Magic 2010 Exclusive Preview: Jackal Familiar
Magic 2010 (or M10 as the cool kids are calling it) is the first Magic: the Gathering core set with new cards in it. Here’s a Robot Viking exclusive preview of a new red creature - Jackal Familiar.
Magic 2010 (or M10 as the cool kids are calling it) is the first Magic: the Gathering core set with new cards in it. Here’s a Robot Viking exclusive preview of a new red creature - Jackal Familiar.

I started waving a checkered flag and everyone looked at me funny. I guess it's not that kind of race.
Every galactic empire starts out small, but if you can grow your empire fast enough, you might end up with 12 planets under your control. You can clench them in an iron fist, or build a galactic utopia. Rio Grande’s Race for the Galaxy is a planet colonization card game roughly based on the San Juan/Puerto Rico game mechanics, and it’s one of the better sci-fi themed card games I’ve seen.
When I heard that Twilight Creations would be showing of their new Martians!!! game at Origins, I was excitedly anticipating a sci-fi twist on their classic invasion game Zombies!!! Unfortunately, there isn’t quite enough twist to set this game apart from its shambling predecessors.

Depending on the scale here, we're either looking at some very big guns or a very uncomfortable pilot.
Ninja Magic was at Origins this year showing off the miniatures from their upcoming starship tactical combat game titled With Hostile Intent. We’ve got a gallery of gorgeous ships and some details on the mystery central to With Hostile Intent’s universe.
Every ten years or so, a game comes along that changes everything. Magic essentially created the collectible gaming industry, while Mage Knight made miniature gaming accessible to the tabletop masses. Now, I’m trying to avoid hyperbole here, so I won’t say that Arcane Legions is that kind of a game. But it might be.
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to take control of a 100-ton walking armored weapons platform (and who hasn’t?), you may want to make some summer travel plans. These simulator pods are probably the closest you can come to real BattleTech combat.
Here we are at Origins, Day Three. Wait, Day Four? I have no idea how long I’ve been here. I do know that I played about a half dozen different games today, plus an entire Magic tournament. If we each get our own personal Heaven, mine includes a perpetual game con.
Well, here I am at Origins. There are lots of games. I am going to play as many of them as humanly possible in the next three days.
Sometimes, you just shouldn’t mess with classics. Fifth and Sixth Edition were like the New Formula Coke of Magic core sets (”Now with 100% Less Serra Angel!”). The iconic white creature came back with Seventh Edition and each subsequent core set, and M10 is no different. Sharp-eyed readers will note, however, that she’s been demoted.
Preview number four, Ant Queen. She’s very big, very green and is going to be very annoying to play against.
Magic 2010 preview number three: Vampire Nocturnus, a card that says, “I know those other colors are pretty, but I’d really prefer if you stayed with black.” Who am I to argue?
Our second Magic 2010 preview of the day is one of Lorwyn’s mighty planeswalkers. An Argothian Elder, Call of the Herd and Overrun all in one card? I don’t know, I guess some people might find a use for him…
We’ve got five cards to preview from this summer’s new Magic: the Gathering core set, Magic 2010. Let’s kick things off by answering a hotly debated question: what kind of dual lands will we get?
Rogue Games released the revised edition of their Colonial Gothic RPG this week, and contributing writer Joe Grabianowski (no relation to me) has a full review (ok, I’ll admit it, he’s my brother). The colonial era was a trying period in reality, with brutal wars, political upheaval and a merciless wilderness that brought death to the doorstep on a regular basis. But what if there were creatures out there?