Malcolm Craig is a lunatic who loves his games. That single fact establishes him as one of my favorite game designers. I had the pleasure of meeting the kinetic Craig at my first GenCon where I picked up the then-fresh a|state. A few years down the road Craig brings us a new game he calls “something of a follow-up” to Cold City. He may not put much faith in urban dwellings (cities in all his games are filthy, vile things), but his ability to weave a story isn’t to be ignored. Just to prove this, Hot War was recently nominated for two Ennie Awards (Best Writing and Best Setting). Let’s take a look at the respectably large (204 pages) game.

Paul Bourne’s illustration, photography, and graphic design makes the full version of the book shine. Aged pages not only depict the rules, but some of the halted stages in London’s demised during the game’s time period (the early 1960s). Familiar British sites like Big Ben and Parliament take on a new look as they are rendered into decimated versions by the artist’s expert hands.

Flames Rising is happy to host a collection of Horror & Dark Fantasy fiction from large publishers and small press, new authors and experienced freelancers and everything in between. We have agreements with a handful of publishers to host fiction based on the worlds they have created ranging from Contested Ground Studios‘ a|state to Apophis Consortium‘s Obsidian: the Age of Judgement and a host of other settings. We also have sneak previews and excerpts of upcoming Horror & Dark Fantasy novels from time to time.

The fiction collection on Flames Rising will be listed by setting or series. Just click the “Read more…” link below for a complete list of the good reads we have to offer…

The latest addition to the Halloween Horror collection is brought to us by game designer Malcolm Craig (a|state, Hot War).

This creature has no known name, but it is feared by those who remember the old stories.

A Letter From The Archives

Created by Malcolm Craig

Fragmentary letter recovered from former Soviet archives.

My Dear Alexei Ivanovich,

You will doubtless be aware of our recent expedition into that most desolate part of the Urals. We entrained in Sevrdlovsk, bound for Ivdel where we would begin our trek. Under the orders of the Minister, our group was composed of [letter becomes water-stained and unclear at this point].

Academician Kotlov was, by this point, exhibiting increasing signs of stress and he began to make anti-revolutionary statements which Comrade Captain Takaishvili was obvious in noting. The avalanche of the previous day and the loss of Alekseev and Kramskoi had, understandably, placed him in a difficult position regarding his responsibility.

Yes, at Gen Con Indy 08, we’re back!

The Play Collective returns for its second year, a juggernaut of gaming goodness, enthusiasm and energy! And this time, we’ve brought a friend…

This year the Play Collective and the bold adventure that is the Ashcan Front have joined forces to grow our space together. You’ll be able to browse the fine works on display in our half of the booth, then simply stroll a few feet to finger through the assembled ashcans offered by the Front.

The members of the Play Collective are brought together by our passion for independent publishing, creation and design. We want to share our enthusiasm, inspiration and practical advice. If you have a great idea for a game and wonder how to shepherd it through design, presentation, marketing and sales then you need to be right there at our booth, talking to us.

Contested Ground Studios is delighted to announce the release of an upgraded version of their hit Cold City RPG.

Cold City v1.1 takes all the information from the original book and combines it with the Cold City Companion to create one comprehensive source for Cold City games. In addition to all of that, there’s a new, revised system chapter that offers smoother gameplay and more guidances for participants.

There’s internal artwork by Stuart Beel (SLA Industries, Changeling, Werewolf and many other RPGs and CCGs ) and Paul Bourne (3:16, a|state, Hot War, Piledrivers & Powerbombs), offering a great visual experience.

London. Winter. 1963.

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.

London. Winter. 1963.

And this was not just a nuclear war. Far more sinister, darker weapons were deployed from the shadows.

Hot War, the new game from Contested Ground Studios, is now available for pre-order through Indie Press Revolution! Pre-order the book now and you’ll receive the PDF version absolutely free!

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.

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.

What sort of monsters might the SSG encounter? Today’s Hot War preview will give you a sneak peek at three types of monsters twisted by some strange blend of science and occult…

The first Hot War Preview was the smallest of teasers, introducing readers to the overall concepts of the new game and debuting a couple of images by some very talented folks.

This time we are going to take a closer look at the Special Situations Group. The SSG is made up of military, police and civilian personnel and have the unenviable task of hunting down monsters, those who created monsters, power crazed madmen, terrorists, traitors, infiltrators and all sorts of nests of enemies. Player Characters in Hot War are members of the SSG.

Contested Ground Studios, the folks who brought us a|state and Cold City, have a new RPG hitting the shelves in 2008.

In October of 1962, the Cold War went hot. But the war was not just a nuclear apocalypse. Other technologies that had been hidden from the public gaze, technologies developed in Germany during the World War Two and hidden away by Britain, France, the USA and the USSR. These technologies were twisted and esoteric, fusing science, madness and the occult together. They ripped holes in reality, created horrific monsters, drove men and women beyond sanity and laid waste to continents.

Hot War is a game about the aftermath of this horror, about survivors, factions, hidden agendas, trust and betrayal. All of this takes place in the city of London, England in the freezing winter of 1963, one year after the war. Life has been altered forever. The population is massively reduced, essential services are virtually non-existent, food and other products are subject to draconian rationing measures and both inside and outside the borders of the city, horrible things still happen.

I recently posted some great news about a long-awaited a|state supplement called Avenues & Alleyways. The folks at Contested Ground Studios expanded The City with new locations, villains and more. Now, the original a|state core book is available in eBook format at RPGNow.com. 252 pages of gothic horror and twisted beauty for $15.00. You can […]

a|state introduced us the The City.

Welcome to The City. You will never forget The City. But The City will forget you.

Lostfinders Guide to Mire End took us on a tour into the sodden, degraded burgh of Mire End and introduced us to some of the more interesting personalities unfortunate enough to call the place home.

Now…Contested Ground Studios presents Avenues & Alleyways.

A Modern Fantasy game written by Stewart Wilson.

The simple version of the game’s premise is this: there is a magical world existing alongside our own. The Unaware cannot fully comprehend everything and so the magical realities of life are concealed from them.

The creator of a|state and Cold City breaks down some of his game design ideas, explore The City and gives us a few hints on some upcoming products.