The Last Parsec

Pinnacle Entertainment Group launched a Kickstarter for The Last Parsec, a space exploration setting for Savage Worlds.

Pinnacle Entertainment Group is the creator of Savage Worlds, an award-winning tabletop roleplaying game system. Kickstarter Project: Savage Worlds Goes to the Last Parsec and Beyond! Pinnacle Entertainment Group, creators of the award-winning tabletop roleplaying game Savage Worlds, launched a Kickstarter project for The Last Parsectoday. You can find the Kickstarter page in the link here. The Last Parsec is a space exploration setting using the Savage Worlds Science Fiction Companion. A free 12-page document (The Last Parsec Primer) detailing the setting rules and background information on playing characters in The Last Parsec is available at https://www.peginc.com/product-category/the-last-parsec/ . The Kickstarter for The Last Parsec offers print and PDF access to three setting books, a Game Master Screen with an adventure, 9 miniatures, 2 double-sided ship maps, Bennies (poker chips), and a double deck of playing cards. Stretch goals include a soundtrack by Harry Mack, Wild Dice, archetypes, more adventures, printable paper miniatures, a JumpCorp Requisition Kit with forms, ID cards, and death certificates, and finally the potential to unlock additional miniatures. Pinnacle President Shane Hensley discussed some of the inspiration behind The Last Parsec in the first of several Design Diary releases, located in this link. Here is a snippet from that document: Imagine the awe and wonder of discovering an intelligent being. Or even some wild and terrifying animal. And that's what The Last Parsec is all about. It's not hard science fiction or military science fiction or even space opera. It's exploration science fiction where an explorer and her companions can be the first to step into the boundless void and discover things beyond our wildest dreams. It’s a setting where you can play alien races humanity has already encountered and experience the awe and wonder of the possible. The sheer size of The Last Parsec also means that we wanted it to be something like a “sandbox”—or more appropriately, a “starbox”—game where Game Masters can make their own worlds, armies, societies, monsters, races, and adventures. Savage Worlds was created by Shane Lacy Hensley.Savage Worlds, as well as The Last Parsec and the Pinnacle logo are all trademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. For more information, visit www.peginc.com.

Copyright © 2014 Pinnacle Entertainment Group, All rights reserved.

Mars Attacks!!

‘Mars Attacks – The Miniatures Game’ Arrives In Stores Next Month  22nd September  -  Get ready to be invaded!   Topps and Mantic Games have joined forces to bring MARS ATTACKS to life as a miniature-based tabletop wargame – and in the early weeks of October it arrives in retail stores. This comes just a year after its smash hit Kickstarter campaign! The game combines high quality, pre-assembled figures with fast and fun tactical gameplay.  With clip together terrain, this exciting new game is playable right out of the box!  The retail set comes with 20 Martians, 10 Earth Soldiers and 9 assorted heroes.  One player takes the role of the invaders, the other the defenders and they fight it out to the death! There is also a full colour play mat marked with a grid, and quick-assembly plastic scenery.  Included too are dice, a rulebook and a full card deck featuring spectacular all-new art by renowned fantasy illustrator Jeff Miracola! Mantic Games - makers of the popular DEADZONE, KINGS OF WAR and DREADBALL tabletop games - launch with MARS ATTACKS as their first licensedproduct.  The Mars Attacks product range was funded using Kickstarter with $558,076 pledged to create the release. After achieving it’s initial funding in just over 12 minutes, the campaign reached enough stretch goals to add such exciting extras as Flying Saucers, Giant Robots and Mutated Insects that will all see retailers’ shelves via a selection of game extensions. “After Mars Attacks raised more than 1100% of its initial goal on Kickstarter we were able to bring a complete retail range to market from the onset, even with the prohibitively high costs of plastic tooling. If Mars Attacks follows the same patterns as our previous  ranges on Kickstarter, we expect crowd funding will account for only 20% of the total sales – the majority we anticipate will be seen in the local hobby and comic shops in the coming months and years,” said Ronnie Renton, CEO Mantic Games. Topps originally launched Mars Attacks in 1962 as a series of collectible bubblegum cards, which later served as the basis for a feature film in 1996 by Warner Brothers and directed by Tim Burton.  Since 2012, to celebrate the brand’s 50th Anniversary, Topps has been working to bring the Martians back into the mainstream through new trading cards, comic books and a variety of licensed partnerships, including this one with Mantic Games.  “Mantic’s Kickstarter allowed us to reach a new segment of fans, expand our audience and create a viral excitement that might have been tough to achieve otherwise” said Topps’ Head of Outbound Licensing Adam Levine.  “The end result of the crowd-funding campaign speaks for itself, and illustrates the affection fans have for Mars Attacksafter more than 50 years.” ABOUT MANTIC In the 5 years since launch, Mantic Games is bringing fun to sci-fi and fantasy gaming.  They have released several complete tabletop gaming systems, including Kings of War®,DeadZone® and Dreadball®.  Their obsession for detail, simple but challenging games, and great value-for-money has seen global sales double year on year for the past 3 years. Mantic Games has used crowd funding to raise development money for their product launches and has raised $4.4m to date, making them Europe’s most funded company on Kickstarter. Mantic has sales offices in the USA and UK, supplies to over 20 countries, has a design studio and a globalsupply chain, supported by a dedicated finance and production facility in Nottingham, England. To find out more, please visit www.manticgames.com Or contact Ronnie Renton at ronnie.renton@manticgames.com ABOUT TOPPS Currently operated as a privately owned company under the direction of Michael D. Eisner, The Topps Company was founded in 1938 and is the preeminent creator and brand marketer of sports cards, entertainment products, and distinctive confectionery.  With a legacy stretching back more than 75years, Topps is a globally recognized brand synonymous with sports and entertainment. Throughout their rich history, Topps has produced a wide array of world-class products based on some of the biggest brands around, from Elvis, James Bond, Batman and the Beatles, to Pokemon, Marvel, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.  Topps’ current slate of industry-leading sports and entertainment products include MLB, NFL, UFC, WWE, Star Wars, Skylanders, Wacky Packages, Garbage Pail Kids and Mars Attacks.   Topps’ renowned confectionery products include Bazooka Bubble Gum, Ring Pop, Baby Bottle Pop, Push Pop, and Juicy Drop Pop. Resource links : https://db.tt/Gd7DCL0g - Box Art  https://db.tt/WTMKOvh9 - Exploded Game Contents https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1744629938/mars-attacks-the-miniatures-game- Kickstarter – Mars Attacks

Copyright © 2014 Mantic Games, All rights reserved.

Free Preview for Mutant: Year Zero

Free Preview for Mutant: Year Zero    The first two chapters of Mutant: Year Zero are now available to download fromRPGNow and DriveThruRPG so you can check out the introduction to the world and character generation.   As you may know we have announced a pre-order for the English edition of Mutant: Year Zero. Check out the CGI Trailer for the launch: Mutant Year Zero Tabletop RPG Release Trailer Mutant: Year Zero goes back to the origins of the Mutant franchise: role-playing after the Apocalypse. In this game, you play as one of The People - heavily mutated humans living in The Ark, a small and isolated settlement in a sea of chaos. The outside world is unknown to you, and so is your origin. Find out more about the world on our webpage here. Modiphius and Free League Publishing have launched a pre-order for Mutant: Year Zero - a 256 page full colour hardcover core book and those who sign up will also get a bonus double-sided 42x55.8cm map of the New York and London Zones for £34.99 / $54.99.   There's also a starter bundle for £49.99 / $79.99 which gets you the core book, poster, dice set and free card set.  Pre-Order Mutant: Year Zero on the  Modiphius website here. The pre-orders will be shipping from 8th December and if you're in London you can pick them up from Dragonmeet on Sat 6th December.  www.modiphius.com www.facebook.com/modiphius  www.twitter.com/modiphius

Monster Codex from Paizo

PAIZO ANNOUNCES MONSTER CODEX 20 of Fantasy’s Most-Iconic Beasties Come to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game REDMOND, WA (September 17, 2014): Paizo, Inc., publisher of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, announces today the forthcoming Monster Codex, a tome of 20 of fantasy’s most-iconic monsters and a mountain of new rules and pre-made stat blocks to bring these creatures to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex is available to pre-order now via paizo.com, and will be released on October 22, 2014. (MSRP $39.99 hardcover/$9.99 PDF). A great tool for busy Game Masters, the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex gives a wide range of challenges for a variety of foes, from the nefarious drow to ruthless orcs. Each monster includes an in-depth look at its society and ecology, new rules like feats, spells, and magic items designed to complement the race, and archetypes built to give monsters a new edge. From a simple encounter to an entire campaign, the Monster Codex provides everything needed to make these monsters the center of the action. Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex includes: Comprehensive chapters for 20 iconic monsters, including the boggard, bugbear, drow, duergar, fire giant, frost giant, ghoul, gnoll, goblin, hobgoblin, kobold, lizardfolk, ogre, orc, ratfolk, sahuagin, serpentfolk, troglodyte, troll, and vampire. Archetypes for each entry, allowing monsters of that race to be full integrated with their class choices. Over 10 new stat blocks for each monster, utilizing the new rules from their entry in the book. Advice and tips for Game Masters to include these monsters in their game, and simple templates to customize the monsters in countless ways. In the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, players take on the role of brave adventurers fighting to survive in a world beset by magic and evil. The Pathfinder RPG is currently translated into multiple languages, and the vibrant Pathfinder universe has been licensed for comic book series, graphic novels, miniatures, plush toys, and apparel, and is being developed into a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. About Paizo Inc. Paizo Inc. is publisher of the world's best-selling Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, the wildly popular Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, as well as Pathfinder Tales novels, board games, and gaming accessories. 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 twelve years since its founding, Paizo Publishing has received more than 60 major awards and has grown to become one of the most influential companies in the hobby games industry. For more information, visitpaizo.com.

20 of Fantasy’s Most-Iconic Beasties Come to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game First art peek - Drow, by artist Alexandre Chaudret.

The Butcher from Acolyte Miniatures

Acolyte Miniatures
acolyteminis@gmail.com

Acolyte Miniatures launches its miniatures range with the release of The Butcher
Makers of realistic gaming miniatures releases its debut figure range this month.
Worcester, United Kingdom: Today Acolyte Miniatures, a company that specializes in the
production of high quality, realistic miniature figures for a variety of table top gaming niches
including fantasy, horror and modern day worlds, is proud to announce the launch of its miniatures
range with the release of The Butcher.

The Butcher is a 32 mm highly detailed, resin figure that will be supplied in 3 pieces so there will
be a small amount of assembly required. This horror figure, with his scarred body and exposed
spine is sure to be a popular figure with gamers, painters and collectors.

The Butcher will be available for pre-order exclusively through the Acolyte Miniatures Webstore
and its Facebook Store from September 14th 2014 and to celebrate the launch Acolyte Miniatures
will be running a competition. Everyone who purchases their copy of The Butcher whilst it is on
pre-order will be entered into a prize draw, and the one lucky winner selected will receive the next 6
figures produced by Acolyte Miniatures, which will include 2 Drow, a Cleric, several Celtic
Warriors and more that are all currently in production.

The Butcher is one of the main characters from 'The House of Lies and Bones’, a Victorian Gothic
horror/murder mystery series that will be released throughout the coming year as a collection of
short stories, which Acolyte Miniatures will be looking to develop as a game in some form in the
not too distant future. More figures based on the characters will be released as the stories are
produced and ‘The House of Lies and Bones’ franchise expands.

Based in Worcestershire, United Kingdom Acolyte Miniatures is an entertainment company
producing RPG and skirmish miniature figures. Following the release of The Butcher, Acolyte
Miniatures will begin expanding its range of figures on a regular basis releasing a twin pack of
fantasy favorites, Drow. As well as producing miniature figures it is now beginning the
development of a number of original skirmish games to be announced in 2015.

Contact:
Email: acolyteminis@gmail.com
Website: http://www.acolyteminiatures.com (currently under construction)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acolyteminiatures
Twitter: https://twitter.com/acolyteminis

Mantic's Dungeon Saga exploding in it's final hours!

It used to be that playing a board game meant sitting down with some friends rolling some dice, drawing some cards, and moving around a square until the people sitting next you were no longer your friends.

Instead of trying to ruin friendships it's become popular to have players work cooperatively against either another player, or against the game "ai".  These games tend to keep it light and slightly whimsical to maintain a cheery atmosphere.

Why do I need another game that does the same thing?

Because Mantic Games' Dungeon Saga:The Dwarf King's Quest (DS) is much much more…

DS is a dark and dangerous cooperative board game that allows 1-5 players to take control of an adventuring party while one person takes on the role of the bad guy – or not. The adventures can be split up between the players or can be controlled by only one person.

What’s more, that the game comes with a number of set scenarios that tell the story of taking down a Necromancer and his undead host in the tight and twisting confines of a fallen dwarf kingdom. The adventurers will level up, collect new gear, and evolve. This makes it much more akin to a traditional RPG than a simple board game. But traditional RPGs can be daunting for the uninitiated or uncreative. (read: Me) So DS is walking a fine line that few games today tread, taking the story telling, the character progression, and the teamwork aspects that make RPGs so alluring, while simultaneously giving players a direction and purpose… things players new to RPG’s often have trouble with.

But DS isn’t just for RPG new comers; veterans still have tons of scenarios to test themselves against and a solid framework from which to build their own stories and characters. On top of that as veterans will attest, it can be difficult to find just the right miniature to serve as heroes or monsters to support their games. DS isn’t just a book and some stats sheets, it has all the miniatures you need, plus tokens, plus game tiles, PLUS all the rule books, stats cards, dice, and all the other odds and ends you need to actually play a game.

But let’s get back to the miniatures for a minute:

Sometimes D&D type miniatures are a bit… off. Sculpting looks weird, posing is odd, they’re made of metal, you have to paint them, and the female form tends to be… unprotected.

But Mantic has had a lot of experience now with design and producing miniatures and it shows. The models look great and are well sculpted in dynamic poses that aren’t over the top. They are also in pre-colored plastic so for those who can’t be bothered to paint won’t be stuck with a bunch of grey pieces to differentiate. The models are certainly geared towards the 13+ crowd, but I'm happy to say there isn’t a chainmail bikini to be found so you won’t get uncomfortable stares from your wife or difficult to answer questions from your daughter!

So why should you get in now instead of a year from now when it hits retail?

First and foremost you’re going to get an amazing deal. That’s right, I said it; do it for the money (savings), not some pie in the sky idea that you are making this game a reality (which you are, but still). This Kickstarter has officially blown up ($700K as of now) and Mantic is heaping tons of amazing stretch goals on the backers.

More miniatures, new characters (both good and bad), plastic furniture, and even new scenarios are all getting added in! Some of these are even Kickstarter exclusives that will be difficult and expensive to find anywhere else in the future.

Here’s the bottom line: It’s a screaming good deal for your money. For the cost of just some other RPG rule books you get a fully formed game that’s friendly for beginners and encourages experienced players. It gives you everything you need to play the game and even lets you play by yourself if you don’t have a gaming group.

• If you're wanting a game that let's you strategize and fight alongside your friends - this is for you.
• If you’ve ever been interested in RPGs and didn’t know where to start or who to play with - this is for you.
• If you’re tired of some other RPGs that are just a big book of rules that makes you do all the work - this is for you.
• If you love getting a good deal on your games –this is for you.
• If you are looking for a new way to use all those Kings of War minis – this is for you. (oh yeah forgot to mention that)

Stormclaw Space Wolves Project - Part 1

Wild Chevy has been pressuring me for a few weeks now to show off my latest project. But I hate looking at pictures of bare plastic all lined up and didn’t want subject you all to it either. But now that paint is starting to get splashed I’m ready to start showing things off some.

So first things first, I’m building a 1000 point army for the doubles tournament for FoB, that means everything needs to be done and painted by early October. I’m using the contents of the Stormclaw box that I unboxed for Beasts of War here. (The Orks got traded for a copy of the new Space Wolf codex)

Everything has been cleaned and assembled. I also did a quick sand basing on these. I find it’s easier to do basing upfront and then prime over the top of the sand and then paint it to taste. Not only does this help lock down the basing material , but it also helps “ground” the model in the base so it looks like its apart of the terrain, not balanced on top of it. It also helps keep the model attached to the base!

I broke apart the Krom Dragongaze model and used the body to kit-bash a new Wolf Lord. I did this because:

1.       Krom is ugly.

2.       An axe that makes you hit at I1 with only power armor to protect you is dumb.

Krom’s axe was given to the model I’m turning into a Rune Priest since GW STILL doesn’t have any in stock. It’s a bigger weapon so I used a pin to make sure everything stays in place.

The Wolf Guard Terminators took quite a while, but all of their arms and options have been magnetized! It’s a lot of work, but I love getting the most out of the kit.

Ok time for paint:

I primed these guys grey and plan on using that grey as my base coat for their armor. It feels like cheating but I’ve got too many other things to get done and not enough time to do it all in.

Right now I’m averaging 1 color a night for all 16 models, so far I’ve gotten brown and bronze down and will start in on the bones/skulls tonight. After that I’ll get the red on. A quick was with Secret Weapon’s Soft Body Black wash will finish up the majority of them. The Wolf Lord will get some extra details so he stands out, and maybe the Rune Priest if I have time.

Will this win me any awards for best looking army? Doubtful, but I will be fully painted and beyond the 3 color minimum which is important to me.