Lots of exciting new stuff!

Hey all,

Lots of exciting new stuff going on these days. I've recovered from chicken pox (ohmigod that blew) and my wife has recovered from the chicken pox she caught just after I recovered (omhigod did that suck, too!). Only our daughter Kaylie failed to contract the illness. More likely she had it briefly and gave it to her parents.

But that's all personal relief and change. Here are the exciting RPG writing events:

1. PFS#8: Slave Pits of Absalom, my first piece for Paizo ever. The final product is nothing like I originally envisioned. The editorial process at Paizo is exacting! I think the end result, though, is a rocking good slugfest for the Pathfinder Society. And no undead, something PFS has been a tad top-heavy on lately. It's a dream-fulfilled to have my work under the Paizo imprint, and I would love to hear what y'all think!

2. The Road Revolution #1: The Skullcrackers by John Ling is out! First we did the Great City Campaign Setting based on 0onegames award winning map series. Now we're doing an adventure path, taking characters from 1st to 16th (or so) within the Great City. By the end of it, the fate of the entire city will lie in your player's hands.

So the #1 is out. Rone Barton (aka The Jade) and I just submitted our manuscript to the editor, Dave Hall. So #2 is on its way to the executive editor (Tim Hitchcock) and then the publisher. I think you're all going to love it. I just not allowed to say anything more about it. Gah!!!!

Don't miss out on Hitchcock's awesome Great City introductory adventure Pound of Flesh. This is Hitchcock (The Demon Within, Carnival of Tears) in all his whacked-out, sinister glory. To top it off, Mario over at 0onegames put out an entire Great City map folio, including 3/4 3D views and poster printing options. Check it!

3. Speaking of Sinister. Logue has finally relocated his butt over the pond. He's escaped the Pett assassins. He's also getting that whole "new career" thing under control. Yadda yadda - the important thing is we'll be seeing more RPG from his nefarious pen shortly. I saw some preview art for our first Dark Horizons scifi pieces recently and nearly creamed myself. Great stuff. Can...not...wait! to share with y'all.

Well that's all for now. Have a little noodle on the use of real-world analogues in RPG design sticking to the back of my skull cavity, so look for that bit of rumination soon.

Atomic Array Interviews Great City Creators!

Atomic Array -- the hottest new gaming and all around awesome podcast show -- interviewed Tim Hitchcock, lead designer on the Great City Campaign Setting and both myself and John Ling, writers on the Great City Campaign Setting. John and I re-ignited our (previously) behind-the-scenes design argument. I, of course, was right. :^)
Seriously, I think its worth checking out. Atomic Array is always a great show. Here's what they had to say for themselves about this episode:

The Great City (Atomic Array 008)
0one Games publishes some of the BEST maps you’ll find in any gaming product, from any company, anywhere. They will, we assure you, blow your mind.
About a year ago, Mario from 0one asked Tim Hitchcock to flesh out one of those maps: ‘The Great City‘. Tim grabbed five of the Cabbages and set to work creating a complete urban campaign setting. Rone was one of those designers, so this is a special episode for us. Listen in to hear Tim and Rone edumacate Ed about the fruits of their year-long labor.
Visit 0one Games: 0one Games.com

Ed’s Pick
The Memory of Earth, by Orson Scott Card.

Rone’s Rant
Rone’s broken -dar…

We wrap up our SECRET CODE CONTEST, during which we give away $25 gift certificates, good at Noble Knight Games, to ten lucky winners. And finally… we tell you how you can win a copy of The Great City.
* * * * *
There is a lot more to The Great City than we could fit into this one episode. Feel free to ask questions, or leave a comment on the site. You can also share Atomic Array with a friend, or contact us directly. In fact, we’d love to hear what you think about The Great City. Tell us what you like (or don’t), and what you’d like to see from 0one Games in the future.

Poking fun at the presidential race

Poking fun at the presidential race in D&D terms. Thought y'all might find this funny.

The Doldrums

I am in the doldrums these days. Or as one of my favorite old Sam's once wrote:

Day after day,
day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.

And that's definitely me, sans the whole eternally cursed to undeath bit. I've no new projects launched, nothing in print, nothing to crow about. I sat down to write something keen and insightful on role playing or fiction and...nada. Ancient mariners.

On the other hand, lots of things in the works. Over at Sinister Adventures, we're waiting on art from an amazing artist (name withheld for greater, later impact). Then I'll be able to finish editing, and we'll issue Dark Horizons Indulgences -- in which you scifi fans may indulge. For those not in the know, Indulgences are short, self-contained, inexpensive PDFs that will jazz your game as they introduce you to the Sinister universe.

Also for Sinister, Nick Logue and I are still cranking away on Cold Black, and the Werecabbage powered Known Universe Gazetteer (or as we talk about it behind the curtain, the KUG) isn't far around the bend. Hang in there loyal fans. I know its been a rough ride, especially with Meister Logue translocating to UK-land, but we will deliver, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Simultaneously, I'm also working on two adventures for 0onegames as part of of their Road to Revolution campaign arc. I'm co-writing all 50k words with illimitable Rone Barton, my fellow Werecabbage and known to those of you in Paizo land as "The Jade". With Tim Hitchcock developing and Dave Hall editing, these adventures should kick some @#$%@#%!
Here's a link.

To celebrate 0onegames has created some free, downloadable Revolutionary wall paper, here. My two faves are the Jerusalem like shot of the Great City over water and the defaced "The Goat" proclamation.

For those of you who own the Great City Campaign Setting, don't miss Tim Hitchcock's outrageous and brutal, truly masterful intro adventure A Pound of Flesh. This one is not to be missed. Hell, even if you don't own the GCCS, Pound of Flesh rocks!

OK - this one really is for those of you who own the Great City Campaign Setting, especially Paizoans. There is a head nod to Rone in my Residential Ward section. It's a pretty obvious one if you hang on the Paizo boards, but after I made the allusion, I learned that Rone really had been both of those things. Check it out, you'll get what I mean.

Other things in the pipe include a ............ for .............., that has yet to be announced. However I'm very excited about it! And last but not least, I've been entering a ............. only RPG writing contest for ............. Haven't won one yet, but I'm still striving.

Crud. Damn censors at work again.

As with many of us, RL is kicking my butt, but I'll try to keep you all better posted. And even write up those keen insights to which I alluded earlier. Just have to get this damn Albatross off my neck!

Ohmigod! It's out and its beautiful!

The Great City Campaign Setting from 0onegames is out! I'm so excited! Squee!

It's available in print and pdf, and its the first time an NPC of mine has been illustrated. Made me woozy with the happys!

Definitely, definitely looking forward to feedback and opinions; so, if you got 'em please let me know. Constructive criticism is always welcome, as there is no better way to improve. Let me know!