The mysterious costs of publishing revealed

Here's an interesting article about the costs of publishing (including writing, editing, art, layout, printing, shipping, distribution, and marketing) for both low-end and high-end options. If you're planning to start a (self-)publishing business, I'm sure it's a useful read!

8 reasons I love the Pathfinder Card Game

I'm always thinking about new ways to improve my blog and make it interesting to more people. I'm currently in a phase where I play a lot of Pathfinder, but I also play (or want to play) a number of other games, too. One of those games is the Pathfinder Card Game. I love it, it's excellent, and I'm going to tell you why.

I might occasionally also post some design articles about D&D 5E or Star Wars (Fantasy Flight Games). My main focus is still Pathfinder, though.

In my next update I'll go back to analyzing monster stat blocks!

Excellent freelancing advice from Jessica Price

I just read an excellent article written by Jessica Price (project manager at Paizo Publishing). Jessica discusses women in the gaming industry and also gives very good advice on how to get your foot in the door.

Read the article here.

Lessons in Monster Design, Part I: Descriptive line

The first part of a monster entry is the descriptive line. The first thing to remember is to include it. In the Here Be Monsters contest there were four or five entries that didn't have one at all. While I didn't consider it an auto-DQ, it did mean that those four or five entries weren't considered very seriously for the top 5.

The second thing to remember is to italicize the descriptive line. Nearly everyone (who included it) remembered to italicize it, and it wasn't a deal-breaker, anyway.

The third thing is to understand that the descriptive line serves a dual purpose: In the contest it's what makes the reader intrigued and willing to read more. When you're actually playing the game, it's something the GM can use as read-aloud text when the monster is encountered.

Let's have a closer look at what you should avoid if you want that little piece of text to be suitable for these two purposes!

Thanks to everyone!

The five interviews with the Here Be Monsters finalists have been published this week, and all the prizes have been sent to the winner and the runners-up. Thanks to everyone who was involved, and I hope to see you again next year when hopefully there'll be a second Here Be Monsters!

Here's a shout-out to our excellent sponsors!

Rite Publishing is an ENnie award winning gaming company that has produced over 350 products for Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved, the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, FATE, and Erick Wujcik's Diceless Roleplaying (Amber Diceless Role-Playing) as well as a burgeoning fiction line. Its CEO Steven D. Russell has worked as a freelance game designer for Paizo Publishing, Green Ronin Publishing, and Expeditious Retreat Press. He spends his free time listening to audio books, co-hosting The Demiplane of Gaming videocast, playing games, and trying to find that elusive creature known as free time.

Some related links:

• Interview with Steve Russell
• In The Company of Dragons, written by Wendall Roy (one of our finalists), published by Rite Publishing 

 

Legendary Games is an all-star team of authors and designers, coordinated by award-winning game designer Jason Nelson. Legendary Games is committed to bringing the busy GM or player the absolute best 3rd party support for your Pathfinder campaign. To deliver on that commitment, Legendary Games has assembled the best of the best of current gaming authors, designers and layout experts such as Superstar design contest winners Neil Spicer and Matthew Goodall and finalists like Clinton Boomer, Jim Groves, Jason Nelson, and Russ Taylor, industry veterans like Greg A. Vaughan, Tim Hitchcock, and Clark Peterson, and stellar new talent like Todd Stewart, Tom Phillips, and Jonathan Keith.

• Interview with Jason Nelson

Raging Swan Press publishes GM resources designed to help GMs prepare quicker and prepare better. The products are richly detailed, easy to use material designed to be compatible with almost any GM's campaign.

•  Interview with Creighton Broadhurst

Dreamscarred Press is a publisher of resource books for tabletop role-playing games, primarily focusing on psionic rulesets.

Some related links:

• Path of War
• Interview with Jeremy Smith & Andreas Rönnqvist

Interview with a Designer: Wendall Roy

Here's the last of the Here Be Monsters interviews: Wendall Roy, whose entry was the taniwha, a creature from the Maori mythology.

Interview with a Designer: Mike Welham

Here's the third runner-up interview: Mike Welham! I'm very glad to interview him, not only because he was a finalist in Here Be Monsters, but also because he won RPG Superstar a few years back. Welcome, Mike!

Interview with a Designer: Douglas Schaub

Here's the second runner-up interview: Douglas Schaub, the creator of the enigmatic warpstar.

Interview with a Designer: Joe Kondrak

I'll be posting the remaining four interviews in the order I received the answers, and here's the first one! Among other things, Joe Kondrak tells us more about the sianach, whose bone-shaking rattle everyone remembers, I'm sure. Please also check out punctalucis.com, where you can see examples of Joe's creative work.

Interview with a Designer: Nicholas Wasko

The Here Be Monsters contest ended last week with Nicholas Wasko as the winner! Read on to learn more about Nick and his thoughts about monster design!

Interview: Five Moons RPG Kickstarter

I interviewed Sean K Reynolds about the Kickstarter for the Five Moons RPG. Among other things, Sean talks about design choices that make the game easy to play.

Please also check out the Kickstarter page and Sean's blog, where he also discusses the Five Moons RPG!

Nicholas Wasko wins Here Be Monsters!

Nicholas Wasko's entry, the nightbloom got the most votes, which means Nick wins the first Here Be Monsters contest! It was a really tight race between the two most popular entries, with just three votes separating the two entries!

Thanks to all voters, entrants, judges, and sponsors! I'll email the winner and runners-up about the prizes within 24 hours.

Interview: Southlands Kickstarter

I interviewed gaming legend Wolfgang Baur about the Southlands Kickstarter. In keeping with my blog's recent monster theme, there's a lot of discussion about monsters, including information on how you can design a monster for the Southlands Kickstarter!

As of today, there are nearly 600 backers and more than $50,000 of the $16,000 goal has been pledged, meaning that many, many stretch goals have already been unlocked! So check out the Kickstarter page as well, pledge, and reap incredible rewards!

So close! Please check out this Kickstarter!

The Veranthea Codex Kickstarter is now over 80% funded! There's still more than two days until the funding period closes, so if you haven't pledged yet, please have a look at the Kickstarter page!

Interview: Cross of Fire Saga Adventure Path Kickstarter

Today's Kickstarter interview is about the Cross of Fire Saga Adventure Path. Louis Porter Jr. tells us about the AP, and also discusses Kickstarters in general. Please, read on, and check out the Kickstarter page as well!

Top 5: Splintercat by Mike Welham

This tawny wildcat, slightly larger than the average cougar, boasts a ridged, bony forehead that looks like it could shatter bone. Seemingly useless wings protrude from its back.

Top 5: Nightbloom by Nicholas Wasko

A massive, night-black flower sways in the still air, its five petals lined with glowing red eyes. The shadows around it buzz and whisper, alive with a hatred and hunger no mortal could match.

Top 5: Sianach by Joe Kondrak

The eyes and hooves of this hideous giant stag cast an eerie green glow. Skulls and grim talismans hang upon the beast's towering rack of antlers.

Top 5: Warpstar by Douglas Schaub

A sphere of swirling debris hovers in the air, bits of the ground below slowly floating up to meet it.

Top 5: Taniwha by Wendall Roy

This massive lizard is covered in green and grey scales with a spiny crest running along its back. Its wedge-shaped head has a cavernous mouth and an iridescent oval spot on its forehead.

3PP Interview: Jonathan Nelson of Adventure-A-Week

I interviewed Jonathan G. Nelson of Adventureaweek.com about publishing, freelancing and related things. AAW is perhaps best known for its latest Kickstarters, Rise of the Drow and Snow White. There's a lot of interesting stuff and good advice to read below. Check it out!!

Sean's Five Moons RPG Kickstarter

A while ago I heard that Sean K Reynolds, our special guest judge for Here Be Monsters, has started a Kickstarter about his Five Moons roleplaying game. I think it looks very interesting and definitely worth backing. Please have a look at the Kickstarter page and Sean's blog, where he discusses it further!

Below is an excerpt from the Kickstarter page about the project's goals:

Some statistics about Here Be Monsters entries

The open call ended on the 13th of September and we received 40 monster entries, which is a lot, considering it's the first time we organized this contest. Let's have a look at some statistics about the entries!

3PP Interview: Creighton Broadhurst of Raging Swan

In my latest interview, Creighton Broadhurst talks about Raging Swan, publishing and freelancing. Creighton also blogs about game design, freelancing and other interesting stuff, check it out, too!

How we review monsters - an example by Jacob W Michaels

Mike, Jacob and I have read all the 40 monster entries, and we are now in the final stages of deciding which five monsters advance. While everyone is waiting for the results, here's an example of how one of the judges, Jacob, reviewed the monsters.

Unlike the actual contest entries, the monster isn't from the bestiary wish list thread. It's actually based on a rejected pitch. A number of the monsters I pitched earlier this year made it into a product that will be released in 2015, this one didn't. Admittedly, in hindsight, the monster concept wasn't very original or exciting, but I decided to stat it up anyway after I had finished the assignment. Let's see what Jacob thinks about it. ;-)

Here Be Monsters: Submissions closed!

The open call ended yesterday at 2 pm PST / 5 pm EST / midnight here in Finland. We received nearly 40 entries, which is a lot, and Jacob, Mike and I start choosing which ones we want to keep. I already know there are more good entries than we have spots in the top 5, so it won't be easy.

And I want to thank you all for that—thanks for not making it too easy for us!

The two weeks before the top 5 reveal will no doubt be the toughest part for the contestants. Waiting is always the worst part. Meanwhile, I'll be writing new blog posts about the contest, including:

• statistics,
• a monster I created with comments from Jacob (so you can see what to expect when the top 5 is revealed), and
• a list of things I usually comment on when reviewing a monster.

Stay tuned!

Interview: The Strange Magic Kickstarter

I interviewed Bradley Crouch of Interjection Games about the Strange Magic Kickstarter, which launched August 28th. Read on to learn more about new magic systems and more! Check out the Kickstarter page as well! There are still many exciting stretch goals to reach!

Veranthea Codex Kickstarter launched on September 5!

Aaaand time for the third post today!

The Veranthea Codex Kickstarter was launched yesterday, and I'm very glad to be part of it. More accurately, I'm stretch goal number 4, unlocked at $12,000.

There are a lot of talented people working on this Kickstarter, so please check out the Kickstarter page and the Facebook page for more information! And if it looks interesting, pledge! :-)

3PP Interview: Eric Morton Presents

In my second blog post for today, I'm interviewing Eric Morton, whom many people on Paizo messageboards remember for his 200+ monsters available on d20pfsrd.com. Today he talks about his new Animal Races product line, self-publishing, and other things!

Here Be Monsters: One more week to go!

Today I'll be publishing not one, not two but three blog posts! Here's the first one: more statistics and musings about the contest.