Joseph A. McCullough – författare

Empires have fallen, and the land is broken. The great oathmarks that once stood as testaments to the allegiances and might of nations have crumbled into ruin. In this lost age, fealty and loyalty are as valuable as gold and as deadly as cold iron, and war is ever-present.Created by Joseph A. McCullough, designer of Frostgrave and Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago, Oathmark is a mass-battle fantasy wargame that puts you in command of the fantasy army you’ve always wanted, whether a company of stalwart dwarves or a mixed force with proud elves, noble men, and wild goblins standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the battle-line. Fight through an integrated campaign system and develop your realms from battle to battle, adding new territories, recruiting new troop types, and growing to eclipse your rivals… or lose what you fought so hard to gain and fall as so many would-be emperors before you.

A solo/cooperative skirmish wargame of heroism and adventure in the realms of Greek myth.In an age of monsters, humanity is besieged, sheltering in isolated city states as the forces of destruction ravage the land. There is a spark of hope, however – the demigods. These heroes, born of the gods and granted some of the power of their divine parents, stand fast against the chaos. Explorers, warriors, and diplomats, they sail the wine-dark sea, seeking adventure, battling horrific creatures, and protecting the helpless.Warriors of Athena can be played in three ways: solo, with one brave hero leading their crew into the unknown; cooperatively, with heroes banding together for a great expedition; or with one player taking on the role of Oracle, scripting scenarios and presenting challenges for the heroes to overcome.This Heroes book contains all the core rules needed to play Warriors of Athena. With simple D20-based mechanics, the rules are quick to pick up, while an extensive range of character options, from arms and armour to divine origins, abilities, and treasures to discover, makes your heroes your own. Create your demigod, assemble their loyal crew, and set out into the perilous Aegean to forge a legend!Players will also need the rules for scenarios and adversaries found in Warriors of Athena: Quests to make full use of this book.

A solo/cooperative skirmish wargame of heroism and adventure in the realms of Greek myth.In an age of monsters, humanity is besieged, sheltering in isolated city states as the forces of destruction ravage the land. There is a spark of hope, however – the demigods. These heroes, born of the gods and granted some of the power of their divine parents, stand fast against the chaos. Explorers, warriors, and diplomats, they sail the wine-dark sea, seeking adventure, battling horrific creatures, and protecting the helpless.Warriors of Athena can be played in three ways: solo, with one brave hero leading their crew into the unknown; cooperatively, with heroes banding together for a great expedition; or with one player taking on the role of Oracle, scripting scenarios and presenting challenges for the heroes to overcome.This Quests book contains the rules needed to adventure in the world of Warriors of Athena, including an extensive bestiary of gods, monsters, and other adversaries. Advice for players looking to build their own solo, cooperative, or Oracle-plotted adventures is also provided, while four multi-scenario campaigns allow them to dive straight into the action!Players will also need the rules for play, creating Heroes, and assembling warbands found in Warriors of Athena: Heroes to make full use of this book.

This new edition of the multi-award-winning fantasy skirmish wargame offers improved rules based on years of player feedback, a revised spell list, and a host of brand-new scenarios. It remains fully compatible with all previously published Frostgrave supplements, allowing players to revisit past adventures as well as face new challenges. Choose a wizard from one of ten schools of magic, and select from a list of eighty spells. Hire a warband filled with soldiers, from lowly thugs and thieves to mighty knights and barbarians, then lead your men into the frozen ruins of the magic city of Frostgrave on the hunt for ancient treasures and the secrets of lost magic. Be warned – it is a deadly place, filled with rival wizards, wandering monsters, animated constructs, and demonic entities. Do you dare enter the Frozen City one more time?

Time is the bane of all kings. Always does it march forward, bringing change and challenges, wars and disasters, invaders and internal rebellion. This supplement for Oathmark: Battles of the Lost Age, focuses on the passage of time and its effect on a players kingdom. While wars and battle still determine their ultimate fate, many other events can affect the armies of a kingdom. Plagues and blights can reduce access to soldiers from specific territories. Attempted coups can cost a king some of his best generals. On the other hand, unexpected alliances might give a kingdom access to unusual troops, or the birth of a new heir might bring wondrous presents.Along with the rules for the passing of years, this book also presents the option to train your units to fight in special formations, such as phalanxes, shield walls, and skirmish lines. These will allow players to use their existing armies to try out new strategies and tactics to swing their battle in their favour. This book also includes several new military expeditions, including numerous scenarios, to once again challenge a player’s generalship.

Recruit new soldiers, face new foes, and explore the mysteries of the Carpathian Mountains in two new campaigns, one competitive and one for solo or cooperative play.High in the Carpathian Mountains stands the crumbling Castle Fier. Once home to a powerful warlord, the castle cast a dark shadow across the nearby villages, until crusaders attacked with sword and flame to put an end to its menace. Though history passed into folklore, the ruins of Castle Fier remained shunned by all as a cursed site. Now, horrors have been seen moving at night. An army gathers. Something has awoken in the ruins. With the political situation in the surrounding region becoming increasingly unstable, France, Prussia, Britain, and the other powers have dispatched their best agents to investigate the ruins, eliminate any threats, and acquire any treasures that could prove useful in the ongoing fight against the harvestmen… and each other.The Carpathians: Castle Fier is a supplement for The Silver Bayonet: A Wargame of Napoleonic Gothic Horror, in which the special units must fight their way through the ruins of a menacing haunted castle. It features two campaigns – one competitive and one for solo or cooperative play – as well as new monsters to fight, soldiers to recruit, and treasure to unearth.

With this new supplement for Frostgrave, players can lead their warbands into the vast network of catacombs, sewers, and dungeons that run underneath the Frozen City. It was in these dark confines that the ancient wizards known as Beastcrafters experimented on living creatures, creating strange hybrids and deadly monsters, many of which still roam the forgotten passageways. Along with a host of new scenarios, treasures, soldiers, and creatures, the book also contains rules for the traps and secret passages that are often found in the dungeons. With wonderful and rare magical treasures to be discovered, will players risk taking their warbands down into the Breeding Pits?

The Frostgrave Folio is the complete collection of all previously released Frostgrave mini-ebook supplements in one printed volume. This includes Hunt for the Golem, a three-scenario campaign in which the warbands hunt down a rogue golem, Sellsword, which introduces rules for experience-gaining captains to help lead warbands, Dark Alchemy, which expands the rules for potions and potion brewing, and Arcane Locations which gives additional options for bases and base upgrades. The book also includes a completely new mini-supplement, The Ravages of Time. Collecting nearly two years' worth of Frostgrave material, this collection is a necessary addition to any wizard’s library.

There are many tales of the Frozen City, and not all of them tell of battles between rival wizards. Often, the greatest adventures are those that pit a wizard and his trusty warband against the myriad perils found amidst the ruins of Felstad.This new supplement for Frostgrave presents rules for playing solo and cooperative games in which the focus shifts from the feuds of wizards to exploring the city, unlocking its mysteries… and surviving what is discovered. With guidelines for scaling game difficulty, dungeon crawls, monster generation, and more, as well as ten scenarios demonstrating these options, this volume offers players everything they need to venture alone – or with allies – into Frostgrave. Why should wizards fight amongst themselves? There is plenty of treasure for all and the Frozen City is enemy enough!

Enhance your Frostgrave campaigns with recurring villains that grow more powerful over time and give your wizards somewhere to hide with expanded rules for bases.On the violent and deadly streets of the Frozen City, feuds and vendettas are commonplace. Wizards may start out focused on discovery and exploration, fighting when necessary for survival or to win possession of some long-lost artefact or grimoire, but such battles can swiftly become intensely personal. Competitors become adversaries and, as the cycle of violence continues, some wizards lose sight of their original goals and focus their efforts on the elimination of their hated foes – their mortal enemies.This supplement for Frostgrave: Fantasy Wargames in the Frozen City presents rules for creating recurring villains in both competitive and solo campaigns. These characters are unique individuals who return over the course of a campaign to plague the players’ wizards, gaining experience, recruiting allies, and becoming more deadly with each appearance. Against such threats, a wizard’s base becomes as much hideout as headquarters, and an expanded range of options for enhancing bases is provided, as are rules for defending your own... and attacking those of your rivals!

Expand your spellbook with Advanced Spellcraft, featuring new options for wizards and a ten-scenario competitive campaign.While today's wizards are not as gifted as those who ruled Felstad, the recent discovery of the fabled Bibliosepulchre promises to change all that. It was in this great library-crypt that ancient librarians were interred, each clutching a rare grimoire. Who knows what strange energies have seeped from those tomes over the centuries or what shadows and ghosts stalk the dark catacombs? Only those truly obsessed with magic and the power it offers would dare to find out!Advanced Spellcraft offers numerous new rules and ideas that bring more spellcasting possibilities to games of Frostgrave. Critical successes and failures for each basic spell are introduced, as are spell-specific flourishes that can be learned to enhance your magic. Create a Furious Quill that leaps from target to target, cast a Draining Word that affects an entire school of magic, or ensnare multiple zombies with Control Undead. Such flourishes take their toll, however, and to even learn such secrets will require you to venture into the Bibliosepulchre itself in a ten-scenario competitive campaign.With hundreds of new tricks for wizards to learn, Advanced Spellcraft is the largest supplement to date, and is presented in celebration of Frostgrave's 10th anniversary.

Dark necromancers have laid claim to forsaken kingdoms and summoned forth the souls of those who defiled their oathmarks. The dead, once again, march to war. As armies of wraiths and skeletal warriors bring destruction to their lands, the small kingdoms of the Marches also turn to the spirits of the dead. Gathering the most ancient and powerful of oathmarks, they recall the spectral forms of those that died in loyal battle to once again come forth in defence of their kingdoms. With these ethereal warriors joining their ranks, the kings of the Marches may yet stand.This supplement for Oathmark: Battles of the Lost Age introduces the forces of the dead to the game. Some armies will use dark magic to summon the souls and corpses of traitors from the past, while others will recall the spirits of loyal warriors that gave their lives and willingly fight again. This book also includes expanded rules for characters, which allow you to chart their progress from battle-to-battle, and watch as they grow in rank, responsibility, and power. All of these rules are then incorporated into a campaign featuring new scenarios that together tell of an epic war for survival.

With its fiery breath, scaly armour, and baleful, malevolent stare, the dragon became the ultimate symbol of evil and corruption in European folklore and mythology. Often serving as a stand-in for Satan, or the power of evil gods, dragons spread death and hopelessness throughout the land. Only heroes of uncommon valour, courageousness, and purity could hope to battle these monsters and emerge victorious. Those that did became legends. They became dragonslayers. The list of dragonslayers is small, but it is filled with great and legendary names. Hercules, Beowulf, Sigfried, and Saint George all battled to the death with dragons. Other heroes such as Cadmus, founder of the city of Thebes, Dieudonné de Gozon, the Knight of Rhodes, and the Russian warrior Dobrynya Nikitch might be less well known to western readers, but also fought and defeated dragons. This book retells the greatest legends of this select group of warriors, while examining the myth of the dragonslayer in a historical, mythological, and even theological context.

With its fiery breath, scaly armour, and baleful, malevolent stare, the dragon became the ultimate symbol of evil and corruption in European folklore and mythology. Often serving as a stand-in for Satan, or the power of evil gods, dragons spread death and hopelessness throughout the land. Only heroes of uncommon valour, courageousness, and purity could hope to battle these monsters and emerge victorious. Those that did became legends. They became dragonslayers. The list of dragonslayers is small, but it is filled with great and legendary names. Hercules, Beowulf, Sigfried, and Saint George all battled to the death with dragons. Other heroes such as Cadmus, founder of the city of Thebes, Dieudonné de Gozon, the Knight of Rhodes, and the Russian warrior Dobrynya Nikitch might be less well known to western readers, but also fought and defeated dragons. This book retells the greatest legends of this select group of warriors, while examining the myth of the dragonslayer in a historical, mythological, and even theological context.

The perfect Christmas gift, this beautiful book explains how the bearded, red clad, big bellied, reindeer driving jovial gent came to be the face of Christmas, and reveals the historical origins of Saint Nicholas over seventeen hundred years ago in the Eastern Roman Empire.In a winding, magical tale filled with mystery and good will towards all men, Joseph McCullough travels across Europe (and the North Pole… of course) to uncover the exploits of Santa in a book that is sure to fill even the most jaded scrooges with a little bit of Christmas magic. And for any nervous parents out there – don''t worry, there are no Father Christmas ''spoilers'' between the pages of this book – ensuring the wonderous children''s whisperings of Santa will continue… for another couple of years at least!

The perfect Christmas gift, this beautiful book explains how the bearded, red clad, big bellied, reindeer driving jovial gent came to be the face of Christmas, and reveals the historical origins of Saint Nicholas over seventeen hundred years ago in the Eastern Roman Empire.In a winding, magical tale filled with mystery and good will towards all men, Joseph McCullough travels across Europe (and the North Pole… of course) to uncover the exploits of Santa in a book that is sure to fill even the most jaded scrooges with a little bit of Christmas magic. And for any nervous parents out there – don''t worry, there are no Father Christmas ''spoilers'' between the pages of this book – ensuring the wonderous children''s whisperings of Santa will continue… for another couple of years at least!

Between 1887 and 1895, the British art student Miles Vandercroft travelled around the world, sketching and painting the soldiers of the countries through which he passed. In this age of dramatic technological advancement, Vandercroft was fascinated by how the rise of steam technology at the start of the American Civil War had transformed warfare and the role of the fighting man. This volume collects all of Vandercroft''s surviving paintings, along with his associated commentary on the specific military units he encountered. It is a unique pictorial guide to the last great era of bright and colourful uniforms, as well as an important historical study of the variety of steam-powered weaponry and equipment that abounded in the days before the Great War of the Worlds.

Between 1887 and 1895, the British art student Miles Vandercroft travelled around the world, sketching and painting the soldiers of the countries through which he passed. In this age of dramatic technological advancement, Vandercroft was fascinated by how the rise of steam technology at the start of the American Civil War had transformed warfare and the role of the fighting man. This volume collects all of Vandercroft''s surviving paintings, along with his associated commentary on the specific military units he encountered. It is a unique pictorial guide to the last great era of bright and colourful uniforms, as well as an important historical study of the variety of steam-powered weaponry and equipment that abounded in the days before the Great War of the Worlds.

A quiz book containing over 1,000 questions about the classics of science-fiction and fantasy drawn from all media.In J. R. R. Tolkien''s The Fellowship of the Ring, what is the name of Tom Bombadil''s wife? Which character does Scarlett Johansson play in the 2012 film The Avengers? Who is the protagonist of the video game The Legend of Zelda? Which barbarian hero carried a sword called “Graywand”?How well do you know the who, where, what, when and how of science fiction and fantasy? Do you dare face the ultimate test of knowledge drawn from the greatest novels, movies, comic books, video games and televisions shows in the history of these genres?Complete with questions ranging from easy to mind-bogglingly hard and including true or false, multiple choice, short answer, and match-up sections, this fun-filled book is the perfect gift for all lovers of science fiction and fantasy.

A quiz book containing over 1,000 questions about the classics of science-fiction and fantasy drawn from all media.In J. R. R. Tolkien''s The Fellowship of the Ring, what is the name of Tom Bombadil''s wife? Which character does Scarlett Johansson play in the 2012 film The Avengers? Who is the protagonist of the video game The Legend of Zelda? Which barbarian hero carried a sword called “Graywand”?How well do you know the who, where, what, when and how of science fiction and fantasy? Do you dare face the ultimate test of knowledge drawn from the greatest novels, movies, comic books, video games and televisions shows in the history of these genres?Complete with questions ranging from easy to mind-bogglingly hard and including true or false, multiple choice, short answer, and match-up sections, this fun-filled book is the perfect gift for all lovers of science fiction and fantasy.

Thaw of the Lich Lord is a complete campaign for Frostgrave that will challenge both new and veteran players. Through a series of linked scenarios, players discover the existence of a new power in the Frozen City, one who was old when the great city was still young, and who saw both its rise and its disastrous fall. Warbands will confront the Lich Lord’s minions, race against his agents to seize possession of mysterious artefacts, and brave the perils of Frostgrave in search of his lair. Eventually, they will need to muster all their courage to venture into the depths of the city and face the Lich Lord himself. Not all wizards will seek to stop the Lich Lord, however, and full rules for giving into his corruption and following the dark road to becoming an undead lich are presented for those who crave power and immortality above all else. While the campaign presents many new threats against which wizards and their warbands must test themselves, including an expanded bestiary, it also offers additional resources, such as new henchmen that can be recruited and unique magical treasures that can spell the difference between survival and oblivion.

Thaw of the Lich Lord is a complete campaign for Frostgrave that will challenge both new and veteran players. Through a series of linked scenarios, players discover the existence of a new power in the Frozen City, one who was old when the great city was still young, and who saw both its rise and its disastrous fall. Warbands will confront the Lich Lord''s minions, race against his agents to seize possession of mysterious artefacts, and brave the perils of Frostgrave in search of his lair. Eventually, they will need to muster all their courage to venture into the depths of the city and face the Lich Lord himself. Not all wizards will seek to stop the Lich Lord, however, and full rules for giving into his corruption and following the dark road to becoming an undead lich are presented for those who crave power and immortality above all else. While the campaign presents many new threats against which wizards and their warbands must test themselves, including an expanded bestiary, it also offers additional resources, such as new henchmen that can be recruited and unique magical treasures that can spell the difference between survival and oblivion.

Thaw of the Lich Lord is a complete campaign for Frostgrave that will challenge both new and veteran players. Through a series of linked scenarios, players discover the existence of a new power in the Frozen City, one who was old when the great city was still young, and who saw both its rise and its disastrous fall. Warbands will confront the Lich Lord''s minions, race against his agents to seize possession of mysterious artefacts, and brave the perils of Frostgrave in search of his lair. Eventually, they will need to muster all their courage to venture into the depths of the city and face the Lich Lord himself. Not all wizards will seek to stop the Lich Lord, however, and full rules for giving into his corruption and following the dark road to becoming an undead lich are presented for those who crave power and immortality above all else. While the campaign presents many new threats against which wizards and their warbands must test themselves, including an expanded bestiary, it also offers additional resources, such as new henchmen that can be recruited and unique magical treasures that can spell the difference between survival and oblivion.

Even as the discovery and exploitation of hephaestium helped bring the Civil War to its close in 1869, the arms race it engendered resulted in a cold war just as bitter and violent as the open hostilities had been. With neither side willing to rely solely upon the talents of their scientific establishments, saboteurs, double-agents, and assassins found ample employment. Against this backdrop of suspicion and fear, thousands of Americans – Northerners and Southerners alike – headed west. Some to escape the legacies of the war, some to find their own land, some for the lure of that great undiscovered strike of hephaestium that would make them rich, and some simply to escape the law. Ahead of these pioneers stood the native tribes, behind them followed the forces of two governments, while to the north and south, foreign powers watched closely for their own opportunities. This newly unearthed collection of the works of Miles Vandercroft fills a considerable gap in our knowledge of the travels of that remarkable individual, and also provides a fascinating guide to the costume and equipment of the forces active in the great drive westwards.

Even as the discovery and exploitation of hephaestium helped bring the Civil War to its close in 1869, the arms race it engendered resulted in a cold war just as bitter and violent as the open hostilities had been. With neither side willing to rely solely upon the talents of their scientific establishments, saboteurs, double-agents, and assassins found ample employment. Against this backdrop of suspicion and fear, thousands of Americans – Northerners and Southerners alike – headed west. Some to escape the legacies of the war, some to find their own land, some for the lure of that great undiscovered strike of hephaestium that would make them rich, and some simply to escape the law. Ahead of these pioneers stood the native tribes, behind them followed the forces of two governments, while to the north and south, foreign powers watched closely for their own opportunities. This newly unearthed collection of the works of Miles Vandercroft fills a considerable gap in our knowledge of the travels of that remarkable individual, and also provides a fascinating guide to the costume and equipment of the forces active in the great drive westwards.

Long ago, the great city of Felstad sat at the centre of a magical empire. Its towering spires, labyrinthine catacombs and immense libraries were the wonder of the age, and potions, scrolls and mystical items of all descriptions poured from its workshops. Then, one cataclysmic night, a mistake was made. In some lofty tower or dark chamber, a foolish wizard unleashed a magic too powerful to control. A storm rose up, an epic blizzard that swallowed the city whole, burying it deep and leaving the empire as nothing more than a vast, frozen wasteland. The empire shattered, and the magic of the world faded. As the centuries came and went, Felstad passed from history to legend and on into myth. Only a few wizards, clinging to the last remnants of magical knowledge, still believed that the lost city had ever actually existed. But their faith was rewarded. After a thousand years, the fell winter has passed. The snows have receded, and Felstad has been uncovered. Its buildings lie in ruins, overrun by undead creatures and magical constructs, the legacy of the empire’s experiments. It is an evil, dangerous place. To the few hardy souls who inhabit the nearby villages, the city has acquired a new name, ‘Frostgrave’, and it is shunned by all right-thinking people. For those who seek power and riches, however, it is an unparalleled opportunity, a deadly maze concealing secrets of knowledge long forgotten... This new fiction anthology collects ten stories of wizards and adventures as they venture into the ruins of the Frozen City.

Long ago, the great city of Felstad sat at the centre of a magical empire. Its towering spires, labyrinthine catacombs and immense libraries were the wonder of the age, and potions, scrolls and mystical items of all descriptions poured from its workshops. Then, one cataclysmic night, a mistake was made. In some lofty tower or dark chamber, a foolish wizard unleashed a magic too powerful to control. A storm rose up, an epic blizzard that swallowed the city whole, burying it deep and leaving the empire as nothing more than a vast, frozen wasteland. The empire shattered, and the magic of the world faded. As the centuries came and went, Felstad passed from history to legend and on into myth. Only a few wizards, clinging to the last remnants of magical knowledge, still believed that the lost city had ever actually existed. But their faith was rewarded. After a thousand years, the fell winter has passed. The snows have receded, and Felstad has been uncovered. Its buildings lie in ruins, overrun by undead creatures and magical constructs, the legacy of the empire''s experiments. It is an evil, dangerous place. To the few hardy souls who inhabit the nearby villages, the city has acquired a new name, ''Frostgrave'', and it is shunned by all right-thinking people. For those who seek power and riches, however, it is an unparalleled opportunity, a deadly maze concealing secrets of knowledge long forgotten... This new fiction anthology collects ten stories of wizards and adventures as they venture into the ruins of the Frozen City.

Long ago, the great city of Felstad sat at the centre of a magical empire. Its towering spires, labyrinthine catacombs and immense libraries were the wonder of the age, and potions, scrolls and mystical items of all descriptions poured from its workshops. Then, one cataclysmic night, a mistake was made. In some lofty tower or dark chamber, a foolish wizard unleashed a magic too powerful to control. A storm rose up, an epic blizzard that swallowed the city whole, burying it deep and leaving the empire as nothing more than a vast, frozen wasteland. The empire shattered, and the magic of the world faded. As the centuries came and went, Felstad passed from history to legend and on into myth. Only a few wizards, clinging to the last remnants of magical knowledge, still believed that the lost city had ever actually existed. But their faith was rewarded. After a thousand years, the fell winter has passed. The snows have receded, and Felstad has been uncovered. Its buildings lie in ruins, overrun by undead creatures and magical constructs, the legacy of the empire''s experiments. It is an evil, dangerous place. To the few hardy souls who inhabit the nearby villages, the city has acquired a new name, ''Frostgrave'', and it is shunned by all right-thinking people. For those who seek power and riches, however, it is an unparalleled opportunity, a deadly maze concealing secrets of knowledge long forgotten... This new fiction anthology collects ten stories of wizards and adventures as they venture into the ruins of the Frozen City.