Unwinnable Monthly – October 2019
This is a reprint of the letter from the editor in Unwinnable Monthly Issue 120. You can buy Issue 120 now, or purchase a monthly subscription to make sure you never miss an issue!
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Happy October folks!
We’ve got a little theme of sorts for you this month, focusing on Daniel Fox’s Zwiehander tabletop RPG. Adam Brown takes a look at the game’s embrace of inclusivity and R.M. Jansen-Parkes looks at the game’s embrace of randomness and both stories wind up ringing complimentary thematic notes. I love it when that happens. Dejan Mandic, the RPG’s dedicated illustrator, was kind enough to provide some fab cover art and share a bit about his work in our Artist Spotlight.
And, because it is the Halloween season and we could hardly be caught without a treat, we’ve got a third feature this month. Rachel Watts takes a look at how the Layers of Fear videogames grapple with the cliché of the tortured artist and the often unhealthy shadow that notion casts over creative folks.
In the columns, Gavin Craig returns from a brief hiatus to find he’s having trouble breaking his silence. Noah Springer offers up a selection of hip hop recommendation (Astrid couldn’t make deadline this month for her heavy metal recommendations, but we’ll post them on the site when we have them, so keep your eyes peeled for that). We also welcome Blake Hester, who kicks off his column with some thoughts on live music performances.
Deirdre Coyle revisits American McGee’s Alice. Ben Sailer puts himself through the grueling Outlast. Matt Marrone celebrates the 25th anniversary of the release of REM’s Monster. Yussef Cole learns that the apocalypse isn’t the end in Mutazione. I return from a hiatus and promptly lose my appetite over the Wendy’s tabletop RPG. Sara Clemens goes to New York Comic Con to revive memories from her past.
Justin Reeve looks at how Destiny 2 subverts and embraces its Modernist architecture. Rob Rich examines how Futurama handles faith. Finally, Adam Boffa reads a novel set in New York City after the sea levels rise – cheerful!
That’s the long and short of it this month. Have a happy Halloween and we’ll see you at the beginning of November with the next issue of Exploits!
Stu Horvath
Kearny, New Jersey
October 15, 2019
