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Reactor 88 Studios has set up an IMDB entry for the Brave New World film. This includes an entry for me. Trivial, I know, but cool.

Last night, I hit my first Major League Baseball game in years. For his birthday, Bill Bodden wanted to see the Brewers take on the Cardinals in the last desperate stretch of this year’s pennant race, and he invited John Kovalic, Jim Lowder, and me to join him.

We met up at Adventures in Gaming and carpooled down to the game. Jim knew of a great, free parking spot, an easy walk from the stadium, and we made it in plenty of time. Sadly, the Brewers’ pitching staff dissolved into a lukewarm puddle in the 8th inning, and they lost the game. They’re still in the race, but at two games behind the Cubs with only a few games left, it’s an uphill battle. Despite that, they’ve done better this year than most people expected, and I’m proud to call them my hometown team.

On the return trip to the car, we had to walk back through a chilly, dew-soaked graveyard filled with white stones casting stark shadows in the brilliant light of the full, silver moon. Being who we were, our chatter ran the gamut from fresh-risen zombies to a resource-management game in which players compete to have the best monument in the cemetery.

My first advance copy of Blood Bowl: The Omnibus showed up in my mail this afternoon. It is a thing of beauty: 768-pages of Dark (Humor) Fantasy Football goodness—each of the first three Blood Bowl novels—stuffed under a single cover.

If you have those books already, you’re set, except for a short introduction I wrote for this volume. If not, though, there’s no better way to jump into the deep end of this series.

You can find this massive book on shelves in November, just in time for your Thanksgiving football feast. It’s sure to whet your appetite for Rumble in the Jungle, , the fourth book in the series, due out before the end of the year.

It’s a real kick to see the books collected in a volume that rivals any Harry Potter book for length. Every time I look at the thing, I can’t stop grinning.

On Sunday, my wife and I went to see Michael Moore’s new film, Sicko. Going to school at the University of Michigan, I’ve followed Moore’s career since Roger and Me. I don’t always agree with his points (although he often has good ones) or how he drives them home (I don’t think his stunts are as effective as letting others make his points for him), but I appreciate him standing up for what he thinks is right and for asking questions.

For Sicko, I stand squarely in the choir to which the film preaches. The health-care industry in America is a disturbing, embarrassing, life-threatening mess. I could throw stats and anecdotes at you to back up that point, but Sicko does an excellent job of it. If you’re interested in the issue (and how many Americans aren’t ever worried about health care these days?), make a point of seeing it. In Rock County, it’s playing at the Wildwood Movies 10 for the rest of the week, by special arrangement with DR!VEN.

The folks at the Games Workshop Chicago Battle Bunker showed me a great time this past Saturday. I signed a few dozen books, chatted with lots of Blood Bowl players, and peeked over a few shoulders to see some great teams, pitches, and matches. I also talked again with tournament organizer Tom Anders, who edited the latest version of the Blood Bowl Living Rulebook, and he kindly completed my set of exclusive (and very cool) Chaos Cup figures.

Darren Orange and Zachary “Charge” Laoutides from Reactor 88 Studios showed up to chat about the Brave New World movie too, and Chuck “Patriot” Wagner stopped by with a couple of lovely ladies to invite us to his birthday party. Sadly, I had to pass on that, but I did grab dinner with Darren and store manager Allen Jorjorian, who invited me out to say thanks for making the trip.

Allen has one of those great life stories that reminds me why I love gaming. Formerly a successful stockbroker, he put that behind him after the birth of his son and now works his dream job as a manager of a Games Workshop store. I love seeing people being true to themselves and doing what they love.

My latest essay for Storytellers Unplugged just appeared on that website, as if by magic. In it, I ramble loosely about how deadlines help to focus the creative mind—or at least mine. The essay itself is a fine example of that. Until I sat down to write it, the only thing bouncing around my head was that I’d obligated myself to write something every month and my turn was up. That’s self-reflexiveness for you.

This Saturday, starting at 3 PM, I’ll be stomping around one of the biggest Blood Bowl tournaments of the year: the Chaos Cup! It’s held at the Games Workshop Chicago Battle Bunker in Downers Grove, Illinois, and I’ll be there to sign books, talk Blood Bowl, and have some fun. If you’re in the area, please stop by, say hi, and cheer on your favorite team!

As reported in Wired and elsewhere, Capcom has added a Wii version of the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law videogame (on which I worked for High Voltage) to its PS2 and PSP versions. As a proud owner of a Wii, I can’t wait to point out the problems in the prosecution’s case with my Wii remote.

Last night, after the kids’ dance lessons and soccer practice, I drove up to Madison, Wisconsin, for the ACD Games Day. I arrived late at an exhibitor’s dinner that the ever-amazing John Kovalic put together for the poor souls not invited to the retailer’s banquet. I had an excellent meal at the Hong Kong Cafe with folks from Fantasy Flight, PSI, Margaret Weis Productions, White Wolf, Impressions, Steve Jackson Games, and more.

Afterward, I rolled out to the Marriott Madison West, where ACD hosted the official event. Although it’s been remodeled in the last year, it always brings back memories of the Capital City Comics Distribution shows that used to be held in the exact same place, about 10 years ago.

I wandered around the demo hall and got washed out fast in a game of Walk the Plank, played versus John Kovalic, Bill Bodden, Lory from Pegasus Games, and a couple of ladies from ACD. It’s a nifty little card game like plays like Hearts but with pirates, which makes it that much more fun. I chatted with a few more people (like Oscar Garza of White Wolf, Ross Jepson, one of the Brians from Fantasy Flight, and Ed Evans of All Things Fun) and made a quick appearance in the hospitality suite. Then I meandered back down the highway toward Beloit and my bed.

To show my support for PlayThisThing.com, I wrote a short rave about Desktop Tower Defense, a nifty and addictive Flash game you can play in any browser. Be sure to check it out and then play the game too!

If you’re a gaming omnivore like me, be sure to check out PlayThisThing.com. It features daily bits about all sorts of games that don’t qualify for mainstream coverage (e.g., things you’d see in electronic gaming print magazines). Manifesto Games, which is run by Greg Costikyan and my fellow Alliterates member Johnny Wilson, stands behind it, and you can expect their same dedication to alternative games (including the tabletop variety) at PlayThisThing.com.

The great guys at DigitalDungeonCast.com interviewed me at Origins 2007, and they’ve just posted an MP3 of our conversation. Come listen to me wax eloquent (in a stuffed-up, third-day-of-the-con way) about writing, game design, college, and other base subjects. If you flick through their gallery, you might spot some shots of the event too.

I’ve been sucked into the social vortex known as Facebook. It’s been great for linking up with friends and even playing Scrabble with a long-time friend I’ve known since I was 2. Join me if you like. Here’s my badge:

I’m looking for a new cell phone service. I have US Cellular, but it drops calls when I walk through the house. Anyone local to Beloit out there have any recommendation? Mostly I’m looking at AT&T or Verizon right now. Thanks!