Breaking it all Down

Posted on August 2, 2026July 31, 2026 by Alexander Case

RPG Thoughts: Tactile RPGs

This weekend (that is, the weekend of 7/31-8/2/2026) at GenCon has seen the announcement of Vampire: The Masquerade V6. There has been some wailing and gnashing of teeth, as is often the case with the announcement of a new edition of a role-playing game. Of note with this edition of Vampire is a mechanical complaint that’s different from the usual – in the new edition the Storyteller doesn’t roll dice. This is not a new situation in tabletop RPGs these days – it’s a common mechanical trait of games that are Powered by the Apocalypse and Forged in the Dark, along with other mechanical frameworks that have come after. However, I think where it’s notable here, and why I think games that were Forged in the Dark or Powered by the Apocalypse didn’t quite catch on when they were being so heavily promoted in the wake of the D&D 5E OGL catastrophe is that there is a tactile element that’s missing. Not Tactical – tactile. Allow me to explain.

Posted on August 1, 2026July 31, 2026 by Alexander Case

Anime Review: Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk

The Spring 2026 season had one of those weird, likely unintentional synergies. Much as when, a few years ago, we had the first season of MF Ghost and Overtake airing at the same time, that season had the start of Drops of God alongside a yuri romance anime that was also about booze called Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk. For the sake of manageability, I’m just going to refer to the anime by the character’s first name, and the character by her first name.

Posted on July 31, 2026July 19, 2026 by Alexander Case

Where I Play Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Movement 45: (Talking Backwards)

I have a fight with the upgraded Doppelganger.

Music:
“The Witching Hour”
Performed & Arranged by OceansAndrew
Based on “Dracula’s Castle”, “Dungeon – Main Theme”
Composed by akiropito, Jeff Lorber, Michiru Yamane, Rika Muranaka, Tomoko Sano, Tony Haynes
https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04313

Please support my Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/countzeroor
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Watch my Live-Streams on http://twitch.tv/countzeroor
Check out my Let’s Plays at https://www.youtube.com/@CountZeroOrPlays

Posted on July 30, 2026July 19, 2026 by Alexander Case

Where I Play Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Movement 44: Hell Arboretum

I face off with some new varieties of killer plants.

Posted on July 29, 2026July 9, 2026 by Alexander Case

Linux Project 2: The Gaming PC (Part 1)

I’ve finally built my Linux Gaming PC, and I get into the construction process. Because I’ve been running into a few issues with my AV setup, I’ll get into those and my experience playing games on the new PC on a follow-up video.

The specs of my Linux PC: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/CountZeroOr/saved/#view=VgGGnQ

Tri’s Video on his build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXnl3zsnQOo

Special thanks to the My Life In Gaming Discord community for their help with some of the build.

‘Solecism’ by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

Donation Links…

To support mutual aid groups in Minnesota: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/
To support relief and recovery in Ukraine: https://www.charitynavigator.org/discover-charities/where-to-give/ukranian-crisis/
Donate to Doctors Without Borders: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/get-involved/ways-to-give
Reproductive Health Care: https://www.charitynavigator.org/search?causes=Reproductive%20health%20care
Trans Rights: https://www.charitynavigator.org/search/?causes=LGBTQ%20rights

Posted on July 28, 2026July 19, 2026 by Alexander Case

Where I Play Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Movement 43: Checking Out

I finally leave the library.

Posted on July 27, 2026July 19, 2026 by Alexander Case

Where I Play Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Movement 42: Browsing the Stacks

I finish browsing the library.

Posted on July 26, 2026July 25, 2026 by Alexander Case

Anime Explorations: Episode 46 – Lupin III Part 4

Blaine returns to the pod for his first time watching Lupin III.

Episode 46: Lupin III Part 4
Blaine returns to the pod for his first time watching Lupin III. As Mentioned: Crunchyroll Store going Subscription Only Macross: Do You Remember Love 4K Screened at Anime Expo Fakku Licenses PC-98 Game Library of Fairytail American Manga Awards Nominees Announced Check out the Arsine Lupin novels at Project Gutenberg!

As Mentioned:

Check out the Arsine Lupin novels at Project Gutenberg!

Next Month we are watching Demon City Shinjuku: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/demon-city-shinjuku

Donation Links…

To support mutual aid groups in Minnesota: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/
To support relief and recovery in Ukraine: https://www.charitynavigator.org/discover-charities/where-to-give/ukranian-crisis/
Donate to Doctors Without Borders: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/get-involved/ways-to-give
Reproductive Health Care: https://www.charitynavigator.org/search?causes=Reproductive%20health%20care
Trans Rights: https://www.charitynavigator.org/search/?causes=LGBTQ%20rights

Posted on July 25, 2026July 25, 2026 by Alexander Case

The Ecchi Anime Of Spring 2026

There were two Ecchi (well, one was basically hentai) anime I watched in the spring 2026 season, and each of them had episodes that were shorter than full length, making them not worth doing individual blog posts of. So, instead here are some brief thoughts on each show.

Posted on July 25, 2026July 19, 2026 by Alexander Case

Anime Review: Witch Hat Atelier (Season 1)

The Spring 2026 season, while it didn’t have that many shows that quite grabbed me, did have some series with gorgeous animation, and probably one of the best of those was the first season of Witch Hat Atelier.

Posted on July 24, 2026July 19, 2026 by Alexander Case

Where I Play Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Movement 41: Reading Upside Down

I explore the Reverse Library.

Donation Links…

To support mutual aid groups in Minnesota: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/
To support relief and recovery in Ukraine: https://www.charitynavigator.org/discover-charities/where-to-give/ukranian-crisis/
Donate to Doctors Without Borders: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/get-involved/ways-to-give
Reproductive Health Care: https://www.charitynavigator.org/search?causes=Reproductive%20health%20care
Trans Rights: https://www.charitynavigator.org/search/?causes=LGBTQ%20rights

Posted on July 23, 2026July 19, 2026 by Alexander Case

Where I Play Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Movement 40: Fire Bad!

I take on Frankenstein’s Monster.

Donation Links…

To support mutual aid groups in Minnesota: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/
To support relief and recovery in Ukraine: https://www.charitynavigator.org/discover-charities/where-to-give/ukranian-crisis/
Donate to Doctors Without Borders: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/get-involved/ways-to-give
Reproductive Health Care: https://www.charitynavigator.org/search?causes=Reproductive%20health%20care
Trans Rights: https://www.charitynavigator.org/search/?causes=LGBTQ%20rights

Posted on July 22, 2026June 28, 2026 by Alexander Case

Video Game Video Review: Final Fantasy XVI

I’ve played (and streamed) the game all the way through. Now, for those who don’t want to watch the whole Let’s Play, what did I think?

Final Fantasy XVI is available from (Affiliate Links) – Humble Store (PC), Amazon (Console).

‘Solecism’ by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

Donation Links…

To support mutual aid groups in Minnesota: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/
To support relief and recovery in Ukraine: https://www.charitynavigator.org/discover-charities/where-to-give/ukranian-crisis/
Donate to Doctors Without Borders: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/get-involved/ways-to-give
Reproductive Health Care: https://www.charitynavigator.org/search?causes=Reproductive%20health%20care
Trans Rights: https://www.charitynavigator.org/search/?causes=LGBTQ%20rights

Posted on July 21, 2026June 19, 2026 by Alexander Case

Where I Play Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Movement 39: Reverse Outer Wall

I reach the Reverse Outer Wall.

Posted on July 20, 2026June 19, 2026 by Alexander Case

Where I Play Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Movement 38: Dracula’s Rib

I take down the enemy protecting Dracula’s Rib.

Posted on July 19, 2026July 19, 2026 by Alexander Case

Anime Review: Akane-banashi Season 1

When it comes to Shonen anime, we tend to think of big flashy battle anime or sports series. Shows that are about explosions – of energy, of action, of movement. Strings of special attacks or flurries of blows with blasts of energy and impact. Even in comedy and romance, there is a tendency towards the explosive, in reaction and in displays of emotion. Akane-banashi, being a series about Rakugo, instead manages to succeed by eschewing explosive force for more subtle displays.

Posted on July 18, 2026June 22, 2026 by Alexander Case