Preorder is live: http://shop.cubicle7store.com/epages/es113347.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es113347_shop/Products/CB71204%20

If a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, then a lot of knowledge is a critical mass.

Deep beneath London, the Laundry archives occupy several miles of disused subway tunnel. The shelves are crammed with documents and reports. Eyewitness statements, newspaper cuttings, court transcripts, the diaries of madmen, autopsies, scientific papers, archived material – from these, the Laundry works to piece together the shape of the world. A seemingly innocuous report may contain vital information when correlated with a dozen other files. Triangulate the doctor's report about an outbreak of strange dreams with seismic activity under the Pacific, and find the traces of the sleeping god. Match the suppressed play from Shakespeare to troop movements in Syria to plot the shape of impending doom.

The Dossiers contain extracts from the murkier reaches of the Laundry's archives, a selection of unexplained encounters, unverified reports, uncorrelated data, loosely organised by whatever codeword seemed to fit. The truth exists in the unseen connections between them. The Mythos Dossiers contain dozens of reports, handouts, eyewitness accounts and deranged speculation about the horrors of the Mythos. Read them at your peril.

You've been involved with the Laundry Files rpg from the start, and designed the magic system. Tell us a bit about that system, and why you decided not to use the traditional Call of Cthulhu magic rules.

The Call of Cthulhu magic system is excellent for portraying the sort of magic eccentric half-mad sorcerers find in dusty old tomes, but that's not really what Laundry sorcery is like. Also, the first two books of the Laundry Files series gave readers a clear and detailed description of what Computational Demonology was like, and so I decided to see if I could model that system in the RPG. I'm very pleased with the result and think that it can do pretty much everything we've seen Bob and his colleagues manage.

On the Mythos Dossiers, you were the primary writer on ANNING BLACK and ANNING BLUE SKULL, or (Shoggoths and Elder Things for those without codeword clearance). What drew you to those particular Eldritch Horrors?

At the Mountains of Madness has always been my favorite Lovecraft story. It sits right on the borderline of SF & horror and so I jumped at the chance to write up the creatures from it, especially in a game that also stands on the borderline of SF & horror. I love how alien the Elder Things are and to me the Shoggoths are some of the creepiest creatures I've ever encountered in fiction. The story does an excellent job of imparting the wonder and the disturbing nature of dealing with histories and creatures that are literally hundreds of millions of years old. I also like the fact that the Elder Things seemed both deeply alien and somewhat sympathetic, while their creations are dangerous alien monsters and examples of technological hubris.

Any tips for using your Mythos Dossiers documents in games?

I think ANNING BLUE SKULL (aka Elder Things) are most interesting if encountered in concert with their ruins or technologies. Alternately, simply finding their technologies alone can be fascinatingly dangerous and a wonderful way to see exactly how far in advance of humanity they actually were.

In contrast, ANNING BLACK  are excellently dangerous monsters that work well either in ancient ruins, or even more appropriately, in the laboratories of overly ambitious scientists and engineers who hope to learn to control them, and end up their victims.

What other Cthulhu-related projects are you working on at the moment?

Eldritch Skies, a game of space-traveling SF in the mythos universe, which uses the Cinematic Unisystem rules, is coming out from Battlefield Press this April. Later this year the magic book I wrote for Call of Cthulhu should be out. If you're more liberal in what you consider Cthulhu-related, I'm also continuing to write for Eclipse Phase, a game of transhumanist horror.

John Snead has been gaming since he was 18 and has been a full- time game designer for the past 15 years. He has bachelor's degrees in both mathematics and history and an MA in cultural anthropology. He lives in Portland Oregon with his two partners and three cats. In addition to having created the upcoming RPG Eldritch Skies, John has written over a dozen separate magic systems and worked on Exalted, both the old and new World of Darkness, Eclipse Phase, the Mistborn RPG, and many others.

 
The Mythos Dossiers is available for pre-order at  http://shop.cubicle7store.com/epages/es113347.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es113347_shop/Products/CB71204 

We are delighted to announce that Cubicle 7's Dominic McDowall-Thomas will be a guest of honour at Gen Con Indy 2012!

Dominic McDowall-Thomas, Cubicle 7’s CEO, welcomed Gareth saying, “Gareth is a fantastic addition to the team, and to the Publishing Partnership Programme. His wealth of experience will be a huge asset to the programme and a great resource for our partners to draw upon.”

Gareth, whose company, Adamant Entertainment, was the first company to join the programme in 2009, said, “I've been pleased to be able to work alongside Cubicle 7 for years as a freelancer and as a print partner, and I'm honored to be able to do so now in a more official capacity.  The opportunity offered to smaller publishers by the Partnership Programme is a great one, allowing for greater market reach, collaborative marketing and more."

For more information contact gareth@cubicle7.co.uk

Victoriana Line Developer Walter Ciechanowski:
Marvels of Science and Steampunk is Victoriana’s guide to the wonders of the steam age. I’ve been looking forward to this book for quite some time and I was extremely fortunate and gratified to have two authors of Victoriana’s first edition, Chad Bowser and Scott Rhymer, return to add new depth to this fascinating world.

To celebrate its release I’ve asked Chad and Scott a few questions about the game and their work on this book.

Tell us a little bit about your background and your gaming experience?

Chad: I've been roleplaying since I bought a copy of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2^nd Editon Player's Handbook in 1989. Like a lot of players, D&D served as my gateway game. Everything changed when I played Pendragon in 1991 and discovered historical gaming. Since then, my preferred genre of gaming has been historical gaming. If I can mix horror in with my historical gaming, I'm even happier.

My first published work was a Call of Cthulhu scenario that appeared in Demonground. It was a scenario I'd written several years back and play tested the heck out of. Not long after that was accepted I started working on material for the first edition of Victoriana.

Scott: I've been gaming since around 1980. I tend toward science fiction and modern espionage games, but in 1989, Space: 1889 came out and I become a massive Victorian-period fan. Enough so I took a PhD in history, specializing in the era. I've written for a few companies here and there -- mostly doing Victorian-period games like Victoriana.

How did you first become involved with Victoriana?

Chad: How's that for a segue? As a fan of historical gaming, I kept my eyes open for games sent in a historical or pseudo-historical earth. I saw a listing for Victoriana on Amazon and did a quick web search for the publisher. I ordered a copy and enjoyed what I read. Not long after, I pitched an idea to the publisher and he accepted.  That quickly led to several other Victoriana related projects.

Scott: I had been corresponding with John Tuckey in the early days of Victoriana's development. He read my novel Cawnpore (available on any e-reader market!) and he took me on, first as the interstitial material writer, then as lead writer for The Smoke.

Did you follow Victoriana into the second edition?
Chad: I did follow Victoriana into the second edition. Not only was I glad that the game wasn't just going to disappear into the annals of gaming history, but I was very pleased to see that the second edition built upon the first edition and improved the game in many ways.  While the rules might have changed I felt the details that made Victoriana unique were preserved nicely.

Scott: Originally, I had not -- I had lost touch with the game during the Heresy-to-Cubicle 7 transition, but when Walt dropped me a line to ask if I wanted to work for the title again, I jumped at the chance.

What attracted you to writing for Marvels?
Chad: I've been a fan of steam punk since before steam punk was cool. I was incorporating steam punk elements into my D&D game back in the late 80s, even though I didn't know it was called steam punk at the time. It wasn't until I read Castle Falkenstein that I knew what my strange obsession with Victorian era machinery that didn't quite exist was called. Couple that with an interest in the history of science and the offer to write for Marvels of Science and Steampunk was too good to pass up.

Scott: I liked that we were finally bringing the steam and clockwork into the setting. I felt the game needed a more speculative fiction feel over the magic and monsters of the first edition.

What did you enjoy writing about most in Marvels?
Chad: If I could only pick one, I would have to go with the chapter on the automata; especially the guidelines allowing characters to build their own.  But that would leave out a lot of the creepy melding of magic and machinery that happens in a later chapter. OK, I admit it; the entire book is full of great ideas for both players and GMs.

Scott: I got to work on new mechanics for inventions and vehicles. I love a good car chase.

Any parting thoughts?

Chad: I just want to thank everybody who's bought, read, played, or commented on the various Victoriana books. Without you, there would be no game to write for!

Scott: Just to enjoy the game!

Thank you, Chad and Scott! Marvels of Science and Steampunk is set for release in April.

We are pleased to announce that Tales from Wilderland for The One Ring is on sale now in PDF form at rpgnow.

Written by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan with Francesco Nepitello, Tales from Wilderland contains seven ready-to-play adventures, complete scenarios that can be played separately, or as an epic campaign spanning across a number of years. All adventures are set in the years after 2946, and take place in Wilderland.

A wealth of background material expands the setting information contained in the core set for The One Ring, the newest fantasy roleplaying game based upon The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the world-renowned masterpieces written by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Will you dare enter the great forest of Mirkwood, journey under the shadow of the Misty Mountains, visit the house of Beorn, follow the River Anduin down to the Gladden Fields, or climb the Grey Mountains to look upon the Withered Heath?

Check out these spreads from the book:
  

There's more, including the video trails, over on The One Ring Supplements page.

Preorder Tales from Wilderland here. All pre-orders will also be sent a complimentary copy of the PDF of this product ahead of physical release!

The One Ring: Adventures over the Edge of the Wild is the new roleplaying game based on The Lord of the Rings—the most influential property in fantasy. It's set after the events of The Hobbit; the initial game is set the region of northern Mirkwood and environs, with future releases expanding the scope of the setting to encompass more of Middle-earth as the era moves closer to the looming War of the Ring.

Wilderland awakens! With the threat of Smaug removed and the Misty Mountain Orcs driven back into their foul mountain holds, the Free Peoples are seizing the opportunity to reclaim the region. Kings extend their realms' boundaries, merchants open up trade routes to long-sundered markets and previously strained relations blossom into true alliances.

At the forefront of this resurgence are adventurers. Whether they are rediscovering isolated communities, battling the remnants of the Shadow or exploring the land and opening it up for others to follow, groups of Heroes are proving instrumental in the taming of the Wild.

Tales from Wilderland contains 7 adventure scenarios for The One Ring: Adventures Over the Edge of the Wild, the fantasy roleplaying game set in the world of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The scenarios can be played individually or as part of a linked campaign. 

We are delighted to announce that the PDF edition of Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space is now available for purchase from rpgnow: http://www.rpgnow.com/product/100835/Doctor-Who%3A-Adventures-in-Time-and-Space-%28Eleventh-Doctor-Edition%29?filters=0_0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=54&affiliate_id=169435

Get the PDF free with the print version pre-order:
http://shop.cubicle7store.com/epages/es113347.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es113347_shop/Products/CB71109

We will be releasing a free upgrade pack for those who have the Tenth Doctor edition and don't want to buy the Eleventh Doctor Edition, containing the new monsters and character sheets. The all-new Eleventh Doctor Adventures book will also soon be available seperately.