My most hearty apologies for the past few (um… okay 6?) weeks of idleness in regards to updating here. Several factors have contributed to this, but the negative ones have all been resolved now and the positive ones leashed to utilize their energy for more productive endeavours. In short, “Life, she is good!”
A few things I wanted to mention right away. Rites of Spring, a Changeling: The Lost supplement I worked on is now out. It’s chock-full of new and interesting tidbits for Changeling fans - alternate pledge rules, tons of Merits, some Lost-specific Flaws (for those of you who use them), new Contracts covering time, fate, madness and a whole slew of new Goblin Contracts. There’s also tons of new information on things like Iron, Clarity and of course Hedgespun items and beings. It’s just a plethora of new “stuff” to play with, and I think it will be fun for anyone playing Lost to check out.
Also, Midnight Roads has hit the stands. For those of you who haven’t heard about it, this is a World of Darkness supplement covering all those creepy, scary, dangerous things that happen on the highways and byways between towns and cities in the WoD. From haunted motels to devilish crossroads, and car crashes/chases to supernatural motorcycle gangs, if your game ever takes you beyond the “safety” of the city, you’re going to want this book.
Pimping aside, I am relieved to say that I’ve now finished the last of my contracted work for White Wolf (for the moment) and am merrily enjoying the first day of a 3-month (or so) sabbatical from game writing. For the first time in the last 3-4 years, I don’t have something (or in many cases, 5 or 6 somethings) hanging over my head to write. What am I going to do with my break?
Well, write, of course! I’ve been speaking with an editor about La Serenissima, my novel set in Venice, and she’s given me some great ideas on how to make it a stronger story, so I’m looking forward to deconstructing my baby and putting her back together to make (hopefully) a greater whole.
Beyond that, I’m going to be doing a lot of travel (check out my events calendar to see if I’ll be in your area) both for pleasure and for work.
And, I’m going to paint my house! (I’m taking an entirely inappropriate amount of glee at this idea!) So, if you’re in the SE Arizona area and are handy with a paintbrush, drop me a comment and we’ll talk!
One of the very positive things I’ve been doing rather than updating my website (see how I worked that in there?) is becoming more active with the non-rpg gaming community here in the SW. This has included attending a couple of really fun game-days set up on a regular basis.
The first, held in Sierra Vista, AZ, is Family Game Night. Family Game Night is just what it sounds like - a free night to come out and learn/play board and card games. Ran by the Sierra Vista Gamer’s Association and sponsored by Pulp Gamer and the Southern Arizona Gamer’s Association, Family Game Night is the perfect opportunity to bring your kids (if you have them) and/or spouse/partner and spend an evening doing something fun, free and interactive. It’s so hard, these days, to find things that interest the whole family, and I assure you that this is one of them. They have games suitable for ages from 8 to adult (so it probably isn’t a great idea for kids under
and folks who know how to play all of them and are more than happy to teach. It’s really a fun evening, so y’all should definitely try it out if you’re within driving distance of Sierra Vista, like me.
The second game day I’ve been attending is Ides of Gaming. Held at Espresso Art near the university in Tucson, Ides is held the third Saturday of each month, and features a wide variety of card and board games (and teachers for the same). There’s a lot of overlap between the two groups, since Ides is also sponsored and organized by SAGA. It’s a little further for me (Tucson being about 2 hours from here) but is likely more convenient to a lot of folks (and the Saturday scheduling may make travel easier for folks.) It’s really a great time, and I hope that I’ll run into some of you coming to check it out.