Posts By John Farrell
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708ReviewsShure MV6 Microphone review — good price and ease of use make this a fantastic starter option
Shure is already well known for a line of microphones that are reliable for podcasts and professional recording, but one doesn’t always...
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697EditorialsMolli and Max — opposites attract in a scifi romcom bound to be a new classic
Molli and Max is a meeting of opposites melds opposing forces like nothing I’ve seen before. In genre, tone, character, color scale,...
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1.0KEditorialsChecking in with Roll20—Its been a while and a lot has changed
It’s been nearly four years since we ran an actual play mini campaign on Roll20 (“Return to the Glory”); the height of...
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945ReviewsBunkers & Badasses Deluxe Edition review — Borderlands, for better and worse
Bunkers & Badasses Deluxe Edition is a surprisingly high quality release for fans of Borderlands. If that sounds like a back-handed compliment,...
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1.8KInterviewsClone Cops — indie cyberpunk dystopia asks what a human life is worth, to the seller
Clone Cops is a difficult movie to discuss for the same reason that it ends up being so interesting: it takes a...
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1.5KFeaturesHighlights from the Blackstar Film Festival
Blackstar celebrates independent black, brown, and indigenous artists from outside the industry, and in many places outside the country. I saw films...
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1.3KReviewsThe Flood Bell Tolls in Saint Magnus review — secrets of a drowning city
Somewhere in the world a bell tolls, a city drowns, and something wakes in the deep. The Flood Bell Tolls in Saint...
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1.2KInterviewsNeopets TTRPG Kickstarter — interview with the creators
You read that right, Neopets is making a tabletop RPG. After 25 years of games, lore, drama, and innumerable trades, the longtime...
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828NewsIron Circus and Indiepocalypse bring cartoonists and game designers together for a collection of experimental independent games
Indiepocalypse is working to bring new ideas to the fore, both with their games and the model for release. A collaboration between...
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2.0KReviewsCBR + PNK Augmented Review — big ideas almost fit in this small package
Portable, stylish, and mostly comprehensible, CBR + PNK Augmented brings a lot to the table. This set of 12 pamphlets contains resources...
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3.4KEditorialsPunisher: Nightmare, both meditation on faith and action film of the year — Fandom Underground
Punisher: Nightmare is a miracle of filmmaking and a walking contradiction. Its portrayal of Frank Castle, one man force of destruction, uses...
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2.1KInterviewsInterview with writer/director/actor Andrew Bowser – channeling the soul of indie film
The works of Andrew Bowser serve as a uniquely poignant case study on the philosophy, methodology, style, and even presentation of independent...
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1.4KInterviewsJustin Sirois of Severed Toys on upcoming Mork Borg figures and zines
Live now, Severed Toys is Kickstarting its collaboration with Mörk Borg on a series of action figures for the Dread Risen, each...
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1.5KEditorialsThe People’s Joker was a soulful, hilarious fever dream
The People’s Joker is a walking contradiction. Exactly what I expected and wildly above expectation. At the same time it was stylish...
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1.6KInterviewsInterview with Ross Scott on the campaign to prevent publishers from destroying purchased games
The video game industry sits at an insidious nexus of profitable and technological; it makes shady decision-making lucrative and insulates those decisions...
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1.8KReviewsJimmy and the Pulsating Mass review — a work of genius and empathy makes this JRPG a new classic that should not be ignored
Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass is among the greatest gifts that came out of RPGmaker’s toolsets, delivering an adventure with unmatched quality...
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1.5KEditorialsDarious Britt’s Unsound — filming the pain and love of caring for a parent with schizoaffective disorder
Unsound doesn’t have to tell you that it’s based on a true story. Never have I seen something so real. Never has...
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2.5KPreviewsAll the Fear, Hope, and potential in Daggerheart’s playtest
Daggerheart is Darrington Press’ answer to D&D. Hasbro’s leadership just concluded a year of showing active disdain for their partners and customers,...
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1.0KTabletop ThrowdownTTRPG ALERT: Coriolis is BACK!—Tabletop Throwdown S1E5
This week we chat with Nils Karlén (ALIEN RPG, Blade Runner RPG) and Kosta Kostulas (Coriolis — The Third Horizon, Mutant: Year...
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1.8KInterviewsDemiplane’s Adam Bradford, co-founder of D&D Beyond on the future of RPGs and technology
Digital RPG tools are changing the landscape of RPGs, in ways both expected and surprising. I spoke with Adam Bradford, Chief Development...
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2.0KPreviewsHands on with Demiplane’s Alien RPG Nexus
After spending a few years with various virtual tabletops and being less than impressed, my opinion started to turn early into the...
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2.1KEditorialsHow Eric Power is reinventing a lost animation style
By looking deep into film history, Austin-based artist Eric Power found the template for a style of filmmaking unlike anything released in...
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1.2KInterviewsInterview with Craig Campbell of Nerdburger games, designer of Capers, Good Strong Hands, and others on small press distribution and the state of the industry
Nerdburger Games has been lauded many times for its achievements in design, covering adventure and parody, group, GM-less, and solo, along with...
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2.5KInterviewsM. Allen Hall, creator of Godspark and Sprinkles is missing, on experimental design and the state of the TTRPG industry
Continuing my series of interviews with tabletop designers, I move from the therapeutic model of design to M. Allen Hall, a more...
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4.7KInterviewsLuke Crane, creator of Burning Wheel and Mouse Guard, on RPG design and the state of the industry
Continuing my series of interviews with RPG designers, I spoke with Luke Crane, the mind behind Burning Wheel, Burning Empires, Burning Sands,...
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2.7KEditorialsThe GamingTrend staff’s “Game Of The Year” Top 3 list
As this year has just been too massive for one GOTY list (you can view our Trendsetter Awards here), we went to...
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2.0KFeaturesRPGs at PAX Unplugged — All hail the indie scene
PAX Unplugged 2023 was a bounty of knowledge, new faces, and great games. I spoke to someone at nearly every RPG booth,...
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1.4KInterviewsStephen Dewey, creator of Ten Candles, on Indie production and the state of the industry
Kicking off my first in a series of interviews with RPG designers, Stephen Dewey and I discussed the culture and practicalities of...
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1.8KReviewsBeadle 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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1.7KEditorialsThe 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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2.1KFeaturesThe 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...
