Hillfolk - Mafia Century

Hillfolk, the Dramasystem RPG by living legend +Robin Laws , is now available for pre-order. Robin generously allowed dozens of designers to pitch additional series for inclusion in the core book as well as the Kickstarter dictated companion, Blood on the Snow. My first contribution, Mafia Century, allows your table to play the rise and fall of an organized crime family throughout the 20th century. My upcoming series pitch, Encore, lets your table tell the stories of a touring musical company, complete with rules for using music at the table. If you missed out on the Kickstarter, now is your chance to pick up two books full of settings, advice and a system built to run TV shows like The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and Boardwalk Empire.

Firefly RPG - Wedding Planners Cortex Classic Set

Today marks a big day for Browncoats everywhere. This first adventure for the Firefly RPG is available for download. It's written by Margaret Weis and Monica Valentinelli, developed by me, and packed full of hickory smoked 'Verse flavor. There's still a few weeks before the Firefly RPG sees its debut at Gen Con, but this release offers a sneak peek at the line I'm developing. It also offers a chance for fans of the old Serenity RPG to play the first adventure using that system, before hopefully picking up the new Firefly RPG.

Serenity the RPG was the most successful release in the history of Margaret Weis Productions. Serenity and Firefly are two different RPGs. Two different licenses in fact - Serenity couldn't use anything from the show, and Firefly won't use anything from the movie. It's important to let folks know who bought Serenity that Firefly is coming. This release is meant as a thank you to all those fans who picked up the game so many years ago.

So what comes in the Cortex Classic Set?

• Wedding Planners: This adventure involved Serenity being hired by Badger to escort the daughter of a rich baron to her wedding to avoid the press and some unsavory folks threatening her life. Things don't go smooth, of course, and the Crew soon finds itself caught up between true love, naked greed and Blue Sun.
• Cortex Classic Rules: This release uses Cortex Classic, which is the same system that came out of Serenity. Don't worry if you can't find your old Serenity rulebook - there's a copy of Cortex Classic included as part of the bundle.
• Serenity Crew: The stats for the best crew in the 'Verse.
• Serenity Poster: The stunning cross section of the ship perfect for printing and hanging on the wall next to your holographic bar window.

The Cortex Plus version of this adventure will show up in two places - as part of the Gen Con Exclusive (which you can order print copies here and the PDF here) and as a later release on its own. Wedding Planners is the first part of Echoes of War, which will be Cortex Plus for the rest of the line.

This is also the first release in the Echoes of War line that I'm developing. This is my first gig as a line developer, not just as a hired gun. I can't wait for people to see the stories we're going to tell.

AV Club - Hidden Gems

It is well and truly summer, since it's time for my Ren Faire preview article! I will also be checking out RenQuest a little later this summer. Who wants to come with?

Fate Core Hack - Ghostbusters

This month's hack is of a setting that's near and dear to many a gamer's heart. The original RPG was a watershed in design that spun off one of the most influential RPGs made (Star Wars). It first brought forth many of the concepts that Fate and other indie games brought to the forefronts of their design. Not only am I lucky enough to own a copy of the boxed set, but a trip to see Dan Aykroyd with the local chapter allowed me to get it signed. The game is long since out of print, but I consulted with it a lot during this hack. I also wanted to get something out now that Fate core is hitting mailboxes across the country.

So strap on your proton pack, gas up your Ectomobile and slide down the firepole. Fate Ghostbusters is after the jump!

Additional uses: Ghostbusters and Men In Black always seemed pretty closely related. Maybe some Eureka and Warehouse 13 too.