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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

It's budding time in the shoggoth den here at Chaosium, and a few of our folks made use of their extra fingers, toes, and other appendages to get a gibbering mound of work done. NEW MONOGRAPHS The holdings of the British Empire included present day Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Burma, and parts of Iran and Afghanistan. It was an area comparable in size to the continental United States, or Europe west of the Ukraine. MYSTERIES OF THE RAJ is designed to provide enough information to set Call of Cthulhu adventures and campaigns during Gaslight India (approximately 1890 a.d.). This book is also available in a PDF edition. 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. Hidden demons and their mortal minions manipulate events from the shadows, experimenting with social mechanisms to steer their human cattle to a dark future. [...]

Published Wednesday June 23rd, 2010 The Associated Press PHILADELPHIA - The Man of Steel will walk across America to reconnect with everyday people in a story that will feature actual cities, towns and neighbourhoods submitted by readers. Shown is a copy of the 700th issue of the Superman comic displayed at Fat Jack's Comicrypt in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 23, 2010. Dan DiDio, DC's co-publisher told The Associated Press on Wednesday The Man of Steel will hoof it across America in future issues as he tries to reconnect with everyday people in a story that will feature actual towns and locations submitted by readers. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke Superman, one of DC Comics' flagship fictional heroes, begins his journey next month in Philadelphia, where he'll embark on a 12-issue, cross-country walk — no flying, thank you — through Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington. Not on the travel itinerary is a swing through the Deep South. Dan DiDio, DC's co-publisher, told The Associated [...]

Lovecraft envisioned a world in which humanity is ignorant of cosmic realities. When the bleak truth is revealed it terrifies us, for it offers no hope of our salvation. Cultists are the gatekeepers to this knowledge. Their aim is to keep secret the existence of their gods by any means possible, and to free their gods from their slumbering prisons—thus bringing about humanity’s final downfall. CTHULHU'S DARK CULTS provides keyhole-glimpses into these secret orders, all irredeemable and hell-bent for humanity’s demise. This all-new anthology makes a great addition to our CALL OF CTHULHU FICTION line. RECENT RELEASES • RISE OF THE DEAD: THE RAID is the second in a series of b-movie style post-apocalyptic scenarios for Call of Cthulhu set in the very near future • MURDER IN THE FOOTLIGHTS is a short pulp Basic Roleplaying adventure suitable for two to four adventurers of normal to heroic experience. • DRAGON LINES is a game of high flying action, written for the Basic Roleplaying system. Thanks, [...]

Published Tuesday May 11th, 2010 Michael Oliveira, The Canadian Press TORONTO - Actor Anthony Daniels, who played the golden worry-wart robot C-3PO in all six "Star Wars" movies, says even he is constantly surprised by the longevity of the classic franchise. Actor Anthony Daniels, who played the golden worry-wart robot C-3PO in all six “Star Wars” movies, says even he is constantly surprised by the longevity of the classic franchise. Thirty-three years after the first "Star Wars" film was released the show still goes on, now with a multimedia stage production called "Star Wars: In Concert," which comes to Canada for 13 shows in June and July. "I'm surprised 'Star Wars' has gone on being, in a way, a growing phenomenon," said Daniels, who is also currently working on a "Star Wars" ride for Disney amusement parks, a cartoon series, and recently did voice work for a GPS device and a slot machine. "My career as C-3PO sort of flourishes and it's a constant surprise [...]