Rolling Wednesday shall end with free dice!
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| More of my dice collection |
Sphere of Annihilation - a blog about tabletop gaming, comics, and other nerdy stuff that I like!
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Rolling Wednesday: Free Dice Winner!
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Rolling Wednesday: Free Dice Contest still going!
Last Wednesday I announced the retirement of the Rolling Wednesday posts. In celebration I decided to send some free dice to someone. There are no claimers yet so here is what I have decided. I will continue this contest for another week. I will add more dice to the pot. If there are no winners by next Wednesday, I will add even more dice to the pot.
Here are the rules to the contest.
If you would like me to mail you some free dice, here is what you need to do:
Send an email to nedpatrick ( AT ) yahoo ( DOT ) com.
Put "I love Dice" in the subject line.
In your message include your name and your favorite kind of die.
That's it. Next Wednesday I will pick a winner. If I get no entries then I will add more dice to the pot and continue the contest. There are currently 12 mystery dice in the pot.
Good luck and happy rolling!
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| Soldiers playing dice in a tavern by Adriaen Brouwer |
If you would like me to mail you some free dice, here is what you need to do:
Send an email to nedpatrick ( AT ) yahoo ( DOT ) com.
Put "I love Dice" in the subject line.
In your message include your name and your favorite kind of die.
That's it. Next Wednesday I will pick a winner. If I get no entries then I will add more dice to the pot and continue the contest. There are currently 12 mystery dice in the pot.
Good luck and happy rolling!
Sunday, March 11, 2018
"Game" Review: The Tragedy of GJ 237b
The Tragedy of GJ 237b is a game that I would not have know about if it wasn't nominated for a Nebula Award (although it did not make a spot on the finalist list).
You can read the full text of the game for free at medium.com and you can obtain the pdf on a pay-what-you-want basis at tao-games.com. The game text is very short and there is no way I can avoid spoilers in this review so I suggest that you read the game for yourself or be ready to have the contents spoiled.
The Tragedy of GJ 237b is a science fiction role-playing art piece about the negative consequences of human contact with alien ecosystems. The game mainly consists of a description of the inhabitants of GJ237b. Those inhabitants where irrevocably changed by contact with humans.
I will repeat that I cannot finish this review without spoiling what is in the game, so either go read it yourself or be prepared for spoilers.
The alien life on GJ237b was destroyed by the arrival of humans. The game sets up a sort of Schrodinger's cat scenario. The game materials are put out in a room and then the room is sealed with no one inside of it. When the door to the room is opened, the game ends.
Sounds weird, right? I will say it again, read the game for yourself. I enjoyed reading The Tragedy of GJ237b and I ask myself, "Is it really a game?" I would say that it is game adjacent. The Tragedy of GJ237b is more of a piece of art than a game, and I think that this is what makes it interesting. I challenge you to have your game group read the rules and then debate whether or not The Tragedy of GJ237b is a game.
The main theme of the game, that human interaction will fundamentally change ecosystems, is a thought-provoking science fiction trope. Kim Stanley Robinson explored this topic in his book Red Mars, and it also touches on issues of colonialism. It is a heady theme and one that will elicit lots of opinions and discussion.
Is this game worth playing? Can you even play it? I think that this game is worth reading for the fact that it is trying to do something different. I would love to see it set up at a convention, or in a spare room of a house during a game night. The alien culture of GJ237b is truly unique and will be an inspiration for science fiction fans. I recommend it, and if you decide to stage a "playing" of the game, let me know how it went.
You can read the full text of the game for free at medium.com and you can obtain the pdf on a pay-what-you-want basis at tao-games.com. The game text is very short and there is no way I can avoid spoilers in this review so I suggest that you read the game for yourself or be ready to have the contents spoiled.
The Tragedy of GJ 237b is a science fiction role-playing art piece about the negative consequences of human contact with alien ecosystems. The game mainly consists of a description of the inhabitants of GJ237b. Those inhabitants where irrevocably changed by contact with humans.
I will repeat that I cannot finish this review without spoiling what is in the game, so either go read it yourself or be prepared for spoilers.
 |
| Spoilers to follow! |
Sounds weird, right? I will say it again, read the game for yourself. I enjoyed reading The Tragedy of GJ237b and I ask myself, "Is it really a game?" I would say that it is game adjacent. The Tragedy of GJ237b is more of a piece of art than a game, and I think that this is what makes it interesting. I challenge you to have your game group read the rules and then debate whether or not The Tragedy of GJ237b is a game.
The main theme of the game, that human interaction will fundamentally change ecosystems, is a thought-provoking science fiction trope. Kim Stanley Robinson explored this topic in his book Red Mars, and it also touches on issues of colonialism. It is a heady theme and one that will elicit lots of opinions and discussion.
Is this game worth playing? Can you even play it? I think that this game is worth reading for the fact that it is trying to do something different. I would love to see it set up at a convention, or in a spare room of a house during a game night. The alien culture of GJ237b is truly unique and will be an inspiration for science fiction fans. I recommend it, and if you decide to stage a "playing" of the game, let me know how it went.
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Rolling Wednesday: Free Dice Giveaway!
Rolling Wednesday is going away!
I am retiring my experiment of trying to post a picture of a die or a dice-related post every Wednesday. I may bring it back, but for now this will be the last Rolling Wednesday post.
Let's end it with free dice!
I love dice. I love buying them, collecting them, rolling them, and giving them away. Do you want some dice? I will go to my local game store and a few other locations and pick up some dice. There will be polyhedrals. Other than that it will be a random hodgepodge of dice. Will there be nothing but d4s? A misshaped d12? Whatever they are, you can have them for free.
If you would like me to mail you some free dice, here is what you need to do:
Send an email to nedpatrick ( AT ) yahoo ( DOT ) com.
Put "I love Dice" in the subject line.
In your message include your name and your favorite kind of die.
That's it. Next Wednesday I will pick a winner. Your odds of winning are good, since this blog is mainly read by my dad. Shout out to Dad, whose Avalon Hill wargame collection inspired me to become a tabletop gamer.
Good luck and happy rolling!
I am retiring my experiment of trying to post a picture of a die or a dice-related post every Wednesday. I may bring it back, but for now this will be the last Rolling Wednesday post.
Let's end it with free dice!
 |
| A portion of my dice collection |
I love dice. I love buying them, collecting them, rolling them, and giving them away. Do you want some dice? I will go to my local game store and a few other locations and pick up some dice. There will be polyhedrals. Other than that it will be a random hodgepodge of dice. Will there be nothing but d4s? A misshaped d12? Whatever they are, you can have them for free.
If you would like me to mail you some free dice, here is what you need to do:
Send an email to nedpatrick ( AT ) yahoo ( DOT ) com.
Put "I love Dice" in the subject line.
In your message include your name and your favorite kind of die.
That's it. Next Wednesday I will pick a winner. Your odds of winning are good, since this blog is mainly read by my dad. Shout out to Dad, whose Avalon Hill wargame collection inspired me to become a tabletop gamer.
Good luck and happy rolling!
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