It always rains in Nuln

Wow, how time flies, eh? For me it was only yesterday, when I've decided to create this blog. Now, almost 4 years later, here I am - writing my hundreth post. Initially this blog was created to help me cope with things and to calm my mind and my heart. Things change and something that I thought would be temporary, has evolved and became a permanent part of my life. I've written about a lot of things - End Times, gaming tips, tie-in products, problem players and video games that could make awesome RPG's. I've reviewed a couple of my favorite fantasy authors and game designers. I've raged and I've cried. It was an incredible ride, one that I will always remember with fondness. It brought a lot of fantastic people into my life. Folks from sites such as Warhammer-Empire , Strike-to-Stun and many more. Most of all, I've believed in myself enough to make it work, to make it a constant (semi) regular thing in my daily routine. That's the biggest prize o...

Whooo boy, what a time to be alive, eh? GW is in full swing, releasing tons of new minis, tie-in games and... children books? Wait, what? I know what you're thinking right now, after reading these first, few lines of intro text. "I bet that you hate them children's books, ya cranky sod!" No, no I do not. I honestly think that the upcoming "Warhammer Adventures" series is one of the best things that Games Workshop ever made. No joke, no irony on my part, I'm 100% serious here. This is simply awesome and a clear sign that the Nottingham company thinks a couple steps forward. Simply put - they are making sure that today's children will, at the coming of age, jump from adorable kids stories to stuff like Gaunt's Ghosts or the Ciaphas Cain series. Sure, Warhammer as a whole is marketed towards children, but let's be honest - some of this stuff is not suitable for youngsters. Daemonculaba? Slaanesh? Hell, even the Imperium with its totalitar...

It's time to take a look at the last DLC for "Vermintide", a game that took a lot from "Left 4 Dead" and mixed it with good, old Warhammer Fantasy sauce. The end result is more than excellent. However I'm not going to talk about how much I love this game (100+ hours clocked in already). Instead I want to take a look at the last DLC released for the first part of "Vermintide". A few months ago Fatshark has released "Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide 2" and yes, I will review it at some point in the future. I finally have the rig to do that, so you know - good things are coming. As for now, let's take a look at "Death on the Reik". I had a lot of expectation towards this one. The title itself is a big deal, being a clear reference to the original "The Enemy Within". In fact "DotR" is my second favorite part of this campaign, right after "Shadows over Bogenhafen". The makers of this DLC ev...

Those pesky Beastmen, they're so adorable, aren't they? Funny goat-men who sometimes try to ruin the adventurer's day by jumping out of the forest, screaming "oogah boogah boogah!" At least that is how they're usually portrayed: as a bunch of inbred dumbasses, who are only threatening to level 1 characters, and only on a very bad day. It doesn't matter if we are talking about official or fan-made publications - the Beastmen always get the shaft. What if I'd told you that it is possible to make them a formidable, scary and unique threat to your players? Is it even possible? Yes, yes it is. For that we'll have to reach out to our boy, H.P. Lovecraft himself and steal a bit of his ideas and, more importantly, the atmosphere of primeval horror, which he was able to include in his works with unparalleled skill. You see, the Beastmen are not men with hooves. They're not men with animal heads, wearing shit-stained loincloths and brandis...

There are a lot of things that can make a single, ordinary RPG session, truly awesome. One of them is a climactic soundtrack, specifically tailored for the oncoming game. But how to utilise it to its fullest extent? Game music (and possibly ambient sounds) is a tricky medium to master. First of all, I'd suggest to not base your entire game on it. I've known people who have created entire adventures, based on a single track from a movie or video game. While it usually worked rather well, more often than not a single derail on the PC's part made the whole thing change its course, and the final, dramatic tune had to be either abandoned or used in a different matter. Life sucks, I know. From my experience it's a great idea to base a single scene or maybe a chapter, on your favorite "Gladiator" OST. They are usually short enough to warrant success, not to mention it's easier to control what's going on during a single chapter, than an entire campaign. Jus...