Just one day of our super end of the year holiday sale left! We have, just in time for sale pricing, the long awaited new edition of Titan from Valley Games, Hedge Magic for Ars Magica, Dead Reign from Palladium, Thaumotology for GURPS, The Keepers of the Tradition expansion for the Vampire CCG, the new […]

Irish writer, Derek Gunn, has sold a new novel entitled The Estuary, to US publisher, Permuted Press for publication in 2009.

According to the author, The Estuary is a fast-paced, horror adventure tale, about a desperate plan formulated in the darkest years of an evil empire, which now threatens to engulf the residents of a small community in Southern Ireland.

“I’m delighted that The Estuary is going to be published by Permuted Press who are making tremendous strides forward in publishing horror/post-apocalyptic genre fiction” says Derek.

The war-torn world of Simarra is filled with many horrors. Some are creatures who have plagued the inhabitants of this world for countless centuries, others nightmares unleashed upon this world with the invasion of the Keza-Drak. Tainted beasts – once locked in the threshold realm – have found their way into the world through the stone gates. In addition, the dead lands have opened once more, unleashing hordes of undead into the world. Not all of the strange and horrific creatures that can be found in this world are otherworldly in nature, however.

Written by Mathew Kaiser and David Jarvis, the Book of Bones is 69 pages of new creatures and templates for your True20 Game! While all of these creatures are set in the war-torn world of Simarra, they can easily be used in your own amazing campaign worlds!

The Book of Bones is available at the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop.

I first came across Kay about three years ago when someone from out sci-fi/fantasy book club chose one of his books. Tigana. It was such a rich and beautiful book that I immediately went out and read the Fionavar Tapestry (a three book trilogy) and really liked it as well. So, I have been waiting for this to come in trade peperback for a while and finally bought it recently.

The story revolved around a fifteen year old boy named Ned. He is from Canada and the son of a famous photographer. They are in France, and on site at Aix-en-Provence’s Saint-Saveur Cathedral.

Review by Stacey Chancellor

The gods of the Shroud know that names give you power over them. So it is that they are not called by their true names, but instead by their titles within the sacred zodiac. The Silent Sister. The Rider. The Bone Witch. The Shadow Above. The Root. And more… Thirteen gods in all, though their newest member is an upstart, fresh-born of a once-low race now taking its place among the tribes of men. All vie for power and position through their faithful intermediaries, each one shaken by the coming of the Shroud — or perhaps secretly its source.

Gods of the Shroud is available at the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop.

The ancient dead keep their own counsel, and they have learned from bitter experience to hold onto any advantage to avoid Oblivion. The Charms within represent such advantage in the Underworld, a means of bringing powers unknown to most of its denizens to bear when necessary. Once practiced only by the dark realm’s elite, these […]

Nearly all RPGs have a section devoted to the theory of how RPGs should be played. In fact, this is the part of a corebook I find myself rereading for inspiration. The skill of these chapters range from the banal to sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll goodness. If you want how-to theory that feels like Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club, then John Wick’s Play Dirty is the book for you. Making connections between the two proves simple. Heck, both books have a series of rules to follow. While we won’t talk about the rules of Fight Club, I will share Wick’s two rules:

Rule One: There are no rules.
Rule Two: Cheat anyway.

Review by Todd Cash

The one word that comes to mind when I talk about this novel is Revenge. It was with a capital R since it was such a strong part of this read. Almost every plot line could be brought back to this one basic principal. You mess with me or mine and you will pay. It may be tomorrow or even 20 years from now…but it will happen.

Locke is a fun character. I have to admit I love the smart ass characters that even in the face of danger, are still talking a serious amount of trash. It isn’t the smartest plan to say the least, but I do understand it being a smartass myself. But beyond that he is really a well written character. He is in charge of a group of thieves that he has known since he was a child called the Gentlemen Bastards.

Review by Stacey Chancellor

Noble Knight Games is pleased to announce its massive year end holiday sale!! If you haven’t browsed in awhile be sure to spend some time with our catalog, never in our history has our stock been better or our selection wider, and your sure to find some gems. Check out the specials and sales section […]

“Crimson Orgy – Best New Thriller of ’08?” read the headline on Amazon.com’s forums. User C. Avery said, “For my money, this is the best new thriller of 2008 (so far, anyway),” and I, after reading Austin Williams’s debut novel, Crimson Orgy, immediately thought, “publisher plant?”

Dubbed as a thriller, and quite often described as a horror novel, Crimson Orgy follows the filming of a fictional exploitation film of the same name during the 1960s. The intro to the book sets the story up as potentially true (although we know it’s a work of fiction), explaining that the final print never saw the light of day.

Review by William F. Aicher

White Wolf Publishing has all kinds of new books in the horizon, be sure to pre-order your copies today!

World of Darkness: Slasher

Blood Splatter

There’s a different breed of killer out there. They aren’t driven by the need to drink blood or the pulse of the full moon. They kill because they have to, because murder is the only thing they know. Will you hunt the slashers — or join their ranks?

A Chronicle Book for World of Darkness and Hunter: The Vigil

Pre-Order World of Darkness: Slasher today at Amazon.com.

Can we trust our senses? How do we know that what we see is real? Are our eyes inherently deceptive and prone to misdirection? If so, then such flawed organs must be removed, for only in blindness can one perceive the truth: that all the world is horror.

Sight Unseen is a LARP experience like no other. When an assortment of Arkham citizens check into the local hospital for surgery, they find themselves blinded by a madman and forced to confront the unearthly terror he has unleashed upon the world. Sight Unseen is a game script for Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition and requires the Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition game rules.

Sight Unseen is available at the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop for only $4.99.

The Horror Design Essay Project continues today with a little something from freelance writer Joe Rixman. Joe recently took part in our Halloween Horror series with the Tear-Drop Rattler.

Today he is going to tell us a bit about the work he did on a couple of books for White Wolf’s Vampire: the Requiem RPG.

Ancient Vampire Tales

I was lucky enough to be friends with a writer at White Wolf who thought my writing was good enough to open a couple doors. Thankfully, Matt McFarland signed me on for two books that he was developing freelance for Vampire, Ancient Mysteries and its sister book, Ancient Bloodlines. I have to tell you that I am probably the luckiest guy in the world to have gotten this opportunity and grateful to both the developers and the other writers I had the chance to work with on them. As to the actual books…

The good folks at Precis Intermedia have kept their quality streak alive with the release of Steampunk Musha, a “Victoriental Adventures” setting for Iron Gauntlets. It’s nice to see such an excellent gaming system as IG getting plenty of love and support; despite its relatively small size, PIG is providing as much and more support material for Iron Gauntlets than some companies 3-4 times its size are doing for their lines. Steampunk Musha is a good indicator of the high quality of these releases.

My review copy was a pdf, some 122 pages in length. SM (as we will periodically refer to Steampunk Musha) was created by Rick Hershey, with Brett Bernstein and Alana Abbott, and the overall design of the book is one of clarity and ease of reading.

Review by Zachary Houghton

That Which Lies… Deep in the New England woods lies a perfectly circular chasm plunging hundreds of feet into the earth. Is it a marvel of nature or the remnant of some ancient maleficence? As the investigators explore the depths of this haunted pit they face geologic dangers, bizarre subterranean creatures, and a message from […]

Announced at the Wizkids website today:

The Topps Company announced today that WizKids will immediately cease operations and discontinue its product lines.

Upon notifying our partners, Topps will immediately pursue strategic alternatives so that viable brands and properties, including HeroClix, can continue without noticeable disruption. To that end, WizKids will continue supporting Buy it By the Brick redemptions for Arkham Asylum, and the December Organized Play events for HeroClix.

Flames Rising is happy to host a collection of Horror & Dark Fantasy fiction from large publishers and small press, new authors and experienced freelancers and everything in between. We have agreements with a handful of publishers to host fiction based on the worlds they have created ranging from Contested Ground Studios‘ a|state to Apophis Consortium‘s Obsidian: the Age of Judgement and a host of other settings. We also have sneak previews and excerpts of upcoming Horror & Dark Fantasy novels from time to time.

The fiction collection on Flames Rising will be listed by setting or series. Just click the “Read more…” link below for a complete list of the good reads we have to offer…

The ongoing urban fantasy novel series, Violet War, by Monica Valentinelli has new chapters to explore!

Monica gives her readers a little teaser on the new material:

One of the key concepts in this chapter, is that we read about the concept of “The Condemned.” In the magic world, there is a series of Oaths that bind and tie each and every entity within the magical community together. These Oaths are a complex network of promises and “social contracts,” replacing the need for written laws. Oaths are binding and brutal, for many concepts like “free will” go right out the window once an Oathbringer brands the oath into their mind–literally. The strength of the Oath depends upon a lot of factors including the magical prowess of the Oathbringer, the resiliency of the person’s mind, how many people are branded, etc.

Visit www.violetwar.com for the latest updates.

You USED to be a police officer, fireman, nurse, etc., but NOW you are a zombie and these pesky humans keep trying to kill you. But why? All you want is some nice, delicious brains. They have plenty. Perhaps if you infected more humans, it wouldn’t be such a problem…

In Humans!!! you choose to be a Zombie. You have some abilities due to your new found state of being. Other abilities are determined based on your pre-zombie occupation.

This game can be played by itself or combined with the Zombies!!! game.

Humans!!! is now available at Amazon.com.

Our ongoing Horror Design Essay Project has a new contribution today. Horror author Paul Alabaster offers a peak into his creative writing process and gives us a look at what he has in store for the future…

Chasing His Nightmares

My love of stories came from my mother – Jacqueline. I always remember whilst tucked up in bed, my mother reading me bedtime stories of Winnie the Pooh. I would listen with eager delight to what misadventures Pooh Bear had gotten himself (and his ever-forgiving friends) in to. Another beloved treasure I adored my mother reading to me was C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe.