Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Conversations with Dead People” Board

Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Conversations with Dead People” Board

Dark Horse Deluxe has given the traditional Ouija, or spirit, board a Buffy the Vampire Slayer-style makeover, the end result being the stunning Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Conversations with Dead People” Board.

What is more conducive to speaking to the spirits than a game board based on the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? In the tradition of the Sunnydale Hellmouth, through which countless entities gained entry, let voices from the other side move the planchette along the board, choosing letters and numbers to answer your queries. Follow in the footsteps of Willow and hone your witchy skills, learning to communicate with the beyond!*

*Game board for entertainment purposes only.

Aside from its obvious gaming use, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Conversations with Dead People” Board makes the perfect accessory for Buffy cosplayers; add a few candles and crystals, and the scene is set to play Willow Rosenberg, resident witch of the Buffyverse’s Scooby Gang. Propped up on a shelf, the board would also make a gorgeous backdrop for a display of Buffy collectibles.

The effort Dark Horse put into making the Buffy Board an exceptional product is especially evident in the planchette, whose gold-and-black pressed board construction is far more solid and attractive than the flimsy plastic planchettes often packaged with spirit boards. Its smooth rubber feet glide well over the board’s surface, and have greater durability than the felt pads on cheaper models. Recognizable Buffy icons, such as Buffy’s Claddagh ring and Slayer’s Scythe, subtly adorn the board and its elegant box, and the instruction sheet included is — naturally, for Dark Horse Comics — designed as a page from a comic book, with all-new art and very amusing expository dialogue from characters Willow, Dawn, and Xander.

Recommended for ages 14 and up.

Order now at Amazon.com:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Conversations with Dead People” Board

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Conversations with Dead People” Board is distributed by Dark Horse Deluxe, a division of Dark Horse Comics. For more Buffy the Vampire Slayer information, visit Dark Horse Comics’ Buffy Zone.

Asmodée Loses an Accent and Gets a Refreshing Change with a New Logo

from Asmodee Editions:

When does a logo change? When it no longers reflects the reality of its company. This was the case of the old Asmodée logo — with its old dragon scales inherited from the old RPG roots of Asmodée and its distinctively French accents, this logo no longer quite reflected this company has recently become:

Asmodee is now open to all sorts of games (from the light-hearted party gane to the strategy game, that’s without talking about licences, collectible card games and miniature games) and to players of all ages (the fabled 9 to 99), and is closer than ever to people with a presence at conventions throughout the year.

And mostly, Asmodee, through its branches across the world (Belgium, Germany, Spain, U.S.A.) is now planning and acting like a world leader when it comes to gaming. This is why we needed to no longer talk one language, but many of them — removing our “frenchy” accents to have a more universal “Asmodee” which can be read (and pronounced).

This is our new and improved logo, more fun and now with 100% more smiles, more open to the world, which is closer to what is Asmodee and what it wants you to discover.

Star Trek Featured in This Week’s Entertainment Weekly

from Entertainment Weekly:

After 10 often dismal movies, Star Trek had turned into a pop culture punchline. Even people who’d built their entire careers around Trek could see the writing on the wall. “Star Trek,” says Leonard Nimoy, “had run its course.” But director J.J. Abrams believes he can make the franchise cool again. This week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly has the inside scoop on Abrams’ surprising, idealistic odyssey, which could become next summer’s multiplex juggernaut.

“I don’t think people even understand what Star Trek means anymore,” says Abrams, who saw the first Star Trek film in 1979 with his father at a theater on the Paramount lot. But he feels no warm-fuzzy nostalgia about it. In fact, Abrams can sum up his regard for Trek in two words: Galaxy Quest, the 1999 hit starring Tim Allen that satirized Trek with painful precision. “It’s so ridiculous, so accurate, so sophisticated, it spoils the Star Trek universe,” he says. Plus, at heart, Abrams is still more of a Star Wars guy. “All my smart friends liked Star Trek,” he says. “I preferred a more visceral experience.” Which is exactly why he accepted Paramount ’s offer in 2005 to develop a new Trek flick; creative­ly, he was engaged by the possibility of a Star Trek movie “that grabbed me the way Star Wars did.”

Abrams says he was also drawn to the project because he believed in — and wanted to evangelize — Trek’s unabashed idealism. “I think a movie that shows people of various races working together and surviving hundreds of years from now is not a bad message to put out right now,” says Abrams. That ethos may seem cornball to an America darkened by a decade’s worth of catastrophe, but after an election season that has seen both presidential nomi­nees run on “hope” and “change,” Star Trek just may find itself on the leading wave of a zeitgeist shift — away from bleak, brood­ing blockbusters and toward the light. “In a world where a movie as incredibly produced as The Dark Knight is raking in gazillions of dollars, Star Trek stands in stark contrast,” Abrams says. “It was important to me that optimism be cool again.”

Is the world ready again for Trek’s optimistic vision of the future? Some involved with the film suspect the presidential election may have a dramatic effect on how Star Trek will be perceived. “This is a franchise that offers hope for unity — and so does Barack Obama,” says Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock. “When this movie comes out, and Obama is presi­dent, hopefully there will be some parallels.” Perhaps, but the elder Spock knows that moments of unity can be fleeting. “My only regret is that the movie can’t come out sooner,” Nimoy says. “I think the world could use it. Don’t you?”

While Nimoy will be putting on his ears to play a wizened Spock in the new Star Trek, don’t expect a cameo by William Shatner as Captain Kirk. Last month, the 77-year-old actor posted a video on YouTube, complaining about being left behind, and chastising Abrams, even though Shatner’s Kirk died in Star Trek Generations (1994). “I brought him back to life in one of my books, very easily,” Shatner tells Abrams in the video. “I’m just sorry that I’m not in your wonderful movie.”

Abrams has seen the video, of course. “I don’t know how my life has become a thing where William Shatner talks to me through YouTube,” Abrams tells EW. “I was such a huge fan of his, but we wrote a scene for him in the movie and it didn’t feel right. And he said to us — he said publicly — that doing a cameo didn’t interest him. Which I totally appreciate. But we did try.” EW tried to reach Shatner, but he declined to be interviewed. Through a spokesperson he said, “I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to be involved in the Star Trek universe at this point.”

You can read the full Entertainment Weekly article at Star Trek: New Movie, New Vision.

The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow

If you’re having a party with a spooky theme, and are looking for a game that a large group of people can play, The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow from Asmodee Editions makes for a howling good time. The premise of this murder mystery-style game is simple: townsfolk versus werewolves. As the box states, “The small town of Miller’s Hollow has become infested with werewolves. The townsfolk must take immediate action and eradicate this menace before they are all devoured… Who are you? Werewolf or townsperson? You will secretly receive a character card. Once you know your identity, you are all under the control of the game moderator. You’re a werewolf — Your goal: By night, devour villagers. By day, try your best to “pass” as an honest citizen. You’re a townsperson — Your goal: To discover the werewolves and to persuade the other players to eliminate them (while avoiding being suspected yourself). Your task is a difficult one! Fortunately, certain villagers have special abilities: the Fortune Teller, the Hunter, the Witch… They will help you to fight the werewolves.”

There’s an expansion pack, New Moon, available to make The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow more complex. 36 event cards add exciting, random twists to the game, and there are 5 new characters: the Defender, the Elder, the Scapegoat, the Piper, and the Village Idiot. Game variants introduced in the New Moon rulebook include Moonlight (play outdoors in a magical ambiance), Community of Hamlets (up to 200 players at the same time), Harvest Festival (with strange alterations to the abilities), Double “You” (the villagers have double personalities), The Writing’s on the Wall, The Black Death, and Lycanthropic Fascination.

The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow supports 8-18 players, ages 10 and up. Game length: 20-30 minutes.

As a less-scary alternative for younger party guests, Asmodee Editions offers Wooly Bully, a colourful tile game for the entire family, ages 7 and up, that pits sheep against wolves. 2-4 players take on the role of shepherd and try to safely fence in as many sheep as possible, hindering opponents by preventing their flocks from becoming fully enclosed and placing wolf tiles near their fields. Tiles with hunters on them are used to foil the hungry wolves. Each of the four shepherd groups are clearly marked by colour — black, blue, red, and yellow sheep, each with slightly different shades of grass — and the sheep also have patterns on their fleece to help those players who don’t see colours well. These visual clues add a great deal to the beauty of the game’s art, as well as making tile identification easy for young players. There are a number of rules, but they are fairly straightforward; after a round or two with adult help, smaller children will be able to happily play on their own. Average playing time: 30 minutes.

Order now at Amazon.com:
The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow
The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow: New Moon, Expansion #1
Wooly Bully

Or order directly through the Asmodee Editions website.

The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow, New Moon, and Wooly Bully are distributed by Asmodee Editions (US), a subsidiary of Asmodee Editions (France). For more information on Wooly Bully, visit the official game website at Wooly Bully.

Plush Zombie Eats ThinkGeek’s Brains

from ThinkGeek:

Fellow Prey of the Un-Dead,

We come to you today, in total fear for our lives and for the safety of the brains of our office canines. But mostly, we fear for the safety of the ThinkGeek logo. For some reason, our logo has attracted impossible legions of the Un-dead upon ThinkGeek HQ. Kind of like Wookie braids attracting Mandalorians — except with more mindless gnawing and less Jet Pack gymnastics. But we digress. Before it’s too late, please, Citizens of the Interwebs, purchase a ThinkGeek Plush Zombie today, taking it far away from our office. The future safety of the ThinkGeek logo (along with our office canine brains) depends on you and you alone…

Dismember-Me Plush Zombie — Cuddle-Up with the Un-Dead

What happens when you take old broken plush toys and bury them in the woods by the light of the full moon while whistling the theme song from Halloween? Unfortunately nothing… which is why the skillful design monkeys here at ThinkGeek were forced to come up with our own scary (but cute) zombie plush. The Dismember-Me Plush Zombie begs to be torn limb from limb. After all, he is a decaying re-animated corpse turned into irresistible cuddly plush. Rip off an arm… he doesn’t mind. Tear him in half… he’ll barely notice. Pull off his legs… ok now he’s getting a bit annoyed. Steal his brain… now you’ve really done it. Keep your teddy bears under close guard tonight because undead plush have come back from hell to walk the earth.

Find more What’s New items at ThinkGeek!

Director Brian Kalin O’Connell, writer Steve Melching discuss all-new Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode this Friday, October 10 on Cartoon Network

from StarWars.com:

Anakin Skywalker leads a small band of Y-wing bombers through a dangerous nebula in "Shadow of Malevolence"
Anakin Skywalker leads a small band of Y-wing bombers through a dangerous nebula in "Shadow of Malevolence"

Star Wars: The Clone Wars puts a new shine on a very recognizable part of Star Wars lore as the Y-wing bombers make their debut in “Shadow of Malevolence,” an all-new episode of the hit animated series premiering at 9:00 PM, Friday, October 10, on Cartoon Network.

In the second of a three-episode arc, “Destroy Malevolence” finds Anakin Skywalker, his Padawan Ahsoka Tano and Jedi Master Plo Koon utilizing long-range Y-wing bombers to lead a bold strike on General Grievous’ warship, the Malevolence, and its destructive ion cannon.

The Y-wing bombers were first seen among the Rebel Alliance’s primary starfighters in 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. “Shadow of Malevolence” director Brian Kalin O’Connell, writer Steve Melching and supervising director Dave Filoni were inspired by the concept of showing the Y-wings “fresh off the showroom floor.”

“We like to find ways to draw connections between The Clone Wars and the original trilogy,” Melching says. “In the original Star Wars, the X-wings and the Y-wings have truly been through the wars, and they’ve had the crap beaten out of them. We thought it would be fun to imagine that they were originally manufactured during the Clone Wars — so for us, they came off the assembly line and into battle.”

O’Connell says the artists behind The Clone Wars were excited about “introducing” the Y-wings — and putting the series’ lead characters into a full-fledged space battle for the first time.

“Guys like (design/concept artists) Russell Chong and Killian Plunkett, along with Dave (Filoni) come from a classic Star Wars background, so they understand that Ralph McQuarrie feel of the 1970s, and they do it right,” O’Connell says. “We don’t want to change the lore, we want to add to it. By introducing the Y-wings, we get to add a new dimension, a little history.” Some people, he realizes, might think that it’s “just a vehicle.” Nevertheless, O’Connell says, “We know it’s a huge deal for the fans. We don’t let it distract from the story, but we still get to add the geek shot — and when we do, we try to do it justice.”

Star Wars: The Clone Wars airs at 9:00 PM, Fridays on Cartoon Network. George Lucas is the series’ creator and serves as executive producer, and Catherine Winder is producer.

The Guild at Blizzcon

from The Guild:

The whole cast of The Guild will be attending Blizzcon Friday and Saturday! There will be a Guild panel from 1:30-2:30 PM on Saturday where we will preview Season 2 as well as answer questions about Season 1 and anything else the audience would like to hear!

Also, thanks to the kindness of Blizzard, we will have a booth set up where we will be selling DVDs and an Official Cast Photo, debuting at the con! All 6 main cast members will be hanging out, but will be specifically signing DVDs and Photos at the following times in the booth:
Friday 11 AM-1 PM
Saturday 3-5 PM

Please stop by and say hi, or catch us around Blizzcon!

The Legend of Neil on Twitter

from The Legend of Neil:

Hey all, we’re trying to be everywhere that you are, and you can now follow this feed [for The Legend of Neil] on Twitter if you like. Just click here to get to our Twitter page! Also click to follow Sandeep’s Twitter or Felicia’s Twitter. Happy tweeting!

[Web series The Guild and Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show also have feeds on Twitter.]

Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show, Episode 15: Retarded Policeman’s Ponce

Ponce from Retarded Policeman joins the fun at GTCMS. No time for fun time now. Unicow has an eating disorder? Carrot is battered? Even cancer has invaded the fun time of GTCMS. Can Kiko find the secret to bringing fun time back?

Photos of Felicia Day and Sandeep Parikh at San Diego Comic-Con 2008

FeliciaSandeepSDCC0877
Felicia Day and Sandeep Parikh at San Diego Comic-Con 2008

I had a chance to sit down with Felicia Day and Sandeep Parikh of The Guild on the final morning of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, and was thrilled to have the chance to speak with them. They were both extremely funny and easygoing as they interacted and jibed with me and each other. The interview was videotaped with the intent to put it on ÜberSciFiGeek, and because of the noise at the convention a voice recorder was also kept running. Thankfully, someone was taking photos as well. I say thankfully because, the day I was getting ready to transfer the video to my computer for editing, my camera died… after inserting the tape. Presently, the interview is still locked away within the belly of my very dead Panasonic video camera. The audio of the interview has already been posted here in MP3 format, and now we finally have some photos to share! If you are a fan of Felicia and Sandeep, you will love this collection of over 100 photos of them.

A special thanks to Squeak for getting up early and tagging along to take the photos. You’re a life saver!

I Can Has Cheezburger?: A LOLcat Colleckshun

A search at Amazon.com a few months ago for a LOLcat book led to the amazing discovery that one didn’t exist. That oversight has now been corrected: I Can Has Cheezburger?: A LOLcat Colleckshun is a hilarious guide to LOLcats by Eric Nakagawa and Kari Unebasami — the duo who started the Internet meme and launched the hugely popular icanhascheezburger.com in January 2007 — and co-author “Professor Happycat”.

Professor Happycat pops up throughout the book in cartoon form to explain things to the reader, such as how to mangle spelling and grammar in proper LOLspeak fashion (LOL Speak Poetry Magnets are available for practice), and who Ceiling Cat and other prominent LOLcats are. The book collects over 200 full-colour LOLcat pictures from the website, some classic and some new, and all extremely LOL-worthy. Professor Happycat says, “Mah new book iz teh best book evr”, and it’s hard to argue with that statement if you’re a LOLcat fan.

A note from the publisher states: “In case you’ve somehow missed the LOLcat sensation, here’s the lowdown. It all began in early 2007, when, after a bad day at work,” Eric Nakagawa asked his friend Kari Unebasami via chat to send something to cheer him up. Kari sent him a photo of a smiling fat cat with the caption “I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER?” superimposed onto the picture. Soon, Nakagawa and Unebasami created a blog at icanhascheezburger.com (named after the most popular LOLcat of all) and the phenomenon known as the LOLcat was born.”

The book is small and square, the perfect size to tuck into a bag and carry everywhere, or to stuff into a holiday stocking. It’s a great conversation piece and the perfect gift for geeks and cat-lovers of all ages.

Teh cute kittehs, they needs sequel now. Srsly.

Pre-order at Amazon.com:
I Can Has Cheezburger?: A LOLcat Colleckshun

I Can Has Cheezburger?: A LOLcat Colleckshun is distributed by Gotham Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), and its international affiliates. For more information, visit the official book website at lulzftw.com.