Just in time for Halloween, FlamesRising.com is pleased to present you with advice on terrifying your players from veteran game designer John Wick. Games that John has designed recently include the Lovecraft-inspired CURSE OF THE YELLOW SIGN and HOUSES OF THE BLOODED. For more about John, visit his website located at John Wick Presents

Play Dirty: Happy Halloween

Every Halloween, I run Call of Cthulhu.

It’s a tradition. Something I’ve rarely broken. Every year, I dress up in my “Man in Black” outfit (black pants, black shirt, black vest, black jacket, black tie, black hat and Yellow Sign pin) and I tell a story of man’s futile attempts to understand the universe.

FlamesRising.com is pleased to present you with a preview of modern horror zombie novel PARIAH, by author and artist Bob Fingerman. Bob wrote an essay for us entitled “Confessions of a Boy Fraidy Cat where he talked about his personal experiences with the horror genre as a kid. Today, Bob offers us original artwork and a preview of his zombie novel PARIAH, which was released from Tor Books.

Halloween is coming and White Wolf is celebrating with a huge sale on tons of titles. Calling all trick-or-treaters!

Have we got a sweet deal for you! If you love games that go bump in the night, then grab your flashlight and slink on over to check out White Wolf Publishing’s Halloween Sale!

This sale includes Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Hunter: the Reckoning, Demon: the Fallen and more! Enjoy twenty-five percent off books from the original World of Darkness. What a treat!

Sale ends on Halloween so don’t wait until the last minute. Break out your fangs, your claws and your dice today! Check out all of the titles on sale at the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop!

Sony Online Entertainment will be summoning the spirits, spooks and skeletons with the upcoming Halloween-themed activities and in-game events taking place in several of its hit online titles including, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, Free Realms™, EverQuest, EverQuest II and Star Wars Galaxies.

Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures: Sith O’Lanterns and Battle Droid Scarecrows have taken over the Jedi Temple! The inaugural Halloween celebration in Clone Wars Adventures adds plenty of creepy-crawlies around the virtual world. Players can participate in the daily Mask Handout to collect a new iconic mask each day, including Yoda, Jar Jar Binks, Padmé and Grievous! Players can also dress up their characters and droids and decorate their houses with festive items available for purchase in the Marketplace. R2-D2’s Rocket Rescue minigame celebrates with a special spooky Halloween-themed level, complete with a ghost costume for R2-D2. Clone Wars Adventures Halloween celebration is scheduled to begin October 22 and run through November 5. Live in-game Halloween “Emissary Events” are scheduled for October 27 and 29 and November 5 at 3 PM PST/6 PM EST.

Halloween is right around the corner, and many people read tarot cards to celebrate the holiday. In this three-part series of articles, FlamesRising.com turned to tarot card expert Paula Dempsey to talk about the history of the tarot. In the last article of this series, Paula discusses tarot and how we use and think about it in our modern day.

The History of Tarot: Modern Day

Finally, this whistlestop tour of the tarot brings us to the twenty first century. My question for modern times is: Is the tarot still truly occult? There are hundreds, possibly thousands of modern tarot packs, many of which are easily obtained from bookstores or online retailers. Books on how to read the cards may be borrowed from public libraries and tarot courses are offered in most cities. For those uncomfortable with the occult connotations, there is even a Jesus Deck.

The broken-hearted or inquisitive amongst us can phone or text a tarot hotline at any time of the day or night and instantly get an answer to “Does she love me?” or “Will I get that great new job?”

Halloween is right around the corner, and many people read tarot cards to celebrate the holiday. In this three-part series of articles, FlamesRising.com turned to tarot card expert Paula Dempsey to talk about the history of the tarot. In this first article, she discussed its mysterious origins. Today, she talks about the occult revival.

The History of Tarot: Occult Revival

The late 18th century saw Western society immersed in the Age of Enlightenment and on the verge of the Industrial Revolution. Paradoxically, this era of scientific rationalism also saw a rebirth of magical traditions. Druidry was reinvented in Great Britain by William Stukely and others. The end of the Witch-craze in Europe and the USA meant that those claiming to practice magic could do so without fearing a noose around their necks and to many, magic had an undeniable romance to it.

Did you know that Halloween is a popular time of year for divination? One way that many people celebrate the holiday is to have their tarot cards read. In this three-part series of articles, FlamesRising.com turned to tarot card expert Paula Dempsey to talk about the history of the tarot. In this first article, she discusses its mysterious origins.

The History of Tarot: Origins

Once Upon a Time…

… in 48BCE to be exact, when the Roman Empire was at its height and Julius Caesar’s troops laid siege to the Egyptian city of Alexandria. The custodians of the Royal Library of Alexandria, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, knew they didn’t have much time before enemy forces broke through and destroyed their precious scrolls forever. Fortunately they had made a plan. Decks of cards were small and portable, so they prepared special decks rich in symbolism carrying much of the spiritual and magical guidance from the Library, if one knew how to read them.

DriveThruComics.com, the first digital comics retailer, announced today that it is supporting the flood relief efforts of Doctors Without Borders by offering a charity
bundle of digital comics and e-books. For a $10 donation, customers will receive $170 worth of products. One-hundred percent of the proceeds from the charity bundle will be donated to Pakistan flood relief.

“We’re happy to have this chance to help out a great cause like Doctors Without Borders. ” said Matt M McElroy, Publisher Relations Manager for DriveThruComics.com. “We have some very cool titles from a variety of publishers donated for this bundle.”

The DriveThru sites, which includes digital gaming retailer DriveThruRPG.com, raised over $175,000 for the Haitian Earthquake relief efforts earlier this year. DriveThru has renewed its commitment to Doctors Without Borders because of their tireless dedication to provide medical assistance and aid all over the world.

Have you been following our Top Cow comic reviews, interviews and previews here on FlamesRising.com? Our staff reviewers have been impressed with Top Cow Productions, Inc. and their ability to produce quality comics like WITCHBLADE and WANTED, because they are filled with great stories and impressive artwork. Their horror comics include THE DARKNESS and a new comic dubbed BERSERKER, which crosses Norse mythology with violent fighting and heroic action.

From now through the end of October, save twenty percent off your purchase of Top Cow digital comics!

Enter a school for magic where even the first day can be (un)deadly…

That night, Dorian spies a figure creeping into the Snapping Dragon Gardens and and he follows, certain that with the help of a few magic items and simple potions, he can catch the culprit by daybreak and return a hero. But as hobgoblins, banshees, and a terrifying dragon try to stop him at every turn, Dorian discovers that he’s stepped into an (un)deadly trap that could not only destroy his future as a wizard but also the beloved wizardry school.

Flames Rising is pleased to present the first chapter of this new book by Nathan Meyer. Aldwyn’s Academy is a companion Novel to A Practical Guide to Wizardry from Mirrorstone.

Sea Lion Books is proud to announce New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling author Richelle Mead as its newest addition to its growing list of distinguished authors. Sea Lion Books will develop in comic book and graphic novel form the entire Dark Swan series starting with Storm Born.

“The world of the Dark Swan series is an amazing place,” says Richelle’s agent Jim McCarthy. “I’m tremendously excited for new readers and returning fans to have the opportunity to explore Richelle’s incredible creation in this new medium.”

Hang on to your hats boys and girls; Kell’s Legend is the sort of book that grabs hold of you and does not let go. If it weren’t for the two infant children in my home, I would have read it in one sitting. If dark fantasy and balls-out action is your thing, this is the novel you have been waiting to find.

I will only describe the book in the briefest of terms to avoid any spoilers. The kingdom of Falanor is invaded by a race of clockwork vampires. Kell, an old veteran with a legendary past, is forced back into action to protect his granddaughter. The story also follows a second protagonist from the vampire side of things. I do not want to say anything that will spoil her for you, but she is an excellent character.

Last year, we released a horror plot generator that you continue to enjoy. White Wolf Publishing, who recently announced that the World of Darkness MMO will be based on Vampire: the Masquerade, offered you a scene to be used in your World of Darkness game. Dubbed The Devil’s Night SAS, you’ll need to figure out how to stop the fires from burning in your own city. In addition to those two big surprises, we also featured Crackle.com‘s Zombiefest and other timely events that were related to Halloween.

For Halloween 2009 at FlamesRising.com, thirty-one different creatures reared their monstrous heads each day. Those horrifying creatures are still lingering around, so if you want to have some fun, be sure to drop by our 2009 wrap-up and check them out. For that year, one of your favorite guest posts was written by Jess Hartled. 13 Halloween Etiquette Tips From One Geek to Another continues to be a fan favorite so be sure to check it out.

The South…but not as we know it…

On the threshold of infinity, a world awaits the inevitable moment of annihilation – fearing the terrible wild colors that bleed through the shredded fabric of reality.

The river flows across the dimensions – lawless, unstable waterways that seep into chaos and violent uncertainty. Here, on riverboats and in doomed cafes teetering on oblivion’s edge, jugador gamblers work their mystical trade – while others, less adept, seek purpose in a space opera mythology that determines all things. And the river flows, carrying the best of the best, jugador supreme Jack Karaquazian, ever closer to the beautiful Colinda Dovero – the walking vision to whom he once promised his eternal heart…then lost through pride and blind folly.

And the river flows, uniting Sam Oakenhurst, disciple of machinoix pain, with his mysterious beloved, the Rose. For somewhere different upriver, they each have a role to play in a continuing cosmic drama-and must risk the future on the famous luck of Jack Karaquazian in the apocalyptic Game of Time.

Enforcer is not a typical 40k book. There are no space marines, aliens, battlefields — the standard fare for the darkness of the 41st millennium. Enforcer is also not a stand-alone novel, but an omnibus edition capturing all three novels of the Shira Calpurnia trilogy into one volume. The three novels are Crossfire, Legacy, and Blind. I somehow missed these when they were initially printed. I had heard quite a bit of positive discussion concerning them, so when I picked up my copy I dug right in.

The focus of these books is on Shira Calpurnia a senior member of the Adeptus Arbites. The Arbites are responsible for enforcing the laws of the Imperium across the galaxy. The best comparison to the arbites outside of 40k would be Judge Dredd. Depending on the situation, an arbite could be judge, jury, and executioner. Intimidation and brute force are the means by which they get the job done.

CCP, one of the world’s leading independent game developers, has announced a new expansion for all subscribers and trial users of EVE Online that will be released in November, 2010. EVE Online: Incursion will feature the escalating attacks of the deadly Sansha’s Nation which is bent on instituting its own utopia and exacting vengeance against the pilots who stand in its way. Pilots can join public fleets and co-operate to destroy the Sansha incursions and return the universe to normal, receiving wealthy bounties, earning loyalty rewards and high commendation.

EVE Online: Incursion will also include many improvements as suggested by the Council of Stellar Management, as well as hardware upgrades, software improvements and new cluster components aimed at increasing game and fleet battle performance to even higher levels.

It’s really only a matter of time, he thinks, twirling his gun around his index finger. The girl’s moves are obvious, rote. She’s a teenager; she doesn’t know any better. She’ll reach out for the only type of protection she’s ever really known.

Which means they’ll be coming.

But that’s just fine, the man thinks as his badge glistening in the moonlight. Police car lights flashing just long enough for him to take an illegal U-turn. It’s fine because they don’t know the game, which means he’ll be able to set one enemy against another and buy himself some time.

He can use them all for pawns.

‘PROJECT RUNWAY’ STAR WRITES INTRO FOR UPCOMING ARCHAIA GRAPHIC NOVEL

The highly anticipated Archaia graphic novel hardcover, RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN, just got a lot more dapper with the addition of Tim Gunn to the book’s list of contributors. The co-host of television’s “Project Runway” and best-selling author of Gunn’s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Lessons for Making It Work has written the introduction to the original fairy tale, which he compares to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, calling it “a transformational experience, a morality tale that is certain to become an instant contemporary classic.”

“I was thrilled and honored to be asked to contribute to RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN!” said Gunn. “After reading the script and seeing the art, I truly believe that this is a work of literature that will be enjoyed by all generations. I would say it’s especially an important work to put before children, many children—elementary school libraries everywhere should purchase several copies each!”

Shiver me timbers, is that time o’ year again? Today, the world honors the worst sort o’ scoundrel known to sail on the high seas. Why, I’m talkin’ ’bout pirates o’ course! It’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

If yer not talkin’ like a pirate today, ye should be countin’ yer gold. There’s a dark rumor afoot that the biggest digital game retailer has set anchor. DriveThruRPG asks ye to row yer boats over to their site to shop their pirate sale and plunder DriveThruRPG.com for treasure. Arr, their beggin’ ye to hunt for free e-books by opening treasure chests throughout their site. Thar be twenty titles in all and ye don’t need to spend any gold to loot their booty. Not only that, but this fine merchant is offerin’ this deal until the 22nd of September.

The Redemption Corps is a regiment of ultra tough storm-troopers. Led by the legendary Captain Mortensen, the Redemption Corps and its Navy support divisions drift across the Kaligari Cradle from one warzone to another on brutal missions. When the revered major comes to the attention of the deadly sorority of the Battle Sisters, he not only has to contend with an ork invasion, but these fearsome warrioress-fanatics too. Now, the regiment must fight for its survival whilst being trapped between the xenos and the dark fury of the Imperium.

I read through this one rather quickly. It sucked me in and I couldn’t put it down. It also helped that I was trapped in the passenger seat on a family road trip as my wife drove us out to the middle of nowhere. Anyway, Storm Troopers are the focus of this book and bear some explanation. The Storm Troops of Warhammer 40k are nothing like those white armored buffoons from the original Star Wars Trilogy.