Looking Forward: Optimistic Speculation Wanted

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 30, 2016

I think I’ve noted my somewhat recent delves into reading pulp fiction from the early-to-mid 20th century. I can’t say I’m reading it extremely broadly… it’s a huge area, and I have my favorite authors. Like every field, Sturgeon’s Law applies: 90% of everything is crap. Theodore Sturgeon oughta know. He was a pulp writer, […]

Filed Under: Books, Mainstream Games, Movies, Short Fiction - Comments: 3 Comments to Read

Giant Fighting Robot Battles Might Be Dangerous

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 28, 2016

You guys remember the challenge between the U.S. and Japanese giant pilotable robot companies? Yeah. Stuff just got real. They are doing safety tests now, because they’d like to not die during a clash between  5-6 ton robots shooting and punching each other. The results were… less than ideal. It turns out it might be pretty […]

Filed Under: Geek Life - Comments: 3 Comments to Read

Where are the dancing monkeys?!?!?

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 27, 2016

Perhaps the only real disappointment of the Special Edition release of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge was that they nuked the opening credits. Which was, in my wife’s opinion, the best part of the game. While I thought the game was awesome regardless, and is definitely one of the greatest adventure games of all time, […]

Filed Under: Adventure Games, Retro - Comments: Read the First Comment

A Nobody’s Guide to Getting the Most out of a Conference

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 26, 2016

Over the weekend, I attended the League of Utah Writer’s 2016 Fall Conference. I’ve been to a handful of these conferences / symposiums in the past, and similar ones in the gaming field (mainly the Game Dev Conference). I love these events. Some are better than others. This time around, I think I filled up a […]

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Off to a Writers’ Conference

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 23, 2016

Today and tomorrow I’m off to the League of Utah Writers Fall Conference, down in Provo, Utah. I’m going purely as an attendee this time. There’ll be classes on the craft of writing (definitely stuff I’ll always be working on!), publishing, marketing, and business. And of course, hanging out with a lot of friends and […]

Filed Under: Writing - Comments: Comments are off for this article

No Man’s Sky – Suggestions

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 22, 2016

It’s been a month since the overhyped procedural universe game No Man’s Sky was released, to the disappointment of many. I’m not going to comment on what was done right or wrong here in managing expectations. I’m still playing. It’s an easy, go-to game to jump in and play for a few minutes (which usually stretches […]

Filed Under: Design, Impressions - Comments: 4 Comments to Read

Big Bang Theory Grumbles

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 20, 2016

Sometimes we really like Big Bang Theory. Sometimes we hate it. I think somewhere around season 4 we quit watching it altogether for a couple of seasons, then saw it got better, caught ourselves up, and resumed watching. About every third episode is a dud for me, and that doesn’t mean the rest are necessarily […]

Filed Under: Geek Life - Comments: Comments are off for this article

Book Impressions: The Longest Con

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 19, 2016

I recently finished reading Michaelbrent Collings’ newest novel, The Longest Con. Collings is best-selling indie horror novelist, though he has written plenty outside of the genre he’s famous for. Several weeks ago I read Apparition, which was creepy as hell, especially if you are a parent. The Longest Con is not horror. Broadly, it would be Urban […]

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How Roguelike Is Your Game?

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 15, 2016

HEH! So you have a game that might be kinda like Rogue, or kinda like the games that are kinda like Rogue, or a game that’s kinda like those games that are kinda like Rogue? Aside from calling it a “Procedural Death Labyrinth” (which has only caught on with developers), how do you describe it? […]

Filed Under: General - Comments: 2 Comments to Read

All I Need to Know I Learned From Roleplaying Games

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 13, 2016

Roleplaying games can be a metaphor for life: We all start as zero-level nobodies who can’t take care of ourselves. That 20th level wizard who seems so awesome today started out pooping in his diapers, the same as you. Fortune favors the prepared… and the ones loaded for bear with healing potions and protection spells. […]

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Movie Impressions: I Am Not a Serial Killer

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 12, 2016

It’s scary movie season at the Barnson household. It’s been tougher in recent years to pack in the scary movies in October, because we’re so busy that month. My wife is a professional storyteller who specializes in ghost stories, and was a tour guide for the Salt Lake City Ghost Tours for a couple of […]

Filed Under: Impressions, Movies - Comments: Comments are off for this article

Cirsova Magazine Preorders – The Final Push

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 9, 2016

Hey folks. Just a reminder that the chance to order Cirsova #4, with my story “The Priests of Shalaz,” is closing down in 3 days. If you want to get a paper edition, this will probably be your best chance. Grab ’em while they are cheap! Cirsova Science Fiction & Fantasy Pulp-Style Magazine “Mini-Sub” for Issues […]

Filed Under: Short Fiction - Comments: Comments are off for this article

To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before…

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 8, 2016

Happy 50th anniversary, Star Trek. I’ve always lived in a world where Star Trek was a thing. So at least that doesn’t make me feel quite so old. 🙂  I grew up on reruns, dreaming of the Final Frontier. Sometimes it was dumb and hokey. Sometimes it was thought-provoking. But it always fueled the imagination of […]

Filed Under: Geek Life - Comments: Read the First Comment

Being a Part-Time Indie: Finding the Rhythm

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 7, 2016

One of the reasons I really enjoy the Day Job is that … for the most part… it doesn’t depend much on employee heroics or people working 50-60 hour workweeks to survive. Given my senior status here, I work hard to make sure that’s NOT the case. Usually. However, sometimes the craziness happens. That’s pretty […]

Filed Under: Game Development, Geek Life, Writing - Comments: Read the First Comment

The Dragon Awards Winners!

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 6, 2016

The first annual Dragon Awards have come to a close, and along with some predictable winners, there were some great surprises. Best SF or F game for console and PC went, unsurprisingly, to Fallout 4. Best SF or F game for mobile went to a related title, Fallout Shelter. Nice little sweep by Bethesda. Best […]

Filed Under: Books, Events - Comments: Read the First Comment

Salt Lake Comic Con 2016 Days 2 and 3 – I Survived!

Posted by Rampant Coyote on September 5, 2016

Well, the 2016 Salt Lake Comic Con is over. Funny how, especially when manning a booth, it goes from “I’m so excited!” on Day 1, to “Wow, this is great, but I’m so exhausted!” on Day 2, and ends with, “This is great, but can it over yet? Please?” by the end of Day 3. […]

Filed Under: Events - Comments: Comments are off for this article



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