Test of Play: Munchkin Adventure Time!

Introducing another thing I intend to attempt to do fairly regularly in the future- quick tabletop game reviews. This time, I'm taking a look at the newest edition of Steve Jackson Games' Munchkin. Munchkin Adventure Time is much like prior themed versions of the game- cross-compatible, largely built off the same mechanics as basic munchkin. "It reminds me of a really funny version of D&D [Dungeons and Dragons] but with cards," says one enthusiastic player. 

And indeed, the core concept is very much rooted in classic tabletop role play. The main task for players is to advance through a 'dungeon' by drawing cards to break through doors, fight monsters, and loot rooms, gaining levels- and the first player to level ten wins the game. This bears quite a resemblance to tabletops, especially in the view of the kind of player it was named for- the 'munchkin', the player who focuses sheerly on their characters' stats and the best ways to play the rules to their own advantage.

However, Munchkin Adventure Time adds a new element to the mix- Characters. Much like Star Trek Catan, the character cards add triggered or inherent abilities for each player. A very nice element of the cards is that they are sensitive to the game's habitual tendency to reverse and generally play with the players' gender- each has the canonical Fionna and Cake equivalent on the back, and starts with the player's gender- so a girl might start with Marcelline, but a boy with Marshall Lee. It's nice and makes sense for a slightly younger skewed set of Munchkin- much as it is fun for all ages, Adventure Time is primarily a childrens' show, and this set is clearly aiming to be accessible to that set, with more defined rules and many more deliberate table-related effects. A creature card in this edition has additional strength if 'something sweet' is on the table, for instance, and another for if there is a beverage.

So, is Munchkin Adventure Time worth venturing your time? I'd say yes- perhaps even especially if you're a new player. Munchkin Adventure Time has the benefit of a price tag lower than any full Munchkin set, thanks to being a coproduction with USAopoly, So unless you have some distaste for the show itself such that it would color your experience, Munchkin Adventure Time makes a very nice jumping on point for a player who's never tried Munchkin before. All in all, I have to recommend it.

This Week in Geek- Bringing Back the 80's

With the Toyfair behind us, we turn an eye to what happened elsewhere. We've got something of a theme in nerd news of late- a resurgence of 80's franchises. See how Hollywood's bringing back the 80's, this week,in geek!

Dean Cain and Helen Slater join CBS' Supergirl

Former Superman and Supergirl Dean Cain and Helen Slater have now been confirmed for roles on the TV drama- no news yet who. Here's hoping to see Dean in the spandex with modern effects!

Harrison Ford to return in Blade Runner sequel

In another surprise return, Harrison Ford has been signed onto a Blade Runner sequel, to return as Rick Deckard. My only request is that they keep it to the viewer if Deckard is a replicant.

'Jem' movie produces first image

Jem and the Holograms. If I had to pick a toyline I never thought would get a feature film, Jem and the Holograms would be it. The first image confirms the movie seems to be going for the neon 80's style of the toys- truly outrageous.

Disney announces DuckTales revival

In other 80's revival news, Disney is working on a revival of DuckTales for the Disney XD cable channel. The show is set to get to air in 2017. Until then, I think it's safe to assume every day, they're out there making DuckTales. (Woo-oo!)

Geek Retrospective: It's All in the Cards!

Collectible Card Games are perhaps the most recent of geek pastimes, having emerged in the early 1990s. It's surprising perhaps that it took so long for the concept to happen. On paper, it's a simple idea and seems to be a very easy way to play on the existing trading card industry. However, the origin of the phenomena came not from Topps, Skybox, or any of the companies that made their living on cards. No, the CCG was a throwaway idea from an employee at Wizards of the Coast. Richard Garfield, who was challenged to create a game that would pay for RoboRally, a game he had pitched to Wizards of the Coast. The game had to have a minimal cost to produce, and take 15-20 minutes to play. Garfield created Magic: The Gathering in 1991 as 'Manaclash'. He sold this to Wizards through a shell company, Garfield Games, so that he would get a larger share of any potential profits. However, neither side could have foreseen the reaction the game caused.
 In 1993, Magic: The Gathering debuted at the Origins Game Fair in Fort Worth,Texas. The first run of cards from August ran out quickly enough to need a reissue as a Beta set in October, its first expansion coming that December.Magic was a phenomena- many stores were unable to keep the game on shelves. Like most successes in the early 90's, this led to a glut of others trying their own spin on the CCG phenomenon. By 1994, Star Trek had seen its way with a game by Decipher. In 1995, Star Wars joined Star Trek on the shelves, quickly taking the number two slot behind Magic, even as many of the games in fell in popularity. Wizards sailed along- only getting bigger with a chance license.
The Pokemon Trading Card Game was brought over from Japan in 1999, under license to Wizards of the Coast, and using similar mechanics to Magic the Gathering. As Pokemon became a juggernaut in and of itself, the card game benefited, It became the first card game to outsell Magic: The Gathering in cards. However, this attracted the attention of another Pokemon licensee- toymaker Hasbro. Hasbro purchased Wizards several months later, gaining the two most successful trading card games on the market.
While licenses dot the intervening history, only one other notable lasting franchise launched- Yu-Gi-Oh. Yu-Gi-Oh itself has an interesting origin. It was conceived first for fiction. The game was conceived for the anime, and the show was written without a firm set of rules. The result was a game with a strange set of rules that later firmed into a rather enjoyable game that continues to this day.
Now, the collectible card game is a staple. If a license gets large enough, odds are that a card game will happen. And all this nearly didn't- if Wizards of the Coast had had faith in Garfield's RoboRally, Magic: the Gathering would not exist. Trading cards are a dying breed as is- it's probably a good thing that CCGs came along and gave them a shot in the arm when they did.

This Week in Geek: Toyfair Roundup!

Well, Toyfair's come and gone, and the companies have had time to release their official images now. Let's take a look and see the new merchandise we have to look forward to, this week in geek!


Quarter Scale Superman

In the past few years, we've had a few different Christopher Reeve Superman figures, but most have been lacking in terms of likeness and paint work- to this point, only Hot Toys has attained universal praise. NECA though unveiled this surprise at Toyfair- a quarter scale (18") figure of Christopher Reeve as Superman, complete with cloth cape. The likeness is spot-on, and while cloth has been a hinderance on some past DC figures, NECA made it work on their Adam West Batman, so this is a figure to look out for.

 Mattel DC Reveals

Speaking of Adam West, completist collectors will be swimming with him if they want the newest releases from Mattel.. Mattel is reissuing its Batman 66 figure line, with no changes or additions. To add insult to injury, there will be one new figure- an Yvonne Craig Batgirl, in a three-pack with the already-released Batman and Robin. These figures also show up in a new rerelease of the 1966 Batmobile playset. The only other item of much note is yet another Adam West Batman- this time with a 'To the Batcave' playset, which consists of several pieces of environment, and an interchangeable Bruce Wayne head.

Hasbro's Ant Man

Hasbro debuted its toy plans for upcoming Marvel movie Ant Man at Toyfair, and some of them look pretty cool. Appropriately enough, the size-changing hero is being released in 3 3/4", 6", and 12" sizes, with perhaps the most playable being the 3 3/4" version. The figure is fairly standard in itself- but the 3 3/4" version comes packed with a large winged ant he can ride!

Samurai Darth Vader

Bluefin almost never has any real 'debuts' for Toyfair, but this has to be one of the biggest surprises we've seen there. Hasbro is allowing Bluefin to distribute Bandai's 'Movie Realization' Star Wars figures. These are very nice original designs that reinterpret Darth Vader and Stormtrooper armors into traditional Samurai armor.

NECA Ultimate T-800

After testing the waters for reissues with its  Ultimate Freddy, NECA revealed at Toyfair this Ultimate release of its Terminator 2 T-800. This fixes what most fans found the biggest issue on the Terminator line- its lack of articulation in the figures.

It Figures: Standor

Kind of an unintentional continuation of a theme here today on It Figures, though you wouldn't know it from the name. Today's featured toy is definitely going to require a little bit more backstory than the last. So take a look left and see if you can figure who this is before I have it out. There's a good old No-Prize if you do!

In 2008, Mattel brought back the long-dormant Masters of the Universe line of action figures- but not to store shelves. They started the line on a very provisional basis, released online only, and largely supported by a subscription service model. The line and the model were a success, becoming a premier collectors' toyline and spawning several other lower-than-retail-demand toylines on the same financial model. Six years and one hundred and forty one figures later, the line is still going strong. So strong that Comikaze New York wants an exclusive figure. Racking their brains, Mattel's braintrust gets in contact with the man behind the con, and a figure is born- enter, Standor!


Much easier of a guess unmasked, Standor is none other than an alter-ego of Marvel superhero creator, Stan Lee! Yes, Standor is an action figure of Stan Lee as a blue space muscleman. Comikaze is created and run by Stan, and the idea behind Standor was to have fun with applying Stan's creativity and authority to the figure's backstory. Within the Masters of the  Universe canon, every figure has a place, even a novelty like Standor. Standor was granted a place among the Eternian pantheon in the canon of the line, a "cosmic being of unlimited imagination" whose magic caused the universe to form life! Quite the way to pay homage to the man who wrote a large part of one of the biggest fictitious universes in existance. Standor was a very good idea for an exclusive- a character who isn't exactly essential to the story, but is a very fun novelty for those who were lucky enough to get their hands on him.

"Look, kid, if you want pecs like these, you gotta work at 'em!"

This Week in Geek- Pre-Toy Fair Roundup!

Toy Fair starts tomorrow- so of course, all the leaks and news outlet exclusive reveals are coming out. Here's a round up of some of the biggest news, in a special Pre-Toy Fair round-up on This Week in Geek!

DC Direct Batman the Animated Series Batmobile

One of the most unexpected reveals of the week has been DC Collectibles' revelation of an electronic Batmobile to scale with their 6" Batman the Animated Series line of figures, due later this year. We always hear from manufacturers that vehicles and playsets are 'too cost-prohibitive now', so it's amazing to get a nice scaled Batmobile- especially at the $99 MSRP. Mattel's  Arkham Knight Batmobile- the most recent collector-oriented version- bore the same price-tag, despite being made for figures half the size, so either industry is lying or DC is really expecting to sell to undercut prices.

Hot Toys Ultron Prime

On a piece bordering movie news and toy news, Hot Toys has released its full reveal of their Ultron Prime from the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron. This is about the best and most comprehensive look fans have had at the design- since Hot Toys figures are nearly perfect representations of their on-screen counterparts.

NECA Aliens to include Ripley, half of Bishop.

After being the first to nab Sigourney Weaver's likeness rights, NECA has confirmed and shown off their in-progress version of the Ripley character as she appeared in Aliens- and confirmed that we'll also be getting a Final Battle Bishop. Yes, the android torn in half by the Queen is getting a figure torn in half.

Funko Legacy Rocketeer, Firefly

And lastly, through a Facebook fangroup, we have leaked looks at a pair of cult classics finally getting action figures through Funko's Legacy series- pulpy superhero the Rocketeer, and the crew of Serenity from Firefly.

This Week in Geek- Pre-ToyFair

The New York Toy Fair is happening this week and the leaks are already happening- so I'm doing something a little different with This Week In Geek. This first entry today is going to omit toy related stories- and publish a pre-Toy Fair roundup tomorrow when I have enough to fill a whole news post.

Spider-Man Swings into the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Inarguably the biggest movie news of the week, Marvel and Sony finally hammered out some terms after months of will they or won't they disrupted by the Sony hacking scandal. The answer is- they will. Spider-Man is set to appear first in an MCU film, before spinning into a new solo picture by Sony- overseen by the MCU creative team. It's a good time to be a geek.

Netflix to produce a Legend of Zelda series ?

This one came as a total blindside. Nintendo is generally very guarded in the modern era about adapting their characters- the last adaptation of Mario happened in 1993, Zelda even further back. Even its most current adaptation is Pokemon, a series that this year turns 18. Will it work? Maybe. The writers have a blessing and a curse in Link's lack of dialogue in games- they have to either define him in a way people can accept, or leave him undefined enough people can fill in. Either way, their work is cut out for them, if this pans out.

Our first look behind the scenes of Spectre

The new James Bond is underway- and in our first look at its filming, it promises beautiful scenery as a backdrop for at least one action sequence. The new film will be the first in years to return to the iconic evil organization- MGM only recently resolved the issue of the rights with Fleming collaborator Kevin McClory's estate.

Ripley to return in a Blomkamp helmed Aliens film?

Months ago, various images of unused concept art from an unsolicited Neil Blomkamp pitch for an Alien sequel hit the web- the art raised a lot of eyebrows, with a Ripley in some form of xenomorph spacesuit and Michael Biehn sporting a disfigured face. Blomkamp has now formally revealed Fox is interested- and the ball is in his court.

It Figures: J Jonah Jameson

Hello, and welcome to the inaugural It Figures, a new column where I shine a spotlight on action figures past and present that are worth taking a look at. These figures might be new or old, obscure or mainstream. But for this first installment, I've used a figure that I was on the search for the better part of 12 years.

There are a plethora of interesting characters in the world of Spider-Man- heroes, villains, but in the stories, the most important are often the supporting cast. However, when one considers action figures, these are often the last you would expect to see. However, in 2002, Toy Biz decided to create a line of figures based on the Spider-Man movie- which had only one superhero, and one supervillain. This is how we managed to get an action figure of perhaps Peter Parker's greatest nemesis... J. Jonah Jameson. Yes, editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, leader of the Spider-Man hate club, finally had a modern action figure. Now you too could make the old miser sputter fruitlessly at his desk.

"I want pictures! Pictures of Spider-Man!"

Though important to the stories, Jameson's design is fairly mundane- but this action figure captures the nuances very well, Thanks to ironclad contracts, it even bears a rather good likeness to character actor J.K. Simmons, who played Jameson in the film! He's fairly pre-posed, though it's a pose that works for the character- pointing with a serious scowl. You can almost hear him yelling at poor Peter. This pose feeds into the next point- Jameson's accessories. Jameson comes with an office chair and a desk with non-removable office supplies attatched but on loose spring-loaded panels. This is to facilitate the closest Jameson gets to action. The figure has a lever on the back- which causes Jameson to slam his fist on the desk and rattle its contents when pulled. It's a clever feature and one that only slightly restricts the articulation of the toy. It also creates a pre-made display, which is great for collectors.


Well, that's it for our first It Figures- though there are more pictures after the jump.

Pre-Release Review- Kingsman: The Secret Service

A film like Kingsman: The Secret Service rarely works in practice. I'm pleased to report that Matthew Vaughn has managed to make a wonderful film that functions as a send-up and as a spy movie. The film, an adaptation of the graphic novel by Mark Millar, follows everyday teenager Eggsy as he is inducted and trained as a spy for the titular espionage organization, the Kingsmen. The film is a visual delight, full of witty writing and a distinct visual style.

The opening immediately sets the tone for the action and humor to follow, with a raid on a middle-eastern compound scored to the Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing". However, the rock disappears as the action intensifies and we are shown the dichotomy this film presents- as we solemnly pause for a single death. One of the more interesting elements the framing of this film chooses to bring to your attention as a viewer is the contraditctions of the emotional scale. A single man dying is a tragedy- but a mass of them is a joke.

The man felled is the father of our protagonist, Eggsy. Taron Egerton here shows much promise, playing the role of the juvenile delinquent cum aspiring spy rather well. Eggsy's home situation with his mother's abusive boyfriend is played with much gravity to the credit of the filmmakers. The film takes the characters and more realistic situations with all the seriousness they deserve- making it all the more a joy when Colin Firth's agent Galahad gives said boyfriend an intensely violent lesson in manners in the process of recruiting Eggsy to the Kingsmen.

But as Galahad himself remarks in a rather meta exchange, a spy movie is “only as good as their villains”. Our organization's foe is the comically squeamish Richmond Valentine- a billionaire convinced humanity is a virus, who plans on causing the death of the many to allow the few to rebuild the Earth in a culling. A stellar performance by Samuel L. Jackson makes Valentine the kind of memorable villain James Bond has been trying to create for a while- and of course, he has a henchwoman with a gimmick. Gazelle, played by Sofia Boutella, has some of the most inventive fight choreography of the film, thanks to her prosthetic bladed feet. The plan is grand, and the stage is set as Eggsy is led through training to become a Kingsman.

The outcome of this plot is all rather typical in general structure but made engaging and interesting through the use of a very distinct visual style, liberal use of extreme stylized violence, and a good helping of comedy and self-awareness. At one point, Galahad is posing as a billionaire to get information out of Valentine, and the pair has a discussion directly referencing the fanciful James Bond movies that this film makes a job of deconstructing and reconstructing. The film also has rather clear themes throughout of how violence should be- and isn't- a last resort in our world, and less subtly, a through plot that comments on the obsolescence of class systems.

Intelligent, violent, fast-paced and fun, Kingsman: The Secret Service is a rare send-up that legitimately works as an example of the genre, in the vein of Galaxy Quest or Men in Black. The action is stylish, the parts well-played, the script well-written. If the film has an Achilles' heel, it's going for the R-Rating with language. It gives the movie a much more edgy feel at the expense of losing a little bit of the usual spy-movie luster. But like Valentine says... “This ain't that kind of movie.”


Disclaimer- This film was seen at a free preview screening. Despite this I have tried not to let this affect my review of the film.

This Week in Geek- Early Edition

We've had a bit of an interesting week for geek news- interesting enough I'm taking a look at some of it early. See what's happened so far, this week in geek!

Marvel Lego SHIELD Helicarrier.
Lego has leaked pictures of a set fans have wanted for a while, a SHIELD Helicarrier from Avengers! At 3000 pieces and $350 price, though, this is a huge investment of money and time- clearly, this is for the most enthusiastic of fans.

Terminator Genisys- new poster and teaser!
The latest Terminator film wants you to know- he's back. Arnold looks better than ever on the new poster for Terminator Genisys. This movie has a lot of hurdles to handle if it's going to be better than the two that proceeded it- but if these are indicative, it might just do it.

Chris Pratt is the new Indiana Jones?
I know- he's funny. I don't deny it. But why does Indiana Jones need a reboot? I admit, I asked the same question a few years back when Rise of the Planet of the Apes was on the horizon, but until and unless there's some clear, interesting angle, I don't think Indy is a film series that needs to be reset.

New Ghostbusters is all-female, cast announced.
This one I'm willing to give a chance on principle- it has a basic shift of the premise that might have some novel ideas. An all-girl team fundamentally introduces the idea of different dynamic of humor to the original and could theoretically be interesting. However, until we see anything concrete, I don't intend to judge either way.

Why Windblade?: A Brief History of Gender in Transformers

Windblade- the Fan Built Bot.

With the recent release of Windblade- the first original female character in a long while for the brand- I feel now might be a good time for a discussion- a brief history of gender in the Transformers. Windblade is a character created through polls, by committee of fans through a promotion called the 'Fan Built Bot'. They voted on everything- down to gender. This might to a casual reader seem strange- they're robots, after all, why do they have genders? And for a couple years of the Generation 1 cartoon and comic in the 80's, this was true. The cartoon lacked explication- but the comic established a lore in which the Transformers were agender, but used male pronouns for convenience- generally accepted as a translation convention since none of the characters spoke English natively.

Season two of the cartoon, however, challenged this presumption by creating a group of female Transformers active on Cybertron in the backstory of Optimus Prime, Shockwave comments in this episode he thought female Autobots were extinct- and since the episode itself was a flashback, it doesn't disrupt the cartoon's continuity at all. However, at this point, the comic had clearly established itself as separate- and it kept its agender lore in place. But the 1985 movie kicking off season 3 introduced a female main character to the cast of the cartoon- pink and white, classically beautiful  Arcee. Pressed with Arcee by corporate mandate, Simon Furman wrote the story Prime's Rib- taking place in the future time frame before the film as a satire. In the far-flung year of 1995, Feminists unwilling to understand the Transformers' nature stir against the Autobots, calling them sexist due to their lack of females. Optimus Prime built Arcee to appease them- and they are not amused with her design, believing her a 'token effort' that is 'degrading to women.' The story was a one-off for the comic, Arcee never appeared in the comics afterwards- though she remained through the run of Generation 1.

Continuities since have generally stuck with depictions of Arcee and or the others of the flashback characters as the only notable females in permutations of the normal setting- the exception to this rule being one migrant from the Beast Wars continuities- Blackarachnia, the femme fatale of the Beast Wars cartoon. However, as the brand gained female fans in the internet age, this became an issue- fans took offense and there was a backlash. This was made no better when Simon Furman, working on the new IDW Generation 1 comic, made female Transformers the result of a mad scientist tampering with the genome to see what would happen.

And this, in short, brings us to where Windblade enters the Transformers' story. She was part of a stranded colony of Transformers- who naturally evolved gender over time. Like many elements of Transformers biology, this seems to raise further questions, but for the sake of narrative is easiest to simply take at face value. To this day there is a large disparity- 65 females to 704 males in thirty years of Transformers fiction. This is easily explained by demographic- but a ten-to-one ratio is not a good model for kids of any gender. Windblade was a fans' choice- and maybe Hasbro should look to why the choice was made.