anyway.



2011-06-06 : My Friends' Projects

Oh hey! I'm all about the roleplaying here, but some of my friends have some really cool non-rpg projects going too. I'd be remiss if I didn't point them out to you.

If you like Jazz, check out my friend Jason's ongoing series of interviews with jazz musicians: The Jazz Session. Its future is in doubt!

If you like urban fantasy fiction, check out my friend Kip's ongoing serial: City of Roses. You can get the whole thing to date as an ebook now - "the first half of season one," Kip calls it.

Kip may or may not kick my ass for saying "urban fantasy." I can never keep track.

If you like gorgeous SF comics, check out my friend Jenn's, on its way into print: Dicebox. Preorders are about to end so get in while you can.

Of course you all know already about my friend Barry's graphic novel: Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, and now I'm just namedropping.

If you like bike locks, check out the one my friend J is working on: TiGr. The kickstarter for this puppy came in at 300% of its goal, over $100,000, so that's pretty nuts.

And my wife Meguey has been following and supporting this reconstruction of a spectacular beaded Edwardian ballgown, to raise money for a humanitarian trip to Haiti: Hope to Haiti Peacock Dress Challenge. It's at 98% funded with just a few days left to go. So if you like Haiti, or nutso antique fashion, check it out too.



1. On 2011-06-07, Kip said:

Well to the extent that any name is a necessarily grotesque simplification of the thing named, I suppose I chafe at the term "urban fantasy." But it's a useful genre designation nonetheless. I'd never kick your ass for that. (Still need to figure out what it means that it and steampunk are the two sides of the twirling phantastick coin these days.)

And also I still need to get up the gumption to run a goddamn game of Apocalypse World. (That, that I might kick your ass over. One of these days.)

 



2. On 2011-06-07, Alex F said:

This is funny, it reminds me that I only got back into roleplaying after a nearly 10-year hiatus after seeing Barry post about Breaking the Ice and going "huh". I used to read Kip's blog a lot too! Turn and turn, world!

 



3. On 2011-06-09, Vincent said:

Kip, I'd like to hear what you think of Apocalypse World, ass kicking or not, whether you play or don't!

 



4. On 2011-06-09, Emily said:

Kip!!! I'd pay good money to play AW with you. And Alex, your post made me try to use the marginalia. Delightful!

 



5. On 2011-06-09, Kip said:

I realize it is entirely self-centered of me, Vincent, but Apocalypse World seems designed down to its bones specifically to break every bad habit I've ever had in gaming, either as player or GM. I'm fascinated by the weltanschauung-as-emergent-property of the interaction of these deceptively simple rules and I want to get in the middle of it and splash around. The one thing holding me back beyond the tyranny of my word count (time! Just a little more time! One or two more days in the week, that's all I ask!) is, well: the setting? Maybe I'm getting old or maybe it's the general leaching of Hope and Change in the current day and age, but I find myself terribly hesitant to put on the black leather and pick up the gun and really commit, you know? (Squeamish.)—And I've thought about maybe if we all sorta kinda agree that our basic purpose is in trying to make the shattered wasteland in which we've found ourselves a better place and maybe we go from there, but that seems to violate a spirit of something-or-other; I mean if you're gonna do it, let's do it, you know? And the apocalypse is very much a necessary thing here: I am aware of the existence of remixes and hacks and kitbashes, but I want the pure and uncut deal here, you know?

I also thought maybe: an analogous setting that short-circuits the issues I'm having with diving headlong into a worse place: a generation starship gone feral and bad Out There. But but but: the thing about it being us, our world, this place gone bad is it gives everyone at the table the same permission to Make Stuff Up; another world brought to the table by someone no matter how well-intentioned preempts that permission I think at a basic level, even if everyone's agreed we can all Make Stuff Up: there's the risk of a fatal hesitation at a crucial moment because at a fundamental level there'd be this reflexive inhibitor: it's not our place, it's the MC's place.

Or maybe I'm just looking for other reasons so I don't have to admit I just don't have time anymore? Maybe.—I've got a couple bloodthirsty possible people chomping at the bit. There's a trigger, right there. Pull it already.

Emily! I would love to as well except all the foregoing plus airfare. We need to arrange something. Also, the kid.

 



6. On 2011-06-09, Paul T. said:

Vincent,

Are you a jazz fan?

 



7. On 2011-06-09, meguey said:

"[O]ur basic purpose is in trying to make the shattered wasteland in which we've found ourselves a better place and maybe we go from there"

Yes. Exactly. Kip, Emily - let's look at playing via google docs.

 



8. On 2011-06-11, David Berg said:

Whoa.  Dicebox looks amazing.  Must go read archives...

 



9. On 2011-06-11, Vincent said:

Paul: A jazz fan, sure! If you're a little generous.

The shameful truth is that I like old jazz a lot but I haven't sought out anything newer than Kind of Blue. I haven't heard beforehand of any of the musicians Jason interviews. I'm enjoying the education.

 



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