2025 – Page 5 – PopCult Reviews

31 Days of Character Creation #15 – The One Ring 2e

I’ve always been a bit leery of tabletop RPGs derived from pre-established and highly developed settings. I think that can take away GM and player agency because you feel pressure to follow the lore rather than do your own worldbuilding.

31 Days of Character Creation #14 – Symbaroum

For today’s character we look to the grimdark world of Symbaroum. This is a nice blend of OSR elements, but also some of the more modern narrative-driven games. The setting is a step up from Mork Borg which is intentionally vague. Here we have a bleak world with more detail added, if that is your thing. Here’s how the game is described on its official webpage:

Explore the vast Forest of Davokar in the hunt for treasures, lost wisdoms and fame. Visit the barbarian clans to trade or to plunder their treasuries. Establish a base of power among princes, guilds or rebellious refugees in the capital city of Yndaros. Or survive encounters with Arch Trolls, dark-minded Blight Beasts and undead warlords. But whatever you do, never ignore the warnings spoken by the wardens of the forest: tread carefully and do not disturb the ruins of old, for the dark deep of Davokar is about to awaken.

PopCult Podcast – The Order/A Real Pain

A troubled FBI agent discovers a white supremacist conspiracy in rural Idaho. Two cousins embark on a tour in Poland to reconnect with their deceased grandmother.

31 Days of Character Creation #12 – Knave 2e

It’s back to some old school style fantasy but with some modern design twists. Knave 2e is a light system capable of big things. Character creation takes a matter of minutes, but you still end up with a lot of pieces to build off of. Here’s how the game is describe on its official website:

Knave 2e is an exploration-driven fantasy RPG and worldbuilding toolkit, inspired by the best elements of the Old-School DnD movement.

31 Days of Character Creation #10 – Star Trek Adventures 2e

As you might guess from the title of this system, it’s a Star Trek tabletop role playing game. Here’s the description from the official website:

From the 21st through to the 32nd century, join Starfleet, the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Star Empire, and countless other civilizations, and journey across the Star Trek universe with your crew. Explore strange new worlds, encounter fantastical alien life-forms, and engage in dramatic adventures in a detailed and immersive Galaxy.

Tell your stories and unravel the mysteries of the unknown!

PopCult Podcast – Wicked Part One/Y2k

We kick off a new year with two recent holiday releases. A young woman in Oz learns the truth behind the Wizard. A group of teenagers faces a millennial nightmare.

PopCult Review – The State of the Blog 2025

2024 was an excellent year for PopCult Reviews. It also had me thinking about the span of 2020 – 2025, where each year has brought in more & more views, changing the average range per month.

In 2024, my per-month average was over 15,000 views/per month. The peak was in January with 21,404 views and the lowest point was February with 10,974 views. Compare that to 2023, where the peak was December with 17,464 views, with the low point being February with 4,222 views.

31 Days of Character Creation 2025 #2 – Outgunned

Today’s character comes from Outgunned, a cinematic action tabletop roleplaying game. Here’s the description from the official website:

Outgunned is a cinematic action RPG inspired by the classics of the action and heist genre, from Die Hard to True Lies, passing through James Bond, Lethal Weapon, Kingsman, Ocean’s Eleven, Hot Fuzz, and the latest John Wick.

In Outgunned, Players take on the role of action Heroes facing terrible odds. They will be constantly surrounded by enemies while trying to carry out their mission, be it robbing a casino or saving the day.

January 2025 Posting Schedule

Film Series
[Hazy Shades of Winter – 2 Jan thru 20 Jan]
The Ice Storm, The Ascent, Ikiru, Winter Light, Fireworks, My Night at Maud’s, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Landscape Suicide, Stranger Than Paradise, Ariel

TV Reviews
19 Jan – Northern Exposure Season Six
26 Jan – The Prisoner (2009)

Comic Book Reviews
4 Jan – Daredevil by Frank Miller Part One
11 Jan – Daredevil by Frank Miller Part Two
18 Jan – Superman by Geoff Johns Part One
25 Jan – Superman by Geoff Johns Part Two

Solo Tabletop RPG Reviews and Actual Plays
12, 19, 26 Jan – Under Ashen Skies

Podcast Episodes
5 Jan – Wicked: Part One/Y2K
12 Jan – The Order/A Real Pain
19 Jan – TBD
26 Jan – TBD

31 Days of Character Creation 2025 #1 – Dungeons & Dragons 5e

I’ll be participating in this challenge which gets a good explanation at this blog post. I’ll be making a character from a different tabletop RPG system each day for the 31 days of January. First up is a system I have never made a character in or played at all, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.