Hi guys,
Mongoose Publishing is extremely proud to announce its new roleplaying magazine, Signs & Portents. This is a monthly, full-colour, glossy magazine, covering all things d20 and Mongoose, and it looks absolutely stunning! You can see some of the images and layout we have used at;
http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/signs/
The first issue has just landed at our office and it is set to be a real cracker - the front cover is from our forthcoming Book of Dragons by Vincent Hie, and promises all sorts of goodness for d20, Babylon 5, Conan, Armageddon and Judge Dredd.
This issue kicks off with a quick sneak peek at the books due for August from Mongoose Publishing, and a complete breakdown of questions and answers for our Quintessential line. The first article is entitled Tales from Mongoose Hall - you might imagine that, being the suave, sophisticated games designers we are that our roleplaying sessions deal with the highest concepts and the greatest drama. Ha! This regular column gives, shall we say, an insight, into the weekly campaign played in our office - this month, we take a look at the first part of the Fiery Trial story arc for Babylon 5. Just remember, this column has been written by the magazine's editor, Ian Barstow, and anything he says about me is likely not true. . .
Taking the Long Walk focuses on a so far uncovered area of the Judge Dredd RPG - what happens when a judge retires and takes the Long Walk to the Undercity. We have a brand new prestige class (all official for the game, remember) to handle this very special kind of judge and details on the Undercity dwellers he must constantly battle against. Your judge campaign beginning to lose steam after the players have defeated the greatest criminal masterminds of Mega-City One? Retire them, and let the real fun start!
Next up, we have an article that, I think, some people will be willing to kill for - the very first preview of the Minbari Federation Fact Book for the Babylon 5 RPG. But rather than just waffle on about how mysterious the Minbari are, we have given you some hard and fast rules to put straight into your B5 games without having to wait for this book's release in October - including the Alyt prestige class, ways to handle casteless characters, what life is actually like on Minbar and, wait for it, the White Star itself. . .
A regular one page column by Jonny Nexus (also responsible for the forthcoming Slayer's Guide to Games Masters) gives a very one-sided view to a certain style of roleplaying - and may not be entirely serious. Then we take an in-depth look at the Nukie Browns, a new mercenary company for Armageddon 2089. As well as full details of the company itself and the personalities running it, this article also covers the equipment they use, with a new Autocannon and the Birdshot medium comms and anti-air WarMek.
Secrets of the Written Word covers the use of libraries in a fantasy setting, from noble and wizardly libraries to those used by the public, guilds and bardic colleges, guaranteeing research will never be quite the same.
Then we have the first of our Conan previews - though the game is not due to be released until early 2004, we are going to have a series of playtest articles that will get you up to speed with the game's concepts and ideas, as well as give you the chance to comment on what you see and actually influence its design. This month, we have a broad view of the way fighting and magic will be covered, as well as the various human races available.
Shannon Kalvar takes a gander at the way story engines can help a Games Master fashion a new campaign (which ias going to be very helpful for Babylon 5 players, I am sure), and we have also tacked on our very first competition - if you can fill in the caption for Mr Morden, you stand to win yourself a copy of the Minbari Federation Fact Book long before it appears in the shops.
Combat in Magnamund displays the _complete_ set of combat rules we are currently using for the Lone Wolf RPG - again, you are welcome to comment on these and actually influence the game's design, but everything you need to start using these rules is included. They can be described as a kind of 'd20 Lite', so their use may go far beyond Lone Wolf alone.
The Ultimate Gameplay column is designed to give players and GMs the raw nuts and bolts of d20 roleplaying, always based around a single subject matter - this month, it is Dungeon Delving, so expect a new range of feats, equipment, magical items and spells all geared towards aiding players in a very tight spot. Mystic Eye Games have a semi-regular spot in Signs & Portents and this month they are treating us to some new rules for Armageddon 2089, including Battle Armour, Active Denial Systems and Smart Camouflage. This is closely followed by the merest of peeks (!) at the new Macho Women with Guns RPG.
Signs & Portents wraps up with a complete scenario for the Babylon 5 RPG, written by Lizard - whether you are on the side of light or not, it will be in your interests to stop the current bout of raiding going on around Babylon 5 space. . .
If that were not enough for $4.95, we are also including a free copy of the Slayer's Guide to Minotaurs with the first issue - this will be available nowhere else and is just the trick for getting your players to give new respect to these bull-headed giants.
Signs & Portents will be available in your local stores this month, it will be on our stand at Gen Con, and issue 2 is already on its way for release next month!
Mongoose Publishing is extremely proud to announce its new roleplaying magazine, Signs & Portents. This is a monthly, full-colour, glossy magazine, covering all things d20 and Mongoose, and it looks absolutely stunning! You can see some of the images and layout we have used at;
http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/signs/
The first issue has just landed at our office and it is set to be a real cracker - the front cover is from our forthcoming Book of Dragons by Vincent Hie, and promises all sorts of goodness for d20, Babylon 5, Conan, Armageddon and Judge Dredd.
This issue kicks off with a quick sneak peek at the books due for August from Mongoose Publishing, and a complete breakdown of questions and answers for our Quintessential line. The first article is entitled Tales from Mongoose Hall - you might imagine that, being the suave, sophisticated games designers we are that our roleplaying sessions deal with the highest concepts and the greatest drama. Ha! This regular column gives, shall we say, an insight, into the weekly campaign played in our office - this month, we take a look at the first part of the Fiery Trial story arc for Babylon 5. Just remember, this column has been written by the magazine's editor, Ian Barstow, and anything he says about me is likely not true. . .
Taking the Long Walk focuses on a so far uncovered area of the Judge Dredd RPG - what happens when a judge retires and takes the Long Walk to the Undercity. We have a brand new prestige class (all official for the game, remember) to handle this very special kind of judge and details on the Undercity dwellers he must constantly battle against. Your judge campaign beginning to lose steam after the players have defeated the greatest criminal masterminds of Mega-City One? Retire them, and let the real fun start!
Next up, we have an article that, I think, some people will be willing to kill for - the very first preview of the Minbari Federation Fact Book for the Babylon 5 RPG. But rather than just waffle on about how mysterious the Minbari are, we have given you some hard and fast rules to put straight into your B5 games without having to wait for this book's release in October - including the Alyt prestige class, ways to handle casteless characters, what life is actually like on Minbar and, wait for it, the White Star itself. . .
A regular one page column by Jonny Nexus (also responsible for the forthcoming Slayer's Guide to Games Masters) gives a very one-sided view to a certain style of roleplaying - and may not be entirely serious. Then we take an in-depth look at the Nukie Browns, a new mercenary company for Armageddon 2089. As well as full details of the company itself and the personalities running it, this article also covers the equipment they use, with a new Autocannon and the Birdshot medium comms and anti-air WarMek.
Secrets of the Written Word covers the use of libraries in a fantasy setting, from noble and wizardly libraries to those used by the public, guilds and bardic colleges, guaranteeing research will never be quite the same.
Then we have the first of our Conan previews - though the game is not due to be released until early 2004, we are going to have a series of playtest articles that will get you up to speed with the game's concepts and ideas, as well as give you the chance to comment on what you see and actually influence its design. This month, we have a broad view of the way fighting and magic will be covered, as well as the various human races available.
Shannon Kalvar takes a gander at the way story engines can help a Games Master fashion a new campaign (which ias going to be very helpful for Babylon 5 players, I am sure), and we have also tacked on our very first competition - if you can fill in the caption for Mr Morden, you stand to win yourself a copy of the Minbari Federation Fact Book long before it appears in the shops.
Combat in Magnamund displays the _complete_ set of combat rules we are currently using for the Lone Wolf RPG - again, you are welcome to comment on these and actually influence the game's design, but everything you need to start using these rules is included. They can be described as a kind of 'd20 Lite', so their use may go far beyond Lone Wolf alone.
The Ultimate Gameplay column is designed to give players and GMs the raw nuts and bolts of d20 roleplaying, always based around a single subject matter - this month, it is Dungeon Delving, so expect a new range of feats, equipment, magical items and spells all geared towards aiding players in a very tight spot. Mystic Eye Games have a semi-regular spot in Signs & Portents and this month they are treating us to some new rules for Armageddon 2089, including Battle Armour, Active Denial Systems and Smart Camouflage. This is closely followed by the merest of peeks (!) at the new Macho Women with Guns RPG.
Signs & Portents wraps up with a complete scenario for the Babylon 5 RPG, written by Lizard - whether you are on the side of light or not, it will be in your interests to stop the current bout of raiding going on around Babylon 5 space. . .
If that were not enough for $4.95, we are also including a free copy of the Slayer's Guide to Minotaurs with the first issue - this will be available nowhere else and is just the trick for getting your players to give new respect to these bull-headed giants.
Signs & Portents will be available in your local stores this month, it will be on our stand at Gen Con, and issue 2 is already on its way for release next month!
