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Kalki 2898 AD Review - RIB07

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Kalki 2898 AD Review Disclaimer: I watched this dubbed in Hindi and subbed  in English at my local theater. I have a very cursory knowledge of the Mahabharata , which is important to the plot but you don’t really need to know it to understand or enjoy the movie. This review will not contain spoilers. TLDR: This movie is action packed and a visual spectacle unlike nearly anything in Indian cinema. The plot falters a bit but a proper suspension of disbelief on the viewer’s part can lead to a very enjoyable and expansive action film.          Kalki 2898 AD  is a very interesting film. The cast is star studded and the set design is really something to behold, but an over reliance on stereotypical sci-fi tropes and flimsy worldbuilding in a 3 hour long movie brings the spectacle down just a bit. A lot of other reviews comment on the fact that the first half, which is filled with more exposition, is slower than the action-packed second half, and indeed the theater showing I went to had a lot
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Energon Universe Year One Review - RIB06

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Energon Universe Year One Review Disclaimer: This will be the first piece of fiction I review here on Riding Into Battle. As such, I will try to keep it spoiler-free, but can’t promise I’ll be good at it. TLDR: The Energon Universe is being treated with the respect it deserves, with amazing writing and art to go along with it. I am hooked, but I am also biased and it looks like it’s going to take a while before things get really  good. In the future, I can’t predict anyone saying that Year One was the best but it’s still great fun.         Before I begin I’ll start by saying that I define Year One the same way that Skybound seems to , which would be the first 25 issues across the two ongoing ( Void Rivals #1-9  and Transformers #1-8 ) and 2 completed limited series ( Duke  #1-5 and Cobra Commander  #1-5), right before the first issues of Scarlett and Destro . I am also biased because G.I. Joe and Transformers were a massive part of my childhood. I’m not quite old enough to have grown u
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Shadowdark Review - RIB05

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Shadowdark Review Disclaimer: I haven’t experienced the game as a player, but I’ve run it for my family and watched it be run on YouTube by the designer. Pictured above is the premium edition of the book, which is what I got from the Kickstarter, among other items. TLDR: Shadowdark simplifies the RPG experience using very modern sensibilities, while dishing out the flavor of old-school fun. It does a superb job of providing a tense dungeon crawl experience, which helps create a real sense of accomplishment when the adventuring is done,  and of onboarding both experienced and new TTRPG players.          Shadowdark  is the subject of a relatively recent craze among the TTRPG sphere, advertised as a “nostalgic-but-new” system and raising over a million dollars in funding by over 13,000 backers on Kickstarter . Physical editions are currently sold out at time of writing, with one standard rulebook going for $125 on eBay, though a restock is planned.  I’d be remiss not to point out the slig
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HeroesCon 2024 - RIB04

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HeroesCon 2024 TLDR: Go to HeroesCon         HeroesCon 2024 was my first convention, ever. It also happened to take place in my hometown, so I figured I’d see what it was about. I know it seems a bit odd that I haven’t gone before, given that in the whole nation this convention is probably the largest that has a majority focus on actual comic books, but I really hope that you’ll believe me when I say that I love comics and have since a very young age.         Unfortunately, due to life circumstances, I could only attend on Sunday with $200 to spare. This will be a very short blog, I detailed everything I bought over on X  so if you want pictures of all the cool loot, head on over there. I’ll get this out of the way immediately, the only real conversations I had with people at the con were Drew Moss  and a stranger I met in line for the Chris Claremont signing. We shot the shit about the usual, favorite comics, the state of things, etc. but I don’t think anything would excite you, dear
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Knave 2e Review - RIB03

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Knave 2e Review Disclaimer: I have yet to play this with a group of people nor have I touched the first edition. TLDR: Knave 2e shines the most in terms of ease of use. It’s a brilliant way to get an old school game going in a matter of minutes and hooks the players quickly with intuitive systems.          Knave 2e  is, in the author’s own words, “an exploration-driven fantasy RPG and worldbuilding toolkit, inspired by the best elements of the Old-School DnD movement.” There are really two things of note in that description, an emphasis on exploration and trying to incorporate the OSR movement. We’ll touch on both of these but first some background is in order.         The Knave system was developed by Ben Milton who runs the Questing Beast  YouTube channel, which is a must-watch for anyone even remotely interested in OSR style games. I’m going to assume, dear reader, that you are familiar with the OSR movement and style of play, but if not, here  is a brief primer that does a pretty g
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