Germany on Mars in 1889, in The Dream Forge

Anders Blixt in Stockholm Sweden writes a thoughtful and entertaining blog entitled The Dream Forge, covering a wide range of fantasy and science fiction topics, with a heavy emphasis on steampunk/dieselpunk, and frequent articles covering Space 1889 world building. The other day he did a very nice piece on the German colonial venture on Mars. The illustration shows German colonial artillery supporting Schutztruppen in a skirmish with Hill Martians in Western Dioscuria. Here's the link. Check it out.

The Contest With No Prizes -- Lucky Winners Announced

Alas, there are no lucky winners. No one took me up on my generous offer of no prizes for figuring out the three word plays embedded in the short story "Murder on the Hochflieger Ost." For the curious, here are the answers.

You may recall that I said there were three embedded word plays. One involved an artifact, which I though everyone would get. One involved a location, which I thought would be harder. The last one, involving a character's name, I though would be all but impossible.

The Artifact
When explaining why the plans of the aether battleship are of no use to the French, Renfrew explains that they do not include the plans for the analytic engine which makes the ship so powerful. The analytic engine in question is the Improved Babbage, Model Three Hundred and Sixty.

IBM-360? Nobody caught that? Really?

The Location
Gabrielle's false business card lists the address of her appraisal firm as 13 Rue Madeleine, Le Havre, France. In the 1947 James Cagney World War II espionage film 13 Rue Madeleine, that is the address of Gestapo headquarters in Le Havre.  

The Name
Etienne Villon thinks of Gabrielle Courbiere as having the strength and majesty of a mountain, and when he thinks of her as Mont Courbiere he likes the sound of the name.

Francois Villon is probably the best-remembered French poet of the late middle ages, known probably as much for his remarkably adventurous life as for his writing, and his life formed the inspiration for Bertold Brecht's "Baal" and "Threepenny Opera," the Friml operetta "The Vagabond King", and the novel, play and film "If I Were King." Villon's birth name was probably Francois de Montcorbier.

He liked to sprinkle his poems with hidden jokes.

 

A Contest Without Any Prizes!

As I mentioned a while back, the short story "Murder on the Hockflieger Ost," which is a prequel to The Forever Engine, is available as a free download from the Baen Books site. Here's the link again in case you need it. It's a fun read.

But while I was writing it, I had a little fun of my own. There are three in jokes inserted in the story, all of them plays on words, titles, or character names.

In terms of difficulty, I'd rate one of them, having to do with an artifact, a very easy find. One of them, having to do with a location, somewhat harder but not impossibly so. The last one, having to do with a character's name, is so obscure I'd say it was impossible to get, unless you have a mind prone to making associations as odd as mine is.

So any and all guesses welcome. I'll post the correct answers in four weeks and discuss the various guesses, provided I receive any. No guess is stupid--it just may not have been what I had in mind.

No prizes for correct guesses, except of course the people's ovation and fame forever.

The Forever Engine is Live!

Today's the first official day when The Forever Engine is live. Amazon has been shipping the advanced orders and is now posting reviews.(First one's up--four stars and a very nice write-up.) It should be in the stores as well, although I haven't yet braved "The Killer Storm of the Century" to find out if it's in my local Barnes & Noble.

Although the ratings change hourly, last time I looked the book was at number 13 for both time travel science fiction and steampunk on the Amazon best-seller lists, and that's mostly based on preorders. I don't really understand how those rankings work (and they make a point of telling you they will not reveal how they come up with them, I suppose so folks can't game the system) but since the sample size is over a million total book-like products, whatever 13th means, it can't suck.

Of course the book's been trickling out for a number of weeks. The Baen Books eArc (electronic advanced reading copy) was available a while ago and I've heard from folks that Amazon went ahead and sent the Kindle versions upon ordering starting sometime  in December, and we're right at a point in the History of Book-like Things where the electronic version approaches the importance of the physical product. We've certainly passed it for some forms of Book-like Things.

Those of you in the Midwest and east coast: stay warm. Maybe curl up with a good book.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year one and all! 2013 was a busy year for me, and a very good one. I have a number of resolutions for the new year, one of which concerns this blog. I'll leave what that resolution might be to your collective imaginations.


The immediate news is that The Forever Engine will be on the shelves in bookstores within the next week, and also available in all e-formats from Baen Books (here's a link to their site) and also available online in paper and Kindle versions from Amazon. I received a very nice advanced review in Publishers Weekly back in the November 4th issue. Here's what it said, in part, with potential spoilers left out:

"Legendary game designer Chadwick taps into his popular Space: 1889 steampunk setting with this exciting prequel novel, which sees soldier-turned-historian Jack Fargo catapulted from 2018 to an alternate 1888 by a mysterious explosive event. Although alternately amazed and baffled by a world that features airships, interplanetary travel, America split into the Confederate States and the United States, and Europe laid out along different political lines, Fargo just wants to go home. . . .(T)he world building is rock solid, the plot fast paced, the action visceral, and the stakes high. Chadwick balances scientific theory, steampunk imagery, and memorable characters with flair. . . "

I blush.

Relating to the novel, Baen Books (my publisher) and I also have a New Year's present for you. They contracted a short story from me as a prequel to the novel and as a way of giving a little more background on one of the characters. The story is called, "Murder on the Hochflieger Ost," and takes place a year before the events of the novel on an enormous luxury zeppelin plying the Berlin-to-Istanbul route--the Space: 1889 equivalent of the Orient Express. It's a free download at the Baen Books site. Just click on this link.

Tony Daniels, my editor at Baen Books and a fine writer in his own right, had some great ideas for the rewrite and nudged me toward a far better final resolution, in my opinion. A book ends up being a collaborative effort and much of the success stems from the help the author receives from others. It still ultimately comes down to the author, but I think the current trend toward self-publishing risks losing some of the collaborative effect of going through a publishing house. Yes, you can hire editors and proofreaders, but I'm not sure it's quite the same thing. Nevertheless, it's certainly here to stay, and will certainly become an increasing part of the literary scene. The economics of publishing almost dictates it for most writers. Who knows what the future will bring, but I'm happy to be with a publishing house like Baen, one that's still intimately connected to their authors and to their customers.  

Space 1889 Game Hits a Homer on Kickstarter!

For those of you who haven't been following it, the Space 1889 roleplaying game on Kickstarter finished its funding window two days ago. It had made its original funding goal within a week or the launch and then made steady progress toward the stretch goals after that. But there was a big surge at the end and it ended up hitting 483% of its original funding goal, with over $100,000 raised. There will be LOTS of supplements and adventures coming, as well as some very handsome 28mm miniatures based on the artwork for the characters.

I am delighted and a little stunned. I expected it to do well, to hits its original funding target easily, and probably double or treble that. But a nearly five-fold increase is amazing, and wonderful. With this game coming out later this year from Clockwork Productions, and the supplements coming out next year, with The Forever Engine shipping from Baen Books in January of next year, with more e-books coming in Space 1889 and Beyond from Untreed Reads, the next twelve months should be about everything Space 1889 fans could want--aside from a working aether flyer, of course.

Final Edits In on The Forever Engine

I received the final marked up copy edits of The Forever Engine a little over a week ago and just express mailed them back to the folks at Baen Books with all of my final changes. Paul Witcover at Baen did a very thorough and professional job on the copy edit and caught a  couple places where I had unintentionally mangled Gabrielle Courbiere's (the heroine's) French. That would have violated one of my cardinal rules: never make a determined woman with a lever-action shotgun look bad. Thanks for the catches, Paul.

In order to check all the edits I had to read the novel again, I had a good time doing it even though there obviously wasn't a lot of suspense for me. I couldn't tell you how many times I've read this, between the rewrites and the chapters I've read out loud at my three writing workshop groups. A lot. But I'm not sick of it, and that's a good thing. I hope you all enjoy it when it comes out in January. Baen will have an electronic advanced reading copy (eARC) out before then. I'll let you know more  when I know more. I'll also be posting at least one sample chapter here, and maybe more, when we get a little closer to publication.

Meantime the Space: 1889 Kickstarter just keeps chugging along. It's at over 250% funding now and has unlocked the Venus Sourcebook as well as a bunch of other goodies. They've added a umber of add-ons as well, including a Space: 1889 soundtrack CD--background music for playing the roleplaying game with friends or even, it occurs to me, while quietly reading The Forever Engine.

It's been a busy summer but a good one.

Venus Sourcebook May Be Next!

The cover for the Venus Sourcebook.

The Space 1889 Kickstarter project is turning out to be pretty exciting. It's at about 195% funding of the original goal with only a bit over a third of the funding period gone, so it's at the point where Clockwork Productions et al are adding additional stretch goals. Since the Venus Sourcebook unlocks (becomes available) when they hit about 225% of their original goal, I'd say the odds are very good. I know from years of experience that Venus is the world gamers asked about most concerning additional material.

This level of support for the game is very gratifying on a personal level. I imagine a lot of you know that Space 1889 was the only role-playing game I designed which I retained control of when GDW closed down. I had control of all of my work, of course, but much of it I sold or licensed almost immediately. That was business. But Space 1889 was also personal for me, so it's renewed success now makes me feel nice and warm inside.

There's more news on the literary front as well. I'll fill you in on that tomorrow or the next day.

The (New) Art of Space 1889

I've posted several pieces of art from the German (and soon to be English language)  Space: 1889 basic book before, including character archetypes. Those were done by Mia Steingraeber and have been big hits with about everyone who's seem them. The above one is not from the main book, but instead is a sample archetype from the forthcoming Venus sourcebook. Here's a link to the HeroPress site giving a little more info about the new Space: 1889 art, as well as al update on the Kickstarter project.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Patric Götz of Clockwork Productions, Angus Abranson of Chronicle City, and everyone else who has worked on the new Space 1889 project. It went live on Kickstarter at 6PM on Wednesday night and by Sunday morning had met its funding goal. As I write this on Sunday evening it is at 111%. Once it gets to 120%, the first stretch goal--the 32-page adventure "The Order of the Invisible Eye" by John Wick--will unlock, with more to follow that.  This is terrific news for the game and thanks to all of you who joined in to help put it over the top.

Thirty-four more funding days left.

The Return of Space 1889 part 2

When I posted about Clockwork Productions' kickstarter two days ago, I failed to give a link to the site. Not a big deal, really, as it's the only Space 1889 project on kickstarter, and you are all reasonably resourceful adults. That said, here's the link. Check it out.
Somkeone told me today that if the project hasn't made 20% of its goal in the first ten days it probably won't make it. Well, this one has hit 90% of its goal in the first three days, so I'd say there's a pretty good chance it's going to do okay in the remaining thirty-seven. Get ready for a boffo new English edition of the rules.

In the mean time, here's a look at the sculpts for their Martian Princess figure,  one of the premiums they're doing.

The Return of Space: 1889!

I'm way behind on news and views, and so you'll see several posts next week, after I return from Historicon in historic Fredericksburg, VA. But there's one piece of news which could not wait, Stop The Presses kind of news. Clockwork Productions brought us the beautifully-produced German edition of Space: 1889, and everyone wanted to know, "When will there be an English edition?" Your entreaties have been answered. The Space: 1889 Kickstarter crowd funding starts this evening, Wednesday, July 17th. I'll let them explain in detail. Here is their press release. Go take a look. I think you'll like what you see.

***

Space: 1889 Returns!

Cologne & Swindon, July 2013
Wednesday July 17th sees the launch of a new Kickstarter by Clockwork Publishing and Chronicle City to fund the new English version of the award-winning RPG Space: 1889.



“The year is 1889 and Mankind has conquered the inner planets of the Solar System and now travels through the Ether between worlds. We discovered the ancient culture of the Martians and the misty wilderness of Venus. Mercury is a world of extremes, but rich in valuable raw materials. The Asteroid Belt and the Earth’s moon, Luna, are still waiting for further exploration. And there is still a lot to discover on Earth itself.

 Under the burning sun of the Martian steppes, the steamy mists of the Venusian jungle, the deadly cold of the Dry Ice Zone on Mercury, or at the banks of the Amazon River on good old Earth – the world of Space: 1889 is full of adventures.”


Everything Jules Verne could have written.
Everything H.G. Wells should have written.
Everything A. Conan Doyle thought of but never published because it was too fantastic.
Everything you need for the adventures of the century.

 

Almost 25 years ago, well known game designer and author Frank Chadwick came up with the idea of a roleplaying game set in a world inspired by the fantastic novels of early Science Fiction authors like Jules Verne or H. G. Wells.


Space: 1889 was first published in 1988 by Game Designers Workshop, followed by several additional products, amongst them supplements like “Ironclads and Ether flyers,” adventures like “Canalpriests of Mars,” and board games like “Temple of the Beastmen.”


GDW is long gone but, nevertheless, the fan-base has hung on to this “roleplaying game in a more civilized time” and with the growing popularity of 'steampunk culture' the time has never been better to reintroduce a new edition of the game for old and new fans alike.


The Space: 1889 Crowdfunding project is a cooperation between Uhrwerk Verlag/Clockwork Publishing, Chronicle City, and the master himself, Frank Chadwick.


Already released in German in 2012, the new version features new rules, new artwork, and extended background information that hadn't been available before. Working closely with Space: 1889 creator, Frank Chadwick, a completely new rulebook has been produced, not only building on the original version from the 1980s and 1990s but expanding it in accordance with what has been produced before.


The new version of Space: 1889 uses the fast and easy to learn Ubiquity-ruleset from Exile Games Studios, an award winning system invented by Jeff Combos and used by the RPG Hollow Earth Expedition.


With this new Kickstarter project we hope to expand the exciting new Space: 1889 RPG to where it has its roots: the English-speaking world. We are hoping the core rulebook will be the start of a whole range of Space: 1889 products in English. With each reached stretchgoal, we will be adding new adventures, sourcebooks, accessories or other items.


Come and join us on an exciting voyage through the solar system and visit the deserts of Mars, the dense jungles of Venus or the icy cold of the dark side of Mercury.

About Clockwork Publishing
Clockwork Publishing (or to be more precise: Uhrwerk Verlag, which is the german name, but quite unpronouncable to our english customer base) has been publishing RPGs since 2009, including the German versions of Hollow Earth Expedition, Deadlands: Classic and The One Ring, as well as a lot of RPGs of german origin like Dungeonslayers and Das Schwarze Auge – Myranor. Patric Götz, the owner of Clockwork Publishing, is working in the RPG industry for over 15 years and still hasn't managed to find a decent job somewhere else.
About Chronicle City
Chronicle City is a British based games company set up by multi-award winning publisher Angus Abranson (ex-Cubicle 7 Entertainment; Leisure Games). Chronicle City works with a number of companies and designers, helping to publish and distribute their games. In addition they also develop and license settings to create there own roleplaying, card and board games. Angus has long been a fan and supporter of the steampunk genre, and still has the character sheet of his first Space: 1889 character from when the game was first released!
---------------
For more information on Space: 1889, the Kickstarter the companies involved, or to arrange interviews or previews of the game and the creators behind it, please contact us on info@chroniclecity.com

Conspiracy of Silence Reviewed by Steampunk Traveler

The Traveler's Steampunk Blog  reviewed Conspiracy of Silence (the first book in the second series of Space:1889 And Beyond ebooks from Untreed Reads, and co-authored by Andy Frankham-Allen and Yours Truely) last October, but for some reason it slipped by me. It's a very nice review, giving us ten out of ten Zeppelins and the Badge of Honor (editor's pick), which is about as good as it gets.

The reviewer believes it's the strongest of the Space: 1889 and Beyond books to date. I wouldn't want to compare it to other folks' work, but I think it's the strongest of the three books I worked on. Check it out. Here's the link to the review.

An Incredible Model Zeppelin

If you like Steampunk, it's hard to imagine you don't have a soft spot for zeppelins. I sure do, ever since the 1971 film Zeppelin with Michael York and Elke Sommer -- and probably long before, but that's what sealed the deal. Well, the 1986 Miyazaki film Laputa/Castle in the Sky really sealed the deal, by why quibble?

I recently was directed to an amazing link which shows dozens of pictures of a 28mm zeppelin as it was built, step by step, by two brothers. It's for a 1930's pulp game, rather than a Victorian steampunk game, but agin why quibble. A cool zeppelin is a cool zeppelin. The picture at the top of the page shows the forward section in an early stage of completion. The one below shows the same section from a different angle and a little later in the construction.

The girders are made with heavy card stock and the exterior panels appear to be cut from cerial boxes. That's a great forward obervation bay, isn't it? There are a couple 28mm figures in the picture as well to give you an idea of its size.

Since this is a 1930's model it includes an aircraft hanger and biplane fighter painted in German markings. That's not relevant to Steampunk exactly, but check it out when you visit the site. They did a really nice job.


Here a close-up from the passenger lounge in the complete model. I love the attention to detail and it's followed throughout this massive model. I think the little model zeppelin in the lounge is a nice touch.

Finally, here's a long view of the completed model. Of course there is no top half as it's used as a complete game environment. Here the link. Check it out by all means.

Forever Engine - A Map of Europe

Baen Books commissioned this map of western Europe in 1888 as a two-page spread in The Forever Engine, due out next January. I like what they did with it, particularly the gears for cities and towns. It covers the area where the action of the novel takes place and from some of the unlikely smaller locations included, you can probably figure out that some of the important action takes place in out-of-the-way places like Kokin Brod. You get a nice look at London and Munich as well, however.

They've also commissioned cover art well in advance and may end up with some interior art as well, so I'm very pleased with the care they're taking with the project. It's not too soon to start some buzz about this book. If it sells well, I can pretty much guarrantee sequels. When we get a little closer to publication, I'll post some sample passages here. As soon as I get the go-ahead from Baen (which I think will mean as soon as they are happy with it) I'll post the cover. Cool cover.

Mars Needs Steam Pictures From Celesticon

I attended Celesticon out the San Francisco area last Labor Day and ran a big Mars Needs Steam game. Rick Schutz provided the terrain and soldiers while I shipped out an assortment of special stuff -- unique units and steampunk vehicles -- to flesh out the game. You've seen lots of pictures of the game with our terrain, mostly built by Glenn Kidd. Here's a look at what you can do with terrain originally intended for historical games. I envisioned this as a ground near a "broken canal," the sort where the channel itself has shattered and the water has spread out to make a shallow lake and swamp. Beyond it is arrid ground.

Heres another view. I'm explaining the rules and Rick sits to my right. These photos were all taken by Kyle Talbert, who did a great job. It's definitely a different look from most of our games, but a very nice one. The important thing, in my view, is that the table be well broken up into discrete areas so it remains possible to move and maneuver. Otherwise games (this one or most others involving a fair number of long-ranged weapons) are likely to degenerate into long-range sniping contests.

One of the great things about the show is that Dave Nilsen, an old friend from GDW days and maybe the best game designer/developer I ever worked with, showed up at the show. He pitched in and helped run the game as well as push some troops. Here's Rick seated and Dave standing, with the French contingent in front of them.

Here the French aerothopter is about to strafe the British Colonial contingent from behind. Tres ignoble, n'est pas? Rick's Indian infantry in the lead are supported by Tom Harris's dismounted female hussars representing Canadian "Amazonians."

Here's a different view of the British Colonial contingent from the other direction. You can see the Indian infantry in the background and the Amazonians, while in the foreground Bengal lancers cross a wadi supported by a light scouting landship. 

All in all, we had a great time.



Visions of Futures Past

Beginning in 1899 the French issued a series of postcards (no, not the naughty ones!) which featured impressions by artist Jean-Marc Cole and others of what life in France would look like in the year 2000 (En L'An 2000): transportation, industry, liesure, and war.

What is striking to me about this collection of images is how prominently flight figures in their view of the future. Most of the images feature people or machines in flight: winged firemen pouring water on a fire in the uppers story of a building, winged policemen chasing a thief fleeing in a flying machine, winged duck hunters rising up to shoot their prey, winged tennis players enjoying "air tennis." Flight would become as everyday an event as walking or taking a bicycle ride, they thought, and the abundance of personalized flying machines in the collection makes it clear this fascination with flight was deeply personal, not simply dispassionate technological projection. We have always longed to soar among the birds -- still do, although now our imaginations have been tamed by the thoroughly unromantic realites of cost, safety, and the inherent engineering difficulties of personalized flight. That does not keep us from sky diving, though, does it?

Conflict also figures in these images. There is no belief that war would be a thing of the past by 2000, a distant memory of more barbaric times. Instead it would be waged by men and machines which sometimes bear a striking resemblance to the contrivances of the 1920s and 1930s. It's hard to see a century ahead, but perhaps not so hard to see three or four decades.

These images were originally presented at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900 and additions to the collection were made over the course of the next ten years. Almost 90 images were created and distributed. Here is a link to a collection of 47 of them. It's well worth a look.

Mars Needs Legos!

A Martian screw galley built from . . . Legos? Yes friends, that's right. This beautiful Martian cloudship, perhaps based on a Hullcutter design, was built by the talented Ingo Siekmann. I really like this!

Here is a link to a whole gallery of pictures of this wonderful toy ship.

*****

CORRECTION! December 4, 2012

I misunderstood the original posting. Ingo Siekmann did not build the ship, he found the website with it and re-posted it. He sent me the following:

"Mr. Chadwick, there seems to be a misunderstanding. I did not build this model, I just stumbled upon the picture in another blog. The ship - and many other models - were build by a Portugese hobbyist
called Paulo Castanho, who mantains a great gallery."

And here's the link to Paulo Castanho's gallery. Terrific job, Paulo!

Cover Art For Mars Needs Steam

You may recall I mentioned earlier that we'd contracted for a cover for Mars Needs Steam from Talon Dunning. The first version wasn't really to any of our liking (including Talon's) and so we went back to the drawing board and I'm glad we did. This time Talon nailed it! This really captures the feel of the game and will be a great cover. Now all I have to do is finish the final rewrite of the rules and we're on the way to publication.

I just returned from running a big game up in the Illinois-Wisconsin border area for Anderson's Irregulars, a great bunch of gamers honchoed by Mark Anderson and which includes my old pal Duke Seifried. Duke's approach to "adventure games" informs a lot of the encounter rules in the Mars Needs Steam game as well as generally moving it past a simple soldier game, so seeing him have a good time was fun. His Germans were all but destroyed by the French and Americans, but not before gutting both of those contingents so thoroughly that when the Japanese switched sides they were able to forge on to victory.

I'm very happy with how the game plays now, after dozens of playings with who knows how many players -- most of them first-timers. The rewrite I'm working on is just to smooth out any remaining rule ambiguities and add a few more exotic weapons to the design system.

Guest Blog from Patric Götz of Uhrwerk Verlag

As I'm sure all of you know, the German-language edition of the Space: 1889 role-playing game from Uhrwerk Verlag hit the streets a couple months ago. It's a beautiful prodution and is selling well. I'd told Patric Götz before that if the German-language edition was a success we'd talk about an English-language version as well. And we are.

Today Patric joins us with a guest blog about how he came to the game in the first plae.

Patric writes  . .

I started playing RPGs in 1984 and up until 1989 I played mostly D&D, DSA (Germany’s most successful RPG) and a little bit of Star Frontier and Traveller. Vanilla Fantasy and SF so to say.

I started reading the novels of Jules Verne at the age of 14 and was immediately hooked by the tone and “feel” of his stories. I didn’t only read the well-known novels like 20.000 Leagues and Journey to the Centre of the Earth but also a lot of the less known ones.

Imagine my excitement as I saw the advertisement for a RPG called Space: 1889. I literally couldn’t sleep the night before I planned to journey to my friendly not-so-local game store to take a look at that book (English RPGs weren’t easy to find these days in Germany and there were only a couple of specialized shops spread out across Germany back then).

I wasn’t disappointed at all. The premise of the game was exactly what I was looking for in a RPG. I immediately bought all the stuff that was available over the next couple of months with my not so freely disposable pocket money.

Fast forward a couple of years… Due to a chain of events I never could have anticipated, I now work in the so-called RPG-industry, which is even harder to do in Germany than in the USA or UK I guess.

So after publishing a couple of quite successful (and some not so successful) RPGs, I remembered my old love Space: 1889. The license seemed dead and gone at that time, except for the nice reprints done by the folks at Heliographic Press – but no new material had been published since the early 90ties.

I contacted Mr. Chadwick anyhow about the possibility of doing a new German version of the game. Not just a translation of the old material, but a completely new interpretation of the game – with new texts, new illustrations and new rules.

Imagine my surprise as I got a very positive answer. So we started doing “our” version of Space:1889 and after the usual delays we finally managed to publish the new rulebook in July 2012.

It was an immediate success (well – that is for a RPG in Germany ;) ) and more books are planned right now to further supplement and support this fine RPG-line.

So we now have the very strange situation that the latest version of an American RPG which is mostly centered around the British Empire is now only available in German. ;)

But fear not… there are things going on in the background that may change this fact in a not so distant future…