Archive for the ‘Press’ Category
Posted on July 21, 2009 - by jamie
Interviewed by Ogres
I recently did an interview with Allan “Sven” Sugarbaker of OgreCave.com as part of their “Random Encounter” series. The Ogres were curious about the recent announcements regarding my new game company, Signal Fire Studios, and the first product we announced. I filled them in and talked a little about where things are headed.
Read the whole interview right here!
Posted on July 13, 2009 - by jamie
Interview with Myriad Games
I sat down with Myriad Games when I was at the Origins Game Fair this year. Even though it was the fourth day of the convention and I was bone-tired, the interview came off pretty well and I actually managed to make some sort of sense!
Give it a listen! I talk about the recent releases from Margaret Weis Productions and hint of upcoming material from Signal Fire Studios. I also discuss the game industry in general from the perspective of a small-press publisher and member of the GAMA board of directors.
Posted on July 11, 2009 - by jamie
Action-Adventure Science Fiction Returns with Metamorphosis Alpha
Signal Fire Studios LLC is proud to announce that 2010 will see the publication of the newest incarnation of the very first science fiction role playing game, Metamorphosis Alpha! Using the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition game rules, players take on the role of mutated humans, plants, and animals and experience sci-fi action-adventure.
“The chance to work on Metamorphosis Alpha is really exciting,” says Jamie Chambers, President of Signal Fire Studios. “It’s a fun mix of nostalgia for those who’ve followed MA over the years, new rules for fans of D&D4e, and a chance to really embrace the ‘dungeon in space’ concept that the original game was created with.” The story of Metamorphosis Alpha centers on the Starship Warden, a massive generation ship stricken by a catastrophe. Its population of humans, plants, and animals are left mutated and unaware that the world they live on is actually a huge vessel traveling among the stars.
The Metamorphosis Alpha Player’s Guide is the first product in the series, and offers many new options for D&D players. It includes new races, from genetically-altered humans to self-aware plants. Four brand-new character classes, one for each of the game’s tactical roles, draw on the Mutant power source. Each is supplemented by paragon paths, epic destinies, and feats. The book also expands upon the skill system, adding the Tech skill and rules for discovering and understanding high-tech items. The book is tentatively set for publication in January 2010.
The Starship Warden sourcebook offers a comprehensive campaign setting for the 4th edition D&D rules. It gives the Dungeon Master an array of mutant creatures, androids, and other threats to challenge the heroes. In addition, this second book includes suggestions for ways to integrate the new rules with other settings or the creation of original campaigns that mix the science fiction and fantasy elements in exciting new ways.
James M. Ward, the creator and author of Metamorphosis Alpha for TSR, Inc. in the 1970s and designer of the classic MA’s own Fourth Edition, looks forward to this newest version of his creation. “D&D 4th Edition is bringing a lot of people back to the exploration, discovery, and tactical fun of the old days of the game,” says Ward. “In the early years of Dragon Magazine I wrote an article about how to combine MA with D&D. These new products will be the first time that idea is fully explored.” Ward is working with the MA design team to offer his insight and vision to the new products.
It’s important to lead designer and writer, Cam Banks, that this iteration of Metamorphosis Alpha offers the best of both worlds. “I want our MA books to be fully compatible and interchangeable with existing D&D4e and GSL products,” says Banks. “If someone wants to play a Mutant Feline Enforcer in a traditional fantasy world, the rules will support that. If a wormhole opens up and drops a Warlock into the middle of the Warden, that won’t be a huge problem, either. There’s a lot of great options, so each gaming group can make use of the new Metamorphosis Alpha products in whatever way they want. It’s fantasy meeting science-fiction head on.”
The Metamorphosis Alpha product line for D&D 4th Edition is being produced under the terms of the Game System License from Wizards of the Coast. Full details and release dates for the first two products, as well as news regarding adventures, sourcebooks, and online support materials will be announced soon.
www.metamorphosisalpha.net
www.signalfirestudios.com
Contact:
Jamie Chambers
jamie@signalfirestudios.com
Artwork by Dan Bryce
Signal Fire Studios and the SF logo are trademarks owned by Signal Fire Studios LLC. All rights reserved. Metamorphosis Alpha and its logo are trademarks owned by James M. Ward. Used with permission. The use of another company’s trademarks is for reference only. No violation of copyright or trademark ownership is intended.
Posted on July 11, 2009 - by jamie
Signal Fire Studios to Light the Way for New Games and Entertainment
A new game publisher is creating a strong lineup of role playing game titles starting in 2010 that include some familiar names, and carries on a legacy for producing quality tabletop games for both dedicated and casual fans. Signal Fire Studios, LLC was founded by the core creative team that has produced games based on properties including Serenity, Battlestar Galactica, and Dragonlance.
Signal Fire Studios is led by Jamie Chambers, award-winning lead writer and designer of the Cortex System role playing game products that have included a mix of licensed and original properties (Serenity, Demon Hunters). The company will use the Cortex System rules, along with other available game systems, including Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, for its tabletop RPG products depending on the needs of the product.
“Weʼll definitely be using Cortex for story- and character-driven style game products. D&D 4th Edition is also a good choice for action-adventure and exploration-style games,” Chambers reports. “We want to find a good match for the material and the rules involved, but also offer our players the opportunity to use rules they are already having fun playing. But there are new role playing games in the works as well!”
Cam Banks, fantasy novelist and former lead designer of the Dragonlance game line, is an integral part of the Signal Fire Studios team. He will be developing original content and leading teams of freelance writers to produce material for both established game properties and new. Digger Hayes, art director and graphic designer, will continue his work marrying images and text to create game products that are both functional and attractive.
Signal Fire Studios will soon announce a lineup of games starting in early 2010. “Role Playing Games have always been at the heart of our business, and will continue to be with Signal Fire,” says Banks. “Weʼll also be producing self- contained boxed games and really embracing the power of the Internet and digital publishing.” The company will develop an interactive website and online community, will produce regular podcasts, and is looking to develop a retailer-rewards program to offer their customers an incentive for patronizing their local game store.
“Iʼm really excited about the future,” says Hayes. “Weʼve learned a lot over the years-both good and bad-and this is a chance to take these lessons and produce some really great games.”
www.signalfirestudios.com
Contact:
Jamie Chambers
jamie@signalfirestudios.com
Signal Fire Studios and the SF logo are trademarks owned by Signal Fire Studios LLC. All rights reserved. Cortex System is © and ™ 2009 Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. Used with permission. The use of another company’s trademarks is for reference only. No violation of copyright or trademark ownership is intended.
Posted on June 18, 2009 - by jamie
Demon Hunters RPG Video Review
With a few exceptions, I’m proud of all of my work. I enjoy taking films, television shows, and books that I enjoy and translating them into the world of games. But I have to say it was a true pleasure to introduce the world of Demon Hunters from my friends at Dead Gentlemen Productions to a wider audience.
I was thrilled to see the following review show up from The Game Geeks on YouTube.
Posted on May 20, 2009 - by jamie
Jamie’s Pop Culture Personality Test
I just got done reading an interview with Felicia Day over on Entertainment Weekly, where I saw the “Pop Culture” personality test again. Since hell will likely freeze over before EW wants to interview me, I’ll just answer the basic questions on my own. Since no one else wants to play with me, I’ll just play with myself. (Okay, that came out all wrong… Moving right along!) Here are their questions, and my answers.
When do you yell at the TV?
I yell at 90% of reality television out there, for starters. American Idol makes me cringe (especially the early recruiting phase, which is some folks’ favorite part), possibly because I have a music and singing background. I lettered in Music in high school and went to college on a modest music scholarship for piano and voice. I have tolerance for cooking reality shows, though, so I find myself watching Gordon Ramsay with my wife, Top Chef, or The Next Food Network Star. I still don’t go seeking those out, though. But I’ll sit through them.
But bad writing is worse than bad reality shows. I yell when characters break from their basic natures to do something convenient for the plot. Or when coincidence and luck makes things happen for the heroes and they don’t have to earn it. Deus ex machina drives me crazy!
How many TiVos do you own?
I have two. One for the big TV in the living room and one in the bedroom. Might end up with three when the new DirecTV HD TiVos hit. I hate having just a regular DVR in my living room, since I had my first TV in 1999 when most people had not even heard of them yet. I could never go back to live TV. It’s been nearly ten years of being spoiled by pausable, pre-recorded television.
Your TiVos would kill you if they didn’t tape what show?
Good Eats on Food Network, which is hands-down my favorite show on television. Alton Brown and I have a fair bit in common. We’re unapologetic geeky film buffs from north Georgia who love to cook (and eat). He redfined how you can do a cooking show (by making it — gasp! — not boring) and manages to entertain while educating and showing how to prepare tasty dishes that rarely steer me wrong, all while tossing pop culture references. The fun A.B. seems to have with Good Eats reminds me of my early years making scripted home movies with a video camera.
This last season I’d also have to list Supernatural, Chuck, Dollhouse, Fringe, and Castle as runners-up.
The movie you have to watch every time you spot it on cable?
Raiders of the Lost Ark is probably my favorite movie of all time from the first time I saw it. My three college disciplines (after I dropped the music program) were English, History, and Religion — and you can see all three in Indiana Jones’ first and best adventure on film. But my tastes range all over the place, so I’ll have watch things like Fast Times at Ridgemont High and The Lion in Winter. For no other reason than I like ‘em.
The movie that makes you cry?
The French duology of Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources. I was forced to watch the movies in high school, but they completely broke my heart. It’s a slow story and a true tragedy in the best sense. Lots of Americans have no clue that these movies exist, but if you’re a film guy like me you should watch them and see if you can hold back the tears.
Do you smuggle snacks into the movie theater? If so, what?
Yes, because I’m cheap. I’m always torn between things like Nestle BunchaCrunch, Raisinettes, or Reese’s Pieces. Because I love a little sweet to go with the giant tub of buttery, salty popcorn that I’m going to devour while slurping down a Coke. I’ve given up soda in other parts of my life, but I have to have my popcorn-candy-Coke trifecta when watching a movie in the theater.
Your best communal moviegoing experience?
I was twenty-one years old when Rumble in the Bronx hit the local theater. I was already a fan of Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master flicks, and my friends and I took up an entire row of the theater shouting “Are you ready to rumble?!” (before the lights went dark). It was a blast! I also remember we all went to see Tommy Boy starring Chris Farley and David Spade and had a goofy blast.
The piece of pop-culture memorabilia from your childhood you wish you still had?
Half a dozen things that were in my old room as a child. I had a poster of Atlanta Braves center fielder Dale Murphy hitting a ball. I had a bunch of original-series Garbage Pail Kids cards, some of my duplicates orbiting Murphy’s poster. One wall was decorated with a mural of a famous moonscape photograph with the Earth rising on the horizon. My very first computer, the Texas Instruments TI994A with a speech synthesizer that could run cartridge-based software but also could record and read off of audio-cassette tapes with sounds simliar to a fax machine. I also would love to have my Dad’s old electronic chess set I used to play with, the Chess Challenger, that had an awesome digital voice.
What is your geekiest possession?
Hard to know where to start? My desk is covered with large plastic dragon models. I own enough dice to fill a bathtub and enough unpainted miniatures to fill the bed of a Chevy Silvarado pickup truck. My shelves are covered with roleplaying games and sci-fi/fantasy novels. I wore a Dr. Horrible t-shirt to the Renaissance Festival. I have several swords and one dragon-handled sacrificial dagger. And the door of my office has a “I Survived the Tomb of Horrors” bumper sticker on it.
What is your position on karaoke, and what is your song?
I love karaoke, and my friend Jeremy runs a charitable karaoke party company and does most of the major game conventions after years of entertaining the crap out of us at Dragon*Con. The rule is that I’ve always put down at least a few Jägerbombs and just sing my heart out. My sisters and I always do “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, and I get requested to sing “Big Empty” by Stone Temple Pilots and Metallica’s version of “Turn the Page” a lot. But I’ll sing anything that isn’t Rod Stewart.
Your guilty pleasure dance song?
I rarely dance, for the safety of myself and others. When it happens, I possess the natural grace of a one-legged cow.
The ringtone on your cell phone?
Alternates between several songs. Right now it’s the “Fruity Oaty Bar” song from Serenity, but it’s sometimes the chorus of STP’s “Big Empty” (see above) or the Bad Horse Chorus from Dr. Horrible’s Singalong Blog.
The band you’ve seen most often in concert?
Performer I’ve seen most is my obsession since 11th grade: Tori Amos. I know that I’m not a lesbian woman, but deep down inside I must be one. Tori’s music, lyrics, and ability to tickle the ivories just does something for me. I just got her new album and I’m gonna listen the moment I’m done with this fake interview.
Seeing Stone Temple Pilots in concert last year at Summerfest was badass, though. They performed everything from “Dead and Bloated” to some of their better covers. I was convinced I’d never see them live after they broke up, and it was so worth it to see them in a great venue.
Posted on April 26, 2009 - by jamie
Article in the Janesville Gazette
It’s always fun and flattering to be covered in the local news — even if it mentions that I wrote my article for In the Hunt in a local bar. Read all about it here.
Posted on April 2, 2009 - by jamie
Inside In The Hunt
The SF Site has posted an article that takes a look at the new anthology from BenBella, including additional information supplied by editor Leah Wilson, author Keith DeCandido, and yours truly. Read all about it here!
Posted on February 4, 2009 - by jamie
In the Hunt
I was really pleased with the opportunity to write for BenBella Books in their SmartPop series, and even more so for a subject that was right up my alley—the television series Supernatural. As a card-carrying geek, I already had a number of books from the series on the shelf here in my office—including the volumes covering Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, The Matrix, and more.
As I got started, I offered my editor—the fantastic Leah Wilson—a few different choices for my subject. We mutually decided on “Blue Collar Ghost Hunters,” an analysis on how the Winchester brothers combat evil on a tight budget and why that makes for good television. It evolved over time, going from a more serious approach (almost scholarly!) to one that offered a lot more humor and will hopefully be a fun read for the fans.
One piece of trivia: I wrote this piece on my MacBook while sitting in Thumbs Up in Lake Geneva. The smoke-filled neighborhood bar—with fish hanging on the wall and classic rock playing on XM Radio—turned out to be the perfect environment for working on material related to Supernatural.
The release date is early March 2009. Look for it in stores or your favorite online retailer.
Thanks to Jim Lowder, for the introductions that helped me get this opportunity, to Leah Wilson for being easy and great to work with, to Erin Kunze, half of my favorite bartending superduo, and my wife for putting up with me.
The official press release for In the Hunt follows. Stay safe!
For Immediate ReleaseContact: Leah Wilson
Publicist, BenBella Books
(214) 750-4656
leah@benbellabooks.com
www.smartpopbooks.com
**digital cover image available**
BenBella Books and Supernatural.tv Team Up to Create
the Essential Companion for the Serious Supernatural Fan
Supernatural fans know there’s more to their favorite
show than meets the eye; so does In the Hunt!
DALLAS— Now in its fourth season, the CW’s often-neglected Supernatural has demonstrated marked ratings gains since last season and its season premiere showed the largest yearly increase among all entertainment series returning for the 2008–09 season despite its crowded Thursday night time-slot—thanks largely to the efforts of the series’ devoted fanbase, which Supernatural creator Eric Kripke has rightfully called “some of the smartest, most passionate, most intelligent fans of any show on television.”
For In the Hunt, BenBella Books and Supernatural fansite Supernatural.tv have teamed up to give those fans the essential Supernatural companion. In addition to the forward by Supernatural tie-in writer Keith R. A. DeCandido, and passionate, insightful essays by popular SF and fantasy author Tanya Huff, Supernatural RPG writer Jamie Chambers and many others, the book includes the three winning essays from the Supernatural.tv/Smart Pop Supernatural Essay Contest from early 2008.
From Sam and Dean Winchester and the Impala to the show’s demons, monsters and urban legend source material, In the Hunt gives Supernatural fans the in-depth, creative analysis they crave on their favorite television show.
Book Details
Title: In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural
Authors: Dawn Bennett, Amy Berner, Mary Borsellino, London E. Brickley Jamie Chambers, Jacob Clifton, Keith R. A. DeCandido, Mary Fechter, Amy Garvey, Avril Hannah-Jones, Tanya Huff, Randall M. Jensen, Robert T. Jeschonek, Maria Lima, Tanya Michaels, Tracy S. Morris, Carol Poole, Sheryl A. Rakowski, Gregory Stevenson, Heather Swain, Shanna Swendson, Emily Turner, Jules Wilkinson, Dodger Winslow
Publisher: BenBella Books
Publication: March 2009, $14.95, Trade paperback, ISBN-13: 9781933771632
224 pages, 6 x 9
Available at bookstores everywhere March 2009 and through Perseus Distribution, 387 Park Ave. South, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10016. To order: 800-343-4499 or orderentry@perseusbooks.com
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Posted on November 11, 2008 - by jamie
Podcast Interview with The d6 Generation
Here’s an interview I did with the gang at the game-focused podcast, The d6 Generation. I participated in a lengthy discussion about my favorite topic—me—and also participated in the chaotic “Rapid-Fire” Q&A in which every answer is always wrong (and funny!). It was a good time. Read more about it here or go ahead and listen using the following link.
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Flickr Photos
