Today's post at first appears to be a somewhat random assortment of items. However, they are all timely in their own way...
First comes the sad news that A.C. Crispin's battle with cancer appears to be ending, according to a good-bye post from her facebook account. She wrote the wide ranging Han Solo Trilogy, including The Paradise Snare, The Hutt Gambit, and Rebel Dawn.
In less grim but still very serious health news, Peter Mayhew is about to undergo major surgery to replace his knees. They are running a kickstarter to do a documentary and provide other support for the family. There are 9 days to go, and it is close but hasn't funded yet, which is rather surprising at the amount they are asking and the potential number of Star Wars fans out there. There are a lot of unique items at the higher end, and copies of the documentary at the more affordable end, where I contributed. If you haven't had a chance to meet Peter on the convention circuit, he's a really nice guy and obviously still loves his signature role.
Star Wars Insider magazine is running a 3 part, massive feature on the effect of the Star Wars roleplaying game on the Expanded Universe. The first part is 6 pages and includes a lot of interesting bits about the early days. RPG fans should find a lot of great info in these issues. I actually pitched a similar article idea after Wizards of the Coast's run ended, but it didn't go anywhere at the time.
Speaking of influence, ex-WEG Star Wars Adventure Journal editor Peter Schweighofer had a few comments about dealing with continuity from a design standpoint here and a follow up in "Our Adventures Happen Just Off-Screen."
In another kind of influence, in a discussion on G+, Peter noted that it has been exactly 20 years since he and I sat down at GenCon 1993 in Milwaukee to discuss editing and revisions needed for my first official Star Wars RPG product, Flashpoint! Brak Sector. As I recall, it was in a restraunt/bar overlooking the dealers' hall. I might even still have the notes stashed away somewhere.
This was in reference to Beyond the Rim releasing at GenCon this year. It is, actually, exactly the same number of pages as Brak Sector (96), and is the first product in a long time - since the West End Games days, actually - where I was the writer/designer (not counting producers, editors, developers, additional material and more, of course). Fantasy Flight Games tweeted today that the adventure is now available at their Event Center in Minneapolis, so it should be hitting stores soon if it isn't there already.
BEYOND THE RIM, the first Star Wars: Edge of the Empire RPG adventure, is available at the FFG Event Center! http://t.co/XRw1FTvegQ ...
— FFG Event Center (@FFGEC) September 4, 2013
Also out today, The Star Wars. I've talked about the new comic series before, and you can see a preview here. Frankly, I'm waiting to get my hands on my copy.
Finally, for those of you who supported the Lady Saber and the Pirates of the Ineffable Aether kickstarter, check out the latest backer-only post for an item related to the cartography work I've been hammering away at....and I'm returning to momentarily, in fact. Right. Enough for tonight.