7th Son is a science fiction thriller written and read by budding novelist J.C. Hutchins. This is the first of many reviews of my latest boredom-suppressing form of media: podcasts. Most of the podcasts I’ll be reviewing are role-playing specific, but there will be several, this one included, that are audiobooks distributed in the podcast format.

Sometimes the independent role-playing industry releases some real gems, and Dead Inside is definitely one of them. It has enough storyline for any player who focuses on character development and the ease of play allows newcomers and veterans alike to enter into the game quickly, without spending hours scrutinizing on character archetypes and the crunchy mechanics.

More fun with Analog games is in store for those of you looking for that. Two games are featured in today's article, which is all about TRAINS! Specifically, we'll look at Ticket to Ride by Days of Wonder & TransAmerica, published by Rio Grande.

Steampunk Musha is an alternate setting for Iron Gauntlets by Precis Intermedia Gaming (formerly Politically Incorrect Games) and uses the Impresa Express gaming system. Steampunk Musha combines asian-flavored fantasy with Victorian technology in a setting where the old and new ways are clashing, where generations are fighting for their beliefs and traditions, and the world of Rosuto-Shima is changing.

In the late 1970s and early 80’s there was a profusion of RPGs unmatched until the dawn of D20 OGL. The difference being that in the earlier renaissance each game came with an entirely new mechanic. Many of these games were amalgams of other systems where authors stuck things together that probably shouldn’t have gone. During that bygone era, this game would have rocked.

"Design Essentials: An Introduction" is an invitation to a year-long discussion on the topic of general game design. It includes a self-introduction of the writer's motivations and proposes the book "Game Design: Theory and Practice" as an inspirational guide. Readers are welcomed to participate with their own ideas and references. A sampling of terms for defining is provided as the intoductory topic with an alternative subject of "early gaming" to kick off the conversation.

I spent so much time in TCG’s that I thought I’d never want to look at cards again. And here I am, playing games with cards in them. Whodda thunk it? But there are some excellent ones out there, and we’ll look at two of them today.