26 May 2010

Today’s Tabbloid
PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net

ROGUE FEED electronic copies of the books they bought at Amazon.com, local game
stores, as well as a Barnes & Nobel physical store. Last summer, James
Why we do, what we do. and I decided to work with retailers to give them access to the same
MAY 25, 2010 03:28P.M. bundling. We did this for one reason, and one reason only: it was the
right thing to do.
This is going to be a rare post. The topic I am going to deal with is
something I hate talking about. That topic? Business. See, for us, it is the content that is important. The physical, or electronic,
packaging is not as important. That is why we have done the things we
Why do I hate talking about business? Does watching the paint dry in have done:
room you have just painted cause you to enjoy the newly painted room
more?

Posts dealing with the business side of this industry is the equivalent of • Original $.99 eBooks/PDFs
watching paint dry. Why? Even after reading the inside dirt about being
a publisher, it does not lead to more enjoyment of playing your favorite • Creating Kindle Versions of all our books
game. I cannot fault someone for wanting to know more about the
business side of things, so here I go. • Creating eBooks versions of all our books

Since opening the doors of Rogue Games, James and I have done
things differently. First was with book type. We embraced 6”x9”
softcovers, and choose to avoid hardcovers and full color. The reason for
this is simple: cost and ease of use.
Cost wise, a b&w softcover book is cheaper to print (we do not use
Lulu.com, because their pricing is crazy). How much cheaper? It costs
me $1.32 to print one copy of the Poor Wizard’s Grimoire. Cheaper
to print allows us to keep the price of our games low ($6.99 for said
Poor Wizard’s Grimoire). Lower book price makes it easier to buy
our games. From day one we believed in lower prices. This is why the top
price you see for our physical books is $24.99. One of the sad things
about this hobby is the price escalation that is going on. I fault no one for
wanting to make money, but for us, we felt, and still feel, lower priced
games are the way to go. As for ease of use, smaller books are easier to
carry. No matter how nice slick full color hardcovers look, they are a pain
in the ass to game with. I know, because I still game.
The second area we wanted to do things differently was eBooks/PDFs.
To put it simply, eBooks/PDFs are part of the equation, but not the
whole equation. We bundle PDFs because, for us, it is the right thing to
do. You buy a book, you have the right to have that book in both a
physical form and a electronic form. Period. In addition, it seems not
only right, but fair, that if you, as a customer, buy one of our books, you
should get the electronic copy for free. Thus our PDF Guarantee.
Rogue Games is not the only publisher doing this (Evil Hat
Productions is one that quickly comes to mind), nor are we breaking
new ground here. Simply put, you, as a buyer, have a right to a electronic
copy of a book you legally buy. Over the past week I have sent customers
• Embracing new forms of delivery mechanisms
• Working to get our titles into the iBookstore
• Consistent pricing
• No DRM
• Low priced physical books
Content is the key here. To think that we view PDFs as an “afterthought”
shows a fundamental lacking in your knowledge of the reality we live in.
That reality?
Everyone is the customer. Everyone wants access to the content they
have rightly bought. It is up to content providers to not get in the way of
the customer, but instead, offer them as many channels as they need, to
get this content. More and more the old ways of doing business are
breaking apart. Your customers are now individuals, regardless if they
are Joe Gamer, Sally Gamestore Owner, or Monolithic Distributor. For
us, it is easier to work with everyone, than ignore some. That is why we
continue to work retail stores. That is why we create original content for
customers who prefer only to buy electronic versions of our games.
So there you go. That is why we do what we do.

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Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
ROGUE FEED
Childhood Frights
MAY 25, 2010 09:25A.M.
The photograph to the right is of actor William Richardson, better
known to the world by his stage name, Darren McGavin, in probably his
most famous role (at least among people of a certain age), that of
reporter Carl Kolchak from the 1974-1975 TV series named after him,
Kolchak: The Night Stalker. I have a copy of this very photo, autographed
by McGavin himself, still hanging on the wall of my old bedroom at my
parents’ place in Baltimore — “To Jimmy, Darren McGavin.” I was
probably six or seven years-old when my favorite aunt wrote to McGavin
via ABC about my love of the series, which I watched in reruns a couple
of years after it had been canceled. Needless to say, I was ecstatic to
receive it and it’s been one of the prize possessions of my childhood ever
since, right up there with my French language edition of the D&D Basic
Rules autographed by Gary Gygax.
A couple of years ago, a friend bought me the entire run of the TV series
on DVD as a birthday gift. I already owned a cheaply made (and double-
sided) DVD containing the two Kolchak TV movies that preceded the
series, the original The Night Stalker and its follow-up The Night
Strangler. Both are quite good and hold up surprisingly well after nearly
40 years, though The Night Strangler is clearly the weaker of the two
films, owing at least in part to the similarity of its plot structure to that of
its predecessor. Still, they’re both excellent examples of American
television movies from the early 1970s, when the form was still vigorous
and occasionally groundbreaking. (The Night Stalker was also a popular
success, earning the highest rating of any TV movie up to the time of its
release)
I don’t ever recall seeing the TV movies until I was much older, but I
adored the TV series. After receiving my birthday gift, I watched the
entirety of the series — all 20 episodes — over the course of several days,
the first time I’d seen many of them in over two decades, maybe longer.
Sad though it is to say, the vast majority of the episodes are simply
terrible in almost every respect. Certainly McGavin and co-star Simon
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26 May 2010
Oakland always give engaging performances and many of the special
guest stars — a veritable who’s who of ‘70s era actors — were obviously
having fun with their roles, but the stories themselves are, with a few
exceptions, awful B-movie level plots that don’t hold up to even the most
minimal scrutiny.
But, as a kid, I loved this show, probably because I found it just
frightening enough. The episodes rarely showed much of anything gory
or grotesque, partially due to their limited budgets and partially due to
the constraints on TV in that era. While unsatisfying to my adult self
nowadays, it was perfect for me as a child back then. My mind filled in all
the details, resulting in some lasting impressions of how much more
scary some of these episodes were than they actually are. A favorite of
mine was “The Spanish Moss Murders,” which dealt with a swamp
monster from Cajun legend called Père Malfait. The episode give me the
willies as a kid. Many of its scenes, such as the monster rising up out of
the water in the sewers beneath Chicago, scared me a great deal in my
youth. They seem almost laughable now.
My fondness for the show is nevertheless undiminished, as it was an
early cobblestone on the path that led me to my lifelong love of fantasy,
horror, and science fiction. Though I’d never claim Kolchak: The Night
Stalker was a good show in any absolute sense, it was a good show for
me. It was a superb propaedeutic for an elementary school student
fascinated by scary stuff even as he was frightened by it. And, for all its
faults, the show had an impact on D&D. Gary Gygax admitted on more
than one occasion that the inclusion of the rakshasa was due to his
having seen the episode “The Horror in the Heights,” in which the
demon from Hindu legend figures prominently. That’s got to count for
something.
ROGUE FEED
The Legend of Hillbilly John
MAY 24, 2010 06:37P.M.
So, as you can see from the picture to the right under “What I’m
Reading,” I’m enjoying Paizo’s recent collection of all of Manly Wade
Wellman’s “Silver John” short stories, about which I posted briefly a year
and a half ago. They’re frankly among the best fantasies I’ve read in a
long time, so much so that I’ll probably be discussing several of the tales
at length in upcoming installments of my “Pulp Fantasy Library” series.
Wellman was a superb stylist and his gift for realistic, natural dialog is
matched by very few authors. Combined with his knowledge of the
history and folklore of the Appalachians, his Silver John stories make for
great reading.
Anyway, the Paizo collection includes two introductions, a new one by
Mike Resnick and a reprint of an older one by Karl Edward Wagner.
Both of them make reference to something I didn’t know existed — a
movie based on the Silver John stories. Here’s what Resnick says about
it:
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
And now that I’ve praised the stories and touted you onto the
novels, let me tout you off something. Hollywood made a film
version of the Silver John stories, done with Hollywood’s
usual taste and respect for the material. It is called The
Legend of Hillbilly John, and the change from Silver John to
Hillbilly John pretty much says it all.
Wagner provides some more details:
John would next appear on film, with folksinger Hedge
Capers miscast as John. The film was partially shot in
Madison County, North Carolina (the general setting of the
John stories) in October 1971. Despite a surprisingly good
supporting cast and the incorporation of two of the best
stories (“O Ugly Bird!” and “The Desrick on Yandro”), the
film was an embarrassment — largely due to its shoestring
budget and stultifying script. It was released in 1972 as Who
Fears the Devil and flopped at the box office. It was the re-
edited and re-released the following year as The Legend of
Hillbilly John, with equal success. Sometimes it turns up on
videocassette.
What’s sad is that I think the stories of Silver John would make for great
cinema, either on the big or small screens. The stories are well written
and focused, with superb characterization and dialog and mixing horror
with a deep love for the people and traditions of the mountains in which
they take place. I imagine very few people in Hollywood these days have
any interest in these things — more’s the pity.
Even so, is it wrong of me to want to hunt down this movie and watch
it?
ROGUE FEED
Success!
MAY 24, 2010 03:11P.M.
Looks like I’ve managed to snag myself a copy of the Ringworld
Companion to go alongside the game. That’s a step in the right direction.
I’m still seeing if I can find a copy of the Hawkmoon boxed set without
having to buy from one of the used games sellers (not that I mind doing
so, but their prices tend to be somewhat higher than those obtainable
through other means), I’ll have (mostly) sated my recent Chaosium RPG
lust.
Of course, there are still a fair number of other RPGs I need to grab
copies of ...
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26 May 2010
ROGUE FEED
Dark Cities
MAY 24, 2010 01:52P.M.
Richard Guy, a long-time correspondent of mine (and the fellow who’s
lent me his copy of Chivalry & Sorcery) sent along this link way back in
March and I filed it away with the intention of making a post about it
later. Obviously, more than two months later, I never did, so I offer it
now as inspiration for anyone looking to build their own “imaginary
labyrinth 650 miles square.”
ROGUE FEED
Re-Examining Old School RPGs
MAY 24, 2010 01:28P.M.
Science fiction writer David J. Williams has begun a series of posts over
at Tor.com, where he’s looking at old school RPGs. The first two
installments focus on two classic SF RPGs, Traveller and Metamorphosis
Alpha. It’s great to see these roleplaying games getting wider exposure
on non-gaming sites, so, if you have the chance, pop over and leave a
comment, so that the good folks at Tor know that articles like this are
well-received.
ROGUE FEED
Before & After
MAY 24, 2010 06:22A.M.
I sent a large file to Jessica McDevitt on Friday night. Said file contained
everything she needs to layout Flames of Freedom: Boston
Besieged. I am really proud of what Graeme and I did with this book. I
am also excited to writer the other three parts, and explore the plot we’ve
created. Boston Besieged really did everything I wanted for this book,
and I cannot wait to get the reactions form everyone.
One thing I am happy about is that this book is filled with maps. Looking
at the work that Jeff Preston, Robert S. Conley and Gabriel Brouillard
have done makes me smile. I am amazed with how they took my very
rough sketches and turned them into beautiful useable maps. What do I
mean? Take a look at this rough sketch I sent to Rob:
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net 26 May 2010

ROGUE FEED

Pulp Fantasy Library: The

Dreaming City
MAY 24, 2010 12:03A.M.

Yeah, this is ugly. I am not an artist, and my penmanship stinks. Still, it

conveys the information I wanted to get across, and when I run
adventures, this is all I need to have a mental image of what is going on. I
sent the sketch to Rob, and he turned that, into this:

You may well recall the image to the left, as it was one of the earliest
installments in what I’d then dubbed “Pulp Fantasy Gallery,” a recurring
feature intended to highlight the artwork associated with the classics of
pulp fantasy on which D&D was founded. It didn’t take long for me to
rename the feature to what it is today, in part because I’m an even poorer
critic of art than I am of literature, but also because, sadly, much of the
artwork associated with pulp fantasy is pretty uninteresting to me. I
honestly didn’t think I could have sustained a weekly series by discussing
art alone. Others might be better suited to that task, which is why I’ve
stuck with discussing (largely) written works whose ideas and stories
struck a chord with the founders of our shared hobby.

Because of the original post cited above, I’ve never actually tackled an
Elric story as part of this series. That’s odd, because there’s little doubt
Yeah, much better. that the Elric saga had a clear and powerful influence on early D&D (and
not just its alignment system). It’s odd too given how much I adore
Chaosium’s Stormbringer RPG. Likewise, the Elric saga is, in my
opinion, a textbook example of the dangers of success, a topic near and
dear to my heart, as you well know. So, when I woke up this morning and
read Dan Collins’s excellent post on “Elric and Art,” I knew today was the
day to write my own post on the first Elric short story, “The Dreaming
City,” which appeared in the June 1961 issue of Science Fantasy.

The story begins evocatively:

For ten thousand years did the Bright Empire of Melniboné

flourish — ruling the world. Ten thousand years before
history was recorded — or ten thousand years before history
had ceased to be chronicled. For that span of time, reckon it
how you will, the Bright Empire had thrived. Be hopeful, if
you like, and think of the dreadful past the Earth has known,
or brood upon the future. But if you believe the unholy truth

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Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net 26 May 2010

— then Time is an agony of Now, and so it will always be.
It’s a terrific opening and one that really sets the mood for both the
setting and the specific story Moorcock is about to tell. Equally terrific is
the first description of Elric, which in my opinion matches Howard’s
justly famed description of Conan (which seems appropriate, given
Elric’s origin as, at least in part, an “anti-Conan”).
Elric, the moody-eyed wanderer — a lonely man who fought a
world, living by his wits and his runesword Stormbringer.
Elric, last Lord of Melniboné, last worshiper of its grotesque
and beautiful gods — reckless reaver and cynical slayer —
torn by great griefs and with knowledge locked in his skull
which could turn lesser men to babbling idiots. Elric,
moulder of madnesses, dabbler in wild delights ...
What’s most interesting about “The Dreaming City” is that the story it
tells, that of Elric’s invasion of Imrryr, capital of the Bright Empire, with
the aid of sea raiders in order to defeat his cousin Yyrkoon and rescue his
lover Cymoril, who’s been placed in an enchanted sleep by Yyrkoon, her
brother. Thus, Elric’s saga begins with the climactic battle between his
chief nemesis. Yyrkoon’s eventual defeat at Elric’s hands is thus the
starting off point for what follows rather than the conclusion to it.
This should come as little surprise, given that Moorcock wanted, by his
own admission, to turn many of the timeworn convention of swords-and-
sorcery fiction on their heads and so he does here. Elric, as presented in
“The Dreaming City” is a weak, decadent albino whose power comes as
much, if not more, from sorcery and pacts with demonic entities, as it
does from his blade. Were he in a Conan tale, he would almost certainly
be an antagonist and, even in “The Dreaming City,” he comes across as
not wholly sympathetic. He is, after all, a man willing to betray his own
people, leading others to sack the unconquered city of Imrryr in his
personal quest for revenge.
possible, I think, to be sympathetic with Elric at times, but it’s difficult to
like him unreservedly. He possesses a powerful, raw appeal nonetheless
and it’s not hard to understand why he struck a chord with many readers
only familiar with the often unimaginative pulp fantasy heroes who rose
to prominence during the 40s and the 50s.
There’s no question that Elric was different and fantasy readers were
ready for different. Unfortunately, he also proved so successful that
Moorcock could never abandon him, leading to ever more ridiculous
stories featuring the character, the vast majority of which aren’t, in my
opinion, particularly good. Over time, Elric has become every bit as
much a caricature of himself as had Conan under the guidance of L.
Sprague de Camp. The much-reviled Drizzt Do’Urden may be laughable
to a lot of us, but he would never have been possible without Elric, who
firmly established the angsty, good-member-of-an-evil-people as a
fantasy archetype.
None of this, though, undermines the genuine goodness of “The
Dreaming City,” which remains every bit as good as it probably was in
1961. Indeed, if anything, it’s probably better now in some respects, since
all of us who’ve suffered through the later Elric stories can return to it
and its immediate sequels to remember that, once upon a time, Elric
really was an interesting character and Moorcock was a visionary writer
whose stories positively crackled with taut prose and amazing ideas.

“Imrryr fell, in spirit, five hundred years ago — she will fall
completely soon — for ever! I have a little debt to settle. This
is my sole reason for aiding you. As you know I have made
only a few conditions — that you raze the city to the ground
and a certain man and woman are unharmed. I refer to my
cousin Yyrkoon and his sister Cymoril ...”

Yyrkoon has usurped Elric’s throne while the albino sorcerer was away,
wandering among the sneeringly named Young Kingdoms, the “lesser”
states that have grown up in the shadow of Melniboné and whose powers
have waxed while the Bright Empire’s have waned. Unlike others of his
race, Elric appreciated “the less sophisticated pleasures of the outside
world,” but he also felt “the pulse of his ancestry beat strongly in his
deficient veins,” equally appreciating the dark beauties of his own
culture.

Speaking for myself, I find Elric a very ambiguous character, as I am sure

he was intended to be. Though perhaps less cruel than his kinsmen, he is
nevertheless a cruel character, one whose intensely personal drives lead
him to the ruin of others, even those he least wishes to harm. It’s