In looking at the projects that I have in various states of completion, I’ve opened myself up to the a new possibility – letting someone else write some bits.

I KNOW, I know, it sounds crazy. Especially if you know me. I’m one of those types who has to do everything himself, even if that means it doesn’t get done. But with so many projects in the air, it makes sense to at least think about having someone take a stab at some of this work.

Take, for example, Codename: Gremlin Persistent Malice. The nuts and bolts of this game are all in place. What it’s lacking is some flavor text and narrative. And it’s been in this state for I think about two years. That’s just crazy.

I was reading the stream last week, and the subject of freelancing came up, and for the first time I started to give serious thought to bringing in other people.

To that end, I’m looking to talk to a couple people who are interested in freelancing for one of my secret projects. It’s paid work, but it doesn’t pay top of the scale.

Here’s what I need:

1. A Writer – Specifically, I’m looking for a fiction writer with a gaming bent. I don’t need a game designer right now – the game is designed, and the mechanics are written out. I need someone to fill in some narrative and descriptive texts, and maybe to add in missing sections from notes if necessary.
2. A Vector Artist/Icon Designer – I need a few icons done as vector graphics. I have rough ideas for a couple of them, but mostly I just need to hand this task to someone and have them get it done.
3. A Character Sheet Guy – Shambles doesn’t yet have a character sheet, and neither do any of the other games. You might be the same guy as the Vector Artist / Icon Designer.

To be clear – these are pocket money jobs. But there could be opportunities for longer-term work depending on how things work out.

If you’re interested, and we’ll negotiate. Feel free to comment here or reply on Twitter, but if you want to apply you will need to send me an email.

o/” You’re Older Than You’ve Ever Been,
And Now You’re Even Older.
And Now You’re Even Older.
And Now You’re Even Older.
You’re Older Than You’ve Ever Been,
And Now You’re Even Older.
And Now You’re Older Still. o/”

My odometer rolled today. It’s not a significant number, but I’m One Older Than Yesterday.

I have a wish list and all, but I don’t really need anything. Rather than get me something, I’d be thrilled if you gave the money to a teacher who can use it. I’ve set up a birthday giving page over at Donors Choose – a site that I think is really great. Make a donation to them through that page, and then drop me a line or leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter. I’m working on a little something special for anyone who makes a donation of any amount.

Best wishes to all. And even if it’s not your birthday, this video applies to you:

Not a strong week for me, but an important one.

1. Shambles – Congrats to the Artist on a fine wedding. Come back soon and get to drawing!
2. Codename: Obnoxious Howler Monkey – Still waiting for a couple parts.
3. Codename: Simulated Jocular Anaconda – This project is becoming an Albatross. So I sat down and did some review on this one and set up some structure for working on it. I didn’t get much written, but I did get the ball rolling. I’ve decided I won’t work on other writing projects until I have a first draft of this one.
4. Codename: Insignificant Diversionary Anaconda – Unchanged. Nothing much to do on this one right now until more playtests come back from the field.
5. Shambles Source Material – Unchanged.
6. Codename: Unwashed Repeat Pedestrian – Unchanged.
7. Codename: Enormous Intersected Automaton – Did just a little bit of work on this one, before vowing to only work on the other project above.
8. Codename: Gremlin Persistent Malice – Unchanged.
9. Codename: Cackle Smash Soup – Unchanged.
10. Codename: Tactical Plastic Laser – Unchanged.

Excuse Of The Week: Work is just NUTS.

After last week’s non-update, I was determined to better this week. And I have!

1. Shambles – Got in another piece of art, but still in a holding pattern waiting for art.
2. Codename: Obnoxious Howler Monkey – Found some of the parts I needed. Technically I now have enough to complete initial assembly, but I’d prefer to wait until I have a couple more parts.
3. Codename: Simulated Jocular Anaconda – Unchanged. This is becoming an issue.
4. Codename: Insignificant Diversionary Anaconda – Unchanged. Nothing much to do on this one right now.
5. Shambles Source Material – Unchanged.
6. Codename: Unwashed Repeat Pedestrian – Unchanged.
7. Codename: Enormous Intersected Automaton – Read through the work I’d done on this one so far, and realized it’s less done than I expected. Spent some time working on the system.
8. Codename: Gremlin Persistent Malice – Unchanged.
9. Codename: Cackle Smash Soup – Unchanged.
10. Codename: Tactical Plastic Laser – Unchanged.

Excuse Of The Week: As previously noted, my brain keeps giving me more ideas that need to be worked on.

I am less filled with shame than I was last week.

Dear Brain,

As you know, I am already tracking 10 Secret Projects that are currently in various states of completion.

As you also know, the 10 Secret Projects do not include the 58 other projects currently listed in my Crazy Schemes spreadsheet.

Brain if I were to be optimistic, if I quit my job and only worked on Secret Projects and Crazy Schemes, I could probably finish one of these projects a month. However, as I’m sure you know, I would be unable to fund the projects without my job. I’m just guessing here, but I think that in order to hold my job AND work on Secret Projects and Crazy Schemes, I will only be able to finish a project every three months (if I continue being optimistic). At that rate, given my current list of Secret Projects and Crazy Schemes, I will be caught up in 17 years.

You know this, Brain. You knew this a week ago, and you knew it last month. I’m pretty sure we even talked about it a year ago.

So why do you keep giving me new ideas for projects that I need to work on NOW? You’ve given me five really good ideas in the last two weeks. And they are GREAT ideas – I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, or like you’re not doing a great job. You are. You’re the best Brain I’ve ever had, and you come up with some great ideas.

But I need some time to catch up.

I love you, Brain, but I need you to focus in on the stuff that’s on my 10 Secret Projects list. If you do, I promise I’ll stop filling you with Futurama reruns and Top Chef background noise. I may even stop killing you with beer and whiskey.

It’s your move, Brain. I know you’ll do the right thing.

Sincerely,
Me

PS – Please don’t get upset with me and shut down completely. Given the choice between having too many ideas, and none, I’d rather you keep giving me ideas. I just really need to get caught up.

Was delighted this weekend to receive an unexpected bit of Shambles art.  Amidst the frantic prep for her wedding, the artist managed to do a final version of the bathroom scene, butt and all.

I love it.  And every finished piece gets me one piece closer to done.  ”

Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better.”

After a couple weeks of posting Secret Project Updates, it seems a couple other folk have decided to do the same.

They’re doing it over at allgeektout, The Spirits of Eden, and Of Dice And Men.  Judging from a comment over at allgeektout, Siskoid may or may not be throwing a hat in as well.

Nifty! I feel sorta famous.

Not really.

Anyway, in light of the tremendous outpouring of popularity (as measure by three people plus maybe one.  TREMENDOUS POPULARITY SHUT UP.) I propose the forming of Secret Project Update Club, or SPUC. I like the name because it sounds like we should be meeting in a treehouse with a No Girls sign on the ladder. (For the record, Girls Welcome).

Of course, SPUC needs a Charter.  I’ve written an extensive one, but most of it is not available for public viewing or peer review.  But here are the relevant parts of the SPUC Charter:

1. Post once a week, updating your readers about any projects that are in progress, especially if you didn’t work on your projects.  I think Wednesday makes a good day, because it gives me a mid-week kick in the pants if I’m not getting anything done.  Therefore Wednesday is now to be know as SPUC day.  Please take note of this everyone who makes calendars.
2. Any projects that you haven’t yet revealed to the public should be referred to using an awesome Secret Code Name.  You should pick unique names that no one else is using, so that we can talk about them to each other without any confusion.
3. Your secret projects had better be real.  Don’t just list a lot of code names and make stuff up.  The punishment for doing so is covered elsewhere in the Charter.
4. Anyone who tells you that you can’t join SPUC, have to join SPUC or that you have to leave SPUC or cannot leave SPUC is a dirty rotten liar.  You join SPUC when you start posting Secret Project Updates.  You leave SPUC when you stop doing so.  SPUC is primarily about Gaming projects, but since the projects are all secret anyway, it doesn’t really matter.  They can be anything from gaming to prop to knitting to pit fighting projects, as long as you follow the rest of the Charter.
5. When a member of SPUC completes a project, other members must pat them on the back and say “GREAT JERB!” When a member of SPUC abandons a project or leaves SPUC, other members must hit them in the knees with ax handles and shout “THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS.”

There are lots more rules, they are all in the Charter.  I’ll let you know when we run into one.  If you think a rule is in the Charter, feel free to say it is.  It’s probably true.

If you’re joining up with SPUC, leave a comment below so people know where to find you.  A master list will be available in the Charter.

Stop me if this sounds familiar.

Without actually adding it all up, I probably have spend many hundreds of dollars on games.  I can’t even say “invested” because that’s a lie.  And I’m probably lowballing, because I don’t want to think about it too much.  But I’ve got stacks, shelves and boxes of table top games, core books, source books, miniatures, maps, pdfs, and gaming accessories galore.

Of this huge pile of gaming ‘stuff’ I would have to say that I’ve probably actually used 10% as it was intended.  That means I’ve either played it, run it, or used it when running a game.  The rest of the stuff I bought knowing I’d probably never get a chance to play it.  All the same, I wanted it.  Sometimes I never stopped to think why.  And I certainly don’t know why some games have not yet made it into my library.

Looking back over my stuff, and thinking about my purchases and playing habits, I’ve compiled a list of the reasons I bring a game home.

1. I have every intention of playing it or running it.  I might not get to them, but when I buy them I have a specific scenario in mind (run this at the next convention, set up a monthly session, etc.)
2. I love the concept.  I’ve bought a large number of games simply because I liked the thinking behind the game.  In some cases, I bought the game on concept alone, in spite of poor execution.
3. I Have To Own Everything Related TO XYZ. This is a weird one, but it first hit me in High School, when I was buying Top Secret source books from the mall’s Waldenbooks store.  I probably had every Top Secret source book ever published. I never played it once, but I did use the weapons from one book in a Recon game.
4. It’s Good For The Price. Sometimes this is a game I only sorta want to check out, and find in the dollar bin.  Sometimes this is a decent looking game that’s just too cheap to pass up.
5. Supporting Someone Cool. I’ve bought a small handful of games specifically  because I wanted the person on the other end to get another sale.

Understanding why I bring a game home will help me understand how to sell a game to myself.  But I’m curious to know A – if everyone else does the same thing, and B – if some of you have other, more interesting reasons that you bring a game home from the store.  Please, share comments below.

Just a quick update on the Shambles art.  As the artist who is working on Shambles is frantically preparing for her wedding on the 22nd, it may be a couple weeks before we see any more art for Shambles.  However, we should still be able to hit the October timeframe for release and availability.  Cross your fingers, knock on wood, and so on.

For a point of reference, I am not doing the art myself, because my art looks like this:

This is why I don't draw.