I haven’t played Magic: The Gathering in a long time. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, but I consider myself a casual fan. I will play when the opportunity arises, but I won’t go out of my way to find a game to play. My uncle surprised our board game group with the Commander Decks from Bloomburrow, the Magic: set with a cute animal theme. I haven’t had a chance to play any cards out of Bloomburrow, so it was a nice surprise. I wanted to share my chosen Commander Deck and how the deck worked.

Honestly, I did not choose a deck based on that deck’s ability. I saw the Racoon on the box and snatched it before anyone else could claim it. The commander in this deck is “Bello, Bard of the Brambles”. He’s a 3/3 for 3 mana. His creature type is a Racoon Bard. Look at how adorable this card is! This trash panda is casting spells like nobody’s business. Bello’s ability allows players to turn their artifacts into indestructible elementals to swing at opponents. Another portion of this ability that I like is that it’s only on your turn. This is neat because it makes it difficult to target the stuff on my board since my artifacts are creatures at some point and flip back to artifacts. Certain cards in Magic: are written to target certain card types, so it made it more difficult for my opponents to destroy my stuff.

While I did not win this game, I had a blast. I had Bello out on the field including a vehicle that’s basically the Magic: version of a hamster ball. I would attack my opponents and create hamsters. It was awesome. I think I had close to 10 hamsters on my side of the board. I told everyone at the table that all I wanted to do was see my commander’s ability work and it definitely did.

I loved this deck! It’s been a while since I played a game of Commander where I had this much fun. I may try the other Bloomburrow decks, but this one will forever be my favorite.

During October, the World of Darkness Discord would release news, new products, and content relating to Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, and Hunter: The Reckoning. Towards the end of the month, a new trailer for Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 was released. Bloodlines 2 has been a long-awaited game that’s been delayed and picked up by various studios. Will this game be good? I hope so, but I won’t keep my hopes up.

Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 is a sequel to Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines a game released in 2004. Before you ask, no, I haven’t played Bloodlines. This game came out before I started getting into gaming and before I was introduced to Vampire. At the time, Bloodlines was considered a commercial failure. In the years since Bloodlines was released, it’s developed a cult following with gamers playing the game and citing that for the period it was released, it’s a decent game. I can’t say much more about that since I haven’t played it.

In 2015, video game publisher Paradox Interactive purchased White Wolf, the publisher behind Vampire, Werewolf, and Hunter. This is when there were rumblings that a sequel to Bloodlines could be possible. In 2019 the game was formally delayed and another delay was announced in 2020. In 2021, one of the developers left the project and there were talks of canceling the game altogether. In 2023, The Chinese Room was brought in to finish the game. I was under the impression that the game was supposed to come out in October of this year, but the release date was pushed into 2025. For those who aren’t gamers, I would equate this situation to the Disney Star Wars movies having two different directors. When you have multiple creative companies working on something, it can be messy. This has left fans wondering, will this game be any good?

With the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, I think there’s more pressure for Bloodlines 2 to be the Vampire: The Masquerade version of that. When I think about what I want from the game, I want to create my own character. I can pick her clan, what she looks like, how she feeds, and her flaws. I can wander around an open-world Seattle, completing missions and undergoing side quests. I can maintain a reputation, do I help people? or am I close to breaching the masquerade? I want to have reasons to replay the game. Based on what I know from the game, players choose a pre-made vampire character. It’s a bummer if I can’t customize my own character.

I watched the Bloodlines 2 trailer twice. Putting aside everything I talked about, the game looks good. I liked how the characters were revealed. I am more drawn to Safia, the Tremere, or Lou, the Venture. Do we get to play as all of these characters? or do you choose one for the whole game? I’m not sure. When it comes down to it, it’s not the game fans would have wanted, but I guess we will take what we can get.

I mentioned this before, but I hope this game is good. If Bloodlines 2 is decent, it could catapult Vampire: The Masquerade into more mainstream TTRPGs. If it isn’t good, then the game will fade into obscurity. I’m not going to pre-order the game yet, I want to see the reviews once it comes out. If you have been following Bloodlines 2 for a while, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Last weekend, me and my brother drove a few hours away to visit friends. Our main goal was to set up regular gaming days as we always talked about getting together more frequently throughout the year and it wouldn’t happen. Our main goal was to find time to play Kingdom Death, a horror cooperative miniature game. My first introduction to Kingdom Death was at Gen Con in 2019. The line for Kingdom Death’s booth is massive. I have always wanted to try playing Kingdom Death and it finally happened. I liked Kingdom Death and would play the game again, but Kingdom Death is not for the weak.

As mentioned, Kingdom Death is a horror, miniature game. Unlike Warhammer where players go up against each other, in Kingdom Death, players have to work together to set up a settlement, build resources, and go up against monsters. I was warned that Kingdom Death is brutal and that’s absolutely the case. I went through three characters who all died by the end. To begin the game, each player is given a sheet to name their character and provide basic stats. I jokingly named my character Mariah as I thought it would be funny to name my character after myself knowing they wouldn’t live long. After setting up our characters, we did a prologue section where our group went after a White Lion. After succeeding, we made camp and began to create our settlement. I had rolled for our group and rolled a 1, therefore, our settlement was much smaller than we would have liked.

This is where things started to deteriorate for our group. Our characters had to begin a hunt to collect resources to make weapons and armor. We went up against another White Lion and I had wounded the creature. To make matters worse, I gained the White Lion’s testes, which made me the permanent target for the lion. Oops. As such, I was mauled and my character died. Our whole group kept rolling so poorly that we all ended up being TPKed (total party kill). As we returned to camp, we gained resources, but in a settlement encounter, two more members of our settlement were killed, so only four people remained. This meant that if we didn’t survive the next encounter, we would lose the game since everyone in our settlement died.

What I enjoyed most about Kingdom Death is how players have to work together. I struggled to get into miniature games in the past for a multitude of reasons. I found it difficult to keep my armies straight and predict how my opponent would move their army. With Kingdom Death, we all struggled together, so I found it bound us together when times were tough. Another thing I loved about Kingdom Death is the minis. The minis are horrifying. The Screaming Antelope is disgusting with its belly opening into a huge mouth with massive teeth. The White Lion, while basic, is a menacing mini. There are multiple other creatures and bosses we didn’t have time to face, but my friend showed me those minis and they are detailed. I could see myself buying and painting Kingdom Death minis in the future even if I don’t play them.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Kingdom Death as I went into the game not knowing much. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed our session. I can understand why the game is as popular as it is. I would be open to playing Kingdom Death again. If I do opt to go to Gen Con again next year, I will swing by Kingdom Death’s booth and maybe I will purchase a mini this time.

It’s been a bit since I last played a Nancy Drew PC game. This is the eleventh Nancy Drew game I played and I still am not halfway done with completing all of them. I was contemplating which game I wanted to play next and figured Midnight in Salem would be a good pick since it takes place in Salem, MA. Midnight in Salem is a departure from the previous Nancy Drew games, but I don’t think that’s bad.

Midnight in Salem begins with Nancy investigating a room in a castle. Her father, Carson Drew, asks Nancy to look for a book. When she finds it in a hidden compartment, a thief shows up to steal the book. While Nancy does her best to recover it, the thief gets away. Meanwhile, Nancy is called to Salem to help investigate a fire set on a historical building. Someone in the town is blamed for the crime, but Nancy is not convinced she did it. As usual, Nancy talks to the townsfolk, goes on a ghost-walking tour, and discovers the true culprit.

I mentioned how Midnight in Salem was a departure from the previous games. The controls in this game were noticeably different. To view an area, I had to hold down the right mouse and move it around to see an area versus the point-and-click motion from the previous games. At first, this was clunky and I did not like it. However, once I was used to it, it was fine. Another noticeable change was Nancy’s smartphone. Instead of logging her tasks in her journal, she has her phone which lists her task list. Most of the Nancy Drew games came out in the early 2000s, so I liked how this game made her character more modern. With the tasklist, I felt the tasklist was short and concise. In previous games, there would be eight or nine tasks to complete. This task list featured broad goals and it made the game way more straightforward than other games I played in the franchise.

When I played Midnight in Salem, it reminded me of Ghost of Thornton Hall because there were jump scares in both games. To be clear, I do not do well with jump scares or horror games, so while I may think this game has jump scares, some might disagree. I thought it made for the perfect game to play before Halloween.

With this being a more recent Nancy Drew game, I liked the inclusion of achievements. There are 23 achievements to unlock. Most of them are story related and there are a few that I didn’t unlock when I first played the game. I like the inclusion of achievements because it adds replay value to the game. If I want to play this game again, it gives me something new to unlock.

Midnight in Salem has some mixed reviews on Steam and I get it. This game is different than other Nancy Drew games. Once I got past the initial shock of this being a different game, I found myself enjoying this game a lot. I loved the setting, the mystery, and the history revealed throughout Nancy’s time in Salem. I’d put Midnight in Salem towards the top of my list of favorite Nancy Drew games I have played.

I have been a player at Badwolf Adventure Studios for almost three years. I have played in two full campaigns switching from biweekly to weekly. I was not planning on joining a second campaign at Badwolf considering there’s a financial component since I pay for my sessions. On top of that, our weekly game fills the Dungeons & Dragons itch for me. This was valid until I saw Badwolf advertising a Vampire: The Masquerade campaign starting biweekly on Fridays.

If you read my post about Vampire: The Masquerade, you will know how much I love this system. I have never been a part of anything longer than a one-shot, so having this opportunity to play in a Chronicle; I couldn’t pass it up. With anything financial, it’s important to talk about finances with your partner. I wouldn’t have signed up for this campaign without talking to my husband first. After revisiting our budget, we made room for this campaign addition.

We had our session zero last Friday and I thought it went well. Session zeroes are the pre-session as it were. This is where players create their characters together, discuss topics that make players uncomfortable, and talk about how our vampires know each other before the game starts. I think session zeroes are something all tables should do and that’s especially true for Vampire: The Masquerade. With Vampire: being as dark as it is, there’s a bit of vulnerability from the players, and playing Vampire: without a session zero is not a great way to start the game. We accomplished a lot with our session zero and I’m curious to see how this will unfold in the ongoing sessions.

Once my character has been finalized, I will post more about her because she is something else. There are some things I’m working through such as her first name, her back story, and how she became a vampire. I am looking forward to getting back into Vampire: and seeing her develop in the upcoming sessions.

I read Vampire: The Masquerade The Complete Series published by Vault Comics. This post was intended to be a graphic novel review because this book was hands down one of the best graphic novels I read this year. As I started writing the review, I was bored. It was me talking about how much I loved the graphic novel and that was it. I decided to pivot and talk about how I was introduced to Vampire: The Masquerade, why I love this system, and what podcasts or live streams I’d recommend watching.

It’s important to note how dark Vampire: The Masquerade is as a TTRPG system. I own the rulebook and in the beginning section it says and I quote, “This is not a roleplaying game where you play the good guys”. This is not Twilight where vampires sparkle and only feed on animals. This is not a game I would play with kids, this is a game intended for adults. While a vampire character can be designed to be as moral as possible, you are constantly fighting off the beast trying to influence you to feed all the time. I say this because I don’t think Vampire: The Masquerade is for everyone. It’s okay to recognize that Vampire may not be for you because of the above. I’m not going to discuss my previous stories in-depth with this paragraph serving as a content warning that this game is truly a horror game.

I was introduced to Vampire: The Masquerade at Gen Con in 2019. Me and my brother met up with a few of my friends who were also at Gen Con and they agreed to run a one-shot for us. The first character I created, I named Virginia. In Vampire: The Masquerade instead of classes like Dungeons & Dragons, the equivalent for this system would be a clan. Each clan has different abilities and strengths. Virginia is a Tremere, a clan in Vampire focusing on Blood Magic. I’d equate this to a Sorcerer or Wizard in Dungeons & Dragons. Since then, I have played in at least three one-shots; this could be higher. I only found three of my past Vampire character sheets to reference.

What impressed me the most about Vampire was the intricacies of vampire society. In Vampire: The Masquerade, vampires have to abide by a code. “The Masquerade” hence the name of the system, is secrecy in which vampires are forbidden to publically discuss their vampirism. If they do, they risk final death or their characters being killed. There’s a whole political system with “The Prince” being the leader of a particular area. There are Sheriffs, I’d describe them as being security guards who protect The Prince and The Masquerade. From there, there are several other important political positions to help enforce the vampire code. As a player, I think it provides the right amount of guidance. Without these rules, vampires would do whatever they want which would be quite frankly, a blood bath.

Another reason I like Vampire is the amount of customization with character creation. Besides choosing a clan, another choice to make is predator type. Predator type illustrates how your vampire will feed. For example, some players may choose Bagger meaning they will only feed by stealing blood from hospitals or other medical facilities. In some ways, this might be the moral high ground because you’re not feeding from people BUT you are stealing blood from someone who may need it in a transfusion. Another option is Siren where your vampire feeds during sex or feigning sex. I did say this was an adult game for mature audiences. Each predator type has advantages and disadvantages, but none of the choices make you good. There are many other characteristics to pick when creating a character, but the last one I wanted to touch on was beliefs. Each character chooses beliefs or convictions that they try to uphold. One common conviction I always take is “never expose children to violence”. These convictions offer a sense of humanity to your character because as long as I never expose children to violence, I’m not all bad. Vampire focuses on morality and what that means for the player. Do you try to be as moral as possible? or will you give in to the beast? The choice is yours.

The last time I played Vampire was a few months ago at Badwolf. To keep my interest, I find listening to podcasts or live plays helps to keep the rules fresh. The first podcast I’d recommend is Blood & Syrup by Dumb-Dumbs & Dice. Each episode is about forty minutes, so it won’t take long to listen to. There are three vampire characters which I find makes it easier to follow along. The podcast uploads episodes regularly. As a side note, I find it challenging to discover new Vampire podcasts since many podcasts don’t upload new episodes on a regular cadence. I’d hate to become invested in the story and not see how the story continues. Besides podcasts, I’m watching NY By Night, a live play of Vampire with Jason Carl as the storyteller. Jason Carl is the storyteller of LA By Night, another popular Vampire campaign. One last thing I would recommend would be to join the World of Darkness Discord. I joined a month ago and it’s a channel I read often. I don’t post my thoughts, instead, I have read about other players and the characters they create. It’s given me inspiration and determination to find my own game.

I’m glad I played Vampire: The Masquerade; it’s a system I thoroughly enjoy. I hope to eventually play Vampire again soon whether that be a one-shot or if I’m lucky, a longer-term campaign.

I played Hidden Through Time back in 2020 during COVID-19. Hidden Through Time was such a soothing game which is what I needed to get through that tumultuous time. I was scrolling through Steam as you do and I saw that there was a sequel. I was ecstatic! I immediately purchased, downloaded, and spent seven hours playing all the maps. Hidden Through Time 2 improved upon the first game, yet didn’t deviate from what made the game fun.

Hidden Through Time 2 is a hidden objects game with several themed maps. There are four themes within the game, they are 1001 Nights, Greek Mythology, The Middle Ages, and The Magical 80s. Within each individual map, there is a row of objects at the bottom of the screen. These indicate which hidden objects the player will need to locate. If you hover over the object, a hint will pop up to help direct the player to a specific area where the object can be found. In Hidden Through Time 2, there’s a new feature. Towards the top, the weather on the map can be changed to sunny, cloudy, snowy, or rainy. Some objects can be found in both weather maps while others can only be found in a specific weather pattern. The goal of the game is to locate all the objects within each themed area.

I loved the maps! I was partial to The Magical 80s and The Middle Ages. In The Middle Ages maps, there’s an Owlbear! The Middle Ages felt more like Lord of the Rings and Dungeons & Dragons than King Arthur which I liked a lot. I liked the weather setting. I thought it provided more of a challenge since some objects would appear darker on the map, so it took longer to find them. With the weather setting, it offered more replayability since it added more to the maps. Playing Hidden Through Time 2, I looked forward to getting off work, driving home, and playing this game.

Hidden Through Time 2 was so cute. I loved every second of it. It’s a game I would absolutely uninstall, reinstall, and replay it again. Hidden Through Time 2 does have a new DLC which I will be playing next and of course, I will write a post about it once I finish the game.

It’s funny how interests and hobbies can change as we get older. When I first started gaming, I played on consoles specifically Xbox. I played PC games occasionally, however, I devoted most of my time to first-person shooters like Halo or Gears of War. Now, I find myself playing more TTRPGs and board games with video games popping up every now and then. I wanted to share how gaming has changed for me and how I pick the games I play.

When I was in high school, I looked forward to when I hopped off the school bus, finished my homework, and I would sit downstairs in my basement to play Xbox. I would stay up till 3 AM playing a game and then sleep in until 10 or 11 the next day. Those were the good old days. I remember certain events in my life based on a video game I was playing. For example, I remember Batman: Arkham City because we had a snow day my senior year in high school, so I played Arkham City for hours underneath a cozy blanket. Once I went to college, gaming permanently shifted for me, although I didn’t know that then.

In college, I didn’t bring my Xbox with me and that was for the best. College was an adjustment and I think if I had my Xbox with me, it would have made me less social and less focused on my classes. While in college, I joined Video Game Club (VGC) a club that had meetings monthly, but meetings were marathons starting at 8 PM and ending at 8 AM. VGC helped me meet other gamers along with exposing me to board games. The first time I played Red Dragon Inn was at VGC; we had a huge group! Red Dragon Inn is a game I play all the time to this day. Gaming changed for me when I went to college as it taught me that I wouldn’t always have the time to play video games. When I did have the time, I cherished it a lot more.

After I graduated from college and started working full-time, my time to play video games shrank further. One of the biggest things I struggle with is having the energy to play video games. After I get home from work, exercise, and eat dinner, I’m tired. When I say tired, it’s not that I’m about to fall asleep, instead, I don’t have the energy to devote to something rigorous. If given the option, I’m more likely to pick a cozy game than a first-person shooter.

This leads me to the point which is how my gaming preferences have evolved. I will always have a soft spot for first-person shooters, that will never change. However, I tend to gravitate towards cozier games. I’m currently playing Hidden Through Time 2 and it’s been lovely. Hidden Through Time is a hidden objects game series and it’s been the perfect game to play during the week. It’s something I don’t have to concentrate on. It’s not that I don’t play more intensive games, but during the week, it’s nice to have an easier game to play.

When I pick out the video games I want to play, I have a process in place. I have a sticky notes app on my phone and one of the notes is a list of all the video games I want to play. In addition, I have the release dates next to the games, so I know when they come out. This has kept me organized and reminds me of the games I want to play and when. Before buying a game, I have started regularly watching gameplay from the game I want to buy. With video games now costing $70 per game, I want to know what the game looks like before I buy it. I never used to do this before and I don’t know why. I have spent a lot of money on games I would never play again which could have been avoided if I wanted gameplay videos before purchasing the game.

Video games will always carry some nostalgia for me. To be realistic, I know that my time to play video games will only get smaller in the next few years. I don’t feel sad about it. I think it’s helped me become pickier and only play games I know I will enjoy. I have also thought about replaying some of my all-time favorite games since it’s been several years since I played them last. Hobbies can change over time and long gone are the days in which I would play Halo on Legendary difficulty. I’m over it.

Since being involved in a regular campaign, I have rolled my fair share of natural 20s and my fair share of natural 1s. In Dungeons & Dragons, a d20 is rolled to either attack an enemy, make a skill check, or avoid a spell effect from another spell caster. Rolling a 20 is considered a critical hit or in some cases a critical success, while a natural 1 is a critical failure. I don’t think anyone enjoys rolling a natural 1, but in my case, I tend to roll natural 1s on a D20 at pivotal moments in our game. I wanted to share two examples where I rolled a natural 1 and how the lower dice roll furthered my character’s journey within the campaign.

Both stories are set in our current campaign where I’m playing Vesper, the Variant Human Sorcerer. Vesper had to make a Constitution Saving Throw after a long battle our group finished. When I stated I had rolled a 1, the DM revealed a disguised enemy came up behind me and removed my eyes. Our whole group was shocked! When this first happened, I will admit I was devastated. I wasn’t sure how Vesper would progress through the story considering that as a spell caster, she needed to be able to see everything around her. In a turn of events, Vesper accepted help from Zariel which unlocked a new feat for Vesper. If she calls on Zariel’s aid, she gets added benefits in battle but she can’t cast all her spells. Vesper eventually regained her eyes and vision with help from the other players in our party.

Rolling a natural 1 in this instance altered Vesper’s story. I don’t think she would have made a pact with a god. There were several in-game conversations between the other players where they expressed concerns over Vesper’s partnership with Zariel. These conversations were fun to have and I think bonded Vesper with the other characters. They expressed their empathy, but also kept Vesper in check and not letting Zariel take over. None of this would have happened had I not rolled a 1.

The second story happened pretty recently. Vesper is currently in a relationship with Cam, an NPC who is Vesper’s academic adviser at the magical academy she graduated from before the campaign started. In one session, Cam had accepted an opportunity that would permanently change his character. Our DM asked me to roll a d100 which would reveal how well this would go for him. I rolled a natural 1 on a d100 which is a 100-sided die. Rolling a 1 on a d20 is one thing, but a d100. I can’t even believe it. As a result, Cam almost died. I did not expect myself to care as much, but I started crying during the session. I thought of Vesper’s feelings toward Cam and how she would lose somebody she loved. With no help from myself, the other players rallied around me and we were able to give Cam assistance to pass his Constitution Saving Throw. I cannot look at d100s the same now.

From a story perspective, this was much needed for Vesper. The way I roleplayed Vesper, she always put Cam at a distance. This comes from her back story, but as a way to protect herself. Throughout the sessions, Cam got Vesper to open up which led to them confessing their feelings for each other. Vesper took Cam for granted and that was intentional on my end. The fact I rolled a natural 1 and almost killed him woke Vesper up to the fact that she truly loves him. As far as how that benefitted the campaign, I think it solidified Cam as a permanent member of our group.

With these natural 1s, Vesper wouldn’t be where she is today without them. I think it’s easy to feel disappointed or sad when a natural 1 is rolled, but hopefully, this gives some reassurance that sometimes, they aren’t always bad.

In March, I wrote a post about Daggerheart, Critical Role’s TTRPG system, when it was first announced with an open beta. I had reservations based on their initial announcements, but wanted to reserve judgment until there was more released and if I would have the opportunity to play. As it turns out, Badowolf Adventure Studios ran a Daggerheart one-shot which served as an introduction to the system. Now that I have played the game, I feel my thoughts are different than they were a few months ago.

When I originally wrote this post, I mentioned being skeptical about combat. In Daggerheart, there isn’t an initiative order meaning the players decide who goes first. When signing up for gaming events at conventions, it’s random people paired together. I didn’t find it awkward when we figured out who would go. There was always one player who wanted to start and I found that as we all worked together, we would call out who hadn’t gone yet. By not having an initiative order, players can be strategic and pick who goes based on what character is doing what. Another slight concern was how the DM would go after a player rolls higher in Fear. I wasn’t sure how often that would be. During our session, our group rolled pretty well, but I didn’t think it slated the game one way or another. With a one-shot, it’s tough to tell, but I left feeling much better about the mechanics than I had felt before.

Our session was only an hour, so it was difficult to interpret much from one session. I left feeling positive about Daggerheart. It’s one thing to hear all the announcements and another to actually get to play. I’m curious to see how Daggerheart will be finalized upon its release and if Critical Role‘s next campaign will be with Daggerheart.