Interview: Eliana González Ugarte and Coral Alejandra Moore of Constelación Magazine

If all goes well, come this January a brand new and very unique speculative fiction magazine will be grabbing your attention. Constelación Magazine will be a quarterly magazine that will publish each story in both Spanish and English. Authors are encouraged to submit in either Spanish or English, and the magazine editors will take care of the translation service. The editors expect fifty percent of the fiction they publish to be from authors from the Caribbean, Latin America, and their diaspora.  You can learn more about Constelación Magazine at their website, and at their Kickstarter page. They even have a 0.5 Sample issue you can read!

Constelación Magazine is crowdfunding through Kickstarter, and as of the drafting of this post, they are past the 50% funding marker.  As soon as I heard about Constelación Magazine, I reached out to the co-editors Coral Alejandra Moore and Eliana González Ugarte to see if I could interview them about their new project. They kindly looked past all my over-excited exclamation marks and smiley faces in my messages.

Coral Alejandra Moore

Coral Alejandra Moore's fiction has been published by Diabolical Plots, Zombies Needs  Brains, and Secrets of the Goat People.  She is the author interviewer at Lightspeed Magazine, a submissions reader at Uncanny Magazine, and she is the Social Media Manager for The Dream Foundry. Eliana González Ugarte resides in Paraguay, where she has won more than 10 short story awards. In 2017 she co-wrote the screenplay for Alas de Gloria, an animated film about the Chaco War that is currently in production. Under her pen name, Morgan Díaz, she writes Litrpg novels in the Vindication 2.0 series.  

Eliana González Ugarte

Why am I so excited for this magazine? Oh, so many reasons! The authors won't be responsible for finding a translator, they can submit in Spanish or English, whichever language they are most comfortable with. And for me, personally, there is something special about seeing a story in another language.  The shapes of the sounds are different, the details of the patterns are different. Sure, sure, Samovar Magazine does this, and they do it beautifully. But having more magazines that do this? That's even better.

Let's get to the interview!

NOAF: I am so excited for Constelación Magazine! When and how, and why did you decide to make this magazine a reality?

Coral Alejandra Moore: The entire process of building Constelación from the idea to what you can see on the website and social media now was really organic. Eliana and I met at a virtual convention called Flights of Foundry in May of this year, and a few weeks later we met again at the Nebulas convention. We both happened to be a in a zoom room where John Picacio and Mary Robinette Kowal started talking about Spanish language speculative fiction because of Eliana's experience with it, and that got the hamsters in my brain turning. A few emails, and Twitter DMs later, Eliana and I were already moving forward at warp speed, and we really haven't stopped since then. Lots of people got quarantine puppies during the pandemic, but we got a quarantine magazine!

NOAF: What makes Constelación Magazine different from other speculative fiction magazines out there?

Eliana González Ugarte: We take stories in both English and Spanish! One of our goals is to publish more Latin American and Caribbean authors who may not be able to submit their stories directly in English, or they’d have to first pay someone to translate it for them in order to be able to submit. 

 

NOAF: The first year of the magazine will be funded through Kickstarter. Crowdfunding always looks so easy, but in reality it can be gut wrenching. Why did you decide to go the crowd funding route?

CAM: Of everything we talked about, that was actually the point that it took us the most time to decide. And even after we decided we were going to do a Kickstarter, we went back and forth several times about the amount we'd try to raise. In the end, we decided to do a Kickstarter and start at a higher goal because the other options left us making a product that would have been nice, but wouldn't have been exactly what we wanted. We decided to reach for the stars.

It is a little nerve-racking, but it's fun too. We've gotten to talk to a lot of people we might not have otherwise met while doing this fundraiser. We've been able to work with artisans to get some of our rewards which we're both really excited about.

NOAF: For Kickstarter backers, what are some of the backer rewards? And what's with the Capybara?

CAM: We have so many great rewards and you can see them all here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coralmoore/constelacion-magazine! Hand-carved silver filigree ball-point pens made in Paraguay, fountain pens made of woods native to Puerto Rico, and speculative fiction, both digital and print, in three different languages, just to name a few.

The capybaras? Why, have you seen some? :) Okay, well, we thought we needed something cute to make into swag for our Kickstarter because who doesn't love cute swag, right? And Eliana had made some watercolor nebula capybaras a few years ago for something else, and the idea that became Tobias, our 2021 mascot, evolved out of that. Now we have watercolor constellation capybaras in a rainbow of colors and we may never be able to feed them all, but at least they are good for snuggling! 

 

NOAF: Your first issue is scheduled to go out in January, and the Kickstarter ends on November 1st. That doesn't give you a lot of time to get everything together for that first issue. What all is already completed for the first issue? What yet needs to be accomplished?

CAM: No, it really doesn't give us a lot of time, but we've got a really good team of people put together for the first issue, and we think we can get it all done. We have a cover from John Picacio on the way that we should unveil in the next couple of weeks. We plan to have an original story by Malka Older and a reprint from Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Once we pick out our stories from the submissions pile, we need to translate everything, then do the ebook formatting, then put them up on the website, and that's pretty much it. No problem! *faints*

NOAF: Are your story submissions open? If someone wants to submit a story to Constelación Magazine, what's the process?

CAM: We're opening to the public for submissions for our first issue on October 15th (which it is today as I'm writing this but is most definitely in the past now as you are reading this--time travel is funny!) for two weeks. We'll open again on December 15th for our second issue. All of the details about our issue themes are on our submissions page: https://www.constelacionmagazine.com/submissions There's also a link there to our Moksha page, where writers should submit their stories.

NOAF: Are you hiring translators? If someone wants to do translation work for you, how should they get in touch with you?

EGU: What we’re doing is pairing translators with stories. A lot of great translators have reached out to us by email or social media, and we’ve invited them all to our Discord so they can stay on top of our process. When we decide on the stories we’ll be publishing, we’ll contact the ones we feel will be a good match for that particular work, based on their previous experience and/or interests. Anyone interested in helping can email us at hola@constelacionmagazine.com.

NOAF: You're about to launch a SFWA qualifying Spanish / English entirely bilingual speculative fiction magazine. How's it feel? (are you excited? Nervous? Terrified? bouncing off the walls?)

EGU: It’s a little of all three and bounces back and forth. Constelación is our baby, and just like new parents, we’re still learning how to nurture it so it becomes the vision we’re aspiring for. For the both of us, working on such an amazing project during such a hard year has been a lifeline. When you pour your heart out working towards something you love, life becomes immeasurably easier to deal with!

NOAF: Thank you so much! If you can't tell, I'm really excited for Constelación Magazine!

POSTED BY: Andrea Johnson lives in Michigan with her husband and too many books. She can be found on twitter, @redhead5318 , where she posts about books, food, and assorted nerdery.  

Thursday Morning Superhero

Before we hop into this week's trio of comics I thought I would share a Kickstarter for a board game that has grabbed my attention.  In Dead Man's Cabal, you play a necromancer who is trying to raise the dead to join you for a party. While the premise is simple as you gain skulls and spell cards in order to raise the dead, the variable phase order is what has me excited about this game. On your turn you get to determine one action for yourself and one action for the everyone. Do you maximize both moves knowing it will benefit one of your opponents? Do you settle for a move that isn't as good, but doesn't help anyone else either? There are a lot of tense decisions and the Kickstarter has already reached some cool stretch goals including 3D bones as currency and the art ranks up there with some of the best in the business. The next stretch goal is 3D skulls!  Check it out here.

Pick of the Week:
Batman #64 - This marks the start of a Batman and Flash crossover and I am quickly learning that I need to read more Flash comics. I will openly admit that I grew up as a Marvel kid and have primarily dabbled in Batman in the DC Universe. Batman and Flash are teaming up in this arc to deal with a crimewave that is sweeping Gotham. Batman seems to have some sort of insider knowledge on the attacks and we learn that Gotham Girl, who he once attempted to train, is trying to somehow save her brother who was corrupted by Psycho Pirate. Despite having one of the worst names in all of comics, Psycho Pirate is adept at manipulating people and played a pivotal role in one of the arcs that caused me to abandon this series. While that thought has me a bit hesitant for this crossover, the dynamic for Batman and Flash teaming up has me very excited to explore more of the DC Universe.

The Rest:
Vindication #1 - I wanted to like this book based on the premise, but it felt too cliche and hook me despite a solid cliffhanger ending. Turn Washington was wrongly convicted for a murder 10 years ago and has just been set free. The detective who worked the case disagrees, and is set out to make sure that Washington returns to his prison cell at the first sign of a slip up. There are a lot of interesting elements to this book, including some racial undertones, a corrupt system, and attention grabbing lawyers, but it fell flat to me.  I am currently enjoying the latest season of True Detective and wonder if my standards are elevated due to that series having captivated my interest. There is a good chance that this series will improve as we learn more about the murder 10 years ago and the similarity to a recent murder, but I am not quite there.

Star Wars #61 - It looks like we reached the conclusion of another arc and that the Rebels are going to have to engage with the SCAR Squadron in the near future as they have obtained some of their secret plans. This was a big reunion issue as Han and Chewy join forces again, Han returns to his true love the Millennium Falcon, and Luke rejoins Tula after she helped him and the Rebels escape. The highlight in this issue was a two page interaction between C-3P0 and an alien having what appears to be a tense negotiation, only to learn that C-3P0 was nearly advocating for new leg plating which he successfully obtains. It felt very authentic to the humor that has been sprinkled throughout this series and I remain in awe at how effective the comics are at filling in the gaps of the films and remaining very true to the original source.



POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

Not sure how many of you remember the game Fireball Island, but the good folks at Restoration Games are bringing it back with updated rules via Kickstarter!!! Restoration Games specializes on taking games from our childhood and modifying the rules to add depth and make them more strategic. I cannot wait to explore Fireball Island and risk getting knocked down by a tumbling marble out of the mouth of Vul-Kar!  Do yourself a favor and check out the amazing 3-D molded island and the gifs of the marbles trailing around the island here.

Pick of the Week:
Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander #1 - After the debut of 300 almost 30 years ago, Frank Miller has returned to that world for the tale of the downfall of the Persian Empire.  In this gory debut issue, we have a front row seat to the Battle of Marathon as the Athenians attempt to thwart their Persian foes.  Not sure when we will see anything from the perspective of Xerxes, but this issue focused on Aeskylos and Themistokles, the captain of this army. Aeskylos is particularly entertaining, brandishing exotic weapons capable of slicing opponents in half due to the time he spends sharpening them. While the overall story didn't advance much, it was a nice reintroduction to this world and makes me want to reread the original series and watch the movie. Definitely looking forward to this one.

The Rest:
Snotgirl #10 - Lottie and her fellow influencers wake up and learn that someone died at the convention they are all attending. Add to this the ghost that is currently haunting Lottie and it is clear that there is more going on at this remote motel than meets the eye. In addition to the murder mystery that everyone is involved in, there are emotions at play as relationships among the group are tested in a variety of ways. Bryan Lee O'Malley sure knows how to craft interesting stories as I would have never imagined reading a comic about a fashion influencer that make repeated references to Instagram followers who also suffers from allergies and has the nickname Snottie.  But here we are.



Star Wars #46 - In order to convince the Mon Cala to join the rebellion, Leia continues with her Ocean's 11-esque heist that involves a famous shape-shifting actor, hijacking the Moff of the Mon Calamari sector, and using his bio-scan to infiltrate a prison. While the plan sounds dicey at best, it doesn't appear to have hit any hurdles currently as this issue was quite straight forward. The highlight was C-3PO simply stating "Oh Dear" when he realized he was in charge. Still digging the series, but this issue felt a bit too easy.

A look back:
Y the Last Man #1 - I am not picking to get under the skin of The G (who is not a fan), but wanted to look back at some of Brian K. Vaughan's  Eisner winning series. The first issue opens with the world in shock as a plague has apparently killed all of the male species on earth. All human men and animal men die suddenly and chaos ensues.  We learn a bit more of some events that happened immediately prior to the plague, but don't really learn why something like this happened. The scenes where pilots, doctors, and other men die horrifying and are effective informing the reader of how horrendous like this something would truly be. We do know that at least one man, the illusionist Yorick, has survived. In addition we learn of a mysterious group called the Culper Ring and an amulet that other groups are willing to kill to get. It is mysterious opening to what becomes an incredible journey to get to the bottom of what truly happened.  Vaughan does a great job introducing a wide variety of interesting characters, blends humor and drama exceptionally well, and demonstrates a knack for managing multiple complicated story lines with ease. Yorick also has a pet monkey named Ampersand who is quite awesome.




POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Interview: Lynne & Michael of Uncanny Magazine

Uncanny is a likely a familiar name to many readers, particularly of Charles' excellent Monthly Round. Now entering its third year, they are running a Kickstarter campaign to fund it. The editors, Lynne & Michael, took the time to answer a few questions about the magazine and campaign:
 

You're in the midst of your Year Three Kickstarter campaign - Why Kickstarter instead of subscriptions?

 
We do both. We have multiple revenue streams, so that we are never dependent on just one. Along with our Uncanny Magazine Year 3 Kickstarter, we sell subscriptions through Amazon Kindle and Weightless Books. We also have a Patreon, and sell advertising on the website.

 

We’ve discovered that we have different communities of readers with different preferences, so we try to provide whatever way they prefer to support us.

 

The best part of any Kickstarter campaign is the rewards- what goodies are there for backers?

Along with our fabulous eBooks of the Uncanny issues, we are offering numerous backer rewards including A Very Special Verity! Multifandom Podcast Mashup episode recorded just for our backers featuring Special Guest Appearances from members of the Radio Free Skaro and Down & Safe podcasts, autographed books, manuscript critiques, author video chats, author meals, cover art prints, and even becoming a Guest of Honor at the first UncannyCon!

Uncanny has published a lot of great stories in just two years - What can we expect from year three?

Uncanny Year 3 has an amazing group of solicited short story writers including Paul Cornell, John Chu, Maria Dahvana Headley, Nalo Hopkinson, N. K. Jemisin, Mary Robinette Kowal, Seanan McGuire, Sam J. Miller, Sarah Pinsker, Delia Sherman, Ursula Vernon, Catherynne M. Valente, Alyssa Wong (with art by Grace P. Fong), and Isabel Yap.  We will also be opening up to short story submissions again soon, so we will once again feature many newer voices from every conceivable background.

And speaking of great stories, Uncanny is nominated for more than a few awards- how does it feel to be at that level so quickly? Even with such a stellar editing staff, it's quite an accomplishment.

We are truly humbled. It is such an huge honor to have all of this award attention for works from our first year. We didn’t expect that level of appreciation so soon. We are giddy that these stellar works and creators are being read and appreciated. We are so happy for our staff, writers, and artists.

With all that you've accomplished in those first two years, how does Year Three top that?

We feel that we keep growing as editors and publishers, so hopefully each issue is better than the one before it.

If we reach certain stretch goals in the Kickstarter, we’re also planning on increasing our website content with more paid blogging.

How does my hair look? Don't answer that; I know it's terrible.

Fabulous. As a Space Unicorn should be.

Thursday Morning Superhero

Happy Thursday!  Before we hop into this week's books, I thought I would share another kickstarter project that is too cool not to share.  A group of smart people huddled together, and figured out how to put an escape room in a box.  Escape rooms are quite popular, but can be expensive, difficult to coordinate, and require some serious scheduling.  To avoid this hassle, this convenient option was invented and darn does it look cool.  They have unlocked some awesome stretch goals and I am looking forward to adding this to my ever growing game collection.  Check it out here and let me know what you think!

Pick of the Week:
Chew #55 - John Layman made his twitter followers promise not to spoil anything and I am a good and loyal subject.  I will say that Mr. Layman has made me feel sympathetic towards a character who I had previously loathed.  Multiple characters in this issue demonstrated that they were far more complex than I ever had realized, and it makes me want to go back and reread this insane adventure from the start.  When I first learned about Tony Chu and his cibopath powers, I never guessed that his adventure would have brought us to where we are today.  There were a few moments in the middle where I doubted where his tale was going, but it appears that the conclusion is going to be worth the journey.  If you are not already a Chew fan DO NOT read this book.  Go pick up a few trades, maybe even an omnivore edition, and catch up.  What are you waiting for?!?!

The Rest:
Daredevil #4 - Charles Soule drops a bomb, literally, in his early run with the man with no fear.  I have enjoyed the direction Soule has taken Mr. Murdock thus far, and the added twist in this one was a great touch. After Tenfingers confronted Murdock, he turns to a powerless Steve Rogers for guidance.  In a chilling moment, Daredevil realizes he has stumbled onto a bomb.  Rogers asks Daredevil how much time is left until it explodes to which Daredevil responds, "I don't know."  Something as simple as not being able to sense how much time is left is a chilling and sobering moment in this great book.  Daredevil realizes that Cap doesn't know he is blind as he directs him to the green and yellow wires.  There is something about seeing how vulnerable some superheroes really are and Soule's early take on Daredevil is not to be missed.

Saga #34 - I love how sweet and trusting toddler Hazel is.  It is staggering to think of how much she has grown throughout this series, and how I hope this book shifts with more of a focus on her.  She has always been our narrator, but it is something to see her come into her own and really start to drive some of the narrative.  A lot has to be resolved before we can head in that direction, but I feel that is where we are headed and I couldn't be more excited.  It was also amazing to see that The Will, even fat The Will, is still a freaking force to be reckoned with.  We are reaching the point where our fragmented stories will all merge into one and it is going to be a glorious train wreck!



Plutona #4 - Things really pick up when Mie learns about how Tugger and her brother have been trying to gain Plutona's power by trying to absorb her blood.  It isn't apparent how well it is working as Tugger has been sick, but there are changes happening and I fear for Mie and her "friends" and what might happen after the effect of the blood kicks in.  Jeff Lemire remains adept at connecting his readers to his characters on an emotional level with ease.  I am truly afraid for the next issue and the conclusion of this dark tale.





POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.   

Friends of NoaF: Steampunk Kickstarter

Author-publisher S.C. Barrus, who contributed a guest blog post to Nerds of a Feather on isometric gaming, is also the author of the steampunk novel Discovering Aberration. You may remember this book as a top pick of our monthly Adventures in Indie Publishing correspondent D.E.S. Richard, and it appeared on my Summer Reading List (I'll finish it soon — it's long!). Discovering Aberration is the product of a successful Kickstarter project, and now Barrus is ready to release his follow-up.

Set in the same world, The Gin Thief is a serialized novel, which is just a super cool thing to be doing, and in itself pretty steampunk. Kickstarting a 19th-century publishing platform? Put some goggles on it and you're already 9/10 of the way to the Steampunk Hall of Fame. The project is already funded, and will only be online for a week, so it's simply a good opportunity to pre-order these books and get a copy of Discovering Aberration along with it.

So take a look, and become a backer if it seems interesting, tossing some support behind self-published authors who are delivering quality and outside-the-mainstream ideas.

Posted by Vance K — cult film reviewer, occasional book reviewer and general pontificator, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

AiIP: Self-Promotion Theater

You may have heard I am nearing the end of a Kickstarter campaign for a print run of my short story collection, 3024AD. I have detailed the reasons for that in this space before- in short, that the current common thinking, particularly for author-publishers, doesn't allow for any manner of distribution to brick-and-mortar bookstores. So I have partnered with Village Books in order to try a new model- one that supports them, and me, and opens the door for wider physical distribution.

The campaign- as of this writing- sits at $1,095 of the $2,000 goal, so your support is very much appreciated.

Only a couple days to back the Kickstarter!

But why should you support it? It's not as if there's a dearth of indie-published sci-fi out there. So, in the interest of salesmanship and self-promotion (two things I am generally terrible at), why you should:

It's Good Sci-Fi: I'm only being a little egotistical. It won Indie Book of the Year from The Cult Den last year, so it's not just my mom saying that. It's a unique story, told in a unique way and fairly universally those who have read it love it.

It's Cheap: Once it hits bookshelves, the physical copy is going to be $14.99 and the ebook $7.99. You can grab both for $10, and get a bunch of fun swag for a bit more. Or you can buy two for $15 and give one to a friend/library/whatever.

It's About More Than Me: I can't do it for everyone, obviously, nor do I want to, but for the author-publishers out there who take the time and effort to produce a high-quality product, opening the doors to partnerships and distribution in indie bookstores is a pretty huge deal. Right now, it involves calling or visiting every single one. As this evolves, I am hoping to see (at a minimum) a sort of co-op grow to where booksellers know they're getting a quality product and authors are getting support from influential literary centers. Printing enough copies of my own is the first step in the process.

Crowdfunding is Awesome: At least, I think so. You're a part of the process, privy to advance information and get stuff that isn't otherwise available. I love the process, and hope you'll support mine.

So there you have it- a few reasons to head over and pledge. Thanks in advance!

-DESR

PS in the event you're sick of hearing about me, next month will feature other authors, and some interviews.

Dean is the author of the 3024AD series of science fiction stories. You can read his other ramblings and musings on a variety of topics (mostly writing) on his blog.
  He is also an aficionado of good drinks (extra dry martini; onions, not olives), good food and fine dress. When not holed up in his office tweeting obnoxiously writing, he can be found watching or playing sports, or in his natural habitat of a bookstore.
  He also has an unhealthy obsession with old movies and goes through phases where he plays video games before kind of forgetting they exist.
  Dean lives in the Pacific Northwest and likes the rain, thank you very much.

AiIP: The Anti-Amazon Experiment, fin

It's not the end, of course, but it's the last full post I'll dedicate to it for the next while. It's certainly too early to call it a success, failure or anything else for that matter, so I will avoid any pronunciations along those lines.

3024AD- Second Edition Cover

The fact of the matter is that publishing at large is in such a massive state of flux, it's hard to know what the right answer is- and the right answer this moment may not be such the next. I've talked about the new-fangled 'hybrid publishers', which you could (in many cases) file under 'indie', but that, as I've also detailed in a few places, can be a crapshoot. Or you can do it yourself, as myself and many others have, but that market is so saturated with absolute garbage, to say your chances of being the next Hugh Howey are slim is optimistic.

And while the ebook market is growing rapidly, readers are still driven largely by print, and neither of the above options are likely to get you into brick-and-mortar stores, and few in the even you sell to them. Finally, to bring this full-circle, even digital distribution is far from perfect- as I've spent the last few posts in the series talking about.

All of this nutshelling, if you've been following this particular corner of the internet, is not news. Since y'all have been, essentially, following my adventure with this experience, here's what's next (some of which I've talked about before, although not in detail):

• First up is a second edition of 3024AD: Short Stories Series One. This will come via a Kickstarter campaign which will launch on January 2nd. It will serve a three-fold purpose, namely (1) clean up the few remaining editing errors (2) update my family of websites (my own blog and the 3024AD site, which will allow people to purchase the books directly, Bandcamp-style, paying what they want) and (3) to fund printing of physical copies to distribute to brick-and-mortars (there is also a new cover, pictured)
• After that, on to Short Stories: Series Two. Most of the 'B' stories are written (if you've read the first collection, there is an 'A' storyline throughout, with 'B' stories that tie into it), and I am chipping away at that. 
• Throughout, I'd like to expand beyond the current model of self/indie publishing- not only selling in brick-and-mortars, but also places people who read this manner of literature hang out- game and comic book shops, for example. If you have one locally you like, send them my way. I want to move beyond the old model as well as the new, and that calls for doing things differently. The plan is to raise enough to do a decent sized print run, and distribute it to places it will sell. If you know of any, let me know- deanfortythree [at] gmail

 After that, well, we shall see how this all goes. In any case, thanks for being part of my anti-Amazon Experiment, and hopefully you're as excited as I am to see how publishing evolves from here.

-DESR

Guest Post: A Second Golden Age of Isometric RPGs is upon us!

I'm proud to present a very special guest post from writer S.C. Barrus, who is here to tell us all about the new age of computer RPG’s that's right around the corner. S.C. is the author of the forthcoming steampunk adventure Discovering Aberration, which is coming January 20, 2014. He is also the author of this excellent piece for A Dribble of Ink. So without further ado...

In 1997 the dawn of a golden age of video games began. This golden age stretched across platforms. Some will remember Final Fantasy 7, others StartCraft, but for me this golden age was best represented by one very specific genre of videogames: the isometric computer RPG.

Before 1997, the most famous RPG’s were japanese console games like the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series. But when Fallout exploded onto the scene followed by a slew of greats like Baldur’s Gate, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale and others, the RPG landscape shifted. In the center of it all was a tight knit group of developers, big names with big ideas who dared to create mature, thought provoking and challenging games.

Now almost 17 years later, with the help of Kickstarter, the isometric RPG gaming experience (a genre thought to be unprofitable in this day and aga) is nearing a second golden age, a full fledged resurgence featuring many of the same developers behind the originals, inspired by the same first golden age elements that made the past so great!

But to understand this second golden age of isometric RPG’s we’ll jump 17 years into the past and look at the classics and how they’re inspiring the new wave of coming RPG classics: Wasteland 2, Torment: Tides of Numenera, and Project Eternity.

Wasteland 2

The First Golden Age - Wasteland & Fallout

In the late 90’s, Interplay was among the best game publishers in the business. They released stellar games in multiple genre’s developed by the some of best game designers of the day. Within the cloak of Interplay was nestled a budding internal development studio known as Black Isle, and they were about to release the first game in one of the most popular quality franchises in the history of games. Fallout.

Fallout was set in a dark retro-futuristic open world full of violence amidst the endless wastes and struggling villages. But within these wastes was a sandbox where the player, cast as a lowly vault dweller in search of a water purification chip, was free to do what they willed. Will you be a paladin of strength, helping the helpless, or a bandit enslaving them for your own profit? It was all valid as far as Fallout was concerned.

Bolstered by tactical turn based action, creative and gritty kill animations, mature storytelling, and an open world, players were rewarded with a unique and satisfying computer gaming experience unlike anything they had played before. Except for Wasteland.

Fallout was originally intended to be a sequel to Wasteland, a 1988’s release sporting creative descriptions of action such as “he was reduced to a thin red paste" and “your head explodes like a blood sausage". But Interplay was unable to secure the rights and instead the Fallout franchise was born.

Lucky for us, Brian Fargo, one of the big minds behind both Wasteland and Fallout, is creating the first true sequel to Wasteland with his crew at inXile Entertainment.

The Second Golden Age - Wasteland 2

Enamored by Wasteland, Brian Fargo has been trying to develop a true sequel for over 20 years, but due to legal issues those efforts were either turned into new franchises (like Fallout) or shot down by publishers who claimed a sequel was unprofitable.

With his new development studio inXile, Mr Fargo attempted one final ditch effort to make Wasteland 2 a reality by crowdsourcing the funds they needed through Kickstarter. Seeking $900,000 to fuel development, inXile blew their goal out of the water and raised $2,933,252 becoming one of the highest funded videogame kickstarters at that time.

Supported by the fans, Wasteland 2 is looking to be one of the first big budget crowdfunded game to ever be released. Currently it’s nearing the end of it’s development cycle with beta testing beginning this month and its release to follow soon after.

Why should I be excited about Wasteland 2?

The year 2102 and you are a member of the army rangers. The world emerged from nuclear holocaust more than 20 years earlier leaving a wasteland in its wake. Many have survived, and as a ranger you must bring order to the wastes.

Carrying on the traditions of Wasteland and Fallout, Wasteland 2 is keeping with the classic, strategic isometric view, featuring diverse turn-based squad tactical combat and non-linear storytelling. (see the video below for an in depth example)

Furthermore, the choices you make throughout Wasteland 2 matter significantly, each choice potentially changing the direction of the rest of your playthrough. The player isn’t judged by the game, there is no karma system, no ranking on whether you are good or evil. But each choice you make has both short term and long term consequences. Because of this, there is no way to see the whole game without multiple playthroughs.

The most extreme example comes when you choose to stray from the ethics of the rangers, for example: killing everyone and everything in sight. Your commanding officer will send hit squads after you and the entire story of the game will alter, including it’s own unique ending. However it will also cut 40% of the game in the process.

Choice extends to the battlefield as well. Every situation will have multiple avenues of approach allowing the players to utilize their squads diverse skill sets such as sniping, small and large guns, animal control (yeah, animal control) and at times diplomacy. This is where the tactical approach really comes into play. Positioning your team before the assault and utilizing their unique skills will give you strategic advantage but mowing through your enemies gun blazing is always an option.

Wasteland 2 is currently entering the beta phase of development and is scheduled to be released early 2014. You can pre-order your copy today for only $25, quite the deal for a full fledged game!

Interested in more? Read Ten Reasons I Pre-Ordered Wasteland 2 and You Should Too.

Kickstarter Spotlight: In the Dark

Every once in a while you stumble upon a Kickstarter that you simply must support.  You watch the video, read the background on the creators, examine the pledge levels, and have no choice but to open up your wallet.  In the Dark - A Horror Anthology is one of those projects.  Click here and I dare you not to back this amazing looking project.

The premise is rather simple, but astounding when you consider the talent associated with the project.  It is graphic novel comprised of 20 all new horror stories penned by Cullen Bunn, Sean E. Williams, Rachel Deering, Justin Jordan, Michael Moreci, and more.  Artists include Marc Laming, Christian Wildgoose, Andy Bellanger, and more.  As if that weren't enough to warrant a purchase, it also includes a feature from comic book historian Mike Howlett on the history of horror comics.

IDW is offering its services to help with the logistics of printing, etc. so you can rest assured that this book will be of the highest quality.  Most of the higher tiered pledges got scooped up quick, but there are still a few great ones if you are feeling generous.  If I had deep enough pockets I would have secured the original Artful Daggers story from Sean E. Williams.

At the time I penned this the Kickstarter was around $4,000 shy of its goal.  I feel confident that it will be funded and you should at least hop in at $10 for a digital copy of this gem.  I have high hopes and feel that this creative team will deliver a high quality book that will be the crown jewel of my bookshelf.  The hard part will be waiting until April to get my grubby hands on it.  Once again, click here to check it out yourself.

Abandoned First Anniversary Kickstarter Projects

The Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together blog turned one yesterday, and a few weeks ago when The G pointed out that the big day was on the horizon, he asked me what we should do to celebrate. I had a lot of ideas. Big ideas. Ideas that would cost money. Yet we are but lowly blog contributors; we are not made of money, nor are we any of us accumulating it with any great haste. So where do nerds go when they have ideas they can't pay for? That's right --

!KICKSTARTER!

So here are the ideas I presented to The G for our First Anniversary Nerds of a Feather Kickstarter:

Make your own thrilling retro cover here.

Nerds of a Feather, the Book
The interwebs are great and all, but you can't hold them in your hands. So what better way to commemorate the first year of Nerds of a Feather than by printing up and binding all 365 posts from April 11, 2012 to April 11, 2013 (and yes, by an odd coincidence, there really are 365)? As a special treat, this handsome volume would also include all of the posts that The G started but never finished. You know, for the Nerds of a Feather completist out there. Sadly, this was a nonstarter among the contributors, with the feeling being that we are living in an increasingly ephemeral time in which, soon enough, ones and zeros will replace all of our worldly belongings. So a book was out of the running, but there's always...

Well, we had to get *somebody* with box office appeal.

Nerds of a Feather, the Movie
Based on the true story of a humble graduate student who had a vision for ranting about nerdy things, like why Robert Heinlein is dumb and movies about killer sharks are super awesome, the story would have followed the creation of a small, nationwide team of highly specialized geeks, all crushed under crippling student loan debt, and their bloody rise to power before succumbing to coke-fueled excess and a late career lapse into saying "hoo-ah!" at inappropriate times while writing run-on sentences. Sadly, the $33 million production budget put it out of reach for Kickstarter. But Amanda Palmer has to make another album someday, so maybe next year the $33 mil will seem more attainable.

I cheated and picked the band name myself, but generate your own random album cover and title here.

Nerds of a Feather, the Supergroup
You may not know this, but Nerds of a Feather contributor Molly has a lovely singing voice. I have a voice that sounds a little like crushed gravel by the side of the road, but I write folk songs, so I figure it's cool. The G has more than dabbled in electronica, and I'm sure the rest of the Nerds Feather crew can wield a mean tambourine and/or pair of maracas when pressed. So why not -- why NOT! -- I asked, create a supergroup? This is actually kind of a good idea...we might wind up doing this, Kickstarter or no.

But Finally...
For so, so many reasons, we weren't able to get any of these projects up on Kickstarter, and in the end we decided to keep it simple:

It's not every Jedi can balance a cupcake on his head while fighting.

A sincere thank you to all of our wonderful readers for a great first year. Here's to not going down in flames in the next 12 months! Follow us on Twitter @nerds_feather.

AiIP: The Rise of Hybrid Publishers

The Rise of Hybrid Publishers

It wasn’t that long ago that Amazon essentially changed the way books are read, sold and marketed. In fact, it was only in 2007 that the Kindle was introduced, and in the six years since ebooks have become as standard of their paper forebears. This has opened the door for the indie book industry to boom- a ship that is still in the process of righting itself.

For the indie author who wants to pursue self-publishing, costs can be prohibitive. And with the big Five (formerly Six) publishers cutting costs and pulling crap like this, a new field has emerged- what can be termed Hybrid Publishing, independent imprints that focus on ebook distribution and marketing that are generally supported by smaller print runs. What is lost in a large presence in brick and mortar stores (but not necessarily non-existent) is made up for (for the author) in much larger royalties via a focus on ebooks.

John Scalzi has chimed in extensively, speaking up that publishers should offer an advance and if they do not, it should raise red flags to the author. More to the point, that contracts should be fair to both parties- this applies if there is an advance or not.

Readers care about this, too, and it benefits the industry as a whole. If the creator is actually getting paid, for example, people are less likely to pirate something. The perception (and reality) of contracts not favoring musicians led, in many ways, to the first wave of music piracy. If the reasoning is that creators aren’t being paid anyway, why not get it for free? The recent success of Fireside Magazine, for example, proves this. 12.5 cents per word for fiction is crazy good and readers are willing to rally around that cause.

So it goes for many small presses. For the moment, they will rarely lead to massive success in reaching every reader out there. But with higher revenues and a larger share for the authors, they can make just as much money. And as more of the market share moves to ereaders, this will only grow, making it more inviting for authors to move to smaller publishers.

Holy Buckets, Did You See the Veronica Mars Kickstarter?

$2.4 million dollars in its first day. Thassalottamoney (really, spellcheck? That’s a word? Aces, champ. Aces). I know this doesn’t fall strictly under the umbrella of publishing, but that is something we should all pay attention to. I jumped on it pretty early and spoke broadly to what it meant to Kickstarter as a whole- namely, big names getting involved and funding projects via crowdsourcing methods. I think it is a really good thing and will only help breed the next set of big names.

Similarly, the Success of Fireside’s kickstarter, which I highlighted here last month, is a big deal, not because it raised millions (although $25,000 is nothing to sneeze at), but because it shows that there are quality projects coming out of crowdfunding. Again, it’s not the future, but it’s part of it.

As a small aside: If you have a Kickstarter for anything that would be covered here on the site, share it with me. If we dig it, I’ll plug it here. if it’s really cool, we might interview you or do a separate post on it. We’re geeks; we like cool stuff.

This is the Part Where I Normally Interview Someone

But this month, you get something special: Some inside info and a preview of my upcoming release, 3024AD: Short Stories, Series One.

From 'Temperance'

I started working on 3024AD about a year ago, and while I have written for years, I fell in love with the universe. One of the things I really wanted was a rich, vibrant setting where any character, no matter how small of a role they played, could have their own compelling story. So as I wrote, I started telling those stories as well. Most of them make up this collection.

But it’s not just an assortment of shorts. They all tie together and cross paths and overlap. There is a main story arc, which follows a character nicknamed Digger. He has a haunted past and is a thief with an education and a love for history.

Many of the stories are the people who cross his path. Some of them play larger roles later in other stories, some just exist within their own. All have their own causes, loves and hates, and stories to be told. I wanted to create a setting where even the characters who don’t have their full story told could.

In addition, I wanted it to be a universe that could happen. To that end, ships don’t have artificial gravity, trips between planets don’t happen instantly and inertia actually matters when a spaceship has to change direction or slow down. So there is a distinctly different flavor than the scifi that is out there in a lot of ways. Which isn’t all that terrible, but I wanted it to require a bit more thought. With space travel beginning to advance (rapidly) again in the real world, I wanted to tie that into fiction.

It will be available April 23, on all major ereaders and in paperback shortly thereafter. There will be samples up for free at 3024AD that you can download (you can currently read my drafts, if you want to be all hipster about it). I hope you’ll check it out!

Everybody Loves Links!

If you’re curious what the self-publishing process is like, SC Harrison has a pretty excellent summary.

If anyone wants to buy me this, I’d be pretty OK with that.

Did you know there is OTHER stuff on Kickstarter? There totally is! Long Hidden is a historical fiction anthology that is fully funded, so you can basically grab a copy.

Random thought: How cool would a comic anthology be? Has anyone done that? Rather than around a character or story, it has a theme. Someone should do that.
Mechalarum, by Emma Larsen looks to be a solid scfi novel, and I always endorse a strong heroine. You can even read the first chapter (there is also a really good breakdown of her costs near the bottom, if you’re into that sort of thing). If you’re a Kickstarter geek, her blog is also excellent.

Are you sick of hearing about Fireside yet? Because they just opened submissions for Flash Fisction (<1,000 words). So if you have something, go forth and submit.

Some small presses to check out:

Candlemark & Gleam

Apex Publications

Small Beer Press