Flaming Monkey

My prep for this year’s Ambercon is nearly done, which is good, since Jenn and I are starting the first leg of the drive to Livonia early on Wednesday morning.

Le Cygne: The Oracle’s Light

No preparation needed, as I’ll be choosing a pregenerated character at the con. The last time I played in this series, my character, Peet, was wounded in battle and then killed by the ship’s doctor, who was (in theory) trying to treat him. Oops.

Nine Lives in Amber

My character is approved, my character sheet is filled in, and my copy of Cat is printed out and given a quick read. I’m all set for this one.

Nine Losers in Amber (GM)

Pregenerated characters were sent out to the players back on Friday evening, and all of my scenario materials are now printed up. I may add a few more things to entertain the players, but, since I’ve already run this once, I think I’m ready.

Ill Met in Amber

As always, I intended to write some things up between sessions, and, again as always, I never quite got around to it. In any case, I found the character sheet and notes, so I’m as ready as I’m going to be. Oh, and a fine single-malt has been purchased.

The Mysterious Affair (GM)

Jenn and I wrapped up the last details of the scenario this evening, and the characters have been sent out to the players. We’re planning on a lot of player (and character) freedom here, so I really have no idea how this will end up turning out. Hopefully everyone will have fun though.

Equalizer

My character is almost, but not quite, approved, as the GMs had a couple of questions that I hope I’ve managed to address to their satisfaction. I printed up a modified version of the character anyway, and if I need to change it before I leave, I will.

Blaze of Glory: The Shadows Attack

Waiting to hear back from the GM about whether or not Amir’s wives will be joining him, but otherwise The Mad Arab is ready to go.

Let’s see, what RPG stuff have I got going….

I’m working on the scenario that Jenn and I are planning on running at ACUS in a few weeks (think Victorian-era police procedural), plus tweaking the re-run of Nine Losers in Akron.

I’m trying to give a close read to Clinton R. Nixon’s The Shadow of Yesterday, which seemed pretty darned cool at first skim.

I’m glancing now and then at my recently arrived copy of Ron Edwards’ The Sorcerer’s Soul, though I’m trying to hold off on really getting into it ’til I’ve finished reading TSOY.

I’m hoping to soon (though maybe not ’til after ACUS) make a big push on getting the one-player Buffy the Vampire Slayer game I’ve been talking about for a while now to a point where I can actually start it. I’ve been tempted to run it with a system other than BtVS, but it’s a temptation I may well resist. We’ll see.

I need to remember to work on scenario ideas for TBR too.

I’m still playing in one system-less PBEM and a monthly D&D 3.5 game, and still wanting to get into more games (hopefully ftf and cool system) in the future.

Oh, and I should really post here more often….

This may be one of the coolest game design stories ever:

But here’s what’s happening now. Last fall sometime Sebastian, my 8 year old, told me about a comic he was planning to make. He didn’t tell me the story, he told me about the story: it’s two parallel stories, he said, one about a squad of space marines fighting a war, the other about their friends and families back home. The space marines are going to fight life and death battles, he said, while the people at home are going to have problems and struggles of their own. He told me a little about the marines’ power armor and landing crafts. I was there nodding right along and going “kid, you’re 8 – how can you be talking to me about parallel stories about marines and their loved ones back home? How do you know this crap? Where do you get these insights?” Anyway and he was like, “want to hear the title? Red Sky A.M.”

This blew me away. Red Sky A.M., like it were no thing, like it weren’t the best title in the history of space marines. Red Sky A. fuckin’ M.

So that’s been stewing in my brain. Then a couple of weekends ago Ben was visiting and I was bemoaning (again) the fact that Sebastian thought of it not me. I can’t bring myself to steal my kid’s genius idea and title! I was saying how I’d design it a game for grownups, not for kids, it would be a game about no shit war (and again, how did Sebastian nail it so perfectly?).

Meg was like, “you know what you could do? You could design and publish, credit him for the idea and the title, and put the proceeds into his college fund.”

That was the spark. Red Sky A.M. is the new project.

I’ll definitely be looking forward to this one.