From Gen Con 2010, the cast of The Guild shows their love: Felicia Day, Jeff Lewis, Sandeep Parikh, and Robin Thorson.

The “launch party” was an interesting concept that involved a live concert intercut with footage from the video, tying it all into a single event. It was similar to how I remember the launch of the RPG back in ’99, when they used actors to stage a short performance in the Exhibitor’s Hall that dealt with subject matter from the game.

And here is the ‘Red Rover’ incident. To recap what happened. On Saturday night at the Con, the fire alarms went off, and everyone was forced to leave the convention hall. This, of course put plenty of gamers in the streets, so much so, that they spilled over to both sides. I shot some general video, then came upon a group doing a reading of a Jack Chick track. When they were done, I made the joke to the crowd (off camera) that the other side of the street wanted to play a big game of Red Rover. To my surprise, they bought into it, and had some fun.

And as long as we’re talking about BattleTech, Chad was kind enough to shoot some highlights from my running of a TOPtBCH BattleTech event on Thursday evening. The clip doesn’t tell much of a story per se, but just shows some of the action and a bit of chat with me afterward. So, if you have a free eight minutes, go give it a shot!

Next up are Rob Boyle and David Cross from Catalyst Game Labs, talking about their new RPG, ‘Eclipse Phase.’ It’s sort of a sci-fi-horror-transhuman-other stuff kind of game. Very interesting.

Finally, we talked with two of the guys behind the web series, GOLD. It’s a humorous take on the world of competitive gaming, and is really well done.

A final note on updates. Been having some issues embedding video, so Dan has been handling that, which is making things slow. Dan isn’t slow, but the coordination between the two of us is slowing things up. I hope to get another update tonight, and maybe sneak in a photo-only update as well. Stick with us and point your other gaming friends here!

And of course, Gen Con wouldn’t be what it is without the gamers. And they are an interesting lot. We cornered some of them in the elevator as we rode up and down to our room.

What also impresses me are gamers who will wait to be the first in line to get the gaming product they want. I talked to these folks about it.

And speaking of gamers wanting what they want, we got inside the Exhibitor’s Hall to talk with Paizo about the release of the Pathfinder Core RPG. Of course, we also got the rush of those gamers who wanted to get the book. Or books in some cases.

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So when I set about to make the Skies of Glass Comic, I seriously took into account the world as I have come to understand it. The world of Skies of Glass is brutal. It’s post-apocalyptic. People are struggling and scraping to survive. Yes, there are many “safe havens” and areas where civilization and civil behavior continues, but outside of those regions, things aren’t so safe.

So, how much of that brutality do you let loose? How much do you really show? Is there a line that can be crossed where the violence or the graphic nature of world becomes gratuitous? It was a bit of a struggle because creatively you almost want to portray the world with as much realism as you can, or feel you need to do to make the points you want to make. Yet at the same time, you are designing a vehicle which will not only be used to help draw traffic to the site, but also serve as a vehicle to help spike interest in the eventual development of the game. Further, you are never 100% sure exactly what the age range is of those who read the comic, and where the comic is being read at. There is a certain sense of responsibility that must be maintained.

So what does all this mean? Dan and I talked about the issue and we decided that both a “PG” and an “R” rated version can be produced, giving the reader the option of deciding how much is enough for them, when it is necessary. So that is what we are shooting for. Does this mean every episode will be filled with graphic violence and sexuality? Not hardly. But as I’ve written the script, some more mature elements do exist, and will be handled carefully.

Development update. Don Higgins and I have set a timetable for production, as well as a release schedule. I’ve seen character sketches of all the main characters, and the first four scripts have already been written. You’ll be seeing some more here very soon.

Keep watching.

Well, first you can’t have a comic without art, and Dan met up with a great artist at Gen Con that I have now met. His name is Don Higgins, and you can view his work here. I like it, and I think he’ll be able to capture the visual flavor of Skies of Glass just right. We’ve exchanged several e-mails and he seems like a pleasant guy to work with.

Next up is plot. I hate it when you have that sense that something you are reading is meandering along like it doesn’t know where it is going. I’m making sure that is not the case this time around. I’ve already sketched out the plot, finishing it up while having a pint at my local pub I might add, and I’m pretty pleased with it. It still has to pass muster and review, not only from me, but from Dan as well, as Skies is his brainchild.

Characters have also been mostly detailed, and soon will be passed on to Don for visualization.

I think the hardest part of all this will be learning to work with Don. While writing a story is one thing, as you really only have yourself to answer to (besides the editor), you are dealing with your own interpretation of the work. In this medium, Don and I will need to work together so that I can give him something coherent and he can translate my words into his pictures. I’m actually looking forward to it.

Is there a timeline/duedate? Not yet, though I would have to say it’s still a few weeks off, knowing everything that needs to happen first. But the important thing to know is that it is moving forward, and you’ll have another reason to love Fear the Boot!