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Not Sure What Role-Playing Game to Run at Carnage in Wonderland?

By on June 1, 2011

June is that magic time when a Carnage GM’s fancy lightly turns to “What the heck am I going to run this year?”

As always, a GM should runs the thing that inspires them the most. We’ve all been at the table when the GM’s heart just wasn’t into the game of the moment. And that’s no fun at all. So first ask yourself what games have your attention — and probably still will in November.

For those of you looking for more firm inspiration, check out this wish list we’ve put together of games, old and new, we’d like to see at this year’s convention, behind the jump. To be clear, the games our stalwart GMs run year in and year out — your specialties, which are far too numerous to mention even in passing — are always wanted. Those games are your signature events, the ones for which you’re known, and we’re always happy to have them.

That said, if you’re a GM waffling over system or setting, knowing just that you want to run “something,” you might find a nudge in one direction or the other here. If there’s a game you’re hoping to play, mention it in the comments. Maybe someone will be inspired, knowing there’s a kindred soul out there.

Once you know what you want to run, hop on over to the GM sign-up page and put it to good use. Continue reading “Not Sure What Role-Playing Game to Run at Carnage in Wonderland?”

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GM Submissions Open for Carnage in Wonderland

By on May 31, 2011

As we kick things into gear behind the scenes for Carnage 14, we’d like to invite all our hard-working GMs to let loose the ideas that simmered away all winter, just waiting for the right moment.

The right moment, of course, is that the GM sign-up form is back and ready for action. Pour all your glorious, incandescent thoughts and strokes of genius into its samite fields, from where they progress to take form in the crucible of our mighty event database.

If you’re new to the sign-up form, take a look behind the jump for more information about filling it out the maximum happiness of all parties involved. Continue reading “GM Submissions Open for Carnage in Wonderland”

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Down the Role-Playing Rabbit Hole to Wonderland

By on May 15, 2011

"One, two! One, two! and through and through / The vorpal blade went snicker-snack." Art by John Tenniel.

Carnage’s theme this year comes from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. With a literary starting point like that, the role-playing GM is veritably besieged by ideas to borrow, spindle and mutilate to their desire. Beyond visiting the book itself for inspiration — Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass are both available to read online for free, thanks to websites like Project Gutenberg — you can see how Alice’s adventures inspired future authors. The Looking Glass Wars books by Frank Beddor reinvent Carroll’s books as distortions of the true history of an alternate universe. Jack Chalker’s Wonderland Gambit trilogy draws on imagery as part of a reality-bending tale. An episode of Warehouse 13 pitted agents against the mind-swapping properties of Lewis Carroll’s mirror.

Variations on Alice and her Wonderland companions have shown up in plenty of role-playing games, too. Dungeons & Dragons‘ vorpal sword comes from Through the Looking-Glass, in the poem “Jabberwocky.” Alice, Queen of Hearts is one of the most notorious villains of Empire City in the super hero game Silver Age Sentinels. Wonderland is a setting of surreal horror in which characters plumb the depths of layers of reality — or fight back against incursions from below. In the world of WitchCraft, the sleeping Red King dreams of the realm of Hod, sephiroth of dreams; if he woke up, the whole sephiroth would vanish.

One can also easily imagine a slapstick Toon caper through Wonderland, a cyberpunk thriller in which the Red Queen is a malevolent AI preying on deckers talented enough to enter her domain and a fantasy dungeon crawl through underground warrens to rescue the king’s youngest daughter from the avatars of primeval chaos.

Do you know of any other references or homages to Alice in Wonderland in role-playing games? Tell us in the comments section.

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Just One of the Horsemen: Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax

By on April 15, 2011

As the Walrus stated . . . The time has come, to talk of many things: of shoes, and ships, and sealing-wax. Of cabbages and kings. And why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have wings.  And of course another year of CARNAGE! This time we are heading Down the Rabbit Hole, into Wonderland!

We are planning another great year of board gaming. There are plenty of new games out there, and lots of classics.  We are once again looking for GMs in the board game area. The following list covers some of the games we are looking to have presented at this years convention. It may seem large, but it is but a small sampling of all the great board games out there. If you do not see a favorite game on the list, please do not worry.  Some GMs have already planned their games for Carnage.  (Mansions of Madness, Battlestar Galactica, and A Game of Thrones to name a few.)  Just let us know you would like to see a certain game and we will do our best to get a GM for that game. Or even better, offer to GM your favorite game at Carnage to share with other board gamers. Additional newer games will be added to the list as they become available.

Also look for Carnage staff at various locations throughout New England and New York. We have already attended Total Con, TempleCon, Unity Games Day, EconoCon and even PAX East. We have run games at various stores in the area including The Game Castle in Londonderry, New Hampshire and Triple Play in West Lebanon, New Hampshire. We are also regularly at the Green Mountain Gamers game days throughout Vermont.  If you see one of us at a gaming event, come say hello.  Let us know what games you would like to see at Carnage.

So step through the looking glass and come to Carnage this year . . . after all,  We’re all mad here! Continue reading “Just One of the Horsemen: Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax”

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Carnage at the Castle in New Hampshire

By on February 17, 2011

This mild-mannered storefront conceals a den of hot tabletop gaming action.

On March 5th, the Carnage gang will be at the Game Castle in Londonderry, New Hampshire hosting a day of gaming. We’ll be there with some of the best and greatest in board games and role-playing. Won’t you join us?

And if you so desire, you can RSVP via Facebook.

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Another 3 Pathfinder Society Games Added

By on November 1, 2010

Another three Pathfinder Society games (R76-78) have been added to the Carnage schedule in addition to those we added last week. The full Pathfinder Society schedule is now listed below and a complete list of all games added since the convention book went to press is available on the Addendum page. Our thanks to Judges Todd and Art for bringing in some fantastic PFS games!

If you have not already pre-registered for the con, please fill out the form at the back of the convention book and bring it with you to register on site at the Lake Morey Resort. We look forward to seeing you very soon!

R71 Pathfinder Society Scenario #6: Black Waters (GM: PFS Regional Director Art Lobdell Room: W) The Pathfinder Society seeks the ancient ruby ring of the salamander and it falls to a team of Pathfinders to find it. Last seen in the Tri-Towers Yard, a once elite academy for the youth of Absalom, the ruby ring is now lost in the Drownyard, all that remains of Tri-Towers after it was destroyed a decade ago in the great quake. The Pathfinders must risk the strange black ichors and salty brine to find their prize—will they risk their very souls as well? Written by Tim and Eileen Connors. This product is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 5th level characters. (Tiers: 1–2, 4–5.) Pathfinder (Fri. 7p-11p)

R72 Pathfinder Society Scenario #11: The Third Riddle (OGL) (GM: PFS Regional Director Art Lobdell Room: W) When Pathfinder Colm Safan entered the Nethys-linked heart of the fabled dungeon known as the Ravenous Sphinx, the Pathfinder Society expected to solve one of Osirion’s greatest riddles. Months passed with no word from Safan, and you and your fellow Pathfinders find yourselves dispatched into the desolate wastes of Osirion’s notorious Parched Dunes to find the sphinx, locate Safan, and uncover the mystery he sought. With a band of cloaked riders on your trail and a trap-filled dungeon ahead, will you solve the third riddle before time runs out? Written by Clinton J. Boomer. This product is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 5th level characters. (Tiers: 1–2, 4–5.) Pathfinder (Sat. 8a-12 noon)

R76 Pathfinder Society Scenario #19: Skeletal Moon (GM: PFS Judge Todd Lamison Room: W) When Pathfinder alchemist Andrax d’Aponte contracted a mysterious wasting sickness, he set his mind to feverishly researching the disease and its cures. With the rare skeleton moon hanging in the sky above Absalom, the Decemvirate sends you to an ancient siege castle outside the city to recover d’Aponte’s research notes and inquire about his involvement in recent Pathfinder deaths in Osirion. What you find, however, is a man changed by madness and paralyzed by paranoia and fear. Will you survive the night of the skeleton moon? Written by Benjamin Wenham. This product is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 7th level characters. (Tiers: 1–2, 3–4, and 6–7.) Pathfinder (Sat. 1p-5p)

R77 Pathfinder Society Scenario #33: Assault on the Kingdom of the Impossible (GM: PFS Judge Todd Lamison Room: W) The Pathfinder Society sends you to the fabled Kingdom of the Impossible, the island of Jalmeray, to stop an Aspis Consortium black market relics dealer who is organizing the local bandits and violently robbing Jalmeray and Pathfinder Society caravans laden with relics, artifacts, and magical mysteries. When a venture-captain is murdered by the Aspis Consortium agent, it’s up to the PCs to find him and do whatever it takes to stop him. Written by Craig Shackleton. This product is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 5th level characters (Tiers: 1–2 and 4–5.) Pathfinder (Sat. 7p-11p)

R74 Pathfinder Society Scenario #12: Stay of Execution (OGL) (GM: PFS Regional Director Art Lobdell Room: W) When a petty thief named Hadge gets a lucky break and makes off with a powerful divination focus of the Pathfinder Society’s masked leadership, you and your fellow Pathfinders set out to the sparsely populated Taldor frontier to find him and recover the focus. When the local governor tosses Hadge into the brutal Porthmos Prison for a minor crime, your mission suddenly becomes a jail break. Will you free Hadge and uncover the location of the focus before the gangs of Porthmos tear him apart? Written by Alison McKenzie. This product is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 7th level characters (Tiers: 1–2, 3–4, 6–7). (Sat. 7p-11p)

R78 Pathfinder Society Scenario #37: The Beggar’s Pearl (GM: PFS Judge Todd Lamison Room: W) When a thief arrives at the Pathfinder Lodge in Almas bearing stolen artifacts and writings pointing the way to a lost dwarven gallery, you are sent into the rugged Aspodell Mountains both to find the famed dwarven explorer last known to be searching for the gallery and to locate the gallery itself. Once there, you find a tangled web of Darklands creatures in the thrall of a charismatic cult leader with ties to the darkest shadows of the First Realm. Written by James F. Mackenzie. This product is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 7th level characters. (Tiers: 1–2, 3–4, and 6–7.) Pathfinder (Sun. 9a-1p)

Also run by PFS Regional Director Art Lobdell:

R73 WH Dark Providence: Swans (GM: PFS Regional Director Art Lobdell Room: W) Wrath is said to be the “love of justice perverted to revenge and spite.” It goes hand-in-hand with Pride as the two common Deadly Sins. These sins are deadly indeed for the village of Boswyck, not far from New Amsterdam, on a fine summer day in 1689. By P. Dennis Waltman. Witch Hunter: Dark Providence 1-02 (Sat. 1p-5p)

R75 Fellowship of the White Star B105: The Rock (GM: PFS Regional Director Art Lobdell Room: W ) A series of unexplained deaths on Gibraltar has been brought to the attention of the Fellowship. With the Queen of England visiting soon, you are tasked with investigation the deaths and seeing if there is any danger for the Queen. A module designed for any-level characters set in the Fellowship of the White Star campaign of Earth, 03/23/1905. Written by: David Nadolny. Fellowship of the White Star (Sun. 8a-12 noon)

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Pathfinder Society Games Now On Schedule

By on October 29, 2010

Great news! Pathfinder Society Regional Director Art Lobdell will be joining us at Carnage to offer Pathfinder Society games as well as Witch Hunter: Dark Providence and Fellowship of the White Star. Additional PFS games may be added soon, so check back for updates. Art’s games are listed below and a complete list of added games is available on the Addendum page. Many thanks to Art for bringing us some fantastic games!

R71 Pathfinder Society Scenario #6: Black Waters (GM: PFS Regional Director Art Lobdell Room: W) The Pathfinder Society seeks the ancient ruby ring of the salamander and it falls to a team of Pathfinders to find it. Last seen in the Tri-Towers Yard, a once elite academy for the youth of Absalom, the ruby ring is now lost in the Drownyard, all that remains of Tri-Towers after it was destroyed a decade ago in the great quake. The Pathfinders must risk the strange black ichors and salty brine to find their prize—will they risk their very souls as well? Written by Tim and Eileen Connors. This product is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 5th level characters. (Tiers: 1–2, 4–5.) Pathfinder (Fri. 7p-11p)

R72 Pathfinder Society Scenario #11: The Third Riddle (OGL) (GM: PFS Regional Director Art Lobdell Room: W) When Pathfinder Colm Safan entered the Nethys-linked heart of the fabled dungeon known as the Ravenous Sphinx, the Pathfinder Society expected to solve one of Osirion’s greatest riddles. Months passed with no word from Safan, and you and your fellow Pathfinders find yourselves dispatched into the desolate wastes of Osirion’s notorious Parched Dunes to find the sphinx, locate Safan, and uncover the mystery he sought. With a band of cloaked riders on your trail and a trap-filled dungeon ahead, will you solve the third riddle before time runs out? Written by Clinton J. Boomer. This product is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 5th level characters. (Tiers: 1–2, 4–5.) Pathfinder (Sat. 8a-12 noon)

R73 WH Dark Providence: Swans (GM: PFS Regional Director Art Lobdell Room: W) Wrath is said to be the “love of justice perverted to revenge and spite.” It goes hand-in-hand with Pride as the two common Deadly Sins. These sins are deadly indeed for the village of Boswyck, not far from New Amsterdam, on a fine summer day in 1689. By P. Dennis Waltman. Witch Hunter: Dark Providence 1-02 (Sat. 1p-5p)

R74 Pathfinder Society Scenario #12: Stay of Execution (OGL) (GM: PFS Regional Director Art Lobdell Room: W) When a petty thief named Hadge gets a lucky break and makes off with a powerful divination focus of the Pathfinder Society’s masked leadership, you and your fellow Pathfinders set out to the sparsely populated Taldor frontier to find him and recover the focus. When the local governor tosses Hadge into the brutal Porthmos Prison for a minor crime, your mission suddenly becomes a jail break. Will you free Hadge and uncover the location of the focus before the gangs of Porthmos tear him apart? Written by Alison McKenzie. This product is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 7th level characters (Tiers: 1–2, 3–4, 6–7). (Sat. 7p-11p)

R75 Fellowship of the White Star B105: The Rock (GM: PFS Regional Director Art Lobdell Room: W ) A series of unexplained deaths on Gibraltar has been brought to the attention of the Fellowship. With the Queen of England visiting soon, you are tasked with investigation the deaths and seeing if there is any danger for the Queen. A module designed for any-level characters set in the Fellowship of the White Star campaign of Earth, 03/23/1905. Written by: David Nadolny. Fellowship of the White Star (Sun. 8a-12 noon)

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Check Out the Tournament Page

By on October 12, 2010

Well, the tournament page is up!

Head there for EDH Two Headed Dragon Rules, and information on all the other great CCG tournaments planned for Carnage this year. However, if you are interested in seeing which Generals have been recruited for the EDH Two Headed Dragon Tournament . . . Look no further! Below is the first group of Generals to commit their armies to the fray. Keep checking back for more as we get closer to the convention!

EDH GENERALS

Justin Scher                             Sliver Queen

John Lahr                                 Nath of the Gilt Leaf

Stephen Raffael                      Arcum Dagsson

Lucas Moyer                            Experiment Kraj

Karen Miller                            Tolsimir Wolfblood

Jeremy Devoid                        Wort the Raidmother

Christine Williamson             Sakashima the Imposter

 

Please stay tuned as more Generals are announced!

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Carnage the 13th Schedule Grid

By on September 29, 2010

The schedule grid for Carnage the 13th is now free for the downloading. Linked below, you’ll find it in three tasty flavors: PDF, Excel spreadsheet and Open Document spreadsheet. With it, you have a visual guide to pinpointing the intractable conflicts in your weekend at Carnage. Good luck making that decision!

This grid is based on the one Frank Perricone whipped up for Carnage 12 last year, which turned out be a big hit beforehand and onsite. Thanks for blazing the trail there, Frank.

Blood-curdling grids of scheduling horror for Carnage the 13th:

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July Role-Playing Games Update

By on July 26, 2010

Photo by Rocco Pier Luigi.Carnage the 13th is just over three months away. That can seem like a lot of time, but behind the scenes, we’re already getting games lined up, so you can read all about them when the convention book is mailed out and available for download in September.

We can’t let too many cats out of the bag, since we’re still tallying events, but here’s a quick sampler of what’s on tap for 2010:

Plus longtime favorites like the Realms LARP, the traditional Bar Room Brawl from Jim Doyle, story games orchestrated by Charlton Wilbur, whatever genius the inestimable Dr. Nik has concocted and the horrific imaginings of Andre Kruppa.

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