RPG Review Cooperative, Inc.

by Wu Mingshi

Hosei bo Mr. Lev

Double the pirate, lah? But no stop you being late already again. Poor Mingshi has to change article again again to make news not like stale bread.

But special gift for you, I have pirate news! Not much roleplay, but plenty much other game. Portal Games make team with Ignacy Trzewiczek to make pirate dice game, "Rattle, Battle, Grab the Loot", should be ready for GenCon. Where the dice land in the box also determine outcome. Strange game! Also pirate game, CoolMiniOrNot has combat miniature game "Rum & Bones" with many expansion sets. This game funded through Kickstarter last year with almost $750K in pledges! Also pirate game, IDW Games release "Pirates of the 7 Seas" in August. In this game the box lid is the board and the dice are ships!

You want more pirate game? I give you pirate, Space pirate! Asmodee release the space pirate card game "Metal Adventures" in June, after you finish issue orredy, lah? Game based on Arnuad Cuidet's RPG universe, players are space pirates in war between Empire of Sol and the Galactic Empire. Pew! Pew! Pew!

Star Wars a bit like pirate game, ah? Well Fantasy Flight Games announce new supplements "Star Wars: Force and Destiny Core Rulebook" out soon, 448 pages, wa lao! Game books get very big, lah! Maybe too big to fit in my apartment, bookcase fall on Minshi head and then no more game for me?

Also maybe pirate too, Paizo Publishing announce "Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Races" for release, all about the races of the Inner Sea region of Golarion, include new character options including racial details and heritages, and new magic items, weapons and armor. Also, probably not pirate, Paizo Publishing launch new organized play for hobby game stores through Pathfinder Society, lots of adventures all tied to new Pathfinder books, only available to retail stores.

Paizo have distribution deal with French company Gob In Tux Publishing and will release science fiction game Polaris where people live under the sea. This one does have pirate and sea monster! Yes, Mingshi announce new pirate RPG, you read here first, ah? Other Polaris RPG books include a Game Master's Screen, Bestiary, Technology Guide, Hegemony, Pirates (see!), Surface, Coral Republic, Polar Alliance, Mediterranean Union, Amazonia, and Secrets.

Next news not so good; two years ago a documentary planned for Dungeons and Dragons inventors, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and the legal war that follow. Now legal battle exist over documentary. Is this irony? Or curse?! Anthony Savini was director of film, Andrew Pascal producer, and James Sprattley, camera man. Big creative differences mean that Savini keep direction of film and others half owner. But then Savini with new partner, Cecily Tyler, discover that his former partners were making their own film! So they sue, saying new movie undermine original film. So drama!

Better news, on little movie in square box with TableTop spinoff RPG show: "Titansgrave: The Ashes of Valkana", use Green Ronin's forthcoming Fantasy AGE system in Wheaton's setting. The Green Ronin is very busy, because plan also new books for "Dragon Age", "A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying", "Mutants & Masterminds", and another "Freeport" setting book (see, more pirate, ah?)

All Dragon Age material all gather to for new Dragon Age Core Rulebook, with 400 pages, and "Freeport: The City of Adventure" for Pathfinder with 544 pages! Also game system book based call "Adventure Game Engine" also be release from Dragon Age RPG. Also my ninja among the Ronin say that 15th anniversarry edition of first RPG "Ork!" come out soon too, but maybe not 1000 page, I think my ninja being all cartoon.

BOOM! Studios announce second edition of the award-winning "Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game" by David Peterson and Luke Crane release, so much squeaks of happiness, include hardcover book and a box set edition. Last game in 2009 win Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Game. Will new mouse roar too?

Monte Cook Games have new roleplaying game for children, age 5 and up. "No Thank You, Evil!" funded through Kickstatrer and will be release in 2016. It use simple version of Cypher System like "Numenara" but can more complex as children grow up and up, and older children can take over as gamemaster! Just like old D&D, lah, but even younger still. Also, game especially designed for children who learn not so good.

This game follow Eden Studies release "Adventure Maximus!" for same age group, maybe a bit older. "Adventure Maximus!" set in the post-apocalyptic fantasy world of Ex-Machina. So "Gamma World" for children? Mana eh sai! Where is Patricia Pulling now?

Our friends at Cubicle 7 (near Cubicle 6 and 8) have new game and supplement release. For "Doctor Who : Adventures in Time and Space", The Eight Doctor Sourcebook. Travelling stun in TARDIS, Mingshi overhear that some material from Paul McGann audio drama stories not included because of license, lagi jialat. For "The One Ring" new supplement with six adventure in region of Eriador, all around Rivendell. Also, new RPG call "Keltia", core rulebook full-colour 256 pages all about King Arthur but more Welsh stories so more dark ages, less knights and castles. Also, Cubicle 7 doing new Call of Cthulhu boxed set. Cthulhu in a box! Nyarlathotep in a mask! Shoggoth in the dish washer, I'd better do something about that, lah.

The Evil Hat do a hat trick with three supplements for their very popular FATE system; "Save Game", "The Aether Sea", and "Romance in the Air". "Save Game" is adventure set in an 8-bit computer game world, a little bit before Mingshi time, but I know what it is like, hooray DOS-box! "The Aether Sea" is just that, a setting where there is only an aether sea. Sound strange setting. Finaly, "Romance in the Air" is romantic steampunk world with political intrigue and lots of airships.

Pinnacle Entertainment now have license to use Rift's setting for "Savage Worlds". Mingshi think this is better, corright? If it work proper then all the cartoon things from Rifts can be in new system that works. Robots with lasers versus dinosaurs versus wizards! All in the one place! Most blur at Rifts because of bad system, most people laugh at setting. So good system and cartoon setting and everyone happy, lah.

Mingshi announce for you nominations for Origins 2015. For 'Best Role Playing Game' there is "Atomic Robo" from Evil Hat, "Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook" from Wizards of the Coast (but that not entire game? Should go in best supplement? Mingshi confused), "Firefly Role-playing Game" by Margaret Weiss Productions, "ICONS: Superpowered Roleplaying" by Green Ronin and "The Strange" from Monte Cook Games. For 'Best Role Playing Supplement' there is "Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual" (see, Mingshi right and very very confuse), "Emerald City : Mutants & Masterminds", "Hobbit Tales: From The Green Dragon Inn" and "The One Ring: Darkening of Mirkwood" from Cubicle 7, "Mummy The Curse: Book of the Deceived" from Onyx Path and and "The Strange: Bestiary" from Monte Cook Games.

What big game this quartering? ICv2 say for end of 2014

1 "Dungeons & Dragons" Wizards of the Coast
2 "Pathfinder" Paizo Publishing
3 "Star Wars" Fantasy Flight Games
4 "Numenera" Monte Cook Games
5 "Fate Evil" Hat Games

Market grow 15% in 2014, six years of growth and now more than twice as big as 2008, when last time decline.

Cara Hebat untuk Terbang!

That's all from me this double quartering!

Mingshi! (mingshi@rpgreview.net)