Count_Zero

Alright - I found someone who can do the scanning. If this is something that might actually be a good fit for Retromags, in addition to Archive.org, please let me know.

My dad used to be really into miniatures wargaming back in the day, and has a ton of issues of Wargamers Digest magazine which he's accumulated (which include some articles written by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, among others). I can't find any archives of the magazine on Archive.org, nor any scans available anywhere else, nor am I particularly equipped to do the scans on my own. Would anyone be interested in these? I will pay the cost for shipping them out to you.

Is there an accessible API for the Retromags database? If there isn't - is there a similar magazine issue specific database with an API I could use to put something together to help attach metadata for magazines in library managers like ComicRack or Kavita?

Appropriate to have Devil May Cry on issue 666.

It's working now.

I'm getting a 404 Error when trying to download this for some reason.

Aha! The images in the CBZ files are inside of a folder. That's what's throwing ComicRack! Thanks @perfinpuz!

Yeah - that makes sense. ComicRack hasn't been supported for a while. Honestly, the only reason I still use it is I have yet to find a more robust library manager.

Yep - just tried re-downloading PSM #92 - same problem. Again, the issue is fine, so I don't think it's corrupted. It seems like just a bit of weirdness that's bugging me just enough to make me want to investigate further.

So - I downloaded all of BonusFrank's PSM issues that were recently uploaded, and they all open just fine in YACReader, which is my general-purpose CBR/CBZ reader program, which is good because the software is still supported... However, I use ComicRack as a library manager, and they're not opening in there - and even with the files being associated with YACReader in Windows, they're not bringing up file thumbnails in Windows either. I'm just wondering what's different about those files in particular, so I know whenever I start getting around to scanning some of the issues in my collection.

Thank you very much for the upload. I hope we get some more issues of Comptiq

The CBZ file isn't working for me.

A while back I reviewed the Silmarillion – this time I’m reviewing and discussing Tolkein’s first novel: The Hobbit. Please support my Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/countzeroor Member of The Console Xplosion Network: http://www.theconsolexplosion.com/ Watch my Live-Streams on http://twitch.tv/countzeroor/ Filed under: Books Tagged: Books, middle-earth, video

We take on our second loyalty mission, as we rescue the Asari Arc. Filed under: Let's Play Tagged: Let's Play, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Video games

Before moving on to our next Loyalty mission, we chat with some party members. Filed under: Let's Play Tagged: Let's Play, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Video games

I recently took a look at the Dragon Age RPG from Green Ronin, along with the more generic Fantasy AGE RPG, and I want to give a few thoughts on those. First off, I really like the task resolution mechanic. Two d6, with modifiers determined by relevant skills and attributes, with an additional separately colored d6, the stunt die, which you roll to put some english on the result by generating Stunt points – which can be spent to do, well, stunts, which affect the results. The books give some tables with possible results, but the GM and player can work to put together their own stunts. However, things fall apart with the variety of characters you can create in the game. Specifically, the game effectively has only 3 classes – Fighter, Rogue, or Mage, and each class has a very petite powerset, and in turn a petite degree of character customization options. They’re enough that with a 4-5 character campaign you shouldn’t have two characters built the same way, but things get trickier with 6 characters, and if you have a second campaign, then things will definitely become an issue. This is especially an issue with spellcasters. In Dungeons & Dragons, while spellcasters can become defacto gods at later levels, even at early to mid levels there is the fun of finding various possible spells and finding new uses and combinations for them. Fantasy AGE doesn’t provide that same option. I feel like Fantasy AGE, mechanically, would have worked better as an Effects-based system, like Green Ronin’s own Mutants & Masterminds, while using the existing resolution mechanic. It would have provided a wider range of customization for characters in the game, and avoided potential monotony when it comes to character types – and would have set up a good framework for people who want to adapt the AGE rules (in advance of any later iterations of the rules) for other types of settings. The other remaining issue I had – scarcity of monsters in the rules, is alleviated by the Fantasy AGE Bestiary, which came out last year and which is nominated for an Ennie. Ultimately, the current iteration of the Fantasy AGE rules are not my cup of tea. However, I really like the resolution mechanic, and I hope a later iteration of the rules allow for building characters that would let me, as a player and GM, do something neat with them. Should you decide to check them out anyway, you can pick up the Dragon Age RPG and Fantasy AGE core book at Amazon.com. They’ve also gotten PDF releases available at DriveThruRPG. Filed under: Role Playing Games Tagged: Dragon Age Series, Fantasy AGE, Role Playing Games, RPGs, Tabletop RPGs

Keep on the Borderlands is a lot of people’s first experience with a pre-written D&D adventure. While it isn’t the first published D&D adventure, or even the first 1st Level D&D Adventure, it’s one of the first ones with a drawn out map and wilderness environment combined, and many people’s first D&D adventure – including mine. Since the first time I’ve played the adventure, I’ve played many more RPGs in a multitude of systems, and had an opportunity to GM a couple times. So, I’m revisiting the adventure. As far as adventure plots go, the plot for The Keep on the Borderlands is pretty straightforward – the player characters have come to the titular keep in order to seek their fortunes, and are basically directed to the nearby Caves of Chaos in order to take out the monsters within. The Caves of Chaos interestingly structured, as far as dungeons go. The caves are a series of monster lairs, built into caves around a U-shaped cliff-face. Each lair is relatively self-contained, and the lairs – on their own – make sense from a dungeon agricultural standpoint. Each lair has an entrance way, with decorations and warnings to intruders, social area with a selection of warriors, living quarters with any children and female monsters, and the chamber of the chieftain. This has the semi-unfortunate side effect of making the Caves of Chaos come across like Monster Condominiums. The adventure advises the DM to encourage their players to pit the various factions against each other, stating that the Goblins and Orcs don’t get along, with the Kobolds trying to stay under the radar and the Bugbears picking over the spoils of the conflicts. Considering the low survivability of low level D&D characters, this makes sense, but it only serves to call attention to the artificiality of the larger dungeon structure. I spent some time thinking about this, and I put together a few thoughts of how to slightly re-structure the adventure, from a narrative standpoint, to make the setup work from a dungeon ecology standpoint, without requiring a more dramatic re-write. The lynchpin of all of this is the Cult of Evil Chaos within the dungeon. I would recommend putting this in whatever setting you use, on the border between a more evil aligned country and a good aligned one. A group of priests of a Chaotic Evil God seek to take this fort, but they cannot bring the forces together for a direct assault (nor the follow-up that would come with starting a larger war), so they have a cunning plan – to starve the fortress out by ambushing the merchant caravans. Their larger goal depends on where you’re putting this. Maybe it’s to expand the reach of an Evil Empire. Maybe it’s to use the keep as a larger base for their cult. If you’re planning on feeding this into the Temple of Elemental Evil, this could be a lead in to that – to introduce the Cult of Elemental Evil. Now, the monsters the priests have gathered do not get along well, and consequently even if the Priests did want to attempt a more overt action against the fort, at present they do not have the strength of will or charisma to hold such a force together for a major battle. Thus, minor infighting has ensued among the major factions and should the PCs choose to take advantage of this, they can make their job easier by playing the factions off against each other to bring about open conflict. This also gives the PCs a possible route to do this – by posing as the priests. There are a few issues with the nuts and bolts of the adventure as well. The Minotaur’s lair exists under the influence of a spell which doesn’t particularly operate under any of the other rules of D&D, with only the party’s designated mapmaker being able to make a save, and saving only on a 19-20. I’d change this to using a more standard Save vs. Spell (or a Wisdom save if you’re using retro clones modeled after D&D 3e or 5th edition) The booze in the Gnoll’s treasure room should require a save vs. poison or a CON save before someone is intoxicated – Dwarves are immune to this poison. Before becoming possessive of the vessels in the Shrine of Chaos, characters should make a Save vs. Spell/Wisdom save. Paladins and characters under the influence of a Protection from Evil spell are immune to this effect. The vessels – in addition to being bloodstained – will show a slight magical aura if examined under a Detect Magic spell, but not a big enough one to say that the item is itself actually magic. For the medusa, the text says that the medusa was captured by the undead minions of the cultists. To provide more of a hint to the characters what the medusa is, if the PCs eavesdrop on the cultists before killing them, have a couple of them complain about the medusa and argue about what to do about it (including the logistics of sacrificing a medusa), without actually saying that it’s a medusa. It rewards players who are more willing to be cautious by not only giving them warning about an existing fight (the cultists) but also warning them about an upcoming one (the medusa). Aside from those tweaks, the adventure is very well crafted, and serves as a great introduction to players to the concepts of cautious dungeon delving, along with giving a rough introduction to dungeon ecology for new Dungeon Masters. Filed under: Role Playing Games Tagged: Dungeons & Dragons, Role Playing Games

We finish up the “Vault” and get the Remnant Tiller online. Filed under: Let's Play Tagged: Let's Play, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Video games

We do our first attempt at the H-047C Vault, before we get our butts kicked. Filed under: Let's Play Tagged: Let's Play, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Video games

This time we’re covering issue #52 of Nintendo Power for September of 1993! Please support my Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/countzeroor Member of The Console Xplosion Network: http://www.theconsolexplosion.com/ Watch my Live-Streams on http://twitch.tv/countzeroor/ Music: “Seven Songs for Seventh Saga: II. Water” Arrangement, Performance: AeroZ From: ~Inn~, ~Town D~ In: 7th Saga Composition: Norihiko Yamanuki URL: https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03097 Games Reviewed: Final Fight II – Capcom Super Mario All-Stars – Nintendo 7th Saga – Enix Rock & Roll Racing – Interplay Boxing: Legends of the Ring – Electro Brain Super Baseball 2020 – SNK NFL Football (SNES) – Konami Super Off-Road: The Baja – Tradewest GP-1 – Atlus F-1 Pole Position – Ubisoft Final Fantasy Legend III – Squaresoft Felix the Cat (GB) Hudson Pinball Dreams – 21st Century Entertainment Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade – Ubisoft Filed under: Video games, Where I Read Tagged: Game Boy, NES, Nintendo Power Retrospectives, Retro Gaming, SNES, Video games

After the loyalty mission, we do some business aboard ship and chat with Vetra. Filed under: Let's Play Tagged: Let's Play, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Video games

We’ve arrived at the place where the hostages are being kept, but there’s something more to this than we suspected going in. Filed under: Let's Play Tagged: Let's Play, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Video games