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Doctor Who’s Donna Noble, Catherine Tate, stars in dark comedy Oh Mary! until July

Doctor Who’s Catherine Tate is the latest star to take the role of Mary Todd Lincoln in the West End production of Oh Mary! The play is an uproariously dark comedy about a miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Unrequited yearning, alcoholism, and suppressed desires abound in this 80-minute one-act play that finally examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln. It depicts her as an alcoholic former cabaret star trapped in a largely loveless marriage with the deeply closeted Abraham.

Tate takes over the role from Mason Alexander Park (The Sandman, Quantum Leap.) Across the Atlantic, the Broadway production of Oh Mary! has starred actors such as Jinkx Monsoon (The Devil’s Chord), Jane Krakowski (30 Rock), and currently Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live.)

Declared “one of the best comedies in years” by The New York Times, Oh, Mary! received Tony Awards for Best Leading Actor in a Play (Cole Escola) and Best Direction of a Play (Sam Pinkleton).

The former Doctor Who star, who played companion Donna Noble from 2006 to 2010 before returning to the role for the 60th anniversary in 2023, will be appearing in eight performances a week until the 18th of July. You can buy your tickets now from the Trafalgar Theatre website.

Though best known for her television roles, such as Doctor Who, The Office, and her own Catherine Tate Show, Tate has been appearing on stage in dozens of productions since 1988’s Blood Wedding. Notable roles including Lydia in Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, Michelle in Under the Blue Sky, and Peggy in The Enfield Haunting. Perhaps most famously, however, is her astonishingly entertaining double act with Who co-star David Tennant for the 2011 production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

 

The post Oh Catherine! – Catherine Tate Stars in Oh Mary! appeared first on Blogtor Who.

Mack “Clownface” and Panda Make Their Artist’s Edition Debut in 2026 LOS ANGELES 5/5/2026 — Today Skybound and Image Comics, in partnership with Scott Dunbier’s Act 4 Publishing and Keven Gardner’s 12-Gauge Comics, shared a first look at the definitive new…

The post Act 4 Publishing & Skybound Share First Look at Jason Pearson’s Body Bags Artist’s Edition appeared first on First Comics News.

The Thread + Maple Telescopic Tool Case is a touch of functional luxury you can enjoy every time you stitch! This zip-top genuine leather case transforms into a stand-up cup to hold your tools - great on flat surfaces or in your car's cup holder! Take a closer look and enter to win your own […]

The post Thread and Maple Telescopic Tool Case Giveaway appeared first on moogly. Please visit www.mooglyblog.com for this post.

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2000 AD Prog 2481 UK RELEASE DATE: 6th May £3.99 LUNAR RELEASE DATE: 20th May $7.99 COVER: TOBY WILLSMER In this issue:   JUDGE DREDD // CROSSED LINES by Ken Niemand (w)…

The post 2000 AD Prog 2481 preview appeared first on First Comics News.

Daredevil didn’t have a super villain he could call his own until he ran into the Owl, Leland Owlsley, in his third issue. In his first two exploits, the Man…

The post JUST IMAGINE! August 1964: The Gangster Who Glides appeared first on First Comics News.

Conan & Dragonero # 1 Writers: Stefano Vietti & Luca Enoch Artist/Colorist: Lorenzo Nuti Letterers: Richard Starkings & Comicraft’s Tyler Smith Cover Date: June 2026 Rating: 07/10 The first installment…

The post REVIEW CORNER: Conan & Dragonero # 1 appeared first on First Comics News.

As I’ve wrote in one of my recent posts I am currently rereading all of my Alternity books. Alternity is a roleplaying game I’ve wanted to run since I first bought it but something always got into the way. But there’s a problem. Even though I own quite a few Alternity books, I don’t own all of them and since the game has been out-of-print for many years it gets increasingly hard (and expensive) to track down copies. But what about digital copies online? There are actually quite a few Alternity books available for purchase on DrivethruRPG. Unfortunately they are not easily found since most of them are stuck in the d20 Modern Generic section. Another problem is that the two core rulebooks are not available online aside from the “Limited Preview Edition” of the Players Handbook.

But I hear you asking “what about the new Alternity”. A couple of years back Rich Baker, one of the original designers of TSR’s Alternity released a new version of the game after a successful Kickstarter. Sasquatch Game Studio, Baker’s new company was actually able to register the Alternity trademark back then since Wizards hadn’t bothered to renew it. Unfortunately not much of Alternity’s original ideas made it into the new game. So while there’s still a game called Alternity out there, it doesn’t have much in common with the original besides being a sci-fi tabletop roleplaying game. But like it predecessor it’s pretty much dead at his point. The last update on the Sasquatch Game Studio website has been in 2018 and no new products for the game has been released since then.

Could Wizards of the Coast actually bring back Alternity properly? That’s highly unlikely. The most we can hope for is that they release all the Alternity products as PDF downloads on DriveThruRPG and hopefully also add a POD option at some point. A limited reprint of the original corebooks as an “anniversary edition” like FFG did it with WEG Star Wars 1st Edition would be brilliant, but unlikely due to the trademark situation. The trademark is still owned by Sasquatch Game Studios and I don’t know what kind of deal Sasquatch has with Wizards which allows the latter to release products using that name.

One option I haven’t written about yet is a retro clone. In a post a few years ago I stated my belief an Alternity clone could cause ire from WotC’s lawyers but that’s probably not the case. As long as someone rewrote the rules without directly copying the texts things should be fine. Mechanics are not copyrightable after all. The bigger question is if there’s an interest in doing so. Sure, there are countless D&D retro clones, but D&D was way more popular than the rather niche scifi TTRPG released shortly before TSR vanished as an entity completely.

Roleplaying games aren’t really dead as long as some people still play them, but in the case of Alternity there’s a true risk of it going extinct. It’s out of print and it was a niche product even when it was new. There are other, more popular options for Sci-Fi fans which are available like for example Traveller in its many incarnations. But if we keep talking about Alternity there’s a chance someone at WotC will commit to bringing all the books back or someone writes a retro clone so that at least its mechanics are available to find new fans.

What are your thoughts on the state of Alternity? Would you like to see it properly resurrected? Do you actually prefer the Sasquatch Game Studio’s version? Please share your comments below!

I am always looking for comics that are different—in a fantastic way. That goes the same with bringing creators onto the podcast. I often reach out to creators and invite…

The post Pop Kill Review appeared first on First Comics News.

Recently, I sat down with Jimmy Palmiotti to talk about his Pop Kill from Mad Cave Studios. You can listen to the full show wherever you listen to your podcasts.…

The post Palmiotti on Pop KIll appeared first on First Comics News.

 In a Sword & Sorcery setting, back alleys shouldn't just be empty paths; they should feel like the digestive system of a decaying city—dark, cramped, and dangerous.Here is a d100 table tailored for the grit and high adventure of Castles & Crusades. This blog entry picks right up from D100 Sword & Sorcery Random Urban Encounters Table for Castles & Crusades rpgThe Back Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

The post Video of the Day – The Whoniverse Show, 2026 appeared first on Blogtor Who.

 To bring Kutchek and Gore into your Sword of Cepheus (2nd Edition) game, you need to emphasize their sheer physical dominance and their "Dual-Hero" dynamic. In this system, they function as high-Stamina tanks who can dish out massive damage but are vulnerable to social manipulation or complex technology.The Barbarian Brothers (Kutchek & Gore)Trait: High-Octane SiblingsSocial Class: 2 (Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

Doctor Who episode The Story & the Engine is among the 2026 Hugo Award nominees

Doctor Who has its 37th Hugo Awards nomination ahead of the 2026 ceremony taking place at WorldCon in California on the 30th of August. This year’s nomination goes to the fifth episode of the most recent season, The Story & the Engine.

The episode brought the Doctor and Belinda to Lagos in Nigeria. There they discover the sinister unnamed Barber has taken over the barber shop of the Doctor’s old friend Omo. He uses their stories to power his engine’s journey through the web of fiction, to further his mission to strike at the gods themselves. It’s a voyage which will also reveal a secret from deep in the Doctor’s past…

The prestigious Hugo Awards recognize the best in science fiction literature, film, TV, art and journalism every year. Doctor Who’s nomination is in the Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form category. This broadly, but not strictly, functions as the category of outstanding television episodes. This year Doctor Who is up against episodes of Murderbot, about a security robot with a mind of its own, Pluribus, in which an alien virus turns almost the entire human race into one vast hive mind, Severance, about a nightmarish office where workers’ personalities and memories are divided between work and time off, and The Wheel of Time, set in a world of magic and destiny.

 

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

• Doctor Who: The Story & the Engine, written by Inua Ellams, directed by Makalla McPherson (BBC One, Disney +)
• Murderbot: All Systems Red, written by Paul Weitz & Chris Weitz, directed by Roseanne Liang, based on the book All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Apple TV)
• Murderbot: The Perimeter, written by Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz, directed by Paul Weitz, based on the book All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Apple TV)
• Pluribus: We Is Us, written and directed by Vince Gilligan (Apple TV)
• Severance: Cold Harbor, written by Dan Erickson, directed by Ben Stiller (Apple TV)
• The Wheel of Time: The Road to the Spear, written by Rafe Lee Judkins, directed by Thomas Napper, based on the book The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (Amazon Prime Video)

 

Billie Piper returned to Doctor Who at the end of the 2025 season.. But is she the Doctor? Doctor Who returns to BBC One and iPlayer this Christmas

The post Doctor Who: The Story, the Engine & the Hugo Award appeared first on Blogtor Who.

The Weird Wood of southern Parsulan is an ancient forest infused with potent arcane energies. In halls of Magical Academy at Abraxad, surrounded and protected by the wood, it is labelled as Forbidden and students have been disciplined or even expelled for entering it other than by the proscribed paths. Treasure seekers and adventures from other places sometimes travel the forest, however, but many don't return.

What is known from the reports of those that enter it is that the forest is a place of unusual magical power. At the very least, it alters a visitor's perception of time and distance. The wood is also said to be the abode of strange spirits, beings inhabiting both biological and mechanical forms.

Faerie woodlands are hardly a rarity in Parsulan, but somehow, the Weird Wood has become infected or entwinned with technomagical devices in addition to its natural, elemental powers. Some point to its relative proximity to the Field of Fallen Colossi and suggest some stray, animate portion of the giant combatants may have made its way to the forest. Others argue that given the sheer number of constructs and amount armament debris found there, moss covered or half-buried, it must be the remnant of an assault by a substantial force. Perhaps in times past someone marched against Abraxad, and this is the result? If that is true, then Abraxad would surely have record of it in its extensive libraries, but those remain closed to outsiders.

Whatever their origins, it is these artifacts that draw the scavengers.

The commonly encountered fae of the forest are mostly harmless and appear as small, crude figures or vaguely animal or insect shapes of metal. They seem to mimic biological life in a rough but analogous way to the manner Meks resemble humans. 

The larger, more dangerous entities are harder to describe with certainty. Some appear as beasts with mechanical and biological parts. Others are shifting shapes of churning metal, churning storms of fury and blades.

 The Type 3 Security Cutter (also known as the Type 3 System Security Cutter) is a specialized law enforcement and patrol vessel in the Clement Sector RPG setting by Independence Games. While the Type 2 is a common sight in local system navies, the Type 3 represents an up-scaled, more formidable evolution of the security cutter concept.Here are the detailed specifications and background for Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

It’s May 4th, Star Wars Day! “May 4th be with you” and all that. Today, I wanted to reminisce about Star Wars TTRPG gaming as part of my 40 Years a Gamer retrospective.

Star Wars was immensely influential for me. I watched Star Wars—before it was called A New Hope—in theaters when I was just 4 years old. I had the toys and played with them endlessly. I learned what the Hero’s Journey was before even being introduced to the concept.

Hero’s Journey, Star Wars style! Image taken from IMGUR: https://imgur.com/a/heros-journey-sMfdk

The franchise was instrumental in teaching me about the oppressed fighting the oppressor, a hero breaking the cycle of violence and choosing to forgive, and evil ultimately consuming itself.

Incredibly, for something so influential, I did not immediately think about roleplaying in a Galaxy Far, Far Away.

My first idea to use elements from Star Wars came from reading The Dungeoneer Compendium, issues 1-6, which I picked up at the same garage sale where I got my original Monster Manual and Deities & Demigods. Page 28 of the compendium had this entry in a random table: “Have C-3PO and R2-D2 of Star Wars come and join the group. However, have a group of Imperial stormtroopers hot on their tails.”

During an adventure in the summer of 1988, the players were in a magical library. They opened a tome, and R2-D2 and C-3PO came running across the room, hotly pursued by Stormtroopers and Darth Vader himself! One of the players tried to face Vader, who promptly sliced his magical sword in two and left the room to pursue the droids. That was it, a quick gag, sadly leaving a player with a broken magic sword, but not much more than that.

Around that time, I learned about the official Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game from West End Games, and I picked up the core book and the sourcebook. It was either late 1989 or early 1990 when I read it. I had an accident in my 11th-grade chemistry lab, and I vividly remember reading the Star Wars Sourcebook while waiting at the doctor’s office!

I didn’t run Star Wars as a GM back then. I did, however, play a Han Solo clone based on the character Dagg Dibrimi from Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (an animated Star Wars rip-off). I was a little disappointed when, halfway through the adventure, I realized we were playing a campaign based on the Space Quest video games!

I love the Star Wars D6 system. It developed so many ideas that became foundational to the Star Wars Expanded Universe (now Legends), keeping the franchise alive and vibrant between the end of the original trilogy and the launch of Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire trilogy. However, I had no luck running a satisfactory game in that universe. I tried launching an ambitious post-Return of the Jedi game in college, but my players complained that it “felt too much like a fantasy game.”

I would have to wait for ANOTHER system to run my definitive Star Wars campaign. When Wizards of the Coast got the license, I purchased their original edition but never played it. I did, however, play their second attempt at the rules: the Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Saga Edition, published in 2007.

I own all the books in that series, and I used them to run an Infinities campaign (i.e., “What if?” or alternate timeline). I won’t go into too much detail here, as I previously posted a long series of articles on the blog about the campaign, Star Wars: The Gathering Storm. You can read the first post in the series here and read the rest of the series if it interests you.

I loved the system, planned on using it for other sci-fi franchises, and really hoped D&D 4th Edition would be just like it! It was not, but that’s a story for another day. In the process, I also acquired WAY too many Star Wars miniatures and ships from WotC.

Looking back, it isn’t a perfect system. It still has a bit too much “d20” in its DNA, which isn’t always a good fit for the genre. Jedi were generally better than other classes, and they quickly became the superhero-like versions that later Star Wars media made them out to be. I really prefer the WEG d6 version, which captured the grounded feel of the Jedi from the original trilogy.

I’ve never played the Star Wars Roleplaying from FFG/Edge Studio. Friends have told me it is great, and I have read very interesting reviews. I must admit to being a little averse to “funky dice” (proprietary dice with strange symbols), which kept me from giving it a try. From what I’ve seen, that is probably my loss. I own the original starter set for the Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game, 1st edition, and enjoyed playing it, but I never bought anything beyond that core box.

I hope to play some more Star Wars TTRPGs in the future, probably in the same vein as my The Gathering Storm campaign—an alternate version of the Galaxy Far, Far Away. But what system to use?

I don’t think I’ll use the official TTRPG from Edge Studio. I am curious about Star Borg by JP Coovert; it looks like a very fun adaptation of Star Wars ideas to the Mörk Borg rules.

I also believe White Star: Galaxy Edition could handle Star Wars with little problem, especially if you add the Between Star & Void supplement.

Stars Without Number would also work beautifully, particularly with the Codex of the Black Sun sourcebook.

There is always the Star Wars 5e fan project, but if I were going to use a more modern iteration of the d20 rules, I would likely go back to playing the Saga Edition with some house rules.

Of course, you can always try Star Wars d6 REUP (Revised, Expanded, and Updated), a fan-made update of the WEG rules!

But let’s be sincere: if you know me, or follow me on social media at all, you know exactly where I was getting to with this.

If I were to run a Star Wars game today, I’d probably use Savage Worlds to do it! There is an incredible fan-made Star Wars: Savage Worlds Compendium. I’ve downloaded all their supplements and even printed the book via Lulu. I am completely ready to play Savage Star Wars… I just need to find the time.

Did you play Star Wars D6? What system did you use to play Star Wars? Do you have any recommendations? I’d love to read your feedback in the comments.

Happy Star Wars Day to all. May 4th, and the Force, be with you, always!

The post Video of the Day – Doctor Who: School Reunion, 2006 appeared first on Blogtor Who.

Savage Sagas #1 In the time known as the Age Primeval, a mighty axe-wielding warrior wanders his savage world, trying to live down his legend. But he is Crom, the…

The post INDY SPOTLIGHT: Savage Sagas #1 appeared first on First Comics News.

In fact, James Bond 007 probably owes much of his success to comic strips. Before the films were made, Ian Fleming’s thrillers were popularized in British newspaper comic strip adaptations,…

The post JUST IMAGINE! January 1963: Illustrated For Your Eyes Only appeared first on First Comics News.

Welcome to the third entry in my ongoing series highlighting incredible Boricua creators! Today, I’m thrilled to share my interview with Karla Miranda.

I first became aware of Karla’s work through her posts in the Puerto Rico Role Players and Dungeons & Dragons Puerto Rico Facebook groups, where she regularly shares her stunning character portraits. She was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about her creative process and her time at the gaming table. I am incredibly grateful to her and to all the other local creators who have been participating in this series.

Here is our interview!

Introduce yourself! Who are you and what do you create?

My name is Karla Miranda, and I’m a full-time teacher and occasional artist! I usually just love illustrating my characters, with the occasional piece of fan art.

How would you describe your art or creative endeavor?

My art is catered specifically to me, LOL. I’ll get a sudden hit to create a new character or update an existing one, and my process is always accompanied by a 1+ hour YouTube essay.

How did you discover TTRPGs?

A friend suggested we try an experimental version of just regular verbal roleplay with occasional dice rolls. After that, he invited me to play D&D 5e Princes of the Apocalypse!

Do you actively play TTRPGs right now? What are you playing?

I currently play with my girls and @Wenceslavos, who is our DM! We’re playing Curse of Strahd, and it’s been an incredible two years already!

What do you want to play next? The next thing in the queue to play is Dark Matter, published by Mage Hand Press, with my girls, and Rime of the Frostmaiden (RotF) in our in-real-life game!

What projects are available, and what are you working on next?

Right now, @Wenceslavos and I are brainstorming more beginner-friendly and advanced player One-Shot Adventures with full character art, plus creating the characters for our upcoming RotF adventure!

Where can people find your art?

You can find my work only on Instagram @vilea_ngel_ !

Any closing thoughts? If you’re an artist, be insane with your favorite characters. You’ll learn to draw so quickly if you hyper-fixate, LOL. And if you’re not, it’s never too late to join the light and pick up a pencil to start learning! You gotta be bad at something before you’re good!

Huge thank you to Karla! I’ve actually had the immense pleasure of meeting her in person; she is not only a talented artist but a fantastic GM and a genuinely amicable person.

I got to see her run a game at El Gremio in Cayey for the Puerto Rico Role Players holiday event. You can also spot her as one of the local gamers interviewed by Juego La Mesa for the 50th Anniversary of D&D (which I was actually interviewed for as well!): Watch the Facebook Reel Here

She also provided the art for—and played in! —This excellent one-shot run by Juego La Mesa:

It is a true privilege to know her and to share her art with all of you. Make sure to go and give her a follow!