Author Archives: Jack McNamee

About Jack McNamee

In the third year of a game design course in Queensland, Australia. Thinking a whole lot about games. Scrabbling desperately against the oncoming future.

Jason Brody’s Lethal Efficiency

It’s already been pretty well established that Far Cry 3’s protagonist doesn’t work. Here’s how close they came to glory. Jason Brody is meant to be a panicked tourist thrown face-first into the insane violence we take for granted. The … Continue reading

Posted in Game Design | Tagged , , | 29 Comments

Systems in Snake Eater

I played Metal Gear Solid 3 for the first time last week, and I was shocked to discover that the interactive cutscene I’ve heard so much about has secretly been an Immersive Sim this whole time. Snake Eater mashes the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Storytelling

Game stories should be made with exactly the same principles we use for gameplay. That is: “Easy to learn, hard to master”. First, you want an instant hook that can be explained in as few words as possible. “Save your … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Rotten Pulp

I’ve started my own personal blog, Rotten Pulp. I’m going to use it to post various mind-dribbling’s related to the ever-amazing field of table-top RPG’s. Join me, and I’ll show you sights like this.

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

#2 – Fists of Glory

As the sky glows a strange red, the PC’s discover a tiny forest hidden in a valley. In the center of the forest is a ramshackle house. It’s sole inhabitant is Skips, a scruffy old man who’ll yell out to … Continue reading

Posted in Dungeon Master Adventures, Vance Adventures | 13 Comments

Vance Adventure #1: Heathen Wheel

I’m planning to write a series of Jack Vance DnD Adventures, inspired by Eyes of the Overworld and Cugel’s Saga. I may explain further later, but nutshell: The Players need to get from one place to the other, and there’s … Continue reading

Posted in Dungeon Master Adventures, Vance Adventures | 10 Comments

Dungeon Crawl Classics for noobs

Dungeon Crawl Classics is like D&D’s weird cousin with monkey skulls in his closet. Tomorrow I’m going to run it for some people who’ve never played a tabletop RPG before, having run nothing but a few sessions of Call of … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 11 Comments

Skills

“My biggest complaint for computer games so far is they are not good enough for adults. For adults to enjoy something, they need to have intellectual stimulation, something that’s related to real life. Playing poker teaches you how to deceive … Continue reading

Posted in The industry in general | 36 Comments

Wasteland 2 makes a social blunder

Brian Fargo and the RPG community just teamed up to kickstart 1.5 Million dollars for  Wasteland 2, an old-school postapocalyptic RPG. It was the perfect date, until Brian started getting a little too friendly: “At 2 million we will increase the staff … Continue reading

Posted in News, The industry in general | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Ode to the Witching Hour

It’s late, and everyone’s off the street except a few derelicts and weirdos like you. All is quiet. The moon looms low and massive over the landscape. That’s the Witching Hour. I’ve been in love with solitary night scenes ever … Continue reading

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments