A few days ago Textfyre, Inc. released their first IF game, Jack Toresal and the Secret Letter. The aim of the company is to release games targeted to a younger audience, not only bringing new readers to the genre, but hopefully helping to educate children, exposing them to reading and the world of imagination that lies inside.

This is also one of the first attempts to sell interactive fiction since the late 80s early 90s. Other stuff like Treasures of a Slaver's Kingdom has been released too, but it's not aimed at a large audience like the Secret Letter or The Shadow in the Cathedral. Textfyre has also made some advances in the interface, making it easier to use, along with adding options like auto mapping. They've even thrown in some artwork on the side.

I wish David and all the guys over at Textfyre the best as they try to expose a new generation to this unique form of entertainment. When I finished my first IF game in 1984 it left something with me that seems to have risen 22 years later. I hope others will enjoy the same experience, and who knows, maybe become writers themselves.

- D

Currently Playing: Magic: The Gathering

Podcasts now are a pretty common thing, everybody from Grammar Girl to Gamasutra seems to have gotten behind the microphone to create segments that inform and entertain. Now I’ve been following the guys over at Open Design for a while, not because I play pen & paper RPGs, but because I want to design my own pen & paper someday. They're the guys behind Kobold Quarterly, a publication dedicated to D&D and considered the successor to Dragon Magazine, and they’ve created a number of modules using a sort of open forum, creating it collectively, with people that buy in.

Well they’ve jumped on the podcast wagon and have opened a sight dedicated to the broadcast: http://opendesignpodcast.com/. The first episode is up there now, and it has some kick ass segments, but my favorite has to be the interview with Jeff Grub, the creator of Manual of the Planes.

Plus they have RSS Feeds, and when I subscribed to them I found an mp3 from R. A. Salvatore about how he broke into the industry. It’s worth it to get plugged in, there’s so much cool stuff out there that you could miss it. I’m glad I was on Kobold’s mailing list and I found out about there new podcasts, and I hope that they keep at it, I already subscribe to their magazine so it feels like a real treat to be getting this on the side. If you’re a fan of D&D check it out, these guys have a pretty cool show.

Enjoy the new link - D

Currently Playing: Sims 3