Landslide Brought Me Down
It just wouldn't be Christmas without a pithy post here at Choose Death. I’ve few posts in my pocket that I’ve been meaning to skip out onto the internet, so this is my break to set up for the next couple weeks. No real plan here, so bear with me.

Back in Wyoming the roads are drifting over with snow, and my little brother and dad just finished delivering firewood to widows.

True story.

Man, that makes me grin.

Needless to say, Harley, the Evil Son, is less of an asset than the rest of the immediate family this Christmas night. I’m typing from the outskirts of Boston, home of the tea party, having spent Christmas with H’s family. For those of us that rage against sleep, it isn’t lost on me that with every keystroke the end of 2007 draws a little closer. Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em.

2008? Well, it will be Ed and Marce’s first year as full-fledged novelists. Jeff’s book will drop, Kam’s game will finally make it out of beta. Jaleigh will have her baby, and I’ll bring a stepladder to Gen Con so that I can hug Eric properly.

Yeah, it will be a good year. I’m staring down the barrel of a couple mammoth conventions, and for the first time it look like I might not behave like the patented “Deer in Headlights on an Interstate.” If you’ve ever seen Harley at a convention, you know he alternates between binary positions of Fight or Fight, and by fighting, I mean bear hugs.

But back to 2008.

The writing projects are all coming along at a devil’s clip. Hope to post some art concepts and release dates soon, but you know how that goes. Suffice to say that by August we should have some new releases to add to the cover gallery. The novel continues to creep along at a snail’s pace, but for all the right reasons.

But enough of that. It’s Christmas night, and you should all be with your families, not staring at a computer screen. Or if you can’t be with your family, you should at least flirting with the waitress at Denny’s.

“But, Harley,” you might point out. “What the hell are you doing staring at a screen tonight, you hypocrite?”

And therein lies the rub. On Christmas, for no better reason than that I’m a sappy little undersized runt, I feel the need to tell my family that I love them. I called the ranch today, but here’s the place I can get in touch with the rest of my family: all you punks, misfits and loners that might happen to call yourselves Deathers from time to time.

I love you, I hope you’re all well, and I damn sure miss you.

Keep warm,
//H


"Who's my little minion? Who's my little minion? You are!"
Oh ... and if you haven't seen "Gnome and Tiefling" yet, you need to. It hasn't shown up on Youtube yet, so the only place you can see it is on WotC's site, which is fine but means you'll need to log in or register. Anyhow, without further ado:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/toon/20071219a

This post is targeted at Spackle since he was engaged to Natasha Tiefling for a while, but the rest of you should check it out too.

Ozo Review

The sold-out show went until 3 in the morning, the rappers refused to drop the f-bomb because there was a kid in the crowd, and at one point they turned up the house lights and insisted everyone introduce themselves to someone they didn't know.

Oh yeah – and they ended the show (and every show) by marching down into the crowd with horns, drums and cowbells, circling up and playing the last song amid a pit of rabid fans.

Good people. Good times. I'd drive down to Denver to see them again tonight if I wasn't behind the 8-ball on a deadline. If they come through your town, do yourself the favor and get in touch with your inner mariachi-punk.

//H

The Sound of One Hand Typing
Funny how if I'm updating the blog a lot, you know I don't have much going on in my writing life. And if I go silent for a month, it's usually good news for my career, but makes for lousy reading. And a blog w/o updates is a blog w/o readers.

Anyhow, tonight we're taking a break from work and writing to enjoy the company of friends and some ska-punk-latin-funk from the L.A rockers Ozomatli:


I'd post more, but damnit, there's just no time for love, Dr. Jones. Hope you all are warm and dry, this Friday night. Or if you're at the Ozo show, at least warm. Ya se fue!

//H

Edit: It was a life goal to take Spackle to an Ozo concert. Hasn't happened yet, and I always regret the chances I've missed. Still, we aren't done yet ...

All that is old ...
In a comment on the last post, Technobi posted a link to this article:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles//0,7340,L-3052074,00.html

The gist of the article is how the Israel Defense Forces frown upon their soldiers gaming, as the pastime is indicative of having "a weak personality."

The amusing irony here is that RPGs were born out of wargames. TSR was once The Strategic Review. And I'm willing to bet my yamika that the IDF still uses war game simulations for training.

Shall be new again.
That said, the following video demonstrates why the IDF might be making the right choice. ;)



//H

EdGentry.com...
...is back. Go give the man some love.

For my part, I need to get some writing done 5 minutes ago.

//H

Free Today on RPGNow...
Tabletop Adventures: Bits of Darkness

As seen at GAMA and Gen Con, this one is the work of Vicki "Cassandra" Potter.

(And here's a dirty little secret about this Tabletop Adventure release: it's already compliant with the 4th - or fortieth! - edition of the world's most popular roleplaying game. True story.)

//H

DCC #51.5 Sinister Secret of Whiterock
...is free today. Click on the image to get your copy.

Not much to add. Get it today, as I don't know how long the offer on Sinister will run for.

//H

Ed Gentry's Neversfall

At the end of this month, a my dear friend and yours, Ed Gentry, is publishing his first novel. Ed's webpage died because he didn't post on his blog often enough, so I'm pimping his book here until Edgentry.com is up and running.

So mark your calendars for November 27. I expect a zombie horde of consumers to go out into the world armed with their hard won pennies and buy this darn book.

Let it be so.

What the heck. Why not pre-order it?

//H

Sometimes ...

... it just needs to be noted that life is pretty good. Warm days, cool nights, and you and I get to spend them dreaming about worlds that never existed. And if we dream well enough, the audience pays for the show.

I delights me to bear witness to the success of our friends. Ed's novel is coming out this month. Jeff's is slated for release. Eric is working on secret project #X (so secret I can't keep track of them all). TacoJohn is working on multiple Goodman/Troll Lord projects. Eternal Warriors is chugging along. Spellburn is due out early 2008. Deiter's working on DragonMech Battles. The list just keeps on going.

And as for myself, I'm tinkering away in the back of the hovel, poking my head out now and again to check the skies. It's fair to say that none of the DCC crew is in danger of having free weekends any time soon.

Not too shabby for a bunch of hairless apes that spent the bulk of our history dodging predators. That's pretty darn cool.

//H

(And you're right, t-rexs weren't around at the same time as humans ... at least not in this reality. But for a 5-spot any one here could dream one up.)

Notes to Self: Thanksgiving Day Massacre
Bowling Green is a good long haul from here. It might be possible to do it in a 24 hour push. Haven't tried that since the infamous Logan, Utah run (5 parsecs, for the record) but I think it could be done.


View Larger Map

//H

Halloween is Every Day

This is where we'll be Friday night, and this is the man who has opened his space for Rob's artwork. Come down to the Fort and you can skate with us Saturday morning.

Katalist Konsepts isn't Zack’s first stab at being a business owner. His first try, the Paris coffee house, went out of business years ago. But not to be defeated, Zack is back and he’s brought an ink gun with him.

That a tattooed gutter punk with a dyed dreads and self-administered peircings is also a responsible father, Christian and business owner ---- well, let’s just say that the presumed contradictions warm the cockles of my hardened heart.

I’ve been acquainted with Zack for years now. He was the homeless guy sleeping in the back of I-Hop. We wrote about the night when Paris went out of business (you can read about it here, in issue #6 of TIN. (By the by, issue #5 was probably one of our best.)

The important lesson for me here, is perseverance. It would have been easy for a disaffected man to swear off any attempt at success. But he didn’t. He lost, kept punching and here he is again, chasing his dream.

Love it. See you there.

//H

Q: What were you for Halloween?
A: On fire.
October. I love it. Cool days, comfortable nights. If there is any better skating weather, I don’t know it. Add to it the best single holiday of the year, and things are hopping around the Stroh house.

This past week the school held its Halloween celebration. Games and fun, along with a fairy-tale walk for the wee ones, and a haunted house (put on by the 8th grade for the older students). A good time was had by all.

H and I acted out the Rumplestiltskin story. We did it in 3 parts, beginning with ol’ Rumple spinning gold out of straw. Then, led by the maiden, the walkers snuck on Rumble as he danced around his bonfire, cackling and shouting into the night:

Today I bake, tomorrow I brew
Today for one, tomorrow for two.
And still that pretty little dame,
Will never guess Rumplestiltskin’s name!

Finally we closed out our skit with Rumple approaching the maid and demanding she guess his name. She got it right (on the third guess) every time this year, but we’ll see if she’s so lucky next time around.

We were a 2-person crew, so in between our skit I would stoke the bonfire before hustling back to the spinning wheel. Late into the night, probably the 4th or 5th skit of the evening I was dancing around the fire, flaming brand thrust high into the night sky, and smelled something burning. Turned out ol’ Rumple had managed to set his wig and beard on fire. I finished out the act then batted myself out before scurrying to act 3. In my rush to complete the skit, I must have missed a few embers because as I acted out the last of the skit someone noted:

“Um, Rumplestiltskin, you’re on fire.”

Clearly an overstatement. My immolation was greatly exaggerated.


Raising Hell and Bales
This weekend I got to help out with a bale-raising. Straw bale construction is a big deal in this climate. Bales insulate well, and are renewable. All you need to make a building then is the framework and workforce.

Probably half a dozen families turned out to help stack bales into 11 ft. walls. It was a great community event, especially when you get to see immediate results from your work.

Plus, I’ve been missing the physical labor. This was a good chance to get out and do some honest work. That, and chainsaws were involved.


Above the Chemist
I just received a copy of a German DCC by some guy named von Harley Stroh. Into the Wilds, Deutsch, will soon be available. Collectors unite! Given the move to 4E, this may be one of the last conversions we see of the 3.5 adventures.



Behold my shipping weight! I could annihilate you in an instant!
Five years and 500,000 words later, Castle Whiterock is hitting the stands. I found out about this project way back at Gen Con 2006, and Doyle was working on it long before that. If you had a chance to get your hands on the pre-print copies at last Gen Con you have an appreciation for just how big this one is. Thicker than a phone book, this adventure might just stop low caliber bullets.*

Foolish claims aside, Whiterock was my chance to write a Greyhawk-esque town to rival my memories of the box set of the Old City. Writing the town was a last minute bid in a project that was already way over word count. The publisher likely would have been just as happy (or happier) if I left the town out, but you can't do the setting justice without it. The 20k came as a surprise to everyone else, but I think the box set is better for the writing. I fervently hope you guys agree.

*Don’t try this at home. Before you go building a Whiterock flak vest, I need to test this one out at home.

And finally, as noted last post down, this weekend I'm headed down the mountain to sleep in the back of my car, skate, write, and hang out at art installations/tattoo parlors. Does it get any better?

I think not.

//H

Dyed Man's Party
Ye gods, but I’ve been delinquent. So much going on, there’s no time to talk about it. (If you don’t have time to write about self-immolation, what DO you have time to write about?)

Anyhow, no time for blogging, Dr. Jones.

In lieu of content --- or love --- I might as well tell you where I’ll be Friday night. Make it there, and you can beat me up for lack of posting.

Katalist Konsepts, a new Fort Collins tattoo shop, is hosting the artwork of my friend and yours, Rob Atkinson. The reception runs from 6 to 10, with tunes provided by the one and only Slim FadEy. And if you're looking to get inked, they're running a $10 off deal.

Show up, throw down. Bring your board for the after party. I decree that a good time shall be had by all.

//H

Otterpunk

...cause Saurus asked for it.

//H

Punk, Punk, Goose
More and more I'm reminded just how small of a circle this gaming-thing is.

To wit:

Back in the day I was a huge fan of the Blackhammer Project. If you were into R. Talsorian's Cyberpunk, Blackhammer's digs were the place to be. All the cool web design, all the best home brew --- the folks at the Project did what the rest of us bunny punks dreamed about.

Surfing the other night I came across the Project's new home: The Dread Gazebo. Lo and behold, the Hellhound himself was running DCCs for the ENWorld folks. Even cooler, he was running some of my work.

Instant geek love on H's part. Blackhammer playing in my game. Very cool.


IGGYS: A Pointless Story About a Knife
OR Size Does Matter
Back when we all wanted to write material like the Project, my friends and I wasted all our time mudding. We'd game all night until the Swedish servers kicked us off for their school day, then go grab dinner-at-dawn at Denny's and sit around recounting our night's triumphs and failures.

They were good times, especially if you were a shy kid just off the farm, who had never really had much in the way of friends with the exception of your little brother who was ten times more socially adept than you could ever be.

Anyhow. We were mudders, largely, because we were social misfits. We wore leather, rode skateboards, and found solace in shared exile. For lack of a better moniker we were punks. And sometimes --- just occasionally --- we’d get harassed by the jocks and would-be gangsters. So we got into the habit of carrying knives.

Flash forward a decade. Harley’s headed to GenCon and --- simply out of utility --- tosses his knife into the luggage. It's a long-ish flick knife, with a tanto style blade. Heather calls it the “I’m Gonna Get You Sucka” knife.

The knife came in handy during booth set-up, opening boxes and what not, but after the first day I stashed it in my courier bag and forgot about it. Not much chance of getting jumped on the streets of Indy, especially when you have the Saurus riding shotgun with the guy that threatens to bite off his own arm* whenever he gets cornered in a fight.

Sunday comes and I leave to catch my plane home. On the way through security I get pulled. What could possibly be the problem, officer?

…Oh yeah…

IGGYS didn’t make it back into my checked luggage. It’s neatly tucked away in my carry-on, conveniently located in case I need to get at it really quick.

Okay, not a problem, I’ve been here before when I (accidentally) tried to bring a collection of metal files onto a plane. You just mail them from the airport to your destination. Not a big deal –

Except that a crowd of TSAs have gather around IGGYS. They've opened the blade and are measuring it against a ruler. Hmmm.

(About this time, Case, all-around good guy and author of the brilliant City of Brass, makes it through security, assuring the gathering crowd that I’m world famous. In retrospect, the only way he could have made it through security was because half the staff was examining IGGYS. I was the decoy.)

Finally an officer breaks free of the crowd and walks over to me. Very politely she informs me that state law for Indiana restricts the blades of pocket knives to less than 4 inches. After that, you need a permit or you get arrested, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

The length of old IGGYS?

3.75 inches.

//H


*True story. I'll tell it to you at Christmas.

Evil

Henceforth, measured in kilonazis.

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0489.html#

Brilliant.

//H

Writing on the Right Side of the Brain,
Or, Whate Harley Daydreams About on the Drive Home
One of the exercises in “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain”* is standing a chair upside down and then drawing the chair. At work here is the idea that if asked to draw a still life of a chair, normal schmoes like you and me draw our memory of what a chair looks like, rather than drawing what we actually are seeing. When a chair is set upside down the artist is forced to look at, and refer to, the thing itself, not his or her memory.

As a result, through forced “seeing,” the renderings of the chairs are usually quite remarkable. Non "artists" produce incredible work. It follows then for more difficult subjects – portraits, for example – if you can force yourself to see, your drawings will improve.

Now one reason that fantasy and science fiction is typically frowned upon in college creative writing classes is because too often the novice writer (like myself) reverts to genre clichés and stereotypes (pointy-eared elves, hairy-footed hobbits) instead of actually writing the thing itself.

This is true of all genre fiction, but fantasy and science fiction get picked on more often that the rest because, likely, there just aren’t that many would-be western novelists showing up in college creative writing classes. But do away with the genre assumptions, and suddenly a story is a story.

Put another way, aspiring artists often have lazy eyes. Aspiring writers often have lazy imaginations.

So we turn a chair upside down, in order to see it accurately. What would it mean to do the same with a genre? What would this “look” like? (And perhaps: Does this defeat the purpose of a genre? Maybe the point of people reading westerns is because they know what they are going to get.)

Anyhow. Just some thoughts from an amateur looking to improve his craft.

//H


*If memory serves. I haven’t looked at this book in ages.

Saga up!
















Saga of the Witch Queen, Goodman Games' GenCon special, is now up for sale in the online store. Saga was a joint project between myself and Jon Hershberger, and I'm happy to say that the adventure is much stronger for his contributions.

If first edition is your thing, this might be worth checking out. Here's a review for your consideration:

http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=25333

//H

And a long overdue Deathy welcome to...
Vicki, aka Cassandra. Vicki is another example of a brilliant parent/writer, much like Marce, EC and Paul Kemp. I don't know how they pull it off.

Click on over to her blog to say hi and ask if she needs any freelance writers. >:)

//H

Mountain Hard

The 7th grade has asked me to accompany them up Mount Sopris this coming week. Sopris is a big mother of a mountain that looms over Carbondale. Sorta like Lonely Mountain and Lake Town, minus the lake. Ripped out of an Elmore painting, Sopris tops out at 12,965 feet. But more important than total height, is relative rise. Sopris climbs 6,250 ft above the valley floor in only 2.5 miles; that's some serious stair-climbing action.

And yeah, I have a crush on this mountain. Something about Sopris is captivating.

When I go on hikes, I can't help but translate the environs to fantasy settings. As in, *huff* Dude, if there were orcs here, *huff* we'd all be toast. *huff* Not terribly sophisticated, but with 50 lbs. on your back, the idea of outrunning violent humanoids is a stretch.

(I'm such a geek. Especially when you consider that both the "dude" and the "speaker" are one and the same.)

Heather and I went up just before the start of school to avoid the snow. So far it's only frosted, but the last 2 years Sopris got its first snowfall on this coming weekend.

Pack your winter sleeping bags, kids, we're going in.

//H

Edit: Sopris has snow.

Skate or Die for the Literati
While I was working the booth at GenCon, a dear friend pulled me aside and told me that a cabal of friends was concerned if I was still writing. Now, with rough math, one might point out that 200,000 or so of Harley’s words debuted at Gennie, so of course Harley is still writing. Writing, and editing, and developing, and proofing maps, and the dozen other odd tasks called for by heading up the DCC line.

But what he really meant was: am I still writing fiction for publication? Given my spectacular near misses with Wizards and then White Wolf, it’s a fair question. As my dear friends march ever onward into the annals of authorship, they can be forgiven for suspecting that I had given up the ghost.

Quick answer: Of course not. Writing is what I do.

So where are the blurbs about the mystery project? What’s the novel about? Where’s my word count meter? For this project, the usual metrics and teasers aren’t terribly important. It might take me 5 months or 5 years to finish this bugger off --- not due to word count, but to smithing. I’ve been under one deadline or another for the last 3 years, and so the chance to craft a project sans deadline is a blessing. How many projects have I turned in that could have used another month’s worth of rewriting? I’m too afraid to begin to number them.

Even better, with the advent of 4e, I have a little bit of a lull. Yes, there’s a 90k Stroh project coming out in 2 months, and 3 other projects that I need to get in before May, but nothing breathing down my back.

And best of all, since it isn’t slated for a shared world line, it gets to be uniquely mine. This is what I’ve been itching to do ever since Realms of the Dragons II.

Ah, the pleasures of being without a contract. Who’d have guessed it?

So, dear readers, hopefully some among you are camped along with me, atop that same precipice of “would-be novelist.” Is it a long shot that we’ll ever get our books published? Of course. But there are also key opportunities that, if we do succeed, we might never enjoy again.

Take your time. Write a great book. You’ll have the rest of your life to be under deadline.

//H

Minoan Rodeo
Thanks again to everyone who takes time out of their finite lives to read these feeble peckings. You could be reading anything else. Thank you.

But enough of the usual tripe. I know you're here for the bull riding story. Here goes.

Last week was the town's last rodeo for the season. I was probably the only person to arrive by skateboard, but when you know you're going to be drinking rodeo lemonade, it's important to take transportation that - in case of operator error - can only hurt you.

Anyhow, last rodeo of the season. The last event of the night was bull riding. I've always wanted to be a rodeo clown, so while watching riders get kicked around by 1-ton bulls doesn't hold much fascination, watching the guys that save the guys about to get kicked by 1-ton bulls is a thrill.

Bull dodging is a speed/balance thing --- as long as you stay on your feet, you can out manuever a bull. But the instant you go down (ala bull riders) and the bull gets its horns into you, it's over. The bull will keep you off your feet with its horns, while it either tramples you or crushes you against the walls of the arena. The job of the clown is to distract the bull long enough for the rider to get back up and get out of the arena.

Last ride of the last rodeo of season. Rider gets bucked off out of the chute, and the 2 clowns do their thing, distracting the bull until the rider can get out of the way. Two cowboys on horseback hang out at the far end of the arena, just in case things get ugly. The rider gets out of arena, and the season comes to a close.

Almost. The lead clown, about 20 ft. from the bull, shifts his stance. It's a subtle thing, just a placement of weight, but anyone who is watching (mostly us aging guys who still want to be rodeo clowns) can see that it presages a shift from dodging the bull to engaging it.

The bull sees this, too. Suddenly, it's on.

The clown sprints at the bull. The bull lowers its head, and at the instant of impact, hooks the clown with his horns and flips him up, over his back and into the darkness.

The crowd can't quite believe what it has just witnessed. The cowboys atop their horses (the rescue guys, remember?) can't quite believe what has happened.

The bull however, has no problem with any of this. His instincts have been ready for this moment for the last million years. While we're all standing slack jawed, the bull turns around and gets ready for a little pay back.

The cowboys spur their horses forward, but it's too little, too late. Even at a full gallop, it will take them too long to cross the arena, and they're only now starting from a dead stand. The only one in the entire arena who is on top of his game is the other clown.

This is the part that amazed me. When his partner decided to try bull jumping, clown #2 was still 30 ft. off. Before clown #1 hit the bull, clown #2 must have already known what was coming, and started sprinting towards the bull. The audience, and the bull, never saw him coming.

Just as the bull turns around to do the clown-trample tango, #2 sprints past the bull's head. Bull, damned by his instincts, turns to chase after the new target, giving clown #1 time to get up and run to safety.

The crowd goes wild. The clown goes wild. Cowboy hats fly through the air, and the western Colorado rodeo season comes to a close.

The arena empties. Kids run out to play before they shut off the lights. Harley takes up his skateboard and heads home.

Now if you've taken Art 101, or a comparative religions class, you know where I'm headed next. Skating home that night I had the sense that I had come across this same scene somewhere else. And, kicking along the bike path through the darkness, it came to me. Minoa.

The Minoan culture was based on goddess worship, and evidence points to the practice of gender equality if not outright matriarchy. Some posit the idea the fall of the Minoans allowed for the rise of early Western monotheism. Had Thera not erupted, Western culture might look very different today. (Tangentially, some theorize that the destruction of the Minoans gave rise to the legends of Atlantis.)

But far more pertinent to today’s post, the Minoans practiced bull jumping.

The clown probably didn't know it, I'm sure half the audience didn't know it, but there it was. In no-name, cow town, Colorado, we witnessed the reenactment of a religious ceremony not seen since the end of the Bronze Age.

And that, dear Deather, is what happened at the rodeo.

My love affair with sweet Gennie
For all the hype, for all the congestion and chaos, for all the frustration, GenCon is an absolutely amazing show. If you’re a gamer, and if you’ve ever wanted to attend, you should do yourself the favor and make the time. Nothing else quite compares.

By now you had the chance to read half a dozen GenCon reports, all penned by smarter, more important people than myself, with more exciting things to report. So we’ll try to keep it short.

First and foremost, the folks. I'm not going to say fans, because in my heart of hearts I know that writing, illustrating, and editing adventures is only a third of the job. Before anything I write for d20 means a lick, it has to be played by GMs and players. You guys are collaborators and without you, this gig is meaningless.

Every time anyone dropped by the booth I had the fierce awareness that GenCon is finite, and that they could have been anywhere else. Instead of playing in some wicked cool game, grabbing some food, or sleeping, you stopped by to see us. I appreciate that. You guys rock.


4E: The big news of GenCon 2007 is the announcement of 4th edition. The generous folks at Wizards announced over the course of the con that 4e will adhere to an open gaming license. What this means to the rest of the world is that 3rd party publishers will continue to be allowed to print material for Dungeons & Dragons.

Put another way, Harley is still employed. Rock over London.



New Titles:This year saw a ton of new releases by yours truly. The very cool new edition of Temple of the Frog, the 1e Saga of the Witch Queen, the GenCon edition of DCC #51.5: Sinister Secret of Whiterock, and the killer box set Saga of the Dragon Cult.

I also contributed to DCC #49: Palace in the Wastes and the mighty, mighty box set DCC #51: Castle Whiterock (though I would never claim to be the primary author on either of these awesome books).



This year the Goodman Gamers hosted a seminar, How To Write Adventures that Don't Suck. This one was a complete surprise. Sold out, with standing room only. We did a head count mid way through the seminar and came up with 62. Um ... to see who again?

My Deathy minions raided the room next door for chairs (this has got to be a MAJOR no-no daffy) , but we were still standing room only. A ton of awesome people turned out and the hour flew by. We could have gone for another hour, easy. The best part is that it was just gamers talking to gamers --- sure we sat up front, but really we were no different from everyone else in the room.

Plus, if you stuck around through the credits, you got to see us demonstrate the new 4e grappling rules. I'm the guy on the right back, crushing the designer of X Crawl in a bear hug. I'm not sure he even knows I'm there ...


ENnies Report: We had 6 nominations this year, but still no prize to take home to Chicago. Last year I was dejected, but this time I just enjoyed the ride. The ENworld folks did an awesome job this year --- it was a great venue, and we even had tables for the nominees (instead of standing in the back along the wall). Of course, being seated up front meant that we couldn't duck out through the kitchen, but such is the price of big fame. (Right, Ice?)



*Photo by the mighty Luke Johnson. Check him out.

White Wolf Party: The Deathy minions, led by El Presidente, trekked out to the White Wolf party. Author and friend Dieter Zimmerman threw down like a rockstar --- many thanks.

As always, the Wolfies were excellent hosts, though the dj'ing seemed a little weaker than last year. Or it could just be that I'm whining because the one Sisters song was run over a lousy, faux techno beat.

We danced regardless, up to and including the music that used to drive us out (that should give you a sense of how poor the previous mix was), but around 2:30 or so they shut down the "drive out" music, and pleaded with us to leave. Timing was perfect, for on our way out, we overheard the following exchange:

"We forgot the dodgeball."

"Anyone want to play dodge rock?"

Made it home around 3 in the morning, but the crew was still pretty amped, so we busted out the skateboard and fell down on some good old fashioned Indy concrete. (Brick actually. There's a very narrow, very sharp, quarter pipe atop ledge, out on the plaza. Got a good ankle smack in, and a couple kick turns, but never quite landed the ollie off the ledge. There's always 2008.)


But Did You Hang Out? Last year I promised to hang with a bunch of folks and failed. This year I promised to hang out with a bunch of folks and actually did managed to hang out with a select few. Saturday night, prior to the WW party, I ran an impromptu sessios of Sinister secret for the talented Mike Ferguson, and the mighty Deathers. I was a little off my game, but the session went okay. I'll do better next year, and maybe even get to see a few more folks ...


And the Deathy Shout-Outs: Of least importance to anyone else, but closest to my heart, are all those people that I've gotten to know. Ultimately, these folks are why I love life, which makes loving GenCon pretty easy. (It's rough because GenCon is a working con, so my "hang out" time gets narrowed down to 11:PM to 2:AM --- by the time I'm ready to go, most folks are asleep.) This list is corny, and incomplete, and linkless until I have another spare hour. You don't have to read it, but it is important to me that I post it, so here goes:

*The Mighty Deathers: the Saurus, Spackle, Alex, Jacob, Taco & Superfan. A writer could never have a better band of cohorts.

*The Young Dragons and Ebberites! Thank you to Ed, Scott, Jaliegh, Marce, Lara, Jeff, and especially Kam (who put up with sleeping in the same room as the Deathers, bless him).

*The Ash-Down Troupe! Never was a more talented group assembled. Fear their skilz! Props to Wentz and Emily, John and Jeff, Jess and Ruth. Here's hoping Marissa makes a showing next year.

*The Trolls, Necros, and Cimmerians: Case and Ashley, James and the Chenaults, Vicki and Marcey, and Eric and Vincent. I'm only now realizing that we lost my bag and Taco's camera the same night. (Note to self: divest of any gear before heading out with this crew. You'll be naked at the end of the night anyway.)

*The 2007 DCC Tournament Judges. These are the guys that ran a game for Monte Cook, the man that designed 3rd Edition. They're that hard core. Do I need to say more?

*And of course the Goodman Games crew. Joseph, Mike, April, Jason, Ken, Adrian, Chris, Ken, Kenwig, Jeremy, Jess, Kam, Ruth, Jeff, Aeryn, Luke, Lyz, Brandon ... the list goes on.

A final thank you to the gracious Marce Rockwell. Eberron author and friend, this is the woman that commanded me to eat on day 3 (or 2?). Regardless, she took good care of me, and didn't have to. Go buy her book, Legacy of Wolves, you won't regret it.

So you made it through the thank you credits. (I'm sure I'll be updating to add more as I get more sleep.) Of course you deserve a carrot for making it to the end of this blog stick. And here it is:

There are lots of kind, good-hearted people in this business, and I get to hang out with some of the best. But perhaps the single most polite and genuine person I spent time with at GenCon was this person. We hung out for 2 of the 4 nights, and she was always a lady. Whatever else you'd like to say, those down south girls certainly know their manners. (Photo by Jay Adan.)

True story. A really nice kid.

Remember that for next year, kids. Booth babes are people, too.

Till next year,
//H

(And just in case you were worried, "Sweet Gennie" refers to GenCon, not the Troll Lords' booth bait.)

Deathers, Represent!
OR, As if you needed a reason to pack your black latex.

One of my favorite experiences from last year's GenCon was dancing to Sisters of Mercy at the White Wolf party and watching the co-ed naked dodgeball that followed. I got home way too late (waking up Kam as I stumbled in), and was up in a few hours to meet a publisher.

The only thing missing was you. This year, let's change that.

White Wolf has posted tickets on their company blog, here:

http://community.livejournal.com/whitewolf_lj/46223.html

Hope to see you there.

//H

GENCON NEWS

DCC Trivia Contest
This year Goodman Games is hosting a GenCon trivia contest with cool DCC giveaways for the fan boy or girl that manages to recall the greatest amount of largely pointless knowledge. The first round of questions already posted over on the Goodman Games site, and on the file link below, so in effect round one is a take home quiz. Bust open those DCCs and get cracking!

So what do you need to do? Print out the quiz, write in your name and answers, and bring it by the booth at Gen Con (#2615). The deadline is Saturday at the close of the exhibit hall. Come back Sunday at 1:00 to find out if you advance to the finals. At 1:00 we’ll hold the finals at the booth, where the highest scorers will compete to answer even more trivia until someone walks away with the grand prize! Which is – Goodman hasn't decided what, yet, but it will be cool.

(If you're a regular reader of Choose Death, you'll see that Technobi2k's DCC alter ego, Obitu-que, made it into the quiz. It's a strange, strange world. Anyhow, to the quiz.)

http://www.goodman-games.com/downloads/DCC-2007-Trivia.pdf

Just as exciting, at least to me, is that Torgo the Eye Gouger and his band of illiterate kobolds are tasked with grading the quizes. As a favor to Torgo, I'll be rounding up additional henchmen of the literate sort Saturday night, to help with the quizes.

And we all know you can only hire henchmen in bars.

Heh. Drunk, illiterate kobolds. Harley's inner geek just dropped into turbo. GenCon, here we come.


DCC Free Stuff
Okay, so maybe you don't want to work for the grand prize. Or maybe you're like me and you hate quizes. Or maybe you just want free stuff.

Fear not, dear Deather. Goodman Games will also be giving a way of a host of really cool adventures over the course of the Con*. Here's a list of what and when:

Thursday: Xcrawl: Dungeonbattle Brooklyn

Friday: Dungeon Crawl Classics #51.5: The Sinister Secret of Whiterock (Gen Con alternate cover edition)

Saturday: Wicked Fantasy Factory #0: Temple of Blood

Sunday: Etherscope: Just a Delivery

Just stop by the booth and demand your goodies. Feel free to introduce yourself to the Goodman Games crew and check out ...

Castle Whiterock

Against all odds, this monster made it to press. Over 700 pages of DCC goodness packed into perhaps the most comprehensive mega-dungeon ever.

Adrian and Chris did an awesome job on this one, and Jeff LaSala seriously rocked the gaz. section. And as a developer, I made sure to set aside the town for myself. As a kid I spent years running around Greyhawk City, and this was a chance to get back to the alleys and cobblestone streets of my youth. The town is small enough to wrap your head around, but big enough to have the environs necessary for gritty urban goodness.

Plus, it was a chance to toss in a little 'punk. Nothing overt, but the undertone is there. A touch of gritty darkness for your DCC campaign. This was one of those rare projects that I loved every minute of. Hope it shows.

//H


(*While supplies last, blah, blah, don't come complaining if you show up at 5:30 pm on Sunday and nothing is left.)

Dorkness Rising

*laugh* Note those the placement of those fine DCC adventures. >:)

At a previous GenCon, I had the good fortune of getting to see rough a cut. This is a fantastic movie. If you haven't had the chance to see one of the showings, I heartily encourage you to do so. Good stuff by good folks. Can't wait for the final version to come out.

//H

She's Back
I'm delighted to announce that the next installment of the Witch Queen saga will be available at GenCon in first edition glory.

Goodman Games' first 1e release, Iron Crypt of the Heretics, was far more successful than we predicted, selling out in the first few hours of the connvention. I'm happy to say that this won't be the case for Saga. We're limiting sales to 2 per person, and (hopefully!) printing enough so that all the grognards who want one can get a copy. Some will even be for sale on the Goodman Games' site, just in case you can't make it to the con. Speculators be warned --- Iron Crypt is worth a ton because there were far too few printed; this likely won't be the case for Saga.

Pending the release of the 4th edition, all the new content in Saga will be converted to 3.5 for inclusion along with the final, dramatic finale. I've begun working on the last episode; with luck ink will be hitting paper sometime in the next couple months.

//H

Go Forth, My Deathy Minions!
DCC World is up for an Ennie for Best Campaign Setting. Last year (it seems so long ago) I lost to an adventure featuring a "Demon Whore." True story. It's good to know that gamers haven't changed all that much since this hobby's inception. :)

But, and this needs to be noted up front, this year we're up against Ptolus.

Yes, that Ptolus. The test setting for 3.5 edition, penned by the author of the same. Suffice it to say, Monte best be getting a front seat for the proceedings.

Still, regardless of where your loyalties might lie, go out and vote. At least be counted.

And as for demon whores, my dear friend Tek once went a few rounds against a DW in a University of Colorado dorm room. Turned into a battle of biblical proportions, culminating in Tek abandoning his loyal toyota pickup truck in favor of a quick get away. We had to sneak back in the middle of the night and jump start the old Squid, whose battery had been drained from leaving the hazard lights on. The Squid took one for the team that night.

The lesson learned: If a DW ever offers you a good time, it's always best to turn her down. It will cost you your soul, or worse, your truck.
//H

NYC: The Shirt off My Back

Part, the First: The next 3 weeks I’ll be posting to you live from the sweltering heat of New York state. Once again I have the great privilege of traveling halfway across the nation, meeting incredible folks, learning a fair bit about community development, and hopefully – just maybe – improving myself.

If nothing else I come away with story ideas and a renewed appreciation for Lovecraft.

Part, the Second: I’ve never been terribly good about buying clothes. It bores and terrifies me. The happy result of this is that all my friends (not wanting to spend time with a naked Harley) end up giving me clothes. The result is that all my favorite articles of clothing once belonged to friends, spouses or family members. But with relatives and friends spread across the globe, I don’t receive clothes like I used to, so in the last couple weeks I’ve been forced to --- gasp --- actually go out and look for something to buy.

Again, bored and terrified. Still if you’ve got to wear something, it might as well be interesting. Or at least have an interesting story. Wearable art, as it were.

Though I was (and remain) unable to find good Sisters shirts on the net (Reptile House, I’m looking at you), I did come across 2 cool t-shirt designs. One belongs to La Marca del Este folks (a Spanish gaming group), another to the Collabros (design artists for Zoo York skateboards), but sadly neither was really for sale.

And yet after complimenting both on their designs, both offered to send me shirts.

Gaming and skateboards. New friends giving me new shirts. Very, very cool.

Add to this the Wentz Choose Death logo design (to be unveiled at GenCon!) and Harley is feeling fairly stylish.

For a shy geek, that is.

Getting clothes off the net.

Ah well. At least I haven’t had to buy anything at the mall.

//H

Free to a good home...
But for you, $10.00.

DCC #51.5: Sinister Secret of Whiterock has made it to Ebay. Given out free as part of Free RPG Day, as of Monday night it is fetching a regular DCC price. Odds are it won't go up much more, since we'll be printing a variant for GenCon.

Regardless, hopefully whoever buys it will use it.

Oh, and thanks in no small part to Spanish models, DCC World is up for an Ennie this year. Who knows --- maybe this time the DCC crew won't be exiting the Ennies out the kitchen staff entrance.*

//H


*True story. Reminds me that I promised to make a real post this week.

Success!
Another trip around the sun. I’ve been out of the reach of wi-fi the last 10 days, which means I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on. And so a pithy, birthday post is going to have to wait.

In lieu of pith, I’ve brought gifts. The first is for my dear friend Technobi, a photo that appears for all intents and purposes seems to be a Spanish model holding a copy of DCC World. The photo is from the good folks at La Marca del Este who give high praise to the DCC line, have sweet t-shirts, and claim that Lady Obscura is their official GM.

Truth or fiction. You decide:



Regardless, they're playing DCCs in Spain. How freakin' cool is that? This gig rocks.

Anyhow, a real post later this week. Promise.

//H

June 23: Free RPG Day
Free stuff this Saturday at your favorite local gaming story.

Like the guy with the boom-cannon said:

Get some.





Old Man Skate Jam

Technobi 2k is back in town, so I'm headed down the mountain to fall down on Boulder concrete, some of the nicest concrete there it. Roberto is coming up from Denver, making us 4 --- sorta like an old folks home on wheels.

Some of the very best skating I've done these last 2 years have been with the Tek. Good times.

Not that it should mean anything to you, but we found this great new place for wall rides, there's an Olympic-sized nose slide that I've been meaning to try out, and given that it is Boulder, we'll spend a fair amount of time simply bombing down hills faster than God intended.

(Last time we tried bombing through campus we almost lost Rob underneath a car. Break out that bottle of hydrogen peroxide, kids, your dad is bleeding through every pore on this body.)

Stupidity and bravado aside, it will be great to see all my old friends and inspire them to greater stupidity. With a friend like Harley, who needs enemies?

And last but not least ...
... a Deathy Shout Out to Jon Hershberger, Vicki Potter and their respective families, who drove out from Kansas and Nebraska to see the West and spend a little time hanging out in Glenwood Springs. Both are wonderful people, and has been great getting to know their families. Again and again I'm blessed with good friends.

//H

Coming Soon to a Cavern Near You

Notable denizens created by Jeff LaSala and Mike Ferguson (and some created by the rest of us DCC folks) are being compiled into Goodman Games' Dungeon Denizens. The tome of more than 90 monsters was chosen and re-edited by Aeryn Blackdirge, our resident stat specialist. This is precisely how much of the old 1e Monster Manual II and Fiend Folio came about --- creatures showed up in adventures, then were compiled into books.

If you already have all the DCCs, you don't need this collection, but for folks looking to catch up on missing monsters or simply looking to compile the best of the DCC creatures, this is handy resource to have around.

Plus, those sweet fonts of yesteryear. >:)

//H

The Return of Harley's Wasted Youth
I was just emailed the rough map of the town of Cillamar, a translation of the scans that I sent to the cartographer. It's very, very cool to see the maps "come to life" as it were, under the hands of a professional. It’s all about people taking the time to make me look good.

Cillamar is the town "home base" for the upcoming Castle Whiterock box set, and my most ambitious urban setting to date. I had the chance to work out a style by drawing up Frog Town, in Zeitgeist's Temple of the Frog, and then Hadler's Gap, in Saga of the Dragon Cult, but Cillamar makes both those settlements seem tiny by comparison. Greyhawk City was a perennial favorite back in the day, so if you’re familiar with the Jewel of the Flanness, chances are good you’ll see design similarities.

Mostly, inclusion of sewers. Can’t miss the sewers. :)

Tonight, rejections/acceptances for the DCC line. The writers have all been terribly, terribly patient with me and my day job, so it’s time to get caught up on my night job.

That and writing up the rough for a 1e (aka AD&D) release. For a long time I've had the sense that the perfect DCC offers THE adventure that we've all always known about, but that was never published. It is hard to convey the sense of satisfaction I get from penning down these missing bits of D&D lore. This one, especially, fits the bill. I hope folks like it.

Summer is looking good. Projects to work on, but no mammoths. Time to kick back and enjoy the writing.

//H

Desolation Canyon
Just back from 5 days on the Green River with 18 8th graders. Amazing group of students, amazing scenery, amazing trip all around.

Everyone got home safe, which was my first and highest priority. Everyone had a good time, which was important, but ranked nowhere close to safety.

The short story is that we flew into the canyon lands on tiny prop planes, landed atop mesa, hiked down to the river then floated our way out through rapids at high water. Being forced to be self-suficient for any period of time is a good experience for anyone to have. If you want shelter, you make it. If you want warmth, you better make a fire. If you want food, guess who cooks it.

That sort of independence gives you a sense of confidence that's hard to find anywhere else. Good times.

Now to get caught up for the week I missed ....

//H

Passing of a Giant

Angus Mcbride died yesterday. He was the illustrator that gave Middle Earth Role Playing its distinctive feel; 15-year old books sporting his work still sit on my shelves.

Moldvay. David C. Sutherland III. Now Mcbride. Edit: And now Lloyd Alexander. Some would argue that there is all the more opportunity for us to shine, building upon their work.

This is true. But there is a melancholy as well. The silence in the air after a giant passes by.

//H

More Random Details You Didn’t Need to Know About Harley
4 of 8 - Wildlife: Once my little brother and I trapped a bighorn sheep in our house.

True story. A real life, Marty Stauffer, bangs-its-head-against-things bighorn.

We were so proud when the door slamned closed. Turned out we hadn't quite thought our plan through to its consequences. Trapping it was the easy part. Getting it out of the house was something else altogether.

//H

Tagged
So I'm too much of a pain to tag anyone else (the tattoo reads, “Doesn’t play well with others”). Also, just to be a prick, a meme is a "unit of cultural information which can propagate from in a manner analogous to genes.” So while blog tagging might be a meme, not all memes are blog chain posts.

This is my excuse not to tagging anyone else. If the meme is strong enough, it will survive with or without me.* And if it specifically needs Harley to pass it along, it didn’t deserve to make it in the first place. >:)

But that doesn’t mean I won’t take the excuse to tell you 8 things about myself. Eight would actually take some thinking, which would take time, something I don’t have a heck of a lot of. We’ll have to start small.

Random Details You Didn’t Need to Know About Harley
1 of 8 - Most interesting thing said to me this past weekend:

“I don’t know you and already I want to kick your ass.”

Heh. Makes me giggle just thinking about it.

2 of 8 - I sleep walk a lot.
No, really. A LOT. This could be 8 random things you didn't need to know about Harley's bedroom habits. Once I leaped through a glass window to escape a crushing room trap. Most the others involve naked people. Ask me at GenCon.

3 of 8 - I've owned 2 AK-47s.
Had to sell one for bills. My little brother got me the other. Got to love the Saurus. Note that #3 doesn't mix well with #2.

That about does it for today. Must not be a very interesting fellow.

//H


*Though, ostensibly, by reading this, you've been "tagged"/infected anyhow. Funny how that works.

Saga of the Dragon Cult Pre-release
OR Another funny thing happened on the way to the printer...

The boxed set is hung up in China, but you can have the new bits on pdf at RPGnow and the other usual d20 pdf distros.

So that we're clear, while the boxed set contains 4 adventures and a new 32 book by yours truly, this pdf is just the new parts by yours truly. Some setting detail, a town map, and encounters that link DCC #2: Lost Vault of Tsathzar Rho, DCC #6: Temple of the Dragon Cult, DCC #10: The Sunless Garden, and DCC #17: Legacy of the Savage Kings. To get the entire box set, you'll have to wait 'till summer.

//H

A funny thing happened on the way to the printer...
The much anticipated Temple of the Frog is on its way to printers, and is up for presale on the new Zeitgeist Games online store. And when I write "much anticipated," I'm mostly referring to myself. Can't wait to get my hands on a copy.

I was teamed up with Richard Pocklington to write this project. Odds are it will be Zeitgeist Games' big push at GenCon, which will be fun, coinciding with the 40th GenCon and all. My portion of the adventure has already been in play in the Living Blackmoor campaign for some time, so there won't be any special MMORPG events, but I'm sure you'll be able to find folks willing running Temple somewhere in Indy. :)

//H

Life is what happens while your friends are writing books.
Hey you! You two girls! You on the motorcyle! My legion of Deathy Minions! Everyone go preorder Marce's book:

Here’s the blurb:

Grisly murders shake the small city of Aruldusk. Both the Church and the Crown send in agents to investigate. But when the body count continues to rise, these rival factions will have to learn to work together to track down the killers -- even if it means hunting a killer in the highest reaches of power.

On an entirely celebratory note, Marce was the first person to post to my blog, way back when I was even less professional than I am today. We both started blogging at the same time --- can't recall who inspired who. Regardless, she's been reigning Queen of the Dead from day one. Which is entirely without consequence except that I can honestly say that I’ve witnessed her rise, from small press one-shots, to magazines, and now to a book all her own.

To a kid that grew up ooing and awing about TSR’s Dragonlance novels, that’s pretty cool.

So give Marce some Deathy love. She’ll be at GenCon this year, so bring your well read copy to Indy and get it signed.

Cheers to Marce!
//H


Mention this ad at the GenCon signing, and Marce will buy us both a glass of wine. >;)

Shared World Design Camp
OR The NoPro Road Goes South

Q. What do Troy Denning, John Wick, Douglas Niles, and Harley Stroh have in common?*

A). Not a damn thing.

B). All but one are brilliant creators in the world of fiction and game design.

C). We’re all being put up in Spartanburg, South Carolina for a week this summer, to teach a classes on shared world design.

D). B & C.

Jeremy Jones of Wofford College is putting together an incredibly cool summer camp for high school students interested in shared world design. The students will study history, biology, religions, and physics during the day, and attend design seminars in the evenings. All for the sole purpose of writing, designing and illustrating their own shared worlds by the end of the week.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Jeremy deserves an award.

I have the great privilege of being one of the teachers, joining such luminaries as .... Douglas Freakin’ Niles.

This is the part where I roll to disbelieve. Douglas Niles. The Douglas Niles. And John Wick? A mere 5 years ago I was saving every post-graduate penny to buy his Legend of the Five Rings rpg books.

Fortunately, I’m not going alone. I called in artillery support from Jeremy “Topo Rex” Simmons, the signature cartographer for the DCC line and co-designer of the Wicked Fantasy Factory adventures. This will also give us the chance to spend some down time together --- Simmons is one of those folks that I keep meaning to see at GenCon, but never manage to spend time with.

I’m still not sure that I’m worthy of the honor (after all, this is still Harley we’re talking about here) but I’m going to do my best to ensure that they get their money’s worth.

Plus, it just sounds like a lot of fun.

So. Give Jeremy Jones a Deathy shout-out, swing by Spartanburg in late July, and say a prayer for me.

//H

*Answer upside down on the bottom of your computer.

GAMA Report Day 4: Sin City, There and Back Again
We broke down the Goodman booth with due efficiency, shook hands and handed out DCCs to the last of the convention crowd then hitched it to the airport where I scrambled to get out a few last emails to a very patient cadre of DCC writers.

Short aside: If you are worried about the industry with all the recent changes (WoTC pulling the license on Dragon, Dungeon, and Dragonlance), don’t be. There are dozens of passionate, professional publishers working hard to get RPG material into the hands of eager retailers. The folks that are in the business right now are the ones that were smart enough and savvy enough to survive the crash of the d20 glut, and they’re working hard to make certain they’ll be around in another 10 years.

Some last impressions:

Steve Chenault, of Troll Lords is a brilliant man and a gifted storyteller. If you have to be in Vegas, I hope it is with this man. Who else can come to Las Vegas with $11.00 and leave treating folks to steak dinners? Only a Chenault.

Chris Doyle, is a fantastic designer/author. (The list on Pen and Paper is incomplete, by the way. That man has written more material for the RPGA and STAR WARS alone, than I have in my entire career.) If you get a chance to sit down with him and talk about his current projects, I highly recommend it.

Eric K. Rodriguez, along with the rest of the Mongoose folks, made for great company, both at dinner and on the showroom floor. (BTW, Eric - I believe - is also a bouncer, which could explain why his Conan writing is so good.) Thanks for taking the time to drop by the booth and drop off the books.

I got a pre-release copy of the The Order of the Stick Game and it looks to be ludicrously fun and funny. If you're into board games, or OOTS, this is a good choice, and if you're into both, it is a no brainer.

As for the volatile cocktail of gaming designers + alcohol + Vegas’ more risqué “offerings,” stories have begun to surface, but they’re not fit for public consumption. Hit us up at GenCon, or better yet, get the Troll Lords to tell you.

Till then,
//H

P.S. More later this weekend on something very, very cool: http://www.woffordsharedworlds.org/

GAMA Report: Day 3
(Don't ask what happened to Day 2)
Michael Stackpole has great taste in food and scotch. Dinner conversation ranged from evolving IP rights (and legislation's relation to Disney and married senators), to teleportation traps, to shared world design, to the dangers of firing self-loaded rounds in automatic weapons. Articulate, intelligent. Basically everything you'd hope to be as a writer.

Me? I just listened and smiled.

Also, I got my greedy hands on a pre-sale copy of Knights of the Dinner Table #126. TacoJon, my friend and yours, did an awesome job with his first original DCC. When copies go up for sale, be sure to get one.

Finally, James Mishler has proven once again to have a depth of knowledge (and creativity) that puts me to shame. The sample of his Free RPG Day contribution rocks.

If it's good to be be humble, GAMA has provided ample opportunity.

//H

GAMA Report: Day 1
OR Vegas is Weird, Industry is Good
Courtesy of Goodman Games, I had dinner sitting beside Jolly Freakin' Blackburn. Doesn't get much cooler than that, pseudo-French hot pants and bad burgers not withstanding.

Kenzer and Co. brought a pre-sale copy of Aces and Eights to dinner. The book rocks like Boot Hill on whiskey and cocaine.

Also, a big, Deathy shout-out to Cassandra of Tabletop Adventures. This small, enterprising company put in the effort to come to GTS to learn the ropes/outline their plot for world domination. You have to respect that kind of dedication. Most folks don't bother to plan, expecting the world to be handed to them on a platter.

And finally, thanks to Jason, the retailer enough to share his experiences of Iron Crypt. Claims they studied one encounter for 2 weeks.

Wow. Humbling indeed.

More to report, but now it is time for some well-deserved sleep.

//H

Viva Las Vegas
Harley Stroh, world’s luckiest d20 author, is sitting at the Denver International Airport, waiting for his flight. In two hours he will be in Las Vegas, where he will do his best to convince retailers that they should carry DCCs in their stores. Run some games, sign some DCCs, and schmooze with the industry.

Truth is I’m scared witless. Las Vegas? Trade Show? Running games for retailers? This was never part of the plan.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech lives on in our public awareness, diminishing the importance of any emotion I might be having. This week I’ve had a hard time posting anything to the blog. It seems unseemly, garish even, to celebrate milestones in my life, when so many others have been denied milestones altogether. With no television I’ve been free to work through the repercussions in my mind, from the lives lost, to the potential liberties that might be lost through reactive legislation.

Martin Luther King, Jr., once said something along the lines of, “I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.”*

Put another way, he might be asking, Am I my brother’s keeper?

Virginia gives us the answer. If someone, somewhere, is suffering, it will affect my life. And no matter how isolated I might be, if I am a suffering, I will affect someone else’s life.

I am my brother’s keeper. Not the government, not the police, not any legislation. Me. And you are mine.

So what does this have to do with a blog?

As artists and writers, we create. But I've been silent the last week. To be inspired to silence is to allot Cho’s violence more power than it deserves. Silence, out of respect for the families and victims, has a place. Silence, out of fear of impropriety, strips away any claim I might have to art.

When tragedy strikes, we shouldn’t be silent. When tragedy strikes, we should answer it with creation. That’s our job, the obligation earned by living in America. Those of us with food in our bellies owe those less fortunate more than our meek silence. This writing thing isn’t just a gig; it’s a duty.

They just announced boarding. Please excuse the unedited nature of this post. Next post coming from the GAMA trade show.

Viva.

Viva, Las Vegas.

//H




*Here’s the full quote:

In a real sense all life is inter-related. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the inter-related structure of reality.

Cooler minds than my own.
So a lot to post today, but before I do, check this out.

One of the great things about RPG writing is that there are real people that take up your words and invest them with life. A writer provides the raw materials, but it is the gamers that are actually responsible for any magic that might arise. Case in point, Into the Wilds, an adventure I wrote for Goodman Games.

Mister Hook/None the Wiser, an architectural illustrator, took what I wrote and created these beauties:

The Town of Wildsgate


A view of the Spires


(See the rest, in full rendering, on the Goodman Forums).

Um --- Wow. That's a lot cooler than anything I've ever created.

And the amazing thing? I'm surrounded by amazing, talented folks doing the same thing. While Hook is turning out amazing renderings, TacoJon is working on another 1e conversion to follow up with his Iron Crypt success.

Humbling. Very humbling.

Anyhow, feel free to give Hook a shout out on the Goodman Forums , or check out his homepage at http://misterhook.net/.

//H

Doesn't post for months then you can't shut him up.
A friend just shared the unreleased art for her first novel.

Like, wow. Can't wait to be able to post it.

//H

Free RPG Day: June 23

June 23 is Free RPG Day, when gaming stores across the States will be handing out free gaming materials. Goodman Games is producing 3 new adventures for giveaway, so if your favorite local gaming store isn't participating, tell them to get on board. It's a great way to bring customers into brick and mortar stores, and it's a great way for folks like you and me to get free stuff.

And unlike most free stuff, this stuff doesn't suck. :)

You can find a list of participating retailers at www.freeRPGday.com.

//H

What I meant to write is,
You're Not Published Until You're On Amazon*

Neversfall, a Forgotten Realms novel crafted by my dear friend Ed Gentry is up for pre-order on Amazon. No cover art yet, but as soon as there is you'll be hearing from me.

*Steve Katz, "the most important living American novelist," once assured me that until you're published in NYC, you're not published. Go ahead, mock him; Steve can appreciate a good ribbing.

You're Not Published Until You're In KotDT

It is my very profound pleasure to announce that Knights of the Dinner Table #126 will feature a DCC written by none other than Jon "TacoJon" Hershberger. ("Blackstone's Maze" is for d20; sorry grognards.)

Jon is the same man that brought you the 1e version of Iron Crypt, laying waste to untold numbers of PCs at last year's GorillaCon and GenCon. Jon has even more 1e Goodman goodness in store for GenCon 2007, and --- God willing and if the creeks don't rise --- we'll have a very special GenCon 1e release.

But that's months away. Go forth, my Deathy minions, and demand your copy of #126!

//H

NoPro Skate Show: 2007
The Old Man Slam Jam is coming to Indy, and you’re invited. Last year I wanted to rally old friends and new to skate the streets of Indy and adjoining parks, but things just got too busy and it turned out that there was a BMX clinic at the Indianapolis skatepark the same time we wanted to use the facilities. This year “no” is not an option. After sitting around and playing games for hours, getting out to breath some air and scrape some skin isn’t just a good idea, it’s mandatory.

So, bring your boards, bikes, and blades, kids. This year we’re falling down on concrete.

Zen and the Art of Falling
This past week I had the chance to get down to Boulder and Fort Collins. These days I’m either skating alone or with kids at the parks, so getting the hit the streets with old friends yields nothing less than heart-bursting joy.

Corny, but true.

We hit old spots on the CU campus, bombed a hill that left Rob bloodied, and even found 2 new skate spots that - somehow – we had missed the five years I lived in Boulder.

Skating involves the curious illusion of danger. We’re not really looking to get hurt, or at least the odds are very slim (says the guy with the titanium in his leg), and when we’re screaming down a hill towards a parking lot, I’m trusting that everyone else is skating within their means. To state the obvious, it never ceases to amaze me how practice makes all the difference, even when falling.

Put another way, we’ve become really good at falling down.

It calls to mind a quote I came across on the Goodman Games forums. It read, “An amateur practices until he gets it right. A professional practices until he can’t get it wrong.”

That’s me, an unpaid, professional faller.

Springtime for Harley and Something that rhymes with Germany…
OR “If I was a rich man...”

To be clear H & H are not well to do. We’re much better off than we deserve, but we don’t come close to the folks that jet in and out of Aspen.

However, like mice living in the shadows of a 5 star kitchen, we do pretty well off the scraps. (I originally wrote “roaches,” then thought better of comparing H to a roach. Me maybe, but not her.)

Add to this, the wonderfully bi-polar nature of springtime in Colorado, and you have a recipe for really good ride.

When I was younger, I swore to myself that I wouldn’t become someone who lived solely for the weekend. Sometimes I’m able to stick to my vow, sometimes I’m not, but sometimes – as much as it galls me to admit it – I’m fortunate enough to have a really cool weekend.

Friday Night: A friend buys us tickets to benefit dinner in Aspen. Free dinner and drinks plus a comedy show.

Saturday Morning: Wake up. Go to the skate park. Fall down on concrete for several hours.

Saturday Afternoon: Turn in 90k project. *Collective sigh of relief*

Saturday Afternoon: Different friend takes us out to dinner; we all go see Little Shop of Horrors.

Sunday Morning – Afternoon: Wake up. H & H go snowboarding. (Recall I was skating just the day before. Have I mentioned I love spring?) I finally step up to big air elements and come back unbroken.*collective sigh of relief*

Sunday Night: Begin planning next big writing project.

And? It’s snowing right now. The passes will likely be closed by sundown.

Even more fun than a return to winter conditions is this coming weekend ….

Ya Se Fue!

Yup. Ozomatli is having a free show in Aspen, Friday night. Ozomatli is found somewhere on the spectrum of Mariachi-Ska-Punk-Hip Hop, which (in addition to having something like 9 members), means that when these brothers get after it, Harley just can’t say “no.”

They're also some of the happiest performers on earth.

The show is followed by Spring Break – an entire week of skating / writing / boarding / sleeping out of my car. Plus, I promised a friend I would get her a paintball gun. Hades and all the Hells hath no fury like a scorned woman armed with a paintball gun. You heard it here first.

Life is good, kids. Damn, damn good. Again and again, I get better than I deserve. And you guys are part of that. Thank you.

Enough sap. If you’re in Colorado this Friday, and if you can pick me out of a darkened crowd of hundreds, I’ll see you Aspen.

Till then,
//H