[Guest Post] Tools and Equipment for Dice Castle Adventure

My second installment in the Adventure to Dice Castle went live on Geeks Dream Girl recently. It’s dubbed Tools and Equipment: Adventure to Dice Castle.

Here’s one of the items I recommend:

8. Business Cards – You can find inexpensive business cards almost anywhere for first time buyers or through special deals. I wouldn’t order a lot of them right off the bat, but having a business card is definitely better than not having one. When you give them out, try to get the business card of the person you’re networking with. — SOURCE: Tools and Equipment: Adventure to Dice Castle

I really love writing this series because it’s giving me the chance to put freelance writing for the hobby games industry in a fun context. While today’s post is less of a parody than the one I’ll write for next month, it’s necessary in the sense that there are tools you’ll need to write, play and design hobby games.

‘Til next time!

August 13, 2011
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[Guest Post] On Why Marketing Plans Fail

While I was at GenCon, I published an article over at the How To Write Shop that addresses why marketing tactics and plans fail.

Over the past, few years I’ve talked to a lot of authors experimenting with marketing using tools like: blogs, newsletters, social media, direct mailers and bookmarks, convention appearances, etc. When something doesn’t work? They abandon it. Sadly, some of the tools they’re leaving behind have real, tangible value. Newsletters, for example, take a long time to build but have a potential financial reward that can be directly correlated to its design and content. — SOURCE: The Number One Reason Why Marketing Tactics Fail

This article is tightly focused and was written with authors and game designers in mind. I know many, many people who do their own marketing, so I hope you’ll check it out.

August 12, 2011
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Announcing Strange, Dead Love for Vampire the Requiem

At GenCon: Indy, White Wolf 2011-2012 release schedule was announced. One of the projects on the list is a supplement for Vampire: the Requiem entitled Strange, Dead Love.

I’m happy to share with you that I’m one of the writers! The project is developed by Russ Bailey with co-developer Eddy Webb. Jess Hartley and Filamena Hill will be penning the other sections of this romantically-inclined supplement. Filamena will be coordinating podcast promotion for White Wolf bloggers, so please keep that in mind.

Here’s a little more about the product in Russ’s own words:

Strange, Dead Love will be available in PDF and digital print first, via our partners at DriveThruRPG. It will not be a standalone book; there just wasn’t room in the schedule to do a new Vampire core. However, it should be fairly playable with one of our quickstarts.

This is definitely a book for people who like vampire romance. We’re talking more epic emotions and dark action than the usual Requiem blood and asphalt. We’re focusing on being true to genre, much as we did with the two Mirrors sci-fi books. — Russ Bailey on Google+

To be blunt: I am thrilled to be on this project because this is a subject matter I’m familiar with. For the last, few years I’ve been going to a romance writer’s group where many talented people have been diving in and really educating everyone on the subject. It has been a great experience because they talked about things I never would have thought about. How relationships need to be plotted out. How there’s a difference between writing about sex and establishing intimacy. How there’s more than one emotion in any romance.

There’s been some mention of Twilight and similarly-themed properties in player discussions. I can tell you that this is not a book about Twilight, this is a book about vampire romance. Twilight is one type of romance — and it’s not for everyone. Believe me, there are many flavors. Kind of like ice cream, only…

Well, you get the idea.

Please, please do NOT hold me to any specifics. This project is in development.

August 11, 2011
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Christmas in July? Queen of Crows and Other Titles on Sale

Paths of Storytelling Cover | Vampire the Masquerade | ValentinelliDriveThruRPG.com and DriveThruFiction.com are offering a huge, mega-sale on hundreds (if not thousands) of titles.

What’s included? Almost a dozen games and anthologies I’ve contributed to!

Buy Fiction and Games by Monica Valentinelli at Twenty-Five Percent Off

Titles range from new-ish releases like Paths of Storytelling and The Zombie Feed, Volume 1 to older debuts like the Nuomenon RPG, the Aletheia RPG and the award-winning Buried Tales of Pinebox, Texas.

Sale ends on Sunday, July 31st. Merry… Summeras?

July 27, 2011
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[New Release] Instant Antagonists: The Creepy Cottontail

I have a strange relationship with Lovecraft, because even though he’s all about “your mind can’t handle the horrible truth” I often obsess over think of all the things that could go wrong. What if the cultists were preventing Cthulhu from rising? What happens if the Necronomicon is read backward?

Or, as in this latest case of what-ifness… What happens if a particular Outer God screws up royally?

The latest addition to FR Press’s line of Instant Antagonists was born after I penned a particular sordid tale called “The Curse of the Yellow Rabbit.” I give you? The Creepy Cottontail. Incorporating reviews and feedback from the debut character in the series, you’ll find expanded content and plenty of systemless ways to infuse this horrible hare into your modern horror game.

Introducing a New Instant Antagonist

The Creepy Cottontail

Description

INSTANT ANTAGONISTS are systemless creatures or beings designed for use in existing modern supernatural/horror games. Many will be supernatural in nature; some will be (at least nominally) human. While one antagonist may be truly evil, others are simply selfish, immoral or may even be victims themselves.

Looking for a new twist on an old legend or trope? This product is a perfect addition to a GM’s modern horror game collection. The INSTANT ANTAGONISTS line offers details on each monster’s origins, powers and plenty of story hooks to include them in your campaign or evening’s session.

The Creepy Cottontail

At first glance, Queenie looks like any other cottontail — but is he? Come a little closer and see for yourself why this nefarious hare has cultists (and non-cultists alike) running around in circles.

Is an Outer God really trapped inside the body of a fluffy bunny rabbit? Will he enslave the minds of pet store owners everywhere? Or will The Creepy Cottontail entice a small town’s population to turn on each other in a bloody fight to the finish?

The Creepy Cottontail is one creature you can’t fall asleep to forget…

Click here to check out The Creepy Cottontail on RPGNow.com

Written by Monica Valentinelli. Edited by Matt M McElroy.

July 18, 2011
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