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sThe impact of dynamic covers painted by Frank Frazetta for the Conan paperbacks from Lancer Books in 1966 had a ripple effect in paperback books. Those abstract Richard Powers’ painting that had dominated science fiction paperbacks gave way to something more dynamic. Every paperback house was looking for their own Frank Frazetta. Avon Books seemed […]
I finally got to play Call of Cthulhu. 7th edition. Six players. I dropped in on the second session of a continuing adventure. And if I caught it right, the Keeper was brand new at running games. I was surprised at how well it worked. There were moments where everyone was struggling, but the strength […]
Reverse English by John S. Carroll appeared in the October 1948 issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories. Reverse English is the first (or closest thing to a) Big Men with Screw Drivers story that I’ve come across in this issue of Thrilling. A guy who builds radios and other electronic devices for a living has a […]
Game Conversions and Chromatic Soup 01
Thursday , 4, May 2017 Tabletop Games, Uncategorized 3 CommentsIt’s obvious that the rules of a game influence the play of the game. After all, they are the game. But, for role playing games there seems to be this idea that system doesn’t matter. This is so obviously wrongheaded that it seems like it would have been dismissed immediately. Yet people keep coming back […]
Solitaire gamebooks. Love role-playing games like nothing else, but don’t have a game group or else don’t know how to game master…? Yeah, that was me for a long time. I’ve played scads of the things. What makes for a good one? They have a unique set of constraints. On the one hand, the illusion […]
Every other month, the Castalia House blog showcases books published by independent authors and small presses. This month, we take a look back at the new releases published in February and March to offer a sample of the science fiction and fantasies waiting for those readers who are willing to look beyond the brick and mortar […]
WARGAME WEDNESDAY: Frank Chadwick Interview at The Player’s Aid
Wednesday , 3, May 2017 Uncategorized 4 CommentsMost people in these parts are going to know Frank Chadwick from his grav-tank design sequences from GDW’s Striker or maybe for doing Steampunk before Steampunk was cool with the Space: 1889 rpg. But yes, it’s true: Mr. Chadwick is a wargamer at heart. And even better… he’s still in the game! The Player’s Aid […]
There’s a fascinating comment over at Unz Review: People are getting dumber. Whatever cultural genre you choose, no matter who it’s aimed get, it gets cleverer and cleverer as you go back in time. Literature, magazine, news, tv, everything. Read a mass-market pulp fiction magazine from the 30s or watch one of the many 1950s […]
JUST RELEASED: Hiding Behind the Cowl: A Superhero Anthology
Wednesday , 3, May 2017 Just Released Leave a commentWhy does someone decide to become a superhero? What makes them wake up one morning and put on a mask to fight crime? These five stories explore that theme, from Coming of Age to hiding your identity for the safety of your family. From light and fast to dark and deadly, come with us on […]
James Desborough continues his march through the genres featured in the pulps with this western tale. The general plot is a classic so prevalent that it even makes an appearance in Toy Story: “Somebody poisoned the water hole!” (That’s not a bad thing, the poisoned water hole is one of those themes that affords countless variations.) Of […]
This is another of those standard space wargame scenarios that I always dreamed of playing back when I was a high school aged kid with a brand new copy of Star Fleet Battles. To tell you the truth, the vast majority of games would have been either starship duels or else over the top “battle […]