Author | Flames

Flames Rising is an online resource for fans of Horror and Dark Fantasy entertainment. This horror fanzine offers reviews of Games, Fiction, Movies and more ranging from Top-Selling authors to the coolest Small Press and “indie” publishers. The popular Interviews at Flames Rising include Horror authors, artists and other creators of dark entertainment. Stay tuned to the Flames Rising news feed for the latest news on upcoming products, genre conventions and industry developments.

Flames Rising continues to add new Features and expand the Fiction and Articles sections of the site with topics of interest to Horror and Dark Fantasy fans the world over.


Judge Anderson: PSI Files invade the minds of DriveThruComics

Posted on February 13, 2017 by

SHE KNOWS WHAT YOU’RE THINKING! Cassandra Anderson is a member of Psi Division, the psychic section of the justice Department. A precognitive telepath and empath, she can detect crimes before they are committed! This bumper volume contains over 400 pages of thrilling action, with stories written by Alan Grant (Batman), John Wagner (Judge Dredd) and […]

[...more]

Swords v. Cthulhu is available now from Pelgrane Press!

Posted on February 7, 2017 by

What hope has a humble adventurer when faced with a fight against Cthulhu himself? No matter; the true swordsperson cares only for the bite of steel against flesh, whether that flesh be eldritch or more conventional.

So, grab your khukuri knife, your iklwa spear, or a legendary blade and journey with us from ancient Rome to feudal Japan, from the Dreamlands to lands there are no names for in any of the tongues of men.

If you have any doubts, inside this tome you can consult some of Lovecraftiana’s hottest voices, be they seasoned veterans or hot-blooded new recruits… Hope be damned. Glory awaits!

[...more]

Return To The City of Neverwinter In The Cloaked Ascendancy

Posted on February 1, 2017 by

Battle Powerful Wizards from the Far Realm in Latest Major Expansion for Neverwinter

Today, Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a leading publisher of free-to-play MMORPGs, and Cryptic Studios announced Neverwinter: The Cloaked Ascendancy is releasing for PC on February 21, following on Xbox One and PlayStation®4 later this year. The Spellplague continues to cast a shadow over Neverwinter, as four mages torn from the Cloak Tower by a spellstorm return to usurp the throne. With this latest expansion for the free-to-play MMORPG based on the Dungeons & Dragons franchise, adventurers can look forward to several all-new features including a new campaign, adventure zone, skirmish and more.

[...more]

In Volo’s Wake for D&D 5th Edition is Now Available!

Posted on January 31, 2017 by

In Volo's WakeVolo’s Guide to Monsters is a rich, story-based supplement for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.

To celebrate the release of Volo’s Guide to Monsters, Wizards of the Coast commissioned an introductory developed by Shawn Merwin called “In Volo’s Wake” for the D&D Adventurer’s League.

This series of adventures, written by Rich Lescouflair, Shawn Merwin, and Monica Valentinelli, explores the town of Phandalin, missing townsfolk, and a whole lot more. The adventures kick off at Level One–perfect for starting players!

[...more]

Writing the Other Sans Fail Class Registration Now Available

Posted on January 29, 2017 by

Writing the Other Sans Fail with Monica ValentinelliWriting Inclusive Games: Creating RPGs Sans Fail teaches game writers crucial skills and industry knowledge to facilitate better representation. Instructors Monica Valentinelli, from FlamesRising.com, and K. Tempest Bradford will cover Stereotypes and Tropes related to Race and Ethnicity, Disability, Gender and Sexuality, Religion, Class, and more, plus strategies for building characters and worlds while avoiding engaging in stereotypes or cultural appropriation. The course covers tips and tricks to addressing problems on your team, how to better facilitate conversation with your game developer, and sample art notes that are occasionally asked of writers.

The class is appropriate for all game writers from all backgrounds and any skill level.

[...more]

White Wolf partners with Focus Home Interactive for a video game

Posted on January 19, 2017 by

White Wolf partners with Focus Home Interactive for a video game adaptation of the World of Darkness Storyteller game, Werewolf: The Apocalypse.

White Wolf is pleased to announce its partnership with Paris-based video game publisher Focus Home Interactive for a licensed PC and console game set in the World of Darkness.

The partnership between Focus Home Interactive and White Wolf Publishing concerns the adaptation of a video game based on the acclaimed Werewolf: The Apocalypse. The game will be developed by the game development studio Cyanide (Styx: Master of Shadows, Blood Bowl, Call of Cthulhu…). In the game you will become a Garou, a rage-fuelled Werewolf warrior opposed to urban civilization and the destruction it brings. The Garou are born to fight the corruption of The Wyrm, a powerful supernatural force leading us towards an inevitable Apocalypse.

[...more]

Deadworld: Restoration available now from Caliber Comics

Posted on January 14, 2017 by

The zombie classic returns in an all new series from the same creative team that brought you the acclaimed Deadworld: War of the Dead. The lepers have been slaughtered, the people who escaped the breeder pits head for the safety of New Washington, and now the zombies are under the control of Donna, the half-human/half-zombie hybrid. With King Zombie dead, she leads the zombies. Or does she? Deadworld, the long running, award winning, comic series that depicts the zombie apocalypse from a totally different perspective.

[...more]

Night Horrors: Conquering Heroes is available now from Onyx Path

Posted on January 12, 2017 by

Sure, you can do what you want, feed from the locals, and go back to hiding in your lair when you’re done.
You may think you’re safe there, it sure feels safe.
But, you aren’t the only thing connected to the Primordial Dream, and no lair is safe from what lurks beyond.
Don’t fool yourself.
— Naomi Walker, Ugalla

A Night Horrors Sourcebook for the Beast: The Primordial RPG

[...more]

Delve into D&D History with Tales from the Yawning Portal

Posted on January 5, 2017 by

There are many iconic adventures and stories in the 43-year history (!) of Dungeons & Dragons that current fans may not have ever experienced. If you just got into D&D in the past few years, you likely haven’t braved the Tomb of Horrors or climbed White Plume Mountain or fought Against the Giants. Even longtime fans haven’t been able to fully explore the Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan or the Sunless Citadel with stats and monsters updated for the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons.

[...more]

2016 with John Wick Presents: The Year of 7th Sea

Posted on January 5, 2017 by

Hi all, Hannah here! 2016 was a big year for John Wick Presents. The biggest event of the year, and the one you’ve probably heard all about, was the Kickstarter campaign for 7th Sea: 2nd Edition.

A high-adventure game of swashbuckling and intrigue, 7th Sea has maintained a devoted fan base since its first release in 1999. When John decided it was time to bring 7th Sea back to the gaming table, the response surpassed everyone’s wildest expectations. The Kickstarter campaign ended with 11,483 backers from around the world and over $1.3 million dollars. Not only was it an amazing show of support from existing fans, but thousands of new gamers would be welcomed to the world of 7th Sea for the first time.

[...more]

A Legendary 2016…in Review

Posted on December 31, 2016 by

We’re wrapping up our 2016 Year in Review guest blog series with a last minute entry from Rachel Ventura and Jason Nelson from Legendary Games. Legendary has been extremely busy this past year and it doesn’t look like they have any plans to slow down for the new year…but let’s let them tell you all about it.

A Legendary 2016

This was an exciting year for the Legendary Games team, as we continued to broaden our reach and our product offerings. We published a total of 135 products, including 39 for 5th Edition and the remainder for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Some of these products were short PDFs and free supplements, but we still created over 100 full-size supplements, offering most in print as well as PDF, with a growing selection of our products available on virtual tabletops like d20Pro and Fantasy Grounds as well as on HeroLab! Legendary Games has published a huge array of products in the past year, including adventures, bestiaries, magic items, class supplements, setting material, and more, from 3-page Mythic Minis to the 300+ page Trail of the Apprentice Adventure Saga for Pathfinder and 5E.

[...more]

2016 a look back from the Pelgrane’s Nest

Posted on December 23, 2016 by

We’re continuing our series of 2016 in Review guest blog posts with one of Flames Rising’s oldest friends in the RPG business, Pelgrane Press! This year was quite busy for Pelgrane and Cat Tobin is here to tell us all about it. Not only that, they are running a special sale on every title they released in 2016, for a limited time you can save 16% on PDFs at the Flames Rising Shop!

2016 has been a tumultuous year all around the globe, and these giant waves of change have even reached the dizzying heights of the Pelgrane’s Nest.

Early in the year, our focus was on 13th Age, with new releases including the popular GM’s Screen and Resource Guide, the first of our collection of Battle Scenes (High Magic and Low Cunning: Battle Scenes for Five Icons, and accompanying Map Folio in its full-colour glory) and the second volume of the 13th Age Monthly subscription product. We also released some adventures for Trail of Cthulhu (The Many Deaths of Edward Bigsby), and Night’s Black Agents (The Dubai Reckoning).

[...more]

Sisterhood of the Blade a new fiction anthology from Battlefield Press

Posted on December 23, 2016 by

Hal Greenberg and Jonathan M. Thompson are very pleased to announce a new project that highlights a romantic time in history with strong female leads.

In an age when it is not proper for a woman to be a soldier, three bright, savvy, and well-trained female warriors must hide who they are when they accept the burden of protecting and helping their queen (Anne). But once you meet these three musketeers, you’ll realize proper was never a concern.

Aimi met and fell in love with Jacques Marlette when the oils trader visited her birthplace of Japan. After they married, she learned of her husband’s friendship with France’s current ruler, King Louis XIII, which in turn brought her close to the queen. Extremely loyal to the crown, Aimi still has the queen’s ear even after Jacque left France on an important errand for the king, never to return.

[...more]

TimeWatch RPG is available now from Pelgrane Press

Posted on December 22, 2016 by

History isn’t written by the victors. It’s written by the people with the time machines.

In the TimeWatch RPG, your band of TimeWatch agents defend the timestream from radioactive cockroaches, psychic velociraptors, and human meddlers. Go back in time to help yourself in a fight, thwart your foes by targeting their ancestors, or gain a vital clue by checking a scroll out from the Library of Alexandria. But watch out for paradoxes that may erase you from existence… or worse.

If you’ve ever dreamed of going on world-changing adventures from the age of the dinosaurs to the end of the universe, the TimeWatch RPG is for you!

[...more]

2016: Downs and Ups and More of Both

Posted on December 16, 2016 by

2016: Downs and Ups and More of Both

2016? It was a year of ups and downs, with the ups very, very up but some of the downs pretty far down, as well. It was a year in which a lot of personal heroes passed on, including my older brother Michael. It was a year in which a turbulent election roiled a lot of uncomfortable currents around my country.

On the other hand, there were definite high points, worthy of celebration, and that’s what I’ll focus on here, in more-or-less chronological order.

[...more]

Savage Worlds in ’16: the Year in Review

Posted on December 15, 2016 by

Savage Worlds in ’16: the Year in Review

It’s safe to say 2016 has been a banner year for Pinnacle Entertainment Group. With more than 20 years under our belt going through cycles of highs (and lows) that’s not a statement we make lightly.

This year we continued the story of Weird Wars with Weird War I, brought new fans to our award-winning Savage Worlds system with our partnership to produce (and we’re shipping now!) Rifts® for Savage Worlds with Palladium Books, Inc., and we’ve celebrated the 20th year anniversary of Deadlands Classic and released the fourth and final Servitor campaign for Deadlands Reloaded: Good Intentions. We also shipped Kickstarter rewards for our campaigns Rippers Resurrected and Deadlands: The Cackler graphic novel. Another Deadlands novel released through Tor Books. And several companies licensing Savage Worlds released product in different languages and/or for settings of their own–frankly brilliant—creations.

[...more]

Two new Chronicles of Darkness titles from Onyx Path Publishing

Posted on December 13, 2016 by

“Of course it hurts. Everything hurts. If you’re alive, you hurt. Don’t think of yourself as bleeding out; think of yourself as more alive.”

Horror is all about the stakes. And most commonly, pain, injury, and death are those stakes. Hurt Locker is all about the stuff that hurts. We talk why it hurts, how it hurts, and how to deliver pain at your table beyond just rolling the dice and marking health boxes.

Hurt people hurt people. Weíre talking ramifications of violence and how pain perpetuates pain down the line. Weíre talking about how even after wounds heal, scars always remind you.

[...more]

Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling is available now from Apex Book Company

Posted on December 13, 2016 by

Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling is an anthology of short stories, poetry, and essays edited by Monica Valentinelli and Jaym Gates.

Over two dozen authors, ranging from NYT-bestsellers and award winners to debut writers, chose a tired trope or cliche to challenge and surprise readers through their work. Read stories inspired by tropes such as the Chainmaille Bikini, Love at First Sight, Damsels in Distress, Yellow Peril, The Black Man Dies First, The Villain Had a Crappy Childhood, The Singularity Will Cause the Apocalypse, and many more…then discover what these tropes mean to each author to find out what inspired them.

[...more]

Pulp Cthulhu and Doors to Darkness available now from Chaosium

Posted on December 2, 2016 by

Chaosium has just released two new supplements to Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition RPG!

Calling All Heroes! It’s Time To Take The Fight to Cthulhu!

Pulp Cthulhu is a game of two-fisted adventure, weird science, dark deeds, and brave heroes. With this book, some roleplaying dice, and the Call of Cthulhu Rulebook, you have everything you need to adventure and explore games set in the pulp genre.

Tired of your investigators dying in quick succession when jaunting around the world in a desperate bid to save humanity? Wishing that sometimes your investigator could make a stand instead of hiding and waiting for the eldritch horror to pass? Pulp Cthulhu ups the ante and provides you with tougher, more capable heroes—ready to take on the villainous machinations of the Cthulhu Mythos!

[...more]

Two New Vampire: The Masquerade Anthologies from Onyx Path

Posted on November 30, 2016 by

Onyx Path Publishing continues its support of the 20th Anniversary Edition of the Vampire: the Masquerade Role-Playing Game. Vampire has always been loved by its fans for the rich setting filled with tragic anti-heroes and horrifying villains among the damned. Throughout the game’s history White Wolf and now Onyx Path have published a variety of novels and anthologies allowing authors to explore that setting even further. Here are two new Vampire anthologies exploring both the Dark Ages and the Modern Nights.

The Cainite Conspiracies Anthology

Step back into the Dark Ages…

…into a time when the clans, high and low, battle for blood and power.

[...more]

Email Newsletter Sign Up

Click Here to Sign Up for FlamesRising.com's Weekly Newsletter.

You will receive horror and dark fantasy updates, news, and more once a week!


11 Tales of Ghostly Horror

    Reviews Wanted!

    The new Review Guidelines have been posted on the Flames Rising website. We are currently seeking a few good reviewers to help us expand our collection of horror and dark fantasy reviews. RPGs, fiction, movies, video games and more are all welcome on the site...

    What do you get out of it?

    Beyond helping out fellow Flames Rising readers by letting them know what you think of these products, we're giving away some pretty cool stuff. Regular Reviewers can earn free products to review, which is their to keep after the review is submitted to the site.

    Note: We are especially looking for folks interested in reviewing eBooks (both Fiction & Comics). We have lots of great titles in digital format and even get advance copies sometimes.

    Use the Contact Page to submit reviews or let us know if you have any questions.

    The Devil’s Night WoD SAS

    Free Devil's Night | White Wolf