National Do Not Call Registry

If you signed up with the National Do Not Call Registry in 2003, it is time to re-up your registration. Registration only lasts for five years.

The National Do Not Call Registry gives you a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls at home. Most telemarketers should not call your number once it has been on the registry for 31 days. If they do, you can file a complaint at this Website. You can register your home or mobile phone for free. Your registration will be effective for five years.

A public service announcement from Dorkland.

Pop!Casts

While you will find plenty of interesting people talking about interesting things at this page, I highlighted two that I thought might be of particular interest to the audience. Check it out.

Author, journalist and contributing editor at Wired magazine Bruce Sterling understands why people get confused about new technology concepts. In what he sees as a culture war of web semantics, Bruce gets the audience’s attention with a unique call for a new vocabulary to better describe experiences with technology.

Listen to the Pop!Cast here.

Musician, producer and artist Brian Eno shows how simple things can give rise to complex things—in art and life. See how he uses Darwin’s ecological model of the world as a roadmap for human culture now and in the future.

Listen to the Pop!Cast here.

Gaming Library Update

Well, since I've got the time on my hands I decided to organize things a bit. Today I tackled some of my gaming stuff.











Of course, now I have to find a place to put the books that I had to take off that bookcase.

Youngblood at Heart

I think that I just threw up a little in my mouth.

Liefeld and McFarlane were like the rock stars of the comic world, the two most recognizable of the faces among the new upstarts, having also been instrumental in the creation of such up-and-coming Marvel characters as Cable, Deadpool and Venom.

Casper The...Friendly Ghost?

He’s been around since 1949, but what do we really know about Casper the 'Friendly' Ghost?

Looking over the remarkable Casper The Friendly Ghost omnibus (Dark Horse, $19.95) of almost 500 pages of Casper stories from 1949 to 1966, some scary patterns begin to emerge.

Is Casper really so 'friendly' as he lets on? What do we really know about him?

I was bored and took a thorough examination of the so-called 'friendly' ghost.

Right there, in the introduction to the book, Harvey Comics editor Sid Jacobsen is quoted denying that Casper is the ghost of a dead child. He says a ghost just exists, with no past, like a giant or a fairy.

This disputes the religious worldview that declares that ghosts are the souls of the dead, unless of course Casper and his people are something altogether new and different.

Like Skrulls.

Coilhouse

A magazine/blog hybrid.



Available in print and online.

Living Dead Girlz

Because you know there is a need for zombie burlesque. (Probably NSFW)

Designing Influences

Since I am against innovation, I thought that I would talk about some of the things that have been influencing my designs lately. Since Origins, I have been slowly working out some ideas for a renovation of the system that powers Seraphim Guard's HeartQuest game. I like the existing system but I have felt for a long time that it could have gone farther in attempting to simulate its source material. That's not saying that HeartQuest as it is is a bad system, far from it. It is a solid game system that is really robust and flexible in what you can do with it. The designers did some really good stuff with making that game, it just isn't the approach that the ME in the here and now would have taken. Different strokes for different folks.

So, any way, I said that I would be talking about design influences in this post.

First off is The Story Engine, originally published by Hubris Games and currently published by Precis Intermedia Games, is one of the big influences. A friend loaned me his copy of this slim, tiny little hardcover a couple of years ago. Now, I will be the first to say that this game could have been done better, and it certainly could have been written better, but I just love the concepts that are buried in this system, particularly in regards to character creation.

The character creation in Story Engine has this freeform nature to it that really appeals to me as both a gamer and a designer, and I really like how it maps easily to the freeform nature of Fudge as well. I like the idea of character creation by the process of "describe your character and then pick out the few important pieces of the character that you think need/deserve mechanical backing." Brilliant idea, and one that is so very helpful for HeartQuest. After all, shoujo anime is so very, very broad that HeartQuest needs a character creation system that covers a lot of bases, is easy to handle at the gaming table and that covers all the characters more or less equally during play. Game balance may be a myth but that doesn't mean that there can't be ways to make things a little more equal at the table.

Next up is an important part of the source material of shoujo anime -- relationships. If I had to point to one place where the current HeartQuest trips a little bit it would have to be in dealing with relationships between characters and their world(s). This is so very important to the source material, and it should be even more important to the game simulating it. There's a couple of games that influence my thinking in this area. The one that stands out is Chad Underkoffler's PDQ system. I love Truth and Justice for how it mechanically handles so many things, and many of these things are certainly applicable to how to think about Fudge in general, and then HeartQuest in specific. Even just in the way that T&J handles how characters can get damaged brings a lot to the table.

The two games that are the most recent additions to my "design stable" for this project are games that I picked up while I was at Origins this past summer. Those games are Weapons of the Gods by EOS Press and HeroQuest by Issaries. Both of these games blew big holes in my head while I was reading them at the Con this summer, pointing me to ways to have the characters (and their players too) not only develop ties with each other and their worlds, but also how to shape those worlds too. I have, for a long time now, been big on interactively creating the bullet points of a campaign with the players, after all what is important to them will cause them to have a deeper commitment to the game and what is happening in it, as well as helping to create a world that they're going to appreciate more. In the end, everybody wins. These two games then gave me some new perspectives into running and designing my games.

There are some others that trickle in as well, but those are some of the big ones that pick at my thoughts.

Yeah, That Is Sad

This, my friends, is the sort of crap that we have to put up with.

I signed back up for the Fudge list maybe a week ago to see what I could do to help with this whole 'Fudge is dead' sentiment that cropped up... and today I unsubscribed again. Some folks are just too innovation-averse for me to want to use my breath on. Certainly not a malady afflicting the entire community, but man, nothing kills joy like someone who looks at efforts you're making and dismisses them on the basis of 'nothing's wrong here'.

Why have I been upset about all of this? Well, let me tell you. Fred Hicks quit the Fudge list. That's cool, I've quit it before too but at the same time I realize that it is one of the true lifelines of the Fudge Community (even if I have disagreements with the people who run it) and because of that I came back and stayed. I stayed because I like the people of the community, even when they disagree with me or I them, and I like the fact that they like Fudge. That's kind of important to me.

The thing with Fred, to me, came off as a Triumphant Return To Save Fudge. Unfortunately, from that viewpoint, Fudge didn't need to be actually saved. And, there were those from the community who said so.

Now, when people from the Story Games/Forge communities run into a roadblock they start saying the sorts of things that Fred says in his LiveJournal post above. People are resistant to innovation, usually in some variant that is a bit more negative. Innovation is all fine and good, and there's a place for it. After all, frankly, the last that anyone in this hobby wants is for all of us to still be playing brown box D&D (despite what Old Geezer on RPG.net may think about the system). Innovation for its own sake is, in my opinion, pointless. I really don't see the point behind it, to tell the truth. I know that it means something for the people doing it, and the people getting something out of those games but it just comes off as hollow to me.

The thing is that this doesn't discount what those people are doing. They aren't going to be relevant to everyone. I'm not really sure why this would come as a shock to anyone (that different people have different preferences). There's nothing wrong with the people who don't share those preferences.

Now, part of the reason why I used Fred's post as a springboard for this is because I think that it really typifies a lot of the attitude of the Story Games/Forge communities. If they don't get their way, they pick up their toys and leave, blaming the people who aren't interested in their message. I guess that I don't see it as a productive way to bring your ideas across.

I await the flames that will come over this, and I know that they will. I wanted to get my opinions out on this because, this might come as a shock to some, but everyone gets to have opinions even if they're contrary to those of the "cool" kids.

Tom Waits: For No One

A short animated film from 1979.

What's The Fascination With The Hall of Justice?

Ok, just saw this week's episode of Batman. They introduced the Justice League satellite and it is a Hall of Justice in space. Brad Meltzer made the new JLA headquarters in the comic look like the Hall of Justice too.

I know that everybody liked Superfriends as kids, but I don't get the fascination.

Back To The Garage

This is sort of a work in progress, so bear with me.

I want to make a return to the "Garage Band" aesthetic that marked the early days of role-playing games. What does that mean for me? Well, a few points:

1. Complete games. Let's face it, the supplement gravy train isn't really doing a lot more than just propping up sales. Personally, in a lot of cases I think that it is going even further and sapping a lot of creative juices from people. Why both creating your own interesting stuff when you know that Splatbook X will do it for you. This doesn't mean that there shouldn't ever be supplements for games, far from it.

Games need to be designed in a way to not only enable play, but to also enable the game masters and players to further be able to develop the game in their own style and direction at the gaming table. That is supposed to be the ultimate extension of a game anyway, what people do at the table.

2. Support the fanbase and it will support you. It's just sad when a publisher drops the fanbase that helped build their popularity for a "cooler" one once they have a bit of success. Dropping your fanbase for a "sexier" one is a pretty short termed, and I would say even myopic way to build popularity. Stand by your fans.

However, this comes with a caveat. At the same time don't design just to hit a particular sweet spot with a fanbase, or try to make each and every person happy with your games or designs. It just isn't going to happen, and I would bet that it will also lead to a lot of writer's block just because things are being overthought. Besign a game that makes you happy, that causes you to have fun at the game table. The rest will follow because, and this part always surprises me when I release a game or stuff, there are a lot more people out there who are interested in the same things that you are than you would think.

3. Hype. This is a big one. Too many designers get overly enthusiastic after a blog post or two and start hyping their cool new game. The problem is that they don't actually have a cool new game yet. Don't curb your enthusiasm because that enthusiasm is very important. After all, if you're enthusiastic other people will be as well. In gaming nothing is as infectious as enthusiasm. The problem is that, more often than not, hype just leads to RPG.net threads with titles like "What The Hell Happened To Game X?" and the resulting accusations of vapourware.

Be enthusiastic and talk about your games, just don't get the cart get in front of the horse.

Keep in mind that all of this is just a Beta version of things. I'd also like to hear what other people have to say as well. I'm sure that parts of this will be better received than others.

AnCon '07 Update

Hello everyone,

AnCon '07 is less than a month away (October 26 - 28) and we want to let you know that badge pre-registration is available on our web site: www.anothergamecon.com. Please pass this email along to your friends and family letting them know about the full weekend of hobby games we have planned.

We have also created a PDF pre-reg book in two parts. Please visit our site to take a look at the pre-reg book. The second half contains the current events schedule which we will update every week until the show. We have some great games lined up for a full weekend of tournaments and demos. Still more events are arriving each week so be sure to check to see what is new.

In addition to purchasing badges at a discounted pre-registration rate we are selling show T-shirts and generic event tickets. If you want to reserve a seat in a scheduled event, first purchase a generic ticket for that events' cost then send an email to anconsuper@aol.com listing the event code and name to reserve. We will place people in a first come - first reserved basis. An email confirmation with all the events you are registered for will be sent. Sold out events are posted as soon as possible and all excess tickets will be available to the purchasing attendee with their badge at pre-registration pick-up.

The Holiday Inn Hudson has rooms reserved for AnCon attendees at a discounted rate. Be certain to mention ANCON when reserving your room to receive the special group rate. Contact the Hotel Front Desk: (330) 653-9191 or Hotel Fax: (330) 656-0048
Holiday Inn Hudson 240 East Hine Hill Road Hudson, OH 44236

AnCon '07 is sponsored by Mayfair Games. www.mayfairgames.com

Please check out our Exhibiting and Advertising companies' web sites. If you desire any specific merchandise to be available at the show contact them directly with you requests.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at anconsuper@aol.com.

RECAP
1) Forward this email to your friends and family.
2) Visit www.anothergamecon.com.
3) Reserve your discounted pre-reg badge online
4) Purchase event tickets and send your event registration to anconsuper@aol.com
5) Reserve your hotel rooms today. Be certain to mention ANCON for special discounted group rate.
6) Visit the web sites of our Exhibiting and Advertising companies.

AnCon '07: Another Game Convention
October 26 - 28, 2007
Holiday Inn Hudson - NE Ohio

Crew member on new Batman film killed in crash

A special effects technician has been killed in a crash during production of the latest Batman film, Warner Bros. said Tuesday.

The studio said the man, who was not identified, died when a truck carrying a camera platform crashed into a tree while following a stunt vehicle on Monday. Filming on the movie, 'The Dark Knight,' was not taking place at the time, and no actors were involved in the accident. The accident took place during a test run at a racetrack near Chertsey, south of London.

The studio said producers, cast and crew 'are deeply saddened by this tragedy and their hearts and prayers go out to the family and loved ones of the deceased.'

What's My Name? Tell Me My Name!

My pirate name is:

Iron Harry Read

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. Even through many pirates have a reputation for not being the brightest souls on earth, you defy the sterotypes. You've got taste and education. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

The Shat sings Common People

She came from Greece she had a thirst for knowledge,
she studied sculpture at Saint Martin's College,
that's where I,
caught her eye.
She told me that her Dad was loaded,
I said "In that case I'll have a rum and coca-cola."
She said "Fine."
and in thirty seconds time she said,

"I want to live like common people,
I want to do whatever common people do,
I want to sleep with common people,
I want to sleep with common people,
like you."

Well what else could I do -
I said "I'll see what I can do."
I took her to a supermarket,
I don't know why but I had to start it somewhere,
so it started there.
I said pretend you've got no money,
she just laughed and said,
"Oh you're so funny."
I said "yeah?
Well I can't see anyone else smiling in here.
Are you sure you want to live like common people,
you want to see whatever common people see,
you want to sleep with common people,
you want to sleep with common people,
like me."
But she didn't understand,
she just smiled and held my hand.
Rent a flat above a shop,
cut your hair and get a job.
Smoke some fags and play some pool,
pretend you never went to school.
But still you'll never get it right,
cos when you're laid in bed at night,
watching roaches climb the wall,
if you call your Dad he could stop it all.

You'll never live like common people,
you'll never do what common people do,
you'll never fail like common people,
you'll never watch your life slide out of view,
and dance and drink and screw,
because there's nothing else to do.

Sing along with the common people,
sing along and it might just get you through,
laugh along with the common people,
laugh along even though they're laughing at you,
and the stupid things that you do.
Because you think that poor is cool.

I want to live with common people,
I want to live with common people etc...

Zeitgeist's History Of Reptilian Satanism

I couldn't make stuff like this up!

New "Wizard of Oz" Goes to a Darker Place Feature Story

Oh, this will suck. This will suck hard.

The 1939 film 'Wizard of Oz' starring Judy Garland was great fun for the entire family to enjoy. A few big names in the movie business are looking to remedy that. Warner Brothers Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures will work together to create a less family-friendly version of the film. That’s right -— they’re going to take bright, beautiful Oz, sweet singing Dorothy and company and drop them all into a darker, more sinister place. The writers and producers promise a 'grittier and nastier' version of the classic tale, reports Digital Spy.

Remember, this will be brought to you by the man who had this reimagining of Dorothy:

Not Feeling Well

There will probably be a short lull in posting.

2007 ENnie Winners

The ENnie winners were announced at GenCon yesterday. It looks like the Summer Revolution has failed.

Best Fan Site, presented by Russell Morrissey:
Silver: Planewalker
Gold: Dragonlance Nexus

Best PodCast, presented by Dan Repperger of Fear the Boot:
Silver: Yog Radio
Gold: Have Games, Will Travel

Best Cover Art, presented by Kevin Kulp:
Silver: Hollow Earth Expedition, by Exile Games Studio
Gold: Five Fingers, Port of Deceit, by Privateer Press

Best Interior Art:
Silver: Qin, by 7th Circle
Gold: Mutants and Masterminds, Ultimate Power by Green Ronin Publishing

Best Cartography:
Silver: WFRP GM Toolkit, by Black Industries
Gold: Ptolus, City by the Spire, by Malhavoc Press

Best Production Values:
Silver: Mutants and Masterminds, Ultimate Power, by Green Ronin Publishing
Gold: Ptolus, City by the Spire, by Malhavoc Press

Best Writing:
Silver: WFRP Children of the Horned Rat, by Black Industries
Gold: Five Fingers, Port of Deceit, by Privateer Press

Best Rules:
Silver: Spirit of the Century, by Evil Hat
Gold: Mutants and Masterminds, Ultimate Power, by Green Ronin

Best Adventure:
Silver: Mutants and Masterminds, Time of Vengeance, by Green Ronin Publishing
Gold: WFRP: Lure of the Liche Lord, by Black Industries

Best Setting, presented by Kieth Baker:
Silver: Five Fingers, Port of Deceit, by Privateer Press
Gold: Ptolus, City by the Spire, by Malhavoc Press

Best Supplement, presented by Kevin Kulp:
Silver: Mutants and Masterminds, Ultimate Power, by Green Ronin Publishing
Gold: WFRP Companion, by Black Industries

2008 ENnies Judge Election, announced by Richard Miller:
Kathryn -Gertie- Barden (Xath)
Elizabeth Bauman (Queen_Dopplepopolis)
Chris Gath (Crothian)
Zachary Houghton (Zachary The First)
Kevin Kulp (Piratecat)

Best Aid or Accessory, presented by Kevin Kulp:
Silver: GameMastery Combat Pad, by Open Mind Games/Paizo Publishing
Gold: Deck of Many Things, by Green Ronin Publishing

Best Miniature Product:
Silver: EZ Dungeons, by Fat Dragon Games
Gold: Game Mastery: Flip-mat Tavern, by Paizo Publishing

Best Regalia:
Silver: Liber Chaotica, by Black Industries
Gold: Order of the Stick, No Cure for the Paladin Blues, by Giant in the Playground

Best Free Product:
Silver: Classic Battletech Free Package, by Catalyst Games
Gold: Savage Tide Player's Guide, by Paizo Publishing

Best Electronic Book:
Silver: Magical Medieval Society: European Warfare, by Expeditious Retreat Press
Gold: Classic Battletech Free Package, by Catalyst Games

Best d20/OGL Product, presented by Rodney Thompson of Wizards of the Coast:
Silver: Five Fingers, Port of Deceit, by Privateer Press
Gold: Mutants and Masterminds, Ultimate Power, by Green Ronin Publishing

Best Game, presented by Rob Boyle of Catalyst Games:
Silver: Qin, by 7th Circle
Gold: Scion, Hero, by White Wolf

Product of the Year, presented by Peter Adkinson:
Silver: WFRP, Children of the Horned Rat, by Black Industries
Gold: Ptolus, City by the Spire, by Malhavoc Press

Fan's Choice, Best Publisher:
Silver: Green Ronin
Gold: Wizards of the Coast

'D&D 4th Edition' Announced at Gen Con

Wizards of the Coast is announcing at GenCon today that it will release the 4th Edition of its category-leading Dungeons and Dragon roleplaying game in 2008, the first full new edition in eight years. The three core books will be released next summer on a monthly schedule: Player's Handbook in May, Monster Manual in June, and Dungeon Master's Guide in July. Pricing and page counts of the new products will be consistent with current packaging. Graphics have been updated, art will be used on the covers, and interior design has been opened up to make the books less intimidating to new players.

Lead-in products, Wizards Presents: Classes and Races and Wizards Presents: Worlds and Monsters, will be released in December. An April release, Keep of the Shadowfell, will include a set of quickstart rules for 4E.

Speculation Runs Rampant

GenCon starts today. The granddaddy and biggest of the gaming conventions.

Yesterday, Wizards of the Coast changed their D&D home page to have a placeholder titled "4dventure" with a countdown that has, apparently, been reset a couple of times. From another source, a graphic has surfaced that specifies today (Thursday the 16th) at 6:30pm.

Does this mean that Wizards will announce the fourth edition of D&D today? I guess that we will find out soon enough.

Speculation begins.

Green Ronin To Publish Wild Cards RPG Line

Green Ronin Publishing has reached an agreement with New York Times bestselling author George R.R. Martin to license the Wild Cards series of shared world anthologies. Green Ronin will publish a line of Wild Cards roleplaying game books next year for its Mutants & Masterminds RPG. The first of these books, the Wild Cards Campaign Setting by series author John Jos. Miller, will debut next August at Gen Con 2008.

The Abduction Lamp

Abduction is a lamp for Sci-Fi fans of all ages. A light bulb inside the metal UFO lights up the beam and the windows. The glass of the beam is frosted to distribute light in all directions. Abduction is currently at a concept stage. Visit herrklein.com if you're interested in the details behind the lamp.

Thanks Jonny!

Comic Artist Mike Wieringo

This is a pretty staggering loss.

The comics industry lost a luminary this weekend - Mike Wieringo passed away Sunday of a sudden heart attack. Details are still sketchy as of this time, but according to close sources, the acclaimed artist had chest pains at some point during the day and called 911, but the responders did not make it in time.

Wieringo was 44 years old. He was a vegetarian, and 'one of the healthiest ones of us in the bunch,' as his longtime friend and collaborator Todd Dezago described him. Currently, there are no details about services or a funeral.

Wieringo worked every day, updating his blog and website with a constant stream of sketches at MikeWieringo.com.

Above is the last sketch completed by Wieringo, posted to his website on Friday.