War gaming is a hobby that tends to have a high cost of entry. You have to buy a bunch of figures, you have to then assemble and paint them, and then you have to have people to play with. Don’t get me wrong, this sounds like it could be fun. However, there’s no denying that the initial investment is pretty high and the games often take several hours. Well, Tyler Breinholt and his wife of Blitz Gaming have decided to make it a little easier to get into the war gaming genre of tabletop games with a new game called Myth Wars: Battle for Midia. The game just launched its Kickstarter and you can check it out now.
In Breinholt’s own words, “There are lots of people interested in war gaming but it’s just too big of a gap because of cost, complexity, and time, so we removed those issues with [Myth Wars].” You can grab a 4-player box for only $49 and if you buy two of these boxes ($94), you can have up to 8 people playing a game. That’s already one heck of a deal. If you order within the first 48 hours, you can save $5 per box. Also, if you want to step up your game, you can get two boxes and an exclusive neoprene mat for $115 ($99 during first 48 hours). All of these also include all related stretch goals.
Breinholt was kind enough to send me a copy of the game to check out and invited me to play a round with him on Tabletop Simulator. I’m happy to report that our 1v1 game took roughly 1 hour and that included him explaining the rules to me. If that is not a more streamlined war game experience, I don’t know what is. I really appreciated how quick everything was (helped by the fact players take turns simultaneously) and how simple it was as well. Each player controls an army (there are recommended armies for the first time you play), you use a ruler to measure your movement and your attack range, you roll dice to determine hits and damage, and there’s terrain to consider. If you’ve ever thought about trying a war game, I’d highly recommend this. I’d also recommend this if you like to play war games and want to play something like it with friends and family who aren’t as committed to it as you.
There’s more that I like about Myth Wars though. The art is fantastic and while you have duplicate creatures in your army, each token has a different color palate making it easy to distinguish one token from another. Also, there’s quite a bit of complexity, but the rules start you out simple and then with each game across your first few you add a new level of complexity. This was very well thought out in my opinion.
Toby Kebbell (Servant) has joined the cast of For All Mankind Season 4. He will take on the role of a character named Miles, “a former offshore oil platform worker who pursues a new job opportunity on Mars.”
The story explores what would have happened if the global space race had never ended. The series presents an aspirational world where NASA astronauts, engineers, and their families find themselves in the center of extraordinary events seen through the prism of an alternate history timeline — a world in which the USSR beats the US to the moon.
The recent third season took place in the early ’90s with a high-octane race to a new planetary frontier: Mars. The Red Planet became the new front in the Space Race not only for the US and the Soviet Union but also an unexpected new entrant with a lot to prove and even more at stake. The characters found themselves going head-to-head as their ambitions for Mars come into conflict and their loyalties tested, creating a pressure cooker that built to a climactic conclusion.
For All Mankind was created by Ronald D. Moore along with series showrunners Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert. It also stars Joel Kinnaman, Shantel VanSanten, Jodi Balfour, Sonya Walger, Krys Marshall, Edi Gathegi, Cynthy Wu, Casey W. Johnson, Coral Peña with Wrenn Schmidt. Daniel Stern was also recently cast in the series.
Kebbell is sure to make a great addition to the cast!
The award winning drama series The Handmaid’s Tale has been renewed for it’s sixth and final season. Hulu announced that not only will Bruce Miller be finishing the iconic series but he is also in development on The Testaments, a follow up to The Handmaid’s Tale which picks up several years later. As we gear up for season 5, Miller had this to say:
It has been a true honor to tell the story of Margaret Atwood’s groundbreaking novel and chillingly relevant world, and we are thrilled to bring viewers a sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale… …We are grateful to Hulu and MGM for allowing us to tell this story, which unfortunately has remained as relevant as ever throughout its run, and are in awe of our incredible fans for their unwavering support, and without whom we never would have gotten to this point.
Season 5 premiered on September 14 and will follow June facing consequences for killing Commander Waterford, the widowed Serena attempting to raise her profile in Toronto as Gilead’s influence creeps into Canada, Commander Lawrence working with Nick and Aunt Lydia to reform Gilead, and June, Luke, and Moira fighting Gilead from a distance while trying to save and reunite with Hannah.
Starring Elisabeth Moss, Bradley Whitford, Yvonne Strahovski, Max Minghella, O-T Fagbenle, Samira Wiley, Ann Dowd, Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, and Sam Jaeger, this season sounds like everything fans would want.
Hulu has announced that the Solar Opposites Halloween special will be premiering on October 3 this year. Not much is known about it, but the title of the episode will be “A Sinister Halloween Scary Opposites Solar Special” with the only description being “Sometimes alien life can be spooky. The Solar Opposites do a Halloween Special!”.
With Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan at the helm, this could really be anything. I’m glad that it is premiering at the beginning of the month though to give us all plenty of time to watch it in time for Halloween.
With all the excellent Halloween content out there, it can be hard to pack it all in by the holiday. What crazy high jinx do you think this alien family will get up to for Halloween?
SYFY has just released the best trailer for Chucky Season 2 yet! This next chapter of the story sees the murderous doll raising holy hell as the monster terrorizes a Catholic reform school. The next season also brings back a few fan-favorite legacy characters.
The first season of the series was a lot of fun, but this second season looks like it’s going to be even better! I’m looking forward to watching this story continue to play out!
In Season 2, “After his diabolical plan to invade America’s children’s hospitals was foiled in season one, Chucky now seeks revenge on those he holds responsible: surviving teens Jake, Devon, and Lexy, along with his ex Tiffany, now his sworn enemy. Meanwhile, can ‘Jevon’ make it as a couple in the face of adversity at their new Catholic school, not to mention a brand-new onslaught of terror from the demon doll?”
Brad Dourif and Jennifer Tilly will both be back for Chucky Season 2, and they will be joined by returning cast members Zackary Arthur as Jake Wheeler, Björgvin Arnarson as Devon Evans, Alyvia Alyn Lind as Lexy Cross, Fiona Dourif as Nica Pierce, Alex Vincent as Andy Barclay, Christine Elise as Kyle, and Barbara Alyn Woods as Mayor Michelle Cross.
The series also stars Meg Tilly (Psycho 2, Body Snatchers), Gina Gershon (Bound, Killer Joe), Joe Pantoliano (Memento), Tony Nappo (Saw II), and Sutton Stracke (Real Housewives). Devon Sawa will be playing a new character, Lara Jean Chorostecki (Hannibal) is in an undisclosed role, and Lachlan Watson (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) will be playing returning character Glen/Glenda.
The series is set to premiere on October 5th, 2022!
Swindling heist films like Ocean’s 11, The Italian Job, 21, etc. are a lot of fun to watch. Thanks to The Pyronide Press and Jerrod Bacon, your Dungeons & Dragons group could have a similar adventure. Garnet Roadhouse: A Twist of Fey is an unofficial adventure that gives players the chance to get the perfect heist as a rag-tag group. How will your group fare?
The Garnet Roadhouse: A Twist of Fey was born from the excitement of swindler movies such as the Ocean’s series, Italian Job, 21, and Heist. Find a contact, assemble your rag-tag group of adventurers, infiltrate and gather intel on the mark, get the goods and split. Can the party devise and execute the perfect heist, or will Lady Luck manage to turn the tables in a twist of fate. Let’s find out if the does house always win.
Choose from one of four “insiders” to act as your contact for the job. Let the party explore the dazzling splendor of the Garnet Roadhouse and the charming town of Mefasera. All work and no play makes Spurt a dull Kobold! Peruse the immersive food, drink and spa menus, and take some time to rest your weary adventuring legs. It also includes new templates to stack on top NPCs stat blocks and have them feel more thematically appropriate.
You can purchase Garnet Roadhouse: A Twist of Fey from DMs Guild (affiliate link) for $4.99.
At the D23 Expo this past weekend, we were given one of the most amazing trailers that we have seen from the MCU in the last few years. It was probably my favorite thing to come out of D23, and it was the Marvel Studios Special Presentation trailer for Werewolf by Night. If you haven’t seen it yet, I will drop it at the bottom of the post for you. You have to see it.
Anyway, I couldn’t wait to get home and show my wife and kids this piece of amazingness. At approximately the 1:05 mark in the trailer, my 11 year old just casually says, “That was Man-Thing.” Instead of stopping it and ruining it for everyone I pulled out my phone, and wouldn’t you know, there he was.
To me, this is one of the most inspired reveals in the MCU. Let me give you a little background of who Man-Thing is, and what he means to the Marvel Universe.
Before he was turned into a swamp monster, he was Dr. Theodore Sallis. Sallis was a biochemistry professor who was first tasked by the Army to come up with a way for soldiers to survive in biochemical warfare. With the help of Curt Connors, he was able to develop the SO-2 Serum that would do just that. With that perfected, he was tasked to make a sustainable super-soldier serum. While being chased by AIM, a group that wanted to steal his experiments, Sallis tried to get his work to Connors to keep it safe. He crashed his car into a Florida swamp. Due to the magic that was found in that swamp and the chemicals in his car, he was transformed into Man-Thing.
Where he crashed turned into the Nexus of All Realities, which he is now the guardian of. The Nexus is the gateway not only to all realities, but the spaces in between. I wouldn’t be surprised if this story takes place in Florida to introduce the Nexus.
Man-Thing has fought alongside the Thing from the Fantastic Four, and has been hunted down by a team called the Fearsome Four. A Howard the Duck-lead team with She-Hulk, Nighthawk and Frankenstein’s Monster.
Man-Thing is an amazing character in Marvel Comics and I cannot wait to see how they use him in the MCU. Are you excited about this hero’s introduction? Let me know what you think.
Werewolf by Night will hit Disney+ on October 8th.
The Halloween season is here, and it’s that wonderfully spooky time of year when horror fans start to attend the creepy spook alleys and mazes for a little entertaining terror. One of my favorite places to go is Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, which I attend every year! It’s the event that I always kick off the Halloween season with!
I was invited to attend the opening night of Halloween Horror Nights, and once again… it delivered the nightmarish and fun scares that I was looking for!
There were nine mazes this year, and I went ahead and ranked them for you below from best to worst. This year is definitely worth attending! If you enjoy Halloween Horror Nights, you’ve got some fun stuff to look forward to!
Here’s a video that I cut together featuring moments from my experience walking through the different mazes and the park. I hope you enjoy it!
La Llorona: The Weeping Woman
When La Llorona Weeps, You’ll Scream. This was one hell of a creepy maze, and it was super dark content, which is why I enjoyed it the most. They did some fun original things with it, and I was surprised that they actually include dead kids in the attraction.
You and your scream squad remember the tale of the woman who drowned her children and then herself. Once a childhood fable, she’s back to terrify once again. This is no nightmare. This is La Llorona.
Scarecrow: The Reaping
Fear is About to Be Sown. This was an original experience from Universal, and I just loved the whole vibe of it. Scarecrows are scary, and this maze tapped into that fear. I had a blast in this one and there were some solid jump scares!
At an abandoned Depression-era farm, vengeance takes root. The scarecrows are avenging the ravaged land. In this all-new haunted house, the only harvest that will be reaped is your scream squad.
Universal Monsters: Legends Collide
It’s The Wolf Man vs. Dracula vs. The Mummy. I love the Universal Monsters! So it was great to see them tell another original story with these characters. It wasn’t as good as The Bride of Frankenstein Lives maze from last year, but it’s still great and delivers some awesome fun for the fans!
If you thought one Universal Monster was scary, how about three? Better summon your scream squad, ’cause you’re about to get caught in the middle of an epic battle between The Wolf Man, Dracula and The Mummy, together for the first time ever. Their mission: To find the amulet that will break their curse. And they’ll destroy anyone who gets in their way.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space
You’ll Be Screaming, But Not With Laughter. If you’re a fan of the classic cult film Killer Klowns For Outer Space, you’re gonna enjoy the wacky insanity that this maze has to offer. There’s creepy-ass klowns around every corner waiting to destroy you!
If ever there’s a reason why people are afraid of clowns, this is it. The Killer Klowns from Outer Space have landed. And the joke’s on you if you let you and your scream squad end up as gooey, out of this world snacks in the Klowns’ cotton candy cocoons. These Killer Klowns won’t have you screaming with laughter – just screaming.
Halloween
His Beginning is Your end. An oldie but a goodie! The Halloween maze always manages to deliver the goods and this one takes you through the terrifying events of the original film and it comes complete with actors, acting our some of the iconic scenes from the movie.
Gather your friends and visit Haddonfield, Illinois, where Michael Myers is about to don his mask and embark on his first brutal spree. Silent. Merciless. Relentless. He’s the embodiment of pure evil. You don’t want to go alone as you go back to where it all began. This year, step into the original 1978 horror classic, Halloween.
Universal Horror Hotel
Welcome to the Hotel from Hell. This is a great concept for a Halloween maze, and it had some really fun moments, but I will say, it was a missed opportunity to do something even more creepy-awesome! They just need to give this one a little extra push.
A 1920s Hollywood hotel, once the hunting ground of its infamous serial killer owner, has been turned into a modern-day haunted hotel. Now he’s back from the dead. Your first stay will be your last.
The Horrors of Blumhouse
Twice the Scream. Twice the Terror. This maze recreates scenes from the Blumhouse movies The Black Phone and Freaky. This one was decent, but it would have been a much better experience if the maze would have put the full focus on The Black Phone.
Step inside a new double-feature of Blumhouse horror. Your scream squad will find yourselves trapped between a frantic teen and the ruthless serial killer she’s swapped bodies with in Freaky. Then, you’ll try to make a desperate escape from the dark basement of The Grabber before you become his latest victim in the terrifying The Black Phone.
Terror Tram
Terror Tram Ventures into the Mind of Jordan Peele. It’s always fun to walk through the back lot of Universal Studios and see the Psycho house and the plane crash from Spielberg’s War of the Worlds up close. The highlight of this year, though, is a mashup of Jordan Peele’s Us and Nope. They had some fun with it, and it was cool to walk through the actual set of Nope, but there weren’t a lot of scares.
Terror Tram is back and this year it’s taking you on a nightmarish trip through some Halloween traditions that are best left in the darkness. It all ends with a journey into the mind of Jordan Peele as you disembark and walk through the Jupiter’s Claim set from his thrilling new hit film, NOPE, populated by The Tethered from Us.
The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare
It’s Music to Your Fears. I was confused when I learned that The Weeknd was getting his own Halloween Horror Nights maze. I mean, it has some creepy moments of people with their faces ripped off, but ultimately this was the most boring maze at the event.
Prepare to enter the macabre mind of The Weeknd in this haunted house as he stalks your squad through the surreal nightmare of his After Hours music. A slasher carving a smile at an otherworldly rave. Bandaged maniacs performing extreme plastic surgery. A grotesque mannequin masquerade. His nightmare is now yours.
Roadshow Films has released a trailer for its upcoming Australian film Blueback, which is a nature ocean drama that follows a young woman named Abby who befriends a fish and takes on the challenge of protecting it and its home.
The film stars Mia Wasikowska as Abby, and it’s based on the novel from Tim Winton. Blueback is “a timely tale about the ocean, a beautiful marine creature, and a young girl’s power to change the world. The story centers on a young woman who befriends a wild blue groper while diving, and becomes a passionate activist for protecting the ecosystem of Australia’s coral reefs from destruction.”
When Abby is older, she sees that her fish friend and home is under threat so she embarks on a journey to save her friend.
The movie was directed by Robert Connolly (The Dry) and it also stars Radha Mitchell, Ilsa Fogg, Liz Alexander, Ariel Donoghue, Clarence Ryan, Pedrea Jackson, Erik Thomson, Eddie Baroo, and Eric Bana.
Blueback will be released in Australian cinemas on January 1st, 2023. No other dates have been revealed.
The author of American PsychoBret Easton Ellis and the author of TrainspottingIrvine Welsh are teaming up to create a scripted podcast series titled The Reckonings.
The two writers have been working together on a new television series titled American Tabloid with British production company Burning Wheel Productions.
There are no details to share in regards to the story that The Reckoning will tell, but you can bet that it’s going to be a gritty story filled with drugs and violence.
Easton Ellis and Welsh will co-create the series and serve as executive producers on the project. Audio Up’s David Thwaites and Jimmy Jellinek will executive produce the series alongside Trevor Engelson at Underground.
Audio Up Chief Creative Officer Jimmy Jellinek said in a statement: “Audio Up is creating a library of prestige content in the podcast space by leaning into daring, cutting edge work. Bret Easton Ellis and Irvine Welsh have collectively created generation defining work from American Psycho to Trainspotting. These are stories that get under your skin and burrow deep into your psyche. I can’t wait for the world to hear what we produce together.”
I wish we had more to share with you! But the fact that these two talents are teaming up to create a scripted podcast is exciting!
