Parents' Guide to Galaxy of Pen and Paper

This incredible space adventure manages to parody and honor tabletop games in an entertaining and fun way. In this digital age of fantasies that are never really final, young gamers forget that the RPG experience once relied solely on a game master's imagination and the lucky roll of a 20-sided die. Galaxy of Pen and Paper brings back that nostalgic feeling by taking all the best parts of tabletop gaming and wrapping it up in an old school, pixelated package filled with cheesy jokes and sci-fi references. While this nostalgia-fueled road trip through the universe is an adventure that would do any game master proud, that doesn't mean there aren't still a few hiccups on the jump to hyperspace.

Galaxy of Pen and Paper does a great job of keeping players' interests. The game's script and dialogue are hilariously quirky, with the GM's tale including all manner of sci-fi pop culture influences, changed just enough to be completely original and totally not ripped-off ideas. The problem is that it takes a while to get the ball rolling. Early on, when your characters are just starting out, there aren't a lot of options available. This turns the game into a repetitive clickfest, with players just going through the motions. Once your party has a handful of quests under its belt, though, the game starts to open up a lot more. It has a surprisingly deep system, with all kinds of character skills, ship capabilities, and exploration at your disposal. Players can even play GM themselves, creating custom missions for their party to help move things along. It all makes for a crazy and sometimes disjointed story, but thanks to its "game within a game" premise, it all still somehow comes together in the end.