People wander in and out of the gaming industry all the time. For instance, this year at Gen Con, I ran into Matt Grau (formerly of Steve Jackson Games) and Nic Jequier (formerly of XID Creative), neither of whom I’d seen in years, and I had a wonderful time catching up with them.

Here’s a blast from the past that comes from a direction I would never have guessed. Mark Rein-Hagen (formerly of White Wolf, and the creator of the World of Darkness) is now married, has a child, and lives in Georgia.

No, not the state of Georgia, where White Wolf is based. The nation of Georgia, which is currently enmeshed in a struggle with Russia. When the recent conflict broke out, Mark set up a new website (SOSGeorgia.org) to tell the world about what he could see happening in Georgia.

Stop by the site and take a look at a nation in crisis, funneled through the perspective of a writer and game designer who’s married into it. It’s well worth it.

My friends at Patch Products are looking for a product designer. They make all sorts of cool things, including games, toys, coloring books, puzzles, and foam sports balls, and they’re best known for games like TriBond, which they sold to Mattel last year. They have a great benefits package, including an on-site gym and on-site day care. Best of all, the job is right here in beautiful Beloit, Wisconsin.

If you’re interested in the job and have any questions about Patch or Beloit, just let me know. I’m always happy to shill for my favorite companies and bring good people to the area.

Jeremy Jones (who must be tired of talking with me by now) has another interview with me posted on FlamesRising.com. This one covers the details of shared-world writing and what it’s like to get paid to play in someone else’s sandbox.

If you missed the show on Geekerati Radio last night, you’re not out of luck. You can now listen to it for free online.

As always, I had a great time chatting with hosts Christian Lindke and Bill Cunningham. The talk ranged over a wide range of topics, from the Mutant Chronicles and Brave New World movies to the Blood Bowl novels and comics and the various computer games on which I’m working. We also wax philosophic about the state of the gaming industry, the fate of the RPG market, and the state of terror and politics.

Here’s the official graphic for this year’s silver ENnies. Shiny!

I took home less than 1% of one of these for my essay in Hobby Games: The 100 Best. Now to figure out which piece I get. I think one of the pips on the 6-face of the die would be cool.

I suspect there’s a 1d100 (or 1d%) table around here somewhere… Oh, I’ll just use the book’s table of contents!

As a reminder, I’ll be on Geekerati Radio this Monday, August 25, starting at 9 PM my (Central) time and 7 PM their (Pacific) time. The call-in number is (646) 478-5041. If you’re available, be sure to give us a ring to inspire the chat!