holojacob
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Iron Kingdoms – SPLAT!
Jacob Holo: The gobber retrieves four circlets from his bag and places them on the ground in front of you. He handles them with thick leather gloves and uses extreme care. At no time does he touch them directly. The wide rings of twisted black metal radiate an aura of palpable evil. Even standing several…
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Dark Souls II Collector’s Edition Guide – Book Review
IN SHORT: A lavishly produced 460-page hardcover tome with everything a Dark Souls II fan could want. WHAT IT IS: Massive and beautifully bound, this collector’s edition guide for Dark Souls II not only includes a great deal of information about the game, but also sheds light on its sometimes nebulous background story. Many sections…
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Humanity Machine – 1st Draft Complete!
artwork by the very talented Adam Burn – used with permission The first draft of Humanity Machine is officially complete! Woohoo! Weighing in at a hefty 140,000 words, it’s a bit longer than The Dragons of Jupiter and is now my largest novel to date, though editing may change that. I’ve already completed my first editing pass,…
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Writing Techniques – Character Sheets
Today, I would like to discuss one of my favorite writing tools: the character sheet. Characters form the heart and soul of a story. They can breathe life and energy into an otherwise dry tale. So, naturally, their creation is a very important skill for a writer to learn. I suspect there are as many…
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Iron Kingdoms – Substitute Teacher, Menoth Style
With an established party of adventurers, substitutions can be tricky. As Dungeon Master, how do you eject a missing player from the narrative on a temporary basis? How do you maintain the balance of challenges versus the party when 25% of their resources are missing? How do you revise a planned session to account for…
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The Dragons of Jupiter – Book Trailer
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n24DP_Cu72s]
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Iron Kingdoms – Undead Pirate Facepalm
In RPGs, players play the campaigns. The campaigns should not play the players. There’s a fine line between guiding players and super-gluing them to the plot. Players want to affect the world around them, shape its events, and defeat its obstacles. They do not want to sit passively by while plot happens or be led…
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Humanity Machine – 1st Draft Half Done!
artwork by the very talented Adam Burn – used with permission I’ve reached that golden point when writing the first draft of a novel. Yes, the point where I have less to write than I have already written. I’ve crested the hill, and now all I have to do is stroll down the slope on the other…
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Iron Kingdoms – Kraken Smash!
NPCs are tricky to get right. You can pour hours into crafting what you think is an entertaining and engaging character, complete with intricate backstory, only to have the players not like him. Or ignore him. Or rob him blind. Never mind that NPCs can have very short lifespans around players. And there’s the problem:…
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The Dragons of Jupiter – Kirkus Reviews It!
Kirkus, the gold standard of book reviews, has reviewed The Dragons of Jupiter! And you know what? They liked it! Here is their review in full: “An entertaining sci-fi action novel with light overtones of dystopian and political thrillers. In Holo’s debut, set in a future version of our solar system, two brothers find themselves divided…