Category Archives: Gaming

The Imperium Is Driven by Hate. Warhammer Is Not.

November 20, 2021 11:03 pm ,

Imagine having to put out a statement with this title?

Games Workshop has had to do this very thing due to the rise of far-right ideologies among some of its fervent fans:

The Warhammer 40k Community Is Trying to Weed Out Its Far-Right Faction

and:

Games Workshop fights back against fascist hate symbols in the Warhammer 40K community

I understand that in a grimdark future where, to survive against a universe that hates and wants to destroy you, you have to hate harder and destroy more of your foes and own people just in case they don’t hate others enough just to survive you will not find many (or indeed any) sides or factions that are “good” but that does not mean you have to hold the beliefs of the armies you field in the game to actually play it.

Their statement is here:

There are no goodies in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. 

None.

Especially not the Imperium of Man.

Its numberless legions of soldiers and zealots bludgeon their way across the galaxy, delivering death to anyone and anything that doesn’t adhere to their blinkered view of purity. Almost every man and woman toils in misery either on the battlefield – where survival is measured in hours – or in the countless manufactorums and hive slums that fuel the Imperial war machine. All of this in slavish servitude to the living corpse of a God-Emperor whose commandments are at best only half-remembered, twisted by time and the fallibility of Humanity.

Warhammer 40,000 isn’t just grimdark. It’s the grimmest, darkest. 

The Imperium of Man stands as a cautionary tale of what could happen should the very worst of Humanity’s lust for power and extreme, unyielding xenophobia set in. Like so many aspects of Warhammer 40,000, the Imperium of Man is satirical.

For clarity: satire is the use of humour, irony, or exaggeration, displaying people’s vices or a system’s flaws for scorn, derision, and ridicule. Something doesn’t have to be wacky or laugh-out-loud funny to be satire. The derision is in the setting’s amplification of a tyrannical, genocidal regime, turned up to 11. The Imperium is not an aspirational state, outside of the in-universe perspectives of those who are slaves to its systems. It’s a monstrous civilisation, and its monstrousness is plain for all to see.

That said, certain real-world hate groups – and adherents of historical ideologies better left in the past – sometimes seek to claim intellectual properties for their own enjoyment, and to co-opt them for their own agendas.

We’ve said it before, but a reminder about what we believe in:

“We believe in and support a community united by shared values of mutual kindness and respect. Our fantasy settings are grim and dark, but that is not a reflection of who we are or how we feel the real world should be. We will never accept nor condone any form of prejudice, hatred, or abuse in our company, or in the Warhammer hobby.” 

If you come to a Games Workshop event or store and behave to the contrary, including wearing the symbols of real-world hate groups, you will be asked to leave. We won’t let you participate. We don’t want your money. We don’t want you in the Warhammer community.

For those heroes out there running their own Warhammer events, we’d love for you to join us in this stance.

You can find the full post here:

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/11/19/the-imperium-is-driven-by-hate-warhammer-is-not/

Posted in: Gaming, News

Games Workshop swings the Ban(War)hammer

August 2, 2021 6:33 pm ,

Over the past weekend I was dismayed to read that GW is once again running roughshod over fans, followers and just about everyone that is invested in their creation.

It is no secret that they have always been very trigger-happy when it comes to litigating against those perceived to have overstepped the exceedingly narrow boundaries of their intellectual property; even when it came to terms that existed long before Games Workshop was even an idea (I am of course referring to the infamous Space Marines lawsuit saga).

The updates to their terms & conditions now forbid any and all fan created animations:

individuals must not create fan films or animations based on our settings and characters. These are only to be created under licence from Games Workshop.

Fan-made games, fan art, fiction and websites are permitted so long as they’re not-for-profit and make it clear they’re not official works.

The incredibly popular Oculus Imperia will be staying online for as long as possible:

Sadly the If the Emperor had Text to Speech Device by Bruva Alfabusa has officially thrown in the towel:

Other amateur animator fans (apart from those hired by GW) will no doubt start falling over the coming days and weeks.

Culture blog BoingBoing has been covering the GW shenanigans here, as has PCGamer and Vice.

The Reddit  Warhammer 40k meme subreddit /r/Grimdank has been flooded by people furious about Games Workshop’s new policy.

I have been a long-time fan of Warhammer 40K although I have not played since I left my job as a school librarian a few years ago, I still borrow and read the novelizations.

GWs moves while legal still leave a bad taste in the mouth, for decades it has been fans that have created a richer tapestry of the universe created by GW, and now on the eve of the release of Warhammer+ they are trying to stamp out any potential threats to their being able to wring out as much money from fans as possible.

It is very poor form!

Posted in: Blogging, Gaming, News

Fighting Fantasy

December 3, 2020 12:30 pm ,

PART STORY, PART GAME – PURE ADVENTURE!

You, the hero of this story, are a member of the Sky Watch keeping the floating archipelago of Pangaria safe. When the Nimbus isle suddenly crashes out of the sky into the Ocean of Tempests below, you must explore the remaining islands, and battle both storms and sea beasts in your mission to raise Nimbus from the deep. The brand new book in the FIGHTING FANTASY series – by the first ever female guest author!

Scholastic

I read a few Fighting Fantasy books when I was younger and am really pleased that some are being reissued as well as new stories being published. Scholastic very kindly sent me a copy of Crystal of Storms, the first in the franchise to be written by a female guest author: Rhianna Pratchett no less! I had a go and it was just as exciting as I remember – and I was as unlucky as I remember – hard to put down once you begin (unless you die…but then you try again)! They also gave me the opportunity to ask her, and the mind behind the original series, Ian Livingstone, a few questions.

Rhianna Pratchett

Did you read the original Fighting Fantasy books as a child?

Yes, I read a few when I was about 8 or 9 years old and really enjoyed them. I even got into trouble with my local library for holding onto them for so long.
 
How did you get involved in the reboot?

Ian Livingstone and I had known each other for many years and had also done press together as part of the Tomb Raider 2013 reboot. One day he just emailed me out of the blue and asked whether I’d be interested in giving it a go. I’d never done anything like it before, and it seemed a bit scary, so it
was clearly something I needed to do!
 
I imagine you’ve faced some opposition in the game industry, as a female creator. What advice would you give girls that are interested in working in the field?

I’ve been quite lucky that I’ve never faced too much discrimination for being a woman in games. In fact, I’ve had more problems working within narrative, because it’s an area of games development which is sometimes undervalued and not always well supported.
 
How different is writing a book to writing a game?

With a book you’re in complete control of the narrative and everything around it. Aside from a couple of editors, it’s usually just you and the blank page. With games, particular AAA games (the blockbusters of the game world) you are working with hundreds of people across multiple
departments. They will all have their own battles to fight and views on narrative, so you will need to be very flexible, accommodating, and thick skinned!
 
What are you reading at the moment and who would you recommend it to?

I’m reading Margaret Attwood’s The Testaments; which fans of The Handmaid’s Tale will definitely love. I’m particularly enjoying the fleshing out of Aunt Lydia, who is such a terrifying and complex character. I’m also reading Flora Curiosa, which is a collection of classic short stories in the rather niche genre of ‘Botany Gothic’. I’ve become obsessed with building out my plant collection during lockdown, so I’ve become fascinated with all things botanical.
 
What’s next from you?

I’m bringing some of the skills I developed whilst working on Crystal of Storms, to Bardsung (Steamforged Games) a tabletop cooperative dungeon explorer. I’ll be writing and narratively designing the project, which is a fantastic challenge. I’ve also working on a few film, TV and game projects, which are sadly still in the Vault of Secrecy at the moment.

Ian Livingstone

What do you think has prompted a renewed interest in Fighting Fantasy?

Being interactive, Fighting Fantasy books naturally resonate with today’s children. Part book, part game, the readers decide where the story goes which is empowering and more engaging than a traditional book. Set in worlds of monsters and magic adds a further layer of excitement to stimulate children’s imaginations. In parallel, there has also been a huge revival in Dungeons & Dragons, and Warhammer has never been more popular. 

Which is your favourite of the adventures?

That’s a bit like asking me who is my favourite child when I have four! So, I’m going to narrow it down to my favourite four books. They are The Warlock of Firetop Mountain because it was the first one, Forest of Doom, City of Thieves and Deathtrap Dungeon.

How much direction do you give guest authors contributing to the franchise?

We ask that guest authors stick within the Fighting Fantasy canon to maintain the look and feel of the world and characters we have created. We also require them to adhere to the game system we created using dice for combat and SKILL, STAMINA and LUCK attributes. But as far as story and plot goes, we give them pretty much free rein.

What kind of feedback do you get from readers?

Readers are pretty quick to let us know on social media what they think about new titles. There are fans of the books all over the world and a large community has built up around Fighting Fantasy over the years with dedicated Facebook groups. There are also suggestions and comments sent to us via fightingfantasy.com. All communications are gratefully received!

What are you reading at the moment and who would you recommend it to?

I’m currently re-reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? on which the film Blade Runner was based. It’s a classic by my favourite science fiction author Philip K Dick. I’d recommend it to anybody who has a thing about post-apocalyptic worlds and rogue androids!

Huge thanks to both the authors and Scholastic for the interview.

Lots of Fighting Fantasy books are available to buy now!

Posted in: Books, Eight Questions With..., Gaming, Interviews, MG, The Third Degree

A Pocketful of Stars

August 19, 2019 10:00 am ,

This place is magic . . . but it’s not the sort of magic that comes from wands and spells . . .
Can piecing together the past help you change the present?
Safiya and her mum have never seen eye to eye. Her mum doesn’t understand Safiya’s love of gaming and Safiya doesn’t think they have anything in common. As Safiya struggles to fit in at school she wonders if her mum wishes she was more like her confident best friend Elle. But then her mum falls into a coma and, when Safiya waits by her bedside, she finds herself in a strange and magical world that looks a bit like one of her games. And there’s a rebellious teenage girl, with a secret, who looks suspiciously familiar . . .

Egmont

A Pocketful of Stars is Aisha Bushy’s debut middle grade novel, which will fit very nicely in both primary and secondary school libraries, in which Safiya learns more about her mum, her friends, and herself. It is slightly heartbreaking but also very hopeful, a brilliant twist on the quest story, and a really good look at the way friendships change over time.

I asked Aisha a few questions!

I interviewed Yasmin Rahman, your fellow newbie in the Stripes ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ anthology, for her debut earlier this month. In your acknowledgments you say how important your support for one another has been, what was the next best thing about being part of it?

Having my short story featured in ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ was like attending a writer bootcamp. I got to see what it was like to edit a book, attend school visits and festivals, and deal with not-so-great feedback! By the time my own debut novel was published, I felt quite ready for what was to come, and I’m so thankful to everyone at Stripes for guiding us. 

Had you already started writing ‘A Pocketful of Stars’ when you wrote your short story, or was it still just a simmering idea?

It wasn’t even an idea. I was working in a very different novel at the time, one that I didn’t get very good feedback on. I thought of and drafted ‘A Pocketful of Stars’ in the months between being picked for ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ and the anthology’s publication.

Did the story start with the gaming idea or did it come to you as a way to make the “dreams” a more modern quest story?

It started off with Safiya witnessing her mother’s memories in a dream-like way, but as I continued to work on ‘A Pocketful of Stars’ I needed to give Safiya something to strive for. That was when the quest came in. And, as Safiya loves video games, it made sense for her to navigate this world in that way.

What is your favourite computer game?

I really love The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, because it is open-world, which means you can explore as much as you want without any limitations (unlike in ‘A Pocketful of Stars’ where the world crumbles when Safiya tries to leave the house). But when I was Safiya’s age my favourite games were Crash Bandicoot and Spyro. I played them both for hours.

Have you any thoughts on how teens might balance gaming as a hobby with “real life” relationships?

I don’t think they have to be mutually exclusive. Gaming is a very social hobby. When you play online you can create groups for your friends to join and play together; otherwise you can meet up and play in the same room. I see it as bringing friendships together through a shared interest, in the way it connects Safiya with her new friends in ‘A Pocketful of Stars’. 

What kind of event would you like to do if invited into schools?

I have two different events planned at the moment that I’ll be pitching to schools in September. The first is a scent-based workshop where I’ll ask students to pick and smell one of several pots filled with different scents. They are tasked with writing the opening of a story leading in with scent, whilst working in the other senses too. 

The second event I have planned can work in smaller groups or larger assemblies (and I’ll be running this one during my school tour). It’s about narrative gaming, and different ways of consuming stories. I will work collaboratively with students to create the basis for our very own video-game by picking a character, setting, and premise. 

What are you reading at the moment and who would you recommend it to?

I am reading lots of things at the moment, some I can talk about, some I can’t. Two books I am dying to talk about, both middle grade, are I, Cosmo by Carlie Sorosiak, written from the perspective of a dog. It is one of the most heart-warming books I have ever read and I’ve already cried twice whilst reading it. It was published at the beginning of August, so you can buy it right now (and I very much recommend that you do).

My second read is an advanced copy of a book out next year called The Girl Who Stole An Elephant by Nizrana Farook (what a great title). The book is packed with adventure and friendship, and the world is so fully realised that you really feel you are riding through the jungle on the back of an elephant you may or may not have stolen yourself…

Any hints of what we can expect from you next?

I can’t say much yet (mostly as I’m drafting it and I’m still learning what it’s going to become), but let’s just say there will be a new magical world to explore…

Aisha Bushby

A Pocketful of Stars is out now! Thank you to Egmont for a review copy

Posted in: Eight Questions With..., Gaming, Interviews, MG, Reflecting Realities, The Third Degree

Library Island by Matt Finch

June 6, 2019 8:15 pm ,

Library Island is an activity which simulates five years in the life of a nation’s library services. Participants become librarians, government officials, or community members on this island and face the challenges created by conflicting wants, needs, and limited resources. There is an Indigenous community and colonial history to be reckoned with, plus a range of political interests with their own agenda for the library.

It’s a simple game played with nothing more than office furniture, pens, and paper, but it swiftly leads to rich and complex scenarios. The fictional setting allows us to explore structural issues, political challenges, and even some of the disruptive behaviour that professionals may face from their users, within the relative safety of a “make-believe” context.

Source: What exactly is Library Island anyway? – matt finch / mechanical dolphin

Matt has provided a toolkit that can be downloaded with full instructions on how to run, adapt and play the game. It is available here:

https://booksadventures.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/library-island-toolkit.pdf

Posted in: Activities, Advocacy, Gaming, Libraries

Game Library Camp 17

August 14, 2017 1:30 pm ,

If, like me, you were not able to attend the Game Library Camp on the 12th then watching this padlet may be of interest to you:

Posted in: Education, Gaming

Free Basic Rules for Dungeons & Dragons

August 22, 2014 4:51 pm ,

Are you considering starting a D&D Group in your Library but do not want to start buying the required gear until you are sure that you know what you are doing?

Well good news!

The Wizards who live on the Coast have made the Basic Rules for Dungeons & Dragons free to download as a PDF (over 100 pages, in fact) that covers the core of the game. It runs from levels 1 to 20 and covers the cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard, presenting what we view as the essential subclass for each. It also provides the dwarf, elf, halfling, and human as race options; in addition, the rules contain 120 spells, 5 backgrounds, and character sheets.

USING THESE RULES
The Basic Rules document is divided into three parts.

Part 1 is about creating a character, providing the rules and guidance you need to make the character you’ll play in the game. It includes information on the various races, classes, backgrounds, equipment, and other customization options that you can choose from. Many of the rules in part 1 rely on material in parts 2 and 3.

Part 2 details the rules of how to play the game, beyond the basics described in this introduction. That part covers the kinds of die rolls you make to determine success or failure at the tasks your character attempts, and describes the three broad categories of activity in the game: exploration, interaction, and combat.

Part 3 is all about magic. It covers the nature of magic in the worlds of D&D, the rules for spellcasting, and a selection of typical spells available to magic-using characters (and monsters) in the game.

Grab them here: http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules

Posted in: Gaming, News

Setting up a Dungeons & Dragons group in my Library

September 24, 2013 4:22 pm ,

At the end of the last school year I was approached by a group of students who asked me in a very roundabout way if I knew about Dungeons and dragons and if I had ever played the game and would I maybe be interested in running a Dungeons & Dragons game for them at some point this year.

I had been thinking about a D&D group for a while but had become stuck on how to advertise it, as working in a faith school I have always been a bit cautious of doing things that could get me if not burned at the stake outright then at least accused of evil doings and leading children down the paths of darkness and that sort of thing is not fun (if you have not experienced it trust me on this).

So anyway I had been hankering after starting a D&D group and then out of the blue one of my colleagues said these magic words to me: “My son has a Dungeons & Dragons box that he no longer wants, would you like it for the library?
Two weeks after that the aforementioned group of students came in and showed me the character stat sheets that the father of one of them had made years ago.

Sometimes the stars just align in your favour…

But wait! It gets better, I have another colleague who I know visits Forbidden Planet and The Orcs Nest and we were chatting about games and gaming and I mentioned my plans for a D&D Club at school, and he says: “I have a bunch of D&D figures that I no longer use if you want them?”

So yes I am starting a D&D Club at school after half term!

However it will not just be gaming and character creation, I am going to get the kids reading and not just the monster manuals and Forgotten Realms novels no (although I will be pushing those at them too). I am aiming at the kids that shudder visibly whenever I thrust a book in their direction. Here is a handy hint if you have any library users that refuse to pick up anything made from dead trees – webcomics, all of the kids that have a professed dislike of reading spend ages online during breaks and before and after school reading things that interest them, so I thought if I can hook them on gaming comics I will be able to introduce them to the print editions once they have gotten into the story-lines.

This is a list of some excellent (free) online comics dealing with gaming and Dungeons & Dragons:

The Order of the Stick

Weregeek

Table Titans

Goblins the Comic (often has extreme violence)

Nodwick

Dork Tower

Will Save the World for Gold

Looking for Group

Table Titans is very good at introducing beginners to D&D and gaming in general, the site also contains amusing stories from gamers about quests that often went horribly wrong.

If you are considering becoming a dungeon Master (or games Master) take a look at this post for beginner ideas: http://teenlibrarian.co.uk/2011/02/12/simplified-dungeons-dragons/
and the Teen Librarian Gaming Special Edition for at least some of your library gaming enquiry needs.

Posted in: Advice, Gaming

Learn about Gaming with TableTop

March 4, 2013 10:50 am ,

Are you interested in starting a tabletop games group in your library or school but feel you do not know enough to start buying games yourself?

Then may I recommend Tabletop – a Youtube channel focusing on tabletop games.

Press release info:

Actor, writer and geek icon Wil Wheaton hosts TableTop, a fast-paced show about tabletop gaming. In what can only be described as “Celebrity Poker” for board games, Wil invites his friends and loved ones to share a different board game with him each episode. Filled with witty banter and cheeky camaraderie, the show pairs notable geek celebrities with the best tabletop games around.

Follow this link to visit the Tabletop Youtube channel

Posted in: Gaming, News

Looking towards the New School Year: Warhammer 40K

July 16, 2012 9:13 pm ,

One of the Library offerings at my school for the 2012/13 school year is to run after-school clubs. The first club that will be running in September will be a Warhammer 40K Club.

I am currently planning a recruitment drive that will start the moment the students come back into the school. With that in mind I have started working on recruitment posters, the first draft is below.

I have been involved on the periphery of Warhammer for at least five years now but each time a club has started where I have worked I have moved on so this will be the first Warhammer group I have run and I am looking forward to it!

I have ordered a number of tie ins – Dan Abnett & James Swallow’s novels to begin with and some of the Boom! Studio Graphic Novels as well as some of the rulebooks.

Posted in: Gaming, TRG, Uncategorized