My pal Charles Ryan set up a quiz that answers the question, “What kind of roleplayer are you?” It’s based on Robin’s Laws of Good Game Mastering by my friend Robin Laws.
I take quizzes like this for fun sometimes, but I rarely publish the results. (After all, do you care which superhero I’m most like?) This time, though, the quiz is on topic enough to make an exception, especially given who’s behind it.
GamingReport.com is, bar none, the best news site out there for the tabletop gaming industry. (ICv2.com rocks too, but it covers comics and manga as well, and its coverage of games isn’t as broad, mostly because it’s aimed at retailers, not players.) F+W Publications, owners of Scrye and Comics & Games Retailer just bought it.
This makes good sense for F+W because they barely have an online presence. This gives them a strong foothold in the World Wide Web, prebuilt and with a relatively large, passionate audience. Congratulations to James Mishler, Joyce Greenholt, and John Jackson Miller, the people now in charge.
On the other hand, this buyout means the exit of Dan Sivils, the founder of GamingReport.com, who did an amazing job keeping the site rolling for nearly eight years. It seems Dan needed to get out from under the burden of running such a large site–a burden he clearly enjoyed–though, so F+W plays the white knight here, rescuing the site from closure or some other terrible fate.
Good luck, Dan, in wherever life takes you and your wife Jennifer next. And congratulations to James, Joyce, and John. It’s good to see GamingReport.com land in such good hands.
The latest issue (#11) of Games Quarterly Magazine just showed up in my mailbox. This issue features my interview with Anthony Zuiker, the creator of CSI. A Las Vegas latchkey kid, Anthony created over 500 tabletop games as a kid, and his first published effort hit shelves this fall: CSI: Senses. Be sure to check it out.
The Haunted Castle (my adventure for Faery’s Tale) received a kind review on RPGNow.com. The reviewer transformed it into a d20 adventure and loved it. Currently, the slim and inexpensive PDF is the #3 best seller for Ronin Arts via RPGNow.com.
It seems this has been going on since August, but I just learned that Wizards is running a web-based elimination contest to find their next R&D intern for Magic: The Gathering. The dismissal tagline?
“Game Over.”
My eldest son Marty is appearing in his first-ever play this weekend–the Kids Fun and Drama production of Oliver!–as Orphan/Urchin #1. He sings in the chorus and even has a few lines. As you might imagine, Ann and I are proud as can be.
If you’re in the area, the show is November 16—18 at 7 PM and November 19 at 2 PM, at the First Presbyterian Church (501 Prospect Street, Beloit, WI). Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids. Come join us!
Tonight on Court TV, Murder by the Book premieres. This new show covers the true crimes that inspired some of the greatest living writers of crime fiction to start telling tales. The first episode features James Ellroy talking about his mother’s death, which inspired him to write The Black Dahlia.
Back when I was working on the original Mutant Chronicles RPG, Target Games’ managing editor Henrik Strandberg told me that to get the tone right I should read James Ellroy. I started with The Black Dahlia. No piece of fiction ever creeped me out that much or has done so since. The prose is boiled diamond-hard and leaves cuts more jagged than a rusty knife. If you like that sort of thing, read it. Devour it.
I’ve already set my ReplayTV.
Last year, Lee Goldberg and Max Allan Collins formed the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers (IAMTW). This year, the organization is giving out its first Scribe Awards for the best novels in this field.
If you’re a tie-in writer, you should check this out. I joined last year, just to support the organization and its aims. I also submitted books in two of the Scribes categories this year. You don’t have to join to join to take part in the free mailing list though. If you’re a tie-in writer who might be interested, contact me, and I’ll wrangle you an invitation.
You also don’t have to be a member of the IAMTW to submit novels for the Scribes (although it’s free if you are). The organization needs more submissions, especially in certain categories, as you can see from the latest list of entries. If you have such a book, or know someone who does, please get involved. Thanks!
According to White Wolf‘s website, the company just merged with CCP, the developers of the EVE Online RPG and tabletop CCG. That’s some big news.
Although I had no inside knowledge of this, I’m not surprised at all. I saw members of the two companies spending an awful lot of time together at Gen Con this summer. Also, the EVE booth featured a full, staffed bar in its upper level, where principals in the two companies hung out, so I’d guess the two corporate cultures will merge nicely.
The new trailer for Spider-Man 3 is up. Wow.
Have I mentioned what a Spider-Geek I am?