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Essential

Posted by on 28 June 2011, 10:51 am

Take a seat. We are going to play let’s pretend. Imagine that we all live in that strange parallel universe I roughly described last Friday; you know the one where WotC announces AD&D at PAX. And then what?  

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I may be too soon, but I’m like a shock jock in my own mind. I like the jolt of the thought and feared but unsaid. I think an anniversary would be…sweet…like we’ve been married. I don’t believe that numerology can lead to success; like it’s a good game because it is old but new, and we have the stars to back us up. The ways of marketing are strange, and obscure. It’s the new secret society, hiding its mysteries with vagaries. I’ve never quite been able to wrap my head around it.  

But to be honest, the timing is not the important part. It’s the process for development. Usually the process for an edition ramp up is a very secret affair. As for goals, there are always at least two—make it bigger than ever and make it fun.   Continue reading ‘Essential’ »

Filed under Gaming Future, Gaming Present.
7 Comments

Critical Hit

Posted by on 24 June 2011, 11:03 am

It’s been a while. I’ve been working, laughing, drinking, gaming, and soaking up the fickle Seattle sun whenever I can. Our summer has been as bleak as a Russian novel, so sun and fun trumps commentary.

Despite vitamin D deficiency,  I intended to write a rip-roaring call to adventure to tell the RPG fanatic that everything is good and awesome here in the summer of 2011. There are exciting games on the horizon. I felt that I should do this after the tremendous kick in the nuts delivered by Rob Schwalb earlier this week. That guy is an asshole, right? Telling the truth like that. I wanted to balance out Rob dystopian worldview with a whimsy, sometimes obscene, and irreverent romp into RPG goodness. But I can’t do that. We live in strange times, die chuckers. Unless you live under a rock, or just don’t give a fuck anymore, you know that Bill Slavicsek has left Wizards.

It’s just not him. It’s other folks as well. Folks I worked with. Folks I like.  Folks who have to go in the world to find a job, and their most practiced skill is knowing Dungeons & Dragons really well. Not too many people outside our little geekish club really give a shit about that. In fact, to most it’s seen as a possible security risk.

I’m not kidding. Continue reading ‘Critical Hit’ »

Filed under Gaming Future.
13 Comments

Rescue, Welcome, and Orcus

Posted by on 3 June 2011, 10:50 am

New conventions are fun. They’re also worrisome. You’ll never know what you’ll find out there. Let’s just say it can be a little Deadwood and sometimes in that $2 extra way. A few years ago, I went to this dud of a convention.  The con staff was terrible. Even though they invited me as a guest, they couldn’t seem to find my badge. I spent nearly 4 hours jumping from person to person until I got that laminated slip of paper that allowed me to enter the areas where the panels were held. The hotel had elevators that wouldn’t work, or you had to go up to the third floor to used them, maybe both. It’s a blur now. Even when they were working, they were always crowded, and it could take 45 minutes to get back to your room. It was a progression of panels, room parties, and awkward conversations, and I hated nearly every minute of it.    Continue reading ‘Rescue, Welcome, and Orcus’ »

Filed under Gaming Present, Uncategorized.
6 Comments
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