March 2008
131 posts
Query for the Internet Mindbank →
So, layout gurus: I’m using Adobe CS3. I create a new file. I put a rectangle in it and fill it with the [Black] swatch. My preferences are set to “output blacks as rich black” in the preferences…
February 2008
93 posts
Don't Rest Your Head Discussion Group →
Looks like one of Don’t Rest Your Head’s fans has started a Yahoo Group for possible discussion: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/dryh/ While I haven’t really felt a strong need to do this…
Leap Day PDF Sale on YGN →
Evil Hat is taking part in a Leap DayWeek Sale over on Your Games Now, running from the 29th through the end of the period around GM’s Day (March 5th-ish, I believe). Both of our PDF products…
Gaiman’s American Gods: Free for One Month →
From Neil Gaiman’s blog: Feel free to spread the link as widely as possible around the web. If it works, and people read it, then a) we may be able to put up another book and b) sooner or later…
How little can you get away with? →
I’m going to run a BW one-shot over skype with some folks I met on the livejournal role-players group. Someone started a thread, asking what games they’d like to play but won’t et a chance to with…
My Other Blog →
For the class I am taking this semester we have to start a blog. My first half of the semester is to blog about Youtube as a possible educational tool. But my latest blog post bridges the gap…
Reading, Planning, Wearing while eating Quinoa... →
I haven’t managed to drag myself out of bed and have breakfast this week and I can feel that lack of fuel edging into my everyday life. It is nice to start the day with a steaming bowl of quinoa…
"Saving Throw", a D&D Rap song. I kid you not. →
Word.
Ow →
Trying to run a game session when you can barely speak is really difficult…
Non Sequitur: The Name Game →
“Kris Alan Johnson!”
Rarely were those three words strung together unless I had committed some egregious offense. It is common practice, after all, for a parent to employ a child’s full name in the…
Link →
Well, it is sketch contest time again over at TenTon Studios. And this week it is Red Sonja. How could I pass doing that? Anyway, here is my entry. If you want to see about 20 different Red…
Burning Skype: Hateful Orcs, Ten Years Later →
Ten years went by quickly in the Broken Mountains. The trolls toiled, building roads and towers. Goblins patrolled riding both wolves and sometimes spiders. Grbek Pukk now wears a crown made in olden…
I'm Liking This →
So this past weekend I got the chance to run more of my Faith, Faces, & Fingerprints game (I also got to hang out and shoot the breeze with ratmmjess, chadu, and
In other news SO PRETTY →
More art previews have been coming out for the Dresden Files comic book. I am beside myself with glee at getting to share this stuff. http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=148291
"Do It For Free" In Action →
One of the things I talked about on my Be Brave Enough Not To Publish post was the idea of “doing it for free”. If you’re not into being a business, or have a philosophical reason for it, free is a great way to go. Even if you are into being a business, there’s some strong — if very long-term — marketing potential in giving something away that folks would pay...
Deadlands →
In this session, we get an interesting response to the challenges the group has seen in Laramie. Session 15 “He Who Is Without Sin - Part 2”
Deadwood →
So, with manic_deadpool loaning us the first season of Deadwood, I can finally check it out! Jen and I watched the first two episodes last night. It’s a pretty damn good show. I personally found the use of modern swearing mixed in with more period-appropriate slang and dialogue to be a bit jarring, and you really need to accept that sometimes the writers are just throwing in...
Link →
Something a little different for me… I haven’t done a pilot and craft shot in about 4 years… I think I did a cut-down millenium falcon awhile back. The patron supplied Macross reference and a bit of modern pilot shots… I combined the two modes of reference into this shot. Hope y’all like. I also played around with ink line, by inking the pilot, but leaving the ship a...
Hottest movie trailer I've seen in a while. →
Thanks to Drew for the scoop.
Time off + being sick + wedding plans →
I’ve been a bit ill over the last few days, which sucks because Jen and I had yesterday and today off work. Still, we got a lot done with our time off. We’ve got the wedding rings ordered, and a joint savings account set up for the mortgage to go into. The last of the wedding invitations for the whole thing are going out this week. In a few weeks we’ll send out invites for the...
Forge Post →
Learning to Game Head on over and drop a line.
You got your DRYH in my JAGS -- say...! →
Robin Ashe does a composite/comparative review of Don’t Rest Your Head and JAGS Wonderland: http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13641.phtml
Archaia on IPR →
I haven’t posted a news item about this over on IPR yet, but I’m in the middle of setting up the new product entries for Archaia Studios Press. Originally, they’d just been on board to sell the Artesia RPG through us, but now IPR is pushing into indie comics just a bit, and Archaia is bringing their catalog to IPR, at least in modest quantities....
My Sunday →
I got out to Jeff and Julie’s place this morning for some hot Kryos action. Mario was on the show and was a good person to have on. Jeff walked away thinking the show was a hot one. When something makes me bothered enough to yell into the mic, that’s usually a good sign. A nice nap on the couch rounded out my Sunday afternoon. Jeff Hayes was playing video games on the ole XBox, so...
Honey Bunny →
I have been missing having a laptop since mine died. But I really didn’t want to spend a grand and honestly, didn’t want a big monster to lug around. When I was writing a whole lot was when I had a laptop to leave the house with a laptop to get writing done with. My old one didn’t have internet access at all. This one has internet access but I’m making a rule against using...
Our All-Star Mid-fielder, the Senate and the Red... →
In the last hour of the game, Mario dramatically described his character putting on the red, an act that in ven culture means that you put aside your sword, only use a dagger and get ready to murder some son of a bitch who deserves it. A letter is written in your own blood, describing your intentions and you’re off. The other players, Jeff and Storn, also gave the red its due and had their...
Link →
This commission was really something of a fun challenge. Here is a Forgotten Realms character, a cleric of Olidammara. The god of rogues, scoundrels, the Laughing Rogue God etc. The trick here was to walk the line between some kind of clerical order, an affiliation. And to still make the young man kind of roguish. The chain, the magic rapier were asked for. But the patron also asked for napoleonic...
Actual Play Review Week at RPG.Net -- In March →
Quoth the formidable cwricheson:Cross posted at RPGnet: The week of March 24th is Actual Play Review Week here at RPGnet. While past weeks have focused on overall themes, this event will focus on reviews based on actual game sessions. Share with us your best and worst experiences with all sorts of games! All it takes is a little time to write it up and including [Actual Play Week] in front of the...
The value of collaborative setting creation →
So, folks who’ve listened to That’s How We Roll or looked at the setting glossary for my Faith, Faces, and Fingerprints game know that the “first” session of the game was a big fat collaborative setting creation exercise. Which was good for buy-in and all that, but in practical terms, what does it mean for on-the-ground play once the game gets started in earnest? By way of...
Moviestuff: Crocs and Gators →
My love of monster movies is well established, but giant alligators and crocodiles occupy a special place in my—well, not heart, but certainly the reptilian center of my cinematic brain. Even more so than sharks, snakes and spiders (the latter of which creep me right the hell out, regardless of size) I enjoy movies that feature ridiculously huge crocodilians running rampant and treating the human...
Convention Playtesting in Alabama →
Scott Acker is running a Dresden Files playtest con slot (maybe two!) at OmegaCon in Birmingham, mid-March: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=25811
Link →
Reading: Finally finished the wonderful Woken Furies and haved moved on to Jay Lake’s urban fantasy, Trial of Flowers. It is fun so far. But the book that has caught my eye has no words. Go check out The Arrival by Shaun Tan for the most beautiful graphic novel that I have seen in a long time. It is mesmerizing. The book grabbed me from the shelf and hasn’t let go. Planning: Gaming...
Dresden Files Alpha Playtest Sightings →
The Rolemonkeys have a storm-locked chat about their plans for the Dresden Files RPG playtest: http://www.rolemonkeys.info/2008/02/rolemonkeys-after-dark-4-bleeding-for.html (This may not be the best for listening to if you don’t also have the playtest materials, but I’m striving for completeness here.)
The answers →
4 were left unanswered. The answers are as follows: 9 - She really can’t shut her mouth, can she? National Treasure 10 - Nonsense, I have not yet begun to defile myself. Tombstone 14 - You know, I think you try harder when you’re scared… That’s when it’s worked best for me. Rocky Balboa 15 - We must show them that we are men of parts. Shakespeare in Love
To Whom It May Concern →
Much fun on the flash fiction front1 from 365 Tomorrows:
Dear Fontilibus Corporation rescue crew, space explorers, other would be rescuers, or whom it may concern,
How are you?
Good, I hope. Whether or not you’ve found my remains,it should be clear to you that I’ve been better. If I were alive, we would be talking right now and you wouldn’t be reading this. I hope you do read this. It’s just...
Dresden Files Alpha Playtest Sightings →
rickj talks about some of his observations on noodling through how to implement Buffy & the Scoobies in the Dresden Files RPG: http://rickj.livejournal.com/339258.html
Awesome →
I will now no longer say “awesome”. Instead, I will simply embed
Deadlands →
Hoping to find Boar’s Tooth and bring him to justice, the Riders stop off in Laramie to pick up supplies before entering the Medicine Bow Mountains at the northern end of the Rockies. While there, the actions of the past come back to haunt Testament and Bart… Session 14 “He Who Is Without Sin”
The Street as a Data Processing Platform →
Once you start playing in the world of data, it’s hard to turn off the part of your brain that examines how various independent streams of data can be mixed, matched, sliced and diced to glean meaning. The world is rife with data to be mined, and our magnificent brains handle it with such speed and efficiency that we barely notice we’re doing it. But, slow yourself for a moment. Take a look around...
Link →
Guys, its been a while. I’ve been traveling. And I’ve been sicker than a dog with the flu. But artwork gets done anyhow. And here is some i’ve done recently. Here are couple of more commissions. The first is based on someone real, Virginia Dare…although the campaign has supernatural powers and the like ala Solomon Kane… and speaking of which, not intentional, but the...
Weekend Gaming →
In a few weeks the Mechanical Dream campaign we’ve been playing irregularly on Saturdays will end because the GM, Janto, is going to Germany for a month or so. It probably won’t be starting up again when he gets back, so the possibility exists to give something else a try at weekends. I know there’s a lot of change going on with everyone these days. Everyone’s either in...
More Dresden Files Playtest Sightings →
Mick Bradley has started churning away at making a supernatural character — a Changeling information broker caught between two worlds: http://mickbradley.livejournal.com/57456.html And that wacko Rick Neal continues churning away with more updates — his mortal cast is growing, and we get an insight into how some of his “test conflicts” went: http://www.rickneal.ca/
An Open Letter to George Hrab →
Dear George, Ever since I discovered you on Skepticality, I’ve been impressed with your music. I bought the four albums that were available. I’ve introduced many of my friends to your music, and they, too, have been impressed. I’ve been listening to the Geologic Podcast for a long time, and I’ve enjoyed both your original work and your interpretations of other artist’s work. Your flair for...
Meme Update →
6 left unanswered. Though I’ll admit they’re not the lines most closely associated with their respective movies. 1 - First learn stand, then learn fly. The Karate Kid - Guessed by psysquid 2 - I’m gonna bring this up at the next tennants’ meeting. There’s not supposed to be any pets in the building. Ghostbusters - Guessed by...
I'm coining a new word.... →
It’s called “podgasm.” A podgasm is where you are listening to a podcast and suddenly, without warning, someone mentions you or speaks back to your concern directly. It usually only happens to podcasters, although it could happen to listeners who are frequent contributors to podcasts. For example, I had a podgasm twice yesterday. Once was listening to The Plitone Revisionist,...
Cleveland Rocks? →
After spending 10 days in Santa Monica, the following info makes perfect sense to me.
Bizjournals.com looked at 50 U.S. cities to determine the most stressful metropolitan areas. Cleveland is No. 2 on the list; only Detroit is a more stressful place to live, based on factors ranging from finances and unemployment to traffic, crime and pollution….Of the 50 cities, Cleveland ranks 40th or worst in...
Flames Rising Favorite Horror RPG →
Flames Rising is running a “talk about your favorite horror RPG” contest: http://www.flamesrising.com/favorite-game-contest/ Evil Hat has joined the list of sponsors. Naturally, I’d be thrilled to see a few entrants talking about Don’t Rest Your Head. ;)
What a Difference Five Years Makes →
So as some of you may recall, about 4 or 5 years back D&D put out the call for a setting design challenge, the ultimate product of which was Eberron. Much like everyone else on the planet, I threw my hat into that particular ring. I didn’t have much of an expectation of success. And yeah, despite their warnings to the contrary (“Just focus on one idea!” they said), I and the...
Steve Kenson is playing Spirit of the Century... →
Mandatory reading for Spirit of the Century fans: http://xomec.livejournal.com/tag/thrilling+tales
Is it really Friday? →
Bad dreams all night have left me feeling drained. It is a Friday with the feel of a Tuesday. Reading: Dammit, I just can’t find the time to put away Woken Furies. Wearing: Green turtleneck and black jeans. Planning: Meeting with the Friday night gamers tonight, more for a -What do we want to do with our Friday-night-game?- than actually to game and Janaki and Z-man visit this weekend....