The borderlines between the various videogame tribes and the other gaming cultures have never really been all that clear cut.

It's almost a given, for instance, that those who enjoy playing Neverwinter Nights and other stat-based RPGs have at least some familiarity with the basic fundamentals of a pen-and-paper RPG like Dungeons and Dragons. Those who enjoy playing Catan over Xbox Live probably cut their teeth on the original Settlers of Catan, back when the dice were physical objects held in ones hand and "emoticons" were sent by actually grimacing at your real-life opponent. It is therefore news when a megacompany like Wizards of the Coast (scion of Hasbro and rights holder to just about every geek-friendly IP from D&D through to Magic: The Gathering) decides to announce something like Gleemax.

What is Gleemax? Hard to explain actually; in its most literal form, Gleemax (technically Gleemax.com ) is a social-networking website which aims to be a one-stop-shop for a demographic WotC is referring to as "hardcore gamers." Gleemax is tribe-agnostic, focusing equally on the pen-and-paper, collectible card, tabletop, clicky figurine and videogaming sets.

According to WotC's recent press release, the Gleemax website will be built around three "pillars" -- Community, Games and Editorial Content. While the website will feature all the standard web 2.0 community mainstays (blogs, forums, etc.) what sets Gleemax apart is its intense focus on the integration of all WotC offerings into a single community-driven space.

On your personal Gleemax homepage, WotC will provide the tools to simultaneously showcase to the world at large such things as your latest Friday night D&D character sheets, your current magic deck(s), etc. plus quick links to all the relevant strategy discussions, community 'design your own cards' contests, etc.

Additionally, the website will include an indie strategy game portal devoted to digital distribution of select PC Games deemed attractive to the user community. For those more interested in dice and pencils, the website will also provide a board game portal serving up the complete backlist (!) of Avalon Hill titles (Axis & Allies, Vegas Showdown, etc.). These two portals will in turn support the website's online video game network, stuff like Magic Online and Uncivilized: The Goblin Game, previously announced and slated to begin external play testing later this year.

All these areas come complete with all the prerequisite forums, editorials, discussion and other aids so beloved by the strategy gaming community.

Wizards of the Coast is eager to stress that Gleemax is not about pimping their own products, so much as it is about strengthening the overall culture of gaming as a whole. It's a husbandry approach; by creating a fertile ground where the various tribes of gaming can meet and greet, they hope to build interest (and presumably sales) through the basic principle of cultivating a strong player community.

To ensure that Gleemax will continually provide its users with ongoing content, the company is enlisting industry leaders in all areas of online social experiences and strategy/hobby games to sit on a "Gleemax Advisory Board" with the mandate of keeping the site full of editorials, new features and new ideas. Besides the industry types, the company wants grassroots gamers at their Advisory Board round table. To recruit them, they plan on holding a "reality TV style contest" to select interested members. You can get in on the action through, unsurprisingly, Gleemax.com.

Kotaku has some additional coverage of the Gleemax initiative, including a quote from Randy Buehler, Wizards' VP of Digital Gaming, who sums up the project thusly:

"We think Gleemax is the right thing to do for Wizards of the Coast, the right thing to do for the tabletop hobby gaming industry, and the right thing to do for a sizable group of digital gamers who are being ignored by the mainstream computer gaming industry. We want to build a home that all three groups can feel comfortable in and I think it will change the face of the hobby gaming industry forever. If we pull this off, then Gleemax will become the center of the online strategy and roleplaying gaming universe."

"Deep down in the DNA of our company we know that the way to sell hobby games is to invest in the community of hobby gamers. We feel that Gleemax will provide a lasting infrastructure that supports not just our own customers, but the entire hardcore gaming culture. [...] We want to build something that the whole industry can embrace."

Pretty lofty words, but you can't argue with the ambition of the thing. Like a big digital high-school art room, phase 1 launches in August at GenCon. Until then you can keep refreshing gleemax.com for launch schedules and updates.

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Visit the site HERE. Right now it's not much, but it will be. :-)

I will be out of town for the rest of the week so enjoy this Tech demo of ID's new engine while I'm gone.

"The Beta has been a great success for us in terms of the sheer amount of data it allowed us to gather, for matchmaking, networking, general bug-bashing and of course some gameplay elements. As the Beta heads to the great software graveyard in the sky, it's vital to remember that things you got used to during these short few weeks, are almost certain to change. Some of those changes will be subtle, nuanced, perhaps even invisible. Others will be less subtle - with shifts in game types, weapon functionality, spawn points and map details."

Well the Halo 3 beta is over, and we discovered a lot of good things from it. 1) I can't wait to play the SP game. 2) Master Chief has a funky looking face. and 3) NEW ARMOR MODS! Well my time is over, and I didn't get to enjoy it very long but while I did, I was happy.

I haven't played Bomberman since I was in college on the SNES. I'm really looking forward to this game and am going to snag it once I get my 360 back.

A demo for Codemasters' deliciously dastardly game Overlord is now available on Xbox Live, with a PC version expected to follow early next week on the official site.

The publisher also confirmed a European release date of
29th June for both games.

The demo lets you romp around the tranquil area of Mellow Hills, unleashing your venom on the land by using your minion horde. We got a little confused yesterday when the US pretended that the taster had already been released, but you can rest assured now that we're telling the truth. Or pretending to.

Triumph Studios is the fiendish brain behind Overlord, and has refreshingly done away with the notion of being a goody; only evil or more evil is on the menu.

It's also devilishly fun, as we found out when we went to play the game. Find out more in our first impressions of Overlord.

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WTF is with games getting demos I want to play when my 360 is dead?!?! This happened last year, and again this year when my 360 died. It is driving me nuts. I loved Dungeon Keeper growing up so this game has really piqued my interest with all the game sites referring to it as a spiritual successor to the Bullfrog games.