Alright, thanks to my new found familiarity with Adobe PageMaker, Psi-Watch is finished and ready for release. Barring any unforeseen problems with Mark's final QA pass, it should be up in a day or three! The final manuscript totals 219 pages (including cover, some splash pages, and OGL) and there's some dense, crunchy text on about 215-216 of those pages. You'll definately be getting your money's worth.
I'm pretty proud of the way it came together... the writing's top notch, there's alot of world information- which is something alot of readers wanted from Black Tokyo, including major NPCs, setting groups, enemies and allies, all of which have a definate "Image Comics" vibe. No NPC statblocks though, since I absolutely fuckin' hate writing those things.... statting up villians is probally my least favorite part of RPG-writing.
Some of my favorite things about the project:
It's definately a homage to the early Image stuff, and there's a ton of in jokes, send ups (and even a few flat out rip offs) scattered through out. I'm especially fond of one of the new player races: The Jupiter Tainted mutants, which are basically Fuji from StormWatch with a new coat of paint. Fuji, espeically under Warren Ellis grew into one of my favorite characters on the team, and I'm glad I got to build something like him. Also, a Jupiter Taint mutant is the 3rd illustration in the manuscript, counting the cover.... figure's a little stiff, but I really like how the design for the containment suit came out. I was going for a mix of Fuji and Johann Kraus from B.R.P.D and I think I succeeded admirably.
Also on the art front, I really liked the way the illustration for the Final Sword advanced class came out. It's one of the best things I've ever done myself, and I've previewed it here before. Hopefully, you'll like it.
Other than my own art, I illustrated this project with stock art from the Louis Porter Image Portfolio and Shaman's Stock Art lines, both of which I can't recommend enough. My favorite stock peice has to be the red shell suit.... and you'll know which one I'm talking about when you see it. That puppy is so bad ass I made it a full page splash, introducing the power armor chapter.
On the writing front, I think you'll enjoy the new take on the D20 Modern Psionics system. It's class and feat based. No power points, no class ability lists.... Psi Watch psychics are a little bit less diverse, more tightly focused around a single power theme, but their abilties are easier to use and alot cooler. Most of the powers in the book can be used at will, or a generous number of times per day, and are VERY, VERY powerful. If you want to rack up a pretty impressive body count, go with the Incenerator Advanced Class. That class' 10th level, capstone ability is entitled "Living WMD" and the name's accurate.
Anyway, look for it on RPGNow.Com this weekend, and pick it up. Also, I'd like some reviews. Anybody want a comp copy for review purposes? Drop me a line at Christopherafield@hotmail.com. I'd like to get the word out on this puppy as fast, and as far as possible.
CHRIS
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
PSI WATCH IS ALMOST READY
Okay, boys and girls, I'm finally getting familiar with Adobe Page Maker (it came with my computer) and I've decided that I'll lay out Psi-Watch myself. The good news: I was able to contact Jim Lee and comission a cover, and Marc Silvestri will be doing a few peices of internal art.
No, not really. I'm just fucking with you. Got your attention though, didn't I?
Seriously, though, Psi-Watch will be ready probally by the end of this weekend. I'm about 3/4 of the way through the layout process. It's going to be fairly basic. Two columns of black and white text, with inset artwork. Nothing fancy about the layout, but man oh man, is it going to be lavishly illustrated. I'm a simple creature: I like lots of color on the pages of the products I buy, so any products I SELL will have that same philosophy in mind. I'm not going to do any background print or sidebar text boxes, due to the criticism I've recieved for D20 Decade: the 1980s. I'll also be including a plain text file with the PDF, so readers have a searchable, small and portable version of the product for everyday game-table use.
Anyway, to reiterate what's cool about Psi-Watch: It's a variant psionic system for D20 Modern, based very heavily on the first year or two of Image Comics. Government superspies, cyborgs, mutants, power armor, big-ass guns, beautiful women, ruggedly handsome men, and 'sentient gasesous post-huamns'.... Psi-Watch will have it all. Look for it in a few more days, and thanks for the patience.
CHRIS
No, not really. I'm just fucking with you. Got your attention though, didn't I?
Seriously, though, Psi-Watch will be ready probally by the end of this weekend. I'm about 3/4 of the way through the layout process. It's going to be fairly basic. Two columns of black and white text, with inset artwork. Nothing fancy about the layout, but man oh man, is it going to be lavishly illustrated. I'm a simple creature: I like lots of color on the pages of the products I buy, so any products I SELL will have that same philosophy in mind. I'm not going to do any background print or sidebar text boxes, due to the criticism I've recieved for D20 Decade: the 1980s. I'll also be including a plain text file with the PDF, so readers have a searchable, small and portable version of the product for everyday game-table use.
Anyway, to reiterate what's cool about Psi-Watch: It's a variant psionic system for D20 Modern, based very heavily on the first year or two of Image Comics. Government superspies, cyborgs, mutants, power armor, big-ass guns, beautiful women, ruggedly handsome men, and 'sentient gasesous post-huamns'.... Psi-Watch will have it all. Look for it in a few more days, and thanks for the patience.
CHRIS
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Been a While....
It's been about a month since I've updated the blog, so just a quick note.....
With the release of 4th Edition, everything is currently in limbo for me....not to mention that the company I release most of my stuff with is currently on hiatus. Mark from Skortched Urf is in the process of moving, so alot of my Skortched Urf releases are on hold till that's finished. Hopefully things will pick up soon. I'm looking forward to the Wizard of Shadowfall and another couple of cool projects, including the badass looking Fantasy Firearms II.
I can sympathize. This month, I helped my mother move up to her retirement house in Kerrville TX, as well as helping my brother move in (temporarily) into my efficiency. He's moving up to San Antonio at the end of the month, but since his lease on his old place ended this month, he needs a place to crash in the interim.
I've finished up Guide to the Known Galaxy completely, and I'll probaly just coble it together and release it myself, using purely my art, since I'm a bit too broke to afford to commission more art. I've been shopping around Psi-Watch, and if you guys want to see it, drop Louis or Mark a line on their blogs and add some encouragement. I'm also doing alot of 3.5 fantasy stuff- with Wizards out of the 3.5 D&D game, I feel it's a stronger time than ever before for small companies like Otherverse, LPJ Designs and Skortched Urf to push their fantasy products. We're not competing with the big guys anymore- WOTC is off the board, and so are alot of first tier PDF producers who are now concentrating on 4th Edition.
I've got a line of 'race books', each focusing on about a dozen or so different thematically linked player races, which I'm shopping around. I've got two manuscripts, each about 15K words completed, one larger manuscript, focusing heavily on Half Orcs and other Monstrous Humanoids about 80% done, and a couple of more still in various design stages. One book focuses on the core fantasy races- Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes and Halflings, while a second book focuses solely on humanity and human subraces.
Also, for various reasons, all of which are annoying, it looks like Slaughterhouse Earth might not happen, at least not with Reality Deviants. So game publishers and small press gaming companies: if you want to take a look at a 55K word magic/apocalyptic setting for d20 Modern, drop me an email. I'd be glad to unload this big ol' sourcebook for a reasonable price.
Anyway, I'll try to keep the blogging up to date, and look for some releases from me in a few days.
Talk to you later,
CHRIS
With the release of 4th Edition, everything is currently in limbo for me....not to mention that the company I release most of my stuff with is currently on hiatus. Mark from Skortched Urf is in the process of moving, so alot of my Skortched Urf releases are on hold till that's finished. Hopefully things will pick up soon. I'm looking forward to the Wizard of Shadowfall and another couple of cool projects, including the badass looking Fantasy Firearms II.
I can sympathize. This month, I helped my mother move up to her retirement house in Kerrville TX, as well as helping my brother move in (temporarily) into my efficiency. He's moving up to San Antonio at the end of the month, but since his lease on his old place ended this month, he needs a place to crash in the interim.
I've finished up Guide to the Known Galaxy completely, and I'll probaly just coble it together and release it myself, using purely my art, since I'm a bit too broke to afford to commission more art. I've been shopping around Psi-Watch, and if you guys want to see it, drop Louis or Mark a line on their blogs and add some encouragement. I'm also doing alot of 3.5 fantasy stuff- with Wizards out of the 3.5 D&D game, I feel it's a stronger time than ever before for small companies like Otherverse, LPJ Designs and Skortched Urf to push their fantasy products. We're not competing with the big guys anymore- WOTC is off the board, and so are alot of first tier PDF producers who are now concentrating on 4th Edition.
I've got a line of 'race books', each focusing on about a dozen or so different thematically linked player races, which I'm shopping around. I've got two manuscripts, each about 15K words completed, one larger manuscript, focusing heavily on Half Orcs and other Monstrous Humanoids about 80% done, and a couple of more still in various design stages. One book focuses on the core fantasy races- Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes and Halflings, while a second book focuses solely on humanity and human subraces.
Also, for various reasons, all of which are annoying, it looks like Slaughterhouse Earth might not happen, at least not with Reality Deviants. So game publishers and small press gaming companies: if you want to take a look at a 55K word magic/apocalyptic setting for d20 Modern, drop me an email. I'd be glad to unload this big ol' sourcebook for a reasonable price.
Anyway, I'll try to keep the blogging up to date, and look for some releases from me in a few days.
Talk to you later,
CHRIS
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