vigilancepress

Chris Pramas talks Green Ronin's origins, Titansgrave, and Fantasy AGE

Fri, 03 Jul 2015 14:15:21 -0300

Chris Pramas joins me to talk about Green Ronin and their contributions to the Titansgrave Role-playing game series on Geek and Sundry! Tune in to find out where Green Ronin began, and how the AGE system developed from the Dragon Age licensed game into the system that drives the fantastic show on Geek & Sundry.
Find Titansgrave on the Geek & Sundry site.
Click here for the Titansgrave RPG book at the Green Ronin store.
Click here for the Fantasy AGE book on the Green Ronin store.

Check out the latest news from Vigilance Press at the Vigilance Press website, here!

Steve Kenson discusses the new Blue Rose RPG and the Kickstarter

Wed, 24 Jun 2015 17:07:51 -0300

Green Ronin super-star Steve Kenson joins us today to talk about the new edition of the Blue Rose roleplaying game! We discuss what it means to have an "inclusive" setting, what kind of magic and characters you can create in the Blue Rose setting, and Steve drops a Sir Mix-a-Lot reference. Tune in for all the details!
I apologize in advance for any audio issues on my side of the recording. I'm in the process of building out my new podcast recording set-up and it sounds like I need a new microphone. I'll try and have that remedied by next week's episode.
Check out the Blue Rose kickstarter here!

Rodney Thompson Returns! Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition post-release interview!

Wed, 17 Dec 2014 10:15:00 -0400

Now that all three of the core rulebooks for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition have released, we asked Rodney Thompson to come back and talk some more about the design decisions that went into this amazing new edition of the rules! We talk a bit about the general response the game has received, the design guidelines, and the process of making a game. We also go into details about Rodney's own tasks on the books and some of his favorite Monster Manual entries.
Find out more about Dungeons & Dragons here!
Download the Basic Rules for free here!

John Rogers stops by to talk about The Librarians and Role-Playing Games!

Tue, 09 Dec 2014 17:41:22 -0400

I'm very pleased to announce that John Rogers found some time to talk to me about gaming and his new show "The Librarians." We touch on how gaming and entertainment have influenced each other, and how writing and game design are interrelated. John name-drops a lot of his favorite RPGs, and talks a little about how shows like Leverage can wind up as properties for role-playing games!
You can find out more about The Librarians on TNT's website here: http://www.tntdrama.com/shows/the-librarians.html
You can find out more about ThrillBent on their website, here: http://thrillbent.com/
You can find out more about Fate Core (The game where character "Aspects" are from) Here: http://www.faterpg.com/
And Check out Tianxia: Blood, Silk & Jade at Indie Press Revolution Here: http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/product.php?productid=19207&page=1Or at Drive-Thru RPG Here: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse.php?cPath=1323_20300

Jack Norris and James Dawsey talk about upcoming projects Galore

Tue, 28 Oct 2014 09:25:32 -0300

This episode serves both as a Part 2 of the Green Ronin Summit podcast for 2014, but we extended it to include a discussion of Tianxia's stretch goal progress, upcoming projects from Vigilance Press, and more!
First, Jack Norris talks about the plans for upcoming releases of the Dragon Age pen and paper RPG. We then talk about AGE, the system driving Dragon Age, and the plans Green Ronin may or may not have. After that, we go into detail about the Tianxia stretch goals as they are going into production and upcoming Vigilance Press projects for Mutants and Masterminds and ICONs.
Whew! There's a lot of content in this episode, almost 2 hours of epic rambling!
Stay Vigilant!

2014 Green Ronin Summit Debriefing with Jon Leitheusser and Steve Kenson

Tue, 21 Oct 2014 00:54:04 -0300

This episode of the Vigilance Press Podcast brings back Jon Leitheusser and Steve Kenson to discuss the upcoming slate from powerhouse RPG imprint Green Ronin!

We discuss Mutants and Masterminds products that are coming out in the next few months, look ahead to next year, and also cover some of Green Ronin's other licenses. In the links below, find some special Halloween goodies, a sale on Green Ronin's The Supernatural Handbook, and a new release from Vigilance Press!
Special links section:
The BETA Men from Drive-Thru RPG (by Vigilance Press for Mutants and Masterminds)
The Supernatural Handbook from Green Ronin for M&M is on sale at this link!
Steve Kenson's Blog!
Jon Leitheusser's Blog!

Darrin Drader Interview: Nuclear Sunset and Legacy of Ruin

Sat, 26 Jul 2014 17:31:17 -0300

Novelist Darrin Drader stops by the Vigilance Press Podcast to discuss his newly released novel Legacy of Ruin, published by Vigilance Press. We also talk about the upcoming Pacific Northwest supplement for Mutant Future, the background to the setting, and putting tentacles on weird monsters. We may or may not have mentioned Rowdy Roddy Piper in a somewhat inappropriate film role...
Nuclear Sunset: Legacy of Ruin by Darrin Drader is now available in a wide variety of formats and locations!

Click Here to find it in PDF, Epub, and MOBI versions at Drive-Thru Fiction!

Click here to order a Print on Demand edition from Create Space!

Click Here to find it in both Kindle and Print versions at Amazon.com!

Game Designer Rodney Thompson talks about the new Dungeons and Dragons edition!

Wed, 23 Jul 2014 22:49:51 -0300

For this podcast, I am joined by Rodney Thompson, one of the key designers on the new Dungeons and Dragons from Wizards of the Coast. We talk about everything from Wizards versus Fighters to the playtesting process. Hear about Inspiration, Advantage and Disadvantage when rolling dice, and more!
What're you reading this for? Go listen!
You can find out more about Dungeons and Dragons, and even download the free Basic D&D rules, by visiting the Wizards of the Coast website here: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/

Tianxia Pronunciation Guide with Robin Milliken

Thu, 10 Jul 2014 23:10:10 -0300

Robin Milliken joins us for this episode of the Vigilance Press Podcast. A native speaker of Chinese, Robin helps host James Dawsey learn more about the language, pronouncing important place names in the fictional Tianxia setting, and discusses elements of Chinese culture we hope will be relevant to gamers playing Tianxia: Blood, Silk & Jade! James also makes a really bad joke about "Pronuncing" things badly. Just ignore his jokes and listen to the smart guest.

You can find the Tianxia: Blood, Silk & Jade PDF at Drive Thru RPG here:

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/126883/Tianxia-Blood-Silk--Jade

You can find the Tianxia: Blood, Silk & Jade Print and PDF together at Indie Press Revolution:

http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/product.php?productid=19207&cat=0&featured=Y

Our latest Fiction release, Legacy of Ruin by Darrin Drader is now up for sale at our Drive-Thru Fiction Site (Print on Demand edition soon to be announced):

http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/132177/Legacy-of-Ruin?manufacturers_id=437

Dave Mattingly and Aaron Sullivan tell us about the Algernon Files 3.0 Kickstarter!

Tue, 08 Jul 2014 21:39:37 -0300

For this episode of Vigilance Press Podcast, we invite our friends from BlackWyrm Publishing to talk about their Kickstarter campaign for The Algernon Files 3.0! Tune in and hear Aaron Sullivan and Dave Mattingly field questions about BlackWyrm, the Kickstarter project, and other cool stuff that BlackWyrm will be bringing to this year’s Gen Con!

Check out the Kickstarter page for the Algernon Files here!

Check out BlackWyrm Publishing at their website, here!

Atomic Robo RPG... FOR SCIENCE!! Mike Olson Interview

Tue, 22 Apr 2014 15:42:32 -0300

This very special SCIENCE episode of the Vigilance Press Podcast features guest Mike Olson, designer and author of the Atomic Robo RPG! We talk about the setting, the comics, the rules, and what makes this game special. Mike also gives us a few tips for running Fate for maximum fun value! Over an hour of Science Celebrity Action!
To find the Atomic Robo RPG Pre-order site where you can order your copy of the book and get the PDF for free in the process, click here!
To participate in ACTION SCIENCE FEEDBACK and help the Evil Hat team fight off typos and grammar glitches, click here and submit any errata you find before the end of April 2014!

Brian Engard talks Venture City Stories, Wild Blue, Fate Core, and much, much more!

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 23:25:56 -0300

RPG author and designer Brian Engard joins me to talk about tons of cool stuff. In particular, the new release Venture City Stories (link below) from Evil Hat Productions is covered in detail. Want to run superheroes in Fate Core? Check this product out! He also talks a bit about other Fate Core projects, including the Fate Worlds books (on sale now) and the upcoming Dresden Files Accelerated game. Very cool stuff.
Thanks again to Brian for making time to chat with me!
Check out Venture City Stories here: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/127246/Venture-City-Stories--A-World-of-Adventure-for-Fate-Core?term=venture+city+stories
Also check out Brian Engard's own RPG, Becoming here: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/120907/Becoming-A-Game-of-Heroism-and-Sacrifice-PDF

Green Ronin announces Icons: The Assembled Edition, and we talk about Emerald City and The Atlas of Earth Prime!

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 20:25:58 -0300

Today, Jon Leitheusser and Steve Kenson were kind enough to join me to talk about some great stuff coming from Green Ronin! First off, we talk about the upcoming Green Ronin release of Icons: The Assembled Edition. Then, after waking up Jon Leitheusser, we discuss the latest Mutants and Masterminds offerings!
Here's the link for the Icons announcement!

Green Ronin Summit 2013 Debriefing with Jon Leitheusser and Steve Kenson

Thu, 24 Oct 2013 03:03:23 -0300

Two of our favorite Green Ronin return to talk about this year's Green Ronin Summit, and their publishing schedule for the next 6 to 8 months. Topics of conversation include the business side of the summit, Mutants and Masterminds, Dragon Age, Song of Ice and Fire, and more! Many thanks again to Jon and Steve for their time, it's always a pleasure to sit down with them.
Pertinent links:The latest Gadget Guide, "Traps," in the Green Ronin Online store.Emerald City Setting Book collection (Coming Soon to the Green Ronin Store)The Cold War Conumdrum, by Dan Houser, via Ad Infinitum Adventures (Steve Kenson's publishing company)and (Blatant Self Promotion) Tianxia: Blood, Silk & Jade on Kickstarter from Vigilance Press

Tianxia Kickstarter Draft Page is up! Check it out!

Fri, 11 Oct 2013 07:07:13 -0300

Thank you for tuning in to a very special Kickstarter episode of the Vigilance Press Podcast! We're talking with Jack Norris today, creator of Tianxia: Blood, Silk & Jade for the Fate Core System! We're going to talk about who we plan to involve in our stretch goals, a little bit about the setting, the Kung Fu rules, and more. We've got a lot to talk about, so forgive us if we ramble a bit.
The Kickstarter Page is still being looked over by the folks at Kickstarter, so it isn't live yet. You can check out the Draft of the kickstarter to find out more, watch the video, and click the star to be informed when it does go live! We hope you're as excited as we are!

Stay Vigilant!(Edited: We've edited the Kickstarter Draft and the podcast to reflect a few changes- The Sifu's Scroll option will be replaced by Backerkit's ability to handle Add-ons easily, so you'll be able to add as many books as you want to your order, as well as dropping the entry level to be a playtester to the minimum backer level of $1.00)

Ryan Macklin talks MYTHENDER!

Sat, 14 Sep 2013 22:22:33 -0300

In this episode of the Vigilance Press Podcast, I have the distinct pleasure to talk to Ryan Macklin, editor and game designer. Ryan talks to me at length about Mythender, his free RPG available for download from Drive Thru RPG and RPGNow.com. We also go into publishing via Drive-Thru's Print on Demand tools and discuss his editing work with Paizo, publishers of Pathfinder. There is a smattering of colorful language in this episode, so this podcast *might* not be safe for everyone, if "F-Bombs" are deemed offensive.
Links to his personal site and the Mythender site are below, check 'em out and enjoy his game!
http://mythenderrpg.com/http://ryanmacklin.com/

Green Ronin's Donna Prior and the Freebooter Program!

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 18:51:34 -0300

Donna Prior, newly minted member of Green Ronin and front-runner of their new Freebooter program, joins us for an interview! We talk about the Freebooter program, a bit about girls and gaming, and generally how games are supposed to be fun. And Donna proves time and again that she has earned her gamer credentials! If you're interested in signing up for the Freebooter program, check out the forum linked here!

Campaign Creation and Iron Man 3!

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:56:13 -0300

We start this podcast off talking with Rick Jones and Tolly Gipson about campaign creation. The topic is the difference between "Episodic" campaigns which depend less on continuity from session to session, and more "Serial" campaigns which rely more on continuity. After that, and with (I hope) fair warning, we start up a spoiler-iffic review of the recent film Iron Man 3 and talk a little bit about Super Rescues! As always, we'd love to hear from you what you'd like so we can do more podcasts in that vein. Comment on our www.vigilancepress.com page, and let us know what you like! -James

DC Adventures Universe-Part Two!

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 21:08:34 -0300

Mutants and Masterminds Line Developer Jon Leitheusser stops by with authors Seth Johnson and Christopher McGlothlin to talk up the final book in the DC Adventures Role-Playing Game series: Universe! We talk about the first two chapters, the process of making the book, and our favorite bits and bobs. Enjoy!

DC Adventures Universe!

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:15:29 -0300

Mutants and Masterminds designer Steve Kenson and author Aaron Sullivan join me to talk about the fourth and final book in the DC Adventures Role-Playing game series: Universe! Join us to find out more of what's in the book, how the series came together, and more! Find the book available for Preorder and in PDF now at http://mutantsandmasterminds.com/! Download a preview PDF here!

Chris Rutkowsky talks Honor + Intrigue and BASH

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 20:40:20 -0400

It is our Honor to bring back Chris Rutkowsky, an old friend of Vigilance Press, to talk about his latest RPG endeavors! First we cover his current Kickstarter for the Awesome Power Power Suites (which you can find here), and then I talk to him in detail about the very impressive Honor + Intrigue! Tune and and check it out! This one is only an hour long... I promise! :)

Beacon City Campaign Episode 06

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:16:24 -0400

The Lamplighter, Tempest, Jade Witch, and Star Child join forces to confront two armies with Beacon City trapped between them in this epic conclusion to "Season One" of our Mutants and Masterminds Actual Play series! James Dawsey GMs and is joined by players Jason "Doctor Comics" Tondro, Rick Jones, Lynn Hill, and Theron Bretz. As always, we welcome comments and suggestions below! By the way, at the start of the show I mention a potential run time. I was WAY off. The show actually runs about 5 hours... thanks to my awesome players for enduring the night! Let the show begin!

Mutants and Masterminds News with Jon Leitheusser and Christopher McGlothlin

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 03:07:53 -0400

Jon Leitheusser and Professor Christopher McGlothlin join James Dawsey to talk about the new Gadget Guides series, the upcoming Emerald City and DC Adventures books, and talk about the upcoming Cosmic Handbook book! With so much Green Ronin news, it's amazing we found time to get Christopher to talk about comics, but we couldn't pass up the change to let him educate us a bit more... brace yourselves, it's over an hour of awesome guest hang-time with two Aces of the Green Ronin crew!

Rick Jones and Yad-Ming Mui talk SixGun and Convention Gaming

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:30:17 -0400

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the Year of the Snake, and Vigilance Press is back on the air! This podcast covers our upcoming SixGun release (In final layout now) in detail, and we also talk about gaming at conventions and writing short-form adventures as compared to longer form adventures. Rick Jones and Yad-Ming Mui are my gusts. We also outline the publishing schedule for upcoming Vigilance Press releases. A new podcast should follow soon! Happy 2013 everyone!

All-Star Writers Roundtable!

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 01:35:00 -0400

Tonight's podcast brings together Jason Tondro, Jack Norris, Rick Jones, and Aaron Sullivan for a powerhouse discussion on upcoming Vigilance Press products! We also answer some fan questions and discuss some finer points of GM'ing a campaign- NPC Character concepts, adventure design, and more! (Unfortunately, I mis-spoke in describing the METAs project, it is in layout but the first issue will only contain the first collection of the original 30 slots that people bought. Sorry for the confusion! The other characters will appear in the coming issues, and anyone who bought into the project will receive the first three PDFs free!) Also check our our latest Print on Demand offering from Create Space here: Black Chapter! (Also available on Amazon.com- search for "Due Vigilance" and it'll pop up) Sign up for our 4-hour Demo game at next week's Infrno.net here!

AetherCon Special Podcast!

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 18:02:01 -0400

Tonight's podcast is an actual play session of Mutants and Masterminds recorded at AetherCon, an online convention using Roll20.net's virtual tabletop. The GM is Tolly ("Timeslip" from our Beacon City games), and James Dawsey plays "Bounce." Join our special guest gamers as we showcase characters from The Challengers as they face off with some dangerous members of Six-Gun! '' Six-Gun is coming soon, but you can find The Challengers as a free download right now from our RPG store! Enjoy the show! Let us know how you like this one compared to the usual approach to our games, I'm curious to see what the difference is between this session and our non-mapped sessions. Thanks again to Tolly for running!

Beacon City Campaign Episode 05

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 03:36:25 -0300

Tonight's Actual Play for Mutants and Masterminds 3E contains the 5th episode in our Beacon City Campaign! Will Timeslip escape the clutches of the Oktobermen? Will the other heroes find their friend? What surprise villain from Green Ronin's Threat Report will make a cameo appearance? Find the answers in this episode! Three hours of Scintillating dice-rolling and rules lawyering! :) New Links for external assets: Tolly's Marvel Heroic Podcast site! Michael Rees's Marvel Blog!

Mutants and Masterminds Kickstarter

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 19:22:24 -0300

Today's Vigilance Press Podcast guest is Jon Leitheusser, who speaks to us about the new Mutants and Masterminds kickstarter project. We also discuss the progress of other M&M-related publications like Supernatural Handbook, Emerald City, and the DC Adventures Universe book! Thanks to Jon for stopping by, and check the kickstarter out at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1780208966/mutants-and-masterminds-10-year-anniversary-editio (no, the link didn't get cut off, that's how it appears on Kickstarter's site!) * Slight update on the info presented in the podcast. Jon and I spoke briefly about the "Character Promotion" reward listed on the kickstarter. Correcting our information, the characters will *not* have illustrations, they will simply be promoted on the M&M website. I do believe they will accept your own art if you want to submit art with the character, however!

Lucien Soulban, Riddles, and prizes to give away!

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 18:13:20 -0300

In tonight's episode, Lucien Soulban, author of several Mutants and Masterminds supplements and many other wonderful things, is giving away three of his Mutants and Masterminds books to the first person who can answer his riddle! The prizes include: Hero High, Lockdown, and Freedom's Most Wanted. To sweeten the pot, the first two runner-ups who post the correct answer to his riddle will also get prizes. The second person to answer the riddle correctly gets a PDF copy of Vigilance Press's "The Oktobermen: Special Edition" and the third person to answer gets "Smoke and Mirrors." We will contact your email (entered when you respond to the blog post) for contact information to send prizes to the winners. Please respond to the post on our vigilance press website to be eligible! The correct address is: http://www.vigilancepress.com/uncategorized/podcast-lucien-soulban-riddles-and-prizes-to-give-away/ Riddle Clues start about 15 minutes in! (that's also where we talk about the rules of the contest) Jason Tondro co-hosts tonight, and we discuss all sorts of great things. Lucien Soulban talks about his career in RPGs and video games, and we talk about our favorite horror comics and how to run a horror game using superheroic protagonists! Tune in, and let us know what you think by replying below! Thanks for listening, and as always, Stay Vigilant!! -James

Beacon City Campaign Episode 04

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 01:06:35 -0300

Tonight's episode of Beacon City has the heroes facing off with the Oktobermen to defend their new friend Tabitha Taboo, and also introduces "serial douchebag" Graf Goethe to the mix (pictured here). Starring: Timeslip, Tempest, and Jade Witch. With appearances by: The Oktobermen, Graf Goethe, Tabitha Taboo, and Nero the Newshound! Check out the artwork for Graf Goethe, Tabitha Taboo, and more here in the Black Chapter Gallery! Find the Oktobermen here, in the Oktobermen Art Gallery!