You know, I love a hard copy as much as the next guy, and I far prefer them to a PDF.  But who says you can't turn a PDF into an actual book?

What I do is simply print the books out.  The vast majority (all but the cover and counters) are black and white, so it's not like it's burning an enormous amount of ink.  Recently I've taken to using card stock (the heaviest I can find that are made to go through printers) for the front and back cover, and voila - you've got yourself an actual "module", an adventure just like the ones we used to buy at the store!

Here's an example:

Ramble wrote on Aug 19^th, 2012 at 4:10am:


Sounds good. I take it the bad guys will be a mix of regular bad guys and Axis villains?

Ramble wrote on Aug 19^th, 2012 at 4:10am:


So it's not all super soldiers, just supers from different nations? I take it all of them have actual super powers, and aren't necessarily "mystery men" types?

Ramble wrote on Aug 19^th, 2012 at 4:10am:


Sounds good

Ramble wrote on Aug 19^th, 2012 at 4:10am:


Well, I'll definitely get them. Even if I don't use them for V&V, I can always use them for another game. Converting isn't too hard.

Bill Kropp wrote on Aug 18^th, 2012 at 7:56pm:


You are not alone Bill!

I am a computer using luddite of sorts; I prefer print for my Thursday night gaming, it just 'feels right'.

I'm looking forward to reading all of the above mentioned books.

Gerry wrote on Aug 19^th, 2012 at 6:29am:


Very perceptive. Yes, Homefront will be two (or possibly 3 adventures) that take place on U.S. soil, where the Axis are trying to leave the US focused on internal issues and not on the war in Europe. They can do this by using a few subtle supers/spies to stir things up without giving the Americans a credible reason to assume Axis involvement.

WWIISS is essentially a full package of supers who could be found in a variety of scenairos in a WWII campaign. While there are a few purely skilled folks in the book, most are have devices, psionics, superpowers, etc, to keep them alive. Never understood how Union Jack in Marvel had the guts to put on a costume... and he was armed with a pistol! 

Glad to hear you're pumped about the set. I think we'll need to include a few ways that approach a WWII campaign at some point for the players and GM's that aren't ready to do a few campaign of WWII.

Ramble

John wrote on Aug 18^th, 2012 at 9:39am:


I've got a few...
1) When you get a writer's block - don't fight it. It's trying to tell you something.
2) Don't try to be a writer and an editor at the same time. It's a compromise and it muddles what you're trying to do.
3) Be honest with your audience about what you're trying to say.
4) Have a goal and a plan. Use the plan to build towards the goal.

Ramble


One of my books has taken a long time to get made because it's a challenging topic (WWII), and often I'll hit a road block as I build it. What I've come to realize is that the block is simply another idea that you find interesting... and that idea has merit, so instead of trying to ignore it or downplay it, I save the original book and work on the new idea. I let the idea exhaust itself, and then return back to the orignal.

Ramble wrote on Aug 20^th, 2012 at 2:03am:


Ok, so it's all adventures with Axis involvement, and none that just feature American villains acting on their own?

Ramble wrote on Aug 20^th, 2012 at 2:03am:


Well, the second one had electro-magnetic powers....

Ramble wrote on Aug 20^th, 2012 at 2:03am:


That sounds good.

I'm actually working on some stuff (for a few other systems) featuring Golden Age comic book villains available in the public domain. The public domain supers wiki is a good resource for characters of the day, and you'd be surprised that of all the villains listed on the wiki (I think around 300), only about 1/6th of them are Axis characters, and even less Japanese (with no Italian villains). The golden age was ripe with ideas, just like the modern era is, just with less clutter 

And now with words...

Homefront is about the war coming to the US, which means there will be some Axis involvement. That said, there are home grown villains in that book as well... including one that is extremely American, and an excellent opponent for modern day heroes too.

Maybe Union Jack II had powers, but he's not the one I remember. 

And I think for Golden Age heroes, not just focusing on WWII is a good thing. It was more than WWII that makes up the golden age afterall. For these books of mine, I'm focusing on WWII because (with the exception of the Devil's Domain) I don't think V&V has ever officially approached a war, and what that means for our heroes.

Ramble

Display Name wrote on Aug 21^st, 2012 at 2:14am:


What it means is that when I get writer's block, it usually means I need to switch gears. For example, if I'm having a hard time with this new character I'm adding to a module or book... maybe that's a sign I need to take a step back and ask - "why am I trying to add this to my book?"

When I started working on my Super Soldiers book, I created a character that was really interesting... an excellent idea. I invested time and energy on him... I could visualize him, and his powers were cool... but I couldn't finish him. I hit a writer's block. So... I took him out of the book. I removed him completely, and put him in another file because he just didn't fit my book. He needed his own adventure... he needed space to explain his plans and explore his character.

OR... another character just didn't feel like he belonged in WWII, but here was a cool character nevertheless. So, I took him out, and began a new file called Mercenaries set in the modern age.

Sometimes writer's blocks are just a sign you've created something that doesn't work where you've placed it, and no matter how much you play around with that concept, it's a piece that belongs in another puzzle. No matter how much you butt your head against the wall, your gut will tell you that idea belongs somewhere else.

By the time I finish WWII Super Soldiers, I'll have created another entire book (Mercenaries) and have the raw materials for the adventures for a third book (Homefront) in a state where they can be pulled together. And that's because I used my writer's blocks as building blocks.

Does that make sense?

Ramble

Do you like easter eggs?

For those who have an interest in the upcoming WWII Super Soldiers book, I foreshadow two characters from WWIISS in the Mercenaries Book.

Hint: Look in the origins for Crackerjack and Hurtsickle.

Ramble

Not that Baron Blood wasn't pretty dangerous if used correctly

Really nice cover!

Looks awesome, J! 

Awesome cover; the central character gives me a sort-of Brother Blood vibe (which is a very good thing BTW). Great stuff. 

That is a great cover, JB.

Brother Blood... wow, that's a blast from the past!

Ramble

dsumner wrote on Aug 30^th, 2012 at 4:44pm:


I've read the manuscript for Menagerie, and here are just two of the selling points:

1. The authors include several stand-alone villains, including 1-2  that follow-up on the ancient beings mentioned in the origin of Sludge in the Secret in the Swamp.

2. If you're looking for a Christmas adventure, Menagerie has a Christmas encounter.

Avatar wrote on Aug 30^th, 2012 at 10:56pm:


Experienced.

Ramble