A Three Hour...Life Span?

I don't often play single player video games, I enjoy the group atmosphere a lot more, but I just had to get Dead Island. Since the dead are stubbornly refusing to rise and consume the world I have to content myself with pretty pictures on a tv screen.

Anyways, I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying this game. If you like zombies and the apocalypse as much as I do (and honestly, who doesn't enjoy a good, wholesome apocalypse now and then?), then I think you'll definitely like this game. It has just the right amount of atmosphere and foreboding to scare the hell out of you if you're playing alone in a quiet room and it has enough zombie head smashing to entertain the action junkie in all of us. 

Lets see Home Depot compete with THIS

Westlake Ace Hardware

Zombie Preparedness

What? No bottle opener?

Skill Sharpening

Had the opportunity to do a little Gming this weekend, and I have to say it went better than I expected. My wife decided to go scrapbooking for the night on Friday so I took the night off as a chance to gather a few players and 1) play test my game system further, 2) hone my waning GM skills.

I had started a little Zombiegeddon game last Halloween just as a between session filler and for a little seasonal gaming. And to be honest, I needed a break from sword & sorcery gaming for a little while. I love D&D and fantasy settings, but once in a while I need to play something different or I get burned out and everything starts to blend together. 

Christmas Wish List

New this season in Binford's line of Zombie Removal Devices is the RPG M1b Rocket Propelled Chainsaw. Ladies, at a stout 64.5 pounds, this bad boy of cranial devastation is a must have stocking stuffer for the man in your life this Christmas season. Will your man need that new tie when the dead rise from their graves? Does he really have to have another bottle of Hai Karate cologne when the hordes of the undead come knocking? Make the sensible choice, choose Binford.

*subject to availability. Author not associated with Binford Corporation as it is a fictional tool manufacturer from a television show. Check with your doctor before using. Side effects may include: Abdominal pain, agitation, anxiety, constipation, decreased sex drive, diarrhea or loose stools, dizziness, dry mouth, fatigue, gas, headache, decreased appetite, increased sweating, indigestion, insomnia, nausea, nervousness, rash, pain, sleepiness, sore throat, tingling or pins and needles, tremor, vision problems, vomiting, ripping, tearing and death.

Maybe I'm amazed...

After 31 years of gaming, how am I still surprised by what players do?

So as an interlude, and a way of play testing my game system, some of the players in my group agreed to let me teach them my system and run them through a small adventure.

Being a little worn out on the fantasy genre, I decided to run a zombie-pocalypse adventure. I knew we had our Pathfinder break coming up a couple of weeks in advance so I had time to really plan something interesting with character back stories and location maps and the works. 

There were 5 players and me: A scientist, a contract killer, an MMA fighter, a traveling biker with a haunted past, and an EMT. None of the character's knew each other and none of the players knew what the game was going to be about so I gave them their backgrounds, all of which led them to a Red Robin near my house, and put them in their own locations in the restaurant.

Zombie Survival Training

Here are a few Zombie Survival Simulators to help you all "Get to da choppa" alive and un-biten.

The Last Stand

The Last Stand 2

Endless Zombie Rampage

Zombie Bite Calculator

To further raise Zombie Awareness this month, I would like to feature another Small Quiz you can take to determine just how long it would take before you became infected from a zombie bite. Take a minute to see how long you would last before your friends and loved ones would have to put you down.

My personal score was 1hr 20min

Zombie Suvival Checklist

I would like everyone reading this to take a few moments a fill in their own Zombie Survival Checklist. 

An minute of preparation can save you a lifetime of brains

National Zombie Awareness Month

For those of you not in the know, the Zombie Research Society has declared May as Zombie Awareness Month. So lets all do our part to prepare for the coming apocalypse before its too late.

Here is an outstanding resource to help you along your path to ultimate zombie survival:

The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks

Here is a test to help gauge your survivability in the inevitable rise of the living dead

Zombie Survival Test

Remember: Organize BEFORE they rise!

Board Games I used to play

Continuing with my retrospective on games that I've played or wished I had played or even thought about playing...today's topic, boys and girls, is board games. Not your typical board games mind you, these are gamer-related board (and table top) games. I won't include Monopoly or Chutes & Ladders, but those that you would typically find in a hobby store or on the forgotten bottom shelves at Toys 'r Us in the 80's.

And speaking of Toys r' Us in the 80's...

Dungeon!

I remember buying this game with my own money when I was about 12 years old. I saved my allowance for a couple of weeks and (with a small advance on future earnings from my dad) was able to secure my copy of the only D&D related board game that I knew of at the time. This is back in the good ol' days when you could still but AD&D modules at Toys r' Us or other fine toy and game retailers. It was an enjoyable game of dungeon crawling for fun and profit. I would meticulously travel from one room to the next engaging in life or death combat and collecting loot.