My mother is always telling me how encouraging it is to receive thank you notes in response to gifts and kindness. I suppose that I always knew she was right. I always drop thank-you e-mails to people who compliment my web sites, and feel good when they do. I got a couple of unexpected thank yous, though. Since I posted the review In re: Lai Wan: Tales of the Dreamwalker, I got a thank you from author C. J. Henderson, and today another from Marietta Publishing founder and one of the book’s co-authors Bruce Gehweiler. Bruce, incidentally, has spoken of plans to start a new company in the Christian book and media field, and I’m hoping he will tell me more about it.
I’ve also had a brief visit with E. R. Jones, who before retiring from involvement in Multiverser years ago left me the notes for a horror world he hoped we would publish, The Web. I handed him a copy of the form in which it currently exists, and he seemed pleased with it and promised to drop me an e-mail if he thought of anything that needed to be covered with it.
–M. J. Young
February 16th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
The Web is SERIOUSLY creepy which is a good thing. I didn’t exactly enjoy it, but I felt that it really got its horror vibe thrumming strong. The sense of claustrophobia and of having to breathe not air was not fun.
I think its one of the better world designs out there, and it has the potential if it got proper exposure to be a sort of cult classic among horror aficianados.
February 17th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Kewl.
We have a Multiverser Triple Play: Horror collection upcoming (we were just trying to find out why the artwork was delayed), but this is not in that. That will contain the Haunted House and Slasher Summer Camp, both of which have appeared on the forums in the past I think (I know Slasher has, not sure of House), along with our version of the Poe classic Cask of Amontilado. It is hoped that those are all going to be well received as solid horror worlds, but I still think that the things in the Books of Worlds ought to be something better. From your words, I take it that The Web is that. Thanks.
–M. J. Young
February 17th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Yes, WEB is better than Cask or Slasher Summer Camp. I’d say it has a more pure vibe than Status Hunters (which David is in right now). With WEB, a more beginning GM could probably walk into it more smoothly, and its such a weird idea and so purely creepy. On the down side, its more limited in feeling I think. You got the feeling that change was worthless since evil was endless…part of its charm….that vibe I was talking about, but its limited in its length of playability. Which is ok. Not every world can have every benefit. Status Hunters demands more from the GM, but it also offers more long-term play, and while its not as purely creepy as WEB, its bad enough.Since you’re a musician, I’m sure you’re familar with some musical trick for the piano where you hit a few notes and just totally max out the creepy vibe…thats WEB. And it does have some interesting surprises too. Its got some depth.
February 25th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
In the previous world that Eric had me in (Oceania or something? Very amusing, silly world) Cap was the verser introducing me to the concept. He told a bit of being in the Web, and that he lost much of his strength there.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:42 am
Yeah. I had to put a lot of thought into what would be frightening for a verser, since, “Choose how you’re going to die” is not really that frightening for an immortal who comes to life in another universe. I’m pretty sure we succeeded on that.
–M. J. Young