Scott Kurtz and Mike Krahulik make a cute couple

Scott Kurtz and Mike Krahulik at the Child's Play gala.

Speaking of, I highly, highly recommend episode three of the Dungeons and Dragons game featuring Krahulik, Jerry Holkins, Kurtz, and Wil Wheaton. You can watch them play or download the podcast. (You'll probably enjoy it more if you listen to the podcasts of episodes one and two, since it's an ongoing adventure.)

(I can't say enough about how funny and enjoyable these adventures are, and I've never had any interest in playing D&D myself.)

Link roundup

1. A debt collector set up a fake courtroom in Pennsylvania to try to fool debtors.

2. Earlier this month, I mentioned how strange it was that Disney was promoting images of happy couple LeAnn Rimes and Eddy Cibrian. Well, Shape magazine put Rimes on the cover of the October issue, and received so many complaints that the editor had to apologize.

3. The Penny Arcade guys created a brilliant, hilarious special item for Bioware's Dragon Age.

*Buy Penny Arcade collections at Amazon.

Win a customized XBOX 360

The guys from Penny Arcade created some promotional art for upcoming game Comic Jumper in the style of Rob Liefeld's 90's comics. They're also giving away an XBOX 360 customized with the art:

I only have one of these bad boys to give away so this is a “many will enter few will win” situation. In order to win this I’d like for you to send me a picture of yourself in your best Rob Liefeld pose. I’ll take a look at all of them and choose a winner on Friday. That means you have until Thursday 9/30 night at 12:00am pacific time to get me your photo.

Please put "Comic Jumper Contest" in the subject and try and keep your photos to a reasonable size. I’ll choose one winner and probably put up a gallery with some of the best shots. Oh and no Photoshopping.

*Buy comics by Liefeld at Amazon.

Lookouts painting by Mike Krahulik (link roundup)

New Lookouts painting by Mike Krahulik. Today's Penny Aracde, starring an updated version of Ahab and Moby Dick, was also genius.

And a few more links:

1. Roger Ebert says of Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones, "It's based on the best-seller by Alice Sebold that everybody seemed to be reading a couple of years ago. I hope it's not faithful to the book; if it is, millions of Americans are scary." i09 hated it, too. Sounds like the only big difference from the book is that they eliminated a major plot point that made the mom and cop even more unlikable. (In case you're thinking my hatred for the book is due to my Y chromosome, well, I think my next batch of book reviews will dispel that theory.)

2. The big bosses at Rockstar Games were accused earlier this week of managing like Sauron. So, they responded by issuing a new Eye of Sauron-themed desktop wallpaper.

3. The WSJ has really positive things to say about California's economy.

*Previously: Sauron mask.

*Buy Sauron toys at eBay.

Space Amoeba poster (link roundup)

Poster for Space Amoeba. Here's the trailer.

And a few more links:

1. Apparently this is what William Gibson had in mind when he created the Idoru.

2. Mike Krahulik draws his D&D players' characters.

3. Click I'm Feeling Lucky on the Google home page and a mysterious number appears. It apparently counts the seconds until the end of the year.

*Previously: Neal Stephenson recounts his battles with William Gibson.

*Buy plush amoebas at eBay.

Lookouts t-shirt (link roundup)

Penny Arcade now has a Lookouts t-shirt on sale. There's a deal if you buy multiple shirts.

And a few more links:

1. Poster for Hitchcock's Vertigo.

2. I was recently reminded of wonderful advice, which makes it a lot easier to handle unfortunate events: "An adventure is an inconvenience properly considered."

3. Shigeru Miyamoto Lego CubeDude.

*Previously: Famous moments from Hitchcock movies reenacted for Vanity Fair.

*Buy Hitchcock movie posters at eBay.

Big Daddy Dolls; New Bioshock Desktop Wallpaper

Nathan Alexander made three Big Daddy dolls and plans on posting them for sale in the near future.




Also, Mike Krahulik's Mr. Bubbles illustration has been posted as a desktop wallpaper.

*Previously: How to make a Big Daddy costume.

*Buy Bioshock toys at eBay.

Raygun Gothic Spaceship and Spacegirl (link roundup)

Photo of the Raygun Gothic Spaceship, invite to the related Galactica Gala, and face-painted space girl who attended the gala.

And a few more links:

1. iTunes probably already downloaded it for you if you've subscribed, but the first podcast of series three Penny Arcade/PvP/Wil Wheaton playing Dungeons and Dragons has been posted.

2. Post-apocalyptic hover car.

3. Shiva in a swimsuit.

*Previously: Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson are American Gothic.

*Buy Penny Arcade collections at Amazon.

Buy a chimera for charity (link roundup)

Chimera drawing by Paul Hornschemeier - - it's one of many works of art that have been put up for bid at eBay as part of an online art auction and fundraiser organized by Anders Nilsen to promote universal health care. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Great Penny Arcade strip featuring Sam Fisher and a guy who's even sneakier.

2. Black Panthro.

3. Now that you mention it, it is a little weird that Link kills monsters, and eats their hearts to replenish his health.

*Previously: Origami chimera.

*Buy chimera toys at eBay.

Bioshock print by Mike Krahulik

Bioshock's Big Daddy and Little Sister by Penny Arcade's Mike Krahulik. It'll be available as a print at PAX for an unspecified price. Via.

*Previously: Redesigned Bioshock cover art.

*Buy Bioshock toys at eBay.

Penny Arcade's glow-in-the-dark conference table (and more)

Penny Arcade's Twisp and Catsby-themed, glow-in-the-dark table by Because We Can, who have furniture on sale here, and t-shirts on sale here. This video shows how the table was made:




Also by Because We Can, check out this Steampunk office, it's full of ornate details like this tentacled creature on the back of a chair:



*Previously: Door with built in ping-pong table.

*Learn woodworking with these books at Amazon.

Ahab vs. Moby Dick the game (link roundup)

Ahab vs. Moby Dick the game (the t-shirt). Via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. Write a steampunk story based on Tom Banwell's new heavily customized version of Darth Vader's helmet and win a $75 credit to his Etsy shop.

2. On the off chance you haven't seen it, Penny Arcade's concept art for the salesmen at the upcoming Microsoft specialty stores is pure genius.

3. There are two Tron 2 viral sites, as described here.

4. Collection of Starship Enterprise icons.

*Previously: Tron hoody.

*Buy Tron toys at eBay.

Cardboard Tube Samurai to star in Tekken 6 (link roundup)

Penny Arcade's Cardboard Tube Samurai will be a playable character in Tekken 6. Via.

And a few more links:

1. "The Persian Conquest" of Beverly Hills. Via.

2. A New York Times reporter David Rhode was kidnapped by the Taliban about seven months ago (two months after getting married). He just escaped. Via.

3. Circa 1960's, Monsanto Disneyland patch.

4. During the day, her show in Vegas is called "Scarlett - Princess of Magic." At night, she stars in a show with topless dancers called "Scarlett and her Seductive Ladies of Magic." Via.

*Previously: Tycho sculpture.

*Buy military patches at eBay.

Tycho sculpture

Sculpture by Aquanaut of Tycho as he looks in Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. Lots more photos in this thread.

*Previously: Lego Fruitf*cker.

*Buy Penny Arcade books at Amazon.

Clown Bomb (link roundup)

Playstation 3 Mushroom Clown ad from a few years back by TBWA/Paris, France. Via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. Lego Fruitf*cker.

2. A boy and his giraffe.

3. Another fresh interpretation of Kitty Pryde for the hemophilia benefit I've mentioned.

4. The Onion News Network has an expose on Franz Kafka airport.

*Previously: Lego clown tank.

*Buy circus posters at eBay.

Plush Steve Jobs (link roundup)

Plush Steve Jobs on sale here.

And a few more links:

1. I haven't tried it yet - - but here's a guide to putting on duvet covers.

2. Rolling Stone has a fascinating interview with Sean Penn. For example, he talks about his childhood friends:

One lived in Hawaii, came home to Malibu to visit — this is later, in his mid-20s — intentionally ran over somebody with his car, got out of the car, stripped naked and started screaming about God. That was one of them. One guy we surfed with, we used to go to Zuma Beach in the morning before junior high school. We took a bunch of quaaludes before we went out surfing, and he just drifted off into the ocean, and nobody ever found him. Another guy I surfed and played Little League with, he was dealing and doing blow and shot himself off the edge of a cliff in a car. Another guy killed his mother. Another guy I was in jail with, actually — I think he's dead now.

3. Official Dungeons and Dragons character based on the clever work of Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik. They're at their best when they're trying to be lame.

4. Win a custom Dunny by Jon Paul Kaiser. Via.

*Previously: Macintosh paper toy.

*Buy Penny Arcade books at Amazon.

On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two Papercraft, Trailer

Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two is coming soon. Already available are several papercraft models, including Tycho, Gabe, and Fruitf*cker:




You can download the papercraft here and that link will also explain that if you take a really nice photo of the models, you just might win a prize.

Here's the trailer for Episode 2



*Previously: Impressive Fruitf*cker costume.

*Buy Penny Arcade collections at Amazon.

Video of an impressive Fruit F*cker costume

Fruit F*cker cosplay. (NSFW language). Via.

*Previously: Fruit F*cker cakes.

*Buy Penny Arcade collections at Amazon.

Don't waste your time on the the new role-playing game being promoted at Penny Arcade

Today at Penny Arcade, Tycho promoted a role-playing game called Eschalon, Book I. I downloaded the demo and spent about 20 minutes with it. The game's graphics are ten years out of date (and not remotely appealing), and the story and setting are equally cliched. The final straw was that when I clicked on an item, my character didn't automatically walk toward it. Move along.

If you're looking for a free game to play, then try one of these.

Penny Arcade/Fruit F*cker Cakes

Both by Clever Cake Studio.



Fruit F*cker Cake.




Steampunk Contraption Cake.

Via.

See more cool cakes here.