The official US trailer for the Mutant Chronicles film (on which my novelization is based) is up on Apple’s movie trailer site. I haven’t seen the final cut yet myself, and I cannot wait.
Upcoming Cons
The summer convention season is rolling at me like a steam train, and my plans for it are starting to fall into place. Here’s where you can expect to see me:
Gary Con (March 7): This is the first annual convention in memory of Gary Gygax, and I’ll be there in the afternoon with my son Marty. This will be his first convention since Ann used to bring him to Gen Con in a stroller, and I plan to spend the time playing games with him.
Odyssey Con (April 24—26): I plan to be here on the 25th at least, although my schedule isn’t quite nailed down yet. The show has posted a preliminary list of panels, but times and dates for them are still to be determined.
Comic-Con (July 23—26): For the first time in a few years, I plan to attend the whole show, and with luck I’ll be on a panel or three.
Gen Con (August 13—16): I’ll be a guest at this show once again. Expect to find me in panels, signing books, playing games, and having fun.
Top Game Writers
Gamasutra recently released its list of the Top 20 Game Writers. By this, they of course mean video game writers, as that’s the field they focus on. The list is shockingly incomplete and has blind spots the size of black holes–as do all such lists. They exist to generate conversation and awareness, and the article does a fine job at that, as well as at highlighting how many fine writers we have working in the field today.
I was especially happy to see my pal Rich Dansky make the list. He’s not only an excellent writer (in many fields) who cares about raising the level of writing in computer games, but he’s deeply involved in actually making that happen via his seminars at the various GDCs and his work with the IGDA Writer’s SIG.
More Storytellers Unplugged
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.