Robot Viking

Artist Erol Otus’ singular style was an integral part of Dungeons & Dragons in the early years of 1st Edition. Rather than aim for the verisimilitude of a Fields or an Elmore, or the idealized heroes of a Brom or a Frazetta, Otus created surrealist depictions of the fantasy worlds in our imaginations. They bordered [...]

In the interest of making Robot Viking a better gaming site (and gleaning some useful info about our readers), we’ve put together a brief reader survey. It’s quick, doesn’t ask for personal info, and at the end you can optionally enter your email address. Next week, there will be a random drawing of all the [...]

Almost 300 years from now, Earth will still tremble with the reverberations of a cosmic war. Fortresslike city-states dot the wastelands, which are stalked by hideous mutants and shambling horrors that look suspiciously like undead. In Mind Storm Labs’ RPG Alpha Omega, the world is a terrifying place, but you just might be bad-ass enough [...]

Switching to a new RPG system can be tough, especially when you have to plunk down a chunk of change for new rulebooks. If you’ve been holding out on trying 4th Edition D&D for this very reason, hold out no longer. Wizards of the Coast has introduced “D&D Test Drive,” a way for anyone to [...]

World of Darkness RPGs are primarily focused on the collective storytelling aspect of role-playing. The players and the storyteller work together to create a deep, pervasive atmosphere of horror while exploring the twists and turns of the plot. But what if you want to splatter some zombies with an AK-47, or explore brutal hand-to-hand combat [...]

Liana K is a woman with a complicated résumé: producer, writer, late-night TV personality, sock puppet wrangler, comic con costume queen, talk radio host, pin-up model and lifelong gamer. It’s the lifelong gamer part we’re most interested in here at Robot Viking (ok, actually, we’re pretty interested in the pin-up modeling part too). In an [...]

One sold out tournament, six packs of cards, three mythic rares and two losses later, I’m happy to tell you that Alara Reborn is one very interesting set of cards. The all-multicolor format left newbies befuddled – but it left experienced players befuddled too, so it was a pretty level playing field.

The shaman is the perfect class for the type of D&D player who likes to hang in the back of combat, acting as a support unit for the front line fighters. But at the same time, the shaman’s spirit animal will be right there on the front line itself, dishing out bonuses to allies and [...]

White Wolf has been releasing a steady stream (nearly a deluge, really) of small PDF files designed to be dropped into your Hunter: the Vigil campaign. Each one presents an NPC, group, or location that can act as a major plot thread or just extra flavor, and comes with a cool prop to help bring [...]

The bard is a class often mocked by those who don’t understand. “Just stand in the back and sing.” But those who play and love the bard, whatever the edition, adore the class’s versatility and fiercely defend its utility in any adventuring party. And the 4E bard might be the best version yet.

I had to point out today’s Penny Arcade, because it reflects on a few universal truths (mainly, that Vin Diesel is awesome) and one of my gaming groups’ favorite ongoing jokes.

Sword and sorcery themed miniature terrain is pretty easy to come by. Dungeons, castles, tombs…they’re great, but what if you’re playing D20 Modern, or a World of Darkness game? What if your Mutants and Masterminds heroes want to battle Dr. Psychotorg in a 3D representation of downtown during rush hour? WorldWorks Games has that covered.

The last of Robot Viking’s Alara Reborn previews is the Pale Recluse, a very large spider that can block all manner of attackers, or it can slink back into its web and give you a land instead. Remember, the prerelease weekend is April 25-26, and the release date is April 30 (a Thursday).

I’m happy to introduce Doug Mason, the newest Robot Viking contributor. Doug is here to provide coverage of the immensely popular Games Workshop miniature war games, including Warhammer 40K and others. He’s a pretty hardcore minis gamer, so in addition to product reviews, he’ll be offering up some excellent strategy articles, plus news flashes about [...]