Today is the 12th anniversary of the passing of a legend.
Douglas Noel Adams, author and creator of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, passed on this day in 2001 at the far too early age of 49.
Mr. Adams' work was a profound influence on me. The BBC television version of the Guide remains seared into my brain, a perennial favorite I still bring out from time to time, and his writing in the Hitchhiker's books, as well as Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, is some of the best words ever put to paper.
The Guide was a humongous influence all throughout Hulks and Horrors, from the Scavenger's Guide, to prose callouts to famous lines, to the very style of the writing in the game and especially in the bizarre and imaginative nature of Ancient technology. I daresay that without Adams' influence on my work, H&H would not scarcely be the same, if it existed at all. Moreso than any other author, Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker series defines my image of what great sci-fi fiction can be when it focuses on imagination and the human element instead of being lost in silly details.
So thank you, Mr. Adams. Hulks and Horrors owes you a great debt, where ever you are.
Monday, March 11, 2013
We're #1! (And #4!)
One day.
One day Hulks and Horrors has been on the market, and already, you folks have spoken loud and clear that this is a thing you want to see, and as a result, Hulks and Horrors is now the #1 hottest Sci-Fi product on DriveThruRPG, and the #4 hottest older edition product, beaten only by Keep on the fricking Borderlands and the original Basic/Expert sets themselves!
I am overwhelmed by the result. Just utterly stunned. And also, I'll admit, suddenly a little nervous because suddenly my little game has gotten on the radar in a big way.
As such, a few revisions are in order. It's been pointed out to me that I neglected to include a reference to the SRD in the OGL notice in the back, and this was not entirely intentional, and will be corrected shortly. And despite really wanting to keep it, I think it will be advisable as well to switch to the alternate term I devise for THAC0 as well. I think the usage is defensible (acronyms aren't copyrightable as I understand it), but I also think the sudden attention means I don't feel like waiting for a C&D from Wizards and having to actually fight it.
Fortunately, I came prepared for this eventuality, and thus I introduce TAAC0! No longer just a delicious south-of-the-border lunch option, TAAC0 stands for "To Attack Armor Class 0," and will be the new term going forward. It also has the advantage of removing any ambiguity or confusion when converting from older editions. I'll be uploading a version of the file with this change and the license correction in the next day or so, which means all you folks who've bought print copies now have a "rare misprint edition!" Perhaps some day you can sell it on eBay for maybe 2, 3 bucks more than you paid for it!
Also, I've gotten some feedback regarding the Daredevil ability for Pilots. There seems to be some confusion as to how it works, and its intended usage. The Daredevil rule as written is intended to be used for non-combat situations (and is indicated as such), and so the "take lowest" rule works fine here. It was intended more for stuff like "flying through box canyons" or "threading the needle through an asteroid hole", than use in actual ship-to-ship combat. However, for those who want Pilots to have a little more punch in the ship combat department vs. their NPC enemies, you may want to consider allowing it in combat, and for this you may want to revise the rule to simply "take either", to reduce the risk that a successful roll might beat the stat, but not the opposing roll and thus still fail. I'll be including this variant rule in the upcoming free FTL supplement.
One day Hulks and Horrors has been on the market, and already, you folks have spoken loud and clear that this is a thing you want to see, and as a result, Hulks and Horrors is now the #1 hottest Sci-Fi product on DriveThruRPG, and the #4 hottest older edition product, beaten only by Keep on the fricking Borderlands and the original Basic/Expert sets themselves!
I am overwhelmed by the result. Just utterly stunned. And also, I'll admit, suddenly a little nervous because suddenly my little game has gotten on the radar in a big way.
As such, a few revisions are in order. It's been pointed out to me that I neglected to include a reference to the SRD in the OGL notice in the back, and this was not entirely intentional, and will be corrected shortly. And despite really wanting to keep it, I think it will be advisable as well to switch to the alternate term I devise for THAC0 as well. I think the usage is defensible (acronyms aren't copyrightable as I understand it), but I also think the sudden attention means I don't feel like waiting for a C&D from Wizards and having to actually fight it.
Fortunately, I came prepared for this eventuality, and thus I introduce TAAC0! No longer just a delicious south-of-the-border lunch option, TAAC0 stands for "To Attack Armor Class 0," and will be the new term going forward. It also has the advantage of removing any ambiguity or confusion when converting from older editions. I'll be uploading a version of the file with this change and the license correction in the next day or so, which means all you folks who've bought print copies now have a "rare misprint edition!" Perhaps some day you can sell it on eBay for maybe 2, 3 bucks more than you paid for it!
Also, I've gotten some feedback regarding the Daredevil ability for Pilots. There seems to be some confusion as to how it works, and its intended usage. The Daredevil rule as written is intended to be used for non-combat situations (and is indicated as such), and so the "take lowest" rule works fine here. It was intended more for stuff like "flying through box canyons" or "threading the needle through an asteroid hole", than use in actual ship-to-ship combat. However, for those who want Pilots to have a little more punch in the ship combat department vs. their NPC enemies, you may want to consider allowing it in combat, and for this you may want to revise the rule to simply "take either", to reduce the risk that a successful roll might beat the stat, but not the opposing roll and thus still fail. I'll be including this variant rule in the upcoming free FTL supplement.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Hulks and Horrors is now available!
Greetings space fans!
It is with great joy that I am pleased to announce that Hulks and Horrors: Basic Black Edition is now on sale at DriveThruRPG! The PDF is available free for the first week, and the print copy is available for an introductory sale price of just $10. I want as many people as possible to get their hands on this game, and tell their friends all about it. Let's make this the old-school release of the season!
With the release of Hulks and Horrors, this also brings to a close the free sale on Heaven's Shadow. Thanks to you downloaders though, Heaven's Shadow is now #4 in the D6 category on DriveThruRPG! Thanks for the boost folks. Everyone who downloaded or previously purchased Heaven's Shadow (and signed up to allow email from DTRPG) will shortly be receiving a special "loyalty coupon" in thanks for this accomplishment, giving you 20% off a print copy of Heaven's Shadow, so for those who've been enjoying it, now might be a good time to grab yourself a permanent print copy!
I've also got some exciting news in terms of new content coming for both of BWP's games. I've been speaking with Justin Ma of Subset Games, and I've gotten permission to post for free some rules for the FTL game universe in Hulks and Horrors! I've also just finished off a certain "whalepunk" video game about the masked assassin of Dunwall, and am planning to release some quick and dirty notes for it, as well as another famous series about hooded assassins, using the Heaven's Shadow system, albeit with some of the distinguishing marks filed off for safety.
And finally, some of you may've noticed a new link up at the top for a third Bedroom Wall Press title. I'm not ready to talk much about it just yet, but take a quick peek anyway. Keep watching our blog for more news in the future!
It is with great joy that I am pleased to announce that Hulks and Horrors: Basic Black Edition is now on sale at DriveThruRPG! The PDF is available free for the first week, and the print copy is available for an introductory sale price of just $10. I want as many people as possible to get their hands on this game, and tell their friends all about it. Let's make this the old-school release of the season!
With the release of Hulks and Horrors, this also brings to a close the free sale on Heaven's Shadow. Thanks to you downloaders though, Heaven's Shadow is now #4 in the D6 category on DriveThruRPG! Thanks for the boost folks. Everyone who downloaded or previously purchased Heaven's Shadow (and signed up to allow email from DTRPG) will shortly be receiving a special "loyalty coupon" in thanks for this accomplishment, giving you 20% off a print copy of Heaven's Shadow, so for those who've been enjoying it, now might be a good time to grab yourself a permanent print copy!
I've also got some exciting news in terms of new content coming for both of BWP's games. I've been speaking with Justin Ma of Subset Games, and I've gotten permission to post for free some rules for the FTL game universe in Hulks and Horrors! I've also just finished off a certain "whalepunk" video game about the masked assassin of Dunwall, and am planning to release some quick and dirty notes for it, as well as another famous series about hooded assassins, using the Heaven's Shadow system, albeit with some of the distinguishing marks filed off for safety.
And finally, some of you may've noticed a new link up at the top for a third Bedroom Wall Press title. I'm not ready to talk much about it just yet, but take a quick peek anyway. Keep watching our blog for more news in the future!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Heaven's Shadow FREE for a limited time only!
To celebrate the impending release of Hulks and Horrors, I am for a limited time dropping the PDF/EPUB version of Heaven's Shadow to exactly zero! That's right, from now until H&H goes on sale, the digital version of Heaven's Shadow will be completely free.
Head on over to DrivethruRPG and give it a go! Be sure to leave a review!
Head on over to DrivethruRPG and give it a go! Be sure to leave a review!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Hulks and Horrors is off to the presses!
It is my privilege to announce that Hulks and Horrors Basic Black Edition has been sent to press, and barring any unexpected issues, will be ready for release very soon, likely in no more than a couple of weeks. My apologies that I can't provide any more concrete release.
At release, the PDF will be Free, so everyone can get a gander on it, and the print version will be at a special introductory price of $10.
I hope you will check it out as soon as it's released, and in the meantime, you can take a peek at the Basic Black cover below.
At release, the PDF will be Free, so everyone can get a gander on it, and the print version will be at a special introductory price of $10.
I hope you will check it out as soon as it's released, and in the meantime, you can take a peek at the Basic Black cover below.
 |
| Hulks and Horrors: Basic Black Edition cover |
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Hulks and Horrors interview on #rpgnet
Hello everyone!
Progress continues on Hulks and Horrors. I've had a slight set back as I had to switch software in order to get a more consistent layout, but the book is now complete and my next task will be the design of record sheets for characters, sectors, and systems. After that, a cover design.
I can also confirm a title: the Basic Black Edition. This name evokes one of my other favorite old-school games as well as the size and unadorned nature of this first release. Hopefully it will be followed by further expansion in times to come, but right now I felt it important to assemble and get it into players' hands the best way that I can: giving it away.
Also, I've just today completed an open interview on the #rpgnet IRC channel conducted by the inestimable Dan Davenport. I lay out the familiar details, discuss some of the feel and inspiration for the work, my attitude towards house ruling and how I've designed H&H to support it, and I even did a little on the fly demonstration of the results of the random system and civilization naming system. Take a look.
Release day approaches soon, and I look forward to it being in player hands!
Progress continues on Hulks and Horrors. I've had a slight set back as I had to switch software in order to get a more consistent layout, but the book is now complete and my next task will be the design of record sheets for characters, sectors, and systems. After that, a cover design.
I can also confirm a title: the Basic Black Edition. This name evokes one of my other favorite old-school games as well as the size and unadorned nature of this first release. Hopefully it will be followed by further expansion in times to come, but right now I felt it important to assemble and get it into players' hands the best way that I can: giving it away.
Also, I've just today completed an open interview on the #rpgnet IRC channel conducted by the inestimable Dan Davenport. I lay out the familiar details, discuss some of the feel and inspiration for the work, my attitude towards house ruling and how I've designed H&H to support it, and I even did a little on the fly demonstration of the results of the random system and civilization naming system. Take a look.
Release day approaches soon, and I look forward to it being in player hands!
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Hulks and Horrors now complete!
It is once again my pleasure to announce that I have actually finished something! This evening I have finished writing the DM advice chapter of Hulks and Horrors, as well as the layout. I want to give it a full read through again for editing purposes and clarity, but it is otherwise complete and ready to see print in its present form.
This brings me further to the release plans. My potential publisher has informed me that he will not be able to consider H&H for production until next year at the earliest. I have decided instead to continue on with Hulks and Horrors as a Bedroom Wall Press label project to join Heaven's Shadow.
Because I have a non-existent budget for this release, this will come in the form of an art-less version of the core book as presently written, in both PDF and print-on-demand. Because of the low-budget nature of the release and because I want to get it into player's hands for feedback, the PDF of this release will be free of charge for the first month, and the print version will be a mere $10. This will go up some time within the next few days, as soon as I have a cover and inside cover design I like.
Stay tuned to this space, and I'll have further announcements as soon as the game is available!
This brings me further to the release plans. My potential publisher has informed me that he will not be able to consider H&H for production until next year at the earliest. I have decided instead to continue on with Hulks and Horrors as a Bedroom Wall Press label project to join Heaven's Shadow.
Because I have a non-existent budget for this release, this will come in the form of an art-less version of the core book as presently written, in both PDF and print-on-demand. Because of the low-budget nature of the release and because I want to get it into player's hands for feedback, the PDF of this release will be free of charge for the first month, and the print version will be a mere $10. This will go up some time within the next few days, as soon as I have a cover and inside cover design I like.
Stay tuned to this space, and I'll have further announcements as soon as the game is available!
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