Sunday, August 18, 2013

BattleSworn - a new fantasy skirmish game from Ganesha Games is available
BID FOR VICTORY! BattleSworn is a simple set of rules for fantasy skirmish actions. Using a handful of miniatures in any scale and six-sided dice, two players can bring a game to a conclusion in around one hour. Table size is irrelevant. Distances are determined by terrain and by the position of enemies: no inches, no centimeters, no measuring sticks. BattleSworn is not your typical "I go, you go" system. The ebb-and-flow of initiative is represented by a bidding mechanic. Players bid for initiative and reveal their bids at the same time. The lowest bidder acts first, with as many characters as the number of his bid. The highest bidder reacts with as many characters as the difference between bids. Combat uses the same mechanic. Combatants roll a number of dice equal to the amount bid. Lower bids are resolved before higher bids. This forces players to take decisions: do I attack fast, sacrificing accuracy and power for speed, or do I let my opponent go first to hit him later with a harder blow? Character profiles are not encumbered with detailed statistics. They are defined by 14 classes (Fighter, Shooter, Sniper, Tank, Brute, Leader, Rogue, Warmage, Sorcerer, Healer, Cavalry, Flyer, Arquebusier, Rabble), each with its special traits. This allows you to play with minimal preparation. This is not a game for detail-oriented players or power-players. BattleSworn includes two sample scenarios, a mini-bestiary, 28 sample forces, 15 spells, guidelines to adapt the rules to other genres, and many pages of play examples and FAQs. This is a stand-alone game. No other purchases are necessary. 44 trade-size full-color pages, including table of contents, cover, play sheet, and a one-page play summary. The download includes a separate PDF with printable cards for spells, and a spreadsheet to help you build your force. Not based on the Song of Blades engine or any other game by Ganesha Games.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

The Tales From The Floating Vagabond KickStarter goes live!

What the title said:
Check it out!

Space City Con (August 2 - 4, Houston, Texas)

Space City Con is an all-ages festival of comics, sci-fi, fantasy, gaming, literature, and art, in the spirit of Houston, Texas!  Envisioned as a "geek festival with free parking," our goal is to put on the best convention possible for current generations of fans, and instill a love of comics, Sci-fi and fantasy in the next generation.  It was founded in 2012, and with only 5 months to prepare, the event drew nearly 2000 unique individuals, most of whom attended all weekend.

We are the Gulf Coast’s newest fan culture convention, offering a robust mix of authors, artists, comics, sci-fi, fantasy, anime, gaming, costuming, fan group networking, literature, writing workshops and more, in a venue meant to be more approachable to families and children.  SCC is conveniently located at the Westchase Marriott conference hotel, August 2 - 4, 2013. The Westchase area has a great selection of restaurants and attractions, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or after-hours entertainment.

Just as Houston has a broad economic mix in aerospace, energy, manufacturing, transportation; it boasts the world’s largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions. Houston also has the first-ranked port in the United States and has always been home to an ever-growing international community, along with the famous NASA Johnson Space Center and Mission Control. In this same way, Space City Con will be a gathering of fans of all ages, with an exchange of pop culture passions. More than entertainment, a place to escape for a while, forge lasting friendships, and connect with talented creators across a spectrum of genres.

Space City Con embraces the Kids Need to Read foundation, since our founders consider these elements as fuel for creative thinking, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and most of all, expanding the boundaries of what is known, into dreams and a yearning for what is unknown, what is unseen…but can be painted by the incredible human heart, mind, and spirit. Space City Con wishes to pass on the torch from one generation to the next, echoing the cry for “Inspiring Imagination!”


Thursday, July 18, 2013

Reality Cheque to release Badass Zombie Killers at GenCon

GenCon 2013 will see the release of Reality Cheque's first card game, Badass Zombie Killers, a game of Zombie Attack Preparedness.
Stop by booth #373 to play a demo and pick one up for yourself.

Countdown to the Tales From The Floating Vagabond KickStarter

Hey everybody! In just two weeks (August 1st), the KickStarter for Tales From The Floating Vagabond, Second Edition, will launch!
In addition to a bigger, better, shinier core rulebook, there'll be tons of extra swag, and stretch goal books written by Matt Vancil (screenwriter of The Gamers 2: Dorkness Rising), and Ross Watson (writer for Deathwatch, Dark Heresy, and Star Wars: Edge of the Empire)!
Keep your eyes open, and don't miss it!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Skirmisher Releases 'Castle Builder Volume 4: Towers'

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is proud to announce the release of Castle Builder Volume 4: Towers, the fourth 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 is written and mapped by gaming author Richard T. Balsley available through DriveThruRPG and other online venues (18 pages, $1.99, SKPE1310).

This installment describes those iconic defenseworks that can be used for everything from observation to reinforcing walls to serving as classic homes for wizards. Contents include:

* An introduction to the idea of towers, why people build them, and how they are perceived;

* Various functions of such structures;

* How to consider the most suitable uses for towers in your game;

* Typical locations for towers;

* Floorplans and description for a sample three-level Wizard's abode, the Tower of Aloysius Wormsthram Severstrom; and,

* Floorplans and description for a sample military structure, the four-level Watchtower of the Kithairon Mountains.

This book has no specific setting and is designed to accommodate any technological era that one is likely to encounter in a fantasy campaign setting, from the Stone Age, through the Ancient and Medieval periods, 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!

Monday, March 18, 2013

Skirmisher/Cover to Cover Make Comicpalooza Retail Agreement

HOUSTON, TEXAS -- Skirmisher Publishing LLC and Cover to Cover Comics and Games have finalized an agreement in which the latter company will manage all of Skirmisher's booth-based retail operations at Comicpalooza 2013. Cover to Cover is a retailer of games, art, and related products and has extensive experience with convention sales, especially at events in the Houston area.

Skirmisher will have a major presence in 2013 at Comicplaooza, which has quickly become one of the largest and most exciting conventions in the Southwest. This major pop culture convention will be held May 24-26 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Among other things, Skirmisher has signed on to be a sponsor of the convention, will be running numerous events at it, will be running a booth in its exhibit hall, and will be hosting the official Saturday night party.

"Having Cover to Cover Comics and Games manage this end of our operations will make it that much easier to concentrate on everything else we will be doing at the convention," said Skirmisher publisher Michael O. Varhola. “I have worked with its owner Robert Gruver don't know of anyone better qualified to handle this for us."

Skirmisher will have its full product line available at its Comicpalooza booth, which at this point will include a number of major publications it is planning to release at Comicpalooza 2013, including the print edition of its Swords of Kos: Hekaton fantasy fiction anthology and a special edition of the d-Infinity multi-platform game supplement.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Skirmisher Releases ‘Wisdom from the Wastelands #26: Energy Weapons'

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is proud to announce the release of Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #26: Energy Weapons! This publication is authored by Derek Holland and Chris Van Deelen, authors of multiple Mutant Future supplements, and is available through online venues that include DriveThruRPG (5 pages; $0.99). We hope you will enjoy it and say positive things about it on the sites to which you contribute!

The latest installment in our popular series on leading edge military technology and combat rules, this issue brings five deadly weapon systems and several new combat “conditions” to your gaming table. As a warning, Mutant Lords should use this equipment with care — some of these systems are extremely powerful. Even those weapons that do not appear lethal can devastate specific target types (like robotic units); other items have debilitating temporary effects.

Wisdom from the Wastelands is dedicated to providing useful information, game content, and ideas to players of modern, science fiction, and post-apocalyptic table-top and role-playing games in general and to fans of Goblinoid Games’ Mutant Future RPG in particular. The material it contains are compatible with it and any others that use the "Basic" system introduced in the most popular role-playing games of the early 1970s and are easily adaptable to many other games (especially successor systems, to include those covered by the Open Game License). Our goal is for each thematic issue of this publication to contain a variety of useful and earnest content that will inspire Game Masters and players alike and provide them with things that they can immediately plug into their games.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Skirmisher Re-Releases ‘Wisdom from the Wastelands #1: Artifacts, Manuals, & Toolkits'

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is proud to announce the re-release of Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #1: Artifacts, Manuals, & Toolkits! We hope you will enjoy it and say positive things about it on the sites to which you contribute.

"We were pleased with this publication when we released in it February 2012 but since then have done some things that have given this series of publications are certain look," said publisher Michael O. Varhola. "We have revised this first issue of the publication to bring it into line with later ones and made a number of minor corrections throughout. So, anyone who has been following the series will want to download this improved copy — and anyone who has not now has the perfect opportunity to check it out!"

Wisdom from the Wastelands is authored by Derek Holland and Chris Van Deelen, authors of multiple Mutant Future supplements, and is available through online venues that include DriveThruRPG (5 pages; $0.99).

One of the most entertaining aspects of a post-apocalyptic role-playing game is the many sorts of artifacts that can be found. Simply put, artifacts are the “magic” weapons and items of the science-fantasy genre and, as such, both players and Mutant Lords are always on the hunt for new items that can be used both by characters and against them. Mutant Future and other popular post-apocalyptic RPG games have decent rules for figuring out and repairing artifacts and Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #1 takes these to the next level. It includes optional bonuses, figuring out artifacts, manuals, and toolkits, and rules that cover saving throws for artifacts and how much damage they can sustain before being damaged or destroyed.

Wisdom from the Wastelands is dedicated to providing useful information, game content, and ideas to players of modern, science fiction, and post-apocalyptic table-top and role-playing games in general and to fans of Goblinoid Games’ Mutant Future RPG in particular. The material it contains are compatible with it and any others that use the "Basic" system introduced in the most popular role-playing games of the early 1970s and are easily adaptable to many other games (especially successor systems, to include those covered by the Open Game License). Our goal is for each thematic issue of this publication to contain a variety of useful and earnest content that will inspire Game Masters and players alike and provide them with things that they can immediately plug into their games.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Skirmisher Releases ‘Wisdom from the Wastelands #25: Metamorphosis I'

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is proud to announce the release of Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #25: Metamorphosis I! This publication is authored by Derek Holland and Chris Van Deelen, authors of multiple Mutant Future supplements, and is available through online venues that include DriveThruRPG (5 pages; $0.99). We hope you will enjoy it and say positive things about it on the sites to which you contribute!

In poetry, the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly describes how something ugly becomes uniquely beautiful. But in nature metamorphosis is common as living things change forms over their life cycles. And this change is not just traditional fairy tale beauty: maggots become flies, tadpoles become frogs, and chest bursters become alien warriors. The eight creature sets in this issue show how very dissimilar creatures can be the same species, just young or mature forms. Each entry uses either the animate seeds plant mutation; a new version for animals called larval form; or the idea of forced metamorphosis. The last is a version of the mutation modifier environmental dependence, one that permanently changes one creature into another when the original is exposed to certain stimuli. Some of the creature entries also use several new mutations, and these are included at the end of the issue.

Wisdom from the Wastelands is dedicated to providing useful information, game content, and ideas to players of modern, science fiction, and post-apocalyptic table-top and role-playing games in general and to fans of Goblinoid Games’ Mutant Future RPG in particular. The material it contains are compatible with it and any others that use the "Basic" system introduced in the most popular role-playing games of the early 1970s and are easily adaptable to many other games (especially successor systems, to include those covered by the Open Game License). Our goal is for each thematic issue of this publication to contain a variety of useful and earnest content that will inspire Game Masters and players alike and provide them with things that they can immediately plug into their games.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Skirmisher Releases 'Swords of Kos: Hekaton'

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is proud to announce the release of Swords of Kos: Hekaton, the second title in its line of fantasy fiction! It is available and an ePub/PDF download from various online sites, including DriveThruRPG (282 pages, $5.99, SKP E 1304). We very much hope you will enjoy it!

Inspired by the works of classic swords-and-sorcery authors like Fritz Lieber, Jack Vance, and Robert E. Howard, Swords of Kos: Hekaton is the second entry in Skirmisher Publishing LLC’s fantasy fiction series and follows Swords of Kos: Necropolis. In this anthology, the island and city of Kos and the lands around it are explored through the stories of eleven authors and original illustrations and cartography by nine artists. All are set during the Hekaton, centennial observance of the great volcanic cataclysm that reawakened magic, the elder races, and all manner of fell monsters, in a fantasy world that draws upon the myths, legends, and history of the Mediterranean, Europe, and the Middle East.

Stories in this compilation include “Bloodsuckers” by Michael O. Varhola, “Rogue’s Nightmare” by R.M. Aislin, “Chasing Shadows” by Richard T. Balsley, “The Misadventures of Bjoric” by Brendan Cass, “The Rite” by Christopher Van Deelen, “To the Dragon Apeiron” by Lissanne Lake, “Unfamiliar Ground” by Sharon Daugherty, “The Day Pateon Fnordseeker Gave Up Drinking” by Eric Lis, M.D., “Eugenos and the Green Griffon” by Robert Gruver, “Nithernons the Ale’er” by John Giddens, and “The Price of Land” by D.M. Fitzgerald.

Illustrations accompanying stories in Hekaton include ones by fantasy artists Amanda Kahl, Philip Shade Kightlinger, Sean McGarity, William T. Thrasher, Josh Routt, Lissanne Lake, Sharon Daugherty, Phillippe St. Gerard, and Bree Orlock.

Join us in our adventures through the dark and fascinating swords-and-sorcery world of Kos!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Skirmisher Releases 'Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #22: Personal Shields'

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is proud to announce the release of Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #22: Personal Shields! This publication is authored by Derek Holland and Chris Van Deelen, authors of multiple Mutant Future supplements, and is available through online venues that include DriveThruRPG. We hope you will enjoy it and say positive things about it on the sites to which you contribute!

Force screens were developed for individuals from all walks of life, to guard them from all manner of threats. There were simple fields that warded users from the insults of weather and city life, those that protected police against small caliber firearms, and those used in military powered armor systems and combat vehicles. All shields operate on the same basic mechanic: they project a protective an energy field around the user.

Wisdom from the Wastelands is dedicated to providing useful information, game content, and ideas to players of modern, science fiction, and post-apocalyptic table-top and role-playing games in general and to fans of Goblinoid Games’ Mutant Future RPG in particular. The material it contains are compatible with it and any others that use the "Basic" system introduced in the most popular role-playing games of the early 1970s and are easily adaptable to many other games (especially successor systems, to include those covered by the Open Game License). Our goal is for each thematic issue of this publication to contain a variety of useful and earnest content that will inspire Game Masters and players alike and provide them with things that they can immediately plug into their games.