 January 2003 Archive
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07:21 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Joe hits us with a review of Citizen Games' Way of the Witch sourcebook. Only the second D20 book about witches that we've reviewed... I think.
08:12 AM: Greg Kessler says... Columbia Games has announced that extremely cool RPG software company ProFantasy is making a new interactive Harnic atlas. The first planned installment is the Kingdom of Kanday, with an expected release date sometime this spring. ProFantasy’s Campaign Cartographer is one of the greatest additions to gaming since dry erase hex mats, and Harn is perfect for such a monstrous undertaking (there's already a Forgotten Realms atlas, but Harn dwarfs everything except the Traveller universe). Not much info is available yet, so stay alert for updates.
08:01 AM: Greg Kessler says... In anticipation of the release of their new game The Zeppelin Age, Heliograph, Inc. have begun adding content to www.zeppelinage.com. The first update is a list of Zeppelin resources to help people get up to speed on the time period before the game’s release later this year. The Zeppelin Age will allow you create role playing adventures set in the early 20th century, when Zeppelins roamed the skies. If you haven't already, stop by the page and check it out. While you are there, take a look at the main Heliograph page and marvel at one of the greatest games ever written, Space 1889 written by Traveller guru Frank Chadwick and originally published by GDW.
11:30 AM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Apparently ,we haven't had enough WizKids news after all: GamingReport brings in a few details on the under-10-pitched Creepy Freaks. Just two figures in a booster for $3.49, which is actually a decent price when you compare it to... Gregory Horror Show (the figures were good, okay?). Will kids take to a game that has no associated TV show, that doesn't make collecting a part of its actual storyline, and that boils the conflict down to non-violent "freak-outs"? My bet is no, and although the preview figures we linked to previously look pretty good, they don't look super-original. The game design itself might redeem this one, but we've seen what happens when you aim for kids and hit gamers. Ehh. I dunno.
11:58 AM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Promo figures for Creepy Freaks and Indy HeroClix. Get your Dredd on. Do we have enough WizKids news for this week yet? Jeez.
11:43 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Matthew has reviewed the Ogre Mark IV mini from Steve Jackson Games. This is not quite our first review of actual lead, but still: neat. Check it out.
03:56 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... ICv2 brings the pain - WotC's new miniatures guy, also named Chris, answers precisely four questions about the upcoming pre-painted, randomly sorted D&D minis game. The most intriguing bit here is there will be some Chainmail figures in the first set, so that investment won't be rendered worthless for the four or five of you who made it. Also, it's alleged that the new game will support large battles as well as skirmishes. I don't know that that indicates anything good for out-of-the-box gameplay, but I could be wrong.
11:38 AM: Greg Kessler says... Green Ronin has posted one last preview of Denizens of Freeport, which hits the stores this week. This nice little three page PDF lists 60 + of the major characters in Freeport. Check it out before the rush to the stores beings.
10:59 AM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Still nothing about the two new games, except that another person thinks they're cool and they may reveal more details at the US Toy Fair (which is next month, right?). But there is something here about a game for the under-10 set called Creepy Freaks, which I hadn't yet heard. Also, the same folks have several shots of the sort-of-available-soon MechWarrior Dropship, in amongst other Fire For Effect stuff. [Update: GamingReport has some plausible support for a rumor that one of the new WizKids games is actually Car Wars. I don't buy it myself, but it would certainly be the right way to do Car Wars.]
05:02 AM: Demian Katz says... Wayne Densley, author of the popular online gamebook series, The Chronicles of Arborell, reports that while his current interactive writing project, the epic Earth and Stone, proceeds slowly, he has managed to create another work to tide fans over in the meantime. This time it's "Blood and Iron," a piece of serialized fiction that will show up one episode per fortnight starting this week. It's not interactive, but it should fill in some backstory that will add depth to the gamebooks. The current episode can be found here.
12:39 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says...
09:36 AM: Greg Kessler says... The new homepage for GURPS online is up and ruining [I love this typo so much that I'm going to leave it -- misuba]. While there is not much content just yet, you can see the FAQs for the first two planned games, Transhuman Space and GURPS Old West. You can also start networking with other players on the official forums. No launch dates are listed, but it looks like things are heating up at Steve Jackson Games and Worlds Apart.
05:59 PM: Greg Kessler says... Ok, not all of you at once. It's more like a contest kind of thing. WizKids has decided to conduct the Four Shards of the Amulet contest along with their new Mage Knight: Uprising expansion. Here’s the deal:
04:18 PM: Greg Kessler says... The ever expanding Iron Crown page grew dramatically last week. Besides offering a whole bunch of new Rolemaster logo stuff at their Cafepress site, here are a few of the new updates:
12:50 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... We've just learned that popular game author Robin Laws has been signed on as the writer for issues 65-69 of the Iron Man ongoing comic book. According to this interview with Marvel editor Tom Brevoort, current Iron Man writer Mike Grell is leaving after issue 64, leaving an unfinished storyline called "Manhunt" to resolve. Robin Laws will "pinch hit" for a few issues while Marvel continues looking for a permanent writer to take over.
06:34 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Games Workshop announced they'll be doing a Lord of the Rings pre-painted, hex-based collectible game this Christmas. "Combat-Hex" is intriguing, and suggests that maybe GW will be weaseling their way around the WizKids combat dial patent and doing something similar. Wizards has also all but announced a new plastic, pre-painted D&D miniatures game, although whether the game will be collectible is unclear. No official news release on that one yet from what I can see.
06:29 PM: Greg Kessler says... For all of you who pre-ordered Harnmaster and HarnPlayer Third Edition, they are in the mail now. The folks at Columbia Games have also posted a handy new Harnic Calendar for your every day use. You can download the free calendar as a PDF here. The new Harn 3rd edition includes updates on skills, beasts, psionics, and combat (including changes to the mounted combat rules). If you have not visited Harn in a while, check out the updated version. The question is…when do we get a Harn d20? Only time will tell.
05:44 PM: Greg Kessler says... Wizards of the Coast has posted a chapter by chapter recap of two of their forthcoming Forgotten Realms books. Races of Faerun details, well the races that inhabit Faerun (I guess that is logical). Unapproachable East is another in the Forgotten Realms travelogue. Check out the chapter recaps and get a sneak peek of two hot upcoming books.
05:18 PM: Greg Kessler says... The guys at Perpetrated Press have posted a preview from their new book Factory, arriving in March. Factory is a compendium of magical computers, robots and all sorts of other things. Factory will allow players to create and play cybernetic characters to use in all manner of games. The one page JPG preview is for a Companion Robot, one of seven different classes available to players. There you go, check it out along with the other previews of Factory previously posted.
06:43 PM: Greg Kessler says... Bring me the head of Sandy Peterson, or maybe just a new Call of Cthulhu adventure from the company that makes Scary worth the trouble. Chaosium has added a new modern COC adventure to their The Great Library of Celaeno: Call of Cthulhu Annex. The Brunholt Head , by Dr. Michael C. LaBrossiere is a nine page adventure set in the (can you guess) Maine woods (why don't we get some Ozark Cthulhu or Cthulhu South Central or Cthulhu Castro). If anyone out there can come up with some good cross dressing Cthulhu, drop Chaosium a line and be the first.
06:28 PM: Greg Kessler says... Monte Cook and the benevolent rulers at Wizards of the Coast have posted a free web enhancement of his Dungeons and Dragons Book of Smut (oops, Allan is gonna edit that). For this eleven page PDF Mr. Cook as come up with some new baddies for your evil campaign. The deposed archdevil Geryon, the demon prince Pazuzu, and the demon princess Rhyxali are the three demons that did not make the book but get their fifteen minutes here and now online.
05:47 PM: Greg Kessler says... D20 mainstay Green Ronin has announced a gutsy move in the world of d20 supplements. Green Ronin announced their plans to release Testament: Roleplaying in the Biblical Era in April. This new world will be part history, part religious zealotry (or at least I hope it will). "I conceived this product as an alternative to the current crop of fantasy worlds," says Green Ronin President Chris Pramas. "Really, how many more vaguely Tolkien-esque fantasy settings do we need?" Not to knock the Tolkien thing (unless it is connected to Peter Jackson) but this sounds like a great idea. Keep your eyes peeled. We'll see how it compares to Tyranny's The End.
05:30 PM: Greg Kessler says... Stalwart RPG Rolemaster has been given a nice face life in the form of a new logo. Iron Crown art director Kieran Yanner created a new, hip, next millennium for a forgotten age, kind of logo (oh maybe they can use that). I must say, I could not have done a better job myself (mostly because I can’t draw stick people). They also have a new Café Press store with some new logo merchandise. Check it out and love it.
03:13 PM: Demian Katz says... After a slightly longer than usual hiatus, Invisible City Productions is back with a new free game of the month, a Checkers variant called Sorcerer's Apprentice. The game uses a standard Checkers set plus some Icehouse pieces to create a contest in which pieces gain special abilities as the game goes on, resulting in increasingly complicated and interesting gameplay. You'd think they'd run out of new things to do with Checkers, but they just keep coming up with new kinds of niftiness....
12:45 AM: Mike Sugarbaker says... FAO Schwarz succumbs to bankruptcy. Maybe not real relevant to your life as a gamer unless you're looking to pick up some cheap LARP space in Vegas. With a big horse. It certainly does not seem to pay to be in the medium-high-end space of, well, any business right about now.
12:40 AM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Yup. They sure do. They do that all the time. Have a look.
12:30 AM: Mike Sugarbaker says... According to ICv2, Hasbro won't be giving up on RPGs at least until after the summer. Highlights include the fact that Matt Forbeck is writing Forgotten Realms stuff, which I didn't know although I am famously inattentive; the big book for Urban Arcana, probably the most interesting of the three teaser settings in D20 Modern; a nifty-sounding new D&D campaign setting called Ghostwalk - all undead all the time; and the WotC co-publish-ment of the D20 version of Dragonlance. Full details await at the link, check it out.
03:35 PM: Greg Kessler says... Kenzer and Company continues to come up with better and better ways to be your best friend. The folks in Chicago have posted PDF copies of player’s handouts for Hackmaster. For all of us who have played for over twenty years, the idea of having nice, clean players handouts that you can just print out is the equivalent of winning the lottery. Four of the Hackmaster modules are included in the deal. Check out the DM’s only download page at Kenzerco.com.
01:46 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Cheapass' new press release about their 2003 "Year In Space" release schedule has drawn a mixed critical response, ranging from "a bold step forward in press releasing" to "too clever for its own good." But, really, how clever is good for you? The critics are silent on that one. Its average rating is 3.9 out of five stars. Highlights of the release include: color Give Me The Brain hits this month, Diceland: Infinite Space will consist of two separate sets, and the classic Fight City will get new life as Fight Planet. Fight Planet,
01:08 PM: Greg Kessler says... Atari has opened a web page for their upcoming Dungeons and Dragons video game. Although there is no firm date for the release of D&D Heroes, it is slated for this year and will be available for PS2, Xbox, and Game Cube. From the description, you'll be able to do all that neat multi-player stuff over the Internet the kids are so excited about these days. Check out the game, concept art, screen shots and more on the new web page, and stay tuned.
07:07 AM: Greg Kessler says... The outstanding Arkansas publisher, Troll Lord Games, has announced that they have made a deal with heavyweights Kenzer and Co. to help write and develop Dangerous Denizens: Monsters of Tellene for the D&D Kingdoms of Kalamar setting. Since Troll Lord is already frequent stomping grounds of the immortal 20 hit die monster known as Gygax, this is a great pairing (I'm not suggesting that the Gygax is working on this project, just writing for the same publisher). For full details, check out the press release on Troll Lord's discussion boards.
11:49 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... You know, if you keep crying 'war' like that, sooner or later there'll be a real war and no one will notice. Which, unless you're an oil baron, would be pretty bad. So shape up, whippersnapper, and get off my lawn!
03:06 PM: Demian Katz says... Rio Grande Games has just released a new newsletter listing the numerous titles that ran out of stock during the holiday rush along with a few forthcoming games of interest. Later this month, we should see Leo Colovini's Clans; in February, we'll get Bean Trader, a board game version of the popular Bohnanza card game; and in March, there should be a release of Carcassonne: Builders & Traders and Reiner Knizia's Amon Re. As if that weren't enough, a Bohnanza expansion should show up in April or May along with Circus Flohcati. Looks like 2003 should be a pleasing year for fans of German games.
11:35 AM: Greg Kessler says... Mindqwerk has released another of their d20 adventures. Claw of the Dervish is a free 11 page PDF and only the latest in a line of planned adventures from the minds at Mindqwerk (ok I just got that). Designed for 3-4 Characters at levels 9-11, Claw of the Dervish concerns the fate of a powerful oracle that has been captured and pimped by an outlaw race (the whole thing is explained a bit nicer in the book). You can also check out a few of their other free offerings while you are paying them a visit. And remember it’s free, so what’s holding you up?
08:55 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Following the announcement of price increases at Games Workshop, there's now an online petition protesting the increase. Not surprising, I guess.
01:39 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... The dumb character virus is spreading. Or so this webpage would have you believe. Just say no to dumbing down movies "for the kids," 'cuz they hate him too.
07:43 PM: Greg Kessler says... Crocodile Games, maker of the ultra cool Egyptian style miniatures game War Gods of Aegyptus, has posted a new release schedule for their line of Egyptian Gods miniatures.
03:15 PM: Greg Kessler says... Due to some printer snafu the Slayer’s Handbook for the Buffy RPG is shipping late from the Eden warehouse (around January 15th). As a reward for being patient the nice folks at Eden have posted a PDF of the Boxer Rebellion Slayer. She’s mean, she’s a slayer and she has +2 attractiveness. What else could you ask for?
09:09 AM: Greg Kessler says... In celebration of the new year, Ken St. Andre (creator of the original Stormbringer RPG and the immortal Tunnels and Trolls) has offered gamers the chance to join his Troll Army (Trollhalla). The contest is running on his personal web site and asks people to send in the following:
07:48 AM: Greg Kessler says... If you're a fan of the spooky stuff that comes screaming out of the Pinnacle offices, you're in luck. Pinnacle has posted a two page PDF of Horrors of Weird War Two for their Weird Wars game. In this preview you get a peek at a secret ship and all its evil ways. From what I've seen already (in the previous book) the new supplement is something worth picking up and is set to be released in a mere two weeks.
07:31 AM: Greg Kessler says... Every Wednesday until the release of MechWarrior: Fire for Effect, Wizkids will be previewing another of their new mechs. This week you get a close up look at a Maxim Mk2 Transport, the SUV of the Mech world. MechWarrior: Fire for Effect is a new expansion for MechWarrior: Dark Age and will be hitting shelves in February.
11:31 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... For you starfarers out there, the latest issue of Roleplaying Tips Weekly provides guidelines to follow when designing a starship. Hmm, that reminds me: I gotta get back into some Star Wars sessions. No, wait, I should finish the deep space Torg campaign first. So much sci-fi, so little time...
11:46 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... I've been out of town all day, so this is going up a bit late, but today's review is still worth noting. Demian's dire warnings about St. Anton's Fire by Troll Lord Games are meant to save you. Why did he find the adventure to be lacking? Read on to find out.
05:23 PM: Greg Kessler says... Last month Iron Crown released the latest in the line of new Rolemaster supplements, The Armory, containing 50 new weapons and charts. For those of you who happen to have the old Arms Law, Iron Crown has posted a nice conversion chart for some of their older weapons. Check out the download section for this free PDF file.
01:24 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... It's about time someone started making noise about this. Sven's old Gamers.com coworker Justin is using his mobile-industry juice to maybe make a service provider or two wake up to the fact that the potential market for cell phone games that offer engaging interaction with your fellow humans, rather than just cell phone toys for when you have dead time, is immense compared even to that for EverQuest. At the very least, I expect to be able to play Diplomacy on my T720 in a year's time.
12:53 PM: Greg Kessler says... Just when we need some new stuff to waste time on at work, Goodman Games comes along with a whole bunch of new additions to their already scrumptious website just for us working slobs. If you can't find a way to waste time on the clock now, you're not trying very hard. Among the new updates:
12:13 PM: Greg Kessler says... Well, Wizards of the Coast have been nice enough to supply another free d20 adventure written especially for us with d20 Modern. Oh, it has some magic and some guns and the chance to drive real fast, everything that a self-respecting d20 Modern hero craves in life. The new adventure is called Le Chien de l'Onyx and is available for free download as a PDF at the WotC site. Designed for a group of 1st -3rd level characters, this will give you something to do until the real supplements begin to arrive. I myself am looking forward to a Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood d20 conversion due in late fall '04.
12:01 PM: Greg Kessler says... Well the nice folks at Cheapass Games have pointed us to Kasanova, a character for BRAWL that was licensed and co-designed by Savant Garde. From here you can download a PDF of all of the cards, print them out on card stock, cut them and have a new Brawler (not for free, but close to it). I am sure we are all poor after Christmas (I know I spent way too much on cheese) so this is a nice gift from a bunch of Cheapasses. The whole thing is being hosted on the original designer's site, so check it out.
11:37 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says... Merwin joins the Cave Dwellers with his review of Donjon by Anvilwerks. How did he and his players respond to the loose style of Donjon (which we listed in our Christmas Gift Guide 2002, by the way)? Find out inside.
08:57 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... Net retailer The War Store has the scoop on impending price increases from GW. A box of ten plastic marines will now run you three dollars a model. The quality's high and everything, but really. GW fans always complain, but when will the rising price of core GW games affect their momentum? Weigh in below. We promise to be good.
08:46 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says... First, I'm told that the kids like the Mad Cat. Second, rumor has it that WizKids will be announcing two major new combat-dial-based games at GAMA, not counting Crimson Skies. Speculation has ranged from the obvious (Shadowrun, maybe) through the sensible (something with spaceships, a Star Trek license?) to the totally damn random (StarCraft??), but that's all speculation. I hope to make it down to GAMA this year and bring the pain to you live...
06:03 PM: Demian Katz says... Project Aon, the official Internet home of Joe Dever's classic Lone Wolf gamebooks, has just undergone a complete site redesign. In addition to the new look, the Project now includes the full text The Masters of Darkness, the final entry in the Magnakai portion of Lone Wolf's adventures. Next on the agenda: the more magic-oriented World of Lone Wolf series and the highly sought-after Grand Master books, which were only made available in abridged form to American readers. Between Project Aon's great progress and Mongoose Publishing's recent D20 Lone Wolf RPG announcement, this is a good time to be a Joe Dever enthusiast.
11:37 AM: Allan Sugarbaker says... For our first review of the year, Cedric gives us a look inside 1000 Faces: Villains & Scoundrels by Citizen Games. This NPC resource is packed with characters, and Cedric tells us exactly how useful they are. This also kicks off our resolution to have new reviews every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have a look at our first one of the year, and check back often for more. |
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