Crusader Number 9, Number 9, Number 9…

The Crusader’s May 2008 (Volume 4 Number 9) arrived at my house over the weekend and I’ve been slowly digging in.

First of all, I want to say that I really love this gaming magazine. It is devoted to the concept of old-school Dungeons & Dragons in its latest incarnation, Castles & Crusades.It has fantastic, old-school, color cover art (this is where the color should be) and a well-put-together, black-and-white interior (this is where color is NOT needed….let’s keep the costs down people). Its just long enough (32 pages), contains some new info, some throw-back stuff, and an adventure (this month) to boot! Very nice all around.

While I’m at it, here’s the run down:

Revenge of the Skobbits – goofy color comic on the inside cover that’s sure to appeal to any who revered Wormy or its ilk.

How it All Happened – more from the late Gary Gygax on his youth and the beginnings of D&D. I really miss Gary being around and well, I have no words poetic enough to describe just how much he meant to me. I’m not sure how many more of these columns Gary got to write before passing on, but I know his death will really hit home when I see the first Crusader without his input.

Alea Iacta Est – Stephen Chenault’s thoughts on how 4E is a good thing for all concerns…He comes across as a bit of a blow-hard in this, but that’s never bothered me…..I mean, Gary came across as a bit of a blow-hard in much of his writing. If that really bothered me, I’d have never finished the original AD&D DungeonMaster’s Guide. And I’m a bit of a blowhard too….Anyway, and to be fair to Stephen, I think he expresses a lot of really great ideas in this editorial.

Hammer & Anvil – Casey Canfield’s campaign setting continues to take shape. I’ll be interested to see where he goes with this.

A Starsiege ad ov note….Can’t wait to see this in print….

An Intro to Card Modeling – Some practical advice from Tom Tullis

The Aihrdian Chronicles – I haven’t finished this yet, but from what I’ve seen, Stephen Chenault seems to be doing some fine fiction as well as fine game design.

Castellan’ sGuide to Arms and Armor Ad – WTF, is this 3.5?

The Angry Gamer – Stupid Names piss him off….and me.

Moat Gate – Don MacVittie updates us on the Moat Gate product of Yggsburgh….

The Dweomercraefter’s Den – Gary and Jeffery Calanian on Zagyg Castle…interesting history.

Musings from the Den – Stephen Chenault tells us about what to expect…

And finally, Slippery Slope – A Joe Damiani adventure. To be honest, I have only skimmed this. I have high hopes and really would like to see this sort of thing be a regular in The Crusader…..I’m assuming it rocks….if it doesn’t you’ll hear about it soon.

Auld Wyrmish – Mike Stewart’s…um errata from…like the last issue….wasn’t this handled online? I think this was a wash for me.

And finally, Tom Wham’s goofy, morbid cartoon and a back cover that advertises advertising…..eek

Anyway, I did really enjoy the magazine. I give it a solid 8.

~AoB

Movie Review – The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk is set five years after Bruce Banner’s gamma radiation overdose.

This interesting version rates a 7.

Edward Norton makes a good Bruce Banner. He clearly wants to avoid hurting other people and his love for Betsy (Liv Tyler) shines through. His acting is outstanding as always. Liv Tyler is not the greatest actress in the world, but she does convey emotion very well. She wants to help Bruce find a cure and feels such concern and fear when he is in danger – it exudes from her every pore. I could not help but feel her pathos. It was wonderful and powerful. William Hurt is the scheming general that was in charge of the original gamma ray project. He wants to get Banner back so that the military can dissect him and create super soldiers. It took me a while to recognize him now that he is so old and has a huge, bushy moustache. Naturally, Stan Lee makes his usual cameo in a cutesy way.

The plot was good and interesting. We see the Hulk slowly change from a big, green seething mass of uncontrollable anger into a slightly more reasoning creature that could almost have the potential to become a superhero. Awww. But it was a good story that one could believe. The climactic fight at the end was pretty intense. It was big and splashy making me jump around in my seat as big chunks of stuff was thrown about and bodies slammed through things. All of this was felt through the filter of Betsy’s concern for the safety of her big, green guy.

And surprise, surprise, Tony Stark makes an appearance. Nice.