Killing Time

Spoiler Warning: This post contains major spoilers for Cyberpunk 2077 and the Phantom Liberty expansion, including story missions, character arcs, and multiple endings. If you haven’t finished the game and want to experience Night City’s twists for yourself, consider coming back after the credits roll. Well… I did it again. For the upteenth time I’ve wrapped up another playthrough of Cyberpunk…

This week has been a good reminder of why I enjoy both digital gaming and tabletop role-playing. While they couldn’t be more different in how they’re played, they both feed the same love of adventure and storytelling. On the digital side, I’ve spent the past few days wandering the streets of Night City in Cyberpunk 2077 on the PlayStation 5. It’s one of those games that’s easy to lose yourself…

There are certain books that become more than just books. They turn into quests. For years, one of those quests for me was tracking down the Dragon Ball Z: The Garlic Jr./Trunks/Android Saga Sourcebook for the Dragon Ball Z: Anime Adventure Game. Every now and then I’d see one listed online, only to discover it had already sold, was priced far beyond what I was willing to pay, or was in rough…

There’s something special about opening a new role-playing game for the first time. The smell of fresh ink, the weight of the hardcover in your hands, and that excitement of wondering what kind of adventures are waiting inside. I recently picked up Cyberpunk Red from R. Talsorian Games, and over the past few evenings I’ve been making my way through the core rulebook. As someone who has enjoyed…

Every roleplaying group has that one session where the dice are only part of the story. Tonight belonged to audacity, confidence, and one very talkative Guardian. Our crew consisted of Oskara, my Twi’lek bounty hunter; Pash, our talented smuggler and pilot; Lowhhrick, the Wookiee who could solve nearly every problem through overwhelming force; L1-VEX, our incredibly capable droid slicer; and…

Well, it seems my gaming agenda this week has been split between looking way back into my gaming past, spending some time riding around a post-apocalyptic Oregon on a motorcycle, and occasionally trying to stop a bunch of cars from crashing into each other. For the past few days, I’ve been working on rewriting an old Gamma World adventure from memory. And when I say old, I mean original-edition…

There are moments in life that catch you completely off guard. A few days ago I received a message from the daughter of one of the players from my high school gaming group. At first I assumed she was looking for information about her dad’s old role-playing days, maybe trying to identify a game or a character he had mentioned over the years. Instead, she simply wanted to say thank you. She told…

James Bond 007 RPG artwork from Victory Games There’s something funny about how one game can send you down an entirely different rabbit hole. Ever since I started playing 007 First Light, I’ve found myself thinking less about the game itself and more about the old James Bond 007 Role Playing Game sitting on my shelf. Before long, the books were spread across the table, notes were scattered…

Father’s Day came a little early this year, and Peyton absolutely nailed it with an amazing gift: 007 First Light. Let me say this right now—I haven’t been this excited about a James Bond game since GoldenEye on the Nintendo 64. Anyone who grew up in the late ’90s knows exactly what GoldenEye meant. It wasn’t just a great Bond game; it was one of the defining gaming experiences of an entire…

Photo by Nika Benedictova on Pexels.com The past few days have been a pleasant mix of video gaming and tabletop roleplaying creativity. I’ve been spending quite a bit of time with the Challenge Mode in Days Gone on the PlayStation. While I’ve completed the main game before, the challenges are an entirely different beast. They demand precision, patience, and more than a little stubbornness. Some…

Birthday weekends have a way of creating memorable moments, and last night was certainly one of them. As part of my birthday celebrations, I was treated to dinner at the Lockmaster’s Taphouse (and Patio), one of my favourite spots in town. Before we even got to the main event, however, my eldest had a surprise waiting for me. She handed me a gift package, and it quickly became clear that a lot…

This weekend marked another trip around the sun for me, and while it wasn’t a big celebration, it was exactly the kind of day I needed. Like many birthdays, it started with a bit of reflection. This one felt different from last year. Around this time last year, my faithful boy Rory was still by my side. Since then, he has crossed that Rainbow Bridge, and his absence was certainly felt. Birthdays…

This past Saturday, I decided to check out Pop Culture’s Comic-Con in Smiths Falls. The event was held at the Youth Arena this year, which provided a much larger venue than previous years. From the moment I walked in, it was obvious the extra space was being put to good use. The doors opened at 10:00 a.m., and I arrived about half an hour later. After handing over my very reasonable $10…

The other day my daughter suggested that since I’ve been doing a lot of video gaming lately, maybe I should start a streaming channel. My first reaction was, “Why?” Not because I think it’s a bad idea, but because I’ve never really understood the appeal of watching other people play video games. When I sit down with a game, it’s because I want to play it myself. The idea of spending hours…

Saturday evening’s game session turned out to be a little different than expected. While the plan was to dive into our latest adventure, the reality was that we spent much of the evening waiting for Chance, Mikayla, and Darryl to arrive. Brad, Mark, Finn, and I were all set to go with our next Star Wars: Edge of the Empire session. Character sheets were ready, dice were on the table, and…

The original Nightspawn before it had to Nightbane. There’s a certain kind of satisfaction that only comes from finally beating a boss that has been sitting in your way for weeks. That was me this week with the Spirit of Kelvin in Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance. After more attempts than I care to admit, I finally managed to put that spectral menace down for good and now the road ahead in the…