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On a Walkabout

Jan 282008

Fellow Alliterate and longtime friend Steve Sullivan recently launched his own publishing company, Walkabout Publishing. He already has four books out with more in the works.

This joins two other self-publishing efforts from the Alliterates. Steve was involved in the first too—Popcorn Press—along with Lester Smith and Rob King. For the second, Wolfgang Baur is ramping up his fifth Open Design project as well as building his new baby, Kobold Quarterly.

Lester also runs PoemTee.com (which offers his poetry on T-shirts) and Hobby Hearse (which sells rare and used games). Meanwhile, Don Perrin continues spinning lead with his latest miniatures company, True North Miniatures, and publishing articles about it in HMG Magazine. Plus, he keeps many of the rest of us in print with his Quality Print-on-Demand.

Meanwhile, many of us still write novels and design games. We’re a busy lot!

Plugging Away

Alliterates, Raves No Responses »

Dec 302007

A few of my friends have bits in the works that might interest you.

First up, Rich Dansky‘s first creator-owned novel, Firefly Rain, is due out January 8. This is the debut novel for Wizards of the Coast Discoveries, the new all-original imprint from Wizards, and knowing Rich it’s bound to be great. I don’t know any more about it than what’s online and a few private hints from Rich, but I’ve already pre-ordered my copy.

Next, fellow Alliterate, Open Design for RPGs originator, and former Dragon Magazine editor Wolfgang Baur is running a special promotion for his young but fantastic magazine of d20 gaming goodness, Kobold Quarterly. Those who subscribe soon can pick up a free set of Q-Workshop dice along with their first issue.

Finally, another fellow Alliterate and author Steve Sullivan has a new book of Blue Kingdom novellas out from his Walkabout Publishing. Blue Kingdoms: Zombies, Werewolves & Unicorns covers an unusual range of topics in a pair of dark fantasy tales guaranteed to keep you flipping pages.

Poetry by Les

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Oct 252007

My fellow Alliterate and good friend Lester Smith is not only a great game designer but also a wonderful poet. In recognition of his talents, he was named the president of the Wisconsin Society of Poets. If you’d like to sample some of Les’s latest work for free (as well as selected bits from other poets), sign up for his new mailing list and have his latest opuses zapped straight into your in-box.

Eye Heart Cthulhu

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Oct 222007

My fellow Alliterate and pal Stan! just came up with a doozy of a Cthulhu cartoon, just in time for the Halloween season. If it tickles you enough to want to share it with those around you, Stan! has opened up a Cafe Press store with this little doodle available on dozens of different products.

This reminds me of the friend who sent me four plush Cthulhus when our quadruplets were born. While they were fantastic toys, I couldn’t bring myself to put them in the cribs with the kids. Explaining them to the NICU nurses just wouldn’t be worth it.

Kobold Quarterly #2

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Oct 042007

The latest issue of (fellow Alliterate) Wolfgang Baur‘s Kobold Quarterly is out. It features bits by Ed Greenwood, Skip Williams, Jeff Grubb, Robert Schwalb, Stan!, and more. If you enjoy d20 fantasy gaming and miss Dragon and Dungeon, be sure to check this out.

IAMTW News

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Oct 042007

The latest issue of Tied-In, the IAMTW newsletter, is available for download. In this PDF, you’ll find notes about Donald Bain (the Scribe Awards first Grandmaster), BotCon, the novelization of The Twelve Dogs of Christmas, news from (fellow Alliterate) Steve Sullivan, and my con report from Origins 2007.

Play This Thing!

Alliterates, Raves 8 Responses »

Sep 072007

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.

Wolf’s Words

Alliterates, Raves 6 Responses »

Jul 182007

Fellow Alliterate and good guy Wolfgang Baur just opened up a locked post on his Open Design site about the writing process. The net is filled with these, of course, but rarely about RPG design. As usual, Wolf is spot on. Check it out.

Pirates of the Blue Kingdoms Hits Shores

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May 102007

My friends at Popcorn Press (fellow Alliterates Rob King, Lester Smith, and Steve Sullivan) have just released Pirates of the Blue Kingdoms, a fiction anthology edited by Steve and my friend Jean Rabe. I haven’t read it yet, but with a line-up of writers that includes Robert E. Vardeman, J. Robert King, Lorelei Shannon, Lester Smith, Marc Tassin, Kathleen Watness, James M. Ward, Paul Genesse, Brandie Tarvin, Steve Winter, Dean Leggett, Jason Mical, Kelly Swails, and Jean Rabe & Stephen D. Sullivan, I’m looking forward to getting to it soon.

Wofford Shared Worlds

Alliterates, Professional, Raves 14 Responses »

Apr 262007

This summer, Wofford College in South Carolina is putting on its first Shared Worlds program. It proposes to teach kids entering grades 8 through 12 all about creating fictional settings for fiction, art, and games. Jeremy Jones, who sometimes comments around these parts, put it all together, and the lineup of teachers and speakers is phenomenal. It makes me wish I was in high school again.

Just among my friends, we find an all-star cast of guest speakers: Edward Bolme, Richard Dansky, Troy Denning, Jeff Mariotte, Jared Sorensen, and John Wick. Plus, Ken Hite and Doug Niles will be teaching all week.

Because of a scheduling conflict, I won’t be able to make it down myself, and it’s killing me. It’s sure to be a wonderful week. If you know of anyone who might be interested in attending, be sure to spread the word and let them know. It’s sure to be something special.