Author Archives: docbelmont
Clearing the air about Ghostbusters
Greetings, folks. It’s been awhile…
Lots of interesting things have been happening lately, but the big one that keeps coming up on my news feed on Facebook is the new Ghostbusters movie that Paul Feig is making. I’ve never seen a movie divide so many people into two camps; those who love the movie absolutely unconditionally, and those that want to see it burn. I must admit, I fell into that latter camp.
When the reboot was mentioned, and it was said that it’s going to be a FEMALE reboot, there were roars of protest from fans (me included). It got ugly, folks; I mean, REAL ugly. Words have been said, and there is no side that comes up without blemish, because there has been bad behavior on both sides of the Ghostbusters reboot fence. Haters spout some of the most vile crap about the actresses and women in general, and the lovers love to shout names back at the haters, and some even revel in the gender-flipped GBs, even going so far as to say men are crying just because Ghostbusters is a “woman thing” now (it never was a “man thing” in the first place).
I hated Paul Feig. I cursed the reboot. I excoriated every aspect of this upcoming film. I was upset and angry that I wasn’t going to see Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore on the big screen again, which means “yes, it did have to do, in part, with the fact that they’re women,” but not in the way you might be thinking.
Then, I was hit with the other side’s backlash. It wasn’t until I was called a “whiny, misogynistic man-baby” that I really started thinking about why I was so angry. Read the rest of this entry
Into the Woods!
Love it or hate it, Talisman is a board game with a long history. Since it’s release in 1983, it’s 30+ year history spans four editions and numerous expansions. However, for the first time in that three decade existence, players will finally see all four corners (or sides) of the Talisman board filled! Does this mean that Talisman is finally “finished?’ I’m not so certain. Fantasy Flight has recently tapped into the fanbase for expansion material for Talisman, and it appears to have gone over well. Talisman will most likely continue on, as it always has. 4th edition is bigger and more popular than it ever has been!
Shadowrun Online: VERY First Impressions
Oh, Shadowrun, so near and dear to my heart. I first discovered you as a Sega Genesis game when I was just about to enter high school, and was enamored by your eclectic mix of sci-fi and sorcery, your dark cityscapes, and working hard to make an “honest” Nuyen without getting geeked. It wasn’t until a full year later that I discovered that you were an actual tabletop roleplaying game. I saw the second edition book at my Friendly Local Game Store, instantly gave up my short fling with the Palladium RPG, and never looked back.
Two more editions have come and gone, and now we’re into the brand new 5th edition. The year of Shadowrun happened, and now we’re getting a new card game, a board game, and a miniatures game. Jordan Weisman brought us Shadowrun Returns for our PCs, and now Cliffhanger Productions is bringing us Shadowrun Online.
SRO has a bit of spotty history…
Dark Gothic Omens Point to a Rain of Flying Frogs
“The clock strikes midnight, and I hear the howl of the black winds and the rapping of twisted branches upon the window panes. The last dying embers of the hearth fire cast ghostly shadows upon the walls. Heady vapors of incense dull my earthly senses and open my mind’s eye to the occult perceptions of the darker realms of understanding. The fog lifts from the crystal of scrying, showing me prophetic visions of the times to come. I see before me a shadowy potent of dire evil, brought by the harbinger whose shape is that of a Flying Frog…” ~excerpt from the journal of Dr. V. A. Belmont
“Way to make a potion bender sound grandiose, Belmont…” ~snark, courtesy of Dr. G. A. Martin
“Silence, you!” ~Belmont
2014 is shaping up to be a great year for Flying Frog Productions. While we’ve been getting a steady stream of expansions for it’s five core games, we haven’t seen any new titles in over two years. This year, FFP is unleashing two deliciously evil theme-packed games! I’m quite excited, myself, as I have never seen Flying Frog Productions make a game I didn’t like. Read the rest of this entry
See you on the other side…
I’m kicking down the 4th wall for right now…
Today, I lost one of my childhood heroes. One of the four men who shaped my interests and hobbies, predating even when I was given my first Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, has passed away at the age of 69.
Harold Ramis was both co-star and co-writer of my very first love, Ghostbusters. While his career as a writer, director, and comedian does not begin and end with Ghostbusters, it will certainly be what he was best remembered for. He went on to an incredible career, directing Analyze This, Caddyshack, National Lampoon’s Vacation, and Groundhog Day. His writing credits also include Animal House and Meatballs. Of course, we all remember his role in Stripes, as well. Read the rest of this entry
Eldritch Horror: Well, that was fast…
No sooner than when I sat down to type out my thoughts on Fantasy Flight Games’ new board game of globe-trotting Lovecraftian horror, did I visit the FFG website and see the announcement. Eldritch Horror is getting it’s first expansion in the second quarter of 2014. I love Eldritch Horror, but my single real complaint about it was that it’s card decks and ancient ones were very light, making the game feel like it was incomplete. A little over two months later (remember, we only got this thing at the very end of November), we see that we’re getting a band aid for the sparse game content.
Part of me feels like this is something that should have been included in the base set. Most certainly, meatier interaction and richer experiences with the ancient ones of Eldritch Horror carry more weight than it’s Arkham Horror counterpart, but a game containing a paltry 4 ancient ones makes this the weakest game in terms of variety, even compared to the quick pick-up-and-play Elder Sign. Read the rest of this entry
Hero Forge: Your mini the way YOU want it
Imagine, if you will, a world in which you may have a unique custom-designed mini made to order, tailored to your every whim. Gone would be the days of digging through boxes of discount miniatures, scanning the racks of your FLGS, or endlessly poring over pages of miniature catalogs to find that mini that is just right for your hero. Gone would be the feeling of having “passable facsimile” for a figure, hoping often in vain that some company out there crafted the image you want to represent your gaming avatar.
That world is here. Now.
I am very pleased to introduce Hero Forge Miniatures! Read the rest of this entry
Descent Comes Back to the Surface for a Spell
Fantasy Flight Games has been well-known for being closed-mouthed about a project until the last minute to surprise fans. Now, it seems like they’re intentionally saying one thing, but doing the opposite. Fortunately, FFG’s latest stunt isn’t “I totally didn’t put a rattlesnake in your bed” only to be greeted by the horror of feeling a scaly bedmate when you slip under the covers, but rather “honey, I didn’t do anything for our anniversary” but surprises her with a week-long cruise anyways. If the following announcement is an example of the kind of “lying” that FFG is going to be doing, well, Fleetwood Mack sang it best, I suppose.
Latest news out of FFG for Descent, 2nd Edition is Oath of the Outcast, a hero and monster expansion. What heroes and monsters? Well, the monster lineup is the Razorwing, Beastmen, and Bane Spiders…our heroes include Shiver, Laurel of Bloodwood, Elder Mok, and Trenloe the Strong.
Why, Hello thar, familiar faces!
Sound familiar? Read the rest of this entry
The Stink of Brimstone
Okay, folks, enough is enough.
For anyone just joining this article, I posted an unpopular opinion about a Kickstarter I supported. As I expected, quite a few folks don’t agree. That’s fine. I don’t expect you to agree. Hell, I expected many of you to call me every name in the book, and you did. That’s fine. Sticks and stones, and all of that.
I even expected a few hate mails telling me how much of a dick I am. That’s fine. I received plenty of them.
What I did NOT expect is for someone to look me up on Facebook and then send a vaguely threatening email that included me, and my fiancee. That’s where I draw the line.
I took down the article. It can’t hurt you anymore.
