Normally I don't cover GW news, as a Tau player though I thought it would be ok to break the rule just this once. Right now I imagine lots of Tau players sobbing quietly that they didn't order the Tidewall Rampart soon enough.

Why?

This thing is a giant block of Velveeta cheese.

It can move up to 6", but everyone on it counts as stationary for firing.

Troops on it can reroll any 1's for shooting.

One model in the drone port can opt not to shoot and instead upload telemetry to the Tidewall Gunrig (i.e. Twin Linked Railguns) on one enemy unit. This increases the model firing the Gunrig ballistic skill by 1, they also get Tank Hunter and Monster Hunter! (Twin Linked Strength 10, AP 1).

With the Drone Rig you basically get a free unit of four drones (gun, marker, shield). While they are in the rig they cannot be targeted but can detach (even in the first round).

Tidewall Field Rule, whenever you make a cover save because of the wall (be it 4+ or 2+ save) the Tau player rolls one d6 (for every cover save they make) if they get a 6 the enemy unit that fired takes an automatic wound or a glancing hit.

For 265 points.

Hawk Wargames launched their Kickstarter for DROPFLEET COMMANDER today and it is now funded! It is easy to see why people are lining up to back this game, as it has the same stunning style of miniatures that DROPSHIP COMMANDER provides. When you gaze at the variety of ship classes that can be built just from the Standard UCM Cruiser sprue it shows the incredible attention to detail Hawk Wargames has command of. I think that they are going to have another hit!

A piece of advice an editor once gave me, 'don't go dark.' This means that when you fall behind on your writing schedule, do not cut off communication with the editor and hope that you will somehow get back on track. It is actually very good advice and precisely what Green Ronin did when it came to release the Dragon Age Box Set 3...they went dark. Having bought the first two box sets I was eagerly awaiting the release of the third. Literally YEARS went by without a peep, even when I tried to contact them directly multiple times. I was not pleased...

Then, one day, 'taaa daaa' here you go Box Set 3 and by the way we are releasing a hardcover core rulebook that covers all three box sets and then some. Soooo...we are cool...right?

*insert blank stare here*

The one thing about being a fan of the Dragon Age Origins video game, at least as far as I am concerned, is that the fanboy in me just couldn't stomp off and say screw it. Unlike some people I was not inclined to make a giant bonfire and burn the Dragon Age material that I did own while recording it for posterity (i.e. my YouTube channel and now VImeo) whilst giving a profanity laced rant. So it came as no surprise to me when I found myself at the cash register of my not so local game store with a copy of the meaty tome in hand. As my wife drove for the next hour I had my head buried in the book.



First Impressions...

This hardcover tome clocks in at 440 pages, so there is a lot more meat in it than all three box sets combined. The art work captures the feel of the game and so do the rules, albeit in a muted fashion in terms of powers available to the characters. My big take away is that if you are not a fan of the original video game you are probably not going to be overly impressed with this game system. I think that is the whole point though, this is meant to be faithful to the game and not just another version of D&D or Pathfinder.

There in lies the rub, the real success of Dragon Age: Origins was not the graphics (although Orzammar was impressive) or really even the story, it was the dialog between the characters. IMNSHO the ensemble of voice actors gathered for DA Origins were a perfect fit and the dialog itself was precisely crafted and executed. If you could somehow take that level of dialog and embed it in Skyrim I would probably become a hermit doing little more than play such a game.

How do you capture that level of interplay between the characters sitting around the game table?

I am not sure that you can but it would be fun to try.



Second Impressions...

You have 3 classes Mage, Rogue and Warrior, 30 backgrounds (far more than the video game), after that comes the Focuses, Talents & Specializations. The last three are basically versions of what you got in the video game, again though, I would stress watered down in terms of their potency and the frequency with which you gain them. In spite of that, I have to give Green Ronin high marks for getting this right.

Within the system the basic test is 3d6, with one of those dice being the dragon die (i.e. a different color than the other two). How it works is pretty straight forward, tell the GM what you want to do. The GM determines the ability to be used and what, if any focus applies. Then the GM assigns a target number which reflects the difficulty. You roll the 3d6 and add the ability to come up with the total.

The Dragon Die is used to measure degrees of success, break ties and generate stunt points. Stunt points are used for special maneuvers which cover Combat, Exploration and Roleplaying Stunts. It is nice touch and again helps capture the feel of the video game without requiring a CPA to do your character sheet.

In terms of the system, I give it high marks for accomplishing what I believe it was intended to do!



The bad...

From page 340 to 425 you basically have a series of adventures in Thedas. I do not know how it is that line developers insist on this utter bullshit waste of page count, when they could have made them available as PDFs on this thing called the internet. To devote so much of this book to these adventures...which are not stellar IMO...is enough to badly ding an otherwise well executed book.

They also stopped short on the full list of Raw Material Effects. Certainly not the end of the world but given how much energy they devoted to the adventures it was a slight annoyance.



Overall...

The Dragon Age RPG gives you the framework within which you can run/play games that capture the flavor of the original video game. Even if you are not familiar with the video games, there is plenty of background material present in the book to bring you fully up to speed. For the true Dragon Age aficionado you could pick up the Dragon Age: The World of Thedas Volume 1 from Amazon.com.

"On October 26th, Paradox Interactive acquired White Wolf Publishing and the World of Darkness. White Wolf is based in Stockholm, Sweden, with a brand new team and a focused vision. As a separate company owned be Paradox Interactive, White Wolf is dedicated to bringing its gritty and mature brand of participatory storytelling to fans new and old. This vision will be realized in multiple digital games titles, across a full range of media and immersive live-action events."

The basic question comes down to this...what does all that really mean?

We know that White Wolf Publishing is getting a new CEO, Tobias Sjogren (formerly the Executive Vice President of business development at Paradox) and he will run this subsidiary as an independent company.

Fredrik Wester (Chief Executive) has stated that they are going to re-evaluate the licensing, starting from scratch and bringing everything "under one flag."

Up to this point if you wanted a copy of Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition you would have to purchase it through DriveThruRPG and at a hefty price. For the PDF $29.99 and the POD versions really get expensive the Softcover B&W is currently listed at $49.99...if you want the Hardcover Color Book (Premium) $104.99.

From the indications that have been given there are plans to continue with the pen and paper RPG, who is handling it and what format it is going to take remains to be seen.




I want to give a special shout out for Harbinger for giving me a heads up on this unfolding news!

Sally 4th has a plan...

"To design and manufacture a range of twelve 28mm model building kits for WW2 Normandy gaming using our new photo - realistic model making techniques. These kits will contain simple, robust parts, laser cut from 3mm Medite and 2mm MDF combined with detailed parts cut from coloured mounting board, perspex glazing and downloadable high quality cover sheets to print out to easily complete your models to the same standard as the ones in these photographs.The following buildings are available now:

• Normandy Mid-Terrace
• Normandy Left Hand End-Terrace
• Normandy Right Hand End-Terrace
• Normandy Stone Built Detached Town House
• Norman Church
• Normandy Corner Shops

The following buildings are included in the project as Stretch Goals.

• The House at Dead Man's Corner
• Normandy Cafe
• Ruined Normandy Town House
• Terrace Shop
• Factory Buildings
• Factory Admin Building

Details of these and other stretch goals including free removable first floors, alternative textures, ruined roofs and cobblestone sections can be found at the bottom of the page, past the pledge and add-on sections.

We have many more photos of the different layout / pledge levels and the terrain being tested at gaming conventions in our photo-realistic terrain gallery.

What do we mean by photo-realistic buildings? This is a model making technique that Sally 4th have been developing over the last year that combines the advantages of laser cut MDF kits with high quality, digitally printed photographic cover sheets. This combination has significant benefits. Our MDF building shells are robust, accurate, easy to assemble, light and will not warp. Walls are cut from 3mm Medite, floors and roofs from 2mm MDF. Each building also contains glazing, laser cut from Perspex and fine detail such as shutters and glazing bars which are laser cut from quality mounting board.  

Buildings are finished by covering them with cover sheets that are based on photographs of real plaster, stone etc. These are emailed to you as a PDF file which can be printed on any inkjet or laser printer. The tiles for roofs are printed and then laid in overlapping strips to quickly and easily build up a realistic looking roof structure. All pieces are the exact shape and size needed, so once the shell is completed all that you need to do is print and cut out the cover shapes and glue them into position using PVA glue. This technique hides all MDF joints, so there is no way that you can tell that it as an MDF kit underneath and provides consistent results, so any model maker can complete a kit that looks exactly the same as the manufacturers photographs.

We finish off our buildings by coating them with hard wearing decoupage varnish that gives a very hard wearing surface. Once varnished buildings can be distressed by applying weathering powders."

If you are a Bolt Action player, like myself, then this is definitely a Kickstarter you should take a look at!

Currently in development at Fantasy Flight Games is...Lead By Example. This 96 page sourcebook offer players and GM's three new Command specializations, Figurehead, Instructor, and Strategist. There are new PC species, gear, and vehicles as well as guidelines for placing PCs within large-scale combat scene and suggestions for military campaigns.

In other Star Wars RPG news, Mask of the Pirate Queen is due to be released November 30th!

"Mask of the Pirate Queen also opens up two more planets in the Star Wars galaxy for you to explore. Today’s preview offers a glimpse of one of them: the galaxy’s most infamous shadowport, a haven for bounty hunters, smugglers, and all variety of criminals: Ord Mantell.

For centuries, Ord Mantell served the Republic as a regional depot, but gradually the planet’s strategic significance dwindled. Eventually, the Republic abandoned the military spaceports it had once constructed, leaving them to be occupied, controlled, and used by a number of criminal and corporate elements. Since that point, Ord Mantell’s link with the Republic has been tenuous. During the Clone Wars, it became home to Darth Maul’s Shadow Collective, and even now, under Imperial rule, the planet retains a good measure of autonomy.

As a celebration of its criminal heritage, Ord Mantell hosts the annual Blockade Runners’ Derby, a treacherous competition between smugglers and other thrill-seeking pilots. Prizes tend to take the form of lucrative and illegal business contracts, and more than one fortune has been lost through gambling on the race’s outcome. Many of the galaxy’s best and most notorious smugglers have competed in it. A certain Han Solo managed to win an unprecedented three times."

Yes...there is even MORE Star Wars news! Hey, at least I am not rehashing the latest trailer for Stars Wars The Force Awakens!

Due out December 31st is Keeping The Peace!

"You’ve moved objects with your mind, and leapt several meters in a single bound. You’ve secretly influenced the minds of other sentients and healed their wounds. You can even peer into the future. Maybe you’ve used these powers to make money, pilot a ship, find out secret information, or even just stay alive. Yet there is far more you can do. You can save the lives of others, battle oppression, change a village or planet for the better — even affect the future of the entire galaxy. 

Those who take up the Guardian Career in the Star Wars®: Force and Destiny™ roleplaying game use their powers to make positive changes and fight for the lives of others at the risk of their own. The upcoming supplement Keeping the Peace offers these heroic individuals new specializations, talents, gear, and vehicles, so that they can better protect anyone in need. You can learn about the Guardian specializations of Keeping the Peace in the announcement for it. 

Yet there’s more to being a Guardian than the Force powers you possess and the lightsaber you wield. Today’s preview takes a look at some of the epic Guardian stories that you might experience and how Keeping the Peace can help players and GMs create those stories together."

Mantic Games is taking pre-orders for Kings of War: Uncharted Empires, which will begin shipping in November!

"The heat shimmer that ripples above the parched earth does little to mask the horrors that lie assembled before you. You must focus on the task ahead. No plan survives contact with the enemy and the army you face is a howling, ravening horde of death that will test you to the limit. Today will be recorded in history but only one side will write it. Do you have the skill and courage to ensure it is you? Go. The time for war is now!

Welcome to Uncharted Empires, an Army Supplement book for Kings of War, the massed combat tabletop fantasy game set in the magical realm of Mantica. In this book, you are going to find:

• Nine brand new Kings of War armies giving budding generals a whole host of new options and dastardly tricks to outfox and out-fight their opponents, including The Brotherhood, Salamander Armies, The Herd, The League of Rhordia, The Trident Realms of Neritica, The Empire of Dust, Night-Stalker Armies, Ratkin Armies and the Varangur
• New special rules to further enrich your playing experience.
• Lots of new background information on all the armies and the units within them."

"They said there were no monsters. But there are.

It is the 23rd Century. Across the cold void of space, alien monsters prey on humanity: infesting generation-ships, destroying colonies, and transforming humans into hosts for their foul spoor. From the insectoid hive-beasts of Klaatu, to the xenomorphic parasites of the outer rim, this book contains the sum total of human knowledge of the myriad forms of alien menace; where to find them…and how to kill them. In this guide you will find details of mankind's greatest champions, the marines of STAR Industries. With their state-of-the-art technology and advanced combat tactics developed over a century of warfare, the STAR marines battle the alien, wherever it may strike."

Bug Hunts is yet another October release for Osprey Publishing, written by Mark Latham and illustrated by Darren Tan and RU-MOR.  At only 80 pageExpect them to get straight to the heart of the matter, giving you everything you need to go on a Bug Hunt.

Continuing on with my recent foray into modern 28mm wargaming, from Acheson Creations we have the Stryker Fighting Vehicle. Priced at $26 it is one of the best deals around, coming in almost 50% less than at least one competitor. I believe that this vehicle is cast from a urethane plastic (one of the primary materials the Craig uses for his buildings), which is both incredibly durable as well as picking up details very well.

If you are 40k or Warhammer player and need even more 28mm skulls (as every self respecting GW player does) , Acheson Creations sells them in bags of 50 at only $5!

Not really new news per say, but perhaps some of you may not be familiar with the Hudson & Allen 25mm scenery (although they work great with 28mm figs). Pictured is their Deluxe Castle "This model consists of six separate pieces that can be rearranged to form different castle layouts or a long wall. It includes a gatehouse with a working cast pewter drawbridge and separate gangway piece. The tower, great hall, and stable tops are removable. The overall size of the layout shown is 30" long by 16" wide by 7.25" tall. This models does come pre-primed in gray latex primer."

I have their Standard Four Section Castle along with the Basic Medieval Tower Keep, and they are two of my favorite scenery pieces.

With just 6 days left on their Battletech Kickstarter, Hairbrained Schemes is sitting at $2,070,257 funding. So...the game is funded but in this final stretch what we really need is one last HUGE push to get to $2.5 million for the PVP mode! We are SO close and I know that we can bridge this last gap if we take to the Twitterverse, Facebook, Instagram...door to door if need be!

Yes, I am pandering.

No, I am NOT ashamed!

Look as cool as everything we will get at the current funding level is great and I am excited for it. Make no mistake though, you and I both know that we want the PVP, we need PVP, so lets get PVP!

Knights of Dice, an Australian based scenery manufacturer, is offering 11 more days of free worldwide shipping during their pre-order period! Which is a pretty big deal in and of itself, however they have started teasing (or tormenting) us with their Wave 2...Chinatown!

As good as Sentry City buildings look, and they look great, these Chinatown buildings floored me! They have designed these buildings with layer upon layer of intricate details that give you an end result that is anything BUT a shoebox.

Pictured left is Millers Tower, standing an impressive 18-inches tall, complete with balconies and a fire escape it has a 10-inch by 12-inch footprint. The price tag of $110 dollars might seem on the high side, just remember that is Australian dollars which is $79.51 US dollars, € 71.96, or £51.85 Pound Sterling. Couple that with the free international shipping and you have a 4 story deal that is hard to beat!

Currently they have 9 different buildings available for the Sentry City, this does NOT include the Chinatown buildings. With that many unique buildings, given their average footprint, you can easily fill out your gaming table without having to purchase the same building over and over.


If the details on the buildings were not enough for you they have a full line of accessories. A 6-inch overpass for pedestrians, antenna pack, billboard, bus shelter, cell towers, dumpsters, roof-top access, subway entrance, and a telephone booth!

Warsenal is now offering these colored acrylic discs to track the status of different models for Infinity. There are six different colors (blue, orange, yellow, green, purple, red) in 25mm, 40mm, 50mm sizes. The holes in the markers line up with those on Warsenal and Corvus Belli bases to make magnetizing them easier with Warsenal's Rare Earth Magnets.

The idea behind these base markers is to reduce tabletop clutter with all of those counters that Infinity uses. Not that I am complaining, being a big fan of Infinity it will be fun to try these out. Just make sure that you have the Infinity Silhouette Markers, so you can resolve any questions about your jacked up models (with all of those base markers underneath).

Human Interface Nakamura Tower, the Cyberpunk Boardgame by Postindustrial Games out of the UK, has just released another update.

Perhaps, I am getting ahead of myself though. HINT, is a boardgame designed for 1 or more players. Set in the near future when the world is dominated by cyber tech and the dirty plays of might corps and powerful governments. The action takes place on a modular board, with models and a detailed set of rules.

The update is that the rules are in proofreading and will be published next Friday.

Of course that wasn't the only bit of news about HINT. Turns out they have reworked The Snake Queen, giving her a BFG (i.e. a sniper rifle) and tweaked out her battlesuit. As part of the long range hitter of the Black Stone Commandos, players are expecting her to make her presence felt.

If you are interested it is still possible for you to get in on the Kickstarter with a Late Pledge, just click that LATE PLEDGE HERE button and you will be good to go!

You can stay informed with the latest chatter on their Facebook page.

Happy Suppuku Modelworks is running a Kickstarter for their Base and Terrain Stamp Upgrade The STAMPEDE! As of right now they are almost funded, needing only a little bit more to make the $8,000 goal.

How it works is you have their stamp, apply some putty to the miniature base and then press the stamp down. They currently have a good selection of stamps in 3x5 inch size and are looking to step it up to 6x6 inch scenic stamp line for diorama's or dungeon tile work! Given how much it can cost to purchase custom bases for an entire army this offers to be a much more economical solution.

As a side note, while they are using green stuff putty...I am not entire convinced that a person couldn't use DAS air dry clay in lieu of the far more expensive green stuff. Something that I plan to check on and see if it is possible, stay tuned as I will let you know.

Kraken Wargames is getting ready for their Kickstarter at the end on the month. Specializing in highly detailed wargaming mats with an anti slip rubber backing that will roll out perfectly even after months of being rolled up. They will be offering these mats in 6x4, 4x4, 6x3, and 3x3 sizes with at least six different designs to choose from!

First...there was Dropship Commander but those dropships have to get to the planets somehow...behold, Dropfleet Commander! Dropship Commander has taken the EU by storm and the personal story of David Lewis is pretty inspiring as well. Here we get our first look at the cover art for the new 2-person game. Hawk Wargames could very well have another mega hit on their hands.

Steve Jackson Games has shipped Munchkin Treasure Hunt, a boardgame for up to 6 players (ages 6 and up). The game comes with 2 custom six-sided dice, 96 colorful cards, 4 blank cards (so you can write your own), six character standies, and a rulesheet.

The munchkins, move around the board. If you land on a monster, use the Monster cards to find out how tough it is, then roll a die and use your Treasures (like Protective Kittens or a Broccoli Smoothie - which sounds nasty), to bet it. When you run out of Treasure cards, whoever has the most gold in their hand wins the game.

Maybe its because I am fan of the Starz show Spartacus: Blood and Sand that I am so taken with Arena Rex! The miniatures are stunning and it should be pointed out in 35mm. Hagal is the latest release and there is no mistaking the fact that he is ready to spill gallons of blood in cinematic slow motion style! He is a resin miniature, supplied unassembled alongside a plastic 40mm Arena Rex base, activation token, art card, and a game card. Sculpted by Stephanie Nguyen van Gioi and painted by Benjamin Williams.

Funbox Media, in cooperation with HR Games are pleased to announce that legendary Games Workshop product SPACE HULK will launch In Europe and Australia on October 23rd for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.

Based on the best-selling board game (that GW only allows the public to buy once every decade or so) set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, SPACE HULK is a 3D digital turn based strategy game that recreates the classic claustrophobic board game experience for a single player and multiplayer hotseat play.