Magic Prepper is a YouTube channel dedicated to providing viewers with information and resources on survival and emergency preparedness. The channel's host, John Smith, is a self-proclaimed prepper and magician, combining his knowledge of magic tricks with practical skills for surviving in various emergency situations. On the Magic Prepper YouTube channel, John Smith shares videos that cover a wide range of topics related to survival and preparedness. He offers tips and advice on how to stockpile essential supplies, create a bug-out bag, and establish a secure shelter. Smith also demonstrates various survival skills, such as fire starting techniques, purifying water, and navigating through wilderness areas. What sets Magic Prepper apart from other survival channels is its emphasis on incorporating magic tricks into emergency preparedness.
RUNE
You are an Engraved. Cursed to wander the shattered world of Obron, you seek the power to take back control of your fate. Explore Realms, kill Rune Lords, and carve the power of fate into your very being.
What Is RUNE?
RUNE is a solo tabletop RPG inspired by the soulslike genre of video games, including Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring.
In RUNE, you are a wanderer of the lands of Obron. The world is dangerous, but full of power if you are willing to reach out and take it.
RUNE combines narrative exploration with tactical combat to capture the environmental storytelling and high stakes combat you love in soulslike games.
What's Included
Ready to explore the worlds of Obron and carve fate into your being? Here's what you get:
- RUNE Rulebook: Includes all of the rules for playing the game, as well as an example Realm for you to explore.
- Realm Atlas: Collection of 6 additional Realms for you to explore.
The Realm Atlas is a set of 6 Realms for you to explore. Each Realm has its own unique twists on the rules of the game. Filled with locations to explore, mysteries to uncover, and enemies to fight, the Realm Collection will keep your RUNE adventure going and going!
How It's Played
RUNE cycles play between two modes: Exploration and Combat. The worlds of Obron are vast and filled with mystery, and threats to those who would explore them.
During Exploration, players explore unique regions teeming with secrets, ruins, and more. Each Realm in RUNE is represented with an overworld map. The player explores this area, seeking out the mysteries and power hidden away in every space. Travel is dangerous though, and the player will need to decide when to push forward, and when to pull back and seek a moment of peace.
Realms is RUNE are unique, and each one will bring new sets of enemies, rules, and most importantly, loot for the players to seek out. Challenges and exploration in RUNE will feel fresh as players wander from one Realm into the next.
You can watch this video to learn more about exploration:
As players find themselves facing off against the horrors that wander Obron, they enter Combat. Combat in RUNE is tactical, and takes place on a 4x4 grid. Enemies have movesets that are determined by dice rolls, telegraphing their intentions and giving you a moment to react. Players roll a Stamina pool and assign the dice to their weapons and other equipment, deciding the right reaction to the situation. Combat in RUNE is tense, dangerous, and a puzzle for the player to solve.
APs & Reviews
RUNE was named one of the 15 Best Solo RPGs of 2023, according to Dicebreaker.
Want to see the game in action, or see what other people think? Check out the videos below!
Want More RUNE?
There is a collection of 3rd party RUNE content on itch, which has over a dozen fanmade realms for you to explore!
Use the RUNE Creator Kit for advice on how to design your own RUNE content, as well as templates to use, completely free!
Design Commentary
If you're interested in learning how RUNE became the game it is now, or why the rules work the way they do, you can watch this video I recorded!
Card Collection
If you want to print the RUNE cards at home, you can grab the RUNE Card Collection PnP on itch! This was made possible by the support of all the backers for the Card Collection on Kickstarter.
Vale and farewell, Jennell Jaquays (1956 - 2024)
Since the 1970s Chaosium has had the good fortune of working with some of the most talented creators in the industry, often when they were just starting out. Jennell Jaquays was one such creator, who went on to make a long-standing and multi-talented contribution to the hobby games industry as a designer, writer and artist. It is with a heavy heart we say goodbye to her today.
While Jennell created material for a host of game systems, we of course revere her for her highly-regarded work for the RuneQuest TTRPG. She was one of our company's earliest artists, contributing her creative talents to some of our most iconic RuneQuest products. This includes Griffin Mountain, regarded as "a true masterpiece of the early days of gaming" (Grognardia). The original cover art was done as a painting and is one of the most cherished items in my personal collection – it hangs on the wall in my office, I'm looking at it now as I write this.
Jennell not only illustrated Griffin Mountain, but co-wrote it with Greg Stafford and Rudy Kraft. It's rightly considered one of the greatest TTRPG campaigns ever written.
Other iconic RuneQuest titles Jennell was involved with include Cults of Terror. Jennell not only did the terrifying cover art, but wrote the Cult of Thanatar, one of the most fearsome and horrifying antagonists ever created for the game. Jennell's more recent work to feature in RuneQuest-Glorantha publications includes the covers for Wyrms Footnotes #15 and Greg Stafford's The Sea Cave, part of RuneQuest Classic's Old School RQ Resource Pack.
One subject near and dear to Jennell was Ducks! The earliest visual depiction of Ducks in a TTRPG context was her cover art for Wyrm's Footnotes #8, drawn in 1979. Jennell brought them to life in Glorantha, probably more than any other single individual, and we thank her for bringing more humor to our gaming table. In that vein, for Judge's Guild Jennell wrote and illustrated Legendary Duck Tower, a spoof on her own 1979 D&D module Dark Tower.
As a talented sculptor of miniatures, she added another dimension to our gaming experiences, once again often with a bit of humor. Back in the early 1980s Jennell sculpted a series of Gloranthan miniatures for Martian Metals. Her love of miniatures carried on to this day, and some of the last TTRPG projects she was involved with featured or were inspired by her miniatures work.
We grieve with all of those who knew Jennell, especially her family. We are certain her work will live on and continue to inspire future generations of TTRPG creators.
We at the Chaosium fondly remember all the wonderful works you created for us, and for others. You have earned your seat at the table of gaming greats many times over. Vale, and farewell, Jennell.
— Rick Meints, President Chaosium Inc.
Shape of Clouds Review
Shape of Clouds is a relaxing puzzle game where you tilt, turn, shift, and twirl a collection of pixels. They will form a picture of something, but only from one angle, coaxing you to keep spinning the cloud until it comes together.
Simple and Relaxing
When I first started playing this game, I was visiting family for the holidays. My niece, who is now ten-and-a-half years old (the “half” is incredibly important), came to play it with me. She was enamoured with it, saying she found it incredibly satisfying to play. We sat at the kitchen table together, spinning pixels into pictures for a good hour before we were forced to close my laptop and hang out with everyone else. Even the younger kids seemed obsessed with watching the pictures spin into a recognizable image, trying to guess what it was along the way. It was a fun moment that we all got to spend together.
I hope it turns out to be a fish.
Basically, you play Shape of Clouds by clicking and holding as you move the mouse around, spinning the image in any direction until it starts to come together into an image. For a free game, there was a massive amount of pictures; some of them were just general items or people, and some were part of included “packs” that all had themes like famous buildings, Christmas, and isometric views of buildings. The gameplay is very simple, very relaxing, and quite fun. Unfortunately, it wasn’t without its own set of issues.
It’s a collection of just some of the pictures you can unlock.
The Downsides of Shape of Clouds
I know that this is a free game, so it’s difficult to be too hard on it. The developers are giving away their time and effort, so you have this ingrained kind of desire to speak well of it. However, there are a couple of issues that I think are important to bring up with Shape of Clouds.
Is it a ship? A parrot? Ice cream?
The music in Shape of Clouds is not great. Since you have to hear it over and over again, I found it grating after only a few minutes. I can’t imagine how much I would hate it if I’d not muted it early into my playthrough. Thankfully, there is an easy mute music and separate mute sounds button. Again, as a free game, I didn’t expect original orchestral or something, but at least a song that isn’t bad to listen to over and over again.
Oh, she’s so cute!
It also has a big bug with the Exit Game button; it only works some of the time, and it soft locks the game the rest of the time. I have often had to go into Steam again to force close it, which is frustrating. The rest of the game works so well; it’s a little weird that closing it is the only place that seems to have an issue. One Steam review mentions that Shape of Clouds crashed on them regularly, but I could not reproduce this issue myself.
This is so goofy.
Shape of Clouds feels a little unfinished. I wish there had been achievements or trophies in the game. There is also such a missed opportunity in user-created content. I assume that the algorithm used to break objects up into pixels could be recreated with user-uploaded images; I was really surprised that this wasn’t a part of the core game in the beginning.
Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed my time with Shape of Clouds. It could have done more, but it was an extremely peaceful, original, and fun little puzzle game. I like the feeling of watching all the pixels start to line up and trying to guess what they might look like when they come together. The kids and I really had a good time in spite of the music and the sound design and the little bugs here and there.
Overall, Shape of Clouds is some amazing freeware that’s great for the whole family.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot .
What sets Magic Prepper apart from other survival channels is its emphasis on incorporating magic tricks into emergency preparedness. Smith believes that mastering basic magic tricks can provide valuable skills in situations where deception and misdirection can be advantageous. He teaches viewers how to use magic tricks to entertain and distract, which can potentially save lives in critical situations.
In addition to survival tips and magic tricks, Magic Prepper also features product reviews and demonstrations of survival-related gear. Smith tests and evaluates various equipment, from multi-tools and survival knives to camping stoves and emergency radios. These reviews help viewers make informed decisions when it comes to purchasing essential gear for their survival kits. Magic Prepper has gained a following of subscribers who appreciate the unique blend of survival preparedness and magic tricks. Viewers find the channel entertaining, educational, and practical, as it offers valuable knowledge and resources for both novices and experienced preppers. The combination of magic and survivalist skills provides a refreshing approach to the necessary task of emergency preparedness. Overall, Magic Prepper is a YouTube channel that offers a unique and entertaining perspective on survival and emergency preparedness. The incorporation of magic tricks adds an element of fun and creativity to the serious topic, making it more engaging and memorable for viewers. Whether one is interested in learning survival skills or exploring the world of magic, Magic Prepper is a valuable resource worth checking out on YouTube..
Reviews for "Uncover the History of Magic and Illusion with Magic Prepper's YouTube Channel"
1. Sarah - 1 out of 5 stars - I was really disappointed with the Magic Prepper YouTube channel. I found the content to be extremely boring and lacking any useful information. The host seemed to be more focused on promoting his merchandise rather than providing helpful tips and strategies. I also didn't appreciate his condescending tone towards viewers who may not have the same level of knowledge or experience in prepping. Overall, I think there are much better channels out there for people looking for quality prepping advice.
2. John - 2 out of 5 stars - I was initially excited to subscribe to the Magic Prepper YouTube channel, but my enthusiasm quickly faded. The host often went off on tangents and didn't stay on topic, making it difficult to follow along. Additionally, the production quality of the videos was very poor, with bad audio and shaky camera work. The lack of professionalism was disappointing and made it hard for me to take the channel seriously. I would recommend looking for more polished and well-structured prepping channels instead.
3. Jessica - 2.5 out of 5 stars - I have mixed feelings about the Magic Prepper YouTube channel. While some of the videos did offer interesting insights and advice, I often found myself confused by the host's rambling and disorganized explanations. It felt like he was trying to cover too many topics in one video, causing a lack of depth and coherence. Additionally, the frequent interruptions for sponsored product advertisements were off-putting and made the content feel more like a long infomercial than an informative channel. It has potential, but it definitely needs some improvements in its delivery and organization.