Author: Marcus Orchard

Let’s School is a management simulator where players inherit a rundown school. When I say run down, I mean really run down. There are holes in the wall, there’s trash everywhere, and it barely has enough square footage for a classroom and restrooms. The goal is simple: create a thriving school. In Let’s School, each student arrives with a unique set of traits influenced by their district. Wealthier students may be slow learners but bring in higher tuition fees, while theater kids may excel in the arts but are prone to conflicts. This system requires players to carefully balance their…

Dredge captured the hearts of many with its eerie and atmospheric, yet somehow cozy gameplay loop. More than a year later, the game is still tons of fun to revisit, and the upcoming The Iron Rig expansion featuring an oil rig is promising, with a lot of exciting potential. With the game’s second expansion arriving next week, now is as good as time as any to revisit the frosty first expansion – The Pale Reach. In The Pale Reach players can explore a desolate, ice-covered region far to the south. This frozen wasteland introduces a new biome, with its own…

Developer: Crim Publisher: Crim Genre: Action Nintendo Switch I will be the millionth person to reference Sid Meier’s Pirates in my review of Sagres, but I don’t mind not being original here. Like many, the game was a key part of my early gaming days, and no game has emulated that experience since it came out in 2004. Sagres has a lot going for it, and it reaches some of the highs of the game that inspired it, but it still falls short in many ways. Like Pirates, players explore the seas, dock at ports, and trade. They can hire…

Publisher: Free League Publishing RPG System: Year Zero “In space, no one can hear you scream,” is still a chilling tagline that still goes hard to this day. Alien is a film that has spawned tons of media (Of varying quality) and has an incredible amount of potential in storytelling. It’s spooky, has limitless setting possibilities, and has some of the best monster designs in history. Of course, that tagline doesn’t apply to the tabletop when you are playing with a bunch of buddies at a table. With the right group, Alien: The Roleplaying Game is plenty creepy and is…

Yesterday was Free RPG Day, an opportunity for publishers big and small to help players get new resources, try new one-shots, and preview what’s to come for the hobby. This year I went to the wonderful Cape Fear Games to pick up some goodies. While I haven’t gotten to play through these one-shots, I did take a peek through every book I received. Here are my initial impressions: Level 1: The Free RPG Day Indie Anthology Publisher: 9th Level Games I love the idea of RPG magazines, especially those with one-shots and games with little setup. This small anthology is…

Publisher: Paizo Publishing RPG System: Pathfinder (Second Edition) As the premier alternative to Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder has carved itself a nice niche as a crunchy fantasy roleplaying system. The system comes with many more customization options while remaining complex and balanced. Still, that complexity and crunchiness can be intimidating for newcomers to RPGs, and Pathfinder doesn’t have the same name recognition or as many GMs available to teach the ins and outs of the system. The Second Edition corrects errors from the first, includes rules from later first-edition books, and makes the game easier to play than ever. The…

Publisher: Paizo Publishing RPG System: Pathfinder (Second Edition) As the premier alternative to Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder has carved itself a nice niche as a crunchy fantasy roleplaying system. The system comes with many more customization options while still remaining complex and balanced. Still, that complexity and crunchiness are intimidating for newcomers to RPGs, and Pathfinder doesn’t have the name recognition or as many GMs available to teach the ins and outs of the system. The Second Edition corrects errors from the first, includes rules that came in later first-edition books, and makes the game easier to play than ever.…

Publisher: Funforge Designer: Edmund McMillen Artist: Krystal Fleming 2-4 Players Playtime: 20-60 Minutes One of the most beloved roguelike games over the last decade or so is The Binding of Isaac. This strange little game is full of religious references, banger tunes, and creative designs. How does all of that translate to the table-top? A Brief How To Play Each player starts with a character card, a starting item, three loot cards, and three cents. The game progresses in turns, where players recharge their items, draw loot cards, and choose between playing a card, buying items, or attacking monsters from…

Developer: Crim Publisher: Crim Genre: Action Nintendo Switch El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron came out on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011. In a surprise, developer and publisher Crim has ported the cult classic to PC in 2021. The port did well, and now El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is accessible to Switch players with another port. In El Shaddai, players control Enoch, who is the protagonist of the Hebrew religious text Book of Enoch. Enoch is looking for seven angels to prevent a massive, humanity-ending flood. Along the way players will beat waves of enemies and tons of bosses…

The Nintendo Switch is one of Nintendo’s most successful consoles in history, and for good reason. The hybrid console has a stellar library and can be enjoyed anywhere. Still, it’s hard to ignore its downsides, especially with the Joy-Cons’ drift. Since buying Joy-Con replacements is so expensive, it’s only natural to look for alternatives, though many are simply cheap and poorly made. NYXI’s Hyperion Pro, a wireless Nintendo Switch that is playable in both handheld and docked mode, is marketed as a nostalgic alternative to Joy-Cons. Despite being a 3rd party option, the Hyperion Pro offers many features and a…