They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week we sit down with podcaster, game designer, and occasional guest writer Tanner Meservier. What does he love when he’s not podcasting or gaming? Spoiler alert: fighting Grimms, nostalgic games, passionate podcasters, and virtual tablestops! Curious? Read on for more!
Anime
I love RWBY.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, RWBY follows the story of four girls on their way to becoming professional combatants who keep mankind safe from shadowy creatures called Grimm. It was created by Monty Oum and is produced by Rooster Teeth.
The show succeeds on so many levels. Let me break it down for you.
Its visual design is top notch, which is an absolute must for an animated show.
The world is a deep, rich, and well-developed place full of its own people, places, myths, and legends.
The show’s cast of characters are complex, particularly its leading ladies. The writers aren’t afraid to let them be real people with all the desires, strengths, flaws and vulnerabilities that define them.
The voice acting done by the Rooster Teeth in-house staff is phenomenal.
Oh, and that soundtrack. Every season I buy it the literal second it’s released because it’s amazing.
If you had told me years ago that I would be going to the creators of Red vs Blue for one of the best female fronted shows on the small screen, I would have said you were crazy. Yet here we are. Season 5 just ended, and I can’t wait for season 6 which is coming this fall.
If you haven’t checked it out, you owe it to yourself to do so. Like, right now. Go!
Games
About six months ago a friend of mine called me and asked me to join a podcast and streaming project he wanted to create… about Pokémon. Now, almost twenty full years after the game’s released in the United States, I find myself returning to the familiar lands of Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn as part of Blast Burn Radio. Revisiting the games as an adult has been a fascinating experience.
First off, I’ve discovered the nostalgia is real. Especially for those original 150 released in Pokémon Red and Blue. Despite this, older me sees these games through a very different lens. I am much more critical of some of the game’s early design choices and game mechanics (or lack thereof). At the same time, I am simultaneously blown away by how well the world of Pokémon stands up twenty full years later. We just finished our Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal series and despite a few rough edges, the games are still fun, well designed, and engaging.
I’m so glad I returned to the franchise.
Podcast
Speaking of returning to my childhood, I just started listening to The Morphin Grid.
This podcast created by Jake Mason and Josh Nichols has them watching every episode of Power Rangers in chronological order and discussing them. I’m totally hooked. I had completely forgotten how absolutely invested I was in Power Rangers as a kid. I watched it all the time. I had the toys. I saved up my allowance for months to buy the White Tiger Megazord. This was my first lesson about saving money for the things you want.
As an adult looking back, Power Rangers is ridiculously 90’s. The style, structure of the episodes, and characters feel very dated. Its plots are sometimes confusing, if not outright ridiculous, even for a kids’ show. There are also times when the cut footage from the original Japanese source material doesn’t really match up quite right. I don’t care though; I love every minute of it.
These guys do too. They are passionate about the series and it shows. Add in that they are funny and genuinely entertaining, and the podcast is absolutely worth a listen.
Power VTT
I make no secret of the fact that I’m a tabletop gamer.
I was introduced to the hobby at the age of fifteen, and I’ve been running games ever since. My love of gaming has been one of the few true constants throughout my life. The thing I love most about gaming is that it grows with me. The more I grow as a person, friend, husband, etc., so too do the stories I share with my friends. I’m always looking for better tools to enhance the experience for my players and boy did I find one.
Power VTT is a virtual tabletop. In essence, it’s a tool that allows players to play games like Dungeons and Dragons online. With a built-in map editor, a marketplace for art, die rolling systems, etc., it’s an amazing tool. Where Power VTT is differentiating itself from its competitors is in ease of use, quality of presentation, and an aggressive feature-rich roadmap, including but not limited to 3D Dice collections, Fog of War, Custom Compendiums, social tools to help you find games, and so much more.
Currently, I use Power VTT for battle maps.
When everyone comes by my house for a game I put our combat right up on the TV. With beautiful map assets and tokens for each player’s characters, everyone can see exactly where they are, what’s around them, and the positions of the enemy. It’s fantastic.
Like most other VTTs out there my company Mythic Portal Games creates art assets for sale in the marketplace. However, I chose to highlight Power VTT specifically because I would be using the tool even if I didn’t. It’s just that good.
If you play Dungeons and Dragons or any other Table Top RPG I highly recommend checking them out.
Tanner Meservier is a lot of things. Podcaster, Game Designer, Comic Enthusiast. Most of the time though he is just a loving husband to Nancy O’Toole Meservier at their home in Lewiston, Maine (AKA the Frozen North). His company Mythic Portal Games creates digital assets for virtual tabletops. You can follow Tanner @MeserEngine on Twitter or at the Mythic Portal Games Facebook Page.
No Comments