2008 September | Forbeck.com

Blood Bowl: Killer Contract #4 Out Tomorrow!

Sep 302008

Yes, it’s a big week for releases here in Casa Forbeck. Tomorrow (October 1) sees the release of Blood Bowl: Killer Contract #4. In this issue, the Bad Bay Hackers take on the Chaos All-Stars with all the resultant tentancular mayhem you’d expect from such a matchup. Lads does his now-traditional great job of translating my words into art—or so I believe in my heart, although I’ve not actually seen any of it yet. Expect to find me in a store tomorrow, looking for my first glimpse of the interior pages too!

I’m told that issue #5 is already off to the printer too, which means this warped and twisted tale should wrap up soon. I’ll be sorry to see it all come to an end, but I hope you enjoy the story as a whole once you get to read it all. It’s been a great ride for me.

LOTRO Articles

Professional 4 Responses »

Sep 302008

I’ve been playing around with a lot of different MMOs lately. Here’s one reason why.

A new, ongoing series of web articles about The Lord of the Rings Online started appearing yesterday on the game’s official website. The always excellent Will Hindmarch wrote the first, “Hero’s Guide to Hollin Gate,” under my editorial management. These should appear every week for the foreseeable future, with Will and I chipping in our efforts every other week. Be sure to check them out!

Mutant Chronicles on Sale!

Mutant Chronicles 8 Responses »

Sep 302008

Today’s the big day. My novelization of the Mutant Chronicles film is officially on sale! Run on down to your friendly local bookseller and pick up a copy of your very own—or download an eBook version from your favorite online purveyor of such marvels.

As I’ve said here before, I had a wonderful time working on this book. Fred Malmberg, Jay Zetterberg Leslie Buhler, Leigh Stone, and Thommy Wojciechowski at Paradox were, as ever, a true pleasure to work with, and the same goes for Keith Clayton and Sue Moe, my excellent editors at Del Rey.

The film’s not out here in North America yet, so this is your best chance to get your hands on the story and picture it in your head instead. If you’re still on the fence, check out this short excerpt for a free taste of the whole dish.

Banned Books Week

Professional No Responses »

Sep 302008

It’s Banned Books Week this week, the annual spotlight the American Library Association throws on attempts to have books banned from libraries across the nation. Do us all a favor and read a banned book this week.

Dansky on Game Writing

Professional 2 Responses »

Sep 272008

Over on Storytellers Unplugged, my pal Rich Dansky recently posted “Young Industry My Sweet Patootie, You Goldurn Whippersnappers.” It’s an excellent essay on the challenges of writing for video games and why it continues to be hard to do well even after decades of such games on the market. The excuse, of course, is that video games are a relatively young medium—which is true, when compared to things like books—but Rich chews right through that chestnut to get to the truth beneath.

Games of All Kinds

Raves 4 Responses »

Sep 262008

My friend Jesse Scoble has an excellent article up at Gameplaywright.com about the “Pixels to Paper” panel held at this past summer’s Gen Con. The panel featured my pals Jack Emmert (of Cryptic Studios) and Ed Stark and Dave Williams (of Red 5 Studios) talking about both video games and tabletop games and what they can learn from each other. Jesse does a fantastic job of encapsulating the event, and if you’re interested in any kind of game development it’s worth a read.

Citizens of Virtue

Raves 20 Responses »

Sep 242008

Today I stumbled across a website that’s just too damned funny: Citizens of Virtue. At first, it looks like your standard right-wing, evangelical Christian site, but you dig a little deeper and see that it’s actually a finely crafted satire. The add for Passionix—the drug for correcting rampant hormones in teenagers—should be enough of a tip-off for anyone.

This is, of course, part of a new ARG designed by a pack of geniuses I’m proud to call friends. I don’t know much more about the game than what’s on the site, but I can’t wait to find out.

Angry Robot Unleashed

Raves 4 Responses »

Sep 232008

My pal Marc Gascoigne—formerly of the Black Library and Solaris—was just recently named the head of Angry Robot, a new imprint of HarperCollins.

For fans (and writers) of genre fiction, this is, of course, excellent news.

Influences

Professional No Responses »

Sep 232008

Cinerati asked a number of creatives: “Was there a particular book (or television show, or film) that you read (or watched) as a child that inspired you into your current career?” Check out the responses from Susan Palwick, Richard Scott Nokes, Dale Launer, David Chute, and me.

Moore for Free

Raves 8 Responses »

Sep 232008

Michael Moore’s latest film, Slacker Uprising, debuts today. I’ve yet to see the film so cannot comment on its content. However, the most interesting thing about the film is how it’s been released: online, for free, to anyone living in the US or Canada (or willing to pose as such). Love Moore or hate him, at least now you don’t have to pay to see what his latest fuss is all about.

No matter how you plan to vote in the upcoming election, take the moment to register to vote—and then this November 4 go out and do it. If the past two presidential elections have taught us anything, it’s that it doesn’t take a whole lot of votes to sway an election one way or the other.