On Wednesday, a preview copy of BattleLore showed up on my doorstep, courtesy of my friends at Days of Wonder. It’s a fantasy battles miniatures game based on Richard Borg’s Command & Colors system, also used in Memoir ’44. That alone would be enough to sell me on it. I haven’t gotten through it all yet, but it’s beautifully done. …
Manifesto Reviews
I just turned in my first game review for Manifesto Games. It’s a new website that sells downloadable computer games of all sorts–from independent developers. They give me a free copy of the game and then pay me to tell people what I think of it. This sounds like a sweet gig–until you remember how long it can take you …
Six-Word Halloween Story
Wired recently asked a bunch of writers to try to beat Hemingway at his own game: Come up with a good story only six words long. (His was: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”) In the sprit of Halloween, here’s one from me: “Brains!” “Brains!” “Brains!” BLAM! BLAM! Click.
A Shared-World Education
A while back, Jeremy Jones wrote to ask me a few questions about shared-world writing. I thought you might enjoy the results of our conversation, which transpired over a slew of e-mails.
Helping Out
I’m going to be lending a hand at the Democratic HQ here in Beloit on this Saturday and on Election Day for as much as I can. I’ve done this just about every election cycle I’ve been in Wisconsin since I was able to walk, even the year the quads were born. If anyone in the area would like to …
Happy Halloween!
A happy All Hallows’ Eve to you all. We’re celebrating tonight with the traditional trick or treating. The quads plan to dress up at Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion. My wife will be the Wicked Witch of the West. Our eldest will be a wizard of a different kind: Harry Potter. Me, I’ll hand out …
New Dark Conspiracy Fiction
No, I’m not talking about the upcoming elections. Dark Conspiracy is a roleplaying game my fellow Alliterate and long-time pal Lester Smith created for GDW way back in 1991. It’s set in a dark and cynical future in which megacorps and monsters conspire to suck the life (literally and metaphorically) from humanity. A new company called the Gamers’ Conglomerate landed …
Cathy’s Book Debuts Well
According to ICv2.com, the ARG (alternate reality game) in hardcover Cathy’s Book hit stores well last month, with orders for 125,000 copies. That’s a fantastic number for this experimental book. I worked on the Beast (the first big ARG game) with the book’s authors, Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman (and Jordan’s been a friend for years). I’m thrilled to see …
Stan!’s Doodles
Besides being a solid game designer, a wonderful writer, and great friend (and fellow Alliterate) Stan! is also a talented cartoonist. He’s just started up a new site called Doodle-a-Day. You can probably guess what it’s all about. Check it out.
No Loyal Knight Rocks
I just finished No Loyal Knight, the debut novel by my pal John Wick (of Wicked Dead Brewing Company fame, among many other feats of game design and narration). I had hoped to buy it at Gen Con, but John had sold out by the time I made it back to his booth late on the last day of the …