Firestorm: Modern Edition

Firestorm: Modern Edition is moving closer to completion. The full rules will be featured here when completed. These rules will be 100% free, including rosters. I have template prototypes ready for the laser cutter as well. If you're into 6mm war gaming check it out.

Busy Week

I've been quite busy and generally up to no good! Well, generally up to no good. I've begun rebuilding the Armory Games website, though it isn't quite ready for the civilian populace- yet. I'm still playing with the theme a bit, but I don't overly mind what I have already chosen for it. Once the website is fully live, I will most likely be migrating these blogs to it.

For those of you who have been following the Firestorm Game Dev blog, I'm sorry to say that the game system is going table top for the time being. There are several reasons for this, but the largest is that I can manage the entire production myself until interest ramps up. This means that the game will actually be completed.

In addition to this, the Firestorm Rules Set will be released in modern edition for free. That's right, free! So if you're interested in miniature war gaming, there is no reason not to check it out. I'll be posting a beta version of the rules in ~ a month. Less depending on how well everything fits together in this grand scheme of mine.

Work on the novel continues (though at a slower pace) and I should have it up for sale in less than 6 months. I'm also now involved in making instructional videos for home computing/networking and the like. These are basic videos meant for those with little or no knowledge of computing systems. In conjunction, I may very well be offering classes at the local libraries for the same things.

So, overall, I'm keeping rather busy. Idle hands are the devil's workshop, as they say.

Outline

Welcome to blog update 2. I know, a new blog entry so soon? I'm going to be updating this blog every Friday for those of you who like to keep everything on a clean schedule. For those who pop in at random, come back in a week for an update.

I've completed the first draft of the outline and moved forward with the first chapter. It has been a while since I've done any creative writing (and non-technical reading, for that matter), so I felt it was necessary to gauge how well I can follow the outline before re-writing it.

So far, it seems that I am able to follow the outline without much trouble. Creating an outline is an important processes when writing a novel or series of short stories. It can become very difficult to know when to end a chapter, and how to begin another without a clear view of the big picture. It can also allow you to predetermine what is contained within each novel, creating stronger plot continuity.

But I digress. I had originally planned on writing Firestorm to fully explain the technology base of the 23rd century. I feel that this bogs down the story with mundane technical details. Instead, I will also release an encyclopedia of technology for free on Scribd.com. This allows me to focus more on character development (a much more important aspect of writing) and give gear heads additional content to read at their leisure.

That's it for this blog post. See you again next week!

Phase 1: Code Name - Firestorm

I have begun writing in earnest again, with the Firestorm universe being the most salient option at this point. I have weighed my options and currently consider digital publishing mediums such as scribd and Kindle to be the most lucrative choices. While I hold nothing against traditional publishers, I don't envy the idea of spending months on rejection letters before receiving a lukewarm entry bid at a low percentage.

I also understand that many people would prefer a physical copy to purchase, rather than depend on a digital volume that holds no resale or bookshelf value. For those, I am looking into createspace.com, a service which prints books as they are ordered at no cost to the author. This allows said authors to earn royalties without an extensive upfront cost. However, the cost of purchasing a physical copy of my literature will be 50% to 75% more than the digital copy. The price increase covers the physical material and shipping of the product, and is unavoidable.

Economics aside, I have outlined 5 of roughly 10 chapters from the first book of the Firestorm series. I'm not yet prepared to post any specifics aside from a brief synopsis as follows:

The discovery of time compression using the Gelvin theory (first published in 2190), leads to the theory that an enveloped of compressed time can be created to dramatically slow time for all those within its wake. A series of ships given the class "Einstein" test the theory, travelling from Earth to Unity Station orbiting Pluto, prove the theory works. Over the next 80 years, focus on creating ships that can generate a field large enough to cover an entire fleet commences.

In the year 2315, the population of Earth has reached a critical level. Though colonies exist within the whole of the solar system, they are underdeveloped and not yet prepared to handle the influx of potential immigrants. The discovery of the star HG5581 and it's orbiting planet (HG5581a) behind the dark nebula Hadrien impels the governments of the world to force an exodus of up to 10% of all armed forces and 10% of the general population.

By 2320, a coalition of armed forces departs 5 years before the colonists to establish a secure environment for the colonist to arrive establish a solid human empire among the stars. Both the journey and arrival of these forces is met with strife. All the hardship and suffering endured by these new arrivals is but a footnote in the vast and deep expanse of the Helix Stars and their many other inhabitants...