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Just like the title says. Vote now, as the deadline is May 25!

The instructions are a bit obtuse, but you’re supposed to vote on your top five favorite games for 2005, no matter what category they’re in. Then rank those five from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best.

I worked on one of the games on the list, The Authority Roleplaying Game. If you liked it, consider including it in your votes.

Here’s the official press release, for those who care for such details:
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written by Matt Forbeck

As I’ve mentioned here before, Secret of the Spiritkeeper and The Authority RPG both earned nominations for Origins Awards this year: for Best Fiction Publication and Best Roleplaying Game, respectively. The Academy of Gaming Arts and Design is now voting on the nominees, and the product with the most votes in each category wins the award.

If you’re a member of the Academy and you liked either of those books, please vote. If you’re not a member of the Academy, well, did you know that membership is free to anyone with three published credits in the gaming industry? You still have time to join the Academy and vote before the May 25 deadline.

So, whether you’re voting for my stuff or not, get to it! Then, on July 2, at the Origins Game Convention, we’ll find out who wins.

written by Matt Forbeck

I realized I forgot to mention that two books I worked on were nominated for Origins Awards this year. Secret of the Spiritkeeper garnered a nod for Best Fiction, and The Authority RPG got one for Best Roleplaying Game. If you’re a member of the Academy of Gaming Arts and Design (and everyone who does creative work in adventure gaming can now join for free), please consider voting for them. In my ever-biased opinion, I think they’re great stuff.

As some of you know, I led the Origins Awards Task Force last year, which revamped the awards from the ground up. I specifically didn’t volunteer to serve on any of the juries this year, as I wanted to see the system stand on its own. It seems to be doing well so far, as shown by the list of nominees, and I have even higher hopes for next year.

written by Matt Forbeck

My friends at Guardians of Order (publishers of The Authority RPG, of which I wrote the player’s chapter for them) just announced that they had a rotten 2004, mostly due to the plummeting value of the American dollar versus their Canadian version. Because of this, they’re asking people for help by purchasing some of their excellent games now. If you love good games and good game companies, you can find the details here.

It’s ironic that GoO is having such problems with the exchange rate. Because I’m writing books for Games Workshop’s Black Library, the exchange rate has helped me instead. That’s living in a global and ever-changing economy for you.

written by Matt Forbeck

My fine friends at Guardians of Order tell me that The Authority Role-Playing Game is in stores now. Actually, it came out on October 5, so it’s been there nearly a week. Rush on out and get it!

This is one of the most beautiful game books I’ve had the privilege to work on. You can lay the blame for that squarely at Jeff Mackintosh’s feet. The fabulous artwork by Hitch and Neary doesn’t hurt any either. This has long been one of my favorite comics, and I’m pleased that the game lives up to every expectation I had.

written by Matt Forbeck

The fine folks at Guardians of Order are barraging the web with previews of The Authority Role-Playing Game. This includes an interview with the game’s creators. Since I wrote the player’s chapter, they cornered me for a few easy questions in that lot. You can read the details here.

written by Matt Forbeck

Masterful Mark MacKinnon of Guardians of Order passed me a note about the new page they have for The Authority Role-Playing Game. They already have two bits up there, including a preview of team leader Jenny Sparks and an interview with series creator Warren Ellis. If you like The Authority at all, you’ll eat this up.

written by Matt Forbeck

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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written by Matt Forbeck

The kind people at Guardians of Order state on their website that The Authority Role-Playing Game should be out August 16, just in time for Gen Con. I wrote the player’s chapter for the book, which was a blast and a half. I’ve been a fan of The Authority comic book since issue #1, so it was a thrill to work with these characters. I can’t wait to see the final book.

written by Matt Forbeck

Guardians of Order has an iCal page on its site that details the ship dates of upcoming releases. It turns out The Authority Role-Playing Game has been pushed back to August 16. This means no game for Origins, but it should be ready for Gen Con.

written by Matt Forbeck

Jesse Scoble of Guardians of Order tells me that the April release date of The Authority Role-Playing Game didn’t account for delays in licensing approvals. The game should hit shelves by June at the latest. We can hope for earlier, but June seems like the safest bet at the moment.

Still, Guardians should have some sample pages from the game to show off at the GAMA Trade Show. Plus, there’s a preview of the book in the March issue of Game Trade Magazine.

written by Matt Forbeck

The fine folks at Guardians of Order have posted more information about the upcoming The Authority Role-Playing Game, including a release date: April 26. You can find the official buzz here

written by Matt Forbeck

Adam Jury of Guardians of Order just sent me the final cover for The Authority Role-Playing Game. Click on it to see a much larger version. This is essentially the same as the first cover I showed with the exception of the names along the spine.

It’s common for authors to drop in and out of projects for various reasons. Not having been involved in the development of this book�that honor went to the ever-capable Jesse Scoble�I couldn’t tell you the individual stories behind the shuffle here. I can only say that I was thrilled to be able to work on this book, and I’m proud to have my name up there on the cover.

Don’t be fooled by the fact my name is toward the top of the book, as I only wrote the player’s chapter. I suspect the names are ordered by the amount each of the writers contributed, starting with Jesse, who’s at the bottom, and ending with me. Still, that’s fine company to find yourself in.

written by Matt Forbeck