Gen Con 2015 – Planning

There is no doubt right now that I am going to Gen Con. I’m running four Nefertiti Overdrive games through the Independent Game Developers Network, and they are all sold out. However, I am also part of two seminars: Indie RPG Matchmaker and Historical Gaming. Indie RPG Matchmaker is a panel run by Jason Pitre of Genesis of Legend Publishing, while Historical Gaming is my brainchild, considering I published a game on historical Rome (Centurion: Legionaries of Rome) and am about to publish one set in legendary Egypt (Nefertiti Overdrive), it seemed apt. I roped in Ben Woerner who has published World of Dew to join me.

The Nefertiti Overdrive games are sold out, but I’m running them on Thurs at 2 PM (link), Fri at 6 PM (link), Sat at 6 PM (link), and Sun at 10 AM (and link).

I’m lacking my usual Gen Con crew, which kind of saddens me, but will allow me to focus on running games, being a good panel member, and selling my books.

I hope to see you there.

You can find my Gen Con Google Calendar here.

You can find out more about Nefertiti Overdrive here.

You can find out more about the Independent Game Developers Network here.

You can find out more about Genesis of Legend Publishing here.

You can find Centurion: Legionares of Rome in print and pdf at Amazon and Drive Thru RPG.

You can find Word of Dew here.

Gen Con After Action Report

I have returned from Gen Con, though I was there mostly as an Accidental Survivor and the dude behind Sword’s Edge rather than as the dude behind Sword’s Edge Publishing.

Of import for Sword’s Edge Publishing, another game of Centurion: Legionaries of Rome went by without a hitch. I am confident now that the rules are robust – in the sense of being durable rather than complex – and that they will do what I want them to do.

Secondly, Nefertiti Overdrive: Mythic Egyptian Wuxia also worked well. It has kinks that need to be ironed out, but I think this is something I want to Kickstart at some point. The question becomes: do I release as a package with Head Crushers and Direct Action, or do I find a way to get it out there into the world on its own. Josh Jordan’s Heroine is 60 pages, and I think that is a great book. Maybe I’m focusing too much on page count rather than just putting out the right product.

Correction, I am focusing too much on page count rather than just putting out the right product.

I still believe I will Kickstart a short story collection first rather than another RPG, but I might get cold feet as the date approaches. My success with an RPG Kickstarter would certainly help propel another RPG, though I’m not so certain about a short story collection.

For more on Centurion, go here.

For the Centurion Kickstarter page, go here.

For more on Nefertiti Overdrive, go here.

For the post in which I consider publishing Nefertiti Overdrive as part of a package, go here.

For more on Heroine, go here.

For more on the short story collection plan, go here.

For more on the Accidental Survivors, go here.

Reaching the Game Summit

One of the takeaways from Gen Con 2011 was that I was not good at pimping my product in person. I had copies of a Kiss My Axe ashcan edition and I wasn’t able to sell any, simply because I don’t like to “impose” or “intrude,” and I am uncomfortable asking for money for my stuff in person.

This last weekend I was at Ottawa’s Game Summit 2013, sharing a table with the Ottawa Tabletop Game Designers (there is no secret handshake or decoder ring, I assure you). Corey Reid was present, pimping Dino Pirates of Ninja Island print edition. The Warden had both hard- and softcover copies of Killshot. Jason Pitre had a bunch of Bully Pulpit Games product, headlining the latest Jason Morningstar release, Durance. I had copies of Sword Noir and Kiss My Axe.

Corey stole the show with his salesmanship and showmanship. I sold a couple of books to a single customer whom Corey had attracted. I am not cut out for selling at cons. I’m not much of a salesman (ironic, given a long time working retail while in school).

Lessons were learned, but rather than simply reiterate what other wiser minds have written, go read Corey and The Warden’s take on the weekend.

You can read Corey’s thoughts here.

You can read the Warden’s thoughts here.

You can find Dino-Pirates of Ninja Island here.

You can find Killshot here.

Jason Pitre sometimes hangs out here.

You can find Bully Pulpit Games here.

Centurion Falls to Next

I should be working on Centurion: Legionary of Rome, but I also need to get everything ready for running a D&D Next game at Game Summit on Sat, 2 Feb. The game is going to be “Get Tamodar,” and I also need to expand it from the one pager I used at Cottage Con. On the fly might be fine for beer & pretzels, but I want to actually deliver a good gaming experience, so I’ll need to fill in the adventure just a bit. Updating the characters to the new playtest format – which I have to admit works much better than the old character sheets – is also taking some time. There have been a few changes (no more Warlock, it seems, though now there is a Monk), but nothing too major, so I’m using the Cottage Con pre-gens as the basis for the Game Summit ones.

Also, I need to finish editing episode 83 of the Accidental Survivors Podcast, which should have been up today.

Back to work!

More information on D&D Next here.

More information on Game Summit here.

More information on “Get Tamodar,” including registration, here.

You can find the Accidental Survivors here.

Pining for the Fjords . . . er Gen Con actually

Y’know, last year, on the ride home from Gen Con, I stated that I didn’t need to go to Gen Con again. That I had done it, and with the milestone passed, I didn’t need to return.

Now I’m seeing all the tweets and all the pics coming out of Gen Con—David from the Podgecast has a fucking stripper pole in his hotel room—and I shrink a little.

What I loved about Gen Con was the meetings. Accidental Rob, Colin, and I met so many cool people, the gaming was incidental. In fact, except for the absolute fucking gaming high-point of the table with the Fist Full of Comics and Games crew, Rob and Colin, all the gaming was done among us three. And we didn’t do that much gaming. We talked gaming. We talked gaming like a motherfucker.

So, yeah, it’s not that I pine for Gen Con in particular, I pine for the parties and the conversations and the seminars and whatever in which one meets awesome folk.

Damn. Now I want to go to Gen Con.

Woe is me.