The Week In Gaming

RPGs

• From the monsters of legend, it’s the Lord of the Vampires himself… Dracula! Can your heroes overcome the villain and his children of the night, or will they join his bloodthirsty legion of the undead? Lock the doors and windows, get out the crosses and garlic, and prepare; Dracula is here! Mutants & Masterminds Threat Report #43: Dracula.
• The Calixis Sector is plagued with heretics, recidivists, and the unworthy…and they all dwell beneath the faithful servants of the God-Emperor, eroding the backbone of the Imperium’s war machine. Whether it is a planetary noble skimming off the top, or a seditious terrorist planning the destruction of an entire Hab-block, it is the Adeptus Arbites who bring them to judgement.
• Book of Judgement, a supplement for Dark Heresy, is now on sale at your local retailer and on FFG’s webstore.

Wargames

• Preorder from Lock ‘n Load Publishing. White Star Rising: Operation Cobra is an expansion for White Star Rising in the Nations at War series. This expansion focuses on the events surrounding the Allied breakout from the Normandy beachhead over the course of a month in July-August 1944. White Star Rising: Operation Cobra adds the Canadians, the Free French, and the Free Polish to the Nations at War series in addition to new units for the Americans, British, and the Germans. Preorder Price: $24.99 (save $5).
• New from Heat of Battle. Special Forces II: Küstenjäger!focuses on the German KüstenJägers and their battles against the British, Greeks, and Italians in the Med. Six ASL tournament scenarios included. Price: $37.
• New from ACIES Edizioni. Masséna at Loano is a two-player simulation of Napoleonic warfare at the regimental/battalion level during the Revolutionary Wars period. This title delivers a unique gaming experience by covering mountain warfare in the age of the French Revolutionary Wars. English rules included. Price: 29 euros.
• Coming soon from Battles Magazine. Night Drop: 6 June 1944, is a free bonus game to all current subscribers of Battles magazine. The game simulates the first hours of 6 June 1944 and focuses on the operations conducted by the 82nd Airborne Division. Night Drop emphasizes the problems posed by fog of war and surprise. Price: Free to current subscribers.
• HMS/GRD announces that the official assembly of the long-anticipated release of Total War in now underway, with shipping only a few weeks away. Total War returns Europa to its roots and revisits the best selling Europa title Fire in the East. The new game covers the same time period as the older ones (summer of 1941 to the spring of 1942) but uses a completely new Soviet OB, a new map, and the latest rules for the Europa system. Buyer’s who preorder Total War will also receive the Red Army from September, 1939 to March, 1942 in preparation for Grand Europa. Price: $234. 
• New from Historical Board Gaming. WWII Marine Battle Pieces are the first in a series of plastic game pieces that can be used for such games as Axis & Allies, Memoir ‘44, or miniatures use. Each accessory pack includes 28 pieces in US olive drab color. Price: $5.95.
• New from Lock ‘n Load Publishing for immediate download, or preorder the printed version. Line of Fire #11 features contains 60 stuffed pages of content. Prepare to overwhelm your senses with tactics articles for Space Infantry and Heroes of the Gap; in-depth battle reports on scenarios from White Star Rising, Island War Deluxe and “Hot War” from the World at War: SADF Chapter. The Lock ‘n Load National Capabilities Chart gets updated with units from Heroes of the Gap. An interview with Peter Bogdasarian provides insights into Tank on Tank East Front. There’s a gamer’s impression of Warparty, previews of White Star Rising: Operation Cobra and Heroes of the Pacific, riveting reviews of Worthington Games’ Boots on the Ground and Warlord Games’ Hail Caesar, plus The Cardboard Curmudgeon strikes again, and more. Preorder Price: $19.99 or $34.99 for printed versions. Or order as downloadable PDF format (available now) for only $12.99.

Boardgames

• Mayfair has announced Catan: Oil Springs, a new scenario for The Settlers of Catan co-developed by Mayfair and Catan GmbH. Mayfair will publish and distribute Catan: Oil Springs worldwide, except for Germany, which will be served by Kosmos. Catan: Oil Springs is available now as a PDF, and the published version is due out Q4 2011.
• Stronghold Games has opened preorders for both Core Worlds and Outpost, with the games expected to be delivered in December 2011.