Grim Tales

Please take the Cthentacle Hardcopy Poll

grimtales — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:58:22 GMT

http://apresvie.livejournal.com/68196.html

Cthentacle Expansion: The Dunbitch Horror

grimtales — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:02:49 GMT

Now available: http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=63134?affiliate_id=50144

[Update] Spinning a Web - Social Networking and Neverwhere 3rd Edition as 'hostageware'.

grimtales — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:59:01 GMT

http://tinyurl.com/lyoo2z

Interview/Webchat

grimtales — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:59:22 GMT

I'll be on RPGBOMB for an interview/webchat tomorrow night (wednesday) at 2am UK time.

Spinning a Web - Social Networking and Neverwhere 3rd Edition as 'hostageware'.

grimtales — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:19:22 GMT

OK guys, here's the deal. I have a lot of freelancing on at the moment which means I'm going to have a fair amount of spare cash at the end of it. This gives me the opportunity to do 'stuff' that I might not otherwise do. I have various personal projects lined up for after the freelancing hump but I want to make you an offer you can't refuse... Social Networking is important to me as I like to engage with my audience - or potential audience and get feedback on what I'm doing. To date it has been hard to get that and I think the issue is somewhat down to audience size. It's also an important part of my 'process' as a writer to get a lot of stimulation and ideas from what's going on around me, in the news and on the net. Conversation works better than static information for that. So, you get me contacts, followers, friends and other voyeurs to my creative process and I'll get you a third edition of the free Neverwhere RPG, ahead of my other projects, for free. If I can get 100 followers across Twitter, Livejournal, Facebook and Myspace by the end of the month (June 30th 2008) that'll be the next thing I work on. For every 50 followers over that I'll commission some extra art to make this into a completely professional and lavish production as well as improving the rules and updating the information. Seems like a good deal doesn't it? More details at the link below: http://tinyurl.com/kn2gtz

Postmortem Studios Xmas Sale!

grimtales — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:33:34 GMT

We're having a huuuuge sale over at RPGNOW right now. A special winter-holiday discount of 50% on abso-bloody-lutely everything with particular attention to Clipart Critters, the 100th of which was posted for sale today! So if you've been holding out on buying something from us, now's the time to buy, especially as prices are likely to increase in the new year thanks to the economy imploding dramatically. Happy winter celebrationy type thingy! The sale runs from now until New Year, so hurry up and buy-buy-buy! Linky-pooh: www.rpgnow.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=384?affiliate_id=50144

Bloodsucker: The Juice released

grimtales — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:10:35 GMT

Bloodsucker: The Juice is the player's guide and companion for Bloodsucker: The Angst, written by newcomer Ian Warner. It contains new cliques, new professions, new powers and an assortment of other goodies to enhance your Bloodsucker: The Angst games and take them away from the original intentions of the game, just as happened with <em>A Certain Other RPG</em>. Gaming nostalgia AND satire! Two for the price of one! Buy Bloodsucker: The Juice http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=57953&affiliate_id=50144 Buy a bundle of both the main rulebook and Juice http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=57955&ffiliate_id=50144 You can (or will soon) also get your copies at your other, preferred RPG PDF outlets. You can also get hardcopy via Lulu http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=834797 Share and enjoy!

Invaderz Released!

grimtales — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:24:12 GMT

Greetings Jerkian warrior elite! Know this, that your very existence is down to the orders of our Portly Potentate and that without him, you would not exist. Your very conception, in the clone tanks of Clonius, is ordained by his Obese Omnipotence and from very that moment you owe him your life, your servitude and your loyalty. To be a soldier in the glorious army of the Jerkian Empire is perhaps the best fate that can befall lowly matter in this universe. The Jerkian Empire is all-conquering, all powerful, has the best uniforms, the most advanced weaponry and the greatest leader the galaxy has ever known. Nothing can stand in our way and you, even as lowly as you are, can die knowing you are serving a far greater cause and a far superior people to any other in the universe! A 'beer and crisps' game of comedic alien misadventure, Invaderz is a good fill in game when you're in the mood for a break from your regular campaigns. The rules and style should be familiar to those who have played Urban Faerie and Invaderz follows in the spirit of that game. Invaderz http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=56327&affiliate_id=50144 If you like Invaderz you may also like Urban Faerie http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=17925&affiliate_id=50144 Or one of our adult comedy card games Hentacle http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=29261&affiliate_id=50144 Final Straw http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=13700&affiliate_id=50144 Keep abreast of developments and scheduling at Postmortem Studios here: http://www.postmort.demon.co.uk

Hentacle - 4/Play Released

grimtales — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:09:09 GMT

4/Play is the third and final supplement for Hentacle and contains two new girls and a plethora of new cards for you game with a new and interesting '!' card to sabotage other players. 4/Play also contains new rules for playing Hentacle head to head until only one player is left standing and for a simplified version of this VS play that does away with point scoring. This new way to play is a sneak preview of the forthcoming Cthentacle! Purchase it here: http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=55596

100 Dark Places released

grimtales — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:45:12 GMT

Postmortem Studios is proud to present the latest in the '100' series of generic sourcebooks, '100 Dark Places'. Following on from 100 Planets, 100 Dark Places details a hundred different horror locations, the terrible things that dwell within each one of them and a handful of adventure seeds to get the Gamesmaster's mind ticking over. Just what you need to kickstart your imagination or to come up with an adventure or campaign for modern horror on short notice. You can buy 100 Dark Places here: http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=55584 Or hardcopy at Lulu here: http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=834797 Postmortem Studios Tribe: http://tribes.tribe.net/postmortemstudios?_click_path=Application%5Btribe%5D.Tribe%5B990b00ac-6bcc-4268-a4e2-6cafc3641be2%5D

PIXEL ARTIST SOUGHT

grimtales — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:38:35 GMT

I'm looking for someone to help me out with some pixel art in the style of P Robertson (Pirate Baby Cabana Battle and Kings of Power 4 Billion%). A familiarity with and love of Invader Zim, Destroy All Humans, Mars Attacks and similar would also be a bonus. Pay negotiable, further details on contact.

Postmortem Studios

grimtales — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:50:03 GMT

A new Tribe for my business. http://tribes.tribe.net/postmortemstudios?_click_path=Application%5Btribe%5D.Tribe%5B990b00ac-6bcc-4268-a4e2-6cafc3641be2%5D

The Bible: Review

grimtales — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 13:09:05 GMT

Review Of course, this is an old film, so a review isn't necessarily very informative but it can be worthwhile to visit old films now and again to subject them to a modern perspective. The Bible isn't the first, or last, film to follow these themes being part remake part sequel to Ingmar Bergman's critically acclaimed, intellectual, disturbing but commercially unappealing 'The Torah' (1952). The Bible lacks the critical authenticity of that work while also lacking the trendy (but also confusing) Tarantinoesque jump-cuts of 2006's 'Islam' by Robert Rodriguez or the sheer surreality of Salvador Dali's arthouse masterpiece 'Mormonism'. The Bible, then, stands somewhere in the middle, Roland Emmerich - as director - is given a huge budget to both re-tell The Torah for a popular audience and to tell the story of the sequel, 'Messiah', which was so heavily hinted at in the earlier work but never came to fruition. Unfortunately as with many Hollywood 'epic' summer movies of the nineties and noughties the high budget drove a confused, sprawling, over-long, monster of a film that paid far more attention to special effects set pieces than to consistent plotting, characterisation or even sense. Jeremy Irons chews the scenery as the character 'God', a supernatural entity of enormous intelligence and power that dominates the first half of the film before fading into the background during the second half. Clearly we're supposed to sympathise with the God character and, while Irons' English accent does lend an element of credibility to the God character's authority the plotting and actions of the character make no sense and the film would have hung together more with the God character cast as the villain, rather than the vastly more sympathetic Serpent/Devil character, depicted with sensitivity and sympathy by Jude Law. As it stands the audience is left confused as the character we're supposed to be empathising with visits misery and destruction upon humanity much like the aliens in Emmerich's other big blockbuster, Independence Day. The effects are astonishing of course, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the flooding of the Earth, old men being mauled by bears (which guaranteed the director's cut a hard R rating in the US) but while there's plenty of impressive eye candy the whole thing starts to fall apart in the plotting and narrative. God saves Noah (Donald Sutherland) as he's supposed to be a man of virtue but after the flooding of the Earth the first thing he does is get drunk and doink his own daughters. The Egyptian section of the film has received the most plaudits from critics and audiences alike but this is largely down to the tour-de-force performance by Brian Blessed as Moses, with audiences barely able to help themselves shouting along with his bravado delivery reminiscent of his role as Prince Vultan in Flash Gordon (1980). His scene of confrontation with Pharaoh's sorcerors provides his most memorable line 'YOU CALL THOSE _SNAKES_? HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!' but also demonstrates the weakness in plotting that even Brian Blessed cannot save, the God character being supposed to be the only true supernatural force in the world, yet these sorcerors capable of producing magic themselves. True, it makes for a more effective scene but this really is a goof up in the plotting. In America of course, The Bible was released as a four hour epic movie and did reasonably well at the box office during its early weeks but in response to testing the film was split into two sections. The Old Testament and The New Testament since testing had shown that The New Testament tested better as an independent movie in focus groups. Now many people don't even know that the two films were one 'The Bible' and many fans of The New Testament completely disregard Part One, preferring to focus on Part Two. Part Two, however, cannot really be understood without having watched Part One and while it is a better plotted movie it lacks the same, grand, set-piece battles and special effects that redeemed Part One for the popcorn chewing hoi-polloi. There's just too much dialogue, much of it repetitious, really trying to hammer home the film's moral message in a crude fashion that becomes annoying about half an hour into the second half. The use of Jude Law to play the Jesus character - as well as the devil - was somewhat inspired but as soft featured and feminine as he is he fails to bring across either the supposed stoicism of the Jesus character or the malice of The devil in much the same way his lack of macho credentials damaged 2004's Sky Captain. While the message of the second half is a positive one it loses its impact because of the poor plotting, particularly when the two halves of the film are viewed as a whole. The first half spends all its time setting up the god character as this all powerful arsehole in the sky (perhaps Bruce Willis with his background of playing morally questionable antiheroes would have been a better choice) only to then have him settle on, perhaps, the most baroque and overly complex plan for the 'redemption' of mankind ever conceived, which leaves the cinemagoer - even Joe sixpack - feeling he could have come up with a better solution. The impact of the Jesus character's sacrifice is further undermined by his popping back up again three days later, perfectly fine and then floating off to paradise. The film, therefore, lacks any real conclusion, the world hasn't changed, nothing is different and the whole thing is left extremely anticlimactic. The proposed sequel 'Revelation' has been stuck in development hell since the release of The Bible in the mid nineties but Emmerich has expressed a desire to return to the topic and to return to the eye candy of the first half of The Bible with an effects laden destruction of the world that will make The Day After Tomorrow look like Steamboat Willie. Michael Wincott is attached to the latest attempt to bring this film to the cinema, taking over for Jeremy Irons as God while Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have also expressed interest in interviews in the parts of Jesus and The Whore of Babylon respectively. Nothing concrete has settled yet though, so it seems that Revelation will remain in development hell for the near future. Summary A confused film, half effects laden, no-brain blockbuster, half cinema-verite talking-heads, lacking a conclusion or climax to justify the budget. Poor plotting and characterisation lead the audience to sympathise with the villains rather than the out-of-control God character or the whiny Jesus Scores Style: 3 Substance: 1

Seeya on the Planes Mr Gygax

grimtales — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:40:07 GMT

Sad. :(

Popular?

grimtales — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:47:28 GMT

You lot want me back that badly eh?

Depression Diary - 0

grimtales — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 07:51:02 GMT

I'm still alive, but on new medication and it is kicking my arse something chronic.

Depression Diary - 35-33

grimtales — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 21:33:17 GMT

Yeah, I'm being crap again, deal. Sleep - I'm plagued by weird dreams involving my circle of friends, generally in rather horrific or surreal circumstances from human butchers, to sex changes to Silent Hill/Kult style world shifts. Something bizarre is going on in my subconcious. I'm glad that I can, mostly, take control of my dreams when I'm in them but the depression fug seems to have followed me into dreamland and saps my will and ability to do that so well, leaving me at the mercy of my imagination a bit more. Yeah, I know... control freak doesn't even let go in his dreams... feh. Tiredness - 9/8/8- On the mend again I think, recovery is so much slower with this going on I think I need to go back to the doc to find something to help me get back on my game. Mood - 9/8/7 - things are getting better, ish, I think. It's more that I'm shifting, at the moment, from feeling necessarily depressed to feeling weirded out and disconnected. Almost like I'm watching myself do things, only to my concious mind whirring away behind my perception at a hundred miles an hour everything seems slow, but strangely inevitable. I can 'hear' myself not hearing things properly, or see myself stumbling about, but its as though I can't interfere. Its a bit odd. Almost like an out of body experience sometimes. Dreamlike. Pills - Still taking them ok. Exercise - Still reluctant, but managing to do it. Daytime - Well, I've run out of stuff to review, which was a soft lead in to work, so I guess I'm down to it now. Its get back to work properly or melt through boredom. A Problem Work offers are coming in from various points and I just don't know if I'm up to it yet, but can't afford to pass up the opportunities. Again, maybe another trip to the doc can suggest something to fix the problem. Progress Report 2. Work stress/Guilt - Now I'm worried about missed opportunities. 5. Poor self image/Unsexiness - Bleh, still. 10. The World - Not getting any better at controlling myself here.

Happy Crazy-Ass Conspiracy Day

grimtales — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:51:04 GMT

Wake me up when the 'truthers' are back in their boxes.

Depression Diary - 39-36

grimtales — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 12:42:05 GMT

Sleep - Sleeping, but its not really quality sleep. My eyes start streaming with tiredness but I have to wait until I just can't think or do anything any more before I nod off. Tiredness - 8/8/8/9 - Its flip flopping between mind and body tired. I just can't work up any energy or enthusiasm for anything - as you may have been able to work out from the gaps in the diary. This is not a good thing, I'm guessing Gencon kicked the shit out of me more than I anticipated. Mood - 7/7/8/9. Slowly getting worse again and I really, really feel quite shit today. Picking at emotional scabs I shouldn't and failing, utterly, to do anything worthwhile. Pills - Still taking them. Exercise - Increasingly reluctant. Daytime - Days go by, but not much happens in them. A Problem I'm no longer moving forward and without a goal, something to work on that I feel is getting me better... well, I just feel directionless. No energy or enthusiasm to do anything, no way I feel I can help myself any more and constantly worried about being burdensome. Progress Report 2. Work stress/Guilt - I thought I was ready and able. Perhaps not. 5. Poor self image/Unsexiness - who am I kidding? 10. The World - My only solace at the moment and the only thing I feel I can do is rage against it.

Depression Diary - Countdown 40

grimtales — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 21:44:51 GMT

Sleep - Not bad, but was still tired so went back to sleep after Donna went to work and then fell asleep reading my Gencon swag in the afternoon. Tiredness - 8. Just don't quite seem to be recovering as fast as I should, guess I'm not as well as I thought I was. Mood - 6. The extra sleep really helped out today. I was tired, but had energy - if that makes sense. It was like gliding along in a cotton wool ball most of the day. Pills - All taken, on time, today. Exercise - Managed to do my walking stuff today, despite falling asleep on my feet. We seem to be having a late summer. Daytime - Reading and reviews and a teeny bit of writing, but mostly catnapping. A Problem Overdosed on sociability and would really like some complete alone time for a bit really, but even though I'm alone in the day there seem to have been interruptions and demands on me. Progress Report 2. Work stress/Guilt - Getting there, just need to restore my energy,. 5. Poor self image/Unsexiness - Creeping downwards again. 10. The World - Engaged in, but at a remove. The less I work, the more I argue.

Depression Diary - Countdown 48-41

grimtales — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 10:12:37 GMT

Sleep - Barely slept the night before leaving for Gencon and sleep at Steve's was necessarily shallow and somewhat interrupted since Donna falls asleep without switching the light off - which sucks. Getting up at 7 or so is actually a lie in for me but because the days were so busy it was incredibly tiring. I'd just gotten used to sleeping on Steve's floor when we got back and now I'm having trouble getting back into a proper sleep routine, not helped by the cat being a little bastard. Tiredness - 8/7/8/9/10/9/8/8 Still pretty damn knackered all things considered. More sleep may be in order. Mood - 9/8/7/8/7/7/8/7. I was shaking and sick making the trip, Donna is not a terribly sympathetic travel partner and I'm bad with travelling anyway. Sales were OK, but not great across the days and assorted things con-wise affected my mood up and down. Two tired grumpy people in a house with no strangers to make them be polite to each other is a recipe for disaster anyway. Pills - Missed a few here and there but overall managed to keep taking the dosage. Exercise - Couldn't do it at the con but walked around and stood a lot anyway, so hopefully that counts. Missed Monday and Tuesday walks due to being tired, hopefully I can gather the energy to do my walk today though. Daytime - Well, the con most of the time, then resting and today catching up on things. A Problem Mentally I now feel capable of going back to work, Gencon showed I can, but it is taking me FOREVER to get my energy back again after the con. Once it is back - and thanks to my new copy of Victoriana, hopefully I can do some things. Progress Report 2. Work stress/Guilt - Gencon showed I can get back to work. 5. Poor self image/Unsexiness - Started out good but even with the best will in the world and showers you end up looking like arse by the end of a con. 10. The World - Excluding it from my perception for a week seems to have helped. We'll see if I stick to it.

Depression Diary - Countdown 49

grimtales — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 21:48:57 GMT

Sleep - Sort of... half a night's sleep fine and then waking up every 30 minutes to 45 minutes after that. Tonight probably won't be much better. Tiredness - 7. Just adds an extra edge to thing having little energy and not much in the way of mental reserves left. Mood - 7. Very edgy about Gencon and other things aren't helping. Slight grump-causers turn into bigger grump-causers. Pills - Getting a bit absent minded about them, remembering them, but later than I should. Exercise - Failed to do my exercise today, but I was working all day on the flash advert/movie thing for the laptop for Gencon and didn't realise where the time went. Daytime - Busy all day putting the flash movie together, hopefully they've remembered we wanted power supply this time. A Problem Gencon is now imminent, I have a very long, stressful day of carrying things, dragging them halfway around Reading and setting up ahead of me starting at 6:40am. More importantly this is the first time I've really had to go out of my comfort zone since being diagnosed and starting treatment and also the hardest I'll have worked since then as well. So I'm panicking a little and feeling a much greater need for support than usual. Especially since I'm likely to run into assorted tossers and freaks of nature amongst the more game Gencon attendants. Plus, you know, I really need this thing to go well so there's a bit of pressure on there too to sell-sell-sell (not least of all because I don't want to have to carry all this shit back again). Then to add to that there's still holdovers from last Dragonmeet and the fallout from the SLA thing nagging at my confidence. If anyone is swinging by a redbull or something sweet and sugary would be much appreciated to keep me going. Progress Report 2. Work stress/Guilt - Well, I'll be slogging it out for five days solid, so I guess I've no reason to be guilty. 5. Poor self image/Unsexiness - Good hair day today, hope it holds. 10. The World - Relaxed again, but only by consequence of being dead busy.

Depression Diary - Countdown 50

grimtales — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 21:02:11 GMT

Sleep - I'm pretty sure I did, just didn't feel much like it. Tiredness - 7. Again, didn't need a nap really but my energy always seems to sink off in the afternoon, ah well, I have cheap Red Bull substitute again though. Mood - 6. So long as nothing pisses me off or gets at me I'm fine, but I'm really UBER touchy. This is a problem. Pills - Not 'yummy' exactly, but a definate improvement. This is less depressing in and of itself. Exercise - A wander around with Donna, which meant more leisurely than usual but it was fun showing her yew tree berries for the first time. Daytime - Very little done at all. I'm getting pent up with energy to do things but I know that a) I need to rest before Gencon and b) I'm not supposed to overexert myself even when I do feel capable. It sucks. I need a relaxing outlet that I have patience for and no sense of self-conciousness about. A Problem Still no headway. Progress Report 2. Work stress/Guilt - As yesterday. 5. Poor self image/Unsexiness - Slumped/slumping. 10. The World - Lapsed again... its the creationists... they make such a satisfying sound when their brains pop.

Depression Diary - Countdown 51

grimtales — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 22:37:40 GMT

Sleep - Lots of waking up due to hot and stickiness. Which blows. Tiredness - 8. Didn't need a nap today, but that may be due to arrival of energy drink and devouring of chocolate torte by the brick. Mood - 6. Touchy, but otherwise alright today. Pills - The new ones don't taste QUITE as arse as the old ones, despite being cheaper. This can only be a good thing. Exercise - Marched around the hill route to make the most of the sun, endured deeply, deeply posh English people trying to play dixieland jazz in the village centre. It would be funny if it wasn't so damn tragic. Daytime - Another lazy-ass mostly wasted day. Have to actually do stuff tomorrow though, worst luck. A Problem These diary posts suck compared to the old ones, don't they? I should probably put more effort in, talk about my feelings or some such. Progress Report 2. Work stress/Guilt - As yesterday. 5. Poor self image/Unsexiness - All over the place today, ups and downs. Still. 10. The World - Mostly under control today.

Depression Diary - Countdown 52

grimtales — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 22:20:50 GMT

Sleep - I think I slept alright, it is very close and hot tonight though and that is going to suck. Tiredness - 9. Stress headache is making me really tired, but again, not feeling like sleeping though I had a nap this afternoon. Mood - 7. Couple of things conspiring to make me feel worse.. Pills - Taken, found another brand in town but they still taste like arse. Exercise - Slower, less intensive walk with the missus. I don't care what she says, 25+ degrees is hot in England. Daytime - Got a big wheeled bag for Gencon, which should make things a damn sight easier, and envelopes, and money. A Problem I seem to have run out of things I can make practical headway on. Still waiting on some replies and things to 'stuff'. Progress Report 2. Work stress/Guilt - As yesterday. 5. Poor self image/Unsexiness - All over the place today, ups and downs. 7. Isolation - I guess this is a wait and see thing, so I'll delete it as well. 10. The World - Managed to ease off a bit again today.