In the Works

Lately I’ve been heading back toward my creative roots a bit—working on a few bits and pieces you might find interesting. Currently in the pipeline:

• The Mason of New Orleans. That’s the working title of my current novel. Can I write fiction? You be the judge: check it out here.
• Various freelance writing projects. For example, I was recently tapped to put together a demi-level for the nifty web-based super-adventure Dungeon-a-Day, created by the excellent Monte Cook. I have a few similar bits in the works, but I’m not at liberty to divulge them at this point.
• Secret Project: Not quite ready to take the wraps off this one just yet. But watch this space!

In addition to all that, I also pay a few bills as a marketing consultant to a couple of fine RPG publishers, notably Cubicle 7, for whom I manage their marketing program, and Super Genius Games, for whom I manage their online community. Perhaps “wrangle” is a better verb for the latter. Or “herd.” As in cats.

Other recent or current activities include moderating the D&D UK group on the Wizards Community (if you’re a D&D player in the UK or Ireland, you’ve got to keep up with this group. Seriously.). And my Magica campaign, a d20/Ars Magica hybrid set in Europe in the age of the Crusades. But while fascinating, those aren’t really the sorts of works this page is about. So back to that topic.

If you just gotta have something, here are a couple recent projects that might take your fancy:

• Family Games: The 100 Best (Green Ronin). I contributed an essay on Pandemic. What’s that, you say? Pandemic doesn’t strike you as a family game? My friend, you are mistaken. Buy the book (bursting at the seams with another 99 essays, all quite excellent) and find out why!
• Monster Manual 3 (D&D; Wizards of the Coast). You won’t find me in the credits, due to an editorial error on WotC’s part. But the hill and frost giants are mine. I wrote a bunch of other monsters for this commission, but they didn’t make it into the book (overcommissioning a project like this is not at all uncommon). No idea whether WotC has other plans from them.

Even better, have a look at some of my early work on DriveThru RPG. If you’re keen on some real Charles Ryan action, nothing beats these early bits: Most of the titles were designed, written, illustrated, and published, in whole or part, by yours truly.

• Millennium’s End RPG line (Chameleon Eclectic). Post-modern technothriller roleplaying. Near-future at the time, though we’re now a decade beyond the game’s setting. It’s pretty wild to take a gander back at the fictional future predicted by the setting, and see some pretty darn scary parallels in the real world. The game is backed by the slickest, most playable simulationist game engine ever published. If I do say so myself.
• Psychosis series of RPG mini-games (Chameleon Eclectic). Indie before indie was cool. A game in which nothing you know—even about yourself—can be trusted. Finding out who you are, and which reality you’re experiencing (if any of them) is real, is fundamental to the story arc. Game system driven by a Tarot deck. Each book (there were only two) is its own standalone mini-campaign.