Sunday 11 April 2021

Newsround 4th to 10th April

My weekly roundup of news and what I found on the internet. 

Goodman Games Acquires Dark Tower from Judges Guild

Dark Tower Judges Guild Supplement
Dark Tower Judges Guild
 
Dark Tower is probably the most beloved of the Judges Guild supplements originally published back in the dawn of time (1980).  Considered to be a mega dungeon masterpiece it was re-released back in 2007 and original copies command a high price on eBay.  

Thankfully Goodman Games and Judges Guild have done a deal which could see this iconic scenario coming back in a ready to play format with revisions for both Dungeons & Dragons 5e or Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC).

According to Goodman Games, the new version will be targeted at PC levels 8 to 12 and will include a whole bunch of new material designed to extend this module into a mini campaign.

This is definitely going on my wishlist and something I would love to run at Dragons Keep Roleplay Club using my go to fantasy system Castles & Crusades.

The Other Godzilla Movie You Haven't Seen

 
Shin Godzilla (aka Shin Gojira) was released to Japanese aufiences back in 2016 and takes a more traditional approach to the Kaiju movie.  Whilst the movie does include some top notch CGI it chooses to employ the classic man in a rubber suit approach made popular through the TOHO Studio classics of yesteryear.
 
A peculiar movie with lots to say about the geopolitical dominance of the US and it's shared history and ongoing relationship with Japan.  It's hard to make a Japanese movie about Godzilla without touching on the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombings, the miltary occupation and the Self Defence Law of 1954.
 
Shin Gozilla by Francoyovich (Deviantart)
Shin Godzilla by Francoyovich (Deviantart)

This movie focuses on the incompetence of the ficticious Japanese Government and the rigid power hierarchy which neuters decision making.  I have seen criticism of the absolute cavalcade of one line actors whose entire purpose seems to be appear deliver their line and then disappear.  However, it does give a fairly realistic impression that in a state of emergency there would be a lot of beuraucracy and conflict in those types of meeting.

I particularly love the Defence Minister (Kimiko Yo) who is itching to unleash the full destructive power of the SDF like a true hawk.  There are some really great moments in this adaptation of Godzilla which make it truly worth the watch. 

The Man who Made Catan 

 
I've been playing a lot of Catan Universe lately and YouTube did it's thing again where it suggests videos from my search history.  It struck gold this time with a mini documentary about Klaus Teuber, the German dentist who designed Settlers of Catan.

The worldwide success of Catan has made this a family affair with both of Klaus sons now also play full time roles in the company.

HMS Evergiven Gets Stuck in Vital Shipping Canal

Unles you've been hiding under a rock for the last week you will be familiar with the plight of the Golden class container ship the Ever Given which managed to get itself wedged between both banks of the Suez Canal.  This one little incident demonstrated how our modern supply chains are so finely balanced that blocking this one canal can bring about massive economic turmoil.

I had to laugh when I stumbled upon the very creative fantasy version created by Limitron and available in both day and night versions on his Patreon.  

I love a bit of nautical action in my Dungeons & Dragons and this is an encounter map just itching to be used in an upcoming campaign.

HMS Evergiven by Limitron
HMS Evergiven by Limitron

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