Needing Things is the Curse of Fandom. And the Internet.

Right now the internet has so many amazing, tiny offerings that I couldn't pick just one to talk about. Please allow me to perk up your Monday with a little collection of things that are making me extremely happy right now.

1. This really amazing Pip Boy replica that functions nearly as well as the one actually in Fallout. Does anyone feel like getting me the Pip Boy 3000 clock that came with the super uber duper edition of Fallout 3? Anyone?

2. Even though I always have a purse on me, I don't always remember to bring my dice bag. Once these spinning dice rings are available for sale, though, I won't have that issue anymore! They come in just about every type, so theoretically I could wear one on each finger and constantly be prepared for dungeon exploration and orc battles. (P.S. It's a Kickstarter that goes until December 22nd, and $15 gets you one ring of your choice!)

3. I'm not sure why cloth maps no longer come with video games, or why books don't always have a detailed map on the front page like they used to. It's a real tragedy, though. They're interesting, pretty, and very useful to the reader/player. I'm currently reading The Song of Ice and Fire series (I'm on Feast for Crows) and I am having a truly difficult time orienting myself to each character's physical location. It turns out I'm one lucky lady, and George R. R. Martin is a standup gentleman, because he has released an official map book titled 'The Lands of Ice and Fire'. Commence the delighted squealing!

I'm including this lovely image of The Wall because Jon Snow is my favorite character.

You keep your spoilers to yourself! Image from Geekologie.

4. While I've seen this image floating around online, I've never seen a purchasable option until now. The Totoro bedroll/sleeping bag is an actual reality for me now! I can live out my childhood fantasy of sleeping on the belly of the great forest spirit! I'll roll around, he'll yawn, I'll yawn, then we'll have a long, luxurious nap together. It will be a glorious day.

Source.

5. It may seem ridiculous (and expensive) but I am loving this rocking chair that simultaneously charges an iPad. It even has speakers! I think the only people that could dislike this product are people who have never experienced the joy of a rocking chair. We had one growing up, and I loved to rock in that thing. I should really buy one. This one. In case of power outages, you know?

Source

So what are you loving this week? Real or imaginary, it doesn't matter to me!

-MJ

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The Transolar Galactica wants YOU to join the team for Season Two!

There are a lot of web shows out in the world to choose from, and it's not always easy to know which ones are good and which are bad. Transolar Galactica is a resounding "good", along with funny, smart, and fantastically written. A brief summation would be that it is "a sci-fi comedy webseries that follows the exploits of Captain Remmington Trigger and his crew of space misfits as they travel the galaxy in search of adventure."*

Writer/director Adam Harum (pictured left) set aside some time earlier this week to talk with me about the driving forces behind the first season, as well as the Kickstarter that he and his fellow crew members are hosting in hopes of making a second season of their award winning show. They're hoping to raise $30,000 by October 28th, and so far they're just over one third of their goal. 

Transolar Galactica came into existence after Harum and his friends graduated from Eastern Washington University. They wanted to put together a sketch show to keep their film interests flamed while they searched for jobs:

"Our first sketch (Which is now known as the first episode of Transolar) came about from a conversation I had with Isaac (Captain Trigger) about how hilarious it was that at the end of start trek six, captain kirk tells the crew to take the second star to the right, and go straight on until morning. This being the last film with them all in it, was followed by an emotional head nod by all, and then they flew off into space. Obviously, this command is a metaphor, and it would have been an impossible thing to actually plug into a navigation unit. Which raises the question, where the f**k did they go? We found this funny, and I wrote the sketch based around this joke. But after realizing how incredibly difficult it is to get a sketch show seen by a wide audience, we kind of scrapped the whole sketch show idea, and released Transolar Galactica on it's own. Then boom, we got an incredibly positive response, and a lot of people sharing it and loving it, so we said, why the hell not, let's make another one. (Despite all the characters dying in episode 1). So, Transolar was born."

Check out the first episode right here!

The rest of season one came easily after that, fueled by fan interest that in turn made the cast and crew excited to expand on the characters. Season one is a fast-paced, explosive death-fest, and Harum and co. have the groundwork laid out to make season two a cohesive story line. When asked if he thought that a full story arc cramped their creative style, Harum replied, "Nope! Not at all, if anything, I think it's completely opened up new doors. I could no longer rely on the simple "who's going to die in this episode hilariously and violently?" Instead it became a study of how the characters interacted with each other and all the humor that can come out of that."

His excitement came through loud and clear in the interview, and I found myself even more hopeful that they would achieve their Kickstarter goal. The cast and crew created scenarios that were fantastically engaging in one-off episodes, so to imagine that enthusiasm and talent brought to a full story is extremely exciting and promising!

Their Kickstarter money will be going entirely toward equipment and sets; season one is all green screen excluding episodes four and seven. If you've seen any episodes then you're familiar with the style and editing, and you can see that an incredible amount of work has gone into the post-production aspect. All equipment and props were borrowed or scrounged together and while they were able to make it work, Harum says it "does take a toll on (the DP/editor), and the rest of us."

A green screen sample from the Kickstarter video.

The characters that have been brought to life in Transolar Galactica are loving derivations of well-known sci-fi personas. I'm impressed by their accuracy and asked Harum to elaborate on each one:

"I think we all brought a little something to the table as it went along, but after reaching the end of season 1 I can give you my take on each of them: Trigger and Yasaki are basically Zap Brannigan and Kif from Futurama, if Kif were an arrogant asshole that was actually good at what he did. However, Trigger is more if Brannigan and Captain Kirk had a child together-- his ego only feeding his arrogance and power. PO McCall is basically Kaylee from Firefly, only the male version. Reggie is basically Worf from TNG, but if Worf were beaten up by everyone his entire life and owned nothing but Jason Statham films. Samson is basically River from firefly, but if you wiped her memory and gave her the most boring job on the ship."

I commended him on his representation of these characters and asked if he had plans to mold them further, and his answer was an enthusiastic yes. That's just one of the many great things to look forward to if (when?) season two comes to pass! The script has allowed for further exploration of the characters, setting them loose in new scenarios and providing real consequences to show what they're made of. "...they are left to wander out in the massive world and find their place", says Harum.

A season two script screen shot from the Kickstarter video.

One thing that stood out to me in season one was the lack of female characters. The viewer sees women only a few times, and I wondered if it was a lack of actresses or a lack of interest in writing a female role. It turns out that it was intentional:

"Transolar's lack of a female presence in Season 1 comes more from what we wanted to do with the show, leaving a whole bunch of already stressed out males, crammed in a metal tube in space, lacking pretty much any female presence."

His answer was one that I didn't expect, to be sure. Harum went on to talk about his preference for writing female characters, and the fact that season two will feature strong female characters, including one named Captain Ashley Quinn that will have "one of the most important roles" for season two. His influences for creating a strong, believable, and decorated Captain come from the game series Mass Effect and his experiences with the female Shepard.

Everything that he said excited me more and more about the second season. I especially want to see this strong female lead and more of his truly laugh-out-loud writing. In closing, Harum had this to say:

"I want (the fans) to know that I appreciate everything they have done for us already, like always keeping me inspired to keep making this show. I want them to know that all their favorite characters (and even some of their least favorite) will be back for Season 2, and that it is going to blow them away. Pieces we are willing to reveal: The climax of the UGCA and Locus Assembly's Civil war is the least of the Transolar's problems, as an ancient force threatens to put the entire universe in danger... Look for hints hidden throughout our teasers and videos since the end of season 1 and you may find more than you thought was there... I think that's it? I mainly just want to thank everybody for supporting my sci fi nerdiness and for enjoying the show."

I hope everyone will take some time to check out Transolar Galactica season one on youtube or the Transolar website! Maybe put a few bucks toward the Kickstarter if you like what you see? Season two can only happen if they reach their goal of $30,000 by midnight on October 28th! They have some really great reward tiers too, like DVD sets, t-shirts, posters, special inclusion in the show, and more! Be sure to lend your support and "like" the Transolar Galactica Facebook page as well!

Watch their awesome Kickstarter video and see even more of what they can do!

Has anyone watched it already? Who's your favorite character? I think mine might be Reggie.

-MJ

*quote taken from the Kickstarter page

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Get Your Intergalactic RTS on with Planetary Annihilation.

One of the newest and more promising games pumping through the Kickstarter veins is Planetary Annihilation from Uber Entertainment. It's an RTS that promises unique and exciting experiences never before offered in a real time strategy through planet domination and maps that are never exactly alike. The company is also boasting a client-server model which benefits the player so that the game runs on the company servers, effectively freeing up the player's machines to run games with less lag.

A screen shot of Planetary Annihilation's planet select screen. Source.

The team at Uber Entertainment has games such as Total Annihilation, Supreme Commander, and other popular RTSs under their collective belts, so gamers can believe that they'll be delivered a seasoned and comprehensive RTS experience. Their Kickstarter has been going since the 16th and has already passed the halfway mark of their $900k goal. It seems likely that they'll achieve their amount by the time September 14th rolls around, and hopefully gamers will be delivered a truly exciting and new RTS experience.

Games such as StarCraft and Dawn of War have the genre fairly well covered, and nearly perfected. While there are plenty of strategy games that take place in space, Planetary Annihilation promises a hectic, planet-hopping good time. Check out their Kickstarter video and saunter over to their Kickstarter page if you'd like to donate. Only $20 gets you the full game on either PC or Mac once it's released!

If you're feeling particularly generous and excited, a $1,000 donation will get you a custom in-game character that only you can play. That's pretty neat! Are there any pumped RTS folk out there?

-MJ

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PA Kickstarter creeps close to 450k goal

The Penny Arcade Kickstarter has been going for almost a month now, and while at the time of this writing they've made $410k, almost twice their $250k goal, they're still a far cry from their ultimate and still-secret goals at the one million dollar mark.

Penny Arcade’s undertaking is straightforward and still fascinating: raise enough money to make the site ad free for an entire year. Be sure to read their Kickstarter for full information, but here's a short summary: eliminating ads, and therefore the time needed to organize, sign on, and create advertising content, would free up time for a plethora of new and exciting projects.

I was surprised at first, because I don't find their ads to be intrusive. I'd even say that it's easy to forget Penny Arcade even has ads. The ads on the site don't include flashing images, bright colors or sounds, and they never pop out and take over the user's screen. Each ad is carefully chosen, and games are only advertised if they have first been played, and more importantly enjoyed, by the Penny Arcade team. They are ads that can be trusted, assuming you respect Penny Arcade’s opinion.

Once one understands that the ad removal is less about the actual ads and more about sparing time for new projects, then it's easier to rev up your excitement engines and start kicking money toward all of the goals.

Penny Arcade Kickstarter goals that have been achieved so far.

Personally, I find their goals to be awesome and inventive. Fans can, so far, expect the leader-board ad to be gone for a year, a new six page Automata comic, and a cosplay event from Jerry Holkins aka Tycho from Penny Arcade. The next goal to be reached is titled 'Strip Search,' and will be a reality style show about up and coming webcomics.

It's amazing to see the list of ideas that the Penny Arcade team has formed, and it seems that the fans and community at large are anxious to help the goals come about.

Mysterious Penny Arcade Kickstarter goals.

However, the highest goal sits at a whopping $1.4 million. Other Kickstarters may have reached into the millions, but those all had a tangible reward, i.e. something to buy, have, or use once funding had been reached. In the instance of Penny Arcade, the money simply goes toward paying the Penny Arcade corporation. This isn't a bad thing though. As stated on their Kickstarter page, a lot of fans want to contribute financially but aren't interested in purchasing books or t-shirts. And truly, there's nothing all that strange about paying for a product that one enjoys. Penny Arcade is merely allowing fans to help fund them directly.

They're breaking new ground and very likely starting the wing flaps of a revolution. I'm very curious to know where it all goes and if they try it again next year. It doesn't seem likely that they'll make all of their goals, and it doesn't seem realistic to ask people to contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars every single year. That's really the only part where I draw up short: what will happen next year? Where will Penny Arcade go from here? They've said themselves that they have no idea, but they really want to explore the "what if's" of the situation.

Lookouts: Daughters of Eyrewood preview drawing from the Penny Arcade Kickstarter.

As a huge fan of Penny Arcade and a believer in chasing your dreams in general, I hope that the Penny Arcade Kickstarter exceeds all of my wildest imaginings and Mike will get to draw to his heart's content. If we're lucky, the world will soon know more about the Daughters of Eyrewood, we'll get a free Twisp and Catsby children's book, and I'll finally get to cruise around the PA website via a custom made app! Man, who cares* what they do next year, this year is going to be awesome!

-MJ

*actually I do care, I'd love to see all of the incredible, amazing, inspiring things that Penny Arcade dreams up year after year after year All images taken from the Penny Arcade Kickstarter site

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'+5 Food of Eating' Cookbook Kickstarter

Some people that I follow on tumblr post really awesome geek related cooking recipes. The majority of them are actually alcoholic beverages, but some people also post real life food items that can be found in-game. The Gourmet Gaming tumblr most notably comes to mind.

And now, we have something else food and geek related in the works.

The "+5 Food of Eating" cookbook kickstarter promises an RPG centric cookbook filled with simple, diverse culinary alternatives that are safe to have around our delicate character sheets. I think the premise is really great: we could all use something healthier and more interesting than pizza at every board game, tabletop, movie or TV night. (Not that I don't love pizza. Do not get me wrong there.)

The $3500 goal will go toward publishing fees, contributing artists, and practice ingredients to level grind those recipes to perfection! For only $15 the donator even gets a copy of the book once it has been released. You can bet that I got in on that, I think that this is a really fun and interesting idea!

I really hope that she includes themed foods, like Mario Creme Pies, or Altair Chicken Casadillas. I don't know how they'll become those things, but the creative powers at the helm will figure something out I'm sure!

-MJ

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