Classics of science fiction: Frankenstein
-This is the semi-regular feature in which we look back at the seminal works of science fiction. The stories that outraged, baffled, and appalled; the books that posited answers a generation before anyone thought to ask the questions; the novels that bent society’s collective consciousness around them and seeded popular culture and humanity’s vision of itself to this day. This month, Frankenstein. In 1851, in a house near Lake Geneva, George Gordon Byron challenged his friend Percy Bysshe Shelley, Percy’s wife Mary Shelley, and…
Don’t call them faeries
-The stay-at-home order was designed to minimise chances of the virus spreading through the population. It was a fairly simple idea to grasp, and even easier to execute if you were a non-essential employee, which Jo was. But, the part that no one seemed to understand? How bored one could be when there was nothing to do. Jo groaned into the carpet from her spot in front of the sliding balcony door. Her cat, Furbo, was perched between her shoulder blades, chittering at the…
I’ve been here before: Outer Wilds
-I have fallen into a wormhole and been spat out at the very edge of a solar system. The debris of an alien space station lies scattered around me; lost to time, it drifts further into the void. My spacecraft is 15 kilometres away, with no means of recovery. I am entirely alone. My oxygen tank is depleted. I can hear my character gasp for air with each passing second, watching the steam form on the glass of my helmet. All I can do…
What is Age of Sigmar?
-In 2015, Games Workshop retired their original miniatures wargame, Warhammer (sometimes known as Warhammer Fantasy Battles), in an apocalyptic series titled The End Times. In the wake of this, Warhammer was replaced with a bold new approach to tabletop wargaming: Warhammer Age of Sigmar. Age of Sigmar reworked the Warhammer system and world from the ground up, with everything from the rules to the story being entirely new. While initially flawed and met with negative reception, the last five years of development — most…
Parallel Worlds Issue 12
-In Issue 12, we catch up on our brilliant serial Acid; take a look at the Terminator franchise; play a bit of Dropship Commander; continue our guide for gamesmasters; pilot some mechs; and discover Empires of the Void II 00:00:18 – Was Terminator 2 a mistake? 00:14:22 – Four Against Darkness: a solo roleplaying phenomenon 00:25:17 – Enter the DropVerse 00:33:45 – Gamesmasterclass: Your voice in the party 00:45:50 – Evangelion: what did I just watch? 01:08:20 – Review: Empires of the Void II 01:14:28 – Original fiction: Acid, chapter 4
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Let’s talk about… Tales from the Loop
-Louis: The tone, setting and visuals hooked me almost from the start. It’s quite moody and mysterious; it reminded me a little of a Twin Peaks vibe, in the way it used the location as part of the narrative oddness. Initially the focus in the first episode on younger actors Abby Ryder Fortson (Loretta) Duncan Joiner (Cole) made me wary, as kids in TV series’ aren’t always the best, but they were excellent. I’ll be honest: I watched the first episode twice because I…
