Game of Thrones RPG on the way

Since I began immersing myself in the Kingdom of Westeros by reading "A Song of Ice and Fire" and watching "Game of Thrones" I began to imagine what it would be like to play a video game based on George R.R. Martin's epic story. Those who have been jonesing for an ASOIAF video game will not have to wait much longer. Cyanide Studios recently released a real-time strategy game based on the series, and are developing an RPG that is slated to come out in quarter one 2012. The game takes the information that we already have about The Seven Kingdoms and weaves in original characters. One of the great things about this game is that the story is being written in conjunction with the man himself, George R. R. Martin.

Epic giveaway: Game of Foams - WINNER

Huge congratulations to the winner of the Game of Foams GEEKSOAP! The winner of this giveaway was Konstantin! He will receive the Stark and Lannister soaps courtesy of The Pink Toque.

Check back for more contests soon!

Epic Giveaway: Game of Foams GEEKSOAP!

Winter is coming, friends. Be sure you smell your very best with this newly released line of Game of Thrones inspired soaps by the lovely Lesley at GEEKSOAP.net. Lesley has been a huge friend and supporter of Kentucky Geek Girl this last year and has graciously donated her Game of Foams soaps for an epic Pre-Christmas giveaway. It's been a great year for fans of George R. R. Martin's epic series "A Song of Ice and Fire" and what better way to celebrate than by lathering up?

Explore history of Westeros in A Game of Thrones: Genesis

Yesterday, George R. R. Martin put up a post on his blog entitled "A Taste of Cyanide." It detailed the new fantasy strategy game being released by Cyanide Studios based on the lore of A Song of Ice and Fire. Game of Thrones: Genesis, which is set to release on September 28, immerses the player in conflicts and intrigue between the Houses of Westeros. The game allows players to take different avenues to claiming power: economic, militaristic, or political, with many choices allowing you to complete your goal. More info and teaser trailer after the break!

Around the Web: 16-Bit Game of Thrones RPG

Disclaimer: This video includes spoilers for Season 1 Game of Thrones and A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. It is also NSFW.

It's Game of Thones week at Kentucky Geek Girl and we found this awesome video on College Humor!



Not going to lie, I wish this was a real game.

George R. R. Martin draws hundreds to Joseph-Beth in Lexington

Last night, author George R. R. Martin drew a crowd of around 900 to Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington. In case you've been living under some sort of rock, Martin is the author of five books in the epic fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire" which has inspired the HBO series "Game of Thrones." The first season of GoT garnered massive attention to both Martin and the books, which I think is absolutely spectacular. The series was nominated for 13 Emmy awards including Best Drama and Best Supporting Actor. Peter Dinklage, who is a total rockstar by the way, totally deserves the award which Martin expressed to the crowd last night.

The signing in Lexington wasn't even supposed to happen. George R. R. Martin specifically requested that Joseph-Beth Booksellers be added at the end of this leg of his tour for the newly released "A Dance With Dragons," the fifth book in "A Song of Ice and Fire." Joe-Beth was particularly sentimental for Martin because he came to Lexington on his initial tour for "A Game of Thrones." That book tour was drawing crowds of less than a dozen, but in Lexington, hundreds came out to support him. Fifteen years later, Lexington showed that it still loves its fantasy and it still loves George R. R. Martin. But Lexingtonians weren't the only attendees of last night's signing. According to the store's Facebook page, people drove down from Columbus, OH and up from Tennessee and South Carolina to see the author.

Epic Giveaway: Paperback box set of "A Song of Ice and Fire" signed by George R.R. Martin

Winter is coming and what better way to be prepared than by reading George R.R. Martin's epic series "A Song of Ice and Fire"? Martin was a special guest at Joseph-Beth Booksellers here in Lexington last night and we were lucky enough to get him to sign this box set! I've read A Game of Thrones and am currently reading A Clash of Kings. We just wanted to share the wonderousness that is this series with all of you! Watch for a post this week where we discuss the awesome book signing, but for now, please enter this contest and help us celebrate a huge milestone for our blog!

Details:
1. One (1) winner chosen by Rafflecopter.
2: PRIZE: Paperback box set of "A Song of Ice and Fire" signed by the author George R.R. Martin
3. You MUST fill out the Rafflecopter form.
4. Comment to win: Who is your favorite science fiction/fantasy author?
5. Giveaway ends 8/10 at 12:01am
6. The BOX is signed, not the individual books.
7. Use RAFFLECOPTER to tally up your entries.

Are you ready?

Around the Web: Damn It Feels Good to be a Lannister

I've made no bones about saying that I absolutely love Game of Thrones. I felt that the show was a brilliant adaptation of George R.R. Martin's book A Game of Thrones, book 1 of A Song of Ice and Fire. Tyrion Lannister, The Imp, portrayed by Peter Dinklage, ranks as one of my favorite characters. His wit and intelligence sings volumes about how much better than he is than his older siblings.

Behold, a parody from Youtube user LessTalkMoreMonkey. Be careful, though. It does contain spoilers.

Around the Web: Game of Thrones Violin Cover

I'm the only member of the KGG team that has watched Game of Thrones or read any of Song of Ice and Fire series. I have to get my other ladies into this, because it's so freaking amazing.

Jason Yang posted this on his Youtube channel yesterday. It is a violin cover of the Game of Thrones opening track. There are also quite a few covers around the internethers. I particularly like the hard rock version.

via Geek Girl Diva

What do you like about the music from Game of Thrones?

Stuff That Doesn't Suck (3)

Stuff that doesn’t suck is a meme hosted by Pam at Bookalicious where we graciously share with you the things that we come across in a week that don’t suck. This includes a variety of things from books to music to youtube and even more. Feel free to join in on the comments or on your own blog.

Blog That Doesn't Suck

Chronic Geek is a blog written by 8-Bit Emma. She is a college student studying Information Systems Technology. Her blog features her loves of comic books, zombies, gaming, music, and Doctor Who. Not only does her blog feature things about herself and her life, but it also spotlights some of her favorite geek finds. She is an insightful writer and I like that way she incorporates her own photography in her blog. She participates in blog memes such as Fishnet Friday and recounts some pretty epic events like her trip to Brewfest 2010 and refurbishing an arcade game cabinet. I think Emma is awesome and I look forward to her blog posts and tweets.

Movie Trailer That Doesn't Suck

Okay, so if you're like me, most or all of your adolescent life was spent in the company of Harry Potter and the students of Hogwarts. I'm sad to see this epic series come to an end, but I'll tell you, this trailer does it justice. It looks absolutely amazing and I cannot wait to see this movie.



TV Theme Song Cover That Doesn't Suck

Just go with me on this one. I'm a fan of theme music. If I had my own personal theme, it would be a bouncy, light-hearted ditty and there'd probably be some ukulele in it. Anyhoo, the folks at Nerdbastards posted this on their site and it was too epic not to share. I'm not watching Game of Thrones until I've read its literary namesake, but I will attest that the opening theme is awesome. This guy created a heavy metal version of it and uploaded it to youtube on Friday. Bask in the awesomeness.



Adorable Puppy Dog That Doesn't Suck

Just because I felt like we needed another video from youtube, here's a video that a friend posted on our gaming group's message board. Actually, this isn't the version he posted, it's actually a better version. I could not help but smile when I saw this adorable pug.

What hasn't sucked for you this week?

The Geek Girls Book Club Kicks Off Sunday!

Whether it be by Kindle or Nook, hard cover, or mass market paperback, it's hard to deny that there is just something exciting about reading a good book. Many of my favorite books are historical fiction, romance, and paranormal, but I'm willing to give every genre a try.  I'm currently reading George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series and am nearly halfway done with A Game of Thrones. As I said in my post on The Lord of the Rings Director's Cut, I'm a big fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, though I've never actually read his epic trilogy. On Sunday, I'll begin reading The Hobbit as a member of the Geek Girl Book Club.

The Geek Girls Book Club is composed of women and men from the Twitter and Facebook communities who want to show Ginia Bellafante, columnist for the New York Times, that girls like fantasy fiction too. If you've been living under a rock for the last two weeks, on April 14, the NYT published her "review" of Game of Thrones, the new HBO series based on Martin's epic fantasy fiction works. However, what was published wasn't even really a review at all. It mused as to why Game of Thrones was actually on the network and its difference with The Sopranos, a long since ended series. It also accused women of not liking the fantasy genre.

"The true perversion, though, is the sense you get that all of this illicitness has been tossed in as a little something for the ladies, out of a justifiable fear, perhaps, that no woman alive would watch otherwise. While I do not doubt that there are women in the world who read books like Mr. Martin’s, I can honestly say that I have never met a single woman who has stood up in indignation at her book club and refused to read the latest from Lorrie Moore unless everyone agreed to “The Hobbit” first. “Game of Thrones” is boy fiction patronizingly turned out to reach the population’s other half." Ginia Bellafante, New York Times, April 14

With this review, and the outrage that it created, the Geek Girls Book Club was born. It started as a simple hashtag on Twitter. Then @NikkiSticks began organizing this wonderful opportunity for women and men who are born of the same geek cloth to come together and prove that a love for fantasy fiction (and reading in general) exists and that a woman will choose The Hobbit over a romance novel in their book clubs. There are now over 100 members of the Geek Girls Book Club Facebook group and around 70 on Goodreads. The excitement is building and on Sunday, May 1, everyone will begin to read The Hobbit.

Not only this give many an opportunity to re-read a classic, it also gives some an opportunity to read The Hobbit for the first time. I will be among the first timers and I am very excited. Leila from Within Pages will be participating in the Geek Girls Book Club as well, so keep an eye on posts from her. Join the conversation by searching #GGBC on Twitter, join the Goodreads group here, and find us on Facebook. I'm looking forward to reading this book, but I'm also looking forward to the friendships that a group like the Geek Girls Book Club will create.

Check Kentucky Geek Girl for updates on the GGBC and for more opportunities for girls to let their geek flag fly.

Stuff That Doesn't Suck (1)

I'll be doing a new (and hopefully weekly) feature here on KGG where I take a look at some of my favorite things from the week: Stuff That Doesn't Suck. I was recently turned on to this idea by my best friend Leila and I've decided to adapt it to fit the style of my blog here at Kentucky Geek Girl. Stuff That Doesn't Suck, or STDs for short, was created by Pam at Bookalicious. She does hers on Saturday, but I'm not sure that I'll nail it down to one day in particular. Anyhoo, I'm addicted to random internet browsing and finding awesome new things so I am really looking forward to this series!

Without further adieu...

Book That Doesn't Suck
At the behest of a good friend, I started reading A Game of Thrones from the series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. I happened to begin reading it just before the HBO series premiere (It premieres tomorrow!!) and just before a scathing review was published in the New York Times by Ginia Bellafante. I whole-heartedly disagree with Ms. Bellafante's opinion that women do not enjoy fantasy fiction and that romance and sex was only inserted into the book (and subsequently the television show) to entice female readers/viewers. (P.S. There was such reader outcry against the review that the NYT had to disable comments on their site.) I'm only around 130 pages in, but I must say that I love this freaking book already. I think that Martin is creating a fantastic world. I don't have HBO, and I have decided to finish the book first, so I won't be watching the show right away, but I did want to post a little something about the TV series. I can't give a fair review yet, that will come later, but the only thing I can say without a doubt is: Winter is coming.

Web Series That Doesn't Suck
I absolutely love "Awkward Embraces" and I feel as if this show was made for me. I'm going to write about it in more depth in another post soon, but I did want to include it in my first STDs post. I'm a geek girl. I love Star Trek: The Next Generation, making obscure references, and playing video games and so does Jessica, the star of Awkward Embraces. The show, now in its second season, also follows her friends Candis and Lyndsey as the three friends experience dating highs and lows. Like I said, I'm going to write about the show in more depth later, but I definitely wanted to include it here! You can read more about the show here and follow the show on Twitter @AwkwardEmbraces. Watch episode 1 from Season 1 here.

What didn't suck for you this week? Let me know in the comments below!