Tempus fugit, eh? The longer I go between updates, the longer posts take to write. I’m sure there’s a mathematical function to chart that problem, but you’ll have to work it out for yourself.
I thought it might be a useful exercise (for me at least) to put down in pixels exactly what I’m up to (or was up to, or should be up to) on the writing front, but first, let’s recap what’s been going on in the wider Lovecraftian Gaming world:
Gaming news:
- The dust has (hopefully) begun to settle at Chaosium. Communications, with their Kickstarter backers and with the wider gaming community, have been much improved, and European backers of the Horror on the Orient Express Kickstarter have actually started receiving their long-promised copies. I think the change, at least so far, has been for the good. As far as I can tell their warehouse-clearing sale (up to 50% off certain whole lines, including monographs and licensee products) is still going on, so snag a copy of whatever you might have been waiting to pick up.
- Cubicle 7 has launched their Kickstarter for World War Cthulhu: Cold War. If you thought fighting the Mythos was too easy in the Roaring Twenties, have fun trying to slip something past Section 46 in the 1970s. It has already blasted past its initial stretch goals, so who knows where things will end up.
- Pelgrane Press is hinting about some announcement in four days, give or take. I’ve no clue what they are announcing – they’ve said it is unrelated to “Cthulhu Apocalypse” or even if it is Lovecraftian, but I’ve got to make some assumptions I suppose.
Look kids – Big Ben, Parliament!
- Golden Goblin Press have released the PDF of De Horrore Cosmico to their Kickstarter backers. Excelsior!
What about all the Lovecraftian Podcasts?
- The Good Friends of Jackson Elias talked about the RPG Unknown Armies and a pair of Stuart Gordon’s Lovecraft adaptations (and have their own forum on the Misk. U. Podcast page).
- Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff including: Horror Express, Elias Ashmole, ,fraternal prank devices, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s utopian poet colony on the Susquehanna. The biggest news might be that they’ve finally stopped having adds for Mad Scientist University… “U for Union!” no more. Huzzah!
- The Miskatonic University Podcast debated odd-ball skills in Call of Cthulhu and their favorite NPCs, had a pair of special episode about the leadership change at Chaosium and their thoughts on the situation, as well as a longer episode on the same point but with a fuller contingent of hosts.
Necronomicon (or is that NecronomiCon?) 2015’s schedule is now available for your plotting and planning. I’m still up in the air when it comes to attending. Sorry!
Moving from news to… err… me, here are the projects I’ve got in and around my plate:
- Finishing Issue #3 of the Arkham Gazette. On my end, this is editing and slimming down our featured scenario “The Queen of Night”; who knew a scenario with dozens of NPCs set all over Arkham and beyond would be so large? I’m still hoping to get the final text of the issue, albeit in rough form, out to backers by the end of the month. Chris Huth, who is doing our layout work, has been otherwise handling similar tasks for Pelgrane Press’ Dracula Dossier, so he has been otherwise occupied, but the Gazette is next on the to-do list, happily.
- Prepping call for submissions for future Arkham Gazette issues. Like a true masochist, I cannot wait to get to work on future issues of the Gazette. I’m preparing to solicit articles for future issues of the Gazette, with suggestions for articles and general encouragement for contributors. I think we are going to offer two or three main topics for our next issue(s), since topics help get submissions it would seem, but I’m not fixed on any particular one. Ready your (virtual or otherwise) pens!
- Kickstarter stretch goals: We’ve already put several out to Kickstarter backers – including the autopsy of Walter Gilman and a giant handout all about the Unvisited Island – but there are still two scenarios, a scenario seed, and the revamped versions of our first two regular issues of the Gazette to go. The scenarios are both written, with one being readied for layout and the other in editing. The scenario seed being worked on currently and the older issues are being left aside for now until Chris’ finished his work on issue #3; the work required there is primarily in layout, but we may be adding a little content here and there, so a close reread is in order as well.
- Sundry Sentinel Hill Press side projects are further down in my queue: There’s our Keeper’s resource for running games in Lovecraft Country, part bibliography, part gazetteer, part overview. Ditto for updated versions of earlier issues.
- My scenario for the Masks of Nyarlathotep Companion Kickstarter. I’m about 2/3 done with the writing, trying to make sure the scenario serves as not just some CoC fun, but a good way to introduce Jackson Elias.
- Unspeakable Oath submissions – a Mysterious Manuscript/Arcane Artifact, a Tale of Terror. A few ideas I’ve been kicking around but none are quite ready for submission.
- A solicited scenario for a collection, about which I can say no more.
- Other stuff – New England research. Always ongoing.
- Orphan projects – sundry scenario ideas I’ve had, none worth mentioning in particular.
That’s all of them… hopefully!
Tomes in Progress 