Deadlands Sells Out

Pinnacle Entertainment has announced that the first print run of its Deadlands RPG has sold out. The 1000 hardcover editions and 6000 softcover versions have cleared the shelves in just over three months, making it one of the fastest selling RPGs in quite awhile. For those who haven't gotten a copy yey, have no fear. A second printing has been ordered and should be in stores in January. For those who need a quick fix, the first Deadlands supplement, Marshal Law, is available in stores now. The hardcover worldbook, The Quick and the Dead is due at the beginning of the year.

A Shift in Policy for Games Workshop US

Games Workshop, the ubiquitous British producer of incredibly violent miniatures games, has announced a change in its service here on this side of the pond. GW representatives have been broken down into three groups, each one serving a different time zones: Pacific/Mountain, Central, and East. The shift will allow representatives to serve longer hours, and to have a better idea of local demands and desires for GW products are.

Hard core GW fans may have to suffer through a change in representatives, but the company feels that such a shift will ultimately better serve the gaming public. Customer service varies from zone to zone; call 1-800-492-8820 if you're interested in more information.

Wildstorm RPG Announced

WildStorm comics, the publisher of such topselling books as WildC.A.T.S, Gen13 and DV8, has announced the publication of a role-playing game based on its books. The WildStorm RPG will be set in artist Jim Lee's corner of the Image Comics universe, and will focus on all of the characters from from the WildStorm comic books. The basic rulebook will feature the WildC.A.T.S., with Matt Forbeck --co-designer of the Wildstorms CCG --slated as the author. Pinnacle Entertainment will officially develop the product, and WildStorm productions will publish and distribute it. Preliminary design is currently underway and multiple sourcebooks featuring other WildStorm characters have been promised in the very near future.

Moon Dragon Lands in January

New Dimension Games has released Moon Dragon miniatures game. Players control factions of fighter pilots engaged in dogfights above the surface of the moon. Boxed set: $44.95 contains four miniatures, telescoping 3D rods, rules, and dice.

Schedule Change at West End

West End will concentrate 1997 production on its Star Wars line in order to take advantage of the rerelease of the movies. Other lines will be placed on the back burner.

CaveWars Coming to a CD-ROM Near You

Vampire Cult Sparks New Round of Loon Calls

By now, most of the gaming world is probably aware of the so-called "vampire cult murder" in Florida. Five teenagers have been accused of murdering Richard and Ruth Wendorf; the Wendorfs daughter Heather is among the suspects. The group fled to nearby Louisiana where they were captured by law enforcement officials. As this issue went to press, the teens had been extradited back to Florida to face charges of murder.

What separates this incident from other, similar cases? Police have reported the youths become attracted to the idea of vampires through "a popular role playing game." (One guess which one)

Richard Farrell, the leader of the group, has been linked to a hard-core "vampire clan" in western Kentucky, which press reports indicate he drifted into after "starting out" with the RPG. The cult's activities included mutilating various animals and drinking their own blood in addition to the wholesome family fun of RPGing.

Police reports and Associated Press articles covering the situation both suggest that Vampire/White Wolf role-playing in general is somehow responsible for their actions. Defense attorneys for the teenagers have described their clients as "scared kids" and dismiss the vampire aspects of the case as sensationalism. Even a feature article in the Dec. 8 edition of the Orlando Sentinal strongly implies a connection between the game and the murders.

The incident has drawn national attention, and the amount of focus the press has placed on the role-playing aspects is cause for some concern among those of US who don't believe RPGs are the essence of Satan. A healthy amount of skepticism and some close monitoring i5 recommended as this case unfolds.

Decipher to Produce Star Trek CCG Expansions

Decipher, whose Star Trek license was due to expire, announces a new agreement with Viacom Consumer Products to produce a new series of expansions for its Next generation CCG. Viacom controls the merchandising of Paramount Pictures, which produces the series. The license provides Decipher with exclusive rights for card games based on Star Trek TV shows and films, and runs through the year 2000. Plans are in the works for Deep Space Nine, Voyager, First Contact, and future Trek films (no timetable available).

The Brood Invades Dark Age

Dark Age: The Brood will be released March 1997 as the second expansion (225 cards) to FPG's Dark Age CCG. It will focus on alien hives; a collective DNA project gone awry deep in the wastes below the human city states. Starter decks include 65 cards, three 8-sided dice, and a rule book ($12.95). 10-card booster packs will retail for $2.95.

Visit Shadis and Scads of other Publications at MagWeb

Shadis is one of the magazines you can find online at www.magweb.com a site devoted to bringing the best gaming magazines together. MagWeb was conceived by former AT&T editorial director Russ Lockwood after AT&T killed off the promising Interchange online gaming project. Interchange, arguably, would have had the best content around. Not willing to let the idea of a gamer's place in cyberspace die, Lockwood quit AT&T to build MagWeb with the help of a few friends.

For a monthly fee of under $5, MagWeb members gain access to the complete contents of 20 magazines, including Shadis, Age of Napoleon, Saga, Chainmail, and Competitive Edge.