We all sit down after nearly three months to record our next episode, with some reflection and reservations … which are thrown out the window with a discussion on the announcement of 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons!  We talk about what we’ve been doing, and try a new thing with the show … . . . → Read More: Gamer’s Haven Episode 89 – Freestylin’ On 5th Edition]]>

We all sit down after nearly three months to record our next episode, with some reflection and reservations … which are thrown out the window with a discussion on the announcement of 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons!  We talk about what we’ve been doing, and try a new thing with the show … current events!  So, if you like this episode, please comment and let us know if you want more like it!

In the Three Parter, we really do a Four Parter when Jeremy reviews the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Editon Player’s Option: Heroes of the Feywild (and a bit about the Faeries book from Bastion Press way back when), Nathan and Becca both talk about Star Wars: The Old Republic, Nathan goes on about Planescape Torment, and Ethan wraps it up with a trifecta of reviews of Sentinels of the Multiverse from Greater Than Games, Martian Dice from Tasty Minstrel Games, and Cards Against Humanity from … well, Cards Against Humanity.

Finally, we bring things to a close in this extra long episode (making up for lost time) with a few Random Encounters!

As always, please rate and review us on iTunes, comment on posts, head over to the forums and chat with other listeners, or visit our various affiliate stores on Amazon, Noble Knight Games, and RPGNow.

Until next time!

Total running time on this episode is 152 minutes.

About D&D Player’s Option: Heroes of the Feywild

Player’s Option: Heroes of the Feywild enables players to weave elements of the Feywild into their existing and future characters, in much the same way thatPlayer’s Option: Heroes of Shadow gave players reasons to explore their characters’ dark connections to the Shadowfell.

This book contains exciting new character builds and options that are thematically rooted to the Feywild, a wild and verdant plane of arcane splendor, full of dangerous and whimsical creatures. Characters who trace their origins or backgrounds to the Feywild gain access to unique feats, powers, and mechanics. The book explores what makes fey-themed characters so fun and distinct.

Buy Heroes of the Feywild from Amazon.com or Noble Knight Games

About Star Wars: The Old Republic

Star Wars: The Old Republic, abbreviated as TOR or SWTOR, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based in the Star Wars universe. Developed by BioWare Austin and a supplemental team at BioWare Edmonton, the game was first announced on October 21, 2008, at an invitation-only press event. The video game was released for the Microsoft Windows platform on December 20, 2011 in North America and part of Europe. Early access to the game began one week before release, on December 13, 2011, for those who had pre-ordered the game online; access opened in “waves” based on pre-order date.

Although BioWare has not disclosed development costs, industry leaders and financial analysts have estimated it to be between $125 million and $200 million. If accurate, this would make it the most expensive video game ever developed.

Buy Star Wars: The Old Republic from Amazon.com

About Planescape Torment

Planescape: Torment is a computer role-playing video game developed for Windows by Black Isle Studios and released on December 12, 1999 by Interplay Entertainment. It takes place in Planescape, an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) fantasy campaign setting. The game’s engine is a modified version of theInfinity Engine, which was also used for BioWare‘s Baldur’s Gate, a previous AD&D game set in the Forgotten Realms.

Planescape: Torment is primarily story-driven; combat is given less prominence than in most contemporary role-playing games. The protagonist, known as The Nameless One, is an immortal who has lived many lives but has forgotten all about them, even forgetting his own name. The game focuses on his journey throughout the city of Sigil and other planes to reclaim his memories of these previous lives. Several characters in the game may join The Nameless One on his journey, and most of these characters have encountered him in the past.

The game was not a significant commercial success but received widespread critical praise and has since become a cult classic. It was lauded for its immersive dialogue, for the dark and relatively obscure Planescape setting, and for the protagonist’s unique persona, which shirked many characteristics of traditional role-playing games. It was considered by many video game journalists to be the best role-playing game (RPG) of 1999, and continues to receive attention long after its release.

Buy Planescape Torment from Amazon.com or (more reasonably, and with much more stability) download it from GOG!

About Sentinels of the Multiverse

Sentinels of the Multiverse is a cooperative card game in which 3 to 5 players control a team of super powered heroes battling a dastardly villain.  Sentinels of the Multiverse, or SotM, provides players with an innovative, streamlined game play experience that is easy to learn but requires strategic, team-based thinking.  The game comes with ten different heroes, allowing players to build myriad hero teams and find new ways to challenge the villains.  There are four different villains, each with unique mechanics and challenges, and four dynamic environments in which the battles take place.  This flexibility adds enormous replay value and ensures that no two SotM games will play the same.

Buy Sentinels of the Multiverse from Amazon.com, Noble Knight Games, or directly from Greater Than Games themselves!

About Martian Dice

Your mission, Martians, is to swoop down on the pathetic denizens of the primitive planet “Earth”, and to scoop up as many of the inhabitants as you can manage. We are interested in samples of the Chicken, Cow, and Human populations, so that we can determine which of them is actually in charge. The Earthlings might manage to put up a feeble defense, but surely nothing that a small taste of your Death Rays can’t handle. Make Mars proud… be the first Martian to fill your abduction quota!

Buy Martian Dice from Amazon.com or Noble Knight Games.

About Cards Against Humanity

Cards Against Humanity is a party game for horrible people.

Unlike most of the party games you’ve played before, Cards Against Humanity is as despicable and awkward as you and your friends.

The game is simple. Each round, one player asks a question from a Black Card, and everyone else answers with their funniest White Card.

Cards Against Humanity is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution – Noncommercial – Share Alike license – that means you can use and remix the game for free, but you can’t sell it.

Ethan, Nathan, and Jeremy were able to sit down with Christopher Badell, Adam Rebottaro, and Paul Bender, otherwise known as Greater Than Games, creators and publishers of Sentinels of the Multiverse, a cooperative superhero card game and talk game design, development, and exactly what constitutes a superhero game.

It’s a . . . → Read More: Gamer’s Haven Episode 88 – Greater Than Games and Sentinels of the Multiverse]]>

Sentinels of the Multiverse

Ethan, Nathan, and Jeremy were able to sit down with Christopher Badell, Adam Rebottaro, and Paul Bender, otherwise known as Greater Than Games, creators and publishers of Sentinels of the Multiverse, a cooperative superhero card game and talk game design, development, and exactly what constitutes a superhero game.

It’s a fun discussion, and Chris, Adam, and Paul were great sports.  As soon as we are able to, we will be posting a review of Sentinels of the Multiverse (who, by the way, are sponsoring us this month).  In the discussion, things get a bit long-winded, and Jeremy and Nathan try to get GTG to commit to a Canadian Crusaders expansion of the SotM game.

Plus, here’s some art from the upcoming Rook City expansion for Sentinels of the Multiverse provided exclusively for the Gamer’s Haven Podcast!

Driving Mantis is exclusive artwork from the upcoming Sentinels of the Multiverse expansion set, Rook City!

In the Three Parter, Ethan has a not-so-shameless plug in asking listeners to donate to St. Jude’s Children’s Charity in the name of KantCon, Nathan reviews the new Batman: Arkham City video game on the X-Box and PS3 (and PC), and Jeremy talks a bit about what he’s into.

Things are wrapped up in this episode with some Random Encounters.

Total running time on this episode is 110 minutes.

About Greater Than Games & Sentinels of the Multiverse

Greater Than Games, LLC, aka >G, is all about making the games that we have always wanted to play.  We love playing games, and we love our ridiculous process of game creation.  The most important thing to us is making the sorts of games we want to play available to everyone.

Our first product here at >G is Sentinels of the Multiverse, a cooperative card game in which 3 to 5 players control a team of super powered heroes battling a dastardly villain.  Sentinels of the Multiverse, or SotM, provides players with an innovative, streamlined game play experience that is easy to learn but requires strategic, team-based thinking.  The game comes with ten different heroes, allowing players to build myriad hero teams and find new ways to challenge the villains.  There are four different villains, each with unique mechanics and challenges, and four dynamic environments in which the battles take place.  This flexibility adds enormous replay value and ensures that no two SotM games will play the same.

About Batman: Arkham City

Batman: Arkham City

Batman: Arkham City is a 2011 action-adventure video game developed by Rocksteady Studios. It is the sequel to the 2009 video game Batman: Arkham Asylum, based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. The game was released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The game was officially announced during the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards and was released worldwide for consoles, beginning in North America on October 18, 2011, with the PC version scheduled for November. A Wii U version is set to release in 2012.

Arkham City was scripted by veteran comic book author Paul Dini, who also scripted Arkham Asylum. It features a main plot and side-missions that develop their own sub-plots. The main storyline revolves around Batman’s imprisonment in Arkham City, a sprawling new super-prison five times bigger than the original asylum and enclosing a wide variety of industrial districts, iconic locations and Gotham City landmarks. He must now stop mishaps occurring around this chaotic enclosure, mainly caused by his arch-nemesis The Joker. The game has received universal critical acclaim, making it one of the highest rated video games released in 2011.

Here are some . . . → Read More: Gamer’s Haven Episode 87 – Dias Ex Machina Games]]> Ethan, Nathan, and Jeremy continue the cavalcade of guests with a Skype-in of Chris Dias of Dias Ex Machina Games.  They talk about Amethyst in it’s current and future forms, as well as Chris’s open letter to WotC.  They talk about game design, setting, and all things gaming, as per usual!

Here are some links in reference to what Chris talked about:

• Best of Techan Podcast
• Techan Game Forum Thread
• Questioning Piracy Part One Two Three Four Five and Six
• An Open Letter to Wizards of the Coast
• Follow-Up to An Open Letter to Wizards of the Coast

And, as promised, here is the picture from the book that we spoke about (click to enlarge):

In the Three Parter, we are hit with a trio of reviews starting with Nathan’s take on iTabletop, then Jeremy’s look at Amethyst: Evolution, and finally Ethan’s look at the Mutant & Masterminds Gamemaster’s Guide.

Total running time on this episode is 150 minutes.

About Dias Ex Machina Games

Dias Ex Machina was formed during sushi in May of 2007 with the soul intent of being the vehicle for an Amethyst role playing game (based on a long running campaign). In July of 2008, the company’s founder and its co-writer made the decision to abandon the previous D20 Amethyst in favor of adopting the GSL and converting Amethyst to 4 th Edition Dungeons and Dragons. Soon after, the company formed an alliance with Goodman Games for print distribution.

Amethyst Foundations was released in 2010 is extremely favorable reviews. Along with Amethyst, DEM also produces the upcoming NeuroSpasta role playing game—promising a universal Modern/Science-Fiction adaptation of 4 th Edition D&D rules.

DEM considers itself the source for alternative games utilizing the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition architecture.

About Amethyst

Which side will you choose? Which weapons will you wield? Venture into lands once claimed by skyscrapers and factories, now overrun by elves, goblins, and dragons. Ride gracefully on horseback or plow through the wilderness in an armored transport.

Earth is torn between the order of science and the chaos of fantasy. The realm of magic has invaded our world, forcing man into the last few bastions of technology. These two worlds cannot mix. Will you embrace the wonder of legends and myths or accept the reality of refrigerators and washing machines?

For 500 years the planet was locked in stalemate, but no more. The Stones of Amethyst have risen. When brought together, they could decide the future of the planet, cast off the remaining shred of technology, or close off the world of magic forever. Choose your path and commit to the quest. Monsters will hunt you; machines will track you. No gods will help you; no prophecies will choose you. The fate of the world rests with you.

Buy Amethyst: Foundations from RPGNow or Noble Knight Games

Buy Amethyst: Evolution from RPGNow

About iTabletop

We’re sure there are many different ideas out there, but we’ll just tell you what it means to us. As Gamers ourselves, we’ve seen time after time members of our game groups move out of town, go into the military, get so busy they can’t even make the trip from across town, have family responsibilities that keep them home, etc., etc., etc. One by one the group dwindles and eventually dies. We’d be willing to bet you’ve probably seen the same thing happen in your groups at some time or another.

So for us, an Online Virtual Tabletop, or VTT, first and foremost allows folks to play their tabletop games with their group, no matter where they are or when it’s happening. Of course there are a few more things that we think are important for an Online Virtual Tabletop:

It has to make you feel like you’re really there,in the same room, with the other players

The software has to take a back seat to the group interaction – meaning its so simple, easy to use and non-distracting, you pretty much forget it’s there

It’s preferable if it’s Game Rule Agnostic, meaning you can play any kind of tabletop RPG or even board game you want

Now to make software simple and non-distracting while giving you a sense that you’re physically with your group, it actually takes more complex programming – and that’s just what we’ve done with iTabletop.

About Mutants & Masterminds Gamemaster’s Guide

While Mutants & Masterminds players create heroes, the Gamemaster creates the villains, the adventures, and the entire world where the series takes place. That can be a lot of work, but the Mutants & Masterminds Gamemaster’s Guide is here to help you. This book has everything an M&M Gamemaster needs, from guidelines on creating challenges and adventures to advice on designing your own setting and series. The Gamemaster’s Guide includes guidance on how to set up and run your game and to help your players create the best heroes, archetypes that make building villains easy, world building tips, and options for modifying the game to suit your group’s play style. The Mutants & Masterminds Gamemaster’s Guide is a must-have resource for new and experienced GMs alike, and the ideal companion volume to the Hero’s Handbook.

Buy the Mutants & Masterminds Gamemaster’s Guide from RPGNow

In this episode, Ethan, Nathan, and Jeremy . . . → Read More: Gamer’s Haven Episode 86 – Terra/Sol Games]]>

Welcome to the raggedy edge of human space, The Orion Frontier. This is the edge of human exploration. Rimward from here, There be Dragons! No star chart or encyclopedia tells us what lies beyond, only whispered tales of scouts and pirates provide us myth- inspired answers.

In this episode, Ethan, Nathan, and Jeremy are joined by Mike Cross and Chris Stevens from Terra/Sol Games.  The topic of discussion in the show are their line of products featuring the Twilight Sector setting, and, to a lesser extent, Netherell, a setting contained within Twilight Sector.  They talk game design, and setting evolution, as well as hit upon developing hard science fiction settings.

In the Three Parter, Jeremy takes some time to rant a bit on his application to join a server in Minecraft.  Nathan takes a look at the new Ogre Kingdoms book for the Warhammer Tabletop Battles game.  Ethan wraps up the Three Parter with a short review of the newest addition to the Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R. R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons.

Finally, they wrap things up with a catch-up on Random Encounters!

Total Running Time on this episode is 128 minutes.

About Terra/Sol Games

Terra/Sol Games evolved out of a long running RPG campaign. The reason that’s important to note is because the fact that we evolved from a RPG campaign colors the philosophy of everything we do.

RPGs from the beginning have been defined by sets of rules. To me that has always seemed backwards. While we love to see a movie in IMAX, if the movie isn’t any good no amount of IMAX magic is going to save it. I think the parallel to RPGs is obvious. At Terra/Sol Games we want to help change that.

We’re about campaigns, hence our motto: “Because the Campaigns the Thing”. Terra/Sol Games will strive to bring our customers the best in RPG campaigns. From settings to adventures we will bring to you deep, coherent, ongoing campaigns. So whether you want to sit back and let us do the driving or you want to play in the sandbox yourself, we will give you the tools to run a campaign the way you want, and hopefully you’ll come to agree with us, that rules are nice, “But the Campaign’s the Thing”.

Buy Twilight Sector from RPGNow, Amazon.com, or Noble Knight Games

Buy Netherell from RPGNow.

About Warhammer Tabletop Battles

Warhammer: The Game of Fantasy Battles (formerly Warhammer Fantasy Battle and often abbreviated to Warhammer, WFB or WHFB) is a tabletop wargame created by Games Workshop. It is the origin of the Warhammer Fantasy setting.

The game has been designed with regiments of fantasy miniatures. It uses stock fantasy races such as humans (The Empire, Bretonnia, Kislev), Elves (Dark Elves, High Elves, Wood Elves), Dwarfs, Undead, Orcs and Goblins, Vampires, as well as some more unusual types such as Lizardmen, Skaven and the daemonic forces of Chaos. Each race has its own unique strengths and flaws; Wood Elves, for example, have the most powerful archers in the game but have poor overall defence and Bretonnia have the strongest cavalry but weak infantry.

Since first appearing in 1983, Warhammer has been periodically updated and re-released with changes to the gaming system and army lists. The current official version is the eighth edition, released on 10 July 2010.

About the Ogre Kingdoms

An Ogre is a large humanoid creature in the Warhammer Fantasy fictional universe. They are based on the ogres of mythology.

Prior to the release in 2005 of Warhammer Armies: Ogre Kingdoms for Warhammer Fantasy Battles tabletop game Ogres appeared only as mercenaries or Auxiliaries to other armies. The Ogre Kingdoms book expanded the history and character of the Ogres and they can now be fielded as a single army of their own, although the option to use them as mercenaries in other armies remained. However, the option to field allies or use mercenaries in general has since been dropped from the core Warhammer rules, with the discontinuing of the Dogs of War and the Regiments of Renown. Furthermore, the release of the Ogre Kingdoms Army Book itself was controversial, as many core armies had yet to be released at that time.

The ogre army differs from most other armies in Warhammer as it is composed mainly of monstrous Infantry (i.e. models mounted on larger bases which are significantly tougher than normal man-sized infantry, but fewer in number). This has proved popular with gamers who like to spend more time painting individual models than massed regiments, players who like a slightly more ‘quirky’ army and those looking to build an army on a smaller budget (with current UK prices it is possible to construct a playable 1000 point army for less than £90 including the cost of the Warhammer Armies: Ogre Kingdoms sourcebook. Most other armies require an investment of well over £100 to reach this level).

About A Song of Ice and Fire

A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels by American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the series in 1991 and the first volume was published in 1996. Originally planned as a trilogy, the series now consists of five published volumes (the fifth was published on July 12, 2011); a further two are planned. In addition there are three prequel novellas currently available, with several more being planned, and a series of novella-length excerpts from the main Ice and Fire novels; Martin announced on his 2011 national book tour that the first four prequel novellas, his “Dunk and Egg” series, will be collected into a book and published by Bantam Spectra after the fourth novella is first published in an original anthology he and Gardner Dozois are editing. One of these earlier excerpt novellas won science fiction‘s Hugo Award. The “Ice and Fire” series has been translated into more than 20 languages and the fourth and fifth volumes reached the top of The New York Times bestseller lists in 2005 and 2011. Overall, the series has sold more than seven million copies in the USA and more than 15 million copies worldwide.

The story of A Song of Ice and Fire takes place in a fictional world, primarily on a continent called Westeros but also on a large landmass to the east, known asEssos. Most of the characters are human but as the series progresses others are introduced, such as the cold and menacing supernatural Others from the far North and fire-breathing dragons from the East, both thought to be extinct by the humans of the story. There are three principal story lines in the series: the chronicling of a dynastic civil war for control of Westeros among several competing families; the rising threat of the Others, who dwell beyond an immense wall of ice that forms Westeros’ northern border; and the ambition of Daenerys Targaryen, the exiled daughter of a king who was murdered in another civil war fifteen years before, to return to Westeros and claim her rightful throne. As the series progresses, the three story lines become increasingly interwoven and dependent upon each other.

The series is told in the third-person through the eyes of a number of point of view characters. By the end of the fourth volume, there have been 17 such characters with multiple chapters and eight who only have one chapter apiece. Several new viewpoint characters are introduced by the conclusion of the fifth volume, setting the stage for the major events of the sixth novel.

The growing popularity of the series led to it being optioned by HBO for development of a television adaptation, Game of Thrones, after the first novel. A pilot episodewas produced in 2009 and a series commitment for nine further episodes was made in March 2010. The series premiered on April 17, 2011 to great acclaim and ratings, and two days later the network picked the show up for a second season. Shortly after the conclusion of the first season, the show received 13 Emmy Awardnominations, including Outstanding Drama and Outstanding Supporting Actor.

There are board games and role-playing games based on the available novels, as well as two collections of artwork based on and inspired by the Ice and Fire series. The French video game company Cyanide has announced that they have partnered with Martin to create a video game adaption of the books, entitled A Game of Thrones: Genesis. There are licensed full-sized sword and war hammer reproductions available; paintable white metal character miniatures; larger resin cast character busts; Westeros coinage reproductions; a forthcoming series of graphic novel adaptations of the “Ice and Fire” series; and a large number of gift and collectible items from HBO based on their cable television series.

About A Dance With Dragons

A Dance with Dragons (published in 2011) is the fifth of seven planned novels in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin.

A Dance with Dragons was originally intended to be the title of the second novel in the sequence, when Martin still envisioned the series as a trilogy. Some early US editions of A Game of Thrones (1996) list A Dance of Dragons as the forthcoming second volume in the series. The 1998 anthology Legends, which features the novella The Hedge Knight from the same universe, lists A Dance of Dragons as the fourth installment of the series. Like the previous four volumes in the Ice and Fire series, the book includes a lengthy appendix, with the volume running a total of 1,022 pages.

On March 3, 2011, publishing imprint Bantam Spectra announced that the novel would be released on July 12, 2011. Martin delivered the manuscript to his editor on April 27, 2011; however, as early as 2006, Martin made sample chapters available on his website and at Amazon.co.uk. Additionally, the German branch of Amazon.com (Amazon.de) released a reported 180 copies two weeks early by mistake. The US hardcover was officially published on July 12, 2011, having gone back to press for six printings (totaling more than 650,000 copies) prior to the 1,000+ page novel being available; 298,000 copies in print, digital, and audio formats were sold that first day alone, becoming publishing giant Random House‘s biggest book of 2011 and a runaway bestseller. The book was the second in the series to debut at the #1 position on the New York Times bestseller list. A few weeks after publication, A Dance With Dragons went on to be #1 on both Publisher’s Weekly and USA TodayBestsellers lists.

This is another in a series of seminar recordings from Gen Con 2011.

This is another in a series of seminar recordings from Gen Con 2011.

This is another in a series of short interviews from the floor of Gen Con 2011.

About Square Shooters

This is another installment in a series of short interviews from the floor of Gen Con 2011.

About Tasty Minstrel . . . → Read More: Gen Con 2011 – Tasty Minstrel Games]]> Ethan had the chance to talk to Michael Mendes, head of Tasty Minstrel Games at Gen Con 2011.  Tasty Minstrel Games publishes a number of board games geared toward families and strategic gamers alike.

This is another installment in a series of short interviews from the floor of Gen Con 2011.

About Tasty Minstrel Games

Tasty Minstrel Games is, simply put, a game publisher. We concentrate on board games, card games, fun games, addicting games, family board games, and any non-video game that can be imagined. Our criterion for publishing a game is that it must be a fun, intuitive, and an addicting game. A game must be replayable and have good value compared to other entertainment such as video games and movies.

This is another installment in a series of short interviews from the floor of Gen Con 2011.

About Mercs Miniatures

MERCS began over some pizza, a few sketches . . . → Read More: Gen Con 2011 – Mercs Miniatures]]> Ethan had the chance to stop off at the Mercs Miniatures booth at Gen Con 2011, and talk with Keith Lowe about the new miniatures game.

This is another installment in a series of short interviews from the floor of Gen Con 2011.

About Mercs Miniatures

MERCS began over some pizza, a few sketches from college, and some big ideas.
3 years and many pizzas later, the MERCS figure line is a reality.

Someday we’ll tell you the long version…

This is another installment in a series of seminar recordings from Gen Con 2011.

About Fantasy Flight Games

Roseville, MN based Fantasy Flight Publishing was founded in . . . → Read More: Gen Con 2011 – Fantasy Flight Games “In Flight” Report Seminar]]> Ethan had the chance to sit in on the Fantasy Flight Games seminar detailing their current plans and announcements for the third largest game company in the world.

This is another installment in a series of seminar recordings from Gen Con 2011.

About Fantasy Flight Games

Roseville, MN based Fantasy Flight Publishing was founded in 1995 by its CEO, Christian T. Petersen. Since the release of its first game product (Twilight Imperium) in 1997, the company has been doing business as Fantasy Flight Games (“FFG”).  Since that time, FFG has grown to become one of the biggest names in the hobby games industry, being a marketplace leader in board games and maintaining strong businesses in the card game, roleplaying game, and miniature game categories.

FFG is known for its quality of game components (often enhanced with highly detailed plastic miniatures and beautiful artwork), innovative gameplay, professional dedication to customer service, and a cutting-edge online presence providing information and support for its many products.

FFG’s best-known titles include games based on licenses such as Battlestar Galactica, World of Warcraft, and The Lord of the Rings, proprietary titles such as Arkham Horror and Descent: Journeys in the Dark, as well as re-releases of classic titles such as Cosmic Encounter, Fury of Dracula, and DungeonQuest.

In 2008, FFG formed an exclusive partnership with industry-leading, UK-Based Games Workshop (“GW”), to represent its acclaimed IPs (Warhammer and Warhammer 40K) in the hobby games market, publishing new versions of classic titles such as Talisman and Horus Heresy as well as brand new games such as Warhammer: Invasion and Chaos In the Old World.

FFG’s business is a global one, with the majority of its revenues generated from international sales.

This is another installment in a series of short interviews from the floor . . . → Read More: Gen Con 2011 – Lone Wolf Development]]> Ethan has had the chance to talk to the Lone Wolf Development guys before, but at Gen Con 2011, they were showcasing their new campaign management tool, Realmworks.  Lone Wolf Development, of course, is the creators of the award-winning Hero Lab.

This is another installment in a series of short interviews from the floor of Gen Con 2011.

About Lone Wolf Development

Lone Wolf Development specializes in creating innovative digital tools for the tabletop gaming industry, allowing players to streamline game preparation, eliminate errors, and spend more time playing the games they love. With an ever-growing suite of tools, including the award-winning Army Builder and Hero Lab products, Lone Wolf’s digital tools are the industry standard and are in regular use by tens of thousands of gamers, from miniatures games to role-playing games. Find out more about Lone Wolf Development by visiting our web site atwww.wolflair.com.

This is another installment in a series of seminar recordings from Gen Con 2011.

This is . . . → Read More: Gen Con 2011 – Ed Greenwood]]> Ethan and Tracy (from Troll in the Corner) were meandering around the convention floor at Gen Con 2011, and had a happenstance run-in with Forgotten Realms creator and author Ed Greenwood.  What follows is a recording of a fantastic conversation the two of them had with this legend in the D&D universe.

This is another installment in a series of short interviews from the floor of Gen Con 2011.

About Ed Greenwood

Ed Greenwood (born 1959) is a Canadian writer and editor who created the Forgotten Realms. He invented the Forgotten Realms as a child, as a fantasy world in which to set the stories he imagined, and later used this world as a campaign setting for his own personal Dungeons & Dragons playing group. He began writing articles about the Forgotten Realms for Dragon magazine beginning in 1979, and he sold the rights to the setting to TSR in 1986. Greenwood has written many more articles andD&D game supplement books for the setting, and has written Forgotten Realms novels as a freelance author.

About Troll in the Corner

Our aim is to provide a fun, vibrant community for folks like us.  Who are we you might ask?

We’re gamers.  We love RPGs, board games, video games, CCGs, dice games, games where you juggle live hedgehogs.  You name it, we love it.  We’re figuring you do as well or you wouldn’t be here.

We’re comic book readers.  Give us a cover where someone is wearing a cape or a nice example of Onomatopoeia and we’re in heaven.  Who needs sunlight when there are stacks to read, sort and box up?

We’re SF/F fans.  Elves and of course Trolls rock.  Give them a beam weapon and the ability to hack SSL certs on a distributed network of proto-AIs and we’re talking good times.

Recently TC has taken an interest in independent (and I guess dependent) films.  There’s a whole world of interesting short and feature length films out there that don’t necessarily play in the megaplexes.  Huge Hollywood productions have their appeals but smaller films have people who will talk to the likes of us.

Please, make yourself at home, loosen up and be who you really are while you spend time in this community.  We’re all a little different and we ask that you accept these differences rather than harp on them so that we can all feel free to indulge in our love of gaming.

This is the third installment in a series of short interviews from the . . . → Read More: Gen Con 2011 – Greater Than Games & Sentinels of the Multiverse]]> Ethan had the pleasure to run into Christopher Badell of Greater Than Games, publishers of Sentinels of the Multiverse, a cooperative superhero card game at Gen Con 2011. By happenstance, Greater Than Games is currently located right here in Kansas City!

This is the third installment in a series of short interviews from the floor of Gen Con 2011.

About Greater Than Games

Greater Than Games, aka >G, is all about making the games that we have always wanted to play.  We love playing games, and we love our ridiculous process of game creation.  The most important thing to us is making the sorts of games we want to play available to everyone.

Our first product here at >G is Sentinels of the Multiverse, a cooperative card game in which 3 to 5 players control a team of super powered heroes battling a dastardly villain.  Sentinels of the Multiverse, or SotM, provides players with an innovative, streamlined game play experience that is easy to learn but requires strategic, team-based thinking.  The game comes with ten different heroes, allowing players to build myriad hero teams and find new ways to challenge the villains.  There are four different villains, each with unique mechanics and challenges, and four dynamic environments in which the battles take place.  This flexibility adds enormous replay value and ensures that no two SotM games will play the same.

This is the second installment in a series of short interviews from the floor of Gen Con 2011.

About Blue Kabuto Games

Blue Kabuto Games is a small . . . → Read More: Gen Con 2011 – Blue Kabuto Games]]> Ethan had the chance to talk with Brian Kowalski, head of Blue Kabuto Games, publishers of Cookie Fu and Grandmaster Chi Battles, at Gen Con 2011.

This is the second installment in a series of short interviews from the floor of Gen Con 2011.

About Blue Kabuto Games

Blue Kabuto Games is a small game design company located in Albany, NY. Founded by Brian Kowalski, Blue Kabuto Games strives to produce quality games that have a unique style and are fun to play. Blue Kabuto Games games posses simple mechanics, ease of playability and a high fun factor. By keeping production costs low, Blue Kabuto Games is able to focus more on creative design and content. To view a list of current games in development, visit the games page for more information.

While walking the floor of Gen Con 2011, Ethan had the chance to stop off at Battle Bunker Games, publishers of Dice of the Dead, Please Stand By, and Adventurer’s Tiles.

This is the first in a series of short interviews from Gen Con 2011.

About Battle Bunker Games

Battle Bunker . . . → Read More: Gen Con 2011 – Battle Bunker Games]]>  

While walking the floor of Gen Con 2011, Ethan had the chance to stop off at Battle Bunker Games, publishers of Dice of the Dead, Please Stand By, and Adventurer’s Tiles.

This is the first in a series of short interviews from Gen Con 2011.

About Battle Bunker Games

Battle Bunker Games was founded by Dan Hinkle in 2004 as a retail game and hobby store. In 2006 BBG closed its store front location and moved to online sales and underwent a business restructuring as Dan joined the U.S. Navy, serving four years in Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron Four. BBG is now a small publisher and game design studio.

About Jim Butcher

Jim Butcher (born in Independence, Missouri, United States, on October 26, 1971) is a New . . . → Read More: An Interview with Jim Butcher]]> Ethan had the chance to finally sit down with Jim Butcher, author of the Dresden Files and Codex Alera books series, and talk with him about gaming, world creation, and, of course, the latest addition to the Dresden universe, Ghost Story.

About Jim Butcher

Jim Butcher (born in Independence, Missouri, United States, on October 26, 1971) is a New York Times Best Selling author most known for his contemporaryfantasy book series The Dresden Files. He also wrote the Codex Alera series. Butcher grew up as the only son of his parents, and has two older sisters. He currently lives in Independence with his wife, Shannon K. Butcher (an author of romance novels), one son, and his guard dog, F. D. M. Butcher.

About the Dresden Files

The Dresden Files is a series of fantasy/mystery novels written by Jim Butcher. He provides a first person narrative of each story from the point of view of the main character, private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden, as he recounts investigations into supernatural disturbances in modern-day Chicago. Butcher’s original proposed title for the first novel was “Semiautomagic”, which sums up the series’ balance of fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction.

In 2007, a television series based on the novels aired for one season on the American Sci-Fi Channel.

About Ghost Story

Ghost Story is the 13th book in The Dresden Files, Jim Butcher‘s continuing series about wizard detective Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Initially, the story was to have been titled Dead, but this title was rejected and Butcher went with Ghost Story.

Buy Ghost Story from the Gamer’s Haven Amazon Store

It’s that time of year, again, and KantCon is nigh.  We take time out of our busy schedules to talk a bit about KantCon this year, and what you can expect to see.

We also talk a bit about those who supported KantCon this year!

In the Three Parter, Nathan talks a . . . → Read More: Gamer’s Haven Episode 84 – KantCon Pre-Show]]>

It’s that time of year, again, and KantCon is nigh.  We take time out of our busy schedules to talk a bit about KantCon this year, and what you can expect to see.

We also talk a bit about those who supported KantCon this year!

In the Three Parter, Nathan talks a bit about what he’s into with Hollow Earth Expedition and Slipstream, while Jeremy reviews the Minecraft beta.  Ethan wraps things up with a usual shameless plug.

Running time on this episode is 131 minutes.

About Hollow Earth Expedition

Explore one of the world’s greatest and most dangerous secrets: the Hollow Earth, a savage land filled with dinosaurs, lost civilizations, and ferocious savages! Players take on the roles of two-fisted adventurers, eager academics and intrepid journalists investigating the mysteries of the Hollow Earth. Meanwhile, on the surface, world powers and secret societies vie for control of what may be the most important discovery in all of human history.

Set in the tense and tumultuous 1930s, the action-filled Hollow Earth Expedition is inspired by the literary works of genre giants Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The subterranean action is powered by Ubiquity, an innovative roleplaying system that emphasizes storytelling and cinematic action.

About Slipstream

Beyond the black holes lies the Slipstream, a pocket universe of shattered worlds, desperate aliens, and savage monsters. Ruling over the shattered isles is the diabolical Queen Anathraxa, who some say is close to finding a way to escape this interstellar prison.

Strap on your rocket pack, charge your ray gun, and prepare to blast off into the the most wild and exotic Savage Setting yet—the Slipstream!

Slipstream is a pulp science fiction Plot Point™ setting for the award-winningSavage Worlds Roleplaying Game™ in the style of Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and the rocketeering heroes of space opera.

About Minecraft

Minecraft is a sandbox building indie video game written in Java originally by Swedish creator Markus “Notch” Persson and now by his company, Mojang, formed from the proceeds of the game. It was released on May 17, 2009, with a Beta on December 20, 2010. Official releases for iOS and Android are currently in development to be released later in 2011 along with a full version of the game; the Android release will be temporarily exclusive to the Xperia Play. A version of the game for the Xbox 360 with Kinect support is under development by 4J Studios.

The game is focused on creativity and building, allowing players to build constructions out of textured cubes in a 3D world. The game has two variants – free Classic and paid Beta – where Classic is focused entirely on construction with unlimited material supply, whereas Beta requires players to acquire resources themselves, and contains mobs, player health, and additional features and items. The gameplay is heavily inspired by Infiniminer by Zachtronics Industries, Dwarf Fortress byBay 12 Games and Dungeon Keeper by Bullfrog Productions.

The game is currently in development and Beta is the only continuously updated version of the game. Minecraft was developed for about a week before its public release on May 17, 2009, on the TIGSource forums, where it gained a considerable level of popularity. It has been continually updated and patched since then, and while it was still in alpha release, it garnered several hundred thousand sales and received critical notice and acclaim from many reviewers. It passed a million units sold on January 12, 2011, less than a month after reaching Beta. By June 13, 2011, the game had sold 2.5 million units.

About KantCon

KantCon is a new gaming convention for tabletop hobby gamers in the Kansas City area, created by tabletop hobby gamers in the Kansas City area. The only available gaming conventions and large gatherings of gamers in the Kansas City area are limited to the beginning of the year, and the end of the year, in March and November, respectively. As most gamers are increasingly busy, in school, or have children in school, there is a void of a centralized gaming convention in the summer months in Kansas City. KantCon will fill that void with three days of tabletop fun in the form of tabletop role-playing games, card games, board games, and miniatures games.

The first KantCon was held in 2009 at a home in Shawnee, Kansas. It was an invitation-only event born out of the organizer’s inability to go to Gen Con, the largest gaming convention in the United States held every August in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The name KantCon was decided on because the organizer couldn’t go to his yearly con. Therefore, his “Can’t Con” became KantCon.

Approximately 30 people came to KantCon 2009, and over $1,500 worth of products donated by participating gaming companies Wizards of the Coast, Rio Grande Games, Pinnacle Entertainment Group, and others were given away to the 30 attendees over the course of the weekend. Several games were run for those attending, and a fun time was had by all.

Everyone asked if it would happen the next year, so plans were made to open it to the public and to get a public venue to see if there was an interest in a summertime gaming convention in the Kansas City area.

On July 9-11, KantCon 2010 was held at the Johnson County Community College Regnier Center. Over the course of the three days, 110 gamers came from as far away as Mt. Gilead, Ohio to participate in role-playing games, card games, board games, miniatures games, and the kind of camaraderie that all gamers love and enjoy.

Over $3,000 worth of donated product from various game companies across the world were raffled off and awarded to players at the convention, supplemented by vendors like Gamer Ground in St. Louis, Missouri, Secret Skeleton Miniatures from Lenexa, Kansas, and Black Blade Publishing from Wichita, Kansas who came out and sold miniatures, dice, books, and other products to convention attendees.

In this episode, we sit down and talk some religion … in your game, that is.  We talk about how you can use religion, both as an abstract, and as a direct motivator, including religious organizations.  We touch on using religion in a fantasy setting, and in a . . . → Read More: Gamer’s Haven Episode 83 – Finding Religion]]>

Lamentations of the Flame Princess

In this episode, we sit down and talk some religion … in your game, that is.  We talk about how you can use religion, both as an abstract, and as a direct motivator, including religious organizations.  We touch on using religion in a fantasy setting, and in a contemporary or futuristic setting.  In the Three Parter, Nathan reviews Lamentations of the Flame Princess, while Jeremy has a rant on his latest bout with AT&T, and Ethan gives us a shameless plug.

Total Running Time on this Episode is 104 minutes.

About Lamentations of the Flame Princess

Beyond the borders of civilization, beyond the influence of manipulating politicians, greedy merchants, iron-handed clergy, and the broken masses that toil for their benefit, the ruins of ancient civilizations call to those bold enough, and desperate enough, to escape the oppression of mundane life. Treasure and glory await those courageous enough to wrest it from the darkness. But the danger is great, for lurking in the forgotten shadows are forces far more corrupt than even civilization. The price for freedom might be paid in souls.

Buy Lamentations of the Flame Princess from RPGNow

Jeremy had the chance to sit down and take a look at the Vornheim book from Lamentations of the Flame Princess.

About Vornheim: The Complete City Kit

We asked Zak S., the game master of I Hit With My Axe, to make a little book full of the notes he had when . . . → Read More: Snippet Review – Jeremy on Vornheim: The Complete City Kit]]>

Vornheim

Jeremy had the chance to sit down and take a look at the Vornheim book from Lamentations of the Flame Princess.

About Vornheim: The Complete City Kit

We asked Zak S., the game master of I Hit With My Axe, to make a little book full of the notes he had when running city adventures – and everything he wished he had. He gave us not only a sourcebook detailing key rules, tables, monsters and places in Vornheim – the city at the center of the Axe campaign – but also a treasure chest of resources for running adventures in any city.

Need to know how to get from here to there even if neither here nor there are listed on a map? Even if there is no map? Need a random encounter? Need instant stats for that random encounter? Need to know why there was a random encounter? This book was designed to help you make a city happen now.

In addition to details on Vornheim, adventure locations, and player commentary from the I Hit It With My Axe girls, every single surface below this jacket – including the back of the jacket, the book covers underneath, and the inside covers – has been crammed full of tools to help you build and run a city in a First, Second, Third, or Fourth Edition game.

Buy Vornheim from RPGNow

In this episode, we try out some new theme music courtesy of TheLoneGunman.  Please let us know if you like it or not, as it is a grand experiment!

On to the meat of the episode, we all talk about implementing house rules in your game, . . . → Read More: Episode 81 – House Rules]]>

Product Review: Monster Vault for D&D Essentials

In this episode, we try out some new theme music courtesy of TheLoneGunman.  Please let us know if you like it or not, as it is a grand experiment!

On to the meat of the episode, we all talk about implementing house rules in your game, and talk a bit about the house rules we’ve run into, and even the house rules we use ourselves.

In the Three Parter, Jeremy takes a look at the D&D Essentials Monster Vault, while Nathan talks a bit about what he’s into, and Ethan wraps things up with a spot of news that he found entertaining.

Total running time of this episode is 93 minutes.

About D&D Essentials Monster Vault

This essential product for Dungeon Masters collects the most iconic monsters of the Dungeons & Dragons world in one handy box and presents all-new variants, including new spins on such beloved monsters as dragons, orcs, and vampires. The monsters described herein are designed to be easy for Dungeon Masters to use and fun for players to fight. In addition to combat statistics, each monster entry comes with story information to help DMs incorporate the monsters into their adventures and campaigns.

Buy Monster Vault from the Gamer’s Haven Amazon Store ($19.79)

Buy Monster Vault from Noble Knight Games ($21.56)

In the . . . → Read More: Gamer’s Haven Episode 77 – Fears]]> In this episode, we take another look at roleplaying and running fear, but not in the same sense as before, way back in an early episode (3 or 4 or something).  We talk a bit about invoking a fear response and doing it responsibly, and a bit about fear in a game.

In the Three Parter, Nathan talks a little about What He’s Into with the retro PC game, Pool of Radiance from SSI.  Ethan raves a bit on Conspiracy Theories and how they make games better.  Finally, Jeremy reviews the new AMC television series, The Walking Dead.

Running time on this episode is 95 minutes.

Commodore version of the box cover for the game

About Pool of Radiance

Pool of Radiance is a computer role-playing game developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc (SSI) in 1988. It was the first adaptation of TSR‘s Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D or D&D) fantasy role-playing game for home computers. It is the first in a four-part series of D&D computer adventure games. The other games in the “Gold Box” series used the game engine pioneered in Pool of Radiance, as did later D&D titles such as the Neverwinter Nights online game. Pool of Radiance takes place in the Forgotten Realms setting, with the action centered in and around the city of Phlan.

Just as in traditional D&D games, the player starts by building a party of up to six characters, deciding race, sex, class and ability scores for each. The player’s party is enlisted to help the city by clearing out the marauding inhabitants which have taken over. The characters move on from one area to another, ultimately confronting the powerful leader of the evil forces. During play the player characters gain experience points, which allow them to increase their capabilities. The game primarily uses a first-person perspective, with the screen divided into sections to display pertinent textual information. During combat sequences, display switches to a top-down perspective.

Generally well-received by the gaming press, Pool of Radiance won the Origins Award for “Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1988″. Some reviewers criticized the game’s similarities to other contemporary games and its slowness in places, but praised the game’s graphics and its role-playing adventure and combat aspects. Also well-regarded was the ability to export player characters from Pool of Radiance to subsequent SSI games in the series.

About Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theory was originally a neutral descriptor for any claim of civil, criminal, or political conspiracy. However, it has become largely pejorative and used almost exclusively to refer to any fringe theory which explains a historical or current event as the result of a secret plot by conspirators of almost superhuman power and cunning.

Conspiracy theories are viewed with skepticism by scholars because they are rarely supported by any conclusive evidence and contrast with institutional analysis, which focuses on people’s collective behavior in publicly known institutions, as recorded in scholarly material and mainstream media reports, to explain historical or current events, rather than speculate on the motives and actions of secretive coalitions of individuals. Scholars argue that conspiracy theory goes beyond the boundaries of rational criticism when it becomes non-falsifiable. Such a theory is a closed system of ideas which explains away contradictory evidence by claiming that the conspirators themselves planted it. The term conspiracy theory is therefore often used dismissively in an attempt to characterize a belief as outlandishly false and held by a person judged to be a crank or a group confined to the lunatic fringe. Such characterization is often the subject of dispute due to its possible unfairness and inaccuracy.

According to political scientist Michael Barkun, conspiracy theories once limited to fringe audiences have become commonplace in mass media. He argues that this has contributed to conspiracism emerging as a cultural phenomenon in the United States of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and the possible replacement of democracy by conspiracy as the dominant paradigm of political action in the public mind.According to anthropologists Todd Sanders and Harry G. West, “evidence suggests that a broad cross section of Americans today…gives credence to at least some conspiracy theories.” Belief in conspiracy theories has therefore become a topic of interest for sociologists, psychologists and experts in folklore.

Cover of The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye (May 2004), trade paperback collected edition. Art by Tony Moore.

About The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead is a monthly black-and-white American comic book series published by Image Comics beginning in 2003. The comic was created by writerRobert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, who was replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward, although Moore continued to do the covers through issue #24.

The story chronicles the travels of a group of people trying to survive in a world stricken by a zombie apocalypse. The series won the 2010 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series at San Diego Comic-Con International. A television series was announced to be in production on August 11, 2009 and premiered on October 31, 2010 on AMC.

Con on the Cob is the universe’s most “off the cob” gathering for fans of gaming, science fiction, fantasy, art, comedy music, Japanese animation, cult films, and other assorted aspects of geekdom.  It’s a four day part chock full of fellow fans and like-minded nerds, geeks, gamers, and . . . → Read More: Gamer’s Haven Special Edition: Con on the Cob 2010]]>

Alternatively, if that site was to go away, you can click to download . . . → Read More: Gamer’s Haven Episode 76 – Cooperative Worldbuilding Part 3]]> We take a a final look at the cooperative worldbuilding system designed by the ClanWebsite.org Dawn of Worlds, a free PDF that can be found here, and finish up the first era.  We take a lot of tangents, as you can see.

Alternatively, if that site was to go away, you can click to download the Dawn of Worlds Cooperative World Creation.

In this episode, we spend some more time on races and promise to move on to something else.

In the Three Parter, Nathan talks a little about what he’s into with retro gaming, Jeremy reviews a few PDFs we were sent by EN Publishing and Three Sages Games, and Ethan raves a bit on Misfit Studios.

We end things with some brief random encounters before we let things be.

About EN Publishing

EN Publishing is the publishing arm of EN World.  EN World is a role-playing game news and reviews website, which has grown from the earlier “Eric Noah’s Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News” site (which was active from 1999-2001).

About Three Sages Games

Three Sages Games often offers a different twist to our games in a crowded field of game titles. We value game play over flash and many of our titles are geared for family play. Our partners have over 60 combined years of rules tinkering and game playing that is invested into all our games. We are in the middle of California and seek to expand our base of happy customers beyond our local area by providing quality gaming experiences at reasonable prices. Perhaps we will meet you at a store demo or convention this year.

About Misfit Studios

Misfit Studios is a (currently) small publishing and production company that makes quality products for current game systems. To this end, the company has assembled a fine team of talented people.

Luikart is a freelance writer for the game industry, and has done design work for Green Ronin’s Red Star Campaign Setting, Skull & Bones, and Mutants & Masterminds games.  Luikart’s work can be seen most recently in Green Ronin’s Dragon . . . → Read More: An Interview with T.S. Luikart]]> Ethan had the chance to sit down with T.S. Luikart a little while back.

Luikart is a freelance writer for the game industry, and has done design work for Green Ronin’s Red Star Campaign Setting, Skull & Bones, and Mutants & Masterminds games.  Luikart’s work can be seen most recently in Green Ronin’s Dragon Age RPG, specifically Blood in Ferelden and the Dragon Age RPG Set 1.

About T.S. Luikart

Todd Steven Luikart (born 1971 in San Diego, California) is an American game designer, fantasy author, and poet. He has worked for Black Industries and Green Ronin Publishing and been a game player for over 30 years.

About Green Ronin

Green Ronin Publishing is a Seattle based company dedicated to the art of great games. Since the year 2000 Green Ronin has established a reputation for quality and innovation that is second to none, publishing such critical favorites as the Freeport Trilogy, Book of the Righteous, Hobby Games: The 100 Best, and theMutants & Masterminds RPG, and winning over 40 awards for excellence. For an unprecented three years running Green Ronin won the prestigious GenCon & EnWorld Award for Best Publisher.

About Dragon Age

Dragon Age: Origins is a single-player role-playing video game developed by BioWare‘s Edmonton studio and published by Electronic Arts. It is the first game in the Dragon Age franchise. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2009, and for Mac OS X on December 21, 2009.

Set in the mythical kingdom of Ferelden during a period of civil strife, the player assumes the role of a warrior, mage or rogue who must unite the kingdom to fight an impending invasion by demonic forces. BioWare describes Dragon Age: Origins as a “dark heroic fantasy set in a unique world”, and a spiritual successor to their Baldur’s Gate series of games, which took place in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise.

Fantasy roleplaying goes back to its dark and gritty roots with the Dragon Age RPG, the latest game from the company that brought you A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying and Mutants & Masterminds. Based on the critically-acclaimed Dragon Age: Origins computer game, theDragon Age RPG brings the excitement of BioWare’s rich fantasy world to the tabletop. Make your own heroes and control your own destiny as a Blight comes to Thedas once again.

Buy the Dragon Age: Dark Fantasy Roleplaying, Set 1: for Characters Level 1 to 5

Buy the Dragon Age Game Master’s Kit

Buy Dragon Age: Blood in Ferelden

About Pathfinder Warpath

The clash of grand armies comes to your game world! Designed by Hank Woon (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary) and extensively playtested, WARPATH is a complete set of rules designed to give Game Masters and players all . . . → Read More: Snippet Review – Andre on Pathfinder: Warpath]]> Andre takes a look at Pathfinder Warpath from Adamant Entertainment.

About Pathfinder Warpath

The clash of grand armies comes to your game world! Designed by Hank Woon (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary) and extensively playtested, WARPATH is a complete set of rules designed to give Game Masters and players all the tools they need to run anything from a tiny border skirmish to an all-out epic battle involving thousands of soldiers. The rules can be used for units as small as one to as many as needed, and is designed to be fully compatible with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game system.

Buy Pathfinder Warpath from RPG Now

About Adamant Entertainment

Adamant Entertainment has been at the forefront of the electronic publishing segment of the entertainment industry for seven years, offering innovation and standard-setting performance for digital delivery of tabletop role-playing games. In 2007, Adamant was featured in an Associated Press article spotlighting the growth of the ePublishing industry, which was carried in publications ranging from the Washington Post to the South China Morning Post, and online via dozens of sites, including CNNMoney, ABCNews.com and the Nintendo Wii News Channel.

Adamant Entertainment’s expanding list of properties include the critically-acclaimed Thrilling Tales pulp series and the forthcoming Tales of New Crobuzon, a licensed fantasy role-playing game based in the world of acclaimed author China Miéville.

In 2010, Adamant expanded its focus to include other forms of entertainment media, currently developing a number of transmedia webseries properties– which will include tabletop role-playing games, fiction, graphic novels, music, interactive media and other merchandise as part of the overall entertainment experience.

About the Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide

Players may be the heroes of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, but whole worlds rest on the Game Master’s shoulders. Fortunately for GMs, the Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide is here to back you up. Packed with invaluable hints . . . → Read More: Snippet Review – Andre on the Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide]]> Andre takes a look at the Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide from Paizo Publishing

About the Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide

Players may be the heroes of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, but whole worlds rest on the Game Master’s shoulders. Fortunately for GMs, the Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide is here to back you up. Packed with invaluable hints and information, this book contains everything you need to take your game to the next level, from advice on the nuts and bolts of running a session to the greater mysteries of crafting engaging worlds and storylines. Whether you’ve run one game or a thousand, this book has page after page of secrets to make you sharper, faster, and more creative, while always staying one step ahead of your players.

Buy the Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide from the Gamer’s Haven Amazon Store

About Paizo

Paizo Publishing®, LLC is a leading publisher of fantasy roleplaying games, accessories, board games, and novels. Paizo’s Pathfinder® line of rules, adventures, sourcebooks, and campaigns combines decades of game design experience into one evocative system compatible with the 3.5 rules. Paizo’sGameMastery® accessories offer easy-to-use tools aimed at improving the tabletop RPG experience. Paizo’s board game imprint unleashes fun, challenging games like Kill Doctor Lucky™ and Yetisburg™ that appeal to both families and casual gamers alike. Paizo’s Planet Stories® line of science fiction and fantasy novels promise thrilling adventure of the like not seen since the legendary pulps. Paizo.com is the leading online hobby retail store, offering tens of thousands of products from a variety of publishers to customers all over the world. In the seven years since its founding, Paizo Publishing has received more than a dozen major industry awards and has grown to become one of the most influential companies in the hobby games industry.

About Freeport Companion

For a decade now Freeport has stood as one of fantasy gaming’s most distinctive cities. Home to pirates, foul cults, terrifying monsters, vicious gangs, crime lords, and corrupt politicians, Freeport is a dynamic setting that offers a unique . . . → Read More: Snippet Review – Andre on the Pathfinder: Freeport Companion]]> Andre takes a look at the Pathfinder: Freeport Companion from Green Ronin Publishing.

About Freeport Companion

For a decade now Freeport has stood as one of fantasy gaming’s most distinctive cities. Home to pirates, foul cults, terrifying monsters, vicious gangs, crime lords, and corrupt politicians, Freeport is a dynamic setting that offers a unique blend of high adventure and cosmic horror. Now the City of Adventure returns to its roots with the Freeport Companion: Pathfinder RPG Edition, a rules supplement for the Pirate’s Guide to Freeport. Its 160 pages are packed with all the support you need to run a Freeport campaign with the Pathfinder RPG. In addition to giving game stats for all the city’s major characters, the Freeport Companionprovides new core classes like the corsair and monster hunter, new prestige classes like the musketeer and witch hunter, famous magic items, an insanity system, new spells and incantations, and an introductory adventure. Celebrate 10 years of the City of Adventure with the Freeport Companion: Pathfinder RPG Edition!

Buy the Pathfinder Freeport Companion from the Gamer’s Haven Amazon Store

About Pathfinder

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is an evolution of the 3.5 rules set of the world’s oldest fantasy roleplaying game, designed using the feedback of tens of thousands of gamers just like you. Players need only the single 576-page Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook to play, while the Game Master who controls the action will also want the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, a massive tome containing more than 350 fantastic foes for your adventurers to face. The Pathfinder RPG is a fully supported roleplaying game, with regularly released adventure modules, sourcebooks on the fantastic world of Golarion, and complete campaigns in the form of Pathfinder Adventure Paths like Council of Thieves and Kingmaker.

About Green Ronin Publishing

Green Ronin Publishing is a Seattle based company dedicated to the art of great games. Since the year 2000 Green Ronin has established a reputation for quality and innovation that is second to none, publishing such critical favorites as the Freeport Trilogy, Book of the Righteous, Hobby Games: The 100 Best, and theMutants & Masterminds RPG, and winning over 40 awards for excellence. For an unprecented three years running Green Ronin won the prestigious GenCon & EnWorld Award for Best Publisher.

Alternatively, if that site was to go away, you can click to download the Dawn of Worlds Cooperative World Creation.

This episode . . . → Read More: Gamer’s Haven Episode 75 – Cooperative Worldbuilding Part 2]]> We continue using the ClanWebsite.org Dawn of Worlds world creation method, a free PDF that can be found here, and finish up the first era.  We take a lot of tangents, as you can see.

Alternatively, if that site was to go away, you can click to download the Dawn of Worlds Cooperative World Creation.

This episode came in long as well, and we didn’t take many pictures, so no enhanced podcast this time around.  I will post images as soon as possible, and we’ll have a long slideshow of the development of the world.

In the Three Parter, Ethan reviews ICONS from Adamant Publishing, Jeremy talks about the Prince of Wolves, a Pathfinder novel from Paizo Publishing, and Nathan talks about the upcoming Gamer’s Haven Halloween Party.

We wrap things up with some random encounters and a new installment of Munchies for Munchkins.

About ICONS

What kid raised in recent generations hasn’t pretended to be a superhero at some point: worn a cape, “flown” around, bounced imaginary bullets or shot “blasts of power” from hands or eyes? Why not? After all, the superhero is the perfect modern fantasy: powerful, respected, and loved by the public, but with a message of responsibility, duty, truth, and justice that appeals to parents as well as kids. In countless comic books, graphic novels, cartoons, and live-action television shows and films, superheroes continue to thrill and capture our imagination while also celebrating some of our better qualities. Who wouldn’t want to be a hero?

With ICONS, you can be!

Steve Kenson, the designer of the best-selling Mutants & Masterminds delivers a superpowered new role-playing game, inspired by the fast-playing old-school games and the new generation of narrative role-play! Within its pages are complete rules for character creation, abilities and powers, random adventure generation, a rogue’s gallery of villains, a complete adventure and all the superheroic action you can handle!

Buy ICONS from RPGNow

Buy ICONS from the Gamer’s Haven Amazon Store

About Adamant Publishing

Adamant Entertainment has been at the forefront of the electronic publishing segment of the entertainment industry for seven years, offering innovation and standard-setting performance for digital delivery of tabletop role-playing games. In 2007, Adamant was featured in an Associated Press article spotlighting the growth of the ePublishing industry, which was carried in publications ranging from the Washington Post to the South China Morning Post, and online via dozens of sites, including CNNMoney, ABCNews.com and the Nintendo Wii News Channel.

Adamant Entertainment’s expanding list of properties include the critically-acclaimed Thrilling Tales pulp series and the forthcoming Tales of New Crobuzon, a licensed fantasy role-playing game based in the world of acclaimed author China Miéville.

In 2010, Adamant expanded its focus to include other forms of entertainment media, currently developing a number of transmedia webseries properties– which will include tabletop role-playing games, fiction, graphic novels, music, interactive media and other merchandise as part of the overall entertainment experience.

About Pathfinder Tales: Prince of Wolves

For half-elven Pathfinder Varian Jeggare and his devil-blooded bodyguard Radovan, things are rarely as they seem. Yet not even the notorious crime-solving duo is prepared for what they find when a search for a missing Pathfinder takes them into the gothic and mist-shrouded mountains of Ustalav. Beset on all sides by noble intrigue, mysterious locals, and the deadly creatures of the night, Varian and Radovan must use both sword and spell to track the strange rumors to their source and uncover a secret of unimaginable proportions, aided in their quest by a pack of sinister werewolves and a mysterious mute priestess. But it’ll take more than merely solving the mystery to finish this job. For shadowy figures have taken note of the pair’s investigations, and the forces of darkness are set on making sure neither man gets out of Ustalav alive…

From fan-favorite author Dave Gross comes a new fantastical mystery set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

Buy Pathfinder Tales: Prince of Wolves from the Gamer’s Haven Amazon Store

About Paizo Publishing

Paizo Publishing®, LLC is a leading publisher of fantasy roleplaying games, accessories, board games, and novels. Paizo’s Pathfinder® line of rules, adventures, sourcebooks, and campaigns combines decades of game design experience into one evocative system compatible with the 3.5 rules. Paizo’sGameMastery® accessories offer easy-to-use tools aimed at improving the tabletop RPG experience. Paizo’s board game imprint unleashes fun, challenging games like Kill Doctor Lucky™ and Yetisburg™ that appeal to both families and casual gamers alike. Paizo’s Planet Stories® line of science fiction and fantasy novels promise thrilling adventure of the like not seen since the legendary pulps. Paizo.com is the leading online hobby retail store, offering tens of thousands of products from a variety of publishers to customers all over the world. In the seven years since its founding, Paizo Publishing has received more than a dozen major industry awards and has grown to become one of the most influential companies in the hobby games industry.

About The Advanced Player’s Guide

Explore new and uncharted depths of roleplaying with the Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide! Empower your existing characters with expanded rules for all 11 Pathfinder Roleplaying Game core classes and seven core races, or build a . . . → Read More: Snippet Review – Andre on the Pathdinder: Advanced Player’s Guide]]> Andre takes a look at the Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide from Paizo Publishing.

About The Advanced Player’s Guide

Explore new and uncharted depths of roleplaying with the Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide! Empower your existing characters with expanded rules for all 11 Pathfinder Roleplaying Game core classes and seven core races, or build a new one from the ground up with one of six brand-new, 20-level base classes. Whether you’re designing your own monstrous helpers as an enigmatic summoner, brewing up trouble with a grimy urban alchemist, or simply teaching an old rogue a new trick, this book has everything you need to make your heroes more heroic.

Buy the Advanced Player’s Guide from the Gamer’s Haven Amazon Store

About Paizo Publishing

Paizo Publishing®, LLC is a leading publisher of fantasy roleplaying games, accessories, board games, and novels. Paizo’s Pathfinder® line of rules, adventures, sourcebooks, and campaigns combines decades of game design experience into one evocative system compatible with the 3.5 rules. Paizo’sGameMastery® accessories offer easy-to-use tools aimed at improving the tabletop RPG experience. Paizo’s board game imprint unleashes fun, challenging games like Kill Doctor Lucky™ and Yetisburg™ that appeal to both families and casual gamers alike. Paizo’s Planet Stories® line of science fiction and fantasy novels promise thrilling adventure of the like not seen since the legendary pulps. Paizo.com is the leading online hobby retail store, offering tens of thousands of products from a variety of publishers to customers all over the world. In the seven years since its founding, Paizo Publishing has received more than a dozen major industry awards and has grown to become one of the most influential companies in the hobby games industry.

Alternatively, if that site was to go away, you can click to download the . . . → Read More: Gamer’s Haven Episode 74 – Cooperative Worldbuilding Part 1]]> This is a long episode, and you may notice it’s a video download.  That’s because it’s an enhanced podcast.  In this episode we take on ClanWebsite.org Dawn of Worlds world creation method, a free PDF that can be found here.

Alternatively, if that site was to go away, you can click to download the Dawn of Worlds Cooperative World Creation.

As you can tell, this episode came in long, and it’s only part one … so expect us to continue this series over the next few episodes.

In the Three Parter, we have a trio of reviews when Nathan gives us his take on Warhammer Fantasy Battles 8th Edition from Games Workshop, Ethan goes deep into the realm of Dark Sun for Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, and Jeremy talks briefly about the Mantic Games Kings of War Beta (which can be found here).

We have no real random encounters this episode due to the site’s downtime, but Noah did get us a new Munchies 4 Munchkins segment to air, which you’ll find at the end of the episode.

Total Running Time on this episode is 149 minutes.

About Outbreak Undead

“Outbreak: Undead” is a Zombie Survival Simulation . . . → Read More: Gamer’s Haven Special Edition: An Interview with Ivan Van Norman, Chris De La Rosa, and Robert Watts]]> In this episode, Ethan sits down with Ivan Van Norman, Chris De La Rosa, and Robert Watts from Hunters Books and Apparel, the company and minds that bring you Outbreak Undead.  In the interview, they backgrounds, history, inception, and the design challenges behind this innovative new RPG.

About Outbreak Undead

“Outbreak: Undead” is a Zombie Survival Simulation RPG that is not only fun, but an essential step in surviving the Undead. We at Hunters Books have provided the most dramatic, effective, and above all realistic means in which to (safely) simulate the events of a zombie uprising and try your chances at survival!

Buy Outbreak Undead from Hunter Books and Apparel

Interested in getting Outbreak Undead into your friendly local gaming store?  Contact them!

Here’s a look at the superb layout and design you’ll find in Outbreak Undead.  This book is very cool!

About Ivan Van Norman

Ivan is a businessman and a coordinator with a passion for the entertainment industry. With a B.F.A in film production at Chapman University, his experience in raising funds for short films has given him a foundation upon which to start his career. Since graduation, he has worked in every field of the entertainment industry from public relations at Traction PR to post production at Dreamworks Animation. He is a veteran of the convention circuit, working and attending large conventions such as Comic-Con, E3, GDC and GenCon. He has provided a corporate presence for clients such as Atari, Commodore, Ninja Bee and the Russian software mega-distributor 1C at these conventions. Now a developer on Outbreak: Undead, Ivan has found a project that makes use of his varied areas of expertise in gaming, promotion and producing. He is an alumni of the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity.

About Chris De La Rosa

Christopher De La Rosa graduated with a BA in Psychology from Chapman University in Orange, California, with continuing education at Columbia College for supplemental courses in Business Management and Marketing. Christopher has worked for the past two years as a Graphic Designer and Marketing Coordinator for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. He also worked in development for nearly 5 years on a television adaptation of Hunters: Exile (now property of Hunters Books) with Aspect Studios. He is the lead designer of Outbreak: Undead, bringing his background in psychological research as well as years of game design and graphic design to the table. He is an alumni of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.

About Robert Watts

Robert Watts is a graduate of Chapman University with a B.F.A. in Film Production and a Minor in Honors – Zombiology, which involved an in-depth study of the popular culture and mythos behind zombie lore. This gives him an extensive knowledge of the subject matter that he puts to use on the development team of Outbreak: Undead. After writing, producing and directing films for four years, he spent two years at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment as an assistant to a motion picture talent agent. He currently works for Heroes and Villains Entertainment and on Outbreak: Undead. He has been an avid gamer all his life, and enjoys both playing and designing them, and is intimately aware of the market’s current trends and developments, being at the forefront of development in the film, literary and gaming industries. He is an alumni of the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity.