Starstuff

 

Hollywood continues to cast its net over casting spells in the roleplaying industry and of late it seems that Jeff Goldblum has now joined the genre in an upcoming Darkdice podcast set for the 12th May. Whilst I have never been a huge podcast fan technically I am pod listening briefly if I fall asleep in front of a youtube video. In the case of the Darkdice, the podcasts are of actual play and draw from the improvisation skills of professional actors and the site boasts a more immersive and authentic feel as a result. This particular adventure is entitled 'The Long March' and charts a quest for revenge following a failed attempt to save the world by another player controlled team. Ironically for a podcast, Goldblum's character is perused by someone called 'The Silent One', although it steals the voices and faces of others - a sort of evil reverse ventriloquist I would suspect.

Dark Dice is another husband and wife team somewhat akin to Dragonlance and goes by the company name of Fool and Scholar Productions. Its good to see that small roleplaying initiatives can still have a big impact as the industry expands under corporate oversight - small publishing houses should be able to keep the big players on their toes as with many of the on line based services fortunes can turn dramatically on any scale.

On a similar take filming has now finally begun in Northern Ireland for the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie. I say finally as its been in discussions since 2013 but its a difficult discussion where there isnt a particular narrative - I suspect that you either have to pick a realm or take the piss. I think that they have gone parody rather then Planescape  this time round but it could capture a wide audience if handled well. But there will always remain the tantalizing challenge of doing something authentic but if cracked then the sequels alone if not the world building would be worth a dragons hoard.