If you're hoping Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's new grandiose Ultimania novel provides answers or hints regarding the ending's lingering mystery, you may be disappointed.
25.03.2024 - 18:33 / polygon.com / Erika Ishii
Folks seem pretty down on Dungeons & Dragons lately, and not for no reason. The company that owns it, Hasbro, continues to stick its foot in it — first with the whole OGL fiasco this time last year, and most recently with some conflicting comments from the company’s CEO regarding its stance on AI. But the gang at Worlds Beyond Number, the wildly popular Patreon-funded actual-play podcast, is still all-in on the seminal role-playing game. In fact, their most recent behind-the-scenes episode is serving to remind me why 5th edition D&D remains so popular — both with at-home players and with performers at Dimension 20, Critical Role, and elsewhere.
Worlds Beyond Number’s current storyline, The Wizard, the Witch, and the Wild One, tells the tale of three childhood friends that find themselves on the precipice of world-changing events. Ame the witch, played by Erika Ishii, is coming into her own as a pillar of the spirit realm’s relationship with the mortal world. Meanwhile the witch Suvi, played by Aabria Iyengar, is working things from the other side, using her hard-won magical abilities in service to the world’s more secular power structures. And then there’s Ursulon, a nonhuman spirit just trying to protect his best friends while he searches for a way home. It’s a complex web of personal relationships, high political drama, and careful world-building all bundled up into a delicious audio package by producer Taylor Moore.
Thing is, there’s hardly any combat in this show. That’s prompted critics, armchair and otherwise, to wonder out loud why they’re using D&D, which has a preponderance of rules for adjudicating combat, in the first place.
Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan recently dealt with that part of the larger TTRPG discourse head-on in a behind-the-scenes conversation from March 12. D&D is no more combat-oriented than some other system, he argues, and the murder hobos of the world that are convinced otherwise simply aren’t playing the same way that he and his teams are used to:
[Calling D&D a combat-oriented game] would sort of be like looking at a stove and being like, This has nothing to do with food. You can’t eat metal. Clearly this contraption is for moving gas around and having a clock on it. If it was about food, there would be some food here. [...] What you should get is a machine that is either made of food, or has food in it. [...]
I’m going to bring the food. The food is my favorite part. [People say that] because D&D has so many combat mechanics, you are destined to tell combat stories. I fundamentally disagree. Combat is the part I’m the least interested in simulating through improvisational storytelling. So I need a game to do that for me, while I take care of emotions,
If you're hoping Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's new grandiose Ultimania novel provides answers or hints regarding the ending's lingering mystery, you may be disappointed.
is an ambitious console and PC strategy game, especially coming from the solo developer known as Slavic Magic, and there's one element of its approach that sets it widely apart from the competition. The title joins 2024 games like,, and more in bringing the medieval period to life, proving that this particular era of the past hasn't lost any of its staying power in the collective imagination. That familiarity can make experiences without a unique angle get lost among the shuffle, but seems more than ready to rise to the challenge.
Pokemon fans now know exactly where and when the 2024 Pokemon World Championships tournament will take place. Once a year, The Pokemon Company holds a special competition featuring Pokemon players from all around the world as they go head-to-head in the mainline Pokemon entries, the popular Pokemon Trading Card Game, and even spin-offs like Pokemon GO.
Star Wars actor Hayden Christensen has opened up about one thing about his character’s appearance that George Lucas disapproved of and had to convince him to put that aspect in his story.
Square Enix has released a free demo for SaGa Emerald Beyond, the next mainline title in the unorthodox role-playing game series. It’s available for PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch, allowing players to control Tsunanori Mido, one of six playable characters. Check out the release trailer below.
I previously reviewed Ark Nova for Board Game Quest. I gave it 5 Stars. I REALLY enjoy the game, and I still do. It remains in my Top 5 games of all time.
Square Enix has released new information and screenshots for SaGa Emerald Beyond introducing Diva No. 5, a songstress mech who has lost her singing voice and body, and one of the game’s six protagonists.
Square Enix has released trailers for five members of SaGa Emerald Beyond’s unorthodox cast, and now, the final one is available. Check out Diva No. 5, a former songstress mech who’s abandoned her original frame to cross between worlds.
NASA has been planning to develop a lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) which will allow Artemis astronauts to travel around the lunar south polar region. The US Space Agency has selected three agencies that will work on the development of a lunar vehicle. Among the three, NASA has also selected Intuitive Machines which recently participated in the landing of Odysseus spacecraft on the Moon. Now, the companies have again partnered to bring a high-tech vision to reality. Know more about the lunar terrain vehicle (LTV).
Everstone Studio has released the latest long awaited update to its upcoming open world title, Where Winds Meet.
Square Enix has released two news trailer for SaGa Emerald Beyond. The first introduces Diva No. 5, one of the game’s six protagonists, while the second acts as the game’s “Final” trailer.
may be a game known for its peaceful energy and wholesome characters but introducing multiplayer can result in some hilariously dramatic stories. As players progress through the game and befriend the many citizens of Pelican Town, they'll eventually have the option to date and marry their preferred NPC. That generally goes off without a hitch but when playing in co-op mode, some wires can be crossed, sparking chaos and drama that belongs on the set of a soap opera.