Tortured Earth

  In the initial 1.0 phase of Tortured Earth, we approached the project with an idea, enthusiasm, and a shoestring budget. One of my students was working on a comic book project with another friend and, as happens with so many first attempts, it flaked out. He was left with a large amount of artwork that really had no purpose. I was in desperate need of A LOT of artwork. I purchased the images from him and used them throughout the book. Even his concept art and doodles found a place in the book. To make up for the lack of art, we used colorful background images which alluded to the general theme of the core storyline. It was a graphics design tactic suggested to me by a friend who majored in the topic. When the book was released, we immediately underwent criticism for the boldness of the pages, color choices of the text blocking, and lack of illustration. There was no mercy from the critics for our lack of resources. There was no understanding that this was a first print or the fac

For those of you following the website, you may note we’ve picked up a new talent – Anthony Kallas. Like so many personalities we meet at conventions, Anthony was an avid gamer. Unlike many, he was also an established author. He expressed a keen interest in the Tortured Earth multiverse and was anxious to contribute to it. Surprisingly, he produced a module in short order. Kevin and I were able to reliably promise to have the module edited and ready for publication by the beginning of March. We put in the hours to edit the module and made sure it conformed the to Tortured Earth universe. I present this background to set the stage for the establishment of realistic expectations. The issue with publishing is this: the publisher. We use Ingram Spark as our printing agency. The company is reliable, produces quality products, and has print houses worldwide. The downside of the company is the process one must undergo to actually see their product in print. Modules and game guides are gra

*Images were taken before the show opened for attendees. Sunday, like all other shows, was slow. It's not to say the day was bad, just slow. One of the things I've always been impressed is the community behind OzCon. The attendees are super nice. The organizers are both supportive and concerned about the performance of their show.  Factors that made this show rough were beyond the control of the organizers. Loadout was rough, mainly due to an unrelenting rain. At best, it was light when it was our turn to loadout. Vendors managing to leave early were basically assaulted by a driving rain. My massive display slowed me down enough to miss the worse of the downpour. In short, we'll definitely do the show again. Game developers are especially encouraged to do the show. The large gaming area and willingness to allow us to run game sessions is a huge draw. Personally, I'd like to see a convention dedicated to independent game developers. I think if properly promoted, we could

  Today was not a bad day. We managed to break even and cross into the profit zone. After 2PM, the convention slowed down and we saw a slow down in sales. Despite the slowdown, the attendees were excited about the show. I know the vendor perspective is focused on the dollar sign. However, this show really does have a lot to offer for the attendee: it’s affordable, has a lot of activities, and remains true to its design. Given the fact we’re in the profit zone, I feel the show is definitely a show worth a return. I would be painting a misleading picture if I said all were doing spectacular. A few of my vendor friends have complained the show has not shaped out to what they hoped it would be. Their success could be a multifaceted issue. Some are using their booth to shield themselves from the customers, a couple are known for sitting on their phones and not engaging with potential buyers, and not a few have displays that are either lacking or missing all together. The crafters of the

Today was a good day. As mentioned of a three-day convention, the goal is to cover at least table costs. We not only covered table costs but managed to move forward. We’re actually halfway to our break-even point. Today’s outcome is better than it sounds. The weather was awful – storms most of the day. If you are comparing photos of our booth, you'll notice subtle differences from show to show. The reason is each convention setup is slightly different. This show, for instance, has booths that are deeper than 10 feet. Due to the increased depth, we were able to alter our display and allow small flags to be shown on both sides. The central display for our books is also absent. This is due to my stupid self forgetting the display at home and had to improvise on the fly. There are a few familiar faces among the vendor population. A sword dealer husband and wife team are here. Generation Gifts sells a wide variety of swords and has become good friends of ours. We often chat about the

Today we find ourselves in West Plains, Missouri. Tomorrow, we set up for OzCon in the morning and open the show at 2PM. Normally, I despise shows that require a setup on the opening day. The Tortured Earth display is rather expansive and requires several hours to set up and make presentable. Fortunately, we put out new jewelry and flags at the last show and haven’t gotten anything to elaborate on. I’m expecting a three-hour setup, another hour of fine-tuning with plenty of time for a normal lunch and a little breathing time. OzCon was a show we followed for our first four years. From what I understand, the show started off as a college project for an anime group. As it grew and developed, the young man who headed the project took it over and switched it from a charity show to a for-profit show which does donations. I’m anxious to see how the show has changed since our last visit. The reason for my abandoning it wasn’t malicious or due to low performance. Around 2018, I had a gentl