Announcements / Off-topic

[Joe]

I am not sure I can afford to fly out there...get a hotel room, rent a car...ugh...

I'm thinking about it...

...and I've already heard about the mad rush to get rooms at nearby hotels and how most are already gone...

Bleh...

I'm supposed to go to a con in June nearby (Phoenix ConGames)...but if I end up NOT going to that one...we shall see if I can go to the other.

[Josh]

There's a chance I'll be in NYC at that time, actually. I don't know for sure yet, but if I'm not heading away from Indianapolis, I will definitely stop down, at least for a day.

[mike]

I'm certainly planning on it. Whether or not I get to go, though, is another story.

But I've ordered my badge, and booked a room at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.

Now I just need to convince some people to give me a little time off.

[Darren]

August? I can't plan that far in advance.

[Jeff]

Good, Mike! Do try! You pulled it off last year! This year I don't want to lose the opportunity to hang out with people like you, if you do come.

August? I can't plan that far in advance.

Yeah, I know. It's way in advance. But for folks who want a decent hotel there, you have to plan this far ahead. In fact, this is the ONLY thing I can plan this far in advance. I just make sure nothing else is scheduled around that time.

There's a chance I'll be in NYC at that time, actually.

What the...!?

I'm thinking about it...

I know. It's always a tough call, the expense vs. the fun.

[Darren]

Well, and it's sort of a business thing for you, Jeff. You kinda HAVE to go. For the rest of us (well, for me, anyway), it'd just be a fun thing to do.

[Jeff]

It's a bit less business than you'd think. Book signings are cool as a concept, but even for more popular authors they're a lot smaller than you'd think. But still, just talking with industry people makes it worth it.

[Jeff]

Well, now that The Darkwood Mask is in stores, for those of you new-to-Eberron folks picking it up....I hope that your time here playing in Dark Echelon will have filled in your setting knowledge enough so that you won't have any trouble with the story.

But if any of you would like to have a reference, guide, here's an unofficial glossary of TDM-specific and Eberron terms I put together for family and friends. You'd be surprised how many family are friends aren't into Eberron or even fantasy. Hence, you'll find basics like "elves" and "dwarves" on there because I'm giving this guide to people like my mom and her friends who won't otherwise have a clue. And even then....they might not.

[Jeff]

Oh yeah. And one of the party members from DE gets a brief cameo in my book. Can you spot him?

[Darren]

If it's Kal, I think I might plotz. Seriously.

[Joe]

Streko didn't show up until later, so I doubt he's already made it into a book. For what it's worth, I am definitely interested in writing something with Streko as the main character. Ideas are percolating and for very personal reasons, I would like to see him out there in the real world...some day soon, me hopes...

[Darren]

I'd guess it's likely to be Cutter, actually, but I guess we'll all have to read the book ad find out.

[Jeff]

Not Cutter. Paul Crilley already gets his book's direct reference elsewhere.

[Jeff]

So in case any of you don't already know this (and if you don't, what's wrong with you?), but your fellow DE players Josh and Jeremy are both musicians and recently did some kick-ass music for the RPM Challenge.

Josh's song: "red+purple=magenta"

Jeremy's song: "relax, poor mind"

Don't wait. Check them out. They're both very, very awesome. I've been cycling them through my iPod constantly.

[Joe]

By the way...I spotted Grafth on page 97 of Darkwood Mask...just tottin' my own horn! ;D

[Josh]

In case anyone's interested, I just did major updates to both of my websites. Okay, so I have more than two websites... but these are the big ones:

www.sidedown.com - my business site
www.sidedown.org - the crazy site

Take a look if you feel like it. There's always good stuff on both!

[Jeff]

So....

As you've probably noticed, the unusual crazy-fire-throwing newcomer, Belarin, seems to have his own profile. Why is that? 'Cause he's our new player, Mr. Ken Hart! Who's Ken Hart? Well, Mike and Jeremy already how him, but for you others, he's "an American World War II pilot, publisher, composer, actor, editor, lobbyist, writer, disc jockey and campaign manager." Oh, wait. Wrong Ken Hart.

Our Ken Hart first came into my field of vision when I was writing for Goodman Games. He's one of Goodman's chief cohorts, and a writer /editor with his thumbprint on many books. Moreover, he's an all-around nice guy who I expect will add a certain level of zaniness to Dark Echelon.

Welcome, Ken!

And by the way, the rest of you, don't feel you have to meta-game acceptance for Belarin. He's a stranger and he's strange, with his own story to tell; treat him as you would any NPC for the time being, and judge him by his words and actions (that should be fun).

[Josh]

Welcome, Ken! Good to have you aboard.

[Ken]

Thanks! I've been lurking here for weeks, catching up on the plot, reading about Eberron, and working on Belarin's backstory with El Jefe Jeff. When Grafth and Goran initially targeted Belarin at the start of the last fight (with a ballista, no less!), I wrote to Jeff, "Ack! They're going to shoot me!"

Anyway, it's been a pleasure to read all the great role-playing that's been going on here, and I look forward to participating in the fun.

[mike]

Ken's here?

Awesome! ;D

Welcome aboard, sir.

[Joe]

Greetings from the shortest member of the tribe!

[Darren]

Fancy fire tricks are okay, but we'll see if you live up to Kal's standards. ;D

[Jeff]

In case you haven't suspected already....

We've got one more player joining the game. Yup, that's right. Seven players. And that's it, the gates are shut—no more players! Unless one of you jerks jumps ship on me. In which case, you might really need to...jump (air)ship.

So who's our latest and last newcomer? Why, Marcy Rockwell of course! Who's Marcy Rockwell, you ask? Is she the estranged great-great granddaughter of 20th century American painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell? Well, umm, no. But she did write, among many things, the Eberron novel Legacy of Wolves[/i] (which at least two of you here have read)! (The Inquisitives book that came out before mine.)

So who better to play Thranish noblewoman, Charis ir'Vanatar, than the author who knows Thrane best!?

Welcome, Marcy!

It's about time you joined this game....

[Josh]

Heya Marcy. Welcome!

[Ken]

Marcy,

Welcome from the other newbie! Nice to make your acquaintance (virtual as it is).

[Marcy]

Thanks, guys! I've been lurking for awhile; it's good to finally be able to break cover, heh.

[Joe]

YAY MARCY!!!!!!!

[Darren]

This place is filling up with authors. I think my meager writing skills are going to be suffering an inferiority complex...

[Jeff]

Darren, you read my book. If you haven't noticed, my writing style here is rough and unedited and on the cuff. Not exactly novel material.

No worries, silly.

[Darren]

No, no, no....you use a lot of those....what do you call 'em? You know, those....things....they make stuff, like...umm....explained. Y'know? Umm....oh, right....words! You use those, like...ummm....a lot.