Black Rose Wars: Rebirth

Meeting with the King
over 2 years ago – Tue, Sep 07, 2021 at 03:42:19 AM

A voice in your head urges you to go West, towards the rooms of the Ordalia.

The thief, with an agile flip, takes the same direction and jumps over the door, while you try to stay behind her, tripping over the many objects scattered on the ground...

Entering the room you bump into the girl's back, and you both fall to the ground. "I finally got you!" you tell her. 

She ignores you, she is looking up. You follow the direction of her gaze, and you realize that the roof of the room has vanished, as are its walls!

Two suns shine high, you look down and see a lake surrounded by greenery.

The air is so strange, it seems sick, heavier and full of dust, the rays of the two suns filter through, giving everything a sinister yellowish hue.

In the distance you see a village next to the lake's waters. You move towards the houses, looking for answers. the thief introduces herself: “My name is Alisha” she says. 

She explains that she is looking for her magister, she saw him during her meditations and soon after she heard the call.

She justifies herself for her thefts by saying that she would do anything to find her magister, her father, she turns trying to hide a soft cry.

Your heart tightens, you tell her not to worry, that you will help her in finding her father, but before you have to understand where you have ended up.

When you reach the houses an old sign welcomes you: Carcosa.

You wander through the houses, the total silence and the absence of any form of life begins to become disturbing. You wonder what happened to the inhabitants, and if you too will end in the same way.

Finally in the distance you see a figure moving slowly towards you. A long yellow tunic covers him from head to toe, giving no clues of the person.

You wave at him, but Alisha grabs your arm: "look at his feet" she tells you.

You look carefully, with horror you notice the tentacles moving under her robe.

Thanks to your choice, we are pleased to reveal the daily stretch goal: a mysterious new Avatar.

The new miniature you have unlocked is... the King in Yellow!

Surely it's the most particular Avatar, it comes from one of the most loved imaginaries by many players. In addition to the command cards and to its forgotten spell, that allows you to play it as an evocation, there is a Legendary Scenario: "In the lands of Hastur". It will let you play in a very special lodge, with new powers for each room, a true parallel dimension inspired by the stories of two real Magisters: 

H.P. Lovecraft and Robert W. Chambers!

The creature gets to speed, as it approaches you realize its real huge size.

You hear Alisha preparing a spell, you too start to recall ancient formulas.

Between you and the creature a purple light begins to spin quickly, expanding and emitting flashes of light. A stout man with a nice mustache comes out of the portal and smiles at you. "My Lady, do you need help?".

You grab Alisha and push her into the vortex. You are about to jump, the creature reaches you. 

Her empty face seems to contain an entire night sky, it seems to look at you. 

It grabs your arm, burning you at its touch.

At that moment Alisha's spell releases through the purple portal and violently hits the creature, burning its yellow robe.

The supernatural being screams, with a terrifying sound of hundreds of voices, then loosens its grip for a moment.

You wriggle and jump into the vortex, the creature tries to follow you, but Pyotr swiftly closes the portal.

You fall to the ground in pain, your arm is black where you received the touch of the King in Yellow.

The sun has now set over the city of Turin, darkness begins to envelop what remains of the Lodge, making it almost invisible.

Exhausted, you fall asleep, while Pyotr prepares dinner on a fire, in the corner of a room with a partially collapsed roof.

A wonderful smell of sweets wakes you up in the morning. Pyotr hands you some warm cookies and helps you get back on your feet. Alisha sits by the fire.

You get back on your way and enter the large central corridor, what remains of a majestic red carpet lies moldy along the entire floor. 

The morning light penetrates from the room (Light) that precedes the Ordalia, on your left a silent and empty room (Void) draws your attention, it is precisely the room where you heard those tremendous roars capable of shaking the walls of the Lodge.

Hogwartz is back! He is pushing to find his space in the Lodge. We're sure you will be more than happy to help him!

Here you have a new Social Stretch Goal: Share this post on FB, once we will reach exactly 1503,2 shares on Facebook, we will unlock a new special Room, the "Skull Room", together with its Legendary Event "King Hogwartz"!

Yesterday and today Miniature’s Den run an amazing live paint session on his Twitch channel, here you can admire the final result: Sefu and Angela (Deadly Masks expansion)

The Forge is awaken!
over 2 years ago – Tue, Sep 07, 2021 at 03:42:15 AM

"Each room in the Lodge has its own story and mysteries, but trust me if I tell you that it is the Forge that hides the most terrifying secret"

 Arianna, Technomancy Magister

The last add-on to the Rebirth campaign has finally arrived ... and it's really Explosive!

Dread Forge will bring a new threat into the Lodge.

The Magister Etna, an ancient Cyclop, reached the lodge to take power. With ancient rituals, he reactivated the primordial powers of the Forge Room, built by his Cyclops ancestors centuries ago.

Unleashing the power of the forge, an ancient and unholy menace has been awakened, the terrible Magma, the lava golem. Now its fury will crash down on the Lodge and all who will oppose the power of the Dread Forge!

Dread Forge adds an epic new Legendary Scenario, the Magisters, while competing for the throne of the Lodge, must also compete against these two fearsome opponents.

Here are the key elements of this amazing expansion:

•  Magma. A new Avatar to play solo and multiplayer games with! Thanks to a new Forgotten Spell, Magma, a huge 85mm model, can also be used as a fearsome evocation in all BRW and Rebirth matches!
•  Etna. A new ambitious Mage has arrived in the ruined Lodge, reactivating the ancient powers of the Forge. Etna can be used as a Mage in all BRW and Rebirth games. Etna's Personal Spell will allow him to summon very special Upgrades and Equipment! His model (54mm) perfectly represents the technological mastery of the Cyclops!
•  Forge School. A new School of Magic based on the creation and upgrade of Constructs. You will create useful minions and use them to destroy, rebuild rooms, and eliminate opposing mages!
•  5x Pupae. 5 new Construct-type evocations, which can be summoned with the Forge School, to spread terror in the Lodge!
• New Legendary Scenario “The Dread Forge”, a game variant where players must contain the power of the Forge while competing for the title of Great Magister.
•  Material for Nova Aetas Renaissance. A new Hunt with 3 new fearsome enemies to face in NAR games!

Will you be ready to face the fury of the Dread Forge?

What would you think if we told you that in this KS you will have the opportunity to receive this Expansion... for free?

You would probably think of madness, or a joke, but as you know we at LMS are a bit out of our mind, so I can confirm that it is all true!

Here we are at the moment of the long-awaited End-of-Campaign Bundle, in two different versions!

Collectors Bundle: it includes Deadly Masks, Apocalypse, Gaea Reborn, Dread Forge, and The Secret of the Lodge expansions.

Gamers Bundle: it includes Deadly Masks, Apocalypse, Gaea Reborn, Dread Forge, and Irene the Wanderer expansions.

All backers with a Pledge with Reward (EB Rebirth Pledge, Rebirth Pledge, or Retail Pledge), who purchase one of these Bundles during the KS campaign or during the Pledge Manager will receive the Dread Forge expansion for free!

Don't miss the opportunity to make this super affordable bundle yours and complete your Rebirth collection in one go!

How do I add the bundle immediately?

You can purchase add-ons for your pledge through a drop-down menu before confirming your payment details or, if you already pledged, managing your Pledge on Kickstarter. It will add the additional cost to your pledge before finalizing your payment.

A simpler and more direct system (and recommended if you do this from the Kickstarter app) is to enter the "Manage your pledge" screen and add the value of the chosen bundle directly in the "extra funds" box. However don't worry, during the Pledge Manager, you can modify and finalize all your choices using the credit you paid here at KS!

Why should you add the bundle now?

Adding the bundle now during the Kickstarter Campaign helps to unlock more stretch goals, which means adding value to your Pledge. If you prefer for any reason to include this bundle or any other add-on later, don't worry, those will be also available for all Backers with a Pledge with Reward during the Pledge Manager, which should start 1-2 months after the Campaign.

For any additional information, you can write to our support.

...Fireball... Incoming!

Fireball!
over 2 years ago – Tue, Sep 07, 2021 at 03:42:00 AM

Voices in your head whisper you to move to the room on your left, you can't resist to this sort of supernatural force.

You enter the dark and silent room, but you stop immediately, the floor is missing! Probably the force that previously was making the walls tremble must have caused the floor to collapse.

Nearly nothing remains of what you remember was a beautiful library, just a few ruined shelves on small portions of the floor around the perimeter of the room.

A sudden blast of wind whirls yellowed sheets of paper in the air. You grab one as it dances in front of your face. It's a scroll, you read the ancient formula and you recognize the spell... Fireball!

When the voice of the community speaks loudly, it's hard for us not to listen to it.

We are pleased to finally show you the famous... FIREBALL!

One of the most beloved and feared spells ever, by all players on the planet, has now become the new First Player Token!

Wearing an elegant crown, this sentient fireball will pass from player to player to mark the turn order.

“This can be useful!” you say to your fellow adventurers, Alisha and Pyotr, as they examine the scroll with you.

You put it back in the pages of your book and, together with your companions, you now look at the only available direction: the entrance to the Ordalia is in front of you.

You remember when, as a child, you tried to spy on the guests who approached that room, all looking brave and full of hope. You remember how the old Giulio scolded you, telling you that it was forbidden to go down there, as well as very dangerous.

Beyond the room, almost like arms that surround it, the corridors leading to the balcony, which could lead you to get out of the Lodge.

Alisha asks you to come down to help her find her father (Descent), while Pyotr insists to go out and think about what to do (Balcony). Who will you listen to?

Before saying goodbye, we want to thank the whole community once again! Even if you missed the last Social Stretch Goal announced yesterday (we said EXACTLY 1503,2 Shares!), because of your incredible and unexpected rush for the 30K messages we decided anyway to unlock the new Skull Room and the legendary scenario dedicated to Hogwartz!

Well done! You are a fantastic community, let’s have fun with those last 70 hours!

Fireball!

Dancing with death!
over 2 years ago – Sun, Sep 05, 2021 at 05:47:06 AM

Your instincts push you towards the stairs, you see Pyotr entering the purple vortex.

The mage stretches his hand to you from the portal, but it's too late... the vortex suddenly disappears in a flash of light, blinding you for a few moments. You need several seconds to recover, you immediately realize that the only way out is the stairs. 

You raise your hand, a sphere of light begins shine. 

You run up the stairs until you lose your breath and finally get to the end of the corridor.

In a pile of rubble you recognize what remains of a library, probably another entry point, similar to the one you found the day before, to go down into the dungeons. It's day outside, sunset light enters through a colored glass window. The red and ocher of the glass cast a warm light on the floor of the room.

You look around and immediately recognize the dining room, you are not far from the kitchens you have already visited. Three rows of long tables, many are overturned to the ground, as if swept away on the opposite side of the great hall.

You immediately think what brute force was needed to make such a gesture, those are tables for at least twenty people, made of solid wood. 

Now you notice with horror piles of skulls, but there seems to be no trace of the corpses. You move closer and inspect them, you notice one apparently more recent, considering its state of putrefaction. The head lies on a fine inlaid silver and gold plate, richly decorated with precious stones. 

You smell a scent of flowers, very similar to what you felt when you were robbed.

While you are still looking at the head, you see a shadow projecting on you, slowly and silently.

You're sure, she's the thief again! Maybe she didn't recognize you yet, or maybe she is attracted to the precious plate. You whirl around armed with a small dagger, but what you see is not quite what you expected.

A huge female figure stands between the window and you, the light behind her leaves her body in shadow, you recognize four arms. 

Suddenly the room falls into darkness, as if the sun had gone out. 

A monstrous grin is revealed, the figure approaches you.

This Avatar has a very special artificial intelligence, her only purpose, guided by an insatiable bloodlust, is to accumulate trophies for the Black Rose, but on some occasions she can be commanded by mages at the cost of some sacrifice.

For example, some command cards will indicate a target, however the target can redirect the fury of the Goddess on a new target, paying a cost in Power Points. In addition, the Goddess Kali can recall special Cadavers as personal evocations of her.

As you recall spells to face the Goddess, she throws her huge sword at you. the blade passes close to your side, cutting a bag of herbs tied to your belt. 

A voice exclaims "Hey! Watch out, you could have hit me!".

You turn back and see the thief perched on top of a table, the blade stuck in the wood between her feet. You realize you weren't Kali's target.

Quickly she jumps behind the large table, and begins to blow up objects in the air, looking for something. "Distract her!" she yells at you.

You grab the silver and gold plate, you throw it at her with all your strength. The impact is noisy, but it does not seem to have had any effect, the Goddess continues to advance ignoring you.

You start reciting an ancient spell, Kali retrieves her sword, then a roar followed by a flash of light comes out of your body, shattering everything glass in the room, old bottles, glasses, and the stained glass window. The red setting sun floods the room. 

"Found... Run!" the thief shouting at you.

The Goddess seems almost slowed down by the sun's rays, you see three ways out.

To the east you remember a large library, where apprentices used to study (Library), to the south you return to the kitchens, crossing some common rooms (South), to the west you would go towards the main corridor, towards the Ordalia rooms (Ordalia), where the mages used to fight to become the new Great Magister.

Here the Sunday’s programme:
- Miniature's Den on his Twitch Channel will do another full day painting session, tomorrow it will be on Angela’s model, from Deadly Masks expansion! Starts at around 11:00 GMT and it goes on for about 6 hours (!!)

- Social Stretch Goal will be launched in tomorrow’s update, “pre-launch” on our BRW Rebirth Facebook page

Let’s take some rest, you need fresh energies for the last days!

Apocalypse - New Schools
over 2 years ago – Sun, Sep 05, 2021 at 04:31:53 AM

Hello, Magisters!

Yesterday we described how the new Constructed Mode works, today we present more in detail the 4 New Apocalyptic Schools of Magic, we will do it with the direct help of the author Marco Montanaro!

The Great Magister himself will describe below the new schools, as we said those are closely linked to each of the 4 Horsemen. Let's now Marco speak!

Death School aims to end everything, it will bring your enemies to their final destination. With the Traps and Protections, mages from the Death school can shape the game in different ways reacting to everything that is happening. Killing your opponents is just a small part of the strategy; death cards will play with Quests, Events, and Power Points. Thanks to Death School you will also be able to change the end-game mechanics and be part of everything that your opponents are doing. Spells will also reduce the stats of your opponents and take advantage of their drawn energy.

Famine School aims to starve your opponents. Reduce their resources and use them against them. The new Starve mechanic of the school will allow you to place opponents' cube in a special pool outside the board and then trigger them in a powerful explosion. The school will also aim at Instability and how natural events can destroy your opponent's expectations of victory.

War uses the strategies of famous military commanders of all time, and the strength of the legendary weapons to annihilate his opponents. Thanks to ware you will be either summoning equipment that will add new actions to your Actions token or playing strategically with the Black Rose and the evocation to win the battle. War strategy focuses on destroying the other mages or taking advantage of the numerous combats of the Arena. At the end of the day who does not want to summon the William Wallace Bastard sword to crash their opponents?

Pestilence will infect your opponents. It plays on 2 main mechanics, the summoning of Plague Rats on the board that carries your damage and Infection Cubes that will pile up on the board of your opponents to trigger powerful effects and explode in a purulent mess.

There is no limit on how many Rats you can summon, those little sneaky creatures will go around the arena under your control and bite the feet of your opponents or just explode in infection if hit by any of the other mages spells, whoops! Infection tokens can pile up to 3 on the mage board and will make your opponents lose Power Points if not healed on time. If you die before the removal of the infections, you will carry them with you and be back in the arena infected!

We thank Marco, the Great Magister, for his words of wisdom! He gave us all a taste of the new mechanics of these Apocalyptic Schools!

After reading Marco's words, what is your favorite School? Give us your feedback!

Fireball!