Indie Press Revolution picks up Open Game Table

I am very happy to report that Open Game Table has been picked up by Indie Press Revolution, probably the leading online retailer of independently developed games, comics, and other -physical hold in your hands- hobby products. You should really check them out... there are some simply amazing books available at IPR.

Thank you IPR!

One of the really good things about IPR is that they are not only a direct online-retailer, but they also operate as a distributor for thousands of independently owned hobby, game, and book shops across the U.S.. This makes it possible for these retailors to connect with Open Game Table and stock a few copies on their own shelves. In otherwords -- this is a big win for Open Game Table, since one of the biggest goals of the project was to place the anthology on the bookshelves of game stores thus bringing the RPG blogging community into the realm of "the casual gamer" who may not be scouring the web to find us.

IPR will be carrying Open Game Table soon. I've just signed the contracts with them, and once I receive an ISBN number from Lulu - I'll be placing an order to have a few dozen copies of the book shipped off to IPR's warehouse. I'll keep you posted.

Wohoo!

[ sry my blogging hasn't been about much other than OGT lately -- all my creative energy is focused on getting this out the door and getting the ball rolling for a successful launch. No worries though, my ramblings about RPGs will return soon. ]

Player's Handbook 2 is in my backpack...

Yes. I was one of the lucky ones. Wizards of the Coast bestowed upon me a copy of the Player's Handbook 2 weeks before it comes to print.

Don't worry though... I'm not going to keep all the awesome goodness to myself for long. And... this is not just some media blitz brain washing thing (OK, maybe it is) but... in all seriousness, the PHB2 looks amazing and from what I have read thus far (about an hour flipping through it) -- its top notch. Power creep is to a minimum and there's lots of juicy bits beyond just the "new classes, new races" part.

I'll bring you the noise in a few days... because I know you want to know.

Open Game Table - Cover Design is Teh Awesum!

The Open Game Table cover design is finally finished. We all have James Keegan and Crystal Frasier to thank for this excellent - and clever - concept! Check it out!

... its awesome!!!

don't forget... we have a LOGO CONTEST in the works too... check it out here.

Open Game Table LOGO CONTEST

The day is soon approaching when Open Game Table: The Anthology of Roleplaying Game Blogs will be published. A final draft was sent out over the weekend to the 40 or so authors who contributed to the anthology. Check out the bad ass cover design by Crystal Frasier & James Keegan...

The book layout? Done.
The cover design and artwork? Done. See above.
Last minute copy-edits? Done.
Galley-proofs? Soon to be ordered, and once approved - the book will be assigned an ISBN# and go into distribution at Lulu Marketplace and on Amazon.com.

The anthology weighs in at 137 pages (~85,000 words) and features 47 blog posts from the very best blogs in the RPG blogging community. To make things even sweeter, 60 illustrations created by a team of seven very talented artists adorn the pages of the anthology - packing tons of original content between the covers. I am truly amazed at how this has all come together - the interior and exterior of the book looks awesome! Here is what some people are already saying:

"... the book looks great, and I'm proud to be a part of it. You've really
done something great here, and I hope that you hear that loudly from the others
as well..." - M.L.

"...Simply Outstanding! Jonathan, you and your crew of artists and editors have done some amazing work in a very short period of time..." - M.B.

"...Let me say, I became almost nostalgic as I was reading through it. It reminded me of the days of Dragon magazine, when it would be led by page after page of letters, then one of the few ways gamers could exchange best practices. This anthology has much the same feel. It took me back to those days, when I could read letter after letter of how people tried to make their roleplaying games better..." - T.T.

"I was really impressed with how great this looks... you've done an incredible job!" - T.D.

LOGO CONTEST
So... to help promote the anthology I'm opening up a logo contest beginning today. The winner of the contest will receive

1. recognition for their contribution in the book's credits,
2. a free copy of the anthology once it is published, and
3. a $25 gift certificate at RPGNow.com.

The logo must clearly represent Open Game Table as an anthology of RPG blogs -- a whole community of dedicated writers waiting to be discovered by the greater gaming community. Your logo design will be used to promote the anthology through Google hosted advertisements across the web and by fellow RPG bloggers looking to promote the anthology. So, don't delay -- send me your logo design* today at jonathan DOT jacobs AT gmail DOT com.

* logo's should be 250 x 250 pixels in size. If you are selected as the winner, I'll also be interested in obtaining two additional versions at 125 x 125 pixels and 234 x 60 pixels.


SPONSORSHIPS
We have received some financial sponsorship in the past from some very generous individuals willing to toss their coin in to support this project. Why do we need sponsorship? Well, for one -- this is an all volunteer effort on a shoe-string budget (mine). And secondly, every volunteer, author, artist, editor, and review judge will be receiving a free copy of the anthology once it is published - this is something I wanted to do to reward people (in some small way) for their efforts. Altogether, I am quickly approaching 100 copies of the book that I will be printing and mailing out to each of them. The costs add up substantially as a result.

I've made several calls for individual sponsorships in the past - this is that last time I will ask the community to step forward and support this project. Sponsors will be acknowledged for their support in the credits of Open Game Table, and all the sponsoring funds will be used to cover the costs of printing the complementary copies of the book for volunteers. My goal was to raise $500. Thus far, I've raised just over $325 from many small individual donations (THANK YOU!) - so we only have $125 to go!

So, if you feel that this is an important, grass-roots project to support then please voice your support by donating to Open Game Table using the PayPal link below. Any amount will be greatly appreciated.

PLEASE DONATE TODAY

RPG Blog Carnival - Monster & Maps

When I started working on Open Game Table I asked for people to choose what categories of posts they would want in the anthology. New maps and monsters came out as one of the top categories, but the problem was that these were one of the least blogged about topics. We had virtually no submissions on these topics, save for a very few excellent posts. So, when it came to be my turn again to host the RPG Blog Carnival for February I naturally chose Maps & Monsters to be the topic. I'm very pleased to report that we had some excellent contributions as a result.

1. The Art of the Near TPK not only features a regular new monster or other crunchy bit for your 4E game... but Jennifer Weigel (one of the artists contributing to Open Game Table) usually adds in her own illustrations of these Weekly What the Heck creatures. Last month we saw:
1. The Demodracosauralisk (L15 Elite Artillery)
2. Triclops Manipulator (L20 Soldier) and the Ultimate Dungeon Master (L35 Solo Brute) LOL!
3. Shellsong Siren (L10 Lurker) and the Archaic Gastropod (L2 Soldier)
2. Project Valient also contributed -- but sadly their site has vanished (anyone know what happened?).
3. Newbie DM delivers again, this time with his first post to be included in the RPG Blog Carnival -- Rufus Drunkbeard and a map of his tavern for 4E D&D.
4. Vulcan Stev comes out swinging with three new NPCs and creatures for Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG. If you like Pirates of Caribbean and want the stats of a whole host of characters and creatures from those flicks for your PotSM RPG game -- drop by his site and check out all his hard work. Anytime someone includes a Monkey, a Kraken, and a dead guy in the same post -- he's on my A-list
5. Compromise and Conceit's author wants you to use your camera as a automatic map-maker in "Map-making the easy way…" He also posts "Infernal Constructs: The Myrmidon" along with some amazing artwork -- click through to see it.
6. Bob over at The Dice Bag jumps into the carnival with some excellent musings on "The Value of a Good Map". So -- do you loath mapping for RPGs too?
7. RPG Brouhaha reviews the online "E-Adventures Mapping Tool". Individual experiences may vary -- but Harnish's review is worth a look if you are looking for something useful for quick, easy mapping.
8. Chgowiz from Chgowiz's Old Guy RPG Blog throws his name into the carnival hat with a PDF download of his WinterWar campaign adventures - "The Kobold Caves of Terror".
9. Fame & Fortune also adds some maps to the mix with "Undead Maps for the Carnival".
10. Mad Brew Labs also shows up to the carnival, post in hand, with "Map Tutorial from the Cartographers’ Guild". Mad Brew links to an amazing tutorial that -- if anything -- should top your reading list to check out in depth.
11. Spirits of Eden shows up as well with 4E D&D stats for Utsuho, the final boss of Subterranean Animism and Kuannei, a world-ending "Scourge" monster. RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!
12. And finally, Mike Bourke of Campaign Mastery contributes to the carnival with a MASSIVE 3 - part series (!) with "The Flói Af Loft & The Ryk Bolti"; which is quite possibly the weirdest blog post title I've ever seen too. Go get a cup of coffee... and enjoy this lengthy read; it will be well worth your time.

That is it! Excellent work by everyone involved... my only wish is that I had more time to participate in my own way other than hosting it. Hopefully, once Open Game Table is published... I'll have more time to just get back to blogging. =D

NEXT MONTH's CARNIVAL IS HOSTED BY REVEREND MIKE at THE BOOK OF REV... the topic? WAR!