Author - Jerry Paxton

Curse of Strahd Revamped Edition Announced

Unearth the terror of Ravenloft one more time! Wizards of the Coast presents a collector’s edition boxed set for the world’s greatest roleplaying game: Curse of Strahd Revamped. Packaged in a coffin-shaped box, Curse of Strahd Revamped provides everything a Dungeon Master needs to stage chilling and thrilling scenes starring the vampire villain Count Strahd von Zarovich. This deluxe box is packed with irresistible treats, including updated adventure content, a beautifully illustrated and foil-stamped Tarokka deck, and lots more to satisfy even the most bloodthirsty fan of Gothic horror. Curse of Strahd Revamped rises from the grave everywhere on October 20, 2020, just in time for Halloween!

The Curse of Strahd Revamped Collector’s Edition breaks down the beloved Curse of Strahd adventure into three parts: a softcover 224-page adventure book for characters of levels 1–10, a 20-page Creatures of Horror booklet describing new monsters that appear in the adventure, and an 8-page Tarokka Deck booklet. The adventure includes the latest errata and a revised depiction of the Vistani that aligns with the Dungeons & Dragons team’s mission to be as welcoming and inclusive as possible. The Tarokka deck, which helps determine the heroes’ path through the adventure, comes with its own storage box.

Other components of Curse of Strahd Revamped include a sturdy Dungeon Master’s screen designed for use with the adventure, a double-sided poster map showing the domain of Barovia on one side and Castle Ravenloft on the other, and a dozen illustrated postcards depicting four spooky locations in Barovia: Castle Ravenloft, Old Bonegrinder, the Abbey of Saint Markovia, and Death House. Dungeon Masters can use these postcards as invitations, beckoning their players to explore Barovia and put Strahd back in the ground where he belongs.

Despite the changes and the additional features in Curse of Strahd Revamped, the story presented is the same one that enchanted fans when the adventure was first published in 2016. Under raging storm clouds, the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind’s howling increases as he turns his gaze down toward the village of Barovia. Far below, yet not beyond his keen eyesight, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. Strahd’s face forms the barest hint of a smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they came—all according to his plan. A lightning flash rips through the darkness, but Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind fills the midnight air. The master of Castle Ravenloft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited.

“Spending a night in Castle Ravenloft has become a Halloween tradition,” says Christopher Perkins, the principal narrative designer for Dungeons & Dragons. “Curse of Strahd Revamped is the adventure delivered in its finest form, with everything the Dungeon Master needs to terrify players in one coffin-shaped box.”

Curse of Strahd Revamped collector’s edition is for use with the fifth edition Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide and will be available everywhere on October 20th and will retail for $99.99.

For more information about Curse of Strahd Revamped, visit dungeonsanddragons.com.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest Announced

The new adventure game of savage horror within the legendary World of Darkness is clawing its way to PC. Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest, from the makers of Wanderlust: Travel Stories and The Witcher 1, will let you share the deep secrets of the last primeval forest in Europe.

Heart of the Forest is a narrative adventure game based on the legendary role-playing game Werewolf: The Apocalypse. You play as Maia, a young woman looking to uncover her family’s history. In the pursuit of past mysteries, she arrives at the Białowieża Forest, an ancient wilderness full of ancient and dangerous secrets.

The game’s mechanics are based around three main resources: Rage, Willpower, and Personality. They determine the choices available to Maia and influence the overall presentation of every scene.

“Heart of the Forest is one of the few video games that actually represent the traditional pen-and-paper role-playing mechanics. The game assumes the role of the game master and guides us through the adventure. It’s one of the best renditions of traditional RPG I’ve ever seen in gaming,” said Piotr Gnyp, Head of BizDev at Walkabout Games and a long-standing fan of tabletop RPGs.

The game is set in one of the last primeval forests of Europe – the Bialowieza Forest. It is a vast area located in Poland, Europe, full of myths and legends which players will also find in the game. The first people settled here 1,500 years ago, but their presence remained relatively limited until they eventually vanished. The mix of nature and mystery makes the Bialowieza Forest a perfect setting for a World of Darkness story.

Just like the original Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Heart of the Forest has many themes. These vary from mythological to inspired by its real-world setting, e.g. where should our interference in nature end? Aren’t we morally bound to interfere? How far would you go for a good cause?

The game stands out thanks to its unique art style. Dynamic collages, which mix photography with hand drawings, are used to represent not only the forest environment but also Maia’s state of mind. The main inspiration for this look was the art of Dave McKean, especially his legendary covers of The Sandman graphic novels. The design team also studied works of artists such as Elke Trittel and Wangechi Mutu.

Sean Greaney, Brand Manager for World of Darkness at Paradox Interactive, adds “We’re excited to be partnering with Different Tales: their unique brand of narrative adventure storytelling fits the World of Darkness perfectly. The story of Maia helps us experience the richness and complexities of the Garou, and gives us a new perspective on their long, savage struggle to protect the world from natural and supernatural disaster.”

The game will be available on Windows, macOS, and Linux on Steam and GOG.com in Q4 2020.

Halloween Horror Nights 2020 Canceled

Unfortunately, the first BIG casualty of the Haunted Attraction world is Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights in both Hollywood and Orlando. Below is the official statement from Universal Studios.

Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort have made the difficult decision to not hold Halloween Horror Nights events this year. Universal Studios Hollywood continues to face ongoing business restrictions and uncertainty around its opening timeframe. Universal Orlando Resort will be focusing exclusively on operating its theme parks for daytime guests, using the enhanced health and safety procedures already in place.

We know this decision will disappoint our fans and guests. We are disappointed, too. But we look forward to creating an amazing event in 2021.

World of Tanks Console Launches Season 1 – SummerSlam

In partnership with WWE, Wargaming and World of Tanks Console is excited to announce Update 5.0 – Season 1 SummerSlam! Beginning today through Monday, September 21, SummerSlam brings an exclusive new season pass featuring WWE inspired tanks, legendary Superstar collectible crews, new garages and much more to World of Tanks players on PlayStation and Xbox.

As part of the new season, players will have the chance to command five legendary Superstar Collector Tanks inspired by WWE Superstars The Undertaker and Becky Lynch, as well as WWE Hall of Famers Andre the Giant, Sgt. Slaughter plus “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, who will be free for all players!

Players will also be given the ability to experience their own redesigned WWE Garage – including epic Superstar introductions for their vehicles, unique visuals for each Premium Collector Tank, and two sets of crew chests that will include the aforementioned five Superstars and Legends to start in addition to Roman Reigns, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels in August.

Update 5.0 will also introduce cross-play between PlayStation 4 and Xbox One users, giving players the opportunity to pit their skills against one another in an expanded player base with quicker matchmaking speeds across all tiers. For real-time-strategy fans, the popular Commander mode returns allowing players to get a different angle on the intense tank fighting and tactics.

TJ Wagner, Executive Producer of Wargaming Chicago-Baltimore said: “The update 5.0 and launch of Season 1 is probably the biggest one our team in Chicago has done in a couple of years. Partnering with WWE has been a fantastic experience and is bringing unique new content to our players, who can expect more updates like SummerSlam in the future! With update 5.0, we’re very excited to be able to address many player requests and desires for our game like cross-play that unites PlayStation and Xbox tankers, to make match making faster and better.”

L.A. Comic Con Delayed Until December

It’s been a crazy 4 months since the CV-19 lockdown started in March. As always, we hope you and your friends and loved ones are well. All of us at L.A. Comic Con have been working every day since then to answer ONE QUESTION – Can we make enough changes and adjustments to how we put on LA’s favorite Con that it is not just FUN, but it is also SAFE for attendees, vendors, talent and staff despite the challenges of living with CV-19?

This week, we have part of the answer – NO – we can’t do that on our current dates of September 25-27. But with some of the plans we are about to share with you, and the guidance of LA County, City and State health professionals, we think the answer can be:

YES – on our NEW DATES of December 11-13, 2020. That’s right, we’re moving the show back two and a half months to give all of us – the health authorities, conventions, fans and vendors – more time to develop and implement plans to keep us safe and healthy.

Here’s just a few of the changes we have planned:

  • More Space – we’re adding the West and Petree Halls – in total now over 850,000 SqFt indoors so we can SPREAD OUT
  • Maximum Density – at least 28 SqFt – a 6’ diameter circle – assigned to every person
  • Limited Capacity – no more than 12,000 tickets will be sold to any individual session – that’s less than one-third the normal density
  • Space for Waiting – we’ve added over 400,000 SqFt of space both inside and outside to safely manage lines with social distancing, and we’re tripling the number of entrances with magnetometers.
  • What will that look like – how will it make 2020 different from 2019?

Bill & Ted Face The Music New Trailer

Orion Pictures has released the official trailer and poster for BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC. The stakes are higher than ever for the time-traveling exploits of William “Bill” S. Preston Esq. (Alex Winter) and Theodore “Ted” Logan (Keanu Reeves). The now middle aged best friends set out on a new adventure to seek the song that will set their world right and bring harmony in the universe, with the helped by their daughters (played by Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine), a new batch of historical figures and a few music legends. The film also stars Kristen Schaal, Erinn Hayes, Jayma Mays, Holland Taylor, Kid Cudi, Anthony Carrigan, Jillian Bell, Beck Bennett, William Sadler, Hal Landon Jr. and Amy Stoch.

BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC will also head to Comic-Con@Home for a most excellent panel discussion, moderated by Kevin Smith on Saturday, July 25 at 3 PM PST. The panel will include Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Samara Weaving, Bridgette Lundy-Paine and William Sadler, as well as director Dean Parisot and screenwriters Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. Tune in to the Comic-Con@Home YouTube Channel to watch: https://www.youtube.com/user/ComicCon

BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC will be released on demand and in theaters on September 1, 2020.

Star Trek: The Cruise V Delayed Until 2022

Star Trek: The Cruise announces it will move its 5th annual cruise to February 26-March 5, 2022, with open booking beginning on July 28 via www.startrekthecruise.com or by calling 844-335-6515. The 2022 cruise will sail aboard Royal Caribbean’s luxurious Mariner of the Seas, a recently renovated ship that will be transformed into a Star Trek Universe at sea. All of the actors previously scheduled for the 2021 cruise will be onboard, including George Takei (“Sulu”) and Walter Koenig (“Chekov”) of The Original Series, along with a crew of stars who have appeared in every iteration of the Star Trek TV franchise spanning more than 50 years. The ultimate immersive experience for Star Trek fans will depart from Port Canaveral, FL (offering more recreational facilities than all other ports in Florida combined) for Nassau, Bahamas; San Juan, Puerto Rico and St. Maarten.  Special Star Trek-themed shows, events, activities and parties will take place every day and night, along with extraordinary performances by the iconic stars and opportunities to interact with them like nowhere else in the universe.

Joining Takei and Koenig will be:

  • Jonathan Frakes
  • Marina Sirtis
  • Gates McFadden
  • Denise Crosby
  • John de Lancie
  • Terry Farrell
  • Alexander Siddig
  • Nana Visitor
  • Max Grodénchik
  • Robert Picardo
  • Ethan Phillips
  • Garrett Wang
  • John Billingsley
  • Connor Trinneer
  • Anthony Montgomery
  • Anthony Rapp

And more to be added

“We are committed to helping our entire universe remain safe and have been working closely with the cruise industry to make sure the health of our guests, actors and staff come before everything else,” says Greg Laubach, Executive Director, Business Development at Entertainment Cruise Productions.  “We’re especially grateful to all of the Star Trek actors who were originally planning on joining the 2021 sailing and will all be onboard in 2022.  We can’t wait to see all of you again.”

Under license by ViacomCBS Consumer Products, Star Trek: The Cruise’s weeklong Caribbean voyage offers more ways to engage with favorite Star Trek celebrities than any other event in the universe, including the following immersive Star Trek experiences:

  • One-of-a-kind nightly shows presented by Star Trek actors
  • Star-studded panel discussions
  • Star Trek movies and episodes at the pool deck theater
  • Costume parties and cosplay competitions
  • More than a dozen bars, restaurants, clubs and lounges will get a Federation Refit to create the ultimate Star Trek amusement park at sea

Mariner of the Seas’ $120 million revitalization will also have guests soaring on the new Sky Pad virtual-reality bungee trampoline, riding the waves of the FlowRider surf simulator, reveling in the action at Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade, as well as  offers new dining options and upgraded accommodations.

Cabin prices start at $1,600 per person, which includes admission to all performances, interviews, parties and meals. Visit www.StarTrekTheCruise.com, call (844-335-6515) or follow hashtag

#StarTrekCruise, TwitterFacebook and Instagram for more information in the coming months.

Ghostbusters Come to LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed

Gameloft, leader in the development and publishing of games, the LEGO Group, and Sony Pictures Consumer Products are thrilled to announce a new adventure coming to LEGO® Legacy: Heroes Unboxed starring the original characters from Ghostbusters (1984), available now on App Store, Google Play, and Microsoft Store! Starting today and running for four weeks, players of all levels can unlock Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, and Slimer in a brand-new story-driven event. Additionally, the Ecto-1 set will be given away to all players who complete the tutorial. This is the very first licensed addition to LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed, and is the largest content update so far.

There’s something bizarre happening in Piptown, currently covered in slime and spooky figures run amok, including a new Green Ghost enemy, with a gnarly portal brought about by dark magic from another source. Upon further investigation, Slimer is eating Piptown out of house and home – literally – and chases our heroes who uncover a devious ploy by Garmadon to resurrect an ethereal army!

It’s up to the Ghostbusters to save the day!

The Ghostbusters team is a powerful balanced group, and is good against pirate and Ninjago foes, and is especially strong against spooky foes too! Make sure to collect your crew to take on a variety of intimidating foes!

“Ever since we announced LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed, players have been asking if we would be introducing any characters from outside the LEGO Universe”, Guilherme Lachaut, VP of Strategic Partnerships at Gameloft. “The Ghostbusters were the perfect set to choose as our first licensed addition. They strike a delightful balance of humor and adventure and fit perfectly in the world we’ve created.”

LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed is the first turn-based Role-Playing Game (RPG) from the LEGO Group and allows players to collect and playfully battle with over 60 characters from over 40 years of LEGO minifigure history. Bringing together minifigures old and new, LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed gives LEGO fans a new way to play with the minifigures that they know and love.

Carrion Launch Trailer Released

Carrion, the reverse horror game from developer Phobia Game Studio and the easy prey at Devolver Digital starring a terrifying mass of tentacles and teeth, will escape captivity to feast across PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One tomorrow.

The impending breach is perfectly visualized via an unsettling (but impressively animated) launch trailer depicting just how disastrous Carrion’s launch will be for fleshy lab staff around the world. Carrion’s unstoppable nightmare has impressively formidable tricks to ensure its next meal is always within reach, even when it seems like they’ve escaped from the menu.

Horror fans can enjoy spreading terror as they play with their food and amass incredible powers by picking the game up for $19.99. Check in with questions if you have them, or if you haven’t yet had a chance to prowl through Carrion’s atmospheric world of bite-sized scientists.