Hey Folks! Last week, I talked about the sound design of A Titan’s Rise. Today, I want to dive into how music can make your world pop. We’ve used music to boost our Audio Dramas since before we had brilliant composers on the Erascapes team – I want to show you how we found them…
Hi everyone! It’s been a while since I last made a post, and I thought it was about time I got things moving again in terms of updates, because we are still working hard! COVID-19 has been very hard on everyone, of course, and it’s changed the landscape a lot for us. We’ve done a…
Hello everybody! Now that the Kickstarter is funded I wanted to dig a little deeper into a few aspects of A Titan’s Rise (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erascapes/a-titans-rise-a-cyberpunk-full-cast-audio-drama?ref=1tx0ci)! Did you know that we recorded our own sound effects? We felt it was important to fully craft the unique nature of the Consortium setting and give extra support to our…
Hi everyone! Today, I want to talk about A Titan’s Rise, an Audio Drama that has been in production for 2 years now, and has finally make it to Kickstarter!https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erascapes/a-titans-rise-a-cyberpunk-full-cast-audio-drama?ref=esgm94 It’s currently 33% Funded (just 24 hours in!) and we’re hoping it’ll go to the goal and beyond by the end of its 34-day run….
Hi everyone! It’s the end of RPGaDay2020 and, once again, it’s been an experience. It’s especially true this year, because the sorts of things I’ve said in these posts are the kind of thing I usually say at panels on convention weekends. With no in-person conventions, I’ve not had any panels this year, but it’s…
Hi everyone! Tabletop RPGs are a way to do whatever you want within the world, and there’s one particular occasion that will always remind me of that. Some years ago, I was running a training day for GMs, back when we had in-person conventions. We were practising to run 30-40 minute taster sessions, as we…
Hi everyone! I’ve spoken already in this month about being close to the end of a project and how hard that can be (where the last 20% seems to take 80% of the total effort). I thought I’d cover something slightly different today. I’ve thought, quite a few times, that I was close to the…
Hi everyone! The hardest thing (for me, anyway) relating to creating is getting the word out into the wider world. I’ll often ask if someone can “do me a quick favour” and share a project that I’m working on. Sometimes, I get told yes, sometimes no and sometimes it’s in return for something I did…
Hi everyone! I think the strangest thing about being a creator who has made a lot of different things is that there are things that feel obvious to me now, but I learned through doing – often the hard way, and sometimes by doing it right first time by luck! I’ve recently been approached by…
Hi everyone! What technology should you include when worldbuilding? Is a lever acceptable in a High Fantasy setting? What’s the lowest level of technology you can have and still call it science fiction? I’ve been asked this sort of question quite a few times on my various panels and I honestly believe that it’s not…
Hi everyone! I think humour in a roleplaying game is super important, pretty much no matter what you’re playing. In a serious game, a little humour – preferably set within the game, rather than breaking immersion – is a way to release any built-up tension, so that you can start to build more. There’s an…
Hi everyone! What should you do when you approach the edge of giving up on your creative project? I’ve talked about this a few times at conventions and such – it’s often hard to keep going full-tilt for weeks and months on end. Sometimes, you need to walk away. When I get like that, I…
Hi everyone! I went back and forth on what to write about for this one. It’s not something that instantly speaks to me. However, I think it’s worth talking about those rare moments of creativity that push someone to create a universe. Inspiration can come from literally anywhere, in my experience. I came up with…
Hi everyone! The final push of a project is always the hardest. In convention panels, I’ve been known to say that it’s 80/20 – the latter half of that being that the last 20% feels like 80% of the work! It’s not helped by the fact that it’s usually a deadline that makes you buckle…
Hi everyone! I believe that every rule set has limitations. No, really – I’ve built Era d10 to have as few as possible, but there are things that it will not do very well without a significant rewrite to the core. I thought I’d talk today about the first time I realised what one of…
Hi everyone! “Huge in scope, towering in concept, it is a work that will live on in the reader’s imagination.” Boy, were they ever right. I first read those words almost 25 years ago, on the back of a novel. That novel climbed Kilimanjaro with me, went to university with me on my first day…
Hi everyone! The thing I miss most about Tabletop RPGs at the moment is the ability to meet in person and sit around a table together. I don’t know about you, but there is something different when everyone brings snacks, we sit them in the middle of the table and we start playing. Don’t get…
Hi everyone! No-one likes to go outside their comfort zone. That said, it’s the only way that things change significantly – sometimes you can be forced out of what you like and discover something new, and sometimes you have to make a choice to do it. Stubbornness was the thing that pushed me out of…
Hi everyone! I only recently had a conversation on Discord (feel free to join if you’d like to play, by the way! We run regular games! https://discord.gg/JMNnbsB) about my most dramatic tabletop moment. Today, I’m wearing my GM hat, and don’t worry, I’m not just going to tell you a story of sessions gone by,…
Hi everyone! In my opinion, one of the hardest parts of writing RPGs is framing the sentences so that they are specific, descriptive, open to a minimum of interpretation, and fit within the layout. Some of you may already know that I am currently working through character creation, equipment and rules editing for Era: Lost…
Hi everyone! I’m fortunate enough to have a banner which shows off all of our Tabletop RPGs very nicely. It’s a go-to for me in many situations, and it all comes from one person, Alexander Korchnev, my longtime ally and graphic designer extraordinaire! I thought I’d take a moment today to talk about the importance…
Hi everyone! One of the most common questions I get asked by anyone who gets to know my work situation is “How? Do you just not sleep?” I thought, since today’s topic is “Rest”, I’d answer that question! First, a little about my average week. I work a full-time job separate to Shades of Vengeance…
Hi everyone! What “Message” do I have for RPG creators everywhere? I know how hard it is. You don’t get to the number of books I have published without knowing. It’s hard to put your work out there, because you think no-one will like it. Maybe people will laugh? It’s hard to bare your soul…
Hi everyone! I’ve actually got a “stack” of books on Kickstarter right now, so I thought I’d talk about that today, if that’s all right! I’ll try to make it not too boring! I believe that one of the most important things about a game that goes out into the world is to provide support…
Hi everyone! What do you want from an RPG session? I know what I want – I’d like to participate in a group telling a story. That story should have ups and downs, difficulties that are overcome (both mental and physical), and the characters trying to be who they are throughout that. Whichever side of…
Hi everyone! When people want to make creating a career, they often wonder when they will feel they are able to see the “light at the end of the tunnel”. I thought I’d talk about that today, because it’s something that was on my mind for at least a couple of years. Creating regularly, consistently…
Hi everyone! I’ll be honest, I laughed when I saw this one was a prompt. I think it’s probably a good moment to reflect back on the last 7 years or so and talk about the “Shade” that means most to me – Shades of Vengeance! To me, Shades of Vengeance is about something. It’s…
Hi everyone! “What are the top couple of pieces of advice you’d give to new RPG creators?” I take that to mean I’m only allowed to give two, so hold on… 1. Believe in yourself If you want to create something then sitting on the idea for ever will mean that it never happens. Put…
Hi everyone! Today, I’m going to be talking about this image, which is absolutely the first thing that popped into my mind on the prompt “Forest”. Being inspired is often a very hard thing. While I generally don’t struggle much with it, I often find it extremely useful to pin down the details by having…
Hi everyone! I found another image for the RPGaDay2020 event, thanks to someone else posting. I thought it was cool, so I’m using it for this post! Today’s topic is “Tribute”, and I think it’s a good opportunity for me to talk about something very close to my heart: credit where credit is due. I…