Had a realization that I’ve been overdoing it on the RPG writing front recently, to the determent of Real Life. Since some pretty major things are happening or about to happen this is not good.  So I’m taking a bit of a break from the insane mad dash run of gettng SimpleQuest done and dusted for mid October. Appart from Hearts In Glorantha issue 2 everything I’m working on will now ‘be done when its done’. HiG has a weird energy about it which means that it will happen no matter what. I try not to analyse it too much…it scares me.

So three days of finshing stuff off at work (new Intranet and WordPress Mu install for Faculty blogs and mini sites) and then off for a week in the Cotswolds for a cottage holiday and mucho relaxation.

Life is busy, busy, busy, with a side order of…..busy.

I expected things to calm down after Continuum, but no getting intensly stupid again.

Partially this is my own fault, writing projects getting a life of thier own with people generally cheering me own and asking ‘when will it it be out’? Partially this is work screaming towards the end of two (or maybe three projects) all at once. Partially this is me and Rach planning on child #2 and house extendsion.

I may write more of this in detail later…..I may be too busy to do so.

In other news Evie is still cute and giggles all the time (sometimes more manically) and is enjoyiing walking.

This is one of those ‘hey I’m back’ sort of posts. Followed up swiftly by ‘ow I still hurt’ whinge.

So I’m back from the Mighty Continuum RPG convention, which doubled as a mini-short summer break for me, refreshed and invigorated but still a bit stiff from too much booze, crap food and even less sleep than usual. Oh well it was fun 🙂

Got

d101games

off to a truely amazing flying start, with Hearts In Glorantha selling out its small print run and me Ginger Matt and Neil Ford running 10 full games of Monkey and SimpleQuest over the weekend. Saw lots of old friends and it was nice to see folk who I only talk to online usually 🙂  It was also slightly surreal to have 100+ people at the closing ceremony chanting my name.

Eased myself back into work this week, after having Monday/Tuesday off and its with a bump I head towards the weekend which will probably be lots of gardening and sorting out the house, with the possiblity of a trip to Bakewell.

Time for an update?yar think its time for an updatey thing.

My brain has melted from all the work I’m doing at the moment. Home is intense as me and Rach move up a gear to become ……TIDY PEOPLE. Work is intense as two projects are coming to an end soonish. As for roleplaying nonsense, three out of five adventures for continuum are completely written up with pcs in a form that is suitable for two other Games Masters to run them for me. Another two to write up (but these are much shorter fortunately), two talks to put together (with slide shows). Hearts in Glorantha is in the bag, copies for Continuum have turned up today (BIG PHEW!), and I slowly move towards getting SimpleQuest ZeroEdition done, but alas my table fu in InDesign is weak and I’m doing the Equipment chapter at the mo 🙁 Next weak I have fun doing posters, sign up sheets, setting up forums, designing T-shirts etc.

Our Evie becomes more animated and bonkers as the days roll on. She’s a cheerful little character, who’s very close to walking and very alive and awake. Its really inspirational watching her engage with the world in a full on intensity which I think us adults have lost.

This weekend I finsh off the layout for the first issue of Heart’s in Glorantha.

darransims  has come up with the goods cover wise.

Its a extremely suitable ‘wrapper’ for all the high quality articles and art . Oh yes we have art, some of it jaw droppingly good -cheers Darran for sourcing.

There’s more about the first issue in a preview up on the D101 Games website

I’m chuffed to bits with the first issue, which has been very much thrown together very quickly. Its a credit to the people who have submitted articles.

First off the bad. Its glorious weather outside, but I’ve been stuck inside since yesterday since I’ve pulled a muscle in my back. Yesterday was spent hobbling around like an old man, today my posture is back but I have sharp pain down my left side. OW!

The Good. I’m off work, and paradoxically the best place for me is at the computer! So as well as some crafty gaming (mmmn Stalker: Shadows of Chenobyl) I’m cracking on on my adventure for SimpleQuest, Life and Death. Already standing at something like 50 pages its a beast of thing, but over the last couple of days its really started to come together. Should get the first draft complete today!

Just had a big burst of activity and spent what feels like the last 2 hours cleaning up.  Main area of zappage was the middle bedroom which is where I put my computer. If you know me its a continuation of the den, where my messy 15 year old self holds court. Well no more, Rach gave me an ultimatum clean up or no computer. Seeing as it turns up tomorrow, today is do it day. So its done, and I’ve just chucked another load of clutter in the bin. The middle bedroom is one of our favourite dumping grounds. Things that go there are usually on their way to the attic, to garage (where there will be a reckoning one day) or the bin.  There’s a rant in there somewhere, but for now I’ll just leave it at 99% of my problems these days are to do with too much stuff in my life.

All the content, bar Darran’s HQ scenario which hes doing next week along with some art :), for Hearts in Glorantha is in 😀 I’m currently gobsmaked. For something that has come together almost on a whim, the quality is outstanding. I can’t really single anyone out. Little old me has ten or so top quality articles to do justice on layout. 50 odd pages of copy and not a dud amoungst them. Job tomorrow print it all out and enjoy reading it. This job does have its perks after all 🙂

Another writing job I’ve started this weekend is the end of SimpleQuest. All the hard rulesy bits are done and have been edited by the lovely

gspearing

. Now I’m just doing the example setting (think Charlemagne’s Europe with Orcs), monster descriptions for the creatures chapter and a very simple adventure that teaches the rules. Its all a bit fluffy, but very nice to write. Should all be done and dusted by next weekend 🙂

Evie was charming today, despite being shut in the house for most of it. Managed to go out on her trike down half mile or so of road, there and back twice which meant I walked a grand total of 2 miles. Between going out for walks with Evie and gardening I’m beginning to get back into exercising which is good news.

Looking forward to work this week. Its going to be a challenging week, but I’ve learnt from the hard work I’ve put in this weekend that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have to happy and relaxing where I allow things to work themselves out and not get in the way 🙂

So Rach is on nights this weekend. Not something I enjoy, being in the house on my own freaks me out and I don’t sleep as well. Evie didn’t go down well last night, it took an hour to settle her. But once she did, I had me curry and settled in to catching up with TV (Battlestar Gallatica) and Films (Walk the Line and the Buffalo Soliders – both damn fine films, BS especially). Did a bit of RPG writing, but didn’t bust a gut like I planned. Struck me how much I needed to have a good relaxing night in.

Another night in alone tonight. Going to pick up the pace on the writing, since I have sorted out my writing set up with the laptop.  Got to make the most of it, since back to usual tommorrow and my gaming PC turns up 🙂