Heroic Dreams - All Things Medieval

Today is International Dungeon & Dragons Day. (http://www.dndgameday.com/)

And in conjunction with this Wizards of the Coast has released its highly anticipated 4th edition of the game. The official release was yesterday and the books are available on amazon.com which will start shipping them on June 16.

I haven’t played D&D for a very long time but I still have very fond memories of some exciting and epic adventures when I was just a lad. The first version was released in 1974 and I think it was some time in 1975 that I took a ride up to some little shop in Boston to get a copy. It was packaged in a plastic bag and the whole thing looked like somebody made it in their basement. I wish I still had that set because it is probably a collectible now.

Anyway, it’s been over thirty years and they have only released now a fourth edition. It tells you how timeless the game system really is. D &D has had a tremendous impact on the worlds of fantasy, gaming and more. It pretty much created the whole genre of Role Playing.

 The 4th Edition was released yesterday but of course there is a bit of a lag in shipping, probably because of demand and the Amazon website says it will begin shipping on June 16th. 

Dungeons and Dragons Core Rulebook Gift Set, 4th Edition 

 Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook: Roleplaying Game Core Rules, 4th Edition

Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master’s Guide: Roleplaying Game Core Rules, 4th Edition 

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Yup that’s right. Think you are bad enough, or man enough, to take on the world that Conan himself roams? Well, tomorrow, May 23rd Hyboria goes live.  It’s the very much anticipated Eidos game called Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures.  And it is the worlds first +18 Rated game. Whoa! Finally a game that is aimed at the biggest population of gamers: Adults! Yup, plenty of us over 18 who love our video games and want something tough, exciting, challenging and intelligent! No more cartoon games for me.

Now don’t get me wrong, I used to play Warcraft, and I loved it. But hey, they gotta aim at a very broad range of customers and I really got tired of all the little gnomes running around. Hey and once I reached level 70, got my epic flying mount and hit most of the big dungeons I just got tired of the grind. I have been looking for the next game to play and I think Conan might be it.

I had looked into it a while back and was following it closely. And here are some really unique things about this game (dare I still call it a game?)

• The folks at Eidos are really touting a revolutionary new combat system where you choose every move you make. No more auto fighting for me.
• An extraordinarily detailed crafting system where you can make just about everything from armor to weapons and well complete cities! Yow, This I really love. Crafting has always been appealing to me going all the way back to my early days with Ultima Online.
• And here is a big thing: The game starts out as a 1 player adventure! You go through a whole series of things and learning before you hit the mmo aspect of the game. It feels really unique and it takes some of the newbie feel out of logging into an online game for the first week while you still don’t have a clue as to what’s going on.

Anyway, Another big thing for me is the tribute and respect to Robert Howard. I am sure they spent a lot of time researching and paying homage to the world created by Howard. And I think the game is going to have quite a great feel to it. Give it a look if you think you are man enough ! It’s available on amazon at midnight. Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures

Stay up and order it unless you are afraid of creatures that lurk in the night.

Want to see some videos of the game? I have a couple right here: Age of Conan Videos

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I put in a serious blitz this week with the Fantasy Guide website and it is now complete and uploaded to the server. Well, complete is a term I use loosely because no website is ever complete. They always need to be updated on a regular basis and added to with fresh new content. Anyhoo, the new template is completed and the new information design etc. and it is now live.

So, if you are a big fan of fantasy books, epic fantasy, series of books like the wheel of time, chronicles of thomas covenant, Shannara and the like you might want to check it out. The basic goal of the site is to be a guide to fantasy books. There are essays, articles and guides for reading and finding books. The Fantasy Guide

Youre going to have to poke around a bit on the site to dig up all the things. i have a fantasy newsletter you can sign up for, top ten lists, bestsellers and lots of great resources including articles I have written for people  who want to write fantasy. There are also live feeds direct from amazon with their hourly updated lists of fantasy books in a lot of different areas. Have fun!

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