Artists needed!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Just a quick post tonight, to solicit help from some of the artists out there.

I'm in need of some talented artists that want to get involved on the ground floor of a large, continuing project for here on the site. I don't want to go into a great deal of detail on it here on the main page, but it's a project that I'm really excited about. This is a paying gig, even if the pay is a bit low to start, but any and all are welcome to participate. I have a significant amount of work and want to spread it around.

To be totally honest, I'm also using this as a bit of a talent search. I have other, larger projects on the horizon that will need more substantial artwork, so this current undertaking will (hopefully) allow me to see what's out there and start to build working relationships with some great talent.

Project Requirements

  • Artist must be 18 or older
  • Art is to be inked, black and white
  • Please have some inked art available for review online, or have a simple electronic portfolio to submit
  • Pay to be negotiated
  • For more information, or to apply, email me at jason@jasonrichards.net

Finally back online

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Immediately after getting back from the Open House a month ago, I suffered a computer crash. All of my components arrived today, and I'm back up and running on a shiny new rig. So, I'll play catch up and post some things that are long overdue, such as some game supplements that I used at the Open House and some thoughts on upcoming projects. I'm also about to assign art to some guys that have offered to help me out in putting my first free downloadable PDFs online.

I'm also excited to note that my next Palladium project is back in the forefront. In his latest Murmur, Kevin Siembieda made note of the fact that it's time for more Chaos Earth work and that they're about ready for its next sourcebook, First Responders. He also mentioned that I would be writing the next two sourcebooks as well. Read about it here.

That's it for now, but I'll have more updates this week, including some free downloads. Peace.

Live POH updates from Twitter!

Scroll down for more news and site updates

What better way to keep up with what's going on at the Palladium Open House than to follow it right here, live, via my Twitter feed? I don't anticipate this being a permanent addition to the website, but thought that it would be a great way for everyone to keep up during this weekend's festivities. To make sure that everything runs smoothly, I have started the feed early, hopefully to work out any glitches or snags before I leave on Thursday.

Stay tuned here for up-to-date posts on what's happening during games, panels, and just hanging around during the event. Catch every inside joke, glorious character death, and travel snafu, all right here at jasonrichards.net!

Last ten Twitter updates:

Making the Game #4

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Well this installment of Making the Game will be the shortest of my Palladium Open House previews, mostly because I can't say much about the game. As its description would indicate, I'm playing it a bit close to the chest on this particular game, and that's because I have a few new things that I'd like to try.

The perils of Sunday gaming

The fourth game, called "In or Out," is scheduled for Sunday. There's no denying that Sunday of a four-day convention is a tough sell for everyone involved for a number of reasons. One is that travel plans enter the mix, with many attendees bolting on Saturday night or Sunday morning. Secondly, while every night tends to turn into some form of late-night session of gaming or in-depth conversations about the merits of the D6 versus the D20 for attribute checks, Saturday is the big day for everyone concerned. It has the most people turn out, looking to pack the most fun possible into one day, so Sunday morning doesn't see too many people bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Because of all of the above, I recognize that a Sunday game might not even happen, for sure. If I can scrape together half a dozen willing gamers, however, I figure that running something out of the ordinary might help to spice things up. There are a lot of ways to do this, but I have one particular way in mind; we're going to set one half of the table against the other half in a PvP (player versus player) showdown.

Running the PvP

If you've ever wanted to pit players against one another in a high-stakes game, I recommend doing this at a convention as opposed to at your regular gaming table. In Making the Game #1 I talked about the ins and outs of character design for a one-shot game such as will be run at the Open House, and those principles are very much in play in this situation. You have gamers playing characters in whom they have very little invested, and so really pushing their role-playing to the limit can be easier to do. There's something very fun about making that big sacrifice or taking that big risk in a convention game, since you don't have to live with a lot of long-term consequences; the game is over in three hours, no matter what!

Still, I don't advise just throwing a bunch of characters into a pit and seeing who comes out alive. We want to role-play this scenario, not just have a three-hour combat session. To that end, in a PvP I suggest setting up a situation where characters are forced to make choices and then act on them. Action either way should affect other characters. This serves to lend some seriousness to the situation such that a player can't easily just throw all caution to the wind and must consider how his or actions will affect comrades. For example, if one player decides his character should make a suicide run into the main front of the enemy, that player should be clear on what that accomplishes versus what his loss will cost the rest of his team.

Wrapping up

I feel like this update was fairly worthless. I want to talk about a lot of different facets of this particular game, as it will utilize some unique and speedy character-creation methods, as well as some quick and dirty combat mechanics that will (hopefully) impart upon the players on either side of the issue some level of severity and consequence.

I'm sure that all sounds very generic, but I promise it will be great. The next Making the Game will be a review of Open House games, so I'll give all of the details then.

Game on.

New Podcast Appearance

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Check out Echoes from the Rifts, Episode 15, wherein I talk a little bit with the host about the upcoming Palladium Open House and the state of things in general. Chris does a great podcast, and also talks to my friend and colleague, Jason Marker. Check out back episodes for lots of insight into a number of Palladium projects.

Making the Game #3

Thursday, April 23, 2009

So far we've talked about the design of games for Palladium's two futuristic settings, Rifts and Chaos Earth. In the first installment, we discussed designing and playing characters for convention games, and then touched on a new game mechanic in Making the Game #2. Today I thought I would discuss the new setting I'm exploring in my third game at the Open House, and the use of a new plot device for one-shot scenarios.

Not your normal fantasy game

The third game, scheduled to be run on Saturday of the Open House, is a session of the Palladium Fantasy RPG. This is a new turn for all involved, since I've never run PFRPG at a con. I've run it a few times for my own players from time to time, and those experiences have led me to look for a tweak on the traditional high fantasy setting.

If we're honest, I think we can all admit that the bulk of the fantasy gaming settings out there are pretty much the same. It's by far the most celebrated of the genres, to the point that at one time it was debated as to whether or not you could even realistically play a game that wasn't set in a fantasy setting. The biggest difference between the fantasy source material available out there is generally how in-depth the canon delves into the world. There is something to be said for a vast, broad setting that lays out only the basics of what adventurers may encounter, leaving players and Game Masters to fill in the rest. Other settings choose a smaller geography and really separate from the more generic pack by detailing down to the nitty gritty, mapping every street and naming every conceivable character to be encountered.

No matter which way one particular setting rolls, one truth about fantasy is that it's very, very easy. In no other genre does the possibility for random adventure and intrigue and wealth more easily present itself than in the pages of D&D, Palladium Fantasy, HARN, Lord of the Rings, and a hundred other entries into the catalog. I've always thought it would be fun to remove the "accidental adventure" from a fantasy campaign, and create a world where there were no job postings for "Vagabond Adventurers" and, for good measure, the typical player character wasn't so far above and beyond the average guy on the street. That, to me, has always sounded like a great and fun gaming opportunity, but how to implement it? If I'm going to remove the grand and powerful Wizards and the impossibly tough Barbarians and the oh-so-skillful Thieves from the mix, how would I sculpt the flavor of the world so that it's not just... boring?

Welcome to the Wild West

I found my answer without even knowing it, years ago, in the library at Texas A&M University. While doing research for my Rifts World Book, Arzno, I picked up a few titles having to do with the history and geography of Arizona. Among these books was a memoir by a U.S. Cavalry officer that served most of his time after the Civil War at Fort Apache in Arizona. It spoke very little of war with Native Americans or military glory, but mostly about his personal adventures exploring the hills, caves, and canyons of the West. Reflecting on that book now, I realize what a tumultuous time it was for those soldiers, the settlers working hard to tame a new land, and the natives on both sides of the disputes as the modern world pushed ever further and further Westward.

Sound like good gaming to you?

I'm not out to make a Cowboys and Indians RPG, but what if story elements from the classical Western of both fact and fiction were to be intertwined with a fantasy setting? Tribes of Goblins being displaced and absorbed by Kingdoms of Man as they pushed into new frontiers. Mad land rushes between rival Kings as new resources present themselves just over the horizon. Exploration of the rivers and forests to seek out the end of the continent. Mystics and Shamans that dance rituals to call down the blessed rain, while Priests of civilized people preach piety or vengeance. Boom towns that explode at crossroads with people and coin, only to be abandoned as the game and lumber and gold dry up. Guilds of thieves and assassins and tradesmen that all bid for power in new countries yet to be discovered. Bandits that lay in wait for armored wagon trains carrying people, supplies, and mail from border town to border town. Rumors of monsters out in the wildlands that nobody has ever seen, yet can't bring themselves to ignore.

Why didn't I ever think of this before?!

What this means for the game

The game at the Open House will be a very rough first draft of this world that I've started to imagine. Players will be an advanced scout patrol, seeking to learn the strength and position of a force of natives believed to be gathering for an attack on a human city. These soldiers, with their Native Goblin guides, find themselves faced with some big decisions that could have far-reaching consequences, while they themselves try to get out from over this barrel.

A special convention plot device

One thing about convention games is that you have to get going quickly. You don't have time for a lot of complicated setup or backstory. Things need to move quickly so that you can find a resolution before you find that your time is up; there's nothing worse than half of your table having to get up in the middle of the adventure to make their next game.

For this game I have a special NPC that will make an appearance; he's the sole human NPC, to be joined by a couple of NPC Goblin scouts. He's a special character in the interests of the game. He's the officer in charge of the patrol, a noble man of learning and command, who has the love and devotion of his troops and subjects. His name?

Sir Guy of Redshirt

I'll let you guess how he figures into the plot, just as I'll let my players guess. They won't be waiting long to learn if their guesses are correct!

Wrapping up

These always go longer than I intend, but hopefully there is some good material in the above, and I certaily hope you enjoy reading it. The last installment of Making the Game prior to the Open House will probably be on Saturday, so be sure to check back. Also, one of my first Complete Characters features will be posted next week, and while he can be used in any fantasy setting, I certainly have my Wild West Fantasy in mind as I detail him.

Thanks for visiting as always, and feel free to drop me a line if you want to chat. Game on.

Related Titles

Palladium's Fantasy RPG is a great traditional setting, and I highly recommend it. It's available in a couple of different versions:

Echoes from the Rifts Interview Tonight!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Discussing the Palladium Open House

Just a quick note that I'll be sitting down to talk to Chris Perrin on his podcast, Echoes from the Rifts. We'll be previewing the Palladium Open House and talking about writing, gaming, and whatever else comes up. Check out the site to hear some great episodes in the past from a number of Palladium staff and freelancers.

Update: I just finished the interview and was told that it will probably be up on Saturday, possibly on Friday. I'll link it here when it's posted, so stay tuned!

More updates to come

It's been a frenzy of activity in the past couple of weeks, and more is on the way. The next installment of Making the Game will be posted tomorrow due to my interview tonight, and before you know it we'll be right on top of the Open House and the frenzy that accompanies that! Check out the Features page for past installments of Making the Game.

Making the Game #2

Monday, April 20, 2009

In the previous installment, I talked about doing special things for the VIP game (a special Thursday night engagement for a small group of fans prior to the Palladium Open House, for those not aware) and generally about player characters in a short, one-shot convention game. I thought that for this installment I'd discuss my second game for the upcoming POH and how I sometimes try to use special, or even experimental, game mechanics to make these short games something more memorable and unique.

Surviving the Chaos

Among Palladium's many tremendous games, my favorite setting is the apocalyptic RPG, Chaos Earth. This game precedes Rifts in terms of timeline, and details the first months and years after magic and the supernatural violently returned to Earth, bringing about the catastrophic fall of civilization. Survivors rely on advanced technology to try and fight back the transdimensional monsters that torment the planet in what becomes more or less an endurance trial where only the strongest, smartest, and most determined survive. In my second game of the Open House, scheduled for sometime on Friday, a handful of players will run a scenario that takes place a decade after the initial cataclysm. On their last legs, they will be put to one more in a long line of tests of their will to live on into the Dark Age.

I choose this setting for many convention games for the same reasons that it's my favorite to write about; the reality of survival against impossible odds creates instant drama and forces ordinary people into incredible situations. Most player characters in Chaos Earth don't have mutant powers or weild magic or pilot invincible mecha, but are normal people that had their lives interrupted by the end of the world. A great number of these normal people are armored, paramilitary soldiers with the relevant equipment and training, but in the grand scheme of things are still against stiff odds. This is a natural avenue for a short-run adventure scenario, because I can put the characters into a situation and then say, "Survive it!" and watch as the players find creative ways to do so.

Limited Resource Mechanics

As I mentioned, this particular scenario is set some years forward in the timeline, when the battle has become even more difficult for human survivors. Time and effort have chipped away at available resources, so our heroes find themselves forced into a battle with limited resources. I'm installing a mechanic into this particular scenario to demonstrate the harsh toll that the cataclysm has taken on the characters.

The characters will be playing a lone mechanized infantry squad with a few suits of power armor and some support vehicles. However, all of these assets have sustained levels of damage that lead them to be less than 100% effective. During the initial portion of the game, knowing the mission that they must complete, the players must decide amongst themselves exactly how to spread out their resources between the characters.

For example, while there may be five functioning energy rifles, there are precious little power remaining to fuel them all. The players will have a set amount of ammunition and must divide it as best they see fit. Likewise, some portions of power armor will not function, so to some extents all suits will need to be cannibalized and parts redistributed between other suits, but aren't abundant enough to make any of the suits 100% effective. For example, there may be three suits of armor, but only one flight apparatus, two combat computers, and two functioning environmental systems, while one of the suits can't run due to bad hydraulics and another doesn't have any remaining armor on one of the arms. I have yet to work out the exact details, but players will have to compromise some functions for others in order to become the most effective fighting force than they can manage.

Will they load up one character's armor to as close to 100% as they can, and rely on that one character to bear the load? Will they settle for equally rationing out the resources and rolling the dice? Will they choose to optimize speed over firepower, or try to bull rush through with their most heavily-armored asset? I'm excited to find out!

Wrapping Up

As with all games, my main goal is for the players to have a good time. With so many convention gamers finding themselves railroaded through a predetermined adventure, or playing familiar episodes over and over again, I try to find new ways to keep things fresh, interesting, and challenging. Hopefully, that leads to a memorable experience for player and Game Master alike. For whichever player really brings their "A" game and leaves it all on the table, there will be a nice prize waiting, as always. I can't wait!

Related Titles

If you're interested in figuring out what may be available to the characters, or the setting in general, be sure to check out the line of titles for Chaos Earth:

  • Rifts Chaos Earth RPG. The complete RPG detailing the Coming of the Rifts and the Great Cataclysm that precedes the bestselling game of Rifts.
  • Chaos Earth: Creatures of Chaos. Monsters and demons from beyond the Rifts, intent on hastening the fall of Man.
  • Chaos Earth: Rise of Magic. Magic reemerges amongst humanity for the first time in centuries! A number of classes of mages to play and to act as foils to your players.

New merchendise, Lower prices

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Well I've managed to finally update some excellent merchendise, plus add some new items, all now available in the Online Store. Some old favorites are making a return at new, lower prices, thanks to some changes in cost structure at CafePress. If you've never clicked around there before, I warn you that it's quite difficult to navigate without spending some money. There are tons of great t-shirts and hats and magnets and coasters and everything else you could imagine.

Here is a summary of what's available; check out the links below for the full selection. If you think of a product that you'd like to see, by all means let me know and I'll see what I can do. I'm also still offering to do custom work if you would like something with your name (or screen name) included. Send me an email at jason@jasonrichards.net and let me know what you would like, and we'll set it up.

"Warning" T-shirt, in a variety of styles

Show your gamer pride by sporting this Public Service Announcement at your next convention or just around town. The design is featured on a number of shirts of varying style, color, cut, and both with and without ringers. Price for all shown styles is only $17.99. If you would like a color or type of shirt (or jacket or hat or tote bag or whatever else you might enjoy), let me know.

Available in men's styles:

As well as women's styles:

"WE ARE ALL JASON RICHARDS" T-shirt, for the first time online

Leading up to the Palladium Open House in 2007, a statement became common amongst Palladium fans, that "WE ARE ALL JASON RICHARDS." The origin of this phenomenon is sketchy still to this day, but it was pronounced enough that t-shirts were made to commemerate the saying. Now for the first time, a second issue of this shirt is being made available from CafePress for only $20.99 each. All display the saying in a single line of text across the front, but now come in a variety of colors.

Claim your identity in one of two styles:

And introducing the "WE ARE ALL JASON RICHARDS" coffee mug!

Remind yourself exactly who you are every morning over a mug of your favorite hot beverage. This white mug with bold black lettering is the perfect way to start your day. It's also a great gift for your favorite gamer in celebration of the 2009 Palladium Open House and holds pens and pencils on your desk at work like a true champion. If you'd like for this logo to adorn any other products, let me know!

Yours for only $11.99:

Making the Game #1

Saturday, April 18, 2009

I always try to do a few things at any gaming convention: 1.) I enjoy running at least one game that allow players to play as evil characters, 2.) I try to include a game set around Arzno, which is unquestionably my most well-known contribution to Palladium, and 3.) I love to give fans at the VIP night the chance to do something really epic, unique, and world-changing. It just so happens that all three of these things coincide in my first game of the 2009 Palladium Open House.

Basically, in this game the players will each take on the character of an officer in the Arzno Mercenary Corps, defenders of the refuge city of Arzno and bane of Vampires across the New West. The twist, however, is that these legendary heroes must now take down the city once and for all. Why the turnabout? Is the city overrun? The dream corrupted? The universe turned on its head? Is this a parallel dimension?

I'll never tell. Well, not until we sit down at the table, in any case. At that point all will be revealed to the players and they will be off to complete their mission, whatever it may be.

My scheme isn't all for glory and fun. It's at least 28% laziness on my part. Running the game like this, I don't have to write up new characters for everyone to play, since they have all already been written, illustrated, and even published.

Con Games and Characters

Let me veer off into a tangent for a moment and explain how a convention game generally works. Time is very short, with most game sessions running about three or four hours. I like to keep the game on the shorter end of that, but that's just personal preference. In such a short time, it's usually not an option to roll up a new character for everyone at the table, there on the spot, so it falls on the Game Master to provide characters for everyone. Given that games can include up to six, eight, ten, or even more players, and you often want to have extra characters on hand to ensure that everyone has some level of choice as to what they play, that's a great deal of character creation for just three or four hours of play. Most good Game Masters have a lot of characters on hand and ready to go, but I have a general dislike for reusing characters for my storytelling purposes and rarely run the same scenerio more than once. Chalk this up as another of my many, many failings as a Game Master.

When trying to come up with a good game hook for the VIP night, I thought that it would be a good opportunity to run something where the players got to be the bad guys. When I started thinking about what characters I had readily available for use, it just hit me! Back before the city of Arzno was detailed in World Book 28, it was a series of articles for The Rifter. In Rifter #9, a number of major characters are fully detailed, statted out, and illustrated. What better way to immerse the players in the world than by letting them play as the actual heroes of Arzno, gone wrong?

This provides me the benefit of not having to dream up new and inspired characters, but to lean on my previous inspirations. It also provides the players a unique opportunity to take the reins of characters that are so important to the story that they are provided in full detail within the published pages of a book from Palladium. That's a win-win in my opinion.

Incidentally, The Rifter #9 has just been made available for purchase as a PDF from DriveThruRPG! You can support this site by purchasing it here, and read up on which character you want to grab for the game. Rifter #10 contains the balance of the article about Arzno, while Rifter #8 contains information on the vampire threat from Fort Tombstone. Visit the Online Store for the complete selection of printed and digital books, or below for a selection of related titles.

Multiple Personalities

If there's a downside to using these sorts of entrenched characters in a game like this, it's that I have existing opinions on how those characters should be played. That is to say, in almost all cases I have actually played the parts of those characters before in my own games (playtesting for the World Book as well as having them appear in my own campaigns as non-player characters). As the author, I have some attachment to these fictional people, and the chances are good that the character will be played differently than I originally intended.

I'm a very character-oriented writer, so this is actually something I face regularly. Even if I were to draw up new characters for all of my games, I would still have fleshed them out in my mind and I would definitely have some idea how I felt any character would react in a certain situation. Other players will run a character differently than I would in the same situation.

But hey, that's fine! I just have to let it go and long ago accepted that there is no right or wrong when playing a character, so long as it is done in character. I've come to learn that one of the best parts of the game is going over it afterwards with the players and discussing what they did and why they did it. Often I find that in these short scenarios, players are really willing to lay it all on the line and seriously play in character, often bringing out things that I never would have thought to highlight.

I once ran a survival game where the player characters were more or less dropped into the middle of an Apocalyptic situation and they had to try and escape. I developed very average, but detailed "everyman" type characters and handed them out to my small gaming group. When confronted with the first big challenge, one player set his character to flight, abandoning the others to their fates. The game suddenly turned on its ear and became every bit about the interaction between these survivors of an impossible situation and not so much about trying to defeat whatever monster, natural disaster, or other challenge that I threw at them. The players portrayal of the character, who I had envisioned as the stalwart defender of the rest of the relatively helpless group, turned what would have been a relatively ordinary convention game into something very memorable, all because a player defied my expectations and did something out-of-the-box with his throwaway convention character.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, I hope that my players give me the pleasure of really pouring themselves into the characters that I will provide them. I hope they play like they have nothing to lose (which of course they don't) and show me new things about these characters that I've interacted with on my own terms for many years. Mostly, I just hope that everybody has a good time and leaves with a story to tell.

Incidentally, one prize-winner at the table will walk away with my very last spare copy of The Rifter #9 (first printing!), where their characters first appeared. That should be a little bit of added incentive to really get into it, as if anyone needs any reason to be excited! It's the Palladium Open House!

Related Titles

The following related titles are available for your further consideration:

  • Rifts Ultimate Edition. A complete updated, hardbound RPG. Also available in a Gold Edition .
  • Rifts World Book #1: Vampire Kingdoms . See first hand the vampire threat.
  • Rifts World Book #28: Arzno - Vampire Incursion . The city of Arzno mapped and detailed, and key citizens described, plus a complete accounting for the new vampire threat from Fort Tombstone. Compiled, revised, and expanded from Rifters #8, #9, and #10, plus much more!
  • The Rifter #2, available as a PDF through DriveThruRPG. This edition of Palladium's quarterly magazine contains the first references to Arzno as it fleshes out the Techno-Wizard and his unusual craft.
  • The Rifter #8, available in print or PDF. The original detailing of the Fort Tombstone vampire threat! Back in print thanks to DriveThruRPG.
  • The Rifter #9 (print or PDF) and The Rifter #10 (print or PDF). The article split between these two issues of The Rifter describes the city and people of Arzno, plus lots of Techno-Wizard weapons, equipment, vehicles, and much more.

New Feature: Making the Game

Thursday, April 16, 2009

The Palladium Open House is nearly upon us, and I'm growing more and more psyched for it by the day! It's too rare a treat to get to run or play games these days, so to have four days straight of gaming and fellowship with fellow authors and fans is almost too much to ask for.

For better or worse, I've signed up to run four games over the course of the weekend. Hopefully that won't keep me so busy that I don't get a chance to play in some as well, because the room will be littered with terrific Game Masters from all over the country. I certainly won't be able to run with everyone, but I can't miss games run by greats such as Jason Marker, Levi Johnstone, Jim Brown, Brandon Aten, Carl Gleba, and others, in addition to legends like Kevin Siembieda.

I thought it might be a fun exercise to run this short-term feature, which I'm calling Making the Game. In it I'll throw out a bunch of my thoughts on the creation of each game for the convention, and some insights on how I like to create a fun and exciting game that can fit into a single three or four hour session.

I'll share thoughts on one of my games every couple of days for the next week, plus any other thoughts on playing and running convention gaming sessions that might creep into my consciousness; expect the first post on Saturday, Aptil 18. In the meantime, check out the short descriptions of each of the games, as presented to the staff at Palladium. If you want to claim a spot early, just drop me an email and I'll hold it for you. Check back here for final information about game times; I'll post them as soon as I'm notified. Also, you can check out a lot of other games that will be run by checking out this thread on the Palladium Message Boards.

  • Name of the Game: Arzno Undone

    Palladium Game Line: Rifts

    Brief Description: In 120 P.A., the last battle is finally at hand and you, a handful of the last remaining heroes of the city, go on your final, suicidal attempt to... destroy it. Play legendary heroes depicted as NPCs in World Book 28 including legendary tactition Psythe, renowned military instructor Fidel, genius Techno-Wizard Gerra, infantry Captain and Crazy Ban, and Undead Slayer Patria as they turn to fight against the haven of peace and security that they helped to build.

    Minimum and Maximum player: 4-5 players

    Length of game: Three hours

    Will pre-gen characters be provided?: Yes

    Age Requirement: None

    Day and time you would like to run: VIP Night

  • Name of the Game: Dark Age

    Palladium Game Line: Chaos Earth

    Brief Description: In the year 2109, all hope of holding together that tattered remains of society are gone. All that remains is enough will to carry on small groups of survivors pooling what resources they have to make it through just one more day. Just as the dust settles on yet another tragic loss of life, a group of once-soldiers must pool their resources and overcome new challenges to take on yet another threat.

    Minimum and Maximum player: 4-5 players

    Length of game: Three hours

    Will pre-gen characters be provided?: Yes

    Age Requirement: None

    Day and time you would like to run: Friday

  • Name of the Game: The Wild West

    Palladium Game Line: Palladium Fantasy RPG (new, alternate setting)

    Brief Description: The westward expansion of human populations into the frontiers has met opposition from natives that are unwilling to let mankind continue to gobble up their ancestral hunting grounds without a fight. The player characters must scout ahead of a larger force to ascertain enemy strength and position, when they find themselves faced with decisions that could affect the course of the coming battle.

    Minimum and Maximum player: 4-5 players

    Length of game: Three hours

    Will pre-gen characters be provided?: Yes

    Age Requirement: None

    Day and time you would like to run: Saturday

  • Name of the Game: In or Out?

    Palladium Game Line: It's a surprise

    Brief Description: Wouldn't you like to know...

    Minimum and Maximum player: 6-8 players

    Length of game: Three hours

    Will pre-gen characters be provided?: Kinda. No need to bring a character.

    Age Requirement: None

    Day and time you would like to run: Sunday

Content building, preparing for launch

Friday, February 27, 2009

I know it looks like not a lot has gone on here in the past few weeks, but it's been hectic behind the scenes. Here are a few things in the queue.

Destinations #1: Urban Police Precinct

This will be a regular feature on the site. One of my favorite things about writing and game design is creating highly realistic, tactile environments in which characters can really thrive. I think that Rifts Arzno contains a lot of great examples of my passion for this sort of design, and my love of all of the nitty gritty details. I want to bring that same sort of attention to a number of different locations that you can use as a backdrop in your weekly gaming session.

First up is a fully mapped and detailed Police Station, perfect for that modern crime-fighting or detective team, or perhaps those that find themselves in a holding cell or interrogation room for their acts of creative mischief. This promises to be a genuine experience, portrayed with completely original maps and building layouts, all to scale and 100% authentic.

Look for a free download as I assemble a backlog of product, sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Classic Settings #1: Village of Hanstrugg

Another first installment in a regular feature, Classic Settings will serve as a mini-sourcebook of sorts, richly detailing a setting for player characters to explore, including maps, places of note, character descriptions, and adventure hooks.

Unlike the Destinations feature above, the Classic Settings installments will build on one another to make a larger setting that is complete enough to stand on its own, yet small enough to plug into any larger setting. From this, players and game masters alike may take or leave any portion to truly customize the setting however it best fits the larger tapestry of the game.

The first series, which starts with the struggling Village of Hanstrugg, is designed with a classic fantasy game in mind, though it may be easily adapted to any number of genres. Near the borders of civilized terrirory, changes in trade roads and the expansion of civilization further and further into formerly untamed lands have left the once prosperous town of Hanstrugg looking to find a new way in the world. Peopled by simple, hardworking folk, some of who have secrets to hide, the avenues to adventure are there for any that might seek it.

Complete Characters

Ever have a tough time getting that new character written up, or finding a good concept for that key NPC you need for your next session? Complete Characters can help. These systemless character concepts come complete with backgrounds, detailing of notable skills, and character art. Plus, just to be sure that you're never stuck with the same character twice, a number of Twists and Tweaks are detailed as well, so you're sure to find something that fits your style.

Some of these characters may contain tie-ins to Destinations or Classic Settings features, but are written totally independently of any other product. Because they are all about keen description and aren't bogged down in statistics and skill points, they can be easily and quickly made to fit into any game. Perfect for the busy player in need of fresh inspiration, or the game master looking for a quick encounter.

And Lots More!

Short stories are coming along nicely, and new products such as t-shirts and hard copy feature collections will all find their way online in short order. Once releases start, they'll pour in, with more and more going live every week! I'm excited to get things started in the next couple of weeks, so check back soon for all of the details.

Media page update, plus short fiction in the works!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

It's update time, once again. The upside to being sick, as I am today, is that I can spare a few minutes to develop some more content for the site.

Check out the media page

I always feel fortunate when I get the chance to talk to anyone about my writing, gaming, convention appearances, or whatever else might come up. I've updated the page that contains that sort of information, including book reviews, podcasts, and interviews. Be sure to check out the scoop on my next appearances and make plans now! Just click on the "Media" link to the right.

The first installment of a short fiction feature

It's not quite ready yet, and I want to build up a slight reserve of material before I start posting it, but I am excited about the prospect of putting some great, original short fiction out there for all to read. As I've hinted before (I think), this isn't going to just be a series of articles or an online novella. I have big plans for a multifaceted approach to bringing you a whole new world to brighten your imagination. This work of short fiction is a sort of introduction to this world, which will gradually reveal itself through prose, gaming material, illustration, and any other media imaginable.

I hope you're exicted, because I am. Check back soon.

Yet more updates

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Contacts updated

You'll find the Contact page (link to the right) to now be live and full of delicious contacty goodness, just as you might expect it should be. It has my email, MySpace information, and a way to contact the webmaster to report any of those issues that you might see pop up as the site is fully developed.

A note about social networking

This is an area that I have failed to fully utilize in the past. I know that you aren't likely to check this page every day to see what new and exciting thing has been posted, but clearly you want to be kept up to speed as new source material, short stories, features, and other content is released. By adding me as a friend on MySpace, it's easy to pass along notes about site updates, coming attractions, fan contests, appearances, and other information. By subscribing to my blog on MySpace, you can be alerted every time an update is posted. There will also be teasers, previews, and exclusive content for my MySpace friends.

Do you have other social networking sites that you use? If so, let me know and I'll look into utilizing those as well.

Lots of site updates

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

General Issues

Lots of site updates late last night, and today. I debugged some coding issues for navigation, and tonight I plugged in all of the main pages used for navigating the site. They're pretty sparse for now, but the basic structure is there so that I can add and edit simply by posting.

Downloads Available

I have posted two of the most popular files, both dealing with Palladium's Chaos Earth RPG: the collected list of references, and the errata. These are available on the Downloads page, or under the "New Downloads" heading, directly. Enjoy.

Website Relaunched!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Welcome to the new and improved site. Things will continue to be tweaked over the next few weeks, but in the meantime, check out the many new features of jasonrichards.net:

New Content

The site has always been a pretty good place to keep up with me, but with the redesign I decided that it needed to be more. As a writer and game designer what I really want is to provide entertainment and resources to my readers. To that end, my new focus is on developing fresh content for the site for both casual readers and hardcore gamers. Some of this will be random information, setting ideas, maps, characters, and whatever else comes up; this will include some fiction and other material for all readers and not just role-players. A lot of it will be for specific game systems, but much will be presented in a generic form that can be converted to work with products from any publisher. I hope to include regular features, the first of which will be my Real Tech for your RPG articles that will present actual technology in terms of role-playing stats.

Downloadable Content

Much of the aforementioned new content will be downloadable, usually as a PDF. Rather than just provide you stories, stats, and such on your computer screen, a professionally laid-out electronic document will make things easier for you to save and keep, or print to enjoy away from your computer or use at your gaming table.

E-Books

One thing that I'm most excited about is the prospect of offering full books for sale in an electronic format. The first of these will be gaming supplements, but I have bigger plans in the works that will hopefully move beyond that and provide exciting opportunities for publishing on a larger scale. This facet of the website will be in development for a little while, but hopefully not for more than six months to a year.

Cascading Style Sheets

While this is more a change in architecture than material, the use of CSS should help me to keep things updated and fresh, plus allow me to make the aforementioned tweaks with a minimal amount of effort or downtime. If you find any problems that you suspect might be coding, be sure to let me know so that I can sort it out.

Sponsorship

Hopefully it's not annoying, but there will be some limited sponsorship on the page. The funds raised by ads on the site, links to Amazon to purchase books from the Store, the sale of tshirts and other random merchendise, proceeds from special sales and auctions, and direct donations all go to improve and support the site. If there is something else that you would like to see on the site, by all means let me know and I'll work to get it done.

Happy New Year

Thursday, January 1, 2009

It's going to be a big year for me! I'm sure that many of you have the same mantra. I know that 2008 was a flurry of personal and professional chaos, but 2009 looks like it will be even more of a roller-coaster. This website and its massive overhaul - total redesign, acutally - is an indication of things to come. Why? Because this is the year that I go into publishing on my own. I'm nervous about this prospect, and I'm not sure that I'm even actually prepared, but I am going to jump in feet-first and try not to get swept away with the current.

This is not an end to my relationship with Palladium. I have talked to Kevin (Palladium's founder and president) about this and he gave me lots of well-wishes, and I'm sure that I will run to him and other friends in "the business" for advice, support, and encouragement at every turn. My great hope is that by getting out there on my own in addition to writing for Palladium and other publishers, I will become an even greater asset to all of my various employers as I refine my craft and, hopefully, carve out more of a following with all of you.

I'll have more information as the year progresses, so stay tuned. Just to tease, I hope to develop a nice variety of work for your enjoyment in your own RPG sessions, as well as some other writing projects for your reading enjoyment. I'll be releasing some gaming and reading material for purchase (electronic format or print-on-demand to start out) and a great deal for free here on the site as well. With that in mind, if you have anything in particular that you'd like to see from me, don't hesitate to drop me a line.

The website calls to me! More coding required! Check back often for lots of updates.

Peace.
Jason

Testing, testing! 1, 2, 3!

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The website is live, and quickly developing. I anticipate a January soft launch, then full functionality sometime prior to the Palladium Open House in May. Stay tuned for updates.