Posted on March 23, 2017 by Flames
Unknown Armies is an occult game about broken people conspiring to fix the world. It’s about humanity, and how those among us who are the most obsessed have the power to alter reality until it aligns with their fevered desires. It’s about getting what you want despite others trying to keep it from you.
Unknown Armies presents magick as it might exist in a world co-created by Tim Powers and James Ellroy, as twisting wrinkles in reality created by greater and greater risk, sacrifice, and obsession. In Unknown Armies we ask, what would you risk to change the world? Your friends? Your family? Your health? Your sanity? Magick finds a way to ask the very most from you, until you achieve what you want or you are left with nothing.
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Posted on March 21, 2017 by Flames
Prince’s Gambit is a casual card game where each player is a vampire called to the court of the vampiric Prince of the city. Players must cooperate to gain the favor of the Prince while deducing who among them are secretly the traitorous Sabbat infiltrators.
Designed by long-time Vampire: the Masquerade tabletop RPG developer Justin Achilli, Prince’s Gambit is a fast-paced social deduction game set within the world of Vampire, but which requires no special knowledge to play. Neophytes and experienced fans of Vampire both can jump right in.
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Posted on March 3, 2017 by Flames
In 2015, the dark fantasy Shadow of the Demon Lord RPG launched on Kickstarter and was an overwhelming success. “In the game, you create and play characters struggling to survive in a land sliding toward oblivion, a place infested by demons, roaming mobs of undead, strange magic, unhinged cultists, and all in the ruins of […]
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Posted on February 20, 2017 by Flames
The Midgard Campaign Setting for 5th Edition and Pathfinder RPG is a 300+ page volume describing the Midgard regions, from the Northlands to the Western Wastes, and from the Southlands to the Crossroads. With detailed locations, cities, rulers, heraldry, plots, and adventure hooks galore, plus full details of the various pantheons, masked gods, and dark gods, there’s enough here to fuel years of adventuring!
Five years have passed since the original release and now Kobold Press is updating the Midgard Campaign Setting, with even more magic, monsters, and expanded content! Wolfgang Baur is here today with a guest post about this ambitious project.
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Posted on February 15, 2017 by Flames
Dark Eras: Doubting Souls (Hunter: the Vigil)
Although the most acute judges of the witches and even the witches themselves, were convinced of the guilt of witchery, the guilt nevertheless was non-existent. It is thus with all guilt.
—Friedrich Nietzsche
Immigrants and tribes struggled to co-exist on the Eastern Seaboard in the ever-expanding Colonies. Violent clashes, supernatural beliefs, and demonic influences spelled disaster for Salem Village and its surrounding towns, while others fought werewolves and vampires on the frontier. With so much at risk, only god-fearing men and women were deemed innocent — and those were few indeed.
This is a single chapter from the larger work, Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras. Now available on its own in PDF and Softcover formats.
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Posted on February 14, 2017 by Flames
AN ANCIENT EVIL RISES…BURNS…KILLS…
After a fire consumes the Heller Home for Children, the residents of Morganville, North Carolina thought they knew evil…
They were wrong.
Unaware of the turmoil in their new hometown, the Littles–David, Kate, and seven-year-old Becca–are moving from New York City to Morganville in hopes of repairing their own lives, which were recently shattered by an act of sexual violence.
Before long, David realizes that his family’s troubles are worse than he could ever have imagined.
An ancient demon lurks beneath the town of Morganville, an unholy creature conjured into existence by the Heller Home tragedy.
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Posted on February 7, 2017 by Flames
What hope has a humble adventurer when faced with a fight against Cthulhu himself? No matter; the true swordsperson cares only for the bite of steel against flesh, whether that flesh be eldritch or more conventional.
So, grab your khukuri knife, your iklwa spear, or a legendary blade and journey with us from ancient Rome to feudal Japan, from the Dreamlands to lands there are no names for in any of the tongues of men.
If you have any doubts, inside this tome you can consult some of Lovecraftiana’s hottest voices, be they seasoned veterans or hot-blooded new recruits… Hope be damned. Glory awaits!
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Posted on January 31, 2017 by Flames
Volo’s Guide to Monsters is a rich, story-based supplement for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.
To celebrate the release of Volo’s Guide to Monsters, Wizards of the Coast commissioned an introductory developed by Shawn Merwin called “In Volo’s Wake” for the D&D Adventurer’s League.
This series of adventures, written by Rich Lescouflair, Shawn Merwin, and Monica Valentinelli, explores the town of Phandalin, missing townsfolk, and a whole lot more. The adventures kick off at Level One–perfect for starting players!
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Posted on January 29, 2017 by Flames
Writing Inclusive Games: Creating RPGs Sans Fail teaches game writers crucial skills and industry knowledge to facilitate better representation. Instructors Monica Valentinelli, from FlamesRising.com, and K. Tempest Bradford will cover Stereotypes and Tropes related to Race and Ethnicity, Disability, Gender and Sexuality, Religion, Class, and more, plus strategies for building characters and worlds while avoiding engaging in stereotypes or cultural appropriation. The course covers tips and tricks to addressing problems on your team, how to better facilitate conversation with your game developer, and sample art notes that are occasionally asked of writers.
The class is appropriate for all game writers from all backgrounds and any skill level.
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Posted on January 19, 2017 by Flames
White Wolf partners with Focus Home Interactive for a video game adaptation of the World of Darkness Storyteller game, Werewolf: The Apocalypse.
White Wolf is pleased to announce its partnership with Paris-based video game publisher Focus Home Interactive for a licensed PC and console game set in the World of Darkness.
The partnership between Focus Home Interactive and White Wolf Publishing concerns the adaptation of a video game based on the acclaimed Werewolf: The Apocalypse. The game will be developed by the game development studio Cyanide (Styx: Master of Shadows, Blood Bowl, Call of Cthulhu…). In the game you will become a Garou, a rage-fuelled Werewolf warrior opposed to urban civilization and the destruction it brings. The Garou are born to fight the corruption of The Wyrm, a powerful supernatural force leading us towards an inevitable Apocalypse.
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Posted on January 12, 2017 by Flames
Sure, you can do what you want, feed from the locals, and go back to hiding in your lair when you’re done.
You may think you’re safe there, it sure feels safe.
But, you aren’t the only thing connected to the Primordial Dream, and no lair is safe from what lurks beyond.
Don’t fool yourself. — Naomi Walker, Ugalla
A Night Horrors Sourcebook for the Beast: The Primordial RPG
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Posted on January 5, 2017 by Flames
Posted on December 22, 2016 by Flames
History isn’t written by the victors. It’s written by the people with the time machines.
In the TimeWatch RPG, your band of TimeWatch agents defend the timestream from radioactive cockroaches, psychic velociraptors, and human meddlers. Go back in time to help yourself in a fight, thwart your foes by targeting their ancestors, or gain a vital clue by checking a scroll out from the Library of Alexandria. But watch out for paradoxes that may erase you from existence… or worse.
If you’ve ever dreamed of going on world-changing adventures from the age of the dinosaurs to the end of the universe, the TimeWatch RPG is for you!
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Posted on December 13, 2016 by Flames
Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling is an anthology of short stories, poetry, and essays edited by Monica Valentinelli and Jaym Gates.
Over two dozen authors, ranging from NYT-bestsellers and award winners to debut writers, chose a tired trope or cliche to challenge and surprise readers through their work. Read stories inspired by tropes such as the Chainmaille Bikini, Love at First Sight, Damsels in Distress, Yellow Peril, The Black Man Dies First, The Villain Had a Crappy Childhood, The Singularity Will Cause the Apocalypse, and many more…then discover what these tropes mean to each author to find out what inspired them.
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Posted on November 30, 2016 by Flames
Onyx Path Publishing continues its support of the 20th Anniversary Edition of the Vampire: the Masquerade Role-Playing Game. Vampire has always been loved by its fans for the rich setting filled with tragic anti-heroes and horrifying villains among the damned. Throughout the game’s history White Wolf and now Onyx Path have published a variety of novels and anthologies allowing authors to explore that setting even further. Here are two new Vampire anthologies exploring both the Dark Ages and the Modern Nights.
The Cainite Conspiracies Anthology
Step back into the Dark Ages…
…into a time when the clans, high and low, battle for blood and power.
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Posted on November 10, 2016 by Flames
Dungeons & Dragons was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at the Strong Museum for Play.
First published in 1974, Dungeons & Dragons has inspired many millions of gamers to create stories and adventures and has brought people together from all backgrounds to share those experiences. We are extremely proud D&D has been recognized by the Strong Museum, and we owe what the game is today to you, our fans. As stewards of D&D, we will continue to make great entertainment to inspire your creativity.
Nathan Stewart, Senior Director of D&D at Wizards of the Coast, was on hand in Rochester, NY to witness the induction ceremony and speak on behalf of Dungeons & Dragons. D&D means so much to so many people, but it is especially important to young people as they learn and grow.
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Posted on October 2, 2016 by Flames
Long out of print, the Blood of Kerensky Trilogy by Michael A. Stackpole is finally available in eBook formats thanks to Catalyst Game Labs!
The Clan invaders have chosen their next objective – Luthien, capital of the Draconis Combine. House Kurita must now fight for survival on its homeworld.
Nothing we have can stop them.
Hanse Davion is presented with a situation undreamt of … final defeat of the Dragon – House Kurita. Should he attack his distracted foe and destroy the enemy his family has battled for over 300 years? Or should he reinforce a fellow House of the Inner Sphere against a force that Davion and the Federated Commonwealth might not otherwise defeat when the time comes?
The Clans.
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Posted on August 11, 2016 by Flames
Walk through the ages…
As a companion to Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras this anthology reveals secrets of the mystics, whispers rumors of the dead, and shines a light into the darkest corners of the world.
This collection includes historical stories based within the shadowed past of Vampire: the Requiem, Mage: the Awakening, Werewolf: the Forsaken, Changeling: the Lost, and other Chronicles of Darkness settings.
In the Chronicles of Darkness…
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Posted on August 3, 2016 by Flames
You are a pilgrim now, one of the Created. You rose to life from dead flesh or inert matter, under the ministrations of one of your own, or a mad scientist, or perhaps just the power of the Divine Fire. You wander the world, sometimes alone, sometimes in the blessed company of your own kind, driven by memories of events and facts you never knew, all in the service of one Great Work…
…to be human.
Humans don’t make it easy, though. The Divine Fire that animates you burns too bright, blinds people, and scorches the land if you linger too long. It masks your disfigurements and makes you appear human, but that mask slips and people see your hideous, true form. The Pilgrimage is a long, difficult road, but it is yours, and you know, somehow, that the salvation of the New Dawn waits at the end.
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Posted on July 25, 2016 by Flames
Today, FlamesRising.com is pleased to present you with a preview of the Eel Hounds, a monster from the Wrath of the River King published by Kobold Press.
Wrath of the River King is a Pathfinder Roleplaying Game adventure for 4th- through 6th-level characters is full of hijinks and trickery, and fits nicely into any campaign setting in which fey are regal. Their courtly plots are dangerous and will test bold adventurers’ skills to the limit!
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