Wednesday, December 31, 2008

[Guily Pleasure] Another Phenomenal 4-Minute Watchmen Featurette

Apparently today is the day for cool Watchman stuff!!!! Watch it here!!! or see it here!!
Watchmen Exclusive

[Guilty Pleasure] Crazy Red Band Teaser Trailer for Crank 2: High Voltage!

I loved this first movie!!! Just a simple fun ride with no thinking needed. And this one looks even crazier than the last one. See it here!!!

Espionage Genre Toolkit now in Print!!!

Louis Porter Jr. Design, in association with Devil’s Workshop, has announced that the best selling series, Espionage Genre Toolkit is now available in bookshelf format from their Online Print-On-Demans service, Lulu.com. This book is a collected print version of the Espionage Genre Toolkit five part PDF series. Here is information on this product:

This essential modern OGL aid presents hundreds of new options for players and contains a unique new system taking the game in brand new directions. With the Espionage Genre Toolkit sourcebook, players have the ability to design an all-new espionage genres to their liking — tailor made for their players and their specific needs! Coupled with a new set of gaming mechanics — that an entire group of players uses individually or in tandem to much greater effect — this invaluable rules volume is a must-have for all modern-day OGL fans and players!

This sourcebook covers the following genres:

  • Cold War Games
  • Funkadelic Streets
  • Corporate Raiders
  • Cybermillennium
  • New World Disorder

This sourcebook includes:

  • All New Feats including Alien Abductee, Asylum, Burnout, Catchphrase, Clean Slate, Corrupt, Cutting Edge, New Age Lunatic, Programming Aptitude, Rim Runner, Rogue Factional, Sex Appeal, Slap on the Wrist, Thuggery
  • All New Advanced Classes: Anti-Corporate Anarchist, Man In Black, Playboy Spy, Superfly Mack, and Wire Rider
  • All New Allegiances including Atavists, Anti-Authority, Anti-Corporate, Arms Manufacturer, Conspiracy Theory, Environmentalist, Financial Institution, Grizzled Loner, Hedonists, Megacorp and Pharmaceutical Giant, Militia, Rowdies, Survivalists, Technocracy, The Man, The Truth, Underworlder

Available Here!!!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Top Ten Worst Movies of 2008!!!

I voted for five of them. Read about it here!!!

[Never to See the Light of Day] A Place Beyond Hell

I have decided to start a second weekly series on Tuesday here at “In The Mind of a Mad Man”, called Never to See the Light of Day. Basically in this series I will tell you about a lot of crazy gaming ideas and product that I thought about but never went anywhere for whatever reason. Hope you enjoy.

The first Never to See the Light of Day post I wanted to start with was the incredible idea and setting that I came up with called A Place Beyond Hell. This was a crazy d20 Fantasy mash-up that I came up with while drinking too much on a weekend. The tagline I created for it that explained what I wanted to do was, “Undead Nazi Elves!” UNDEAD NAZI ELVES!!!! Talk about a mash-up! Imagine World War II fought in a Fantasy where the Elves & Half Elves play the role of the Nazis and Axis; Dwarves, Gnomes & Halflings play the role of the Allies; and the Humans and Half Orcs play the rule of Jews. A Place Beyond Hell is influenced by WWII, Jim Jones, Animal Farm and the US Civil War.

Hundreds of years ago, the Elves are slaves and subjugated by the other races in the world, until a lone elf Solien (Think of a mix of Adolf Hitler and John Connor) teaches the Elves to rebel and raise an army. The Elves over time begin warring over the other races, winning battles, start taking place lands and taking control of the world. The Elves & Half Elves have taken over 85% of the world and the Allies have only one stronghold left, a small group of island mountain ranges called the Iron Hills. It is the only place that is not under control of the Elves & Half Elves. And like all those that are oppressed and overcome their oppression, they became oppressors themselves. Human and Half-Orcs are slaves in the setting (Think Slavery in the US before the Civil War) and considered to be property. There is a standing law that any Humans and Half-Orcs who are found in the open and not with their masters can be killed on sight. Solien, who by this point has gone insane and become some type of demagogue, has convinced a large majority of the Elves and Half-Elves that becoming immortal in the form of undead is the natural evolutionary course for his people to keep control and many agree. Solien becomes a Lich and then Emperor of the world.

…And this is where the players enter the setting due to a dimensional travel error. Hope this work out for you….

Some of these ideas eventually became placed in Obsidian Twilight, but A Place Beyond Hell most likely will never see the light of day. Talk to you later...

Monday, December 29, 2008

Finally on Facebook!!!

So now I am finally on Facebook, so if you want to be my friend now is a good time. Talk to you later...

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

The economic news couldn't be worse for the book industry

If you are thinking about getting into publishing you might want to read this first!

[PDF Business Wednesday] Reality Check

Do you think the RPG Market is shrinking OR growing?

If you think the RPG market is growing, then how will it take for the market to double in size? If you think the RPG market is shrinking, then at what rate do you think the rate is shrinking and more importantly when do you think it will reach 0%? My own personal feeling on this is the RPG market is shrinking at an amazing rate, similar to the comic book industry. I think the RPG market has been losing people at a rate of 3% - 5%. Worst off, I think companies, including mine have not done anything to recruit new customers into the market. We are losing people on both ends, so this is a problem.

Tabletop RPG competes with computer RPG and we are LOSING the war of getting more customers. Now with all this said, you have to wonder why I do this business, and the answer is I love it. But, I love sweets and candy and if I eat too many of them I will get a stomach ache.

A great book that I picked up with week was Reality Check by Guy Kawasaki. I own several books that Guy has written and I think he is a real expert in building successful companies. So if you are looking to learn more about business (which as a smart businessman you should be doing), check this book out. In the real world, Chapter 9 in the book just helped get my father a bonus and salary increase from the company he works for. So for him the book is a great investment. Talk to you later...

Sunday, December 21, 2008

[LPJDesign] Projects X announced and revealed!!!

Louis Porter Jr. Design, in association with Devil’s Workshop, is revealing the details of its recent upcoming secret venture called Project X.

On December 1, 2008, Louis Porter Jr. Design, created and opened a new website, www.LouisPorterJr.com. LouisPorterJr.com was created to be the home of the all new free online webcomic / eGraphic Novel series created by Louis Porter Jr, owner of Louis Porter Jr. Design and Devil’s Workshop. The first eGraphic Novel series released at www.LouisPorterJr.com was the original Haven: City of Violence graphic novel, Three Way Dance. Three Way Dance was original released with the Haven: City of Violence Role Playing Game released nearly 8 years ago, but now it is available as a daily eGraphic Novel strip, which will be concluding at the end of December.

Three Way Dance was my first attempt in to the arena of comic books in 2001. Being a lifelong comic books fan, I really enjoyed doing that project and hoped to do more in the comic field in the future, but at the time the Internet was not ready for what I wanted to do. Three Way Dance was the reason Haven: City of Violence received initial interest to be optioned as a movie by Brigade Entertainment owned by Barry Levine, currently publisher of Radical Comics. Now in 2009, the Internet, Louis Porter Jr. Design and the gaming and comic industry are in the perfect place to accomplish this goal of bringing this project to life,” comment Louis Porter Jr.

Starting January 1, 2009, www.LouisPorterJr.com will be releasing an all new never seen before free weekly online eGraphic Novel series called Suits. Suits in based off the RPG setting of Haven: City of Violence imprint, Haven: Full Metal Zero. The series, Suits, has been best described as “The X-Files meets the Wire”. The series will be written by Louis Porter Jr. with artwork from Alex Garcia (www.alexgpart.com). Alex and Louis have worked on several projects in the past including the upcoming patron-only RPG setting Obsidian Twilight, inspired by the RPG gaming setting of Wizards of the Coast’s Dark Sun and Ravenloft.

In addition to the weekly eGraphic Novel series, Louis Porter Jr. Design will be converting much of the material in Suits into D20 Modern / OGL gaming material that can be used for the modern version of the world’s most popular role playing game system. “We want to merge the world of comics and RPGs. They have had such a long relationship to each other, doing this in this way only seemed natural. I also hope to expand Suits to the world of animation shorts and possibly features. The realm of what is possible is really unlimited,” stated Porter. The Haven: City of Violence and Haven: Full Metal Zero series of RPG material is available at RPGNow.com.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

The Retail Cost of Project X...

With only a 1/3 of the month left for the announcement with Project X. I thought it might be best to tell you what the retail cost of the upcoming Project X. OK, hold on to your hats, The retail cost of Project X is ....

Absolutely 100% FREE!!!!!

Can't beat a price like that! So stay tuned and keep guessing. Talk to you later...

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Burying the hatchet with Gareth…

Gareth made a comment to my latest PDF Business Wednesday and the topic I brought up about Free products. It was a quick comment from him. I don’t know why he did it. Maybe he thought it would be something I would be interested in knowing. Maybe he wanted to show me that other people were talking about this and this was a timely topic. The reason is not important and it got me thinking. So I have decided that I am going to something that needs to be done.

I am going to bury the hatchet with Gareth. Completely and absolutely. No strings attached. What happened in the past is the past. Forgive and forget.

For a long time I have thinking about doing this. When I first started in the PDF business it was a crazy time. Basically the Wild West. I was lucky enough to do well enough to do well enough to expand my business. During this time, I stepped on some people’s toes and rubbed some people the wrong way for whatever reason. But now in nearly 2009, the PDF market is a different place and so am I. Happily married and in the best place I could possibly be at. My life is just about perfect. I have made it my personal goal now to “Do No Harm” to anyone. Hurting people, not asking for forgiveness and not forgiving people only brings down you own personal spirit / karma / whatever you call it and I don’t want that. I want to be helpful not hurtful.

So I hope Gareth will accept my sincere apology to anything I have done in the past to him and I hope we can bury the hatchet and start anew with a clean slate. Talk to you later…

[LPJDesign] Sidetrek Adventure Weekly 2 Present: The Undead Chronicles Bookself Edition Now Available

Finally it is here!!!! Sidetrek Adventure Weekly 2 Present: The Undead Chronicles Bookself Edition is now ready for purchase at our Lulu.com Store. Get your copy today!!!

Rumor: Hawkeye and Black Widow Will Be in Iron Man 2?!

I think my greatest dream as a comic book fan is coming true. Read about it here!!!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

[PDF Business Wednesday] Free Products that make you money…

One of my favorite articles of the last year came from Wired Magazine’s March 2008 issue, Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business This put a very interesting spin on product development for me and got me thinking about Project X I have been talking about. Often the biggest issue that publishers have is on pricing of a product. When I started in the PDF business the per page average cost was 10 cents per page for a PDF, now it is roughly 18 to 25 cent per page. The more we change the money we will make as long as customers can afford it. The question that love to think about answers for, is imagine if t you were a company and you had to make products for free, how would you generate money to pay the people who did the work? On the web, this directly relates to the topic of drawing traffic to your site and then selling ad space on your site. The book, How to Make Webcomics covered that topic very well. So well that I now use Project Wonderful to place ads on my website to generate money for something that I already do and have done for free. I call that a win-win.

So the question I have for you to think about is, how can you give something away for free and then make money on it? The person who figures this one out will take over what every market they are in. Don’t believe me, ask Google about it. Talk to you later…

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

[Obisian Twilight] Making races...

Since I have been working very hard on Project X of late, I have only been thinking about what races I could create for Obsidian Twilight. And I wonder if I might have to go back on a comment that I made earlier on what kind of races I wouldn't make. I said I would do no animal hybrid races. Well now all I can think of is cool races, but they I keep going back to animal hybrid races and how cool this one would be, or how cool that one would be. I think I might have bit off more than I can chew. So I have to wonder, am I going to cop out and do animal hybrid races?

Well I am no quitter, and I have not run from a challenge and today IS NOT a good day to start running. Obsidian Twilight is bad ass because we are not copping out and taking the easy road. The four races that we have now are unique and interesting to play, so the rest of them will be also. I just have to dig deep and think of what cool races I and the Obsidian Twilight team can come up with. Stay tuned it getting crazy over here. Talk to you later…

Monday, December 15, 2008

Stephen Norrington Remaking Alex Proyas' The Crow


WTF?!?!?!?!? Read it here!!!

International Traveler...

It looks like I pulled off a minor miracle and in just one week I was able to apply and GET BACK my all new US Passport. I have not been out of the country in over two decades (Canada doesn't count). But now that the majority of the wife's family is in Trinidad, I am going to be travelling a who lot more interntationally. With that, the 2009 comic book convention schedule I am looking at is going to be MegaCon, San Diego (The first time finally), Baltimore Comic Con, Fan Expo Canada, DragonCon, and one of the Wizard World cons. This is going to be my busiest business year yet.

In the Project X front, we are coing very close to have the announce ready fro Projects. I have gotten back some [CLASSIFIED] from [CLASSIFIED] and [CLASSIFIED] [CLASSIFIED] great!!! So in less that 16 days you will know what Project X is. Stay tuned it is goign to be a lot of fun. Talk to you later...

Friday, December 12, 2008

Sidetrek Adventure Weekly 2: The Undead Chronicles Bookshelf Edition

Louis Porter Jr. Design, in association with Devil’s Workshop, will be releasing the complete Sidetrek Adventure Weekly 2: The Undead Chronicles in a bookshelf edition at Lulu.com. This bookshelf edition collects all six adventures from the best selling series, Sidetrek Adventure Weekly 2: The Undead Chronicles at RPGNow.com. This collected version will be available in the near future, exclusively at Lulu.com.

Project X: The first reviews...

I just got the first reviews of Project X and they were very informative. They got me thinking is a very different direction while at the same time they people came up with a few great ideas I never ever though off. So everything is going better than I even planned on this. And for all you people that keep emailing me for hints, just wait January 1st is not that far away. Talk to you later...

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Need to upgrade…

With the announcement from Adobe that they have released Adobe Creative Suite CS4, I have decided that I REALLY need to upgrade my home version in which I am still using Adobe CS. I have to choose from The Design Premium or Master Collection version. Basically the Design Premium does everything I need, but the Master Collection adds the video editing production side to it. I have been a graphic Designer since 1993 and I do love the arena of print, but the world of online and digital are the future of the business. I am glad I got into graphic design when I did because it was the end of the traditional print era and the start of the digital era so I have been trained in both worlds. Even with all my experience and knowledge, the video world is a whole new beast, but I am looking forward to it. Now I just have to find the $2,500 to purchase the Master Collection version. Welcome to the world of the graphic designer. Talk to you later…

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

[PDF Business Wednesday] First off, We’re firing you!!!!

OK This one is a little bit of a deviation of what I should be talking about, but I thought this was important to talk about this as creative people. This came out a few days ago under the title: NBC considers cutting on-air time. I read this article and the first thing that ran through my mind was Chief Executive Jeff Zucker needs to be fired. What the hell do you mean you can’t fill up 22 hours worth of TV viewing? First off let’s start with their biggest problem at this TV network, TOO MANNY NETWOR EXECUTIVES!!!! Too many egos, too much bullshit and no quality!!! NBC, hell most network TV, is suffering from “not enough chlorine in the gene pool” there. No one at these networks come up with original ideas for show to do. Come on NBC, your two big bets for successful shows are two shows that were hits when the originals were made in the 1970s and 1980s??? WTF?!?!?!?

OK here is an idea a buddy and I came up with over 3 years ago, that could solve all their problems, and the networks could do to help gain viewers: Have a week of pilot show. You take one week where you normally would be running reruns of shows and you really don’t have anything new to play, instead of that you dedicate that entire week to pilots of show that were pitched to the network and show them to the people. At the end of every show have people call in to tell you if they liked the show or thought it sucked. The shows that do well get a 13 episode contact the ones that don’t, don’t get anything. Most time, TV pilots get made by these TV Networks and never see the light of day or they get leaked to BitTorrent like Global Frequency or Aquaman and the fans eat it up. But instead of making the show TV Networks in all their wisdom decide it will not do well and it never makes it to the small screen. But reality shows like America’s Got Talent can really bring those numbers of people in. Best of all the TV Network could actually make back money on pilots that didn’t make it with the advertising from pilot week.

Being great in business is like being a great lover: Step 1) Ask the person what want; Step 2) Give the person what they want; Step 3) Ask them if they liked it and if they did; Step 4) Repeat. It is not brain surgery here. Talk to you later…

Monday, December 8, 2008

I am still sick...

This weekend I picked up somekind of flu/cold thingamabob so I am still getting over it. Project X is going along fine. I reminds me of the old days when I first started on RPGNow.com. I can't wait until we finally announce this one. I think A lot of people will enjoy it, so you will just have to wait and see. Don't worry in roughly 3 weeks you will know what it is. Talk to you later...

Friday, December 5, 2008

What I will be working on after Obsidian Twilight...


This is a mash up! Now that is BAD ASS!!!!

WTF? $3.99 for a 32 page comic book?

I have been collecting comic books since I was 7 years old and the first comic book I remember reading was Uncanny X-Men #112. Written by the incredible writer artist team of Chris Claremont and John Byrne. The comic had every thing I wanted action, drama and excitement. All for the low cost of 35 cents. The Claremont / Byrne era of X-Men is considered to be some of the best written in the history of comics. All for the low cost of 35 cents. Some of the greatest storyline were created during this run including The Dark Phoenix Saga and Days of Future’s Past. All for the low cost of 35 cents. That was magic.

Today I was looking at all the new series that Marvel comics is releasing in February; Agents of Atlas, Astonishing Tales, Black Panther, Darkhawk and Dark Avengers; and I noticed something. They all had a cover price of $3.99. WTF? $3.99 and issue for a 32 page comic book? WTF? I know I lot of you are like, “What’s the big deal there are several books other there with a $3.99 price.” But you are forgetting those are normally special series like Secret Invasion NOT the main comic lines. Marvel comics just raised the price of the standard comic books by 33%. WTF? 33% increase? I don’t feel the Marvel comics books have gotten 33% better. Actually they have gotten worse by at least 50%. I think I am down to rough 4 or 5 Marvel comics tiles, from 20 or more in my heyday. Well I guess I may be cutting my Marvel comics books by 1 or 2 books. Talk to you later…

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Just relax...

Today is becoming a day to relax and think. I have done a lot already this morning; I finished the layout on the final issue/episode of Sidetrek Adventure Weekly 2: The Undead Chronciles. But I have put off some Obsidian Twilight work while I am getting the mometium for Project X up and running. I am really like how well everything is coming together on Project X. I can't wait to release/announce it on January 1st.

The real issue with Obsidian Twilight right now is coming up with a few "cool" races that you have never seen before. While the Harrowed and Exalted fit very well with what you can expect from races, while the Osirians and Khymer and VERY different from what people may expect. They are all playable and I think a few will wind up in gamer's regular non-Obsidian Twilight games. So if you have any crazy race ideas that would work well in a Ravenloft/Dark Sun insired, let me know. Talk to you later...

The Official Dixonverse New Comics Writer Advice

I found this at my idol, Chuck Dixon's website and I thought it was important enough that everyone should see. Enjoy!!!

They Live Remake -- WTF?!?!?!?!?!

Read about it here!!!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

[PDF Business Wednesday] A Short Rant...Upcoming Knowledge

So after Gareth’s announcement at his site I thought about writing a huge, big thing about Bitorrent and why I thought placing RPG PDF material it was wrong and whatnot. But, I don’t really have to say that, because it is simple. The people who place up stuff like that don’t care and nothing I say will change that. It comes down to what you feel about what we do as RPG PDF publishers. If you feel that it is worth something, you support it by purchasing the product; if you don’t well then you don’t. So “Thank You” to all the people that support all the RPG PDF publishers, even Gareth. Because we loving making fun stuff.

Now on to some important PDF Business Wednesday business. Brian Hibbs of Tilting At Windmills and Comix Experience fame is coming out with a Volume 2 of Tilting At Windmills coming out in March 2009. If you are smart you will preorder this book. The first volume was GREAT and I expect this to be just as good. As a publisher you are handicapping yourself if you don’t go and pick these books out. Talk to you later...

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Getting organized...again...

With the change to a married life, I have let my organization of the company just fall apart. Basically I have a To-Do list that I used to update every day that will have everything that I needed and planned to do so I would not forget stuff and just not want to do it. It was/is a great motivator for me. But since I moved in with the wife, I have not been doing my list. I seems to find all kinds of reasons for me not being able to do it. But now with the addition of Project X (which is going well so far. I just got back [CLASSIFIED] from [CLASSIFIED] and it now we are moving to phase 2.) that ends today. I have a new list started and work to do, including finishing up the las issue of Sidetrek Adventure Weekly 2: The Undead Chronicles.

Back to getting things in orded and that starts with writting tomorrow's PDF Business Wednesday blog about something I read over at Gareth's Blog. Now everyone knows I am no friend of Gareth, but what happened to him pissed me off and is wrong. I will go more into it tomorrow. Talk to you later...

Monday, December 1, 2008

Intelligence wins posthumous Gemini!!!

This is one of my favorite shows next to The Wire and The Shield. Read about it here!

Back from Memphis...

Well a 14 hour trip became a 20 hour NIGHTMARE as we were stuck in traffic in Georgia and Northern Florida for hours. It was good to see my parents, aunts, and cousins all at one time. Carla and her mom got to mee the whole family at that was great. OK back to work with Obsidian Twilight, the Last Sidetrek Adventure Weekly 2: The Undead Chronicles and Project X. Talk to you later.