2012 in Review and Some New Years Resolutions

Happy New Year to one and all. 

It's been a while since my last post here and I'd love to say it's because I've been busy creating new and interesting stuff or that my personal life has been one hectic social engagement after another, but I can't.  So in the spirit of New Year I intend to make some changes round here, but first we need to review 2012.

This Blog

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1. Fantastic Locations: Mega City One (1495pv)
2. RPG Mapping Tools Part 1 - Dungeon Maps (1479pv)
3. Links to Free RPG Stuff (1096pv)
4. RPG Mapping Tools Part 2 - Battle Maps (1068)
5. I'm a Chaotic Neutral Human Wizard (887pv)
6. Minions: My OSR take on the One-Hit Wonder (841pv)
7. A-Z of UK RPG in the 80s - D is for Dungeon Floors (725pv)
8. RPG Mapping Tools Part 4 - Planet and Star Maps (725pv)
9. Papercraft Gaming: Sci-Fi Vehicles and Terrain (639pv)
10. A Fresh-ish look at Goblins (637pv)

In 2012 I wrote a total of 45 posts (which is pitiful really), and half that of 2011.  Some of this I put down to the shift in my viewing/posting habits from blogs to Google+, but to be honest I've just been so distracted.  New Years Resolution #1  is to go back to Writing at least 2 posts a week.

Roleplay Geek Publishing 

I managed to publish only 1 additional product this year, bringing the catalogue to a total of 8 products.  In order of popularity these are:

• Item Cards Set 0: Free Sample - 135 downloads   
• Paper Minis - Brain Vine and Fungaloid Lurkers - 87 downloads  
• Item Cards Set 2: Potions - 18 downloads   
• Sci-Fi Scenics - Set 1 - Hover Taxi and Hover Car - 18 downloads   
• Item Cards Set 1: Adventurer's Gear - 17  downloads
• Item Cards Set 3: Animals - 14  downloads
• GM Aids Set 1: Decision Deck - 10  downloads
• Paper Minis - Set 1: Animals - 7  downloads

Therefore New Years Resolution #2 is to get some of the things I've been working on out of the pending tray and into the catalogue.
 
Google+

Has become one of the most important sources of gamer news for me over the last 12 months and I see this continuing for the forseeable future.  The addition of communities has also seen an explosion of new contacts in the last few months and has resulted my eye being off the blogosphere.  New Years Resolution #3 is therefore to get my digital channels into some sort of order. 

Gaming Highlights

This years Dragonmeet was my only convention, and I've never seen it so busy.  I don't know if this marks a resurgence in interest in RPGs in the UK or as a reaction to the current economic slowdown, but you could barely move in the tradehalls.  It did give me the chance to play Fiasco for the first time and I absolutely loved it, rushing straight down to the trade hall to snap up my copy.  A big thanks to Fiasco's designer Jason Morningstar and the rest of the Google+ Fiasco community for making this my RPG of the year. 

I first saw Fiasco on Wil Wheaton's excellent boardgaming web TV show Tabletop which has become de rigueur viewing over the last 12 months.  If you like boardgames and haven't seen the show, you're missing out.  If there are any Game Publisher's listening, you need to help Wil and the Geek & Sundry Team to get this show renewed for another season.  I know it's responsible for me buying and recommending featured games as a result of watching.

More D&D Comicstrip Adverts from the 80s

As I discussed in my earlier post, I've been re-reading 2000AD in anticipation of seeing the new Judge Dredd movie and I uncovered some adverts from the TSR UK days back in the 80s. 

Here are some more comic strip adverts which I've unearthed from 1986 spanning progs 486 to 494. 

Episode 1 - Village of the Dead (Prog 486)

Episode 2 - The Battle (Prog 487)

Episode 3 - The Swamp Creature (Prog 488)

Episode 4 - Into the Tower (Prog 492)

Episode 5 - Death and Wizardry (Prog 493)

Episode 6 - The Final Enemy (Prog 494)

Dr. Doom's Mark VI Hoberman Chassis - SPOILER

In episode 3 of the new Ultimate Spider-man series, spidey and the rest of the gang lure what they think is Dr Doom onto the SHIELD Hellicarrier only to discover that it is in fact a Mark VI Hoberman Chassis (aka a Matroyshka Doom Bot).  I particularly liked the foetal position each bot is in as it deploys from its parent bot.

The Mark VI Hoberman Chassis (aka Dr. Doom's Matroyshka Doom Bots)

This is a pretty cool idea for a robot and makes a change from the now clichéd transforming or combining robots.  Despite it's cool factor, it does have it's drawbacks in that a 1ft high Doom Bot doesn't represent much of a challenge for a superhero.

Some creative type should definitely come up with a stat block for this puppy.

Star Shadow - D&D Comic Strip Adverts Circa 1984

Whilst re-reading my old 2000ADs I stumbled across a series of D&D Comic Strips entitled Star Shadow.

Commissioned by TSR UK to advertise the Red-Box basic D&D set, each one page strip charts the continuing adventures of Morwyn Starbrow, an Elven fighter mage, and Matt Greyshadow a Halfling rogue.  The artwork is by Tim Sell and story by Graeme Morris.  Unfortunately there are some gaps in my 2000AD collection and therefore gaps in this series so if anyone has copies of Progs 391 and 392, I'd love to hear from you.

Star Shadow Episode 1 (2000AD, Prog 387) - When The North Wind Blows
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Star Shadow Episode 1 (2000AD, Prog 388) - Footsteps in the Snow
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Star Shadow Episode 3 (2000AD, Prog 389) - The Keep of the Frost Giant
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Star Shadow Episode 4 (2000AD, Prog 390) - The Ice Gem
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Star Shadow Episode 7 (2000AD, Prog 393) - Flotsam and Jetsam
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Star Shadow Episode 8 (2000AD, Prog 394) - Upon the Blasted Heath
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Star Shadow Episode 9 (2000AD, Prog 395) - The Betrayer Unmasked
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Star Shadow Episode 10 (2000AD, Prog 396) - Tomb of the King
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Moviewatch: Grabbers

Grabbers is an Irish monster movie, yes you heard right, an Irish monster movie.  Set on the small island of Erin off the Irish coast which unwittingly becomes the new home of a breed of monstrous aliens after a meteor crash lands in the sea.  Alcoholic local policeman Richard Coyle (Coupling) is the unlikely hero who, with the help of straight-laced mainland policewoman Ruth Bradley (Primeval) and a bunch of sozzled locals, uncovers a series of strange deaths and sets about saving the islanders from an unspeakable tentacled horror.

Grabbers - Movie Poster

Director Jon Wright makes excellent use of the small budge, aided by an ensemble cast including Russell Tovey (Being Human) and Bronagh Gallagher (The Commitments) to create a story which literally sucks you in.  He is of course aided by the fantastically picturesque town of Moville (near Derry) and economic use of a well thought-out and well executed CGI monster.

Essentially an Irish Tremors, Grabbers has its truly funny, if  little stereotypical, moments and there's plenty of shocks.  The monster is also quite scary, in a slimy tentacley way and plenty of craic is thrown in for good measure.