It’s been a busy few weeks for me, which is why I haven’t
been keeping up as well as I would like. I spent the last five weeks or so
working on a short contract with Goblinworks to help out with their Kickstarter
project for Pathfinder Online. Now that the Kickstarter’s succeeded, the folks
at Goblinworks have offered me a position as a writer/developer on Pathfinder
Online, and I’ve accepted.
It’s been 13 months since Wizards of the Coast decided they
could no longer afford to retain my services, and it’s been an interesting
experience. Obviously, I’ve had some periods of great anxiety about what I
would do next. I’ve worked furiously hard on a variety of writing projects I
never could have done while I was at Wizards, and I’ve learned a lot about
being a self-employed freelancer and a business in Washington state. It’s not
as scary as I feared it would be when WotC sent me on my way, and I already
think I’m going to be better off for it. Anyway, while I feel like I am a lot
more self-reliant than I was a year and a month ago, I’m looking forward to
being part of a team again, and learning lots of new things!
In the next couple of months, I’ll be doing a lot of work in
Kickstarter fulfillment. One of the big projects promised in the Kickstarter is
the Emerald Spire super-dungeon, an
all-star offering from sixteen of the industry’s most famous names. I’ll be
taking point on wrangling the Emerald
Spire into shape, coordinating the contributions of the various authors,
and of course working on my own contribution to the project. In addition, the Emerald Spire includes a decent amount
of source material on Fort Indomitable, one of the major base areas that will
be covered in Pathfinder Online. Much like I did for the Thornkeep book, I’ll be helping to build one of the major start
areas of the game. After we get the Emerald
Spire off to a good start, I’ll be moving into more traditional design work
for the MMO. I’m looking forward to playing around with a new tool set!
The folks at Goblinworks know that I’ve got a busy writing
career going “after hours,” and they’re fine with my moonlighting. That’s good
news, because it means I can pursue creative projects on the side. Right now, I’m
working on writing comic book scripts for a new series. (I would say exactly
which company and what project, but I don’t think it’s been announced yet.)
This is a new medium for me, and I’m learning a lot as I’m translating my story
document into scripts and art suggestions. I’m also working with my agent to shop
around a new military thriller. With a little luck, I’ll have a big sale to
announce sometime soon.
Newly Released: Speaking
of my writing… a number of my Forgotten
Realms books have been released as audio books. Here are a couple of links:
http://www.theaudiobookstore.com/authors/richard-baker/
If you have a long commute and you’re looking for a way to
pass the time, well, maybe this is something you would enjoy! And if you happen
to try out of ‘em, let me know what you think of the audio experience. It’s a
new format for me, and I’m curious how my work holds up.
Soon to be Released:
And, in case you’re curious what’s coming up next in my game design, keep your
eyes peeled for Axis & Allies Air
Force Miniatures: Bandits High. This is set 2 for the Air Force minis game,
and it includes a bunch of new models for aircraft that didn’t appear in set 1.
In addition, there are some very creative uses of aircraft that flew in
different air forces, so that you’ll see some familiar planes in some very
unfamiliar national markings. Did you know that the Romanian air force flew
Hurricanes? Or that the Finns flew Brewster Buffaloes? It’s a fascinating bit
of history, or so I think. Anyway, AAAFM Set 2 should be released on or around
February 19th, so get your orders in.
I’m hoping that A&A Air Force Minis continue into a set
3 sometime in late 2013 or 2014, but I’m afraid I can’t make any promises about
that: Wizards of the Coast parted ways with me just when I was starting work on
that project, and I don’t know if they’re still planning on it or not. But I’ll
keep my fingers crossed.
I’m sure Book of
Mormon is a funny show. But it’s a cheap shot, and I’m not going to see it.
