Gangsters and Gun Molls

This Friday, from 6-10pm Second Life Time I will be hosting a night of retro jazz and blues at my new place in world, St. Dismas' Infirmary. The SLurl for St. Dismas' is: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Healy/217/37/98

Table Top RPGs and Second Life

This post is a bit rough, it's more about some ideas that are floating around in my head than anything else. After almost four years at it, I spend a lot of time in Second Life. I have friends there from all over the world -- geeks, gamers and in-between. There is a lot of gaming that goes on in Second Life, not a lot of it is what those of us who play and design table top RPGs might recognize (some might not even accept it as being what we do), but for me it is the same thing. Some use Second Life as a virtual table top, while others use Second Life for a more immersive, narrative style of play that is more about consensual choices than hard and fast rules.

As a game designer, it's the former that has more bearing on me than the later. One thing that I've thought about for a while is a way to sell to these people, people who are looking for in world tools to enhance their virtual table top. Setting up an in world store with scripted items that could handle things like dice rolling, and similar game tasks like that, is easy enough. My question has always been: How do we get them the rules? And in what format? Second Life doesn't support, unfortunately, epublishing formats that are used by game publishers. That means you end up with a split of in world for the gaming, out of world for the rules. At that point you might as well just use any of the virtual table top tools that are out there. I don't know. I think this is something that can be done. I think this is a market that can be reached, with people who are already involved with role-playing in some format or another but who haven't made that leap to table top gaming.

One of the other hurdles to overcome, would be the accessibility of rule sets. In a table top group it isn't unusual for one or two of the people to be the only ones possessing copies of the rules, while the rest of the group shares. That is a long stand and accepted practice for gaming groups. You can't really do that in the virtual world without promoting piracy, or using quick starts. Neither of which are really useful to game publishers. I know that Troll Lord Games released their StarSIEGE game with a set of core rules, and also a handful of player's books that could be used at the table. This is the sort of thing that would be needed for virtual table tops as well: a virtual boxed set that allows the GM to purchase the rules and then has a sub-license (perhaps) that allows the GM to share copies of player's guides with the people in his virtual gaming group. I imagine this would work something like a site license for software does.

Obviously, this is a high trust option for publishers. There's really nothing that would keep GMs from giving out the player's guides to anyone that they wanted, since PDF technology doesn't really allow for a "cap" on the number of copies you can make of something. It also wouldn't stop players from passing along their PDFs either.

These player's guides wouldn't be complete games. They would be minimal, at best, explaining the basics of how the games mechanics works and allowing the options for character creation. Of course, that is a lot of an RPG. It would be up to the publisher to include as much extra value into these "virtual boxed sets" as possible: rich, well-developed worlds, lots of advice and help for GMs in running virtual games, and etc. It would take some doing, but I can see this as something that has the potential to fly. It has a lot of potential risks too, obviously.

Something to thing about today.

NYCC: Godzilla Finds New Stomping Grounds at IDW - Comic Book Resources

The biggest star in motion pictures prepares to wreak havoc once again! IDW Publishing is thrilled to announce a partnership with Toho Co., Ltd. to create all-new GODZILLA comics. Starting in 2011, Godzilla will smash his way back onto the scene with a cast of characters from his films never before seen in comics.

'This new series will be monsters and mayhem, but most importantly, it’s going to be a lot of fun,' said Yukio Kotaki of Toho. 'Godzilla has been gone from comics for too long and we feel that IDW is the perfect company to welcome him back in 2011.'

In addition to the King of the Monsters himself, the new comics from IDW Publishing and Toho Co., Ltd. will feature many of Godzilla’s friends and foes, including MOTHRA™, KING GHIDORAH™, RODAN™ and more that have never before been featured in an American comic book series alongside Godzilla. With an impressive cast of monsters both old and new, IDW’s series will treat fans to both familiar themes and original takes on the pop culture legends that have stomped, smashed, and fought their way across movie screens for over five decades.

'Not only is Godzilla known worldwide, he’s loved worldwide, too. Having a film career with more than 25 movies and going on a 56-year span pretty much solidifies you as a legend, and IDW is really looking forward to contributing to that legacy,' said Chris Ryall, Chief Creative Officer and Editor-in Chief for IDW Publishing. 'We wanted Godzilla to return to comics, but this time we wanted him to have some company. I think fans will be pleased with the monster guest appearances, which will really offer something for every fan of these films. There are the classic characters, but there are also a few surprises, too.'

Debuting in February 2011, fans can expect to see a number of unique storylines from some of the industry’s top creators.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

DC and Marvel Cut Prices on $3.99 Books to $2,99

DC Cuts $3.99 Ongoing Series to $2.99

Beginning January 2011, DC Comics will implement a line-wide pricing adjustment, lowering the prices of all standard length 32-page ongoing comic book titles currently priced at $3.99 to $2.99, it was announced today by DC Comics Co-Publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio.

'Today’s announcement re-affirms DC Comics’ commitment to both our core fans and to comic book store retailers,' said Jim Lee, DC Comics Co-Publisher. 'For the long term health of the industry, we are willing to take a financial risk so that readers who love our medium do not abandon the art form.'

and then, an hour later:

Marvel Drops $3.99 Price on New Titles

Less than an hour after their primary competitor announced an across the board drop to a $2.99 price point, Marvel Comics today also announced at least a partial move away from the often criticized $3.99 price for new serialized superhero comics.

During the ICv2 Conference On Comics & Digital – a Thursday afternoon industry pre-event to New York Comic Con – Marvel Senior Vice President of Sales & Circulation David Gabriel confirmed that new books launching in January 2011 will not debut at $3.99. 'A lot of talk I've heard [today is] about the pricing increases overall...because of the digital comics sales, prices will decrease,' he said as part of a panel whose focus was Print Vs. Digital.

I wonder how much of this is due to economic trickle down factors? Yes, there is the usual counter argument that comics are a luxury item...but do the people making the books seem to think that? I would think that a luxury item would increase in price due to economic factors rather than decrease.

I wonder what impact, if any, this will have on table top gaming? I know that a lot of people say the same about gaming, that they are luxury items and already underpriced as it is. But comics have always been remarkable inflation (or bad economy) proof. Historically comics did best during times of economic downturn. I know that a lot of geeks tend to have fairly bad credit due to too many impluse purchases outside of their means. Could all of this be catching up to the geek industries?

Three Vertigo editors laid off amid DC Entertainment restructuring

Three editors from DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint have been laid off as part of the company’s restructuring, The Beat reports: Joan Hilty, Pornsak Pichetshote and Jonathan Vankin.

Announced last Tuesday, the reorganization leaves DC’s comics-publishing division in New York City while moving the company’s administrative and digital and multimedia operations — including, presumably, the WildStorm offices now based in La Jolla, Calif. — to a Warner Bros.-managed property in Burbank, Calif. As many as 80 of DC’s estimated 250 employees are expected to be fired or relocated.

The Return of Atlas Comics

Some years ago, in the pre-Ultraverse of Malibu Comics the company had a chance to acquire the old Atlas/Seaboard comic book characters from two guys who claimed to have the rights.

It was very tempting at the time to pursue it – Atlas had a bunch of great characters created by folks like Howard Chaykin, Steve Ditko, Pat Broderick, Gary Friedrich, Mike Ploog, Larry Hama, Michael Fleisher, Ernie Colon, Neal Adams, Alex Toth, John Severin, Russ Heath, Wally Wood, and Mike Sekowsky and many others.

At the time, it would’ve been quite a boost to the company to acquire the characters: they had a certain brand recognition, a lot of sentimental fanboy attachment, and had only been out of the marketplace for less than 15 years or so at the time.

Pre-Orders, Ransoms and The RPG "Business"

Although pretty much all of a blog is a statement of opinion, this much is more so than usual.

The RPG industry is a niche one, and it is nowhere near as large as it was during it's heyday in the 80s and 90s. This ends up meaning that, a lot of the time, companies are strapped for the cash that is needed to get products developed, written and eventually produced. This can be done a couple of ways: the publisher can reach into their own pocket (either business or personal) and pull the money out, hoping that the money will be made back in sales, or they can organize a pre-order or ransom to get the money together to fund getting the book made.

Neither of these practices are bad, although with the habit of RPG publishers going out of business there can be risks for the consumer participating. All of this is a good faith agreement on the part of the consumers and the publisher that the money will be used for what the publisher says it is going to be used for, and the consumer will receive a book at the end of the process.

Lately, however, this process seems to falling down on its face. To paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld, "Anyone can take a reservation but it is holding the reservation that is important." This year at GenCon a few publishers have debuted new books that have been brought to market due to ransoms or extensive pre-order support from early adopter consumers. This isn't a bad thing, however, as new product is a good thing for publishers to have. The problem comes up that these books have been sold without first fulfilling the orders of those who ransomed or pre-ordered the books. That, in the opinion of this blogger, is a big no-no.

In some cases, on the backend there have been issues with hired warehouses not properly or completely fulfilling the orders of a publisher's customers. Ultimately, however, this is just an excuse that needs to be overcome to maintain the goodwill of a customer base.

Goodwill is important in this entire process. Geeks tend to be overly forgiving towards RPG publishers because they are blurring the lines between "these people are my friends" and "these people are a business that I have given my money to" and think that friends should be forgiven their trespasses. It is important to remember that these two thoughts should be kept separate from each other, and these businesses need to be treated like businesses.

Now, I personally no longer take part in ransoms or pre-orders. Yes, I've been burned (and keep getting burned on one that I have been involved with) and because of that I no longer have the faith or the good will to believe that a publisher will meet their obligations. Once a product is done and in the stores or on the table, I will be there with cash in hand to pick up a copy but not before hand. Not again.

Judge rules Dark Ages Spawn, Domina and Tiffany are derivative characters

A federal judge has dealt another blow to Todd McFarlane in his long-running copyright dispute with Neil Gaiman, ruling that the characters Dark Ages Spawn, Domina and Tiffany are mere derivatives of their earlier creations.

In a decision filed Friday, U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb declared that the three characters are simply variations of Medieval Spawn and Angela, co-created by Gaiman in 1993 for McFarlane's Spawn series. Therefore, McFarlane has until Sept. 1 to provide Gaiman with an accounting of money earned from Dark Ages Spawn, Domina and Tiffany. As co-owner of the copyrights, Gaiman is entitled to one-half of the profits.

Brett Bernstein Discusses The Masterbook/Shatterzone Acquisition and Precis Intermedia

Let's start out with a little background for those who may not know your or your company. What can you tell us to fill in those people?



Precis Intermedia has been around since 2002. Back then it was Politically Incorrect Games, which merged with Spectre Press in, I believe, 2005. I've always felt that the casual gamer, one who has real-life issues and family concerns, doesn't have enough games specifically designed for him. Everything these days is full-color hardcover books or core books with vast lines of supplemental material. Not only does he not have a lot of time to read a 300-page game, he probably also doesn't have the money to throw around. Games like HardNova 2 and Coyote Trail are meant for him. For $4.95, you can download a game that not only includes easy-to-learn and customize rules, but ready-to-use characters and scenarios, all in under 100 pages. I also want to empower the gamer by giving him tools to improvise and customize. My philosophy is that rules are not set in stone. They are guidelines to get you started. Once you understand the rules and why they exist, you control them rather than them controlling the game.


At what point did you think "I could be a game designer" and how did that transition into "I could be a game publisher"?


I supposed I've always wanted to create my own games. I remember seeing my friend's copy of Battletech and thinking that I can make something like that. Of course, I was only about 15 and never finished, instead buying the game, but that was probably the first urge. I worked on games with some friends who kept dropping the ball, making me do all the work. I eventually decided to take the plunge and put my collection of skills to work. That's pretty much the gist of it. I don't want to bore anyone.


While this interview is going to be about your acquisition of the former West End Games properties, this isn't the first game line that you have purchased. I know, for example, you bought Story Engine (a favorite game of mine) a few years back. What leads you to purchasing and bringing these games back to life?


One of my hobbies is collecting old and out of print games. Sometimes I find a game that makes me go "cool, this would work well with my other stuff" or "this deserves to be streamlined a bit and republished." As long as I can do it without losing money, the rest is history.


Let's talk about your acquisitions from West End Games. You purchased the rights to Shatterzone, Masterbook and Bloodshadows from Eric Gibson (the owner of West End Games). What about these games makes them interesting to you?


I think MasterBook is a very underrated system. It's a little more complex than I normally prefer, but it runs well in play once you get used to it. I like the variable outcomes and damages, as well as the value scale for determining distance and sizes. Bloodshadows and Shatterzone are just cool settings. The latter was never marketed well, so not too many people even have a clue what it is about. It's a bit too involved to go into that here, but adventures can be so diverse, from emulating Star Trek and Star Wars to Serenity and Babylon 5. As far as Bloodshadows goes, it's got magic, monsters, and film noir - a great combination.


What sort of plans do you have for these game lines now that you own them?


The only concrete plans right now are to reprint them. That includes the MasterDeck cards for both MasterBook and Shatterzone. I'd like to see an updated and streamlined version of MasterBook, but I couldn't guess how long that would take. Shatterzone and Bloodshadows could possibly be seen for other systems.


Many people keep predicting gloom and doom for the table top gaming industry. However, your purchases of other game lines and your continuing release schedule seems to say otherwise. What is your opinion on the "state of the industry" for gaming and how do currently non-traditional methods like selling games in PDF and POD formats figure into your opinion, and how you do business?


I have a very unique business model, one that focuses on digital content (PDF), but does not shy away from printed books. Most of the PDF books in my catalog can be printed to order, either at the time of purchase or at a later date. This provides a try before you buy option for printed books, while also keeping prices low. This appeals to the gamers who are not only familiar with shareware software, but also the casual gamers who prefer roleplaying games that require only small investments in both cash and time. That said, I can't really comment on the "state of the normal industry," because I'm not part of it. In my opinion, I'm working in a different fragment of the overall industry, one that works for me. The "normal industry" is not one in which I could compete, since there are too many middlemen and it is driven by eye candy.


What is upcoming for Precis Intermedia?


Lots. I've been trying to finish up the layout for Peter Spahn's Stormrift game, while also focusing on the new Classic Story Engine Plus universal rules. I'm also working to get some playing cards printed for the Two-Fisted Tales pulp RPG along with a new adventure supplement for it. And as usual, a new Disposable Heroes Paper Minis set beckons my attention. Beyond that, more miniatures games, a GMing guide, solo wargaming guide, new diceless game, and more.


Where can people find you and Precis Intermedia out on the internet?


As always, www.pigames.net.

She Has No Head! – Interview With The Man Who Would Resurrect DV8 (aka Brian Wood)

I’ve talked pretty openly about my love for Brian Wood’s new DV8 mini-series Gods & Monsters, from the fact that I think it feels both modern and also somehow like a throwback to really good superhero character pieces, but it’s also been one of the inspirations for why I’ve been talking so frequently about how much I’d like to see more independent creators given a chance to show what they can do on more mainstream characters. Not that DV8 was ever totally mainstream, but there’s no reason why DV8 can’t emerge as a powerhouse of a title from Wildstorm, if done right. And with able assists from Fiona Staples on covers and Carrie Strachan delivering beautiful colors, Brian Wood and Rebekah Isaacs are doing it SO right. The way I feel a lot more indie creators could if given the chance to run wild on a title the way Wood and Isaacs have cut loose on Gods & Monsters.

Comic-Con 2010: Young Justice & Characters

This looks like it's going to be a cool cartoon when it comes out.

How Did Marvel Lose Control Of Wolverine?

If you plan on attending any of the Marvel Comics panels at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, here's a question you may want to consider asking: Why does the company not seem to have any idea what to do with Wolverine?

I ask because not only is the character getting killed off so that his soul can go and get into a few fights in Hell in a new series launching in September, but it now looks like he'll also be turning into a vampire as a result of the newly-launched 'Curse of The Mutants' storyline at the same time. Oh, and in a third series, he'll also be fighting immortals and a guy whose blood is some kind of killer virus... and that's before you get around to any alternate universe Wolverines (Although, interestingly enough, both Marvel's Ultimate and Forever lines have permanently offed their versions of the character). What's with all the new, contradictory directions all at once?

Comic Book History vs. Will Eisner

One of the important moments of comic history has always been the case that DC Comics (even if that wasn't their name at the time) made against Fox Comics for infringing on Superman with their Wonder Man character created by comic great Will Eisner and Jerry Iger. Interestingly, the version of these preceedings that Eisner has a bit of a discrepancy from the actually court transcripts that have recently appeared.

This is a quote of interest to those who like to follow comic history.

If you’ve made it this far, I assume you’ve read Eisner’s testimony in total. And if you have, you too have noticed the obvious discrepancy between Eisner’s oft-repeated version and his words before the court.

[full disclosure: This posed a true dilemma for me. Part of me wanted to protect the image of my idol by keeping this information to myself. Part realized the importance of this document to comic history and my responsibility as a reporter. I can't deny history, so as much as this truly pains me, I set my personal emotions aside.]

Hastings – The First National Comic Store Chain In US?

From Bleeding Cool, and the mind of Rich Johnston, and reported better than never by this blog:

Hastings is a national media store, selling books, DVDs, games, music, that sort of thing. Of late, the word is that its music sales have suffered most significantly, as digital downloading takes the lion’s share.

But I was told that in response, the company was moving into comics. Big time. Already stocking graphic novels as part of their book mix, they had approached publishers and distributors nationally talking about increasing their comic books selection. Including selling brand new comics distributed by Diamond as well as stocking back issues in depth. In almost 130 stores nationwide.

While I think this might have a good short term effect on comics (how many of the largest comic store "chains" have 147 stores?) I am still not entirely sold on the long term viability of Hasting entering into the "friendly local comic store" market. They chose to start selling comics because the marketplace for music sales moved to a diret market digital model, rather than attempt to keep up with the digital evolution of sales in that market, what should we expect them to do with the inevitabe move for the comic industry into the digital domain as well?

While I applaud Hastings for selling comic books (even though it will never impact me in this part of the country) I wonder how much forward thinking went into this decision, rather than it being a stop-gap method to bolster profits. Does Hastings' target audience care about the sales of monthly comics? Are comic buyers even a large enough of a demographic to make the sales bump that Hastings is looking for with this move? I guess time will tell. I will be hopefully optimistic that it will come out for the best

DDOJ, Inc. Announces Acquisiton of Majority Share in Indie Press Revolution

June 19th, 2010- New York City, NY: DOJ Inc. is proud to announce that they have closed a deal to acquire a majority share of Indie Press Revolution, the industry's leading direct-sales network of high-quality small press game publishers, and will be taking over administrative operations of the company beginning July 1st, 2010. The minority shareholders have all approved the sale and will be retaining their ownership shares in the company.

"I'm delighted to be taking over a sales organization with the brand strength and reputation for quality that IPR has built over the last several years," says Darren Watts, President of DOJ Inc. "IPR has a very strong business model and has done an outstanding job representing its client creator-publishers, and we intend to carry forward with the same philosophy in order to bring great new games to the public from the cutting edge of game design."

"I'm excited to be working with Darren, Jason, and the rest of the DOJ team," said Ryan Macklin, General Manager of IPR, who will be remaining in that position. "They have an excitement about IPR that I relish, and I'm looking forward to the future they'll bring to this company."

"DOJ Logistics has already been providing IPR and its publishers complete shipping and warehousing services since August 2008," said DOJ Logistics Director Jason Walters, "so both the publishers and the customers of IPR should receive the same fine service they've come to expect."

"DOJ Inc has been providing IPR great service and over the years we have developed a close relationship with the warehouse staff. I can't think of any better partner for IPR to help the business grow and thrive in the years to come," said Brennan Taylor, owner of Galileo Games and outgoing President of IPR. Mr. Taylor is retaining a minority share in IPR, as well as remaining a client publisher, and will be assisting DOJ in the transition.

###

ABOUT INDIE PRESS REVOLUTION

Indie Press Revolution is a consolidation house and direct-sales network of quality small press game publishers, dedicated to establishing a community in which creator-publishers can flourish and share their ideas and visions together in a cooperative environment. IPR sells exclusively to retailers and the public through their website, at www.indiepressrevolution.com. They currently represent over ninety outstanding independent small publishers, including such industry standouts as Cubicle 7 Entertainment, Evil Hat Productions, Arc Dream Press, Pelgrane Press, and Galileo Games, to name only a few.

ABOUT DOJ INC.

DOJ Inc. are the owners of Hero Games, publishers of Champions and other roleplaying games using the award-winning Hero System, and of DOJ Logistics, providing warehousing and shipping services to the tabletop gaming industry.

MEDIA CONTACT
Darren Watts
darren (at) herogames (dot) com.

ThunderCats writer Stephen Perry missing after grisly discovery

Police in Florida are searching for ailing ThunderCats writer Stephen Perry, who disappeared from his Zephyrhills home under suspicious, and possibly ghastly, circumstances.

His van was found Sunday abandoned in a motel parking lot. Nearby, FOX 13 reports, was a man's severed arm. More remains were discovered at a gas-station dumpster two miles away from Perry's home, which had been ransacked.

On Friday authorities arrested Perry's two roommates, Roxanne D. Davis, 49, and James W. Davis, 46, who had been missing since Sunday. The St. Petersburg Times reports that James Davis is charged with trafficking of controlled substances, possession of paraphernalia, possession of controlled substances and two warrants for failure to appear in court. Roxanne Davis is charged with violation of parole, grand theft and burglary.

Police have avoided publicly referring to the case as a homicide investigation, but signs obviously point to that. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement told The Tampa Tribune the agency had been called in to assist with an apparent homicide, but wouldn't say whether it was related to the missing persons investigation. However, Zephyrhills Mayor Cliff McDuffie said, 'I assume it is the same investigation. I assume it is a homicide.'

Frank Frazetta 1928-2010

We are sad to confirm via Frazetta’s agent Robert Pistella that the artist passed away this afternoon in a hopital near his home. The cause of death was a stroke. Funeral arrangements will be announced shortly.

Frank Frazetta was born February 9, 1928. His early artistic career consisted of years of exquisitely drawn comics work, including contributions to the EC line of comics, assisting Al Capp on L’il Abner and later drawing several years of the strip, and working with Harvey Kurtzman on Little Annie Fanny.

Announcement: I Am No Longer Involved With Seraphim Guard/Rusttown Press

I'm sure this is going to be lost in the news and speculation among gamers because of what is going on with Catalyst Game Labs, but I wanted to make a public announcement of this.

While some paper work is still pending, I am no longer officially involved with the day-to-day dealing of Rusttown Press/Seraphim Guard. I am, however, still the co-owner of some of the properties (primarily the Heartquest name and line) and I am still developing material for the Fudge gaming system. In fact, I have ramped up my long-standing development of a set of Fudge-based rules for modern era playing which will see a number of uses, including a new implementation for the Heartquest line. I have some other ongoing designs that I am polishing up as well. There is going to be a flare-up of new gaming content on the horizon for me.

Expect further announcements here and in other places as projects are completed and new things fall into place. From this point on, its going to be about innovation and new ideas, as well as moving properties forward. If you are a fan of Fudge or of my Open Core systems, this is going to be an exciting time to be a gamer.

So, let's get out there and game people.

Catalyst Games Press Release On Current Financial "Issues"

For Immediate Release

Catalyst Game Labs recently completed a detailed financial review of the company. We learned that over the past several years the company has achieved dramatic growth in terms of demand, increased total revenues and strong sales with an increasing market share in the gaming industry, despite a lackluster economy. We are thrilled by that news and are eager to move forward with our upcoming original game Leviathans, along with our other new casual games. We also remain committed to plans for our beloved licensed games: Shadowrun, BattleTech, Eclipse Phase, and CthuluTech.

While we wish the review had only uncovered positive news, we also discovered our accounting procedures had not been updated as the company continued to grow. The result was that business funds had been co-mingled with the personal funds of one of the owners. We believe the missing funds were the result of bad habits that began alongside the creation of the company, which was initially a small hobby group. Upon further investigation, in which the owner has willingly participated, the owner in question now owes the company a significant balance and is working to help rectify the situation.

The current group of owners was presented with this information on Monday. Administrative organization for the company is under review, and accounting procedures have been restructured, to correct the situation and provide more stringent oversight. We feel the management team at Catalyst did the responsible thing by seeking this financial review and we will continue to restructure as needed. We are in discussions with our partners and freelancers to remedy any back payments that may also be due as a result of this review.
We are embarrassed that this situation did occur but we hope our eagerness to make these changes, along with our reputation for making great games, will encourage you to stand by us. We understand that for a few employees the news was too stressful and we wish them all the best in their new endeavors. However, the majority of the team remains and will continue to bring great entertainment to you all. We appreciate the support our friends, freelancers, and fans have provided us in the past and look forward to a successful future.

(originally posted by Randall Bills)

DriveThruRPG Once Again Celebrates GM's Day With It's Biggest Sale Ever!

March 3rd, 2010

DriveThruRPG Once Again Celebrates GM's Day With It's Biggest Sale Ever!

(Atlanta, GA) – March 4th has become well known in RPG fan circles as “Game Master's Day,” or GM's Day, a day on which all gamers honor and celebrate the folks who take the time to set up and run roleplaying games. As a part of this celebration, dozens of publishers on DriveThruRPG are offering hundreds upon hundreds of products for sale at 25% off.

“There is no bigger or more important sale for us,” said Sean Patrick Fannon, Marketing and Communications Manager for DriveThruRPG. “Not only is this a powerful and important way to celebrate the most important part of any roleplaying game – the GM – it is vital to our publishers, enabling them to boost their revenue at an important time in their development cycles.”

With what is traditionally called “Convention Season” right around the corner, such a sale is a great way for gamers to get their hands on all that has come out so far. They also strongly support their favorite publishers,
thus making sure new products can be made, published, and brought to market at the various conventions around the country and around the world.

“We are very proud to serve the health and diversity of this fantastic hobby,” Steve Wieck of DriveThruRPG, shared. “For a long time, there have been many claiming that RPGs are dying out. They must be missing what’s happening at DriveThruRPG. We had over 300 new RPG releases last month from a diverse group of amazing publishers serving enthusiastic customers all over the world. GM's day is a great way for us to celebrate the hobby we love.”

The GM's Day Celebration sale runs from the morning of March 3rd through the morning of March 8th this year. Fans should log in and delve into the huge list of titles on sale. “While they are at it, “Sean Fannon adds, “we hope customers remember to use the 'Buying for someone else' option at check out – after all, this is supposed to be a time to celebrate their GMs!”

DriveThruRPG.com is the world's largest source of RPG products available for sale. It is an industry leader in modern business and technology developments for the tabletop gaming fan. For more information, contact Sean Patrick Fannon (sean@onebookshelf.com, 614-946-9371).
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Sean Patrick Fannon
www.OneBookShelf.com
www.RPGNow.com
www.DriveThruRPG.com
614-946-9371 (mobile, EDT)
RPG Marketing, Communications, and Publisher Services Manager

They Fought The Law...

An important date has passed now in gaming history. I'm not talking about the release of some long out of print game, or anything like that. Twenty years ago Steve Jackson Games (the US Steve Jackson of course) was raided by the US Secret Service in a crackdown on hackers (you can find more on that in the first link below) ... because they were working on a Cyberpunk supplement for their GURPS game. I know, right? Seems parts of the government had a difficulty telling the difference between reality and fantasy too.

Regardless, this was a very serious happening, and the impounding of manuscripts and computers nearly ruined Steve Jackson Games back in the day. So, take a moment in your day to day to think about what could happen, what might happen. If you have a little extra money you might consider giving something to the EFF (see link below also) rather than buying another game book that's just going to dusty up your shelf. A wise man once asekd, what price do we pay for freedom?

So, I turn it over to Steve Jackson and the posting he made on SJG's Daily Illuminator:

A couple of days ago, we passed the 20-year anniversary of the Secret Service raid on our office. We didn't send out a press release, hold a candlelight ceremony, or even put a giant copy of GURPS Cyberpunk on our roof (okay, that one would have been pretty cool). Instead, we worked on Munchkin projects and tested the alpha version of a Zombie Dice app for the iPhone.

In other words: We just made games. And this is a good thing. The point of the lawsuit against the Secret Service was to defend our civil liberties. Liberty means the freedom to go about your business in peace, and once the lawsuit was over and the computer-snatchers put, for the moment, to flight . . . we went about our business, which is making games. And we're still at it.

But we might not be making games today if it weren't for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The founders of the EFF took on the very serious business of defending us - all of us - against perhaps the worst menace a democracy can face: its own police, laws, and courts gone astray. The balance between freedom and security never stands still, and new technology changes the details but mustn't be allowed to change the principles. That's why the EFF was created, and that's why it's still around, 20 years later. And I'm very grateful.

On Tuesday, March 9, EFF-Austin will sponsor a panel discussion about the raid, its aftermath, and its relevance to our civil liberties today. Time: 7pm. Place: Independence Brewing (a good-omened name!), 3913 Todd Lane #607. I'll be there, along with Pete Kennedy, who was our lead attorney, and Bruce Sterling, who chronicled the whole thing in The Hacker Crackdown. Admission is free, but please plan on dropping something into the hat to support EFF-Austin!

Oh, and if you weren't around back in the day, I really suggest finding a second-hand copy of Bruce Sterling's The Hacker Crackdown for your library as well. Great read and it really gives some insights into what the electronic community that helped transform the internet into what we have to play with today was thinking and doing.

Mini-Interview with Unexplained Designer Bradford Younie

1. What do you do with yourself when you're not designing role-playing games?

I spend time with my wife Andrea and my three kids, Edward, Heather, and Kayleigh (and our cat Spooky Jr.). I watch TV, and I’m writing a novel.

2. How did you discover Fudge as a system and why do you keep coming back to it as a system?
I was originally using my own modern d20 system for Now Playing when I was designing that game (this was before the d20 Modern product came out). I ran a playtest, choosing the TV show “The Chronicle.” At the end, I asked everyone what they thought of it. They all said, “It was just like the show…except for the gunfight!”

I realized then that I needed a rules light system. I was in the process of designing my own, when a friend told me about Fudge. I downloaded it and read it. The Fudge core book didn’t read like a system book to me; it read like a toolkit for building my own system. And it was open. I loved the use of adjectives in the trait ladder and other mechanics, and so I went with it.

I’ve stuck with the system because it works well, provides compatibility with my other games, and I haven’t found a system I’d rather use.

3. What games and designers influence you as a designer?

Gee…this is a tough one. A lot of games influence me in small ways. You know, I’ll see one game that does one thing really well, and I’ll see another game that does something that doesn’t work, like in layout or something like that. But if there’s one game that influenced me most as a designer, it would be WitchCraft by C.J. Carella. That game did a fantastic job of blending the system with the setting. And the book was a fantastic read. The vast majority of RPGs out there are written like reference books, which don’t make enjoyable reads. The downside to WitchCraft is that it doesn’t make a good reference. It taught me that it’s possible to create an RPG book is both a great read and a good reference. WitchCraft is still one of my favorite games.

4. How did you become interested in the paranormal?

In short, the house I grew up in was haunted. Actually, I can’t say for certain that it was haunted, as I have no actual evidence…just personal experiences. I try to remain objective about that. I’ve heard footsteps in the house when I was alone, and there was one room that I was totally terrified of, especially at night. Unfortunately, it was right next to my bedroom and I had to go through it every night at bedtime. There was nothing obviously wrong with the room, and there were definitely parts of the old house that was creepier, but I had this unreasoning terror of that room.

But I never considered that it might be haunted until I was in my teens. When I was in Elementary School, I found a book in the school’s library on UFOs. It had the famous Trent photo and a photo of some UFOs in Trinidad. They really intrigued me. I ended up reading every book in the library on paranormal topics. I just ate it up. I’ve been researching it ever since.

5. What about your interest in the paranormal lead to you deciding to make The Unexplained as a game?
Well, part of it was that it’s been such a big interest in my life. I’ve had a variety of experiences and I kept thinking about it. I was already researching it, so that helped. But I think the biggest motivation was that I noticed that all the horror or paranormal RPGs that already existed took a more mythical or legendary approach to it. There was no game out there that took a realistic approach to the subject. When I realized that, it just clicked.

6. Have you ever done any real world "ghost hunting" and if you have what is your most interesting/favorite experience?

Most of my experiences with the paranormal were things that just happened when I wasn’t expecting it.

My favorite experience happened when ECTO, a paranormal group that endorsed The Unexplained, invited me to an investigation of America’s Stonehenge in Salem, NH. This is an ancient pre-Columbian ruin with stone structures and stuff. We were all standing in this one stone chamber that had a large stone table in it that was presumed to be a sacrificial table. We had several digital cameras sitting on it. At one point, Tim (one of the ECTO guys) asked the spirits for a sign. He suggested that they could do something to a camera. All of a sudden, three of the cameras suddenly powered down due to battery drain; one right after the other, a few seconds apart. A few minutes later, I was looking right at one of the other investigators when all of a sudden, his feet were suddenly yanked out from under him, and he fell on his butt. He said it felt like someone grabbed his ankles and pulled. He was wearing boots that had rubber cleat-like stuff, so his feet didn’t slip. It looked to me like someone yanked his feet. It was really exciting!

7. What is next for The Unexplained?

I’m working on the Storyteller’s Screen right now. It’ll be a 4-panel screen that comes with a ready-to-play adventure module. After that, I’ll release more adventures, and I’m working on a cryptid compendium (working title was “Strange Creatures”). It’s basically a non-fiction cryptid monster manual.

8. If the sky was the limit what is the one thing that you most want to do as a role-playing game?
Wow! That’s a hard one. There’s so much I’d love to do. I have two settings that I’ve come up with. One is pretty detailed and I plan to release it. It’s tentatively called “Space 2150” and is a hard sci-fi game. The other is a historical RPG set in the time of Mycenae. I chose not to do the Mycenae game because marketing research shows that historical RPGs typically win awards, but don’t sell.

9. What is something about yourself that you've never admitted online before?

I have ADD. It makes it tough to stay on task, but I’ve found ways to work with it.

10. How can people find you, Carnivore Games and The Unexplained online?

There are lots of ways:
My web site: http://www.carnivoregames.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/unexplainedrpg
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Unexplained/332640430144

Jeff Grubb: 30 Secrets About TSR's Marvel Super-Heroes Game

It's really not a big secret that I love this game. It is my favorite game and system of all time. I even have the revised Basic boxed set not ten feet away from me as I make this blog post. I have even been actively involved in the retro clone of it (I would love to see Jeff Grubb take a swing at doing something with 4C). So, this is from Jeff's blog:

The recent post in Grognardia about the original Marvel Super Heroes game has garnered a lot of comments, most of them of the 'boy, we loved that game when we were kids' variety. In fact it has been picked up by the blog for the Stranger, one of Seattle's free weeklies. And its gotten me all nostalgic about the old days. So here are thirty things about the Marvel Super Heroes and its history.

Great stuff in here, by the way. My favorite quote:

27) Early on, we had a knack for publishing things that were immediately outdated in comic book continuity. We would publish a map of the Baxter Building and they would blow it up. We would do an Alpha Flight adventure and they would change the line-up dramatically. Peter David once suggested we do a New Universe adventure so they could wipe out the line (they did, eventually, without my help).

Mash-Ups in Review

Do you know what a mash-up is? Well, you should. More than a remix, and something approaching an entirely new song when it is done right, I've been a fan of mash-ups for a while now and it really sounds like they're coming into their own as a style and approach to music.

Bootie (the world's first Mash-Up club experience) puts out a yearly compilation of what they think is the best in the genre. This year in a continuous mix. Unfortunately this is version two because Nirvana's record label made them take down Lobsterdust's great NirGaga mash.


Best of Bootie 2009 v.2 by bootie

 Couple this with the amazing work of DJ Earworm and his 2009 edition of "United States of Pop" and you can start to see where this style is going.

DJ Earworm - United State of Pop 2009 (Blame It on the Pop) - Mashup of Top 25 Billboard Hits by user8381635

PS. Want to hear NirGaga?
NirGaga (Niravana vs LadyGaga) by D0C.
 http://ifile.it/9h13l7b 

Dorkland Giveaway with Open Design/Kobold Quarterly!

Thanks to our fine friends at Open Design/Kobold Quarterly we have a great prize giveaway for the gaming fans who follow this blog (and all of our friends on Twitter as well). Open Design has graciously given us three book (The Kobold Guide To Game Design vol. 1 & 2 and Zobeck Gazeteer Volume 2: Dwarves of the Ironcrags). One lucky winner on Twitter will get all three of these great books as a prize.

Above is a photo of the prizes given to us (forgive my fancy high-tech photo backdrop system). In order to win these books you have to do three basic things (and follow the official rules as outlined at the bottom of this post):

1. You have to have a Twitter account.
2. You have to follow @dorkland and @monkeyking on Twitter.
3. You have to tweet the phrase (without quotes) "I want @dorkland to pick me for the prize from @monkeyking"

That's basically it. The contest starts tonight at a minute after midnight and runs for one week. Only tweets during that time period will be considered as entries and only one tweet per Twitter account. Starting early is a bad thing also.

Hopefully this will be the beginning of something new here at Dorkland. I am already talking with a second publisher about the next giveaway, and ideally this is something that I would like to start doing on a monthly basis, with publishers of a variety of systems. If you are an RPG print publisher and would be interested in taking part in a giveaway, send me a Twitter DM at @dorkland and we'll talk.

Official Rules For The Contest

• You must have an account on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com) to enter this contest. As the winner will be notified via Direct Message through the Twitter website you must also follow @dorkland and @monkeyking in order to win. If you cannot be sent a DM because of this, a new winner will be picked. Only one attempt at notification will be made and if that fails a new winner will be picked.
• This contest is only open to people within the Continental United States. No exceptions to this rule. If the winner does not live within the Continental United States they will be disqualified and a new winner will be picked. The prize will be sent via USPS media mail with delivery confirmation. Is it the responsibility of the winner to provide a valid mailing address, and should the prize be returned or be unable to be delivered the winning of this contest will be declared null and void. Neither this blog, its owner nor Open Design/Kobold Quarterly take any responsibility for lost, mis-delivered or stolen mail. This prize is considered "as-is" in its condition.
• Only one tweet per contestant. This means only one tweet per Twitter account is allowed during the time period. A search will be made before announcing the winner and if it can be found that multiple tweets have been made from any account, that winner will be disqualified and a new winner will be picked.
• Only tweets containing the phrase "I want @dorkland to pick me for the prize from @monkeyking" will be considered. The tweet can contain additional language but it must contain that phrase to be considered.
• Only tweets made from 12:01am EST on February 4, 2010 until 12:01am on February 12, 2010 will be considered for entry in this contest
• Violation of any or all of these rules will make any entry null and void.

So, that's it. This is our first big giveaway. Good luck to whomever might end up winning it and thank you very much to Wolfgang Baur at Open Design/Kobold Quarterly for his great prize in this contest.

Addendum: