Kinder Killing

Independent Publishing

2011-10-24T04:10:00.000-07:00

Starting in November Brutal Games will be publishing its own games. We will be selling via Lulu which allows us to print in a range of amazing formats. At present we are working to get all books ready to buy in black and white but in time we hope to have colour versions of all books available and some in hardback too.

Our first new launch will be Gate 22 which we'll have ready for launch in November followed by Cities of Gold later this year.

Cities of Gold - Out 2012

Thanks again to all our players. :)

Syndicate and Gears

2011-10-05T02:15:00.000-07:00

The new Syndicate game has been announced and its looking really good. Excellent inspiration for a game of Corp. I've placed a link to the trailer on the corp site. http://www.corpgame.com/videos

Original syndicate, I recall it looking so much more visually stunning.

I've also been playing Gears of War 3, the campaign was very easy, too many A.I. players helping you but the horde mode is excellent and that's really why I play. As ever the versus multiplayer is savage and very taxing.

In other news I am going to sleeping on the floor from now on. I want the bedroom in my house for other purposes so I'm going to be sleeping on the floor on a thick blanket - traditional Japanese style. Its surprisingly comfortable.

Cities of Gold

2011-09-24T02:07:00.000-07:00

I am working on Cities of Gold at the moment. The E.I Source book. Its going well and is over 100 pages already. All that is really left if the upper echelons of the corporation and then we are ready to go. I'm also playing Gears of War 3 and Dead Island. Look out for a zombie supplement for Corporation soon. It has to be done. :)

Imagine taking these beasties down with yer Agent skillz

Corporation

2011-09-14T02:02:00.000-07:00

We seem to have so many corp projects on the go at the moment and are waiting to see what happens with mongoose before we proceed. I've been have a few problems at home, nothing serious but they don't help with productivity and I find writing to good stuff requires enormous enthusiasm and positivity. Anyway, I seem to be breaking through to the other side and each day I'm feeling more myself. :)

Current projects include.

1. The Humans book - playing humans instead of Agents

2. PDF NPC - these are going to be released each week on PDF

3. Cities of Gold - E.I. Book

4. Gate 22 - Adventure Book

5. Lots of Misc other stuff. :)

Anyway - here are also some animal pictures, animals act as inspiration for me, always chirpy, loving they don't expect too much and don't hold on to negativity. At least not if they are treated with a modicum of respect.

Kanga, she recently died after ingesting poison of some kind.

Ziggy - in the recycling

Dante - In her Dante hole in the garden

Kanga, squeezing her teddy

Miffy in the potatoes

Nosey and Zorro in the snow

Rambo

PDF and Large Cats

2011-09-10T00:28:00.000-07:00

On the Corporation front we are going to be releasing a number of PDF NPCs which will be available to download from Drivethru RPG. These are in addition to existing planned releases.

On another note our huge cat Mr. Wolf has come back after a year living in someone else's house. We did not want him to go but he's not the kind of cat you can negotiate with. Sadly this has scared off our more timid cat who is not a huge fan of Mr. Wolf.

Mr Wolf - Back at Last

Posting Again

2011-09-06T00:17:00.000-07:00

I've not been posting for a while. Things have been very up and down at home. We are currently in a trial run with mongoose under a new system. If it does not work out we'll be printing books on our own which will be both exciting and intimidating. :)

In other news I am learning calligraphy which is a lot of fun and have just completed Deus Ex 3, which was stunningly good. A real inspiration for Corporation.

Hengsha - From the Awesome Deus Ex 3

Corporation Game

2011-06-13T23:57:00.000-07:00

Had our first Corporation game for a while last night, things had conspired to keep it from happening. It was great fun and the players had to babysit a rockstar called Puke Double**ck, his cameraman Samwise and his girlfriend Margaret Thatcher. It was all very entertaining and much fun was had by all.

Day off today so I will be spending the afternoon playing Hunted. I'll be trying to complete he co-op mode before Friday as Dungeon Siege 3 comes out then!

My kitty Kanga died this week, she was a beautiful cat, so friendly and gentle. It seems she was poisoned by either antifreeze, lillies or dog flea treatment (which we do not use for). I hope somebody reads this and as a result is able to stop their cat getting poisoned and hope the other 5 kitties do not find whatever the substance was. It made me sad (and admittedly angry) to think that it was probably some stupid chemical which never needed to be made which ended such an innocent little life.

I buried her in the garden and go to see her every day.

Minimising and Books

2011-06-09T05:06:00.000-07:00

The discarding of stuff is going well. I managed to get rid of £800 today to pay a council tax bill! Woot!
Ruth is doing well selling stuff on Ebay and I am selling some of my old paintings too. My new book is so nearly ready, one more proof and its done (just some final formatting and art tweaks are always necessary post proofing).

After selling all the DVDs we now have a subscription Lovefilm which again keeps stuff out of the house so we have less junk and allows us to watch great films etc. without paying the large prices. A month of Lovefilm is about the cost of 1 DVD, so not bad.

Garden full of edibles

I've grown a lot of stuff and am now eating salad out of the garden most days. Very strong flavours. Also found out how to make soba noodles from scratch so another foodstuff to add to the vegan repertoire.

Less Stuff

2011-06-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

For the past 6 months or so I have been getting rid of a lot of my stuff. Starting in layers with things that i really don't need and continuing onto things which I think I use, but I actually don' t. I keep stripping things away and am now at a stage I would describe as follows:

If I come home and someone had stolen this one item and nothing else, would I notice.

If the answer is no, then I probably don't need it.

Some stuff is tricky, it has sentimental value but nonetheless, I don't really use it or look at it, so would it not be better to keep a few special items which I actually use or look at, rather than a load of them which just sit there.

Ruth is ebaying anything of note, the rest goes to animal charities.

Its a long process as I seem to have collected a lot of stuff but its slowly working. To compliment it I have also stopped buying almost everything I used to buy. I now only buy books (if I cannot get them at the library, games (which is my number one hobby) and food. The only other things I get are for work as sadly I have to make some money.

Anyway, the process is very interesting and liberating. I have no regrets yet except one book which I got rid of which I think I should have kept. It was only a paperback so I can re-acquire it. As I lose these trappings I am better able to focus on important things.

Eventually the plan is to be able to move house in a car (which I will need to borrow). :)

Brutal Games Website

2011-05-29T00:08:00.000-07:00

With the addition of Bloodhunters and my 'special project' it seems we might need a new Brutal Games website. Hmmm.....

I'm hoping to get Bloodhunter out by the end of this year and my special project should only be a few weeks.

Bloodhunters

2011-05-28T02:10:00.000-07:00

We have announced Bloodhunters on the forum and it has met with a good response which is great. I'm currently just finishing a mini-project which should be available in around a month.

Working Cover

Unveil on Friday

2011-05-17T05:28:00.000-07:00

We are planning to unveil our new project on Friday and hopefully in a short time we'll be able to upload some samples for people to see.

On the Corporation front, only two chapters left to proof, then corrections, then off to Mongoose.

Tried making gnocchi today - was a bit strange, did not use egg (obviously) and used wheat / gluten free flour. Its still worked but I think needs refining.

New Project

2011-05-16T02:57:00.000-07:00

Matt and I are working on a new product which we are hoping to announce on Friday. Its very exciting and we are really pleased with the progress we are making on it.

In other news I think everyone should observe the vegan black metal chef. Finally something vegan on the internet with a bit of bang and some attitude. :)

http://www.youtube.com/user/VeganBlackMetalChef

Also just come back from a weekend on dartmoor, it was hard work but good fun.

Camping on the first night, lightning came that night.

Back at last

2011-05-02T01:55:00.000-07:00

So I am now back, the reason for the delay is that my wife (Ruth's) father died after a long struggle with Cancer. He was a wonderful man and will be dearly missed. The family are doing as well as can be expected but it was a very sad time for everyone. We are all trying not to dwell on the bad bits and instead are remembering the good times we had with him.

So what is happening now?

Well Gate 22 is on the final proofing and should be ready to go to the printers in a few weeks!!

Cities of Gold (E.I. Book) is about 90 pages complete so should also be ready in a few months.

We are also working on a whole new book not in the Corporation range but more details of that will be revealed soon.

We have a new cat called Miffy who was dumped in Ireland. She is very sweet, I'm always amazed people can dump them.

Miffy in the Potato Patch

On another note I'm a little ticked off with Virgin Media. I was getting rubbish Broadband speeds so I rang them. They said they would upgrade me for free. Wow I thought. Well it got much better, then I got my bill - it was much more expensive. I rang up and apparently they'd charged me anyway and the man on the phone had not got the authority to do that give me free stuff. He was just placating me or something. Anyway, be careful, I think I'm going to switch to a new provider.

Games

2011-02-04T00:13:00.000-08:00

I've been playing quite a few games this week, mainly Halo Reach Slayer and Dead Space 2. I'm also going to start working on the card game again next week. I have a feeling it will fill a reach niche.

A DSi & Old London

2011-01-30T01:18:00.000-08:00

Got myself a nintendo DSi yesterday - impressive little machine and very cheap now, I guess due to the upcoming 3DS. I only have pokemon heart gold at the moment but it very immersive and fun. I'm sure there are some ideas in there that can be used for corporation. Maybe PockeBIO, where Agents carry BIOs around and fight each other with them.

Did a picture of Old London yesterday for the new E.I. Book, might need a little more work.

Old London

Its Friday the 28th

2011-01-28T00:20:00.000-08:00

Yes....Deadspace 2 is out today but I have not yet completed Divinity 2 and am in a quandary as to whether to go and get it. I love getting games on the day of release and Dead Space 2 will have some amazing inspiration for writing Corporation stuff.

Its also E.I. Friday today and I have reduced the prices of the PDFs on Drivethru.
http://tinyurl.com/35kk2pz

Teleporters

2011-01-24T05:51:00.000-08:00

Its now Cities of Gold all the way - am already around 50 pages in and adding more each day. Recently lots of details about teleporters have been added including prices for teleporting and getting your own teleporter. There is even a fail table with some amusing side effects which GM's will love and players will fear.

Sketch for the Subspace Beast - Part of the Teleport Fail Table.

Ruth has been invited to do some magazine articles which should be excellent for promoting her new book - www.ruthnorbury.com

Mum and Dad are still in Rome having a great time by the sounds of things.

Website Update

2011-01-22T05:47:00.000-08:00

I don't like the menu system on the Corp website at the moment, it does not give enough room to add new sections in the way that we want to so we are trying something new at the moment. www.corpgame.com.

As predicted, my Art of Darksiders books has already fallen apart one day in. Very sad but its such a good book I am going to keep it. Sending it back would only get me another copy which would also fall apart.

Still working my way through Divinty 2 - still excellent, finished part 1, now onto the expansion. Great value for money.

Friday is E.I. Day

2011-01-21T04:03:00.000-08:00

Today is E.I. Friday so I've uploaded another of Lee's excellent lists to Drivethru

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=2380&filters=0_0_0_0&affiliate_id=203998

I received the most amazing book in the post this morning - it's the Art of Darksiders. A massive book crammed with the most stunning and inspiring artwork. Joe Madureira is a truly impressive artist and it's got to be one of my favourite volumes ever.

Darksiders itself was a fantastic game for the 360 and one which I hope to play though again soon.

Here's a link to some of his work.
http://www.joemadfan.com/gallery.html?p17_sectionid=23

Only a week till Dead Space 2 - another game with some brilliant concept art.

Back to Cities of Gold

2011-01-20T03:46:00.000-08:00

Now that GATE 22 has been completed I am awaiting the final edits and then I will be able to send it off to Mongoose. In the meantime I am returning to Cities of Gold which is already 45 pages in. Normally that would be a third but I feel that this is going to be a big book; there is so much good material which can go into the E.I. book.

There are some new interesting optional rules appearing in the book which could dramatically alter play style if you decide to insert them (for the better). Of course, if they are not for you they are certainly not compulsory.

In other news I am going to try hanging a door today - that should prove interesting as its never been one of my strong points. My tools of choice are a hammer and chainsaw - you can do any DIY tasks with such a setup.

Mr. Wolf

This is Mr. Wolf - My fiercest cat - he actually hospitalised our neighbour!

A new project

2011-01-17T07:01:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the old Choose Your Own Adventure Books, well I am planning a really up to date version with a persistent character set in the Corporation world. You'll have skills, stats, equipment, cash etc, and be able to take part in an extended campaign which will span a number or books.

Its something I always wish was around when I lived on my own for 6 months in the middle of a swamp and had no one to game with. The Lone Wolf books seem pretty good and I am reading them now.

In other news I'm doing the XX page references in GATE 22 today.

Elias Montenegro from Gate 22

Corporation Mission Novels

2011-01-15T03:44:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what to call them but I've been considering doing some books for corporation which you can play on your own with a specially generated character, much in the line of the Lone Wolf books from Mongoose. I've fancied it for some time and have done a few trial runs.

I will be starting that this week, developing a system and laying out a plot. The idea is to be able to play the books in order and develop your character along the way.

Evolved Hunter - From GATE 22

Friday is E.I.Day

2011-01-13T07:16:00.000-08:00

Today I've decided that every Friday we are going to do something for Corporation. It could be an announcement or a free download etc. That will mean every Friday there will be something for people to look at and keep momentum going. Should be exciting - I hope we can get enough new stuff together so we don't disappoint. Should not be a problem.

Did not quite finish the book today - finished two images and one NPC. Also did half the contents. Should be done this week though.

http://www.corpgame.com/coming-soon

Drivethru RPG Sale

2011-01-13T02:04:00.000-08:00

Drivethru RPG contacted me a few weeks ago stating that they were running a sale to give gamers the chance to try some new games for only $11. The list is quite short so we were really pleased to be invited to take part.

http://tinyurl.com/6gxpxqn

Sales have been huge since the sale began only a few days ago which is great as it means hopefully loads of new people will get into Corporation.

Should get the end of Gate 22 done today, just one NPC to write up! Then the contents and index.

Deus Ex 3

2011-01-11T02:37:00.000-08:00

Deus Ex 3 - As if the Gods themselves had made a game!

Corporation (www.corpgame.com) was inspired by a few key productions.

System Shock 2
Deus Ex 1 & 2
Total Recall
Running Man
Terminator
Blade Runner
5th Element
The Matrix

And a few others I forget off the top of my head.

So when I saw the trailer for the new Deus Ex 3 game I almost exploded. I've been waiting what seems like a decade for this game and looking at the media, its gonna be everything I was hoping for and more.

If this trailer (found on the link below) does not get you in the mood for some Corporation then I'll be a cybermonkey's uncle.

http://www.deusex.com/

Corel Painter XI

2011-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

So I'm trying a demo of Corel Painter 11 which I'm finding pretty cryptic. I'ver used photoshop for years and have wanted to try Painter as many people recommend it. I'm not finding it very intuitive and am going to have to get some serious time in during the 30 day trial in order to see whether I want to fork out £150 for the full version. I am impressed with the bits I could make work.

I drew most of this image in Painter but ended up lost so had to finish it in photoshop. (Image to follow, blog software is being naughty).

Stratford and Streetfighter

2011-01-09T01:19:00.000-08:00

I went to Stratford Upon Avon yesterday and was impressed at the way they have managed to maintain so much of the character of the old town. Lots of oak beamed buildings and the like. Some of the pubs looked fantastic with open log fires and low ceilings. Makes me wish we had a bit more of that in Swansea.

Anyway, that took up pretty much the whole day so I am having to work this morning, even though I cannot wait to get back to some more Divinity 2. I've also ordered Street Fighter 4 as so many people say what a good game it it. Got it second hand on Amazon for £6 - result.

Essay from the Dalai Lama

2011-01-08T03:08:00.000-08:00

I am very motivated by the teachings of the Dalai Lama, though I am not a Buddhist. This essay, although about stress and depression, I believe, has some very insightful and useful ideas for many negative feelings.

Link to the Original Article
http://dalailama.com/messages/articles/counter-stress

Countering Stress and Depression

At a fundamental level, as human beings, we are all the same; each one of us aspires to happiness and each one of us does not wish to suffer. This is why, whenever I have the opportunity, I try to draw people's attention to what as members of the human family we have in common and the deeply interconnected nature of our existence and welfare.

Today, there is increasing recognition, as well as a growing body of scientific evidence, that confirms the close connection between our own states of mind and our happiness. On the one hand, many of us live in societies that are very developed materially, yet among us are many people who are not very happy. Just underneath the beautiful surface of affluence there is a kind of mental unrest, leading to frustration, unnecessary quarrels, reliance on drugs or alcohol, and in the worst case, suicide. There is no guarantee that wealth alone can give you the joy or fulfilment that you seek. The same can be said of your friends too. When you are in an intense state of anger or hatred, even a very close friend appears to you as somehow frosty, or cold, distant, and annoying.

However, as human beings we are gifted with this wonderful human intelligence. Besides that, all human beings have the capacity to be very determined and to direct that strong sense of determination in whatever direction they like. So long as we remember that we have this marvellous gift of human intelligence and a capacity to develop determination and use it in positive ways, we will preserve our underlying mental health. Realizing we have this great human potential gives us a fundamental strength. This recognition can act as a mechanism that enables us to deal with any difficulty, no matter what situation we are facing, without losing hope or sinking into feelings of low self-esteem.

I write this as someone who lost his freedom at the age of 16, then lost his country at the age of 24. Consequently, I have lived in exile for more than 50 years during which we Tibetans have dedicated ourselves to keeping the Tibetan identity alive and preserving our culture and values. On most days the news from Tibet is heartbreaking, and yet none of these challenges gives grounds for giving up. One of the approaches that I personally find useful is to cultivate the thought: If the situation or problem is such that it can be remedied, then there is no need to worry about it. In other words, if there is a solution or a way out of the difficulty, you do not need to be overwhelmed by it. The appropriate action is to seek its solution. Then it is clearly more sensible to spend your energy focussing on the solution rather than worrying about the problem. Alternatively, if there is no solution, no possibility of resolution, then there is also no point in being worried about it, because you cannot do anything about it anyway. In that case, the sooner you accept this fact, the easier it will be for you. This formula, of course, implies directly confronting the problem and taking a realistic view. Otherwise you will be unable to find out whether or not there is a resolution to the problem

Taking a realistic view and cultivating a proper motivation can also shield you against feelings of fear and anxiety. If you develop a pure and sincere motivation, if you are motivated by a wish to help on the basis of kindness, compassion, and respect, then you can carry on any kind of work, in any field, and function more effectively with less fear or worry, not being afraid of what others think or whether you ultimately will be successful in reaching your goal. Even if you fail to achieve your goal, you can feel good about having made the effort. But with a bad motivation, people can praise you or you can achieve goals, but you still will not be happy.

Again, we may sometimes feel that our whole lives are unsatisfactory, we feel on the point of being overwhelmed by the difficulties that confront us. This happens to us all in varying degrees from time to time. When this occurs, it is vital that we make every effort to find a way of lifting our spirits. We can do this by recollecting our good fortune. We may, for example, be loved by someone; we may have certain talents; we may have received a good education; we may have our basic needs provided for - food to eat, clothes to wear, somewhere to live - we may have performed certain altruistic deeds in the past. We must take into consideration even the slightest positive aspect of our lives. For if we fail to find some way of uplifting ourselves, there is every danger of sinking further into our sense of powerlessness. This can lead us to believe that we have no capacity for doing good whatsoever. Thus we create the conditions of despair itself.

As a Buddhist monk I have learned that what principally upsets our inner peace is what we call disturbing emotions. All those thoughts, emotions, and mental events which reflect a negative or uncompassionate state of mind inevitably undermine our experience of inner peace. All our negative thoughts and emotions - such as hatred, anger, pride, lust, greed, envy, and so on - are considered to be sources of difficulty, to be disturbing. Negative thoughts and emotions are what obstruct our most basic aspiration - to be happy and to avoid suffering. When we act under their influence, we become oblivious to the impact our actions have on others: they are thus the cause of our destructive behaviour both toward others and to ourselves. Murder, scandal, and deceit all have their origin in disturbing emotions.

This inevitably gives rise to the question - can we train the mind? There are many methods by which to do this. Among these, in the Buddhist tradition, is a special instruction called mind training, which focuses on cultivating concern for others and turning adversity to advantage. It is this pattern of thought, transforming problems into happiness that has enabled the Tibetan people to maintain their dignity and spirit in the face of great difficulties. Indeed I have found this advice of great practical benefit in my own life.

A great Tibetan teacher of mind training once remarked that one of the mind’s most marvellous qualities is that it can be transformed. I have no doubt that those who attempt to transform their minds, overcome their disturbing emotions and achieve a sense of inner peace, will, over a period of time, notice a change in their mental attitudes and responses to people and events. Their minds will become more disciplined and positive. And I am sure they will find their own sense of happiness grow as they contribute to the greater happiness of others. I offer my prayers that everyone who makes this their goal will be blessed with success.

The Dalai Lama

December 31, 2010

Originally published in the Hindustan Times, India, on January 3rd, 2011

Divinity 2

2011-01-07T02:38:00.000-08:00

I've been playing a new game called Divinity 2 for Xbox 360, its perhaps one of the best RPGs I've played so far. Its humorous (like the old Baldur's Gate games), interesting, got a good combat system, not weighed down with loads of daft items and has a fun progression system.

A far cry from Fallout Vegas which is just more Fallout, no real improvements and so many glitches I stopped playing it.

I would heartily recommend it and am going to write to the manufacturers to let them know what a cracking job they've done. It kind of slipped under the radar a little and did not receive much attention.

Piano

2011-01-02T05:34:00.000-08:00

I am currently also learning the piano. I've got a keyboard at the moment which has full sized keys and am finding the process much easier that I had expected. After only a few hours I am playing two handed pieces with some tricky chord changes (tricky to me anyway). I'm using the lessons which come bundled with my iMac, they are very good and I'm a little disappointed I cannot download more.

I'd like to be able to play some of the tunes from Final Fantasy 7 eventually.

Above is an image of a Pitt Cat I drew for Gate 22, the books I'm currently working on.

Back to Work

2011-01-02T01:12:00.000-08:00

I am back to work now after some time off over the festive period. I've got an unending stream of tasks to complete starting with proofing Gate 22. A skilled careful approach will make me happier according to the Dalai Lama, so I'll try and do that. I know that sounds a bit odd but I find his teachings to be very powerful and try to take on board as many of them as I can. They can really help when things are not working out the way they should.

Picture of the day - the Front Cover of GATE 22 - More information can be found on the website

Which Game to Play?

2010-12-30T05:22:00.000-08:00

GAMES
I had a week off over Christmas, played some games (Need for Speed - Xbox 360). I did not like it that much to be honest. It was okay but did not have that special something. I'm wondering what to play next. I tried Dead Rising 2 but did not get on with the time limit.

I may revert back to Fallout Vegas which I stopped playing due to the game shattering glitches. They've patched it now so maybe I could give it another go. On the bright side I'm really looking forward to the new Deus Ex game as well as the Mortal Kombat.

WRITING
As regards the writing - I have finished Gate 22 and playtested it. I'm now doing a final proofing and layout adjustment before handing it over to Ruth who will give a final final final proofing. Then it'll be off to Mongoose.

The last book - Incorporated Volume 1 - is also available on PDF now.

FOOD
Finished reading The China Study - I recommend it to anyone who is interested in health, sustainability and animal free food.

Welcome to Kinder Killing

2010-12-30T04:13:00.000-08:00

So I was keeping a blog on my main website but I'm not sure enough happens on a daily basis in the world of writing games to make an active blog so I have started this new blog which is more personal not so RPG orientated. The old blog can be found here.

Rather than introduce myself here, please see the profile information.

Instead of once a year, I'll be attempting to update this blog several times a week to keep things interesting. Please feel free to write with any comments, questions or suggestions.

Oh....and why Kinder Killing - it explains two of my main motivations.
1. I am a vegan animal rights activist and believe compassion is central to happiness, both on a personal and global scale.
2. I write games about killing people and play games where killing people is generally the objective. Note these are GAMES - not real.

Picture for the day - my beautiful wife Ruth on our wedding day. :)