There used to be a time when telling someone you played role-playing games (RPGs) caused you to immediately be ostracized. Those days are mostly over thankfully. RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons have catapulted this type of gaming into popular culture. Now, because of shows like Stranger Things and actors like Joe Manganiello, RPGs have even reached “cool” status.
A little insider pro-tip though, gaming has always been cool.
Even in fantasy worlds like D&D though, it’s easy for some players to feel like they aren’t represented. Or, if they are represented, they’re painted in a bad light. It’s this concern that is at the heart of new RPG Kickstarter, Coyote & Crow.
Coyote & Crow Takes Role-Playing Games Into a Bold New Direction
Seeing the interpretation of Indigenous people in the videogame Greedfall gave author and game designer Connor Alexander a spark of an idea. What would the world look like if Europe never colonized the Americas? That thought was at the heart of Coyote & Crow. From there, Connor set out to create an accessible role playing game experience depicting Native American People with respect. What is so great about the science fantasy world is that it lends itself well for that task. How much better or worse would the country be if European Colonizers never actually showed up? Then, what would this world look like in the future? The possibilities are endless. Connor took those questions and gave us a world to play within.
What started as a passion project has morphed into something much bigger. Now, Connor’s project boasts collaborators, writers, and contributors representing 12 different tribes. And more on the way!
As a gamer myself, the system Connor Alexander has put in place for Coyote & Crow is innovative and exciting. He really relies heavily on character and story in a very engaging way. The game is fun to play, and can be enjoyed by everyone. If you’re fans of The Expanse, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Black Panther, chances are you’ll dig this game.
Connor is running a Kickstarter Campaign to self-publish Coyote & Crow. If you believe representation in gaming (and in life) matters, then check it out!
Connor Alexander, the mastermind behind Coyote & Crow, took a break from revolutionizing the tabletop RPG world to talk a little bit of music with us. Below, check out Connor’s favorite album, as well as the albums that take the prize for most overrated and most underrated.
Favorite Album
“Tough call here, but I think it’s Depeche Mode’s Violator. It was not only Depeche Mode’s peak of creativity and energy, but the album launched just before the death knell of ’80s synth-pop. It wasn’t even a year later that the radio waves started being inundated with the likes of Nirvana and Pearl Jam.
But that album is just packed with dark delicious energy that makes it seem like the genre was just getting started. With tracks like “Personal Jesus,” you could see how they were starting to incorporate guitars, but it’s Dave Gahan’s haunting vocals and Martin Gore’s layered, luscious synths that carry the whole thing from start to end. It’s only eight tracks, but half of them are absolute classics; and the other four fill the gaps without ever feeling like wasted time. It doesn’t hurt that this album came out just as I was rebelling against my time in the military and embracing the goth and industrial scene.”
Overrated Album
“The Smiths, Meat is Murder has to take it. Frankly, most of my top picks for this would fall under Morrissey solo albums, and not his group efforts, but Meat is Murder takes it to the next level. Part of my disdain for this album is how many people I know threw themselves into vegetarianism after this. I don’t have a problem with vegetarians, but my god, there’s no one more self-righteous and in love with the sound of their own voice than Morrissey.
A close second is Morrissey fans who want to meat shame you. And this whole album feels that way to me. Just gag inducing self-absorption. Even “How Soon Is Now,” which I’ve spun enough times on my ’80s nights that everyone knew when it came on that I was taking my bathroom break due to its six minute length, feels so incredibly masturbatory. Johnny Marr’s guitar work can’t save this album from just being so goddamned full of itself.”
Underrated Album
“This has to go to Danse Macabre by the Faint. Those guys are the musical equivalent of mad scientists. How they take rock, punk, and electronic music and mash it, compress it, string it out and reshape it into the most violent, energetic, danceable, thoughtful music is a thing to behold. Their previous album was great and how I fell in love with them, but Danse Macabre was transformative.
I dare you to listen to “Agenda Suicide” and not stop in the middle of dancing to the song to find that you’ve for some reason thrown a chair through a wall. The whole album is just Devo, Nine Inch Nails and Adam Ant having brutal unprotected sex with each other, while Duran Duran laughs in the corner. And yet, it all sounds as fresh today as did when it dropped in 2001. This album gets played at my wake, no lie. It’s the energy I want people associating with me after I’m gone.
