Kansas City Comic Con last weekend, and now MidAmeriCon II / 74th Worldcon starts today. Same venue, but two very different events. I'm excited to see how Worldcon compares, though some differences are already apparent. With three conventions in three weeks (and two world class), it's definitely been the busiest con season I've had for a while. It definitely helps having two of them in town, and even better that both had good Star Wars connections.
Read MoreStar Wars Wednesday - Gen Con 2016
Last week brought another successful Gen Con, with around 60,000 gamers packing the convention center and surrounding hotels in downtown Indianapolis. The dealer hall expanded yet again, and the show extended all the way into Lucas Oil Stadium. Despite some early concerns, I got through without straining an Achilles tendon, though I did cut down on the walking some. Fantasy Flight Games that several major Star Wars boardgame and card game announcements. My product Age of Rebellion Forged in Battle was released at the show, and should be available in stores soon if not already.
Read MoreMidAmeriCon II / Worldcon 74 - Panel & Games
This year, the 74th annual World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) is being held in Kansas City as MidAmeriCon II, August 17-21, 2016. Among the events, such as the noted Hugo awards, is Star Wars Day. The original MidAmeriCon hosted Worldcon in 1976, and featured a promotional panel of an upcoming sci-fi movie called Star Wars. Mark Hamill, Charles Lippincott and producer Gary Kurtz attended. This year's convention is welcoming back Lippincott and Kurtz for a return visit, along with novelist Alan Dean Foster.
There will be a number of other events for Star Wars Day. I will be part of the Star Wars Tie In panel, discussing novels, games, and other elements beyond the movies. Stephen Saffel (past Del Rey editorial director for the Essential Guides, etc.) will be the moderator, and the other panelists are Kevin J Anderson (Jedi Academy Trilogy, etc.), Rebecca Moesta (Young Jedi Knights series), and William Dietz (Dark Forces trilogy).
I will also be running Star Wars RPG games and demos. The demos will feature the just-released Star Wars the Force Awakens Beginner Game RPG. The full 4-hour games will feature the main RPG lines. I am also running one session of Dungeons & Dragons (5e).
Sign up for games ahead of time on Warhorn. My events are not yet listed, but hopefully will appear soon. My games are listed on my full schedule (link above).
Star Wars Wednesday - Way Behind Schedule
Work has kept me so busy, that I'm way behind schedule here and elsewhere. I'm also fighting another bout of hand issues, not unrelated to the above, so that doesn't help. So, short and sweet for now...
Read MoreStar Wars Wednesday - Rebel Previews
With Star Wars Celebration Europe coming up soon, there is sure to be a fair amount of Star Wars news in the coming days. I won't be attending this Celebration - as much as I'd like to return to London again. Still, there will be plenty of opportunities to catch the news live or almost live, and some previews just can't wait...
Read MoreStar Wars Wednesday - Force Focus
Fantasy Flight Games' Star Wars RPGs each focus on different aspects of the Star Wars universe. Now that all three are released - Edge of the Empire, Age of Rebellion, and Force and Destiny - and can be used together, it's perhaps easier to lose what makes each game unique. Here are some suggestions to keep various themes alive during game play.
Read MoreNow available: DM Combat Tabs on Dungeon Masters Guild
in announcements, D&D
DM Combat Tabs is my new product now available at the Dungeon Masters Guild.
Track initiative, conditions, and more on any DM screen.
The kit includes 37 tab types:
- Player Character, Monster (2 types), NPC, Ally, Your Turn
- Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Frightened, Grappled, Incapacitated, Invisible, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Stunned, Turned, Unconscious
- Death Save (Fail), Death Save (Success), Stable, Dead
- Concentration, Inspiration, Reaction Used, Ready Action, Other
- Lair Action Active, Legend Used, Recharge
- Advantage, Disadvantage, Spell Effect, Roll to End Effect
- "More Problems" tab extension for those unfortunate monsters suffering many effects at once.
DM side.
Fill the PC and Monster tabs out by hand after printing, or use the PDF form fillable options before printing. Forms can be saved for reuse.
Customize tabs for your game. Do you want to track different conditions, spell effects, or other information not provided in the kit? Do you run the same adventure often and want to create tabs for the specific monsters used? Use the customizable tabs to add your own text to the front and/or back of the tabs. Add images to the front of the PC and Monster tabs.
5 fully customizable tab types:
An example of a customized tab page.
- Player Character (Front and back: character name, class, level, race, faction, player Name. Front only: image. Back only: AC, HP, Passive Perception, Vision type and distance)
- Monster (2 types)/NPC/Ally, (Front and back: Name. Front only: Image. Back only: AC, HP, minimal notes)
- Condition tabs: Long and short.
Tabletop Tab Rack.
Keep organized and find the right tab quickly during the game using one of two rack types:
DM Screen Tab Rack: This pair of racks hangs right on the DM's screen to minimize loss of table space. It works with the official standard D&D screens or most any other screen type.
Tabletop Tab Rack: A simpler rack folded into a sawtooth shape to hold the tabs. It sits on the table top.
Storage options: Assemble the included custom box to store the DM Screen Tab Racks with the tabs still in place. Other storage suggestions are also included.
DM Screen Tab Racks and Storage Box.
Also use on table tents and minis.
Printing on cardstock is highly recommended, but thick or regular paper can be used. Cutting and folding is required to use the tabs and the racks. Assembly of the optional storage box requires glue or tape.
Formatted for US letter sized paper.
Player side view.
DM side view
Storage box.
Star Wars Wednesday - Freemaker Origins Spirits
Time to catch up - again.
Read MoreStar Wars Force and Destiny RPG wins 2016 Origins Award
in awards
Announced yesterday, the Star Wars Force and Destiny RPG won the 2016 Origins Award for best RPG. It also took the Origins Fan Favorite award for RPGs.
Star Wars Armada took the award for Best Miniatures Game.
Star Wars Imperial Assault took the award for Best Board Game.
A fine performance for Fantasy Flight Games this year.
Star Wars Force & Destiny Savage Spirits Now Available
Star Wars Force & Destiny Savage Spirits, a sourcebook for Seekers is now available. I'm one of the writers. This time, I worked on Chapter III: Deadly Quests. I covered integrating Seekers into the party, the encounter, adventure, and campaign ideas, as well as the rewards section.
Star Wars Wednesday - Shows and Cons
Time flies when you're too busy and traveling too much to post. Also, you know your flights are going to have some issues when your ultimate destination's airport evacuates for a tornado warning. No serious issue in the end, just some inconvenience. Among the items taking up time was one of many summer cons I'll be attending in some fashion...and it had a new Star Wars guest...
Read MoreStar Wars Wednesday - The RPG Awakens
So, I finally get a post completed before Wednesday, and as punishment, it turns out that FFG announces a new beginner game last week. This week they made up for it by announcing one of my new products today, but I imagine whatever starwars.com is starting up tomorrow may make me wish I waited. At least there should be something lined up for next week.
Read MoreStar Wars Age of Rebellion Forged in Battle Announced
Today, FFG announced the upcoming release of Star Wars Age of Rebellion Forged in Battle, a sourcebook for soldiers. I'm one of the writers. It's listed as a third quarter 2016 release.
Star Wars Wednesday - May the 4th Be...Playtesting with a Toddler
Well, there's no ignoring May 4th this year for me since it falls on Wednesday. I'm a fan of puns, but not this one particularly for whatever reason. I'm sure there will be plenty of entertaining Star Wars stuff throughout the day, though, so that should be fun.
Read MoreStar Wars Wednesday - Games and West End
An almost all games edition today, with a variety of game items, including the unexpected return of a certain well known RPG company name...
Read MoreStar Wars Wednesday - Rogue One Rolls Out
Last week was new trailer week, with Rogue One's teaser trailer making a smash debut across seemingly all media outlets. One aspect I hadn't thought much about was the music, which features a composer other than John Williams. It will be interesting to see where that leads, and the how that influences Star Wars movie storytelling. I enjoyed the trailer, especially the appearance of the Death Star.
Read MoreStar Wars Wednesday - GamerNation Con 2016
This past weekend brought GamerNation Con 2016, hosted in Dallas, Texas by d20 radio and the Order66 podcast. I had a good time last year and found a way to get a bit of time to return this year. The con is relatively small, but has a very dedicated Star Wars RPG fan base, and it hosts a wide variety of board games, RPGs, and...lip sync battle. GamerNation clearly extends well beyond the US and some attendees come from around the world - Germany, Australia, Scotland, Canada, Norway, and probably others I'm overlooking at the moment. It was fun to see those who returned from last year, plus those who I've met elsewhere, like GenCon or Star Wars Celebration. The guests of honor were Rodney Thompson (formerly of Wizards of the Coast, Star Wars Saga Edition and D&D 5e fame, now with Bungie working on Destiny) and Christopher West (Maps of Mastery).
Read MoreI'd Just as Soon Kiss a Mookiee Podcast Appearance
Last week Jason Fry and Shannon Shark invited me on their Mets and Star Wars podcast called I'd Just as Soon Kiss a Mookiee, just before the Royals-Mets opening day. We talk baseball, stadiums, Royals, Mets, the Star Wars RPGs, Rebels and more. It was a lot of fun. Jason is a Star Wars writer (Atlas, The Weapon of a Jedi, and many more) and blogs about the Mets at FaithandFearInFlusing.com. Shannon Shark blogs about the Mets at MetsPolice.com.
Since recording the podcast, the Royals defeated the Mets in opener. Jason's blog recap entry is here.
Star Wars Wednesday - Nexus GamerNation Con
There is a lot going on this week. I just finished watching the season finale of Rebels, so I will not be talking about that today. I mean, Rebels Recon has an even been posted yet. Suffice to say that you probably don't want to put off watching this one. Nexus of Power arrived so I will be talking a bit about that. I'll be putting it to good use this weekend at GamerNation Con, run by d20 Radio and the Order 66 podcast. And, just because I don't have enough to do between work and the convention and getting ready for the convention, I'll be making an appearance on a new (for me) podcast. I don't think they record it with a live audience, so I will post the link when it's available.
Read MoreStar Wars Wednesday - Sizing Things Up
With the never ending run of new Star Wars films, TV shows, books, games, and comics, it's always been easy to fall behind. Add in work, freelance, or whatever else is going on, and the stack of reading material can really, um, stack up. I managed to make some significant headway the last few months. In a probably futile effort to dig out my office, I've added some new shelves for the ever-expanding collection of games and books. That's prompted me to look more closely at a few items that have been under a few layers of more stuff, before putting them on the shelf for the time being.
Read More