

The RTS genre of games isn’t quite dead, but at times it seems like it might be.

Sure, you still have games out there like StarCraft 2 that have a thriving competitive scene, but those games are few and far between.

The audience for RTS games has been cannibalized by Grand Strategy and MOBA games, and it can often feel like it’s never going to come back.

Fortunately, all the games that players used to love haven’t gone anywhere.

Total Annihilation was a huge hit when it released and it has a thriving community even today. Sure, it’s not getting airplay on major networks, but people still love it. Figuring out why people still love this aging game might be the key to bringing back the real time strategy as a genre.

So, what made TA so great? It’s one of those rare games that was greater than the sum of its parts. Those parts were, of course, amazing in their own right as well.

It’s also interesting to watch the progress of Total Annihilation and its eventual evolution. The Spring RTS engine is another one of those key elements that might go a long way towards reviving a once-proud genre.

What’s certain, though, is that Total Annihilation had a huge impact on the gaming world. It’s time that it gets the respect that it deserves.

RPG Legends: Forgotten Realms

by

One of the truly wonderful things about Dungeons and Dragons has always been the amount of choice given to players. Beyond the basic rules, the game’s world really is up to the Dungeon Master and those who play the game. Some people, …

History of City Building Games

by

Have you ever wanted to be in charge of your own city? If you’ve ever been stuck in traffic on a long commute, the thought has probably passed through your mind.

While getting to the point at which you can actually make plans for a large city takes decades of work, you can do all the fun stuff with the right software. City life simulators are a well-regarded part of the PC gaming landscape, and thus continue to release through this day.

While probably not the most popular genre, city simulators are common enough that there’s some real divisions in the fandom. Some players prefer games that prioritize building and management, while others look for design and aesthetics. There’s a huge divide between those who want more realistic sims and those that just want something that’s fun to play. No matter where you stand, though, there’s probably a great simulator out there for you.

More on Pathfinder RPG in 2017

by

We’ve already done one post on Pathfinder RPG recently, but we left out some information about where this game system is headed in the future.

With that in mind, we’ve put together another blog about Pathfinder Online and Pathfinder: Kingmaker CRPG. We think you’re going to be as excited as we are about this news.

Be sure to read our post on the History of Pathfinder RPG to learn more if you’re new to this classic gaming system that’s been around a while now.

Even if you’ve never played Pathfinder RPG before, we think you’re going to enjoy the new information on Pathfinder Online and Pathfinder: Kingmaker CRPG

Wargaming for Wargamers

by

Would you like to play a game? The original War Games movie was scary (yet great), but this article is about the history of wargaming throughout the years. We go all the way back to 1911. Shall we begin?

War can be a fascinating topic. When you step away from the gore and the tremendous loss of life, you get a fairly clear picture of two sides working at odds with one another. Armchair generals the world over can grasp the concepts involved even if they’ve never set foot on a battlefield.

It’s no wonder, then, that wars have become a major part of gaming. Wargaming is one of the most perennially active fields in the gaming world, with games ranging from the simple to the fiendishly complex. These games test the intellect and cunning of anyone who sits down to play.

Epic RPG Zombie Survival Games

by

Zombies have been very much en vogue since the late 2000s. There’s something about the threat of an undead apocalypse that just grabs the imagination. It’s not just the hordes that interest people, but the act of survival. If the zombies came, people simple want to know if they would be able to survive.

Considering that an outbreak of undeath isn’t likely to happen, the next best way to test one’s skill is with games. There have been several games dedicated to zombies, from the realistic simulators to the utterly fantastical. Zombies have become a vital part of the gaming world.

Who is Doctor Who?

by

Doctor Who is one of the longest-lasting science fiction shows in history. Despite a lengthy hiatus, it has managed to engage viewers across the decades. It has a relatively simple concept, yet has accredited a huge universe around what had originally been an educational show for children that wasn’t meant to last more than a few seasons.

Doctor Who has a massive following in both its native Britain and around the world, with dedicated Whovians spreading their love of the show even when it has been off the air. Currently well past its 50th anniversary, Doctor Who is preparing to transition to a fourteenth official doctor. Much of what made the show so impressive, though, surrounded the first eleven doctors.

RPG Legends: Dragonlance

by
Memorable Dragonlance Characters

The early era of Dungeons and Dragons didn’t quite have the unified backstory of today’s games. While the mechanics were all in place, there wasn’t a true world in which players could play. As such, the designers made a series of background …

Overview of the Civilization Game Series

by

Civilization is one of the fundamental games of the PC gaming experience. It’s a game that most players are familiar with, even if they’ve never really sat down to play a game. It’s the game that seems to have seeped into the consciousness of gamers of all stripes. You’d be hard pressed to find even a hardcore FPS fan who hasn’t at least seen a game of Civ in passing.

Civ is the formative game when it comes to the 4X genre and the turn-based strategy genre on the PC. While there have been many games that have sought to copy the formula, none have ever been quite as successful as Civ. Whether players were looking for history, strategy, or just the chance to play a game for years at a time, this series delivered. Seeing where it came from makes it easier to appreciate where Civ is going today.

The Bard’s Tale Universe (1985+)

by
Bard's Tale Video Game

There are certain games that helped to define how computer games would be perceived for decades to come. Some of these games are still in the spotlight, lauded on best-of lists and the subjects of remakes and documentaries.

Other games, however, don’t get quite the same amount of love. One game series that really did revolutionize video games is The Bard’s Tale, an early RPG series. While it shared space with games like Wizardry and Ultima, it never seems to be mentioned in the same breath.

The universe of the game is fantastically constructed, though, extending past video games and into the realm of novels. Let’s dig in, shall we?