Amethyst Evolution - Out Now! PDF on RPGNow in Radiohead Fashion!!

How did I miss this?!  Well, real life sometimes gets in the way of the hobby and the blog.  But, now that I have caught it, it needs to be said here.  Amethyst Evolution, the second book in the Amethyst universe, has now come out!!

You may have caught a little bit of my preview article for Amethyst Evolution a little bit ago.  You will recall I was really, really excited to see that there were going to be some awesome new organizations coming around as well as some new Techan classes and a few new races.  Things are just getting better and better.  Dias Ex Machina is going to be striking again with this awesome book.

As for a little blurb of what you'll find in this book, here's a snippet from the Dias Ex Machina site which explains what you'll find in Amethyst Evolution:

Lifepaths: New lifepaths are being introduced including options for divine and evil characters.
Races: Kodiak, pagus, and tenenbri are introduced as playable races. In addition, all the old races of Foundations are reprinted and revised to match up with the developing 4 th Edition philosophy.
Classes: Get up close and personal with a new techan class, the vanguard. Older techan classes are expanded and revised with alternate class features and powers. Also included are revised Foundations classes presented with simplified abilities and fixed level features instead of encounter and/or daily powers. These classes may replace original Foundations classes in your current game if it permits these alternative classes. These do not replace the classes from Foundations ; both versions are compatible with each other and players can elect either option in a game without upsetting game balance.
Paragon Paths: New paths are available for new races as well as options for classic races and classes.
Feats: Dozens of new feats are offered, including martial arts and explosive feats.
Epic Destinies: New epic paths are now available for both echan and techan characters.
Equipment: Nuclear weapons (yes nuclear weapons) are available. Look for larger power armor and aircraft. Players can now (clumsily) wield super heavy weapons.

Sounds pretty awesome right?!  Nuclear Weapons!!!  Awesome.  That sounds sufficiently EPIC to me.  You can get the book off of RPGNow right now! and guess what?!  In very Radiohead Fashion, the publishers have decided to let you choose how much you want to pay for the book!!!!  There are two price points available for Amethyst Evolution; you can pick it up for $14.99 or $9.99 whichever you feel is the fair price to pay.  They would love to have the support I am sure, so consider popping for the extra $5 when you buy the book.  Also, the print edition of the book will be available soon.  I love my hardcover print copy.  You might want to also consider their PDF/Print bundle which is also available now.  This pack ensures that you'll be getting the print version when it comes out.  Very cool.

Amethyst Evolutions - My first look at something awesome

Chris Dias, of Dias Ex Machina, was nice enough to send me an advanced copy of one of the chapters from the upcoming Amethyst Evolutions.  I can't exactly show off the chapter itself, but he did give me permission to talk about it.  I have not yet had time enough to print the chapter out, lay on the floor, and then play in all the pages, but that is pretty much the extent of how amazing the chapter was.  Chapter 2 of the book brings several new interpretations of the older races, some new races (including the Kodiaks, which I showed off in one of my earlier sneak peak photos from the book) as well as the thing that I wanted the most... ORGANIZATIONS.  I thought the organizations in the first book were awesome, but I wanted more.  These are awesome as well, and I STILL WANT MORE!!!  I think I might have to beg Chris to do a book full of just organizations at some point.  It's like giving your adventuring group a nice big club to be a part of.  If you hadn't seen the cover to the book yet, it has been up on the Dias Ex Machina site since the end of March, but I haven't had a chance to throw it up here on the site yet.  He said they are getting pretty close to completing it, so I am very much looking forward to reviewing it and bringing you all of the juicy Amethyst details when they finally come out.

Review: Amethyst by Dias Ex Machina and Goodman Games Pt. 1

This will be the first part in a long series of reviews that I will be doing about the game Amethyst Foundations, published by Dias Ex Machina and Goodman Games. Before I finally was able to get a chance to look at the book myself, I had read a few things about it at other sites around the web.

Amethyst is essentially a new, high-tech campaign setting which uses the 4th Edition D&D rules set. That is a very simple generalization because, from what I have seen, the game is a whole lot more.

It is set in the near future, where the world of fantasy has merged with our earth. I don't want to give too much away just yet. I haven't made it very far through this book, because, in all honesty, it has me totally absorbed. It is going to take quite a while to read from cover to cover considering that it is almost 300 pages in length and I have a kid that I have to play with on a regular basis. I keep getting stalled at all the artwork which is incredibly well done.

From what I have seen so far, there is nothing but good things going on here. I have barely even made it into the races section of the book and I can already see myself running an ongoing campaign in this world.

Look for more in my review series of Amethyst coming soon. I will be dong a more complete, full review of the product, as well as posting characters, and my own personal adventure ideas for use with the campaign setting. With any luck, I may even have an interview from the writer to share with you as well.