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The Daily Grind: What do you think of table-top games?

by Samuel Axon Oct 10th 2008 at 8:00AM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Culture, Warhammer Online, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Trading card games

There exists a very close relationship between MMOs and table-top games.

Yesterday saw the launch of Ethernauts, the fifth expansion to EverQuest-related collectible trading card game Legends of Norrath. LoN is digital, but gameplay-wise, it's totally a table-top game. World of Warcraft has an entirely material trading card game. Warhammer Online is of course based on the Warhammer miniatures game, and WoW is getting a miniatures game of its own. And of course, the RPG genre originated on the table-top with Dungeons & Dragons.

We're wondering: how much crossover is there between digital and table-top games? How many of our readers play them? Tell us! What do you think of table-top games?

Tags: ccg, collectible-card-game, discussion, dungeons-and-dragons, ethernauts, everquest, legends-of-norrath, lon, miniatures, opinion, pen-and-paper, role-playing-game, rpg, table-top, tcg, tdg, the-daily-grind, trading-card-game, warhammer, warhammer-online, world-of-warcraft

World of Warcraft
Legends of Norrath launches fifth expansion: Ethernauts

by Samuel Axon Oct 9th 2008 at 7:30PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, EverQuest II, News items, Trading card games

Today marks the release of the fifth expansion to the Legends of Norrath digital trading card game -- Ethernauts. More than 280 cards join the existing arsenal, including four avatar cards, two new unit races, and 20 loot cards. They all play into a story that sets the stage for EverQuest II's upcoming The Shadow Odyssey expansion. In fact, there are even some scenarios based on never-before-seen TSO content.

In an attempt to give would-be newbies an incentive to buy in, SOE has also introduced the Legendary Starter Pack at the price of $19.99. If you're a vet, though, you can pick up Ethernauts booster packs for $2.99 each. Current EverQuest or EQ2 subscribers will get a free starter deck, 'cause, y'know -- you're not hooked on Norrath enough already, right?

Oh, and there are a bunch of special events all weekend celebrating the launch.
Well met, fellow Norrathian! Make sure to check out all of our coverage of the next EverQuest II expansion, The Shadow Odyssey as well as Seeds of Destruction, the next expansion to EverQuest!

Gallery: Legends of Norrath: Ethernauts

TemperenceGeotic RuneTailor's TrainerVision of the VoidFamiliar of the Armored Worg

Source

Tags: avatar-cards, booster-packs, breaking, ccg, collectible-card-game, eq, eq2, eqii, ethernauts, everquest, everquest-2, everquest-ii, expansion, expansion-set, legendary-starter-pack, legends-of-norrath, loot-cards, races, soe, tcg, the-shadow-odyssey, trading-card-game

World of Warcraft
EverQuest 2 team delves into The Shadow Odyssey's dungeon lore

by Michael Zenke Oct 9th 2008 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Expansions, Lore


We're still a little more than a month away from the release of EverQuest II's next expansion, The Shadow Odyssey. Ramping up to that November 18th launch the folks at SOE have been releasing information about some of the dungeons coming in the expansion, and allowing players entrance to a fantastic playable preview of the Veksar crypts. Now they're offering up more details on specific subwings of some of the Shadow Odyssey delves.

Head down the rabbit hole to explore the Necrotic Asylum portion of Befallen, and Mayong Mistmoore's personal sanctuary Mistmyr Manor. There are a ton of restless undead to face in the Asylum, and Mistmoore's lackeys are seriously living-challenged to boot. Meanwhile the return to Guk will have a lot of EverQuest fans cheering. Take a look at the official site's look at the Guk Stronghold and (deeper in) the challenges and horrors of Lower Guk. Ribbit!

Gallery: EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey Dungeons

Well met, fellow Norrathian! Make sure to check out all of our coverage of the next EverQuest II expansion, The Shadow Odyssey as well as Seeds of Destruction, the next expansion to EverQuest!

Tags: eq2, everquest-2, expansion, lore, soe, sony-online-entertainment, the-shadow-odyssey

World of Warcraft
EverQuest 2 Game Update 49 goes live

by Michael Zenke Oct 7th 2008 at 1:30PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Patches


It's been a bit of a wait for this one, but finally the fan-anticipated Game Update 49 has gone live on the EverQuest 2 servers. We had a chance to preview all of the great new content that SOE has put into the game late last month. Go check out our post to get a look at the fantastic new guild halls, an extension of the current quest line for the Void Storms world event, and (among other things) the ability to resize housing items. The other big pull for GU49 is, of course, the newly-revamped leveling curve that players will be able to surf. Expect to make it to make level a lot faster after today.

Allakhazam has a number of guides that will help you out with this content as well. Head on over there to check out their guide to the new Guild Halls and their amenities, as well as a walkthrough for the Void Storms world event. For fully formatted patch notes, click on through below the cut!

Gallery: EverQuest 2 GU 49 Sneak Peek

D.I.R.T.Y. Gnomes!Gone Diggin'Sarnak-sizedI Shall Call You Mini-MeRoast Boar?
Well met, fellow Norrathian! Make sure to check out all of our coverage of the next EverQuest II expansion, The Shadow Odyssey as well as Seeds of Destruction, the next expansion to EverQuest!

Continue reading EverQuest 2 Game Update 49 goes live


Tags: breaking, eq2, eq2-gu-49, everquest-2, expansion, patch, soe, sony-online-entertainment, the-shadow-odyssey

World of Warcraft
Legends of Norrath Ethernauts card preview: Temperence

by Michael Zenke Oct 7th 2008 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Legends of Norrath

Our third and final Legends of Norrath preview card for the Ethernauts set is on display this morning. Ethernauts releases this Thursday, so this card brings our preview series for LoN Expansion 6. We've previously talked about several other 'card counter' mechanic offerings, including the personal attack card Vicious Assault and the pet buff Geotic Rune. Today, finally, we have a defensive card using the card counter mechanic; a quick flip of the wrist to get you out of a tight spot.

This past week we also took a look at some of the loot cards coming with this set. Those and all three of our preview cards are in our gallery for the set, below. Check them out, and get ready for the Legends of Norrath expansion's launch the day after tomorrow. Read on below the cut for a closer look at Temperence.

Gallery: Legends of Norrath: Ethernauts

TemperenceGeotic RuneTailor's TrainerVision of the VoidFamiliar of the Armored Worg

Continue reading Legends of Norrath Ethernauts card preview: Temperence


Tags: card-preview, cards, eq, eq2, ethernauts, everquest, everquest-2, featured, legends-of-norrath, lon, preview, soe, sony-online-entertainment

World of Warcraft
SOE's John Smedley talks the console future of MMOs

by Michael Zenke Oct 4th 2008 at 3:00PM

Filed under: EverQuest, EverQuest II, Interviews, Free Realms, DC Universe Online


Our discussions with Sony Online Entertainment's CEO John Smedley have touched on a number of issues. The changing face of Star Wars Galaxies, the company's connection to Live Gamer, and even the possibility of sequels to Free Realms. In a recent discussion with MTV Multiplayer, Mr. Smedley expanded on many of these issues and reconfirmed the innovative vision of SOE's future development. In the CEO's words, every game the company makes in the future will be playable on a console ... one would imagine Sony's.

The executive also notes the company's commitment to expanding the appeal of MMOs with non-fantasy titles. Smedley also notes the company's efforts to appeal more to women with titles like DC Universe Online. That said, fans of the company's headlining franchise shouldn't worry too much about its future: "It's pretty safe to say that "EverQuest" has not seen its last game. So we've got our own cards to play there, and I think we will play them at the right time. But the quality level will be something that people will be very happy with." Read on to MTV Multiplayer for the full interview.

Tags: consoles, dc-universe-online, dcuo, free-realms, interview, john-smedley, soe, sony-online-entertainment

World of Warcraft
Legends of Norrath Ethernauts loot card preview

by Michael Zenke Oct 2nd 2008 at 10:30AM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Trading card games, Legends of Norrath


We've been walking through some previews of the Legends of Norrath cards over the last two weeks, and now SOE has some more 'fun stuff' to show off. We have three brand-new loot cards to show off. Two are transformations for your EverQuest II character, and the third is a brand-new pet for your EverQuest character. Check out Allakhazam for even more EQ2 and EQ loot card hijinks!. Plus, keep your eyes on Massively for more loot card information soon, and another preview card through next week!

Gallery: Legends of Norrath: Ethernauts

TemperenceGeotic RuneTailor's TrainerVision of the VoidFamiliar of the Armored Worg
Well met, fellow Norrathian! Make sure to check out all of our coverage of the next EverQuest II expansion, The Shadow Odyssey as well as Seeds of Destruction, the next expansion to EverQuest!

Continue reading Legends of Norrath Ethernauts loot card preview


Tags: eq, eq2, everquest, everquest-2, featured, legends-of-norrath, lon, loot-cards

World of Warcraft
Legends of Norrath Ethernauts card preview: Geotic Rune

by Michael Zenke Sep 30th 2008 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Trading card games, Legends of Norrath

Last week we began our latest preview series for the upcoming expansion to the TCG Legends of Norrath: Ethernauts. Vicious Assault, last week's card, introduced the 'card counter' mechanic that is taking a bow in this newest expansion. This week's preview card, Geotic Rune, utilizes that same mechanic to provide an all-new level of power to a very traditional Mage deck build.

Another early-to-midgame card, Geotic Rune will increase the power level of all those 'pet decks' out there. It sounds in general like pet fans will be getting a few treats in Ethernauts, a topic touched on in this week's designer analysis. SOE-Denver's Evan Lorentz joins us once again to discuss how Geotic Rune fits into the new expansion to Legends of Norrath, and where you might end up using it in your decks.

Read on below the cut for full details.

Continue reading Legends of Norrath Ethernauts card preview: Geotic Rune


Tags: eq, eq2, ethernauts, everquest, everquest-2, featured, legends-of-norrath, lon, soe, sony-online-entertainment

World of Warcraft
EverQuest 2 features full-on "double XP" weekend Sept. 26-29

by Michael Zenke Sep 25th 2008 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Events, in-game, Leveling


We just recently announced, via the official forums, SOE's plan to dramatically increase the speed of leveling in EverQuest 2. That's a first for the game, a title that has always had a rather lengthy grind, and will be coming in Game Update 49. This weekend will see another first: an honest-to-goodness double XP weekend. Previous bonus xp weekends have been merely 'bonus' weekends, with a varying percentage of additional xp on top of the norm. Playing this weekend will net you 2x the XP you'd normally get from questing and adventuring.

Be sure to check out our coverage of other changes coming in GU 49, including the massive new guild halls and plenty of new quests for the ongoing live event! We didn't get a chance to cover it in our tour, but there are going to be a bunch of new updates to armor appearances too! We also recently checked out the new Veksar dungeon, which might be well worth your time to explore. Happy hunting!
Well met, fellow Norrathian! Make sure to check out all of our coverage of the next EverQuest II expansion, The Shadow Odyssey as well as Seeds of Destruction, the next expansion to EverQuest!

Tags: eq2, everquest-2, soe, sony-online-entertainment

World of Warcraft
Beckett MOG magazine offers in-game items for WAR, EQ2 and more

by Shawn Schuster Sep 24th 2008 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Business models, Culture, Warhammer Online, Mabinogi, Kids

Beckett Massive Online Gamer magazine, the publication all about MMOs and all the stuff we love best, has just announced a collection of exclusive in-game items they're including in their magazine's issue #15. These items include the following:

  • The special Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning in-game item is the Vanquisher's Emerald Band. The item offers +2 to all stats, plus a special effect that gives you a chance to inflict additional corporeal damage.
  • The exclusive EverQuest 2 in-game item is a Limited Edition Guild Hall Statue. EverQuest 2 players can now proudly display this unique item in their Guild Halls.
  • This issue of MOG also features two in-game items, a Cat Club weapon and Special Cat Earmuffs, for Nexon America's Mabinogi. Players can now customize characters in a feline way using these two new items.

As an added bonus, the first 1,000 people who subscribe to the magazine online will be emailed an exclusive key code within one business day, so they can enjoy their in-game item right away. This special issue will go on sale the week of September 28 at your favorite book store or magazine stand.

Tags: beckett-massive-online-gamer, everquest-2, giveaway, in-game-item, mog, mythic, soe, sony, war, warhammer-online

World of Warcraft
Explore the dungeons of EverQuest 2's Shadow Odyssey expansion!

by Michael Zenke Sep 24th 2008 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Video, EverQuest II, Expansions


There are a bevy of brand-new screenshots and an all-new trailer out for the dungeons of Shadow Odyssey, the next expansion to Sony Online's EverQuest 2. The new screens center on the mysterious resting place of Miragul's phylactery, the mystical talisman that keeps the ancient lich tied to the physical realm. Others explore The Void itself, the high-end dungeon tied directly into the expansion's backstory.

Click through to the gallery for these images, or through below the cut to watch the video exploring both of these locales and more!

Gallery: EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey Dungeons

Well met, fellow Norrathian! Make sure to check out all of our coverage of the next EverQuest II expansion, The Shadow Odyssey as well as Seeds of Destruction, the next expansion to EverQuest!

Continue reading Explore the dungeons of EverQuest 2's Shadow Odyssey expansion!


Tags: eq2, everquest-2, everquest-ii, expansion, soe, sony-online-entertainment, the-shadow-odyssey, tso

World of Warcraft
Sneak peek at EverQuest 2 Game Update 49, and Guild Halls!

by Michael Zenke Sep 24th 2008 at 11:30AM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Guilds, Patches, Player Housing, Massively Hands-on


The march of progress rolls forward in EverQuest 2! Coming soon to the world of Norrath is the 49th update to SOE's flagship title. GU49 adds in the latest chapter in the ongoing Void Storms world event and gives player housing a whole new breath of life ... but what players are really waiting for are the huge new structures they'll be able to own in-game.

With Game Update 49 comes the brand-new guild halls. Guild fortresses would be a better term, as these enormous structures tower over the Commonlands and Antonica, proving well and truly who the mightiest of these player organizations are. Whether you're a Freeport guild or a Qeynos guild, you'll find the change in scnery most welcome. Join us as we explore the guild halls through video and screenshots, check out the newest live event in the game, and see how all your EverQuest 2 crafting buddies are going to be going ga-ga for growth!

Gallery: EverQuest 2 GU 49 Sneak Peek

D.I.R.T.Y. Gnomes!Gone Diggin'Sarnak-sizedI Shall Call You Mini-MeRoast Boar?
Well met, fellow Norrathian! Make sure to check out all of our coverage of the next EverQuest II expansion, The Shadow Odyssey as well as Seeds of Destruction, the next expansion to EverQuest!

Continue reading Sneak peek at EverQuest 2 Game Update 49, and Guild Halls!


Tags: eq2, eq2-gu-49, everquest-2, featured, guild-halls, soe, sony-online-entertainment

World of Warcraft
Legends of Norrath Ethernauts card preview: Vicious Assault

by Michael Zenke Sep 23rd 2008 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Trading card games, Legends of Norrath

We announced the upcoming expansion to Legends of Norrath just a little less than two weeks ago. Already the release date for the new card set is approaching, and for the next few weeks we'll be offering up a preview-card-a-week to familiarize you with the expansion's new game elements. The art for the new set meets the standard set by previous expansions, and this time around we'll be trying to include comments from card designers along with the actual art itself.

Today we're previewing 'Vicious Assault', an early-to-midgame ability that starts an avatar-on-avatar combat. SOE Denver's Evan Lorentz walks us through the card and its use; despite the ability itself being fairly straightforward, the new set offers up some different takes on tried-and-true LoN strategies.

Read on below the cut for the full card art and Lorentz's take.

Continue reading Legends of Norrath Ethernauts card preview: Vicious Assault


Tags: eq, eq2, ethernauts, everquest, everquest-2, featured, legends-of-norrath, soe, sony-online-entertainment

World of Warcraft
The Daily Grind: How's EQ2 treatin' ya?

by Samuel Axon Sep 19th 2008 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Opinion, The Daily Grind

A while back we checked in with players of The Lord of the Rings Online to see how their experiences were going. Most responses were positive, with a few folks saying they had quit due to boredom. Now we'd like to check in another game -- this one a little older. EverQuest II went head to head with World of Warcraft. It's clear that if we're just counting subscribers, WoW is the winner. But maybe quality trumps quantity.

So how is the quality of one of the world's only surviving MMO sequels these days? SOE has certainly had time to refine the game. There have been four expansions to date, with another one coming up very soon. Do you go to the Fan Faires? Do you already have four level 80s? Will the mid-level experience boost bring you back for more?

Tell us: how's EQ2 treatin' ya?

Tags: discussion, eq2, eqii, everquest-2, everquest-ii, expansion, experience, fan-faire-2008, opinion, soe-fan-faire, tdg, the-daily-grind, the-shadow-odyssey, world-of-warcraft

World of Warcraft
The Shadow Odyssey's Befallen dungeon featured at EQ2 website

by Samuel Axon Sep 18th 2008 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, EverQuest II, Expansions, Lore


SOE posted a preview of Befallen, one of the classic EverQuest dungeons that will be reborn in EverQuest II's upcoming The Shadow Odyssey expansion. Included are several screenshots of the dungeon along with its background in the game's lore. The aesthetic of the old Befallen seems to be preserved -- and amplified -- in EQ2's newer graphics engine.

The story goes something like this: a bunch of Knights of Marr built the keep in the Commonlands as a headquarters in their quest to chase off the giants and orcs that terrorized the people in the countryside. Their fortress became their tomb, though, as orcs laid siege to the keep. A warrior named Gynok Moltor came to them to help, but it turned out that he had been cursed. He betrayed the Knights and turned Befallen into the dangerous mass grave that it is today.

It's standard fantasy fare. Cool enough, but we're sure most of you just care about the loot.
Well met, fellow Norrathian! Make sure to check out all of our coverage of the next EverQuest II expansion, The Shadow Odyssey as well as Seeds of Destruction, the next expansion to EverQuest!

Source

Tags: befallen, commonlands, curse, dungeon, eq, eq2, eqii, everquest, everquest-2, everquest-ii, expansion, giants, gynok-moltor, lore, marr, orcs, order-of-marr, screenshots, soe, the-shadow-odyssey, tso, undead

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