Dane of War

Comics shipping September 9th

2010-09-06T04:32:00.001+02:00

MARVEL

Amazing Spider-Man #641
Amazing Spider-Man #641 quesada sketch variant
Amazing Spider-Man #641 quesada variant
Amazing Spider-Man #641 women of marvel frame variant
Amazing Spider-Man #642
Amazing Spider-Man #642 john romita sr. variant
Anita Blake Circus of the Damned Book 1 #4
Astonishing Spider-Man Wolverine Directors Cut #1
Avengers Childrens Crusade #1 sketch cover
Daken Dark Wolverine #1
Daken Dark Wolverine #1 dellotto variant
Daken Dark Wolverine #1 djurdjevic variant
Daredevil #510
Daredevil #510 super hero squad variant
Deadpool Corps #6
Heroic Age One Month To Live #2
Invaders Now #1
Invaders Now #1 buscema variant cover
Invaders Now #1 granov variant cover
Invaders Now #1 ross sketch variant cover
Invincible Iron Man #30
Invincible Iron Man #30 super hero squad variant
Nemesis #1 df cover
New Avengers #4
New Avengers #4 stuart immonen variant
New Avengers #4 super hero squad variant
Orson Scott Cards Ender In Exile #4
Punisher Max Hot Rods of Death #1
Shadowland Blood On Street #2
Shadowland Bullseye #1 second print
Thanos Imperative #4
Thor #614
Thor #614 women of marvel frame variant cover
Thor Mighty Avenger #4
Ultimate Comics Avengers 3 #2
X-Force Sex & Violence #3
X-Men #3 2010 series
X-Men #3 2010 series djurdjevic variant
X-Men #3 2010 series medina variant
X-Men Forever 2 #7

Adventure Comics #518
Batgirl #14
Batman #700 second print
Batman #703
Batman #703 75th anniversary nowlan variant
Batman and Robin #14
Batman and Robin #14 irving variant
Batman Odyssey #3
Batman Odyssey #3 adams variant
Booster Gold #36
Doc Savage #6
Doc Savage #6 cassaday variant
Doom Patrol #14
Green Lantern #57
Green Lantern #57 white lantern variant
Justice League Generation Lost #9
Justice League Generation Lost #9 maguire variant
Mighty Crusaders #3
Red Robin #16
Weird War Tales #1

DC/VERTIGO

American Vampire #6
American Vampire #6 raphael grampa variant cover
Daytripper #10

DC/WILDSTORM

Ratchet and Clank #1 (of 6)
Welcome to Tranquility One Foot in the Grave #3

INDEPENDENT

1 for Dollar Buffy the Vampire Slayer
1 for Dollar Magnus the Robot Fighter
28 Days Later #14
5 Days to Die #2 (of 5)
5 Days to Die #2 (of 5) 10 copy incentive
Absolution #3 ultra-action happy kitty
Billy the Kid Ghastly Fiend of London #1 (of 4) powell cover
Billy the Kid Ghastly Fiend of London #1 (of 4) hotz cover
BPRD Hell on Earth New World #2
Broken Trinity Pandoras Box #3
Calling Cthulhu Chronicles #3
Classic Red Sonja Remastered #4
Comic Book Guy the Comic Book #3
Crossed Family Values #1 C2E2
Crossed Family Values #2 auxiliary cover
Darkness #86
Dawn not to Touch Earth
Doctor Solar Man of the Atom #2
Doctor Who #15 ongoing
Doctor Who #15 ongoing incentive cover
Dominio Lady Noir #1
Dragon Age #4
Dragon Age #5
Farscape Scorpius #5
Fear Agent #29 out of step part 2
Femforce #153
GI Joe #22
GI Joe #22 incentive cover
Glamourpuss #15
Green Hornet Golden Age Remastered #2
Green Hornet Strikes #3
Green Hornet Year One #5
Green Hornet Year One #5 b&w incentive
Green Hornet Year One #5 variant
Grimm Fairy Tales #50 cover a
Grimm Fairy Tales #50 cover b
Grimm Fairy Tales #50 cover c
Grimm Fairy Tales #50 cover d
Grimm Fairy Tales #50 haiti relief cover
Image Firsts Liberty Meadows #1
Irredeemable #17 cover a
Irredeemable #17 cover b
Irredeemable #17 incentive cover
James Pattersons Murder of King Tut #4
John Moore Presents Dead Soldier #1
Kill Shakespeare #5
Last Unicorn #3
Last Unicorn #3 stockton virgin variant cover
Lucid #1
Pantheon #5
Pat Lee Widow Warriors #2
Red Sonja #51 cover a
Red Sonja #51 cover b
Shadowhawk #4
Sixth Gun #4
Spawn #199
Star Trek Captains Log Pike #1
Star Trek Captains Log Pike #1 variant
Stargate Daniel Jackson #2
Starstruck #13
Starstruck #13 kaluta virgin variant
Tarot Witch of the Black Rose #63 deluxe edition
Transformers Drift #1 (of 4) cover a
Transformers Drift #1 (of 4) cover b
Transformers Drift #1 (of 4) 10 copy incentive
Vampire PA #2

TRADES & HARDCOVERS

Blazing Combat TPB
Conan Newspaper Strips HC
Creepy Achives vol 7 HC
Cuba My Revolution HC
Dr Horrible TPB
Essential Superman Encyclopedia SC
From Shadow to Light
Gantz Vol 12 TPB
Hello Do You Work Here TPB
Justice League Of America Team History HC
Mighty Samson Archives HC Vol 1
New Mutants Vol 2 Necrosha TPB
Oz Wonderful Wizard Of Oz TPB
Pride & Prejudice TPB
Red Robin Collision TPB
Runaways Live Fast TBP
Siege Dark Avengers HC
Spider-Man Fever TPB
Superman New Krypton Vol 2 TPB
Supernatural Beginnings End TPB
Tezuka Apollos Song TPB vol 1
Tezuka Apollos Song TPB vol 2
Untamed TPB
Time Machine Campfire TPB
Wild Kingdom HC
Wolverine Old Man Logan TPB
Wolverine Old Man Logan TPB turner variant
X-9 Secret Agent Corrigan TPB
Zombies VS Robots Adventure HC

KIDS

Archie & Friends #147
Archie Digest #267
The Incredibles #13
Life with Archie Married Life #2
Looney Tunes #190
Scooby Doo Where Are You #1
Sherk #1
Sonic Universe #20
Super Hero Squad Squad Up Digest
Toy Story #6 cover a
Toy Story #6 cover b
Uncle Scrooge #395

MAGAZINES

Comic Shop news
DC Superhero Figure Magazine #62 Red Arrow

My Games Workshop wishlist

2010-09-02T13:18:00.004+02:00

But there's some things that I wish that they would do. Maybe they are things that only I want, but maybe they aren't.

They probably aren't economically feasible, they'd no doubt alienate a whole lot of fans - but it is my wishlist and I'm sticking to it.

Here's what I'd love for Games Workshop to do - in no particular order:

Create 3 different magazines from White Dwarf: One for Warhammer 40,000, one for Warhammer Fantasy Battles, and one for Specialty Games.
Package 10 Space Marines together with one Rhino.
Release plastic versions of Titans.
Do a Horus Heresy box set... like the 40K starter game, but with Heresy-era marines.
Release plastic versions of the Thunderhawk Gunship and the Thunderhawk Transporter.
Bring back the discontinued spray cans of Ultramarines Blue, Blood Red, etc...
Move The Lord of The Rings Strategy Battle Game to Specialist Games. It may have some of the best rules that GW puts out, but the system just isn't supported any longer.
Release models of the Primarchs.
Don't draw the Horus Heresy series too far out.
Those Horus Heresy "audio book" exclusives? Yeah. Cut that out. Release all of that stuff in print, thanks.
Forget about making MMOs. Stick with the console RTS and FPS games.

I'm going to do something new and not mention that I'd like them to stop raising their prices all the damn time, allow their retail partners to use official images on their store sites, and to leave fan sites alone. That's been done to death.

Babe of The Month: Allison Scagliotti

2010-09-01T05:39:00.000+02:00

I want some Magic in my D&D, please

2010-08-31T13:08:00.000+02:00

I remember very distinctly when Wizards of the Coast announced the purchase of TSR on April 10, 1997. A whole lot of people went into a panic about what was going to happen.

Magic: The Gathering players were worried that somehow their game would be put on a back burner in favor of D&D. D&D players were worried that all of a sudden D&D would be deluged with Magic: The Gathering characters like Serra Angel.

It never panned out that way.

But really, let's just say that today Wizards decided to combine the two into a campaign setting. Would it really be that bad? I don't think so.

As a player of both, I have always thought it would be grounds for a great setting. Each supplement either adds a new era, or expands one what is already there. There are so many creatures, new spells, organizations, factions, magic items, and possible locations that it makes one dizzy to consider it.

I can just see the trip through the swamp to discover the secret of the Cyclopean Tomb, fighting off a horde of Scathe Zombies, watching Scavenging Ghouls devour their dead - or the trip through the Craw Wurm infested forest to strike up a treaty with the haughty Llanowar Elves.

But will it ever happen? In my opinion? Probably not.

Let's face it: If it hasn't happened yet, it probably never will. Magic is the first example of the modern collectible card game genre and still thrives today, with an estimated six million players in over seventy countries. D&D may have 15-20 million players, even with the neutered 4th edition. Since the IPs are owned by the same company, it seems like an easy match.

And according to Chris Pramas, head honcho of Green Ronin Publishing - Nope. As a man "in the know", he had this to say about the situation:

I was originally hired at WotC four years ago to work on the D&D/Magic crossover project. At the time the plan was to make a stand-alone variant of 2nd edition. Tweet [Jonathan Tweet, ed.] was going to write the rulebook and I was going to write the world book. The whole project came grinding to a halt within four months of my being hired. Maybe a year later it was briefly revived, but this time only as a monster book for D&D. Then that too got the kaibosh [sic].

I doubt such a project will ever see the light of day. The different brand groups at WotC are very territorial and they have never worked well together. After I moved over to minis, we tried to do a Magic minis game. Predictably enough, the effort was a huge waste of time.

Wizards has also stated (in a sense) that they would like to keep the brands separate. In an article called "The Look of Zendikar", they had this to say:

Wayne Reynolds (who was especially key in allowing his deep knowledge and experience with D&D provide us with a party/teamwork feel that was not D&D visually. We wanted that adventuring party resonance, but not by stepping on the heels of another of our properties.)

And there it is.

I'm no businessman to be sure, so this brand-separation doesn't really make a lot of sense to me. When I think of some of the... odd settings that Wizards has allowed to be created, I don't see how a few sourcebooks along the line of Eberron (circa 3.5) would do anything but be a blessing for players of both.

Comics shipping September 1st

2010-08-30T04:06:00.001+02:00

MARVEL

Amazing Spider-Man Presents Black Cat #3
Astonishing X-Men Xenogenesis Directors Cut #1
Avengers Childrens Crusade #2
Avengers Childrens Crusade #2 travis charest variant
Avengers Thor Captain America Official Index #5
Captain America Forever Allies #2
Deadpool Pulp #1
Deadpool Wade Wilsons War #4
Franken-castle #20
Gorilla Man #3
Hawkeye & Mockingbird #4
Hercules Twilight of a God #4
Heroic Age One Month to Live #1
I Am An Avenger #1
Incredible Hulks #612
Incredible Hulks #612 super hero squad variant
Iron Man 2 Agents of Shield #1
Iron Man Legacy #6
Marvel Universe vs Punisher #3
Marvelman Familys Finest #3
Marvelman Familys Finest #3 sepulveda variant
New Mutants Forever #2
New Mutants Forever #2 sienkiewicz cover
Origins of Marvel Comics X-Men #1
Scarlet #2
Scarlet #2 david mack variant
Scarlet #2 michael avon oeming variant
Shadowland #2 2nd print
Shadowland #3
Shadowland #3 billy tan variant
Shadowland Elektra #1
Sky Doll Lacrima Christi #2
Taskmaster #1
Thor For Asgard #1
Wolverine #1
Wolverine #1 adams variant
Wolverine #1 blank variant
Wolverine #1 jae lee sketch variant
Wolverine #1 marko djurdjevic variant
Wolverine #1 steve mcniven variant
Wolverine Road To Hell #1
X-Men Curse of Mutants Smoke and Blood #1
Young Allies #4

Batman Confidential #48
Birds of Prey #1 brightest day 3rd print
Brightest Day #9
Brightest Day #9 reis variant cover
Freedom Fighters #1
Freedom Fighters #1 variant cover
I, Zombie #5
Jack of Fables #47
Jonah Hex #59
JSA All Stars #10
Our Army at War #1
R.E.B.E.L.S. #20
Red Hood Lost Days #4
Secret Six #25
Superman the Last Family of Krypton #2

DC/VERTIGO

House of Mystery #29
Sweet Tooth #13

DC/WILDSTORM

Astro City Silver Agent #2
Authority #26
Kane and Lynch #2
Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom #4

INDEPENDENT

1 for Dollar Groo
1 for Dollar Star Wars Legacy
10th Muse Gallery
5 Days to Die #1 (of 5)
5 Days to Die #1 (of 5) 10 copy incentive
Amory Wars Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3 #4
Angelus #5
Baltimore the Plague Ships #2
Blackbeard Legend of the Pyrate King #5
Boys #46
Bram Stokers Death Ship #4
BUFFY the Vampire Slayer #36 chen cover
BUFFY the Vampire Slayer #36 jeanty cover
Charmed #2 cover a
Charmed #2 cover b
Choker #4
Cold Space #4 cover a
Cold Space #4 cover b
Conan the Cimmerian #23
Cowboy Ninja Viking #8
Critical Millennium #2
Dean Koontzs Frankenstein Vol.2 #1 prodigal son
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? #14 cover a
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? #14 cover b
Fame #6 kristen stewart cover a
Fame #6 kristen stewart cover a
Fathom Blue Descent #1 cover a
Fathom Blue Descent #1 cover b
Fathom Blue Descent #1 cover c
Ghost Projekt #4
GI Joe A Real American Hero #158 padilla cover
GI Joe A Real American Hero #158 whigham cover
GI Joe A Real American Hero #158 variant cover
GI Joe Hearts and Minds #4 cover a
GI Joe Hearts and Minds #4 cover b
GI Joe Hearts and Minds #4 chaykin virgin variant cover
Gold Digger Books of Magic #1
Green Hornet #7 on-going benitez cover
Green Hornet #7 on-going cassaday
Green Hornet #7 on-going ross
Green Hornet #7 on-going ross virgin cover
Green Hornet #7 on-going cassaday b&w cover
Green Hornet Annual #1 netzer
Green Hornet Annual #1 on-going rafael cover
Green Hornet Annual #1 on-going variant
Grimm Fairy Tales Inferno #3 cover a
Grimm Fairy Tales Inferno #3 cover b
Grimm Fairy Tales Escape from Wonderland Cover Gallery
Haunt #9
Hellboy The Storm #3
Image Firsts Darkness #1
Incorruptible #9 cover a
Incorruptible #9 cover b
Incorruptible #9 incentive
King City #11
Last Days of American Crime #3 cover a
Last Days of American Crime #3 cover b
Magdalena #3
Morning Glories #1 second print
Mouse Guard Legends of the Guard #3
Murderland #2
Nancy In Hell #2
Phantom Double Shot #5 KGB Noir
Phantom Ghost Who Walks #12 peniche cover
Phantom Ghost Who Walks #12 thibert cover
Phantom Unmasked # 2 franchesco cover
Phantom Unmasked # 2 variant
Proof #28
PS238 #46
Queen Sonja #9 cover a
Queen Sonja #9 cover b
Queen Sonja #9 cover c
Radical Premiere Mata Hari
Roger Corman Presents Battle Amongst Stars #3 cover a
Roger Corman Presents Battle Amongst Stars #3 cover b
Scourge #1 cover a
Scourge #1 cover b
Scourge #1 cover c
Scourge #1 cover d incentive
Spike The Devil You Know #3
Spike The Devil You Know #3 urru virgin variant cover
Star Trek Movie Adaptation #6
Star Trek Movie Adaptation #6 incentive
Star Wars Old Republic #3
Stargate Vala Mal Doran #3
Strange Science Fantasy #3
Strange Science Fantasy #3 incentive
Stumptown #4
Tales from Wonderland Mad Hatter VS.Queen of Hearts #1 cover a
Tales from Wonderland Mad Hatter VS.Queen of Hearts #1 cover b
Terry Moore's Echo #24
Tick New Series #5
Torchwood #2 cover a
Torchwood #2 cover b
Wire Hangers #4 cover a
Wire Hangers #4 cover b
WWE Heroes #6 cover a
WWE Heroes #6 cover b
Yours Truly Jack The Ripper #3
Yours Truly Jack The Ripper #3 incentive cover

TRADES & HARDCOVERS

28 Days Later TPB volume 01 London Calling
Amazing Screw On Head & Other Curious Objects HC
Angel Barbary Coast TPB
Atomic Robo Vol 4 Other Strangeness TPB
Avengers Initiative TPB Dreams and Nightmares
Batman Cacophony TPB
Classic GI Joe TPB volume 09
Dantes Divine Comedy HC
Dark X-Men TPB
Exiles Ultimate Collection TPB book 5
Existence 2.0/3.0 TPB
Farscape Vol 1 Beginning Of The End Of The Beginning TPB
Invincible Vol 13 Growing Pains TPB
Iron Man Extremis HC with motion comic dvd
J Scott Campbell Blue Beauties
J Scott Campbell More Gray Area Sketch Book
Jerry Robinson Ambassador of Comics HC
Kevin Smith Green Hornet HC volume 01 Sins of the Father
Little Lulu Giant Size Vol 2 TPB
MMW Silver Surfer TPB volume 02
Siege New Avengers PREM HC
Spider-Man Complete Clone Saga Epic Book 3 TPB
Star Wars Clone Wars Yr Hero Of Confederacy TPB
Stitches GN
Supreme Power Contract TPB
Tales of the Dragon Guard Premiere HC
Tiny Titans Vol 4 The First Rule Of Pet Club TPB
Torch TPB
Transformers Last Stand Of The Wreckers TPB
Ultimate Spider-Man Ultimate Collection TPB volume 03
Umbrella Academy Composition Book
We Will Bury You TPB volume 01
Witchblade Vol 8 TPB KIDS
Betty & Veronica Double Digest #207
Cars Adventures of Tow Mater #2
Darkwing Duck #1 second print
Veronica #202
Walt Disneys Comics & Stories #710 cover a
Walt Disneys Comics & Stories #710 cover b MAGAZINES
Alter Ego #96
Back Issue #43

KIDS

Venture Bros 8-In Series 1 AF Asst
Venture Bros 8-In Series 1 AF Asst

Demeno: Our Pathfinder campaign world

2010-08-26T12:47:00.000+02:00

Click to embiggen

My group is not currently involved in adventuring on Pathfinder's world of Golarion, and are instead on Demeno (a world the group was transported to unexpectedly).

Demeno

Demeno contains three continents amid its immense seas.

The largest of these is Dymax, which is also the most heavily populated.

On its western edge, bordered by an enormous mountain chain, Dymax expands into a large peninsular area which plays host to a number of civilizations built upon the ruins of great past empires.

East of Dymax, across the Dymax seas is the largely unexplored continent of Kerguelen, home to a few hardy explorers and the remnants of a former Elven kingdom.

Thousands of miles to the south of Kerguelen are the remnants of the once great island-continent of Suju, which saw the rise of the first human civilizations. All that remains of Suju today is a harsh wasteland with a very small town; most of the continent sunk beneath the sea for reasons unknown.

The smallest continent on Demeno is Sem, which lies near the dangerous pirate-filled Straits of Sem.

Immense frozen areas span the northern and southern poles of the planet. Little is known about these areas as they are too cold and harsh-weathered for permanent and successful habitation.

That's a very brief overview of where we are. While Paizo has some really awesome stuff for Golarion, our DM thought that it would be a lot more fun to change things up and drop us on a whole new planet.

Playing tabletop RPGs on Twitter doesn't work

2010-08-24T12:53:00.000+02:00

Let me start off by saying that there are lots of things that I love about Twitter.

I love the instant connectivity, how it brings news to me immediately, as the news happens. I love how I can find out about and read a lot of different articles that I would probably have missed had I not been on Twitter. I can find out when certain blogs I follow have updated, seconds after it has happened. It is really great.

But - it's no secret that I am no fan of playing games on Twitter.

There's nothing more annoying, for example, than getting RTs from people on Twitter pretending to be intoxicated super heroes, TV characters from a show about kids who sing a lot, or sending out third-party tweets that look like this:

So-and-so just became Mayor of Walmart.
Margaret just unlocked her menstruation badge.
Frank West is at Rafael's Shoes at the Willamette Parkview Mall.

Who. Gives. A. Shite?

Twitter is not Facebook. If you're on Facebook (and I'm not sure why you would be anymore), go play all of the games you want. Mafia, Spymaster, Farmville... whatever.

But that's a whole other issue in itself.

Now there seems to be a trend of actual "tabletop" roleplaying on Twitter.

Let's say you want to play D&D or Shadowrun or whatever on Twitter. As any tabletop gamer is well aware, there is a lot of information that needs to be passed back and forth between players - not including just the dice rolls. The matter of character actions in themselves will take up far more than Twitter's 140 character maximum. Twitter simply isn't set up to handle traditional game mechanics.

In order to make it work, you need minimal crunch as well as minimal back-and-forth, with a good helping of minimal communication. I really don't know what kind of fun that is.

I also think that when the body language factor is removed, you miss a whole lot of the fun that is face-to-face gaming.

I know that there is a group that is playing De Profundis on Twitter, but that really doesn't qualify as a traditional tabletop RPG since there is no need for a GM and the game can be played solo.

I suppose that is more than possible to develop a complex system for playing, say, D&D - but once you have removed all of the traditional elements, it really isn't the same game any longer.

And call me a Luddite if you will, but actual paper and dice should never be removed from tabletop RPGs. It's all part of a continuing downward spiral of the dumbing down of games that seems to be making a comeback in recent years.

But after this is said, if you're going to do it anyway - please don't spam Twitter with it. Your friends that aren't in the game will thank you for it.

Comics shipping August 25th

2010-08-23T04:32:00.001+02:00

MARVEL

Amazing Spider-Man Presents American Son #4
Astonishing X-Men #35
Avengers #4
Avengers #4 john romita jr variant
Avengers #4 women of marvel frame variant
Black Widow #5
Captain America #609
Captain America 1940s Newspaper Strip #3
Dark Wolverine #90
Deadpool Team-Up #890
Dream Logic #2
Fantastic Four #582
Heroic Age Prince of Power #4
Namor First Mutant #1
Namor First Mutant #1 quesada variant
Punisher Max Happy Ending #1
Scarlet #1 second print
Secret Warriors #19
Sense & Sensibility #4
Shadowland Moon Knight #1
Spider-Girl The End #1
Spider-Man #5
Thanos Imperative #2 second print
Thor #613
Ultimate Comics Mystery #2
X-Campus #3
X-Factor #208
X-Men Curse of Mutants Blade #1
X-Men Curse of Mutants Storm & Gambit #1
X-Men Curse of Mutants Storm & Gambit #1 variant cover
X-Men Forever 2 #6
X-Men Legacy #239
X-Men Legacy #239 women of marvel frame variant

Action #892
Action #892 DC 75th Anniversary Variant Cover
Batman #702
Detective Comics #868
Gotham City Sirens #15
Green Arrow #3 On-going
Green Arrow #3 On-going White Lantern Variant
Justice League Generation Lost #8
Justice League Generation Lost #8 White Lantern Variant
Justice League of America #48
Justice League of America #48 White Lantern Variant
Legion of Super-Heroes #4
Legion of Super-Heroes #4 Jim Lee Variant
Outsiders #32
Superman Batman #75
Superman Secret Origin #6
Superman Secret Origin #6 frank variant cover
Teen Titans #86
Teen Titans #86 75th Anniversary Variant Cover
Time Masters Vanishing Point #2 Return of Bruce Wayne
Wonder Woman #602
Wonder Woman #602 Alex Garner Variant Cover

DC/VERTIGO

Madame Xanadu #26
Scalped #40

DC/WILDSTORM

Fringe Tales From The Fringe #3
Fringe Tales From The Fringe #3 Photo Variant Cover
Garrison #5
Wildcats Worlds End #26

INDEPENDENT

Ani-Max One Shot
Darkness Four Horsemen #1
Darkness Four Horsemen #1 incentive cover
Dodgem Logic Magazine #3
Fame #4 taylor swift cover a
Fame #4 taylor swift cover b
Female Force #16 anne rice deporter cover
Female Force #16 anne rice mar cover
Female Force #17 margaret thatcher
Fevre Dream #5
Fevre Dream #5 nightmare cover
Fevre Dream #5 wrap cover
Garth Ennis Battlefields #9
Gravel #20
Gravel #20 wrap cover
Guardians of the Globe #1
Guardians of the Globe #1 variant cover
Invincible #74
Lady Robotika #2
Political Power #12 arnold schwarzenegger
Priest Purgatory #1
Robocop #6
Rock 'N' Roll Comics #1 joan jett & the runaways
Salems Daughter #5 cover a
Salems Daughter #5 cover b
Savage Dragon #163
Usagi Yojimbo #131
Vincent Price Presents #19
Vincent Price Presents #20
Wolfskin Hundredth Dream #4
Wolfskin Hundredth Dream #4 blood cover
Wolfskin Hundredth Dream #4 incentive cover
Wolfskin Hundredth Dream #4 painted cover
Wolfskin Hundredth Dream #4 wrap cover

TRADES & HARDCOVERS

Archie Calssic Newspaper Comics HC Vol 1
Batman the Bat and the Beast
Buck Rogers TPB Vol 1 Future Shock
Chronicles of King Conan TBP Vol 1
Codebreakers TPB
Complete Peanuts HC Vol 14
Crusades HC Vol 1
Danger Girl Deluxe Edition HC
Dark Entries TPB
Essential Hulk TPB Vol 6
Filthy Rich TBP
Haunted TPB
Little Lulu Vol 24 Space Dolly & Other Stories TPB
Little Lulu Pal Tubby Vol 1 Castaway Other Stories TPB
Mighty TP Vol 2
Marvel Masterworks Atlas Era Tales of Supense HC Vol 3
Marvel Masterworks Sgt Fury HC Vol 3
Moonknight Countdown to Dark HC
Ms. Marvel Vol 9 Best You Can Be TPB
Our Hero Superman On Earth HC
Runaways Vol 11 Homeschooling Digest
Secret Invasion HC
Siege Thunderbolts PREM HC
Star Wars Year By Year Visual Chronicle HC
Thor Warriors Three HC
Wolverine Origins Seven Hard Way TPB
X-men Inferno Crossovers HC

KIDS

Bart Simpson Comics #55
Batman Brave and the Bold #20
Betty & Veronica #249
Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam #19
Jughead's Double Digest #163
Sonic the Hedgehog #216

MAGAZINES

Dodgem Logic Magazine #3
Marvel Previews #86
Previews #264
Supernatural Magazine #19
Supernatural Magazine #19 px edtion
Tomarts Action Figure Digest #191
Wizard the Guide to Comics #230

WIP Terrain and Scenery at the Dane of War Workshop

2010-08-20T12:16:00.001+02:00

In the any game involving miniatures, terrain and scenery are extremely important. Not all games take place on cut-out cardboard dungeon tiles, and white boards aren't very inspiring for immersive gameplay.

While it is easy to go out and buy ready-made terrain and scenery, home-made stuff can be just as good.

The following series of terrain is a desert-themed set of 8 buildings, 5 hills, and 2 rock formations. They are multi-genre - and can be used as representative of buildings on Taros (from Warhammer 40,000), Araby (from Warhammer), the Old American West, or far-off worlds from the Star Wars Universe.

The buildings are constructed of balsa, PVC glue, sand, flock, and wood from the inside bits of an old desk drawer (the slightly cardboard / wood pitted material from DIY furniture). The hills are Styrofoam, PVC glue, sand, flock, and the rock formations are (obviously) rocks, PVC glue, sand, flock - with bases again from the inside bits of an old desk drawer.

The next piece is another "multi-genre" work. It can be used as a mine or cave entrance and makes for a pretty nice objective for either fantasy or future games.

It is constructed from approximately 5 lbs of plaster, pieces of balsa, PVC glue, flock and the base is standard wood from the inside bits of an old desk drawer.

Things-to-do:

Battle damage to the buildings (bullet-holes)
Matt varnish applied to everything (for protection)

All of the terrain is scaled for (circa) 28mm scale miniatures. Overall construction cost of everything above was less than $10 USD.

New details on Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

2010-08-19T12:54:00.001+02:00

Earlier this month, Relic Entertainment in Vancouver, British Columbia gave out a sneak peek at their upcoming game: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine.

While 2 trailers had been released at E3 2009 and E3 2010, this was the first time that any actual gameplay had been shown to the public.

While Relic might not be widely known as a console developer, it's not entirely unfamiliar with the territory, having released "The Outfit" for the Xbox 360 in 2006.

According to Producer Raphael van Lierop, 40K fans can come to expect the following elements:

You will play Captain Titus of the Ultramarines
Your mission is to liberate a Forge World from an invading horde of Orks
The Orks are led by a warboss who is intent on stealing a Warlord Class Titan
The game will be a "seamless blend" of FPS and melee combat
The game will feature upgradeable weapons
The game will appeal to fans of not just 40K, but of science fiction / action games
No release date as of yet
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine will be available for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC

While THQ Executive VP of core games Danny Bilson made it clear the publisher thinks very highly of Space Marine, describing it as a "Gears of War killer", that remains to be seen. But with the success that Relic has had with their nearly 8-year Dawn of War franchise, they appear to have a firm grasp on the 40K universe and have shown us some really cool-looking sneak peaks for this upcoming game.

Getting ready for Deathwatch: Hive Worlds

2010-08-18T13:20:00.000+02:00

Hive Worlds are planets which, in all but a few cases, were settled thousands of years ago, often before the time of the Imperium, during the Dark Age of Technology when mankind first spread throughout the galaxy.

A Hive World has a population which far outweighs its own ability to feed or support it, often exceeding a thousand billion people on a planet the size of Earth. Such vast numbers of people exert such pressure upon the environment that few hive worlds can sustain life naturally. Many have no free ground surface left because they are entirely built over, to the extent that the planet is no more than a huge urban conglomeration.

Hive Worlds are tough places: little value is attached to human life and air, light and food are often precious and rare commodities. Because the populations of Hive Worlds are so large they are almost impossible to control. As a consequence it is generally the case that hive societies are extremely brutal and dangerous. Violence is often institutionalised and accepted, and upholding the law is commonly a matter of exerting personal power and influence. In such a situation a man depends upon his friends and family, those whose livelihoods depend on him and those to whom he can promise support. Every hive world has its unique environment, history, and circumstances.

Landscape

Hive worlds are planets devoid of any remnant of their original natural beauty, the surfaces reduced to a wasteland of windblown ash and accumulated industrial waste. Throughout this wasteland lie the hive cities which give such planets their distinctive character and their collective name of hive worlds.

The hives are grouped into clusters comprising up to a dozen or so individual hives all linked by a network of overground travel tubes and subterranean passages. These clusters are scattered over the cloud-strewn surface of the planet. From the top of any hive it is possible to see the tips of distant hive clusters projecting from the seas of poison mists like far-flung islands.

Hive clusters are connected together by roads across the wastes and transportation tubes supported on pylons and suspended on cables. With its forest of towering hives interconnected in a network of tubes, the landscape resembles a petrified forest entangled in the web of some enormous spider. On the notorious hive world of Necromunda this is a very powerful symbol.

The hives are the result of thousands of years of constant demolition and rebuilding. Any of the planet's original cities lie underneath the hives, many hundreds of yards below the current surface of the planet's ash wastes.

Each hive takes the form of many huge spires which rise from the base of the city. From a distance, a hive resembles a mass of stalagmites rising from the cloud strewn wastes. Each hive covers an approximately circular area some fifty to a hundred miles in diameter. The tops of the spires can rise to a dozen or more miles above the ground surface, piercing the festering clouds that surround the lower levels of the hive. The spires usually merge into each other at their bases, and smaller spires will sometimes grow out and upwards from just above the base, branching like a cactus and forming multiple spires.

The spires are only the top part of the hive, comprising the upper hab zones with factory layers on or above the current ground surface. The older and partially ruined factory and hab layers still exist, although they are buried beneath the ash wastes. Though they are hidden, factories and habs are rarely abandoned until they are utterly derelict or polluted beyond use even by hive world standards.

The Ash Wastes

Ash wastes are areas of land covered in an abrasive and highly corrosive ash, the end product of thousands of yeas of industry. This desert covers every inch of most hive worlds that is not protected within a hive. In densely populated parts of a hive world, hives may be separated by only fifty or a hundred miles of waste. Some hives may be separated by a stretch of a thousand miles of waste.

In some places the ash is miles deep, forming shifting ranges of dust dunes which can bury roads and transport tubes, and erode the base of a hive when swept along in the frequent dust storms. The funnel-shape of the hive spires is designed to strengthen the hive against the worst ravages of the dust, but even so they are often buried to half their height or more by ash. This is stabilised and held in place by the fresh wastes which pour from the drains of the hive factories.

The ash wastes are mostly composed of metal oxides, powdered plastics and inorganic chemicals which take millennia to reduce. The wastes are an inhospitable environment. The ash corrodes equipment and poisons organic life, although a surprisingly variety of creatures do survive. No unpolluted air, food or water can be found in these dead lands, although there are fungi, algae and bacteria which live on the waste itself. These are believed to be responsible for the limited free oxygen on the atmosphere of most hive worlds.

The ash wastes are a striking and colourful if somewhat lurid environment. The nomads of the waste and even most hive-dwellers who see them would call them beautiful. The ash occurs in many different, often vivid hues such as sulphur yellow, citric green, cobalt blue, pink, mauve, as well as various shades of grey, and it varies in texture from fine dust to crystalline clinker. The creatures and nomads that live there are equally colourful, the better to blend into their surroundings.

Ash Storms

The most dangerous hazard of the wastes is the ash storms. These terrible storms can blow their payload of toxic ash from the equator to the poles. A moderate ash storm will strip an unprotected man to the bone in seconds, and then reduce his bones to a handful of dust. A serious storm is something that all hive-dwellers fear. These can be so strong that they have been known to destroy entire hives. Ruined spires are occasionally revealed in the wake of one storm only to be covered over again by shifting waste in the next. In some areas, ash has been blown away to reveal the scarred bedrock of the planet. During the calmer seasons, which coincides with an extinct summer, liquid pollutants rise to the surface, forming slick-lakes and short-lived blind-rivers. Streams meander across the land, vanishing into sink-holes in the dust only to rise elsewhere. Imperial scholars who have studied dust ecologies believe that there may be currents and tides within the ash surface.

These transient rivers and lakes can dry out, forming a hard pan on the surface of the dust. These dangerous areas conceal deep seas of fine dust beneath them. The nomads who travel the wastes avoid such places, because to fall through the crust of a pan is certain death. Anyone who does so is suffocated and then corroded to nothing by the ash.

In hotter weather, when the sun breaks through the hive world's cloud cover, noxious vapours rise up and form poisonous mists and fogs. Mists are invariably followed by toxic rain storms, laden with particles of deadly ash dust and other contaminants.

However, despite their perils, the ash wastes conceal treasures. Much remains hidden beneath the surface, ready to be reclaimed and used: derelict spires from lost hives; buried convoys; wrecked stratoplanes, aircraft and spaceships; long-abandoned mine workings; and even, in places, raw materials from the bedrock of the planet. There are a few places where, thanks to some mysterious natural sorting of the wind and ash itself, veins of pure oxides and chemicals have accumulated. Such concentrations, or ash pockets, are worth mining in themselves. They are a rich raw material which can be reprocessed.

Sludge Seas

Most, if not all, hive worlds no longer have large expanses of open water. Any such seas and oceans have been filled with liquid chemical waste, choked with ash and thick with chemicals poisoned by heavy metals. The consistency of the sludge varies from a thin, chemical soup to a viscous polluted mud. Sea surfaces have solidified so much that only flyers or hover vehicles can cross. Some mutants even live in these areas, utterly isolated from the rest of the planet.

The sludge seas, however, also support their quota of hives. Some are built on massive piles, driven deep into the sea floor. Other, relatively small hives have been constructed on massive floating islands which are anchored in position. On more than one occasion a floating hive has broken free during an ash storm and sunk or capsized. Survivors of such a disaster are rare.

Anatomy of a Hive

The Spires

From a distance, when the clouds lift from around a hive, its spires look like a cluster of tall, tapering termite mounds. They rise from a broad base of outlying structures to near-vertical towers. Their gigantic scale is such that it almost defies human involvement in their construction and they look as though they might have sprouted up out of the ground by themselves, like some great organic growth. Few human constructions can rival their awesome size. Although no two spires are exactly the same, they all share common characteristics and are constructed in a similar fashion.

A section cut through a spire is not a whole circle. A spire is divided into a series of segments, like wedges of a cheese, which are joined at the centre. Deep gullies or slits in the spire, crossed by communications tubes, separate the segments. These gullies are supposed to admit light and air to the spire, but their size makes this impractical. Every added communications tube also adds its shadow to the darkness of the interior.

The areas close to the core are far removed from the outside world. Their only illumination is provided by glowglobes and massive cables of fibre or flexible glass, which run down into the core of the hive from the sunlit pinnacles of the spires. These create weak shafts of light that penetrate the dim catacombs of the hive and light in the same way as the nave of a Gothic cathedral.

Fresh air enters the inner recesses of the hive via great ducts from the upper layers. It is drawn in through huge wind intake fans and filtered through dozens of purification plants to remove the fumes accumulated as it passes down the height of the spire. In the deepest parts of the hive and especially in the old factories and undercity layers, the air ducts no longer function. Here fumes and stale air accumulate and personal respirators must be worn at all times.

The many airducts and vents are infested by strange creatures called caryatids. These small, blue, winged humanoids, which exist in great numbers on the hive world of Necromunda particularly, are seen as lucky charms and often attach themselves to successful individuals. Conversely, the departure of a pet caryatid is seen as an omen of doom - its former companion is then regarded as a man waiting for death.

The Shell

The outer shell of a hive is its skin and defense. Though the cliff-like shell of a spire appears to be quite solid, its surface is pierced with deep vertical and angled shafts. These shafts are small compared to the bulk of the spire, but are important because they admit additional light and air into the core of the hive. They are all protected by a series of massive covers which can be moved into place when required.

The shell is where the majority of the inter-spire travel tunnels and tubes begin and end. Tunnel stations and gateway fortresses, convoy parks and garrison blocks are all located in it, where they can contribute to the regulation and defence of traffic between and within the hives.

The shell is also the first line of a hive's active defences against planetary invasion. Giant defence lasers, each capable of hitting an orbiting target, are mounted at many points. These are used to defend the hive against human or alien spacecraft. However, against the fierce ash storms, the shell's surface forms its only defence.

Although some people do live within the hive shells, the storms are an excellent reason to find accommodation deeper within the spire. Being able to experience direct sunlight or feel a fresh draft of air from the duct is a status symbol almost as important as having a good diet, but a single ash storm can make such status symbols meaningless.

A heavy storm is quite capable of stripping off the shell's outer layers, including a spire's laser defences, travel facilities and shell-dwellers. Shells must be constantly refurbished by work-gangs, otherwise the next ash storm could easily penetrate the tunnels, shafts and catacombs of the main spire and rip it apart.

Heat Sinks

At the heart of every spire there is a single vertical shaft known as the heat sink. From the topmost levels of the spire the heat sink reaches far below the lowest levels of the hive, down through the geological crust of the planet itself. A heat sink can be several miles across. It is a vast, hollow, sealed tube made from dense plasteel. Along the length of its thick plasteel walls there are buildings, chambers, shafts and service tunnels.

The sink takes heat from the planet's core and turns it into power for the spire. At intervals throughout the length of the heat sink there are generator stations which convert the raw heat into usable energy. The power is then transmitted to the factories and hab layers around the core. There are no power stations in the lower levels. The heat sink passes through these levels and provides only a constant warmth. This, however, is infinitely preferable to the damp chill of the remainder of the lower hive.

On most hive worlds, the power generation systems are controlled by clans whose territory they fall into. These clans receive a considerable income from all who use their power, so possession of the heat sinks is one of the chief marks of a powerful clan of the inner core. Other clans might control territory between the power stations and the users, and they often extract their own tolls from both factories and power producers to protect transmission lines. In this way the feudal clans operate as producers, suppliers and consumers in a thriving economy. Only in the upper hab layers of the spires is there a regulated service. There, power is drawn from stations controlled by the hive world's government, i.e. troops belonging to the planetary governor.

Access to the heat sink is usually very difficult. Many levels have no access at all, and on others access ports are sealed and guarded. On some of the older levels, however, many seals are ruined or insecure and access is possible although dangerous.

Hab Layers

The upper layers of each spire are called habitation areas or hab layers. Here the bulk of the population live in conditions which range from relative luxury to dismal squalor.

Where a family lives in a spire reflects its social standing and importance. The topmost layers of the spire are populated by the elite households of the hive. This hive nobility live in relative comfort enjoying the luxury of natural light, fresh air and real food imported from nearby agricultural worlds. Below lie the twilight levels, inhabited by the rest of the population. Conditions on the twilight hab layers are considerably less pleasant than in the habs above. Natural daylight is dim, fresh air is unknown, and most of the food has been eaten and recycled many times before.

Below the twilight layers is the darkness of the undercity. Here, the only light comes from the artificial glowglobes. Everything, even the air, on these levels has been used before and reprocessed several times. The proteins and minerals in the universal synthdiet is reclaimed from human bodies that no longer have need of it. On hive worlds, everything that can be recycled is recycled, including the people themselves.

The Factory Levels

The industrial complexes built into the spires produce all kinds of different items which are traded to other planets in return for the food which hive worlds so desperately needs to feed the teeming millions.

In the hives, the factory levels extend from below the lower habs down to the surface of the ash wastes and beyond. Over the millennia, the waste exuded from the factories has solidified around the base of the hives, effecting the ever-rising layer of ash waste which covers the surface of the planet. As the level of the ash wastes rises, so the lower factories find themselves buried below the ground. So long as it remains possible to pump effluent up to the surface, these factories can still continue to function.

The new factory levels are a network of waste pipes, gutter-shafts and gas-drains which bleed poisons and noxious wastes away from working areas. These drains stick out of the lower flanks of the hives, flaring off dangerous gas, belching out fumes into the filth-ridden air, or pouring poisonous liquids and solid waste onto the polluted ash below.

Industrial production is controlled by the many clans. Each producer fits into a pattern of feudal obligation - supplying other clans and taking raw materials, components and power from others. Large, powerful clans act as clearing houses for the goods and services provided by their feudal inferiors. This industrial feudalism of a hive world regulates demand and supply in a thoroughly efficient manner.

Clans will often rise in power and importance, as lesser clans in related industries come together in uneasy alliances. Sometimes conflict of interests, territorial rights and clan rivalry lead to inter-clan feuds.

Workers usually live in or very near the factories where they work, and are as much a resource as the machines they tend. In some cases, workers, especially Techs, are surgically adapted to perform specialist functions. Such physical and mental enhancements are expensive to finance, which makes such workers very valuable.

Old Factories

As the surface of the wastes rises it becomes increasingly difficult to service the factories on the buried levels. Huge vacuum pumps lift countless tons of filth up above surface level for venting outside the hive, but even these have their limits. There is a point in each spire below which disposing of the factories' rubbish is impractical. When the cost of disposing of a factory's waste is no longer outweighed by the value of its output, it is closed down and abandoned.

As the lower levels fall below the level of the ash wastes and are abandoned to low-life scum, lower hab layers are converted into new factories, and the upper hab levels are extended upwards. In this way the spires of a hive world are being continually renewed.

The old factory layers are filled with abandoned machinery and hab levels and often reach as far below ground as the spires stretch above it. The lowest parts of the old factory levels are little more than rubble, having collapsed under the weight of the hive, or been deliberately filled in to make foundations for later building work. The abandoned factories and hab layers are infested by scavvies, gangs who roam the dead layers of the hive scavenging for anything they can use or trade.

The Undercity

Below the hive's foundations lies a honeycomb of ancient tunnels, ruins, and buildings from a long-dead past. These ruins lie at the very bottom of each spire, far below any factories and the ash wastes: they are the undercities, the oldest and deepest parts of any hives.

Undercity zones predate the hives by many centuries, even millennia. They are the remnants of the first cities, built before the planet's natural ecology was destroyed, when there were no encroaching ash wastes. It is quite possible that the remains of the colony barges that first brought mankind to the planet still lie beneath some hives.

The undercities are infested with fugitives, outcasts and mutants who are regarded by the upper hive-dwellers as little better than the animal vermin which are also found there. Life in the undercity is even more violent and difficult than life in the spires above. Many of the most ruthless hive gangs have origins in the undercity. At the bottom of the hive, upward mobility is more than an abstract concept. The strong, the lucky and ruthless can rise to the top, in terms of actual location in the hive as well as in status. It is not unknown for survivors of the undercity to reach high status as officers in the Imperial Army, schooled and tempered by the terrible necessities of survival.

The Forbidden Cities

The military tunnels, which link most hives, run deep beneath the ash wastes, cut into the very bedrock of the planet. This travel network is constructed to allow military units to move quickly around the planet.

Access to the hive is via great ramp-shafts guarded by gatehouses, but unauthorised persons are able to gain entry through the heat sinks and air-vents. Under the hives, and linked to this underground tunnel network, are cavernous storage depots and bunkers, used for stockpiles of synthetic food and raw materials in the anticipation of war or some other disaster.

The tunnel system and its associated bunkers are usually very ancient, dating to a time before the hives had grown to the massive sizes that are common today. As the system is continually being renovated or enlarged, many tunnels and bunkers have been bypassed or disused and sealed up. Over the millennia, these unused tunnels and bunkers have been forgotten and lost.

Most hive worlds have these 'forbidden cities'. Necromunda's forbidden cities, for example, are home to deposits of the psychic drug 'spook'. Necromunda's cavernous vaults of their forbidden cities are extended and embellished with the wealth brought in by this drug. Pillared halls are cut from the rock, polished stones and mosaics adorn the floors, ceilings and walls. These places have become palaces of archaic decadence and splendour.

Most of these forbidden cities are populated from the scum of the undercity, supervised and guarded by savage undercity gangs. If they cannot find enough willing workers they will incite undercity gangs to make slave raids into the lower hab layers or offer to buy captives from nomad slavers. Once introduced to the decadent life within the Forbidden City, most slaves are reluctant to ever be free again.

Spook exploitation brings in incredible wealth. This wealth helps to maintain the privileged lifestyle of those noble families secretly involved in its manufacture and trade. These are the so called Lords of the Forbidden Cities. Some are of noble origin, others are adventurers of obscure origin who have connections with the nobility. Frequently they are members of noble households who have gone into exile because they are suspected psykers or wish to escape from political enemies. They simply disappear from the upper spires, setting up court in the hidden bunkers where the spook is processed.

Spook

While there are many decaying foodstuffs down in the bunkers, only a certain type degenerates into the spook lode; the vestigial remains of the oldest kind of synthdiet. The decayed synthdiet deposits are now nothing more than a lurid green powder, having been acted on by mutant fungi for thousands of years. It contained a high proportion of recycled human protein and it is this human essence which is likely to account for its dramatic effects on the human psyche.

The drug spook is taken in liquid form - the ultimate magic potion. When drunk in small amounts, it awakens the imbiber's psychic abilities. When drunk in quantity it opens the channel between a person's physical body and their soul in the warp. If the individual has strong soul, it will be drawn into his material body; if he has a weak soul, all psychic energy will be instantly sucked out of him and lost in the void. It is for this reason that spook is a very dangerous substance, and its use viciously repressed by the Imperium.

In hive world society, people are constantly seeking ways to exploit anything they discover. The people who stumbled on the unusual green deposits investigated ways of turning them into wealth, as they would have done with any substance, and in the process discovered spook. Being ignorant of matters of the human soul and the danger inherent in mankind's metamorphosis into a psychic race, spook was seen as just another substance to be recycled and exploited for profit.

There has always been a massive demand for drugs in hive society, mainly to supplement the diet and ward off sickness. Spook became popular among the nobility who revelled in its exotic effects and it has slowly filtered down throughout hive society.

The noble households which exploited this resource naturally kept the trade secret and continued to grow rich. The household of the Lord of Necromunda himself was involved in the business and was able to organise off planet trade of spook. This had to be accomplished using smugglers, since the Imperial fleet conduct all legal trade in space.

No-one knows or can predict where the spook deposits are to be found, but whenever one comes to light, the 'right people' are informed, and mining and processing can begin. Trusted noble households with a close connection to the ruling dynasty will get concession to exploit the deposit.

Small quantities of spook are also found and traded by scavvies who stumble on eroded deposits during their delvings. This accounts for a small amount of wild spook that is traded in the undercity and shanties. Imperial agents trying to track the spook to its source usually end up following the scavvy spook and thereby miss the main source. There is nothing that connects the nobility to this scavvy spook.

The most significant outlet for spook is the secret cults that lurk in many hives. These cultists need a regular supply of this psychic-enhancing substance. The Immortals in particular require vast quantities for their rites and the expansion of the this cult is certainly the single greatest factor in the growth of the spook trade. Most of the spook lords who rule the Forbidden Cities are probably already members of this cult.

Spook is easily distributed via the various undercity, scavvy or nomad gangs who ask no questions and only know of the next link in the chain.

The Shanties

Shanty towns are built outside the hives, clustered at the outer edge of the shells of the spires. They are inhabited by all kinds of hive world scum who cannot cope with life within the hives. The spires, at least, offer a limited protection against the poisoned rains and corrosive ash. The best shelter a shanty dweller can hope for is one or two layers of packing material, or an abandoned vehicle. To make matters worse, much of the factories' toxic effluent pours directly down onto the shanties.

If a shanty remains in existence for any length of time and somehow escapes being swept away by a storm, the inhabitants will excavate caves and cellars into the solidified sludge and compacted dust. These dwellings can be reinforced by sludge baked by the sun into crude bricks. By retreating into these refuges, some shanty dwellers survive the ash storms that sweep away the more flimsy parts of their homes. When the storm abates, they force their way through the wind-blown dust to the surface and attempt to rebuild the shanty out of the wreckage of the old one.

Conditions in the shanties are worse than anything in the hives, yet for most shanty-dwellers even their crude home is preferable to wandering the ash wastes, where they would fall victim to the creatures and nomads if the heat, corrosive dust and freak storms did not get them first.

No-one from the hives bothers shanty-dwellers very much - they have little worth taking. Furthermore, the sprawling settlements are home to vicious gangs of shanty-dwellers, scavvies and nomad bandits that have come to the shanty to trade.

Getting ready for Deathwatch: Language and Culture in the Imperium

2010-08-17T13:41:00.002+02:00

There are many different cultures and civilizations spread across the Imperium and each has its own customs, traditions and variations in language. This section serves as an introduction to highlight some of the differences. As the Imperium sprawls across innumerable star systems, we cannot hope to cover a small fraction of the peculiarities and oddities in the general population. However, the players and the GM should liven up their role-play sessions and bring some individuality to characters by the use of some of these dialects and customs. Nothing can be more infuriating than trying to restock your character's dwindling supplies when no one can understand you.

A Note on Language

High Gothic
High Gothic, also known as Principal Gothic, Archaic Gothic or Prime Gothic, is the official language of the Imperium. It is an ancient and highly evolved language mainly used in ceremonies, consultations and situations where absolute clarity and definition are required. High Gothic has remained virtually unchanged since the founding of the Imperium which means that speakers from very different cultures and backgrounds can effectively communicate with each other. The language is mainly used by highly educated people and generally by those of higher class and refinement. High Gothic represents an older tongue, itself a development of Twentieth Century languages, not necessarily Latin as such.

Low Gothic
Low Gothic, also referred to as Base Gothic or Common Tongue, is the main language used everyday by the majority of people in the Imperium. It has many variations from world to world and often from sector to sector on a particular planet. Mainly the differences are in accents and peculiarities in pronunciation, but there maybe differences in dialect. This can come about due to unique animals, objects, organizations and so on present on the world. Many words can also have multiple meanings which makes Low Gothic seem incomprehensible to a foreigner. On the other hand, some worlds at opposite ends of the Imperium will have been discovered and settled by groups of colonists setting off from the same world. Therefore the accents and dialects are remarkably similar leading to some citizens proclaiming that their long lost cousins have returned.

If characters resort to very simple sentences using basic words they will be understood most of the time. In the roleplay environment, the GM should rule when a different dialect is in operation and whether it can easily be understood. A few Int and Fel test should suffice. No hard rules can be presented here, it's just to add a bit of color to the proceedings. Failure of any test by a small margin means that there are problems getting the message across. Failure by a larger amount could lead to animosity and even racial discrimination.

On my travels, perhaps the hardest form of Low Gothic to understand is on the Planet Cock-Nee. The planet and its people are harmless enough: they mainly trade with one another in their chirpy, fast-speaking manner, but what I find difficult to understand is their rhyming slang. Instead of referring to an object by its correct name they twist it around and use another name that rhymes with the original, thus leading to widespread confusion.

On my first day in the space port at Lundun I was told to "take a butcher's" at a cheap home appliance. Did this peddler mean that I had to taker a butcher's cleaver and destroy his worthless goods? Or did he merely want me to don a butcher's apron to fit in? On further questioning I was informed that "butcher's" was short for "butcher's hook...look, gerrit!" What a confusing expression. One citizen then turned to another and said, "look at that geezer's whistle." But I didn't even possess one, I am not some common entertainer sent from the Ministorum to keep these people occupied.

It will take some time to educate these heathens in the correct tongue of our beneficent Emperor. I am sending for immediate aid from a member of the Orders Dialogus of the Sisterhood to help me with my quest.

- From the Journal of Preacher Lutha

Low Gothic is often debased even further in some cultures, where slang marks one out as belonging to a gang or to an organization. For example, it is very hard to understand a Hive World gangster as the slang is part of their culture and differs depending on the Hive they grew up in and even on the floor they inhabit. Therefore it is virtually impossible to understand gangsters unless the character has been some form of Rogue. Asteroid miners also form another clique that uses colloquialisms. Some warrior sects also employ secret dialects. If a character can understand these groups then they maybe able to gain useful information as they are part of the 'brotherhood'.

Lingua-Technis
Within the Adeptus Mechanicus a language is used that describes and refers to technical aspects and scientific findings. Known as Lingua-Technis, this language is mainly confined to the Tech-Priests of the Machine God. However, on highly industrialized nations or in technologically oriented cultures some elements of Lingua-Technis can be found integrated into Low Gothic.

Lingua-Technis developed during the Dark Age of Technology (in fact a golden age from the point of view of science - it is only dark in the minds of the men who now fear it). It derives from the common tongue of the time, an assimilation of English, European and Pacific languages which developed over many centuries in the American/Pacific region. This was the universal medium of written record until the Age of Strife, and was spoken as a first language by many and as a second language by almost everyone. Its idioms and vocabulary now appear archaic and mystic, many of its words have acquired religious significance over the years. It is the language of the Tech-priests and of forbidden books.

A Note on Culture
Just as there are many different dialects and accents across the Imperium, there are many different customs and traditions. The characters should be careful of their hand movements and body language as the wrong signals can deeply offend some races. The characters should be aware that cultures are different to capitalist, decadent, 20th century America. Going up to someone and giving them a 'high five' whilst shouting "what's up, dude?" can often result in a stub gun in the ribs. A quick apology is advisable at this point.

The usual greeting is to shake someone's right hand. Characters will come across races that bow (particularly on Hasaka), salute, wave, kiss and so on. The PCs could really be put in an embarrassing situation if the greeting is against their culture - I'm sure GMs can think of some good ideas.

Often the left hand is seen as insanitary and if a character waves it in a friendly fashion to a local he will be met with open hostility. On these worlds money should not be exchanged using the left hand.

On some worlds, mainly those with lower technology, martial prowess is very important: this is marked out by scars, tattoos, and 'trophies' taken from a victim. If a duel or similar engagement is fought and the PCs win then they will gain respect on the planet, but they'd better be careful of the loser and his associates.

The PCs should also be aware of the use of technology on Feudal or Feral worlds, or even on some civilized planets as technology is seen as witchcraft and the population is very wary of practitioners of the Dark Arts. The GM could set up some interesting encounters where the PCs are driven out of town for speaking to evil spirits on their comm-links. Maybe one of the PCs is captured and tried for being a witch and the rest of the party have to rescue him (or do they!). Conversely, the characters could be worshiped as demigods by savages after they witness the PCs performing some miracles with their equipment.

The Emperor Deified
One thing is for certain that where ever one travels in the Imperium, the Emperor is worshiped as a God. Some worship Him as the savior of Mankind, others as the protector of the weak or as a God of War. However, it is unlikely that the population of the Imperium know the true nature of the Emperor and how he came to be incarcerated in the Golden Throne.

All over the Imperium there are shrines and temples to the Emperor. The prayers, hymns and ceremonies are usually overseen by priests of the Ministorum. These priests, in the guise of missionaries, are responsible for bringing the divine Light of the Emperor to far off worlds recently embraced by the Imperium. Many missionaries have given their lives to spread the word and many will become martyrs in the future to turn humanity to the True Path of Wisdom.

Needless to say, the brave PCs could be called upon to spread the Word, or maybe they are sent to rescue a group of missionaries from a heathen planet.

The Return of Kids Need To Game

2010-08-16T14:44:00.000+02:00

School is back in session, and as such, it is time to re-start the Kids Need To Game program.

About Kids Need To Game

Kids Need To Game is a program that I started in March of 2010 in order to solicit donations of new and old games and gaming material for my school's gaming club, making it the very first-of-its-kind in Denmark.

How Kids Need To Game Helps

Children learn by being actively involved, and games are a perfect way to engage elementary students in educational tasks. Not only do games require active participation, but they also focus attention on the academic skills being taught and offer such rewards as advancing to a new level and earning points.

It may appear that using games in a school setting is simply a way to let kids play instead of attending to important academic tasks, but children actually do learn more when they find the task enjoyable.

Kinesthetic Learning

Many games generally involve hands-on components. Whether the child physically moves around the room, holds tokens or game pieces or moves objects, the process activates kinesthetic learning, a preferred mode of learning for young children.

Visual Learning

Visual cues used in games activate visual learning. Pictures, signs, posters and other images provide visual stimulation and assist in recall. Children who are visual learners are adept at recalling facts and concepts when they are presented with visual cues. Playing games with visual components sharpens visual discrimination skills as well.

Auditory Learning

Auditory learners benefit from the conversation used in games. Hearing others respond to questions or verbalize their strategies assists auditory learners in recalling information.

Verbal and Communication Skills

Verbal and communication skills are sharpened as students learn to follow directions, complete tasks and express themselves during the game. Word games build vocabulary skills, and words learned in the course of a game are more likely to be remembered because they are used in context or to advance the game.

Math Skills

Math skills are developed while playing games, even if the game isn't math related. Children calculate moves in the game, sharpening their mathematical reasoning and learning to predict outcomes. Estimation skills are refined as the children calculate the number of moves needed to complete the game or the amount of time needed to complete the task. For games with timers, kids learn to estimate and use time wisely.

Social Skills

Social-skill development is a natural result of playing games, as children learn to take turns and settle conflicts. Learning to win or lose gracefully goes a long way toward developing necessary social skills. Social interaction also develops conversational and negotiation skills.

Games also contribute a great deal to social development. Many kids, because of problems at home, shyness or physical disability find it hard to react with others. Some adults can't either, and nothing places one at a greater disadvantage in a business or social setting. Many developmental studies show that children that are normally withdrawn for whatever reasons, have shown a lot of improvement in their ability to cooperate with playmates, and have even increased their popularity among their playmates because of skills brought about by playing games. Tests done with shy adults have had similar results.

Probably the most important developmental benefit is that all of these games require that children interact and speak with each other. They have to negotiate rules, take turns, correct and challenge each other. Thus they are thinking and problem solving all the time. They can improve their listening and speaking skills. They also have to deal with the emotional consequences of these interactions: handling loss, helping a friend to handle a loss, being a gracious winner.

Children thrive when their peers, teachers and parents spend time interacting with them and games provide a great opportunity for this type of interaction.

A regular weekly game group is a great way to strengthen social ties and bonds between all members. As these members get together and talk, laugh and yes even compete against each other, fun memories are made and relationships are deepened.

Children who play games from the time they are young will likely grow up enjoying games and will be more likely to enjoy playing games with family and friends even as teens and young adults.

How You Can Help

Kids Need To Game needs donations of new or used games and gaming accessories. It doesn't matter what edition, nor if there are bent covers or chipped paint. If it is a nice and usable game - and if you can part with it, we'll take it.

What we need:

• Role Playing Games
• Card Games
• Board Games
• Wargames
• Gaming magazines

What we don't need:

• Any games that are overtly sexual in content
• Video Games
• Paint or paintbrushes
• eBooks. They are rather impractical in a library setting.
• Money. This is about gaming... not lining my pockets.

You can join forces with Mongoose Publishing, Triple Ace Games, Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd, Arc Dream Publishing, Evil Hat Productions, Contested Ground Studios, Rogue Games, Alderac Entertainment Group, Arion Games, and DivNull Productions aka Wordman - who have all made donations already to the program.

To discuss book donations further, please use our contact page or contact me at my Twitter account.

I look forward to hearing from you soon, and thanks for your attention.

References:

Bright GW. 1983. Use of a Game to Instruct on Logical Reasoning. School Science and Mathematics 83(5): 396-405.

Gobet F, de Voogt A and Retschitzki J. 2004. Moves in mind: The psychology of board games. Psychology Press.

Franklin S, Peat M and Lewis A. 2003. Non-traditional interventions to stimulate discussion: the use of games and puzzles. Journal of Biological Education 3(2): 79-84.

Herrnstein RJ, Nickerson RS, Sanchez M and Swets JA. 1986. Teaching thinking skills. American Psychologist 41: 1279-1289.

Kamii C and DeVries R. 1980. Group games in early education: Implications of Piaget's theory. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Reid D. 2002. Describing reasoning in early elementary school mathematics. Teaching Children Mathematics. December 2002: 234-237.

Comics shipping August 18th

2010-08-16T04:48:00.001+02:00

MARVEL

Age of Heroes #4
Amazing Spider-Man #636 second print
Amazing Spider-Man #637 second print
Amazing Spider-Man #640
Amazing Spider-Man #640 women of marvel frame variant
Amazing Spider-Man #640 quesada variant
Amazing Spider-Man #640 quesada sketch variant
Atlas #4
Avengers & Infinity Gauntlet #1
Avengers Academy #2 second print
Avengers Academy #3
Avengers Academy #3 women of marvel frame variant
Avengers Academy #3 mckone variant
Daredevil #508 second print
Dark Tower Gunslinger Journey Begins #4
Deadpool #26
Deadpool Corps #5
Hulk #24
Hulk #24 keown variant
Marvel Universe vs Punisher #2
New Avengers #1 second print
New Avengers #3
New Avengers #3 women of marvel frame variant
New Avengers #3 immonen variant
New Mutants #16
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Update #3
Secret Avengers #4
Secret Avengers #4 women of marvel frame variant
Secret Avengers #4 deodato variant
Shadowland Daughters of Shadow #1
Shadowland Power Man #1
SHIELD #2 third print
SHIELD Directors Cut #1
Steve Rogers Super Soldier #1 2nd print
Thunderbolts #147
Uncanny X-Men Heroic Age #1 2nd print
Vengeance of Moon Knight #10 2nd print
Web of Spider-Man #11
Wolverine Weapon X #16
X-Force #28 2nd print
X-Force Sex & Violence #1 2nd print
X-Men #527
X-Men #527 women of marvel frame variant

Azrael #11
Batman Beyond #3
Batman Streets of Gotham #15
Brightest Day #8
Brightest Day #8 white lantern variant
DC Universe Legacies #4
DC Universe Legacies #4 joe kubert variant cover
Green Lantern Corps #51
Green Lantern Corps #51 white lantern variant
Justice Society of America #42
Justice Society of America #42 white lantern variant
Power Girl #15
Spirit #5
Supergirl #55

DC/VERTIGO

Air #24
Fables #97
Hellblazer #270

DC/WILDSTORM

Authority The Lost Year #12
DV8 Gods & Monsters #5
Ex Machina #50
Ex Machina #50 lee variant
Free Realms #12
Ides of Blood #1
X-Files 30 Days of Night #2

INDEPENDENT

1 for Dollar Hellboy Seed of Destruction
1 for Dollar Usagi Yojimbo
Angel #36
Angel #36 messina variant cover
A Very Zombie Summer One-Shot
Boys Highland Laddie #1
Boys Highland Laddie #1 incentive cover
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Riley #1 chen
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Riley #1 moline
Bulletproof Coffin #3
Cavewoman Toy Story #1
Cavewoman Toy Story #1 special edition
CBGB #2
Chew #13
Classic Red Sonja Remastered #3
Doctor Who #14 ongoing
Doctor Who #14 ongoing incentive cover
Dragon Age #3
Farscape Ongoing #10
GI Joe COBRA II #7
GI Joe COBRA II #7 templesmith variant cover
GI Joe Origins #18 cover a
GI Joe Origins #18 cover b
GI Joe Origins #18 feister virgin cover
Gold Digger #120
Grotesque #1
Hellcyon #3
Honey West #1 cover a
Honey West #1 cover b
Image United #3 cover a spawn
Image United #3 cover b savage dragon
Image United #3 cover c fortress shaft
Image United #3 cover d Ripclaw
Image United #3 cover e shadowhawk
Image United #3 cover f badrock
Image United #3 cover g keown
Image United #3 incentive cover
Image United #3
Interiorae #4
Knights of the Dinner Table #165
Last Phantom #1 cover a
Last Phantom #1 cover b
Last Phantom #1 1 in 10 cover
Last Phantom #1 1 in 15 cover
Last Phantom #1 negative cover
Lone Ranger #23
Mediterranea #1
MGM Drive in Theater It Terror from Beyond Stars #2
Pale Horse #3
Phoenix without Ashes #1
Rotten #7
Sammy the Mouse #3
Sixsmiths #1
Sixth Gun #3
Star Trek Burden Of Knowledge #3
Star Trek Burden Of Knowledge #3 corroney variant cover
Star Wars Legacy #50
Sweets #2
The Light #4
Transformers Nefarious #6 cover a
Transformers Nefarious #6 cover b
Transformers Nefarious #6 rood virgin cover
True Blood #2 cover a
True Blood #2 cover b
True Blood #2 photo variant cover
True Blood #2 25 copy incentive
True Story Swear to God #13
Weird World of Jack Staff #4
Witchblade Due Process (one shot)

TRADES & HARDCOVERS

Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery Archives HC volume 03
Dark Rain A New Orleans Story HC
Deadworld Classic TPB volume 01
Essential Captain America TPB new printing volume 02
Hack Slash Omnibus Vol 1 TPB
Jersey Gods TPB volume 03 Thunder Road
Killapaoooza TPB
Marvelman Classic Premium Vol 1 HC quesada cover
Mice Templar Vol 2.1 Destiny part 1 TPB
Muppet Show TPB volume 04 Family Reunion
Reading With Pictures GN
Rebels TPB volume 02 Strange Companions
Showcase Presents the Doom Patrol TPB volume 02
Siege Thor PREM HC
Spider-Woman Premiere HC Agent of Sword
The Mask Omnibus Vol 1
Transformers Armada Omnibus TPB
Wall-E TPB volume 02 Out There
X-Factor Second Coming Prem HC

KIDS

Archie #612
Comic Book Guy the Comic Book #2
Darkwing Duck #3 cover a
Darkwing Duck #3 cover b
Darkwing Duck #3 incentive cover
Donald Duck And Friends #357
Finding Nemo Losing Dory #2
Pals N Gals Double Digest #144
Simpsons Comics #169
Tiny Titans #31

MAGAZINES

Comic Shop News
DC 75th Anniversary Poster Book
Iron Man Magazine #3
Mad Magazine #505

TOYS

Marvel Dark Phoenix Bishoujo Statue
Marvel Phoenix Bishoujo Statue

Angry guy at the register: Dane of War's FLGS report

2010-08-13T12:30:00.010+02:00

As previously mentioned, I did my annual takeover of my FLGS, Good Games, from August 10th through the 17th.

Running the show, so to speak, is filled with win and awesome. There are tedious moments, of course (Tuesdays, for some reason, are absolutely dead) - but overall, it is really fun.

I will admit that I'm not exactly a people person (which is ironic, considering I am a teacher). I tend to get intolerant of some folks pretty quickly and have to "suck it up", so that I am representing the store as best as I can. Jesper always has a smile for his customers, so I do my best to do the same.

No matter how difficult the situation may be.

There are certain "elements" that frost my ass every year that I run the store, with the biggest ones being the adult Yu-Gi-Oh! players. Why people that are (in many cases) about 20 years past the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" stage come in and play with small children is, well... a bit "off" to me. I mean, the store is filled with the GRIMDARK that is Warhammer, there are superior card games like Magic: The Gathering and there are a lot of kick-ass RPGs on the shelves.

Maybe I'm paranoid, but there is no way I'd be comfortable with my kids playing with some smelly neckbeard.

Here is a sample conversation:

Creepy adult Yu-Gi-Oh! player: Hey, how's it going?
Me: Okay, and you?
Creepy adult Yu-Gi-Oh! player: Alright. I was just wondering if the store was going to be running Yu-Gi-Oh! tourneys on Saturday.
Me: Yup - usual times.
Creepy adult Yu-Gi-Oh! player: So, do you play Yu-Gi-Oh!?
Me: No. No, I don't.
Creepy adult Yu-Gi-Oh! player: How come?
Me: Well, I think I'm a little above the age range for it.
Creepy adult Yu-Gi-Oh! player: Really? You think you're too old for Yu-Gi-Oh!?
Me: Oh yeah. [I pull out a pack from the display] See, it is labeled for kids 4 to 10 years. I'm 38.
Creepy adult Yu-Gi-Oh! player: Well, I'm 29 and I love it.
Me: Well, that's up to you, sure - but it can't be very challenging playing young kids, can it?
Creepy adult Yu-Gi-Oh! player: No, some of them are really pretty good.
Me: Pretty good for 10, you mean, right?
Creepy adult Yu-Gi-Oh! player: ....
Me: Have a nice day.

Don't get me wrong, though - I don't ever bust their balls in person because they play it - I actually defended them from getting ragged on by some Magic players. I mean, I'm a grown man playing with small plastic figures myself, so who am I to judge?

What else? Swedish people bug me. OK, let me expand that... Swedish tourists bug me.

As a Dane, we have a rivalry with Swedes. They are Canada to our United States. But my particular problem here is their language. Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Icelandic are all very similar. The speakers of the first 3 can usually figure out what each other is saying, and Icelandic - some of it. But I have always had a bit of trouble understanding spoken Swedish (as do a lot of Danes). And I swear, the tourists that come into the shop refuse to speak slower - or refuse to speak English - just to frak with me. I don't know if they want to know where the Space Wolves are or if they are asking me for directions to the nearest gas station.

The last thing that really bothers me is that some of the younger kids treat the place like a dorm room. They come in, order pizza, drink sodas, and never buy a damned thing. Come lock-up time, guess who has to clean up the mess? That's right. Me.

I half-jokingly, half-seriously encourage them to buy something or GTFO. I know Jesper doesn't do it (because he's a nicer guy than I could ever be), but honestly - they don't seem to understand that this is a business. They couldn't do this at another store, so I'm not cool with them doing it on my watch. But I'm still really nice about it.

Of course, we do have awesome regulars, like Frede and Dennis - who are about as entertaining to listen to as anything you could imagine, as well as these funny twin brothers (whose names escape me at the moment) who should seriously consider stand-up.

Other than that, Games Workshop keeps bringing in the people for Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 stuff.

Since the 8th edition Warhammer book just recently hit (with all the bells and whistles GW puts into their new edition releases), Fantasy has again gotten a surge of life and did definately sell better than 40K, which isn't normally the case there.

Generally the Games Workshop crowd is divided into two distinct groups:

Those who come in, pick up the Warhammer stuff they want, and buy it immediately.
Those who come in, look at the Warhammer stuff, bitch about the prices for 15 minutes, then buy it anyway.

But it sells and sells well, all the same. I've had kids as young as 6 drag their parents in and convince them to buy a box of Space Marines and adults pushing 50 come in and buy for themselves. So, for whatever my personal feelings are on GW's business model aside - they do not seem to be lacking in exposure or sales.

Black Library's Warhammer and Warhammer 40K novels do well. I sold a good amount of both, although the general consensus is that they need to get the ball moving on the Horus Heresy series as well as the Time of Legends.

The 2011 Magic: The Gathering Core Set is also a huge seller - while Yu-Gi-Oh! gets more actual players in the store for games, I did sell a lot more Magic, and had to restock twice. Magic is gold, baby. Gold.

I moved the last copies of the Pathfinder, Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader RPG core books (with Dark Heresy being the clear favorite) that we had on the shelves, and I noticed that we had sold some CoC recently, but that was it as far as RPGs go.

As for what is not selling - we have most all of the White Wolf core books on the shelves, but none of the WoD sold. I did sell one Exalted 2nd core book. 4E books aren't doing that great, either - I got in a Forgotten Realms core and a Dungeon Tiles set that were back-ordered, but other than just once did anyone even bother to look at them. For what it is worth considering my own anti-4E stance, I honestly did hear a lot of negative comments about the system. People wanted old 3X books.

I also had the chance to "save" someone from buying 4E by telling them all about Pathfinder and promoting the hell out of it. They came in a few days later to thank me, which is always good.

Once again, I had a good time. It was no GenCon, but all the same - being surrounded by cool stuff and (mostly) good people all day is quite a treat.

4E House Rules

2010-08-12T13:27:00.004+02:00

Granted, there isn't as much fun in 4E as there is in other editions, but with some work, it can be fixed up.

Here are a few of the house rules my students (ages 11-15, with a DM aged 15) have developed for their use:

All house rules are subject to change in the interest of fun and playability:

1.) Startup

The following guidelines will be in place as limiting factors:

Deities will be used from the PHB I
Playable Races & Major Civilizations will be used from the below posted Class Race modification list

2.) Character Generation

Stat Smoothing - We’ll generate characters per the standard 4d6, drop the low die, no rerolls. After everyone has rolled, they’ll add up their stats. Find the difference between your stat total and the leader’s. Divide that difference by two and that’s how many points you have to freely add among your stats. [Example: Bjorn rolls 18, 16, 14, 12, 12, 10, total 82 points. Mikkel rolls 15, 13, 12, 11, 11, 8, total 70. The difference is 12, giving Mikkel 6 additional points he can add to his stats however he wishes (subject to a cap of 18).]

Creating characters in character. Roleplaying into a cohesive party:

Everyone "rolls initiative" (Or elect someone to start / draw straws or numbers out of a hat) highest person makes a character. (No character sheet, no abilities, just a race, appearance, class, alignment, and outlook/attitude.) The leader will then be presented a plot hook then they need allies to go on said plot hook. Begin to recruit characters. He meets a motley group of candidates, one after another, who he interviews.

Player 1 can veto any player character concept until, in game, they find a pair who can work together. Then, the two of them, realizing they still need more people, work together with the other players, one at a time, interviewing prospective candidates. As each person is recruited give them a shot at character concept and if they don't come up with a fit then the next person gets a turn at being the next possible recruit.

Everyone gets a 1 & 1/2 minute turn at it so no one sits too long waiting. This also serves to let others brainstorm while listening to each others ideas, if their original proposal was rejected. Each potential character concept you come up with must be given as a sort of ad-hoc elevator type speech that can be vetoed at any point during the presentation and is subject to the below listed race / class limitations.

To play anything less than a "common" race you must beat the stated percentages on a d100 roll.

Class / Race Modification

In order to provide a baseline setting and reflect old school advancement feel, the following modifications are in place

Race/Class Exp Modifiers

RACES

Common Races (+ 5% exp gain modifier)

Dwarf: +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma Elf: +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution Human: No change
Uncommon Race (75% chance, 0% exp gain modifier) Gnome: +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, -2 Strength
Halfling: +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Strength
Half-Elf: +2 to two ability scores of your choice and -2 to one ability score of your choice
Half-Orc:+2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence
Rare Races (50% chance, - 2% exp gain modifier) Dragonborn: +2 Strength, +2 Charisma, -2 Dexterity
Eladrin: +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Constitution OR -2 Charisma
Tiefling: +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma

Very Rare Races (25% chance, -5% exp gain modifier)

Deva: +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, -2 Strength OR -2 Dexterity Githzerai: +2 Wisdom, +2 Dexterity OR +2 Intelligence, -2 Strength Goliath: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Dexterity
Minotaur: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution OR +2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence
Shifter (Longtooth): +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma
Shifter (Razorclaw): +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma
Wilden: +2 Wisdom, +2 Constitution OR +2 Dexterity, -2 Charisma

The following are not playable races - Changeling, Drow, Genesi, Shardmind, Warforged.

CLASSES

Common (0% exp modifier)

Cleric (Divine Leader - PHB1) Fighter (Martial Defender - PHB1) Rogue (Martial Striker - PHB1) Wizard (Arcane Controller - PHB1)
Uncommon (-2% exp gain modifier) Bard (Arcane Leader - PHB2)
Druid (Primal Controller - PHB2)
Paladin (Divine Defender - PHB1) Ranger (Martial Striker - PHB1)
Rare (-5% exp gain modifier) Ardent (Psionic Leader - PHB3)
Artificer (Arcane Leader - EPG)
Assassin (Shadow Striker - Dragon Mag.) Avenger (Divine Striker - PHB2)
Barbarian (Primal Striker - PHB2) Battlemind (Psionic Defender - PHB3) Invoker (Divine Controller - PHB2) Monk (Psionic Striker - PHB3)
Psion (Psionic Controller - PHB3) Runepriest (Divine Leader - PHB3) Seeker (Primal Controller - PHB3) Shaman (Primal Leader - PHB2) Sorcerer (Arcane Striker - PHB2)
Swordmage (Arcane Defender - FRPG) Warden (Primal Defender - PHB2) Warlock (Arcane Striker - PHB1) Warlord (Martial Leader - PHB1)

3.) Character Advancement & Training Requirements

Training

Having the experience points necessary to gain a new level isn’t sufficient to gain the level. A character must seek out a trainer who can guide a student in uncovering new abilities. Alternately, a character can choose to spend XP in lieu of training, self train, or train through adventuring.

First a character must locate, and be accepted by, a potential trainer. Some trainers ask for money. Others expect favors, while others still might train a character for friendship or the common good. The base period for training is detailed below. In general, the cost for training is 5 gp per day.

Additionally as PCs increase in power the chance they will gain reputations, attract followers, and be sought after as trainers themselves increases.

Basic Training

Powers - To gain a new power / retrain a power requires 2 days of training. Feats - To gain a new feat requires 3 days of training.

Character Level - To gain a new level requires one week of training. To gain a new level requires one week of training. During that week, the character also learns one power, or feat with no additional time required. If a character needs to learn more things than just the one they get for "free", additional time must be spent to learn it. For example, a character who wants to learn a new power and a new feat when raising a level would need to spend 9 days training (7 days for the level + the feat, 2 additional days for the power).

Not everyone is an ideal trainer, however. Nor is everyone an ideal student. A trainer must be at least equal to the class level the student wishes to attain, and ideally should be at least two class levels above it. If the trainer is only one class level higher than that which the student wishes to attain, the base training time is raised by half. If the trainer is the same class level the student wishes to attain, the base training time is doubled.

At the end of the base time, the trainer makes a Wisdom check at DC 15. If the check succeeds, the student may make an Intelligence check at DC 15. The trainer gains a +1 bonus to this check if he is three class levels higher than the level which the student wishes to attain, and additional +1 bonus for every class level beyond that. The student gains a bonus to this check equal to the value of the trainer’s successful check.

If the student succeeds in this check, he acquires the new level. If not, he may retry after another training session. Each additional training session gives the student a +1 bonus to this check. These checks follow the normal rules for skill checks, but in order to aid either the trainer or the student a character must be present during at least half of the training period, and must be at least equal to the class level that the student wishes to attain.

A student can switch trainers, but doing so requires the student to start over again.

A character continues to amass XP even if he has not attained a new level. As an alternative to training, when a character reaches (or passes) the one-quarter mark between the XP needed for the desired level and the level following it, the character can attain that level by spending ¼ of the XP needed to attain the following level. The character advances in level, they are not however eligible for new powers, feats, or abilities until finding a trainer. If the character gains enough XP to attain the level after one for which he has not yet trained, the character immediately gains that level and abilities. This is training through adventuring. In this case, no XP are lost, and if the character thereafter trains, he can attain the next level (the one for which he has sufficient XP) as well.

However, note that no character can gain sufficient XP to attain two levels from a single session. If XP are handed out, and you surpass the XP needed for a new level, you can gain no more than one point away from the following level with that XP reward. Any remaining XP are lost.
Self-Training

As time goes on and characters get increasingly higher level, finding a trainer will become more and more difficult, potentially even impossible at the very highest levels. Therefore, there must be some way for people to train themselves once they get to high enough level in their chosen class.

Once a character reaches 10th level in any class, he is considered to have learned all the basic aspects of his class and no longer needs a trainer to raise a level or learn new class-based abilities.

Time - Self-Training takes double the normal time to complete. Feats and take 6 days each, and Powers take 4 days each. Raising a level takes 2 weeks, but one Power or Feat may be included in that time.

Using a Trainer - A character eligible for self-training may still hire a trainer, if one can be found for the appropriate class and level, and train in the regular time.

4.) Anti-Grind

Due to the large number of tactical choices presented by 4th edition as well as the dramatic increases in HP of both monsters and PCs combat can become something of a grind occasionally. In order to alleviate this situation the following rules are in effect:

Initiative is handled on a team basis, Monsters and PCs will all act on team turn basis. All PC actions will be subject to a 3 min timer (for the PC team) activated at the beginning of each PC round.

Damage dice are rolled at the same time as attacks.

Monster HP is reduced by 1/2 and they grant 75% exp, encounter exp totals will not be changed however. This will result in an increased amount of enemies per encounter but will also result in shorter more brutal fights.

5.) HP totals & Second Wind

Player Hit Point totals will be tracked by the DM. Players will be given an "approximation" of their health. players will be informed of bloodied status as such and be given verbal descriptions of overall health. To assist healers manage their party's HP there is a free feat assigned to all leader classes in the game (Cleric, Bard, Ardent, Artificer, Runepriest, Shaman, Warlord)

Deathwatch [Leader]
Prerequisites: Deathwatch - Leader role feature. Benefit: You can invoke your ability to heal to gain special insight as to your allies health.
Deathwatch Feat Power Encounter Healing Minor Action Ranged 5
Effect: Choose an ally within range, gain insight as to their health. Special: You must take the Deathwatch feat to use this power.

Second Wind is now a Daily Use action for all classes except the following: Fighters, Paladins, Warden, Battlemind, & Swordmage. These classes continue to receive the second wind as an encounter refreshed action.

6.) Wounding

Sometimes a PC can sustain an injury that is more painful and severe than usual. When this happens, the PC becomes Wounded. There are two possible ways for a PC to become Wounded: PC who fails a Death Save while at negative Hit Points becomes Wounded.

Certain monsters (mostly Elite and Solo monsters) or Traps may cause a PC to become Wounded on a Critical Hit.

Wound Effects

Any sort of wound hampers your mobility a bit, imposing a -2 penalty on all Acrobatics, Athletics and Stealth checks. Each wound has additional penalties, based on the part of the body it affects.

Head Wound: You suffer a -2 penalty on Perception and Insight checks, and on all attack rolls based upon Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. You can only suffer one head wound at a time.

Arm Wound: You can no longer hold a shield in that arm, and take a -2 penalty on all attack rolls using a weapon held in that arm, and a -2 penalty on Thievery checks using that arm. You can have one arm wound per arm.

Leg Wound: Your speed is decreased by 2. You can have one leg wound per leg.

Vitals Wound: You take a -2 penalty to your Fortitude, Reflex, and Will defenses. There is no limit to the number of vitals wounds you can suffer.

Penalties from multiple wounds stack. Curing Wounds use a wound track, similar to the disease track. Unlike a disease, the penalties from the wound don't get any better or worse at each stage in the track. You suffer the full penalties from the wound until you are cured.

Cured <- Initial <-> Worsening -> Permanent

After each extended rest, make an Endurance check. Stable DC = 10 + 1/2 the wound's level
Improve DC = 20 + 1/2 the wound's level

If you beat the wound's improve DC, your wound moves one step up the track. If you beat the wound's stable DC, nothing happens. If you fail to hit the wound's stable DC, you move one step down the track. Your wound starts in the initial state. When it moves into the cured state, you no longer suffer any effects from the wound. If it reaches the permanent state, you no longer make Endurance checks after extended rests.

Another character can use the Heal skill to treat a wound. This works exactly like using the Heal skill to treat disease.

There is also a ritual available, Treat Wound. This ritual is identical to Cure Disease in every way, except that it treats wounds instead of curing diseases. It is a separate ritual from Cure Disease (knowing one ritual does not mean you know the other -- you must learn them both separately).

7.) Action Points

Milestones now reflect important events during an adventure, and are not simply encounter based. Accordingly action points can be utilized in an expanded role, rather than simply allowing another action. This is based largely on story, role play, and character development. Characters in the Heroic Tier choose 3 personality aspects. (You get another in Paragon, and one more in Epic for a total of 5 at that point.) You may receive action points from theDM based on role playing your character well based on his/her Aspects. Action Points can now be used a number of different ways:

Standard Action Point application as per RAW

+1 At Will Attack or Skill Roll
+2 Encounter Attack Roll
+3 Daily Attack Roll
Recharge Encounter Power
Recharge Daily Power (2 Action Points) Recharge Healing Surge
Resist Aspect Compulsion
Make a minor declaration
You can have 2 Action Point's max at a time. If you do not use an Action Point during a play session you receive addition XP for the session.

8.) At-Will powers

In order to promote variety of tactics, originality, and eliminate a "video gamey feel" the following rules governing the use of At-Will powers are now in effect. At-Will power usage has been capped per day at the following:

Heroic tier - 10 total daily uses
Paragon tier - 12 total daily uses
Epic tier - 15 total daily uses

Additionally repetitive tactical choices carry a penalty. The second time an At-Will power is used in a row it receives a -1 to attack, the third time -2 to attack, and a fourth use grants combat advantage against the PC. The in game world rationale is the character has become predictable and the enemy is exploiting it.

9.) Magic

In order to reflect the original Vancian magic system, wizards have received modification to their use of powers and magic in general. There are now 2 additional cantrips added to the cantrip list:

Acid Splash
You fire a small orb of acid at the target. At-Will Arcane, Acid
Standard Action Ranged 5
Target: One creature or object. Attack: Intelligence vs. Reflex
Hit:1d4 + Intelligence modifier acid damage.

Confound
This enchantment clouds the mind. At-Will Arcane, Physic, Implement
Standard Action Ranged 5
Target: One creature. Attack: Intelligence vs. Will
Effect: Target creature immediately ends it's turn. A confounded subject is not dazed, so attackers get no special advantage against it.

Additionally the following changes are in effect. Wizard Daily spells are now doubled in power and have been moved to a new ability slot known as Manifest Daily. Encounter spells have now occupy the previous Daily slot. At-Will spells have been doubled in strength and now are moved to the encounter slot. Cantrips have now been moved to the At-Will spell slot and are subject to the 10/12/15 use cap.

As masters of magic Wizards are also able to make use of Metamagic feats. (See attached pdf.)

Ritual Magic can now be cast in combat, with the following guidelines: Combat Ritual Casting is now a feat. You may now cast rituals in combat.

Combat Ritual Caster
Prerequisite: Trained in Ritual Caster
Benefit: You can master and perform Combat Rituals of your level or lower. Casting: You can cast rituals in combat. You may use Combat Ritual Casting two times per day at 1st level, three times at 11th, and 4 times at
21st. Combat Ritual Casting is refreshed after an extended rest.

Combat Advantage – Until the beginning of your next turn, you grant combat advantage.

Provoke Opportunity Attacks – Ritual casting provokes opportunity attacks from adjacent enemies.

Cast a ritual in combat: You can begin casting ritual as a standard action. Casting time is an additional standard action per ten full minutes of non-combat casting time (i.e a ten minute ritual takes two rounds to cast, a 1 hour ritual takes 7 rounds to cast) . You may sustain a ritual you are casting as a minor action so that you may take other actions. If you sustain you do not loose the ritual, it is merely suspended in mid-casting. If you are stunned, or unconscious, or you do not sustain a ritual on a given turn, you must begin again. Rituals which require special preparation (eg. a circle of silver dust on the ground, special symbols drawn on a subject) are still subject to those requirements.

To reflect the changes in wizard magic, the feat Expanded spellbook has changed as follows

Expanded Spellbook [Wizard] Prerequisites: Wis 13, wizard
Benefit: Choose one daily and manifest daily wizard attack spell of every level you know. Add this spell to your spellbook. Each time you gain a new level of daily or manifest daily wizard attack spells, you learn one extra spell of that level (in other words, add three spells to
your spellbook instead of only two).
This feat doesn’t change the number of daily & manifest daily attack spells you can prepare each day.

Warlocks

The Price of a Pact, the dark side of the warlock class.

If classic literature has taught us anything it is that pride always comes before a fall & shortcuts always come with a price. These two lessons are deeply ingrained into the core of the warlock class. Players deciding to make pacts with otherworldly forces as part of their dark dealings need to be aware of the following:

Side effects may vary - Often reminders of the price of a pact will be carried around with you. Sometimes the nature of your pact can manifest itself in other, more sinister ways.

Fear and loathing - People often react to warlocks, whether it is simply those passing in the street avert their eyes from your gaze, or perhaps stronger measures will be taken?

10.) Misc.

PHBs & Campaign Guides are available as sourcebooks to each player. - You may select 1 additional sourcebook for use per player, sourcebooks may not be shared by players. (Both Adventurer's Vaults are not available to players.)

RP experience is granted at the table. Magic weapons do not return when thrown! Stunting, called shots, creative descriptions during combat etc are all encouraged and when the entire group participates in some form of this during a combat round the following round the entire group will receive a +1 to all rolls the subsequent round.

EDIT: 22 AUGUST 2010 - Since obviously there are too many trolls that can't help their natures (or read), this post is locked for further comments. Go be an asshole on RPG.net.

Review: Wu Xing: The Ninja Crusade

2010-08-11T13:20:00.001+02:00

Name: Wu Xing: The Ninja Crusade
Author: Eloy Lasanta
Publisher: Third Eye Games
Category: Role-Playing Game
Cost: $14.99
ISBN: 978-0-9826427-5-7
Source: Complimentary item for review

From The Publisher

The War Has Begun

The Emperor has called for blood! All ninja of the Izou Empire face the crushing might of their own nation. Where once there was peace, now there is only destruction and death. The ninja are forced to fight back, wielding the ancient art of chi manipulation alongside their shuriken and katana. Empire soldiers pack their own secret weapons to combat ninja wushu... powerful firearms.

The ninja of the realm have assembled into their own army, the Lotus Coalition. Together, they hope to take down the Empire and stop the reign of destruction upon the people of the land. That is if they can overcome centuries old feuds and rivalries that could destroy them from within!

This Book Includes:

- A guide to the Izou
- Empire and the machinations behind their Ninja Crusade.
- Information on all the Empire's major cities and landmarks
- Rules for playing any one of the 10 most influential Ninja Clans, like the Recoiling Serpents or the Virtuous Body Gardeners
- Easy-to-learn, flexible character creation rules.
- Fully immersive mechanics and 11 Fighting Styles make combat an intense experience.
- Complete rules for 20 Wushu paths, celestial animals and tips on crafting your own ninja stories.

Thoughts

Full disclosure right up front: While the art looked really great, and while I have a ton of respect for Eloy and Third Eye Games - I was not looking forward to reviewing this game. I don't really "do" martial arts and I hate most anime. It was pretty obvious that is what I had to look forward to with this game, and I went in thinking that it was going to suck. But my group and I are big Third Eye Games fans and we play API on a very regular basis - so we decided to give it a go.

This 220 page bookmarked PDF contains 7 chapters:

-Chapter One: Ninja vs. The Empire
This chapter is an extremely detailed look at the Ninja Wars - from the four previous to the fifth and current one.

-Chapter Two: Clans
The Lotus Coalition (an alliance of ninja formed to combat the Empire which has ordered their extinction) is made up of the following clans:

Bamboo Herbalists
Blazing Dancers
Grasping Shadows
Hidden Strands of Fate
Living Chronicle
Pack of the Black Moon
Recoiling Serpents
Virtuous Body Gardeners
Wardens of Equilibrium
Will of Iron
Ronin

-Chapter Three: Character Building
This is the six-part detailed point-buy system for PCs. It is a tad time-consuming, but gives you a very well-rounded character when done right.

-Chapter Four: Wushu
There are 20 different paths of wushu - 10 general and 10 clan-specific paths. The general wushu paths are:

Way of Beasts
Way of Earth
Way of Fire
Way of Metal
Way of Movement
Way of Survival
Way of the Unseen
Way of the Warrior
Way of Water
Way of Wood

The clan-specific wushu paths are:

Way of Balanced Scales
Way of Caring Hands
Way of Ebony Clutches
Way of Great Serpents
Way of Heaven’s Judgement
Way of Immaculate Show
Way of Inked Skin
Way of Kept Lore
Way of Spun Threads
Way of Twin Beasts

-Chapter Five: Equipment And Combat
Everyone loves martial arts gear, and this chapter is filled with the weapons and equipment that no self-respecting ninja should be without. The rules of combat are a bit long, but with some play experience they do become quite a bit more understandable and easier to use. There's also a very helpful example of combat at the end of this chapter to really flesh things out.

-Chapter Six: Antagonists
This is Wu Xing: The Ninja Crusade's "Monster Manual", with stats and information on the people and creatures that PCs will encounter.

-Chapter Seven: Storytelling
The final chapter is a basic overview for the GM on plot hooks and storyline ideas.

The book also includes an introduction, glossary, index, and charts. All are relevant and helpful to the game itself.

We have had a really great time with this game overall. My gaming group liked substantially more than I, thanks to their heavier interest in this type of setting - but I can see myself wanting to play this again in the future because it is quite detailed.

As with all of Third Eye Games' products, the writing and art is very good - and I can see this game being a very huge hit if it gets adequate exposure. It is an excellent value for the money and has a solid "read and enjoy" value, even if one decides not to actually play.

Comics Shipping August 11th

2010-08-09T05:30:00.002+02:00

MARVEL

Avengers Childrens Crusade #1 second print
Daredevil #509
Dark Wolverine #89
Hawkeye & Mockingbird #2 second print
Incredible Hulk #611
Incredible Hulk #611 keown variant
Invincible Iron Man #29
Invincible Iron Man #29 women of marvel variant
Rawhide Kid #3
Secret Avengers #2 second print
Shadowland #1 third print
Shadowland Blood On Street #1
SHIELD #1 4th print
Sky Doll Lacrima Christi #1
Sky Doll Lacrima Christi #1 variant cover
Spectacular Spider-Girl #4
Steve Rogers Super Soldier #1 SDCC sketch variant
Steve Rogers Super Soldier #2
Thanos Imperative #3
Thor Mighty Avenger #3
Ultimate Comics Avengers 3 #1
Ultimate Comics Avengers 3 #1 villian variant
Ultimate Comics Avengers 3 #1 foilogram variant
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #13
X-Force Sex & Violence #2
X-Men #1 2010 series second print
X-Men #2 2010 series
X-Men #2 2010 series medina variant cover
X-Men Forever 2 #5

Adventure Comics #517
Batgirl #13
Birds of Prey #2 second print
Birds of Prey #4 brightest day
Birds of Prey #4 brightest day white lantern variant
Booster Gold #35
Doc Savage #5
Doc Savage #5 variant cover
Green Lantern Emerald Warriors #1
Green Lantern Emerald Warriors #1 variant cover
Justice League Generation Lost #7
Justice League Generation Lost #7 white lantern variant
Mighty Crusaders #2
Superman #702
Superman #702 kevin nowlan variant cover
Titans #26 brightest day
Titans #26 brightest day white lantern variant
Zatanna #4
Zatanna #4 brian bolland variant cover

DC/VERTIGO

Daytripper #9
DMZ #56
Northlanders #31
Unwritten #16

DC/WILDSTORM

Fringe Tales From The Fringe #2
Fringe Tales From The Fringe #2 variant cover
Gears of War #13
Gen 13 #37
Welcome to Tranquility One Foot Grave #2

INDEPENDENT

1 for Dollar Aliens vs Predator
1 for Dollar Sin City Hard Goodbye
Artifacts #1 second print
Astounding Wolf-Man #24
BPRD Hell on Earth New World #1
Buzzard #3
Calling Cthulhu Chronicles #2
Captain Action Season Two #1 cover a
Captain Action Season Two #1 cover b
Doctor Solar Man of the Atom #1 SDCC exclusive
Dungeons & Dragons #0
Dungeons & Dragons #0 50 copy incentive cover
Dungeons & Dragons #0 100 copy incentive cover
Dust Wars #3
Farscape Scorpius #4
GI Joe #21 cover a
GI Joe #21 cover b
GI Joe #21 incentive cover
Hack Slash My First Maniac #3 cover a
Hack Slash My First Maniac #3 cover b
Incorruptible #8 SDCC exclusive
Kato Origins Way of the Ninja #3
Kato Origins Way of the Ninja #3 variant cover
Locke & Key Keys to the Kingdom #1
Locke & Key Welcome to Lovecraft #1 legacy edition
Morning Glories #1
Prince Of Persia Before The Sandstorm #2
Project Superpowers Chapter 2 #11 ross cover
Project Superpowers Chapter 2 #11 variant cover
Robert E Howards Hawks of Outremer #3
Robert Jordans Wheel of Time Eye of the World #4
Route Des Maisons Rouges #1
Strange Science Fantasy #2
Strange Science Fantasy #2 variant cover
Strange Science Fantasy #2 incentive copy
Transformers ongoing #10
Transformers ongoing #10 variant cover
True Blood # 1 SDCC exclusive
Walking Dead #75 SDCC exclusive
Walking Dead #76
Witch Doctor #1 preview comic
Witchblade #137

TRADES & HARDCOVERS

Adam Hughes Slayboy Sketchbook
Adventures of Superboy HC volume 01
Al Williamson Archives SC volume 01
Amy Devlin Mystery HC volume 01 Past Lies
Archie & Friends TPB volume 05 Archies Haunted House
Big Book O Ditko SC
Bone Tall Tales HC
Bone Tall Tales TPB
Chew Vol 1 Omnivore ED HC
Classic Transformers TPB volume 06
Daredevil The Devils Hand TPB
Excalibur Visionaries Warren Ellis TPB volume 02
Felix the Cats Greatest Comic Book Tails HC
Final Crisis Revelations TPB
Flash Gordon Comic Book Archives HC volume 01
Garth Ennis Battlefields Vol 5 The Firefly & His Majesty TPB
Gente TPB volume 01
GI Joe Best of Scarlett TPB
Godland Celestial Edition HC volume 03
Invaders TPB Eve of Destruction
Locke & Key Vol 3 Crown Of Shadows HC
Mike Mignola Sketchbook From the Vault #3
Myspace Dark Horse Presents TPB volume 05
Penny Arcade TPB volume 06 Halls Below
Siege Avengers Initiative PREM HC
Star Trek Original Series Omnibus TPB
Street Fighter TPB volume 06 Final Round
Team Ups of the Brave and the Bold HC
Ultimates II Ultimate Collection TPB
Unwritten Vol 2 Inside Man TPB
Wolverine Dark Wolverine Vol 2 My Hero TPB
X-Men Forever TPB volume 04 Devil in a White Dress

KIDS

Archie & Friends #146
Archie Double Digest #211
Darkwing Duck #1 Duck Knight Returns SDCC exclusive
Scooby Doo #159
Sonic Universe #19
Super Hero Squad #8
Super Heroes #5
Uncle Scrooge #394

MAGAZINES

Comic Shop News
Lost Official Magazine Finale Souvenir
Star Trek Magazine #28 special previews edition
Toyfare #158 legion of super heroes cover

TOYS

Batman 7 inch plush
Blackest Night Power Ring Spectrum Set
Flash 7 inch plush
Green Lantern 7 inch plush
Superman (Kingdom Come) 1/6 Scale Figure
Superman 7 inch plush

And the results are in: the 2010 ENnie Award winners

2010-08-07T01:25:00.002+02:00

The 2010 ENnie Awards were announced just a short time ago.

It was a good year for Paizo... a well-deserved good year. And of course, congrats to all of the winners!

Best Cover Art

Silver: Eclipse Phase
Gold: Pathfinder Bestiary

Best Interior Art

Silver: Shadowrun 20th
Gold: Pathfinder Core Rulebook

Best Cartography

Silver: Aces & Eights: Judas Crossing
Gold: Pathfinder City Map Folio

Best Writing

Silver: Victoriana
Gold: Eclipse Phase

Best Production Values

Silver: Shadowrun
Gold: Pathfinder

Best Rules

Silver: Hero 6th Edition
Gold: Diaspora

Best Adventure

Silver: Trail of Cthulhu: Armitage Files
Gold: Pathfinder #31: Stolen Land

Best Monster or Adversary

Silver: Pathfinder: Classic Horrors Revisited
Gold: Pathfinder Bestiary

Best Setting

Silver: Rome: Life and Death of the Republic
Gold: Day After Ragnarok

Best Supplement

Silver: Players Handbook 3
Gold: Mysteries of the Hollow Earth

Best Aid or Accessory

Silver: Gaming Paper
Gold: Pathfinder GM Screen

Best Miniatures Product

Silver: Gaming Paper
Gold: D&D Minis

Best Regalia

Silver: Battletech
Gold: Cthulhu 101

Best Electronic Book

Silver: The Devil We Know
Gold: The Great City Player’s Guide

Best Free Product

Silver: Lady Blackbird
Gold: Advanced Players Guide Playtest

Best Website

Silver: d20PFSRD.com
Gold: Obsidian Portal

Best Podcast

Silver: All Games Considered
Gold: Atomic Array

Best Blog

Silver: Gnome Stew
Gold: Kobold Quarterly

Best Game

Silver: Shadowrun
Gold: Pathfinder

Product of the Year

Silver: Eclipse Phase
Gold: Pathfinder

Fan Award for Best Publisher

Silver: Fantasy Flight Games
Gold: Paizo Publishing

Judges’ Spotlight Awards

Fiasco
Trailblazer
Chronica Feudalis
Ancient Odyssey: Treasure Awaits
Mindjammer

Dane of War goes on brief hiatus - back in a week!

2010-08-02T12:58:00.002+02:00

Dane of War will be going on a brief hiatus this week as I do my annual "take over" of my FLGS in the nearby city of Kolding.

From Tuesday, August 3rd up to and including Tuesday, August 10th, I will be running Good Games while my friend and site sponsor Jesper takes a much-needed vacation.

My takeover has become a summer tradition of sorts, as the last "fun" lead-in up to the first day of school here, where I begin once again the molding and shaping of youthful minds.

I will not be posting any new articles during my time running Good Games other than my usual Monday morning "New Comic Releases" posts, which I can schedule ahead of time.

I will be on Twitter as usual - probably complaining about the unwashed masses of Yu-Gi-Oh! players.

So anyway, if you're in the neighborhood on these dates, feel free to stop in and say "hi" - play a pick-up game, or score some good deals.

Bailey Records & Stratos at Gen Con

2010-08-02T08:09:00.001+02:00

Bailey Records will be at GenCon 2010.

This year we are sharing a booth with We Have Issues Publishing and Arena Gear. The booth number is #1807.

We'll have all our licensed roleplaying & miniatures game soundtracks at incredible prices plus something new... official Kaiju Kaos miniatures! That's right, Bailey Records is producing our own 28mm scale tabletop miniatures game called Kaiju Kaos. Created by Bryan "Stratos" Borgman, the game will officially release via www.WargamesVault.com in Fall 2010 but we currently have official miniatures for sale and we're running two ticketed events.

#NMN1010739 - on August 5 at 4:00pm (2 hours)

#NMN1010738 - on August 7 at 4:00pm (2 hours)

If you're at the show, please stop by booth #1807 and say 'hi!' Not at the show? Follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter for all the latest news on new music and Kaiju Kaos!

twitter.com/baileyrecords

twitter.com/kaijukaos

twitter.com/stratos

Thanks for reading! Crank it up and happy gaming!

- Bryan "Stratos" Borgman

Game ID	Title	Game System	Start Time	Duration	Cost	Tickets Left
	NMN1010739	Kaiju Kaos: Intro & Mission	Kaiju Kaos	08/05/2010 04:00:00 PM	2	$2.00	2
	NMN1010738	Kaiju Kaos: Intro & Mission	Kaiju Kaos	08/07/2010 04:00:00 PM	2	$2.00	1

Game ID	Title	Game System	Start Time	Duration	Cost	Tickets Left
	NMN1010739	Kaiju Kaos: Intro & Mission	Kaiju Kaos	08/05/2010 04:00:00 PM	2	$2.00	2
	NMN1010738	Kaiju Kaos: Intro & Mission	Kaiju Kaos	08/07/2010 04:00:00 PM	2	$2.00	1

NMN1010739

Kaiju Kaos: Intro & Mission

Babe of the Month: Candice Swanepoel

2010-08-02T08:06:00.000+02:00

3EG Newsletter

2010-08-02T07:40:00.000+02:00

Big July News!

On the heels of my upcoming trip to Indianapolis for GenCon 2010, there's a lot of great news to share with the fans of Third Eye Games. On a side note first, though, Third Eye Games books can found at the Studio2 Booth at Gencon. I'll be hanging out there for most of the trip too, so definitely come by and say hi!

Fan Rewards Program

Third Eye Games is initiating a brand new program in the hopes of bringing its fan together and their games to as many gamers as possible. With the Fan Rewards Program, fans can gain points by interacting with the community and getting others interested in our products. In exchange they receive points that can be spent to receive swag, PDFs and even print copies of Third Eye Games books. This is a step forward for Third Eye Games and our first foray into something like this! Thank you for being part of it!

You may already be a part of the program, since all you need is a Forum Account. Check out http://www.thirdeyegames.net/forums for more details.

API Demon Pack 02
We have just released 3 new races for Apocalypse Prevention, Inc. fans! It includes the Dunbar, Grandels and Olivers written by some of Third Eye Games favorite contributors. I want to thank Brennan Bishop and Darren Pearce for the help with these great additions to the world. You can download the new Demon Pack 02 here.

New 3EG Design Services
Are you interested in making your own RPG, but don't know where to start? Do you have an RPG ready, but need an editor, layout artist, art director or even just someone to help with playtesting and whatnot? Well, Third Eye Games now offers some great design services to help you along your way. Click here for more info.

New 3EG Submission Guidelines

Ever wanted to submit material to Third Eye Games and just couldn't figure out how to do it? Well, look no further. We are even actively seeking adventures, so if you have any good ideas let us know. Click here for more info.

Feedback?

Honestly, we're looking for any comments or questions from all of you. If we're doing something wrong, let us know. If we're doing something right, tell us that too! We'd love to hear what the fans have to say about whatever. You can post on the forums or even email me directly at eloy@thirdeyegames.net.

Comics shipping August 4th

2010-08-02T05:11:00.001+02:00

MARVEL

Amazing Spider-Man #639
Amazing Spider-Man #639 quesada variant
Amazing Spider-Man #639 quesada sketch variant
Avengers Childrens Crusade #1 cheung cover
Avengers Origin #5
Avengers Prime #2
Avengers Thor Captain America Official Index #4
Captain America #608
Captain America Forever Allies #1
Casanova #2 2010 marvel series
Daredevil Black and White #1
Darkstar and the Winter Guard #3
Deadpool #1000
Deadpool Wade Wilsons War #3
Death of Dracula #1 second print
Doomwar #6
Gorilla Man #2
Hawkeye & Mockingbird #3
Hercules Twilight of a God #3
Hit Monkey #2
Iron Man Legacy #5
Marvel Universe vs Punisher #1
Marvelman Familys Finest #2
Marvelman Familys Finest #2 perkins variant
New Mutants Forever #1 al rio cover
New Mutants Forever #1 bill sienkiewicz cover
Orson Scott Cards Ender In Exile #3
Phillip K Dicks Electric Ant #5
Secret Warriors #18
Shadowland #1 gatefold cover
Shadowland #2
Shadowland #2 evil daredevil cassaday variant
Shadowlands Bullseye #1
SHIELD #3
SHIELD #3 historical weaver variant
Spider-Man Fantastic Four #2
Spitfire #1
The Stand Hardcases #3
Thor Rage of Thor #1
Thunderbolts #145 2nd print
Ultimate Comics Avengers 2 #6
X-Men #1 2010 series premiere variant
Young Allies #3

Batman Confidential #47
Batman Odyssey #2
Batman Odyssey #2 variant cover
Brightest Day #7
Brightest Day #7 white lantern cover
Doom Patrol #13
Flash #1 second print
Green Arrow #1 second print
I, Zombie #4
Jonah Hex #58
JSA All Stars #9
Magog #12
Mighty Crusaders #1 dc mini series variant cover
R.E.B.E.L.S. #19
Red Hood Lost Days #3
Red Robin #15
Secret Six #24
Superman the Last Family of Krypton #1

DC/VERTIGO

Greek Street #14
House of Mystery #28
Sweet Tooth #12

DC/WILDSTORM

Authority #25
Kane and Lynch #1
Sparta USA #6
Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom #3

INDEPENDENT

Artifacts #1 collector edition
Artifacts #1 incentive 100 copy
Baltimore the Plague Ships #1
Black Terror #11 ross cover
Black Terror #11 reiss cover
Black Terror #11 negative cover
Boys #45
Crossed Family Values #3
Crossed Family Values #3 torture cover
Crossed Family Values #3 wrap cover
Crossed Family Values #3 incentive cover
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? #13 cover a
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? #13 cover b
Doctor Who Classics Series 3 #6
GI Joe A Real American Hero #157 padilla cover
GI Joe A Real American Hero #157 whigham cover
GI Joe A Real American Hero #157 incentive cover
Green Hornet Golden Age Remastered #1
Green Hornet Parallel Lives #2
Green Hornet Parallel Lives #2 negative cover
Grimm Fairy Tales Inferno #2 cover a
Grimm Fairy Tales Inferno #2 cover b
Hack Slash My First Maniac #1 ndc cover
Hellboy The Storm #2
Irredeemable #16 cover a
Irredeemable #16 cover b
Irredeemable #16 incentive cover
James Pattersons Murder of King Tut #3
Jurassic Park Redemption #2 adams cover
Jurassic Park Redemption #2 yeats cover
Jurassic Park Redemption #2 adams virgin cover
Kill Shakespeare #4
L.A. Banks Vampire Huntress #1 The Hidden Darkness
L.A. Banks Vampire Huntress #1 The Hidden Darkness variant cover
Magnus Robot Fighter #1 raymond cover
Magnus Robot Fighter #1 reinhold cover
Murderland #1
Nancy In Hell #1
Sea Bear and Grizzly Shark #1 second print
Shuddertown #4
Soulfire Volume Two #7 cover a
Soulfire Volume Two #7 cover b
Star Wars Old Republic #2
Starstruck #12
Supergod #4
Supergod #4 auxiliary cover
Supergod #4 wrap cover
Supergod #4 incentive cover
Tales from Wonderland Red Rose One-Shot cover a
Tales from Wonderland Red Rose One-Shot cover b
Torchwood #1 cover a
Torchwood #1 cover b
Transformers Ironhide #4 coller cover
Transformers Ironhide #4 matere cover
Transformers Ironhide #4 incentive cover
Warriors Official Movie Adaptation #4
Zombies Vs Cheerleaders Geektacular cover a
Zombies Vs Cheerleaders Geektacular cover b
Zombies Vs Cheerleaders Geektacular cover c
Zombies Vs Cheerleaders Geektacular cover d

TRADES & HARDCOVERS

Alice in Wonderland Campfire GN
Amory Wars Ultimate Edition HC
Angel Hole In The World TPB
Avengers Invaders TPB
Batman Arkham Reborn TPB
Ben Ten Alien Force Doom Dimension GN volume 02
Biomega GN volume 03
Bob Fingerman Pariah SC Novel
Captain America Theater of War TPB
Cinderella From Fabletown With Love TPB
Complete Dracula TPB
Creature Tech (Image Edition) TPB
Cyberforce Hunter Killer TPB volume 01
Dark Tower Battle Of Jericho Hill Prem HC
Eden GN
Essential Captain America TPB new printing volume 01
Fogtown HC
Frankenstein Campfire GN
GI Joe Origins TPB volume 03
Girl Genius TPB volume 01 Agatha & Beetleburg Clank Collection
Hellspawn Complete Collection HC
Hispanic Batman Vol. 1 TPB
Hulk Fall Of The Hulks Savage She-Hulks TPB
Indoor Voice GN
Inu Yasha TPB volume 51
John Stanley Library Nancy HC volume 02
Khan Perfect Warrior GN
Legends of the Dark Crystal GN volume 02
Losers Book 2 TPB
Luke Cage Noir TPB GN
Magog Lethal Force TPB
Milo Ventimiglia Presents Berserker Vol 1 TPB
Moby Dick Campfire GN
Punisher Max Naked Kills TPB
Return to labyrinth GN volume 04
Robinson Crusoe Campfire GN
Robocop TPB volume 01 Revolution
Secret Warriors Premiere HC Wake Beast
Sherlock Holmes Study in Scarlet GN
Sonic The Hedgehog Archives Vol 13 TPB
Spider-Man Gauntlet Premiere HC volume 04 Juggernaut
Tank Girl Skidmarks TPB
Tarzan the Jesse March Years HC volume 06
Thief Of Always TPB
Treasure Island Campfire GN
Uncle Scrooge Around the World in 80 Bucks TPB

KIDS

Archie Digest #266
Betty #187
Betty & Veronica Double Digest #183
Cars Adventures of Tow Mater #1 cover a
Cars Adventures of Tow Mater #1 cover b
Jughead #202
Looney Tunes #189
Sonic the Hedgehog #215
Tales From Riverdale Digest #39
The Incredibles #12 cover a
The Incredibles #12 cover b
Toy Story #5 cover a
Toy Story #5 cover b
Walt Disneys Comics & Stories #709 cover a
Walt Disneys Comics & Stories #709 cover b

MAGAZINES

Comic Shop News
Doctor Who Magazine #424
Heavy Metal September 2010

TOYS

Batman Reborn Series 1
DC Chronicles Batman Statue

Looking back: Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara

2010-07-30T12:01:00.000+02:00

Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara was an arcade game developed and published by Capcom in 1996 as a sequel to Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom.

It's also my 2nd favorite arcade game of all time, just falling short of first place (owned by Konami's X-Men from 1992).

The game is set in the D&D campaign setting Mystara. It was the next-to-last 2-D arcade sidescrollers by Capcom; only Battle Circuit came after Shadow over Mystara.

In addition to the original four characters found in Tower of Doom, the Cleric, Dwarf, Elf and Fighter, Shadow of Mystara adds a Thief and a Magic-User to the selection. Furthermore, with the inclusion of two separate versions of each character's sprite set, the game allows up to two players to select the same character (in Tower of Doom each of the characters could only be selected once), effectively giving the game twelve "different" characters to choose from. The two Clerics and two Magic Users also have subtle differences within their spells books.

Player Characters:

Cleric, aka Greldon: The Cleric's main role is to be the party's healer and buffer, but he is also a formidable warrior, possessing the best rushing attack in the game. He also has the ability to turn undead, instantly destroying skeletons and ghouls, and can cast from a large library of clerical spells that can heal, strengthen allies, and blind enemies. In line with classic Dungeons & Dragons rules he cannot wield any weapon that is bladed. However, he can wield a spiked morning star from which he gains new special attacks. The two Clerics have minor differences within their spell books.
Dwarf, aka Dimsdale: More hardy than even the Fighter, the Dwarf has the most hit points in the game, as well as being able to deal the most physical damage in a short amount of time. The Dwarf is a difficult character to use as his strengths lie in his special attacks rather than his normal attacks; however, once mastered he is a dervish of destruction. He also has the ability to bash opened treasure chests to reveal extra gold and treasure.
Elf, aka Lucia: The Elf is a fighter-mage, combining the offense of a fighter with the spells of a magic-user, both wielded with equal ease. Although her capabilities in such are less powerful than that of the Fighter and Magic User (respectively), she remains a well-rounded and useful character. Her disadvantages are her low constitution and short weapon reach. The Elf has an unlimited quantity of arrows in her inventory and has the ability to fire them in rapid succession. Much like the Dwarf, she reaches her maximum level fairly early in the game, which gives her an early advantage but just as well halts her progression abruptly.
Fighter, aka Crassus: The Fighter is a melee character with an excellent move-set and high endurance, making him suitable for beginners and experts alike. He can wield nearly every weapon in the game, including the two-handed sword, and is the only character with the ability to dual-wield with a short sword in his offhand. The Sword of Legends is named after the highest ranking Fighter in the high scores.
Magic-User, aka Syous: The Magic-User is a master of devastating spells but is physically the weakest character in the game. He is quick to die when played by novices due to his low constitution and relatively weak melee abilities. To offset his low amount of health, the Magic-User has a useful teleportation move which allows him to dodge all physical attacks, along with a spell that grants him temporary invulnerability. He also can cause critical hits with his poisonous dagger to inflict severe damage. Like the two Clerics, the two Magic-Users have a slight variation in spell selection. The Magic-User is a difficult, but rewarding, character to use that requires previous knowledge of the game and effective management of his spells. His offensive spells are greatly enhanced by the Staff of Wizardry, arguably making him the most powerful character in the game.
Thief, aka Moriah: The Thief is a dexterous character, with many unique skills, that can double jump, wall jump, back flip, and leap across the screen. She has the abilities to pick locks, detect traps, pickpocket enemies, and even backstab enemies for severe damage. She also has an unlimited supply of rocks to sling with and utilizes flasks of burning oil in some of her special attacks. However, she suffers defensively due to her low constitution and lack of a shield.

Japanese sales booklet for the arcade game: