I am who I am...

So let’s see what’s going on around here…

[RANT] It has been almost a year since I decided to put on the camie jamies. It was a fun year but I am unsure of whether or not I am going to re-enlist. While it has been fun while it lasted, I really don’t feel like the Army (or at least the unit I signed on for) really wants me there. I hear stories about how I am not the only one who is being abused and ignored. I hear how that is the way things are and that I should have remembered what it was like before I re-uped. Here is my take on the whole thing…SCREW the way it is. Why not make it the way it SHOULD be?

People know there is a problem and they decide they can do nothing about it because it is either too hard or the people involved are too stupid. I don’t like that attitude. If you see a problem… fix it. If the system is broken…repair or replace the system. I love it when you are confronting a problem and some one says, “you know how they/ it are/is.” When some one tells me that I really just want to jump in their grill and ask them “what if I don’t like the way THEY are?” What if the way THEY are is severely stepping on my tail and getting my hair up?

The point is… Either they are going to have to affect some major changes (like giving me what I need to do my job) or I am going to walk. I’ll join the girl scouts. For those of you on this side of a drill sergeant you know that there is a slim chance of that… you know how THEY are…[END RANT]

So in other news… Lots of big things going on in and around the pencil. Hopping in and out of Phil Reed’s site Ronin Arts one can find not only some of the coolest supplements for the d20 and open gaming community, but also you can find the news and updates for the FASERIP project (tentatively titled “Four Color”). Phil has already chewed through the “Basic” part of the system and should be moving onto the advanced side of the house. I am really excited about this project, as it will open the small but loyal fan base up to new material that can be produced by anyone under an open license. So not only will publishers be able to create new material for this great system but fans of the new system can find various sources over the net where this stuff is being distributed. Sweet.

Mutants and Masterminds . You know it… You love it… and you can create for it too (if you have the skills and the will). You just have to make sure what you are writing isn’t crap. M&M will license to anyone who is not a hack and can make a product that will match up with their vision of M&M. My thoughts on that is that it is a good idea in that who wants their name dragged down by some second rate developer with delusions of grandeur. Phil Reed is putting out a magazine tentatively entitled Mastermind Magazine (yep he is a busy guy, see above paragraph). I petitioned (stalked) Phil and asked to do some illustrating for the new magazine. He graciously supported the idea (restraining order to follow) and I should have an illustration in an upcoming issue. Not a huge break but I am excited about it as I am a fan of the game Any chance to get people to look at my stuff is a good one.

We’ll see what happens and whether or not I can make the grade as in illustrator… or I fall flat as an ill-ah-faker.

Regards,

Walt

Please feel free to visit my

I can't believe they can do that...

Ahhh... It was called FASERIP and it is an acronym for the basic attributes behind the Marvel Super Heroes Role Playing Game! This game came out in the eighties and was supported until the TSR crash in the early nineties. It was a game ahead of its time and had some great ideas that pushed the envelope of the time. Games back then were complicated and full of tables and numbers that did nothing but slow down the games.

In a world of rules heavy volumes with tomes of overwhelming info... Marvel Supers was a breath of fresh air. You could create characters in under an hour and the rules were comprehensive and light at the same time. You could go to the store, pick up the box set and be playing that evening. Best of all was the fact that it was the Marvel Universe.

After TSR crashed, a few loyal fans kept the fan fires burning. Chief among the sites were CLASSIC MARVEL and MARVELRPG. Not seeking any profit for their endeavors, these carriers of the Marvel Torch kept their game on the internet and free to the fans. These sites not only kept the game available but in some cases produced new content to update the game they loved.

"But didn't you already post about this...?"

Yep. But...you can consider this an update.

With the world of comics taking a nose dive in the late nineties, only recently have they started to gain in popularity again. Is it the war? Is it the fact that people feel besieged on all sides? Whatever the case, this has been good for Comic book RPG's. Hero, GURPS, Mutants and Masterminds, and Blood and Vigilance are but a few names of games that have been in the spotlight as of late. Whatever the reason, these games bring the hope and heroism of comics to the RPG community.

Phil Reed of Ronin Arts is looking to bring FASERIP back into the spotlight. Although there are more complex games out there to run, FASERIP is great for quick games that are light on the rules and heavy on the fun. By re-creating the rules in an Open Content format would allow publishers to create adventures and support material for it. This wouldn't allow the Marvel content to be touched but the new material would be 100% compatible with the actual rules and stuff published back in the day.

This is good news for old and new fans alike. New fans can see the benefit to these rules while having fully supported material being released on a regular basis. Old fans can see this same new material being 100% compatible with the rules they already enjoy (and have the new content published by professional game developers).

So why am I even writing about this? I helped to fund the project that Mr. Reed is working on. Although not as much as some others donated, my contribution added to the total to get Ronin Arts on the job. When everything is said and done, we will have a system the others can publish for and thus re-launching a system that has been out of the spotlight back into it. Possible art jobs on the horizon... Maybe. Fun on the horizon... Definitely.

The only down side to this is that the Marvel comics content that made this game so attractive initially is untouchable. But on the up side... Anyone who wants to play in Stan Lee's world only needs to go to their local comic shop...

Regards,

Walt