GameSpot names new editor-in-chief

After the much-publicized departure of editorial director Jeff Gerstmann, GameSpot's parent company, CNet, has named its new editor-in-chief: Ricardo Torres, who has been with the site since 2001. "I'm eager to continue the site's tradition of excellence" Torres said in response to the promotion, "and I'm confident we can move forward into 2008 and set a new industry standard for how video games are covered."

As editor-in-chief, CNet says that Torres "will oversee GameSpot's award-winning editorial staff in their coverage of the latest games and breaking news." What it doesn't mention is that he will also take on the responsibility of repairing GameSpot's shattered image. GameSpot's editorial section has been in a state of disarray since the Gerstmann incident, in which rumors suggest that the former editorial director was fired due to advertiser pressure. After his departure, several staff members (including Alex Navarro) left the publication in protest. (By Andrew Webster Published: January 28, 2008 - 02:32PM CT)

Okay so now my turn to comment on the situation (What you didn't think I would just leave this alone did you?

I noticed this article doesn't seem to say anything about if they plan on doing reviews that are honest. So this guy has to come in and repair the rep of the company? Can that even be done at this point? Nobody will let them preview or review their material. Even if they did would you trust any future reviews from this company? I mean, apparently one CRITIC under their employment tried to have an opinion about something (his job I might add) and he got canned because how dare you bash the product of one of the companies signing checks!

I personally refuse to support gamespot until they show me that they have really changed their dirty ways. And effective February 2nd, all of their affiliate banners will be pulled from RPGX. This isn't just a moral thing either. Because of current events, all indie site ads have been pulled from the site. That includes us. While it is not something I wish to go to war over, it is something to consider when deciding where to get some of your videogame source materials.

Props in Pen/Paper Gaming

Many people have asked me for little tips here and there on ways to make their pen/paper style RPG's more immersing. While my biggest advice is always going to be to use sensory words whenever possible to describe EVERYTHING; The room FEELS cramped, the tone of the room SOUNDS shallow giving you a sense of CLAUSTROPHOBIA. Pulls the player in allot more than “You have entered a 10x10 room and the lights are out. What now?”


Of course this is the most basic and important aspect of creating an immersing environment as a GM, and hopefully you are already doing this. That's why I want to talk about a trick you can use along with “good GM” skills... Props.


Generally when you think of props in Role-playing your mind goes into two very distinct locations; One would be the gutter, and the other LARPing (The live action version of whatever it is you are playing.) The idea is borrowed a bit from the latter, but not on such a large scale. Instead of fully acting out entire scenes or constructing elaborate sets, a GM may use a few key items to help draw in their players.


One example might be a letter from the prince. However, instead of scribbling a simple note, a GM might take the time to print it in a handwritten style font on a piece of parchment. Then, seal it in an envelope with a bit of red wax. Things like this can go a long way for giving your players a little taste of what their characters may actually “experience” helping to draw them into your world. Another good example of prop placement is the creation of character credentials. Give your players a drivers license sporting their characters portrait and information. Even better, give them an opportunity to use it or lose it in game.


While I am on the subject of props, there is something I should address... prop weapons. Of course the decision is entirely up to you and your group. But, as a personal choice I GREATLY urge groups never to allow any form of prop weapons. Some pen/paper groups and LARP groups use cardboard cutouts, Nerf, and air soft weapons. With the right level of maturity and a close group this could work. I have no doubt in my mind that my group could probably handle the same kind of responsibility. The effects of allowing such types of props into your games is far more hindering than immersing (in my opinion.) Now while you may think that I am an anti gun activist, or some extreme safety nut. That is not the case. I have a very large weapons collection as well as a large assortment of air soft assault weapons for back yard fun.


My main argument is of course safety. Beyond that there is more to the case. Weapons are a distractive prop. By giving your players weapons to brandish at the table, you have set a hack n' slash tone. You are telling your players that combat will always be the most viable option in your game (why else would you have armed them for combat, but not given them the spell book prop?) It sets an aggressive tone. Rather than actually negotiate a situation, you may find more standoffs at gun point than you normally would. Weapons have a tendency to replace role-playing, which is not the goal of props. There are many more reasons I am against weapons at the table, but I'm sure you can think of many more. Ultimately the choice is yours. But I urge safety. And Never, ever take your weapons out on the streets.

Zombies Everywhere

Wow, it's been a great year for zombies. Somehow I failed to notice how beloved the shambling hordes have become here in America. It seems not to long ago that any movies containing zombie anything were pretty much doomed to become a piece of cult b-movie nostalgia, that only die hard fans of the genre would seek out an buy. While that is still true to some extent, that idea isn't as relevant as it once was. With many box office, A-list movies that have come out,somehow zombies have managed to chew out their own little niche in our society.

I'm almost embarrassed that I didn't notice one of my biggest loves becoming so popular sooner. I feel like the last in on a joke. I only started noticing the rise in zombie-popularity when I started new board games for our gaming group to get into this year. Naturally my first choice was Zombies!!! a zombie killing “board game” by the great minds at Twilight Creations. As easy as this choice might seem to the rest of you, I was actually confronted with quite a conundrum at the time. “Which zombie board game do I pick.” Because what you may not realize is... I had about 10 to choose from in stock, and 5 more I could order. While 15 games isn't exactly a daunting number, the fact that they were all the same theme makes it quite a bit more significant.

When did Zombies become so popular that the market for zombie board games became so large? The really surprising bit is that only about 1/3 of these are simple type “run n' gun” games. Many of the genre's board games are well fleshed out strategy style “thinking man's” board games. The list goes on forever: Zombies!!!, Doom, Maul of America, Zombie Town, Zombie Plague, Give Me The Brain, Dawn of the Dead, Last Night on Earth... Not to mention the 6 expansion sets for Zombies!!! some of which are stand alone products.

Twilight Creations deserves special note since they have been ever present in the underground world of “horror” board games. Not only do they have the title Zombies!!! in their arsenal but a slew of others including, Zombie Town, Mid-Evil, Grave Diggers, When Darkness Comes, and The Haunting House. I'm not even going to name off the 6 expansion sets to their core game. Not to mention you can buy zombie figures buy the bag load for about $10.00 for a bag of 100! All of these are quality games with great flavor and mechanics that I would recommend to any horror fan.

But back to the core of the discussion. What has made these “un-dead” nightmares so popular in recent years? I think that movies have had allot to do with it. Sure we have had zombie movies shambling onto our TV sets in hordes ever since Gorge A. Romero broke the genre in 1968 with “Night of the Living Dead.” But, most of what we saw was either campy or just down right horrible with only a few gems of goodness to speak of. While there is an audience for anything and everything, before there just never seemed to be much of one for the “classic” zombie flick (dooming them to the bottom of the b-movie bargain bin forever.)

In recent years though, a few directors have shown main stream movie goers the light at the end of the grave. Moving away from a lust for “Brains!” and turning the world upside down with... bigger budgets?!? I think the trend may have actually started with the release of 28 days later. This fresh take on the zombie condition scared the hell out of people all over again. It took the message that Romero gave and turned it up to eleven. For those who could not hear, a little while later we were greeted with a remake of Dawn of the Dead. The zombies who at one time were ridiculous were now horrifying and valid. Later more movies would come and go, a few failing miserably. The makers of the Doom video game movie tried to jump on the zombie bandwagon but would see certain defeat. At the same time Resident Evil movies have shot through the roof with success.

Another factor in the popularity surge may stem from well made video games. Zombies really hit their stride with the Resident Evil series. While now campy, at the time the original Resident Evil by Capcom struck a serious chord with gamers. Nobody I knew dared played that game with the lights off. Soon to follow in it's footsteps would be the Silent Hill Series, House of the Dead, as well as a slew of other horrifying games that would either feature zombie type enemies as it's main attraction or as part of a family of enemies that you would have to face. While horror games may not have been anything really new to the world, the quality behind them was. As an argument you could say that a good quality game will always bring in new interests regardless of whatever the content actually is. After all a good game is still a good game.

So it seems that the “Recently deceased, returning back to life...” have found themselves a bit of a place in the heart of our modern society. Not that I am complaining. Zombies and their movies have been longtime favorites of mine since I first saw the late night showing of Night of the Living Dead.