Sorry. Opening paragraphs are always the most awkward for me to
write. But, now that it is out of the way, welcome to the first Surly
Gamer column! A million thanks to Nurse Roberts for publishing this
column in her otherwise fine webzine!
I pondered how much personal introduction I should bother with, and
decided a little would do. Anyone who wants a psychological profile or
something can feel free to e-mail me, and Ill get back to you with all
haste, or something. My name is Nathan, and I bought my first game with
my very own money a decade ago this past summer, when I was thirteen. It
was the Basic Marvel Superheroes role-playing game (henceforth presented
as RPGs). I was not a very bright child, and I didnt understand it at
all (nor did it occur to me to go get help doing so). Regardless, I had
a great time with it, all by myself. It seems strange in retrospect, but
I was happy. The Robotech RPG followed, a game that I did understand. It
was the first game that I ever made homebrewed rules modifications for.
Anyhow, Its been a great decade of gaming, and now Id like to give
this column as an anniversary gift to all of you. I will do my best to
let you know whats bad and whats good each month in the world of
gaming: board, card, miniature, RPG and even strategy.
This months first victims are the collective fans of the Vampire
role-playing game. Intended to be more than just a game about inhuman
bloodsuckers, it was a struggle to retain you characters humanity, set
in an environment chock of intrigue and subtlety. This past month saw
the birth of the third edition of the main Vampire rules book. White
Wolf Games can be a very creative little company, but they have this
irritating habit of making people pay 100% for their basic game books,
which contain about 60% new material. The other 40% of the book is there
for the sake of people who are trying White Wolfs games for the first
time. That probably accounts for about 2% of the people buying their
games. Worse, in the case of Vampire 3rd edition, its only about 45%
new stuff. Finally, to add salt to the cheese-grater scars, White Wolf
has given in to the collectors market with a super-limited collectors
edition. Finally, note that I used the word "was" in the second sentence
of this paragraph; thats because the mood of the game has been
mutilated, resulting in a sort of world-on-the-brink-of-chaos-in-the-
new-millennium uncertainty. Thats probably the hardest change to swallow.
Fans of the Babylon 5 television show have always been victims when it
comes to merchandising...especially in terms of Babylon 5 games. So its
no surprise to us that three of the companies in charge of Babylon 5
(henceforth known as B5) games have decided to simultaneously drop their
pants and unleash flaming death at us fans:
First, the makers of the card game (which I really do enjoy) are
making a twelve-card collectors set (with a very cool Shadow action figure) for the
not at all low price of $80! -- For 12 cards!
Then, the makers of the B5 Board Game set up an exclusive deal with
Diamond: if I order one of the four new expansion sets for their board game, and I
can get one of two action figures! The problem is, one from each set of two figures is
available elsewhere, and the other is an exclusive (in some cases, a very cool exclusive). The
trouble is, theres no way to know which one youll end up with, when you order!
Finally, the nice folks who make the B5 tactical game are going to
press with a second edition of their rulebook, just as the Vampire people are. The big
difference here is that B5 Wars has been out for less than a year, and has only had one
additional expansion (which is a big piece of lameness in itself); a sign of real
sloppy work. However, I am almost glad to report that they may get my money, because they are
releasing both a whole new boxed set and a cheaper book with just the rule changes (plus
stats for the coolest ship on the show) . Pay attention, White Wolf!
Finally, what column would be complete without a few well-deserved
jabs at Marvel? Marvel has been sticking its toes back into the gaming
pool recently, starting with those silly Marvel Dice. More recently,
they have come up with even more real stinkers. First, they release a
new version of the Marvel Super-heroes RPG, in an incredibly overpriced
and compact package. Thats not new, but the Avengers/Thunderbolts
roster book is. Its just as compact and overpriced as the game itself.
Its a great shame, because the concept of creating another character to
fight alongside the Avengers is very appealing (and quite nostalgic).
And, while we are on the subject of overpriced, Marvels Battlebooks
are a little late, but some of them should be out by now. Each comic
lets you play the role of a character (limited to the 8-10 "cool"
characters that someone arbitrarily feels are worthy of such an "honor")
for the duration of a fight. A sort of "Whod Win if..." game. All you
need is a pair of $4 comics! This ALMOST makes me want to rethink
calling the Marvel RPG overpriced. According to an interview in
Previews, these were created with the intention of bridging the gap
between comics and the world of gaming. Argh! Okay everyone, very
important tip: theres more to gaming than silly fights, despite what
the Battlebook people would like you to think. If you want to make a
bridge between these two groups, at least show them the best side of
gaming, not the side that most of us feel is the weakest.
I think Ill end each column with one sparkling recommendation, just
to let you know that while there is great darkness in the world of
games, theres also some quality stuff. I direct you to
, homepage of Cheapass Games, makers of extremely
fun and clever board, card, and strategy games! They are inexpensive,
without being shoddy or dull. My personal favorite is Kill Doctor Lucky!
(A twisted version of Clue; players try to be the first to secretly kill
Doctor Lucky.) But watch out for Before I kill you, Mister Bond. Its
just bad.
It occurs to me that I didnt explain why exactly Ive become so
surly. Well, Ill leave it as a hook for next month! In the meantime,
please let me know what I can do to improve this column. Im working on
diversifying the appeal of this column and the news and products that
come my way. Im also working on not being so gamer-elitest with my
terminology. Do write and let me know how Im doing, wont you?
