Okay, I just finished the Neverborn Again sourcebook last night, and it should be appearing at all the usual sales sites within the next couple of days.
It's probably the darkest, most satirical thing I've done, and this is for Otherverse America, which is a pretty fuckin' bizarre setting to begin with. It's also beautiful. When I said the book is dark, I don't just mean in terms of content- since it focuses on the Lifers, the primary costuming colors are black, grey and purple, giving the whole thing a very regal, somber look. I'm also using the simpler, cleaner layout style I used for Coven of Bast, and playing around with formatting alot.
The book opens with some amazing Amanda Webb artwork I haven't shown here, and then a few pages of opening fiction before I run the credits. Pushing the credits back to page 8 gives the thing a nice, cinematic feel. It's something you see in movies, TV shows, and comics, but not often in RPG books, so I'm curious how that layout decision is received.
Anyway, I had alot of fun writing Neverborn Again.... about halfway through I realized that with the creation of a new villain for the setting, I'm taking things in a weird new direction. I mentioned something in Otherverse America, brought it up again in Coven of Bast and with this splat, I really pick up the tread of ideology-based AI and emergent intelligence. The book's 'secret' is very cyberpunk, but nicely twisted.
Anyway, I'll be putting out a few
more Otherverse America releases this year. My next will likely be a State of the Otherverse tech-book focusing on Object Philosophies, sorta revamping this key element of the setting and exploring a theme I've realized I've stumbled into with these writing: In Otherverse America the technology is so advanced, so completely post-human and Warren Ellis-ey that ideology determines physiology. Should be something fun to explore.I've got titles for a few other faction splats, though the contents are tentative. I'm thinking of doing a sourcebook on the young, the poor and angry called "All Teenagers Are Terrorists" and then another Choicer faction-splat titled "Maiden, Mother and Crone".
Over to the left is the inked cover art for Psi-Watch version 2.0. I just got it from Rudolfo Montemayor, and though it turned into a pretty huge chunk of the Psi-Watch art budget, I'm thinking it's worth it. Look at that badass! I gave him a draft of the revision, told him to give me a big, dynamic fight scene that felt like the cover to an Image comic, circa 1994, and he knocked it outta the park. I'm really pleased with this. I've been staring at this art for 10 minutes, just soaking in the little details.
Finally, I've pretty much finished the Black Tokyo II revision, and Mark and I will begin working on it in depth as soon as Campaign Options: Fantasy Firearms is done. CO: Fantasy Firearms will be a print release, and I'm excited about that. I love the ego-boost of seeing a sourcebook I've sweated into on my shelf. Right now, I've got three: Against the Darkness (Tabletop Adventures), Mother of All Treasure Tables (Necromancer Games) and Koboldnomicon (Bards & Sages). Having a fourth hard-copy release will be awesome, and I don't think it will be the last print release from Skortched Urf with my fingerprints on it.
Blessed Be,
CHRIS
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