Archive | May, 2008

Hunter: the Vigil “Endowments”

Posted on May 20, 2008 by

We’ve talked about Light in Shadows as the theme of Hunter: the Vigil and we’ve looked at one of the Professions featured in the upcoming game.

Yet the question remains…how do they hunt the monsters of the World of Darkness?

Anyone can grab a gun and start blasting away, but is that enough to destroy a vampire or werewolf? What good are bullets against a ghost?

[...more]

WotC to Co-Sponsor Gen Con Indy 2008

Posted on May 19, 2008 by

Gen Con is pleased to announce that once again Wizards of the Coast, will be a co-sponsor of Gen Con Indy. Fans of all ages come to Gen Con each year to see and experience the latest in analog and digital gaming, and Wizards’ participation is a highlight for many fans. This year, Wizards of the Coast will be showing off their latest offerings, including the release of Dungeons & Dragons® 4th Edition.

“We are so pleased to have Wizards of the Coast once again be a sponsor of Gen Con. Its long history with the show, as well as the popularity of its products makes it an integral part of the entire Gen Con experience,” said Adrian Swartout, president of Gen Con.

[...more]

Biting the Bullet Review

Posted on May 19, 2008 by

Finally, Jaz Parks goes where those in the CIA usually go: overseas. From Florida and Texas respectively in the first and second novels, the spotlight is now on Iran…as well as hell.

Jaz’s twin Dave is part of a CIA special ops squad, whose big target is the Wizard, whereas Jaz’s team’s enemy is the Raptor. Here’s where I don’t quite follow – why the two squads come together, and how the Wizard and the Raptor are linked. The Raptor is part of the series arc, but the Wizard may only be in this episode.

Review by Tez Miller

[...more]

David Dunwoody’s new free serial novel THE HARVEST CYCLE begins!

Posted on May 18, 2008 by

In 2062, the Year of the Fiftieth Harvest, a Man confined to the sewers, tunnels and caverns of the underworld will venture above ground, into the cities-turned-wilderness left behind after the apocalypse, in a last bid to stop the alien Harvesters and the terrible Other Gods working their puppet-strings. Only a few things stand in […]

[...more]

Pre-Order The Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia

Posted on May 16, 2008 by

Elder Signs Press is excited to announce the title The Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia by Daniel Harms, available in summer 2008.

This is the third edition of his popular and extensive encyclopedia of the Cthulhu Mythos. Updated with more fiction listings and recent material, this unique book spans the years of H.P. Lovecraft’s influence in culture, entertainment, and fiction. The voluminous entries make The Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia invaluable for anyone knowledgeable about the Cthulhu Mythos and necessary for those longing to learn about the Cosmic Horrors from past and present decades.

[...more]

Another One Bites the Dust Review

Posted on May 16, 2008 by

With characters working for the CIA, this series is ripe for social commentary on what it means to work for the government, and how to deal with conflicts between their ideals and yours. Unfortunately, the author hasn’t picked up this golden opportunity to create fiction that would really resonate with readers. And I think this is why I’m not connecting with this series ?

It isn’t doing what it could.

Review by Tez Miller

[...more]

Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity

Posted on May 15, 2008 by

Arc Dream Publishing and Pagan Publishing are working together again to produce a new collection of terrors for Delta Green.

Last year, Arc Dream and Pagan Publishing produced the long-awaited Delta Green: Eyes Only, a gorgeous hardcover sourcebook for Pagan’s award-winning Delta Green game setting. Despite having only 1,000 copies released, Eyes Only is now a finalist for the industry-standard Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Game Supplement of 2007.

We want to do it again with Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity. The authors of Delta Green have been working on material for Targets of Opportunity for years. This fundraiser will tell us if there’s enough interest to finish developing it and to print a limited hardcover edition of the same quality as Delta Green: Eyes Only.

[...more]

Witch Blood (Elemental Witches, Book 2) Review

Posted on May 15, 2008 by

The second installment of the Elemental Witches perhaps unintentionally brings up the question of who’s more evil: demons, or the warlocks who summon them. Or, if you prefer: guns, or the people who use them. The answer in this novel seems to be demons (guns), which is good news for me, who had a thing for hot French warlock Stefan Faucheux in a previous installment.

Another perhaps unintentional issue is what’s more important: being protected, or being independent?

Review by Tez Miller

[...more]

The Oblivion Society a semi-finalist for the IPPY awards!

Posted on May 14, 2008 by

Marcus Alexander Hart’s apocalyptic novel The Oblivion Society has been chosen as a semi-finalist in the Fantasy & Science-Fiction category of the Independent Publisher’s Book Awards (IPPYs).

With over 3,100 entries for this year’s competition, the Independent Publisher Book Awards (since 1996) award the best indie-published books of the year in 65 categories.

View the full list of this year’s semi-finalists here.

[...more]

One Who Walked Alone Review

Posted on May 14, 2008 by

Like a lot of folks ’round these parts, I’m a huge fan of Robert E. Howard. I think he had all the imagination of Tolkien, and for my money, was a better writer. Your mileage may vary, of course, but that’s all moot.

I own all of the Del Rey collections: The Coming of Conan, the Bloody Crown of Conan, the Conquering Sword of Conan, Bran Mak Morn: the Last King, Kull: Exile of Atlantis, The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane, Crimson Shadows,and Grim Lands. I eagerly look forward to the day when they finally release collections of his western stories, and would love to own collections of his letters (though I currently don’t).

I guess you could say that as a writer I hold the man in high esteem.

Review by Jason Vey

[...more]

Hunter: the Vigil “Professions”

Posted on May 13, 2008 by

Last week I talked a bit about the theme of Hunter: the Vigil. The theme of the game is Light in Shadows and I talked about how Hunters team up to fight against the things that lurk in the shadows of the world.

I also mentioned that most Hunters have “day jobs” since nobody really gets paid to stake or shoot supernatural creatures. This week we’re going to take a closer look at the “day job” element of Hunter: the Vigil.

In Hunter: the Vigil these “day jobs” are called Professions. They seem to be the everyday “real” careers that “normal” people have in the world. The trick for a Hunter is balancing the demands of the hunt with the realities of the job.

[...more]

Writing Game Fiction by Monica Valentinelli

Posted on May 12, 2008 by

Freelance writer Monica Valentinelli (whose upcoming work includes the Tales of the Seven Dogs Society, a novella based on the Abstract Nova game Aletheia) has dedicated her blog recently to writing about game fiction.

Monica has covered audience, theme, and plot to highlight many of the challenges that well-loved and small press games have when writing and publishing fiction. Check out Words on the Water for these articles.

[...more]

The New Kid (World of Darkness: Innocents)

Posted on May 12, 2008 by

Suddenly, there’s a new kid at school today. No one has lived in the Mayfair House for as long as you can remember, maybe even as long as you’ve been alive. Like a big gray toad nestled into the woods, it gazes down on the corner, eyes empty and soulless. But that’s all changed. You […]

[...more]

Sentinels: When Strikes the Warlord

Posted on May 12, 2008 by

The power-mad Warlord stands poised to conquer–or destroy!–the universe itself. Can anyone stand in his way?

Enter the Sentinels: College student Lyn Li… brilliant inventor and smart-alec Esro Brachis… beloved hero Ultraa… flamboyant showman Damon Sinclair… and mysterious alien powerhouse Vanadium.

When at last they all clash atop the Warlord’s floating city, can the world itself survive?

[...more]

Munchkin Cthulhu Review

Posted on May 12, 2008 by

Munchkins have hacked their way through dungeons, kung fu temples, starships, haunted houses, and super-foes. Now they face their greatest challenge – Cthulhu! Will they survive? Will they retain their sanity? Will they . . . level up?

Munchkin Cthulhu combines the zany comedy of the previous Munchkin games with the oddities of the Cthulhu Mythos created by H.P. Lovecraft and its further developments by other authors and game designers.

[...more]

Introducing: Savage Worlds Online!

Posted on May 11, 2008 by

Digital Adventures, LLC and Pinnacle Entertainment Group are proud to present Savage Worlds Online, a new community designed to support and bring together gamers using the Savage Worlds Ruleset for Fantasy Grounds II to play their favorite Savage setting online with friends across the globe!

At the moment Savage Worlds Online (SWO) supports a forum for everything Savage World and Fantasy Grounds, and a gaming calendar for linking up with other SWO members to find or host a game. There will also be product giveaways from Savage Worlds licensees, gaming and development blogs, officially sponsored PEG events, product support, gaming advise, and all great geekness associated with the Savage Worlds setting from Australia to Denmark to England to Arizona!

[...more]

Sneak Peek at Paul S. Kemp’s Shadowrealm

Posted on May 9, 2008 by

When I interviewed Forgotten Realms author Paul S. Kemp recently he gave us the slightest tease regarding the upcoming Shadowrealm novel.

Now, he has offered up a snippet from the book for us to enjoy. Shadowrealm is book three of the Twilight War and is available for pre-order at Amazon.com.

[...more]

Flash Fire Mini-Reviews! (Hunters & Slayers)

Posted on May 9, 2008 by

Since we’ve started posting some teasers for the Hunter: the Vigil RPG this week I figured I would keep up with the theme and post about a few of the other monster hunter items that have caught my eye recently…

Comics, games supplements and fiction make up the mix this week…

[...more]

World of Darkness: Innocents Now Available

Posted on May 8, 2008 by

The World of Darkness Through Innocent Eyes

Monsters don’t just lurk in remote forests, nightclubs, slums and the rooftops of the city. They’re in your neighborhood, watching you as you walk to school. They’re waiting for you in the woods behind your house as you and your friends build your fort. They’re under your bed.

Adults have learned to live in the World of Darkness by ignoring the supernatural, by pretending it isn’t there and going about the lives they have made for themselves. You don’t have that luxury. You see the world through a child’s eyes, and that means you haven’t learned to look away.

[...more]

Midnight Alley Fiction Review

Posted on May 8, 2008 by

In the third installment of the ongoing “Morganville Vampires” series, not-quite-seventeen year old Claire has opened a whole new can of worms: she’s agreed to work for the Founder, Amelie, an ancient vampire who has, for some reason been sticking up for her since she came to Morganville. It seems a simple enough exchange at first: Protection (with a capital P) for herself and her friends by promising her obedience. Better yet, her first task is taking advanced classes, and she finds herself with a scholarship to boot. But not all of those classes are the safe, classroom kind: she has an independent study with Myrnin, an old vampire who is brilliant, but seems on the edge of losing it.

Review by Alana Abott

[...more]

Email Newsletter Sign Up

Click Here to Sign Up for FlamesRising.com's Weekly Newsletter.

You will receive horror and dark fantasy updates, news, and more once a week!


11 Tales of Ghostly Horror

    Reviews Wanted!

    The new Review Guidelines have been posted on the Flames Rising website. We are currently seeking a few good reviewers to help us expand our collection of horror and dark fantasy reviews. RPGs, fiction, movies, video games and more are all welcome on the site...

    What do you get out of it?

    Beyond helping out fellow Flames Rising readers by letting them know what you think of these products, we're giving away some pretty cool stuff. Regular Reviewers can earn free products to review, which is their to keep after the review is submitted to the site.

    Note: We are especially looking for folks interested in reviewing eBooks (both Fiction & Comics). We have lots of great titles in digital format and even get advance copies sometimes.

    Use the Contact Page to submit reviews or let us know if you have any questions.

    The Devil’s Night WoD SAS

    Free Devil's Night | White Wolf