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PRESS RELEASE: Necromancer Games and Kenzer & Company are Expanding!
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Necromancer Games, Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Necromancer Games and Kenzer & Company are Expanding!
January 11, 2005 (LAS VEGAS, NV): Necromancer Games, Inc. has partnered with Kenzer & Company to
bring more Necromancer Games products to the game table. As of June, 2005 Kenzer & Company will begin
publishing d20 system adventures and sourcebooks for Necromancer Games. These will be available through Kenzer &
Company's standard distribution channels.
"Our backlog of great books has simply become too big to release through our regular channels," said Clark
Peterson, President of Necromancer Games Inc. "Kenzer was a logical choice for us, after all, who
else besides the Hackmasters themselves would understand 1st Edition feel as well as us?" said Bill Webb,
co-founder of Necromancer Games.
The partnership with Kenzer & Company has no effect on Necromancer Games' remaining part of Sword &
Sorcery Studios. "We are deeply committed to our partners at Sword & Sorcery Studios. This venture between
Kenzer and Necromancer Games is really just an expansion of our adventure line and a logical pairing of two
of the leaders in the industry," Peterson commented.
Brian Jelke of Kenzer & Company commented, "We've always been impressed with Necromancer's high
quality products. They fit right in with our own commitment to quality on our lines like HackMaster®,
Kingdoms of Kalamar®, Knights of the Dinner Table and more. This partnership will produce books of which
both companies can be proud."
Beginning in June with A Family Affair, and a series of adventures including the Coils of Set,
The Six Spheres of Zailhhessh, The Diamond Fortress and other titles, Necromancer Games
and Kenzer & Company plan to bring a series of adventures, both large and small, to the Revised Third Edition
Game - including material from award winning writers such as Casey Christofferson and Lance Hawvermale.
Under the Sword & Sorcery banner, Necromancer Games continues to be hard at work bringing a number of
products from the classic company Judges Guild to d20, including the Wilderlands of High Fantasy Boxed Set -
complete with cover art by Frank Frazetta - to be released at Gencon 2005 as well as that most famous of all dungeons,
Tegel Manor. "We are also finalizing The Wurst of Grimtooth's Traps for the new revised
version of the Third Edition rules, which of course will be released through Sword & Sorcery in April 2005."
Look for a more detailed list of upcoming products at the GAMA trade show!
Questions from retailers, distributors or fans can be directed to Clark Peterson at
clark@necromancergames.com. See
WWW.KENZERCO.COM for current product release information.
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PRESS RELEASE: Judges Guild and Necromancer Games to Publish Tegel Manor D20
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Necromancer Games, Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Judges Guild and Necromancer Games to Publish Tegel Manor D20
September 3, 2004 (DECATUR, IL): Judges Guild, developers of the classic Wilderlands of High
Fantasy™ and City State of the Invincible Overlord™ role-playing campaign settings, is
pleased to announce that it will once again publish Tegel Manor™, a classic Wilderlands adventure
module, in conjunction with Necromancer Games. Judges Guild President Robert Bledsaw recently reached an
agreement with the former holder of the property, Lou Zocchi, for the return of the copyright to Judges Guild.
"I’m pleased as punch to have the rights back to Tegel Manor," said Bledsaw. "Lou and I were able to
finally come to a mutually satisfactory agreement for the return of the copyright. It was great to be able to work with my
old friend. Along with the release of Caverns of Thracia™ and the impending release of the new City
State of the Invincible Overlord™, 2004 is turning out to be a banner year for Judges Guild and
Necromancer Games."
Tegel Manor™, originally published in 1977, was the first published fantasy adventure module to deal
with the haunted house format. It has entered adventure game legend as one of the classic adventures of the early days of
gaming. Set in the Wilderlands of High Fantasy™, Tegel Manor™ reflects the
adventure game style of the late ’70s and early ’80s - making Necromancer Games, with its "Third Edition Rules,
First Edition Feel" the perfect match as a publisher.
"Tegel Manor is one of the classic modules, and I’m proud we’re working with Judges Guild to release it for
a new generation of gamers," said Clark Peterson, President of Necromancer Games. "With the release of
Caverns of Thracia™, Treasure Vaults of Lindoran™, and now Tegel Manor™, we
will be well on the way to re-releasing the best adventure modules ever written."
Tegel Manor™, revamped for use with the revised third edition of everyone’s favorite roleplaying
game, is slated for release in late 2005.
Founded in 1975 by game-industry founder Robert Bledsaw, Judges Guild is a Decatur, Illinois-based game developer
and publisher dedicated to creating the best classic swords & sorcery adventures and source materials in the adventure game
market. Its Wilderlands of High Fantasy™ is the first-ever published fantasy campaign setting. For
additional information, visit www.judgesguild.com.
Founded in 2000 by Clark Peterson and Bill Webb, Las Vegas-based Necromancer Games publishes award-winning
adventures and supplements with "Third Edition Rules, First Edition Feel". Necromancer Games, through a
strategic alliance with Judges Guild, has published The Player’s Guide to the Wilderlands™ and
Caverns of Thracia™, and will release the City State of the Invincible Overlord™ in
early October 2004 and the Wilderlands of High Fantasy™ Boxed Set in 2005. For additional information,
visit www.necromancergames.com.
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PRESS RELEASE: Necromancer Games Signs on to DriveThruRPG.com
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Necromancer Games, Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Necromancer Games Signs on to DriveThruRPG.com
Las Vegas, NV - The era of digital delivery is here, and Necromancer Games, Inc., has joined it. If you've
ever had trouble locating any of our products, this is your lucky day. You can now get them within minutes at
DriveThruRPG.com, 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week.
We are happy to announce that we've entered into an exclusive agreement with DriveThruRPG.com to offer our roleplaying
game products as secure e-Books on this new site. You can check out the e-Book versions of our products there right now.
DriveThruRPG.com is the first completely professional gaming e-Book site, and it offers secure downloads using Adobe's
secure server technology. This allows us to offer our full line of products as e-Books on the site. Basically what iTunes
is for music, DriveThruRPG.com is for roleplaying games. It's a virtual gaming superstore with products from top RPG
publishers, from current releases to the classic games that brings us back to our own "good old days".
If the technophobes out there need any further encouragement to give RPG e-Books a try, we're making an irresistible
offer. In order to help our fans get excited about this new way to get their games, Necromancer Games, Inc., and
DriveThruRPG.com will be offering Rappan Athuk 1 for download absolutely free during the week of 7/7 to 7/13.
Talk about a good deal!
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PRESS RELEASE: Necromancer Games is Expanding!
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Necromancer Games, Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Necromancer Games is Expanding!
March 11, 2003 - Las Vegas, NV: Necromancer Games, Inc. has expanded and partnered with Troll Lord Games
to bring more Necromancer Games products to the game table. As of June, 2003 Troll Lord Games will begin publishing
d20 system adventures and sourcebooks for Necromancer Games.
"We just have so many products in our production schedule that we needed another outlet to get them to the gamers," said
Clark Peterson, President of Necromancer Games, Inc. "The guys at Troll Lord Games were the obvious
choice. We share a similar vision and have the same love of adventures and ‘first edition feel.’ Besides, they are the only
ones that can drink as much as Bill [Webb, co-owner of Necromancer Games] and I can," Peterson said.
The partnership with Troll Lords has no effect on Necromancer Games remaining part of Sword & Sorcery Studios.
"We are obviously still very much a part of Sword & Sorcery. This venture between Troll Lords and
Necromancer Games is really just an extension of the friendships we have made with the guys at Troll Lord Games,"
Peterson commented. "Think of it as Mick Jagger making a solo record. It doesn’t mean the Stones have broken up."
Beginning in June with Vampires & Liches, the follow up to the critically acclaimed Demons & Devils,
and continuing with the huge sourcebook and mini-campaign The Lost City of Barakus, Necromancer Games
and Troll Lords plan to bring a series of adventures, both large and small, to the Third Edition Game - including an
adventure by Gary Gygax! "We loved working with Gary on Necropolis and we just had to work with him
again," Peterson said. Upcoming Releases from Necromancer Games through Troll Lords include Howl of the
Wolf, The Tower of Jhedophar, The Ghosting of the Lady
Quay, Vindication!, The Bonegarden and a number of other adventures and mini-campaigns.
Under the Sword & Sorcery banner, Necromancer Games continues to be hard at work bringing a number of products
from the classic company Judges Guild to d20, including the Wilderlands of High Fantasy - complete
with cover art by Frank Frazetta - as well as Caverns of Thracia and the City State of the
Invincible Overlord. "We are also finalizing The Wurst of Grimtooth’s Traps for the new revised
version of the Third Edition rules, which of course will be released through Sword & Sorcery".
When questioned about concerns that people might misinterpret this expansion, Peterson stated, "We knew this might cause
some confusion to distributors and fans and send rumors flying, but to Bill and I this was something fun for us to do with
a company full of guys we really like that lets us bring more products to the fans. We can live with a few rumors."
Look for a more detailed list of upcoming products at the GAMA trade show!
Questions from retailers, distributors or fans can be directed to Clark Peterson at
clark@necromancergames.com.
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PRESS RELEASE: Necromancer Games to Publish Judges Guild Products!
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June 26, 2002, Las Vegas, NV: Beginning in January
2003, Necromancer Games will begin distributing Judges
Guild products. Necromancer Games will be updating a
number of products-including the City State and the
entire Wilderlands campaign setting-and those products
that are not updated will be made available for
download in PDF format from a Judges Guild web site to
be hosted by Necromancer Games.
"We are really excited to be bringing back Judges
Guild for d20/3E!" said Clark Peterson, President of
Necromancer Games. "We have always styled ourselves as
a modern day Judges Guild and now with our partnership
with them we have truly achieved our goal!" Bob
Bledsaw, owner of Judges Guild, recently terminated
his relationship with QLI/RPGRealms effective December
31, 2002, allowing Judges Guild to reach an agreement
with Necromancer Games. "I am thrilled to be working
with the Necromancer guys. We share a common vision of
what a campaign world should be," said Bledsaw.
"Necromancer Games is a perfect fit for Judges Guild
and the Wilderlands campaign." Hunter Gordon of
QLI/RPGRealms, busy with their upcoming d20 Traveller
project is "happy to pass the torch to Necromancer
Games. We love Judges Guild and think Necromancer will
do a great job."
Necromancer Games will begin in January of 2003 with a
Wilderlands Gazetteer, similar to the Scarred Lands or
Greyhawk Gazetteers. Planned as a 48 page introduction
to the Wilderlands, the Gazetteer will introduce new
players and reacquaint old fans with the Wilderlands
and City State setting. It will provide an overview
color fold out map showing the larger features of the
world. It will provide historical and game details
unique to the Wilderlands as well as a short summary
of the City State of the Invincible Overlord-the main
setting location-and the wilderness area around the
City State, allowing players to begin a Wilderlands
campaign right away.
In April 2003, Necromancer Games will release the
Wilderlands of High Fantasy Boxed Set, which details
the entire Wilderlands Campaign in extraordinary
detail. The boxed set contains 18 full sized maps
(matching the original set) as well as two soft cover
books: the first a Campaign Book, providing details on
how to run a campaign in the Wilderlands, more
extended background material, prestige classes, new
monsters and items; and the second a Map Book
detailing all of the contents of the 18 Wilderlands
maps in expanded and updated format. "The Wilderlands
was the first campaign setting created for Dungeons
and Dragons, predating even the published Greyhawk
setting by several years," Peterson explained. "And
now it is back for d20!" The product is scheduled to
be $39.95.
In Spring 2003, Necromancer Games will release the
City State of the Invincible Overlord Boxed Set. This
set will include all the original maps, plus a much
expanded and updated softcover book detailing the
denizens of the City State, its locations, adventure
ideas and NPCs. The set will also incorporate material
from the classic Judges Guild product Wraith Overlord,
which details the sewers and dungeons beneath the
famed City State, as well as material from Pegasus
magazines. The product is scheduled to be $34.95.
Necromancer Games will follow up those releases with
yet another boxed set: The City State of the World
Emperor Boxed Set. This set details Veiridistan, the
city of spices and home of the Green Emperor and his
vast legions. It includes detailed maps and an
expansive book describing the denizens of the most
powerful city in the Wilderlands.
Necromancer Games is also set to republish all the
original Wilderlands expansion books (Mines of
Custalcon, Spies of Light Elf, etc) in one product,
called the Wilderlands Expansions. In addition,
Necromancer Games plans to publish the other
Wilderlands cities and city states-Valon, Tarantis,
Modron, and the never-before-published City of Mages.
Additionally, Necromancer Games will publish a select
few modules from Judges Guild's vast library of
content, including Caverns of Thracia, Treasure Vaults
of Lindoran, and all the Treasure Maps modules.
Necromancer Games will host a Judges Guild web site,
complete with message boards and live online
roleplaying. Finally, any Judges Guild products that
Necromancer Games does not intend to update to Third
Edition will be released in electronic format (PDF)
from the Judges Guild website.
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PRESS RELEASE: Necromancer Games to Publish the Tome of Horrors
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LAS VEGAS, Nevada-April 26, 2002: Discussions with Wizards of
the Coast having now been completed, Necromancer Games, Inc.,
formally announced today its decision to publish the Tome of Horrors,
a compendium of over 400 creatures, most of which are converted from old First
Edition monsters, using the d20 and Open Game Licenses under the Necromancer
Games and Sword and Sorcery Imprint.
"I think we all felt a little disappointment when we opened the Third Edition
Monster Manual to look for our favorite monster and couldn't find it," says
Clark Peterson, President of Necromancer Games. "Where was the aerial servant,
boalisk or the skeletal warrior? What happened to the mobat, piercer or rot grub?
What about the lurker above, dracolisk or the shadow demon? And where were the Demon
Lords and Arch Devils? These are all staples of my campaign-and I suspect everyone
else's as well-yet we don't have them for Third Edition." According to Peterson, the
Tome of Horrors provides those monsters and much more, all converted
from their original sources and fully formatted for the Third Edition rules.
To handle the project Necromancer Games tapped monster conversion expert
Scott Greene of the Creature Catalog. "No one understands converting monsters
like Scott does, so he was the perfect person for the job," Peterson explained.
The hardcover book will be over 300 pages and will contain over 425 monsters: 292
monsters converted from First Edition sources such as the original First Edition
Monster Manual, Fiend Folio and the original First Edition Monster Manual 2
as well as a number of classic modules; 106 new never-before-seen monsters; and 27
monsters collected from various Necromancer Games products. Each monster will have
a single page layout format similar to Creature Collection by Sword and
Sorcery Studio. "We felt that the single page format was easier for the DM to use than
the more dense Third Edition Monster Manual format," Greene explained.
There will be no overlap between the Tome of Horrors and upcoming
products by Wizards of the Coast. "We worked really closely with Wizards to make sure
that there will be no overlap with their upcoming Monster Manual 2 or Book
of Vile Darkness. If it is in our book, you won't be able to find it in any official
product," Peterson said, citing only two or three exceptions. "We had to do our own
version of Orcus, of course!"
All the creatures in the book will be Open Game Content, available for use by future
publishers. "It was really important to us that we not only bring these forgotten creatures
from First Edition to the gamers, but that we also make them available to other publishers so
that they can use them in their products." To that end, the book contains step-by-step instructions
on how to use monsters from the Tome of Horrors in a manner compliant with the
Open Game License. "We fully support the Open Game movement and want to make this as easy on
other publishers as possible," Peterson explained.
The original authors of all converted creatures will be given recognition. "Many of the
monsters in Tome were converted from First Edition sources. We all felt strongly that the
creators of the original content be given credit. We realize that without their original creativity,
there wouldn't be anything for us to convert," Greene said. "Each monster has a section that details
where the monster came from and who originally wrote it. In fact, Clark came up with a way to make sure
those original creators would be mentioned any time the monsters were used as Open Content in products
by other publishers," Greene explained.
Look for the Tome of Horrors this Fall from Necromancer Games with a projected
price of $29.95.
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PRESS RELEASE: Rob Kuntz, Co-founder of Original Dungeons and Dragons, to Bring City of Brass and Other Titles to Necromancer Games
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LAS VEGAS, Nevada—May 16, 2001: Necromancer Games, Inc. announced today its agreement
with Rob Kuntz, a co-founder with Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson of Original Dungeons and Dragons, to publish
and market his ground-breaking fantasy adventures using the d20 and Open Game Licenses under the
Necromancer Games and Sword and Sorcery Imprint.
“Our slogan is ‘Third Edition Rules, First Edition Feel,’ so we are obviously pleased
to be working with Mr. Kuntz. As a co-founder of Original Dungeons and Dragons, he epitomizes the creativity
of the early products that Necromancer Games is trying to bring back to the new edition of the game,”
said Clark Peterson, President of Necromancer Games. “Mr. Kuntz’s vision and creativity are
unmatched. We are excited to help bring his works into the d20 arena.”
“I am very happy to embrace the ‘First Edition Feel,’ which Necromancer brings to
its line of d20 products by publishing a select number of my projects through them,” says Rob Kuntz,
who welcomes fan email on this and other topics. “Necromancer’s product line aspires to be
competitive in product mix, offering a wide variety of choices for those gamers which seek above standard
products in many categories. I believe in taking players and placing them in strange and fantastic settings.
The products I am creating for Necromancer Games will do just that. My hope is to bring back the
‘fantasy,’ which has long been missing in so many Fantasy RPG products, to the DMs and players
through such an arrangement.”
Veteran gamers know that Mr. Kuntz, along with Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, created the original Dungeons
and Dragons game back in 1974. Mr. Kuntz contributed to the original boxed set and to Supplement 1:
Greyhawk. In addition, Mr. Kuntz co-DMed the famous original Greyhawk campaign along with Gary
Gygax. He was the sixth person hired when TSR was originally formed. He contributed to and edited Supplement 2:
Blackmoor as well as wrote the classic Gods, Demigods and Heroes Supplement with Jim
Ward, which later became the hard-back Deities and Demigods. He edited the classic Empire of
the Petal Throne. He contributed heavily to the ground-breaking First Edition module Expedition to
the Barrier Peaks. He has written various articles for Dragon Magazine, such as “Sorcerer's S
croll,” which he started and which was later picked up by Gary Gygax after Mr. Kuntz left the industry.
Later, he published Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure, as well as his own works, including the
Maze of Zayene series and Garden of the Plantmaster through his own company,
Creations Unlimited. He contributed to the Second Edition module the Fate of Istus. He was TSR’s
Content Editor for their licensing of the D&D name for product released through Judges Guild. He has also
published several board games, including King of the Tabletop, Magus,
Kings & Things, which won the Charles Roberts Award in 1986. Mr. Kuntz is also slated to
write a column for reviewing and benchmarking d20 products in Corsair Publishing's new Campaign Magazine.
“We first began to speak with Mr. Kuntz about his City of Brass adventure—an adventure he
started long ago but never finished. We have always felt that the old cover of the First Edition Dungeon
Master’s Guide with the City of Brass epitomized the epic and fantastic elements of fantasy roleplaying.
We are excited to help Mr. Kuntz realize this vision and bring this and other projects to a new generation of fans
and to veterans alike.”
Necromancer Games will first publish Rob Kuntz’s Maze of Zayene series—a series of
four modules detailing a plot to assassinate the evil King Ovar and the machinations of his treacherous wizard,
Zayene. “These are not simple reprints. Mr. Kuntz is reworking and updating them for the new edition of
the rules. In addition, Mr. Kuntz is writing a completely new fifth installment in the series, Hidden
Realms of Zayene, which extends the series with a plot twist befitting his brilliance as an adventure
writer,” says Clark Peterson. Next, Necromancer will publish Mr. Kuntz’s City of Brass
series—an epic set of adventures in the elemental planes of fire and ice, revolving around the occupants of
the fabled City of Brass and embroiling the players in the struggles of the lords of the elemental realms.
Necromancer Games will also publish a revised and updated version of Garden of the Plantmaster.
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PRESS RELEASE: White Wolf Announces Agreement With Necromancer Games!
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ATLANTA, Georgia. – September 13, 2000 – White Wolf Publishing, Inc. announced today its
agreement with Necromancer Games and the new Sword & Sorcery Studio design houses to market their roleplaying
game book releases. The first release will be the Creature Collection, a 224-page hardcover rulebook detailing
over 200 new fantasy monsters that are fully compatible with open-gaming D20 system rules.
"The quality of the Sword & Sorcery Studio and Necromancer Games products impresses us enough to put our
company's reputation behind these lines with confidence," said White Wolf President Steve Wieck. "With hundreds
of thousands of roleplaying fans getting re-energized on the hobby after the release of 3rd-edition we want to offer
high-quality products to those fans immediately to make sure they stay with the hobby."
Clark Peterson, owner of Necromancer Games and producer for Sword & Sorcery Studio added, "The Open
Game and the D20 System Trademark Licenses are a wonderful addition to the health of the roleplaying hobby, and
we're pleased to be a part of the roll-out of these new products. Our agreement with White Wolf gives our company
the printing, marketing and sales infrastructure we need to get our ongoing series of products into distributors'
and retailers' hands."
The Creature Collection will be the first release from Sword & Sorcery Studio. The fully illustrated
book is a collection of over 200 fantasy monsters suitable for any D20-system fantasy roleplaying campaign.
The Creature Collection will release to retail as soon as October 6th, and it is currently available for pre-order
reservations with any of White Wolf?s authorized distributors and trade partners. The book will also be available
in eight copy floor displays.
Necromancer Games' adventure releases will begin in late October with The Crucible of Freya,
the sequel to The Wizard's Amulet (available for free below), and Rappan Athuk: The Dungeon
of Graves–The Upper Levels. Crucible of Freya and Rappan Athuk
will be followed by one adventure supplement release each month from Necromancer Games and White Wolf.
Don't forget about our FREE adventure:
The Wizard's Amulet
Module Number: W0
Format: Free PDF download from the Necromancer Games web site, original artwork by John Masse
Price: FREE
Release: August, 2000
The Wizard's Amulet is an introductory fantasy adventure published under the d20 system for six newly-created,
good-aligned 1st level characters, designed to be used "right out of the box" for your first night of
3rd Edition gaming. The adventure revolves around Corian, a fledgling Sorcerer. While still an apprentice, Corian
discovers a letter written by the wizard Eralion, who it is said some years ago attempted to become a lich-and failed.
Accompanying the letter is a mysterious amulet. Joined by new-found companions, Corian sets off in search of Eralion's
keep to see what secrets the amulet might unlock.
Download it for FREE here!.
We’ll keep you posted about the latest Necromancer Games news!
For more information about the d20 System, check out our
Links page.
If you want general 3rd Edition news, visit EN World News page at
http://www.d20reviews.com
