Dream Pod 9 News

December 2002

The fan miniature gallery has been updated last week (we also reformatted it so that new entries appear first), along with a new feature to our modeling section: a Green Mamba Stealth Gear. We didn't have time to format the new modeling articles, so we're sending you to Erion's Heavy Gear Miniature Picture Gallery instead. Enjoy!

APAGear: Dennis D. Kirkpatrick announces that the December issue (#43) of APAGear is up! This month features both Heavy Gear and Gear Krieg articles and fictions by Scott R. Blow, Jason English, Janne Kemppi, Tom McGrenery and Harman Meyerhoff. Well worth your time, and, if you are unfamiliar with this great (and free!) Webzine, the holidays vacations are a great time to catch up on the archives. You can find them at http://www.apagear.org.

Previous Releases: The Heroes & Villains sourcebook is a roleplaying resource manual for characters (and villains) in the pulp genre. We also shipped some miniatures, the (the Type 55 and Type 2-07 Battle Frames). These bring the total number of different CEF units available to seven (eight if you count the Capricians' Moab Combat Mount), more than enough to build a credible force.

Save the Game Industry: unhappy with the state of gaming, someone has decided to do something about it. The result is the 52-gamer pledge. Click the link to know more.

Save the Landship!: remember the landship model? Dirk is trying to find it a new home, since he lacks the space to store it properly (that thing is big). If you own a game store, or just an empty basement, Dirk would like to hear from you.

Fan Page: Stephen Kissinger has been busy making Silhouette game stats for some well known anime vehicles. You can check them yourself on his Web site.

Sergio Achinelli has started a new Jovian Chronicles PbEM called the Tachyon Saga. He'd love to have some feedback.

November 2002

Fan Sites: Tim King has a new Web site called Desert Krieg. It centers on the North African front of the conflict and features numerous sections: a gallery of painted models, some modeling resources (flags and the like), game scenarios (complete with maps!) and a list of links.

Shane had a vague idea for translating the stats from the toys of a certain transforming robot franchise into the Silhouette game system. It's far from finished, and vehicle modes haven't been touched yet, but it's interesting.

Rob Farquhar sends word of the new website for a Heavy Gear campaign he's running.

Painted Miniatures: Model painter extraordinaire Agis Neugebauer has recently updated his site with new DP9 models. You can see them in the fan gallery, or in much bigger size at Agis' own site.

October 2002

APAGear: Dennis D. Kirkpatrick let us know that the October issue of APAGear is now online. This month's offering includes stories, adventures and new designs by Scott R. Blow, Janne Kemppi, Dennis D. Kirkpatrick, Harman Meyerhoff, Mika Peltola, Josh Peters and Alex Walker. Definitely worth a look -- check it out at APAgear.org.

Aurora Project: Chris Upchurch made a massive update to his Life on Aurora alternate setting for Heavy Gear (for those unaware, Chris is making his own planet and campaign setting, but using the Heavy Gear rules). The History section is now complete, including a timeline. The other big addition is the first piece of the Armed Forces of Aurora, and stats for the Legionnaire Combat Walker. Check it out!

Anime Mecha: Stephen F. Kissinger Jr wrote to say that he posted some well-known anime mecha on his Web page as a Word document. Other vehicles will be placed online as he finishes them.

Site Upgrade: Mash Some Metal is going to go through a huge change over the next few months. Since they've pretty much covered everything there is to know abou the Heavy Gear TV series, they will now turn their efforts to covering the game itself (though all information currently on the site pertaining to the TV show will remain available). Head over to their site and see what they are up -- maybe you can help? At the very least, give them some feedback on the proposed page redesign.

Jovian Chronicles PbEM: John Guilfoyle got around to updating the All Systems Go JC-PBEM website. Things are moving along nicely, and they're nearing the end of the first episode. Check it out!

New Miniatures Web Site: Pewter Monkey is now online. Not much to see for the time being, but they will keep adding content as time goes on. Feel free to help by sending them pictures and news!

Silhouette Dice Roller: This application for the Palm Pilot rolls the specified number of 'dice' and works out success/failure against specified difficulty thresholds and modifiers. This application is released under the GNU GPL, so it's free; it was written by Richard Lyne. Thanks to Matt for making the request and providing the link.

Pod Corps Mailing List: Coffeehaus has gracefully agreed to provide us with an additional mailing list for the use of the Pod Corps chapters. It will be used to announce demos, swap tips and also for stores to ask for demos help, of course.

September 2002

APAGear: Christian Schaller is pleased to announce that a new issue of APAGear, the online Heavy Gear Amateur Press Association, has been uploaded. It contains Heavy Gear-related essays, scenarios, stories and part one of a new tactical campaign. This is the 41st issue, and they now have a total of 284 articles online. Check it out!

Store Event: Time Traveler, a game store in Sierra Vista, Arizona 85635 (Phone: (520) 452-9827) is starting a series of demos and events to celebrate the founding of the new local Pod Corps chapter, Pod Corps Sierra Vista. Contact the store for more details.

APA Project Completed: manager Dennis D. Kirkpatrick announces that after two years, the Jovian APAworks project is going on indefinite hiatus. The project has fulfilled its design goals, and no new material will be posted. However, the existing articles will remain available to the Jovian gaming community; the new URL for the archives is http://www.bluething.org/apaworks/. Dennis and the other participants want to thank the readers for their support and feedback. They hope the articles will continue to enrich the Jovian Chronicles universe, inspiring new adventures and scenarios.

Heavy Gear World Project Update: Chris Upchurch mentions that summer school, vacations and other commitments resulted in a hiatus over the summer. However, he's managed to crank out another update to Life on Aurora, his personal "alternate reality" setting for Heavy Gear.

Landship Update: the GZGames' landship model will make the trip to Calgary for FallCon 15 on September 20-22. There will be some Gear Krieg gaming on Saturday afternoon, Lightning Strike on Saturday evening, and Heavy Gear on Sun morning/afternoon.

Fan Sites:Todd Stokes reminds us that the staff has given the entire Heavy Gear RPG Network site a new look and added some new features such as a fan fiction page and a chat room. There are now five campaigns running strong and their player base is up to 33. New players and Gamemasters are always welcome -- check it out!

Paolo Marino has put his Pulp Krieg Web site online. The page is full of pulp resources for the Gear Krieg roleplaying game, including downloadable personal weapon datacards (to print and hand out to players), animals and vehicle stats, and reviews of pulp media and stories. Check it out!

Katman has also updated his Heavy Gear page. He has several links to other fan pages and a small but growing collection of converted miniatures. Check it out!

Gamer Registry: Well-known RPG writer S. John Ross has created a "sign up sheet" template for creating a gamer registery at your local game shop. It's free and very useful to build up the local gamer community. Print out a copy and take it to a shop you like; all they need is a binder and some willing volunteers. (You can also check out the links to various Player Finders out there.)

Shop Where You Play: useful advice for all gamers who want their hobby to remain healthy. This is an industry-wide initiative that got started a while back (it ties in well with the Ask your Retailer essay).

Discussion Forum: an unofficial DP9 discussion forums has been established over at Miniforums.com (note that this is the correct URL this time). It's free, so go and post!

August 2002

Landship Update: We just put tons of new pictures of the Landship online -- check them out!

APAGear Update: A new issue of APAGear is now online, with as usual a number of very useful articles. This month, weapons, Heavy Gear alternate histories, Black Talon teams, and more -- check it out!

Updated Fan Websites: Paul Lesack has updated his Heavy Gear Website with a new vehicle (complete with datacard, sheet and counter!). And while you're at it, visit his awesome Gear Krieg Website, which is chock-full of pulp adventuring material (including adventures, maps, props and characters!).

Todd Stokes dropped us a line to let us know that the Heavy Gear RPG Network is still going strong and is drawing alot of new players.

Vasco Brown II just updated his MechaHead Website. This update includes Lightning Strike game stats for all the vehicles of the original Mobile Suit Gundam® series, as well as a new unit for Jovian Chronicles. Next on the horizon are the "0080®" and "8t MS Team®" Gundam® series, plus some capital ships stats. Check it out!

Online Campaign: Jeffery Watkins has started a Yahoo Group/club-based game and is looking for players (or just people who want to read along). Jovian Chronicle: Trinity is the combination of three separate game genres, though the default setting is our own Jovian Chronicles. In it, Humanity has expanded and settled the solar system, reaching out to nearby stars through laser-propelled lightsails. A supernatural segments is added along with some time travel. Brief files and postings explaining the premises are available so that anyone can jump in and play.

New Heavy Gear Models: Cold Steel has been busy, modeling up a Barnaby-class Gear transport for his growing army. Check it out!

Modeling Infantry: The article on modeling infantry units for Heavy Gear has been updated with pictures of the painted model.

Heavy Ground Support! The crew of Ground Zero Games in Edmonton, Alberta has finally finished their massive Heavy Gear landship model. It's part of a large campaign; the store has devoted space on its Web page towards this project: Battle of Red Deer (you can also check out the brand new pictures here). You can also email the local Pod Corps for more information.

Jovian PbEM: John Guilfoyle has updated the All Systems Go website. They're up to Turn 5 with this JC-PBEM, and moving along swimmingly. Also see some super-spiffy character art commissioned for the game on the 'Crew' page.

July 2002

-- Christian Schaller just announced that a new issue of APAGear is online. This month, they have two tactical scenarios (one is skirmish-scale, the other tactical), a handful of new APES designs (for the new Utopia colonial setting), some fiction, and more gamemastering advice from Janne Kemppi. Check it out!

-- We've added new pictures in the fan miniature gallery. If you have pictures of a Dream Pod 9 miniature(s), send it over! Likewise, if you have pictures from a convention, demo or other event that features Dream Pod 9 games, we'd like to see them as well.

June 2002

-- We've made a PDF file of the basic combat example found in the Tactical Miniatures Rules, on page 33. It shows the very basic Heavy Gear fight sequence using the Quick Start rules (i.e., no advanced rules or detailed damage). You can download it here.

-- Tod McPherson likes to build things with Lego® bricks (and he's not the only one). He put together a series of small scale Gear-like machines, two of which can be seen here and here.

-- Mike Faragher (also known as the intrepid man behind Pod Corps Washington County, WI) has put up a blog ("web log") site for my new project, a quarter-scale Type 6-16 CEF Battle Frame. Yes, the dog is that small. And yes, that's a pool table and a cocktail cabinet for an old arcade game. If you find this as awesome as we do (or just think Mike is an adorable basketcase), send him your thoughts and encouragements!

May 2002

-- Garrett Taylor managed to put up some pictures from the Heavy Gear battles he played with his group -- Gears, scenery, the players themselves, etc. Most of the pictures concern the overall map used for the "demonstration" in the Paxton Gambit campaign sourcebook. While you're there, check out the miniature gallery as well.

-- Steve Brejank posted some photos of his latest Heavy Gear model on Starship Modeler. It was created from the scratchbuilt masters he made a couple of years ago to go along with the (currently out of production) 1/35th scale Kodiak from Fusion Models.

-- Pod Corps Saskatchewan are building a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list for Gear Krieg. If you have a question regarding the rules (either RPG or Tac), please drop them a note. After a couple of weeks, they'll compile the questions and send them in for us to answer. Anyone sending in questions will be credited in the FAQ.

-- GamingReport.com recently reviewed our Demo Games. Check out the review -- they liked them!

-- Chris Upchurch has cranked out the first two sections of Life on Aurora, an alternate Heavy Gear game setting based on the Argo Project's sleeper/generation ships. While not official in any way, it does show how creative some HG gamers are!

April 2002

-- The final installment of the Tribe 8 Capal story is online, and a brand new Developer's Journal (plus some data on the forthcoming book line). There was also the usual cleanup and maintenance (we've updated the demo & convention schedule and the links page). More articles should be converted and brought back online as time goes on, and we can always use more!

-- Christian Schaller just announced that a new issue of APAGear is online at http://www.apagear.org. This issue focuses on a bunch of short stories and scenarios set during the War of the Alliance, the first in a series of special issues that cover the important wars that have shaped the Heavy Gear setting. A must-read if you're into serious science fiction military gaming. Check it out! >>

-- Dennis D. Kirkpatrick announced that the April issue of APAworks is up and available for viewing at http://www.bluething.org. This issue features an article on an industrial colony by 3D artist Colin Dunn, with wonderful visuals and descriptions to provide background for JC-RPG scenarios. It also has a LS scenario by Chris Schaller: a three-way battle between the Venusians, the JAF and the Nomads, plus great background material to add more dimension to your Jovian Chronicles games. Check it out! >>

-- New sections: a Heavy Gear RPG scenario and a tactical one: Operation: Dragonslayer.

-- Mayhem over at MashSomeMetal.com told us that they put together a music video based on the TV show. download it and check it out for yourself!

-- Did you know that the GK RPG had been nominated for the Grog d'Or? It's a French RPG award given out every year. You can check it out at http://www.roliste.com/grogdor.jsp (if you need a translator).

-- We hope that you all had a chance to check out the Store Highlight. If your local store is doing a great job with Dream Pod 9's game lines, let us know!

March 2002

-- Vasco Brown did some Lightning Strike vehicle conversions from various mecha-related anime series. It's a work in progress, but feel free to check it out: Mechahead.

-- The Heavy Gear RPG Network is a place dedicated to all fans and players of the Heavy Gear RPG. This site is primarily an online RPG session using message boards for game play, using the Silhouette game system. Their member base is steadily getting larger and the doors are always open to new players and potential GM's. This site is 100% free and to become a member all you have to do is ask. So come in, take a look around and join up, or post on the General Discussion Board.

-- Philippe Lemieux has restarted work on his online Vehicle Compendium project. The idea is to gather fan-made Heavy Gear vehicles in one location. A peer review system, using the Heavy Gear Mailing List, will ensure only interesting (and balanced) designs make it in.

-- New Web page sections this week: a gallery of fan miniatures, a gallery of convention pictures, a Jovian Chronicles article and the usual cleanup and maintenance, especially in regard to the Site Map. Oh, and the Jovian Chronicles Miniatures Gallery is now online.

-- Christian Schaller just announced that a new issue of APAGear is online at http://www.apagear.org. They are up to 254 individual articles total, including the nine new ones this month. This issue focuses on a bunch of short stories, including a piece set in the Gear Krieg world. They also have a statistical break-down of the odds of rolling a given number using the Silhouette system, for the mathematically-inclined, and a tactical scenario that can make use of both Raids and Raiders and Arena Champions. The theme of the next issue is the War of the Alliance, the first in a series of special issues that cover the important wars that have shaped the Heavy Gear setting. Check it out! >>

-- Dennis D. Kirkpatrick announces the twelfth issue of the Jovian APAwork (http://www.bluething.org). This issue is themed around the Battle of Kurtzenheim, with articles depicting the skirmishes that started the conflict in Mar's orbit and on the ground. This is followed by ready-to-play tactical scenarios, including a desperate skirmish-scale exo-suit battle in the ruins of the city. Check it out! >>

February 2002

-- Lightning Strike author Wunji Lau is back with a combined modeling and game article about Customized Ace Exo-Armors.

-- Pod Corps Saskatchewan is one of the most active chapters in the program. In addition to regular roleplaying and wargaming sessions, they also take part in live action RPG. For this, they use a modified version of DP9's Silhouette game rules, which they dubbed "Profile"; download the rules and provide some feedback!

-- We've cleaned up bits and parts of the Web site to make it easier to use and more pleasing to the eye. We've also added a text-based Site Map to help in navigation.

-- Christian Schaller just announced that the new issue of APAGear is online for your reading and gaming enjoyment. They've reached Year 4 with this, the 35th issue, which is a great milestone; they now have 245 Heavy Gear-related articles online. This month, APAGear presents twelve adventure seeds of various types.

-- The winners of the Dueling Modeling Contest have all reported in! Follow this link to get to the contest result page. We thank all the modelers that submitted entries. Hopefully, we can get even more for the next contest, which will involve either JC or GK miniatures.

-- 2002 looks very promising from where we're standing, and we're eager to get busy turning up new worlds and games. Check out a short overview while waiting for the 2002 catalog, which we are working on next week (it will come out mid-March).

January 2002