Jason Andrew's Blog: Adventures in Bat Country

#MorraPlaytest on 9/30/2019 because I love my ladies and we now have the ponies.  What is Morra?

A thousand years ago, two princess ponies; Celestia and Luna welded their unicorn magic to raise the sun and moon, respectively. The ponies were united and happy, they raced through the day and then danced at night. Until Celestia turned jealous and tried to turn the ponies away from all of the beauty that is the night.

Reluctantly, Luna fought her sister and granted a portion of her power to the herd to fight her influence. The ponies grew stronger, faster, and nearly immortal, but the jealous Celestia decreed that her sun would forever burn the ponies and that one day the sun would burn out the night forever. And so the ponies grew strong, hunted their prey, learned they could survive on blood and terror brought to the day walkers. One day they would reclaim the light side of the world. One day, a new Queen of the Herd would arise….fealty is magic.

This has been a year of terrors and wonders.

Over Thanksgiving weekend 2018, I slipped on a dryer sheet and then hit the back of my neck. I later learned that this incident cause a tear in a major artery that more or less gave me a stroke.  I thought I had the flu, but half my body was numb.  And to top it off, I learned that I also had Type II diabetes.

I spent the week in the hospital. And worse, the very quality that I hold most dear, my brain, my intelligence, turned against me. I could feel myself think slower.  I remembered what it was like to be smart, but felt sluggish.  Like I was seeing everything through a thick sludge.

I had to get real. I left some projects. Some projects were paused for a time. I had to trust my fellow developers (mad props to Jimmy Reckitt and Jen Childs) to take up more of the load.  I had to surrender some of my agency over to my partners – Lisa and Andrea.  I had to depend on others until I could heal.

A lot of my friends stepped up in my life and made a difference.  Thank you to everyone that helped me through those months of hell.

I have a number of different projects in the pipe:

Apotheosis 2: More Stories of Survival After the Rise of the Elder Gods
Mind’s Eye Theatre: Changeling The Dreaming
Mind’s Eye Theatre: Vampire The Masquerade, Vol 2
Morra Cinematic Game System

Here are the guidelines for Simian Publishing’s next anthology Apotheosis 2: More Stories of Survival After the Rise of the Elder Gods.  (This anthology doesn’t open to submissions until December 1st 2018, but I like to give my writers plenty of time to ponder the sort of story they might write for me. Due to an illness in the form of a stroke for the editor, we have delayed the opening of submissions.)

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Apotheosis 2 – More Stories of human survival and defiance in a world subjugated by the return of the Elder Gods. Humanity struggled to grow and evolve as a species for thousands of years forever caught in the shadow of a dread threat known only to a devoted few. When the stars are right, the Old Ones will return to claim utter dominion of the world. Lovecraft Mythos stories often climax at the moment of the fateful return of the Elder Gods and the audience is left to ponder what might happen next. This anthology features stories about humanity under the reign of the Elder Gods and ancient terrors.

What do we mean by Lovecraft Mythos stories in relation to Apotheosis? We’re looking for stories inspired by the stories of H.P. Lovecraft and associated writers such as August Derleth, Clark Ashton Smit , Robert E. Howard , Robert Bloch , Henry Kuttner, and Frank Belknap Long.   We’re also interested in writers that inspired Lovecraft such as Edgar Allan Poe, Algernon Blackwood and Lord Dunsany. We’re interested in classic mythos gods and monsters and originals that have inspired by the mythos.

Good Fiction Examples:

Apotheosis: Stories of Human Survival After The Rise of The Elder Gods
“Boojum” by Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette
“A Colder War” by Charlie Stross
In the Hall of the Yellow King by Peter Rawlik

What type of stories are we looking for? We’re looking for character-driven stories set during a time in the future where the ancient terrors that once ruled the Earth have claimed complete and utter dominion of the Earth. We’re less concerned about the strict interpretation of the Elder Gods than good stories that deal with real human concerns.  How do people survive? How does life change? Will people accept their new gods or will they rebel? What will it mean to be human in such a world of gods and monsters? Surprise us. Don’t give us stories that we’ve read before. We want worlds that feel real populated by characters from different cultures, genders, and ethnicities.   Avoid cultural appropriation. Do your homework. We recommend that you read our last anthology to see the types of stories we enjoy.

What types of submissions should I avoid? We’re not as interested in the moment the ancient horrors return and conquer the world, but how humanity survives after the war is lost. Flashbacks are OK, but the story should not be about that time. We enjoy historical mythos fiction, but this is not the anthology for it. Stories must be set in the future. We are not looking for poetry for this anthology.

Submission Details:

Word-count: 2,000 to 7,000
Worldwide print and e-book rights (exclusive for 6 months, non-exclusive for an additional 30 months).Exceptions will be made for stories accepted for “Best Of” anthologies.
Apotheosis will be available in both Print on Demand and e-book formats.
Submissions open December 1, 2018, and will close at 11:59 PST on December 31, 2018. You may submit at: apotheosis.anthology@gmail.com via an attachment. (Do not submit before December 1st 2018 or your submission will be deleted)
Queries and questions may be sent to : apotheosis.anthology@gmail.com. (You may send queries and questions anytime.)
All responses will be accepted or rejected by March 1st, 2019. Please do not query about submitted stories before then. No multiple or simultaneous submissions. Our word count limits are hard for open submissions. Reprints may be submitted, but we’re only accepting three or four at the most.  (It should be clearly stated that the submission is a reprint in your cover later or this will be an automatic rejection later.)
Please use standard format guidelines. If it is difficult to read, we will reject your story. Your story must include your name, address, telephone number, email address, and approximate word count on the first page. Your cover letter should include your complete contact information, story title, approximate word count, and a short bio.
We’re only accepting a limited number of reprints. If you are submitting a reprint, please tag the subject with #Reprint. If we find out later your submission is a reprint and it wasn’t tagged, it will be dropped from the anthology.
Payment: 3 cents per word (or 1 cent per word for reprints), paid within 90 days after publication. Plus contributor copy of print and e-book.

 

 

I am honored to be working on three different products in the World of Darkness.

I am the Developer for Mind’s Eye Theatre: Vampire the Masquerade, Vol 2  from By Night Studios.

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I am the Developer for Mind’s Eye Theatre: Changeling the Dreaming from By Night Studios.

I am a writer for the alpha for Vampire: the Masquerade Fifth Edition by White Wolf.

 

Here are the guidelines for Simian Publishing’s next anthology Apotheosis 2: More Stories of Survival After the Rise of the Elder Gods.  (This anthology doesn’t open to submissions until April 2018, but I like to give my writers plenty of time to ponder the sort of story they might write for me.)

Apotheosis 2 – More Stories of human survival and defiance in a world subjugated by the return of the Elder Gods. Humanity struggled to grow and evolve as a species for thousands of years forever caught in the shadow of a dread threat known only to a devoted few. When the stars are right, the Old Ones will return to claim utter dominion of the world. Lovecraft Mythos stories often climax at the moment of the fateful return of the Elder Gods and the audience is left to ponder what might happen next. This anthology features stories about humanity under the reign of the Elder Gods and ancient terrors.

What do we mean by Lovecraft Mythos stories in relation to Apotheosis? We’re looking for stories inspired by the stories of H.P. Lovecraft and associated writers such as August Derleth, Clark Ashton Smit , Robert E. Howard , Robert Bloch , Henry Kuttner, and Frank Belknap Long.   We’re also interested in writers that inspired Lovecraft such as Edgar Allan Poe, Algernon Blackwood and Lord Dunsany. We’re interested in classic mythos gods and monsters and originals that have inspired by the mythos.

Good Fiction Examples:

Apotheosis: Stories of Human Survival After The Rise of The Elder Gods
“Boojum” by Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette
“A Colder War” by Charlie Stross
In the Hall of the Yellow King by Peter Rawlik

What type of stories are we looking for? We’re looking for character-driven stories set during a time in the future where the ancient terrors that once ruled the Earth have claimed complete and utter dominion of the Earth. We’re less concerned about the strict interpretation of the Elder Gods than good stories that deal with real human concerns.  How do people survive? How does life change? Will people accept their new gods or will they rebel? What will it mean to be human in such a world of gods and monsters? Surprise us. Don’t give us stories that we’ve read before. We want worlds that feel real populated by characters from different cultures, genders, and ethnicities.   Avoid cultural appropriation. Do your homework. We recommend that you read our last anthology to see the types of stories we enjoy.

What types of submissions should I avoid? We’re not as interested in the moment the ancient horrors return and conquer the world, but how humanity survives after the war is lost. Flashbacks are OK, but the story should not be about that time. We enjoy historical mythos fiction, but this is not the anthology for it. Stories must be set in the future. We are not looking for poetry for this anthology.

Submission Details:

Word-count: 2,000 to 7,000 Worldwide print and e-book rights (exclusive for 6 months, non-exclusive for an additional 30 months).Exceptions will be made for stories accepted for “Best Of” anthologies. Apotheosis will be available in both Print on Demand and e-book formats.
Submissions open April 1, 2018, and will close at 11:59 PST on May 31, 2018. You may submit at: apotheosis.anthology@gmail.com  (Do not submit before April 1st 2018 or your submission will be deleted)  
Queries and questions may be sent to : apotheosis.anthology@gmail.com. (You may send queries and questions anytime.) All responses will be accepted or rejected by August 15th, 2018. Please do not query about submitted stories before then. No multiple or simultaneous submissions. Our word count limits are hard for open submissions. Reprints may be submitted, but we’re only accepting three or four at the most.  (It should be clearly stated that the submission is a reprint in your cover later or this will be an automatic rejection later.)
Please use standard format guidelines. If it is difficult to read, we will reject your story. Your story must include your name, address, telephone number, email address, and approximate word count on the first page. Your cover letter should include your complete contact information, story title, approximate word count, and a short bio.
We’re only accepting a limited number of reprints. If you are submitting a reprint, please tag the subject with #Reprint. If we find out later your submission is a reprint and it wasn’t tagged, it will be dropped from the anthology.
Payment: 3 cents per word (or 1 cent per word for reprints), paid within 90 days after publication. Plus contributor copy of print and e-book.

Get immersed! Mind’s Eye Theatre: Immersion Secrets is now available at DriveThruRPG. Click here to get it: http://drivethrurpg.com/…/Minds-Eye-Theatre-Immersion-Secre…

The foundation of live-action roleplaying is a healthy community where players feel welcomed and supported. Safety and trust are vital components of that solid foundation. Players should feel they can immerse themselves in their characters and the setting deeply enough for to allow the stories to touch them, and to invest in the experience safely.

Mind’s Eye Theatre: Immersion Secrets is a new anthology of essays on this theme, written by members of the World of Darkness LARP community and the By Night Studios development team. It offers methods and techniques for encouraging player immersion and safety at Mind’s Eye Theatre LARP events (but these tools and guidelines are applicable to any LARP experience).

 

Get immersed! Mind’s Eye Theatre: Immersion Secrets is now available at DriveThruRPG. Click here to get it: http://drivethrurpg.com/…/Minds-Eye-Theatre-Immersion-Secre…

The foundation of live-action roleplaying is a healthy community where players feel welcomed and supported. Safety and trust are vital components of that solid foundation. Players should feel they can immerse themselves in their characters and the setting deeply enough for to allow the stories to touch them, and to invest in the experience safely.

Mind’s Eye Theatre: Immersion Secrets is a new anthology of essays on this theme, written by members of the World of Darkness LARP community and the By Night Studios development team. It offers methods and techniques for encouraging player immersion and safety at Mind’s Eye Theatre LARP events (but these tools and guidelines are applicable to any LARP experience).

I co-wrote the Advanced Alchemy with my friend Jeff Fowler for this supplement. Please check it out!

Magic is wild. Magic is undisciplined. You can try to impose order and understanding on it, but that’s just surface. Underneath is chaos, an erratic heart beating to a staggering rhythm. You don’t control it, any more than a surfer controls twenty-meter-tall wave; you don’t direct the wave, you ride it, capture a piece of its power, and hope to survive. If you do it right, though, you catch a portion of unimaginable power—power those who control the Sixth World don’t want you to have. All the more reason to push past their boundaries and grab it.

Forbidden Arcana offers dozens of different ways for Awakened characters in Shadowrun to harness that power and make themselves a mana-slinger like no other. From new ways to distinguish spellcasters of different traditions to more chaotic methods for summoning spirits to options for Awakened characters who have mastered their craft, Forbidden Arcana shows players how to break out of conventional molds, use mana in new ways, and become true street legends riding the growing wave of Sixth World mana.

Forbidden Arcana is an advanced magic rulebook for use with Shadowrun, Fifth Edition; magic concepts from the book can be used with Shadowrun: Anarchy, though mechanics for that game are not included.

Click here to purchase it.

Here are the guidelines for Simian Publishing’s next anthology Apotheosis: Stories of Survival After the Rise of the Elder Gods.  (This anthology doesn’t open to submissions until November 2017, but I like to give my writers plenty of time to ponder the sort of story they might write for me.)

Publisher Note: This is the cover from the first Apotheosis since we’re early in the art commission process.

Apotheosis 2 – More Stories of human survival and defiance in a world subjugated by the return of the Elder Gods. Humanity struggled to grow and evolve as a species for thousands of years forever caught in the shadow of a dread threat known only to a devoted few. When the stars are right, the Old Ones will return to claim utter dominion of the world. Lovecraft Mythos stories often climax at the moment of the fateful return of the Elder Gods and the audience is left to ponder what might happen next. This anthology features stories about humanity under the reign of the Elder Gods and ancient terrors.

What do we mean by Lovecraft Mythos stories in relation to Apotheosis? We’re looking for stories inspired by the stories of H.P. Lovecraft and associated writers such as August Derleth, Clark Ashton Smit , Robert E. Howard , Robert Bloch , Henry Kuttner, and Frank Belknap Long.   We’re also interested in writers that inspired Lovecraft such as Edgar Allan Poe, Algernon Blackwood and Lord Dunsany. We’re interested in classic mythos gods and monsters and originals that have inspired by the mythos.

Good Fiction Examples:

Apotheosis: Stories of Human Survival After The Rise of The Elder Gods
“Boojum” by Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette
“A Colder War” by Charlie Stross
In the Hall of the Yellow King by Peter Rawlik

What type of stories are we looking for? We’re looking for character-driven stories set during a time in the future where the ancient terrors that once ruled the Earth have claimed complete and utter dominion of the Earth. We’re less concerned about the strict interpretation of the Elder Gods than good stories that deal with real human concerns.  How do people survive? How does life change? Will people accept their new gods or will they rebel? What will it mean to be human in such a world of gods and monsters? Surprise us. Don’t give us stories that we’ve read before. We want worlds that feel real populated by characters from different cultures, genders, and ethnicities.   Avoid cultural appropriation. Do your homework. We recommend that you read our last anthology to see the types of stories we enjoy.

What types of submissions should I avoid? We’re not as interested in the moment the ancient horrors return and conquer the world, but how humanity survives after the war is lost. Flashbacks are OK, but the story should not be about that time. We enjoy historical mythos fiction, but this is not the anthology for it. Stories must be set in the future. We are not looking for poetry for this anthology.

Submission Details:

Word-count: 2,000 to 7,000 Worldwide print and e-book rights (exclusive for 6 months, non-exclusive for an additional 30 months).Exceptions will be made for stories accepted for “Best Of” anthologies. Apotheosis will be available in both Print on Demand and e-book formats.
Submissions open November 1, 2017, and will close at 11:59 PST on December 31, 2017. You may submit at: apotheosis.anthology@gmail.com (Do not submit before November 1st 2017 or your submission will be deleted)
Queries and questions may be sent to : apotheosis.anthology@gmail.com. (You may send queries and questions anytime.) All responses will be accepted or rejected by January 15th, 2018. Please do not query about submitted stories before then. No multiple or simultaneous submissions. Our word count limits are hard for open submissions. Reprints may be submitted, but we’re only accepting three or four at the most.  (It should be clearly stated that the submission is a reprint in your cover later or this will be an automatic rejection later.)
Please use standard format guidelines. If it is difficult to read, we will reject your story. Your story must include your name, address, telephone number, email address, and approximate word count on the first page. Your cover letter should include your complete contact information, story title, approximate word count, and a short bio.
We’re only accepting a limited number of reprints. If you are submitting a reprint, please tag the subject with #Reprint. If we find out later your submission is a reprint and it wasn’t tagged, it will be dropped from the anthology.
Payment: 3 cents per word (or 1 cent per word for reprints), paid within 90 days after publication. Plus contributor copy of print and e-book.

MET: Werewolf The Apocalypse represents the last two years of my life and I think I consider it the best work of my career to date.  The PDF is now available on DriveThruRPG.

The Time to Rage…is NOW!

Mind’s Eye Theatre: Werewolf The Apocalypse is a new edition of a classic game that draws on more than two decades’ worth of material from the iconic World of Darkness setting. The rules are designed and adapted specifically for the Live Action Roleplay environment, while maintaining the fidelity of the original game. Whether you’re a veteran player or discovering live-action roleplaying for the first time, this book contains everything you need to create and play a werewolf character or create your own live-action chronicle.

This is a complete game, containing everything you need to enjoy Werewolf The Apocalypse in one of its most thrilling formats (760 pages).
A streamlined character creation system that is quick, yet comprehensive.
A new cinematic yet mathematically-balanced rules system developed specifically to support the story and style of a live action environment for Werewolf The Apocalypse.
An updated story that frames the epic tale of the Garou for the 21st century.
Dynamic new systems covering everything from social roleplaying to spirits, plus a brand-new Quest system designed to help you tell big stories quickly and easily.
Gorgeous new full-color art from legendary artist Scott Harben that faithfully depicts this savage yet spiritual world.