Dark Matter Studios, producer of the well-received fantasy rpg Epic Role Playing, has released its latest offering, the Mark II Edition of its Game Manual. Weighing in at over 300 pages, the Game Manual, Mk II contains the complete Epic RPG ruleset, as well as a continent-sized setting (the high feudal realm of Rullaea), and a sample bestiary with a tantalizing selection of monsters and animals. Additionally, the authors have incorporated a host of improvements and new content to the ENnie Award nominated system (Best Rules, 2008).

“We’ve added some great new stuff to the game,” commented Kent Davis, one of the two principal designers. “We’ve streamlined parts of the character generation system, but still provided a number of new opportunities for fleshing out characters. We also simplified character growth, pumped up our faculties system and added a boatload of depth to our tactical play, which has already planted its flag as a fan favorite.”

We’re back from GenCon and so are the Flash Fire Mini-Reviews.

This week we’re going to take a look at some of the cool new books we picked up over the weekend in Indianapolis. This mix of Horror and Dark Fantasy game products from large publishers and small press shows off just a few of the interesting items that were available at the convention.

I’ll be upfront and admit I have not completely read these titles yet. GenCon was only a few days ago and some of these books are quite hefty (Starblazer Adventures alone is 600+ pages). So, these are first impressions and notes from playing demos at the convention.

Dark Matter Studios, producer of the well-received fantasy rpg Epic Role Playing, has released its latest offering, the Quick Start Guide in PDF format. A sleek and maneuverable 100 pages, the QSG is a perfect intro for players wanting to know more about the ENnie Award nominated ruleset.

This PDF guide is a down-and-dirty primer to the Epic Role Playing game system. Easily accessible in electronic format, the Quick Start Guide is ready to introduce interested players to the game. As much information as possible has been compressed into this introductory guide book: core rules, character creation process, skills and experience, arcane magic, treasure, teasers from the full game system and more.

Dark Matter Studios, producer of the well-received fantasy rpg Epic Role Playing, has released its latest offering, the Atlas of Eslin. Weighing in at over 300 pages, the Atlas contains eight continents’ worth of diverse cultures, compelling story hooks and varied professions.

A companion to the Epic RPG Game Manual, the Atlas is designed to be used by GMs and players as a complete and ready-to-play campaign world or as a modular salad bar of ideas for homebrew settings.