by Alenka Figa | Aug 8, 2022 | Reviews
In Shing Yin Khor’s Remember August, players exchange letters with a former friend who’s become unmoored in time. The live game was played by mail (or email, or digital files) in February 2022, with Khor sending out letters through the USPS that players could respond to and send back to themselves with the assurance that August, the recipient, would find and read them in their journeys through time. Rather than leaving randomness up to dice rolls or other typical game mechanics, Remember August used the postal service. Letters could arrive out of order or not at all, changing the narrative and the player’s response to it. (more…)
Alenka Figa is a queer librarian obsessed with D&D podcasts that have solid queer rep. They frequently tweet about them @alenkafiga. Catch their reviews of zines and indie comics over at Women Write About Comics.
by Alenka Figa | Jan 31, 2022 | Uncategorized
Usually we try to have a clear theme here in our monthly roundtables, but you know what? New year, new us, as they say. Instead of focusing on one thing or another, we’re just looking forward. What do we see on the horizon? What are we hoping to see on the horizon? What are we settling in with in this cold and cozy month? (more…)
Melissa Brinks is Sidequest’s editor in chief, co-creator of the Fake Geek Girls podcast, author of The Compendium of Magical Beasts, and an aspiring beekeeper. She once won an argument on the internet, and tweets at @MelissaBrinks.
by Alenka Figa | Dec 28, 2021 | Features, Tabletop Games
It feels very special to follow a story to its conclusion. I wasn’t an original listener of the D20 Dames podcast, but I’ve been with this story long enough that reaching the end is both emotional—and joyful! D20 Dames is full of laughter and light. The players constantly pause to respect or bemoan their terrible puns, even awarding each other inspiration for the best and worst bits of wordplay. Kat Kruger, the DM, often surprises her players by having her NPCs try to understand an offhand joke within the context of the world, resulting in the invention of delicacies such as bagels and “gluten free” bread. Each of the players and the DM bring a joy and lightness to the story even when it touches on dark themes, and it’s that overarching sense of joy that would make D20 Dames a perfect all-ages comic.
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Alenka Figa is a queer librarian obsessed with D&D podcasts that have solid queer rep. They frequently tweet about them @alenkafiga. Catch their reviews of zines and indie comics over at Women Write About Comics.
by Alenka Figa | Aug 16, 2021 | Reviews, Video Games
I have written before about how I’m a picky gamer and pretty much only want to play visual novels myself (although I will watch other people play games). I’m glad I found three short games in the giant game bundle for racial justice equality that interested me, but I also found something I didn’t expect—a long game that I enjoyed! (For me, a “long” game is a game that takes more than an hour.) It fit all my requirements: no difficult controls or mechanics, but lots of story and character development. Throw in little tidbits of lore about the ghost world and hell and a motley crew of characters with sweet, scary, complex stories, and you’ve got my perfect game: Speed Dating for Ghosts.
Content warning for light/stylized depictions of mouth and eye trauma, as well as brief discussion of prolonged bleeding, at the end of the piece.
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Alenka Figa is a queer librarian obsessed with D&D podcasts that have solid queer rep. They frequently tweet about them @alenkafiga. Catch their reviews of zines and indie comics over at Women Write About Comics.
by Alenka Figa | May 31, 2021 | Roundtables, Tabletop Games
Sometimes there’s a perception that stories from your own tabletop games are a bit like dreams—unless you were there to experience it, they’re not all that interesting. We here at Sidequest largely disagree; it’s why we started the Let Me Tell You About My OC series, and it’s why this month’s roundtable is all about the fun we’ve been having in our tabletop games recently. Share in our recent tabletop trials and tribulations below, and let us know what fun you’ve been having in our comments section! (more…)
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