Flames Rising is an online resource for fans of Horror and Dark Fantasy entertainment. This horror fanzine offers reviews of Games, Fiction, Movies and more ranging from Top-Selling authors to the coolest Small Press and “indie” publishers. The popular Interviews at Flames Rising include Horror authors, artists and other creators of dark entertainment. Stay tuned to the Flames Rising news feed for the latest news on upcoming products, genre conventions and industry developments.
Flames Rising continues to add new Features and expand the Fiction and Articles sections of the site with topics of interest to Horror and Dark Fantasy fans the world over.
Posted on August 23, 2012 by Flames
Can a Prince command a Priscus?
How have the Anarchs fared during the modern nights?
Can the Harpies declare a boon null?
These questions and more secret details of the Kindred condition have their answers within the V20 Companion. A complementary sourcebook detailing some of the finer points of being undead, this is the first supplement released in support of the 20th anniversary edition of Vampire: The Masquerade.
The V20 Companion is now available in PDF and Full-Color Hardcover editions at the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop!
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Posted on August 18, 2012 by Flames
Mindjammer returns! Mindjammer Press, a new roleplaying and fiction imprint, has announced its plans to publish the Mindjammer roleplaying game, the far future transhuman space opera setting, and fiction lines.
“This is a very exciting opportunity,” said Sarah Newton, owner of Mindjammer Press and author of the ENnie Award-winning setting and fiction line. “We’ve taken the decision to bring all the Mindjammer fiction and RPG projects under a single umbrella, to allow us to concentrate on producing the new second edition and its supplements, as well as future novels in the Mindjammer series. We’re looking forwards to a regular release of products to support the Mindjammer setting and community, beginning this week with a re-launch of ‘Mindjammer’, the first novel in the series.”
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Posted on August 16, 2012 by Flames
The V20 Companion is the companion book to the more crunchy Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary rulebook. The V20 Companion has lots of fluff and little crunch, but as alluded to just now that is a contrast to the V20 rulebook, and, I think, a good one. I’ve only seen the pdf, but it is well laid out and easy to navigate.
First after the maybe a little too sexy cover we get pages of dedications from the Kickstarter. There are a lot of names here, folks. Ancille were the bulk of these. I know I am in there somewhere. The Introduction begins with the classic Bradstreet picture of the man feeding submissively from a woman’s wrist. The section gives us an idea how the book was put together, and a little history of it’s development,
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Posted on August 15, 2012 by Flames
Nightglass is an anthropological study of two cultures and a great story. Both of the elements are nicely intertwined.
The first half of the book follows the training of a boy named Isiem as a follower of Zon-Kuthon in Nidal. The second half is about his escape from this oppressive culture as a man and his living with the Strix around Devil’s Perch in western Cheliax. Sort of a lawful evil Harry Potter and then a flying Dances With Wolves.
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Posted on August 14, 2012 by Flames
The Truth Is Finally Revealed
In the aftermath of the mass breakout of superpowered deltas from New Alcatraz, fear and chaos grips the United States. Patriot — the leader of the rebellion known as the Defiance — and his friends Street, Lisa, and Charge work tirelessly to help the people in their organization’s swollen ranks.
When a madman attacks a family of rogue deltas hiding in the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies, Patriot and his friends rush to their rescue. What they find when they arrive forces them to grab the family and race to Denver, where they wind up in a standoff against Delta Prime, the government agency of superpowered soldiers determined to crush their rising resistance.
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Posted on August 13, 2012 by Flames
Wizards of the Coast is thrilled to announce that its iconic roleplaying game of fantasy and imagination, Dungeons & Dragons®, will offer fans the chance to both explore the notorious drow race in the current Rise of the Underdark campaign, as well as glimpse into the future of the game at this year’s Gen Con Indy 2012 (August 16 – 19).
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Posted on August 9, 2012 by Flames
Where and how to submit your novels and short stories for publication.
From the editors at Writer’s Digest, this fantastic resource for horror writers details hundreds of magazine and book publishers who are interested in acquiring and publishing new frightful fiction.
Each market listing provides information on where the publisher is located, what they’re looking for, who to contact, how to reach them, and what their terms are. Each entry also comes with special insider tips for getting their attention. You want to get your horror fiction published? Start by looking here.
The 2012 Horror Writer’s Market is available now in ePub format at DriveThruFiction.com for only $2.99!
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Posted on August 8, 2012 by Flames
Recently were posted some design notes from author Corissa Baker about her novel, The Shadow of Dracula: Harker’s Inheritance. She has also sent us the first chapter of the book, which gives you the opportunity to explore her tale.
The Shadow of Dracula: Harker’s Inheritance Chapter One
This was compiled after such dreadful events as should provoke lunacy and challenge one’s understanding of this modern world of 1935. What follows in these pages may be dismissed as wild and irrational fiction, even unworthy of broader attentions. It will be ridiculed and those named in these accounts risk social stigmata and questions of their mental health. If it weren’t that a doctor of psychology and head of a lunatic asylum was involved I should think that I would have kept this all very much in the dark.
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Posted on August 4, 2012 by Flames
For centuries, terrors have existed just outside our understanding. The public may know or even suspect creatures of the night exist, but millions have managed to go on with their lives, focusing on the mundane, the safe. We’ve passed off the truth as a child’s fairy tale or the ramblings of crazed lunatics. We’ve ignored the reality in order to survive.
Thanks to the actions of the passionate few, we can no longer pretend the supernatural does not exist.
Now, perfectly ordinary people question what they see, what they hear, what they feel. They’re confused, lost, and lonely. They’ve turned toward their leaders to help them find a way out of the darkness, but they need a shepherd, a guide who is not afraid. They’ve found one: a powerful politician who believes society should open their eyes to the truth, that the supernatural takes many forms and the only way to defend society is to wage all-out war.
Falling Scales Chapter Two is written by Flames Rising Project Manager Monica Valentinelli.
Get Falling Scales Chapter Two in PDF and Print formats at RPGNow.com!
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Posted on August 2, 2012 by Flames
This work is a primer for players of Lovecraftian roleplaying games set in the dismal streets of 1930s London.
The Guide is replete with contacts, rumours and clues which will guide you on your quest for forbidden knowledge. Written as the companion volume to Bookhounds of London for Trail of Cthulhu, it can be used as a Keeper’s resource as well as an in-game artefact for players in any Mythos game.
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Posted on August 2, 2012 by Flames
You can’t keep a good game down. Deadlands has been around for over 15 years. It’s gone through two editions, a d20 version, and two Savage World editions. It’s spawned spin-off games ranging from sequels like Hell on Earth and Lost Colony to acclaimed CCGs like Doomtown. The game recently returned to Savage Worlds for the line’s budget minded Explorer Editions. The Marshall’s Handbook is built for the brave soul looking to take his or her players on a tour of the Weird West. It’s built for fans of the setting that want to use the slimmed down Savage Worlds rules, which were born out of the original Deadlands rules.
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Posted on July 30, 2012 by Flames
Welcome to America at the end of the millennium. Do you know who is pulling the strings?
Delta Green knows. Things from beyond space and time that lurk and titter in the shadows, the slow rot at the core of humanity, the dark stars that whirl madly above – these are the true masters of the world. Delta Green has been fighting since the 1928 Raid on Innsmouth, and the fight still rages on.
This book is your weapon and your guide.
The largest Call of Cthulhu sourcebook ever.
Long out-of-print and never before in PDF, the Delta Green RPG is now available at the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop!
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Posted on July 30, 2012 by Flames
This is the first Pathfinder novel that I have read, since getting into the world of Golarion as a DM and player I have wanted stories about it. Turns out there are quite a few available. This is my review of one of them.
First of all I am going to tell you the things I liked the most, then a brief plot description and some final thoughts.
One of the best things this book did was show that it is a Pathfinder story, not just a generic fantasy novel. Yes, the Pathfinder organization was briefly featured, but there was so much more than that to ground this book in the Inner Sea. The way the setting, peoples, places, culture, and even game mechanics was worked into the story really made it come alive. This was more than just mentioning nations and gods, going to Absalom, and using unique monsters. The culture of different areas was discussed, both while the characters were there and by the characters themselves, it felt like a living world that was straight out of the Inner Sea Campaign Setting.
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Posted on July 29, 2012 by Flames
After more than 10 years, GODLIKE: Superhero Roleplaying in a World on Fire, 1936-1946 now has a PDF edition with a paperback on the way. Editor and publisher, Shane Ivey, tells us what it was like running the Kickstarter and getting the game ready for these new versions.
Gamers have wanted GODLIKE in PDF from the very beginning, and gamers made it possible in the Kickstarter project that we held to raise money to get the ancient layout files converted to a modern format and to commission new cover art. We have sent the PDF to Kickstarter backers. Thank you, everyone who supported the project!
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Posted on July 24, 2012 by Flames
Conspiracy of Shadows: Apprentice is a short form, self-contained role-playing game centered around one man’s quest to take the place of his master. In the game, you and your friends will take on the role of a small band of northern warriors and the mysterious Apprentice as they travel the wild frozen north to find and destroy the Master. The goal of this kickstarter is to raise funds to publish this short form game, both as a traditional printed document and as a handcrafted artifact.
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Posted on July 23, 2012 by Flames
Terrors lurk in the darkness, subvert the souls, and corrupt the mind. Secret detachments of psychics remotely view our every move. Powerful occultists perform secret rituals in hidden locations, manipulating our world to their ends. Mysterious forces invade our very souls, twisting and distorting the weak into strong and violent predators. Creatures flee from humanity’s encroachment on their territories, then strike out when prying eyes get too close. Spirits haunt the edges of our silent fears.
This is the paranormal side of the world of Conspiracy X. Operatives struggle to uncover secret occult cabals, exorcise dangerous spirits, investigate the creatures of myth, and project their minds into future. The threat of alien invasion may loom, but the corruption of humanity by paranormal forces lurks behind every mission. Can you truly say you are prepared for the direst of humankind’s imaginings? The ageless battle against the paranormal continues.
The Paranormal Sourcebook is available now at the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop!
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Posted on July 21, 2012 by Flames
Race to Adventure! is a fun, family-friendly board game for ages 8 and up that can be played in about half an hour. Fans of pulp will love the brightly-colored world of talking apes and flying jet-men, and busy families can have an evening of fun that doesn’t take over the whole night.
For experienced gamers who love the “role selection” dynamic in board and card games, Race to Adventure! offers a strong introduction to those concepts that your friends will find less intimidating than similar Euro-games, yet still packed with enough complexity and configurability to challenge everyone.
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Posted on July 20, 2012 by Flames
The Stoker-award winning editor of the acclaimed, eclectic anthology The New Dead returns with 21st Century Dead, and an all-new lineup of authors from all corners of the fiction world, shining a dark light on our fascination with tales of death and resurrection… with ZOMBIES!
The stellar stories in this volume includes a tale set in the world of Daniel H. Wilson’s Robopocalypse, the first published fiction by Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter, and a tale of love, family, and resurrection from the legendary Orson Scott Card. This new volume also includes stories also from other award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors, such as: Simon R. Green, Chelsea Cain, Jonathan Maberry, Duane Swiercyznski, Caitlin Kittredge, Brian Keene, Amber Benson, John Skipp, S. G. Browne, Thomas E. Sniegoski, Hollywood screenwriter Stephen Susco, National Book Award nominee Dan Chaon, and more!
Flames Rising is pleased to present an excerpt from this collection by editor Christopher Golden.
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Posted on July 20, 2012 by Flames
Summer is the best time ever. No more pencils, no more books, you know the deal. And this year, it’s going to be extra-awesome because you’re spending two weeks at Camp Howland Rolf where you’ll be swimming, playing sports, running around like crazy, fending off the attacks of ravenous woodland creatures… Wait—what was that last […]
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Posted on July 19, 2012 by Flames
“Godlike in their abilities, let us hope this new breed of man will carry the burden of a suffering world to our ultimate and unwavering goal — freedom for all the people of the Earth.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt, November 10, 1941
At the dawn of World War II, a handful of people called “Talents” manifested strange powers that set them apart from the rest of humanity. With these powers man took to the air without mechanical aid, explored the depths of the sea without life support, and touched the rim of space.
To others, Talents seemed godlike in their power. Only the Talents themselves, pushed to the front lines of every battle, knew the truth — that these newfound powers seemed pointless in the face of death.
That their power set them apart from family, friends and enemies.
That it made them more, and yet somehow less.
These fears, like the power that feeds them, are godlike in their scope.
“The world is richly super [yet] delightfully bleak and war-torn…. Look, up in the sky — and take cover.” —Kenneth Hite, Out of the Box
A GAME LIKE NO OTHER
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