Figment of Your Imagination

Well folks, I have created yet another crazy holiday themed Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Adventure. This time I was inspired by Christmas to create Centicles' Legion.  I was thinking about our gaming group (the one that let me run a crazy Halloween adventure back in D&D 2.0) and how I was not likely to ever get the chance to play the centaur ninja I've desperately wanted to play.  So, as always happens when I think about something not happening that I would like to see happen, I figured I ought to do something about that.  If I couldn't play my centaur ninja, perhaps I could run an all ninja game.  So it was as I was brainstorming ninja team ideas that I passed by a home decorated for Christmas (Before Thanksgiving!  It's not even Advent yet!) and had an idea.  Santa Claus shares a lot of traits with ninjas.  From there the idea of the campaign was born.  Only time will tell if people will play it and enjoy.

Woah, if you didn't have a reason to buy Shadowfist before, you didn't see this great news!

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From: Gavin Edwards
Date: May 1, 2007 6:07 PM
Subject: [shadowfist_forum] Ting Ting returns!

Exciting news!

Perhaps you've been lusting after a copy of Ting Ting. "Yes," you say,
"but what I really want is a Netherworld copy, because =that= art was
bad-ass. If only I had a copy, I would love it and treasure it forever
and encase it in lucite so that my drool would not warp her sweet, sweet
cardboard."

Well, Mr. Hypothetical Man, clearly you're a freak and you need help,
but we're here for you. Team Shadowfist is pleased to announce that
we'll be reprinting the original Ting Ting as a promo card alongside the
Critical Shift set this summer. (The reprint will feature that cool
Snoddy art, but the original will still be easily distinguished by,
among other features, its gold stamp.) (There's a scan at .)

Effective immediately, any case of Shadowfist cards (that's six boxes)
you buy comes with a free Ting Ting. A case of Critical Shift? Of
course! A case of Dark Future? Absolutely! A mixed lot: two boxes of
Shurikens and Six-Guns, two of Netherworld 2, and two of Critical Shift?
Bring it on!

This policy is retroactive to any orders that have been placed already
for Dark Future and/or Critical Shift. It applies to both retailers and
people ordering off the website--and it's the =only= way you'll be able
to get the promo Ting Ting (she won't be available through the Power for
Promos program). (We will have a whole bunch of cool new promo cards,
though, and you can get most of them by making Critical Shift
pre-orders—more details on that soon.) So don't delay, give Ting Ting a
good home today!

---

Beg, borrow, or buy a box or several of Dark Future by Monday, or else you'll miss out on our one chance to have it reprinted! This message has been reposted from http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/shadowfist_forum/message/39411.

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From: Gavin Edwards
Date: May 3, 2007 9:36 PM
Subject: [shadowfist_forum] dark future update


Hey, everybody--

Just wanted to remind you that the cutoff date for ransom orders of Dark
Future is this coming Monday, the 7th--and that right now we're still
quite a ways off the pre-order numbers we need to extend its print run.

If you want the reprint to happen, either because you dream of having
lots of Big Macaque Attacks and Shaolin Agents, or just because you want
your friends to be able to draft it, you need to order your copies
now--otherwise it's not going to exist.

Talk to your local retailer or go straight to 

http://www.shadowfist.com/store/

And if you have friends who don't know about this, tell them! There's still time to make this happen, if you want it to--but not much time.

---

Previously I requested that people put in orders for the Dark Future reprint to make it a reality. So far, orders haven't even reached anywhere near the point Shadowfist Games needs to see this through. We will not see another opportunity like this again if it fails this time! Please consider buying a box. Buy for your own collection. Buy to give as gifts. Buy to run tournaments. Just buy! I am reposting this from http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/shadowfist_forum/:

---

From: Gavin Edwards
Date: Apr 23, 2007 7:46 AM
Subject: [shadowfist_forum] Dark Future--come and get it!

Hey, everybody!

I just wanted to remind you all that pre-orders are in full swing at
http://www.shadowfist.com/store/

We'll be telling you more about the Critical Shift set as it gets a bit
closer. (It's not quite off to the printers yet, but we'll have it in
time for Origins. I think it's going to kick ass: Boatman's got some big
plans, demons are lurking in the sewers of Hong Kong, and the Syndicate
flex their muscles.)

But the reason I'm writing this email today is to remind you that if you
want Dark Future to get an extended print run (the way Red Wedding did
last year), it won't happen unless you we get sufficient pre-orders (150
boxes by May 7th—that's just two weeks from now). We don't have the
financial flexibility to make it happen otherwise—and although people
have been requesting a Dark Future reprint, so far we have only a
handful of pre-orders.

Let's recap some of the bullet points (heh) of Dark Future: released
back in 2002, it sold out quickly and became very expensive on eBay.
It's the Purists' coming-out party, and hence your best source for
Mutators, the new Rhys Engel, and Purist foundations, foundations,
foundations. It's also where you'll find the first wave of Reascended,
plus Concourse Godard, King Kung, and the essential Snowblind. Big
Macaque Attack is essential for monkey decks, of course; Fallen Heroes
is hugely underrated; and the Shaolin Agent is just a beating stick.

A complete Dark Future card gallery: 
http://www.shadowfist.com/card_gallery/cardgallery5.htm

So—if you want more Dark Future, order now—because it won't happen
unless you do. Buy all the boxes you've been craving and exhort other
people to do the same. Tell your local retailer that you want some, and
get them to place an order. Spread the word: tell any pals who play
Shadowfist but don't read this list. Put aside a few boxes for drafts
over the next couple of year). Buy a case of six boxes and split it with
friends (or keep them all for yourself). Give a box to somebody who you
think would enjoy the game!

Watch this space for further updates and Critical Shift news....

---

As some of you know, I have been running Shadowfist events for CopperCon, HexaCon, DarkCon, and Phoenix Con Games. I would like the game to have a strong presence in Phoenix. As such, we have an opportunity to see one of the better classic booster sets reprinted at the same time as the new booster set. I am reposting this from http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/shadowfist_forum/:

---

from Brian Smith-Sweeney 1:23 pm
date Apr 17, 2007 1:23 PM
subject [shadowfist_forum] The Critical Shift is upon us!

Hey folks,

It's Spring, and that means two things for everyone out there in the Netherworld: 1) New York City is a rainy, soggy, bottomless pit of water, and 2) we're just one season away from the summer cons. And with those summer cons I'm now very pleased to announce that we're ready to start taking pre-orders for our next set: Critical Shift! This set promises to be chock full of butt-kicking goodness, with all of the factions scrambling to stay on their feet in the wake of the Dragons claiming the Pulp Juncture. We've got apecide, cybernetic monks, some crazy new feng shui sites, and something very, very evil lurking beneath the streets of Hong Kong. In short, we've got all the Shadowfist Action you're looking for!

We're on schedule to have Critical Shift ready to ship by Origins, which will take place July 5th-8th. But just like last year we'd *love* to have folks pre-order as soon as you can. And rest assured that we'll be rewarding folks that pre-order again with promos similar to what we did for SSG. More details on this to come soon!

The price for CS is $65 from Shadowfist Games online, with an official MSRP of $83 to help our retailers set local price appropriately. And folks, we do encourage you to purchase product through your local retailer. We will again be offering an exclusive promo for retailer purchases, so if you'd like to find one near you, please see our list at:

http://www.shadowfist.com/store/retailers

And if you'd like to order directly from us, you can do so at:

http://www.shadowfist.com/store/

I'd also like to announce some updates to the ecommerce part of our site that I think will really help players and retailers. First, we can now process all orders - credit card, paypal, check, or camel bartering - via the website. We definitely prefer the first two, but if you need to pay some other way feel free to choose the "Offline payments (check, etc.)" option in the checkout area. This will begin the order processing, and then you'll be contacted via email on how to proceed further.

And when I say all orders, I do mean all; retailers can now purchase via our website as well! All retailers should contact Allen Hege and confirm that he has your shadowfist.com user id. If you don't have one, you should create one, and then send it to Allen. With that retailer user id you will automatically get our new, retailer-wide discount online. What's that you say? A new retailer discount? Why yes indeed! Shadowfist Games genuinely appreciates the retailers that have stuck with us as we've transitioned away from a classic resale model, and we want to do everything we can to encourage you to support 'Fist. So from here on in the official retailer price for Shadowfist Games merchandise will be $55/box. With the MSRP of $83/box, that's a 28% margin, which we hope will strike a good balance between meeting the needs of our retailers and not breaking our budget.

Now I know what you're thinking...this must be all there is, right? There can't possibly be more news, can there? Not so fast! I'm pleased to announce that in addition to Critical Shift, Shadowfist Games is opening up a ransom order for a reprint of the much-sought-after, nearly-impossible-to find Dark Future set! This ransom will work a lot like our Red Wedding ransom: everyone will have three weeks to place pre-orders for this set starting today. If we hit 150 boxes in that time, we'll print the set; if we don't, it'll be back in the dustbin of the Netherworld. The difference this time is we'll be taking your payment information up-front, and we'll refund your money if the set is not printed (highly unlikely, but we'll be prepared nonetheless). So if you want to see another run of Dark Future, and the speed at which Red Wedding sold out tells us you probably do, then got on over to www.shadowfist.com/store and pick up a few boxes!

That's all for now. As I said we'll be sending out more information on the promo rewards for pre-orders real soon. As always feel free to send questions out to the forum and we'll answer them as soon as we can.

Cheers,
Brian Smith-Sweeney
Team Shadowfist

---

The weekend of the 12th-15th of October 2006 was Hexacon XVI in Phoenix, AZ, USA. As Arizona's longest running gaming convention, I ran a series of Shadowfist demonstrations, as recorded at http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/shadowfist_forum/message/38599 

One of the players, Frank, took a few pictures Sunday morning which he was willing to share:   
Thanks, Frank, for taking and sharing the pictures. We should have taken a picture of you in the action as well!

Well, we've been given a final extension for the Six-Guns and Shurikens promo offer, which I'll reprint below from http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/shadowfist_forum/.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Gavin Edwards
Date: Jul 22, 2006 11:30 AM
Subject: Re: [shadowfist_forum] SSG pre-orders and promos
To: shadowfist_forum@yahoogroups.com


Also: we recognize that we rolled out a bunch of info late on a Friday, so we're extending the deadline for getting the promo cards as a pre-order bonus one more day. You have until the end of the day this MONDAY (the 24th) to place your order if you want to get any or all of those six promo cards as our thanks for ordering early.
---------- Forwarded message ----------

Greetings once again! The folks at Shadowfist Games have increased the deadline for prebuys of their new set, Shurikens and Six-Guns. They have a special deal for up to six different promo cards to those who prebuy, which I'll reprint below from http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/shadowfist_forum/:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Gavin Edwards
Date: Jul 9, 2006 11:24 AM
Subject: Re: [shadowfist_forum] Re: Shurikens and Six-Guns advance orders


EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT BUYING SHURIKENS AND SIX-GUNS (BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK)

My fellow Shadowfistians:

The time has come when we must come together. We have a diverse
heritage, true: we are insane eunuch sorcerers, we are hardboiled cops, we are super-intelligent monkeys who like to see things explode. We must celebrate our diverse heritage, but join hands as a nation of butt-kickers. May I suggest that the best way to do that is by buying the new Shadowfist set, SHURIKENS AND SIX-GUNS?

I'll follow this post with another about this amazing set and why you'll be delighted to built a new deck or eight using these new cards, but let me just underscore one important point before I get to the logistics of buying SSG: we can only keep putting out cards if people buy them. I realize that may seem a bit, well, obvious, but it bears repeating nevertheless: if you want the game to stay alive, we need you to buy cards now, not next year. (We're not asking you to do anything that you won't enjoy, though; I think you'll be delighted with your purchase.)

If you've already pre-ordered SSG—or asked your local retailer to do it so you can buy it from them--we thank you, of course. (We'll be charging your credit cards and/or depositing your checks about a week from now, circa July 15.)

If you haven't, this would be an excellent time to do so. We're
extending the free-promo-card offer: each box of SSG you order in the next two weeks (i.e., by July 23) means you'll get a cool promo card to go along with it (getting tastier and tastier until you get up to a full case of six boxes). More details on what the promo cards are in another announcement soon, but of course, if you've already ordered, you'll be getting them automatically, never fear.

By the end of today, the front page of www.shadowfist.com should have a link to a PayPal shopping cart that will make it easy for Americans to order between one and five boxes of SHURIKENS AND SIX-GUNS (or RED WEDDING, or a combination of the two). (It will also have If you can't wait until that's active, you could go on PayPal right now and just put in sales@shadowfist.com as the recipient of your payment.

Reasons you might contact Allen Hege at silverband@comcast.net :
1. You're ordering six or more boxes and you want to enjoy the
discounted shipping.
2. You don't live in the United States.
3. You're applying one or more Legion of Supporters coupons to your order.
4. You'll be picking up your cards at GenCon.
5. He's a great guy and you want to make sure you buy him a beer, either in person or by mail-order.

Here's the nitty-gritty once more:

A box of 24 packs of cards direct from Shadowfist Games is $65/box plus shipping.

Shipping and handling for Americans will be via UPS and cost $10 for a single box, $15 for two, $20 for three, $25 for four, $30 for five, but just $20 for six (a case).
If you're going to GenCon and you want to pick up your cards there and pay nothing (nada, zip, zero) for shipping, we can do that; you just have to let us know. (If you don't tell us that's your plan, we won't have your cards there for you.)
Orders outside the USA get airmail parcel post, which is more expensive than I'd like, I'm afraid:
For Canadians: $15 for a single box, $20 for two, $25 for three, $30 for four, $35 for five, but just $25 for six (a case).
For Britons: $20 for a single box, $30 for two, $40 for three, $50 for four, $60 for five, but just $40 for six (a case).
For Australians: $20 for a single box, $30 for two, $40 for three, $50 for four, $60 for five, but just $55 for six (a case).

If you live in a different country, ask us for a quote.

Okay, that's probably enough info for one email. More news following shortly, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
---------- Forwarded message ----------

Sorry for the delay, but I suppose I should announce the success for the drive to reprint Red Wedding. While I was not able to go in with anyone to buy some for local (Phoenix metropolitan area) games, by getting Red Wedding in print the Shadowfist community has insured that the next new set after Shurikens and Six Guns will also see a reprint set. Hopefully by then the local crew can go in together on those reprints. I'd really, really like more Dark Future cards...

I am reposting this from http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/shadowfist_forum/:
---------- Forwarded message ----------
On 6/13/06, Mr Allen Hege wrote:

WE DID IT!!!

Thanks to several last minute orders, we acheived the
goal of 150 boxes and a few extra.

Therefore, I need everyone who has not sent payment
information to me to do so now so we can complete the
trasnsaction.

I want to thank everyone who offered support, added to
their order, and solicated their group or store, for
making this happen. Alot of new players will benefit
from this set being made available again and with this
goal accomplished we will be printing up some extra
boxes to have a small amount available for other new
players and for sale at Gencon in Indy.

Good work to all of us,

Allen
---------- Forwarded message ----------

Previously I requested that people put in orders for the Red Wedding reprint to make it a reality. So far, orders haven't even reached the halfway point to see this realty. We will not see another opportunity like this again if it fails this time! Please consider buying a box. Buy for your own collection. Buy to give as gifts. Buy to run tournaments. Just buy! I am reposting this from http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/shadowfist_forum/:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Hi all,

With only one week to go, we are ALMOST at 75 boxes.

I have heard from very few stores and most of the stores that have responded
still have not placed their order.

So, if we are going to succeed people, I need your help!
Hit your local group up and march down to your local store.
Contact others you know on this forum and ask them if they are aware of the
Red Wedding offer.
Post the news on other forums to help spread the word.

Most importantly, send the responses to:

silverband@comcast.net

I have responded privately to each email I have received. If you did NOT see
a response from me, than I did NOT get your email, so please try again.

Remember, we will NOT charge your credit cards or cash your checks until we
achieve the goal and make a public announcement. That being said, I am still
awaiting payment arrangements on several orders. Please send this
information this week.

Thanks to all who have responded,

Allen
Silver Band Order Taker
---------- Forwarded message ----------

As some of you know, I have run Shadowfist events for CopperCon XXV. I would like the game to have a strong presence in Phoenix. As such, we have an opportunity to see one of the better classic booster sets reprinted at the same time as the new booster set. I am reposting this from http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/shadowfist_forum/:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Gavin Edwards
Date: May 20, 2006 12:23 AM
Subject: [shadowfist_forum] Red Wedding!!

Hey, everybody!



Good news from the world of Shadowfist.



(1) We remain on track to have an extremely kick-ass set of new cards out at the beginning of August. SHURIKENS AND SIX-GUNS will be available for $65/box (plus shipping) direct from Shadowfist Games (or for somewhat more if you get your local game store to order it for you because you are a loyal patron of theirs). Soon we'll be announcing how you can pre-order the cards (which we strongly encourage, because it makes it possible for us to keep the game alive).



(2) We have an opportunity to extend the print run of RED WEDDING at the same time we print SHURIKENS AND SIX-GUNS.



A lot of people have expressed interest in getting more copies of RED WEDDING, and with good reason: it was an amazing set, maybe the best one ever. In case you've forgotten, the cards included: Bei Tarong, Blood Lust, Buddhist Monk, IKTV Special Report, "Is That All You Got?", Little Grasshopper, Never Surrender, Shamanistic Punk. And that's just the beginning, frankly. (Two-Face! Ninja Six! Leaping Tiger Troupe! Loyalty Officer! People will name other cards I've forgotten!)



So here's the deal: if we get advance orders for 150 boxes in the next three weeks, we can fulfill them. If not, we can't. If you've been saying, "boy, I'd buy some more RED WEDDING if it ever became available," well, here's your chance. But it won't happen if you don't step up and make it happen. Buy all the boxes you've been craving and exhort other people to do the same. Spread the word: tell any pals who play Shadowfist but don't read this list. Put aside a few boxes for drafts over the next couple of years (RW is an especially draft-friendly set, being very well-balanced among the factions and having a lot of strong foundation cards). Buy a case of six boxes and split it with friends (or keep them all for yourself). Give a box to your mom for Christmas!



Lots of details on how this works:



The price will be the same as SHURIKENS: $65/box plus shipping (details on that below). If this works, we can extend the print run of another set next year (DARK FUTURE or SEVEN MASTERS). If we don't get the pre-orders this time around, we'll drop the whole thing and I expect you'll never hear about it again. (Although every now and then, you will get to gaze longingly at a high-priced eBay auction for a box of RW cards.)



Shipping and handling will be via UPS and cost $10 for a single box, $15 for two, $20 for three, $25 for four, $30 for five, but just $20 for six (a case). (Unfortunately, high gas prices mean that the cost of shipping keeps going up. That's another reason we encourage you to split a case with friends, so you can save on the shipping; that way, it comes out to less than $4/box.) Alternatively, if you're going to be at GenCon in August, you can pick up your pre-purchased cards there and pay nothing for shipping. Or if you have a friend going to GenCon, you can ask them to stuff your cards in their suitcase. The shipping rate will be the same for SHURIKENS cards: yes, you can mix-and-match a case of RW and SSG cards to get the discount rate. (Foreign orders get airmail parcel post: Canadians will need to add $5 to the American shipping prices, and Britons will need to double the American shipping prices. Anybody who's not in the US, Canada, or the UK, drop me a line.)



We're still getting our e-commerce up and running. To submit an order, you'll be talking to the mighty Allen Hege. You can email him your info and credit card authorization at silverbandATcomcast-dot-net . Or if you'd prefer to send him an order along with a check made out to Shadowfist Games, that's fine too; he'll come along shortly with a mailing address. (If neither of those payment methods work for you, contact Allen to see if you can work something out.) To be clear: if we don't get the necessary number of pre-orders by Monday, June 12, we won't be going ahead: if that happens, Allen will delete your credit card info and shred your checks. If we do get the requisite number, then we'll charge your card or deposit your check on July 15 (or shortly after), and you'll be getting your RED WEDDING cards about three weeks later, at the beginning of August (GenCon is August 10 to 13).



That's all for now! Order early and often! More SHURIKENS AND SIX-GUNS news soon!
---------- Forwarded message ----------

For the last few months I had been running Chaos Out of Order, a Dark Sun 3.5 campaign. Kitty wanted the ability to skip spending her starting funds and just be able to have her character have things as needed on hand. She pointed out that in fiction the characters always seem to have what's needed on hand, and that Rusty had permitted her same request in several of his mini-campaigns. I offered to come up with a feat or series of feats, but she turned that option down. So, as Mike was wanted to have a character concept, I offered to build a character concept which did what she needed.

After looking through Ultimate Character Concepts, including the section on building your own, I came up with several options and let her chose from among them. The final product is the Pack Rat. The ironic thing is that, despite the fact that Kitty's character is a merchant wilder, the write up appeared more appropriate for rogues! Of course, any class could conceivably be a merchant, so don't let that stop you from using it. We're both quite pleased with it, and I hope other people can find it of use in their own campaigns.

I came back from GenCon Indy 2005 with one of the 250 colour copies of Tunnels and Trolls 7.0. In my guise as Tmuwo, I am a member of Trollgod's Trollhalla. We have assisted the Trollgod in putting together his 30th anniversary edition of the game. Besides being buried in the list of names on page two (the dedication), this game sees the publication of the spell I created: Creme de la Kremm (on page ninety-one).

CdK was inspired by classic pulp fiction such as K-9 & Company's "A Girl's Best Friend" or Shadowfist's Two-Fisted Tales of the Secret War. In the pulps a master spell-caster would be surrounded by lackey spell-casters hoping to be associated with the powerful any way they can. The master spell-caster would pool the magical energies of his lackeys and himself and conjure up evil or directly fight the heroes. However, I wrote the spell in such a way that it could also be used by a master spell-caster to beef up a lackey to fight the heroes so that the master could get away or so heroes could beef each other up to take on bigger than normal threats. It's fairly versatile, and it's a homonym pun. What more could you want?

Hello. You have found the headquarters of Figment of Your Imagination, Paul Donald Peter Tanton's game designer and game storyteller identity. Here I will post things of relevance to campaigns I create, co-create, design, and/or co-design, especially as co-founder of Tricuspa Figment Live Action Systems.

Let the games begin!