Flotsam and Jetsam. Not Eels.

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Been a while since I’ve blogged, and I’m very sorry about that. Have been neck-deep in a maelstrom of change, deadlines, and life upheavals. With the dust settling, let’s just say that I’m a touch behind… Our new place is great (everyone here treats us like gold) and we’ve managed to get the kitchen, master bath, and living room up-and-running. The rest of it, though? HAH, HAH, HAH! Still need to sort through my art supplies and get caught up with “Oh, I should have done that years ago.” For example, to decorate the broom I made I bought these gothic mini-book charms from Etsy. Gee, maybe I should have polished that camping axe in 2008? Yeah, that. Welcome to the Land of Mundania. All these things I conveniently forget–and now have to deal with. Otherwise? How can I be expected to make messes start anything new? Hee.

As you know, we’ve been working on the Firefly RPG launch. I have some news to share on that front. Here’s a picture of a pallet of corebooks being crated for safe shipping! Huzzah!

Firefly RPG Corebook

We’ll be making some announcements soon. I’m pretty sure you’re going to flip out and be supremely thrilled with what we’ve got going on–especially since the corebook will be available internationally! In the meantime, our friends at DriveThruRPG.com are having a big Christmas in July sale through Monday. The Firefly RPG line is 25% off in digital. Shiny! I was thrilled to find an actual play video courtesy of Matthew Tyler-Jones where a shiny Crew dives into my Episode, Friends in Low Places.

Speaking of DriveThruRPG.com, I have a new book out! Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters is climbing up the charts. Twenty-three writers and game designers, including yours truly, contributed to this book of essays. Check it out!

In other news, I’ve put down the beads and music and artwork (Yes, this is me hanging my head in shame for…sadly…I have not unpacked those yet… But I DID win a design-a-onesie contest! Don’t ask, it was an alternate universe.) and picked up my controller. My anti-stress relief has been Age of Reckoning: Kingdoms of Amalur. I am min/maxing this game like nobody’s business. Haven’t gone to jail yet–this is a good thing, mind you. But, I like the side quests and all the surprises that are in store for me. Does it have a mini-map. YES. Does it have a world map. YES. Does it have a local map. YES. Can you improve your relationship with merchants over time. YES. Can you give the villains a serious beat down? YES. I think it’s a good prep for my winter play-through of the game with no end: Skyrim. Here, the gameplay is like a cross between Dragon Age and Skyrim, which is really good for somebody like myself who hasn’t played World of Warcraft.

I should probably get back to writing since (you guessed it) I’m behind. The GOOD news is that I finally reached the point where I’m having so much fun I’m writing in my sleep again. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT THING. I may pretend to be a planner, but really? I’m a pantser. When I’m having a blast, that’s when all the crazy comes together to be unraveled… And there’s a lot more coming. Hee.

BEFORE I GO… (Are you sick of me yet?) I kinda sorta had a moment of: “I want to do something awesome for my cat, Rimmon.” Black cats are the least adopted out of all the felines simply because they have black fur. This superstition is rooted in 19th century advertising for Halloween and may stretch back even further, based on the fact that black cats in particular have a very distinctive cry and were thought to be witch’s familiars because of it. Their cry evolved so sympathetic humans would bow to our feline overlords put out food for them at night. Because of the superstition surrounding their black fur, most shelters won’t allow them to be adopted during the month of October due to a long and sordid history of abuse. **NOT** COOL.

Anyway, in response to all this, friend and cartoonist Ursula Murray Husted made this for me, for the Black Cat Society. The link’ll take you to her Tumblr page. We’ve also got a BCS: Black Cat Society FB Group set up, and if you’re a proud owner or appreciator of black cats? You can join us! I’ll be adding the links to the sidebar on my blog, too.

BCS Black Cat Society

That’s all for now! Back to the grindstone…

    Mood: Guilt of a 1,000 Freelancers
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: There can never be only one.
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Well? Um…
    In My Ears: There’s a fan. And Lady Crescent Moondragon’s tank.
    Game Last Played: Age of Reckoning: Kingdoms of Amalur–with realistic corpse-twitching!
    Book Last Read: A stack of gaming books for work.
    Movie Last Viewed: Huh… *scratches head*
    Latest Artistic Project: Cue dead silence.
    Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing
    Latest Game Release: Mortal Remains
    What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work, original comics, short stories, and novels.


The Update and Nexus

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Well, sixty-five boxes of books…and counting…are packed. Several trips to Goodwill, filing’s still behind, and I’m realizing that I won’t be as prepared for this move as I thought I was.

At least Rimmon’s happy.

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To say I’m preoccupied is an understatement. Moving is turning out to be a bigger deal than we thought it was going to be on top of deadlines and what-have-you, because we’re also shifting our home office, still need to work full-time, and deal with 5+ years of stuff. Plus, I was really sick for two weeks, and other unexpected hilarity. Because of all this, both Matt and I withdrew as Nexus guests a few weeks ago. We are still listed on the website.

I’m sorry that we won’t be able to see our friends and fans of the games we’ve worked on; I hope to reconnect with you in the future. Right now, it’s looking like GenCon will be the first time we can resurface. It’s hard for me to put myself first, but in this case I really have to.

    Mood: Black, black as my soul.
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Not. Enough.
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: In the box. In the garbage. Move the box. Stack the box.
    In My Ears: Silence
    Game Last Played: Samurai vs. Zombies and Samurai vs. Zombies 2 Yes, I’m at level 80. And?
    Book Last Read: They’re packed. I has a sad.
    Movie Last Viewed: Edge of Tomorrow
    Latest Artistic Project: Posted pics a while ago. Will do more after I’m settled.
    Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing
    Latest Game Release: Mortal Remains
    What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work, original comics, short stories, and novels.


10 for $10 to Celebrate DriveThruRPG’s Anniversary

Friends in Low Places_Firefly RPG_Valentinelli

DriveThruRPG.com is turning 10 years old! For the next ten days, the online store has some amazing Bundle deals on RPGs, Comics, and Fiction as part of the celebration. These $10 Bundles feature all kinds of cool stuff like the Numenera Bestiary, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG, Deadlands comics, Eclipse Phase RPG, Wraith RPG, Firefly RPG, and more! As part of the anniversary event, both Queen of Crows and Friends in Low Places are included, too.

Happy anniversary DriveThruRPG.com, DriveThruFiction.com, and DriveThruComics.com!

New Release: Unframed The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters

Unframed Cover

Improvisation is key to running any roleplaying game. It’s an essential skill for every game master and player, and can mean the difference between a good gaming session and a great one. Until now, there hasn’t been a system-neutral book that covers improvisation for game masters from every angle. Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters is that book.

An anthology of 23 essays by a diverse group of award-winning authors, designers, and experienced game masters, Unframed gives you the tools and inspiration to improvise better, “wing it” without hesitation, and get killer results.

Inside this book you’ll find advice on improvising dialogue scenes by Robin D. Laws (Hillfolk, Ashen Stars), a look at “Just In Time” improvisation from Jennell Jaquays (Caverns of Thracia, Dark Tower), advice on listening to your players by Jason Morningstar (Fiasco, Durance), tricks for handling curveballs from Jess Hartley (Changeling: The Lost, Geist: The Sin-Eaters), tips on improv in horror games from Kenneth Hite (Trail of Cthulhu, GURPS Horror), insightful essays by the authors of the ENnie Award-winning game mastering blog Gnome Stew, and many more.

Unframed collects the wisdom of 23 top designers and gaming industry veterans, and offers 23 perspectives on improvisation. Running the gamut from old-school to indie, and featuring tips specifically for game masters as well as techniques any gamer can use to master the art of improvisation, Unframed has you covered. Whether you want to create a social sandbox, get better at doing voices, or harness the power of “yes, and,” you’ll find the improv advice you’re after in Unframed.

My essay is also included in Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters. It’s called “Building Worlds by the Seat of Your Pants,” and is geared for GMs who need to expand certain setting aspects on-the-fly. You can pre-order a copy of the book through the publisher’s website.

About that Story in Mortal Remains

Thought I’d share some photos of the interstitional fiction from Mortal Remains. I had a blast designing these pieces and putting together the art notes. The idea behind the fiction was to take a group of everyday hunters, and toss them into a situation where they find they’re in over their heads. In this case, it’s a murder investigation. Each piece, which precedes the chapter, offers a clue to the overall mystery and reveals a little bit about what an encounter, or evidence a hunter might find. Some antagonists, like the Mummy, never cross paths with the hunters. Others, like the Changeling, try and make a deal or know more than they’re letting on.

As I’m wont to do, there are layers of meaning represented in each piece. The second-to-last piece, which was the Last Will and Testament, serves as the ending and wraps up a lot of loose ends. The devil is in the details, I suppose. Har, har.

Anyway, here’s some photos of what a few of the pieces look like in the premium print edition of Mortal Remains. They’ll fill your screen if you click on them. Hope you enjoy the supplement!

Mortal Remains 1

Mortal Remains 2

Mortal Remains 3

Mortal Remains 4

Mortal Remains 5

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