Busy doing a hundred things it seems...

[Gamerprinter]

Robbie, the admin, messaged me on FB and noted I haven't been at the guild much lately - so I thought I'd give you an update on what I've been doing (and that I will again start posting content I've been doing and continue to do.)

On the homefront, I'm being the "good son" and parent-sitting both my parents. So I do all the cooking, cleaning, clothes washing, taking care of the yard, doing the shopping, taking the parents to medical appointments. So much of my days are shot from doing any mapping - that's what I do when they go to bed...

On Freelance cartography: I've just completed 3 maps for Purple Duck Games for a modern horror module using Marvel Superhero RPG rules (they contained a weird event grid, not square, not hex, but random and different sized shapes that pertain to activities or events, rather than scale.) Also last month I did an 18 map commission for Legendary Games for a full five module adventure path using Pathfinder Beginner Box rules. Earlier this year, I did five city maps for Louis Porter Jr. Designs.

For the last year and a half, I've had a sci-fi bug I wanted to feed, so I began creating a series of star ship deck plans and star ports, mining outposts and other locations suitable for a sci-fi game as personal maps. Not having other adequate star ship ship rules, I've been using Traveller RPG rules to configure the ships as far as required tonnage for drives, fuel storage, living areas, etc. Consequently, Paizo Publishing announced a few months ago, that next year they are releasing a science fantasy game based off of Pathfinder RPG called Starfinder - timing, huh? Louis Porter Jr. plans to create a monthly ezine supporting Starfinder and has asked me to provide a deck plan for each monthly issue - I've created nine deck plans so far. Also Louis has been publishing map content as stock art for publishers, and all my deck plans and outposts are being sold at a higher price point with licensing for use in publications, to publicly released versions.

Edit: oh, and Russell Morrissey of EN Publishing (who runs ENWorld and sponsors the Ennies) created a game system called What's O.L.D. is N.E.W. (WOIN) and he wanted 3rd party support for his game system (which works for fantasy and sci-fi), so he has offered all the W.O.I.N. star ship stats for my existing star ship deck plans, and I've released them as an alternate product, with W.O.I.N. compatibility logo on the cover.

Regarding my Kaidan setting of Japanese Horror (PFRPG), my published homebrew, under Rite Publishing. We are trying to wrap up the last illustrations prior to my final page layout for the Gamemaster's Guide to Kaidan to be sent to the printers and then released to Kickstarter contributors and the general public. Tragically, Steven Russell of Rite Publishing (the publisher) was killed in an automobile accident on this past July 5th. So all of his publications are on hold, until his wife gains full control of the publishing company through probate. All the freelancers who worked for Steve, including myself, are anxious to complete the projects we are all currently working on - and possibly takeover the company to continue new publications. I am anticipating everything working out, just a temporary delay while the dust settles.

Probably because of Steven's death, I've been approached by several of the freelance writer/designers that I've done past Rite Publishing projects with. Trevor H. Gulliver wrote all of Rite Publishing's Haunt supplements, including #30 Haunts for Kaidan - we worked so well together, and that haunt release was among the most notable by reviewers. He asked if I'd be interested in publishing an ongoing series of one-shot horror adventure modules based on maps I've already created and new maps I create specifically for this project. So I agreed. We're calling the series Dark Places, and the first edition of that series is Dead in Space, which will feature haunted locations aboard 2 star ships and a mining outpost map I created. Interestingly most writers write modules that cartographers are asked to create supporting maps. In this case, I already have maps and adventures are being written based on them - a creative process I thoroughly approve of.

My December 2008 Map Challenge entry - Twelve Nights of Yuleblood, I am now having Jonathan McAnulty (who wrote most of the adventures and supplements for the Kaidan setting of Japanese horror) write a single level adventure module based on a portion of that story line. I intend to publish the map, the "not for children" Children's Book (which I created with that map challenge entry), and Jonathan's module based on that as a Christmas release this year.

Last summer, I started working on a Pathfinder RPG based Old West and Horror setting I'm calling Gothic Western. Well I asked for a writer to create a 1st level adventure module for that setting, which he's just completed. Once I get the rules we've built, the included class archetypes and setting info together, I'll be publishing that adventure.

With the completion of that project, I am having that same author/designer, Jonathan Newell, write an adventure module for 2 contest maps (including a Guild challenge entry for a speed mapping challenge a few years ago) I did back in 2008 and 2009. Its a higher level horror adventure with the lich pontiff of the Church of Orcus - my Necromancer's Lair map.

Oh, and I entered a sci-fi dungeon and half page module for the 2016 One Page Dungeon Contest, and though not a big winner, I did make the Penultimate Winner's Circle - so I was one of the lesser winners of that.

Like I said, I've been busy, but I will post some of the content I have and am creating now.

GP

[Robbie]

Welcome back GP! Good chat today!

That sucks to hear about Rite Pub

[snodsy]

Wow; had no idea that you were so involved in so many adventure , very impressive, wish I was better connected to this world, would love to do some game board maps and design. Look forward to seeing more of your posts.

[Gamerprinter]

Snodsy, I got myself connected by actively pursuing just that, and it pretty much started here. Having participated and win a number of Monthly Map Challenges here, got publishers desiring my work in their projects. After doing the February 2009 Challenge, I created a feudal Japan map, as well as a set of ukiyo-e (Japanese wood block print art) map objects used in that map. This got me wanting to finally publish my D&D homebrew setting, the Kaidan setting of Japanese Horror. Since I'd done some map work with Steven Russell of Rite Publishing, I approached him with my interest to publish my setting. We ran some patronage projects, including a Kickstarter and got a trilogy of adventure modules set in Kaidan published. The Kickstarter paid for the upcoming Gamemaster's Guide to Kaidan. As a freelancer working with Rite Publishing, I got hooked up with several author/game designers, artists, editors. I've been co-publishing Kaidan material since 2010. This is where I got most of my industry connections. Because Steven was well known, I also got connected with Paizo Publishing (the creators of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game), Legendary Games, Louis Porter Jr. Publishing, Stormbunny Studios, and FASA Games. And I've subsequently performed map commissions for all those publishers.

Because for the past several years I've been self-publishing my own personal map designs under my Gamer Printshop company as publisher, now many of those writer/designers are approaching me to publish the modules they write. I am now a full-fledged publisher, and as stated above, got 4 adventures either being written now, or readying for publication. Plus I may be a primary for whatever publishing company grows out of the freelancers for Rite Publishing.

[Redrobes]

Crikey ! You are busy !

I noticed that you had not posted a while and clicked on your sig link and found the printshop web site unavailable and wondered if you had thrown the towel in on it all. Seems as tho I could not have been more wrong ! Pleasntly enlightened to hear of your continuing and new RPG avenues.

[Jaxilon]

Yeah, nice load you got going on there. Make sure to take your vitamins, it's got to be a bit of extra work taking care of parents with all that other stuff going on. I support your sci-fi burn as I've been feeling that myself for quite a while but unlike some folks here I'm not as prolific as I'd like. I think sometimes, the more you do the more you keep doing. I still have a big project I worked on that has been hung for over a year now...I'd really like to share that but who knows when/if that will ever happen. Combine that with my "no time to draw" problems and I'm a ship in still waters. Anyway, thanks for updating us on all your goings on and we'll watch to see your stuff as it comes out.

I just realized I missed the one page contest this year? Harumph!