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SJ Games Week: GURPS Worlds of Horror Preview

Flames — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:25:20 +0000

FlamesRising.com is thrilled to present you with an exclusive preview from Steve Jackson Games as part of our publisher theme week. Today, we take a peek at the upcoming GURPS Infinite Worlds: World of Horror supplement that offers new settings to bring terror to your gaming table.

GURPS Infinite Worlds: Worlds of Horror will detail six alternate Earths where history has taken a turn for the terrifying. Designed as being light on rules and heavy on atmosphere, Worlds of Horror should prove fascinating for anyone who wonders what might have been . . . more horrific.

This preview material has been taken from one of those worlds, called Taft-1. The year is 1962, and Stalin still lives. And he has worse allies than Hitler.

For anyone hoping to visit Taft-1, a ***Spoiler Alert*** is in effect for this whole preview.

The Secret History of the Cold War

Stalin had long known that there was no God. It wasn’t, however, until he correlated some of the wilder tales from his Georgian hill-country home with the results of the 1927 Tunguska expedition and the secret diaries of Rasputin that he knew that there were, nonetheless, gods. Gods who offered great power to those who signed their name “in the book of Azathoth.” All it required was cruelty and will – and Stalin had those in abundance.

A secret directorate (the “Ultraviolet Directorate” Upravlenie Ultravioletovie, or UPUL) of the OGPU fanned out across the Soviet empire, looting libraries and museums, torturing Siberian shamans and elderly monks, stealing what they could from foreigners, always looking for hints of the elder mythology that now obsessed their steel tsar. In the aftermath of World War II, this trickle of data became a flood, as the Ahnenerbe archives of Nazi occult research fell into Soviet hands along with Berlin. Stalin now knew the Names to call on when the stars were right, the places of power where They scrabbled at the edge of space, the truth that mankind was, just as Marx had promised, the puppet of vast, impersonal forces. And he knew how to bend those forces to his implacable will.

Truman might have stopped him, but Alger Hiss painted a certain hexagram in the Oval Office that killed the Cold Warrior. Stalin gladly offended Mao by holding Sinkiang and adding Tibet to his prizes in the confusion of 1949. With the invasion of Afghanistan in 1951, he completed his conquest of the earthly gates to Leng; in 1957, the Vostok Antarctic colony secured the approaches to Kadath in the Cold Waste. Egypt, older than human history, fell to Nasser, who built his “United Arab Republic” in Cairo, Damascus, and Sana’a – cities where Alhazred studied – on Soviet rockets and bayonets.

A hundred doors slowly crack open, all across the Soviet sphere. Surgeons captured in Treblinka probe the brains of political prisoners and Red Army volunteers, seeking the gateways in pineal space. Armies of slaves work gulag mines to supply the fungoid, alien Yughotiy with rare Siberian minerals. Thousands die in screaming agonies to placate Nyarlathotep. Antarctic explorers dig up Elder technologies; physicists in isolated Siberian laboratories go mad trying to utilize them. Certain inquisitive strangers with unlikely knowledge of the past and future answer insistent questions in their turn in the Lubyanka basement. Over them all, Stalin’s will drives forward. The New Soviet Man will be the next Great Race on Earth. It will be the only Great Race.

Campaigning in Taft-1: The Doom That Came to Innsmouth

In February of 1928, the Bureau of Investigation coordinated Operation SAMSON, a joint project of the Treasury Department and the U.S. Navy to destroy the town of Innsmouth, Massachusetts. The archives and artifacts of Operation SAMSON – and perhaps even some of the prisoners removed from Innsmouth to an internment camp in Manzanar, California – survive. (Did FDR or President Taft release those prisoners? Move them? Did he even know they existed?) Someone in the U.S. government wants to find them.

Someone in the U.S. government has discovered, or Dreamed, what the real Soviet threat is. FBI agents have confiscated the research papers of Professor George G. Angell, of Brown University. Secret Servicemen have seized enigmatic gold statuary from small museums all along the New England coast. U.S. Navy submarines patrol a desolate stretch of the South Pacific with active sonar. Someone in the U.S. government wants to find their own Old One to counter Stalin’s alliance with Azathoth. They want to make a treaty with the Deep Ones (‘A’Nthleioi, Infinite Worlds, p. 130), to pit them against the Yughotiy. They want to close the Mythos gap.

The PCs are American government agents or military intelligence officers. They might be part of this secretive cabal, trying to build a balance of terror to keep America alive. In that case, this becomes a Quest campaign (with strong psychological horror overtones) as they search for evidence, battle mysterious Soviet-backed horrors, and try to achieve a lasting peace with an alien intelligence. Or they might realize that any interaction with such forces irretrievably corrupts everything America survives to represent: the only response to such monsters is more and bigger torpedoes. This version of the campaign has two Nemeses: both the Esoteric Order of Dagon (the Deep Ones’ front network within America) and the misguided patriots who would sell their country to Cthulhu. In either version, Senator John F. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) remains an ambiguous figure: Navy hero, Mafia connections, student of history, rumored to have presidential ambitions as well as certain . . . appetites . . .

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This Week’s Hot Horror News for Friday, December 17

Flames — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:15:06 +0000

It may be freezing outside, but it’s hot here at FlamesRising.com. We’ve donned our firefighting gear and have braved the fiery internet to rescue some hot horror news. From winning free stuff to horror flicks, check out this week’s hot links and new releases.

Charities and Contests

Charity Auction to Benefit Inspiration for Igor from Dork Tower – Do you read John Kovalic’s Dork Tower webcomic? An illustrator, game designer and all-around funny guy, John is often inspired by the world around him. In this case, the real-life inspiration for Igor needs help with his medical bills. So, John put together a Charity Auction for Munchkin Zombies Cover Art to help him out. Ends on Christmas Day so go forth and do good deeds today!

Horror Channel Partners with ThinkGeek for a Zombie Contest – Two words: Enter today. Newsletter sign-up is required, but you get a mega-ton of undead swag. Some of which is edible…

Charlaine Harris Holiday Sweepstakes! – Love Sookie Stackhouse? Five lucky readers will win a stocking and a copy of Dead in the Family, both autographed by Charlaine Harris. Sweepstakes ends December 27th, so get a move on!

A Smattering of New Releases

Zero Hunters: Dravald #3 from Cinemacomics – Have you checked out the Zero Hunters comic series? Issue number 3 debuts this week at DriveThruComics.com and is available digitally.

More Adventures in Arkham Country from Miskatonic River Press – This brand new supplement will be a nice complement to your Call of Cthulhu game.

The Sentinels: Stone of Tymora, Book III by R.A. Salvatore and Geno Salvatore – Once again, father and son team up to bring you the conclusion in this exciting series of dark fantasy novels.

Pre-Order The Warlord’s Legacy by Ari Marmell – Ari Marmell is no stranger to horror or dark fantasy. After working in the hobby games industry for several years, Ari’s success continues to foster. Be sure to read our interview with Ari Marmell and our preview of The Conqueror’s Shadow.

Pre-Order Secrets of the Demon by Diana Rowland – If you’re a fan of Diana Rowland’s books, you can now pre-order Book 3 in this urban fantasy series about demon summoners.

Horror Movie and TV News

Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy Rumored for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – Yep, you heard us right. A live action Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Our jury’s still out on that one. Here’s hoping.

Still Photo of John Cusack in Poe’s ‘The Raven‘ – A modern adaptation of THE RAVEN is in the works. From the still, looks like Cusack could be an excellent choice for the film.

Kelly MacDonald Slated to Appear in Harry Potter Finale – MacDonald’s scenes were shot post-production; appearing as the ghost of Rowena Ravenclaw, she’ll help Harry at Hogwarts.

68th Golden Globe Nominations – Horror and dark fantasy are hot at the Golden Globes this year with nominations handed out to the thriller Black Swan, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and more.

A Mixed Bag of Bloody Treats

DeadSpace 2 Trailer Released. Demo available 12.21.2010 – The horror video game community is buzz, buzz, buzzing about the terrifying trailer for DeadSpace 2. We watched it, and it looks really damn scary. Make sure you turn out the lights.

Interview with Bruce Campbell from Evil Dead – Bruce Campbell. Do we really need to introduce Ash?

Second Two-Book Deal for UK Horror Author Adam Neville – Congratulations is in order to horror author Adam Neville (APARTMENT 16) who recently signed a two-book deal. Scare thee well, Adam. May your dreams haunt us all.

Clive Barker and Boom! Studios to Raise Hell in March – In a terrifying horror comic re-boot, Clive Barker will be releasing a brand new series set within the Hellraiser universe. If you’re a fan of the old series, they are available digitally through DriveThruComics.com and Checker Book Publishing.

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Free Halloween Movies at Crackle.com

Monica Valentinelli — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 16:21:02 +0000

Can’t wait for Halloween? Love scary movies as much as I do? Here’s a way to watch horror movies for free!

Get a head start on celebrating all things spooky by checking out the broad selection of free horror movies for Halloween at Crackle.com. Every year this legal, free movie site hand-picks a special Halloween collection of horror flicks for you to enjoy.

In addition to their broad selection of free horror films, this year Crackle.com’s Halloween movie collection includes over twenty-five movies. If films like Bram Stoker’s Dracula or The Cavern don’t creep you out, then there’s also five original shows like 30 Days of Night: Blood Trails, too.

Other titles in their free Halloween movie collection include The Blob remake, Mary Reilly and Happy Birthday To Me. I got the chance to write about Mary Reilly this week; if you’re curious about this interesting perspective on The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, be sure to read my post entitled, A Fan’s Guide to Scary Movies: Mary Reilly.

As a huge horror and dark fantasy anime fan, I’d also like to mention that Crackle.com has a wide selection of free horror anime in their Anime Overdrive collection, too. There’s a lot of classic horror anime in the mix; it’s a great representation that offers something for every anime fan.

So, if you’re up for some free horror movies, be sure to check out Crackle.com’s Halloween movie collection or browse through their site. You’ll never know what you’ll find at Crackle. There’s a lot of gems in the mix that you can’t legally find online for free anywhere else.

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Romero’s Survival of the Dead Trailer

Flames — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:09:14 +0000

As the sixth installment in George Romero’s zombie film series, Survival of the Dead offers a new storyline and (of course) more zombies. Debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in mid-September, the film’s announcement has been met with mixed results. Some zombie lovers are groaning at the thought of another film in the series; others are interested in the story about a group of survivors who leave their island to find a cure and save humanity.

There are a number of stills from the movie that have recently been released through the TIFF website.

Official Survival of the Dead Movie Premiere at TIFF.net

In addition to the stills, you can also get more into the gore at the Official MySpace page for Romero’s Survival of the Dead.

BTS George Romero Sneak Peek

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Introducing Epic Words – Free RPG Tools

Flames — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:33:30 +0000

Epic Words (www.epicwords.com) is a new, FREE RPG Campaign Tools website. It was built by players, for players, and is currently looking for new users, and their feedback, while in its Beta release. The site is compatible with all RPG’s.

Epic Words is a great way to keep players involved in-between games with blogs, wikis, and a host of other tools. It provides a place to take care of campaign housekeeping so your game time is really your game time. Some GM’s are even incenting their players with experience point rewards for participation, and enjoying the creativity of the resulting posts.

With Epic Words, a user can create a Campaign for their game, and ask their friends to join as player Characters. Collectively, they post the in-session events they would like to track. A group can record as much or as little as they want, as there are a several types of tools for different aspects of campaign management.

The current feature list includes:
Campaign Blog Posts for each Character, and the GM
Privacy settings per post
A spoiler button for hiding sensitive information
Wikis
Automated Reference Wiki (a unique feature)
Loot Lists with customized attributes
Party vs Character loot tracking, and party totals
Experience Point tracker
Character Descriptions and Avatars
User Avatars

General campaign information can be stored in wikis, which is especially good for Setting information, House Rules, NPC lists, and other record keeping or reference material. Active discussions and logging can take place in the campaign blog posts, and their comments. Players can blog in character for added fun.

Epic Words (www.epicwords.com) is another creative offering from Friendmotron.com. Try it today, and see how it can add to glory of your game.

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Noumenon Sale!

Flames — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:01:01 +0000

Noumenon (autographed copies)

There is a place outside of normal existence called the Silhouette Rouge, a place where the conscious and subconscious merge, where the real and unreal are one in the same. The Sarcophagi, creatures lacking memory and identity, are imprisoned within this place. They walk the Silhouette Rouge hoping to divine its secrets for only revelation and enlightenment can grant them release.

Noumenon is a role-playing game of mystery and abstraction. Players assume the roles of the Sarcophagi, strange insect-like creatures trapped within the Silhouette Rouge. During their adventures, players will encounter bizarre entities and explore strange locations. The Silhouette Rouge, Noumenon’s setting, is detailed enough to spark the imagination yet open enough to allow customization. In Noumenon, player cooperation is key. Noumenon uses a domino-based task resolution system that enables players to build upon each other’s successes.

Transcendence or damnation? The Silhouette Rouge beckons.

We have a small selection of books left over from the convention and this is your chance to scoop them up while they last. Each book will be autographed by Monica Valentinelli, contributing author.

Use the Paypal button above to order your book. Currently we are only set up to ship within the USA, but you can e-mail flamesrising01@yahoo.com to make arrangements for international shipping.

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Tales of the Seven Dogs Society Sale!

Flames — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:08:13 +0000

Tales of the Seven Dogs Society is a collection of stories inspired by the Aletheia role-playing game published by Abstract Nova Entertainment. Each of these stories is a possible continuation of the events described in that book.

Tales of the Seven Dogs Society was written by Jim Johnson, Monica Valentinelli and Matt M McElroy. A special limited printing of the book was available at the Abstract Nova booth (#2115) at GenCon in August.

Stop by the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop to order your copy of Tales of the Seven Dogs Society today!

For more information on Tales of the Seven Dogs Society be sure to check out the sneak preview from Jim Johnson’s Lifting the Gingham Veil posted here on Flames Rising. You can also check out Monica Valentinelli’s design notes for her story “Twin Designs” over at MLVWrites.com.

There is a new Review of Tales of the Seven Dogs Society by Jason Thorson available here at Flames Rising.

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Happy Birthday H.P. Lovecraft

Flames — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:30:41 +0000

H.P. Lovecraft is known as the father of modern horror. His short fiction has inspired well-known writers like Stephen King to game designers like Pagan Publishing and Chaosium.

In the spirit of Cthulhu and the Necronomicon, we’d like to provide you with a few, haunting places to visit and learn more about the writer who had a profound and significant impact on the horror genre.

H.P. Lovecraft Websites

H.P. Lovecraft Archive: From the life of Lovecraft to an extensive bibliography, this award-winning site is a destination.
H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society Features props for the live action game Call of Cthulhu and other Lovecraftian fan regalia.
Visit H.P. Lovecraft’s Grave in Rhode Island Want to attend H.P. Lovecraft’s memorial service next year? In Quahog, you certainly can and see some of the physical locations that inspired Lovecraft’s stories.
Unfilmable: H.P. Lovecraft-inspired Films A “Lovecraft Mythos” site, Unfilmable is dedicated to promoting and providing content for Lovecraftian films.
H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and Cthulhucon A Lovecraftian event taking place early October in Oregon.

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New Cards by Jennifer Rodgers!

Flames — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 11:14:15 +0000

Jennifer Rodgers is adding a new “Thank You” card to her Greeting Card Shop, an elegant gothic design, featuring skulls, flowers and Latin. The cards will be in stock and available for sale by the 16th. Pre-Orders available now!

You can find all of Jennifer’s cards at her Etsy shop:jenniferrodgersart.etsy.com.

The current designs include birthday, valentine and holiday cards, all available as singles or in packs of five. When the “Thank You” card is made available, it will also be part of a variety pack, featuring one card of each of the current five designs.

Jennifer will also be selling greeting cards at the DexCon gaming convention from Thursday July 17th through Sunday July 20th. For more details about the convention, visit the website.

About the Artist:
Jennifer Rodgers is an illustrator in gaming and comics. She has illustrated many RPG books including Mortal Coil by Galileo Games, Dictionary of Mu by Paka’s Thread Games and The Shadow of Yesterday by CRN Games. She is currently working on illustrations for Evil Hat’s Dresden Files RPG, coming soon. Visit www.jenniferrodgers.com.

Read the Flames Rising Interview with Jennifer Rodgers for more information.

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The Flames Rising Steampunk Favorites

Matt-M-McElroy — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:51:59 +0000

Steampunk has grown as a genre over the last few years and some very cool stuff has hit the shelves recently. Everyone has their favorites and we have compiled a list of the seven “must have” Steampunk books and games for fans to check out.

Steampunk

Replete with whimsical mechanical wonders and charmingly anachronistic settings, this pioneering anthology gathers a brilliant blend of fantastical stories. Steampunk originates in the romantic elegance of the Victorian era and blends in modern scientific advances—synthesizing imaginative technologies such as steam-driven robots, analog supercomputers, and ultramodern dirigibles. The elegant allure of this popular new genre is represented in this rich collection by distinctively talented authors, including Neal Stephenson, Michael Chabon, James Blaylock, Michael Moorcock, and Joe R. Lansdale.

Steampunk is available at Amazon.com.

Steamworks

Ever wish you could just toss a grenade into a room full of orcs? Or wish you had an automaton to scout out a booby trapped hallway? Or that you could let your fantasy characters explore the ruins of an ancient, technologically advanced civilization? If you’ve ever wanted to introduce a little bit of steampunk into your fantasy campaign, then you want Steamworks!

Steamworks is your ultimate guide to adding steampunk-style inventions, gadgets, gizmos, machines, and devices into your fantasy setting. This 165 page guide offers new classes, new skills and feats, new magic, new creatures, and of course new technology!

Steamworks is available at RPGNow.com.

The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer

In Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson took science fiction to dazzling new levels.

Now, in The Diamond Age, he delivers another stunning tale. Set in twenty-first century Shanghai, it is the story of what happens when a state-of-the-art interactive device falls in the hands of a street urchin named Nell. Her life—and the entire future of humanity—is about to be decoded and reprogrammed…

The Diamond Age is available at Amazon.com.

Steampunk Musha

Steampunk Musha is an alternative setting for Iron Gauntlets that features a Victoriental feudal land, torn between honoring the old traditions and embracing new technologies. It includes all new and original player races, such as clockwork ronin, the half-demon jinteki-oni, keshou (goblin cousins), and the juunishi-p’o (human-spiritual hybrids of the zodiac animals); new gimmicks, backgrounds, and vocations; two new forms of magic; new dueling, melee, and ranged weapons including firearms; and a bestiary that includes dangerous creatures, spirits, and oni.

Steampunk Musha is available at RPGNow.com.

Against the Day

The inimitable Thomas Pynchon has done it again. Hailed as “a major work of art” by The Wall Street Journal, his first novel in almost ten years spans the era between the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 and the years just after World War I and moves among locations across the globe (and to a few places not strictly speaking on the map at all). With a phantasmagoria of characters and a kaleidoscopic plot, Against the Day confronts a world of impending disaster, unrestrained corporate greed, false religiosity, moronic fecklessness, and evil intent in high places and still manages to be hilarious, moving, profound, and so much more.

Against the Day is available at Amazon.com.

RunePunk: Steam and Shadow

Dark steampunk fantasy like no other. RunePunk is a complete Plot Point campaign setting officially licensed for Savage Worlds and requires the Savage Worlds roleplaying game to play. Inspired by the works of Mieville and Moorcock among others, RunePunk is a gaming experience like no other. Running 192 pages, RunePunk: Steam & Shadow is a beautifully illustrated, full color hardback book detailing everything you need to bring the dystopian city of ScatterPoint to life.

RunePunk: Steam and Shadow is available at RPGNow.com.

The Steampunk Trilogy

Steampunk is the twisted offspring of science fiction and postmodernism, a sassy, unpredictable tongue-in-cheek style of which the incomparable Paul Di Filippo is master. The three short novels in The Steampunk Trilogy are all set in a very alternative nineteenth century, and feature a mixture of historical and imaginary figures. In “Victoria,” a young and lissome Queen Victoria disappears from her throne and is replaced by a sexy human/newt clone. The race is on to find the original Victoria and to hide the terrible secret from the nation. In “Hottentots,” Massachusetts is threatened by monsters from the deep; in “Walt and Emily,” Emily Dickinson hooks up with a robust and lusty Walt Whitman, loses her virginity, and travels to a dimension beyond time where she meets the future Allen Ginsberg.

The Steampunk Trilogy is available at Amazon.com.

So many more…

This is just a small collection of cool Steampunk products to explore. So many more are available. Ranging from Anime like Steamboy to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic collection. Someone even built at Steampunk Laptop. How cool is that?

What is your favorite Steampunk?

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Writing Game Fiction by Monica Valentinelli

Monica Valentinelli — Tue, 13 May 2008 03:02:25 +0000

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.

Monica got the idea to target gaming fiction after writing a guest blog post for horror webzine Flames Rising entitled, “Game Fiction: Why it Works and Why it Doesn’t in response to several conversations she’s had over the years with publishers, freelancers, and fans. Having written several stories based on RPGs including Obsidian: the Age of Judgement, Promethean: the Created, Cursed Empire and others, Monica’s viewpoint comes from over 5 years of experience within the RPG industry. In order to extend her reach to other gaming audiences, Monica gives examples from popular culture in this series and, as always, continues to be faithful to the gaming industry that helped boost her career.

As always, she encourages feedback from readers and fellow writers, so if you have something to say about this very technical and somewhat controversial topic, feel free to chime in with your experiences.

www.mlvwrites.com

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EcoBrain Digital Download Store!

Flames — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:24:56 +0000

EcoBrain is an online digital download store, dedicated to educating people about environmental living options while affording them the opportunity to purchase materials digitally in an effort to radically reduce the impact on the environment. Because eBooks are paper-free, easily storable and transferable electronic files, they give book readers the option of reading on the computer screen, a hand-held device, or printing off only the pages they deem necessary (preferably on recycled paper.) Additionally, because EcoBrain eBooks are delivered and produced electronically, very little energy is used in their creation and no fuel is used in their delivery.

Reading eBooks saves trees. We all know that when we buy a book, it comes from a tree. It is no secret that most trees come from ancient forests. Forests are a place of majesty. Forests are dynamic habitats where soil can regenerate, birds can sing, bears can thrive, and the air is purified. But global paper consumption has increased by a factor of 20 this century and more than tripled in the past 30 years (World Resources 1998-1999 and can be accessed at earthtrends.wri.org). Rather than continue with a host of facts and figures we’ll keep it simple: eBooks save trees. So thanks for choosing eBooks and helping to keep our forests safe. Tell a friend and spread the word. We can make a difference!

EcoBrain.com is researching options to run its servers from a server farm which uses a renewable energy source. If you can help us find a solution please email our customer service and let us know!

We believe that credible carbon offsets have a valid place in greening the world economy and therefore purchase carbon offsets for our business operations. EcoBrain.com relies on Cleanair-CoolPlanet.org to rate carbon offset providers that we use.

EcoBrain offers its employees the opportunity to work remotely from home which reduces their dependence on transportation-based fuels.

EcoBrain
Green Books for Green Living
www.ecobrain.com

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Twilight Crusade: Gabriel Free Download!

Stephen King’s The Mist at DriveThruHorror

Flames — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:08:20 +0000

The Mist

The storm rolled across Long Lake in Maine with a fury, leaving David Drayton and his family with fallen trees, downed power lines, and no electricity. At his wife’s request, David heads to the local supermarket to stock up on supplies, taking his young son and neighbor along for the ride. But the strange white mist that lingered on the lake has followed them to town, stranding them all in the store. Because something in the fog is taking people-and you can hear their screams…

Look for The Mist and other titles by Stephen King in electronic format at DriveThruHorror.com.

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Lives of Necromancers

Flames — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 11:12:31 +0000

Bards and Sages releases Lives of Necromancers. In 1834, William Godwin published Lives of Necromancers, an overview of legendary and historic figures associated with the occult. Godwin’s work was more than a who’s who of known magicians and sorcerers, however, but also a critical examination of what he called the “credulity of the human mind.” Godwin was intrigued not only by the human mind’s capacity to conjure up such supernatural fantasies, but to also accept such supernatural ideas as fact.

This reprint brings you the original text without editorial comment and footnotes. We have made some formatting changes in the interest of readability, and culled a variety of public domain sources to add relevant illustrations to highlight the work. Readers interested in the history of occultism and its impact on culture will find this work a fascinating read that offers an interesting perspective on such figures as Dr. John Dee, Faustus, Merlin, Medea, The Witch of Endor, and dozens of others.

Lives of Necromancers is available at RPGNow.com

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Hollowfaust: City of Necromancers RPG Review

Monica Valentinelli: New Website!

Matt-M-McElroy — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:03:43 +0000

Freelance author, reviewer and game designer, Monica Valentinelli, has launched a new website called Words on the Water.

Monica’s published work includes Aletheia from Abstract Nova, Worlds of the Dead from Eden Studios, Colonial Gothic from Rogue Games, Prey at Pseudopod.org and more.

She also has Obsidian: the Age of Judgement and Conspiracy of Shadows fiction, as well as many Horror & Dark Fantasy reviews here on Flames Rising.

Drop by www.mlvwrites.com to catch up on the latest news and updates related to Monica’s writing projects, freelance work and interesting events in Madison.

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DriveThruFiction (Horror, Sci-Fi and Fantasy)

Flames — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 02:49:32 +0000

DriveThruFiction is one of the Web’s premiere places to acquire digital copies of your favorite best-selling fiction titles. There’s so much, it can’t all be contained in just one place! Please follow the links below to browse your preferred genre.

DriveThruHorror.com – If you enjoy a sense of creeping terror and shaking on the edge of your seat, DriveThruHorror may have something which suits your palate.

DriveThruFantasy.com – From Terry Pratchett to Jacqueline Carey, from World of Warcraft fiction to Marion Zimmer Bradley, DriveThruFantasy fulfills all your desires for the fantastical.

DriveThruSciFi.com – Arching dystopian vistas, faster-than-light starships or hidden parallel universes, the boggling infinity of it all can be found at DriveThruSciFi.

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Xenagia

Matt-M-McElroy — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:01:39 +0000

Xenagia is a brand-new genre web site, specializing in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.

Visit the Xenagia Book Index. This Xenagia book index currently contains 2577 books and 1069 authors. The Xenagia Forums feature discussions on Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror fiction, movies and more. You can also get updates on your favorite authors, including Neil Gaiman, Caitlin R. Kiernan and George R.R. Martin.

www.xenagia.net

No related posts.

Gameplaywright

Matt-M-McElroy — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:58:43 +0000

Created by Jeff Tidball (Lord of the Rings RPG) and Will Hindmarch (Vampire: the Requiem), Gameplaywright is a blog about writing, designing and playing games.

Not aimed at professionals, and not a “how-to” for beginners…this blog lies somewhere in the middle.

There are plenty of great topics from two very talented game designers that range from video games to tabletop RPGs and shopping at Borders. They share personal experience and offer up a few theories on the elements of creating and enjoying games. All-in-all, plenty of great material.

So, go read it:

http://gameplaywright.net

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Skelewags, an Everyday Work of Art – Literally

Monica Valentinelli — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:38:11 +0000

You may recall that we recently posted a call for suggestions to review horror webcomics. Well, I’m happy to report we’re digging deep into all things gory and illustrated to provide you with a list of the best places to visit on the web. One work of horror comedy art turned up in a place so unusual we just had to let you know about it — your sewer.

Dubbed “Chewie,” this urban artist brings a Tim Burton feel to your local neighborhood by incorporating his “Skelewag” characters into the environment. Taking inspiration from pebbles, grass, water stains, and anything else he can find, Chewie lends us his imagination in those dark and dank places. The image here at left is of a piece that adds a touch of gritty humor by utilizing the background to add artistic elements like a horizon and light coming from a streetlamp. While the style may be something becoming almost cliche, after a fashion, taking pieces like plants and other environmental factors to tell a story is not only inventive, it’s a great way of turning the world around us into something interesting. Some pieces, like these featured on Ektopia with firefighting and miner Skelewags utilize color and cracks in the wall to tell a story.

One thing that makes these pieces really strong, is the contrast between organic details in an urban environment that are absolutely unique and often have fine features, with black-and-white characters that enhance the scene. You’ll notice that he adds only a slight bit of shading to add perspective to the characters and a sense of where the lighting is coming from.

To follow Chewie’s project, you can check out more of his pieces at this ConceptArt.org forum post by Chewie about his work or designer Baekdal’s review of Skelewags. Unfortunately, the Skelewags website has been down every time we’ve checked it; we’re hoping Chewie will get the chance to update it.

So whether you’re calling Skelewags urban art or sewer graffiti, in our opinion it’s a skeletal thumbs “way up.”

No related posts.

The Cylon Centurion

Matt-M-McElroy — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 02:09:54 +0000

Ok, I’m getting excited about the upcoming Battlestar Galactica Season Four. I’ve watched the Teasers and I’ve got the Razor DVD.

What I don’t have is the Life Size Cylon.

“Each Cylon is hand-made using only the finest materials and overseen by the ‘Robot Man’ himself, Fred Barton.”

Can you imagine that thing sitting here in the Flames Rising office staring at us as we write reviews?

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Battlestar Galactica: Board Game Review