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Monday, August 30, 2010
Happy Birthday to Atlas Games
Atlas Games is 20 years old this month, and founder John Nephew has put out the word that they’re celebrating. If you’re lucky, you may still have time to get a free birthday gift box of Atlas Games stuff – the first 250 folks to order it and pay for their own shipping will get a semi-random assortment of games or game related items from the company. Even if you miss out on the birthday goodies, stop by the website and wish the Atlas crew a happy 20th, with many more to come.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Super Genius to take over Dungeonaday.com
Hyrum Savage at Super Genius Games has been teasing for a day or two that an announcement was forthcoming, and now we know what he’s been up to: Super Genius Games will take over management of Dungeonaday.com. Started by Monte Cook, the subscription-based website has provided dungeon crawl encounters and rules articles every weekday since its inception in early 2009, with most of the site’s content generated by Cook himself. Starting September 1st, Super Genius Games will take over the daily site updates and management, and update the site to be compatible with Paizo Publishing’s Pathfinder RPG. Seems like a solid plan – Monte’s leaving the Dragon’s Delve, the massive Dungeonaday.com labyrinth, in good hands. (Full press release below.)
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Friday, August 6, 2010
2010 ENnie Awards winners announced
The annual Gen Con EN World RPG Awards (otherwise known as the “ENnie” awards) took place earlier this evening at Gen Con, and the internet is buzzing with celebratory blog posts and tweets. Paizo Publishing dominated this year, with Pathfinder taking home gold for Best Game, Product of the Year, Best Production Values, and several others. Here’s the winner list (the full nominee list can be found here):
2010 ENnie Award results:
Best Cover Art
Silver: Eclipse Phase
Gold: Pathfinder BestiaryBest Interior Art
Silver: Shadowrun 20th
Gold: Pathfinder Core RulebookBest Cartography
Silver: Aces & Eights: Judas Crossing
Gold: Pathfinder City Map FolioBest Writing
Silver: Victoriana
Gold: Eclipse PhaseBest Production Values
Silver: Shadowrun
Gold: PathfinderBest Rules
Silver: Hero 6th Edition
Gold: DiasporaBest Adventure
Silver: Trail of Cthulhu: Armitage Files
Gold: Pathfinder #31: Stolen LandBest Monster or Adversary
Silver: Pathfinder: Classic Horrors Revisited
Gold: Pathfinder BestiaryBest Setting
Silver: Rome: Life and Death of the Republic
Gold: Day After RagnarokBest Supplement
Silver: Players Handbook 3
Gold: Mysteries of the Hollow EarthBest Aid or Accessory
Silver: Gaming Paper
Gold: Pathfinder GM ScreenBest Miniatures Product
Silver: Gaming Paper
Gold: D&D MinisBest Regalia
Silver: Battletech
Gold: Cthulhu 101Best Electronic Book
Silver: The Devil We Know
Gold: The Great City Player’s GuideBest Free Product
Silver: Lady Blackbird
Gold: Advanced Players Guide PlaytestBest Website
Silver: d20PFSRD.com
Gold: Obsidian PortalBest Podcast
Silver: All Games Considered
Gold: Atomic ArrayBest Blog
Silver: Gnome Stew
Gold: Kobold QuarterlyBest Game
Silver: Shadowrun
Gold: PathfinderProduct of the Year
Silver: Eclipse Phase
Gold: PathfinderFan Award for Best Publisher
Silver: Fantasy Flight Games
Gold: Paizo PublishingJudges’ Spotlight Awards
Fiasco
Trailblazer
Chronica Feudalis
Ancient Odyssey: Treasure Awaits
Mindjammer
A hearty congratulations to all of this year’s nominees and winners!
This just in from This Just In From Gen Con, Friday 11 AM 2010
It seems the technical difficulties have been resolved, and shows are flowing again, so now we have show notes for the Friday 11 am show. Guests Darren Watts and Jennifer Brozek lend a hand for the Friday morning show.
- Ryan swears! Crap!
- Fat Patrol and Felicia Day. No relation whatsoever.
- Jennifer, Ed Greenwood, and others read a really bad book… out loud.
- Ryan ran some Mythender. Darren recounts the tale of when Luchadore masks got him thrown out of a bar a few Gen Cons ago.
- The Authors’ Alley has yet to provide @jenniferbrozek with a Twitter contest winner.
- Darren’s splitting his time between Hero Games, the GPA, and IPR.
- Geeky Pinups, and the Weregeek webcomic.
- Ryan predicts the Dresden Files RPG will sell out at the show.
- DC Adventures: Hero’s Handbook. Awesome layout guys are mentioned: Hal Mangold, Fred Hicks, and Adam Jury.
- Wizards is doling out Dark Sun at the rate of 100 books/day.
- Free Market again.
- The Evil Hat PDF Guarantee: people like it.
- Grants Pass didn’t make the show, which happened to Gameplaywright’s The Bones at Origins.
I’ll have the next batch of notes up in a bit.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
2010 Origins Award winners announced
Though the news trickled out in other ways, the 2010 Origins Award winners have finally been announced. Among the highlights: the rerelease of Space Hulk beat out Small World for Best Board Game; Looney Labs continues its streak with a Best Party Game win for Are You the Traitor?; the return of WizKids and HeroClix gets a nod for Best Miniatures Line; and Eclipse Phase wins for Best RPG. (Click through to read the full list.)
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Saturday, March 27, 2010
Origins Awards 2010 nominees announced
As per the usual pattern, as the GAMA Trade Show ends, this year’s contenders for Origins Awards get sorted out and announced. As per the selections made by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design, the nominees for 2010 are listed below. In Card Games, The Stars are Right is up against Thunderstone and Martian Fluxx for the award; in Board Games, Castle Panic is fighting to beat Small World and the Space Hulk rerelease; and the Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space RPG is hoping to snatch the RPG award away before Eclipse Phase or A Song of Ice And Fire can grab it. But we won’t know the results until the Origins Game Fair this summer, where the attendees will vote to decide the winners. (By the way, more than a few of the nominees were part of our OgreCave Christmas Gift Guide 2009. I’m just saying.)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Spycraft Third Edition announced for 2011
Crafty Games, having just gone rogue from Mongoose’s Flaming Cobra imprint and moving to Studio2, is planning several new releases over the coming months. Primary among the company’s announced projects is Spycraft: Third Edition, due Spring 2011. According to Crafty Games’ Patrick Kapera, “Updating Spycraft gives us the chance not only to synchronize rules across all our core games but also lets us bring the focus of the Spycraft brand back to espionage.” The new edition will make use of the Mastercraft system, and allow for increased customization and gamemaster tools. See the full press release below for more details.
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Tuesday, February 16, 2010
DunDraCon 34: Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG in development
Though Goodman Games hasn’t announced it yet, and Joseph Goodman’s only given vague hints of “something fun in the works”, a few of us at DunDraCon 34 this past weekend got a taste of this secret RPG project. Goodman was playtesting an early version of the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG, which was exactly what fans of the DCC adventures would imagine – a streamlined, deadly, 1st Edition D&D throwback with some D&D 3.5e influences. As already mentioned, no release date or details have been announced as yet, but I’d wager we may see it in stores early 2011, possibly sooner. In the session I joined, character building took less than five minutes, and cast each of us as not one, not two, but three 0-level peasants out to strike it rich as glamorous adventurers. You can probably guess why we made so many characters – yes, the mortality rate caused comparisons to a session of Paranoia, but we had some truly horrible luck as well. We’ll talk more about my preview of the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG in the OgreCave Audio Report (which the Ogre shamans are casting resurrection on as I write this) sometime next week.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Kobold Quarterly offers free issue download
The crew at Kobold Quarterly just let us know about the special offer they launched today. From now through January 31, gamers can go to the KQ Store and use the coupon code “KQ10Free” to download a free PDF copy of Kobold Quarterly #10. Released just prior to Gen Con ’09, KQ #10 features an interview with Paizo’s Jason Bulmahn, an Ecology of the Hill Giant article, and contributions from John Wick, Monte Cook, Ed Greenwood, and more. If your download doesn’t work – the kobolds tell me their website’s already getting slammed by demand – send ‘em an email, and they’ll sort it out for you. In any case, don’t pass up the opportunity for a free taste of what the industry needs more of: a great gaming magazine.
Friday, December 11, 2009
OgreCave’s Christmas Gift Guide 2009, part 2
Another weekend of holiday shopping is here, and you’ve probably formed some ideas of the larger-cost items you’ll be picking up (or requesting from others). In case your mind’s not quite made up yet, the OgreCave Christmas Gift Guide 2009 continues with its second section, Twelve Days of Roleplaying. This list of gift suggestions is entirely RPG related, and the Cave dwellers have chosen a range of roleplaying goodies that would make great gifts.
Our board game list will be up shortly (work and sickness have caused delays), followed by our traditionally last-minute downloadable product list. So listen closely each night – those bells might be a jolly Ogre… or more likely, an Ogre stepping some other jolly critter.
Monday, October 5, 2009
OgreCave review – Points of Light II
Gamemasters can never have too much inspiring resource material, and Gerald has selected a potential resource to examine for us. His thoughts on Points of Light II: The Sunrise Sea may tell you whether you need to track down a copy of this fantasy setting sourcebook for yourself… or for your DM, perhaps.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Pathfinder RPG sells out in preorders
As expected, the demand for the upcoming Pathfinder RPG is high – even higher than Paizo Publishing may have anticipated. According to a press release Paizo sent out today (see below), the initial print run of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook is sold out through distribution. The 576-page RPG will be on sale at Gen Con ten days from now, but even at $49.99, news of its preorder blow-out is sure to drive brisk sales at the show. Of course, those who don’t mind electronic files can still grab the $9.99 PDF version at paizo.com, but purists who need the physical product should act fast and find a copy at their local stores, or risk waiting for the reprint around November.
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Thursday, July 2, 2009
Paizo celebrates number 7
It can’t be seven years already, can it? Paizo Publishing is holding a little celebration sale in honor of the company’s seventh anniversary: seven products are on sale for seven days at $7 apiece – the 7-7-7 sale. The Harrow Deck, our selection for Best Accessory in last year’s Ogre’s Choice Awards, is among the discounted products, as are some Pathfinder and Game Mastery materials and The Anubis Murders by the late Gary Gygax. Paizo’s sale ends on the 7th, so your time to strike is now.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
2009 Origins Award winners
We’ve known the nominees for a while now, and resisted judging too harshly for having a t-shirt in the “Game Accessory” category. This year’s winners were awarded in a ceremony overseen by James Ernest last night at Origins. A notable winner was the Mouseguard RPG for Best RPG, despite being up against the Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition Player’s Handbook and Trail of Cthulhu. (I could say it “eeked” out a win, but then I’d feel ashamed.) Serenity Adventures won for Best RPG Supplement, and Magic: The Gathering – Shards of Alara was named Best CCG Supplement. As many expected, Dominion took the title as Best Card Game, while Pandemic got he nod as Best Board Game. Click below for the full list of nominees and winners.
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Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Dave Arneson passes away at 61
Though some sites posted news of this prematurely, it is now confirmed: Dave Arneson, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, passed away today after a long battle with cancer. Arneson was the creator of Blackmoor, a game of medieval miniatures exploring creature-filled dungeons, which had profound influence on the original D&D game, and later became a D&D setting. Ever since a series of lawsuits he filed against Gary Gygax and TSR back in the early ’80s, Arneson was given royalties and proper credit as a “co-creator” of D&D.
I met Dave Arneson when he was part of a panel on game design at DragonCon in 2000, while he was working at Full Sail University as a professor of computer game design. Dave was a fun guy with a big heart. Our thoughts are with his family.
Thanks for everything, Dave.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Paizo releases Pathfinder Compatibility License
Hear that? It’s the call to battle between editions of Dungeons & Dragons, and Paizo Publishing has sounded the horn. Late yesterday, Paizo released a pair of licenses: the Pathfinder Compatibility License and the Paizo Community Use Policy. As the press release states, and as you probably guessed, the Pathfinder Compatibility License is Paizo’s version of the d20 License – it will let established and aspiring publishers alike sell game products for use with the upcoming Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. The Paizo Community Use Policy will allow non-commercial users (read: fans) to create and share Pathfinder compatible material. Paizo will maintain a link registry for all community use content. Yeah, this relatively civil war is so on.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Goodman Games sounds last call for 3.5
Goodman Games has reminded us that the end of the year, December 31, is also the end of their 3.5 product sales. If you want any of those Dungeon Crawl Classics that you’re missing, you have two weeks left to get them direct from the source – in print at 50% off, or PDF for $2 each. Grab ‘em while you can, ’cause no one wants to hear your whining later.
Monday, December 1, 2008
State of the Mongoose 2008 report posted
Still a significant publisher in tabletop gaming, Mongoose Publishing has just given its fans a status update in the form of its annual State of the Mongoose report (also copied below). Points of interest include plans for Hammers Slammers, a full color Traveller-powered game based on David Drake’s classic sci-fi series; a 25th Anniversary edition of Paranoia; the end of the Babylon 5 line and license; new supplements for Wraith Recon; a multiplayer Lone Wolf gamebook; and plenty more. Add in an overview of what Mongoose went through in its (ultimately failed) attempt to set up its own printing facility, and I’d say the current state of the Mongoose is “surly and determined”.
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Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Paizo looking for another RPG Superstar
Now in its second year, Paizo Publishing is firing up its RPG Superstar contest again. Last time, the multi-round contest asked budding game authors to submit progressively longer and more elaborate RPG projects, eventually whittling 32 selected entrants down to a final four and their competing adventure proposals. Starting on December 5th (which is the Day of the Ninja – more on that soon), aspiring RPG designers can send in their RPG Superstar submission and vie for the title. In the first round, that entry should be a wondrous item, described in 200 words or less, designed for use with the Pathfinder RPG. Judges Wolfgang Baur of Kobold Quarterly, Necromancer Games co-owner Clark Peterson, and Paizo’s Sean K Reynolds will oversee the proceedings, along with special guest judge appearances by Ed Greenwood and Monte Cook. The full press release below has the details.
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Monday, November 17, 2008
Piñata Games wants to be filled with HeroClix
Its website is little more than a placeholder so far, but Piñata Games intends to be the new owner of HeroClix. As one of the most notable game lines left up in the air by Topps deciding to close WizKids, it was only a matter of time before someone made a play for it. Founded by two WizKids employees, Brand Manager Jake Theis and Director of Brand Management and Marketing Justin Ziran, Piñata is working on getting the rights to HeroClix, using sites like SaveHeroClix.com to rally the gaming community. We’ll have more as it develops. [UPDATE: Catalyst Game Labs has approached Topps as well. Full story over here]
Friday, November 7, 2008
OgreCave interview – Stan!
You’ve seen his name floating around the industry for years now, at companies like TSR and Wizards of the Coast, to recent ventures like The Game Mechanics and Super Genius Games, and even in Kobold Quarterly – the man, the myth, the Stan! From Star Wars and Ravenloft to d20 Modern and Call of Cthulhu, Stan! gets around. We’ve posed a few questions to the man-of-one-name to learn of his work, his play, and whether he’s a game designer or a cartoonist at heart.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Wizards officially ending D&D Minis skirmish game
Since our post on Wednesday (see D&D Miniatures becoming less random in 2009), word has come down from Dungeons & Dragons Senior Brand Manager Scott Rouse at Wizards of the Coast clarifying the company’s plans for D&D Miniatures. Citing “sharp increases [...] in manufacturing costs over the last 12 months” and a steady decline in skirmish players, Rouse confirmed that “November’s release of Demonweb will be the last new set that includes skirmish statistics. [...] At this point, we can no longer justify the design, development, and production resources required to support the skirmish game.” This move will make WotC’s D&D Miniatures releases purely accessories for the roleplaying game – which is apparently what most D&D gamers were using them for anyway.
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Wednesday, October 22, 2008
D&D Miniatures becoming less random in 2009
Anyone watching the collectible games market over the past year has noticed a distinct trend toward reducing the randomness (note our lack of a Best Collectible Game in this year’s Ogre’s Choice Awards). Now, as has been speculated since the game’s inception, Wizards of the Coast plans to release some fixed sets and mostly-randomized sets for D&D Miniatures starting next year. According to an announcement yesterday on the WotC website (also copied below), the current format of fully randomized boosters will end after next month’s Demonweb expansion, and be replaced by lines of D&D Heroes and D&D Monsters. Each D&D Heroes pack will sell for $10.99, and contain 3 figures, all visible in the package, and 3 unique power cards with new class powers. The first D&D Heroes releases will be six different Player’s Handbook Heroes packs – “iconic player character races and classes described in the Player’s Handbook and Player’s Handbook 2 core rulebooks.” The D&D Monsters line will start with Monster Manual: Dangerous Delves. Starting at $14.99, D&D Monsters packs will offer 5 figures at a time – 1 visible and 4 others, plus stat cards – drawing from a 40 figure set. Both lines will launch Spring 2009. Currently, the lack of any stat card mentioned with the Heroes sets has D&D Miniatures skirmish game players worried WotC might not continue supporting those rules, but even if this is true, it would be a simple matter to post a free download to remedy the problem. Read the full announcement below for more details.
Read More…
Thursday, October 2, 2008
FATEsters and IPR-ists present… $3 PDFs of D&D content??
It’s true. A mix of principals from Evil Hat and IPR, plus an all-star cast, is doing a couple lines of PDF material for 4E (I thought we still didn’t get to do that? Shows you what I know). And, uh, the $3 figure is inexact; it’s a good-enough descriptor of the market segment, though, albeit perhaps too suggestive of the half-assed feat dumps and item lists that all too often sit at that price point. One Bad Egg’s PDF product looks to be well-done, well-packaged, and most importantly well-articulated – the hobby has been calling supplements with actual adventure content “modules” from the beginning, but they aren’t actually truly modular very often, unless you share their assumptions about the base world and context. The challenge of overcoming the expectation of this is all about marketing; the WorldSeeds line announces its modular intentions thoroughly enough that it doesn’t even really need to succeed at them 100% (adapting content to your game world isn’t that hard, is it?), although early indications are pretty positive (and ape PCs are cool).
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Audio Report: Ogre’s Choice 2008, and prizes!
It’s time once again – okay, fine, it’s a bit overdue – for our annual Ogre’s Choice Awards show, wherein all the Cave Dwellers have contributed to the final award nominee and winner selections. Mike, Steve, and I discuss what we liked this past year, which you can read along with on our Ogre’s Choice page. Be sure to listen carefully, and you’ll be rewarded with the details on the Secret Code Contest we’ve put together with the help of four other friendly neighborhood podcasters. Yes, you can win stuff! Click on our new podcast logo, or right here, to peruse the episode index.
A periodic hour of awesome with editors Allan and Mike. Subscribe!
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