Shoulder Surgery Update

As some of you know, I tore the labrum in my right shoulder while at work near the beginning of the year. Due to the way workman's comp needs to work, they put me on light duty for two months assuming it was a muscle issue and not actual damage. After two months, they had me go in for an MRI (which took a while to schedule), then I made a follow-up with my very cool MD (which took a while to schedule), who then referred me to a shoulder specialist (which took...you get the idea), who told me the MRI showed an "extensive tear" (hint: they don't often use descriptors in these reviews unless it's bad). My new (and also awesome) shoulder MD put the paperwork in for surgery (3-4 weeks to schedule), which then was delayed because I developed a bad chest cold, then delayed longer due to a scheduling issue.

Three weeks ago I had my surgery and the experience was very smooth. Other than the tear, apparently my shoulder cuff muscles and joint looks great with no signs of arthritis or other issues, which is awesome to hear. I had my checkup yesterday and was told that the post-surgery pain can go on for 3-6 months, but the doctor feels I'm way ahead of schedule on my recovery, which is all great news.

I start physical therapy this week and go back for one more recheck in 3 weeks. After that, I should be able to return to light duty (4-6 weeks) and to full duty after that.

It's amazing how long it takes to schedule and juggle appointments, but aside from that, everyone from my doctors to the HR people to the workman's comp people have been wonderful. I'm bummed the pain may go on for a while longer, but I'm very happy with the surgery itself and the relatively fast recovery.

Thanks so much to everyone for the support over the past few months. I'm looking forward to getting back to the bedside.

Lucid Storytelling Game

Lucid is a storytelling/RPG hybrid game that has been in development for the past 4 years. The game's original designer, Thaddeus Wilson, approached me early this year to get a designer's eye on it. When he first told me what his game could do I was skeptical, but happy to take a look and offer advice on what to do next. When I saw what he had created, I immediately asked if he needed a developer. Luckily for me, he welcomed me on board.

What is Lucid?

Lucid bridges standard role-playing and storytelling games with a unique mechanic that incorporates the best of both worlds.

In most role-playing games, there is a Game Master (GM) who has created or bought an adventure to run the players through. The GM is responsible for laying clues, playing supporting cast characters (called non-player characters, or NPCs) and adjudicating combats and skill challenges. Role-playing games allow the players to chose what their player characters (PCs) do, within the bounds of the rule system, but the overall plot is in the hands of the GM.

Storytelling games do away with the single GM and focus on cooperative storytelling between all players. No one knows where the storyline will wander or how it will end. Storytelling games allow everyone to participate in building the story in some way, whether by playing themed cards, rolling dice or simply using their imaginations. Unlike a role-playing game, typical storytelling games don't use player-characters and tend to have limited structure—the price of taking your imagination anywhere.

As a storytelling game, Lucid removes the single GM and allows each player to take turns as Director. Unlike most storytelling games, though, every player in a game of Lucid has a character to play (referred to as a Main Character) and the story follows a framework derived from the Three Act storytelling structure used in many plays, movies, TV shows and novels. During their turn as Director, a player introduces story elements in order to complete one of the Plot Points that make up the Three Acts, guiding the story to a both satisfying and exciting finale!

My Old Kentucky Home

Playing Apples-to-Apples Junior at The Creme Coffeehouse
Owensboro, KY

My wife and I flew home last night from a three-week vacation to Owensboro, Kentucky; the town where I grew up. My brother and his wife took a trip to Europe and we went back to spend time with his youngest kids, Carter and Laynie. I have nearly a dozen nieces and nephews (including three step, plus four great nieces and nephews) and I'm as gushing an uncle as I am a father. Every one of those "kids" makes the world a better place.

It's particularly fun seeing aspects of myself reflected in them--Maggie's love of games (and chocolate), Clint's dry sense of humor, Jesse's passion for fantasy, Jennifer's traveling, Sara's love of books, Josh's career as an EMT and firefighter, Laynie's bourgeoning fascination with the fantastic and bizarre (her favorite movies are Rise of the Guardians and Nightmare Before Christmas)--but of all my siblings' kids, spending time with Carter is like traveling back in time to hang out with myself.

My First Solo-Author RPG Piece from Christina Stiles Presents

"Rich Howard’s “Mundane No More” is a glorious little pdf, one of these hidden gems that are easily overlooked, but shouldn’t be. The rules herein make bookish characters work better, make the trip to the sage more compelling and generally increase the immersion into a given fantasy world. While personally, I enjoy a more active research (with rolls), combining this pdf’s rules with Rogue Genius Games’ research rules is extremely easy. So yeah, this is one of the hidden gems, a great file and well worth 5 stars +seal of approval!" - http://endzeitgeist.com/mundane-more-texts-tomes/

From RPGnow.com:

Mundane No More: Texts and Tomes presents a new look at the most culturally-significant and history-altering invention in history: the book, designed by author Rich Howard.

Words. We love them. We’re gamers, after all. From novels to rule sets to textbooks to cereal boxes, non-magical language is the foundation of our imaginations. So why is it that PCs rifle through libraries in search of spellbooks and magical manuals while leaving generations of carefully cultivated knowledge strewn under their muddy boots?

Mundane No More: Texts and Tomes, remedies this by turning fantasy (and modern) libraries into treasure troves of knowledge. Mundane texts provide opportunities for any literate member of an adventuring party to retrain unwanted feats, refocus their skill ranks into areas helpful to the campaign, and to gain rare and exotic recipes for poisons, inventions, and, yes, even magic items.

Game Masters can use mundane texts to introduce plot twists, foreshadow events, patch holes in a party’s skills, and provide characters with the knowledge to confront enemies to come.

Within the pages of Mundane No More: Texts and Tomes you'll find:

● A four-tier ranking system that describes the knowledge each text contains and how your characters can benefit from it.

● A system for using tomes to retrain your character's skills, feats, spells and more, compatible with the retraining rules found in Ultimate Campaign.

● Detailed crafting-recipe rules that encourage characters to research the creation of mundane tools and weapons, alchemical preparations, and magical items as opposed to ‘knowing it all’ with a single skill rank.

● Creation rules for mundane texts.

● A dozen pre-built tomes and manuals of all types and tiers ready to drop into your campaign right now.

Don't wait - pick up a copy and add the power of the written word to your character’s arsenal!

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ADDENDUM

"Mundane No More: Texts and Tomes" for the Pathfinder RPG by Paizo garners not one, but two 5-Star reviews! Reviews take time and considerable effort, so I greatly appreciate the detail and kind words these reviewers offer.

"...a beautiful concept that feels like it should have been in the rules all along. While the alternate rules for crafting new books adds a layer of complexity, it does so in such a way as to turn books into prized possessions; each with a potential story behind it..."

"This covers anything from a city guide to a bardic epic or a treatise on the mechanics of locks... or indeed any subject you care to consider, and means that any book a character picks up is potentially useful."

More than Words

There was a package on our doorstep today from my mom. I thought it might have been a belated birthday present; it was a large manilla envelope obviously filled with a random assortment of items. It turned out to be a collection of letters, papers, holiday cards and a decades old cassette tape*--20+ years of letters my grandmother had saved.

Tucked among the numerous envelopes was a letter entitled "Glenner Journal Entry". When I was in nursing school, I did some volunteer work at the Glenner Alzheimer's Center here in San Diego. Apparently I had to answer a questionnaire after my time was over. My mother thought G.G. would appreciate it so I had sent her a copy. I'm glad I did. I had forgotten this story until today and I'm not sure I would have rediscovered it on my own.

My grandfather had dementia for years before he passed away. My wife's grandfather recently passed after a short period of increasing dementia. I often run into older patients at my hospital experiencing early to late-stage memory issues. There is no way to describe the emotional and physical toll that caring for a loved one suffering from dementia can take on family and friends. The Glenner Center is a day-care facility where families can bring their loved ones to be cared for, fed, exercised and socialized while the family's take care of necessities or simply take a break.

Among the often heart-breaking challenges I saw every day, there were moments like these that reminded me of the importance of empathy and communication--with, and especially without, words.

[Names have been changed for privacy.]

Current and In-the-Works Projects

For the past year, I've been finally fulfilling my dream to become a game designer. Publisher, editor and designer Christina Stiles has been kind enough to take me under her wing and get me involved in a number of projects I'm incredibly excited about, and many of them are releasing soon. You can already pick up my first professional editing piece, Xaolings, in PDF. 

Two series I've become heavily involved in are titled "Bite Me" and "Strange Brew", both for Pathfinder. "Bite Me" currently focuses on putting lycanthropes into your game alongside player-characters, but will expand to other supernatural creatures like vampires. The large "Pathfinder Guide to Lycanthropes" will be releasing in its entirety later this year, but several PDF products have come out already: "Playing Lycanthropes" and "Wereblooded". Another product, "Skindancers", is in final layout and will be releasing within a few weeks.

"Playing Lycanthropes" and "Skindancers" were written by two-time ENnie-nominee, Robert H. Hudson Jr., with both contributions and editing by yours truly. 

My first Name-on-the-Cover

Musical Interlude

And now, because it's been a while since I've posted about my awesome daughter, here is your musical interlude.

The Dread Pirate Snuggles
Cuddler of the Seven Seas

"Favorite"
Sung to the tune of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"
Lyrics by Rich Howard

You are my favorite Ro of all there was,
there was,

You are my favorite Ro of all there was,
there was,

Of all the Rowans there ever was,
you are my favorite one, because,

I love you so much,

You are my favorite Ro.

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"Love"
Sung to the tune of "Frere Jacques"
Lyrics by Megan Tiffany Howard

I love Rowan,
I love Rowan,

Her dad, too, (Her mom, too)
Her dad, too, (Her mom, too)

We're a happy family,
We're the Howard family,

I feel loved, too
I feel loved, too