Game Industry News

Song of Deeds and Glory PDF available

2009-10-08T15:55:00.001-07:00

Song of Deeds and Glory is an expansion for the popular Song of Blades and Heroes miniatures rules. It features all the rules and guidelines needed to run extended campaigns, taking warriors from green recruits to grizzled veterans. Now players can send their warbands on the path to conquest and carve out their own territories!

This book includes rules such as:

Territories: own land, defend it from usurpers, or launch raids on your neighbors
Scenarios: a multitude of new combat situations
The aftermath of battle: will your heroes live or be horribly crippled?
Exploration: find strange and useful treasure and visit exotic, dangerous locales
Shopping: use your warband's hard-earned gold to purchase the finest gear or hire the services of experts
Development: watch your characters grow as they survive new battles. Boost their stats, train them in new skills, or send them on personal quests
Special rules: 15 exciting new powers such as Immortal, Enchanter, and Illusionist
Rosters: 36 new creatures such as the Minotaur Skeleton, the Dwarf Gunner, Insectoids, Automatons, and the powerful Kryxxtendrella, Queen of Dragons!

The 40 pages pdf is available for $8 directly from me as emailware (andreasfiligoi@gmail.com) or as a download from wargamevault http://www.wargamevault.com/product_info.php?products_id=65050

It will soon be available on sabersedge and wargamedownloads.

The print version will be available in the next few days. Check this space!

meet Ganesha Games at Origins 2009

2009-06-17T03:17:00.001-07:00

This is Ganesha's program at Origins 2009 (Columbus, OH, June 24th to 28th). Make sure you come at our tables if you attend, and please vote for our Song of Drums and Shakos napoleonic skirmish rules in the Best Historical Miniature Rules award. All our events are ongoing -- short scenarios repeated during the day, so check the Origins guide for details and hours.

Wednesday and Thursday
Fear and Faith demo game. Zombie survivors must recover a crate of grenades in a zombie-infested area.

Song of Drums and Shakos demo game. A meeting engagement near a village.
The SDS scenario will be repeated every day with different forces.

Wednesday Night:
Playtest game of Tales of Blades and Heroes, the RPG based on SBH.

Friday
Multiplayer Mutants and Death Ray Guns scenarios (two, one ran by Ganesha and another by another GM)
SDS meeting engagement scenario.
Tales of Blades and Heroes playtest in the night.

Saturday and Sunday
"Song of Blades for Dummies", an introductory scenario aimed at new players;
SDS meeting engagement.

Also remember that there will be other SBH and MDRG tables in the miniature hall, and that Splintered Light Miniatures will be demoing Song of the Splintered Lands.

See you there!

meet Ganesha Games at Origins 2009

2009-06-17T03:15:00.001-07:00

2009-06-10T08:17:00.001-07:00

NIGHTMARES BECOME REAL, AND THE DEAD WALK THE EARTH!All the monsters from man's worst nightmares come alive in this set of fast-playing horror miniature rules which is based on the popular, Origins-nominated Song of Blades and Heroes mechanics. Fight zombies, vampires, mad slashers, ghosts, werewolves, witches and other bloodcurdling monstrosities straight out of the folklore books and horror movies. Hunt for them - before they hunt YOU!

Fear and Faith includes:

Complete rules for vampires, werewolves, ghosts, demons and zombies
Simple Fear mechanics
A tactical system where your decisions matter
Weapons like silver blades, stakes, chainsaws, shotguns, assault rifles, vials of holy water, grenades and more
Game stats for hundreds of creatures and heroes - characters from Victorian novels, researchers of the occult, chainsaw-wielding maniacs, minions of the many-tentacled space gods, undead pigeons and the dread Zombie Elephant
Fast playing rules that can be used with or without a GM
Excellent solo playability
Play in any scale, with any type of miniatures, on a 3'x3' table
Online support via a free webzine and an active community of players
Six Scenarios included (Zombies, Vampires, Slashers, Werewolves, Ghosts, and Vampires vs Werewolves)
Simple campaign rules to let your heroes grow stronger - or succumb to the powers of Evil and become worse than the monsters they hunt!

This version of the PDF comes with a $1 donation for the cancer wing of the Santa Maria Hospital in Terni, Italy. Money will be used to buy an air conditioning unit and other renovation work.

Send $9 paypal (or $8 without the donation) to andreasfiligoi@gmail.com or purchase the rules on wargamesvault.com

A printed version will soon be available. Watch this space.

Song of the Splintered Lands available at Origins!

2009-06-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

SONG OF THE SPLINTERED LANDS, a supplement for Song of Blades and Heroes joint-produced by Ganesha Games and Splintered Light Miniatures, will be available as a printed book at Splintered Light Miniatures' booth at Origins 2009 (Columbus, OH, June 24th-28th). The author John McBride will run games of SSL every day.

The book includes:

Campaign Rules for two different rebellion scenarios and for
building and defending a ‘strategic hamlet” in disputed territory;

More Fog of War with rules for variable strength warbands
and variable missions with dummy markers and scouting;

Cultural Background for the Druid’s Wyldewood, the dwarves of
Mountain Home, and the goblin races of Moonglade;

New Races including the Druid’s Children -- talking and tool-using
animal species including hares, hedgehogs, moles, shrews, squirrels,
foxes, and others;

New Special Rules including scouting, deafness, ballistas, beasts of war and bodyguards;

New Terrain, particularly defensive works of wood and dirt including
ditches, stockades, and log buildings;

And More!

Kid friendly, this is a great game system for father/son (or parent/child) gaming. Prizes for all participants.

FREE REALMS™ SURPASSES TWO MILLION PLAYER MARK

2009-05-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

Tween and Teen Market Logs On: Seventy-five Percent of Users Are Under 17 Years of Age; One-Third Are Female

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced that more than two million unique users have registered for Free Realms™ (www.FreeRealms.com), the free-to-play, family-friendly online video game that launched on April 28, 2009. With 75% of its registrants under age 17 and 46% under 13, Free Realms has managed to hit home with young players. In honor of this milestone, all current players will receive a “party pack” bundle of in-game items to help celebrate!

“In less than a month, Free Realms has captivated a core player base of tween and teen gamers, while also strongly resonating with MMO gamers,” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. “We wanted to create a game to play with our families and are excited to have hit the mark with our intended audience.”

Notably one of the fastest-growing online worlds, Free Realms has established a favorable position with the female demographic as well; nearly a third of the players are female.

In Free Realms, players are free to do or be anything: Fight like a ninja, cook a tasty meal, raise a pet, battle goblins, set out on epic quests or connect with friends through a safe, social networking site. Also available is the Free Realms Trading Card Game: a full-featured trading card game, playable both digitally within the Free Realms online game and offline via physical card decks sold wherever you buy trading cards. In the virtual marketplace, the Trading Card Game (TCG) packs are a sales leader, as are pets, weapons, health potions and crazy clothes like a funky Hawaiian shirt!

To support the initial release and launch of Free Realms, nearly one million Station Cash™ game cards were made available across five major retail chains. Free Realms players can pop into their local Best Buy, Blockbuster, Rite Aid, 7-Eleven or Target to purchase Station Cash™ cards, which are used to redeem Station Cash and buy virtual goodies or upgrade to a Membership status in the game.

Free Realms is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and up with content descriptors of Crude Humor and Fantasy Violence. To play Free Realms, visit: http://www.FreeRealms.com.

FREE REALMS™ SOARS PAST ONE MILLION REGISTRANTS IN 17 DAYS, AN UNPRECEDENTED ACHIEVEMENT FOR A NEW IP

2009-05-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

Sony Online Entertainment Celebrates Accomplishment with Lifetime Subscription for Game’s Millionth Registrant and Limited Edition In-Game Item for All Other Players

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – May 15, 2009 – Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) today announced that more than one million unique users have registered for Free Realms™, the free, family-friendly online video game that launched on April 28. To mark this milestone, SOE is rewarding all current Free Realms players with limited edition, in-game T-shirt featuring special graphics. The one-millionth player will also receive a lifetime membership to the game, a one-of-a-kind in-game astronaut suit, and 10,000 Station Cash™.

“The excitement surrounding Free Realms, and the positive response the game has already received, is overwhelming,” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. “To achieve this milestone so rapidly speaks to the quality and the fun gameplay experience Free Realms offers to players of all ages.”

Along with the limited edition Free Realms T-shirt for their character to wear, 999,999 players will receive a matching pet T-shirt for their four-legged friends, and 200 Station Cash to use toward the purchase of in-game items.

In Free Realms, players can customize their characters, explore, quest, battle monsters, and play a wide variety of minigames in a safe, online environment, packed with stunning visuals, distinctive environments, and social networking capabilities. Players are free to do or be anything: Fight like a ninja, cook a tasty meal, raise a pet, battle goblins, set out on epic quests or connect with friends through a safe, social networking site. Also available is the Free Realms Trading Card Game: a full-featured trading card game, playable both digitally within the Free Realms online game and offline via physical card decks available wherever you buy trading cards.

The Free Realms game starter cards and Station Cash cards, which can be used to purchase a membership, in-game items and more, are available at such stores as Target, Best Buy and 7-11. Free Realms is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and up with content descriptors of Crude Humor and Fantasy Violence. To play Free Realms, visit: http://www.FreeRealms.com.
About Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, Untold Legends™, and PlanetSide®, as well as for developing Star Wars Galaxies™, SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX; Seattle, WA; Denver, CO; Tucson, AZ and Taiwan, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development.

Mutants and Death Ray Guns available in Italian

2009-05-15T09:02:00.001-07:00

Ganesha Games' post holocaust, science fantasy miniature rules Mutants and Death Ray Guns (a product in the Song of Blades and Heroes family of games)is now available as a $8 ebook (send $8 paypal to andreasfiligoi@gmail.com). The printed book will be available at Wargames Day in Milan, Italy on May 24th.

The ebook will also be distributed in various e-shops in the next couple of days.

IN ITALIAN
Il regolamento di fantascienza post-apocalittica Mutants and Death Ray Guns (mutanti e raggi della morte) della Ganesha Games, gioco basato sulle regole de "Il Canto degli Eroi") è disponibile come ebook previo pagamento paypal di 8 dollari/5 euro ad andreasfiligoi@gmail.com . Le prime copie stampate del libro saranno disponibili al wargames day di Milano il 24 maggio prossimo.

FREE REALMS™ TRADING CARD GAME

2009-05-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) and The Topps Company Inc. (Topps) today announced that the highly anticipated Free Realms™ Trading Card Game hits stores this week. Developed at SOE’s Denver studio in close collaboration with Topps, it integrates a trading card game format with the exciting online world of Free Realms, featuring more than 180 game cards as well as more than 50 virtual reward cards redeemable for exciting items in the online game.

“Free Realms is poised to be a tremendous success for us,” said John Smedley, president of SOE. “Now, we’re taking the next step and putting the trading card game in stores nationwide. This week, you’ll be able to walk into many of your neighborhood retail stores and pick up one of the best trading card games I’ve ever played.”

As Topps continues to explore fun and interactive ways for their young consumers to get involved, Free Realms becomes the latest in a roster that includes Topps Town, Topps 3-D Live, and BabyBottlePop.com, which link physical products to innovative online entertainment destinations. Michael Eisner, whose Tornante Company and Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC. acquired The Topps Company, Inc., in October 2007, said, ”It’s been exciting working with Sony Online Entertainment on this endeavor, which has resulted in the development of a multiplatform product that is likely to spark the imaginations of trading card game fans everywhere.”

The physical Free Realms Trading Card Game features:

More than 180 Cards – The premier release of the Free Realms Trading Card Game features more than 180 cards, as well as 50 exclusive virtual reward cards not found anywhere else, and 16 physical exclusive cards with codes that unlock the equivalent card in the online game.

Exciting Gameplay – Developed by SOE’s Denver studio, the minds behind Legends of Norrath™, the Free Realms Trading Card Game brings the lively and colorful world of Free Realms to the familiar and fun format of the trading card game.

Virtual Rewards In Every Pack – Every Free Realms Trading Card Game pack features a virtual reward card redeemable for fantastic items inside the world of Free Realms, such as exclusive pets like the Toyger, the tiger-striped housecat, cool virtual clothing like the Rocker outfit, pet clothing, special character effects, and more.

The Free Realms Trading Card Game arrives in stores this week and is available in two formats. New players can pick up the Passport to Free Realms Starter Pack for $9.99 USD (plus applicable taxes). The Starter Pack features a 40-card starter deck, one full color playmat with rules, and a virtual reward card redeemable in the Free Realms online game for an exclusive virtual Black Labrador dog, an exclusive card player T-shirt for your character, three jumbo health potions, an exclusive virtual Cardie Racer and a one-month membership with full access to Free Realms (a $4.99 USD value). Players looking to enhance their existing decks can purchase the $3.99 USD (plus applicable taxes) booster pack, featuring 10 game cards, one virtual reward card that can be redeemed for an exclusive in-game item, and 50 Station Cash™, the virtual currency for the Free Realms online game.

For more information, visit the official Free Realms Trading Card Game site at http://www.freerealms.com/tradingcardgame.

About Free Realms

Free Realms allows you to do what you want to do, when you want to do it, in a lush, living, 3D world, filled with rich landscapes and fun wildlife. Play as a ninja one minute or be a chef the next! From pet raising to mini-games like kart racing, or battling giant spiders and adventuring with friends – there’s something for everyone! With scheduled content updates and special events planned there is always something new to see and do in the world of Free Realms. Visit http://www.freerealms.com/ for more information.

About Sony Online Entertainment

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, Untold Legends™, and PlanetSide®, as well as for developing Star Wars Galaxies™, SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX; Seattle, WA; Denver, CO; Tucson, AZ and Taiwan, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development.

About The Topps Company, Inc.

Founded in 1938, Topps (www.topps.com) is a leading creator and marketer of sports and related cards, entertainment products, and distinctive confectionery. Topps entertainment products include Major League Baseball, NFL, NBA and other trading cards, sticker album collections, and collectible games. The company’s confectionery brands include “Bazooka” bubble gum, “Ring Pop,” “Push Pop,” “Baby Bottle Pop,” and “Juicy Drop Pop” lollipops. In June 2008, Topps unveiled Topps Town (www.toppstown.com), the first online virtual sports community for kids, bringing together the popularity of trading cards with the exploding world of web-based social networking.

FREE REALMS - AVAILABLE NOW!

2009-05-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) announced that the free, family-friendly online video game Free Realms™ is now available for everyone to play at www.FreeRealms.com. Free Realms is a whimsical virtual world, loaded with fun for gamers of all ages. Whether you want to race karts, raise a pet, explore mystical forests or chat with friends, in Free Realms, you can do it all.

“We’ve designed Free Realms to be a fun, safe place for gamers of all ages to play online and are excited to finally open the doors to our adventure-packed world,” said Andy Sites, senior producer, Sony Online Entertainment. “Free Realms is free to play and truly lets you do what you want, when you want. Every member of the family will find something fun to do in Free Realms!”

In Free Realms, players can customize their characters and play a wide variety of minigames in a safe, online environment, packed with stunning visuals, distinctive environments, and social networking capabilities. Players are free to do or be anything: Become a ninja, cook a yummy meal, battle goblins, set out on epic quests or connect with friends through a safe, social networking page. The Free Realms Trading Card Game is a full-featured trading card game playable both digitally within the Free Realms online game and through a physical game available wherever you buy trading cards!

Free Realms offers a variety of features, including:

Free Gameplay: Free Realms is free to play; however, additional content can be accessed through a Membership or micro-transactions.
Rich Character Creation: With thousands of customizations and combinations, you can blend fantasy and reality to create your perfect avatar.
Be Whoever You Want: Characters aren’t locked into classes or jobs – you can be a ninja one minute and a race kart driver the next.
Kid Safe: Free Realms is designed with kids’ safety in mind and has pre-canned chat, reporting, filters and Parental Controls that allow for the customization of security options, for younger players.
Something for Everyone: Players can take care of pets, sort mail, race go-karts, battle goblins or cook meals for their friends.
Vibrant, Deep Environment: Adventurous gamers can spend hours exploring towns, bustling cities, beaches, forests, snowy mountaintops and more.
Connect with Friends: Whether you’re meeting up with old friends or finding new ones, Free Realms allows players to stay connected through its social networking page. Just log in, see what your friends have been up to, click their avatars and join them in Free Realms.
Everyone Can Access: Free Realms is designed to run on nearly all PCs. The game will stream to your PC as you play, so Free Realms will not take up a lot of memory and will download quickly.
Trading Card Game: The Free Realms Trading Card Game will let players pit fun characters like dragons and goblins against one another in fun, fast-paced combat. Half the game is collecting new cards so you are armed with the best lineup of attacks and defenses to prove your might in online tournaments.

Free Realms is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and up with content descriptors of Crude Humor and Fantasy Violence. To play Free Realms, visit: http://www.FreeRealms.com.

song of drums and shakos nominated at Origins 2009

2009-04-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

Our Napoleonic fast play skirmish rules "Song of Drums and Shakos" written by Sergio Laliscia have been nominated at Origins 2009 in the best historical miniature rules award. Andrea Sfiligoi of Ganesha Games will attend Origins and will run ongoing demo games of SDS and other games -- if you attend this great con (Columbus, OH, June 24th-28th)remember to look for our table and vote for us!

Skirmisher Releases ‘Creatures of the Wastelands’

2009-04-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is pleased to announce the release of Creatures of the Wastelands, a collection of monsters, mutations, and other material designed for use with Goblinoid Games’ Mutant Future and other post-apocalyptic games ($7.99, SKP E 0912, 80 pages; authors Derek Holland and the Skirmisher Game Development Group; artists Dragan Ciric and Jeremy Pea). It is available as a PDF download on several online sales venues, including DriveThruRPG and RPGNow.

Subtitled A Menagerie of Mutants and Mutations, Creatures of the Wastelands is fully compatible with Mutant Future, as well as Labyrinth Lord and other games that use the familiar "1st Edition" rules introduced in the 1980s. This collection includes:

* More than 200 new creatures, including the terrible Great Mother, several mutant dinosaurs, the warlike Lumbricid, the insidious Silver Sheet, and the mysterious Smart Stones.

* More than 50 mutations, including the new the Parasite mutation type and a number of Plant mutations.

* Several odds-and-ends, including new terrain types, new materials, and a number of non-creature hazards.

* Original illustrations by fantasy artists Dragan Ciric and Jeremy Pea.

Creatures of the Wastelands is fully bookmarked and designed to be printer-friendly and easy-to-use and includes low-resolution screen-friendly and high-resolution printer-friendly versions both of its cover surfaces and its interior pages.

Skirmisher Publishing LLC
P.O. Box 150006
Alexandria, VA 22153
http://www.skirmisher.com
sales@skirmisher.com

2009-02-21T22:19:00.001-08:00

Are your game's Aboleth Mages under-average? Are the Greater Barghest's skill points grimly befuddling? Do you find Retriever Demons to be ridiculously dominant against your PCs? These are just a few of the monsters in the OGL SRD that have errors in their stat blocks, bringing their mistakes into your game.

ENWorld staff reviewer/3.5 rules guru John Cooper and Skirmisher Publishing LLC have stepped up to address these problems with the Cooper's Compendium of Corrected Creatures series of books. This critical new series of books fixes the problems you didn't even know your monsters had and presents thoroughly revised and corrected stats for the myriad creatures in the v.3.5 SRD.

Skirmisher has just released the first volume in the series, Cooper's Compendium of Corrected Creatures: OGL Monster Stats A - D (Aboleth - Dwarf) ($6.99, SKP E 0908, 134 pages; John Cooper, Shane O'Connor, and the Skirmisher Game Development Group; artist Alejandro Melchor). It is available as a PDF download on several online sales venues, including DriveThruRPG and RPGNow.

Features of this book include:

* Corrected stats for all the monsters in the A - D sections of the v.3.5 SRD that address often-overlooked elements like skill synergy bonuses, size modifiers, and shapechanging abilities.

* Stats for a number of official OGL monsters mentioned but not given statistics in the SRD, such as the Hound Archon Hero's Juvenile Bronze Dragon mount.

* Improved organization of material, especially items not listed in the proper order.

* "Coopers Comments" sidebars throughout explaining particular changes and giving guidance on how to effectively reflect them in the game.

* Fully bookmarked and designed to be printer-friendly and easy-to-use.

This book and the series of which it is part are designed to be an invaluable resource for OGL game masters, players, and publishers alike. The three subsequnet volumes are currently in development and scheduled to be released on a monthly basis, in March, April, and May. Cover concepts for the E - K, L - S, and T - Z volumes have been completed and can be viewed here.

Incorporating all official errata as well as corrections for errors that went unnoticed until now, this series of books presents the monsters from the SRD as they should be. Fix up your foes and run a better game with Cooper's Compendium of Corrected Creatures!

Skirmisher Publishing LLC
P.O. Box 150006
Alexandria, VA 22153
http://www.skirmisher.com
sales@skirmisher.com

Where to Find Skirmisher Products

2009-01-23T23:22:00.000-08:00

Following is a list of many of the places that Skirmisher Publishing LLC products of various sorts can be found online. In addition, Skirmisher books can also be found in many game stores and are available to them through a variety of U.S. and international distributors. Follow the links below to get the best prices on Skirmisher books, miniatures, and other products.

Amazon.com
In addition to selling most of our print items on Amazon.com, skirmisher also has a storefront on the site through which it sells the lowest-priced new, used, and collectible versions of its books, along with a variety of individual titles from other publishers.

DriveThruRPG

e23
Digital Content from Steve Jackson Games.

Lulu.com
At this innovative site, customers can purchase print editions of Skirmisher books that are normally available only in electronic format!

RPGNow

Skirmisher Game Store
In addition to carrying Skirmisher products available elsewhere, this site is the exclusive outlet for Skirmisher miniatures, including its "Orcs of the Triple Death" prepainted resin figures and "Quactica" white metal miniatures.

WargameVault

Paizo

YourGamesNow

Arima

Skirmisher Publishing LLC
P.O. Box 150006
Alexandria, VA 22315
http://www.skirmisher.com
sales@skirmisher.com

Song of Arthur and Merlin available on Dec.23rd

2008-12-21T08:27:00.001-08:00

On Dec. 23rd, Song of Arthur and Merlin, the Arthurian sourcebook for Song of Blades and Heroes, will be available from our blog www.ganeshagames.blogspot.com as a $8 pdf.

It will also be available soon as a download from many online pdf retailers -- watch this space-- and as a printed book (37 black and white pages with color covers).

For those who do not have the basic books in the Song of Blades series, please take note that we'll offer all the books including SAM in a discount bundle on www.wargamevault.com

Here's what the back of the book says:

PULL THE SWORD FROM THE STONE AND BECOME KING OF THE BRITONS!

Song of Arthur and Merlin is the third expansion for the Song of Blades and Heroes miniatures rules, bringing the world’s most famous legendary king to your tabletop battles. Written by Arthurian expert Daniel Mersey, this book includes:

* Three versions of the Arthurian story: Hollywood’s knights in shining armor, the gritty hero of Welsh legend, and a historical world stripped of all magic and monsters.

* 6 special scenarios and campaigns for Arthurian games and 11 new scenarios for all Song of Blades and Heroes games.

* 100 new rosters including famous knights of legend, magicians and creatures from British folklore, and the historical Britons and their Saxon, Pictish, and Irish enemies.

* 38 new special items from Arthurian legend.

* 19 Arthurian warband advances.

* New special rules and optional rules for playing games with larger warbands.

THE ORIGINAL SONG OF BLADES AND HEROES RULEBOOK IS REQUIRED TO PLAY THIS GAME. TO FULLY ENJOY THIS BOOK OWNERSHIP OF THE PREVIOUS SUPPLEMENTS SONG OF GOLD AND DARKNESS AND SONG OF WIND AND WATER IS RECOMMENDED

Song of Drums and Shakos napoleonic skirmish rules available from Ganesha Games

2008-11-26T10:23:00.000-08:00

Song of Drums and Shakos, the fast play napoleonic skirmish rules based on the popular Song of Blades and Heroes system, are available as a $8 PDF or as a $14.99 printed book. To order the pdf, send a $8 paypal payment to andreasfiligoi@gmail.com or buy it direct from sites such as wargamesvault.com, sabersedge.com and others. The printed book is available on www.lulu.com/songofblades. More e-vendors will list it in the next few days.

- Three scenarios included
- Simple, elegant system where your tactical decisions matter
- Playable in any scale with single based models
- All major troop types represented: 160+ profiles (French, British, Prussian, Russian, and Austrian)
- Easy measuring system
- No bookkeeping
- Point system for building up your Squad
- Play with as little as 5-6 elite to 20 inexperienced soldiers in a standard game
- Playable on a small table (60×60 cm for 15mm)
- Simple yet subtle command system, with Officers and NCO
- Two or more players, 30-45 minutes for a full game
- Ideal introductory rule set to small actions in the Napoleonic Era.

ganesha games demoes Song of Drums and Shakos at dadi.com (Italy)

2008-11-20T14:14:00.000-08:00

Ganesha Games will run demo games of the Song of Drums and Shakos Napoleonic skirmish rules at Dadi.com this coming weekend in Crema, Italy.

You'll find me at the Ganesha demo table to play or discuss any of our games. A few coilbound preview copies of SDS will be available.

'Metal, Magic and Lore' Now Available from Skirmisher

2008-11-20T11:09:00.001-08:00

Skirmisher Publishing LLC has entered into an agreement with 5th Epoch to distribute its Metal, Magic and Lore role-playing game through its various sales outlets, including its online store and directly through its booth at game conventions.

Metal, Magic and Lore combines the classic elements of fantasy role-playing with a very realistic setting. Combining fast-paced combat and magic play with a setting rooted in historical realism, MML is proving an appeal to seasoned RPGers who crave a mood of an epic literary saga in their campaigns.

"This is truly a beautiful game and we are very pleased at the opportunity to sell it alongside our own products," said Michael J. Varhola, head of Skirmisher. "We identified this as the best new role-playing game released last year and being able to help get it into people's hands this year is very exciting for us."

Clerisy Releases 'Ghosthunting Virginia'

2008-11-20T10:59:00.000-08:00

Ghosthunting Virginia (Clerisy Press, 2008), the latest book by Skirmisher Publishing LLC publisher Michael J. Varhola, has just been released nationwide, and the author and publisher are participating in all sorts of organizational events in support of it. For a constantly updated list of such events, to include book signings, podcasts, and radio shows, go to http://www.booktour.com/author/michael_j_varhola. For personal updates to the book, check out Varhola's TravelBlogue at http://varhola.blogspot.com.

Virginia and the District of Columbia are fertile ground for serious and casual ghosthunters alike and have no shortage of venues for paranormal investigation -- if visitors know where to look. Varhola has spared no efforts to make Ghosthunting Virginia as useful a resource as possible for those interested in visiting haunted sites as he leads readers on a guided tour of the most haunted sites in the Old Dominion and the nation's capital. A great many of these sites have some connection to the Colonial era or to the Civil War, two defining elements in the history of the region. Battlefields, cemeteries, tunnels, caves, bridges, haunted highways, inns and taverns, lighthouses, theatres, haunted cities like historic Winchester, Colonial Williamsburg, and Washington, D.C, and all manner of other eerie locales can be found in this novel and informative travel guide! It’s also perfect late-night reading for anyone who loves a good ghost story.

Ghosthunting Virginia is available from a variety of sources, including Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Amazon.com. Signed and personalized copies of the book are available directly through Skirmisher's online store (http://skirmisher.cerizmo.com/items/2098-ghosthunting-virginia-signed-by-the-author).

Ganesha Games launches a small poetry competition...

2008-11-04T09:24:00.001-08:00

I need a short fantasy poem ( the lyrics of a storyteller's song) to be used as the frontispiece of the SBH rpg "Tales of Blades and Heroes" to be published in 2009 (currently in playtest).

It should be in English, fitting on a 8,5 x 11 inches (letter-sized) single page, in rhyming verse. The poem should end with the words "Tales of Blades and Heroes". It should sound like sung by a storyteller in an inn or around a campfire on a battlefield.

The idea is to convey the various roles and types of heroes in a typical FRPG setting, the dangers, the idea of sticking together, dungeon delving, fighting shoulder to shoulder, using various skills, braving mortal danger -- you know what I'm talking about. A serious, epic, romantic approach will be preferred over a humorous one.

Deadline is 1st January 2009. The poem should be sent as email to andreasfiligoi@gmail.com or posted on the song of blades yahoo group

Winner receives credit, a free PDF copy of the rules and the original art of one of the plates used in the book (unframed but shipped to your door).

OneMonk and Ganesha Games team up

2008-10-19T01:47:00.001-07:00

OneMonk, provider of fine paper miniatures, is teaming up with Ganesha Games. OneMonk will initially do a set of paper minis for Song of Arthur and Merlin, the Arthurian supplement for Song of Blades and Heroes. The minis will be available at the same time as the rulebook (December).

OneMonk will also do a small promo set that will be included with pdf downloads of SBH. The paper minis will have stats printed on their bases, and the measuring sticks will be included in the PDF. We are working out details so there's no date for this yet.

OneMonk can be reached at www.onemonk.com

Skirmisher Now on Lulu.com

2008-10-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

Skirmisher Publishing LLC print format products are now available on Lulu.com, an online retailer that allows customers to both download publications in PDF format and to have them printed on demand in a variety of formats.

Some three dozens Skirmisher publications are currently listed on the company's page on Lulu.com, at http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=3171287, and all of these are available as downloads (a couple of them for free!). By the end of October, customers will also be able to order print editions of any of these publications that they would like to have in hardcopy format.

"This increased availability of Skirmisher products will go a long way both toward making them available to fans and customers, and to allowing them to obtain them in the formats that best serve their needs," said publisher Michael J. Varhola.

Keep your eye on Skirmisher' Lulu.com page, http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=3171287, for the new additions that will be posted there on a regular basis!

Ganesha Games: printed books prices will change

2008-10-02T03:27:00.000-07:00

Lulu, the main print-on-demand provider used by Ganesha Games, is changing the way they price their print books. Smaller books will become cheaper and large books (like our books which are all A4 size) will become more expensive.

I'll have to reformat the books to 8,5 x 11 and have them perfect-bound as the staplebound option now becomes more expensive. I think this has to do with the way they purchase paper (basically a staplebound A4 book is composed of A3 sheets folded in half with staples across the fold)

Having the books in 8,5 x 11 will also make it easier for me to find another source of print on demand should I decide to move my business off Lulu.

The coilbound option will be at least $2+ more expensive, so if you really want an A4 staplebound book or a coilbound book, I suggest you order it now from www.lulu.com/songofblades. The new prices will be effective on October 28th. Remember that Lulu takes around a week to fulfill an order.

Ganesha's profit on the books will remain the same, barring minimal adjustments based on the euro/dollar exchange rates used by lulu. The new prices will reflect only differences in printing costs.

This will also affect the process of doing a compilation/hardcover of the three basic books as requested by a few customers.

Thanks. Sorry for the hassle but we live in a ever-changing world.
Andrea

Song of Wind and Water is available

2008-09-17T06:23:00.001-07:00

Song of Wind and Water, the second supplement for the Song of Blades and Heroes fantasy miniature rules, brings the forces of Nature to your tabletop. With simple weather rules, new terrain types and special abilities, your battles will nevel look the same again.

New Terrain: bogs, swamps, quicksand, desert, lakes, rivers, ruins, witch woods, thick vegetation, snow, bladegrass, sleepflowers, stickyweeds, suspended bridges and teleport fields.

6 Precursor Artifacts, 19 new abilities, 2 scenarios, shieldwall and rally rules, FAQ, 98 new profiles including Nymphs, Frogfolk, Apemen, Plant-Men, Desert Nomads, Dinosaurs, Orcs and Goblins,Manticores, Pegasi, Hydras, Sasquatch, Yeti, Griffins, Catoblepas, Cyclopses and Hippogryphs.

32 pages, pdf available as emailware sending a $8 paypal payment to andreasfiligoi@gmail.com

Printed book available on http://lulu.com/songofblades
read the first review on http://boromirandkermit.wordpress.com/

FREE HACK Issue One is available

2008-09-10T03:59:00.000-07:00

The first issue of FREE HACK, a webzine focusing on Ganesha Games products, is available as a free download from http://www.lulu.com/songofblades

Soon it will be available also from www.wargamedownloads.com