Tag: Chaosium

Media Release: Community Ambassadors appointed for Chaosium’s Miskatonic Repository and Jonstown Compendium

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Chaosium has appointed Community Ambassadors for its Miskatonic Repository and Jonstown Compendium community content programs on DriveThruRPG.

The Miskatonic Repository is Chaosium’s platform on DriveThruRPG for independent creators of gaming material for the Call of Cthulhu tabletop roleplaying game. It was launched in December 2018. The Jonstown Compendium, established in December 2019, fulfils the same function for RuneQuest and Greg Stafford’s world of Glorantha.

The success of these fan-driven programs is evident by their thriving communities of creators and the rapidly growing number of titles available, with more added every week.

Allan Carey (below left) is the Miskatonic Repository Community Ambassador and Nick Brooke (below right) is the Jonstown Compendium Community Ambassador.

On Chaosium’s behalf, they will act as a first point-of-call and helpful sound board for prospective Miskatonic Repository and Jonstown Compendium content creators.

They can provide advice with the various aspects of creating and publishing a community content work, including ideas generation, IP issues, writing, editing, art direction, layout, publication, and preparing a title for print-on-demand. They can also direct queries to the appropriate person at Chaosium or DriveThruRPG if need be.
Chaosium vice president Michael O’Brien said:

“Nick was recently awarded the Greg Stafford Memorial Award for Gloranthan Fandom for 2020 for his passionate advocacy of the Jonstown Compendium. We’re happy to formalise that advocacy with this appointment.

And Allen is a highly experienced and award-winning content creator with a deep and dedicated love of the Call of Cthulhu RPG.

We are pleased to have both on board to work directly with our growing band of independent writers and artists at DriveThruRPG.”

What is the Miskatonic Repository?

Under The Miskatonic Repository community content license, Call of Cthulhu fans can make their own work for use with the game line available to the public, using guidelines, templates, and art provided by Chaosium.

What is the Jonstown Compendium?

Under the Jonstown Compendium community content license, fans of Greg Stafford’s world of Glorantha can sell and share their own material on DriveThruRPG.

Check out the Jonstown Compendium Guidelines and start creating!
Contact information:

CHAOSIUM INC.
Michael O’Brien
mob@chaosium.com
chaosium.com
###

Our award-winning roleplaying games, boardgames, and fiction have been acclaimed as some of the most engaging and innovative of all time. For more than forty years, Chaosium Inc. has captivated gamers, readers, and mythic adventurers worldwide.The Chaosium was founded by visionary game designer Greg Stafford in 1975.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChaosiumInc
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Press Release: Rivers of London RPG: the creative team is assembled!

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Chaosium is producing the Rivers of London Roleplaying Game, based on Ben Aaronovitch’s best-selling urban fantasy fiction. Reflecting the series’ inventive take on the fantastic—from Newtonian magic to the strange powers wielded by the rivers and other supernatural beings that inhabit the popular novels and comics—the game will use Chaosium’s Basic Roleplaying system, as well as original, customized rules.

And now the Rivers of London RPG creative team has been assembled! They’ll be working closely with Ben Aaronovitch on the game’s development and presentation.

Here, in alphabetical order, the team introduces themselves:
PAUL FRICKER: Paul Fricker is a freelance writer and games designer, and is designing and writing the core rules system for the Rivers of London Roleplaying Game. In partnership with Mike Mason, Paul is best known for writing and revising the latest edition of Chaosium’s award-winning RPG, Call of Cthulhu. Over the years he has participated in the creation and development of numerous scenarios and campaigns, beginning with Gatsby and the Great Race, back in 2005.Paul is also one of the hosts of the horror and gaming podcast, The Good Friends of Jackson Elias. He often can be found on Twitter (@paulfricker), where he endeavors to focus on the important topics in life: gaming, music and food.
ADAM GAUNTLETT: Hi! I’m Adam, and I’m a nut for crime novels and magic. I’ve written for The Escapist, Atlas Games, Pelgrane, and of course, Chaosium. My tendrils spread out from the island of Bermuda, where I lie in wait for the end of days. I can be bribed with cheesecake. Or a decent bitter, but cheesecake is more reliable.Rivers of London was the first I’d heard of Ben Aaronovitch and I quickly converted to Aaronovitchism, establishing a small shrine of books and graphic collections. My cats regularly sacrifice lizards in front of this sacred fane, though I do my best to stop them as lizards are bad for cats and the sacred fane.

My favorite moment in the Rivers series is when our heroes raid the Garden of Unearthly Delights back in Moon over Soho. I’ve a soft spot for Hammer Horror, and I can just picture Christopher Lee hamming it up in the VIP lounge back in the day. Ideally with Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and John Carradine a la House of the Long Shadows—but I’ve said too much…
LLOYD GYAN: From working with Modiphius Entertainment, to being the cultural liaison on RPGs such as Bastion and Liminal, Lloyd Gyan has come to see all that the RPG community has to offer. His unique take and perspective on the world at large brings a fine nuance to setting books, his specialty coming from his many years as a second-generation Ghanaian living in London.“Peter Grant’s magical life has always vibrated with me, being a West African boy living his best life in London. To be given a chance to work on a project as personal as this is a dream come true. Also, I actually know what Star Beer tastes like!”
LYNNE HARDY: Lynne has been working on and off in the roleplaying industry for almost 30 years, most recently in her capacity as writer and Associate Editor for Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu RPG. Her past credits include work for Modiphius Entertainment, Cubicle 7, Green Ronin, and Pelgrane Press, among others, as writer, editor, or both. She also created her own steampunk pulp adventure game: Cogs, Cakes & Swordsticks. Her latest project, besides her continuing work on Call of Cthulhu, is as Line Editor for the Rivers of London RPG.“It took me far longer to get round to reading Rivers of London than I care to admit, but once I did, I was hooked. It was immediately obvious that the world was ideal for a roleplaying game and it’s a property I’ve been hoping to develop for years. With Mike Mason’s encouragement, I approached Ben at a book signing for Lies Sleeping and, fortunately, Ben agreed! I’m really looking forward to working with my team and sharing their work with all of our fans, new and old.”
GAVIN INGLIS: Gavin Inglis is a writer and teacher based in Edinburgh, with a background in tech and music. He writes adventures for Call of Cthulhu, including the introductory solo Alone Against the Flames. Other work includes interactive novels published through Choice of Games, and credits on Zombies, Run! and Fallen London. His fiction has appeared in a magazine for actual conjurers, and his story collection Crap Ghosts is the definitive reference to ineffective apparitions.Gavin was Language and Cognition Fellow at the Department for Clinical Neuroscience in Edinburgh, during which he produced a graphic novel about Functional Neurological Disorder, and an AI version of H.P. Lovecraft. His interactive web story about mental health, Hana Feels, was nominated for an XYZZY award. www.gavininglis.com.

“I love exploring London to find its history and hidden ways, so it’s a joy to be introducing players to the Rivers of London game and Ben’s eerie world.”
KERIS MCDONALD: Keris McDonald lives in the north of England, discovered Dungeons & Dragons before it was even considered a threat to one’s immortal soul, and has been playing and GMing scenarios for Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu for 35 happy years. Her RPG scenarios have been published by Worlds of Cthulhu and The Cthulhu Hack. With many years involvement in writing live-action roleplaying events, she is currently helping run a Victorian Gothic LARP system.A writer of supernatural fiction across the horror, fantasy, and erotica genres, Keris has nine novels in print and has seen her short stories published in many magazines and anthologies. Her short story “The Coat Off his Back” was chosen for inclusion in Best Horror of the Year Vol. 7 (ed. E Datlow).

“It’s an honor and a privilege to be working on a fictional world as beloved as Rivers of London, and helping to bring it to life for gamers.”
HELENA NASH: Helena has been tabletop roleplaying since 1981 and has died on paper many times at the hands of formless horrors, faerie knights, and at least once by explosive decompression. She has written adventures for Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, Dune: Adventures in the Imperium and Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of. Helena is one of the original developers of the cult film & television game 7TV, created the official roleplaying game of Robert Rankin’s Brentford books, and wrote a Choose Your Own Dinner Party gamebook combining elements of a Mike Leigh play and an Alfred Hitchcock film.She lives in Hertfordshire by the River Lea, about 30 miles north of Mama Thames as the duck paddles, with her wife and far too many comic books.

“Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London books have had me hooked since Peter Grant’s first interview with a ghost in Covent Garden. It is a London I have known all my life, but interwoven with uncanny, dangerous threads of magic and magical beings. I’m super excited to be given the chance to shine a werelight on some of the darker corners of the Rivers of London world in this new RPG.”
LUCYA SZACHNOWSKI: Lucya Szachnowski has lived in London all her life and loves her city, roleplaying, and all things magical. For Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu RPG, she co-wrote The London Guidebook, “The Garden of Earthly Delights” for Strange Aeons, “Suffer Little Children” and “London Calling” for Day of the Beast, “The Occulted Light” for Before the Fall, and contributed to The Investigator’s Companion and Keeper’s Compendium. She wrote the introductory scenario for the Sigil & Sign RPG, by Cubicle 7 and Make Believe Games. After years working on local London newspapers, she did an MA in English literature, specializing in literary London. Under the pen name Lucya Starza, she has written books on practical magic in Moon Books’ Pagan Portals series, and writes a London-based blog: A Bad Witch’s Blog. She is very excited to be involved in the Rivers of London RPG.

The Rivers of London

The Rivers of London series follows Peter Grant, an ordinary constable turned magician’s apprentice, as he solves crimes across London in a sensational blend of inventive urban fantasy, gripping mystery thriller, and hilarious fantasy caper. The series debuted in 2011 with Rivers of London (Midnight Riot in the US) and now includes more than a half-dozen novels, several novellas, and a number of comic book series. The series has sold well over two million copies and has been translated into fourteen languages. In May 2019, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost announced that their production company, Stolen Picture, had acquired rights to create a television series based on the world of the Folly. Author Ben Aaronovitch is also known for his work on both television and audio scripts for Doctor Who.

Our award-winning roleplaying games, boardgames, and fiction have been acclaimed as some of the most engaging and innovative of all time. For more than forty years, Chaosium Inc. has captivated gamers, readers, and mythic adventurers worldwide.The Chaosium was founded by visionary game designer Greg Stafford in 1975.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChaosiumInc
Our forums: http://basicroleplaying.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chaosium_Inc
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PRESS RELEASE: Announcing the Basic Roleplaying System Reference Document and Open Game License

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27 March 2020 – for immediate release
Chaosium is pleased to announce the release of the Basic Roleplaying System Reference Document (SRD).

The Basic Roleplaying SRD is based on Basic Roleplaying, the simple, fast, and elegant skill-based percentile system that is the core of most Chaosium roleplaying games, including Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest, SuperWorld, and others.

Under the provisions of the Basic Roleplaying Open Game License (OGL), designers can create their own roleplaying games using the Basic Roleplaying rules engine, royalty-free and without further permission from Chaosium Inc.

For further details and to download the SRD document, see our
Basic Roleplaying SRD information page.
Please note: the BRP Open Game License for use of the Basic Roleplaying system differs from the Wizards Open Game License and has different terms and conditions.

[UPDATED] 2019 ENnie Awards Dream Date Guide 

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UPDATED 2019-07-22:

After most of the first round of auctions closed, two were re-listed for a second shot at them!

 

Alligator Alley #1 – 2019 ENnie Dream Date!

AUCTION ENDS: Sunday, 28th July, 2019 at 1:30 PM EST 

AWARDS:  

  • Attend the ENnie Awards 2019 with the team at Alligator Alley Entertainment  
  • Some amazing swag from Alligator Alley Entertainment 

 

Petersen Games – Dream Date with Sandy #2 at the 2019 ENnie Awards

AUCTION ENDS: Sunday, 28th July, 2019 at 2:17 PM EST 

AWARDS:  

  • Attend the ENnie Awards 2019 with the Petersen Games team   
  • Some Petersen Games swag! 

 

NOT A RE-LIST BUT ENDS THIS WEEK:

Dwarven Forge. – 2019 ENnie Awards Dream Date

AUCTION ENDS: Wednesday, 24th July, 2019 at 3:32 PM EST 

REWARDS:  

  • Attend the ENnie Awards 2019 with the Dwarven Forge team
  • “A painted Starter Dungeon set! The set includes 19 pieces in pure Dwarvenite to start off (or top off) your dungeon. This set comes fully hand painted”

 

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

Want to step up your RPG freelancing game? RPG publisher looking to shake up the industry? Are you a fan of award-winning RPGs? Going to the ENnie Awards at Gen Con 2019? Chaosium, Cubicle 7, Magpie Games, Pelgrane Press, Petersen Games, and more will be there and they want to hang out with you! The ENnie Awards (the Oscars of tabletop RPGs) are auctioning off seats with these publishers as well as swag. On eBay, they’re offering you the chance to get some one-on-one time with some of the best creators in the industry!  

Each year, I write an “ENnie Awards Dream Date Guide” to share these fantastic opportunities for fans, freelancers, and publishers. Curious what the prior options? Check them out here: 2017 and 2018. 

In 2017, I won a “date” with Cubicle 7 and could not have been happier with the experience then and since. We sat at a table right in front of the stage, they shared industry tales, introduced me to other creators, and hooked me up with Adventures in Middle-earth books and maps (print and PDF). The cherry on that night was when they won an award while I was there. I went from a random fan to someone that C7 talks with every time I see them. The experience boosted me as an RPG fan, journalist, and creator, and I would recommend it to anyone that’s interested in RPGs whether a fan, a freelancer, or a publisher. To that end, let’s review these dates! 

Cubicle 7 and Egg (shorts) at the ENnie Awards 2017. [Egg is going for a record for re-using this image.]

But, before we do, here’s a few notes: 

“The 2019 ENnie Awards are held August 2nd, 2019 at 8pm at Gen Con! Don’t forget to vote for the ENnie Awards here. [Auction] winners must have a valid Gen Con badge [not provided] to attend the ENnie Awards and [the winners are] responsible for any associated expenses with attending Gen Con in Indianapolis, IN. All proceeds from the Dream Date auction are used to fund the production of the ENnie Awards each year. Egg Embry is not a part of the ENnie Awards. He writes these dream date guides for fun.”  

See all of the auctions here. 

Cubicle 7 – 2019 ENnie Dream Date! 

AUCTION ENDS: Saturday, 20th July, 2019 at 3:30 PM EST 

AWARDS:  

  • Attend the ENnie Awards 2019 with the Cubicle 7 creative team 
  • A signed copy of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Core Rulebook - Up for two ENnies this year! 

“Cubicle 7 is the creative team behind many ENnie nominated and winning products! These include 2019 nominated Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Fourth Edition, The One Ring Roleplaying Game, Adventures in Middle-earth, Age of Sigmar Roleplaying Game, The Doctor Who Card Game, Doctor Who Roleplaying Game, and many, many more.” 

EGG’S THOUGHTS: I’ve met C7 on multiple occasions and they’re nice, nice, nice. You’ll have a good time, they’ll keep you entertained, and, if you’re interested in one of their properties (Lord of the Rings, Warhammer, Doctor Who), they will share more insight into their worlds than you can handle.  

But one of the hottest options for this night is the swag. If C7’s Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Core Rulebook picks up either, or both, of the ENnies it’s up for, your signed copy will become something of a gaming artifact: The signed ENnie Awards Dream Date Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Core Rulebook from the night it won ENnies.  

Pelgrane Press – 2019 ENnie Dream Date! 

AUCTION ENDS: Saturday, 20th July, 2019 at 1:45 PM EST 

AWARDS:  

  • Attend the ENnie Awards 2019 with the Pelgrane Press team including Cathriona “Cat” Tobin, Ken Hite and Robin Laws  
  • Hideous Creatures t-shirt  
  • Hideous Creatures – Bestiary of the Cthulhu Mythos book  
  • A GM ribbon  
  • Pelgrane Press button 

“Pelgrane Press Ltd is a British role-playing game publishing company behind many ENnie Award winning products! This year is no exception, as they are up for multiple 2019 ENnies! Pelgrane Press currently produces Fall of Delta Green, Trail of Cthulhu, Night’s Black Agents, 13th Age, the Diana Jones award-winning Hillfolk RPG, the Dying Earth Roleplaying Game, and other related products.” 

EGG’S THOUGHTS: Hideous Creatures – Bestiary of the Cthulhu Mythos is up for an ENnie Award this year and is a part of the swag the winner of this auction gets. As I mentioned with C7’s swag above, if this book wins then your copy defaults to a piece of gaming history, the ENnie Awards Dream Date Hideous Creatures – Bestiary of the Cthulhu Mythos.

2019 JUDGES ENnie Awards Dream Date 

AUCTION ENDS: Sunday, 21st July, 2019 at 12:30 PM EST 

AWARDS:  

  • Attend the ENnie Awards 2019 with 2019 ENnie Awards judges, Brian Nowak, Ben Adelman and Chris Gath   
  • “The winner will also receive some amazing swag custom tailored to your gaming interests. Value of the prize pack will be at least $50 over that final auction bid!
    At end of the auction, winner will receive an email asking for your tastes in genre (Horror, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, board games, etc…) We will do our best to match it with a selection of items that have been submitted to the ENnies and award them to you the night of the awards” 

EGG’S THOUGHTS: If you’re a gamer, this will probably be the best swag deal of the convention as they’ll provide you with a lot of games (the judges get plenty throughout the year).

If you’re a publisher, it might open doors to talk with the judges to learn more about judging criteria, which could lead to improved products through your studio.  

 

Magpie Games – ENnie Awards Dream Date 2019 

AUCTION ENDS: Sunday, 21st July, 2019 at 1:00 PM EST 

AWARDS:  

  • Attend the ENnie Awards 2019 with Magpie Games team  
  • One of Magpie’s main product lines:  
    • Masks pack - a copy of the core book, supplement, one deck and a set of dice  

 Or  

    • Zombie World pack - a copy of the core book, both supplements, and a set of Kickstarter Exclusive Cards 

“Magpie Games is a multi-ENnie Award nominated and winning game development and production company devoted to creating interesting, innovative, boundary-pushing, and most of all high-quality games across a wide variety of genres and styles. The majority of Magpie’s productions are tabletop roleplaying games, ranging from games designed to recreate disaster movies, to games designed to tell the stories of baby dragons on adventures, to gritty games about supernatural criminals and power brokers. Since its inception, Magpie Games has released many games, including Urban Shadows, Epyllion: A Dragon Epic, Masks: A New Generation, and Bluebeard’s Bride.” 

Petersen Games – Dream Date with Sandy #1 at the 2019 ENnie Awards 

AUCTION ENDS: Sunday, 21st July, 2019 at 1:15 PM EST 

Petersen Games – Dream Date with Sandy #2 at the 2019 ENnie Awards 

AUCTION ENDS: Sunday, 21st July, 2019 at 2:15 PM EST 

Petersen Games – Dream Date with Sandy #3 at the 2019 ENnie Awards 

AUCTION ENDS: Sunday, 21st July, 2019 at 3:15 PM EST 

NOTE: There are three dream dates being hosted by the Petersen Games team 

AWARDS:  

  • Attend the ENnie Awards 2019 with the Petersen Games team   
  • Some Petersen Games swag! 

“Petersen Games was founded to make games with top-grade components, amazing art, and great depth of gameplay. Their games include the immensely popular Cthulhu Wars, All Orcs Must Die! and Theomachy. In addition, Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos for 5E is up for an ENnie this year! 

Game Designer, Sandy Petersen, first conceived of the idea of doing a roleplaying game based on H. P. Lovecraft’s stories. That original idea, the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game, is still in print today. Since that time, Sandy has worked on many tabletop products, including helping develop the original Arkham Horror board game. He also spent almost 20 years in the computer gaming industry, as a designer on the teams that produced Civilization, Doom, Quake, the Age of Empire series, and Halo Wars. He returned to the world of tabletop gaming with the famed Cthulhu Wars strategy game, and now he is Chief Creative Officer of his own company.” 

EGG’S THOUGHTS: I’m hoping the “Petersen Games swag” includes a copy of Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos for 5E since it is up for an ENnie this year. Obviously, it’s not mentioned in the swag (that’s ambiguous), but if the game wins, having a copy gotten at the awards ceremony will be a special memento of gaming.  

Alligator Alley #1 – 2019 ENnie Dream Date! 

AUCTION ENDS: Sunday, 21st July, 2019 at 1:30 PM EST 

Alligator Alley #2 – 2019 ENnie Dream Date! 

AUCTION ENDS: Sunday, 21st July, 2019 at 2:30 PM EST 

NOTE: There are two dream dates being hosted by Alligator Alley Entertainment 

AWARDS:  

  • Attend the ENnie Awards 2019 with the team at Alligator Alley Entertainment  
  • Some amazing swag from Alligator Alley Entertainment 

“Alligator Alley Entertainment is the publisher of adventure games including Witch Hunter: the Invisible World, Esper Genesis, and Demonbane Chronicles” 

EGG’S THOUGHTS: Alligator Alley is the company behind Esper Genesis (sci-fi D&D 5e), which I reviewed for Knights of the Dinner Table #262. When I see them at cons, they’re always ready to talk and share lots of good information about being a small publisher that is making it. Plus, freelancer tales and more. Well worth checking out.  

Executive Creative Director of Games at Andrews McMeel Universal, Daniel D. Fox. HONEST! Would I lie?!

Andrews McMeel Universal and Grim & Perilous Studios – 2019 ENnie Dream Date! 

AUCTION ENDS: Sunday, 21st July, 2019 at 2:00 PM EST 

Andrews McMeel Universal and Grim & Perilous Studios #2- 2019 ENnie Dream Date! 

AUCTION ENDS: Sunday, 21st July, 2019 at 3:00 PM EST 

NOTE: There are two dream dates for the Andrews McMeel Universal and Grim & Perilous Studios table 

AWARDS:  

  • Attend the ENnie Awards 2019 with the team at Andrews McMeel Universal and Grim & Perilous Studios, the team behind the twice Gold ENnie winner from 2018! 
  • Zweihänder (pdf and print) 
  • Main Gauche (pdf and print) 
  • Character Folio (pdf and print) 
  • GM screen (pdf and print) 
  • Monster Cards (pdf+print)  
  • Injury & Mishap Cards (pdf and print) 
  • One voucher of Zweihander Player’s Handbook (pdf and print) as it releases in December 
  • Drinks at the ENnies (must be over 21) 

“Andrews McMeel Universal (AMU) is an American media corporation based in Kansas City, Missouri. It was founded in 1970 by Jim Andrews and John McMeel. AMU is passionate about discovering authors and creators who have a distinct point of view. They nurture humorous and inspirational voices that they believe have the potential to be both profound and popular. They respect the creator’s vision as the primary source of inspiration at every stage, offering an individualized, flexible approach to publishing success. 

Daniel D. Fox is the founder of Grim & Perilous Studios, an independent publisher of over 30 titles since its inception. Dan is an author and game designer, having won the gold ENnie for Best Game and Product of the Year at Gen Con 2018 for ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG. His break-out success with ZWEIHÄNDER was featured on Forbes.com, and recognized by Kickstarter as one of their Projects We Love. ZWEIHÄNDER is ranked one of the best-selling tabletop games of all time at DriveThruRPG, with over 90,000 copies sold worldwide. Daniel is the Executive Creative Director of Games at Andrews McMeel Universal.” 

EGG’S THOUGHTS: First, the winning bid gets hundreds of dollars worth of great gaming!

Second, I interviewed Daniel D. Fox (Zweihänder) at Origins Game Fair and can say he’s a fun guy to hang out with. Creators and publishers, part of Daniel’s job at Andrews McMeel Universal is finding the next hit RPG and bringing it to AMU. AMU has lent muscle to ZWEIHÄNDER  as they’re stocked at Barnes & Nobles next to D&D, Pathfinder, Starfinder, and Star Wars. I am *NOT* saying Daniel will take your pitch or product, but I am saying that AMU is going to be a growing player in the world of RPG and it’d be good to talk to their ECD of Games.  

Chaosium Inc. – 2019 ENnie Awards Dream Date 

AUCTION ENDS: Sunday, 21st July, 2019 at 4:00 PM EST 

AWARDS:  

  • Attend the ENnie Awards 2019 with the Chaosium team  
  • Miskatonic University the Restricted Collection Boardgame 
  • Chaosium Clandestine Game case Poker Chip set (special item from Horror on the Orient Express Kickstarter) 
  • Chaosium “tuxedo”black t-shirt 
  • One of these three premium game sets: 
    • RuneQuest:Roleplaying in Glorantha slipcase Set + PDF 

 OR  

    • Call of Cthulhu slipcase set + PDF 

 OR  

    • Masks of Nyarlathotep slipcase set + PDF 

“Chaosium was founded by visionary game designer Greg Stafford in 1975. For more than forty years, Chaosium has captivated gamers, readers and mythic adventurers worldwide. Its award-winning roleplaying games, boardgames and fiction have been acclaimed as some of the most engaging and innovative of all time.” 

EGG’S THOUGHTS: Picking your swag will be a challenge as your choices include more than one product that is up for an ENnie this year. This is a good problem for the winner to have because they know they’re choosing between strength and strength. 

Dwarven Forge. – 2019 ENnie Awards Dream Date

AUCTION ENDS: Wednesday, 24th July, 2019 at 3:32 PM EST 

REWARDS:  

  • Attend the ENnie Awards 2019 with the Dwarven Forge team
  • “A painted Starter Dungeon set! The set includes 19 pieces in pure Dwarvenite to start off (or top off) your dungeon. This set comes fully hand painted”

“Dwarven Forge was founded in 1996 by artist Stefan Pokorny, a medieval fantasy devotee and an avid Dungeons and Dragons enthusiast. After many months of painstaking design, sculpting and painting, he introduced the world’s finest pre-painted miniature terrain in 1996. Since then, Dwarven Forge has released many new sets, each fully compatible with the others, and each a new step forward in terrain design, yet maintaining a dedication to fine craft and excellent durability. These sets are built to last, and many collectors are now sharing them with their children and grandchildren.”

Again, don’t forget to vote for the ENnie Awards here then see all of the eBay auctions here. Auctions end between Saturday, 20th July, 2019 at 1:45 PM EST and Wednesday, 24th July, 2019 at 3:32 PM EST.

PRESS RELEASE – MetaArcade Announces Cthulhu Chronicles Creators Initiative, Android Plans, New Campaign

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MetaArcade Announces Cthulhu Chronicles Creators Initiative, Android Plans, New Campaign at Gen Con
Contributors Can Sign Up to Create New Original Content for New Narrative Horror Game Using Company’s Adventure Creator Software; Cthulhu Chronicles Android Version Announced
SEATTLE – August 1, 2018 – MetaArcade, the developer of interactive fiction games, announced today it is significantly expanding the scope of its narrative horror game, Cthulhu Chronicles™, with three new initiatives following the game’s successful launch on the App Store:
  • First, starting today players can sign up for the new Cthulhu Creators program, where they can submit their own original interactive adventures for the game using MetaArcade’s proprietary Adventure Creator tool, the software the team uses to create adventures for the game.
  • Second, an Android version of Cthulhu Chronicles is now in development for Cthulhu fans who play on that platform, significantly expanding the game’s audience.
  • And third, the company today announced Mythos Across America, the game’s second Lovecraft campaign following today’s launch of Blackwater Creek, the ninth and final chapter of the game’s initial Investigations in Lovecraft Country campaign.
The Adventure Creator software, the new adventure, and a sneak peek at the upcoming campaign will all be on display at Gen Con 2018 in Chaosium’s booth, #829 in the Exhibit Hall.
“These three announcements mean the dreadful power of Cthulhu will soon be everywhere, fueled by the creativity of fans, powered by both iOS and Android devices, and charged with a darkly compelling new campaign from our team of cultists,” said David Reid, Founder and CEO of MetaArcade. “User generated content that taps into the storytelling potential of our audience has always been our plan and we’re excited to invite players to join the Cthulhu Creators program at Gen Con 2018.”
Created in partnership with Chaosium, creator of the popular tabletop RPG game, Call of Cthulhu, Cthulhu Chronicles distills the essence of the award-winning roleplaying system into a story-driven, intuitive experience designed for mobile gamers, with individual stories forming larger campaigns. In the game, players can play as various archetypal investigator characters such as a policewoman or private detective to pursue missions involving crazy cults, sinister creatures, and horrors from beyond space. At key decision points, players will make choices that matter, as each story has multiple endings and numerous clues to uncover—which in turn unlock new storylines and outcomes as the campaign unfolds.
All scenarios in the game, including the newly released Blackwater Creek adventure, which provides a breathtaking conclusion to the game’s initial Investigations in Lovecraft Country campaign, are created with MetaArcade’s proprietary Adventure Creator tool, which allows creators to write branching scenarios with combat and decision points, images, and immersive music and sound effects. Players interested in being the first to submit their own original material to the game through the Cthulhu Creators program can apply at MetaArcade.com or visit MetaArcade at Gen Con.
Cthulhu Chronicles, which is now available for iOS as a free download with in-app purchases and will soon be available on Google Play thanks to player requests, is developed and published by MetaArcade. Keep in touch with the latest MetaArcade news by following @MetaArcade and facebook.com/MetaArcade.
About MetaArcade
Launched in 2016, MetaArcade is a Seattle area independent game company building a platform to allow players to create and publish their own interactive fiction experiences – with no technical experience required – for free. The company was founded by lifelong RPG fan and seasoned vet David Reid, who previously held high profile roles at Microsoft, NCsoft, Trion Worlds, and CCP Games. MetaArcade launched Tunnels & Trolls Adventures in 2017 for Android and iOS mobile devices, and launched the horror adventure title, Cthulhu Chronicles, for iOS on July 10, 2018. For more information, visit www.MetaArcade.com.
About Chaosium
Chaosium was founded by visionary game designer Greg Stafford in 1975. For more than forty years, Chaosium has captivated gamers, readers and mythic adventurers worldwide. Its award-winning roleplaying games, boardgames and fiction have been acclaimed as some of the most engaging and innovative of all time. For more information, visit www.chaosium.com.
About Call of Cthulhu
Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu was created by gaming legend Sandy Petersen in 1981 and is the definitive horror roleplaying game. It has won over 80 awards since then, including being inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Art and Design Hall of Fame. The current 7th edition of the rules won 9 awards at the 2017 ENnies.

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Disclosures: This article contains affiliate links.

Egg Embry, Wanna-lancer™
Freelancer for EN World, Knights of the Dinner Table, Open Gaming Network, and the Tessera Guild.
Want your RPG Kickstarter reviewed? Want to share news? Press releases? Rumors? Sneak peeks? Deals? Have some RPG wanna-lancer thoughts to share? Contact me here or on Facebook (Egg Embry) or on Google Plus (+Egg Embry).

8 Wanna-lancer Dream Dates for Gen Con 50!

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Going to the ENnie Awards at Gen Con 50 in Indianapolis, Indiana? Need a date to the ENnies on Friday, August 18th, 2017? Then the ENnies have you covered – on eBay. There you can bid on eight dates with RPG companies and creators that are a wanna-lancer’s dream! Get gifts, meet the professionals behind them, and see them win awards all in one magical night!

The ENnie Awards Date Auction
Avoid going stag and get bonus swag!
[EDITOR’S NOTE – The slogans made up by Egg Embry are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the creative abilities of the editorial staff of the ENnies Awards.]

What swag? Owen KC Stephens comes with an autographed Starfinder Core Rulebook (system premiering at Gen Con 50).

What is Gen Con? “The largest gaming convention in the world held annually in Indianapolis, Indiana.”

What are the ENnies? “The Gen Con EN World RPG Awards (the “ENnies“) are an annual fan-based celebration of excellence in tabletop roleplaying gaming. The ENnies give game designers, writers and artists the recognition they deserve. It is a peoples’ choice award, and the final winners are voted upon online by the gaming public.”

This year, the Mistress of Ceremonies for the ENnies is Stacy Dellorfano, one of the most prominent individuals in gaming and the founder of ConTessa.

What is a “wanna-lancer”? A tabletop RPG fan that wants to become a tabletop RPG freelancer (i.e., Egg Embry).

What are you getting yourself into by bidding on one of these dates? A cocktail reception, an awards ceremony, four-and-a-half-hours to pester your “date” for Gary Gygax stories, swag (some of which is highly sought after), and the chance to network with some of the largest tabletop RPG publishers and professionals in the gaming world. If you want to talk with Chaosium, Cubicle 7, Monte Cook Games, and Pelgrane Press, or gain industry insights from Sean Patrick Fannon, Stacy Muth, and Owen KC Stephens, these are the wanna-lancer dream dates for you!

 

1) ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Cubicle 7
Ends on Friday, 7/14 at 3:00PM EST

“This year, the highest bidder will meet the staff of Cubicle 7.
If you win, you will meet up at the cocktail reception starting at 6:30pm and sit with them during the 2017 ENnie Awards ceremony taking place at Gen Con on Friday, August 18th, at 8:00pm in the Grand Ballroom of Union Station.
You will also receive their first three Adventures in Middle-earth books!”

Why do I wanna date Cubicle 7? 

Publishers of:

  • The One Ring
  • Adventures in Middle-Earth [Tolkien’s world for 5e]
  • Doctor Who RPG
  • and more here

Egg’s Thoughts:

How much value is this? The cover price of “their first three Adventures in Middle-earth books” in US dollars is nearly $120. Until the eBay bids reach above that level, meeting the staff of Cubicle 7 is gravy. The books are almost – almost – the win. But keep in mind, meeting Cubicle 7 is going to be good gravy. Do you love Tolkien-based RPGs? Do you love games featuring The Doctor? Is this a no-brainer? Trust them. They’re The Doctors [of RPG].

You’ll be at the table with Cubicle 7 when they learn if they won ENnie Awards for:

Go here to bid on this ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Cubicle 7

 

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2) ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Sean Patrick Fannon!
Ends on Friday, 7/14 at 3:00PM EST

“This year, the highest bidder will meet Sean Patrick Fannon!
If you win, you will meet up at the cocktail reception starting at 6:30pm and sit with him during the 2017 ENnie Awards ceremony taking place at Gen Con on Friday, August 18th, at 8:00pm in the Grand Ballroom of Union Station.
You will also receive swag!”

Why do I wanna attend the ENnies with Sean Patrick Fannon? 

Creator/contributor on:

  • Brand Manager for the Savage Rifts
  • Savage Worlds – Shaintar: Immortal Legends
  • Savage World – Primeval Thule (Thule is always near and dear to my wanna-lancer heart)
  • Star Wars RPG
  • and many more here

Egg’s Thoughts:

Sean Patrick Fannon has been making a living gaming for going on 20 years. He’s worked for, helped run, and created with a who’s who of the major players in the games industry. Based on the games he’s created, he knows how to make an engaging product for the whole table to play. Your bid lets you sit down with him and hear about his journey or pick his brain for more good game design tips than you could learn in a year of production.

You’ll be with Sean when he learns if Pinnacle Entertainment Group won ENnie Awards for:

Go here to bid on this ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Sean Patrick Fannon!

UPDATED on 13:25 2017-07-11 – From Sean Patrick Fannon Facebook post: “Plus I promise good swag, even if it’s from my private stock.” To help make the ENnies a success, Sean is going above and beyond for this.

 

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3) ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Monte Cook Games!
Ends on Friday, 7/14 at 3:00PM EST

“This year, the highest bidder will meet the design team of Monte Cook Games!
If you win, you will meet up at the cocktail reception starting at 6:30pm and sit with him during the 2017 ENnie Awards ceremony taking place at Gen Con on Friday, August 18th, at 8:00pm in the Grand Ballroom of Union Station.
You will also receive swag!

UPDATE: On Jul-11-17 at 11:57:25 PDT, seller added the following information:

We promise the Dream Date swag bag will contain really cool, high-end, one-of-a kind items.“

Why do I wanna date Monte Cook Games? 

Publishers of:

  • Numenera
  • The Strange
  • The Cypher System Rulebook
  • No Thank You, Evil!

Egg’s Thoughts:

I really want to play No Thank You, Evil! for my EN World column about games for all ages. Also because I hear it is everything that is good in this world. If that makes it into the swag bag, so much the better! [Just putting that into the atmosphere… <wink, wink>]

If you win this auction, you’ll have a chance to politely inquire about Numenera or The Strange or Cypher System or game design or marketing or STUNNING art or what’s coming next? Do not miss this table!

You’ll be with Monte Cook Games when they learn if they won ENnie Awards for:

Go here to bid on this ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Monte Cook Games!

 

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4) ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Owen KC Stephens!
Ends on Friday, 7/14 at 3:00PM EST

“This year, the highest bidder will meet Owen KC Stephens!
If you win, you will meet up at the cocktail reception starting at 6:30pm and sit with him during the 2017 ENnie Awards ceremony taking place at Gen Con on Friday, August 18th, at 8:00pm in the Grand Ballroom of Union Station.
You will also receive:

  • a signed hardback copy of the Starfinder Roleplaying Game
  • the Starfinder GM Screen
  • the Starfinder Player Character Folio
  • the Starfinder Core Rulebook Pawn Collection“

Why do I wanna attend the ENnies with Owen KC Stephens? 

Creator/contributor on:

  • Starfinder Design Lead
  • Developer at Paizo
  • Pathfinder Developer at Green Ronin Publishing

Egg’s Thoughts:

What comes with this “date” is just shy of $115 worth of Starfinder products. It’ll save you standing in line to get them, and I think that’s going to be a LONG line at Paizo’s booth. Why will it be a long line? Because Gen Con 50 is the launch of Paizo’s Starfinder. Those books are likely to be on many must-have lists. The debut is going to be the defining memory for many attendees of this convention. For one winning bidder, they’ll get to sit with the design lead for the system. That’s going to be its own story. “Yeah, at Gen Con 50 I got to attend the ENnies with Owen as Starfinder was dropping. Oh, let me tell you what happened…” and stories shall follow.

You’ll be with Owen when he learns if Paizo won an ENnie Award for:

Go here to bid on this ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Owen KC Stephens!

 

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5 and 6) ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Table 1 of Pelgrane Press!
and ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Table 2 of Pelgrane Press!
Ends on Friday, 7/14 at 3:00PM EST

“This year, the highest bidder will meet the staff of Pelgrane Press and sit with them at [one of their two tables]!
If you win, you will meet up at the cocktail reception starting at 6:30pm and sit with him during the 2017 ENnie Awards ceremony taking place at Gen Con on Friday, August 18th, at 8:00pm in the Grand Ballroom of Union Station.
You will also receive  autographed copy of Cthulhu Confidential and a t-shirt!”

Why do I wanna date Pelgrane Press? 

Publishers of:

  • 13th Age
  • The Yellow King [Currently wrecking Kickstarter]
  • Trail of Cthulhu
  • and many more here

Egg’s Thoughts:

Not to take away from Pelgrane’s other products, but The Yellow King is making itself known on Kickstarter. It’s doing impressive numbers! For the winning bidder for the Pelgrane dates (there’s two), they’ll get to sit down with the Pelgrane staff and find out more about that game as well as the rest of their catalog. I’m looking at you, 13th Age.

As an added bonus, Pelgrane Press is up for ENnie Awards for:

NOTE – There are two different opportunities to “date” the lovely Pelgrane Press staff!

Go here to bid on these ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Table 1 of Pelgrane Press!
or ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Table 2 of Pelgrane Press!

 

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Russ Morrissey of EN World and the ENnies promises “some exciting new ENnies stage dressing!” Come see it!

7) ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Ennies Judge and new Business Manager!
Ends on Friday, 7/14 at 3:00PM EST

“This year, the highest bidder will meet Stacy Muth, our new business manager and one of our judges for 2016!
If you win, you will meet up at the cocktail reception starting at 6:30pm and sit with her during the 2017 ENnie Awards ceremony taking place at Gen Con on Friday, August 18th, at 8:00pm in the Grand Ballroom of Union Station.
You will also receive swag!”

Why do I wanna attend the ENnies with Stacy Muth? 

Publisher and hosts of the ENnie Awards.

Egg’s Thoughts:

Do you want to be an ENnie’s judge? How is it done? How many games do you get handed to judge? What goes into the legwork of picking the award nominees? What’s the business side of awards like? Stacy will know.

Go here to bid on this ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Ennies Judge and new Business Manager!

 

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8) ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Chaosium!
Ends on Friday, 7/14 at 3:00PM EST

“This year, the highest bidder will meet the team of Chaosium!
If you win, you will meet up at the cocktail reception starting at 6:30pm and sit with her during the 2017 ENnie Awards ceremony taking place at Gen Con on Friday, August 18th, at 8:00pm in the Grand Ballroom of Union Station.
You will also receive swag!
Swag Will Be: In honor of Gen Cons’s 50th and to celebrate the 40-odd years Chaosium has had a booth at Gen Con, we offer up a nostalgic mix of old and new goodies from the vaults and also hot off the presses.

Included in your swag box will be:
1. Call of Cthulhu 7th edition slipcase set.
2. An additional CoC slipcase you can fill with any of our 7th edition releases of your choosing.
3. Chaosium “tuxedo” black t-shirt
4. Cthulhu for President Y2K Kit (1999)
5. Mint Copy of Lords of the Middle Sea (1978)“

Why do I wanna date Chaosium?

Publisher of:

  • Call of Cthulhu
  • Runequest
  • Heroquest
  • and more here

Egg’s Thoughts:

Sanity check. The items they’re giving away are worth a pretty penny (several hundred dollars worth). I can’t predict the final bids but this auction may give you enough swag that meeting the Chaosium team is just a wonderful bonus. You’ll have enough Cthulhu product to make you something like a minor young one… right? Right? No? Ok…

Chaosium is up for 10 ENnie Awards. Between them walking up to get their awards, you can ask about Call of Cthulhu and RuneQuest and more. With this many awards, this is going to be an adrenaline rush of a night!

You’ll be at the table with Chaosium when they learn if they won ENnie Awards for:

Go here to bid on this ENnies Dream Date for GenCon 50- Chaosium!

 

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So, what company or creator is your dream RPG date?

 

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Egg Embry, Wanna-lancer™

Wanna-lancer™ Checklist T-shirt available at Cafepress

Interested in being a wanna-lancer? Start with the official Wanna-lancer Checklist t-shirt or wall clock or ice tea glass!

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Egg Embry wrote comic book short stories, edited comic book series, wrote and drew a webcomic, and contributed to comic book journalism across the 2000s. Now, he buys the opportunity to write for a variety of tabletop role-playing games in the tradition of vanity press. His purchases have been published by: