The Ups and Downs of 2003

Everyone else does it, why not me? 2003 was an interesting year with some of my greatest and worst moments to date. Here's 2003 from my perspective -- professionally and personally:

Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed
Obviously, the big thing from Malhavoc Press this year was Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed. While we put out a lot of other great books, this was our first hardcover, our largest book ever, and our best-selling product to date. We started out the year with our design diaries, a popular new feature on the site. (So popular that I've seen them pop up on a lot of other sites since then!) These detailed the processes involved in the design decisions made as I worked on the book. They were fun and people seemed to like them so I continued (and will continue) the design diary as I work on other products.

Arcana Unearthed made a big splash at GenCon. ICv2's Retailer's Guide to Games named it one of the hot RPG properties of the year. By all accounts, it was one of the best selling roleplaying books of 2003. We couldn't be happier.

We also released a DM's Screen and Player's Guide for Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed, as well as The Diamond Throne setting book. We made agreements with companies like Fiery Dragon and Mystic Eye Games to produce support products. Iron Wind Metals put out Arcana Unearthed miniatures. More Arcana Unearthed support products from Mystic Eye, Necromancer Games, Code Monkey Publishing, and others are on the way.

In 2003 we created the Council of Magisters and they launched diamondthrone.com. This website continues to support Arcana Unearthed on a weekly basis with great content, stories and ideas. You should be checking it each week, if you ask me.

We have big plans for the future of Arcana Unearthed. Next year will see the release of Legacy of the Dragons, a big bestiary, and Mystic Secrets: the Lore of Word and Rune, a magic sourcebook. Still more fun announcements regarding Arcana Unearthed and related projects are on the way.

Other Malhavoc Products
Of course, Arcana Unearthed wasn't the only book we released this year. The Book of Hallowed Might, Mindscapes, When the Sky Falls, Cry Havoc, and Anger of Angels, as well as the PDF version of Chaositech, are all products I'm very proud of, and each has done very well for us.

We did very well at the 2003 ENnies Awards. The two awards I'm most proud of are Best Official Website and Best Publisher. That kind of appreciation really means a lot to me.

2003 has been Malhavoc Press' biggest and best year yet. We can't wait to see what 2004 brings.

Three Point Five and Other Game Stuff
This year, Wizards of the Coast released D&D v. 3.5, an update/revision of the 3rd Edition rules. Whether you thought it was the greatest thing ever, or the devil's work printed between two covers (or perhaps, six covers), it certainly caused some furor. My own feelings on the new edition are probably a mystery to no one, but in case you missed it, you can still read my review.

2003 products (not from us) to get really excited out, as far as I'm concerned, include the Draconomicon, A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe, Green Ronin's Testament, and Necromancer Games' Book of Taverns.

The World Around Us
The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy wrapped up this year, and, I might add, with a bang. The world of entertainment offered us a lot this year, I think. I'm the proud owner of a Firefly DVD boxed set, I really enjoyed X2, Pirates of the Caribbean, Finding Nemo, A Mighty Wind, Mystic River, Elf, Lost in Translation, and other movies this year (including both Matrix sequels, which I know sets me apart from a lot of people; the reasons why probably deserve their own complicated column sometime).

Some great books came out this year as well. I enjoyed Dan Simmons' Ilium, and From Bush to Bush by Don Novello made me laugh out loud a number of times.

The real world in 2003 seemed to be one of only conflict and strife. I'm not even sure what my feelings are on all of it, looking back. I guess there's a reason I enjoy escapist fantasy.

Why Are You Asking Me?
It used to be general 3rd Edition rules questions. I'd get a number of them every day. I answered them out of a feeling of obligation and community, despite the fact that I didn't work for Wizards of the Coast anymore, and despite the fact that Wizards pays a staff of people to answer questions and Dragon magazine pays the Sage to do the same. Eventually, they (mostly) abated.

This year, however, marked a change. Now, my frequent "why are you emailing me?" questions are all legal in nature. This blows my mind. Many are questions about copyright. Others are about the use of Open Game Content. If I had to pick a "peeve" of 2003 it would be this issue. The OGL is a license -- this isn't a game. This is serious stuff, with serious ramifications. If you're not taking it seriously, or if you don't understand how it works, talk to a legal professional. Don't ask me, and definitely don't just post your questions to a message board somewhere. That's just asking for trouble. If you were seriously ill, you wouldn't ask your gaming buddies -- or worse, people you don't even know -- medical questions, right? The same thing applies here. If you have legal questions, including issues of copyright and use of the license, talk to a lawyer. Alternatively, check a book on copyright law out of the library. And then talk to a lawyer. Preferably one with experience in copyright law, a complicated facet of the law in its own right.

The cold, harsh truth is, if you're not serious enough to talk to a lawyer (and pay the legal fees), perhaps you're not actually serious enough to get into self-publishing. I encourage new publishers because it's good to circulate new blood into the industry, but only publishers with the wherewithal and professionalism to do a good job. Self-publishing has a very bad reputation, and I'd like to help banish that. I'd like to work among professionals.

And yes, creating a website is publishing. If you want to use the Open Game License to post open content on your site, know what you're doing. If you don't want to mess around with all the legal hassles and just want to create a campaign website for you and your friends, password protect the site and give the password to your game group.

2003 for Me
I'm sorry to say that while Malhavoc Press had a great year, on a purely personal level, I really did not. You all know about Wilbur. You might also know that we got a dog this year, Rufus. I'm very, very sad to say that Rufus passed away about two weeks ago. He was hit by a car. I can't begin to tell you how sad we are about this, so I'm not even going to try.

It's difficult to look upon the year in reflection when something like that happens right at the end. It's like there's an emotional wall behind me that I can't see past. I know there were plenty of good times. Our trip to Cancun was a lot of fun, and working on The Gamers DVD was a highlight. We attended I-Con, Marcon, and GenCon, and we had a great time at all three. (In 2004, I have tentative plans to go to Origins, GenCon, and GenCon SoCal.) I started a new Ptolus game, although I haven't finished all the updates from the last one yet (I know, I suck). So there have been good thingsin 2003 for me as well. Still, I'm kinda glad it's over.

I'm looking forward to 2004, both personally and professionally. I hope you'll come along with me to see how it all turns out.