Finally! The Arrival of Daddy's Little Dryad!

It's official, my wife and I are the parents of one stunning baby Rowan! It was a 48+ hour event that we'll share sometime in the future. In short, everything went mostly as planned (natural birth), but I have to say that this week confirms that I have in my life two of the strongest women I've ever known.

We can't thank everyone enough for the overwhelming love and support we've received. She can't wait to meet everyone!

At least after we get a lot of rest.

Born: 1510, August 26th, 2013
7 lbs, 10.4 oz
21.5" long

A few pictures can be found here.

Click here for more information on rowan tree mythology.

What If, indeed. Episode II

A couple of years ago, Belated Media posted a re-imagining of Star Wars: Episode I. Re-imagining actually gives Episode I too much credit--the guy tore it apart and molded it into what it should have been. Finally, his vision of Episode II is out and now I know why it took a while.

With Phantom Menace, he could cut together scenes from the film to give us a general idea of what he was thinking; he could also put big red slashes over Jar Jar's face. So much of the first film had been changed (and the second one was so terrible) there was almost nothing for him to use. That means storyboards. The result is not only breathtaking, it is a lesson in story editing.

What If Episode I Had Been Good?

What If Episode II Had Been Good?

The Geek Playlist Grows!

Three awesome new songs for the Geek Playlist. Huge thanks to Christina Stiles, Josie Herschel, Steve Magan and Mark Smith for tossing these my way.

All songs available on iTunes.

Wereoctopus: Final Image

The final sketch for the wereoctopus (aka: the Teuthix), one of my contributions to Bite Me! The Gaming Guide to Lycanthropes, from Misfit Studios. Still no official word on whether or not this will be one of the minis produced in association with the guide. Either way I'm very excited to have one of my creations become a part of such a great product.

Click here for other recent news.

Wereoctopus Art by
Scott Harshbarger

Exciting News!

In addition to working on the Gamers' Guide to Lycanthropes, two other third-party projects of mine have been green-lit for production! I can't say much more than that for now, but one will be a Kickstarter project later this year (or possibly early 2014).

Keep an eye out here, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or just ask me next time you see me and I'll keep you in the loop.

For those who don't know, I'm writing the Magic and Mundane chapter of the lycanthrope guide, but I've also contributed material to other chapters as well, including the new races. Check out this concept sketch for my wereoctopus from artist Scott Harshbarger. There's even a rumor it could be made into a mini!

Wereoctopus concept sketch
Scott Harshbarger

Monte Cook Interview

So, this happened:

http://www.montecookgames.com/authorgame-designer-rich-howard/

For those readers who are drawn here for non-gaming reasons, let me explain.

Way back at the end of the 20th Century, Monte Cook, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams were tasked with renovating the world's first roleplaying game for the 21st Century. I'm not sure what they were expecting, but what happened was a revolution in gaming. Monte Cook has gone on to become one of the most respected men in the industry, producing countless supplements, standalone products, campaign settings, games, and even a web series. The quality of his work and his undeniable geek cred has garnered him a following that pushed his Numenera RPG Kickstarter to somewhere north of half-a-million dollars!

Monte Cook is a man I admire. Interviewing him would be a thrill. Being interviewed by him? I don't even have words.

Actually, yes, I do.

Thanks, Monte.

Geek Pride Day

May 25th, 1977. The day geek life changed forever.

Whether you're a Star Wars fanatic or think George Lucas was a hack*, that day changed our modern world. Science fiction became a part of everyday culture. Action figures and playsets sold by the millions. One movie inspired a generation of thinkers, not for its scientific accuracy (Star Wars is more science fantasy than science fiction), but because it triggered the imagination of a generation.

Star Wars wasn't alone. The 70's turned out to be a breeding ground for the future. Three years earlier, Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax rocked the gaming industry with the small press, white box Dungeons & Dragons. In 1978, Richard and Wendy Pini brought their fantasy epic, Elfquest, to the public--one of the first commercially successful independent comics since the Comics Code Authority destroyed small press in the 50's. 1973 brought us the first viable desk-top computers, the Xerox Alto, IBM's SCAMP, the Wang 2200 and prototype Hewlett Packard. In 1975, the microchip allowed the offspring of these industry computers into people's homes.