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RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8. RPG Superstar 6 Season Dedicated Voter, 7 Season Star Voter, 8 Season Dedicated Voter. Organized Play Member. 1,563 posts. 9 reviews. No lists. No wishlists.


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RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

I like to travel light with my rulebooks, so I'll probably make some sort of cleric. Looking forward to this game!

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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I'll be there as well, Mike!

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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Alzrius wrote:

A question to everyone: with the new cour about to start, what were some of the best anime of the cour that just concluded?

I like to wait until a series is completely done before I start it, so that I can watch it at my own pace. Given that, what among the recently-concluded shows should I turn my attention to?

(Bearing in mind that I only have Crunchyroll, and already watched Re:Zero and Grimgar of Ash and Fantasy.)

The Anime News Network critics pretty consistently picked both Re:Zero which you've already watched and Mob Pyscho 100 as the top shows of the Summer season. I wasn't a big fan of One Punch Man but I thought Mob was terrific mainly because of the premise of the main character who has tremendous psychic power but just wants to be "normal" like everyone else.

Two others that are very good which conclude today are the Prohibition-era, mafia drama 91 Days and the pseudo-fantasy war drama Aldermin of the Sky. Give the latter a couple of episodes because what seems like at first glance is going to be another run of the mill, haremy teens with powers show, actually gets quite serious and introspective as the show progresses. Definitely a show which consistently got better as it went along.

And all are available on Crunchyroll.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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Rednal wrote:

Well, not once people found out who the writer was... but then, they deliberately hid his involvement for the first few episodes, I think. XD

And now he's writing a Godzilla anime with Polygon Pictures (Knights of Sidonia, Ajin)!

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Alex Martin wrote:
Lemmy Z wrote:
But just a vague one... I remember THACO and apparently, quite a few people around here have been playing for a decade (or two) longer than me. oO

I was joking when I mentioned it, but I guess I should have emphasized "remembering" as opposed to knowing what it is. Just from the couple of responses above, there's a distinct line of experience you'll get from folks who played in a certain timeframe with THACO.

Of course, if someone mentions playing first edition Harn or Rolemaster as their first RPG, then you are really talking hard-core grognard (and possibly a masochistic one at that). And I say that with a wink; not a criticism.

My friend wasn't allowed to play D&D until high school because his mother bought into the controversy (even though it was late 80s at this point) surrounding the game. However, this didn't apply to any other RPG. So, while I had my D&D group, with him I would play a lot of Marvel Superheroes through elementary school. Middle school it was a lot of MERP (Middle-Earth Roleplay Game- Rolemaster light) and then Rolemaster in high school.

Now, if you're thinking, "But, John that doesn't make any sense. How could his parents forbid your friend from playing D&D but allow Rolemaster where he was running a demonic fueled chaos warrior?" I would say that I agree with you, but I wasn't going to bring it up to his mother in case she forbade him from any RPG :).

Good news is that he runs Pathfinder for his kids so I occasionally pick up books for them like the new Playground Adventures modules and the Strategy Guide.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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8 years old, AD&D. Played a thief- a staircase trap triggered, turning into a slide that sent me right at a stone golem. I think it was a short session...but it was the Monster Manual that got me hooked.

Shortly after I snagged both a Player's Handbook and Monster Manual, 2nd edition came out, invalidating my first long running character- a half-orc fighter named Beorn. 10 year old nerd rage ensued!

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Crunchyroll Guest Passes

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And Crunchyroll recently added the old Street Fighter II anime movie!

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Oceanshieldwolf wrote:

Great review Thilo, sounds like a well-realised and immersive book that fits in much more than most Player's Guides do...

Also, fantastic background art on the cover!!!

Yeah, Rick did a really great job on the cover and interior art. I own a t-shirt with the cover on it which I bought at Society6.com.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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Endzeitgeist wrote:
Consider me totally stoked for more Vathak after this gem!

I completed writing the Ina'oth GM's Guide in December- so it's currently at the layout/art stage. I'm pretty excited for that to come out.

I also went back and did a tighter edit of some of the Colonies projects and added some new material for a Colonies compilation. Rick wants to do new art for that- also in editing/layout.

And finally, there's the new SoV Player's Guide- it's going to be a big, gorgeous looking book.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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Endzeitgeist wrote:
Reviewed first on endzeitgeist.com, then submitted to Nerdtrek and GMS magazine and posted here, on OBS, etc.

Thanks again!

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Freehold DM wrote:
New release of zeta from rightstuf? How much do they want?

They split the series in 2 parts so it was about 40 for the DVD and 50 for the blu-ray when I preordered for each part. Blu-ray may have gone down a little.

I picked up Gargantia, though I had already seen it, but the price dropped from the 50 dollar range to $35 (and it includes both OVAs).

Rightstuf is releasing Char's Counterattack the beginning of September. I preordered that off Amazon- blu-ray for $23.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Freehold DM wrote:
YOU OWN DALLOS? THE FIRST OVA EVER MADE?!

Picked it up on Amazon. Somehow, somewhere, I found out it was the first OVA and directed by Mamoru Oshii (original Ghost in the Shell and Patlabor for those, who like me, aren't super familiar with all the anime directors yet). Based on those two facts, I figured I needed to see it.

I'm looking forward to watching it. Tried once, but a little too much drink made it hard to read the subtitles :).

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Besides the 2016 season, my musings on some other series/movies I've recently watched-

Another- is a horror anime (based on a book/light novel, I believe). It was pretty good. I liked the concept better than the execution but it's 12 episodes and you get a full story. Available on Crunchyroll.

Belladona of Sadness- watched this last weekend. It's a very trippy, adult, anime from back in the 70s based on a french novel. The animation, while limited, is beautiful to look at. A very strange film, that again, is very, very adult. I watched the recent blu-ray version released by Cinelicious (bought from Amazon).

Lupin the 3rd- The Lady Called Fujiko Mine/Part 4- I had heard of the Lupin franchise before but didn't know much about it until I read a recent article on Anime News Network that broke down the various shows and movies. I started with Fujiko as it is kind of a prequel but also more on the adult side. Loved the visual look of the show and overall enjoyed it. I thought the metaplot was a little weird and was probably my least favorite thing. Fujiko is available on Funimation. After that, I saw that Part 4 had received favorable reviews- taking the best bits from the various series with the updated aesthetics from Fujiko though not nearly as dark or adult. Having little experience with the Lupin franchise, I still really liked Part 4 a lot- the look, the music, and overall the stories were very good. Again, the metaplot was kind of the weak point for me. Available on Crunchyroll (along with a lot of other Lupin shows).

Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta- Yay! Thanks to the new release from Rightstuf, finally finished watching it. Probably one of my favorite gundam shows. I thought it ended rather abruptly- no epilogue or anything, but I guess that's what ZZ is for. Available from Rightstuf.

Non Non Biyori/Repeat- Ahhh...never in a million years would I have thought to watch this one my own on- a bunch of school girls living in the country and nothing happens. However, I came across it on Amazon and the reviews were very good. I'd also never heard the term "healing show"- there's no conflict so the show is instead meant to relax you. This one, with its beautiful countryside visuals and excellent character interactions certainly is relaxing. The interactions between Renge and "Candy Store" where the best parts in my book. Available on Crunchyroll.

Venus Wars- I'd never seen this 80s classic about life on Venus and a war between two rival countries. I thought the story was a little choppy- trying to cram a lot into 2 hours but overall, as a fan of this type of animation, I really enjoyed it. Available now on blu-ray (bought a copy at Amazon).

My queue is getting kind of long. Still watching-
Turn A Gundam (DVD on Rightstuf)
Kids on the Slope (Crunchyroll)

That I physically own and need to watch-
Dallos (DVD on Amazon)
Eureka 7 (recently bought on sale at Funimation)

Plus all the simulcasts and rewatches of other shows I like. Oh, and getting more Patlabor.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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Thanks for the review- I'm glad you liked it as I thought Chris did an awesome job on these monsters!

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Talon Thorne wrote:
Hello! Will we be able to get the pregens ahead of time so I can look it through and become familiar with the character? Thanks and looking forward to meeting everyone.

If you send me a PM with your e-mail address, I can send you a word doc with the characters.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

I, unfortunately, won't be getting in until rather late Thursday night, but not too late to have a night cap at the hotel bar.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

For anyone playing in Against the Cult of the Bat God here are the rules for character creation-

20 point point buy
10,500 gp for gear
Corebook only (to keep it simple) for classes, feats, spells, gears, etc.

If you want, post your character class here. The adventure is a mix of investigation and combat so a well balanced party is recommended (two combat types, a cleric, a wizard/sorcerer, and either a bard or rogue is my recommendation).

If you don't see this post or don't feel like like making a character,that's fine. I'll bring some pregens.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Also, a box of books arrived from Raging Swan Press the other day, so there will be some cool stuff for all participants.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Cool. I'm in this one as well.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Wolverine690 wrote:
So between race, classes, feats, etc everything for these characters would be from the Core Book only? Just double checking... :)

You are correct. I'll post additional details regarding character creation (like point buy, etc.) when the lottery results come out. I'll also have on hand the pregen characters that come included with the module in case anyone who gets in this event either doesn't see this or doesn't have time to make a character. The pregens are standard Core.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Just got an e-mail from Raging Swan Press and they are donating a box of assorted books to give out to the players of in this game. Looking forward to running this!

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Creighton Broadhurst wrote:

Yesterday, something epic happened. Thanks to Raging Swan Press's tremendously generous patrons, we are now able to pay our freelancers nine cents a word! That's huge. In fact, it's beyond huge.

Last March, just 13 months ago, when we started our Patreon campaign, we paid the industry standard rate of 1 cent a word. We simply couldn't afford to pay more, if we wanted to stay in business. But, with our patron's support we've slowly and surely increased our pay rates. It's thanks to all 107 of them that we are where we are today. 

There is--of course--more to do (there's always more to do) but I'm tremendously proud of what we've achieved together.

Thank you to everyone who's supported Raging Swan Press on it's quest to pay its freelancers a decent rate of pay!

And I appreciate it, thank you!

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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Gundam Unicorn news. I love the OVAs so I'm curious to see how this turns out (it mentions re-edit and new footage).

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Finished watching Girls und Panzer because of Shirobako (same director). I found it surprisingly fun. I wasn't sure about it because of it's ridiculous premise- a high school girls WW2 tank fighting club but they way they so straightfaced played that concept really sold it for me. It's the type of quirky anime they'd make in Shirobako. Available subtitled on Crunchyroll and Hulu.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Greylurker wrote:

Konosuba ends with a Bang and confirms season 2 in production

This show surprised the heck out of me with how fun it was. Well worth the watch for any RPG fan

Aww, man, I didn't realize tonight was the last night (I was assuming 12 episodes). Oh well, I guess I'll have to break out the good stuff when I watch it tonight in honor of Aqua.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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Finished watching Shirobako on Crunchyroll- an anime about making anime. Really enjoyed it- fun and light and a pretty interesting insight into all the work that goes into making anime. Definitely recommend it if you like slice of life stuff. Started binge watching the available shows ofShowa Genroku Rakugo Shinju- another slice of life about rakugo also playing on Crunchyroll. Very good as well.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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No one's talking about the last episode of Gate?

Spoiler:
I quite enjoyed the battle with the dragon. The disposable elves getting eaten and breathed on, the wizard using magic to impale it with swords, and then blowing the whole thing up with C4!- reminded me a bit of Kingmaker campaign since introducing the Technology Guide.

Also, Crunchyroll guest passes (and watch Erased!)

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KB3P5NL5QAV

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Greylurker wrote:

New episode of Grimgar, just brutal. Between this and Erased it's been a heart crushing week (new episode of Konobusa can't come fast enough I need some light hearted fun)

** spoiler omitted **

(yeah I really need a new Konobusa right now)

Agreed (and really enjoying this Winter Season).

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

One way to play a lot of games at a con is to run a lot of games. I really enjoyed running a game at last year's PaizoCon and I'm itching to run some more. I also have a bunch of other RPGs that I never get to play that I'd like to run.

I definitely plan on submitting the Terror in the Colonies adventure I ran last year (a 3rd level Pathfinder adventure set in the Shadows over Vathak campaign setting).

Beyond that, I'm also interested in submitting as an event 2-3 of the following games.

Silhouette of a Shadow (my 1st level Pathfinder SoV adventure published by Fat Goblin Games).
Against the Cult of the Bat God (my 5th level Pathfinder adventure published by Raging Swan Press)
Shadows of the Demon Lord RPG (either one of the many scenarios I have have or an original adventure).
The Strange RPG (probably one of the two con adventures I have).
Ryuutama RPG (a light Japanese RPG about journeys and explorations)
Kuro RPG (cyberpunk horror set in Japan).

These games will be submitted as lottery events. Just curious to see what interest is out there for games and what people would like to put in for.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Looking forward to this. I was fortunate enough to contribute to It Came from the Star and that book came out beautifully (and also hitting Endzeitgeist's Top 10 list for that year).

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

I'm happy to hear that everyone's enjoying their Raging Swan Patreon. I've had the privilege of writing for Raging Swan for close to 5 years(!) now and I'm very proud of the work I've done under Creighton's tutelage. Glad to know it's making its way to peoples' gaming tables.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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There's a certain Rise of the Runelord mini- forget the name (a roguish human male dualwielding a rapier and dagger) that Snaps just loves to grab and carry off with her. Luckily, he is fairly common in the set.

Snaps has also trained my gaming group to feed her treats. She's shy, so the vet recommended giving her treats when strangers came over. Well, my friends come over every other week and always sit in the same place. Since Phil was closest to the treats, I had him give them to her. Now, when they show up, she comes over multiple times for treats and, of course, gets them. She does let people pet her a little bit, so it's working.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Drank some Sebago (out of Maine) Bonfire Rye Ale the other night- very good rye IPA style.

Shipyard's (out of Maine) Prelude Ale is also quite good this time of year if you like those darker, holiday spiced beers.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Wyrmwraith, I'm so proud to see how far you've come *sniffles*

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Nightterror wrote:
John Benbo wrote:
I've seen a couple people mention the bone ship so I'm glad people are digging it. Along with the death coach, can't go wrong with some vehicular undead.

Those two + the Wraithwyrm and Polong are probably my favorite undead in the book, i'm glad you kept away from the more humanoid undead!

Cool and thanks- those are all ones I designed!

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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I've seen a couple people mention the bone ship so I'm glad people are digging it. Along with the death coach, can't go wrong with some vehicular undead.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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Glad to be a part of this. As someone who worked on It Came from the Stars for Zombie Sky Press, I was hired for this job because I have a very particular set of skills, skills I've acquired over a very long career...

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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Go wyrmwraith!

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

TriOmegaZero wrote:
T-10 minutes until the new Ghost in the Shell movie starts. :D

Thanks for the reminder!

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

The contest is still going! Enter to win a free copy of the forthcoming Shadows over Vathak Player's Guide!- Shadows over Vathak

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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We are closing in on the half-way mark. If you liked Zombie Sky Press's "It Came from the Stars," you'll dig this. Were the former was a toolkit, Aethera is a fully fleshed out sci-fi fantasy galaxy! I was a designer on ICftS and I'm looking forward to contributing sci-fi goodness to this project.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Also, some Crunchyroll guest passes-

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I started rewatching Chihayafuru on Crunchyroll- great slice of life anime and I learned something about Japanese culture I never knew- karuta.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Freehold DM wrote:
John Benbo wrote:
Freehold DM wrote:
John Benbo wrote:
Found this older article about Rightstuf and their Gundam releases. I'm very happy to read about Zeta- Netflix didn't have the last ten episodes so I watched the movies which have a different ending. ZZ is interesting as I haven't read good things about that series even though it's set in the UC. Reviews say it's such a different tone (more light-hearted). But UC Gundam, so I'll get it. I hope they'll eventually do Char's Counterattack.

ZZ was...is...*sigh* a special series...

I do wonder if tomino made it to end gundam in such a way that noone would ever make another one.

Is Victory any good? My only familiarity with it is two characters from the Gundam Warriors 3 video game.
victory is also weird. I haven't watched it in full, but I have it on good authority that tomino was a bit down when working on it and it shows in the horrid deaths some(80%) of the cast suffers during the show. Also, there were some budget woes- not quite to the extent of gundam wing reusing shots, but close.

Cool, thanks for the info.

One of Gundam model kits came with an advertisement for a bunch of newly released blueray boxed sets that seem to line up with what Rightstuf is releasing (Zeta, Victory). Also, it mentions Stardust Memory, so I'm hoping that comes to the US as well.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

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I think people are really going to dig this project. Robert and his core team did a great job of creating the initial concept and making a world that feels both sci-fi and the classic RPG you know.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Be immortalized forever! (Until you are consumed by the Old Ones...)

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Freehold DM wrote:
John Benbo wrote:
Found this older article about Rightstuf and their Gundam releases. I'm very happy to read about Zeta- Netflix didn't have the last ten episodes so I watched the movies which have a different ending. ZZ is interesting as I haven't read good things about that series even though it's set in the UC. Reviews say it's such a different tone (more light-hearted). But UC Gundam, so I'll get it. I hope they'll eventually do Char's Counterattack.

ZZ was...is...*sigh* a special series...

I do wonder if tomino made it to end gundam in such a way that noone would ever make another one.

Is Victory any good? My only familiarity with it is two characters from the Gundam Warriors 3 video game.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8

Found this older article about Rightstuf and their Gundam releases. I'm very happy to read about Zeta- Netflix didn't have the last ten episodes so I watched the movies which have a different ending. ZZ is interesting as I haven't read good things about that series even though it's set in the UC. Reviews say it's such a different tone (more light-hearted). But UC Gundam, so I'll get it. I hope they'll eventually do Char's Counterattack.

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