Posts By John Farrell
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760ReviewsBeadle and Grimm DM Vault for Keys to the Golden Vault review — an elite spread
Beadle and Grimm’s DM Vault is a package of components that function as player aids, DM tools, and in-game documents for D&D’s...
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1.1KEditorialsThe Submerge Universe — a fifteen year search for science fiction greatness
Demetrius Witherspoon’s Submerge Universe exemplifies the inverse proportionality of resources and heart that every artist must struggle with. The more personal and...
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1.3KFeaturesThe GamingTrend 2023 holiday guide—Tabletop edition!
At this point you’ve probably gotten your fill of video games and hardware and gear, but now it’s time for some real...
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1.8KFeaturesThe GamingTrend 2023 Holiday Guide – Video Games Edition!
2023 is almost at an end, and boy, what a year. This has been arguably the best year we’ve ever seen in...
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691EditorialsDown the Road — an indie journey to the heart of the unknown
Down the Road exemplifies the strengths that lead me off the beaten path and into the uncharted wilds of indie film. Not...
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1.2KReviewsMarvel Multiverse RPG review — not quite marvelous
The Marvel Multiverse Roleplaying Game enters the market at a complicated time. The public’s enthusiasm for the Marvel brand is waning, and...
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549ReviewsThe Making of Karateka review — a step forward for interactive documentaries
The Making of Karateka is a beacon of light in otherwise dark times for games preservation. In this age of dead or...
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1.8KReviewsPirate Borg review — swashbuckling in the Dark Caribbean
When I called Mork Borg a landmark in RPG production and distribution, I had no idea how far it was going to...
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688EditorialsMorning is Broken — encompassing the weight of stories untold
The D&D themed short film Morning is Broken has a power that long outlasts its 12 minute runtime. It comes from what...
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2.3KFeaturesBest of Gen Con 2023
There’s quite a few things you could say about Gen Con this year, but the one thing everyone can agree on was...
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1.9KEditorialsEldritch USA — the midwestern musical horror America has been waiting for
Eldritch USA is much more than the sum of its parts, but there’s a lot to be said about those individual parts....
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503InterviewsPaizo discusses the future of their products and fan licenses — Gencon 2023
Paizo has a lot to look forward to soon, and it isn’t all coming from Paizo. Let me explain. First of all,...
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456InterviewsTalking with Tomas Harenstam of Free League Publishing about the importance of focus — Gencon 2023
Free League Games has proven its mettle in every direction; over the last few years, this RPG studio has outdone its competitors...
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538ReviewsFate of the Norns: Ragnarok review — the center cannot hold
Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok is a fascinating case study in why review scores are an oversimplification. Its highs are unmatched, its...
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852ReviewsThe One Ring 2nd edition review — return of the king of Middle Earth games
There has been much turmoil in the land of Middle Earth. Rather, it’s IP holders. Now comes Free League, the chosen one,...
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663EditorialsGrowing beyond tragedy with the Timewarp Quadrilogy — Fandom Underground
Fandom Underground has given me the greatest insight I could ask for into the dichotomy between art as personal expression and art...
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814InterviewsBringing the psychology of tabletop to screen with D&D web-sitcom The Party
I knew I needed to talk to the team behind the Party from its first line of dialogue. It’s a comedically academic...
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624InterviewsTerraforming Mars, Terra Mystica, and the boardgame adaptation revolution being spearheaded by Cobalt Knight
If there’s anything my examination of low budget filmmaking has taught me, it’s that nothing informs your output like the limitations restricting...
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718EditorialsForging empathy from chaos with Wormholes–Fandom Underground
Wormholes is the kind of artistic miracle that can only happen when the right people are in the right place at the...
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1.2KEditorialsA brief survey of Star Trek fan films — Fandom Underground
A few years ago I wrote an editorial discussing the shocking majesty of Hidden Frontier, a no-budget Star Trek fan film that...
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1.1KEditorialsBest tabletop games of 2022
2022 was an amazing year for Gaming Trend’s tabletop team: We more than doubled our crew, reviewed more tabletop games than any...
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688ReviewsGates of Delirium review—in madness lies clarity
Gates of Delirium tries to meld a lot of concepts into a concise package, and it mostly succeeds at combining area control,...
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815EditorialsRediscover Crystal Lake in Friday the 13th: Vengeance–Fandom Underground
Friday the 13th has been quiet since its dubiously received 2009 remake, but a group of fans and professionals put that to...
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1.0KEditorialsSummoning Dream and Nightmare with Sandman 24 Hour Diner–Fandom Underground
Well before Neil Gaiman’s nightmarish fantasy comic was adapted by Netflix, recent film school graduates set out to adapt the source material...
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893EditorialsPushing the limits of time and space with Doctor Who Velocity–Fandom Underground
Buried as it is between the mountains and the desert, Boise Idaho doesn’t have much of a film industry. What it does...
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1.2KEditorialsTales of the Clown Prince–Fandom Underground
In the Joker’s long career, he has strayed far from his origins as a criminal mastermind. Oh, he commits a lot of...
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1.1KEditorialsCrow–Fandom Underground
Crow’s supernatural revenge thriller is a dark urban fairy tale replete with some of the finest and most effective artistry I’ve seen...
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647Editorials
Fandom Underground–An Introduction
photo credit: Justin Mane’s Crow, 2022 You might not believe me, but the modern groundbreaking filmmaking isn’t coming from major studios. The...
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604PreviewsTalking to the Creator of Critters & Companions: system neutral fantasy animals
Roleplaying games often overlook the value of wildlife, presenting them as combat encounters first and integrated into a setting’s logic second. I...
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2.0KReviewsDeath in Space review—scrounging in the void
Fear, hunger, and peril await those who tarry in the dying universe of Death in Space. Dripping with all the atmosphere that...
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1.3KReviewsTales From the Loop boardgame review—a time of mystery
Tales From the Loop has had an interesting life span. Simon Stålenhag’s depictions of a lost age of horror and technology was...
