For me, Dr. Who begins and ends with Tom Baker. “But I like David Tennant.” Be quiet, adults are speaking! As I was saying, the fourth doctor is the longest running, and most recognizable doctor and has long been a fan favorite, so when I saw a commercial for Tom Baker on the big screen I felt the need to share it with you. Prior to the showing of Deadpool 2, AMC ran a commercial for a classic Dr. Who episode to be played in AMC theaters this summer. From AMC’s website:
In celebration of the upcoming Blu-ray release of Tom Baker’s complete first season in Doctor Who, audiences will be treated to a special cinema length Director’s Cut of one of the most popular of all Doctor Who stories, ‘Genesis of the Daleks’! The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and his companions, Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan, are transported thousands of years into the past to the ancient planet Skaro where they are given a mission from the Time Lords to prevent the evil scientist Davros from introducing to the universe the most destructive race of killing machines ever created, the Daleks! The event also features a first look at ‘In Conversation with Tom Baker’ a newly recorded interview with the Fourth Doctor himself!
See Genesis of the Daleks at AMC Theaters on Jun 11th, and Tom Baker’s First Season on Blu-tay now.
The Aliens – Lady Proxima (Linda Hunt), Moloch (Andrew Jack), and Rio Durant (Jon Favreau) look so realistic.
The Star Destroyers – There is a quick shot of the ships being built on Corellia and it really shows the scale
The Shower Scene – I won’t ruin it, but it is spicy.
Clone Wars – There is content from the Clone Wars cartoon included in the film.
Gender Equality – Solo has several strong female roles without being heavy-handed and obvious like in the Last Jedi where every male character has to be ineffectual and useless. In Solo it is a given that men and women are equally capable of being badasses, as it should be.
The Badass
Cast – This movie is perfectly cast. Honestly there isn’t a bad performance. Donald Glover KILLS it as Lando, and Woody Harrelson make a great scoundrel mentor. Everyone plays their role to perfection.
The Falcon – She is glorious as you knew she would be. There is no retcons to worry about, she is the YT-1300 you know and love.
Thermal Detonator – Click!
Chewie – Our first look at Chewie is scary. They always say Wookies are tough and violent, but you’ve never really seen it until now.
The Look – The CGI is seamless. I am not a fan of CGI, but it really well done in Solo. The movie is stunning to watch.
The Cameo – The keep this spoiler free, I can’t say much, but suffice it to say there is a surprise cameo that could mean big things for a future Star Wars film. It surprised the hell out of me.
The Ugly
L3-37 – I probably am alone here, because the character was funny and well voice-acted by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, but the free-willed, sassy droid is becoming (or has already become) old hat following so closely after Rogue One’s K-2SO. If every movie has a free-willed droid, they cease to be meaningful and rare.
Hell – This is a small gripe, but Han says “hell” a lot, which seems like lazy writing, there would be no hell in the Star Wars universe and the anachronism bugs me; not from any religious standpoint, just that the word wouldn’t be in their lexicon. It would be like if Lando said, what happens in Vegas, stay in Vegas.
I’m having trouble finding bad things to say. It was a solid movie.
In summary
I thought Solo was fun. Not as dark or serious as Rogue, but a light scoundrel adventure. It is beautiful, and perfectly cast. There are seeds for possible sequels, but the movie isn’t just a set up to something.
Went out last night to see Deadpool 2 and here, in B3 tradition, is the good, the badass, and the ugly.
The Good
Cable – I thought it would be weird having Josh Brolin in another Marvel role so soon after Infinity Wars, but it wasn’t weird at all. Brolin is a top-notch talent.
Blind Al – Leslie Uggams doesn’t get much screen time in DP2, but what time she has is gold.
Alpha Flight – Was that a hint towards an AF movie in the works or just a tip of the hat to Canadian supers?
The Badass
It’s Funny – The jokes are good, not as good as DP1, but Ryan Reynolds was squeezed onto this Earth to play this role.
Dopinder – Karan Soni reprises his role as the lovable cab driver and delivers some serious laughs.
The Vanisher – This bit made me laugh so hard.
Domino – Zazie Beetz is awesome as the latest incarnation of Domino. I keep trying to decide what I think of the use of vitiligo for her spot, it kind of works.
Fire Fist/Russell – Julian Dennison delivers some of the best laughs with his pen. (Prison wallet…smh)
The Ugly
Juggernaught’s helmet looked goofy. What is it about superhero helmets that are so hard to replicate – I’m looking at you Magneto.
Cable’s Choice – Without giving too much away, why wouldn’t Cable return home immediately after accomplishing his goal? It seemed very uncharacteristic. A plot hole to allow him to take part in the X-Force movie.
The Heaven Barrier – The whole subplot was a bit cliche.
Shatterstar – This is just a personal preference but, Im a Shatterstar fan and was excited at the idea of him hitting the big screen. I would have liked a little more Shatterstar.
Sequel Slump – DP1 was a great movie, but the sequel falls short. It is hard to say exactly why, maybe it is the attempt at a semi-serious “good guy” plot.
In Summary
All in all, Deadpool 2 was an enjoyable movie with some genuine laughs, but it fell short of the first installment. Grab the Blu-ray today.
When I was younger, I played Dungeons & Dragons a couple of times with some friends I had back then. I don’t remember liking it all that much. I felt the storylines were unoriginal, and the characters we created had little to no depth. Whether those statements are true or teenage me was being overly […]
The following is a review of the board game, Mangaka, by Jason Thompson (better known as Mockman). You might remember our review of Jason’s excellent D&D class, the Priestess (available on DM’s Guild). You’ll also recognize Jason’s distinctive art style from his hilarious D&D walk-through maps of classic adventure modules.
Mangaka
Mangaka (Japanese for a comic artist) is the “fast and furious game of drawing comics”. In Mangaka you play as manga artists trying to achieve fame in a comic world of ever-shifting tastes, trends, and fads. The game is very easy to learn and play and only has three rules. No, you read that correctly, Mangaka has just three rules:
Express your themes
Draw something in each panel
No more than three word balloons are allowed each round
Each player gains fame for following the rules, drawing their obsessions, and carrying out the special instructions on their theme cards. Notice that your drawing skill (or lack thereof) does not come into play. You do not need to be an artist to play or enjoy this game (in fact, we find the opposite to be true, the worse the artist, the more fun). After four progressively difficult rounds, each player will have a complete comic masterpiece suitable for framing or shaming.
The game has an obvious manga flavor, but can be enjoyed by anyone. The idea of drawing a comic strip is easy for anyone to pick up. With variant rules both in the rulebook and on the Mangaka website (mangakagame.com) and different difficulty modes, this game has a ton of replay value.
One aspect of this game that players will truly appreciate is that it can be played solo (or Han-Style for those in the know). It is hard to find board games that offer a one-player variant and this rule allows for maximum replay value. Aside from the obvious entertainment of solo-play, an aspiring manga artist could actually benefit from having to work under a timetable and forcing themselves to draw content that is outside of their comfort level.
Well-Supported Web Content
Mangakagame.com is an excellent resource that adds greatly to the value of the game. The site is routinely updated with frequently-asked questions and errata. There are also variant rules, a hilarious gallery of comics and art, and a place to download additional drawing paper to replenish the pad of comic cells included in the game.
Designers
Jason Bradley Thompson – serves as the game’s lead designer. Thompson is a talented artist and author; he wrote Manga: The Complete Guide (available from Random House), and also illustrated an exquisite collection of H.P. Lovecraft stories entitled, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath & Other Stories (available from Mockman Press). Jason is also an avid player and fan of Dungeons & Dragons and has illustrated several humorous walk-through maps of famous D&D adventures like Tomb of Horrors and White Plume Mountain.
Thompson was aided in the production of the game by producer/graphic designer Jumana Al Hashal, interior game artist, Eric Muentes, and cover artist, Ike whose last name must be hidden from the Yakuza to protect his family.
Mangaka at a glance
1-8 players, aged 12 and up (rules for a younger audience can be found on the website)
Takes about 30 – 60 minutes (longer for bigger groups, or if alcohol is involved)
Targeted at teens and up
You don’t need to be an artist to play
Game Components
136 Theme Cards
52 Trend Cards
160 Fame Tokens
Comic Pages (blank)*
Rule Book
Mangaka is easy to learn, fast to play and will appeal to a diverse audience. Pick up your copy from Amazon, Japanime Games, or Mangakagames.com.
I cannot suggest this game enough. It is fun for families, gamers, and manga enthusiasts alike. Mangaka is easy to learn and quick to play. Give it a try!
5th Evolution (5Evo) takes the wildly popular 5e game mechanics and applies them to new genres. 5Evo products are a marriage of comics and roleplaying with each book divided into three sections.
Part 1: the comic. Each 5Evo book opens with a comic that GMs will share digitally with their players prior to the gaming session. These comics serve to introduce the genre and setting, as well as to get players invested in the coming adventure.
Part 2: the adventure. The second section of the 5Evo book is a one-shot adventure, complete with pregenerated characters, that picks up where the comic left off.
Part 3: the source guide. Finally, the third section of each 5Evo book is a source guide that gives the GM the monsters, equipment, and characters to create their own adventures in that particular genre.
The best part? All 5Evo products are completely compatible. Want to have space marines fight a T-Rex, or see how your wizard would fare against a machine gun-toting mech? Well you can do that and more with 5Evo.
Why 5E?
5th Evolution is intended for gamers that enjoy the 5E game engine and would like to use it in other genres. 5E is wildly popular, has been extensively play-tested, and is easy for new players to learn. #5Evo
What Genres Will Be Available?
Three different books will be available during the Kickstarter: Super Heroes, 80’s Horror Movie, and Supernatural World War 2. There are many more to come!
When Will 5Evo Be Available?
5th Evolution will be available on Kickstarter starting on June 4th.
Where Can I Learn More?
Check out 5thevolution.com or e-mail support@limitless-adventures.com
Well we’ve managed to last 8 years. My parole officer said it would never happen, but this sweetass Yoda cake I stole off the interwebs paints a different story. If something interesting happens, we’ll be here to tell you about it. Like a Firefly reboot (that should get us some SEO traffic) or D&D 6th Edition (We shouldn’t joke).
OK, I have seen The Last Jedi twice now and I’m ready to review. The critics have praised the film, but the fans seem split nearly 50/50. In B3 style, we’ll do the Good, the Badass, and Ugly.
The Good
Rey’s Parentage – I was relieved that Rey wasn’t a Skywalker or a Kenobi. Not everyone has to be someone’s child. A galaxy is a big place. Plus, all the stupid fanboy theories were wrong, which is great.
Snoke’s Background – Again screw you stupid fanboys. “Snoke is Boba Fett!” These theories annoy me and never have any solid evidence to back them up. Snoke was a McGuffin, let’s move on.
Chewie Kicking in Luke’s Door – Chewie always delivers. What else is there to say? Though I would have liked to have seen some interaction between Chewie and Luke, I mean they have been friends for like forty or fifty years.
Benicio Del Toro – Benny the Bull does a great job, even if his betrayal is super predictable.
The Badass
Hamil’s Performance – I love me some Skywalker, but Mark Hamil’s acting in the OT is just OK. Fast forward to 2018 and MH delivers a seriously badass performance. The greatest moment in the film is when he struts through the hole in the blast door to meet the First Order and Kylo Ren. (Side note: does anyone want to cosplay as Kylo Ren and Stimpy with me at Gen Con 2018?)
The Throneroom Fight – The fight that follows Snoke’s death is pretty sweet. though did you notice there wasn’t a lightsaber battle in this movie?
“Oh, they hate that ship!” – That is the greatest line in the movie! I laughed my awkward concave ass off at that one.
Holdo’s Jump – I’ve been waiting for this since forever. Though, I think we could do with more Laura Dern, IMO.
The Ugly
Leia’s Peter Pan Spacewalk – This was fucking lame. Like Gungan bad. Carrie Fisher is dead, this was a perfect opportunity to let the rest of the old guard go. We have a suitable new guard replacement with Vice Adm. Holdo (had).
The Weird Milking – This was weird and should have ended up on the cutting room floor. Same with the giant fish. They already showed a catch of normal-sized drying, why did we need an Episode One weirdo fish?
The Plot – The largest problem with the Last Jedi was the main plot of the First Order slowly chasing the Resistance in some kind of OJ White Bronco chase at 13 MPH. The First Order had literally thousands of TIE fighters, shuttles and support craft that could outrun the big Mon Cal ship. Seriously, each star destroyer carries 72 TIE fighters. Not to mention the obvious question, why not just jump in front of them?
The Gender Inequality Over-Correction – The new Star Wars movies have some strong female characters, which is awesome. The problem I saw with the Last Jedi, is that the male characters have been made into reckless & unwise (Poe) or completely useless & unwise (Finn), while every female character is a Leia-level badass. As my wife pointed out, the men have all become detergent commercial dads, this weak, useless idiot that needs to be instructed by his wife and bossy daughter. You don’t need weak male characters to have strong female roles.
Old Tropes – This movie was about killing the past, but it still used many of the old tropes, Dagobah Island, throne room betrayals, charging super lasers, etc. Each had a slight twist, so we’re getting closer, but we still rely on Falcon Ex Machina moments to save the day.
Finn – I like Finn, I think John Boyega does a great job, but Finn has no role in this film, and his subplot is literally useless and tacked on. I would like to have seen Poe replace Rose as P & F have some great buddy comedy potential.
Hux – The general was kind of a tool in FA, but is comically absurd in LJ.
But, but…Porgs! You didn’t mention Porgs?! The Porgs were on the screen for less a minute, not long enough to offend. All in all, I enjoyed the Last Jedi. It was good, but not great. Hopefully, the third movie can be original. We’ve plundered the OT for all its goodness, and know it is time for some original content.
This page isn’t dead! You could liken it to a phoenix, or perhaps a pop-culture movie franchise*.
Today I would like to review the “Limitless Adventures: Non-Player Characters vol.1” product, which provides a vast wealth of NPC resources.
First off, the book is massive. I’m looking to print it out to have it available, and at 131 pages, it is going to be a decently sized resource that I’ll have to fit into a 3 ring binder**. Despite the lack of art (which I personally do not mind), this book does for NPC stat blocks what Tome of Beasts does for monster stat blocks.
The book is separated into five categories: allies, contacts, foes, merchants, and archenemies. Each category upwards of 20 entries, with the exception of archenemies which has five.
The ally section seems to skew towards lower CR creatures that serve as assistance and plot foils more than…
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