Commands & Colors Napoleonics From GMT Games

Commands & Colors Napoleonics has just gone up on GMT’s P500 list.

Commands & Colors: Napoleonics allows you to re-fight epic battles of the Napoleonic era. In this core volume, the focus is on the French and the British, two bitter rivals in the struggle for European preeminence during the time of Napoleon.

As with other games in the Commands & Colors genre, units in both armies can only move and fight when ordered. The command playing cards supply those orders, providing an element of luck that creates a fog of war and presents players with both challenges and opportunities. You must maximize your opportunities by playing your command cards judiciously. How well you handle the diverse units, their weapons, and the terrain, will determine victory.

Core Game Contents:

·1 Mounted Battlefield Gameboard
·4 Sheets containing 56 double-sided Terrain Tiles and 2 Infantry in Square tracks
·70 Command cards
·8 Battle dice
·French, British and Portuguese Blocks and Label sheets
·3 National Unit Reference Cards
·1 Rule Book
·1 Scenario Booklet containing 15 battle scenarios Read more

Cthulhu Fiction: Mysteries Of The Worm, 3rd Ed By Robert Bloch

This just in from Chaosium:

Mysteries of the Worm
New Edition to Release August 2009.

The book is printed and should arrive at our warehouse next week.
Mysteries of the Worm
20 Early Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos by Robert Bloch
Third Edition

$15.95
CHA 6037
ISBN 1-56882-176-X
ISBN-13: 978-1-56882-176-4
288 pages
Trade Paper Back
Horror Anthology
Introduction by Robert M. Price
Cover Art by Steve Gilberts

“H.P. Lovecraft - like his creation, Cthulhu - never truly died. He and his influence live on, in the work of so many of us who were his friends and acolytes. Today we have reason for rejoicing in the widespread revival of his canon… If a volume such as this has any justification for it’s existence, it’s because Lovecraft’s readers continue to search out stories which reflect his contribution to the field of fantasy [the tales in this book] represent a lifelong homage to HPL… I hope you’ll accept them for what they were and are - a labor of love.”
– Robert Bloch

This third edition now includes the Robert Bloch short stories The Opener of the Way, The Eyes of the Mummy, Black Bargain, and Philtre Tip.

This book is one in an expanding collection of Cthulhu Mythos horror fiction. Call of Cthulhu(R) fiction focuses on single entities, related topics, and authors significant to readers and fans of H. P. Lovecraft.

Introduction by Robert M. Price
The Secret in the Tomb
The Suicide in the Study
The Shambler from the Stars
The Faceless God
The Grinning Ghoul
The Opener of the Way*
The Dark Demon
The Mannikin
The Brood of Bubastis
The Creeper in the Crypt
The Secret of Sebek
Fane of the Black Pharaoh
The Eyes of the Mummy*
The Sorcerer’s Jewel
Black Bargain*
The Unspeakable Betrothal
The Shadow from the Steeple
Notebook Found in a Deserted House
Terror in Cut-throat Cove
Philtre Tip*

Afterword, by Robert Bloch

Demon-Dreaded Lore, an appreciation by Lin Carter

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Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 - Deadpool Trailer

Coming this fall 2009, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 will bring back the teamwork, drama, and excitement that began in Marvel Ultimate Alliance. One of the featured playable characters is the ever popular Deadpool.

Below is a trailer highlighting some of the gameplay that can be enjoyed during the game.

Some information on Deadpool:

Real Name
Wade Wilson

Powers
Deadpool possesses a superhuman healing factor derived from that of the mutant Wolverine that allows him to regenerate damaged or destroyed areas of his cellular structure at a rate far greater than that of an ordinary human. As such, he can regrow severed limbs or vital organs. The speed at which this healing factor works varies in direct proportion to the severity of the damage Deadpool suffers.

This healing factor also affords Deadpool a virtual immunity to poisons and most drugs, as well as an enhanced resistance to diseases and an extended life span. Unlike Wolverine’s natural healing factor, Deadpool’s is mentally driven to a partial extent.

Due to the presence of this superhuman healing ability, many of Deadpool’s natural physical attributes have been enhanced. Deadpool’s musculature generates considerably less fatigue toxins than the muscles of an ordinary human being, granting him superhuman levels of stamina in all physical activities.

His natural strength, agility and reflexes have been enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural limits of the human body. Deadpool’s agility and reaction time are superior to those of even the finest human athlete.

Abilities
Deadpool is an extraordinary hand-to-hand combatant and is skilled in multiple unarmed combat techniques. He is a master of assassination techniques, is an excellent marksman, and is highly skilled with bladed weapons (frequently carrying two swords strapped to his back). He is fluent in Japanese, German, Spanish, amongst other languages.

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Mother’s Day - A Geek’s Guide To Being Prepared

Mother’s Day is almost upon us. Are you Prepared? In our day to day routines, we often overlook the most obvious things in our lives. Take a moment now to plan your Mother’s Day and don’t wait until the last minute. Yes, I’m talking to all of you geeks out there. Right now.

The most important thing is to let her know that you love her and that you appreciate everything that she’s done to help get you where you are. Of course, if you wait until Mother’s Day to do so, you’re not doing it enough.

If you’re in the market for a gift and are running in circles trying to decide what to do, believe me when I say that two tickets to the Star Trek movie is not the way to go. Well, maybe it is, but that’s another discussion.

Here are a few places to go online to get some really cool gifts for that very special person in your life and the best thing is that you don’t have to make them yourself.

Proflowers offers some great deals on fresh flowers starting at $19.99. Users also receive a free vase with purchase or a discount off a premium vase.

Cherry Moon Farms offers a huge selection of seasonal and holiday gifts such as spa gifts, fresh fruit, gourmet gift baskets, etc. starting at just $29.99.

Secret Spoon Sweets offers gourmet sweets such as chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolates, cookies, cakes, brownies and other assorted gift packages starting at just $19.99.

Clever Cookie - Looking for great Mother’s Day Gifts! For the best selection of Mother’s Day Cookies look no further. They have tons of cookie gifts for mom, grandma, sisters and daughters! Wish her the happiest Mother’s Day with their delicious cookie gifts.

Remember, get ready now and make plans for Mother’s Day before it’s too late.

Book Review - “The Savage Tales Of Solomon Kane” by Robert E. Howard

Solomon Kane is one of Robert E. Howard’s most enigmatic characters. First appearing in 1928, there were nine short stories, three poems and four fragments written by Howard about the dour-faced Puritan avenger. All of these woks appear in “The Savage Tales Of Solomon Kane” by Robert E. Howard. This edition contains all of Howard’s published work on Kane, as well as the known fragments that were never completed. Also included is a dedication to Robert E. Howard by H.P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft admired Howard as a writer and as a man. Through their correspondence, they shared their ideas and experiences with each other, forming a friendship that lasted until Howard’s death in 1936.

Some of the Kane stories are much darker than others, but they all share the same dark mood, symbolic of Kane’s time. Taking place sometime during the late 16th, early 17th centuries, the stories follow the Puritan avenger all over the globe. From England, Africa, Cathay, and beyond, Kane travels the world and goes where fate leads him, one day at a time. Read more

Book Review: The Great Book Of Amber by Roger Zelazny

The ten volumes of the Chronicles Of Amber were published between 1970 and 1991, comprising Roger Zelazny’s most famous work. Roger Zelazny died in 1995 at the age of 58, but in the time that he was here, he produced a body of work that will stand the test of time for generations to come. The Chronicles Of Amber, in my opinion, was his crowning achievement and a testament to his power to create poetic prose that rivals the classics. “The Great Book Of Amber”, published by Avon Books, contains the complete Amber Chronicles, volumes 1-10.

Amber is the one true world, all others beings shadows of Amber itself. Each member of the royal family of Amber has the power to manipulate “Shadow”, creating and traveling through alternate realities. The story begins with one such family member, Prince Corwin, as he tries to regain his memory, find out who is after him, and fight to gain control of Amber itself.

Zelazny brings a wealth of depth and believability to the characters. Several brothers and sisters, each with alliances and feuds among themselves, create the ultimate dysfunctional family. For all intents and purposes, the family members are immortal, with their sire Oberon literally a god who created Amber and everything around it.

Each family member has a deck of cards, called “Trump Cards”. Each card contains a portrait of a family member. The cards allow communication with anyone on the card that they are holding at the time. The cards also allow direct passage from where the holder of the card is located, to the location of the person on the card. They are used frequently during the series and are essential to the plot since traveling through “Shadow” leaves out the possibility of any other form of communication between the royal family.

As we get to know Corwin, he wakes in a hospital bed on Earth in the 20th Century with no memory of who he is or how he got there in the first place. As he slowly regains his memory over time, we are introduced to his past and to each character involved in his life, whether enemy or ally. We find out how “Shadow” is controlled, manipulated, and used by these god-like beings. The descriptions on the page come alive as Corwin walks, drives, or travels on horseback, slowly changing his surroundings piece by piece, thus literally traveling through dimensions to get from one world to another.

The alliances forged and broken by Corwin with his brothers and sisters leads to an ultimate showdown with Amber as the prize. Zelazny places every detail where it needs to be and paces his epic with just the right amount of tension, action, humor, politics, and sadness.

“The Great Book Of Amber” is not just a great read, it’s an experience that needs to be savored. I try to read the series every few years and have recommended it to many people along the way. Amber is a complete world, with history, people, places, and a level of detail and vividness that has not shown its age even after all these years. If you enjoy reading epic fantasy and aren’t afraid of a little modern technology thrown in for good measure, then I highly recommend Roger Zelazny’s “The Great Book Of Amber” to add to your reading pile.

Published by Avon Books
Paperback
1258 Pages
Review by JR Todd Read more

Review: Savage Worlds RPG by Pinnacle Entertainment Group

Savage Worlds Explorer’s Edition is a pen & paper roleplaying system developed by the guys over at Great White Games - Pinnacle Entertainment Group.

Savage Worlds, from the very first page, is designed to be easy to run, easy to play, and easy to enjoy. It takes most of the bookkeeping out of the mix and allows the game master and his or her group to be creative without bogging them down in too much detail. However, if detail is what you like in your game, it’s in there as well. It’s very scalable.

A brief overview of Savage Worlds’ game mechanics:
Character attributes are represented by a die type. For example, strength would be a d8, so that if you needed to perform a function using your strength, you roll a d8 and check the result. Skills are also represented by a die type and are linked to an attribute.

There are no hit points to speak of; characters have wound levels so that if you are hit and take damage, that number is checked against your vigor and any modifiers that apply to see if you receive a wound. This makes combat move extremely quick and there is little or no down time for waiting players during a battle.

Along with skills, players have edges and hindrances which are physical or mental traits which balance out the character and give it a beginning personality.

Character creation is easy, with enough choices to make it interesting but not too much to make it confusing. The emphasis is on playability, pure and simple.

The explorer’s edition gives rules and stats for running a game in just about any genre imaginable. After reading through the material once, I took my son through a practice scenario with him battling a few villains with guns and swords. Our short session went really well and I was running the combats without thumbing through the book during every encounter.

Initiative is done with a deck of standard playing cards with the Jokers left in as “Wild Cards”. Starting with the Ace down to the Deuce, action is resolved in order. The Jokers act as Wild Cards, allowing that player to go whenever they want during the round. Jokers also give some bonuses to rolls as well.

Also included in the mechanics of the game are something called “Bennies”. Bennies are handed out at the beginning of a game session and can be used to re-roll an attribute or skill test, and can also be used to soak up some damage in case a character takes a hard hit during combat. Bennies are also given out to the characters during a session for creative roleplaying, overcoming major obstacles, or even just entertaining the game group with a memorable moment during play.

There are many world settings for Savage Worlds that are already commercially available and more are being created all the time.

The Savage World Of Solomon Kane:
The Savage World of Solomon Kane is a roleplaying game based upon the incredible works of Robert E. Howard, author of Conan the Barbarian®, Kull the Conqueror®, and countless other great heroes and heroines.

Inside this lavishly-illustrated 352 page book are the complete and award-winning Savage Worlds rules customized for Kane’s world, as well as all-new setting and magic rules to capture the spirit of Howard’s dark tales.

Game Masters will also find terrible creatures and merciless foes drawn from Kane’s own travels—and beyond—as well as dozens of Savage Tales and a ready-to-run Plot Point™ Campaign.

Rippers:
Jack the Ripper has the Victorian world on its knees and it’s up to you to fight back. You are the Rippers, once Jack was your ally, now he is your mortal enemy. And he’s not alone!

Rippers is a complete setting for Savage Worlds featuring a full plot point campaign that pits the heroes against the fearsome creatures of the evil Cabal.

Inside this setting you will also find rules on creating Rippers, the brave monster hunters who face the growing evil, new Edges and Hindrances, a huge bestiary of hellish adversaries, and details of the Rippers’ most controversial weapon—Rippertech!

Necessary Evil:
When all the super heroes of the world are blown to kingdom come by an army of invading aliens who will save the day? Evil… The only forces left to take on the alien menace are the crafty and self serving super villains!

Necessary Evil is a supers game for Savage Worlds. Inside this twisted Plot Point setting you will find complete rules on making four-color super powered characters, a whole slew of adventures weaving in and out of a resistance story, new Edges and Hindrances, a bestiary of out of this world critters, and more!

This 144 page full color book has everything you need to start leaping buildings and zapping your foes right away!

Deadlands Reloaded:
Pinnacle’s flagship product is Deadlands, a horrific journey into the “Weird West”. Mysterious beings called the Reckoners have given life to monsters and magic, causing history to divert from July 4th, 1863 forward. The South has won its independence, California has shattered into a labyrinth of flooded sea-canyons, and a mysterious super-fuel called “ghost rock” has spawned as much war and strife as it has “steampunk” devices.

Players are steely-eyed gunfighters, card-slinging sorcerers called hucksters, mysterious shamans, savage braves, mad scientists, and more who battle against evil and attempt to prevent the “Reckoning”.

Sundered Skies:
A shattered world. A thousand floating islands. A constant glow of madness. Sundered Skies begins where every other world ends.

The people of the Skies survive, tested by an unimaginable apocalypse, struggling daily against ravenous beasts, sky pirates, and the effects of the inescapable voidglow! But the fate of the Skies is in danger! The magic of the glow is not the only taint in this unforgiving realm. Dark forces conspire to bring the Skies to the brink of an even greater catastrophe.

Can you survive long enough to discover the secrets of Sundered Skies? Sundered Skies is a dark fantasy Plot Point™ setting for the award-winning Savage Worlds RPG™

Daring Tales of Adventure by Triple Ace Games:
Daring Tales of Adventure are Triple Ace Games’ new line of pulp adventures. Set against a pre-World War II background of two-fisted, heroic action, each issue contains a complete adventure. To begin your pulp campaign you just need to buy an adventure, download the sheets, and start rolling dice! By the time the heroes reach the end of this line, you’ll have played through over 450 pages of pulp action!

Those are just a few of what’s available on the market for Savage Worlds. There is also a huge online community of popular conversions from other systems over to the Savage Worlds system and many of them can be found at the Savage Heroes website.

I have about 30 years of roleplaying experience having started during the summer of 1978. The Savage Worlds system is just about the best roleplaying system I’ve come across in all those years. It allows everyone at the table to concentrate on the gaming experience without worrying about which chart to look at or if they remembered to bring their calculator to role up a new character.

I highly recommend Savage Worlds to anybody that wants to experience roleplaying that not only plays well, but is full of “Fast, Furious, Fun!!”

Savage Worlds Explorer’s Edition 2nd Printing
Soft Cover - 160 pages
9X7 format
$9.99 retail - as of this writing
2008 Edition - Great White Games, LLC

Skylon Rocket/Jet Hybrid Is, Scientifically Speaking, Super Cool

Editor’s Note:  If you’ve seen ‘When Worlds Collide‘, ‘Destination Moon‘, or any number of 50s scifi classics, then this machine looks an awful lot like a retro trip through scifi geekiness.

The Skylon reusable space plane takes off from an airport runway, burns atmospheric oxygen, switching to liquid oxygen and hydrogen to hit escape velocity and attain orbit. At least, it will in 10 years.

The plane will be designed to carry 12 tons of payload into orbit and return safely, without having wasted $100 million worth of throwaway rocket. The company behind this hybrid shuttle is Reaction Engines, which just got a million euros in funding to prove that its “air breathing” Sabre engine can work.

According to the BBC, the key to this engine is a super-cooler, which takes gasses entering the intake at 1000 degrees celsius, and drops them to -130 degrees C in 1/100th of a second, thanks to “arrays of extremely fine piping.” God knows those rocketeers love their piping.

Though not much more is known about Skylon at this point, it’s safe to say we’ll hear more about it and other non-wasteful spaceships in the future. I just hope they keep that Hotblack-Desiato-meets-Naboo-cruiser look. [BBC News]

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Xbox 360 - Repairing The Red Ring Of Death Yourself

I really hate to wait for something to get done. Sending in my Xbox 360 to get it repaired, for example. I have been extremely fortunate. We’ve had our Xbox 360 for about 3 years now and have not had the dreaded red ring of death appear as of yet. It occurred to me that if and when it does happen, is my only alternative to send it in and wait an extended period for it to be fixed and sent back, or is there another option?

I realize that there is a possibility that doing your own repair work might void your warranty but for some of us, the warranty is not an issue; Having a working Xbox 360 game console is more important.

So I did some research and found a few products out there that offer knowledge and guidance for those of us that want to take a hand in getting things done and would rather not wait 3-4 weeks for it to happen.

There are three products I found that stand out right away:

Xbox 360 Fix Kit
This is pretty much a straight forward repair guide and video series. A no-frills approach that gets straight to the matter. Technical support is included for one year. There is a sample video included to let you take a look at the approach they take.

Xbox 360 Fixed
This is another repair manual and video guide and the site has some testimonials from satisfied customers as well. It goes a little more in depth about the product and some of the details of the symptoms involved in the Xbox itself.

360 Ring OF Death Fix
This product has the usual repair guide and videos and along with some testimonials there is a sample video that is included for you to look at to help give an idea of what you’re getting. Also included in the product is technical support to help you through any problems you might have along the way.

All three products are very reasonably priced and they all come with a 60 day money back guarantee.

When it comes to a game console that doesn’t want to work properly, there are some things that we, as users, CAN do ourselves.

Iron Man: Best Movie Of 2008

Moviefone.com names “Iron Man” the best movie of 2008!

“Iron Man”:Best Movie of 2008, moviefone.com
“Pound-for-metal-alloy-clad-pound, ‘Iron Man’ is 2008’s most unequivocal cinematic triumph.”
– Moviefone.com’s 50 Best Movies of 2008

See who else is buzzin’ about Shellhead’s stellar box office debut!

Robert Downey Jr.: 2008 Entertainer of the Year, Entertainment Weekly
“Downey wanted ‘Iron Man’ so badly he spent three weeks compulsively rehearsing every conceivable line reading for his audition. ‘I had amendments and ancillaries and pop-ups for every part of the scene — if it went off in one direction I could add A, B, or C. It was madness,’ he says, ‘but also the most positively reinforced ritual I’ve ever performed. If Aleister Crowley had a younger brother — it was that type of s—.’”
– EW’s 2008 Entertainers of the Year

“Iron Man”: Favorite Movie, USA Today’s Pop Candy
“I know I’m about to catch heat for this, but I can’t lie: If you ask me which movie I enjoyed the most this year, which film made me laugh and gasp and feel like I wanted to see it again as soon as I saw it the first time, well, that was Iron Man. I can’t imagine anyone but Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, and the flying scenes … well, I’m a sucker for a man in midair, and those moments made me feel like I was soaring through the clouds alongside him. Bring on the sequel.” — Year-end list: My favorite movies of ‘08, by Whitney Matheson

“Iron Man”: 2008 10 Best List, Wall Street Journal
“‘Iron Man.’ Just as ‘Wall-e’ expands — vastly — the idea of an animated feature, this Marvel Comics production expands the notion of a mainstream summer action adventure. The genre, it tells us, doesn’t have to be ritually stupid, pointlessly violent or insistently inane. There’s room for sophistication, genuinely dazzling gadgetry and scintillating comedy along with the obligatory action set-pieces. The film isn’t perfect, but Robert Downey Jr. gives it a brain and a big heart as the occupant of the shiny red suit. He’s half man, half robot and all star.” — The Best of 2008: A Tight Race for Top Honors, by Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal Read more

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