Robotech Tactics

Robotech^® RPG Tactics^™ – Coming Fall 2013

Robotech® fans, this is the game you’ve wanted for decades, with beautifully sculpted, in scale, game pieces and the fast action of Robotech®.

Robotech® RPG Tactics™ is a fast-paced, tabletop combat game that captures the action and adventure of the Robotech® anime. Two or more players can engage in small squad skirmishes or scale up to massive battles. Relive the clashes of the First Robotech War, engage in stand-alone tactical games or use the dynamic game pieces to enhance your Robotech® RPG experience. Or simply collect your favorite mecha from an expanding range of top-notch game pieces.

Mecha vs Mecha. Take command of the fighting forces of the United Earth Defense Force (UEDF) valiantly defending Earth from alien annihilation. Or lead the massive clone armies of the Zentraedi Armada to recover an alien artifact of immense power and enslave humankind.

 

Robotech^® RPG Tactics^™ Box Set

• Brought to you by Palladium Books®, created with Ninja Division (the creative minds behindSoda Pop Miniatures and Cipher Studios).
• Rules by Alessio Cavatore, David Freeman and Carmen Bellaire.
• Full color, 128 page, softcover rule book; wraparound cover and lots of new, color artwork.
• 24 Battle Dice, 12 UEDF and 12 Zentraedi.
• 40 color game cards (unit cards, etc.).
• 4x VF-1A Valkyries (in Fighter, Guardian, and Battloid modes).
• 1x VF-1J “Officer” in all three modes.
• 4x Destroids: 2 Tomahawks and 2 Defenders.
• 12x Regult Zentraedi Battlepods.
• 1x Glaug Officer’s Battlepod.
• 1x Quel-Regult Recon Battlepod.
• 1x Quel-Gulnau Recovery Pod.
• 1/285th scale, high quality, multi-pose plastic game pieces (40mm to 70mm tall). World-class sculpts from sculptors around the world.
• Game rules use D6.
• Turn-based system of play.
• Scalable from small squad skirmishes to mass battles. Can accommodate two to several players.
• Combat is fast and designed to emulate the anime action.
• Measuring tape required to determine targets and distance.
• Small parts and some assembly required. Game pieces come unpainted.
• Release Date: Barring any unexpected delays, the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ box game and initial expansion sets ship Autumn 2013 (November?).
• $90 retail price (tentative). The price of the final box set is not yet determined, but we want to hold it around $90.
• Cat. No. 55100 (Main Boxed Game).

 

The First Six Robotech^® Expansion Packs

The initial expansion packs will also ship in the Fall. All prices listed are likely, but still tentative. We want most packs to fall in the $25-$35 price range.

• UEDF Valkyrie Wing (2x each, Fighter, Guardian, Battloid) – Cat. No. 55201 – $30.00 retail (tentative).
• UEDF Destroid Pack (2x Tomahawks, 2x Defenders) – Cat. No. 55202 – $30.00 (tentative).
• UEDF Spartan Pack (2x Spartans, 2x Phalanxes), Cat. No. 55203 – $30.00 (tentative).
• Zentraedi Regult Battlepod Squadron (6x Regults) – Cat. No. 55401 – $30.00 (tentative).
• Zentraedi Support Battlepods (4x Artillery Battlepods) – Cat. No. 55402 – $30.00 (tentative).
• Zentraedi Command Pack (1x Glaug, 1x Quel-Regult, 1x Quel-Gulnau) – Cat. No. 55403 – $35.00 (tentative).
• Additional expansion packs at intervals throughout 2014. More will follow. Exactly how many, and how fast, will depend on manufacturing considerations, sales and customer demand.
• Palladium plans to release the mecha and settings for ALL eras of Robotech®. Many other details are still in development.
• Tournament play support is planned. Ninja Division will help Palladium to develop and launch the program sometime in 2014.

 

Fall Con – 2012

Well I went to FallCon yesterday and had a pretty good time. It wasn’t as busy as I had expected it to be, which made for a much better experience over all. I was a bit disappointed that Patrick Gleason and Doug Manke hadn’t made an appearance before I left at 2 pm. But they are usually here for SpringCon every year so getting a chance to meet them isn’t a problem. Other guest creators that I want to mention are Daniel J.Olson and a comic called Night of the Smurfing Dead! Also a web Comic called Fun Factory now in print!

Fun Factory

“Fun Factory is about 10 year old Billy Calrissian, who has  won a contest to become the new CEO of Funtastic’s Fun Factory Inc.  FFF Inc was founded by Mr. Funtastic, the former CEO.  The contest was created by the board after the company facing numerous problems from the Department of Justice for their very unethical business practices.  The board figured there was no way the DOJ would go after a ten year old child; they’d look like monsters.

Since assuming responsibility as CEO, Billy has to contend with the illegal immigrant workers, former CEO Mr. Funtastic, the CFO Sol Funtastolichivinovski (brother of Mr. Funtastic who Americanized the name for the company), Billy’s grandmother Buella, as well as sentient toys and all sorts of other adventures.

Fun Factory updates Tuesday – Friday.  It is highly offensive humor meant for more mature (or immature?) audiences.  If you are easily offended, this is not the comic for you.  Perhaps you’d rather go buy a newspaper and see what Marmaduke is up to?” – from the creators

As I was wondering around the convention I was flagged down by a very enthusiastic young man telling me what my back pack needed to improve itself! “Why a copy of the greatest book ever!” he boasted. I of coarse was intrigued by the brash statement, so I stopped and listened to what he was pitching. As it turns out the book in question is Vol. 1 of Fun Factory, collecting seven stories from their web Comic. I met Clemens(the writer), Sarah(the Colorist) and Patrick(the Creator/Penciller). After paging through the book I found a panel:

I decided I had to read more, so I bought it! I’m not very far into the book yet but it has been a fun read so far. The book is put together very nicely, with a cool glossy cover filled with a lot of the characters from the series. Check out their site; go to FunFactorycomic and read more about it..

Daniel J. Olson

A local indie comic creator here in Minneapolis, Minnesota is the man behind such titles as Super Maxi-Pad Girl  and Bret Blackberg; which is his ongoing 24 hr comic. So far he has finished 9 chapters of a 50 state tour.

“Bret Blackberg is a nobody living in a trailer somewhere in Montanathat is until his life is turned upside down by a small man named Hit Hat. Bret is destined for a quest to save the princess of Montanafrom a mysterious brewmaster, but just who is this Bret Bronzeman fellow?”

Read chapter one over at Dans web site HERE 

New to Comics?

Comic books began in the 1930s as a unique American art form that has grown – like so many American forms of entertainment – to spread around the globe. From Japanese businessmen reading manga on the subways of Tokyoto French artists re-interpreting Proust with words and pictures, comics have changed entertainment and challenged perceptions. These days, there are comic books for every taste, from slam-bang super-hero adventures and thoughtful slice-of-life to thrilling science fiction and intense drama.

If it’s been a while since you’ve read a comic book, prepare to be pleasantly surprised by the breadth of variety available!

If you’re new to comics, here’s some information that will help you get the most out of them.

Formats and Definitions

History

Comics and Pop Culture

Comics as Literature

Collecting Comics

Comics for Young Readers

Helpful Links

All of these link are from the Halloween ComicFest Web Site, who invites you to join your local comic shop to celebrate Halloween on October 27th!

Here is a list of comics that will be available on Halloween at your local comic shop: HERE

Fantagraphics – pre-order pics and more

1.) Walt Disney’s Donald Duck: A Christmas in Shack Town
      240 pages, Hard Cover Edition $28.99 release date: N/A

2.) Creeping Death from Neptune: Science Fiction and Horror Comics by Basil Wolverton
      288 pages, Softcover edition $39.99 release date: April 2013

3.) Came the Dawn and other Stories: part of the EC Comics Library
       208 pages, Hard Cover Edition $28.99 Release date: October 2012

4.) The Secret History of Marvel Comics:
       300 pages, Hard Cover Edition $39.99 Release Date: February 2013

       “Marvel Comics is home to such legendary super-heroes as Spider-Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man, all of whom have spun box office gold in the 21st century. But Marvel Comics has a secret history hidden in the shadows of these well-known franchises.

The Secret History of Marvel Comics digs back to the 1930s when Marvel Comics wasn’t just a comic-book producing company. Marvel Comics owner Martin Goodman had tentacles into a publishing world that might have made that era’s conservative American parents lynch him on his front porch. Marvel was but a small part of Goodman’s publishing empire, which had begun years before he published his first comic book. Goodman mostly published lurid and sensationalistic story books (known as “pulps”) and magazines, featuring sexually-charged detective and romance short fiction, and celebrity gossip scandal sheets. And artists like Jack Kirby, who was producing Captain America for eight-year-olds, were simultaneously dipping their toes in both ponds.

The Secret History of Marvel Comics tells this parallel story of 1930s/40s Marvel Comics sharing offices with those Goodman publications not quite fit for children. The book also features a comprehensive display of the artwork produced for Goodman’s other enterprises by Marvel Comics artists such as Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, Alex Schomburg, Bill Everett, Al Jaffee, and Dan DeCarlo, plus the very best pulp artists in the field, including Norman Saunders, John Walter Scott, Hans Wesso, L.F. Bjorklund, and Marvel Comics #1 cover artist Frank R. Paul. Goodman’s magazines also featured cover stories on celebrities such as Jackie Gleason, Elizabeth Taylor, Liberace, and Sophia Loren, as well as contributions from famous literary and social figures such as Isaac Asimov, Theodore Sturgeon, and L. Ron Hubbard.

These rare pieces of comic art, pulp and magazine history will open the door to Marvel Comics’ unseen history.”

Other recommendations from Fantagraphics:

The Complete Peanuts: Vol. 1

  “50 Years of Art. 25 Books. Two books per year for 12 1/2 years. Fantagraphics Books is proud to present the most eagerly-awaited and ambitious publishing project in the history of the American comic strip: the complete reprinting of Charles M. Schulz’s classic, Peanuts. Considered to be one of the most popular comic strips in the history of the world, Peanuts will be, for the first time, collected in its entirety.

Each volume in the series runs approximately 320 pages in a 8″ x 6 1/2″ hardcover format, presenting two years of strips along with supplementary material. The series will present the entire run in chronological order, dailies and Sundays.”

There are 18 Volumes to the Complete Peanuts collection, so check out the site for more details and costs.

SpaceHawk: 

The Spacehawk Halloween ComicFest 2012 mini-comic is available for FREE on Halloween 2012 exclusively at participating comic shops! Featuring a complete space-faring, monster-jammed Spacehawk story and some fun Spacehawk surprises we cooked up, this all-ages treat was produced especially for HalloweenComicFest 2012.

Fire & Water: Bill Everett, the Sub Mariner and the Birth of Marvel Comics

    192 pages, Hard Cover Edition $39.99 Available Now- comes with a signed Book Plate!

The Art of Joe Kubert

  232 pages, Hard Cover Edition $39.99 Available Now 

Click here for a PDF Preview!

Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko

  216 pages, Hard Cover Edition $39.99 Available Now 

Click here for a PDF preview

Action! Mystery! Thrills! Comic Book Covers of the Golden Age 1933 – 1945

  208 pages, Soft Cover Edition $29.99 Available Now

Click here for a PDF Preview

I think I will end this post here, I found alot more books I would recommend but I suggest you go through the FANTAGRAPHICS store and see what you like. Let me know what your recommendations would be!

47 Ronin #1 – PreOrder

Coming November 7th from Dark Horse Comics is 47 RONIN #1, by Mike Richardson and Stan Sakai.

“Among the best-known tales in Japanese history, the legend of the 47 Ronin and their epic mission to avenge their disgraced master epitomizes the samurai code of honor. It has been said, “To know the story of the 47 Ronin is to know Japan.” Retold through the ages, the legend at last comes to comics in a meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated miniseries from Mike Richardson, Stan Sakai, and editorial consultant Kazuo Koike! Recounting this sweeping tale of honor and violence in all its grandeur, chapter one details the tragic incident that would seal the fate of Lord Asano and set forty-seven of his vassals on a years-long path of vengeance!”

As most of you know I love everything Stan Sakai has done in his carrier and this new mini-series looks incredible. I love how Stan draws human characters, their are subtle differences between them and his anthropomorphic characters from Usagi Yojimbo, but his lines are still simple and elegant. See for yourself with this preview of issue one from Multiversity Comics.

Be sure to pre-order this book at your local comic shop or Dark Horse Comics web site.

Comic Shop Locator

Dark Horse Comics

Usagi Yojimbo Dojo

Star Wars – Whats new?!

Starwars – The Clone Wars Season 5 starts this Saturday morning September 29th, I’m so excited!

“Strength in character can defeat strength in numbers.”

Fueled by vengeance and rage, the newly reunited brothers Savage Opress and Maul spread terror and violence across the galaxy. As the Sith brothers forcibly recruit Hondo Ohnaka and his pirates, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Adi Gallia chase them down, leading to a deadly confrontation.

Here is a trailer for Episode 1

Interview with James Arnold Tayler (Obi-wan Kenobi) on Season 5 of the clone wars. Check it out over at Newsarama : Here

On October 6th, 2012, fans will come together to celebrate reading and Star Wars. Join in the fun by finding an event near you in the map provided below. All events will have giveaways and a raffle. Select events will have authors and/or costumed characters on hand from the 501st Legion, the Rebel Legion, the Mandalorian Mercs and the R2 Builders Club.

Find a Star Wars Reads Day Event Near You!

Here are the event locations in the twin cities:

1.) Barnes and Noble

2100 North Snelling Ave Roseville, MN 55113

Event Time: 2pm

Event Details: Celebrate Star Wars Reads Day and master the art of reading! This event includes special appearances by authors Dan Wallace, Troy Denning and John Jackson Miller, along with giveaways, photo opportunities and a chance to win great Star Wars prizes.

2.) Barnes and Noble

3225 W 69th Edina, MN 55435

Event Time: 2pm

Event Details: Celebrate Star Wars Reads Day and master the art of reading! This event includes games, trivia, giveaways, and a chance to win great Star Wars prizes.

3.) Barnes and Noble

3000 Eden Prairie Center Eden Prairie, MN 55344

Event Time: 2pm

Event Details: Celebrate Star Wars Reads Day and master the art of reading! This event includes games, trivia, giveaways, and a chance to win great Star Wars prizes.

Night’s Watch (pre-order)

Yesterday Green Ronin announced the Pre-order for Night’s Watch A source book for a Song of Ice and Fire Role playing game.  Product details (from Green Ronins site):

Night’s Watch

A Sourcebook for A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying
Authors: Joe Carriker, John Hay, Lee Hammock, Ian Ireland, Michelle Lyons, and Brett Rebischke-Smith Cover Artist: Slawomir Maniak
Format: 128 pages, full color hardback
ISBN-10: 1-934547-50-6
ISBN-13: 978-1-934547-50-2

“Though the Great Houses and their vassals play the eternal Game of Thrones, there are some who do not. The men of the Night’s Watch guard the immense and icy Wall, built in the ancient days of Westeros to hold back the terrible things of the Long Night. Once a mighty cohort of brave knights and lords who gave up everything to protect the Seven Kingdoms from the predators of the Far North, the Night’s Watch is now a rag-tag band of thieves, murderers, and those who ran afoul of the political machinations of their enemies. When the wildlings stir on the other side of the Wall, and the cold winds rise once more, will they be enough to save Westeros? Night’s Watch gives you everything you need add this once noble order to your A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying chronicle. It includes rules for playing men of the Night’s Watch and wildlings alike, as well as new information about the mysterious Others. Pray, men of the green lands, for Winter is Coming!”

Price: $32.95

You can order a PDF version if you  prefer a digital copy, for $17.50 or like most of Green Ronin’s products you can get the PDF version for $5.00 when you pre-order the book. Here are a couple of preview pages from the book:

Preview #1

Preview #2

RPG related Kick starter projects!

So I decided to go through the kick starter web site today just to see what else was out there for us crazy gamers, here is what I found:

Savage Outfitter: A digital platform for the Savage Worlds RPG, it can be used on your smart phone or web browser.

Judge Dredd Miniatures game: Block wars – Mongoose publishing is expanding their Dredd supplement and 28mm miniature line. ( as mention in yesterdays post)

Tentacles and Eyeballs– An RPG horror Miniature Set: Brought to you by Dark Platypus Studios, this kick starter is for a set of .. well tentacle monsters and “Beholders” (note: dont want to get in trouble with wizards of the coast, but thats what they are) These are really cool.

Eternity Dice: There are 3 different dice types, d6, fudge and dungeon all hand crafted out of LAVA rock!

Quarantine Z – A zombie survival card game: The title is self explanatory but you can go to their web site and download a printable version of the game to try it out. They also have all the rules on how to play, go check it out! 

City of Iron: a board game in which 2 – 4 players compete to build up the most powerful nation in a world of magic and machines.

Dungeonlands: Tomb of the Lich Queen: A role playing game setting for both Savage Worlds and Pathfinder rules. This looks very cool! I plan on backing this one!

Judge Dredd!!

Games Workshop

With this weekends release of Dredd 3D in theaters, I thought id take a look at whats out there for Judge Dredd gaming items. Based on the fictional world of the Judge Dredd series from the British comic 2000AD. Games workshop released the original game back in the 80’s with its own rules set. I remember seeing these but I had never played the game or really read any of the comics.

Mongoose Publishing

In 2009 Mongoose Publishing acquired the rights and  produced a new RPG and a table top miniature  game. Once again I must admit I have yet to even page through this book. But I do plan on buying one in the near future. On the comic front, you can order a few trades from amazon, or digitally from the 2000AD web store. Unfortunately they are not available through comixology.

“Judge Dredd is a 28mm skirmish game designed to be quick, easy to learn, and capable of handling the madness that is Mega-City One, from the powerful judges to the lowliest punk or mutant.

Players can choose from a range of forces present in Mega-City One and beyond, from the Judges of the Justice Department itself, to the nastiest street gangs from the worst sectors of the city. Add to this Klegg Invasion Forces, Cursed Earth Desperadoes, Fattie Stampedes and Sky Surfers, and the true madness of Mega-City One is set to hit your tabletop with a bang!”

This looks like it would be a lot of fun to play, you can download the rules book and Block war supplement PDF’s HERE. There are a huge assortment of miniatures to choose from. Judges include – Tek, Psi, Riot, Holocaust, Med, SJS and Cadets. Cursed Earth Desperadoes, Sky Surfers, Agents, Assassins, Droids and many more to choose from. I also wanted to mention that Mongoose is currently running a Kickstarter for a new Block War supplement and Miniatures set. There is 20 days left as of this post, so go check it out!

Let me know if you have ever played the Role Playing Games or the Miniatures, I would love to hear from you!

Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space roleplaying game – Upcoming products

Defending The Earth: The U.N.I.T. Sourcebook

Front and centre, soldier! You’re part of UNIT now, the Unified Intelligence Taskforce. We are the Earth’s best defence against the myriad alien forces who would try to subjugate and conquer our planet. Try they might, but they will meet UNIT: a global military force tasked with protecting the planet and researching the alien threat.

It’s not an easy job, and even those recruited for their scientific knowledge can find themselves on the front lines of combat against an almost unstoppable foe. It’s dangerous, violent and not everyone will survive, but for the good of the planet we will do everything in our power to protect humanity from extraterrestrial terrors.Defending the Earth is an expansion set for the Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space roleplaying game.

Within this box you will find:

•160 page rulebook detailing the history of UNIT, along with additional information for creating UNIT characters, including new Traits and Areas of Expertise, as well as expanded firearms and combat rules, including mass combat and skirmish rules.

•32 page Adventure book, featuring a whole new ready-to-play adventure and many ideas for additional stories.

•Character sheets for major UNIT personnel, including the legendary Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

and more… (Originally solicited for winter 2011) 

I cant find any information on this item other than it will be released this year, keep your fingers crossed!

Pre-order Hard copy + PDF through Cubical 7 store

The Time Traveller’s Companion

Time flies when you’re having fun, but flying through time can present a whole host of problems. Whether accidentally creating paradoxes, upsetting the course of history or trying to Put Things Right, you’re going to need to know your way around the Vortex. You need a guide…a companion.

This supplement for Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space gives more information on Time Lords, temporal mechanics and time machines.

Once again this item should be released this year. I’m guessing they are updating the cover art with Matt Smith?

Pre-order Hard copy + PDF through Cubical 7 store

Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space Core Set (Eleventh Doctor Edition)

Imagine you could go anywhere. This world or countless others, encountering strange alien races, new cultures or hostile environments. Now imagine you could travel to any time. See the pyramids and the Sphinx (back when she had a nose!), discover who (or what) really built Stonehenge, meet the first Emperor of Japan, or travel into the far future as humanity spreads to the stars. Where would you go?

With Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space, the power is in your hands! You can go anywhere or anywhen in the universe. It’s not going to be easy. It’ll probably be dangerous. The universe is a hostile place, full of Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen, Weeping Angels, The Atraxi and worse. There will be fear, heartbreak and excitement, but above all, it’ll be the trip of a lifetime.

Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space is a roleplaying game set in the universe of the world’s longest running science fiction show on TV – the BBC’s Doctor Who. Published in a boxed format, the core set includes:

•Player’s Guide

•Gamemaster’s Guide

•Adventure Book

•Quick Start Guide

•Character sheets, including pre-generated characters for the series cast

•Tokens and Dice

The Eleventh Doctor edition features:

•All-new art and graphic design

•Aliens and Creatures from the Doctor’s most recent adventures

•A New adventures book written specifically for this edition

Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space has been written to appeal to both the experienced and first time gamer.

Available now in your local game store or online at amazon.com

Doctor Who Gamemaster’s Screen (Eleventh Doctor Edition)

Packed with all the information a Gamemaster needs for easy reference during a session of Doctor Who, this ‘deluxe’ thick screen will last for years of Adventures in Time and Space.

– A four panel GM screen

Available now in your local game store or online at amazon.com