Red Rooster's Gaming Coop

Welcome to the Pining For Pixels podcast! This is my video game variety show podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a subject or theme that interests me, and I will speak about what is on my mind in the world of video games!Since The Game Awards announced their nominees for 2024 everyone has had a reaction and as usual there is a bit of blowback about some of the choices and potential snubs. I originally rushed through these announcements in last week's news segment, but since then, I have thought longer about the nominees and thought it would be fun to do a more thorough discussion about the nominations. In this episode I give you my predictions for who will win in most of these categories, as well as which ones I would prefer to win (at least based solely on the nominees that they picked). To be clear, I do not go through every category with predictions as there are some that I don't know enough about or just plain don't care about. Tune in to hear my guesses and picks and we can reconvene after the award show to see how much I got right and how much I missed.If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Saving Throes podcast! This is my Tabletop role-playing game podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a topic or theme along with my take on current happenings in the world of tabletop role-playing games and semi regular updates on the games I am currently involved with, or new games or products I have come across.I have been thinking about doing this episode for the past couple of months and finally decided to jump into it for this week's episode. I talk about the methods I have used and the tools that have helped me to create a sense of immersion in my game that I believe really elevates the game and makes it a standout experience compared to other games. Part of the reason we love roleplaying games is getting into the role of someone in a completely different world or environment than our own. There are so many ways that you can make that illusion stand tall and as well, so many ways that it can go sideways and turn into a session where you are all just staring at each other around the table and rolling dice thinking "what am I doing here?". Tune in to hear my experience and suggestions for creating immersion, and what traps to avoid immersion busters.If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Pining For Pixels podcast! This is my video game variety show podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a subject or theme that interests me, and I will speak about what is on my mind in the world of video games!It is finally time for another Indie Round-Up! This Time I am looking at 2 indie heavy hitters from this year: Animal Well and UFO 50, both very well received and titles that really shake up the indie scene something fierce, as well as the very recently released (in North America) Goblin Slayer - Another Adventurer - Nightmare Feast, based on the Anime of the (mostly) same name. Tune in to hear my thoughts on these wildly different, but all 3 excellent indie titles!If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Saving Throes podcast! This is my Tabletop role-playing game podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a topic or theme along with my take on current happenings in the world of tabletop role-playing games and semi regular updates on the games I am currently involved with, or new games or products I have come across.After a couple of weeks, I am ready to give my first impressions of this revised version of the 5th edition Dungeon Master's Guide fro D&D. This book contained some stuff that surprised me and some stuff that didn't. It is a mix of good news and some not-so-great news (although nothing that I didn't truly anticipate). The DMG is almost always one of my favourite of the core rulebooks, and this one lives up to that so far for the revised rulebooks as well. Tune in to hear my pros and cons for this new DMG as well as the stuff that I haven't quite made up my mind on just yet.If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Pining For Pixels podcast! This is my video game variety show podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a subject or theme that interests me, and I will speak about what is on my mind in the world of video games!The Tomb Raider collection 1 cartridge for Evercade marked a big shift for Blaze Entertainment. Firstly, it is a large and very well-known license to get, and secondly this marked the first of their 'gigacart' releases. This huge cart was able to successfully contain the first 3 Tomb Raider games in their entirety. I was really curious how this one would turn out for so many reasons, and I was thrilled to see that the games are exactly as I remembered them. This impressive cart handily recreates the feeling and atmosphere of the original Tomb Raider trilogy. Tune in to hear why, despite the existence of the Tomb Raider 1 - 3 remaster trilogy on other platforms, you should really consider picking this release up if you have one of the many Evercade devices!If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Saving Throes podcast! This is my Tabletop role-playing game podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a topic or theme along with my take on current happenings in the world of tabletop role-playing games and semi regular updates on the games I am currently involved with, or new games or products I have come across.The Dungeon Master's Guide is one of those core books that many often debate about how "core" it really is. The truth is that you really do not need this tome to run the game when it comes down to it. However, to simply ignore it would be to deprive yourself of a great resource for the game. Each edition had it's own version of the DMG (some editions had more than one DMG!), and each one varies in how useful it really is. This core book began life in AD&D 1e after it was discovered how much advice was usually needed to help DMs all over with running their games. This tome has been a staple the game (and other games) ever since. Tune in to hear which versions of the DMG I have felt are the best over the past 5 decades of D&D (Please note: I have not yet done a thorough enough review of the 2024 DMG to include it in this episode yet - that book will get it's own episode in the near future).If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Pining For Pixels podcast! This is my video game variety show podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a subject or theme that interests me, and I will speak about what is on my mind in the world of video games!Yoku's Island Express was a game that came out of the blue and really blew way past my expectations. From reading about a quirky concept for a game and checking out some gameplay videos that looked appealing, I went ahead and took a chance on this game that looked like it could be worth a couple of days of fun at the very least. I wasn't prepared for how much I was going to love this game. From its utterly gorgeous aesthetic, to the rewarding gameplay loop and unlikely masterful blend of disparate gaming concepts, this game really sunk deep into my heart. Tune in to hear why this underrated masterpiece should be experienced by anyone looking to discover what makes video games such a joy to play. If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Saving Throes podcast! This is my Tabletop role-playing game podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a topic or theme along with my take on current happenings in the world of tabletop role-playing games and semi regular updates on the games I am currently involved with, or new games or products I have come across.Happy Halloween! This particular holiday really resonates with tabletop RPGs as horror lends itself really well to many RPGs. For Halloween, I always love setting up one shot games or injecting some Halloween themes into an ongoing game. This year, I wanted to talk about some cool Halloween one-shots (or short term adventures) that I was looking into, and give my thoughts on them. Some of these are adventure hook ideas for a one shot, but I also recommend a couple of my personal favourite pre-published scenarios and close it out discussing how to make a DIY Halloween scenario with nothing but your Bestiary of choice and a little imagination. Tune in to see if any of these spooky scenarios/scenario ideas inspire you to do something special for your table. If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Pining For Pixels podcast! This is my video game variety show podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a subject or theme that interests me, and I will speak about what is on my mind in the world of video games!Halloween is here again and with the recent release of the Silent Hill 2 Remake, it is now time to pit the 2 most iconic horror video game franchises against one another. Both of these franchises have had multiple entries and have reached far beyond the video games they originated in. They will long be titles that people play at this time of year, when looking for a good seasonal scare. Although they each approach horror from very different angles, they have both earned a reputation of having excellent titles in their franchise, as well as some significant stinkers too. You can find Resident Evil and Silent Hill games of all kinds today as well as a host of memorabilia and cosplay costumes from each of their fan bases. Tune in to hear which of these iconic franchises comes out on top and which one you should check out to optimize your scares this Halloween.If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Saving Throes podcast! This is my Tabletop role-playing game podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a topic or theme along with my take on current happenings in the world of tabletop role-playing games and semi regular updates on the games I am currently involved with, or new games or products I have come across.Mörk Borg is a game I have talked about for ages on this podcast, so it is high time that I do a spotlight episode on it. With Halloween just around the corner, I thought it was good timing to do it now. This is a very dark game and really does set a new standard for grim dark games. However, don't let the astonishing (and sometimes shocking) artwork and presentation deter you, because buried within its pages, the Mörk Borg rulebook is a very competent and inspiring game. Simplicity is it's focus but it does not sacrifice it's fun or level of engagement player's can have. While I think of it as part of the OSR, at least the new wave of OSR, it isn't trying to just be D&D, it is trying to be a wholly unique experience unto itself. Tune in to find out why this game has inspired a host of other Borg games, and has made a dent in the role-playing game universe. If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Pining For Pixels podcast! This is my video game variety show podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a subject or theme that interests me, and I will speak about what is on my mind in the world of video games!I have the Nintendo 64 on my mind presently and I wanted to express my appreciation of this often overlooked, and even maligned system. Despite not leading the generation in sales comparatively, this system innovated in significant ways that are still evident in the gaming industry today. Without this console, the landscape would look very different. I go through my own memories of the N64 as well as what it brought to the table and how it transformed the industry. Tune in to hear some interesting factoids about the N64 (some of which I was unaware of before getting this episode ready) and a list of the best games for this unique console!If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Saving Throes podcast! This is my Tabletop role-playing game podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a topic or theme along with my take on current happenings in the world of tabletop role-playing games and semi regular updates on the games I am currently involved with, or new games or products I have come across.Immersion is a very important aspect of roleplaying games. Without any level of it, then what are we even doing? I would argue that immersion is the primary reason anyone plays these games. Sure the level of immersion may vary or look different from table to table, but it is still immersion that we chase. I came across this article on eventyrgames.com that listed 7 ways to improve immersion and I had some thoughts on their list and rationale for each item. I wanted to share my thoughts and offer my own take on each one. Tune to hear if these 7 methods will suit your needs or if they miss the mark. If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Pining For Pixels podcast! This is my video game variety show podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a subject or theme that interests me, and I will speak about what is on my mind in the world of video games!Here in Canada it is Thanksgiving once again. Following on from last year's Thanksgiving special, where I gave thanks to the 3rd generation of Video Game consoles, I decided to give thanks to all my memories and experiences from the 4th generation of consoles: The Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis. This was the prime battleground of the true console wars! Multiplatform games were different on each system, and both platforms each had their own specific strengths and weaknesses. The best part about it was that us gamers benefited from this struggle between Nintendo and Sega, and some of their best stuff came out as result. Tune in to find out why this was the generation that made me realize that I could just love all the platforms, and not limit myself to be a standard bearer for only one.If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Saving Throes podcast! This is my Tabletop role-playing game podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a topic or theme along with my take on current happenings in the world of tabletop role-playing games and semi regular updates on the games I am currently involved with, or new games or products I have come across.Thanksgiving is just around the corner here in Canada, and this year I wanted to focus on the positives of the new D&D revised 5e rules, particularly with the Player's Handbook as that is the only book that is currently out so far. To date, I have focussed on my admittedly mixed feelings and we have discussed the negatives a fair bit, but for this episode, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wanted to focus now on what I like, and more importantly what I am thankful for! So grab a leg of turkey and tune in to hear why, despite my critiques, I am actually thankful for this revised set of rules for the 5th edition of D&D.If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Pining For Pixels podcast! This is my video game variety show podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a subject or theme that interests me, and I will speak about what is on my mind in the world of video games!This week is another entry in the At the Movies segment. With the release of the much anticipated Silent Hill 2 Remake this week, I thought it was a good time to look back on the two feature film entries that this series was lucky to get. After the success of the Resident Evil films, Silent Hill was given to green light to get its silver screen debut. The results are mixed on the film franchise overall, but that first entry left a real impression on movie-goers. In the 18 years since the original film release, we have had a slew of other video game to movie adaptations, and more importantly, critically & commercially successful ones too. How does Silent Hill hold up in retrospect? Tune in to hear how these movies have held up, just in time for the Halloween season!If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Saving Throes podcast! This is my Tabletop role-playing game podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a topic or theme along with my take on current happenings in the world of tabletop role-playing games and semi regular updates on the games I am currently involved with, or new games or products I have come across.One of the most important products of each D&D edition has been its starter set. It is the main point of entry for attracting a new audience, and it better be a good one if you want any prospective customers to stick around and hopefully check out the more advanced line of products. Thankfully there have been some great starter sets throughout the long history of the game. Some not-so-great, but many legendary sets that pull at the nostalgic heartstrings of many a gamer. In this episode I am going to countdown my top 5 favourite starter sets, and outline why I placed them the way I did. Tune in to hear which starter set stands above the rest, and what sets it apart. If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Pining For Pixels podcast! This is my video game variety show podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a subject or theme that interests me, and I will speak about what is on my mind in the world of video games!Hot off the presses it's the next Evercade Expeditions segment, looking at the most recently released cart with the Legacy of Kain collection! I literally just got my copy a few days ago, but I have played plenty of these two PlayStation 1 gems back in their heyday (the mid to late 1990's). These games are a real treat to return to and Blaze has done a great job bringing this cart to the Evercade community with all the trimmings you can expect with them. This is the second Gigacart release, following the Tomb Raider release earlier this year, and it blows my mind that they were able to fit both these huge titles onto one cart. Tune in to hear how these two games fare on the Evercade platform, and how they control on the Evercade controller... especially Soul Reaver!If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Saving Throes podcast! This is my Tabletop role-playing game podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a topic or theme along with my take on current happenings in the world of tabletop role-playing games and semi regular updates on the games I am currently involved with, or new games or products I have come across.Earlier this summer, Wizards of the Coast released Quests from the Infinite Staircase, another compilation book of classic adventures converted up to 5e statistics. It is always great to see these golden oldies kept alive, however, there was a real sense of deja vu with this one. That's because this anthology contained 2 adventures that had seen earlier conversions to 5e (and officially licensed conversions for that matter) from Goodman Games with their Original Adventures Reincarnated line. In this episode I am comparing and contrasting both conversions of the Lost City - the most recent release from WotC and the prior one from Goodman Games. Tune in to see which version comes out on top. If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Pining For Pixels podcast! This is my video game variety show podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a subject or theme that interests me, and I will speak about what is on my mind in the world of video games!One of my favourite games from last year is the subject for this episode of Video Game Book Club. This game was another masterful release from developer Teyon Games, already known for their great work on another licensed title based on a beloved 80's action icon, The Terminator. This release came out near the end of 2023 and took everyone by surprise with the attention to detail and the unprecedented level of immersion that was accomplished. All this from a 'AA' calibre game - this is a great argument for what is missing in the industry today. Whether you are a fan of RoboCop or not at all familiar with the franchise, this game will suck you in. Tune in to hear my thoughts as well as the comments from others in a discussion about this game.If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC

Welcome to the Saving Throes podcast! This is my Tabletop role-playing game podcast, part of the Red Rooster's Gaming Coop network where I talk gaming and gaming culture every week. Each episode will feature a topic or theme along with my take on current happenings in the world of tabletop role-playing games and semi regular updates on the games I am currently involved with, or new games or products I have come across.It has now been close to 2 months since I got my hands on the new 2024 D&D Player's Handbook. I did my initial impressions in episode 67 of Saving Throes, but I thought it would be a good time now to revisit those impressions to see how they hold up now that I have had some time to marinate with the new book. I go over my initial impressions to see how they hold up now, and I close with my final thoughts today after a good amount of reviewing the book. It certainly is a mixed bag overall - there are some things I was fond of at first that have faded away, as well as things I disliked from the start that I have since softened on. Tune in to hear where I ultimately landed on with this book, or at least until I get some good play time or after the next 2 core books are released!If you would like to reach out, you can reach me at redroostersgamingcoop@gmail.com - I would love to hear from you! Follow me on X: @RedRoosterGC