Hello everyone!

Well, on the good side, the kidney infection I had that started last Saturday has cleared up. That had really gotten in the way of things, but now I can hopefully dive into things with more gusto.

This should be a shortish blog post because of that, but I have got a fair amount done, despite that.

First off, straight into writing news, I left last week with having completed all the background and notes for a swashbuckling fantasy background that I'd like to write several stories in. I'd got the setting and characters done and also had laid out synopses and chapter plans for a short story and a novella. This, by the way, is the setting that I'd researched a lot into the history of the Anglo-Scottish borders between the Norman Conquest and the end of the Elizabethan period. I still intend to delve into that and things are ready for when I do.

What I did do, instead of knuckling down and concentrating on those two stories, was... to plan a Gwaeloch Irisgarth story - the setting that I have several first drafts in about an elven barbarian. I've the plans down for that now. I wanted to do something that was like a dungeon delve, with a party of heroes sent to defeat an ancient subterranean terror. I know its based on a cliche, but I really wanted to give that cliche a twist. So, I wanted all the heroes to have turned on each other by the end, for greed or their own personal agendas to have screwed the party over by the end. I though twisting a cliche would be a really fun concept.

So, I was going to knuckle down and get that story down as a first draft, but got distracted again.

On Twitter - I still use it a lot and has still found it to be a very useful tool despite a certain owner's tampering - I seem to have fallen in with a few Splatterpunk authors to some degree. One of the author's I've done a review on some of her work. the review you can read here. Anyway, I wanted to try my hand at a Fantasy Splatterpunk story, doing a Grindhouse style story, something in the veins of Dirty Harry or Death Wish, but in a fantasy setting. I'm currently in the process of planning that out. I also wanted to turn the Sword and Sorcery concept on its head a little where instead of some burly barbarian going up a wizard and his retinue, an apprentice goes up against gangster and outlaws, mundane troubles in search of getting revenge for his master's death, whether I make this a single novella or a series of short stories, I'm unsure at the moment. I think it could be fun. I'm going to try and not channel some of Kim Newman's Filthy Harald stories while doing it.

By next week, I should have knuckled down to actually write one of these stories. I may even have returned to that extra long novella I started a few months ago, but I think I still need a break from that and will get some other projects done.

One thing I really want is to have two or three novellas ready to release as soon as I can. I'm not sure why I'm having difficulty getting that aim completed. I have a few thoughts that I have some anxiety about it to the point that its a bit problematic. I sort of want to rush these and bust through a set of first drafts, but getting an adequate set finished seems to not be on the cards yet. I think I'm pressurizing myself too much about it, which gets in the way.

Anyway, that's the writing updates over.

Now onto a bit of gaming. This week I managed to get my copy of Crypt of the Devil Lich by Goodman Games. It's a Kichstarter that I backed about two years ago, and after a bit of a kerfuffle trying to organise the courier properly, I finally got my grubby mits on it.

If you'll excuse the quality of some of the photo's, I don't have the best of phones to take photos with. I hope to do an actual review on it and I'll have better photos up for that. This is basically a sort of unboxing. So, here's what I got:

Crypt of the Devil Lich,
by Goodman Games,
entire Kickstarter pledge
with stretch goals

Crypt of the Devil Lich DnD 5E cover

Stretch goal pack
for Crypt of the Devil Lich

Goodman Games Gazeteer with
Crypt of the Devil Lich postcard

Designer Diaries for
Crypt of the Devil Lich

The Lost Level for
Crypt of the Devil Lich
DCC edition,
Doug Kovaks cover

Player Handout Booklet for
Crypt of the Devil Lich,
for DCC and DnD 5e,
Doug Kovaks Cover

I got wasted by the Devil Lich poster,
New Doug Kocaks edition

I got wasted by the Devil Lich poster,
original version

What I had done originally was to back both the Dungeon Crawl Classics version of the scenario, and also the 5E DnD edition too. I'm really pleased with what came with it all. It was a really big Kickstarter and many of the stretch goals were reached, including a couple of posters of the modern cover and the original. There were a couple of options for covers too, with a holographic option, a Sanjulian cover and one by Doug Kovacs. there was a lost level in its own booklet, and handout likewise printed, and also pre-generated characters in their own booklet too. there was even a designers notes booklet too. I'm quite impressed by what is included. Though it took two years to arrive, and there was a couple of bits of drama along the way, I do appreciate the amount of extra effort that went into their production.

If you would like to get a copy, they are currently at the time of writing, able to be pre-ordered. If you would like the DnD 5E edition you can get it here. If you would like the DCC edition you can get it here. I'm unsure if much of the Kickstarter stuff will be included in the pre-order volumes, but you can always get in touch with Goodman games and ask.

I have the Dungeon Crawl Classics rules system and it's sci-fi Mutant Crawl Classics version, but wanted to get a couple of scenarios in before investing in the DnD rules set. But to be honest, because of all the drama surrounding Wizards of the Coast, I'm currently reluctant in investing in the 5E DnD rules set just yet. Regardless, DCC is a great game, really fun, based in the OSR and has some quirky stuff to do with magic and the dice used and has a real pulp feel to them. I'm probably going to have a lot more fun running that than I would DnD 5E to be honest.

I should eventually do a review on DCC at some point, or some game play blog posts or videos.

That is pretty much it for this week. All that I'm left with to say is that for those that have read to the end and quite enjoy this section, while I've been writing this post, I've had a couple of mugs of lovely builder's tea and I've been watching an MWG Table Top Games battle report of Warhammer Fantasy Armies Project where Lizardmen battled against the Vampire Counts.

All the best for the coming week and I hope to see you all soon.

 Hello everyone!

Well, I've started planning a couple of first drafts to follow on from fantasy novella I finished. One is a short story based on what will happen were wizards to start a barroom brawl in the same fantasy series. I like the idea of an elaborate chaos spilling out into the street because of some petty semantic argument of some minor magickal technique.

The other story is a fantasy novella and will have the same sidekick as the first novella in it. A Fimir village guards a pocket dimension holding the shard of a god. A pirate fleet and an army of cultists want to gain the shard and try to conquer the village and the heroes are on the side of the Fimir.

I've got a fair way into planning both of these tales and I would have liked to have started one, preferably the short story, but I've come down with some sort of stomach bug which sees me having to go and sit on the toilet an embarrassing amount of times. Its getting a bit tedious now. I've had it most of a week now and I'm getting to feel a bit downtrodden by it now and it'd be nice to get back to normal. Hopefully that'll happen soon. It should do, It seems to be changing fairly quickly in regards to some of the symptoms.

Anyway, not much else has happened. There was a Pagan Moot in Derby that I had to miss, two in fact because of this, but I was able to catch up with some folks while at home. The newer group seems to be developing well and the older one is chugging on like normal. I think there was a glut of new faces at both, which is nice.

But other than that, nothing much has happened.

I did managed to stat reading a new games book recently, based on Lankhmar setting by Fritz Leiber for the Dungeon Crawl Classics game set for their TTRPG, very curious stuff. I look forward to playing some of it.

Lankhmar ruleset for DCC,
(Dungeon Crawl Classics)

 Hello everyone!

Well, this last week has been a busy writing week for me, which is nice.

I was wondering whether to postpone this post a few more days until I'd finished the first draft of my current novella, but that may still a little while off nonetheless. I should still finish it during the week, over the next couple of days or so in fact, but still.

I had wondered if I may have been able to have finished it by now, but that wasn't the case, where I had wondered originally - a few months ago - if it would total 25,000 words, I did start wondering if it would be nearer 12,000 words when I made my last post. But its currently totalling a little over 19,000 words and I've still the main climax and conclusory passage to do, so it probably will be nearer 25,000 words like I originally thought.

What that means is that I'll have the first draft of a novella that will be 60 to 70 pages long.

But enough numerical stuff. I should have this done by Friday, which is good because my main character, Gwaeloch Irisgarth is to be accompanied by a version of a friend of mine who will appear as a wizard's apprentice. I really am hoping to have it completed by Friday as it will be her birthday then and it'll make a nice little present for her, even if it is in rough form.

Yes, I've just to somehow work out how to do a four way showdown - with a liche and a being from the stars, and the apprentice's old master, and someone who'd previously captured the heroic duo. Easy (suppresses a mild sense of panic deep down inside).

But otherwise, in my writing world, nothing much has taken place. I am still enjoying Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride for DCC with all its added content.

Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride,
for Dungeon Crawl Classics - DCC

It really is a good book with plenty of options to expand the original quest and to probably triple or quadruple its run time. It really fleshes out the jungle around the Mummy Bride's tomb with snake men, cannibals, fungal men of universal knowledge and other things.

Other  than that, there isn't really much else to say about things. Next week, I should definitely have the current novella first draft finished and should have either started or be planning the next first draft - there is a small selection of stories I'd like to write, in various states of preparation. Its just a choice of which to work on first.