Rookie of the Year Falling Hard for the Bent-Neck Lady By Matt Marrone • February 12th, 2019 Matt Marrone may not be scared of the Bent-Neck Lady, but her iconic scene proves so horrifying it’s poetic.
The Real Dr. Frankensteins By Jen Sisco and Robin Mazzolla • February 12th, 2019 First there was Frankenstein, there there were the scientists inspired by Frankenstein.
Collision Detection Musical Play Without the Peripherals By Ben Sailer • February 11th, 2019 Resynth goes beyond teaching muscle memory and challenges players much in the same way writing music does.
Backlog The Stiff Brown Cloth in Which the Knife is Kept By Gavin Craig • February 9th, 2019 Knowing a fable’s end first can change its meaning. Especially when you remember endings are things of fiction.
Documentary Sunday Welcome to Marwen By Megan Condis • February 8th, 2019 Mark Hogancamp’s biopic has plenty of Hollywood movie magic, but not enough to distract from the omissions that undermine its moral.
The McMaster Files Mooncrash’s Slow Burn Delivers By Jason McMaster • February 7th, 2019 Jason rarely doubles back to play a game’s DLC. But Prey’s Mooncrash is worth the trip.
Here's the Thing Marvel’s Offshoots Are Way Better Than Their Big Films By Rob Rich • February 7th, 2019 The biggest budget Marvel movies often pale in comparison to their smaller side-story counterparts, and Rob has a theory as to why.
Unmissable: Pilot By Sara Clemens and David Shimomura • February 6th, 2019 Hey, we finally have a podcast!
Viking Funeral Ceremonies By Jen Sisco and Robin Mazzolla • February 5th, 2019 Notorious Narratives sees what we can learn about Vikings from the way they treated their dead.
Mouse Guard By Stu Horvath and John McGuire • February 4th, 2019 Mouse Guard! We also take a look at Heimlich & Co. and the Roll20 virtual tabletop.
Exploits Feature Opening Statement By Gavin Craig • February 1st, 2019 We experimented with a different format for this issue of Exploits. Gavin Craig explains.
OD&D By Stu Horvath • January 30th, 2019 An interesting thing about tabletop roleplaying games: we can pinpoint their exact genesis.
This Mortal Coyle Rochelle By Deirdre Coyle • January 30th, 2019 If the outbreak happened outside my window, I’d be digging through drawers for my most metal band shirts and cursing my lack of foresight in not purchasing a black Violator babydoll.
Revving the Engine Raji: An Ancient Epic By Stu Horvath • January 29th, 2019 Unwinnable chats with the team behind Raji: An Ancient Epic, an action adventure game that draws from Indian and Balinese mythology.
The Weird History of Breakfast Cereal By Jen Sisco and Robin Mazzolla • January 29th, 2019 What do masturbation and enemas have to do with Corn Flakes?
Feature Excerpt Friday Nights in the Hostile Environment By Rob Haines • January 28th, 2019 British developer PanicBarn’s Not Tonight offers a Brexit-flavored critique of the past ten years of the hostile environment.
Feature Excerpt Teaching Crunch By Melissa Brinks • January 28th, 2019 Many students enter the video game industry well aware of its infamous crunch culture. After all, their colleges groomed them for it.
Human Sacrifice in the Maya Culture By Jen Sisco and Robin Mazzolla • January 22nd, 2019 Notorious Narratives explores the reasons, process and necessity of human sacrifice in the Maya culture.
Remembering the Games of Greg Stafford By Stu Horvath • January 21st, 2019 This time, we take a look at the games of the late, great Greg Stafford and try to chart his influence on the tabletop RPG hobby.
Letter From the Editor Unwinnable Monthly – January 2019 By Stu Horvath • January 16th, 2019 Welcome to a new year of Unwinnable Monthly. Here’s what is inside the January issue.
Backlog What Was the Question? And Why Do You Ask? By Gavin Craig • January 15th, 2019 The most complicated question in Mass Effect: do geth units have souls?
No Accounting for Tastes Stressful Environment By Adam Boffa • January 15th, 2019 First Reformed considers the emotional impact of climate change awareness. Sometimes.
Checkpoint Surviving a Dead Galaxy in Duskers By Corey Milne • January 15th, 2019 From its mechanics to its setting, Duskers exudes a sense of isolation.
The Burnt Offering Scimitar By Stu Horvath • January 15th, 2019 Pronunciation may not be at the front of the player’s mind as they slash through baddies, but it can prompt some interesting discussions.
The Usurper Noteworthy Metal – December By Astrid Budgor • January 11th, 2019 In the spirit of List Season, Astrid made a roundup of metal records she missed over the course of the 2018.
Collision Detection At Least Videogame Advertising Has Grown Up By Ben Sailer • January 11th, 2019 The days of shit-talking the competition are gone. Now videogame companies demand our attention by . . . just making better products.
Here's the Thing The Near Miss By Rob Rich • January 10th, 2019 The over-reliance of CG in movies bothers just about everybody these days, but to Rob, “The Near Miss” is one of the most egregious offenses.
Documentary Sunday The Power of Glove By Megan Condis • January 10th, 2019 With videogame culture obsessed with retrofuturiusm, it’s only a matter of time before the ultimate nostalgic artifact makes a comeback: the Nintendo Power Glove.
The Heavy Pour Get Your Kicks at the Cosmic Horrorshow: A True Story By Sara Clemens • January 9th, 2019 On a Route 66 roadtrip, Sara asks: “What am I doing in the middle of this godforsaken desert?”
Memscape The History of Twitter’s Little Bunnies By Alyse Stanley • January 9th, 2019 Twitter’s ushering in a new age of Ascii art, whether its users know it or not.
Another Look Corrupted Architecture By Yussef Cole • January 8th, 2019 In both Bloodborne and The Favourite, wanton avarice rots leaders from within, spreading like a plague to their surroundings.
This Mortal Coyle Willow By Deirdre Coyle • January 8th, 2019 Just like Willow from Don’t Starve, Deirdre can’t control what goes on in the world. But she can keep her sanity meter up in the meantime.
Feature Excerpt Videogames in Kuwait By David Wolinsky and Tali XOXO • January 7th, 2019 David Wolinsky and Tali XOXO share their impressions of GX and Kuwait Battle Royale.
Feature Excerpt Go to Jail: The Complicated World of Pirated Board Games By Ryan Cooper • January 7th, 2019 Tabletop Simulator lets board game fans recreate their favorite games and craft a globalized shared space. . . even if that means breaking a few laws to do so.
Feature Excerpt Scorched Earth By Devin Raposo • January 7th, 2019 Fornite’s 50v50 mode can feel like performance art or improvisational city-planning, with outcomes based more on luck than coordination.
The Marvel Super Heroes RPG By Stu Horvath and John McGuire • January 7th, 2019 Make ours Marvel! This episode, we discuss TSR’s Marvel Super Heroes RPG, Mysterium and Blades in the Dark.
Exploits Feature The Importance of Preservation By Khee Hoon Chan • January 3rd, 2019 The preservation of videogames’ short, albeit eventful, history is fraught with challenges, its very value undermined by the industry’s biggest companies
Resort of the Dead- The Story of Hart Island By Jen Sisco and Robin Mazzolla • January 1st, 2019 Notorious Narratives investigates the haunted history of the Bronx’s Hart Island.