Transparency Agenda Daily September 14th 2016 - Copycats artists your days are numbered...

Transparency Agenda Daily July 28th 2016 - One week until Gen Con

Transparency Agenda Daily July 5th 2016 - My weekend vacation & Ennie Awards

Transparency Agenda #59: Let's Play Dress Up with Cosplay!

Transparency Agenda #018: Back from PaizoCon 2013

Watch Neoexodus Legacies Adventure, Bloody Ice, run at Tacticon!

This past Saturday, NeoExodus Creative director JP Chapleau ran the newest Neoexodus Legacies Adventure, Bloody Ice. This adventure premiered at Denver’s Tacticon. Instead of telling you about it, check out our YouTube video that recorded the gaming session. Enjoy!

Encounter at Ramat Bridge - Play Report from Macquarie con

!!!SPOILER ALERT --- Do not read this post if you plan on playing Encounter at Ramat Bridge. This is your ONLY WARNING!!!!

This is an email that we received from Martin Blake who ran Encounter at Ramat Bridge as a Slot 0  for GMs running it at Macquarie con. Read an enjoy!

The session went very well, we played for 7.5 hours – with the first hour being a thorough introduction to Exodus and the pregen characters and then the players going through the pregens and getting to know them.  We also breaked for half-an-hour lunch, so the real playing time was 6 hours.  This was good as it allowed me to run all soft encounters as well.

The feedback was very positive, with everyone enjoying the setting and background.  The game played well, with some fun and "awesome" developments.  Afterwards, Alistair Rigg (Sydney VC) commented that this was one of, if not the best, organised play scenarios he had played!

In the end a couple of players dropped out and we ran with 3.  The group turned down the option of taking along a 4th iconic, and so went with Amne Isa Zara, Milka Bronislaw and Nose-Cutter.

I took time with the initial movement into the Protectorate and slowly gave the party the information gathered through the various knowledge checks.  Nose-cutter used his profession (soldier) skill well – getting information from the local militia about most professional units mustering at Zarynth.  Zara got some good background information from priests of the Sanguine Covenant along the way too.  Milka was good to have in the party as a native of the protectorate – and as no PC had knowledge (local) she put her regional affinity trait to good work.  Everyone agreed regional affinity is a nice touch and a good addition to NeoExodus legacies.

The PCs actually bluffed their way into Zarynth, with Zara offering her services as a healer allowing them to get past the initial road-block and spend a night in Zarynth before Captain Ilyanova asked them to leave the next day, telling them she had no need for their services.  The night in the town gave them more info and a certainty that something indeed was afoot!  

The initial investigation of the massacre at Ramat Bridge went as planned.  The magical aura of the triggered magic mouth spell fading from the body of the priest worked well and kept the PCs on their toes thinking there was a spellcaster around.

The PCs opened the arsenal, thinking they could control anything within (they rescued some protectorate uniforms).  Unfortunately, the mobile cannons attacked and the party did well to limit damage from the 2 constructs.  The final cannon was reduced to exactly 0 HP – so I ruled that it was disabled and not destroyed.  Having the machinesmith in the party allowed Milka to spend an hour repairing the mobile cannon back to full HP and I ruled that she could use a knowledge (arcana)/spellcraft check to control them just like handle-animal with a combat trained creature.

This was one of the most "awesome" moments for the party.  They loved being able to get a mobile canon on their side, and they set it to "guard" the approach to the fort while they settled down for the night.
They had some good role-playing with the arrival of Calvill Emereth – not wholly trusting him, but taking him into the ruins for the night anyway.
Although the party set watches, they were all surprised/rudely awakened when the mobile cannon went off with a massive explosion as the first P'Tan levee got within the 60 foot range of the cannon's darkvision.  The first wave went pretty quickly, with the cannon doing a lot of the damage.

Imagine their surprise when the second wave has a rust monster!  Guess what he concentrated on? This wave was a lot more challenging and managed to get into melee with the cannon and manage to destroy the canon but deal little damage to the rest of the party.

The third wave was a different matter.  They initially took on the challenge of Ayayah, but nose-cutter threw a javelin at her and she went a bit nuts on him – with the Scythians rapidly crossing the bridge to join in.

The party really struggled with Ayayah – and I even completely forgot about here barbed defence and even after a couple of rounds I forgot about her DR too.  Even so they struggled to do damage to her and she kept putting nose-cutter down with deadly flurry-of-blows which kept Zara the cleric constantly on heal patrol.  The encounter lasted well over an hour, with Ayayah being the remaining enemy and the PCs being unable to defeat her – she ended up knocking all of the PCs unconscious, and I couldn't think of a good reason why they wouldn't kill them off.  So – a TPK in the first NeoExodus Legacies game in Australia!

It was actually a fitting end to the scenario – and the players all enjoyed it immensely.  They liked the Epilogue – it made them hungry for the next adventure.  I think having an epilogue like this is a really nice touch and helps to keep people interested and wanting to play more – please use these in the future too! So, all-in-all a very positive and encouraging for outing for Legacies down-under. 

Thanks for the report on the first international NeoExodus Legacies event and which looks like it will not be the last.  Talk to you later...

Countdown to NeoExodus: 37 Days...

Well we shipped off the books for NeonCon, so if you happened to be going you can get a special edition NeonCon 2011 version of the NeoExodus: A House Divided Campaign setting.  Talk to you later...

Wizard World starts a Convention in Miami!

It is an announcement that has surprised a lot of people. I can't wait! Read about it here!

Guest Blog Post - Show “that guy” the door … by Doug Daulton from Neoncon

Doug Daulton of Neoncon in Las Vegas, NV was kind enough to write a guest blog post for us here at In The Mind of a Mad Man, about an issue that anyone who has gone to a convention can relate. Hope you enjoy!

In 2009, NEONCON invited our first wave of industry guests.  By all accounts, they had a great time and our audience enjoyed having them there, both as fans and as their students at GamesU (now named CreativeU). Of all of the comments I received from the pros and the fans, one really stands out. It goes something like this:

“Thank you for telling people to take a shower and act like grown ups.”

Specifically, they were referring to the following sections of the “Guidelines for Fun” printed in our show book.

Personal Hygiene

We recognize cons are an opportunity to play long into the night. But please, maintain your personal hygiene. Nobody likes to sit next to someone who hasn’t showered in a couple of days.

Ethics and Conduct

Stealing, cheating, lawbreaking, rowdiness, harassment, or failure to conduct yourself in a mature manner will be grounds for removal from the convention without refund.

Four years ago, before launching NEONCON, I might have thought such statements unnecessary and found it strange to receive those comments (and high fives) from pros and fan alike. Sadly, I was mistaken.

You see, conventions can bring out the worst people as well as the worst in otherwise good people. Before I go on, I must be clear that 99.99% of our attendees were perfectly nice, well groomed and well mannered. However, there is always “that guy”.

You know him. He does not sleep the entire show. Instead, he games 24/7.  If he does sleep, it is generally at the table, forcing other players to wake him up to take his turn. In his mind, because he does not think he needs sleep, he likewise thinks he doesn’t need a room with a bed, either. As a result, he usually doesn’t even bother to get a hotel at the show.

In most cases, no hotel means no shower and no toothbrush. By Day Three, you can see the Cheeto crumbs in his five o’clock shadow and smell the onions from the hoagie he ate on Day One. And, he seems to feel Mountain Dew is a suitable replacement for mouthwash. 

Then, you have the bad behavior. Folks who make the choices described above generally don’t make the best choices about how to interact with other people.  When rulings don’t go their way, they often react like angry, petulant children. Tantrums … fueled by sleep deprivation, malnutrition and years of having this behavior indulged … are more common than any one would like to admit.

At NEONCON, these shenanigans are easily handled. I run the show like a house party for 1,000 of my closest friends.  If you interrupt the party with bad hygiene or bad behavior, you are politely shown the door. And, even though our guest policy says I don’t have to give you a refund, I generally do any way.  Why?  Because, some one has to show these knuckleheads how grown ups behave.

Bigger shows and those run by committee cannot always be as blunt or decisive about this sort of policy. I understand. And, I also know that, when they read this, some of my team will scold me for being too honest, especially three weeks in front of our show.  The problem is, this sort of behavior is tantamount to bullying and I never could tolerate a bully.

More to the point, our policy reflects a sound business decision.  We believe that, by building a reputation for ensuring a good experience for the majority of our patrons, we ensure that our patronage grows over time. “That guy” and his friends may be unwashed, but they are the minority, not the masses.

Still, though in the minority, “that guy” has a profound impact on the hobby games industry and the fans that support it.  Unfortunately, he is, more often than not, the face of the “gamer”.  As such, he shapes public opinion about the rest of us. In short, “that guy” gives us all, professionals and fans alike, a bad reputation. Instead of being seen as creative, clever and quirky, we gamers are labeled as weird, odd or misanthropic.

In 2010, hobby games have enough trouble fending off console/computer games, cable TV and the Internet for the attention of the market and fan base.  Can we really afford to be forced to fight misperceptions of the community based on the poor behavior of a minority of its members?

No. We cannot. Everyone, professionals and fans alike, needs to show these sort of disruptive malcontents that this sort of behavior is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. 

So, I will try to gently correct “that guy,” but if he fails to take the hint, I’ll show him the door. And, if you are “that guy”, try to take the criticism in the way it was intended (to help EVERYONE have a good time) and then try to change your behavior. And if you can’t handle that, then just grow up. If you do, I’ll let you back into the party next year.

Once again thanks to Doug for his great post and if you are near Las Vegas go check out Neoncon!  Talk to you later...

Didn't make it to Baltimore. Why? Well...

...I just didn't feel like it.  My wife was driving me to the airport and I got about half way there and I told her, "You know what, I don't really feel like going."  Going to Baltimore Comic Con didn't have the same level of excitement as before.  Why? I don't know.  So I stayed home with my family instead and to me that was a lot more fun and interesting.  For those who went, hope you had a great time. Talk to you later...

Paizo gets it, and you should copy their business plan...

Once again Paizo proves themselves as the heir apparent to the D&D throne. I picked up my copy of Master of the Fallen Fortress from my local gaming store for Free RPG Day this weekend (if you are going to be in South Florida this weekend, you can see & meet me in person at Florida SuperCon in Miami looking to recruit artists) and I also picked up the NPC Guide. Full color, amazing art and layout.  Fantastic all around products. I was talking to some friends and they told me that thye have jumped ship from 4E to Pathfinder.   The main reason? "Pathfinder felt like D&D".  I keep hearing that from more and more people.  "4E isn't bad, but Pathfinder fells more like D&D to me." is what people are saying.  And I have to agree with the people.

Paizo follows a very simple business formula.  It is the same formula that Apple and Zappos use. They turn customers into evangelist of their products. People talk about Paizo products. Sometimes it is good and sometimes it is bad, but you can talk about Paizo and what they do, and I don't get the feeling they just want you to tell them what you feel so they can make their products better. Plus is Paizo makes a mistake like like with their GameMastery Face Cards: Enemies Deck, they just admit it and move on to do better next time.  Paizo gets it, and if you don't get it maybe you should follow what they do and see if it helps you out.  Hell I did. Where do you think the idea of the Quartermaster digital item cards cam from.  Talk to you later...

Paizocon 2010 Event page is updated with events!!!

Check it out here.  I am sad to say that LPJ Design will not be attending this year due to 1st baby birth.  But I am ALREADY planning what we we be doing for PaizoCon 2011.   To everyone going, Have a great time!

Webcomics Weekly LIVE! at Emerald City Comic Con 2010

Webcomics Weekly LIVE! at Emerald City Comic Con 2010 from Brad Guigar on Vimeo.

Back from Baltimore…

The Baltimore Comic Con was a great convention both business-wise and just for old fashioned fun. Here is the list of some of the people I spoke to and talked to this time.

Laura (DePuy) Martin - I have met Laura several times at MegaCon, so now she recognizes me. Always interesting to speaking to her about color theory and digital coloring in general. I have a secret “comic geek” crush on and her my wife thinks it is cute.

J. M. DeMatteis - I have been a fan of his works since I first started reading comics. It was a profound pleasure to meet him and he gave me some incredibly inspiration words about writing.

Kris Straub, Dave Kellett, Scott Kurtz and Brad Guigar from Half Pixel.com, Webcomics Weekly.com and Webcomics.com - All were all great guys to talk to. Brad is even funnier in person. Best of all, they all signed my copy of How to Create Webcomics. Real nice guys.

Jamal Igle -  This was one of the big ones, because Jamal has actually read my Suicide Squad 8 page pitch I did and gave me great comments on it. We talked a while about comics, having children, what is it like to have Geoff Johns kill a character you created and lots of cool stuff. I hope to pitch him something that we could work together on. That would be great.

Jim Chueng - Told him that my wife had a crush on him and I loved his work. He told me that there "should be" an announcement about Young Avengers soon.

Matt Fraction - Really a nice and funny guy. For some reason I thought he might be an assclown. Very wrong about that. Lots of good writing information and inspiration. He gave me the best reason why he writes: “I have a 2 year old who needs to be feed.” Funny part of me talking to him, Brian Michael Bendis is his the booth behind him Fraction reading emails in his IPhone looking up to see what we were talking about.

Steve Ellis - Very cool time. Got his card and looks like we might be talking and doing some business together. Still very hush-hush and in beginning stages, but it is nice to know that he is really interested.

Like I said, a great con. Can’t wait until next year. Talk to you later…

Baltimore Comic Con was great!!!

As the title says, Baltimore Comic Con was great!!! I will get into more detail when I get back to South Florida.  But now having seen the con, I will be coming back next year.  It had a LOT of guests who I go to spend a lot of time with and even make a business deal with.  More to come. Talk to you later...

Next Two weeks = Busy!!!

If you don’t hear much from me over the next two weeks don’t be surprised, LPJ Design have to go to Baltimore at the end of this week for the Baltimore Comic Con to look for new artist and the following week, we will be moving into the new house. So I may be offline but I hope to have some picture form the con for you to take a look at. Talk to you later…

Missing San Diego Comic Con…

OK for another year I am missing San Diego Comic Con. This is the only comic con I have wanted to go to but never have gone to. I have been to the west coast a few time (Vegas, L.A. and once to San Diego when I was 14-ish) but never to the con. So I decided a while back that next year for my 40th birthday present, I was going to San Diego Comic Con 2010. Also with all the going ons with the card game and Grand Theft Exodus, next year’s San Diego Comic Con is going to be FANTASTIC!!! So even though I am missing all the fun this year, it is just setting up my great experience in 2010. Hope to see you there!!!

Nothing is going on in the RPG scene, and that worries me a little bit…

Right now there is nothing really going on RPG business-wise, well at least for me. There are lots of RPG companies working at break neck speed. The reason being it is the summer and everyone is getting ready for conventions and their BIG releases of the year for Gen Con. I seems a little stupid to me to have only one big release instead of a lot of little releases. I am just one of those “Not all your eggs in basket” kind of guy, but every year RPG companies place their entire basis of survival on one convention. So if you have a bad con, well then is sucks for you. That is the nature of RPGs I guess. In comparison to comic books, summer is important and the best cons are going on, but other cons and stuff is going on year round. RPG gaming only has Gen Con and Origins as the “big cons” (and maybe Dragon Con) while there are San Diego Comic Con, Wizard World, SPX, APE, Wonder Con, Heroes Con, Mega Con, Motor City Comic Con, Pittsburg Comicon and Mid-Ohio Comic Con for comic fans. Plus the attendance of comic cons are lot more than RPG cons.

So with all this stuff for Gen Con going on, I am focusing on my two webcomic series; Suits and Ghostwalkers. On the script side Suits is MORE than ready to go just have to wait until artist, Jeff Wamester, is done with some other project so he can get started on doing this one. I hope (fingers crossed) to have Suits up and running by my birthday (That late August for those that are thinking about getting me a gift). Wish us luck on Suits, we are going to need it. With Ghostwalkers I am on page 14 of 92. Unlike Suits, I have planned Ghostwalkers as a 4-issue series with 2 more 4-issue series for an “epic western series”. This one is a real personal journey for me as a writer. I hope this turns out well. Talk to you later…

Let's meet at Baltimore Comic-Con!!!

I am planning to go to Baltimore Comic Con on October 10 - 11 to recruit artists for freelance work. Will you be there? Let me know and we can meet up so I can give you MONEY and work!!! Talk to you later...