Spellcaster Update

Just a quick update. First a big thank you to everyone who has purchased Issue 2. The issue spent several days at the top of RPGNow's best-sellers list, and has picked up a 'Popular Silver Pick' award.

The good news is, the Print-on-Demand version is now available. I got my proof copy in the mail yesterday, and I've got to say it looks pretty good. Okay, it's not up to the standards of traditional printing, but it is a very satisfying, perfect bound, little booklet.

On the downside, our battles with Kindle continue. We think we are closing in on a solution, but I am still hesitant to give a specific date for this.

Anyone been killed by a dragon yet?

Ghost Archipelago: The Fire Swamp

For those of you who just can't get enough Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago (many thanks!), there is a new scenario in this months Tabletop Gaming magazine. I wrote this one as a little bit of fun. It is based on one of the best parts of, that absolute classic, The Princess Bride and features a trio of dangers to vex the Heritors and their crews!

The issue is available both in print and in digital.

If you are into boardgames, wargames, and role-playing games, this is probably a magazine worth checking out. It covers all three and it has just announced that it is going monthly.

Dragons have come to Frostgrave!

Which is my dramatic way of saying that Spellcaster: The Frostgrave Magazine, Issue 2 is now available!

You can currently purchase it from RPGNow as a PDF for $6.

A print-on-demand version is currently awaiting approval of the printed files, but it should be up any day now. The printed version will cost $9, plus shipping.

The magazine will hopefully be offered on Amazon in the near future, although, at the moment, I am having some formatting issues that are delaying it.

There are plans to make this issue available in all of the same languages as Issue 1.

To answer a question that many people have asked, I will be looking at getting Issue 1 redesigned in the new format and also made available as print-on-demand. I don't yet have a time scale for that.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the new issue. Feel free to tell me what you like and don't like about it, so that I can hopefully make Issue 3 even better.

What is Kickstarter For?

One of my oldest and best friends, Barrett Stanley, is currently running a Kickstarter to try and fund the second issue of his science-fiction comic, Heartbreak Quadrant. I have, of course, backed the project, because I like the comic, but mostly because I really want to help my friend fulfill his goal of becoming a full-time comic artist. And that, to me, is what Kickstarter is really all about.

A few years ago, I backed my first Kickstarter project, Afterlife from Anvil Industries. I loved the look of their models, and once the Kickstarter had funded, it seemed like cool new models were added every day. It was exciting to watch the pledge levels go up, and I felt like I was winning prizes every time a new level was hit. Six months or so later, I received my figures. They were superb – really, I heartily recommend them, but, the truth was, I was no longer excited by them. My interest in them was six months ago. I had moved on.

I learned a really important lesson from that kickstarter. I am such a wargaming butterfly that I can never predict where my interests will lie in six months (and that’s a pretty quick turn-around for a lot of kickstarters). There really is no point for me in pre-ordering. I’d much rather have the money in my pocket to order something I want and will enjoy right now. Even if this means I end up paying ‘more’, or missing out on a few exclusives, I will still get more value for my money by waiting.

No, for me, Kickstarter only matters if I am truly helping to create something that otherwise will not exist. Without Kickstarter, I doubt my friend would be able to raise the money for his comic book, especially without the marketing power that comes with a Kickstarter. And, it doesn’t matter if the comic comes 3, 6, or 12 months later; I know I will be glad that I was a part of its creation.

I believe that this was the original goal of Kickstarter, to be a force for creative possibility, and, I believe this is still when it is at its best.

Take a look at Barrett's comic and see if it's something you'd like to be a part of making exist. Also, keep an eye out here, as next year Barrett and I will be working together on a project that is likely to be of interest to a lot of wargaming fans.

Exchanging Signatures with John Kovalic!

This goes under 'Great Geek Moments'!

This past weekend, I was in London for Dragonmeet, a small, but growing role-playing convention. I was helping out on the Osprey Games stand, and chatting to people about Frostgrave and Ghost Archipelago. Over the public address system, I heard that John Kavolic was signing on the upper floor.  For those not in the know, John Kavolic is one of the best-known and most-popular game artist around, thanks in large part to his illustrations for the mega-best-selling Munchkin and its 937 (or thereabouts) sequels. That said, for me, John will always, first and foremost, be the creator of The Dork Tower. This comic came along just when I needed it. I have a nearly complete run of the comic book, and am seriously glad that it has continued as a web-comic. A few months ago, I traded a couple of tweets with John about Frostgrave!

Later in the show, I was passing by and saw there were only a couple of people left in line, waiting to get signatures from John (he had, at that point be signing for several hours). I figured I'd never have a better chance to say hello, so I jumped in line. When my turn came, I said hello and, somewhat sheepishly, introduced myself as 'Joe, the guy who wrote Frostgrave'. John immediately leaned over, took a Frostgrave wizard sheet out of his bag and said, 'Can you sign this?'.

Taken aback, I protested that this is not how this whole thing was supposed to work. He was supposed to be signing something for me! Though, at that moment, I realized I had nothing for him to sign, because I hadn't really expected this encounter to happen. In the end, we made a trade. I signed his wizard sheet, and he signed a Munchkin card for me, even embellishing it with a little Frostgrave sign.

I didn't want to take up much of his time, as the line had grown again behind me, and I needed to get back to the stand, but what a wonderful experience. I would later learn, via twitter, that John bought the copy of Ghost Archipelago that Osprey Games had donated to the Dragonmeet charity auction!

I'd also like to take a moment and send a big Thank You to the great guys from the HATE (Hackney Area Tabletop Enthusiasts) gaming club, who spent all day running a really sharp looking Ghost Archipelago demo. I stopped by a couple of times and everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun, which is the point, after all.

What a day! I managed to escape only buying one book, a personal record. I'm sure I'll talk more about that later.