Resident Evil [Deck Building Game]
Release Date: November 19th, 2010
MSRP: $29.99
Promos: Pre-orders can get Alternate Foil Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine
The latest addition, sort of, to the deck building game genre! I say sort of because the game has not released just yet, and has been pushed back... BUT we got an advance copy to do some demos and help promote the game! Thank you Bandai! It is always nice when a company works with the stores to make sure promo items are available. Players really like to get promo items when a game comes out, or during special events!
Here is a list of all the characters you can play as in Resident Evil:
Albert Wesker
Leon S. Kennedy
Claire Redfield
Sheva Alomar
Barry Burton
Ada Wong
Jack Krauser
Chris Redfield
Jill Valentine
Rebecca Chambers
Ok, now for the game and some of the cool ways to play...
Bandai offers 3 different ways to play the game right out of the box; Story Mode, Mercenary Mode, and Versus Mode. Each offers a different way to play and different ways to win! I personally find that games that offer a variety of ways to play tend to be played more, as it is hard to get bored with the game that quickly.
We have run several games of Story Mode using the First Timers set up. Each game went for a good amount of time with interaction between the players, not just between the decks. We will be running some demos of the other versions soon, but we wanted players to be able to read about the game at it stands.
Sean "Striderlotr" Banks
Monday, November 8, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Dark Sun Setting for D&D 4E
So I have been playing D&D 4E since before it was released... yes I was a play tester, and I have also participated as a DM and a player with D&D 4E. One thing that I have enjoyed has been the different Campaign settings. Dark Sun really piqued my interest, especially after playing in the Wednesday Night D&D Encounters. There have been some fantastic aspects to Dark Sun that I enjoyed in 2E and was disappointed to not see make it into 3 or 3.5. I'm going to hit on some of the points that I enjoyed and hopefully readers will find some of the concepts exciting enough to give Dark Sun a try. There are 8 big changes when playing in Dark Sun:
Races:
The races that are in the book are met with mixed response. The Thri-kreen are such a different race and offer players the chance to play something very different. I played one in Encounters, and then had to make a Thri-Kreen in a home game. I find them to offer a nice alternative to standard races. The Mul on the other hand just did not see as much love/respect... and I'm not sure why. They are a very tough race, that can take a beating. They make great front line fighters to force the enemy to deal with. Oh, and on a side note, who would not want to play in a world with halflings that are cannibals!
Themes:
Choosing a theme for your character allows you to access more powers and to give the character more flavor. There are 10 different themes offered in the book. Each theme offers a wide variety of options for creating your character, including access to different feats and powers. You do gain a power that is associated with the theme when you select the theme during character generation... which is really cool.
Psionics:
As magic is scarce, and illegal, on Athas you will find many players having access to psionics instead. At the DMs discretion, players can chose a Wild Talent. Wild Talents are minor psionic powers that characters can use in game that are similar to wizards cantrips.
Classes:
Several new classes were added based off of existing classes, including Wild Battlemind, Arena Fighter, Animist Shaman, and Warlock Sorcerer-King Pact. These classes again add more of the Dark Sun flavor to your character and represent some of the differences in this very harsh world.
Equipment:
Maybe one of the most interesting pieces of the Dark Sun world is the lack of available metal. Most items are made out of more naturally occurring items. Horn, bone, hides, stone, wood, crystal, and shells appear in a variety of forms from armor to weapons. There are some metal weapons and armor, but they would be considered masterwork and difficult to find. To represent the fragile nature of the weapons on Athas, DMs can use the optional weapon breakage rule. The Reckless Breakage rule is the one I really like: If you roll a natural 1 you can choose to reroll the attack. A non-metal weapon breaks with any second attack roll, but you might hit! A metal weapon will break if you roll a natural 5 or lower. This can be a very useful tool as you might not mind breaking your item, but you really want to hit the monster!
So, if you have not tried Dark Sun out, or you were curious what the heck it is... give it a try! Dark Sun is a very harsh and gritty world full of danger, but offers a tremendous amount of fun to enjoy a new world to explore!
- The World is a Desert
- The World is Savage
- Metal is Scarce
- Arcane Magic Defiles the World
- Sorcerer-Kings Rule the City-States
- The Gods are Silent
- Fierce Monsters Roam the World
- Familiar Races Aren't What you Expect
Races:
The races that are in the book are met with mixed response. The Thri-kreen are such a different race and offer players the chance to play something very different. I played one in Encounters, and then had to make a Thri-Kreen in a home game. I find them to offer a nice alternative to standard races. The Mul on the other hand just did not see as much love/respect... and I'm not sure why. They are a very tough race, that can take a beating. They make great front line fighters to force the enemy to deal with. Oh, and on a side note, who would not want to play in a world with halflings that are cannibals!
Themes:
Choosing a theme for your character allows you to access more powers and to give the character more flavor. There are 10 different themes offered in the book. Each theme offers a wide variety of options for creating your character, including access to different feats and powers. You do gain a power that is associated with the theme when you select the theme during character generation... which is really cool.
Psionics:
As magic is scarce, and illegal, on Athas you will find many players having access to psionics instead. At the DMs discretion, players can chose a Wild Talent. Wild Talents are minor psionic powers that characters can use in game that are similar to wizards cantrips.
Classes:
Several new classes were added based off of existing classes, including Wild Battlemind, Arena Fighter, Animist Shaman, and Warlock Sorcerer-King Pact. These classes again add more of the Dark Sun flavor to your character and represent some of the differences in this very harsh world.
Equipment:
Maybe one of the most interesting pieces of the Dark Sun world is the lack of available metal. Most items are made out of more naturally occurring items. Horn, bone, hides, stone, wood, crystal, and shells appear in a variety of forms from armor to weapons. There are some metal weapons and armor, but they would be considered masterwork and difficult to find. To represent the fragile nature of the weapons on Athas, DMs can use the optional weapon breakage rule. The Reckless Breakage rule is the one I really like: If you roll a natural 1 you can choose to reroll the attack. A non-metal weapon breaks with any second attack roll, but you might hit! A metal weapon will break if you roll a natural 5 or lower. This can be a very useful tool as you might not mind breaking your item, but you really want to hit the monster!
So, if you have not tried Dark Sun out, or you were curious what the heck it is... give it a try! Dark Sun is a very harsh and gritty world full of danger, but offers a tremendous amount of fun to enjoy a new world to explore!
Friday, October 29, 2010
The Dark Eldar are Coming!
If you play Warhammer 40K, then you have most likely heard that the Dark Eldar are coming back into the fray! They were brought out a few editions ago when they made the new box set that included Dark Eldar and Space Marines. They are now back... and looking to bring EVIL to a whole new level.
We were able to get an advanced copy of the new Dark Eldar Codex, as well as three of the new boxes of minis; The Dark Eldar Kabalite Warriors, Reavers, and Raider. We had one of our local gamers (who I think is secretly living here) assemble and paint them up, as they look really nice and I think they will be represented nicer out of the box then in it. Marc has done a very nice job getting them assembled quickly and getting them painted... with multiple paint steps!
We have also had the codex out for players to read and review... which has led to some very interesting conversations. We have had some people rip them and say how bad they are, while others quietly read the book and made few comments. Another of our gamers commented that most players that are bashing the Dark Eldar are most likely thinking of them with Space Marines in mind. This faction cannot be played out like Marines... or like most other factions. You need to think about the Dark Eldar in a different way.
The new models look fantastic as well. Again, out of the box, assembled, and painted really brings them to life and shows off the stupendous detail. The models hanging on to the outside of the Raider look fantastic and really add to the fast, raider mentality that Dark Eldar portray.
If you are interested in getting any of the Dark Eldar kits or the Codex, stop in at the Dragon's Den and check out what we have right now, and maybe even place an order!
We were able to get an advanced copy of the new Dark Eldar Codex, as well as three of the new boxes of minis; The Dark Eldar Kabalite Warriors, Reavers, and Raider. We had one of our local gamers (who I think is secretly living here) assemble and paint them up, as they look really nice and I think they will be represented nicer out of the box then in it. Marc has done a very nice job getting them assembled quickly and getting them painted... with multiple paint steps!
We have also had the codex out for players to read and review... which has led to some very interesting conversations. We have had some people rip them and say how bad they are, while others quietly read the book and made few comments. Another of our gamers commented that most players that are bashing the Dark Eldar are most likely thinking of them with Space Marines in mind. This faction cannot be played out like Marines... or like most other factions. You need to think about the Dark Eldar in a different way.
The new models look fantastic as well. Again, out of the box, assembled, and painted really brings them to life and shows off the stupendous detail. The models hanging on to the outside of the Raider look fantastic and really add to the fast, raider mentality that Dark Eldar portray.
If you are interested in getting any of the Dark Eldar kits or the Codex, stop in at the Dragon's Den and check out what we have right now, and maybe even place an order!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Who are the Planeswalkers in Magic the Gathering
In Magic you play as a Planeswalker. A being so powerful you can travel across planes of existence and summon creatures to battle for you. When reading through many of the different books, novels, and comics you may have stumbled upon many other Planeswalkers and wondered... How many planeswalkers are out there?
Well if you are playing Magic right now, you know all the current Planeswalkers. We have seen at least one for each color and some that are multicolored. Here is a list of the current Planeswalkers and what color they represent.
Jace Beleren- Blue
Tezzeret the Seeker- Blue
Jace, The Mind Sculptor - Blue
Ajani Goldmane - White
Elspeth, Knight Errant - White
Gideon Jura - White
Elspeth Tirel - White
Garruk Wildspeaker - Green
Nissa Revane - Green
Chandra Nalaar - Red
Chandra Ablaze - Red
Koth ot the Hammer - Red
Liliana Vess - Black
Sorin Markov - Black
Ajani Vengeant - Red, White
Venser, the Sojourner - Blue, White
Sarkhan Vol - Red, Green
Sarkhan the Mad - Red, Black
Nicol Bolas - Blue, Black, Red
But, there are many more that have apeared in books, comics, and graphic novels. So many of these different Planeswalkers appear briefly, but several are referenced over and over again. These are the more commonly talked about Walkers, some are even cards... just not Planeswalkers... Yet...
Urza
Ravidel
Bo Levar
Commodore Guff
Daria
Freyalise
Kristina of the Woods
Lord Windgrace of Urborg
Taysir
Tevesh Szat
Armada Comic created a number of different comic book runs based on Magic. They introduced new and used many existing Planeswalkers in their stories. They also introduced the concept of Battle Mages and Spell Squires, people that were aspiring to become Planeswalkers. There are way to many to list, but Ravidel is mentioned as both, before becoming a Planeswalker. Here is a list of the Planeswalkers mentioned in the comic books.
Ravi
Serra (Viewed as a goddess, but was aPlaneswalker in love with Feroz)
Feroz
Sandruu (Minataur Planeswalker trained by Feroz, and banished by Taysir)
Taysir (Jealous of Sandruu as he has won the heart of a woman Taysir wanted)
Ravidel
Freyalise
Tevash Szat
Kristina of the Woods
Leshrac
Faralyn
Jamil (killed his brother using Nightmare)
Altair (Was enchanted to not access his ability to Planeswalk, freed his people with the help of Nightmare, the enchantment was broken and he served Nightmare for 10 years)
Well if you are playing Magic right now, you know all the current Planeswalkers. We have seen at least one for each color and some that are multicolored. Here is a list of the current Planeswalkers and what color they represent.
Jace Beleren- Blue
Tezzeret the Seeker- Blue
Jace, The Mind Sculptor - Blue
Ajani Goldmane - White
Elspeth, Knight Errant - White
Gideon Jura - White
Elspeth Tirel - White
Garruk Wildspeaker - Green
Nissa Revane - Green
Chandra Nalaar - Red
Chandra Ablaze - Red
Koth ot the Hammer - Red
Liliana Vess - Black
Sorin Markov - Black
Ajani Vengeant - Red, White
Venser, the Sojourner - Blue, White
Sarkhan Vol - Red, Green
Sarkhan the Mad - Red, Black
Nicol Bolas - Blue, Black, Red
But, there are many more that have apeared in books, comics, and graphic novels. So many of these different Planeswalkers appear briefly, but several are referenced over and over again. These are the more commonly talked about Walkers, some are even cards... just not Planeswalkers... Yet...
Urza
Ravidel
Bo Levar
Commodore Guff
Daria
Freyalise
Kristina of the Woods
Lord Windgrace of Urborg
Taysir
Tevesh Szat
Armada Comic created a number of different comic book runs based on Magic. They introduced new and used many existing Planeswalkers in their stories. They also introduced the concept of Battle Mages and Spell Squires, people that were aspiring to become Planeswalkers. There are way to many to list, but Ravidel is mentioned as both, before becoming a Planeswalker. Here is a list of the Planeswalkers mentioned in the comic books.
Ravi
Serra (Viewed as a goddess, but was aPlaneswalker in love with Feroz)
Feroz
Sandruu (Minataur Planeswalker trained by Feroz, and banished by Taysir)
Taysir (Jealous of Sandruu as he has won the heart of a woman Taysir wanted)
Ravidel
Freyalise
Tevash Szat
Kristina of the Woods
Leshrac
Faralyn
Jamil (killed his brother using Nightmare)
Altair (Was enchanted to not access his ability to Planeswalk, freed his people with the help of Nightmare, the enchantment was broken and he served Nightmare for 10 years)
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Welcome to the FLGS Blog!
Welcome to the first post on the Friendly Local Gaming Store, FLGS for short, Blog! We hope that you learn something new about what happens in the gaming store world as well as what new and exciting events, items, and trends are taking place.
Follow this blog for more information and we will try to get posts up weekly to notify players, collectors, and hobbyists of all types! This Blog is created by the Dragon's Den in Poughkeepsie, New York. We are the store that's all about fun!
Follow this blog for more information and we will try to get posts up weekly to notify players, collectors, and hobbyists of all types! This Blog is created by the Dragon's Den in Poughkeepsie, New York. We are the store that's all about fun!