Tuesday, August 28, 2018

10 Lessons from My Latest Dwarf Fortress Experience

The story of my most recent fortress is a little too depressing to explain in detail. In fact, here is an actual quote from an in-game report: "Diagnoser cancelled sleep: too depressed." Ever feel like the game you're playing just got a little too real?

So I'll just share a few things I learned from the experience. Farewell, Peakedtowns!

1. If fifty people volunteer to come live at your fortress for the purpose of "eradicating monsters," don't expect them to actually be of much help. Also, hide the drinks. 

2. When dwarves say "deep metals," they mean "DEEP metals." Deep enough I never actually found any. 

3. A local elvish retreat might seem a good place to send a raiding party, but only if you don't mind filling your pastures with cougars, foxes, and the occasional grizzly bear. 

4. Speaking of pastures, don't try to put caged goblins out to pasture. It doesn't work. 

5. I also learned what veteran players mean when they say "tantrum spiral." It's not pretty. 

6. When your broker ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. As I watched him punching a cow out of sheer frustration, I realized: this is a broken dwarf. A broken broker, if you will. 

7. Sending all your military out of town right before a tantrum spiral and an accidental "pasturing" of four goblins is just bad timing. And again, those volunteer Monster Slayers you permitted to move in? They're still useless. 

8. You might think you're safe because the last invading goblin fell into the river and is currently in the middle of an underwater battle with an echidna. But you're not. 

9. Insanity, possession, depression, and hauntings do NOT mix well. 

10. If you tell a hundred dwarves to crowd into a small meeting room underground during an invasion, they will listen. They will complain so much the game starts to lag, but they will listen. 

Wish me better luck next time! :-) 

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Interview with Camille's Harem

Camille's Harem recently released a podcast we recorded together a year or two ago, about my experiences while publishing my first book. Big thanks to the Harem for such a fun and engaging interview!

I hope I can record with them again sometime! It's been too long. :-)

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Cry Wolf



Final ImageAbout a year or so ago, a friend of mine asked me to try out a game he designed. He called it a microgame, a take on the story of the boy who cried wolf. We played it several times in the next fifteen minutes, and I was having a blast! You wouldn't expect that much variety and suspense out of such a simple game, but that's exactly what I found.

Well, now Cry Wolf is complete! You can bet I jumped to be one of the first backers on Kickstarter. With beautiful artwork to match the classic theme, the game should be shipping in early 2019, and as of this post it's just over 50% backed. Please help us bring this game into the world!

Such a beautiful beginning for my friend's aptly named company,
Game Warden.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/108814750/cry-wolf-a-micro-game?ref=aqob4b