Archive for May, 2010
The Scarlet Pimpernel – a perfect subject for Eureka’s Revolutionary era figures and Ganesha’s Song of Drums and Shakos
May 18, 2010“They seek him here,
they seek him there,
those Frenchies seek him everywhere.
Is he in heaven or is he in hell?
That damned elusive Pimpernel.”
The above passage contains some of the most famous lines of verse in English literature and is found in the classic novel, The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Baroness Emma Orczy.
Who was this lterary character who has captured the imagination of generations of readers, has spawned movies and popular TV series, and even provided the inspiration for a hit Broadway musical?
The Pimpernel’s character has his setting in the the streets of Paris, which are awash in blood as Robespierre and his henchmen send hundreds of French aristocrats to the guillotine. Against this backdrop one unknown Englishman and his brave band of followers leave their genteel lives behind to spirit the French royals to safety in England.
The question that France’s new leaders demand to know is: who is the Scarlet Pimpernel? The question the reader asks is: why does Sir Percy risk life and honor for a land not his own?
Whatever the motivation, the story of the Pimpernel and his gallant crew as they outwit the Committee of Public Safety and its agent Chauvelin again and again, is absorbing reading.
Aristocrats, clergy, shopgirls, even the Dauphin himself – no one is beyond the Pimpernel’s aid.
So who was he, this dashing character?
The Scarlet Pimpernel is one of the most famous heroic characters in popular fiction of the past century. Because the adventures of the Pimpernel were set in immediate post-revolutionary France, people these days tend to think the story has been around since the end of the 1700s, but the novel was first published in London in 1905. It’s all very French and very genteel English, but it was actually written by a Hungarian woman who was an aristocrat by birth, and actually became the template for a succession of Hollywood and comic-book heroes.
Baroness Emma Orczy (1865-1947), a “transplanted” Hungarian, wrote dozens of books but it is The Scarlet Pimpernel for which she is remembered.
The book tells the story of Sir Percy Blakeney, a late-Georgian British society fop who is known more for being a dandy than having an semblance to a swordsman and hero.
All is not as it seems, however, and Sir Percy leads a double life as “the Scarlet Pimpernel” -the rescuer of aristocrats and innocents during the Reign of Terror that followed the French Revolution. Sir Percy, feeling betrayed by his bride, French actress Marguerite St. Just, is pursued by his nemesis, the French Republican agent Citizen Chauvelin.
The central thrust of the Pimpernel – that of an unlikely everyman being capable of living a twin life, one of which is unbelievably heroic – has been copied time and time again since Baroness Orczy put pen to paper. How? Think about Zorro, Bruce Wayne/Batman, Clark Kent/Superman. The list goes on.
The story has been dramatised on television and on the big screen several times (most notably in 1935 with Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon and Raymond Massey). In the ’50s Marius Goring portayed what was arguably the best TV Pimpernel, after starring in a Scarlet Pimpernel radio series broadcast across the US. The 1982 TV series starring Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour and Ian McKellen was hugely popular. The BBC made a six-part film in 1998 and 2000 starring Richard E. Grant, Elizabeth McGovern and Martin Shaw. The Scarlet Pimpernel’s more recent popularity and notoriety is a result of the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical by Frank Wildhorn and Nan Knighton, which made its debut at New York’s Minskoff Theatre in 1997.
The Scarlet Pimpernel is forever being reinvented and will live on for new generations.
Warheads – I no longer know where the hobby is going. But I like it
May 17, 2010
From the site: Warheads: Medieval Tales is a fast and fun two player tabletop game for players of all ages and abilities. Every two months we’ll release a full-colour, lavishly illustrated magazine in which you get to tell the story of Hugo of Deangard and his bitter rival Gui le Batard, as they gather followers to fight each other and go on amazing quests.Over the course of six issues the story unfolds with you in charge of the characters’ destinies and development.
Each magazine contains all the rules you need to play the battles and characters contained in it and is accompanied by two boxed sets of uniquely-styled Warheads gaming miniatures.
The rules are fast and easy to learn, and they build over the lifetime of the game, so you don’t have to learn everything before you start. Warheads: Medieval Tales blends the best of story driven role-playing and tabletop wargaming.
Some background: Medieval Tales is set in late 11th century Britain, where men were bold and sheep were nervous. The first generation of British Normans grew up in this land to inherit the manors and castles of their fathers, the original conquering knights of William’s army. We’ve set our tales around the area known as the Welsh Marches, far from the centre of power in London, and with a reputation for lawlessness and strife. This a land to which robber barons and mercenaries from the continent flocked in the wake of the conquest, seeking to grab what land and plunder they could. It’s a land of hunts and wars. populated with rival knights, Saxon and Welsh rebels and bandits, dangerous beasts, magic and miracles. Oh, and let’s not forget the dragons, witches, unicorns, trolls and numerous other beings of fable and folklore that stalk the dark woods and bowers.
It’s here: Warheads – the game
Radioactive Press presents: The Swarm
May 16, 2010
The Swarm is a turn based combat game for two or more players set in a world where hordes of animals, troops, and even sinister toys lay siege to cities around the world.The game allows players to create and control one of several different types of swarms, from beasts to vehicles and everything in between. The Swarm gives players complete control over the creation of their swarm. Players can create an existing swarm from popular media or one from their own imagination. The possibilities are endless. The object of the game is to destroy the opposing swarm and lay claim to the city. The Swarm is a standalone game that can also be used as an expansion for any other Toy Battle System game. Other Toy Battle System releases include Giant Monster Rampage 3rd edition, Mega Bots, and Power Warriors.
You can purchase the PDF version from our PDF store, RPGNow, or Wargame Vault.
Rattrap Productions and Granton City Press team Up
May 14, 2010
The heroes and villains who populate the world of Granton City Press will soon be population a new table top miniatures game.
An agreement has been reached with Rattrap Productions LLC to bring the Granton City world to the games table with the fall release of ‘While the City Sleeps: A Game of Heroic Action in Granton City’.
The cover art seen here is by Sean Kasper, colored by Gil Murillo.
“When approached about incorporating the diverse characters from Granton City Press into a table top miniatures game, I thought it was a great idea,” said Richard A. Johnson the man behind Rattrap Productions LLC. “Initially we tossed around the idea of incorporating the characters into one of our existing games but came to realize there was enough unique and interesting new character in Granton City to support a new game themselves.”
Johnson said he had been working on a new game, and it turned out to be a perfect vehicle for characters such as The Black Wolf, The Starling, Ghost Wind and Churchill: Alien Bounty Hunter.
Calvin Daniels, creator of Granton City Press said having a miniature game coming out to support the books of Granton City Press is amazing.
“I’ve played a lot of miniature games myself, so it will be a major thrill to sit down and play a game based on a world I and a number of dedicated co-writers have created over the past several months in our novels,” he said. Daniels said he had interest from other parties to work on a game, but was excited to work with Rattrap based on their half decade of experience in the miniature games sector, their dedication to pulp-era gaming, and the willingness of Richard Johnson to allow lots of input into While the City Sleeps.
The new game will be an ideal place for the soon to be released Black Wolf miniature from Zombiesmith Miniatures. Watch for more news on the miniature front in the weeks ahead. Granton City Press expects to have The Black Wolf #1: Metal Monsters of Doom out in April. Black Wolf #2, and spin-off titles Unit 13, Ghost Win and Churchill: Alien Bounty Hunter follow in the fall, with a release expected to coincide closely with Rattrap’s release of While the City Sleeps.
You can follow the game’s progress at http://www.rattrapproductions.com as well as at http://www.facebook.com/l/4d4f6;www.zombiesmith.com or
http://www.facebook.com/l/4d4f6;www.wix.com/grantoncitydesk/togc
WARMACHINE: Prime Mk II’ Wins Top Honors at RPC Bellevue, WA , April 30, 2010
May 12, 2010Privateer Press’ WARMACHINE: Prime Mk II was voted best Table Top and Miniatures game product at RPC 2010 in Cologne, Germany April 18.
With tens of thousands of fans in attendance over two days, the RPC is Germany’s pre-eminent fantasy gaming event. WARMACHINE: Prime Mk II was chosen in an open vote by attendees out of five finalists in the tabletop category.
The RPC Fantasy Awards, which were open to all German translated products published in 2009 or in January or February 2010, was a first for RPC and spanned nearly every game genre, from miniatures games to RPGs to video games. The German translation of Prime Mk II was done by Privateer Press’ distribution partners Ulisses Spiel.
For more information on the award-winning WARMACHINE: Prime Mk II visit www.privateerpress.com.
Helldorado
May 11, 2010Hell Dorado skirmish war-game acquired by Cipher Studios, LLC Longview, WA USA September 1st, 2009
– Cipher Studios, LLC., a miniature manufacturing company and producer of the highly successful Anima Tactics skirmish game, announced today that it has licensed the right to develop and produce the Hell Dorado miniature war-game from Asmodée Editions in France.
“We are very excited to license this amazing property from Asmodée Editions,” said Kai Nesbit, Owner and President of Cipher Studios. “We have followed this property since the launch and have been discussing the possibility with Asmodée of bringing the game to the English market well before the full license was available. The opportunity to develop and produce this game in French, English, and possibly other language markets opens the doors to continue the growth and expansion of this exciting universe. ”
“Cipher Studios will continue to collaborate with the original development team, including the writers, sculptors, and other creative talent. Consistency of the universe is very important to the growth of the game. We will take all other aspects of the development, such as game mechanics and manufacture of the figures in house,” says Kai Nesbit. “Hell Dorado is a perfect sister product to Anima Tactics as they are both small scale skirmish games and have similar product development and release styles while catering to different players. Our goal is to release the first wave of non-French product, including the rulebook, as quickly as possible while continuing to release new figures and content, on a limited basis, until the English release schedule is caught up with the French products.”
Cipher Studios has not announced a release schedule but expects to release the English rulebook and first wave of products by early next year.
About Hell Dorado
Hell Dorado is a skirmish war-game in which small war bands of around ten members clash in epic and bloody battle to conquer the most hostile territory imaginable, Hell itself.
About Cipher Studios, LLC.
Cipher Studios was formed in 2006 and launched their first product line, Anima Tactics, around Christmas of 2006. The highly anticipated 200-page full color rulebook for Anima Tactics will be available before Christmas this year. Cipher Studios also offers development and manufacturing solutions for several other miniature game companies including Hazgáard Editions metal miniatures, Darkson Designs miniatures, and the Fantasy Flight Games Descent metal figures.
To check out the French Hell Dorado web site go to www.helldorado.fr
