Thursday, December 13, 2012

[Q&A] Brian M. Sammons, Tom Lynch, & Jeffrey Thomas (Miskatonic River Press, Punktown)

[19:10] <+Brian> Hi I'm Brian M. Sammons
[19:10] * +TomLynch isn't going first
[19:10] <+Brian> want more?
[19:10] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> YESSS
[19:10] <+TomLynch> Hiiiiiii Briaaannnnn
[19:11] <+Brian> :)
[19:11] <~Dan> Maybe just a tad... :)
[19:11] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> More than an emoticon!
[19:11] <+Brian> OK I have written a few things for Call of Cthulhu, a few short stories, I do reviews for a bunch of magazines and websites, and I've edited a few books too.
[19:12] <+Brian> That good, or you want titles?
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[19:12] <+Brian> I can go on and on and on and on...
[19:12] <~Dan> Heh. That works for now. :)
[19:12] <+Brian> OK done.
[19:12] <+TomLynch> (Link: http://www.examiner.com/article/interview-with-brian-m-sammons-author-editor-and-reviewer)http://www.examiner.com/article/interview-with-brian-m-sammons-author-editor-and-reviewer
[19:13] <+TomLynch> (for more on Brian)
[19:13] <+Brian> Ha, thanks, Tom.
[19:13] <+Brian> and tag,m you're it.
[19:13] <+TomLynch> pleasure, Bud
[19:13] <+TomLynch> Okay...
[19:14] <+TomLynch> Hi, I'm Tom Lynch...I run Miskatonic River Press, and honestly the *coolest* part about that is that I get meet all the neato talented people that make books SO MUCH FUN.
[19:14] * +Brian waves at Tom
[19:15] <+TomLynch> I've been doing that now for four years, and got into it cuz I wanted a chance to write. I'm happy (and relieved) to say that I've managed that a couple of times, thanks to way cool editors like Brian.
[19:15] <+TomLynch> Also, I pester people on the phone with alarming frequency. Just ask the two gents on here with me.
[19:15] <+Brian> me/ blushes
[19:16] <+Brian> lol oops
[19:16] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> He just pestered me a minute ago...believe it!
[19:16] <~Dan> :)
[19:16] <+Brian> yeah I've started to screen his calls...
[19:17] * +TomLynch shakes head
[19:17] * +TomLynch notes who's getting paid first
[19:17] <+TomLynch> ;-)
[19:17] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> D'oh!
[19:17] <+Brian> lol
[19:17] <~Dan> (Careful, or they'll form a Lynch mob.)
[19:17] <+TomLynch> snort
[19:17] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Double d'oh!
[19:17] <+Brian> Ha!
[19:18] <+Gyr|Laptop> (I'm going to be a doubting Thomas on any possibility of that, Dan.)
[19:18] <~Dan> (Nice. :) )
[19:18] <+Brian> zing!
[19:18] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Ohhh maaan.
[19:18] <~Dan> Jeffrey, care to re-intro yourself for those who missed your Q&A this week?
[19:18] * +TomLynch ducks under table
[19:19] <+TomLynch> Jeff's preparing himself.
[19:19] <+Brian> oooohhhhh this is gonna be good!
[19:19] * +TomLynch waits not-so-patiently
[19:20] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Briefly, I'm Jeffrey Thomas, author of a bunch of SF and horror books, most notably those set in my dar future universe of Punktown -- the subject of a new RPG from Tom's Miskatonic River Press, for which BRian will be penning a scenario. And I'm to appear in some of those anthologies Brian's editing for Chaosium!
[19:20] <+TomLynch> Hooray!
[19:20] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> DARK future. Sigh.
[19:21] <~Dan> Thanks, guys! First off, let me congratulate you all on a successful Kickstarter for Punktown!
[19:21] <+Brian> I think you're appearing in all of those Anthos, Jeff. Just saying...
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[19:21] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, Chazathoth!)
[19:21] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> :-D Brian.
[19:21] <+Chazathoth> ThaNKS :)
[19:21] <+TomLynch> Thanks, Dan.
[19:21] <+Brian> Yes, thanks, Dan.
[19:21] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Thanks, DAn...I think our chat the other day gained a lot of support.
[19:22] <~Dan> Now, this will be a kind of dual-purpose Q&A. Please feel free to discuss Punktown in particular, or Brian's work in general.
[19:22] <~Dan> Does anyone have any questions to start us off?
[19:22] <~Dan> (And I'm glad to have been of some help!)
[19:23] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> I'd like to ask Brian which hat he finds more rewarding -- writer or editor?
[19:23] <+Brian> Ohhh, that's tough.
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[19:24] <+Brian> I love to create, so I love to write, but when I put on my editor hat, I get to make the books I want to see that no one else has done or is doing. Example: Steampunk Cthulhu. Can you believe no one has done that yet? Well soon it will be a reality and I love that.
[19:25] <~Dan> (Howdy, Squide!)
[19:25] <&Le_Squide> (Heya! Punktown MK2?)
[19:25] <+Brian> But if I had to pick one, writing, I guess.
[19:25] <+Brian> done
[19:25] <~Dan> (Yup, and any questions you may have for Brian about his work in general, Squide!)
[19:25] <~Dan> Brian, what can you tell us about your involvement in Punktown?
[19:25] <+Christine> and Steampunk Cthulhu will be aaaaaaaawesome :)
[19:26] <~Dan> (Oh, and welcome to #rpgnet, Christine!)
[19:26] <+Brian> Thanks, Christine. :)
[19:27] <+Brian> My involvement in the Punktown RPG is kinda minimal. I've doing a Lovecraftian/Cthulhu Mythos related scenario for it.
[19:27] <+Christine> (thanks; sorry, is parentheticals the custom for side chatter? been a while since I've done this)
[19:27] <+Brian> I'm kind of a hired gun. ;)
[19:27] <+TomLynch> But with years of experience, thus a *very* valuable member of the creative team.
[19:28] <+Brian> But I'm enjoying my time doing it.
[19:28] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> But another Punktown connection to BRian is that I wrote a new Punktown short story for an anthology he editede called ELDRITCH CHROME>
[19:28] <+Brian> And thanks, Tom.
[19:28] <+Brian> Yes and a damn good one it was too.
[19:28] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> God, I can't type fast. I hope no one THINks MY BOks LOok LIke THis!
[19:28] <~Dan> (Christine: Kinda-sorta, during Q&As.)
[19:29] <+Brian> I meant a darn good one heh heh
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[19:29] <+Brian> done
[19:29] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, Nobby!)
[19:29] <+Nobby> Hello, this is Neil BTW.
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[19:30] <+Brian> Hi Neil
[19:30] <~Dan> This question is... well, for all three of you, I guess...
[19:30] <~Dan> And this touches on something we discussed earlier today, Tom.
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[19:31] <~Dan> Punktown is called a "cyberpunk" setting, but Jeffrey pointed out that it predates cyberpunk.
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[19:31] <~Dan> Can you speak to how you've integrated "standard" cyberpunk elements into the setting, both in terms of setting and system?
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[19:31] <+TomLynch> Ahem...good thing I practiced this earlier...
[19:33] <+TomLynch> In terms of cybernetics, anyway, while Jeff's fiction doesn't dwell on them, there's no reason they wouldn't be there. It simply fits. And given that we're calling it cyberpunk, to leave that aspect out would leave a hole. So we're adding some icing to Jeff's cake, as it were.
[19:34] <+TomLynch> It will be a BRP/CoC game with smart guns, cybernetic implants, helicars, mutants, robots, aliens....and whew! Anything else!
[19:34] <+TomLynch> done
[19:34] <~Dan> You mentioned today that the cyber rules are very much a work in progress... Have you given any thought as to how "weird" they should be? How, I dunno, Gibson vs. Cronenberg?
[19:35] <~Dan> Gleaming chrome vs. gross?
[19:35] <+Brian> Ohhhhh I vote for Cronenberg! Long live the new flesh!
[19:35] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Me too! But why not both?
[19:36] <+TomLynch> That's a good point...they are very much still in their formative stages. I will most like lean toward gleaming with a healthy influence from Jeffrey "Truly-gross-and-weird' Thomas.
[19:36] <~Dan> So you'd say both fit in your world, Jeffrey?
[19:36] <+Brian> Agreed, Mr. Thomas. Well played.
[19:36] <+TomLynch> So yeah...it will probably be both because so much of Jeff's work changes expectations.
[19:36] <+TomLynch> done
[19:37] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Yes, Dan. And cybernetic elements do certainly appear in the stories...it may just be that so much else is going on, they're just one aspect, not a focus.
[19:37] <~Dan> Ah, I see.
[19:38] <+Brian> Yeah, in my opinion, from all that I’ve read of Jeffrey’s Punktown stuff, cyberpunk is just a shorthand term for it. An easy but not all that inclusive way to describe it. It is so much more than that.
[19:38] <+Nobby> Gibson concepts married to Cronenberg execution (with a dash of Marshall's 'Doomsday') would do just fine.
[19:39] <~Dan> Brian: You just nailed what I was about to ask: whether "cyberpunk" has been somewhat retroactively applied to Punktown as an easy descriptor.
[19:39] <+Brian> Yay for me. :)
[19:39] <~Dan> Heh. :)
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[19:39] <~Dan> Okay, a question for you, Brian:
[19:40] <+Brian> k
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[19:40] <~Dan> Has most of your CoC work been "standard" 1920s CoC, and if so, how hard was it to switch gears to work in a gonzo setting like Punktown?
[19:41] <~Dan> (And please don't hesitate to jump in here with questions, folks! This is a Q&A, not a one-on-three interview. ;) )
[19:41] <+Brian> Hmm. My first book, Secrets, was shoehorned into the "now" setting, which at the time was the 1990s. LOL, Yeah, I'm old. :( But it was actually written for the classic 20s-30s setting,
[19:42] <+Brian> But I'm always been a fan of placing CoC, Lovecraft, Cthulhu Mythos in many different times and places. The horrors of the mythos are ageless, after all.
[19:42] <+Brian> That's why I headed up the CoC book, Strange Aeons 2, that had scenarios all over time and space.
[19:43] * +TomLynch grins
[19:43] <+Brian> That's why I headed up the CoC book, Atomic Age Cthulhu that moves CoC to the 1950s (a personal favorite time of mine)
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[19:43] <+Brian> So moving to the far and freaky future of Punktown wasn't all that hard LOL
[19:44] <+Brian> done
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[19:44] <~Dan> To follow up on that, and on something we discussed with Jeffrey previously: How do you make the Mythos "stand out" in a bizarre setting like Punktown?
[19:45] <~Dan> (wb, phgaw!)
[19:45] <+TomLynch> Dan, is that for Brian, or all of us?
[19:45] <+Brian> Hmm, yeah, that is a tough one, when you're "everyday" characters are as weird as they are in Punktown.
[19:46] <~Dan> Sorry, for Brian.
[19:46] <~Dan> I was thinking about his adventure in particular, since his is the Mythos one. (Yours is the non-Mythos one, correct, Tom?)
[19:46] <+Nobby> Even the weirdest characters have an inner fear, is it just a case of tapping into that and providing a mythos laced catylist?
[19:46] <+TomLynch> Correct. Sorry....
[19:47] <+Brian> For me, and just speaking for me, the Mythos trumps everything else. Mutants are weird, the mythos is weirder. Aliens are...well alien, but the things from Lovecraft are even more so. They are the omega of all things dark, mysterious, alien, and icky. So you have to make sure you treat them that way.
[19:48] * ~Dan nods
[19:48] <+Brian> I want a mutant in Punktown, that is used to all the weirdness it sees everyday,  to look at something from the mythos and go, "holy hell, WTF is that!"
[19:49] <+Brian> But that's just my .02 on it,
[19:49] <+Brian> done.
[19:49] * ~Dan nods
[19:49] <+Nobby> Perfect
[19:49] <~Dan> Tom, Jeffrey, anything you guys would like to add on the subject?
[19:49] <+TomLynch> One small point.
[19:49] <+Brian> brb
[19:50] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> I really like how Brian expressed it above. IN short, the Mythos trumps all else.
[19:50] <+Nobby> Yep
[19:50] <+TomLynch> This will change how people deal with Sanity. In standard CoC, people see something whacky, and lose a bit of SAN. In Punktown, they'll have some immunity to that...to a degree. There's so much weirdness, that the Mythos (at times) can hide in plain sight.
[19:51] <+TomLynch> done
[19:51] <+Brian> back
[19:51] <+Chazathoth> So, do you see the Mythos as something to fight against?  And do all the aliens feel the same way? (in normal CoC you have cultist etc., and anything that is "alien" is probably Mythos also.  But here?)
[19:51] <~Dan> I don't recall if Mike covered this or not... Does Mythos magic in Punktown automatically cause SAN loss, or does that "buffer" kick in there as well?
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[19:52] <~Dan> (Question pause.)
[19:52] <+Brian> OK I'll go for Chaz's question
[19:52] <+Chazathoth> :)
[19:53] <+Brian> For me the mythos is always something to fight against if you have any brains. No matter who or what you are. Cultists are just nuts. They worship the big bads of the mythos but the great old ones don't give a damn about them in return.
[19:53] <+Brian> BUT...
[19:54] <+Brian> There have always been aliens who look to get in on the winning side. The Mi-go of Lovecraft jump to mind, as do the Shan of Ramsey Campbell.
[19:55] <+Brian> I don't know if they're right, as I see the dark gods of Lovecraft not caring about them anymore than they do about us (humans) but the things about aliens is that they are, well alien. So by definition they don't think as we do.
[19:56] <+Brian> So I can see some aliens siding with the Great Old Ones for their one incomprehensible reasons.
[19:56] <+Brian> done
[19:56] <+Chazathoth> hanks
[19:56] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Yep, and there ARE races in Punktown (the Kalians, the Bedbugs) who worship what they call the Outsiders. Hey, people worship crazy stuff. But I can't get into religion here. ;-)
[19:56] <+Chazathoth> (thanks)
[19:56] <+Brian> and I'll leave the other question to Tom and Jeff
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[19:57] <+Brian> oh guys???
[19:58] * +TomLynch points to self
[19:58] <+TomLynch> me?
[19:58] <+TomLynch> :-D
[19:58] <+TomLynch> Mythos magic will probably cause automatic SAN loss given its nature, but it also depends on what, exactly, we're talking about.
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[19:59] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Tom suffered a SAN loss.
[19:59] <+TomLynch> In some cases, Jeff has created races and dimensional realms that are accessed in ways CoC would call "spell work"
[19:59] <+Brian> Nah he's been 0 San for a long, long time.
[19:59] <+TomLynch> but Jeff has made it into interdimensional travel
[20:00] <+TomLynch> and :-P
[20:00] <+TomLynch> plplplplplpl to you both.
[20:00] <+TomLynch> So in short: maybe.
[20:00] <+TomLynch> done
[20:01] <~Dan> So the teleportation network that has supplanted space travel is Mythos-based?
[20:01] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> In a way, Dan...
[20:02] <~Dan> Well, I'm thinking in terms of Dreams in the Witch-House type stuff.
[20:02] <~Dan> Lovecraftian "science".
[20:02] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> ...the alien race called the Bedbugs helped develop teleportation for the Earth Colonies. And the Bedbugs worship the...Outsiders.
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[20:03] <+DirianTheLabrat> Lovecraftian science? like keeping brains in jars? we do that here!
[20:03] <~Dan> (Welcome, Guest28! You can set your name with the /nick command! :) )
[20:04] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> That too. In Punktown, there are organic computers of brain tissue called "encephalons."
[20:04] <+TomLynch> Brains in jars? Jeff has one-upped that. There are Cephalon computers...big brains in a box powering computer networks.
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[20:04] <+TomLynch> ta-daaaaa
[20:04] <+TomLynch> see?
[20:04] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> :-D
[20:04] * ~Dan chuckles
[20:04] <+TomLynch> but I got the name wrong.
[20:04] * +TomLynch sighs
[20:04] <~Dan> Your shame shall be eternal.
[20:04] <+TomLynch> that's the neat part about the web.
[20:04] <+TomLynch> :-/
[20:05] <+Brian> As long as they'e not Brians in jars. :D
[20:05] <~Dan> :D
[20:05] <+TomLynch> Now *there's* horror
[20:05] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Or jars in brains -- ouch!
[20:05] <+Brian> lol
[20:05] <~Dan> Okay, all three of you can probably offer some thoughts on this question...
[20:06] <~Dan> One of my favorite game settings is Over the Edge -- if you're not familiar, it's a surreal horror RPG based on authors like William S. Burroughs.
[20:06] <~Dan> It has weirdness out the wazoo, albeit generally in a more subtle manner than Punktown.
[20:06] <~Dan> One thing that always seems to come up when I run it...
[20:07] <~Dan> ...is that there's so MUCH weirdness, the players don't know what they're "supposed" to investigate, or even care about.
[20:07] <~Dan> Any thoughts on how to handle that in a setting like Punktown? How hard is it to get across that, yes, X is weird, but you're used to it?
[20:08] <+Brian> OK, I'll go first I guess
[20:09] <~Dan> (Or, conversely, how hard is it to make something so weird in an already-weird setting that it seems worth investigating? I guess that gets back to that "Mythos in Punktown" issue, though.)
[20:10] <+Brian> All I can speak to is my scenario and for that, once again, you have to stress just how "other" the Mythos is. So in order to do that, chances are you won't see the more "common" Mythos elements in my scenario. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just leave it at that. But make sure that when you bring in the Mythos, you really make it wow!
[20:10] <+Brian> Done
[20:12] <+TomLynch> Cool...I guess the other point is that the adventure has to provide some sense of purpose, and hopefully we'll all manage that such that the "mission" doesn't get muddled as they work through the over-the-top setting of Punktown.
[20:12] <~Dan> Actually, let me "zoom out" even further on the subject -- and again, this is for all three of you:
[20:13] <~Dan> How hard to you see it being to get players "up to speed" on the setting, so that they'll know (among other things) what should seem out of the ordinary to their characters?
[20:13] <~Dan> I'm assuming the typical PC wouldn't bat an eye at a scale-covered skyscraper, for example.
[20:15] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> The thing about PUnktown is, as weird as it gets, it still should feel grounded in a kind of reality that anyone can relate to. People still work jobs they hate to pay the bi. They have relationships. THey try to get by. So when something ESPECIALLY weird disrupts that, it becomes evident.
[20:16] <+Brian> Yeah, that will be a toughie. If they have read some of Jeffrey's Punktown stories first, and they really should because they're really good, that will help loads. But if they're coming in cold, yeah there's going to be a whole lot of weird there to get to know, but that will be part of the fun. There's nothing like walking into a new weird world for
[20:16] <+Brian> the first time and going "wow."
[20:16] <+Brian> Done
[20:16] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Sorry I jumped in there, Brian. And I meant to say, "To pay the bills."
[20:17] <+TomLynch> ...and the practical thing is to have people read some of Jeff's stories so even the players know what kind of weirdness to expect. (Done)
[20:18] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> It will be great is people take the time to read some fiction first, but as I've noted many times, I write every Punktow story to stand on its own. So you don't NEED to know much about it in order to step onto its streets.
[20:19] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Though the book's core rules will serve as a handy encylopedia of PT's aliens,  weapons, creatures, and so forth.
[20:19] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Done.
[20:19] <+TomLynch> ...which is why we're putting some new stories by Jeff into the book
[20:19] <+TomLynch> done and done. :-D
[20:20] <~Dan> What are some of the Punktown-specific character types?
[20:21] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Tom?
[20:21] <+TomLynch> ...
[20:21] * +TomLynch opening files
[20:21] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Rustling paper sounds.
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[20:22] * +TomLynch taps fingers/glares at wifi
[20:23] <~Dan> (Sorry. Didn't mean to overtax your tech, Tom. :) )
[20:24] <+TomLynch> We have artists, hit men, corporate drones, entertainers, forcers (police officers), gang members, health agents (think FBI meets 007 meets the CDC), students, theta researchers (interdimensional investigation)...
[20:24] <+TomLynch> Is that enough to start?
[20:25] <+TomLynch> Any questions on those?
[20:25] <~Dan> Hmmm... Maybe some more about health agents?
[20:26] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> The subject of an entire novel, Dan!
[20:26] <~Dan> So I saw! :)
[20:26] <+TomLynch> (Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1933293446/)http://www.amazon.com/dp/1933293446/
[20:26] <+TomLynch> snicker
[20:26] <+TomLynch> great minds/similar channels
[20:26] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> They investigate health risks...alien diseases, illegal bioengineering, pollution threats...
[20:26] <+TomLynch> Health Agents are tasked with protecting the people from all of those things.
[20:26] <~Dan> Also, I was thinking about playable alien races, robot types, sorcerers, etc.
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[20:27] <+TomLynch> and they carry the right to terminate that threat.
[20:27] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> (And a movie option, too.)
[20:27] <~Dan> (Seriously? Awesome!)
[20:27] <+Brian> Woot, congrats, Jeffrey.
[20:27] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> (Waiting to hear more...crossing fingers...these things don't always pan out...)
[20:27] <+Brian> (tell me about it...)
[20:28] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> (as in NEVER for me. Heh.)
[20:28] <~Dan> (Every punk has his day!)
[20:28] <~Dan> (Or something.)
[20:28] <+Christine> (much luck!)
[20:28] <+TomLynch> There are a number of races available to play: Choom, Tikkihotto, Kalian, Clone...
[20:28] <+TomLynch> (and yes...good luck to you both)
[20:28] <+DirianTheLabrat> (dan and sometimes punks make others day)
[20:29] <+TomLynch> Many different races and options
[20:29] <+TomLynch> done
[20:29] <~Dan> How diverse are the playable robots? (If there are any.)
[20:29] <+Brian> As long as I can be ED209 I'll be happy. :)
[20:30] <+TomLynch> Honestly, Dan, they haven't been played yet, so we'll have to have more on that later for you.
[20:30] <+TomLynch> :-/
[20:30] <~Dan> Fair enough!
[20:31] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> But there are robots in the XENOFORMS section of the core rules Mike Tresca developed.
[20:31] <~Dan> Cool. :)
[20:33] <+Brian> Come on, someone, you have 30 seconds to comply.
[20:33] <+TomLynch> GRRRRRRR
[20:33] <~Dan> Brian and Tom, when writing your respective adventures, did you have to nail down the sorts of PCs that would fit? And if so, how hard was that?
[20:34] <+TomLynch> I'm leaving mine as open as possible such that anyone could play. There may be some limitations that logic dictates, but beyond that, we want people to explore and enjoy the setting to its fullest.
[20:34] <+TomLynch> done
[20:35] <+Brian> For me, not really. I usually go out of my way to make sure a scenario can by played by any type, unless I'm going for something specific. Case in point, in the upcoming Atomic Age Cthulhu book, I did a scenario set in the Korean war where everyone plays a tank jokey. That was fun. :) But that is an exception, not the rule.
[20:35] <+Brian> Done
[20:37] <~Dan> Again going back to the gonzo nature of the setting, do you have any thoughts on how well BRP lends itself to coming up with stuff on the fly? That would seem to be an important factor in a setting like Punktown.
[20:37] <+Brian> I think BRP lends itself to any setting, any game, that's why I like it so much.
[20:38] <+TomLynch> Very well, I think. BRP is a very flexible, simple system, such that you can really do whatever you want with it, and make the story the center, rather than the game mechanics.
[20:38] <+TomLynch> That's why we're all such fans of the system. Done.
[20:38] <+Brian> Oh, done.
[20:39] <~Dan> This may be more of a Mike question, but are there any rules options in the BRP corebook that you'd like to see incorporated into Punktown?
[20:39] <+Brian> Yeah, no idea here, sorry.
[20:40] <~Dan> (I'm thinking about things like attribute modifiers to skills, Fate points, critical wounds, etc.)
[20:40] <+TomLynch> That'd be for Mike, yeah...he was our encyclopedist and rule monkey
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[20:40] <~Dan> No worries.
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[20:41] <~Dan> Oh, before we go any further: Brian, do you have any upcoming projects you'd like to promote? There was mention of Steampunk Cthulhu, for example?
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[20:44] <+Brian> Well Steampunk Cthulhu is a fiction anthology that will be coming out from Chaosium. Other fiction collections that should be coming out soon are: Undead & Unbound, Eldritch Chrome (cyberpunk Lovecraft stories), Edge of Sundown (old west horror stories) and to go along with the Atomic Age Cthulhu RPG book there will be an Atomic Age Cthulhu fiction anthology
[20:44] <+Brian> As for RPG stuff...
[20:45] <+Brian> Atomic Age Cthulhu should be coming out soon. As is Houses of R'lyeh, a collection of linked scenarios. Some time later there will be Doors to Darkness which is a collection of shot scenarios designed to played in a single setting and ideal for new players/keepers, BUT they're not cake walks. They just have a lot of Keeper suggestions for the novice keeper
[20:46] <+Brian> on how to run each scenario. There's also two big books for Call of Cthulhu that I'm heading up...but I can't talk about them just yet. Sorry.
[20:46] <+Brian> and I think that's about it. LOL
[20:46] <+Brian> Done
[20:46] <+Christine> Any hints or teasers on possible upcoming anthology calls? ;)
[20:47] <+Brian> Ha
[20:47] <+TomLynch> Spread the word about the Kickstarter, and we'll be able to do a Punkown antho....
[20:47] <+TomLynch> :-D
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[20:47] <~Dan> Tom, do you see the potential for Punktown to be Miskatonic River's flagship title?
[20:48] <+Brian> Uhm...no I really can't. Not just yet. But there is something in the works as we speak... :)
[20:49] <+TomLynch> That really remains to be seen...so far, our best sellers have all been books that tie into classic Call of Cthulhu set in the 1920s. If Punktown takes off down the line, and takes up a life of its own (how very Punktown), then we'll just have to see!
[20:49] <+TomLynch> done
[20:50] <~Dan> Looks like we have about 10 minutes left in regular Q&A time, although you guys are welcome to hang out and field questions as long as you like... Is there anything you'd like to cover that we haven't discussed yet?
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[20:51] <+Brian> The stretch goals for the Punktown Kickstarter are awesome. Take it away, Tom. :)
[20:51] <+J_Arcane> I sent my Star Trek book to a member of the diplomatic corps.
[20:51] <+TomLynch> sigh...too big to paste
[20:52] <+TomLynch> in short...
[20:52] <+Brian> start typing, punk
[20:52] <+Brian> why do you think I handed it off to you?
[20:52] <+TomLynch> $11K - an extra scenario by the most excellent Glynn Owen Barrass...and he's shared his idea. It's dark, scary, and twisted. Help us make that goal!
[20:53] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Today we made our $9000 goal -- so darn exciting -- but like Tom says, we have awesome stretch goals so we don't want folks to get complacent. ;-)
[20:53] <+TomLynch> $15K - a GM screen and CD full of MRP goodness (all the Punktown stuff as well as high res art, maps, etc and even past MRP publications in PDF format). The art on the screen would be new art, btw.
[20:54] <+TomLynch> $20K - a new Punktown antho, edited by my co-QAers, Brian and Jeff...all new stories by a smattering of the best authors out there, and W. H. Pugmire has already said he'd LOVE to do a story for that.
[20:55] <+TomLynch> $25K - we get Jeff busy again, and have him come up with a whole new collection, all by his lonesome (which he's done before, clearly).
[20:55] <+Brian> Yay for WHP coming to Punktown!
[20:55] <~Dan> (Was Pugmire the one with the funky hat in the Google+ chat?)
[20:55] <+Brian> Yep lol
[20:55] <+TomLynch> So many great things, I'd hate to not do any of them...but the money has to happen.
[20:55] <+TomLynch> done
[20:55] * +TomLynch sighs
[20:56] <+TomLynch> whew!
[20:56] <+TomLynch> And yeah....that was Wilum in all his glory.
[20:56] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> I dearly hope we can do all that cool stuff!
[20:56] <+TomLynch> He's already a punk, so he's halfway there!
[20:56] <+TomLynch> me, too!
[20:57] <~Dan> Does Kickstarter give you any projection as to where you're going to end up, assuming things continue as they are?
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[20:57] <+TomLynch> Kind of....
[20:57] <+TomLynch> (Link: http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1799183063/punktown-an-rpg-setting-for-call-of-cthulhu-and-br/)http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1799183063/punktown-an-rpg-setting-for-call-of-cthulhu-and-br/
[20:58] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> The KIcktraq site has us trending toward $11,300 right now.
[20:58] <+TomLynch> I just happen to be staring at it.
[20:58] <+TomLynch> But that's just an average of daily activity...not a true projection.
[20:58] * ~Dan nods
[20:58] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> I just happen to stare at it whenever I'm home. I'm going to miss the suspense of all this after DEc. 19th!
[20:58] <+TomLynch> lol
[20:58] <~Dan> :)
[20:59] <+TomLynch> I'm going to pass out from the relief after the 19th
[20:59] <~Dan> Jeffrey, when is someone going to run the game for you? :)
[20:59] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Yes, that too.
[20:59] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> That would be cool...but they'll really have to hold my hand.
[20:59] <+TomLynch> Well...we're going to be running some at NecronomiCon next August....
[21:00] <+Brian> Come to Michigan, I'll do it. :)
[21:00] <+TomLynch> (Link: http://necronomicon-providence.com/)http://necronomicon-providence.com/
[21:00] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Which I hope to attend...
[21:00] <+TomLynch> I'll kidnap you and bring you.
[21:00] <~Dan> :)
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[21:00] <+TomLynch> We're thinking maybe we'll do a promotional game or two with Jeff playing alongside the players.
[21:00] <+TomLynch> :-D
[21:00] <~Dan> That would be epic. :)
[21:01] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> That WOULD be most memorable!
[21:01] <+TomLynch> That, Dan, is the hope.
[21:01] <+TomLynch> We'll wear our shades again.
[21:01] <~Dan> :)
[21:01] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Oh yeah...
[21:01] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> The troupe of Stevie Wonder impersonators.
[21:01] <+Brian> lol
[21:02] <+TomLynch> The new gang on Forma Street...the Stevie Wonders.
[21:02] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> "I just called Cthulhu to say I love you..."
[21:02] * ~Dan applauds :D
[21:02] <+TomLynch> "....and I mean it from the bottom of the sea."
[21:02] <+TomLynch> ;-)
[21:02] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> :-D
[21:03] <~Dan> Well, it's 9:00 Central... Do you guys need to wrap things up, or would you like to hang out for a while longer?
[21:03] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Unfortunately, it's off to bed for this day laborer.
[21:03] <+TomLynch> Sadly, I hafta get up early... :-/
[21:03] <~Dan> No problem, Jeffrey.
[21:03] <+TomLynch> Stupid grown-up stuff...
[21:03] <+Brian> If anyone has any questions for me, I can stay for a little while.
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[21:04] <~Dan> I'd just like to thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to talk to us!
[21:04] <+TomLynch> Thanks, Brian...way awesome of you.
[21:04] <~Dan> Yes, thanks, Brian!
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[21:04] <+TomLynch> My pleasure, Dan! Thanks for having us!
[21:04] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Thanks, all around!
[21:04] <~Dan> Have a great evening, guys!
[21:05] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> Take it away, Brian!
[21:05] <+Brian> No worries, and have a good night, Tom & Jeffrey.
[21:05] <+Jeffrey_Thomas> G'night!!!
[21:05] <+TomLynch> G'night all...and the Bedbugs in Punktown DO bite...and they're BIG.
[21:05] <~Dan> And I need to step away for just a bit. brb!
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[21:06] <+Brian> Sssssooooooo, anyone?
[21:07] <+fantomx11> I'm an anyone
[21:07] <+Brian> Yes you are. :)
[21:08] <&Le_Squide> Well, congrats on hitting your initial goal.
[21:08] <+Brian> Thanks so much. It was scary there for a little bit, but we did it. :)
[21:09] <&Le_Squide> So, theta agents are interdimensional investigators?
[21:09] <+Brian> One thing Tom didn't say, the Kickstarter idea was sooooo mine. Ha, he soooooo owes me.
[21:10] <+Brian> Yes they are.
[21:14] <+Brian> OK, looks like everything that had to be said was, so I guess I'll say goodnight too. Thanks to Dan for inviting me here and for all of you listing to me (or reading) ramble on. It was fun.
[21:14] <&Le_Squide> Thanks for coming on!
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