Six of the Best

Timothy Knight over at Hero Press has just posted an interview with Yours Truly regarding my thoughts and such on this whole "blogging thang." While I wrote out my answers back around November/December, my answers haven't changed all that much since then...if you're interested in peeking into my mind, here's you're chance.

Pretty wordy stuff from a guy who was just posting about demon poop.

Tomorrow is my "tough day" to post, and today I'm really going to try to knock out a few pages on the book, but I've got an idea for something ridiculous and game-related for Wednesday. Stay tuned!

At least now I know...

...how to pronounce Raggi's name. Previously, I figured it sounded like Scooby-Doo's way of saying "Shaggy."

Just finished listening to the Save or Die podcast interview with LotFP's founder, and my first impression is "he doesn't sound so tough...I could probably take him a fair fight." Obviously, though, I would have to contend with all the weird sorcery he has at his beck-and-call.

; )

In all seriousness, the interview offers some fairly interesting insights into JER's origins, motivations and raison d'etre for doing that thing he does, including his reasons (business and otherwise) for doing his own version of the Adult Fantasy Role-Playing Game. I'd already heard or known a lot of what he talks about just from reading his blog the last couple years, so most of it wasn't too surprising...Raggi in person is not saying anything different from Raggi the writer, though perhaps in more polite tones.

I had NOT realized he was introduced to the game through Mentzer's red box Basic...is this the (conscious or not) inspiration for his Lamentation RPG's particular format? Possibly.

Anyway, I know a lot of folks find podcast's like this to be boring. For those who don't, SoD's latest ain't too bad.

: )

Save or Die Podcast Interview

So the podcast of my interview with the Save or Die folks is available over at their web site. You can listen to it over here. If you've ever wondered whether or not I ramble as tangentially in real life as I do in my blog, the answer is: you bet.

Thanks to the SoD people for the opportunity to talk about my book and for editing the interview so I don't sound like a complete blathering fool (only a semi-blathering fool). My final thoughts on my recent series will be posted sometime today, and I'll be getting out the Social Class lists and the Witch .pdf sometime in the very near future.

Cheers!
: )

How 'Bout A New Poll?

So, Saturday I had my interview with the Save or Die podcast people. Fortunately, it was not "live" and they will be editing it prior to broadcast in a couple weeks. UNfortunately, I still managed to stick my foot in my mouth and/or ramble on more than was quite necessary on several questions. Hopefully their editing will make me sound like less of a simpering idiot/arrogant bastard...but I'm not too hopeful.

ANYway, one area in which I wish I'd stayed a little more tight-lipped was on my upcoming, as yet unnamed (here anyway), B/X supplement. Well, unnamed till the interview...they backed me into a corner! Ugh! Well, we'll just have to talk more about it on the blog in the next week or so. Brian, I hope that cover art is almost done!

; )

I suppose it's time to give folks a little taste of what they'll be finding in the book, so as a "bone" for my readers, I'll offer one of the spell-casting classes for perusal as a downloadable .pdf (the spell lists make them too long to just throw up as a blog post). There's a new poll posted to the blog (over on the right) for people to vote on which class they want to see. You've got a few days to consider and vote.

Oh, yeah...you can still purchase the B/X Companion. The PayPal button has just been moved down under the poll.

: )

Podcasts and Such...

Oh, yeah...forgot to mention that I'm being interviewed by the folks over at Save or Die this weekend...they wanted to talk to me about the B/X Companion and (if I understand this correctly) I will be "podcast live."

I think. I'm not really sure how this all works. All I know is I'm going to be doing an interview via Skype with the same folks who interviewed Frank Mentzer last August.

Um...are they sure they've got the right guy? I mean, did Raggi turn 'em down or something?

Wow, just by the way...listening to the Mentzer interview makes me feel like a total heel for some of the BS I've said about his BECMI books. Some of us (like moi, for example), sometimes forget the guy used to have a goddamn job to do for TSR and sometimes working for "the man" (any man) means sacrificing your own creative impulses or control over your writing...for the sake of getting paid, man.

Let me just say, I would be writing swill splatbooks for White Wolf or revamped supplements for 4E if it meant I could get PAID for writing. Probably, anyway.

"What, JB? You'd sell out?" Well, I can't say for 100% certainty that this is the case, but it would really depend on the money being offered, I suppose. I DO have a mortgage and a baby and all, and it would be nice to do something different from my mind-numbing day job...something creative...

Or maybe not. Probably my biggest (or weirdest) fear is somehow being thought of as "the Ace of Base of the OSR" (not sure if that means anything to you, but as far as I'm concerned, there's a special corner in hell reserved for AoB...). Yes, I realize it may already be too late for me, but I can always hope some future project of mine will somehow redeem me...that I will somehow find a way to publish a Vornheim or a Death Frost Doom or a Stonehell Dungeon...something.

ANYhoo. I haven't sold out yet, and will do my best to say something nice about Mr. Mentzer in Saturday's podcast. Just thought I'd let you all know.

; )

By The Way, Stuart from Strange Magic is courting me to do something with my War of the Mecha game on the same scale as his Weird Magic RPG. I'm tempted, if only because he's offered to do the artwork, and I dig Stu's style (highly reminiscent of Peter Bergting, one of my personal favorite RPG artists). Anyway, if some sort of pocket mod gets done, I'll be sure to let folks here know all about it.

...boy, I'm really tired right now...