Now Reading: Mister Miracle (2017)

Definitely behind my comic reading these last few years. But hot on my radar currently is Mister Miracle from Tom King and Mitch Gerads, who give an awesome an complex take on Jack Kirby's New Gods.  My partner, Rocky, has a Comixology account and it was through it that I am now enjoying its brain-twisting narrative.



Without giving more away, the comic is fantastic in its pacing and its dialogue. The text and artwork work wonderfully together in creating a sense of unease and tension without slipping into overly dramatic (I'm looking at you, Xmen vs Inhumans).  But what makes me love this so much more is the fact that the comic sorta reminds me of how I run my Lacuna: The Birth of Mystery and the Girl from Blue City sessions.



Any of my players who have enjoyed those sessions can share how the "hard to trust your own senses" narrative added that layer of excitement that made the game quite an experience.  And now, reading the comic, I feel like I'm getting a chance to experience that same awesome feeling.  So to anyone out there who are fans of mysteries and deep character exploration, I recommend you check the comic out!

Five Single Playsets by Taylor Labresh

EDIT: As of 9/23/2016, the book is finally available!  Grab it at its a very economical price and add more to your A Single Moment game.  http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/194045/Five-Single-Playsets

Even better,

These are playsets to be enjoyed with the game A Single Moment, written by Tobie Abad. You will require a copy of the rules for ASM in order to use these playsets. Instructions for purchasing a discounted copy of ASM contained within this game

The book is almost out!  Five Single Playsets by Taylor Labresh, Taylor Livingston, and Jason Baesel is soon available at Drivethrurpg!  I can't wait for it to come out and I do hope you guys support it too!  The book will have rules for playing five all new playsets including my favorite one, Gamers!  Can you imagine the meta-possibilities of playing the role of two gamers who once were friends but have fallen apart due to... well, that's up to you two to shape!

Grab it when it comes out!
Thank you Riverhouse Games!

I miss the Tzimisce

I'm a sucker for gruesome stuff.  This campaign, which I cannot say is an effective or misdirected one, does make the gamer in me smile.  Memories of Vampire: The Masquerade's Tzimisce Clan come to mind.

https://www.facebook.com/businessinsider/videos/10153602126319071/

I wonder when I will get to run a vampire campaign again.

Inspiration: Queers in Love at the End of the World.

http://auntiepixelante.com/endoftheworld/

Play it.

Incredible.

Inspiration: Predestination

I get excited watching trailers this promising.  This reminds me of Lacuna, of the time-travelling role-playing game Continuum and of Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space.  Heck, this can even be a God Machine story using NWOD.

Inspiration: Bad Motherfucker

Awesome action and loving the super science teleportation angle.  Definitely a great font for ideas.

Inspiration: Numbers

This brilliant short by Robert Hloz is just incredible.  I want to create an indie rpg based on this.  Wonderful work you should all check out.  I can see this as a reinterpretation of the Machine God or maybe even Geist.

Inspiration: Galavant

Crazy, musical and yet well-grounded.
The show embraces the fun moments of a delightful musical romp and mixes it well with a healthy dose of fantasy.  This show is insanely fun!

Inspiration: HardCore

Any modern era game with guns and action will benefit greatly from Hardcore's approach to violence and combat.

Inspiration: Elastic Heart

Intense.
Tremendously intense.

The Gentry have them.

Inspiration: Robot Overlords

This trailer is awesome idea-sourcing for The Aegis Project sessions or perhaps even Apocalypse World games.

Inspiration: Ambition

This amazing short film by Tomek Baginksi with the European Space Agency to celebrate the Rosetta mission plays like an awesome episode of Mage: The Awakening, or perhaps even Numenera.  Having Games of Thrones' Aidan Gillen adds even more geek awesomeness to this short.

Inspiration: Prototype

Just visually stunning.
Wonderfully intoxicating.
I love her.

Inspiration: Over the Garden Wall

Cartoon Network has a new limited series called Over the Garden Wall that magically has the wondrous feel of Hayao Miyazaki films and the narrative humor of American animation.  The series tells the journeys of Wirt and Greg as they find their way home after getting lost in the Unknown.  During their journeys, they befriend a bluebird named Beatrice, learn of an imminent threat called the Beast, the danger of black turtles, and seemingly are stalked by a mysterious Woodsman.

Learn more about the series here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_the_Garden_Wall_(TV_series)
but be warned of huge spoilers if you read the page so best find a way to watch the series instead.



The show serves as amazing inspiration for Changeling the Lost games, with their adventures perfectly capturing the magical and frightening realm of the Hedge.  The game features many strange characters such as Auntie Whispas and others who can serve as great examples of Gentry.  Just truly inspiring stuff.

Likewise, the show's characters reminds me of how the Ven of John Wick's Houses of the Blooded can be, with their vast regions that cross over, or how the act of performing art is far more important than anything else.  My personal favorite is how in one episode, the inhabitants of a inn start singing about the roles they play and ask the two, "What are you?"  The way that episode plays out is just remarkable.  

"One cannot trade the soul of children as if they were tokens!"

This horror fantasy cartoon definitely deserves to be seen by those who love a touch of darkness within the brightness of laughter and light.

Inspiration: Beauty is Perfection

I can so see this as a story point for Changeling: The Dreaming or Changeling: The Lost.  Maybe even for something like Little Fears.

Inspiration: Ambition

"What is the key to life on Earth?"

This makes for an awesome brain starter for games where players have epic-level powers like Amber or Nobilis.   And yes, that's Littlefinger of Game of Thrones.

Inspiration: The Cathedral

This wonderful piece by Tomasz Baginski might remind some of the Suaven of Houses of the Blooded, or might be a great inspirational piece for an Exalted or Numenera game.  The Cathedral itself might remind some of Vampire: The Masquerade's Tzimisce Clan and the infamous Cathedral of Flesh.

Enjoy!

Inspiration: Unexpected Tactics

Real life offers a lot of possible idea seeds that you can use to make your games more disturbing and awesome.  Consider how these bees deal with a predatory that usually just decimates them all: They COOK their predator.



Now imagine taking that idea and applying it to a type of monstrous foe in your game?  Or perhaps even using it as a source of inspiration to some super science device that needs to be found in your pulp stories and the like.

Never underestimate the coolness of a documentary.

Inspiration: Evening in Space [NSFW]

Warning: Probably not safe for work.

But man, this video.  Trippy awesome. It makes me think of the height of Ven fashion.
Or perhaps standard clothing in the wealthy portions of the Blessed Isle in Exalted.
Maybe even a fashion idea for how things can be represented in a Numenera game?

Overall, visually stunning!

Inspiration: Introductory videos to RPGs

This is one of three awesome videos that have been created to introduce the concept of role-playing games to new folks.  Check it out and share it!