CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

Had Larias not been ensuring his chariot was hidden, he would have seen a second flight of griffins following the first. These were gold in colour and the helms of their riders gleamed brightly in the afternoon sun. They wheeled after the first flight in a perfectly disciplined formation before their riders rose in their saddles and flung a hail of long-shafted arrows after the first formation. The sunlight glistened momentarily off the arrowheads but the missiles could not reach their targets and the arrows fell harmlessly into the trees below. Larias did not see. He spoke a command to the chariot and watched it shrink until it fitted in the palm of his hand. As he bent to pick it, there was an angry hum behind him. Startled at being discovered, but not alarmed, Larias straightened and stepped nimbly aside, reaching back to snatch an arrow out of the air. As he turned, he gently muttered a string of words, smiling in satisfaction as the arrow grew supple in his hand. A woman s...

Larias turned the chariot further to the east. Senar’s Watch was close. He could see the vague shimmer of light showing that elven magic protected this portion of the forest—the one they preserved for themselves. He frowned, pondering recent events. What could have been powerful enough to break through even the edge of that magic? He shook his head, annoyed at himself. It wasn't as if he had to ask. There could be no other explanation beyond Beauwallin and his minions—that he had divined for himself. Ahead of him, a sudden geyser of smoke and flame gouted from the forest canopy, and Larias guided the chariot into the cover of the trees. He had no wish to be seen by mortals—not even those as long-lived as the elves. His bent his power to meet his need and knew the chariot was cloaked from sight. A brief feeling of relief washed through him; he had no desire for his latest creation to be destroyed before he had been able to give it life. Landing a couple of miles distant to t...

"Nika, stop talking or I'll put you back in the trunk." 47 (played by Timothy Oliphant), Hitman, 2007 I love this line, or rather, I love the interaction between the two characters that leads up to it, and the interaction that occurs directly after it. If you watch the scene from where 47 says "I brought you breakfast" to Nika, to where he closes his eyes in an attempt to find sleep in the car, you will see some interesting character interaction. Take note of the way the old men observe 47 and Nika, and then the exchange of glances between 47 and the old men. It says a lot about their view of women, and their understanding of the presumed relationship between the hitman and Belacof's ex-mistress. How do you put that unspoken dialogue in a book without it becoming a drag? It's a writer's challenge, don't you think? My favourite interchange occurs just after 47 has threatened to put Nika in the trunk. Watch the play of emotion on their ...

I am so excited! I have found the following on-line at RPGNow: Fireborn RPG Fantasy Flight Games have released PDF copies of their Fireborn setting onto RPGNow . I have bought them and am downloading them now. The Fireborne Gamemaster's Guide , Fireborne Player's Handbook and the adventure The Fire Within . I already own the hardcover rulebooks, but now I have a back-up for when they wear out. Have I said how much I love this setting? Neoexodus I have also bought the PDFs for LPJ Designs' NeoExodus setting. I look forward to the upcoming availability of Dangers and Discoveries for this setting at RPGNow. Savage Worlds I have heard so much about this system by the Pinnacle Entertainment Group , that I thought I should at least look at it .

It hadn't been a cataclysmic event in the realm of the gods, unheard of yes, and a matter of urgency but not yet a cataclysm. The enemy had grown strong enough that a Messenger had been injured protecting Aravare. The enemy should never have gained entrance to Aravare’s realm, let alone been able to touch him, and even it should have known that Messengers were untouchable. Now the chief of gods lay injured, and the Messenger near death, and no one knew how they were going to heal either. Larias, problem solver and finder of secrets, sought a cure, flying the heavens in a chariot of his own invention. He did not begrudge the need to fly over the realm known to elves as the Lianreida, and to men as the Forbidden Lands. There was something he needed to see and, as urgent as his mission was, he could not help but look. Wheeling the chariot over the forest canopy, Larias sought for some sign of the battle that had begun near the time Aravare had been attacked. Senar’s Watch, he ...

Those of you who know me, know that I am a great fan of Dick Francis . Those of you who don’t know me will probably be wondering why, since his work is neither science fiction nor fantasy, being set firmly in the real world. It’s not romance, and it contains no supernatural or paranormal elements at all. The answer is because Dick Francis is a master storyteller, and one of the few storytellers who was a master of both the short story and novel forms. His work is something I know I’ll have a great time reading, and it contains some of the best lessons a writer can learn: It shows without telling.   Characters are described with brevity and accuracy, and in such a way that they are easily visualised. Character personalities are painted with clarity, and an economy of words that almost always puts me in awe. Sense of place is evoked… dare I say it… with no word wastage or long, dragging paragraphs.   Pacing. While Dick Francis’s work is full of action, ...

Adventure 1 The writing on this project is going well. Yesterday, after posting here, I added 2,000 words in adventure, new creatures, and spells. Today, I added another 2,000 words, although it was slow and frustrating. I created a template when I started writing this adventure, which means I have to remove unused parts of the template as I go, which means I go backwards in words. In spite of this word removal, the adventure and appendices now stand at 22,000 words. I'm fairly happy with that, as I have added details for seven new creatures, two variations on existing creatures, and two completely new spells. I have almost completely written the details for two more new creatures, but need to sleep on the equipment, magic and abilities. All in all, not a bad day. Next Up: Catch the first installment of the first free read.