Creative Clash at Gen Con

 Gaming News, Road to Gen Con 2015  Comments Off on Creative Clash at Gen Con
Jul 292015
 

creHello! We’re the makers of Creative Clash.  We’d like to personally invite you to visit us at booth #2721 at Gen Con 2015!  We’ll be doing demos of our game and talking about what we have coming up next.

Creative Clash is a fast-paced card game that moves players through the ins, outs, and pitfalls of the creative advertising industry.  To win you need to grow your ego as big as possible, while making sure that your competitors stay humbled through the use of devious card mechanics.

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Calliope Games announces the upcoming release of Thieves!

 Calliope games, Road to Gen Con 2015  Comments Off on Calliope Games announces the upcoming release of Thieves!
Jul 282015
 

Calliope Games announces the upcoming release of Thieves!

Cops and robbers-themed game to be previewed at Gen Con
Redmond, WA-July 27, 2015. Today, Calliope Games announced an upcoming card game with a cops and robbers theme: Thieves! Originally published by 999 Games in Europe, Calliope will release an English version to the US market in late 2015/early 2016.

In Thieves, players take on the role of bandits pulling off the heist of a lifetime. The safes have been cracked, the bags have been loaded, and the getaway car is ready. All is going smoothly… until someone trips the alarm. Eager to put an end to the players’ crooked ways, the cops give chase, throwing up roadblocks and seizing everything from the wealthiest thief each time a police raid is triggered. Players must gather loot without making themselves a target. The thief who flees the city with the lion’s share of the loot wins!

“We’re very excited to add Thieves! to our catalog.” says Ray Wehrs, President of Calliope Games. “It fits in perfectly with our other casual, family-friendly titles, and if folks enjoy it half as much as I do, Thieves! will be a welcome addition to many a gamer’s shelf.”

Calliope Games will be demoing Thieves! in booth 149 at Gen Con 2015.

 Posted by at 9:37 PM
Jul 282015
 

Catalyst At Gen Con 2015

Catalyst Game Labs will be at Gen Con 2014 in force! We’ve got a slew of great gaming and games to check out at booths 417, 413, 509, 617.

THE SHADOWRUN RPG EXPERIENCE


Once more the fantastic Shadowrun RPG Experience returns!

Dive into gaming in the Sixth World like never before as players step into the infamous Dante’s Inferno club in Seattle’s Sprawl. An 8-foot tall, 30-foot long banner creates an immersive 11 foot diameter room were you can learn Shadowrun, Fifth Edition and run the mean streets in the shadows of the megacorps.

Runs must be made by appointment only with our exclusive Dante’s Inferno concierge.

SHADOWRUN: CROSSFIRE


“I know I sound like I’m talking about a roleplaying game, and it’s not. But it lends itself well to telling a good story.” – Zee Garcia, The Dice Tower

If you’ve not played Crossfire, stop on by to give it a try!

Shadowrun: Crossfire is a deck-building game crossing cyperpunk with fantasy and plunging players into a world dominated by ruthless megacorporations; Crossfire gives players the chance to dive into the world’s shadows to see if they can survive. They’ll have weapons, spells, contacts, and gear to help them out, and they’re going to need those resources. If they play their cards right, they’ll do more than survive—they’ll become legends.

SHADOWRUN: CROSSFIRE HARLEQUIN PARTY II


You think you know the Shadows? You believe you’ve paid the right price to be a Shadowrunner? Think again chummer! Shadowrun: Crossfire will take you down a new path of mysteries and danger. Harlequin has some big plans for the small group of runners who are willing to risk their very souls to beat the objectives. Invitations to Harlequin’s little soiree are hard to come by.

Come on down to the Indianapolis Convention Center, Rooms 120-122 on Saturday, 1 August at 2200 if you dare to take part in the Shadowrun: Crossfire release event. Crossfire designers Rob Heinsoo, Rob Watkins, and Jay Schneider will be running this event!

BATTLETECH NOVELS


BattleTech fiction has always been its greatest strength, with well over a hundred novels publishing across twenty years. Nothing brings the epic stories, heroic characters and desperate battlefield action to life better than novels. It’s been long years since new print novels saw publication for this seminal universe. Now, a new era is opening for BattleTech as the first, all new, full-length novel reaches print at Gen Con. Stop on by and grab a copy of Embers of Wars and slide back into the heavy metal action of the 31st century!

Oh, and we just might have a sample miniature to show off what we’re planning for the future!

THE DUKEDOM


“…this is one of the best abstract strategy games I have ever played.” -Tom Vasel, The Dice Tower

We’ve brought it back again! Come play a larger-than-life version of The Duke with 18 inch tiles on a 10 foot x 10 foot board! Or sit down at one of several The Duke tables and give this fantastic tile-laying game a full try.

The game is also back in stock after a 6 month hiatus…grab your copy while you’re there!

OTHER NEW GAMES

We’ve got some fantastic new games coming your way.

VALIANT UNIVERSE RPG
“Basically, this game hits all the right spots it needed to. It encourages you to play all the main characters from the comic books in the Valiant Universe, and gives you no holds barred access to the Valiant universe.” Aaron Richardson (All Us Geeks, Guest Review)

The Valiant Universe RPG was released last year, with its companion Digital Initiative up for some awards!. Stop on by and play a game!

ENCOUNTERS: BRAVEST WARRIORS

We pre-released Encounters: Bravest Warriors last year, but the full release is now available. And each deck now includes 1 unique CatBug die! Additionally, the fantastic folks at WeLoveFine have given us several CatBug Pounce Vinyl Figures to give away! Just stop by the booth, play the wonderfully fun and fast Encounters: Bravest Warriors or purchase a deck, and you’ll be entered into a drawing each evening at 5:30 PM to win a free one! (You must be present to win and no tickets carry over from one day to the next.)

JARL: THE VIKINGS TILE-LAYING GAME

In the long winters between raiding seasons, warriors keep their intellect sharp through games of wits and chance. Ragnar, Rollo, Floki and even the Earl challenge each other to this game of stone placement filled with tactics and subtle maneuvering for victory.

The first of our games based upon History Channel’s hit TV show, Vikings, will be available. Powered by The Duke, the Jarl: The Vikings Tile-laying Game brings all the brilliant game play in The Duke to a new stand-alone game with all new tiles and a few new movement icons.

WRATH OF DRAGONS

Take on the mantle of a most powerful dragon. Awaken each century, terrifying and rapacious. Lay waste to settlements and cities. Burn crops… Consume flocks… Hoard treasure…

And pass into legend as the greatest dragon of any age!

We’ve got an early release for our new, unique ‘Resource Destruction’ game in Wrath of Dragons. Come play a dragon as it pillages and plunders across the landscape, stealing gold, livestock, nobles and crushing human’s that dare raise settlements in your lands. Whoever hoards the most after six centuries wins!

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SYRINSCAPE CALLS ON GEN CON ATTENDEES TO BRING THE NOISE FOR MASSIVE MONSTER RAID AND DRAGON ATTACK,

 Road to Gen Con 2015, Syrinscape  Comments Off on SYRINSCAPE CALLS ON GEN CON ATTENDEES TO BRING THE NOISE FOR MASSIVE MONSTER RAID AND DRAGON ATTACK,
Jul 282015
 
SYRINSCAPE CALLS ON GEN CON ATTENDEES TO BRING THE NOISE FOR MASSIVE MONSTER RAID AND DRAGON ATTACK, AND AN EPIC INTERACTIVE LIVE RPG ADVENTUREFans Will Help Create Official Gen Con SoundSet, and Determine the Fate of the Players in an All-Star Live Pathfinder RPG Experience

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (July 28, 2015) – Syrinscape, the award-winning app that puts the power of custom, movie-like sound effects, soundscapes, and music, into the hands of the gamer, announces today the activities and adventures planned for Gen Con, North America’s largest hobby gaming convention, taking place in Indianapolis, IN July 30 – August 2, 2015.

Attendees will experience the next-gen in tabletop gaming in the Dicestormers’ Live RPG Plus, brought to life by Syrinscape, Realm Works, and Dicestormers host Benjamin Loomes. Live RPG Plus is an audience-driven, truly interactive Pathfinder RPG adventure, featuring an all-star line-up of players, including Paizo creative director James Jacobs, Gen Con owner/CEO Adrian Swartout, Green Ronin founder and president Chris Pramas, and Lone Wolf data entry specialist Jeremy Land. Live RPG Plus takes place on Friday from 2-3pm, and tickets are available for $2.

A massive monster raid and dragon attack is coming to Gen Con! The Syrinscape booth in the exhibit hall (#1045) will be transformed into a recording studio, where attendees will step up to the microphone with their most-creative roars, grunts and growls, smashes and crashes, frightened villagers, brave fighters, crafty wizards, zombies, giants, trolls, werewolves, goblins, orcs, and more, to be made into the official Gen Con SoundSet. Those who contribute sounds used in the final Gen Con SoundSet will receive the SoundSet for free, along with their name in lights on the credits page in the Syrinscape store. One lucky attendee will also become the roar of the official Gen Con dragon.

Pathfinder Society kicks off The Year of the Serpent in massively epic style, with a multi-table, interactive event, Pathfinder Society Friday Night Special. Benjamin Loomes will be on hand to DJ the event with Syrinscape, transforming the giant Sagamore Ballroom and transporting the hundreds of players straight to Golarion through the power of sound.

The award-winning Syrinscape app Fantasy Player and Sci-Fi Player bring fantastic, realistic sound to tabletop gaming. Each is available to try for free, can be completely unlocked for free for 30 days at syrinscape.com/freetrial, and includes 2 free SoundSets to keep after the trial. The Syrinscape app is compatible with a wide range of devices, including PC, Mac, Android Phones and Tablets, iPads, and iPhones. To download the free Sci-Fi Player, or Syrinscape Fantasy Player, with an extensive library of sounds for fantasy gaming, including the official sounds for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, visit Syrinscape.

About Syrinscape
Using a powerful audio engine and complex algorithms to produce ever-changing soundscapes and rich encounter-specific music, Syrinscape conjures every aural landscape imaginable, from ethereal forests and stony shorelines, to dank, vermin-filled dungeons, to the spooky depths of the underdark. Designed by accomplished composer and tabletop gamer Benjamin Loomes, along with the developers at the Interaction Consortium, Syrinscape builds on more than 8 years of prototyping and community feedback. Syrinscape is based in Australia. Syrinscape is available for a wide range of devices, including PC, Mac, Android Tablets, iPhones and iPads, and the players can be downloaded via syrinscape for free.

From DGS Games At Gen Con to release Lioness for Freeblades

 DGS Games, Freeblades, Road to Gen Con 2015  Comments Off on From DGS Games At Gen Con to release Lioness for Freeblades
Jul 282015
 
Lioness by MJThe Urdaggar Lioness is new release at GenCon.  New model for the Urdaggar faction in DGS Games Freeblades game.  Fast and lethal, watch out for her in ambush.

DGS has been focusing lately on expanding scenarios, to give our players more challenges to face.  A direct result of that effort is DGS will have a scenario pack as a free download on their website. While some of these are still in “draft form” (2 of them, Camp Raid and Advanced Guard) have been finalized. Another one of the scenarios in the pack, Trials of Garavus, will go final very soon.

 

 

 

 

KS4 Trial Stones picIn Trials, your Freebands are tasked with completing trials of Strength, Courage, and Wisdom before your opponent can. To support this scenario, we have a release of our Trial Stones. These will eventually be on sale on our website for $11.99 MSRP. While tailored to our scenario, they can easily be used as objectives or small terrain pieces for just about any game. To give you an idea of size, those are 50mm bases.

Gen Con Countdown T-3 Who Ya Gonna Call?

 Cryptozoic, Road to Gen Con 2015  Comments Off on Gen Con Countdown T-3 Who Ya Gonna Call?
Jul 262015
 

Ghostbusters by Cryptozoic

 

Not too long ago Cryptozoic did ran insane kickstarter to fund this game.  You can get a good look at Ghostbusters on Kickstarter.

 

ghost

 

 

I love the look to this game.  But I have to admit I wouldn’t have found it if it wasn’t Ghostbusters.  This is the only Co-operative game that has really caught my eye this year.  The quality that is shown in the Kickstarter  looks to be high quality.  The miniatures look great and, for me, they can put the game over the top.

 

Counting down to Gen Con T-4 Arena of the Planeswalker

 Road to Gen Con 2015, Wizards of the Coast  Comments Off on Counting down to Gen Con T-4 Arena of the Planeswalker
Jul 252015
 

planes_mdArena of the Planeswalker is one of those games that is kind a mystery.  There isn’t a lot of information on it but it’s made by Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast.   The fact that it’s mad by both companies kind of worries me, but I will give it a fair shot.   They did good things in my opinion with Heroscape and it looks this game will be using a lot of those mechanics.

Where are my concerns?

My first concern is that Hasbro won’t play nice.  That is if Hasbro asserts too much influence the Magic the Gathering Themed game might loos that magic feel and therefore it’s luster to gamers.

It may never have achieved that magic feel so it’s only a miniatures game made to look like Heroscape.

Magic the Gathering has a very large arsenal of mechanics, I hope they can break it down to a starter level.

I hope the mini’s look good.

It might just be the rebirth of Heroscape, which isn’t the direction I would like a Magic the Gathering Board game to go.

Why I want this.

Magic the Gathering has been a part of my life for years.  I have always desired cool figures and I hope that The Planeswalker Arena gives Magic the feel of  two mages dueling it out.   At this point I believe the two companies probably have a solid foundation to build on.

Gen Con Count Down T-5 Munchkin Steampunk and the Car Wars card Game

 Gaming News, Munchkin, Road to Gen Con 2015, Steve Jackson Games  Comments Off on Gen Con Count Down T-5 Munchkin Steampunk and the Car Wars card Game
Jul 242015
 

munchkin steamMunchkin Steampunk Deluxe adds gears, goggles, and steam-powered robots to the backstabbing and goofy humor of the long-lived card game Munchkin, a game in which you kick down doors, battle monsters, gain treasure, and try to reach level ten before anyone else.

Munchkin Steampunk Deluxe is a standalone game, but it can be integrated with any Munchkin game or expansion.

 

Available for demo games at Gen Con 2015 ahead of its release in October 2015.

Why this?  I mean what makes another Munchkin game special?  For me it’s very much about the art.  I’m very curious to see what they are going to do with steampunk in Munchkin style.

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 Posted by at 9:00 PM

Gen Con Count Down T-6 and Counting Mage Wars Academy

 Arcane Wonders, Mage Wars, Road to Gen Con 2015  Comments Off on Gen Con Count Down T-6 and Counting Mage Wars Academy
Jul 242015
 

Academy-SetupMage Wars isn’t a new game but Arcane Wonders is consistently making great releases for the system.  Here is the Product Description for Mage Wars .

 

Mage Wars Academy pits you against your opponent in a Mage’s duel, using a unique Spellbook mechanic that provides you access to all you strategies rather than relying on the luck of the draw.  Train in your school, craft your spellbook, and test your skills at the Academy!

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ARTIST GUEST OF HONOR at GEN CON

 Road to Gen Con 2015  Comments Off on ARTIST GUEST OF HONOR at GEN CON
Jul 222015
 

diNew York Times bestselling author/illustrator TONY DITERLIZZI is this year’s ARTIST GUEST OF HONOR at GEN CON.  Tony will be promoting his new book REALMS: THE ROLEPLAYING GAME ART OF TONY DITERLIZZI (Dark Horse Books).  Here are Tony’s thoughts about GenCon, where he launched his worldwide bestselling THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES (co-created with Holly Black) in 2003.  http://diterlizzi.com/home/gen-con-artist-guest-of-honor/

 

And here is a snippet from Guillermo Del Toro’s foreword for REALMS:

 

“Tony’s work has a distinct flair, a love for monsters if you will.   His creatures have the charm of Henson or Rackham but they carry with them hints of their own ecosystem.  He stands alone as a creator of worlds and a weaver of tales.  May you treasure these art pieces as much as I do.”  – Guillermo del Toro  (Director of PAN’S LABYRINTH, HELLBOY and PACIFIC RIM).

 

It’s of interest that Tony got his start doing game art for D&D and is now one of the most renowned children’s authors in the world…there must be a parallel to be explored there…I think the commonality resides in the ability to “world-build.”

 

 

 

Artist Guest of Honor

Gen Con is thrilled to announce the 2015 Artist Guest of Honor Tony DiTerlizzi.

Tony will host several events at the show, make sure to check them out when Event Registration opens in May. When not hosting his events, you can find Tony at his booth in the Art Show. Stop by and say “hi!”

About Tony:

DRAGONS, SPACE MONSTERS, GOBLINS, and insects—the characters that inhabit Tony DiTerlizzi’s world haven’t changed since he was a kid growing up in Florida.

In 1981, after watching The Dark Crystal and playing Dungeons & Dragons, 12-year-old Tony created a field guide on fantastical creatures. He would return to this premise many years later as the genesis for the multi-million bestselling chapter book series, The Spiderwick Chronicles.

Eleven years later, Tony began working for TSR where his art soon became synonymous with the Planescape RPG. Throughout the decade he also freelanced with White Wolf Games and Wizards of the Coast, where he painted cards for Magic: The Gathering.

This year marks the release of Realms: The Roleplaying Game Art of Tony DiTerlizzi (published by Dark Horse Books) – a first-ever collection of fantastic art from the start of a fantastic career.

Tony lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with his wife and daughter.

For more information about Tony, and to see more if his amazing works, visit his websitediterlizzi.com.