Samantha Nelson
polygon.com
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Past articles by Samantha:
Gloomhaven’s designers took board games by storm — now they’re coming for RPGs
The Backerkit campaign for the Gloomhaven RPG ends on July 19 along with the Gloomhaven Grand Festival campaign, and its designers are looking to make waves in the role-playing world. → Read More
9 great spy-themed board games for the budding secret agent
From party games like Codenames and Decrypto to adult board games and even a James Bond Magic the Gathering-style card game, this list has a game for everyone. → Read More
Multiverse stories produce the most nihilistic villains
What connects Marvel’s Kang to the baddies of Everything Everywhere All at Once, Rick and Morty, and even the DCU animated movies with Batman alt Owlman? A theme that infinite universes lead to nihilism. → Read More
D&D 5th edition comes to a close in 2023 against a backdrop of fan anger
Dungeons & Dragons has an uncertain future heading into 2023. We have a list of all the big releases planned for this year, but so much has been cast in shadow following a fan revolt that damaged years of hard-won goodwill. → Read More
Blade Runner TTRPG nails Ridley Scott’s vision, adds pitch-perfect investigative mechanics
Review — Blade Runner: The Roleplaying Game is exceptional. Free League Publishing knocks it out of the park, mashing up Ridley Scott’s vision with investigation mechanics borrowed from classics like Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective. → Read More
Black Adam isn’t nearly as subversive as it’s meant to be
Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Cyclone, Atom Smasher, and yes, even Henry Cavill as Superman all cram their way into Black Adam, a movie with big superhero questions and no clear answers. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Pierce Brosnan, and Aldis Hodge. In theaters now. → Read More
One D&D includes a new virtual tabletop and digital book bundles
One D&D is the digital future that fans have been waiting for. The first playtest is available now, and includes a new virtual tabletop and more → Read More
D&D is reviving Planescape with a three-volume boxed set, coming in 2023
Planescape, D&D’s iconic setting, will get a three-volume set in 2023. Today’s press conference also includes a roadmap with other new books, including a full-on Phandelver campaign. → Read More
D&D’s Dragonlance reboot takes its inspiration from Saving Private Ryan, 1917
D&D’s Dragonlance will be a war story, inspired by cinematic classics like Saving Private Ryan and the devastation shown in 1917. While the original characters from the setting are still alive, this new chapter opens up the land of Solamnia for the first time. → Read More
The Doctors Who are coming to Magic: The Gathering — all of them
Every Doctor Who is coming to Magic: The Gathering in 2023. Wizards Universes Beyond initiative is gonna get weird, because Gandolf, and Pippin, Merri, and the Warmaster — Horus are coming along for the ride. → Read More
Spelljammer is for losers
Wizards of the Coast has created a game where having terrible things happen is part of the fun. Spelljammer is for losers — lovable losers, like Hoban Washburne, Philip J. Fry, and more. → Read More
The five weirdest Spelljammer creatures to spice up your D&D campaign
Flipping through a Monster Manual is one of the great joys of preparing to run a game of Dungeons & Dragons, with every page offering potential friends and foes for your players to encounter. Spelljammer: Adventures in Space revives Dungeons & Dragons’ bizarre pulp science fiction setting after more than 30 years with a box set featuring an adventure taking place on the Astral Plane and… → Read More
DC League of Super-Pets crams every second with satirical superhero (and pet) humor
It’s a kid-focused movie packed with lively, ludicrous Easter eggs for adult DC fans → Read More
Level Up 5th Edition adds extra complexity to 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons
D&D’s 5th edition has been out for more than 7 years already. Level Up 5th Edition adds complexity without throwing out the core rules that everyone is already familiar with. → Read More
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel is D&D’s answer to Star Trek
D&D’s Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel is a broad new anthology of adventures that feels inspired by Star Trek. Discover new civilizations large and small scattered all across the multiverse. → Read More
Doomed Forgotten Realms is the darkest possible Dungeons & Dragons timeline
[sitcom theme song] Who’s been messing up everything? It’s been been Vecna all along! → Read More
Cohors Cthulhu tabletop RPG brings cosmic horror to the edge of the Roman Empire
Tabletop RPG and wargame Cohors Cthulhu expands on Modiphius’ flagship Achtung! Cthulhu. → Read More
Shadow of the Colossus inspired a new tactical board game called Leviathan Wilds
Leviathan Wilds, a new board game from the co-designer of Star Wars: Imperial Assault, is inspired by Shadow of the Colossus. Players must navigate massive monsters in an attempt to cure them of disease. The project begins crowdfunding later this year. → Read More
The Expanse’s aliens were always just an extension of its politics
The Expanse season 6 (released in December, and concluding Jan. 14) was a season that mostly ignored the protomolecule. Here we explain what the alien mission was in the end, and what it means. → Read More
D&D’s Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos understands what makes college memorable
D&D’s Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos knows what makes college memorable, and puts all of that fun into the game. The Magic: The Gathering-inspired book includes rules for tests, improv festivals and stealing contraband. → Read More