Skirmisher Releases 'Insults & Injuries'

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is proud to announce the release of Insults & Injuries: A Role-Playing Game Sourcebook for Medical Maladies! It is available through online venues that include DriveThruRPG (108 pages; $9.99; SKP E 1234). We very much hope you will enjoy it and be inclined to say positive things about it on the venues to which you contribute!

Written by practicing medical doctor Eric Lis, Insults & Injuries presents real world illnesses in OGL 3.5 system game terms. Why afflict characters with “filth fever” when you can give them rabies, the black plague, or the flu?

Within this sourcebook, you will find dozens of sicknesses that your players already know and fear in a format that allows them to be easily and realistically brought into your games. You will also find expanded rules for more effective non-magical healing.

This detailed book is divided into an introduction, 13 chapters, and five appendices and includes:

* Rules for more than 50 diseases and disorders, their game effects, and how they can be treated by both mundane and magical means.

* A chapter on the effects of alcohol, drugs, and poisons.

* A chapter on mental illnesses and their game effects.

* Rules for adjudicating surgical procedures.

* Three new prestige classes dedicated to nonmagical healing, the Alienist, Chirurgeon, and Physician.

* Special rules on the effects of illnesses upon non-Humans like Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs.

* New spells, equipment, and feats.

You have never read a game book quite like this one! With it, your players will never look at diseases the same way again.

Skirmisher Releases ‘Wisdom from the Wastelands #17: Artifact Conditions

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is proud to announce the release of Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #17: Artifact Conditions! This publication is authored by Derek Holland and Chris Van Deelen, authors of multiple Mutant Future supplements, and is available through online venues that include DriveThruRPG (5 pages; $0.99).

Artifacts play a key role in Mutant Future. Like magical items in fantasy games, artifacts are treasures sought by adventuring parties that brave the mutant-infested ruins of the Ancients’ world. But often these treasures are in less than pristine condition due to factors such as age, neglect, or misuse.

Wisdom from the Wastelands is dedicated to providing useful information, game content, and ideas to players of modern, science fiction, and post-apocalyptic table-top and role-playing games in general and to fans of Goblinoid Games’ Mutant Future RPG in particular. The material it contains are compatible with it and any others that use the "Basic" system introduced in the most popular role-playing games of the early 1970s and are easily adaptable to many other games (especially successor systems, to include those covered by the Open Game License).

Our goal is for each thematic issue of this publication to contain a variety of useful and earnest content that will inspire Game Masters and players alike and provide them with things that they can immediately plug into their games. We very much hope you will find this and subsequent issues of the Wisdom from the Wastelands to be useful and enjoyable!

Numbskull Games is launching our first P500 Campaign!

To facilitate printing of each of our developed games, we are implementing an industry common preorder system.  P500 means that once we get 500 preorders for a game, we will print. Updates will be posted regularly on our website. You will be alerted when we near our goal and asked to pay at that point.

Receive your game 4-6 weeks before stores, save money with a $10.00 off of list price. By joining you will help to make each publication a reality and save on postage with free shipping in the U. S. and $10 off shipping worldwide. 

Just email us at Numbskullgames@gmail.com.

 

Current P500 titles include:

Prepotent is a strategy game where players breed, bet on, and race horses. Designed by Tom Russell, Prepotent blends the short term tactical thinking found in its streamlined racing mechanics with the long term strategy of horse breeding. Check it out on:  BGG  Facebook.

C.C. Higgins by Patrick Stevens, is a board game that lets you relive the excitement of a railroad executive in the heyday of rail travel.  Collect sets of the coveted rail passes as you travel the rails of historically and geographically authentic North American railroad companies of 1920. A simple, fast moving strategy game of skill without dice or chance cards, suitable for the entire family. Check it out on: BGG Facebook

Khalkhin Gol by Patrick Stevens is a hex and block style war game. Khalkhin Gol or Nomonhan is a little known border incident that escalated to a major battle in Manchuria in the summer of 1939. This pivotal battle was the earliest example of the blitzkrieg tactics so popularized by the Germans in WW2. Check it out on: BGG

Patton in Tunisia by Patrick Stevens, is a hex and block styled war game that was inspired by the Columbia title "Rommel in the Desert."  Two to six players; two-front campaign where weather, supply, and terrain are major factors. Check it out on: BGG

Frozen Death by Patrick Stevens, is a simulation of the Winter War which depicts the Finnish struggle against Soviet expansionism in 1939. A block styled war game that adds fog-of-war elements to the already brutal climatic elements of the hell on earth that was the Winter War. Check it out on: BGG

Space City Con (Houston, August 10-12)

If you have not got any plans this weekend, or are going to be in the Houston area anyway, then you are not going to find anything more fun and exciting to do then go to Space City Con! Companies present at the event will include Skirmisher Publishing LLC and d-Infinity game magazine.

Being held at the Westin Galleria hotel and convention center August 10-12, this event is an all-ages fan festival of comics, sci-fi, fantasy, gaming, literature, and art. According to its organizers, it is a "geek festival with free parking" for which they have attempted to "put on the best convention possible for current generations of fans and instill a love of comics, sci-fi, and fantasy in the next generation."

Space City Con is the Gulf Coast’s newest fan culture convention, offering a robust mix of authors, artists, sci-fi, fantasy, comics, gaming, fan group networking, literature, writing workshops and more, and has specifically been designed to be family-friendly.

Venue for this event, being held for the first time this year, is the fourth largest mall in America, in the fourth largest city in America. Galleria Mall boasts 375 stores, a large food court, ice rink, and a wide variety of restaurants.

Just as Houston has a broad economic mix in aerospace, energy, manufacturing, transportation, it also boasts the world’s largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions. It also has the top-ranked port in the United States, has always been home to a large international community, and is home to famous NASA Johnson Space Center and Mission Control.

"Space City Con will be a gathering of fans of all ages, with an exchange of pop culture passions," said founder George Comits. "More than entertainment, a place to escape for a while, forge lasting friendships, and connect with talented creators across a spectrum of genres."

During this inaugural year, Space City Con is embracing the Kids Need to Read foundation, as its founders say they consider "these elements as fuel for creative thinking, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and most of all, expanding the boundaries of what is known, into dreams and a yearning for what is unknown, what is unseen … but can be painted by the incredible human mind and spirit."

Space City Con wants to pass on the torch from one generation to the next, echoing the cry for “Inspiring Imagination!”

Reality Cheque Launches KickStarter for Badass Zombie Killers Card Game

Reality Cheque, in partnership with Skortched 'Urf Studios, has launched a KickStarter project to get a new card game, Badass Zombie Killers, completed and published.

The game is designed by Lee Garvin, creator of Tales From The Floating Vagabond and Skirmisher Publishing's The Noble Wild.

It is a fast-paced game of one-ups-manship and backstabbing, wherein you try to build the most Badass weapon you can while preventing your opponents from doing the same. When the Zombies arrive, the game is over, and the most Badass wins.

Aethercon: A Virtual RPG Convention

Grab your virtual dice bags folks and mark down November 16-18, 2012 on your calendar, as the AetherCon Online RPG Convention is coming to your computer! Best of all, it’s FREE!

We will be featuring tabletop RPGs of all types throughout the weekend, highlighted by four three-day tournaments of Pathfinder Call of Cthulhu, Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, and Shadowrun. Game tables will be run on the powerful, yet easy to use, Roll20 browser-based virtual tabletop. Learn more with the Roll20 tutorials and the Roll20 Live Stream.

Additionally, we will have a Vendor’s Hall, a Fest Hall (featuring one-hour moderated chat room Q&As with pairs of industry guests) and an Artist’s Enclave. We will be releasing free downloadable wallpapers, from our supporting artists, throughout the months leading up to the con.

Members of the Artists Enclave currently include Paul Abrams (TSR, CGL); Alex E. Alonso Bravo (DC Comics, Pixar, AEG); Brent Chumley (AEG); Jon Gibbons (AEG, PEG, Minion Games); John L Kaufmann (CGL); Eric Lofgren; (Paizo, White Wolf, Mongoose Publishing), Chris Malidore (Fantasy Flight Games, PEG), Patrick McAvoy (WotC, AEG, Fantasy Flight Games), Brad McDevitt (Chaosium, CGL, Battlefield Press), Jesse Mead (Fantasy Flight Games), and Aaron B. Miller (WotC, AEG, Open Design) among others.

You can find our current collection of wallpapers here:

http://www.aethercon.com/Wallpaper/Wallpaper.html

Confirmed guests to date are Steven ‘Bull’ Ratkovich (CGL), Wedge Smith/Doug Bush (Chronicles of the Void), James Sutter (Paizo), and Lawrence Whittaker/Pete Nash (The Design Mechanism).

We have also been fortunate to have recruited Ryan Costello Jr (Paizo, 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming, Super Genius Games, Kobold Quarterly, 3.5 Private Sanctuary) to our staff as Guest Coordinator.

Game publishers to date confirmed as taking part in AetherCon, either through prize support, supplying guests, or taking a vendors booth include:

Battlefield Press, Catalyst Game Labs, Chaosium, Chronicles of the Void, Flying Buffalo Inc., Kenzer and Company, Paizo, Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Skirmish Publishing LLC, Stardust Publications, Sundered Epoch The Design Mechanism, Third Eye Studios and Vigilance Press.

Be sure to visit our websites and show your support for AetherCon via Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Website: http://www.aethercon.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AetherConRPG

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/AetherCon

Google+: http://gplus.to/aethercon

Skirmisher Releases ‘Wisdom from the Wastelands #14: Aggregates’

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is proud to announce the release of Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #14: Aggregates! It is written by Derek Holland and Chris Van Deelen, authors of multiple multiple Mutant Future supplements, and is available through online venues that include DriveThruRPG.

Having another creature living on or inside your body is not a thought most would enjoy. Nor is the idea of having the same type of creature living inside a child and grandchild, joining generation after generation, until, over time, the two species gradually merge. But, this already happens. Humans and termites rely on intestinal bacteria to aid digestion, lichen are the synthesis of fungus and algae, and mycorrhizae are vital fungal symbionts in plant roots. Aggregates are composite creatures that result from the changes that develop from a host and a symbiont living as one. Rather than one individual host creature being infected by a single parasite, the aggregation process describes how two species merge over generations. Many aggregates do not survive the initial infection or bonding process, and it is only through large numbers of the host species and symbiont species combining that a new species eventually develops.

This publication is dedicated to providing useful information, game content, and ideas to players of modern, science fiction, and post-apocalyptic table-top and role-playing games in general and to fans of Goblinoid Games’ Mutant Future RPG in particular. The rules contained herein are compatible with it and any others that use the “Basic” system introduced in the most popular role-playing games of the early 1970s and are easily adaptable to many other games (especially successor systems, to include those covered by the Open Game License).

Our goal is to release a new thematic issue of this publication every other week and to have it contain a variety of useful and earnest information that will inspire Game Masters and players alike and provide them with things that they can immediately plug into their games. We very much hope you will find this and subsequent issues of the Wisdom from the Wastelands to be useful and enjoyable!

Video Recap: Origins 2012, Day 1

Gearing up for Origins Game Fair

It's close to that time again when we will be heading to Columbus, OH to help MindGame Productions put on the best show at Origins Game Fair: US Marine Space Corps (USMSC) Interplanetary - an airsoft LARP event. This is a welcome break for us from the daily grind, and has a surprising amount of overlap with what we do at DarkThreads. It's all about the gear.

So, what does a marine in the USMSC wear, anyway?

TRU-SPEC® Tactical Response Uniform Shirt, Digital Urban

Tactical Response Uniform (TRU) Pants, Digital Urban

TRU Combat Shirt, Digital Urban/Black

Seriously, though, this pattern is also worn by many other real-life LE and military units. Other important parts of the uniform include: protective eyewear, for which we have an abundant selection. You also need a vest or plate carrier, in black, either of these will do, and all the appropriate pouches. Contact sales@darkthreads.com for more info and help on getting your USMSC loadout together.

Skirmisher Releases 'Swords of Kos: Necropolis' in PDF!

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is proud to announce the electronic release of Swords of Kos: Necropolis, the first entry in its new line of fantasy fiction! Inspired by the works of classic swords-and-sorcery authors like Fritz Lieber, Jack Vance, and Robert E. Howard, it is Texas author Michael O. Varhola’s eleventh book and is illustrated with a series of beautiful images by veteran fantasy artist Amanda Kahl (172 pages; $3.99 PDF/$7.95 POD and Print; ISBN 978-1-935050-15-5; SKP E 1222). It is available through a variety of online venues, including DriveThruRPG and DriveThru Fiction.

A trade paperback print edition of the book will be released at the Comicpalooza fan convention in Houston during Memorial Day Weekend, May 25-27. It will be available directly from Skirmisher Publishing and through Amazon.com and other retail sites.

Swords of Kos: Necropolis follows the adventures of Paros, a streetwise rogue with a penchant for alchemy, Parthenia, a savage female Elf barbarian, and Selene, a priestess of the outlawed Titan moon goddess, as they brave the hazards of a long-abandoned cemetery and the catacombs that lie beneath it. Dangerous though the hazards and supernatural guardians of this place are, an even greater threat might be the Necropolis itself ...

Following are the first two paragraphs of Swords of Kos: Necropolis:

“Paros could only venture a guess as to how many graves the forsaken burial ground in the little valley before him contained. North to south, it ran about a half mile and, from where he stood beside the wrought-iron fence that zigzagged along its eastern edge, it stretched about a quarter mile to the base of the hills that surrounded it. The rolling, broken ground of this unkempt area was heavily overgrown with grass, vines, copses of scrubby little oaks and brushy gray-green juniper, great clumps of flowers in every color, and probably every other sort of vegetation native to the island of Kos. Obelisks, statues of patron deities, and other stones marking the gravesites of families and individuals lay broken and tumbled amongst the rampant growth, and mausoleums of every size were interspersed throughout.

Paros did not know the extent to which this place had been looted over the century since it was last known to have been used but there were undoubtedly hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of graves that had not yet been pillaged. And they were not even the object of their quest, which was marked by the small, columned temple of black marble that he could see halfway up one of the hills at the other end of the cemetery. And there was no telling what else might be hidden within this wild, desolate place. ... “

Skirmisher to Release 'Swords of Kos' Fiction Line at Comicpalooza

Skirmisher Publishing LLC has announced that it will be releasing the first ttitle in its new swords-and-sorcery fiction line at the Comicpalooza 2012 fan convention, being held Memorial Day Weekend, May 25-27, in Houston.

Swords of Kos: Necropolis is a swords-and-sorcery novel set on the Aegean island of Kos. This story follows the adventures of Paros, a streetwise rogue with a penchant for alchemy, Parthenia, a savage female Elf barbarian, and Selene, a priestess of the outlawed Titan moon goddess, as they brave the hazards of a long-abandoned cemetery and the catacombs that lie beneath it. Dangerous though the hazards and supernatural guardians of this place are, an even greater threat might be the Necropolis itself ...

This book is the first entry in Skirmisher Publishing LLC’s new “Swords of Kos” line of fantasy fiction and is associated with the official campaign setting the company uses to playtest its licensed roleplaying game sourcebooks.

“We are doing a lot of fun things with this series and think fans of fantasy literature in general and gamers in partricular are going to respond really well to it,” said Skirmisher publisher Michael O. Varhola and the author of Necropolis, his 11th book. “It is classic low fantasy swords-and-sorcery, in the tradition of Fritz Lieber's 'Fafhrd and Gray Mouser' books -- and the series title, in fact is a tribute to them. But it is also fresh and new in all sorts of ways."

Skirmisher will be celebrating its 10th anniversary at Comicpalooza and that is part of its motivation for making a number of significant announcements and releases at the convention. Among other things, the company will be running more events than it has at any previous convention, throwing a party for its friends and fans, and giving away at least $3,000 worth of its products.

For more information about Skirmisher in general, the "Swords of Kos" fiction line, or the company's presence at Comicpalooza, post a comment to this message or email webmaster@skirmisher.com.

Interplanetary: The Sands of Mars

Reality Cheque Releases Dravakor Build-a-Brawl

The first set of Build-a-Brawl printable miniature figures designed specifically for use with the Dravakor campaign setting have been released.

This pack and future packs like it include figures using art by Nathan Winburn, as well as props and scenery to make a classic tavern brawl (or any other sort of skirmish) more rewarding to stage.

For a look at the rest of the Dravakor line, stop by here.

For a glimpse at other Build-a-Brawl printable miniatures, go here.

Product Release: Dark Aeons: Weapons Guide

Within this Weapons Guide for the Dark Aeons: The Atlantean Chronicles Role-Playing Game you will find a collection of new and old handguns, machine pistols, machine gun, and heavy weapons to be used to really bring the war to those that would oppose your Personas and also to use against your Casts as a Director. Also included are some advanced and heavy weapons for the Obsidian Group, as well as the Corporate Mercenary Advantages.

This Weapons Guide will continue to be updated as time goes by, so once purchased, all the customer needs to do is download updated copies of this Weapons Guide as it is updated.

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/100258/Dark-Aeons:-Weapons-Guide



 Bree Orlock
Managing Editor,
Stardust Publications
bree.orlock@stardust-publications.com

Product Release: Dark Aeons: Persona Template - The Shifters

The Shifters are a new Persona Template for the Dark Aeons: The Atlantean Chronicles Role-Playing Game. The Shifters are an ancient race of shape changers that has walked the earth since the dawn of the world.

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/100375/Dark-Aeons:-Persona-Template-#10---The-Shifters



 Bree Orlock
Managing Editor,
Stardust Publications
bree.orlock@stardust-publications.com

Product Release: Dark Aeons Conflict Resolution Deck

The Dark Aeons Conflict Resolution Deck has been created in order to make it easier for Directors and Actors to play Dark Aeons: The Atlantean Chronicles games. In order to use this deck, you will need 5 sheets of Card Stock Paper in order to print out the Cards.

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/97394/Dark-Aeons-Conflict-Resolution-Deck


Bree Orlock
Managing Editor,
Stardust Publications
bree.orlock@stardust-publications.com

Fire from the Sky: Tales of Legend-Haunted Arkham #5

Fire from the Sky is designed to be a starting Episode for a full Season of play for Dark Aeons: The Atlantean Chronicles, or it can be used as a stand alone Episode. The Dark Aeons core book is all that is required to use this Episode; however it should be noted that the upcoming Arkham: City of Secrets setting book will expand on the Arkham setting in much greater detail than is presented here. As such, we have provided a set of pre-made Persona Sheets for this Episode in order for a Director to simply pick this Episode up and run it straight from the presented material.

Fire from the Sky is the first in a series of Episodes dealing with the semi-secret paranormal organization known as the Obsidian Group. The Cast in this Episode are members of one of its investigative Beta Teams...BlueFive. This Episode made its first appearance through Cthulhu International at the Origins Games Fair in 2009 and 2010.


http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/97953/Fire-from-the-Sky%3A-Tales-of-Legend-Haunted-Arkham-%235


Bree Orlock
Managing Editor,
Stardust Publications
bree.orlock@stardust-publications.com

Dreams of the Deep: Tales of Legend-Haunted Arkham #4

Dreams of the Deep... is designed to be a starting Episode for a full Season of play for Dark Aeons: The Atlantean Chronicles, or it can be a standalone Episode. The Dark Aeons core book is all that is required to use this Episode; however it should be noted that the upcoming Arkham: City of Secrets setting book will expand on the Arkham setting in much greater detail than is presented here. As such, we have provided a set of pre-made Persona Sheets for this Episode in order for a Director to simply pick this Episode up and run it straight from the presented material.

Dreams of the Deep is a modern day retelling of the Classic Lovecraft tale, "Shadow Over Innsmouth", as seen through the lens of the Dark Aeons Universe and game system.

This Episode made its first showing through Cthulhu International at Origins Games Fair 2009.

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/97786/Dreams-of-the-Deep%3A-Tales-of-Legend-Haunted-Arkham-%234



Bree Orlock
Managing Editor,
Stardust Publications
bree.orlock@stardust-publications.com

What Lies Beyond...: Tales of Legend-Haunted Arkham #3

What Lies Beyond... is designed to be a starting Episode for a full Season of play for Dark Aeons: The Atlantean Chronicles, or it can be a standalone Episode. The Dark Aeons core book is all that is required to use this Episode; however it should be noted that the upcoming Arkham: City of Secrets setting book will expand on the Arkham setting in much greater detail than is presented here. As such, we have provided a set of pre-made Persona Sheets for this Episode in order for a Director to simply pick this Episode up and run it straight from the presented material.



http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=97255





Bree Orlock
Managing Editor,
Stardust Publications
bree.orlock@stardust-publications.com

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?: Tales of Legend-Haunted Arkham #2

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is designed to be a starting Episode for a full Season of play for Dark Aeons: The Atlantean Chronicles, or it can be a standalone Episode. The Dark Aeons core book is all that is required to use this Episode; however it should be noted that the upcoming Arkham: City of Secrets setting book will expand on the Arkham setting in much greater detail than is presented here. As such, we have provided a set of pre-made Persona Sheets for this Episode in order for a Director to simply pick this Episode up and run it straight from the presented material.








http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=97220






Bree Orlock
Managing Editor,
Stardust Publications
bree.orlock@stardust-publications.com

Close Call: Tales of Legend-Haunted Arkham #1

Close Call is designed to be a starting Episode for a full Season of play for Dark Aeons: The Atlantean Chronicles, or it can be a standalone Episode. The Dark Aeons core book is all that is required to use this Episode; however it should be noted that the upcoming Arkham: City of Secrets setting book will expand on the Arkham setting in much greater detail than is presented here. It should also be noted that this Episode is designed to be used with a Cast of Revenants, Thralls, and Dhampir Personas. As such, we have provided a set of pre-made Persona Sheets for this Episode in order for a Director to simply pick this Episode up and run it straight from the presented material.







http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=96936


Bree Orlock
Managing Editor,
Stardust Publications
bree.orlock@stardust-publications.com

Dark Aeons: The Atlantean Chronicles Role-Playing Game

Dark Aeons: The Atlantean Chronicles is a Lovecraftian roleplaying game set in a world of dark secrets and ancient legacies. In this dark reflection of our own world, it is the descendants of the survivors of Lost Atlantis that rule from the shadows, and ancient immortals still roam the earth, walking in shadow and light.

In this world, the creatures of the night roam the streets thirsting for the blood of the living; the dead return from the grave in the bodies of the hopeless in order to live out the lives that death’s cruel embrace denied them. In this world, Sorcerers and Psychics are real; some trying to free from the world from the horrors of the Mirror World and the Abyss, while others are attempting to usher in a new dark age where humanity lives truly at the whims of demonic entities and the Old Ones.


In this world, the powers of the Faithful give hope to a dark world, while the Mundanes attempt to live out their lives struggling from day to day to survive in a world that seems out to get them.

The Center Stage Game System is a diceless role-playing game system that has been designed to allow Actors to portray their Persona in both tabletop and live-action modes of play. The system requires a regular deck of playing cards that included the Jack, Queen, King and Jokers for conflict resolution.

Hard Cover http://www.lulu.com/product/hardcover/dark-aeons-the-atlantean-chronicles/18689539

Soft Cover http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/dark-aeons-the-atlantean-chronicles/18684562

DriveThruRPG PDF and Soft Cover http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=64611

Bree Orlock
Managing Editor,
Stardust Publications
bree.orlock@stardust-publications.com

A Little bit of Teasing from the Floating Vagabond front

This is just to share with everybody the same tease that I just dropped on my own website: TheFloatingVagabond.com.


You know who's awesome? Ninjas. Ninjas are awesome.

Especially when they're drawn by the incredibly talented (and surprisingly nimble when dodging the cat-o-nine-tails) Scott Lincoln.
But you know who else is awesome? Pirates. Pirates are also awesome.
And you can see this fella is ready to perpetuate all sorts of ugly stereotypes.
But you know who is more awesome than can be contained withing a single human body?

Ninja-Pirate-Monkeys!
That's right, just when you thought the meme couldn't be any less relevant; the ninja-pirate-monkeys come along to save the day!
These are just a small sample of the more than 30 Character Stereotypes that will be featured in the new edition of Tales From The Floating Vagabond.
Begin speculation..... now!

Skirmisher Announces Events for Comicpalooza

Skirmisher Publishing LLC has announced the dozen games and game-oriented events it will be running at Comicpalooza 2012, May 25-27, in Houston! This is twice as many events has Skirmisher has run at any previous convention.

“As a Texas-based company, we want to support what has become the biggest, best, and most fan-oriented convention in the Lone Star State,” said Skirmisher publisher Michael O. Varhola. “We have been responsible for as many as six events at Gen Con and are going to be running twice as many as that at Comicpalooza, which is an indication of the esteem in which we hold this convention.”

Skirmisher will be celebrating its 10th anniversary at Comicpalooza and that is part of its motivation for pulling out all the stops and running as many events as possible at the convention. The company will also be giving away at least $3,000 worth of its products at the convention and much of this will be in the form of prizes for participants in its games. Following are the 12 events Skirmisher is scheduled to run at Comicpalooza:

FRIDAY

* War of the Little Orcs, Day 1 (floor game): This huge, ongoing demonstration game will allow many players to participate and involve dozens of models, hundreds of miniatures, and Skirmisher’s unique “Little Orc Wars” combat resolution system — which is based on rules created by H.G. Wells and uses live catapult fire! Attendees are welcome to play for 15 minutes or an hour, and on one day or all three.
Rules System: Little Orc Wars (taught/provided)
Time: Noon Friday Onward

* Meet d-Infinity Magazine: Join editors Michael O. Varhola and William Thrasher for an informative discussion on the past, present, and future of d-Infinity magazine, the gaming hobby’s only multi-platform, multi-publisher game supplement.
Rules System: None
Time: TBD Friday

* Labyrinths & Lab Rats (tabletop game): The gods have chosen you to face the perils of the Maze! Dare you face its plastic corridors and antiseptic chambers? Will you be the first rat to uncover the secret at the heart of the Maze, or will you be lost forever like all who came before?
Rules System: Pathfinder/Noble Wild
Time: TBD Friday

* One Starry Night (tabletop game): On a cold night in early autumn, Professor Derwin Abernathy invites you into his study for an evening of pleasant conversation among polite company. But what sinister motive taints his hospitality, and what horror waits to descend upon the people of Arkham late one starry night?
Rules System: Call of Cthulhu
Time: 7:30 p.m. Friday

SATURDAY

* Tower of The Wizards Three (tabletop game): Remember the good ol’ days of gaming when AC was negative and Wizards forgot their spells when they cast them? Remember when the story outweighed the rules and when min/maxing meant getting a bigger sword and adding a helmet? Remember when skills and proficiencies altered the game forever? There is something here for everyone, from every era of the most beloved RPG ever!
Rules System: Knowledge of most/all editions of D&D helpful
Time: 9 a.m. Saturday

* War of the Little Orcs, Day 2 (floor game): This huge, ongoing demonstration game will allow many players to participate and involve dozens of models, hundreds of miniatures, and Skirmisher’s unique “Little Orc Wars” combat resolution system — which is based on rules created by H.G. Wells and uses live catapult fire! The second day of this ongoing game introduces more advanced rules concepts.
Rules System: Little Orc Wars (taught/provided)
Time: 10 a.m. Saturday Onward

* Farces of Darkness (d20): Battle the light as a member of a predominantly chaotic and evil party of renegade adventurers in this scenario inspired by the popular Skirmisher Publishing LLC book Nuisances! Participants will be able to select from various depraved, erratic, or otherwise defective characters, including a classic Anti-Paladin, a Gnoll priest, and several others.
Rules System: d20/OGL
Time: 1 p.m. Saturday

* Enter the Jester Dragon’s Lair: Learn how Skirmisher Publishing LLC made its mark on the d20 game system with its creation of concepts like Defects, Subtypes, and more! This session promises to be of interest to anyone interested in the d20 system in particular or game design in general. Handouts containing all the rules innovations discussed and free game content will be provided to attendees!
Rules System: None
Time: TBD Saturday

* Sticks & Stones (tabletop game): At the heart of the Valley of the Grasping Stones is an enchanted treasure fit to topple empires and raise kings! Have you the daring, cunning, and fortitude to seek it out?
Rules System: Pathfinder
Time: 2:30 p.m. Saturday

SUNDAY

* Swords of Kos: Necropolis (tabletop game): This adventure ties in with a swords-and-sorcery fantasy novel being released by Skirmisher Publishing LLC at Comicpalooza! Set on the Aegean island of Kos, it pits a group of adventurers against the hazards of a long-abandoned cemetery and the catacombs that lie beneath it. Dangerous though the hazards and supernatural guardians of this place are, an even greater threat might be the Necropolis itself ...
Rules System: d20/OGL
Time: 10 a.m. Sunday

* War of the Little Orcs, Day 3 (floor game): This huge, ongoing demonstration game will allow many players to participate and involve dozens of models, hundreds of miniatures, and Skirmisher’s unique combat resolution system — which is based on rules created by H.G. Wells and uses live catapult fire! The final day of this ongoing game brings the War of the Little Orcs to a climactic conclusion in which only one side can be victorious.
Rules System: Little Orc Wars (taught/provided)
Time: 10 a.m. Sunday Onward

* The Search for Bigfoot (tabletop game): In this twisted and ever-changing game of memory, misdirection, and exploration, players compete to be the first to prove the existence of America’s most famous cryptid.
Rules System: The Search for Bigfoot (taught/provided)
Time: 3 p.m. Sunday

For more information about or to register for any of the listed games or events, go to the Comicpalooza Gaming Schedule, post a comment to this story, or contact Skirmisher at webmaster@skirmisher.com.

Skirmisher Releases ‘Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #11: Optional Combat Rules

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is proud to announce the release of Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #11: Optional Combat Rules! It is written by Derek Holland and Chris Van Deelen, authors of multiple multiple Mutant Future supplements, and is available through online venues that include DriveThruRPG.

In almost every roleplaying game, one of the biggest aspects is combat. Mutant Future is no exception, for, in many ways, combat could be considered one of the game’s most crucial aspects — next to mutations! In this spirit, here are several new optional rules a Mutant Lord can use to expand the combat possibilities in his or her game.

This publication is dedicated to providing useful information, game content, and ideas to players of modern, science fiction, and post-apocalyptic table-top and role-playing games in general and to fans of Goblinoid Games’ Mutant Future RPG in particular. The rules contained herein are compatible with it and any others that use the “Basic” system introduced in the most popular role-playing games of the early 1970s and are easily adaptable to many other games (especially successor systems, to include those covered by the Open Game License).

Our goal is to release a new thematic issue of this publication every other week and to have it contain a variety of useful and earnest information that will inspire Game Masters and players alike and provide them with things that they can immediately plug into their games. We very much hope you will find this and subsequent issues of the Wisdom from the Wastelands to be useful and enjoyable!

Skirmisher Discounts ‘Cthulhu Live’ 90%!

In honor of its 10th anniversary celebration, Skirmisher Publishing LLC has discounted PDF downloads of its acclaimed Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition horror live-action role-playing game by 90% on DriveThruRPG and RPGNow, from $9.99 to just 99 cents! This LARP is based on the Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft and is a licensed live-action version of Chaosium Inc.’s Call of Cthulhu classic and best-selling tabletop RPG.

During the 10th anniversary sale, Skirmisher has also marked down by 25% all the other products in the Cthulhu Live line. These include the Companion Suite, a collection of computer applications and support materials, and numerous scenarios (among them The Island, Muerte al Chupacabras!, Witchfinder, Arcanum Imperii, Sight Unseen, The Green Fairy, Mysteries of the Mythos: Murder at Miskatonic, House of Pain, and Old Man of Damascus).

“This newest and best edition of Cthulhu Live includes a richly detailed and uniquely playable rules system that incorporates nearly two decades of best practices and refinements from hundreds of gamers worldwide,” said developer Robert “Mac” McLaughlin.

Features of this self-contained game include:

* Rules for skills, combat, Sanity, Magic, and Psychic powers.

* Extensive information on organizing events, stagecraft and special effects.

* Guidelines on role-playing Outsiders tainted by the touch of the Mythos.

* New and improved photographs, graphics, and other images.

* A screen-friendly lo-res version of the book that includes the "parchment" background of the original print edition and red blood spatters that had to be printed black in the original.

* A printer-friendly hi-res version of the book from which background images, blood spatters, and other material that might eat up toner or affect the quality of home printouts have been eliminated.

And much more! The stars are right for you to pick up a copy of Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition and its supplements now!

Skirmisher Releases ‘Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #7: Planar Creatures & Concepts

Skirmisher Publishing LLC is proud to announce the release of Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #7: Planar Creatures & Concepts! It is written by Derek Holland and Chris Van Deelen, authors of multiple multiple Mutant Future supplements, and is available through online venues that include DriveThruRPG.

One mutation that could greatly influence a campaign setting and its population is plane shift. Once a planar gate is opened, anything that comes through will affect the Mutant Future world. New arrivals could include seeds, spores, eggs, creatures, diseases, energy, technology, or even changes in the laws of physics. This issue provides a few example creatures, mutations, and energies from alternate realities.

This publication is dedicated to providing useful information, game content, and ideas to players of modern, science fiction, and post-apocalyptic table-top and role-playing games in general and to fans of Goblinoid Games’ Mutant Future RPG in particular. The rules contained herein are compatible with it and any others that use the “Basic” system introduced in the most popular role-playing games of the early 1970s and are easily adaptable to many other games (especially successor systems, to include those covered by the Open Game License).

Our goal is to release a new thematic issue of this publication just about every week and to have it contain a variety of useful and earnest information that will inspire Game Masters and players alike and provide them with things that they can immediately plug into their games. We very much hope you will find this and subsequent issues of the Wisdom from the Wastelands to be useful and enjoyable!

MGP Amerika 2 event, a great kickoff to the series

On Feb. 25, 2012, Mindgame Productions hosted a very successful airsoft milsim event at Waynes World of Paintball in Ocala, FL.



The scenario is based on "what if D-Day failed."

When the D-Day landing fell apart on the beaches of Normandy, the hope of Democracy died alongside tens of thousands of Allied troops. The success of the Third Reich's atomic weapons project halted the Red Army in the radioactive ruins of Poland. Operation SeaLion ground the British Empire beneath the heel of the Reich. The threat of German atomic bombers over Moscow brought Stalin to sign a ceasefire in 1945. German and Japanese troops landed on the east and west coasts of the United States in 1946, ripping through the broad heartlands with strategic atomic strikes that neutralized massed US resistance. Working feverishly, the Manhattan project was able to complete its work from new facilities in Calgary and the remnants of the United States and Canada detonated atomic weapons against German forces near Colorado Springs and Rapid City. By the time the cease-fire was signed in 1949, all that remained of the United States was a crippled handful of states in the Pacific North-West and east along the Canadian border to North Dakota.  

Over 60 years later, the citizens of chafe under the control of Berlin and the Amerikanisches Reichsgovernor. Crop failures and inability to meet industrial production quotas have increased the pressure from Berlin. Deadly force has quelled protests against the Reichsgovernor, until the embers of resistance flashed to open flame in the Reichstaat of Florida, rapidly spreading through other regions of the Amerikan Reich. The campaign has begun as the Alliance of Free America, Canada and Cuba join their regular troops with the freedom fighters of the underground resistance movement. The fight to liberate Amerika has begun! 

This game was the kick-off event for what will be a series of games held throughout Florida this year, in an ongoing campaign.

"Think of a game of RISK... in which many of the battles are fought on airsoft fields...Teams that have staked out their alliegence to the Amerikan Reich or the Resistance movement will see the results change the strategic map over time, as the two powers fight over Florida - one corner of the greater war underway for the liberation of Amerika." -Mac McLaughlin, Mindgame Productions

The campaign is set to conclude in Feb. 2013.

Check out the after-action reports on the forum here.

Players assembled for briefing (Photo: Shwell)

Keeping Score: Axis vs. Allies

The Spear of Destiny (Photo: Allyson Capecea) 

A "tank" (Photo: Chantal Jost)

Check out more photos from the event here, here, here, and here.

A nice recap of the event was posted in an article on Airsoft Squared, here.

Video, part 1 (by Shwell):


Video, part 2 (by Shwell):


For more information about Amerika and other MGP events, visit the Mindgame Productions web site.

Skirmisher Discounts ‘Experts’ 96%!

As part of its 10th anniversary celebration, Skirmisher Publishing has discounted PDF downloads of its popular title Experts v.3.5 by a full 96% RPGNow and on DriveThruRPG, from $12.99 to just 50 cents! This is a revised and expanded version of the company’s very first book, Experts, which it released in early 2002.

“One of the things that made this book notable was that Gary Gygax wrote the foreword to it,” said Skirmisher publisher Michael Varhola. “He could tell that we had drawn heavily on his work from Dungeons & Dragons when developing Experts and very generously agreed to be a part of it. He set the kind of example we have tried to follow since then, and offering one of our best titles at this price is a way for us to give back to the gaming community.”

Experts v.3.5 takes the concept of the Expert non-player-character class briefly described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide and gives it unprecedented depth and playability. This 176-page book includes:

* More than 30 fully detailed Expert types, including the Alchemist, Blacksmith, Courtesan, Merchant, Miner, Navigator, Physician, Sage, Sailor, and Weaponmaker.

* The Guild Master, Militia Leader, and Spellcrafter prestige classes, the latter of which can allow Experts, Specialists, and other characters to gain specialized magical abilities that they can use to enhance their mundane abilities.

* The Specialist, a new basic character class that players can use to create versatile "adventuring Experts" of any sort.

* More than 100 new skills, including dozens of new Crafts and Professions and detailed rules for creation of everything from weapons and armor to buildings and ships.

* The concept of Convergence Tasks, activities that can be accomplished as the result of having ranks in two or more skills (e.g., use of Craft (Blacksmithing) and Profession (Mining) to perform Smelting). These can allow characters to perform relatively specialized functions but does not inundate the game with obscure, rarely-used skills.

* A section of 20 new Feats.

* 22 new magic items.

* More than two dozen ready-to-use NPC Experts that can be used as-is or easily modified to suit any campaign or adventure.

* Flavor text from a number of literary sources that can help stimulate interest in the various sorts of Experts presented in this book, suggest how they might be used, or show them in a different light than usual.

And now you can get all this for just 50 cents! This special sale will not last long, so go ahead and pick up your copy now.

USMSC at MegaCon 2012

We had a blast at MegaCon this year with Mindgame Productions and the United States Marine Space Corps in Orlando, FL. Some of my favorite moments, captured here:

Mac briefing a group of players before they go into the simulation. 

USMSC group photo

NPCs

It's THAT guy

A team prepares to enter the simulation

MindGame Productions is the longest running airsoft-events company on the east coast. Established in early 2005, MGP is based in Florida with team members spread through Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Texas. Company events have been focused in Florida, but MGP has also run events in Ohio, Indiana and is always looking for opportunities to develop new events in the south-east.

The USMSC is an organization for fans of the military sci-fi genre. Whether you're a fan of military sci-fi authors, or you love films or tv shows such as Aliens, Starship Troopers, Stargate-1, BSG and others... all are welcome in the USMSC. Our organization celebrates the comraderie, drama, epic struggle and the horror of the military experience as realized in everything sci-fi.