Who willingly walks into a haunted house?

Our readers do!

Since we launched Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror in October we’ve received some excellent reviews and recently we won an award for the anthology. Here is a quick recap of some of the comments we’ve had from readers:

Dave at Hellnotes.com says:

Ghost hunting isn’t something that most people think of as a career, but there are people out there who solicit these types of services legitimately. They’re not just the stuff of horror fiction and films any longer, as attested by ghost hunter Jaeson K. Jrakman in his introduction. Daniel Defoe even wrote a book on the subject called The Secrets of the Invisible World Disclos’d in 1735. Still, whether the stories are true or made up, they make for great entertainment, and Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror is no exception.

Joe at Wickedlilpixie.com says:

With the sheer number of ghost hunting shows that are littering the television landscape these days, not to mention in the movies, its nearly impossible for this book not to exist. It was only a matter of time. That being said, there is no doubt a need for a book like this in the market. While not a die hard Ghostbuster myself, the genre is part of my chosen areas of speciality. Also, as it was produced by a local small publisher and had several of my favorite authors – several of which were local – the choice for me to pick it up was an easy one.

Hunter from Ravenousmonster.com writes:

I think ghost stories are the hardest kind of horror to write. I love body horror, but it’s easier; a disease that causes you to sprout hands in random places, a woman with shark heads instead of breasts. . . .Sure it’s creepy, but there’s something a little Mr. Potato Head about it: stick enough body parts where they don’t belong and you’ve got instant scariness. A really good ghost story requires patience, atmosphere, and most of all pacing. The best ghost stories infuse mundane imagery with terrifying implication. The mundane trappings have changed–EVP and Polaroids replaced spirit writing and séances–but the would-be ghost story writer still has to take an old house or graveyard or ship and a dead guy who won’t suck your blood or eat your brains and imbue them with netherworldly horror.

Brian posted his review on DriveThruFiction.com and says:

“Haunted”, the debut anthology of FR Press, delivers an excellently paced collection of mysterious and terrifying tales. The collection focuses on stories about hauntings and the ghost hunters that investigate them. All eleven stories in “Haunted” possess their own merits, and are distinct enough that the anthology avoids the pitfall of having eleven different stories trying to do the same thing.

Typically I am not a fan of anthologies. Usually when I set aside time to read I want to be able to delve into a novel and lose myself for a few hours. The constant shifting of gears and restarting that occurs as you move from story to story in an anthology always makes me feel tossed about. “Haunted” however, has avoided (or the very least minimized) this problem for me. The eleven stories in the collection are laid out in such a way that it feels like you are traveling through an entire pot arc, not just eleven short, disparate plots.

Gerard over at Goodreads.com has a review that says:

Given that I have spent the last two years gorging on post apocalyptic books I thought it was time for a break and so I chose to read Haunted: 11 tales, these tales all infer a connection to Ghost Hunting. Many of us have seen this on TV and normally revolve around a few guys with tattoos jumping at the sign of moth; I was interested to see what writers would do with the genre. I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised; this is a great anthology by a group of writers which were largely unknown to me before and I will certainly be buying books from some of the contributors. The whole anthology flows really well with no real repetition.

We also just found out that Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror won the Best Anthology category in the Preditors & Editors Readers’ Poll. The P&E Readers’ Poll is an annual event hosted by the Critters Writers Workshop where readers and fans can vote on their favorite books, authors and publishers. Thanks to our readers we took the top spot in this year’s event and we’re honored that so many would vote for our little collection of horror.

Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror is available in eBook (PDF, ePub and Mobi/Kindle) and Print formats at DriveThruFiction.com. It is also available at the B&N Nook Store.

Related posts:

1. Monica Valentinelli is Haunted…
2. Haunted: Black Friday Special Offer!
3. Announcing Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror

One of the best things about my role at DriveThruComics.com is working with an amazing group of authors and artists that are producing some awesome comics. One of our publishers has a universe shattering series going on now and I recently had the chance to talk to Artifacts series author/architect Ron Marz about it. This interview was originally crafted for the DriveThruComics Newsletter, so I wanted to do things a little differently. I did some “crowd-sourcing” for questions from folks reading the series. I added those suggestions to my questions and fired them off to Ron.

Artifacts was originally a limited series that involves the bearers of 13 mythological items such as the Witchblade and The Darkness. Recently it was announced that Artifacts will continue past issue 13 and the affects on the Top Cow Universe will be lasting. Here Ron tells us a bit more about the series…

If you had to rank the 13 bearers from most to least favorite for you, how would it go?

Well, I don’t really think of them in terms of “favorites,” I think of them in terms of the story possibilities inherent in each. My favorites would include the Witchblade, the Darkness and the Angelus, as well as the Spear of Destiny.

How difficult is it to balance air time for signature characters in this story?

It’s always a juggling act to make sure that everyone gets their fair share of screen time. Every character is somebody’s favorite, so you want to be sure that each one gets a moment in the spotlight. But I have to balance that against making sure there’s a spine running through the entire story. In the case of Artifacts, the spine is Sara, Jackie and Hope, so their story is what we keep coming back to. It very much began with them and it will definitely end with them.

How is the crossover-event impacting the storytelling going on in the individual comic lines?

We’ve tried to make sure the monthly books like Witchblade and Darkness can be read independently. I never like storylines that put a gun to the readers’ heads and force them to buy a bunch of different series. If you just want to read Artifacts, you can do that and the story will make sense. If you just want to read Witchblade or Darkness or Magdalena, those will make sense individually as well. But by the end of the whole thing, all the series will reflect what’s happened in Artifacts.

Are readers who follow several series getting more of the goods than the folks just following Artifacts?

I hope so. We approached this so that you didn’t have to read multiple titles, but if you do read across a few series, the experience will be a little richer and you’ll pick up on some details. We wanted to reward those reading multiple titles, but not penalize anyone who isn’t.

How does Artifacts work as an introduction for new readers to the Top Cow Universe?

I tried to write the first few issues to be as new-reader friendly as possible, within the context of doing a multi-character series that explores the mythology of the Top Cow Universe. So while there’s a lot going on, I never want the audience to feel like they’ve walked in during the middle of a movie. Everything you need to know should be contained within the pages of the story. No visits to Wikipedia necessary.

What can you tell us about the artists working on Artifacts?

The plan was always to have multiple artists on the series, so we split it up in the way that made the most story sense, which is to follow the traditional three-act structure. Michael Broussard, Whilce Portacio and Jeremy Haun all bring something different to the table, and I tried to play to each artist’s strengths. And then Dale Keown is drawing issue #13, and I honestly have to say it’s one of the most beautiful issues I’ve ever been involved with. Starting with issue #14, Stjepan Seijic and I will be the regular team on the book.

What can readers expect from the ongoing Artifacts series?

Issue #13 definitely brings the initial storyline to a close. There’s very much a new status quo by the end of it. Starting with issue #14, we’ll be exploring that new status quo. You’ll see Jackie Estacado, you’ll see Sara Pezzini and the focus character for at least the first few arcs will be Tom Judge. Artifacts as an ongoing series gives us a much bigger canvas to work with. We’ll be doing much bigger, more epic-style stories, but without losing the character-driven nature of what we do.

The Artifacts and other Top Cow Universe series are available now at DriveThruComics.com.

Related posts:

1. Artifacts Issue 1 Comic Review
2. Preview of Top Cow Production’s Artifacts No. 1

Streets of Bedlam is a pen-and-paper roleplaying game in which you play characters with histories, who’ve done bad things, who may do a few more, but who have a code they stick to, fuzzy though it may be, that guides them through life and allows them to make a difference. Everybody in this town wants something but your characters are aiming higher than most and maybe, just maybe, they’ll do some good. At the very least, maybe they’ll stop some bad from happening.

Written and designed by critically-acclaimed game writer Jason L Blair, the man behind Little Fears, Streets of Bedlam will be built around the award-winning Savage Worlds ruleset published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group.

In this interview I ask Jason for details about the inspirations he drew from and the characters that you play in Streets of Bedlam.

What is this game about?

Ultimately, Streets of Bedlam is about desperation. It’s about what people do when they’re backed into a corner, how they fight their way out, how they overcome the impulse to sin in a world where everything is permitted (at least implicitly). It’s about crime and corruption.

It’s also about big dudes ramming their fists through some punk’s face, and S&M vigilantes who keep the citizens safe from scumbags.

What were your sources of inspiration?

Frank Miller’s Sin City graphic novels, definitely. The Boondock Saints films, Pulp Fiction, Miller’s Crossing, the Max Payne video games, every film noir I’ve ever seen. I’m pulling from a lot but not to make this a kitchen sink-setting. I’m editing to make sure things are cohesive.

What makes it a good fit for Savage Worlds?

Looking through what was available, I didn’t see anything like Streets of Bedlam available for Savage Worlds. That, and my personal affection for the system, pushed me to see what I could do with the Savage Worlds system to make it fit an ultraviolent neo-noir setting.

The two came together very well. I like Savage Worlds’ level of abstraction, the quick and easy flow of gameplay. Also, the system is very inspiring so it’s easy to write for. I love it.

One big thing though was finding ways to inject more story-focused bits into Savage Worlds, which was designed around combat. I wanted a system that could handle a street fight or highway shoot-out easily but also a system perfect for interrogation, following a trail of clues, and other detective/crime-focused systems. Savage Worlds Deluxe touches on those systems and Streets of Bedlam adds to them.

What types of characters will be in this game?

This is a neo-noir crime setting about people who do bad things. What makes the player characters different from the bad guys is the PCs do bad things for good reasons. Well, at least with good intentions.

You play criminals, ex-criminals, cops, ex-cops, ex-cops who are currently criminals. You play those marginalized by society: veterans who come home only good at war; streetwalkers who have to do whatever they can to survive; people who have been thrown out and have to carve their own way. But you also play people in power, people honestly trying to do good even if they work for a corrupt and unjust system.

Are there any heroes in this setting?

Absolutely, though they’re not your typical heroes. I’m hesitant to use the term “anti-hero” but those trying to do good in Streets of Bedlam are far from Boy Scouts. Everybody in Streets of Bedlam has a past, some darker than others, and part of the drama comes from overcoming that past.

The way I like to explain it is, the good guys and bad guys have different goals but use a lot of the same methods.

What can you tell us about the new character types?

The archetypes each explore some facet of crime and/or corruption. You have Monsters who are just brutal justice-getting machines. These are the guys who walk through doors and a storm of bullets to get their man or rescue a child from the clutches of her heinous kidnapper. Vigilantes patrol the streets, watching out for murderers, rapists, muggers, and all the other scum who prey on the innocent. Dogfaces are fixers, know-it-alls, who are go-tos if you need to find out about deals going down or some two-bit jagoff who just made bail and is walking free on the streets. You can play as cops, private dicks, reporters, anyone who is sets out on a trail to unearth corruption and expose the city’s dark underbelly.

What can you tell us about Four-Story Drop?

Four-Story Drop is the first supplement for Streets of Bedlam and it’ll include four standalone episodes that groups can use to get up and running through the setting right away. They’ll be structured similar to the Campfire Tales supplements for Little Fears Nightmare Edition. Each will be broken into scenes and will include all the major NPCs for that story.

Now that the Kickstarter is funded, why should people back this project?

Exclusives! Everyone who pledges gets thanked in the corebook and those who pledge $5 or more get turned into NPCs as well. I have a whole city to populate!

Backers at certain levels can influence future episodes, get turned into a major player in the world, get character archetypes exclusive to Kickstarter pledges, get some free dice, and more.

If the Kickstarter continues to do well, I have ideas for more backer exclusives as well so the more funds that are raised, the more things get unlocked.

Where can people find out more?

I have the basics up on the Kickstarter page along with ways gamers can secure their own copies of Streets of Bedlam, get some exclusive goods, and even help shape the world. They can also check out StreetsOfBedlam.com for updates, previews, and more as we get closer to the April 2012 release date.

Related posts:

1. Streets of Bedlam: One Day Left, New Milestone, Soundtrack?
2. Streets of Bedlam: A Savage World of Crime + Corruption Kickstarter

One of the tasks I have as Publisher Relations Manager at DriveThruRPG.com is working with publishers to get their books into the Now in Print program.

One publisher that has embraced this program as part of their new publishing model is White Wolf. Not only are they releasing all of their new titles in both PDF and Print, they are working with us to add all of the out-of-print World of Darkness and Exalted titles back in print and available again. The process has certainly had some challenges and taken much longer to get rolling than everyone involved had hoped, but the books are great and the fans have (mostly) been excited about these developments.

Some of the challenges with a project of this size include formatting issues. Some of the books are rather old and access to the original production files is hit-or-miss, meaning some of the books will be built from high-quality scans rather than digital production. Other books have design issues. Our print partner does not do full-bleed on black & white books, which means some of the interiors need to be altered slightly to accommodate this. This has already come up with some titles, such as Mage Noir, which was originally a PDF-only product. It had full bleed on the PDF edition and the Now in Print edition does not. The solution agreed on by White Wolf and the DTRPG prep team was to add in a small white border on the pages of these titles. This seemed like a smart compromise to get these books into production without having to enter them in as “color” books (color books can have full-bleed, such as the Vampire Translation Guide) and thus raising the price quite a bit. Of course, this solution did not please everyone, no compromise ever will. Still the overall response has been quite positive and I’m happy to have had a small part in it.

The process continues with more books in various stages of development and testing of new ideas on how to make them even better. Many of the books are even being offered in previously unavailable formats. For example you can now get World of Darkness: Book of the Dead in both hardcover and softcover formats. I had the opportunity to activate a decent batch of titles for print this morning and that sparked the idea for this post. I’d also be happy to answer questions as much as I’m able to about the program and process of getting these books in print at DriveThruRPG. The recent batch of titles include:

New World of Darkness:

Hunter: the Vigil
Witchfinders
The Pure

Classic World of Darkness:

Chaining the Beast
New York by Night
Lair of the Hidden
Ventrue Chronicles
Archons and Templars
The Red Sign
Werewolf Storytellers Handbook Revised
Bygone Bestiary
Players Guide to Garou
Savage Attack: A Player’s Guide to Rage

Exalted 2nd Edition:

Manual of Exalted Power: Infernals
Compass of Celestial Directions: Malfeas

The Now in Print program is also bringing out new books that have never been in print before like Glimpses of the Unknown for World of Darkness, Forsaken Chronicler’s Guide for Werewolf: the Forsaken and Dust to Dust a new adventure for Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition.

You can follow the latest additions to the Now in Print program at DriveThruRPG, be sure to click the Follow Your Favorites! box on the left column of the site if you want e-mail updates of new books added to Print. Of course, White Wolf is only one of the publishers I’ve been working with to get their titles into the Now in print program on DriveThruRPG. There are currently over 460 titles in print and available now. My own FR Press has HAUNTED: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror available in print and the Queen of Crows will be as soon as I’ve had the chance to look over the proof copy. Other publishers with books in print include Nocturnal (Pendragon RPG), Dork Storm Press (Dork Tower comics), Posthuman Studios (Eclipse Phase Quickstart) and Pinnacle Entertainment (Deadlands fiction), just to name a few.

The program will continue to grow and evolve over time. I’m sure there will be new challenges that crop up and it might not work right for every book (or publisher), but I think it is a very cool thing for both new titles and classics that were once hard to find.

Related posts:

1. White Wolf 2011-2012 New Release Schedule!
2. White Wolf Halloween Sale!
3. White Wolf Publishing To Continue PDF Products

Matt M McElroy, Publisher of FR Press, announced today that Slices of Fate, the collected works of author Eddy Webb, will debut early December 2011.

“Slices of Fate is a collection that spans the depth and breadth of Webb’s work,” said editor Monica Valentinelli. “Arranged chronologically, this is a beautiful representation of the stories and voices Webb has to offer his readers.”

Stories range from the author’s nod to literary tales like “A Sheepish Trip to Yorkshire” to more speculative works like “The Battlefield.” Essays include a series on two of Webb’s loves: wrestling and Sherlock Holmes. Combined with several pieces of microfiction, the collection is an in-depth representation of the author’s work thus far.

Both digital and print editions of the collection will be available through online retailers like DriveThruFiction.com in early December 2011.

About Eddy Webb: Eddy Webb (with a “y,” thank you) is a writer, podcaster, game designer, and transmedia developer. Hired on with CCP/White Wolf in late 2007, he currently designs content for the World of Darkness MMO. He lives a sitcom life with his wife, his roommate, a supervillain cat, and two pug dogs.

On the web: EddyFate.com

Twitter: @eddyfate

About Monica Valentinelli: Monica Valentinelli is an author and game designer who lurks in the dark. Her work has been published by several companies ranging from Crackle.com to Eden Studios. Her editing credits include Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror and Ninja Burger 2nd Edition.

On the web: MLVWrites.com

Twitter: @mlvalentine

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Monica-Valentinelli

Related posts:

1. Slices of Fate by Eddy Webb Now in Print!
2. New Book and End of the Year FR Press Sale!
3. Happy Halloween from FR Press!

The Flames Rising Design Essay Series started in 2008 when Preston DuBose and I were chatting about different projects we’ve worked on (including Buried Tales of Pinebox, Texas which we had recently released) and I asked him to write a little something about the next project on his agenda, you can find the essay below. Like other parts of the site, this series started out in RPGs, but soon expanded to include Fiction, Comics and we even have one essay about Film.

The series continues to evolve and has become an ongoing project where authors, game designers and others can tell Flames Rising readers about the creative process that went into a particular project. We have no plans on stopping this series, but I thought I’d take a moment to look back at some of the essays we’ve posted so far:

Game Design Essays:

A New Millennium Of Horror, And Of GURPS Horror – Kenneth Hite
Inside the New Instant Antagonist, The Creepy Cottontail – Monica Valentinelli
A Storytelling Game of Savage Fury: The Forsaken Chronicler’s Guide – David Hill Jr.
That Old Black Magic: Writing The Big Hoodoo – Bill White
Tracing the Origin and Development of The Love of Money – Matthew Sanderson
An Inside Look at Scenes of the Embrace – Eddy Webb and Monica Valentinelli
Deconstructing Realms of Cthulhu – Sean Preston
Ghost Stories on Space Stations – David Hill Jr.
Designing Ganakagok: The Certainty of Change – Bill White
Finding Horror in the Eighties – Eddy Webb
Multiverser Horror – M. Joseph Young
Ancient Vampire Tales – Joe Rixman
Writing Ghosts of Albion – Tim Brannan
How I Wrote “A Dirty World” – Greg Stolze
The Roach – Jason Morningstar
Designing Apocalypse Prevention Inc. – Eloy LaSanta
Initiation to Exquisite Replicas – Monica Valentinelli
Degrees of Horror – Preston DuBose
Evolution of Blood Games – Clash Bowley

Fiction Design Essays:

A Brief History of Magic – Michael Jasper
The Winds of Khalakovo Debut – Bradley P. Beaulieu
Exploring the Mythos Academy – Jennifer Estep
Behind Plague of Shadows, a Pathfinder Novel – Howard Andrew Jones
How to Ruin a Perfectly Good Genre – Paul Jessup
A Man of Letters – Eric Pollarine
The Angel of Vengeance – Trevor Munson
Writing Comes The Dark – Patrick D’Orazio
Scaring the Relatives – Ashley J. Barnard
The inspiration for Fated – Scott Browne
Kevin and the Devil House – Kevin Lucia
Ghosts: Can They Be Redeemed? – Stephen M. Irwin
The Foreshadows Equation Part 1 and Part 2 – Jeff LaSala
Confessions of a Boy Fraidy Cat – Bob Fingerman
Designing the Queen of Crows – Monica Valentinelli
Writing and Inspiration – Yasmine Galenorn
Shadow of the Vampire – Meagan Hatfield
On Vampires – Alex Bledsoe
Religion and Horror – Maurice Broaddus
Witchcraft, Magick, and Tackling The Unknown – A.W. Gryphon

Comics Design Essays:

Genesis of the Living Dead – Nick Tapalansky
Designing Dusk – David Doub

Film Design Essay:

Fantasy World Building for Indie Film – Lisa Stock

I’d like to take this moment to offer a huge thank you to all of the authors and designers who have written an essay for this project. The Flames Rising site is better for the excellent essays and thank you for giving us a look into your worlds.

As noted above, this series continues and I’m coding a few new essays for future publication on the site this weekend. If you are a Horror or Dark Fantasy creator and you have a little something you’d like to contribute to this series, let me know, I’d love to read it.

Related posts:

1. Eloy LaSanta “Apocalypse Prevention Inc.”
2. Monica Valentinelli “Initiation to Exquisite Replicas”
3. Writing Game Fiction by Monica Valentinelli

Many Flames Rising readers may recognize Brea Grant from her role as Daphne on the popular television show Heroes. Did you know that the multi-talented Brea also writes comics? I recently had the chance to talk comics and acting with her for the site. We talked about her upcoming comic-related projects as a comic book writer and her new role as Cassie Hack in the upcoming Hack/Slash motion comic series.

What can you tell us about your upcoming role as Cassie Hack?

I will be the voice and sort of the face of Cassie in the new animated comic. We’re using animation, rotoscoping, green screen, all sorts of stuff to make it super cool and fantastic. So it’ll technically be my face but a lot of animation as well.

What are you most looking forward to in portraying a character like Cassie?

I love Cassie because she’s independent and smart with a dark edge to her. She’s a loner and is dedicated to her work. I love women like that because I feel like I’m that way to a certain extent (although I don’t kill serial killers).

Had you read any of the Hack/Slash series before signing on the this project?

Yep. I think I’ve read most of them. I love Hack/Slash. It’s one of the first comics I always tell people to read if they’re just getting into comics because it’s accessible as well as sexy and cool. I even dressed up as Cassie last Halloween and sent the photos to Tim Seeley via twitter. Of course, they ended up all over the Internet…but I guess that’s to be expected.

There are tons of zombie comics currently on the market, what makes We Will Bury You stand out?

For WWBY, we (I write with my brother Zane) wanted to focus on heroes that weren’t your typical protagonists. WWBY follows two women, a thief and a prostitute, who must use their street smarts to stay alive, instead connections, guns, or training. It’s also set in the 1920s so if you’ve never seen a zombie in a top hat, now’s the time.

What sorts of research went into the writing for the series?

A lot actually. I read a lot about Coney Island because Issue 3 took place there entirely and I had never been there. I looked at that and at Tod Browning’s Freaks because we introduce some carnival folks as well in that issue. Other than that, I have a background in history so I mostly relied on that. There were some things I was unsure of like what kind of phones or tea kettles they might have, but for the most part, I knew what was happening politically and economically at that time and I included that.

The Suicide Girls comic is rather different from We Will Bury You, what can you tell us about it?

SG follows a group of underground vigilantes fighting against a corporate religious technocult. It’s sci-fi/fantasy/insanity. It was a very different world from writing WWBY because it’s a franchise and a lot of people had their hands in creating it and shaping the outcome. WWBY was pretty much just me, Zane, and our artist, Kyle Strahm.

Did you work on Heroes affect your comic writing in any way?

I think my acting affects my writing and vice versa. I definitely think a lot more like a character than a writer and sometimes have to step back to look at the whole story. But I think it means I inherently explore character more.

Working on Heroes affects a lot of stuff I do because it was one of the first projects I did and it means people associate me with sci-fi and comics for better or for worse. It works well for me though because I love comics and I love sci-fi and genre movies. It’s a world I don’t mind being associated with.

What comics are you currently reading?

I just finished the last trade of Chew. It’s pretty much my favorite thing on the market. I keep up with X-Factor and Hack/Slash. I just finished Witch, which is a graphic novel by Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett. I liked that a lot. I’m still making my way through my post-SDCC purchases, but I was pretty good this year about not going overboard.

* * *

I’d like to thank Brea for taking the time to chat with me about her work. Want to check out some of the awesome comic book titles or her roles on Hack/Slash and Dexter? Find out more about Brea Grant’s work at her site BreaGrant.com.

I’d also like to give a shout-out to Teren Oddo terenoddo.com for the photo.

Related posts:

1. Flash Fire Mini-Reviews: Horror Comics (Antarctic Press)
2. Eden Studios to Bring Hack/Slash to Gaming!
3. The “Death” of indie comics?

Save the town of Blackwood, or drain it dry. The choice is yours.

The once quiet small town of Blackwood has become a battleground. A coven of vampires has crept in under the cover of darkness to drain the very life from its helpless citizens. As powerful as these creatures of legend are, they do not prowl the streets unchallenged. A team of skilled vampire hunters with an arsenal of modern weapons has tracked these bloodsuckers down and the battle for the soul of Blackwood is about to begin.

Bloodsuckers is a highly thematic strategy card game for 2 to 4 players ages 13 and up.

Play as either vampires or vampire hunters fighting to control the most locations within Blackwood. Unleash powerful card combos to attack your opponent but beware as your strength rises and falls with the time of day. Battle alone or alongside a teammate to recruit the innocent bystanders at the church, graveyard, nightclub, police station, and hospital.

Win the battles and claim the most locations to declare victory in the fight between the living and the undead!

Game includes:

Gameboard
Rulebook
Guide Mat
51 Hunter Combat Cards
51 Vampire Combat Cards
32 Character Cards
4 On Your Turn Cards
20 Action Tokens
10 Hunter Attack Counters
10 Vampire Attack Counters
6 Blood Tokens
6 Adrenaline Tokens
1 Die

Designed By: Justin De Witt and Anne-Marie De Witt (Creators of the Castle Panic Board Game)

Bloodsuckers is available now at Noble Knight Games and Amazon.com.

Related posts:

1. Van Helsing Board Game Review
2. Castle Panic Game Review
3. Holiday Sale at Noble Knight Games

Available at Amazon.com

The crew of the exploration ship Znutar just wanted to cruise around the Galaxy, discovering strange new worlds and playing pool. But then their ship was invaded by the Awful Green Things . . . and suddenly they were fighting for their lives!

I recently had the chance to try this game. Amazingly, I had never even demoed the Awful Green Things From Outer Space before. I’d seen it sitting on the shelves of the local game store before and thought it looked like fun. Naturally, I played the role of the alien monsters the first time out, but both sides are just as fun in the end.

Before game play can begin, there’s a little set up involved in this primarily two-player (or two teams) game. First, the Znutar crew has to be placed into different locations on the ship. Then, players need to resolve the starting locations for the Awful Green Things, weapons, etc. Once you’ve played a few times, the set up will go fairly quickly. It took us about five or ten minutes to set up the game the first time we played.

Whether you start on the Awful Green Things side or the Crew side, the game mechanic works best if you plan ahead for your next moves. Both opponents share similar “stats,” which are indicated on their counters:

Movement Allowance: The number of areas the crewman or alien may enter on a given turn.
Constitution: The number which must be rolled or exceeded by attack dice in order to “kill” the counter.
Attack Dice: The number of dice the crewman or alien may roll when involved in hand-to-hand combat.

Now, the alien crewmen can pick up various weapons that are scattered about the ship. Some are actual weapons such as knives and stun pistols. Others include a welding torch, a fire extinguisher and a can of Zgwortz. The aliens don’t exactly know what effect these items will have on the monsters, so the first time one of them is used in play the player draws a random weapon effect chit. This will determine just what happens to the monster when the alien successfully hits it.

The effect could be powerful, giving that particular crewmember four attack dice to hit or it could cause the monster to fragment into little alien monster bits (which can then grow into more monsters later on).

To me, I felt this random effect is one of the cooler parts of the game, because it means you don’t know what is going to happen. These effects can quickly force a player to change tactics and get creative if they don’t want their side to be destroyed quickly.

The most powerful alien crewman is definitely the robot. It has a powerful Constitution, which makes it rather difficult to defeat unless you have lots of alien creatures attacking it as a team. Should the alien monsters overcome the robot, one of them must immediately try to eat him, which may end badly since a random weapon effect chit is drawn once the robot is destroyed.

Eventually, one side will obviously be in control of most of the ship. This is usually when one player is declared the winner. There is a point system, but it appears to have been written into the rulebook mostly for the humor value rather than any meaningful count.

We didn’t get the chance to play them, but there are missions and alternate rules included with the game that offers a clearly-defined escape or more opportunities for the Awful Green Things to take over the ship.

If you’re looking for something fun to try that’s a hybrid between an RPG and a board game, you might want to check out Awful Green Things From Outer Space.

Review by Matt M McElroy

Related posts:

1. SJGames Week: GURPS Monster Hunters Review
2. SJGames Week: Zombie Dice Review
3. SJGames Week: Interview with Munchkin Illustrator John Kovalic

I’ve recently discovered two very cool looking Lovecraft inspired projects on Kickstarter.

The first is the Unisystem RPG called -Eldritch Skies- from Battlefield Press.

The future is here. Machine-made telepathy, augmentations, and unprecedented levels of automation have changed the face of Earth. But the science of sorcery, and our primitive understandings of what lies outside, have changed more than our minuscule planet. They’ve begun to let humanity out.

We walk amongst giants. Tread carefully.

Cinematic Unisystem is best known as the game system for the Buffy: the Vampire Slayer and Army of Darkness RPGs. Eldritch Skies is written by John Snead, whose work has appeared in numerous games from White Wolf, Cubicle 7, Posthuman and other publishers.

The second project is -Through a Glass, Darkly- a new novel written by Delta Green co-creator Dennis Detwiller.

It’s January 2001. The Delta Green agents code-named Cyrus and Charlie get the call: A young boy dead and buried for years has reappeared, healthy and happy, as if no time at all had passed and the disease that killed him had never been. The family thinks it’s a miracle, but Delta Green has seen too many miracles turn to madness. Cyrus and Charlie must discover what horrors lurk behind this one.

If you’ve read Detwiller’s previous Delta Green novel, Denied to the Enemy or played the Delta Green RPG you know the great kind of story that is being offered here.

You can find plenty of great information about each project at the links above and if you are so inclined, toss in a few dollars as a supporter of the project(s) of your choice. I’ve backed both of them and am very much looking forward to reading the finished books when they are done.

Related posts:

1. Kolchak: The Night Stalker – The Lovecraftian Horror Review
2. Critter Cache: Lovecraftian Bestiary Review
3. Darker Projects: Gothik with Nox Arcana

Available at Amazon.com

Lobster Johnson is a character from the Hellboy mythos. He is a crime fighter and masked vigilante with a team of loyal sidekicks? assistants? that help him take out mobsters, villains and other assorted scum. The Satan Factory is a pulp novel about The Lobster’s battle against a failed mob doctor named Jonas Chapel who stumbled into some very dark magic.

I enjoyed all of the appearances of Lobster Johnson in the Hellboy comics I’ve come across, so I was especially pleased to see this novel on the shelf at the store and scooped it up right away. I was wondering how well the character would translate from comic to fiction, and I wasn’t sure if the character could carry a book by himself (with no Hellboy trash talking in the pages). My concern was not needed, Sniegoski delivered a great story with some great characters.

This story has plenty of action, with The Lobster and his team of minions/specialists helping him fight mobsters and other, worse horrors. The Hellboy mythos permeates the story, featuring monsters and dark sorcery, but the best elements of the tale are indeed the gritty crime fighting hero vs. mob goons were the best moments of the book.

Jake Hurley, a down on his luck former police officer is the newest member of The Lobster’s crew and one of the primary characters of the story. We get the chance to see the world through his eyes and feel his isolation as he attempts to help out his new boss. There are great moments where he is nervous about fitting in with the other members of the crew that I thought offered up some excellent character development, making Jake more than just a cliche sidekick to the mysterious Lobster.

I’d love to see more tales of The Lobster and/or other B.P.R.D characters in novel format. I’ve read a few of the Hellboy stories by Christopher Golden (I recommend The Lost Army). So, if anyone at Dark Horse is reading, let’s see some more books!

Review by Matt M McElroy

Related posts:

1. Hellboy: Oddest Jobs Review
2. Hellboy: Being Human Review
3. The Samaritan – Hellboy II

Available at Amazon.com

When I first read Dragon Age: The Calling, I hadn’t played any of the Dragon Age video games (although I did start playing Dragon Age: Origins for my PS3). My experiences with the Dragon Age setting was from playing a few sessions of the Dragon Age RPG that is published by Green Ronin and reading a few of the IDW Comics. The setting was what hooked me enough to pick up this novel and dive into the world.

David Gaider had written a previous Dragon Age novel, called The Stolen Throne, which I haven’t read yet. From reading the synopsis, my understanding is that story pre-dates the Blight, so it provides a different type of background for the series. There’s a gap between the two novels as well; this one focuses primarily on King Maric and how he came to power. I’m guessing readers who’ve read that novel might get more out of this story, but Dragon Age: The Calling stands up well enough on its own to be a fun read regardless.

The story starts out strong but then drags in the middle. This style of writing gives the reader a chance to get to know the primary characters, a band of Grey Wardens along with a few others, before jumping into more steady action scenes. For me, the somewhat slower pacing at the beginning of the story allowed me to explore the world of Ferelden as I went along. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything (which sometimes can happen with tie-in media).

The strong character development and distinct personalities of Gaider’s protagonists is the best part of this novel. Duncan, one of the youngest Grey Wardens at the start of the story and King Maric, not a Grey Warden, but important to the mission the group is undertaking, are probably the best developed characters in the story. Duncan’s efforts to avoid anything resembling actual work, as well as sneaking around a bit to see what he can steal, are entertaining. King Maric getting the Wardens to tell tales and share some nasty Dwarven brew around a campfire was one of my favorite scenes early on.

If you’ve played Dragon Age: Origins, you might be interested in picking this up to learn more about Duncan, Loghain and King Maric. Mind you, these events take place several years before the start of the game, so really, the narrative is more back story to flesh out your knowledge of the Grey Wardens and how they came back to Ferelden. If you like Leliana, there’s also a few characters in the novel from Orlais, like Fiona and Remille. Going back through this story, it’s interesting to read how Gaider describes some of the places and fight scenes that are so vivid on the screen.

As far as tie-in novels go, the structure and the thought that went into this series was done pretty well. Since these are prequels, the continuity is strong and linear and really helps flesh out the time period leading up to the Blight. So, if you like dark fantasy with an epic feel, then I think you’d really enjoy Dragon Age: The Calling.

Review by Matt M McElroy

Related posts:

1. Dragon Age 2 (PS3) Review
2. Dragon Age: Redemption Trailer for New Web Series
3. Dragon Age: Origins (PS3) Review

2010 is just about over, where did the time go?

This was a pretty big year for me all around, with my expanded role at OneBookShelf (the company behind DriveThruRPG, DriveThruComics and related sites). If you don’t already know, I’m the Publisher Relations and Marketing Manager for OneBookShelf. I had the chance to work some awesome publishers and travel to quite a few conventions across the country. Recently, we got a print program up and running where folks can order print editions of titles like Descended From Darkness from Apex Book Company, Laws of the Night from White Wolf and King Arthur Pendragon from Nocturnal just to name a few. This has been a busy and detailed process working with some great publishers to get this program up and running and I’m looking forward to seeing it further develop in the new year.

My role managed to cut into my review writing time a lot more than I wanted it too, which meant I only wrote a handful of them for Flames Rising this past year. Still, I did have the chance to do some fun interviews in 2010, including Mouse Guard creator David Petersen as well as Forgotten Realms authors Ed Greenwood and R.A. Salvatore. The most popular interview I did this year was with Shane DeFreest from White Wolf where we discussed The Grand Masquerade. That was a fun show and I’m looking forward to the upcoming Vampire MMO they have in development.

This was the first year we did Theme Weeks at Flames Rising and they were certainly a lot of fun. I don’t think I can pick a favorite, but Cthulhu Week was certainly fun to put together. I’m looking forward to a few new themes we have been discussing behind the scenes for next year.

We also added quite a few awesome design essays from creators of RPGs, comics, games and films this past year. Along with our previews, these articles are among our most popular content and I’ve had a blast working with very talented people to give them a chance to tell us about their creative process. You can find most of these essays in our horror articles category. So check ‘em out, some great material there.

We added some great people to the Flames Rising crew this year as well like Eric Pollarine, Nancy Greene, Decapitated Dan Royer to our list of talented contributors. Our writers have helped increase the quality of content we’re offering including reviews, interviews and articles. Just dig into the archive of your favorite part of the site and you will see some of the excellent material everyone on the team has posted over the course of the year.

What’s new for next year? Stick around and find out.

Matt M McElroy

Related posts:

1. More White Wolf Books Back in Print at DriveThruRPG!
2. Halloween 2010 at Flames Rising!
3. Todd’s Gen Con 2010 Adventure

Zombie Week continues here at Flames Rising with a new interview about zombies…and pirates!

In this interview, FlamesRising.com got the chance to sit down with Daniel Davis. Daniel is a hobby games designer who has worked with Eden Studios on the game line All Flesh Must Be Eaten. Today we talk to Daniel about his experiences with this zombie survival horror game and his work producing the Arrgh! Thar Be Zombies game supplement. Be sure to check out the Arrgh! Thar Be Zombies! Preview we posted earlier this year.

How did you get started with All Flesh Must Be Eaten?

What can you tell us about your other Eden Studios material?

What were some of your inspirations for Arrgh! Thar Be Zombies?

What were some of the challenges putting this book together?

How many new Qualities and Drawbacks can we find in this book?

How well does this book cross-over with other AFMBE supplements?

What can you tell us about the new Deadworlds in this book?

Well, I wanted to try and keep the dark feel to as many of them as possible, keeping with the survival horror roots of the game line. I knew that I wanted Vodou to play a role in at least one of the Deadworlds and that ended up being Voodoo Queen of the Shrouded Isle, which I think is also the bleakest setting. I’d actually written another setting, but it wasn’t quite enough of a true Deadworld, so I cut it and I think it was Voodoo Queen that I ended up replacing it with.

FlamesRising.com would like to extend our thanks to Daniel for the informative interview…

ARRGH! Thar Be Zombies is available now at the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop.

Related posts:

1. Zombie Week: Genesis of the Living Dead
2. Zombie Week: Interview With Author David Moody
3. Zombie Week: Zombie Tramp Comic Review

In this interview, FlamesRising.com editor-in-chief Matt M. McElroy sits down with best-selling author R.A. Salvatore to discuss his new book entitled GAUNTLGRYM. After the interview, uncover a vital clue to help you win a contest for a signed copy of the book and a trip for two to D&D Experience in Fort Wayne, Indiana..

This book brings Drizzt to the Neverwinter setting from the Neverwinter Nights video games. What parts of Neverwinter do you explore in this book?

We’re really running circular orbits here, occasionally overlapping and intersecting at the city of Neverwinter and Neverwinter Wood. I do visit the city and use the bridges as a focal point of my time there, as they seem to be the most distinctive and lasting of the structures. I visit the forest, but only generically in this one. The thing of it is, there’s a computer game company, Cryptic, recreating the landscape around Neverwinter to suit the needs of their project. As with everything in the Forgotten Realms, when we’re working in the same areas, we try to be aware of each other and interact with each other so that we can play off of each others’ work. Cryptic had a couple of requests for me so that I could help facilitate the changes they needed to take place.
 

The relationship between Drizzt and Jarlaxle has evolved over the years. At the start of Gauntlgrym, where do they stand?

Certainly they’re not enemies, but I think inquiring of the relationship from the two parties would get you two different answers. Jarlaxle is completely at ease with Drizzt; in a strange sort of way, he has idolized Drizzt for many, many decades. Drizzt had the gumption to escape, after all, where Jarlaxle (and Zaknafein) could not, and to the drow, that is no small thing. If you look at Jarlaxle’s more recent exploits and expeditions, you’ll see that he, too, is striking out further and further from Menzoberranzan, though we’ll see in this book that he retains some important ties to the power base there.

From Drizzt’s point of view, Jarlaxle remains an enigma. He knows that Jarlaxle could have killed him on multiple occasions, and not only let him go, but helped facilitate his escape. He doesn’t really trust Jarlaxle, and yet, Jarlaxle was the first person he ran to when he and Bruenor realized their losses in The Ghost King. Also, when Drizzt ponders Entreri and Jarlaxle’s budding relationship way back to Servant of the Shard, he thinks that Jarlaxle might be Entreri’s best chance for redemption. So while Drizzt doesn’t approve of everything Jarlaxle – of course he doesn’t – there’s a healthy respect for his fellow drow and a belief, perhaps misplaced, that in a pinch, Jarlaxle can be counted on.

Gauntlgrym advances the timeline quite a few years for these characters, though, and there has been little interaction between them over the last few decades. They are operating in overlapping orbits, but little more, at least in the beginning.
 

After all of the enemies and battles they have faced over the years, what do your characters fear?

From Drizzt’s point of view, change and loss. He is facing those fears throughout Gauntlgrym, after the events of The Ghost King. He finally found his home, his place in the world, but because of the nature of things in the Realms, it was a temporary thing, and, he fears, a temporary respite from an empty, wandering existence. So Drizzt and Bruenor have to face the losses they suffered in the beginning of the book, and Drizzt, as the book progresses, has to come to terms with a dramatic change in his own life.

Then he finds a new fear, an internal one that is more a confusion than fear, actually. For now he has to go on, but what does that mean? He knows what he is feeling, but he doesn’t know why, or if it is something he should be feeling. He’s off-balance. Or is he?

For Bruenor, there is no fear, but there is something he has long dreaded: a mundane existence on the throne of a well-oiled kingdom. Mithral Hall is at peace, relatively speaking, and the biggest duties for Bruenor are with the pen, not the axe — something he has never enjoyed. What Bruenor fears, then, I guess, is that waking up in the morning and going to bed at night does nothing more than put him one day closer to death.

What monstrous enemies are your favorite to write about?

Dragons, of course! Well, if I can explore them as characters, as in the short story “Wickless in the Nether.” For battle scenes, I’ve always favored the humanoid races to the monstrous ones because I understand such fights. I know how a boxer reacts to a punch. I know how the human body bends and contorts. I know the balance points of the human frame. With all of that, I can make a fight between Drizzt and Entreri, for example, much more intricate and detailed and believable (with exaggeration, admittedly!) than one between Drizzt and a floating eye, or an owlbear, or some other wildly imaginative concoction.

How do you think long-time readers of this series will react to the end of this book?

I never know the answer to that question and I always know the answer to that question. In general terms, some will immediately begin their lament that the series hasn’t done anything since The Dark Elf Trilogy or [pick any of the previous books and insert here]. Others will call it a grand new beginning, a worthy addition, or a complete flop (and some will take that to higher lengths by insisting that either Wizards of the Coast wouldn’t let me write what I wanted to write, or that some other author obviously wrote this one). Honestly, it’s quite amusing.

As far as the specifics of this book go, there will be anger, speculation, wild predictions and lots of tears. I knew when The Ghost King came out that if I didn’t get a few 1-star angry reviews, I had failed miserably and I feel the same way about Gauntlgrym. Because the Forgotten Realms are changing — have changed, even — and a place that many people have known as a secure home for decades now has been altered dramatically. That is jarring to many people; witness the reactions to the changes in the Star Wars universe and you’ll see the same sort of reaction.

I get that. I really do, and I feel it, too. Heck, I miss GenCon in Milwaukee. You can tell me all the truths of why Indianapolis is a better location for that convention — the convention center is much better, there’s more hotel room, it’s more convenient and on and on — but it won’t change my feelings, my wistful nostalgia for Milwaukee’s GenCon. It’s very human to feel this way. You can tell me that World of Warcraft is better than Everquest, and technically, you’d be absolutely correct, but I’ll never have the tales of adventure for WoW that I have for EQ. Same with 1st Edition D&D and 4th Edition. Same with the Realms gray box and the new incarnation of Ed Greenwood’s magical land.

I remember back in the early 90s, when I first started hearing the complaints that the newest Drizzt book didn’t measure up (even on books that I knew to be superior to most that had gone before, by every writing standard). I was a bit dismayed, but my editor and dear friend told me, “Bob, what they want is their Drizzt virginity back, and you can’t give it to them.”

I guess we all want things like that. It’s very human.

Love R.A. Salvatore’s Books? Contest Details Below.

The following question relates to the riddle that @Wizards_DnD tweeted Sunday. Solve this question for a prize. And a clue! Because the answer is the fourth of eight clues that will help you solve the riddle at the end of the week when the online tour wraps up. The first person to comment on this blog post with the correct answer to the following clue question, including his/her Twitter user name, wins today’s prize.

SCAVENGER HUNT UPDATE:
Congrats to Corey Dockendorf, the first eligible participant who correctly answered today’s clue question! Here’s the correct answer, since everybody will need it in order to solve the riddle at the end of R.A. Salvatore’s online tour beginning 10/22/10. Remember to visit all the other tour stops to find the other seven clues. Schedule, contest details, and official rules are available here: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/promotions.aspx

A SPECIAL NOTE FROM WIZARDS OF THE COAST: Visit all the stops during R.A. Salvatore’s week-long Gauntlgrym online tour to find the seven other clues. At the end of the online tour on 10/22/10, put all the clues together, be first to solve the riddle and tweet about it, and win a signed copy of Gauntlgrym and a trip for two to D↦D Experience in Fort Wayne, IN. You must include @Wizards_DnD and #gauntlgrym in your tweet. Riddle-solving tweets won’t be accepted until 12:01 a.m. EST on 10/22/10.

Good luck!

Related posts:

1. Preview of The Sentinels by Bob and Geno Salvatore
2. Interview with Geno and Bob Salvatore
3. Promise of the Witch King Review

Elminster Returns!

Elminster Must Die is the debut 4th edition appearance of one of the Forgotten Realms world’s most iconic characters, written by the creator of the original Forgotten Realms campaign setting. An instant classic, and a must-read for every Realms fan.

When the goddess of magic was murdered, Elminster’s world shattered. Once the most powerful wizard in the world, immortal, beloved of the goddess of magic, and the bane of villainy, he is now a tired old man. He is powerful but mortal, and with all the enemies a man who makes a habit of saving the world tends to accumulate. To make matters worse, Elminster has needs—feeding powerful magic items to the Simbul, his lover, is the only thing that keeps her sane—but their increasingly risky collection leads his enemies right to him.

Flames Rising is pleased to present a new interview with Elminster Must Die author Ed Greenwood.

How important is this story to the timeline within the Forgotten Realms?

Very, and not at all.

“Not at all” in that it starts in the spring of the Year of the Ageless One and doesn’t advance the timeline much, taking place over not all that many consecutive days, and largely (but not entirely!) in one place (Suzail) in one realm (Cormyr).

“Very” in that it shows the reader what life in Suzail at this time is like, particularly in Court circles and within the Royal Palace, but also in taverns and clubs where largely-unclad dancers undulate on stages for audiences of social standing high and low, and in stinking, refuse-strewn alleyways where laws are seldom respected.

In short, it brings the “new Realms” of the 4th edition Realms to life for the reader interested in Cormyr, and shows us what has changed – and how little has really changed.

It reintroduces us to at least seven major characters of the Realms, familiar to readers from the 3rd edition Realms sourcebooks and novels, and updates us on what’s happened to them. It also mentions in passing something of the fates of many other places and people Realms fans already know.

Have you had the chance to play the 4th edition Forgotten Realms RPG?

Yes, and loved it. My first opportunity was with an excellent Dungeon Master at D&D Experience two years back, at the Living Forgotten Realms® launch. It was fresh and fun.

Since then, only sporadically, because my players and I are just too busy and too farflung around the world to get together for play sessions often (and we hardly use rules at all, after thirty-some years; it’s all roleplaying and freeform storytelling).

I design for 4th edition more than I actually get to play it, but that’s something a lot of game designers have to wrestle with.

What was the biggest challenge in writing this particular book?

My usual big challenge: cramming all I wanted to put into the book into the wordcount limit I had to abide by. Which is why things get faster and faster towards the end of the novel, as I started to rush and chop and try not to leave out anything important. When I plot books, I always think I can do scenes in fewer words than they really need. I’m still learning, after 130-plus books . . .

What do you think Elminster Must Die will mean to your readers?

This novel will show everyone that the Realms is alive and well, that its underlying “grand stories” are still unfolding, and that Elminster is old and very weak and mortal, but not quite ready to lie down and die yet . . . but that lots of people would like to help him do just that, right now!

Elminster Must Die will mean to readers that there are plenty of vivid stories to tell yet in the Realms, and that I’m plunging right into the heart of one of them. Come along for the ride! I’m not superb in the saddle, mind you – so there’ll be some excitement, all right!

Do you have a message you’d like to share for your fans?

Sure! The Realms is vivid and rich and wide, not a fading or (ahem) “forgotten” thing. I still have plenty of stories I want to tell in this world I love, and it still holds a lot of secrets – including some that have been there since at least 1986, that just haven’t risen into view yet! Elaine’s working on a new book! Bob’s working on new books! Paul Kemp is, and – no, can’t tell you about that just now! Stick around, you haven’t seen nothing yet!

Ed Greenwood – August, 2010

Elminster Must Die is now available at Amazon.com.

Related posts:

1. Interview with Geno and Bob Salvatore
2. Interview with Forgotten Realms author Jaleigh Johnson
3. Interview with Fantasy author Paul S. Kemp

FlamesRising.com is pleased to present you with an inside look at an event called “The Grand Masquerade.” This annual event, hosted by White Wolf Publishing, is held for fans of the World of Darkness. This interview was conducted by FlamesRising.com’s editor-in-chief Matt M McElroy, who is also a long-time fan, Storyteller and promoter of White Wolf.

I had the chance recently to sit down with Shane DeFreest, World of Darkness Community Developer for CCP/White Wolf, and ask him about the upcoming gathering called The Grand Masquerade. The Grand Masquerade is a World of Darkness Convention being held on September 23-26, 2010 at the Roosevelt Waldorf Astoria Hotel located in the New Orleans French Quarter.

The Grand Masquerade is a celebration of two decades of World of Darkness games. How did the idea for this event come about?

We’ve always wanted to do our own World of Darkness convention and this just seemed the right time. Our different fan clubs and groups have held their own various events and conventions over the years but we felt that the time was right to really try and do something big that brings everyone together in a way that was previously not available and help us celebrate the last two decades as we head into our 20th anniversary.

In addition to celebrating our past we also want to show our appreciation to our fans by giving them a first look at the future of the World of Darkness. We have some very exciting things planned that people will be talking about for years. So this is where we thank our established loyal fans by creating the most amazing World of Darkness event ever produced and giving them a special world premier of the future.

Why have the event in New Orleans?

Few people would disagree that New Orleans is the most iconic “Vampire” city in North America. It’s been the hub of Vampire pop culture for years and is easily the most European city in the United States. We really want our fans to really experience the World of Darkness 24/7. Even when they are not gaming we want them to still sort of be in our world headspace. The French Quarter of New Orleans offers that unique experience. I’ve heard the quote “what I wouldn’t give to play Vampire in New Orleans” from thousands of fans over the years and this is the year where those dreams come true in a big way.

Can you tell us a little about the Roosevelt Hotel and why you selected the venue?

When it came to selecting a venue for the biggest event we’ve ever done our first two requirements where style and space. The Roosevelt has both in spades. Located one block away from legendary Bourbon st., The Roosevelt originally opened in 1893 and has everything a fan of our games could hope for. It’s haunted, steeped it history, extremely elegant and awash with old world charm. Sinatra, Elvis, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles all played there. We wanted a venue that really celebrates the World of Darkness in all of its rich history. With 65,000 square feet of event space and having just undergone a $140,000,000 renovation we’re certain that the Roosevelt is the location for us.

What sorts of events can fans look forward to at the Grand Masquerade?

We have a number of events during the course of the convention that should be very exciting for all of our fans. Both the Camarilla Fan Club and One World by Night have a number of LARPS that will be taking place during the course of the weekend in professionally decorated rooms. In addition to just having a luxurious hotel we have some amazing movie quality set decorators we’ve hired to completely transform the hotel into the World of Darkness in a way previously unseen by any of our fans.

The Wrecking Crew is running a number of great Table Top games and there is the VTES North American Championship. We have Tim Bradstreet coming in as our artist guest of honor and there will be panels and parties galore. Our Saturday night Succubus Club party will be one for the record books. The big news that I can’t really give to many details on is that we’ve got something really big we want to show our fans first. Friday at sundown is where we give everyone the first look at the future of the World of Darkness. If you have been a fan of our games for two months or two decades you won’t want to miss what we have to say.

You’ve invited members of the Camarilla, One World by Night and the Elder Kindred Network, what about World of Darkness fans that are not members of those organizations?

We actually expect to see allot of people show up that are not part of these clubs and are preparing for that. Both of the LARP organizations will have a booth to help people make characters for any of the games they wish to play in. VTES is always looking for new players so they will be running a qualifier the first day of the event and The Wrecking Crew has a bunch of games for anyone and everyone if they want to do table top in a luxury setting.

What sorts of events will the Wrecking Crew be running?

When it comes to running World of Darkness Table Top games these guys are the best. They run over 30 games each year at Gen Con and we asked them to come out and take charge of our Table Top games for The Grand Masquerade. They have a great mix of Original and New World of Darkness events lined up. If you’re a big fan of Table Top gaming and want to play with the best these guys are the pros.

In closing I’d just like to say that this event is a celebration and a thank you to our community for their last two decades of support. We have some of the most loyal fans in the world and this event we’ve wanted to do for a long time. The Grand Masquerade is going to be something very special. We’re looking forward to seeing old friends, meeting new ones and celebrating the World of Darkness in an unprecedented manner.

Hope to see you there!

Shane DeFreest

Visit TheGrandMasquerade.com for more information or to register for the event.

Related posts:

1. Vampire Retrospective: Shane DeFreest
2. Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition eBook is available now!
3. The Wrecking Crew at Grand Masquerade 2011

I have been posting short updates and industry news that I’ve come across over on my LiveJournal for the past few months. Someone suggested that Flames Rising readers might like to hear some of the rattling that goes on in my head so…we’re going to give it shot. These posts will indeed be a bit of a random mix of links and commentary and most likely won’t follow any kind of set pattern. Feedback and comments are welcome.

Last week I was in Atlanta on business for the “day job” (aka DriveThruRPG.com). I’m still trying to catch up on my e-mail, so if I owe you something give me a few extra days. That or it got lost in the shuffle so feel free to ping me with a reminder…

While in Atlanta got to take a tour of the CCP/White Wolf offices and was in on a handful of very interesting meetings. Some very cool stuff in progress at that company. All kinds of awesome in development. You’ll want to check out some of the panels at Gen Con Indy and/or The Grand Masquerade this year. (Speaking of the The Grand Masquerade, stay tuned here at Flames Rising next week for some exclusive news about this event.)

Posthuman Studios signed with Sandstorm Productions to release more awesome Eclipse Phase RPG products. Of course you can also get them in digital at the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop.

I was disappointed to discover that the folks that run Gen Con could not find one woman to be on the Industry Insider Guests of Honor list. No one thought to ask Nicole Lindroos, Jess Hartley, Michelle Lyons, Jackie Cassada, Emily Care Boss, Filamena Young, Lisa Stevens, Meg Baker, Jenn Hartshorn, Teeuwynn Woodruff, Monica Valentinelli, Annie Rush or any of the other awesome women who have contributed to this industry over the years?

Speaking of Gen Con (and other conventions)…which would you rather get as a freebie from a publisher, pens or mechanical pencils? T-Shirts or Hats? Why?

Cthulhu Mythos fans will be pleased to hear that The Unspeakable Oath has risen from the depths once more. The next issue of The Unspeakable Oath will be published in December 2010.

Apparently Sony is working on a Ghost Rider Sequel, no really…

What about you?

What interesting Horror and Dark Fantasy news have you read this week?

Related posts:

1. More White Wolf Books Back in Print at DriveThruRPG!
2. Back from GenCon 2011
3. Matt looks back at 2010

FlamesRising.com is pleased to present you with an exclusive preview for a new supplement for SCION, published by White Wolf Publishing. Entitled Yazata: The Persian Gods, this supplement takes an in-depth look at the gods of ancient Persia. What’s in store for fans of SCION? New Boons, Knacks, Birthrights and Purviews, including a new general Purview called “Stars” which we have an exclusive sneak peek of right here at Flames Rising.

Yazata Developer Eddy Webb tells us “This is what’s great about fan-proposed products. Siavash sent in a proposal, and instantly we saw the potential of it. It took a while to find the right place for it in our schedule, but I think the work that he and Dean put into it is worth the wait.”

All-Purpose Purview: Stars

The purview of the celestial order and constancy in time, the empty space of the heavens, the lights of the night sky and the luck and hope they can represent.

Stars and Other Gods

The stars play an active role in many ancient cultures and their myths. As such, the Storyteller may find it handy to include the Stars purview as natural to several of the deities from pantheons that have already been described. Set, as god of darkness, claims some affinity with the stars because they can only be seen in the dark of night that he provides. Tyr, Norse god of the sky, is associated with the pole star. Atlas rotated the night sky, providing movement to the stars, and taught his grandson about the stars (and his father, Hermes is the patron of astronomy and astrology amongst the Dodekatheon).

Perfect Timing (Stars •)

Dice Pool: None

Cost: None

Just as the heavens can be used to determine the time of day, season or year, a Scion with this boon can innately feel the temporal movement of the universe. When the Scion receives this Boon, she will always know what time it is, down to the precise second. This functions regardless of whether or not she has seen a clock or even the skies recently — once she has achieved this sense of time, it never fades. For anything requiring fine timing, the Scion can, at the Storyteller’s discretion, receive bonus dice equal to the character’s dots in Stars.

Sense Age (Stars ••)

Dice Pool: Perception + Awareness

Cost: None

If the Scion touches an object, she can instantly discover its age: If she touches a dead body, she can tell how long it has been dead; if she touches a broken piece of glass, she can tell how long ago it broke off. The power is specific to the object being touched; when the shard of glass was part of window, it was a different object with a different age. The Scion must be careful with her choices — touching the hood of a car might reveal the age of the hood instead of the car itself, which could be significantly different if the hood is a replacement from the original — the player should remember to make a distinction regarding what the object is. If the Scion’s player doesn’t make the distinction, the Storyteller should feel free to give any age that can apply.

Aurora (Stars •••)

Dice Pool: Appearance + Presence

Cost: 1 Legend

The Scion is able to bring forth a bit of the sparkling majesty of the cosmos. By focusing herself for one action (Speed 4), the Scion causes shimmering lights not unlike the Aurora Borealis or Australis to gather around her body. The unearthly lights blur the outline of the Scion and make it harder to see just where she is standing, and as she moves, the effect only amplifies. The Scion’s Dodge DV is increased by the number of successes she rolls on activation for a number of actions equal to her Legend.

Yazata: The Persian Gods

The Gods of Ancient Persia

The Yazata – the Gods of Persia – have made their presence known. With them come new challenges, and new weapons in the war against the Titans. Whether you are a Hero, a Demigod or a God, these divinities can add a new layer to your cycle.

A pantheon book for Scion.

• A new pantheon of Gods inspired by the myths of Persia
• New Boons, Knacks, Birthrights and Purviews, including a new general Purview (Stars)
• A complete Hero-level adventure

Authors: Siavash Mojarrad, Dean Shomshak
Developer: Eddy Webb

Yazata: The Persian Gods is coming soon from White Wolf Publishing, look for it at the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop.

Related posts:

1. Yazata: The Persian Gods RPG Review
2. Scion: Ragnarök Now Available!
3. Scion Companion Part Three: Celestial Bureaucracy Now Available!

Available at Amazon.com

A New War begins…

Fallout is the third volume in the Vampire Apocalypse series written by Derek Gunn. This story picks up almost immediately after the previous book, Descent into Chaos, wraps up. Now, the free humans are still recovering from the events of the previous novel, and have new challenges to face. Burdened by a huge influx of rescued people to their hidden community, the main characters have a lot of challenges weaning them off a deadly serum and integrating them into their new lives as survivors and freedom fighters.

I’ll say from the start that this review will be difficult to write without spoiling something in the story. There is a lot of action in this volume and plenty of twists and turns to the ongoing narrative. So, I’ll attempt to spoil as little as possible in the review, but a few minor bits might slip through in the process…

Reluctant hero and resistance leader Peter Harris continues his quest to free as many humans as possible not just from vampires, but also the effects of the “serum” (the drug cocktail the vampires and thralls have been using to keep the populace docile). As it turns out, the serum is poisonous and will end up killing everyone still on the drug in the near future. What was once a more straightforward mission to free people from ending up as food in the previous books is now a matter of worldwide life-and-death.

In the last book, Harris and his team had to defend the resistance’s home base against attack from a massive army of thralls during a clash between two vampire factions. The only thing that kept the resistance alive, was the vampires’ willingness to slaughter each other which was extremely rare among the undead in this world. Could they be feeling the effects of the serum as well?

This volume of the story had some of the best fight scenes Gunn has written so far in the series. Gunn continues to keep the adrenaline pumping throughout the story and our heroes are barely able to overcome overwhelming odds time and time again. They do not escape unharmed, war continues to take its bloody toll on this group. This is one of the things I enjoy about the Vampire Apocalypse series, our heroes are indeed mortal and do not smash through monsters with ease, they have to work for each and every victory.

However, I did feel that this book introduced far too many new characters and an unnecessary extra escape plot. This escape took place at a new location and involved new characters; I felt that this plot was a distraction since it took place far from our resistance fighters we have grown to know over the course of the previous two volumes. As I was reading the story, I felt it was getting difficult to keep track of the new names, faces and locations with each of the extra sub-plots going on throughout the book.

The overall setting certainly was more expanded in this book. Readers had the chance to learn a bit more about how the vampire council works and even uncovered a few clues about the history of the vampire race. This was extremely cool: it is interesting to see how different authors build the history of their monsters and it looks like Gunn has some cool backstory yet to flesh out in a future volume.

Fallout escalates the conflict to new levels, with three (or more) factions attempting to control portions of the American Midwest. No one side has dominant power, although if the fractured vampire groups would consolidate their forces neither the free humans nor the independent thrall army would be able to resist them. It would be interesting to see the free humans and free thralls team up, but such an alliance would be tenuous at best.

My one major complaint with this volume is the atrocious editing. I found far too many typos and misplaced words. (E.G. Words that are spelled correctly, but do not make sense in a particular sentence like replacing “dusk” where “dust” was supposed to be.) In the story, I also found that there were a few amusing American vs. European word choices that didn’t hurt the overall story, but certainly seemed out of place.

So, if you enjoyed the first two volumes of Vampire Apocalypse you are going to really like this one, especially after the cliffhanger ending of Descent into Chaos. If you dig an action-packed tale of free humans fighting off monstrous cruel vampires and the twisted thralls that serve them…check out the Vampire Apocalypse books, you won’t be disappointed. I do recommend that a new reader start at the beginning (A World Torn Asunder) rather than attempt to dive into Fallout. This volume is far more dependent on what has come before than the previous volume.

Review by Matt M McElroy

Related posts:

1. Vampire Apocalypse Optioned for Graphic Novel
2. Sneak Peek at Vampire Apocalypse: Descent into Chaos by Derek Gunn
3. Vampire Apocalypse: Descent into Chaos Now Available!