In November 2011, I took on the role of Marketing Director for Steve Jackson Games. I telecommute, which helps me get a lot more done than I would if I was down in Austin. I recently spent a week down there and talked about my trip when I returned from Austin on my blog. The experience reminded me of working for a restaurant or a newspaper because everything hinges upon product getting out the door in a timely fashion. For a small company with a big reputation, day-to-day operations can get pretty crazy especially when we’ve got a lot of new staff.

Staff Changes

Due to promotions and shifting positions, Leonard Balsera of Evil Hat Productions fame is now the new Munchkin Hireling. Angie, the former assistant, is now in Warehouse 23 customer service rep and Liegh, who was Phil Reed’s assistant, got promoted to Warehouse 23 manager. We’ve also got a new person at the head of MIB Control and in charge of convention planning. Kevin is way, way, way more organized than I could ever hope to be!

Valentine’s Day Promotion

Warehouse 23 is an online store where you can buy games and toys from a variety of publishers — including Steve Jackson Games. It is the sister store to the digital arm dubbed e23. For Valentine’s Day, the Sparkly Good Fairy dropped by the warehouse. The Official Munchkin Bookmark of Sparkly Good Monster Mayhem will be included with each order while supplies last. Customers who place an order of $75 or more will also get a Munchkin Fairy Dust Handbag of Holding, too! There are some items on Warehouse 23 that you can’t buy anywhere else. If you’ve never checked out this store before, I’d definitely take a peek at the Warehouse 23 exclusives for some Cthulhu-licious options.

I was happy we could put together this promotion because I’ve been learning how dedicated Munchkin fans are to this game line. To give you a hint? One rare Heart of the Anomaly Munchkin card was sold for over $1,000 dollars on eBay! My goal is to figure out how we can get promo cards and bookmarks out to fans. We’ve got a lot of ideas brewing that have to be balanced against convention season and getting new games and toys out the door. Did you know that Munchkin is now in Target? Yeah, pretty exciting stuff.

New for 2012

Several fans are eagerly awaiting the debut of the Plush Tentacle. It’s bendable and it has a belt loop, too. I’ve already heard some folks are planning on incorporating the tentacle into their Halloween costumes.

I’ve also been preparing for a few big releases this quarter. Munchkin 8 – Half Horse, Will Travel, which was drawn by John Kovalic, has two new fantasy races in the supplement to core Munchkin. Now, if you’ve been following John’s art from the beginning, you will notice a huge difference in the line art. The cards a lot more detailed due to his style enhancements. The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin 2 – Beating a Dead Horse is the second expansion to come out this spring followed by Munchkin the Guild. Len Peralta, who draws the Geek-A-Week cards, is the artist for the Munchkin the Guild booster.

The other new release I want to mention is the Zombie Dice expansion dubbed Zombie Dice 2 – Double Feature. I haven’t played the alternative versions yet, so I’m anxious to see what they came up with. Zombie Dice has turned out to be a fun game when we’re entertaining folks. My brother loved it!

Revisiting 2011

I’m not sure if you’ve had the chance to check out what was released in 2011 from Steve Jackson Games, but I have two lists for you just in case. First, you’ll want to check out the GURPS releases in 2011 which includes GURPS Horror by Kenneth Hite. The cover was illustrated by Chris Shy, who has done a lot of work for White Wolf Publishing and other game, movie, and comic companies. Second, be sure to read the 2011 Steve Jackson Games release list to get a feel for what came out last year.

‘Til next time!

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ReedPOP, creators and organizers of the New York Comic Con (NYCC), the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), as well as other major events in the popular culture world, and Nerdist Industries, a multi-platform creator of genre and pop culture content, have today announced a continuation and formalization of a relationship that successfully began at NYCC in 2011 with the launch of the exclusive WHITE SPACE B2B conference. This new alliance provides for a wide range of strategic and cross-promotional activities that include Nerdist interviews with ReedPOP guests and a prominent role for Chris Hardwick, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Nerdist Industries, at ReedPOP shows. Hardwick, host of AMC’s Talking Dead as well as Nerdist specials for BBC America, founded Nerdist in 2008 and has nurtured its growth into a multimedia name now spanning blogs, a podcast, television, web-video, live-events and print. Chris will be a leading personality at NYCC, C2E2 and other ReedPOP events.

Nerdist Industries will have a presence on the floor of ReedPOP shows and will be significantly featured in several panels at these same events. Hardwick hosted The Avengers and The Walking Dead panels at NYCC in 2011, and he will emcee similar marquee content in 2012. In addition, Nerdist and ReedPOP will continue to work together to create another WHITE SPACE B2B conference this year as well as develop several live-events, tapings and podcasts at various ReedPOP shows.

“As another nerd leading a group of nerds creating nerd-centric events, I could not be more excited to welcome Chris Hardwick and Nerdist Industries to join forces with ReedPOP,” notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President for ReedPOP. “Our goal is to deliver great shows for our fans, but we also want to communicate the excitement, innovation and essential inner nerdiness of the pop culture spectrum to the world at large. This partnership with Nerdist Industries is a win-win, providing both like-minded organizations solid ways to amplify what we do through collaborating on new opportunities for our fans, our customers and ourselves. We’re both forces in the pop culture world, and we’re eager to see what amazing things we can accomplish together. I look forward to working with Chris and everyone at Nerdist Industries to make this a great continuing relationship.”

“I am THRILLED to be working with ReedPOP in an official capacity. I attended C2E2 last year, and, while still a young event, I was amazed at how well-organized and fan-friendly it was. Between C2E2, New York Comic Con and ReedPOP’s other events, this partnership makes all the sense in the world for Nerdist Industries. I know this because were we to not be in business with ReedPOP, I’d still be attending these events as a fan,” Hardwick said.

As noted, Hardwick’s first appearance on behalf of the joint promotional relationship with ReedPOP will be at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) which will take place April 13 – 15, 2012 in the North Building of McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, IL. He is scheduled to appear as emcee for special events on Friday, April 13, and he will also be available for a public autographing session. Specific details of his participation at the show will be posted in the near future on the C2E2 website. Hardwick will then present a live podcast from Chicago’s Vic Theatre on Friday night. Other guests who will be participating in C2E2 include Anthony Daniels, David Finch, Josh Gates, Adam Hughes and Joe Kubert. Many more guest announcements will be made in the coming weeks. For further information about these guests as well as purchasing tickets, please visit www.C2E2.com. For more on Nerdist Industries, visit www.Nerdist.com.

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Merchant princes and trader kings, masters of jade and emperor thieves; salesmen born with the trick of selling fire to the gods; genius tacticians and profiteers, hailed by the Fair Folk for their treachery; the Guild is the greatest roll of mortal merchants the world has ever known. For seven centuries the Guild has dealt in coins, chains, spells, and souls, confounding even the might of the Realm—what will it buy and sell to secure its survival in the Time of Tumult? Will the Exalted become its partners, its masters, or its pawns?

This book includes:

• An examination of the Guild by Direction, from the mammoth caravans of the North to the great merchant fleets of the West.
• Details of the Guild’s commerce with the supernatural, from the hungry Fair Folk to the restless ghosts of the Timeless Order of Manacle and Coin.
• The Creation-Ruling Mandate, a new system for telling large-scale stories of economics, empire, and warfare.

Masters of Jade is available now in PDF and Print formats at DriveThruRPG.com!

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Imagine: A fantasy world, but not one based on Medieval/Dark Ages European culture and myth, but rather on the tropes of the Spaghetti Western and Chinese Wuxia. Add steampunk elements. Mix well.

A fantasy world that mixes the inspirations of Django and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon… The Good, The Bad & The Ugly and House of Flying Daggers… Fistful of Dollars and Fist of Legend.

A fantasy world that’s explored through a book series, a constantly-updated website, a tabletop role-playing game, comics, artwork, webseries and much, much, more.

This is FAR WEST.

Tales of the Far West is the first book in Adamant Entertainment’s Wuxia-Western mash-up, featuring a dozen all-new tales written by critically-acclaimed and award-winning fantasy, science-fiction, horror and adventure authors, including:

“He Built The Wall To Knock It Down” by Scott Lynch: A master teaches an unforgettable lesson in the pursuit of excellence in all things.

“In Stillness, Music” by Aaron Rosenberg: A wandering musician is all that stands between a village and a cattle baron.

“Riding The Thunderbird” by Chuck Wendig: A herd of giant, flightless birds, a young girl, and a sudden lesson.

“Purity of Purpose” by Gareth-Michael Skarka: Who seeks the secret of the Unsurpassed Weapons?

“Paper Lotus” by Tessa Gratton: A strange girl tasks a wounded man to deliver a crucial message.

“In the Name of the Empire” by Eddy Webb: A sheriff is charged with the murder of an Imperial Magistrate.

“Errant Eagles” by Will Hindmarch: A gunslinger faces the consequences of his past.

“Railroad Spikes” by Ari Marmell: A bandit finds that he’s robbed the wrong train.

“The Fury Pact” by Matt Forbeck: An inventor’s son faces the responsibility of his name.

“Seven Holes” by T.S. Luikart: An apprentice learns the true nature of demons.

“Local Legend” by Jason L. Blair: Red Phoenix was dead, and the bounty hunter tells the tale.

“Crippled Avengers” by Dave Gross: A band of fighters seek to take revenge on the steam baron who crippled them.

Tales of the Far West is available now in eBook format(s) at DriveThruFiction.com! For one low price you get the ePub, Mobi/Kindle and PDF formats of this awesome collection!

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After a year of intensive development, the small indie team of Red Wasp Design have announced that their anticipated title, Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land has launched on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The game is a turn-based strategy RPG inspired by the works of cult horror writer H.P. Lovecraft and developed in co-operation with Chaosium, the publishers of the cult horror role playing game, Call of Cthulhu.

The game is now out on iTunes and is a universal iOS app so the same game works for iPhone and iPod Touch both SD & HD and for iPad, and carries graphics optimised for each of those platforms. It is priced $4.99, £2.99 & €3.99 for the full universal app. The game’s designer, Tomas Rawlings said, “We’ve put a vast amount of our time, energy and ideas into this game over the last year. It’s been a long journey for us because we want to get it right. We’re not a huge studio, but I hope that fellow gamers will appreciate what we’ve achieved with The Wasted Land.”

The game features nine 3D levels set in the trenches of World War One. The player controls a team of up to six investigators charged with uncovering a deadly inhuman conspiracy underlying the clash of empires of the Great War. Barbed wire, mustard gas and machines guns will prove to be the least dangerous thing that the investigators will encounter as they venture out into no-man’s land to solve the mystery of the Wasted Land. As the game progresses, the player can build up the skills, weapons and equipment of the team to suit their playing style. As well as the physical danger, the investigators must guard their sanity against the myriad horrors that threaten to destroy it.

To stay in touch with the developers and get updates on the game, help and strategy guides and more you may want to connect to Red Wasp Design on Facebook, Twitter (@redwaspdesign) and on their site at redwaspdesign.com.

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Figure the English Civil War is all about dashing Cavaliers and dour Roundheads? Think again…

Solaris is proud to announce it has acquired Gideon’s Angel by Clifford Beal, due for publication in 2013, which takes the seemingly familiar history of the mid 17th Century but introduces an infernal plot that makes this much more than just a history lesson!

Described as The Day of the Jackal meets The Devil Rides Out, this swashbuckling historical fantasy set in the aftermath of the terrible English Civil War sees science and alchemy as strange bedfellows with witchcraft and magic.

An epic adventure in the tradition of Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane, it is set in England in 1653. Colonel Richard Treadwell, an exiled Royalist officer in the service of Cardinal Mazarin, returns home in secret from France on a self-appointed mission to assassinate Oliver Cromwell, now king in all but name. He quickly learns however, that his is not the only plot in motion.

A secret army run by a deluded Puritan is bent on the same quest, guided by the Devil’s hand. When demonic entities are summoned, Treadwell finds himself in a desperate turnaround: he must save Cromwell to save England from a literal descent into hell. But can he convince the man sent to forcibly bring him back to the Cardinal? A young king’s musketeer named d’Artagnan.

“Not only is Clifford’s novel a rip-roaring blood and thunder horror fantasy,” said Jon Oliver, editor-in-chief of Solaris, “it is also a brilliant historical thriller. His sense of history and depth of narrative really transports you deep into a post-civil war London. It’s always a real joy to discover an accomplished debut novelist, and I know that Gideon’s Angel is really going to make its mark on the genre.”

About the Author
Originally from Providence, Rhode Island, Clifford Beal is an award-winning journalist and the former Editor of the authoritative London-based international news magazine Jane’s Defence Weekly. He worked as a defence journalist for over 20 years in both the US and the UK before he began writing books.

Beal is the author of Quelch’s Gold, the true story of a little-known but remarkable Anglo-American pirate of the 18th century who was the first man to be tried in a British Admiralty court outside of England (Praeger Books, 2007).

And writing realistic sword fighting scenes in fiction is second nature to Beal. He began medieval style armoured combat at the age of 17 in the US and later, in the mid-1990s, he organised a group of friends to begin the practical study of renaissance rapier and dagger techniques. This became the Sussex Rapier Society and is now the Sussex Sword Academy in Brighton. Gideon’s Angel is his debut novel.

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The author behind Abaddon’s fastest-selling title of 2011 is set to return with a follow-up novella and a brand new series.

Abaddon is delighted to announce that Chuck Wendig has signed up to write an ebook sequel to the popular Double Dead, as well as create a brand new series for Abaddon in 2013.

An October 2011 release from Abaddon, Double Dead was Wendig’s first original novel and became the fastest-selling Abaddon title to date, with a particularly strong showing as an ebook.

The freshest take on the undead for years, Double Dead saw the vampire Coburn awaken during the zombie apocalypse, only to realise that if he wants to survive he has to protect his food source from the undead hordes.

Now Wendig is set to return to the world of Coburn later this year with Double Dead: Bad Blood, an ebook-only novella sequel. It will be released on May 14th on all e-platforms.

Wendig is also working on an exciting new urban fantasy series for Abaddon Books, bringing gods and monsters onto the city streets in a thrilling new-take on classic genre tropes. The first in this new series is due for release in 2013.

With his prominent online presence, including his popular blog TerribleMinds.com on which he is not afraid to give his opinions on the process of writing and the industry at large.

“It’s wonderful to be welcoming Chuck back to the Abaddon team,” said Jon Oliver, editor-in-chief of Abaddon Books. “He’s certainly one of the most exciting new writers around and Chuck is going to build on the success of Double Dead while bringing a brand new series to Abaddon.”

“The vampire Coburn kicked his way out of my skull and onto the pages of Double Dead,” said Wendig, “so it’s great to be revisiting that cantankerous old bloodsucker. And I’m utterly geeked to be working with Abaddon to help birth this brand new series of gods and monsters.”

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Find out more about SOPA and PIPA:

Sopablackout.org/learnmore

Fightforthefuture.org/pipa

Money.cnn.com/2012/01/16/technology/sopa_wikipedia/index.htm

News.yahoo.com/reddit-admins-announce-january-18-blackout-protest-sopa-062713699.html

NYTimes.com/2012/01/18/technology/web-wide-protest-over-two-antipiracy-bills.html

Flames Rising will resume our regular schedule tomorrow with new Horror & Dark Fantasy Reviews, News and other goodies. In the meantime read more at the links above and spread the word.

-Matt M McElroy

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The zombie apocalypse is here. This is what happens next.

Zombies walk the earth and a father finds food for his daughter in the wasteland. A gun travels from hand to hand. Teenagers make out in a barn while zombies rise outside, and a woman deals with the most important third-date question. Stories of suspense, horror, adventure, and romance meet in this anthology of short fiction.

Gimme Shelter features all-new fiction from Filamena Young, Jared Axelrod, PJ Schnyder, Christiana Ellis, Peter Woodworth, Tee Morris, Mur Lafferty, Rob Wieland, David A. Hill Jr., Phillipa Ballentine, Chuck Wendig, and JR Blackwell.

The zombies are coming…find shelter where you can…

Gimme Shelter is available now at DriveThruFiction.com.

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Star of SyFy’s Destination Truth is First Entertainment Guest Announced for Annual Midwest Pop Culture Convention

Organizers of the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) have today announced that Josh Gates will appear at the annual pop culture convention where he will be the focus of a high profile panel and will also do a signing. Known as the “face of SyFy”, Gates is well-recognized as the host of the hit travel-adventure series, Destination Truth, a huge sensation which has garnered considerable attention and publicity, including an interview for Gates on The Today Show. Gates’ reputation as a pre-eminent Monster Hunter was firmly established when, on the season premiere of season two of Destination Truth, he and his team uncovered a series of footprints high in the Himalayas in search of evidence of the Yeti. Josh also hosts SyFy’s Ghost Hunters Halloween Live and other special events for the channel throughout the year and he has written Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter which was published by Gallery Books in October, 2011.

The Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo will take place April 13 – 15, 2012 in the North Building at the McCormick Place Convention Center.

Convention officials note that one of their main programming objectives is to provide a diverse range of panels by featuring guests from many walks of life with varied backgrounds, interests and accomplishments. “We look for guests who contribute to the growth and evolution of pop culture in its many forms,” notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President for ReedPOP and Show Manager for C2E2. “Josh Gates is a great example of someone from the entertainment world who also has a huge following in the pop culture arena. We are pleased and grateful that he has agreed to come to our show and I know our fans will be very eager to meet him.”

C2E2 programming officials have also announced (12/14/11) that comic legend Joe Kubert will be a “Spotlight” Guest at this year’s convention. It will be Mr. Kubert’s first appearance at C2E2. More guest announcements will be made in the coming months. For further information about C2E2 and for purchasing tickets please visit www.c2e2.com.

ABOUT JOSH GATES:
World adventurer (and international monster hunter) Josh Gates has careened through nearly 100 countries, investigating frightening myths, chilling cryptozoological legends, and terrifying paranormal phenomena. Known as “the face of Syfy,” Josh is the host of the hit travel-adventure series, Destination Truth. In addition, Josh hosts Ghost Hunters Halloween Live and other special events for the channel throughout the year.

His travels have taken him to some of the most remote and treacherous locations on earth, from a terrifying night alone in King Tut’s tomb to the radioactive shadow of Chernobyl. An avid scuba diver, Josh has participated in sub-sea archaeological excavations in the Mediterranean, and as a photographer, he’s traveled from sweltering African villages to the icy heights of the Himalayas. In addition, he has scaled “the roof of Africa” on Mt. Kilimanjaro, climbed on Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Americas, and sailed to the shores of Antarctica at the bottom of the world.

In recognition of his adventures and work around the globe, Josh was recently inducted into the prestigious Explorers Club in New York. Josh holds degrees in archaeology and drama from Tufts University and is available for appearances and speaking engagements around the world.

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Vampire: The Masquerade exploded into hobby games in 1991 and inspired a generation of fans of which the game industry had never seen before or since. The cultural significance Vampire left on not just the gaming world but on modern vampire-related pop culture can be seen and felt at virtually every turn and in every medium today. Vampire: The Masquerade – 20th Anniversary Edition brings the entire World of Darkness experience full circle and will serve as the perfect anniversary milestone to celebrate two decades of gaming after dark. This is the original Masquerade in all its glory, and our way of saying thank you and welcome home.

Vampire: The Masquerade – 20th Anniversary Edition has been added to the Now in Print program at DriveThruRPG and has three different print options to chose from. They are Softcover Black & White, Hardcover Black & White or a 2 Volume Full Color set. Here are some photos of the books:

Here is a look at the Two Volume Full Color set:

An interior look at Volume One:

Volume One ends on page 255 and Volume Two picks up from there. So, regardless of whether you are reading the PDF, the Limited Edition or this Now in Print edition all the page numbers are the same. If you need to look up a Discipline or some other rule it will be found on the same page. The reason there are two volumes is the print partner for DriveThruRPG’s Now in Print program has a limit on page count for full color hardcover books and V20 jumps past that by almost 50 pages.

Here is an interior shot of the Softcover Black & White edition:

DriveThruRPG’s print partner does not do full bleed on black and white books so there is a small white border around the edges of the pages on the black & white editions of V20 (and any other b&w Now in Print titles). Since most Vampire: the Masquerade books were in black & white for most fo the game’s publication life, this isn’t a huge deal. It is noticeable if you are looking for it, but otherwise shouldn’t affect anyone’s use of the books.

Vampire: The Masquerade – 20th Anniversary Edition was not the only White Wolf book to get added to the Now in Print program recently. Here are several more classic World of Darkness titles that are now available in print format once more:

Caine’s Chosen: The Black Hand
Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy
Blood Sacrifice: The Thaumaturgy Companion
Cairo by Night
Havens of the Damned
Counsel of Primogen
Children of the Night
State of Grace
World of Darkness: Mafia
Rage Across Egypt
World of Darkness: Time of Judgment
Apocalypse (Werewolf ToJ book)
Tribebook: Silent Striders (Revised)
Kindred of the East
Kindred of the East Companion
Dharma Book: Resplendent Cranes
Dharma Book: Thousand Whispers
Dharma Book: Bone Flowers
Dharma Book: Devil-Tigers
Dharma Book: Thrashing Dragons
Hunter: the Reckoning
Hunter: Players Guide
Hunter Book: Wayward
Demon: the Fallen
Initiates of the Art

The new World of Darkness has a few new print titles as well.

Goblin Markets, a Changeling: the Lost supplement which was PDF only is now available in softcover.

Vampire: the Requiem and Mage: the Awakening each have brand new books released in both PDF and Print formats simultaneously. For Vampire there is Strange, Dead Love, which was co-written by Flames Rising Project Manager Monica Valentinelli and is available now. The Mage title is the highly anticipated Imperial Mysteries.

You can check out all of the currently available White Wolf Now in Print titles for the World of Darkness, Exalted, Scion and more at DriveThruRPG.com.

Update!

Some people were asking for more photos of the Now in Print editions of V20, so…

Spines of my Grand Masquerade copy, Full Color Volume One and Two, the Black & White Hardcover, Black & White Softcover:

Page 135 from Full Color Volume One next to page 135 from Black & White Softcover:

Toreador from the Black & White Hardcover:

Chapter Four from the Black & White Hardcover:

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Double 2011 Origins Award Winner Licenses Eisner-Nominated Comic Book

Evil Hat Productions, LLC, today announced an agreement to produce, publish, and distribute a role-playing game based on the Eisner-nominated Atomic Robo comic book. The Atomic Robo RPG will be co-written by Atomic Robo scribe Brian Clevinger and Kerberos Club: Fate Edition author Mike Olson, creator of the Strange Fate version of the Fate engine.

“I’m such a big fan of the world Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener create in every page of Atomic Robo,” said Fred Hicks of Evil Hat. “When I found out they were fans of role-playing games—including Evil Hat’s own Spirit of the Century—it was clear we had a giant-sized opportunity that had to be pursued.”

With The Atomic Robo RPG, Evil Hat will build on the legacy of Fate games like Spirit of the Century and The Dresden Files RPG—together with the ideas of Evil Hat’s upcoming Fate Core project and Mike Olson’s Strange Fate work. The stand-alone game will deliver a fast-paced and fast-to-play role-playing experience focused on the themes of Atomic Robo—action-science, robots, angry talking dinosaurs, high weirdness, and more.

“Brian and I are lifelong RPG nerds, I mean enthusiasts, and we could not be more excited to partner with Evil Hat and Mike Olson to bring readers even closer to the world of Atomic Robo,” said Scott Wegener. “There’s over a century of adventure in our comic book, but we can only show you guys slices of the whole picture. This game opens up so many opportunities to play with that world, its history, the weird unexplored corners, and the might-have-beens,” added Brian Clevinger.

The Atomic Robo RPG begins development in late February of 2012. “We’d love to get The Atomic Robo RPG out in 2012, and if everything comes together fast and smooth we might just manage that,” said Hicks. “But as with all licensed projects at Evil Hat, we want to take our time to make sure we serve the license and the fans well. Thankfully, Brian and Scott have the same opinion, here. The Atomic Robo RPG that we release will be the best one we can possibly make, period—and that may take us into 2013.”

For more information about Evil Hat Productions, the Fate system, Spirit of the Century, and the Dresden Files RPG, visit www.evilhat.com. For more information about Atomic Robo, visit www.atomic-robo.com. Atomic Robo is published by Red 5 Comics, available at www.red5comics.com and in comic stores everywhere. Kerberos Club: Fate Edition is published by Arc Dream Publishing, www.arcdream.com.

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Wizards of the Coast has announced a new edition of the Dungeons & Dragons RPG:

Charting the Course for D&D: Your Voice, Your Game

Mike Mearls says:

As you may have read in the New York Times, it’s an exciting time for Dungeons & Dragons. We are happy to announce today that we are developing the next iteration of D&D, and will be looking to the legions of D&D fans to help shape the future of the game along with us.

Our mission is to ensure that D&D enters its next 40 years as a vibrant, growing, and exciting game. By listening to the needs of the D&D community, we can meet this goal. As part of our increased efforts to engage with the player-base, we launched a series of weekly articles in early 2011, including Rule of Three and Legends & Lore, to give you a voice in our work. We’ve listened to both praise and criticism from all D&D fans, regardless of their edition of choice, and we’ll continue to do so.

That is why we are excited to share with you that starting in Spring 2012, we will be taking this process one step further and conducting ongoing open playtests with the gaming community to gather feedback on the new iteration of the game as we develop it. With your feedback and involvement, we can make D&D better than ever. We seek to build a foundation for the long-term health and growth of D&D, one rooted in the vital traits that make D&D unique and special. We want a game that rises above differences of play styles, campaign settings, and editions, one that takes the fundamental essence of D&D and brings it to the forefront of the game. In short, we want a game that is as simple or complex as you please, its action focused on combat, intrigue, and exploration as you desire. We want a game that is unmistakably D&D, but one that can easily become your D&D, the game that you want to run and play.

Of special note is the “open playtesting” elements that are going to be included in this edition. Much like previous efforts from Paizo for Pathfinder and White Wolf with Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition, WotC will be actively engaging fans for feedback and playtesting of this new edition of D&D:

More from the announcement:

For that reason, we want your participation. The goals we have set for ourselves are by no means trivial or easy. By involving you in this process, we can build a set of D&D rules that incorporate the wants and desires of D&D gamers around the world. We want to create a flexible game, rich with options for players and DMs to embrace or reject as they see fit, a game that brings D&D fans together rather than serves as one more category to splinter us apart.

You can sign up now at the Dungeons & Dragons website to be notified when the playtesting begins. In the meantime, you can share your opinions, talk with other gamers and stay in touch with D&D game designers by joining the official group page at http://community.wizards.com/dndnext.

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The Flames Rising Shop at RPGNow has over 20 games for $12 Each! A New Year is the perfect time to try a new game, so check out these great deals now!

Get great deals from White Wolf, Archaia Entertainment, Pelgrane Press, Green Ronin, Eden Studios, Crafty Games, Cubicle 7 and more!

There are some amazing deals included in this promotion and this is the perfect chance to stock up on games you’ve always been curious about and didn’t pick up when they first launched such as Artesia: Adventures in the Known World or Dark Ages: Vampire. There are amazing deals on newer games as well, Spectrum Games’ Lovecraftian Macabre Tales and Pelgrane Press’ Ashen Stars are well worth picking up.

At $12 each, there are huge discounts on some of these core products and most of them have never been marked down this much, and are likely not going to be ever again. For example Legend of the Five Rings 4th Edition from AEG is $59.99 in print and normally sells for $35.99 in PDF, at $12 that is 65% off the already discounted PDF price! The Burning Empires RPG sells for $45 in print and $23.99 in PDF, so this is just about 50% off and this one is almost never on sale.

So, what are you waiting for? Stop by the New Year, New Game Sale today and get over 20 books for $12 each!

Related posts:

1. GM’s Day Sale at RPGNow!
2. New Games in the New Year at RPGNow
3. White Wolf – Friday the 13th Sale!

Slices of Fate is a unique collection featuring the works of Eddy Webb. Stories within range from the author’s nod to literary tales as in his piece “A Sheepish Trip to Yorkshire” to his more speculative work such as “The Battlefield.”

Essays include a series on two of Webb’s oldest loves: wrestling and Sherlock Holmes. Combined with several pieces of microfiction, this debut collection is an in-depth representation of Eddy’s work over the course of several years.

“Enthusiastic, creative, honest, intelligent.” – Jason L Blair, from the introduction.

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. Eddy is the author of Mind’s Eye Theatre: The Awakening, Criminal Intent (Vampire: The Requiem) and New Wave Requiem for White Wolf.

Slices of Fate is available in PDF and Print formats at DriveThruFiction.com.

Related posts:

1. New Book and End of the Year FR Press Sale!
2. FR Press Announces Slices of Fate, the Collected Works of Author Eddy Webb

The Shroud of the Ancients D5 Role Playing Game is Dark Tavern Press first game. Created by Randy Miller and Roderick Edwards, it is the product more than 50 years of combined RPG tabletop gaming and over 15 years of combined adventure writing and game design. Dark Tavern’s goal is to continually create the best quality RPGs and gaming accessories possible. It is our aspiration to entice tabletop top gamers looking for an alternative to the status quo with this project and to help us raise enough money to bring the Shroud of the Ancients™ D5 Role Playing Game to tabletop enthusiasts everywhere.

ABOUT THE WORLD OF TERRATH

Ages ago, Terrath’s second moon shattered and fire fell from the heavens. Ancient Empires whose kingdoms had stretched across the known world were no more. A select few of the races and creatures chosen by the gods had been shepherded into sanctuaries and protected by the druidic Order of the Sacred Stone. When the Time of Twilight lifted, those who survived set out to rebuild Terrath, but they soon discovered that its face was forever altered and the tides of Manna had drastically changed, making magic more accessible to those who desired its power. With help and guidance from the Order, they brought the world back from near extinction. New kingdoms and continents forged alliances with old enemies and the survival of mortal kind seemed assured. But soon, the people began to forget that dark time in their past when all hope was nearly lost. And once more, the druids returned to their silent sanctuaries, where they casted their wary eyes towards the heavens and prayed.

Now, with more than a millennium of relative peace, the largest known continent of Terrath, Kathlom, is the stage for a host of escalating conflicts. While, the Alliance of Free City-States and the Empire of Crowns are continually building their armies to resist the threat of one another, the southern mountain ranges of both lands face the ever-present threat of the savage Lowmen, who test the borders daily for a strategic advantage. Sensing the possibility of war, the Barbarian Tribes of the Northlands press for control of the disputed territory that separates them. As treaties are broken and diplomacy fails, war on the northern face of the continent seems imminent.

Meanwhile, at the southern tip of Kathlom, the Seven Princes of the desert kingdom, known as E’binet, face the brunt of the conflict with the Lowmen. With the vast and deadly vortex of the J’Han Rah as their only ally, they are forever watchful for the prophesied Warlord who will march his armies through the forbidden lands to the north and lay siege to their enemies. To the south, pirates from the countries of Avecian and Esvalia continue to travel the waterways and trading lanes plundering what they can from E’binet and the proud nation of Syrania and have done so for many years with impunity… until now. With the discovery of the explosive black powder they call pyrius, the new theocracy of Syrania, with the church of Semperis at its head, promises that these raiders will surrender to the Sacred Land and endure their punishment for their numerous crimes against its people or face immediate execution.

As an adventurer, the skills and distinctions you possess seem to draw you closer to the deadly conflict that engulfs the nation’s borders. But beware, the political and religious internal struggles, deep in the heart of the Free City-States, can be just as perilous. And as always, the Adventurer’s Guild is eager, for a fee, to find a local patron who may need you to lead an expedition into Terrath’s lost cities and forgotten temples on the outskirts of civilization. But as it quoted in the Book of the Exalted Word, “Death awaits those who are unworthy to face the challenge”.

No matter where fate takes you, limitless opportunities lie ahead. Perhaps, with aid from the gods, you may choose to stand against the brutal nature of Low Men or the sinister plans of forbidden cults such as Aden’s Brood and The Disciples of Merrath. Perhaps, you will seek to unlock the hidden mysteries of the Drachanis Stone or attempt to amass fortunes beyond that of the Seven Princes of E’binet. Whichever path you choose, your destiny awaits!

Find out more about Shroud of the Ancients Fantasy Adventure RPG at Kickstarter.com.

Related posts:

1. Final Twilight Kickstarter Campaign launched!
2. Fantasist Enterprises launches Kickstarter Campaign for Fantastical Visions V

“No God commands me, yet I answer to a higher law than yours. My heart does not beat, yet it still feels. Only her word rules me, and only her smile warms my blood.” – J. Carlton, Nosferatu Harpy of Baltimore

Strange, Dead Love is a new supplement for White Wolf’s Vampire: the Requiem RPG. It is guide to the themes and props of paranormal romance, custom-fit for the World of Darkness, specifically Vampire: the Requiem. This book features a collection of world shards, ready-made chronicles with their own plot hooks and rules. As well as advice for storytelling romance, including guidance on games for two.

Strange, Dead Love was written by Jess Hartley, Monica Valentinelli and Filamena Young. You can read the Flames Rising interview with the developers Russell Bailey and Eddy Webb from October. We also posted a short preview A Plague for a Dowry.

Strange, Dead Love is now available in Print and PDF formats at DriveThruRPG.com.

Related posts:

1. Strange Dead Love Preview: A Plague for a Dowry
2. Interview with Developers Webb and Bailey on Strange, Dead Love
3. Help Us Interview White Wolf for Strange, Dead Love

FR Press is pleased to announce the release of Slices of Fate!

Slices of Fate is a unique collection featuring the works of Eddy Webb. Stories within range from the author’s nod to literary tales as in his piece “A Sheepish Trip to Yorkshire” to his more speculative work such as “The Battlefield.”

Essays include a series on two of Webb’s oldest loves: wrestling and Sherlock Holmes. Combined with several pieces of microfiction, this debut collection is an in-depth representation of Eddy’s work over the course of several years.

“Enthusiastic, creative, honest, intelligent.” – Jason L Blair, from the introduction.

Slices of Fate is available now in eBook format at DriveThruFiction.com!

FR Press has had an awesome 2011 and we’d like to celebrate with a big sale on all of our eBooks for the last week of the year!

This sale includes Slices of Fate, as well as Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror, our horror anthology with ghost stories from Chuck Wendig, Rich Dansky, Alex Bledsoe, Jess Hartley, Jason Sizemore and more. Also included in the sale are Monica Valentinelli’s The Queen of Crows and Instant Antagonist: The Creepy Cottontail!

This sale only lasts as long as 2011 does, so check out all of our eBooks at DriveThruFiction.com and DrivethruRPG.com today!

Related posts:

1. Slices of Fate by Eddy Webb Now in Print!
2. FR Press Announces Slices of Fate, the Collected Works of Author Eddy Webb
3. Happy Halloween from FR Press!

The Zombie Feed Press, an imprint of Apex Publications, is pleased to announce the release of THE FIELDS by Ty Schwamberger in Trade Paperback and eBook.

About the book:

Billy Fletcher learned to farm the family’s tobacco fields – and beat slaves – by the hands of his father. Now, his father is dead, the slaves have long since been freed, and the once-lush fields are dying. Salvation by the name of Abraham knocks on the farmhouse door, bringing wild ideas. He can help Billy save the plantation and return the fields to their former glory…by raising his father’s slaves from the dead.

Can the resurrected slaves breathe life back into the Fletcher farm? Having brought the slaves back from graves that his father sent them, can Billy be the kind master his father wasn’t? Is keeping the farm worth denying the men the freedom they earned with death?

Billy’s conscience holds the key to those mysteries, but not the biggest one: what does Abraham really want from the former slave owner’s son?

Welcome to The Fields.

New York Times bestselling author, Jonathan Maberry, states in the introduction for the book. “[The Fields]…is part horror story in the classic sense – misdeeds from the past coming back to haunt the present. It’s part zombie story. It’s part adventure. And it’s part social satire in its darkest sense.”

THE FIELDS
TY SCHWAMBERGER
79 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-937009-02-1
$9.95

What others are saying about THE FIELDS:

“The Fields is a merciless, pitchfork-to-the-face, homespun zombie adventure. Schwamberger offers up a shotgun blast of graphic undead action in this unique take on the genre.”

— Shroud Magazine

“Ty Schwamberger knocks it out of the park with his novella, THE FIELDS. No sooner do you begin to read, than you realize that the story is much bigger than the words on the page. The setting is timeless, and the horror depicted much more than ghoul and gore. THE FIELDS is a story you don’t want to miss, and Ty Schwamberger is an author to watch, for he just may be headed for the major leagues.”

— Deborah LeBlanc, Author of The Wolven

“An intelligent zombie morality tale, unlike anything you’ve ever read before.”

— Morpheus Tales Magazine

“If Nathaniel Hawthorne had known anything about zombies, this is the kind of story he’d have written. I’m not joking. This is some genuine old school horror. With The Fields, Ty Schwamberger has given us a crime so horrendous it’s impossible to look away. The sins of the father. A deal with the devil. It’s all here. And Schwamberger makes it look so frustratingly easy. This is one hell of a good story.”

— Joe McKinney, author of Dead City and Apocalypse of the Dead.

“With The Fields, Ty Schwamberger did the near-impossible: made zombies interesting to me again. Not only interesting, but frightening, as well. Throw in more than a dash of scathing social commentary, a pace that never stops to catch its breath, and a sly bit of gallows humor, and you’ve got a winner. Kick yourself if you miss this one.”

— Gary A. Braunbeck, Bram Stoker and International Horror Guild Award-winner, author of To Each Their Darkness and A Cracked and Broken Path.

“Ty Schwamberger’s THE FIELDS is an original zombie tale that will satisfy lovers of grisly fiction and well told stories. Good characters, cool twists and great writing make this a story that grabs one by the scalp early on. Anything with a Southern vein and the specters that can invoke gets my slash of approval.”

— Steven L. Shrewsbury, author of THRALL, BAD MAGICK and HAWG.

“The walking dead, a post-Civil War setting, and a sinister Lincolnesque figure add up to a fresh new take on the zombie mythos.”

— Tim Waggoner, author of Nekropolis, Broken Shadows and Darkness Wakes.

About The Zombie Feed Press:

Is a specialty imprint of Apex Book Company, which is also known as Apex Publications. Apex is an award winning, small press publisher dedicated to producing exemplary works of science fiction, horror, fantasy and non-fiction. Based out of Lexington, Kentucky, Apex Book Company is owned and operated by Jason B. Sizemore.

http://www.flamesrising.com/?p=15765 Coming January 2012: A Collection of the Award-Winning Cthulhu Mythos Horror Fiction of John Scott Tynes “This is pure evil, pure destruction. This is the apocalypse.” And it’s just getting started. In January 2012, Arc Dream Publishing will release “Delta Green: Strange Authorities,” a collection of the award-winning Cthulhu Mythos horror fiction of John Scott Tynes. It will be available in trade paperback from Amazon.com and Ingram Book Company, and in ebook for Kindle, Nook, iBooks and other devices. “Delta Green: Strange Authorities” features the complete fiction of John Scott Tynes in the “Delta Green” setting, which explores the cosmic horrors of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos in a modern world of deadly conspiracies and personal apocalypse. Related posts:

1. Delta Green: Through a Glass, Darkly eBook Available Now!
2. Preview of Delta Green: Intelligences
3. Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity

Coming January 2012: A Collection of the Award-Winning Cthulhu Mythos Horror Fiction of John Scott Tynes

“This is pure evil, pure destruction. This is the apocalypse.” And it’s just getting started. In January 2012, Arc Dream Publishing will release “Delta Green: Strange Authorities,” a collection of the award-winning Cthulhu Mythos horror fiction of John Scott Tynes. It will be available in trade paperback from Amazon.com and Ingram Book Company, and in ebook for Kindle, Nook, iBooks and other devices.

“Delta Green: Strange Authorities” features the complete fiction of John Scott Tynes in the “Delta Green” setting, which explores the cosmic horrors of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos in a modern world of deadly conspiracies and personal apocalypse. “Delta Green: Strange Authorities” includes the short stories “The Corn King,” “Final Report,” “My Father’s Son,” and “The Dark Above,” and the Origins Award-winning novel “The Rules of Engagement.”

Shane Ivey, editor and president of Arc Dream Publishing, says: “John Scott Tynes’ stories of ‘Delta Green’ are obsidian splinters of fear and beauty. John brings a sense of humanity, of its love and confusion and despair, to the mind-bending terror of the Cthulhu Mythos. These stories have been too hard to find for far too long and I am thrilled to make them available to new readers.”

ABOUT JOHN SCOTT TYNES: John Scott Tynes is a game designer and writer in Seattle. He currently designs Xbox 360 videogames for Microsoft Studios. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of Pagan Publishing and Armitage House and his best-known projects include “Unknown Armies,” “Puppetland,” “Delta Green,” “The Unspeakable Oath,” and “Call of Cthulhu D20.” His film “The Yellow Sign” is available on DVD from Lurker Films.

ABOUT ARC DREAM PUBLISHING: Arc Dream Publishing produces novels and tabletop roleplaying games that have won awards and wide acclaim. Its product lines include “Delta Green,” “The Unspeakable Oath,” “Monsters and Other Childish Things,” “Wild Talents,” and “Godlike.” In 2011 Arc Dream Publishing released the novel “Delta Green: Through a Glass, Darkly,” which continues the tale that began with the stories in “Delta Green: Strange Authorities.”

ABOUT DELTA GREEN: “Delta Green” is a modern setting for H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. Delta Green itself is a conspiracy of federal agents, soldiers, intelligence officers, and “friendlies” who secretly and without sanction use the resources of the U.S. government to thwart supernatural horrors that no legitimate agency could face. Delta Green agents slip through the system, manipulating the federal bureaucracy while pushing the darkness back for another day — but often at a shattering personal cost.

Related posts:

1. Delta Green: Through a Glass, Darkly eBook Available Now!
2. Preview of Delta Green: Intelligences
3. Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity

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