I was going through some of my old stuff tonight and I found this. This Cert was the last thing I got as a player in the County of Urnst. I got myself wanted... Mousset was a Rogue/Bard/Temple Raider of Olidammara. He was a real sleaze ball and absolutely awesome to play.
Mousset adventured 3-4 times as a woman to avoid being found out. I played him at an interactive where I walked around with my own wanted poster asking people "have you seen this man?"
A lot of fun.
Last year at PaizoCon, I was running my NeoExodus Special, having a good time with a good group.
Then during a break, one of the players come up to me and hands me a book. I'm thank him, and wonder what he wants for it. "Dude it's free, just tell me what you think." Free book in return for an honest review? Yes. I can do that!
I will admit that, when I saw this was a "book 1", I approached it not wanting to like it. I really wanted to be able to say "meh it was okay" or "it sucks".
But I cannot.
The tag line says "A young pallitine in a dragon's world" does not feel quite right. But that's a great tagline. I think the tagline should be "A dragon in a young pallatine's world"...
Straight up analysis. There is a prologue and twenty-five chapters. They are logically broken up and feel natural. The boring parts are skipped, leaving us with the interesting part. Pet peeve of mine? Yes. This breakdown allows for the ebbs and flows of the story, and handle the changes of direction.
The story follows Taryn, a girl coming from difficult circumstances, and a life flirting with crime, prostitution and drugs. Over the course of the story, she meets with a pallatine named Thoman who takes her as his apprentice. From there, we follow her training until she is accepted as a full-fledged pallatine. Of interest to the readers: the way is not without many obstacles and setbacks. Making for a good read.
- Interesting take on paladins. The Pallatines are obviously a knightly order akin to D&D paladins. Unlike the typical game-paladin, each of them come with a background and a personality that does not make them feel like goodie-two-shoes. They want to do good and seek to do good, but wrestle with themselves and their past. They never use the "I'm lawful good so I do [this]" excuse I hear too often at the gaming table.
- Does not feel like I'm reading a recap of his home campaign, complete with a round-by-round description. Combats feel chaotic and rarely have a clear impression of what is happening as a whole. This means that the character, like the reader, is sometimes surprised by the sudden action or arrival of another one. To me, that's a strength. I found myself looking forward to the fight scenes.
- The story evolves, a lot. Sometimes it feels like a Harry Potter school story, that evolves into a travel tale. So the plot is not concise in that it touches a number of themes and flow. (also see the cons, I put that here because this is mostly a positive)
- Time moves forward. Yes, it sounds stupid but I like the fact that time passes, skimming over some parts I wasn't too interested in reading.
- The main character, Taryn, grows throughout the story in logical ways. Often through brutal experiences. Often sucks to be her! The established adults, not so much (then again, they are established people, I changed less in the last 5 years than I did when I was 15-19)...
- This is an intro to a series. Some will LOVE this. Me, I have this thing about series.
- This is something pretty small, but I would like
- A LOT of loose ends, perhaps a little too much of them. I would really like to know more about the Plague that affects the animals, more about the Barbarians gathering in the South, more about the secret cults, exactly what happened at the blacksmith's shop, who betrays them, etc...
- The biggest flaw of the story, in my opinion, is linked to the above. Some people will just LOVE that. Me? I don't like that. Some of the questions deserved answers: the scene at the blacksmith's shop had a great set up, but the fallout left me flat (loose end). I really expected a resolution from this and... Nothing. The matter is covered up in a way that made me think there was a greater conspiracy at work. It felt like it didn't fit the character of the persons involved.
I would say this book is a B. Most of the cons were things that annoy me, but that I know others love. I found myself enjoying the read more than I expected, which was a nice bonus. Give it a "+" to those who love multi-book epics.
One question I rarely find in these book reviews is the answer to the question: "Would I buy the next book in this series?"
Reluctantly, I have to say yes. I really want to see what will happen to Taryn next. You can get a copy of the book through Amazon.
I will also watch for future release from Roderick (and try to get him to write for FOE!)
JP
JP, why haven't you been updating your blog? You keep asking yourself.
Well that's a good question. And one for which I have a number reasons.
The first was as a sign of respect for Carla's passing. I did not feel like writing and felt for my good friend LPJ.
I have been my constant playing of Star Wars: The Old Republic. I've been force-crushing my enemies for a few hours every night.
Second, I have been hard at work finishing not only one, but four adventures! Yes Four! At the same time! Talk about stupid... Let's not do that no more...
| Serial Pulp: Blow blow, thou Winter Wind |
|---|
October 1939. A new battlefield may break in Europe as Finland’s ambassador visits Moscow for talks that could lead to war or peace in the North. Helsinki is a hotbed of activity as people from every nation and allegiance flock to the Finnish capital to advance their cause. A serial pulp adventure for characters level 1-11 (APLs 2-10) |
| 93-LC-03 Sugar and Spice |
In the Dominion, one never finds a cool day. The flames of anger and hatred are never far behind when the fate of a little girl is at stake. Part 1 of the Lost Child of Hasani series. An adventure written for APLs 3, 5 and 7 (character levels 3-8). |
| 93-LC-04 Phrenic Nightmares |
Earlier this year, the Janus Horde unleashed a psionic horror upon Exodus, something that slept for centuries. A dedicated crusader seeks to protect her homeland and gain fame and glory for herself. And she once more needs adventurers. This adventure is a sequel to 93-LC-02 Silver Lining. And uses material from Dreamscarred Press' Ultimate Psionics. An adventure written for APLs 3, 5 and 7 (character levels 3-8). |
| 93-LI-02 Flames of Yesterday |
It was beautiful day in Curitzel until a shout emptied the small village. A single shape stumbled between the timber huts. Somehow, you seem to be the only ones who did not run away in terror. Perhaps you should have. The shout was of two simple words. FIRST ONE. An adventure written for APLs 3, 5, 7, and 9 (character levels 3-10). The introductory narrative can be found on FOE's RPGNow page. |
All of these adventures will premiere at Genghis Con in Denver,Co and be available through RPGNow.com shortly after the con. The NeoExodus adventures will also be run at CincyCon in Cincinnati, Oh.
Oh yes! And now I have two more non-Legacies writing projects I need to complete (1 to complete, the other one to start). Some awesome news coming for Free RPG Day 2014!
I have been talking with other organized play campaigns regarding both Origins and Gencon. And guess what: LEGACIES WILL COME TO ORIGINS AND GENCON IN 2014!!!
JP
A few things I personally did with LG, LFR, PFS and NeoExodus. Many of those are NOT what the PFS establishment will want you to do. But they work.
1- Under NO circumstances should you EVER cancel an event. EVER.
2- Show up ahead of time and talk to people in the store. Don't assume the store owner sells the product for you.
3- Be inclusive, sell your game to everyone you meet. EVERYONE
4- Don't get discouraged.
5- Never, EVER cancel an event (unless attending would be dangerous (and even then))
6- Work with the store owner, keep him in the loop of what's coming, when you plan to run more event. And ask them whether people have been asking about PF/RPGs, if he has other things running so you don't clash. NEVER leave these guys in the dark. The more they know, the more they will help you. The more they see you run events, the more they will pimp you and your game out.
7- You will have kids, noobs, morons, "old gooks who never played an RPG since 1991", the "guy who plays only obscure indy games in his basement" or the "guy with the same group since 1977". But you will gradually see more people and many of those people will be great players, and often some people you don't like initially turn out great (and vice versa).
8- Run in public, and make it seem awesome! So that people seeing you play will to play WANT to join you.
9- Talk to people who stop to look. Take a minute to give them a quick run down. Introduce the game, selling the high points. Always invite them personally to the next session, no pressure, but make them understand that if they miss it, they miss out on something really awesome.
10- While new players are important, make sure you talk with the old ones and keep them interested and engaged. Get the local "well-known GM" on your side.
11- One thing that always worked well for me: use a single point of reference. Don't direct people to a website AND a facebook AND a google group AND a meetup AND on-site AND on your phone. One place, one source of information, and direct the traffic there. This has a number of advantages for them but also for you: you don't have to scan or post updates to different places for people. Allows YOU more time.
12- Network, network, network, talk to people, email, skype, facebook (and direct all traffic to #11).
13- Rather than selling "PFS" focus on selling "RPGs". "Learn to Play" events (where you teach PFS) are often successful, expect kids and new.
14- Encourage players to buy at the store, never encourage purchases from illegal sources or online. This will really encourage the community and the store.
15- You're in charge, don't let any loudmouths talk over you or be over bearing to noobs.
16- Consider any money you put into this lost. (Includes meetup costs, advertisement, gas, meals, and the occasional purchase).
17- Never, EVER cancel an event unless attending would be dangerous (I mean snow storms)
18- Remember that the adventures are irrelevant, change whatever you want and need, focus on providing a quality, fun, entertaining game experience. People will remember how your orc limped, but not that he has 8 or 10 hit points.
Oh! And outside the gaming world, people don't know what Pathfinder is.
That's a collection of thoughts and ideas.
JP
I was really excited to see our latest product on the RPGNow title page... No foolies!
JP
Here is the prologue to the interactive adventure that will run at a few conventions around the country in February and March, including Genghis Con in Denver, CO (Feb 14-17) and CinciCon in Cincinnati, OH (Mar 21-23). If you wish to run it locally or at a local con, contact JP@NeoExodus.com.
It was beautiful day in Curitzel until a shout emptied the small village. A single shape stumbled between the timber huts. Somehow, you seem to be the only ones who did not run away in terror. Perhaps you should have. The shout was of two simple words. FIRST ONE!
An adventure written for APLs 3, 5, 7, and 9 (character levels 3-10).
The dancing glow of the candle lit Arem’shehr’s pale flesh as she waited inside the cabin for her contact. Her one eye scanned the darkness beyond the broken window, waiting for a kalisan she did not expect to see. To be certain that he was the one she expected, her minions patrolled the grounds of the lonely house.
Goosebumps brought on more by anticipation than the chill evening air made her shudder delightfully. Already the meat-bags at her command brought her a number of new slaves; simple folk all of them: hunters, mercenaries, farmers, all without any future now that she had them. Chained and gagged, they had been neatly stacked under the floorboards for later enjoyment. She smiled in anticipation of coming recreation. How delightfully they would scream and convulse in pain as she enjoyed them. Arem’shehr paced the floor, walking slowly, each step with purpose. Her heels clicked on the wood. She knew her captives would hear and cringe at every one of her steps
Midnight had come and gone and dawn would be here shortly. Her steps landed louder. This was no longer fun, she thought to herself. Where is this pea-brained human-eater, she wondered, I have to be out of here soon. She fumed and paced back and forth, constantly looking outside.
As she leaned forward to look outside once more, she felt a cold blade at the back of her neck. "You are late," she said. A quiet chuckle was her only answer. "Do you have the crown?"
Again, a chuckle.
"Here is what you want. If you look in the satchel on the table, you will find the names of every one of Queen Thais’ generals and their location..." The blade shifted in her back as her assailant looked inside the satchel and pulled out the scroll.
A moment later, she heard clanking at the back of the cabin followed by the ringing of something rolling on the ground. Turning around, she barely saw the milky white skinned man jump through the thatched roof with imperceptible sound.
Then, her eyes landed on the bronze crown resting on its side by the wall. Arem’shehr held her breath as she reached for it. The ancient antelope design and the flower patterns were exactly as she read in the scroll. She smiled triumphantly as she held the crown aloft, resisting the desire to place it upon her own head. She did not need such trinkets; she is, after all, a divine being.
All this in return for a list she was planning to give to the Protectorate generals. This is a great day, and after this, a thousand sacrifices will cover the walls of the Father’s palace. Because of her, the slaves will return to their rightful place, and a glorious orgy of destruction and pain will descend upon Exodus.
Removing the planks of the floor, she saw the cowering, bound rewards she kept to herself as she pulled a young man to her. Kissing him softly, she whispered. "This is going to be a good day," and the screaming began.
JP
What do you say to a friend who lost someone very close to them?
Do you try to comfort him, knowing there is nothing that you can say that will ease the pain? Do you try to put a sympathetic face and act as if this sort of things happen all the time? Do you try to cheer him up? Do you try to schedule some activity you can do together? Do you tell him that though you are thousands of miles away, he is all you can really think about? Do you remind him that your door is always open to him? Do you raise your fist to Heavens in anger?
Do you say...?
What can you say to a friend to heal a wound that will never truly heal?
Do you talk about something similar that happens to you, knowing that your loss was nothing like his? Do you remind him of the good times? Do you tell him a funny story to bring a smile? Do you talk about faith, and provide some helpful verse? Do you tell him that in Heaven, our departed friend will wait for us with open arms?
Do you say...?
What can you do to make sure your friend knows you support him?
Do you cry alone, hiding that you are seriously hurt too? Do you hide those tears to spare him? Do you resort to humor, saying that she was a great person because she tolerated him?
Do you...?
What can you think when you know the world is a little darker now?
Do you try to find the Good Lord's purpose in this? Do you seek to turn this into new light in the darkness? Do you focus on the good times and the fun times? Do you tell him that she is still with us in spirit? Do you tell her that she gained some measure of immortality through your lovely son?
Do you...?
Do...?
...?
Louis, I feel and share your pain and tears. There is nothing I can say -or write- that sounds appropriate. She was always a ray of Florida sunshine and will be remembered. You have many friends - more friends that you know - all of which grieve with you.
I am here for you, brother. Just say a word.
Farewell Carla, we'll see you on the other side.
JP
PS: For those that do not know, Carla Porter, LPJ's beloved wife, lost her battle with brain cancer today. See the official announcement on LPJ's blog.
I was playing an online game today when Evan, my GM for the Reign of Winter game (my Thursday nights for the past six months or so). Sends me an instant message.
It went roughly like this: "Hey JP! They have NeoExodus classes listed." That's right. No further context, only a link. I was a bit wary. Knowing Evan, I saw that it was a tool that generates character sheets!
NICE.
He asked me if I would use them. No, my character sheets are all in stat block form these days... so I only have 1 format, and GMs can easily go over them... Still I thought these sheet were really nice: you can add the logo (whether NeoExodus or any of the Pathfinder Adventure Path).
I cannot recommend these enough. Nice stuff. Oh! And they are free! FREE!!!
The link is http://charactersheets.minotaur.cc/build/pathfinder.
A big thank you to Dyslexic Studeos for adding NeoExodus into their product!
JP
I happened upon this this week...
NeonCon is coming back in 2014!
After some three years' absence, it is coming back. This con, which some saw as the "Gencon of the West" (after the death of GenCon West Coast), was always run as one of the big cons. Knowing the leadership, that's what they went for. There needs to be such event in the southwestern USA.
Learning of the 2012 cancellation really, really saddened me, I would've wanted - at the time - to make NeonCon be one of the major stops for NeoExodus. We had prereleased the NeoExodus book there in 2011, and premiered "Ruins of Trovaska" there that year.
In 2012, I was planning on having the official "launch party" for Legacies there a year later, rather than the soft launch we had. It was a major blow when I heard of the cancellation. Not only would I not go to Vegas, but my plans for big, public release were trumped.
So for two years, I stayed in touch with my buddies. Hoping against hope.
Then last week, I decided I would attend Arcanicon in Detroit. After debating, I decided to book myself a flight and head out there. I know. Detroit is NOT an overly exciting destination, but I really want to do more Arcanis. I don't see any reason to travel for PFS (since play has no impact on plot), but Arcanis... I can have impact and influence during major battles and interactive (like our players do in Legacies).
Passes a few days.
Then I saw the return of NeonCon, March 21-23rd of 2014... Now I have my plane ticket for Detroit...
So there you have it, NeonCon is back, I can't go.
I'm pissed at NeonCon.
Because as you all know, the world revolves only around me.
JP
Well I have finally gotten myself a Winter Fantasy ticket! I waffled but then decided to do it. Fort Wayne is about four hours from here. This is the first time I've been since 2008, when 4e was being demoed. I will have been to a few Winter Fantasy and enjoyed myself. I missed ALL of the "D&D XP" phase. It will be like returning to a good friend.
In addition to the games I don't play (I won't pay 8$/slot for 4e or 5e). I decided I would fork the cash to play Witch Hunter and Arcanis. Unfortunately, there did not seem to be any event for these games happening during the Saturday evening slot...
- Friday Evening: Arcanis A2AP02 Elements of Faith (Premiere)
- Saturday Morning: Witch Hunter HP 1-01 Bedlam
- Saturday Afternoon: Witch Hunter HP 1-02 The Lost Child
- Saturday Evening: PFS The Stolen Heir
- Sunday Morning: Witch Hunter HP 1-04 My Cross to Bear (Premiere)
The only event I really am not interested in is the PFS. However, it is a lesser of all evils. If I can get into a game of Arcanis or Witch Hunter, I will jump ship for sure. After my GenCon experience I am very wary of playing PFS at large events with random GMs.
I will be driving back after the first slot on Sunday morning.
Expect a full report after the con. Until then... I will die of anticipation.
JP
Edit: There are games of Arcanis on Saturday night... just stuff I've already played.
When I sold my Cryx, I did so with a tear in my eye as it meant I had to give up my dreams of Skarre-run Pirate Horde... (remember this post from March 2012?) Well I bought myself a new Skarre...
Okay, okay, I really did not think of that, but I really bought her as a Gevet warrior for NeoExodus.
I am re-posting the pictures for the original one I had. For comparative purposes only.
JP
Yup. He could do it.
I saw The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug this weekend and really enjoyed it. This was quite a-propos...
JP
In the Holiday frenzy, I took a break from painting my own stuff, getting stuff for others ready.
Painting was fairly simple: armor, wash, then extensive drybrushing for the gold/brass accent. It was a very quick and simple job. I added the red skirt/sashes for accent and painted the banner the same color. One group which laid on my table was these Menoth knights.
As I assembled them, I kept thinking "these guys need a banner," and one was mysteriously added! I added verses from the Protectorate of Menoth book for accent. I realized as while painting them that I placed the pauldrons the wrong way up!
Panic!
After I calmed down, I decided to leave them. Only the nerds would know anyway!
I would know.
JP
On her birthday, my second daughter got a Khador army (I thought she would take something else). So I got her that. Then I aksed her what color she wanted on her army... You guessed it: pink.
I walked right into that one didn't I?
So I bought some pink at my local GW store. And set out to paint Sorcha. At first I thought I would simply ignore her wishes, but then I reminded myself that this was for HER, not for me (or for the eventual resale). So I gave in and painted her a red and pink Sorcha. And much to my dismay, I find that I like the dark cherry red with the pink. She loves it before its the colors of Hello Kitty, but really the two soft and hard red tones match very well.
For the manowar, I did not put the same contrast, instead opting for metal (silverish and brass) with pink and white accents. These make for rather "unmanowar". Still she loves them and the color scheme. When I get to painting with them, I'll recommend some red and pink for the 'jacks.
JP
Surprisingly, the home front has been quiet. I won't go into detail about the extended family, where there are a few issues.
All three of the monsters are growing up (they are now 9,7 and 4). They transitioned to a new local school without issues. In all, there is little to report here.
After working for 8 years with Premiere Global Services (PGI) out of Colorado Springs, CO, I was offered a job offer for Humana here in Louisville, KY. It was not an easy decision to make, moving halfway across the country, but I felt it was time for a change. Side perks included we would be closer to our families and a nice raise.
So I am now based out of Kentucky and I am growing into this place. The folks are quite welcoming and I really like the place. Now if it only would not rain so much... but you gotta take the good with the bad. We sold our home (at the 11th hour) and bought one (at 11:01).
Work is exciting and very challenging. Though in title, my role has not changed much, in reality I became part architect, part tech lead, part developer, part manager. A lot of different priorities to juggle. I'm still working through the kinks. It sounds odd saying that after 6 months, but a lot of these responsibilities were gradually added to my workload. Fun.
To say that the Louisville/ Kentucky gaming scene is different is an understatement! But still... It forces me to expand my own horizons and adapt.
Exciting.
Perhaps the biggest gaming new from the writing desk is the creation of First Ones Entertainment (FOE) and the first release of products for NeoExodus Legacies and GOSTOR (A grumpy old schooler's take on rule). I have a number of products for both ranges to come out in 2014. Now I just need the time to polish them, send them for review. I plan on keeping those products cheap, fun and light. The kind of products I would like to add to my own games!
Oh wait! I DO!
Legacies has grown a lot this year. From Genghis Con to Tacticon, our number of players and tables has grown significantly. As people discover the campaign, they learn of its intricacies and want to play more.
New Facebook group join us by clicking here The group is steadily growing. With more adventures coming all the time, check us out!
When I first got Venus' email about working on her unique setting, I was intrigued. Then as we talked, I liked what I heard and decided to get involved. I produced a first piece for her about a sun/fire deity and a nature goddess. The two are solid. And since I got my work in early, She asked me to produce a piece of fiction for the book. The piece was centered around a single line I had in the nature goddess entry.
Something along the lines of "she defeated the Sea Lords and calmed down the oceans." The type of things I wanted to leave rather open for the GM to fill.
I guess she really liked the entry and wanted to know more (to me, when a gamer wants to know more, you are doing your job as a writer). So she asked me for an extended piece of fiction with a simple "How did that happen?"
Retirement Arc I completed the first retirement arc, the Eyes of the Ten series to a rather favorable opinion. The GM (Todd) and the team (Bard, Brian-B, Everett, John-F, and myself) was very balanced and capable in our own right, leading to some epic fights. Eo10 is clearly one the best storyline for Pathfinder Society. Even the later years were flat, but Eo10 delivers. I wasn't as keen on the final part, especially since parts 1-3 were just so good.
Road to 20 During the summer, I was contacted by my buddy Matt-E with a rather unique request. "Do you want to play up to 20th level?" I was contemplating offering my first-born in return to the chance to play. Lucky for me, the seat was mine! Excellent! I made it to level 18 right now (yes, I can level a city if I sneeze too hard). One of the thing the guys have done is really tie in a lot of the loose ends in a way that is SIGNIFICANTLY more interesting and likely than what PFS will do. So I am really enjoying this one.
Playing and GMing
I have been playing a lot of PFS online and with my daughters as a way for us to spend time together. They are a few years away from coming to Gencon, but they do enjoy dressing as princesses and going to play PFS. They particularly like our local VC, Chad. Exciting times as a father. I have also been GMing for them to get them to play more.
Season 5 Now that we are in season 5, and that I have played a number of adventures, I can honestly pass the following comments. First, I like the storyline so far. It is concise and delivers mostly what it said it would. I am quite happy about it. The adventures are fun and complex. The downside is that I feel the factions become meaningless, reduced to a series of favors. I don't see them having any value in the sense they had initially. They are now a series of loose thread a given PC may follow - or not - it doesn't matter. Still the basic plot is good.
Warmachine/Hordes: Rhul This year, I added a number of Dwarves to my Rhul force. The addition of a new caster and the arcanists was a welcome addition. I am thinking of adding the Colossal, but do not have the funds... So it waits somewhere at my FLGS... One day... one Day... I have been playing very little so I did not use these new guys... Yet.
Warmachine/Hordes: Mercenaries I added a few characters to my mercenaries, Ashlynn, Alexia, the Gobber... I played these guys a few times...
Warmachine/Hordes: Legion of Everblight Without a doubt the army that grew the most this year. I added a number of new models - painted - but also the two biggiest: a throne of Everblight and an Archangel! A battle engine and a gargantuan... The Archangel in particular I waited a long time for... I kept my GM credit at Enchanted Grounds for almost a year! As I decided and announced my move from Colorado, it became available! So I picked it up, traded my GM credit and left with an awesome haul of stuff! Now I need to paint them...
Warmachine/Hordes: Khador Over the last two years, I posted pictures from the Auction at Gamers' Haven in Colorado Springs. I built up the Khador and sold them off before I moved. Made some okay money on them (which I spent actually moving). Then for her Birthday, my second daughter chose Khador as her faction, so I got her the 2-player battle box, took out the Menoth and gave her the Khador. I painted up the infantry for her, using red and pink as the base colors.
Warmachine/Hordes: Protectorate of Menoth I bought a two-player box this year. With the Menoth models within, I decided to see if I could get some cheap models on Ebay. To my great surprise, I won a massive lot of partially broken/poorly painted models. I had to do a number on them, including 2 weeks in simple green, two rounds of scraping before hitting the build/conversion table. I am currently putting the models on the blog, putting a few at a time.
Warmachine/Hordes: Minions One of my daughters is enamored with pigs. She really likes them, but guess what? As a good dad, I bought her some Thornfall boars! To allow her to field an army, I have been adding a number of minions to my collection. I am quite curious how minions play in-game.
Painting Commissions This year, I did many painting commissions for friends. It was getting to be a neat sideline but my moving to Kentucky ended that. What I liked most was that I got to do what I love: paint models and not have to buy or store them afterwards. I may be adding something to my blog or something to get this started again... I'll see.
Malifaux I painted the first Malifaux models for ME this year, and I never got to play the game! I know it's sad. My daughter uses Rasputina as her PFS character now. The golems found a good home.
Finecast/GW I painted my first - and only - Finecast model this year. I will not be wasting my money on these. They are overpriced and extremely fragile. Too bad, GW used to produce quality stuff. I did not purchase any of their product beyond paints this year and don't see that changing.
I sold many armies before leaving Colorado... My Sisters of Battle were difficult to sell, but I know that they got a good home. I sold a number of armies for Hordes, Warmachine, and historicals. Difficult choices all. But I needed the space... I still have too many minis!
This year marked the first year where I seriously wrote fiction. I normally try to stay away, but I two things in particular warranted my writing. First the NeoExodus Free RPG Day kickstarter just called for an prologue. I originally wrote it as part of the introduction/background but it served no purpose there. I am a big fan of the "what the PCs can't know should not be in the adventure". And there really was no way for the PCs to know about this. However, as a prologue, it added flavor while not detracting from the adventure.
Then I was asked to write a piece of fiction for Kronea, which I will admit was harder than I expected, but the final result was pretty interesting. If you haven't read Kronea, what are you waiting for?
It even boiled out to a number of small other projects: I wrote a campaign epilogue for my NeoExodus home game, a Yr2 epilogue and a Yr3 prologue.
I even pushed my luck in trying to join a Writer's Meetup. Proved to me that I still have to practice on my fiction writing before I become as good as I want to be.
This year I did not travel much compared to the last few years, but still I managed to attend my share of cons.
Denver, Co: Genghis Con (Feb), GatorCon (May), Denver Comic Con (May), Tacticon (September)
Seattle, Wa: PaizoCon (July): was fun, with so much NeoExodus that I left floating on a cloud.
Louisville, Ky: Fandom Fest (July): My first con here in Kentucky. I have high hopes for this one next year. This year was rather a bust for me, but it will get better.
Indianapolis, In: Gencon (August): I attended the Mecca of gaming, and will do so again next year! I will ask Julie to bring the kids next year too! The quality of GMs has convinced me to "only" do the specials there and to play with local GMs with whom I have more fun. Yup PFS, the quality of your GMs was 1 star out of 3.
Lexington, Ky: Scarefest (though I went, I did not stay as I had family in town and when I got there and saw that I was not expected, I promptly returned home).
DragonLance Chronicles By Margareth Weis & Tracy Hickman. I must say that after all these years finally getting to read this fantasy classic was quite interesting. I enjoyed myself so much more than I do for usual fantasy. Perhaps because they did not worry themselves about writing more and more books.
The Rise and fall of a Sorcerer-King by Lynn Abbey. This one was a total impulse buy. As I went to Poor Richards, the buy and sell book store, I picked this one up. I found myself really intrigued by this one. Perhaps because it was a single story book (no sequel, no series). I had not been closely in touch with Dark Sun (remember, it went to 4e...)
Blood of the City by Robin Laws. This one I am of two minds about. The original part felt very long, labored and boring. Then the story took a plot twist and became interesting if somewhat predictable. The twist was good.
Mrs Marples' Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie. As a child I read a lot of Agatha Christie. It was about twenty years since I last read one. When I happened on this offer for 1c on Amazon, I decided to buy it. And I found myself really enjoying this book. It was short stories, small mysteries, with the most off the cuff detective of them all: the old spinster called Miss Marple.
The Black Company: Bleak Seasons by Glenn Cook. When I bought the Dark Sun book, I ended up with another Black Company omnibus. This book I did not enjoy as much. It was odd, slow and disjointed. I could not wait for this story to be over. There is another book in the omnibus... and I'm ambivalent about it.
X-Men Essential Ah... the X-Men... the group that got me into comics. Byrne and Claremont-era. Great!
Captain Marvel Essential Vol 2 I asked the kids for Volume 1 and they got me Volume 2. Never mind, it was an interesting book with a character I knew next to nothing about.
This year, I got to try a number of new game Systems I really liked.
Zombie High I tried this one at Fandom Fest. It is a fun beer and pretzel meet High School drama game.
5e I have been following the 5e playtest. I must make honorable amends and say that I did not actually PLAY this. I think there are number of great ideas in there that we will see in Pathfinder v2, but I fail to be convinced that this is the system of the future. Since there has been no indication that they will try to gather 3PPs to help. They will try and do their thing on their own and we'll see 6e before 2020. Too bad, they had a great opportunity there, but one I feel is slipping.
Serial Pulp I got to play Serial Pulp - and am in the process of completing an adventure for it. Check it out at Genghis Con!
Arcanis I really stepped up my play with Arcanis. It is a definite change from Pathfinder. I expect to play a lot more of it next year.
Witch Hunter I got to play my first slot of Witch Hunter and also am trying to finish an adventure for this.
Call of Cthulhu Masks of Nyarlathotep is now available. Like everyone, I wait for my 7e books... I participated in a number of Kickstarters and now just wait for the goodies.
NeoExodus: Temple of the Forbidden God Funded This adventure was completely written by me and delivered in time for Free RPG Day. If you still have not received contact LPJ directly.
Ultimate Psionics/NeoExodus: The Silvered Skull As the guys from Dreamscarred were seeing their Kickstarter explode, LPJ and I offered to write a Psionic-themed adventure. The resulting adventure, called The Silvered Skull is one I got to run a few times and really like it more and more.
Witch Hunter 2e This is one of those games where I like the setup and the background. I am a big fan of 17th century history . And now they are doing an RPG for it? And it's PCI? TAKE MY MONEY NOW! Which is what they did... I am expecting my new book in the next
Obsidian Apocalypse This 2012 kickstarter was just released. I still wait for my contributor copy (I wrote the OA campaign) piece.
Wrath of Kings I know, I know, I said I would not give any more money to Cool Mini or Not, but they offer the best deals out there... So I had to give them more... I'm still waiting on my Relic Knights model (I don't care about the game, I'll never play, I want my minis).
Call of Cthulhu 7e Chaosium came up with 7e. I now wait impatiently for my books...
Achthung Cthulhu Cthulhu and World War II. Isn't that a great combination? I just wait for my books to come from England.
Gnomish Adventurers StoneHaven miniatures are one of the best example of well-run Kickstarters. They get funded and deliver in time. I did not care for their elves, but their dwarves and gnomes were great deals.
Montreal April I spent most of April in my native Montreal to renew my paperwork. Little did I know I would do it again three months later... It allowed me to see my family, but also some of my old buddies from the Universite.
Seattle July Well... I like their new venue better. I don't think I will be going back in 2014.
Louisville July The big trip of the year, really. Moving the family here... But now Louisville is not a trip.
31 Days of Influence series was a big hit
Posts This is #674.
Most Prolific Month October with 38 posts
Most Visits in a Month October with 12,351 visits
Most Popular Post Slavery in NeoExodus
Top 3 Readers Origins USA, UK, Canada (but Russia and Germany are close)
Traffic has increased to the blog
Series: Tweaking Pathfinder A lot of traffic and discussions. It seems that a lot of people are reading and evaluating their positions based on these posts. Hopefully, some of those topics will be evaluated and accepted in the next Pathfinder.
Series: Interviews Joana Gaskell, Tim B Brown, Erik Evjen, Venus de Coy
Series: Historical Figures of Renown I started this one as a mental exercise. It is a series I plan on continuing in the new year.
Okay I will admit that my predictions of doom that 5e would be finished and available at Gencon 2013 was wrong. Though the game was available, I was not freely available in a finished product. So I'll say publicly, "I was wrong".
Yes, I realize that I put this at the bottom of a long post.
JP
