“Remember, the House of Black and White is not a home for orphans. All men must serve beneath this roof. Valar dohaeris is how we say it here. Remain if you will, but know that we shall require your obedience. At all times and in all things. If you cannot obey, you must depart.”
    –George R.R. Martin, A Feast for Crows

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of Valar Dohaeris, the second Chapter Pack for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game from Beyond the Narrow Sea!

In Valar Dohaeris, a host of new characters arrive to serve the Great Houses of Westeros. Knights, Fools, Allies, and even Lords all must show obedience and play their roles in the myriad battles and intrigues launched between rival houses as they all seek to win the Iron Throne.

Meanwhile, as the Great Houses continue to expand their influence into Essos, Valar Dohaeris brings more of the Eastern continent’s flavor to A Game of Thrones: The Card Game. Two unique locations encourage decks built around themes that can unite characters from rival houses, and players can continue their journey down the Rhoyne with four exciting River plots.

Secret agendas

The Chapter Packs of Beyond the Narrow Sea are designed both to welcome players who have just joined the game with the purchase of a Core Set as well as challenge veterans who seek new strategies. In order to address both groups, Valar Dohaeris introduces two new characters who can attach to your House card as an agenda, including the Dornish Lord, Quentyn Martell (Valar Dohaeris, 30).

Sent to Essos to advance Dorne’s interests, Quentyn can serve a Martell deck well, either as a three-strength and two-icon character with Stealth, or as an agenda that grants all unique Martell characters Vengeful and further fuels the Martell thirst for vengeance by providing card draw when Vengeful characters stand.

Quentyn Martell and the other characters from Beyond the Narrow Sea who can serve your purposes as agendas allow you the flexibility to avoid the punishing abilities of cards like Northern Cavalry Flank (Scattered Armies, 103) or to gain the universal benefits an agenda offers you when the time is right. While it’s true you have to draw Quentyn Martell to play him, you can include Summoning Season (Core Set, 181) in your plot deck to ensure that you get him into your hand early in the game.

Journey to Essos

Add Quentyn Martell to your collection, along with eight other unique characters, several new River plots, two unique locations, and the other exciting new cards of Valar Dohaeris when this Chapter Pack from Beyond the Narrow Sea arrives in the second quarter of 2012!

I am not a god…
Nor a demon…
I am greater than these concepts.
I am older than time.
Created by the will of the World.
I am… Magic.
And even the heavens will tremble.

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce an upcoming supplement for Anima: Beyond Fantasy, the roleplaying game of dark fantasy. Arcana Exxet: Secrets of the Supernatural provides you a gateway to Gaïa’s infinite possibilities of magic and supernatural creatures.

Explore the nature and origin of magic. Discover theorems of magic, metamagic advantages, invocations, psychic powers, and supernatural beings, including Sheele, spirits of the soul. While only those with the Gift can cast spells, rituals allow nearly anyone to harness magical powers. Arcana Exxet introduces rules for these rituals, along with many books of magic, including grimoires full of powerful spells.

The ultimate supernatural force

The spiritual energy that weaves through all matter and forms the invisible counterpart to the physical world, magic once pervaded Gaïa, and its users determined the fate of the world. Countless miracles and atrocities were performed with magic before the Machine of Rah was activated, and the forces that once stretched across the globe became little more than a dull memory.

Now, those few individuals born with the Gift find themselves in a world that fears magic, distrusting those who wield it because of the atrocities that were committed in the past and the mystery that surrounds it. Without fully understanding why, most Gifted live through difficult childhoods, set apart from their societies by the things they see and hear.

Exceptional lives, exceptional powers

Those born with the Gift must find their own paths through the world. Arcana Exxet: Secrets of the Supernatural provides you everything you need to know to play one of Gaïa’s Gifted:

• Theorems of Magic: As a Gifted individual explores magic, he chooses a conceptual framework that reflects his approach to magic. Such a Theorem of magic is a practitioner’s mental model of spellcasting, and each Theorem carries its own advantages and disadvantages.
• Metamagic Advantages: Some Gifted choose to delay their advancement along the Paths of magic in order to develop a mix of knowledge and special gifts known as Metamagic advantages.
• Sub-Paths of Magic: The Gifted may further specialize their understanding of magic through study of the minor aspects of reality that can be controlled by spells. Each sub-Path of magic is composed of ten different spells that can combine with a Higher or Lower Path of magic.
• Invocations: Discover the secrets of the Great Beasts, also called Aeons, beings of great power that few Gifted dare summon.
• Incarnations: At the moment of death, certain individuals whom the world reveres, may fuse their residual life energy with the Flow of Souls, becoming tiny parts of it and residing there as eternal concepts. These beings are Incarnations, and they possess great power that can be accessed by summoners.
• Psychic Powers: There are many powers beyond the supernatural, and people exist who can generate energy with their thoughts. The force they create is called a “matrix,” a type of energy that those with Psychic Powers can direct toward the physical world.
• And much more! Learn about the Sheele and other supernatural creatures. Find general clarifications and optional rules for enchanted areas, magic appraisal, changing one’s nature, supernatural infection, and creating a sanctum sanctorum!

Magic existed before the gods and demons. It is the greatest force in Gaïa, forming the invisible counterpart to all of physical creation, and it is yours to harness with the upcoming release of Arcana Exxet: Secrets of the Supernatural!

This loaded supplement for Anima: Beyond Fantasy is scheduled to arrive in the second quarter of 2012.

The realm is full of fantastic creatures, noble knights, and unimaginable wealth, each waiting to help or hinder your fledgling kingdom. To lay claim to the richest regions, you’ll need all your strength and wits. Can you cleverly position your castles to take control of the realm’s resources, all while edging out rival lords?

Control a vast empire in Kingdoms, a board game for two to four players by Reiner Knizia. Take the role of a powerful king and build castles in order to gain wealth. This updated and comprehensive version features detailed plastic castles, streamlined rules, and other game enhancements. Get your copy of Kingdoms from your retailer or the Fantasy Flight Games webstore.

Build a kingdom of wealth

As the king, you must build castles in the richest regions possible to increase your wealth. However, the most affluent areas could be infested with dangerous monsters or hazards that may cost your kingdom dearly. Tactically place tiles to counter and block your opponents while positioning yourself to claim victory. Quick to play, yet offering a wealth of strategic challenges, Reiner Knizia’s Kingdoms offers a satisfying and engaging battle of wits, all in roughly half an hour. The land is ripe for the taking, but only the cleverest ruler will spread his kingdom across its vast expanse.

Can you outfox your adversaries and become the richest king, or will dragons, trolls, wizards, or other hazards thwart your plans? Get your copy of Kingdoms and find out! Purchase this updated game from your local retailer.

This is a dark age, a bloody age, in a world seething with conflict. Breathe in the stench of constant bloodshed. Listen to the agonised screams of the dying and the harsh cries of the triumphant. These conflicts have raged for thousands of years; every nation and race is locked in a struggle for supremacy. And yet, victory can still be wrestled from the fires of battle…
    –Warhammer, “An Age of War”

Chaos marauders threaten the Empire of Man on its northern border. Dark Elves hatch nefarious plots in Naggaroth, fueled by hatred of their High Elf kin. Stalwart Dwarfs secure their karaks against the threat of massive Greenskin armies, waiting for the onslaught and the chances to settle their ancient grudges…

Join us at the Fantasy Flight Games Event Center on February 26th for a Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game tournament for players of all experience levels, from battle-scarred veterans to new recruits just undertaking their first skirmishes.

This event is free for all participants, making it an excellent chance to get started, and the Event Center is generously offering one Battle Pack and content from the most recent Game Night Kit as prize support.

What do I need to know?

• The tournament begins February 26th at 2 PM. Please arrive early to the Event Center to be included for initial pairings.
• Cost? Free!
• This tournament is being organized largely to welcome new players to the growing and enthusiastic Warhammer: Invasion ranks, but players still need to create legal tournament decks, following the most recent tournament guidelines (pdf, 328 KB) and those of the most recent FAQ (pdf, 1.3 MB), both of which are available on the game’s support page. (Please pay attention to the FAQ’s list of “Restricted” cards.)

No surrender. No hard feelings.

January’s tournament featured a friendly, positive atmosphere, and we anticipate the growth of our community with more new players. Thus, we want to continue to keep these games positive. This also means that if you’ve been hesitant about participating in a Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game tournament, this event is a great time to test your armies and meet the other friendly gamers who share an interest in this fast-paced game of fantasy warfare.

Come join us at the Fantasy Flight Games Event Center on February 26th at 2 PM to play some Warhammer: Invasion, burn some capitals, and make some new friends!

Many mighty heroes, powerful wizards and great leaders have influenced the history of the Empire. Their names are passed on from one generation to the next in myths and legends, sung by wandering minstrels at the courts of the Counts, or recited to grandchildren at bedtime. These stories form the core of the Empire’s identity as a nation.
    –Warhammer: The Empire, “Heroes of the Empire”

Each Battle Pack thus far released for The Capital Cycle has introduced a new Hero to the raging conflicts of Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game, and each has offered its race new tactical advantages.

From playing units for free and attacking from zones other than the battlefield to destroying Fortifications and returning developments to their owners’ hands, the Heroes of The Capital Cycle work well both as the centerpieces of decks built around them and as powerful agents who lend their individual strength and abilities to decks with other focuses.

The Imperial Throne continues this theme, introducing Werner Ludenhof (The Imperial Throne, 104), a bold and industrious Hero willing to undertake the most perilous of quests in the name of the Empire.

Cards when you need them

A true man and trusted agent of the Empire, Werner Ludenhof specializes in uncovering his enemies’ secrets and in discovering key tactical information. For just three resources and three loyalty cost (meaning he’ll rarely see play on the first turn, but may often see play on the second), Werner Ludenhof offers three power while questing. This astonishing ratio of power to resource cost makes Werner Ludenhof a Hero you’ll likely want to play early each game, in order to best accelerate your card draw. Thus, if you play him in your deck, you’ll likely want to include a full three copies.

The many trials of Werner Ludenhof

Meanwhile, if you’ve ever needed to play a unit to your quest zone that you had intended to assign to a quest, only to draw your quest a turn too late, you’ll appreciate Werner Ludenhof’s unique ability to move onto a quest you control.

Normally, to assign a unit to a quest, you must first play the quest, then play the unit to the unoccupied quest. This means the order of the draw takes on a good degree of importance. You must draw and play the quest before the unit you wish to play to it. Certainly, you can draw another unit and play the second unit to the quest instead of the one you’d hoped to play, but if you’re in danger of wearing through your draw deck, you may not want the extra power in your quest zone. Or you may simply need the second unit’s power and hit points to bolster another zone, leaving you with no unit to assign to the quest.

Werner Ludenhof gives you a small degree of freedom from this standard order of play. Furthermore, he can move between quests. You could play him to a quest such as Forges of Nuln (Redemption of a Mage, 67) to lower the cost of your support cards and then shift him onto Protect the Empire (Arcane Fire, 5) when you need him to defend one of your zones. In fact, if Werner Ludenhof is anywhere on the table, he can simply take an action to Protect the Empire, moving from any zone onto the quest to lend his strength to the Empire’s defense.

Destined for glory

As The Imperial Throne heralds the climactic conclusion of The Capital Cycle, we start to look forward to The Bloodquest Cycle, where Werner Ludenhof is likely to shine. Given the cycle’s focus on quests and the powerful new Artefacts and other material rewards for completed quests, units like Werner Ludenhof, who excel in the quest zone, are likely to see a lot of play. Each player will have to choose whether he wants the ability to take a mulligan or if he wants his units to undertake a Heroic Task (Rising Dawn, 20) in order to gain immediate access to any one card set aside from his deck. Werner Ludenhof may not provide the answer, but he’ll certainly factor into the decision.

Look for Werner Ludenhof to ride to the Empire’s defense when The Imperial Throne releases later this month. Until then, share your comments on this and other Battle Packs from The Capital Cycle in our community forums.

Taki looked up to see two more soldiers in brown uniforms and caps glaring at him with pistols raised. “Teiryuu!” There were soldiers everywhere these days, now that Japan was at war. An invasion force had struck China weeks ago; with the conquered northeastern city of Tianjin as a base, Japanese forces were making great strides in spite of heavy Chinese resistance.
     “Teiryuu!” repeated the soldiers. “Teiryuu!” The word meant “halt,” but of course Taki meant to do no such thing.
     Taki’s mind raced. What could he say to these men? The evidence of what had happened was laid out around him—signs of a struggle plus two unconscious soldiers, one with a hairpin stuck in his eye. No amount of fast-talking was going to get him out of this mess.
      -Robert Jeschonek, Rising Sun, Falling Shadows

Join the race to stop the army of the Shogunate from discovering a weapon so powerful it could determine the outcome of the long-waged Great War. In the first Tannhäuser novel, Rising Sun, Falling Shadows, Robert Jeschonek brings John MacNeal, Hoax, Tala, and other characters from the board game to brilliant life.

A tale of horror and heroism

In the midst of perpetual war, a far-eastern warrior sect with a shadowy agenda has set out toward the evergreen peninsula of Kamchatka. Can Union Major John McNeal and the elite soldiers of the 42nd Marines stop their sinister plot before it’s too late? And what terrible powers lie hidden in the verdant wilderness? The race is on to discover ancient secrets that could finally bring the Great War to its climactic end!

Robert Jeschonek sets the scene with an action-packed first chapter (pdf, 92KB), which is now available for download.

Jump into the middle of a stealthy fight, and get acquainted with a few of the Union’s most skilled heroes. Beware! After reading this chapter, you will be craving even more Tannhäuser action.

Enjoy this exhilarating Rising Sun, Falling Shadows preview, and check back for more previews and future news regarding this tantalizing novel. Pre-order your copy at your local retailer or through the iBookstore (this novel will also be available on other digital devices).
 

In August, we announced the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Card Game, a Living Card Game® based on the original Star Wars trilogy. Today, we would like to share an update on its development.

Fantasy Flight Games’ current catalog of LCGs® offers a variety of exceptional and unique gameplay experiences, with the LCG® format among our most successful publishing categories. With this in mind, we want to make sure that Star Wars: The Card Game features a truly groundbreaking LCG® play experience.

The game we showed off at Gen Con 2011 would have been a strong addition to our LCG® catalog. However, as we were making the final touches to the product, we came to the realization that while it was a good game, it simply was not the greatest, most engaging game experience that FFG could deliver. So, we made a difficult decision and went back to the drawing board on the Star Wars: The Card Game design.

How will this affect the release date?

We are currently expecting to publish Star Wars: The Card Game worldwide just before the 2012 holidays. That said, it can be difficult to predict when the creative process will end, so this date should be taken as an estimate.

While we are disappointed that our original estimated release date will not be met, we are sure that our players would agree that our decision to delay Star Wars: The Card Game was the best one. We are absolutely confident that with the extra time this affords us, Star Wars: The Card Game will become one of FFG’s greatest products ever.

Aragorn was the tallest of the Company, but Boromir, little less in height, was broader and heavier in build. He led the way, and Aragorn followed him. Slowly they moved off, and were soon toiling heavily. In places the snow was breast-high, and often Boromir seemed to be swimming or burrowing with his great arms rather than walking.
    Legolas watched them for a while with a smile upon his lips, and then he turned to the others. “The strongest must seek a way, say you? But I say: let a ploughman plough, but choose an otter for swimming, and for running over grass and leaf, or over snow – an Elf.”

   –The Fellowship of the Ring

With the completion of the Shadows of Mirkwood cycle and the release of Khazad-dûm, players now have far more heroes from which to choose as they build their fellowships, but how do you decide which to include? Are there any hard and fast rules about the best ways to combine heroes from different spheres? Have you ever wondered why The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game limits players to three heroes in the first place?

Let’s start by addressing the last of these questions first. While it’s true that players can choose to run fewer than three heroes, it’s generally not advised.

The rule of three

A two-hero fellowship (or even a solitary hero) may be able to make progress toward the quest for a period of time, while slipping beneath the notice of any enemies in the staging area, but eventually the mounting threats of locations and enemies are likely to catch up to a small party. The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is intentionally balanced for three heroes.

The game’s designer, Nate French, explains:

Three is a really strong number for game design. It presents possibilities for different approaches to games that can appeal to different types of players. When you play a game, having to focus on three options can lead you to a balanced approach that works like a tripod leaning equally upon all three sides (a tri-sphere deck, with one hero from each of three different spheres), or you may take a split focus between a major sphere with support from a minor sphere (a deck with two Spirit heroes, and one Tactics hero, for instance). Still another option exists, and you can focus all your efforts on a single point of interest (a focused, monosphere deck).

Having only two options for heroes would be too limiting in possibilities; it creates situations that are all an either/or or a perfect mix. Four options, on the other hand, would start to enter the territory of allowing players to do “everything” right out of the gate, which would lessen the meaning and impact of selecting heroes in the first place.

Another nice aspect of having three heroes in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is that you have three major points of focus each turn: questing, defending, and attacking. With three heroes, your hero base can cover the three main points of the game. With four options, you would start getting to the point where you’re trying to spin too many plates at once. Card games are filled with constantly shifting rules as cards enter and leave play, and adding another multiplier can just prove overwhelming.

Split or focused spheres?

Nate offers both a nice definition of the challenges The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game offers fellowships and a similarly succinct definition of the various approaches players may take to building their fellowships. Each turn players need to divide their fellowship’s attentions between questing, defending, and attacking, and as they consider how best to meet those demands, players can choose to combine two or three spheres of influence, or rely upon the strengths of a single sphere.

Of course, your concerns for deck construction will be slightly different if you’re building for solitary play than if you’re building for multiplayer games. In multiplayer games, players can split the game’s three main tasks (questing, defending, and attacking) between the two decks, so that one player may be responsible for questing while the other may do the dirty work of defending and attacking. In solitary play, however, one fellowship must balance all three tasks.

Many players have long noted they’ve met with greater success when running at least two spheres, whether split between multiple players or combining heroes from different spheres in a solitary deck. This is because the spheres each excel at different aspects of the game (and different tasks). While there are no hard and fast rules about combining the spheres of influence, strong decks must have plans built into them to commit Willpower to the quest, defend and destroy enemies, draw cards, generate resources, and survive the nastiest Treachery cards the encounter deck can throw at them.

Typically, Spirit cards provide high Willpower and efficient means of canceling Treachery effects, Lore cards provide excellent card draw, Leadership provides resource acceleration, and Tactics provides you the means of surviving and quickly defeating even the nastiest enemies. If you draw upon the strongest and most appropriate cards for your deck’s theme from two or three of these spheres, you can gain the traditional benefits of both (or all three) spheres, and you may be able to focus your deck even more keenly than if you hewed to just one sphere.

Ploughmen to plough, otters to swim

While a deck’s “personality” may be most clearly expressed in a multiplayer game, even single-player decks can express dramatically different approaches to the game, starting with their selection of heroes.

QUESTER: Dúnhere (Core Set, 9), Éowyn (Core Set, 7), Theodred (Core Set, 2)
Starting threat: 24

A quester focuses on committing as much Willpower as possible to the quest, while facing as little resistance as possible. Éowyn and Théodred quest each turn, while Dúnhere skirmishes enemies in the staging area. Cards that reduce threat, such as The Galadhrim’s Greeting (Core Set, 46) and Gandalf (Core Set, 73), are key to the success of this deck as they allow Dúnhere to attack without ever first having to face an attack.

FIGHTER: Éowyn, Gimli (Core Set, 4), Legolas (Core Set, 5)
Starting threat: 29

Unlike the quester, the fighter doesn’t shy away from getting down and dirty in combat. While Éowyn focuses on the quest, Gimli can take some hits and gets stronger for them. Legolas rewards you for fighting by adding progress tokens each time he helps defeat an enemy. An Unexpected Courage (Core Set, 57) on Gimli makes him a formidable combatant, and a couple copies of Blade of Gondolin (Core Set, 39) make felling foes even more rewarding.

SAGE: Beravor (Core Set, 12), Bifur (Khazad-dûm, 2), Bilbo (The Hunt for Gollum, 1)
Starting threat: 26

Knowledge is power, and knowledge in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is best represented by the cards and options in your hand. This focused trio of Lore heroes provides tremendous card draw, and you can add to it with Gléowine (Core Set, 62). The Lore sphere features a great number of cards to reduce the threat in the staging area and can convert card draw into Willpower via Protector of Lorien (Core Set, 70), but you’ll probably want to include some Songs to splash cards from other spheres.

PROTECTOR: Boromir (The Dead Marshes, 95), Eleanor (Core Set, 8), Frodo (Conflict at the Carrock, 25)
Starting threat: 25

This fellowship plays its low starting threat against the optional threat increases it can trigger from Boromir and Frodo to gain extra actions. As with the quester, the protector benefits tremendously from cards that reduce threat, allowing Boromir to quest, defend, and attack every turn. Cards you play to boost Boromir, such as Blade of Gondolin and The Favor of the Lady (Core Set, 55), provide tremendous rewards as he can use them all every turn.

JACK OF ALL TRADES: Aragorn (Core Set, 1), Beravor, Frodo
Starting threat: 29

Starting with three spheres, this fellowship can do a little bit of everything. Aragorn allows you to play Steward of Gondor (Core Set, 26) to accelerate your resources, while Beravor accelerates your card draw. You’ll have a lot of options in your hand every turn, and Aragorn and Frodo provide you with action advantage. Aragorn can pay resources to ready himself after committing to the quest, and Frodo can serve as a “defender” even while exhausted, absorbing damage as threat in times of need.

Looking ahead

Are you wondering how these archetypes may change with the release of The Redhorn Gate and the subsequent Adventure Packs from the Dwarrowdelf cycle? Next week, Part Two of this series takes a look at the impact Secrecy is likely to have upon your starting fellowships. Then, in two weeks, Part Three takes a closer look at multiplayer roles and the new hero from The Redhorn Gate!

Unlikely alliances are forming throughout the galaxy, and fantastic new aliens have arrived to be part of them. Can these unexpected partnerships last? If they do, how will they change the epic struggle for interstellar control? Choose your sides quickly, for those unable to work well with others may soon find themselves wandering the Cosmos alone.

In December, we announced Cosmic Alliance, the upcoming third expansion for Cosmic Encounter. This new addition to the beloved game of galactic politics brings 20 alien races, both original and classic, exploding onto your tabletop. Players will now give in to the demands of the Extortionist, be baffled by the puzzle of the Schizoid, and have their vision split by the Crystal!

How to win friends and influence aliens

So far, we’ve previewed the charismatic General, the multi-talented Cyborg, the pint-sized Pygmy, the toxic Poison, and the vampiric Sting. Today, we’re pleased to present the rules for Cosmic Alliance (pdf, 996 KB), now available on our support page.

Download the rules today, then head to your local retailer to place your pre-order. The party is about to begin, so be ready when Cosmic Alliance invades tabletops later this quarter!

On Wednesday, we heralded the triumphant return of Wiz-War! Now available at your local retailer and on our webstore, this classic board game of magical mayhem for 2-4 players pits wily wizards against each other in an underground maze and a magical melee. Players race to score two points by stealing rivals’ treasures or casting the knock-out spells to fell their foes.

Fuel your fantasy

At the root of all this wild and zany wizardry is energy. Not just the energy the players bring to their imaginative combinations of spells, but the energy cards that make up a good portion of each spell deck.

The rules of Wiz-War (available on the game’s support page) indicate two uses for energy cards: An energy card may be used to boost a wizard’s movement during his turn, or it may be used along with a spell to boost that spell’s effects.

Zoom!

While wizards weave magic that accelerates their progress toward your treasures, it may behoove you to move more swiftly through the sorcerous labyrinth.

Normally, the active player may move his wizard up to three squares. However, you can discard an energy card from your hand to move an additional number of squares up to the energy card’s value.

The yellow wizard races past the red wizard’s line of sight and expends five energy to rush all the way to his rival’s unguarded treasure!

Whether you seek to round a corner and gain Line of Sight to target your most terrific spells at nearby rivals or simply to hasten your heroic capture of an opponent’s treasure, the timely expenditure of magical energy may give you just the boost you need to succeed!

Supercharge your spells

Energy cards may also be played in conjunction with spells. Played this way, your energy cards can provide any number of effects.

A spell’s energy defaults to one, but you can choose, when you play a spell, to discard an energy card to fuel the spell. If so, you replace the spell’s energy value with that of the energy card discarded.

Some spells, like Add, indicate an energy value at the center of their bottom row. These spells may be cast for their normal effects, or they may be discarded for their energy value. Notice the Temporary duration symbol circled on Featherweight. Without an energy card to boost this spell, its energy is only one. Its player will place one energy token on the card when it’s played, and its duration will soon expire. A player may discard an energy card when playing a Temporary spell to increase its duration.

Flame on!

Sometimes, you may wish to use energy for your instant spells, like fueling the flaming fury of your Fire Darts to blast multiple combatants or fell a single foe.

The blue mage needs to stop the green wizard from stealing his treasure and wishes, also, to force his way past the red wizard. Meanwhile, he’s concerned about the yellow wizard’s ominous approach… He opens his door, casts Fire Darts, and expends an energy card with a value of three to fire three darts, targeting one at each of his foes!

More or less temporary

Other times, you may wish to extend the duration of one of your temporary spells, such as Golem Form, one of the game’s magnificent new mutations.

After the blue mage concludes his attack and movement, he finds himself surrounded by three stung mages! He transforms into a golem, expending an energy card with a value of five to ensure the mighty mutation spell lasts long enough to keep him safe.

While a wizard assuming golem form may stride more slowly through the subterranean labyrinth, he becomes almost impervious to harm, doubles the damage he deals with his powerful punches, and can lift treasures so easily, he needn’t end his turn to do so.

Want to see more? Watch the video teaser trailer (QuickTime, 12.4 MB) for a high-octane peek at the game’s fantastic themes and components!

Know when to hold them

In short, energy cards aren’t dead cards when you draw them. Rather, they’re the basic building blocks that fuel your most confounding combinations of sorcerous potential! To win the Wiz-War, you’ve got to know when to keep them in your hand, know when to fold them into your spells, and know when to use them to run!

“Something has crept, or been driven out of dark waters under the mountains. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world.”
    –Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of Foundations of Stone, the fifth Adventure Pack in the Dwarrowdelf cycle for The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game!

Deeper into the Dwarrowdelf

In the Dwarrowdelf cycle, several of Middle-earth’s heroes escort Arwen Undómiel safely to Rivendell. There, Elrond expresses his concern about the increased Orc activity the heroes noted through The Redhorn Gate and on the Road to Rivendell. He requests the heroes search the Misty Mountains for the cause of the region’s increased Orcish presence, and their search leads them first to the Doors of Durin, where they must battle The Watcher in the Water. Only after they manage to survive the perilous combat do the heroes enter Moria and wander The Long Dark.

Onward and deeper, they press into the mines of Moria. Hazards slow their movement and threaten their health. Orcs confront them at every turn, but with little sign of true leadership or organization. Still, the heroes feel they are ever closing in upon the true source of the Orcish activity. Their search leads them deeper and deeper, down into Moria’s Foundations of Stone.

Trapped!

The new scenario in Foundations of Stone traps the heroes in treacherous underground currents, washing them into the dark waters where the nameless things lair. Older and fouler than Orcs, they will test your heroes to the utmost limits of their resilience. Confronted by an Elder Nameless Thing (Foundations of Stone, 126), washed into the dark, watery recesses of Middle-earth, and with no one to rely upon but themselves, will your heroes survive the trials they face below the Dwarrowdelf’s Foundations of Stone?

Relics lost beneath the mountains

While heroes face all-new dangers and quest mechanics in Foundations of Stone, they find unexpected treasures far beneath the mountains. A pair of powerful Artifacts show up in the least likely of places–the encounter deck–that can give your heroes the edge they need to survive their battles with nameless things. Dwarf characters, especially, will take heart from the discovery of these items, including Durin’s Helm (Foundations of Stone, 120).

Discover Dwarven Artifacts, face the terrifying nameless things, and move closer to the root of the increased Orcish presence within the Misty Mountains when you travel beneath Moria’s Foundations of Stone.

Look for this thrilling Adventure Pack to arrive at retailers everywhere in the second quarter of 2012. Until then, join the conversations about this and other chapters in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game on our community forums.

With brilliant flashes of light and sulfurous bursts of smoke, four mighty mages enter a subterranean labyrinth. Armed with an arsenal of spells, each seeks to steal treasures or rout his rivals en route to winning their contest of wizardly wits. But in a shifting maze made of mortar and magic, one needs to find clarity amid the chaos…

Wiz-War, the classic board game of magical mayhem for 2-4 players, is now available at your local retailer and online on our webstore. In conjunction with the game’s release, we’re making available the first FAQ to address your questions and clarify the game.

The Wiz-War FAQ (pdf, 554 KB) is now available on the game’s support page. Offering clarifications to better help players understand the rulebook, version 1.0 of the Wiz-War FAQ clarifies concerns about Line of Sight rules, item tokens, game board design, and movement rules.

Head to the Wiz-War support page to downloaded the FAQ and dispel your confusion. Then brush up on your cantrips, young mage. The Wiz-War has begun!

All the tribes made medicine against Yig when the corn harvest came. They gave him some corn, and danced in proper regalia to the sound of whistle, rattle, and drum. They kept the drums pounding to drive Yig away, and called down the aid of Tiráwa, whose children men are, even as the snakes are Yig’s children.
    –H.P. Lovecraft, The Curse of Yig

While you plan your strategy, you can look at your game as a straight line, from Point A to Point B, traveled at whatever tempo your deck can manage. It’s a simple picture: You start at the beginning, you know your goal, and you try to reach it as fast as possible. However, in Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game, things often become a little more involved. Dealing with multi-dimensional beings means your actual strategy may hit a series of curves, and you have to find the shortest road through multidimensional space.

Sometimes, your strategy wants you to focus–focus all your efforts towards a single story, focus building up one large domain, or concentrate on winning the struggles associated with one particular icon. Other times, you’ll plan to spread out in order to take multiple stories at once, using multiple domains and fielding an eclectic mixture of icons on the table to deal with a wide variety of threats.

And while you consider icons, there is yet another dimension to take into account. While a character normally has a defined amount of any particular icon, some characters take this concept right out of the Euclidian geometry of your standard strategical matrix and force you to reconsider their effectiveness when they add what are called “Booster Icons.”

Multi-dimensional challenges

Booster Icons are the large struggle icons featured in the text area of a card. While they don’t actually help the character win at the associated struggle, Booster Icons add extra struggles to the story, making those icons more relevant to your characters. They’re even better when the character is really good at the struggle he is boosting; otherwise the Booster Icons may backfire.

This brings us to Lucas Corn (Written and Bound, 10) who forces your opponent to answer the question, “Can I deal with three Terror struggles in a row while my opponent’s character has three Terror icons?” And Lucas Corn forces this question for free. That’s rather powerful, especially when fighting decks that are low on Terror icons themselves and don’t have much access to Willpower. He can even enter play on turn one, and if you also play The Enchanted Wood (In Memory of Day, 37), you force your opponent to address these new concerns without the intrinsic protection Terror icons normally provide.

Scarecrow scares the characters away

Sure, your opponent can decide that Lucas Corn’s mere presence is too problematic and pitch a character from his hand to shuffle him back into the deck. However, in this case, Lucas becomes a form of pre-emptive character removal, which is also good. You know Lucas Corn will be back to haunt your opponent, eventually, and later can come quite a bit earlier when you have a Summoning Circle (Terror of the Tides, 74) at your disposal. The zero in his cost means that just exhausting the Circle is enough to bring him back, at which point your opponent can try get rid of him again. But if your opponent enters that race, he’ll probably run out of characters faster than you can activate the Circle. Eventually, your opponent will have to deal with Mr. Corn.

Blunt instruments and bags of tricks

Lucas Corn’s skill of zero is somewhat risky. A Shotgun Blast (Core Set, 16) can take him out for free. Then again, he’s also free for Unspeakable Resurrection (Core Set, 119). The fact he’s aligned to Shub-Niggurath means it’s easy for him to be reborn time and again in the Shadowed Woods (Core Set, 133)… once again, for free.

While his lack of skill also means he can’t claim success tokens on his own, he makes an excellent support character for the rest of your ghouls, monsters, and cultists. If all else fails, you can consecrate an Altar of the Blessed (Core Set, 135) to provide him just enough skill to matter.

In the end, you can find plenty of tricks for a character who’s free to play, even if those tricks may simply force your opponent into a bind as he chooses whether to confront the newfound terror or to buy him off and send him back to whatever dimension from whence he came.

Thanks, Marius!

Look for Lucas Corn to terrify investigators, faculty, and cultists alike when he seeks the secrets of Written and Bound.

Aboveground, even greater dangers lurked. In their region of the city, Sol patrols were to be most feared, but a thousand things could get one killed in the new Mecatol. Gangs of looters that would kill first and steal later. Packs of flying ruvar birds that, driven mad by the poisoned rains and desperate for food, had become feral and savage things. And there was the endless Sol bombings. While the explosions could kill one well enough, they left behind a broken landscape almost as deadly.
     – Rex: Final Days of an Empire

A sudden and unexpected attack has left Mecatol Rex, the galactic seat of power, in disarray. Now, the city’s ambitious factions have begun their diplomatic and military maneuvering, each hoping to seize authority when the dust settles. Through negotiation and guile, one great race will decide the fate of the galaxy... but who will it be?

A Guide to Mecatol City

The rules for Rex (12.7 MB), the board game of negotiation and warfare for 3–6 players, are now available for download from our support page! Set 3,000 years before the events of Twilight Imperium, Rex tells the fateful story of once-proud Mecatol City in the months and years following the death of the last Lazax emperor.

Rex is based on a game system originally designed by Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge, and Peter Olotka (Cosmic Encounter) and redeveloped for a new audience through the collaborative efforts of Christian T. Petersen (Twilight Imperium, A Game of Thrones: The Board Game), John Goodenough (Tide of Iron), and Corey Konieczka (Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game, Runewars). This engaging game presents players with compelling asymmetrical racial abilities, as well as a myriad of opportunities for diplomacy and deception.

Download the rules today, then head to your local retailer to place your pre-order!

“Come south with me, and I’ll teach you how to laugh again,” the king promised. “You helped me win this damnable throne, now help me hold it. We were meant to rule together. If Lyanna had lived, we should have been brothers, bound by blood as well as affection. Well, it is not too late.”
    –Robert Baratheon to Eddard Stark

Together, Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark led a war that won a crown. Close as brothers, they stood together in battles, seized the Iron Throne, and threw down an insurgency. However, the game of thrones is not fought on the battlefields alone, and the alliance between the two great houses, Baratheon and Stark, frayed and tattered as the result of myriad plots and intrigues.

The underhanded and shadowy work that split these two great houses led directly toward their precipitous downfalls. Isolated armies find themselves beset on multiple sides, and even the most cunning general knows the value of an alliance in a Trial by Combat.

A United Cause

Trial by Combat introduces three new events to A Game of Thrones: The Card Game that each offer tremendous rewards, but at no less a price than the expenditure of a power from your House card. These events illustrate the thematic ties between the Great Houses, enhance traditional house strengths, share those strengths across houses, and force players to make careful measurements of the tactical advantages the events may provide versus the loss of a power, and the step backward from victory.

Houses Baratheon and Stark gain strength by reuniting their efforts with A United Cause (Trial by Combat, 97). Perhaps the subtlest of the three dual-affiliation events in Trial by Combat, A United Cause combines Baratheon’s character retrieval with Stark’s search abilities. In a Baratheon deck, the character retrieval is nothing new, and likely not worth the loss of a power. Likewise, in a Stark deck, while the search ability is still welcome, the cost of a power appears a hefty drawback, especially when compared to cards like To Be a Wolf (Sacred Bonds, 44).

But when you have A United Cause, House Baratheon suddenly benefits from Stark’s search, offsetting their traditional weakness in card draw. House Stark suddenly gains Baratheon’s character retrieval, which opens up some interesting combinations, not the least of which is the ability to play Lucas Blackwood (Gates of the Citadel, 1) multiple times in a deck running The Siege of Winterfell (Lords of Winter, 48).

The character retrieval from A United Cause can even provide a key defensive advantage against a Targaryen deck running Rhaenys’s Hill (The Battle of Blackwater Bay, 112). Combined with Benjen Stark (Core Set, 135), A United Cause allows you to empty your entire dead pile multiple times, ensuring that even if your favorite characters don’t stay alive, they at least don’t stay dead.

The best of both houses

Each of the three dual-affiliation events in Trial by Combat gives one of the Great Houses the strategic use of an ability traditionally belonging to another house. The loss of a power may prove a considerable drawback, but it will hardly prove enough of a cost to prevent these events from making a splash in the A Game of Thrones: The Card Game community once the Chapter Pack hits retail shelves later this month.

“However many ye send to stoppe me, foolysh priest, I shalle send upon ye the same tally of corpses and more. I warn ye now, ye may find them ille upon the eye, and yet they will be most familiar to ye.”
    –Excerpt from a parchment signed in blood by Valdrek the Crimson

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of The Accursed Dead, the third bone-chilling Battle Pack in The Bloodquest Cycle for Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game!

In The Accursed Dead, the Undead and the forces of Destruction gain unprecedented necromantic prowess. Even the forces of Order gain new control over players’ discard piles and the fallen units therein. Additionally, three of the Old World’s races set off on bold new quests to disrupt their opponent’s plans, the Dark Elves conduct bold raids, the Orcs gain early card draw, and an adventurous legend lends his strength to the Empire’s cause.

The dread horrors of Sylvania

The lands of Sylvania are nearly uninhabitable, ruled by blood-thirsty Vampires Counts and forsaken by the gods. It is here that one might find Drakehhof Castle (The Accursed Dead, 56)… were one so inclined to search for it. Hidden deep within Sylvania’s lonesome moorlands, haunted forests, and craggy hills, Drakenhof Castle is home to a particularly resilient host of undead.

The forces of Destruction count a number of powerful undead among their ranks, including the ferocious Blood Dragon Knight (Legends, 53) and the unpredictable Swarm of Bats (Legends, 52), both of which are better suited to attack your opponent’s capital than to linger about your kingdom zone or undertake laborious quests. As they attack, the Dark Magic woven at Drakenhof Castle can ensure they emerge from their battles, able to attack again another day.

Whether you use its ability to prevent damage to your units or just manipulate your opponent’s discard pile, Drakenhof Castle is just one of the cards from The Accursed Dead that offers you significant new control over players’ discard piles.

The dead will walk

Undertake clever new quests, equip your legends and Heroes with a game-changing new Artefact, and find new ways to move cards out of your discard pile with The Accursed Dead.

The dead will walk when this Battle Pack releases in the second quarter of 2012!

“I now hold omnipotence. What should I do with such almighty power? The answer to that is actually quite simple: Anything I want. Anything. I am incapable of error. Any result that displeases me I can simply reverse. There is nothing I need to worry on, for I am Thanos. And Thanos is supreme. Supreme."
     –Thanos, the “Mad Titan” The Infinity Gauntlet #1 (1991)

Join us at the Fantasy Flight Games Event Center Wednesday, February 15th at 7pm for the Infinity Gauntlet, a Marvel HeroClix Organized Play series!

What is the Infinity Gauntlet series?

The Infinity Gauntlet is an unprecedented 8-month series, and the FFGEC is the premiere location to catch all the action. The program is built around the story of Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet. Each month, players will gather at the Event Center to compete for coveted Limited Edition figures, culminating with winners receiving Thanos atop his Shrine to Death. What’s more, each player will be given a “gem-less” Infinity Gauntlet object just for showing up to the first event!

Each month thereafter, players will be awarded participation prizes in the form of colored Gems. Each colored Gem attaches to the Infinity Gauntlet and unlocks a special power. After month seven, each player should have a gauntlet with six gems... and be ready for the final showdown with Thanos at his Shrine.

How do I participate?

Simply show up to the FFG Event Center on Wednesday, February 15th from 7pm to 10pm!

• Participation is free of charge, but you must purchase the required Boosters.
• The format for this "Month Two" event is a 600 point, Modern-Constructed event utilizing at least 300 points of figures from Hulk and/or Superman.
• In-Betweener LE Figures will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and Fellowship players.
• Soul Gem 3D objects will be awarded as participation prizes.
• Remember: Throughout the rest of the month (on the “off Wednesdays”) you’re invited to come to the Event Center at 7pm and test your mettle in non-official 300 point challenges.
• To find out which Wednesdays will offer the official Infinity Gauntlet events, check the Event Center calendar frequently.

Where can I find more information?

To learn more, call or visit the Event Center. You can also check out the official Infinity Gauntlet website, where you can see prizes, rules, and more.

Steel your resolve and prepare to do battle for the greatest weapon of them all. Do you have what it takes to assemble and control the Infinity Gauntlet itself? Can you safeguard reality or will you rule with impunity? Only you can decide!

Deep underground in a magical maze, mages race through shifting corridors, casting spells and testing their wiles as they seek to steal their rivals’ treasures. Why? Wiz-War has begun!

You can now find Fantasy Flight Games’ inspired new version of this classic board game of magical mayhem on sale at your favorite local retailer and online on our webstore.

Mages in a maze

In Wiz-War two to four players assume the roles of rival mages seeking to win an esteemed magical competition. You score points by snagging rivals’ treasures and hauling them back to your base, or by blasting your foes with the final, telling blows that fell them. The first to score two points wins. Of course, if you’re the last wizard standing, victory is yours.

Interactions as involved as your imagination

While all wizards who enter the labyrinth can recite their cantrips backward and forward, it takes a malleable imagination to master the myriad combinations of incantations the game can yield. Spells each belong to one of four types–attacks, counters, items, and neutrals. Each spell also belongs to one of seven schools of magic which the players combine to form a spell deck. From this assortment of arcane invocations, you can weave sorcerous strategies to assail your foes.

Mixing the schools of magic in your spell deck allows you constant discovery of new interactions between different spells and schools of magic. Fire magic can destroy magic stones, but a well-timed flood can put out the sparks of flame before they consume precious items.

Will you focus on the mastery of form and eat through walls to create shortcuts to your opponents’ treasures, or will you pour your energy into pure boom and blast your opponents to bits? You’ll need to keep an open mind to respond to your rivals machinations. Flexibility and adaptability are also hallmarks of true magical prowess.

Gaze into my crystal ball

Get ready to Zot! Sneak a glimpse at the themes and components of Wiz-War in the new video trailer.

Click to view the video teaser trailer (QuickTime, 12.4 MB). Also available on the FFG Media Player and YouTube.

Ka-Bong!

Launch into a world of wild wizardry with the magical mayhem of Wiz-War. This classic board game is now on sale at your local retailer and on our webstore. Summon your copy today!

“You think those Orks were bad? Wait till you land on Burnscour, or some of the other worlds out here. You’ll be wishing it was just greenskins coming after you."
     –Arch-Militant Pel Lakken

In December, Fantasy Flight Game announced the upcoming release of The Koronus Bestiary, a supplement for Rogue Trader. This comprehensive tome features art and descriptions for a range of foes, including Shadowkith, Thornmaws, Void Krakens, and others... plus a Xenos Generator that allows players to create alien species as varied and dangerous as they can imagine!

As we mentioned in that announcement, each chapter of The Koronus Bestiary focuses on one type of alien threat. Chapter one examines some of the most dangerous beasts of the Expanse, while chapter two covers the sinister threats posed by sentient xenos. Next, chapter three presents vile warp spawn that prey on the souls of humanity, and chapter four gives players the tools to invent their own formidable enemies. Today, we’re pleased to begin our series of previews with a look at chapter one, and a so-called mindless beast that proves that instinct can be every bit as deadly as intellect.

Danger surrounds you

The Koronus Expanse is home to a great many worlds that have been settled by humans, to various degrees of civilisation. As it is technically beyond the Imperium, it exists in a lawless state where the only rule is what bolter and lance can establish, and property is held for only as long as it can be aggressively defended. Xenos races roam freely, preying on humanity and denying its rightful destiny to rule the void. This is an extremely dangerous region, yet for a Rogue Trader its open nature makes it ripe for exploitation and profit.

Those who would make their means in the Expanse must deal with more than just these threats, however. The Expanse is filled with all manner of bestial creatures, and while these do not present the same kind of dangers as hostile xenos, they are no less hazardous. Each poses new perils for Explorers, as unique as the world it occupies. Many also offer tremendous potential for profit and glory, often of a personal nature impossible when dealing with merchant trading or combat in the void.

Death from above

Even to seasoned hunters, however, some planets may be more trouble than they’re worth. Burnscour is a hellish world on which the very environment is actively hostile. Today, we invite you to download a preview of one of Burnscour’s most formidable predators: the Terrorax. This hunter epitomizes stealth and patience, waiting in the dense jungle canopy for the opportune moment to strike.

Know your enemy. Download our preview of the Terrorax (pdf, 1.4 MB), and look for more on The Koronus Bestiary in the coming weeks. Then, look for it at your local retailer later this quarter.

“There are some who say that you can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar, but in my line of work I’ve never found that to be the case."
      –Explicator Hieronymous Voss

A conspiracy at the highest levels of the Calixian Church has finally come to fruition, and the sector rests on the edge of interstellar upheaval. Can you and your fellow Acolytes prevent this coming apocalypse?

The Chaos Commandment, an adventure for Dark Heresy, is now on sale at your local retailer and through our webstore! The final chapter in The Apostasy Gambit trilogy (and also playable as a standalone adventure), this epic story pits a small band of Acolytes against an ancient and powerful threat.

The exciting conclusion

For more on this exciting adventure, we turn to Dark Heresy’s lead developer:

Throughout The Apostasy Gambit, Inquisitorial Acolytes have been combating the Maledictor’s Hand, an apocalyptic conspiracy deeply-rooted within the Imperial Church. The goal of this conspiracy is to throw down the ruling nobility and cleanse the Calixis Sector of these “sinners” by fomenting a holy war that will cleanse the debased black heart of the Sector with sacred fire. The Chaos Commandment concludes this trilogy, which began in Black Sepulchre and continued in The Church of the Damned, and the ending will be truly apocalyptic! 

This adventure will present challenges of all types and levels to players. They will lead armoured assaults against enemy installations, conduct investigations against powerful individuals, and even fight for their lives out in the cold dark of space. The players will see everything from huge firefights involving masses of troops, to smaller but no less deadly attacks of only handfuls of Acolytes (or even single characters) fighting for their lives against truly horrific foes. 

Send ripples across the sector

All this leads up to the conflict against the true power behind the conspiracy, which has been manipulating events and people across the Sector. As this is the grand finale to the trilogy, players can expect a foe that will exceptionally terrifying and powerful. Will the players find it in time, and even if they do will they have the strength and will to confront it? 

Make no mistake, the outcomes of this adventure will send ripples across the Sector and through future Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay books, and players will know their actions either saved the Sector (for awhile at least), or let it collapse. So grab your bolter and Inquisitorial Rosette, and get ready to fight! 

Prepare to stand against the greatest threat the Calixis Sector has ever seen! Head to your local retailer for your copy of The Chaos Commandment today.

The Lies of Solace and Rising Sun, Falling Shadows are now available for pre-order on the iBookstore! If you are a fan of Lovecraftian stories of suspense and mystery or tales of horror and heroism in the Great War, place your order now, and then read these thrilling novels on your digital device the day they are released.

Want to know more?

In The Lies of Solace, the second novel in The Lord of Nightmares Trilogy, three strangers struggle to save the ones they love from a nightmarish future. Haunted by visions, Jacqueline Fine sets out to stop her dreams from becoming reality. Meanwhile, an Arkham doctor tries to save his daughter from the grasp of an enigmatic cult, and a troubled man searches for clues as to why his fiancée has suddenly stopped communicating with him. Can these protagonists overcome their sorrow and pain, or will they surrender to their grief and accept the grim consequences that await them? Uncover more terrible secrets in John French’s novel set in the Arkham Horror universe. 

The first Tannhäuser novel, Rising Sun, Falling Shadows, features Union Major John MacNeal and the daring soldiers of the 42nd Marines as they race to uncover a malevolent plot hatched by the forces of the Shogunate. At the same time, “The Daimyo” Iroh Minamoto, with the aid of the power-hungry, occult-obsessed Reich, sets out with a task force to awaken an ancient power in the heart of an active volcano. This desperate operation could determine the outcome of the Great War! Robert Jeschonek brings many of your favorite Tannhäuser personalities to life in this action-packed novel based on the board game. 

If you are ready for a new adventure on your digital device, pre-order The Lies of Solace today, or immerse yourself in the riveting Rising Sun, Falling Shadows, both of which are available for pre-order on the iBookstore.

Comments? Visit our main article.

Please note that electronic copies of The Lies of Solace are exempt from the promo card offer; this offer is only available to customers who purchase the paperback version of the novel.

The Lies of Solace and Rising Sun, Falling Shadows are now available for pre-order on the iBookstore! If you are a fan of Lovecraftian stories of suspense and mystery or tales of horror and heroism in the Great War, place your order now, and then read these thrilling novels on your digital device the day they are released.

Want to know more?

In The Lies of Solace, the second novel in The Lord of Nightmares Trilogy, three strangers struggle to save the ones they love from a nightmarish future. Haunted by visions, Jacqueline Fine sets out to stop her dreams from becoming reality. Meanwhile, an Arkham doctor tries to save his daughter from the grasp of an enigmatic cult, and a troubled man searches for clues as to why his fiancée has suddenly stopped communicating with him. Can these protagonists overcome their sorrow and pain, or will they surrender to their grief and accept the grim consequences that await them? Uncover more terrible secrets in John French’s novel set in the Arkham Horror universe. 

The first Tannhäuser novel, Rising Sun, Falling Shadows, features Union Major John MacNeal and the daring soldiers of the 42nd Marines as they race to uncover a malevolent plot hatched by the forces of the Shogunate. At the same time, “The Daimyo” Iroh Minamoto, with the aid of the power-hungry, occult-obsessed Reich, sets out with a task force to awaken an ancient power in the heart of an active volcano. This desperate operation could determine the outcome of the Great War! Robert Jeschonek brings many of your favorite Tannhäuser personalities to life in this action-packed novel based on the board game. 

If you are ready for a new adventure on your digital device, pre-order The Lies of Solace today, or immerse yourself in the riveting Rising Sun, Falling Shadows, both of which are available for pre-order on the iBookstore.

Comments? Visit our main article.

Please note that electronic copies of The Lies of Solace are exempt from the promo card offer; this offer is only available to customers who purchase the paperback version of the novel.

The Lies of Solace and Rising Sun, Falling Shadows are now available for pre-order on the iBookstore! If you are a fan of Lovecraftian stories of suspense and mystery or tales of horror and heroism in the Great War, place your order now, and then read these thrilling novels on your digital device the day they are released.

Want to know more?

In The Lies of Solace, the second novel in The Lord of Nightmares Trilogy, three strangers struggle to save the ones they love from a nightmarish future. Haunted by visions, Jacqueline Fine sets out to stop her dreams from becoming reality. Meanwhile, an Arkham doctor tries to save his daughter from the grasp of an enigmatic cult, and a troubled man searches for clues as to why his fiancée has suddenly stopped communicating with him. Can these protagonists overcome their sorrow and pain, or will they surrender to their grief and accept the grim consequences that await them? Uncover more terrible secrets in John French’s novel set in the Arkham Horror universe. 

The first Tannhäuser novel, Rising Sun, Falling Shadows, features Union Major John MacNeal and the daring soldiers of the 42nd Marines as they race to uncover a malevolent plot hatched by the forces of the Shogunate. At the same time, “The Daimyo” Iroh Minamoto, with the aid of the power-hungry, occult-obsessed Reich, sets out with a task force to awaken an ancient power in the heart of an active volcano. This desperate operation could determine the outcome of the Great War! Robert Jeschonek brings many of your favorite Tannhäuser personalities to life in this action-packed novel based on the board game. 

If you are ready for a new adventure on your digital device, pre-order The Lies of Solace today, or immerse yourself in the riveting Rising Sun, Falling Shadows, both of which are available for pre-order on the iBookstore.

Please note that electronic copies of The Lies of Solace are exempt from the promo card offer; this offer is only available to customers who purchase the paperback version of the novel.
 

First and foremost, the faithful of Sigmar have one goal – to serve the Empire. The Empire is Sigmar’s gift to humanity, and its might has allowed its people to live as free men… Betrayal is unthinkable and unforgivable – the greatest of blasphemies.
    –Tome of Blessings

Now that the Dark Elves have launched new raids from the City of Winter, the free men of the Empire are forced to muster their military strength and defend their borders once again.

As the Old World’s races scramble to deal with the fallout of City of Winter and its impact on Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game, the Empire is no exception. Long has the Empire stood as the mightiest of all human realms and the greatest nation of the Old World, and now The Imperial Throne rallies its armies for the inevitable battles.

The heartbeat of the Empire

Religion is the heartbeat of the Empire, and every commander knows his men fight better when Sigmar is with them. While the other nations all muster powerful forces from their capitals, the Emperor calls for a Doubling of the Guard (The Imperial Throne, 112), and among the first to answer the call are the mighty priests who rally at the Cathedral of Sigmar (The Imperial Throne, 111).

With the release of The Imperial Throne, Doubling of the Guard, and Cathedral of Sigmar, each of the races from Warhammer: Invasion will have received a Tactic that offers rewards for discarding a card from hand with high loyalty and a Capital Center that provides a tactical bomb to trigger several rounds after its play. Of course, it doesn’t take any sophisticated math to realize that your extra copies of a Capital Center can be used to fuel your loyalty-based Tactic, and we see powerful, early mobilization in the future for Empire decks packing both Doubling of the Guard and Cathedral of Sigmar.

Blessings of the gods… and a few surprises

Card draw is a major consideration for each competitive player and competitive deck in Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game. Throughout much of 2011 and early 2012, the Empire has fielded a dominant deck, keyed off the power of Judgement of Verena (Core Set, 49), but the European Champion Jakub Serafin was able to counter the power of Verena and conquer Stahleck with a Dwarf deck that featured heavy draw mechanisms to set up his combination of Dwarf Ranger (Core Set, 10) and Reclaiming the Fallen (The Silent Forge, 2).

But the Empire gains excellent early draw potential with Doubling of the Guard and can use it with City Gates (Core Set, 40) and Innovation (Core Set, 119) to establish a strong early board position.

Cards in your hand result in power on the table. As The Imperial Throne mandates a Doubling of the Guard, you can look for the Empire to make their power felt during the battles of The Capital Cycle.

Rex, a board game of negotiation, betrayal, and warfare for three to six players, will begin bombarding tabletops this quarter. Set 3,000 years before the events of Twilight Imperium, Rex tells the tale of the war-ravaged Mecatol City following a surprise attack by ambitious and treacherous Sol forces.

In our last preview article, we looked at some of the core mechanics of Rex, and saw how its warring factions compete to claim influence in the wake of massive devastation. We also examined the unique abilities of the Lazax, the once-great former rulers of the galaxy, now desperately clinging to power while scrambling to mount a viable defense. We learned how the politically and militarily entrenched Lazax have greater access to resources than their rivals, a distinction exemplified by their special faction ability.

But what are Strategy cards, and how exactly does a player claim them? Today, we’ll take a closer look at these vital military and political assets, and we’ll see how the Universities of Jol-Nar, as the galactic gatekeepers of technology and information, gain a distinct advantage in their acquisition and use.

Underhanded tactics and powerful weapons

Purchased using an auction system during an early phase of each round, Strategy cards represent technological and tactical benefits that can be employed at various key moments throughout the game.

At the start of each Bidding phase, a number of Strategy cards equal to the number of players are drawn and placed facedown near the game board. In turn, each card now becomes the prize in an auction for which players spend their hard-earned influence (see our last preview).

Strategy cards like Diplomatic Interference offer valuable one-time effects and are discarded from play.

It’s important to note, however, that throughout this process, the Strategy cards in question remain facedown. This way, while the players know they are competing for some advantage, the exact nature of that advantage remains hidden to them all (except for the Jol-Nar, but we’ll get to that in a moment).

Once won, Strategy cards convey a range of helpful effects to their owners. Most of these cards, like Diplomatic Interference, simply state a triggering condition followed by an effect. Representing anything from savvy political maneuvering to outright sabotage, these cards are generally discarded when played.

Other Strategy cards, however, are differentiated by one of two icons in their upper left corner. The attack or defense combat icon indicates a Strategy card that can only be played during battle (and even then, only during the “Commit Strategy Cards” step of the Battle phase).

We’ll go into more detail on the specifics of battle in a future preview, but suffice it to say that attack and defense Strategy cards are designed to destroy or protect leaders, respectively. Leaders are characters who take part in battle, and are vitally important to a player’s chances of success. Each leader has a strength value that is added to the overall strength of an attacking or defending army. If a Strategy card unexpectedly removes your chosen leader from a fight, you’ll likely find yourself suddenly and uncomfortably outgunned.

Left: An attack Strategy card. Right: A defense Strategy card.
A player, at the start of any battle in which he is involved, can commit one of each type.
If he wins, he retains both cards and may commit them again to future battles.

Leave nothing to chance

To win combat in Rex, you will do well to know your enemy, remember which weapons he has at his disposal, and try to predict his decisions. If the attacking Hacan use their X-35 Biological Weapon (attack card), you’d better have chosen your Atmospheric Ionizer (defense card) to counteract the effects, or you’ll lose your leader...and probably the battle as well.

So why leave such vital matters to the mercy of chance, guesswork, or faulty memories? As the galaxy’s undisputed technological authorities, the Jol-Nar possess invaluable inside information about who is wielding what against whom. First, during the Bidding phase, the Jol-Nar player is the only one able to look at the Strategy cards being bid upon. He can use this coveted intelligence to keep track of which weapons and countermeasures are being purchased (and by whom), to help save his own influence for only the best purchases, or (if he’s feeling particularly mischievous) to bluff his opponents into overspending for cards that are useless to them!

The Universities of the Jol-Nar Race Sheet. Click to enlarge.

Additionally, the Jol-Nar are able to gain advance knowledge of an enemy’s battle plans before a fight. Normally when two forces meet in combat, their leaders, attack cards, defense cards, and number of committed troops are revealed simultaneously before a winner is determined. The Jol-Nar, however, are able to demand that their opponent reveal one of these elements in advance, giving them a distinct advantage in the coming fight. Is your enemy powering up his Energy Rifle? Now you’ll be sure to bring your Magen Shield. Will he be protecting himself with the Atmospheric Ionizer? Bring your own Energy Rifle, against which the Ionizer offers no defense!

Finally, the Universities of the Jol-Nar boast the ability to secretly look at the top card of the Influence deck during the Maneuvering phase, potentially predicting an upcoming Sol Offensive and avoiding its destructive wrath. What else happens in the Maneuvering phase, and what exactly does the Sol Offensive card mean for the great city of Mecatol Rex? For that, you’ll have to check back for more previews.

Visit our website often to learn all the exciting details of Rex, and look for it on store shelves later this quarter!

Born from an ooze of chemicals that are toxic to all other lifeforms, the Poison are greatly feared for their ability to kill with a single touch. Meanwhile, the highly hostile Sting travel the Cosmos looking for victims from whom to steal life force. Other races would be wise to grant these vile creatures a wide berth, for those who find themselves in opposition of the Poison or Sting will quickly pay a steep price.

In December we announced Cosmic Alliance, the latest expansion for Cosmic Encounter. This new addition to the beloved game of galactic politics brings 20 alien races, both original and classic, exploding onto your tabletop. It also features components for another player, rules for large eight-player games, and a new variant – team rules, which allow steadfast allies to dominate the Cosmos together!

In our first preview, we looked at the Team Cosmic variant, and we saw how the charismatic and inspirational General stands ready to lead his troops to victory. Then, we caught a glimpse of the multi-talented Cyborg and the pint-sized Pygmy, two races that capitalize on strength in numbers. Today, we’ll continue our tour of the Cosmos with a look at the Poison and the Sting, a pair of aliens that boast effective natural deterrents against intruders.

Ride the wind

With atmospheres that are barely tolerable to life, the planets in the Poison’s home system are unattractive prizes. Most races living in such colonies find themselves constantly nauseous and lethargic, and life expectancy decreases noticeably for their unfortunate colonists. In fact, for any invading race hoping to maintain a presence on a Poison world, a constant stream of reinforcements is necessary.

The Poison Alien Sheet. Click to enlarge.

Don’t stand so close to me

Similarly, the Sting is a race with the uncanny ability to send enemy ships careening into the warp. They recklessly scour the stars in search of their goal, secure in the knowledge that if they should take casualties, their vampiric powers will ensure that someone else pays the price. Try to stay on the Sting’s good side, for if you earn their displeasure, all you can do is grit your teeth and bear the pain.

The Sting Alien Sheet. Click to enlarge.

Feel free to admire these engaging races from afar, just don’t get too close. If you incur the wrath of the Poison or Sting, you’re sure to feel the unpleasant consequences. Keep checking back for more in the coming weeks, and look for Cosmic Alliance on store shelves later this quarter!

He had gone to see his old friend when he arrived in Arkham, and Dr. Zulock had warned him that his daughter had not only refused treatment after being discharged, but had taken up with some sort of religious sect. They were called “the Hand of Solace,” he’d said. The group claimed to offer help to those who had suffered great loss, though what they did exactly, Dr. Zulock had not known.
     -John French, The Lies of Solace

Enter a world of horror and mystery in author John French’s The Lies of Solace, the second novel in The Lord of Nightmares Trilogy. This thrilling story is based on the popular Arkham Horror board game, in which investigators clash with the ancient terrors that plague the city of Arkham.

Jacqueline Fine is having visions…visions of a robed man before the crumbling edifice of a city, of bones and flesh at his feet, of blood and terrifying words. She's determined to stop this latest vision from happening, but can she change fate, or only allow herself to be swept along in the tides that come?

Meanwhile, an Arkham doctor tries desperately to save his only daughter from the hands of a dark cult, and a distraught bootlegger attempts to unravel the mystery behind the sudden silence of his fiancée's letters. Will these three strangers be able to save everything they love from a terrifying future, or has their suffering only just begun?

Journey to the streets of Arkham

Tension is thick as Dr. Fields attempts to console his daughter in John French’s introductory chapter (pdf, 76KB), now available for download.

Familiarize yourself with the good doctor and his conflict, and prepare to delve even further into the mysteries lurking in Arkham.

Enjoy the preview of this cryptic novel set in the world of H.P. Lovecraft’s Ancient Ones, and lookout for more news regarding The Lies of Solace in the near future.

We announced Wednesday that Nexus Ops, the frenzied board game of fierce battles and fantastic alien creatures, is available at your local retailer and on our webstore. In this classic game of tense extraterrestrial combat, two to four players race to control rubium-producing spaces on a randomly built board made up of modular, hexagon tiles. Only by spending precious rubium to raise an army of indigenous beasts will a faction have the strength to defend its claim, as players clash in a series of quick, dice-based skirmishes at key strategic locations.

If you’re already familiar with the classic edition of Nexus Ops, you may not be aware that while FFG’s update preserves that core game play, it also adds eleven optional rules. These can be used in a multitude of engaging combinations, allowing players to tailor their Nexus Ops experiences for nearly infinite replayability. Perhaps the most significant optional rule is that of the all-new alternate alien powers. By simply flipping their reference sheets to the “Alternate Unit” side, players can unlock a range of exciting new abilities and synergies. And while the alternate units use the same figures as the standard ones, they present entirely new tactical choices. Today, we’ll take a closer look at these alternate units.

Clone

Physically more fragile than the Humans on which their DNA is based, Clones are the backbone of a corporation’s labor force. These alternate units replace Humans on the reference sheet, but since cloning is a complex and time-intensive process, they can only be produced at a rate of one Clone per home base hex per turn. What’s more, their physical limitations make them even weaker than humans; in battle, Clones roll one fewer die than their overall number.

To help remember the recruiting limit, place newly purchased Clones on the
refinery, then move them to the edge of the hex at the end of your turn.

Despite these restrictions, however, Clones are quite cost-effective. Their price is only one rubium a piece (as opposed to two for Humans), making them excellent “meat shields” for your more valuable units. And while their recruitment cap means you can’t immediately flood the board with a Clone army, you can (and should) slowly build up a reliable force of them, to work your refineries and defend the home front.

Shardian

This red Shardian has a surprise in store for his attackers. When killed, he can explode, potentially taking them both out. Click to enlarge.

The suicide bombers of the alien moon, Shardians are prepared to destroy themselves to ensure the defense of their homes. These three-cost units may begin a battle by rolling a special two-dice attack that hits on 4+ (as opposed to their 5+ standard attack). This special attack utterly obliterates the attacking Shardian, but he has the potential to take up to two enemies with him.

When fighting on his home turf in a Crystal Spires, the Shardian provides an even more effective deterrent. This is because in a Crystal Spires, his controlling player is not forced to decide between a standard and special attack; he can have both. As long as a Shardian is in its natural habitat, it “explodes” when it’s removed as a casualty. A Shardian could therefore attack as usual during the Battle phase, but still reserve the option to use his special attack afterwards!

Sporling

Sporlings, the alternate counterparts to the classic game’s Fungoids, are remarkably mobile fighters. First, observant fans of the classic game will notice that Sporlings come before Shardians in the Battle Order (in the classic game, Crystallines attack before Fungoids). This extra speed in combat, however, is only the first of their benefits.

The green player’s Boulder Blitzer has wandered into the wrong hex.
The blue player has Sporlings in three adjacent Liquifungus Forests, and he can
move them in when combat begins.

Whenever possible, Sporlings are best kept within Liquifungus Forests; as long as they are, they can quickly teleport to adjacent hexes in which battles begin! If you’re fortunate enough to control multiple Liquifungus Forests within close proximity of each other, you can create a highly defensible sector of the board. Spread your Sporlings across the forests to limit enemy movements, but be ready to converge them onto a single hex whenever a fight breaks out.

Boulder Blitzer

The red Boulder Blitzer might seem outmatched by the superior blue Monolith Wyrm, but since they're on a Rock Plains, the Boulder Blitzer will strike first. Click to enlarge.

And speaking of mobility, the Boulder Blitzer (a close cousin to the base game’s Rock Strider), is an insectoid monstrosity capable of moving across multiple terrain types with blazing speed. Whereas the base game’s Rock Strider could move up to two hexes only when one of them was a Rock Plains, the Boulder Blitzer has no such restriction; its six long legs allow it to skitter through Liquifungus Forests and Magma Pools with equal ease.

While in the Rock Plains, however, its natural camouflage and instinctive knowledge of the terrain give the Boulder Blitzer an edge in combat. When in one these hexes, the Boulder Blitzer ignores the standard battle order, instead gaining a “first strike” option even against the mighty Monolith Wyrm! It’s therefore important to mention that since Rock Plains are one of the most plentiful terrain type in the game, the Boulder Blitzer is able to exercise its ability more often than any other unit.

Magma Diver

Meanwhile, the fearsome Magma Diver is not only immune to the scorching temperatures of the moon’s Magma Pools, it thrives on them. With a tough exoskeleton hardened by generations of direct exposure to lava, the Magma Diver is able to swim through it like a fish through water. What’s more, its incinerating attack devastates foes; the Magma Diver hits on a roll of 3+, but on a roll of 5+, it scores two hits!

The blue Magma Diver on the right is facing a daunting defensive wall.
Fortunately, he can dive beneath the surface and target the vulnerable
refinery on the other side. He must go alone, however;
so if he’s unlucky, that Clone might kill him.

When traveling from a Magma Pool, the Magma Diver may move directly to another Magma Pool, or to a hex adjacent to a Magma Pool. This provides a range of options; just remember that because of the configurations of the hex tiles, Magma Pools can only be placed directly adjacent to the central Monolith tile. This means that to maximize the impact of your Magma Diver’s mobility, it helps if the Magma Pools begin as far apart as possible.

Monolith Wyrm

The mighty Monolith Wyrm is a rare species that actually feeds on rubium to power its flight. Its mastery of the skies gives it free reign to attack adjacent hexes (as long as it’s striking from a safe position). In addition, this special attack benefits from a mechanic sometimes called “exploding dice.” Whenever it scores a hit, it must roll another die, potentially dealing perpetual damage (so be careful not to prematurely destroy enemy units that might be better saved for a Secret Mission card).

The blue player’s Monolith Wyrm has a few options here.
He could end his movement and safely attack an adjacent space,
or he could spend one rubium to fly to green’s vulnerable refinery. 

The Monolith Wyrm also carries a unique strategic choice. It can essentially fly to any hex on the board, even over enemies and deep into unguarded home hexes. This power, however, comes at a significant cost: for each hex the Monolith Wyrm moves beyond the first, it must pay one rubium. Is such an incursion worth spending your precious resources for?

Launch the video trailer for a quick look at the themes and components of Nexus Ops (QuickTime, 19.1 MB)
You can also view it on YouTube. 

With its range of all-new tactical choices, the Nexus Ops’ alternate units variant provides a never-before-seen way to enjoy this classic game of extraterrestrial combat. Learn more by downloading the rules from our support page or reading our series of online previews, then head to your local retailer and begin the race for rubium!

Do you have a great Dust Tactics walker conversion you want to show off? Maybe you have an idea for a new walker, but you just need some motivation to get started on your creation? Well, now is the time to get started. Fantasy Flight Games and Dust Studio are excited to announce the Dust Tactics Walker Conversion Contest! Send us pictures of your awesome conversions and show the world your awesome Dust Tactics walkers.

None other than Paolo Parente, the creator of the Dust universe, and Vincent Fontaine, Art Director of Dust Tactics, will judge the submitted walker creations. In all, four walkers will be chosen as winners of the contest, so if you think you’ve got what it takes to win, get busy building the ultimate Dust Tactics walker.

José Brito's stunning Medium Panzer Walker

The Categories

The Best Model category will be judged on overall appearance of your walker conversion. The judges will be looking for both modeling and painting skills. The most refined, most weathered, and overall most appealing walker takes the title of Best Model. This category will have one winner from each faction.

The Best Creation category will be judged on the idea of the walker conversion regardless of modeling skills. Modeling and painting skills have no bearing on this category, just the conversion itself. The most impressive original walker wins this category. This category will also have one winner from each faction. 

Stéphane Nguyen's heavily converted Medium Panzer Walker

The prizes

Each category will have two top prizes, one prize for the winning model from each faction. These winners will receive $200 in credit to use on the www.dust-models.com website. Winners will also have the opportunity to display their models at GenCon in the Fantasy Flight Games display case. As an additional prize, the winners of the Best Creation category will have their creations turned into a new model-kit in the D48 range available from Dust Studio. Selected entries may even be published in the upcoming Dust Studio book Dust Modeling Volume 3.

The rules

Please abide by the following rules when submitting your entry:

• This contest is open to all participants worldwide.
• Submissions must be received by Midnight Central time, May 10th. Send all submissions to submissions@fantasyflightgames.com.
• All submissions should include the subject line, “Dust Tactics Walker Conversion Contest”
• Submissions must contain at least a single photograph of the model, and no more than four photographs not exceeding 5MB total in size (.jpg or .png images only).
• Participants may submit as many conversions as they like, but each entry must be submitted in separate emails.
• Fantasy Flight Games and Dust Studio reserve the right to reject any submission that does not follow these guidelines without notification.
• You must agree to our submission terms. Include the following disclaimer in your email, verbatim:

“I certify that I am the creator of the attached material and that attached material is original, unpublished work. Fantasy Flight Games, Dust Studio, and their licensees may reproduce, distribute, publish, display, edit, modify, create derivative works, and otherwise use the material for any purposes in any form and on any media. I agree to indemnify and hold harmless Fantasy Flight Games and Dust Studio against all claims, suits, costs, damages, and expenses directly related to my negligent or wrongful acts in connection with the material.”

We here at FFG and Dust Studio can’t wait to see what the Dust Tactics community has to show us. Best of luck to all of you.

There are strange objects in the great abyss, and the seeker of dreams must take care not to stir up or meet the wrong ones.
    –H.P. Lovecraft, The Strange High House in the Mist

The Revelations cycle for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game introduces new Relic Hunters to the game, daring and enigmatic characters who seek rare and arcane Tomes for those they serve… or those who employ them.

We meet our first Relic Hunters in Written and Bound, the first Asylum Pack in the Revelations cycle, and we learn a little about why these people risk health and sanity to procure powerful treatises for the factions with which they have aligned themselves.

The life of a Relic Hunter

Chauncey Swann (Written and Bound, 12) is wealthy, well-schooled, and morally very flexible. Each of these attributes proves important on a daily basis in his role as an eldritch acquisitionist.

Professionally, Chauncey excels as a collector of things obscure, seeking out Artifacts and Tomes of eldritch power. Recruited into the Order of the Silver Twilight while still in college, Swann remains dedicated and loyal and has made the most of his connections from within the Order. In exchange for his services, the Order provides him great wealth and political power. The process of procuring rare items brings Chauncey close to danger on a regular basis, and he has been known to employ rather extreme measures to outwit rival collectors, outpace the local authorities, and cover his tracks. The Order is willing to put up with Chauncey’s risks so long as they keep profiting from his efforts, and each of Chauncey’s acts of vandalism or violence binds him more fully into their service.

Paid to deliver

In your games of Call of Cthulhu, Chauncey provides the Order of the Silver Twilight exactly the services for which they pay him. He acquires rare items. Chauncey starts with just two icons and two skill for three cost, but when he can research the Order’s Tomes before committing to a story, he gains two more icons, making him something of a Renaissance man with everything short of a Terror icon. And you can easily spend some of the Order’s funds on a Tcho-Tcho Talisman (Core Set, 150) to supply him with two Terror icons, making him competent in every struggle.

More importantly, Chauncey provides the Order of the Silver Twilight with the limited ability to search for support cards and, in turn, a measure of card advantage that they have long desired. The Order of the Silver Twilight safeguards many powerful secrets in their cloistered sanctums, but they often need additional support cards to forward their agenda. Chauncey helps.

While the Order stymies their opponents’ efforts with characters like Lord Jeffrey Farrington (The Order of the Silver Twilight, 18), the High Wizard of the Order (The Order of the Silver Twilight, 24), and the Initiate of Huang Hun (Curse of the Jade Emperor, 40), Chauncey can slip past his rivals to uncover weapons like the Crescent Blade (The Order of the Silver Twilight, 38) or powerful Relics like the Eon Chart (Never Night, 82). Chauncey’s efforts may even provide critical support to the Order’s Hidden Agenda (Curse of the Jade Emperor, 41) by uncovering a Ritual of Power (Initiations of the Favored, 54). It’s hard to say how many Spells and tricks the Order can conjure during a second story phase if they have all their domains available, but it’s a safe bet they’re happy to have Chauncey locate the key components for their Rituals.

How large the Order’s collection of eldritch artifacts has grown, few can say. Perhaps Chauncey Swann may have some clue, but the world is unlikely to know until the Order of the Silver Twilight has collected enough that their power will be unassailable and when they reveal their intent to use these artifacts to enslave the world or save it.

Until such a time, the different factions of Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game race to secure the secrets of occult Tomes that have long lain forgotten, Written and Bound.