Geekerati's Recommendations for Geektastic Holiday Gifts (2019 Edition)

Christmas and Hanukkah are just around the corner and there are only a few shopping days left before it's too late to get the perfect gift for your friends or loved ones. If you've got a geek in your life, here are some delightful recommendations to satisfy a variety of geek tastes.

Alien Bones by Chris "Doc" Wyatt and Chris Grine

From our review earlier this year:

Alien Bones is a middle-grade comic book of pulp and pop culture inspired science fiction adventure. The story centers on a ten year-old fossil hunter named Liam Mycroft, who is the son of a well-respected Xenopaleontologist. You read that right, he collects fossils of the "Alien Dinosaurs" that his father discovers various locations throughout the known galaxy. Liam's father mysteriously disappears on one of these digs, and it up to Liam, his friends Dianna and Rosa, and his trusty robot bodyguard Standard-5 ("Stan") to solve the mystery and save the day. Along the way, they bond closer as friends, encounter sinister traitors, battle space pirates, witness a major starship battle between massive armadas, and find the answer to one of the most dangerous mysteries in the universe, "What is The End?" In doing so, they discover a terrible foe that is an existential threat to the entire universe.

Geekerati had the honor of interviewing Doc Wyatt about Alien Bones earlier this year. Check out the book and give our episode a listen.

 

Talisman: Kingdom Hearts Edition

The OP made a name for itself creating licensed versions of classic Hasbro games like Monopoly, Clue, and Risk, but they've expanded their sights with this Disney twist on Games Workshop's geek fan favorite Talisman board game. Talisman was one of the first games that combined board game and role playing game mechanics by featuring not only adventure aspects but character growth and development. In the classic version of the game adventurers quest to find the Crown of Command to determine who will "rule them all," but this version has a much more heroic approach as the players seek to battle Ansem and seal the Door to Darkness. This is a must have at $69.95 and can be purchased at many Friendly Local Game Stores or from Amazon. 

Dungeons and Dragons vs. Rick and Morty

Do you have a friend or family member who is a HUGE Rick and Morty fan and is interested in learning to play D&D? Do you have a friend who is a D&D fan who is interested in learning about Rick and Morty? Do you have a friend who is a fan of both D&D and Rick and Morty? If you answered yes to any one of these questions, then this game set is for you. The team of Kate Welch (Lead Designer), Ryan Hartman, Adam Lee, Ari Levitch, and Jim Zub have put together a great product that serves as a wonderful introduction to D&D while maintaining all the humor you expect from a Rick and Morty cartoon. Those who purchased the Patrick Rothfuss and Jim Zub written comic book Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons, know how well Zub captured the tone of the show in the comic and that same quality of writing is in this set. 

Laser Cut 3-D Wooden Ship Map by CZYY

I have no idea who CZYY is, but I do know that they produce some fantastic laser cut terrain for use with role playing games. I've seen this ship on the table. It looks fantastic and makes a wonderful cost cutting replacement for those who cannot afford the beautiful Falling Star Sailing Ship by WizKids games.

The Hammer Vault

"This remarkable journey through the Hammer vault includes props, annotated script pages, unused poster artwork, production designs, rare promotional material and private correspondence. Hundreds of rare and previously unseen stills help to create a rich souvenir of Hammer’s legacy, from the X certificate classics of the 1950s to the studio’s latest productions. This new updated edition includes an extra chapter covering the years 2010 to 2015."

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook

"Inspired by the cuisine from the exciting new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge themed lands at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook is the ultimate source for creating out-of-this-world meals and treats from a galaxy far, far away."

 Tarzan and the Valley of Gold

"A Tarzan Tale Unlike Any Other

The year 1966 saw the release of one of the most unique Tarzan films ever made: Tarzan and the Valley of Gold. Starring former NFL linebacker Mike Henry in his debut as the cinematic ape-man, the film portrayed a cultured and refined Tarzan who seemed to be molded more after James Bond than the unsophisticated ape-man of past films. The depiction surprised and puzzled some moviegoers, but fans who had read the original Tarzan novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs rejoiced at finally seeing their beloved character appear on the big screen bearing all the complexity and intelligence with which his creator had imbued him.

Enter critically acclaimed fantasy author Fritz Leiber, whose novelization of the film carried the honor of becoming the first authorized Tarzan novel to be written by an author other than Burroughs. Leiber’s tale was far from just a simple retelling of the movie; it was a faithful installment in the literary saga of the ape-man, with frequent callouts to Burroughs’ original Tarzan canon and myriad creative elements added to the storyline. Now readers can once again enjoy Fritz Leiber’s classic Tarzan and the Valley of Gold in this handsome, new illustrated edition, with an all-new foreward by Burroughs scholar Scott Tracy Griffin (author of Tarzan on Film)."

Episode 165: Chatting with Doc Wyatt about Alien Bones and Super Dinosaur

Episode 165: Chatting with Doc Wyatt about Alien Bones and Super Dinosaur

We were lucky enough to connect with Television and Film Producer Doc Wyatt a couple of weeks ago to discuss a couple of his newly released projects. While Doc's producing credits include films like Napoleon Dynamite, our discussion focused entirely on his work in comic books and animation. 

His most recent comic book Alien Bones is an adventure tale in the emerging "Dim Dark" genre. Tomorrow's post will include a review of the book as well as role playing game stats for some of the characters, which should give a suggestion of what I thought of the book. HINT: I liked it and so did my daughters.

Doc's a busy content creator, who's work includes a wide variety of animated series. If you like super heroes and/or Star Wars, it's likely that Doc and his writing partner Kevin Burke have worked on your favorite show. He's currently working on a number of series, but Episode 165 highlights his work on the recent Super Dinosaur series, which is an adaptation of a comic book by Robert Kirkman of The Walking Dead fame. Super Dinosaur is a mash up of Science Fiction, Super Hero, and Hollow Earth tropes that is currently airing on Amazon Prime.

I don't want to reveal too much of the interview here, but here are a couple of things we touch on during the interview. 

The Dim Dark genre and books like the new Warhammer Adventures series. Let's just say that if you like Alien Bones, you'll like Warhammer Adventures and vice versa.

The Spelljammer setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role playing game, a setting of wild fantasy adventures in outer space.

Season 20 of Doctor Who featuring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, and the Enlightenment storyline in particular.

The classic Vincent Price horror film Witchfinder General and the comic book of the same name by Doc Wyatt.

The short lived Jeph Hephner series Agent X that ran on TNT in the early 2010s.

The amazingly entertaining Disney Junior series Octonauts that my family loved so much I had to order toys from England as Christmas presents.

The old show Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, which is the live action adult equivalent of Octonauts, cool ships and all.

The Marvel comic book Death's Head featuring a character originally published by Marvel's British Comic book division in the 1980s.

 

It's a great conversation and we'd love for you to listen.

Stewart Wieck and Nocturnal are Resurrecting West End Games.

On April 13th of this year, Stewart Wieck announced that Nocturnal Media had purchased West End Games from it's past owner Eric Gibson. West End Games (WEG) was founded in 1974 and like many early companies in the role playing game hobby, started off as a publisher of wargames. Prior to their transition into a role-playing game publisher, WEG produced a number of classic wargames including Cosmic Encounter, Junta, and Kamakura. The company made a major leap into "hobby" wargames when they published Bug-Eyed Monsters and Web and Starship, both designed by Greg Costikyan, in 1983 and 1984. When WEG finally jumped into the role-playing game market, they did so with quite a splash with the Paranoia role-playing game, a game that combined a simple rules set with a comic sensibility that mocked Cold War fears and the role-playing game hobby.

WEG would eventually add a host of high quality licensed role-playing games like Star Wars and Ghostbusters and unlicensed games like The Price of Freedom and Torg to a strong line of hobby games that included Tales of the Arabian Nights, Druid, and Tank Leader. For a time, WEG was one of the biggest brands in the hobby and their rapid decline came as a surprise to many fans, but the company managed to limp along as it moved from one owner to another. None of the owners could quite manage to recapture the particular combination of mechanics and settings that made WEG a force in the hobby.

Now the company has transitioned into the hands of Stewart Wieck, one of the leading names in the modern gaming hobby, who has a long history in the gaming hobby dating back to his days with White Wolf Publishing (a company he co-founded in high school) and which includes stints working on the Star Wars and Torg properties as a freelancer.

While some may be skeptical that Wieck can revive WEG and bring success back to the brand, I'm fairly optimistic about the endeavor. Wieck has a long track record in the industry and his company Nocturnal has done a good job with Pendragon. Additionally, Wieck has a detailed knowledge of the direct to digital RPG marketplace. One of the first things that Wieck is planning as WEG owner is to add Print on Demand versions of the WEG "in house" d6 RPG gamebooks. He is also planning to do a Kickstarter launch of the classic WEG board game Web and Starship.

 

 According to the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Web and Starship is a :

Board and counter Wargame (1984). West End Games (WEG). Designed by Greg Costikyan.

Web and Starship is a Hard SF Wargame played on a two-dimensional map of nearby stars, with the third dimension represented by notations on the display. The setting is asymmetric; there are three players, each of whom has different capabilities. The Pereen can travel between stars by means of an instantaneous "Web", but must use slower-than-light probes to add new planets to the network, while the Gwynhyfarr use Faster Than Light ships, which are too small to move large amounts of material from one star to another. As a result, the Pereen will generally win in any ground combat, while the Gwynhyfarr forces are superior in space engagements. The third player, Earth, has access to both the Web and faster than light starships, but begins the game with limited versions of both Technologies, which only slowly improve. Earth is initially located directly between the Pereen and Gwynhyfarr spheres of influence, leading to a great deal of diplomacy as player alliances form and reform. The result is an interesting exercise in strategy in which gameplay is generally focused on economic expansion, interrupted by intermittent warfare.

Image Source Scott Smith

If we can talk Wieck into republishing Bug-Eyed Monsters as well, there are at least two WEG products that will be added to my must own list.

Disney + Marvel + Lucasfilm = ???

Yesterday it was announced that Disney would be buying Lucasfilm and that they would begin production on Episode 7 of the STAR WARS franchise.  The interwebonetosphere was abuzz with Gen-Xers in awe of how quickly Disney, under Bob Iger has moved to collect a good percentage of their childhood loves under one corporate banner.  Disney now owns the Marvel catalog of Super Heroes, the Star Wars Franchise, Indiana Jones, in addition to their own creations.  It's quite an array of IP.

My Geekerati co-host Shawna Benson mentioned how anyone who has been to Disneyland and walked through the Star Tours store could plainly see this was a natural move for Disney corporation.  Think of how many toy aisles will be filled with Disney owned action figures... Star Wars, Marvel, Princesses, Princes, Beauties, Beasts, Jake, Tinkerbell.  Good grief!

All of this analysis misses one key point, the real reason that Disney purchased Lucasfilm.  Lost in the annals of film, there is a highly underrated cinematic masterpiece that was produced by Lucasfilm in the 80s.  It has largely been forgotten.  Lucas himself attempted to Jedi mindtrick the entire human race to forget of its existence. 

No, I'm not talking about the STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL.  I'm referring to a Marvel property.

With the acquisition of both Marvel and Lucasfilms, Bob Iger has enabled Disney to overcome the legal morass preventing an updating of the greatest film of all time...

HOWARD THE DUCK!

I can see it now.  Howard the Duck taking over Toon Town.  A Howard the Duck inserted into the Indiana Jones ride.  A Howard the Duck journey on Star Tours.  A retheming of Splash Mountain to Duck Mountain.  Howard the Duck being made a canonical member of the Duck Tales verse.

You heard it here first.

[The above is not serious, it is a joke.  No one believes that HtD was a good movie.]

Star Wars Anime? Sure. Why Not?

The Star Wars community has long been a creative force on the internet, and for the most part Lucas and Co have been very open to the use of the IP in fan created work.

I recently caught wind of a Star Wars anime project being tinkered around with on 4chan.  The project is far from finished, but this video gives a glimpse at the state of the animation -- the video I'm posting has sound that the /m/ animations lacked.

In all, I think that the animation looks good.  One thing struck me about this brief piece though, and that is how much it humanizes the Imperial Pilots.  The Star Wars films have always presented the Storm Troopers and Pilots as faceless and ominous archetypes -- and eventually as weak willed clones with subconscious "Orders" planted within their minds.  This artist, Otaking 77077, has given us a glimpse into the helmets of the pilots, and it changes the point of view in interesting ways.  I found myself rooting for the Imperials in this video.  It was an interesting sentiment to experience, as I'm used to the Empire as antagonists and not protagonists.

A part of me wonders if my point of view would have been different if the Imperials were represented with Zentradi skin tones or blue skin like the residents of Gamilon.

A New Fanlema -- STAR WARS DETOURS

Like the crew over at Tor books, I'm of two minds regarding the new Seth Green (and the Robot Chicken Crew) animated series STAR WARS DETOURS.  Basing my opinion solely on the trailer below, this show is either a humorous tangent from regular STAR WARS that I can share with History and Mystery or it will be yet another disappointing attempt at humor related to a franchise I have adored since childhood.

The people working on the project give one hope that the cartoons will be funny and entertaining.  Green, Matt Senreich, and Todd Grimes have a good track record, but I keep getting this nagging feeling that comedians who work well together when "edgy" might not quite click when doing more "kiddie" fare.  Just watching the preview, I have noticed quite a few pop culture references that are supposed to have comedic impact.  Most of them will have either History or Mystery turning to a chuckling father and asking questions like, "Dad...why are you laughing?  Is it funny that Han Solo put on a hat?  Are hats funny?"

We are currently in a golden age of entertainment for kids my daughters' age -- they are both 4 btw -- and this might be a great addition to a long list of great shows.  A long list that includes DOC MCSTUFFINS, GRAVITY FALLS, PHINEAS AND FERB, IRON MAN: ARMORED ADVENTURES, AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES, SUPER HERO SQUAD, and MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC to name but a few.  To pull two of the shows out for special consideration GRAVITY FALLS and MY LITTLE PONY manage to insert pop culture references for the adults while crafting interesting and entertaining narratives for kids, but STAR WARS: DETOURS seems -- once again just based on the preview -- that it will be closer in tone to SUPER HERO SQUAD.  This isn't a bad thing as the twins enjoy SHS, but what really gets them excited is EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES.  They like the real drama and real emotion of that show.

When I examine why I feel any trepidation to this show at all, it seems to stem from something hinted at in that last sentence.  I'm torn between whether I think the next STAR WARS project should be comedic or serious, and I think I might be leaning toward serious.  Though I am always ready for well done humor, and adore shows I can watch with my twins...

You see the fanlema I'm facing?

[Cinerati] How Jedi are Like MLB Managers

To date, my daughters History and Mystery have had only limited Star Wars exposure.  They've seen one episode of the digital Clone Wars cartoon, a couple of the "trips" on Star Tours, and the first Star Wars movie.  No, not that first movie, the actual first Star Wars film -- the one that's called A New Hope to more recent generations of viewers.

So far, History and Mystery love the franchise.  They love Luke and Leia, but their all time favorite is Darth Vader.  They adore him and desperately want to play with him.  Jody and I have tried to get the girls picked at a couple of sessions of Jedi Training Academy during visits to Disneyland, but even dressing them in matching Stormtrooper Stand-Up to Cancer T-shirts (a gift of my dear friend Joel) hasn't prompted their selection.  Jody has observed that the selection trend by certain Jedi Masters has a noticeable gender bias, but I want more points of data before I make a decision in that regard.  If it is the case, I will definitely be sending management a stern letter.  But the Jedi "cast members" are comprised of a nice mix, so I'm willing to believe that our 4 or so attempts are too small a sample to make generalizations from -- though not too few to mention in passing.  But that is not what this post is about, so back on track.

As I stated, Mystery and History adore the Star Wars franchise and even create their own stories from time to time using their plush Darth Vaders.  Sharing Star Wars with my daughters -- and all my other quirky interests -- is one of the great joys of parenting.  But I am resistant to sharing the more recent installments of the franchise with them.

Sometimes, take The Empire Strikes Back for example, my reason for delay is tonal.  Empire is a great film, but tonally it's a bit much for 4 year old who weep uncontrollably at the end of Toy Story 3 because Andy leaves his toys behind.  I can only imagine the response that seeing Luke's hand being cut off would have on them.  Similarly, Darth Maul freaks the girls out a tad.  Darth Vader, to Mystery and History, is a cool robot who's sometimes bad and sometimes -- like when he's working at Disneyland -- a good guy.  They like to pretend to be Darth Vader.  Maul, on the other hand, genuinely freaks them out.  Which is good.  That's good character design.  I'm just not ready to show the girls this guy getting cut in half and all the resulting questions.

Other times, my resistance is entirely due to the fact that I don't want my daughters to see the "face-palmingly silly" moments that accompany many films in the franchise.  I'm not one of those who thinks that these moments ruin films -- except making Han shoot second which is ridiculous as it only makes him seem incompetent if lucky.  For the most part, I think every film in the franchise has its groan moments.  How "fast" did Han do the Kessel run?  How many years does it take the Sarlacc Pit to digest you?  Isn't that longer than you'd be alive in the first place?  Jar-Jar...  Pod races... Gambling with the lives of 8 year olds...  Okay, the newer films have more than the older films, but all the films have them.

To be honest though, some of the silly moments can be endearing as well.  Think of Han Solo shooting the comm system, or Luke leaning back after being kissed by Leia, or even C3PO as the storyteller golden god of the Ewoks.  These moments are silly, but downright charming.

Recently, Cracked did a post featuring 10 deleted scenes that would have ruined the films they were intended to be used in.  For the most part, they were correct.  When it comes to their moment from Revenge of the Sith, I disagree.  Would the moment -- in the video below -- have made me groan?  Yes, but I think I would have liked it too.  First, it shows the death of a Jedi featured in the first Clone Wars animated series.  It's kind of nice to bring her into the films.  Second, it makes Jedi look like Mike Scioscia.  All of the facial touching for a combat dialogue that looks like baseball batting/running signals has a certain appeal to me.  Not just because I'm a baseball fan, but because the thought of History and Mystery touching their cheeks and noses pretending that they are planning how to defeat Darth Vader has a certain appeal to me.  I can also see how fun this would be around the RPG table.  It might make me crazy, but I think the Jedi in my world are all going to use these kinds of hand signals.  Who knows, maybe someone will write a companion book to The Hidden Language of Baseball entitled The Hidden Language of the Jedi.  I'd buy it.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #11

Have you ever played a character that was morally gray, or actually evil? Why or why not? If yes, did you enjoy it? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

People in general are morally gray, so of course I've role played evil and morally gray characters. This happens most often when GMing NPC villians. But I've played many characters who fall into this category. Sure it's fun to play the hero in the classic dungeon crawl but playing the backstabbing rogue can be just as fun(in fact for many players this is the default moral setting).

Fiasco, anyone? It's a game where Everyone is of questionable moral fiber. I've had lots of fun playing and facilitating this RPG.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Repbblic and Mass Effect have in-game mechanics for monitoring evil and good acts. I once ruined a save file of KOTOR II by deciding my straight arrow jedi was tired of it all in the Sith Academy and decides to turn to the dark side. I must tell you that it was not rewarding, because the dialogue choices for a fallen paragon Jedi don't exist and the game just stalls out when it loads conversations with your fellow Sith apprentices.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #9

Atlas Games is hosting a new RPG blogging group called Reverb Gamers that is posting a writing prompt(1 each day in January) with a focus on RPGs LARPs and MMORPGs. I missed yesterday because I really couldn't think of an answer and I got sucked in by Star Wars The Old Republic. Sometimes you just have to play games instead of blogging about them. Anyway today's post:

Have you ever played a character of the opposite sex. Why or why not? If yes, how did the other players react? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

I have played characters of the opposite sex before. I usually only play female characters in single adventures or convention RPG games though. Our home campaign has a rule that you can only play characters of the same sex as you, which invariably someone tries to break(and usually they get away with it). The reaction was the same as if I had played a male character, from what I can tell.

It does, however, remind me of a odd thing about MMORPGs and the Internet. MMO avatars can provide a strange kind anonymity. I have seen people get upset when they think they are talking to a male or female person based on the sex of the avatar. Hey, I thought you were a woman/man.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #6

Describe your all-time favorite character to play. What was it about him/her/it that you enjoyed so much? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)


My all-time favorite character to play, huh? Sounds like another bad episode of Let me tell you about my character.... My retailer friends will often complain that while running a game store they have to hear a lot of the "let me tell you about my character..." stories. Hear enough of them and you'll snap. I think because for the person telling the story it's a very personal thing. A connection you make in your own mind between yourself and the character you are creating and playing. For someone hearing the story without that context it's just details strung together. For those who wish to avoid such nonsense please read no further.


My first character in a "real" RPG with a real gaming group is probably my favorite character to play. A male Twilek Jedi Padawan named Hal Duran in my friend Wes' Star Wars SAGA edition game. It's set during the Clone Wars and Dark Times eras between The Phantom Menace and A New Hope. In an early session it was pointed out to me that "Hal Duran" sounds like Alderaan. I swear it wasn't on purpose. My Jedi's name is not a tribute to that doomed world. The inspiration for the name was from HAL 9000, the computer in 2001: a Space Odyssey and the band Duran Duran, they combined as an interesting name for a Jedi Padawan.

What do I enjoy most about playing this character? Hello? Jedi. For this game it's all about cinematic action. What highly improbable feet of acrobatics, and sword play will Hal pull off this week? Probably my favorite scene so far was chasing a personnel carrier with a speeder bike. It's hard to fight a moving target with a light saber. So I maneuvered the speeder in front of the carrier while using my light saber to protect myself from it's guns. Then I leaped off the bike while spinning like a top with light saber held angled in front of me, cutting a hole through the plasteel window simultaneously killing the driver and wounding the co-pilot. I landed on my feet in the back of the carrier. So I was fighting the guys inside while the carrier is crashing. Mandalore bounty hunters coming in the top and jumping off just in time for the carrier to explode from a thermal detonator. Boom! Awesome. That was just as a padawan, just gained knighthood in the last session.

Reverb Gamers 2012 Prompt #3

What kind of gamer are you? Rules Lawyer, Munchkin/Power Gamer,Lurker, Storyteller/Method Actor, or something else? (Search "types of gamer" for more ideas!) How does this affect the kinds of games you play? For example, maybe you prefer crunchy rules-heavy systems to more theatrical rules-light ones.


Role-Player not Roll-Player with a nice side of Storyteller. I am into story and theatrical combat. I try to bring what my friends call the 'awesome'. Christian's daughters rightly capture my play-style by shouting "Boom!" at the table.

I think Ryan Macklin does a good job of pointing out that this prompt "It's a trap!". I feel like all of these lavels for types of gamer apply to me depending on the game. sometimes more than 1 label at a time.

I enjoy mastering the rules for my PC when playing D&D so crunchy rules/Rules lawyer. But when I run D&D I care more about facilitating fun for everyone else and don't let things like rules get in the way of everyone's fun.

In Savage Worlds the rules are so simple that I find myself lurking in most games and occasionally trying to play the 'troublemaker'.

For Do it's a storytelling game so it's all about telling silly stories for me.

In the big picture I would say that the rules of a game and its themes will dictate my play style.

What if Kurt Russell had Landed the Han Solo Part?

Thanks to Geoff Boucher of the invaluable LA Times Hero Complex, I found this intriguing audition where Kurt Russell reads for the part of Han Solo opposite William Katt of Greatest American Hero fame.  Believe it or not, it is a real possibility that Kurt could have landed the Han role.  Thankfully he didn't.  He's a little too Dexter Riley in this reading, and too little Snake Plissken.  I would argue that Russell had so much of the residual fairy dust from his Disney live action films, that he may have made a great Luke.  He has the charm, he just lacks the ruggedness.

I'm a big fan of Russell's, but if I had seen this footage before watching Escape from New York or Tombstone even I would have had a hard time believing that Russell could emote "grimness."

I have also realized another thing after watching these, and other, auditions for Star Wars. I realized that had I been directing the films, the actors may have become frustrated with hearing a single piece of direction uttered by me. That phrase would have been, "FASTER...MORE INTENSE!" It's true of the Harrison Ford audition as much as it is of these. The actors just seem so calm when they are delivering these lines.

Jody Lindke's Pattie Kaiks and Changes in Perception

The image below has long been one of my favorite panels of my wife's "Pattie Kaiks" strip that ran in the Reno News and Review for quite a few years.  It combines our love of pop culture, with the culture shock that we had to share our love with an entirely new generation of fans.  Looking back at the strip now, as the father of twin girls, my perceptions of the comic have changed even more.  My heart leaps for joy when my 3 1/2 year old twins History and Mystery sing the Iron Man: Armored Adventures theme song, and I cannot wait for them to see the Star Wars films with me.  They just watched The Wizard of Oz for the first time yesterday, one of my favorite films all time maybe my absolute favorite depending on the day, and the wicked witch left a significant mark on History's sub-conscious.  Mystery, on the other hand, seemed unfazed.

Nuff Said: Empire Strikes Back (1950) -- In Glorious 3D

Oligatory Sharing of George Lucas Exploiting Gen-Xer's Love of Star Wars Post

The video featuring Darth Vader in a sound booth recording directions for the Tom Tom navigation device is very amusing and deserves to be shared for its entertainment value alone. That doesn't mean that I don't feel a pang of irritation with how George Lucas continues to mock, ridicule, or ruin what was an amazing experience for me as a child. Lucas has always exploited the market potential of Star Wars -- especially on the merchandising end -- but this seems a bit forced. Yes, it seems even more forced than Star Wars Slurpee cups or Burger King mugs.

It's odd being in an aging demographic that still finds the imagery of its childhood to be effective for commercial appeal. For all my irritation, I'm considering saving up to buy one of these. Can you imagine a Baby Boomer saving up to buy a Jonny Quest -- or Yogi Bear -- voiced GPS system? Heck, even a James T. Kirk one would probably appeal to Gen X more than Boomers. We're an odd bunch.

It should be mentioned that the Darth Vader video pales in comparison to Orson Welles discussing peas.

It's Training is Now Complete. "Star Wars" Can Now Be Seen "In Concert"

I can feel a disturbance in the Force. It is as if all of the money from thousands of Star Wars fans was removed from their bank accounts in one swift moment.



Having betrayed loyal fans with mediocre sequels, for which we fanatical Star Wars fans have waited in lines over night in sleeping bags just to buy tickets, George Lucas has found a new way to empty the wallets of Generation X fans who have loved the franchise since they were between the ages of 4 and 10. Lucas knows that regardless of how disappointed fans may be with the narrative of any particular film, those first few measures from the Star Wars theme still sends chills up the spines of Gen X inner children everywhere.

Now fans can wait in digital queues for untold hours in the hopes of getting a chance to fork out $35.00 - $85.00 per seat, in order to avoid paying upwards of $300 per seat to a "ticket agent" to watch Star Wars in Concert. Fans can now go to see a full orchestra play the songs of Star Wars to various High Definition movie clips projected on a big screen in a kind of multimedia "high art" extravaganza where the conductor will pause between sections of the show to describe things like "Leitmotif" (which is pronounced lite-motif not leet-motif -- a leet-motif is that chortle you hear every time you get owned by a 13 year old sniper in Call of Duty) to an audience who would actually be better served attending a performance of Das Rheingold.

Crap. As cynical as I am trying to be, I am finding it very hard not to be one of those Gen X-ers waiting in a virtual queue. There really is something magnificent about John Williams' score -- even in the lesser films.

Thanks George Lucas, Because 10 Years Ago You Killed My Childhood Forever

Marc Bernardin reminds me why today is a sad day for Gen X.

When I was really young, I used to spend the night at my grandparents house every Saturday night. It was a magical time. Like most kids who visit their grandparents, my time with Oma and Opa was spent reading, picnicking, washing cars, getting to sleep in to ridiculous hours on Sunday, and experiencing the love of one's elders -- which included a very different set of social norms from life with my parents. My Opa was a retired career Sergeant Major in the Army who had served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. And when my Opa returned home to the United States after his tour with the US Occupation forces in Europe, he brought my Oma from Germany to our fair shores.

For the most part, my Oma and Opa were serious people. After dinner, we always watched the news and Oma and Opa were always interested in my opinions on the issues of the day. This was true when I was 14 and it was true when I was 7.

But the times with Oma and Opa weren't always so serious. Some of my favorite times were when my very serious Opa would, almost at random, tease my Oma with some sarcastic remark or jibe. His giggle was infectious and watching Oma go from red with anger at being criticized to laughing out loud and poking Opa when she realized it was only a jibe, is one of my fondest sets of memories from childhood.

The other time things weren't too serious at Oma and Opa's was late Saturday evenings. My Opa would stay up with me and watch the old Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials on some UHF bandwidth local station. I hadn't seen anything like them, and I was immediately addicted. Opa also introduced me to the glorious films of Ray Harryhausen. So in the summer of 1977 when STAR WARS was released in the theater, I had the perfect background of experience having spent a good part of 1976 and early 1977 watching the old serials with Opa. The movie captured the feel of those classic tales perfectly, and even borrowed some scenes. I dare anyone to watch the Flash Gordon serials without experiencing moments of "déjà cinema". I was 6 years old and STAR WARS was a joy to see in the theater. I watched it over 20 times in the theaters -- I am certain that is a conservative estimate. The serials fostered my love of narrative storytelling, but STAR WARS cemented my love for movies.

This is a love that continues to this day, but a part of the childhood wonder I brought to every movie I watched died ten years ago today. You see...on that day ten years ago, George Lucas released STAR WARS EPISODE ONE: THE PHANTOM MENACE. The movie was the single largest pop culture disappointment I have ever experienced. It was worse that when DC killed Superman and broke Batman's back. It was a worse disappointment than the Joel Schumacher Batman movies (though not a worse movie than those movies).

THE PHANTOM MENACE wasn't that bad of a movie, all things considered, but it did lack one thing that the original had in spades. The new movie lacked "heart." It didn't contain the same sense of wonder that inspired the first films, it seemed more workmanlike than inspired. The original series of films has a number of flaws, narratively and cinematically. For example, ust how long does it take for the Sarlacc to digest you? But the original films had an aura of enchantment that the franchise has failed to recapture as it has become more about continuing STAR WARS and less about sharing the wonder of a tradition of Space Opera tales.

Since THE PHANTOM MENACE, my movie viewing has become a little more cynical and I don't go in expecting to feel enchanted anymore. Sometimes a film can make me feel slightly enchanged, STAR TREK and QUANTUM OF SOLACE come close, but I no longer watch previews expecting that they even come close to representing the wonder (or lack thereof) that a particular film will offer.

Don't even get me going on how much I think WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE will suck.

Star Wars Explained by Someone Who's Never Seen It

This is why we shouldn't judge movies we have never seen. Even if we've "seen little bits."


Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Thanks to Dr. Horrible's own Felicia Day for the direction. Via Twitter.

Star Wars: Saga Edition RPG to Have RPGA Support

Last night on Geekerati Radio, our own Eric Lytle gave his first impressions of the Star Wars: Saga Edition RPG. He'll be giving a full review of the game next week. His first thoughts, like those of many people, were very positive. What Eric didn't get into, but what has been troubling a lot of potential Star Wars players, is the apparent lack of product support that Wizards has planned for the upcoming year. This is especially true when it comes to Gamemaster support, which is apparently completely lacking so far. Wizards has officially listed only one RPG product, other than the core rulebook, for all of 2007, which leaves the working GM worried. The vast majority of products for 2007 are all part of the very successful Star Wars miniatures line.

ICv2 announced some good news for those working GMs today. It appears that Wizards will be providing RPGA adventures for fans to use in the upcoming Dawn of Defiance campaign. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this means more products for us to use in our campaigns.

Mike Resnick's Pulp Parody in Print

I often have conversations with my friends regarding how Hollywood used to make really bad fantasy adventure films. Recently, I had such a conversation when a group of my friends were complaining about how much they hated Eragon.

"Sure," I said, "Eragon has nothing original for me to praise."
"It's nothing but an awful Star Wars rip-off," protested a good friend.
"Actually, it's closer to a combination of King Arthur and the Dragonheart, but your point is well taken."
"It's Star Wars!"
"Look, even Star Wars was referencing older stories. There's a whole book called Hero of a Thousand Faces which has an introduction describing how Star Wars meets all the classic archetypes of saga narratives."
"That's different!"
"Then there's the scenes Star Wars lifted whole cloth from Flash Gordon..."
"That's different!"

It was at this point that I had to talk about just how spoiled we have become as Fantasy/Science Fiction movie fans. I had to remind my friend that Beastmaster was once at the pinnacle of quality for Fantasy film productions. Excalibur was of a quality that could only be prayed for, as opposed to a film like Hawk the Slayer which was standard fare. Back in the day, as they say, we used to have some real crap passed off on us Fantasy/Science Fiction fans. The majority of the films, excepting films like Excalibur, I watched as a child make Eragon look like a masterpiece. Which brings me to Mike Resnick's hilarious character Lucifer Jones.

You see, Mike Resnick was inspired to write a parody of classic adventure tales when he watched the movie She. The film was so monumentally bad, it was funny. Which made him wonder how funny an adventure tale could be if the parody was intentional. Naturally, being parody, the adventure tale would also have to be good on its own merits. Otherwise he would just be doing incompetent storytelling which is unintentionally funny, like the movie She (it should be mentioned that the book She isn't pitifully funny, rather is an interesting classic adventure tale). So Mike Resnick created the character Lucifer Jones, you can read more about the origins of this unique character at the Subterranean Press website. Where you can also read new adventures featuring this wonderful con man character, like "The Lost Continent of Moo."

Quick sidenote, Lucifer Jones is even funnier if you have read the Silver John/John/John the Balladeer stories by Manly Wade Wellman. Lucifer Jones is a "con man missionary" version of John's saintly innocent wandering musician.

All of which, once again, reinforces how something can be referencing -- heck, it can even be ripping off liberally -- another narrative and still be entertaining. In fact, I think I will go reread some Raymond Feist just to stick it to my Tolkien purist friends.