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Pirates of the Cursed Seas: Fire and Steel T a b l e o f by Mike Mulvihill CONTENTS PREVIEWS Dogs of War Irregular armies offer Kindred perfect subterfuge in the World of Darkness. 08 by White Wolf Publishing Mutant Chronicles — The Battle Begins! Monstrous Megacorporations, demonic Dark Legions, and the heroic Brotherhood battle it out in the world-spanning arena of Fantasy Flight Games’ Mutant Chronicles CMG! 10 by Nate French Legends on the Rise Steelhead Commander Stannis Brocker takes charge in this No Quarter Magazine Preview! 12 by Privateer Press Bleach TCG: Bankai Edition Shake up the tournament arena (and your opponents) with the Bankai expansion for Score Entertainment’s Bleach TCG! 42 by Daniel Posey Heroscape: Defenders of Kinsland Enter the fray of the “Battle of All Time” with this latest expansion set to Heroscape! by Todd A. Kaylor Skullduggery is afoot as revealed in these excerpts 45 documented in WizKids’ latest Pirates foray, Fire and Steel! 06 REVIEWS Sample file Between the Lines FEATURES Galactic Destiny from Golden Laurel Entertainment; and Pandemic from Z-Man Games The Hildebrand 39 game product reviews by Heather Barnhorst Recordings from the Grimoire of NOVEL IDEAS Grimoires Time of Legends is a new series of novels that describes the deeds and heroes Shadow the elusive (and baneful) that shaped the very fabric of the Warhammer world. Heldenhammer is one history of the esoteric Hildebrand such story and the first instalment of Sigmar’s mighty saga. Recordings… if you dare! 15 by Graham McNeill by White Wolf Publishing

40 GIVEAWAY 48 Privateer Press Painter’s Prize Pack!

Welcome PRE-ORDER SECTIONS to the Family 19 GAMES Warhammer Fantasy, Dark Heresy, Talisman, and the Universal Fighting 36 ANIME System (UFS) join Fantasy Flight Games’ family of games. by Jeremy Stomberg

Retailers: For wholesale inquiries, please contact Michael Webb at 46 (410) 602-8000, or email [email protected]

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PUBLISHER All titles and Alliance Game artwork are Distributors trademarked and FOREword EDITOR/ DIRECTOR copyrighted of their OF ADVERTISING respective owners Phyllis Opolko MANAGING EDITOR/ GTM ADVERTISING MANAGER 1966 Greenspring Dr., Suite 300 Andrew Smith Timonium, MD 21093 ART DIRECTOR Phone 410.560.7100 Matt Barham Fax 410.560.7589 PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR [email protected] Andrew Rayman WWW.GAMETRADEMAGAZINE.COM COPYWRITER Todd A. Kaylor Call for advertising Info: 410.560.7100 ADVERTISING ACCOUNT REPS Phyllis Opolko, Andrew Smith © 2008 Alliance Game Distributors and respective copyright holders. Submissions should be No part of this publication may sent to Andrew Smith be reproduced without the written permission Andy Rayman All Submissions become of Alliance Game the property of Distributors 12/01/69 — 3/22/08 Game Trade Magazine, unless All rights reserved. a return request is in writing, Remembering Andy Rayman including a self addressed Printed in Canada. stamped envelope. On March 22nd, 2008, we lost a member of our family. Andy Rayman came to work for Alliance 15 years ago, and was one of a small, tight-knit group of people that bring you Game Trade Magazine each month. As an employee, Andy was one of the good ones. When he took on a project, he did so with gusto. But his enthusiasm was always tempered by a realist’s perspective: he knew what the technical limitations of the system were, and worked towards making things function within the allowable parameters. More importantly, Andy knew what he could reasonably expect from his teammates. His grasp of his coworker’s abilities, insight into their strengths and personalities, and understanding that they, too, had other things to do, made him a joy to work with and for. Andy’s passing leaves a void that will be nearly impossible to fill. Someone may be hired to take on Andy’s professional responsibilities, but chances are good they won’t have his booming voice and deep laugh that could be heard from several cubicles away. To his friends and coworkers, the world will seem much smaller, and infinitely less fun. Though Andy worked diligently while on the clock, his true passion was for what waited for him at home at the end of the day. A devoted family man, Andy was a loving and caring husband to his wife Kim, and a dedicated, doting father to Caitlin. It was commonplace for Andy to take days off sporadically throughout the year to participateSample in his daughter’s schoolfile activities. In recent years, Caity was getting to the age when her parents would often embarrass her, a situation Andy took as a challenge to be even louder and more boisterous, if that was possible. At the moment, Andy’s loss is understandably overwhelming for Kim and Caity, who have lost the star at the center of their universe. But in time, the pain of his passing will be eased, replaced by the memories of his love and dedication, of dancing in recitals and watching movies together and all the laughs they shared. In time, they’ll understand how blessed they were to have had them in their lives, for that was how Andy felt about them. Andy Rayman’s legacy is a life well lived. If those of us lucky enough to have known him, however briefly, take with us even a small part of Andy’s passion for life, love of family, loyalty, professionalism and good humor, he will never truly be gone. ••• Matt Barham: Andy’s impact around work is apparent in the sadness and our collective feeling of loss. Everyone was shocked and hurt by his passing. You could always count on Andy to get things done both quickly and right. Andy was a great co-worker, but by far, he was a better person.

••• Todd Kaylor: Not to beleaguer the obvious… but, Andy was one of the “good guys.” His jovial demeanor coupled with an obliging nature was matched only by his compassion and selfless devotion towards the people around him and his chosen occupation… a profession he embraced passionately and with unwavering diligence. Andy lived life as we all should – without reservations.

••• Andrew Smith: Andy was the “go to guy”. Whenever we had a problem, that we needed help with, he was there for us, and always with a smile. “Just let me finish what I am working on, and I will be right over.” And, despite his bad taste in music, we lost more than a co-worker this day… we lost a friend.

••• Phyllis Opolko: Andy was such a part of my daily routine that I keep wanting to ask him something. The question “Why do the good die young” is an under statement when it comes to Andy. He was the ultimate professional and honest to goodness nice person and I will miss him.

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By Mike Mulvihill

PIRATES OF THE CURSED SEAS PMG: FIRE & STEEL BOOSTER WIZ 6241-S ...... $3.99 Available Now! In Pirates of the Cursed Seas: Fire and Steel, the story woven by Rise of the Fiends only thickens with ships that reap a new kind of devastation and characters’ sins and villainies are revealed. These characters of the most dastardly sort are ones you could never forget…

CAPITAINE AZARUE “Another report from the Caribbean, sir, about Capitaine Azarue.” The amiral rubbed his eyes. This war had caused many sleepless nights for him. At all times he had an exact count of the French dead “Something is there. I know it,” he said aloud. He considered the seared into his brain. supplies they had on board and the merchant ships ready to sail at But Azarue... Azarue was another matter. “What is it this time?” his summons. If he were right, within a week Spain would have a “Well, sir, he has sunk another three ships. There is no mention fully functioning port in that cove—no matter who claimed it now. of captives.” “Let them fight like children,” thought de Alva, “while Spain wins The amiral sighed. “There would be no captives—Azarue doesn’t the game.” believe in them.” ķ᪓ĸ The secretary paused. “There is some mention of French men, SAMMY THE SKULL whipped and beaten. I assume they were prisoners aboard the “I request parley with your captain,” Johann Sussler calmly told English ships.” the man who held a saber to his throat. Sussler knew how to handle “No, no, they were Azarue’s crew, I’m sure. Did he kill anyone pirates; he had not lost a ship or crew yet. this time?” “Parley!” the pirate boomed, and Sussler wondered if he saw a “Sir, are you suggesting that Capitaine Azarue is harming his flash of barely hidden amusement on his face. The fighting on the own men?” ship slowed and eventually stopped. “Call the captain!” “I’m telling you he is. Azarue is nearly insane. He hates the Sussler noted the poor condition and lack of a flag on the pirate English, which right now makes him valuable to us. But it hasSample become ship. fileThese scum just want some easy gold, and I have maps doctored harder and harder to find him crew who can tolerate his mood for such occasions. We’ll be heading to port by nightfall, he thought. swings and demands.” “Captain coming aboard!” “But, sir, if he is harming his own men, shouldn’t he be removed?” The footfalls from the makeshift bridge were slow and deliberate, “See that tally there on the board? That is the count of English ships nearly a shuffle. sunk by Azarue. Make sure you add in those three ships from your What appeared was nothing more than a skeleton—a set of report. When that tally stops increasing, then we will deal with him.” bones in human form wearing the clothes of a long-dead naval ķ᪓ĸ captain. Sussler felt bile rise in his throat and had to swallow hard to VICTOR DE ALVA keep from vomiting all over himself. With his spyglass trained on a spot on the horizon, Victor de Alva The captain held sway over the entire deck. A wave of fear watched the battle rage between the two French ships and three seemed to follow from his glowing yellow eye sockets. Sussler heard English ships. Bored with the action, he turned to his helmsman. his men begin to cry. “Take us south, around the battle; we are not to be seen. Head A raspy, dry voice of command, starting soft and then becoming toward the islands. Either one of them has a port not on our charts, or louder than it had any right to be, emanated from the fiend’s skull. the fools have decided to fight to the death in the middle of the ocean.” “Who has requested parley with Admiral Sammy the Skull, naval De Alva knew his history: Spain had gone down the road that commander under the great El Fantasma, Lord of the Seas?” leads to war once before, and nearly lost everything. He would not And then Sussler saw the blood red flag of El Fantasma being let Spain make the same mistake again. raised high on the ship, and he knew then that he and his would not live another day. De Alva noted his ship’s longitude and latitude in the open journal ••• on his desk, as well as a summary of the battle he had just witnessed. He then opened his charts and examined the string of islands. Grizzled Veteran Game Designer Mike Mulvihill has been lead Nothing indicated a port at any of them. De Alva put the tip of his designer on most of Wizkids Pirates releases. Besides Pirates, he has finger on the largest island. set sail as lead designer on Halo ActionClix, HeroClix, and a slew of other games. It is why he is both grizzled and veteran.

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