 February 2001 Archive
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« November 2000 | Main | March 2001 »
12:24 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... We worked out a deal with Wingnut Games to get the exclusive first look at the new Battle Cattle miniatures. The minis were left unpainted to show off the fine detail of these bovine warriors. We've also added the weapons packs to the side shot. Click on the shots below for a closer look. You can't find these anywhere else, so get 'em while they're hot!
01:37 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Now this is totally my style: I Want My 1000 Blank White Cards. Who else out there used to set up all of their board games on the floor of the family room at once and just kind of let their Monopoly pieces wander all over? Tell us about it.
11:46 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Eden Studios is looking for their biggest fan. If you can convince them that no one loves All Flesh Must Be Eaten, Conspiracy X, and Eden's other games more than you, you'll get everything they make for the next two years. How can you convince them of your fanatical devotion? Check out the contest details for ideas. Dark Portal Open A Quick Drink Ronin Refocused Agatha Blades Launches Veil Lifted
06:18 AM: Demian Katz says... The seventh issue of The Rising Sun, a quarterly e-zine devoted to the Lone Wolf gamebooks, has just been released. This issue contains an article by author John Grant on the re-release of some of his Legends of Lone Wolf novels, a review of The Caverns of Kalte, a couple of poems and some other interesting material. Past issues are also worth checking out, as they contain everything from new solitaire adventures to alternate rules for playing through the classics.
11:08 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Professor M.A.R. Barker's richly detailed Tekumel setting will be publishing in role-playing form once again, this time by Guardians of Order. Using GOO's Tri-Stat system, Tekumel: Empire of the Petal Throne will make its debut at GenCon 2001 in August. As one of the oldest and most detailed game worlds, Tekumel is sure to be welcomed back into the hobby by old fans and new.
11:53 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Aldo from Wingnut Games tells us that the Battle Cattle 25mm miniatures should be reaching stores within a couple of weeks. Let the bovine combat commence! Keep watching on OgreCave for more info. Mage Knight Beta Release Broken Shadows Approach Porn Star Freed From Freak Factory On Valentine's Day, Freak Factory Game Studios transferred ownership of their
11:23 AM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Houston, we have review. Read our take on Cosmic Coasters, the new board game from the creators of Fluxx, Chrononauts and Icehouse.
09:02 AM: Demian Katz says... A brand new series of solitaire role-playing gamebooks, The Chronicles of Arborell, is now being published online free of charge. The series is designed in a manner reminiscent of the classic Fighting Fantasy and Lone Wolf books, and while it must be played through a web browser, it retains the old gamebook feel by requiring the reader to roll dice and keep track of statistics on a printed character sheet. The first book in the series, a 260-section fantasy adventure called Windhammer, is available now; the next volume, Earth and Stone, is due in June.
11:24 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... The new game company SFR Inc. has finalized its purchase of the Dragon Dice game property from Wizards of the Coast. The game will surge back to life with three limited edition Dragonkin Champion dice early this year, followed by the Treefolk game expansion this summer. Other products will come thereafter, including the Champions and Unearthly expansions. I'll have to check with my former Gamers.com co-worker Brian, but I'm reasonably sure we talked with SFR at Dragon*Con last year, and Brian got some dice out of the encounter. Dominion Update
11:01 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Due to popular demand, Wingnut Games will be printing a second edition of Land of Og. Before it goes to press, though, it has to be just right. "So, if you have anything from typos to omitted rules, look at our online FAQ then send them over," said Aldo Ghiozzi, Wingnut owner. Once Og 2E is out, keep your eyes peeled for The Complete Caveman's Club Book, which will expand the world of Og even more.
12:38 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Arthaus, Inc., a smaller affiliate of White Wolf Publishing, announced today that it has acquired the rights to publish D20 products for the Ravenloft campaign setting, previously published by Wizards of the Coast. Goals have been set for four products per year, starting with a core rulebook that will hold "plenty of new surprises and a wholly revamped setting for hard core Ravenloft fans." Now if only someone would do the same for Planescape and Birthright, we'd be set.
11:47 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Inquest Gamer Magazine's Fan Awards 2000 are drawing to a close. This is one of the few awards that allows readers to write in alternate choices in each category, so don't hold back. If you want to add your vote to the mix, head over there and vote before Wednesday, February 28th. I'm sorely tempted to vote for Pokéthulhu, myself.
01:22 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... We met Tom Jolly, creator of Wiz-War and Diskwars, who was at DDC running Diskwars tournaments for the second year in a row. The title of this item would probably amuse him as much as the fact that Fantasy Flight is officially appending his name to the title of his upcoming tile-based board game. You know, like Bram Stoker's Dracula: Tom Jolly's Drakon. Tom said the idea that his name will ship units strikes him as pretty funny. (By the way, if you play Wiz-War but don't own it, he said to buy your own damn copy. We think he might have been joking. Maybe.) Anyway, Tom Jolly's Drakon is a version of a game, variously titled Traps or Vaults, that Jolly's been developing for ages. From what I saw, players lay down new rooms of a dungeon on a regular grid, and each room contains special rules and restrictions on pawn movement. Similarly to Wiz-War, the goal is to get treasure, but there's also presumably an element of getting out alive. The game is in final assembly stages and should be released relatively soon. I didn't have a chance to give Drakon a test drive, though. What can I say, after the con I went to a party in Fremont that involved wine mousse cake and torture by Trivial Pursuit while I watched two guys play PS2 Beatmania to euro-disco songs about an Indian guy whose family was eaten by a tiger. Long night.
11:47 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... The biggest game convention in California, and the oldest one as well, DunDraCon calls to us once again. As the first game convention I ever attended (back around DDC XI or so), this one holds special memories for me, and I never miss it. Here's a few of the highlights I plan to check out:
09:37 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... The good people at Games Unplugged have just posted an interview with John Tynes, co-creator of Unknown Armies and Delta Green, as well as the brilliant Puppetland and all sorts of other goodies. The interview seems awfully out-of-date, though... what's Tynes been up to since? Oh, keeping himself busy.
01:28 AM: Mike Sugarbaker says...
12:33 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Tired of the way all computer games and video games are the same? So is Ernest Adams, a game developer who's worked for Bullfrog among other high-profile PC game companies. He's taken the Dogme 95 rules that made a splash last year in the film world, and applied them to the computer game industry. The result is a great read, brought to our attention by Plastic, my second favorite weblog. The discussion is here.
12:47 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Here's the best result on Living Room Games' Random Grimness Table, intended to keep role-playing sessions from getting too lighthearted:
12:24 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Relics & Rituals,the new D&D3/D20 book from Sword & Sorcery Studios, lists a ton of magic items and spells. However, Sword & Sorcery intentionally doesn't give prices for any of them (too world-specific). Since having the price of an item helps the DM decide how much treasure to award, "Irishman" has stepped up to organize some volunteer pricing. Here's his recruiting notice: The results will be posted on the Sword & Sorcery website.
11:46 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Is that like jumbo shrimp? Nevermind. The Mage Knight miniatures game will bring dragons into play this coming June. The Great Fire Dragon will be 6" tall, have a 9" wingspan, and four combat dials built into its 6" base. The dragon's point value will be scaleable, lending more playability to the figure. Expect to shell out $24.95 to own this baby.
02:18 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... After Wizards of the Coast announced their purchase of the Star Wars Fan Club, it should come as no surprise that Decipher is now buying the company that runs the Star Trek Fan Club, FANtastic Media. Founders of both the Star Wars and Star Trek fan clubs, FANtastic Media will add to Decipher's growing dominance of the Star Trek mythos (they currently own the rights to CCGs and RPGs based on the property). Warren Holland, CEO of Decipher, said "We will be announcing other exciting fan club licenses positioning FANtastic Media for substantial growth over the next several years." Warp speed, Sulu?
11:36 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... In an agressive move, Games Unplugged is going monthly starting this month. Here's a look ahead at what this year's issues will contain. My previous place of employment, Gamers.com, was supposed to be part of this month's Best gaming sites on the net, but given the massive layoffs, who knows? I'll have to check on it.
11:35 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Chaosium announced plans for the first supporting product for Dragon Lords of Melnibone, their D20 setting. Slaves of Fate places the adventurers on a Vilmirian slave ship as captives. After that, things get difficult. Slaves of Fate is scheduled for an April release.
12:34 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... I'm thinking "Action Man: The Collectible Dice Game." Yeah, it's an old joke, but more "synergy" products are definitely in WotC's future at this point... I'd say discuss amongst yourselves, but we have no message board. (And I must scream.)
11:41 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Your favorite toy giant and mine, Hasbro, has announced additional layoffs of 100 more employees. This is in addition to the 750 employees they already laid off in December of last year. According to CEO Alan G. Hassenfeld, "We don't want our bottom line dependent on the success of a blockbuster license." The slowing sales of Furby, Pokemon and Star Wars was sited as the cause for the layoffs. Hasbro's future emphasis will be on more "reliable" brands such as Tonka, Easy-Bake Oven and Play-Doh. No word yet on what this might mean for Wizards of the Coast.
11:39 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... The official announcement of Decipher's plans for the Lord of the Rings CCG went up on their site today. Decipher has the rights to make a card game for each movie in New Line's trilogy, and they plan to take full advantage. There is mention of an electronic card game to compliment the traditional CCG. If the movies turn out as well as everyone hopes, get ready to shell out some cash for a variety of card decks and booster sets.
11:37 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... In the mid '90s, Omni Gaming Products made a valiant effort to purchase the Torg licence from West End Games. Their ideas for Torg would have set the game back on course, repairing the ugliness that had accumulated in the official campaign. However, monetary issues stopped OGP from releasing more than an introductory newsletter. OGP didn't curl up and die, though. In the tradition of Cheapass Games, OGP announced their new game, Blazing Camels. At a paltry price of $5, can you afford notto give it a try?
04:30 PM: Owen Flechyr says... The Society for Creative Anachronism (sca.org) is a medieval reenactment society that puts on events that range from feasts to giant wars in full armor. Wargy is a one day event on the 10th of February in San Jose, California, in the Kingdom of the West. The event is a day long Resurrection battle, in which participants who die can go back to a resurrection point and rejoin the carnage. The battlefield is a giant map, divided up into the various principalities of the Bay Area. War groups can hire mercenaries to fight with them for their prizes. E-mail the autocrat for directions.
12:31 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Expanding Atlas' Penumbra D20 adventure series, The Tide of Years is a new, 48 page quest involving deep sea diving and a crystal that manipulates time itself. Written by Michelle A. Brown Nephew (wife of Atlas President John Nephew), the adventure will provide "an opening for GMs to introduce time travel into their campaigns, either as a one-time extraordinary experience or as an ongoing campaign theme." A supplementary PDF of the clerical Domain of Time provides gamers with a preview to "tide" them over until the adventure's release in early March.
12:00 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Mythrole Games, publishers of digitally-distributed analog card games such as Night of the Ill-Tempered Squirrel, will be publishing a full line of D20 material, according to tragically misinformed sources. Mythrole put out a non-confirmation last week. From the press release:
10:43 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... The latest issue of The Shadowrun Supplemental is available for download here.This issue was delayed slightly by the news that FASA is closing up shop, which prompted a last minute update. Freeport in Focus Again Hero Wars Gets Thunder Rebels
12:21 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Troll Lord Games, a company that's developing products for the D20 system, will be in full effect at Visioncon. Anyone near Springfield, MO, on Presidents' Day weekend should be made aware of this. That is all.
12:18 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Though the CCG has been out for a while now, the Lost Colony RPG is The D20 conversion book for Deadlands will also be completed late this spring. John Goff, frequent Deadlands contributor and the new Line Developer for Eden Studios' Conspiracy X RPG, has the project well underway.
04:13 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... I'm not a big RPG guy, but that news about adding "mystical gateways" to the Forgotten Realms canon is interesting. Yes, it will unbalance campaigns that get crazy with them, but for some campaigns it may be the balance they want. But that's not what I'm thinking about.
12:14 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... If you berks didn't know the Planescape setting is alive and well, you obviously didn't count on the fans. Since the Planescape line had ceased production, Mimir.net was the place citizens of Sigil frequented. Not for long, though, as Planewalker.com will be stepping in as the new official site of Planescape. Jim Butler, Director of RPG Licensing at Wizards, detailed the reasons for the change: Please join me in congratulating Brannon and www.planewalker.com! I look forward to seeing the exciting offerings planned for the new official site in the future.
12:10 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Nearly every fantasy setting, from the Ultima series' Britannia to the Wheel of Time, makes use of mystic portals. The principal characters need to see the key events that drive the plot, even if those events are thousands of miles apart. I've made use of various types of portals myself. If the portals are interesting enough, they can even become the focus of the adventure. In the first installment of Perilous Gateways over at Wizards, Roger E. Moore describes the ancient network of portals created by the elven kingdom of Illefarn. Each article in the series will bring "more detail about a network of portals linking various parts of Faerűn and beyond in the Forgotten Realms campaign." Handled carefully, the series could add to the Realms; handled poorly, the portals idea could unbalance many a campaign, as could the use of any mystical gateways.
08:24 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... For those who have lives and therefore don't pay any attention to Slashdot, they had an intriguing discussion on zero-sum games today.
12:28 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Aldo Ghiozzi, owner/founder of Wingnut Games, will be a special guest at Visioncon this President's Day weekend. Wingnut is best known for wacky games like Battle Cattle (a personal favorite of mine). Aldo's looking for Wingnut fans to run demo games at the con while he mans the booth, so if you're interested and plan to be in Springfield, MO, email Wingnut and let Aldo know.
01:49 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Seriously this time: watch this space in the coming weeks. We've got some more free time now. |
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