My latest essay “Pretty Gigs All in a Row” is now up at Storytellers Unplugged. It’s all about how to handle having too much work fall into your lap at once–after you’re done doing your Snoopy dance, of course. I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think.
Favorite Mutant Chronicles Novelization Review
James Holloway recently posted a list of the books he’s read over the past few months. In it, he gives a three-sentence comment about my Mutant Chronicles novelization that’s my favorite summation to date. (Scroll down to “January” to read it.)
Meanwhile, here’s the latest poster for the upcoming release of the film, plus a set of hi-res stills from the movie too.
I’m looking forward to the Ultra VOD release on March 27th and the theatrical release on April 24th. It’ll be great to see the film again, and with director Simon Hunter‘s new cut.
More Free Lester Smith Games
My fellow Alliterate and good pal Lester Smith is on a game-designing roll. To add to the free MonsterCon! card game he released last week, he’s now posted rules for the Powerhouses of Wrestling! dice game, the Demon Bound! card game, and the Invasion of the Saucer People! card game.
As with the first, the best bits about these games (other than Les’s trademark wit and excellent game design) are that you can play them with components you already own–and they’re free! Be sure to check them out, play them, and let Les know what you think.
Obama-King Art Arrived
Last week, we received a print we’d ordered from a local artist Kenan Pulliam. After Barack Obama’s inauguration as President, Kenan made prints of a painting he calls “Fulfillment of a Dream,” which features Obama looking out over Martin Luther King Jr. You can see a picture of him and the piece in an article about Kenan and his work that ran in the Beloit Daily News.
It’s a great piece, and it does a fantastic job of capturing that proud moment in American history. Now we just have to get it framed and find some place to hang it.
Ann Speaks about Homeless Kids
Today’s Janesville Gazette has an article about homeless students, and it features quotes from my wife Ann about what she and others in the area are trying to do to help. She’ll be giving a lunchtime seminar on the subject, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, on Wednesday.
I really enjoy what I do, but I’m always so proud of how much Ann does to directly help people–especially kids–who really need it.
Mark Waid on How to Edit
Over on John Rogers’ blog, Mark Waid has an excellent post about how a comic-book editor works–or should. This is required reading for any editor in any creative field. Mark boils it down to two rules:
Mark Waid’s First Inviolable Rule For Editors, Including Himself: Never point out a problem unless you have a solution to offer.
Mark Waid’s Second Inviolable Rule For Editors, Including Himself: If you want something changed, it had damn well better make the story better, or else shut the hell up.
Play MonsterCon!
At the Alliterates meeting on Monday night, I had the honor of playtesting MonsterCon!, a new card game designed by Lester Smith. As with much of Les’s work, it’s wickedly funny and simple to pick up and shows surprising depth.
Best of all, it’s free! Les has posted the rules online, and all you need to play are a deck of cards, plus a pencil and paper for keeping score. It’s a fast and fun game, and it won’t cost you a dime, so be sure to check it out and give it a whirl.
The Game Designing Life
Matthew Sprange, one of the founders of Mongoose Publishing, just released I Am Mongoose, and So Can You!, a new book aimed at showing you how you can make a living in the tabletop gaming industry. I’ve only read through the free sample up at DriveThruRPG.com, but it seems like solid, sensible stuff. The PDF’s a bit pricey at $29.95 for 37 pages, but it could easily save a reader several times that much, plus even more grief.
In the sample, Matt does say he only knows one freelancer game writer making more than $50k/year. I suspect there are several out there, like Robin Laws, Ken Hite, Robert Schwalb, and many other friends I’m likely insulting by leaving them off the list. I’d count myself in there but for the fact I don’t make most of my money in tabletop gaming these days. When I did, though, I’d regularly rocket right through that ceiling.
In any case, if you’re serious about trying your hand at working on games for a living, it might be worth checking out.
In any case, if you’re serious about trying your hand at working on games for a living, it might be worth checking out.
Who Quits a Day Job?
Sandy Antunes has an excellent column up on RPG.net today, in which he reveals the results of an informal survey of RPG designers and developers. The question he put to them was: “What is your day job?”
The results are not particularly scientific, which Sandy (whose day jobs include astrophysicist and stay-at-home dad) freely admits, but they’re fun. I didn’t take part in the survey because writing books and designing games is my day job, but I enjoy seeing how others in the field approach their work.
Around the World in XX Games
My pal Keith Baker (the man who created Eberron among many other great games) is planning the adventure of a lifetime later this year. His aim? To travel around the world, running roleplaying games in exchange for hospitality. He calls it Have Dice, Will Travel.
If you are a gamer who happens to live in an interesting place and have crash space to share, stop by Keith’s LiveJournal and give him a shout. He’ll make it worth your time.