Support for Ryan, coauthor of Mutant Future

My good friend Ryan Denison (coauthor of Mutant Future) lost his wife very suddenly in November. I am running a "donation bundle" for people to receive great products and contribute to a great cause at the same time! There are products from Goblinoid Games, as well as several other generous publishers. Please check it out, and spread the word.

Artist Steve Zieser Died Today

I'm sorry to report for those who haven't yet heard that Steve Zieser died several hours ago (12/21/2015). I won't say he lost his battle with cancer. He had already been diagnosed when I met him about seven or eight years ago, and he had cancer in total for about ten years. Saying someone lost a battle implies that he wasn't strong enough to win. On the contrary, Steve continued to live a good and happy life during those years. He and his wife Jenn enjoyed several vacations together, and of course Steve continued to do a lot of what he loved to do, play games and illustrate. Cancer finally took him, but Steve didn't lose his battle. I think Steve and Jenn always viewed the battle as having more to do with continuing to live life. He lived a very positive life, enjoyed the moment, and cherished the time he had with friends, colleagues, and family. I call that a win.

Steve did a lot of work for various game publishers in the last several years. I remember Steve telling me when I hired him to illustrate Labyrinth Lord that I was the first person to ever pay him for his work. That changed in short order as his skill became more widely known and his work was placed in many game books and a few art gallery showings. For Goblinoid Games, Steve went on to illustrate (in addition to the entirety of Labyrinth Lord) the cover and some interior pieces for the Advanced Edition Companion, interior work for Mutant Future and Starships & Spacemen 2e, the Labyrinth Lord Referee Screen, and various other things here and there. His illustration in the article, "Dogs in the Dungeon" makes me smile because I think I can see some of one of his dogs in the one he illustrated. The illustration on page 130 of Labyrinth Lord features none other than Steve himself, depicted as an Evil Game Master. Steve was a great game referee, but the irony here is that Steve was one of the most kindhearted and positive people I've met. Not at all the grimacing opponent he depicted himself as in jest. 

Steve did love his dogs. He also loved bigfoot, though as an anthropologist (I even specialize in feet, so I can comment on the tracks!) I told him on more than one occasion that I didn't think it likely bigfoot exists. I don't think he believed it either, but sometimes it's fun to imagine "what if." Steve also loved Star Trek. We were at a Gamicon one year in Iowa City, and he kicked my butt at a game of Federation Commander. He helped spark an interest to publish a trek-like game and later I told him he is responsible for my purchase and republishing of Starships & Spacemen. When I asked him to illustrate 100 foreheads for that book I think he thought I was nuts, but he loved the challenge. He confessed later is was pretty tough to do, but man I love the result.

Steve was a loving husband, tolerant dog parent, brilliant artist, trusted colleague, and so many other things to so many people. I'm glad to have called him a friend. I'm sad that he isn't here, but I will certainly think of him and his memory when I look at his enduring work.

 

 

Goodbye, Steve.

Monsters Macabre now available!

Monsters Macabre, the new monster book for CRYPTWORLD, is now available! It has received very positive feedback from backers, including a glowing review from Alex Lucard at Diehard Gamefan.

MONSTERS MACABRE a new sourcebook for CRYPTWORLD

The Kickstarter is now live!

All backers can download the current draft that just needs one more editing sweep and interior art.

Now add more terrors to your CRYPTWORLD game with Monsters Macabre!
Monsters Macabre is a new sourcebook for CRYPTWORLD, featuring:

• 71 new THINGS to haunt the night
• 10 new unsettling powers
• A complete adventure featuring one of the new creatures
• Rules for monster PCs
• Guidelines for creating your own THINGS
• Optional rules for variable weapon damage
• Tables for generating random monster hunting organizations

Approximate page count 64 pages.

Gamicon Feb.20-22 in Iowa CIty

Just a reminder that Tim Snider and I will be attending Gamicon in Iowa City later this month. Tim and I will be running a number of game sessions, and will have a booth. I will also be part of a panel discussion on freelancing vs. self publishing games.

If you are in the Midwest and have a weekend to spare drop on by!

CRYPTWORLD now in distribution!

I am proud to announce that CRYPTWORLD is the first Pacesetter title to be in distribution in 30 years! Now Pacesetter horror is available to you at your local game store, so if you have been waiting to support your local retailer pay them a visit and if they aren't stocking it yet place an order. The book is available through the usual channels, such as Alliance or ACD.

Pacesetter is back!

CRYPTWORLD mentioned on the Dead Games Society Podcast

Hi all, just a heads up that the newest October podcast from the Dead Games Society features a discussion with Tim Snider (coauthor of Cryptworld) about the original Pacesetter CHILL and of course the new Pacesetter horror game CRYPTWORLD.

There is a lot of discussion here about Pacesetter in general and the Pacesetter System. Also if you haven't yet seen this, Cryptworld is on sale this month for 50% off!