Matrissa the Enchantress's page

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Cities in the Sky: Science Fiction's Forgotten Visionaries
An audacious and daring gambit to reveal the secret history of the science fiction literary world on film.
Help make it happen!
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This board seemed like a good place to post a note about this particular Kickstarter campaign.

It's a project for a film covering innovative and creative ideas in written science fiction that were far ahead of their time. It will include significant information about visionary genre writers who, while deserving of acknowledgement for their contributions to the genre, have nevertheless fallen off the radar of the average science fiction reader.

There are only 28 hours remaining in the campaign and they only need about $8700 to reach their goal.

• A $25 pledge gets a high definition digital download. (and the satisfaction of assisting a worthwhile creative endeavor!)
  
• A $35 pledge gets the above PLUS a digital copy of a companion graphic novel, further exploring the groundbreaking ideas of these writers.
  
• Higher value pledges are available too, providing a myriad of other perks such as credits in the film, a Blu-Ray disk, t-shirts, and more.

Even if you're not personally able to contribute, it would be great if you could share this information with anyone else you know who might be interested in helping out. I'd really like to see this project succeed.

-M

Is there any way to definitively determine what printing a particular Paizo book is?

I was looking at your errata downloads an wanted to know if I should download any of them but couldn't figure out how to tell which printing my books are. I looked at the publishing information page but didn't see anything there.

-J

Hello folks!

My name is Jenni Merrifield and I have recently taken over the role of Games Coordinator for VCON 34. I am sending out this message to gamers and gaming groups primarily in Western Canada and the Pacific North West as a call to action – by promoting the VCON games room and filling you in on some of the incentives available for gamers in general and to anyone interested in hosting game events during the convention I hope to encourage you and all your friends to come out to our event!

Summary for the "TLDR" crowd

--> VCON is Western Canada’s longest running science fiction, fantasy and gaming fan convention, held in the Vancouver, BC, Canada metropolitan area every October. VCON 34 is October 2-4, 2009. Full details at www.vcon.ca

--> VCON 34’s games room is open 24 hours and has scheduled game events, drop in games, and free-play tables available.

--> There is a reduced price pass ($30) for those who are primarily interested in gaming scene and do not intend to attend other scheduled programming.

--> More hosts are needed to run scheduled game events during core programming hours – any host who commits to at least 4 hours of scheduled game events will be eligible for a discounted membership rate.

--> The VCON 34 Games Coordinator (me) is looking to connect with individuals with almost any significant connection to the table top or video gaming industries who would be interested in attending the con as a programming guest and participating in game related programming.

About VCON
VCON is Western Canada’s longest running science fiction, fantasy and gaming fan convention and is held in the Vancouver, BC, Canada metropolitan area every October. VCON 34 is October 2-4, 2009 at the Downtown Marriott Pinnacle Vancouver.

Our Guests of Honour this year are:

• Tanya Huff (Author GoH)
  
• Miles Teves (Artist GoH)
  
• Christine Willes (Media GoH)
  
• plus Special Guests The “GeeksOn" Podcasters
  

Full convention details are available on our web site: www.vcon.ca

The VCON Games Room
The VCON Games room is open 24 hours from shortly after the convention opens on Friday until close of con on Sunday. There will be several types of tables available:

Scheduled:
These are tables where pre-scheduled gaming events will be held during VCON’s core programming hours (Friday, 2pm to midnight; Saturday 10a to midnight; Sunday 10a to 4p). While the majority of the events will be scheduled game play these tables may also host game demos, focused round table discussions on gaming topics and other such events.

Tourney Registration:
There will be a registration table in place for any game tourneys to be held during the convention where members can register for the tourney and take care of anything else required by the tourney host.

Drop-In:
These tables are run by a game host over the whole weekend. Members can join in whatever games a host decides to run from the library of games they’ve brought with them.

Free-Play:
Bring in your own game supplies and start up a pick-up game of any kind at any time. Whether it’s a board game, a card game, a roleplaying game or something else, pick a table, find some other interested members and go to it!

We also offer the VCON Game Library to members during core programming hours. This is a collection of familiar classics and interesting newer games that the convention has been collecting over the past several years. These games may be borrowed from the library by any member and used on the Free-Play tables.

VCON Membership Rates
If you’re interested in more than just gaming, and purchase your membership before September 15, you can get an adult membership for just $45 CDN – a $15 savings over the $60 “at the door” price. There are also reduced rates for Students (with valid student card) and Children from 7 to 12 (Children under 7 can attend free).

We also offer a “Games and Exhibits Only” pass for $30 CDN. This restricted access pass allows entry to the exhibits (Dealers Room, Art Gallery, etc) and participation in the Games Room. It is designed for those who are primarily interested in these areas of the convention and do not intend to attend any standard programmed sessions.

See the registration page on our web site for complete details: www.vcon.ca/registration.htm.

If you live in the USA:
For those who live south of the 49th parallel, the early registration adult rate is approximately $41 USD versus the approximately $54 USD “at the door” rate. The “Games and Exhibits Only” pass is approximately $27 USD.

Also, new US border crossing regulations mean you will need a valid passport, a Nexus card or one of those “Enhanced Drivers Licenses” if you want the US border guards to let you re-enter your home country. In other words – if you don’t already have one of these forms of identity, get your game on and complete the necessary paperwork and legwork already! We want you to come up and visit us!

Incentives for Game Hosts
In order to make the VCON Games Room a success, we have a desperate need for game hosts – mainly those willing to run game events on the Scheduled tables although we’re also interested in anyone willing to bring along their own game library and host a Drop-In table.

Core programming hours are 2p to midnight Friday, 10a to midnight Saturday, and 10a to 4p Sunday. There will be at least two tables available for scheduled games at any one time – and possibly more if we get enough interested hosts.

The games room Schedule will be broken up into half-hour chunks, and each hosted game event will be given a minimum of one and a half hours duration but can have as many half-hour chunks as the host desires so long as the necessary space is available in the schedule. The first fifteen minutes to half an hour of each event is intended to be used to allow players and host to get organized and settled so the minimum expected duration of a game event is actually only an hour. Note that schedule time slots will be handed out on a first-come-first-served basis, so be sure to register early if you want to assure you get your preferred time slot!

Hosts who commit to hosting a cumulative total of at least four hours over the weekend (e.g., three 1.5-hour sessions, two 2-hour sessions, or one four hour session) are eligible for a Game Host rate - $40 CDN ($36 USD) for Adult or $20 CDN ($18 USD) for “Games and Exhibits Only.” Drop In table hosts are also eligible for these discounts.

Anyone interested in hosting a scheduled game event or who is interested in bringing along a library of games and manning a Drop In table can contact me directly by email at vcongames [at] gmail [dot] com.

In Search of Games Programming Guests
Our roster of games programming guests could also use some bolstering so I am looking to connect with any individual or company with almost any reasonable connection to the table-top and video game industries who would be interested in attending the con as a programming guest.

Programming guests invited to the con are asked to participate in at least two or three game related programming sessions in return for fame, fortune and prestige (well, okay, not fame and fortune, but there’s certainly some prestige earned from other convention members!) and probably some other perks that I’m unable to disclose (but only because I don’t know what they are - you have to get invited by the Programming Coordinator to find out). So, whether you’re a game designer, game artist, game developer, game reviewer or whatever, I’d really like to hear from you!

Any interested parties can also contact me directly by email at vcongames (at) gmail (dot) com.

Wrap Up
Well, that’s the spiel folks. I hope that each one of you will check out our web site (www.vcon.ca) and give some serious consideration to attending VCON 34 this year. Even more so if you’re interested in hosting games or participating in games programming!

October 2 is only a few weeks away, and early registration ends Sept 15, so don’t spend too much time thinking about it!

Good Gaming!

Jenni Merrifield
VCON 34 Games Coordinator
vcongames (at) gmail (dot) com

I'm curious about something - how many of us fall into each of these three categories:

1. I had one AWESOME idea and went with it.
2. I had two KILLER ideas, worked on both, and chose the one that was my favourite (or I tossed a coin, or threw darts at print outs tacked to the wall, or whatever).
3. I had multitudes (a.k.a., three or more) of SUPERLATIVE ideas, worked up several, considered my options, maybe worked up a couple more, and eventually picked one that seemed like the best choice for a win.

I fall squarely into camp #1 - one great idea, wrote it up and went with it.

The process for me is that I think about an item concept idea but if it doesn't fire me up right away I just drop it and move on, seeking out another concept until I finally find the one that puts my muse into a grapple hold, starts shaking her violently and refuses to let go until she's finished coughing up all the details. Then I know, that's the one I have to write up. It was the same last year too.

:-j(enni)

VCON 33 - Vancouver BC's Annual Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Gaming Convention

I would like to invite one and all (especially those living nearby, in the Pacific Northwest) to attend VCON this year. It will be held October 3-5, 2008 at the Compass Point Inn

Gamer Only memberships, available only through early registration, cost of $40 CDN (vs. $60 CDN for a regular adult full weekend membership) and are designed for those who are primarily interested in gaming and do not intend to attend any programmed sessions. Those with gamer memberships will be limited to visiting the Games Room, the Dealers Room and the Art Gallery.

For those who might consider purchasing a full membership (if you register early, you can purchase a full membership for $45 CDN if purchased by July 1st, or $50 CDN by September 15th) we're also working on putting together a solid track of gaming related panels and talks and on attracting some interesting game industry guests. As of today, the following gaming guests have confirmed attendance:

• James Ernest - Founder, Cheapass Games (VCON 33 Gaming Guest of Honor)
  
• Clinton J. Boomer - Paizo RPG Superstar/CreativeJuices7 (Producer/Writer/Actor)
  
• Jason Nelson[url] - Paizo RPG Superstar
  
• [url=http://www.vcon.ca/guests_goh-emeritus_lisa-smedman.htm]Lisa Smedman - Game Designer & Author/GoH Emeritus: VCON 29 & 32 (2004 & 2007)
  

(I'm also kind of hoping we can rope in some Paizo folks to come out and participate as programming guests. If any Paizo-ites reading this are interested, please feel free to send me your contact information at the address given below and I'll forward it to the programming coordinators for official follow up)

Thanks
:-j(enni)
VCON 33 Webmaster
vconwebmaster(at)gmail(dot)com

Top Superstar Contestants - We Want You!

I'm on the ConCom for VCon - the oldest Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Gaming convention in Western Canada which is held in Vancouver, Canada and we're looking for potential guests for this year's convention (Oct 3rd to 5th, 2008) and I think it would be trés cool if some of the top RPG Superstar contestants were included.

Ergo, I'm looking for contact information for anyone who might be interested that I can pass on to the people who are actually in charge of the whole guest coordination thing. If you're even vaguely interested, please send your contact details to me at jenni dot merrifield at jamm dot com.

Thanks, in advance,
Jenni Merrifield
(VCon Webmaster)

Top Superstar Contestants - We Want You!

I'm on the ConCom for VCon - the oldest Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Gaming convention in Western Canada which is held in Vancouver, Canada and we're looking for potential guests for this year's convention (Oct 3rd to 5th, 2008) and I think it would be trés cool if some of the top RPG Superstar contestants were included.

Ergo, I'm looking for contact information for anyone who might be interested that I can pass on to the people who are actually in charge of the whole guest coordination thing. If you're even vaguely interested, please send your contact details to me at jenni dot merrifield at jamm dot com.

Thanks, in advance,
Jenni Merrifield
(VCon Webmaster)

Top Superstar Contestants - We Want You!

I'm on the ConCom for VCon - the oldest Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Gaming convention in Western Canada which is held in Vancouver, Canada and we're looking for potential guests for this year's convention (Oct 3rd to 5th, 2008) and I think it would be trés cool if some of the top RPG Superstar contestants were included.

Ergo, I'm looking for contact information for anyone who might be interested that I can pass on to the people who are actually in charge of the whole guest coordination thing. If you're even vaguely interested, please send your contact details to me at jenni dot merrifield at jamm dot com.

Thanks, in advance,
Jenni Merrifield
(VCon Webmaster)

I wasn't sure which forum would be the best place to post this, so please bear with this cross posting (I also posted under "Website Feedback").

I'm on the ConCom for VCon - the oldest Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Gaming convention in Western Canada which is held in Vancouver, Canada and we're looking for potential guests for this year's convention (Oct 3rd to 5th, 2008). I'd like to know who we should contact to make an official request to Paizo'ans like Eric Mona, Jason Bulmahn, or Lisa Stevens, to come out to share their knowledge about the RPG industry and to promote the Pathfinder RPG.

Thanks, in advance,
Jenni Merrifield
(VCon Webmaster)

I wasn't sure which forum would be the best place to post this, so please bear with me if this isn't quite the right place.

I'm on the ConCom for VCon - the oldest Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Gaming convention in Western Canada which is held in Vancouver, Canada and we're looking for potential guests for this year's convention (Oct 3rd to 5th, 2008). I'd like to know who we should contact to make an official request to Paizo'ans like Eric Mona, Jason Bulmahn, or Lisa Stevens, to come out to share their knowledge about the RPG industry and to promote the Pathfinder RPG.

Thanks, in advance,
Jenni Merrifield
(VCon Webmaster)

Is it just me, or was anyone else hoping to have adventure proposals that at the lower end of the "sweet spot" - roughly levels 7 to 10? Two were in this range and I found myself mildly disappointed by the other two.

Actually, I was really hoping we'd see at least one fantabulously crafted proposal for an even lower level adventure, perhaps around 5th level. New campaigns start far more often than existing ones run long enough to reach high levels (disregarding those campaigns that start off at higher levels), so low-end adventures are always going to be in demand. Especially, in my experience, adventures for levels 4 through 6 are particularly useful because, at 4th level, the XP scale starts to stretch out (levels 1 through 3 all receive the same XP awards per CR). As a result each level starts to take longer to earn (players just seem to scream through levels 1 through 3) and so campaigns tend to stay within this range of levels for longer periods.

Anyway, I think all four submissions are super awesome but I do wish someone had tried to pull off something at the lower end of the scale.

:-j(enni)

And let the reading of adventure proposals commence!
Good luck to all the top four, but especially to Rob McCreery
shimmy shimmy purple pom-pom shake

:-j(enni)

I can't stand it! Where the heck is everybody?

The judges have the proposals of the final four in their hot hands, but none of the compeitors has jumped up to say "Boo!" and "Oh Thank The Evil Overlords Above, It's Done!" Not only that, there hasn't been been any other threads on the Superstar message boards so I'm going crazy waiting for voting to start on the 14th....

Awww man! How're we going to keep ourselves from going crazy with anticipation until TOMORROW!?

:-j(enni)

I'm starting this thread as the place to offer gushing praises and support for your own personal favourite to win (if you have one) or even offer predictions for the ultimate winner (if you're already convinced). I look forward to seeing what others have to say.

**********
Yesterday and this morning, while waiting for round five voting to commence, I went through the more recent posts on the threads from the earlier rounds and re-read a few of the entries from the top six that I wasn't particularly fond of the first time around, just to see if a re-read would improve their patina. This got me thinking about who I thought, out of the top six and based on the full portfolio of work each one has submitted to the competition so far, has the best chance of winning and who, regardless of what I thought about the first question, did I really, really, really want to win.

I concluded, for the moment, that I'm not ready to answer the "best chance to win" question. I think the contest is still pretty much anyone's to win - I can't see that anyone has consistently been a "fan favourite" for all four rounds and all the contestants have be improving dramatically as the contest has progressed. Given the nature of round five I think it might just provide the key bit of insight I require to make any kind of prediction with a reasonable chance of success so, for now, I'll hold off

However, on the "who would I really, really, really like to see win" front, I can only say that, hands down, it's got to be Rob McCreary:

• The Coin Belt of Beguiling was in my top ten and would fit perfectly into my own campaign and two of the campaigns I play in where gypsy-types are commonly found.

• As anyone who read the "Round Three: Who Has Your Vote" thread knows, Onuyaka, the All-Seeing Eye was one of my top two villain choices and I was confident enough that others felt the same way that I deliberately didn't vote for it.

• And while I never officially commented on The Ooze Imperium (Or, in fact, any other thematic creature entries - RL issues kept me away from the boards until after Round 4 voting closed) I loved it so much I forwarded a link to one of my DM's who hasn't been following the contest as closely 'cause it would totally slide right into his campaign {pun fully intended}.

• Lastly: Iskandria did not make my top five countries nor did I include it as one of the two honourable mentions in my post to the "Who's in your 5?" thread for round 2, but a re-read helped it grow on me - enough that it gained notably more weight than some of the various entries from other "top sixes" that I didn't much like on first blush.

So, here's to Rob with a solid RAH, RAH, RAH!!!

Consider this official notice that I've started sending boatloads of good karma Rob's way in the hopes it will somehow help him secure RPG Superstardom!

:-j(enni)

I'm just wondering, is there any reason why Paizo can't produce a strictly OGL d20 adventure magazine, similar to Dungeon, and with a few elements currently found in Dragon thrown in?

While the Adventure Paths are an excellent tool for a continuous campaign which the Pathfinder series will cover in the future, my campaigns and personal DM'ing style don't work well with the "perfectly plotted" format. I like a mix of homebrew, purchased modules and cherry picked Dungeon adventure and what was always most appealing about the magazine was that each issue provided a few unrelated adventures with different flavours for different levels that I could use as is or cull great ideas from. Pathfinder may provide a lot of additional background information and new monster entries but it won't provide the same diversity of selection.

So I got to wondering why Paizo won't be publishing a magazine of their own that fills the niche that Dungeon once claimed? Wouldn't a strictly OGL d20 publication fall outside the restrictions of any "no competition" clause -- after all, anything WotC produces, whether online or on paper, will be D&D not OGL d20.

Plus, Dungeon and Dragon were apparently doing well financially so wouldn't a new magazine stepping up to the plate have a good chance of doing the same (especially given Paizo's excellent track record)?

Jenni

I'm developing an encounter where the opponent is a human wizard with an undead template applied. In becoming undead, the opponent's HD change from d4 to d12 but I'm not sure how this changes the actual hp of the advanced creature.

The MM hasn't helped much. The following quotes are from the "Templates" section in the "Advancing Monsters" chapter:

Hit Dice and Hit Points: Most templates do not change the number of Hit Dice a monster has, but some do.

[/b]
Some templates change the size of a creature's Hit Dice (usually by changing the creature type). A few templates change previously acquired Hit Dice, and continue to change Hit Dice gained with class levels, but most templates that change Hit Dice change only the creature's original HD and leave class Hit Dice unchanged.
[b]
If the Hit Dice entry is a template description is missing, Hit Dice and hit points do not change unless the creature's Constitution modifier changes.

When you know the new Constitution modifier and any change to Hit Dice size, recalculate the templated monster's hit points. See Hit Dice and Hit Points above.

The first passage tells you how HD size can be affected by a template, including changing the size of existing and future HD, but does not explain how to recalculate hp's when existing HD are changed.

The second passage seems to imply that changing the HD size should definitely impact the recalculation of hp's for the templated creature, and only refers back to the first passage instead of providing an explaination on how to do it.

Simply re-rolling all the hp bothers me, because no relationship is maintained between the original version's hp and the advanced version's hp.

Leaving the hp as is (adjusted for having no Constitution of course) also bothers me because, even if the base creature (in this case) had max hp, that would only be 1/3 of the max hp from the new HD - far too weak, relative to the original.

Now, as I am someone who is not afraid of math there is one method I could use that addresses both my concerns - calculate the ratio of hp to max hp for the base creature and use that to find a comparable hp value for the advanced creature:

hp_advanced = ( hp_base / hp_base_max ) * hp_advanced_max

I suspect that even this much math is too much for it to be even close to the "official" method for dealing with this issue. Hopefully someone out in Dungeon-land can help me out.

:-j
Jenni

I swear I once saw an "Urban Ranger" or "Urban Druid" class in Dragon that was quite different from the "Urban Ranger" varient given in Unearthed Arcana.

The class I'm thinking of had some kind of special relationship to the "soul of the city" or something vaguely like that.

Anyway, can someone let me know if I'm just smoking rolled magazine pages or else point me to the issue this class is in?

Thanks!
Jenni

I have a copy of the 3.0 Manual of the Planes but never bothered to pick up the 3.5 Planar Handbook since the 3.5 DMG included all the critical details of the "Great Wheel Cosmology".

The Plane of Faerie is included in the "Variant Planes" section of MotP and, as I'm thinking of using it, I would like to know whether there is a 3.5 version in the Planar Handbook or if the MotP version is the only one. (If the former, I might actually pick up the Planar Handbook. If the later, I geuss I'll just stick with the MotP.)

Thanks, in advance,
-jenni

I thought of popping this on the end of the Blackhole... thread, but it is sort of off topic, and that thread is really long, so I've started this new thread instead. Hopefully some of the well established adventure writers and/or up-and-coming new writers will pop on over and respond with answers and further discussion on the topic.

As the title suggests I have a broad question for those of you who manage to put out queries and/or full adventures, Campaign Workbooks, &c. on a consistent and relatively regular basis: How do you do it?

Just to get things rolling, I've put in a few specific questions below. Please feel free to add to them if you have similar questions or expand on the topic in any way that seems appropriate if you're responding.

QUESTIONS:

Q1
When you are working on a query for an adventure that you haven't actually written yet, how do you:

* Figure out what level it will be written for[list]
* What encounters will go into it
* Who the main villains and other important NPCs are
* Calculate what length the finished adventure

Q2
Once you start a new query, how long does it take you to complete and then submit it and, once you've gotten past the "grey render and the door", how quickly do you usually take to get the first revision of the query (if it's a "re-edit" ) or the first draft of the manuscript (if it's a "send us a manuscript") back to Piazo (And how long do they usually expect/want it to take)?

Q3
How much time do you actually spend each week bashing out queries and/or working on manuscripts?

Q4
On a slightly tangential note, when you get a new idea for an adventure/CW/&c. where do they usually come from and/or come to you?

Thanks, in advance,
-Jenni

Hey Ho.

I'd like to know who I can contact about not getting a response to an adventure proposal in a timely fashion. I sent the proposal in question by email on June 30 and haven't seen a response yet -- a week and a bit shy of two months.

I did send a followup email last Sunday (August 14), but with my inbox still devoid of Dragon related email I thought I'd try here, in the hopes of a more direct route to resolution.

Thanks, in advance,
Jenni

Hey ho. Who should I contact about an MIA response to a Dungeon adventure proposal?

The proposal in question was sent by email on June 30 and I haven't heard a peep -- a week and a bit shy of two months now. I did send a follow up email last Sunday (August 14), but with my inbox still devoid of Dungeon related email today, I started thinking that the messageboards might provide me with a faster, more direct route to some kind of resolution.

Thanks, in advance

Jenni