A Dissension Poll

As long as we're talking Dissension...

There's a poll in the forum asking YOU, our faithful gamers, what kind of Dissension tournament you would want to play in when the goal is to win a full booster box of this new set.

So, be sure to sign up for the forums (if you haven't already) and participate in the poll and discussion about the format for this tournament.

Head over to the poll thread...

Dissension Sneak Preview

Wizards of the Coast just posted their first official preview from the upcoming Dissension set. The big news here is that those cool split cards are back. You know, those cards that are like two cards in one.

Go Have A Look at the Preview...

And a special thanks to Sam H. on the forum for pointing out that this little tidbit had appeared today.

Want to Build a Drop Pod?

Fancy yourself a modeler? The French GW site has posted plans for building your own Space Marine drop pod. Everything you need to know about how to build one from the ground up... assuming you can read French. There's a reasonable chance that these plans will show up in English though.

Check out the plans here...

Games Day Atlanta Golden Demon Photos

The photos of all of the award winners from the Golden Demon Awards at this year's Games Day Atlanta are now available.

Nothing gets me more inspired to paint than looking at the fantastic work of the Golden Demon winners. Sure, most of the time I'm left with my jaw on the floor with that look of "how the heck did he do THAT" on my face, but I'm never deterred. I like trying to improve my work and incorporating what I see in others work into my own style.

Recently I haven't had too much time to paint. My painting area lacks the right lighting, I don't have access to a good TV or radio near by and generally I just haven't found myself in the mood. So, when something like this spurs the imagination I try to grab that inspiration by the horns and let it take me where it will while I can hold on.

Check out the winners here...

Oh, and I want to give a special shout-out to Tabletop Gaming News for clueing me in to this bit of news. Tabletop Gaming News has become one of my new daily stops on the internets.

Bolter & Chainsword back from the dead?

Bolter & Chainsword has long been one of our favorite fan sites for Warhammer 40k. A couple of months ago their forums shut down and all that was left in their wake was a message saying that they were working on getting things fixed. Then nothing.

Yesterday a ray of hope appeared with the following message:

March 20th: We are working with invision to get the Software and board restored after buying a new server. --- Brother Argos

This is good news indeed!

Halo Graphic Novel..

This has little to nothing to do with the store, but it got me all excited this morning. The short version is this - Marvel is publishing a Halo graphic novel that is being produced by Bungie. That just rocks.

Read the details in the press release below:

MARVEL AND BUNGIE STUDIOS BRING VIDEO GAME PHENOMENON HALO TO THE COMIC BOOK ARENA

The Halo Graphic Novel to debut in summer 2006

Original Graphic Novel to Feature All-New Adventures from the Halo Universe by a Legendary Cast of Comic Book Artists and Writers

NEW YORK – Bungie Studios, part of Microsoft Game Studios, has joined forces with Marvel Comics to release a highly anticipated graphic novel inspired by one of the most popular franchises in the history of the video game industry. The universe of the Xbox phenomenon Halo will be brought to life for the first time in comic form via the Halo Graphic Novel (HGN), a 128 page full-color jacketed hardcover book with an anticipated July 2006 release.

The HGN is independently produced by Bungie Studios, while Marvel has signed on as the exclusive publisher obtaining print and distribution rights. The HGN is the first exciting result of this new partnership and additional Halo comic projects are in the works.

"We are thrilled to be working with the Halo property, as it's proven to be an international sensation since its very inception," said Ruwan Jayatilleke, Director of Development, Publishing. "And being that I am an avid Halo fan, this creative synergy in the graphic fiction medium makes it all the more thrilling."

The Halo Graphic Novel is an anthology of original stories set in the Halo universe representing an unprecedented display of visual storytelling. Building on the success of the critically acclaimed Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 video games, the graphic novel will feature the series' iconic characters, weapons and scenarios and the epic struggle against the alien threats known as the Covenant and the Flood.

The HGN's main storyline and three additional stories are the work of some of the comic industry's most brilliant artists and writers including Moebius, Phil Hale, Ed Lee, Tsutomo Nihei, Jay Faerber, Andrew Robinson, Simon Bisley and Lee Hammock. The novel will also include a substantial collection of gallery pages showcasing original, never-before seen Halo inspired artwork from all-star comic book artists as well as Bungie's own art team.

"The chance to give our faithful fans something this special was a chance we had to jump at," said Harold Ryan, Studio Manager of Bungie Studios. "Re-exploring the Halo universe with some of our favorite comic book artists and writers – indeed, some of the greatest of all time – was a true labor of love and we couldn't have picked a better partner than Marvel to help us achieve our vision."

"With Marvel and Halo's similar loyal fan bases, we are confident that Halo's transition into the comic book arena will further bolster the characters, storylines and huge popularity of the property with not only the longtime, dedicated Halo fans but among comic book fans as well," said Dan Buckley, President and Publisher of Marvel Entertainment, Publishing.

HorrorClix Great Cthulhu

Oh hell yeah!

You need to go check out these photos of an upcoming promo figure for Wizkid's new HorrorClix game.

Possibly the best Cthulhu figure I've seen.

And a better preview here...

Pogs Making a Comeback?

While scrolling through the pictures that Gamingreport.com has of the show floor at GTS I spotted a photo of a booth that seemed to be selling "Pogs". For those of you too young to remember this was a highly cerebral game where you stack up a bunch of cardboard disks, then pound the stack with your "slammer" usually a heavier, metal disk in an attempt to knock the cardboard disks askew. It was SUPER popular for about 5 minutes and then it disappeared in the early 90's I think.

Well, they seem to think that they need their other 10 minutes of fame...

Rumor: Star Wars Starship Combat CMG in 2007

This is a rumor that we've been hearing for a while but gamingreport.com got a fresh batch of rumors at GTS and these rumors say that it's coming next year.

Read the rumor...

The Future of Flames of War

As I said, the game announcements are coming fast and furious. This latest bit has to do with our favorite WWII miniatures game - Flames of War.

First off, the second edition of the rulebook will be coming this August - and it's a hardback edition (I love hardbacks). But I know that some of you are saying "but I don't WANT to buy another rulebook." Guess what? If you already own the current rulebook Battlefront is going to give you the new rules for free. That's right. They're creating a special rulebook to update those people who don't want to buy the rulebook again and they'll be giving it away through the stores. Just bring in your old rulebook and we get to give you the new rules set - and you keep your old book (we just stamp it with "I survived mid-war".

This is normally the kind of thing that players wistfully fantasize about but know is never going to happen. Well, it's happening.

But that's not all.

Battlefront is going to consolidate all of the intelligence manuals into two theater books. Eastern front and Western front. Each of these will give you all of the stats and rules for the forces involved so you don't have to buy a new book just to know your enemies forces.

But that's not all.

In Septemeber Battlefront will release a new Late War book covering every country as of January 1944. Then in November they'll release a new Normandy campaign book followed by four division books covering the divisions that took part in the Normandy period of the war. There are more forward looking plans for late war that you can read about on the Flames of War page.

But that's not all.

How long have we been asking for planes? They're coming
How about some nice terrain and buildings? GF9 has that covered.
How about early war? Covered
How about a new period entirely? Keep your eyes pealed.

And more more info, please go to the Flames of War page...

Warhammer 40K RPG(s) Announced

This is going to be a busy period for new game announcements. With the GAMA Trade Show (GTS) going on right now new games are practically falling from the sky.

Rather than post the press release (which you can get to by clicking the headline above) let me point out the most interesting aspect of the announcement. That is, there will be more than one game. The first game, Dark Heresy puts you in the role of an Inquisitor and Retinue. Later games will focus on Rogue Traders and the Death Watch Space Marines.

The cool thing about getting multiple games is that I've always thought that it would be tough to impossible to cover the entire scope of RPG possibilities with just one game in this setting. Apparently the good folks at Black Industries felt the same way. Personally, I'm more interested in playing an Imperial Guard grunt than I am playing a Space Marine or Inquisitor, but I can see how I might be in the minority there. Of course, being a Rogue Trader could be quite interesting.

The sad part is that we're not going to see Dark Heresy until 2007 and the other games will follow the first in 18 month installments.

I'm truely excited about this... and I don't want to wait until next year dagnabbit!

WoTC Announces DREAMBLADE

This is the secret game I mentioned last night. You can get more info and pictures by going to their website.

RENTON, Wash. - DREAMBLADE is an evolutionary leap in collectable miniatures gaming with innovative strategy, a robust tournament structure for all skill levels, and strikingly detailed miniatures. DREAMBLADE will be showcased at GAMA Trade Show in the Wizards of the Coast booth #401 at the Riviera Hotel and Casino Convention Center in Las Vegas March 13-16, 2006. Wizards of the Coast, the world leader in hobby gaming, is a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS).

"DREAMBLADE players take on the role of powerful psychic dream lords, summoning creatures to do battle in the dreamscape," said lead DREAMBLADE designer Jonathan Tweet. "Since the dreamscape encompasses all of humanity’s hopes and fears, DREAMBLADE miniatures can be futuristic, scary, bizarre, or steeped in mythology."

Dream lords harvest the power of the collective unconscious from four aspects: Valor, Madness, Fear and Passion. Players can build their warbands using miniatures from any combination of these aspects. Each aspect supports different strategies and is represented by a unique visual style.
DREAMBLADE is designed to play quickly and progress from one strategic move to the next. Players balance board position against combat and weigh long-term advantage against short-term gain. DREAMBLADE eliminates minor tactical details in favor of broad strategic concepts. A good player can always come from behind to win.

DREAMBLADE offers a tournament system designed to reward players of all skill levels. The majority of DREAMBLADE prizes will be spread out to support local events across the country so players will have greater access to cash prizes. DREAMBLADE will also have high-level events and the prizes that go with them, such as the $20,000 launch tournament at GenCon Indy.

Wizards of the Coast is planning 800 Edge tournaments nationwide in 2006 to support the launch of the game. Cash prizes will be offered at Dream Series events comprised of 80 1K Tournaments ($1,000) and four 10K tournaments ($10,000). The schedule grows in 2007, leading up to the $50,000 DREAMBLADE Championship Tournament at GenCon Indy.

The initial summer release of starters and boosters includes 96 miniatures. Starter sets (MSRP $29.99) contain 16 random miniatures. Booster packs (MSRP $14.99) contain seven random miniatures A fall booster pack release will add 60 figures to the line.
For more information, visit dreamblademinis.com.

So... What's The Secret Game?

Wizards of the Coast is announcing a new game this week at the Gama Trade Show. I'll be revealing the name of the game and everything that I can currently dig up about it on Wednesday morning. Stay tuned...

What is Time Spiral???

Time Spiral is the title of not the NEXT set for Magic: The Gathering (that's Dissension and its coming in May), but the one AFTER that.

The cool symbol to the left is the symbol for the new expansion and it'll be coming at you in October.

Why am I telling you this now? Because Wizards of the Coast just mentioned it on their website today and there's a good chance that this is news to you.

Actually, I think that the symbol and the title are pretty cool and I can't wait to hear more about it - because I've just exhausted all of the available information about the set.

So Many Events in March!!!

Here's a rundown of all we're doing this month here at the store. Some of it's coming up soon, so pay attention!

• Friday the 10th: High Stakes Drifter Constructed Event 5pm, $5. Booster Packs for prizes!
• Saturday the 11th: MechWarrior National Qualifier 5pm, Free! Constructed Format
  
• Starting Sunday the 12th: WARMACHINE The Icy Grip of Winter Campaign begins! 3pm, Free!
  
• Saturday the 18th: 40K Mega Battle!!! 1pm, Free!
• Saturday the 25th: Magic the Gathering Guildpact Booster Box Tournament 1pm, $12 Win an entire box of Guildpact! Standard Format

There are also, of course, other Magic tournaments, MechWarrior events Star Wars minis and more, going on throughout the month! Call up or stop in and pick up a calendar!

Take a WoW TCG Survey and Maybe Win Something

Interested in providing your input on the upcoming World of Warcraft trading card game? Well, Upper Deck would like you to participate in their survey about the game. Judging from the questions they're either not very far along with the game, or they're starting to second-guess what they have done.

So, head over to the survey and tell them how YOU would do it (as long as you can do that in the context of a multiple-choice survey).

I want to share my opinions with Upper Deck NOW!

Pro Tour Honolulu Results

Why is this man so happy?

Because he came out on top over every other Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour player this past weekend in Honolulu.

Sure, it's not enough that he recently won $5000 on The Price is Right (no joke) but he just won $40,000 playing Magic.

Want to get all of the details? Want to see the decks that the various players brought the this Pro Tour? Want to see video of what it's like to be at the Pro Tour? If the answer to any of these questions is "yes" then you'll want to go to the Wizards' Pro Tour page and check out the coverage.

Yes, I want to see more stuff about Pro Tour Honolulu...

GURPS: TRAVELLER Interstellar Wars

As the first of the Gurps: Traveller books to come out since the transition to 4th edition I thought a few of you might be interested that this should be in store in the next couple of weeks.

The transition between the First Imperium, governed by the Vilani, and the Rule of Man, led by the Terran Confederation, has always been a pivotal era in Marc Miller's Traveller universe. Now, for the first time in any game system, Traveller players can explore this rich setting.

GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars covers 200 years of war and change as the ancient Vilani Imperium falls to the upstart Terrans. In this time of conflict, the opportunities for adventure are more exciting than ever before! Forge new trade routes within the Imperium itself. Defend the homeworld from invaders during the Siege of Terra. Make first contact with alien races. Help guide the Terran Confederation in its expansion from a single planet to a star-spanning empire.

GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars is an official GURPS Fourth Edition sourcebook for the Traveller universe. It includes a detailed timeline, along with rules for starship design, interstellar trade, exploration, ship-to-ship combat, and tailoring characters to the last days of the First Imperium.
240 pages. Full color. Hardback. Stock #01-2401, ISBN 1-55634-746-4. $39.95.

Order it from Greenfield Games...