The Jade's page

Thank you for everything, Lisa. And by everything...

Paizo's stunning work in the aughts pulled me back into gaming, and these boards introduced to me to so many incredible people, including the Werecabbage Freelancers Guild who were kind enough to take me in.

You and the rest of Paizo's amazing team always took such good care of any company from which I've approached you for support. You all changed my life and I hope you spend your time away living the ever loving righteous heck outta yours. Squeeze it for all it's worth.

Much love to you (and Vic!).

What a review. Thank you, Enfzeitgeist!

So things are going pretty well thus far...

THANK YOU, EVERYONE!

Well, no time like the present...

Our Grimmerspace Kickstarter launches on May 22nd!

STORM THE GATES!

Feel free to scold me for bumping this (But why would you?!), as I wanted to stop by and just say;

Wow! The layout on the adventure come together REALLY nicely. The visual themes, font, and art placement all mesh spectacularly with the theme, very professionally done.

It bodes quite well for the overall level of quality that's being aimed for here, especially since the Abattoir 8 Adventure is free to download!

Zoinks, and wowie, great job team Grimmer!

Thank you so much! <--that's me scolding you.

We really appreciate the feedback!

Grimmerspace is our all-consuming passion, and we're hoping it will consume all of you as well. So if you'd kindly not wear anything metal and pre-season yourselves...

I've read through the Adventure at least twice, other than the angle of the content which is as hardcore as advertised, what struck me hardest was how 'easy' it was made to be run. The degree that ya'll go to providing the GM a platform to run the game as well as they desire to is truly awesome.

Well then, mission accomplished!

We saved all the horror for the adventure, so you don’t hit any trying to run it. Thanks for sharing your read, Mike!

this looks really fun.

Thanks, Yakman! That is our ultimate design goal.

I don't see much mention of Wesley Snipes? He still involved?

Hey there, Ianesta... He's no longer involved with Grimmerspace. We were connected to him through a third party who set up the deal but then couldn't get him to return our contract signed. Repeated attempts to reach him failed. We waited for many months for any sign of life but eventually realized we could either keep waiting for him because, after all, we were told that we could announce his involvement and so we did, or we could just move on without him and give gamers the game we'd promised them. So much work was put into this game already that losing one big name was not going to hobble things any more than the delay it had already caused. However, during that delay we were also writing, editing, art designing, spending whatever money and time we had to add to the book and adventures. If you check out our website you'll likely get a sense of how much effort we're putting into this. So in a strange way, although humbling, the forced delay would wind up making our project much stronger.

Yes, delight at the sight of my decapitated head in that video. Good thing I'm iron-golem-blooded or that mighta killed me. People are impressed with how easily my noggin tears off, but the secret is remembering to perforate the neck first. #lifehack

And Lou is so blue in the video. Let that be a lesson to all: Do not EVA without a spacesuit.

Thanks, Rone. I really appreciate your and Lou's answers and additional contextual info. It all sounds incredibly cool.

Please, don't misunderstand, I wasn't questioning the plausibility of the Grimmers believing in supernatural elements, especially in regards to matters of faith. It just surprised me that 1 of the 5 'pillars' of Crux-space would be culturally built around it.

Again, thanks for the additional details. I'm very much looking forward to Grimmerspace!

Thank you, BPorter! My apologies if it seemed I was in any way implying that you weren't already square with what you and Lou already covered. My mind has just been locked into Science Fiction and Horror and Grimmerspace for so long now that I live there whenever I blink. I like to delve into all of the remaining shadows on a topic and shine light until none remain. You should see SEE my energy bill!

So for the multitude who don't recognize my mask, I'm Rone Barton, co-creator of Grimmerspace, but I've been posting on the Paizo boards as The Jade since 2005. I just like the lupine avatar. But speaking of lupine... I want to loop in because I saw Lou opine.

When even the most technic civilizations experience phenomena they don't yet understand, they'll sometimes define or label these mysterious occurrences using expired supernatural mythologies, even if the paranormal isn't being specifically implied. So when the Emanants of the Emanant Spectrality say "ghosts" they're hearkening back to a time long ago when folktales of apparitions chilled and delighted. However, they do believe that something terrible will appear if not appeased. Are they right? Tune in. ;)

But then also, for every one paragon of the scientific method who helps shape our future reality, you'll likely find many other people who instead hold onto beliefs that run counter to scientific proofs. For some, there's great romance and passion to be found in keeping select myths alive. So I'd imagine that even as a civilization goes from primality to modernity and then on to intergalactic colonization, many will continue to harbor a love of fantastic legends. Why I'm as rational a gamer as the next, but I'll freely admit to asking my púca friend Gilleagán here to proofread this post before I hit submit. I'll bet that if you're a gamer your vision constructs entire worlds between your waking eyes and the blank wall across the room at times. And when you focus on those daydreamt landscapes they sure can seem real enough, can't they? Or maybe I just need to be on meds. Who knows?

Sometimes it's often said paragons who indulge enjoyment from the supernatural because who doesn't like to escape the shackling mundanity of an ordered, thoroughly pre-defined existence? Check out the Philip experiment.

Even when we know something isn't real, sometimes... we want to believe. (Cue Mark Snow's X-Files theme)

And when, as is the case of the Emanant Spectrality, there's totemic worship of fearing and revering death hardwired into even a spacefaring society, that will inescapably seep into the look and custom of the place. And this particular Crux polity is noted for its brilliant though perverse bio-engineering skills. "Hey, you twisted creations of Dr.Frankenstein and Dr. Herbert West from Re-Animator, eat your heart out. No... that's an order... devour it now while I watch." The Emanants might confuse the scariest moments in those fictional works for a guided meditation video. They're... an interesting lot.

I vote for more free stuff! Thanks much The Jade.

It is our sincerest pleasure, Azih.

The Jade wrote:

Grimmerspace begins as a setting and adventures book. Of course, we offer sections with setting information, but if you don't want to wade through pages of academically delivered information, we also offer many 5k-10k word adventures that will allow you to simply live the setting (in our universe, in the Pact Worlds, or in your homebrew universe). Learning the particulars of races and cultures, alien horrors, governments and corporations, and locations as you go - sort of Berlitz style immersion - with sidebars that offer you the nuts and bolts information you'll need to know along the way.

Might I say - indulging the urge for instant engagement?

You might at that! ;)

From the site: "Take your hand and register now, or we'll take it for you."

So I tried to register but once I enter my e-mail, there's no functioning button to click.

Thanks for mentioning you were having that problem and for sending your info to us directly despite it, CeeJay. Very much appreciated.

I'm seeing the Register button to the right of the Email capture field. Hmm.

If anyone else here tried to register, please let us know in this thread if you had a missing button issue as well.

I haven't been this excited since I learned of Velvet Revolver's existence. Hopefully I won't be as disappointed as I was when I heard Velvet Revolver's music. :)

Grimmerspace begins as a setting and adventures book. Of course, we offer sections with setting information, but if you don't want to wade through pages of academically delivered information, we also offer many 5k-10k word adventures that will allow you to simply live the setting (in our universe, in the Pact Worlds, or in your homebrew universe). Learning the particulars of races and cultures, alien horrors, governments and corporations, and locations as you go - sort of Berlitz style immersion - with sidebars that offer you the nuts and bolts information you'll need to know along the way.

For gamers who want to go full Grimmerspace? Dig in and make yourself comfortable.

For gamers who love the Pact Worlds and don't want to shift to a different game but who would like a bunch of new adventures written by game design luminaries from Paizo, both staff and fan favorite freelancers? Come and git it! ;)

I signed up! now to wait and see what form of horror you guys have in mind, cause vampires and werewolves in space sounds awesome, but who knows, lol.

Thanks, AirOr!

Such monstrous things cold brewing in the space between the stars...

Get ready.

Not only do Lou Agresta and Rone Barton (me) have Wesley Snipes and Sean Astin on board as fellow Creative Developers...

Erik Mona is writing our foreword.

Our other designers include Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, James Sutter, Richard Pett (we're giving away his first Starfinder adventure for free - 16k words), Larry Elmore, Greg Vaughan, Shanna Germain, Ben McFarland, BJ Henlsey, and Hal Maclean

Want that adventure the very moment we release it and other free stuff? Check us out at: https://www.irongmgames.com/gslp1

Any questions about Grimmerspace? Ask away.

Hello, The Jade! Nice to see you!

I'm Tacticslion!

Glad you're hanging around (again, apparently, which is awesome)!

Why thank you, Tactislion!

They are both beagles AND urine aficionados, I imagine the rain brings out a subtle bouquet.

You'll not see me rolling around in it for my pleasures... but it's a heady funk, to be sure.

Walking the dogs, of course it's raining.

Why else would they want to go outside.

Perhaps they're born treasure hunters?

The truth is sometimes the LAST thing you'd expect.

I like turtles

Get in line.

A really slow marching line.

I'm trained for just these situations.

Crap, I forgot my training!!

Awkwardly grabs own foot.

(Grabs Cuddly's other foot in solidarity)

Patrick, I once knew a storm giant who used a staff of the archmagi for his toothpick. An accidental snap against an incisor and the subsequent retributive strike blew out his whole grill, man.

He's trying to Gofundme some implants, but that Sloppy Joe mess is right out of Faces of Death.

I'm having trouble sleeping since it happened. The visuals, man.

Wait, what were we talking about?

The Jade wrote:

"HAVE I MISSED ANYTHING?!" he screamed, naked in the aisles, awoken from a long cryogenic sleep wherein he dreamed only of being chased by bouncing encased meats through a cornfield.

legit tearing up right now.

BRING IT IN, BUDDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Breath of the Wild Addict wrote:

The Jade wrote:

Breath of the Wild Addict wrote:

The Jade wrote:

Emperor7 wrote:

No water. Only dihydrogen monoxide here.

That stuff will kill you dead. No kidding. My friend jumped into 20k gallons of the stuff wearing iron Reeboks and didn't make it.

I fought a giant elephant that just spewed the stuff constantly. I beat the stupid beast into submission, and I didn't even have the master sword yet.

Perhaps my mind is just having trouble focusing after the recent thaw, but it sincerely took me a full minute to figure out that "the stuff" you mention the elephant spewing was actually water from its trunk.

I am clearly not a well man.

I need to climb back into the chamber. Get my head right.

No! Not water! Dihydrogen Monoxide... The stuff was awful, and you could swim up it! Talk about weird stuff dude...

In some locales people swim in a mixture of dihydrogen monoxide and sodium chloride. Talk about inviting disaster.

I considered swimming in it too but I couldn't find the porpoise.

#NotAStrongSwimmer

The Jade wrote:

Breath of the Wild Addict wrote:

The Jade wrote:

Emperor7 wrote:

No water. Only dihydrogen monoxide here.

That stuff will kill you dead. No kidding. My friend jumped into 20k gallons of the stuff wearing iron Reeboks and didn't make it.

I fought a giant elephant that just spewed the stuff constantly. I beat the stupid beast into submission, and I didn't even have the master sword yet.

Perhaps my mind is just having trouble focusing after the recent thaw, but it sincerely took me a full minute to figure out that "the stuff" you mention the elephant spewing was actually water from its trunk.

I am clearly not a well man.

I need to climb back into the chamber. Get my head right.

No! Not water! Dihydrogen Monoxide... The stuff was awful, and you could swim up it! Talk about weird stuff dude...

See, now this is why I require a chemist familiar by my side at all times. I can't tell table salt from explodey powder. I'm lucky to still be vertical and headed.

The Jade wrote:

Emperor7 wrote:

No water. Only dihydrogen monoxide here.

That stuff will kill you dead. No kidding. My friend jumped into 20k gallons of the stuff wearing iron Reeboks and didn't make it.

I fought a giant elephant that just spewed the stuff constantly. I beat the stupid beast into submission, and I didn't even have the master sword yet.

Perhaps my mind is just having trouble focusing after the recent thaw, but it sincerely took me a full minute to figure out that "the stuff" you mention the elephant spewing was actually water from its trunk.

I am clearly not a well man.

I need to climb back into the chamber. Get my head right.

No water. Only dihydrogen monoxide here.

That stuff will kill you dead. No kidding. My friend jumped into 20k gallons of the stuff wearing iron Reeboks and didn't make it.

The Jade wrote:

TriOmegaZero wrote:

The Jade wrote:

"HAVE I MISSED ANYTHING?!" he screamed, naked in the aisles, awoken from a long cryogenic sleep wherein he dreamed only of being chased by bouncing encased meats through a cornfield.

Nah, not really.

Good. I was afraid I was going to have to know what these were for.

(Holds up two elephant eyeballs and boops them together)

They were just... in hand when I came to.

Can I have those back now, and maybe some mineral water, but only if it's organic.

I mean... here.

But organic water? Does it have to be free range and humanely slaughtered as well?

The Jade wrote:

"HAVE I MISSED ANYTHING?!" he screamed, naked in the aisles, awoken from a long cryogenic sleep wherein he dreamed only of being chased by bouncing encased meats through a cornfield.

Nah, not really.

Good. I was afraid I was going to have to know what these were for.

(Holds up two elephant eyeballs and boops them together)

They were just... in hand when I came to.

"HAVE I MISSED ANYTHING?!" he screamed, naked in the aisles, awoken from a long cryogenic sleep wherein he dreamed only of being chased by bouncing encased meats through a cornfield.

We became friends quite soon after my arrival to these boards back in... was it 2004 or so? And then we were Werecabbages cowriters and I'd talk to you almost every day. And then you got this job at Paizo and worked so hard I barely knew you outside of quick meetings at Gen Con...

So if I'm doing my math right, although leaving Paizo means big changes are coming for you, one of those changes may unfortunately mean you'll see a whole lot more me. I'm so sorry. It likely can't be helped.

I dearly hope to work alongside you again, should our paths lead there. Speaking of which, I understand you're available for freelance art, cartography and layout? Writing too?

And can you do a consult on any Pathfinder Compatibility License-related queries?

And what do I have to do to get some of your incredible homemade cookies? It's been years. You can't just let us mortals sample the Sug'ry Discuses of the Archmagi (now with more retributive strike flavor!) and then cut them off. It's cruel.

<3

I edited this one.

YAY FOR EDITORS!

Nah... Yay for authors Tim Hitchcock and Savannah Broadway. They did a great job and created a whole bunch of of fun in a few pages.

I don't know the actual etymology of the new use of "geek" but perhaps the label elitism to cause distance that Brian mentioned might be applicable there. Could "geeks" have risen to a certain level of respectability and then coopted and redefined one of the terms once used against them (geek), and left the other (nerd) for a subset of their kind more hygienically and/or socially challenged?

But however it started, I think the newer definition of geek as in geek culture is going to rise from no definition to def. 1 in most dictionaries. Time will tell.

That's fine.

What I'm arguing is, there's no overall general negative connotation to one word or the other - they're pretty equal in that respect.

A quick googling will show a great number of "positive" uses of the word "nerd" - quantities that should disabuse all but those with their fingers in their ears of the notion that the word is "generally" any more derogatory than the word geek.

Gotcha.

Thinking about it in reflections of pop culture... the only time I've seen nerd be used with kindness is in the context of the lovable loser/math whiz who may be sharp enough with that slide rule to make a million dollars. For instance, a girl who is considered attractive says, "I love nerds" and it means she has a thing for guys who don't self ornament in a way that is the norm, be it black glasses held together by tape or a Little Rascals' Alfalfa hair-du. These days, when I hear someone says they're a geek (and I understand your Google search varied) they're referring to the fact that they bought a Star Wars electric toothbrush off Ebay.

I would never do such a thing myself... because I STILL OWN MY ORIGINAL, Y'ALL!

(Drops microphone to the stage)

It isn't label elitism in my case, Brian.

I don't personally distance myself from the term nerd by stating how I've seen it used as it has been used in my lifetime, which is - barring the name of a candy brand - always been derogatorily.

It's the term geek that has changed, and gained acceptance as a trait with some redeeming social value.

My motivation in weighing in here is purely to define language as I've seen it defined and evolve over my years through the many places I've lived and visited, and the many movies, TV shows and books I've consumed. Language, both traditional on modern usage, is something I notice and care about.

I identify with being a geek in its modern usage, which has indeed gained a new definition in our culture. The dictionary will catch up. I like what geeks like. I think like they think. I have been labeled a geek over the last few years, and always with affection.

I do not identify with being a nerd, nor has anyone ever labeled me one. My own connotations for the word nerd do favor a derogatory pronouncement.

Just one geek's personal story/viewpoint, anyhoo.

Guitar and vocals recorded in space.

Video recorded in space.

Mind blown here back on Earth.

Jade, I'd like to see that Maron episode. Is it still running? What channel is it on?

Maron is only two episodes into its first season. The D&D flavored episode was the first. It's on Fridays at 10pm. I'm not sure how you'd catch the pilot, but it's got to be out there somewhere.

Well Airheads has certainly aired on TV... and I wouldn't have minded keeping this inclusive of both TV and film, because there are many good filmic examples as well (Though Mazes and Monsters was a TV movie - For which I did the original IMDB summary <G>). But to stick with TV shows:

8) Maron. In this new show with Marc Maron, Marc had a twitterer named Dragon Master insulting his act viciously as being not funny. He tracked the guy down to a game shop running a game of D&D. The gamers there were the offbeat type typical of stereotypical jabs, but they also controlled the coming conflict handily and sent Marc off a beaten man. So... offbeat, but intellectually superior and more emotionally grounded. A comedic, mixed portrayal that went in negative but wound up positive by the end.

9) Reno 911. Patton Oswalt potrayed both a gamer and a LARPer on the show. Everything and everyone is portrayed negatively on Reno 911. Gaming wasn't going to be the thing that changed that. Final result: It was a true life gamer/comedian poking loving fun at his own clan type negative portrayal.

I've always kept up with the Mythopoeic Rambling blog, but Friday's are the day I read it slow, see... slow. Because Friday is where the monsters live. Mike's time releases what amounts to a free bestiary. It may take 26 weeks, but then there's your book's worth of inspired and entirely-usable creatures and for free.

Many of these monsters derived from crazy art, photos and photo mash-ups paizonians threw at him, screaming "Shallonge!" and yet Mike always rose to the challenge... even when it meant statting up a small blue and white wing'd kitten made interesting enough to want to drop into an adventure.

Fox just killed Firefly
Aesop gets derivative
Give us new fables!

That ignorant prick:
Dumb prozzie Rose's teeth like thorns
Floral oral smarts!

Belongs on Martian ice cap for John Carter's next romp!

Galactic guitar
And the comets kept the beat
Universal jam

Doodlebug, those were some large spruce gooses, weren't they?

thejeff, well those were the two heavy hitters, no doubt. The ones that left people deeply touched. I appreciate your take on literary circles.

Have you ever read Two Hearts... it's a short story that takes place in the world of the last unicorn, years later. It's a free read. Here's a LINK

Just recently, Peter submitted a story to a mystery story anthology... a genre for which he'd never written. Although many famous mystery writers asked in, Peter's story was considered by the editor to be the revelation. I have it around here somewhere. Suddenly I'm forced to realize the level of literary clutter around me. I could build play forts out of these books.

In the Atomic Array interview Peter talks about writing The Lord of The Rings for Raplh Bakshi in two weeks and under duress, and his manager explains how that started a chain of events that led to something much bigger.

Peter also talks about writing Sarek, an episode of Star Trek the Next Generation.

Back in the 60's he did a powerful piece about a Martin Luther King march, but Life magazine took an axe to it, adulterating its stoniness until it could pour from a sippy cup. That original version will be available to read soon, and it's very powerful stuff that is historically fascinating.

thejeff, sometimes I wonder about artists who only create a few things for us to see in their lifetime. Filmmakers such as David Lean, who only directed 18 feature length films in his lifetime but who ensured each effort really counted. I think Peter's one of those writers who suffers over the written word until the pain abates. He only has so much out there to read, but it's all so very heartfelt.

He continues to write, which is what I always wanted for myself... alive as a writer until the day I die.

The Jade wrote:

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle was first published in 1968 and is generally considered one of the all-time best fantasy novels.

I first read this as an adult and I was blown away by how awesome it was.

Quote:

If my song is in the top three, I - with the help of some Star Trek cosplay models/dancers - will do a version of I Melt With You by Modern English, only I’ll sing I Meld With You and be done up as Spock facepalming wriggling Enterprise dames right and left onstage. Should be a fun time, and I’ll record it and upload it to YouTube.

Ohmigod, I want to see this!

After writing A Fine and Private Place at age 19 he then wrote a non fiction calledI See By My Outfit: Cross-Country by Scooter, an Adventure.

He was being taken quite seriously in literary circles, and then... and then he wrote The Last Unicorn. It was ahead of its time. Metafiction wasn't a word or even a thing when he first did it.

And as they say, "Never go first."

The Last Unicorn wrecked his reputation in said literary circles who considered it to be a frivolous work. It was his undoing until it became the foundation stone beneath legend. Not until the last decade was he even remotely aware that he actually had fans out there.

And Doodlebug... seeing me doing some Bowiesque Vulcan dance song and dance number? Oh, that's happening.

I'll post this in here in the main Atomic Array thread too...

Link To This Episode

A unicorn fears she may be the last of her kind, and sets out to discover why.

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle was first published in 1968 and is generally considered one of the all-time best fantasy novels. The book was followed in 1982 by an animated film adaptation. Featuring the voices of Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges and Mia Farrow, the film captured the hearts of a generation of fans.

After more than thirty years, enthusiasm for The Last Unicorn is still strong. I am particularly fond of this story, and so I jumped at the chance to help Peter with the upcoming screening tour.

Visit The Last Unicorn Screening Tour Website

The goal of the tour is to give as many people as possible a chance to meet Peter and see The Last Unicorn the way it was created to be seen — on a movie screen. There will be screenings all over America from now through the end of 2015, as well as several major cities in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany.

The first screening is in San Francisco on April 20th at the iconic Castro Theatre. This is more than just the premiere of the Last Unicorn Screening Tour. It’s also Peter’s 74th birthday! So from 6-8 PM the Cartoon Art Museum is going to celebrate The Last Unicorn and its creator by throwing a special VIP birthday blast for Peter with another raffle, a VIP auction, more book signing, a book singing — yes, you read that right — and Peter’s first public reading of a brand-new Schmendrick story.

This is Atomic Array’s seventh Special Episode, and seven was certainly a lucky number for me because preplanning this interview got me on the team as an Associate PR Director over at Conlan Press and for this screening tour. Kind of a dream come true. Kind of exactly like one.

Also mentioned:
* Standard Action Season 3 Kickstarter
* ENnies Publisher Karaoke Fundraiser

About that last item… The ENnie Awards are a celebration of quality RPG products. Not for profit, they try to raise money when and where they can, and often in inventively creative ways. This time, one of those ways is to have donations choose three acts to go onstage just before the ENnie Awards 2013 ceremonies begin at Gen Con this August. If my song is in the top three, I - with the help of some Star Trek cosplay models/dancers - will do a version of I Melt With You by Modern English, only I’ll sing I Meld With You and be done up as Spock facepalming wriggling Enterprise dames right and left onstage. Should be a fun time, and I’ll record it and upload it to YouTube. If you can spare a single dollar donation, it'd actually mean a lot to the ENnies. And you certainly don't have to pick my song.