Talien's Tower
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Thursday, April 1

10% Off Alien Invasion

My sole book on Lulu, Alien Invasion, is on sale at LuLu.com for 10% off. Enter code APRILFOOLS. Today only! more

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Sunday, February 28

Paper & Pixels: Done

Tomorrow morning, the final draft of Paper & Pixels: The Evolution of Fantasy Gaming, goes out in the mail. It's been a two year, exhausting journey since I first came up with the idea for the book and we still have at least nine to fifteen months to go. But I'm glad to have made it this far!

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Wednesday, February 24

A Relative on the West Coast...Probably

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Saturday, February 6

Paper & Pixels: Done!

The final draft is complete at 90,000 words. A couple of more edits, a couple more interviews (if anyone else bothers to get back to me before the end of next week...yes that means you), and this sucker's done.

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Sunday, January 24

I Did It!

Paper & Pixels just cleared 94,000 words. All of my book sources have been entered. Now it's just a matter of revising it all, entering quotes from primary sources, and getting the artwork together in three weeks.

Whew!

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Monday, January 4

City Under Siege: Part 1a – Continental Influence

Sebastian woke up with a start. Someone was in his room.

“This is all wrong!” hissed a feminine voice. “I shouldn’t be here!”

The dark-kin roused himself from the bed, spreading his wings out before him. “You…you look familiar. Weren’t you Thralen’s maidservant?”

The woman glared at him. The whites of her eyes were showing.

“You recognize me, even in complete darkness?” She pointed at Sebastian’s eyes with forked fingers. “Then I’ve no choice: Cadic take your sight!”

Sebastian screamed and clutched his eyes. “It was you! You were the spy who directed Mentire! You were pulling the strings on behalf of the Emperor!”

“Yes, but…” she stuttered. “I was defecting. This wasn’t…I’m not supposed to be here!”

Kham appeared in a flash of light. He looked surprised. “What the hell?” more

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Saturday, January 2

I Did It!

I'm going half-blind from staring at a screen for a week straight, but I did it. Paper & Pixels is currently at 81,189 words. This number will of course shrink and grow as I continue to edit the text, and there's still a lot of editing to go. The computer RPG section is massive, and I'm still filling out the LARP section. But it's all coming together, and I now have two months to tinker with the text to get it where I need it by mid-February.

One day after 2009, but close enough. A major milestone has been completed. Here's to an awesome 2010 and hopefully the publication of my book by December of this year.

Thank you and good night!

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Thursday, December 31

70,000 Words!

Just cleared 70k on Paper & Pixels. Planning to finish the remainder before the end of day tomorrow -- not quite the New Year's goal I wanted (book finished by 2009) but pretty darn close.

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Wednesday, December 30

The Death of a Famous Tresca


For reasons I don't fully understand, a photograph of my relative Carlo Tresca is on auction. If I had the money, I would bid on it, if only to keep it out of other peoples' hands.

This is one of those moments where art and personal interest intersect, and it's one of the reasons why I find the glorification of Mob culture to be reprehensible.

This. This is Carlo Tresca, anarchist, shot in the face by a mobster. It's possible the reason had nothing to do with Mob business -- it's possible it had everything to do with Mob business. It doesn't matter. A picture of a family member's murder is up for auction:

"Police in New York ... considered him one of the most dangerous anarchists in the United States." Interesting figure with illuminated hat, face hidden, shines a light. The cropping marks are in the negative. Black and white photograph with copy of 1943 slug, "UPI" in pen verso. Corners are weak, in margin.


They make him out to be a mass murderer or something. If you want to learn more about Carlo Tresca, see Wikipedia. If you want to bid on it, see Lot 51.

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Monday, December 28

Paper & Pixels Update

My non-fiction history of fantasy gaming just cleared 60,000 words. Yes!

Just 20,000 more to go. I plan to have this sucker in rough draft form completed before 2010. Wish me luck!

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Wednesday, October 21

Dissecting perfection

Michael describes The Perfect Game in today's installment of The Horror.

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Wednesday, September 23

Too deeply flawed

The Horror tells us about overly flawed characters, in Just Like Suicide.

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Thursday, August 20

The Horror!: Can You Hear Me Now?

08/19. Killing the line dead
The Horror finds ways to limit your cell service, in Can You Hear Me Now? T

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Tuesday, August 18

How Lovecraft Saved RPGs...in Portuguese

My ongoing effort to completely dominate the Internet take another step forward as my friend Felipe translates "How Lovecraft Saved RPGs" at RedRPG.com. [MORE]

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Friday, August 7

I am now the Sci-Fi Movie Examiner

And take another step towards my plans for global Internet domination. MUAAAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! [MORE]

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Monday, July 27

07/23. Isolating the fear

The Horror is upon us again, and we're All Alone. Every gamer for himself!

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Wednesday, June 24

Interview with Aldo Ghiozzi of Free RPG Day

I recently chatted with Aldo Ghiozzi, owner of Impressions Advertising & Marketing and the architect behind Free RPG Day. We talked about how Free RPG Day got started, how stores, publishers, and customers can participate, and where he sees role-playing games in the near future. [MORE]

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Tuesday, June 23

GSL now allows 3.5-compatible products

Recent changes to the 4th Edition Game System License (GSL) of Dungeons & Dragons now allow publishers to re-release third edition products with certain revisions.Specifically, "Section 6" was removed which prohibited publishers of third edition Dungeons & Dragons products to produce similar products for 4th edition. [MORE]

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Saturday, June 20

Dante's Inferno protest was staged

When is a protest not a protest? When it’s led by a marketing agency. [MORE]

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Thursday, June 18

Free RPG Day 2009

Saturday, June 20, is Free RPG Day! The goal of Free RPG Day is to get gamers inspired to play a new role-playing, which will in turn create sales through local game stores. [MORE]

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Scaring your players in role-playing games

The RPG Examiner offers examples of the different forms of horror in role-playing games and his success in using them in his own campaign. [MORE]

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Wednesday, June 17

Review of PX Poker Night

The RPG Examiner reviews Pagan Publishing’s recently released Delta Green scenario, “PX Poker Night,” by Dennis Detwiller. [MORE]

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Monday, June 15

Role-playing in the Land of the Lost

The recently revitalized Land of the Lost is tailor-made for role-playing, incorporating the pulp action of dinosaurs, time travel, alien lizards, and psychic crystals. [MORE]

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Friday, June 12

Can gaming make you a better worker?

Gaming in the workplace might sound like an oxymoron, but the RPG Examiner explains there are proven benefits to gaming that actually makes you more productive. [MORE]

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Thursday, June 11

Real Life: The RPG

Realistic. Lifelike. The highest praise for games revolves around the usage of the words "real" and "life" as if real life is the pinnacle of gaming. But as a game, Real Life sucks. [MORE]

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Wednesday, June 10

Ghostbusters in gaming

The Ghostbusters are back with a new video game that seems like it’s been in development heck forever. The RPG Examiner reviews ghostbusting-themed rules for past and present role-playing games. [MORE]

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Tuesday, June 9

Why real-life avatars are scary

The RPG Examiner draws on a variety of sources to explain why merging the anonymity of the Internet with real-life interaction might be a bad idea. [MORE]

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Monday, June 8

Interview with Jeff LaSala, author of the Darkwood Mask

I recently interviewed Jeff LaSala, fantasy author, game designer, and NY Specualtive Fiction Examiner. We discussed role-playing games, episodic fiction, and Rush.
 [MORE]

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Thursday, June 4

E3 update: Sony PlayStation press conference

The latest on the Sony PlayStation press conference from my brother, Joseph Tresca of Eyeballistic, who is currently live in LA at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The conference started with a compilation of PS3/PS2 and PSP games to the soundtrack ... [MORE]

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E3 update: Uncharted 2

The latest on Uncharted 2 from my brother, Joseph Tresca of Eyeballistic, who is currently live in LA at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Even Wells, co-president of Naughty Dog, recently demonstrated Uncharted... [MORE]

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E3 update: PlayStation Portable

The latest on the PSP from my brother, Joseph Tresca of Eyeballistic , who is currently live in LA at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Kaz Hirai, Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Sony Computer ... [MORE]

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Tuesday, June 2

E3 update: Dante's Inferno

The latest on Dante's Inferno from my brother, Joseph Tresca of Eyeballistic, who is currently live in LA at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. [MORE]

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E3 update: Army of Two: The 40th Day

The latest on the sequel to Army of Two from my brother, Joseph Tresca of Eyeballistic, who is currently live in LA at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. [MORE]

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E3 press conference coverage

The latest from my brother, Joseph Tresca of Eyeballistic, who is currently live in LA at the Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference to discuss the latest gaming news: [MORE]

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posted by talien at 7:30 PM | 0 comments links to this post


Book review of Got Game

Got Game is an excellent response for any parent or manager who fears that the next generation is a bunch of brain-dead brats. A book like this should normally be distributed in web format, but considering the audience (Boomers) perhaps dead-tree format is entirely the point. [MORE]

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Monday, June 1

How Lovecraft saved role-playing games

Although some gamers may be familiar with Call of Cthulhu, many are unaware of the tremendous legacy the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired game bequeathed to the role-playing game industry. [MORE]

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Friday, May 29

Yog-Sothoth: More than just an outer god

Yog-Sothoth is more than just the name of the Outer God of time and space in H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. The RPG Examiner interviewed several community members to learn about this premier community for the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game. [MORE]

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Thursday, May 28

Interview with Lee Garvin, author of The Noble Wild

The RPG Examiner interviews Lee Garvin, creator of Tales from the Floating Vagabond and contributing author to Star Wars, Indiana Jones, 7th Sea, and Deadlands role-playing games. His latest contribution is The Noble Wild, an ENnie nominated d20 supplement that greatly expands the role of animals in adventuring and even provides rules to play one. Lee shared his perspective on getting into the gaming industry, working on licensed products, and the possibility of a new edition of Tales from the Floating Vagabond. [MORE]

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Wednesday, May 27

Retro-futurism in gaming

The retro-future genre has recently become a popular topic for video games, but it has a long established history in architecture and design. This article takes a look at the history of retrofuturism in video and role-playing games. more

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Tuesday, May 26

Video game review of Stubbs the Zombie

I'm the author of Blood and Brains: The Zombie Hunter's Guide, so my brother found me the perfect gift for my...
Keep Reading »

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DVD Review of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, like Van Helsing, is a pulp film. The important twist is that it's a science...
Keep Reading »

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Video game review of BioShock

I didn't really want BioShock. The name didn't exactly thrill me, and the concept was a little hazy. Some guy...
Keep Reading »

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Movie review of Terminator Salvation

Before I ramble on about franchises and time travel and the cool visuals of a metal humanoid trying to kill you, let me just say this: If you are a...
Keep Reading »

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Book review of Where's My Jetpack?

When I was little, my uncle collected newspaper clippings of various articles about the American foray into space....
Keep Reading »

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Saturday, May 23

Fearsome research and reviews

Today's The Horror gives us The Ancient Art of Research, which is a scarier title to Call of Cthulhu players. Then a couple of new reviews are here, ready to be digested.

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Wednesday, May 20

I don’t want to play in your stupid sandbox

It seems every developer is creating at least one sandbox game, a non-linear gaming environment where you can do...
Keep Reading »

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Tuesday, May 19

World-Wide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day

May 23 is Worldwide D&D Game Day, an opportunity for role-playing game fans around the world to celebrate their...
Keep Reading »

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Monday, May 18

Terminators in role-playing games

With the advent of the latest installment in the Terminator series, Terminator Salvation, Terminators are once...
Keep Reading »

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Thursday, May 14

Why Monopoly sucks and how to fix it

Have you ever actually finished a game of Monopoly? If the answer's "no," that's the first hint that there's something wrong with the game.
Keep Reading »

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Tuesday, May 12

Where are all the gamer girls?

A recent comment on my article about finding a gaming mate brought up a woefully underserved segment of the dating...
Keep Reading »

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Sunday, May 10

Movie review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine

I didn’t expect much from the Wolverine movie. Billed as X-Men 4 by the movie theater (says so right on my...
Keep Reading »

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Saturday, May 9

Role-playing games for kids

When many Gen-X gamers were growing up, role-playing games were a part of gifted and talented education (GATE)....
Keep Reading »

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Friday, May 8

Gamer moms: not as rare you as think

Happy Mother's Day! This week we review that rare breed of gamer that's becoming more common by the day: the gamer mom...
Keep Reading »

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Thursday, May 7

Adding medieval times to your boy's room

As a gamer parent, it can be frustrating to discover that there's not much in the way of geek-friendly décor...
Keep Reading »

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Wednesday, May 6

Finding a gaming mate

As a group, gamers tend to be an exclusive bunch. One of our more charming attributes is our love of games. So it may be shocking to discover that some women don’t find gaming attractive, or worse, consider it childish. If you’re a heterosexual male gamer, this can make it difficult to find someone compatible who appreciates and understands your hobby. The obvious answer: find a mate who games. [MORE]

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Tuesday, May 5

New Fallout 3 DLC trailer: Broken Steel

I’m now thoroughly and horribly addicted to Fallout 3. I really wanted to hate the game, because I loathed Elder...
Keep Reading »

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Saturday, May 2

Book review of Six-Legged Soldiers

Six-Legged Soldiers is an interesting look at how bugs have been drafted by humanity as vectors to spread disease....
Keep Reading »

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Pandemic! Infectious diseases in gaming

The fear of infectious diseases has a long history as humanity's worst enemy, harkening back to the black plague in...
Keep Reading »

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Thursday, April 30

Interview with Jake Alley of World Domination

I recently spoke with Jake Alley, of World Domination, based in Niantic, CT. He's been publishing tabletop games since 2007, and designing them since a good long while before that. World Domination’s flagship game is The Massive Vs. The Masses (MvM), a thrilling giant monster vs. everybody else board game. [MORE]

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Tuesday, April 28

Hope for gamers over thirty

If you're over 30 and play online, then Geezer Gamers is the place for you. Don't let the name fool you: Geezer Gamers are not just old men waving canes at their Commodore 64s. The community has a diverse range of age and gender, organized into clans. Each clan fits a specific targeted audience, be it by geography (Northeast United States), occupation (police officers), or gender (women only). These clans are the heart of Geezer gamers, competing, organizing, and gathering together to play games and have fun. There's also cross-pollination between the clans, ensuring that the greater Geezer Gamer family that looks out for its own. [MORE]

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Monday, April 27

Accurately representing druids in RPGs

This Beltane, we explore the history of druids and compare their gaming incarnations to their historical roots. ...
Keep Reading »

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Thursday, April 23

The Horror! How You're Going to Die

Planning a character’s death can be just as rewarding as creating one. [MORE]

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Character crossovers in gaming and media

The hero pastiche has precedent in modern fiction: Monsters vs. Aliens. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The Watchmen. The Hartford Examiner reviews how these odd crossovers are reflective of a typical gaming group. [MORE]

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Tuesday, April 21

Killzone 2 Graphics Technology and the Evolution of the FPS

Joe Tresca why Playstation Fans have something to look forward to that is mind blowing! [MORE]

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Dying Earth on Earth Day

As gamers celebrate Earth Day, it’s worth pausing to consider a different kind of earth that strongly influenced fantasy gaming: Dying Earth. Keep Reading »

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Gaming for Free in a Recession

With the current state of the economy, gaming on a limited budget is entirely possible with the use of your computer...
Keep Reading »

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Thursday, April 16

ARG! The Answer to What’s in the Box

A recent YouTube video asked: "What's in the Box?" Those four simple words have set off a firestorm in the past month. Is it an alternate reality game (ARG) for a movie? Two guys showing off their video editing skills? Or something more? This article provides the answer and asks a few more questions. [MORE]

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Thanks Guys!

A shout out to the Geezer Gamer gang at Geezer Radio for having me on their podcast. Thanks guys, it was a blast (and Left 4 Dead afterward was even better)! [MORE]

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Tuesday, April 14

Do first-person shooters make you a better killer?

I'd never tried skeet shooting before, but I always wanted to put myself in Ash from Evil Dead's shoes. So I picked the next best thing: skeet shooting. Sure, the clay pigeons looked nothing like zombies. But it was a chance to fire a shotgun, and that counted for something. I later learned that I was scoring better than average, over fifty percent. The owner attributed it to my excessive playing of Halo. [MORE]

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Monday, April 13

When politicians tax violent video games

Happy Tax Day! As you fill out your tax forms, today we turn to the time-honored tactic of politicians pandering to their base: taxing violent video games.
Keep Reading »

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Saturday, April 11

Chapter Four of Knight Terrors Posted

Chapter four of Knight Terrors: The (Mis)Adventures of Smoke the Dragon is now up at http://knighterrors.blogspot.com. The chapter, entitled "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," originally appeared in Abandoned Towers online magazine. As a stand-alone story, it was a Top Ten Finisher in the 2008 Preditors & Editors Readers' Choice Awards. It was also the story that landed Nick the book contract for Knight Terrors. This is where the story really hits its stride--enjoy!

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Friday, April 10

Fight back against the zombie menace this Easter

In celebration of Zombie Outbreak 2009 this Easter Sunday, it’s time to take a look at how gaming handles the zombie menace. [MORE]

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Adding Dragonball to your gaming

The advent of the Dragonball: Evolution movie is a triumph for fans of the anime series and a perfect setting for a variety of martial arts action games. [MORE]

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Tuesday, April 7

WOTC suspends all downloads over lawsuit

Earlier today, RPGNow was instructed to stop the sale and downloads of all Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) titles...Keep Reading »

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Friday, April 3

Interview With Happy Bishop Games

I recently had the opportunity to interview WJ MacGuffin, President and Sole Employee of Happy Bishop Games. WJ is a game designer, amateur parent, and part-time drinker. He took some time to chat with me about what it's like to launch a new game company in these tough economic times. As it turns out, I reached him at the very beginning of the company's launch. [MORE]

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Thursday, April 2

Who games with the Watchmen?

The Watchmen comic is pretty compelling stuff, especially considering that the comic book was one of the first to integrate gritty, countercultural themes into the superhero genre. So it’s only natural that gamers would want to play in that same universe. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to get your Watchmen on. [MORE]

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Tuesday, March 31

Playing the fool in comedy games

April Fools! Shouting that phrase used to mean you were tricked by someone, but today’s article is no trick....
Keep Reading »

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When Dungeons & Dragons meets Terminator

What do Dungeons & Dragons and Terminator have in common? They were both on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles...
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I'm an Examiner!

I was recently named the Gaming Lifestyle Examiner for the Hartford edition of Examiner.com. See: http://www.examiner.com/Hartford-Games_and_Hobbies.html

I'm looking for any news topics related to gaming. If you have a topic to suggest, a product you would like reviewed, or are interested in conducting an interview, please send me a note at: http://michael.tresca.net.

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Saturday, February 28

First Two Chapters of Knight Terrors

Knight Terrors will be published this summer by Cyberwizard Productions. In the meantime, Abandoned Towers online magazine will be publishing a new chapter about once every three weeks. Illustrations are also in the works, and will soon be posting to the site. Please stay tuned--and feel free to leave comments on the chapters!

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Monday, February 2

Knight Terrors: The (Mis)adventures of Smoke the Dragon

The first chapter of Nick Ozment's Knight Terrors is now live!

“Say, that armor looks awfully familiar.” Blug was observing one of at least a dozen suits of armor propped up on staves a hundred yards down the path from the cave.

The helms and breastplates and sundry other pieces displayed sizable dents and gouges; some were twisted almost beyond recognition and blackened by fire. The pieces that had stood exposed to the elements longest also showed the ravages of rust.

Sir Roger strolled up next to Blug, his squire. “Hmmm…”

“Who set these up here?” Blug wondered aloud. “Surely not the dragon—do dragons have opposable thumbs?” [MORE]

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Sunday, January 25

Knight Terrors: The (Mis)adventures of Smoke the Dragon.

The stories of Smoke the Dragon, which Nick Ozment has been working on (off and on) for the past nine years, have found a publisher and a home! This summer the collected stories will be published by Cyberwizard Productions in book form, under the title Knight Terrors: The (Mis)adventures of Smoke the Dragon. [MORE]

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Tuesday, January 13

The Commonplace Book Competition

The theme of this competition was H.P. Lovecraft's Commonplace Book, a notebook in which Lovecraft jotted down his various ideas, many of them disjointed and cryptic. There were 35 entries this time around! [MORE]

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Tuesday, December 9

The Role of Anonymity in Online Rhetoric

My thesis was quoted for a draft of a research paper:

This escape, however, tends to affect the behavior of anonymous commenters and does not always free them from the consequences of their words. In his article “The Impact of Anonymity on Disinhibitive Behavior Through Computer-Mediated Communication,” Michael Tresca explains that in the use of anonymity “with no fear of retaliation, the inability to perceive or clearly delineate authoritarian positions, and the relative ease with which anonymity can be achieved, a user’s level of disinhibition is likely to be high.” In rhetorical terms, the lack of ethos caused by anonymity leaves the speaker in a position where they believe they cannot be held accountable for their words and are therefore less likely to participate in productive rhetoric. Tresca also delineates disinhibitive actions often taken under the guise of anonymity, including “conspiracy, electronic hate-mail, electronic stalking, libel, disclosure of trade secrets and other valuable intellectual property.” Just this year, an anonymous user created a national stir with his disinhibitive behavior: hacking Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s personal email account. Twenty year old David Kernell then posted both the account name and password on 4chan on September 18th, allowing several hours of access to the account before another anonymous user termed the “Good Samaritan” changed Palin’s password and prevented further access (Citation – AotS video 1). His freedom did not last long – the FBI and Secret Service tracked him down not a month later, and he was indicted on October 10th (Citation – AotS video 2). In this notable case, the illusion of protection that anonymity provides proved to be just that: an illusion. Kernell’s IRL ethos will forever be stained by his online actions, a publicized example of anonymity’s inability to fully disconnect ethos from the speaker. [MORE]

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Saturday, November 29

NaNoWriMo Completed!

Technically, I didn't really do National Novel Writing Month correctly. I had a prewritten novel that I started last year with NaNoWriMo 2007. But the birth of my son derailed things for awhile. This was my chance to finish up the young adult fantasy novel I had been working on, and I did that in spades! Awfully Familiar is my longest novel yet, clocking in at approximately 90,000 words. But I was already at 60,000 words by the time NaNoWriMo 2008 came around. I just needed to write another 30,000, which is exactly what I did this month.

Paper & Pixels, on the other hand, had barely been started with a few thousand words. It's a non-fiction book, which means it requires quite a bit more than just words made up in my head. This was a terrible struggle, and cranking out 20,000 words took a lot of effort. This is definitely the hardest NaNoWriMo ever.

But the good news is that I accomplished two goals: I finished the rough draft of my young adult novel and I made excellent headway on my non-fiction book. My plan is to continue writing Paper & Pixels at a slower rate while I gather more sources, conduct interviews, and flesh the book out overall in time for a 2009 mid-year submission.

Thanks to my son, Brenden, who chased the cat around in the background while I was ignoring him (sorry kid, I'll make it up to you I promise!) and my long-suffering wife, who shepherded cat and kid while I busted ass on this crazy thing called NaNoWriMo. [MORE]

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Sunday, November 16

A SONNET • by Gabe Dybing

Every Day Poets is a magazine that specializes in bringing you fine, short poetry. Starting on 1st November 2008, Every day at 12:01am Pacific Time (8am GMT), we will be publishing a new poem of up to 60 lines/500 words or fewer that can be read during your lunch hour, on transit, or even over breakfast.


Check out Gabe Dybing's latest here.

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posted by talien at 6:50 PM | 0 comments links to this post


Awfully Familiar is Complete!

The first draft of Awfully Familiar is now complete! The entire story of Scrap has been written. I'm sure there a lot of rough patches (I had to go back and add in details that enhanced the story a few times), but overall I'm pleased with the end result. Awfully Familiar is the tale of a rat who has dreams of being a human boy, as he struggles to survive snakes, ogres, and witches. If he's smart and fast enough, he just might save a Kingdom from itself. It's 90,000 words in total.

28,545 words so far

I'm hopeful this young adult fantasy novel about a talking rat will find a publisher. If you're interested (cause, ya know, all these publishers read my blog I'm sure) let me know! [MORE]

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Thursday, November 13

Wisdom from World Fantasy

Fred Durbin has posted a recent entry about his visit to World Fantasy Con in Calgary [MORE]

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Saturday, November 8

NaNoWriMo Update

I dozed off, exhausted from the expenditure of magical energy that Yaga had taken from me.

I was lying in the street when the two burly men who had thrown Piper out of the Wizards School found me. I hadn't moved since the incident with Piper.

The man who stood before me, or rather his feet, as that was my perspective at the time, had curled shoes. Only a wizard had curled shoes.

A man grabbed each of my arms and yanked me upright. I got the distinct impression I was in trouble.

“Where is he?”

I got a good look at the wizard. He had curled eyebrows and a curled goatee, both a reddish brown. His nose was long and narrow. His hair wafted like a flame upwards, unruly and unkempt, but that’s wizards for you. He wore an outlandish outfit that made him look a bit more like a clown than a wizard, with a flaring collar. It was all purple, of course.

“Where is who?” I asked.

“The word magician! I know he was here. I can sense him!”

“You mean Piper?”

The wizard stroked his chin. “Yes. Piper.” He looked me up and down. “Who are you?”

“Tesso,” I said. I didn’t have a last name so I didn’t provide him one.

“Tesso, hmm?” The wizard extended his hand in what can only be described as a condescending shake, as if he half-expected me to kiss his hand rather than shake it. “I am Heer Halewijn, Guild Wizard. I have been recently assigned this district. And as Guild Wizard of this district, it is my distinct responsibility to monitor all unlicensed magic. And this …” the words dripping from his lips, “… PIPER, has violated the law.”

“You already had your chance,” I said, feeling oddly brave given the circumstances. Black had long since left, leaving me to face these three men alone. I had nothing to lose. “Piper applied and you rejected him.”

“I think you’re lying,” he said. “A little magic will pry your tongue loose.” He snapped at the two guards. “Hold him.”

The men tightened their grip on me. I wasn’t going anywhere.

Halewijn chanted something. As he did so, I could feel energy drain out of me, the same rush I felt when Piper did his magic.

Halewijn blinked. He looked back at the two men, and then at me. “What in …?”

“What’s up boss?” asked one of the men.

“The spell!” Halewijn shouted, as if he were bellowing over the roar of a crowd. “It didn’t just read the boy’s thoughts. It read everyone’s thoughts.” He rubbed his temples, struggling to regain his focus.

The two men eyed each other nervously.

“You’ve been stealing from me. Corwin, Spindle, you’re dismissed. I will no longer need your services.”

The men backed away, hands on the hilts of their weapons.

“Or I could just turn you into toads … “

They turned and ran.

Halewijn rubbed his temples for another minute. Then he gave me a curious stare, as if he were burrowing into my soul.

“I see now that you were telling the truth. But that leaves me with a single question: what do with you?” He snapped his fingers. “As punishment, you will be my servant. Come along.”

And that was how I became Halewijn’s apprentice.

13,478 words so far

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Friday, November 7

NaNoWriMo Update

We reached the dock with a thump. Lycus carefully lifted me off his shoulder and placed me onto the dock. He didn't step out of the tub.

I could tell by his eyes that he had already made up his mind. "You're not coming with me, are you?"

Lycus shook his head. "Here. I weaved this for you."

Lycus took a little black harness made of wool out of his pocket. He shrugged it on over my body. It fit perfectly.

"This is excellent craftsmanship!" I exclaimed, touched by his gift.

Lycus tucked the magical key onto the pouch on my back. "I had a great teacher." He patted the key on my back. "Keep it safe."

"And what about you?"

"I have to find Vasilissa, Scrap. She saved my life."

"If you hang onto that tub, Yaga will find you soon enough," I said. A world without Lycus seemed very frightening indeed.

"I want her to find me." Lycus undid the latch holding the broom to the back of the tub and dropped it in the water. "No more running."

"And when she finds you?"

Lycus grabbed the pole again and shoved off. "There's got to be something to exchange for Vasilissa that Yaga would value. I don't know what it is, yet, but I have to try."

"Just don't trade anything you'll need later," I said. "Like your soul."

Lycus smirked. "You neither," he said, receding in the distance. "When you see the boys, say hello for me!"

If I could cry, I would have. "I will! Goodbye Lycus! You've been a good friend!"

"Goodbye, Scrap. I'll see you soon!"

I didn't believe him.

Lycus let the current take him further downstream and soon he was out of sight.

I turned back to face the long road to Calximus City. There was no Lycus, no Will, no Scrap, nobody. Just me. I had come full circle, facing down ogres, evil princes, eagles, cats, monstrous rats, and witches. Now it was time to forge my own destiny; to get Black's boys back safely, and maybe, just maybe, forge my own path to being a human boy.


11,709 words so far

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Wednesday, November 5

NaNoWriMo Update

"I'm so sorry!" said Will, his normal grin carved into a sorrowful pout. "I didn't know!"

"Quiet you!" hissed Yaga. She tossed Lycus like a rag-doll onto the floor of her hut. I couldn't see Ivasik; if he was in the room, he was wisely hiding.

Stirred by the commotion, Dawn walked in, eyes wide.

"What happened Mama?"

"It's time," said Yaga. "The boy was trying to escape. Tonight I shall feast. Strip him down, tie him up and throw him in the pot."

There was sadness in Dawn's eyes, but she began to bind Lycus' arms. He said nothing, staring defiantly up at the witch.

"As for you," Yaga pointed a long clawed nail and I felt my will sap from me. I took a few stuttering steps out from Lycus' sleeve. "I think you'll make a nice addition to my menagerie."

She stalked over the shelf full of pickled creatures and pulled out an empty jar. Yaga slowly unscrewed the lid.

"Did you seriously think you could hide from me? I know the secrets of all that I create!" She reached down and plucked me up by the scruff of my rat neck. Then she dangled me over the jar.

This was it. I was a goner. Think, Scrap, think!

"Wait!" I squealed. "I can be of service to you!"

Yaga paused. I could see below me the noxious fumes of whatever was in the jar. It didn't look pleasant, and it smelled worse. All she had to do was stop squeezing her nails together and I would become a pickled rat.

"I'm listening."

"I have…power within me. I served the Marquis de Carabas in this fashion. I enhanced his spells!"

"Oh?" asked Yaga, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Is that so?"

"Why would I lie? If it's not true you can always pickle me. But surely as powerful a w—" I caught myself, "sorceress such as yourself can sense it."

Yaga's long nose drew closer, so close I could make out the wiry hairs that were on it and sticking out of it. How did I imagine this was a kindly old lady? Magic, I thought.

She sniffed at me, like some sort of predator. "Yes, yes I do smell something about you. Hmmm." My heart finally stopped pounding when she put the lid back on the jar. "Let's do a little test, shall we?"


8,334 words so far

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Monday, November 3

NaNoWriMo Update

Soon I saw it. Another fence, this one made of traditional iron, long since rusted. It had fallen apart and the gate was partially off its hinges. The graveyard was apart from wherever the village might be; perhaps out of superstition.

Yaga grunted. "Now, we will create some soul seeds." She stepped out of her tub. Then, holding one bony claw out before her, she closed her eyes.

For a moment nothing happened. Then slowly, something nudged the earth near one of the tilted gravestones. The ground wavered as if it were quicksand, and a corpse slowly floated to the surface.

"The soul seed is created from the heart, or where the heart used to be." She held one hand over the ribcage. "It is the very essence of the person's soul." Yaga closed her eyes and concentrated.

There was a flash of red light beneath the ribcage.

The corpse turned to powder, almost indistinguishable from the cemetery grounds. Yaga reached down and delicately plucked a single gemstone from the ground. She unscrewed the lid and tossed the gem into jar with me. It was easily the size of my head; peach-pit sized, at least.

"Now let's see if you can do any better, hmm?"

She screwed the lid back on and, holding me under one arm, extended her hand again. Yaga closed her eyes.

I closed my eyes too. This had better work…

I could feel the energy flow out of me and into Yaga, and from there out into the many corpses buried beneath the earth.

"Sorry fellas," I thought to myself. "I don't have any choice."

There was an explosion. Yaga took a step back as every corpse in the cemetery bobbed to the surface at once. Yaga stared, wide-eyed, as the energy continued to flow from her fingertips.

A red wave of heat thrummed from her outstretched hand, pulverizing the corpses. In each of their places was a single gemstone.

Yaga chortled, a horrible sound. "Magnificent!" she shouted. "I can harvest my seeds in half the time!"

"Will you let us go now?" I squeaked.

"Let you go?" Yaga pulled the jar near her to stare at me with one bloodshot eye. "Oh, no my dear. You're not going anywhere. You're about to become my familiar."


5,382 words so far

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Sunday, November 2

NaNoWriMo Update

I'm on track!
When I awoke, I noticed Ivasik staring at me from near the table on the opposite side of the room.

“Why are you over there?” I asked. There was a reason we both hid by the trees; it was a great hiding place.

“You’ll see,” said Ivasik.

That was all I needed. Screwing up my courage, I sprinted over to him. The curtain was thrust aside right after I joined him.

Yaga entered the main room with a pile of gems in one arm and a silver birch broom in the other. She leaned the broom against one wall and then bent down into some of the empty pots near the other odd trees. Yaga, humming to herself, dug a hole in each pot. She set then placed a gem in each hole, covered it up with dirt, and poured some water on it from a watering can.

When Yaga left, I crept out of my hiding place.

“You could have told me,” I snapped at Ivasik.

Ivasik shrugged. “I learned the hard way.”

“What’s with the broom?”

“It covers Yaga’s tracks,” said Ivasik.

I didn’t like the sound of that. People who covered their tracks were up to no good. I made a mental note that the broom could prove useful in the future.

I padded over to the pots. “Why is she planting gems in the dirt?”

“To grow trees,” said Ivasik.

Before I could ask him more, Nyx entered. I ran to get Lycus.

He stumbled out, rubbing his eyes. Nyx stopped what she was doing to stare at him.

“I uh…” he stammered, thrusting the scarf towards her, “…this is for you.”

Nyx took the scarf. “For…me?” Her eyes were wide. She stared down at it in awe.

Lycus shuffled his feet. “Yeah.”

“I didn’t know you could weave!” said Nyx breathlessly.

Lycus shrugged.

Nyx wrapped the scarf around her neck. She turned away to stare in a mirror that leaned against one wall, so that Lycus couldn’t see her. But from my perspective I saw her secret smile.

“I…this is very nice of you.”

“You’re welcome,” said Lycus.

She wiped her eyes.

“Are you all right?”

Nyx sniffed. “Yes, it’s just that…this is the nicest thing anyone’s done for me in a long time.”

Lycus shrugged again. “I figured I owed you.”

Nyx sat down, still wearing the scarf. “I didn’t do anything.”

Lycus shrugged. Around girls, it seemed to be Lycus’ preferred means of communication.

Yaga entered as the two sat at the table, trying studiously to avoid looking at each other. “What are you doing up so late?” she said to Lycus. Yaga was clearly agitated about something. “You can make yourself useful. I want all of my trees watered,” she pointed at the trees. “All of them. And if they aren’t watered then there will be grave consequences. They must all be watered before daybreak.” She stomped out of the room.
3,339 words so far

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posted by talien at 7:53 PM | 0 comments links to this post


NaNoWriMo Update

Lycus' plans fell apart quickly. His fear of the hag was overwhelmed by sheer exhaustion. As soon as she left, he crawled into his bed of rags and fell asleep immediately. Eliana came out shortly after Dawn went to bed.

"They sleep in shifts like clockwork," said Ivasik.

Mama Yaga went out and left Eliana in charge. Eliana went off to her own room, humming to herself. I considered waking Lycus and just running for it, but I suspected there were magical defenses in place that would let her or Eliana know.

I ran over to Lycus and tried to wake him, but it was impossible, even with a well-placed nip. The boy was exhausted.

Entering the main room again, I screwed up my courage and padded towards the chair.

"Taking another run at the table are you?" asked Ivasik.

"I'm considering it," I said.

"Going to bribe me with more food?"

I would have frowned at him if I had the face to do so. "Why?"

"I could help," said Ivasik. "If you get me more meat."

I shuddered at the thought. "No thanks. I'm thinking something a little less disgusting, like bread." There was a plate of bread just visible at the edge of the table.

Ivasik snorted. "Bread? Bah!" He turned around and curled up on the floor. "This will be fun to watch."

I was in a dilemma. The chair was going to swat me, of that I was sure. I had to get onto the table and get the bread off of it.

I took a step back to think. No I didn't! All I needed was the bread OFF the table. I was so fixated on getting the bread myself that I hadn't thought of the obvious!

I ran towards the chair.

"The chair's too far away from the table," said Ivasik. "You'll never make it."

I ignored him and bounded onto the leg of the chair. I scrambled up to the seat and then hurled myself off of it without stopping, right towards the table. It was too far away, just as Ivasik said. But it was close enough for the chair to reach…

WHAM! One of the wooden paws stretched out and took a swipe at me. It missed, but it struck the table.

"That was close," said Ivasik. "The next time it's going to—"

I ran up again, leaping along the legs of the chair. This time I could swear the entire chair moved, its four lion-like legs stabilizing it as it took a steadier swipe. It managed to catch the end of my tail, which spun me across the floor. I landed, a little dizzy but unhurt.

"You're crazy," said Ivasik, tail flicking. "Why don't you just give up?"

"Give up?" I said, panting. I darted towards the chair again. "I'm just getting started."

This time it was ready. The feet scrambled out of the way as I dove towards them. It took all my ratly might to grab onto it. The crossbar bent in an attempt to dislodge me, but I hurled myself up at it again and bounded off.

WHAM! The wooden paws just grazed my fur, but it hit solidly into the table. If I didn't know any better, I think I was making the chair mad.

There was wobbling sound as the dish on the table rotated on its axis from the impact. It started to fall…

The chair's arm snatched out to steady it, but a sliced piece of bread flipped end over end. I dove for it and, leaping, snatched it out of the air. The chair was so preoccupied with keeping the plate on the table that it didn't bother to stop me. Or perhaps it wasn't smart enough to know how.

Ivasik watched in surprise. "I don't believe you just pulled that off. You must really like bread."

I dragged the piece of bread out the front entrance. "It's not for me."

2,041 words so far

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Monday, September 15

Review of The Adventure Begins

The Beast of Barren Hill is great. It shows that things do not have to be magical or include monsters. It takes a very real look at the fierceness of a bear and comes up with alternate rules that make a bear scarier and also more realistic. And the fact there is a druid helping the bear out does not hurt either.

The Adventure Begins is a good collection of fun and easy to use low level adventures. I found myself wanting to use many of the adventures so I came up with different plot hooks and introduced them to the campaign. The players choose some and ignored others but it was great to give them options and let them choose were to go. Having twenty adventures to choose from really allows for a good number of options and a variety of different types of adventures. [MORE]

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Monday, August 11

Ozment's Story Most Read in July

Nick Ozment's "The Only Difference Between Men and Boys" on Every Day Fiction was the most-read story in July. On Aug. 15 they'll run an interview with Nick.

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Wednesday, August 6

Zombie CSU: Coming Soon!

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Tuesday, August 5

New Manly Movie

Dave and Nick have a new review up of the 1981 Tobe Hooper flick THE FUNHOUSE over at MANNING'S MANLY MOVIES: http://manning.coldfusionvideo.com.

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Sunday, July 6

What I'm Up to These Days

A few folks inquired about my latest writing endeavors over on ENWorld so I figured I'd give an update here rather than hijack the thread. Here's what I'm up to currently:

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MonkeyGod Presents returns to RPGnow/DTRPG

For various reasons the entire MonkeyGod catalog of products had been unavailable at RPGnow/DTRPG since the beginning of this year.

Not anymore!

All of the MonkeyGod products we were distributing are now back on sale at RPGnow/DTRPG, including such critically-acclaimed titles such as From Stone to Steel and Frost & Fur, and adventures like The Hero Snare (learn to fear kobolds), Hellstone Deep (venture to the lowest layers of hell) and ENnie-nominated Song of Storms.

And to celebrate, from July 4-7, the entire MonkeyGod Presents line is on sale at 50% off!

Enjoy.

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