My foray into continued blogging will be short-lived, however. I have said my say about creative freedom. The series, "Debunking Fallacies," will end it. I intend to post two more which will include condensations of some related topics and then this blog will close for comments. It will remain open for authors still wishing to post here.
What I will be doing:
I will be attending NTXRPGCon next June; I missed the last one for the aforementioned health reasons, but, as always, heard that it was a resounding success. I am deciding on a combined seminar/Q&A session about design that I'd like to give; for gaming, I have been restocking the "City of Greyhawk Sewers" I created in 1975-1976, and with other creative additions over time (it's very large/4 combined maps/see partial below). I intend to run this twice.
Continued reading and research for a board game I am designing, this having at its core the life and imaginings of a favorite poet of mine; no time frame on this, as it is a pet project like so many others that cooks when cooking and simmers along otherwise.
I am no longer doing written interviews. Allan Grohe (Black Blade Publishing) is currently seeking a
film crew to do a lengthly series of onsite interviews with me. Anyone who reads this blog that has an information path to such a person or outfit willing to film the video interviews should contact
Allan: grodog@gmail.com
The organization of my entire unpublished and auctioned works. Black Blade Publishing and I recently confirmed by contract to publish a hard bound catalog with DVD insert of my entire auctioned and unpublished works. This will include, but will not be limited to:
- Castle El Raja Key Levels (color) with existing notes for encounters
- Castle Greyhawk Levels
- City of Greyhawk maps, various city-level, subterranean and sewers, etc.
- WoG Outdoor Maps (City environs, additional wilderness-dungeon designs)
- WoG "Red Book" notes and maps 1972 onward
plus... Maps, articles, essays, art, combined interviews, PDFed adventures (Bottle City, et al., most of Pied Piper Publishing's product line in PDF as well as the Maze of Zayene Series), Greyhawk/RPG related stories that I was to contribute to a book Gary Gygax and I never got around to publishing, etc., etc.
The process of organizing the files started a month ago, including ancient material sifted from boxes and included in the morass of files to be scanned to top off those that were previously scanned over three auctions or that I have on disk. My rough estimate of its size is in excess of 5,000 distinct files, though this is really a wild, rough guess. The longer I look at the whole it seems to grow more towards 8-10m, but we shall see.
Allan and I are now at the point of formalizing the file format presentation, which will make it easier for us to page count the hard bound book. This is huge (just the book-catalog itself, in my estimation, will probably be in excess of 150 pages), so we will be taking the time necessary to cover all bases for the serious gamer, historian and collector. In addition I will be writing introductory material for the files as well as including some special articles.
Prior to release BB and I will establish a blog and an online forum. The blog will be used for updates, samples and such. The forums will be strictly for product questions and answers, that is, for as long as I am alive to answer questions... ;)
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8 comments:
Sorry to hear of your continuing health issues and, of course, I wish you and K all the best for the future.
Was reading through Bottle City and other bits from Pied Piper just the other night and look forward to seeing what other artifacts you produce in the future.
Take care!
I had no idea you were so ill, Rob.
I'm very glad you appear on the mend and on the road back to your old combative self.
Westu Robilar hale!
And the project sounds intriguing, although vast. I eagerly await any results. I'd also be willing to help in any small way I can, if needed -- it doesn't sound like you'll require too many editors.
Thanks Tim, We have the fingers crossed on the upcoming surgery. She has an extremely rare bone disease. But, on the bright side, she is in the hands of one of the world's top specialists for this.
Yes, artifacts. Allan and I basically agreed to put everything unpublished/auctioned on the DVD so neither one of us would have to do such a project ever again. :)
Thanks again and keep creating and gaming, Tim.
Mracus Antonius Endymious!
My health seems, as of the last three years, to be on a chaotic fader program, or some such.
It is ultimately the price one can pay for "doing it their way" as a free-lance writer/designer. I chose a path of societal non-conformity to establish a free reign mentally and spiritually. The end-game, physical isn't covered under such a policy... ;) I try not to mention it, but ever so often I have to explain why I miss a con where I'm a confirmed GoH, etc.
Combative? I dunno. If you mean by that, "challenging," then yes. I often pose a challenge for others: to think for themselves and to cast off the yoke of sameness and collectivistic thought. Allan occasionally chips away at this idea. Sometimes I feel he is trying to discover what makes me tick and why. But one cannot discover such truths in others, only in themselves, and then perhaps confirm them, then, in others.
I have really appreciated your commentaries and posting Mark, and that includes going all the way back to "Ye Olde Forums" days. My only wish is that you had done more creating here, not for the lack of it; but to the contrary, due to your various insights and their quality. More quality matter of the sort you posed for the minds-eye is always a joy to read and to ponder over.
I would be tickled pink to reestablish written or verbal comms with you over what you might contribute, if even in some slight way, to this :massive" project. If nothing else, at least, we could chat over various subjects (besides objects) which have interest to both of us. Do mail Allan for my email address: grodog@gmail.com
Health to you and yours as well!
Rob
Best wishes to you and yours, Rob, and I admire your determination to remain as independent as you have. It's a difficult road in this day and age.
Also looking forward to this DVD. If it is available, I will most certainly have a spot for such a piece of history on my bookshelf. I've always been a big fan of your style.
Montgomery. I missed your post!
Thanks for the well wishes--and they have been passed along.
Keep on pressing the "individual" button and I will do likewise.
The DVD project will likely take 1-1.5 yrs. to complete, what with scanning,collating the parts so that they match by groups, and of course what writing I have to do for it, etc.
Just more of a "last card down" on my part for I will be including many unpublished essays on the art of creativity and how that has changed over the years within RPG.
Wishing you luck as well!
No problem; you are a busy man, what with all that collecting and writing up history. I am much looking forward not only to the game material but your essays on the progress of creativity (in and outside the industry) from your experience. It's a topic that interests me a great deal.
Thank you for your offers of luck and best wishes! I will most certainly keep my finger pressed on the independence button, however difficult it can occasionally be. Like you, I'm constantly puttering in the creative kitchen, and I have plenty of projects to cap off.
Looking forward to reading more from you.
-M
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