I tried avoiding this; I really did. I'm not a very committed blogger, and the general effort maintaining and updating a blog or website does not exactly appeal to me. However, given the amount of writing and gaming I am doing at the moment, it seems ideal to have some sort of centralised 'space' for me to consolidate all my various projects. I have no real long-term plan for this blog at the moment, besides updating it when I feel like I have something to say, sharing things pertinent to my own gaming activities, passing on interesting pieces of news or content I discover, and perhaps even rambling essays on gaming philosophy.
Adventures In Highwold Supplement
With that I'll start with what has been pre-occupying me a fair amount lately: My Adventures in Highwold supplement. It's available for FREE download here. It has been receiving some attention online. On Enworld, it has been slanted as a '5th edition' resource. The truth is, it's for any edition (including 5th), but I hope that it transcends 'edition' and proves to be of value to any fantasy role-playing gamer needing a small town (with maps) and some adventure seeds. Eric, from the Dark Corners of Role Playing blog described his use for it in his upcoming Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea campaign. I really like that, as concurrently I've been delving into this awesome game too, and think Highwold would be a complementary fit within the AS&SH world. If you have not downloaded the supplement, but are curious I have put together a brief video explaining it's purpose and development on my Youtube channel.
As a point of interest it has had over 350 downloads as of today. I say this to encourage any would-be designers/writers to pursue their creative tasks. It can be a pain in the butt to complete a project, even one as small as a nine-page document, but it's worth it. Adventures in Highwold was created with a $0 budget. My friend Marie Wade designed and gifted the cover illustration, while I drew all the maps and created the layouts. Some basic skills with Word and Photoshop/Illustrator pay off with these sorts of projects. I'm by no means a master, but the frustrating learning curve is worth it in the end. The sad truth for indie designers these days is that we have to wear many hats - writer, editor, graphic designer, cartographer, promoter, social media 'expert', etc. This project has already far surpassed my expectations. My 'goal' as it were, when initially publishing this supplement on Lulu, was 100 downloads. So I have been pleasantly surprised with the support to say the least! Thanks again. I'd love to hear any reader's thoughts on their own publishing experiences, and how they have overcome some of the obstacles presented to them.
Other Projects
Besides the Highwold supplement I have been working on a few other projects at the moment. One is my Wild West role-playing game. I am getting some artwork commissioned currently, and having playtested it fairly frequently in a variety of contexts I would say it's getting close to release. My aim is a release towards the end of this year, or early 2016. It is a rules-lite system, and in some regards is my response to Boothill, which has certainly inspired the game, but it is by no means a clone. As it nears completion I am considering how I will release it. As a free release? Maybe as a softcover booklet? I'm still uncertain. I have spent a decent amount of money on it already (unlike Highwold), so my only goal is to break even (and perhaps a few dollars to fund further projects).
I am working too, on a sequel to Adventures in Highwold. This one is tentatively named The Pirate Isles and is a micro-setting/mini-adventure like its predecessor. It's set in my Farlow campaign, off the coast between Aisley and Farlow city.
Like Highwold I imagine it will be free, though I will determine that closer to release. I have most of the notes written, but there is the tedious task of re-writing and presenting it in a visually appealing manner.
The final project I am working on, which in fact is consuming most of my 'writing' time (besides my ever-present thesis) is a bit of a secret. I can't really go into detail, except to say it probably won't be self-published, and I'm very excited about it!
With that, I'll finish. Hopefully you've enjoyed this first post. Also feel free to follow me on Youtube, Google + and Twitter.
Happy gaming!
Corey.
