Category Archives: gaming

Published: May 20, 2016

Tak: The Final Day, Final Questions, and Final Announcements

We’re in the final hours of the Tak Kickstarter.

As I write this, our total stands at a staggering $1,100,000, and we’re so close to 10,000 backers that I can taste it.

Thursday night(It tastes like sweat and peppermint, if you were wondering.)

Almost immediately after I posted up the Tak FAQ earlier this week, I started thinking of other questions I wish I’d answered. So I’m going to do those now.

  • How much time is left?

The kickstarter ends TODAY (Friday the 20th) at 8:00 PM PST. That’s 10:00 Central. Or 11:00 if you’re in New York.

So odds are there’s only hours left if you’re reading this.

Here’s a link if you’d like to jump over and back it right away.

  • AAAAHHHH!!! Some of us don’t have credit cards, and Kickstarter doesn’t take Paypal! I know I can buy the game later, but I want to buy it sooner. And some stuff is kickstarter exclusive, it sucks that I’m going to miss that!

[Edit: We can’t take Kickstarter orders anymore, but we now have the pre-orders up for sale in The Tinker’s Packs, so you can order them there.]

Ah hell. I’m so sorry. I thought we’d already set something up to fix this. I’ve been doing a lot of things lately in addition to the kickstarter, and I’m guessing this is one of the things that slipped through the cracks.

Here’s what you can do. Email us. We’ll take your order as if you were part of the kickstarter, except we’ll let you pay with paypal. That way you can grab the kickstarter-exclusive stuff like Devi’s the double-sided Devi’s Board…

1a5e006cecaa06cf2593880636d5887a_original

…or the full-blown Devi’s box with the Bloodwood pieces. You’ll also be able to order the stuff that isn’t going to show up in game stores, like the cloth board, the travel set, the Arcanist’s board, Crazy Martin’s piece set, etc etc.

Does that sound fair?

  • How cool is it that you broke a million dollars?

I’m not going to lie. It’s pretty cool.

But the truth is, the thing I’m most excited about is how much people are enjoying the game. I’m excited because y’all are excited.

But it’s also fun to be number 1.

Screenshot_2016-05-19-20-31-27(Courtesy of Kicktraq)

  • Do you have any more stretch goals lined up?

First off, you can get the best, most detailed information about the stretch goals over in the kickstarter itself. A lot of them have been unlocked, and it’s really leveled up the content and quality of the hardcover companion book that’s part of most of the backer levels. There will be a lot of information about the culture that surrounds Tak. How it evolved through the history of Temerant, and how it’s played in different parts of the world.

But do we have any more big stretch goals we’re looking to spring on you right at the end? No. We really don’t. James and I decided early on that we didn’t want to constantly dangle carrots in front of you like that. We just wanted to make a good, quality game, and let you come in and buy it.

That said, once it became pretty clear we were going to hit $1,000,000, we decided to add some things to the Classic Set to let you know we appreciate you. A bit of a present to thank you for helping to get us here.

Some of the Bonuses:

1. Everyone who comes in at the Merchant level or Higher will get an extra, kickstarter-exclusive capstone.

Right now, we’re calling it the Royal Capstone. It will be from Renere, and it will be a different shape, shade, and possibly a different wood than the other capstones.

There will be more in the companion book about the culture surrounding capstones. But one of the big upshots is that what you pick for your capstone is a matter of personal pride. People have special capstones made, or they play a certain capstone to indicate a political orientation or show that they’re from a cerain culture. It’s not uncommon to collect them, or win/lose them when you’re playing a game.

And there’s no small amount of personal flair involved, too.

2. Something secret.

I’m not allowed to talk about yet because we haven’t worked out the details. But I’m hoping it will work out. And it will be cool. Just trust me. Seriously.

Edit: I just confirmed with James that we can do the Secret thing. And that thing is that we’ll be including rules for a Tak predecessor game that *I* came up with on my very own. It won’t be as elegant a game as Tak, but I’m honestly proud of how the gameplay works as a historical precursor to Tak.

So Yeah. We’re doing that thing.

3. We’re making the gameboard in the Classic Set double-sided.

This is more expensive as it requires extra printing costs and extra art. But we’re springing for it. One side will be the relatively simple tavern board, while the other will be more ornate, decorated with selas vines and flowers.

“But Pat!” I hear you cry. “How can you possibly have Selas flowers on the board? Aren’t they fictional? Haven’t people been asking you what they look like for years, only to receive frustrating and vague replies?”

Well, yes. All of that is true. I’ve tried to come up with a good representation of the Selas flower for years and failed for many reasons.

But that was before chatting with the fabulous Echo Chernik.

Selas(She did this.)

I want to say that she pulled this out of my head. But that’s giving me more credit than I deserve. I didn’t have anything this cool in my head. This is a perfect version of the selas that lives in my heart. I’m so happy to finally see it.

So. Yeah. Even though you didn’t know, the game you already backed just got cooler in a couple different ways.

  • EEEE! I don’t have the money to back the kickstarter right now! I don’t get paid for another week!

I’ve heard this from more than a few people. For some folks it’s the end of the semester. For others it’s just a tight time between paychecks.

But here’s a potential way around the problem. If you don’t have the money now, you can back the kickstarter at the $5 level. Then, in three weeks when the pledge manager comes out, you can add what you’d like to buy to your order.

Yes. Even the kickstarter exclusive things. Easy peasy.

  • Are you going to make an App for Tak?

Probably not.

We considered it. But creating a *good* app would cost a lot of money. And, generally speaking, people don’t pay for apps these days. That’s a bad combination. So we decided to just focus on making the game itself available.

What’s more, there’s such joy to be had sitting down and experiencing a game with another human being.

Don’t get me wrong. I love video games. I’ve played apps. They’re convenient and fun.

But they’re also solitary. I really want people to be able to sit down and enjoy this game with a friend. To talk and laugh. To feel the pieces in their hands and hear the sound of the pieces as they touch the board. To look at someone’s face.

It’s easy to forget it these days, but we are physical creatures. It is good for us to exist in the physical world sometimes. There is much joy to be had here, and that’s where I think this game really belongs.

*     *    *

That’s all for today, folks. Thanks for coming on this ride with us.

Last chance to click over to the kickstarter before time runs out….

Be good to each other,

pat

Also posted in cool things, FAQ | By Pat25 Responses
Published: May 9, 2016

A Beautiful Game II: Kisses, Blood, and Lavender

So, for those of you who missed the first announcement I made on the blog a couple weeks ago, we’re a little more than halfway through the Tak Kickstarter.

TakFPBanner1

As I write this, nearly 6000 people have joined up with us to produce a game that previously existed only as shape and shadow in my head. Over the last couple weeks, we’ve raised more than $550,000, and that is strange and wonderful to me.

As the kickstarter gets bigger and bigger, we have more and more resources available to add and improve things. And as a result, there have been a lot of additions to the kickstarter over the last couple weeks. Too many for me to go over here, especially as they’re all covered in perfect detail in the updates on the kickstarter page itself.

But there are a few things that I’m especially excited about. Things that, much to my delight, make this beautiful game even more beautiful. I can’t help but show them off to you….

*     *    *

Let me tell you a true story. And yes, I know that all stories are true. But this story is a little extra true, because it really happened.

I’m in LA right now (typing this update in a hotel room). Earlier today, I met up with Clint Evans to hang out a bit and chat. At some point, the subject of Tak came up. I mentioned I had a prototype set in my bag, and before too long, we were playing a game in the hotel bar.

(Actual footage.)

At one point the waitress comes over to bring us some drinks. She asks what we’re doing. We say we’re playing a game. What’s it called? Tak.

Then she says, “It’s really beautiful. I mean aesthetically. I just like looking at it.”

And I beam like a proud father. “Thank you,” I said. “We worked really hard on that.”

Part of what made the game we were playing a little extra beautiful is the fact that I had a early prototype of the wooden board with me.

WoodBoard2(We’re calling it the Arcanist’s board.)

It’s a little silly how much I love this board. You might think it’s because it’s pretty. (And it *is* pretty) But for me the real appeal to it is how it *sounds.* When you put one of the wooden pieces down on the wooden board, it makes the most *marvelous* sound. It’s the auditory equivalent of being given a sharp, sweet, kiss.

I’m not saying the basic game isn’t lovely. It is. What’s more, the boards in the boxed game will have levels of graphic coolness in them this wooden board simply can’t match. I love them both for different reasons.

But seriously. The sound of wood on wood. It’s like being kissed.

*     *     *

Lastly, here’s something that we really weren’t sure we were going to be able to do at all until just a coupe weeks ago.

Devi's Box1A complete wooden collector’s set of the game. The cover/board is be two-sided, so you can play in whichever way you feel is the most beautiful….

Devi's Box2It’s made primarily of walnut and maple. I say primarily because that reddish wood you see in the diamonds and on the border of the board? That’s called bloodwood.

Also? One of the sets of pieces is made out of bloodwood.

Devi's Box3

Which is only appropriate. As this is Devi’s Tak set.

James and I have been trying to figure out a way to make a posh, all-wooden box set for a long while. Something you’d be proud to have on display. Something that was a joy to touch. But up until now, every prototype we saw was either shoddy, clunky, or would have ended up costing more than a thousand dollars…

But much to our delight, the folks from Wyrmwood came in and knocked it out of the park. This is the most attractive prototype I’ve seen so far, and while it is spendy, the lovely folks at Wyrmwood have worked with us so that we can make it available in the kickstarter for less than half of what some of our previous options were.

devi's box pieces(I’d never even heard of Bloodwood before. Isn’t it gorgeous?)

We’re still finalizing certain elements of the design, including the piece shapes and the capstones. This is mostly for me, because if we’re saying this is Devi’s set, I need to make sure all the details are perfect. But the folks at Wyrmwood have been amazing so far. (Hell, they’ve already figured out a way to make the set smell slightly of lavender.)

So yeah. This prototype is already amazing, and the finished version will be as perfect as I can make it. But because the clock is ticking on the kickstarter, James and I decided to pull the trigger on this set and make it available for people to buy sooner rather than later.

And part of the reason for that is:

  • Fair Warning: Devi’s set will only be available through the kickstarter. So if you want it, you’ll need to pick it up by during the campaign, or early on when finalizing your kickstarter order.

You can find more details about Devi’s set and other cool things over on the kickstarter page.

Later Space Cowboys,

pat

Also posted in Beautiful Games, cool news, cool things | By Pat36 Responses
Published: April 20, 2016

Tak: A Beautiful Game

Today we have some exciting news….

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Here’s the short version: We’ve just launched the kickstarter for Tak.

If that’s enough for you, you can head right over here and check it out.

For the rest of you, a story….

    *     *     *

Long ago, James Ernest and I were working on the Pairs kickstarter, brainstorming new stretch goals we could add to the campaign.

“We could agree to make Tak at some point in the future,” James said. (Note, I’m paraphrasing here.)

I didn’t want to do that.

“How about a stretch goal where if we hit it, the two of us agree to work out the rules?” He asked.

I didn’t want to do that either.

“How about we agree to do a live google chat where we just talk about the game in general?” he said.

And I agreed that fine. FINE. We could do that. We could talk about it. And we did. It was okay.

Later, James told me he wanted to make Tak. He wanted to invent it. He wanted to build the whole thing from the ground up based on my descriptions from the book, and the unwritten stuff he knew I had hidden in my head.

Again, I said no.

“Why not?” he asked.

“Tak is supposed to be my world’s version of Chess or Go or Mancala,” I said. “I can’t ask you to make a game like that. It’s like saying, ‘you know those games that have stood the test of time for hundreds or thousands of years? The best games ever? Do that, but in my world.’ So first off, it’s unreasonable for me to ask. Secondly, you can’t do it. No one can. And thirdly, if you did somehow manage to pull if off, nobody would give a shit. We’re living in the golden age of board games right now. Nobody cares about strategy games like chess anymore.”

(If you haven’t already noticed, I can be a curmudgeonly fucker at times.)

“Just let me try,” James said. “Let me take a run at it. If you hate what I come up with, we’ll never speak of it again.”

So I told him, fine. Fine! Do it. Whatever. Jeez.

So he asked me a bunch of questions. Then he went off and made a game. Then he brought it to me….

Now you should know that I’m telling you this story so that you know where I was coming from on the subject of Tak. Simply said, I wasn’t eager to pursue it. I was the opposite of eager.

And it wasn’t because I don’t like James Ernest. James Ernest is fucking brilliant. I’ve been playing his games for twenty years. I loved Pairs and was delighted to incorporate it into my world….

Pairs_Faen_Card_Art_1024x1024(Actual footage.)

But I knew that Tak was a purely mythical game. And while James was great, I knew that nobody could just sit down and create a game on par with chess or Go. I was going to politely look at whatever he brought me, smile kindly, and try to let him down as gently as possible.

Then James brought me his game. And I played it.

And it was amazing.

I was stunned by the game. Stunned that anyone could make something like this. It’s more elegant than chess. It’s more enjoyable than Go.

I learned to play it in about five minutes and had a blast. More than a year later, the game is still unfurling for me like a flower, as I understand more and more about the play of it.

It is, in brief, a beautiful game.

*    *     *

TakFPBanner1

(Is that enough gushing? If so, here’s a link to the kickstarter.)

*     *     *

For a while now, I’ve been working with James on the production of the game.

If you’ve ever bought anything from our online store, you know I’m obsessively careful about merchandise. I never want to sell you anything I’m not proud of. This is doubly true with Tak. It’s such a lovely game, the last thing I wanted was for it to be some crappy thing made out of pasteboard and plastic.

So we’re using wood pieces, even though it’s harder. And we’re getting everything ethically sourced, because that’s important. And we’re getting as much of the work done here in the US as possible, because while it’s tons cheaper to get things done in China… well… I’m sure I don’t need to explain to you why it’s nice that your friends and neighbors have jobs….

I’m really pleased with what we have here. I’m excited for you guys to play it. I want to show you how it fits into my world.

(Have I mentioned the kickstarter is over here?)

*     *     *

I’ll be honest with y’all. The first couple days of a kickstarter are really important. If we have a strong start with a bunch of backers, it’s a hundred times easier to run a successful campaign. And here’s the key, the more successful we are, the more raw awesome we’ll be able to pour into the game and the book we’re making.

Did I mention the companion book yet? We’re doing a book, too. It will talk about strategy, delve into the history of Tak, and explain in some detail the difference between courtly Tak and Tak as it’s played among… rougher elements of society.

If the campaign takes off, we’ll be able to add more stuff to the kickstarter, too. More levels. A high-end set with metal pieces and a wooden board. Custom capstone pieces. Maybe alternate boards. Maybe even stone pieces. If we get enough interest, cool things like that will be forthcoming.

With that in mind, if you’re interested in this, please consider jumping on board early. As I’ve said, these first couple days really shape the performance of the kickstarter. Most importantly, if you sign up now, you’ll get our updates when we *do* to roll out some of the new coolness. So if you’re hoping to grab one of the specialty sets, signing up now is the easiest way for you to stay in the loop. That way you’ll be the first to know when they come out.

So… yeah. That’s all. There’s a lot more information on the kickstarter. I’ll let you read it there.

If you have any burning questions that aren’t answered over there. You can ask them in the comments below and we’ll do our best to either find answers for you. Barring that, we will at the very least create some amusing lies to ease the sting of your not-knowing.

And, one final time, the link.

pat

Also posted in cool news, geeking out | By Pat95 Responses
Published: November 19, 2015

Cards Against Humanity: Fantasy Pack

It’s no secret that I’m terribly fond of Max Temkin. Not only is he fun to be around, but he’s a genuinely nice person who has pitched in to help with Worldbuilders in several different ways over the last couple years.

For example, when we did our podcast together, we weren’t originally planning on having sponsors. But when our audience turned out to be startlingly large, Max immediately suggested we take on select ads and donate all the money directly to Worldbuilders.

Hold on, it occurs to me that some of you might not realize who I’m talking about here. Max is one of the guys who created Cards Against Humanity.

If you don’t know what Cards Against Humanity is… Well, I almost want to congratulate you, because this must be your very first time on the internet. Welcome, traveler! Adventure awaits!

CAH is a hugely, crassly inappropriate game that has given me many wonderful laughs with good friends. It’s… it’s really indescribable. So I might as well just post up a link to the very NSFW edition of Tabletop where they played it. As well as this video of grandmas getting high and playing the game.

But seriously, the game has penetrated pretty much every avenue of geek culture. And even better, (he said, gliding right past many, all-too-easy jokes that could be made due to the phrasing in that last sentence) the CAH folks have elevated irreverence to an art form. Last year, Max and his team protested Black Friday by selling something they called Holliday Bullshit.

tumblr_nfraugXsgU1rbyqg2o1_1280

What was in the box? Actual cow poop. This is a fact that still makes me smile. Then CAH took the money they made from that and donated it to Worldbuilders so it would go to Heifer International. Which is kinda poetic, if you think about it. Circle of life and all that.

I could go on and on about the things they’ve done. One year for black friday, they raised their prices instead of having a sale. Earlier this year, they released a pack of science-themed expansion pack of cards and donated all profits to provide full-ride scholarships for women seeking STEM degrees.

Anyway, today we finally get to unveil something we’ve been working on for a while: A fantasy-themed expansion pack for CAH.

Fantasy Pack

(I have no idea what’s going on in that picture. Seriously. No. Idea.)

This pack contains 30 cards, and it’s everything you’d expect from a fantasy-themed CAH expansion. The ideas for the cards were written by a team of crack authors who have helped out Worldbuilders in the past.

And (if you haven’t already guessed) ALL the proceeds from the first two weeks of sales will go to Worldbuilders in support of Heifer International. For those of you who have been wondering about the yellow progress bar on our website that says, “Coming Soon.” Well… now you know what that is for….

cards

Some of the authors who wrote cards are:

  • Neil Gaiman
  • Sam Sykes
  • Myke Cole
  • Jacqueline Carey
  • Kevin Hearne
  • Martha Wells
  • Sherwood Smith
  • Elizabeth Bear
  • Wesley Chu
  • Laura Anne Gilman
  • Delilah Dawson
  • Me
  • And a few others who would prefer not to be named….

So there you go. I’ve seen the cards. I’ve held them in my hands and read them and they are delightfully awful. A few of them made me laugh my evilest laugh.

You can buy a pack by following this link. Hell, why not get two? Get 10! (Then you get free shipping, too.)

CAH has a running tally on their website showing how much they’ve raised for us, and we’ll be checking that regularly to update our thermometer. (But again, we’re doing it manually. Because it’s hard to automate these things, and we’d rather spend our money on helping people rather than re-programming widgets.)

So. Go forth. Make the world a better place by playing this wonderful, horrible game.

Also posted in cool news, cool things, Worldbuilders 2015 | By Pat30 Responses
Published: November 11, 2015

Hundreds of Games from Mayfair

Last year, Mayfair Games came in as a sponsor for Worldbuilders. And to be honest, we were a little unprepared for the sheer level of awesome they brought to the table.

Some of you might remember the entire semi-trailer full of games….

It was so many games it took the Worldbuilders team 4 hours just to get them inside. (There were 18 pallets full.)

This year’s donation arrived on Monday, but this time it only took my team an hour and a half to get them inside. I like to think that it’s because my team has leveled up somehow, becoming more efficient. It’s better than the alternative, which is that over the past year they’ve somehow managed to become 200% stronger. That would not bode well for me, my position as leader and alpha male is already rather tenuous….

Anyway, today I drove down to Milwaukee to interview Jeffery Craynor and Joseph Fink, helping out with the tour they’re having for their delightful new book.

So guess what happens when I’m away? This happens….

_DSC0294

(I wasn’t even gone 12 hours.)

You know, I’m not upset that as soon as I leave town, you all start to goof off. And I’m not upset that you made a fort out of the games Mayfair sent us….

No. It’s that you built a *square* fort. A circular fort would have been more aesthetically pleasing while at the same time being much more more structurally sound.

Also, where the hell are the crenelations?

I swear. It’s like you people haven’t been listening to a thing I’ve said all these years….

I’m not mad. I’m just…. disappointed.

_DSC0303

 (If your game arrives damaged, blame Amanda.)

I’m going to have to come into the office tomorrow and make my disappointed dad face, aren’t I?

Anyway, as you can see, we have more than six hundred games that are going into our prize lottery. 100 of each of the following: Pillars of the Earth: Builders Duel, Dos Rios, Oceania, Patrician, Revolution: The Dutch Revolt, and Shear Panic.

allmayfair

 

That’s over $18,000 worth of games in this blog alone. Give or take a little, depending on if you value the ones touched by Amanda’s butt as worth more or less than their… uninitiated counterparts.

For every 10 dollars you chip in on our the donation page worldbuilders has set up, you have a chance to win these games, as well as everything else entered over the course of the fundraiser.

Big news tomorrow. Tune in for it.

Also posted in Worldbuilders 2015 | By Pat10 Responses
Published: September 28, 2015

Novelties: Hoodies, T-Shirts, and Drug-Addled Dracci

Novelties has become a lot of fun over this last year, mostly because we get to show off the cool new things we’re putting up in The Tinker’s Packs for charity.

As of now, we’ve pretty much finished shipping out the Geeks Doing Good fundraiser perks, with the exception people who never got back to us about t-shirt sizes. *HINT HINT* So that means we can finally start rolling some of those products out in the store.

But first, a signed book:

endofallthings

Amanda geeked out when she found out John would be in Madison for a signing, and so drove down to see him in all of his sarcastic glory.

She got 10 copies of his newest book, The End of All Things, and he graciously signed them for her, despite her intense fangirling. We’ve got those first edition copies up for grabs right here.

  • Auri’s Gear Temporary Tattoos

_DSC0091

This is, apparently, Amanda’s “tough” face. Amanda is hella street.

_DSC0092

This is her ‘I am mildly surprised and a bit perplexed by this tattoo on my arm’ face.

There are two tattoos per pack, so you can be double tough. Or, y’know. Single tough twice as long.

They’re available right here.

  • Geek-a-Week decks.

GeekAWeek

These Geek-aWeek decks are cool, as each card has a geeky celebrity featured on the front with some of their vital stats on the back.

During the fundraiser we actually played a little game of D&D showing one of the best uses I’ve seen for these cards: namely, using them to generate off-the-cuff NPCs with more personality than is generally the case.

Here are some highlights from Season 1 and Season 5:

geekaweeks1

geeksaweeks5

I’m guessing you can see a lot of familiar faces there.

Decks are available here. And fair warning: quantities are limited.

  • All of the t-shirts

_DSC0070

Dear beloved Worldbuilders employees: Do not break each other. This is expressly forbidden in the employee handbook.

_DSC0061

All four of the new t-shirts we made for the fundraiser are now live the the store. The team have been wearing theirs with pride, and Amanda, Jeff, and Rachel were all giddy when they saw some out in the wild at my recent signing in LA.

If you missed out on getting one before, or you suddenly thought of a friend who probably needs these, you can pick them up over here:

What Does It Unlock, Waystone Inn, You Have Died of Chandrian, and Polka Will Never Die.

  • Hoodies

Hoodies2

Amanda’s been SUPER photogenic lately…

Hoodies1

So apparently, this is what my team does when I’m not in the office to keep an eye them. They dress up and take pictures of their butts.

The hoodies were something of an experiment. They’re much more expensive than t-shirts to produce, so they’re more expensive to purchase, and we were worried no one would be interested in them. Or at least not enough people to make them worth the expense, not to mention the storage space.

They went over way better than we thought, and so even though we hadn’t intended to carry them in the store afterwards originally, you swayed us, and you can get your own over here.

  • Draccus for King of Tokyo and King of New York

DraccusAd

As I mentioned before, King of Tokyo isn’t just a personal favorite game, it’s captured the hearts of the entire Worldbuilders team. They got together and played it a few weeks back, then posted a bunch of pictures up on the Worldbuilders Blog.

So imagine our delight when the lovely folks that make the game worked with us to create a special promotional character, so you can destroy Tokyo like the giant drug-addled cow-lizard you are.

When we brought this promotional Draccus card to GenCon, we only had about 400 of them, which we thought were plenty to last us the weekend. Even so, we limited it to 50 a day, so folks who only came on Saturday or Sunday still had a chance to pick some up. We sold out every day in just a couple of hours.

But now we have our full shipment of draccuses (dracci?) in the store, and we’re making them available to everyone for the first time.

Fair warning: We have a limited number of these, and once they’re gone, there won’t ever be any more. So if you want one, you might want to grab it sooner rather than later. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if they sell out in just a couple of days.

For those of you who’ve never played the game before, I highly recommend it. So we’re selling copies of King of Tokyo and King of New York in the store, too. You can use the draccus in either game.king-of-tokyo-couverture2

And, as always, all the money raised in the Tinker’s Packs goes to charity. So you’re not just buying geeky swag, you’re making the world a better place, too.

* * *

Three final notes before I sign off today.

I’ve decided that I’m going to be fewer events and less overall traveling in 2016. So if you’d like to see me in person, you might want to catch me in some of the following events coming up here at the end of the year, if that’s at all possible.

1. I’m doing a bit of a tour with Paul and Storm on the East Coast this week. There will be stops in Philadelphia, Alexandria, Brooklyn, and Somerville. (Which is not the same as Sunnydale. I checked.)

2. The convention I’ve been helping plan is fast approaching: NerdCon: Stories. It’s going to be a seriously awesome time.

3. Expect another post later this week on the blog. Odds are I’ll have some news to share….

Later Space Cowboys,

pat

Also posted in Novelties, The Tinker's Packs | By Pat14 Responses
Published: July 29, 2015

Some News, and Events in Indianapolis

Heya everybody,

Sorry the posts have been a little slim here lately. It’s been a strange, busy couple weeks at Rothfuss HQ. Aside from the fact that it’s the middle of convention season, some other stuff has been going on too…

  • Hollywood Talk:

As many of you who follow me on facebook or twitter already know, this happened:

BiddingWar

(Click the headline to read the article itself.)

That article is pretty impressive, not just because we didn’t make a press release, but because almost 90% of it is true. (Not the part about book 3, unfortunately.) That means that despite my plans to have a relaxing ComicCon where I caught up with some of my friends, most of my time in San Diego was spent meeting with fancy Hollywood people.

I didn’t know what to expect walking into those meetings, but I have to say, it was a surprisingly non-excruciating experience.

After the convention I came home for a couple days, then I headed out to LA to talk some more.

And honestly? That’s all I can say about that right now.

I might write a blog in a while talking about the extreme trepidation I feel about entering into this sort of arrangement, or the worry I feel about trying to adapt my books into alternate media. But right now, I just don’t have the time.

If you’re *really* interested, you can hear me talk about it at some length in the weekly podcast I’m doing with Max Temkin. I’ve spoken about it there at some length. Probably in more detail and with more caffeine involved than is entirely wise.

  • A brief adventure to Vidcon:

I was planning to fly back home on Thursday, but since I was already in LA, I decided to take an extra day or two and stop by Vidcon.

This was partly because I’m helping plan a book-centered convention with Hank Green, (Nerdcon, for those of you who don’t already know.) And I knew seeing Vidcon would help me be a better collaborator with his team.

But mostly I went because Vi Hart was there. And she is one of my favorite people.

20150724_204406

(Actual footage.)

I also got to meet Hank and John Green in person for the first time, rather than e-mail meetings, which are rather thin, ephemeral things which preclude handshakes and hugs. (I don’t have any pictures of those meetings, because I never think of doing that sort of thing at the time.)

I also got to meet Henry Reich (from minute physics) and Jackson Bird, and had some lovely talk. I saw Freddy Wong, too. But didn’t approach him, because I was trying to play it cool.

It was an interesting convention, unlike any other con I’ve been to so far. And it’s made me even more excited about the upcoming Nerdcon….

  • Non-Gencon events in Indianapolis

I’m heading out to Indianapolis primarily because of Gencon. But for those of you who don’t go to conventions (or who couldn’t get a badge) I have a few events you can come to on Friday.

Friday, July 31

11am-12:30pm: A discussion of fantasy literature with PhD candidate Beth Avila.

Geek Chic at Gallery 42
42 E Washington St
Indianapolis, IN 46204

This is going to be a little bit outside of my normal realm of panel. This time, Geek Chic brought in a person with an actual literature degree to banter with me. I’m intrigued by this one, and if you are too you can grab a completely free ticket right here.

You don’t even need a GenCon badge for this, this is a great place to come check me out while I talk with someone about fantasy literature.

7:00 pm Concert Against Humanity

Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
502 North New Jersey Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204

This is a cool show that the folks from Cards Against Humanity are putting on. Performers include Kumail Nanjiani, Paul and Storm, Cameron Esposito, The Doubleclicks, Molly Lewis, Patrick Rothfuss, and John Scalzi.

You have to buy a ticket. But they’re handing out swag bags that have a bunch of games and goodies worth over a hundred bucks.

And if that weren’t enough by itself: here’s a code that will give you twenty bucks off your ticket. “indywelcomesall”

You can Buy tickets here.

  • GenCon:

This year, Worldbuilders will be all over Gencon. We’re going to have a booth by the Writer’s Symposium track of paneling. And a second booth we’re sharing with our longtime friends Badali Jewelry at #663 in the expo hall where we will be selling all manner of things.

Since we’re doing more than our average number of events at this year’s convention, we’ve got the fabulous Thera helping us coordinate volunteers for these booths.

Hey friends! There’s still space to volunteer for @PatrickRothfuss and @Worldbuilders_ during GenCon! If you’re interested let me know!

— Thera! 2016 (@Therajill) July 22, 2015

(From what I understand, we especially need people on Thursday)

If you’re interested in hanging out with the Worldbuilders team and lending a hand, drop her a line on twitter. And you can help us show off the cool things we’re going to have at our booth.

What kind of cool things? Well it’s funny you should ask….

DraccusAd

Yup. That’s right. It’s a Draccus. Brought to you by the fine folks a Iello games, the people who make King of Tokyo.

When I met the folks from iello at GenCon two years ago, it turned out we had some mutual admiration going on. They loved my books, and I loved their games. I recommend King of Tokyo for anyone. It’s easy to learn, fun to play, and allows for a lot of trash talk, which I’m particularly good at.

So we’ve been working on creating a Draccus creature with them to release as a special promotion, with all the proceeds of the sale going to Worldbuilders.

king-of-tokyo-couverture2

The first time I’ll get to see our awesome Draccus is at GenCon. We’re going to limit how many are available each day. That way everyone has a chance to get them, even if you only have a day pass for Sunday. (And yes, if we have any left over, we’ll be putting them up in the Tinker’s Packs.)

What’s more, I’ve got two signings at the Worldbuilders booth (see the full schedule below for details).

If you want to come to one of my signings at the booth, there will be time tickets available there anytime before the signing, so you won’t have to wait in a long line. Just be sure to pick one up before the signing, because you have to have one to get your stuff signed.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Here’s all of the places I’ll be, and a few I won’t that I think you should check out anyway.

  • Thursday, July 30

If you’re at the con on Thursday, we’re going to be giving away a chance to play True Dungeon with me, Max Temkin, Sam Sykes, and Delilah S. Dawson. It’ll be from 2:30-5 Thursday afternoon.

Lycan's Afoot - Room 6 - Pat Rothfuss Run

(We had a great time playing last time, as you can see…)

If you want a chance of winning the ticket, you need to come by the Worldbuilders booth (#663) before noon, fill out a slip with your name and phone number, and put it into the hat. We’ll select one at random at 12:01, then call the winner and coordinate with them to come to the game.

If we don’t hear from you by 1pm we’ll call someone else, so be sure to answer your phone…

12pm-1pm: Second Stage Writing Career – What to Expect. Room 244

6pm-8pm: An Evening with Patrick Rothfuss. Westin hotel, Capitol III

The bad news is, this event is out of tickets. We filled the biggest room we could get to capacity, so if you don’t already have a ticket, you probably won’t be able to go.

That said, there’s another event going on at the same time that I think you might be interested in…

6pm-8pm: Storium Live with Chuck Wendig, Sam Sykes, Delilah S. Dawson, and Stephen Blackmoore. Room 245.

This is going to be a cool event. Storium is a collaborative story writing game, and we’ve got cool authors signed up to play a game live for you guys.

Additionally, this is a fundraiser for Worldbuilders. There’s a $4 admission fee, which goes to Worldbuilders, and once you’re in you can influence the story. Want to FORCE Sam Sykes to talk about Wols? Donate and make him change the story.

Yeah. You have the opportunity to screw around with people while also making the world a better place. It’s a win-win.

Tickets are still available here, and the more people who show up, the more fun it’s going to be.

  • Friday, July 31

11am-12:30pm: A discussion of fantasy literature with PhD candidate Beth Avila.

Geek Chic at Gallery 42
42 E Washington St
Indianapolis, IN 46204

1pm-2pm: Signing at the Worldbuilders Booth, #663

7pm Concert Against Humanity

Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
502 North New Jersey Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
Buy tickets here

This is going to be a pretty sweet event. It’ll be me and some of my favorite folks putting on a show. If you don’t have a badge for GenCon, this might be the coolest way to find me.

  • Saturday, August 1

11am-12pm: What Makes a Character a Hero? Room 245

4pm-5pm: Signing at the Worldbuilders Booth, #663

6pm-7pm: Writing the Other. Room 245

  • Sunday, August 2

12pm-1pm: Writer’s Craft: Satisfying Conclusions. Room 242

Other than that, I’ll be around the convention, goofing around and playing games. The Worldbuilders Team will be around too, so be sure to stop by and visit them at the booth if you get the chance. We’ve got some convention-only specials that are worth checking out.

Be seeing some of you soon…

pat

Also posted in conventions, movie talk | By Pat45 Responses

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