We’ve had bad weather here in the northeast for the last few days… cold, rainy, and generally unpleasant. Not exactly the greatest motivator in the world.

In ED Classic news, we’re finishing up the Player’s Compendium. A slight delay cropped up when I reviewed the chapter of Illusionist spells, and had a “Gah!” moment where I realized the chapter needed the heavy hand of an editor.

Still, that’s now out of the way, and I’m into reviewing the last five or six chapters (out of 30-something). We probably won’t have the book on the market in time for Origins, but we hope to have a preview copy or three that folks can drool over.

Here’s the scary thought; as soon as we finish the EPC, we do this all over again with the Gamemaster’s Compendium.

Ah well. Noody said the life of a game designer would be hookers and blow.

(Actually, somebody did… if I can dig up the link, I’ll share.)

Edit: Wow… a post over at the RPGnet forums, and in less than 10 minutes I’m supplied with a link (thanks to Alka-Seltzer). Greg Stolze on why he writes game books.

Work continues on ED Classic. We’re almost done.

I swear!

I’m not wasting any time at all watching video of an a capella group performing classic Nintendo theme music!

Really!

(Honestly though, click the link and watch the clip. It’s a hoot — particularly the accompanying choreography.)

Another PDF release is available from DriveThruRPG. This time around it’s Denizens of Earthdawn Volume 1. Like Horrors, it is scanned from the original text and OCR’d, with bookmarks and a hyperlinked table of contents.

We’ve also made some new Earthdawn swag available at our various online outlets. Several items are available at our Spreadshirt store (with United States and European affiliates), as well as some items at Cafe Press.

Pay a visit, and give us your cash!

For those of you who are interested, RedBrick is running six events at Origins. I’m running three, and James is running three.

I’ll be running a revised version of the old FASA demo “Journey to Lang” Thursday at 9am (Event #6888), Friday at 7pm (Event #6863), and Saturday at 1pm (Event #6856). James will be running his own custom introductory event “The Woodcutter’s Cottage” Thursday at 1pm (Event #6852)m Friday at 9am (Event #6853), and Saturday at 7pm (Event #6854).

Sign-up for these events is available now at the Origins website, www.originsgames.org. We’ll be there all weekend, so if you’re in Columbus, pay us a visit!

In the “Look guys, we are doing something!” department, a watermarked-PDF of the old Earthdawn sourcebook Horrors is available for purchase from DriveThruRPG.com.

Put together from a scan of the original book, the book is more than a simple scan of the pages. The text has been OCR’d, allowing the book to be searched.

You can purchase the book (the first in our line of electronic reprints of First Edition material) from DriveThruRPG. Here’s a handy direct link to the specific page. Spread the word!

The MST (Master Storyteller) of the Camarilla recently posted an excellent essay on the nature of Vampiric existence in the framework of the Requiem venue. I encourage anybody who has an interest (passing or otherwise) to read the essay and give it some thought. Here are links for you:

HTML/Webpage format

PDF Format

I’d like to take an opportunity to share a couple of the websites I visit on a regular basis.

First of all, Hitherby Dragons, by the brilliantly eclectic Rebecca Borgstrom. Rebecca is responsible for some of the more creative RPG products out there. Exalted: The Fair Folk is hers, as is the incredible Nobilis. One suggestion with Hitherby, go back and read all the archives. It’ll take some time, but the overall picture that takes shape is amazing.

Second, Wil Wheaton’s Blog. If you don’t know who Wil Wheaton is, he was in Stand By Me, and played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He has turned into a solid writer, and his blog is not the typical “celebrity blog” you’re used to seeing.

Third, Neil Gaiman’s Journal. Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite writers, and he writes a good journal, updated regularly.

I also read the online comics Blade Kitten, Order of the Stick, and VG Cats, and try to keep up with Neurotically Yours (aka Foamy the Squirrel) and the Strongbad E-Mail at Homestar Runner. If you aren’t familiar with any of these… visit, read, and enjoy.

Spring at last! Spring at last! Thank God Almighty it’s spring at last!

The “Great White North” is still white — but there are patches of green (well… brown) peeking through here and there. It’s still dark at 7:00 pm, and the temperature still dips below freezing at night… but the sun is up at 6, and the temps get into the upper 30s or low 40s during the day. The 5-foot snowbank at the end of the driveway is gradually shrinking, and there is a river of thawing ice on the sidewalk.

Another sure sign it’s spring? The streets here in Bangor are absolutely riddled with potholes, dips, and divots. Our poor car has been shaken and rattled as it rolls along.

Another week and a half, we get the time change, and we’ll really be feeling the springly vibes.

I’ve been working hard on another (and hopefully final) round of editing on Earthdawn Classic. We’re into the home stretch for real now. It’s only a matter of time. James is doing layout, and it looks like we’ll actually have a book out this spring.

In another bit of news, James and I will be at Origins this June. We won’t have a booth, but we will be running some events, pimping the book, and meeting a whole bunch of people that until recently we’ve only spoken with online. If you can make it, we’d love to meet you. Origins is in Columbus, Ohio, June 29-July 3. You can find out more at http://www.originsgames.com.

Two storms in one week?
Global warming is starting
To sound really keen.

White curtains outside.
A plow truck buries my car.
Winter, kiss my butt.