I can’t believe that 2021 is nearly over. It flew past. So before they ring out the old and call in the new, here’s my list of things that were high points in the world of stuff this year.

Best Film: Dune, so good I saw it twice for my 50th birthday. Once with Evie and once with Henry. They loved this fantastic version, as did I. Although I still love the 80s David Lynch version (more like a Shakespearean take). Yes, I will be buying it the moment it comes out on blue ray/4k 🙂

Runner up: The Suicide Squad.

Best LP: Gengis Tron- Dream Weapon.

Swirling ambient, techno beats dreamy vocals all mixed with urgent metal guitars. The sci-fi soundtrack to a world after us.

Favourite Music Video: Sphinx by Gojira off their new lp “Fortitude”, which also features the epic song “New Found“.

Favourite You Tuber (new category): Joshua Weissman, a twenty-something chef from Austin, TX, that kind of reminds me of a young Mike Patton (Mr Bungle/Faith No More singer). Amongst many other things, he is responsible for introducing me to making Kimichi at home (although I substitute apple for the pear and soy sauce for the fish sauce).

Runners up: Vincenzo’s Plate (for Italian, I now can do spaghetti in tomato sauce right and omg I’m never going back), Aaron and Claire (Korean) and Will Yeung (Vegan, mainly Asian).

Best computer game, Far Cry 6. It may not be the most original game. Detracters are getting at it because it rehashes lots of stuff from previous incarnations of the franchise. Still, it is the highly polished version of the Far Cry experience, the story flows nicely, and it has got that baddie from The Mandolorian and Breaking Bad. Its been my holiday in the sun since I got it for my birthday two months ago. Oh, and it’s got Danny “Machete” Trejo in it. Winning 😀

Best RPG this year: I’ve been even more obsessed than usual with my stuff this year (mainly OpenQuest), but the Fallout RPG by Modiphius rocks my boat being a huge Fallout 4 fan. Even if it turns out to be a bit dodgy as a game, it’s a huge setting and equipment guide, lavishly illustrated with concept art from Fallout 4. Sure I could probably rip the illustrations off the net from various Fallout wiki’s, but it’s lovely to have it all in a properly printed hardcover book. Honourable mentions Dee Sanction (All Rolled Up), Mythic Babylon (by my friends at the Design Mechanism) and Beowulf (by Jon Hodgeson and his ferociously talented team at Handicraft games). I should probably do a round-up of cool RPG stuff that has come my way this year.

Best RPG related moment of this year. OK, this one of mine, but seeing 300 copies of the nicely printed OpenQuest (with colour plates and ribbons!) turn up outside my house on a big fuck off pallet and the resulting Great OpenQuest Mailout that occurred back in July/August rocked hard.