Retroverse Released And In The Wild!

Last week, we interviewed Chris Lock, of Lasers and Liches, who bought the Tales of the Retroverse to us, a retro 80's style twist to the D&D universe.  The details of Kickstarter campaign setting can be found by going here.

Following the initial interview, which took place on Twitch on April 7th, and can be watched in the video below, the Kickstarter was then launched on April 10th, and within just a few days, got over 60% funded!
Stop on by the Kickstarter and join the world of Retroverse!

34 Things I Learned From Video Games

1. There is no problem that cannot be overcome with violence.
2. You can overcome most adversaries simply by having enough quarters.
3. If it moves, KILL IT!
4. Piloting an vehicle is simple and requires no training.
5. One lone “good guy” can defeat an indeterminate number of “bad guys.”
6. “Bad guys” move in predictable patterns.
7. Except for “Bosses,” most “bad guys” can be dispatched with one hit.
8. You often fair better against a large mob of “bad guys” then against a “boss” in one on one combat.
9. “Bosses” always hire henchmen weaker then they are to do their ‘muscle work’.
10. If you see food lying on the ground, eat it.
11. You can smash things and get away with it.
12. Smashing things doesn’t hurt.
13. Many nice things are hidden inside other things.
14. Cybernetics are our friends.
15. When driving, you can knock other vehicles off the road and get away with it.
16. If someone dies, they disappear.
17. Money is frequently found lying on the streets.
18. All shopkeepers carry high-tech weaponry.
19. If you get mad enough, you can fight even better than normal.
20. If it’s on the ground, you should get it.
21. Repulsive ugly, cannibalistic, evil beings have just as much right to be loved as heroic fighters.
22. The operation of a weapon is a simple and obvious procedure.
23. You never run out of ammunition, just grenades.
24. No matter how long you fight, you can always fight again.
25. Death is reversible (but only for you).
26. Ninjas are common, and fight in public frequently.
27. Whenever huge fat evil men are about to die, they begin flashing red or yellow.
28. When you are born, you drop out of the sky (a stork?) and are completely invincible for a short time.
29. Although the enemy always have more aircraft than you, they fly in elaborate patterns which make it easier for you to shoot them all down.
30. All martial arts women wear revealing clothes and have great bodies.
31. All martial arts men have rippling muscles and angry expressions.
32. The enemy always leaves weapons or power ups lying around for no reason other than so their bitter enemy can pick them up and defeat them with it.
34. Shoot everything.  If it blows up or dies, it was evil.  If it doesn’t, try and pick it up…it was probably a power up or bonus.
35. Carpe diem!  You only live three times!
36. The most powerful fighters always wait until you have achieved a near impossible, flawless win record and/or killed a certain number of opponents before they appear in your presence and beat the crap out of you.
37. You sustain injury if you shoot the innocents.
38. 200-1 odds against you is NOT a problem.
39. Gang members frequently all look the same, and often have the same names.
40. When racing vehicles, do not worry if your vehicle crashes and explodes.  A new vehicle will appear in its place.

ThreadReview: Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realm

ThreadReview: Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realm

Note: At time of review this game is still in early access, so some of the criticisms and features may not be reflective of the final product.

I currently live in rural England. Rural England, for those who do not know, is deprived of some of the now basics of modern life; such as a solid internet connection, cash machines and public transport that arrives more than once a month. Among many things it means the ability for me engaging in online games is utterly limited. I saw a few developers playing through Idle Champions and thought it might be a good game to download and play on my own.

The premise of the game is simple: It’s an idle clicker game set in the Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons and Dragons. You recruit champions such as Bruenor Battlehammer, Minsc and Nayeli Goldflower to go through side-scrolling adventures in the Forgotten Realms. Defeated foes yield gold that is used to recruit new champions and level up the existing parties’ abilities. Like in adventure parties around the world, your champion’s abilities can impact the damage of fellow champions. That, however, is dependent on where they are positioned in the battlefield in a system called “Formation Strategy”.

Despite the game being in early access there are frequent events and content updated weekly: from damage bonus weekends to special events to earn new champions. In particular, there have been a few events based around recruiting members of Force Grey, with only at the time of writing there being hints that you’ll be able to recruit Strix from “Dice, Camera, Action” in the near future. There is also some DLC already available on the Steam Store for more champions, equipment and chests (This games version of loot crates).

Yes…there are loot crates. These chests can be purchased for gems, which can be found in game as rewards for defeating bosses (every 5 levels) and from completing quests. There are two levels of chests, silver and gold, which drop gold, consumable items and equipment for your champions. 

While I do have issues around the use of loot crates in games, the way they are implemented in this game if fairly balanced and doesn’t enter into any kind of pay to win formula.

Since starting this review there has been a major update of sorts to the game. Familiars are basically auto-clickers that can be assigned to fulfil three different tasks: Clicking Monsters, Levelling up Champions and Click damage and finally using Ultimates. There are six different familiars currently available to buy and use; three of which are only available to be purchased with actual money.

I’ve logged over 224 hours into this game already and loved every second of it. The only issues I’ve encountered have been down to connecting to the server for online save. That is something I hope 

may change down the line as this game develops. Bottom line: If you love Dungeons and Dragons, free games and new content uploaded weekly then this is a game you must play!

-Tim

#Retroverse! The 80's Is Invading Dungeons and Dragons On April 10th!

Have you ever played Dungeons and Dragons and thought, "Man, this normal fantasy stuff is getting old.  I need something new, something fresh!  I need something radical!"

Well, you're in luck!  Introducing Retroverse, a D&D 5e universe from Lasers & Liches, that "resides in a place of half faded memories, barely remembered songs, lost childhood friends, outdated styles, abandoned dreams, lost playthings, vapor ware, and time corroded nostalgia," and is "a place both strange and familiar. A place for adventure, friendship, chaos, and the magic of yesteryear."

For those of us who lived though the 80's, this is a great idea for those who love playing D&D, and want to relive their childhoods through their imaginations.

Check out the trailer for it here:


This setting includes brand new monsters, races and classes!  The classes are:

1. Synthweaver
2. De-Fragger
3. Code Warlock
4. Goreangyr
5. Holo Knight
6. Glitch Hunter

The new races include:

1. Ceran
2. Wo-nari
3. Raich
4. Trog
5. New dragonborn variants (Neon, Laser, Tesla and Xenon)

On April 7th at 8:30 EST, myself Daquine, and two other fellow Thread Raiders, Thymbraeus, and Kanthos88 will interview Chris Lock, who is the lead designer of the Retroverse and Lasers and Liches on the Thread Raiders Twitch channel!  He can be found as Snickelsox on Twitter, so go visit him and give him a follow!  We'll also be playing a game of Retroverse the following Tuesday, April 10th, at 8pm EST on the same channel! 

Also, go check out the Lasers and Liches website!

Get ready to mingle with the past in a brand new setting!