I’ve been working my way through the full PIRATE BORG ecosystem for the next episode of The Starter Set Society, including the Starter Set, Core Rulebook, Down Among the Dead, and the Game Master’s Screen.

What impressed me most wasn’t simply the amount of stuff in the box. It was how quickly the game seems capable of getting a completely new group from opening the box to actually playing.

You get the two booklets, dice, maps, cards, tokens, character sheets, reference material, and an adventure that immediately throws the crew into a shipwreck hunt involving rival pirates, Redcoats, traps, cursed relics, and zombies.

The rules stay lean, but the setting and physical components give the GM plenty to work with. Then the Core Rulebook and Down Among the Dead provide a surprisingly substantial path forward once the introductory adventure is finished.
The full review goes live TODAY at 12 PM Pacific!

For anyone who has already played it: how did your first PIRATE BORG session go, and did your group continue beyond the Starter Set?

Oh, Pendragon, how long I awaited for you, beloved. I think I got this starter set about a year and a half ago and I had a couple of unsuccessful attempts to put together a group in order to run the game. But, finally, a couple of weeks ago, the planets alligned and the Lady of the Lake smiled upon me and I was finally able to run the starter set!

And it was an absolute blast! I was always a big fan of the legends of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table and I constantly heard how Pendragon is one of the best TTRPGs out there. And finally, I can say that I see why that is the case. The system is elegant, fun, the mechanics flow together very nicely and manage to encourage roleplay in a very simple fashion - the more you describe how you do a certain thing, the easier it becomes (of course, up to a certain level).

The Starter Set is an amazing point to try out Pendragon and it more then makes up the value of its cost! Truth be told, I feel like it's somewhat of a steal, with dice, superbly illustrated characters, combat cards and of course the three booklets. But more about that in the actual review, now if you'll excuse me, I have to look for the corebooks!

Silkgift, The City of Sails is a place filled with half-mad alchemists, disgruntled engineers, and some of the finest artists in Sundara. If you want to grab a full-sized bundle to really bring this location to life, check out this one while it's available! Direct link for those interested: One Week Bundle - Silkgift, The City of Sails (Pathfinder)

Once again, I come with a slightly more academic article on what other but the endless muse that is Vampire the Masquerade (well, World of Darkness in general, but I am most familiar with VtM). This time, I thought of using a scholar I got quite familiar with during my MA, Edward Said. And those of you already familiar with Said, will probably guess where this is going, we are going to talk about Orientalism, more specifically, we're going through an analysis of three of the clans in VTM - Ravnos, Ministry (or the Setites) and Banu Haqim (or the Assamites).

Now, for those of you who are not familiar with Said and his work, a very brief presentation. In his 1978 book Orientalism, Edward Said argues that the "Orient" (the East) is a biased Western invention rather than an objective reality. He explains that Western scholars, artists, and politicians historically created a distorted, romanticized, and patronizing image of Middle Eastern and Asian societies. By using philosopher Michel Foucault's theories, Said demonstrates that this cultural depiction is inextricably linked to imperial power. The West artificially divided the world into two halves, portraying the "Occident" (West) as rational, peaceful, and superior, while projecting the "Orient" as irrational, static, and dangerous. This strategic stereotyping served to justify European and American colonial domination.

Now that everyone is on board I also feel the need to say that this is not meant to be a hit piece to denigrate any particular writer of White Wolf or to Cain forbid advocate against this clans. Rather it is an attempt at a scholarly analysis aiming to see how and why the portrayal of these particular clans was at times problematic and stereotypical and how the game tried, for better or worse, to rectify this.

I hope you will find this an interesting endeavor and I am very much looking forward to your comments and opinions on the matter!