ORIGINS AWARD WINNER for 2005 ROLEPLAYING GAME OF THE YEAR.
6 ENNie Nominations, including Best Art, Interior; Best Production Value; Best Writing; Best Campaign Setting/Setting Supplement; Best Game; and Best Product.

Best Production, 2005 from the Indie RPG Awards.

The award-winning graphic novel Artesia comes to life in the Adventures in the Known World RPG, using a modified and easy-to-use Fuzion™-based roleplaying system to plunge players into the strife-riven realms of the Known World, from the warring Citadels of the Daradjan Highlands to the never-ending feud between the Sun Court of Illia and the Phoenix Court of the Empire of Thessid-Gola. Artesia: Adventures in The Known World is a 352-page, full-color hardcover book containing all the rules and background material needed to begin play. The book is profusely illustrated by images from the comic book series and by images and maps specially prepared by the author for the game. The book includes:

· Histories and descriptions of the major regions and cultures of the Known World, the setting of the award-winning fantasy comic book Artesia.

· Expansive character generation rules adapting R,Talsorian Games’ LifePath™ system, including birth omens, star signs, and divine and heroic lineages.

· Rules for the use of hermetic, folk and cult magic, along with alchemy and divination.

· Rules for talents and abilities accessible to characters through the Arcana, the Tarot-like system representing the Known World’s archetypal paths of power and the foundation of an unique system of experience, allowing game rewards for virtually all types of character actions.

· A bestiary of common, uncommon, and a few rare creatures encountered in the Known World.

· A complete introductory adventure, The Witch’s Price, designed to bring players into the setting and lay the ground works for many adventures to come!

MATURE READERS – adult content and minor nudity

REVIEWS:

“Well built on Mike Pondsmith's Fuzion System, this may well be the most gorgeous game book I saw all year… Look at this book and discover the difference between ‘artist’ and ‘layout guy.’” Honorable Mention as Best Licensed Thing of 2005

-- Kenneth Hite, Out of the Box, www.gamingreport.com“Artesia is a solid game. It is a lovely book, full of lovely art, and a solid, fun, and genuinely mythic feeling setting…a solid system that builds on Fuzion and adds lifepaths and relationships in ways that really help drive both character and plot creation.” Five of Five for Style, Four of Five for Substance.

-- Brand Robbins, www.RPG.net

“Artesia: Adventures in the Known World is quite a product, with high production quality. The art is superb…this is an impressive campaign guide, a shining example of essentially a one-man design team who has mastered role-playing games as well as comics. Fans of the comic or just those appreciative of games that focus on cultural, religious, and political intrigue definitely have a treasure trove of options here. Take a look and see what the new age may hold.” Four-and-a-half Stars!

--Wayne Tonjes, www.GamingReport.com

“A beautifully produced RPG with an innovative, elegant game system and an excellent fantasy background…Artesia: Adventures in the Known World starts out with a well-developed, and deep game world [and] supplements that with a solid game system that's well thought-out and elegant. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)”

-- Shannon Appelcline, www.RPG.net

REVIEW LINKS:

Shannon Appelcline at RPG.net: http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/12/12011.phtml

Michael May, Kurt Wilcken, Bob Giadrosich, and Alex Ness at Pop Thought: http://www.popthought.com/display_column.asp?DAID=1058

Kenneth Hite’s 1/19/06 Out of the Box Column: 2005: Legends of the Fall http://www.gamingreport.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=178

Brand Robbins at RPG.net: http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/11/11915.phtml

Wayne Tonjes at GamingReport.com: http://www.gamingreport.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=1967

Kenneth Hite’s 12/31/05 Out of the Box Column: http://www.gamingreport.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=177

Cason Snow at RPG.net: http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/11/11824.phtml

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
In the comics industry, Mark Smylie was nominated for the Russ Manning Award for Best Newcomer in 1999, and for an Eisner Award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition in 2001. The fantasy series Artesia was ForeWord Magazine’s Gold Award Winner for Best Graphic Novel of 2003. The sequel series Artesia Afire was ForeWord Magazine’s Silver Award Winner for Best Graphic Novel of 2004 and was included in The Year’s Best Graphic Novels, Comics, & Manga (2004) from St. Martin’s Press. The first three volumes were selected as Best Comics Entry at the 2004 DIY Book Festival. Mark’s illustration work has appeared in books by Wizards of the Coast (Epic Level Handbook, Complete Warrior, Faiths & Pantheons), White Wolf (Everquest Player’s and Game Master’s Guides, Vampire Dark Ages, Werewolf Dark Ages), and Judges Guild (City-State of the Invincible Overlord, Wilderlands of High Fantasy), and on collectible cards for AEG.

ABOUT ARCHAIA STUDIOS PRESS

Mark Smylie founded Archaia Studios Press (ASP) in 2002 as the new self-publishing home for his epic fantasy comic book, Artesia (first published by Sirius Entertainment beginning in 1999). Artesia: Adventures in The Known World marked ASP’s expansion into the world of gaming. And in 2005, ASP began publishing a line of creator-owned comic book and graphic novel titles, including Robotika (by Alex Sheikman), Mouse Guard (by David Petersen) and The Lone and Level Sands (by A. David Lewis and Marvin Perry Mann). More information can be found at http://www.archaiasp.com