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Spread Your Pestilent Gifts

The Tome of Decay Is Now Available for Black Crusade

“Through his blessings, death itself is stayed. In his embrace, there is only affection and love. Let us share his munificence with those still ignorant of our cherished Grandfather, lest they perish before knowing his generosity.”

   –Pox Magister Effluvias Plo

The Tome of Decay supplement is now available for Black Crusade, both online through our webstore and at your local retailer!

Devote yourself to the service of the Plague Lord in this sourcebook for the followers of Nurgle. Within the pages of this supplement, you’ll find more information on the foetid servants of the Grandfather, alongside new Archetypes and corrupted blessings, rules for attaining apotheosis, and an adventure that leads you into the very heart of the Screaming Vortex for judgment by Nurgle himself.

The Blessings of Nurgle

In our first designer diary of The Tome of Decay, we revealed some of the new rules for leading your own Black Crusade against the hated Imperium and the False Emperor. By becoming a Warmaster and gathering the support of Chaos warbands, cults, mercenaries, and pirate fleets, you and your fellow Heretics can cut a swath across the galaxy, whether you aim to breach the Jericho Reach or battle across an entire Segmentum of the galaxy. With the new rules included in The Tome of Decay, you have the chance to command massive armies, while maintaining your own personal flair for spreading destruction and chaos.

The second designer diary for The Tome of Decay turned from crusading armies to the ultimate ambition of every Heretic: to attain Daemonhood. In this supplement, you’ll find two distinct ways to receive Daemonic gifts. The quick and easy way comes by enacting the Ritual of Possession and inviting a Daemon to indwell the Heretic’s body. This path offers the Heretic an easy source of Daemonic gifts, but in the end, the Daemon overcomes the Heretic, consuming him completely. On the other hand, through arduous efforts and devoted service, a Heretic may be found worthy of rebirth. A Heretic blessed in this way becomes a true Daemon Prince, and in The Tome of Decay, you’ll find rules for playing as a Daemon Prince and wreaking havoc across the galaxy.

Most recently, we previewed some of what you might expect in The Heart of the Vortex adventure within The Tome of Decay. The Heretics’ journey leads them across the worlds of the Screaming Vortex, encountering three of the Ruinous Powers of Chaos – Khorne, Tzeentch, and Slaanesh. Throughout these adventures, you and your fellow Heretics demonstrate your devotion to Chaos, and in this final chapter, your souls hang in the balance of Nurgle’s judgment. Truly committed Heretics may find their reward in a Daemonic rebirth, but those found wanting will become mindless Chaos Spawn or suffer an even worse fate.

You’ll find even more within the pages of The Tome of Decay. You may choose to travel to the twisting embrace of the Writhing World, or disease-ridden Hindrance. New Archetypes allow you to take on twisted personas such as the Warpsmith, Plaguemeister, and Death Priest of Mire. Whether you battle with a Pandemic Staff, Foulswarm Grenades, or the countless pestilences of Nurgle, you’ll find rules for using these new tools in the Decaying Armoury, opening the doors to countless adventures within the Immaterium and beyond.

Poxes and Blights

The unlimited power of the Warp is calling! Gather your Heretic companions and take your next steps upon the path to apotheosis. Journey into the rotting embrace of Nurgle in The Tome of Decay, now available at your local retailer!

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Source: Spread Your Pestilent Gifts

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Claim the Crown

Crown of Destiny Is Now Available for Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition

The power to reshape past, present, and future lies before you in the Crown of Destiny Hero and Monster Collection, now available at your local retailer!

In this expansion for Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, you and your fellow heroes embark on an quest to discover the fabled artifact that allows you change your life – both past and future. If the overlord’s minions can seize this artifact for their dark master, however, all of Terrinoth will surely fall into ruin and your accomplishments will crumble to dust.

You’ll find two brand-new quests and thirteen plastic figures from the first edition of Descent within this Hero and Monster Collection. Each of the heroes and monsters have been reimagined with new plastic sculpts and artwork, in the aesthetic of the second edition. Whether you walk with one of four heroes, or lead the attack with two giants, three chaos beasts, and four lava beetles, you’ll find them all in Crown of Destiny.

Contains four heroes, two giants, three chaos beasts, and four lava beetles.

The Path to Destiny

In our first preview of Crown of Destiny, we took a closer look at Jaes the Exile, a Mage eager to wipe out the mistakes of the past. Jaes is an adept practitioner of magic, and he gains even more power by equipping more Runes. We also experienced the incendiary attacks of the lava beetles that guard the path to the treasured artifact you seek. A lava beetle’s blasting projectiles can easily injure heroes that stay too close to each other in battle.

Our next preview explored the healing prowess of Brother Gherinn, a penitent healer seeking to wash away past crimes by vanquishing the wicked. By drawing upon his inner strength, Brother Gherinn gains the power to utterly destroy a monster who stands in his way. In this preview, we also saw the might of an enraged giant. The might of a fearsome giants makes him a deadly foe. In Crown of Destiny, the giants may have their own designs for the fate of the artifact.

Anger of a Dwarf

For your quest to alter your fate and your history to be successful, you’ll need a warrior as mighty as Corbin. Although Corbin’s quick temper has left him few friends, those who walk beside him call him fierce, loyal, and brave. When he pursues a goal, he does so with unwavering tenacity, never allowing small things like broken ribs or arrow wounds to distract him from his goals. Corbin’s companions may find themselves in battles that could normally be avoided, but Corbin’s skill with weapons is more than sufficient to bring them safely out of danger again.

A fighter to the core, Corbin is persistent enough to shake off the worst hits he takes. His hero ability helps you keep fighting even after taking damage: whenever Corbin would suffer two or more damage, that damage is reduced by one, making Corbin one of the most stalwart heroes in the game.

Corbin’s heroic feat only makes his defenses more steadfast. By triggering Corbin’s heroic feat before you roll defense dice, you may change each defense die you roll to a different result, ensuring that you always receive the maximum amount of defense when you truly need it. Between his heroic feat and his hero ability, Corbin possesses the potential to keep fighting longer than many other heroes, giving you the time you need to destroy monsters and complete your quest’s objective.

The Future Awaits

The chance to reshape your future and claim honor, riches, and glory lies before you. Whether you play as a hero with a past, or serve the wicked designs of the overlord, Crown of Destiny has the figures and quests for you.

The Crown of Destiny Hero and Monster Collection is now available at your local retailer! Pick up your copy today.

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Source: Claim the Crown

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Infused by the Warp

Preview the Chaos Faction from Warhammer 40,000: Conquest

Beyond the boundaries of physical space, unrestricted by time or causality, there is a dimension utterly incomprehensible to mortal minds. It lies on the other side of nightmares, infinite in scope but without form or structure. The denizens of such a realm are terrible beyond all Humanity’s collective imagination.

The Imperium of Man, dark powers of Chaos, and xenos beyond number engage in the battle for the Traxis sector. In Warhammer 40,000: Conquest, you have the opportunity to determine the outcome of these battles, claiming planets and establishing the utter dominion of your faction.

In our series of previews for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest thus far, we’ve examined the process of deploying armies, winning the command struggle, and engaging in battle, including an example of a battle. Since then, we’ve begun our previews of individual factions within the game, starting with Space Marines and continuing to the Astra Militarum and Orks.

Today, however, we pass into the Immaterium, braving unspeakable horrors and atrocities to explore the terrifying powers of the Warp. The Chaos Gods are restless, and their corrupting influence is spreading into the Traxis sector. Preview the Chaos faction below!

A Sorcerer’s Power

In the Core Set for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest, the Chaos warlord is Zarathur, High Sorcerer (Core Set, 4). This fearsome Psyker of Tzeentch is a master of dark magics and sorcery and his powerful Interrupt brings your armies to new heights. Whenever damage is assigned to an enemy unit at the same planet as Zarathur, his Interrupt triggers, and the assigned damage is increased by one. Damage increased by one point can easily make the difference for destroying a unit, and dealing damage directly to enemy armies is Chaos’s specialty, maximizing the power of this ability even more.

You’ll find plenty of ways to incinerate your enemies in Zarathur’s signature squad. The squad begins with four copies of a Daemon, Zarathur’s Flamers (Core Set, 77). In addition to any damage this army does in battle, you can sacrifice this unit to deal two damage to any non-warlord unit at the same planet. If Zarathur is at the planet when his Flamers are sacrificed, this damage becomes even greater, and since you can sacrifice the unit at Action speed, you may even attack and sacrifice the unit before your opponent strikes back.

Zarathur’s signature squad also includes two copies of the event, Infernal Gateway (Core Set, 79). As a Combat Action, you may play this event to put a Chaos unit with printed cost three or lower into play at a planet. If that unit is still in play at the end of the phase, you must sacrifice it, but if you’re planning to sacrifice the unit anyways, you’re just getting another unit for a discount. By using the Infernal Gateway, you can get armies like Zarathur’s Flamers into combat and causing damage quicker than ever, and you also gain the element of surprise, allowing you to potentially lure your opponent into a trap.

The next card in the signature squad is the Shrine of Warpflame (Core Set, 78), a support with a powerful Reaction. After an enemy unit is destroyed, you may exhaust the Shrine of Warpflame to return the topmost Tzeentch card from your discard pile to your hand. Since both Zarathur’s Flamers and the Infernal Gateway events have the Tzeentch trait, you’ll be able to recur either of them after use, as well as any other Tzeentch cards in your deck.

Mark of Chaos (Core Set, 80) is the final card in the signature squad, and it offers another way to spread damage directly to your opponent’s armies. This card may be attached to any army unit, and bears the text, “Interrupt: When attached unit leaves play, deal 1 damage to each enemy unit at this planet.” Obviously, you’ll want to be able to control when this attachment triggers, so one of the best uses is to attach Mark of Chaos to Zarathur’s Flamers. Since you can sacrifice the Flamers whenever you choose, you may activate the Mark of Chaos at the most opportune moment, causing widespread damage that becomes even more powerful with the presence of Zarathur.

The Immaterium’s Corruption

Even beyond Zarathur’s signature squad, the faction of Chaos provides you with ways to corrupt and vanquish your opponent’s army units. The Soul Grinder (Core Set, 91) is a powerful Daemon, deadly in combat, but its most potent application may lie in the command struggle. If you can win a command struggle at the Soul Grinder’s planet, your opponent must sacrifice a non-warlord unit at that planet. Winning command struggles with the Soul Grinder offers you an excellent way to destroy your opponent’s units before the opening salvos of battle.

The Warpstorm (Core Set, 93) event gives you another way to target your opponent’s army units. During the combat phase, you may play this card to deal two damage to every unit without attachments at a planet or headquarters. Whether you use this unit to clear a planet of armies or strike at the heart of your opponent’s headquarters, the Warpstorm is sure to create a swath of destruction through your foes.

A more targeted event is Tzeentch’s Firestorm (Core Set, 94). This event has the variable cost ‘X’ and by paying X resources, you may deal X damage to a target non-warlord unit. As a way to remove a threat to your conquest, Tzeentch’s Firestorm is unparalleled. Even better, this event has the Tzeentch trait, meaning you can recur it with the Shrine of Warpflame.

A final card that deals damage directly to your opponent’s army units is the Tzeentch-traited Dire Mutation (Core Set, 97) attachment. By attaching this card to one of your opponent’s armies, you force that unit to take one damage whenever it exhausts. In addition, this attachment possesses the Ambush keyword, meaning that you may deploy it during the combat phase rather than the deployment phase, reducing your opponent’s ability to play around it. Unless your opponent can find some way to avoid your punishing events and abilities, he will quickly fall to Chaos.

The Allure of Chaos

Devote yourself to the power of Chaos and draw upon the magic of the Warp to destroy any army that stands in your way. Will you accept the corruption of the Immaterium, or will you stand against it? Make your choice and preorder Warhammer 40,000: Conquest today!

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Source: Infused by the Warp

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The Howl of Blackmane

Announcing the First War Pack in the Warlord Cycle for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest

“So long as there remains one who still rages in the name of justice and truth, the galaxy shall yet know hope.”
    –Ragnar Blackmane

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce The Howl of Blackmane, the first War Pack in the Warlord cycle for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest!

The Howl of Blackmane introduces sixty new cards to expand your battles in the grim and gritty future of Warhammer 40,000: Conquest. You’ll find a battle-ready new Space Marine warlord with his eight-card signature squad offering new ideas for conquering the Traxis sector. Additionally, you’ll find three copies each of seventeen different cards that invite you to join the ranks of the Inquisition, experiment with heretical technology, or embark upon a sector-spanning Waaagh!

As the first pack of the Warlord cycle, The Howl of Blackmane brings your warlords to the forefront of your battles in the Traxis sector. New warlords are introduced in every War Pack, leading bloodthirsty armies, and bringing new strategies for achieving victory.  You’ll find more than new warlords, however. Other cards introduced in The Howl of Blackmane and throughout the cycle put the focus directly on your warlord, whether by granting benefits to your other forces, orchestrating army movements, or exhausting to trigger powerful tactics.

In addition to powerful new warlords, the Warlord cycle introduces our new LCG® packaging to Warhammer 40,000: Conquest War Packs! This packaging is molded plastic, but every War Pack still contains the full complement of sixty cards.

Throughout the War Packs of the Warlord cycle, every faction receives a new warlord, ranging from an Imperial Inquisitor to an Eldar Phoenix Lord, and each of these new champions encourages the exploration of a new style of play.

For more on The Howl of Blackmane and the main themes of the Warlord cycle, we turn to developer Brad Andres.

Developer Brad Andres on the Warlord Cycle

Throughout the Warlord cycle, we explored the impact of warlords upon the game. These powerful warriors and leaders are the lifeblood of Conquest, and the design of a new warlord meant defining how the warlord would play the game.

Throughout the cycle, we needed to answer questions ranging from, “How will this warlord try to win?” to “What makes this warlord unique compared to others in the same faction?” Each warlord and its signature squad brings a new deck type to the table, ripe for expansion with the addition of other cards in the cycle.

The first of these new warlords is the Wolf Lord, Ragnar Blackmane (The Howl of Blackmane, 1). Ragnar is designed to hunt down your opponent’s warlord by engaging it in battle as much as possible. The strategy of hunting is a perfect thematic fit for the Space Wolves; these Space Marines were engineered to murder empires and tear apart anyone that stands in the way of the Imperium. Ragnar’s signature unit, the Blackmane Sentinel (The Howl of Blackmane, 2), continues the theme of hunting down your rivals. A Blackmane Sentinel is a fearsome unit that can move from anywhere on the board to corner a warlord wherever Ragnar tracks it. Even if you can’t guess the location of your opponent’s warlord on the first try, Blackmane’s Hunt (The Howl of Blackmane, 5) allows you to follow your rival’s warlord to an adjacent planet, completing your hunt and meeting it in battle.

Confronting your opponent head-on brings you face-to-face with danger, but the Weapon Frostfang (The Howl of Blackmane, 3) can drastically increase one unit’s attack power and hit points, helping you win a showdown with a rival warlord. And when your opponent tries to flee from your ravening wolves, a Morkai Rune Priest punishes your opponent for thinking he might escape unscathed.

Ragnar is only the first of many familiar warlords to be found in this cycle. You can look forward to seeing Inquisitors, Ethereals, and Greater Daemons in battle. Each new warlord brings a new deck type and play experience for players to explore.

The Warlord cycle doesn’t just introduce new warlords. It features a host of supporting cards that make the strategic use of your warlord more critical than ever. Cards like Muster the Guard (The Howl of Blackmane, 7) require you to exhaust your warlord as part of the ability cost, offering a huge benefit in return. Other cards, such as the Bork’an Recruits,become stronger while in the presence of a warlord, making the decision of where to commit a warlord even more consequential.

The Howl of Blackmane and the other War Packs in the Warlord cycle introduce a host of new warlords and abilities to Warhammer 40,000: Conquest, bombarding the Traxis sector with powerful new abilities, strategies, and combinations. These cards were designed to make your war for galactic dominance more intense than ever, and I hope you have as much fun playing it as I did designing it!

What Is a War Pack?

Warhammer 40,000: Conquest is a Living Card Game®, meaning that rather than collectible randomized booster packs, it receives monthly expansions known as War Packs. Each War Pack contains sixty cards, offering a full playset of each unit, attachment, event, and support card within.

Each War Pack expands the Warhammer 40,000 universe within Conquest, offering new deck-building options with a fixed distribution model, allowing players to focus on building decks and playing games, rather than chasing rare cards. The Howl of Blackmane is the first War Pack for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest.

Hunt Among the Stars

Begin your wild hunt across the galaxy with Ragnar Blackmane and the other cards from The Howl of Blackmane War Pack. Whether you employ Blackmane’s aggressive tactics, revel in the torture of the Dark Eldar, or harness the powerful technology of the Tau empire, you’ll find new units, attachments, supports, and events to use throughout your battles in the Traxis sector.

Look for The Howl of Blackmane to arrive at your local retailer in the fourth quarter of 2014!

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Source: The Howl of Blackmane

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Ready for Takeoff

Announcing the First Force Pack in the Rogue Squadron Cycle

“We’ll have to destroy them ship to ship. Get the crews to their fighters.”
    –Darth Vader, Star Wars: A New Hope

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce Ready for Takeoff, the first Force Pack in the upcoming Rogue Squadron cycle for Star Wars™: The Card Game!

The battles of the Star Wars saga are fought on planets and in space. On solid ground, heroes like Han Solo and Leia Organa exchange blaster fire with nameless troopers, but in the freezing void of space, other heroes pilot starfighters through fierce combat and breakneck contests of skill and nerve. The fearless men and women of the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance, and others develop new starfighters continually and pilot these experimental spaceships in battle.

As the first Force Pack in the Rogue Squadron cycle, Ready for Takeoff brings these interstellar battles to the forefront, as Vehicles and Pilots clash in the vacuum of outer space. With a new fate card, iconic starship pilots like Lando Calrissian and “Mauler” Mithel, and new mechanics for piloting your Vehicles, Ready for Takeoff has plenty to offer, whether you fly for Rogue Squadron or Black Squadron. This Force Pack contains ten new objective sets (two copies each of five unique sets) and in Ready for Takeoff, you’ll get your first taste of piloting each faction’s iconic starships.

In addition to a fleet of new starships and pilots, the Rogue Squadron cycle introduces new packaging for Star Wars: The Card Game Force Packs! The packaging will be changing from cardboard to plastic, but every Force Pack still contains the full complement of ten new objective sets.

Get to Your Ships!

Even the most awe-inspiring ships still benefit from the best pilots, and Ready for Takeoff introduces a new keyword to ensure that your cutting-edge fighters and starships have ace pilots. Units that have the pilot (X) keyword may be played from hand as a Pilot enhancement attached to a friendly Vehicle unit by paying resources equal to X – the unit’s pilot cost.

For example, Derek “Hobbie” Klivian (Ready for Takeoff, 699) possesses the pilot (1) keyword. By paying one resource, you may attach "Hobbie" to any friendly Vehicle unit. The attached Vehicle is considered to be “piloted,” and "Hobbie" is “piloting” the Vehicle. Piloting your Vehicles is critical, since many new units feature powerful abilities that only activate while they are piloted or piloting. Of course, you are never required to use a unit as a pilot, and you may play “Hobbie” as a unit by paying his resource cost.

Today, we’ll look at an upcoming objective set from Ready for Takeoff that highlights some of the themes you’ll unveil within the Rogue Squadron cycle.

Earn Your Bloodstripes

In Ready for Takeoff, you’ll get your first look at the unique Pilots and Vehicles in the upcoming Rogue Squadron cycle. The Imperial Navy is well known for pouring limitless resources into the Pilots of the Flight Academy and the Fighters they fly. These pilots’ expertise begins with The Empire’s Elite (Ready for Takeoff, 713) objective. When this objective is in play, you gain access to a powerful Interrupt that triggers when a piloted Fighter unit you control would leave play. Instead of being discarded, both the Fighter and the attached Pilot enhancement are returned to your hand, allowing you to return your most feared Fighters, such as “Backstabber” (Core Set, 13) or a TIE Attack Squadron (Core Set, 147) to the table.

The sight of a TIE interceptor sporting bloodstripes can strike fear into the heart of any Rebel pilot. You can bring the notorious starfighters of the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing into play with two copies of the 181st TIE Interceptor (Ready for Takeoff, 715). This unit can effectively support attack or defense, but it’s best at winning the Force to the dark side. While the 181st TIE Interceptor is piloted, its Pilot enhancement contributes its Force icons to your side during the Force struggle, allowing you to gain a bonus without even committing a unit.

In the Flight Academy (Ready for Takeoff, 716), the Imperial Navy possesses a highly efficient means of bringing new Pilots into play. This enhancement provides you with a resource, but it also reduces by one the cost and pilot cost of the first Pilot unit you play each turn. Being able to play Pilots at a discount gets your ships piloted and special abilities activated faster than ever.

You gain another way to bring your Pilots into play with the Stay on Target (Ready for Takeoff, 712) fate card, one of two new fate cards in this cycle. This fate card contributes two Force icons to your edge battle, but it also allows you to put a Pilot card into play from your hand or discard pile as an enhancement on a target friendly Vehicle unit. Not only does this allow you to escape paying the unit’s pilot cost, it lets you bring a Pilot into play in the midst of battle, potentially activating powerful abilities and swinging the balance of the conflict in your favor.

Of course, The Empire’s Elite wouldn’t be complete without a peerless Pilot to lead the squadron, and it gains such a unit in Baron Fel (Ready for Takeoff, 714). This unit bears the pilot (2) keyword, so by paying two resources, you may attach him to any friendly Vehicle. Baron Fel is at his best, however, in the cockpit of a Fighter. While Baron Fel pilots a Fighter unit, every friendly Fighter unit gains elite and edge (1), making any Fighter group a force to be reckoned with. In addition, Baron Fel possesses three Force icons, meaning that if he pilots one of the 181st TIE Interceptors, the Imperial Navy gains a three Force icon bonus to the Force struggle!

Coordinate Fleet Movement

More awaits within the Rogue Squadron cycle than Imperial Fighter squadrons. In this cycle, the Imperial Navy and Rebel Alliance take the spotlight, but every faction receives plenty of powerful new units, enhancements, and events, along with two new fate cards introduced in this cycle. New versions of iconic characters and ships abound, ranging from Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker to the Millennium Falcon and Slave I. Every faction receives new tactics utilizing new and upcoming cards, including the ones described below.

The Rebel Alliance uses the Capital Ship Independence to lead their entire navy in battle, while the Sith Fighter Delta One effortlessly incapacitates unpiloted Vehicle units. On the outskirts of the galaxy, Smuggling Freighters fly relentlessly past enemy shields and blockades. The Jedi may uncover a Lost Master among the forests of Kashyyyk, still maintaining his commitment to the Force, and if a Scum and Villainy pilot is ever forced to Bail Out, you can be sure you’ll face the pilot again on the ground. In the Rogue Squadron cycle, the skill of your best Pilots and Vehicles is on full display, offering countless new strategies for your decks in Star Wars: The Card Game.

Launch Your Starships

Are you prepared to pilot your starfighters to glory? Your intense dogfights, fleet combat, and hyperspace travel begin with the Ready for Takeoff Force Pack in the Rogue Squadron cycle. Look for the Ready for Takeoff Force Pack at your local retailer in the fourth quarter of 2014!

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Source: Ready for Takeoff

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Vibrant Settings and Mass Combats

A Preview of the Age of Rebellion Adventure, Onslaught at Arda I

“Right now I feel like I could take on the whole Empire myself.”

    –Dak Ralter

Onslaught at Arda I is the first book-length adventure supplement for the Star Wars®: Age of Rebellion™ Roleplaying Game, set shortly after the Battle of Yavin, during a time in which the Empire has responded to the destruction of the Death Star by tightening its grip on the surrounding systems.

Throughout the adventure, players assume the roles of new Rebel recruits stationed at the secret base on Arda I, and when Imperial Star Destroyers appear in orbit, they must work together to both defend their base from a massed Imperial onslaught and root out the traitor that exposed them.

Touching upon many of the core Age of Rebellion themes, Onslaught at Arda I partners the heroes’ desperate struggles with uneasy alliances and massed battles against an overwhelming enemy. In today’s preview, adventure writer Jeff Hall and lead developer Katrina Ostrander look at the ways that Onslaught at Arda I blends these themes into a true Star Wars experience, as well as the ways its Mass Combat rules can transform your Age of Rebellion adventures into truly epic experiences.

Adventure Writer Jeff Hall on Onslaught at Arda I

Getting to work on the first full-length adventure for Age of Rebellion was a dream come true. The concept I was given to work with hit on all of the hallmarks that would make it feel like something that belonged alongside the classic Star Wars movies: action, intrigue, and heroism, all at a breakneck pace.

My job was to bring all these things to life, and a big part of that was making sure that the adventure’s settings were rich and textured.

Arda I

The adventure begins on the world of Arda I, an Outer Rim planet previously mentioned only in passing. This was both exciting and daunting; apart from some stunning artwork that FFG planned to use in the book, I had no real constraints on what the planet was like. This meant I could really dive into its design.

However, because the planet had little established background, I had to work even harder to make it feel like a living, breathing world in the Star Wars universe. I think the work paid off, though, and there are many different nuggets that I believe players will enjoy as they explore Arda I before they are thrust deeper into the action!

The Imperial fleet approaches Arda I.

Jagomir

The adventure begins on Arda I, but its action doesn’t end there. From the Ardan Cross, the PCs head to a new Rebel base on the swamp world of Jagomir and then to the Imperial World of Ord Radama.

Designing Jagomir was a fun challenge as I wanted to make sure it was a unique swamp planet and not a clone of Dagobah. Creating a distinct landscape amid the swamp was key, and the sweeping vistas of Jagomir make a fantastic setting for players who want to use them as a long term base for their Rebels. 

Ord Radama

The adventure also offers the PCs a chance to explore Ord Radama, an ancient world held firmly by the Empire and that has a sinister past as a former Sith World. Friends are few and far between on Ord Radama, and the PCs would be wise to make more use of their skills than their blasters if they venture that deep into Imperial territory. Of course, as with Jagomir, Ord Radama presents many avenues that can lead to an even longer campaign.

The capital city of Livien Magnus on Ord Radama has known a number of masters, having belonged to the Sith Empire, the Republic, the Separatists, and now the Galactic Empire.

Lead Developer Katrina Ostrander on Creating New Rules for Epic Battles

One of our goals while designing the Age of Rebellion roleplaying game was to make it the best possible Rebellion experience. And part of that meant that we’d need some way to recreate the epic scale of Star Wars combat between the Rebellion and the Empire.

To facilitate these, Onslaught at Arda I introduces rules for mass combat that allow Game Masters to depict the ebb and flow of combat without getting bogged down in endless dice rolls. Additionally, we added an Action Tracker to the adventure that helps maintain the frantic pacing of a race against time while Imperial forces are waiting for the heroes at every turn. These elements help make Onslaught at Arda I the epic experience we envisioned, but they also provide GMs the means to greatly expand their Age of Rebellion adventures and campaigns.

We wanted to make sure that the Mass Combat rules were both easy to use and could emulate different types of battles at a wide variety of scales. To that end, we developed a dice pool that draws upon a combination of some of the variables most likely to tip the scales of victory: the leadership and tactical skills of the commanders on both sides, as well as the size and training of the forces. Additionally, the narrative dice system allows the GM to assign Boost () or Setback () dice as circumstances dictate, such as the penalty you incur when fog veils the movements of your enemy’s forces or the advantage that comes with fighting on your home turf.

This dice pool allows the GM to quickly determine whether the heroes or their allies successfully achieve their objectives for a specified segment of a battle. For example, the roll may determine whether or not you successfully hold a line against an enemy assault or advance into enemy territory. Meanwhile, the dice pool also allows the GM to determine the magnitude of that success (such as whether it’s a fiercely contested battle or a rout), as well as what positive or negative side effects result.

Below are a few examples of how to spend Advantage, Triumph, Threat, and Despair in Mass Combat:

In Onslaught at Arda I, the Mass Combat mechanics allow the GM to help the players envision a vivid and dynamic encounter during the titular Imperial onslaught, and they directly influence the outcome of the battle. However, these rules are easy to incorporate into your own Age of Rebellion campaigns whenever Imperial and Rebellion forces clash!

Pre-Order Your Copy Today

Filled with action, intrigue, and heroism all presented at a breakneck pace, Onslaught at Arda I serves as an exciting and rewarding introduction to the Age of Rebellion experience. More than that, its ninety-six pages also contain a wealth of setting information and Mass Combat rules that expand your Star Wars roleplaying universe.

Head to your local retailer to pre-order your copy today!

Next: We take another look at using Onslaught at Arda I as part of an extended campaign.

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Source: Vibrant Settings and Mass Combats

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The Howl of Blackmane

Announcing the First War Pack in the Warlord Cycle for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest

“So long as there remains one who still rages in the name of justice and truth, the galaxy shall yet know hope.”
    –Ragnar Blackmane

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce The Howl of Blackmane, the first War Pack in the Warlord cycle for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest!

The Howl of Blackmane introduces sixty new cards to expand your battles in the grim and gritty future of Warhammer 40,000: Conquest. You’ll find a battle-ready new Space Marine warlord with his eight-card signature squad offering new ideas for conquering the Traxis sector. Additionally, you’ll find three copies each of seventeen different cards that invite you to join the ranks of the Inquisition, experiment with heretical technology, or embark upon a sector-spanning Waaagh!

As the first pack of the Warlord cycle, The Howl of Blackmane brings your warlords to the forefront of your battles in the Traxis sector. New warlords are introduced in every War Pack, leading bloodthirsty armies, and bringing new strategies for achieving victory.  You’ll find more than new warlords, however. Other cards introduced in The Howl of Blackmane and throughout the cycle put the focus directly on your warlord, whether by granting benefits to your other forces, orchestrating army movements, or exhausting to trigger powerful tactics.

In addition to powerful new warlords, the Warlord cycle introduces our new LCG® packaging to Warhammer 40,000: Conquest War Packs! This packaging is molded plastic, but every War Pack still contains the full complement of sixty cards.

Throughout the War Packs of the Warlord cycle, every faction receives a new warlord, ranging from an Imperial Inquisitor to an Eldar Phoenix Lord, and each of these new champions encourages the exploration of a new style of play.

For more on The Howl of Blackmane and the main themes of the Warlord cycle, we turn to developer Brad Andres.

Developer Brad Andres on the Warlord Cycle

Throughout the Warlord cycle, we explored the impact of warlords upon the game. These powerful warriors and leaders are the lifeblood of Conquest, and the design of a new warlord meant defining how the warlord would play the game.

Throughout the cycle, we needed to answer questions ranging from, “How will this warlord try to win?” to “What makes this warlord unique compared to others in the same faction?” Each warlord and its signature squad brings a new deck type to the table, ripe for expansion with the addition of other cards in the cycle.

The first of these new warlords is the Wolf Lord, Ragnar Blackmane (The Howl of Blackmane, 1). Ragnar is designed to hunt down your opponent’s warlord by engaging it in battle as much as possible. The strategy of hunting is a perfect thematic fit for the Space Wolves; these Space Marines were engineered to murder empires and tear apart anyone that stands in the way of the Imperium. Ragnar’s signature unit, the Blackmane Sentinel (The Howl of Blackmane, 2), continues the theme of hunting down your rivals. A Blackmane Sentinel is a fearsome unit that can move from anywhere on the board to corner a warlord wherever Ragnar tracks it. Even if you can’t guess the location of your opponent’s warlord on the first try, Blackmane’s Hunt (The Howl of Blackmane, 5) allows you to follow your rival’s warlord to an adjacent planet, completing your hunt and meeting it in battle.

Confronting your opponent head-on brings you face-to-face with danger, but the Weapon Frostfang (The Howl of Blackmane, 3) can drastically increase one unit’s attack power and hit points, helping you win a showdown with a rival warlord. And when your opponent tries to flee from your ravening wolves, a Morkai Rune Priest punishes your opponent for thinking he might escape unscathed.

Ragnar is only the first of many familiar warlords to be found in this cycle. You can look forward to seeing Inquisitors, Ethereals, and Greater Daemons in battle. Each new warlord brings a new deck type and play experience for players to explore.

The Warlord cycle doesn’t just introduce new warlords. It features a host of supporting cards that make the strategic use of your warlord more critical than ever. Cards like Muster the Guard (The Howl of Blackmane, 7) require you to exhaust your warlord as part of the ability cost, offering a huge benefit in return. Other cards, such as the Bork’an Recruits,become stronger while in the presence of a warlord, making the decision of where to commit a warlord even more consequential.

The Howl of Blackmane and the other War Packs in the Warlord cycle introduce a host of new warlords and abilities to Warhammer 40,000: Conquest, bombarding the Traxis sector with powerful new abilities, strategies, and combinations. These cards were designed to make your war for galactic dominance more intense than ever, and I hope you have as much fun playing it as I did designing it!

What Is a War Pack?

Warhammer 40,000: Conquest is a Living Card Game®, meaning that rather than collectible randomized booster packs, it receives monthly expansions known as War Packs. Each War Pack contains sixty cards, offering a full playset of each unit, attachment, event, and support card within.

Each War Pack expands the Warhammer 40,000 universe within Conquest, offering new deck-building options with a fixed distribution model, allowing players to focus on building decks and playing games, rather than chasing rare cards. The Howl of Blackmane is the first War Pack for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest.

Hunt Among the Stars

Begin your wild hunt across the galaxy with Ragnar Blackmane and the other cards from The Howl of Blackmane War Pack. Whether you employ Blackmane’s aggressive tactics, revel in the torture of the Dark Eldar, or harness the powerful technology of the Tau empire, you’ll find new units, attachments, supports, and events to use throughout your battles in the Traxis sector.

Look for The Howl of Blackmane to arrive at your local retailer in the fourth quarter of 2014!

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Source: The Howl of Blackmane

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Ready for Takeoff

Announcing the First Force Pack in the Rogue Squadron Cycle

“We’ll have to destroy them ship to ship. Get the crews to their fighters.”
    –Darth Vader, Star Wars: A New Hope

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce Ready for Takeoff, the first Force Pack in the upcoming Rogue Squadron cycle for Star Wars™: The Card Game!

The battles of the Star Wars saga are fought on planets and in space. On solid ground, heroes like Han Solo and Leia Organa exchange blaster fire with nameless troopers, but in the freezing void of space, other heroes pilot starfighters through fierce combat and breakneck contests of skill and nerve. The fearless men and women of the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance, and others develop new starfighters continually and pilot these experimental spaceships in battle.

As the first Force Pack in the Rogue Squadron cycle, Ready for Takeoff brings these interstellar battles to the forefront, as Vehicles and Pilots clash in the vacuum of outer space. With a new fate card, iconic starship pilots like Lando Calrissian and “Mauler” Mithel, and new mechanics for piloting your Vehicles, Ready for Takeoff has plenty to offer, whether you fly for Rogue Squadron or Black Squadron. This Force Pack contains ten new objective sets (two copies each of five unique sets) and in Ready for Takeoff, you’ll get your first taste of piloting each faction’s iconic starships.

In addition to a fleet of new starships and pilots, the Rogue Squadron cycle introduces new packaging for Star Wars: The Card Game Force Packs! The packaging will be changing from cardboard to plastic, but every Force Pack still contains the full complement of ten new objective sets.

Get to Your Ships!

Even the most awe-inspiring ships still benefit from the best pilots, and Ready for Takeoff introduces a new keyword to ensure that your cutting-edge fighters and starships have ace pilots. Units that have the pilot (X) keyword may be played from hand as a Pilot enhancement attached to a friendly Vehicle unit by paying resources equal to X – the unit’s pilot cost.

For example, Derek “Hobbie” Klivian (Ready for Takeoff, 699) possesses the pilot (1) keyword. By paying one resource, you may attach "Hobbie" to any friendly Vehicle unit. The attached Vehicle is considered to be “piloted,” and "Hobbie" is “piloting” the Vehicle. Piloting your Vehicles is critical, since many new units feature powerful abilities that only activate while they are piloted or piloting. Of course, you are never required to use a unit as a pilot, and you may play “Hobbie” as a unit by paying his resource cost.

Today, we’ll look at an upcoming objective set from Ready for Takeoff that highlights some of the themes you’ll unveil within the Rogue Squadron cycle.

Earn Your Bloodstripes

In Ready for Takeoff, you’ll get your first look at the unique Pilots and Vehicles in the upcoming Rogue Squadron cycle. The Imperial Navy is well known for pouring limitless resources into the Pilots of the Flight Academy and the Fighters they fly. These pilots’ expertise begins with The Empire’s Elite (Ready for Takeoff, 713) objective. When this objective is in play, you gain access to a powerful Interrupt that triggers when a piloted Fighter unit you control would leave play. Instead of being discarded, both the Fighter and the attached Pilot enhancement are returned to your hand, allowing you to return your most feared Fighters, such as “Backstabber” (Core Set, 13) or a TIE Attack Squadron (Core Set, 147) to the table.

The sight of a TIE interceptor sporting bloodstripes can strike fear into the heart of any Rebel pilot. You can bring the notorious starfighters of the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing into play with two copies of the 181st TIE Interceptor (Ready for Takeoff, 715). This unit can effectively support attack or defense, but it’s best at winning the Force to the dark side. While the 181st TIE Interceptor is piloted, its Pilot enhancement contributes its Force icons to your side during the Force struggle, allowing you to gain a bonus without even committing a unit.

In the Flight Academy (Ready for Takeoff, 716), the Imperial Navy possesses a highly efficient means of bringing new Pilots into play. This enhancement provides you with a resource, but it also reduces by one the cost and pilot cost of the first Pilot unit you play each turn. Being able to play Pilots at a discount gets your ships piloted and special abilities activated faster than ever.

You gain another way to bring your Pilots into play with the Stay on Target (Ready for Takeoff, 712) fate card, one of two new fate cards in this cycle. This fate card contributes two Force icons to your edge battle, but it also allows you to put a Pilot card into play from your hand or discard pile as an enhancement on a target friendly Vehicle unit. Not only does this allow you to escape paying the unit’s pilot cost, it lets you bring a Pilot into play in the midst of battle, potentially activating powerful abilities and swinging the balance of the conflict in your favor.

Of course, The Empire’s Elite wouldn’t be complete without a peerless Pilot to lead the squadron, and it gains such a unit in Baron Fel (Ready for Takeoff, 714). This unit bears the pilot (2) keyword, so by paying two resources, you may attach him to any friendly Vehicle. Baron Fel is at his best, however, in the cockpit of a Fighter. While Baron Fel pilots a Fighter unit, every friendly Fighter unit gains elite and edge (1), making any Fighter group a force to be reckoned with. In addition, Baron Fel possesses three Force icons, meaning that if he pilots one of the 181st TIE Interceptors, the Imperial Navy gains a three Force icon bonus to the Force struggle!

Coordinate Fleet Movement

More awaits within the Rogue Squadron cycle than Imperial Fighter squadrons. In this cycle, the Imperial Navy and Rebel Alliance take the spotlight, but every faction receives plenty of powerful new units, enhancements, and events, along with two new fate cards introduced in this cycle. New versions of iconic characters and ships abound, ranging from Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker to the Millennium Falcon and Slave I. Every faction receives new tactics utilizing new and upcoming cards, including the ones described below.

The Rebel Alliance uses the Capital Ship Independence to lead their entire navy in battle, while the Sith Fighter Delta One effortlessly incapacitates unpiloted Vehicle units. On the outskirts of the galaxy, Smuggling Freighters fly relentlessly past enemy shields and blockades. The Jedi may uncover a Lost Master among the forests of Kashyyyk, still maintaining his commitment to the Force, and if a Scum and Villainy pilot is ever forced to Bail Out, you can be sure you’ll face the pilot again on the ground. In the Rogue Squadron cycle, the skill of your best Pilots and Vehicles is on full display, offering countless new strategies for your decks in Star Wars: The Card Game.

Launch Your Starships

Are you prepared to pilot your starfighters to glory? Your intense dogfights, fleet combat, and hyperspace travel begin with the Ready for Takeoff Force Pack in the Rogue Squadron cycle. Look for the Ready for Takeoff Force Pack at your local retailer in the fourth quarter of 2014!

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Source: Ready for Takeoff

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The Valemen

Announcing the Third Chapter Pack in the Wardens Cycle

“It would gladden my heart if I could assure you that the Sand Snakes were alone in wanting war, but I will not tell you lies, ser.”

   –George R.R. Martin, A Feast for Crows

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce The Valemen, the third Chapter Pack in the Wardens cycle for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game!

In the struggle to claim the Iron Throne, even those who wait at the periphery of the struggle can have potent effects on the outcome of your battles and intrigues. The Valemen continues the major themes of the Wardens cycle, enhancing the power of trait-based decks, exploring the powerful “limited response” mechanic, and granting more support for some of the game’s most expensive and recognizable characters.

You may choose to ride the plains of the Dothraki sea with a horde of Dothraki, defend the Baratheon kings with the Rainbow Guard, or reinforce your walls with the soldiers of House Tully. No matter whom you support in A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, you’ll find the cards you need in The Valemen Chapter Pack.

A Viper in the Rocks

In addition, this Chapter Pack provides cards that offer more support for the Sand Snakes  of Dorne – the illegitimate daughters of Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper. Alone, the Sand Snakes can be overwhelmed, but when combined, there are few who can rival their thirst for vengeance.

In A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, you can only trigger one Limited Response each turn. The Valemen Chapter Pack opens new choices for you, providing a Sand Snake with a powerful Limited Response in the person of Nymeria Sand (The Valemen, 48). Nymeria bears the text: “Limited Response: After a Sand Snake character you control is killed, choose and kill a character with an equal or lower printed cost. (Limit 1 limited response per round.)” Nymeria Sand allows you to claim revenge for every Sand Snake death. By choosing and killing a Sand Snake for military claim when Nymeria Sand is in play, you can ensure that your opponent’s characters pay the price for earning the Sand Snakes’ enmity.

Of course, Nymeria’s Limited Response requires a Sand Snake to be killed before it can activate. Thankfully, House Martell and the Sand Snakes gain a way to cheat death in the Red Mountain Keep (The Valemen, 51). During the dominance phase, you may kneel Red Mountain Keep to shuffle one of your Sand Snake characters back into your deck from your dead pile, allowing you to play more copies of that character, ensuring the Sand Snakes never stay gone for long.

Decks built around the Sand Snakes trait gain another tool for revenge in An Opening Gambit (The Valemen, 49). You may play this event immediately after you lose a challenge to choose a participating Sand Snake character you control. That character gains a power, and if that was the first challenge initiated during the phase, you may stand the character and draw a card! By strategically losing the first challenge of the challenges phase, you can take revenge and easily gain an advantage in power, standing characters, and cards in hand.

Exact Your Revenge

Whether you take revenge with the Sand Snakes of Dorne, raid and pillage with the clansmen of the Vale, or plot alongside iconic characters such as Euron Crow’s Eye and Ser Ilyn Payne, you’ll find the cards that will bring you to the Iron Throne within The Valemen Chapter Pack.

Look for The Valemen at your local retailer in the fourth quarter of 2014!

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Source: The Valemen

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Dungeon Inferno

Preview the New Fire at Will Expansion for Dungeon Fighter

So you made it out of the dungeon alive, did you? Well done! You must truly be a hero. Actually, you look a little cold. Why don’t you come into this cave and warm up by the fire? You know, it’s good that you’re here. This cave has a relatively minor monster infestation that needs to be dealt with. Do you have any experience in fighting goblins, dragons or flame-snorting Bullrogs?

Recently, we announced Fire at Will and The Big Wave, the new element-themed expansions for Dungeon Fighter, a humorous dexterity-based board game in which players take on the role of heroes fighting their way through a dungeon filled with horrid yet quirky monsters. In Fire at Will, the heroes explore a cavern beneath the fire mountains, combat flame-breathing monsters, and learn fire elemental magic.

Fire can be both your friend and your foe, so it’s best to learn something about it before facing the flames. Today, we’ll take a closer look at how the Fire at Will expansion plays with fire.You will learn how burn tokens can set monsters and heroes ablaze, discover how the new fire element die is used in game play, and get to know the special abilities of the new heroine, Melissa, The Fire Sorceress.

Let It Burn

In the base game of Dungeon Fighter, you can only wound a monster by landing the die on the target – not always an easy feat in this dexterity game. In Fire at Will, you can use burn tokens to torch monsters. Some equipment and power cards allow you to place a specific number of burn tokens on a monster card. Then, at the beginning of each player’s turn, you take away a burn token and deal the monster one point of damage in addition to any damage dealt in an attack. The weakest monsters are doomed the moment they start to burn; stronger ones can continue to fight even while on fire.

Heroes can go up in flames, too – after all, fire doesn’t care who it burns. Some monsters, such as the Smoked Zombie, give burn tokens to heroes. Like monsters, heroes burn gradually. If you receive burn tokens, at the beginning of every player’s turn you will remove one token from your hero sheet and suffer one point of damage, until the tokens are gone.

Fire at Will also includes an eight-sided fire element die that helps reduce monsters to ash. This die deals damage or activates a special ability whether it lands on the target board or not. But you can’t just open fire at random: only certain rooms, pieces of equipment, and monsters allow you to throw this die. During a fight at the Fire Altar, the first player, and only the first player, must throw the element die. If you’re lucky, it will land on a +3 side, adding three points of damage in addition to any damage dealt by where the die lands. If that serious blow doesn’t kill the monster, the next player chooses from the colored hero dice as they would normally.

She’s On Fire

Fire at Will introduces you to a new heroine: Melissa, The Fire Sorceress. As that casual smirk on her face suggests, she can play with the most dangerous fires without getting burned. Since she’s an expert in fire magic, you’ll likely want her in any party of heroes journeying through the fire mountains. Her Agile Instincts ability, when activated, prevents her from suffering damage if you throw a miss. Activating her Sworn Enemy ability allows her to deal four points of additional damage to any demon she fights.

Melissa also uniquely possesses the Fire Sacrifice ability. It allows you to place three burn tokens on a monster, but only if the group’s leader is willing to suffer one point of damage. Sometimes the best way to be a hero is to take one for the team, but you must decide for yourself whether fire magic is worth the sacrifice.

A New Flame

Fire at Will also features several new monsters, new equipment cards, game board templates and power cards. There are even new fire-themed ways of throwing the dice, such as the lighter shot, in which you flick the die with your thumb as if you were igniting a lighter, and the firewall shot, in which you bounce the die over the firewall prop as if over a tennis net – just be careful that the die doesn’t touch the firewall and get scorched!

The pyrotechnics of Fire at Will are sure to ignite your hunger for dungeon-fighting adventure. Pre-order Fire at Will and the other new  Dungeon Fighter expansion, The Big Wave, from your local retailer today!

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Source: Dungeon Inferno

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Civilization Doesn't Happen by Accident

A Preview of the Character Options Available in Far Horizons

Civilization doesn’t happen by accident. It’s hard work.

Accordingly, many people find it difficult to understand the colonist’s desire to brave remote areas and dangerous conditions in order to establish settlements on new worlds. When they could live on any of tens of thousands of civilized worlds, what exactly draws them to forge ahead with yet another settlement on a world that is most likely to be unremarkable or inhospitable?

This is a question that runs throughout Far Horizons, the Colonist sourcebook for the Star Wars®: Edge of the Empire™ Roleplaying Game.

Of course, there are as many specific reasons for colonists to pursue new settlements as there are colonists, but the larger reasons tend to fit into categories that are ages-old. Colonists willing to brave the dangers of the wilds often wish to break with current society or government, establish civilizations based on specific ideals, or exploit new resources.

Despite their best intentions, not all colonists are able to enjoy peaceful and profitable lives on their adopted homeworlds. Some become swept up in events and find themselves caught in interplanetary adventures. In such situations, colonists do well to draw upon their considerable courage and talents. Although anyone can become a colonist, the best are typically smart, ambitious, tough, and willing to brave the unknown. These are the characters you’ll find given more attention in Far Horizons.

For more about what Far Horizons offers these characters, we turn to lead developer Sam Stewart.

 Colonists extend civilization to the farthest reaches of the Star Wars galaxy.

Lead Developer Sam Stewart on the Colonists of Far Horizons

“In our announcement of Far Horizons, we looked at how the sourcebook fleshes out the Colonist career with three new specializations: the Performer, the Entrepreneur, and the Marshal. However, the book offers much, much more for both your Colonist characters and any GM looking to write these characters into a truly engaging campaign that plays to their strengths and interests. Among the first new options Far Horizons offers your Colonists are two new signature abilities. Signature abilities are powerful, advanced abilities that are available only to a specific career. Specializations can be taken by any character, but signature abilities are exclusive to the careers to which they’re tied.

“Appropriately, the Colonist’s two signature abilities play to some of this career’s greatest strengths, and the Colonists who take them become even better at drawing upon the knowledge and skills that allow them to thrive on some of the galaxy’s wildest and most dangerous planets.

“The first is called Insightful Revelation. As befits the career with the Scholar specialization, Insightful Revelation allows characters to really put their Knowledge skills to use; a character with Insightful Revelation can make a single check to reveal vital information about his or her situation that he or she couldn’t normally uncover.

“This is great deal more potent than a normal Knowledge skill check, because it’s specifically intended to reveal relevant information that would otherwise be outside your character’s frame of reference. In complex negotiations with a Hutt Crime Lord? Use Insightful Revelation to find out that his new slave is actually a Rebel agent, and make a deal with her instead. Captured by the Empire? Turns out the lieutenant heading up your prison detail is secretly Force-sensitive, and desperate to hide it from his superiors. Who knew? Well, you did, thanks to Insightful Revelation.
 

 A human Politico has an Insightful Revelation about the Rodians with whom she’s in negotiations.

“Playing alongside these sudden epiphanies, we have Unmatched Expertise. Perhaps more than any other characters, Colonists such as Doctors, Scholars, and Performers are defined by their jobs and specializations. Accordingly, it’s appropriate that Unmatched Expertise rewards them for their dedication and helps make them the very best at what they do.

“Specifically, Unmatched Expertise allows the most talented Colonists to decrease the difficulty of all career skill checks by one for an entire encounter. Nobody out-talks a Politico, out-medics a Doctor, or out-deals an Entrepreneur!”

New Species

“Far Horizons also introduces three new playable species: Arcona, Gran, and Chevin. These species offer you some interesting choices when you build your character. While you can use them with any career, each species works especially well as a Colonist.

 From left to right: Arcona, Gran, and Chevin.

“The Arcona are reptilian, community-oriented individuals from a dry desert planet. They have formidable wills, and their unique heat vision abilities allow them to read others’ moods, giving them a decided edge in negotiations. However, they have one dangerous weakness as a species; an Arcona can become fatally addicted to sodium chloride. To an Arcona, simple purified salt is more powerful than the strongest spice, and whenever these sociable aliens imbibe, they risk dooming themselves to slow and painful deaths.

“Meanwhile, the Gran first debuted in the Star Wars®: Age of Rebellion™ Roleplaying Game, but they’re back in Far Horizons because of their powerful personalities. Nobody gabs like a Gran, and their ability to talk the ears off a gundark makes them great Entrepreneurs, Performers, and Politicos.

“Finally, we have the Chevin. The Chevin are a species of cunning and dangerous merchants, nomads, and slavers from Vinsoth. Chevin may look clumsy, but you would be unwise to underestimate the resilience of their rock hard skin or their innate physical strength. However, as Far Horizons reveals, their real strength lies in their mercantile and mercenary minds. Chevin can find the advantage in nearly every situation, and exploit it for their benefit. And while many Chevin are known to be vicious slavers, there exist a significant number of Chevin who have turned their back on this deplorable practice and set out to try and change their society. A hard-nosed Chevin who turns away from slavery in preference for justice can make a formidable Marshal.”

Skills and Talents for Every Occassion

Isolation from the galaxy at large demands that colonists refine their intelligence, skills, and self-reliance. Simultaneously, the often challenging circumstances of their lives demand that they grow adaptable and resilient.

Accordingly, Colonists are some of the most reliable adventurers in Edge of the Empire. When they’re swept along by currents of events that carries them into adventures that may span the galaxy, you can rely upon them to make good use of all the skills and tools at their disposal.

Far Horizons allows you to prepare your Colonist for more of anything and everything with more talents, careers, and signature abilities. Of course, a good Colonist also knows when to share with others for the good of the homestead, and Far Horizons includes a wealth of material that any Edge of the Empire character can use.

 Few may understand the Colonist’s desire to settle some of the galaxy’s most dangerous and most remote planets, but many have benefitted from their successes.

In upcoming previews, we’ll look at some of the sourcebook’s new gear and at how Game Masters can use the book to craft dynamic and dramatic campaigns centered around a colonist’s homestead.

For now, be sure to book your ticket to the next remote planet… Head to your local retailer today to pre-order your copy of Far Horizons!

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Source: Civilization Doesn't Happen by Accident

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Let the Matchups Begin

Foul Play Is Now Available for Blood Bowl: Team Manager

The Foul Play expansion for Blood Bowl: Team Manager is now available at your local retailer and online through our webstore!

A new season begins for Blood Bowl: Team Manager, and you’ll uncover more opportunities for trickery and low-down, backstabbing moves than ever. The Putrid Players’ Guild joins the Team Managers’ Union, bringing with it three entirely new teams and unprecedented levels of cheating. A fifth player may now join your games of Blood Bowl: Team Manager, and no matter how many players you have in a game, the new fouling skill is sure to upset opposing managers’ plans.

Putrid Players

In our first preview of the Foul Play expansion, we revealed some of the key players that you can expect to see in the three new teams of the Putrid Players’ Guild. The followers of Nurgle spread disease wherever they play, choking other teams and lowering Star Power with disease tokens. On the other side of the field, the goblins set the standard for sheer craziness in a Blood Bowl matchup. With plenty of flying bombs, chainsaws, and pogo sticks, the goblins offer a multitude of ways to get the better of your opponent. The final team to join the Team Managers’ Union is the Chaos Dwarfs, and they bear grudges like none other. Tackling a Chaos Dwarf just makes him more angry and more likely to exact vengeance.

Each of these teams also features the new fouling skill, which allows you to look at a Player card in your opponent’s hand and choose to discard it or not. If you reveal a powerful Star Player from your opponent’s hand, you can discard it, and your opponent draws a replacement card, but if you pull a lowly Guardsman, you can return it to your opponent’s hand, keeping him from drawing a better card to replace it.

The Penalties of Corruption

As we explored in our second preview, you’ll find more than three new teams in Foul Play. The Team Managers’ Union makes new efforts to crack down on cheating, resulting in penalties issued to managers. A thrown elbow at the wrong time might result in a player’s removal from your roster, while roughing the ref may cause you to lose fans. Fortunately for players intent on getting ahead through nefarious tactics, a corrupt ref also makes his first appearance in this season of Blood Bowl: Team Manager. This ref moves from matchup to matchup, helping you and your players cheat by giving you advance knowledge of cheating tokens.

In addition, for the first time in the history of Blood Bowl: Team Manager, you’ll find stadiums in which to play your matchups. Every stadium has its own special rules that govern how you play there, but rules are meant to be broken in Blood Bowl! You always have the option to cheat by breaking a stadium’s restrictions, but doing so incurs a penalty, which may cost you fans, upgrade cards, or players.

Ready for the Big Leagues

Nurglings, goblins, and Chaos Dwarfs burst onto the scene of Blood Bowl: Team Manager in this expansion, bringing more cheating and fouling in their wake. Play a game in a brand-new stadium, escape penalties with the help of the corrupt ref, or learn the trademark tactics of new teams. Download the rules from the support page, and pick up your copy of Foul Play at your local retailer today!

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Source: Let the Matchups Begin

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Torture and Fear

Preview the Dark Eldar Faction from Warhammer 40,000: Conquest

The Dark Eldar exemplify everything that is wanton and cruel in the ancient race they descend from. Fiercely intelligent and devious to a fault, these piratical raiders revel in pain. Feeding upon the suffering of others is the only way they can stave off the slow death of their own souls.

The Traxis sector is wracked by war as mighty armies face each other, battling feverishly for control and domination. Warhammer 40,000: Conquest puts you in command of these forces, leading a warlord and his entourage into battle after battle. As you engage in combat for crucial planets, you must simultaneously plan for future conquests, balancing your armies across the Traxis sector.

At the beginning of our series of previews for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest, we focused on gameplay, exploring the deployment of armies, the command struggle, and combat at planets. We also looked at a detailed example of a battle, before moving into the various factions and their distinct play styles. Before now, we’ve looked at Space Marines, the Astra Militarum, Orks, and Chaos, but now we turn to the raiding parties of the Dark Eldar!

The Way of the Wych

Dark Eldar raiding parties flow outwards from Commorragh, the Dark City, finding prey wherever they can. The lucky ones are slain by the pirates; those unlucky enough to be taken prisoner are dragged into the coliseums of the Dark Eldar. The leader of the Dark Eldar raids in the Traxis sector is a deadly Wych, Packmaster Kith (Core Set, 5). Although this feared warrior can acquit herself perfectly in combat, she never travels too far without her pets – the Khymerae. These token units are put into play by Kith’s Reaction, which allows you to put a Khymera token into play at a planet whenever Packmaster Kith commits to that planet.

Khymerae are born of the Warp, and these nightmarish creatures can quickly rend your opponent’s forces to shreds. You’ll want to maximize your number of these beasts, and fortunately, Packmaster Kith’s signature squad has numerous options for gaining more Khymerae and taking advantage of the ones you have. The signature squad begins with four copies of Kith’s Khymeramasters (Core Set, 100). Whenever these units enter play, you may put a Khymera token into play at the same planet, increasing your numbers and terrifying your foes.

Your Khymera tokens are most powerful in a pack, but your methods for bringing Khymerae into play may leave them spread across the sector. Thankfully, you have a means to bring them together in the Khymera Den (Core Set, 101). You may exhaust this support card to move any number of Khymera tokens to any planet. Triggering this support will not only unify your Khymerae, but because you can exhaust this support as an Action, you can wait to see where your opponent’s forces will move before you commit your Khymera tokens.

You’ll also find one copy of the Agonizer of Bren (Core Set, 103) attachment in Packmaster Kith’s signature squad, allowing you to capitalize even further off your numbers of Khymera tokens. This attachment is attached to an army unit, and it gives that unit +1 ATK for each Khymera token you control, increasing your attack power even as the Khymerae you lead grow more numerous.

The signature squad concludes with two copies of the Pact of the Haemonculi (Core Set, 102). By playing this even during the deployment phase, you may sacrifice a unit to discard a random card from your opponent’s hand, before drawing two cards yourself. At first glance, this card might not seem to have much to do with Khymera tokens, but to gain the effects of Pact of the Haemonculi, you must sacrifice a unit. Khymera tokens cost you nothing to bring into play in the first place, and they certainly offer a tempting unit to sacrifice.

The Knife that Cuts Unseen

The Dark Eldar, like the Khymerae, are most deadly in combat because of their speed and adaptability. You’ll find ways to suddenly gain an advantage over your opponent throughout the Dark Eldar forces beyond Packmaster Kith’s signature squad. One such unit is the Vile Raider (Core Set, 110). This army possesses the Mobile keyword, allowing it to move to an adjacent planet at the beginning of the combat phase. By committing the Vile Raider to one planet, you can take advantage of its two command icons, before moving it to an adjacent planet to partake in battle.

Another dangerous Vehicle is the Black Heart Ravager (Core Set, 111). This army bears the Flying keyword, meaning that it takes half damage from non-Flying unit, which makes it difficult to destroy. The Black Heart Ravager also has an important Reaction that allows you to rout a non-warlord unit after damaging it with the Black Heart Ravager. A routed unit is returned exhausted to its owner’s headquarters, and by using the Black Heart Ravager, you can quickly cause your opponent’s most powerful units to turn tail and run. The event card Archon’s Terror (Core Set, 117) offers you another option for routing your opponent’s army, by allowing you to rout a non-unique unit during the combat phase. Applied correctly, routing can quickly diminish  an enemy army.

A final tool for neutralizing the armies of your foes lies in the bowels of the Twisted Laboratory (Core Set, 122). As an Action, you may exhaust this support to blank a target army’s text box for one phase. Since the true potential of most units lies in their special abilities, negating those powers is a sure way to bring your enemies to heel. Whether you crush your foes beneath packs of slavering Khymerae or run circles around them with your mobile armies, your Dark Eldar forces make an excellent spearhead for your efforts in the Traxis sector.

Terror and Pain

The pirate fleets of the Dark Eldar are ready for you to lead them in raids and assaults on the planets of the Traxis sector. The warriors of the Dark City may sweep over all in their way, but they won’t get there without a fight. Prepare to lead your armies to war! Preorder Warhammer 40,000: Conquest today.

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Source: Torture and Fear

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Rebellion Day

Announcing a Global Event for STAR WARS (R): Age of Rebellion (TM)

“Count me in.”

    –Leia Organa

   
       
           
       
   

Are You a Retailer?                         Apply today to host a Rebellion Day event!

The Rebel Alliance needs all the heroes it can get. Will you be one of them?

This September 13th is Rebellion Day, and it’s your opportunity to celebrate Star Wars roleplaying by participating in the dramatic, introductory Star Wars®: Age of Rebellion™ adventure, Rescue at Glare Peak.

Designed for two to five players (one of whom assumes the role of Game Master), Rescue at Glare Peak challenges you and your friends to complete a daring rescue mission while the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance.

What Is Rebellion Day?

Taking place worldwide on September 13th, FFG’s Rebellion Day is a special event designed to build upon the burgeoning excitement and community for the Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Roleplaying Game.

Only a limited number of kits are available, so retailers should apply today. This global event will provide players an engaging way to explore the Age of Rebellion Roleplaying Game, even as they strike a blow for galactic freedom!

The highlight of Rebellion Day is Rescue at Glare Peak, a special introductory Age of Rebellion adventure designed specifically for the event.

On Rebellion Day, you and your friends will assume the roles of heroic Rebel agents who must work together to rescue a pair of Rebel pilots who have crash-landed on the planet Trivar II.

Four different pre-generated characters introduce several of the many careers, specializations, skills, and talents of Age of Rebellion. Choose from an Ithorian Engineer, a Bothan Spy, a Human Commander, and a Duros Soldier. You’ll need to make use of the tricks, talents, and technology these characters possess in order to succeed at your mission.

The Rebellion Day Game Kit

The Rebellion Day Game Kit comes with everything retailers need to run this unique Star Wars adventure:

   
• One 48-page adventure booklet containing the adventure Rescue at Glare Peak and a full set of fast-play rules to get you quickly into the action

   
• Three sets each of four different Rebel character sheets

   
• One set of custom Star Wars Roleplaying Dice

   
• Three copies of a player handout, featuring three full-color maps of the adventure’s key locations, to help players better visualize their characters’ surroundings

   
• One promotional poster with bold, Rebellion-themed art to advertise your event

What Is Star Wars: Age of Rebellion?

Age of Rebellion is the second of three epic, fully cross-compatible Star Wars roleplaying systems by Fantasy Flight Games. It thrusts players directly into the ongoing Galactic Civil War between the evil Empire and the rag-tag Rebel Alliance. Woefully outnumbered and outgunned by the Empire and its vast military might, player characters may undertake any of a wide variety of missions. They may perform reconnaissance, engage in guerrilla warfare, or recruit citizens from across the galaxy.

At the core of FFG’s Star Wars roleplaying mechanics are its custom dice. Designed to enhance a heavily narrative roleplaying system, these dice combine symbols for success and failure with symbols for “threat” and “advantage.” As a result, players may succeed at their actions but still earn “threat,” or fail but still “advantages.” These results encourage stunning plot twists, and every roll of the dice encourages additional storytelling.

How Do You Get Involved?

   
• Retailers within the United States should apply through our online form.

   
• International retailers should apply through our list of participating distributors.

All applications are due by Wednesday, August 6th at 23:59 CST, though we strongly encourage interested retailers to apply as soon as possible. Our number of Rebellion Day Game Kits are limited.

If you are approved to host a Rebellion Day event, we will send instructions for ordering your event kit. We’ll post a list of participating retailers in a few weeks.

What Can Players Do?

If you’re an Age of Rebellion player, be sure to contact your favorite local gaming store about this exciting event. Then be sure to check our website in late August for the full list of participating retailers in order to make your plans to attend.

In the meantime, you can watch our Age of Rebellion website for more news and previews.

Join the Rebel Alliance

Retailers, remember that we have a limited number of Rebellion Day Game Kits, and the sign up for this exclusive introductory event closes on Wednesday, August 6th. Submit your application today to take your stand for galactic freedom on Rebellion Day!

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Source: Rebellion Day

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Heroic Endeavors

Preview Two New Heroes and Hero Classes from Manor of Ravens

In the forests near Greyhaven, there lies a haunted manor. By day, bandits raid the house for moldering treasures and arcane artifacts. By night, terrifying wraiths wisp through the halls, devouring the soul of any adventurer foolish enough to enter. As if these fearsome guardians were not enough, a magical construct stalks the halls of the mansion, searching for trespassers.

Manor of Ravens, an upcoming expansion for Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, dares any hero to enter the haunted mansion and brave the dangers within. In our last preview, we looked at bandits and wraiths, the two new monster groups that serve the overlord in Manor of Ravens.

Today, we’ll examine the heroes who face these threats: Alys Raine and Thaiden Mistpeak.

Marshal of the Realm

By her eighth birthday, Alys Raine could recite the entirety of the Common Law in one sitting and had begun memorizing the seven treaties associated with it. Preferring her studies to long hours of combat training, her dream of becoming a Marshal kept her moving forward. Now a rising star among her comrades, Alys Raine drives fear into the hearts of the unjust throughout Terrinoth. As a Marshal of the Citadel, Alys brings justice wherever it is needed, serving as both judge and executioner.

Alys Raine proves herself a powerful addition to your hero party as you seek to uncover the mystery of at the heart of the manor. She is completely devoted to her duties as a Marshal, and her hero ability and heroic feat give you the tools to trigger Class cards whenever you need them. Alys’s hero ability allows you to recover fatigue whenever an adjacent hero takes one or more damage, giving you the energy you need to enact justice on the evildoer.

Alys’s heroic feat lets you use your powerful Class cards more than once per turn. By activating Alys’s heroic feat during any player’s turn, you may refresh all of your exhausted cards and recover two fatigue, freeing you to exercise your power once more.

The Power of Law

The Marshal hero class puts the judicial power of the Citadel behind your quests, inviting any Warrior can punish the overlord for his flagrant disregard for the law. The Marshal hero class begins with the Retribution card. By exhausting this card when a nearby monster attacks another hero, you can force that monster to take damage as its just desserts. Vigilant Watch allows you to punish monsters for leaving your presence, whereas I am the Law allows you to attack a monster that attacked you, possibly inflicting a condition on the monster as well!

Some of the Marshal’s other Class cards punish the overlord for using his Overlord cards against the heroes. Zealous Fire can be exhausted when the overlord plays an Overlord card, allowing you to recover a fatigue. To make matters worse for the overlord, when Zealous Fire refreshes, you may deal a damage to a nearby monster. The By the Book card gives you a chance to cancel an Overlord card, returning it to the Overlord deck without effect.

A Hunter in the Wild

Alys Raine is aided in her investigations by Thaiden Mistpeak, a Scout with an uncanny knack for finding what others cannot. He led his clan through the Crags of the Forgotten, rescued his love from the center of the Gray Wastes, and recovered his grandmother’s hairpin from a very large haystack… or so it is said. He never planned to use his talents to avenge the deaths of his loved ones. But when his family’s murderers were never found, he took matters into his own hands. He has never spoken of that fateful journey, but from that day on, Thaiden Mistpeak was a changed man. All that remained was his skill, and his passion for the hunt.

Thaiden is an expert at surviving in the wilds, and his hero ability and heroic feat give him some of the tricks he may need to get the upper hand on the overlord’s monsters. By using Thaiden’s hero ability, you may cancel your attack and search an adjacent search token instead. By using this ability when an attack would miss or fail to cause damage, you can salvage what would have been a wasted action.

Thaiden’s heroic feat gives you a way to escape any monsters that happen to get too close. When a monster enters a space adjacent to you, you may trigger Thaiden’s heroic feat to immobilize the monster and immediately move up to three spaces! By using the heroic feat at the right time, you can neutralize a monster and prepare for Thaiden’s attack on his next turn.

Tracking Your Quarry

Monsters throughout Terrinoth would be wise to fear any Scout trained as a Bounty Hunter. Bounty Hunters excel at tracking a single monster before moving in for the kill. A Bounty Hunter’s Class cards make his hunts even more deadly.

Bounty Hunters start gameplay with the Chosen Target card, which they can exhaust to track a monster in their line of sight. Each of your attacks against the tracked monster gain an additional damage, which lets you take it down faster than ever. Other Class cards give you more benefits for hunting a tracked monster. Not so Fast reduces your target’s movement points and gives you movement points, whereas Evil Eye allows you to give your tracked monster the Doomed condition.

A key aspect of your hunts is waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Other Bounty Hunter Class cards reward you for doing just that. Lie in Wait takes an action to exhaust, but when it refreshes it gives you a bonus attack action with an additional power die! Undercover, on the other hand, invites you to enhance your defense for a turn before breaking out of hiding and gaining three movement points on your next turn.

Into the Manor

The mystery of the haunted manor awaits you and your fellow heroes within the Manor of Ravens expansion. Alys Raine and Thaiden Mistpeak may give you the strength to cross the mansion’s threshold, but can you withstand the horrors within?

Preorder Manor of Ravens at your local retailer today!

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Source: Heroic Endeavors