August 29

RPG – Crafting Eberron and 5E Dungeon & Dragons.

Eberron
Eberron

Keith Backer is pretty sure that Eberron will see a 5E makeover, but until then wrote a blog the other day that will help you get started! He gives some pretty cool ideas on how to take some the the staples of the core rules and bend them to fit into Eberron. He suggests leaving a few things out like dragonmarks until they are reworked. So why not head on over to his site and read the full article!

Later Nerds!

August 26

Blurb – WotC Reworks Magic Release Schedule!

Starting autumn 2015 WotC will move away from their 3 block / 1 core release (explained below) to just 2 blocks twice a year.

Magic the Gathering
Magic the Gathering

“Expansion sets beginning with Mirage have come in groups (usually three) which form a block (the preferred term in actual gameplay) or cycle (the preferred term when describing the associated storyline) consisting of one large “stand-alone” expansion set of more than 300 cards, followed by one or two small expansion sets of less than 200 cards, which continue the themes introduced in the large set.”

They hope this will relieve some of the player concerns of a constant reinvention of the game. With this move that also hope that it will keep the the players excited about what they release and in turn keep the game fresh.

Rosewater Quote:

 Since the beginning of the block structure (Mirage block, way back in 1996), the third set has always been a problem child. It needs to have enough cohesion to feel as if it belongs to the block, but it has to have enough differences that it manages to spark the interest of the players, who have already been playing the environment for seven or more months.”

“Who exactly is the core set for? If it’s for beginners, why do we only put it out during one point of the year? Is that the one time we expect new players to start? And why do we keep adding new cards and bringing back mechanics? The beginners don’t need any of that and it only leads to making the set more complicated.”

The new set labeled “Blood” will be release in autumn of 2015. You can read more here.

Enjoy Nerds!

August 25

Blurb – Days of Wonder Merging With Asmodee!

Days of Wonder best known for it’s award winning Ticket to Ride tabletop game, announced today that it will merge with Asmodee Group.

Ticket to Ride
Ticket to Ride

Asmodee is a huge distributor of board and trading card games.  These guys handle other known brands such as Dixit and 7 Wonders and the French publishing rights to the Pokémon card game.

This move will allow Asmodee to find more exposure in the US gaming market. With the gaming community growing in the US (as one can see in the attendance at this years Gen Con) I am sure this will be a lucrative move for them.

One other thing! Not to worry the staff at Days of Wonder will continue heading up the brand as a independent company.

Only good things can come out a merger such as this. Lets face it more backing you have the more you experiment and create!

Until next time Nerds!

August 25

Blurb – Releases for 8/26/14!

Here is a list of releases that were scheduled to be in stores tomorrow 8-26-14. This is not an exhausted list (especially books where hundreds are released) but what caught my eye. If I missed something you think I should have mention or if you have a suggestion on what else to list every Tuesday let me know in the comments! Without further ado your releases for the week!

DVD Releases:

Blended

Belle

Legend of Oz: Dorothy’s Return

The Love Punch

The Double

Aftermath

Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhass

Cat Run 2

Cinemonovels

Criminal Minds: Season 9

Elementary: Season 2

Haven: Complete 4th Season

Heartland: Complete 4th Season

Heatstroke

Jackpot

North of Hell

Revenge: Season 3

Sons of Anarchy: Season 6

The Musketeers

Normal Heart

The Walking Dead Season 4

Trust Me

 

Video Games:

Super Time Force Ultra (PC) – August 25

Lichdom: Battlemage (PC) – August 26

Dark Souls II – Crown of the Old Iron King DLC (PS3, 360, PC) – August 26

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 (Vita) – August 26

Infamous: Second Son – First Light DLC (PS4) – August 26

Madden NFL 15 (Xbox One, 360, PS4, PS3) – August 26

Metro Redux (Digitally as Metro: 2033 Redux and Metro: Last Light Redux, Xbox One, PS4, PC) – August 26

The Walking Dead: Season Two, Episode 5 – No Going Back – August 26 (PSN, PC), August 27 (360), August 28 (iOS)

Zen Pinball – The Walking Dead – August 26 (PSN), August 27 (360, PC), August 28 (Wii U, iOS, Android)

Azure Striker Gunvolt (3DS) – August 29

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright (3DS) – August 29

 

Books:

Minecraft: Combat Handbook: An Official Mojang Book (Scholastic)

Amulet #6: Escape From Lucien (Kibuishi)

Madden NFL 15: Prima Official Game Guide (Media Inc)

The Rule of Thoughts (Mortality Doctrine, Book Two) (The Mortality Doctrine) (Dashner)

The Lore of the Evermen (The Evermen Saga Book 4) (Maxwell)

The Art of John Alvin (Alvin)

Winter of the World: Book Two of the Century Trilogy (Follett)

The Star Wars Deluxe Edition

Later Nerds!

August 22

Blurb – Museum/Hall of Fame to Honor Gary Gygax

Epic Quest Publishing has begun a Kickstarter to make that happen! The DRAGONWARS of TRAYTH is a new campaign setting for the Pathfinder and OSRIC (1e)Role Playing Game. The fully detailed Campaign contains 25 modules, a Campaign Guide , and Players Guide for the World of Kadar campaign setting. There is a write up about it over at roleplayerschronicle.com!

Dragonwars of Trayth
Dragonwars of Trayth

I had the great pleasure of meeting Gary Gygax at a couple of Gen Cons and I can tell you he was a very humble and awesome person. I think that a museum to honor him and those like him is a awesome idea and I for one support it. So head on over and help fund this project and make this a reality, I have!

Later Nerds!

August 21

Blurb – 5000 Year Old Game Tokens.

A post at news.discovery.com reports that Ege University’s Haluk Sağlamtimur presented a remarkable find of 5,000-year-old gaming tokens found in a Bronze Age burial mound at Başur Höyük in Turkey. They take a variety of forms (“Some depict pigs, dogs and pyramids, others feature round and bullet shapes. We also found dice as well as three circular tokens made of white shell and topped with a black round stone”) and suggest a game based in some way on the number four.

5000 Year Old Game Tokens
5000 Year Old Game Tokens

“Dating from the First Dynasty of Ur, around 2550-2400 B.C., the boards were associated with the “Game of Twenty Squares,” a board game played around 3000 B.C. Beautiful tokens related to the game were found arranged in a row, with the colors alternating, in another Ur tomb. The set consisted of seven shell roundels inlaid with of five lapis lazuli dots and seven roundels of black shale inlaid with five dots of white shell.” 

You can read more just follow the link above!

Later Nerds!

 

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August 19

Blurb – Gen Con Attendance Record Destroyed!

Gen Con had a record breaking weekend and beat it by just under 7,000 unique attendees! I wonder is it just the fact we need to find a place to escape that is crazier then our own reality. My vote is yes!

Below is the report found on Gen Con’s website.

“Gen Con 2014, completed August 14-17 at the Indiana Convention Center, experienced another year of record attendance numbers and unprecedented growth. For the fourth consecutive year, Gen Con grew by more than 10%. This year, reaching more than 14% year-over-year growth with a weekend turnstile attendance of 184,699 and unique attendance of 56,614. This number surpasses 2013’s previous record of 49,530 unique attendees. Since 2009, Gen Con’s annual attendance has more than doubled.

“Gen Con 2014 is a testament to a more than decade-long relationship between Indianapolis and the game industry, which has culminated in the best attendee experience yet,” said Adrian Swartout, CEO and owner of Gen Con LLC. “Gen Con is a massive yearly adventure that would not be possible without the collaboration and support of our show sponsors, exhibitors, event organizers, volunteers, local business partners, the Indy community, and of course, our attendees.”

Another new record in 2014 also was set for donations to Gen Con’s Official Charity Partner. Gen Con raised more than $40,000 for Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana’s BackSacks program, which provides weekend food to children at-risk for hunger. This donation includes a $20,000 check provided by Mayfair Games’ Cones of Dunshire event, a charitable game played Saturday, August 16 on Georgia Street.

“Since their first show in Indy in 2003, Gen Con has evolved into more than just a great convention for gamers – it’s become a one-of-a-kind cultural event,” said Leonard Hoops, president & CEO of Visit Indy. “The entire Indy hospitality community is proud to host Gen Con and we congratulate their team on yet another record-breaking year.”

Due to Gen Con’s expansion throughout the Indiana Convention Center, the show also featured record numbers of exhibitors (370+) and events (14,000+).

Gen Con 2015 will return to Indianapolis July 30 – August 2, 2015.”

I hope to be there with the other 60,000 nerds next year!

Later Nerds!

 

 

August 19

Blurb – New Release Day!

Here is a list of releases that were scheduled to be in stores today. This is not an exhausted list (expecially books where hundreds are released) but what caught my eye. If I missed something you think I should have mention or if you have a suggestion on what else to list every Tuesday let me know in the comments! Without further ado your releases for the week!

 

DVD Releases:

Adventure Planet

Go for Sisters

The Sacrament

Only Lovers Left Alive

The Amazing Spiderman 2

Fading Gigolo

The Quit Ones

 

Video Games:

Counterspy (PS4, PS3, Vita)

Crimsonland (Vita)

The Golf Club (Xbox One)

Gravity Badgers (Vita)

Hotline Miami (PS4)

The Last Tinker (PS4)

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (PS4, PS3)

Tales of Xillia 2 (PS3)

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – Ultimate Evil Edition (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3)

 

Books:

Players Hand Book (Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition)

Hoard of the Dragon Queen (Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition)

Pathfinder Adventure Path: Mummy’s Mask Part 5 – The Slave Trenches of (Paizo)

Pathfinder Adventure Path: Mummy’s Mask Part 6 – Pyramid of the Sky Pharaoh (Paizo)

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Mummy’s Mask Poster Map Folio (Paizo)

Pathfinder Player Companion: People of the River (Paizo)

Percy Jackson Greek Gods (Rick Riordan)

Tales of Xillia 2: Pima Official Game Guide

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Ultimate Evil Edition Signature Series Strategy Guide (BradyGames)

Invincible: The Ultimate Collection Volume 9 (Kirkman, Ottley, Rathburn, and Rauch)

Monster Musume Vol. 4 (OKAYADO)

The Complete Elfquest Volume 1 (Wendy Pini and Richard Pini)

Bounty Hunter Code: From The Files of Boba Fett (Star Wars) (Wallace, Windham, and Fry)

Marvels: The Platinum Edition Slipcase (Busiek and Ross)

The Ring of Nibelung (The Ring of the Nibelung) ( Russel and Kindzierski)

The Scorched Earth (The Chaos Born) (Karpyshyn)

Sherlock Holmes: The Spirit Box (Mann)

Warriors of the Imperium (Space Marines) (Hoare and Cawkwell)

 

Later Nerds!