Fear the Boot Interview

I’m still digging myself out from under the ramifications of only being home for 6 days out of the last 30. Regular posts should resume soon. In the meantime, here’s a short interview I did with the fine fellows at FearTheBoot.com, right before the Brave New World event at Gen Con.

At the moment, I’d already been up until 4:30 AM the previous two days in a row, but I was riding so high on adrenaline for event that I managed to keep talking. Afterward, the adrenaline lasted me until Sunday night, all the way home.

Gen Con, BNW: Revolution, and Parties

I’m prepping for Gen Con, which starts on Thursday, although I’ll be there on Wednesday for the Diana Jones Award party. I have a busy schedule lined up for myself, which includes my Industry Insider Guest of Honor panels, plus some events to promote the release of the Brave New World: Revolution proof-of-concept video.

The big event, of course, is the debut of that video, along with a concert by Makeshift Prodigy. This happens Friday at 4 PM in the Westin’s Grand Ballrooms 2 & 3. For a preview of this, be sure to check out the new trailer.

Also, Reactor 88 Studios and Makeshift Prodigy are throwing an afterparty to celebrate the release of the Brave New World: Revolution proof-of-concept. We’ll be at the Subterra Lounge (250 S. Meridian), blowing off steam and listening to the sounds of DJ Marcelo. This is a reservation-only event. Be sure to contact rsvp@r88s.com to join us.

In any case, if you’re going to be at Gen Con, do say hi. I love chatting with gamers and fans of all kinds, and I hope to see you there!

A New (Free!) D & D Adventure

Perhaps not coincidentally, the latest issue of Game Trade Magazine features the first D&D material I’ve written in years. “Inn Peril” is an introductory adventure for five 1st-level 4E players, illustrated by the terribly talented team of Jeff Preston and Tom Martin.

Pick up a copy of the magazine if you get a chance. They’re often handed out for free at Gen Con. Or you can read about the adventure on the GTM website and even scroll down that page to download the entire 8-page PDF for free.

(And, yes, you might now be able to guess what I’ll be running for the first adventure for Marty and his friends.)

D&D: The Next Generation: Recommendations?

My son Marty has been pestering me to run a D&D campaign for him and his friends this fall. I’m going to try 4E, mostly so I can check out the new material in full. I have the basic books, of course. Can anyone recommend other must-have bits for the game? I’m heading to Gen Con this week, so I’m looking to pick them up there. Thanks!

The DJA Ceremony Invitations

The Diana Jones Award ceremony is held the Wednesday night before Gen Con, or August 12 this year. It’s held in a bar, which offers a chance for gaming industry professionals to get together for a beer or three after setting up for the show and relax before the tsunami of gamers they hope to see crashing against their booths the next morning. In the middle of this, we take a short break for the Diana Jones Award committee to present this year’s award for excellence in gaming and then to celebrate this accolade.

If you qualify to attend this industry-only party and haven’t yet seen an invitation, e-mail me, and I’ll get you set up. I hope to see you there.

The 2009 Scribe Awards

3756026158_d8d665a196.jpgAt Comic-Con, the IAMTW announced the results of its annual Scribe Awards. As you might recall, my novelization of the Mutant Chronicles film was nominated for Speculative Fiction, Best Novel, Adapted. It lost out to Bob Greenberger‘s excellent Hellboy II novelization, but I got to sit between Bob and Jim Rollins on the panel. They both won awards, and basking in their reflected glow took the sting right out of the loss.  

It really was an honor to sit on stage with all the nominees who could make it to Comic-Con, many of whom I met there in person for the first time. Keith R. A. DeCandido gave a clever Grandmaster acceptance speech, and Lee Goldberg did yeoman’s work leading the post-ceremony panel. We had lots of different people on the panel, and it’s not easy to come up with enough great questions for everyone to chip in on, but he handled it well.

The photo here comes from Lee’s Flickr set of the event. Check out the rest of the pictures there, and see below for the full awards results.  

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The Marvel Encyclopedia Cover

TMEcover.jpgEarlier today, I spotted the cover for the new edition of The Marvel Encyclopedia, which I spent a few jam-packed months revising earlier this year. As the gorgeous cover states, this version is updated and expanded. There’s likely not a two-page spread of that book that didn’t get some sort of update, and it weighs in with 48 extra pages of brand-new material. It’s slated to be released on September 21, 2009, so be sure to add it to your holiday shopping list.

I’m a huge Marvel fan, and working on this book was a real delight. It gave me an excuse to wallow in years and years worth of great comics in a way I hadn’t been able to justify in far too long. I can’t wait to actually hold a copy in my hands.