Author: Gareth

Hmmm…it’s been a week since my last update.

Not a whole lot to report, actually–still waiting eagerly for the opening of The Two Towers, still working on various writing projects (sent a proposal in to Paradigm Concepts for a Spycraft adventure supplement, and still plugging away on APOLLYON NOIR, both in game and novel format).

The day job continues as usual, pleasantly lightening up a bit (as one might expect towards the end of the year, with the Holidays approaching).

For those who sent emails expressing their interest in the web-master position for Adamant Entertainment, thanks for your interest. There were a lot of talented folks who contacted me, and the decision wasn’t easy. Thanks again. More information will be posted here, once the deals are finalized.

Nothing else to report right now, and I’ll try not to wait a week before posting another update.

GMS

Still addicted, Still going.

So, I wrestled with my thoughts over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Wrestled with a 22-pound turkey as well, but that’s to be expected.

I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out where I stand on my future within the industry—what I want to do, if it’s worth it, that kinda thing. A bunch of discussions occurring on RPGnet, The Forge, and various Game Industry fora helped fuel this process for me….it seems like everyone now is discussing if there is a future in this industry or not.

Game Designer Bruce Baugh (Adventure!, among others) then posted something on RPGnet which clarified everything for me. To paraphrase, he said that not every game publishers needs to be the next media giant. It’s OK to aspire to be the next Arkham House, or Indie Record Label, or the like. There are different levels.

It seems so obvious, doesn’t it? Maybe so obvious, in fact, that I couldn’t see it until it was there, staring out from the screen at me. There is no way that this business will ever make me a full-time living close to what I make outside of the industry…but that’s OK. It is certainly do-able, however, for this to be a nice side-line, which publishes niche product, makes enough to keep going, with modest expansion from year-to-year. It is certainly do-able to continue to put product out there that entertains people, even on a small scale….with the possibility of a break-out success always there, as well.

In short–I’m too addicted to this to stop now. I love producing material that gamers take and make their own. I’m addicted to giving life to imagination. I’m addicted, despite all of their idiosyncracies, to the audience.

So, for now, given the realities of the market and my life, here’s the plan: Adamant Entertainment will be launching as a PDF house. We’re prepping a number of releases for first quarter 2003, including a D20 version of Thyrsus Games’ Roman alt-history RPG, FVLMINATA. Other products are in the works as well. Some of those might eventually see physical print as expanded versions, down the road, but that’s a matter to decide on a case-by-case basis. For now, it’s PDFs sold to folks who love the material.

That’s what I’ve got time for…..That’s what makes the most return-on-investment right now….and that’s OK.

Oh…we’re in the market for a webmaster. If you’re interested, send me a CV and some links to your work.

GMS

Damn it.

Hogshead has called it quits. James Wallis, one of the last remaining folks in the RPG industry whom I had a great deal of respect for, has announced that he’s packing it in, due to boredom, creative frustration, and a general lack of faith in the future of the games industry.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Sooner or later, gamers are going to notice that the best and the brightest of this field are hemorraging out of the industry in a constant arterial jet.

GMS