Empire of Dust is officially on IPR!
I am officially an IPR publisher: Red Design! What an honor! I’m so excited!
Apparently, I got home too late to say go get a copy of EoD because, well… They’re all sold out already! In the next 2 months or so (hopefully fingers crossed), I should be able to get some more copies on IPR.
Anyways, I got another productive couple of hours in on Paralysis! Ooh la la!
Holy shit, guys! John Wick talked about EoD here:
AWESOME! Thank you so much, John! That’s totally rad of you!!!
EoD should make a debut on IPR soon. I gave the remaining copies of EoD to Brennan since I wasn’t able to take them back home. If you’re looking to snag a copy, I would strongly suggest to go there! It might not be until before Christmas until I will have the ability to replenish.
I’ll get it out there even if it kills me to do so!!
On a good note, I was able to get a bunch of work on Paralysis done! Horray for productivity!
thoughts
So, GenCon was amazing! I had a fantastic time. I made lots of new friends and saw many old ones. GenCon, for me, is a huge validation for what we do. Seeing people be so creative, listening to their stories of strife, being rewarded for incredibly hard work, and just seeing how far one has come in a year makes it all worth it. Here are some of my personal highlights:
-The Design Matters Booth melted face! Not only did we hit our goal, we kicked it’s face in. This year I got to see Gregor Hutton (3:16), Epidiah Ravachol (Time and Temp), Nathan Paoletta (Annalise), Kevin Allen Jr. (Sweet Agatha) and Joe McDonald (Ribbon Drive). I was exstatic for Eppy and Joe to get the Robin D. Law’s nod of approval. I’m very lucky to be apart of such a great group of people. They’re like my small GenCon family.
-Having drinks with Brennan Taylor of IPR and having a demo of Penny for your Thoughts with Paul Tevis! I love both of them dearly! They’re such wonderful company!
-Playing Mythender with Ryan Macklin was rockin’! He definately has a great game on his hands. It was so much fun that I can’t wait for others to have as great a time as I did!
-I was also very happy for everybody who had major accomplishments this year. Don’t Rest Your Head (Fred Hicks and Ryan Macklin) for having won a Silver ENnie. MouseGuard (Luke Crane and the Burning Wheel Crew) for having taken 2 Silver ENnies. These things are just handed out; they’re earned, and these guys bust their ass. I’m very proud of them.
-The Pirate Jenny’s for kicking ass and creating their own booth. Emily’s such a sweetheart and I only wish for the best for her and her boothmates!
-I was very honored to have met Keith Senkowski, who took me aside and began critiquing my artwork in EoD. He gave me suggestions to how I could improve my style. That type of honesty is invaluable and I am extremely greatful.
-Playtesting Kevin’s new game. I’m not sure how much to say about this one, but I’m very eager to see him get this one out. It was so much fun!
-Playing ACTION CASTLE with Jared Sorensen. The dude is a genius and I highly encourage anybody to pick up his books or to simply have a conversation with the guy. I promise, you will learn a lot.
-Sitting in on Luke Crane’s Book Production seminar. It was only supposed to last an hour, but ended up lasting 2. Thank you for being such a badassmofo.
-I was so happy to become better acquainted with the Burning Wheel Crew. Meeting Radek Drozdalski (Dro) you come to see that the man’s hilarious and I’m glad we’re tweet buddies now. I’m looking forward to all his shennanary. Thor is such a sweetheart and it was great seeing him. Alexander is awesome as always! And finally, getting to see John S. (Jenskot) and his georgous wife Terry!
-Dro, Nathan, and Kevin sat me down and began to drill me about Paralysis. I came to the realization that this game HAD to be made, but it had to be made RIGHT. They really inspired me to continue to work on it and not let it fade. All three of them gave me great advice.
-And last but never least, the Pulp Fiction crew. They’re the best and I literally could not have gone without them. Andy Mahon, Dustin, Brady, Kevin, Grey and his son Ian are amazing. I’m so happy to say that they are my friends!
empire of dust
The final numbers came in and we managed to sell 19 at the con! Since the Con is now over, I’m sure many of you are wondering what’s next? Well, EoD will hit IPR very soon. Things are in the works as we speak!
Those that were on the Mail Order Pre-Order List for the next fulfillment order recieved a FREE Empire of Dust Survival Pack. OH SNAP!
paralysis
Working on it. Right. Now. Prepare yourself.
gencon
Added because, well, a lot of people aren’t really sure WHAT Empire of Dust is. Understandably! Since I am limited on time at the moment (packing for GenCon) I will post an excerpt from the 2008 Design Matters Booth Menu that might clarify a least a few questions.
Here’s some pictures of Kevin Allen Jr. running Empire of Dust at Dreamation 2009 and myself running at Pulp Fiction
Number of Players: 2+ (scales very well)
Time to Play: 4-6 hours per game session, supports campaign play.
Location: at home, around a big table
Genre/Subject Matter: Sci-fi/ Fantasy Action and Adventure
You might like this game if you like: The Dune novels by Frank Herbert, the music of Coheed and Cambria, the Dark Sun campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons, movies like Mad Max and Star Wars, or video games like Final Fantasy, Halo, and Gears of War.
EMPIRE OF DUST (EoD) is an action-packed sci-fi/fantasy role-playing game set in the midst of a desperate battle for a war-torn desert planet. Players join the battle for Osaris as three vengeful factions fight for domination.
EoD is set on a desert planet known as Osaris. The Xadian Kingdom has been deposed by a rampaging alien entity called Thron. The game follows the struggle of the Xadian loyalists as they fight back against Thron and his traitorous legion. In the midst of this struggle, the bestial Bruta (Osaris’ native species) wage a war to reclaim their ancestral lands from the humans who have overtaken them. It’s a war on three fronts, and the players are thrown right in the middle of it all.
As a game, EoD is an action-oriented, tactical experience. The game rules focus on tactical combat, blazing chases, cunning persuasion, territorial conquest, and dangerous travel. The rules are meant to simulate the planet of Osaris as a living, breathing world and allow the players to enact real, tangible change through their actions in the game. EoD uses the robust Epiphany Engine game system, which blends traditional role-playing concepts with strong narrative elements.
Characters can belong to any of the three main factions in the war for Osaris. Players can choose from a wide variety of classes, traits, and equipment. The game includes dozens of guns, swords, magical glyphs, vehicles, psychic powers, and more that players can use to customize and empower their characters. Like the protagonists in a novel, characters have access to unique traits, which allow them to break the normal rules of the game, and give them specific ties into the setting. The game also employs a dynamic character advancement system, which makes each roll of the die a chance to improve your character’s abilities.
thoughts
Sum it up?
Empire of Dust isn’t just a game. It’s an experience.
thoughts
One. More. Day.
It’s been an incredibly long time since I’ve updated my blog, but it’s primarily because, well there’s been nothing imperative to blog about! But, like I said, one more day till GenCon! I can’t wait to see everybody! It’s going to be so exciting! I’m going to be taking so many pictures, it’s going to be amazing!
twitter
Also, get a twitter account and start following DMbooth1834 because you can win a Empire of Dust Survival Packet which includes:
-Empire of Dust 2009 PDF
-4 cut out PDF sheets to create your own counters
-Osaris Map
-EoD “The Widow” Wallpaper
gencon
I’ll be going to be driving to GenCon with the Pulp Fiction guys tomorrow! I’m incredibly excited! I’ll be with the Design Matters crew this year so come check us out at Booth 1834. I’m pretty sure that we’re close to MouseGuard and the WotC guys.
I’ll have the hard copies of Empire of Dust at the Booth also! Just to remind you of what it comes with:
-2 sheets of 109 full color cardboard, die-cut counters
-a black and white map of Osaris
-a 222 page perfect bound Empire of Dust rulebook
-A FUCKING MEDAL (courtesy of my good friend Shaun Taylor and his family) One side has the Autumnstar and the other has the Legion of Thron. It’s incredibly cool!
All these great things come in a super sexy box.
thoughts
I have a ride to Gen-Con officially! Gonna be riding with the Pulp Fiction guys. Horray!
empire of dust
We have a date for ordering books! It will be the 17th of July.
Just a reminder, if you haven’t already put your preorder in, do so! You can contact me via email: AmyMichelleGarcia(at)gmail.com.
orgins
If you haven’t heard already, Mouse Guard has won in the Best Role-playing Game category beating out both D&D 4th ed. as well as Trail of Cthulhu. All I can say is, Holy shit. I found out via Twitter when my phone started going off in 3 second intervals with notes of congratulating both Luke and Thor, as well as everybody who had helped with the book. I immediately strated dancing around giddily causing several people to stare at me strangely as I proceeded to make high pitched squealing sounds. Nonetheless, I was extremely happy.
Role-Playing Games
* Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Players Handbook
Wizards of the Coast
Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, and James Wyatt* Mouseguard Role-Playing Game
Archaia Studios Press
Luke Crane and David Petersen* Trail of Cthulhu, The
Pelgrane Press Ltd
Kenneth Hite, Robin D Laws, Jerome Huegenin, and Simon RogersWINNER: Mouseguard
Some people look up to Batman or Superman. Maybe even Wonderwoman. Well, Luke Crane is my hero, if you didn’t already know. If anybody deserved this award, Luke definately did.
thoughts
OH GOD. GEN-CON IS COMING TOO FAST. Make it stop.
However, I’m incredibly jealous that some people are at Origins at the moment.
gen-con
So, I am not entirely sure what I’m going to be doing, but I do know this: EoD and myself will be located at the Design Matters booth with the boys. The booth this year includes:
Nathan Paoletta Carry and Annalise
Kevin Allen Jr. Sweet Agatha
Gregor Hutton Best Friends and 3:16
Eppy Ravachol Dread
Joe McDonald Perfect
and lovingly watching over Jennifer Rodgers’ artwork seen in Mortal Coil
as well as carrying Clint Krause’s games Bizenghast, Roanoke, Urchin, and co-creator of EoD.
I want to make some plans and maybe run some EoD. So any interested parties should contact me via email. Or here. Whichever is easier, I guess.
magic
I created a burn deck. It’s epic however I have to take it from 90+ cards to about 70- so… it’s difficult. And painful. I weep everytime I have to take a card out.
master plan
Ryan Macklin’s 50th episode should be airing Tuesday, June 30th. I believe that this specific episode is about A Penny for My Thoughts with Paul Tevis. I’m so excited. If anything can be said about Ryan, it’s his undying love and dedication to RPG’s and the roleplaying community. I’m so grateful to him and all the work he does. I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to Master Plan and just became completely inspired and empowered to create.
Thanks Ryan!
empire of dust
Corrections are almost completely finished. Going to be ordering copies soon. Up to around 20 pre-orders! That’s so awesome! I’m incredibly thankful and pleased. I know I couldn’t do it without you!
request
Put up based on a request from Daniel who had heard that I had tattoo’s on my back of the Empire symbols from the Canon Puncture podcast. Here’s the proof. Maybe I’ll get some better quality one’s in the future!
thoughts
So, I’m still learning game design. It’s facinating to see the whole logical side of the game because I’m a very innate game designer. I make decisions based on the feel of the game as opposed to any calculated number cruching.
Let’s break down Paralysis because I feel masochistic at the moment.
3 Big Questions
What is your game about?
The game is about solving the murder of a young girl with each player having a randomly pre-determined motive while characters lose their minds in an insane asylum. Characters tangibly change via physically cutting their character sheet when they lose sanity.
What do the characters do?
The characters work together or undermine each other to get to the scene of the murder, Room 1940.
What do the players do?
Players create a story explaining the reasoning behind the girl’s murder.
Failure, Reward and Advancement in RPG’s
I’m still stuck on the Mastermind Episode #40.
Okay, so this seems to be a really big thing for me at the moment because of the misconception of three in role-playing games. I think that failure is often perceived as a negative thing BUT I’m here to defend that shit. Failure should be interesting in a successful game. Failure often breeds the most interesting situations and a good game will have the mechanics to support that.
This came as an epiphany to me as I played Kill Dr. Lucky. You see, the entire game is about your character attempting to murder the good doctor without being seen by the other characters. Under the right circumstances, you can attempt a murder and if you FAIL, you don’t win the game, but what you do gain is SPITE. SPITE is permanate and can be used later to beef up your next murder attempt. GENIUS.
Failure
Physical:
Fail Physical Test
Sustain Physical Damage making it more difficult to overcome physical obstacles.
Mental:
Fail Mental Check
Sustain Mental Damage making it more difficult to overcome mental challenges.
Cut Character Sheet (reflects them losing their mind)
Put Tear (a numbered peice of your character sheet) in Pile in center of table
Reward
Earn Initial Energy (I.E. is like the benny, metals, or drama points in the game.)
Option to Convert to Conserved Energy
Advancement
Pull Delirium Trigger
Gain as many Tears as Conserved Energy
When you pull your Delirium Trigger you pull Tears from the pile where people lost their mind.
You have the ability to pull new names, new traits, memories, goals, and incorporate that into your character.
This is a bizaare way of advancement, but I still think it can be considered as such.
Hmm. That was a good exercise.
Ever have that feeling like you have to get a game done RIGHT NOW. Like right THIS SECOND before anybody else can steal your idea? Yeah, that’s how I feel! I’m about another 10 hours from having the character sheet completely finished. I’m pretty happy with the basic design of it, but I’ll post it when I’m done.
thought of the moment
Charisma and Fail Forward makes you awesome. Or a huge jackass. Whichever.
pulp fiction
Went to magic camp last night and lost quite a few games, BUT I did beat Hash once. Which is saying a lot, since he and Andy are the best Magic players at the store. Watch out boys, I’m going to be the Magic MISTRESS. Bwahahahaaa!
movie
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is my favorite movie and I have a need to wach this movie. Nowish.
So, for inspiration, I just re-listened to Ryan Macklin’s Master Plan #40 with Luke Crane.
A) I love Luke Crane. And needed a post specifically dedicated to this man.
B) Ryan ‘Fucking’ Macklin is my favorite podcaster. Ever. EVER. EVER EVER EVER.
C) The episode is BRILLIANT. BRILLIANT, I SAY!
