There was no way that I was going to Gen Con and not seeing what was up with Pinnacle Entertainment Group. They are the company that makes Savage Worlds that powers the game behind Knight of Reignsborough.

You are listening to Knights of Reignsborough right?

Good.

They wasted no time with pleasantries and jumped right into the meat of the seminar. It turns out that their game Deadlands Noir had won a silver Ennie for best setting and their book Weird Wars: Rome had achieved a Judge’s spotlight award. Awards are always great things.

For me as somewhat of an outsider, the news that the company was going to expand. It not only tells me that the hobby is healthy and growing but that Pinnacle is ready to go as well. Shane Hensley stated that he was going to be doing more delegation which is always a good thing.

The list of things coming from Pinnacle is big and interesting. The first thing they mention was turning their award winning game, Deadlands Noir into a card game. Deadlands Noir: The Big Easy is a card game for 2 to 4 players that takes 30 minutes to an hour to play. In the game, you take on the roles of detectives trying to solve a crime in the Deadlands Noir setting. It sounded interesting and I look forward to getting a chance to play it.

One of the other settings Pinnacle has is called Rippers. In this setting you are monster hunters keeping the world safe. Players are able to capture the essence of the monsters they hunt down and added them to their own abilities. There are always risks though. Rippers is currently out of print but they plan on bringing it back. The plan is to have two books. it sounds like an interesting setting with a unique take on the monster hunting trope. I am glad to hear that it is making a comeback.

Another big announcement was that Pinnacle Entertainment has the license for an RPG based upon the comic The sixth Gun. This is a weird west story set after the civil war. Tehir are six guns each with a special power that tie themselves to their owner until their death. Each one is unique. Being the creators of Deadlands, weird west personified, their isn’t a better company to do this game. I look forward to seeing this as well.

Next up on the agenda was what I was waiting for, Necessary Evil: Breakout. Necessary Evil is their super hero setting where all the heroes have perished and all that are left are the villains. This setting is excellent and I enjoyed playing it a lot. Seeing another book for it made me very happy. The plan is to continue expanding this setting to include Necropolis, a horror variant as well as a cosmic level setting. More supers? Why yes, I think I will!

Deadlands is getting a lot of love coming up. On the slate is Stone and a hard place. This is book that fills out the back story of Stone. It will have tons of information for those chomping at the bit to know more about it. It is currently in layout. A Relic book is also in the works which will provide more gear for those adventuring in the weird west. I was a little sketchy on the next item which was the Hell on Earth Companion. It sounds like a plot point campaign that begins 6 moths after unit. I was lost at this point and the publisher pointed out that this was a major battle between the Reckoners and the forces of good. It sounded neat but I was a little confused and didn’t have time to ask about it as the seminar ran a little over and everyone had to rush out. Lost colony wraps up the love for Deadlands. It addresses what happens on Banshee. This a space colony that has been cut off from earth for some time. Cowboys in space? Yes, Please!

Pinnacle is planning a Savage Worlds horror setting. Currently there is no title but the plan is for three books and five adventures. Something to look forward too.

Their next Kickstarter Project, slated for September 23rd, is Last Parsec. This will be a game of planetary exploration which will have ships maps and minis. It will be comprised of three setting books. As a fan of science fiction rpgs, I am looking forward to seeing the Kickstarter and getting in at the ground floor. The thing that piqued my interest here, besides sci-fi, was that it will be in a graphic novel format. I liked the idea as it makes it easier to fit the books on my shelves. The company decided to go with this format as it increases the availability of the book reduces cost, easier to read, and makes entry into Pinnacle simpler. I think it is a great idea and look forward to getting to see how it is executed.

Their are lots of cool things on the horizon for Pinnacle Entertainment group and I can not wait to see Last Parsec and Breakout!