Author | Michael Holland

Michael Holland is a writer, a gamer and an avid reader. He recently graduated from IUPUI with a degree in English Literature with a focus on horror, fantasy and science fiction. He has been published in IUPUI's art and literary magazine Genesis and also writes about games and game related topics for Examiner.com as well as reviews for Flames Rising.


The Book of Vile Darkness 4E Review

Posted on July 9, 2012 by

Playing evil characters in Dungeons & Dragons has always been a touchy subject. For the most part the fourth edition of the game has avoided the pitfall of “evil player characters” by assuming most groups are playing heroes or alignment neutral characters. Occasionally options appear which allow players to skirt the boundaries of evil without actually stepping over the edge. The Book of Vile Darkness provides gamers with advice and tools to explore the darker side of fantasy adventure whether the goal is a complete immersion in the “evil campaign” or to just add a little more “evil” to your villains.

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Horrors: Great Stories of Fear and Their Creators Review

Posted on June 20, 2012 by

Horror is a particular genre which lures the masses into its embrace and then pushes us to the very edge. A well written story can invoke pure terror. A well filmed movie can make us scream even though we know we are safe from the horrors on the screen. A carefully crafted ghost story can bring us to the absolute limits of fright and leave us lingering there, sleepless for days on end. Although many dream of crafting the kinds of masterpieces which tear at our very psyches few ever reach that lofty goal. Those who do become nothing less than legends.

In the graphic novel Horrors: Great Stories of Fear and Their Creators writer Rocky Wood and illustrator Glenn Chadbourne have given dark life to their own dark tale.

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Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Emporium Review

Posted on June 11, 2012 by

Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Emporium is the third magical item supplement for Dungeons and Dragons Fourth Edition and was written by Jeremy Crawford, Stephen Schubert and Matt Sernett. Much like its predecessors (Adventurer’s Vault and Adventurer’s Vault 2) the book is packed full of the kinds of adventuring gear that players love to collect for their characters but unlike the previous two tomes of lore this book has been injected with a healthy dose of flavor as well.

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The Dungeon Survival Handbook Review

Posted on June 8, 2012 by

Evil has always lurked deep underneath the ground and now Lolth’s children are clawing their way to the surface to consume the realms of Dungeons & Dragons. Few will survive the coming darkness. Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook is the first roleplaying game supplement released by Wizards of the Coast as part of The Rise of the Underdark ongoing event.

Sightings of dark elves on the surface have grown steadily—turning from dismissible rumors into disturbing reports. Brave heroes are needed to discover what plot or purpose is driving the children of Lolth to so boldly intrude upon our realm. Drow-laden encounters and challenges await you in stores everywhere—along with an array of products that will help you in your attempt to survive The Rise of the Underdark.

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Haunted Temples Map Pack Review

Posted on June 4, 2012 by

Wizards of the Coast has released more support product for the tactical play style of Dungeons & Dragons 4E. The Haunted Temples Map Pack is a collection of three full-color, double-sided maps which come in packaging which converts into a convenient envelope to protect the maps in transportation and storage.

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Cathedral of Chaos Review

Posted on June 1, 2012 by

Wizards of the Coast’s latest dungeon tile set, Cathedral of Chaos, arrived in the mail today. I am an avid collector of dungeon tiles and I use them quite often at my game table so please keep that in mind when I say Cathedral of Chaos is both the best dungeon tile set I have seen in quite a while as well as the worst.

The set provides quite a few interesting architectural pieces as well as several inspired tiles which made me cheer as I popped them out. Smoke filled tiles, demolished areas, raised daises and ice/fire tiles add a lot of interesting terrain options to a DM’s arsenal.

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