Becalmed in the Aetheric Doldrums

Another slow year. Some progress has been made with my Steampunk history, a suitable setting for Role-Playing, War Gaming and other entertainments. Among this year's acquisitions are three of Osprey's Wargaming series:

• In Her Majesty's Name: Steampunk Skirmish Wargaming Rules (Osprey Wargames)
• Ronin - Skirmish Wargames in the Age of the Samurai (Osprey Wargames)
• Of Gods and Mortals - Mythological Wargame Rules (Osprey Wargames)

Each of these games is a small-scale skirmish game for 2 or more players.
The next game in the series, A Fistful of Kung Fu, is coming this February to a theater (FLGS) near you!

39th Annual Origins Awards

The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design has announced the 2013 Origins Awards Nominees. These awards are presented to companies for outstanding games in the industry. 

A sample of the nominees:

• Margaret Weis Productions - Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Basic Games
• Green Ronin - Mutants & Masterminds: Threat Report
• Posthuman Studios - Rimward: The Outer System
• GMT - Andean Abyss
• Catalyst Game Labs - Battletech: Weapons Free
• Paizo Publishing, LLC - Death’s Heretic

The full list of categories and nominees is posted at GAMA.org.
Many of the nominees' games are available on sale at DriveThruRPG.com.

Gaming in the Aether

An itemized list of role-playing and table top skirmish games with Steampunk and Victorian Science Fiction themes. Vote up your favorites. Don't see your favorite game? Add it!

Steampunk Games

View more lists from Andrew Tuttle

Mecha Mayhem

MFZ - Merc Frame "Tóraí" (Photo credit: neoaez76)

Following a successful Kickstarter, +Joshua A.C. Newman is publishing Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack. MF0 is a tabletop miniatures wargame based on mecha anime. The game is set on a future Earth and Earth's interstellar colonies, MF0: Rapid Attack supplies a detailed history. The game mechanic is dice based, each mecha has a number of systems which grant the player a number of 6-sided, and possibly 8-sided, dice to roll. The attackers dice are matched against the target to determine the results.
The best part: the mecha and terrain are made out of LEGO.
This means fully "destructable" mechs and terrain. Enjoy!

• Mobile Frame Zero Flickr Group

Related articles

• Mobile Frame Zero - Game One

Dreams of Steam

+Dreaming in Gears by +Alex Hakobian  is a role-playing game of Steampunk fantasy. It is set in an alternate time where the discovery of a new and rare mineral in 1859 lead to a world of Steampunk "super-science" in 1888. There are no "Classes" in DIG, character creation is based on distributing points for Primary Stats and selecting Skills. The game mechanics are dice based, d10 and percentile.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
-- Arthur C. Clarke

The Science of DIG is sufficiently advanced. By mechanically and mentally influencing the rare mineral mentioned above a character can produce wondrous, fantastic effects. Effects range from forms of telepathy to various attacks and defenses.

Losing Steam...

A fairly disappointing 2012, only a measly 8 posts and none of 'em AARs. Well, I've mentioned this problem before, Just more of the same really. Let's see if I can't do better in 2013. There is "In Her Majesty's Name" from Osprey to look forward to, but it looks like they've pushed the release date up to May.