 July 2002 Archive
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« June 2002 | Main | August 2002 »
08:01 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... The CaBil, in association with Dirt Merchant Games, is bringing Human-occupied Landfill back into the light. HoL 2nd edition will ship to distributors next week, and will be at the Wizard's Attic booth at GenCon. The hand-drawn book (yes, even the text. Yes, that book) will retail for $20, and may sell out again on novelty factor alone. Buffy RPG To Premiere At GenCon Origins 2002 Deemed A Success
08:52 AM: Greg Kessler says... We have all seen our precious pen and paper games turned into computer games. Well card players rejoice, for the tables have turned. Access Denied is the new computer hacker card game from Interformic Games. With a 63 card deck it is up to you to crack the code before anyone else. At the same time you have to protect your system from others. Interformic Games has posted a list of startup cards on their site. Ok. You be Yahoo and I will be some recluse who sits in his basement and can't handle social contact. Ready...Set...Go! Mutants and Masterminds Art and Characters Revealed
12:57 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Also from ICv2, an uncharacteristically long article about a statement signed by 52 retailers, officially compaining about GW policies. I've always been surprised that Games Workshop gets away with as much as it does, and, well, I don't expect anything to change - WotC's been the target of retailer ire like this before and has typically responded with a big fat yawn. Games Workshop has even less incentive to make substantive changes, given that it, you know, actually makes money and stuff. GW gamers just want nice deals on their models and either exhibit retailer loyalty or don't - and increasingly, that retailer is a GW-owned store like the brand new one I just visited in San Francisco's Metreon. It was, um, very clean.
12:51 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... The redoubtable ICv2 has a little more background. Garfield isn't on the design team, but several WotC R&D longtimers are. This story seems to suggest that this game will be pitched more as geek bait than as mainstream crossover material, which may be appropriate for the audience the show has today. I worry, though - because that's what I'm good at, okay? - that this will become some kind of embarrassing quote-fest where you get points for yelling things out on cue like an electrically stimulated paramecium. It's not that I never quote anymore - I've even been known to quote Python still - but, like a lot of forms of geek humor, it doesn't actually take much thought, you know? When I first realized how much of my brain was, from someone else's perspective, occupied by pop culture, I resolved to start thinking of a few of my own things to say. But I'm probably worrying for nothing; no one's going to remake the Austin Powers CCG or anything. Which I've never actually played, so I guess I shouldn't bag on it. Whatever. I have peas.
11:13 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Joe's been busy lately. His latest review tests the metal (*ahem*) of the d20 adventure The Sword of Justice by Monkeygod Enterprises. Just how sharp is the book? Have a look and find out.
10:20 AM: Greg Kessler says... Gamemastering Secrets Second Edition is at the printers. Grey Ghost Press has been promised 100 copies of their gaming opus by the time GenCon opens in August. This is going to be a great for all you first time GMs, you can learn the craft from the masters at Grey Ghost Press. For a look at the table of contents, cover art and more goodies, check out the official Gamemastering Secrets Second Edition web site. Will this thing explain the particulars of running a Slaad Lord bordello? I guess we'll have to wait and see. Masters of Arms Previews from Second World Simulations
12:59 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... For all you d20 enthusiasts out there, we start the week out right by bringing you an interview with Mystic Eye Games. Find out more about the d20 company that could end up a coastal wizard in its own right someday.
01:05 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... The Mongoose Publishing website has been updated with specifics on the company's new releases: the Slaine RPG, The Sleeping Kin and The Rookie's Guide to Psi-Talent for Judge Dredd, Quintessential Monk, Encylopedia Arcane: Chronomancy, and The Slayer's Guide to Medusas. The product schedule has been extended through the rest of the year, as well.
11:23 AM: Mike Sugarbaker says... At the talk Reiner Knizia gave on game design (I told a couple people I'd post my notes from his talk here, but he made a joke about how he didn't have notes to give out himself, and if he did, he'd lie about it - that made me believe that he wouldn't want them floating around the net), he showed the cover to the Sauron expansion for the Lord of the Rings board game. It says 3 to 6 players on the cover, whereas the core game and the Friends and Foes expansion say 2 to 5. Hmm... and the cover has a picture of the, um, those guys, the Dark Riders or something? Ringwraiths? Yeah, ringwraiths. So, it adds a player and it has ringwraiths in it. Do The Proverbial Math. (I admit I was only reminded of this by the FFG Rants page, which will further give it away for you.)
10:49 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... We've got a pair of new reviews for you this morning: Greg's look at Jade Magi Sewer Crawl by Monkeygod Enterprises, and Matthew's analysis of The Slayer's Guide to Bugbears by Mongoose Publishing. Have at them!
11:31 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Though still getting former AEG guy Kevin Wilson settled, Fantasy Flight has managed to keep cranking out the hits. The Nocturnum campaign just might be available in time for GenCon, which is sure to decrease the sanity of many Call of Cthulhu D20 characters. The modern day horror campaign details more than a dozen adventures that all lead toward a final, apocalyptic ending. In the meantime, Path of the Sword has run the gauntlet of printing devices and is now available. A sourcebook for the combative types (fighters, rangers, barbarians and monks), the book will introduce the concept of the Legendary Class, "high-level prestige classes for characters that have grown to such ability that they have become legends in their own time." A variety of other rules will be presented as well, of course (an eight-page preview is available for the curious). Daddy, Build Us A Mech
06:12 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... For the past few years, Cheapass Games has run ads in the program books at Origins and GenCon. Usually, these featured free Button Men that could be cut out at the Cheapass booth and made into the fully operational model. This GenCon, the company's skipped that in favor of a Milwaukee area newspaper coupon, which can be redeemed at the Cheapass booth for a copy of the new Hip-Pocket style game, Swag. If you can't find the coupon, you'll get a free copy along with a purchase of $25 or more. Freeloader will also be available at the convention, though in a pre-release form. So you'll have to be content with an entire free game this year, and if you really want some new Button Men, you can order the new Diceland Button Men exclusively through the Cheapass website.
05:26 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... The first supplement for Tyranny Games' The End is at the printers and scheduled to reach stores next month. Entitled The Boston Massacre, the book will provide details on the Boston region, describe the Boston-D.C. conflict, and supply game stats for the area's important personalities. A new class, the Founder Reborn, will rear its battle-scarred head as well. Also, if you missed the limited edition, black cover of The End, there may be a few lurking at the Tyranny booth at GenCon.
11:08 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Wingnut Games has just released the Battle Cattle miniatures with new (and greatly improved) packaging. The Medium Battle Cattle is also seeing light for the first time in this release, so those of us who got our figs from the first release still need to get to stores for the new combatant. These figs add a lot to any session of bovine combat, so if you indulge in cattle carnage from time to time, you need to check these out. I cud you not.
05:31 AM: Demian Katz says... Rio Grande Games has released another newsletter. The highlights of the newsletter are descriptions of two forthcoming games: Trans America, a railroad game due in late August, and Heave Ho!, a Scottish tug of war game (!) featuring Nessie (!!) due out in late August or September. The newsletter also mentions that several additional titles are in the works, but it looks like we'll have to wait until the next issue for titles or details....
11:56 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Wizards of the Coast has announced plans for The Simpsons TCG. The game will first arrive this October in the form of 40-card decks featuring Bart, Homer, Lisa or Mr Burns. Naturally, 11-card boosters will also be available. Ex-cellent. Interview With Bad Axe Games
04:57 AM: Demian Katz says... Invisible City Productions has released a larger-than-average game of the month this week: Treefort Nations. In this strategy game, players control territorial monkeys building treeforts in the Great Wood and attacking one another with catapults. The game can be played by two to eight players, takes anywhere from a couple hours to a couple days (depending on the number of participants and starting resources) and requires only a six-sided die, some coins, and a few printouts to play.
04:50 PM: Greg Kessler says... Green Ronin has struck a deal with Charles Ryan to publish a D20 version of his ground breaking Ultramodern Firearms. Ultramodern Firearms was originally released by Chameleon Eclectic in 1993 but fell by the wayside when Chameleon Eclectic went under. The new edition will feature all manner of new and deadly weapons. Green Ronin expect the D20 version to be just as good as the original. "Since Charles is on the design team for d20 Modern," adds Pramas, "the new mechanics will be impeccable." Just in time for Christmas, you can gun down someone you love. Games Workshop Wins the Battle
02:02 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Played it. Tried to figure out how it used the booster minis, as we hoped that would alleviate the slow-as-snails, isolationist game that came in the core box. Turns out that the minis are either supposed to get brought in when you happen to draw a card that depicts the monster mini you own, or when you make something called a "shady deal" that involves a short stack of monster cards in your own deck, which the rules never adequately explain how you're supposed to use anyway. Maybe I'm dumb and haven't read the rules thoroughly enough, instead going by the way the Upper Deck rep taught me to play, but maybe the rules shouldn't be this poorly organized and dense. In either case, you'd still be asked to move your pawn across a fifty-space-wide board, with a 25% chance of getting two spaces of movement on your turn. And maybe getting up to five. I'd recommend picking up some of the miniatures boosters, for use in your Cheapass gaming, Epic Duels, or just as top-of-the-monitor toys, whatever. If you do end up picking up the core game box, though, try the following:
11:12 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... With Hasbro's quarterly earnings announcement due this coming Monday, it comes as no surprise that Wizards of the Coast's online store has closed down. Why? Because WotC has finally announced part of what's been rumored for weeks now: someone else will be handling online retail sales for them from now on (specifically, SVGames, LLC). WotC wasn't selling anything at their booth at Origins last month, reportedly due to a clause in the new contract with SVGames. Will WotC's retail stores be sold off soon as well, fulfilling the other part of the prophesy? Perhaps we'll see on Monday. According to a post on Fluid Entertainment's boards by Fluid's Scott Matthews, the D&D3 eTools will be released at GenCon on Friday, August 9th. Scott will be giving a two-hour presentation of eTools the same day. The GM aid software will be sold on CD Rom, with an electronic manual crammed on it as well, but considering WotC's recent retail wackiness, who knows if you'll actually be able to get your hands on it at the convention. Scott expects the price to be around $30, but that's just a guess. WotC has also made some announcements regarding their product lines. The Wheel of Time RPG won't be seeing any more supplements, nor will the recently cancelled Chainmail game see its planned September releases in their intended form. Instead, the figures from September's sets will be sprinkled in amongst the Giants and Dragons I and II, and City of the Spider Queen sets. The reason given for shoving September's figures out the door so haphazardly was difficulties in fitting them into the production schedule, plus, "This will allow us to better focus our efforts on the upcoming D&D miniatures game for Spring 2003." Another one? Hoo-boy. I'm sure this one will overthrow Warhammer, and retailers everywhere will jump on the bandwagon without hesitation. Yeah, that's the ticket... By the way, there's an online petition to change WotC's mind about cancelling Chainmail, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
02:22 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... EN World has just opened up online voting for the seventeen categories of the ENnies. The awards focus on the same subject as EN World, the D20 System, and will announce the winners in a ceremony at GenCon next month.
12:26 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... BrettBoard points us to this interview with Villa Paletti designer Bill Payne. Damn Canadians!
12:36 AM: Craig Robertson says... Steve Jackson Games has scheduled a second edition of the GURPS Uplift sourcebook for release in October. Based on David Brin's classic Uplift series, humans challenge the galactic status quo by daring to "uplift" chimpanzees and dolphins into tool-using sentience. After Transhuman Space and Traveller, this neatly positions GURPS as the premiere rpg system for "hard" science fiction. Now if only they would do Asimov's Robot novels...
07:38 PM: Greg Kessler says... In the tradition of the D20 Open Game License, Eternal Tempest has released their core rules, HALO. Eternal Tempest is giving away the system for any game company or designer to use. They have posted the core rule files and usage guidelines on their site for download. The system has been the backbone of the Metalface game. Book of the Righteous off to the Printer Games Workshop Releases New Evil Car
12:31 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Mike took the digital camera along to Origins a week or so back, and now we're showing you what he saw. Have a look-see at OgreCave's Origins 2002 Photo Gallery. And if you feel tempted to push any little girls into the spike-lined trap, you're a sick, sick individual. Welcome to the club. :-) November At Goodman Games
10:51 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Considering their cooperation on supplying FFG with Dragonstar support, it shouldn't be too surprising that Mystic Eye Games has purchased Thunderhead Games. Thunderhead will now become a line of products for MEG, which has placed Hal Greenberg, former CEO of TG, as Vice President of Marketing and Art Director of Mystic Eye. The press release has all the details, but I'd like to point out the significant detail that MEG will be at GenCon with 6 new products and some previews of upcoming releases. I'll be there.
05:29 PM: Greg Kessler says... Wizards of the Coast has released their new Epic Level Handbook and you can win an autographed copy. Author Andy Collins is holding a contest on his personal web site for signed copies of the new WotC release. If you can match each Bloodlines character to the player who created him, you can win a copy of the Epic Level Handbook, signed by designers Andy Collins, Bruce R. Cordell, and Thomas M. Reid. So surf on over to Andy's web site and get something for free. New Spooky Books from White Wolf
01:09 PM: Greg Kessler says... Well the new Origins Metagame from Flying Buffalo seeks to settle that dispute (the real question is can Dave Arneson whoop Gary Gygax, but alas there is no Gygax card in the deck). Origins Metagame is a card game featuring some of the famous games and people connected with Origins. Cards feature such people as Mike Stackpole, Ken St. Andre (Tunnels and Trolls) and the legendary Grimtooth. Call of Cthulhu and HackMaster are among the games featured. Two things make this card game unique. First, it is not collectable. The same number of each card have been printed, so there is no searching for rare cards. Second, you can increase a card's power by getting it autographed. That's right. Take these cards to your local convention (or cyberstalk designers to their homes) and get the cards signed. You can buy the cards at Flyingbuffalo.com. There will only be one printing of the first set, so get them now. By the way...I think Liz can take Dave any day. First Ever Pokemon World Championship Hordes of Chaos Interactive Map Unveiled
12:51 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... "Hey - that promo die - it's huge!" "They said to make it huge!"
03:01 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Phil mailed to let me know that he's done more than name-check Epic Duels. Hot damn!
12:14 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... It's really fun. The covert gamer's-game nature of this Hasbro-branded, direct-to-Toys-R-Us product has been slowly percolating up into the consciousness of hobby gamers for a couple months now - you might have seen Phil Reed name-check it when he wrote up his 3D Frag standards. Or you might have heard it whispered about in the crowd surrounding WotC's d20 Star Wars demo table at Origins, or chattered about on rec.games.board. Imagine Mage Knight only ten times more so - a child's introduction to skirmish combat games. Your "army" is a major character and two weak minor ones (or one strong minor one). Instead of the combat dial, you have a very simple character sheet (for tracking damage) and one deck of cards for your whole team. The board is a square grid; the figures are pre-painted; the movement is rolled on a Hasbro stickered-d6, and the rest of the game is in those decks of cards. Well, not totally - you get two actions a turn, with which you can play or draw.
06:06 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Arcane Games is releasing a full-color version of Tower Siege, a non-collectable, customizable card game. According to the description, 2-4 players (up to 8 in teams) will each take the role of a powerful mage and "battle against one another with the aid of Minions, Items, Scrolls and Relics." Each player must defend their Tower and keep their Mage alive until only one is left standing. Those interested in giving Tower Siege a try should head over to Arcane's website quickly to take advantage of two special deals for free dice, a marker pack and the 15 card expansion pack.
05:40 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... The panel of five experts has selected the nominees for each category of GenCon and EN World's "Ennies" d20 System Awards. While votes aren't being taken until next week, the nominees can be seen, and discussed in preparation for voting, on the awards page. Weird West Mosies Into RPGA
05:25 PM: Greg Kessler says... The new fantasy miniatures game from i-Kore is back from the printer and ready to ship. Celtos is a table top fantasy miniatures game published by i-Kore who has not had nay of their vans stolen recently. If you check out the i-Kore site you can see some great new shots of the art. New Badge for HackMaster
01:37 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... WizKids has just announced that MechWarrior: Dark Age will be slightly delayed in reaching stores. According to Martin Stever, WizKids Executive Vice President, "the shift in the release date was necessary because our orders have far outstripped our original estimates." Now there's a good problem to have. WizKids will send a little extra time cranking out a bunch more figures to meet the demand, and has scheduled MechWarrior: Dark Age to be available by August 21. As a side note, the DC HeroClix: Hypertime game is still set for release on September 18.
12:52 AM: Craig Robertson says... After numerous rocky starts (and near-finishes), GW's Epic Warhammer 40,000 is in playtest for a new edition. Tentatively titled Epic Armageddon, the initial playtest files are available here. Jervis Johnson of the GW's Fanatic division promises greater detail and more realistic combat. "Your precious Terminators aren't so tough in 6mm, are they?"
11:56 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... In our latest review, Joe gives us a look inside the tainted world of Blight Magic from Mystic Eye Games. The concept reminds me of the Defiler mages from TSR's Dark Sun setting, though MEG has taken it much further. Have a look. Fantasy Flight To Publish Dragon Ball Z Board Games Get Yer Crimson Bat Beanie Babies! Get Yer Bats Here! Oh Good. I Haven't Questioned Reality Yet Today...
05:28 PM: Greg Kessler says... I must admit that I don't quite know anything about these books, but I am sure that someone does. Banshee Screams is available from Pinnacle. Banshee Screams was written by Clay and Susan Griffith, writers of several TICK comics from New England Comics. SPOOOOOOOON!!! GAMA Europe Game Trade Show Postponed
09:22 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Games Workshop has been the victim of Grand Theft Auto. The U.S. branch is letting everyone know that "the Games Workshop America Battle Wagon was stolen by persons unknown sometime during the late evening or early morning of Tuesday, July 9th and Wednesday July 10th, 2002 from the parking lot of the Holiday Inn East Hartford, 363 Roberts St., East Hartford CT, 06108." Anyone who has information about the missing, um, Battle Wagon can call 1-800-394-4263 or email Techpriest@Games-Workshop.com. Is it just me, or does this sound like a great intro to a bank-robbery-gone-bad movie? "The cops are right on our tail, Jim!" "Throw the dark elves at 'em. You might take out their tires!"
08:54 PM: Greg Kessler says... The H.P. Lovecraft's Birthday Party Gaming Convention has been announced. In honor of the dark lord himself, there is a Cthulhu gaming convention being held in Vancouver. This convention will feature all manner of Cthulhu gaming and a call is out for GMs to blindly slaughter all comers. Sign up now. GURPS Prime Directive Available Now!
02:18 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... While at Origins, visit the Giant Ball of -- by which I mean, while at Origins I looked at Mystic Eye's Giant Monster Rampage as well as Firefly's Monster Island. Both are slim 8.5x11" books with giant monster combat games in them, whose rules are more or less sourced out of an RPG tradition. GMR has something like nine character classes, while the Firefly guy told me that Monster Island's monster-creation system was "basically Champions." That's a good way to turn me off, but whatever. GMR is written to be used with toys you already own, whereas MI comes with counters (and can be used with toys). These products are similar enough that I am hard pressed to come up with more differences than that, but GMR seemed like it threw more numbers around, generally speaking. This may be because GMR puts the monsters right into an urban setting whereas Monster Island (as you might guess from the title) starts with the back story. I didn't get to play either one. Somebody come up with a meta-system by which we can make the two games fight each other!
11:54 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Somehow a rumor got started that Ted Turner (yes, that Ted Turner) had purchased D&D from WotC. This is not true. The rumor apparently originated in a LARP that got a bit out of control. As one industry insider commented, "Why would he want D&D anyway? WotC already prints in color." I've also got one more Origins Award update to make, then I'll leave it alone. Somehow, we didn't catch the Hall of Fame inductees until today. Two people and one product were admitted into the ranks of legend: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (famed Dragonlance co-authors) and Settlers of Catan. So there.
09:00 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Makes for an interesting sentence, doesn't it? Joe has made this little combo possible with his two new d20 reviews, of What's That Smell from Wicked Press, and Queen of Lies from Fiery Dragon Productions. I could have fun twisting those titles around a bit more... nah, better not. That smell of Queen lies, wot?
06:39 PM: Greg Kessler says... Flying Mice Games has announced that their game Starcluster is ready to ship. Flying Mice has been developing Starcluster for three years and as the game hits the streets, the core rules, three supplements and a full adventure are available. This is the way games ought to be released: fully realized. Who wants to pay $40.00 for a rule book and then wait six months for the first supplement (anyone hear Wheel of Time?). Cookie Fu is on its way to Press Metal Bound Judge Dredd RPG Released-Danzig Rejoices!
09:18 AM: Mike Sugarbaker says... I was feeling kind of low Saturday morning, and then I realized: I have made no purchases! This is obviously the problem! Three games and a one-inch hex mat later, I had no more troubles and my life was perfect.
07:50 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... To wit:
01:31 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... So, for those who want a bit more info than what Mike had time to provide (he is typing from an internet café, after all), head over to the official recap of nominees, and then consult the following list of winners. Our congrats to all the nominees, and an extra pat on the back for all -- well, nearly all the winners.
08:21 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Not really Origins news, but the two games that gamers I hang out with considered frontrunners didn't take it. They (Puerto Rico and Transamerica ) were on the short list of three, but the award went to Villa Paletti, a block-stacking dexterity game with an interesting new mechanic. Everyone told me dexterity games never win, but there you go. Sometime when I'm not paying for a connection by the minute, I will add links to this post, I promise. I bet on Puerto Rico for the Deutschen SpielePreis.
08:18 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Specifically, I thought I could skip the actual awards ceremony and just pick up the poster - the poster that lists all the winners and that, last year, was set out on free-stuff tables throughout the con halfway through the presentation. What I forgot, of course, is that WotC isn't running the con anymore, and GAMA doesn't have unlimited supplies of cash. So there is no poster, and instead there is this anonymous post on GamingReport from someone who was faster than me. Yay for Risk 2210, yay for Cosmic Coasters, condolences to Tenjo, and I find it tough to get excited about anything else here. Especially not the new Game of the Year category, which was just too broad to be anything but an online vote-harvesting contest (Hackmaster won it, by the way).
03:25 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... More random bits:
11:12 AM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Everything marked $something.95 is actually 5 cents more expensive when you buy at a vendor booth. It's amusing how widespread that is. Are your price guns broken, guys? The fancy stuff I hooked up to post from my Palm from the show floor has suddenly broken, so I'm back in exile in the Internet cafe. All the news I've been able to scrape up has been RPG news, so here it all is: The Wizards booth is so much cheaper-looking and more poorly attended, not only than the WizKids booth, but than the Fantasy Flight booth. Man. I want to know what third-world government is funding FFG.
03:40 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... I am here at the show, at the moment in the Looney Labs demo and seminar room, and filing this via my VisorPhone and portable keyboard. I am the mack. More news shortly.
10:37 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Suddenly, everyone's got monsters. Here, I'll show you what I mean... Eden Studios' d20 monster book, Liber Bestarius: The Book of Beasts, has arrived from the printers a week ahead of schedule and begun shipping. This means the 160-page hardcover will be available at Origins tomorrow, giving us all a closer look at creatures like the Reaver. Want your game's characters to have one hell of a challenge from a demonic former paladin? Leave it to Reaver. Monster Island Comes Ashore Giant Monster Rampage Shipping Mystic Eye Games will have early copies Giant Monster Rampage at Origins this week. How does the 56-page book differ from Firefly's Monster Island? Dunno. But according the MEG's press release, "Giant Monster Rampage uses the Toy Battle System," a revised and expanded version of the GMR version that's been freely available online for years. All the more reason to hold onto those plastic monsters. Or raid those of your kids, as I plan to.
08:58 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... While the WotC contest extension Greg mentioned surprises no one, this caught me slightly off guard: tomorrow, Steve Jackson Games is launching an online d20 magazine. Along the same lines as Pyramid, the weekly online publication, aptly titled d20 Weekly, will be edited by former Dragon Magazine editor Dale Donovan with assistance from Pyramid editor Steven Marsh and crew. d20 Weekly will feature "news and reviews, advance material from lots of different publishers, 'how-to' articles, and lots of characters, gadgets, magic items, and situations." The magazine will post new reviews and articles every Wednesday. The online magazine will reside at www.d20weekly.com, and curious types can check out the first four issues for free. Issue one will also have a Cave Dweller lurking within, as our own Joe Kushner provides a pair of reviews. After the first four issues, everyone can subscribe for $20/year. Have a look when the magazine goes live tomorrow.
04:35 PM: Greg Kessler says... WotC announced today that due to the 10,000+ submission in their "design a fantasy world" contest, they would be pushing back the timetable for selecting submissions for the second round. Instead of the second week of July, designers moving on to the second round will notified the first week of August. Of those 10,000 entrants one is going to collect $120,000.00. Maybe they want to invest in an RPG web page.
11:57 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Nearly lost in the death of my old computer, we now have Matthew's review of DeProfundis by the RPG visionaries at Hogshead Publishing. Want to know more about the game without risking your own sanity? Matthew's got you covered, and he only went slightly mad in the process.
06:48 AM: Greg Kessler says... In their Illuminator Newsletter, Steve Jackson Games has announced that the Hellboy RPG has been sent to the printers. SJGames seems very excited about the new game, calling it the most beautiful book they have ever done. For those who do not know what the hell all of the fuss is about, Hellboy is based on the Mike Mignola comic book from Dark Horse Comics. For you fanboys, the rulebook will include a brand new Hellboy comic. To get a look at the original comic check out the Official Hellboy Homepage.
12:33 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Those of you who don't like to play nice will want to check out Green Ronin's art preview of The Assassin's Handbook. The second in title in GR's Master Class line claims to present an assassin that's much closer to the original, first edition version. Penned by Wolfgang Baur (Assassin Mountain ) and David "Zeb" Cook (who has written too many D&D titles to mention), this book's sure to be sought after. On top of the expected feats, spells, prestige classes and gear, The Assassin's Handbook will boast an "extensive selection of new poisons and two complete assassin brotherhoods." Watch your back after the book releases this August.
03:55 PM: Greg Kessler says... Monster Island: The Game of Giant Monster Combat from Firefly Games has arrived from the printer and is ready to ship. If you have not heard about the game, it's a cross between Jurassic Park and the Golden Girls (or Godzilla. Whichever). Here is the Plot: giant monsters imprisoned on a tropical island by the UN Science Alert Corps battle for supremacy. Sounds cool. The game includes cut out paper monsters but was really designed so you can use your own toy monsters. So order the game, go to your parents attic, dig out your toys, and have at it!
02:40 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... ...as opposed to chucking it out. Which, as a system, it doesn't deserve. No it doesn't. Anyway, WEG/D6Legend has announced that its D6 system is available under a cheap, not free, license. When Allan heard this he of course got excited about Torg, but it looks like their "non-licensed worlds" are currently not subject to this specific deal, although final word is forthcoming. The price of a copy of a page-layout program, plus a royalty - if I were starting up an RPG company, I'd certainly consider that a fair price for a system as robust and fun as D6. And I'm sure WEG would like to get more licensing money coming in, rather than watching it all flow out to DC and Metabarons. The moral: don't assume that a WEG move is desperate, just because it's WEG that's making it.
07:49 AM: Greg Kessler says... Another game company has returned to the fiction milieu. IHero Entertainment has announced that beginning today they will be adding a new monthly installment of stories set in the I,Hero universe. July's tale is called The Other, as Just as Fair. These stories will be in addition to the their weekly Anytown Gazette. If you have some time, surf on over and check it out.
07:47 AM: Greg Kessler says... Steve Jackson announced today that due to "creeping crud" (illness) at the Steve Jackson Games Austin office he will not be attending Origins. This means that many of activities planned for the convention will not come off. Get well messages can me sent to sj@io.com |
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