Matt acts as the “Editor-in-Chief” of Flames Rising, which usually means writing reviews, setting up interviews, posting news and checking out the latest Horror & Dark Fantasy products from a variety of publishers. He also recruits reviewers, posts previews and works with publishers to explore new ideas for promoting the genre.
Matt occasionally dabbles in freelance writing and game design. Recently he worked on the Ghostories Enhancement Pack for Precis Intermedia and the novella "Time to Burn" in the Tales of the Seven Dogs Society collection from Abstract Nova Entertainment.
Posted on August 7, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
We gave you a peek at the new cover art by Eric Lofgren and introduced you to the basics of Tales of the Seven Dogs Society last week.
Tales of the Seven Dogs Society is a collection of stories inspired by the Aletheia role-playing game published by Abstract Nova Entertainment. Each of these stories is a possible continuation of the events described in that book.
Today’s sneak preview is a small bit from Jim Johnson’s Lifting the Gingham Veil, which is the second story in the collection.
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Posted on August 5, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
Earlier, I announced that the Ghosts of Albion eBook was now available from Eden Studios (the print version comes out next month). Today we’re bringing you a small preview of this new game.
Some may not be familiar with the Ghosts of Albion setting, so we’re going to start with a basic introduction to the world of Albion and introduce a bit of the cosmology. Further previews and teasers will explore more of the setting and the Unisystem elements of the game…
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Posted on August 1, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
Ages ago, when the Ghosts of Albion RPG was first announced by the folks at Eden Studios we were pretty fired up about the idea of some new Cinematic Unisystem elements. We managed to land interviews with both Amber Benson and Christopher Golden, asking them about the game and other related products. The energetic Timothy S. Brannan wrote a review of Accursed (a Ghosts of Albion fiction novel) that helped explore the setting just a bit more.
Well, Eden Studios hit a few delays and it took them a bit to get their house in order. However, the wait was certainly worth it. Ghosts of Albion is now available and it is a pretty awesome looking game.
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Posted on July 31, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
Tales of the Seven Dogs Society is a collection of stories inspired by the Aletheia role-playing game published by Abstract Nova Entertainment. Each of these stories is a possible continuation of the events described in that book.
In the Aletheia RPG, players are presented with a detailed history of the strange events that led to the formation of the Seven Dogs Society, including some interesting supernatural phenomena that to this day remain unexplained. The book also gives describes how the Society works and just what types of characters might be recruited to join up.
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Posted on July 29, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
Posted on July 26, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
We’ve brought you previews of Hunters, we’ve shown you teasers of the Mages.
Now its time to take a look at what the Changelings are up too.
Equinox Road is a new book for the ENnie Nominated Changeling: the Lost.
The road is dangerous, and you may be torn apart by the Thorns. The destination is a risk of death, or the return to slavery. But there’s much to be gained for those brave and clever enough to dare the return — the return to Faerie.
Here is an exclusive preview of this upcoming book…
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Posted on July 24, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
This is the last preview we’ll have of the Exquisite Replicas RPG before it is released at GenCon Indy. So far we have seen a mix of previews that include looks at the new setting and some of the new mechanics introduced.
Visit the Previews page here at Flames Rising for a complete list of all the teasers we have posted so far. We have had a glimpse at one type of Othersider already, we have also heard a little bit of their dark plans, but we’ve yet to see where they come from…
Today we get a peek at the Otherside…
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Posted on July 23, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
I’ve been reading a lot of Mythos fiction lately. It started with my review of Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition, which was a lot of fun and renewed my interest in the genre once more. Since then I’ve picked up several books and was blown away by the Trail of Cthulhu RPG from Pelgrane Press. So I started digging into the fiction collections even more…
Frontier Cthulhu is a bit different, having characters explore the “frontier” throughout the ages and encountering dark, twisted horrors along the way.
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Posted on July 22, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
There was a lot of cool stuff going on this year for Free RPG Day. I managed to pick up a couple of different items when Noble Knight Games did their sale for the promotion. I got the Hunter: the Vigil Quickstart from White Wolf Publishing, the Trail of Cthulhu adventure from Pelgrane Press and the Murder at Miskatonic scenario from Skirmisher Publishing.
Not everyone was so lucky…either they did not have a local store that was participating in the event or they missed out on one or more of the items up for grabs. Well, the folks at Skirmisher have posted a new version of Murder at Miskatonic at RPGNow.
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Posted on July 17, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
London. Winter. 1963.
It is a year since the Cold War went hot.
And this was not just a nuclear war. Far more sinister, darker weapons were deployed from the shadows.
Survival and re-building are all that matter now. But human nature and tragic circumstances mean that everyone has their own ambitions.
…a Government desperate to hold on to what remains of the country.
…military forces who wish to expand their power and influence.
…frightened and brutalised refugees who simply want a place to call home.
Into this maelstrom steps the Special Situations Group, a motley band of men and women tasked with the jobs too dirty or dangerous for anyone else.
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Posted on July 17, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
Eric Lofgren’s Cover Art gave us a quick teaser of the new RPG coming from Abstract Nova this summer. Next we learned about The Anonymous and the Shadow Crews. Some of the “good” and “bad” guys of the setting.
After learning a bit about this new, twisted world of Exquisite Replicas folks had a few questions on just how you play the game. So, Abstract Nova gave us a teaser into the Paranoia elements of the mechanics and today they bring us just a bit of Mental Imbalance…
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Posted on July 13, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
Sideshow is proud to bring you this 1:4 scale prop replica of ‘The Samaritan,’ Hellboy‘s famous pistol used in the film Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The display stand features an engraved B.P.R.D logo and four bullet display spaces. The round red portion of the base can be detached, and features a magnet imbedded on […]
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Posted on July 10, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
Earlier Exquisite Replicas previews have shown us the Cover Art and introduced to the basics of the game. Next we learned about The Anonymous and the Shadow Crews.
Now, we see the terrible price that members of The Anonymous pay in their ongoing battle against the Othersiders. Abstract Nova have sent us a sneak peek at some of the new mechanics introduced in Exquisite Replicas.
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Posted on July 8, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
Earlier we brought you previews of White Wolf‘s upcoming Hunter: the Vigil RPG. Take a look at Professions, Endowments and exclusive quotes From the Authors.
Today we’re switching over to a new book for Mage: the Awakening. The Silver Ladder is a sourcebook that features the history, methodology and ultimate goals of the Silver Ladder as well as new spells, Artifacts, imbued items, Legacies and more.
Today’s preview offers up a sneak peek at this new book:
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Posted on July 2, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
The first Exquisite Replicas RPG preview introduced the game and gave us a look at the Cover Art by Eric Lofgren, then we had a sneak peek at The Anonymous, the tragic heroes of the this dark game.
In that preview we learned of the fight against the Othersiders. The alien beings who have been stealing parts of our world and replacing them with “fake” versions. Today we are going to take a look at some of those Othersiders…
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Posted on July 1, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
Dabel Brothers Publishing announced today that they will adapt Robert Jordan’s bestselling Wheel of Time series, which has sold more than 14 million copies in North America alone, into comic book format. The first issue is scheduled to release in December 2008.
The Wheel of Time began in 1990 with the publication of The Eye of the World; ten more volumes have followed. The most recent four books of the series have reached #1 on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list. It is the story of a world – both our past, and our future – in which the battle between the Light and the Shadow must be fought every day; and of the people, both ordinary and extraordinary, who must fight that battle. Jordan wrote eleven volumes of the series and one prequel; he was unable to complete the twelfth and final volume before his death in 2007. That volume, A Memory of Light, will be completed by Brandon Sanderson, a writer chosen by Jordan’s widow and editor, Harriet McDougal, and published by Tor Books in 2009.
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Posted on June 30, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
The Monsterpocalypse is upon us!
Join Privateer Press (booth 1201) and celebrate the world premiere of the Monsterpocalypse collectible miniatures game. A limited amount of sneak preview starters and boosters will go on sale for the first time ever on Thursday, August 14th. The sneak preview contains a sampling of the figures in Series 1: Rise. The figures are not limited edition and are identical in all respects to the figures in Rise due out October 2008. Be among the very first to play Monsterpocalypse in its debut event at Gen Con Indy!
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Posted on June 27, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
A pair of government agents stalk a runaway girl armed only with a teddy bear. They are never heard from again. A psychopathic hero wields every blade that ever murdered, carving off pieces of his personality in an effort to beat back the Nightmares. A temptress lures the cruel and vile to assault her—only to trap them in a prison built from her own ribcage. Trailing ash and burning footprints with every step, a man cursed with Orpheus’ gift delves deeper into Hell each day on a quest to find the last missing puzzle-piece needed to rebuild his late girlfriend from the wreck she has become…
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Posted on June 25, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
Last week, we gave you a sneak peek at the upcoming Exquisite Replicas RPG from Abstract Nova.
Exquisite Replicas is a role-playing game of paranoia and horror where intolerable choices collide with the fragile hope of what it means to be human. The war must be won, but it is up to the players to decide at what cost.
This week we get to read just a bit about The Anonymous, the characters who face off against alien horrors, risking everything…
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Posted on June 23, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy
The Hot War Intro told us that this is a game of horror and survival that takes place in the city of London, England in the freezing winter of 1963. In addition to the basic introduction we featured two dark images from the new book. The second preview featured information on the Special Situations Group. The SSG is tasked with hunting down monsters, madmen and other enemies. The third preview gave us a glimpse at three types of Monsters that members of the SSG could be faced with in the streets of London.
Today we’ve got two new pieces of interior art to show off. Much of the background information in the game is give through the medium of posters, memos, letters and other “in-character” bits.
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