World Without Games

For the latest issue of The Escapist, game designer Allen Varney posits the question: “If you were legally enjoined from creating games, what would you do instead?” He quizzed a number of game designers (both of the computer and tabletop varieties), including Steve Jackson, Raph Koster, Sandy Petersen, Don Perrin, and me. Their answers are a ball of fun. For myself, I said:

Given how such prohibitions often increase the demand and the prices paid for the illicit materials, I’d set myself up as the Al Capone of the gaming industry, supplying that demand through black market means. I’d ruthlessly wipe out rivals who tried to smuggle in Canadian games.

Must come from living too close to Chicago. (I’ll cut off Ken Hite here by admitting there’s no such thing as too close to Chicago–only too far.)

Silent Auction for Downing Family

Marcus King of Titan Games (and VP of GAMA) is setting up a silent auction at the GAMA Trade Show. He properly gives credit to Rowan Guenther of Diversified Games in Chehaalis, Washington, but he’s doing a lot of the legwork, along with the GAMA staff. If you’d like to donate something to the auction, and you’re going to be at GAMA, just bring it with you and give it to the show’s staff. If you can’t be there but still want to donate, contact Marcus directly at titangamesinc@aol.com.

Only people at the GAMA Trade Show will be able to bid on the items, but we’re talking about most of the best and brightest retailers, distributors, publishers, and freelancers in the industry. Let’s hope this helps raise a good chunk of cash for a family in need. Now, I just need to figure out what I should donate…

Charles Ryan Selling His Games

My pal Charles Ryan is selling off his rare games collection. Charles founded Chameleon Eclectic way back when, then came to work for me at Pinnacle. After that, he moved on to Last Unicorn Games and finally to Wizards of the Coast, where he worked his way up to brand manager of Dungeons & Dragons.

Charles got let go from Wizards in a round of layoffs back in December, right before the birth of his second child. The last I heard, he’s still looking for work. In the meantime, he’s clearing out the closets, garage, and attic on eBay. I’m betting the most curious item in the lot is:

the bronze dedication plaque from Milwaukee’s MECCA center (longtime home to Gen Con)

That’s right. Charles has the plaque that used to hang on the outside of the MECCA convention center. He got his hands on it during the first Gen Con at the new convention center next door, while the MECCA was being turned into a pile of rubble. He used to keep it near his desk at Pinnacle. Not only is it real, it weighs enough that, well, let’s just say that shipping it will be a concern.

In any case, this is a great chance to pick up some truly rare and cool pieces of gaming history, starting March 7.

D&D Online in the NY Times

The New York Times ran an article recently on the launch of the D&D Online MMORPG. I think Gary Gygax puts it well when he compares playing RPGs at home and online to stories told on the stage and television respectively.

For me, the coolest part of the article is seeing quotes from people I know like Gary, David Eckelberry, and my pal Keith Baker. Keith created the original concept for Eberron, the setting for D&D Online, among many other things. Way to go, Keith!

Game Designer Woes

Being a game designer is a dream job, but it’s not always easy. As with any creative endeavor, it’s hard to get anyone to pay attention to you at the start, and even if you manage to get published, that’s just the first step in building any kind of career.

Of course, some people have it harder than others. Much harder. Game designer and publisher Todd Downing lost his wife and father to cancer last year, within a month of each other, leaving him with alone with his son and daughter, now ages 11 and 8. Then, on Christmas Eve, several inches of sewage backed up into his house in Seattle, right into the bedrooms. To top it all off, his fresh-repaired house burned down on Valentine’s Day.

If that sounds like too much to be true, check out the article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

I don’t know Todd personally, although we’re on an industry mailing list or two together. I’ve long followed his work, though, as the publisher of Deep7, a company he founded with his wife Samantha. They publish Red Dwarf: The Roleplaying Game, Mean Streets, and a whole series of other games based on their XPG system and their rules-light 1PG system.

So, if you want to lend a hand to a fellow game designer, father, and human being, the newspaper article states:

Donations to help the Downing family can be made to Seattle’s Bravest Charity at 517 Second Ave. W., Seattle, WA 98119. Indicate on the check that the money should go to the Downing family fund.

If you like to get something more substantial for your dollar than just a sense of doing a good deed, stop by the Deep7 website instead. Check out their line-up and then pick up a few of their games. This isn’t charity, folks. You’d be doing yourself the favor here.

And don’t think Todd’s wallowing in despair, for which you could hardly blame him. Check out one of his recent blog posts for just how he feels about all this. It’s inspiring.

Credits Update

A toy company requested a professional résumé from me yesterday, so I took the opportunity to update my résumé and my CV (list of professional credits). I tallied up something north of 265 entries in the CV, which doesn’t include many of the paid magazine and website articles I’ve written over the years.

That sounds like a lot, but over the course of 17 or 18 years you can build up such a list, especially when it features things like editing and developing. During my years with Pinnacle, for instance, I had my hands in dozens of projects every year. These days, I’m still busy, but I can focus on just a few larger things (like novels or collectible games or toy lines) at a time. It makes me tired to think about it–but in a happy way.

IAMTW Logo

The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers (IAMTW) has a new logo on its website, which is pretty snazzy. I joined the group just as co-founders Max Allan Collins and Lee Goldberg got it rolling, and it’s been a good ride so far.

Any other tie-in writers out there, I encourage you to check out the site and join the crew yourself. If you just want a taste of the action, there’s an active mailing list for tie-in writers too. It’s associated with the IAMTW but predates it and is free. If you’re interested (and qualify as a published tie-in writer), drop me a line, and I’ll arrange for an invitation for you.