It's a wide array of genres this week - far-flung future sci-fi; epic high fantasy; classic steampunk; and a place where all that and more comes together. I've said it many times, but I think it bears repeating - it's a glorious time to be an RPG fan! There's more amazing stuff to play with, from so many creative and talented people. The greatest downside? How do we get enough time to play it all!
SAVAGE RIFTS: MURDERTHON
Let’s open the week with something fun and exciting – a Murderthon! The latest release for the Savage Rifts line, written and designed by my brother and partner in Evil Beagle, Ross Watson. This is the one where he loves to use his spot-on “Ladies and Gentlemen!” Voice of Gen Con impression when he runs it!
Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!
Juicer blood-sports are barbaric, but intensely popular, and it looks like one is coming to the Kingsdale area.
A one-night special event, promising charity funds as well as a fantastic cash prize, draws juicers and other thrill seekers from all around. The Tomorrow Legion is directly invited to send a team, and the need to see what’s really going on is great enough that our heroes are sent.
What’s really going on is something far, far darker than a merely deadly arena sport.
BOOK OF LAIRS
The designer’s list is a Who’s Who of D&D aficionados, including my friend Robert Adducci. Kobold Press continues to crank out some fantastic 5e support, ensuring fans don’t want for quality supplements.
Fight the Monster in its Den … If You Dare!
Book of Lairs brings you 24 great one-shot, monster lairs for 5th edition! Each of these exciting and unusual battlegrounds comes with a complete short adventure, including a hook, area hazards, tactics, and treasures, and many use monsters from the Tome of Beasts. Stage your 5th Edition fights in unforgettable locations like:
Designed by some of the top names in the RPG industry, Book of Lairs for 5th Edition is sure to add an aura of wonder and mystery to your game! Book of Lairs uses standard monsters as well as surprising new creatures from Tome of Beasts, and both monster books are required for maximum playability.
SHAINTAR GUIDEBOOK: OLARA
The amazing folks at Savage Mojo are getting precariously close to closing out the rather insane Kickstarter load I initiated, for which I will always be intensely grateful. They’ve brought in some rather exceptional, gifted, and motivated folks (Darren Pearce is a machine!), and now my friend Howard Brandon* – a young man whose depth and enthusiasm blew me away from the start – steps up to bring you one of the most respected and admired cultures in Shaintar. Not only that, but the compelling kingdom created by Curt Herwig for the Kickstarter is also brought to full life!
(*) – Yes, the same guy whose been running the Justice and Life living campaign all this time!
Olara, and Stahlheim… those who see War as an art form!
Imagine a country that has never had a time without war. Olara has learned that the first borders to be violated in campaigns against the south are their own. These people seem serious and dour to others but they’ve a rich culture that recognizes the need to live as if any moment could be the last. Imagine a country that combines the legendary fighting ability of the Vikings with the commitment to service that is expected in modern day Israel and you might be close to Olara’s culture.
Everyone fights, even when a person excels in administrative service, they still practice at weapons. Mothers and sisters fight beside husbands and brothers. While the country mostly fields infantry, there is a battalion of cavalry that is elite in Shaintar.
In this book you’ll find some great new Edges, powers and fighting styles along with some new gear and bad guys to help give a campaign that Olaran flavor.
NUMENERA: CHARACTER OPTIONS 2
Introducing two new types (essentially character classes) to the Numenera game, this is a pretty huge release for those who love Monte Cook’s intriguing take on the very, very far future.
Build a Character as Wondrous as the Ninth World Itself!
In the tradition of the original Numenera Character Options, this book expands your choices to build a truly creative character. New location-based and racial descriptors, exciting new foci, new organizations, and two new types—the first added to the game since the Numenera corebook—give you more fun, wonderful, and weird choices than ever before.
Numenera Character Options 2 includes:
CASTLE FALKENSTEIN: CURIOUS CREATURES
A supplement for Castle Falkenstein? A new supplement for the classic steampunk-before-we-knew CF?!?
Wow.
Explore the Wild Side of New Europa!
From the darkest jungles of Africa to the rooftops of London, animals are everywhere in New Europa. Curious Creatures offers a glimpse into the less civilized side of Castle Falkenstein, drawing out into the light the marvelous, the monstrous, and the mythic for your edification and delight. Brought to you from across the Faerie Veil and written by one of the most knowledgeable naturalists of all time, the reader will find within these pages:
~~~~
More than likely, as you are reading this, I am (a) frantically preparing for, (b) in the middle of running, or (c) recovering from running the biggest Big Epic Game of my life. In fact, if you're reading this on Sunday, you can tune in right now and watch what's going on. More to the point, you can participate in this huge gaming-for-charity event!
Gaming for charity is now a real and important part of our culture. The mighty things we can do to help others and make the world a better place couples nicely with our general inclination towards heroics and fighting against the monsters of the world. In this particular case, it's the monster that is leukemia, and it's a 7-year old girl who could use our help facing it down. Next week, it's likely to be some hurricane victims, or any number of other people facing challenges all over the world.
I am proud to be part of a culture that is so wonderful about getting involved and helping others.
The Adventure Continues...
~SPF
SAVAGE RIFTS: MURDERTHON
Let’s open the week with something fun and exciting – a Murderthon! The latest release for the Savage Rifts line, written and designed by my brother and partner in Evil Beagle, Ross Watson. This is the one where he loves to use his spot-on “Ladies and Gentlemen!” Voice of Gen Con impression when he runs it!
Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!
Juicer blood-sports are barbaric, but intensely popular, and it looks like one is coming to the Kingsdale area.
A one-night special event, promising charity funds as well as a fantastic cash prize, draws juicers and other thrill seekers from all around. The Tomorrow Legion is directly invited to send a team, and the need to see what’s really going on is great enough that our heroes are sent.
What’s really going on is something far, far darker than a merely deadly arena sport.
BOOK OF LAIRS
The designer’s list is a Who’s Who of D&D aficionados, including my friend Robert Adducci. Kobold Press continues to crank out some fantastic 5e support, ensuring fans don’t want for quality supplements.
Fight the Monster in its Den … If You Dare!
Book of Lairs brings you 24 great one-shot, monster lairs for 5th edition! Each of these exciting and unusual battlegrounds comes with a complete short adventure, including a hook, area hazards, tactics, and treasures, and many use monsters from the Tome of Beasts. Stage your 5th Edition fights in unforgettable locations like:
- Alchemist’s Guildhall
- Necromancer’s Cistern
- Clockwork Tower
- Den of the Rotten Kings
- Lost Halls of Everforge
- A Pirate Cove
- Crypt of the Warlock
- Citadel of the Void Dragon
- A Dark Grove
- Lost Fane of the Serpents
- Branches of Yggdrasil
- Tomb of the Scorpion Prince
- Sky Stairs of Beldestan
- Imperial Ghoul Outpost
- Umbral Vampire Lair
- And 10 more!
Designed by some of the top names in the RPG industry, Book of Lairs for 5th Edition is sure to add an aura of wonder and mystery to your game! Book of Lairs uses standard monsters as well as surprising new creatures from Tome of Beasts, and both monster books are required for maximum playability.
SHAINTAR GUIDEBOOK: OLARA
The amazing folks at Savage Mojo are getting precariously close to closing out the rather insane Kickstarter load I initiated, for which I will always be intensely grateful. They’ve brought in some rather exceptional, gifted, and motivated folks (Darren Pearce is a machine!), and now my friend Howard Brandon* – a young man whose depth and enthusiasm blew me away from the start – steps up to bring you one of the most respected and admired cultures in Shaintar. Not only that, but the compelling kingdom created by Curt Herwig for the Kickstarter is also brought to full life!
(*) – Yes, the same guy whose been running the Justice and Life living campaign all this time!
Olara, and Stahlheim… those who see War as an art form!
Imagine a country that has never had a time without war. Olara has learned that the first borders to be violated in campaigns against the south are their own. These people seem serious and dour to others but they’ve a rich culture that recognizes the need to live as if any moment could be the last. Imagine a country that combines the legendary fighting ability of the Vikings with the commitment to service that is expected in modern day Israel and you might be close to Olara’s culture.
Everyone fights, even when a person excels in administrative service, they still practice at weapons. Mothers and sisters fight beside husbands and brothers. While the country mostly fields infantry, there is a battalion of cavalry that is elite in Shaintar.
In this book you’ll find some great new Edges, powers and fighting styles along with some new gear and bad guys to help give a campaign that Olaran flavor.
NUMENERA: CHARACTER OPTIONS 2
Introducing two new types (essentially character classes) to the Numenera game, this is a pretty huge release for those who love Monte Cook’s intriguing take on the very, very far future.
Build a Character as Wondrous as the Ninth World Itself!
In the tradition of the original Numenera Character Options, this book expands your choices to build a truly creative character. New location-based and racial descriptors, exciting new foci, new organizations, and two new types—the first added to the game since the Numenera corebook—give you more fun, wonderful, and weird choices than ever before.
Numenera Character Options 2 includes:
- Two new character types. The Glint is a master of interaction—making friends, persuading strangers, and even delivering the occasional untruth. Seekers spend their time looking for discoveries. They are resourceful explorers steeped in numenera lore.
- More than 35 new descriptors, including general descriptors (such as Altruistic, Extraterrestrial, and Rebellious), location-based descriptors (such as Frostborn and Gaian), and racial descriptors (such as Artificially Intelligent and Calramite).
- 25 new foci, including Becomes Energy, Delved Too Deeply, Steps Into the Outside, and Wonders.
- Much more!
CASTLE FALKENSTEIN: CURIOUS CREATURES
A supplement for Castle Falkenstein? A new supplement for the classic steampunk-before-we-knew CF?!?
Wow.
Explore the Wild Side of New Europa!
From the darkest jungles of Africa to the rooftops of London, animals are everywhere in New Europa. Curious Creatures offers a glimpse into the less civilized side of Castle Falkenstein, drawing out into the light the marvelous, the monstrous, and the mythic for your edification and delight. Brought to you from across the Faerie Veil and written by one of the most knowledgeable naturalists of all time, the reader will find within these pages:
- A bestiary offering in-depth analysis of over thirty new creatures as well as statistics for their inclusion in your Adventure Entertainment.
- New and clarified rules for the use of creatures of all types in your Adventure Entertainment.
- A new Magick lorebook as well as insight into the existence of sorcerous familiars in New Europa.
- Details on Sphinxes, a potentially sinister power operating from the shadows.
- Rules on choosing a True Unicorn, Beast Folk, or wild Child as a Dramatic Character.
- Dinosaurs!
- New Dramatic and Host Characters to enliven any event set in the Age of Steam.
- A new tale of heroics and adventure set in a land where fiction, fantasy, and history collide!
~~~~
More than likely, as you are reading this, I am (a) frantically preparing for, (b) in the middle of running, or (c) recovering from running the biggest Big Epic Game of my life. In fact, if you're reading this on Sunday, you can tune in right now and watch what's going on. More to the point, you can participate in this huge gaming-for-charity event!
Gaming for charity is now a real and important part of our culture. The mighty things we can do to help others and make the world a better place couples nicely with our general inclination towards heroics and fighting against the monsters of the world. In this particular case, it's the monster that is leukemia, and it's a 7-year old girl who could use our help facing it down. Next week, it's likely to be some hurricane victims, or any number of other people facing challenges all over the world.
I am proud to be part of a culture that is so wonderful about getting involved and helping others.
The Adventure Continues...
~SPF
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