Of Dice and Droids Side Episode #2: The Siege of Higher Moff Mantooine Mantooine III

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THE SIEGE OF HIGHER MOFF MANTOOINE MANTOOINE III

The Rogue Podron crossover

It’s sweeps week here at Of Dice and Droids, which means the crew from Rogue Podron are joining us for a special episode featuring a little adventure written by Brian. This game takes place in the Legends universe between The Krytos Trap and The Bacta War

The Cast:

  • Brian, the GM
  • Nanci, various NPCs
  • Danny, Jym Erso (no relation)
  • Saf, Gayla Cha
  • Megan, Daichi 
  • Heath, Kel Revik
  • Jay, Wor’st Id’ea

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and your support on Patreon. Be sure to subscribe on iTunes/Google Play to hear all of the adventures! You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio master podcast feed for even more great Star Wars  and geek culture content. 

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and your support on Patreon. Be sure to subscribe on iTunes to hear even more adventures! You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station master podcast feed for even more great Star Wars content. 

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Finding (Virtual) Love: Queerly Represent Me

The world is filled with amazing and diverse people and relationships. Why should video games, a medium that often reflects the real world, be any different?

Short answer: they shouldn’t be, and as time goes on they’re increasingly not. With the Sims 4’s recent update removing gender restrictions from sim creation, and companies like Bioware making it a standard across their games to include same-sex romance options, it’s clear that considerations of gender and sexuality have moved very much into the mainstream.

Still, a gamer searching for queer representation in the games they play might often find themselves disappointed by what can seem to be a barren wasteland. How amazing would it be to have a database of games including diverse sexualities and genders? A place to find games that represent who you are?

That’s where Queerly Represent Me comes in.

Founded by Alayna M Cole primarily as a place where the work of academics researching queer representation could be collected and shared, Queerly is described as a “database for games that represent sexuality, gender, and relationships.” Queerly Represent Me contains not only an exhaustive and ever-expanding list of games that explore these areas, but also resources for those interested in these topics, including the results of the Queer Representation (2016) survey.

This ain’t no top-ten list, this is some serious business. Looking for games with romanceable non-binary characters? Queerly’s got you covered. What about games that explore the formulae of typical dating sims with regards to relationships? Yup. What about a dating sim based off of that one time-travel game that you wish was gayer? Absolutely.

Basically, there are a lot of games there, from big AAAs to tiny little indies. This site is a valuable resource not just for research, but also for gamers looking for representation and game developers who have worked to put that representation into their games in some way.

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A Normal Lost Phone, a point-and-click game jam game exploring gender.

There are pages of examples within Queerly’s categories (sexuality, gender, and relationships) showing that diversity exists within games, which is perhaps encouraging to those looking to find themselves in what they play, or include queer characters and relationships in their own games.

Whether a researcher, a gamer, or a developer, Queerly Represent Me is a valuable resource for anyone even slightly interested in representation within video games. Why not check it out today?

The Princess, The General, and the Story Group: in praise of old favorites in new canon

It’s no secret to anyone who knows me well that I’m not altogether fond of the way that the new post-ROTJ canon has treated Leia. By the time we see her in The Force Awakens, her career is shattered, her marriage is strained, and her only son has become a Vader-worshipping genocidal maniac. These are not the kinds of things that I ever would have said that I wanted for my favorite character. Half the time I go around sad for her fate and the rest of the time I go around scared for what the future of Star Wars storytelling has in store for her. But this is not an article about that. This is…well… the opposite.

One of my chief complaints about the (much beloved) Legends universe of storytelling was that Leia’s character seemed to be difficult for many writers to nail down, and even more difficult to keep consistent across multiple series and authors. As much as abuse as the new canon has heaped onto Leia, that particular violation is gladly absent from her current portrayal. One of the best things I have found about the new canon and the work of the Lucasfilm Story Group is the fantastic job they’ve done with the internal consistency of the universe- not only as it pertains to the events in the Galaxy as a whole, but also in the portrayals of the passions and the motivations of the individual characters. Continue reading

Tosche Station Radio #151: Celebration Europe was Artistically Done

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This week on Tosche Station Radio, Brian and Nanci are joined by friend and Celebration Europe attendee Jen to break down the news, sights, and sounds from the convention. We also dive into some of the news out of San Diego Comic Con and get caught up on the other fandom news to make the rounds. 

Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net and a part of Majestic Giraffe Productions. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on the iTunes Music Store and Google Play. We can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Nanci and Brian are the co-founders and writers of Tosche-Station.net. You can find Nanci on Twitter with the handle @Nancipants and you can find Brian with @LaneWinree.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and your support on Patreon!

Western Reaches #10

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This episode hosts Megan and Saf talked about science made fun in books, indie games like Kentucky Route Zero and Able Black. Our big topic is how video games and Pokemon GO can help with mental health, with special guest Dr Jennifer Hazel from CheckPoint. Covered on this week’s episodes are;
 
Books:
 
  • The Martian – Andy Weir
  • The Fold – Peter Clines
  • Jupiter Pirates: Rise of Earth – Jason Fry
  • What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions – Randall Munroe
Games:
 
  • Kentucky Route Zero
  • Halo 2 Anniversary
  • Able Black
  • Behold the Kickmen

You can find Megan on Twitter with the handle @blogfullofwords and you can find Saf with @Wanderlustin. Be sure to subscribe to Western Reaches on iTunes/Google Play and subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed for more great shows, discussion, and commentary.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and your support on Patreon!

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Review: Stranger Things, season one

The following review endeavors to be as spoiler-free as possible. Obviously, however, there is some discussion of plot and character elements. If you’ve already decided to watch the show and want to go in as fresh as possible, maybe save this review until after the fact.

Netflix, by this point, has well-established itself in the original programming department. From flagship programs like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, to more esoteric shows like Sense8 or Hemlock Grove, Netflix’s shows run the gamut in both genre and quality. Its latest effort, Stranger Things, which premiered Friday, July 15th, was announced out of the blue a month ago, promising a nostalgia-driven science-fiction/horror drama set in the eighties. The trailer evoked the adventure and innocence of ‘80s adventure films like E.T. or The Goonies, as well as the harder edge of classic horror fare like The Thing or The Evil Dead. The show stars Winona Ryder and Matthew Modine — stars emblematic of the eighties — alongside an ensemble of relative unknowns, in a story of a small town besieged by mysterious disappearances, bizarre occurrences, and shady government operatives. It is created, produced, and many of its episodes written and directed by Matt & Ross Duffer, The Duffer Brothers. Two more relative unknowns, the brothers are probably best known for working on the Fox series Wayward Pines.

The trailer generated a lot of excitement, not only due to the fact that Netflix had stealthily made this show without hardly anyone hearing about it, but for the promise of its intoxicating blend of sci-fi, horror, and ‘80s paranoia. Does the eight-episode series live up to that promise, or is it just another empty vessel for self-indulgent nostalgia?

 

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Review: Darth Vader #23

Do you know what I love about this Darth Vader book? Kieron Gillen never fails to surprise me. He doesn’t surprise me with how Vader always survives no matter what anyone throws at him. Obviously that’s a given. No, how Gillen surprises me is with what he throws at Vader and that’s truly the joy of this book. (Okay, it’s the second biggest joy of the book. Obviously Aphra and the Murder Bots are the biggest joy.) What’s that saying? It’s not about the destination but rather the journey? It’s perhaps the most apt way I can think of to describe this current Darth Vader arc. We as readers know that Cylo’s attempts to stop Vader are going to fail no matter how many arrogant idiots he throws at him but the payoff… oh man the payoff.

If the ending of this issue doesn’t get people talking, I don’t know what will.

One of the things I’ll definitely miss about this book is when Gillen figuratively steps back and lets Larroca have at it for an entire page or, even better, a full spread. I could stare at the ships and beautifully colored space background pages for ages. Bonus points if the aforementioned page also includes Vader because daaaaaaang.

Aphra Watch 2016: Got to breath easy for one (1) issue

Do you really need to ask if this book gets a strong recommendation from me?

Darth Vader #23: Kieron Gillen/Writer, Salvador Larroca/Artist, Edgar Delgado/Colorist, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Jordan White/Editor, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor

Review: Star Wars #21

The main Star Wars book never shines more than when Jason Aaron just goes for it and that’s exactly what he does here with the kick off of the much awaited stormtrooper arc.  Making his return is Sergeant Kreel from Luke’s misadventure on Nar Shaddaa except now he’s in command of Scar Squad, a group of very deadly Special Commando Advanced Recon stormtroopers.  (Bless comic books and their acronyms.)

If you enjoyed the Republic Commando books from Legends, you’ll almost definitely like this issue.  They may not be a bunch of Mandalorian raised clones but they are a fairly tight-knit band of extremely deadly men (and possibly women.)  The Rebels never stood a chance.  Aaron continues the work laid by other Star Wars creators and gives a more human face to the Empire.  Between this issue and books like Lost Stars, it’s not hard to understand why someone would be such a fervent believer in the Empire.  It’s stability, it’s an opportunity.  The Rebel Alliance is either a bunch of freedom fighters or a terrorist organization… all depending on your point of view.

Jorge Molina gets to have some fun on the art front and draw a bunch of different stormtrooper variations.  Visually, it’s a neat shorthand to show how elite Scar Squad is– not everyone gets to have their own unique kits.  The Molina/Milla team works very nicely for this book and fits right in with the other artists they’ve had on the different arcs so far.  And shout out to David Aja for the rad cover!  I’ve missed his work on Hawkeye so this is a nice little gem.

Been holding off on diving into the Star Wars comics?  Star Wars #21 is the perfect issue to jump in with!

Star Wars #21: Jason Aaron/Writer, Jorge Molina/Artist, Matt Milla/Colorist, Chris Eliopoulos/Letterer, Jordan White/Editor, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor

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Review: Aftermath: Life Debt (audiobook)

By now a great many of you have likely already purchased and read Life Debt, the second novel in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy. Some of you may be waiting, however — for payday, for a free moment … or for someone to help you decide between the print version and the audio version. Likewise, there may be some of you who, for whatever reason, aren’t able to (or prefer not to) read the print version, and may be waiting to hear if the audiobook is an acceptable presentation of Wendig’s prose. Hopefully this review will help those folks, as well as anyone else who might be considering the audio version, decide if it’s for them.

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