Recent content by Stone Cold Monkey

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    Games That Time Forgot

    Never quite understood why Shogo never saw a sequel. I mean, I knew there was one in works and it was scrapped, but with Monolith's F.E.A.R. games at what, its third, I would like to see a graphically updated sequel of the anime inspired FPS with giant robots. Who wouldn't?
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    297: Green Barrels Don't Explode

    I never thought of this phenomenon, but it may explain my problem with players when I GM pen and paper RPGs. I run games other than D&D (currently Savage Worlds), and focus strongly on the role-playing part and less on task resolution, combat, or character sheet management. I have found that...
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    Player Drama

    I agree with you. However, some GMs don't bother putting much effort even into what kind of game they plan running unless the game itself defines it for them. So they have no idea what kind of game it is going to be until they see character sheets and default on the player or character type...
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    Tops and Bottoms

    I get what you're saying, but really the top-down/bottom-up processes are really the same thing. It is just matter of commitment to the amount of pre-work done and the rigidity to that work afterward. Whether it is only the city and nearby dungeon, or the various nations, cultures...
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    Let There Be Law

    There are some pretty seasoned RPGs talked about here. Not that there's anything wrong with that in theory.
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    Let There Be Law

    Very good article, I completely agree. Having played many genres with the d20 system as the engine. It ruined many perfectly good games that I have played in, such as the first editions of Spycraft, Mutants and Masterminds, and Star Wars. Later editions did much better jobs especially Mutants...
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    Take This Quiz to Find Out Your Chances of Survival

    Anyone using this quiz to better educate themselves on wilderness survival is looking to be 'a warning to others.' While most of the criticisms I read are correct, the one question in the comments above that is being accused of wrong is the tent vs ground cover. While a tent has a piece of...
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    How widespread is THIS stupidiity?

    I can't wait to hear what the truckspurts have say about this upcoming Trucktober. I bet it will be Truckin'!
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    Stealing From the Next Generation

    Here's the thing with that, hardcore/mature/gritty also tend to restrict that art as well. More so, in some cases (read Bob's Robin in the next Batman movie argument). Most of the time, the art is aimed at the 13 year old mentality. It is simply made that way to keep younger children out...
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    Worst Thing You've Done in a Game of D&D?

    My thief murdered horribly every last cleric in a temple and stole anything and everything (including all the clothing on said clerics) he could fit in his wide-mouth bag holding because the DM liked to have that temple's god come down and bother the party with her dirty work. It didn't take...
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    The Gamemaster Is Satan

    Excellent article. I fully agree with ways of having a powerful villain unable to deal with the player characters. My favorite example why many evil overlord tropes can valid come from the game Evil Genius. As the game ramps up you simply have too many things going on worry about a few...
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    What is the most obscure game you have ever played?

    Take you pick on what you think most obscure: Pick Axe Pete, Trolls and Tribulations,space taxi, Miner 2049er, Jumpman, Transylvania, K.C. Crazy Chase, Spin out I assure you, these are all real games. They were on the Odyssey 2 and Commodore 64.
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    View from the Road: What Do WoW and Twilight Have in Common?

    Good Article. I agree with the other posts that a fictional creature has boundaries that are more or less based upon the mythos created before it. These are wide undefined boundaries that can be pushed my good writing. In the case of Twilight, the champires moved beyond those boundaries. The...
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    Pakistan Bans Facebook Over "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day"

    I just finished reading most of the posts here. I myself participated in 'Everyone Draw Muhammad Day.' I did it, not to offend for the sake of offending. I did it because the some of values I hold most dear to are the U.S.'s Bill of Rights. When the will of extremists was granted through...
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    Days of High Adventure: When Characters Were Born, Not Made

    Yes, I understand that, but my point was no matter what dice are rolled, it doesn't change how the player thinks. Personally, I tackle almost every situation in RPGs with stealth, guile, and misdirection. If I'm playing a fighter, they tend to be a swashbuckler or infiltrator/commando style...