September 07, 2016

Game Freelancer Escapes Sinister Chrono-Double, but Pelgrane Peeps Remain Affected

Oh no! In an attempt to mark the pre-order for TimeWatch, their new GUMSHOE game of temporal interference, Pelgrane Press inadvertently opened up a hole in reality allowing their evil counterparts from the darkest histories to come through.

These vile miscreants hail from an alternate timeline in which the entire run of the TimeWatch RPG was washed overboard during shipping. This catastrophe sent Simon and Cat over the edge into bottomless rage and nihilism, and Pelgrane Press became the most evil games company in the world. Now, the ruthless Evil Pelgrane works to undermine our timeline and ensure that their terrifying future comes to pass!

Only you can knit together the timelines by going to the above link and voting for either Evil Pelgrane, in which case the upcoming TimeWatch Resource Book will include a Time Crime heist against a Spanish treasure ship, or Good Pelgrane, instead endowing it with an adventure seed and illustration featuring TimeWatch members battling robot pirates.

Why only just now I fought off my own time counterpart, vanquishing him forever. (Pictured above.) Thank goodness, because my annual journey to the Toronto International Film Festival starts tomorrow, and it would be weird to be posting my capsule reviews under an evil profile pic. Plus there’s no way I’m letting a lizard person purloin my festival tickets!

Other Pelgranes, however, still remain woefully affected, as can be seen from their use of the hashtag #evilPelgrane.

Only you can save them!

September 02, 2016

Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff: They Had Hyenas In Inventory

In the latest episode of our ENnie three-peating podcast, Ken and I talk GUMSHOE hybrids, killing Pat Garrett, Will Hindmarch's gaming music secrets, and the Beast of Gevaudan.

August 29, 2016

Finding Me at FanExpo Canada 2016


Hey if Labor Day (or, given the context, Labour Day) is barreling our way yet again, that must mean I’ll be doing the panel thing at my hometown multitrack mega-show, FanExpo Canada. You know, me and William Shatner and Margaret Atwood, it’s how we roll. Hit the downtown Toronto convention center to find all three of us and more. I dunno about Bill and Peggy, but I’ll be at:

WORLD BUILDING IN GAMING Saturday, 1:00 PM, Room  714

GAME MASTER MASTER CLASS, Saturday, 3:30 PM, Room  713

GETTING STARTED WITH TABLETOP ROLE-PLAYING GAMES, Sunday, 12:15 PM, Room   703

I am not stationed at a booth at the show, so if you’d like to chat or have something signed, hit me up after any of the above events. Out of town luminaries this year include John Kovalic, Nicole Lindroos, Emily Care Boss, Epidiah Ravachol, Eddy Webb, and C.A. Suleiman, joining your usual area gaming pals, some more Greenwoodian than others.

August 26, 2016

Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff: The Complaining Hut

In the latest episode of our triple Gold ENnie winning podcast, Ken and I talk running con games, writing routines, Emily Care Boss and Agent 355.

August 19, 2016

Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff: Gen Con 2016

In the latest episode of our triple ENnie Gold-winning podcast, Ken and I make a lot of humble statements just like that one as we talk Gen Con, Gen Con, Gen Con, and also Gen Con.

August 12, 2016

Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff: Pull the Damn Trigger You Coward!

In the latest episode of our triple gold ENnie-winning podcast, Ken and I talk backloaded continuities, Russian intelligence hacking for Trump, blueberries and ley lines.

July 29, 2016

Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff: You Don’t Need to Drag Pokemon Into It

In the latest episode of our ENnie-nominated podcast, Ken and I talk Pokemon Go, Thrill of Dracula, fear of triangles, and the Wonderland Chamber.

July 20, 2016

Finding Me at Gen Con 2016

Once again an early Gen Con barrels down upon us like a rollicking freight train of polyhedral mixed metaphors. And once again I will be available to chat with you either from my default perch at the Pelgrane Press stand, or in a fine variety of seminar formats. Either way, be sure to say hi. It’s what I’m there for.
Scheduled events are as follows:

Stealing From the Movies, Thursday 2 pm, Crowne Plaza Victoria Station C/D. Campaign ideas & awesome RPG action are as close as the multiplex. Pelgrane Press designers help you adapt, adopt, & improve the plots & characters of Hollywood, Hong Kong, & Hammer Films.

Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff, Friday 1 pm, Westin: Council. Join Kenneth Hite and me for a live edition of our ENnie-nominated podcast. Sold out, but check for no-shows.

Dramatic Interaction Master Class, Friday 3 pm, Crowne Plaza Conrail: Robin D. Laws & guests teach structures & techniques to turn emotional confrontations between PCs from frustrating roadblocks into rich moments of human drama. Also starring Emily Care Boss and Rachel A. Kahn.

Swords, Spies and Shoggoths: The Pelgrane Press Panel, Saturday 2pm, Crowne Plaza Grand Central Ballroom B. Join Simon Rogers, Cat Tobin & others from the Pelgrane team for a behind-the-scenes look at what the award-winning UK publisher's been up to this year, & what they've planned for the coming year.

Investigative Roleplaying Masterclass, Saturday 4 pm. Westin Capitol II. Mystery scenario masters Kenneth Hite, Robin D. Laws, Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan, Ruth Tillman and Chris Spivey train their magnifying glasses on clue-gathering adventures to reveal the unlikely suspects behind your tabletop woes.

UPDATE: Location for Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff has been corrected.

July 15, 2016

Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff: Not That That’s What Time Travelers Say

In the latest episode of our 2016 ENnie-nominated podcast, Ken and I talk Tsan-Chan, Westerns 201, pre-nuclear steel, and Trois-Echelles.

July 11, 2016

Feng Shui 2, KARTAS and More at the ENnies Voting Booth

The electronic voting booth for the 2016 is now open for business. If you were planning to support Feng Shui 2, gather your chi for its nominations in five categories: Best Game, Best Setting, Best Rules, Best Aid/Accessory, and Product of the Year.

The sagacious voter will also note a Best Podcast nomination for Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff, and Page XX for Best Webzine.

Or if your tastes run toward the literary and vampiric, you might spot a nomination or five for my boon compadres at Pelgrane Press and their Dracula Dossier.

July 08, 2016

Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff: Stab Them in the Peninsula

In the latest episode of our ENnie-nominated podcast, Ken and I talk scenario climaxes, Edward Barton, AI screenwriting, and Nixon unpardoned.

July 01, 2016

Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff: Obviously She Fought Radium Ghosts

In the latest episode of our epoch-making podcast, Ken and I talk Bubblegumshoe, playing historical figures, and Ken’s New England book raid.