MongooseMatt
First Post
Hi guys,
My last long posting about next year concentrated on the industry as a whole (or, rather, our perspective of it) - now it is time for a summary of the Mongoose-goodness that will be coming your way throughout 2005! From now on, I will also be changing the way we announce products on the Internet. Up to now, we have been giving summaries of products as they hit the shops. Well, that is kinda okay, but we often get preview copies up to a month before they reach the shops and we can't keep some of the cool things coming out to ourselves. Right now sitting on our office shelves, we have Gangs of Mega-City One, the Jeremiah RPG, the Shadizar city box set for Conan, The Rangers for Babylon 5 - and don't get me started on miniatures! So, from this coming week, I'll be previewing things as they come into our office and let you know when they will be due in the shops. Might even do a summary at the beginning of every month, as we used to do in the Old Days. . .
Anyway, on to what you can expect in 2005 from Mongoose, across all our various lines. Most of this is written in stone, but we reserve the right to twiddle with the release schedule as is our wont
CONAN
The Cimmerian strides ever onwards and we have some exciting things coming up in the New Year. Kicking off with the $20 pocket rulebook (following on with the same lines as our Pocket Player's Handbook, giving you all the essential rules, minus the pretty artwork), we also have two city box sets (the aforementioned Shadizar and then Messantia), a _huge_ campaign box set (Conan and the Shadow of the Sorcerer), before launching into our 'players' books, each covering a range of classes. In these books we will also be adding a brand new class, one particularly suited for female characters. In addition to the odd scenario here and there (something very much lacking in the Conan line thus far, as many of you have pointed out), we will then be heading off into uncharted territory as we begin the process of completely mapping out the Hyborean Kingdoms, starting with Aquilonia, Shem and Stygia.
BABYLON 5
This is a game that has always been close to my heart, the moreso for having recently met the delectable Claudia Christian (who would have thought she would travel to Swindon, eh?). And 2005 is a year I have been very much looking forward to - we are just coming to the end of the 'core' books, covering the main races and seasons, and now we can concentrate on fleshing out the Babylon 5 universe in more esoteric, though no less interesting, areas. The Galactic Guide is due out early in the year and this mighty tome has the responsibility of mapping out _every_ world on the galactic map. Never again will you be lost when your players decide to jump into a ship and head in a random direction. There will also be a new range of deck plans (initially covering the Hyperion, Primus, G'Quan and, of course, the White star), more scenarios, and a mega-campaign that will prove to be a huge rollercoaster of a story that will let you experience the kind of story-telling found on screen. Free Mars will cover the turbulent history of that world and (prepare yourself) 2005 will be the year we finally tackle Darkness and Light, the definitive sourcebook of the Shadows and Vorlons. . .
JEREMIAH
Stuck in transit at the moment, the Jeremiah RPG will be hitting the stores in early January. Jeremiah is based on the TV series of the same name and is a post-apocalyptic setting with a very real difference. The fact that JMS (Babylon 5) also wrote Jeremiah means that there are roleplaying opportunities aplenty. The Thunder Mountain supplement has already been written and is following close behind the rulebook.
Fantasy D20
With all these cool things coming out for our own RPGs, are we going to abandon 'traditional' fantasy d20? Of course not. January sees the release of the Monster Encyclopaedias, the new range of monster books from Mongoose. The first is a 'generic' tome but subsequent books will all be themed. The darkest evil is the theme of the second, while future themes will include Epic-level creatures. The Tome of Drow Lore will detail the dark elves in unparalleled detail, ensuring that these player favourites will retain their mysterious and brooding air. To follow on from the Tome, we also have The Drow War trilogy coming early in the year, the first of our Complete Campaign series. The basic idea here is that you grab one of these books and lo, you have a complete campaign, from start to finish - the perfect thing for a busy Games Master! However, we could not start small. No way. So, the Drow War (written by Adrian Bott) spans three 256 page volumes and will take characters all the way from 1st level to 30th! Oh, and we have made sure that you can place set this campaign in any existing setting. It stands to be one of the greatest stories told in RPGs thus far, so hold on to your hats. . .
We have other Complete Campaigns already waiting in the wings. The second takes our Teeth of the Moon Sow campaign for the Slaine RPG, converts it into standard fanasty d20 and then jams it all into one massive volume - again, a complete campaign for you, from start to finish. If you fancy a crack at a low-tech, low-magic Celtic setting, The Horned God is just the ticket for you. If you are looking for something a bit more traditional, the Ruins of the Dragon Lord mega-dungeon box set may be more up your street. Want something more modern? Well, we have you covered there as well. . .
Ever since Mongoose started, we have been asked for a campaign setting but have held off because, well, we wanted something notable and _different_ rather than do just another 'standard' fantasy setting. Well, we have two this year. The first (both come as jam-packed box sets, in the 'old' fashion) will be of interest to those who like inter-planar travel while the second. . . well, the premise is not entirely serious but the characters in the setting most definitely are. Umm. . . you are going to have to wait for that one. . .
What else? Well, we have Ultimate Equipment II due soon, presented as a complete market and we have something very large and very exciting due for a Gen Con release next year. . .
PARANOIA XP
Service Pack One will be due to hit the shops soon (don't worry, it is just the second printing of the rulebook) and it will be followed by titles such as The Mutant Experience, Paranoia Recycled, Paranoid STUFF, WMD, Extreme Paranoia, Service, Service and Criminal Histories. Your players will be gibbering wrecks by the time we have finished. And that is before you produce the mandatory miniatures packs, depicting important Alpha Complex icons such as Troubleshooters, bots and Internal Security guards.
INFERNUM
This is a game I have wanted to do ever since we started Mongoose. Written by Gareth Hanrahan, Infernum will take you to the very pits of Hell. You will take on the role of demons and the Fallen, engage in high politicking of the demonic Houses and watch your armies sweep you to the pinnacle of victory - while you walk across the landscape of Hell itself. This is a game of fire and brimstone, of mighty demonic lords commanding legions of millions, of massive black armies crashing against one another like waves, of giant demonic factories belching out black smoke as they churn through an infinite number of new weapons for their masters, of dread knights mounted upon terrifying steeds fighting alongside demonic bikers across ashen wastes. This is by far the darkest project we have ever embarked upon and we are aiming to take players far to the dark side. Infernum comes, initially, as a three volume set (player's, GM's and Conquorer's guides) and will hit the stores in March.
STARSHIP TROOPERS
We have been having a lot of fun with this one of late. Though much has been made of the forthcoming miniatures game, the RPG is every bit as exciting. Strap on your power armour, raise your Moritas rifle to your shoulder and march onwards for the glory of the Citizen's Federation and your own franchise. You'll likely begin fighting the Arachnids and perhaps encounter the Skinnies too but you will soon find out that there are many more terrors in the universe and some of those can be found on Earth, at the heart of the Citizen's Federation.
NEW LICENCES
Yes, we have new licences for 2005. Yes, you will like them. Yes, they are big. Yes, I wanted to tell you all about them now. No, the admin on them has not been completed and so we cannot announce just yet.
Sorry.
A CALL TO ARMS
We had something of a rare hit in 2004 with A Call to Arms, the game of space combat in the Babylon 5 universe. Some might have said it was obvious but we really didn't know whether the market was ready for a new B5 game. Silly Mongoose. If you are waiting for your fleet boxes, I apologise, but we have been literally working round the clock to produce more of them - it won't be long now. We are also preparing to release new box sets to cover the ISA, League, Shadows and Vorlon fleets and after that. . . well, wait and see We will also be periodically releasing the Call to Arms Rules Supplements, which will give you an irregular fix of space combat goodness, including new rules for space stations, advanced League and Old Ones fleets, Captain John J. Sheridan, fighting in hyperspace and much more! These will begin to fully flesh out the game, allowing you to fight truly epic battles.
STARSHIP TROOPERS (again)
The miniatures game will be a big release early next year - we are really sparing no expense with this one. Plastic box sets will feature Mobile Infantry squads, Marauder armoured suits, Warrior Bugs, Tanker Bugs, Plasma Bugs - lots of Bugs! The main box set covers a huge and diverse array of gaming styles, from simple infantry to the use of aircraft and even tactical nuclear weapons. Yes, we have brought nukes down to 30mm scale - and they ain't pretty (or cheap, for that matter). We are taking care not to 'front load' the release schedule for any army in this game and are aiming to have something new for every army we release _every_ month - so you need never get bored or think your particular army has been 'forgotten'. There will also be new armies throughout the year, such as the 'light' MI of the film and the Skinnies, as well as sourcebooks that focus on specific actions and units, including the dreaded Klendathu Invasion.
GANGS OF MEGA-CITY ONE
This miniatures game has a certain 'cool' factor - any game that lets you have robodogs, Fatties and a sky surfer in the same gang has to be worth a look, right? From the pages of 2000AD and Judge Dredd, Gangs of Mega-City One allows you to fight on the streets, gathering a gang of punks and juves to boost your reputation and credits through the roof as you begin to dominate larger areas of your sector. Just be careful of the judges, however, as they can bring the toughest gang down. The basic box set contains everything you need to play, including 12 plastic multi-pose perps and a huge floorplan, complete with card buildings. We will also be releasing a whole range of metal miniatures that provide all the specialist perps and Judges you could ever want. . .
MIGHTY ARMIES
This game has taken something of a back seat after A Call to Arms, but it will be back in 2005 with a vengence! Look out for the Dwarf, Knight and Sorcerer's Legion armies, coming to a (small) tabletop near you soon.
ARMAGEDDON 2089
It will be back. As a miniatures game. Hi-tech Meks fighting on Earth in what will become the Third World War. The USA against the European Federation. 'Nuff said.
This is all, of course, just a mere smattering - there is plenty more in the release schedule, so if you haven't seen what you were hoping for, be patient! We will still be bringing out EN World Gamer, Signs & Portents and Lone Wolf books. There are more Babylon 5 books in the works (I didn't even mention the EarthForce Campaign Guide), the odd OGL Manga title and the occasional full-blown-to-be-released-at-Gen-Con RPG.
But it is all coming
This is, however, a taste of what you can expect from Mongoose Publishing throughout 2005. It is just left to me now to thank every one of our fans who have stuck with us these past three-and-a-bit years - we could not have done it without you, and if it were in my power to buy you all a drink this Christmas, I would. Instead, I'll toast you all over turkey on the 25th and wish you the very best for the New Year here and now.
Keep gaming. You know it makes sense.
My last long posting about next year concentrated on the industry as a whole (or, rather, our perspective of it) - now it is time for a summary of the Mongoose-goodness that will be coming your way throughout 2005! From now on, I will also be changing the way we announce products on the Internet. Up to now, we have been giving summaries of products as they hit the shops. Well, that is kinda okay, but we often get preview copies up to a month before they reach the shops and we can't keep some of the cool things coming out to ourselves. Right now sitting on our office shelves, we have Gangs of Mega-City One, the Jeremiah RPG, the Shadizar city box set for Conan, The Rangers for Babylon 5 - and don't get me started on miniatures! So, from this coming week, I'll be previewing things as they come into our office and let you know when they will be due in the shops. Might even do a summary at the beginning of every month, as we used to do in the Old Days. . .
Anyway, on to what you can expect in 2005 from Mongoose, across all our various lines. Most of this is written in stone, but we reserve the right to twiddle with the release schedule as is our wont
CONAN
The Cimmerian strides ever onwards and we have some exciting things coming up in the New Year. Kicking off with the $20 pocket rulebook (following on with the same lines as our Pocket Player's Handbook, giving you all the essential rules, minus the pretty artwork), we also have two city box sets (the aforementioned Shadizar and then Messantia), a _huge_ campaign box set (Conan and the Shadow of the Sorcerer), before launching into our 'players' books, each covering a range of classes. In these books we will also be adding a brand new class, one particularly suited for female characters. In addition to the odd scenario here and there (something very much lacking in the Conan line thus far, as many of you have pointed out), we will then be heading off into uncharted territory as we begin the process of completely mapping out the Hyborean Kingdoms, starting with Aquilonia, Shem and Stygia.
BABYLON 5
This is a game that has always been close to my heart, the moreso for having recently met the delectable Claudia Christian (who would have thought she would travel to Swindon, eh?). And 2005 is a year I have been very much looking forward to - we are just coming to the end of the 'core' books, covering the main races and seasons, and now we can concentrate on fleshing out the Babylon 5 universe in more esoteric, though no less interesting, areas. The Galactic Guide is due out early in the year and this mighty tome has the responsibility of mapping out _every_ world on the galactic map. Never again will you be lost when your players decide to jump into a ship and head in a random direction. There will also be a new range of deck plans (initially covering the Hyperion, Primus, G'Quan and, of course, the White star), more scenarios, and a mega-campaign that will prove to be a huge rollercoaster of a story that will let you experience the kind of story-telling found on screen. Free Mars will cover the turbulent history of that world and (prepare yourself) 2005 will be the year we finally tackle Darkness and Light, the definitive sourcebook of the Shadows and Vorlons. . .
JEREMIAH
Stuck in transit at the moment, the Jeremiah RPG will be hitting the stores in early January. Jeremiah is based on the TV series of the same name and is a post-apocalyptic setting with a very real difference. The fact that JMS (Babylon 5) also wrote Jeremiah means that there are roleplaying opportunities aplenty. The Thunder Mountain supplement has already been written and is following close behind the rulebook.
Fantasy D20
With all these cool things coming out for our own RPGs, are we going to abandon 'traditional' fantasy d20? Of course not. January sees the release of the Monster Encyclopaedias, the new range of monster books from Mongoose. The first is a 'generic' tome but subsequent books will all be themed. The darkest evil is the theme of the second, while future themes will include Epic-level creatures. The Tome of Drow Lore will detail the dark elves in unparalleled detail, ensuring that these player favourites will retain their mysterious and brooding air. To follow on from the Tome, we also have The Drow War trilogy coming early in the year, the first of our Complete Campaign series. The basic idea here is that you grab one of these books and lo, you have a complete campaign, from start to finish - the perfect thing for a busy Games Master! However, we could not start small. No way. So, the Drow War (written by Adrian Bott) spans three 256 page volumes and will take characters all the way from 1st level to 30th! Oh, and we have made sure that you can place set this campaign in any existing setting. It stands to be one of the greatest stories told in RPGs thus far, so hold on to your hats. . .
We have other Complete Campaigns already waiting in the wings. The second takes our Teeth of the Moon Sow campaign for the Slaine RPG, converts it into standard fanasty d20 and then jams it all into one massive volume - again, a complete campaign for you, from start to finish. If you fancy a crack at a low-tech, low-magic Celtic setting, The Horned God is just the ticket for you. If you are looking for something a bit more traditional, the Ruins of the Dragon Lord mega-dungeon box set may be more up your street. Want something more modern? Well, we have you covered there as well. . .
Ever since Mongoose started, we have been asked for a campaign setting but have held off because, well, we wanted something notable and _different_ rather than do just another 'standard' fantasy setting. Well, we have two this year. The first (both come as jam-packed box sets, in the 'old' fashion) will be of interest to those who like inter-planar travel while the second. . . well, the premise is not entirely serious but the characters in the setting most definitely are. Umm. . . you are going to have to wait for that one. . .
What else? Well, we have Ultimate Equipment II due soon, presented as a complete market and we have something very large and very exciting due for a Gen Con release next year. . .
PARANOIA XP
Service Pack One will be due to hit the shops soon (don't worry, it is just the second printing of the rulebook) and it will be followed by titles such as The Mutant Experience, Paranoia Recycled, Paranoid STUFF, WMD, Extreme Paranoia, Service, Service and Criminal Histories. Your players will be gibbering wrecks by the time we have finished. And that is before you produce the mandatory miniatures packs, depicting important Alpha Complex icons such as Troubleshooters, bots and Internal Security guards.
INFERNUM
This is a game I have wanted to do ever since we started Mongoose. Written by Gareth Hanrahan, Infernum will take you to the very pits of Hell. You will take on the role of demons and the Fallen, engage in high politicking of the demonic Houses and watch your armies sweep you to the pinnacle of victory - while you walk across the landscape of Hell itself. This is a game of fire and brimstone, of mighty demonic lords commanding legions of millions, of massive black armies crashing against one another like waves, of giant demonic factories belching out black smoke as they churn through an infinite number of new weapons for their masters, of dread knights mounted upon terrifying steeds fighting alongside demonic bikers across ashen wastes. This is by far the darkest project we have ever embarked upon and we are aiming to take players far to the dark side. Infernum comes, initially, as a three volume set (player's, GM's and Conquorer's guides) and will hit the stores in March.
STARSHIP TROOPERS
We have been having a lot of fun with this one of late. Though much has been made of the forthcoming miniatures game, the RPG is every bit as exciting. Strap on your power armour, raise your Moritas rifle to your shoulder and march onwards for the glory of the Citizen's Federation and your own franchise. You'll likely begin fighting the Arachnids and perhaps encounter the Skinnies too but you will soon find out that there are many more terrors in the universe and some of those can be found on Earth, at the heart of the Citizen's Federation.
NEW LICENCES
Yes, we have new licences for 2005. Yes, you will like them. Yes, they are big. Yes, I wanted to tell you all about them now. No, the admin on them has not been completed and so we cannot announce just yet.
Sorry.
A CALL TO ARMS
We had something of a rare hit in 2004 with A Call to Arms, the game of space combat in the Babylon 5 universe. Some might have said it was obvious but we really didn't know whether the market was ready for a new B5 game. Silly Mongoose. If you are waiting for your fleet boxes, I apologise, but we have been literally working round the clock to produce more of them - it won't be long now. We are also preparing to release new box sets to cover the ISA, League, Shadows and Vorlon fleets and after that. . . well, wait and see
We will also be periodically releasing the Call to Arms Rules Supplements, which will give you an irregular fix of space combat goodness, including new rules for space stations, advanced League and Old Ones fleets, Captain John J. Sheridan, fighting in hyperspace and much more! These will begin to fully flesh out the game, allowing you to fight truly epic battles.STARSHIP TROOPERS (again)
The miniatures game will be a big release early next year - we are really sparing no expense with this one. Plastic box sets will feature Mobile Infantry squads, Marauder armoured suits, Warrior Bugs, Tanker Bugs, Plasma Bugs - lots of Bugs! The main box set covers a huge and diverse array of gaming styles, from simple infantry to the use of aircraft and even tactical nuclear weapons. Yes, we have brought nukes down to 30mm scale - and they ain't pretty (or cheap, for that matter). We are taking care not to 'front load' the release schedule for any army in this game and are aiming to have something new for every army we release _every_ month - so you need never get bored or think your particular army has been 'forgotten'. There will also be new armies throughout the year, such as the 'light' MI of the film and the Skinnies, as well as sourcebooks that focus on specific actions and units, including the dreaded Klendathu Invasion.
GANGS OF MEGA-CITY ONE
This miniatures game has a certain 'cool' factor - any game that lets you have robodogs, Fatties and a sky surfer in the same gang has to be worth a look, right? From the pages of 2000AD and Judge Dredd, Gangs of Mega-City One allows you to fight on the streets, gathering a gang of punks and juves to boost your reputation and credits through the roof as you begin to dominate larger areas of your sector. Just be careful of the judges, however, as they can bring the toughest gang down. The basic box set contains everything you need to play, including 12 plastic multi-pose perps and a huge floorplan, complete with card buildings. We will also be releasing a whole range of metal miniatures that provide all the specialist perps and Judges you could ever want. . .
MIGHTY ARMIES
This game has taken something of a back seat after A Call to Arms, but it will be back in 2005 with a vengence! Look out for the Dwarf, Knight and Sorcerer's Legion armies, coming to a (small) tabletop near you soon.
ARMAGEDDON 2089
It will be back. As a miniatures game. Hi-tech Meks fighting on Earth in what will become the Third World War. The USA against the European Federation. 'Nuff said.
This is all, of course, just a mere smattering - there is plenty more in the release schedule, so if you haven't seen what you were hoping for, be patient! We will still be bringing out EN World Gamer, Signs & Portents and Lone Wolf books. There are more Babylon 5 books in the works (I didn't even mention the EarthForce Campaign Guide), the odd OGL Manga title and the occasional full-blown-to-be-released-at-Gen-Con RPG.
But it is all coming
This is, however, a taste of what you can expect from Mongoose Publishing throughout 2005. It is just left to me now to thank every one of our fans who have stuck with us these past three-and-a-bit years - we could not have done it without you, and if it were in my power to buy you all a drink this Christmas, I would. Instead, I'll toast you all over turkey on the 25th and wish you the very best for the New Year here and now.
Keep gaming. You know it makes sense.
