My latest essay, “Noncompulsive Writing,” is now up at Storytellers Unplugged. It’s about how I motivate myself to write when I rarely find that just can’t do without it. Stop by and give it a read!
LOTRO Screentography
Will Hindmarch‘s latest in his series of excellent articles on The Lord of the Rings Online has been posted to the game’s website. “Hero’s Guide to Zelem-melek” takes you on a guided tour of one of the coolest parts of Moria. I edit many of these articles, so I know how much sweat Will puts into every bit of his …
eBay, Baby!
I have a lot of games, and not enough room for them all. It makes me sad to know they’re stuffed away in boxes in my attic like refugees from the Island of Misfit Toys that came just this close to being useful and then failed. I want them to find good homes with gamers who will play with them …
Atari Buys Cryptic
Infogrames (now known under the name Atari, which it purchased a few years back) just announced that it bought Cryptic Studios. This means that Champions fans can stop worrying about how the game might get finished in this challenging economy. It also means that my pal Jack Emmert (and hopefully my other friends at Cryptic) will be wearing a very …
Foundations in LOTRO
Will Hindmarch‘s latest article about The Lord of the Rings Online, “Hero’s Guide to the Foundations of Stone,” is now up. Will’s words (which I edited) and screenshots capture one of the strangest and deepest parts of the new Mines of Moria expansion. Be sure to check it out.
Snow Day!
Lousy winter weather here in southern Wisconsin has the entire Forbeck family stuck at home together today. (My wife’s a school social worker, and her school cancelled classes today too.) I skipped my Alliterates meeting last night to avoid it, but it tracked me down and socked me in just the same. Days like this, I’m extra glad I don’t …
BNW in French Comics
If you can read French, check out the latest page of Mademoiselle Blok. On the final panel, you’ll see a very odd superhero wearing a T-shirt for my Brave New World RPG. If you can’t get the page to load, try switching your language on the site to French. The English translations are still about five pages behind. Vincent Demons, …
The Family Games 100 Coming Your Way
I’ve just received my assignment for the upcoming Family Games: The 100 Best, the family-friendly sequel to last year’s Hobby Games: The 100 Best. For those not in the know, the award-winning original featured 100 essays from 100 top game designers, each writing about one of his or her favorite games. (Mine covered Space Hulk.) I’m not yet supposed to …
The Night of the Long Wands
Word is that Wizards of the Coast laid off up to a couple dozen people yesterday, including some of the most talented members of its game design staff. Wizards has a long history of shedding employees in December, presumably to improve Hasbro’s balance sheet before the end of its fiscal year. They also often end up hiring again early the …
The Gen Con Drama Deepens
This morning, I wake up to find that the fine folks at ICv2.com have done some excellent digging around about the Gen Con takeover bid. First, they eliminated the most likely suspects for the mysterious backers of the Gen Con Acquisition Group. It’s not GAMA, and it’s not F & W Publications. Then they learned the truth–or at least part …