Hey Crew!
I've got good news and I've got bad news. The good news is, I got engaged this week! The bad news is, I also had to have a surprise tooth extraction. Between those two things, my day job, and working hard on a super secret and heretofore unannounced Conquest or Calamity project, this week's podcast recording just didn't happen. (Mostly because my mouth was to swollen to speak during all of our normal time slots.)
Now before you start making picket signs to protest, if it is any consolation, I will have a very exciting announcement on Wednesday as well as a new Dungeon Master Class on Friday. You can expect so see a new episode next week. After that we should be back to business as usual for a while.
On another, more cheerful note, I'd like to thank all of you that participated in the test for our Player Shop. We learned a ton of useful things and should be ready to get those systems fired up in earnest very soon.
I guess, that's about it for now. If any of you have any questions for Will or Myself, don't hesitate to comment and let us know. We should get back to you pretty quick.
-James
Showing posts with label subscribers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label subscribers. Show all posts
Monday, May 4, 2015
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Player Bazaar
Salutations dear Lads, Lassies, Etc,
I am so glad that I get to announce to you the first phase of testing for Conquest or Calamity's Player Bazaar. For those of you who don't know what that is, here's the scoop. My whole philosophy on game design and dungeon mastering is caught up in the idea of inclusion. I believe everybody should have a chance to play.
The Player Bazaar is a way for all of you out there in internet land to play along with the Conquest or Calamity podcast. Each week, subscribers will be able to buy items for players, summon monsters, and more. Then, during each week's recording session, I will enact your collective will accordingly.
We are hoping for a full launch sometime in May but as of right now, our live test is available for all to use.(For free I might add.) We will be adding art assets, new cards, and more in the coming weeks. Just click the player bazaar tab and register away! Our first interactive podcast should be posted in two weeks. I am so excited to see how all of this is going to turn out.
Thanks again to jWall for his tireless efforts toward getting this done. The force is so strong with that one.
Enjoy!
I am so glad that I get to announce to you the first phase of testing for Conquest or Calamity's Player Bazaar. For those of you who don't know what that is, here's the scoop. My whole philosophy on game design and dungeon mastering is caught up in the idea of inclusion. I believe everybody should have a chance to play.
The Player Bazaar is a way for all of you out there in internet land to play along with the Conquest or Calamity podcast. Each week, subscribers will be able to buy items for players, summon monsters, and more. Then, during each week's recording session, I will enact your collective will accordingly.
We are hoping for a full launch sometime in May but as of right now, our live test is available for all to use.(For free I might add.) We will be adding art assets, new cards, and more in the coming weeks. Just click the player bazaar tab and register away! Our first interactive podcast should be posted in two weeks. I am so excited to see how all of this is going to turn out.
Thanks again to jWall for his tireless efforts toward getting this done. The force is so strong with that one.
Enjoy!
Friday, April 10, 2015
Dungeons and Dragons (and Devils and Demons?!?)
So there is an amazing post on video games and parenting over at Penny-Arcade, which you should definitively all go read. It's fine. I'll wait. Ok. You got it? Great!
While reading the aforementioned post, specifically the parts describing how even a game as benign as Minecraft, can be very concerning to parents of young children, it occurred to me that my own medium, table top role playing games, can often be even more frightening.
I grew up in what you would call a conservative home but I was also encouraged daily to be as creatively expressive as I felt I could. I can easily recall my first role playing experiences. I was a wizard with a pet dragon. I also still remember the weary look on my father's face, when I first told him about the spells I was casting and monsters I was fighting.
In his mind, I'm sure, I was basically on the gateway drug to satanism. What a completely terrifying, albeit misguided, thought. Please don't get me wrong. My dad was an amazing guy. He took me to space camp, he coached my soccer team, and he taught me more about music than probably any other person I've ever known.
But he passed away a few years ago and the sad reality is, in spite of us both being extremely creative people, he and I were never able to connect through games. I'm sure that probably bothered him then as much as it bothers me now.
So what's the parent of an imaginative young RPG aficionado to do?
Well, first off, parents need to get educated on their kids interests. I'll be the first to tell you that, as is the case with almost all games, not every table top game is appropriate for every kid. Only you, as their parent, are qualified to decide what your child should and shouldn't be a part of and occasionally you just have to be the bad guy. That said, go and get the facts first.
Secondly, play with your kids. If you have a son or daughter who wants to try Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder, go try it with them and then talk about it with them afterwards. "What did you like about the game?" "Were there any parts that were scary?" Ask the important questions. You will almost certainly get the important answers.
Children are (for the most part) neurologically wired to see their parents as heroes. What could be better than to prove the completely right by joining in against "the forces of evil" or "slaying the terrible dragon"?
There's a family that Will and I play with at a local game shop some Saturdays, and it warms my heart to see parents sharing in these experiences with their kids. I'm not sure if they read this blog or not but if they do, they should know I think they rule, period.
I think the bottom line here is the same as for basically any other interactive media. Imaginative play is one of the most important ways a child has to interact with the world. Any game can be used for good, evil, and everything in between. I've met some of my best friends through gaming and if it makes anyone feel better, I've never even been inside a church of Satan.
Here's to you Dad! I hope they have D&D in Heaven.
-James
While reading the aforementioned post, specifically the parts describing how even a game as benign as Minecraft, can be very concerning to parents of young children, it occurred to me that my own medium, table top role playing games, can often be even more frightening.
I grew up in what you would call a conservative home but I was also encouraged daily to be as creatively expressive as I felt I could. I can easily recall my first role playing experiences. I was a wizard with a pet dragon. I also still remember the weary look on my father's face, when I first told him about the spells I was casting and monsters I was fighting.
In his mind, I'm sure, I was basically on the gateway drug to satanism. What a completely terrifying, albeit misguided, thought. Please don't get me wrong. My dad was an amazing guy. He took me to space camp, he coached my soccer team, and he taught me more about music than probably any other person I've ever known.
But he passed away a few years ago and the sad reality is, in spite of us both being extremely creative people, he and I were never able to connect through games. I'm sure that probably bothered him then as much as it bothers me now.
So what's the parent of an imaginative young RPG aficionado to do?
Well, first off, parents need to get educated on their kids interests. I'll be the first to tell you that, as is the case with almost all games, not every table top game is appropriate for every kid. Only you, as their parent, are qualified to decide what your child should and shouldn't be a part of and occasionally you just have to be the bad guy. That said, go and get the facts first.
Secondly, play with your kids. If you have a son or daughter who wants to try Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder, go try it with them and then talk about it with them afterwards. "What did you like about the game?" "Were there any parts that were scary?" Ask the important questions. You will almost certainly get the important answers.
Children are (for the most part) neurologically wired to see their parents as heroes. What could be better than to prove the completely right by joining in against "the forces of evil" or "slaying the terrible dragon"?
There's a family that Will and I play with at a local game shop some Saturdays, and it warms my heart to see parents sharing in these experiences with their kids. I'm not sure if they read this blog or not but if they do, they should know I think they rule, period.
I think the bottom line here is the same as for basically any other interactive media. Imaginative play is one of the most important ways a child has to interact with the world. Any game can be used for good, evil, and everything in between. I've met some of my best friends through gaming and if it makes anyone feel better, I've never even been inside a church of Satan.
Here's to you Dad! I hope they have D&D in Heaven.
-James
Sunday, March 29, 2015
No News is Good News. Some News is Even Better News!
Greetings Citizens,
I've come bearing news, tidings of great joy, so to speak. Hmm... Maybe borrowing that motif on Palm Sunday is in bad taste. Oh well, it's out there now, permanently etched by unrevisable keystrokes. C'est la vie.
Back to my news! Will, Our Minions, and I have been slaving away tirelessly, in preparation for the grand opening of the Player Bazaar. For those of you who don't know (probably the majority of you), the Player Bazaar is a way to include all of you (hopefully?), the listeners, in our weekly D&D game.
Soon, Conquest or Calamity Listeners will be able to send fabulous item cards to their favorite characters or wreak havoc on the party with devious dungeon cards and that's only the beginning. Have a thing for the Moonshae Isles? We might be able to think of a Djinn who could arrange a visit. Got a soft spot for the Shaar? Too bad, it got all chewed up in the Sundering and now it's just a big dumb hole. You've gotta quit living in the past, man.
We're in our final stages of testing and we can't wait to hear what all of you think, when we launch in April. As an added bonus, anyone who subscribes before the soft launch will receive an additional 100 gold doubloons and be entered for a chance to win a Conquest or Calamity tee-shirt before you can buy one! I know, I'm excite for you.
Alright, I'd better go do some Hail Marys or something. I'll catch up with you dweebs Monday, with the exciting conclusion to episode 4.
Ciao,
-James
PS. Above you'll note the art for the glorious belt of magnificence, which will be on sale very soon. It's enchanted, such that it aids the wearer for +1 to all stats but the wearer must mention the belt to each and every NPC, with whom he or she speaks, otherwise it explodes, destroying itself, possibly the wearer, and almost certainly a players self esteem. One size fits all!
I've come bearing news, tidings of great joy, so to speak. Hmm... Maybe borrowing that motif on Palm Sunday is in bad taste. Oh well, it's out there now, permanently etched by unrevisable keystrokes. C'est la vie.
Back to my news! Will, Our Minions, and I have been slaving away tirelessly, in preparation for the grand opening of the Player Bazaar. For those of you who don't know (probably the majority of you), the Player Bazaar is a way to include all of you (hopefully?), the listeners, in our weekly D&D game.
Soon, Conquest or Calamity Listeners will be able to send fabulous item cards to their favorite characters or wreak havoc on the party with devious dungeon cards and that's only the beginning. Have a thing for the Moonshae Isles? We might be able to think of a Djinn who could arrange a visit. Got a soft spot for the Shaar? Too bad, it got all chewed up in the Sundering and now it's just a big dumb hole. You've gotta quit living in the past, man.
We're in our final stages of testing and we can't wait to hear what all of you think, when we launch in April. As an added bonus, anyone who subscribes before the soft launch will receive an additional 100 gold doubloons and be entered for a chance to win a Conquest or Calamity tee-shirt before you can buy one! I know, I'm excite for you.
Alright, I'd better go do some Hail Marys or something. I'll catch up with you dweebs Monday, with the exciting conclusion to episode 4.
Ciao,
-James
PS. Above you'll note the art for the glorious belt of magnificence, which will be on sale very soon. It's enchanted, such that it aids the wearer for +1 to all stats but the wearer must mention the belt to each and every NPC, with whom he or she speaks, otherwise it explodes, destroying itself, possibly the wearer, and almost certainly a players self esteem. One size fits all!
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Founders benefits
Hey Dudes, Dudettes, Etc.
A few days back, as one commentator was kind enough to point out, I made a veiled reference to the Conquest or Calamity founders program. Today I would like to further expound upon this reference. Ergo, it's formal announcement time!
Any and all Subscribers, subbing before Monday, April 6th in the year of our Lord two thousand and fifteen, will be immortalized as permanent NPCs in Conquest or Calamity canon. Maybe you'll be a shop keeper or a villain. The possibilities are endless. If you are already a subscriber, you can expect to see an email with further instructions regarding your founders status very soon!
If you have any further questions, feel free to comment and Will or myself will get back to you in due time. Otherwise, curious parties could always just subscribe and see for themselves. There are certainly worse ways to spend $.99.
Happy Subscribing!
-James
A few days back, as one commentator was kind enough to point out, I made a veiled reference to the Conquest or Calamity founders program. Today I would like to further expound upon this reference. Ergo, it's formal announcement time!
Any and all Subscribers, subbing before Monday, April 6th in the year of our Lord two thousand and fifteen, will be immortalized as permanent NPCs in Conquest or Calamity canon. Maybe you'll be a shop keeper or a villain. The possibilities are endless. If you are already a subscriber, you can expect to see an email with further instructions regarding your founders status very soon!
If you have any further questions, feel free to comment and Will or myself will get back to you in due time. Otherwise, curious parties could always just subscribe and see for themselves. There are certainly worse ways to spend $.99.
Happy Subscribing!
-James
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