Content — Boards & Swords

Fresh off the heels of PAX Unplugged, today I’ll be taking a look at a sourcebook for D&D 5th Edition that was made in partnership with Penny Arcade, the people behind PAX. That sourcebook is “Acquisitions Incorporated”, and if you have been familiar with D&D and/or Penny Arcade then you probably have a good idea of what this book is about.

For those that aren’t aware, “Acquisitions Incorporated” was the name of the D&D adventuring party started by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik of the webcomic Penny Arcade, along with Scott Kurtz from the webcomic PvP. The crew started their adventures on the official D&D podcast back in 2009, where they were DM’d by the master himself, Chris Perkins (hey did you know I got the chance to interview him?). Since then, the stories and legacy have grown across several mediums, such as comics, animation, and even various streams on Twitch. In fact, one of the highlights of several Pax conventions is the chance to see the crew play another crazy adventure live.

BlogChris RenshawDecember 18, 2019Dnd, D&D, Dungeons and Dragons, Dungeons & Dragons, Penny Arcade, D&D5e, Dnd5e, RPG, Roleplaying game, Role playing gameComment

Arkham Horror LCG Battle Report: The Gathering (Night of the Zealot Part 1)

Disclaimer: If you haven't heard about Arhkam Horror: The Card Game, you probably might have trouble with this post. Also, potential spoilers ahead.

I have been a longtime fan of Arkham Horror: The Card Game from Fantasy Flight Games. It's been in my Top 10 Games of all time lists both times [links] that I've done them. The game incorporates several things I enjoy in games: story bits, customizable decks, and some small roleplaying elements. However, the problem with the game has always been finding people to play it with. I have all of the first 2 campaigns, The Dunwich Legacy & The Path to Carcosa. I even have most of the stand alone scenarios. Every chance I get to play the game at Gen Con or other events I try. Yet I have never finished any of the longer campaigns because I could not get a group together to play regularly.

Until Now.

BlogChris RenshawDecember 16, 2019ahlcg, fantasy flight games, Arkham Horror the Card Game Comments

Contrast Paints & The Swiss Army Knife of Star Wars Legion

Chris looks at the new Contrast Paints from Games Workshop/Citadel and how they worked on some Fantasy Flight Star Wars Legion minis. Oh, and how are those minis by the way?

BlogChris RenshawNovember 25, 2019star wars, star wars legion, fantasy flight games, miniatures Comment

Satanic Panic: A Terrible Kickstarter

Warning: This is going to be a long post.

Chris gives some information and opinions about a Kickstarter that went south

Chris' Top 50 Games of All Time (2019 Version): #50-41

Around this time last year, we finished our series of Top 50 games of all time on the podcast as a celebration of hitting 100 episodes. This year, we decided to do an update but instead of doing a long series again, we are only talking about our Top 10 list. Therefore, I figured I'd use the blog to talk about the rest of my favorite games.

Do We Actually Want Board Games to Become Mainstream?

Quick and Dirty Response: I do, and I'm sure others do too, but I don't think people really understand what it means for a hobby to go mainstream.

BlogChris RenshawMarch 12, 2019wingspan, stonemaier games, scythe, board games, card games, keyforge, fantasy flight gamesComment

Seafall: A Spoiler Filled Roller Coaster of Emotions

Oh Seafall. I picked you up on discount, not really expecting a lot. Everyone else had already downplayed this game, but I figured for $20-30, how bad could it be? For those of you who aren't aware, Seafall was a 2016 Age of sail/Nautical themed Legacy game (a type of game where one game can drastically change the next time you play the game) released by Plaid Hat Games. It was highly anticipated at the time as it was the first legacy game that wasn't based on another game like Risk Legacy or Pandemic Legacy, however that anticipation didn't last very long. For me, I did get my money's worth out of this game, but I might need therapy after playing this game. It made me experience just about every emotion out there, to the point where I can't continue this conversation without throwing up a huge SPOILER WARNING!

BlogChris RenshawFebruary 28, 2019board games, board game, seafall, plaid hat games, rob daviau, legacy gameComment

I Play This Game in Defense Mode: First Impressions of Millennium Blades

You probably don't know this about me, but I LOVE card games. The fact that last year two of the games in my Top 10 of all time had the words "the Card Game" in them probably didn't give that away at all. CCG/TCG/LCG/LOL/BBQ I've tried a lot of them. So from the moment that I heard about Millennium Blades, a game from Level 99 Games where you simulate playing a CCG, I was intrigued.

BlogChris RenshawFebruary 21, 2019millennium blades, card games, collectible card games, board games, kickstarter, level 99 gamesComment

We're Making The Dirtbags of Holding Even Better!

I gotta be honest with all of y’all. The past year or so I’ve put a lot of focus on making the Boards & Swords podcast the best that it can be. That has had the unfortunate side-effect of not putting enough time and energy on The Dirtbags of Holding podcast. Plus, we’ve had a lot of us moving/traveling/working/etc, so it made it hard to get the multi-session games scheduled. Well, that’s all changing. Now its time to put that same energy into making The Dirtbags of Holding an awesome podcast, and I think we’ve got the plan to do so.

Dirtbags of Holding, BlogChris RenshawFebruary 14, 2019Comment

It's a Boards & Swords Takeover!

I originally started this website with the name Obsessive Comics Disorder because 1) I was really into comic books at the time and 2) I’ve dealt with mild OCD all my life and it felt like a positive way to channel that stigma.

BlogChris RenshawFebruary 5, 2019Comment

How Good (or Bad) Were Board Games in 2018?

If you know where to listen, you might hear some weird murmurs in the board game media space. "2018 wasn't a good year for board games," one might say. "Too many half baked ideas, not enough development," says another. Not everyone feels this way, but I hear enough whispers about it that it got me wondering if this was actually the case.

BlogChris RenshawJanuary 17, 2019board games, bgg, boardgamegeek, board game geek, card gamesComment

You Don't Have To Like A Game Because It's Popular!

Once again, I'm expanding on a twitter rant I had a couple of weeks ago. This time, it was spawned because of various facebook posts I've seen over the past couple of weeks in regards to Keyforge. If I were to summarize these posts, it would sound something like: OMG WHY IS KEYFORGE SO POPULAR? IT'S A DUMB CARD GAME AND A WAY FOR FFG TO MAKE MONEY CALLING IT A UNIQUE GAME WHEN ITS ACTUALLY JUST A CCG WITH A NEW COAT OF PAINT!

BlogChris RenshawDecember 12, 2018card games, board games, keyforge

When You Don't Have Enough Spoons For Board Games

Are you familiar with the Spoon Theory? I've linked to wikipedia for some quick info, but there's a lot more in depth stuff available to read on. Also, I'm not an expert, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. Basically, the idea behind the Spoon Theory is that people only have a certain number of "Spoons" in a day, representing the amount of energy you have to conduct activities. For those with disabilities or mental illnesses, some tasks require more "spoons" than they would for another person, especially activities that require interacting with other people.

Stop Using CMON's Loss As A Market Indicator!

Chris gives his take on the CMON revenue loss news.

BlogChris RenshawNovember 26, 2018CMON, Kickstarter, board games, death may die, zombicide, hateComment

Mutant: Year Zero Review

Chris Nickell from The Dirtbags of Holding takes a look at the Post-Apocalyptic RPG Mutant Year Zero from Free League Publishing

BlogChris RenshawOctober 19, 2018Mutant Year Zero, roleplaying games, RPGs, Free League PublishingComment

How Do I Get My Players to Roleplay? - Ask the Prof

I'm trying something new here. Got a question about board games, roleplaying games, comics or pop culture? Send me an email Chris@ocdcast.com or tweet me @ChrisTheProf on twitter with the #asktheprof hashtag and I may answer it in a future column.

Brandon from the Brawling Brothers podcast (@BrawlingBros) asked:

"How do you loosen up the 'stiffs' at the table and have them fall into character?!?"

First of all, calling them stiffs is probably not helping your cause. Secondly, I totally know where Brandon is coming from. One of the first games I ran as a GM was the Star Wars Saga Edition RPG from Wizards of the Coast (basically D&D 3.5 but with Star Wars). I was trying to get a new group of friends into RPGs and as such pretty much everyone in my game had never played in a RPG before. A couple of players got into it, but there was one or two people that basically acted like we were playing Zork:

BlogChris RenshawSeptember 13, 2018roleplaying, how to roleplay, dungeons and dragons, D&D, roleplaying gamesComment

Munchkin: Shakespeare Deluxe Review

BlogChris RenshawFebruary 26, 2018munchkin, shakespeare, Steve Jackson Games, SJ Games, card gamesComment

The 10 Nerdiest Things of 2016

I'm creating an RPG! And I need your help!

BlogChris RenshawApril 23, 2016Were out of idea, were out of ideas, out of ideas rpg, Role playing games, RPGs, Tabletop Comments

5 Things About The Poltergeist Remake

I had the "Privilege" seeing the Poltergeist remake this weekend. As a general rule, I hate horror movies and do everything in my power to avoid them. However, my wife ADORES them, although I'm not sure which she enjoys more: watching the movie or watching ME watch the movie. Regardless, the original Poltergeist was one of her favorites growing up, so as soon as I heard that there was a remake, I knew that I was doomed to see it. Having now seen it, I have some thoughts, which I will now share with you, relatively spoiler free.

BlogChris RenshawMay 27, 2015Review, movie, PoltergeistComment