The Circle of Life
Somewhere outside the realm of causality and linear time lies the Akashic Library, its phantasmagorical shelves stretching off past the horizon. What evocative miscellany shall we discover there today? Read on, friend . . .
Last February I launched the Kickstarter campaign for Swann Castle, the multiversal RPG setting that my child Blu and I wrote. Now, as February 2024 approaches, we have shipped the last few packages of Swann Castle books to our backers, and I'm preparing to launch the next Kickstarter. It's the Circle of Life . . . or maybe the Wheel of Time? Either way, let's chat about the old project, then circle around to the new.
SWANN CASTLE: THE OSE EDITION IS NOW ON SALE
The third version of Swann Castle, the one that uses Old-School Essentials rules, is newly available through DriveThruRPG. Right here! You'll also want to pick up a copy of OSE; you can get the Basic Rules for free, but if I were you I'd spring for the hardcovers.
(Old-School Essentials is basically the Basic/Expert Dungeons & Dragons rules, so buying this book, and other OSE products, is a great way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of D&D.)
The other two versions of Swann Castle are still available--you can order a print copy of the QAGS edition here, or a PDF from DriveThruRPG or itch.io. As for the TROIKA! version, you can order a PDF copy from DriveThruRPG or itch.io.
Okay, that takes care of last year's Kickstarter, let's move on to this year's . . .
MILLION-COLORED SUN LAUNCHES FEBRUARY 6
Steve Johnson, Josh Burnett, and I have written a game that's going to look like this:
The Million-Colored Sun Kickstarter campaign will launch on Tuesday, February 6, but the preview page is up now. Check it out, and click the button so you'll be notified when the Kickstarter launches.
Million-Colored Sun is a rules-light RPG that allows you to create characters quickly then play out your own sword & sorcery adventures. Climb a mile-high tower in the middle of a desert, only to discover its pulsing organs and realize the tower is alive; buy an enchanted carpet in a marketplace and fly to a city in the clouds; step through a magical painting and find yourself in a world of endless blue.
The system is flexible and cinematic and, in the Old School RPG tradition, emphasizes rulings over rules. There are no complicated builds and no worries about optimization, just streamlined rules your gaming group can adapt to their needs.
Intrigued? Then click that button!
LIGHTNING MAN IS BACK!
I've begun serializing issue 4 of my comic book series Lightning Man. If you haven't read the first 3 chapters, don't worry, you can read the whole story absolutely free right here. And if you feel so inspired, you're also welcome to buy handsome printed editions of issues 1-3 here.
Issue 4 is going to reveal the secret history that's been hinted at in the first three issues. Here's page 1:
BOOKS AVAILABLE THROUGH KINDLE VELLA
There are currently 28 chapters of my science-fiction adventure Armistice Hawkins and the New Architects of Creation available on Kindle Vella. And as always, you can read the entirety of my occult detective novel The Lobster-Quadrille on Kindle Vella. If you like surreal detective stories, go ahead and start at the beginning.
BOOKS I'VE READ SINCE LAST MONTH
Iron Fist: The Fury of Iron Fist, by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Larry Hama, and various
Only one book? Yeah, what can I say, I've been really busy with these Kickstarters. But I enjoyed reading this collection of the original run of Iron Fist comics from the 70s. It's a surprisingly solid chunk of story, full of lovingly drawn kung fu action. Roy "The Boy" Thomas and "Gentleman" Gil Kane created the first issue and after that there was a succession of different writers and artists, including Larry Hama, Doug Moench, and Tony Isabella. Eventually Chris Claremont takes over as regular writer and, a few issues later, John Byrne becomes the regular artist. They're more famous for their collaboration on X-Men (if you're not familiar, they did the famous X-Men run, the one that introduced 7 of the 10 things you know about the X-Men) but the Claremont/Byrne team does really good work here, even if they did end up hating each other.
I summon my chi, my very life essence, which flows like a molten torrent down my arm, through my hand, and into my thumb, until my thumb begins to smolder, to glow . . . and it becomes like unto a thing of iron! And I give this book an iron thumbs up.
MOVIES I’VE WATCHED SINCE LAST MONTH
The Matrix
Maestro
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Revolutions
American Fiction
The Matrix Resurrections
I watched the Matrix movies with my kids, and I'm happy to report that they really enjoyed them. I mean, The Matrix is a perfect movie, so who wouldn't enjoy it? After The Matrix we watched some excerpts from The Animatrix, to provide valuable context, and then part of The Matrix Reloaded, and they were pretty bored by that one at first, but it picked up by the end. Then they, unlike everyone else I've ever met, really liked The Matrix Revolutions. Good for them! I liked it better than I did the last time I saw it; I think it improves with repeat viewings, and an open mind. Finally, The Matrix Resurrections is a delight, and if you were disappointed by the ending of Revolutions, I urge you to give it a chance.
That's all I have for now--don't forget, that Million-Colored Sun Kickstarter launches February 6! Get ready!
Your Pal,
Leighton