So My Wife Can Make Boxes…

I feel so ridiculous. I sometimes forget that while my wife is both artistic AND crafty (especially when it comes to dominoes!) she is also extremely arts-n-craftsy (not the same thing as the former two). In discussing my Companion project on the way to the airport this morning, turns out she knows all about constructing boxes.

“It’s easy,” says she. Ugh!

Again, this is my own dumb-dumbness that has led me to waste a bunch of time. I never bothered to broach the subject because…well, frankly “interested” is not the adjective I’d use to describe my wife’s relation to the project. “Tolerant” might be better, possibly even “supportive.” But an enthusiastic collaborator? Well, not really.

But she’s getting better (I think MY enthusiasm might be a bit contagious). She’s even offered to do some artwork for me (yes, my wife does a bit of everything), though when I asked her about this three or four months back she was very reluctant on the subject. Now though, she’s willing to give it a shot (she doesn’t do fantasy art and says she’s “terrible with noses” but is willing to wing it).

Oh and yeah, the box thing. Apparently, putting together paperboard boxes is the height of simplicity once one has a template to mimic, which is easy to come by (pull apart an existing box you like). As far as doing the cover art, her printer at work can do large labels that can be cut and folded over the box top…there’s even a tool you can pick up at the Paper Zone that can be used to curl the label under, making the box look very professional…or so she assures me (and I’ve learned to trust my wife over the years).

So box issue solved, apparently. I’m still planning on checking out the Specialty Packaging place today, but now it seems I can move onto bigger fish to fry…like the cover, for example. My wife pointed out to me (again, this morning in the car…should have talked to her earlier!) that the cover is NOT a simple matter of doing a color print on 11x17 card stock (my original plan). For one thing, printers need margins and unless I plan on doing a “white” background (I had NOT intended that), I will need to have the cover professionally printed and cut to the correct specifications. Oh boy.

On the other hand, she now seems on board with paying to do a print run…oh boy!

Unfortunately, the one thing I neglected to talk to her about was getting the scanner synched with my Mac so I can start uploading my own art pieces. However, in texting her (prior to her plane’s take-off) she assured me that I should be able to do this myself if I can download the software on-line (huh? “Download?” Wha--?). Maybe I can get her to walk me through it tonight…

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany. In Mexico, this is celebrated as “Wise Men Day,” when children leave out their shoes for the Three Kings to bring them gifts (this is as close as they got to American Christmas/Santa until the last few years). I am a fortunate man to have such a loving wife that can shower me with the gift of her knowledge. Man, I hope I can use the next few days to good advantage!

Salud y felicidades, amigos!
: )

Four Hours O Sleep -- Urk!

...and no I wasn't writing. That will be tonight and the next couple days (unless I decide to crash after work, a strong possibility). Don't expect much posting, but I WILL be checking out the "box store;" I'll let everyone know if it's a boom or bust proposition.

Good morning, by the way! Hope everyone's day is going well!

: )

MS Word...You Son of a Bitch!!!

Ugh! Word processors. Microsoft word processors. THIS is why I wanted a Mac. Unfortunately, I am too comfortable with Word and too lazy about learning Pages to actually use my Mac processor...plus, no Mac at the regular work place (where I might occasionally jot some ideas or do a touch-up) so MSWord is the convenient medium for my writing projects.

But, O does it bite sometimes!

After close to 5 hours I FINALLY put my B/X Companion together in a semi-finished form...well, a readable form anyway, not a printable one. I had written in chapter by chapter so it was saved to various files (though with universal formatting except for the charts and such), so putting it together into one 64 page document (well, 62 pages with a couple blanks for artwork) was a necessary next step...not to mention headers and page numbers.

O You Bitch!

Finally, though it's done and ahhhhhh...it looks so nice. Almost good enough to print out. Oh, but not quite yet... Urk! I hate delayed gratification!

: )

Had a "team meeting" today and spent the entire hour drawing some fairly inspired (for me anyway) sketches, some of which may well make it into the Companion. Not that I intended to get all "Siembieda" on everyone, but the thing needs sprucing...till the submissions start pouring in, my own artwork might have to stand in. Time to get the wife to teach me how to use the scanner.

I have mentioned I am techno-challenged, right? : (

Anyway, threw the document into a .pdf file and am emailing it to the good Doctor (he who shall be doing maps for the accompanying module). He will be the first person besides myself to read its mysterious pages. Pros: he's excited and likes D&D. Cons: he knows shit about B/X (well, he does own Labyrinth Lord, having been hipped to it by Yours Truly, but it's Not The Same, you know?). Oh and he and I don't always see eye-to-eye on things. Ah, well...I need some feedback and he wants to read it. Plus, he's probably too broke to buy a copy.

Mmm...let's see, other good news? Yes, actually. One of my co-workers is a bit of an entrepreneur on the side, and I hit him for a place to buy boxes. Turns out he knew one: an arts-and-crafts kind o paper company specializing in packaging that's near my work and sells boxes for $.23 a piece. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! It's open till 6, so I'll be checking it out after work tomorrow. : )

I'm starting to get a good...scratch that...a GREAT feeling about this project, and it's kind of scaring me a little. One of my reasons for calling this blog Blackrazor is the soul-sucking properties this hobby can have on a person. But now I find myself confronting a different kind of void...one where I've never before ventured...private enterprise! Ha! Again, not that I plan to quit my day job or anything, but I AM having a tremendous amount of fun. I see why Gygax thought this beat the hell out of selling shoes....

; )

Damn...How Hard is it to Buy a Box?!

So, here I had mucho plans for writing work this evening and I've blown several hours surfing the net looking for a box company.

Oh, I did go down to Kinko's as well and price out how much it's going to cost to print up my book. Yes, yes I could probably do something cheaper, but this will work...at least for a prototype. In fact I should probably start working on getting a working mock-up printed just to see how the thing is gonna' look (and truth be told, I kinda' want to hold it in my hands, finished or not!).

: )

But boxes, sheesh!...you know, a while ago I was fortunate enough to find a couple copies of the Holmes edition Basic set in the used section of my local game shop, both still in their original boxes. Heck, I've even got a copy of Deluxe Hero Wars, still in the box (it was purchased used as well) and IT has more the dimensions I want for my game. But where does one buy boxes?

And I mean, cheap-ass boxes. After two hours of surfing, I seem to have found a couple places that will print up boxes with your own design/dimensions/logos, but they want orders of at least 1500. Let's be totally realistic here: if I sell 50 copies, I'll be doing well. If I sell 100, I'll be ecstatic. But never in my wildest dreams would I imagine that I'd need 1500 boxes (maybe if B/X play takes the country by storm? Nah).

Is there a way to buy plain boxes, print up paper covers, and paste 'em on? I mean really, free time IS at a minimum, but so is cold, hard cash. I don't mind doing "self-assembly" while sitting around watching the On Demand TV.

Looking over Dungeons & Digressions own little retro-box set, I certainly don't want to go crazy with spray paint (my lungs have taken enough abuse over the years). But I'd still like to know how he got the LL images on the box. I know Kinko's doesn't do boxes (I asked).

Anyway, I found a little company here in Seattle called Universal Paper Box that, Lo and Behold, actually advertises game boxes on their web site. But I'm guessing they, too, are going to want a large pre-order. I don't know yet, but as I won't have a chance to talk to them till Friday, I'll have to wait to find out. In the meantime, if any of you cool cats have some pointers or insights for me, let me know.

In the meantime, new game theory and other "fun" posts should be returning shortly (I hope). Hmm...should probably jot down a few ideas for posts tomorrow.

; )

So Where's This Companion, Anyway?

Yeah, it’s written, proofed, edited, and formatted but it ain’t done. There are a few things that need to be added before it’s complete, and I’m NOT just talking art.

First off, it needs both a table of contents and an index. Unfortunately, I’m kind of holding off on these until the art gets added, as I know page numbers are going to change and I don’t want to have to do the whole thing twice. On the other hand, I can certainly get the base topics and contents typed up withOUT the page numbers so they’re ready to go…but I just haven’t done so. This is a bit of laziness on my part (or under-prioritization around the home front); however, I anticipate having a bunch of free time in the next few days for buckling down and getting this done.

Second off, let’s talk art. So far I’ve been contacted by three folks that are interested in submitting pieces and I’ve emailed a couple others that expressed interest earlier last month. Right now, I’m waiting to get stuff back.

For me, this is the most challenging part of the program: waiting. I’m not paying folks so I can’t impose deadlines, but man, I’d like to get this thing out no later than February. However, as with the Contents and Index there are still proactive actions I can take while I wait.

For one thing, I dug out my own sketch book, and damn it I’m going to try my own hand at some illustrating. We had dinner with some (non-gaming) friends the other day and when I told them about my project, they were fairly excited. The wife has self-published a couple publications herself, and gave me several pieces of advice on the process, especially with regard to the art (like having interns from the Art Institute clean-up the jpeg line drawings for free). I am now carrying my sketch book with me at all times, and will work on drawings during my breaks.

For another thing, I haven’t got on the cover art yet. I’ve got to hit up my buddy, Joel, and I just haven’t taken the time to do so. HIM I might need to pay, but it will be worth it to get a full color cover for this baby. But I need to talk to him, and that’s another thing I’ve been slacking on.

By the way: does anyone out there know how the hell to get in contact with Erol Otus? I mean, I might as well shoot him an email and see if he is at all interested in doing a sequel to his original covers of the Basic and Expert sets. I have no idea how much he’d charge for such a project, but it’s worth asking…I know he’s done work for other Old School game product, but I couldn’t find a web address for him (his official web site seems to be “under construction”). If anyone knows how to contact/contract The Great One, please comment here or email me at bxblackrazor AT gmail DOT com.

All right SO…contents, index, art, what more is needed to roll this out to the public. Well, shoot…I wanted to keep this under wraps because it might fall through, but now that it’s starting to pick up some momentum: um...my intention is to release this thing as a box set WITH an introductory adventure module.

Ugh. I grimace as a I look at that sentence. Especially, as I should probably make life easy on myself and release this as a pdf download. However, I want a module! I’ve written before (more than once) that the introductory modules packaged with the Basic and Expert sets (B2 and X1) were incredibly helpful in INFORMING play. Plus it’s more bang for your buck, pure and simple.

So, I’m working on a module for inclusion; I’ve already got the basic outline, some new monsters, and some ideas for using the new material presented in the Companion. I will be doing my best to keep the adventure from falling into the pit traps of TSR’s latter day modules (specifically the linear plot lines and kill-kill-kill attitudes). My buddy is going to do the maps, and shoot…I have such a conflagration of inspiration right now, I hope I can churn out the text by the end of this weekend (the Seahawks are done for the season…thank goodness!...and my wife will be out of town on business). Ambitious? Sure. Unrealistic? Maybe…but I’ve got to wait for the art anyway, right?

Regarding THE BOX: in my mind’s eye I see a much slimmer box than the one used for the original Basic, Expert, and BECMI sets. This is due to the fact that I am simply packaging two slim books (I will NOT be including dice or crayons). This may be the silliest idea of the whole project, and if worse comes to worse I’ll just shrink-wrap the Companion rules with the module. But I would like a box for this opus. And I know that on one of these blogs, somewhere, there was a discussion on “putting together your own box set” where some dude re-created an original boxed game (though I think using a retro-clone). I haven’t been able to find that post again (I think I saw it back in August or September…why didn’t I bookmark it?!), but somewhere there must be a company that makes boxes. After all, where do all the boxes for board games and such come from? I sure as hell don’t know!

Welp, that’s about all the updates I can give at this time. Again, I’m shooting for a February release. Price will be based on my costs plus shipping and handling, but I’m not looking to make money off this thing. My goal is to just get out to people in a form that…well, in a form that I wouldn’t mind buying myself. It’s pretty neat…I’ll let you know when it’s ready.

: )

Starting Up 2010

All right…now it’s really time to start the New Year, which for me means get back into the habit o regular posts. My holiday season was absolutely KER-razy busy (as I’m sure is the case with a lot o folks), but now my wife and I are settling back to our old routines…and blogging is a happy habit for yours truly.

Now of course I DID manage to find some time for writing/posting the last week of December, but rather than blogging I used it to finish up my B/X Companion – something with which I am absolutely thrilled over. Thing is, I’ve been working on half-a-dozen or so RPG designs over the last several years (for fun, mind you…I’m not a part of “the industry”), but this is the first project I’ve ever completed.

Perhaps that seems like little to some of you folks, but for me it’s frankly amazing. And I think the reason I was able to finish this project (as opposed to the many others) is two-fold:

a) a passionate love of B/X Dungeons & Dragons, re-kindled by you Old School gamers that have taken the time to start up your own blogs (I find you all so inspiring)

b) the support and encouragement of the folks that actually READ my blog…I can’t stress enough the impact that even three or four comments can have on a guy’s psyche/ego, giving me that “push” over the top

In other words, I owe my success to YOU folks. And this book is getting published (eventually) for YOU folks. And though I certainly intend to charge you all, rather than make it a free download, I have ulterior reasons for doing so.

Before I get to THOSE (probably in a separate post), let me just reference a fairly good film I watched over the weekend: Julie and Julia. For me, the “fairly good part” was the stuff with Meryl Streep; I would have enjoyed the film more (perhaps) if it had simply been a biography of Julia Child. As it was, it’s still worth the watch.

However, as a blogger myself, I found the other half of the movie interesting and pertinent (if not as engaging, story-wise). Here’s this girl in a cubicle job that finds something passionate to blog about and actually accomplishes some concrete goals in the process…in addition to getting back to her writing roots.

Let me tell you folks, I can certainly relate to the subject matter. I don’t kid myself that MY blog is any high form of art…or even anything more than ramblings and meanderings on a subject I heartily enjoy. But it sure is nice to connect to like-minded individuals…and damn, I really did need an outlet for creative expression, even if only a blog form! So again, thanks for reading. I hope that I can continue in 2010 and continue to entertain folks and provide decent content for perusal.

Happy New Year indeed.

Happy New Year! Give Me Your Artwork!

So as I posted last night, the text for my B/X Companion project has been completed, and it should be rolled out for purchase sometime in the next couple months (*hope*hope*). Even after reducing the font size and shrinking margins, the thing came close to fitting my expectations. There's room for a little more than 6 pages of artwork PLUS the cover leaf and the cover.

So now comes my plea for artwork. While I could certainly include my own B&W line art (the only kind I do), my stuff barely on par with the worst of that offered in the original Basic and Expert sets. Which is, of course, what I'm shooting for. Some folks have already expressed interest in contributing pieces and after looking at their web sites, I see there's a LOT of talented folks out there...stuff I'd much prefer to my own work.

So I'm soliciting submissions. Here's what I'm looking for:

- ORIGINAL artwork (please, please only YOUR OWN stuff!): you get to keep all rights to your material and may freely recycle it/re-sell it for other projects. I'm just looking to make my book a little "spruced up." All pictures should be marked with your signature or symbol or whatever for easy identification.

- Scanned images in .jpg format: I readily admit that I am fairly ham-handed with computer gizmos, but software these days can make even my lay-out look adequate. I can easily paste jpegs into my document and size them to fit...and that's about the extent of my abilities.

- Small, simple, black&white drawings: those who have been following this project on my blog knows that I am trying to put together something that matches the look and feel of the original Moldvay/Cook/Marsh books. Images will be sized to fit in columns or as "banners" across tops and bottoms of pages. I don't plan any full-page images (the cover leaf will be the largest), and most should be small enough to plug-in throughout the text. Reference the B/X books to see what I mean!

Here is the total amount of space per chapter available (the number represents a CONSERVATIVE rough % of a single 8.5 X 11 inch page):

Cover leaf -- half to three-quarters of a page

Part 1: Introduction -- .25 (about one small image)

Part 2: PC Info -- .75

Part 3: Spells -- 1.25

Part 4: The Adventure -- .25

Part 5: The Encounter -- .25

Part 6: Monsters -- 1.5

Part 7: Treasure -- .9

Part 8: DM Info -- .75

Part 9: Special Adventures -- .2

Not a whole lot of space. I'm hoping for 3 or 4 half-page images (including the cover leaf) plus another 20-22 smaller images. I prefer the illustrations be pertinent to the chapter within which they appear, though images appearing at the end of a section may apply to the chapter that follows.

Artists interested in doing work for particular chapters (especially Part 6: Monsters) can email me for ideas on theme and composition. I can provide partial lists of things like spells, monsters, and magic items to artists that are interested in drawing specific images (partial because there are some things I'd rather leave to the readers' imaginations!). However, if you just have a fun picture you want to submit, I'll be happy to look at it and see if I can fit it in somewhere!

All submissions (again, .jpg format for attachments) can be emailed to me at my blog profile email address: bxblackrazor AT gmail DOT com

Again, anything you submit should be YOUR original art! Please include your full name (or name as you'd like it to appear) so that I can properly credit you in the book. Multiple submissions are fine, though I'd ask they be in separate emails.

Of course, I have no money to pay anyone. Substantial contributors will probably receive a free copy of the finished project...well, 'cause I'd feel like a heel otherwise.

Just remember: the sooner I can get the artwork, the quicker this thing gets put out. I'm not looking for masterworks, just nice little drawings to fill the space and give the Companion an "old school" feeling. Space is limited but there IS space...I appreciate anything you want to send me! If you feel like you want to submit something big (like the cover leaf illustration), please feel free to email me ahead of time for discussion.

REGARDING THE COVER: The original cover art for the Basic and Expert sets are probably my favorite pieces ever done by Erol Otus. I especially like how the Expert cover integrates the Basic cover into its composition. In my ideal world, this is a technique I'd like to see for my Companion book...but it may be difficult due to the challenge of finding a proficient cover artist. While I can draw a sword equal to the one on page 24 of the Basic set, I have no skill or experience working with paint, color, or even computer art programs. If ANYONE wants to tackle this, please contact me at the email listed with the subject "Cover Art." Otherwise, I've got some rough composition sketches done and I'll try to tap one of my old college buddies for the painting.

Thanks folks. I've reached the point of the project where I can no longer "go it alone" and I really, REALLY appreciate any help you can provide me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!