Stacy Whitman–formerly one of the editors at Mirrorstone, the YA fiction imprint at Wizards of the Coast–is planning to start Tu Publishing to bring multicultural science-fiction and fantasy stories to kids of all ages. To launch this new effort, she needs some seed money, so she’s put up a page on Kickstarter.com. So far, the effort is about 63% of the way to its goal with just three days left to go–although it seems to have gotten a kick from a Boing Boing note that brought it up from the 40% it was at just yesterday.

I’ve kicked in a few bucks myself. If you’re interested in helped a fledgling publisher find its wings and bring some exciting new stories to kids, be sure to check it out. Consider it your holiday gift to the world.

We’re about to get slammed with snow here in Beloit, so I spent some time this morning putting up the Christmas lights, trading out bicycles for sleds, and making sure the snowthrower is in working order. I also ordered tickets for the Beloit Janesville Symphony Orchestra‘s “Home for the Holidays Family Spectacular.” The concert is held December 20 at 2 PM, although we’ll start with a pre-show brunch with Santa at noon.

You can order tickets through the website, but if you call the ticket office instead (608-313-1200), the price for the concert and brunch together drops from $38 to $20 for adults and from $14 to $7 for kids. Come out and join us if you can.

As we hurtle toward the monster consumer frenzy that is Black Friday, I thought I’d take a step back and mention three different efforts to create tabletop games that qualify as art.

At TAGIE last week, I met a USC graduate student named James A. Taylor. He’s creating a board game as part of his studies at the School of Cinematic Arts. It’s called The Gentlemen of the South Sandwiche Islands. One of James’s professors is Henry Jenkins, the former director of the MIT Comparative Studies Media Program. Jenkins gives James space on his blog to explain the game and the great deal of thought that’s gone into it.

While James is creating the game as art, he also wants his art to be played and enjoyed. To that end, he’s started a Kickstarter page devoted to raising money to allow him to self-publish a short run of 500 copies. I don’t normally recommend starting a company to push a single game, but since James is essentially selling the game directly to those who pre-order it via Kickstarter, it makes sense in this case. However, if there are any publishers out there who might be interested in helping bring such a game to the wider market, I’d guess that James might be willing to chat.

James’s efforts remind me of those of Lincoln Stoller and his games. Lincoln uses games to explore ideas rather than to entertain. Often these come in the form of one-off installations that couldn’t be commercially produced, but they’re fascinating to play with either way.

(Lincoln also interviewed me for The Learning Project a couple years back, which I’d forgotten about. If you want to read what it’s like to hold a very personal conversation with me when I’m exhausted but running on adrenaline in the middle of a show, be sure to give it a read.)

For a game that pushes the boundaries of game design but was always created with publication in mind, take a good look at Project Donut, from Jared Sorensen and Luke Crane, two rockstars of the indy RPG scene. If you hurry, you can still get in on the beta program and grab a free copy of the PDF. The actual game will go on sale in March, 2010.

One bit of advice I gave people at TAGIE was to limit their risk with new games, especially when starting out. Rather than blow five figures on a short run of games through a traditional printer, try a POD (print on demand) service first. You’ll learn more about what you’re doing, and you won’t be out nearly so much money.

Even if you’re just coming up with a prototype for your games–for playtesting or for pitching to a publisher–POD makes a lot of sense. You can create a fairly professional-looking product for a small total cost. Large runs are better for when you go into full production and can be confident you’ll sell thousands of copies. Otherwise, print only as many as you need and keep the numbers as low as you can.

I’ve mentioned TheGamecrafter.com before. They had some space in a booth at ChiTAG, and the materials looked good. This isn’t top-quality material, but it’s just fine for limited runs. TheGamecrafter.com people have been courteous and speedy about answering any of my questions every time too, which is always a good sign.

If you’re looking for better quality, although without the slick, web-based interface, check out Superior POD instead. They can produce standard wargaming chits and chipboard game boards, for instance, and their boxes come in full-color, unlike the white corrugated materials that TheGamecrafter.com uses. They don’t offer game components like pawns, but I’m told they’re hoping to do so soon. My old pal Jeff Valent runs Superior POD. He’s been involved with games forever and understands the hobby as well as anyone.

I’ve not tried either of these services personally, but I will the next time I get the chance.