AEternal Legends Review
By Flames | December 5, 2007
A Modern Fantasy game written by Stewart Wilson.
The simple version of the game’s premise is this: there is a magical world existing alongside our own. The Unaware cannot fully comprehend everything and so the magical realities of life are concealed from them.
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Annihilation | an Obsidian: the Age of Judgement Story Series
By Monica Valentinelli | January 13, 2006
Daniel spat carefully. Damn the Law. Sure, the crisp uniforms were a necessary evil—they needed him just as much as he needed them. The Law’d get into a nasty situation that involved daemons or some other supernatural creature (even though “officially” there’s no such thing as monsters), and then they’d hire him, Daniel Wayward, to clean it up. Sometimes things were good, real good. One time he managed to keep the acrid blood spatter to a minimum and kill the thing with no casualties. In his line of work, that was a miracle. Being a beastkeeper had its ups and downs. Most times he was lucky to have a day that was in between.
Today was not one of those days.
Third in a three-part series
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Danels Blood | Conspiracy of Shadows Fiction
By Flames | October 25, 2005
Danel’s blood spilled out of the ragged gash in his arm in great gouts across the floor of the main hall of the Bascillica de San Zago. Rounding a brazier, trying to concentrate on holding the wound tight, he almost plunged headlong into Brother Artemus.
Written by Mike Holmes
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The Settlement | Cursed Empire Fiction
By Monica Valentinelli | August 3, 2005
The families lived in exile, far removed from Condar, Rodak or Derve. They did not choose to live there, the mountain hand-picked them. They were merchants, traffickers, and traders in luxury goods, foodstuffs and information. All had a story to tell, some worse than others. A rockslide claimed one party, bandits tore apart another. Long have they been grieved for, even longer have they been forgotten. Until the miners came, dwarves with their pickaxes and knowledge of things buried deep within the earth. Tough yet resilient, Ilieva grew into the mountain ever since her husband died last Lokt. So, when the dwarves came offering a mutually-beneficial treaty, how could she refuse?
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Sacrifice: Part V | Conspiracy of Shadows Fiction Series
By Monica Valentinelli | July 12, 2005
Tall, yellow grasses rustled in front of a modest Sarlacchi village, mimicking the movements of a small boy. The child pitched forward, and then rocked backward. He stopped to brace himself against an unseen foe. Something punched him hard in the stomach. Flinging his arms to the sky, the boy grasped his totem necklace and cried out before collapsing to the ground. His mother rushed to the fallen child, clutching him tightly to her breast.
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Sacrifice: Part IV | Conspiracy of Shadows Fiction
By Flames | April 29, 2005
Risla twisted and turned as she slept on the hard ground, her thoughts hunting for answers to Malik’s words. How could she convince anyone that she was the one that would fulfill prophecies? And even if she had the second sight, she wasn’t sure she could speak false about foreseeing the future. Truly, she was anything but blessed. When she told Malik this, he not only reminded her how many people were relying on this belief, but that some people would lay their lives down for such a person.
Part of an ongoing tale in the world of Conspiracy of Shadows.
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Sacrifice: Part III | Conspiracy of Shadows Fiction Series
By Monica Valentinelli | March 25, 2005
The darkness crept behind Malik and Risla, embracing them in its strong arms. Albin guided them to an abandoned camp where they could rest for the night. Tomorrow would be a slow day for the both of them, for Challenger needed to be reshoed. They both hoped, for different reasons, a village was nearby. Only the light would tell them that. Malik was fortunate he had excellent night vision. He thanked his father for grooming him well.
“I’m going to look around,” Malik told her. “Stay close.”
Risla could barely make out his arrogant outline. She wondered if “looking around” meant leaving her there. He cared more for his horse than he did for her.
“What should I do?”
Part of an ongoing tale set in the world of Conspiracy of Shadows.
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Sacrifice: Part II | Conspiracy of Shadows Fiction Series
By Monica Valentinelli | March 4, 2005
“What does it say, Father Clemens?” asked a young acolyte to the wizened priest.
The middle-aged priest looked carefully around the room, for explaining prophecy to youth was like expressing nature into words to young children. At least his following was here, just outside Alcona at the foot of the Boreni Mountains. It was fortunate they were not wandering off, trying to profess their faith to those who would not listen. Instead they were here, under his gaze, believing Albin granted him the tools to enable them to know things men shouldn’t.
Continuing the tale set in the world of Conspiracy of Shadows
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Hunt | a|state Fiction
By Flames | February 28, 2005
Aiken watched the gun. The muzzle was drifting to and fro, but always covering him, cutting down his options. He was trying hard to sober up. The little man was talking away in his fast, clipped voice, but Aiken was having difficulty concentrating on the words. Before the pair had arrived he had been busy drinking himself unconscious, but now that was a distant memory. The big one had come in first, the muscle, waving his vicious-looking sparklock languidly about, indicating to the clientele of this particular dive that they would be better off not getting involved.
A tale for the a/state setting from Contested Ground Studios, written by Greg Saunders.
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Triad, Part I: Presence | Obsidian the Age of Judgement Fiction Series
By Monica Valentinelli | February 25, 2005
It couldn’t remember how it was borne. Was it male? Was it female? It had given itself a name, one that only it knew. Pool.
Pieces of memory gnawed at Pool’s mind. What was home? What did it used to be? Now it was nothing more than a land of yellowing bone and black rock. Fires burned throughout the landscape. It couldn’t have been that way always. Before Pool left its Circle with the others, they poured over books documenting the stories of how things came to be. Shapes of letters appeared before him, describing the velvety touch of a thing called a “flower.” There were no flowers in its Circle. Pool closed its eyes, remembering the smell of sulfur and the feel of spikes crushing beneath its razor-skinned feet.
Part One of a Three Part Fiction Series
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Sacrifice: Part I | Conspiracy of Shadows Fiction Series
By Monica Valentinelli | February 15, 2005
Eyes that once spoke compassion and love glinted like twin blades in the smoke-filled night. They called her a demon. Priests, she knew and trusted from her time waddling in the lush fields of the khanate, threw stones at her. Magickal symbols drawn in fertile soil surrounded her. She wasn’t sure if they were to protect her, or to protect the mob from her. For what? The color of her hair? She tried to move her head. It was once the color of the black stones on the bottom of the riverbed. Now it resembled the embers glowing brightly in the fire her clansmen encouraged to consume her. She stood against the warmth, and felt as it reached out to her stiffened body tied taught against a dead tree. Her arms were pinned to her chest, her clansmen afraid she had the dark Gift. Part One of an Ongoing Series
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Interview with Scott Mitchell
By Flames | December 5, 2004
How did you get into gaming?
I began my roleplaying game journey in 1979 when a friend from high school introduced me to a game called Dungeons & Dragons. The game allowed me to use my vivid imagination to create characters and explore worlds where I could carry out deeds similar to heroes from comic books, television and the movies.
It wasn’t until many years later that I began submitting material for West End Games’ Torg line that I considered pursuing game design as a professional career.
Where/how do you find your artists and/or writers?
I usually find writers and artists by sending out posts on roleplaying freelancer sites such as RPG.net. Being small press and having a limited budget I search for the most talented first-time artists and writers who are seeking to break into the industry. I really enjoy opening the door for otherwise undiscovered talent.
GenCon is another resource I use for finding talent. Speaking with writers and reviewing artist’s portfolios in person is a great way to find the right team for a project.
What do you see as the difference between working for a big name publisher and being small press?
The difference between being a small press publisher and being a big name is that as small press you have to prove to the market that your product is worth the investment. Since the d20 buzz, a lot of companies have sprung out of the woodwork producing below-standard product with weak artwork and content. I believe this attempt by everyone and their brother to break into the roleplaying game industry tainted the title of being “small press.” This may be the reason why almost all the game distributors would rather deal with fulfillment houses in regards to committing to the small press.
With big name publishers, you obviously have previous branding behind the company as well as more capital and resources. This allows one to go beyond the capabilities of the small press which relies on budgeted resources to produce their product.
What do you feel is the biggest issue facing the gaming community today?
If I’m to assume that you are referring to the gaming community as specifically those who play table-top or pen and paper roleplaying games, I would have to say that the competition with video game platforms is the biggest issue. Video games, although capable of visually transporting players to the realm of the fantastical, don’t incorporate the imaginative storytelling and spontaneity that table-top roleplaying games provide for their audience.
Still, in a world where quick results and technology are the core, video games seem to be the choice amongst gamers who may not have the time to develop the narratives and settings necessary for roleplaying out of the digital realm.
How did The Seventh Seal evolve? Where is it going?
The Seventh Seal evolved as a personal quest to pursue a career in one of the three entertainment industries I love: comic books, movies or roleplaying games. Since I spent a lot of time game-mastering and creating worlds for my players to explore, I opted for creating a roleplaying game.
A graphic artist by trade, I originally wanted to take on the tasks of illustration, design and layout of the game while other fellow gamers took on other roles in the process such as writing and game mechanic design. However as the “quest” demanded more time and effort than the others were able to contribute, the illustration, design, layout . . . writing and game mechanic design became my sole responsibility.
In designing The Seventh Seal, I wanted to create a mature game setting which dealt with a progressive character development based on a moral struggle. Unlike other games, players could choose whether to play the hero or villain depending on the path of free will they chose. This underlying theme would give gamers the opportunity to play characters unakin to their own ethical beliefs, yet at times relative to the ethical struggles they may be experiencing in their own lives.
I wanted the game to be set in a modern era, to enhance the real relationship of the moral struggle and the preservation of the human condition within a fantasy setting, I set my sights on the apocalyptic horror and conspiracy genre, which was becoming popular in the year 2000 Millennium media at the time.
There also had to be a mythology behind the whole game setting which had to explain why the mortal characters cared about preserving their humanity rather than succumbing to the evils of the world. Many mythologies deal with the struggle of “good” and ” but the one closest to reality for me was the Bible, especially the Book of Revelation.
A year and two editors later, The Seventh Seal was born with the help of a few additional writers and a team of unknown freelance artists.
It is a dream come true to see something I created become embraced by the roleplaying community. Originally this project was to be a personal one shot endeavor, but the response I received from the last two GenCons and the internet community prompted the production of two additional supplements for the game line. Novelists and foreign publishers have recognized the richness of the setting and have opened up the door for licensing opportunities.
What sort of fallout have you had over using Biblical mythology as the basis for The Seventh Seal? Has it been better or worse than you were expecting?
Well, I expected experiencing fallout from somebody due to the subject matter of The Seventh Seal, however, I didn’t expect it from both side of the tracks. It’s pretty funny how on one hand some gamers, without opening the pages to see what it’s all about, view the game as a “Christian” roleplaying game while others label it as “Satanic.”
My intent was not to make this game into an evangelical attempt at converting those “devil worshiping roleplayers” to Judeo/Christian beliefs, nor is it an attempt to advocate Satanism. I just recognized biblical mythology as being as rich as any other used in RPGs. As with the Norse, Greek, Egyptian and other inspirational mythologies adapted by fantasy game designers to their game settings, the Bible is rich in mysteries, heroes, monsters and those things that make a game setting interesting . . . and, for my setting, relevant.
What’s next for you?
Ready for controversy! We are currently developing Legion: Book of the Damned, a supplemental, yet also stand-alone, addition to The Seventh Seal gameline. This supplement not only provides setting material for Hell and its infernal occupants, but also allows players to assume the roles of the Marked, mortal minions of Satan who are paving the way for the rise of the Antichrist on earth. They asked for it. They’re getting it.
You mention that your next book includes mechanics and character generation for playing “The Marked.” Do you foresee this as being playable with the kind of characters that are already available or do you think most PC parties will need to be entirely one or the other?
Actually it will be interesting to see how Prophets incorporate The Marked in their Crusades. I see players creating Cabals comprised of Marked characters to thwart NPC Sentinels’ efforts in halting the rise of the Antichrist, as well as infiltrating player character Tsabas as spies for the Legion. It may even be interesting for a group of player character Sentinels to embrace a player character Marked in a effort to guide him to the road of redemption. The possibilities are limited only by the Prophet’s and players’ imaginations.
This concept of good and evil player characters interacting within the same setting is one which I haven’t seen work successfully in other RPGs. I think within the underlying themes of redemption and the mortal struggle for spiritual survival prevalent in The Seventh Seal, players will find the game an interesting forum for this kind of character interaction.
Anything else in the works?
We are currently in negotiation with a German publisher to create a translation for the European market.
I am also interested in breaking into the Live Action and Miniature games market . . . but more on that later. It’s difficult to foretell what the future holds, however, “With Imagination, Anything is Possible!”
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Dark Mirror | Obsidian: the Age of Judgement Fiction
By Flames | December 11, 2003
I woke for no reason from strangely blissful dreams, my eyes adjusting quickly to the dark of our room. Michael slept against me, his huge arm around my waist, one hand splayed across my belly. He should have woken to any disturbance before I did. Yet of the two of us, I woke, not to sound or movement or anything I could understand, but more to a pressure in the air. A feeling, growing from my abdomen under Michael’s palm and spreading up my veins with the shock of the purest Liquid Silver, disturbed my dreams and lifted my head. The feeling told of an unwelcome darkness.
Written by 2003 Fiction Contest Winner, Elizabeth Petersen
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