The very first of these is a customizable dice game … Demon Dice! (Created, if you must know, by legendary game designers Lester Smith and Timothy Brown.) Construct demons from spare parts and then battle against your friends! Print the die-faces on sticker paper, cut, and affix to standard six-sided (or blank-face) dice. The rules and everything you need to know are provided with the free download. Click the logo below and grab your copy!

(Front page image – Wikipedia Commons – Public domain Via Arthur Waley)

“The chance to work on Metamorphosis Alpha is really exciting,” says Jamie Chambers, President of Signal Fire Studios. “It’s a fun mix of nostalgia for those who’ve followed MA over the years, new rules for fans of D&D4e, and a chance to really embrace the ‘dungeon in space’ concept that the original game was created with.” The story of Metamorphosis Alpha centers on the Starship Warden, a massive generation ship stricken by a catastrophe. Its population of humans, plants, and animals are left mutated and unaware that the world they live on is actually a huge vessel traveling among the stars.

The Metamorphosis Alpha Player’s Guide is the first product in the series, and offers many new options for D&D players. It includes new races, from genetically-altered humans to self-aware plants. Four brand-new character classes, one for each of the game’s tactical roles, draw on the Mutant power source. Each is supplemented by paragon paths, epic destinies, and feats. The book also expands upon the skill system, adding the Tech skill and rules for discovering and understanding high-tech items. The book is tentatively set for publication in January 2010.

The Starship Warden sourcebook offers a comprehensive campaign setting for the 4th edition D&D rules. It gives the Dungeon Master an array of mutant creatures, androids, and other threats to challenge the heroes. In addition, this second book includes suggestions for ways to integrate the new rules with other settings or the creation of original campaigns that mix the science fiction and fantasy elements in exciting new ways.

James M. Ward, the creator and author of Metamorphosis Alpha for TSR, Inc. in the 1970s and designer of the classic MA’s own Fourth Edition, looks forward to this newest version of his creation. “D&D 4th Edition is bringing a lot of people back to the exploration, discovery, and tactical fun of the old days of the game,” says Ward. “In the early years of Dragon Magazine I wrote an article about how to combine MA with D&D. These new products will be the first time that idea is fully explored.” Ward is working with the MA design team to offer his insight and vision to the new products.

It’s important to the design team that this iteration of Metamorphosis Alpha offers the best of both worlds. “I want our MA books to be fully compatible and interchangeable with existing D&D4e and GSL products,” says Chambers. “If someone wants to play a Mutant Feline Enforcer in a traditional fantasy world, the rules will support that. If a wormhole opens up and drops a Warlock into the middle of the Warden, that won’t be a huge problem, either. There’s a lot of great options, so each gaming group can make use of the new Metamorphosis Alpha products in whatever way they want. It’s fantasy meeting science-fiction head on.”

The Metamorphosis Alpha product line for D&D 4th Edition is being produced under the terms of the Game System License from Wizards of the Coast. Full details and release dates for the first two products, as well as news regarding adventures, sourcebooks, and online support materials will be announced soon.

www.metamorphosisalpha.net
www.signalfirestudios.com

Contact:

Jamie Chambers
jamie@signalfirestudios.com

Artwork by Dan Bryce

Signal Fire Studios and the SF logo are trademarks owned by Signal Fire Studios LLC. All rights reserved. Metamorphosis Alpha and its logo are trademarks owned by James M. Ward. Used with permission. The use of another company’s trademarks is for reference only. No violation of copyright or trademark ownership is intended.

We’ve got our initial plans in place for traditional book releases through hobby and book distribution, eBook/PDF products to be sold online, and bonus game content that we’ll put online for free. We’ll be using the D&D 4th Edition, and new sets of rules that we’ll be announcing soon.

So come in and make yourself at home. There isn’t much here yet, but soon there will be!