Road to Death in the House

I just got a FedEx box from Wizards of the Coast, a kind of early Christmas present for me: my author’s copies of The Road to Death. This is the second in The Lost Mark trilogy, which started with Marked for Death, and it should be on shelves nationwide and beyond in January if not earlier.

As you may have heard me say before, there’s nothing like holding a product in your hand to make it real. It’s easy to get jaded about being published, I suppose, but getting in the first copy of a game or a book always puts a big, goofy grin on my face. Woot!

Battle Dice Summary

I was going to post a short summary of just how Marvel Heroes Battle Dice works. Managing this sort of thing is tricky because I’m under an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) with the game’s publisher, Playmates Toys. Roughly speaking, I’ve agreed not to say anything about the game without their permission–unless it’s already public knowledge.

Fortunately, the people at Action-Figure.com have already covered a lot of this. Once you finish reading the text, be sure to check out the photos at the bottom of the page.

Hobby Hearse Ready to Ride

My pal and fellow Alliterate Lester Smith (game designer par excellence, formerly of Fast Forward, TSR, and GDW) just launched HobbyHearse.com, a store for used games. He’s already got some dandies up there, and I’m planning to hand over about a pallet of stuff to him, too, so look for more gently used classics for sale in the near future.

Mutant Chronicles Movie Moving Ahead

Check out director Simon Hunter’s website for some details about the upcoming Mutant Chronicles movie from Pressman Films. He’s created a teaser for the film, which is being shown around Hollywood, and he hopes to post it online soon.

Too cool.

More Knights

Just moments ago, I delivered The Dragons Revealed, the second of two novels I’ve written this fall for the Knights of the Silver Dragon YA fantasy series I created for Wizards of the Coast last year. These are #13 and #14 in the series, and they form a major, two-part turning point in the ongoing story of Kellach, Moyra, and Driskoll. Amazon.com lists #13 (Prophecy of the Dragons) as a June 13, 2006, release and #14 as showing up on August 8, 2006. It’s going to be a great summer!

High Stakes Drifter up for Best CCG

InQuest Gamer has nominated High Stakes Drifter for Best Collectible Card Game of 2005. Get on down to their website and vote! (Please.) 🙂

I used to write for InQuest way back in the day. Mostly I handled industry news and the like, but I wrote one article about how to break into the industry that Robin Laws congratulated me on for its candor. There were others, I know, but that’s the one that sticks out in my head now.

It’s wild to see how far the magazine has come since those days. They’re on issue #129. Has it really been over 10 years?

Battle Dice Samples!

Yesterday, a FedEx box showed up at my house with the first production samples of my Marvel Heroes Battle Dice game from Playmates. Put short, the game looks fantastic. Don’t take my word for it though. Just look.
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Here are the fronts of a booster pack and a starter set.
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And here are the backs.

Playmates should have a website up for the game soon. Look for it in stores in January. Most adventure game distributors are carrying it, so check with your friendly local games store first. You should also be able to find it at Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, Toys-R-Us, Meijer’s, etc.

I’m thrilled to see that the production team at Playmates did such a great job. I can’t wait to see this in stores!

Best Writer’s Gift

If you’re looking for a gift for a writer this season, let me recommend the USB Swiss Army Knife. CompUSA.com has the 512MB variety on sale now for $30 + shipping after rebate. I’ve had the 64MB variety for a couple years now, and I swear by it. I even had it go through the wash in my pants pocket once, and the drive, flashlight, and pen still work fine. It’s the ultimate modern writer’s tool.

Freelancing in ’05

Comics & Games Retailer asked me to write a column on how the gaming industry has been in the past year from a freelancer’s point of view. Assuming you’re qualified, what’s your quick take? Please comment below or e-mail me if you prefer.

I’d like to be able to quote you, so if you respond, please append your permission if you’re willing. Thanks!