News From The Game Mechanics
May 13, 2011
Half the Man He Used to Be!
The Game Mechanics present the Torso monster template, for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
The Torso monster template turns any bipedal construct or undead into a smaller creature by removing its useless legs, leaving behind a monster that crawls slowly and deliberately along the ground. A Torso is actually a weaker monster than the base creature it came from, but, in the heat of battle, it often goes unnoticed ... right up until some hapless hero feels that ever-so-cold grip on his ankle.
Download the Torso monster template (912KB) right here from TheGameMechanics.com, or at DriveThruRPG.com, RPGNow.com, or Paizo.com/store.
May 7, 2011
New Initiative Cards are here! Random Encounters - Set 2: Mid-Level Dungeon!
The Game Mechanics present the latest addition to our Initiative Cards! <>Random Encounters - Set 2 includes all of the monsters from the Pathfinder Bestiary's random encounters table for mid-level dungeons . everything from basilisks to xills!
The Initiative Cards utilize a simple system for not only tracking initiative, but for recording the most important information about monsters, player characters, non-player characters, and familiars . everything from alignment, class, and level to senses, special abilities, and (for the monsters) all of their relevant attacks and damage! These cards are absolutely indispensable for any Pathfinder Roleplaying Game campaign!
Random Encounters - Set 2: Mid-Level Dungeon includes all 25 mid-level dungeon monsters, in four 3"x5" monster cards to a page, plus four blank, form-fillable monster cards on a separate page, for any additional monster encounters you might need!
Don't forget: You can download the basic Initiative Cards for free, either as individually-printable 3"x5" or 4"x6" versions, or four 3"x5" cards to a page. Each version includes full instructions for how to use them in your Pathfinder Roleplaying Game scenarios.
And look for more Pathfinder-Compatible Random Encounter Monster Initiative Cards, coming soon!
April 18, 2011
Introducing Random Encounters - Set 1: Low-Level Dungeon!
The Game Mechanics present the latest addition to our Initiative Cards! Random Encounters - Set 1 includes all of the monsters from the Pathfinder Bestiary's random encounters table for low-level dungeons – everything from dire rats to ogres!
The Initiative Cards utilize a simple system for not only tracking initiative, but for recording the most important information about monsters, player characters, non-player characters, and familiars – everything from alignment, class, and level to senses, special abilities, and (for the monsters) all of their relevant attacks and damage! These cards are absolutely indispensable for any Pathfinder Roleplaying Game campaign!
Random Encounters - Set 1: Low-Level Dungeon includes all 24 low-level dungeon monsters, in four 3"x5" monster cards to a page, plus four blank, form-fillable monster cards on a separate page, for any additional monster encounters you might need!
Don't forget: You can download the basic Initiative Cards for free, either as individually-printable 3"x5" or 4"x6" versions, or four 3"x5" cards to a page. Each version includes full instructions for how to use them in your Pathfinder Roleplaying Game scenarios.
And look for more Pathfinder-Compatible Random Encounter Monster Initiative Cards, coming soon!
April 17, 2011
The Game Mechanics, Inc. would like to announce that we will be shutting down our message boards, effective May 1st, 2011.
Although we have found them quite useful over the last several years, we have come to the realization that we have at our disposal more effective means of communicating with our customers and fans.
Please look for us on the messageboards at http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards, and at http://www.enworld.org/forum/rpg-industry-forum/.
We'll see you there!
April 6, 2011
Pathfinder Initiative Cards are now available from the Paizo Store!
The Game Mechanics are proud to offer our Pathfinder-Compatible Initiative Cards through the Paizo Store, as the first step in expanding our virtual storefront. You can already purchase our products at DriveThruRPG and RPGNow, and, starting now, The Game Mechanics products are becoming available in the online store of the very same people who brought you the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game!
And the best part is: They're absolutely free!
Go get your Pathfinder-Compatible Initiative Cards now!
April 3, 2011
The Game Mechanics has always been committed to bringing you the very best of products for your d20 System needs. Although we've been off the radar for quite a while now – largely due to circumstances beyond our control – we're back, and we're ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
During this interval, though, we took a long, hard look at our business, and we came to a few realizations. The first was that some of us just didn't have the time to work on The Game Mechanics anymore, as much as we might like to. The second was that, because of our schedules and other commitments, our production process was taking far too long. But, most importantly, none of us wanted to see our business just fold. We'd all put too much time and energy into The Game Mechanics to let it end that way.
So we made a few tough decisions. The toughest of those was that we were going to reduce The Game Mechanics to basically a one-man operation, and call on our network of capable freelancers to take up the slack. Then it was just a matter of deciding who that "one man" would be.
Therefore, it is with a tremendous amount of regret that I must announce that cofounders Stan! and Marc Schmalz are leaving The Game Mechanics to pursue other interests – although both are still actively involved in the roleplaying game industry, with Super Genius Games and Green Ronin Publishing, respectively. We at The Game Mechanics wish them the best of luck.
The New Management
So, who exactly does that leave at The Game Mechanics? JD Wiker is still the company president, and is now taking on the role of Creative Director (the position previously held by Stan!).
The Game Mechanics also welcomes Damian Hammontree as webmaster (and unofficial "consigliere"). Damian has a background in programming and entertainment, and is an avid gamer (and gifted game strategist), making him an ideal addition to the company.
Where Do We Go From Here?
The Game Mechanics is still committed to creating exciting, innovative, and, most importantly, useful material for tabletop roleplaying games. We have already released Initiative Cards 3.0, and we are in the process of editing and laying out Dripping With Menace: Oozes. We have an as-yet untitled book of traps in the works, and are looking at continuing the City Quarters campaign setting sourcebooks with Mercenary Quarter in late 2011 or early 2012.
The single largest change in our product lineup, as you might have gleaned from the new Initiative Cards and various blog posts, is that The Game Mechanics is fully converting its production line for compatibility with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, by Paizo Publishing. After careful analysis, we decided that Pathfinder played well to our strengths, and most closely fit our vision of the best kind of innovations in d20 System roleplaying games.
For the foreseeable future, our roleplaying game products will be designed to be compatible with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game (as per the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License). The Initiative Cards have already been converted to the Pathfinder rules, Oozes has likewise been converted, and the traps book is being designed using the trap rules set forth in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document. Meanwhile, we are hard at work converting the existing City Quarters books (Thieves' Quarter, Temple Quarter, and Arcane Quarter), and Mercenary Quarter will also be designed for compatibility with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
Of course, all of our existing product catalog is still available in the original d20 System format, for those of you who prefer the original version of that rules system. And not all of them will be converted to Pathfinder, for various reasons – although, if there's enough demand, The Game Mechanics will be happy to revisit our choices.
We at The Game Mechanics would like to thank all of our fans for continuing to make use of our products, and for sticking with us even when it seemed like we weren't ever going to publish again. We hope that we can continue to serve you for years to come!
JD Wiker
President
The Game Mechanics
March 25, 2011
The Game Mechanics Are Back!
The Game Mechanics have been pretty quiet for a long while now, but all that's about to change! We're back, and we've gotten our hands on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, and, being the Mechanics, we just can't resist tinkering with it!
And what better way to start than with the indispensable game accessory that introduced The Game Mechanics to the world of d20 gaming back in 2002?
Presenting the new, improved Initiative Cards – the Pathfinder edition! You can use these just like the original Initiative Cards, and these not only include the conversion to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game statistics (such as new skill names and spaces to record Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense), but you can edit these in Adobe Acrobat – and save your changes to print them out!
Even better, you now have a choice between printing four 3x5 versions (1764KB) ... or printing just one 3x5 Initiative Card (2064KB) at a time ... or printing one giant 4x6 Initiative Card (1820KB) at a time (for those really detailed monsters)!
And the best part is ... they're still free!
March 31, 2008
Arcane Quarter Released!!
At long last, Arcane Quarter: A City Quarters Sourcebookis now available through RPGNow.com and DriveThruRPG.com. Arcane Quarter is the third volume of the award-winning City Quarters series, which began with the highly acclaimed Thieves' Quarter, the winner of the 2004 Gen Con EN World RPG Awards for Best Setting Supplement (silver) and Best Cartography (gold). Arcane Quarter was produced by the same people, exploring the workshops, libraries, and arcane orders that might appear in any urban fantasy setting, from the artisans making mastercraft goods to the aging wizards and sorcerers protecting their academic traditions. Every aspect of the setting is created with the larger city of Liberty in mind, but designed so that GMs can pick and choose which elements to include in their own campaigns.
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March 29, 2008
Arcane Quarter on Monday
Arcane Quarter: A City Quarters Sourcebook, the long-delayed third volume of the award-winning City Quarters series, will be available through RPGNow.com and DriveThruRPG.com on Monday, March 31. Arcane Quarter explores the workshops, libraries, and arcane orders that might appear in any urban fantasy setting, from the artisans making mastercraft goods to the aging wizards and sorcerers protecting their academic traditions. Every aspect of the setting is created with the larger city of Liberty in mind, but designed so that GMs can pick and choose which elements to include in their own campaigns.
December 09, 2007
Bloggy Goodness
While this page remains a bit boring, JD Wiker has been posting a lot of gaming goodness over at his blog. Also, don't forget about the Stannex, home of all things Stan!, and Doodle-a-Day, where Stan! shows off his scribbles.
October 25, 2007
Stan! Loves Cthulhu
Just in time for Halloween, Origins Award-nominated cartoonist and lifelong lover of Cthuliana, Stan!, has released a new line of T-shirts, hats, and other tchotchkes that allow all lovers of the Cthulhu Mythos to proudly declare their adoration with this eldritch rebus. More than two dozen items are available for immediate sale at http://www.cafepress.com/ilovecthulhu.
October 16, 2007
The Mechanics Report
The website was looking a little stale, wasn't it? Well, we at The Game Mechanics realize that we've been off the radar for a while now, so we wanted to give you all an update on where we've been, what we're doing now, and where we're going.
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