Impossible Realities

An all-new sourcebook for Call of Cthulhu and Delta Green, developed by Arc Dream Publishing for publication by Pagan Publishing, and licensed by Chaosium Inc.

Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity is a conglomeration of evils, many of them whispered in hints and rumors since the earliest days of Delta Green.

Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity includes:

Black Cod Island: An inhuman menace rises from the frigid waters of southern Alaska. Three hundred years ago the Haida Indians fought to stamp it out. They failed. Can a handful of Delta Green agents fare any better?

M-EPIC: More than 100 years ago, Canada’s Northwest Mounted Police established Division M to investigate unusual deaths in the far north. Over the years the division grew, slowly and quietly, as one after another of its own men died in bizarre attacks and uncanny circumstances. Today, M-EPIC is a top-secret agency with a nationwide charter. Few of its members know of its long history of using supernatural methods to battle the supernatural itself. Even fewer comprehend the terrible consequences that they face.

Disciples of the Worm: From ancient alchemy to the latest biotech, humanity has always quested for a means to defeat death. For some, fearful of death or desperate to fulfill some mission in life, no price is too high. For Delta Green, a loathsome 20-year-old case still demands an answer to a crucial question: How far will you go to save humanity?

The De Monte Clan: Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating storms ever to strike the United States. It ravaged New Orleans and left the proud city a flooded wreck. For humanity, Katrina was an unspeakable tragedy. For Delta Green, Katrina was an opportunity. As emergency workers from every state and federal agency descend on the city, the rebuilding of New Orleans is a chance to strike at a long-festering horror. The target is an old and influential family whose people are something other than human, who see New Orleans’ plight as an opportunity of their own—and who have become quite skilled at destroying merely human enemies.

The Cult of Transcendence: For centuries a cult ruled by Nyarlathotep, the mind and soul of the Outer Gods, has conspired to rule the world from behind the scenes, spreading its influence into the halls of power. Today its goals are more subtle and sinister than ever, guessed only vaguely even by its loyalest adherents. It may be the deadliest threat Delta Green has ever faced.

Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity is a hardcover roleplaying game sourcebook written by Adam Scott Glancy, Dennis Detwiller, Greg Stolze, Kenneth Hite, Warren Banks and Shane Ivey, edited by Shane Ivey and Adam Crossingham, and illustrated by Delta Green: Eyes Only artist Todd Shearer.

This hardcover edition is part of a limited edition of 1,000 copies with very limited distribution. A paperback edition will follow roughly six months later for retail distribution.

It’s great to see a Delta Green release!
The Folks at Chaosium

While we await the arrival of our next releases from the printers, we restocked our inventory of the ARKHAM HORROR boardgame and the CALL OF CTHULHU CARD GAME living card game from our friends at Fantasy Flight Games.

ARKHAM HORROR
For this classic co-operative boardgame comes a new expansion: THE LURKER AT THE THRESHOLD. Across Arkham, strange doors to other worlds have been opening. They seem to be a living part of an ancient and arcane creature that is reaching out, tempting the unwary with eldritch power. Now people are vanishing without a trace, and it’s up to a handful of bold investigators to confront the profane being who dwells just beyond these passages.

CALL OF CTHULHU CARD GAME
Erin Morai, a troubled but dedicated biology student, found herself strangely attracted to Tyler Scindere… which is why she agreed to follow him in the first place. Now, lured into darkness, will she retain her composure, and her very sanity, long enough to save herself?

MURMURS OF EVIL offers a fixed 60 card pack that includes 20 new cards to expand the Call of Cthulhu card game.

RECENTLY RELEASED
• THE CRUEL EMPIRE OF TSAN CHAN offers a future history of the Cruel Empire of Tsan Chan, being an account of the year Five Thousand and the creation of Empire.
• MORE ADVENTURES IN ARKHAM COUNTRY a new collection of Call of Cthulhu adventures in the historic university city of Arkham, in the misty seaside resort of Kingsport, in the depressed farming community of Foxfield, and in the decrepit squalor of Innsmouth.

Stay Cool this Summer, The Folks at Chaosium

Published Sunday August 29th, 2010
Mary Gazze, The Canadian Press
TORONTO – Superheroes, video game characters and trekkers spent Sunday wishing they could get beamed up straight into the FanExpo convention in Toronto.
Demand to get inside was so high, hundreds of fans lined up for hours around a city block to try to get into the convention, which celebrates many aspects of nerd-dom.
The convention featured the latest in video games, comic books, science fiction, horror and Japanese Anime.
Once inside, they stood shoulder-to-shoulder as they navigated through aisles of colourful comic books and plush toys.
Many of the fans were happy to wait in line throughout the weekend-long event to meet celebs from TV’s original Batman and the Star Trek series, including the man who starred as the original Captain Kirk.
“It’s worth it because we get to meet William Shatner!” said Robbie Nagle, from Brantford, Ont.
“We get to meet all these cool people like Adam West. Who doesn’t love the original Batman with the “Pow!?”
Lenny Palermo drove four hours from Mount Morris, N.Y., to meet Spiderman creator Stan Lee.
“He changed my life. I was just nothing and I started reading comic books and I became a real life superhero,” he said, jokingly.
Palermo said he owns 16,000 comic books, and got a 30th anniversary Spiderman comic autographed by Lee for his grandson.
“Hopefully he can meet Stan when he’s 140 and get another comic book signed.”
The 88-year-old Spiderman creator said his sister-in-law used to live outside Toronto so he comes up to Canada often and finds fans north of the border exceptionally enthusiastic.
At an autograph signing Sunday he took a few moments with each fan to chat.
“I don’t know them as well as I should because it’s usually ‘Hello, how are you?, “Hello, how are you,’ and then the next one comes over and it becomes all homogenized in my mind,” he told The Canadian Press, laughing.
“Every year that I come here it’s bigger and bigger. There are more people, more enthusiasm, more excitement. I mean, by next year, the fans will probably have taken over the whole city.”
Fans delighted in playing the newest Halo games for X-Box, and others enjoyed dressing up as their favourite characters from mainstream TV shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, or obscure Japanese video games.
Erin Emms spent at least $400 and eight months to make a skirt that defied gravity for her costume of Princess Serenade from “Eternal Sonata,” a Japanese game based on Frederic Chopin’s music.
“I want eight months of my life back…It’s a lot of bead work and a lot of money invested in it,” she said, explaining it is a painstaking process to copy costumes from cartoon-style video games.
“Physics don’t exist in those worlds,” she said.
Her friend Lorne Miske, who was wearing a royal blue leotard as part of his Cyclops from X-Men costume, said spending that kind of money is worth it for 15 minutes of fame at the conference.
“I think it’s cool, especially when somebody goes, ‘Oh hey, Cyclops!,’” he said.
“You’re called by your character and they recognize you…You get to ride off someone else’s fame. It’s nice.”

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 1
The latest installment of the Harry Potter saga deals with the hero’s efforts to thwart the evil Voldemort’s Death Eaters who have seized control of the Ministry of Magic and even Hogwarts school.

BURIED
This thriller starts with a truck driver waking up six feet (1.8 metres) underground, having no idea of his location, who put him there or why. He has only a lighter and a cellphone, whose battery is draining, to help him.

Resident Evil 4: Afterlife
The latest sequel in the popular sci-fi series, will see the heroine Alice (Mila Jovavich) continuing her journey to locate and rescue survivors in a world where a virus infection is transforming victims into the Undead.

The Town
Ben Affleck stars as an unrepentant criminal who leads a group of bank robbers who have built up a reputation for stealing what they want and getting away with it.

Secretariat
In this feature, the lead character is a horse – and not just any horse. It relays the true story of arguably the greatest race horse of all time and winner of the 1973 Triple Crown, breaking records in two of the three races.

Nowhere Boy
In another inspired by real-life film, this one is set in the music scene and focuses on Beatle John Lennon when he was 15 years old and just beginning his career.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
This Swedish film is the final installment of the Millennium trilogy from the novel by the late Stieg Larsson. The thriller starts off with lead female character Lisbeth Salander in intensive care and charged with three murders.

Among the various animated movies coming up this fall is:
Megamind
Among several animated films to be released this fall, this deals with the latest effort of supervillain Megamind to conquer Metro City, only to be stymied each time by caped superhero Metro Man. But in this attempt, the villain ends up with more success and problems than he anticipated.

Morning Glory
After going through a streak of bad luck, TV producer Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) lands a job on Daybreak, a morning talk show. She decides to rejuvenate the show by hiring legendary TV anchor Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) to join the show. However, everything starts to unravel when Pomeroy refuses to cover typical morning show fare like fashion, celebrity gossip and crafts.

Gulliver’s Travels
The Jonathan Swift classic will be brought up to contemporary times this fall, in which Lemuel Gulliver (Jack Black) is an under-achiever who wants to be a travel writer for a New York newspaper. He finally gets his chance, only to end up in a storm at sea. As a result, he gets shipwrecked on an island inhabited by little people known as Lilliputians.

The Tempest
Starring Helen Mirren and based on the Shakespearean classic, the sorceress Prospera reigns over a magical island, while looking after her young daughter Miranda. And she unleashes her powers against shipwrecked foes in this romantic, supernatural story.

Yogi Bear
In December, a whole new generation of youngsters will have the chance to discover that Yogi is smarter than the average bear as the animated TV character takes a trip to the big screen. This time around, a documentary filmmaker travels to Jellystone Park to shoot a project only to come in contact with Yogi Bear, his buddy Boo-Boo and Ranger Smith.

Red
For fans of intrigue and suspense, this CIA thriller promises both. Frank, Joe, Marvin and Victoria are former top agents with The Central Intelligence Agency, but the secrets they know make them targets for the CIA. After being framed for an assassination, they have to employ all their guile, experience and team work to stay ahead of those pursuing them. The film’s all-star cast include Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren.

The Social Network
Hooking into the era of computer blogging and programming, the story involves programming genius Mark Zuckerman developing a social network with 500 million friends. He also becomes the youngest billionaire in history. But he soon discovers that he has also made some enemies along with his network’s friends.

Red Dawn
Believe it or not, the brat pack flick from the ’80s gets the remake treatment. This time, the teenage ‘Wolverines’ try to save their town from an invasion by Chinese and Russian soldiers. Chris Hemsworth and Adrianne Palicki lead the teenage soldiers, with Jeffrey Dean Morgan taking over the Powers Boothe role.

The Romantics
Seven friends reunite for a wedding but problems arise because the bride and her maid of honor have had a long-held rivalry over the groom. Starring Katie Holmes, Anna Paquin, Josh Duhamel, Malin Ackerman, Adam Brody and Elijah Wood.

TRON: LEGACY
Twenty-five year after the original, the story continues as Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce computer programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Bruce Boxleitner also returns.

The Tourist
Angeline Jolie and Johnny Depp co-star in this thriller about an American tourist visiting Italy in the wake of a romantic break-up and the mysterious woman who crosses his path. Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton and Rufus Sewell also star.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Greed is still good as Michael Douglas returns to his Oscar-winning role as Gordon Gekko. Charlie Sheen is back on board as Bud Fox and Shia LeBeouf and Josh Brolin also star. Director Oliver Stone makes his customary cameo.

September 10-12 is fast approaching, and sponsorship support is rolling in!

The wonderful people at Chaosium, Studio 9, Out Of the Box, Midnight Syndicate have already delivered goodies for YOU, our players. There’s even more incoming from across the globe, but I’m keeping them secret for now. When they arrive, you’ll know in grand fashion.

See everyone at our 9th annual gaming convention September 10-12 at the Chinese Commerce Center / Kent Theatre on Coburg Street.

Folks from Chaosium will attend a couple of conventions over the coming weeks. Charlie will fly out to Indianapolis for Gencon, and Meghan took off yesterday for a new German show, The Kraken, hosted and organized by the guys that ran the Tentacles show.

Also next week we receive copies of a cool new Call of Cthulhu monograph exploring the cruel empire of Tsan Chan, and new Arkham Country adventures.

CRUEL EMPIRE

The cruel empire of Tsan-Chan will rise in 5,000 A.D.

The liberated Old Ones will teach new ways to shout and kill, and revel and enjoy, and all the earth will flame in a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom.

THE CRUEL EMPIRE OF TSAN CHAN offers a future history of the Cruel Empire of Tsan Chan, being an account of the year Five Thousand and the creation of Empire.

ARKHAM COUNTRY TALES

Our friends at Miskatonic River Press have just released their new collection of Call of Cthulhu adventures, MORE ADVENTURES IN ARKHAM COUNTRY. In the historic university city of Arkham, in the misty seaside resort of Kingsport, in the depressed farming community of Foxfield, and in the decrepit squalor of Innsmouth, things are far from fine.

Along with this book we also received restocks of their other fine roleplaying offerings: NEW TALES OF THE MISKATONIC VALLEY and OUR LADIES OF SORROW.

RECENTLY RELEASED

• The House That Stands Alone presents a series of five adventures intended to provide a coherent, yet flexible campaign.

Hailing From Near and Far, The Folks at Chaosium

Welcome to the Theater of Illusion, the legendary stage of magic hidden beyond the threshold of dreams and nightmares. Behold strange and mystifying acts performed by phantom magicians and discover the dark secrets that lie in wait beyond the veil of shadows.
Nox Arcana invites you to enter a realm of magic and dark fantasy to immerse yourself in a soundscape of haunting melodies, mystical rhythms and pulse-pounding orchestrations.

A lifelong fan of magic, Nox Arcana founder Joseph Vargo was inspired to create a musical tribute to the mysterious realm of illusion.
“The setting for this concept album is an old Vaudeville theater, hidden from the outside world, where master magicians gather to display their talents every Halloween night. The 21 tracks take the listener on a musical journey throughout the theater and provide a cinematic soundtrack for the eerie acts that play out on stage.
“Our music has always been very popular with magicians, and several professional illusionists have used various Nox Arcana CDs to enhance their acts. With Theater of Illusion, I wanted to create something specifically for magicians and fans of dark fantasy.”

The tracks range from haunting melodies on piano, harpsichord, and music box chimes to dramatic orchestrations accented by gothic choirs and pipe organ. Other tracks offer exotic, mystical rhythms and hypnotic narratives to create a spelbinding atmosphere.

Listen to Theater of Illusion and order CDs.

http://noxarcana.com/illusion.html

Published by Monolith Graphics

http://monolithgraphics.com

Nox Arcana music is also available at these STORES:
Amazon, CD Baby, Apple iTunes, and
Spirit Halloween stores this spooky season.

Published Wednesday July 14th, 2010
Sandy Cohen, The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – “Tron,” ”Harry Potter,” ”The Green Hornet,” and Brangelina?

In this film publicity image released by Columbia Pictures, Angelina Jolie stars as “Evelyn Salt” in a scene from “Salt.” (AP Photo/Columbia Pictures – Sony, Andrew Schwartz
This year’s Comic-Con has something for everyone, and might even be graced by Hollywood’s first couple.
No longer strictly the domain of nerds and fanboys, San Diego’s four-day pop-culture festival promises film and TV fodder for fans of all kinds, plus video games, toys, collectibles and costumes galore when it kicks off next week.
“I can’t wait,” says filmmaker Kevin Smith, an annual regular considered royalty at the convention.
“Comic-Con for me is — Muslims like to go to kneel, what is it, three times a day toward Mecca and whatnot. I do the same thing for San Diego and that massive building… It’s a real good source of kind of State of the Union for me, because I dwell in the world of pop culture.”
What began 40 years ago as a humble comic-book fair has grown into a barometer of cool powered by the ardent enthusiasm of more than 100,000 fans — and the Hollywood studios who want a piece of the action.

Among the hot properties this year: “TRON: Legacy,” Disney’s modern revamp of the ’80s hit; a first look at “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”; Seth Rogen’s superhero turn in “The Green Hornet” and yes, a possible Brangelina appearance.
The couple isn’t officially on the guest list, and studio reps are staying mum about whether they’ll attend, but A-list surprises often happen at Comic-Con, where Johnny Depp and Hugh Jackman previously showed up unannounced.
Brad Pitt voices one of the lead characters in the animated “Megamind,” and his co-stars Will Ferrell, Tina Fey and Jonah Hill are expected at the Dreamworks Animation panel next Thursday to introduce the film.
Angelina Jolie stars in “Salt,” which will be featured at Sony’s panel on the same day.

Other movies looking to build fan buzz at Comic-Con include “The Expendables,” featuring Sylvester Stallone and a cast of tough guys that includes Dolph Lundgren and Steve Austin; “Drive Angry 3D” with Nicolas Cage; “RED,” featuring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich as retired CIA agents; “Battle Los Angeles,” with Aaron Eckhart saving the city from a vicious attack; the superhero tale “Green Lantern,” starring Ryan Reynolds; and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” based on a graphic novel and starring Michael Cera.
“Comic-Con is all about these shows connecting with the kids who are going to go back home and tell everyone — get on the computer, send emails, put on their Facebook account, tweet about it and build a buzz,” says Todd Gold of the website Fancast.com.

TV shows have a big presence at the Con, too. Stars from popular programs including “Dexter,” ”True Blood,” ”The Big Bang Theory,” ”The Vampire Diaries,” ”Family Guy,” ”Community,” ”Fringe” and “The Simpsons” will answer fan questions during panel presentations.

“Comic-Con used to be offbeat, nerdy,” says Jeanne Wolf of Parade magazine. “Well, now we’ve found out that the Comic-Con buzz gets straight to the audience that watches TV shows. And also we’ve found out that with this computerized age, most of us are geeks and nerds.”

Reaching a passionate audience that will not only talk up their favourite flicks to friends but also buy tickets on opening night is too important an opportunity for studios to miss, says box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com.
“That’s the audience you want to get excited about your movie,” he says. “If they get on board, you get instant credibility.”

Unlike traditional film festivals, aimed at critics and distributors, Comic-Con focuses on fans — an integral part of ratings and box-office success.
“It’s on the circuit with Show West, Show East and the film festivals,” Dergarabedian says. “Comic-Con is as vital and as valid and important a part of the moviegoing world as any of those other movie-related conventions and festivals. It’s a fully grown, fully realized force to be reckoned with.”

Comic-Con begins next Wednesday, July 21, at the San Diego Convention Center. While San Diego has promised $500,000 in hotel tax revenue to event organizers to keep the colorful convention in the city, its contract with Comic Con International expires in 2012. Los Angeles and Anaheim, Calif., are among the cities bidding to become the convention’s new hosts beginning in 2013.

Windsor, Wisconsin – Out of the Box Publishing announces the 2010 release of 10 Days in the Americas, the fifth in the award winning 10 Days series, which also includes 10 Days in Africa, 10 Days in Asia, 10 Days in the USA and 10 Days in Europe.

In 10 Days in the Americas, players use destination and transportation tiles to chart a course through North, Central, and South America as well as the Caribbean islands— touring by airplane, cruise ship, or on foot. With a little luck and clever planning, you just might outmaneuver your fellow travelers and be the first to complete a ten day journey!

Out of the Box is offering free rules variations for the 10 Days games on its website, including 20 Days around the World, a variation that combines four of the titles.
10 Days in the Americas was released on June 28th and is available in specialty toy stores and on Amazon.com.
10 Days in the Americas is for 2 to 4 players, ages 10 to adult. 10 Days in the Americas is available at specialty toy stores at a suggested retail of $24.99.

About Out of the Box Publishing
Since 1999, Out of the Box Publishing has been a leader in the Business of Fun! Headquartered in Windsor, WI, Out of the Box produces a gamut of games. From single-player to party games, from quick and light games to engaging strategy games, Out of the Box games are designed to please the entire family. Inspiring fun has always been our mission, and happiness can be found….right Out of the Box!
Visit www.otb-games.com to learn more.

Monographs keep on rolling in: this week we feature an exploration of Call of Cthulhu roleplaying during the Great Depression (a timely book, these days), and a look at the age of the Vikings and their myths and beliefs.

CHILDREN OF THE STORM

Experts predict that the want and suffering of the Great Depression will create “a generation of cannibals.” Panicked people flee their homes to escape a devastating invasion and poison gas attack. Life comes to a standstill as people watch a strange dust descend from the sky.

The spread of the Great Depression and the first rumblings of a new World War cause a sense of angst and doubt to grow; fueled by rumors, media, and personal expectations that things will get even worse. Dust storms sweep across the continent, and newsreels show the collapse of Europe and Asia. Adults worry that the next generation will grow up to become criminals and barbarians.

No bad news sounds implausible, no crisis seems unbelievable.

CHILDREN OF THE STORM offers Call of Cthulhu roleplaying during the Great Depression.

Want a download instead? Look at the CHILDREN OF THE STORM PDF edition.

SPIRITS & DREAMS OF THE VIKING AGE

SPIRITS & DREAMS OF THE VIKING AGE is a Cthulhu Dark Ages supplement focusing on magic and horror in the Viking Age. It describes the Norse world and its magic. It examines shamanistic traditions in Northern Europe and hypothesizes an Otherworld, its inhabitants, and its connections to the Cthulhu Mythos. It offers a set of spells for Investigators and their adversaries.

Then follow several linked scenarios in which the Investigators encounter the gods, spirits, and sorcerers active in the Viking world. They discover that even the gods offer only a thin shield between humanity and a vast, uncaring, universe.

Want a download instead? Look at the SPIRITS & DREAMS OF THE VIKING AGE PDF edition.

NEW DOWNLOADS

Here are our new downloadable books, arranged in alphabetical order. Some of these are scans of classic Chaosium titles for which electronic files do not exist. The others are PDFs of more recent releases.

• CHILDREN OF THE STORM PDF
• SPIRITS & DREAMS OF THE VIKING AGE PDF
• ALL THE WORLD’S MONSTERS vol. 1
• ALL THE WORLD’S MONSTERS vol. 2
• ALL THE WORLD’S MONSTERS vol. 3
• A PAGE OF ALL NEW AND RECENT BOOKS

RECENT RELEASES

• MYSTERIES OF THE RAJ explores Gaslight India when it was part of the British Empire.
• DUST TO DUST is a supplement to Ashes to Ashes, a Basic Roleplaying setting that casts the players as mavericks in a fantasy world that is losing a war it doesn’t know it’s fighting.

The Guys at Chaosium