 July 2001 Archive
|
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
« June 2001 | Main | August 2001 »
04:01 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... The Games Unplugged website is just displaying an image of the GenCon issue, along with a cryptic message saying "Come Back AUGUST 15th and Experience a new way of Looking at Gaming!" Hmmm... I'm hoping for virtual reality, but we shall see.
12:05 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Overheard on AIM:
07:47 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Most convention-goers know that Wizards of the Coast is getting out of the convention business -- at least, they're stepping out of their role as sponsors of Origins and GenCon. GAMA already has "custody" of Origins, but after this year's GenCon (which starts Thursday), who will take over? According to a post at Gaming Report, the most likely candidate is WizKids. Could this rumor be true? I'll ask around at GenCon, and let you know if I hear anything. Traps & Treachery Just Around the Corner
02:06 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Fresh from their Origins Award wins a few weeks ago, Cheapass Games is headed into GenCon at full steam. U.S. Patent Number One,a time machine game, will be released in August, and a new six-button expansion called Button Men: Samurai will reach stores in early September. Can't wait that long for your button fix? Then grab a copy of the GenCon program book, which will contain a rare Samurai (Tsusuko) plus a character from Girl Genius: The Works (Jorgi). You should have already grabbed buttons of all three Brawl: Catfight girls from the Origins book. On the legal front, Cheapass has been asked by MGM to stop selling Before I Kill You, Mister Bond because it "capitalizes too much on [MGM's] trademarked character." Say it ain't so! ;-) Pick up your copy while you still can, as Cheapass will stop selling the game after August 31. And of course the Cheapass crew will engage in their usual chaotic behavior. According to the website, Cheapass "will be doing all kinds of neat stuff like Live Action Devil Bunny and Live Action Witch Trial. If you're lucky we'll be running some Live Action Unexploded Cow too." Sounds messy. If you're attending that game, wear a poncho.
10:17 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... According to a new press release from WizKids, "The enduring, popular science-fiction setting has found great success as a miniatures war game, a pc computer game, site-based interactive entertainment and as a ground-breaking animated series. Now WizKids will take the Battletech Universe in an exciting, new direction." What direction is it? Be at GenCon, specifically the Hyatt hotel Executive rooms C and D, on Friday, August 3rd at 11 am, to find out.
08:29 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Tyranny Games and Precedence Studios are pleased to announce the release of Sack
08:19 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Green Ronin has a pair of releases that will be showing up at GenCon (though you could always order them through Wizard's Attic). Both Hell in Freeport and the D20 System Character Record Folio will storm GenCon like angry samurai. For those who won't be attending the convention, Green Ronin has posted a web enhancement for Legions of Hell that features four new prestige classes. If those classes aren't enough, the new issue of Focus on Freeport converts the Devil Slayer, Diabolist, Inquisitor, and Hellblade into 3rd Edition from the AD&D Guide to Hell.Lastly, for the September release of Jade Dragons and Hungry Ghosts, "the last of the art is rolling in and everything is looking great." One of the guys in my gaming group will be happy to hear his favorite CCG artist, Heather Hudson, has joined in on the supplement.
06:24 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... No, it has nothing to do with the Weird West. The official Dark Sun website, Athas.org, has posted a 70 page free PDF called Terrors of the Dead Lands. The supplement describes the undead of Athas, old and new, in preparation for the upcoming supplement Secrets of the Dead Lands. We'll let you know when the next supplement is posted. In the meantime, I'll reassert my opinion that undead + psionics = really scary.
02:30 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... The new D20 supplement from Mystic Eye Games is previewed on their site. The cover art, plus the back cover text, are available for you viewing pleasure here. The 128 page sourcebook will retail for $14.95, and arrives next month. Frag the Munchkins! Oh, sorry. Umm, anyway, Steve Jackson Games has shipped both Frag and Munchkin, and both games should be appearing in stores shortly. While we haven't seen much of Munchkin yet, you can read Mike's review of the Frag beta version, and see if it lends any insight.
11:46 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Gold Rush Games, having formed a relationship with the Guy Williams family while writing the Zorro RPG, is helping raise money for Mr Williams' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star of the Disney Zorro TV series and the original Lost in Space series has been selected to posthumously receive the star. However, it costs $15,000 to complete the process, and Disney ain't coughing it up, leaving the Williams family holding the bag. GRG is making a big push to get gamers to contribute (expect to see donation boxes at GenCon next week), and I for one plan to drop a few bucks in for Guy. For more details, head over to fundraiser page.
03:49 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Rune Encounters Appearing in Magazines This Summer
11:56 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... This week's issue presents ten tips from a first-time gamemaster, many of which really took me back. There's also an excellent guide to naming magical weapons, and some thoughts on fleshing out the gods of your world's pantheon.
03:56 AM: Demian Katz says... Invisible City Productions has just released their latest downloadable monthly game, and it comes at a good time to relieve the tension of all the frustrated drivers who had to survive the long road trip home from some vacation or other. The game, called Yield, takes place in the future and can be played by two to three players. The object is to crash into other people's cars without dying in the process, and the whole thing is played with the help of a checkerboard and a bunch of tiles (which are provided on the site). If you want a quick, simple dose of Car Wars-style death and destruction, be sure to check this one out. It is free, after all.
04:08 AM: Demian Katz says... The eighth Lone Wolf gamebook, Jungle of Horrors, has just been released by Project Aon. This is something of a milestone release for the organization, as it is the first to feature Gary Chalk's original illustrations in addition to Joe Dever's text. The announcement of the new release (posted on the kai-wisdom mailing list) suggests that "more exciting things [are] coming soon." I certainly wouldn't be too surprised if this means that the books currently offered as "public previews" will soon be upgraded to fully illustrated releases. Once that happens, it will be even more exciting to relive the series online. OgreCave will, of course, keep you posted.
11:24 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Where can you play a superhero with a completely useless power... and enjoy it? Why, StuperPowers, of course. The new deluxe game from Wingnut will include "100 fully playable powers, the all-new character advancement rules, a full-length, four-adventure campaign, Live-Action rules, and the kid-tested, mother-approved INSTAVENTURES! Random Scenario Generation system." Sweet. I'll dust off Pollen Boy (literally) and be ready for the October release. I'm sure I've got $16.95 around here somewhere...
11:29 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... We've created a special archive of all our coverage of Origins 2001, plus some brand new photos. Check 'em out!
11:57 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... At long last, FFG has a web page for Vortex, the new effort from the team that gave you DiskWars. Check out some disk im- sorry, tile images, download sample tiles and rules, and generally sit back and admire.
02:14 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Wingnut Games wants everyone to know that the second printing of Land of Og is back in stock. So if you couldn't find it before, try again -- it's worth the effort. Freeport Enters Arcanis: the World of Shattered Empires First Look at Bluffside
04:14 AM: Demian Katz says... Sean Robert-Shaw, an active member of the Lone Wolf community and the author of several interesting online gamebooks, has just announced that Barnes & Noble is now offering his new role-playing game, Rangers of Taradoin, for sale. The book will offer gamebook-style solitaire play as well as traditional multiplayer adventuring, so it should appeal to almost any fantasy gamer. If this release is a success, more will follow, so if you're a gamebook fan, you'd be wise to support the effort by picking up a copy. If you don't like Barnes & Noble, just wait a little while -- the book should soon be available practically everywhere.
11:54 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Earlier today, Troll Lord Games announced its newest D20 adventure, Felsentheim: Dogs of War, is available to the gaming public. The adventure is part three of the Death on the Treklant trilogy. This time, the characters are "fleeing the goblin war parties on their trail, hoping to reach the safety of the borderland town of Felsentheim. For if they do not, no alarm will sound to harken the coming of the Dogs of War!" The adventure is for 4-8 characters of levels 3-5. Us Cave Dwellers will check it out, and let you know what we think.
03:28 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Continuing the quest to bring their Generic Universal Role-Playing System to as many players as possible, Steve Jackson Games announced their agreement with Fantasy Flight Games to produce GURPS Blue Planet. As the sourcebook is just getting underway, no release date was given, but you can bet the world of Poseidon will be getting the full treatment.
03:11 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... You've seen Hot or Not, right? The site where you judge everyone by their looks? Well, now there's Cool Mini or Not, which asks you to do the same for painted miniatures. You can even send in a picture of your own artistic endeavors to be rated by the masses. So, what's next? Nifty Dicebag or Not? Charming Character or Not? I'll hold out for Gruesome Death Story or Not. Some of my players would get high ratings. :-)
02:48 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Has real life been taking too much of your time lately? Me too. Consequently, I've fallen a bit behind in my issues of Roleplaying Tips. Let's play some catch-up:
07:57 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... With the excitement of Origins all wrapped up, and GenCon just around the corner, a lot has been happening in D20. Let's get to it.
01:37 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... So I found this flyer at Origins for something called Morton's List. The web site loads slower than ass, so I'll quote you some of the flyer first: "There is no board to play on, unless you consider the Earth beneath your feet to be one. Morton's List is not a role-playing, card, or computer game, so put all that bulls___ off to the side. [...] Play begins when a crew comes together and agrees to let Morton's List give them a randomly determined Quest to do together for an hour. Anything and everything you could ever think of to do for fun (and MORE) is covered by one of these Quests. Some Quests are chaotic, some social, others physical, spiritual, good, or evil... [...] you and your crew could find yourselves wearing costumes while sneaking into a community pool after hours, playing a board game at a strip club, or creating a highly volatile chemical mixture." The only scary thing here is an apparent connection with the Insane Clown Posse, but this should at least be fun to read. The game should be releasing today.
01:02 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Let's hope so, anyway. I caught a wicked cold halfway through the con and it's still messing with me. Don't sleep with your head too close to the AC, kids. Series Archer Delayed SnarfQuest: The Card Game First Look Lemmings: The Migration Playtest
09:17 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... There's been some job switching at Wizards of the Coast. Chris Perkins, former Star Wars Gamer and Star Wars Insider Editor-in-Chief moved into the Creative Director position for Wizards of the Coast. Dave Gross left his spot as Editor-in-Chief of Dragon Magazine after a five year stint to take Chris' place. Moving into Dave's place at the Dragon's head is Jesse Decker, after working at Topdeck Magazine and the WotC website.
04:00 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... The High Lords lost their lease! Every alternate reality must go! At least that's what I envision as a good sales pitch for West End Games' big summer Torg sale. The main set is on sale for $10, Drama Decks are a mere $3, and anything else from the game is $2. Torg is a great system, breaking new ground when first released in 1990, and I still maintain my Torg campaign between D&D 3 sessions. Head over to the sale, and get 'em while they're extremely old and discontinued.
02:22 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... First, a correction: it's Risk 2210 A.D., not 2101 A.D. But what's 109 years between friends, eh? Still no page about this one on the AH web site. Deadlands D20 Surfaces Just Tell Mom You're Collecting Books Now Later, I'll give you my first impressions of the SnarfQuest Card Game, a playtest report on Lemmings: The Migration, and some more rambling. Cheerio!
10:44 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... The Kargatane, official website of D20 Ravenloft, has recently whispered of other product plans by White Wolf's Arthaus team. After the initial hardcover Ravenloft book in October, Arthaus will reveal Secrets of the Dread Realms, 72 pages of DM-only information, including magic, NPCs, and other info. That will be followed by Denizens of Darkness, a 150 page creature compendium exclusively for Ravenloft. In fact, many of the creatures will be from the Ravenloft Monstrous Compendiums of second edition. Thus, the Mists are returning to D&D. I know my players will be hiding come October.
01:42 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says...
08:23 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... We probably won't be first online with this, but I sat there and wrote them all down in my Palm, in Graffiti, and now I'm going to type them all AGAIN so you'd all better appreciate it or I'll turn this thing around and go home. And the Origins Award winners for the year 2000 are... Tomorrow, some of my favorite small-press finds. Oh, and about Bionicle: a couple days before I came out here, I actually saw a big ol' 4x4 truck with a camper shell driving around Berkeley, that was all painted up with Bionicle promo graphics. Lego is targeting... the college crowd with these things? Oh, and I sat three rows behind Origins special guest Julie Caitlin Brown on the plane. She was in first class. She has nice shoulders.
03:16 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Journeyman Press, publishers of last year's Scooby Doo and Age of Empires CCGs, is showing three standalone games here at Origins, and at least two of them look funny and compelling. The first, Zombies!, looks like a cross between Space Hulk and Wiz-War, in which players compete to kill the most zombies in a Hollywood-action-movie-esque downtown, or just get to the helipad and get the hell out. And then, there is the fabled eBay card game. It's real, it looks pretty simple and amusing, and it has art from the Nodwick guy. Another, more family-market-oriented game, titled Peasantry and apparently loosely based on Canasta, I didn't get a look at. It's great to see more companies moving back to self-contained games that are fast and fun for multiple players. New Avalon Hill Titles Have Eerie Unpresence Troll Lord Is Doggin' You Quick D20 Bits The Origins Awards ceremony is in a couple hours, I'll try to make it in. Do you need a ticket? Damn I hate tickets.
09:37 AM: Mike Sugarbaker says... ********** Avalanche Press Brings First of 3 Viking Sourcebooks for D20 Why Did I Not Even Notice This? Early Candidates For Scariest New CCG More later... I'm paying 15 cents a minute here...
10:18 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Fast Forward Entertainment, fronted by TSR alums Timothy Brown, Lester Smith, and James Ward, is diving into the D20 market with three upcoming adventures. Fortress of the Ogre Chieftain(3-5 characters, 4th-6th level) is set in a haunted fortress packed with -- you guessed it -- ogres. Sven approves. Temple of the Troll God(4-7 characters, 4th-6th level) begins with an omnious gathering of troll forces. Slave Pits of the Goblin King(5-9 characters, 4th-6th level) places the goblins in a heap of trouble, as they've kidnapped a noble maiden that "sets wheels of empire into motion." Each of the adventures focuses on one of the Green Races, the unsavory humanoids that we humans fear so much.
01:27 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Hope you had a good Fourth. Let's see, what's going on...
01:36 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... This September, Mongoose Publishing will unveil Demonology - The Dark Road,the first of their Encyclopaedia Arcane series of D20 sourcebooks. Mongoose deserves some applause for delving into territory that has traditionally been avoided. The company's site has already posted the cover art and a preview chapter to give readers a small taste. The sourcebook series will continue in November with Necromancy - Beyond the Grave.Looks like they've got the usually-forbidden bases covered.
11:48 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Green Ronin has brought in Steve Perrin (of Runequest fame) to take on the Monster Slayer's Handbook, set for an early '02 release. Green Ronin also had this to say about the project:
11:14 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... At Mystic Eye Games, things look rather busy. While another web enhancement has gone up for those who already own Pit of Loch-Durnan, the company plans to post two enhancements for owners of their Nightmares & Dreams creature book: a printable sheet of full color monster counters, and a mini-adventure using one of the N&D beasts. As if that weren't enough, MEG announced their product schedule through February 2002. We'll bring you more details on each product as it grows nearer, but here's a quick look at the plan: |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
 Back to the archives
|
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Just in time to compliment the new Oriental Adventures, a creature book from 
Lord of the Rings Moves to FFG