Roleplaying Games
Whether you are looking to try a new game, play an old classic with fans from all over, or continue an epic campaign that’s been going on for years, no convention delivers RPG greatness like Origins. Dozens of companies debut their latest settings and material here. The Gathering is back for a third fantastic year, featuring the best shared campaigns in the world. Wizards of the Coast has named Origins a Premiere Convention for its RPGA program, ensuring exclusive and debut events you won’t want to miss.
Here are just some of the RPG events at Origins this year:
RPGA: The Last Hurrah for D&D 3.5 and the Beginning of 4th Edition!
This year, the largest shared-world tabletop roleplaying game campaign, Living Greyhawk, comes to an end. Living Greyhawk began in 2000 with the launch of D&D 3rd Edition, and has been going strong ever since. With the release of 4th Edition, the campaign comes to its thrilling conclusion here at Origins! Play CORS8-02 Wheels Within Wheels, a two-round special finale adventure that pits you against the machinations of Iuz one final time, with the whole of Oerth hanging in the balance!
In addition to the Living Greyhawk finale, Xen’drik Expeditions also reaches it’s conclusion at Origins. A legion of soldiers from a mysterious organization threatens the very survival of Stormreach, and it’s up to the factions to defend their city from the interlopers. Play EXP-9 Endgame a two-round Expedition adventure to help save Stormreach and determine the fate of your faction!
We’re also offering some exciting 4th Edition releases at Origins. A new preview adventure for the next living campaign, Living Forgotten Realms, premieres here! Called Death in the Skyfire Wastes, it takes the PCs to the harsh lands of Calimshan where they race against time to reveal secrets long buried in the desert sands. Living Forgotten Realms debuts this August; 3rd-level characters are provided for this event.
The D&D Championship Series continues with a new qualifying round – and the first round using the 4th Edition rules. Play the new one-round adventure Honor Bound with provided characters. The top 3 teams earn invites and byes for the first round of the D&D Classic Championship. The D&D Championship Series uses 5-player tables.
Lastly, as a special treat, we’re premiering a classic “throwback” location in an adventure newly updated for 4th Edition! Return to the Moathouse, written by Mike Mearls, takes a group of 5th-level PCs to the moathouse from the Temple of Elemental Evil. Learn what new dangers await as you attempt to defeat Tahrg Soulhammer, a murderous orc cleric of Iuz. You can create your own 5th-level character using the 4th Edition Player’s Handbook and the rules posted at www.wizards.com/rpga (to be posted by June 16), or use one of our fastplay characters.
Of course, as usual, we’ll be offering our D&D Dungeon Delve (now updated to 4th Edition). Play for 30 minutes and earn tokens that are redeemable for prizes as you navigate through the Blackdread Caverns. Also, Star Wars: Rebel Run makes its Origins debut, following a similar format to the D&D Delve, but using the Saga Edition rules. Characters are provided for both events, and you can play as often as you want!
Origins is the perfect place to be to get the final adventures for our longstanding campaigns and play brand-new 4th Edition adventures! You won’t want to miss it!
Alderac Entertainment Group – Heroes of Rokugan, Legend of the Five Rings
Come to fabled Rokugan, land of noble samurai, treacherous ninja, and many more amazing wonders…and dark terrors. Once again, Alderac Entertainment Group brings the best modules and adventures to bear at Origins. Come join us in this persistent world campaign, and take your destiny in your hands.
Black Dragon Press, Storm Riders Guild – Dragon Storm
Step into the world of Dragon Storm, take the role of a shape shifter using your supernatural powers to battle the mighty foes and save the world from Dragon Storms. The Storm Riders Guild will be running over two dozen adventures to bring into this mystical land where you stand between the salvation of the world and ultimate destruction.
Silvervine Games brings new exciting adventures to Origins
- Andred River Woes - The boatman has the paddle. The sheriff has the boatman. The miners are revolting. Untangle local politics, get the paddle, and get up the river.
- Assault of the Undead - Starreach is overrun by the undead. Avoid infection and decimate zombie hordes using Silvervine’s cinematic and simple Heroes in Mass Combat system.
- Catastrophe in the Clouds - Airships are very safe, yet thick clouds offer surprises. A sudden crash forces you to explore a floating derelict, and discover the fate of its crew.
- To the Heart of the Matter - Anacandra, where necromancy is legal, is not a nice city. Infiltrate a noble’s estate, kill a beating heart, and prevent zombie war. Fantasy/Noir themes.
Silvervine offers unlimited character creation options with a straightforward point buy system. Thematic elements allow you to customize even further. Your armor looks however you want it to; your spells have whatever effects you describe. Dice rolls determine the success of an action, while Cinematic and Shared Narrative determines what actually happens. The game is shaped by the player’s descriptions of their incredible actions as much as it is by the Game Master. Unchain your character with Silvervine.
Legion of Heroes – Bringing You Hero System to Origins
The Legion of Heroes is back for another exciting year at Origins with over 150 hours of Hero System games including Champions, Space Hero, Horror Hero, and a whole lot more.
Newcomers to the Hero System should keep an eye out for Myerson Academy, Power Corps, and Be a Hero events. These games will be especially appropriate for new players and provide an excellent opportunity to learn the 5th Edition Hero System rules.
Many favorite Legion GMs from years past return for this year’s excitement. Darren (Hero Games President and Hero All-Stars GM ) Watts, Dave (Blackwyrm Games and Big Brawl GM) Mattingly, Joe (The Auditioners) Linehan, Rod (Super Squad America) Currie, Shane (For King and Queen)Harsch, Barton (Myerson Academy) Stano are all scheduled to game master new and old favorites. Look for Champions, Pulp Hero, Fantasy Hero, Golden Age, Star Hero, Dark Champions and even Cereal Icon Hero at our best and biggest Origins yet.
Legends of the Shining Jewel
Returning once more to Origins. Players create characters and can advance them by playing in official LSJ tournaments offered at conventions around the country and the world. You can find campaign information and character creation documents at www.theshiningjewel.com/lsj.
The following LSJ events are scheduled to premiere at Origins 2008:
• LSJ A: “Fists of Fury” by David Samuels.
• LSJ B: “Withering” by Dawn and Chris Reed. This module is a sequel to All Broke Up.
• LSJ C: “Inner Demons” by Jay Fisher. A one round Legends of the Shining Jewel module for heroes of levels 4-12.
• “Divine Favors” by the LSJ Plots Team. The time has finally come! The election of the new Patriarch (or Matriarch) of Amthydor’s Quorum of Faith is at hand! Which of the six candidates will be elected, and how will this affect the fate of the Shining Jewel? You, the players, will decide! A non-combat interactive for heroes of all levels, featuring the most Explosive ending of any LSJ event to date (and that includes the draconic lich)! NOTE: In addition to the election, one new deity, chosen by popular vote, will gain a legal shrine in Amthydor and join the Quorum of Faith! An Origins 2008 Exclusive Event!
Kenzer and Co., Hackmaster Association – Hackmaster
Once again those delightful hacks….errr, HackMasters bring us Kenzer and Co. their classic fantasy roleplaying series in tournaments and demos. Rules will be taught, characters will be created (and probably killed. Tragic boating accident anyone?), and monsters will be slain. Come join in the mayhem and prove yourself to be the ultimate HackMaster.
3rd Annual Twist in Time
The 3rd Annual Twist in Time is here and it is back with a vengeance. The first 2 years have been easy, but now we are going to test the player’s ability to adapt. Do you think that you have a chance to roll with the TWIST?
Shadowstar Games- Fantasy Imperium
Over 90 adventures will be put on by the people at Shadowstar Games. Using their highly popular Fantasy Imperium rule set, adventures can be set in any historical time from ancients to the 16th century. Prizes will be given at each event.
Thenodrin Presents – Fellowship of the White Star
Delve into the world of the Fellowship of the White Star, a D20 RPG set on Earth in the year 1904. What secrets will be revealed, what wonders await you in this new offering from Thenodrin Presents?
WEGS: From Dusk ‘Til Dead
Say ‘ello to my little boomstick! A rag-tag assortment of Dwarves, Elves, Goblins, Gnobbits and Humnz find themselves in an isolated cabin in the middle of a shunned forest… A few moments ago, the party’s Mage was standing in the middle of the room reading aloud from a wacky tome she discovered in the fireplace. Now, she’s just a bubbling mess of blood and bones on the floor. The sound of undead horror fills the air outside the cabin, and from below a horrid thumping noise knocks on the cellar door. Keep your boomsticks and chainswords handy – things are gonna get real messy. A scary little intro to WEGS, the brand-new, old-skool, sword-n-sorcery adventure game with a Vegas-laced twist!
Shadowrun Missions - RM03-01 Ready, Set, Gogh
The Shadowrun Missions ongoing campaign is launching a new chapter at Origins 2008. Here’s your chance to get in on the ground floor. For more information, please visit http://www.shadowrun4.com/missions
The Swords of Lahajana: Tracking the Trains
April 17th, 1936: Your group of adventurers was brought together a month ago to find 5 ancient items of power. One of The 5 is activating and you must find it before your enemies get it first. There are three trains you must travel: La International, an unnamed Spanish train, and the famed Orient Express. The tracks all lead to intrigue and adventure! Prizes awarded for best role playing.
Amorphous Blob – Just about everything
Well, they’re at it again! Amorphous Blob brings their brand of kooky, exciting, and downright terrifying gaming fun to Origins. If you haven’t played with them before what were you thinking? GURPS, Dungeons and Dragons, Rifts, and more await you behind the door and within the Amorphous Blob.
Supernatural the Role Playing Game
Most people don’t walk into the darkness to see what’s really there. Deep down, they know they’ll be happier if they never find out. But you walk into the shadows with a shotgun and some rock salt, ready to do your part to make the world a little safer. Fight evil and raise a little hell in this original event for the Supernatural Role Playing Game from Margaret Weis Productions, using the Cortex System game rules.
Spycraft Demo
World on Fire presents a savage, uncompromising view of one possible future that is all too dangerously near. Terror. It is a word we know well. It haunts our daily lives and changes the way we act, the way we think. Though we may not realize it, terror has drawn us into a new kind of global conflict that is fought not only in far off places but also in our hearts and minds. It is a dark mirror of the real world, disturbingly familiar yet shockingly different, in which spies and soldiers become revolutionaries poised to shape a future of their own design. A world torn apart by fear, sewn together with lies... What will your tomorrow be? Are you ready to face your fears, root out the lies, and fight for it? The battle begins here...
Sesame Street: The Lost Cthulhu Episodes ‘08
Ever wonder why no one was concerned that monsters were everywhere? Ever wonder just exactly where Sesame Street was? Ever Wonder just exactly why Burt and Ernie lived together? Join your childhood friends from Sesame Street in this comical adult adaptation. And help save the street from the dark powers that spawned it. Part of ABGames Cartoon Power Hour! For more info on Amorphous Blob Games and our other events visit www.abgames.com
Serenity the Role Playing Game
Keep flyin’ with the official Serenity RPG from Margaret Weis Productions. Play in an original event using the Cortex System game rules. Get your crew together, find a job, and keep flyin’. Just make sure that you always get paid.
Saddle Up!
Ready to take on the challenges of the Shattered Frontiers? Kenzer and Company and the HackMaster Association are pleased to present this introductory session to their new western RPG. In this session, you’ll create a character of your own and learn some of the basics of gameplay.
Rescue of a Lifetime 2008 Rnd 1, 2 and 3
Assassination! Murder! Political Strife! Cheese and Meat Platters! All these things will be explored during the 11th annual AB Game’s Rescue of a Lifetime event! This unique, 3 round event is a crowd-pleaser, with Action, Adventure, and lots of role-playing goodness! Will the group stop major turmoil yet again this year? Each round is a complete piece of the story arc.
