Ok, since everybody else is doing it...

I might as well get on the 'get my s*** together' band wagon :)

I know it has been hit or miss of late but this year has been super crazy...I mean right up there with best of the worst. So many things draining time from me and me falling behind on the projects that are important to me.

So, it's time to schedule one day a week for the 'extras' that I do (news aggregators, personal crusades, long comments when shorts one will suffice, etc) and get back onto the main path of finishing my system and publishing Classic Realms of Adventure (CRoA).

Since it would seem I would pick the year that everyone and his grandma would release a system (not complaining...everyone should follow their muse while she calls) I figure I would use the system I am building to create stand alone games with. The most common complaint I hear is so many systems but so little support. So I decided to put the cart in front of the horse and produce something playable now and work on the system till I feel that it and the gamers were ready for it. The nice thing is that the stand alones will provide content already available for the system when it arrives because they will be based on the same engine. So for someone who has never played the stand alone it can be played as a straight forward adventure and someone who has played the stand alone will be able to play it again with more options.

I learned a lot from making DEEP DELVE and have tons of notes that didn't make it into the final cut of the Alpha that I can use in all my projects. Just common sense solutions (many gleaned from some of my favorite blog authors).

I had hoped for a better year but we do what we can. I hope the extra work on the FORSAKEN SOULS ENGINE 2.1 (FSE21) shows. As I have said before I have some really good ideas piled in with a lot of blah, so I have started from the bottom up and began using new mechanics and source that I will be discussing over at the CRoA blog.

Just so I don't confuse too much, CRoA is both a blog acting as a central location for releases and a pdf based ezine I am trying to finish up the premiere issue of. I had to wait for some material to arrive (like ELDER SIGN) so that I could have a chance to put in a first look and some other material I just needed to read over for a better grasp. I hope that 'different' isn't a dirty word. It sounds like from what I read that there is a lot of burn out and maybe some of this will help re-light the pilot and get motivation back up. This has truly been a great year for both new games and discovering older games and I wanted to share that in a portable format that you don't even need an internet connection to enjoy.

And now, back to the salt mines.

The Salem Witchcraft Papers - Verbatim Transcriptions of the Court Records

It's been awhile and I wonder sometimes if I should just go back to blogging and forget the zine I'm working on. But with the attrition rate of blogs these days I would like to leave something a little more permanent as a reference point...oh well...a subject for another day...

The following is from what I consider one of the best online book references on the web. I found this years ago and caught myself wrapped up in reading these documents. For someone running an early American game or Horror theme (Lovecraft anyone?)these might provide some inspiration.

Just remember, what you are reading really happened. Truth is stranger than Lovecraft.

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/texts/transcripts.html

YouTube - ‪DW Bestiary: Available Now‬‏

YouTube - ‪DW Bestiary: Available Now‬‏

What is Dragon Warriors?

Dragon Warriors is a game from the heyday of pen and paper roleplaying games, the 1980s. Penned by Dave Morris and Oliver Johnson, it was originally published by Corgi Books. They used a paperback format, which gave the game the appearance of the incredibly popular Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, and indeed many bought into the game thinking that’s exactly the kind of thing it was.

Dragon Warriors was in fact a full roleplaying game, with a Games Master and a group of players taking roles within the fantasy world of Legend. This being the 1980s, the game bore some distinct resemblance to Dungeons and Dragons. However, it came with a distinctly British flavour, especially when it came to the included setting – the Lands of Legend.

(Read More- http://serpentking.com/?page_id=153)

They Promised Us We Were Going To Live Forever And All I Got Was This Stupid Blade Runner T-Shirt

Blade Runner is my favorite film. I have studied it like religious scholars have the Dead Sea scrolls.

There is a reason for my unstoppable support for this mangled masterpiece...it was the first time I thought I had seen the real future.

It was the first time I felt I had been told the truth.

And that was disturbing.

I knew something had changed inside me when I left the theater opening day after the first showing. I just didn't realize what it was until later.

But over the next several months in '82 I went through a transformation that scared people a little. I had always worn my hair long. I cut it the shortest it had ever been. I was working an early morning shift in winter and could only afford a motorcycle as transportation. I went into a thrift store and hanging on a rack was a mint condition vintage army trench-coat with the wool liner. I handed the lady my $5 and left the building.

I still own that trench to this day. Frazzled and worn it is still one hell of a coat and with the liner will keep you warm in deep Siberia.

I didn't know what cyberpunk was then. It didn't have a name. But there were books and other items that seemed to be part of a world not often talked about in fiction circles or any other circles for that matter.

I read Burning Chrome by William Gibson that same year. I began my Gary Numan collection. I bought John Brunner's pre-cyberpunk trilogy-Stand On Zanzibar / Jagged Orbit / The Sheep Look Up - and the grand-daddy of them all-Shockwave Rider (where he coined the word "worm" to describe a program that propagates itself through a computer network).

Prior to all this I had been a believer in the 'science will cure all our ills' future. Future Life magazine promised we would all travel to space and live forever. There would be no more war or disease. That science would deliver us from ourselves into a 'golden land of opportunity and adventure'.

Flash Forward 30 years - The planet is dying and we argue over whether the water will rise in Miami 24 inches or 24 feet. Genocide takes place everyday on this planet. Starvation is rampant.

And I watched what may very well be the last time this country puts a person into space in my lifetime.

With the last launch of a shuttle the curtain comes down on the finest achievement humans have ever made.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope somebody figures it out. The future we were promised was a bright one, filled with the technology and the know-how to fix the problems, to right the wrongs.

I'm just not holding my breath.

ON PIRACY AND NEW MODELS OF DISTRIBUTION IN THE 21ST CENTURY

I have been reading a series of posts about pdf piracy of game materials on the web and found the sentiment in the right place but I would like to add something.

Many fields of intellectual properties have a had a tough time coming to terms with the new tech ecology that permeates ever aspect of our lives.

The only solution is to stop treating the downloaders as criminals and find new ways to monetize the content they are downloading.

First accept this: THE PAST IS DEAD AND GONE.

We must invent new models to find a balance between the the creator and the consumer.

Models that I see as helping to bridge that gap:

(1) Distribute your IP for free with support from advertisers that appeal to the demographic you are trying to reach. These advertisers must make a property that supports the IP yet cannot be distributed in the same fashion. In games for example minis make a good choice. And take it a step further. Join with them in creating custom minis for your IP. There are other items that fall under this heading (like custom dice).

(2) The Ransom Model / Kickstarter. Having the item paid for in advance is a way to insure a base return on investment. If no one wants to pay for it then there is no point in devoting time to a project if financial gain is your motive. Please Note: I'm a dyed in the wool hard core capitalist. I have nothing against making money except when it brings harm to others. I love for people to see the fruit of their labor. I know I enjoy it.

(3) Incorporating items that cannot be transferred over the web and play an integral part in the IP. Boardgames fit this profile. Even WotC is figuring this one out.

We have to get smart again about the way this new technology is not our enemy but our friend. I know many will disagree with these ideas and I wish you much luck in the future if your IP is purely digital in nature. But I hope it is just a hobby and not a serious business concern.

(4) And last but not least put a way to be paid on the internet and make certain people know where it is. I see many times when someone has created and distributed something for free that I would love to PayPal them a sum of money and a note that says 'keep up the good work!'. It's a simple thing but you might be surprised how many will contribute.

The last thing I will mention is an observation-people buy from people they like. Paizo has an all but cult-like status because of the access the fans have to the company and its output unlike WotC who always feel like they are trying to pull a fast one or being underhanded in how they approach their customers. Stop treating your players like crooks and be forthcoming in your activities with your fans. And don't mislead and screw them every five minutes and make them feel like a chump.

DEEP DELVE-50+ DOWNLOADS - NEW GEAR -CRoA #1

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to download DEEP DELVE-RPG. I have been compiling my own notes on corrections and additions and am waiting to hear from some more folks to see what else is broken.

Currently waiting on new gear to get started on some must do projects.

Which brings us to the first issue of Classic Realms of Adventure. I was hoping to have the first ready for this week but with a delay in gear arriving it set me back a bit so I will be shooting for next week. If I have time I might do a sneak peek issue #0 just to give everyone an idea what will be included in each issue. I will have to see how things go after inspecting the new equipment (and believe me, after some of the deliveries I have received I check every thing twice :)

I want to try and update through the weekend as things re-surface. It has been a mad week and I've got travel time coming up soon so I want to get as much prepped as I can before I enter 'vampire' phase (I have always preferred working at night) as soon as road time is over.

Ok, it would appear new hardware is in the house. Let's get busy :)

DEEP DELVE alpha 0.6 Ready For Download

Yes, the day is finally here. DEEP DELVE-RPG is ready for its preview:

http://classicrealmsofadventure.blogspot.com/2011/10/day-is-here-deep-delve-rpg-alpha-06-now.html

UPDATE-DEEP DELVE, FORSAKEN SOULS And New PDF Ezine

Yes, the blog sits here like a faithful dog, waiting by the door, waiting for me to come back. Blogs...mans second best friend. :)

Thought I would just give a brief update. I haven't forgotten about this place, I've just been trying to make up for a crappy first 6 months to the year.

Anyway, FORSAKEN SOULS slowly makes its way through a third draft. I realized I have some really good stuff in there but my presentation was poor and needed to be re-worked.

It got to the point of being gibberish so I took a break from it and have nearly completed an introductory rpg, DEEP DELVE, that took me out of my comfort zone and into a more open concept behind design methods. It has been a good learning experience.

Meant to expose non-players to the concepts of role-playing without scaring them off with pages of math and phrases that are alien to them, the mechanics are simple but if a new player leaves and can sit down at another game table and have at least a basic understanding of language and general concepts in role-playing then I will feel like I have done my job.

And realizing that maybe I'm not cut out to be a full time designer I am shifting over to a format that I am much more comfortable with-the ezine. With pdf publishing allowing me to do things I have never had the chance to do with older formats I look forward to being able to cover what is turning out to be a very vibrant scene that is growing so fast that it's becoming tough to keep up with.

So CLASSIC REALMS OF ADVENTURE (which is also the name of the blog that will be the zines home base along with other projects like DEEP DELVE) will start off with an open ended publishing schedule (eventually settling into a weekly format) with a page count ranging between 32 and 128 pages (the wide range allows for a lot of wiggle room-I see the base model being a 64 page weekly but don't want to back myself into a corner).

It will cover news, previews, new releases and contain game content as well, along with 'guides' to various parts of the hobby like the emergence of 'Weird' and 'Swords & Spaceships' or what I call 'The John Carter Template'. Since blogs play a key role in this community I will be highlighting not only great posts but series that may span multiple posts or blogs and taking a lesson from Rob MacDougall I will go Paleo-Blogging, highlighting older posts from the more established blogs that might have been overlooked by new readers.

I just know that I miss the weekly update from The Underdark Gazette and want to do something that not only is of use to me but can hopefully provide others with a portable one stop mobile medium that can be carried around and read easily where ever you go.

So, please email me if I miss something or if you have a new release or news in general to include. I look forward to an overflowing inbox :)

Ok, next cup of coffee and back to it.

Till next time...

Obituary for Michael S. Hart (1947-2011)

The founder of Project Gutenberg and creator of the ebook has died.

I was stunned. This didn't even make the news...sad times we live in indeed:

Michael S. Hart

From Project Gutenberg, the first producer of free ebooks.

Obituary for Michael Stern Hart

Michael Stern Hart was born in Tacoma, Washington on March 8, 1947. He died on September 6, 2011 in his home in Urbana, Illinois, at the age of 64. His is survived by his mother, Alice, and brother, Bennett. Michael was an Eagle Scout (Urbana Troop 6 and Explorer Post 12), and served in the Army in Korea during the Vietnam era.

Hart was best known for his 1971 invention of electronic books, or eBooks. He founded Project Gutenberg, which is recognized as one of the earliest and longest-lasting online literary projects. He often told this story of how he had the idea for eBooks. He had been granted access to significant computing power at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. On July 4 1971, after being inspired by a free printed copy of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, he decided to type the text into a computer, and to transmit it to other users on the computer network. From this beginning, the digitization and distribution of literature was to be Hart's life's work, spanning over 40 years.

Hart was an ardent technologist and futurist. A lifetime tinkerer, he acquired hands-on expertise with the technologies of the day: radio, hi-fi stereo, video equipment, and of course computers. He constantly looked into the future, to anticipate technological advances. One of his favorite speculations was that someday, everyone would be able to have their own copy of the Project Gutenberg collection or whatever subset desired. This vision came true, thanks to the advent of large inexpensive computer disk drives, and to the ubiquity of portable mobile devices, such as cell phones.

Hart also predicted the enhancement of automatic translation, which would provide all of the world's literature in over a hundred languages. While this goal has not yet been reached, by the time of his death Project Gutenberg hosted eBooks in 60 different languages, and was frequently highlighted as one of the best Internet-based resources.

A lifetime intellectual, Hart was inspired by his parents, both professors at the University of Illinois, to seek truth and to question authority. One of his favorite recent quotes, credited to George Bernard Shaw, is characteristic of his approach to life:

"Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable
people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress,
therefore, depends on unreasonable people."

Michael prided himself on being unreasonable, and only in the later years of life did he mellow sufficiently to occasionally refrain from debate. Yet, his passion for life, and all the things in it, never abated.

Frugal to a fault, Michael glided through life with many possessions and friends, but very few expenses. He used home remedies rather than seeing doctors. He fixed his own house and car. He built many computers, stereos, and other gear, often from discarded components.

Michael S. Hart left a major mark on the world. The invention of eBooks was not simply a technological innovation or precursor to the modern information environment. A more correct understanding is that eBooks are an efficient and effective way of unlimited free distribution of literature. Access to eBooks can thus provide opportunity for increased literacy. Literacy, and the ideas contained in literature, creates opportunity.

In July 2011, Michael wrote these words, which summarize his goals and his lasting legacy: “One thing about eBooks that most people haven't thought much is that eBooks are the very first thing that we're all able to have as much as we want other than air. Think about that for a moment and you realize we are in the right job." He had this advice for those seeking to make literature available to all people, especially children:

"Learning is its own reward. Nothing I can
say is better than that."

Michael is remembered as a dear friend, who sacrificed personal luxury to fight for literacy, and for preservation of public domain rights and resources, towards the greater good.

This obituary is granted to the public domain by its author, Dr. Gregory B. Newby.

Non-Game Related Music Video

I was just knocked on my ass this morning when I accidentally ran across this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVOi5Hdbd7Q

My band used to use their second album to check our stage sound set-up before a set.

Not bad for a bunch of old guys. :)

Hope you enjoy

FOR EVERYONE SAYING GAMING IS DEAD...

I offer this little piece that basically says what I have been saying all year:

http://www.austin360.com/recreation/dungeons-dragons-grows-up-1698450.html?page=2&viewAsSinglePage=true

Thanks to Sea of Stars for turning me onto this:

http://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/wandering-the-web-12/

DEEP DELVE – THE RPG- PROGRESS REPORT

Work progresses toward the release of DEEP DELVE - THE RPG.

I'm hoping to have the 5th alpha build up soon.

Track the progress of the system at:

http://classicrealmsofadventure.blogspot.com/

The Latest Churnings

So nothing is getting posted here because I have had my head buried in the PROJECT THAT IS TRYING TO KILL ME and after finally deciding I needed a break from MATH I got a jump start after reading the following post over at The Mule Abides:

First, how do you make roleplaying games something that anyone can pick up and play for as much or as little time as they like – for example, at a party where people who aren’t already gamers are walking up and looking to experience this new thing without having to commit their whole evening to something they’re not sure they’ll be into?

http://muleabides.wordpress.com/2011/08/19/some-interesting-questions-for-rpgs-and-the-osr/

So after reading some other blog entries commenting on this and generally thinking that D&D is what was to be played and how it wouldn't work.

And they were right. The method described is not workable with D&D. But there is more to getting people interested in rpgs than just D&D and the manners and methods we are accustomed to in our world of play.

But you can play a game where there is zero prep and players can come and go from the table without disturbing play.

So I decided to write it. Oh nooooooooooo...I don't already have enough irons in the fire I need to drop in another one in cause nothing says luvin' like 1,000 irons in the oven.

I believe I have lost my mind.

Anyway, let nothing spoil the parade.

I started a separate blog for projects OTHER than FORSAKEN SOULS (MUST FINISH IT! MUST FINISH IT!) and thought what better way to start off the new blog.

Classic Realms of Adventure will play host to several projects including the Junior edition of FORSAKEN SOULS (thought the parents might appreciate a little lighter tone for little Johnny than trying to explain a post-apocalyptic god-less setting to an 8 year old-then again they might dig it) and now it will also host 2 lite rules projects - DROP & DELVE RPG and THE ZONE.

DDRPG will be a freebie (I just want to see how it goes and I've never done one of those 24 hour challenges so I want to see if I can use this to break through to getting some real work done again on FS) and I'm considering releasing it as a standard pdf and as a series of Pocket Mods to make it easy to tote to parties and such.

If you like the idea of the Pocket Mods please chime in. I count those as yes votes :)

And after doing some research and noting that we have had a system released just about every week this year I'm backing up a bit and trying a different approach with my Basic Edition of FORSAKEN SOULS. This new presentation method is based on ideas I have been reading here in the blogosphere that I thought sounded solid and exciting at the same time.

I too want to bring more players to the table but I want to do it the right way. Don't just make Gerber pablum to get everybody to the table. Make something exciting and relevant. Make something honest. I think that is the single must important thing that a publisher brings to the table. To make the best product they possibly can for the public and don't try to sell something that it's not and make them feel like chumps. The big boys have done this and chased nearly everyone away from their tables.

Ok, back to the silicon mines...

A Word About The Eternal Keep Meeting Place.

I pushed this little guy out front in the event that someone had trouble with G+ or any other Blogger problems recently.

But I just wanted to say please feel free to visit and post whenever you like and tell others. I made it for folks who were tired of the fighting on other forums and the inevitable bias that always seems to take place.

And if your favorite isn't listed or you have an idea for a new board to add please let me know. Just consider it a little backwaters tavern where you can put the sword and shield down for a moment and relax.

And fair warning to any who test that tranquility. I'm a Libra, the scales are my sign and I will not tolerate bashing about on other folks.

In other words be nice :)

As always it can be found at:

http://the-eternal-keep-meeting-place.1048279.n5.nabble.com/

(PLEASE NOTE-The policy above does not discourage spirited conversation. Just when we resort to name calling or some such thing it is just childish.)

News on Dinky Page

I listed a handy little web site provider the other day that is having to work out a problem from someone abusing the service. Hopefully they will get this cleared up soon.