Goblinoid Games in 2009

For those of you unaware, Goblinoid Games entered its "terrible twos" in October of 2008. So what is in store for 2009, as GG becomes 3 years old?

Looking back it's been an interesting ride so far. I started Goblinoid Games initially to support OSRIC. Then I got some other crazy ideas to add on to this. My first tentative stab at writing a retro-clone game was GORE. I've sort of let that lie fallow for a long time, but at some point I want to clean up the presentation. Then of course I wrote Labyrinth Lord, which is starting to pick up a little steam, then my good friend Ryan Denison and I put together Mutant Future. I think MF is also picking up steam, but it will get a major kick start when it reaches distribution. Which brings me to the goals of 2009.

1) Get Mutant Future into distribution. I'm still thinking about how to approach this, but tentatively I think I'll release a limited edition hard cover of MF some time this summer, to help generate funds for a print run of MF to send for distribution. This limited MF book will be different than what I did with LL, though. I think I'll commission a new cover illustration just for this book, to make it truly unique. I'm not sure what the illustration will be just yet but I want it to be full of hardcore mutant ass-kicking goodness. It will likely be a full page size, and maybe even a wrap around cover. It will probably go the Lulu route because a) their hardcovers are good quality and b) this means I don't have to buy a print run ahead of time, in case there is not much interest in this book. The sales would likely be limited to about 75 copies at $50 bucks apiece. Anyway, more on that in the coming months.

2) Release more LL and MF material. I'm going to be under time constraints this year (and into the first half of 2010) because I'll be doing my analysis/writing up of my dissertation. None-the-less there are a few projects I want to get out the door.

The first is a campaign supplement I've been plugging away slowly at for...damn...a year now. More on it later, but it will be cross-compatible with OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, and Swords & Wizardry. For this one I'm still debating whether it will be print only or also in PDF. I've noticed some of my products appearing on torrent download sites, which is frustrating because I make so little off this stuff anyway. But there is no way to stop it.

Other things that will see light in 2009 will be an Advanced Edition Characters supplement for LL, that will allow LL to be played more like "advanced" fantasy games. This will be similar to the already available Original Edition Characters, in that it will be a complete player's guide. I also have the beginnings of an MF adventure I'd like to get out.

Finally, I have been toying around with the idea of a project for which I would solicit submissions. It would be a book that is basically a collection of briefly described campaign worlds, inspired by the way the deadworld book from Eden Studies was handled (I wrote a world that was included in that, in case anyone is curious). I'm tentatively thinking submissions would be around 5,000 words, and could be worlds for Labyrinth Lord, Mutant Future, or a combination of the two. Please do not send me emails yet asking about this! I still need to think about it.

Of course, small things may come up here and there, and I do plan to continue with support for the Scribe of Orcus.