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Author: Jeffrey Talanian

A Dark, Forbidding, Action-packed Experience: The ShadowDark RPG

A Dark, Forbidding, Action-packed Experience: The ShadowDark RPG

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Back in December I received the ShadowDark RPG from the fine folks at The Arcane Library. This game looks wonderful, so far, and the production values are second to none. Thick, durable paper; library-sewn binding; clear, readable font selections with good white space. All these little things make for a better user experience.

I’ve had the pleasure of playing this game with its creator, Kelsey Dionne, whom I consider to be a wonderful creative force in the TTRPG (tabletop role playing game) industry. She has carved out her own niche in the hobby, presenting a dark, forbidding, action-packed experience.

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EC Comics is back

EC Comics is back

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Cruel Universe #1 and Epitaphs from the Abyss #1. Covers by Greg Smallwood and Andrea Sorrentino

EC Comics is back. In cooperation with Oni Press, the classic imprint that brought us Tales from the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear, Weird Science, Weird Fantasy, and other titles is back. The two new titles are called Cruel Universe and Epitaphs from the Abyss.

Cruel Universe #1 features four stories, “The Champion,” “Solid Shift,” “Drink Up,” and “Priceless.” The stories are each written and illustrated by a different team, and each has something exciting and different to offer.

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Recognizing Genius: Dawnward Spire, Lonely Hill: The Letters of H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, edited by David E Schultz and S.T. Joshi

Recognizing Genius: Dawnward Spire, Lonely Hill: The Letters of H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, edited by David E Schultz and S.T. Joshi

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Dawnward Spire, Lonely Hill: The Letters of H.P. Lovecraft and and Clark Ashton Smith,
1922-1931, Volumes 1 and 2 (Hippocampus Press, July 14, 2020). Cover art by David C. Verba

I’ve been reading Dawnward Spire, Lonely Hill: The Letters of H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, a two-volume set edited by David E. Schultz and S.T. Joshi. I talked about this in my company newsletter sent out a short while ago, and I’ll repeat it here for the interested.

Lovecraft paid great deference to Smith on their initial contact, but they soon became fast friends, with fun nicknames for one another. Lovecraft recognized genius when he saw it.

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The Mad Wizards at Planet X Games

The Mad Wizards at Planet X Games

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Rayguns & Robuts, issue 1 (Planet X Games, August 2022). Cover by Ed Bickford

“…system-agnostic universe filled with galactic space rangers and square-jawed heroes zipping across the phlogiston, with a jet pack strapped to their back and a raygun in hand…”

Back in 2022 I received the first issue of Rayguns & Robuts, by Planet X Games. This sci-fi zine is loaded with incredible content and art, and the design esthetic is second to none.

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A Master of his Art: Rattle of Bones and Other Terrifying Tales by Robert E. Howard

A Master of his Art: Rattle of Bones and Other Terrifying Tales by Robert E. Howard

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Rattle of Bones and Other Terrifying Tales (Clover Press, October 20, 2020). Cover by Gabriel Rodriguez

“Damned be the dark ends of the earth where old horrors live again.”
— Robert E. Howard

Some of the finest gifts are from your buddy, a kindred spirit and dog brother in REH fandom, such as that damnable reprobate, Levi Combs. At Gamehole Con this year, Levi gifted me with this beautiful copy of Rattle of Bones and Other Terrifying Tales, by Robert E. Howard. And what a treasure it is!

This collection contains some of REH’s finest horror yarns, such as “In the Forest of Villefère,” “Wolfshead,” “Sea Curse,” “Rattle of Bones,” “The Touch of Death,” “Dig Me No Grave,” “People of the Dark,” and “The House of Arabu.” It was published by Clover Press and features beautiful art by Gabriel Rodriguez. It also features an afterword by horror master Steve Niles, perhaps best known for 30 Days of Night.

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An Essential Purchase: The Weird Tales Boys by Stephen Jones

An Essential Purchase: The Weird Tales Boys by Stephen Jones

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The Weird Tales Boys (PS Publishing, September 2023). Cover by Les Edwards

How could I not purchase The Weird Tales Boys, by Stephen Jones? It focuses on the three authors whose work has most inspired me for decades: Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, and Clark Ashton Smith.

In fact, I created a small business whose core product, the Hyperborea RPG, is inspired by the works of these three iconic giants of weird fiction, horror, fantasy, and sci-fi.

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Caroline Munro in Space?

Caroline Munro in Space?

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Speaking of Caroline Munro (as I was in my last post Lovely Ladies And Pleistocene Behemoths: A Visit To The Hollow Earth With Edgar Rice Burroughs)… here’s an amusing bit of trivia regarding Space 1999.

In Season 2, Episode 20, “The Seance Spectre,” some members of the crew go mad due to being away from nature for so long, hurtling through space on Moonbase Alpha. Well, the episode was all about the hallucinations suffered by these people and their drastic actions taken. All of it was resolved, following a lot of action and conflict.

The funny bit was at the very end, the epilogue, if you would, in which Dr. Russell prescribes a method to prevent further hallucinations: The patients have to watch long hours of nature films until it psychologically becomes “boring” to them. At the command center, Tony and Allen were using this same theory in a different manner: They stood there staring at a photo of none other than Caroline Munro!

Lovely Ladies and Pleistocene Behemoths: A Visit to the Hollow Earth with Edgar Rice Burroughs

Lovely Ladies and Pleistocene Behemoths: A Visit to the Hollow Earth with Edgar Rice Burroughs

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Caroline Munro, and a pair of Pleistocene behemoths, in At the Earth’s Core

I’ve had a lifelong fascination with “hollow earth” stories, a style of fantasy fiction that presents ancient, lost societies of people (and/or humanoids) living deep under the earth, where Jurassic and Pleistocene behemoths — as well as uncategorized horrors — struggle to survive in the subterranean jungles of a sunless world.

My favorite of this genre is the Pellucidar series, by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which began in 1914 when At the Earth’s Core was serialized in All-Story Weekly, before the novel was published in book format.

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A Weird & Wonderful Treasure Trove: New Gaming Releases

A Weird & Wonderful Treasure Trove: New Gaming Releases

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Legacy of the Green Flame (Pacesetter Games)

Fellow RPG enthusiasts, if I may, I would like to direct your attention to a few fine new projects that recently funded on Kickstarter.

Legacy of the Green Flame (Pacesetter Games)

Legacy of the Green Flame (solo play for 5e and “classic”): It was the oldest trick in the book. A man on a dark road asked for directions and you let your guard down. You awake in a nearby inn with a bruised skull and ego. All your possessions are gone, but your courage endures. Helped by the kindly and concerned innkeeper, you are equipped and the chase is on. The bandits fled into the forest, but you will have your vengeance. (Series of linked adventures; this was the first description).

The project successfully funded on Kickstarter in less than an hour, and wrapped up September 21. According to the April 8 Progress Report, they are close to ordering books for retail delivery. Keep an eye out for this one.

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The Swashbuckling Horror of Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter

The Swashbuckling Horror of Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter

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Caroline Munro in Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter (Hammer Film Productions, April 1974)

Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter is a classic Hammer Horror film that features supernatural horror combined with swashbuckling action. This is one of my favorites of the Hammer Horror series of films.

It stars Horst Janson as the vampire-hunting swordsman, Captain Kronos; John Cater as the hunchbacked scientist, Professor Grost; and the lovely Caroline Munro as Carla, the clever assistant.

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