In this episode, we not only takes on an underappreciated game, he takes one on from an underappreciated console... that's meta.  Roo warms up with a history of the TurboGrafx-16, which spawned innovative firsts in gaming - like the TurbGrafx-CD and TurboExpress.  Then he goes on to review Ninja Spirit, a classic arcade port that isn't afraid to smack you around a little.  You know, like in the good old days of gaming.

Honest to God, I'm normally not one to cry about depriving prisoners of some of the creature comforts us law-abiding citizens get to enjoy, but this story about a judge that will not allow D&D to be played by inmates is a bit cruel and unusual.  I mean, the whole basis of the decision is that it might stimulate "gang activity" and that inmates could "act out" crimes in the game.

Really?  D&D is one of the biggest threats to our prison system, but letting prisoners lift weights and buff up before letting them out on parole is perfectly safe for society?  And just when I thought we had come a long way from the societal paranoria of RPGs epitomized in Mazes and Monsters.

Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go pop a +2 Cap of Smiting in some Drow, yo.

Ever seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom? Do you remember the opening scene, where Indie gets poisoned by unscrupulous business men? When the action kicks off, Indie is informed that he's been poisoned, and struggles to stay alive and recover the antidote.

Well, I've been thinking about that, and I recently slipped the entire party a mickey (Goodnight Tincture) to set them up for a spectacular battle. Now, only one party member is left standing, and the rest of the party has been knocked out. Now normally, that one player would have a really long time in the spotlight while everyone else gets bored. That's not really fun for everyone though. What do you do for the players with knocked out characters?

My solution: Disease Tracks

I've figured out a tweak for disease tracks that I think will work really well. Check it out:

After spending a few days of quality time with the Star Trek: Online open beta, Roo (our resident Star Trek nerd) gives his thoughts.  What's good?  What's bad?  And is it worth your time and wallet fodder?

Roo finishes off EarthBound-a-palooza with a thorough review of the game itself.  By examining the story, writing, graphics, music (good God, the music), and all the other little touches that make EarthBound great, hopefully you'll feel compelled to give this king of the overlooked games a playthrough - whether it's your 1st or your 101st time.

Click here to watch the previous episode, a history of the EarthBound series.

 Grognards, this interview is not for you.  Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Andrew Reutter, the creator of iplay4e.appspot.com/. iplay4e is a web-based app that allows you to play your character, with only your iPhone and an internet connection. In addition, the website gives you a place to store and access your .dnd4e character files. As if that weren't enough, you can also view your character in a character sheet formatted for the browser and play off your laptop instead. DM's haven't been left out either, since you can view the whole party in a "Party Panel", which can be pretty handy.

 And, by the way, he's a Mac user.