Updates and Madness
Just a short update for today. Lots going on in the Midwest.
Apologies for the late posting. There’s been a series of events in the U.S. that are wildly upsetting. This is not the forum for that discussion, but there will be a time and place. Likely the ICC. Anyway, there may not yet be enough coffee in my system to pull together coherent thoughts for a post. Yet, I’m days late, and I feel that delays are detrimental to, well, everything, so here we go.
In TTRPG News
Runeworks Games is getting closer to announcing a date for our release party for The Darkest Age: Môrk Borg Edition. We’re gathering our merch and games and getting our undead ducks in a row, so to speak.
The Game Masters’ Companion (Runeworks Games)
This little book is currently in the layout/art portion of production. That’s a good thing. However, as added value, I’m considering adding “The Last Dawn” adventure to the product. That will, of course, delay everything a little bit, but it’s not the end of the world.
New Merch Coming (Runeworks Games)
The real reason this post is taking so long to get together is that I’m working on too many projects at once. I have new MERCH for The Darkest Age and more coming every few days. Right now, there are T-shirts, puzzles, and posters in various styles. The shopping cart setup was a thing, linking to CMS, then Merch Auth, and all that. But it seems to be working well.
Consider this a soft launch - the shopping cart is working and secure, and new products are being added weekly. But the copy, detailed descriptions, and SEO stuff might/will be adjusted and tweaked.
The Expanse Transport Union Edition Kickstarter (Green Ronin)
The final PDF was released, but I’m waiting for my print books to arrive. So, no comments on layout, binding, etc. until I hold them in my hands. I love Green Ronin - have many of their products, but I know nothing about “them.” I’m very excited for the final product, however.
Elric: Rise of the Young Kingdoms Kickstarter (Le Departmente)
Golly gee, does this game look fun! However, it’s three, going on four years overdue. I’m starting to suspect this particular Kickstarter somehow unstarted. I guess, ultimately, the reason I don’t like Kickstarters is that more and more of them are done by companies that should have the resources to make a product. When an Indy tries it, the results very much feel like they are 50/50.
Fiction: The Miners stuck on Petra21-C
Continued…
Kyndra, between sorting personnel requests and accident reports, SUM contract engagement, and other equally important documents, glanced out the curved viewport. The stars outside never changed. The Grinder assignment was short-term, a year on-site, eight months travel both ways. It was boredom that made the job so dreadful. The company had paid for her data access implant, a huge perk, and it was hers to keep after the assignment, provided there were no contract violations. She stretched her arms and flexed her legs. Unconsciously, her right hand went to the delicate DAI and the lead that attached her to the mainframe computer system. The system didn’t use an artificial intelligence management system, for reasons she didn’t understand - and didn’t care to ask. It required more of her attention to manage the files, sort them, and direct them in the right direction. The DAI was new tech and wouldn’t be considered average for another four years. It was expensive. It sped up her work immeasurably.
That didn’t mean she was home free - data clerks were always in fierce competition for positions within the vast corporate hierarchies. It was more than their hardware - there was an affinity required to take full advantage of the DAI hardware. Kyndra had that affinity.
Her attention split - one half staring at the endless stars, the other deep into her data interface, it took her a moment to hear the alarms. The computer system activated its overrides and notified her via data interface. The message was simple enough: abandon the station.