» Roleplaying Games
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Catalyst monetary trouble rumor gets official reply
For most of us, it started two days ago when a former freelancer for Catalyst Game Labs, going by the login “Frank Trollman”, posted his take on recent rumors concerning CGL’s future. In Trollman’s post (copied below, after the jump), “reliable sources” claimed that approximately $850,000 had been discovered to be “missing outright” from the company’s coffers. While this rumor may have initially been spread due growing frustration from multiple freelancers over unpaid work, subsequent to this rumor breaking out into the wild, it was revealed that Jennifer Harding (Shadowrun Assistant Line Developer and CGL Office Manager), Adam Jury (CGL layout & design powerhouse), and possibly another employee, had announced their resignations (though not due to being fired or forced out). This official statement was issued by Catalyst late Tuesday:
Catalyst Game Labs recently completed a detailed financial review of the company. We learned that over the past several years the company has achieved dramatic growth in terms of demand, increased total revenues and strong sales with an increasing market share in the gaming industry, despite a lackluster economy. We are thrilled by that news and are eager to move forward with our upcoming original game Leviathans, along with our other new casual games. We also remain committed to plans for our beloved licensed games: Shadowrun, BattleTech, Eclipse Phase, and CthuluTech.
While we wish the review had only uncovered positive news, we also discovered our accounting procedures had not been updated as the company continued to grow. The result was that business funds had been co-mingled with the personal funds of one of the owners. We believe the missing funds were the result of bad habits that began alongside the creation of the company, which was initially a small hobby group. Upon further investigation, in which the owner has willingly participated, the owner in question now owes the company a significant balance and is working to help rectify the situation.
The current group of owners was presented with this information on Monday. Administrative organization for the company is under review, and accounting procedures have been restructured, to correct the situation and provide more stringent oversight. We feel the management team at Catalyst did the responsible thing by seeking this financial review and we will continue to restructure as needed. We are in discussions with our partners and freelancers to remedy any back payments that may also be due as a result of this review.
We are embarrassed that this situation did occur but we hope our eagerness to make these changes, along with our reputation for making great games, will encourage you to stand by us. We understand that for a few employees the news was too stressful and we wish them all the best in their new endeavors. However, the majority of the team remains and will continue to bring great entertainment to you all. We appreciate the support our friends, freelancers, and fans have provided us in the past and look forward to a successful future.
Speculation over Catalyst’s future will undoubtedly continue, with some seeing the press release as mere spin tactics, but some fans have been encouraged by the forthright company response and admission of problems. Gamers may want to keep watch for any news of the Shadowrun and BattleTech licenses lapsing and getting reeled in by Topps, or news of publisher changes for Cthulhutech (WildFire) or Eclipse Phase (Posthuman Studios) – any of which could be signs of more trouble at Catalyst.
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.
Read More…
Friday, March 12, 2010
Accumulated things we should mention
Sleep is Death, a two-player game for PC and Mac in which one player acts like they’re playing a basic point-and-click RPG, and the other has 30 seconds per turn to arrange the world’s graphics around them to make it seem like they are. Yes, they get to prepare some of the graphics. Yes, this is as simple and completely awesome as it sounds. Stupid cheap, too.
Iconica, a gorgeous indie card game being sold on Etsy. The linked post is subtitled “Not Just Another Pretty Face,” but frankly doesn’t make much of a case for that; the game seems like it might be a little samey and tough to learn, and the world-building seems pretty generic. But oh, that design. I’m also interested in Etsy as a venue for sales of actual independent games, as opposed to just crafts based on video games.
Deathwatch, the third core Warhammer 40K roleplaying game, has been announced. I only bring it up because I keep seeing threads about it and thinking, “that’s a bit harsh, it seems like the system has plenty of support and I don’t know why anyone would think it was dyi– OH WAIT”
Thursday, March 11, 2010
OgreCave review – Basic Action Super Heroes!
To help get you through to Friday, Andy has provided us with his thoughts on the Basic Action Super Heroes! Ultimate Edition Role Playing Game by Basic Action Games. While readers might remember that BASH! made me get all nostalgic recently, Andy has approached the game from a purely analytical viewpoint. What did he think of this supers RPG system? Click through and read on.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
PAX East on final approach, and selling out fast
One month from tomorrow, on March 26, PAX East, the second location for the Penny Arcade Expo, will hit Boston, MA full force. The new show, a spinoff of the original PAX in Seattle (dubbed “PAX Prime” by many), had already sold out of full-show passes over three weeks ago, and with only a few hundred single day passes currently left for Friday and Sunday – well, if you were on the fence about going, you’d better commit or forget. This inaugural show’s official schedule just went up yesterday, adding to the considerable excitement that resulted two weeks ago when Wil Wheaton was announced as PAX East’s keynote speaker. If you can’t make it out to Boston, OgreCave will have a representative at the show in the form of Lee Valentine, frequent Cave dweller and one of our staff writers. Actually, he’ll be there whether you attend or not, so… yeah.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
OgreCave Gaming News Update: Holy podcast! A Hero Games interview!
What’s that you say? You remember when the Ogres used to have voices, echoing from deep within the Cave in podcast form? So do we. Now that some problematic software issues seem to be resolved, we’re going to ease back into some recordings of gaming goodness, starting a new episode of the OgreCave Gaming News Update. The relaunch episode kicks things off with my interview of Hero Games’ Darren Watts, recorded at DunDraCon 34 last weekend. In the episode, we briefly discuss Champions for Hero: Sixth Edition, which Hero sold preview copies of at the show. Darren also talks about upcoming 2010 releases, including early details of his Champions Beyond project, and fields unexpected questions from a young assistant interviewer (my daughter).
Have a listen, tell us what you think, and let us know if any glitches turn up. We’ll be hard at work getting the OgreCave Audio Report back up to speed as well.
Friday, February 19, 2010
OgreCave review – WEGS 101: Old Skool
Just what the heck is WEGS? Demian had a close look at the Wickedly Errant Game System in his review of WEGS 101: Old Skool by Gamewick Games. In a rather saturated fantasy roleplaying market, does WEGS manage to rise above the pack, or does it blend in with the rest of its competitors? Read on to find out.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
OgreCave reviews – Doctor Who RPG
To help ease you through the week, Demian sent in his review of Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space, the recent roleplaying release from Cubicle 7. Demian has experience with previous Dr Who games, so like many of us, he was curious about the latest system to take on the good Doctor. Click through to see what he learned about the game, and while you’re at it, feel free to browse.
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.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
OgreCave review – Dragon Age: Origins
For the first time, OgreCave’s review section includes a detailed look at an electronic RPG. That’s right, Dennis has provided us with his thoughts on Dragon Age: Origins, the gorgeous RPG release from BioWare for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. You’ve seen the previews and commercials – now click through and see if you need to pick up a copy for your gaming needs.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Things are super: BASH-ing the Marvel out of me
A couple weeks back, and for the first time in over two decades, I joined in a superhero RPG session. This was big for me – I got burned out on comics long, long ago when Peter Parker was revealed as a cheap knock-off clone of the “real” Spiderman, or was revealed to eat babies in his spare time, or some nonsense. Sure, I dabbled from time to time thereafter, reading an issue or two of whatever my friends recommended, but for all intents and purposes, I had stopped pursuing comics as a hobby.
Anyway, in this case, it was BASH! Ultimate Edition by Basic Action Games that drew me back in – the invite was hard to pass up when it came from Chris Rutkowsky, the game’s creator. (My one-session impression: a clean, quick system with decent flexibility. We’ll have a full review soon-ish.) In all, I enjoyed myself quite a bit, and was surprised to continually flash back to memories of the old Marvel Super Heroes RPG, circa oh-god-I’m-getting-old (‘84).
All of this is my round-about way of saying that, apparently, I’m not the only one reminiscing about the RPG of True Believers these days: earlier today, co-designer Jeff Grubb posted a nostalgic timeline-like list on the Marvel Super Heroes RPG that provides a glimpse into the secret wars world of designing not merely a spandex-clad roleplaying experience, but dealing with licensing issues (always a fun time). If you ever gamed in TSR’s version of the Marvel Universe, or wish you had, this is a must-read.
By the way, Basic Action Games just announced a print plus PDF bundle through IPR, so if you picked up a copy of the original edition from your Gamers Help Haiti downloads, and want to see more, this is your chance.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wizards not planning to renew Star Wars license
Earlier today, Wizards of the Coast made an announcement on the company’s message board confirming what has been rumored for a while now: when the Star Wars license comes up for renewal this May, Wizards will not seek to renew it. In the announcement, Greg Yahn, WotC’s Director of Marketing, states “We had a long and fantastic run, but with the economic downturn, we have made the tough decision to discontinue our Star Wars lines.” WotC products for the Star Wars Miniatures Game and Star Wars Roleplaying Game will be available through August, with multiple new releases scheduled through April. Wizards had first taken over the Star Wars license from Decipher back in 2002, starting with WotC’s version of the Star Wars CCG.
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.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The One Ring RPG coming from Cubicle 7
The Doctor Who RPG has shown Cubicle 7 has the know-how to do a licensed RPG well, so it should be no surprise the company has pursued other significant licenses. The RPG licenses don’t get much bigger than what Cubicle 7 and Sophisticated Games have just announced: The One Ring – The Lord of the Rings Role-Playing Game. The two companies are jointly developing the license, which was last in the hands of Decipher. Click below for more details, or just wait until late this year and be surprised.
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Wednesday, January 13, 2010
OgreCave review – Mansions of Madness
Today our review section expands yet again. Demian’s latest write-up gives us a look at the new edition of Mansions of Madness, the Call of Cthulhu adventure compilation from Chaosium. Click through and find out if the scenario you need is lurking within this updated release.
Friday, January 1, 2010
OgreCave review – Secrets of New Orleans
Happy New Year, folks! Yes, as of today, it’s 2010 for real, not just a science fiction flick. We anticipate continued bouts of gaming for all who are so inclined, and plan to keep you informed of what’s available in the big bad world. Demian kicks off this year’s reviews with his take on Secrets of New Orleans for Call of Cthulhu. This Chaosium title brings previously released material back up to code, and adds much more as well, but should you pick up a copy? Look away from the Rose Parade for a few minutes, read on, and find out.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
OgreCave’s Christmas Gift Guide 2009, part 4
This is it – Christmas looms on the horizon, just one day away. But say you’ve forgotten to get a gift for someone, a fellow gamer, and there’s no time to get to the stores anymore. Fear not, for the Cave dwellers have compiled one more list of gift suggestions in our OgreCave Christmas Gift Guide 2009. This fourth and final list provides An Aetheric Guide for Christmas, our traditionally last-minute PDF/downloadable product list. Just read through the list, select a few pre-screened OgreCave recommendations, and download your gifts as needed. You don’t have to risk wading through last-minute shoppers – they’ll be like a pack of sugarplum-crazed elves by now.
Here’s wishing you a safe, happy holiday season, from the staff of OgreCave. Seasons greetings!
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.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Beware of lurking ninja
Today is the Day of the Ninja, December 5th, and we nearly failed our Spot check. We didn’t manage to get a Games of the Ninja mini-feature put together this year (feel free to check out last year’s page, though), partly because we couldn’t think of any new ninja-related games we’re dying to play. So, here’s the question: if you were to celebrate the stealthy assassins today – and who wouldn’t? – what game(s) would you be throwing down with?
Friday, December 4, 2009
Now it feels like the holidays – Wizards layoffs again
You can almost set your watch by it at this point: Wizards of the Coast has started its annual layoffs. ENWorld is reporting that Rob Heinsoo, Logan Bonner, and Chris Sims have been laid off, which has since been confirmed by Sims. A later post added Stephen Radney-McFarland to the list of WotC’s departed. As always, OgreCave wishes the best to all who are affected by the layoffs.
OgreCave Christmas Gift Guide 2009, part 1
If you haven’t noticed the holiday decorations yet, you just aren’t paying attention – around here, it started showing up Halloween morning. It seems like folks are anxious to get back to celebrating the season, and retailers are ready to receive the droves of gift givers. Don’t let the anxiety get to you, though – you’ve got the first part of our OgreCave Christmas Gift Guide 2009 on hand to help. In this first section, Twelve Stocking Stuffer Games, the Cave dwellers have selected a solid group of inexpensive gift goodies for a variety of interests, from casual gamer to hardcore.
We’ll have the rest of our ninth annual guide up in the days ahead, so be sure to check our lists, check them twice. Being naughty or nice isn’t a factor – we don’t judge.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
OgreCave review – The Grinding Gear
Things are settling to a nice pseudo-calm around here, so we’ll start throwing some goodies up onto the site real quick before something else crops up to delay us. Gerald leads the charge with his review of The Grinding Gear by LotFP Publishing, an old school “deathtrap dungeon” of considerable quality. Read on, and see what Gerald thought of this nasty little vacation spot for adventurers, or browse through our library of previous reviews.
Monday, November 2, 2009
OgreCave review – Cortex System
While some of the Cave dwellers were busy reviewing fearsome games, Andy was kind enough to take a look at a general RPG system (which could undoubtedly be used for some horror roleplaying). The result is his review of The Cortex System RPG by Margaret Weis Productions. Does your game arsenal need Cortex to be properly equipped? Perhaps. Read on to find out.
Friday, October 30, 2009
OgreCave reviews – Death, Frost, Doom & Something Wicked
The fear continues as our Screams from the Cave echo across the internet with more reviews. First, Gerald has his review of Death, Frost, Doom by LotFP Publishing, a creepy mood-piece for old school D&D gamers. The Lee gives us his full analysis of A Touch of Evil: Something Wicked, the horror boardgame expansion from Flying Frog. More fear will come to light tomorrow as well, so check back with OgreCave for more Halloween-style games.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
OgreCave review – Dread
Despite the efforts of Real Life™ to derail our October posts, we still have a few bits of fear to inject into your consciousness, and so the Screams from the Cave may be fewer than usual, but just as bloodcurdling as ever. As such, Gerald has provided us with a review of Dread, the horror RPG that uses a Jenga tower to determine your fate. You’ve probably heard of this unusual game design – does it suit your group’s needs for some terror-stricken fun? Read on to find out, then check back with OgreCave as Halloween approaches for more fear-themed insights.
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Recent Reviews BASH! Ultimate Edition
(Basic Action Games)
WEGS 101: Old Skool
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Doctor Who RPG
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Thunderstone
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Dragon Age: Origins
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Mansions of Madness
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Summoner Wars
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Secrets of
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Claustrophobia
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