Tag Archives: roleplaying games

Modiphius Announces Official John Carter Gaming Line

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First brought to life by Tarzan author Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912, John Carter is a Confederate officer who survives the American Civil War only to find himself transported to a fantastic version of Mars called Barsoom. The Mars stories spawned a generation of writers who went on to create such classic worlds as Dune, Star Wars, Superman, Avatar and Dungeons & Dragons. It is only fitting that John Carter is brought to life in the industry Burroughs’ ideas helped inspire.  As with many other gamers, the John Carter books inspired a love for Barsoom in Chris Birch, founder of Modiphius, who nurtured a collection of gradually disintegrating novels.

Modiphius is committed to a faithful adaptation of Burroughs’ planetary romance and Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter draws directly from Burroughs’ original texts.

John Carter -The Roleplaying Game- Due for release: Christmas 2015

Explore the wonders of Barsoom from the vast deserts to the ancient cities. Discover the forgotten secrets of a world that was old when life first spawned in the oceans of Earth. Play as pilots, warriors, scientists, or one of the terrifying green Tharks.  Create you own Barsoom adventures or take on the great journeys as John Carter himself along side Dejah Thoris, Kantos Kan, Xodar, Tars Tarkas, Thuvia of Ptarth, Carthoris of Helium or any of the other major heroes and heroines of Barsoom.

The John Carter roleplaying game uses 2d20 LITE-a streamlined version of the 2d20 system featured in the Mutant Chronicles, INFINITY and Conan roleplaying games. Designed for fast flowing action accentuating the exuberant adventures of the original books, 2d20 LITE let’s you dive into the game immediately with a sleek, pulse-pounding system. Major industry artists will help bring Barsoom to life.

John Carter: Swords of Mars-Miniatures- Due for release: Spring 2016

A line of collectible miniatures for use with the roleplaying game brings your adventures to the battlefield. Play small skirmishes or fight a war for the dying planet-scalable rules provide for both. Defend ruins against a horde of Tharks, raid the city of Helium to capture the Princess or take your battle airborne with the Red Martian navies.

 

John Carter: Warlord of Mars-The Board Game-Due for release: Summer 2016

Enact the greatest adventures across the ancient world of Barsoom as you lead your heroes through crumbling ruins and take to the skies in the beautiful ships of the Helium Navy. Can you save Barsoom from ruin at the hands of dastardly scientists or ancient forces?

John Carter RPG

Syrinscape Launches New Pathfinder and Sci-Fi SoundPacks

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Syrinscapesyrinscape, the award-winning app that puts the power of custom, movie-like sound effects, soundscapes, and music, into the hands of the gamer, announces today the release of the Syrinscape SoundPack: Dragon’s Demand, to accompany the popular Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Module: Dragon’s Demand.

The Dragon’s Demand SoundSet includes all of the sounds needed to bring the module to life, with a spectacular Green Dragon, complete with a violently hissing acid breath weapon, a complete Kobold lair with a divine and an arcane spellcasting Kobold leader, a Clockwork Guardian, a small Lightning Elemental, Ghouls, bears, Grioths, and a Flame Drake. The Dragon’s Demand SoundPack includes samples recorded by Pathfinder fans at both PaizoCon 2015 and UK Games Expo 2015.

In further news, Syrinscape is thrilled to announce the next Pathfinder Adventure Path in production for its own SoundPack is Hell’s Rebels, and is expected to release August 2015, in conjunction with the release of the Pathfinder Adventure Path.

Syrinscape also releases today three new Sci-Fi SoundSets for the Syrinscape Sci-Fi Player:

Alien from Alien SoundSet: Yes, that alien. The one with the teeth and the acid and the really gross way of reproducing. With a selection of OneShot sounds such as airlock operations, flame throwers, detonators, and lots of things blowing up and trying to eat you, the Alien from Alien SoundSet has everything you need to scare your players, though it’s probably best to just abandon ship and set it to self destruct.

Earth Elemental SoundSet: Along with some usefull basic ambiances, and the earth-shattering fury of the Earth Elemental, this SoundSet is perfect for a Shadowrun summoning, and is replete with guns, missiles, lasers, and spells, and wreaking havoc in the city or the country.

Cryogenic Facility SoundSet: There’s nothing quite so useful on those deep space missions as a smooth-running cryo facility, and when it’s time for chaos with the click of a button, cryo tubes explode, alarms ring, cold steam bursts, and the staff screams in horror as the smooth running cryo facility goes horribly wrong.

The award-winning Syrinscape app Fantasy Player and Sci-Fi Player bring fantastic, realistic sound to tabletop gaming. Each is available to try for free, and can be completely unlocked for free for 30 days at syrinscape.com/freetrial, and includes 2 free SoundSets to keep after the trial.

Action Lab Presents Archon. Dragons, Dungeons, Dice, Oh My!

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Action Lab Entertainment is no stranger to fantasy titles. Princeless, Beyond the Western Deep, and Vamplets all have an element of sword and sorcery, but never has a title brought that into the real world. That is, until now. Archon: Battle of the Dragon is a, “1980s sword and sorcery fantasy/thriller set in a medieval themed Las Vegas Casino,” according to series creator, John Perez. Joining Perez on the title is artist Marco Maccagni.

When Gareth Thompson, a hard accented Southerner, Vietnam veteran and single father accepts a security job at the Archon he soon discovers all his orc, elf and dragon coworkers are not people in costumes but actual creatures of myth and legend. It’s a world where dwarves are bartenders, gnomes are valets, elves are accountants, dragons are Wall Street hustlers and everyone is looking for a slice of the American dream.

There is an added bonus in every issue of Archon… that of an actual tabletop gaming campaign. There’s supplemental material in the back of each issue that gives additional info on the world under the guise of a D&D dragons manual meant for kids. It creates a rather unique immersive reading experience.

Archon: Battle of the Dragon is currently available for pre-order in Diamond’s Previews catalog, under the Action Lab Entertainment section, and ships with two covers. The Marco Maccagni cover (JUN150854) and the Erin Fusco cover (JUN150855), which is limited to 2000 copies.

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Beastly Terrors, Intrigue, and Evil Adventures Announced for the Pathfinder RPG

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Pathfinder Ultimate IntrigueAs PaizoCon, the annual celebration of all things Pathfinder, comes to a close, Paizo Inc., publisher of the award-winning Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, confirms today the news that Bestiary 5, Pathfinder Adventure Path: Hell’s Vengeance, and Ultimate Intrigue are in development for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

This Memorial Day weekend, nearly 1000 Pathfinder fans converged on Seattle for four days of gaming, seminars, special events, meet & greets with the Pathfinder design team, and to get exclusive previews of the new Pathfinder products in development for the coming year. Attendees of PaizoCon were the first to hear of the new Adventure Path for the Pathfinder RPG, Hell’s Vengeance. Hell’s Vengeance casts players in the role of villains in service to the devil-binding Empire of Cheliax, as they attempt to put down a surge of rebellions that threaten to topple the nation.

The Pathfinder Adventure Path is Paizo’s monthly, 6-volume story arc for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Each 96-page volume contains an in-depth AP scenario, stats for new monsters, and several support articles to give Game Masters additional material to expand their campaign. Hell’s Vengeance kicks off in February 2016 and runs through July, with several tie-in products and accessories throughout 2016.

The forthcoming Pathfinder RPG: Bestiary 5 was also announced at PaizoCon. Inside Bestiary 5 lurk hundreds of new monsters ready for use in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. From the death-dealing grim reaper, menacing deep ones, and the ground-shaking wood colossus, to allies such as whimsical leshi, inscrutable esoteric dragons, and the powerful aerial servant, players will face-off against creatures that threaten body and soul. Pathfinder RPG: Bestiary 5, scheduled for release in November 2015, is the fifth hardcover volume of monsters for use with the Pathfinder RPG, and includes:

  • More than 300 different monsters
  • Creatures that can warp the minds of their victims, including the caller in darkness, thought eater, and the bizarre brain mole
  • Two new types of creatures from the Great Beyond: the mysterious manasaputra, and the truly vile sahkil, alongside new types of angels, demodands, and devils
  • New familiars, animal companions, and other allies
  • New templates to get more life out of classic monsters
  • Appendices to help find the right monster, including lists by Challenge Rating, monster type, and habitat
  • Expanded universal monster rules to simplify combat
  • Challenges for every adventure and every level of play
  • And much, much more

The Pathfinder RPG is built on a history of wildly popular open playtests, and this year fans can contribute to the development of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Intrigue, the new Pathfinder hardcover that delves into the shadows, where charm, grace, innuendo, and insult may be more powerful than a sharp sword or spell. The Ultimate Intrigue Open Playtest will launch in mid-June, and details will be released on the Paizo blog soon.

Dungeons & Dragons Unveils New Storyline: Rage of Demons

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Wizards of the Coast has announced Rage of Demons, the new storyline for Dungeons & Dragons fans coming in Fall 2015. The demon lords have been summoned from the Abyss and players must descend into the Underdark with the iconic hero Drizzt Do’Urden to stop the chaos before it threatens the surface. Rage of Demons is the story all D&D gamers will be excited to play this fall, whether they prefer consoles, PCs or rolling dice with friends.

Following on the critically-acclaimed Tyranny of Dragons and Elemental Evil stories, Rage of Demons will transport characters to the deadly and insane underworld. Rumors of powerful demon lords such as Demogorgon, Orcus and Graz’zt terrorizing the denizens of the Underdark have begun to filter up to the cities of the Sword Coast. The already dangerous caverns below the surface are thrown into ultimate chaos, madness and discord. The renegade drow Drizzt Do’Urden is sent to investigate but it will be up to you to aid in his fight against the demons before he succumbs to his darker temptations.

Dungeons & Dragons fans will have more options than ever to enjoy the Rage of Demons storyline. The themes of treachery and discord in the Underdark are in Sword Coast Legends, the new CRPG (computer role-playing game) coming this fall on PC from n-Space and Digital Extremes. The epic campaign that drives Sword Coast Legends‘ story forces players deep into the Underdark and continues well after launch with legendary adventurer Drizzt Do’Urden.

For fans of Neverwinter, the popular Dungeons & Dragons-based MMORPG will bring a new expansion – tentatively titled Neverwinter: Underdark – in 2015. The update will see adventurers travel with Drizzt to the drow city of Menzoberranzan during its demonic assault as well as experience a unique set of quests written by the creator of Drizzt, R.A. Salvatore. The expansion will initially be released on PC and will come out on the Xbox One at a later date.

Players of the tabletop roleplaying game can descend into the Underdark in Out of the Abyss, a new adventure which provides details on the demon lords rampaging through the Underdark. Partners such as WizKids, GaleForce 9 and Smiteworks will all support Rage of Demons with new products to help bring your tabletop game to life. To really get in the mind of Drizzt, fans will have to check out Archmage, the new novel by R.A. Salvatore, scheduled for release in early September.

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Pathfinder gets Unchained!

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Pathfinder UnchainedPaizo Inc. has released Pathfinder Unchained, the new hardcover rulebook for the award-winning Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Out in stores now with an MSRP of $39.99, Pathfinder Unchained is an indispensable companion to the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook.

From totally revised fundamentals like core classes and monster design, to brand-new systems for expanding the way the game is played, Pathfinder Unchained makes the player the game designer, and offers fresh ideas while still blending with the existing system.

Said Jason Bulmahn, Lead Designer for Pathfinder in a release:

Over a year ago, I went to talk to Publisher Erik Mona about a book idea I had. The pitch was simple: ‘Let us do a book filled with whatever crazy ideas we have floating around in our heads.’ He said ‘no.’ I said, ‘Wait though, allow me to explain, our crazy ideas might make the game better.’ He said ‘tell me more,’ and Pathfinder Unchained was born.

Pathfinder RPG: Unchained includes:

  • New versions of the barbarian, monk, rogue, and summoner classes, all revised to make them more balanced and easier to play.
  • New skill options for both those who want more skills to fill out their characters’ backgrounds and those seeking streamlined systems for speed and simplicity.
  • Changes to how combat works, from a revised action system to an exhaustive list of combat tricks that draw upon your character’s stamina.
  • Magic items that power up with you throughout your career—and ways to maintain variety while still letting players choose the “best” magic items.
  • Simplified monster creation rules for making new creatures on the fly.
  • Exotic material components ready to supercharge your spellcasting.
  • New takes on alignment, multiclassing, iterative attacks, wounds, diseases and poisons, and item creation.
  • And much, much more.

Pathfinder Unchained is available now.

Dungeons & Dragons Can Lead to the Occult

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A clip of a 2010 sermon from Hegewisch Baptist Church has been making the rounds lately. In it Pastor Win Worley warns that unicorns, new age, enchantments, potions, spells, fetishes, Dungeons & Dragons, psychic reading, karma, false visions, reincarnation, superstitions are some of the occult spirits you need to watch out for and dabbling in these can curse you, your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren.

This has been a chant of the religious far right for 30 years now. If you want to see more, you can watch the full video here.

Enjoy the laughs.

(via Boing Boing)

Rifts is Coming for Savage Worlds!

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RiftsPinnacle Entertainment Group has announced the development of Rifts for Savage Worlds, their award-winning tabletop roleplaying game system.

Pinnacle released a mock cover, using art from Palladium’s 2005 Rifts Ultimate Edition with permission. The cover artist for the book was Scott Johnson.

Rifts is an exciting multi-genre post-apocalypse game that began publishing in 1990. Featuring elements of everything from cyberpunk and fantasy to mecha and mythology, Rifts has always been Siembieda’s vision of a game with everything for everyone, tied together with a strong narrative.

Robert E. Howard’s Conan RPG Announced!

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conan rpgModiphius has announced a licensing deal with Conan Properties to publish Robert E. Howard’s Conan Adventures In An Age Undreamed Of. This is a Conan roleplaying as Robert E. Howard wrote it – savage pulp adventure battling ancient horrors in the Hyborian Age! We plan to bring the game right back to its roots, focusing on the original stories by Robert E. Howard.

Modiphius has scored a leading team of Hyborian Age scribes to chronicle these adventures including Timothy Brown (designer of the Dark Sun setting for Dungeons & Dragons), award-winning Robert E. Howard scholar and essayist Jeffrey Shanks (Conan Meets the Academy, REH: Two-Gun Raconteur, Critical Insights: Pulp Fiction, The Dark Man: The Journal of REH Studies, Zombies from the Pulps!), Jason Durall (Basic Roleplaying, Serenity, The Laundry), Chris Lites (Paizo, Savage Worlds, Omni, Slate), and many more to be announced.

Players and GM’s alike will feel the might of the 2d20 game system, the cinematic roleplaying rules devised by Jay Little (Star Wars: Edge of the Empire) for Mutant Chronicles, and sharpened up for intense sword and sorcery action. The 2d20 system lets players experience the true pulp adventure of the Conan stories.

Howard expert Jeffrey Shanks will approve all content, ensuring it remains true to the spirit of the source material and brings the Hyborian Age to life. World-famous Conan artist Sanjulian (Conan Ace Paperbacks, Vampirella, Eerie, Creepy) has been commissioned, as well as Carl Critchlow (Batman/Judge Dredd, Anderson: Psi Division). Joining them are other Conan greats such as Mark Schultz (The Coming of Conan, Xenozoic Tales, Prince Valiant), Tim Truman (Dark Horse Conan, Grimjack, Jonah Hex), Phroilan Gardner (Age of Conan, World of Warcraft), Alex Horley (Blizzard, Heavy Metal, Magic: The Gathering) and many more.

Modiphius is working with other Conan Properties licensing partners including Monolith Board Games, creator of the hit Conan boardgame which has surpassed $2 million on Kickstarter, and Funcom, creator of the long-running, free-to-play, MMO Age of Conan. Modiphius plans some select supplements including missions designed for the Monolith boardgame, as well as floorplan tile sets allowing you to use Conan miniatures in your roleplaying adventures!

Modiphius is already working on the roleplaying corebook for Robert E. Howard’s Conan Adventures In An Age Undreamed Of to be released this Fall. A Kickstarter is planned for the summer to fund a larger range of roleplaying supplements, campaigns, and accessories to follow the core book.

Privateer Press Highlights 2015 Releases

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privateer-press-logo-blackPrivateer Press’ highly anticipated annual keynote presentation at TempleCon featured a new wave of colossals for Warmachine, more details on the upcoming Iron Kingdoms Unleashed Roleplaying Game, a first look at The Undercity: An Iron Kingdoms Adventure Board Game, and a trailer for Skull Island eXpeditions’ upcoming e-book novel The Judas Protocol, by Nathan E. Meyer, based on the hit LEVEL 7 series of science fiction board games. Additional previews will be presented at SmogCon in London on February 20, 2015.

The colossals previewed in the keynote are among several upcoming Warmachine model releases planned for 2015. These 120 mm–based models are the second wave of the popular colossal warjacks that debuted in 2012 and stand at about six inches tall, dwarfing the majority of models on the tabletop. Most of these new colossals will appear in the expansion book Warmachine: Reckoning, also releasing this year.

First announced at last year’s keynote, Iron Kingdoms Unleashed will see two major releases in early 2015. The Iron Kingdoms Unleashed Roleplaying Game Adventure Kit debuts in March and includes everything up to five players need to start their adventures in the wild side of the ENnie award–winning Iron Kingdoms, including a condensed rulebook, an adventure, map tiles, pregenerated characters, and plastic figures. The full rulebook for the game, Iron Kingdoms Unleashed Roleplaying Game: Core Rules, releases in April and features 480 pages packed with complete rules for adventuring as a savage hero, including detailed setting information and full-color illustration. The book will also be available in an exclusive limited variant-cover edition from participating retailers.

The Undercity puts a spin on the classic dungeon crawl adventure, setting it within the vast underground labyrinth of one of the Iron Kingdoms’ most famous cities. This board game for two to four players comes with a seven-adventure campaign the players can gain experience and develop their heroes through, dungeon tiles to recreate the perilous Undercity, and detailed plastic figures to represent all the heroes and villains. It is scheduled for a Fall release.

Skull Island eXpeditions ventures into a gritty near future this spring with The Judas Protocol. This novel is a prequel to the events chronicled in the critically acclaimed tactical miniatures–based board game LEVEL 7 [Omega Protocol], which was hailed as one of the best board game releases of 2013. Penning The Judas Protocol is Scribe Award–winning author Nathan Meyer, a U.S. Army veteran who has written a dozen novels across three action-adventure series, including titles for the popular Mack Bolan books. The Judas Protocol follows Disco Team, a team of elite commandos, as they find themselves in the middle of a conflict between two alien factions, with the fate of the Earth hanging in the balance.

You can watch the full presentation below:

 

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