Archive for the 'RPGs' Category
September 16th, 2009, 12:43 pm by Jayson Peters
 Because slaying monsters is thirsty work, Jones Soda — known for its unorthodox sales strategies and seasonal flavors such as Turkey & Gravy, Sweet Potato and Antacid — has come up with a new line of beverages designed to appeal to the swords & sorcery crowd.
Limited-edition Dungeons & Dragons Spellcasting Soda comes in a variety of 6- and 12-packs of the following flavors:
- Potion of Healing
- Dwarven Draught
- Eldritch Blast
- Sneak Attack
- Bigby’s Crushing Thirst Destroyer
- Illithid Brain Juice
Via GeekDad
Posted in: RPGs • Collecting • D&D • Dungeons & Dragons • Food & Drynke • Jones Soda | 1 Comment »
September 14th, 2009, 7:51 am by Jayson Peters
 It’s good to be bad, particularly when you’re the Dungeon Master. At least, that’s the case at Wizards of the Coast’s latest Worldwide D&D Game Day event, scheduled for this Saturday at hobby shops across the globe.
The last WWDDGD, in May, celebrated the release of Monster Manual 2, and another in March marked the launch of Player’s Handbook 2. This one will coincide with the release of Dungeon Master’s Guide 2, and will give participants a chance to build their own adventure scenario using the new guide’s concepts.
Two is better than one, apparently. Now that the new Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition has been out for more than a year, many players are comfortable with the basics of dungeon-delving and this second round of core rulebooks, and the events celebrating them, can focus on more advanced strategies for killing imaginary things and taking their stuff.
UPDATED below with Valley locations. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Events • Gaming • RPGs • Conventions • D&D • Dungeons & Dragons • Worldwide D&D Game Day | Post a Comment »
August 31st, 2009, 4:27 pm by Jayson Peters
Mesa-based Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment seems to be seeing better days. The developer of the online roleplaying game Stargate Worlds has reportedly secured the funding it needs to finish work on the project, which is based on a hit movie and TV series, and is on its way to repaying its vendors and employees.
Cheyenne Mountain exec Shane Hensley told MMORPG.com:
 “Things are actually very good here right now. We received some funding commitments that will provide financing over time and allow us to move forward with development and start catching up on our past due financial obligations, including some back payroll that we paid last week.”
In mid-August, the company’s statements took a more pessimistic tone, with CEO Tim Jenson telling the official Stargate Worlds online forum that his company has not managed to secure funding for the online roleplaying game. A report that surfaced in July suggested that if funding wasn’t secured by Aug.1, MGM Studios would pull the license that allows Cheyenne and its publisher, FireSky, to produce content based on the Stargate properties. So far, there is no official word that such a move is imminent.
Posted in: Gaming • Mesa • RPGs • Business • Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment • FireSky • Mesa • PC • Stargate Worlds | 1 Comment »
August 21st, 2009, 12:29 pm by Jayson Peters
 Our sister publication, The Orange County Register’s Blizzard Blog, reports from BlizzCon on the announcement World of Warcraft fans have been waiting for: The next expansion for the MMORPG will be titled “Cataclysm.”
And the fantasy world will never be the same.
Watch the trailer here.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Gaming • RPGs • WoW • Blizzard • Cataclysm • Conventions • Diablo III • PC • WoW | 3 Comments »
August 21st, 2009, 11:50 am by Jayson Peters
Gabe from Penny Arcade (aka Mike Krahulik) has posted a cleaner version of his cover art for the upcoming D&D book Player’s Strategy Guide than has been floating around the Interwebz since the title was announced last week at Gen Con:
The piece is a wraparound, so we’re only seeing the front cover here.
The artist speaks:
I was really surprised that they asked me to do this. All the D&D book covers have such a strong and classic aesthetic. I was nervous about doing the cover because my style doesn’t really match up with the rest of the books, but they assured me they wanted this particular book to have a different/distinctive look.
Posted in: Books • RPGs • Art • D&D • Dungeons & Dragons • Penny Arcade | Post a Comment »
August 20th, 2009, 5:49 pm by Chris "KeL" Adams
As a promo for their upcoming third season (starting August 25), the stars of the comedy web series “The Guild” have released a music video ““Do You Wanna Date My Avatar.” The song praises the perks of online in-game romance.
“The Guild” series follows a group of guildmates and dysfunctional almost-friends as they struggle through the highs-and-lows of their real lives and their lives in an online role-playing game. Though the game is never named, it’s clearly based on World of Warcraft (cast members are appearing at this week’s Blizzcon). The short episodes are a scarily accurate portrayal of the life of a hardcore WoW player. Like so many things, the series is funny because it’s so true. The characters are exaggerated for comedic effect, but not nearly as much as one might imagine.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Gaming • Music • RPGs • Felicia Day • Internet • the guild • WoW | 3 Comments »
August 14th, 2009, 10:19 am by Jayson Peters
 Image: Wizards of the Coast Gamers gathered at Gen Con this week in Indianapolis got a sneak peek at the next Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting.
Wizards of the Coast announced Friday that it is resurrecting the post-apocalyptic fantasy world of Athas — home to giants, nomads, psionicists and evil sorcerer-kings — with the 2010 release of the Dark Sun Campaign Guide.
Dark Sun, a popular range of novels and gaming supplements back in the TSR days of D&D, has been a fan favorite to follow up this year’s release of the Eberron campaign setting. A promotion to find the “ultimate Dragonlance fan” made it seem to many that the classic world of Krynn would be next, but this turned out to be a red herring related more to the release of the new Dragonlance novel Dragons of the Hourglass Mage.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Gaming • RPGs • Conventions • D&D • Dark Sun • Dungeons & Dragons • Gen Con • WotC | Post a Comment »
August 13th, 2009, 11:20 am by Jayson Peters
The CEO of Mesa-based Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment has released a statement via the official Stargate Worlds online forum that reveals his company has not managed to secure funding for the online roleplaying game.
Tim Jenson mentions “several attractive potential opportunities but no confirmed funding”:
We would certainly like to keep the community more up to date, but we also don’t want to be misleading by giving opinions or guesses about things that may happen or could happen. While rumors abound about our funding, at this point we have several attractive potential opportunities but no confirmed funding. We are evaluating multiple Stargate IP products to see if we can get some products flowing sooner than Stargate Worlds, but nothing has been approved or decided at this point . Many people have labeled these Stargate IP’s with various titles, but there is no confirmed title at this point for any game besides Stargate Worlds.  While we are seeking funding, we have signed various confidentiality restrictions and it is not possible for us to discuss much with the community until these potential opportunities run their course. We certainly hope there is light on the horizon. Sorry that I can’t say much more at this point.
A report that surfaced last month suggested that if funding wasn’t secured by Aug.1, MGM Studios would pull the license that allows Cheyenne and its publisher, FireSky, to produce content based on the feature film and several ensuing TV series. So far, there is no official word that such a move is imminent.
Via ZAM News
See also:
Posted in: Gaming • RPGs • Business • Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment • FireSky • Mesa • Stargate • Stargate Worlds | Post a Comment »
August 5th, 2009, 2:15 pm by Jayson Peters
 First Starcraft fans learn there will be no LAN support for Blizzard’s upcoming Starcraft II so the company can instead push its own Battle.net service. Now they also have Battle.net to blame for waiting longer to play the real-time strategy game.
Blizzard has announced Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty will arrive in the “first half of 2010,” according to Kotaku:
In a statement to the Blizzard community, the developer writes “Over the past couple of weeks, it has become clear that it will take longer than expected to prepare the new Battle.net for the launch of the game.”
The newest incarnation of Battle.net is expected to be ready early next year.
UPDATE: It’s worth noting that Blizzard-Activision’s lackluster revenue is also probably a contributing factor.
Posted in: Gaming • RPGs • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Blizzard • PC • StarCraft II | 2 Comments »
August 5th, 2009, 1:02 pm by Jayson Peters
 The pointy-hatted folks at Gnome Stew brew up a great little blog about tabletop roleplaying games — you know, Dungeons & Dragons and its ilk. Ultra hardcore nerdy stuff.
But it’s also expensive stuff. The books, dice, miniatures, graph paper, dry-erase boards — it all adds up.
Which is why they Gnome Stew crew is serving up an article that highlights ways to cut the costs — and points out how old-school RPGs can be an inexpensive alternative to other forms of entertainment.
Posted in: Gaming • RPGs • D&D • Deals • Dungeons & Dragons • Free stuff | 2 Comments »
August 5th, 2009, 12:40 pm by Jayson Peters
Just over a week ago word emerged that the Arizona publisher of Stargate Worlds had until Aug. 1 to secure funding to finish the delayed game or MGM would yank the company’s license to produce an online RPG based on the Stargate feature film and TV series.
Now (Aug. 5) we have Shane Hensley, an executive with Mesa-based FireSky, chiming in on the game’s official message boards, saying he believes a “significant portion of the funds have been raised” and thanking fans for their support:
Hi all–quick update. A lot of people are on leave right now (including myself) but the guys showing the game to investors and upper management are all there trying daily to get us re-started.
My understanding is a significant portion of the funds have been raised, but it’s one of those situations where everyone involved (us and the investors) want to make sure there’s enough to cover all our needs. To be clear, let’s say we need X million. If someone puts in $100,000 right now, that’s great and much appreciated, but it doesn’t get the game shipped and that investor would lose his money if the rest isn’t raised in the long-term.
Needless to say, every single investor does substantial due diligence due to the delay of the game and negative press we’ve received. A significant number *have* pledged money on completion of their research into our books, however, so I find that very encouraging.
Otherwise, it’s an ongoing process and there just won’t be much news until then, but the day we return to full operations I’ll let everyone know. In the meantime, thanks very much for your support and well-wishes.
Via ZAM News
See also: ‘Stargate Worlds’ update emerges
Posted in: Gaming • RPGs • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Business • Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment • FireSky • Mesa • PC • Stargate • Stargate Worlds • vaporware | Post a Comment »
August 5th, 2009, 10:45 am by Jayson Peters
 Just days before the launch of their much-anticipated Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, Paizo Publishing announced that the first print run had sold out, with all preordered copies on their way to stores for an Aug. 13 release.
“We thought we had printed enough to last us at least until the end of this year, but skyrocketing demand from our customers and distributors has us reprinting already,” said Lisa Stevens, CEO of Paizo. “We have a healthy amount heading to Gen Con, but we think even those will go fast.”
Gen Con, the world’s largest and longest-running gaming conventions, will be Aug. 13-16 in Indianapolis. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Gaming • RPGs • Conventions • D&D • Dungeons & Dragons • Gen Con • Paizo • Pathfinder | Post a Comment »
August 4th, 2009, 11:34 pm by Jayson Peters
Think of it as a little shakedown cruise.
 Star Trek Online will enter the perilous wormhole that is closed beta testing in late 2009, but the only way to guarantee yourself a seat on the bridge is to buy into Cryptic Studios’ other game, Champions Online.
A six-month “discounted” subscription will suffice, but those opting for a “lifetime” subscription will get a bonus — a Mirror Universe costume set for Trek Online.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Events • Gaming • RPGs • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Atari • Conventions • Cryptic • PC • Star Trek • Star Trek Online | Post a Comment »
July 31st, 2009, 1:03 pm by Jayson Peters
Gamers eager to Dungeon & Dragons Online for free will have to wait a little bit longer. The transition to the no-fee DDO Unlimited, which had been scheduled for next week in North America, has been pushed back to Sept. 9.
“We’ve had a tremendous response to DDO Unlimited from the players and press who are participating in our beta program,” said Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer of DDO Unlimited. “We’ve been holding a series of live events as part of the beta program and have seen an unprecedented level of participation from players. While we are very pleased with the performance of the game and are excited about the response from the players, we are committed to delivering a high-quality experience. We feel that more time is needed to deliver on this commitment. As a result, we are delaying our launch to ensure that we can support the massive increase in players that we are expecting and deliver them a free to play experience like none other.”
Via Kotaku
Posted in: Gaming • RPGs • D&D • D&D Online • Dungeons & Dragons • Free stuff • PC | Post a Comment »
July 24th, 2009, 12:59 am by Jayson Peters
Gamers eager to explore the universe in an online roleplaying game based on the Stargate series have been getting that sinking feeling for some time now. Now a new report, citing a purported former employee, says the Arizona publisher of Stargate Worlds has until Aug. 1 to raise more capital or lose the license granted by MGM to adapt its properties. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Gaming • RPGs • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment • FireSky • Frankie Muniz • Mesa • Stargate • Stargate Worlds • vaporware | 1 Comment »
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Because slaying monsters is thirsty work, Jones Soda — known for its unorthodox sales strategies and seasonal flavors such as Turkey & Gravy, Sweet Potato and Antacid — has come up with a new line of beverages designed to appeal to the swords & sorcery crowd.
