]> http://rpgherald.com/taxonomy/term/40/0 News stories, press releases and general announcements. en http://rpgherald.com/story/mothers_day_gifts_for_gamer_moms <p>Moms are special. None of us would be here without them. This article offers some great ideas for gamer Moms of all types. So, in case you didn't get her anything yet, check this out: <a href="http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/05/games-for-all-k.html">http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/05/games-for-all-k.html</a></p> Hot Off The Press (Gamer News) Sun, 11 May 2008 18:21:10 -0400 http://rpgherald.com/story/ps3_outsells_xbox_360_in_europe <p>Sony's PlayStation 3 games console has outsold Microsoft's Xbox 360 in Europe, according to figures released by Sony. The BBC News has the story.</p> <p> "We have been consistently outselling our closest competitor [Xbox 360] since October 2007, even with the latest price point," said Mr Reeves.</p> PC / Console Games Hot Off The Press (Gamer News) Sun, 11 May 2008 18:10:49 -0400 http://rpgherald.com/story/mind_storm_labs_releases_first_free_alpha_omega_adventure <p><a href="http://www.mindstormlabs.com">Mind Storm Labs</a> is pleased to announce the release of <a href="http://www.mindstormlabs.com">Milk Run</a>, the first official adventure<a href="glossary#term51" title="adventure: (n) An adventure in a roleplaying game is a single, discrete story. Several adventures in sequence form a campaign. Game companies often publish pre-made adventure supplements. These are often called modules. An adventure typically begins with a prologue which may include the meeting of the characters or PCs, the introduction of the plot, action by the characters, resolution of the plot and epilogue."><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a> set in the <a href="http://www.mindstormlabs.com">Alpha Omega</a> universe.</p> Pen & Paper Science Fiction Hot Off The Press (Gamer News) Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:36:24 -0400 http://rpgherald.com/story/shanda_entertainment_requires_proof_of_gender <p><A href="http://www.snda.com/">Shanda Entertainment</A> - one of Mainland China's heavy hitters in the gaming industry - announced that their subsidiary, Aurora Technology, has frozen accounts of male players who play as female characters in the King of the World MMORPG<a href="glossary#term219" title="MMORPG: A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is an online computer role-playing game in which a large number of players interact with one another in a virtual world. As in all RPGs, players assume the role of a character (traditionally in a fantasy setting) and take control over most of that character&#039;s actions. MMORPGs are distinguished from single-player or small multi-player RPGs by the game&#039;s persistent world, usually hosted by the game&#039;s publisher, which continues to exist and evolve while the player is away from the game. [Wikipedia entry]"><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a>. Aurora stipulates that only female gamers can play female characters in the game, and it requires gamers who chose female characters to prove their biological sex with a webcam, according to the report. Just how much the player will be required to reveal and who is watching the webcam? Many players express concerns that this will discourage females from playing games.</p> MMORPGs Hot Off The Press (Gamer News) Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:54:30 -0500 http://rpgherald.com/story/precis_intermedia_releases_hardnova_as_a_bagged_set <p><b ><a href="http://www.pigames.net">Precis Intermedia</a></b> kicks off its new line of concise, action-packed printed games with <b >HardNova: Sovereign Space&trade;</b>. Join a team of freelance troubleshooters as they travel through Sovereign Space to mysterious destinations, discover new alien species, and uncover diabolical plots. Then continue the adventure<a href="glossary#term51" title="adventure: (n) An adventure in a roleplaying game is a single, discrete story. Several adventures in sequence form a campaign. Game companies often publish pre-made adventure supplements. These are often called modules. An adventure typically begins with a prologue which may include the meeting of the characters or PCs, the introduction of the plot, action by the characters, resolution of the plot and epilogue."><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a> with your own stories, and even your own custom characters.</p> <p><b >HardNova: Sovereign Space</b> is a streamlined, bagged set of the HardNova&trade; 2 roleplaying game. It includes a 52-page printed manual; loose scenario, character<a href="glossary#term53" title="character: A role-playing game character is a fictional person (or other entitiy) that inhabits the game&#039;s universe. They are typically divided into player characters, who are controlled by the players, and non-player characters, who are controlled by the GM. In any given game, there are far more NPCs than PCs, as NPCs comprise every individual in the fantasy world who is not playing at the moment. Both types of characters typically follow the same rules for creation, interests, abilities and hit points. Some monsters and odd creatures may not be available as player characters, depending on the game system. "><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a>, reference, and starship sheets; and two dice<a href="glossary#term45" title="dice: Dice in RPGs are a little different than you&#039;re used to. Because the variables used in RPGs are often 1 out of 8, 1 out of 12, or some other odd number, six-sided dice won&#039;t cover all situations. Most RPGs use dice with many different sides on them under different situations. To clearly indicate which die to use, gamers have developed a shorthand method to refer to each type . . . the letter &quot;d&quot; followed by the number of sides the dice has. Your standard die found in any Monopoly box, for example, is called a d6. The most common dice are d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20. Unusual dice that are either rarely used or just bought because they&#039;re &quot;cool&quot; include the d30 and the golf ball sized d100. Your choice of game will determine which dice you need."><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a>. <b >HardNova: Sovereign Space</b> puts you into the action quickly, making it perfect for beginners and those on the go. The rules are easy to learn yet flexible and fast-paced. Everything needed to play is included: dice, action-packed scenarios, and ready to use characters and starships.</p> Pen & Paper Science Fiction Hot Off The Press (Gamer News) Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:06:45 -0500 http://rpgherald.com/story/aleph_gaming_blog_goes_live_cover_preview_released <p><a href="http://www.AlephGaming.com">Aleph Gaming</a> has launched it's <a href="http://www.alephgaming.com/blog/">blog</a>, which is an outlet and source for RPG information and resources, and will include thoughts on parts of the RPG Community, as well as thoughts on topics ranging from RPG Theory and Design, to reviews of game sessions and insights taken from them, along with advice for both players and GMs.</p> Pen & Paper Hot Off The Press (Gamer News) Wed, 26 Sep 2007 12:59:23 -0400 http://rpgherald.com/story/myth_weavers_announces_four_new_character_sheets <p>To further improve the Play by Post Role-Playing Game experience hosted on-site, Myth-Weavers Games has released four new character<a href="glossary#term53" title="character: A role-playing game character is a fictional person (or other entitiy) that inhabits the game&#039;s universe. They are typically divided into player characters, who are controlled by the players, and non-player characters, who are controlled by the GM. In any given game, there are far more NPCs than PCs, as NPCs comprise every individual in the fantasy world who is not playing at the moment. Both types of characters typically follow the same rules for creation, interests, abilities and hit points. Some monsters and odd creatures may not be available as player characters, depending on the game system. "><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a> sheets for various gaming systems. The sheets released include:</p> Internet Play Hot Off The Press (Gamer News) Wed, 05 Sep 2007 01:19:24 -0400 http://rpgherald.com/story/aleph_gaming_announces_continuous_combat_system_for_table_top <p>Aleph Gaming has announced it's first RPG, Aleph Fantasy, which will feature the Continuous Combat System for the first time.</p> <p>The Continuous Combat System is a new roundless combat system, designed to allow for detailed tactical combat as well as straight forward fight scenes.</p> Pen & Paper Fantasy Hot Off The Press (Gamer News) Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:07:08 -0400 http://rpgherald.com/story/dark_matter_studios_release_epic_rpg_complete_game_manual <p>April 30, 2007 (Bozeman, MT) – Dark Matter Studios, producer of the well-received fantasy rpg <a href="http://epicrpg.com">Epic Role Playing</a>, has released its latest offering, its revised Game Manual. Weighing in at over 300 pages, the Game Manual contains the complete content of Epic RPG's Rules Manual and Book of the Arcane, as well as a continent-sized setting<a href="glossary#term66" title="setting: (s) The setting of a campaign is the game world where it takes place. For a historical campaign, the setting might be the court of King Louis XVI, whereas for a superheroes campaign it might be the fictional city of Metropolis. Many RPG publishers create settings for use with their products or the GM can create one from scratch. The setting is usually presented as an atlas or encyclopedia of the area where the player characters are expected to be, with lists of important people the PCs might meet and locations they can explore. The game tries to create a fictional reality. More flexible GMs will tweak details of the world to suit the players&#039; character concepts, but the larger and more complete the setting, the more difficult this becomes. On the other hand, a deep and well-developed setting such as Tékumel or Glorantha allows the players to feel that their characters are experiencing and exploring something larger than themselves."><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a> (the high feudal realm of Rullaea), and a sample bestiary with a tantalizing selection of monsters and animals.</p> Pen & Paper Fantasy Hot Off The Press (Gamer News) Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:32:29 -0400 http://rpgherald.com/story/new_online_star_wars_d20_character_sheets <p><a href="http://www.myth-weavers.com">Myth-Weavers</a>, an online gaming site that hosts play-by-post roleplaying games, announces the release of a new Star Wars online character<a href="glossary#term53" title="character: A role-playing game character is a fictional person (or other entitiy) that inhabits the game&#039;s universe. They are typically divided into player characters, who are controlled by the players, and non-player characters, who are controlled by the GM. In any given game, there are far more NPCs than PCs, as NPCs comprise every individual in the fantasy world who is not playing at the moment. Both types of characters typically follow the same rules for creation, interests, abilities and hit points. Some monsters and odd creatures may not be available as player characters, depending on the game system. "><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a> sheet<a href="glossary#term223" title="character sheet: A character sheet is a series of numbers, notes, and other details about a character in a role-playing game. Character sheets can be found in use in both traditional and live action role-playing games."><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a> as part of its increased support for the Star Wars RPG.</p> <p>The character sheets include automatic calculation of many statistics and are integrated with Myth-Weavers' sheet-rolling system, which allows players to make rolls in game posts that automatically use the right modifiers. A <a href="http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheets/view.php?id=14324" target="_blank">sample sheet</a> has been made available for the public.</p> <p>These Star Wars sheets are available free at <a href="http://www.myth-weavers.com">Myth-Weavers</a>, where membership and game hosting are also free.</p> Star Wars Roleplaying Science Fiction Hot Off The Press (Gamer News) Tue, 17 Apr 2007 12:16:35 -0400 http://rpgherald.com/story/win_rpg_books_with_the_enworld_treasure_hunt <p>Take our Treasure Hunt competition and win 2 RPG books plus an Enworld Community Supporter Account!</p> <p><a href="http://www.enworld.org">ENWorld</a> and <a href="http://www.oldkingdomgames.com">Old Kingdom Games</a> have teamed up to celebrate the upcoming launch of Bronze Gods - the second d20 System<a href="glossary#term78" title="d20 System: A generic game system, based on a twenty-sided die, controlled by Wizards of the Coast. The d20 System is customizable and reusable by authors under certain terms and conditions. This allows players to game in different genres or settings without the need to learn new game rules. The impact of the d20 system on the hobby has been considerable, and players are divided as to whether the strong adoption of a common game system has simplified the hobby or whether it has harmed the hobby by reducing diversity and dampening the creation of new rules."><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a> setting<a href="glossary#term66" title="setting: (s) The setting of a campaign is the game world where it takes place. For a historical campaign, the setting might be the court of King Louis XVI, whereas for a superheroes campaign it might be the fictional city of Metropolis. Many RPG publishers create settings for use with their products or the GM can create one from scratch. The setting is usually presented as an atlas or encyclopedia of the area where the player characters are expected to be, with lists of important people the PCs might meet and locations they can explore. The game tries to create a fictional reality. More flexible GMs will tweak details of the world to suit the players&#039; character concepts, but the larger and more complete the setting, the more difficult this becomes. On the other hand, a deep and well-developed setting such as Tékumel or Glorantha allows the players to feel that their characters are experiencing and exploring something larger than themselves."><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a> book in OKG's Campaign<a href="glossary#term52" title="campaign: A campaign is an ongoing storyline revolving about a continuous group of characters. It is generally made up of a series of adventures within a specific setting. Since the word &#039;campaign&#039; implies a series of military conquests, games wishing to distance themselves from such martial pursuits have alternate names for their campaigns. For example, Ars Magica campaigns are known as sagas and Vampire: The Masquerade campaigns are known as chronicles. Several games, attempting to invoke the serial dramas of television, have used the term series. "><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a> Gems series<a href="glossary#term52" title="campaign: A campaign is an ongoing storyline revolving about a continuous group of characters. It is generally made up of a series of adventures within a specific setting. Since the word &#039;campaign&#039; implies a series of military conquests, games wishing to distance themselves from such martial pursuits have alternate names for their campaigns. For example, Ars Magica campaigns are known as sagas and Vampire: The Masquerade campaigns are known as chronicles. Several games, attempting to invoke the serial dramas of television, have used the term series. "><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a>. Just how are we celebrating this?</p> <p>By giving away freebies in a fun little treasure hunt exclusive to ENWorld, thats how!</p> Dungeons and Dragons Hot Off The Press (Gamer News) Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:51:28 -0500 http://rpgherald.com/story/old_kingdom_games_announces_bronze_gods <p>The world is vibrant, alive - you can taste salt on the wind, smell the black damp of the earth beneath your feet. The drums of the ancestors call out to the clans, their song carried to all the chiefdoms across the sea. These are the ancient islands of the Brothers, the islands of the Bronze Gods, and they are your home.</p> d20 System Hot Off The Press (Gamer News) Sat, 03 Feb 2007 10:14:54 -0500 http://rpgherald.com/story/myriad_possibilities_for_old_kingdom_games <p><b >Old Kingdom Games</b> is delighted to announce a tie-up with <b >Sane Studios</b>, creators of The Myriad Universal RPG System, Vanishing Point and the upcoming Golgotha. The arrangement will see a series<a href="glossary#term52" title="campaign: A campaign is an ongoing storyline revolving about a continuous group of characters. It is generally made up of a series of adventures within a specific setting. Since the word &#039;campaign&#039; implies a series of military conquests, games wishing to distance themselves from such martial pursuits have alternate names for their campaigns. For example, Ars Magica campaigns are known as sagas and Vampire: The Masquerade campaigns are known as chronicles. Several games, attempting to invoke the serial dramas of television, have used the term series. "><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a> of RPG supplements supporting the Myriad Universal RPG System released during 2007 by Old Kingdom Games.</p> Hot Off The Press (Gamer News) Sat, 20 Jan 2007 15:21:07 -0500 http://rpgherald.com/story/order_the_pdf_get_the_softcover_for_free <p>Haven't experienced the Maelstrom yet? Now is your chance with this exclusive offer. For a limited time, <a href="http://www.pigames.net"><b >Precis Intermedia</b></a> (formerly Politically Incorrect Games) will give you the classic <b >Maelstrom Storytelling softcover for FREE when you purchase the PDF Dogbound Edition</b>. Pay only $9.95 (+ shipping) and receive $32.90 worth of products.</p> Pen & Paper Fantasy Hot Off The Press (Gamer News) Wed, 27 Dec 2006 04:10:27 -0500 http://rpgherald.com/story/dark_matter_studios_epic_rpg_releases_new_free_downloadable_adventure <p><b >Bozeman, MT</b> - December 2, 2006. The makers of Epic Role Playing have released another of their PDF tutorial adventures, to be found exclusively on the Epic RPG <a href="http://epicrpg.com">website</a>.</p> Pen & Paper Fantasy Hot Off The Press (Gamer News) Sat, 02 Dec 2006 14:42:35 -0500