Dave Sutherland Is Dying

I recently learned that Dave Sutherland, a longtime TSR employee and the artist behind much of the early D&D and Tekumel products, is terminally ill. To pay his medical bills and hopefully leave something for his wife and daughters, he and his sister are auctioning off much of his gaming stuff on eBay, including some real rare gems. You can find the link here.

Dave created the cover for the “blue book” edition of Dungeons & Dragons, which was the first roleplaying game I ever saw. In a sense, he drew me into the business.

If you have any interest at all, take a look at the auctions. They represent a real trove of gaming history, and the money would be going to help out a family in dire need. Please pass this on to whoever you like and post it wherever you can.

Beloit College Book Signing

The summer convention season is over, which means I mostly stay hunkered down in my office and type for the next six months or so. However, I do have a book signing for Secret of the Spiritkeeper at Turtle Creek, the Beloit College bookstore, on September 18, starting at 9:30 AM. That’s right in Beloit, Wisconsin, my hometown. Please stop on by if you have a chance.

Diana Jones Award Site Updated

The Diana Jones Award committee gave out its award during Gen Con, a few weeks back. The site has just been updated with news on the results and pictures of the ceremony.

Before I had the honor of announcing the DJA winner for this year, Andy Kitkowski gave out the Indie RPG Awards. It flattered me to no end to be nominated for “Human of the Year” for my role in keeping the Diana Jones Award alive. I didn’t win, of course, but I appreciated being on such a cool list.

Origins Awards Proposal Away

As part of my work with the Origins Awards Task Force, I was asked to develop at least three different proposals for the GAMA board to consider and put before the GAMA voters for consideration. I just sent off the first last night. Here it is:
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Collecting What’s Due

I haven’t completed much this week (other than sending a proposal for the Origins Awards to the GAMA board). Instead, I’ve been busy invoicing for services rendered. As with most freelance gigs, it’s one thing to get the job and something else entirely to get paid for it.
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Back from Gen Con!

Gen Con was flat-out amazing. I’ve been to the show 23 years in a row now (I started young), and I can’t imagine my summers without it. For me, this is like summer camp wrapped up with Christmas in August, except you get to pick out (and buy) your own gifts.
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Off to Gen Con!

I’m off to Gen Con early tomorrow morning, so there will be no big update this week. I hope to have lots of news to share next week, or at least some great Gen Con stories. If you’ll be at the show, please stop by the Green Ronin booth and say hi. Or find me at one of my seminars or book signings. All the details are posted on the Upcoming Appearances page. I hope to see you there!

Dracula’s Revenge In Stores Next Week

Dracula’s Revenge, the horror-themed tabletop game of pitched battles between vampires and hunters, is due on store shelves next week. The game is due to ship from the warehouses of Green Ronin on Friday, August 13. It should reach distributors soon after and be on store shelves by Wednesday, August 18, or Thursday, August 19. Be sure to ask for it at your friendly local game store.