Game Industry News

Skirmisher Releases 'Castle Builder Volume 2: Manor Houses'

2012-01-22T00:08:00.000-08:00

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is proud to announce the release of “Castle Builder Volume 2: Manor Houses”! This is the second installment in a 10-part series designed to help Game Masters and players plan their ideal fortifications in a step-by-step format from the ground up. It reveals how being lightly fortified does not mean a building is unsuitable for use as a defensive structure. It is available through a number of online sales venues, including DriveThruRPG and is supported on both the Skirmisher website and d-Infinity Online.

This volume’s contents include:

* An introduction to manor houses, why people build them, and how they are perceived;

* Various uses for such structures;

* How to consider the most suitable uses of manor houses in your game;

* Ideal locations for manor houses;

* Two sample structures, a large inn and an aristocratic home, that illustrate two of the most common uses of this class of structure: commerce and power.

* Five floorplans, two for the Hart & Vine inn and three for the Ellingsworth Estate.

Although this book has no specific setting, it is designed to accommodate any technological era that one is likely to encounter in a fantasy campaign setting, from the Stone Age to the Renaissance. It is also fully bookmarked and hotlinked and designed to be printer-friendly and easy-to-use. We very much hope you will enjoy it!

d-Infinity Releases 'Vol. #3: Children of the Night'

2012-01-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

Zombies, Bigfoot, and all sorts of other “Children of the Night” can be found in the just-released d-Infinity Volume #3, the latest edition of Skirmisher Publishing LLC’s popular multi-platform game supplement! This PDF publication is available through a number of online sales venues, including DriveThruRPG. Contents of d-Infinity Volume #3: Children of the Night (82 pages, $7.99, SKP E 1201) include:

Editorial: “Children of the Night”
“The Search for Bigfoot” (Twisted Tile Matching Game)
Interview: “Artist, Author, and Impressario Andy Hopp”
“‘Code Z’ Field Survival Guide”
Digital Dice: Mapping Programs
Cthulhu Live/Call of Cthulhu: “One Starry Night”
The Prop Room: “Putting a Little Bite into Your Game”
City Builder/The City and Island of Kos: “The Guild of Beggars, Guides, Locksmiths, and Exterminators”
Basic System: “Xenogenesis in Fantasy Settings”
Basic System: “Mutation Artifacts”
Basic System: “Six Orc Spells”
OGL System: “Cooper’s Corrected Summon Monster VII”
Character Caricatures: “Twelve Children of the Night”
OGL System: “Insults & Injuries (Plague and Rabies)”
OGL System/Interplanetary: “Things that Go ‘Bump’ in the Spaceship”
Pathfinder System: “Monstrous Hybrids (Three Halfbreed Races)”
Pathfinder System/Lance & Laser: “Three Alien Vegetable Monstrosities”
4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons: “Mastering a Challenge”
Reader Survey
Pass in Review
Sample Cardstock CharactersTM

d∞ (“d-Infinity”) is a multi-platform gaming supplement that covers a wide variety of rules systems and includes content that can be universally applied to many different sorts of table-top, live-action, and role-playing games. It includes both material that can be applied to all or many sorts of games and items that are self-standing and which can be played on their own.

Writers who contributed to d-Infinity Volume #3: Children of the Night include Brendan Cass, Jim Clunie, John Cooper, Robert Gruver, Derek Holland, Eric Lis, Enrico Nardini, Matt Owen, Ken Spencer, William T. Thrasher, Chris Van Deelen, and Michael O. Varhola. Artists who illustrated it include Andy Hopp (who provided the cover image), Brendan Cass, Carter Dippold, Margaret Galicia, Amanda Kahl, Bradley K. McDevitt, Richard Alan Poppe, Clint Staples, and William T. Thrasher.

Features of each thematic volume of d-Infinity include a self-standing game; new rules, stats, and bonus content tying in with several different game systems; character portraits; paper miniatures; and interviews. Rules systems supported include Pathfinder, OGL v.3.5, 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, “Basic” system, Labyrinth Lord, Mutant Future, Call of Cthulhu, and Cthulhu Live. It is jointly published by Armorcast, Dagon Industries Inc., Dark Threads, Flying Buffalo Inc., Mindgame Productions, OffWorld Designs Inc., Skirmisher Publishing LLC, and the United States Marine Space Corps.

“We believe that the most enjoyable gaming periodicals are not just devoted to single games or even the products of a single company, but also include content that makes a reader interested in other games, material that can be applied to all or many sorts of games, and items that are self-standing and which can be played on their own,” said d-Infinity editor-in-chief Michael O. Varhola. “For that reason, this publication includes many voices and exclusive material compatible with many rules systems and the products of many different companies.”

Latest News from DarkThreads: What to expect in 2012

2012-01-01T10:20:00.001-08:00

Stefan Rice and Michael McDevitt will be representing DarkThreads at the SHOT Show, Las Vegas, Jan. 17-20, where they will be rubbing elbows with all the big names in the shooting sports industry, and scoping out all the new products for 2012.
We will be vending at local gun shows and attending other events this year in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and elsewhere. The mobile DarkThreads store carries lots of hot new products that you won't find listed in our web store, like all the latest morale patches and t-shirts from the Milspec Monkey, and the hottest knives and tools from CRKT. So be sure to check us out if you're in the neighborhood! Next gun show is Feb. 4-5, 2012 in Monroeville, PA.

Milspec Monkey t-shirts, and "Cool Guy Hat DLUX"

CRKT Eat-n-Tool, and M16 E.R Series

A-TACS - the latest in camo technology - is now available! We have the Propper ACU coat, trouser, and boonie in stock, and will be adding more A-TACS products in the coming weeks.

We now offer custom embroidery of select products - any of our polo shirts, name tapes, and patches to name a few! Contact sales@darkthreads.com for more info.

Is it time for a new pair of specs? As always, we offer free shipping on Wiley X and Revision eyewear. Many styles can be fitted with your prescription. Contact sales@darkthreads.com for more info.

$3.00 for each Lacey sold will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®

Recently added: the AE mini might light - a 120 lumen backup light that we chose for it's sweet combination of power and longevity, in a compact size - perfect for tucking into a pocket, or your bug-out bag.

AE Mini Might

Speaking of bug-out bags - we highly recommend them! We've got lots of great options, including backpacks from Pantac USA, and the innovative Go bags from Paladin by S.O.Tech.

Pantac USA MOLLE Assault Pack, and BBP-MS Backpack

What are your hopes and aspirations for 2012?

'Amazing' Comicpalooza 2011 a Hit with Fans

2011-05-31T15:26:00.000-07:00

Some 10,000 people decided to spend a big part of their Memorial Day weekend at Comicpalooza, a relatively new fantasy, sci-fi, and comic book convention in Houston that has quickly become the biggest and hottest event of its kind in Texas. The fourth-annual event was held May 27-29 at the George R. Brown Convention Center and was attended by many people from the San Antonio area.

“It’s really been amazing,” said John Simons, the “guilty party,” as he puts it, behind the organization of Comicpalooza. “We’ve had a lot of great events, a lot of them you don’t see at other cons. Edward James Olmos, for example, playing laser tag against some storm troopers.” (For the less nerdy who might be reading this, Olmos battled the robotic Cylons in his role as Admiral Adama in the popular Battlestar Galactica series, while storm troopers are from Star Wars, making for amusing cross- franchise interaction.)

Olmos was only one of the popular guests at the convention, and others included Sam Trammell (True Blood), Tony Todd (Candyman), and Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: The Next Generation).

Simons also said that the convention was used as a venue for making several significant industry announcements.

“Bob Layton wrote a screenplay and Olmos Productions is going to film the movie,” Simons said. “There’s a new feature-length animated movie that’s going to be based on Tad Williams’ fan-favorite book Tailchaser’s Song and that was announced here. Steve Jackson Games, the largest game manufacturer in Texas, made some announcements here. We had a lot of that sort of thing going on.”

This year Comicpalooza also had its first-ever presentation on the paranormal, “America’s Haunted Road Trip,” by Skirmisher Publishing LLC's Michael O. Varhola, who is also the author of two books dedicated to haunted sites people can visit, Ghosthunting Maryland and Ghosthunting Virginia. This interactive presentation was very well attended and included lots of questions and comments from attendees, and Varhola and Simons began discussing ways to include an expanded paranormal track at Comicpalooza 2012.

Varhola also gave the first presentation on his latest book, Texas Confidential: Sex, Scandal, Murder, and Mayhem in the Lone Star State, a true crime book scheduled to be released nationwide in July.

Other features of Comicpalooza included a sci-fi/horror/adventure film festival running across all three days of the convention, panel discussions, Q&A sessions, demonstrations, a huge dealers room with hundreds of exhibitors, and dozens of artists showing off their work.

“We had a lot of things you don’t see at other cons, like indoor Quidditch matches (ala Harry Potter), roller derby, professional wrestling matches. Crazy stuff!” Simons said. “It was a fantastic con.”

Comics, as suggested by the name of the convention, were also a theme of the event, and a number of significant comic creators and artists were in attendance, including Larry Elmore, Athur Suydm, Brian Denham, and many more. Gaming, the spiritual cousin of comics, was also represented with industry guests that included legend Steve Jackson, Chris Perkins, Hyrum Savage, and Chris Syms.

Comicpalooza was first held July 19, 2008, in the lobby of the Alamo Drafthouse Theater in Katy, Texas, as a simple signing event set to coincide with the release of The Dark Knight. Comicpalooza was conceived as a means of helping local comic creators reach the media and the public. It was fun for all dozen-or-so comic creators who showed up.

Comicpalooza 2009 was re-imagined as a two-day comic book festival set in a local mall, again with a strong emphasis on promoting creators, connecting with the media, and fostering new growth in the fanbase. It featured guests like David Mack, Terry Moore, Steve Scott, Tom Hodges, Mat Johnson, Andy Kuhn, Dirk Strangely and others, and added events like special screenings, Q&A sessions, and the charity live art benefit. It drew more fans than any other Houston comic convention in 15 years.

Comicpalooza was re-invented again in 2010 as a multi-format convention celebrating not just comics, but also sci-fi and fantasy, horror, steampunk, new media, movies, film, and gaming of all types.

According to its organizers, Comicpalooza's mission is to provide the best and biggest annual multi-format pop culture convention in the southwest region of the United States, serving not only the fans of comics, science fiction, fantasy, video and table top gaming, anime, music and film, but also as a trade show and showcase for the studios, publishers, and manufacturers in those industries. And in 2011, it certainly hit all of those marks.

“Two years ago, this was the largest sci-fi and comics convention in Houston in the last 20 years,” Simons said. “Our lowest growth since then has been 83 percent, so we’re growing really fast. The area we now have for all our functions and activities is almost 300,000 square feet. So, Comicpalooza is now by far the biggest convention of its kind in Texas.”

Comicpalooza (May 27-29, Houston, Texas)

2011-05-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

Anyone who doesn’t already have anything planned for Memorial Day weekend should consider heading over to Houston and checking out Comicpalooza, the hottest new annual event being held in southeast Texas! It will be held May 27-29 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

“We have a sci-fi/horror/adventure film festival running all three days, a DJ stage all three days, panel discussions, Q&A sessions, demonstrations, a huge dealers room, and dozens of artists showing off their work,” said organizer John Simons. The convention also has a very impressive guest list, and some of the many celebrities attending this year include Edward James Olmos, Tony Todd, and Sam Trammell.

Comic creators and artists attending include Larry Elmore, Athur Suydm, Brian Denham, and many more.

Gaming guests include legend Steve Jackson, Chris Perkins, Hyrum Savage, and Chris Syms.

Michael O. Varhola, founder of game company Skirmisher Publishing LLC and the author of 10 non-fiction books, will also be at the convention, where he will be giving presentations and sitting on panels related to gaming, ghosthunting, the paranormal, and his latest book, Texas Confidential.

Comicpalooza was first held July 19, 2008, in the lobby of the Alamo Drafthouse Theater in Katy, Texas, as a simple signing event set to coincide with the release of “The Dark Knight.” Comicpalooza was conceived as a means of helping local comic creators reach the media and the public. It was fun for all dozen-or-so comic creators who showed up.

Comicpalooza 2009 was re-imagined as a two-day comic book festival set in a local mall, again with a strong emphasis on promoting creators, connecting with the media, and fostering new growth in the fanbase. It featured guests like David Mack, Terry Moore, Steve Scott, Tom Hodges, Mat Johnson, Andy Kuhn, Dirk Strangely and others, and added events like special screenings, Q&A sessions, and the charity live art benefit. It drew more fans than any other Houston comic convention in 15 years.

Comicpalooza was re-invented again in 2010 as a multi-format convention celebrating not just comics, but also sci-fi and fantasy, horror, steam punk, new media, movies, film, and gaming of all types.

“Comicpalooza's mission is to provide the best and biggest annual multi-format pop culture convention in the southwest region of the United States, serving not only the fans of comics, science fiction, fantasy, video and table top gaming, anime, music and film, but also as a trade show and showcase for the studios, publishers, and manufacturers in those industries,” its organizers say.

USMSC, TerrorWerks @MegaCon

2011-03-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

TerrorWerks is ON! The U.S.M.S.C is in da' house @MegaCon, Orange County Convention Center, Hall D. If you are in the area, please stop by and check it out.

If you've ever played Call of Duty, Doom, Duke Nukem, or any first-person shooter video games, and wondered what it would be like to experience the pulse-pounding adrenaline rush of combat (without actually risking life and limb), then swing by the TerrorWerks booth - West concourse, Room W221a and b:

1-7pm today (Friday, March 25)
10-6 pm Saturday, March 26
10-5 pm Sunday, March 27

Sign up for a quick tour of duty (about 45 minutes) with the USMSC (United States Marines Space Corps)! We provide the gear - tactical vest and airsoft rifle - so you can test your abilities in simulated combat. If you survive, you can call yourself a USMSC grunt! Our recruiters are walking around MegaCon, looking for a few good candidates. Just look for the handsome guys in dark digital camo with a tactical vest on, and they can show you the way.

Gearing up for MegaCon!

2011-02-22T10:42:00.000-08:00

MegaCon is March 25th - 27th, 2011, Orange County Convention Center Hall D, 9800 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819.

MegaCon 2008

We will be there with Mindgame Productions, representing the United States Marine Space Corps (USMSC) in an airsoft LARP - live-action role playing game.

MegaCon 2009

So we're getting our gear together, and we're very excited about staffing this event! If you happen to need gear for MegaCon, please let us know this week! http://www.darkthreads.com/ or contact sales@darkthreads.com. Thanks.

MegaCon 2010

Hope to see you there!

Skirmisher Releases ‘d-Infinity’ Volume #2: Lost Treasure

2011-02-19T01:34:00.000-08:00

Skirmisher Publishing LLC has just released the PDF edition of d∞ (“d-Infinity”) Volume #2: Lost Treasure ($4.99; 72 pages; SKP E 1101; ISBN: 978-1-935050-11-7). It is available through several online sales venues, including DriveThruRPG and the Skirmisher Game Store.

Highlights of this edition of d∞ include the “lost interview” with D&D creator Gary Gygax, a complete self-standing card game, and more than a dozen other great items!

“d-Infinity” is a multi-platform gaming supplement that covers a wide variety of rules systems and includes content that can be universally applied to many different sorts of table-top, live-action, and role-playing games. It is jointly published by Armorcast, Dagon Industries Inc., Dark Threads, Flying Buffalo Inc., Mindgame Productions, OffWorld Designs Inc., Skirmisher Publishing LLC, Sonic Legends, and the United States Marine Space Corps.

Features of each volume include a self-standing game; new rules, stats, and bonus content tying in with several different game systems new rules; free paper miniatures; interviews with the luminaries of the gaming industry; and more! Rules systems supported include but are not limited to 4th Edition D&D, Pathfinder, OGL v.3.5, “Basic” system, Labyrinth Lord, Mutant Future, and Cthulhu Live.

Volume #2 Contents
Editorial: Lost Treasure
Compost Heap (Self-Standing Card Game )
Interview: D&D Creator and Gamer Gary Gygax
Digital Dice: Character Generators
The Prop Room: Treasure on the Cheap
Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition: Magic of the Old West
City Builder/The City and Island of Kos: The Byzantine Bank
Character Caricatures: Twelve Treasure Hunters
Basic System: Materials of Ancient Empires
Basic System: New Golems of the Labyrinth
Basic System: Six Alchemist Spells
OGL System: Cooper’s Corrected Summon Monster IV
Reader Survey
Pathfinder System: “Steampunk Archaeologist” Prestige Class
Pathfinder System: Finders of Fortune (Three Treasure-Seeking Prestige Classes)
4th Edition D&D: Mysterious Relics
Publishing Licenses
Pass in Review
Cardstock CharactersTM

We believe that the most enjoyable gaming periodicals are not just devoted to single games or even the products of a single company, but also include content that makes a reader interested in other games, material that can be applied to all or many sorts of games, and items that are self-standing and which can be played on their own. For that reason, this publication includes many voices and exclusive material compatible with many rules systems and the products of many different companies.

To subscribe to the print edition of “d-Infinity,” go to http://skirmisher.cerizmo.com/items/6320--d-infinity-subscription. For information about advertising or co-publishing, email sales@skirmisher.com.

Practical, Tactical Stuff from Dark Threads

2010-12-26T16:59:00.000-08:00

We thought you might be interested in the latest stuff from Dark Threads, purveyor of fine and very practical tactical clothing, and supporters of

d∞(d-Infinity)

Just Added: Propper Genuine Gear Tactical Trousers
In our ongoing effort to provide products that fit any size budget, we just added the Propper Genuine Gear Tactical Trouser to our web store. At $19.99, you can afford to wear them everyday. They come in black, navy, khaki, and olive, sizes 28-54, and the cell phone pocket on the front is even big enough to fit a large-size phone like a Blackberry or iPhone.

Our year end special is also still in effect, so feel free to use one of the following codes on your next order:

1) Free shipping (in US) on an order of $50 or more - use coupon code SBSFREESHIP
2) 10% off on order of $25 or more - use coupon code SMALLBIZSAT10
3) 15% off on order of $50 or more - use coupon code SMALLBIZSAT15
4) 20% off on order of $100 or more - use coupon code SMALLBIZSAT20

This offer won't last long, so get it while you can! http://www.darkthreads.com/store.shtml

Happy Holidays from Skirmisher!

2010-12-25T11:49:00.000-08:00

Skirmisher would like to wish all of its friends and readers Happy Holidays! No, we're not being "Scrooges" by saying "holidays" instead of "Christmas," we just know that is not the only holiday celebrated this time of year. So, Merry Christmas, Super Saturnalia, Happy Yule, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Festive Kwanza, Terrific Zarathosht Diso, Belated Bodhi Day, Bountiful Boxing Day, Cheery Needfest, Idyllic Eid al-Adha, Warm Advent, Cool Childermas, Hangover-Free Gantan-Sai, and Happy Holidays overall, as well as "festivus for the rest of us," Happy New Year, and wonderful 2010! Happy Birthday, Mithra! Party on, Bacchites, pass the vino! Woohoo Sekhmet, you go girl! Sol Invictus! Best wishes to followers of Isis, Mithra, Nodens, Hermes, Baldur, Apollo, Rama, Telchur, the various “New World” deities, and assorted other cults and groupings. And we're pretty sure that star has something to do with the Yellow Sign ...

Apologies to any others that have been overlooked; feel free to let us know if there is a favorite sect you would like mentioned here.

Ia! Ia! Cthulhu fhtagn!

Owlcon XXX

2010-12-23T11:25:00.001-08:00

Ask the Rules Lawyer!

2010-12-14T16:21:00.000-08:00

Have a question about a particular game or gaming in general? Then ask the rules lawyer! d-Infinity Legal Counsel/Wartime Consiglieri Jonathan B. Reichman, Esq., has got the answers -- although they might not always be the ones you are hoping to hear. Rules, etiquette, protocol, it's all fair game.

You may have heard that there is no such thing as a stupid question ... Well, we all know that's not true! But we'll be sure to let you whether or not yours is and will give you an answer that is definitely smart.

Just post your questions in a comment here, on the online supplement to the d-Infinity quarterly gaming publication, or on the d-Infinity Facebook page, or email them to us at webmaster@skirmisher.com. Particularly good questions may also appear in an upcoming print edition of d-Infinity!

Are you ready for The Wasteland 2?

2010-10-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

THE WASTELAND 2
November 6-7, 2010
Waynes World of Paintball, Ocala, FL
$40 advance registration / $50 onsite

Wasteland Survival Guide available to download at:
http://mindgame-productions.com/nuke/files/Wasteland2PlayersPack.pdf
Register online now and save $10 from onsite admission!
www.mindgame-productions.com/store

Hello Children! Welcome back to Galaxy News Radio... with your host... Three-Dog!

Well we've all been hearing a lot of talk about the Republic of Dave. From what I hear, an increasing Deathclaw infestation out of Old Olney uprooted Dave from his old homestead and this self-proclaimed head-of-state is looking for new followers and a new place to call... well... I guess call the Republic of Dave. All I know is that the central Capital Wastes are a pretty dangerous spot and I hope Dave has some serious fire-power to back him up or I think the Republic of Dave is going to see more armies storming back and forth across it than Poland.

I know a lot of us have been getting worried about those Slavers out of Paradise Falls. But the Three-Dog is here to help shed a little light on that gloom and doom. The Regulators have upped their presence in the Central Wastelands and I hear that they are establishing an outpost out of the MDPL-11 Power Plant. Believe they have a couple merchants that have set up shop down there as well so it looks like the long arm of the Law in the Wasteland is helping to do its part to bring some stability to our lives.

Little public service announcement people... in order to help the Wasteland Census and make sure there is ample food and missions for everybody... I can't stress just how important it is to pre-register. And that just doesn't mean posting on a forum that you and those mangy shooters you call your posse are coming... but actually pre-register online and pay for your admission. Lunch counts, staffing and mission planning is all driven by pre-registration. It'll save you some pre-war money... but it's an important courtesy for both Waynes World and MGP... your gracious hosts of this little apocalyptic blight we call the Capital Wastes.

In the meantime... get to repairing your wasteland outfits and armor... make sure those weapons are working and be sure to look around your own personal homestead for any pre-war relics you can't live without... but that you think our wasteland merchants may want to buy from you.

And now... a little music... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsxJmzkX63c&feature=related

IMPORTANT! The Wasteland series of events have lots of action but are NOT traditional MilSim games. Strict uniform/costume restrictions will be in effect to recreate the setting of the game. Please read the Survival Guide (Players Pack) and review the forums for more information on factions and uniforms allowed at this event.

Event Sponsored By

Airsoft Extreme
www.airsoftextreme.com

Airsoft Unlimited
www.airsoft-unlimited.net

Dark Threads
www.darkthreads.com

This week: GenCon in Indy

2010-08-02T09:32:00.001-07:00

This week, half of Dark Threads will be at GenCon - "the best four days in gaming" - in Indianapolis, staffing a booth with Skirmisher Publishing, and Armorcast. Please stop by if you are attending the event!

The other half will be at Pennsic (on vacation) - the largest SCA event - in Slippery Rock, PA.

d-Infinity (d-∞) on facebook

2010-06-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

d-Infinity now has a facebook page! Please "Like" us. Thanks.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/d-Infinity-d-/133120306712786

DarkThreads at Origins 2010

2010-06-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

Dark Threads Military & Tactical Gear, along with Skirmisher Publishing LLC, will be vending at Origins Game Fair, booth 332, Greater Columbus Convention Center, June 23-27. If you are planning on going to this event, please stop by and say hello! We'll have lots of cool military and tactical gear, t-shirts, morale patches, and more. Here's a little teaser:

Please check out our Web store, and follow along on our adventures on our blog, facebook page, and twitter. Thanks.

Skirmisher Now on Facebook and Twitter!

2010-05-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

Skirmisher Publishing LLC now has an official page on Facebook! To check it out and become a fan, either search against "Skirmisher Publishing LLC" on Facebook or go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Skirmisher-Publishing-LLC/124697687559095.

Skirmisher is now also on Twitter! To follow what Skirmisher is doing, go to http://twitter.com/skirmisherllc.

These are two great new ways to stay up-to-date with what Skirmisher is doing and get exclusive benefits available only to members.

Flying Buffalo Releases New 'Poker Deck'

2010-05-05T23:54:00.000-07:00

Following on a tradition it started in 2008, Flying Buffalo Inc. has announced the imminent release of its third-annual "Poker Deck" promotion.

"Each year I honor four famous game designers by making them a 'king' in my poker deck," said Flying Buffalo's Rick Loomis. "The other 48 cards are advertisements from various game companies, game stores, game artists, and game conventions."

The company will be producing 6,000 of these decks and using them as part of an associated game it will be running in conjunction with the various advertisers in the deck.

Skirmisher Publishing LLC will appear as the 3 of Clubs in the deck and will be participating in the "Poker Deck" games at both Origins and Gen Con. Skirmisher will also have a special freebie for anyone with one of the Poker Decks who comes by its booth as part of the promotional game.

To see samples of cards from this and previous years and all the companies participating this year, go to http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/pokerdeck.htm. For more information or to comment on this announcement, go to to page associated with it on the Skirmisher Forum.

Roll 'd-Infinity'!

2010-04-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

“d-Infinity” is a new multi-platform gaming supplement that will cover a wide variety of rules systems and include content that can be universally applied to many different sorts of table-top, live-action, and role-playing games.

Features of each issue will include free paper miniatures, tips on practical modeling, interviews with the luminaries of the gaming industry, new rules, stats, previews of upcoming product, and all sorts of other bonus content.

Look for a free preview of the publication, which will include a self-standing game, at a game store near you that is participating in Free RPG Day. Plus, subscribe now and get five issues instead of four, along with a free book from sponsor Skirmisher Publishing!

To subscribe or for more information, go to http://Skirmisher.Cerizmo.com.

Live from the GAMA Trade Show!

2010-03-22T22:57:00.000-07:00

LAS VEGAS -- Skirmisher Publishing is on the ground for the GAMA Trade Show! It looks like it is going to be a great event and we are here covering it for our Skirmisher Online Gaming Magazine, Skirmisher Update, and new "d-Infinity" quarterly magazine, as well as Brutarian magazine.

Over the next five days, we will be meeting with hundreds of publishers, retailers, distributors, and other members of the game industry. We will also be attending seminars, social events, and much more of what this great show has to offer.

To keep track of or comment on what Skirmisher is doing at GTS, go to http://skirmisher.com/forum/index.php?topic=2105.0. And if you are going to be at the show, reply to the post at the above link so we can meet and chat a little face-to-face!

Adventures in Wonderland: A Sourcebook for OGL Roleplaying Games

2010-03-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Wonderland, a strange, sometimes creepy alternate world that incorporates aspects of a fairytale land, the elements of children’s nightmares, and a demi-plane of chaos!

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is pleased to announce the release of Adventures in Wonderland: A Sourcebook for OGL Roleplaying Games ($7.99, SKP E 1011, 58 pages; authors Michael J. Varhola and Shane O’Connor). It is available as a PDF download through several online sales venues, including DriveThruRPG (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=79282&affiliate_id=200677).

This game book is inspired by the works of Lewis Carroll, among them his Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and a number of poems. It includes:

* More than 20 monsters, races, and NPCs native to Wonderland.

* Chapters of Wonderland Skills, Feats, Spells, and Magic Items.

* A Wonderland Gazeteer

* Wonderland Adventure Hooks

* Tables for selecting Random Wonderland Items

To comment on or discuss Skirmisher's Adventures in Wonderland, go to the dedicated section on the Skirmisher Forum, at http://skirmisher.com/forum/index.php?topic=2049.0.

For more information, contact Skirmisher Publishing LLC, 499 Mystic Parkway, Spring Branch, TX 78070; http://www.skirmisher.com; sales@skirmisher.com.

Who's Happy? Experience vs. memory in our selves.

2010-03-01T23:15:00.000-08:00

If you are pursuing happiness (and yes, it's constitutionally mandated in the good ol' US of A) and fancy yourself a life hacker, then you'd do a lot worse than watching this talk by the pioneer in of field of Behavioral Economics.

Daniel Kahneman: The riddle of experience vs. memory | Video on TED.com

Skirmisher Releases ‘Dhanurvidya & Varman: The Arms and Armor of India’ for 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons

2010-02-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is pleased to announce the release of Dhanurvidya & Varman: The Arms and Armor of India, a supplement licensed for use with the 4th Edition of the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game ($6.99, SKP E 1009, 64 pages; authors Michael J. Varhola and Alejandro Melchor). It is available as a PDF download through several online sales venues, including DriveThruRPG (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=79095&affiliate_id=200677), RPGNow (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=79095&affiliate_id=200677), and the Skirmisher Game Store (http://skirmisher.cerizmo.com/items/6220-dhanurvidya-varman-the-arms-and-armor-of-india).

This fully-illustrated supplement draws upon the history, mythology, and folklore of ancient and medieval India to present more than 70 new powers; full descriptions and statistics for 24 weapons and 20 items of armor or shields; two new weapon groups; and a section on familiar weapons that might appear in an Indian milieu.

While a few arms and armor items from India appear in traditional D&D campaigns, the region’s rich and colorful variety of armaments is largely unknown in most campaign settings. Such arms and armor can be used both to enhance the action of a traditional campaign and to punctuate the distinct, exciting adventures and characters possible in settings inspired by the vast region.

This book contains information about the weapons used throughout the Indian subcontinent — to include what are now the nations of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, along with the border regions of Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, Nepal, and Tibet — from the most ancient times right up to the pre-Colonial era. It also considers significant influences on the arms and armor of India, such as the 900-year Muslim domination of the region that began in the 7th century A.D.

For more information, contact Skirmisher Publishing LLC, 499 Mystic Parkway, Spring Branch, TX 78070; http://www.skirmisher.com; sales@skirmisher.com.

Ganesha Games New Site

2010-01-08T09:27:00.000-08:00

Ganesha Games has a new home on the net: www.ganeshagames.net

The old blogs will keep being updated, and the yahoo group will be still the main source of information, but we hope the site will grow and be more than just a showcase of our products.

Skirmisher Releases 'MILFs: Monsters I'd Like to F***'

2009-12-23T19:52:00.001-08:00

Have you ever looked at a female monster your party was up against and thought:

"Man, I'd like to roll d20 to hit that!"

Well, now you can! Skirmisher Publishing LLC is pleased to announce the release of MILFs, the monsters you would most like to have a random encounter with ($3.99, SKP E 0936, 8 pages; authors Melissa Dowell and the Skirmisher Game Development Group; artist Melissa Dowell). It is available as a PDF download on several online sales venues, including DriveThruRPG (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=68992&affiliate_id=200677) and RPGNow
(http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=68992&affiliate_id=200677).

This set of full-color paper miniatures is designed to be compatible with other 25/30mm figures and contains nine different creatures, all scaled to be approximately man-sized. Furthermore, four of these have also been scaled for use as giant-sized creatures and one of them has been provided with a variant that can be used to show her in flight.

Miniatures in this set include:

* One slinky Dark Elf

* One Centipede Woman

* One sexy Fire Elemental

* One heavily-armed she-Satyr

* One Cyclops chick that has also been scaled for use as a one-eyed giantess

* One Harpy that has been provided with a variant that can be used to represent her in flight

* One Sea Naga that has also been scaled for use as a giant sea monster, "Mother Hydra," etc.

* One Bigfoot/Yeti/Abominable Snowwoman, which also has a giant-sized counterpart

* One Woodwife that has also been scaled as a Treant

MILFs is part of Skirmisher's Cardstock Characters line of figures that can be downloaded, printed out, and used in a variety of different RPGs and wargames. Other currently-available sets include ones for use with Mutant Future and other post-apocalyptic and science-fiction games; anthropomorphic ducks and pigs inspired by the Quactica wargaming rules; and the "Forbidden Creatures of Foree" line of creatures that some companies have declared off-limits.

We hope you enjoy MILFs! Remember: You can't spell "Treant" without "T" and "A."