WHFRP Publisher to Publish DC RPG

This bit of news was a little unexpected. Black Industries - the RPG arm of GW - is producing a roleplaying game set in the DC Comics universe. I'm really curious to see what this end up looking like. There's no specific word on a release date yet.

Black Industries, BL Publishing’s highly successful Role Playing Game imprint, is proud to announce that it has signed a deal with DC Comics to produce a brand new super hero RPG.

“I am absolutely delighted to be working with a company of such a high calibre as DC Comics,” says Simon Butler, head of Black Industries. “DC Comics represents the very pinnacle of this genre, and the property’s long and proud history within gaming makes working with DC a dream come true.”

“DC Comics is delighted to work with Black Industries for the first time ,” said John Nee, Vice President, Business Development, DC Comics. “Role playing games are tremendously popular with DC’s fan base and fans of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman can now look forward to a new series of books and accessories for this table top role playing game based on the DC Universe.”

Starship Troopers RPG Preview

Take a look at these sample pages from the upcoming RPG based on the movie/TV show/miniatures game. This looks to be a pretty exciting and interesting Sci-fi RPG. Mongoose Publishing is really doing some cool stuff these days. I'm pretty excited about this one.

I need to kill me some bugs!

Download the PDF preview here...

Rockin' Zelda Tune - Blood of Ganon

(Originally discovered on "Joystiq")

Wow. Just wow. If you've ever been a fan of the Legend of Zelda games you'll want to give a listen to this most excellent MP3 created by "virt" hosted on VGMix.com. It's essentially a remix of a number of themes from the Zelda games and it's awesome. Actually, I really like it until the end when it changes its style about three times... but other than that it's great.

Go forth and download yon MP3...

Who Is More Evil - Darth Vader or Movie Execs?

This is a hilarious commercial for "Orange" (I have no idea what Orange is but I think it has to do with mobile something). It features Darth Vader pitching the next Star Wars movie...

View the hilarity here...

Vote For Your Favorite Games

Every year the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design (AAGAD) hosts the Origin Awards at.. Origins. This is supposed to be like the Academy Awards of gaming where people within the industry (members of the academy) vote on what they believe are the most outstanding games of the year. Like the Academy Awards a lot of people who actually play the games don't always agree on their choices. So, this year they're hosting a separate Gamer's Choice awards where YOU can vote on your favorite games.

Go hear to log in and vote...

Warhammer MMORPG In The Works... Again.

Hey all. I'm posting from the floor of the Electronic Entertainment Expo - AKA E3. I figured I'd post the most relevant announcement from here for those of you who frequent our site. That is, GW's announced deal with Mythic to produce a Massively Multiplayer RPG based on Warhammer.

Some of you might recall that a project like this was started a number of years back... and then scrapped. Hopefully this one will work out better as it's being put together by a team with some experience creating games like this.

Here's the entire press release:

Mythic Entertainment, developer and publisher of massively-multiplayer online role-playing games including "Dark Age of Camelot" and the upcoming "Imperator," today announced that they have secured the exclusive worldwide rights to create massively multiplayer online games for PC and console set in the fantasy world of Warhammer, created by Nottingham, UK-based Games Workshop Group PLC. The first game based upon the dark, medieval world of Warhammer will be released on PC in 2007.

"I have always been a big fan of Games Workshop and Warhammer and I am thrilled that we are now ableto work on one of the world’s greatest and most enduring fantasy gaming brands," said Mark Jacobs, CEO and president of Mythic Entertainment, Inc. "Our goal for this first of what we hope will be many Warhammer-based games is to create the single-greatest RvR-based MMORPG in the industry."

"Warhammer fans around the world can be assured that our new partnership with Mythic, a company with fantastic credentials in delivering great online games, will result in a truly compelling online experience," said Andy Jones, CEO of Games Workshop’s Entertainment and Media Division. "We are really looking forward to working closely with people who share our passion both for the world of Warhammer and for making games of the highest quality."

Mythic and Games Workshop will be available during E3 in Los Angeles from May 18th through May 20th at booth #5001C in the Concourse Hall.

About Warhammer - Games Workshop created the Warhammer world more than 23 years ago, as the setting for its wildly successful tabletop fantasy wargame of the same name. Since then the game has been released in 6 editions, had dozens of supplements, and been the basis for tens of thousands of unique model soldier designs, making it one of the most well documented and detailed fantasy settings in existence. The world itself is a dark and forbidding fantasy realm, where Elves, Orcs, Dwarfs, Undead, and many other races clash constantly in mighty battles seeking domination over each other. Meanwhile, the insidious forces of Chaos strive to undermine the basic fabric of society both from within and by the direct invasion of its legions of daemons, beastmen and warped human champions.The Warhammer community stretches across the world, supported by Games Workshop’s 320+ stores, 4000+ independent retailers, and many games clubs, tournaments and events such as the annual Games Days in the UK, USA, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Australia. There is also a thriving web community based around the official website and many thousands of fan sites.

RSS Feed Up and Running

If you didn't understand the headine, pay attention (and if you did... well, it's fixed and you know what to do - move along).

Okay, here a new trick I learned about my Firefox browser today. You are using Firefox, right? Anyway, if you're reading this message and using Firefox check the bottom-right corner of your browser window. See that little orange icon with the little waves? Click on it and 'subscribe' to Griffon Games. This was create a bookmark that will pick up the new headines here as they are created. You don't even have to come to the site to see if we've added a new story - you can just check your bookmarks! It's the ultimate in surfing laziness. I love it.

I didn't even realize that out site would do this until tonight and then I noticed that it wasn't doing it right so I fixed it. The RSS feed that is. So now that it's fixed you can do this cool thing with your browser. Admit it, you're impressed.

Are You A Fan of Ethshar?

I've been a big fan of Lawrence Watt Evan's Ethshar series since I was in high school. Every time I've picked up the new book it's felt like visiting with a good friend that I just don't see enough of. Well, LWE has decided to experiment with the latest Ethshar novel by doing an electronic release of it. Here are the details:

Here's the deal: I have posted the first draft of the first few chapters of The Spriggan Mirror, the ninth novel in the series. Below (on his site) you'll find some options for making donations. Every week, if I've received another $100 in donations, I'll post another chapter -- and I'll do my darnedest to always have at least one more chapter written, ready, and waiting each week. Ordinarily, it will be posted late Saturday or early Sunday.

If I haven't received $100 to pay for that week's chapter, it won't be posted until I have.

If more than the $100 target comes in, the extra will be credited toward the following chapter, so you don't need to worry about ''wasting'' a payment if it's more than is needed for a particular chapter.

I started with four complete chapters and part of a fifth, I have seven and part of an eighth done as of May 8, 2005, and will write more as needed. Barring disaster, I should be able to maintain a weekly schedule unless I'm traveling, or it's the holidays and I'm spending time with my family instead of writing.

I will not post more than one chapter a week unless money just pours in at some point and I have the material ready. It does take some time to write this, and I do have other obligations.

This system is partly inspired by the Street Performer Protocol, and by the system known as the Storyteller's Bowl, but I've modified them to suit my purposes. Similar things have been attempted before, I'm not inventing anything new.

Anyway, as I already mentioned, I'm a big fan of the series so I plan to donate myself - if only to thank him for the years of reading pleasure that he's given me already. If you haven't read his stuff I highly recommend it to lovers of fantasy In fact, click right here for a link to some of his novels on Amazon.com.

Then go here to check out the first few chapters of his new book and donate to the cause...

Axis & Allies Collectible Miniatures Game Coming

MAY 6, 2005 (Renton, Wash.) -- On Sunday, May 8, iconic strategy game brand AVALON HILL - published by Seattle-based hobby-game leader Wizards of the Coast (NYSE: HAS) - will announce the launch of Axis & Allies Miniatures, a revolutionary new World War II themed wargame system set to hit store shelves in late summer of 2005. The announcement will coincide with the sixtieth anniversary of VE Day, the end of the war in Europe.

Axis & Allies Miniatures gives both novice wargamers and veteran grognards the ability to engage in historically authentic, squad-level tactical combat with detailed, 15mm scale, pre-painted plastic miniatures featuring varying degrees of rarity to enhance collectability. Hard-hitting, fast-paced game play makes every Axis & Allies Miniatures battle a blitzkrieg. Ready to play right out of the box, Axis & Allies Miniatures features easy to master rules that don’t sacrifice authenticity. A single skirmish can be played in under an hour, or, players can advance their custom-constructed squad through a meat grinder of combat, battling from the hedgerows of Brittany to the steps of the Reichs Chancellery.

"Axis & Allies Miniatures represents the crossroads between AVALON HILL’s greatest wargame titles of yesteryear - such as Squad Leader and Up Front - and Wizards’ role as a pacesetter in tactical miniatures combat games," said Linda Cox, brand manager for AVALON HILL at Wizards of the Coast. "There’s no politics in Axis & Allies Miniatures - this is gritty combat in the trenches as only AVALON HILL can portray."

The Axis & Allies name is best known as the title of a cult-classic strategic board game first published by Nova Games in 1981 and subsequently revised and expanded by MILTON BRADLEY and AVALON HILL with Axis & Allies Europe, Axis & Allies

Pacific and Axis & Allies D-Day. Console and PC-game titles bearing the Axis & Allies
name have also been produced by Hasbro Interactive and Atari. Axis & Allies Miniatures brings yet another dimension into the A&A game universe.

"Since 1957 the story of AVALON HILL has been inseparably tangled with the
story of serious, strategy gaming. Axis & Allies Miniatures represents a bold rededication of Wizards’ commitment to the rich history and tradition at the heart of that brand," said Kyle Murray, Director of Marketing at Wizards of the Coast. "Axis & Allies is the gold standard in WWII games; Axis & Allies Miniatures will meet and exceed our customers expectations."

Base Set, featuring forty-eight soldiers and vehicles from WWII plus detailed hex maps of terrain representing the battlefields of Europe, will be first shown to the public at the GENCON game convention in Indianapolis this August and is set to hit store shelves the following week. A 48-figure expansion, bringing additional vehicles and troops into combat, will follow in December. More expansions are planned through 2006.

Game Details
Challenge your friends to fast, head-to-head combat with the Axis & Allies Miniatures Game! This high-quality skirmish game is playable right out of the box. With these faithful reproductions of real WWII combat vehicles and fighting units, you can recreate historical battles from World War II with authentic Shermans, Panzers, infantry, and more! Or create your own battles!

The starter kit contains pre-painted, 15mm, plastic miniature soldiers and vehicles from WWII that animate the action on the battlefield, along with game stat cards that dictate the firepower, armor, and abilities of each unit. Booster packs bring additional soldiers and vehicles into play.

The Base Set Starter Pack Contains:
•12 collectable miniatures based on battlefield units of World War II
-tanks, antitank guns, commanders, infantry units, and 1 random rare
-miniatures are prepainted, fully assembled, and made of durable plastic
•Full-color game stat cards
•4 double-sided, full-color battle mats
•10 six-sided dice
•Rulebook
•Set checklist

The Base Set Booster Pack Contains:
•9 randomized, prepainted, durable plastic miniatures
•Full-color game stat cards
•Set checklist
(Rules not included in booster.)

$24.99 (MSRP) - Starter
$14.99 (MSRP) - Booster

40K Club Night Moves to Wednesday

Starting this Wednesday, May 11th, the Warhammer 40,000 club that met on Monday nights will now be meeting on Wednesday nights at 7:00pm.

What's the Warhammer 40,000 club? Well, it's a group that gets together after hours specifically to play WH40K. It's a lot of fun as everybody is there for one purpose without any outside interruptions.

Want to join in the fun? Talk to Seth at the store about how to get it.

Jay's Tau on eBay

I've been meaning to divest myself of my Tau army for a while. At least one person has benefitted from this switch to Space Marines at the store, but now I'm going all in and putting everything up on eBay. Right now there are three units on the block. My Fire Warriors, one of my Kroot squads (the only one I painted) and the Stealth Suits. All for reasonable starting bids. I sort of hope somebody locally gets them so that I can watch somebody enjoy them.

Have a look at the auctions...

Green Lantern Corps Coming to VS System

CARLSBAD, CA - Upper Deck Entertainment’s Vs. System gets powered-up will the all-new DC Comics Trading Card Game expansion set, The Green Lantern Corps. Based on the famous intergalactic police force,

The Green Lantern Corps makes its debut at participating hobby stores nationwide in May.

One of the most anticipated expansions in the Vs. System, the 220-card set allows players to build some of the most power-packed decks around the following new teams: the Emerald Enemies (the arch nemeses of The Green Lantern Corps); the Manhunters (an evil robotic police force); and the Anti-Matter Universe (which includes tricks to compliment the highly-popular concealed mechanic), and of course, the Green Lanterns of the various star systems across the universe.

Additionally, the set will introduce the newest mechanic to the Vs. System -- Willpower. With the use of Willpower, characters now have a new way to find the strength they need to overcome all obstacles.

Resurrecting past and present heroes, The Green Lantern Corps features iconic characters such as Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, and Kyle Rayner. The set also showcases many heroes and villains of the DC Comics library, along with new characters from teams introduced in the previous DC Comics TCG expansions, Origins and Superman: Man of Steel.

The DC Comics TCG uses the innovative Vs. System game engine - UDE’s unique engine designed and developed specifically to support Super Heroes? in one-on-one competition. Development of the game included testing by top professional TCG players from around the world to ensure that the Vs. System is carefully balanced for high-level competition, as well as casual play.

For more information on The Green Lantern Corps expansion set, the Vs. System, or Upper Deck Entertainment products, please log onto www.upperdeckentertainment.com.

Iron Kingdoms Compendium

The lads at Buccaneer Bass have put together a wonderful resource for fans of the Iron Kingdoms, and we thought we would share the news.

The Iron Kingdoms Compendium is an unofficial online encyclopedia of the Iron Kingdoms. Now you can know your Aeric from your Wizard's Coal. So if you are reading your World Guide and wonder, 'who is this Morrow they keep talking about?' - you'll find the answer is at your fingertips. This large undertaking has info on just about every WARMACHINE and Iron Kingdoms character and place. So why not drop by the Buccaneer Bass Inn, take a look, and thank the fellows for all their hard work?

Check out the Compendium...

Iron Kingdoms - Liber Mechanika Art Preview

Today, we'd like share two art previews from the Liber Mechanika - your guide to all things mechanikal in the Iron Kingdoms.

The Liber Mechanika contains many secrets of Cyriss-tech, including servitors seen in the enigmatic halls of the temples of the Cult of Cyriss.

Also included is gear for surviving the rigors of the Iron Kingdoms. When the going gets tough, adventurers get steam-powered armor.

Gear up for Full-Metal Fantasy with the Liber Mechanika.