On his blog, all-star game designer Robin Laws posted a set of rules for those who playtest tabletop games. Robin and I have chatted about this issue at length before, and I’m glad he’s pulled the curtain back on this issue for everyone else. One great way to break into game design is via playtesting games, and if you want …
Mishler’s Manifesto
In the latest issue of Comics & Games Retailer, editor James Mishler makes an excellent point about one of the big differences between selling comics and selling games. These days, people buy comics because of the writers and artists involved with a particular book. With games, few people have any idea who the creators are. Some comics creators have attained …
June’s Page XX
Pelgrane Press just posted its latest Page XX. This free collection of articles covers such topics as Robin Laws‘s “Point of Distinction,” “A Cold Day in Hell: A Look at eBooks in the RPG Industry,” and “Is the RPG Industry Screwed?” All recommended reading.
A Million Voices Crying Out at Once
Jim Muraco alerted me to the advent of the Voice of a Million Petition. It’s an experiment in what people can do if enough of them get together and ask for it. The first mission: Getting U2 to play at Miller Park on St. Patrick’s Day 2007. There are more important windwills to tilt at, sure, but few hold as …
Loeb and Kunkel
Writing about Sam Loeb triggered some thoughts about his dad Jeph. I love Jeph’s comics work, but I’ve been enjoying more of his TV work lately too. He’s well known for his work on Smallville, but I spotted his name come up on the credits of Lost too. Better yet, I just discovered he wrote the screenplay for the Herobear …
Sam Loeb’s Book on Sale
Back in February, I posted about Sam Loeb and the upcoming Superman/Batman #26. Quick Recap: Sam, Jeph Loeb’s son, was to write the issue but died before he could complete it. A legion of legendary comics writers and artists signed on to finish the job, pledging their payments to a charity set up in Sam’s name. The book went on …
Kovalic up for Harveys!
I just discovered that my pal John Kovalic of Dork Tower fame is up for not one but two Harvey Awards! John’s work is nominated for Best Cartoonist and for the Special Award for Humor in Comics. Woot! This is an honor well deserved. John puts all he has into his work, and it’s some of the funniest, most human …
Clothes Make the Game
EDOC Laundry is a company that tells a story through its clothing. This forms an Alternate Reality Game, much like you might find from 4orty 2wo Entertainment, which created the Beast (on which I did a bit of work). Sound strange? Not if you realize (as you would from this interview on ARGN.com) that the mind behind EDOC is none …
Snakes on a Plane (of Existence)
Monte Cook posted a knock-out mash-up of Dungeons & Dragons and Snakes on a Plane. Sadly, I’m just the right kind of geek to find this hilarious. Imagine my pain when I discovered that one of my publishers had the rights to the film’s novelization–but had already gotten in the manuscript from another author. Still, best of luck to Black …
Hite on the Future of RPGs
Ken Hite’s latest “Out of the Box” column is up at GamingReport.com. “Out of the Box” is always on my must-read list, but this time around Ken knocks it out of the park. His cogitations upon the future of RPG publishers shine with the kind of clarity that makes you wonder why you never saw that great big ball of …