This month, I have a special column for you. Consulting various sources,
including my old, sentient Commodore 64, this crack in my sister's ceiling
that has a mushroom shaped like Nixon's nose growing out of it, the Book of
Vile Darkness, and industry insiders... I've managed to compile a list of
new products planned for holiday release. For your convenience, I've sorted
them by company**:
White Wolf:
The darkest game yet from the creators of the popular Gothic RPG "Vampire:
The Masquerade." Play as one of the true powers that secretly rule the world
in the newed member of the World of Darkness family: "Politician, the
Promising" With an expanded merit and flaw system including merits such as
"Teflon reputation" and "Dopey but Cute" and such flaws as "Truthful" and
"Unable to make a speech without making a fool of yourself," this game
continues the series of "secret evil that lurks just beneath the surface of
society" that has made the other WoD games so successful.
"Their most realistic game yet! I can almost believe that these creatures
actually exist, living on the fringes of our society, and feeding off of our
pain, anguish, and campaign contributions."
--- Some guy we stopped on the street (he had enough piercings to be a WoD player)
Wizards of the Coast:
If you haven't encountered the Wizards of the Coast's d20 system, you
haven't been to a gaming store recently. Their newest game will follow tons
of other games (see the Palladium section later on) that have converted
over. It is tentatively titled: "d20 system." This is a quote from my WotC
contact:
"Based on the ever popular d20 system, this is a game about the ever popular
d20 system. This system has proven so popular, we've decided that we no
longer need to make a game to go with it! In this game, you play a 20 sided
die being used in any number of different roleplaying games. We've got a
Dungeons and Dragons module included in our core rulebook, and we're
planning on coming out with expansions for other, lesser games made by
other, lesser gaming companies that have wisely decided to use our system."
WizKids:
Their stuff is just about as much of a roleplaying game as Battletech. They
are a particularly closed-mouthed company, but I do know someone high up in
their janitorial department. He located a rather battered document that may
have some blood or ketchup stains on it. It details a strategic miniature
game based on the XFL called "Extreme XFL Football" and features plans to
make miniatures based on popular WWE wrestlers and really big guys they
found in dark alleyways. Quote a marketing agent that left a reply on the
document: "Great idea, guys! This is a big one, I think it might be almost
as popular as the original!"
ICE Productions:
Rolemaster, Third Edition. This looks to be one of my personal favorites.
What does d20 have on this elegant and simple gaming system? Absolutely
nothing. They've streamlined things significantly, but without losing all
of the complexity that made this game really special to play. As an added
bonus, it comes with a free 320 page reference full of only the most useful
charts and graphs you'll need to play. It also has revised rules to make
the fighting more realistic. In play testing we found that a chipmunk was
no longer able to best a third level fighter in one on one combat. They've
been made much weaker, and can only take out a first level fighter.
OSI:
Not to be outdone by Everquest's new pen and paper game, OSI plans on
releasing "Ultima Online: The Collectible Card Game." This here is from the
blurb on the Alpha version I picked up
Trade flamestrikes and e-bolts with a friend! Based on the extremely
popular "Ultima Online" MMORPG, this game features the incredible and
breathtaking art that made the original 2d version of our game have one of
the largest followings of all online games. Each starter pack comes with an
extremely rare card that matches the extreme rares currently found in the
game. Some of the possibilities include a llama shaped Energy Vortex, a red
bottle of wine, and a GM that actually responds to questions. As an added
bonus, just like we make you buy a new copy of the software for each
account, every booster pack is bundled with a starter kit. This way you're
guaranteed a rare with every purchase! Keep a watch out for the new
"Advanced Starter Kits" that you can purchase for an additional 20 dollars.
These exciting new kits start you with more power than a normal kit, these
are made to save you the time of searching for good cards.
Palladium:
In fairly large news, Palladium has decided to switch to the d20 system.
This is a surprising news for them, given past animosity between them and
TSR (now owned by Wizards of the Coast). When I asked a company
spokesperson about this odd turn of events, I received this reply:
CR: "Why is it that you decided to switch from your unique system to the
d20?"
Spokesperson: "There is nothing wrong with d20. It is a good system.
Wizards of the Coast is a good company. We are happy with the new system.
There is nothing wrong with d20. Assimilation is good. Conformity is
good. Resistance is futile."
Their marketing department had a little more to say:
CR: "What can you tell me about the new changes that the d20 system will
make to your game?"
Marketing: There won't be much in the way of changes. It's still the great
Rifts game, and it was always more about the world and making everyone buy
tons of books than the actual number system. New players won't notice a
difference, and current players won't have to worry. We have plans to
remake all 113 books into d20 compliance, so that they won't miss a thing.
** Please note: This author is not responsible for the veracity of any of
these claims, nor is he responsible for any therapy/mental anguish caused if
any of these products actually are released.
