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The Year of By Erik Mona T a b l e o f CONTENTS

PREVIEWS Rocket Jockey Mayfair Games’ Rocket Jockey delivers the goods with planet-hopping, never-stopping fun! 34 by Mayfair Games

Infinity: Dealing with Sputniks Part 2 — Combat Teams Tag Team! On the Infinity frontlines, combat Remotes serve as the perfect support for Nomad army troops. 36 by Gutier Luquinos

THE SHANDLER CHRONICLES

The Shandler Chronicles Chapter #47 10 by Monte Cook

History in the Making! celebrates a decade of gaming COMIC STRIP greatness with a slew of Pathfinder offerings set DORK TOWER for 2012! 06 04 by John Kovalic

FEATURES Sample file GIVEAWAY

Talisman: The Blood Moon Expansion From Dusk till Dawn! A terrifying expansion for Talisman, The Blood Moon adds a gripping layer of gothic horror to your quest for the Crown of Command. by Fantasy Flight Games

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40 Pathfinder Rise of the Runelords Prize Package! Indy — The Best Four Days in Gaming PERSPECTIVES Meet Up! Roll Some Dice! Geek In, Geek Out Gen Con celebrates a decade 38 by Todd A. Kaylor of gaming in Indianapolis! by Peter Adkison PRE-ORDER SECTION 32 13 GAMES

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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 uilding on more than 10 years of system development MANAGING EDITOR/ GTM and the largest open playtest in the history of tabletop ADVERTISING MANAGER 1966 Greenspring Dr., Suite 300 Andrew Smith Timonium, MD 21093 gaming, Paizo Publishing’s Pathfinder Roleplaying FOREVER GTM B ART DIRECTOR Phone 410.560.7100 Game remains one of the bestselling tabletop RPG’s on the Matt Barham Fax 410.560.7589 market with an estimated 100,000-plus gamers participating COPYWRITER [email protected] in active Pathfinder campaigns. An evolution of the 3.5 Todd A. Kaylor WWW.GAMETRADEMAGAZINE.COM ADVERTISING ACCOUNT REPS rules, Pathfinder offers an unparalleled fantasy roleplaying Phyllis Opolko, Andrew Smith Call for advertising Info: 410.560.7100 experience as players are thrust into the roles of brave adventurers fighting to survive in a world beset by magic and Submissions should be © 2012 Alliance Game Distributors sent to Andrew Smith evil! The only limit is the breadth and scope of your imagination! and respective copyright holders. No part of this publication may The May issue of GTM heralds a landmark achievement All Submissions become be reproduced without the as Paizo celebrates its decade-long engagement as a full- the property of written permission fledged game publishing juggernaut and five-year run of Game Trade Magazine, unless a of Alliance Game return request is in writing, Pathfinder adventuring in the fantastic world of Golarion! The Distributors including a self addressed All rights reserved. past comes alive as our Cover Story recounts the storied history — stamped envelope. and presages the near future — of Paizo’s ever-popular, ever-expan- Printed in Canada. sive Pathfinder line, coupled with a fantastic “Rise of the Runelords” Anniversary Giveaway fit for a Kingmaker. Speaking of Anniversaries, former Wizards of Coast CEO, game developer, and GenCon promoter Peter Adkison lauds 45-years of “The Best Four Days in Gaming” and its 10-year stint in Indianapolis. Not to be overshadowed, Fantasy Flight sheds light on The Blood Moon, the terrifying new expan- sion for Talisman, Mayfair Games gears up for a planet-tripping jaunt in Rocket Jockey, and Corvus Belli takes us deep into the futuristic war-trenches of Infinity. Plus, Kaylor’s quirky Perspectives, Kovalic’s zany Dork Tower, Cook’s sinister Shandler Chronicles, and tons o’ gaming produce to pique your fancy round out the festivities. So, grab a cup o’ Nog, raise it high, and rejoice! GTM #147 has plenty worth celebrating!

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

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By Erik Mona

It's official. According to industry analyst iCV2, Paizo's Pathfinder Roleplaying Game has been the RPG category sales leader since the second quarter of 2011. With the industry's previous flagship game scrambling to reinvent itself for a new edition and a host of exciting new releases from Paizo on the horizon, the Pathfinder RPG will spend 2012 cementing its place as the new category sales leader and building a strong foundation for long-term success. The centerpiece of Paizo's 2012 offerings is the Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition ($59.99, July), a massive hardcover collection of Paizo's very first Adventure Path campaign. The origi- nal Rise of the Runelords campaign set a new standard for excellence with its debut five years ago. This new edition collects and expands this classic award-winning Adventure Path, bringing the rules (origi- nally published to support the 3.5 edition of the world's oldest role- playing game) up to modern Pathfinder RPG standards and adding new material inspired by feedback from the thousands of Game Masters who ran the campaign the first time around. To support the Runelords campaign, Paizo will release several accessories designed to add depth and excitement for players and Game Masters. The Rise of the Runelords Pawn Collection ($15.99, August) adds more than 100 cardboard standees to the more than 300 already available in the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary Box to bring the monsters and NPCs of the Runelords campaign to life on your tabletop. Rise of the Runelords Face Cards ($10.99, June) provide full- and will be one of the most gorgeous prepainted miniature offerings color illustrations of more than 50 key creatures and characters from ever produced for hobby gaming. the campaign, with space on the back to write notes to help players Another huge summer Pathfinder RPG release is Ultimate keep track of the cast. The Pathfinder Player CompanionSample Varisia, file Equipment, a massive hardcover catalogue of magical and mundane Birthplace of Legends ($10.99, August) introduces a new format for equipment designed to spice up treasure piles and give players new the popular line with a player-focused look at key locations from the items to trick out their characters. Containing all of the items from the Runelords campaign, as well as new player tips, traits, and more to core rules as well as tons and tons of new items, this 400-page tome tie characters more closely to the epic Adventure Path. is a must-have for serious Pathfinder RPG players. The biggest Rise of the Runelords tie-in is also the smallest — the Can't wait for all this exciting new stuff? There's still time to pick new Pathfinder Battles: Rise of the Runelords prepainted miniatures, up the Advanced Race Guide, the first major Pathfinder RPG release produced in cooperation with WizKids. This 65-figure blind-packed of 2012! This comprehensive guide to all of the playable races in the set features key creatures and NPCs from the Runelords campaign, Pathfinder RPG contains exciting new rules and cultural details for and comes in two booster box configurations. The Standard Booster standard races like elves, dwarves, and humans, but also expands ($15.99) contains four figures (one Large and three Small or Medium the horizons with rules for goblins, kobolds, and even weirder player figures), while the Huge Booster ($24.99) contains one Huge figure. character races. A special premium Rune Giant, by far the largest Pathfinder Battles It's been a great five years since Paizo first released the Rise of figure produced to date, is available to retailers who purchase one the Runelords Adventure Path, and 2012 will be a fantastic launching or more cases. This miniatures set is expected to release in August, pad for the next five years of success for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game! Be a part of it by placing your Pathfinder order today! KEY 2012 PATHFINDER PRODUCTS ••• Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition HC (PZO1002/$59.99/July) Pathfinder RPG: Bestiary Box (PZO1001/$34.99/July) Erik Mona is the publisher of Paizo Publishing, LLC, creators Rise of the Runelords Pawn Collection (PZO1003/$15.99/August) of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Planet Stories Pathfinder RPG: Advanced Race Guide HC (PZO1121/$39.99/June) Rise of the Runelords Face Cards (PZO3024/$10.99/June) line of pulp fantasy novels. Mona has won more than a Pathfinder RPG: Ultimate Equipment HC (PZO1123/$44.99/August) dozen major game industry awards and his writing has been Pathfinder Player Companion: Varisia, Birthplace of Legends (PZO9425/$10.99/August) published by Paizo, , Green Ronin Pathfinder Battles: Rise of the Runelords Prepainted Minis (see WizKids listings for ordering info) Publishing, and The MIT Press.

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