Back on December 31st I pre-ordered a new science fiction RPG called Starblazer Adventures from a British company called Cubicle 7.
Starblazer uses the very cool FATE system as its core engine and is based not on the famous Japanese anime Starblazers but on a British sci-fi comic book series from the 1970s and 1980s that featured some one shot stories alongside a cast of recurring characters.
The .pdf for the game came with the pre-order, but as the book is a massive 600+ pages it proved very hard to simply sit down and read all the way through.
Well, yesterday my massive hardcover copy arrived in the mail, and I'm quite excited. I'm putting together a document presenting my Consortium Sphere sci-fi setting in a fashion that emphasizes the opportunities that it offers for roleplaying and adventure. Not sure when I'll get that done to my satisfaction, as it involves repackaging and expanding upon the existing content so that it reads less like an encyclopedia entry and more like a call to adventure replete with story hooks.
But my current plan is to send it to the guys at Cubicle 7 as a pitch for developing the Consortium Sphere into (sounds a little crazy) publishable supplement for Starblazer Adventures, along the lines of the very intriguing Mindjammer setting that I think I'll be purchasing when it comes out.
And if that doesn't work out, I might consider the possibility of adapting the PDQ or PDQ Sharp rules (each flavor available for free download here) to space opera excitement. First I'd like to get my hands on a copy of Swashbucklers of the Seven Skies, the newest PDQ setting, as I hear it has inspired the game's author, Chad Underkoffler, to run swashbuckling space opera. But I don't know what the licensing or sales potential of that might be.
UPDATE: The last week of June I got into contact with Chad Underkoffler, who sent me the details of the PDQ license and said he'd be happy to read a manuscript when I got it ready. At the moment I've just started a freelance project, so it will probably be the end of the year before I get something ready, depending on how I get going on my fantasy novel. But it's a start.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Review: Deluge of Dresden
Recently I've been reading books in the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. Our library is missing a couple of the books in the series and the others are often on hold, but I saw the 8th book in the series, Proven Guilty, sitting on the shelves when I took the kids to my local branch a couple weeks ago. I grabbed it, went and bought the 7th book in the series, Dead Beat, at my local bookstore, the Rediscovered Bookshop (a great store that I highly recommend to anyone living in or passing through the Boise area). I even got a discount on the purchase because we'd bought enough books over the past year for our buyer's credit to kick in.
I devoured the 7th book and was halfway through the 8th when I saw the 9th book, White Night, sitting on the library shelf. I checked that out and finished the 8th book and read the 9th while at a cabin by the Payette River in Garden Valley, Idaho. I came home for a day to take care of my lawn and dropped off some books--only to spot the 10th book in the series, Small Favor, on the library shelves. I grabbed that and started it this morning.
I have to think that there's some good karma involved in the timing of all of this, or at least some hints that I should be reading the series.
As for the books themselves, it's a pleasant series in that (a) Butcher has become a better writer as the series has gone on, and he was an enjoyable writer to begin with, and (b) each novel manages to be fairly self-contained while rewarding the readers who have kept up with the continuity. There are recurring characters and threats, questions seeded in one book to be paid off in the next, and an overarching, shadowy menace that began to appear in the series around book 7 (I think).
By this point Butcher is better able to pull off contemplative moments of introspection or observation than he was at the beginning of the series. He's also invested more words and energy into adding depth to his wide cast of characters. He's become particularly adept at making his recurring villains interesting and even sympathetic at times while not losing sight of the awfulness of the crimes that many of them have committed. (I think Butcher has been much more successful at keeping a balanced perspective on this issue of making evil characters fascinating without suddenly deciding that they are really okay at heart than the writers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer did in its final two seasons, where they simply looked the other way with characters like Spike and pretended they had suddenly redeemed themselves because the audience was enamored with them.) Butcher has also really pushed his characters into gray areas between purely good and purely evil, though there are still some characters who represent each moral extreme. It creates a nice continuum.
For me Butcher's calling card is his penchant for constantly increasing the crisis factor throughout the course of a novel, a tactic that would wear thin if it weren't for the frequent injections of humor into the dialogue and Dresden's self-reflections. He also makes his heroes pay a price for their heroism, which makes their sacrifices more meaningful and satisyfing than the typical action hero fare.
As for the magic and such that Butcher describes, sometimes I'm engrossed by it, but often it falls a little flat or repetitive in the actual execution, to be honest. Except for the one or two occasions in a given novel where the wizard Harry Dresden actually casts a ritual spell, which are typically well done and flavorful, the effect of most of the magic wielded by Dresden and his cohorts doesn't seem very, well . . . magical. It just feels like special effects, big blasts of energy and defensive shields, sort of like comic book superheroes dropped into an urban fantasy setting.
On the other hand, the monsters and faeries and spirits and evil magicians and assorted supernatural factions that Butcher introduces into the stories are typically a real treat, building over the course of the series into a very interesting setting full of many varied and often unpredictable characters who provide many sources of conflict and entertainment. It's good stuff that doesn't get dumped on the reader at first glance but develops over time as Dresden comes into contact with different groups and beasties.
I actually suspect that this approach makes the books more accessible to a broad audience, because even if you don't follow the rationale for the magic at first, you can still follow most of what is going on in the action sequences. And Butcher usually has at least one excellent action set piece in each novel, though the best ones are not always in the climactic scenes.
Throw in his increasing facility for sketching memorable character traits for the supporting cast and fleshing out the psychology, motivations, and personal sacrifices of the major characters, and it's no wonder Butcher has such a successful series on his hands. Not being a big mystery reader or a fan of the various multi-volume fantasy series that, while well-written, can't seem to satisfactorily end a story in 800 pages, it's rare for me to pursue a series this long without losing interest as the author begins to repeat him or herself or just runs out of steam. So color me impressed with the frequency and consistency of Butcher's Dresden novels.
After book 10 I'll be a little overdosed and happy to get a break before book 11 comes off the library's new books list, but I'm also gradually accumulating my own copies of Dresden Files books that I've already read. That's something I do only when I think an author's work is worth coming back to for enjoyment multiple times.
I devoured the 7th book and was halfway through the 8th when I saw the 9th book, White Night, sitting on the library shelf. I checked that out and finished the 8th book and read the 9th while at a cabin by the Payette River in Garden Valley, Idaho. I came home for a day to take care of my lawn and dropped off some books--only to spot the 10th book in the series, Small Favor, on the library shelves. I grabbed that and started it this morning.
I have to think that there's some good karma involved in the timing of all of this, or at least some hints that I should be reading the series.
As for the books themselves, it's a pleasant series in that (a) Butcher has become a better writer as the series has gone on, and he was an enjoyable writer to begin with, and (b) each novel manages to be fairly self-contained while rewarding the readers who have kept up with the continuity. There are recurring characters and threats, questions seeded in one book to be paid off in the next, and an overarching, shadowy menace that began to appear in the series around book 7 (I think).
By this point Butcher is better able to pull off contemplative moments of introspection or observation than he was at the beginning of the series. He's also invested more words and energy into adding depth to his wide cast of characters. He's become particularly adept at making his recurring villains interesting and even sympathetic at times while not losing sight of the awfulness of the crimes that many of them have committed. (I think Butcher has been much more successful at keeping a balanced perspective on this issue of making evil characters fascinating without suddenly deciding that they are really okay at heart than the writers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer did in its final two seasons, where they simply looked the other way with characters like Spike and pretended they had suddenly redeemed themselves because the audience was enamored with them.) Butcher has also really pushed his characters into gray areas between purely good and purely evil, though there are still some characters who represent each moral extreme. It creates a nice continuum.
For me Butcher's calling card is his penchant for constantly increasing the crisis factor throughout the course of a novel, a tactic that would wear thin if it weren't for the frequent injections of humor into the dialogue and Dresden's self-reflections. He also makes his heroes pay a price for their heroism, which makes their sacrifices more meaningful and satisyfing than the typical action hero fare.
As for the magic and such that Butcher describes, sometimes I'm engrossed by it, but often it falls a little flat or repetitive in the actual execution, to be honest. Except for the one or two occasions in a given novel where the wizard Harry Dresden actually casts a ritual spell, which are typically well done and flavorful, the effect of most of the magic wielded by Dresden and his cohorts doesn't seem very, well . . . magical. It just feels like special effects, big blasts of energy and defensive shields, sort of like comic book superheroes dropped into an urban fantasy setting.
On the other hand, the monsters and faeries and spirits and evil magicians and assorted supernatural factions that Butcher introduces into the stories are typically a real treat, building over the course of the series into a very interesting setting full of many varied and often unpredictable characters who provide many sources of conflict and entertainment. It's good stuff that doesn't get dumped on the reader at first glance but develops over time as Dresden comes into contact with different groups and beasties.
I actually suspect that this approach makes the books more accessible to a broad audience, because even if you don't follow the rationale for the magic at first, you can still follow most of what is going on in the action sequences. And Butcher usually has at least one excellent action set piece in each novel, though the best ones are not always in the climactic scenes.
Throw in his increasing facility for sketching memorable character traits for the supporting cast and fleshing out the psychology, motivations, and personal sacrifices of the major characters, and it's no wonder Butcher has such a successful series on his hands. Not being a big mystery reader or a fan of the various multi-volume fantasy series that, while well-written, can't seem to satisfactorily end a story in 800 pages, it's rare for me to pursue a series this long without losing interest as the author begins to repeat him or herself or just runs out of steam. So color me impressed with the frequency and consistency of Butcher's Dresden novels.
After book 10 I'll be a little overdosed and happy to get a break before book 11 comes off the library's new books list, but I'm also gradually accumulating my own copies of Dresden Files books that I've already read. That's something I do only when I think an author's work is worth coming back to for enjoyment multiple times.
New Blog Direction
Slowly but surely I'm planning on moving over any of my setting-related material residing on this blog to my web site, Dreaming Empires. Much of the material has been moved already and there is a lot of additional stuff on science fiction and superheroes.
I'm going to try to shift the emphasis of the blog toward posts about my family (still using the anonymous approach where I don't reveal names and such), books I've read, and current events.
Because the majority of people who happen to stumble across the blog, who are largely friends and family, aren't really interested in the setting material anyway. My web site can keep focusing on that aspect of my interests. Might still keep the vignettes here, though.
I'm going to try to shift the emphasis of the blog toward posts about my family (still using the anonymous approach where I don't reveal names and such), books I've read, and current events.
Because the majority of people who happen to stumble across the blog, who are largely friends and family, aren't really interested in the setting material anyway. My web site can keep focusing on that aspect of my interests. Might still keep the vignettes here, though.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Pangaea Ultima and Alternatives
I like this projection of what the future supercontinent dubbed Pangaea Ultima might look like.
Or one of these maps showing Pangaea and alternate visions of a future supercontinent might be a cool starting point.
The problem with using maps like this as actual world maps is that these supercontinents would have really hellacious and extreme weather conditions that would make living conditions extremely hostile. Super-monsoons and hurricane swirling along the coasts, massive mountain ranges, really bone dry and desolate desert interiors.
But take the shape of a given supercontinent and shrink it, maybe reorient it, and you could have one of several interesting continents as a result.
Or one of these maps showing Pangaea and alternate visions of a future supercontinent might be a cool starting point.
The problem with using maps like this as actual world maps is that these supercontinents would have really hellacious and extreme weather conditions that would make living conditions extremely hostile. Super-monsoons and hurricane swirling along the coasts, massive mountain ranges, really bone dry and desolate desert interiors.
But take the shape of a given supercontinent and shrink it, maybe reorient it, and you could have one of several interesting continents as a result.
Nova Totius Terrarium Map
Thinking about using this old map as the basis for a fantasy world layout.
This version gives you a much closer look at the details.
You end up with a huge southern continent that would be settled along the coastlines but whose interior would be quite desolate. Also the North American continent would probably have some really dry interiors, unless you played around with the fact that most of Canada is missing and changed the shape.
This version gives you a much closer look at the details.
You end up with a huge southern continent that would be settled along the coastlines but whose interior would be quite desolate. Also the North American continent would probably have some really dry interiors, unless you played around with the fact that most of Canada is missing and changed the shape.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Distractions and Mash-ups: Samurai-Fantasy-Horror-Western
One of my fundamental flaws as a writer is related to a basic component of my personality: I'm easily distracted.
I'm also curious about a lot of stuff. And I have an uncontrollable urge to mash concepts and genres together.
This relates strongly to the not finishing a story aspect. I get distracted by something new that I'm reading and try to force some ideas from it into a setting or character concept or plotline that is already developed. [This is related to another troubling issue--I get bored with stories once I think I've figured out how to solve the major challenges with them.]
I recently finished a novel that was something of a western homage to samurai films and legends, watched some vampire television, and listened to some western-themed instrumental music. So of course I'm now trying to apply all of these themes to a short story concept I had several years ago, as well as attempting to compress a story that was originally 22,000 words (way too long to submit to most markets and far too short to be a novel) down to 7500 or 5000 words.
It is, shall I say, somewhat rough going. One of those things where I wonder if I'm a loon for even trying. But I want to try to finish it.
I have, however, decided upon an ideal martial style for fighting among and against vampires: Japanese sword-fighting, with its emphasis on powerful slashing strokes that sever limbs and decapitate foes. Because you can't really stab a vampire to death unless you've got a stake and great accuracy. And any sane vampire in a fantasy setting would wear some sort of armor protecting their heart, front and back.
So you're left with the need to hack the shit out of someone to incapacitate them. Vampires are strong and fast and seem unfazed by pain in many forms, but unless you're dealing with the ridiculous stuff like "turns into fog," they aren't impervious to steel. Chop off arms and legs and they should slow down. This approach should also work reasonably well against zombies.
To make it a little cooler, I decided that the vampire samurai equivalents in this setting also carry a traditional pair of swords, but instead of the long and short swords favored by the samurai, they carry a metal sword and one made of hard wood with a sharp point. The wooden one is the "mercy blade" for dealing with mortals and the "finishing blade" for staking fellow vampires.
Plus I think that the samurai loyalty and artistic aspects go very nicely with vampires. A vampire lord's retainers will all literally owe their vampiric status to the lord, so their blood is his to shed. And if they live a long time, they'll eventually get bored with mastering the blade and have to cultivate some other artistic pursuits.
It would be too confusing and complicated to explain the western influences at this point. And I should add that none of the main characters is even a vampire at this point. Which shows how useful all this thinking is.
I'm also curious about a lot of stuff. And I have an uncontrollable urge to mash concepts and genres together.
This relates strongly to the not finishing a story aspect. I get distracted by something new that I'm reading and try to force some ideas from it into a setting or character concept or plotline that is already developed. [This is related to another troubling issue--I get bored with stories once I think I've figured out how to solve the major challenges with them.]
I recently finished a novel that was something of a western homage to samurai films and legends, watched some vampire television, and listened to some western-themed instrumental music. So of course I'm now trying to apply all of these themes to a short story concept I had several years ago, as well as attempting to compress a story that was originally 22,000 words (way too long to submit to most markets and far too short to be a novel) down to 7500 or 5000 words.
It is, shall I say, somewhat rough going. One of those things where I wonder if I'm a loon for even trying. But I want to try to finish it.
I have, however, decided upon an ideal martial style for fighting among and against vampires: Japanese sword-fighting, with its emphasis on powerful slashing strokes that sever limbs and decapitate foes. Because you can't really stab a vampire to death unless you've got a stake and great accuracy. And any sane vampire in a fantasy setting would wear some sort of armor protecting their heart, front and back.
So you're left with the need to hack the shit out of someone to incapacitate them. Vampires are strong and fast and seem unfazed by pain in many forms, but unless you're dealing with the ridiculous stuff like "turns into fog," they aren't impervious to steel. Chop off arms and legs and they should slow down. This approach should also work reasonably well against zombies.
To make it a little cooler, I decided that the vampire samurai equivalents in this setting also carry a traditional pair of swords, but instead of the long and short swords favored by the samurai, they carry a metal sword and one made of hard wood with a sharp point. The wooden one is the "mercy blade" for dealing with mortals and the "finishing blade" for staking fellow vampires.
Plus I think that the samurai loyalty and artistic aspects go very nicely with vampires. A vampire lord's retainers will all literally owe their vampiric status to the lord, so their blood is his to shed. And if they live a long time, they'll eventually get bored with mastering the blade and have to cultivate some other artistic pursuits.
It would be too confusing and complicated to explain the western influences at this point. And I should add that none of the main characters is even a vampire at this point. Which shows how useful all this thinking is.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Daily Writing
Shortly after my last post, I made a resolution to write 1,000 words of fiction a day.
Since then, I've hit that target for 9 out of 10 days. I don't recall writing on Memorial Day at all. The total word count is at just over 14,500 words.
Note that some of those are much better than others, but I do have a complete story that I'm fairly pleased with as a result of the process. (It's awaiting one more revision before I submit it.) I've also got two other short stories in the works that I'm less confident about.
I can't say that I feel great about this process at the moment. I've got the plot and main characters of the two stories I'm working on all laid out, but I'm trying to write 5,000 word stories (because I think that's a better length to submit for an unpublished writer hoping to get published) with only one successful story told in that range so far. The other two are looking more like 10,000 word stories at the moment.
But my goals were to address two of my weaknesses as a writer:
Since then, I've hit that target for 9 out of 10 days. I don't recall writing on Memorial Day at all. The total word count is at just over 14,500 words.
Note that some of those are much better than others, but I do have a complete story that I'm fairly pleased with as a result of the process. (It's awaiting one more revision before I submit it.) I've also got two other short stories in the works that I'm less confident about.
I can't say that I feel great about this process at the moment. I've got the plot and main characters of the two stories I'm working on all laid out, but I'm trying to write 5,000 word stories (because I think that's a better length to submit for an unpublished writer hoping to get published) with only one successful story told in that range so far. The other two are looking more like 10,000 word stories at the moment.
But my goals were to address two of my weaknesses as a writer:
- Writing on a regular basis
- FINISHING STORIES
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