Tom Wright

Your car many never do the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, but this seat belt cover will make it look like you co-piloted the ship that holds the record. It’s a handmade cover that looks just like Chewbacca’s bandolier with fur. It easily attaches with Velcro and measures about 19″ long to fit a wide range of vehicles. You can also use it on a messenger bag or guitar strap.

See another picture after the break…

Product Page ($21.99 This Is Why I’m Broke)

Just look at it! The design is made for practical uses and everyday cosplay - it's got to be the easiest way to dress like a tauntaun. I mean, it even has horns and guts. It's apparent WeLoveFine put a lot of thought into the hoodie and included plenty of small touches.

For example, the zipper pull is a lightsaber. So, you slice open the sweatshirt with your lightsaber to reveal and crawl into the guts! And, the guts are made from a shiny satin material so they actually look slimy and have a different texture from the rest of the hoodie. Freaking brilliant.



It's priced at $59 and given the level of detail, that seems fair. Like most hoodies, it's listed in men's sizes but it's pretty much unisex. Just check the sizing chart before you order. As a fan of Star Wars, I'm so excited that hoodies like this are being made - who knows what other awesome designs it will lead to?

Get a tauntaun hoodie to call your own over at WeLoveFine!

(via Reddit)

In 2012, Lover Letter and Coup came out and grabbed the attention of the hobby game world. These two games have basically defined a new genre of gaming - a genre that's always existed, but until now hasn't really been "a thing." These two games have started a "microgame" revolution, and over the last year more and more people have jumped on board.

What is a "microgame?" Simply put, a microgame is a game with minimal components and a minimal footprint. Love Letter and Coup consist of just 15 or 16 cards and some tokens, they are highly portable, don't take very long, but still provide a fun and interesting game experience.  As such, these types of games make excellent fillers - they fit in nicely while waiting for people to arrive, or while another game wraps up. They're also great to take on the go, so you can always have a game on hand. Most of these microgames can be played almost anywhere, not taking up much table space.

Over the last year or so, the whole idea of microgames has become very popular. Many games have been promoted with portability as a selling point, and people are excited to get a lot of bang for just a little buck. As it happens, these low component games tend to come with a lower price tag as well, and when the prices of board games have been climbing, I'm sure the lower cost of entry is a factor. Right this minute I'm listening to Dice Hate Me's State of Games podcast which is all about mini, micro, and portable games, in which Chris, Darrell, and TC each list off their favorite portable games.

Michael is a fan of this format, and to take it a step further he's happy to have found a way to deliver such a game in an affordable manner. So long as a game does not exceed 1/4" in thickness and 3 ounces in weight, the USPS considers it a letter with a non-machinable surcharge rather than a parcel, which makes a huge difference in shipping cost. He's already leveraged this discovery in 2 Kickstarter projects: Dungeon Roll Winter Promo had 5 cards and a punchboard, and Michael's own Werewolf style game, Templar Intrigue, had just 10 cards. Due to the inexpensive shipping and minimal components of these games, Michael has been able to use a Kickstarter format he's been wanting to use for a long time: Pay what you want. He's included a minimum just to cover delivery, but he's allowed backers to pay whatever they want beyond that. Those 2 projects were successful, so TMG is at it again with Coin Age, by Adam McIver. Coin Age is currently on Kickstarter, and it has caught fire - the game consists of merely a map card and pocket change.

Edit: Due to the overwhelming success of the Kickstarter project so far, an additional map has been added, and we're likely to reach another stretch goal to add a 3rd!

This format is beginning to catch on, and mini- or microgames have been seen on Kickstarter from several publishers. Games such as Council of Verona, from Crash Games, for example. Or their 5 card so called "nanogame" Where Art Thou Romeo in the same universe (currently on Kickstarter as well). Patrick Nickell has embraced the Pay What You Want format for WATR as well.

As I've posted before, I've thrown my hat in the microgame ring... MicroCiv is a 2 player (maybe 3 player) civ game with just 18 cards and 16 tiles, which I will eventually re-theme to the Eminent Domain universe. In addition to that, I designed a free game for my Twitter followers called Quick Change, which uses nothing but 10 coins and 3 dice per player. I'm playing around with a card game similar to Quick Change which is playable with a standard playing card deck.

TMG has some more portable games lined up from some of our favorite designers that I'm not at liberty to talk about yet. It's interesting to see the breadth of design space with such strict component limits. At BGDF.com we have a Game Design Showdown each month which similarly challenges designers to come up with a game based on some arbitrary theme, mechanics, or component restrictions. This reminds me of those challenges.

On one hand, it's exciting to see the enthusiasm people have for these small games. On the other hand, for the pessimistic lover of deeper games, it's worrisome that people may gravitate away from the 1-2 hour long strategy games in favor of these 15-30 minute games which are, almost by definition, not as deep or complex. I'm pretty sure that concern is for nothing, but it would be a shame to see my favorite types of games go by the wayside because they're just not as profitable as microgames - they take a lot more time and work to create, they cost a lot more to produce, and they cannot be delivered in any logistically efficient manner.

So when looking at these small games, I try to keep an eye out for that "bang for the buck" metric. I'm personally most interested in games with as much depth, complexity, and replayability as can be packed into these tiny packages. As a player of economic, resource management eurogames, I'm especially excited by one of the TMG submissions we've got right now... it's a small game, just 30 or so cards and some markers, but it plays like a full-on worker placement, resource management, economic strategy game. I'm looking forward to that one, and I'm hoping I can pack as much punch into MicroCiv as possible. On the down side, complexity tends to make a game less accessible, but on the up side, it makes the game more replayable and in my opinion it makes for a much more worthwhile game experience.

One more thing about these PWYW kickstarter projects... I'm happy to find that with such a small component cost, people seem to be willing to pay more than the minimum. That seems to indicate that, so long as the component cost isn't too high, people really do value game content after all! I wonder if that would work for a bigger, more expensive game, or if a "Pay What You Want, minimum $30" would effectively translate into "this game costs $30." At < $5 it's easier to throw in an extra buck or two, but at $30 I'm not sure people will be so willing.

Actor Dante Basco will never leave behind his past as Rufio in Hook. He goes to what seems to be an audition for A Streetcar Named Desire, and it turns out the people casting the production really just want him to say his lines from the memorable movie. They’re huge fans and rope him into saying “You’re the Pan” and everything. I mean, Rufio is awesome – and so is this comedic short. Hilarious.

Watch the video after the break.

(via BuzzFeed)

If you’ve never heard Leonard Nimoy’s spectacular song “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins,” you’re missing out. It’s spectacular and so is the video that was made to go with the song – like Star Wars Holiday Special spectacular. IGN managed to get the cast of The Desolation of Smaug to perform a dramatic reading of the catchy and weird tune and somehow, they make it work. Listening to Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, and others say the lyrics so seriously that they turn the ballad into an engaging story – it’s kinda perfect.

See the readings and the original song after the break.

(IGN via CNET)

The many faces of Khan are waiting to greet whoever visits Annie Shapiro. She made an epic, genetically superior wreath featuring Khan from the Wrath of Khan of course, and I don’t have the words. It’s ridiculously creative. I hope someone takes this idea and makes one for the modern version of the character so that it’s full of Benedict Cumberbatch. If you have printed images, you could probably use Mod Podge to decoupage the pictures onto a wood or plastic wreath.

(via Twitter)

Boldly wait in the carpool line to pickup your kids with these Star Trek family car decals. You’ll get 32 decals featuring 23 different characters from the original series.

-Tall characters (4 3/4″ tall): Capt. Kirk, Spock, Nurse Chapel, Uhura, McCoy, Sulu, Scotty, Chekov, Yeoman Rand, Romulan (female), Andorian, Gorn, Isis, Klingon (male), Orion (female)
-Short characters (3 3/4″ tall): Capt. Kirk x 2, Spock x 2, Nurse Chapel x 2, Uhura, Chekov
-Other: M-113 Creature (5 3/4″ tall) , Mugato (4 1/2″), Tribbles (1″) x 6, Star Trek logo

So, does a tribble represent the family cat or the family dog? Or are they hamsters?

See more pictures after the break…

Product Page ($14.99)

Ouch. These totally spot-on spoofs by artist Josh Mecouch of some of the most popular video games in history really hurt, especially for this diehard fan of Call of Duty–yep, not even COD is safe from the wrath of Josh.

Check out some more sad-but-true video game descriptions after the break…

You can check out the rest of Josh’s sad-but-true video game descriptions on Collegehumor.

The Hobbit finally got the Honest Trailer treatment. It’s definitely funny, especially for those of us who know exactly what we’re getting and will pony up to see all three of the movies anyway.

A few of my fave lines?

“Return to Middle Earth…and stay there. Way too long.”

“Meet 13 interchangeable dwarves”.

“Or, get the Extended edition to see even more singing and wandering around.”

Check it out after the break—we honestly think you will enjoy it.

Many fans went to midnight screenings of The Desolation of Smaug, but those who went to AMC Lincoln Square in New York City got a special treat – Ian McKellen showed up. Yes, he continues to be the most awesome. He teases about the dragon scenes going on a bit too long and mentions that Peter Jackson thinks it’s the best film of his five Middle Earth movies so far. The audience flips out and gives McKellen a warm welcome, and they refrain from charging the stage or asking for hugs (thankfully).

Watch the audience’s reaction after the break.

(io9 via Geekosystem)

Oh, the nostalgia bug bit me pretty hard once I watched Arcattack’s Tesla coil version of the classic Inspector Gadget theme song.

Why more musicians don’t feature Tesla coil solos on their albums is beyond me–it’s musical lightning, people!

Check out the video after the break…

(via Geeks are Sexy)

Artist Brian Lai came up with a very unique homage to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine—inverted sketches. It’s one of a kind art, that’s for sure.

Check out a few more examples of his art and watch a video to see how he makes it after the break…

(via Geekologie)

Artist Mike Maihack has given us a cute Supergirl and Batgirl Christmas comic before, and this year he’s at it again. Supergirl is decorating everything in sight and it’s wonderful, but it’s possible Batgirl thinks she’s gone one step too far.

See the full comic after the break…

(via Mike Maihack’s twitter)

When a woman asked if cows moo with different accents during her call into the How to Do Everything podcast, the hosts went to the one and only source for all things accentual.

Sir Patrick Stewart.

His attention to detail, his commitment to excellence, his variety of “moos” are all astounding.

No wonder they knighted him.

Check it out after the break.

(via Geekosystem)

Line Rainville has been a fan of Star Trek: The Original Series since she was young. Decades later, she took her love for the show to another level: she added Star Trek scenes and details all over her house. It started in the basement with a themed home theater, but then, as all good things do, it got bigger. She’s re-created parts of Spock’s room, the transporter area, the bridge, and more. She even re-created a food replicator. I applaud her enthusiasm and dedication.

The renovation took about $30,000 and a year’s worth of time, and for a Trek fan, I can’t imagine it getting much better.

See more images of the decor after the break.

(CNET via Dvice)

(via George Takei)

It’s winter, which means you still have an excuse to make paper snowflakes – not that you need one. Sonia Harris of Comic Book Resources has invested some time and creativity into coming up with superheroic paper snowflake designs. They feature Batman, Storm, Punisher, Wonder Woman, and Iron Man, and they are fabulous. The designs are intricate but not so much so that you need an X-acto knife and buckets of patience. Once you’ve downloaded the patterns, you should be able to knock these out in an hour or so.

Check out more examples after the break.

Download the templates and instructions for the snowflakes at Comic Book Resources.

Wherever I go… it wont stop staring. Oh, no! It’s a possessed paper dinosaur! Kill it with fire! Kill it with fire!

Ok, sorry about that. Yeah, this cutesy-but-still-kinda-creepy T-rex statue really pushes my buttons. I guess I have master illusionist Brusspup to thank for that–the devious trickster was inspired by the famous dragon illusion by Jerry Andrus, which involves designing a 2D figure that’s titled at just the right angle to give the illusion of movement. Brusspup shot a nifty video so you can get a better idea of how the statue works.

Check out the video after the break…

(via Sploid)

This cover of the theme song to Back to the Future is simply incredible. It’s the work of Gregory Johnson of Acoustic Labs who will make you wish you never gave up those guitar lessons you started taking when you were just a kid. Turn up the volume and enjoy.

See the video after the break…

(via Geeks are Sexy)

I was going to do the decision making process of cats but it involved too much murder.

Tote bags have a come long way since I was younger. I used to dread getting them because the designs were ugly and they just took up closet space. That's changed in the past five or so years as I've come to appreciate having tote bags on hand for shopping and storage and the designs have improved by leaps and bounds thanks to the availability of licensed fabrics. The Bag Depot uses those fabrics but also has plenty of neat designs to make tote bags cool. So cool that they could probably convice the Doctor to start carrying them.

I am dazzled by the variety of styles available in their shop. Not only do they have bags in different sizes from shoulder totes to messenger bags to makeup bags, they cover just about every fandom you can imagine. Star Wars, Doctor Who, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Lord of the Rings, Disney, Harry Potter... the list keeps going. Some totes even incorporate embroidery or logos. Yeah. They're awesome. Here are a few examples of what you can get.






The prices are just right for handmade bags that you can use over and over again - they start around $30. Check out their shop and if you don't see exactly what you want, reach out to them - they take custom orders.

Christmas is close, but you've still got 12 days. That's plenty of time to run to retail stores, order online, and get everything you need for the people on your shopping list. If you're stumped on what to get the geek in your life, I have some suggestions that might help get you on the right track.

Adventure Time Lumpy Space Princess candle! And she's wearing a sweater! Sold! More exclamation points! This is a great idea for the adult Adventure Time fan in your life. While we're on the subject of Adventure Time, the trade paperbacks and graphic novels from Boom! Studios are just awesome.
The  Doctor Who Christmas specials make a great gift idea for the holidays. BBC has last year's special, The Snowmen, with a set of five ornaments for $19.99. Get just one or make it a bundle by buying more Who Christmas specials or adding toys. Gifts with themes make me happy.

You can't go wrong if you shop for the fangirl in your life at Her Universe. Skirts, jewelry, leggings, hoodies, t-shirts - it's all top quality and the shop has plenty of fun designs. I'd be happy if every Christmas present I got was from Her Universe.

If you really want to treat someone, get them a fancy maquette from Gentle Giant, Ltd or Sideshow. This Holiday Special Boba Fett is droolworthy and though it won't ship until Q2, I bet the recipient is okay with waiting.

Valar Morghulis. Giving a loved one a coin that says "All men must die" might not seem like the nicest sentiment, but a Game of Thrones fan will flip right out over the Iron Coin of the Faceless Man. The makers of the coins, Shire Post, also make tons of other Game of Thrones coins and Wheel of Time.

Who isn't a sucker for carefully crafted prop replicas? Etsy seller deMiguel Replicas has a few and this replica of Thror's Map blows me away. You'll find similar gems in his shop that will make movie and fantasy buffs pleased.

We all know a Disney fan or several, and Hot Topic has so many apparel and accessory options for Disney that it's not funny. It's dangerous for wallets. You can find Peter Pan tanks, Disney princess stuff, and more.
Art is a wonderful gift. Acme Archives Direct has licensed options across the board including Disney, Star Wars, Halo, and the gorgeous Indiana Jones print pictured above. If you know someone who says they're out of wall space, get them a print and a nice portfolio - that specific brand of portfolio holds half of my art collection.

If you know someone who LOVES Star Wars, give him or her a unique gift with a membership to Rancho Obi-Wan. You'd be helping support a non-profit museum that showcases Steve Sansweet's hundreds of thousands of Star Wars collectibles. Trust me, it's special and any fan would love to be a small part of it.

If you're purchasing any of these items online, be sure to check the shipping schedule to make sure the package has enough time to arrive. Though I think it's acceptable to give adults a "it will be here soon, I promise" note, I know it's not ideal.

Feel free to make additional recommendations!

Oh, Syfy, you bring all the crazy to the yard. Once again we’re getting shark-filled action with Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark and it looks terrible in a fantastic way. There’s a great big real shark. There’s a great big robot shark. They battle. They break things. They freak out some airline pilots. Debbie Gibson is in it.

This upcoming Movie of the Week just can’t get here fast enough to satiate the robot shark, Debbie Gibson-loving masses.

See the video after the break…

(via io9)

In case you've forgotten, it's the holidays. If you're like me, your shopping isn't even close to being finished. If you have any Star Wars fans on your list or any women who like leggings, I've created a couple of lists to to help you out:


Six Gifts For The Star Wars Fan On Your List [Gift Guide] - Everything from chargers to kitchen accessories to clothing. May the Force be with your gift list.

The internet can find similarities between just about any two people possible – for example, Will Ferrell and Jennifer Lawrence. It makes absolutely no sense on the surface but someone with time on his or her hands slowed Katniss’ voice down to 25% for the infamous “I volunteer as tribute” line and discovered she sounds like Will Ferrell. Like, pretty much exactly. It’s crazy.

Hear for yourself in the video after the break.

(via BuzzFeed)

Squirrels are naturally gifted engineers but are unfortunately also wildly vengeful critters.

The real story behind the cover of Action Comics #1 came to me in a dream. I, of course, had to draw it.

Yes, I know car alarms didn't exist in 1939. Don't ruin my fun.

Apparently, we also need a Dutch oven.