Recent Fantasy Doubleshot

I finished running a two part fantasy story arc this weekend -- the first part of which was done a couple of weeks ago. I ran it for a group I am normally a player in.  It was fun and was not connected to any existing campaign I ran but I ran the story around a basic premise: X-Files meets Fantasy.  A very medieval setting... low magic... a demon conspiracy as opposed to the show's alien one.  I kept it relevatively 'free-form' and allowed the characters to follow whatever avenues they saw fit to pursue while being mindful of what the various factions were doing in the background. Of course this led to multiple threads and even I was starting to have some difficulties in sorting everything from one session to the next. A special thanks goes to Todd Pote for acting as a soundboard as I was planning the second part.

The session ended with a partial victory -- the party (members of the guard tasked with this investigation) lived where as other player characters ended up killed / murdered in the pursuit of other agendas.  The villian of the story (my equivalent of the 'smoking man') got what he was seeking with the player characters none the wiser for it. One threat was eliminated but a crucial piece of the puzzle was snatched away.

The players has fun ... the were able to excercise their roleplaying talents and I was able to share my story where they did not feel constricted in what they could or couldn't do and where they could go.

Now that I've been able to give myself a bit of creative fun -- I need to get back to work.

M

Long Delayed Updates

Well, it's been a while but Arcana Creations has NOT remained idle. Arcana Creations has always been largely a one-man operation but earlier this year I realized that I couldn't afford to continue working in this manner. Ironically, I've argued that I also couldn't afford to expand. A bit of an impass I suppose but I figured that certain projects couldn't advance without the 'man power' to keep the ball rolling -- a ball which has been rolling very slowly up to now.  One of the things I have been doing is looking at ways to bring more people in with the goal to better allocate the work load so that things could get rolling again. With that in mind, I have spoken to a few people, made a few arrangments, and started bringing in the reinforcements.

I have someone who is going to be doing some work on the next C&C module release ... the majority of the work is already done for this project as it is actually a conversion of an adventure to the system.  Once the technical conversion is done, I will need to worry about the layout and then we can rapidly release it thereafter. There is no firm ETA on this and, this person has asked to remain annonymous to see how the first project works out. If this trial run works, and I hope it does, this annonymous person will officially become part of the Arcana Creations / Brave Halfling Publishing family.

Speaking of conversions, I have another person I am in discussions with to convert existing material Arcana Creations has put out to Pathfinder.  Now, I've never been big on Pathfinder but a lot of people are. It's a solid system and there have been recent rumblings that Pathfinder is now outselling the Dungeons & Dragons brand. I have friends who do run Pathfinder that have expressed at how much they would love to see something like 'A Trick on the Tain' for Pathfinder. The same could be said about 'The Secret of Ronan Skerry'. I would be a fool to ignore this and the fact of the matter is, these conversions could outsell the original C&C versions of the adventures. Much like the previous project, aside from the conversion, I'll need to concern myself with layout only.

So, right there -- two people doing some work for Arcana Creations. However these aren't  what people have been waiting for. One large project has been a bit like a millstone around my neck. That is Victorious and aside from Mike Stewart (the writer), no one is more anxious to get this project out. However, there have been a few issues and unforeseen challenges in meeting some of the goals I initially set out. Aside from everybody having real life issues to sort out, the project got off to a rough start when it came to a bunch of the art we had for the project -- one of the principal artists pulled out and took all his art and design concepts with him. The other principal artist we had was happy to offer to step up but sometimes things don't always go according to plan. Art concerns isn't the only problem we had but it was one that hasn't been resolved. This necessitated certain changes on my approach with the project. Towards that end, I have decided to tackle a few issues head on. I have a new artist who is doing a couple of 'trial pieces' for the long delayed Quickstart (which was one of the things we were awaiting art for). Should all concerned parties be happy with these pieces, we will continue to use him for the rest (and as it turns out, the majority) of the work on the QS and the corulebook. Being a large project, I have arranged to get some back up to layout out the rulebook itself. Different people will the laying out different chapters based on a template I create and my direction as project manager. All in all, three people will be handling at finishing up the layout and all that stuff will be happening within the next couple of months. The longest delays will be the art of course but, what can you do? The point is that the project is moving once more and it might mean a 'staff artist' for Arcana Creations.

Finally there is the Ballista. Not forgotten though a big delayed due to concerns with Victorious and other projects, it is almost complete. The main delay has been with one article which I am finishing up. However, now that my immediate concerns with Victorious has been resolved, at least for now, I can focus on releasing issue one "guilt free". I know that BHP is doing a bit of reorganizing with John's move but once that process is done in the next week or two, I expect issue one will finally be released and available. Issue 1 is *still* the Sping issue and I do have some material for issue 2, our Summer issue as I get Ballista back on track.

Well, I hope this answers a few questions and I thank all of you that have been holding on and following our progress. Till next time!

M

For the Love of Technology...

I love my gadgets. In fact, I am writing this on my latest gadget right now. My typing isn't as fast as a conventional keyboard but I'm still quick enough to meet my needs. I just got my hands on a tablet, and no, it's not an ipad. In this case, it's the Motorola Xoom -- an Android based tablet using the new Honeycomb OS.

But why do I need one considering I also recently acquired a decent little netbook? Well, the netbook is to do some writing when I am out and about, and I have already put it to great use. The tablet on the other hand is to game!!!

I never cared much for a laptop at my gaming table. I've tried it a few times but being required to plug it in is a nuissance. Even a smaller laptop ot even the netbook is a pain and takes up too much space. Besides, lugging it around along with some books and supplies becomes quite a burden when you are a GM on the move.

I remember when I was in highschool and gaming was plentiful. I ran an AD&D 2E campaign but never in my own home. I would load up my bag with dice, the PHB, DMG, Monstrous Compendium (that binder was always a pain to load up), and my own campaign binder filled with notes. This was often supplemented with another book or two as necessary. It wasn't really heavy but it was bulky and I got around on my bike back in the day.

I have always longed for lighter and portable -- especially during those 3rd Ed. days. Switching to C&C helped a lot but it wasn't quite perfect.  Now, I could feasibly (and finally) rely on my tablet instead of carting around books.  The tablet is quick enough to switch between various PDF's without having to wait on loadtimes and finding a particular page is extremely easy. When you also get 10 hours on a charge (to watch video), worrying about the battery isn't going to be a concern for me given that an average session is a little less than half that.  ;)

My next game will include my tablet, my CK screen, my clipboard of notes with pencil and eraser, and some dice. This will be really handy when I run a demo or two this summer.

M

Taking a Break Tonight.

The past few weeks have been busy. April is just a really busy month. During this month, I have moved furniture, worked more than I care to with my regular 9-5 (overtime), attended various gathering with family and friends (aka social obligations), ran a few sessions of C&C (players demanded it), and finally did some work on Victorious and a bunch more on issue one of the Ballista.

This past week alone has had me staying way too late in getting issue 1 done and to my satisfaction. Last night i spent more time working on the Ballista than my actual paying job earlier that day. In short tonight I am taking a break and goin to bed early.

I figured it was a good opportunity to blog a bit too as I have made a couple of decisions. First off, the Ballista is going to be a quarterly periodical. Working on this has been great and realtively stress free but still time consuming. Mind you, part of that also has to do with the size of the project. In the early stages of the project 4-6 weeks ago, the projected page count was about 20 pages. As of right now, it's grown to over 30. More content means more time but It is only days away from completion.

At over 30 pages, it might get a bit of a price bump but if it does, it'll probably be just 50 cents making the new total $2.00 instead of $1.50 but this isn't set in stone yet. I'll discuss this first with John (BHP) and see what he thinks.

The biggest snag is the time it would take to get the POD setup for it once we submit the PDF. This brings me to a few questions. Do we wait to release both togther which means the customer can possibly get a deal on both at the same time or just release the PDF version ASAP and release the POD option once it becomes available? Will people care about the dead tree version for this sort of product?

I know I want a print copy but that's just me.

Anyway, that's it for now. I have a lot of stuff to do before this week is done and none of it has to do with the Ballista. This means even more stuff is going to be juggled. ;)

M

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Updates

Great progress is being made with the Ballista and the article which had given me a few issues last week is really flowing and coming together nicely. This article, which I won't reveal what it entails yet is what I hope others will perceive as the gem of the first issue. It still has to be fine tuned (in other words, edited) and put into layout. The layout will be quick enough with only a few tables to challenge me. :)

I have also come to realize that my recent $80 acquisition of a used netbook a real boon to the work I have been doing with Arcana Creations. It gives me a chance to do some editing and writing during my lunch hours. I have quickly come to realize how much more productive I have become as a result of this. Not because I have some extra time to work but because I find myself already in a groove to continue working despite a departure of the nature of the work when compared to my day job.

The April issue of the Ballista continues to be on track for a release sometime this month but there is a bit of a catch. I know some may be looking to get a physical copy but the process using the RPGNow POD service may mean that people wanting a deadtree copy may have to wait a little more (to the tune of a couple of weeks). I think I have an idea for those who want an electronic copy and a physical copy while ensuring fans don't pay for the material twice but I will have to check on that. It's not like we're breaking the back though but I appreciate what loyalty the fans are willing to provide and try to reciprocate whenever possible.

I'll try to get a few more answers toward the end of the week.

As to narrowing the release of issue one to a particular day, I am not quite ready to do so but will once the Ballista is ready for a final proofing. At that time, I will also post the table of contents of the first issue and article summaries.

M


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