A Blur of Typing Fingers

That's what this weekend has been to me. I took two nights off from writing -- Thursday and Friday. I so needed a couple of nights off. Thursday was Alan's Shackled City game, where Adam's bard was smashed into so much pulp. He was, perhaps, destined to meet such an end, considering that his hit points were still in the single-digits at 3rd level.

Poor Talmin. We mourn his passing. No longer will he be the butt of many jokes. We will always carry a piece or two of him with us...at least, until we wash our clothes. With the force of the impact from that blow, I'm sure there was a crimson Talmin spritz covering everything within a fifteen foot radius.

Adam will return next time with a magic user, filling a niche in the party that has long been vacant. At last, we'll have some heavy artillery.

Back to writing. My work on the Wizards book was finished a week ago today. I spent the following Monday pitching in on TGM's Arcane Quarter, which should be out fairly soon. It'll be nice to have my name attached to the third in the City Quarters series, regardless of the size of my contribution.

I hadn't planned to do any writing on Tuesday, as that was my wedding anniversary, and my wife and I had plans to go out to dinner. Dinner was great, but we managed to get back home before 7pm. I felt obliged to do some work, and so I went over to It's a Grind and made a little progress on the current Midnight project.

That's what I've been doing all weekend, as a matter of fact: making progress on the Midnight project. I've managed to get quite a bit done, which is good; the deadline is fast approaching, and I want to make sure I'm on time with my turnover so that I can go on to the next project I've got lined up.

Nicole at Green Ronin sent me the preliminary game schedule for Gen Con Indy this year. Once it's been approved by the Gen Con folks, I'll make sure I post my game dates and times. In case I hadn't mentioned it early, I'm running Thieves' World for GR, and doing a little bit of work at their booth.

August seems so far away, until it occurs to me that its only four months down the road and we're already four months into 2006. How the hell did that happen? The busier I get, the faster the time seems to pass.

::sigh::

By the way, Amy and I picked up a copy of FFG's Fury of Dracula boardgame yesterday. When the game was announced, I read the product page and thought, "Hey, this sounds like Scotland Yard with vampires." Scotland Yard happens to be one of Amy's favorite childhood games, even though I've never tried it. We'll need to iron out a time to try it out at some point.

"It's Been Comped."

So said Noelle tonight, when I told her I wanted to pay for the latte they gave me at It's a Grind last night.

"Hey!" I protested. "I told Michelle I'd pay for it."

Noelle shook her head. "Too bad."

So that's that, then. I paid for tonight's iced tea and retreated to my corner to write. I certainly hope these folks stick around for a while, and make some sort of profit. After this "royal treatment," I'd hate to have to go back to Borders/Seattle's Best. I'm freakin' spoiled rotten now.

Especially since Jennifer, the owner's daughter, offered to let me stay and work while they were cleaning up this evening. "Thanks for the offer," I said. "I have to go home and spend some quality time with my wife before bedtime." It's nice to know that I don't have to scurry out like a frightened rodent after hours, especially if I'm on a roll.

The Wizards book is, as they say, "In the bag." Another day or two and an art order and I can put it behind me. It's been a relatively interesting project, a positive experience, and a long-term goal achieved. It was a little more mechanics-heavy than I would have preferred, but that's the nature of the d20 beast. Writing for WotC, even in this limited capacity, is a goal that has long been in my sights.

Oh, one other small news item: I went and ordered a slew of D&D books from Amazon tonight. My wife is a temptress. "You earned the money," she said. Which is true. I did earn the money, word by bloody word. Might as well spend it on something game-related for a change.

By Golly, I'm a Coffee-House Regular

Or so it would seem. I've been there just about every night for the past two weeks. The barrista ladies are starting to call me by name.

I went in last night to work on the current project. Before I left, Amy offered to give me a few dollars to buy my coffee with. I declined; I use my ATM card, and besides, she might want to buy some lunch or something with the money.

I arrive, place my order for a triple latte, and pull out my ATM card. "The credit card machine is down," the young lady tells me.

Under normal circumstances, I'd drive the two miles home and get the cash that had been previously offered to me, and then drive back. But the coffee folks wouldn't have any of that, so they gave it to me on the house. Gratis. Free. I insisted that I'd pay them when I go back tonight, but they didn't seem too worried about it.

Try getting that kind of service at Starbucks.

I'm just about done with my work on the WotC book. Next in line is Enter Title Here for Midnight. That'll be fun, but it will also mean some crunch time. I really expected to be done with the Wizards book earlier, but there's no use whining about it now. I've made my bed, and now it's time to sleep in it.

Catch you later...

Marcus to the Fourth Degree

So my little cleric will be advancing to fourth level, and I've been agonizing over the choices I need to make. I'd originally decided I'd slap a level of fighter on old Marcus when he hit 4th, but I've decided against that and determined that I'll stick with another level of Cleric. Perhaps I'll go with fighter when I hit 5th level, instead.

I suppose I could go through the reasoning, but it comes down to numbers. Mostly, I like the idea of the save increases for both Fortitude and Will. The extra spells are a nice perk, too. Plus, there's the 4th level attribute point, which I'll be sticking into his Wisdom score.

Fighter was appealing from the standpoint of the bonus fighter feat, and I really hadn't considered what that feat might've been. It won't hurt to wait.

In the meantime, I think Marcus needs to invest some of his hard-earned coin in a heavy crossbow. I'm sick and tired of not having some kind of ranged weapon to plink at bad guys.

Interesting News, and a new TTIII Review

It looks like Black Industries has announced the impending release of an RPG of hulking proportions: the Warhammer 40k roleplaying game. Due to be released as three separate games, it looks like it could be a lot of fun. Now, the hard part: waiting until March 2007, when the first core book sees release. This is a game I'd love to play right bleeding now.

Read the official press release here.

You'll also find a new review of Template Trove III over at ENWorld. The review, written by Duane Nutley, a Staff Reviewer for d20 Magazine Rack, is very kind to my humble addition to the Template Trove series. It's always nice to see one's work appreciated.

Read the review here.

A Hard Choice

It's only happened a couple of times before, where I've had to choose between participating in two tasty projects. If I were Superman, I might be able to take on every single project that comes my way. Unfortunately, I'm not, and I can't. I have limits, and I have to be fair to both myself and the folks who pay me to write for them. I have to remain conscious of my limitations as a writer/game designer.

It's a difficult balancing act. As I've continued to write, my confidence in my abilities has grown. I remember when the thought of 7,000 words with a month deadline scared the living daylights out of me. These days, I see 7,000 words as ten days' worth of work (if I'm trying to stay comfortable), and a weekend's worth of work (if I need to crank it out post-haste).

While I try to maintain realistic expectations of my own abilities, I certainly don't want to undercut myself. I am oftentimes (okay: I am always) my own worst critic. It's quite easy for me to convince myself that there's no way I can accomplish a specific task in a set amount of time, much less juggle two or even three projects like some kind of literary acrobat. At the same time, if I can look at the time I have available in conjunction with the word counts and relative complexity of the projects at hand, I can often see ways to make it work with time to spare.

It's not only a matter of knowing how much I can get done, either. I've got a family, and I need to devote a certain amount of time to them, too. Giving them less of me than they deserve or need is just another way of making life harder. Fortunately, my wife is the most understanding person I know; my son seems to be equally forgiving.

So that's the way it goes. Without getting into specifics, I've had to cut myself free of one project in order to work on another. My feelings, all at once, include guilt, elation, trepidation, and relief. It's strange, this emotional rollercoaster that they call freelancing. I suppose that we're all different animals with different creative engines beneath our respective hoods, but I wonder if other writers feel the same way when these things happen to them.

At the present, I'm at the new coffee place. Free wi-fi never felt so good. Another reason to scorn Starbucks and Seattle's Best, with their damnable pay as you go commercial wireless networks.

Last night was Alan's Shackled City game. We were down one player due to rotten luck mixed with slick roads: Adam, my brother in law, had a fender bender on the way to the game, and pulled out in order to get things taken care of. With Mike driving down from Palm Springs, the rest of us decided to play without him. It was a bloody mess, but we performed relatively well, taking the bad guy and his brood down after a tough battle.

Will Marcus make 4th level? Will any of us? Here's hoping. We need as much as we can get. The only choice at that point will be thus: should I continue on as a pure cleric, or add a level of fighter in to boost his martial abilities?

My plan was always to stay along the lines of a cleric/fighter, with the emphasis on cleric. I reckoned the ratio would be 3/1, which means I'm due for a level of fighter-type. I don't expect that the difficulty of the campaign will diminish, and we'll need all the BAB and HP that we can get. Spells are nice, but I tend to go through them so quickly.

Anyway, a picture or two from last night's game, featuring product placement by Alex. Because everyone knows that gamers with taste drink Diet Coke.

Latest Release: Future Player's Companion in Print!

The Future Player's Companion is now in print, and should be gracing the shelves of discriminating game stores as I type this. Formerly released in three electronic volumes by The Game Mechanics, the FPCs have been combined into a single book and published by the great folks at Green Ronin. The FPC was written by myself, Neil Spicer, and Rodney Thompson. Anyone who plays d20 Modern or d20 Future (or any combination thereof) should find the book to be indispensable.

In other news...

It's not that I've given up writing at Borders/Seattle's Best, but given my near-daily forays into that neck of the woods, I'm starting to dislike the drive. You see, the thing that attracts me to Seattle's Best is the size of the coffee shop. It's large, roomy, with lots of tables. It gets crowded, but the clientelle is rarely obnoxious. I've found that it's easy to go into "writing mode" while I'm there, and I get lots of work done.

As I mentioned, though, there's the drive. With afternoon traffic during the week, it can take me nearly 45 minutes to drive home. Between the time spent in traffic and the horrid price of gasoline, I've started to desire a place that is somewhat closer to home. That's not to say that I haven't tried other places in my neck of the woods. None have made the cut. I've tried a number of the local Starbucks shops, but they're either a) too small, or b) rife with distraction.

So I learned about a week ago that a new coffee shop has opened up just down the street from me, maybe five minutes away. "It's A Grind" looks to be a franchise, though I've never heard of it before. I went in today to give the place a shot, and I found it to be a pretty satisfying place to work.

On the plus side, the prices are pretty good (as far as coffee shops go), the coffee I had was tasty, and it wasn't crowded (which is a double-edged sword; there needs to be a steady stream of customers to keep the place in business). The folks who were there (the barrista girls and a few customer-types, including a few local cops) weren't obnoxious. On the down side, it's a smallish place. There are two tables near the rear of the place, by the restrooms, which are perfect places to sit and work, but I have a feeling they'll be prime real-estate for people like me.

I'll go back there tomorrow morning and do some more work on the WotC book. For now, I need to keep any eye on my child before he tears the place down around us.

I Have Become Bee-Like

That is to say, busy.

One thing I have noticed about this industry is that the work comes in fits and spurts, and not in any sort of rational or predictable manner. Though it has been a steady progression (kind of), there have been occasional periods of dead air punctuated by endless months of breathless creativity.

Take the time being, for example. The WFRP project is moving now, though I dare say I haven't started on it. Given the deadline, I feel that I can slack for a little bit while I wade through my portions of the book I'm working on for Wizards. Add to that a new Midnight project that I'm sharing with Robert Schwalb with a mid-April due date, and you can see what I mean.

Anyway. I'm on lunch, but it's back to buying in a few moments. I'll check back in at a later date.

GM's Day

I heard about GM's Day last year, and completely forgot about it until just last week. I'm not sure how official it is, as far as holidays go, nor do I know how many folks in the gaming community either recognize and/or care about the nature of this so-called holiday that happens on March 4th.

Me? Well, I joke about it with my players. I was telling my wife that we might have a TPK at the next Midnight session (coincidentally occuring on March 4th) if the GM's Day tribute wasn't satisfactory. She laughed. Little does she know. (::evil laughter::)

Not to worry. I'm not one of "those" gamemasters. I don't take my personal frustrations out on my players, unless it's a convention scenario and there are one or two PCs ruining it for the rest of the group. That's rare -- in fact, I've yet to take justice into my own hands at a convention game that I'm running -- but I do prepare for such occasions. Consider yourself warned.

I've got some work to do tonight. I need to revise my portions of a synopsis, and I want to work on the Midnight campaign a little bit more. I'm supposed to participate in a Civil War presentation next weekend, so I probably won't have much time to work on it then.

In other news, it looks like I'll be writing a small portion of an upcoming D&D product for Wizards of the Coast. No details, of course, but I'm happy about it. I'll post more about it when I've been given the green light to do so (which will likely be a while from now).

I need to rouse my little boy from his nap so that we can run a few errands around town. If anything comes up in the meantime, I'll make sure to post about it.

My Metamorphosis

The title of this entry is not to imply that I have become some kind of cockroach like Gregor Samsa. It is merely to indicate the changes that have taken place in the past two or three years, much to my surprise. To put it plainly, I woke up one day and people were referring to me as an "industry professional."

I have no clue when this happened. When did I cross the threshold between amateur and professional? Is it tied to money, somehow? Does being paid for one's work make one a professional? Or is it something more? A benchmark of one's skill, perhaps? Or the length of one's list of writing credits? Was there a single release or product that distinguished me?

Hell if I know. Maybe someone else can clue me in, because I'm not sure if I'll ever understand.

One thing I do know, though, is that I have a hard time believing it. I've definitely become much less excitable in regards to new projects -- this came with experience, knowing my own limits as a writer, and working to expand them with time and practice -- but I've never grown used to the fact that I'm actually doing it. Every project I take on feels like the first one. I am always awed that someone is willing to pay me to write for them.

I see the whole "professional" thing it in the same light as I do "growing up." Mentally, I don't feel any older than I did when I was eighteen. Yet, seeing as I'm in my early thirties, the rest of society classifies me as an adult. All grown up; a family man. Old enough to smoke, drink, and drive a car. Likewise, I don't feel any different than I did when I was an industry amateur. I do feel somewhat less worried about my ability to complete projects on time, given my own constraints (family, work, and life in general). Does that mean I'm jaded? Or am I merely combat-hardened?

The more I think about it, the more I feel like it's an individual observation made by other folks. Let's face it: my daily life hasn't changed dramatically due to my newfound status as a professional game designer. I'm not wealthy. Complete strangers don't stop me at the grocery store and gush over my dubious fame. Come to think of it, complete strangers don't stop me at the local game store, either.

And for that, I am eternally grateful. If there is a God, I am in his merciful debt.

Another observation that I've made, at least with the folks I've gamed with, is that the average gamer doesn't give a darn who is writing the supplements he buys. With the exception of writers that I consider to be Industry Powerhouses, like Monte Cook, or folks who I consider to be Old Guard gamers, like Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax, there is little name recognition to be had amongst gamers, especially the casual ones. And if you expect any kind of name recognition outside of the industry? Hah! Forget about it!

To my mind, the only people that pay attention to who is writing which books are the people that are also writing them. Either that, or they are people who want to break into the industry. I suppose that's a simplistic view of things, and I'm sure there are plenty of gamers out there who would love nothing more than to prove me wrong on that count. I get more name recognition because of my relationship to my grandfather's construction company than I do for the number of words I've had published.

Another thing to consider is that most people don't know what the majority of writers and game designers look like. Photographs of the guilty parties aren't usually included between the covers of a supplement or book (though, in the case of certain mediocre titles, perhaps they should be). Our words are our distinguishing marks, and even they can rarely be told from the words of other authors once a book is finished.

Soooo...that's tonight's rant du jour. I'm not sure if I accomplished anything, or if I came to any sort of conclusion. I guess the point, in no uncertain terms, is that I don't feel much different than I did when I sat down and typed my first paying words. I'm older and (hopefully) wiser, but I still feel wet behind the ears.

Children of the Horned Rat Announced

Black Industries has erected a product page for my first WFRP product, Children of the Horned Rat. You can find it here. In addition, they have a product page up for my second WFRP product, Terror in Talabheim, which can be seen by following this link.

I'm really quite excited about both of these books. I'm very proud of them, especially CotHR, and I can't wait for them to be released. Unfortunately, they won't be released in time for submission to the ENnies, but there's always next year.

I guess you can tell I'm excited! I don't usually post from work! Then again, I'm on lunch, so it's all legal.

Legends of Shadow Cover

I guess the guys at Against the Shadow bugged Rob Vaughn at FFG for a scoop on LoS, and he sent them the (possible) cover art for the up-coming Legends of Shadow. It's a pretty sweet-looking picture, I think.

I'm off to Alan's Shackled City game tomorrow night. It'll be nice to roll some bones and kick some hobgoblin butt.

No other news worth printing, so I'll cut it short while I'm ahead. ::grin::

So Many Games, So Little Time...Again

You know, I totally forgot about Thieves' World. Prior to (re-)starting the current Midnight game, I was torn asunder when trying to choose between it and a new, fresh Thieves' World campaign. I've said previously that of all the settings I've helped to develop, that of Sanctuary is the one that I'd most like to play right out of the box.

I am adding several rules from the TW books to my Midnight game, just for grins. To name a couple, I'm allowing players to take levels in the Savant and Assassin core classes from TW, and I'm using the massive damage rules from TW as well. I also intend to implement the rules for Reputation that are presented in TW (so that I can judge how far my players' reputations have gotten, both for good or ill).

Star Wars is another d20 game that I really enjoyed running, back when I was running it. I'm saddened by the fact that it sees little support these days. Some folks might say that the Star Wars collectable miniatures game counts as RPG support, but I'm not really buying it. I don't have the money to invest into SW minis, and even if I did, I'd prefer to fill out the first series of minis (as it contains figs representing characters from the "classic" films). Clone troopers? Meh. Give me a fistful of good old-fashioned stormtroopers any day.

There's also d20 Modern, a game that I've written for (the up-coming Future Player's Companion), but which I have (embarassingly) never actually played. The systems are more or less the same across the entirety of the d20 platform, so I don't feel too bad about it. Yet I would enjoy giving Modern a shot, regardless. I nearly began a Modern mercenary game not too long ago. I don't remember what stopped me; likely my aforementioned attention deficit disorder.

So Many Games, So Little Time

I've always had a problem with making up my mind when it came time to choose which game I wanted to run. As a DM/GM, I've often had a serious case of attention deficit disorder (that is, ADD...not to be confused with AD&D). Lately, with my bourgeoning Midnight campaign, I seem to have hit a good stride. I don't feel the overwhelming urge to lose interest in the game in favor of another one. Sometimes the players and plot click just so.

That said, there are other games I'd love to run long-term. Warhammer Fantasy is one of the ones I'd really like to run (and play, come to think on it), but even I have certain limitations. I'd considered running a WFRP campaign in conjunction with the current Midnight game, but I'm starting to think it's not going to fly just yet.

I'd also love to try my hand at Eberron. While I wouldn't mind running the game, I'd probably prefer to play it. There's always less sacrifice involved with playing a game, as opposed to moderating one. I'd have to make time to really immerse myself into the setting (something I've done in relation to both WFRP and Midnight, due in part to the fact that I've been writing professionally for both settings), and I can't say that now would be a good time to do so.

Of course, there are classics, like Forgotten Realms. The current incarnation of FR is one of my favorite settings. I don't mind keeping current on FR releases, and I fully intend to start up a FR campaign when I have both the time and the inclination.

And then there's the setting of settings, at least in my book: Dark Sun. The setting hasn't seen a complete conversion to v3.5, though there have been attempts (both Dungeon and Dragon magazines had Dark Sun-related articles some time back, and there's a web site -- Athas.org -- that prides itself on the wealth of 3.5 Dark Sun information it contains).

This would be fine, but I'm a very "hands-on" type of DM, and that includes my preferences for Dark Sun. In other words, I don't want to use someone else's interpretation of my favorite AD&D campaign setting, so I'll convert it myself. I've already got a good deal of that task taken care of, which means that I can probably start up a 3rd edition Dark Sun game anytime I please.

The Sound of the Starting Gun

Bang, it says. Bang, bang.

As of tomorrow, I start work on the next Warhammer Fantasy book that will bear my name. Along with three other very competent authors, I will spend the next few months writing about . I have few doubts that this book will be awesome when we're done, but like as not, it won't see release until '07. Such is Black Industries' production schedule, but time is the price of quality work.

Honestly, it will be nice to go back to work after a break. The last product I worked on was Legends of Shadow for FFG. I also did some freelance work for Upper Deck, though mum is definitely the word on what it was. Let's say it was a juicy opportunity, and leave it at that.

Hand of Shadow has been announced over at Against the Shadow. It looks to be the equivalent of the Book of Vile Darkness for Midnight, aimed at running campaigns where the PCs are minions of Izrador. I guess everyone has an opinion on this. When asked who was writing Hand of Shadow, Rob Vaughn replied that he'd like to see Rob Schwalb and myself write it.

That would be my fourth Midnight credit, once it comes down, and another chance to work with Dr. Evil. Both are excellent reasons to accept the offer, once it is officially pitched my way.

I spent about a week taking the Thieves' World adventure that I ran at Gen Con SoCal last year, and turning it into something that Green Ronin might find useful for Gen Con Indy. All indications are that I'll be running it there this year, though I haven't heard specifics from anyone yet.

On the gaming front, my Midnight campaign is going well. We've had two sessions so far, and the PCs are chugging along. I fully expect them to hit fifth level within another two sessions, and then all bets are off.

More Than You Ever Wanted to Know

About me, that is. I saw this list on Nicole Lindroos' web log, so I decided to fill it out and post it on my own. Thanks, Nicole!

Four jobs I've had
1. Game store clerk.
2. Receiving clerk.
3. Purchasing clerk.
4. Freelance writer.

Four movies I can watch over and over
1. Bad Taste.
2. Alien.
3. Conan the Barbarian.
4. The Wild Geese.

Four places I've lived
1. Ft. Clayton, Panama.
2. San Marcos, California.
3. Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.
4. Ft. Gordon, Georgia.

Four TV shows I love
1. Earth 2.
2. Firefly.
3. Robotech.
4. Star Trek (the original series).

Four places I've vacationed
1. Ligonier, Pennsylvania.
2. Indianapolis, Indiana.
3. New Orleans, Louisiana.
4. Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Four of my favorite dishes (to cook)
1. Sloppy joes.
2. Roast chicken.
3. Roast beef.
4. London broil.

Four sites I visit daily
1. CNN.com.
2. EN World.
3. RPG.net.
4. Google (in one form or another).

Four places I would rather be right now
1. At the movies.
2. Asleep.
3. Gaming with friends.
4. The San Diego Wild Animal Park.

Four jobs I'd like to have
1. Game designer (full time).
2. Elementary school teacher.
3. Chef/cook.
4. Actor.

Four places I'd like to live
1. Northwest Oregon.
2. Pennsylvania.
3. The Bay Area.
4. Any blue state.

Four books I love
1. The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.
2. The Lord of the Rings (does that count as three?)
3. No Bugles, No Drums by Charles Durden.
4. Neuromancer, by William Gibson.

Four places I'd like to vacation
1. Ireland.
2. Australia.
3. Normandy.
4. Britain.

Four of my favorite dishes (to eat)
1. Carne asada.
2. White pizza.
3. Baby back pork ribs.
4. General Tso's chicken.

I guess that's it.

The Future Player's Companion Is At Print

I have it on good authority that the FPC, as we call it, is currently at print. I guess that means we'll be seeing it on bookshelves sometime this month.

In other news...there is no other news. I reckon I'll have more to post later. I always do.

Hammer and Shadow Is Out

I know this because UPS dropped off my comp copies today. It's a good looking book, and the new cover art is sweet. As my second Midnight contribution, H&S holds a special place in my heart because it was so much fun to write. I enjoyed working on it a great deal. I hope I can continue to have such luck on my future Midnight endeavors.

Last week, Green Ronin sent me some comp copies of Shadowspawn's Guide to Sanctuary. It's a hefty book, all the more impressive because I've only ever seen it in PDF format. Shadowspawn's Guide is a healthy companion to the Thieves' World Player's Guide, though it is hardly a requirement. Personally, I don't think I'd want to run a serious game of TW without it, but that's just me.

I love getting free books. Granted, technically, they're not really free. They're often a part of the contracted payment I get for my work on a book. Still, they're a wonderful bonus. Who doesn't like getting packages?

In other news, today marks my second week at my new day job. I think I'm getting the hang of things. Now if only my paychecks would catch up with my bills!

By the way, I've added a link to Gnymphs.net to my list of Industry-related friends and so forth. There is some adult content to be had there, but it's not a "hard core" site by any stretch of the imagination, and I respect what the ladies at Gnymphs.net are doing.

Where To From Here?

Warning: This is another one of those self-searching blog entries. The world is full of them. People who don't know where they're going, or why, posting at the speed of thought in an effort to make some kind of sense of it all. It's the ultimate in exhibitionism. It's more personal than posting nude photos, and sometimes it's even more risque.

Now, with that disclaimer out of the way...

When folks find out that I'm a freelance writer, they eventually get around to asking me something along the lines of, "Do you ever intend to write full-time?" This came up when I was letting folks know that I was leaving my job at the tooth factory, as if that was what I was going to be doing instead of ordering copy paper, cutting tools, and reclining task chairs with ergonomic back supports.

I used to think it was possible. I mean, I know it's possible, but "possible" and "probable" aren't the same thing. They're close cousins, but they're definitely two different takes on the same concept.

The meat of it is: would I want to write full-time?

The answer, of course, is yes. I'd love to write for a living. However, it's not something I can see happening realistically, at least, not any time soon. Being published does not equate to being wealthy; heck, it doesn't even equate to being "comfortably well-off." I'm proud of the work I've done, and of the work that I continue to do, but it has yet to pay for itself.

As it stands, I'm in pretty good with three or four companies who offer me writing jobs regularly. I attempt to follow the good advice I've been given in regards to these jobs: produce good work, and send it in on time. I can only assume that it is this mantra that has kept me busy for the past eighteen or so months. I'm busy, yes, but I'm working at my own pace, writing in my off-hours when I'm not slaving away at my day job.

Yep, my day job. Back to that sticky wicket.

See, the day job is what makes the freelancing possible. If it weren't for the regular paychecks I'm getting (or, rather, that I will be getting [at the new job]), I'd be living in a cardboard box, diving into dumpsters, or standing at a stop light with a "will write for food" sign.

I'd like nothing more than to be my own boss, to make my own hours, and to write about the things I love seven days a week. Yet what would I be giving up? Regular, (relatively) risk-free (not to mention guaranteed) paychecks. Health insurance. Paid holidays.

I'd have to beat the bushes constantly in order to keep the contracts coming in, and I'm not sure that I've got reputation enough to reliably land as much work as I'd need to land in order to keep the rent paid, the baby fed, and the gas tank filled up. Heck, I've got a full-time job now (or I will, come Monday), and making ends meet is still a pain in the ass.

So, would I like to write full-time? Sure, yeah, why not? But the sad truth is that this is about as "full-time" as it's going to get, at least for the time being. I'm not saying that someday, maybe, if God smiles upon me and I'm living like Stephen King in my own private Bangor, that I won't spread my wings and fly happily to the mythical land of Full-Time Author with a smile on my face.

Yet life gives us a lot of puzzles to solve, and so I'll twist away at the proverbial Rubik's Cube until I figure out how to get all the colors to their respective sides. Right now, the solution that seems to be working the best for me is that I am working full-time so that I can write part-time. As long as my wife and son don't mind me running off to Borders so that I can meet my deadlines, and as long as the publishers keep giving me those same deadlines, I plan to keep it up.

I'm wondering now why I got off on this rant. I'm not sure why. I guess that staying home with the sprout these past few days (even though the time spent alone with him was relatively short) has given me a new perspective. I haven't had anything to write, specifically (though I do have a synopsis I need to finish), but even if I'd had something on my plate, I doubt I would've gotten much of it done.

I also have a strange feeling that this year is going to be a busy one. Last year was busy, or so I thought. I have a feeling this year will be even more so. Do I mind? No, not really. Like I've said before, I enjoy the work. It's going to be a fine balancing act, weighing family vs. writing vs. everything else.

Can I do it? Yeah, I think I can. But I'm going to need to keep some perspective as I march along, just to stay sane.

Writing really is like a muscle. You have to work it all the time to keep it strong. Sometimes I lose sight of that, but I do try to write every day. Whether it's for a project, or merely a long-winded blog entry.

Ah, no more. Not tonight. Enough exercise for today. I'm about ranted out.

Marcus Makes Third (This You Already Knew)!

Yeah, it's pretty pathetic when I can crow about having a character make 3rd level. Truth be told, I've been running a lot of games over the past several years, but I've not played in too many over the long term. I think that the longest-lived character I had prior to Marcus was in an AD&D 2nd Edition game, and that was prior to 3rd edition being released.

Edit: How soon I forget! I admit that I'm wrong on this count; I played in a 3.0/3.5 game a few years back, set in the world of Conan, and my character made it to 5th. To be fair, I've also got a 5th level Swashbuckler/Rogue that I played in my friend Dave H's "Tantalus" campaign, and I'm definitely quite fond of that character. So, friends, forgive me for overlooking those games, I wasn't thinking straight. It looks like Marcus has at least two levels to go before I can raise him to the lofty height of "longest-lived character."

[Removes foot from mouth.]

So let me be excited. As for stats, here goes. Not much new since the last upgrade.

Marcus: Human Clr3; CR3; Medium-size Humanoid (Human); HD 3d8+6 (16+1d8+2 hp); Init +1; Spd 20 ft (30 ft w/o armor); AC 17 (+4 armor, +2 shield, +1 Dex), touch 11, flat-footed 16; Base Atk +2; Grp +4; Atk +5 melee (1d8+2, longsword); Full Atk +5 melee (1d8+2, longsword); Space/Reach 5'/5'; SA Turn undead; SQ None; AL NG; SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +6; Str 14, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 10.
   Skills and Feats: Concentration +7 (+2 Con, 5 ranks), Craft +1 (+1 Int, 0 ranks), Diplomacy +0 (+0 Cha, 0 ranks), Heal +9 (+3 Wis, 6 ranks), Knowledge (arcana) +4 (+1 Int, 3 ranks), Knowledge (history) +2 (+1 Int, 1 rank), Knowledge (religion) +7 (+1 Int, 6 ranks), Knowledge (the planes) +2 (+1 Int, 1 rank), Spellcraft +3 (+1 Int, 2 ranks); Cleave, Improved Unarmed Strike, Martial Weapon Proficiency (Longsword), Power Attack, Weapon Focus (Longsword).
   Languages: Common, Celestial.
   Possessions: Money (33gp, 6sp, 5cp), Backpack, Bedroll, Dagger, Explorer's Outfit, Flask, Flint and Steel, Heavy Wooden Shield, Wooden Holy Symbol, Hooded Lantern, Light Mace, Longsword, 2 Flasks of Lamp Oil, Belt Pouch, Scale Mail, Waterskin, Whetstone, Healing Kit, Thunderstone, Smoke Stick, 2 Sunrods, 5 Tindertwigs, Vial of Antitoxin.
   Magic: Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds.
   Spells (4/3+1/2+1): 0 – detect magic, guidance, light, resistance; 1st – bless, magic weapon (D), sanctuary, shield of faith; 2nd – bull's strength, hold person, spiritual weapon (D).
   Domains: Healing (Healing spells at +1 caster level), War (bonus feats).
   Spell Saves: DC = 10 + 3 + Spell Level.
   Turning Check: 1d20 + 2.
   Turning Damage: 2d6 + 3.
   Action Points: 6.
   Experience: 3000+.

I've considered some of the available PrCs for Marcus, but I'm ultimately leaning towards a multi-class Cleric/Fighter combination. My original concept for Marcus was a hospitaler -- someone who cares for and defends travelers and pilgrims. The Hospitaler PrC in Complete Divine is far too centered on mounted combat to really mesh with Marcus, and I'm not going to shoehorn him into it.

As you can see, I've taken Improved Unarmed Strike as his 3rd level feat. I'd like to try out some of the close combat-related feats, like Improved Grapple. Seems like we've had lots of critters grappling us lately. Might as well fight fire with fire.

Besides that, I've noticed a distinct lack of 0-level cleric spells (ie, orisons) in the published material. Even the new Spell Compendium lists only one new 0-level divine spell. At lower levels, every spell counts, even the crummy 0-level ones. Oh, well.

Back to the salt mine...

A Shogun Named Marcus

Nah, he's not a shogun. We've been over this before. As I mentioned, though, I've written up a brief background for him, and this is where I'll post it. Enjoy!

Name: Marcus Baer.
Age: 27.
Sex: Male.
Height: 5'9".
Hair Color: Dirty blond.
Hairstyle: Collar-length and well-maintained.
Eye Color: Hazel.
Skin: Losing its tan.
Distinguishing Marks: A lightning bolt tattoo on his left bicep.

Description: Of average height, Marcus looks a bit stocky when dressed in his fighting gear: a suit of scale mail which has turned more than its fair share of blades, covered with a simple stained tabard that was once white. He keeps his hair and moustache as neat as possible, but this is not always a simple matter when he is traveling. His hazel eyes are wide and almost naïve, but this might be construed as an act on his part. He is honest to a fault, though he attempts to keep his own counsel unless asked. He doesn't mind heroics, either on his part or on the part of his companions, but he prefers to hedge his bets whenever possible.
Background: Marcus Baer was born in the Shield Lands, in the city of Critwall. His father was a town watchman, and his mother was a laundress. The Shield Lands have known little peace, being as close to the Horned Society as they are. Marcus' father died in battle while Marcus was still a boy, and his distraught mother sent him away to be cared for at Critwall's temple of Heironeous.
   As he grew, Marcus' preoccupation with his father, who he viewed as a fallen hero, shaped his desire to join the Paladins of Heironeous. Despite his initial zeal, Marcus proved to be a poor candidate. He was far less disciplined than necessary, and had "washed out" by the time he was sixteen. The priests of Heironeous' temple, in an effort to salvage Marcus' talents, directed him to join the priesthood. Marcus would have none of it, and set out on his own to find his own faith.
   Time passed, and Marcus traveled far and wide. Eventually, he discovered his own form of worship, which revolved around the very principles of benevolence and mercy. While he honors all good-aligned gods, he refuses to serve any one of them above all others. He is, instead, a servant of all good deities, and will have it no other way. He sees organized religions as being unnecessarily bureaucratic, given to the faults of the men and women that control them.
   Marcus' travels have brought him to Cauldron, a place that he has been drawn to. He is unsure why the gods have brought him to this stinking, volcanic city. He sees that there is much good that can be accomplished here, starting with four children who have come up missing from an orphanage. It is obvious that evil stalks the depths of the city, so Marcus will seek to stamp it out as best he can along with the aid of his new allies.
Allies: Anyone he may have aided in his travels might be considered an ally, or at the least, may afford him some concessions in the case that their goals are not currently aligned.
Enemies: Marcus sees the servants of wicked gods as enemies of life. In his journey across the lands, he has opposed the agendas of many evil gods, including Iuz, Incabulos, Hextor, and Erythnul. As such, servants of these deities who have crossed paths with Marcus may take a special interest in undermining his efforts. Additionally, there are those in the priesthood and martial orders of Heironeous who view Marcus, at best, as weak, and at worst, as a traitor to the faith.

So, that's it. It's not much, but it fleshes him out quite a bit more than he'd been fleshed out before. Hopefully, he's not as bland as he used to be.

Unemployment Means Never Having To Say "I'm Bored"

Even though I am, somewhat.

The boy is in a nap presently. He must've needed it, because he's been sleeping for almost 90 minutes as of this writing. On one hand, it's nice, because I've got time to myself. On the other hand, I'm a little on edge; after all, he might wake up at any moment. There's little point in getting too deeply involved in a project, since he's liable to be up and at 'em in the next ten minutes.

I'm not really bored. Stephen definitely keeps things interesting, especially when he's awake. I've been able to watch a couple of Battlestar Galactica episodes today. Earlier, his mother and I took him to get his DOC band adjusted for the last time. I had intended to take him to the Wild Animal Park, but we were both a bit tired. He had a (rather stinky) poo diaper after eating lunch.

Sorry for the play-by-play. These are the best days of my life, so I may as well be detailed.

I've also been working on a background for Marcus, my cleric in Alan's Shackled City campaign. I expect he'll be up to 3rd level soon, so I'll repost his stats along with whatever history I manage to piece together. I'm not an expert on Greyhawk, so it's been interesting. I've done my share of playing games set in Greyhawk, and I even ran a brief (evil) campaign set there (which petered out when half the group moved out of state). In other words, I'm familiar with it, but I'm not precisely a font of information or ideas on the topic.

At least Marcus has a last name now.

Back to Battlestar Galactica, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm enjoying it, more or less, but I still have these knee jerk responses to the new series that are based on my childhood memories of the old one. I'm not about to say the old one was better, but it was good for what it was. At the time, what kind of FX budget did you expect for a science fiction series on syndicated television?

Oh, well. The child is awake. More later.

That's That

For the first time in twenty-nine months, I am unemployed. As bad as that sounds, my unemployment will only last for six whole days. I will spend much of this week watching Little Einsteins and Teletubbies with Stephen, as I gear up for large doses of both gaming and game developing.

I suppose the next few weeks will be interesting.

Change is good...right?

My Last Day There

Today marks my last day at a company I've been with for over two years. For a number of reasons, I've decided to move on. I'm leaving a lot of great people behind, and I fear that I will lose touch with a great many of them as a result. This is unavoidable, perhaps. Sometimes the only thing I hold in common with these folks is the fact that we work for the same employer.

In any case, I'm a little torn, but I know things will work out. Time will tell.

Happy New Year

See title.

The first week of the year has been hectic! There's been a change in the software we use where I work, and the integration is rife with bugs and other issues. This is less a problem for me than for my co-workers, since I will be leaving the company on the 16th of January.

I've got another job lined up. I'll be doing much the same thing (buying), but for substantially more pay. It's a good opportunity for me, and I'm hopeful that it will help to boost our standard of living a tad.

On the writing front:

I'm currently working on a project for Upper Deck Entertainment involving one of their CCGs. Can't say much more than that, but it's been interesting to be able to branch out from RPGs a little bit and see how the other half lives. I'm not sure if this will turn into a steady gig or not; right now, it's just a single contract. We'll have to wait and see how I perform.

There's also a new Warhammer project in the offing. It's a long-term project for a very sizeable book, and from the looks of the outline it's going to be a blast.

As you might know, I've always had a great gaming love affair with Cyberpunk 2020. As it turns out, the third edition of Cyberpunk has been released on DriveThruRPG, and the hardcopy is due to hit store shelves real soon now. I've been invited to participate in a couple of CP-related projects, and I'll update you on the status of those once I'm able to.

Template Troves III has seen a couple more reviews on RPGNow, as well as a couple of reviews on ENWorld. Joe Kushner gives a good accounting of the product in this four-star review. Not every review of the product is stellar, but as of this entry, none are rated lower than four stars.

So that's that. I need to get ready to move, as I'm heading to Borders today to get some of that Upper Deck project finished, and I'm dropping my boy off at his grandma's house on the way. It's going to be a busy weekend, I think.

The Annual Christmas Swag Report

Christmas is behind us this year. I commented to my wife last night that the holiday seems to be less about us, and more about Stephen (our son).

I'm fine with that; he's a bit young to truly appreciate the varied meanings of the season. He's also pretty oblivious to the fact that he made out like a bandit ten times to next October, pulling in so many new toys and other items of baby swag that we hardly have room for them all.

All he knows is that there's new cool stuff around to play with. That's all that matters.

That isn't to say that we didn't get anything. Quite to the contrary, we did fairly well. Our modest piles of loot were populated by several geeky goodies, but mine wasn't as full of gaming goodness as I might've hoped. All told, I've got two new volumes to add to my massive (yet stagnant) collection: Races of Eberron (thanks, hon!) and d20 Cyberscape (thanks, mom!).

Cyberscape looks like a good time. If I ever decide to do a cyber-oriented d20 game, it will be high on my list of supplements to use. Races of Eberron is also pretty groovy, regardless of the fact that I'll probably never run an Eberron campaign. The temptation to add some of those cool races (such as warforged) to other settings is fairly strong.

I did mention other geeky things, didn't I? My wife got a copy of Destroy All Humans! for the Xbox, so she can happily apply anal probes to hapless farmers, soldiers, and bovines. Our DVD collection is also somewhat larger. The first season of the new Battlestar Galactica is in our grasp (thanks, Adam!), as is the third Harry Potter flick (again: thanks, Adam!).

My wife bought me a copy of The Wild Geese on DVD, which is possibly one of the best mercenary-oriented war films ever. The packaging claims that it is the 30th anniversary edition of the film, which I find odd, considering that it was released in 1978. Wouldn't that make it less than 30 years old? Hmm?

I've also got several new CDs to add to my collection, including three old Oingo Boingo titles (Nothing to Fear, Dead Man's Party, and Boi-ngo) that I used to have on cassette, as well as GWAR's latest release, Live From Mt. Fuji.

I could easily use up several thousand words of text describing the various items that Stephen has added to his collection of playthings, but I will spare you the details. Besides, such descriptions would be better posted on Freelance Father, and likely will be at some point in the near future.

We've got edible presents on the menu, too. JD and Keri brought us up a homemade cheesecake this evening. I'm thinking that it will be devoured to the last delectable crumb sometime on the morrow.

So that's Christmas, in a nutshell. As much as I enjoy giving and receiving gifts, I'm glad that it's over...at least, for the time being.

A New Cover for Hammer and Shadow

Hammer and Shadow, which was originally due to be released in December, looks to have been pushed back to a January release date. Coincidentally, the cover art has been revised (old to the left; new to the right):












It's not as if I've been following this whole thing closely, though FFG did send me a head's up concerning the book being pushed back to January. The new art is definitely more striking, and conforms more to the subject matter of the product than the old art does. Still, I've never been one to poo-poo cover art of any type, especially in regards to FFG's cover art (which is, without a doubt, consistently some of the best in the industry).

Part of me wonders if FFG came to this decision [to change the art] by themselves, or if they were swayed by one of the many complaints posted to this thread on Against the Shadow. It would be easy enough for me to find out, but the question is: do I really want to know?

The "hard core" fans are difficult to please sometimes. I follow threads on AtS, but I rarely post. I'm always somewhat uncomfortable about singling myself out as an author on any product, so I don't. The closest I get to that sort of chest-beating is having a link to my web site and/or web log in my signature; if folks are curious about me, they can learn a lot by clicking one or two links.

Besides, it's not like I'm some sort of authority on the product line. I love Midnight, sure, and I hope it comes through in the work I produce, but I don't know every single piece of trivia that there is to know. By posting, "I'm so-and-so, and I wrote this," it seems that I'm saying, "Look at me! Aren't I groovy? You should listen to what I say; after all, I'm an author, which means that my opinion is worth more than yours!"

Which is, of course, some of the purest rubbish imaginable. I've seen such things posted by industry folks before, and while they might not explicitly come out and say it word for word, they certainly do imply it.

To my mind, in a business as small as the game industry, what's the point in getting your ego over-inflated? What percentage of the overall population is going to read my work? Which percentage of that percentage will even bother to read the credits in the book, giving them a less than equal chance of recognizing my (admittedly unusual [last]) name? And even if they do, what can I hope to gain by tooting my own horn?

To my mind, it's more important for me to be visible to the good people who offer me work by producing the best writing that I can, on time, and with a minimum number of editorial snafus. This is not to say that the fans and gamers out there do not matter; they most certainly do, since they're the ones who will spend their hard-earned cash to pay for the books that I've worked on.

I do suppose having a "big name" author work on a product is, in fact, a selling point for some consumers, but I know very few people who pay attention to the author. Most people are more interested in the content than in the creator.

Funny, how this turned from a news item into a rant. It's early yet, I suppose, and my brain got to running over. Then again, what's a blog for if not for this sort of literary spewing?

Merry Christmas, folks.

Just in Time for Christmas! Food: The Poisoning and Toe: The Stubbing released!

As the title might suggest, it has been an interesting couple of days for me. It all started early Thursday morning, when I awoke at 12:30am with some of the worst abdominal pain of my life. Scratch that; in retrospect, this was easily the worst abdominal pain I've ever had. By 7:00am, besides writhing around in pain like a worm drying out on a warm sidewalk, I was also vomiting quite forcefully into one of our two toilets.

My good lady wife took me to the doctor, who examined me and asked, "What did you eat last night?"

"McDonald's."

"What did you order?"

"A couple of burgers," I said. Then I added, almost as an afterthought, "Off the dollar menu."

"The dollar menu?" he replied.

"Yeah, it's Christmas. We're strapped," I answered.

He chuckled. "You certainly get what you pay for."

Then he put me on a liquid diet, prescribed some anti-nausea and anti-cramping medication, and told me to go to the ER for IV fluids if I couldn't keep anything down over the course of the next six hours.

My wife dropped the prescriptions off at the drug store, then brought me home. She went away to pick up the pills and buy some safe things for me to consume: Gatorade, broth, soup, Jell-o, Big Sticks, etc.

The pills made a big difference, and by noon I was able to sleep for a while. It was blissful, compared to the agony I'd been experiencing over the past eleven or so hours.

As for McDonald's dollar menu: I think I'll be avoiding either it, or that particular McDonald's, for the forseeable future.

Next...my toe.

We were invited to a holiday dinner last night. Regardless of the gastrointestinal festivities of the previous day, I felt well enough to attend. The wife, the boy, and I piled into the Hyundai and consumed some very excellent prime rib, mashed potatos, corn, and gravy. Of course, we socialized, too. We're not complete barbarians. As always, the little man was a big hit.

Shortly after returning home, I was running around picking up Stephen's toys while my wife was getting him prepped for "night-night" (which is, to put it mildly, one of his least-favorite phrases). I guess I was moving too fast and not keeping track of my feet in relation to heavy, stationary objects.

My left foot and the sofa had an altercation, in which the sofa came out as the victor. My verbal response was quite...descriptive. It's a good thing the child can't talk yet, or I'd have some 'splaining to do.

Around 1:30am, I awoke for two reasons. First, I was thirsty. Second, my wounded toe had rubbed the wrong way on the bed or the sheets, sending a spike of pain to whatever cursed portion of my brain processes such signals. In the process of pouring myself some tea, I took a look at my toe. Black and blue and stiff, it no longer resembles the digit it once was.

I've done this before, but not for several years. If it turns black and falls off, it will almost be a mercy. Unfortunately, I know that it will remain exquisitely tender for at least another week.

That guy you saw writing at the Borders coffee shop on the morning of Christmas Eve? The one with the limp? Yeah, that was me.

Writing, yes. Gaming, too. The focus of this web log, after all, is the art that I practice, isn't it?

I've got a project to finish by Tuesday. How I will manage to get the work done in between now and then, I have little idea. Between running (limping) to the store and celebrating the holidays with my extended family, I expect to at least try.

Template Troves III seems to be doing well. As of this morning, it's up to #14 on RPG Now's Top Selling Products List. It's also #25 in all categories this month. There are two reviews posted so far, both of them five-star. Quite cool!

I guess that's all there is to report today. In closing, let me wish everyone a very Happy Holiday, no matter which one(s) you're celebrating. I'll be sure to report back on any game-related schwag that Santa Claus brings to me..!

Template Troves III Released on RPG Now

I just found out that TTIII: Diseases, Parasites, and Symbiotes is up for sale on RPG Now. Please check it out, and let me know what you think. There's already one review up. I can only hope it's well-received.

I've got writing that needs done tonight, so I'll likely pluck away at that before I hit the rack. Also, it looks like I've got a pretty good line on a new WFRP project. I really enjoy working on Warhammer.

So, it's good news all around, I say. With luck, I'll have more to say later.

A Trip to Narnia

I took my wife to see The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe tonight. I never did read those books, but I remember seeing an animated version when I was younger. Prior to going into the movie theater, the only thing I remembered was a faun with a parasol. That was it. As the events unfolded onscreen, I remembered more and more.

When you get down to it, I liked the movie. I understand that it's more of a child's fantasy story...a fairy tale, for lack of a better description. My taste for fantasy is more along the lines of the gritty world presented in Conan the Barbarian or, to some extent, Jackson's envisioning of The Lord of the Rings. Much the same, I prefer my science fiction dirty rather than sterile; I'm keen on the Nostromo in Ridley Scott's Alien, rather than the Enterprise in Roddenberry's Star Trek. After all, something that big has got to have tons of grease and grime in it somewhere.

As for the allegory of Christ/Aslan, I say: big deal. It wasn't a word-for-word parable, and it certainly didn't smack me in the face. Sometimes the characters seemed a bit shallow, and I would've almost preferred Patrick Stewart to Liam Neeson as Aslan (I kept hearing, "No, Anakin!" in my head, over and over again).

Anyway...I'm not much for really deep, in depth movie reviews, unless I'm either a) blown away or b) completely offended. I'll buy it when it hits DVD, if for no other reason than to let the boy watch it.

Speaking of young children: what is it with parents who bring their young (ie, less than a year old) children to crowded, loud movies? Does it surprise them when their child cries, shouts, whines, or screams? Not only are they being unfair to the child, who doesn't know any better than to cry, shout, whine, and scream, but they're being unfair to the rest of the folks in the audience who've dropped a good wad of cash to see a first-run movie.

They've got commercials that remind folks to silence their cell phones. What I want to see is a movie theater that doesn't permit folks to bring in children below a certain age, unless the screening in question is specifically for such children and their parents. I'm not about to drag my nine month-old son along to see a movie, and I would expect other folks to have the same sort of courtesy.

I guess it's too much to ask of some people.

I want to send a shout out to Dave Lucca, one of the guys from the Friday night games I used to play in. Just before the previews started, I saw a fellow who looked suspiciously like Dave sitting three seats down from my wife, and I managed to catch his eye -- and it was, indeed, Dave. It was good to see him. He's a great role-player, a bit on the dramatic side (it's the Italian blood in him, I'll wager).

Speaking of previews: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest looks like it's going to be a fine time. Can't wait for that one. Seven months is going to seem like eternity.

You might be wondering how the writing went today. All I can say is: freaking stat blocks. I spit on them! Ptooey! Building high-level characters in d20 is like building pyramids the old Egyptian way. Once they're together they look pretty good, but unless you've got thousands of slaves and easy access to a slide rule, it's going to take a while.

Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but by the time they kicked me out of the coffee shop, my eyes felt like rasins.

I say "kicked me out," but it wasn't quite like that. Some fellow (I'm not even sure he was an employee) came over to me and asked if I would mind relocating to another table in the joint, seeing as there was a performance about to start (and I was near one of the two easily-accessible power outlets in the whole place). I considered telling him, "No, I'm sorry. The fate of Aryth depends on the work I do today. Find another coffee shop to schill your cheap, infantile mewlings."

Still, it was after 1pm, and I'd been calculating skill points, feats, and saving throws for nigh on three hours. I decided to be merciful. Plus, staying while a "show" was being put on is not a good way to get writing done. I can only guess what sort of dubious musical act they had waiting in the wings.

Enough for today. Mid-life crisis aside, it's been a good day so far. Another 90 minutes, and I'll be tucking myself in. Seven hours after that, I'll be dragging my ass out of bed to go to work. There's stuff that needs buying, and I'm the guy to buy it.

Writing on Sunday

I'm going to head over to Borders today and see about getting some writing done. I've put a dent in the current Midnight project, but I dare say I'd like to have most of it done fairly soon. The deadline is looming, and with the Holidays and all the associated activities, my weekends this month have pretty much been pre-planned.

Oh, the agony.

The family is still asleep. We had a late night, and the boy didn't hit the rack until well after nine o'clock. That's about two hours past his normal bedtime, which means he'll probably be sacked out for another hour or two.

I tell you, sometimes I question this freelance writing stuff. I enjoy the process, especially the end results, but it's a lot of work and the pay is sporadic. I don't know how anyone could manage to live on this sort of thing on a full time basis, though I know that some folks do. The secret seems to be getting a "real" job with a game company (though, in the current industry and in light of the recent lay-offs at WotC, how long would that last?).

I've given some thought to tying off the current run of projects as they stand and endeavoring to go back to school in '06. It might surprise folks to learn that I've always wanted to be an elementary school teacher. Wierd, I admit, but such a goal requires more education than I have. I'm 32 years old; given a modest turn-around time, I'll be 40 by the time I'm able to apply for a teaching position.

I wonder if this is what a mid-life crisis feels like?

Time to get some clothes on and get my gear together. I have several thousand words to write, not to mention a few stat blocks to map out. Plus, I can hear my son stirring in his crib. Time to go.

Marcus Makes Second!

Who is Marcus? you may be asking.

Marcus is my cleric in my friend Alan's Shackled City campaign. He's an idealistic fellow, patterned after the hospitalers of the Crusades. Basically, he's a good-aligned cleric who follows no specific deity, and he acts as a defender and healer of pilgrims and travelers.

Just for kicks, I'll post his stats here. Maybe I'll post a story or something at a later date. For the time being, this will have to do.

Old-fashioned stat block, here we come...

Marcus: Human Clr2; CR 2; Medium-size Humanoid (Human); HD 2d8+4 (16 hp); Init +1; Spd 20 ft (30 ft w/o armor); AC 17 (+4 armor, +2 shield, +1 Dex), touch 11, flat-footed 16; Base Atk +1; Grp +3; Atk +4 melee (1d8+2, longsword); Full Atk +4 melee (1d8+2, longsword); Space/Reach 5'/5'; SA Turn undead; SQ None; AL NG; SV Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +6; Str 14, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 10.
    Skills and Feats: Concentration +7, Diplomacy +0, Heal +8, Knowledge (arcana) +3, Knowledge (history) +2, Knowledge (religion) +6, Knowledge (the planes) +2, Spellcraft +2; Cleave, Martial Weapon Proficiency (Longsword), Power Attack, Weapon Focus (Longsword).
    Languages: Common, Celestial.
    Possessions: Money (33gp, 6sp, 5cp), Backpack, Bedroll, Dagger, Explorer's Outfit, Flask, Flint and Steel, Heavy Wooden Shield, Wooden Holy Symbol, Hooded Lantern, Light Mace, Longsword, Lamp Oil, Belt Pouch, Scale Mail, Waterskin, Whetstone, Thunderstone, Smoke Stick, 2 Sunrods, 5 Tindertwigs, Vial of Antitoxin.
    Magic Items: Potion of cure moderate wounds.
    Spells (4/3+1): 0 – detect magic, light, resistance; 1st – bless, magic weapon (D), shield of faith.
    Domains: Healing (Healing spells at +1 caster level), War (bonus feats).
    Spell Saves: DC = 10 + 3 + Spell Level.
    Turning Check: 1d20 + 2.
    Turning Damage: 2d6 + 2.

In case you're wondering why his name is Marcus; it's not because I was watching Rome at the time. It actually came to me while listening to a Clutch song titled A Shogun Named Marcus, even though the character is most certainly not a shogun.

Template Troves News

Ian Johnson (aka Frilf) of Silverthorne Games has posted a quick news update on the ENWorld forums, as well as a link to a sneak peek of the forthcoming Template Troves III: Diseases, Parasites, and Symbiotes (written by yours truly). Take a look at the preview, which details the Plague Zombie template, here.

Future Pharma! First Taste is Free!

The Game Mechanics have posted a freebie called Future Pharma, which includes the drug design rules that I wrote for Future Player's Companion III: Tomorrow's Evolution. It's not a bad deal, getting these rules for free.

Here's to hoping you'll get hooked on your first dose!

In other news, it appears as if Shadowspawn's Guide to Sanctuary is finally back from print. You can order your own copy from the Green Ronin online store, or buy it at your FLGS.

On the gaming front...

You may recall that I was talking about starting up a new game. Well, I've gone ahead and given it a shot. I'm detailing the trials and tribulations of my efforts at a new game-centric web log entitled Shadows of the Past, which is the name of the Midnight campaign I'm picking back up.

Seven players. I must be crazy..!

WotC Lay-Offs

Just in time for the holidays...

::sigh::

It looks like Wizards of the Coast has had another round of lay-offs. I'd be surprised if you hadn't heard about it somewhere else by now, considering I'm somewhat late coming to the news desk. Still, there are some folks that I know on that list, and my heart goes out to them.

I met Charles Ryan for the first time at Gen Con Indy this year. I had originally opened hailing frequencies with Charles back in the old days, when he was running Chameleon Eclectic from his bunker in Florida. I honestly don't know if he remembered me, but it was nice to finally meet him and put a face with the name.

Another Wizards employee that lost her job was Michelle Lyons. Michelle is a writer and editor of some skill. I got to know Michelle when I was working on Fireborn for FFG. She and I chatted over a few things, and bounced ideas off of one another. When I heard that she'd bagged a job at Wizards, I was quite happy for her. I had no idea it would be so short-lived.

You can read the whole news item at Gaming Report.

Future Player's Companion Volume III: Tomorrow's Evolution

The third installment of the Future Player's Companion has been released on RPGnow. It has every indication of being a solid finale to a very good trilogy.

If you're a d20 Future player, or just want to support a few starving RPG designers, buy a copy. Heck, do us all a favor and buy the whole set!

Gen Con SoCal: Photographs

As posted previously, we had our yearly pilgramage to Gen Con SoCal last weekend. We didn't take a ton of pictures, but let's hope that the quality of those we did take makes up for the quantity.

Our arrival at the Anaheim Marriott was uneventful. The boy slept much of the way, only waking up when we got to the hotel. I'd originally thought that we'd stayed at the Marriott before, but I had it mixed up with the Hilton (which is across the street, and which is where we stayed for the first Gen Con SoCal in 2003). We parked (getting what our friend Karen would call "Rock Star Parking," despite the fact that about ten-thousand gamers had taken the liberty of parking in the Marriott's parking structure) and entered the bowels of the hotel itself.

Once we'd checked in at the front desk, we headed to the elevator and took it up to the ninth floor. Stephen rode along in his stroller, oblivious to the fact that daddy was well on his way to maxing out his credit card. Ah, the bliss of childhood ignorance. How I envy the little guy sometimes.

The hotel room was relatively small, but it had two features which I quickly came to appreciate. The first was a bed the size of sub-Saharan Africa. The second was an honest-to-God balcony (which I later discovered was one of only four on our floor; how special!). Naturally, we took plenty of pictures from the balcony. My wife even took pictures of cabs and their associated cabbies. I have no idea why.

On to the con. I didn't have my badge; the wonderful folks at Green Ronin did. So, once we'd procured my wife's badge, I sent her into the hall to collect mine while I kept an eye on Stephen. We saw a great many things while we waited, including a man on stilts dressed in the garb of a Scottish highlander. I'd never seen such a thing; neither had the boy. We both stared in wonder as I fished around for the camera (which I couldn't find).

Amy returned to tell me that Stan! had my badge. Coincidentally, Stan!, JD, Keri, Marc, and Hyrum arrived at that moment. With my badge around my neck, we headed into the hall and took stock of what little it had to offer. That's not to say there wasn't anything worth buying, but SoCal has gotten smaller each year. I fear that it isn't a very profitable con for most of the vendors. Of course, Chessex always seems to have an endless stream of gamers waiting to purchase dice of various shapes and sizes. Stephen can be seen here, posing with his little dice love beads (or whatever they are) on our massive monarch-sized bed.

I went off to run my game, while the boy and his mother remained in the hotel room and had a nap. They called me just prior to my game ending, and met me outside the game room. We contacted JD and Keri, and found that they were waiting for Stan! just outside the hall that the costume constest was being held in. Stan! showed up, and we walked to the Hilton and had a tasty dinner. One thing about Anaheim, as opposed to Indianapolis, is that the variety of eating establishments within walking distance is pretty slim.

After dinner, I helped put Stephen to bed just before I went off to have a beer with my Aussie friend, David. When I returned, after about an hour or so, Stephen was fast asleep. As much as I might've liked it if he'd been able to sleep in his Pack 'n Play, he was much more comfortable in bed with us. Given the continental size of the bed, there was more than enough room for the three of us.

Sunday morning, I decided to take advantage of my exhibitor badge and tour the dealer's room. Stephen and I went to the convention center, via Starbucks, and took a seat near the cafeteria. I drank my iced coffee and shared a pumpkin spice scone (which was a big hit) with the boy before talking around and taking some pictures. We didn't see a whole lot of interest; to be honest, I enjoyed hanging out with the boy more than I enjoyed touring the hall.

At the end of the day, I'd finished running my second TW session, and the wife and I did our last-minute shopping. We'd gotten down to our last diaper (which Stephen was wearing), the poo clock was ticking, and we were still an hour from home. After such an eventful day, Stephen ended up konking out in his stoller. Looking in at him, he looked so damn peaceful. We couldn't help but take a picture of him, surrounded by all of his Lovecraftian goodies.

Into the car we went, and onward towards home we drove. The poo that we dreaded never materialized, though Stephen's only remaining diaper was sopping by the time we managed to change it out for a fresh one.

And that was my boy's first game convention. Next time, we take more diapers.

Star and Shadow Unleashed

I found my comp copies of Star and Shadow this morning. The UPS man had delivered them by tossing them onto our balcony. I have no idea how long they'd been there; probably no longer than a day, but for all I know, they'd been sitting out there since last week.

The book is pretty tasty. I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out, and I hope the Midnight community is pleased, as well.

We drove by Game Empire (land of 1,000 games!) on our way home from my son's doctor's appointment this morning, but the place wouldn't be opening for another hour. I was hoping to pick up a copy of Heart of Shadow, as it's the only Midnight product I'm still lacking. It's extra important that I get it before the end of this weekend, as I'm traditionally restricted from purchasing anything for myself between the dates of 11/25 and 12/25.

Not that I'd be particularly worried about buying Heart of Shadow, but it's the principle of the thing.

The more I write for the Midnight setting, the more I want to start my old game up again. I have an issue with running weeknight games, though, because they don't allow for a lot of play time. Three hours every two weeks? It passes too quickly. I'd be more satisfied by 5-6 hours, personally.

There's also the issue of players. Not all of my players are available on weekends. Alan, for instance, has a family, and playing on weekends isn't a feasible option for him. I'd feel somewhat strange playing without him, even though I know he'd tell me to go for it (especially since I'm presently playing in his Thursday night game).

So it's something I'm thinking about, but at present, I have an art order to write.

Back from the Con

Gen Con SoCal, that is.

The boy, my wife, and I stayed at the lovely Marriott across from the convention center. It was terribly convenient, and our room even had a balcony. The boy enjoyed crawling (yes, he taught himself to crawl last Thursday) on the very large uber-king sized bed. We wheeled him around the convention in his SUV-esque Eddie Bauer stroller (which, according to my wife, needs to have a cow-catcher installed across the front bumper).

Last Thursday, the TW playtest went well, though it was cut short by time constraints. The actual games on Saturday and Sunday went off with nary a hitch, as far as I can tell. I had some positive player feedback, which is always a pleasure. I'm not sure if the game sold any books...let's hope, eh?

I'll be sure to post some photos of the convention just as soon as I've got them downloaded from the camera.

It was great to see Chris Pramas and the lovely Nicole Lindroos at the con. Those two are part and parcel of what makes Green Ronin one of the best game design companies in the industry, as well as a wonderful company to freelance for. I am truly blessed to be able to write for them.

We also got to see and hang out with our good friends (in no particular order) Stan!, JD Wiker, Keri Reynolds, Marc Schmalz, and Dave Herber.

As far as booty, I came away with the "Advanced" series of books by Green Ronin (sans the Race Codex), as well as a larger battle mat from Chessex. They told me it was a factory second mat, but I'll be damned if I can tell how it's flawed. Maybe they just say that as an excuse to sell the things for $18. All I know is that it's about as big as my dining room table, and my days of suffering with a tiny little battlemat are finally over.

In other news: Star and Shadow is out! I saw two copies for sale at a booth at Gen Con SoCal, though I didn't buy it. I've got two author's copies coming to me, though I don't know when. Soon, I hope. It looks really neat!

Speaking of Midnight, I've been offered another assignment by FFG on an up-coming release. More on that when I'm able to discuss it.












Second news item: Silverthorne Games has announced, both on their web site and on EN World, the impending release of Template Troves III. They've posted pictures of the cover (seen here), as well as details on the product. I hope it lives up to expectations, and does good for them on the sales side of things.

All for now...

Gen Con SoCal

We're off to the con this morning, and will return tomorrow. If I can find free wireless, I'll try to make an update or two.

Until later...

RPG Radio Interview With Rob Schwalb

This just in: Robert Schwalb has been interviewed on RPG Radio. If you're interested in checking this interview out, download the MP3 podcast of Episode 102, and take a listen. The interview starts eight minutes and forty-five seconds into the podcast, right after the PETA commercial.

Rob covers the history of the TW RPG...
...as well as the d20 adaptation of the game...
...working with Lynn, and her input into the game...
...extensive discussion of the magic system...
...sixty-second commercial at 00:18:05...
...discussion about the game itself, mechanics, and the changes that mold it into TW...
...the deadliness of combat...
...the new classes...
...no alignments...
...and upcoming TW products.

They also talk a bit about Rob, how he got his start, and what Green Ronin has coming up in the future. The interview ends at 00:38:55, bringing the length to about twenty minutes in length.

Back to work on my scenario. See you all again real soon...

Comp Copies

I love comp copies, I really do.

I now have my comp copy of Shadowspawn's Guide to Sanctuary, albeit in PDF format. It's just in time for my impending TW game at SoCal. Looking it over, I'm trying to remember what I contributed to it.

I did some of the development of the characters; basically, figuring out which classes and levels they were. I seem to remember Patrick agreeing with me for the most part, but soundly thrashing a couple of my choices as well. I didn't mind, and the product looks to be stellar.

I also wrote a lot of the flavor text; specifically, the little blurbs that show Shadowspawn's (or Lone's) opinions on the different characters that are described. That was my favorite part, I think.

Despite all this, I'm pretty beat this morning. I still have nine hours of work to look forward to, and I'll likely be getting home an hour late. I'm concerned about a lot of things; money, for one. We never seem to have enough of it. I've got a lot of products that I've contributed to waiting to see publication, as well as a couple that I'm waiting to be paid on. The money is spent before I get it, which isn't a good thing; but it's life.

Freelancing: it ain't all gravy.

I guess I'm really worried about Christmas this year. It's my boy's first one, and though he probably won't understand it (and, truth be told, if he has a skimpy Christmas, it may as well be his first one), I will. Of course, his grandmother is going to lay it on pretty thick, I reckon. Which is good. Love from any direction is love well-received.

Going to work now.