Thor 2 & Iron Man 3 Confirmed For Summer 2013

Walt Disney Pictures have finally confirmed what we’ve suspected for a while, Thor 2 will be released in Summer 2013. Thor grossed $437 million worldwide, and Marvel Studios has a public mandate to release two movies a year. In 2011 it was Thor and the upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger.

In 2012 it will be the superhero team-up The Avengers with no second release yet announced (is anything planned? If so we’d need to see an announcement very soon, or like, yesterday). In 2013 we’ll get Iron Man 3 on May 3rd and Thor 2 later that Summer (my guess is mid-July).

Chris Hemsworth is contracted to return, as is love interest Natalie Portman (although its entirely possible she won’t). Director Kenneth Branagh will not return, and Marvel will need to find a new director to helm the sequel.

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GMT Games Announces ‘Space Empires’ Boardgame For Pre-Order

 

 

Exploration is easy (well, easy for you, it is actually dangerous for your ships) and fun and reveals different terrain (such as asteroids and nebulas) which affect your movement and your combat. The map is printed on both sides to make set up easier. One side is used for the 2 player game and the other side for the 3-4 player game.

Description of play:

Each player, in turn, moves his ships, resolves his battles, and completes his exploration.  This process repeats and every third turn, the game is interrupted as all players conduct an economic phase.  During this time, players collect their income, pay their maintenance, bid on turn order, research new technologies, purchase new ships, build space yards, and grow their colonies.   

 

Inevitably, the growing empires will expand into each other and begin fighting over the same resources.  Players must balance spending on ships with expenditures for technology in order to stay ahead of their opponents as they seek to destroy key colonies or key space yards in order to tip the balance of the game in their favor.

 

Technology can play a key roll in this as more advanced ships are definitely more powerful in combat than ones with basic technology.  More than that, technology can provide nasty surprises.  Ship types are not revealed until they have been in combat and finding out that you are facing a carrier loaded with fighters can turn the tide of a battle.  Cloaked units can get beyond your forward fleets and disrupt your merchant pipelines, mines can end up taking out your biggest ships before battle even begins, and tactical advancements can mean that your opponent ends up firing first.

 

Combat is chartless and intuitive.  Depending on the situation and where the battle is fought (in a nebula, asteroids, or open space) ships get bonuses to their attack and defense ratings based on their different technology.  These are compared and ships line up to shoot at each other.  Combat rounds continue until one side is eliminated or retreats.  The combat procedure is quick, but satisfying.

 

While it is good to have the biggest ships, having a larger number of small ships can net you an advantage because a side that outnumbers its enemy significantly gets bonuses in combat (their numerical edge allows them to be more likely to maneuver and get in position to fire at downed shields or weak spots on an enemy ship).  Fleet composition is also important as each ship has its advantages.  This is not a game where a player just automatically only builds his best class of ship and nothing else.  Your fleets will actually feel like fleets!

 

• Four 5/8″ counter sheets (704 counters)
• One 22 x 34″ Double Sided Map
• Rulebook
• Two Player aid sheets
• One Pad of production sheets
• Two 10 sided dice

• 2-4 Players
• 1-4 hours to play depending on the scenario

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Wild West Roleplaying For BRP From Chaosium

Chaosium brings you Devil’s Gulch, an old west setting for the Basic Roleplaying system…

Devil’s Gulch is a typical town of the American Old West from 1870 through 1885. It is a collection of buildings set along a single dirt road with side streets where private residences are found. It features saloons, a bank, a general store, and a church. Most buildings are made of wood, though some boast of a brick addition or a stone foundation). Hitching rails are found in front of most buildings, and water troughs are set sporadically along the main street. Train tracks form one of the town’s borders. On the outskirts of Devil’s Gulch are mines, ranches, and box canyons perfect for hiding desperadoes.

The cast of characters includes gamblers, gunfighters, a preacher, a blacksmith, and a nymph du prairie (that’s a prostitute to those in the know). If you make Devil’s Gulch a base of operations for your Wild or Weird West campaign, the players may be interested in taking on the roles already filled by NPCs. There are many players who would jump at the opportunity to play the town sheriff or even the established gambler.

The basic layout of Devil’s Gulch is suitable for an historical campaign set in the American Old West, but there are many suggestions included for placing the town in the Weird West. You can modify the setting even beyond the author’s suggestions: Devil’s Gulch could be easily transferred to a steam-punk setting in which the town is an outpost of the new British Colony on Mars; perhaps it is populated with humans and grays, and the real trouble comes from tribes of xenomorphs roaming the Martian landscape; or maybe Devil’s Gulch is an immersive amusement park created by an evil gunslinger with superpowers, just waiting to test his skills against your heroes!

The town is a tool to use and transform as needed. Also included is a fold-out town illustration and diagram with major establishments identified. On the other side we offer a broadsheet touting Dr. Farnam’s Astounding Medicine Show.

Set to release in October 2010, you can find out more by visiting Chaosium’s website.

Men Of War: Assault Squad Coming Any Time Now

Hopefully this will be out any day now. I am really looking forward to this one…

Men of War: Assault Squad is the new title in the “Men of War” series. This stand-alone expansion takes place across the globe during the height of World War II and features a completely new cooperative skirmish game mode with access to five different nations (Russia, Germany, USA, Commonwealth and – for the first time ever in the Men of War series – Japan) as well as increased realism and accessibility. The expansion pack will deliver fans and newcomers an intense new WW2 spectacle with almost limitless replayability.

Like previous games in the series, Men of War: Assault Squad includes the unique “direct control” feature which enables players to maneuver units using the directional keys, rather than pointing and clicking. PC Generals can get behind the controls of a tank to smash through obstacles, crush soldiers under its tracks and fire armor-piercing shells at enemy emplacements, or take control of individual soldiers as they fight.

What makes the new skirmish game mode so unique?

•Different historical settings and battlegrounds for every nation will ensure that each time players will face a different variety of enemies and tactics.
•Unique hero units for every nation with powerful abilities such as increasing units’ firepower, boosting morale or providing other advantages to defeat the enemy against all odds.
•Fantastic bonus abilities such as remote controlled bombs that can flatten entire residential blocks, airstrikes able to destroy incoming tank columns, special “For the Motherland!” charge attacks and many more.
•Improved and dynamic AI ensures that no two games will play out the same way, making each battle a new experience against an AI that really fights back.
•Improved and dynamic AI ensures that no two games will play out the same way, making each battle a new experience against an AI that really fights back.
•Choose from a variety of scenario locations ranging from Western Europe, to Eastern Europe, North Africa and the Pacific.
•The ability to play this impressive game mode with up to four friends in LAN or cooperative online play.
More new features

•New multiplayer maps and game settings.
•Improved multiplayer balancing to provide a more authentic use of equipment and vehicles.
•Overhauled infantry squads and the ability to buy individual soldiers to suit players’ needs.
•More realistic weapon behavior and penetration values.
•A reworked artillery system that provides innovative assault and defense strategies.
•New types of ammunition that increase the depth of tank combat.

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More Cthulhu Fiction From Chaosium – ‘Cthulhu’s Dark Cults’

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing new Cthulhu stories appearing on the horizon. Chaosium is doing us a great service by not only publishing an awesome role playing game, but keeping us filled with enough fictional creepy goodness to keep us satiated between game sessions. Their newest collection is now available to order on their site and here’s a breakdown of what to expect:

Ten Tales Of Dark And Secretive Orders:

Lovecraft envisioned a world in which humanity is ignorant of cosmic realities. When the bleak truth is revealed, it terrifies us, for it offers no hope of our salvation. Cultists are the gatekeepers to this knowledge. Their aim is to keep secret the existence of their gods by any means possible, and to free their gods from their slumbering prisons — thus bringing about humanity’s final downfall. Cthulhu’s Dark Cults provides keyhole-glimpses into these secret orders, all irredeemable and hell-bent for humanity’s demise.

Edited by David Conyers. Cover by Stephen Gilberts. 256 pages. Trade Paperback, perfect bound.

The Stories Included: Read more

Napoleon: Total War – The Peninsular Campaign Coming Soon

Releasing Sometime in June 2010, The Peninsular Campaign Downloadable Content is a new and independent campaign for Napoleon: Total War based on the conflict in the Spanish Peninsula between 1811 and 1814. It was during this era that the Spanish resistance gave their style of fighting its name: Guerrilla, or the “little war”.

It is 1811 and the war in the Spanish Peninsula has been raging for over two years, with mixed fortunes and heavy casualties for both sides. Following the withdrawal from the Madrid area of the combined armies of Great Britain, Portugal and Spain after the Battle of Talavera in July 1809, Viscount Wellington retreated into Portugal and consolidated his forces. Now Napoleon´s Armée d’Espagne, has invaded Portugal once again but thus far the network of entrenchments has proved impossible for the French to successfully assail. Wellington has planned a fresh offensive to drive the invaders out of Portugal and eventually out of the Peninsula altogether. Although forced back to the edges of their Peninsula by France and the traitors who helped them, Spain is not yet out of the fight. The Supreme Central Junta and its successor the Supreme Regency authorised the forming of local bands to fight guerrilla – the “little war” – against the invaders. Choose one of the three nations involved – France, Great Britain or Spain – and experience one the most intense conflict of the Napoleonic era.

Key Features:

A new and independent Iberian Peninsula campaign map featuring 32 controllable regions. Three playable nations: the brand new Spanish nation and the existing but revamped France and Great Britain, each with its own unique set of Objectives and Missions.

A new, non-playable Portuguese nation, controlling some of the regions.

Play the campaign from three different perspectives, each with a unique feel:
•The French fight to keep resistance at bay while converting regions to their political alignment.
•The British are very limited for regions at the start, but receive enough income from Northern Europe and North America that they can afford to liberate regions back to the Spanish in return for Guerrilla aid.
•The Spanish also have a limited starting position, but have permanent access to Guerrillas for effective battlefield use against the French.

5 new Guerrilla unit types, recruitable by all nations, adept at battlefield stealth and with the added ability to deploy outside of their faction’s deployment zones: Tiradores (Skirmisher Infantry), Cazadores, Lanceros (Lancer Cavalry), Husares (Light Cavalry), Leader (General).

28 new units in total, spread across the three playable nations including the British 95th Rifles, the French Vistula Uhlans and the Spanish Coraceros Espanoles.

Two new agents to enforce political conversion:
•Provocateurs (French and British nations only) have the ability to promote anti-opposition sentiment in regions, incite unrest, decreases turn time for research and passively spy.
•Priests (Spanish and Portuguese nations only) have the ability to promote anti-opposition sentiment in regions and incite unrest.

A new Guerrillero agent for the Spanish nation: similar to a Spy but with the new ability to Harass enemy armies – lock them in place for a turn and cause them attrition.

Political Alignment system which sees the French battle to increase pro-French sentiment throughout the peninsula.

Requires a copy of Napoleon: Total War installed on your PC to play.

To get the Peninsular Campaign content, you need to be connected to the internet. Launch the STEAM client and log in with the account details you used to install Napoleon: Total War. Once you’ve purchased the content, you will unlock the Peninsular Campaign in the game Main Menu. You can check the download progress by clicking on the “My Games” tab and look at the “Status” column.

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Napoleon: Total War – Imperial Guard Pack DLC

I had a nice surprise on my computer this morning when I jumped into Napoleon: Total War….some free goodies…The Imperial Guard Pack which includes an alternate Waterloo Battle from the British side.

The Imperial Guard Pack features 6 brand new units and contain an alternative version of the Battle of Waterloo, fought from the British perspective.

The Battle of Waterloo (18 June, 1815) Alternative version

Napoleon had the feeling he had won the war as he advanced towards the Anglo-Dutch army at Waterloo. The Prussians were retreating, pursued by a French corps, and only Wellington remained. French armies would be victorious once again, and the Empire would be reborn in fire. But the history book on the shelf would not be repeating itself…

This alternative version includes:
• Britain as the playable faction.
• Two of the new unit from the Imperial Guard Pack are included in the battle
• The French have more troops meaning that the battle is balanced differently.

Read more

Commands & Colors Napoleonics From GMT Games

Commands & Colors Napoleonics has just gone up on GMT’s P500 list.

Commands & Colors: Napoleonics allows you to re-fight epic battles of the Napoleonic era. In this core volume, the focus is on the French and the British, two bitter rivals in the struggle for European preeminence during the time of Napoleon.

As with other games in the Commands & Colors genre, units in both armies can only move and fight when ordered. The command playing cards supply those orders, providing an element of luck that creates a fog of war and presents players with both challenges and opportunities. You must maximize your opportunities by playing your command cards judiciously. How well you handle the diverse units, their weapons, and the terrain, will determine victory.

Core Game Contents:

·1 Mounted Battlefield Gameboard
·4 Sheets containing 56 double-sided Terrain Tiles and 2 Infantry in Square tracks
·70 Command cards
·8 Battle dice
·French, British and Portuguese Blocks and Label sheets
·3 National Unit Reference Cards
·1 Rule Book
·1 Scenario Booklet containing 15 battle scenarios Read more

Cthulhu Fiction: Mysteries Of The Worm, 3rd Ed By Robert Bloch

This just in from Chaosium:

Mysteries of the Worm
New Edition to Release August 2009.

The book is printed and should arrive at our warehouse next week.
Mysteries of the Worm
20 Early Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos by Robert Bloch
Third Edition

$15.95
CHA 6037
ISBN 1-56882-176-X
ISBN-13: 978-1-56882-176-4
288 pages
Trade Paper Back
Horror Anthology
Introduction by Robert M. Price
Cover Art by Steve Gilberts

“H.P. Lovecraft – like his creation, Cthulhu – never truly died. He and his influence live on, in the work of so many of us who were his friends and acolytes. Today we have reason for rejoicing in the widespread revival of his canon… If a volume such as this has any justification for it’s existence, it’s because Lovecraft’s readers continue to search out stories which reflect his contribution to the field of fantasy [the tales in this book] represent a lifelong homage to HPL… I hope you’ll accept them for what they were and are – a labor of love.”
– Robert Bloch

This third edition now includes the Robert Bloch short stories The Opener of the Way, The Eyes of the Mummy, Black Bargain, and Philtre Tip.

This book is one in an expanding collection of Cthulhu Mythos horror fiction. Call of Cthulhu(R) fiction focuses on single entities, related topics, and authors significant to readers and fans of H. P. Lovecraft.

Introduction by Robert M. Price
The Secret in the Tomb
The Suicide in the Study
The Shambler from the Stars
The Faceless God
The Grinning Ghoul
The Opener of the Way*
The Dark Demon
The Mannikin
The Brood of Bubastis
The Creeper in the Crypt
The Secret of Sebek
Fane of the Black Pharaoh
The Eyes of the Mummy*
The Sorcerer’s Jewel
Black Bargain*
The Unspeakable Betrothal
The Shadow from the Steeple
Notebook Found in a Deserted House
Terror in Cut-throat Cove
Philtre Tip*

Afterword, by Robert Bloch

Demon-Dreaded Lore, an appreciation by Lin Carter

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Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 – Deadpool Trailer

Coming this fall 2009, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 will bring back the teamwork, drama, and excitement that began in Marvel Ultimate Alliance. One of the featured playable characters is the ever popular Deadpool.

Below is a trailer highlighting some of the gameplay that can be enjoyed during the game.

Some information on Deadpool:

Real Name
Wade Wilson

Powers
Deadpool possesses a superhuman healing factor derived from that of the mutant Wolverine that allows him to regenerate damaged or destroyed areas of his cellular structure at a rate far greater than that of an ordinary human. As such, he can regrow severed limbs or vital organs. The speed at which this healing factor works varies in direct proportion to the severity of the damage Deadpool suffers.

This healing factor also affords Deadpool a virtual immunity to poisons and most drugs, as well as an enhanced resistance to diseases and an extended life span. Unlike Wolverine’s natural healing factor, Deadpool’s is mentally driven to a partial extent.

Due to the presence of this superhuman healing ability, many of Deadpool’s natural physical attributes have been enhanced. Deadpool’s musculature generates considerably less fatigue toxins than the muscles of an ordinary human being, granting him superhuman levels of stamina in all physical activities.

His natural strength, agility and reflexes have been enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural limits of the human body. Deadpool’s agility and reaction time are superior to those of even the finest human athlete.

Abilities
Deadpool is an extraordinary hand-to-hand combatant and is skilled in multiple unarmed combat techniques. He is a master of assassination techniques, is an excellent marksman, and is highly skilled with bladed weapons (frequently carrying two swords strapped to his back). He is fluent in Japanese, German, Spanish, amongst other languages.

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