Chicago Horror Convention on June 27 - 29
By Flames | March 9, 2008
Flashback Weekend 2008
By Day - Flashback Weekend features Chicago’s most complete Horror/Movie Memorabilia convention featuring Celebrities, a stunning dealer’s room, costume contest, special events, and…
By Night- Horror Party Central featuring Charles Band, the New Millennium Theatre Company, the First Annual Flashback Weekend Zombie Pinup Beauty Pageant, and much more!
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Midnight Syndicate’s The Rage Soundtrack
By Matt-M-McElroy | February 26, 2008
For the past eleven years, Midnight Syndicate has been taking you on musical journeys into the darkest corners of your imagination with their soundtracks to imaginary films. Now, in 2008, they bring their music to the soundtrack of an actual horror film, Robert Kurtzman’s thriller, The Rage. The result is a CD containing menacing ambiance and signature Midnight Syndicate dark atmospherics mixed with high octane, pulse-pounding action and chase themes guaranteed to get your blood pumping.
“Being a score to an actual film, The Rage CD is different from our other Midnight Syndicate releases,” explains Edward Douglas. “The disc is much more atmospheric with big, dynamic movements that are following the action in what is a very intense, and high-energy horror film. I think fans will find plenty of familiar elements but also a lot of surprises, variety, and new musical twists.”
The Rage CD is available at Amazon.com
Preview tracks from The Rage soundtrack are available at Midnight Syndicate’s MySpace Page.
Visit www.TheRageFilm.com for more information about the film.
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The Nominations are in…34th Annual Saturn Awards
By Matt-M-McElroy | February 21, 2008
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films has announced the nominations for the 34th Annual Saturn Awards.
“300” battles “Harry Potter” and “Sweeney Todd” at the 34th Annual Saturn Awards
Leading the nominations this year is the groundbreaking film, “300” with 10 nominations. “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” follows close behind with 9 nominations and Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is represented with 8 nominations.
A trio of fantastic adventures: “The Golden Compass”, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”, and “Spider-Man 3” received 4 nominations each, while “The Bourne Ultimatum”, “Eastern Promises”, “Enchanted”, “Grindhouse”, “The Mist”, “No Country For Old Men”, “Stardust”, and “There Will Be Blood” each received 3 nominations.
Cloverfield is a Sci-Fi movie? How did Ghost Rider make it anywhere near the word “Best” in any category? Other than those two interesting questions I think they have a pretty good line-up this year for the Awards.
Out of those listed, 30 Days of Night would get my vote for “Best Horror Film” but I’m not really sure what my choice would be for the other categories.
Topics: Horror News | 2 Comments »
30 Days of Night Movie Review
By Flames | November 6, 2007
Review by: Jason Thorson
David Slade has provided us genre geeks something to get excited about. 30 Days of Night is quite simply a very solid horror flick. All the ingredients for success are here: good acting, beautiful photography, and great source material. It’s scary, fun, and dramatic, while also giving us a nice example of the potential this genre has to deliver engaging stories. And if a month in the dark shows us anything about modern horror, it’s that David Slade’s future is looking very bright.
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Devils Rejects Movie Review
By Flames | October 9, 2007
The Devil’s Rejects is Rob Zombie’s follow up to his House of 1,000 Corpses though most of it is so different to House of 1,000 Corpses, despite being a sequel, that you wonder if it really is a sequel in spirit. The Devil’s Rejects feels more like a remake than a sequel per se, a sequel made by someone who has come off the fun psychedelics and sobered up.
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Darkness Movie Review
By Flames | June 18, 2007
Upon watching the unrated DVD version of Jaume Balaguero’s Darkness (2002/2005), I experienced a first. It was the first time that I would rather have been watching a safely edited PG-13 version of a horror movie (U.S. 2004 theatrical release). It’s not because the unrated version of Darkness is too frightening, gory, or disturbing, but rather it’s longer and given this movie’s lack of originality or anything entertaining at all, length in this case is a negative attribute.
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Hitcher Movie Review
By Flames | June 9, 2007
Well, I’ll just start off by saying that the movie has a really good grabber with the two main characters going on vacation, but from there it only gets worse. Grace and Jim (the main characters) plan to go to Mexico on their spring break trip. But sadly, the first night they get stuck in a rainstorm, and then they see a guy on the road and almost hit him.
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Taking a Bite Out of Horror: A Guide to Reviewing Horror Films Like the Pros
By Monica Valentinelli | January 7, 2007
Horror-genre lovers (like you and me) can’t resist sharing our love of the macabre. If we tell our friends about a dog of a film, they probably won’t go to see it. How then do we write a film review that finds the happy medium between gushing over the latest hit and bashing that worthless dud?
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White as a Ghost: Flames Rising’s October Movie Guide
By Monica Valentinelli | October 7, 2006
Fresh from the grave, here are some horror movie releases that will be sure to check under your bed at night. Whether you’re traveling to the theatre or renting from your local video store, grab some popcorn and prepare to scream.
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Marriage of Virtue and Viciousness
By Flames | June 5, 2006
As the Mask of Humanity slips, the kindred of Chicago now have to deal with the inevitable Indulgence that is rumored to happen. Not only has that come up, but the infamous Solomon Birch, Bishop of the Lancea Sanctum, faced a possible coup from inside his own church because of his forced vinculum to the Prince. In this very well played final story to the Requiem Trilogy, all the characters face their own inhumanity, as well as trying to find their human selves that died so long ago.
I must say that The Marriage of Virtue and Viciousness truly carried on the feeling laid down in the first book. The main characters in this book are the villain Solomon Birch, the musician Velvet, the human Witch-huntress Aurora, and Velvets mortal prey, Steve. Greg illustrates to us that feeling being fed off of, to be so close to death and to embrace its promises. He also gives us a taste of what it is like to feed off mortals, the burning need that is ever present within the Damned. The needs of both the predator and the prey strongly reflect each other in a very morbid way. The predators need to bring death, and the prey’s want of death, or the exhilaration to be so close to death, is a great conflict within the book.
Greg Stolze definitely continued the work of his part in the story. His gothic imagery of his characters truly captivates the reader, keeping your eyes once more glued to the pages. His imagery of thoughts and feelings is a wonderful addition to a story that challenges the characters. Politics run deep in Chicago and the push for a break from the harshly enforced Tranquility within the city. Grammar and the use of jargon for many characters gave them life, a break from the normal grammatically correct way of writing. The character of Earth Baines provides us with this flavoring, as well as some humorous jargon that is so common these days.
This book would be very useful in campaigns using the Requiem storyline. Not only for the structure of the city, but how has each sect within the city worked. One of the best sections that stuck in my mind was a tiny part with the Ordo Dracul. Within it was a humorously confusing conversation of the characters finishing each others sentences, but leaving the reader completely left out of the conversation. Not only is it the only lengthy appearance of the Ordo Dracul, but it also shows how they work around each other. Using the examples presented in this story will give any storyteller an edge in their campaign.
Within the Lancea Sanctum, the High Inquisitor decides to perform an inquisition in the middle of an important ceremony for the church, Founders Day. The target is Solomon for his possible betrayal and unfitness to the church. Those that are behind it have been fighting for the mask since his time of bondage to the Prince. As a result, the faithful of the sect are forced to choose between Solomon and Sylvia, a priestess and Theban Sorceress, as their leader. Solomon gives a very rousing speech, overthrowing his coup, and becoming stronger than ever with his followers.
This book is definitely worth the price, which is about $7. The continuation of the story, as well as the usefulness in storytelling will give any reader a great resource for their collection. Definitely a good wrap up to the story, as well as a good lead in to any campaign, should the storyteller be brave enough to enter this world themselves. Readers beware, the Mask slips quickly in this world, and you quickly find out how human you truly are.
Reviewer: Crystal Mazur
Look for Vampire: the Requiem eBooks at RPGNow.com.
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Interview with author Greg Stolze
By Flames | March 11, 2005
How did you get into gaming?
Many years ago, before my voice changed, I got the green box D&D set from… man, somewhere. I think I was in fourth or fifth grade. I think it had an Errol Otis cover and the sample characters had names like Morgan Ironwolf and Gutboy Barrelhouse. I also recall that there was an illustration of a wizard with some kind of burning eagle head coming out of his hand to smite his enemies, and it made me think “Wow! Where’s THAT spell? Can I just make up my own version of it?” As the twig is bent, so grows the tree, I guess. I got a secondhand version of the DMG, the one with the Efreet in a g-string, and went to town. In high school I was more into Car Wars and Star Fleet Battles, and then drifted away from gaming in college until a friend I knew from theater said, “You should meet this guy I know. He runs this game called Al Amarja. You’d like it.” That friend-of-a-friend was Jonathan Tweet. I seem to recall that, at that time, he was selling insurance.
What has been some of your most challenging work in the RPG industry?
Well, the worst part is working with people who screw you over. While I’d like to think these guys know who they are, I’m pretty sure in some cases they’re entirely oblivious. Anyhow, the hard part is when you work hard on something for a couple months and don’t get paid for it. I’m resigned myself to the idea that probably 20-25% of all the writing I’ll ever do will just wind up shitcanned. In some cases, that may be the proper fate, but… nah, I can’t make myself believe that.
What has been some of your most rewarding work in the RPG industry?
This question is much more fun. Anything where I’ve been given a really loose mandate and have been allowed to just go berserk has, as a rule, been delightful — starting way back with Spherewalker, on through City of Lies, most everything I’ve done for Unknown Armies, and the Demon novels. On the other hand, some projects that had much more directed development have turned out unexpectedly delightful. When I started out on Fall From Grace, I had no idea it was going to turn out as well as it did: I knew I was hyped about the characters, but, well, everything clicked.
Interestingly, I also find myself thinking about Mad Bull’s Run, which was an article I got assigned for SHADIS magazine way back when there was a SHADIS magazine. I started out fairly disinterested, planning to do the work and cash the check, but as I did the research I found myself more and more interested.
What can you tell us about your work on Unknown Armies?
Oh, well… gee, what do you want to know? John Tynes came to me back in the mid-nineties and said, “I’ve got these ideas that I think would be good for a game,” and I looked at them and started brainstorming mechanics. The next thing you know, my chocolate was stuck in his peanut butter and we had a draft of the game.
Here’s an interesting anecdote. (Well, at least I’M interested.) Tynes and I were talking about UA about halfway through its run and I confessed that I felt like a hitch-hiker. I told him that he’d had the brainstorm, he’d come up with all these core concepts, while all I did was fill in the details and do some modeling work. He blinked, hard, and said HE’D always felt like the goldbricker, like he’d handed me this grab-bag of vague ingredients and I’d cooked it into soup.
The lesson, I suppose, is that the best collaborations are the ones where each partner secretly thinks the other is doing all the work.
What can you tell us about your work on Demon: the Fallen and the Time of Judgment?
Demon had its frustrations, but getting in on the ground floor — being in the first-draft team and working on the signature characters and the most essential assumptions of the setting — that was a lot of fun. From the very first, I knew exactly how I wanted Hasmed’s story to end, and in the Wreckage of Paradise I got to do it. I think I wrote that part of the last chapter before I even started the second or third chapter.
As for Time of Judgment, that was just a full-bore hoot. When I was writing “Days of Fire,” no one actually came out and said “Here’s the whole damn toybox, you can take them ALL out and do whatever you like — you can even break ‘em if you want” but… well, that was kind of my secret philosophy. It was fun. As was writing in the voice of Lucifer. Good practice for writing in the voice of Solomon Birch in “A Hunger Like Fire” and Dracula in “Rites of the Dragon.” They’re all very different characters, but they share the same absolute conviction that they’re right and everyone else is five and a half steps behind.
How did it feel writing the first Vampire: the Requiem novel?
I won’t like to you — it felt great. I had ideas that felt strong, characters who were passionately interesting to me, and the freedom to do my thing, within reason.
Writing the first Demon novel was the same way. Now, the second one was a bear: I had it half written when it jumped the tracks and just would NOT get back on the outline. I called my editor in a panic and asked what to do and he told me, very calmly, that he trusted my instincts and that if the book wanted to go somewhere else, maybe I should follow it. It worked. Later on, that same editor (Philippe Boulle) said that the second novel in the series was his favorite.
When writing A Hunger Like Fire, which elements of the Vampire: the Requiem RPG were challenging to “translate” over to fiction? Why?
Nothing really comes to mind, but I made a conscious decision early on to make sure the book worked first and foremost as a vampire novel, as opposed to a Vampire(TM) novel. I stuck to the basics — drink blood, sun bad, unwholesome urges — without getting overly caught up in the Requiem specific stuff. I mean, there’s stuff about several covenants, but I think only one clan gets mentioned by name.
The function of this novel, as I saw it was (1) be a kickass read, but also (2) introduce newbies to Requiem and help oldbies get a feel for what’s different from Masquerade. I focused on the night-by-night business of Persephone and Bruce, with flashes of what elders were doing for contrast. In a sense, its kitchen sink realism — you know, the genre of mainstream fiction in which people come to grips with the elements of ordinary life — for vampires who aren’t ordinary or alive.
What differences/challenges do you face when writing an RPG novel versus a sourcebook?
I think they’re very, very different. If writing a novel is like painting a picture, then writing a sourcebook is like making brushes and mixing paints and stretching the canvas so that someone ELSE can paint a picture. It’s an imperfect metaphor, and there’s lots of crossover in terms of the skills, but there are some fundamental differences in the two activities.
Specifically though: With a novel, everything has to align, and you have to put down everything you bring up. I can’t establish a character in chapter three, have her be really interesting, stick her in a thorny conundrum, and then drop her without ever mentioning what happened. (Well, I could, but unless it was handled really carefully and there was a REASON to do it that way, such as using her as a foil or to illustrate some point… without that reason, it would be a disappointing read.)
With a sourcebook, you can throw all kinds of crazy stuff at the wall, with the theory that some of it will stick for most groups. But there you have mechanical limitations, because if a set of rules is broken for one group, it’s probably broken for most of them.
What RPGs are you currently playing?
I just finished running a game I called “Instant Karma.” I used the nWoD rules, but the characters were all time travelers. At three points in their lives, they exchange consciousnesses with their future selves, at times narrowing in towards the year 2001, when they were in the experiment that set their consciousnesses adrift. So in the first session they were young kids who get tossed into the aged wrecks of their late-life selves, after there’s been a nuclear war and they get strong hints that they were involved, doing terrible things — treason, murder, et cetera. Then later, as teens they exchange with their middle aged selves and find that they’ve averted the war but, in the process, balkanized small nations. But first, they run afoul of the OTHER time travelers… It was a fun game, though much harder to run that I anticipated.
Next up I’m going to be a player in a modern Call of Cthulhu private detective game, run by Dr. Mark Keil. After THAT, Tim Toner’s running an Unknown Armies game in which we’re all agents of the House of Renunciation, but from different rooms. So lotsa modern horror coming up. After THAT I might try to run REIGN some more — that’s my fantasy game based off the mechanics I did for GODLIKE. Wish me luck finding a publisher for that, by the way.
That should keep me gaming until 2006.
What’s next for you?
Whole lot of the same thing, I expect, until at least 2007. I’m staying at home and parenting two small boys, and right now gaming buys a lot of diapers. Any other job I might take would mean leaving the house and shaving every day, plus I’d have to pay for daycare. There aren’t many jobs for which I’m qualified which would pay for that AND cover the cash I’m making writing RPGs part-time. So I’m content.
Directly, I’ve got another Vampire novel in the box, I’ve got stuff in a few more upcoming V:tR books, and I’m shopping around the One Roll Engine from GODLIKE to see if I can find another home (or homes) for it. There’s also Meatbot Massacre (http://www.danielsolis.com/meatbot) which is a bit of a distribution experiment, as well as being a fun tactical combat experiment. All those years of Car Wars and SFB coming back to haunt me, I suppose.
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Aliens vs. Predator Movie Review
By Flames | September 24, 2004
This was one of the biggest let downs ever. The funny thing is that it starts off so well…interesting, new concept. Then half way through the movie it takes a turn for the worst and our “hero lady” (who’s acting leaves much to be desired with her foul one liners and fake conviction) runs beside the Predator…with an actual scene that looks like Batman and Robin. They made the Predator look so weak as he needs the help of this human. Another big Hollywood destruction of characters created by individuals with originality.
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Interview with Ron Edwards
By Flames | July 20, 2004
How did you get into gaming?
I’ll restrict “gaming” to mean role-playing in my case, because other activities under that label have meant very little to me. I like board games and card games as well as anyone who’s not a gamer likes them, and I regard wargaming with a kind of bemused shock.
In the middle 1970s, as a pre- and young teen, I was already an avid reader of mythology, fantasy, science fiction, and adventure. To me, “fantasy wargaming” (as it was then called) offered an opportunity to bring my interests into a social group. I didn’t really understand anything about wargaming per se, or the tournament angle on the hobby at all, and thought it was pretty weird. I also thought it was strange that people who didn’t already know who Elric or Frodo were might be interested for some reason.
It’s hard to imagine now, but before Star Wars and Close Encounters, science fiction and fantasy weren’t prominent in pop culture back then - even though at the time, the marginal presence of Star Trek or Dune was considered a big splash by the book and movie industry.
So I played a fair amount of D&D and transitioned into AD&D, but never really felt like I was getting what I wanted out of the activity and only played sporadically. That didn’t happen until 1985, when anyone who knew anything about pop culture was an X-Men fan, and my friends and I discovered Champions.
What do you feel is the biggest issue facing the gaming industry?
To answer that question, you have to put quotes around the word “industry.” Or to put it a little differently, if by “gaming” you mean anything that was ever sold in a game store, including toys and models and whatever, then the industry’s fine - it just doesn’t have much to do with role-playing.
Regarding role-playing, there is no industry as the term is employed for any other sort of commerce. There’s a hobby which occasionally experiences flashes of momentary profit, or occasionally benefits on the fringe of a mainstream kid-craze that’s selling something else.
So, now, to re-phrase this question, what is the biggest issue facing a role-playing publisher, the answer is: don’t confuse yourself into thinking that you’re something you’re not. Never mind “the industry” - instead, concentrate on producing something that really makes you money and can be reliably available to whoever buys it.
That means three things:
1. Game design that really pays off for the customer in terms of enjoyment.
2. Actual and easily-reached commerce (whether through stores, website, or both, however you spin it that works for you), including mechanisms to bring people there. Middlemen are only valuable insofar as they actively work to help this to happen; otherwise, they are parasites.
3. Positive feedback to customers, being available for questions and maintaining an interactive presence that’s equivalent to a letters page in a comic book or an active blog on a film-maker’s website.
What was your most challenging work in the RPG industry?
Converting my PDF version of Sorcerer into a book between GenCon 2000 (when I decided to do it) and GenCon 2001 (when it was released). I certainly had a lot to learn, and every detail of what I was learning showed why most of the decisions people were making about this process were misguided, economically and creatively.
The challenge came from designing and implementing my product according to Idea Set #1 (which I considered to make economic and creative sense) and yet selling it, for immediate purposes, to the “industry” whose members usually went by Idea Set #2 (which I consider, then as now, nonsensical).
By the way, a great deal of this is Dav Harnish’s fault, because I saw Obsidian at GenCon 2000 and was immediately irked that a bunch of black-clad hipsters ten years younger than me had managed to publish a high-quality, very slick RPG and to get it into stores without relinquishing ownership. My eyes narrowed - “one year from now, I’ll do that,” I snarled, internally. Not a very edifying reason, I admit, but there you go.
What was your most rewarding work in the RPG industry?
Well, Sorcerer itself, in terms of being released at all - but most especially in terms of how the game has rewarded me, not so much for writing it, but for using it myself. The book is kind of terrifying, in that every time I play the game with people, I discover a whole new zone of untapped potential applications and principles of role-playing. Then I have to go write another supplement to express that. I like to joke that it’s like the damn thing is itself a demon, re-writing itself under my nose and providing further unexpected insights every time it’s used.
To be absolutely clear: Sorcerer is rewarding to me as a role-player.
What advice do you have for hopeful authors trying to get into the gaming industry?
Quit “hoping.” No one is going to fulfill that hope for you; you are simply going to have to produce a saleable object, market it, and make yourself available to those who buy it. The good news is that it’s easy to do, if you have the ideas, the discipline, and the guts.
Consider that nearly all the advice you will receive is designed, probably inadvertently, to benefit the person you are receiving it from. Either the person is reinforcing his or her own assumptions and beliefs in the misguided notion that the more they say it, the more it’s like to be true; or they occupy a position in the distribution and retail system that benefits maximally from whatever they’re telling you.
Therefore the verifiable details you learn from such advice are very valuable - you should put them into your data bank. But the actual recommendations you receive about what, specifically, to do, are probably meaningful less than 5% of the time.
Where do you get your inspiration? How do you keep your ideas fresh?
Actual play and feedback from others who actually play. It’s all very well to watch a great movie or read a great book, and to say, “Wow, I’d like to role-playing something like that.” But to take a specific example, one of my supplements for Sorcerer, Demon Cops, the transition between watching the movie Wicked City and actually writing a useful supplement for the game was composed of extensive actual play. That’s different from “playtesting” - I’m talking about role-playing which makes it clear that I’m onto something publishable, not role-playing which deals with a text intended for publication in the first place.
How did Sorcerer evolve? Where is it headed?
The history of the game is a very long story. You can read about it at the Sorcerer website and a few other places linked there. There are two points I’ll make here.
1. In all incarnations of the game (file type, book, etc), it has been a profitable venture relative to the costs of that particular incarnation. Adept Press is a business, and it only exists because Sorcerer and my other games make money.
2. I am not a “game designer” in the sense of being some other sort of animal than a plain old role-playing enthusiast. The role-playing comes first; designing games is only a piece or expression of my enjoyment of role-playing as an activity. Publishing those games is only a piece of that piece.
Taken together, these two points add up to a real punch in the nose: don’t split publishing your game into “hobby” vs. “business.” It must arise from and be dedicated to the hobby-activity; it must be handled through viable business decisions. There’s no “either/or” there, unlike many people’s claims.
That’s one of those nonsensical Idea Set #2 concepts I referred to above.
I think that questions like “where is Sorcerer headed” aren’t useful. All I could provide would be meaningless hype (”Sport of the 21st century” and all that sort of thing) or hypocritical humility (”Oh, I just hope I’m still around next year”). Bah to both. It’ll go where it goes, that’s all.
What RPGs are you currently playing? if any?
I play lots and lots. One group and I just finished a wonderful set of sessions of Extreme Vengeance, as well as the brand-new Great Ork Gods, and now we’re trying out a colorful independent game called Hidden Legacy. If I were to give you the list of games I’ve played in the last year alone, we’d be here for a while.
What can you tell us about the Forge?
The Forge began as “Hephaestus’ Forge,” in the late 1990s, when Ed Healy and I decided to promote independent ownership of role-playing games. It wasn’t a discussion site then, as both of us were very active at a site called the Gaming Outpost. After a period of inactivity, the site was renamed The Forge and re-invented by Clinton R. Nixon and me, and it is an extremely active discussion site run by the two of us. It is neither a company nor an organization of any kind, and it is certainly not an imprint for publishing purposes.
The mission of the Forge is to promote independent role-playing, both by making the games more widely known and by providing resources and networking for them to be developed and sold. The key concept is “options” - whether the game is an electronic file or a book, whether it’s to be sold from a backpack or across multinational distribution chains, whether it’s just past the idea stage or seeing its tenth year of development … the Forge can help you decide what to do across all of these and more.
Now, there are some secondary features of the Forge that look like primary ones, because they’re more obvious at first glance. The most important feature is how we conduct discussions there - it’s not at all like most internet sites. Courtesy is paramount, and I don’t mean empty stuff like saying “sir” instead of “you stupid butt-head,” but real courtesy and standards for discourse. Participants are expected to communicate, not merely to proclaim their opinions. Clinton is the format moderator and I’m the content moderator, and our word is law. We don’t ban people nor delete posts, but we rely on building a sense of community which self-polices conduct there, and it’s an effective method.
The second feature of this kind is the heavy emphasis on ideas, or “theory” of role-playing. By “theory,” we don’t mean airy-fairy speculation; we mean “ideas which make maximum sense.” It’s a pretty heavy-duty atmosphere and takes a lot of getting used to, but everyone is welcome if they can grasp the tasks and goals. A lot of people associate my own “big model” of role-playing with the Forge, and it’s true that a whole forum there is dedicated to it - but that’s just one of the many ideas and issues that get worked over.
However, I’d like to emphasize that the Actual Play forum is really the most important forum at the site. It’s where both proposed designs and theoretical conclusions see their testing. Almost as important is the Publishing, which is full of nuts & bolts about all the economic and logistic options of seeing your game become a viable product.
Oh yes - and independent publishers may acquire specialty forums, which they moderate (not me), dedicated to their games. The Riddle of Steel is especially actively discussed there, as well as games like The Burning Wheel, Universalis, and My Life with Master. Authors such as Cynthia Celeste Miller (Cartoon Action Hour) and Jared A. Sorensen (octaNe, InSpectres) used these forums as jumping-off points for their games and ideas.
In addition to the forums, the Forge includes a Resource Library where artists and useful links may be registered, quite a few articles and reviews, and more.
You do a lot of Conventions, what makes a good Con experience and what makes you groan?
I actually don’t do that many. Cons are expensive, and more importantly, my time is very limited. However, the best Con experience for me arises out of networking. Either a fellow publisher or author makes a point of sharing valuable information and advice, or I’m able to help someone who wants to publish, or both. Great play is easy; I get that all the time, so a Con isn’t going to provide me with anything special (and my range of games to play is maximally wide already). And I have no special interest in “being there” for the publication of any particular new game. So it’s all about the help and communication among fellow authors and publishers, and about helping people who are interested in doing it themselves.
That concept has been put into practice in a major way. In 2002, I decided to transform the Adept Press booth at GenCon into a kind of little convention of its own, in the exhibit hall. With the help of other publishers (e.g. Driftwood Publishing), we were able to marshal the resources and enthusiasm of the Forge into an amazing experience based on short demos (actual play) and a coffee-house discussion atmosphere, as well as constant sales, for many, many games. I don’t think it’s exaggerating to say that the Forge community transformed from a “who? what?” into *the* go-to idea factory at GenCon practically overnight. I received the Diana Jones Award in 2002 and was invited as a GenCon Guest of Honor in 2003 on the strength of this sort of activism as well as (in the first case) Sorcerer as a game.
The booth at 2003 was even more powerful, and we’re all under way for this year. Luke Crane (Burning Wheel) is also spearheading a small-con, multi-title promotion approach on the east coast that he calls “Forge East,” and we might see lots of more of that in the year to come.
What’s next for you?
Here’s the current snapshot.
1. Elfs, a game I first published in PDF form in 2000, is now available in book form. I’d like to do the same with my more recent game Trollbabe - money isn’t an issue (Elfs paid for its own first print run within four days of sales) - but time may be an issue.
2. I’d like to publish Demon Cops as a fourth print supplement for Sorcerer in early 2005, as well as a more general book or essay about role-playing.
3. I love the Trollbabe comics that I write, which are illustrated by different artists for each story. It’s a dream come true, although I am a fairly inept scribbler, artistically speaking. But I’m learning, and I love doing it, so expect to see that happening indefinitely.
4. As mentioned above, I’m gearing up for the Forge booth at GenCon again as well as supporting “spawned” programs and efforts around the country - and with any luck, internationally. I’m especially excited about the recent Scandinavian presence on the Forge, as the role-playing culture in that part of the world is exceptionally sophisticated and ell-supported by the larger culture.
For more information on Ron Edwards, visit The Forge or Adept Press.
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Interview with Shane Hensley
By Flames | July 20, 2004
How did you get into gaming?
The Dungeons and Dragons Marvel Comics ads are what hooked me. I was intrigued, and ordered my first D&D books through the Sears catalog (this is about 1983 or so). I grew up in a small coal-mining town, so game stores weren’t something that existed (in fact, the nearest book store was 3 hours away).
What do you feel is the biggest issue facing the gaming community today?
The glut of product. The pond is so small, and now we have more fishermen than fish.
What advice do you have for hopeful authors trying to get into the RPG industry?
Don’t quit your day job. The industry is appallingly unhealthy. Even the WOTC folks don’t make that much (though it’s certainly comfortable). The owners of the top 5 or so companies do fairly well, as do those who have found a niche (like me), but it’s notoriously difficult to make any real money otherwise.
That said, if your mind’s made up, start by doing small projects for your favorite game, get noticed, then move on to larger products as your skills improve.
Having done both, how would you explain the difference between editing for a game and writing for a game. What do you look for as an editor vs what you expect to get back from an editor?
Writing is, of course, creating everything from scratch. Editing is much more difficult to explain. It’s far more than just checking grammar. New authors often make many mistakes, including non-sensical paragraphs, bad lead-ins, and formatting mistakes. And that’s just on the technical side. Even more problematic is when the content is off. The organization of material must be good, the plot has to be solid and walk a fine line between “getting to the conclusion” and “forcing you to the conclusion”, and the rules have to be clear and useful. Editing someone else’s work—particularly when it has problems in all those categories—is often more difficult than writing it from scratch. You’d be surprised how many books “written” by someone you’ve heard of were almost totally rewritten in-house.
How did Deadlands evolve? Where is it headed?
It all started from Zombie Cowboys and that Brom cover I’ve mentioned many times. Then folks like Greg Gorden and Matt Forbeck and my own circle of friends started adding ideas until the basics were set. As time went on, all the various PEG staff, freelancers, and fans have added dozens of incredible new facets to my humble little seed.
What can you tell us about your work on the Army of Darkness RPG?
It covers the movie and several other eras, and I think will be tons of fun! If Eden ever gets it out there! 
What makes for a good night of horror gaming?
Ah! Dim lights, creepy music, and females. Gotta have women in the game for horror. I look for “fun horror.” The kind of thing where a person says “Man! That’s creepy!” I’m not really looking to induce nightmares or gross anyone out.
What’s next for you?
Finishing up Necessary Evil, our awesome new “supervillains save the world” book, then on to editing about a dozen products on the way in, including the new Deadlands trilogy. My next personal project hasn’t been decided yet, other than what secret one I’m working on in my copious spare time.
For more information on Shane Hensley, visit Pinnacle Entertainment.
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2001 Maniacs Film Review
By Flames | June 6, 2004
Directed by Tim Sullivan
Starring Robert Englund
Review by Brian LeTendre
The South will rise again! “2001 Maniacs” is a remake of goremeister Herschell Gordon Lewis’ 1964 film “Two Thousand Maniacs”. Robert Englund plays the mayor of a southern town that was destroyed during the Civil War, where the residents come back from beyond to take their revenge on unsuspecting Northerners. In this case, the Northerners are a group of college students traveling to Florida for Spring Break. They take a wrong turn and find themselves in the town of Pleasant Valley, where they become the guests of honor at the town’s “Jubilee Celebration”. You can probably guess where the plot goes from there.
This movie is a throwback to gore flicks of the 1980’s–and I mean that in a good way. You know, the days when movies weren’t afraid to mix naked co-eds and buckets of blood? The days when how high a movie was rated depended on how outrageous the kill scenes were? You remember. And speaking of kill scenes, this movie has some great ones. Victims are decapitated, crushed, drawn and quartered, and eaten from the inside out by acid. What more could you ask for? A guy getting his johnson chomped off by a chick with a set of steel dentures? You’re in luck—this movie’s got that as well!
As expected, Robert Englund steals the show. His over the top portrayal of the mayor is great. Perhaps I’m biased, but I can’t help thinking that Robert Englund is the Ian McKellan of horror movies. Someone should knight him. It doesn’t matter what material he’s working with, he always gives a solid performance. You can tell he truly enjoys the camp-horror genre, as he relishes his roles for all they are worth, and this movie is no different. There’s some great cameos in here as well, from Eli Roth to Jason Voorhees himself, Kane Hodder (although if you blink, you’ll miss him).
All in all, “2001 Maniacs” is great time. It’s funny, gory and it’s exactly the kind of movie that they don’t make enough of these days. Highly recommended!
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Interview with Jason L Blair
By Flames | June 4, 2004
How did you get into gaming?
My brother dragged me into it, actually. He tried to get me to play a couple different games but it was Starchilde’s second edition of “Justifiers” that finally lured me in. That was in ‘92, ‘93. My first actual group was made up of some friends of mine. Occasionally my group meshed with my brother’s group. Good times were had. What kept me in gaming was all the possibility, all the wonder and excitement the media affords.
Just over ten years later, by the way, I licensed the rights to do a new version of “Justifiers” that is due out this summer.
What do you feel is the biggest issue facing the gaming industry?
Stagnation. The common trope is that everything in gaming has been done. That’s bullshit. Look at the system work of Ron Edwards or Jared Sorensen or Clinton R Nixon or Matt Snyder. System is the long-neglected stepchild of gaming. Most systems make one of the following: an attempt at realism; an attempt to be generic, or; an attempt to get out of the way. Pick any one and your system is bound to be dull. That isn’t to say it won’t sell, just that it doesn’t do much.
Hell, there are nigh-infinite settings that have yet to be touched. Not every setting need be another Tolkien rip-off, or anime sourcebook, or generic superhero game, or western. Nobilis, which for certain owes to the like of Neil Gaiman, is a wonderful setting. Chad Underkoffler’s “Dead Inside”-come on! Great stuff. Redemption, man. To pimp my own work, “Little Fears” should not have been the first game of childhood terror. I mean, it’s kids, it’s the Bogeyman. It’s two plus two.
The majority of the vocal gaming public is happy with the same old shit, unfortunately. Most put absolutely no thought into their game sessions. No real thought, anyway. It may sound harsh but it’s true. They lift from creative people, some with righteous indignation, with no real concept of originality. Not everything needs to push an envelope, but everything shouldn’t fit in one either.
What advice do you have for hopeful authors trying to get into the RPG industry?
If you’re going to do it, if you’re going to make that leap, make sure you have something new to offer. You’re not going to fell Goliath; your homebrew fantasy system is not going to lead the masses from their lord and master. At least, that’s the proper mindset to have initially. This is especially true if you’re looking to publish it in hard copy. The bar of entry into the RPG field is pretty low, especially given POD publishing, but that’s not always a good thing. Sometimes it is; look at Rafael Chandler’s game “Dread” which probably never would have seen the light of day if not for small, small runs. For every “Dread,” though, you have twenty “Elves have SHORT ears in MY game” wastes of paper.
Doing freelance isn’t bad, but be smart about what you do. It’s like the “porn myth” in acting. No great actors got their start in stag films. The casting couch is no place to launch a serious career. If quality freelancers stopped pumping out “The Wacky Wizard’s Guide to Mount Mammajamma” and “Erloch the Imp’s Sagacious Sack of Snacks” type sourcebooks, maybe we’d see better more original product. Of course, that could very well be wrong.
What can you tell us about your work on Little Fears?
I knew I wanted to release a game. I spent many years as a wannabe game designer which is code for “I’ve filled a couple legal pads with notes and, um, not much else.” Eventually, finally, I sat down and finished one. It was rough. I owe a lot of people praise and money for helping get that out. But it was worth it. “Little Fears” was a bit of a phenomenon. It sold really well, got a lot of good buzz, got some nominations and even an award. I’m really happy for it. It was a long-shot idea that paid off. I’m really happy people are playing it.
What makes for a good night of horror gaming?
I believe you have to know your players in order for horror to work well. As a GM, don’t worry about scaring the characters. The characters are going to react and run and hit, that’s what they do. They’re either gonna die in the first half or they’re going on to the sequel. The players-now those are the cats whose skin you have to get under. Be psychological, be intense.
What keeps you busy when you’re not gaming?
My wife, my daughter, my other day job. I watch a lot of movies. I write, I read magazines, I surf the net. Most of the time is consumed by my daughter, though. Babies are demanding animals.
What’s next for you?
I’m doing some freelance work for two really good companies with cool ideas. I just released “Wyrd is Bond” through my company, Key 20 Publishing, and am finishing work on “Justifiers: OMEGA Edition” for a summer release. I am negotiating getting some of my properties into other media; specifically, movies, comic books. And action figures. Dammit, one day, I’ll have action figures.
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Dav Harnish, Author Interview
By Flames | March 31, 2004
How did you get into gaming?
A long time ago, one of my cousins introduced me to that old Cyberpunk Boxed Set, where all the cybernetic rules didn’t work. That pretty much hooked me. From that point on, I decided that it was the only way to play a game.
How did Obsidian evolve? Where is it headed?
Obsidian began with Micah. He had created some homebrew rules for a game he was calling Bleak Future. While that game has little resemblance to the finished product (Kultists weren’t evil, and Alters were the main antagonists, there was no Zone in early editions, etc.), it was the beginning. At some point during the design, I started helping Micah form a world around his setting, and twenty pages turned to one hundred, then two hundred. Micah asked me if I had ever thought of publishing a book, and we started doing some research on how to go about it. It all moved quickly once we decided to publish… I think it was about a year from when we said, “do it”, to it being done. Of course, much of the material was already written.
As for where it is headed… well… I am finishing Legends 2 and 3 (I am writing them together). At the conclusion of the trilogy, very little of the Obsidian World will remain exactly as it was. This isn’t to say that everything must or will be different, but a good number of changes occur. While I won’t dump the whole plot, I will say that some of the major players will be: The Circle of Stagnation, the Darchomen, Hazlia, The Box of Under, and Jericho Fayne.
What do you see as the difference between working for a big name publisher and being small press?
Well, primarily, being small press means that everyone has a lot of say as to what happens. While Micah or I might have some idea for a direction, either of us could (and often, do) change our minds. In addition, we are able to respond more to player reaction. I never really thought very hard about doing a book on Law or the military, but enough people asked for it on the BBS, so I figured I would see what I could muster together. That, and the fact that I feel fine about co-opting prominent members of the fanbase to just tell me what they want.
When working with one of the big boys, there is a sense of “beat it to fit, paint it to match”. There is a definite script that the world will follow, and if you have an idea that fits outside that scheme, you will have one hell of a time selling it to them. There ARE exceptions. Shadowrun (FanPro) is something that the individual can come up with an idea and still be heard and possibly listened to, but for anything larger than that? Forget it. I prefer the smaller press, there is less control over your work, and you get to be as graphic as you feel you need to be… no topic is forbidden.
What motivates you when you’re writing? How do you keep your ideas innovative?
Well, for most of my stuff I get ideas from music. However, occasionally, personal matters do influence my writing. For instance, I am writing a Law supplement for Obsidian right now, and I just got done serving a week in the Cook County Jail… Which is NOT fun, but on the other hand, I can now write about the correctional facilities of the Zone with a bit more authority.
Most of my ideas start as a weird fancy I am having just before falling asleep. Bizarre and disturbing imagery, or random quotes and lines that I constantly want to work into my writing, and a lot of it based upon music lyrics (or what I think the lyrics are for a lot of songs). From there, the images flash by and I see what I can hold on to.
What advice do you have hopeful authors trying to get into the gaming industry?
If you are designing a game for sale, then the best advice I can give you is to go to the Forge. It is a website for designers and publishers in the industry. Everyone there is great (I haunt the boards there quite a bit), and will direct you to resources, give you horror stories, and hook you up with all the contacts you need. Their website is www.indie-rpgs.com (and please note, I have NO actual affiliation with them other than just being a voice in the community).
What do you feel is the biggest issue facing the gaming community today?
I think that the industry is learning that their customers are more savvy than they gave them credit for. White Wolf, who has always been, to my mind, one of the larger parties to “never trust the customer”, is learning that fluff won’t cut it. That new Gehenna book? PLEASE. It says nothing. It keeps talking about ultimate badness unleashing itself, but then gives no substance. In the end, the book says “whatever the Storyteller wants to happen, happens”… great. I didn’t need a $30 product to tell me that. With the rise of the small press publisher (Sorcerer: The RPG, My Life With Master, Dead Meat (a freeware zombie game for you horror fanatics out there!), Paladin, Donjon, Little Fears… all of these are small press games with gusto. And people are buying, playing, and enjoying them. It is eating into the big boys of the industry… and I love it. Trust your customer base to have a spark of intelligence, stop spending six pages on swimming rules, give us the goods, not some crap we will never use. (Has anyone ever noticed that any game with rules for swimming tends to be horrible? Also, all the rules for swimming always mean you will die swimming. I mean, I can swim around for hours if I need to, dead-man floating and what-not, and I’m no professional… why then do I always seem to die in three rounds when swimming in most games?)
What makes for a good night of Horror gaming?
NOW we’re talking! First, let me plug the games I love for horror gaming: Little Fears, Call of Cthulhu (but not that d20 crap), Kult, Sorcerer: the Role-Playing Game, Violence Future (ha!), and I suppose I can run a good horror game through Obsidian (though guns the size of your mother tends to cut into the terror aspect).
As to what goes into it? A good group is paramount. You can’t just have some kids off the street, or immature little twits. You need a group that wants to be scared, is willing to be scared, and knows when to crack jokes and when to stop with the laughing (which is not to say that humor is not welcome in horror, I think some of it is necessary). Then, you need a good concept. Throw it all out there and let the characters pick-up what threads they may, then close that net around them. Let their interest be the thing that damns them. Horror is not jumping at the cat leaping from the fridge, horror is that deep fear of knowing that in some cases, you lose no matter what, because you have morals and beliefs that prevent you from being a beast. Horror is always a moral terror, not just grossness and goo. You need to confront the characters with moral decisions that they HAVE to make, because they are human. THAT is the key. When a player understands a character’s own morality, then they have a character, not some piece of paper with dots and numbers.
What RPG(s) are you currently playing (if any)?
Obsidian, Kult (1st edition), Sorcerer: The Role-Playing Game (the Urge setting), and My Life With Master
What keeps you busy when you’re not gaming?
Booze, sex, smoking (remember kids, smoking makes you cool). Seriously, I write, I read at least two books each week. I have a day job. On weekends, well, the first three words of my answer apply… I go to clubs, hang with friends, and basically let loose for 72 hours. Generally, I live a pretty hedonistic lifestyle punctuated by attempts at writing.
What’s next for you?
Well, Obsidian isn’t finished (yet). But, I have some side projects I am working on, and I freelance for other companies. In terms of the gaming industry, I plan to launch a few new games by GenCon under a new imprint, and see how that goes.
I’ve been talking to a few people about doing novels, rather than gaming books, and I may have some short story deals that will come through. I’d like to do some fiction, but we’ll see what happens.
You mention GenCon, what makes a good Con experience and what makes you groan?
Honestly, I love going to conventions and meeting new friends. The convention hall is a good time, but the real fun is after the halls close and everybody is out at some club or show having a good time. I get a lot of book ideas by listening to what people are responding to in our books. When I get to talk to fans or critics, I take it all in and beat it into shape. Half of the Obsidian line is based off of ideas Micah and I have for where the world should move, and the other half is responding to what the fans want. I like doing things that way, it makes the world more dynamic for me to work with.
A great con experience for me is finding a new game publisher of a bunch of people that had some idea that some of the larger companies would never touch with a ten-foot pole. But they had a great idea, some new revelation toward gaming, and go for broke. Not all of them are great games, but it is always fun to see someone else’s vision of what gaming should be. (Especially horror/fear mechanics… I’m always interested to see a new mechanic for emotional response like that. I think it may be the hardest thing to design and have someone respond to with an “oooh!” reaction)
For more information on Dav Harnish, visit
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