Videogame Movies

It’s become chic to trash video game movies in general, and Uwe Boll in particular. The latter I can certainly understand, if only because you get to read his whiny, childish responses later. But he doesn’t bear the blame for all of the trash out there, even if BloodRayne II: Deliverance was the most unnecessary movie ever made.

For an example of Boll-less garbage, who remembers Super Mario Brothers? The most notable aspect of this movie was that somehow an entire team of moviemakers got together to make a Super Mario Bros. movie, and evidently none of them were at all familiar with Super Mario Bros. Seriously, Bowser was played by Dennis Hopper. And rather than jumping and collecting mushrooms and flowers, they shot at each other with flamethrowers and de-evolution guns.

Another non-Boll movie that is easy to trash is Doom. This movie had everything going for it. A solid star to play the lead. The tie-in to the new Doom III. Plenty of budget for special effects. In fact, it had everything it needed to be a good movie. Well, except for a good movie.

There are some video game movies that are hard to trash, however. DOA and the Tomb Raider movies were, in my opinion, very close to their source material. Some nonsense story that doesn’t make any sense, all circling around some good-looking women.


On the other hand, the Double Dragon movie was truly a waste of film. Fans of the video games were slightly confused, as this movie was actually based on a cartoon, which explains why it was so completely ridiculous in every way. Really, the main mistake with this movie was choosing to make it live action. If they’d just stuck with cartoons, this would have been much better.

In fairness, not all videogame movies are terrible, and not all of them are financial failures. the original Mortal Kombat movie, while not well thought of today, actually did quite well at the time of its release. And the Resident Evil series of movies has been very sucessful, as has Silent Hill.

The problem with making videogame movies is that generally, video games have very thin plots and poor characterization. We as gamers fail to notice this because we fill in those gaps somewhat by taking control of the characters and becoming a part of the story. But when a movie takes us back out of the story and gives us some distance, we can see how little there actually is. Obviously, role-playing games give the best chance to overcome these problems, but Advent Children aside, very few role-playing games are mainstream enough to support a major theatrical release.

So what is the formula for making a sucessful video game movie? Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Obviously, videogame movies usually need a lot of money for special effects. And any movie benefits from good casting. But other than that? Paul W.S. Anderson as largely responsible for the Resident Evil movies, but he also did Super Mario Brothers and the abysmal Street Fighter. Of course, you could just forget about good filmmaking, and just hypnotize children with brand recognition, as demonstrated by the unending series of Pokemon movies.

While I'm aimlessly tossing around ideas about video game movies, here are a few that I'd like to see, provided Uwe Boll can be kept at bay.
- Magna Carta: Tears of Blood. I really thought that the story was engaging, and I’d like to experience it without suffering through the relentlessly bad gameplay.
- One of the Front Mission games. It’s been a long time since there was a mech movie made, and I’m getting close to wanting one bad enough to rent Robot Jox.
- Prince of Persia. Nostalgia alone should sell this game, but if not, throw in the weird evil harem girls from Sands of Time.
- Diablo. I just think that there aren’t enough movies with amazons fighting demons.
- Tenchu. Same with ninjas fighting demons.

As much as I mock them, I still love watching video game movies, and I’m sure that I’ll give Mr. Boll another chance with Dungeon Siege. And then maybe I can read another ridiculous tirade.

Deckbuilding By Dix

Welcome to Deckbuilding By Dix. This is an open-ended series of articles on how to build decks for Magic: the Gathering. I’ve wanted to write about building decks for a while now, largely because, for me, building decks is even more entertaining than actually playing the game.

But before I begin, a few disclaimers. As much as I do enjoy building decks, I’m not an expert or genius when it comes to deckbuilding. If you’re already a veteran deckbuilder, I may not have anything new to teach you. In addition, there are others who have written at length on deck building theory and strategy, and I encourage you to read their work as well. Where my writing will differ from others is that I will be brief, and that I will endeavor to define any terms that I use, so that someone new to Magic will not be confused. Also, I want to make it clear that this is not the only or best way to approach deck building. It is simply my way, and I believe that by reading it, you might gain a new perspective on how to build. And finally, my final disclaimer: as part of this article, I will be building an example deck. The deck, however, will not be a thing of brilliance. It will not make you a star with your local gaming group. It is, in fact, not a deck that I would personally build. But what it will do is illustrate many of the concepts that I will be writing about. Now, with all of that out of the way, let’s get started.

Deckbuilding Basics

Step 1: Beginning At the End

The first thing that I do when I start to write a deck is to develop a win condition. A win condition is simply the point in the game where you have the cards in play or in hand that you need to win. A win condition is not a guarantee; after all, Magic is all about making exceptions and breaking rules. But if you have a solid win condition in play, you SHOULD be able to win the game. Now, a win condition does not follow specific criteria. It could be something as basic as having more or bigger creatures than your opponent, or it might be one of the handful of cards that actually declare, “you win the game.”

For this deck, I decided to use Pickles as my win condition. In spite of having a terrible name, a Pickles lock is one of the more effective win conditions that has been established in a while, achieving success on the Pro Tour at many levels. In addition, Pickles is noteworthy because it is one of the few types of control effective in a multiplayer format. A Pickles lock is achieved using a Brine Elemental and a Vesuvan Shapeshifter. When the Brine Elemental comes into play, it causes opponents to skip their untap step. Then, the Vesuvan Shapeshifter copies the Brine Elemental, forcing them to continue skipping their untap every turn. This forces the opponent into an extremely one-sided war of attrition, as many of their cards can suddenly only be used once. With that accomplished, it is then easy to have your creatures do fatal damage to each opponent.

As a rule, if I want to include a card in a deck, I want it bad enough to include 4 copies. In that, I disagree with many deckbuilders, who would rather have fewer copies, instead having more versatility by having a greater variety of cards. But, you definitely want to make sure that you draw your win condition, and you want to have multiple copies in case something goes wrong, so it is usually advisable to have 4 of each necessary card. So, our deck so far looks like this:

Quantity Card Name
4 Brine Elemental
4 Vesuvan Shapeshifter
8 Creatures

Step 2: Taking Advantage

Okay, so now we have a win condition. Great. That and $3.99 gets you a booster pack. The fact is, a tight win condition doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t survive long enough to put it into action, or you get it in play too late. You have to have enough life, and you usually need the board to be stabilized, if not better than that. The board is the term given to the “in play” area of the table. It’s where all creatures and enchantments that are in play are located. When a board is stabilized, it means that neither player has a notable advantage over the other, and because of this, very little attacking is taking place. Obviously, all games of Magic will to some extent rely on the luck of the draw; however, there are many ways to try to skew this into your favor, and establish control of the board. This article will cover the two most common methods.

Card Advantage

Card advantage is most simply defined as having more cards available than your opponent. The more cards you have in your hand, the more likely that your hand contains the spell you need. There are two obvious ways to gain card advantage. Either you can increase the number of cards in your hand, or you can try to decrease the number of cards your opponent has in hand. Now, I should mention that generally, not just any card contributes to card advantage; most people only count threats. Threats are the cards that are actually damaging to your opponent, rather than lands or more innocuous spells. Therefore, while a spell that allows you to draw cards can help you establish card advantage, it is not in itself card advantage. For this deck, I elected to include Arcanis the Omnipotent. I like Arcanis for this deck, in part because it’s a permanent (a permanent is any card that stays in play, unlike instants and sorceries), so that you can reuse its ability to draw cards every turn. The other thing I like is that if you already have your lock in place, its power and toughness are high enough to help you attack for the win. Because Arcanis is a legendary creature, you can only have one in play at a time, so I will only include 2 in the deck.

Another, less obvious way to gain card advantage is through recycling cards. By bringing back cards from the graveyard, which is your stack of discarded, killed, or otherwise used cards, you can keep reusing the same threats over and over. My favorite card for this is Eternal Witness. When it comes into play, you get a card back, and have a 2/1 creature in play. But what if you don’t need a 2/1 creature? What if you’d rather have another card from your graveyard? For that purpose, I decided to add Vedalken Mastermind. With his ability, you can return Eternal Witness over and over, reclaiming your lost cards. But that’s not all Vedalken Mastermind is good for. He can use that ability on any of your cards in play, preserving your win condition, or saving one of your other creatures from death.

Our deck thus far:
Quantity Card Name
4 Brine Elemental
2 Arcanis the Omnipotent
4 Vesuvan Shapeshifter
4 Eternal Witness
4 Vedalken Mastermind
18 Creatures

Time Advantage

The second advantage is time advantage. Time advantage is getting your threats in play faster than your opponent. Again, you can achieve this by speeding yourself up, or by slowing down your opponent. If you choose to speed yourself up, you have two main ways to go about it: mana acceleration or tutoring. The most common source of mana is land, but the rules state that you can only play one land card per turn. Mana acceleration is getting mana faster, either by circumventing the one land rule, or by using alternate mana sources. To get past the one land rule, I decided to include Rampant Growth. Because Rampant Growth puts the land in play through an effect, it circumvents the one land rule. As an alternate mana source, I included Llanowar Elves. With both types of acceleration, this deck should be able to churn out middle and late game threats quickly.

Tutoring describes any card that allows you to search your library (the stack of cards that you draw from) for a specific card or type of card. The term tutor is derived from the many cards that possess this effect that have “tutor” in their names. Tutors sacrifice card advantage, because having a tutor card means that you have one more card that is not a threat. But tutors help gain a time advantage, because you can trade them for the specific threat that you need. One tutoring card in this deck is Summoner’s Pact. By having an initial casting cost of 0, Summoner’s Pact further increases time advantage by leaving your mana free to play the card you just tutored. By the time you pay for Summoner’s Pact during your next upkeep, your creature will be ready for action. Another tutor in this deck actually contributes to your growth of mana. Civic Wayfinder doesn’t put your lands into play, but it puts them in your hand, making sure that your mana growth doesn’t stall. Also, Civic Wayfinder is a 2/2 creature, making it an acceptable mid-game attacker or blocker.

If you choose to slow down your opponent, your most likely options are going to be either recycling or removal. In addition to helping with card advantage, recycling aids in time advantage. After all, if your opponent has to deal with the same threats over and over, it hinders their ability to deal with new threats or to advance their own win condition.

Removal falls into two categories. The first category is destruction. If you can simply destroy your opponent’s threats, then their game stalls while they have to play new ones. Recursion, also known as bounce, is the act of returning a card to its owner’s hand. While not as solid a solution as destruction, bounce spells generally require less mana, and can target different types of cards more easily than destruction spells. For example, Disenchant is a perfectly good way to deal with enchantments, but is helpless to deal with creatures; the opposite is true for Terror. But they can both be recurred. Our deck contains a pair of Boomerangs to serve this purpose, although they can serve the same purpose as Vedalken Mastermind if needed.

So now our deck contains:

Quantity Card Name
4 Brine Elemental
4 Vesuvan Shapeshifter
2 Arcanis the Omnipotent
4 Eternal Witness
4 Vedalken Mastermind
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Civic Wayfinder
26 Creatures

4 Rampant Growth
4 Summoner’s Pact
2 Boomerang
10 Other Spells

Firm Foundations

Okay, so you have a destination in the form of your win condition. And you have a route to get there, in the form of card advantage and time advantage. Now, all you lack is the vehicle to get you there. That vehicle is your mana base, which is simply the lands and mana fixers that will allow you to play the spells of your deck. Now, the exact number of lands to include has been discussed by minds far sharper than my own, with results that are heavily mathematical in nature. It is generally accepted, however, that a deck should have somewhere between 18 and 26 lands, depending on the cards in the deck. 18 is generally reserved for only the cheapest of decks, having few or no spells requiring more than 1 or 2 mana. Likewise, 26 is for decks full of high-powered spells. Most decks generally have somewhere between 20 and 24 lands. Because this deck has a great deal of acceleration, I am comfortable playing 20 lands.

But what lands? If this were a mono-colored deck, we could simply include 20 of the appropriate basic land, and we’d be done. But, if you were paying any attention at all, you’ll notice that this deck has both blue and green cards. Now, many would simply include 10 Forests and 10 Islands and call it a day. But that deck could potentially run into mana problems if they happen to only draw one type of land. To make a multi-color deck play consistently, steps must be taken to ensure that the proper mix of mana is available. This is referred to as mana fixing. To begin with, I will include 6 Forests and 6 Islands. This will insure that my Civic Wayfinders and Rampant Growths will have targets to search for. Also searching for them will be Terramorphic Expanse. This card functions in the same way as Rampant Growth and Civic Wayfinder, which means that in addition to time advantage, these cards also aid in mana fixing. The primary difference between Terramorphic Expanse and the other two is that you can play it for free as your land for the turn. The last land card that I want to include is Shimmering Grotto. This card is useful in that it can be used in decks with any number of colors. Basically, you pay one extra mana to get the color of mana that you want. If you don’t need a specific color, then it can produce a colorless with no drawback. And it doesn’t lose time by coming in to play tapped. Now, as a final step to mana fixing, I will include Joiner Adept. If it is in play, Joiner Adept will make sure that my lands are producing whatever I need them to. But if my mana supply doesn’t need any help, then Joiner Adept is an expendable attacker or blocker.

So, now that we have made our way through all of these steps, our deck has finally taken shape.

Quantity Card Name
4 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Shimmering Grotto

6 Forest

6 Island

20 Lands

4 Brine Elemental
4 Vesuvan Shapeshifter
2 Arcanis the Omnipotent
4 Eternal Witness
4 Vedalken Mastermind
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Civic Wayfinder
4 Joiner Adept
30 Creatures

4 Rampant Growth
4 Summoner’s Pact
2 Boomerang
10 Other Spells


However, just because you’ve built a deck doesn’t mean that you’re done building your deck. Even the most well conceived deck will need some fine-tuning, and that is best done through trial. As you play the deck, you will begin to see which cards are performing in the way that you had hoped, and which ones are not doing as well as you might like. Hopefully, you will be able to determine what you can do to improve the deck’s performance, whether it be adjusting the number of a certain card, or replacing cards that consistently disappoint.

Deck building can be one of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of Magic. As satisfying as it is to crush an opponent underfoot, it is that much more satisfying to do it with something that you created.

Gaming Squared

In 2003, the world of console rpgs was forever changed. Gaming giants Square Soft and Enix merged into what became Square Enix. 5 years later, the world still hangs on their every release. But, some have complained about changes in development philosophy. But what changes have occurred? Well, to begin with, let’s look at the reasons for the merger.

Square Soft was considered the worldwide leader in console rpgs. Obviously, the Final Fantasy series is probably the preeminent brand in console role-playing. The company also had the cult favorite SaGa series, as well as the very successful Mana and Chrono games (Trivia note: the first Mana game was on the Game Boy, and was actually titled Final Fantasy Adventure.) Square had also made a splash with the mainstream-friendly Kingdom Hearts. Less well known outside of Japan, Square also owned the strategy based Front Mission series, as well as Parasite Eve. However, Square was not as profitable as many thought it should be, and games were released at a fairly slow pace.

Enix, however had a different problem. Although the Dragon Quest series (formerly known in America as Dragon Warrior) was extremely popular in Japan, it was not nearly as popular in the US and elsewhere. And the companies other notable properties, Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile, failed to accomplish mainstream recognition in the way that Square had. That said, Enix was still able to produce games regularly, and make profit off of what sales they had.

In short, Square had the talent, and Enix had the savvy. Enix absorbed Square, and Square Enix was born.

But what has the difference been? Well, many Enix games are much better marketed and developed than they once were. Star Ocean: Till the End of Time and Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria were much better marketed than their predecessors, not to mention much more enjoyable. On the other hand, Square’s properties have been released with more regularity, and some business philosophies have changed. For example, in the past, the Final Fantasy games had no direct sequels. Each game was set in a different world, had different characters, engines, and mechanics. Now, Final Fantasy X-2 changed the gameplay of FFX, but reused the characters, storyline, and even many of the maps. Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XII also share a world, which happens to be the same one used for Final Fantasy Tactics, although in a different time period. The biggest departure so far, however, has to be FFVII. In addition to making a movie, Advent Children, there was also a sequel, Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, which was actually a first person shooter, with minor rpg traits.

But what has it meant for gamers? Well, more games, some of which are better, some of which were worse. Because by changing the teams and stepping up the timetables, there has been some decrease in quality with some of Square’s games. And Square Enix is apparently doing very well financially, whereas Square Soft was always in danger of bankruptcy (The disastrously unsuccessful Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within would almost definitely have been a coffin nail if the merger had fallen through).

Ultimately, I feel that the merger was a step forward. Although I do feel like the wheels of progress might have dented a few of the games, I am happy knowing that the games will keep coming for a long time.

In the Mood

No, this isn't going to be THAT kind of a blog. I want to talk about mood, and how it can relate to gaming.

Different gaming groups have different ideas on what the ideal mood for gaming should be. Some just want to play a game, where their characters play out their lives surrounded by chatter that has nothing to do with the matter at hand. Other groups take their gaming VERY seriously, never breaking character for any reason. Most groups fall somewhere in between.

Obviously, there is no right or wrong here. It's a matter of preference. Some people just want to hang around with friends, and happen to do so over a game. Others want very much to immerse themselves in the game world, leaving all of their cares behind them. But what can you, as a GM or player, do to make the mood more consistent with what you want? Simple. Establishing a game mood is not so different than setting the mood for other occasions.

First, if you don't want a moody game, don't play or run a moody game. Leave the drama and intrigue for another day. Make up a lighthearted story. Maybe the local lord wants you to cross dangerous wilderness because there's a hermit there who makes great cherry pie. Maybe you're guards trying to keep order at a local festival. Or maybe you're just adventuring for no reason at all. Just keep it light and simple. And make sure that the ambiance is right, perhaps with some good music and a few pizzas.

If, however, you want a game filled with atmosphere, you're going to have to work a little harder, but it should still be manageable. Dim the lights if you can, or maybe light a candle or two. The internet is full of downloadable music and sound effects. Burn a cd, or else just turn up your PC speakers, and play the sounds that are appropriate. A word of caution, though, especially if you're going the computer route, although this applies to much of this article. Make sure that you test out whatever you're planning on doing before the game. For example, if you planned on having a dramatic battle take place outside during a thunderstorm, but your lame speakers make it sound like a gerbil with gas, the mood will be shattered by the mocking laughter of your players. Also, although much of the game is played in the imagination, try to adjust the decor of the room if you can to help out. If you're playing a horror-themed game, you probably shouldn't play in the Disney-themed room. Unless you splash fake blood everywhere, in which case, go for it, just don't ask me for help cleaning up.

Another thing that can be helpful to remember is props. While this was better covered by Acidburn here, I will offer a thought or two. Remember that any prop you use should be an aid to concentration, rather than a distraction. Also, moderation is key. As much as gamers love swag, if you give them too many props, it will all turn into a bunch of junk that they have to try to keep up with, making the game tedious.

One way that you can help decide how to stage your mood involves the use of other media. Once you have determined what mood you want, find a book, or even a movie, that has the mood and atmosphere you're looking for. Either read the description or hit pause, and pay a lot of attention to what the environment is like. Think about how you could create a similar setting. The group I play with has in the past played RPGs while camping, which they have always described as an excellent experience.

One last tip for GMs. Restrict eating. Light snacking during games is fine, provided it's not too crunchy, has a noisy wrapper, etc. But eating a meal is enormously disruptive to gaming. You should take a break, which will also give players a chance to let out some chatter. Also, it gives you a good chance to get instant feedback about how the game is going. Then, after the meal, tell your players that it's time to get back to the game, give them a brief moment to adjust and get into character, and pick up where you left off. A very quick recap can be helpful at this point.

But what can you do if you're a player, not a GM? Basically, do what you should. If mood has been established, don't break it. Don't admonish other players to be serious if the game is supposed to be lighthearted. Don't start talking about the funny thing that happened at work if everyone is trying to be serious. And remember to respect the GM, and what they're working towards, and try to stay in line with their goal.

To wrap up, I thought I'd talk about what my group tends to do, which might give some inspiration to you, the reader. My group is one that tends to fall in the middle. We try to take mood seriously, but pauses in the game are frequently filled with commentary and joking. Sometimes we get carried away, to the detriment of the game. One of the things that our GM does is assign bonus experience points at the end of the game, with the amount varying by how well you played your character. Another rule that has worked very well is that to speak out of character, you have to put your hand on top of your head. While this seems strange, it eliminates the possibility of confusion as to whether or not something was said in character or not. In addition, I think it cuts down on chatter because it's a little annoying to do. And forgetting the rule can lead to dire consequences, as anything that you say without your hand on your head, your character has just said or done. The last time we played, my character suffered for my forgetfulness. Okay, so he just ended up doing a ridiculous dance, but it reminded me to get in character and stay there.

Whatever mood you're trying to create, it can be accomplished with a little effort on your part. Just remember that it's supposed to be fun. If you try to create a more immersive, moodier game, but everyone seems to have less fun, it's okay to go back to what you're used to. The only firm rule in RPGs is that you should enjoy it.

Card synergy in Magic: the Gathering

This is the first in what I hope to be a series of articles about card synergy in Magic: the Gathering. The idea is not to give away an entire deck or strategy, but simply to talk about certain card interactions with the goal of inspiring a little creativity. In the interest of honesty, I feel it’s important to disclose that many of these ideas are not mine, and have been pulled from other decklists and articles.
The first card synergy is mostly an example to show everyone what I have in mind. It’s not very complicated, and is a driving force in the 10th edition theme deck Cho-Manno’s Resolve. Here you go:
Pariah (http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=135248) and Cho-Manno, Revolutionary (http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=130554)
Easy, huh? Put them together, and you can’t be damaged. Nothing to it.

This one’s a little more complicated. Reality Acid (http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=125880) and Boomerang (http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=129494) Reality Acid by itself isn’t a very useful card. You put it on something, and it dies three turns later. Big deal. But, if you put it on something you want dead, and then return Reality Acid to your hand, then you kill something, and keep your card.

This is a creature-killer that gives a little punch to a red-black burn deck:
Prodigal Pyromancer (http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=134752) and Witch’s Mist (http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=132222) Tap the Pyromancer to damage a creature, then use the Mist to kill it. Use these two together to take down the largest creatures for a minimum of fuss.

This is a risky 3-card grouping that a White Weenie deck might use to even the board in a drawn out game: Wrath of God, (http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=129808) Armageddon, (http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=233) and Patrician’s Scorn. (http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=136213) Wrath of God clears all of the creatures, and Armageddon destroys all of the land. Since you’ve played a White spell already, you can play Patrician’s Scorn for free. If you are playing a deck of small creatures, you can COMPLETELY clear the board and start again. With a little luck, you can complete the kill before your opponents can recover.

Here’s a tricky pair of cards that can make doing damage to opponents a lot easier, while restricting their ability to do, well, anything: Manabarbs (http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=130367) and Circle of Affliction (http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=126803) Manabarbs has long been a staple of lockdown-style decks. Any time an opponent taps a land for mana, they take damage. Which is fine, but it does the same thing to you. So, traditionally, you lay down Manabarbs when you’re ahead, to prevent any resurgence. Circle of Affliction, however, is the modern descendant of the older Circle of Protection cards. In this one, you tap for 1 mana, and you gain 1 life, and an opponent loses 1 life. So what happens if you put them together? Well, you can set the Circle to Red, and tap a land. You take one damage. You then use your mana to pay for the Circle’s ability. You recover your one life, and target opponent loses one life. So, you can now tap a land to do damage to an opponent. Enjoy.