G*M*S Magazine

I know I keep saying this, but it is true, I am a lucky man interviewing tons of really cool and nice people. Few times this is truer than with Dave Gross.

Editor of Dungeon Magazine for a long time, writer of tales and novels, editor or many a book and all round good guy, he talks about his latest novel and the characters he created. We talk about the behind the scenes of writing and how it is important to find the voice of the characters you’re writing about. And many more things.

Dale and I talk about the impact on long campaigns in groups and how a long campaign in a group where only one person runs as Games Master can feel stifling and leave you wanting to play other games. But has that happened to you?

And I talk about Mystic Empyrean, a new game from Level 99 Games that came out from Kickstarter. Although I will be publishing a review soon, I will tell you now that this game has caught my imagination in a big way.

With a near-GM-less system, it uses a very peculiar conflict resolution system based on “The Balance”, a collection of cards, tokens or any other material to determine success or failure. To use it, you draw two element at random from The Balance. Depending how related to each other they are, you get a total or partial success, or a failure.

Character creation is cooperative, as it is character progression and world creation.

The artwork is superb and the whole book oozes quality. One to get if I were you!

Please remember we love feedback. Feel free to write with your comments at: podcast@gmsmagazine.com. A quick review in iTunes would be very much appreciated too!

Hope you enjoy the show!

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Another week and another episode of the podcast, this time a bit longer than usual, but worth every minute!

Theme can be a very important issue for some people. If the theme of a game doesn’t sound interesting, plenty of people will simply ignore the game and spend their money in something that is more interesting at first glance. Of course that doesn’t mean the game will be any better, but still appearances are important and one has to be discerning and careful spending money.

So I brought this subject to my co-hosts, Lorien Green and Mark Rivera and get some very interesting reactions!

As per usual, we also have an interview. This time is with the clever guys at Nevermore Games, creators of Chicken Caesar.

Talking about a special theme, in this game you play politics, betrayal and chicken. Yep… with Roosters and everything! And they are nice guys to boot!

And we announce the winners of the our latest giveaway!

Hope you enjoy the show!

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Welcome back to the G*M*S Magazine Podcast, the RPG Edition.

Ever wondered what moves a villain? What makes a necromancer want to turn anyone and everyone into undead? Why the lust for power some villains and archvillains seem to have? Well, Thilo poised that question to us and Dale and I have a bit of a chat about that.

Exceptionally enough, we also talk videogames and, specifically, we talk about Mass Effect 3, the last and latest in the trilogy that is really defining the way videogames should tell stories.

We finish the podcast with an interview with Richard Iorio, the creator of Colonial Gothic and Rogue Games. Colonial Gothic is based around the time of the War of Independence in that led to the separation of the United States from the United Kingdom. I talk to Richard about the genesis of the game, the present and the future.

And the future is lovely!

Hope you enjoy the game!

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I must admit I have totally forgotten that last month was the first anniversary of the podcast. A whole year has gone by and, literally, I didn't see it coming!

Still, it's been quite an amazing year, both personally, professionally and... err.... Podcastily?

Never mind.. it's been a terrific year and I am only so happy to still be around and feel as enthusiastic about the podcast, the website and the gaming world as I did a year ago.

Of course, when one has the opportunity to cyber-mingle with amazing people like Colby Dauch, the creator of Summoner Wars, my hobby becomes a privilege.

But that is not all. Mark Rivera and I talk about the latest release from Clever Mojo Games, Sunrise City, after playing the game at a local games convention. 7 complete novices played and 7 complete novices loved it. And with good reason too. If you have seen the unboxing video, you already know it is an extremelly well made game. The review, coming shortly, will also show you it has a terrific cameplay.

We also played Existenz: On the Ruins of Chaos from Quantum Magic, and I can tell you it is an absolute blast! The game plays similar to Magic: The Gathering, but it adds a boardgame and strategy element that makes the game a great deal more fun and interesting to play. With artwork and graphic design to match, you simply can't go wrong with this game. But we tell you a lot more in the podcast!

And Mark has quite a bit of info to give about his game Ace of Spies. Very exciting news!

And if you thought that was all, you have something else coming! There is give away too!

We have four decks of Summoner Wars cards to give away. How to get your hands on one? All explained in the podcast!

As always, feedback is very welcome and you can always contact us by email: podcast@gmsmagazine.com.

Hope you enjoy the show,

Paco.

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