Our products are now on sale at Paizo's download store.
I've added a few of our most recent PDFs and will be uploading more as time permits.
http://paizo.com/store/byCompany/v/vigilancePress
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Trail of Links
So, it's 4am and I am working on the USHER Dossiers, my upcoming ICONS superhero setting.
I paused for a moment to fire off an email about art, and when I closed that tab, I noticed I had the following google search tabs open:
1. Natty Bumpo
2. Dime Novel
3. Colorado Territory
4. Trail of Tears
5. American Civil War
I don't know about you, but seeing those open tabs involved in writing a supers setting would make me stupidly excited even if I was NOT the one writing it.
I paused for a moment to fire off an email about art, and when I closed that tab, I noticed I had the following google search tabs open:
1. Natty Bumpo
2. Dime Novel
3. Colorado Territory
4. Trail of Tears
5. American Civil War
I don't know about you, but seeing those open tabs involved in writing a supers setting would make me stupidly excited even if I was NOT the one writing it.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Blitzkrieg London (ICONS) WWII adventure
Spring, 1944.
The war is going very badly for the 3rd Reich and Nazi commanders decide the only hope lies in a daring raid conducted by their elite Eugenics Brigade.
The target: British and American commanders conducting planning sessions in the heart of London.
Your goal: defeat the Eugenics Brigade and protect Allied commanders, regardless of the cost.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
USHER Dossier: Old Gods
You often hear superheroes referred to as "new gods".
In fact, during a period after he co-created the Marvel Universe, Jack Kirby went to DC and created a group called the New Gods.
I knew for my upcoming ICONS campaign setting, the USHER Dossiers, I would be treating the "old gods" as supers (not that original) but I decided to lay down some ground rules to give it an earthier and more realistic spin.
First, I thought it would be awesome to go WAY back.
The first metahuman in the USHER campaign was born in 70,000 BCE and he still walks the Earth today. At least, everyone assumes he does. He hasn't been seen in over 10 years.
Second, I have fully embraced the "1 in a million" concept- well, actually, I embraced it about 20 years ago when Roger Moore first created it in an article he wrote for the Marvel-phile in Dragon magazine, but it's on full display here, going all the way through the setting.
I used some world population statistics to give a guideline on the number of metahumans alive at any given point in human history, one per 1 million population.
Of course, no one has hard data on world populations that far back, but I picked an estimate and treated it as gospel.
So if I want to set the Titanomachy (the war between the Titans and the classical Greek Gods) in 4000 BCE, that gives me a total of 7 metahumans to work with worldwide.
So there ended up being a grand total of 4 metahmans involved in that fracas, preventing me from doing the obvious (and imo less interesting) thing of taking every single titan and every single greek god and making them supers.
I will say though, that I have noticed the Law of Conservation of Ninjutsu in effect for my burgeoning ancient-supers history.
For those who aren't familiar with this seminal storytelling device, it basically says that there's only so much Ninjutsu to go around. So if one ninja shows up, he's amazingly deadly, whereas if 100 ninjas show up, they're cannon fodder and you cut through three of them with one sword swing.
In other words, the heroes and villains around when there were only 5 total metahumans tend to be AMAZINGLY powerful.
Ok, done rambling, time to write my version of the Aesir-Vanir War.
In fact, during a period after he co-created the Marvel Universe, Jack Kirby went to DC and created a group called the New Gods.
I knew for my upcoming ICONS campaign setting, the USHER Dossiers, I would be treating the "old gods" as supers (not that original) but I decided to lay down some ground rules to give it an earthier and more realistic spin.
First, I thought it would be awesome to go WAY back.
The first metahuman in the USHER campaign was born in 70,000 BCE and he still walks the Earth today. At least, everyone assumes he does. He hasn't been seen in over 10 years.
Second, I have fully embraced the "1 in a million" concept- well, actually, I embraced it about 20 years ago when Roger Moore first created it in an article he wrote for the Marvel-phile in Dragon magazine, but it's on full display here, going all the way through the setting.
I used some world population statistics to give a guideline on the number of metahumans alive at any given point in human history, one per 1 million population.
Of course, no one has hard data on world populations that far back, but I picked an estimate and treated it as gospel.
So if I want to set the Titanomachy (the war between the Titans and the classical Greek Gods) in 4000 BCE, that gives me a total of 7 metahumans to work with worldwide.
So there ended up being a grand total of 4 metahmans involved in that fracas, preventing me from doing the obvious (and imo less interesting) thing of taking every single titan and every single greek god and making them supers.
I will say though, that I have noticed the Law of Conservation of Ninjutsu in effect for my burgeoning ancient-supers history.
For those who aren't familiar with this seminal storytelling device, it basically says that there's only so much Ninjutsu to go around. So if one ninja shows up, he's amazingly deadly, whereas if 100 ninjas show up, they're cannon fodder and you cut through three of them with one sword swing.
In other words, the heroes and villains around when there were only 5 total metahumans tend to be AMAZINGLY powerful.
Ok, done rambling, time to write my version of the Aesir-Vanir War.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Public Enemies (ICONS)
To all law enforcement agencies: this confidential profile of offenders incarcerated in USHER's Rock City facility is provided in case of escape.
These criminals are superhumanly powerful and should not be approached without assistance from USHER, the Crown Guard, Aegis or the New Coalition.
After these agenices have been notified, assist in clearing civilians from the area and setting up a perimeter.
The current population of Rock City includes:
- Armory: a mutant weapons master further enhanced by alien energy weapons
- Atrocity: a tragic legacy of World War II, this horror was further enhanced with modern science during the dark days of the Scion Invasion.
- Brainstorm: heir to a great legacy of wealth and heroism, this so-called "smartest man alive" believes he alone should rule the Earth
- Garrote: able to slip under any door, this superhuman hit man has given humself many names, most of them silly, including "the elastic assassin" and "the human noose" but his glib banter hides a cold-hearted killer
- Equinox: this team of genetically modified children killed their father and took control of Equinox Industries before embarking on a brief but terrible killing spree
- Ground Zero: a living atomic bomb that has to explode every 48 hours if not contained, in addition to USHER personnel contact FEMA immediately if sighted
- The Hollow Men: these time travelers are the most dangerous villain team in the world and their mission, to "save" the Earth by reducing its population by at least 90% is almost too terrible to contemplate
- Omega: perhaps the world's deadliest assassin, this killer seems to care only for money
- Overtone: a being of pure sound, this mad scientist will try to convince you that he is a hero but do not approach, engage or allow the subject to assist law enforcement
- Shillelagh: this extra-dimensional conquerer seeks to return to the Earth to its "rightful" rulers, the Fey
- Skullcap: this mercenary turned third-world despot considers himself a soldier and a hero but he is really a mass murderer
- Stigma: subject is almost identical to Aegis leader Big Ben; once facial scar is identified handle with extreme caution and notify USHER, Aegis and FEMA immediately; extremely dangerous and unpredictable
- Tower: this robot construct is confused, unpredictable and very likely to kill any human who gets too close
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Confession: Fallout 3 is the best Fallout game
AKA The Bed Under the Bridge
Like all right-thinking gamers of a certain vintage, I am completely in love with the Fallout series. I played the crap out of1 and 2, played through the "Tactics" game just to see how it furthered the story, and even suffered through (all the way to the end mind you) the bad, bad, verybad action RPG on the PS2, which I bought sight unseen because- dude it said Fallout right in the title!
However, my feeling that Fallout 3 trumps Fallout 2 is nigh-heretical in some circles.
The reason is two-fold, but it's simple: first, the depth of the world and the change from isometric to first person view.
Now the first part is not unique to Fallout 3. In fact, the world is what draws me back to Fallout 1 and 2, games I will *still* find myself playing from time to time.
But when you combine that world with a first-person perspective in Fallout 3, you get a place I love to visit, a place I feel like I know by heart.
Catching some Z's
My first encounter with this is what I call the "bed under the bridge". On your map I believe it's called the "hunter's camp" or some such.
Near two of your first big "dungeons" in the game, the Springvale Elementary School and the supermarket, now both overrun with raiders, there's a cozy little camp someone left under a bombed out bridge.
It's screened on four sides with plywood for privacy, has a footlocker to temporarily stow some gear, a mattress, and even a table with a book about explosives on it. Oh and a landmine right at the entrance.
It pays not to be a people person in Fallout and apparently the guy who made this camp knew it.
Throughout any game of Fallout 3 I will probably sleep in the bed under the bridge a couple dozen times as I explore the environs around Megaton. Sometimes I'll need to heal, sometimes I just want to wait out the day so I can better skulk at night.
There are many places like this scattered around the play area of Fallout 3. Little safe zones (usually safe because you made them that way) where you can slip away and grab some much needed rest.
Besides the bed under the bridge, there's one of the abandoned homes in Minefield (once you clear out its deranged sniper resident anyway), the luxury hotel in Rivet City (when you can afford it), or the mattress tossed into subway alcove nearby (when you can't), and of course, your home in Megaton.
Every single one of these locations is optional, you never have to visit them at all. But if you have, it gives you another little resource in the game, a number of added rest areas that feel safe and familiar.
These locations make the game feel much more like a living place, a familiar place and in combination with the first person "you are there" perspective, they make Fallout 3 the best in the series so far.
And oh yeah, I am very much waiting for Fallout: New Vegas, so hurry up!
Like all right-thinking gamers of a certain vintage, I am completely in love with the Fallout series. I played the crap out of1 and 2, played through the "Tactics" game just to see how it furthered the story, and even suffered through (all the way to the end mind you) the bad, bad, verybad action RPG on the PS2, which I bought sight unseen because- dude it said Fallout right in the title!
However, my feeling that Fallout 3 trumps Fallout 2 is nigh-heretical in some circles.
The reason is two-fold, but it's simple: first, the depth of the world and the change from isometric to first person view.
Now the first part is not unique to Fallout 3. In fact, the world is what draws me back to Fallout 1 and 2, games I will *still* find myself playing from time to time.
But when you combine that world with a first-person perspective in Fallout 3, you get a place I love to visit, a place I feel like I know by heart.
Catching some Z's
My first encounter with this is what I call the "bed under the bridge". On your map I believe it's called the "hunter's camp" or some such.
Near two of your first big "dungeons" in the game, the Springvale Elementary School and the supermarket, now both overrun with raiders, there's a cozy little camp someone left under a bombed out bridge.
It's screened on four sides with plywood for privacy, has a footlocker to temporarily stow some gear, a mattress, and even a table with a book about explosives on it. Oh and a landmine right at the entrance.
It pays not to be a people person in Fallout and apparently the guy who made this camp knew it.
Throughout any game of Fallout 3 I will probably sleep in the bed under the bridge a couple dozen times as I explore the environs around Megaton. Sometimes I'll need to heal, sometimes I just want to wait out the day so I can better skulk at night.
There are many places like this scattered around the play area of Fallout 3. Little safe zones (usually safe because you made them that way) where you can slip away and grab some much needed rest.
Besides the bed under the bridge, there's one of the abandoned homes in Minefield (once you clear out its deranged sniper resident anyway), the luxury hotel in Rivet City (when you can afford it), or the mattress tossed into subway alcove nearby (when you can't), and of course, your home in Megaton.
Every single one of these locations is optional, you never have to visit them at all. But if you have, it gives you another little resource in the game, a number of added rest areas that feel safe and familiar.
These locations make the game feel much more like a living place, a familiar place and in combination with the first person "you are there" perspective, they make Fallout 3 the best in the series so far.
And oh yeah, I am very much waiting for Fallout: New Vegas, so hurry up!
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