When it gets quiet around here, you can bet it’s for one of two things: I’m out of town I’m really busy Let’s just say I’m in town. As part of that, for one (maybe two) of my projects, I had to pick up an Xbox 360. (It’s a hard life. I’ve also had to watch a bunch of cartoons.) …
Post X-mas Xombies
My friend James Farr just announced that he has an illustrated novel based on his Flash-animated Xombies tales in the works. You can pre-order it now through BN.com and take delivery at the end of January. James is a real talent, and I’ve already put my order in for Xombie: DOA, sight unseen. Better yet, Barnes & Noble currently has …
The Magic Apprentice
It seems this has been going on since August, but I just learned that Wizards is running a web-based elimination contest to find their next R&D intern for Magic: The Gathering. The dismissal tagline? “Game Over.”
Ellroy’s Murder by the Book
Tonight on Court TV, Murder by the Book premieres. This new show covers the true crimes that inspired some of the greatest living writers of crime fiction to start telling tales. The first episode features James Ellroy talking about his mother’s death, which inspired him to write The Black Dahlia. Back when I was working on the original Mutant Chronicles …
Spider-Man 3 Trailer Up
The new trailer for Spider-Man 3 is up. Wow. Have I mentioned what a Spider-Geek I am?
Preview Hero Lab
The team at Lone Wolf Development just posted a public preview to their new RPG character creation software, Hero Lab. I had the chance to check this program out in its alpha stage, and it showed tremendous promise even then. If you play RPGs, be sure to give it a look.
Beware Shadowcrag
Fellow Alliterate and adventure designer extraordinaire Wolfgang Baur has announced that his second patronage project–Castle Shadowcrag–is on. It’s too late to get in on it cheap, but it’s not too late to get in.
Beautiful BattleLore
On Wednesday, a preview copy of BattleLore showed up on my doorstep, courtesy of my friends at Days of Wonder. It’s a fantasy battles miniatures game based on Richard Borg’s Command & Colors system, also used in Memoir ’44. That alone would be enough to sell me on it. I haven’t gotten through it all yet, but it’s beautifully done. …
Manifesto Reviews
I just turned in my first game review for Manifesto Games. It’s a new website that sells downloadable computer games of all sorts–from independent developers. They give me a free copy of the game and then pay me to tell people what I think of it. This sounds like a sweet gig–until you remember how long it can take you …
Cathy’s Book Debuts Well
According to ICv2.com, the ARG (alternate reality game) in hardcover Cathy’s Book hit stores well last month, with orders for 125,000 copies. That’s a fantastic number for this experimental book. I worked on the Beast (the first big ARG game) with the book’s authors, Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman (and Jordan’s been a friend for years). I’m thrilled to see …