Pre-Order Houses of the Blooded at IPR!
By Flames | May 5, 2008
The new game by the Origins Award-winning author of Legend of the Five Rings and 7th Sea!
Ambition. Lust. Revenge. You cannot have one without the others.
Thousands of years ago, the ven ruled the world. They were a passionate people, obsessed with Romance and Revenge, opera and theater, and all the forbidden delights their decadent culture provided. In the end, that which made them beautiful was also the key to their own destruction. Houses of the Blooded is a game about tragic obsession. Set in the fantastic world of ven myth and legend, players take the roles of powerful characters bent on conquering their world, destroying their enemies and possessing all they desire.
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Monte Cook’s The Volcanic Shrine
By Flames | April 19, 2008
Key Encounters: The Volcanic Shrine combines the writing and imagination of fan favorite Monte Cook with SkeletonKey Games‘ best selling miniatures-scale tiles to bring a detailed encounter to your table top. The Volcanic Shrine is a major encounter for fantasy d20 games that can be built with the 20 brand-new, custom designed miniatures-scale tiles included in the product. The encounter details the link between a massive lake of lava deep underground and the Elemental Plane of Fire itself. This encounter could be used as the center point of an entire adventure involving creatures of flame and the evil plot of a dark elemental creature known as Kaliastrix.
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Tome of Horrors Revised Review
By Flames | April 16, 2008
The Revised Tome of Horrors is a massive play on nostalgia. A book hoping that you miss the strange, often inexplicable and forgettable monsters from 1st edition. The problem becomes, that if you do not know what the hell these monsters are and you have no attachment to a pech or a tentamort, you will think this is simply a massive collection of strange and unremarkable creatures.
The book is single minded in its approach; proudly presenting you with over 300 monsters from the “good old days” of D&D. It clocks in at a massive 451 pages and is only available in PDF format. The reason for this decision is explained at the opening of the book. Ultimately it boils down to the cost involved with a reprint of a book this size.
Review by Vincent Venturella
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Book of Bones: Blighted Bestiary
By Flames | April 12, 2008
Let them know obedience. Let them know desolation. But, most of all, let them know pain… - Salena Valanas, instructing the Shapers Guild
Written by Hal Maclean and Mathew Kaiser, the Blighted Bestiary presents a host of new monsters and minions designed to help the blight elves carry out their crusade of visiting misery to every corner of the world. Though designed as a companion volume to Blight Elves: Architects of Despair, a Narrator could easily adapt the creatures, templates and even stat blocks of different creatures found within this book to fit other situations. Every world needs villains, the more dastardly the better, and the blight elves, devoted servants to the goddess of suicide, bring an entirely new dimension to villainy.
Topics: Horror News | 1 Comment »
Cover Art Preview of The Screaming Tower by James Lowder
By Matt-M-McElroy | April 11, 2008
The Ebonacht Trilogy by James Lowder.
Preview the cover (larger image below) with Art by Martin Hanford, and Pre-Order your copy of The Screaming Tower at the Elder Signs Press website.
Superstition shrouds the island of Thran and keeps the fear-plagued inhabitants subservient to the reclusive tyrant, Lord Ebonacht, and the denizens of the unseen Twilight Court. Only Janus, an orphan whose own mysterious past is discussed in frightened whispers, rails against the tales of the Strangerfolk and the other creatures that are rumored to stalk the night. His quest to prove the old stories false will bring him face to face with the prisoner of the Screaming Tower and reveal secrets about the world — and himself — far more terrible than those hinted at in the grimmest of legends.
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City of Saints and Madmen Fiction Review
By Flames | April 2, 2008
This is a collection of short stories by Jeff Vandermeer both tangentially and directly about a fictional fantasy city called Ambergris, noted for its somewhat piratical past, the presence of mysterious and sinister mushroom men and freshwater squid. It is also very, very, very weird and very, very, very surreal. I suppose, broadly, it fits into the general thrust of the urban fantasy movement but it is also a damn sight weirder, more Burroughs than Mieville. One story might be a more conventional fantasy story, another might play with the relationship between fantasy and reality and the other might leave you scratching your head and reaching for the dictionary just so you could read something fully comprehensible for a change.
Review by James ‘Grim’ Desborough
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Heroes of Horror (D&D) RPG Review
By Flames | March 31, 2008
The game of Dungeons & Dragons is, at its core, a game of epic fantasy. The characters we choose and role-play more closely resemble the mythological heroes of ancient times or modern fantasy literature. The nature of an epic fantasy adventure is that the hero(es) will face a great threat which will endanger the lives of innocents/family/the world. There will be a great struggle, but the outcome is never in question. Epic fantasy stories end with our protagonist overcoming the long odds and great trials to become a truly legendary hero. But this begs an interesting question.
What if the hero can not succeed?
Review by Vincent Venturella
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Interview with Fantasy author Paul S. Kemp
By Matt-M-McElroy | March 25, 2008
Paul S. Kemp lives in Michigan with his wife and preschool-aged twin sons. He is a corporate lawyer, which makes him lawful evil. He salves the pangs of conscience that arise from his career choice by imbibing ample amounts of Diet Dew and enshrouding himself in the sense-dulling smoke of Te Amo and Dunhill cigars.
He is the creator of the assassin-priest Erevis Cale and writes primarily in the Forgotten Realms setting from Wizards of the Coast (this makes him a shared world hack, true; but that’s MISTER Shared World Hack to you, bub)…
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Fantasist Enterprises Special Sale
By Flames | March 24, 2008
Do you believe in magic?
Fantasist Enterprises is having a special sale for a limited time on some select titles. There are some great dark fantasy titles up for grabs, so don’t miss out.
Cloaked in Shadow: Dark Tales of Elves
Elves aren’t always creatures of the light. Some elves thrive in the darkness, stalking their unwary victims for their own twisted pleasure.
Modern Magic: Tales of Fantasy and Horror
Magic surrounds us. It is the stuff of creation. The Enlightenment did not kill it with science. . .
For a Limited Time, get both titles for $24.75
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Libris Mortis (D&D) RPG Review
By Flames | March 24, 2008
The subtitle is The Book of Undead and that accurately captures the thrust of this entire work. For me, this work was long coming as I still have my copy of the 2nd Edition Necromancer’s Handbook on my gaming shelf (okay, shelves). That book allowed us to live out our darker desires in D&D; a game whose objective morality often prevents those who want a little taste of the dark side from enjoying themselves. That handbook, like Libris Mortis promises us the chance to peer deeper into the unlife of undead from every angle. Let’s face it, who doesn’t sit at work some days, when your boss is breathing down your neck, and Sheila from accounting is emailing you thirteen times an hour for the TPS reports, and dream of summoning a horde of the undead to wipe them all out.
It can’t be just me.
Review by Vincent Venturella
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DriveThruFiction (Horror, Sci-Fi and Fantasy)
By Flames | March 9, 2008
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.
Topics: Resources | 1 Comment »
Dark Heresy (Warhammer) RPG Review
By Flames | March 8, 2008
We’ve been waiting a really, really, really long time for a Warhammer 40,000 RPG. I remember buying Rogue Trader - and still have it somewhere in a folder, it having fallen apart with use - and the promise in that was of a full-on Warhammer 40,000 RPG arriving at some point in the near future. That was 1987, it is now 2008 and, finally we get our Warhammer 40,000 RPG. It has a lot to live up Dark Heresy, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay was pretty much a masterpiece and gave D&D a run for its money in UK popularity, the wargames have ensnared generations of kids in their clutches and the 2nd Edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, despite being a supplement treadmill and despite getting zero support from Games Workshop, was a success as well. Then, just as Dark Heresy does come out, and sells out pretty much immediately, we learn that GW/Black Industries are dropping ALL their roleplay etc lines, triumph and tragedy in one fell swoop.
Review by James ‘Grim’ Desborough
Topics: Roleplaying Game Reviews | 2 Comments »
Preview of Paul S. Kemp’s Shadowrealm
By Matt-M-McElroy | March 7, 2008
Forgotten Realms author Paul S. Kemp has posted a free preview chapter of his upcoming novel Shadowrealm.
Paul has several free downloads on his website, including some chapters from other Forgotten Realms titles. Check out his Free Stuff page for more information.
You can pre-order Shadowrealm at Amazon.
Paul’s other books include Shadow’s Witness, Resurrection (R.A. Salvatore’s War of the Spider Queen) and Twilight Falling, as well as stories in the Realms of War, Horrors Beyond 2 and Sails and Sorcery anthologies.
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Lots of Free Cursed Empire items.
By Matt-M-McElroy | March 1, 2008
Spartans Unleashed has created several free Cursed Empire items available for download at RPGNow.com
The Cursed Empire Fantasy RPG provides a dark, comprehensive medieval fantasy game system with subtle undertones of the heroic age of Ancient Greece. This game offers Players and GM’s detailed and flexible rules to suit their gaming style for combat, movement, magic, aptitudes and a host of other gaming situations.
Some of the free downloads include an Introductory Demo, the Runedeck and an Accessory Pack. Other free items and a nearly full line of Cursed Empire products can be found at RPGNow.com.
Monica Valentinelli’s Cursed Empire short story, The Settlement is available here on Flames Rising. Monica was a contributing author on the Warrior-Priest Classbook.
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House of Leaves Review
By Flames | February 21, 2008
House of Leaves is a peculiar novel, not precisely one thing and not quite another. It isn’t quite a dark fantasy novel, it isn’t quite a horror novel, it isn’t quite a piece of kafkaesque surrealism and isn’t quite a cohesive work of fiction. It is at once pretentious and deep, confusing and captivating, disturbing and curious. The thrust of the story, which is really several stories, is the discovery of a peculiar manuscript by ‘Johnny Truant’ a no good tattoo artist and deadbeat who, thanks to the manuscript, seems to start a slow descent into madness. The manuscript came to him via Zampano, a crazy old man who died and from whom Johnny effectively stole it. The manuscript itself is an examination, investigation and critique into a strange film called The Navidson Record which records the peculiar happenings at the titular ‘House of Leaves’ a place owned by Navidson, his wife and their children and where the house takes on a sinister aspect as it shifts shape and time and seems to try and swallow them up, all of which is supposedly documented on a peculiar film that is doing the rounds.
Review by James ‘Grim’ Desborough
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Interview with Ralan Conley, creator of Ralan.com
By Flames | February 7, 2008
Whether you have tried to publish one piece of fiction or 100, chances are you visited Ralan.com’s SpecFic and Humor Webstravaganza for better listings of publishers than the Writer’s Market has to offer. In this interview, we hear from Ralan himself about his work and the thoughts behind offering free information for all writers to access.
If you’re not familiar with the site, Ralan does offer this invaluable information for free and survives off of donations and the kindness of others. This massive source of publishers, webzines and contests features everything from Weird Tales to Ralan’s Flash Fiction Contest. So sit back and hear from the man behind Ralan.com about his fiction, freelancing and other projects.
Topics: Interviews | 1 Comment »
The Fountain DVD Review
By Monica Valentinelli | January 31, 2008
I didn’t really know what to expect when I picked up The Fountain; I had read some other reviews of it before I went out and got it and was intrigued by Darren Aronosfky’s writing and film style. Going into it, I had thought it was a film about the fountain of youth, about a couple who were possessed with finding the mythic “fountain” to restore and heal Izzy (played by Rachel Weisz) from her terminal illness.
Topics: Reviews, TV Series and Movie Reviews | 2 Comments »
In the Serpents Coils Review
By Flames | December 10, 2007
The first in a series of ten novels for Mirrorstone, the young adult imprint of Wizards of the Coast, In the Serpent’s Coils launches readers straight into the larger story. Corrine’s father disappeared during the Civil War, and her mother died while she had the swamp fever. She finds herself alone in the world except for an uncle who would rather not be responsible for her wellfare. Until, that is, she discovers people living in the hawthorn tree who promise to cure her in exchange for a small stone.
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Scar Night Review
By Flames | September 29, 2007
Scar Night is the debut novel from Alan Campbell who, previously, has worked as a designer and coder on the Grand Theft Auto games. It forms, apparently, the first novel in a series to come called The Deepgate Codex. A good, even great first effort Scar Night would seem to (hopefully) establish Campbell as another of the active British fantasists and SF authors that seem to be keeping the innovative side of those genres bubbling along a bit
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Ravenloft Gazetteer V Review
By Flames | September 27, 2007
I should probably note before I commence that I am not much of a fan of the original Ravenloft, or of the world as a whole. Of the alternative game settings offered in the last gasps of TSR Ravenloft is much weaker - in my opinion - than Dark Sun or Planescape. To me it just all seemed a little too cheesy, a little too Bela Lugosi and we all know how unscary the old 40s and 50s horror films seem these days. Some of that ‘cheese’ always seemed to taint my encounters with Ravenloft from fortune telling gypsies to vampire lords and, so, I’ve never been that enamoured of it. I know people love it though, so I’ll try to rate this d20 remake gazetteer based on its individual content rather than the world it describes.
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