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New tabards from WoW TCG
Tabards have been a fairly frequent subject lately. There are the summer-themed tabards you get from the Shards of Ahune, which are a part of the Midsummer festivities. And, of course, there was the "glitch" that may have revealed a Legendary tabard. The World of Warcraft trading card game is getting in on the action by letting you purchase tabards with your UDE points. The ability to purchase these tabards will be included with patch 2.4.3, according to the Upper Deck. Each of the six tabards are all variations on the same skin or pattern, with the only real difference being a change to the color pallette. This is the Tabard of the Void on the right. They don't say exactly how many UDE points each will cost yet, and ask us to stay tuned for details. If you don't know, you get UDE (Upper Deck Entertainment) points by purchasing UDE products. I know, that's a stretch. Eeach WoW TCG pack you buy has a card with points on it. So far, you get a 100 point card with each booster pack. We'll let you know if and when we hear more about how many packs you have to buy to get a tabard. %Gallery-26114%
Interview with Chuck Kallenbach, Game Designer on Legends of Norrath
What's this gab we're hearing about Legends of Norrath, it isn't all about the loot cards? Heresy! We're still buying up those virtual packs in hopes to score a rare loot card. Nevertheless, over on IGN's EQ2 Vault we came across this interview with Chuck Kallenbach, Game Designer on Legends of Norrath. Much is discussed gameplay wise about the insight behind the new Monk class, one that doesn't use weapons. One other topic covered includes the conundrum on scaling the game's complexity with new gameplay mechanics with the importance to not veer away from the game's intuitiveness and accessibility.The Oathbreaker set is the latest expansion introduced last week from Sony Online Entertainment. It brings 250 new cards, fresh gameplay mechanics, a new challenging raid scenario, and the following classes: Monk, Coercer, Templar and Beastlord. Many classes from EverQuest and EverQuest II are now represented in the game. If you are interested learning how to play Legends of Norrath but don't want to dump a bunch of cash you can download the client and play through the tutorials and it won't cost a you a dime.
Massively hands-on: Wizard101
KingsIsle Entertainment was founded way back in 2005 -- and since their inception, they seem to have stayed quietly sequestered in their offices, hard at work on unknown projects. With a team consisting of industry veterans from Wolfpack (creators of Shadowbane) and Ion Storm, it was hard not to be curious about their work. If you're one of the many who have been wondering what the team has been working on, you're in luck, because they've just announced their first project: Wizard101. We recently had a chance to visit KingsIsle's Austin studios (they've taken up residence in a corner of the complex formerly inhabited by Origin Systems) and enroll in the Ravenwood School for the Magical Arts for a day to get a feel for the game. Though this game is aimed at kids ("tweens" that are too old for the likes of Club Penguin but too young for their parents to feel comfortable letting them loose in Barrens chat), its turn-based combat system and trading card game elements may interest you, too. So what makes Wizard101 different from the proliferation of MMOs on the market? A few elements of the game caught our eye...%Gallery-23343%%Gallery-23433%
Electronic Arts enters the card-based MMO arena with BattleForge
With games like Magic Online and Freaky Creatures in the gaming consciousness, this variant on the concept of microtransactions is on the rise. Electronic Arts must think so too, because they've just announced their card-based MMO offering, called BattleForge.BattleForge will be an entirely Web-based card-game, where you'll build your fantasy army by the purchase of online decks, or trading them with other players, or even winning them in tournaments. Gameplay itself will feature the use of four elements and a mystical forge to do battle. Being developed by EA Phenomic, Germany-based creators of the SpellForce series, this upcoming MMO is expected to launch in the Fall of this year. [Source]
Penny Arcade wants you to write 10 words about WoW
Penny Arcade, those funny WoW comic guys, are giving away a metric ton of loot, via a contest, that they've gotten for the WoW Trading Card Game. Things that they're giving away include "four boxes of boosters, tournament playmats, a Winterveil collector's box, deckboxes, sleeves, two binders, three raid decks, three starter decks, and one of these awesome dice chest things." That's a ton of stuff to be handing out. But it gets better.They're also handing out an X-51 Nether-Rocket card to each winner. You can get your very own Rocket Mount! Three lucky winners will be quite happy. What's the contest they're holding? From the site: "you must write a short story, set in World of Warcraft, and this story must be precisely ten words long." It's so simple and so easy you just have to chuckle. Head on over to their site for more information on how to enter the contest.Of course, you'll have to go up against a certain WoW Insider writer on this one, since I've already submitted my story: "A casual paladin casually walks up and one shots Illidan."Good luck!
The life and death of Stefen Colbear
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/The_life_and_death_of_Stefen_Colbear'; He's a man of myth, legend, and internet memes -- a Paladin crusader for Truthiness, justice, and the Alliance way. His name is Stefen Colbear, and he's putting the Horde on notice. That's how it would have been anyway, but sadly, this hero never came to be. Upper Deck hired artist Todd Lockwood to produce the above image for a special WoW TCG card inspired by The Colbert Report's Stephen Colbert -- a known video-gaming and role-playing enthusiast. Lockwood's finished product depicts a microphone-sword wielding Human Paladin named Stefen Colbear, who exudes the very essence of Truthiness.Unfortunately, Colbert's agent nipped the idea in the bud. According to Lockwood, he didn't even show the artwork to his client. Blizzard and Upper Deck presumably had hoped Colbert would feature the card on his show, giving them mega-publicity. An unknown individual leaked the image onto the net a few weeks ago, and WoW and Colbert fans excitedly spread it around in both card and wallpaper forms. Even though Colbear never saw the light of day, his legend nevertheless strikes fear in the hearts of those who would threaten the Colbear Nation. So watch out Kael'Thas, watch out Archimonde! But most of all: watch out, bears.
New WoW TCG wallpaper up
I for one always enjoy looking at the new artwork Blizzard posts. Professionally done, and always a twist to it. Today there's a new piece of TCG artwork on the European site. Featuring a "hot warlock [who] is hot" (as WoW Insider's Mike Schramm put it), she's got a nasty arrow sticking out of her. Perhaps Blizzard is saying Hunters can kill Warlocks?Doubtful, I'd just Death Coil.
Gallery Nucleus' Art of Blizzard show
Penny Arcade made mention of this in a recent news post: Gallery Nucleus in the town of Alhambra, California, will host a showing of artwork from the talented artists of Blizzard, this Saturday, March 8th, from 7 to 11 PM. It's not known exactly how many pieces of concept artwork will be shown, but it gets better: each piece shown is purchasable, with the evening's proceeds to benefit Child's Play, the wonderful organization we posted about before. You'll also get a chance to speak with the devs and artists of Blizzard and maybe get a little insight into how they work their magic.But wait, there's more! The evening will also see live demos of the World of Warcraft trading card game at Nucleus' new gallery space one block over. You can read the event information on this downloadable PDF. Gorgeous galleries, fascinating conversation, and absorbing gameplay -- what more could you ask for? That's easy: someone make this a traveling show!
Upper Deck's Spectral Safari tourney is tomorrow
Tomorrow's the big day for the Spectral Safari tournament that Upper Deck is organizing. At various locations all around the country, TCG players will be competing for prizes of all kinds, including the coveted Spectral Tiger mount. The good folks at Upper Deck have also posted a guide for would-be tiger winners -- they've broken down a few classes in the TCG game, so even if you haven't been practicing maniacally for the last few months, you can still read up and and have a chance at winning the tournament.And don't forget that even if you're not playing, Upper Deck wants you to go anyway; send them pictures or reports of the event, and you might get chosen to win even more prizes. And if you do go, drop us a note here on WoW Insider about what it was like -- obviously, UD is hoping for this to be a big event tomorrow, so it'll be interesting to see who shows up at the various locations. If you are going to compete, good luck! Win yourself a tiger mount!
A closer look at the WoW miniatures
Are you looking around your WoWspace and thinking, "gee, I could really use more World of Warcraft action figures" then you may just be in luck. As we announced recently, coming this fall, from Upper Deck Entertainment, is the World of Warcraft Miniatures Game. You will be able to acquire miniatures that will serve as both game pieces and collectibles, as each one "will be mounted on a uniquely engineered removable base". Each miniature will reportedly be a highly detailed 3-D rendering of characters in the game, including not only each race and class, but bigwigs like Thrall and, evidently, Leeroy Jenkins, who has already appeared in the Trading Card Game. Your minis will face their opponents in head-on battles as well as raid and dungeon scenarios, which can include player co-operation, much like in-game. These little guys and gals even have their own site, over at WoWMinis.com. Let's take a sneak peak, shall we?
TCG's new pet enlarging loot card.
I've never actually had the privilege of playing the WoW Trading Card Game on account of living in China, where they don't sell this sort of stuff. But I always love to see the special items from loot cards you can find in the TGC. I've seen people with the spectral tiger a couple of times, as well as a bunch of people with the picnic grill and even a dragon kite. But with their latest expansion pack, Servants of the Betrayer (they come out with expansion packs right quick compared to Blizzard, don't they?), they've added a "super-common" loot card. Apparently every single booster box full of smaller booster packets is supposed to have two of these things, a "Papa Hummel's Old-Fashioned Pet Biscuit," so pretty soon we may find this sort of item becoming rather ubiquitous. You'll also be able to use it with each of the characters you play, rather than having to choose just one.But what exactly does it do? As you can see in the pic above, taken from their website, it'll make your non-combat pet you have grow significantly in size, up to the size of a normal hunter pet. But for me the really exciting thing is that it will enlarge your hunter and warlock pets too! I've always wanted to have a hunter with a huge pet, much bigger than my actual character for roleplay reasons, but it seems this might even be an advantage in PvP and Arenas, too, if I made my wing-flapping owl so huge that other players can't see past it so easily, for example. Anyways, this might be the first loot card that is not entirely outside the average player's reach, and especially attractive to two popular classes, no less.
New fan art, wallpaper, and a call for screenshots
Blizzard has been updating the artwork on the official website again, and that means new wallpapers and shiny new fan art! The wallpaper features artwork from the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, so if you play, or are simply a fan of WoW-themed depictions, it might be time to update your desktop background. As for the fan art, much of it is holiday and Winter's Veil-themed, which often makes for some humorous images. Aside from being ever on the lookout for new fan artwork, Blizzard is also asking for some top-notch screenshots of Auchindoun: Auchenai Crypts. They would like to see depictions of the architecture and the scenery, in addition to combat. If your screenshots are selected, as always, they will appear in the World of Warcraft Guide, along with your character's name. For a list of banned subject matter, screenshot-taking tips, and a drop-down menu featuring every area of which Blizz is needing screenshots, visit the Screenshot Submission Form. While you're in the mood to snap some great shots, don't forget to take some holiday-themed ones, and enter Blizzard's latest holiday contest, to win some decent prizes!
"Feast of Winter Veil" collector's set available now
The holiday-themed collector's edition TCG set that we've been anticipating since our August meeting with some folks from Upper Deck is now available for purchase, and will be shipped as early as November 14th. Modeled after the in-game holiday of Winter's Veil, each set will include the following exclusive content: Ten cards, usable in any deck, all featuring new content. Two pet mini-cards for further customization. A holiday deck box featuring Feast of Winter Veil artwork. Three booster packs! One Heroes of Azeroth, one Dark Portal, and one Fires of Outland pack. Although there are no online loot cards to be had, this collector's set will still make an excellent Christmas gift, even if you're buying it for yourself! If you're still not convinced, head on over and check out a preview of some of the cards, as well as the original artwork.
Legends of Norrath expansion announced
The Legends of Norrath trading card game was only released a few months ago, but already Sony Online Entertainment is planning for the future. This past week they announced the first expansion to the title, Forsworn. Combined with Oathbound, the current card set, Forsworn will open up a series of new options for the player. Set highlights include: 2 on 2 multiplayer - small scale team combat to change up the game types. New Avatar Races - The high elves and the Iksar will join the game, opening up new Light and Shadow options. Raids - Groups of players, each with their own deck, can team up to take on AI opponents of great power. Players who complete enough of the single-player content can actually run these raid decks against their fellow players. New Loot Cards - Up to twenty new cards representing in-game items will be released with this set. New single-player scenarios, pitting your avatar against the forces that oppose the Seventh Hammer and the Tribunal. The single-player elements will introduce new game concepts, like the Overwhelm, Sentinel, and Reinforce key words. There's no word yet on when the set will be released, and more features are promised in the future.
Playing the WoW TCG at BlizzCon
I've never really had an opportunity to play Upper Deck's World of Warcraft-based TCG. Sure, I own some cards, I've skimmed the rulebook, and shuffled through them admiring the artwork. But my friends all play World of Warcraft -- not the TCG, which means I've never really had an opportunity to play the game. But with our BlizzCon goody bags we received a free Heroes of Azeroth starter pack and an invitation to bring our sealed pack of cards to their beginners' tournaments -- so Saturday afternoon, after getting a game demo from one of the members of the Upper Deck team, I signed up to see what gameplay was really like.So if you're curious for a beginner's look at the game and how it plays -- keep reading!
WoW TCG Card "Lady Kath" honors mother with brain cancer
Reader Dave let us know about a moving article by Brian Kibler, one of the designers behind the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game. He writes about how his mother had supported him growing up with his passion for trading card games, believing in him every step of the way while at the same time often struggling with poor health. In 2006 though, he found out she had been diagnosed with brain cancer, and he heard her say the fateful words, "Brian... I'm going to die.""It was that day that I realized I had to do something for her," Brian writes, "It was that day that I told Danny that I didn't care what it took-we were putting a card for her into set two. It was that day that Lady Kath was born."I'm told Lady Kath is one of the most powerful cards in the game, a paladin who heals all her allies at the end of each turn -- just as in real life, Brian's mother was a nurse who "strove to help others whenever and however she could," even when she herself was in poor health. On her card is written: "Her strength and warmth touch all those who cross her path."
WoW TCG Molten Core Battlegrounds this weekend
If you're a fan of the WoW Trading Card Game, you'll want to head to your local retailer this weekend for a special Molten Core Raid Deck Battleground. This is the most casual level of tournament play. For a $5 entry fee you can play your Hero with others to form a raid party against Ragnaros. Every Hero will receive a randomly selected the Raid Deck's treasure pack. If your group defeats Rag, you will also get to keep whatever treasure cards drop from him, possibly even Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnoras.The official site has all the details plus a very extensive list of all the retail outlets that will be running this event.
New Molten Core Raid Deck released
The constant expansion of the Warcraft universe never ceases to amaze me. We've seen novels, free online manga, credit cards, clothing, soundtracks, boardgames, a pen & paper RPG system, plus the tightly-under-wraps movie. And now, the newest addition to their Trading Card Game: the limited-edition Molten Core Raid Deck.Upper Deck Entertainment has announced this new deck has shipped to retail outlets. What's cool about it is you can either play the heroes fighting Ragnaros or, get this, you can play Ragnaros himself. He has his own deck and comes with ten loot cards to unseal when defeated. There are also many other Molten Core bosses to face down including Lucifron and Majordomo Executus.And let's not forget the randomly inserted cards that give players access to in-game items. Anyone looking to learn more can head to the WoW TCG official site for demos, instructions and previews of different cards. They also have an online walkthrough of the new deck in three parts. So who among the WoW Insider faithful enjoy the Trading Card Game? Let's hear from you!
Around Azeroth: The elusive turtle mount
Reader Steve sends in this lovely shot of the rare turtle mount, which you too may be able to find if you buy enough packs of WoW TCG cards. It's slightly Photoshoped to give it that proper photorealistic effect. Not half bad, if I do say so myself.Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! You can attach a picture file or send us a link to one -- and don't worry about formatting, we'll take care of that part.
WoW Moviewatch: The Real Speedy
I lament the low quality of this video, but am still amused by it. In it Azric of Eldre'thalas rides from Tirisfal Glades to Stranglethorn -- on a turtle mount, acquired by obtaining a rather rare TCG card. The mount was advertised early on as traveling at 100% speed -- though, on clarification, 100% speed seems to be normal run speed. So... even with most of the video sped up, it's a 7 minute run trip across the Eastern Kingdoms.
