Tor/Forge has announced the upcoming release of Sagittarius is Bleeding, the third book in its series of novels based on the current Battlestar Galactica television series!

Action in Sagittarius is Bleeding revolves around the character or Laura Roslin, last-surviving member of the former president's cabinet and now leader of the shattered 12 Colonies. This story was written by Peter David, author of numerous other books (e.g., The Knight Life), comic books (e.g., Swamp Thing), and television scripts (e.g., Babylon 5).

Sagittarius is Bleeding is due for release in October 2006. Keep your eye on this space, however, for a feature review long before that; Skirmisher has obtained an advance copy of the novel and will soon give you the inside scoop on what looks like a very promising complement to one of our favorite shows.

The stars are right for the eagerly anticipated release of a thoroughly revised, expanded, and improved edition of the Cthulhu Live live-action role-playing game this September! Customers who preorder the game now through Skirmisher's eBay store will receive a free interactive CD with a retail value of $9.95.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition is a 5.5 x 8.5 inch, softcover, 200-page book with four-color front and back covers and black-and-white interior (Skirmisher Publishing LLC, SKP 0602, ISBN 0-9777211-0-8, September 2006, $19.95). It is a completely revised, expanded, and updated version of the acclaimed live-action roleplaying game based on the horror tales of H.P. Lovecraft. This newest and best edition of Cthulhu Live includes a richly detailed and uniquely playable rules system that incorporates 12 years of best practices and refinements from hundreds of gamers worldwide. Features of this self-contained game include:

* All-new rules for skills, combat, Sanity, Magic, and Psychic powers.
* Extensive information on organizing events, stagecraft and special effects.
* Guidelines on role-playing Outsiders tainted by the touch of the Mythos.
* New and improved photographs, graphics, and other images, including works by renowned Cthulhu Mythos artist Richard Alan Poppe.
* And much more!

ABOUT THE CD
Skirmisher Publishing has partnered with Mantra Design Studios to produce the Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition Companion CD-ROM. With a stunning graphic interface and a soundtrack by Midnight Syndicate, the Cthulhu Live Companion is a fantastic tool resource for Keepers and Players alike. Compatible with PC, Mac and Linux platforms, the CD-ROM includes:

* An advanced character creation program.
* Character Card Creator.
* Government ID Badge Creator.
* Library of Cthulhu Live Game Scripts with ready-to-print hand-outs.
* Fearsome collection of Tome Texts to print and bind for your own props.
* Extensive selection of document props ready to be customized and used in your games.
* A simulated secure email server ready to send encrypted email to modern agents.
* And much more!

The CD-ROM retails for $9.95 but is available at NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE for preordered sales for Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition. All pre-ordered books will be sent out during the month of September, with a precise date to be announced. To preorder this great book and also get the CD for free, just click here.

Customers wishing to preorder copies of Cthulhu Live3rd Edition with a check or money order can send payment to: Skirmisher Publishing LLC, Attn: CL3, P.O. 150006, Alexandria, VA 22315-0006. Cost is $19.95 per book/CD set plus $3.95 shipping for the first one and just $1 shipping for each additional one ordered at the same time.

Dragons are certainly among the most quintessential elements of the fantasy genre and their likenesses comprise one of the cornerstones of the art associated with it. A relatively new book, DragonArt: How to Draw Fantastic Dragons and Fantasy Creatures (Impact Books, 2005, ISBN 1581806574, 128 pages, $19.99), is both an enjoyable browse and a useful guide for anyone interested in creating their own dragons or other fantastic creatures with pencil and paper.

DragonArt is divided into three major parts, Fantastic Dragons, Unique Details, and Other Fantasy Creatures, along with an introduction, a section on how to use the book, and a brief guide to fantastic creatures.

Lessons in this book are progressive in nature, beginning with fundamentals and moving into increasingly advanced aspects of dragon design, all illustrated with step-by-step illustrations that are punctuated by helpful tips and tricks throughout. And author/artist Jessica “NeonDragon” Peffer has a clear, easy writing style that can be easily comprehended, absorbed, and acted upon, an example of which follows below.

“Okay, so we’re going to discuss the anatomy of a creature that exists nowhere but in our minds. Sounds kind of silly to say that something made from pure imagination does not look correct, but that will happen if your creature doesn’t look believable. To help make your dragon as real as possible, base its structure on real creatures,” she writes at one point (page 44). “The ideal dragon is likely a mix of cat, bird, and reptile body types. The trick is choosing which parts to keep and which ones to throw out. You want it to feel like a single creature.”

This advice, incidentally, is very reminiscent of that given by Leonardo Da Vinci in his notebooks for drawing creatures of this ilk, making Peffer well read or naturally very insightful, either of which speaks well for her. Under “How You Should Make an Imaginary Animal Look Natural,” the increasingly famous Renaissance man writes, “You know that you cannot invent animals without limbs, each of which, in itself, must resemble those of some other animal. Hence if you wish to make an animal, imagined by you, appear natural -- let us say a Dragon, take for its head that of a mastiff or hound, with the eyes of a cat, the ears of a porcupine, the nose of a greyhound, the brow of a lion, the temples of an old cock, the neck of a water tortoise.”

DragonArt also includes guidelines on drawing a number of other sorts of fantastic creatures, including basilisks, chimeras, gargoyles, and griffins.

For those interested in applying the guidelines presented in this book, a companion DragonArt Kit: How to Draw & Paint Fantastic Creatures that includes a compressed version of the book and some art supplies will also be available soon. Author Peffer is also the creator of the popular fantasy art Website NeonDragonArt.com, which can give anyone potentially interested in this book the opportunity to get a sense of the kinds of creatures they can learn to create themselves.