» 2007 » April
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Origins Awards nominees announced for 2007
Though underannounced and hard to find (as usual), the 2007 Origins Awards top nominees are decided. ‘Tis an interesting batch this year, with many expected titles (Ptolus was a no-brainer), and some surprises as well (Shear Panic? Really? Huh). The list also contains a few endangered or extinct products, such as Paizo’s Dragon Magazine and the defunct MSM publication Games Quarterly Magazine. Click below for the full list of nominees.
Read More…
Friday, April 27, 2007
GTS: A report from the floor
That title sounds like someone collapsed, doesn’t it? But no, Lee Valentine of Veritas Games Company did not falter under the weighty task of reporting on the GAMA Trade Show 2007 (while staffing the Veritas Games booth simultaneously!), and has provided OgreCave with a lengthy overview of this year’s show. Please direct your comments to the thread already in progress, and remember, kids: it’s not OgreCave unless there’s a beverage recommendation.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Select droplets from the GTS news trickle
Yeah, it doesn’t look like much of anyone has a well-oiled journalism machine in operation at GAMA this year. GR (which does not mean Green Ronin) has some stuff, here’s some annotated-for-your-convenience highlights and extra bits:
New TITAN. Yes, that one. These folks are bringing it but nothing’s on the site yet.
Pokemon CMG. Make it stop.
Pinnacle’s doing a hallelujah NON-collectible pre-painted plastic minis game called Slaughter Gulch. (Also a Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG in May, which I hadn’t heard.)
CCGs for 24 and Stargate SG-1, *yawn* huzzah.
The third- and fourth-place distribution firms, Premier and Centurion, are merging, which is actually kind of a big deal, and maybe not altogether a good one for retailers. The combined company will operate under the Premier name.
Fantasy Flight announces 2007 releases at GTS
Timed to reflect news from GTS, Fantasy Flight has announced (most of) the rest of its planned releases for 2007. Note the Mutant Chronicles CMG teaser predicting a September release, the StarCraft boardgame due in August (big GenCon title, no doubt), and Descent: The Road to Legend which will add campaign rules to the game.
Dragonlance license not renewed to Margaret Weis Productions
Rumored at GTS yesterday, this post by Margaret Weis at Dragonlance.com (copied below) confirms that Wizards of the Coast has not renewed the Dragonlance RPG license that was with Margaret Weis Productions. As Weis mentions in her statement, her company “will be releasing new Dragonlance RPG product through the end of this year and then will step back from our association with Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro.” Weis went on to mention a new world being developed with Tracy Hickman (also of Dragonlance fame) called Dragonships of the Vindras, which will be a new game complimented by novels through Tor Books. Like Paizo, which just lost Dragon and Dungeon, Margaret Weis Productions seems to be maximizing its bonuses for the best possible saving throw in its upcoming post-WotC license era. We’ll see how it turns out for them.
Read More…
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Green Ronin takes over A Song Of Ice And Fire RPG duties
Mind you, they won’t be taking over the version that Guardians of Order did; they’re doing a new one. Targeted for 2008. Awesome quote: George R.R. Martin says in the release that “[t]here were days I felt like Scarlett O’Hara at the Twelve Oaks barbeque” when the RPG rights were back in play. Hot.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Audio Report: we have explosive!
Just in time for GTS, listen to our talk on the final - like, really final - aftermath of Games Expo. And on the Endgame Minicon, the naval-miniatures boomlet and lots of other fun stuff. As always, join us if you haven’t.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Dragon and Dungeon Magazines will return to Wizards, go electronic only
Rumored for a while now, today it was officially announced that Paizo Publishing will no longer be publishing Dragon Magazine or its sister magazine, Dungeon. This doesn’t seem to be by Paizo’s choice, as Wizards of the Coast jointly announced the conclusion of Paizo’s license to publish the magazines - seems that Hasbro-owned WotC is looking to drink more deeply of the PDF market. In the press release (copied below), Scott Rouse, Senior Brand Manager of Dungeons & Dragons at WotC stated “Today the internet is where people go to get this kind of information. By moving to an online model we are using a delivery system that broadens our reach to fans around the world.” Readers that liked having the magazines in hand rather than being forced to a computer screen may disagree, especially those who recently resubscribed. Paizo is offering multiple transition options to subscribers with issues remaining after the final issues in September (Dragon #359 and Dungeon #150), including the option of signing on for Pathfinder, “a new monthly 96-page perfect-bound, OGL-compatible, full-color softcover Adventure Path book printed on high-quality paper for use with the world’s most popular roleplaying game.” Personally, I just received the May ‘07 issue of Dragon today, and it contains a “Last issue. Resubscribe!” announcement bundled with it. Either Paizo got caught off guard with this, or someone forgot to notify the shipping department.
Read More…
Monday, April 16, 2007
They also announced Rocketmen! (sound of crickets)
Okay, so Allan beat me to the post. Savor the flavor, hotshot. But anyway: Xbox Livers and PS3 owners (all twelve of them) will be getting this tweaked-up Rocketmen game in the fall. No word on whether it’ll have some kind of collectible-sales aspect, probably because no one cares. Me, I always thought the strongest and least-exploited part of Rocketmen’s IP was the character designs, and it looks like this game’s a lot more about that. So hey.
Talisman making the leap to consoles, PC
The classic Games Workshop fantasy boardgameTalisman, for which countless gamers are quite willing to shell out for each new edition, is headed for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PCs. From the Capcom announcement (also copied below), it looks like additional adventure cards, characters, and alternate endings (achieved by cards in the original boardgame) will be offered as downloadable extras. I still say GW nailed Talisman with the second edition way back in 1985 (and ebay prices seem to agree). However, if uninitiated gamers of the electronic era can get a taste of the “magical quest” boardgame that so many game designers still try to imitate, I’m all for it. The Capcom version is scheduled for a Winter ‘07 release. As for the completists out there, or the curious newbies, GW has 4th edition slated for release this October, guys.
Read More…
Back to the