The Travel Bug

Since leaving Flying Lab I find that the thing I want to do most is travel. During the three years I was working two jobs, I had to plan my travel carefully and husband vacation days. I spent some every year on GenCon and then of course there was our epic trip to Finland for Ropecon. For the time being at least my schedule is more free, and I just want to go all over.

I will be at GAMA Trade Show in Vegas in a couple of weeks. This will be the first time I've been in years, so that should be fun.

In July I hope to be out of the country at another convention. I've received the invite and plan to go but visas must sorted and all that. I'll announce plans when I'm sure everything is a go. It's a country I've never been to before, so that's exciting.

That's all good but I want more. I want to visit my friend Jess in Shanghai. I want to finally take Nicole to Belize. I want to go to Salute in London one of these years. I want see Australia and New Zealand (I was invited to GenCon Australia last year, but after I said yes they stopped answering my e-mails, which was weird). I want to walk the beaches of Normandy. I want to visit Istanbul and see the city my grandmother got booted out of. I want to visit friends in LA, Boston, Montreal, and DC. I want to go to a punk rock festival in Chicago. I want to head east again and see Poland. And I always want to spend more time in my home away from home, NYC.

I want to, but reality intrudes. This year it's probably Vegas, the mystery trip, GenCon, and maybe some business up in Edmonton.

Road Trip

We got back a few days ago from our first official family road trip. We decided to go on short notice because Kate's mid-winter break, Dundracon, and Nicole's mom's surgery all coincided in a workable way. So we spent a couple of days in Portland, the weekend in San Ramon for Dundracon, and then the final few days in San Francisco. Overall, the trip worked out well and we had a good time.

The Portland leg was potentially dicey. We were there to support Nik's mom and if her surgery did not go well, there was a chance we'd have to stay longer than we planned. As it turned out, the surgery went surprisingly well, they did less than they thought they'd have to, and she was released a couple of days early. While there we had a chance to hang out with Nik's brother Chad and his girlfriend Megan and it's always nice to see them. Alas for Kate, no Voodoo Doughnuts this trip.

We made it down to San Ramon on Friday night, but not before a thoroughly unpleasant cop pulled us over and gave us a speeding ticket. Everyone else on the freeway was also speeding but we had out of state plates and that made us a target. Fucking cops. It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut. We still don't know how much this is going to cost, but it's likely to be over $250 and we really can't afford that right now.

Dundracon was good fun though. We haven't been able to attend in something like 7 years, so it was nice to make it back. Dundracon is a convention that still puts roleplaying front and center and that's a rarity these days. The downside for me was that most RPG sessions were 6-8 hours long and I could not find a game I wanted to play that fit between the seminars I was doing. The only scheduled game I played was actually a minis game, a re-fight of Rorke's Drift using (heavily) modified Sword and the Flame rules. Also played four pick up games of Dominion with Bruce Harlick and a rotating cast of opponents. That is a damn fine game.

The seminars seemed to go well. Ken Hite was my co-panelist on many of them. Get Ken and I chatting about history and an hour goes by quickly. We got to be the youngsters on a seminar about the early days of gaming, but we had a support role there, as the focus was rightly on Steve Perrin and Ken St. Andre. I had never heard Steve talk about the creation and impact of the Perrin Conventions (an early set of house rules for OD&D popular on the West Coast), so that was quite interesting. We take the internet for granted now but it's fascinating how differently D&D was played in various regions back in the 70s.

One feature of Dundracon I have always loved is their flea market. Gamers can rent a table there by the hour and sell whatever they want. I've found some great deals there over the years and this year was exception. This year's score was two old Avalon Hill games. I got an unpunched copy of Napoleon at Bay and a beat up but complete copy of Midway. Total price: $5. Also found some interesting old stuff in the dealers room proper. I picked up Heart of Oak, the minis game companion to the Privateers and Gentlemen RPG. Also got an AD&D adventure that I totally missed when it came out: I8 Ravager of Time. It caught my eye because it came out of TSR UK and many of those guys went on to work on WFRP.

The rest of the con was spent catching up with old friends (some of whom, like Tim, came out because we were going to be there). Endgame was nice enough to sell our wares so we didn't have to man our own booth (which is really how I prefer to do smaller cons these days). Sunday night we went out for a nice steak dinner at Izzy's and then Bruce, Ken, Nicole, and I joined Chris and Brian to record the 50th episode of their 2d6 Feet in a Random Direction podcast. We recorded for nearly two hours but I imagine the final episode will edit out many of the boxed wine jokes and off color comments.

After DDC it was off to San Francisco proper. We had a chance to meet up with Derek Pearcy, who we hadn't seen in person in 10 years or so. It was great to catch up and meet his family. We had lunch in the Ferry Building and I got to make my pilgrimage to Boccalone. Then he showed us around North Beach/Russian Hill. Very nice. The next day Bruce picked us up and we jaunted off to Sonoma. We had a terrific lunch at Restaurant Charcuterie, did three wine tastings, and picked up a couple of bottles to take home. Kate enjoyed an old time candy store (Powells Sweet Shoppe), which had a cool collection of vintage candy boxes and boardgames on display. That night we went down to Fisherman's Wharf at Kate's request. It's normally the sort of tourist beacon I avoid, but it was much less crowded at night.

The drive back to Seattle was thankfully uneventful. We spent almost all of it listening to an audio book, Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. The book brilliantly evokes what it's like to live in a Stalinist state. The ending was a little too tidy but it's definitely worth a read (or a listen).

Now it's back to too much e-mail and work. Hooray?

My Year in Books

As near as I can figure, the books below are what I read in 2009. This list does not include graphic novels, game books, Osprey titles, or magazines. Looking it over, you'd never guess I'm a raging leftist. I guess I was in a bellicose mood in 2009.

11th Month, 11th Day, 11th Hour: Armistice Day 1918, World War I and Its Violent Climax by Joseph E. Persico

1453 and Empires of the Sea by Roger Crowley

Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate by Angus Konstam

Camouflage by Joe Haldeman

The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume 1 by Shelby Foote

The Clash by the Clash

The Crimean War by Clive Ponting

A Distant Mirror by Barbara W. Tuchman

Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne by David Gaider

The Family Trade, The Hidden Family, The Clan Corporate, The Merchant's War, and The Revolution Business by Charles Stross

Fire and Fury: The Allied Bombing of Germany 1942-1945

The Food of a Younger Land by Mark Kurlansky

Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman

Gods and Heroes: Myths and Epics of Ancient Greece by Gustav Schwab

Greene, Revolutionary General by Steven E. Siry

Halting State by Charles Stross

Lives of Hitler's Jewish Soldiers by Bryan Mark Rigg

Mechanicum by Graham McNeill

The Napoleonic Wars by Gunther Rothenberg

Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades, The Last Colony, and Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi

Passage at Arms by Glen Cook

Paths of Glory, The French Army 1914-1918 by Anthony Clayton

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Russian Sideshow: America's Undeclared War 1918-1920 by Robert L. Willett

A Separate War & Other Stories by Joe Haldeman

Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete by Gene Wolfe

Toy Wars: The Epic Struggle Between G.I. Joe, Barbie, and the Companies That Make Them by G. Wayne Miller

Tree Fluffers

Kate, my always awesome step-daughter, is turning 14 this weekend. I remember how mature I thought I was at 14 and I can only ruefully laugh at myself. Now Kate has grown up plenty. It used to be that I could make double entendres and the like for Nicole's benefit and they'd go right over Kate's little head. Now Kate makes a point of saying, "I understood that," and glaring at me disapprovingly when I'm too saucy. It's very cute.

But Kate is not all the way grown up just yet. Yesterday she and Nicole went shopping for a Xmas tree. We opted for a wee tree this year, which suits our house well. When they got home, Nicole explained it took them a while to find a good one. Apparently many of the trees had been crushed or bent out of shape or crushed when stacked up in storage.

"It was so sad," Kate said. "They really need a tree fluffer to fix them."

I smiled at her like she was being cute, while desperately holding in a belly laugh. "A tree fluffer?" I queried, meeting Nicole's eye.

"Yeah, you know," she replied. "Someone who can fluff the trees and get them back into the right shape."

"Ah, yes," I said, "an important job. I guess that'd be seasonal work."

"Yup!" she agreed. "You wouldn't need a tree fluffer in any other part of the year."

I let it drop there and Nicole and I managed not to fall over laughing. I was not about to explain to my step-daughter what a fluffer was. Nicole and I had a good laugh about it after Kate went to bed though.

Cider Quest

I have never liked beer. To me it always seemed like a giant bait and switch scam. When I was a kid, I saw all these TV commercials that told me how awesome and delicious beer was. When I was 12 some of my cousins sneaked some from the keg at my Uncle Mel's place and we found a corner away from the adults to try it. It tasted like boiled socks. What the hell? Where was the refreshment? Why did adults drink so much of this swill? Since then I've tried dozens of different beers of all sorts in countries around the world. I've found a few I can abide but Belgian lambics are the only ones I can say I actually like and that's because they don't taste much like beer. No, beer isn't for me. I later discovered hard cider, however, and that became my brew of choice.

About 11 years ago I was home in Massachusetts for Xmas. I think it was the first time I brought Nicole east to see my old stomping grounds. We were out getting some libations for the holiday and I saw something I'd never encountered before: a mulled hard cider. It was a seasonal special, I think by Cider Jack. I got a six pack and drank it all in a couple of days. It was delicious, and the mulling spices added a lovely flavor to the cider. I said to Nik, "We'll have to get some of that when we're back in Seattle."

The problem was it never made it Seattle. I don't know if that was a regional test that didn't sell well or what, but in fact I never found that mulled cider again. And oh, I have looked. For over a decade I have haunted liquor stores and specialty shops, scanning the ciders from brewers big and small. I never found anything close. The only things I searched for that long were the Witch Hunt RPG and the "Kill by Remote Control" album by Toxic Reasons, both of which I eventually tracked down.

The other night Nicole and I went to a cider tasting at Full Throttle Bottles in Georgetown. We tasted six ciders. Five of them were made here in Washington. The sixth was Scrumpy Jack, which I've had in England but isn't sold in the US. The woman running the tasting wanted to contrast a mainstream English cider with the local varieties. The tasting was fun and we got to try some different ciders. As we were browsing the store, it occurred to me to ask her about mulled cider. She seemed to know her business after all. So I told her my story and she said without missing a beat, "Try J.K.'s Solstice Hard Cider." I found it in the case (it's made by J.K. Scrumpy) and picked up a bottle to take home.

I am drinking said cider right now and it's delicious. It's the closest thing I've had to that mythical mulled cider of over a decade ago. It's spiced with cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup that enhance the apple taste and give it a very full flavor. The label has snow flakes which makes me wonder if it's also a seasonal variety. I think the only safe thing to do is go back to Full Throttle Bottles and stock up for the winter!

A Story for Veterans Day

My middle name is William, which is my father's name. He was named after his uncle, a Greek immigrant who fought in the American army in World War 1. When I was home a couple of years ago, my dad showed me a folder of paperwork regarding my great uncle. There was very little family lore about him because he died young on the Western Front. My father said he always wanted to know more, particularly how he died. In the folder I found his unit information and his date of death. I said I'd take to the internet and see what I could find out. My dad scoffed (to say he's not Mr. Computer is an understatement). "What are you going to find there?" he asked.

My great uncle William had been a private first class in the 3rd Infantry Division. He died on July 15, 1918. Finding out what happened to him was not too difficult as it turned out. July 15 was the first day the Second Battle of the Marne, which was Germany's last major offensive of the war. The 3rd Division, including William's 38th Regiment, was posted on the Marne River and here the Germans tried to break through to finally capture Paris. The units on either side of the 3rd Division fell back under the assault of German stormtroopers. The 3rd's commander, Major General Joseph Dickman, said to his French allies, "Nous resterons la." "We shall remain here." The 3rd held the line and earned a name they still bear to this day: the Rock of the Marne Division.

That was the action and the day my great uncle was killed. I also discovered where he's buried: the Oise-Marne American Cemetery, Plot B, Row 25, Grave 33. No one from my family has ever visited his grave. Included in that folder were letters from the government offering his mother a free trip to France to do so. Apparently in the 1920s this offer was made to the mothers of soldiers who died in the war. She was too grief stricken to take the trip and the letters went unanswered.

So I printed out what I had found online and brought it down to show my dad. He was impressed with what I had been able to dig up in just an hour. "See," I said, "the internet is good for something." I was glad my dad could finally find something out about his uncle and how he died. He had been wondering his whole life, but the family didn't like to talk about PFC Pramas. Too much pain I guess and I can understand that. I've since tracked down a history of the 3rd Division in WW1, published by the unit in Germany in 1919. I'm trying to learn more about where William's company was on that fateful day. Some day I'd also like to visit his grave. I feel that someone from my family should, since over 90 years have passed since his death.

I think of my great uncle when I see the anti-immigration bigots wrapping themselves in the American flag. William was a recent immigrant to the United States. He likely spoke little English and army life couldn't have been easy for him. But he joined up and he gave his life, as did many immigrants before him and as have many since. His willingness to do so did not diminish America, it enhanced it because we are fundamentally a nation of immigrants. Lets remember that this Veterans Day.

Leaving the Lab

Friday was my last day at Flying Lab. I worked there on Pirates of the Burning Sea for three years and three weeks. I had not been happy in my job for some time. For starters I was tired of working on pirate material. It's been nine years since I wrote Death in Freeport and I've been working on pirate oriented stuff off and on for most of that time. After Pirates of the Burning Sea launched, I hoped to move on to a new game and get a chance to lead the narrative design effort from the ground up (PotBS was several years into development before I came on board). There were many proposals and many meetings with potential publishers, but none of the big projects ever got a green light. So it was just week after week of grinding out new content for the game post-launch. Once you've written over five hundred missions that involve a ship combat or a sword fight, it gets a little old.

On top of all that, I had of course been continuing to run Green Ronin and for the last year design the Dragon Age RPG as well. I worked just about every weekend of the last three years on GR and most of my "vacations" were conventions or business trips. At the certain point the weeks just began to blur together. What day was it and did it even matter? And even when I would take a day off for mental health, I just thought about all the work I had to do and usually failed at relaxing anyway.

I hung on and hoped something would break my way. But at Flying Lab the content team was at half its original size a year after launch. Some people left the company and others moved over to work on the kids MMOs the company is doing. We also decided to make the missions less cookie cutter by designing each from scratch instead of using templates. The upshot was we had fewer missions designers creating fewer missions and that meant less and less writing for me to do. At the end of the summer the content team and the design team were combined into one team under a new lead. We finished Black Flags and Dread Saints, an eight month serial story line I had conceived, and then started working on an expansion. With the state of the game and nothing else in the offing, there just wasn't enough for me to do. So here we are.

In the short term it's not so bad. I can concentrate on Green Ronin as we launch Dragon Age. I can maybe relax a little and take some weekends off. Health insurance is going to be an issue though and Nicole and I still need to figure out how we can afford to fix the heating system in our house (see her blog for that story). There's also the larger question of where I want to go from here. There are other forms of writing I'd like to explore, such as fiction and comics, that I simply haven't had time to consider the last few years. It may be time for that or something else. I'm sure it's going to make 2010 interesting.

Hello, Georgetown

Georgetown is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Seattle. It was originally a working class area near the railroad and Boeing Field, and was home to many saloons and the original Rainier Brewery. As urban decay set in, it became just the sort of place that attracted punks, artists, bikers, roller girls, and other counter culture types. Of all the neighborhoods in Seattle, it reminds me most of my beloved Lower East Side in New York. It’s home to the Fantagraphics store and Georgetown Records, cool bars like the 9 Lb. Hammer and Jules Maes, an underground punk club called the Morgue, and good eats like Stellar Pizza, Two Tarts Bakery, and the Hallava Falafel truck. Best of all, it’s quite close to my place, being down the hill and across the freeway.

The trouble with Georgetown was that it wasn’t well-served with public transit. When Nicole or Ray would drive, it was a snap to get down there. If I wanted to go on my own, it was a big pain that required taking the bus to a different neighborhood and then backtracking to Georgetown. I was therefore delighted to discover on Sunday that the new route for the 106 bus now goes through Georgetown instead of going on the I-5. This means I can hop on a bus a few blocks from my house and go directly to Airport Way, the heart of Georgetown. The timing is excellent too because this weekend Italian hardcore legends Raw Power are playing at the Morgue and now I know I can get down there easily. Thanks, Seattle Metro!

Summer's Over?

Weeks continue to fly by. Last weekend was the Penny Arcade Expo, which by all accounts was a huge success. My PAX was more miss than hit. I woke up Saturday feeling crappy. I made it in to the con in the afternoon because I had a meeting and needed to touch base with a few people. I did what I had to do, spent maybe an hour in the exhibit hall, and then went home. Nicole and Kate stayed out for the Jonathan Coulton show and didn't get home until 3:30 am. Sunday was a bit better but let's just say it was no GenCon for me. Next year I need a better strategy for PAX (and not getting sick would also help). They are doing a PAX East in Boston in March and I'm considering going to that. My family is in the Boston area and I have a bunch of friends there I haven't seen in ages. Do some business, see some people; seems like a reasonable idea.

This weekend is GwenCon, which is basically a big weekend of gaming at my former co-workers Gwen Kestrel and Andy Collin's house. It's a good time and chance to catch up with people from the WotC diaspora, but I think I'm going to have to skip it this year. It's been incredibly difficult to get any good work done the past month and I really need to have a solid weekend of that if I'm going to get out from under my current task load. Three years of the two job thing is wearing me thin.

Oh, and I'm really behind on e-mail at the moment. If I owe you one, I apologize. I am trying to catch up.

I guess summer's officially over, though it doesn't really feel like I had one.

Twenty Years of GenCon

It was 1989 and I was looking for distractions. I had just finished my second year at NYU and I was in a bit of a haze. The first great love affair of my life had ended badly and I was messed up about it. I decided I need to do something different and it had to be fun. It so happened that my roommate in Hayden Hall was from Milwaukee and earlier in the year a couple of his friends stayed in our tiny dorm room for a week. Before they left, they told me I could crash with them if I ever came to Milwaukee. I'm sure they thought they'd never see me because what were the odds of a New Yorker vacationing in Wisconsin? I thought to myself, "Milwaukee, isn't that where GenCon is?"

GenCon, for you non-gamers out there, is the biggest game convention in America. Gary Gygax (of Dungeons & Dragons fame) started it in Lake Geneva, WI in 1968 with 100 attendees. It grew year to year and changed locations many times. In 1985 the show moved to Milwaukee and remained there until 2003. All throughout my teenage years I had seen endless ads for GenCon in various D&D publications. Dragon Magazine used to do an insert that listed all the events. Even though I couldn't go, I'd read over all the events and marvel at all the cool stuff that seemed to go on there. I always wanted to go but it was beyond my means.

If I had a place to stay though, that would reduce the cost of going enormously. So I called the guys in Milwaukee, confirmed that I could indeed stay with them, and booked a flight for August. The convention was held at the Milwaukee Exposition & Convention Center & Arena. That's right; I was making a pilgrimage to MECCA.

So I went out there for a week. I crashed on a couch, took the bus down to MECCA each day, and ate a lot of peanut butter sandwiches. I didn't know anyone at the convention. The guys I was staying with were, in fact, gamers big into Call of Cthulhu but they never went to GenCon despite it being in their home town. So I just explored the con on my own and it was by far the biggest one I had ever been to. I played a ton of RPGs and minis games over four days. I experienced the awesome auction (this was pre-Ebay remember). I went to seminars. I drooled over things I couldn't afford in the dealers' hall. Every company I had ever heard of and many that I hadn't were there. This was before you could order whatever you wanted online, so just being able to find some of these games was a treat, never mind meeting folks from the companies that produced them. The whole experience was awesome and when I got back to NYC I told all my friends about it.

Then a funny thing happened. After hearing my tales of GenCon, they wanted to go in 1990. So the next year I found myself back again. It soon became a tradition with my gaming friends in New York. We eventually started renting a van and turning it into a massively fun road trip. After awhile going to GenCon each year was no longer a question. It was just something I assumed I'd be doing one way or another. Now all of a sudden it's 2009 and I'm about to go to my 20th GenCon in a row. I can count on one hand the number of things I've done every year for twenty years.

Looking back on it I can see that my impulsive decision to go to GenCon in 1989 had a major effect on my life. I had wanted to try my hand at game design for years, but it was my trips to GenCon that made it happen. It was there I met people from various companies and hustled for freelance work. There I started my career as a publisher. There I met my future wife face to face for the first time. There Green Ronin won the Best Publisher ENnie Award three years in a row.

Tuesday night I'm heading out again. These days the show is in Indianapolis and it attracts more than 25,000 people each year. In many ways it'll be a GenCon like any other. I'll be at the Green Ronin booth with my friends and colleagues selling our wares. There will be business meetings, late night drinking sessions, and as much gaming as I can squeeze in. I'll attend the ENnie Awards Friday night and if I'm lucky take home one or two. I'll see many old friends and not have nearly enough time to spend with them. I'll have spent all year thinking about GenCon and then the show will go by in a flash.

It may seem the same, but this one is going to be different. I'll be celebrating 20 years of great memories, fun times, and enduring friendships. There won't be a party and there won't be cake, but it'll be special nonetheless. Thanks for everything, GenCon.

Bay Area Weekend

This past weekend I was down in the Bay Area for Endgame's 8th Anniversary party. I decided to make the most of my three days by flying down really early on Friday and coming back late Sunday night. This proved a good plan and I was able to pack a lot into the trip.

I was in San Francisco by 10 am Friday. Took the BART downtown and met up with Aaron Loeb, an old and dear friend that some of you may remember as the author of Book of the Righteous. We had lunch at a tapas place called Bocadillos near his office and then I headed off. I hit the City Lights bookstore and spent some time browsing. I could easily have spent $300 there but since I had much walking ahead of me, I settled on only one book (The Many Headed Hydra: Sailors, Slaves, Commoners, and the Hidden History of the Revolutionary Atlantic).

After that I walked up the Embarcadero to Pier 45 to tour the Jeremiah O'Brien and USS Pampanito. The O'Brien is a WWII liberty ship that was part of the D-Day invasion. It's one of a handful of surviving liberty ships and the only one still in its WWII configuration. It's docked right across from Alcatraz, so I got a great view of that and a chance to climb all over the O'Brien. It was particularly cool to go all the way down into the engine room, which made me feel like an extra in the Poseidon Adventure. The Pampanito is a submarine that prowled the Pacific during the war. Just a couple of months ago in NYC I toured the USS Growler, a nuclear sub from the late 50s and there were many similarities between the two.

Later I walked back down the Embarcadero to the Ferry Building, which has turned into a real foodie destination. I had some terrific oysters at Hogg Island, a "salumi cone" at Boccalone, and then a bit of gelato from Ciao Bella. That night I took the BART out to Endgame in Oakland and met up with Chris Hanrahan. We then grabbed Chris Ruggiero and drove to San Rafael for dinner at Original Buffalo Wings. The wings were good but it was actually the chips that were great. Hand cut and cooked to order.

I had been up since 5 am and walked over 20,000 steps throughout the day. Still didn't sleep too well though, and was up at 7 on Saturday. Chris H. and I went over early, as he had prep work to do before the party. I wandered the empty store looking at games and minis and snapping a few pictures. At 10 the doors opened and happy gamers began to arrive. There were games and raffles throughout the day. Green Ronin and many other companies donated prizes. I was pleased that the German edition of WFRP I provided actually seemed to go to a guy who could speak German. I played in a Flames of War game that largely consisted of my Russians being gunned down by a wave of big Nazi tanks. I had a chance to chat to TS Luikart for a bit and finally meet his daughter, who was terribly cute. Then I went off to lunch with Bruce Harlick and Brian Isikoff.

I always try to research interesting restaurants before a trip so I was ready with a Peruvian place that seemed walkable from Endgame. It was but no one had heard of it. We gave it a shot anyway and I'm glad we did. The food was delicious, particularly the mixed ceviche that Bruce and I had for an entree. We then returned to the store for the rest of party. Chris R. taught us how to play Dominion, which I had heard a lot about. It is indeed a very clever design and we enjoyed two games before Endgame closed its doors.

As you can imagine, Bruce and I were not very hungry after our big lunch, so we went to a small plates Mexican restaurant called Tamarindo for dinner. The queso fundido was divine, and they had outstanding guacamole. So much better than your typical family Mexican joint. Bruce dropped me off at Hanrahan's place and Chris showed up about 10 minutes later from a going away dinner for Endgame founder Aaron Lawn (who is moving to Boston, my hometown). We talked about watching a movie and I even looked through two big cases of DVDs, but in the end we spent two and a half hours talking instead. Turns out we both want to strangle the same d-bag. Who knew?

Bruce was back Sunday morning and the three of us headed up to Napa Valley. Our first stop was Brix, another choice from my research. They do a Sunday brunch and it was fantastic (better than Salty's for you Seattle-ites). It was an all you can eat affair but there were no steam trays. Food was cooked in small batches and put out on plates that were rotated out regularly. Everything was fresh and delicious. I ended up making myself five courses: breakfast, cheese and charcuterie, lunch, seafood, and dessert. We sat on the back patio with a gorgeous view of vineyards and nearby hills. Big thumbs up for Brix.

The plan was then to do some wine tasting. After a navigation fail and a double I-Phone fail, we took a 45 minute detour up Route 29. I told Bruce I was beginning to think the Dutch Henry winery was like the Flying Dutchmen and we'd never find it. We did finally get there though, and it turned out to be a nice little place. Friendly staff, many pours, and good product. Then we drove over to BV and that place was the polar opposite. It was big, corporate, and impersonal. Not really my scene.

At this point we had a bit of a scare when Chris got a flat tire, but he got it changed pretty quickly and it was sturdy enough to get us back to his place. Bruce then kindly drove me to SFO and I was there in plenty of time for my flight back. Good friends, good food, good games--an excellent weekend all around. If not for the big bag of shit I had to eat right before the trip, it would have been a perfect getaway.

Kate Rocks Out

A couple of years ago Nicole and I took Kate to see a documentary called Girls Rock. It's about the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls, which started in Portland in 2001. Kate loved it and was totally inspired. She wanted to go but didn't have much experience with music at the time. Through the video game Rock Band, however, we discovered that she had a talent for drumming. Nicole took her down to the Seattle Drum School in Georgetown and signed her up for some lessons. Last year she did a day camp there but it was mostly boys and there were less than ten kids. She did really well and her teachers down there started tossing around the phrase "drum prodigy."

So last month Nicole and Kate spent a week in Portland so Kate could go to Rock 'n' Camp for Girls. She had a great time. During the camp the girls form into bands, and each band writes and rehearses a song. They also take workshops on screen printing, zine making, self-defense and other useful arts. The week culminates with a big show, held this year the Bagdad Theater.

I worked during the week but on Friday night Ray and I drove down to Portland so we could see the show Saturday. Kate was nervous because she was going to be playing in front of 700 people. And indeed it was quite a scene. There were sixteen girls bands to play and another that was made up of older camp volunteers. The bands had great names like the Bionic Poodles and the Thunder Bats. Kate's band, Employees Only, was the last of the girls bands to play, and the other bands took over two hours to do their songs. Some of them were fun and energetic, others sort of fell apart onstage, but all of them had spirit and it was pretty awesome to see them rocking out at such a young age. My favorite of them was Vent, who did a song called, "It Came from the Vent."

Finally Employees Only hit the stage. It then became clear why they had the last slot. They were tighter than many of the other bands and the song was catchy and speedy. Kate fuckin' rocked the drums. She was really awesome and we were ridiculously proud of her. I remember thinking that Kate was clearly the best drummer of the girls bands, and then realizing this was a totally dad thing to assert. I stand behind it though; Kate has mad skills for a 13 year old.

After the show we took Kate out for a celebratory sushi dinner. She was jazzed by the whole experience and wants to go back with her friend Gloria next year. Big thumbs up to the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls. They are doing something truly cool there and tomorrow's music scene will be better for it.

15 Books, Pramas Variant

The original meme: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

In my variant I'm dividing the list into three parts. Five books I read from ages 10-19, then five I read from 20-29, and finally five I read from 30-39. It wouldn't be fair to do one for the next decade since I've been 40 for less than two weeks and the only book I've read in that period is Halting State by Charles Stross. I enjoyed it once I got past the wall of tech babble Stross seems so fond of, but I don't think it'll stay with me forever (but Githyanki will, so you're safe there, Charlie!). In any case, on to my list.

1. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
2. The Forever War by Joe Haldeman.
3. Black Company by Glen Cook.
4. Living My Life by Emma Goldman.
5. 1988: The New Wave Punk Rock Explosion by Caroline Coon.
6. L'Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory.
7. The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer.
8. Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain.
9. God's Chinese Son by Jonathan Spence.
10. Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln.
11. Stalingrad by Antony Beevor.
12. American Massacre: The Tragedy at Mountain Meadows, September 1857 by Sally Denton.
13. A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara W. Tuchman.
14. Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad.
15. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain.

Party Like It's 1969

I'm turning 40 in two days but Monday is no good for a party so Nicole threw me one today. Friends came in from San Francisco and Vancouver, BC and my evil friend Jim found a unique way to make his presence felt from Edmonton. Many great folk and tons of tasty food from Nicole. If friends were a measure of wealth, I'd be a rich man indeed. Thanks to everyone who came; I had a blast. Extra kudos to my awesome wife for putting together a memorable shindig.

Snapshots of New York

Manhattanhenge: I happened to be in New York during the biannual occurrence of Manhattanhenge. Basically, the setting sun aligns with the east-west grid of Manhattan's streets. My friend Chesley and I had just finished a lovely dinner at a vegetarian teahouse on Park Avenue and we caught the event on 34th street. It was pretty cool watching the sun set between the buildings and shine right down 34th. People were in the streets checking it out and taking pictures and the drivers did not like that. Ches was trying to get a picture of us while a bus barreled towards us. It did not slow down, so she snapped a pic and we jumped aside.

Duck on the Beach: I took the B train out to Brighton Beach one day and spent some time walking around "Little Russia by the Sea." Then I stopped for lunch at a place called Tatiana, which was right on the boardwalk. I got pelmeni and duck with a cherry-wine sauce, which was delicious. I sat outside, enjoying my meal while a cool breeze came off the water. I could have stayed there for hours.

Meet the Author: At Book Expo they have this big area for book signings. Authors come in for an hour apiece promoting a new book. If you are willing to stand in line, you can get the book for a $1 donation. I'm not one for collecting autographs, but I noticed that Bryan Mark Rigg was signing Lives of Hitler's Jewish Soldiers. I had just read about this book and was interested to check it out, so I went to his line. When I approached the table, he looked at me and said very confidently, "I know you!" I was pretty sure he didn't, but I asked, "Do you perhaps play roleplaying games?" He didn't so I couldn't say why he thought he knew me. I gave him a card in case he figured it out. I'm reading the book now and it's quite interesting.

Dinner Music: My last night in the city I went to the Spotted Pig, a gastropub I've heard a lot about. It's open until 2 am, so I thought I'd go late so I could just walk in and get a table. No such luck. I got there at 11:15 and all the tables were full and both bars were packed. The staff found me a stool by a window and that's where I ate. It was busy and it was loud, but I didn't care once I was eating marjoram potatoes fried in duck fat. Then over the noise I heard a song come on: "I Love Livin' in the City" by Fear. The timing couldn't have been more perfect and I thought, "Goddamn, I do love living in the city."

Where I Get It From: My folks came down from Boston to see me while I was on the East Coast. We had several meals together, the last a breakfast at Junior's. I show them copies of my game stuff from time to time so they can see what I'm up to, but they are not gamers. I thought they might appreciate Hobby Games: The 100 Best though, as it's a book of essays. So I brought a copy and gave to them at breakfast. My dad looked at it and said, "Hobby Games, what am supposed to do with this?" I said, "You could read it." He looked at it again and then asked if it was one of my books. I had mentioned that when I pulled it out but he has two hearing aids and I think he missed it. "Yes, I published it and wrote one of the essays," I confirmed. "Oh," he said dryly, "then I'll treasure it."

I'll try to write more about my week in NYC when I have a chance. I squeezed a lot into my time there and I can't do it justice in one post.

Odds and Sods

* Turns out I had almost an hour of usable material from the Norwescon Game Publishing Goes Digital panel, so I did release that as Green Ronin Podcast, Episode 9. You can find that here: http://greenronin.com/2009/04/green_ronin_podcast_episode_9.php

* I got a wicked flu last week that knocked me on my ass for four days. I went back to work today but am still not feeling 100%. I don't know what that was, but I don't want it again.

* While up in the middle of the night Friday, I ran across Starship Troopers 3 on TV. I had no idea they made a part 3, and weirdly it starred the Vulcan chick from Enterprise and Amanda Donohoe from Lair of the White Worm. The writer tried to emulate the satire of the original movie and it was funny in spots. The leader of Earth is a cross between Bush and John Ashcroft, who sings super cheesy songs about patriotism and sacrifice. Overall though, it was pretty terrible and thus eminently suitable for late night TV.

* GAMA Trade Show was last week. Nicole, Hal, and Bill repped for GR and it sounds like it went well. There were not as many retailers as previous years, but also far fewer swag hounds who were only there for collectible give-aways. Nicole said she got a lot more face time with retailers and had a real chance to engage with them. I'll take that over crowds of frantic people with giant, bulging shopping bags yelling, "What's free?" at me any day. I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to hang in Vegas with GR peeps and old friends, but I just can't do every show anymore.

* I finally got a copy of the Trafalgar minis game from Warhammer Historical. With the recent layoff of Rob Broom and the moving of Warhammer Historical under Forge World, the future of games like Trafalgar and the Great War is uncertain. I wanted to make sure I got a copy in case it went out of print forever. If you dig the Age of Sail, it's a lovely book. I don't want to rush out and buy ship minis, but I do have a bunch of Pirates of the Spanish Main pocket model ships from WizKids and while they are from a slightly earlier period they would probably work.

Thrilling Tales of Retail Hell, Part 3

I had moved to New York City to go to college and ended up staying there for 9 years. I loved the city and still do. Before I moved to Seattle thogh, I had a brief detour back to the Boston area where I grew up. After several years of freelance writing for roleplaying games, I had decided it was time to move into publishing. I started a company called Ronin Publishing with my brother Jason and an old friend named Neal who was also from my home town. We decided that we really had to all be in the same city, so we got a place in Somerville, MA and I moved up from New York.

Overall, that year was pretty dismal. I had some savings when I moved up but that wasn't going to last. I needed to find a day job because selling the Whispering Vault RPG was certainly not going to pay a livable salary. After four years slinging coffee in NYC, I desperately wanted to do something else. I signed up with a temp agency and did some horrible office jobs here and there, but kept looking for something steadier. My resume at this point was a bunch of retail jobs and RPG writing credits that meant dick to anyone outside the game industry. I sent out resumes and went on interviews, but could not find anything decent. Then one week I saw in the paper that a new coffee place was opening in Kenmore Square and it needed an assistant manager. I bit the bullet and applied. I thought at least being an assistant manager might not be so bad and Kenmore still had some life in it at that time.

With all my coffee experience, they of course offered me a job. They said, however, that the new cafe wasn't going to be ready for several months. In the meantime, I could work at their other location and get trained in to their way of doing things. And where was this other location? South Station, the main train station in Boston. And when I say South Station, I mean right in South Station. There's a series of doors that lead out to the tracks and their coffee stand right in the middle of that wall. Thousands of commuters pass right by it every day as they rush for their trains.

So I had to get up around 5 am to be there for 6 am opening. For the next four hours it was sheer pandemonium. Endless commuters wanting their coffee now, now, now. Things would slack off a bit around 10 and then rev up again around noon. There was no time to get to know my co-workers, no time to interact with customers,no music to listen to, nothing. It was, at best, soul crushing.

Management, of course, can always make a situation worse that was the case here as well. During my first week when I was racing to fill orders, the manager stopped me as I was lifting up a carafe of milk to pour it into a customer's coffee. She said, "Didn't anyone tell you about our signature tip?" I had no idea what was she was talking about and feared to find out. "No," I said, bracing myself. "What's that?"

"We don't pick up the carafes and pour. We hold them by the top and tip them to cream the coffee. It's our signature tip. Customers expect it so you have to do it."

I can only imagine what my face looked like in that moment. This is the sort of mindless coporate bullshit that makes me seeth. Still, I needed the work, so while I thought that not one customer in a hundred had any fucking idea about their signature tip, I grunted something noncommittal and went about my business.

A few days later I had another run-in with the manager. She had noticed that I had a nose ring. Yes, she was a perceptive one; I had gotten it in France a couple of years before. "Well," she said, "You can't wear a nose ring while you're at work. It's not sanitary."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. "It's not like I'm dipping my nose into the coffee as I serve it.

"Sorry, it's our policy."

I desperately wanted to give her my signature fist at that moment, but I held back. I took out the nose ring and tried to find a way to make working at that hellhole palatable. I kept hoping the Kenmore location would beckon so I could escape, but that didn't seem to be moving at all. In the end I lasted at that place for less than a month. The money was not worth the aggravation and work was mind-numbing. The manager was not surprised when I quit. She didn't think I was fitting in too well on their team. No shit, lady.

The funny thing is that now I cannot even remember what the place was called or the manager's name. Just as well.

Thrilling Tales of Retail Hell, Part 2

Since part 1 was foul, I'll tell a less hellish story this time.

It was 1989 and I was in college at NYU and working at a video store in the Village called The Video Store (yes, really). It was originally a small home grown chain of stores called New Video but some corp from the Midwest bought it out and re-named it. It wasn't bad as retail jobs go and getting free access to the entire video library was a nice perk.

For several months I had this regular customer, a woman of about my age who was smoking hot. I would always chat her up and she was charming and friendly. Of course, she had a boyfriend.

She came in one day and was clearly upset. It seems she and her boyfriend had broken up. Turned out she had been dating one of the Beastie Boys (MCA, IIRC) and renting on his account so now she needed her own. I thought, "Ah ha, here's my chance." But of course you don't want to ask a woman out when she's just broken up with her boyfriend.

She continued to come in and rent and we continued chatting. One day one of my co-workers said, "You're getting pretty friendly with Heather."

"Yeah," I said. "She's nice; I like her."

"Did you see her in Drugstore Cowboy?" he asked.

"Uh, no. She was in that?"

"You didn't know?" my co-worker laughed. "That's Heather Graham. She's an up and comer."

In my defense, Drugstore Cowboy had been her only role of note to date and in fact she was a year younger than me. I never did ask her out though and probably should have. She almost certainly would have said no (she later dated James Wood, who was old enough to be her dad; ew) but it would have been worth a shot. I think she moved shortly thereafter because she stopped coming in. A year and change after that she showed up on Twin Peaks and I thought. "Cool, she's got a shot at a career." Yeah, you could say that.

Thrilling Tales of Retail Hell, Part 1

Until I finally got a full time gig as a game designer, I had a succession of shitty retail jobs. My first job was at a department store in Danvers, MA called Ann & Hope. That was also the first time I got fired. Years later in NYC I spent about four years working for the Porto Rico Importing Company, first at the original Bleeker St. location and then at the St. Mark's store. Porto Rico was an old school Italian coffee importer dating back to 1907. The business was mostly selling beans, but the St. Mark's store also had a espresso bar. I learned a lot about coffee working there, but retail in NYC is nothing if not unpredictable. One day I'm selling chocolate covered espresso beans to Dee Dee Ramone and the next I'm having to kick out the heroin junky who comes in periodically to harass the customers.

One day I was chilling out during a lull when a unassuming guy walked in. He looked over the many burlap bags of beans and then asked, "Which one of these is best for my enema?"

I laughed, assuming he was joking. "Well, I guess you want something low in acid, so it doesn't burn your insides."

He looked at me coldly. "I'm serious," he said,

"Oh," I replied, stunned. "Well, in that case I suggest you get this week's sale coffee. It's only $2.99 a pound and it should do the job."

I thought that would be it, but no. He began asking me questions about the qualities of the different beans. I answered his queries for a good five minutes, all the while thinking, "Just buy the cheap one, you're going to be putting this up your ass!"

Eventually, he decided to go with a coffee that was $7.99/pound instead. I never saw that guy again, so I don't know how it went for him. And I'm totally OK with that.

Overload

Sometimes I have to step back and just gape in wonder at how much information and entertainment is at our fingertips compared to just 25 years ago. I have a friend who has a tablet PC with almost every comic published by Marvel and DC ever that's updated on a weekly basis. Other friends have hard drives with thousands of albums ripped to MP3. You can own every episode of your favorite TV shows going back to the beginning of TV or stream them to your TV through your X-Box. Basically, if you want it, it's probably out there. On the one hand, this is awesome. On the other hand, it can be overwhelming. I find I just can't keep up with all the things I'm interested in. I don't have enough hours in the day to read all the books and comics I want, watch all the movies and TV shows I want, and play all the games I want. It's sometimes just too much; it's overload.

I look back on being a teenager, when my tastes were forming.

I remember when buying any gaming book was an event and each purchase was carefully considered.

I remember hunting through the used bookshops of Boston trying to find all the Eternal Champion books by Michael Moorcock. Elric was easy and Hawkmoon not so bad. But Corum and Erekose? It took me years to track them down.

I remember reading about games like Swordbearer and Lace & Steel in Dragon Magazine but never seeing copies until I started going to GenCon.

I remember endless searches for out of print albums by bands like the X-Ray Spex, Toxic Reasons, and Negative Approach.

I remember coveting this red leather single volume edition of Lord of the Rings. I read the books every year back in those days. And I still don't have it.

I remember watching Hong Kong action movies and anime on VHS bootlegs because they simply weren't available any other way in the US.

I remember reading issue #20 of White Dwarf magazine over and over because I could neither find or afford any other issues.

Today it is certainly cool that so much material previously hard to find is available easily, but there are downsides. We miss the thrill of the hunt. I remember my glee at finding a bundle of all the original issues of the Watchmen in the era before graphic novels or finally finding a copy of "The Kids Will Have Their Say" by SSD. I think we also sometimes miss out on a deeper appreciation of the things we're consuming. These days I read a book or watch a movie once for the most part. Many games I play just a few times and they go on the shelf. Some things really benefit from repeat use. Sometimes you only really get what an author or artist is driving at after having the experience multiple times. With so much stuff to choose from, there's always something new trying to get your attention. More games, more movies, more books, more comics, more TV shows, more music, more performances--more, more, more. Overload.

Oftentimes I love the way the world is laid before me. Other days I just want to shut everything down, forget the world, and read the Lord of the Rings again.

The Incredible Shrinking Weekend

I swear weekends are shorter and shorter. It's getting to the point where I feel the weekend is almost over by Saturday morning.

This past weekend I was a guest at local Seattle show Conquest Northwest, hosted by the always effusive Mondo Vega. I went the first year of this con and it was nearly its last. Monda has really turned it around though and Conquest is now a vibrant and fun con. A key, I think, was getting a lot of tournaments organized that would draw people to the show. There were Warhammer and 40K grand tournaments, a Flames of War tournament, and even an Advanced Squad Leader tournament. The Warhammer/40K room was hopping, with 30 odd battles going on at once.

Saturday afternoon I played in a Flames of War game put on by Chris Ewick from Tacoma store the Game Matrix. The scenario took place during the Battle of Kursk, the largest tank clash of WWII. Chris puts on a real spectacle, with over 100 tanks on the board. I ended up playing the Germans with a guy named Steve. Our objective was to take a Russian town. After several turns using long range fire to thin out the Russian ranks, I launched a classic blitz to try to seize it. The Russians blew away my Stug platoon but my Panzer IIIs got into town. The continued pounding of the Tigers, Panthers, and Elefants then caused the Red Army to break and flee. Victory was ours. Here's a picture of the blitz. There are more on the Facebook page.



After that I stopped by the Bucephalus Games demo table and chatted for awhile with Dan Tibbles, Anthony Gallela, and James Ernest. Then Chris Ewick appeared and offered to set us up with DBA armeis and ref a game for us. Well, how could we turn that down? So Anthony and I played Western Romans vs. Eastern Romans in a tense game. I thought I had him when I killed his general, but I could not finish them off before my mounting casualties spelled defeat. Next time, Gallela.

Today I felt like crap. Conquest is not a big show, so you'd think I wouldn't have to worry about con crud. By the afternoon though I was feeling really run down, had a headache, and was congested. I wanted to head home but I had a business dinner I could not miss. So I made it through that and then came home to chill out. On the upside the oyster po' boy was excellent.

Gaming and Working

I was amused to see how many people responded to yesterday's post about a family RPG campaign with suggestions of games I had designed or published. Believe me, I am well-familiar with them! Here's the thing though. When I play a game I worked on professionally, I find it difficult to detach myself from the job and just enjoy it. WFRP2, Mutants & Masterminds, Blue Rose, Faery's Tale, and Dragon Fist are all great games I am proud of, but playing them makes me think about work and that's not what I want on my mind on family game night. That's why when I'm going to run a game for fun, I usually pick something from another publisher. Plus I just like trying out new games.

I know some designers are the same way, but others are the exact opposite. I've met folks who love their games so much they will play them anytime and anywhere. That's never been me though. There's work time and fun time and I've found it helps my sanity to keep them separate. This isn't to say I don't get some enjoyment out of running playtests or convention games, but such situations require me to be in an analytical frame of mind. It's different than just relaxing and having fun with your friends and/or family.

Thanks for all the suggestions though. It was interesting reading. If we get the campaign going, I'll blog about it.

Family Game

For the past couple of months I've been thinking about starting a family RPG campaign. Kate has long watched our roleplaying sessions and wanted to participate, but we rarely even got started before her bedtime when she was younger. She's had a few cameos, like her duck with the "quack attack" who was working towards an invisible bill, but hasn't really been part of a campaign. She's 13 now, a night owl like her step-dad, and clearly interested in doing some roleplaying. Not a surprise I suppose when it's our family business. And by her age I had been roleplaying for three years already.

The idea is that I'd run the game for Kate and Nicole. It'd be something we could do on off nights without having to worry about whether anyone else could show up. It'd be fun family bonding too. This, of course, led to the eternal question: what do I run? Nicole asked that we avoid any flavor of D&D and that was fine by me. I considered games like Big Eyes, Small Mouth, Faery's Tale, and Prince Valiant but decided they weren't quite what I was looking for. After digging around in my collection, I had three serious contenders.

Star Wars (West End Edition): This used to be my standard recommendation to people as a starter RPG, because it was fairly easy to pick up and featured a setting that everyone knew. Unfortunately, the whole prequel trilogy has really soured me on Star Wars. Those movies were ultimately so shitty that it takes something on the level of KOTOR to make me feel even a glimmer of the fondness I used to have for Star Wars. Nicole and Kate were both lukewarm to the idea, so this was a no go.

Savage Worlds: I've wanted to try Savage Worlds for awhile but haven''t had the opportunity. The flavor I'm most interested in is Solomon Kane, but adventuring like a Puritan witch hunter doesn't exactly scream 13 year old girl. No other setting leapt out at me so I put this on stand by. I could always make something up, of course, but I don't have a whole lot of time for prep.

Marvel Superheroes Adventure Game (Saga): This is the second Marvel RPG, the one WotC published in the 90s. Kate likes comics and loves the X-men, and I always liked the card-driven design of the game. I was working at WotC when it came out, so I have everything that was published for the game. And letting Kate and Nik play established Marvel characters means we don't have to deal with superhero character creation. The downside is they both asked about playing Wolverine! This is currently the leading contender.

I'm still considering options, but Saga is looking pretty good. If there's something you think I'm totally overlooking, make a suggestion. Just realize that if you tell me to run Exalted or to use Dogs in the Vineyard to run the Chronicles of Narnia, I will punch you through the internet.

Hello 2009

2008 was like a psycho ex-girlfriend. Sure, there was some great sex but in the end I'm relieved to have escaped the relationship alive.

Hello 2009. I hope you're not as a crazy as your sister.

Facebook

At first I wanted nothing to do with Facebook. I was already using several social networking sites and didn't see the need for another one. Nicole started using Facebook though so I decided to give it a shot. I didn't care for it for many months. All the stupid poking and vampire games were not for me. Scrabulous, however, I really enjoyed and that kept me using Facebook (but boy was I pissed when Hasbro got Scrabulous pulled; thankfully the lawsuit has been dropped).

Lately my attitude has changed and I've been really enjoying Facebook. That's because it has somehow succeeded in doing what none of those other sites have: attracting casual internet users. I have found so many old friends on Facebook, many of whom I haven't seen in 20 years. Some I had Googled over the years and always come up empty. They just didn't have a footprint on the internet. These people are signing up for Facebook though and I'm glad. It's gotten me back in touch with a bunch of people I had been wanting to reconnect with.

I've also been enjoying the photo application. I've created a bunch of albums and have been uploading pics frequently. This has encouraged me to dig out 20 years worth of photos and start scanning in the better ones. So if you want to see pictures of punk bands (including my own), my first GenCon, my appearence in Details Magazine, and much food porn, friend me on Facebook and mention this blog.

Personal Top 10 of 2008

For the hell I've it I've decided to put together a personal top 10 for 2008. This is cool stuff that happened to me, affected me, or that I just enjoyed.

10. Going to Game Cons for Fun: Most of the time when I go to a game convention, it's for work. This isn't to say I don't enjoy shows like GTS and GenCon, I do, but working the show is a lot different than going as a player. This year I had several opportunities to go to cons with no other agenda than playing games and having fun. In March I went to Trumpeter Salute in Vancouver, BC for a day and played some minis games. Then in May I spent the whole weekend in Olympia at Enfilade, a historical minis convention. Enjoyed playing everything from the Russian Civil War to Victorian Scifi. Lastly, in October I went to NYC for BillCon, which was a get-together with my college game group. OK, so that was a pretty informal con but we packed in a lot of gaming in three days and had a damn good time.

9. Getting Healthier: This year I made some great strides in getting myself healthier. The insurance I get from Flying Lab allowed me to see some specialists, like a sleep doctor, and identify some problem areas. Nicole and I started doing yoga at a great studio in Georgetown and we recently added strength training to that. I am now sleeping better, eating better, and exercising better than I was a year ago.

8. Return to the Herbfarm: A couple of years back Nicole took me to the Herbfarm, a legendary foodie destination in Woodinville. This year I returned the favor for her birthday. There had been a change of chefs since our last visit, but the food was just as wonderful. The blue cheese ice was mind-bogglingly good. If you're interested, you can check out the photos of the full meal on my Facebook page. The Herbfarm is not cheap but it's an experience I'd recommend to anyone who loves food.

7. Hobby Games: The 100 Best Now Award Winning: HG100 is one of my favorite titles Green Ronin has ever published. Basically, we got 100 designers and industry notables to each write about a great game they were not personally involved in. Jim Lowder did a great job putting the project together and it was terribly cool to publish a book with contributions from so many designers whose games I grew up playing. It was thus pretty pleasing to see the book win an Origins Award and a silver Ennie Award over the summer. Jim is currently put together a follow-up that should be out next summer too.

6. 13 on the 13th: My stepdaughter Kate turned 13 this month and she's really grown up this year. The first time I met Kate she was crawling around a hotel room at GenCon when she was 6 months old. It's hard to reconcile that with the poised and mature teenager I now see in front of me. Kate gets more awesome every year and I am proud to be the stepdad of the smart, funny, creative, and sweet girl she's become.

5. Burma Performs Vs: Mission of Burma is one of favorite bands of all time and their best album is the mighty Vs. It was amazing when they got back together and didn't suck. It was more amazing when they put out new albums that rocked. This year to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Vs., they did a tour in which they played the album in its entirety from start to finish. This show made me so happy.

4. GDC Is Go: I've been wanting to go to the Game Developers Conference in San Fran for many years and this year I finally got the chance. I've come late in my career to the computer gaming side of things and there's a lot I don't know. GDC was a chance for me to learn more about the computer game industry and meet folks from other companies. It also turned out to be an excellent opportunity to catch up with old friends from the tabletop gaming industry who made the jump years ago and who I hadn't seen in some time. As a plus I had time on this trip to stop by Endgame in Oakland, one of the best game stores in the country, and hang out with Chris Hanrahan and crew. Too bad the podcast we recorded got corrupted.

3. Pirate Booty: Speaking of the computer game industry, my first title in that arena shipped this year. Pirates of the Burning Sea is a MMO RPG set in the Caribbean in 1720. If you like kickass naval combat and swashbuckling swordplay, Pirates is a lot of fun. I was one of the lead writers on the game and now I'm the Creative Director at FLS.

2. Throwing the Bastards Out: Eight years of the most criminal and corrupt administration in memory is finally coming to an end. I am so delighted that Bush and Cheney are almost gone and the party that put them there was soundly drubbed in November. What do I want for Xmas next year? Trials for the war criminals. Too bad Obama is almost certain to let them go scot-free.

1. Finland!: Without a doubt the best and most fun thing I did in 2008 was go to Finland for Ropecon. Nicole and I were able to spend a week in Finland, and our excellent hosts took such good care of us that I'm ruined for American cons now. We had time to see the sites in Helsinki, ate delicious food, and then spent the con making some great new friends while drinking ungodly amounts of alcohol (go long drink!). So thanks to Jukka, Katri, Mikko, Timo, Outi, Ville, and all the other crazy Finns who made this trip such a blast, as well as my fellow guests Peter and Greg. As General MacArthur once said, "I shall return!"

Winter Wonderland

I must admit that I've been enjoying being snowed in these last few days. Kate is up in Vancouver visiting her dad, so Nicole and I have had the house to ourselves. We have enjoyed the quiet, particularly as the snow and cold have kept the world's lamest gangstas out of the kiddie park next to our place. We were able to make a supermarket run just as the snow was starting again on Saturday, so we haven't wanted for anything but a snow shovel (Lowe's had none). It's been nice spending some time alone in a calm environment. I shared Love and Death, still my favorite Woody Allen movie, with her last night. Today we took a pleasant walk down to the library. It was icy but the sun was out and the snowy vistas were beautiful.

I've gotten a lot of work done on the game I'm designing as well. I've written down enough of the thoughts that have been swirling around in my head for the past several months that the basic framework is in place. Now it's a matter of building on it and refining it.I'll be doing more of this on my days off over Xmas. Hopefully we'll be announcing the game in January.

I've also been trying to get caught up on GR mail orders. We had a lot come in because of the d20 blowout sale we've been running. Orders backed up and the snow has made it worse. We got five bins to the post office on Saturday before the storm. Today I spent an hour in the cold garage picking more orders. Soon this will be handled at our warehouse and I'm so looking forward to that.

My only problem right now is that it's 2:30 am and I should be asleep. I'm going to try to bus to Flying Lab in the morning and I need to get an early start. I was saying to Nicole earlier that although I've been working every day I've been home, I still felt more relaxed than usual. She smirked and said, "That's because you've only been working one job." Good point.

Snow and Sausage

I grew up in New England, which gets all four seasons in full measure. It can get brutally hot in the summer and frigidly cold in the winter. I know how to deal with snow and lived through the blizzard of '78. Seattle though, has a much milder climate. It only gets really hot for maybe a week of the year and when it does snow, it usually melts in a day or two. That makes this week all the more unusual. It's been quite cold for starters and then snow began threatening on Tuesday.

I woke up Wednesday expecting to see the ground covered with snow. All the weather reports had said it would definitely snow overnight. So I went to work and heard about snow all around Seattle but not in the city itself. At lunch I went down to the Pike Place Market to get lunch and pick up a few things for home. I got some fresh bread at Three Girls Bakery and then stopped at Bavarian Meats for some charcuterie. The nice German lady was efficiently filling my order for things like liver sausage and blood and tongue sausage when I asked if I could also get three potato sausages. At this she lit up. "Good choice! Are you Norwegian?" For those of you who've never met me, I am like an anti-Viking. So I laugh and tell her I'm Greek. "Oh," she says, " you have good taste. Do you want more than three? We have more in the back." I assure her that three is more than enough and head back to work. That night the news says the storm will bypass Seattle completely.

Sure enough the weather reports are wrong for two days running. The next morning everything is white and it's still coming down. I decide to stay home from work and catch up on Green Ronin business. In the afternoon I shoveled out the backyard path and the front steps and sidewalk. Lacking a snow shovel, I had to use our sad garden shovel, a rake, and an old broom to do the clearing. Naturally an hour after finishing, it started to snow again. It felt like being back east.

Last night I made the potato sausages for dinner, along with baked sweet potatoes and lingonberries. While I had previously baked potato sausages, I thought I'd check the internet to see if that was the correct way to prepare it. I discovered that potato sausage is apparently a traditional Swedish Christmas food, so this was the right season to pick some up. However, the Swedish community seems split on the proper way to prepare it. Some boil it, some bake it, and others poach it. I decided to go with slow boiling and it came out great. The lingonberries were an excellent match. Meat + fruit = win.

Today I foolishly decided to head into Flying Lab. Even more foolishly, I brought two bags full of packages to mail at the post office. These were GR mail orders that had gone awry and I really wanted to get them out before the weekend. I thought the bus might be empty today with many people staying home. In fact, I've never seen it more crowded. The bus driver stopped taking on new passengers before we even got off Beacon Hill because we couldn't fit even one more person onboard. I had to balance my bookbag and the two other bags on my lap while hemmed in by other commuters. What a magical season.

This weekend I'm going to stay in, write, and eat more charcuterie.

Time Flies But Aeroplanes Crash

Weeks have been flying by of late. That's good for the work week, but it also means weekends go by in a flash.

Friday I was feeling cruddy so I stayed in. Saturday and Sunday were similar: work during the day and then dinner out. Last night we got together with two friends of mine from high school, Elizabeth and Geoff, who I only recently discovered lived in Seattle. I've gotten together with them for lunch but we hadn't done the full family meet up. They had us over to their beautiful house in Magnolia and I introduced them to Nicole and Kate and met their five kids. It's been really nice to rekindle that friendship and get to know each other again as adults. Tonight we went out to the Saffron Grill with Nicole's brother and his girlfriend, which was also nice. I could drink that chai endlessly.

Working on the weekend, which I do pretty much every weekend, can be a drag when it's just administration, scheduling, contracting, and other such bullshit. This weekend I got to spend most of my time doing -- gasp -- game design. Yeah, the reason I got into this in the first place. I am designing a new RPG and I had a productive couple of days building out the framework and core mechanics. I'm quite pleased with what I've done so far. The concepts are coming together quickly, probably because I've the last couple of years thinking about what I want from this type of game. I'm afraid I can't talk about what the game is just yet, but you may seen announcement before Xmas.

And now the weekend is over already. Ah well.

Stuff and Things

Just haven't found time to blog lately. Things I've wanted to talk about have either been too short, in which case I use Twitter, or too long, so I defer them until the mythical time when I can sit down and write a few essays. For now a smattering of stuff and things will have to do:

1) My NYC trip was quite fun. I caught up with old friends, played a lot of games, and had four days away from work and the internet. Manhattan has changed in a lot of ways, but walking around town still makes me smile. One excellent addition to the Lower East Side is authentic Japanese noodle shops. I had some outstanding ramen on Friday with my friend Chesley.

2) The Green Ronin summit is this weekend. This is an annual get-together that brings together all of our staff from various parts of the country. We talk about the previous year and plan for the coming one. Should be productive and enjoyable.

3) It's been pretty amazing to watch John McCain so effectively destroy his own brand in just a couple of months. His reputation as an honorable politician and a maverick were mostly bullshit to begin with, the product of a media so in love with his image that they never dwelled on his record or challenged his claims. That he is now reduced to aping the tactics of Karl Rove, who destroyed McCain's campaign in 2000, is a testimony to his desperation. I would almost feel bad for the guy if not for his tacit encouragement of the right's lunatic fringe that may yet end in tragedy.

4) I picked up Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying core rulebook recently and have been enjoying it. It's basically the distillation of 30 years of classic RPGs, from Runequest to Call of Cthulhu to Elric. It takes a toolkit approach, offering many options that let you customize the rules for the campaign you want to run. I wouldn't hand this book to a newb, as it requires you to make a lot of choices when setting up a game, but it's really nice for experienced gamers because it gives you a wealth of options in one source. I am now pondering a Basic Roleplaying Freeport Companion, but I'm not certain if there's enough of an audience for such a book.

5) Green Ronin is doing another d20 Apocalypse Sale this month, blowing out titles before the WotC-mandated deadline makes selling d20 logo products a license violation for publishers. If you are still playing D&D 3.X, there are many fine books to choose from for $2 to $5. You can find them at participating stores or get them online from Paizo:
http://paizo.com/store/sale/greenRoninApocalypseSale

Fun World

It's been a busy week here in Seattle and there's more to come. Last night Nicole and I caught Mission of Burma at Neumo's. Long time readers may remember that Burma is one of my favorite bands and I never miss a chance to see them (since for many years I thought I'd never have the chance). This time they were playing the entirety of their classic Vs. album in order and it was a treat. I remember buying Vs. from Rockit Records in MA when I was 16 years old. I remember my dad coming in my room one day and asking me what they were singing on "New Nails." I said, "The Roman Empire never died; just turned into the Catholic Church." This seemed to amuse him. Vs. was recently reissued on CD and I may need to replace my long suffering vinyl (there's been a skip on "Mica" since the day I got it). Last night they did it all, from "Secrets" to "That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate." They rounded out the set with a half dozen other songs, including "This Is Not a Photograph" and the rare B-side "OK/No Way". Considering that I was in a shit mood in the afternoon, the show was most welcome and put a smile on my face.

Tonight I'm having dinner with former Ronin Rob Schwalb, who is town for some meetings at WotC. Then I'm off to see the HorrorPops, a psychobilly band I've been trying to see for years now. Well, tonight it is finally happening and I'm looking forward to it. From there it's right to the airport and then a redeye to NYC, where I'm spending the weekend. My college game group is having a reunion of sorts and we're getting together at my friend Bill's place to play RPGs, minis games, and boardgames for three days. I'll probably be a wreck as a I stumble around Manhattan tomorrow, but I did it this way so I won't waste all of Friday traveling. Nicole calls NYC my mistress and it's time for a booty call.

Low Energy Friday

I need to be up early tomorrow for yet another trip. This time it's Vegas for a trade show. I must admit I am real low energy at the moment and I do not feel prepared. Lately I have not been traveling with my laptop but I think may need to bring it this time. I've got a lot of things to do and I don't think I can just defer everything until the middle of next week.

Meanwhile I find myself wishing the presidential election was tomorrow so we could get it over with. The right wing slime machine is getting itself into gear and it just sickens me to watch it. November can't come fast enough.

Here Comes August

I've been slack about updating the ole blog lately because July has been crazy busy. Nicole and I are leaving for Finland on Monday and we have to tie up all loose ends and make sure everything is on track for Gen Con before we go. In the midst of that Nik and I went to the Portland area over the weekend for her high school reunion and various family visitation. That same weekend Flying Lab moved its offices from Queen Anne to Belltown. The new location cuts about 15 minutes off my commute each way and I can get here on only one bus. I have also escaped the bullpen at last and have a private office I share with one other person that has a lovely view of Puget Sound. Belltown is the north end of downtown and has lots of new options for lunch, which is great. The office is also a 5 minute walk from Singles Going Steady, the best punk record store in Seattle. Woot.

Usually this time of year it's all about Gen Con, but I'm actually more excited about attending Ropecon the week before. Don't get me wrong, I love Gen Con, but this is going to be my 19th in a row and I know what to expect. I will enjoy myself for sure, but it's unlikely to hold any surprises. This will be my first trip to Finland on the other hand and my first con in northern Europe. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Finland and Ropecon have to offer.

On the Gen Con front it looks like GR will (knock on wood) be able to debut the Wild Cards campaign setting for Mutants & Masterminds. This is the first of our George R.R. Martin projects and I think it came out great. Series author John Jos. Miller wrote a hugely comprehensive setting book, Steve made sure it's eminently gameable, and Hal made it look awesome. I think M&M and Wild Cards fans will be very pleased with the finished product. We've got some other Gen Con surprises in the works, but I'm not going to say more until I'm sure they'll make the show.

Now it's back to work. Much to still do before Monday.

27 Years of Galaga Pays Off

I got a promotion today at Flying Lab. I am now the company's Creative Director, in charge of all story elements and narrative design. Up to this point I've basically been isolated in my writing cave. I will now be stepping up into a leadership role at FLS, which I think I am well prepared for after 8 years of running Green Ronin. Now I must tell the crew that floggings will continue until morale improves!

Hey, July

I'll admit it, July; we've never had the best of relationships. You are in the middle of the summer and I am not a fan of hot weather. That's why I like the temperate Pacific Northwest. But hey, Son of Caesar, why do I feel like you are conspiring against me? I don't mind doing work, but it seems awfully strange that it's all coming due in the same damn month. Most of it in the same week even. So what gives, July? Do you have it out for me?

Mindless Violence on a Sunday Night

A little after 10 pm Kate and I got to Pine St. & 3rd Ave to catch a bus home. We had been out with my old friend and bandmate Amanda at a vegan pizza place in the U-District, which was pretty good but vegan "cheese" still doesn't melt. I wouldn't normally have Kate out that late on a school night but Amanda comes to town rarely and this was our chance to get together.

So anyway, we're waiting for our bus and I hate this stop late at night. It's a nexus point for drunks, wannabe gangstas, junkies, and other nocturnal denizens. There's always some bullshit going on and it's not a matter of if you'll get hassled, but how. Last year some jackass pulled an assault rifle out of his trunk and killed someone who insulted him a block away from our stop. Oh yeah, good times.

Tonight we walked up on a confrontation between a drunk guy and a middle aged guy with a walker. It may have been racially motivated, as I think the guy with the walker was native American and I heard him yell at the other guy, "I'm not your people." I don't know what the beef was, but the drunky insisted being a bigtime antagonist. I'm not sure what was wrong with the middle-aged guy (he seemed to have on some kind of knee supports as well) but he got so pissed that he picked up his walker and started swinging it at the drunk guy like a big club. Asshole kept dodging back and taunting him. He then caught the walker and started trying to wrestle it from the other guy's grasp. The two of them spilled into the middle of Third Avenue and continued to struggle.

This is when it got surreal. You see, normally Third Ave is a busy street. Even at this time of night, there's a decent amount of traffic. Minutes before, I could look down the road and see like six buses. Yet when these two moved into the street the traffic disappeared. For a good three minutes no cars or buses were visible anywhere on the street. I kept expecting a bus to come barreling down or the cops to roll up, but there was nothing but this brawl.

There were a good 40 people on the block watching this drama unfold. Older folks shook their heads in disapproval, while teenagers whooped and hollered and egged the fight on. Not one person tried to stop it. Finally, I said to Kate, "I really feel like I need to do something." Kate grabbed my arm, pulled herself close, and said, "Please don't!" She didn't want to see me hurt and I didn't want to leave Kate stranded alone downtown with Nicole still away. I felt like shit, but I stood there with everyone else. The drunk finally took a couple of hits from the walker but this didn't seem to faze him.

At this point our bus pulled up. It stopped right in front of them and started honking its horn. They did not get out of the street. I saw drunky eying the other guy's hat, which had come off in the scuffle. I picked up the hat and put it back on its owner's head. Then I turned to the drunk and said, "Give it a rest." They were both so focused on each other that neither noticed. Kate and I then boarded the bus.

As we were finding seats, somehow the tide turned. Walker guy had gotten his arms around the drunk and body slammed him head first into the wall. The whole bus went, "Whoah!" Drunky ended up on all fours, with the other guy on top of him. The last thing we saw was the now walkerless guy reaching up between the drunk's legs and cockpunching him. Can't say he didn't deserve it. Then the bus roared away.

I wish Kate hadn't had to witness that scene. I wish I had stopped it from getting that far.

Fun Time Is Over

My getaway is over, sad to say. Tomorrow it's back to both jobs. The weekend was a blast though. I ended up playing 7 games in 48 hours at Enfilade, something I don't think I've pulled off since GenCon circa 1992. Here's a brief roundup.

I kicked things off on Friday night with a WWII Wings of War game that used model planes on flying stands and oversized maneuver cards. The scenario featured six B-17s with fighter escorts on a bombing run over Germany. I commanded the worst German planes on the table, ME-110s, but I enjoyed the challenge. There were about 20 planes on the table, which was a big chaotic but overall the game was fun. We shot down three B-17s and won the game.

Saturday morning I played "Last Train to Smolensk," a Russian Civil War game in which Reds, Whites, and partisans fought over statue reputed to contain the bones of the Tsar and his family. The game won for sheer spectacle, with hundreds of nicely painted 28mm minis and not one but two armored trains. The rules were a convention friendly version of Heroes of the Soviet Union. I wasn't familiar with them but the one page summary gave all the info needed to play and everyone picked them up quickly. We ultimately had 18 people playing this game, and considering that it went at a pretty good clip. I ended up commanding Red Cavalry in the spirit of Isaac Babel, but unfortunately the table was so crowded and our starting position so poor that I had a hard time getting them into action. We started playing at 9:30 and I didn't roll an attack until 11:20. I think it would have been better with maybe 12 people and 25% less figures but I still had a good time. I don't know anyone in Seattle who has any interest in Russian Civil War gaming, so I'm glad I had the chance to participate.

In the afternoon I played in "King Batuve's Mines", a Sword in Africa game run by ex-TSR designer Steve Winter. In 19th century Africa English colonialists open a diamond mine on the land of King Batuve without asking permission. Mistake! The wily king marshals his forces and tries to capture the mine before a relief column can arrive. I commanded one of the African contingents and attempted to kill whitey. It turned out I was in the right place twice to sacrifice troops to better my side's tactical situation. I lost almost all my troops but King Batuve took his mine back.

That night I played in a "The Sword and the Flame on Mars", a Victorian scifi game that married the Sword and the Flame ruleset with the Space: 1889 RPG setting. This game was great to look at, with spider walkers and other steam engines squaring off on the red planet. I was on the British side, commanding the sole airship in the battle. I evaded Martian rockets, while pounding the ground with cannons and dropping liquid fire from above. It was a close fought battle but we pulled it out. Rule Britannia! This was my favorite game of the weekend.

After that long ass day I should have gone right to bed, but did not. Rick and I hooked up after his Medieval game finished and we threw down with some Memoir '44. I tried and failed to stop an American assault after D-Day, then finally went to bed.

Sunday morning Rick and I got into a classic Battletech game. We hadn't played any con games together the whole weekend and I knew he'd be up for it. I've played Battletech once in the last 10 years, so I was rusty on the rules but the GM was very good and did an excellent job of controlling the pace and keeping the action going. All the mechs started with some damage to even things out a bit, so my 100 ton Atlas was badass but didn't dominate. We had 8 players with one mech each and our team won. I took out the enemy Atlas but then went down in flames. In honor of the biggest Battletech fan I know, Chris Hanrahan, I used the Endgame dice he gave me in Oakland back in February and they served me well.

After that we ended up playing a pickup game of Space Hulk with people we met in the Battletech game (three of whom were also named Rick!). This is another game I hadn't played in a long time. A couple of the guys hadn't played before and they made the mistake of thinking they could fight the genestealers in hand to hand combat. Their squad of terminators was wiped out in less than 15 minutes. Our squad kept fighting and made some good progress but eventually we were overwhelmed by the alien horde. After the game we took our leave of Enfilade and headed back to Seattle.

Today was a holiday of course, so what to do? Hey, how about playing a game? I had Ray and Jon over this afternoon and we played Descent. I was the Overlord and they each played two characters. This proved a good idea, as otherwise they would have been giant bait. The scenario was a bit repetitious but we had a good time.

I call that a successful gaming weekend.

The Wacky Bus Driver

I have this wacky driver on my first bus of the morning. He's got this practiced patter that he uses every day. It starts when we get to the International District. He says, "This is the first stop in the Ride Free Area; welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the Twilight Zone." I'm not sure if that's a commentary on the International District or the Ride Free Area. As we proceed downtown, he calls the Federal Building "the protestor's Mecca" and the main branch of the library "the ziggurat of knowledge." I appreciate the sense of humor, but I think he needs to mix it up a bit. It's always the same thing.

'Tis the Season?

Nicole and I had a simple plan last night: get dinner, see Iron Man. After some debate we decided to try Malay Satay Hut. My morning bus route goes about a block away from the place and I've been meaning to try it forever because it has a great rep. We pulled up around 8 and saw that it was closed. Closer investigation showed that it was out of action due to a kitchen remodel. We sat in the parking lot for a few minutes, trying to figure out where to go instead. While we were waiting three more groups of people came to dine at the Satay Hut and left disappointed. We'll have to go back when it reopens.

We ended up at Shilla, a Korean place on Denny that we hadn't been to in a long time. We got beef and scallop BBQ and cooked it at our table. It was very tasty, but we didn't get over to the over to the movie theater until 10. The 10:15 show of Iron Man sold out as I was walking up to the counter. So no satay and no Iron Man but not a total wash.

Today Nik went out to get a new garbage disposal. The plan was that she'd stop off at Matt's Famous Chili Dogs in Georgetown and bring back lunch while I did the dishes in preparation for the installation. Nicole stopped by and found Matt's was closed. They are also doing a remodel! What the hell? Is it the season to remodel restaurants or what?

The Country Where I Quite Want to Be

Back in the dark days of the original Ronin Publishing (also known as the mid-90s), my business partner got invited to be a guest of honor at a convention in Switzerland. They offered to pay his way over and pick up his hotel. I told him he should go for it and he arranged to attend. I think many convention organizers outside the US don't realize what a cheap date American designers are. Offer us a ticket to someplace more exotic than Columbus or Milwaukee and odds are we'll come. Anyway, months go by and this Swiss show approaches. The night before the flight my partner has this dream in which his dead grandfather told him not to go. This freaks him out and he cancels at the last minute. I told him a free trip to Europe was probably the coolest thing he was ever going to get out of being in the game industry, but it was too late. He skipped the trip and a couple of years later he was out of the industry.

All of this is a long preamble to the fact that I've been invited to be a guest of honor at Ropecon in Finland and you can bet your ass I'm going. I was actually invited last year for the first time but it was on the same weekend as Recombination in Cambridge, England. This year I had no previous obligations so I was happy to accept. Nicole, being a proud Finnish-American, will be coming with me. We hope to arrive a few days early so we can see some of Helsinki and perhaps beyond. I, of course, am keenly interested in the Winter War and the Continuation War but I'll try not to drag her to all war-related sites. Anyway, very much looking forward to it. The only downside is that it's the weekend before GenCon. It seems likely that Nik and I will have a 15 hour flight home and then have to get on another plane the next day for GenCon. We may be quite zombiefied by the time we get there, but whatever: we're going to Finland, baby.

Service Interruption!

Last week I was poking around the internet looking for ideas on places to eat in Sin City. I ran across Larry's Las Vegas Restaurant Guide, which has reviews of many of the foodie favorites there. The reviews are generally useful but one of Larry's quirks is that he's a stickler for service. In many reviews he has notes like, "Service Interruption--15 minutes!" I was amused enough that I related this to Nicole on our plane ride down to Vegas. This must explain the poor service we got from several restaurants that I expected better from.

It started the morning we arrived. We had a 6 am flight on Saturday so we were at our hotel by 9:30 and our room was not ready. We decided to head over to the Venetian and have brunch at Bouchon. I had been to the Napa Valley original last year and looked forward to checking this one out. Everything went great through the beignets and then the wait began. About 20 minutes later they brought out my food but not Nicole's. I started eating so it wouldn't get cold and hers came maybe 10 minutes later. Pretty odd for a place of Bouchon's caliber, though I will add that the chicken and waffles Nicole got was truly awesome. My eggs with boudin blanc was good, but not in the same league.

Sunday night Hal joined us for a trip to Seablue, one of Michael Mina's places. The restaurant wasn't all that busy but seemed understaffed. Our waitress was very nice when she was around, but she routinely went MIA for 15 minutes at a time. We had told her we were in no hurry ("This is our show," we said), but that didn't mean we intended to spend the whole night there either. When the food arrived though, it was excellent. The lobster corndogs were not as great as they sounded (the batter overwhelms the lobster a bit), but the paella was hands down the best that I've had anywhere. It was just stuffed with high quality seafood of all sorts, as well as quail and rabbit. So no problem with the kitchen; only the service needed help.

I must therefore give meal of the trip to Wing Lei at the Wynn. The service was excellent all around. Our waiter was attentive but not obsequious and he had ample assistance. Nicole and I had the Imperial Peking Duck tasting menu, which was five courses of heaven. It started with a whole Peking Duck brought tableside. Choice bits were carved out and rolled into delicious crepes. They then took the rest of the duck back to the kitchen and used it to create the rest of our dishes. Fantastic and no service interruptions!

You can see why I don't gamble when I'm in Vegas. I save up my money to eat above my means, not to lose it shooting craps.

Work and Props

Somehow, a whole pile of work seems to have snuck up on me. I've got a new assignment at FLS, I have lots to do for GR leading into convention season, and for the first time in a while I have freeelance work as well. I'm writing and reading proposals while assigning and being assigned work. It's good that I was able to relax for a couple of days in Vegas.

Green Ronin is participating in the Origins Awards for the first time in years and we got four nods in the semi-finals. This is a relatively new stage of the process that provides a field of 10 in each category. The retailers at GAMA Trade Show are voting on those, which will winnow it down to 5 and those are the actual nominess. I was pleased to see the Pirate's Guide to Freeport, Hobby Games: The 100 Best, Walk the Plank, and Faery's Tale Deluxe make the short list. I still don't like the super condensed categories. I also really think the non-fiction category needs to be re-thought or re-named. This includes magazines, art books, and other oddball stuff. Somehow, the Grand History of the Realms (for the Forgotten Realms) is also in this category. Wacky.

I probably should skip gaming tonight but I won't. More Combat Commander awaits.

Back from Vegas

Although GAMA Trade Show goes on for three more days, I am back from Las Vegas. Kate is mature for her age, but not so much so that we'd leave her to fend for herself all week. I had three days in Vegas. Two were spent relaxing with Nicole, who I've barely seen this month. Yesterday, as GTS got going, I had a couple of business meetings, helped set up the Green Ronin booth, and caught up with some friends and colleagues. I also got in on Mike Webb's yearly GTS game of Kremlin and that was good fun, even if my best politburo stooges ended up dead or in Siberia.

I'll post more later on what Nik and I got up to (short version: eating well). I wish I had been able to stay longer at GTS, as the industry seems to be a strange place at the moment and I'd like to have had more of a chance to catch up with folks and talk things over. We are still awaiting clarity on the whole GSL issue and I'll be surprised if we hear anything concrete by week's end. I can tell you that was topic #1 for most RPG publishers I talked to. Interesting times.