IGDA Madison

Yesterday, I drove up to Madison for the first big meeting of the new local chapter of the IGDA (International Game Developers Association). (That’s computer games, for those keeping score at home.) Alex Seropian (founder of Bungie Software and Wideload Games) gave a great speech about the new business model he and his partners are using for Wideload, which seems strikingly close to how small tabletop game developers have had to work for years. (In a nutshell: Outsource everything you can.)

I also got to catch up with some old friends. This including a good-sized posse from Human Head, including Tim Gerritsen, Chris Rhinehart, Jeff DeWitt, Rowan Attala, and Mike Craddick. Rowan and Jeff recently formed their own studio, Big Rooster, from which I expect great things soon.

All in all, I had a great time, and I got to meet all sorts of new people too. I’ve not done a whole lot with computer games in the past–especially compared to my labors in the tabletop industry–but I suspect that may change in the near future.

A Wild Weekend

I had an amazing weekend, a strange combination of family, politics, football, drama, and even games.
Read More

The Silent Enemy in Stores Soon

Late last week, a package showed up from Ace Books with my copies of The Silent Enemy by Richard Knaak. This is the last of the Age of Conan series of novels I edited for Ace and Conan Properties, and it’s a doozy. Richard does a great job with taking the hero from his first two Age of Conan novels in the Aquilonian trilogy right to the edge. If you’re a fan of Hyborian stories, be sure to check it out.

I had a great time working with Ace editor Ginjer Buchanan on these books. With any luck, this won’t be the last time we have the chance to do so, whether on Conan or some other books.

RPG Player Styles

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.

Read More

Scrye Buys GamingReport.com

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.

Marty’s Oliver

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!

Ellroy’s Murder by the Book

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.