First Look At Dynamite's Legends of Red Sonja

September 25, 2013, Mt. Laurel, NJ - Dynamite is proud to show the first look at interior pages for Legends of Red Sonja #1, is a collaborative effort uniting Simone with a star-studded and prestigious creative team including Marjorie M. Liu, Mercedes Lackey, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Rhianna Pratchett, Leah Moore, Tamora Pierce, Blair Butler, Nancy Collins, Meljean Brook, Nicola Scott, Devin Grayson, and more to be announced.  Frank Thorne, one of the key artists responsible for defining the character's distinct look, will be among the artists to contribute cover artwork, as will Jay Anacleto. The first issue of the five-part Legends of Red Sonja #1 miniseries is solicited in the September Previews catalog for preorder by retailers worldwide.

Here's a Q & A with the various Legends of Red Sonja writers!

What is it about Red Sonja that has allowed her to meet this 40 year milestone?

Marjorie Liu: Red Sonja is the dream of all little girls.  Which isn't to say that all little girls want to grow up to be swords-women (though I did), charging into battle, fighting evil.  But it's her spirit that calls to us, that unbendable, fierce, warrior nature that is so alluring, inspiring -- and sexy.  In a world where women are constantly besieged by forces that want to steal our voices and power, Red Sonja is an icon of strength and stubbornness.

Nancy A. Collins: For decades Red Sonja has, consistently, been one of the few female protagonists in comics who is an unabashed warrior. While she has a code of honor, she also has no problems killing whoever gets in her way. That was a pretty radical concept for a female character, back in the 1970s. And it's still not that common, even in the modern era of Grim & Gritty comics.

Devin Grayson: I'd like to say it's because we all love redheads, but it probably has more to do with her unmitigated ass-kicking. I think for a lot of us who grew up as tomboys, she was a hugely compelling role model . And for those of us who were tomboys also into fantasy, she was peerless. She's also managed to keep an air of mystery around her all these years, which is no small feat. There's a directness to her character that's both refreshing and enduring.

Rhianna Pratchett: She's a striking character in every sense of the word. She's tough and enigmatic

Tamora Pierce: The way she blazed her way across the comics universe as a super-powerless female swordslinger, bolstered by the name of the immortal Robert Howard (the second major fantasy writer I discovered and always a lure for me to new adventures), was unique.  And let's face it, that blazing mane of red hair and the chainmail bikini so do not hurt!

Leah Moore: I think the interest is because she makes no attempt to court favour or play nicely with anyone. She's not just strong and independent, you get the feeling she really doesn't give a hoot about anyone else. In a male character that would be dull, another lone wolf who kicks ass and looks out for number one. Yawn. But in a woman, in Sonja it cuts straight though the whole gender divide and proves that yes, women can be curmudgeonly and unpleasant too!

Mercedes Lackey: She's iconic.  She is one of the first female fantasy characters that held her own with the guys.  Mail bikini notwithstanding, it was clear from the start that she was no one's possession, toy, or arm-candy.

Nicola Scott: Sonja has an attitude not often granted to female characters. She's ballsy and brawny, has an Eastwood swagger and dismissive tone. It also doesn't hurt that she rocks a sword and a metal bikini.

What can you tell us about your story?

Nancy A. Collins: It was written as an affectionate tribute to the straight-up sword & sorcery tales of the old SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN. It's set during Sonja's early days as a thief--the time period where I was first introduced to her. Before the chainmail bikini.

Devin Grayson: I wrote a nautical horror story in a classic pulp fantasy style. There's forbidden magic, sword swinging, and tentacles. Lots of tentacles.

Rhianna Pratchett: I wanted to explore an iconic aspect of Sonja that, from a story point of view, is often seen and not heard - her chainmail bikini.

Tamora Pierce: When she meets a woman and her daughter, seeming innocents in search of a guard, Red Sonja discovers her goddess has intervened in her life again, demanding a cost in death.

Leah Moore: I have pitted Sonja against the fearsome might of a necromancer. I've been a fan of necromancers since I first read Clark Ashton Smith, and saw that basically as a writer you cant have much more fun than writing a bit of necromancy. Clark Ashton Smith based a lot of his stories in Hyperborea, a region in Robert E Howard's Hyboria, so I saw a chance to do my own little homage both to Howard and Clark Ashton Smith at once. Sonja battles liches, it was so much fun.

Mercedes Lackey: Sonja serves as the inspiration for another girl's fantasy.  And while the fantasy is unrealistic, the girl herself, and her village, gain enormously for it.

Nicola Scott: My story is about a stolen moment of good fortune that Sonja has since obliviously benefited from.

Blair Butler: It's shrouded in mystery, but I will say that it's circular, and I tried to do something a little different with the page layout. Also, it may bum you out. I had no idea how dark this story was going to get when I started it...

Kelly Sue DeConnick: An all-male troupe of traveling thespians perform The Red Devil's Legerdemain for the Grey Riders, get them drunk, turn them on, and rob them blind. Theatre!

What are you hoping fans will learn about Red Sonja from your story?

Nancy A. Collins: That she means business.

Devin Grayson: Well, as fans know and newbies should be able to grok, the only thing you really need to know about Red Sonja is that you don't mess with Red Sonja. Also: she may be waterproof.

Rhianna Pratchett: I wanted to bring back a sense of ownership and choice to the much maligned chainmail bikini. I also wanted to weave it into the way Sonja utilizes all her attribute to aid her in battle and how this knowledge may have come about.

Tamora Pierce: That she is very much more than a barbarian swords woman; that she has many layers, and uses crudity, violence, and drunkenness not only to conceal those layers, but to hone them, particularly her intelligence.

Mercedes Lackey: Sonja might not live up to someone's fantasy....or then again, she might.

which gives her great power on the page as well as on the battlefield.

Dynamite's Shadow 2013 Annual

There are two things that I like: Las Vegas and good, old-fashioned pulps. Admittedly, those aren't the only things that I like, but both of them are relevant to the comic at hand. Dynamite has had the license for the Shadow for a while now, and some great talents have been attached to the character while Dynamite has had the rights: Alex Ross, Chris Roberson and Matt Wagner have all been involved in the character in some way. In this one-shot story, set in Las Vegas in 1947, writer Ande Parks takes his turn with the character. Parks has long been in comics as an inker, working with such artists as Phil Hester, Jack Kirby and others. He has written for a while, doing books like The Lone Ranger for Dynamite and the excellent mini-series Capote in Kansas (which was inspired by the research and writing of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood).

Let's talk about the Shadow 2013 Annual put out by Dynamite Comics.

This story is very connected with Las Vegas and it's criminal founders, most importantly Ben "Bugsy" Siegel. The feel of that era was captured ably by Parks' writing. His Shadow was faithful to the character. Parks' work in writing historical fiction meant that he understood the significance of the difference between now and a historical period, and how to keep characters from just being modern characters in period costumes. This isn't a skill that is easy to acquire or use, but Parks uses it wonderfully.

Now, more importantly...is this a pulp story? Is this faithful to the character of the Shadow and his tales? Parks pulls off an exciting page turner of a pulp story. The banter between The Shadow and Margo is authentic, to both the period and to the pulp sources. I would have liked to have seen this antagonist more fully developed, over a story arc rather than a single tale, but that is a strength of the story if I feel that I want more of the villain of the piece.

A weakness to this was that the transition to the flashback was a bit jarring. In one panel The Shadow is jumping into the backseat of a car, and then on the next page we are in the "Great" War. The transition back to the present of the story was just as abrupt. With two characters who have not aged dramatically between the time periods of the two stories, this could have been handled better I think. Overall, the art was the weakest element of this story. While professional, it comes across as sketchy and rushed throughout the comic, which also did not help with the transitions between the flashbacks and the present of the story. The transition to the "origin story" of the antagonist was better done, and a similar method would have made the transition to the first flashback make much more sense.

Much like with Dynamite's Masks series, the Shadow 2013 Annual has an excellent story, from a writer who understands the pulp conventions, marred by art that just does not live up to that story. I find myself wishing that this had been done "pulp style," as an illustrated prose piece than as a comic.

Do I think that this is worth buying? I am going to have to give that a qualified yes. The writing on this story is solid, engaging and has fidelity to the pulp sources. The art, however, just does not live up to the potential of the story. This is a real shame because this is a really good story by a writer who really gets historical and pulp fiction, but mediocre art takes away some of that thrill. In another artist's hands, this comic could have been really incredible, but as a visual medium the art just has to be as good as the writing. If you can get past the art, and I could despite my harshness towards it in this review, you will be rewarded by a fun story from Parks.

Melior Via's Accursed RPG Kickstarter

This past Friday saw a great evil descend upon our land… That evil being Melior Via’s Accursed Kickstarter, here to spread monsters and mayhem throughout our tabletops! And for those who are unfamiliar with this game: it’s a dark fantasy setting for Savage Worlds where the players play as humans who have been transformed into monsters via a witch’s curse. There are quite a few different comparisons out there for the setting and here’s mine: Rippers meets Warhammer Fantasy. But enough of the vague descriptions, what about the details?

Instead of dropping straight into the game mechanics/details for this article, let’s touch on the Kickstarter, the ‘playtest’ Player’s Guide, and what you can get for your money.

The Kickstarter, as of this writing in the middle of Sunday night, is sitting just shy of $8,800 – just $1,200 off of their primary goal. So, it’s pretty much certain that it’ll complete and get to working on the stretch goals. Speaking of stretch goals, if you are worried that they may only be for backers of certain levels or for people who toss in additional money – fear not, they have a mixture of goals that add additional improvements to the rule books, in addition to extra works that can be added separately (or come with certain tiers).

The "playtest" Player’s Guide is something I feel needs talking about not just  for potential backers but for people thinking about running a Kickstarter, as this is one of the better playtest materials I have gotten from an ongoing Kickstarter. The layout appears to be done, the backgrounds are in, there is some hyperlinking, the PDF is multi-layered (so you can turn off what you don’t want), and it is playable. Sound complete? It feels pretty darn close to it. The major element missing, of course, is the bulk of the artwork – which is what the Kickstarter here is for. Having a Player’s Guide that is this far along should be a confidence builder for backers. Potential kickstarter creators – please take note of that.

For the last bit here we’ve got the "bang for the buck" – what’ll it cost you to get the books? The PDF portion is simple enough -- $10 gets you the Player’s Guide and $20 gets you the full PDF with all the GM spoilery bits. From there it’s slightly more complicated -- $30 is the base tier for the print copy, but how this Kickstarter does it is a bit different from what you may be used to. Essentially, the print copies will be done as Print on Demand through DriveThruRPG and the $30 covers the base costs of that, but there are two more additional fees on top of that – binding/production and shipping. What this means is that a backer will get to choose the type and quality of the binding/printing they want, and then the shipping. I’m not certain how well this will work but it will be interesting to see.

[Editor's Note: It looks like Kickstarters for vouchers for final products, rather than the books themselves, are becoming a thing for tabletop gaming Kickstarters. Mostly, this is a good enough method for battling the always increasing costs of shipping (which of late have increased once or twice on a lot of Kickstarter projects before they could get to fulfillment. Will this catch on with the audience of Kickstarter projects? It looks like only time will tell. At the moment it looks like a good method for publishers to fulfill their projects without losing what little money is made on the projects.]

DC Nation: Wonder Woman Short

DC Comics has put the first three parts of a Wonder Woman short that is going to be part of their DC Nation block on the Cartoon Network. It is sort of Wonder Woman meets Aeon Flux meets The Prisoner set in the 1970s. Check these out.

I hope you enjoy them. I know that I did.

Teasers For Valiant Comics Unity

What does it all mean? Unity comes to Valiant Comics. The original Unity was the blueprint for the modern comic event, so what will happen this time?

We will find out in November, I would guess.

Shaintar: Legends Unleashed Preview + Kickstarter

Shaintar: Legends Unleashed is the sequel to Shaintar: Legends Arise and expands upon the previous Savage Worlds content to introduce Heroic and Legendary levels of game play. The Shaintar setting was created by Sean Patrick Fannon and will be published by Evil Beagle Games, with the Kickstarter fulfillment being published by Savage Mojo.

For those that might not know, the world of Shaintar is one of world-spanning conflicts, mysterious ancient magic, and plays for power among elites – both ostensibly and covertly. It is a world ripe for adventures of both small and large scales.

But enough of the introduction stuff – what does Legends Unleashed hold in store for the Veteran Hero looking to advance further? Well, quite a bit.

Legends Unleashed is bringing dozens of new Heroic and Legendary edges including race-specific and plenty of Leadership, Combat and other edges. For the casters out there, High Magic, War Magic and rituals within both will allow you and any fellow magical buddies to weave spells that have truly massive effects – even covering entire battlefields to turn the tides of battle! And there are dozens of these new spells to get your gnarled, magey fingers on.

The game is going to include many new armor and weapon pieces – having played a rogue in Chris’ Swords & Wizardry game for the past year, the arrowhead options caught my eye in particular. I really would have loved to have some of those. Arcfire devices – a sort of magical technology – appear as well, bringing a bit more flavor to the potential equipment you can use. The Arclance reminds me of a staff weapon from the Stargate universe, which means it should provide a pretty good time (on the using end).

And that’s just a brief highlight of what is included in Shaintar: Legends Unleashed. If you are a fan of Shaintar: Legends Arise (which is out already) then be sure to check this title out and continue your adventures. Speaking of checking it out, it’s currently in the final stretch of its Kickstarter campaign!

As of this writing the Kickstarter is sitting at a week left with it’s initial pledge goal already more than doubled. Of the stretch goals given, ten have already been reached, unlocking even more content in the form of guidebooks that go into detail on various realms within Shaintar and other books on some of the more mysterious organizations that exist. (The books in the stretch goals are included for backers at the $45 tier and higher, with higher tiers getting more of them.) In addition to the stretch goals the kickstarter also has separate bonus goals which currently include some bonus content for the slightly higher tiers (starting at the $55 tier and higher).

But, suppose you don’t have quite that much to spend – what’s the minimum buy-in you need to get the book? Well, starting at $15 gets you a PDF copy of the Player’s Guide and at $25 you get a PDF of the full book. As far as I can tell, these lower tiers do not automatically include the books from the stretch goals which most likely will need to be purchased separately or by backing at a higher tier.

If you would like to know more, the kickstarter can be found here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/764802981/shaintar-legends-unleashed.

Shadowrun 5: A Preview/Review

Honestly, I had hoped to get this done a few days ago, but the July 4th holiday weekend took a huge bite out of my time to get this PDF read.

The new 5th edition of Shadowrun is (almost) here. You've seen the quickstarts and previews that have surfaced since the Origins con, and now the book is almost here. I am going to predict that Shadowrun 5 is going to be the runaway hit of this year's Gen Con.

Let me start by saying that I have always had a sort of love/hate relationship with Shadowrun. I played it in college a few times, one of the benefits to going to college near Chicago when FASA Games were still in control of the game, and my experiences with it were always mixed.

I love and have always loved the setting of Shadowrun. Yeah, I know...as a fan of cyberpunk I am supposed to be upset by the fact that they mixed elves and magic into my peanut butter, but I just can't get upset by that. The world of Shadowrun has always been the draw for me, rich and vibrant and full of the excitement that makes you want to run a game. In this new edition, that is no different. The world of Shadowrun is still alive, and brought to you with gorgeous art, vivid and well-written vignettes, and clear, precise descriptions of the world. The text does stumble a bit in a few places, only because the "in character" style of writing comes across as forced in places. That style can help set the mood and tone, but if not done well it can be jarring. In this case, there were just a few instances where the in character stuff sounded a bit silly. Context is everything.

There are always pieces of art that don't work, and the art in here is no exception. However, when the art works it is phenomenal in setting the tone and feel. And women in the art wearing sensible footwear? Awesome. I can't imagine going on a 'run in heels (but that might just be me).

This is a huge freaking book at nearly 500 pages. For me, anymore, that is a turn off. I'm personally willing to trade a concise rulebook for getting rid of things like fiction, but for the intended audience this is a good thing. Although I have to admit, there is a little whisper in the back of my head that wishes that they could take these up-to-date mechanics and present their own "clone" version of the first edition book. Wouldn't that be fun? But basically the high page count is only a detriment if you don't like that sort of thing, so I am not going to hold that against them.

The mechanics of the system are clear and well-explained. This is the fifth edition of this game, so that shouldn't be an issue by now (you would hope). Character creation goes through things carefully and slowly, step by step, so that no one gets left behind, or gets confused, during the process. Shadowrun 5 has one of the more clearly written sections on character creation that I have read in a while. This is a big part of the reason why the book has the page count that it does, and frankly if I have to have a big book I would like it to be because the options for character creation are well-presented and well-explained.

I have to admit that reading Shadowrun 5 did something that hasn't happened in a very long time: it makes me want to play Shadowrun. Yeah, I said that. Despite my preferences in gaming systems being for non-dice pool games reading this book did what a game book is supposed do...it made me want to play it. However, for me at least, running/playing a game off of a PDF of this size is just not going to happen. Maybe once the book is available the Dorkland! bloggers can have a try at a game on our livestream.

So, is this game worth the price of admission? I am going to give that a hell, yeah. Even if you don't want to use Shadowrun 5 as-is (and really, what gamer doesn't hack? I'm already seeing a number of new Shadowrun hacks showing up online), this book is definitely worth getting. If you are a Shadowrun fan then I don't need to tell you to pick this up. Regardless, this is a good quality book that has inspiration dripping off of the pages. Fans of mashup settings who haven't tried Shadowrun really should use this edition as the opportunity to get to know the game.

The New Faces of the Dorkland! Blog

Face Front True Believers!

Today starts a new era for the Dorkland! blog, as it gets closer to its 10th anniversary this September. As I mentioned the other day, three new bloggers are going to join me here on the blog. That should make us three or four times dorkier than previously (math isn't a strong suit around these parts, so we'll take what we get).

This means that Dorkland! is going to be able to expand into new areas of dorkiness beyond my regular interests and cover things that had previously been beyond the scope of just a single writer. There's already been a swell of writers, designers and publishers wanting us to talk about their stuff, and if you want to be in on this just send me an email at christopher <dot> helton at the Gmail and I will connect you with one of our fine bloggers.

Let's meet the new faces of Dorkland!

First off, +Stacy Dellorfano, the creator and organizer of +ConTessa, the online gaming convention lead by women and for everybody. She's a fan of comics and Doctor Who and (this might be the strike against her) the World of Darkness. We try to not hold that last part against her. Stacy is the most experienced in blogging of the new people (despite having done it wrong for so long, according to some), so I am hoping that she brings a unique perspective to the blog because of her being from California.

+Josh Thompson is our blogging wild card. Also hailing from the American South, he likes playing characters that allow him to stay in the hallway while everyone else is embroiled in the fighting. He's a fan of both old and new schools of gaming, and will lead the charge on coverage of the Savage Worlds game for the blog. When not writing for the Dorkland! blog he cosplays as a morning drive disc jockey.

Underneath that smiling exterior, +David Rollins apparently is plotting the downfall of the OSR. At least that's what the YouTube comments say from his panel appearance during the ConTessa convention. David is Canadian and likes maple syrup and real beers. He is a fan of D&D B/X and the Talislanta game. He is here mostly because we can now claim to be an international coalition of bloggers, which is like an Axis of Evil for some.

So, these are the new faces of the Dorkland! blog. They will be joining me in this den of iniquity and pushing their own brands of biased opinions. Over the next couple of weeks you will see their voices joining mine around here as we talk about the geeky, dorky things that get us excited (or piss us off).

Arduin!

Arduin holds a special place in gaming history. It was one of the early 3rd party "hacks" of D&D, and along with the Perrin Conventions helped to create a "West Coast style" of gaming back then. I have never actually encountered the Arduin materials previously, gaming was just much too regionalized when I was a kid and getting material like this just wasn't much of an option in my neck of the woods.

However, I received a big, heavy package from the nice people at Emperor's Choice today, chock full of Arduin goodness.

It isn't an understatement to say that there is a lot of stuff here. The (systemless) world book alone is over 800 pages of material alone. I know what my bedside reading is going to be for a while now. Check out Emperor's Choice's website (the publishers and owners of Arduin these days) while I digest and get ready to talk about David Hargrave's creations.

X-Files Season 10 Comic Preview

After the movies. After the television show. A new X-Files comic from creator/Executive Producer Chris Carter and IDW Publishing. Now you can see the cover and the first few pages of the book.

A Preview of IDW Publishing's Star Trek / Legion of Super-Heroes Trade

The trade collection of IDW Publishing's cross-over between the Star Trek and Legion of Super-Heroes universes has come out in the collected edition, while you wait for my review of it, check out this 11 page preview from IDW Pubishing that gives a hint at how writer Chris Roberson managed to merge the two settings.

Shaintar Cover Preview

If you watched tonight's interview with +Sean Fannon live you got to see a tiny version of the preview image of the cover for the upcoming Shaintar book. Now, in case you want to see a better version of it, here you go:

Click on the image to see it in all of its glory and thanks to Sean for providing this special preview.

Short Order Heroes

I've met some interesting people around Google Plus, a lot of people who are doing more than just talking about gaming...they're doing things and making the games that they want to have out there. One of these people is +Jesse Butler. He's got a Kickstarter coming up for what he's calling a hybrid of card games and RPGs. Short Order Heroes is sort of what he says it is, and what it is isn't half bad.

Obligatory Crappy Phone Picture

I received a promo deck of the cards in the mail from Jesse. What you get is a deck of 50-some (I admit that my phone rang while I was counting the deck and I lost count) playing card-sized cards, each with a quirky and evocative piece of art, an adjective (tied in to the piece of art) and a number. The number is there so that the cards can be used with a task resolution system (there are very brief rules enclosed with the deck). I really like the style of the artist (billed as Eleanor Ferron). I like quirky art. It reminds me a lot of the art of Jana Christy from Very Vicky, a favorite indie comic of mine from the 90s. The art in conjunction with the adjectives can very quickly give you some personality hooks for a character, or NPC.

Now, the idea of these cards is that you "make" a character by drawing three cards and using the adjectives on the cards describe your character. I can see this as a starting point for a character, but I do think that it would definitely need more meat (even for me). The idea of the adjective-based character creation would mesh well with a game like Fudge, where adjectives are already a part of the system. I can also see these cards as a way to come up with a personality for Generic NPC #5 that the GM is recycling a writeup of another NPC and wants a quick way to differentiate the two characters. I'm not saying that this approach isn't without merit, or use, but I think that it just needs a little more meat on its bones. And this is coming from someone who likes rules light games.

I can definitely see using this as a part of my next Fudge-based or PDQ-based game. It is a very cool tool, and GMs can always use a new tool in their toolboxes. The Kickstarter will definitely be worth a look when it starts up.

HARBINGER WARS #1 – Read the First Five Pages!

On April 3rd, there will be no winners. Just survivors. Harbinger Wars is coming!

 

Valiant is proud to present an advance preview of Harbinger Wars #1 (of 4) – the can't miss first chapter of the game-changing battle between Bloodshot and Harbinger that will define the Valiant Universe in 2013! From acclaimed writers Joshua Dysart and Duane Swierczynski and red-hot artists Clayton Henry and Clayton Crain, Valiant's first family crossover event starts right here this April!

 

For decades, Toyo Harada’s Harbinger Foundation and the government’s own Project Rising Spirit have been waging a secret war over the rarest resource known to man – the unruly superhuman telekinetics known as Harbingers. Over the years, they’ve each collected a small army of these empowered children to inflict their agendas on the world. But now, the reformed Harbinger hunter known as Bloodshot needs to atone for his crimes – and he’s going to start by releasing two dozen of the most volatile Harbingers from their PRS prison and into the world.

 

Bloodshot wants to lead them. Toyo Harada wants to control them. And Peter Stancheck, a teenage renegade with immense powers of his own, wants to give them free rein. But the runaway children of PRS have their own ideas for the future…and, as the body count rises, the Valiant Universe will realize that power this immense cannot be contained. It must be exercised. Who will survive the Harbinger Wars?

 

Spanning 12 issues total, the definitive Valiant Universe storyline of the year begins on April 3rd in Harbinger Wars #1 (of 4)! Then the action continues with new jumping-on points in Harbinger #11 and Bloodshot #10 – the first issues of all-new four-part storylines chronicling the fallout of the Valiant Universe’s first full-scale superhuman conflict. Follow the entire Harbinger Wars saga through Harbinger Wars, Harbinger and Bloodshot or read each series independently for a complete standalone story arc!

 

For more information on Harbinger Wars and the rest of the Valiant Universe, visit Valiant on Twitter, on Facebook, or at ValiantUniverse.com.

HARBINGER WARS #1 (OF 4)

Written by JOSHUA DYSART & DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI

Art by CLAYTON HENRY & CLAYTON CRAIN

Cover by LEWIS LAROSA (FEB131152)

Pullbox Exclusive Variant by CLAYTON HENRY (FEB131153)

Variant Cover by CLAYTON CRAIN (FEB131154)

Variant Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER (FEB131155)

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.

ON SALE – 4/3/13 (FOC – 3/11/13)

 

HARBINGER #11 (HARBINGER WARS)

Written by JOSHUA DYSART

Art & Cover by KHARI EVANS (FEB131156)

Pullbox Exclusive Cover by CLAYTON HENRY (FEB131157)

Variant Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER (FEB131158)

$3.99/T+/32pgs.

ON SALE 4/10/13 (FOC – 3/18/13)

 

BLOODSHOT #10 (HARBINGER WARS)

Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI

Art by BARRY KITSON

Cover by MICO SUAYAN (FEB131159)

Pullbox Exclusive Cover by CLAYTON HENRY (FEB131160)

Wraparound Variant by LEWIS LAROSA (FEB131161)

$3.99/T+/32pgs.

ON SALE 4/17/13 (FOC – 3/25/13)

 

 

The Lost: A Charity Fiction Anthology

I don't often push crowdfunding campaigns, mostly because I think they get enough momentum on their own. This one is a bit different, and it is kind of close to my heart. This is about The Lost: A Charity Fiction Anthology. And, eighteen days out from the finish, it is still a few hundred dollars away from its goal. From the campaign page:

The Lost is stories of hope, tragedy, and the people the world turns away from. From a young woman struggling with addiction to a streetwise Santa looking out for his friends, these stories range from literary to magical realism. The Lost is an anthology of stories that confront issues of homelessness and the people our society ignores.

The Lost features a great group of writers who have created daring, elegant stories of loss, redemption, and love.

and (most importantly):

The Lost is a fiction anthology with nine stories about the lives of the people society has forgotten. The proceeds from The Lost will benefit City Harvest, a charity that feeds the hungry. 

Now serving New York City for 30 years, City Harvest (www.cityharvest.org) is the world's first food rescue organization, dedicated to feeding the city’s hungry men, women, and children. This year, City Harvest will collect more than 42 million pounds of excess food from all segments of the food industry, including restaurants, grocers, corporate cafeterias, manufacturers, and farms. This food is then delivered free of charge to some 600 community food programs throughout New York City by a fleet of trucks and bikes. City Harvest helps feed the more than one million New Yorkers that face hunger each year.

Part of the reason that this charity is near and dear to me is because I've been homeless, and I know how you can feel close to that edge again (having been underemployed for a while now) , so I know that the time comes when you need to get help. I've never been one to easily ask for money, unlike some who seem to think it is OK to ask others to pay for things in life like moving expenses or car repairs. Homelessness are people who are in genuine need and who need genuine help, and people like +J.R. Blackwell and +Brennan Taylor of Galileo Games wanting to help warms my heart.

I've seen an ARC of the book, and there's some great fiction to be found in these pages. I'm sure you'll recognize some of the writers:

• Kathryn Watterson: Bumble Bee Brown
• C.J. Malarsky: Burning Ember
• Sarah Newton: Circles and Stars
• K. H. Vaughan: Hell on Wheels
• Megan Engelhardt: Jimmy Got-It Gets It
• Stephen D. Rogers: Magpie
• Meg Jayanth: The Beasts By Their Names
• Peter Woodworth: The End of Hungry Santa
• Shoshana Kessock: The Case of George the Curious

For  $5 you can receive one of the short stories in electronic form. For $10 you can receive the anthology in electronic form. Obviously, you can give more, help more. and that would be a great thing. Never ever give because someone says that you need to, or because you feel that you have to...give because it is the right thing to do.

An Early Look At Nova Praxis

I was able to get an early look at the playtest documents for the upcoming Nova Praxis game from Void Star Games. They have a Kickstarter in the works (and if you are reading this blog post from the future it could be already happening or finished).

Nova Praxis is a transhumanistic science fiction game that uses Void Games Stands of Fate variant of the Fate rules as its underlying game engine. Transhumanism is a burgeoning genre in tabletop role-playing. Steve Jackson Games tilled the soil years ago with their Transhuman Space game, a game that featured collaboration between game designers and futurists to make a transhuman setting that seemed a probable extrapolation of the current world into a future one. Eclipse Phase by Posthuman Studios also goes over this ground, but adds an element of horror to the transhumanist SF. Both of these are strong games, with strong followings, that would be difficult for a new game to surpass and set its own ground.

Some would say: Do we really need another transhumanist role-playing game? I think that's a dumb question because, at it's heart, transhumanism should be an extrapolation of today into a probably and plausible tomorrow. As today changes, so should the tomorrows keep pace.