A sadly under-explored aspect of Fallout: New Vegas is the economic impact of having three currencies circulating the wasteland. The entire game revolves around the conflict between the New California Republic (NCR) and Caesar’s Legion who are fighting for control of the Hoover Dam. Both groups have their own currency, the fiat NCR dollar andContinue reading “Fiat and Loathing in New Vegas”
Author Archives: Pat W
Hugo, Girl!
Dune is important to men. So goes one most memorable phrases from the ladies at the Hugo, Girl! podcast. I am a man and Dune is important to me. There are a lot of reasons why Dune is important to men and I do not want to talk about them here. You should listen toContinue reading “Hugo, Girl!”
Colonialism in Morrowind
Morrowind has some great writing. It contains hundreds of books, each a completely realized short story. But I want to focus on the generic dialogue available from NPCs, specifically the dialogue involving colonization and self-rule. This dialogue is used to build a convincing world showing who does and does not benefit from the current powerContinue reading “Colonialism in Morrowind”
Relativistic Economics II
I tossed my thoughts out to the world about light speed economics earlier. As I was reading Dan Simmons’ Hyperion I noticed a character espouse ideas similar to mine and made a quick decision to note it. Going forward I’ll continue to note how relativistic economics is portrayed in science fiction as I find examples.Continue reading “Relativistic Economics II”
Batman Beyond: Add it to the canon
I remember turning up my nose to Batman Beyond when it was originally released. I like to think that was because I was annoyed it wasn’t Batman: The Animated Series and the amazing “dark deco” design. Was I such a discerning consumer with impeccable tastes in television? Doubtful. Looking back, Batman: TAS hit withContinue reading “Batman Beyond: Add it to the canon”
Wild Waldo
The best part of “reading” Waldo books with my son is watching him get excited when he finds Waldo and friends. The second best part is all the puns and jokes Martin Handford drew into his scenes. Here are a few of my favorites from Where’s Waldo? The Wonder Book.
Defending the Art of Terraforming Mars
Terraforming Mars has been one of the most popular board games in the world since its release in 2016. Millions of words have probably sung its praises by now. The gameplay is tight, and it oozes theme. It stills sits in Board Game Geek’s Top Five with over 75,000 votes. But there is one commonContinue reading “Defending the Art of Terraforming Mars”
The Hobbit 1977
I remember watching this version of The Hobbit as a youngling and the dwarves’ singing as they ransacked Bilbo’s home in the guise of “cleaning up” always stuck with me. The portrayal of Gandalf is another highlight that has been knocking around in my mind for decades. I loved his long nose and beardContinue reading “The Hobbit 1977”
Sex and Snakes from the Seventies
I had no knowledge of Vonda McIntyre’s Dreamsnake before reading. I read it because two podcasts I enjoy, The Hugos There Podcast and Hugo, Girl! had covered it. After reading the novel and listening to all their discussions, great discussions by the way, I did a quick bit of research about Dreamsnake. This is allContinue reading “Sex and Snakes from the Seventies”
Embrace the Power of the Dark Side
One of the best aspects of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the sequel is how powerful and easy it is to be evil. Very few games provide proper good versus evil balance. In most games, being good almost always pays off more in the end. Sometimes the good option nets you moreContinue reading “Embrace the Power of the Dark Side”
The Keasy Depot 