Giving Thanks
Our community celebrates Advent with an advent spiral: a long string of pine boughs strung together in a spiral that takes our entire Community Hall. Woven into the boughs are small tokens like roses, rocks, feathers and shells, and in the center of the spiral is a low stump with a candle.

A spiral walk is held with the Community Hall darkened, and with only the candle at the center of the spiral to light the way. You walk the spiral with an unlit candle, light your candle from the center of the spiral, and then proceed to walk out. At some point in the spiral you place your candle along the spiral.

This is done in silence and with reverence, but without any overt religious references, leaving those of us who are largely ignorant of their history (like, ahem, myself) free to apply their own metaphors and meaning to the walk.

It is a powerful experience to be seated in a dark room and watch a group of people walk the spiral. You walk in darkness until reaching the light, which in turn alights your own personal candle.. And at some point, before exiting the circle, you have to place the candle and walk away. But one by one, the candles collect on the spiral, until all the boughs, shells, rocks and roses are illuminated by the collective candlelight.

Like I wrote, the metaphor well is deep on this one.

For myself, this year, it stood as a metaphor for a life well lived. From a central source, your own light of passion or interest is kindled, but while it is alight you are nearly blinded by its proximity and brilliance. You take the passion/interest and put it to use in your life, and then proceed back into darkness.

This is interesting to me because it suggests that it is not the person that matters, but the enlivened interest they ignite from life. It is not the person, but the deeds born out of passion that remain, illuminating the darkness for others. And when taken together, the collective light reveal the beauty concealed in life. Not us, but our love.

Maybe. It’s just a metaphor, after all.

Love from the Rockies,
//H

Lifestyles of the Poor and Infamous
Got a package in the mail today from Jon “TacoJon” Hershberger. Jon was the Man/Myth/Editor that brought the 1e version of Iron Crypt to life. He also did all the playtesting with his local group and also ran several Iron Crypt games at GenCon. A standup gentleman, by any standard.

Jon was sending me copies of IC 1e to sign for him and his group. The 1e version saw a very limited print run and so now copies run for $100 or more on ebay (hard to believe and even harder to rationalize). They did a second short "collectors" run, which has also sold out, but that has to do with scarcity instead of any inherent value.

I’m happy to sign copies for Jon and Company, but as I opened the priority mail box I saw that one of Jon’s friends had collected a copy of every module I’ve written. It was a bit overwhelming --- in a good way. To see that someone would care enough to get copies of them all was amazing. My first real “fan” experience, but a little boggling too, since there really isn’t anything to be a fan of. I need to write a letter back, or somehow signify my appreciation.

Heh. Maybe I need to get his signature. My first fan. You only get one!

In other news, still no word on the Vampire book, but White Wolf recently merged with CCP, the folks that bring you EVE. And since the co-founder of White Wolf is also my editor, I can imagine that his schedule is awfully busy right about now. Especially since, according to the White Wolf livejournal page, a good chunk of the WW staff is over in Northern Europe getting to know their new partners.

So, long story, short, who knows when I’ll hear about the book.

Till then, I hope you all are well! Thanks for reading.

//H

Josh Wentz...Design God
JW has spent an inordinate amount of time making me look good in print:


Give that brother a Deathy Shout-Out. Also, consider doing some Christmas shopping at the Sidedown Ol’ Time Country Store. The ice cream is only 25 cents a cone and the ice water is free!

//H

If a man can be judged by the company he keeps...

It's official. I'm sexier and smarter when JW is publishing my work in the Sidedown Monograph.

Course, that also means I'm bringing everyone else down.

#1 goes on pre-sale in a mere 5 days, with all sorts of goodies attached.

//H

Coming in December...

I've known Alex Anderegg for over a decade now. Five years ago we swore a blood oath over our Certified Plan for World Domination. His first published adventure is coming out in December, marking an important milestone in our plan.

Fellow DCC World author Mike Ferguson is also coming out with 2 new adventures, one in November and another in December. Mike is one of those lucky souls who has about a million ideas a minute, and both these adventures reflect his creativity.

Catch 'em all!

//H

Edit:

And, for all our U.S. readers, don't forget to exercise the responsibility of freedom:


Q: Grimbones, where the heck is my polling place?

A: (Courtest of Rockstar Rockwell) http://www.vote411.org/pollingplacebystate.php

Not so Novel Novel Update
No news to report, save that my own “nails and needles” period has passed. Waiting for the rejection produced something akin to an emotional hangover which, thankfully, lasted only a little longer than the regular kind. I’m sure I’ll get worked up about it again when the next cycle of announcement dates comes through, but for now I’m pretty content. If this novel doesn’t sell, maybe the next one will. And if that one doesn’t, I’m confident the next one will for sure. ;)

Repeat as needed.

No school today, so I spent the morning skating, the early afternoon doing development work, and will spend remainder of the day writing. I’m about halfway through my 89k monster, and would like to put down another 5k today.


Meanwhile, the Sidedown monograph is looking really, really cool. Handmade books rule. This was the sort of thing I had hoped to pull off for GT, but Josh and Co. have the resources to do it right. I’m excited to see it come to fruition, if only to get the cool Sidedown pin. They’ll be taking preorders on the 13th, so dig behind the cushions in the couch and see what you can come up with.

In an amusing anecdote, seeing JW’s image for my story reminded me of the reading I gave of this little number. My writing has always been inextricably linked to my romantic life. Not being particularly charismatic, I've always relied on my stories to do the talking for me. I’d give my work to folks I was wooing, and the people I fell in love with would then appear in the stories. (You know who you are.)

The Giant is no different. Read this one before an audience in Boulder, initiating a whirlwind romance. And, as per the formulae, Giant has a lot to do with previous loves, albeit seen across a great divide.

Aren’t they all?

So it goes. Being your own romantic proxy: reason #489 to be a writer.

//H

Once upon a time in Wisconsin…

…there was Blackmoor, the 3rd release of a fledgling game system called Dungeons and Dragons. Blackmoor included an adventure (perhaps the first adventure?) entitled “Temple of the Frog.”

This summer I had the great privilege of working beneath Richard Pocklington, and got to write a fair portion of this:



Hopping your way in January, 2007. Temple of the Frog.



“I think I’m losing my mind this time, this time, I’m losing my mind.”
Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to send their wishes and hopes. It’s encouraging to a noob, especially when so many (E.C., Paul, Jeff, Marce, Eric, Kam, Jaliegh, Ed) are published novelists.

But, as per E.C.’s advice, it is time to occupy myself with something else. My writing plate is full with editing, writing and I’ve even undertaken – in a pique of foolishness – a “for the hell/love of it” project. Clearly something else is called for, ideally something that doesn't involve -gasp!- writing.

Time get together with some friends and shake my groove thang with some friends.

Spackle’s coming up the mountain. The family is headed out for sushi and then some Aspen hiphop.

Shudder. Assuming you can get over the hurdle of that last sentence, know that it will be a good show. Hypocrisy aside, if you’re in the Rockies this Saturday, swing on by the BellyUp. Spackle and I will buy you a drink.

Till then,
//H

The Boy is Back
...AND the doctor just cleared me to skate again.

Working legs, the chance to contribute to the first D&D adventure --- I've got nothing to complain about.

Still want that book though. I'm a greedy chump.

//H

Typical
I complain a bunch, then get reminded that I was lucky enough to be a part of something like this:

Proto-cover for the new Temple of the Frog.

(I'll clean up the links later today, but for right now just go to dablackmoor.com for more information.)

“Keep your eye on that one. Anticipate.”
The ICC begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday. According to WW’s gracious and patient marketing director, Kelley Barnes-Herrmann, the winning* novel will be announced during the con.

It is a strange sensation knowing that a life's ambition might be fulfilled within 24 hours. I can still remember the closing night of every Ren Faire I’ve worked, and the bitter sweet recognition that I had just finished an important benchmark in Harley's life. (That bitterness was always offset by a shower and 15 year-old Harley’s anticipation/dread of the closing night party. I’ve really led a blessed life.)

But of novels and announcements.

What this means for me personally is that I’ll be on nails and needles through the end of the weekend. An announcement at the Con doesn’t mean that they’ll let the rest of us know right away, so we might be waiting until Monday or Tuesday of next week.

I wish I could say that I was a better person, and living up to the standards set by EC, with "fire and forget submissions." The reasoning goes that if I can’t do anything to influence the decisions made by Stewart Wieck and his people, so what’s the point of mooning over it? Sadly, if you know anything about me then you know that I’m far from evolved. Perhaps devolved even, the lizard brain driving me on with the single-minded obsession that can only be attributed to the feeding habits of reptiles and lower mammals.

So where does that leave us? In some ways, it’d be easier to not post until I have an answer. Certainly that would be more professional. But it other ways to do so would be concealing the gaping holes in Harley’s psyche. For me, for this forum, it’s important to acknowledge my “weaknesses” as an author. Maybe weaknesses isn’t the right word. Perhaps it is simply giving recognition to the entire author, and not simply reveling in the triumphant portions. So here goes.

-I want the novel. Badly.

-I’ll be heartbroken if it is rejected. It’s a good book. Not brilliant, but good, and with a solid rewrite I’d be proud to hand it over to a publisher.

-I wrote it in 4 months and spare weeks, while working a fulltime job with overtime, with the mere semblance an outline. Two 90k+ projects stacked atop one another meant bad news. Never again.

-I did get paid $1,100.00 for this little number, which is a lot more than my last novel. Or the one before that.

-Yea or nay, I’ll still be writing.

When the dust settles, if Harley’s novel is standing triumphant atop the slush pile, it will be because of the points listed above. And if Harley’s novel ends up one of the corpses, it will also be due to the points listed above.

24 hours. I’ll be in agony until we know, folks.

Thanks for reading.

//H


*That phrase grinds at me. “Winning novel.” A novel doesn’t do anything. It’s written and then – sometimes – read. Still, it is a contest and my 90k words are being weighed against similar collections of words stacked in slightly different orders. Anyhow.

Good Company
It gives me great joy to announce that Jeff LaSala, of recent DCC World fame, has been contracted to write a novel set in Eberron! Even better (if that were possible), his novel will be appearing in the Inquisitives series, alongside Marce Rockwell.

Marce's novel Legacy of Wolves is due out in June of 2007, and while Jeff's release date hasn't been announced yet, it is sure to be quick to follow, being a "series" and all.

Drop by and give them both a bit of Deathy love for me.

//H

DubSide, remix.
Made the cut. Check it out. Info here:


Words, sounds and pictures. It's like a Shi-town circus in there!

Locals, Ed and Jeff made it in as well. Should be an interesting read/listen/view.

Plus, the stickers rock. Need to get me some for the local skate park.

//H

DubSide

Back in the day I was a part of the TIN group. With ample doses of youthful arrogance, free time, and friends that worked at Kinkos, we put out a bunch of ‘zines. At the height of our powers we were read in every coffee shop in town.

Doesn't get much better than that.

Topics ranged from issues relative to northern Colorado, ninjas, aggressive dead fish, Day of the Dead traditions, ninjas, sushi, Ice-T, and ninjas. I’ve missed that sort of writing, so it was a treat when Josh Wentz invited me to submit to his upcoming monograph.

The monograph promises to be a multi-media extravaganza. If one of my stories gets in, I’ll be counting my blessings. I’m not terribly pleased about what I wrote ---- ran into October and had to scale back my schemes --- but it never pays to argue with an editor. For now it’s time to shut up and wait.

//H

DCC World: Don't Try This With Dialup

Áereth is now available in PDF, and at nearly half the cost of the boxed set. The size of the download is huge --- 380 MB, and everything that's in the boxed set is included in the download:

-Gazetteer of the Known Realms, a 120-page book describing the archetypal fantasy world of Áereth.

-Three 24"x36" poster-sized full-color maps of Áereth ready to host your adventures. In PDF form, these are provided as 8.5"x11" pages, 15 per map, that can be easily printed on a home printer.

-GM’s Guide to the Known Realms, a 136-page sourcebook describing deities, equipment, creatures, and NPCs, plus rules for starting campaigns with 0-level characters and adventure paths that you can build from existing DCC modules.

-A 24"x36" poster-sized players’ map of Áereth. As with the other maps, in PDF form this is provided as 8.5"x11" pages.

-Halls of the Minotaur, a 32-page adventure module for 0-level characters perfectly suited to starting off your campaign in Áereth.

-The Thief Lord’s Vault, a 32-page adventure module for levels 4-6 that sends the heroes into the legendary treasure vault of Cazül the Chaotic.

Whew. Anyhow, if you're interested, here's the link:

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=7814&SRC=FrontPage

//H

13 Days, but Who's Counting?

So part of the premise behind Choose Death* is that while tracking Harley's heady publishing triumphs** in the RPG industry, I also need to track my failures. In the first instance, this is in order to demonstrate to other youngbloods that this paid publishing thing can be done, but in the second instance, to serve as a reminder that even I don’t have a silver bullet. Persistence alone.

My latest attempt at selling a novel led me to the fine folks at White Wolf. As reported at GenCon by my fiercest advocate, the Saurus, White Wolf plans to announce the winner of their novel contest at the International Camarilla Conclave. Essentially a GenCon for the living dead, the convention is dedicated to the Live-Action World of Darkness. It runs from Oct 26th through the 29th, and at some point during the proceedings, they’ll announce the winning novelist.

Assuming that my book is rejected, this will be my most spectacular failure to date. There were some near misses with Wizards, but nothing quite this public. As a personal favor to me, I ask that you hold any condolences for when you see me in person. The book was finished over half a year ago, and I’d like to think that my writing has improved since then. A rejection of the novel isn’t a rejection of my writing, today, but of Harley’s writing 7 months ago.

And if you knew that guy like I did, you know that he was in need of some serious improvement.

It’s a mental shell game, something to preserve that fragile ego of mine, but there you go. And interestingly, win or lose, nothing really changes for me. I'm still contracted to finish 89k before January, I still don’t know what the next book is going to be about, and I still have to hustle if I hope to sell it.

Win or lose, I’m still nobody, but I’m still in the game. Both of those truths are comforting in their own way.

But, if by some editing mistake of the cosmos they select my book, I expect all of you to set fire to dumpsters and discharge firearms into the night sky.

Or maybe that’s just the Saurus.

As mentioned in the contest announcements, the “losing” novels have a chance at publication as well, so all is not lost if Harley gets the big bounce. Still, this late in the game, it’s not looking particularly likely that I’ll make the cut. Not out of the question, but let’s just say the situation looks…

Grim.

Heh. I’m okay with that.

Love from the Rockies,
//H



*I am such a dork.

**If you’re new here, I’m joking. Harley’s publishing credits are little better than dirt. Well, maybe not that fancy store bought kind. Can’t compete with all those nutrients and stuff.

Event Horizon

Let’s hear it for the weekend. Since skating is off limits for another 3 weeks or so, this mean 48 hours of opportunity to spend time with H and write, write, write. I’m knee deep into an 89k project and I’ve finally hit that spot where it feels good. Love it.

One of the cool things about this particular number is that it has me going beyond my usual design scope, and digging into the d20 Future products. If you know me then you know that I get excited about a lot of stuff, but that I don’t tend to do a lot of reading in the field. (A mistake, I know, I know, but there you have it.) I’m excited about reading these.

Prior to my work with Goodman Games, my most recent roleplaying experience was several years of R. Talsorian’s Cyberpunk, so writing about cybernetics and cyborgs is a real treat. If you’re interested in WoTC’s rendition of the genre, I encourage you to check it out.

In other news, Temple of the Frog…
…is headed towards the printer soon. No official release date yet, just “soon.” I was only called in to write the actual Temple and Frog Town, while the good Mr. Pocklington lead the rest of the project. This was a new experience for me --- good or bad, I can’t take full responsibility for this one.

I’m intrigued to see how it our take on the classic adventure is received. I’m sure some folks will dislike it, but I’m okay with that. Temple was played at GenCon, and the few folks that have reported in claim they enjoyed it. We’ll see. It’s always dangerous to take on a classic.

Anyhow. Be safe. Have a great weekend.

Love from the Rockies,
//H

Edit: Founds rumors of a December release. Still no official release date, but it would be great to have Temple in hand before the end of the year.

Hey Ma, look what we did.

Not quite an ad, not quite a review. Without seeing the original I'm not sure what this. An "industry news" column, maybe?

Anyhow, we're in Dragon Magazine #349. For a non-WotC product, that's pretty cool. The writer they quote sounds pretty stupid, but he'll know better next time. ;)

Thanks to A for the heads up on the article and the scan.

//H

One
Thirty miles up from where I’m sitting is Independence Pass. Rising over 12,000 ft., it is the highest paved pass in Colorado. Due to snow and really nasty road conditions, the pass is usually closed from mid-October to late May. It was already closed once this year, and just briefly reopened.

Yesterday, a mom and 3 children from H’s third-grade class went hiking on the pass. When they didn’t return we called Mountain Search and Rescue, but by that time it had started to snow. They called off the search at two in the morning after walking the entire trail and finding no traces of our lost kids. H and I spent the night sitting up, calling families in the class, and preparing everyone for the worst.

Search and Rescue resumed the search this morning, but the snow was still coming down. Down valley, it was alternating rain and sleet, and the idea of somehow surviving a night, above alpine, in the snow, didn’t seem possible.

About an hour ago, they found mom. She and the children had spent the night huddled beneath a tarp. She left at dawn, found a search team and led them back to the children. We got the call from the sheriff just in time for H to announce it at the all-school assembly.

A lot of scary things happen every day. Terrible things, with no logic or reason to them, and it can make a person feel adrift in an uncaring universe. But I’m willing to bet that for every horrible tragedy that passes, there is a wonder, too.

And often the good things are are just as arbitrary as their wicked cousins. Reason and logic will tell you that a child of sixty pounds --- dressed for a day hike --- cannot stay out all night, above alpine, in the snow, but I know three perfect ones that did.

As a culture, we don’t tally wonders like we do the disasters, but that doesn’t make them any less real to the people that need them. Today, we needed this one.

So here’s October's running tally, as witnessed by H. Stroh:

One.

”Titanium plates that escape metal detection…”

After 13 years of falling down on concrete, it finally happened: my first broken bone*.

Drove an hour to a new skate park last Sunday, and fell down the wrong way. Drove back an hour. Got to the hospital and discovered I had finally done myself up right. Broken fibula, which, to the best of my knowledge, is the little bone behind the big bone. Seems a fairly kind bone to break. Not like, say a femur or your skull.

We could have left it alone, but the doctor suggested getting a plate and some screws. And if there is anything I’ve learned from years of playing R. Talsorian’s Cyberpunk, it’s is that if you can elect to take surgery that involves metal, take it.

We expect a fully recovery in a few weeks. Sad thing is, all my nurses assume that this will be the end of the skateboarding, as if to say that the old geezer has finally learned his lesson. Whereas my operating assumption was that this will make my ankle stronger.

Should have had the other ankle done at the same time, and taken out my appendix, too.

Anyhow, this is where I’ve been, and why the lack of updates. Hope to pick back up the pace again in the next couple weeks.

Love from the Rockies,
//H

*There may have been others, but if they didn’t merit hospital time, they just don’t count.

Just when you thought you had enough dice in your bag ... Harley abuses his powers for evil.
Way, way back in the lost history of RPGs, a man named Louis Zocchi created the Zocchihedron, better know as the 100 sided die. I had the honor of meeting Lou at GenCon, where he gave me a bag of his dice --- though none that I could recognize. He's made d3, d5, d7, d16, d24, and 100, all statistically accurate. (Haven't tested that claim out myself. Buyers beware.)

Lou is something of a legend amongst the older designers. He shows up to all the conventions, but hasn't moved on to the web yet. To buy dice from Lou, you have to find Lou.

Sure, you're thinking, I'd love to help out a guy that was around when the first D&D booklets were being hand assembled in a basement in Lake Geneva. But what's the point? Some games call for a number in the 1-3 range, but I don't know of any that call for 1-5 or 1-7. ("What day of the week is it? "Roll 1d7!")

But wait. You and I write games.

Muhahahaha.

Expect an adventure soon calling for a 1d7.

//H

DCC World Preview

A hefty 17-page preview of Áereth is up for your viewing pleasure. Jeff L. was responsible for the world creation chapter, pulling together half a dozen back stories into a single, unified whole.

I think he did a great job. I hope you agree.

You can down load the preview here:
http://www.goodman-games.com/downloads/DCC35-Preview-1.pdf

Parkinson Art

The store at keithparkinson.com is finally up. I encourage fans to stop by and support the memory of a very talented artist. It seems a shame that this could only happen after his death, but you know that any money going to his family is money well spent.

Is it dead?
Oof. Things got busy around here. Just put to death an editing nightmare. You know the horror film where the zombie keeps coming back? Same thing. Finally had to reach for the chainsaw. I love my writers but I've become utterly inured to the complaints of authors regarding changes made to work-for-hire projects.

Any sane editor only wants your project to be its best. Any changes made are made for this reason only. If you, as a writer, aren’t comfortable with that, I understand, but it’s your responsibility as a writer to not sign a work-for-hire contract.

Anyhow, a rant for another day. Fortunately most manuscripts don’t require this sort of treatment. But those that do, do.

Doodoo?

Yup.

Love from the Rockies,
//H

Big Deathy Shout Out to Belly Up, Aspen
Or, "I thought I'd already used up my 15 minutes."
So Jurassic 5 is coming to town. Once upon a time they were underground, but then the rest of us heard them and fell in love. Tickets for the show sold out over night.

But, working at a private school near Aspen, we know people that know people. I sent out an email and was CC'd on an email that contained, I'm not kidding, the words "Kimberly, take care of Mr. Stroh."

I'll probably NEVER see that phrase in use again, but judging by how happy H was to hear the news (she was both hipping and hopping) once in a lifetime is all a man can ask for.

Anyhow, if you're in Aspen this weekend, and spending time the five elements of hip-hop, I'll be in the crowd somewhere. Find me and I'll buy you a mohito to mark the silliness of this thing called life.

//H

I can die a happy man.
A while ago I wrote a story about Col, the Clockwork Inquisitor, for Dave Arneson's Blackmoor. Nothing terribly brilliant, just the usual sword and sorcery affair. Given the chance to write the story again, I'd make some changes, but what author doesn't feel that way?

Today, on a forum board, I read someone quoting "my" character, but it was dialogue that I didn't write.

Col lives on in the mind of someone else. That's pretty darn fun.

And in other news...
Too busy to blog, but I'll try to get something up next week. Hope you all are happy and healthy.

Random Note
The Blogger spell check program doesn't recognize the word "blog." That's just silly.

//H

"Calling out to all area crew..."
For a long time I've been trying to puzzle out a way to edge our games into something that works for the greater good. "Wargamers for Peace" or something stupid like that.

Needless to say, I haven't had my lightbulb moment yet, but if you're looking for a place to make a difference in a life, it has arrived via Paul Kemp, WoTC author. I won't say more here, because it's false for me to pretend to be familiar with Paul Kemp or his friends, so if you're interested check out the blog, pronto.

Here. We'll link it to make it easy.

http://paulskemp.livejournal.com/73456.html

//H

Duck, Duck, Deadline!
I finished my portion of Temple of the Frog with nary a week to spare before it was run at GenCon. Following meetings at Indy, I signed up for an 89k monster due at the end of October, 2006.

I asked for an extension, but there was no wiggle room. Halloween or bust.

Possible? Yes. But probably not my best material.

But there were complications. New monsters needed to be vetted, new rules required testing, ideas needed time to gestate.

The cool part was that I fell in love with the project, and made it home for my best work to date. Creepy, unexpected, cool – with +89k worth of space, I could pull some funky moves.

But still, that deadline thing.

Deadline versus Love. If you know Harley, you know which I sided with. Up until today I was making my word count schedule, but it was all going into the wrong places. I was +20k into the work, but love or no love, things were going to have to change.

Then I got the email with those golden words: "We’ve decided to push back the release date to XXXX. Your deadline is now January 2."

Praise be. Out of nowhere, for no good reason, salvation.

A while ago, Jeff and I were talking about writing, and, I, being the usual ass, was complaining. When we spoke I was booked solid with writing projects. But the more work I had, the tighter the deadlines, and the worse the quality of my writing. I remember telling Jeff that Iron Crypt was the last time I had really been able to give an adventure the attention it deserved. That was over a year and a half ago.

(Which isn’t to say everything I’ve written since has been trash. Most folks seem to like the work, but it's never all it could have been.)

Flash back to the present. I have 89k all to myself, the time to do it right, and my legs are sore from skating. I’m the luckiest guy in town.

Hope you all are doing well. It’s a bright, beautiful world out there. What’s the line in the song? “I thank the Lord / for the people I have found.”

And that means you. Thank you.


//H

P.S. Hey, Inversion – coming down the mountain soon. Hope to see you around.

Iron Crypt 1e
The print copies of the Iron Crypt, 1st edition sold out in 2 hours, leaving a lot of dissapointed folks. Goodman games will be taking orders for the reprint, up to Sept 15. If you want one, grab it now, because they sure won't be around afterwards.

Heh. I put my order in for 2 copies this morning. :)

//H

test

Death by Con: Part III
Or “Guess I Really Don’t Know How to Party”
One of the things I learned this year is that nearly everyone in the industry knows everyone else. I had breakfast sitting behind Mike Mearls. Dave Arneson was hanging around and signed some of my brother’s Blackmoor books (which Saurus promptly gave to me). I got to shake Mike “I created the cyberpunk genre” Pondsmith’s hand and thank him for everything he has given us. People know people.

I am not one of these people. Joseph Goodman is. Walking 3 blocks in the evening took us over 45 minutes, because every 4th person was an industry insider that needed to talk to Joseph. Amazing.

One of these groups included the boys from Necromancer games, which has something to do with White Wolf that has to do with lawyers, guns and money, but which nobody seems to talk about. Joseph, being the stellar guy he is, introduced me, and the boys from Necromancer gave us the blood-red tickets – invites to the White Wolf party.

Joseph (industry insider remember?) didn’t care to attend this year. But to me, his little sidekick, this scrap of red paper was my ticket to that hallowed place all would-be novelists yearn to be. Inside.

Like little Charlie en route to the chocolate factory, I carefully folded my ticket and placed it in my skull billfold. Joseph and I met for an hour or so, working out the release schedule for the next 25 DCCs, and then met with 2 writers finalize plans on the big Goodman Games releases planned for next year’s Con. We wrapped up after midnight, the blood-red ticket burning a hole in my pocket.

I hit the street at 1:AM. The party was being thrown at Club Industry, open bar, and the generous hosts had even arranged for a shuttle. Trouble was, the 2 “cross” streets listed on the directions didn’t actually intersect.

Harley needed a cab. Pronto.

I hoofed to the nearest ATM and leapfrogged from ATM to ATM until I found one that worked. Took out cash and was back on the street. Hailed a cabbie and we were off to Club Industry.

Indy is an interesting city in that the downtown is beautiful, but just outside the downtown are the ruins (equally beautiful) of massive factories and refineries. You drive past them, see them surrounded by rubble, and are amazed that they are standing. This is the foundation of Indy, upon which the rest of the city is built: industry, concrete, rusting metal and broken glass.

The perfect venue for a White Wolf party.

I hopped out of the cab, and over tipped the good man. After all, I was drinking on WW tonight. No need to be stingy.

Hammering down an alley flanked by razor wire, came the minor chord wails of "This Corrosion" by the Sisters of Mercy, the same song that was on repeat for the 3 months I was writing the Vampire novel:

”I got nothing to say I ain't said before –
I bled all I can, I won't bleed no more.”

Papa was coming home.

I followed the music to the end of the alley and through a pair of utterly nondescript doors. Inside the bouncers took my ticket and waved me through into darkness.

Sad to say, I never found my editor that night, but I did muster the courage to join my fellow misfits on the dance floor. Back in Fort Collins we had a group of friends that prided themselves in their ability to dance. I’m not much a dancer myself, but with Andrew Eldritch screaming classic goth tunes in your ear, it is hard to go wrong. We danced until 3 in the morning when the club kicked us out.

Savoring the moment, I took one last look and a drink on WW’s tab, and walked back into the alley …

… and directly into the most vicious game of alley dodge ball ever caught on pixels:



The punks from Shadowrun were lined up against a ragtag band of Others. If there was anything I learned from going to college with reformed streetpunks, is that you don’t mess with these people. Lean and hungry, these are the kids that were kicked around their entire lives. They (we) take this whole tribalism thing seriously.

Real seriously.

Men with dyed dreads and facial piercings were working the English on the balls while women were shedding their skirts in order to dodge more effectively. Clothes were coming off, balls were screaming across the alley, and every five minutes the judges had to pull one baller off another. I rooted for the ragtag team, if only because they were getting slaughtered in the alley, but to no avail. The Shadowrun designers led a massacre.

It was now 4 in the morning. One look at that crowd and I knew it would go all night long. I hoofed it back to the hotel, unrolled my sleeping bag and set my alarm for 6:45 AM, just in time to shower and meet with another editor to discuss arrangements for a novel. I picked up a voided ticket on the way for you guys.

This is the other face of GenCon, the distinctly not-for-kids version. When I got home I emailed Stewart thanking him for the good time, and he replied, inviting me to the next WW party.

Rock and roll.

So if you see me on Sunday, next GenCon, and I have a black eye, a twisted ankle and a stupid, zombiefied grin, now you’ll know why.

A huge thanks is due to White Wolf for throwing the party, and a big, Deathy thanks to Rob Boyle, Shadowrun Developer of FanPro, for passing along his photos. Stop by and buy one their award winning releases.

They're good people, but – for the love of god – don’t challenge them to dodge ball.

Death by Con: Part II
Everyone that goes to GenCon has a different experience. The event is so rich and varied that there were dozens of rooms and events that I never saw in any of the 4 days I attended.

Having declared my ignorance, I am now going to tell which of these thousands of events was the coolest.

On Saturday I was running my “Halls of the Minotaur” in one of the RPG rooms. A single room packed with 9 or more tables, each with 6 (or in my case, 9) gamers. An intense experience by any standard.

Just behind my table was a game being run by a woman in her mid-thirties. She had a kind, mature way about her, and seemed to radiate a calm joy.

At her table were 4 children, fully enraptured by her game. Of the +50 gamers in the room, these kids were the ones living fully into their imaginations. Some wore costumes, some didn't. They were all having the time of their lives.

This, ultimately, is the magic of role-playing games, and the best that our industry has to offer. Nothing else we do will ever come close.

Death by Con: Part I
Before leaving Denver I made up a list of goals for GenCon. What is the quote about war? Something like the best laid plans evaporate after first contact with the enemy?

In 96 hours, I had planned to:


Meet Kam and Erik.
Done! These two are amazing human beings, as anyone who has spent time with them will tell you. Both are kind, generous, socially adept, and pretty much defy all the negative stereotypes associated with gamers. It was a privilege to spend time in their company.

Meet with the Fans.
Unlike last year, when only Jaliegh, Marissa and Jeff showed up, this years signings were insane. Products were literally being offered from all sides, with requests for signings. Thank you to everyone that took the time to stop by the booth, and if you have any questions or concerns that didn't get answered, feel free to drop me a line.

These games are NOTHING without the gamers. More publishers need to realize this.

Hang out with Saurus, Noise, Wentz, Ed, Jeff, Lara, Marisa, Rob, Technobi2k, TacoJon, the 5 Wits, the Young Dragons … and not feel like I’ve slighted anyone.
Almost done. The convention was a tab bit busier than I had planned. The Saturday and Sunday offered a total of 5 hours sleep, and that was just due to meetings. Sorta.

I still feel pangs of guilt for not getting to spend more time with these wonderful people, but it wasn’t half as bad as last year. I don’t mean to be a jerk, I’m just crap for scheduling. The worst part is that Jeff started warning me about this months ago, so I have no excuse.

Run 4 four-hour sessions of Halls of the Minotaur.
Success! Lost my voice by the end of day 3, but at least the players had a lot of fun. A special, Deathy shout out to the NINE player group that stormed my last game. You guys rock. Hope to see you next year, especially the dwarf suicide squad. (“We check for traps!” “How?” “By marching forward into glorious martyrdom!”)

Also, my apologies to anyone who was subjected to my enactment of “The giant spider drops on you from behind!” Some scenes are just too visceral to not have a physical component.

Dance my booty off at the ENnies.
Failure! Goodman Games ducked out through the kitchen after we lost the award, and celebrated, Irish wake style, down the street. When we won a judge’s choice award later that night, no one was there to accept. There’s a lesson there, but we’ll see if it sticks.

Make it to the Gamers: Dorkness Rising showing, as part of the Goodman Games crew.
The first night of the showing was rained out, even though the event was indoors. Something about a pool and water running down the escalator. The second night Goodman Games got red carpet seating up front. The movie was well received, and our adventures were nicely featured. Good times. This was the beginnings of Harley’s 4 Days as a Rockstar, and root of my ultimate demise.

Crash one of TacoJon’s games. (He’s running the Iron Crypt, 1st edition.)
Taco is a brilliant and vicious GM. Be very afraid. Goodman Games produced a special, 1st Edition release of the IC for GenCon, and it sold out before noon the first day. I wasn’t even close to getting a copy of my module. Amazing. Expect to see copies showing up on Ebay soon.

Crash one of Noise’s games (He’s running Jeff’s new module.)
Noise joined me in the Iron GM challenge. Alex is a machine.

If you’ve never tried running 4 sessions over 4 days with total strangers, I applaud your wisdom.

Confirm my rejection from White Wolf.
Failure! I was too scared to approach the booth, so my little brother did the dirty work. The annoucement has been delayed. Expect one timed with Halloween.

Meet with a publisher to discuss possibilities for my first novel.
NDA!

That report about covers the skeleton that was GenCon. Expect the meat shortly.

Make that Six!
If you are playing "Temple of the Frog" at GenCon (yes ... THAT Temple of the Frog) you will be playing an adventure developed by Richard Pocklington and written by Harley Stroh. There is a lot more to the adventure, much of which was written by Richard, but the bits you'll be getting at the con are some of my contributions.

And maybe you'll even get to play on a giant Harley-drawn map. Fear.

Temple of the Frog originally appeared in this badboy, the SECOND D&D supplement released by TSR:

Having the opportunity to contribute to this project was a lot like being asked to re-carve the Holy Grail, and on a deadline. We got 'er done, but only thanks to Jeff "Ask And It Shall Be So" LaSala, Richard's fantastic ground work, and Christopher Reed's patience and willingness to answer any question at any time ("Lasers! Yes or no?!").

Anyhow, the GenCon games are just the tip of the Temple. I'll do the giddy dance about this some more when the rest is made public.


Iron Crypt: First Edition
Also, no image to point you to yet, but Goodman Games is releasing a limited run of a First Edition Iron Crypt of the Heretics. As in, pull out the old Player's Handbook and roll up a character, first edition. Half-orc assassin/clerics and everything. Crazy. I've heard rumors of only 500 copies being printed, but those are just rumors.

The man responsible for the conversion was Jon Hershberger, aka TacoJon, who also did an amazing job of editing the new rooms. He was also the man driving the entire project, having done a conversion for play in Gorilla Con.

//H

...GenCon Blackmoor releases...

Blackmoor CS Softcover

The entire "Son of Flame, Son of Hak" serial is included in this reprint. (Previously, only the first one or two episodes had seen the light of day).

This is one of those stories that wasn’t a favorite of mine, but that everyone else likes. If you haven’t picked up the Blackmoor sourcebook yet (or just want to get the cool fold out map) and end up getting this, let me know what you think.

Player's Guide to Blackmoor

I contributed some pseudo-fluff organization material for the Player’s Guide. Fun to write, especially since the whole is far greater than the parts. The group I wrote about was in direction opposition to the Wizards’ Cabal (the other organization I’ve contributed to), so somewhere in Blackmoor there are two of Harley’s “Wouldn’t this would be cool?” idea sets, warring it out with one another.

Fun. As a note to fellow writers, the speedy turn around on the Player’s Guide gig got me another 39k worth of Blackmoor work which I turned in last week, and another 89k project which I’ve just begun work on. That’s enough work to see me through to Christmas, though I’ll probably need to turn it in sooner.

If Blackmoor is your thing, the good people of Zeitgeist Games are working very hard to make you very happy.

====

Edit:

There are 5 "Stroh-related" d20 releases coming out at GenCon. "Palace in the Wastes," a crazy, unreleased/unannounced version of Project X, the 2 Blackmoor books above, and DCC World (which is really another 3 works, but what the heck).

I’m at a loss to convey how fortunate and grateful I am. This was never part of the plan. The real Harley Stroh was supposed to die of a car accident years ago. This life I’m living has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the world.

Does that make sense? I’m giving myself leave to babble, so it might not.

There is no virtue, talent or skill that separates me from anyone else. No magical formulae, and I’m certainly not some brilliant writer/game designer. I look around and see people far more accomplished and brilliant than I will ever be, and I just hope they hang in that last day to when their ideas go to print. I have two friends that are living examples of this, though the announcements haven't been made yet.

Still, I’m still not sure what to make of all this.

When it is all said and done, I’ll tell you the most ridiculous story about Harley and d20 … but not until then.

And it needs to be stated, I'm still nowhere close to making a living at this. :)

//H

The Little Proposal that Could
Plans for the con have reached critical mass. Signings to attend, games to run, and – I'm embarrassed to admit – an awards ceremony. I’m even in negotiation with a pair of ninja bodyguards, which won't seem so odd if you’ve ever been to GenCon.

All this plus Saurus, Wentz and Technobi2k in the same city? Watch out Indy.

No word from White Wolf yet, which I am assuming to be a bounce. They had planned on announcing the winner at the con, which means legal (contracts issued, signed and returned) would have to be taken care of first. So with only a week to go, my powers of deduction tell me that I’m not the big kahoona. There's still a chance of being a little kahoona, but no knowing how long it might take to arrive at that decision. As a wise woman once told me, you have to write and move on.

BUT before you whip out the whetstone and start sharpening your poisoned shuriken, here’s a story to allay your vengeful wrath:

A year ago Publisher X asked for a novel proposal. I cranked one out, only to watch it vanish into the ether.

Or so I thought. Turns out it has been floating from hand to hand between editors. A week ago one emailed me saying he liked the proposal and was interested in more, even though the original proposal had nothing to do with his line.

We’re meeting at – you guessed it – GenCon.

This is clearly NOT even close to a done deal, but it is flickering candle of optimism for all of us would-be novelists. Prior to this I always assumed the rejected proposals ended up in the trash, but it turns out that some stick it out, struggling to work magic with whatever life we’ve given them.

A year out in the world, shuffling from desk to desk, advocating for the cause. That’s a hard working little proposal. If we work out a deal at the con, I’m raising a glass to the trooper.

//H


====

Also, Young Dragon J.L. Collins has a new site up. You can find it here:

http://www.jl-collins.com/

Every night ...
...feels like a surrender.

I’m entirely sleep-dependent. When I get a good 7 hours I feel like a rockstar, and when I don’t I’m crabby and slamming coffee all day. (Well, actually I drink a lot of coffee regardless. And crabby is relative. Ask any of my very patient relations.)

Still, it’s frustrating to have to sleep. How much did I get done today? What did I fail to get done? How much more could I have accomplished?

When midnight rolls around I feel like I’m just coming up to speed. Electing to sleep is like losing a fight. Maybe that’s what Peter meant when he said, “Straight on 'till morning.”

Live From New York...
I had the great privilege of spending the evening with author/director team Jeff and Marisa LaSala. Wonderful people, who are both talented and kind. The LaSala family will be in attendance at GenCon, so this was a chance for us to catch up on the past year, talk trash about the competition, and otherwise enjoy the company of our peers, which can be tough when you are a writer.

Jeff also offered to scan my latest batch of maps, which is perfect timing given that the deadline is Monday and me with no scanner. They even sat around the kitchen table at midnight and tolerated Harley going on about how cool the waterfall/steam encounter was. That’s patience for you.

Even though we haven’t seen each other in a year, it felt like no time had passed. Quality people and I look forward to enjoying their company again in a few short weeks.

And even more fun, it IS Saturday night. Or was.

Ask A Ninja
"If you kill all the wolves you're going to have a crap load of bunnies. And by bunnies, I mean stupid people."


I've seen that six times and it still reduces me to giggles. Yes, giggles.

One A.M. and I am off to write! Hope you all are well. Ed, finish that book yet? We were thinking about you tonight.

Brains!

Write a campaign setting and then not find the time to talk about it? This can only be a sign of the dreaded Zombie Harley, a stumbling, drooling, deadline driven beast that gets up way too early and goes to bed WAY too late.

The boxed set has been announced. It was written, edited and drawn by a kick butt team of pirate ninjas. Two books, 2 modules, 4 maps. Check it out at your own risk – the palpable coolness is addictive and has absolutely nothing to do with me. Which is to say, the sum is far greater than the parts.

ENnies!
The voting booth is open now for a limited time. Drop in and vote for the products you like, but don’t forget that I’ll be recording IPs and expecting you to show for the NoPro Road Show Dance Party.

Brains. I could use some.

Brief note for 1 in the morning.
Gamers can be a vocal bunch when they get around to criticizing products. I’ve always tried to stay above the fray. If someone likes an adventure I’ve written, great; if not, no sweat.

The flip side of this is that every now and then a good review comes in. And very occasionally, over-the-top discussion threads begin praising the virtues of a certain work.

As tempting as it may be to indulge, these can be just as dangerous as the bad reviews.

Pride before the fall. Never believe your own ad copy. Keep your head down and keep writing as if you've never been published.

Good pole stars to chart by.

Insert “Award Category Text Area” Here

MNTS was right. Grimbones, a.k.a. Harley Stroh, is on a training mission in the wilds of New York perfecting his ninjitsu skills and learning how to write budgets that balance (the other kind are really easy). I’m getting caught up on 2 weeks of back email and trying to beat a July deadline, so forgive me if I don’t post as often as I should.

And as MNTS noted, I really should be celebrating the announcement of DCC World. But to do that justice will take more time than I have tonight, so I have to settle for just one topic:

I made the cut for the GenCon ENnie awards.

A little weird, a little fun, and a little boggling. I don’t know quite what to make of it yet. Maybe it will be the universe's consolation prize for not getting the Vampire novel.

Anyhow. ENnies:

Every year a panel of judges pick their favorite RPG products from the submissions sent in by every game publisher on the planet. This year the panel included Richard J. Miller, Chris Gath, Joe G. Kushner, Jeff Ranger and David Temporado. Good people all around.

Iron Crypt of the Heretics, a Dungeon Crawl Classic, made it into the category of “Best d20 Adventure." The winners are determined by votes cast by the internet savvy public. I don’t have a rat’s chance of winning, but even making the cut is an honor.

Even more fun than the thought of winning/losing is the awards ceremony. Hosted from 8 to midnight, Friday night of the GenCon weekend, it’s the chance for gamers to dress up in semi-formal wear and shake their groove thangs. Any venue that needs to advertise “cash bar” has got to be trouble.

And you’re all invited as my entourage.

That way, even when I lose I’ll know I’ve got the best dancers in the house. Between BWS, the 5 Wits, Jaleigh and Technobi, that category is on lockdown. We’re a freakin' marauding crew of dance pirates.

I love my life.

Anyhow. I’ve got a deadline to meet, so I have to cut this post short. Voting begins on July 17. I’ll let you know when the ballots are up.

Lake Geneva West
This weekend I was down in Boulder, Colorado, falling down on concrete and regaling old friends with stories of new projects, and the triumphs/disasters associated with them. We were sitting at the Trident, a coffee shop down on the Pearl Street Mall, when it hit me.

I’m in Boulder. Do you know anyone else in Boulder that contributes to the RPG industry?

How about Keith Baker, author and designer of that little campaign setting called Eberron?

Suddenly I started looking around the shop, trying to spy anyone that might be working on a novel. This is Boulder, so that included nearly everyone in the shop. I narrowed my search down to folks with blue-lined graph paper, but still no dice*.

The coast clear, I continued my conversation, but at a lower decibel.

I'm still on the look out for Keith. I'll let you know if there is a sighting.

*I’m not half as funny as I think I am. But you know that.

//H

Sunday in the Valley.
Last night I was invited to see Yo-Yo Ma perform in Aspen. It was an amazing event. You couldn’t watch and not know that there was a master playing on stage. Excellence and mastery transcend all arts. I think I learned about writing by watching him play a cello.

Afterwards, I went to the skatepark and kicked around until the sun went down. Knowing that my life is a juncture between these disparate worlds makes me smile.

Good times. I'm a fortunate, fortunate person.

//H

We can only pray he uses his powers for good.
So the rumors are true. Through some sort of cosmic mistake I’ve been made line editor/developer for Goodman Games’ Dungeon Crawl Classics. What this means is that I’m the guy that commissions manuscripts, helps the writer flesh out an idea, commissions interior and cover art, and generally shepherds the module from conception to point where we hand it off to an editor.

It’s both exciting and terrifying, but the business cards are pretty sweet. ;)

The offer came at the perfect time. I was just looking around and thinking, “Wow, all my modules are starting to look a lot alike,” and ta-da: an excuse not to write modules* for a bit.

And the best part? There are some amazing writers out there that are coming out with amazing adventures. True story. But more about that next post.


*For Goodman Games. Whoops. Here come the NDA lawyers.

That Elf has a Blaster!

I love my night job.

Thank goodness for you guys, because no one else believes I get paid for this.

A Drifter walks into town …
We are living in a very, very strange time in the history of RPGs; ten years from now will we even remember d20? Heck if I know, but it is has created a boom-town like rush for those of us willing to weather tight deadlines and such.

The realist in me can’t help but look towards the inevitable bust. And it might just be this August if Wizards decides to release a non-open license fourth edition at GenCon. Those of us who moonlight as RPG writers need to branch out before it hits.

But between now and then I’m straddling the rush.

Heh. How many other gamblers, miners and saloon owners have said that before me? I’m just the latest in a long line of fools.

Still, it’s fun while it lasts, and you should see the dancing girls.

Kam II
No official word yet, but rumor on the street holds that Kam is the proud father of healthy girl.

Our thoughts to you, and you family. Hope all is well.

Creative Writing 101: “All I know is that I don’t know nothing.”
So way back in ’87 there was a punk band that called themselves Operation Ivy. The band started in 1987 and ended in 1989, after playing over 180 shows, but that didn’t stop them from becoming one of the seminal influences on later punk and ska-punk.

Scroll forward to 1992. Harley, naïve farm boy, goes to college, finds new friends and new music. A kid down the hall lends us the first Op Ivy album (produced after their breakup). We listen to it for weeks straight. The music is fast, upbeat and aggressive, with lyrics that call for social responsibility (when you can discern them).

Powerful stuff for an impressionable young male. When called in for a conference with the director of the Creative Writing program, I was asked, “What do you want to accomplish with your writing?”

My answer went something like this:

“I want my stories to pick up the reader and throw them across the room.”

I was laughed out of the office, and for good reasons. The power of music and writing are radically different. Still, traces of those original aspirations remain.

Fast forward again, to 2006. Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, previously of Op Ivy, are now part of Rancid and Lars Fredrickson and the Bastards. Now I’d never ask anyone to listen to either group --- it’s an acquired taste to be sure --- but here is some footage of Rancid doing an acoustic cover of an Op Ivy song. It’s suitable for adult ears, and captures the emotion of the genre.

http://epitaph.com/videos/player/791

That Op Ivy can still has relevance is inspiring. Maybe my old writing goals can still be relevant, as well.


======

Edit ... when my little brother got to college, he wrote Op Ivy, neither of us realizing that the band had been non-existent for 4+ years. He received a hand-written reply from the folks at Epitaph thanking him for his letter and encouraging him to check out Rancid.

We did, and things were never the same.

Fear the Ferg!

Mike Ferguson, the man who brought you the Emerald Cobra, has a new module coming out! No word on the release date, but September/October is a good bet. Meanwhile, check out Mike's musings on his blog. He has good insights on game design and is happy to share.

That, and the dog beat me to the title. Horned Lords are just so darn cool. *shakes fist in mock fury*

Torgo Lives!
When designing Legacy of the Savage Kings I wrote in a scrappy little kobold named Torgo the Eye-Gouger. Torgo is the leader of a much-maligned group of kobold miners. He doesn’t care to be the leader, but it is the best way to ensure that the other monstrous denizens of the Forge beat up on him as little as possible.

Torgo might have fallen by the wayside were it not for the classic, old school illustration by Doug Kovacs, that captures the best of the AD&D style:



Thanks to the power of that illustration, Torgo has a new lease on life and will be appearing on gaming tables near you come late 2006.

He will no doubt fall to an endless rain of magic missles, the holy blades of crusading paladins, poisoned daggers striking from the shadows, and any other of the endless attacks PCs will turn against him. A dark future, to be sure, but one he never could have hoped for. And a dozen years from now you will be able to find him at the bottom of bins at garage sales, his paint chipping, dirks bent, but just as scrappy as ever.

Torgo’s a survivor. Good luck and God speed.

You smell the scent of cinnamon vodka...
My first year in college I snuck into an upper level creative writing class. Don’t know why they let me stay, but it was pivotal moment in my life. Not because of anything I may have written (it was nearly all drek) but because of the people I met. One I fell in love with, and the other … I fell in love with.

Anyhow, obtuse personal references aside (hey, this is a blog after all), one of the aforementioned folks was Cathedral. Nearly six and half feet tall, with spiked black hair, and hundreds of bracelets running up either arm. The first day I saw him he was wearing a white t-shirt, torn blue jeans and purple tights. That perfect punk mix of effeminacy and the ability to kick the crap out anything that came at him wrong.

And of course, charismatic as all hell.

For some reason, Cath befriended this painfully shy kid who was fresh (literally) off the farm. I had never been to a real city, let alone seen a punk. But for the next few years Cath watched out for me, introduced me to mudding, and ran all the cyberpunk games for our cadre of social misfits.

He even introduced me to the old Vampire: The Masquerade, although we all wanted to play vampire hunters.

Anyhow, if you page back a few dozen months in this blog you’ll see that Cath was the origin of “Choose Death.” And he just dropped by his namesake.

So a big, Deathy shout out is due to Cathedral, a better writer and father than I’ll ever be. If you do a Google search for solo, fiction, tea bowl and cathedralyou might find some old stories kicking around, but only if it is after midnight and raining.

Fear the LaSalsa!

Jeff's LaSala's devious dungeon designs will first appear in the module anthology, The Adventure Begins, but his first solo module will follow in July! Goodman Game's promo modules sell out especially fast, so get a copy early if you want to have it signed by Jeff at GenCon.

A big Deathy Shout for Jeff, and my condolences to your PCs.

Back in the saddle again.
I don't know how other authors deal with post-project depression. Putting away the reference books, knowing that nothing more will be added or corrected, can be a little rough.

But, as Mr. Reznor taught us, there's nothing quite like the feel of something new. Especially if it has a rapidly closing deadline. Heard just today:

"Can you give me 4 thousand words by Friday?"

Hell, I've been doing 1k ever night since late February. ;)

To my fellow little or no-names: if you can get a boot in the door, you can make this happen. Look at Ed and Marce. Both of are on their way to their first novels. And Jaleigh, Eric and Kam are all well on their way to their second and third novels.

Not 5 years ago (erm...how long ago was Maiden?) they were sitting where you and I are right now. Lonely, depressed, selling their plasma for typewriter ribbon and coffee.

Today they're kicking back their heels, smoking fat cigars, while ghostwriters frantically scratch out the next in the series.

Well, maybe not quite. But they have all taken steps towards realizing their dreams, and made it easier for us to do the same. At this particular moment in time there are more books being published than ever before in the history of the planet.

Go out and make one of them yours. Tell 'em, Grimbones sent you.

Exhale
When I was in graduate school chasing down a degree in Custodial Science, one of my mentors said something along the lines of, “if you choose to be a writer, it will cost you your friends and family.”

A little grim, all things considered. Of course I blew it off.

Thankfully, that didn’t happen this time around. My friends and family (i.e. all of YOU) were amazingly supportive over the last few months. More than any novel sales, good friends are a true measure of a successful life.

I’m a testament to the inequality of the world; for no good reason, for no inherent qualities of my own, life has been nothing but great to me. And watch, here I'm going to complain about my golden-soled life. Sad. Maybe this time next decade I'll be a little wiser.

4 Things Not to Schedule When Writing a Novel:

-Do NOT schedule a 200k word project due two months into the 5 months allotted for writing your book. (Would do it again.)

-Do NOT watch your wife/therapist/partner in crime leave for the East Coast, the weekend before your novel is due. (She's back. Whew.)

-Do NOT buy a house the weekend before you novel is due. (How often can you write "her attorney in fact" in twenty minutes?)

-Do NOT attempt to move into a new home the weekend before your novel is due. (Um...not quite done. Is it June yet? Not in Japan!)

But of course, there has to be a catch. If I was offered the chance to write a novel again, and with all the same conflicts of time and imagination, I’d do it in minute.

Well, actually I’d talk it over (more) with Heather first. Thank goodness we don’t have children.

And so … for all the friends and family that I fell out of contact with (especially these last 3 months), apologies for my absence, and thanks for your patience. Special thanks to Jeff and Mike who kicked butt at all the right times. Check out their blogs and tell them they rock.

What’s next? A quick d20 proposal I need to get out of my system, then one or two short stories followed by either a game or another book. We’ll see how things unfold.

//H


P.S. To all my fellow unpublished novelists:

Remember that I am, and remain, unpublished in the realm of novels. Zip, nada, zilch. And here's the thing: 90k really isn't that long. Get after it every day and you'll be done inside of 6 months or less. Crazy, but true.

Done and Done

The WoD book is finished. Thank you guys for all your support these last few months. Still don't know if it will sell, but right here, right now, I'm happy with how it came out. And anyone who is an old friend or a writer knows how rare that is.

Spoke with the honcho up at White Wolf. We can expect an answer by GenCon. Should be a busy month.

That and copies of Revenge, Wilds, and the first DCC hardcover, The Adventure Begins, showed up last night. They all look great.

Right now I'm the most fortunate man alive, but a lot of that's due to the company I keep, or more accurately, the company that keeps me.

Edit: I even found a title. Whoot. ;)

Now available in stores and back alleys near you!

Two modules hit the street this week, both written what seems like ages ago. Copies should be coming in the mail today or tomorrow, and I can't wait to see how the maps and art came out. Wilds has a bit of topographical variance, with elevation gain and loss, so the maps are more complex than usual. That, and I'm looking forward to seeing Jeremy Simmon's rendering of Wildsgate, my tribute to the Keep of yore.

BTW, for all the Fort Collins kids: I wrote Marshak into the Wilds. Need to make sure he gets a copy.


Love Your Rewrites...
I do. It shouldn't take a writer 90k words to figure out what his book is really about, but sometimes that's how it shakes down.

Just so you know that I know, this has got to be one of the top 10 warning signs that you might be a n00b. Of the 10 warning signs, I have 9.

Coming in future posts here at Choose Death: Top 5 Things NOT to Schedule When Writing Your First Novel. But until then, why not try to figure out what is going on here.

Blackmoor Open Call
Previous Blackmoor open calls were for volunteer work. This is one is paid, though I haven't heard the rates yet.

Zeitgeist Games is putting forward an open call for writers for work on the Dave Arneson's Blackmoor line. We are in immediate need of several such individuals familiar with the world of Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor. Knowledge of Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor MMRPG will also prove helpful.

Interested parties should send a resume to (christopher.reed at zeitgeistgames dot com) with the subject line of "Blackmoor Open Call for Writers" for consideration.

The work in question is immediate in nature, so if you are locked in current efforts, please recognize this fact before submitting your resume for consideration. We will be taking submissions until the end of Monday, May 29, 2006.

Feel free to post or forward this message to interested parties.

Thanks,
Christopher Reed
Line Developer - Dave Arneson's Blackmoor
Zeitgeist Games, Inc.

Harley who?
Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Work has been busy and my night job is busier than ever. Both are good, but it doesn't leave much time for posting. Some brief news items, then it's back to the vampires. I love my life, I really do.

The Rat King

New art galleries are up for both Rat King and Into the Wilds. This particular piece has to be one of my favorites, to date. Suffice it to say, both projects have been blessed by spectacular artists, and if you end up liking any of the art I think most of it can be purchased as prints/originals from the artists.

Still savage after all these years.
Kublacon, the Khan of Cons will be running both DCC 17 & 17.5, May 26 – 29 in Burlingame, CA. Don’t know if there is still space available, but it should be a good time.

Destroyer of Worlds
In addition to putting in my time on re-writes, I’m also sketching the last remaining bits of the d20 World Project. Breaking out the ink and colored pencils one last time to add the final touches here and there, providing inspiration for future d20 writers. Hope to post rough world maps soon, publisher permitting.

It’s old school, it takes up three color maps, and it comes in a box.

And that, my friend, might just be the high point of my d20 career.

Hope all is well!

/JK
Gose and Gentry!
One of the benefits of freelancing for Wizards of the Coast is getting to peek into the binder labeled “Master Plan for World Domination.”

For instance, did you know Hasbro was one of the chief underwriters of the Genome Project? Corporate altruism, you might answer, but read on.

Chief among Wizards’ plots is to their plan to create the writer of the future, an unholy fusion of author and editor, whose perfect manuscripts will need absolutely no editing whatsoever. With the cyber-writer project on hold, they’ve been forced to proceed with their backup plan: selective breeding.

This weekend, Ed Gentry and Lara Gose were united in marriage. Ed is the author of an upcoming FR novel, and Lara is a freelance editor working for WoTC and a fine writer in her own right.

Children, while not announced, were rumored to be a part of Ed’s most recent contract.

You heard it here first.

/JK

Collect all … two.
So May is going to be big on the d20 front, with 2 adventures and one hardback anthology coming out. Even more fun/silly is the news that there will be alternate covers of Revenge of the Rat King. Not quite the gold-foil level, but fun regardless to Harley’s geek soul.

Version I:

Version II:

Now here’s hoping folks don’t hate the adventure. ;)

Sweet
Got the okay for extra words. Now to make them good ones.

Still haven't mailed in that damn contract. Guess I haven't been burned enough.

====

Whoops. Also accidentally deleted the last post. Sorry about that guys.

But yes, my agent is still sleeping with my wife.

Update? We don't need no stinking update.
Novel coming along strong, and am headed into re-writes. (Woke up this morning and started writing in bed. God bless laptops and naked writers.)

Here's a question for all you published novel types out there. I know this varies from publisher to publisher, but what's a "safe" excessive word count for a 90k book? 100? 110?

Despite my best efforts, I'm going to go over, at least a little. The novel will be better for the cutting, but I'll leave that up for the editors to decide.

Hope you all are well, especially the soon-to-be weds. Miss you, love you, H.

====

BTW, three decades on this earth and I still make stupid mistakes every day. About every three weeks I look back and think, "Wow, I sure was stupid, way back then ... three weeks ago." So you'd think I be making vast strides towards intelligence, but when you're making up for this much lost ground, it can take a while.

Ego Check
Too funny to not be true.

Fear of Girls:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7521044027821122670"

Introducing the designers that will kill your character...
A friend sent me a screen shot of the Goodman Games GenCon lineup. Of the 17 DCC events being hosted by the dedicated Goodman Gamers, all but two were written by either Alex Anderegg, Jeff LaSala, or myself.

Apart from being terrified at the thought of our games failing to entertain, I'm also a little proud. Three years ago, none of us had published a word of RPG/d20 material. Now my old friends are the designers responsible for Goodman Games' showing at the biggest freakin' convention in town.

Not to pull a cheesy, Broadway moment, but not that long ago Alex and I were roommates, living off free bread from my job at the bakery, and subsidized rent from our third roommate, Matt. I have a clear memory of sitting at the kitchen table with Alex, fantasizing about writing something for a gaming company.

The distance between those two points – daydreaming and coming home with a check - can seem insurmountable, but like any great undertaking, it is smaller than it appears. In this case, the distance was a one page query letter. I’ve worn out this blog saying it, but if I can do it, you can, too.

Now Alex is writing d20 adventures and running games. Jeff has a [NDA censored] just around the corner.

My friends. I couldn’t be prouder. And I’m going to celebrate with them all in Indy, come August.

Event Full

Registration for GenCon began half an hour ago, and already people are getting bumped. It turns out I'm running 4 games, not 2, but even that's not enough to satisfy demand.

Definitely need to run some underground games, late in the night. After all, D&D is the game they play in storm sewers, right?

That said, I'm getting together maps and props for the games I will be running. Should be a quality game, if you can get in. If you can't, leave a post here and I'll see what I can do about setting up more sessions. I can't make any promises until I know what the rest of my schedule is looks like.

Even after seeing GenCon last year, I didn't have an appreciation for just how BIG an event it was. All afternoon the website has been lagged. The last time I ran into lag, I was playing a mud on a server in Finland. This is just silly. :)

"Ease back, 'cause she's back."
Elaine Cunningham's blog is back on the web! Go there, read often, and come away smarter, wiser and better looking.

Love it while it's here, because it might not be around for long. :)


My mom taught me to share.
It has been statistically proven beyond a doubt that any Choose Death* reader is three times more intelligent and better looking than the average internet user. But just in case anyone has the idea that Harley is bashing shared-world fiction, allow me to disabuse you of that notion.

I make the bulk of my freelance income from writing d20 modules that imitate the style of Golden Age Gygax.

That’s sort of like getting paid to sample the top 20 pop hits of 2006 to make disco songs. Still, the work is good and I enjoy it more than nearly any other sort of writing.

So. Shared-world novels? Yes, please, and with undiminished joy.




*For some reason, linking back to myself just makes me want to laugh out loud. Time for more coffee.

Harley Stroh:
Putting the Hack into Hack'n'Slash since 1974
In a recent post in his livejournal, Paul S. Kemp took the time to explain shared world fiction, noting that a recent sale was non-shared world.

At first I was amused; have we really come so far that readers don't recall when fantasy fiction wasn't associated with a brand? But then I took a look at my own resume, and - sure enough - everything I've sold in the past few years is tied to a franchise of some sort.

So? On one hand this makes sense. It's much easier for a new writer* to piggy back on a known commodity. Forgotten Realms sells, even if Harley doesn't. But what about life after FR/Blackmoor/d20? Lately I've been producing a lot of words, but I'm not sure I've been a writer.

Getting the chance to punish myself with the White Wolf novel kicked Harley's old dreams back to the fore. Back in the day I used to create. Nowadays I mostly piggy back. I'm excited to submit the novel, I'm excited to get back to some d20 design, but I'm also excited to start writing again.

A wise, wise friend claims her goal in life is to be a published fanstasy novelist.

Failing that?

She wants to be an unpublished fantasy novelist.

I could stand to learn that lesson.


*Meaning myself, not Paul. :D

Thought Exercise
With every word you or I write, we become better writers. Somewhere in the universe there is a sheet of paper listing how many words Harley needs to write before he sells a book. It might be so many that I never sell a book. Or it might be just around the corner.

I think this is true of any person who wants to be a writer. It's my belief that it doesn't matter so much where you begin; more important is how long and hard you are willing to work to make improvements.

Either way, assuming that my vampire novel is a flop, come May 31st I’ll still be +90,000 closer to meeting that deadline in the sky. And that's pretty fun.

Improvement. Totally doable.

Love Your Plot,
~OR~ Harley Stating The Obvious
When your plot works, the writing comes so damn easy. It's nice to hit those days, especially as I head into the re-writes.

I'm hoping that the reverse isn't true: that if the writing is hard, it means the plot stinks. If that's the case, 75% of my book is sunk. :)

Either way, I'm finding that time invested ploting out your book pays off in dividends later on. So do your homework, kids!

Trashcan Dream Come True
At 8:19, Monday morning, War of the Witch Queen is Goodman Games’ #1 hot seller on RPGNow. The Iron Crypt is #11, and even old Savage Kings comes in at a respectable #19. Even more fun, Witch Queen is presently ranked #13 of all RGPNow’s d20 products sold in the last week.

These rankings are actually a bit deceptive because, upon release, all of the DCC modules sell really well. The phenomena is akin to box office releases. As each module is released it shoots to #1, only to be replaced by the newer modules. There are some perennial favorites, not least of which are The Emerald Cobra, and Idylls of the Rat King, penned respectively by Mike Ferguson and Jeffery Quinn, but my modules (which are – to my devilish delight - regularly dissed by the critics) have yet to ascend to those hallowed ranks.

So if Harley’s vanity isn’t the point of this post, what is?

Just that, for no better reason than dumb luck and persistence, I’ve had the chance to live out the dream of a lifetime. Getting paid to write about dungeons and dragons? C’mon, let’s get real. This weekend I hung out at the skate park, went for walk with Heather, and wrote about vampires. This summer I’m going to the largest gaming convention in North America, and maybe the world. (Although instinct tells me that there has to be some crazy conventions in Japan. Any thoughts, Alex?)

Pretty good for a kid that can’t spell. And that’s the real point of all this. If Harley can do it, you can. Heck, half of you have proved that already. And the other half are in wings, waiting for that golden moment of opportunity + preparation. And it will come along.

If this all ends tomorrow and I never have the good fortune to publish another word again, I’ll still have to count myself a fortunate man. And I can’t wait to see you name on the big marquee.

Of Vampires
When I was little, I used to dread large parties on my birthday. Fortunately we ended up moving out into the country, where the nearest neighbor was literally miles away, so block parties were never much of a problem.

And even though I’ve grown up – at least a little – there’s still a large part of Harley that dreads people looking in his direction.

In 38 days (but who’s counting?), I’ll turn in the book, imperfections and all. And in the 2 to 3 months it takes White Wolf to read the novels and decide, many eyes will be turned this way. Instincts tell me to do everything in my power to undercut your expectations.

Why? I don’t know. I desperately want this book, but I’m still terrified to be the cool kid. Childish? Absolutely. Immature fears? Likely.

So when I write that the novel has little chance of winning, don’t take it as humility, because I’m not that noble. Understand it instead as a demonstration of fear. In my heart of hearts, I think this book might just have a chance, but you’ll never catch me saying that.

;)

I'm going to be at GenCon ...
...GenCon says so.

Heh. That's just silly.

A HUGE 11 (out of a possible 11) skulls thank you is due to Elaine Cunningham for organizing the entire GenCon lit. tour. :)

Go buy one of her books. :)

FYI, Kam: we need to get you on the list.

As Seen on T.V.
First, a big, 10 skull shout out to my pirate crew for rallying around the sinking ship. Thank you guys. If anyone makes it to GenCon, buy us coffee and we'll tell you the story.

But back to T.V.

There was a locked cabinet at school, that held - wait for it - May Faire ribbons.

We needed the ribbons out super-pronto, and the maint. man hadn't shown up. In terms of responsbility, I'm at the bottom of an inverted pyramid - if something goes wrong and the regular channels fail, it's my job. What to do?

I tried every key on the chain, but #13 was missing. Then we resorted to trying to pick the lock. No good. Then we got creative and tried going behind or through the walls of the cabinet. Still no good.

Finally, everyone left and got out of my hair. I warmed up the power drill, dropped in a metal bit, and went after the lock.

I seem to recall having seen this on television at one point, or in a 007 movie.

Anyhow, first I chewed out the tumblers, then I hit the mojo at the back. But after 5 minutes of constant drilling (and no cutting oil even!), the back of the lock popped off and the door swung open.

Rock and roll.

Third Act: Time to Get My Swerve On
You know how in the third act of some plays everything goes to hell? Well, a legal issue cropped up in one of my previously completed works, requiring speedy and massive rewriting before May 15. In case you haven't read the blog in the last 6 months, the vampire novel is due on May 31.

Up to now the vampire novel was ahead of schedule. This could dramatically change things. I need to hunker down, avoid turbo lasers, and write as I have never written before. If you don't see me posting again before May 31, it doesn't mean I stopped loving you.

But here's the thing: this is going to be fun. How often are you offered the chance to, literally, make or break? High stakes, do or die, taking the measure of a man. We put our characters through that all the time, but seldom live into the experience, unless it has to do with the death or sickness of a relative. This is the best of both worlds, since I get to fight for something incredibly important to me (Harley’s first published novel!) and even if I fail, nobody gets hurt.

So often the world is smear of grays. Rarely do we get the chance to play with a palette of black and white. Success/failure, book/no book.

I can’t say that I’m optimistic at this point, but I am hopeful. Rock and roll, and – for better or worse - I’ll see you on the other side.


Shut that dude up!
BTW, two modules are presently at the printers. Expect to see them on shelves within the month. Both will be exciting to see in print, especially Into the Wilds, my Keep on the Borderlands tribute. Watch this space. :)