Sports and Games in a Fantasy Setting

This week, I'm a guest once again on the wonderful Dungeon Master's Block where I talk with hosts DM Ian and DM Neil about using fictitious sports and boardgames in your fantasy worlds. The focus is, of course, on enhancing Dungeons & Dragons play, but we cover a wide range of games in narrative and what we say is applicable to both role playing games and fiction writing. It's a fun episode. Check it out on iTunes or follow the link.

The GM Showcase: Alchemy and Intrigue Along the Red River (Salt in Wounds)

This week, I'm one of the players on The GM Showcase podcast.  

"Alchemy and Intrigue Along the Red River" is a Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition role playing game being run by JM Perkins and featuring Chris Thompson, Phil Mainprize, Jeremy Land, and Yours Truly as the players.

The adventure takes place in and around Perkin's own creation, Salt in Wounds, an incredible city that was actually built on the back of a bound Tarrasque.  I'm playing Shestendeliath Orlamorn, a green dragonborn fifth level Herbwarden, a type of Alchemist, which is a character class created by Rich Howard and available on DriveThruRPG via Tribality Publishing.

This was a very fun adventure in a truly unique (and somewhat disturbing) world. Check it out! Be sure to check out the Salt in Wounds setting and the Alchemist class as well, and keep your eyes open for Perkin's forthcoming Kickstarter.

Roleplaying in the World of Thrones and Bones

For the past year or so now, I've been running a role playing game for my son, my nephew, and other boys. We play using the wonderfully customizable Fate Core System rules from Evil Hat. And we play in the world of my Thrones & Bones novels. All the boys have read the books and are well verses in the universe (as, one hopes, is the GM).

We've been playing using the mostly unmodified rules in Fate up until this point, but after we finished our last campaign in November, I've spent my time customizing the rules using some options in the Fate System Toolkit, and the result is something a bit removed from the no-alterations Fate rules. We tried it out last Saturday for the first time. (The differences are mostly in character creation and the use of magic).

Also, for the first time, we played with miniatures and terrain. Fate doesn't require this at all, but I wanted to do something special to fire everyone's imaginations. Initially, I'd planned to use Rainn Studio's utterly magnificent TerraTiles (I have both the Misty Moorlands and the Coast & Rivers sets). And we will use them. But the way this campaign started, the team was supposed to get their marching orders in the elven city of Fair Shadow, a location that is mentioned but not visited in my novel Nightborn. Since I was going to have an amazing terrain set up after they left the city and started their quest, I wanted something to show them when they arrived. I hunted around and I found the incredible Faewood Loft and its expansion set from Heroic Maps. Well, I got a little carried away and ended up printing all the tiles out and gluing them to foam boards. The result was a large battle map of a city in the trees. And having such a large map, I couldn't just use it for five minutes while the characters were given their quest and sent on their merry way. Something obviously had to go down there to justify all this time and effort, right?

So next up, using a female wood elf drawn for me by the incredible Andrew Bosley, and supplementing with some found art, I made my own pawns and populated the city. We added a small number of Paizo's Pathfinder Pawns from the Beginner Box, and we used a ton of Pathfinder Pawn Bases. I picked up some pickle barrels from a craft store (and stained them with paint pens) to add some obstacles to the environment. And, because I saw one and it got me thinking, I picked up a Bunch-o-Butterfies too, because if there's one thing that's better than a crowded market high in the trees in an elven city, it's a crowded market high in the trees in an elven city during the festival surrounding the biannual giant butterfly migration! 

The game went incredibly well, with highlights being when Thurso Greenback, a wulver, ran across a giant butterfly's back to get from one wooden platform to the next, and Blitz Ironfist, a dwarven artificer, blasted across the market using his single-use jetpack. Also, Isha the cat person did some crazy parkour. 

Ironically, we never made it out of the city in this first session, so I still haven't used the gorgeous TerraTiles from Rainn Studios that inspired me to add terrain and miniatures in the first place. They'll have to wait till our next game. Meanwhile, they were represented at the table by the use of their foam risers, which gave some parts of the city more elevation than others. (Q-workshop's awesome dice tower and Paizo's Pathfinder Combat Pad also aided in play).

But we all had a magnificent time. And that's the point, isn't it?

Podcast: DM-Nastics 33: By Odin’s Beard!

Today I'm a guest on the Dungeon Master's Block. I join host DM Neal for DM-Nastics 33: By Odin’s Beard!, a short DM-Nastics session in which we discuss a fictional clan inspired by my previous appearances on the podcast and then Neal and I put our heads together and come up with a new clan of our own.  This was a short, fun exercise in world-building. Check it out!

Unboxing: TerraTiles The Misty Moorlands

As I have spoken about here before, I'm currently running a Fate Core System role playing game for my son, my nephew, and some other boys their age that is set in the world of my Thrones & Bones series. We've been on break since the Christmas holidays but we're gearing up to start back. For our next campaign, I wanted to kick things up a notch. Although Fate doesn't require it, I'm going to introduce pawns--I'm using pawns from Paizo's Pathfinder Pawn's from the Beginner Box and the Pathfinder Pawns: Bestiary Box 1 set. And we're also going to start using some terrain.

Towards that end, I've just gotten TerraTiles: The Misty Moorlands from Rainn Studios. TerraTiles are large, nine inch, double-sided tiles that depict a variety of terrains. They are modular, and you place them together on your tabletop to create customizable terrain for role playing games and war games. I've been excited about Rainn Studios for a while, at least in part because they were founded by two brothers in my hometown. So far, they've produced a strategy board game and two TerraTiles sets, the aforementioned Misty Moorlands and a Coast and Rivers set. They are about to launch a third TerraTiles Kickstarter. It's going to feature three different types of terrain, including a snow-bound land, for which I'm obviously very excited.

Meanwhile, here I am unboxing my first set of TerraTiles. I was utterly thrilled with the set and encourage all tabletop gamers to check it out.

Podcast: Atomic Robot Part Four

The 4th and final part of our Atomic Robo actual-play is up at the RPG Gamer Dad Podcast.

This is my final outing as the title character in the fabulous game based on the incredible comic series--one of my all time favorite comics--from Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener. Mike Olson, the creator of Atomic Robo RPG, is the actual GM. Shanna Germain of the fabulous Monte Cook Games is Helen ‘Nightingale’ McAllister. Devon Kelley of the Sharkbone Podcast is Donovan ‘Jack Tarot’ McAllister. And RPG Gamer Dad is Professor Pierson.

Here are links to Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. Check it out!

Podcast: Atomic Robo Part Three

The RPG Gamer Dad Podcast presents part three of our session of the Atomic Robo: The

Roleplaying Game from Evil Hat Productions. I'm playing the title character in the fabulous game based on the incredible comic series--one of my all time favorite comics--from Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener. Mike Olson, the creator of Atomic Robo RPG, is the actual GM. Shanna Germain of the fabulous Monte Cook Games is Helen ‘Nightingale’ McAllister. Devon Kelley of the Sharkbone Podcast is Donovan ‘Jack Tarot’ McAllister. And RPG Gamer Dad is Professor Pierson.

Here are links to Part One and Part Two. Check it out!

Podcast: Creation & Inspiration Part Two

I'm back on Dungeon Master's Block this morning with the second half of our "Creation &

Inspiration" talk, this time with a list of Top Ten ideas for stories and games. DM Mitch and DM Chris have some utterly fabulous ideas as well! We really had a lot of fun bouncing scenarios off each other. Check it out.

Podcast(s): RPG Gamer Dad Podcast and the Cornell Collective

This week, I'm a guest on not one but two fantastic podcasts, The RPG Gamer Dad Podcast and The Cornell Collective. And I'm joined by some other really spectacular guests.

On The RPG Gamer Dad Podcast, I am playing the title character in the fabulous Atomic Robo: The Roleplaying Game from Evil Hat Productions. The game is based on the incredible comic series--one of my all time favorite comics--from Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener. It's about a sentient robot created by Nikola Tesla in 1923, whose adventures span nearly a century of tales. Cut from the same cloth as Doc Savage, Buckaroo Banzai, and Tom Strong, it's one of the zaniest and best things to come out of comics in years. The whole thing is online to read for free now, though frankly I prefer to give these guys my money. The role playing game, meanwhile, is powered by the Fate Core System, a fantastic storytelling game in with which I've fallen in love and which I use to power my own home campaign, set in the world of my Thrones & Bones novels. For this episode (which is Part One of our adventure), Mike Olson, the creator of Atomic Robo RPG, is the actual GM. Shanna Germain of the fabulous Monte Cook Games is Helen ‘Nightingale’ McAllister. Devon Kelley of the Sharkbone Podcast is Donovan ‘Jack Tarot’ McAllister. And RPG Gamer Dad is Professor Pierson. It was an incredibly fun session to play, and I'm glad it's made for a great show as well.

On The Cornell Collective, my dear friend of many years, Paul Cornell (of Doctor Who and Marvel comics fame, and many other things), sits down to chat with myself, our mutual friend Joseph Mallozzi (executive producer of such wondrous shows as Stargate: Universe and Dark Matter), and the delightful comic book artist Emma Vieceli (she of the critically acclaimed independent web series, Breaks, Doctor Who for Titan comics, IDW's Jem & the Holograms, and much besides.) We discuss our secret Geek origins, the influences in our respective works, and horrendously embarrassing moments from each of our careers.

I'm really happy with both podcasts, but particularly  so as on each I got to have fun with such wonderful and exciting people, friends old and new. Please check them out!

Adventues in SciFi Publishing: Nightborn

Today, I am a guest on the Adventures in Scifi Publishing podcast episode 307, talking about Nightborn, world building, writing for middle readers, transitioning from one side of the desk to another, and role playing games, among other things. Shout outs to Rpg G Amer-Dad and a big discussion of Evil Hat Productions' Fate (role-playing game system). Check it out here!

Thrones & Bones for the Fate Accelerated RPG Episode 3

The third and final installment of RPG Gamer Dad's live Thrones & Bones role playing game (powered by Evil Hat's Fate Accelerated RPG) has gone up today, along with an interview with Yours Truly! I cannot tell you how cute RPG Gamer Boy is, nor how utterly honored, flattered, and tickled I've been by this whole thing. I'm truly grateful to the RPG Gamer Family for all they've done.

Meanwhile, for those coming in late, part one can be found in episode 35 and part two in episode 37. And for those wanting to play in the Thrones & Bones world themselves, RPG Gamer Dad and RPG Gamer Boy's character sheets for Karn and Thianna can be found here.

Thrones & Bones for the Fate Accelerated RPG Episode 2

The RPG Gamer Dad​ Podcast continues with part two of its actual role playing game set in the world of Frostborn (Thrones and Bones​ 1) and using the Fate Accelerated RPG​ from Evil Hat Productions​! The episode (#37) also features an interview with Mike Olson​, designer of the Atomic Robo​ RPG. Check it out!

Meanwhile, for those coming in late, part one can be found in episode 35. And for those wanting to play in the Thrones & Bones world themselves, RPG Gamer Dad and RPG Gamer Boy's character sheets for Karn and Thianna can be found here.

Thrones and Bones Fate Accelerated Character Creation and Live Play

I've mentioned before that the incredible podcast, the RPG Gamer Dad Podcast, was working on a series of episodes featuring a game of Evil Hat's wonderful Fate Accelerated role playing game system rules set in the world of my Thrones & Bones novels.

Well, it debuted this week! Episode 35 features the character generation, in which RPG Gamer Dad and RPG Gamer Boy stat out Karn and Thianna from my novel Frostbornand a three-headed troll. Then we get to listen to the first part of the actual play, in which RPG Gamer Boy plays Karn and RPG Gamer Uncle plays Thianna. 

I cannot tell you how honored I am by all this, nor how smart and cute RPG Gamer Boy is! 

But if that weren't enough, the episode also features a great interview with Chris Hanrahan of Evil Hat Productions!!!

Please check it out. 

Thrones & Bones Characters for the Fate Accelerated RPG

Something unbelievably cool is going on.

RPG Gamer Dad hosts an incredible podcast aimed at playing Role Playing Games with your children. It's become one of my favorite podcasts and required listening every week. He and I are also both becoming great fans of the Fate role playing games from Evil Hat Productions. There are actually two versions of Fate, a quick and easy version called the Fate Accelerated Edition (FAE) and an expanded game known as the Fate Core System. I've played FAE with my family, play testing the forthcoming Young Centurions game that Evil Hat is developing, but I'm looking at the Core System for a possible game set in the world of my Thrones & Bones novels of middle reader fantasy adventure.

Now, RPG Gamer Dad has taken the two main characters from my novel, Frostborn,Karn Korlundsson and Thianna the half-giant, and statted them out according to the Fate Accelerated rules. He and RPG Gamer Boy are going to play a session of FAE for their podcast, using my characters in a new "dream sequence" adventure inspired by my novel Frostborn.

How unbelievably cool is that?

RPG Gamer Dad writes about the experience of crafting characters based on my book on the Mad Adventurers Society today, with much love for both Evil Hat and Thrones & Bones. Check out his informative post.

Meanwhile, for your potential role playing pleasure, I've pulled out his stats for Karn and Thianna and posted them here, along with a troll boss of their own invention named Grunt'k. Happy Gaming!

Karn Korlundsson:

High Concept: Reluctant heir to Korlundr’s farm.

Trouble: All kinds of baddies are after me.

Aspects: Life is a game of Thrones and Bones.

I carry Whitestorm – a sword of ancient magic.

Careful: +1 (average)

Clever: +3 (good)

Flashy: 0 (mediocre)

Forceful: +2 (fair)

Quick: +2 (fair)

Sneaky: +1 (average)

Thianna:

High Concept: Outdoorsy giantess in search of adventure.

Trouble: Too small for a giant, too big for a human.

Aspects: Really good at sports.

Super-speedy on her skis.

Careful: +1 (average)

Clever: +1 (average)

Flashy: +2 (fair)

Forceful: +2 (fair)

Quick: +3 (good)

Sneaky: 0 (mediocre)

Grunt’k:

High Concept: Three-headed boss troll.*

Trouble: Really stupid.

Aspects: Big and fat and strong.

Careful: +2 (fair)

Clever: 0 (mediocre)

Flashy: +2 (fair)

Forceful: +3 (good)

Quick: +1 (average)

Sneaky: +1 (average)

* Trolls in Frostbornhave only two heads tops, so you'll have to imagine a third head here or adjust Grunt'k's High Concept accordingly! 

Kids Books with Giants

Views from the Tesseract has included Frostborn (Thrones and Bones)in their A Tuesday Ten: Here Be Giants! run down of kid's books featuring giants. They also say:

"Lou Anders book is about as close to Dungeons and Dragons style fantasy fiction as I’ve found in MG books. Thianna is one of the two main characters of the novel and she is half human and half frost giant. This makes her too tall to hide among regular humans but far too small among her own kind. Thianna desperately wants to be taken seriously by her kin."

As a very big fan of role playing games, I don't mind that observation at all.

Mind Meld: The Intersection of SF/F Games and Genre Fiction

Today I am participating in a Mind Meld over at SF Signal on the subject of "The Intersection of SF/F Games and Genre Fiction." A group of science fiction and fantasy authors, including Matt Forbeck, Elizabeth Bear, Myke Cole, and others, discussing the back and forth between gaming and genre fiction writing. Lots of good stuff in the discussion. Please everyone check out the post. You won't be surprised to see that my own response leads off talking about Skyrim.