While I was at my step-uncle Richard Lacy’s funeral on Wednesday, I learned of a horrible tragedy that had happened in Madison the day before. Ryan Dutter, formerly of Beloit, shot his disabled 12-year-old son and then killed himself. I didn’t know Ryan personally. I went to school for many years with his older brother Pat, and Ryan was in …
D&D on BBC
The BBC has an excellent piece on the new eTools for use with Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition. The video features short appearances by my friend (and former editor) Rich Baker, and the article has quotes from my pal Charles Ryan. I’m excited to see that the beta for the online character builder is finally up. While 4E is a …
TAGIE and ChiTAG and Dickens This Weekend
As a reminder, tomorrow night I’ll be at the TAGIE Awards dinner. On Saturday, I’ll be at ChiTAG, helping out with the Ask an Expert sessions. If you’ll be there, be sure to stop by and say hi. The rest of the weekend, I’ll be watching my son Marty perform in A Christmas Carol. This is the Kids Fun and …
Women In Games International Benefit Auction Starts Saturday
Women In Games International–an organization dedicated to getting more women professionally involved in creating games–is holding a benefit auction on eBay, starting this Saturday, November 22. They have huge load of very cool and rare video game merchandise up for bid, and the money all goes to a good cause. Be sure to check it out.
Blood Bowl: Killer Contract Collection Out Today!
The fine people at Boom Studios tell me that the trade paperback edition of the collected Blood Bowl: Killer Contract comic-book miniseries I wrote for them is due in stores today. This is my first graphic novel in print, and I’m thrilled to know it’s finally here. I can’t wait to grab a copy and read it myself!
More Gaming Industry Upheaval
As ICv2.com and OgreCave.com report, we’ve had more shake-ups in the tabletop industry. Last week, Upper Deck laid off another 40 people on top of the others they let go earlier in the year. On the bright side, a couple of companies have already stepped forward with plans to rescue the games of WizKids. The guys behind SaveHeroClix.com formed Piñata …
Rest in Peace, Richard
My step-uncle Richard Lacy passed away on Sunday morning. Richard met and married my stepmother Nancy’s sister Sally later in life, but not too late for them to have their son Bill, whom I’ve known as a younger cousin for most of his life. Richard had three kids from a previous marriage, and while I’ve never met them, I’ve always …
More LOTRO
“Hero’s Guide to the Waterworks,” the latest article on The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria is up. Will Hindmarch did his regular wonderful job on this piece, which I had the honor of editing.
The Whisky Guy Debuts
Writer Rob Gard–who played varsity soccer with me waaay back in high school–just launched a new blog dedicated to the appreciation of whisky in its various, delicious forms. Rob’s a good writer with a clear love for his subject. If you share in that love (I’m looking at you, Dansky), be sure to stop by and see what Rob has …
The Gamer Economy
It looks like games aren’t as recession-proof as they’ve seemed to be in the past–at least if you’re a mass-market tabletop games company. According to various reports, Mattel is laying off 1,000 people, 4Kids is still losing millions of dollars, and Topps is closing its WizKids division. First, my condolences to those employees caught up in all of this. It’s …