The elevator pitch for "Night’s Black Agents" is to imagine Jason Borne meets vampires.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Weird
The American West assumes a large part of American fiction. And colonizing violence influences most RPGs. It is most expressly the case in Deadlands, the setting from the Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
Rage against the dying of the light
Wraith: The Oblivion is that game about ghosts. More so than other games, Wraith: The Oblivion is a game about death and dealing with death. The game did not enjoy the popularity of the other White Wolf lines. But it did enjoy enough support that a Kickstarter for a lavish 20th-anniversary edition succeeded. Exploring the Wraith: The Oblivion is like looking into Nietzsche's abyss. But among other things, I am the kind of man who will toss a lit flashlight into the abyss to get a better look.
But is it art?
The artifact considered in this essay is a pop culture item. Specifically, the fifth edition of the Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) rules set. D&D has remained in publication for more than 40 years. This fantasy game inspired the creation of the entire role-playing game (RPG) hobby, influenced the development of computer games, inspired movies, and triggered political movements according to Aaron Trammel and his history of the hobby. The game is a part of American popular culture, with an impact difficult to measure (Trammell, 2013). The question is, can RPGs – as typified by D&D fifth edition – be considered an art form unto themselves?
God anointed Saul the Fool
Let us say God has anointed Trump this way. So, what of it? God anointed King Saul as well – and if Trump has a biblical analog, it will be King Saul. Saul the anointed, the Saul who was a bad king, the Saul who disobeyed and angered God. Saul the fool.