I’m thrilled to announce that the sixth system-neutral GMing advice book from Gnome Stew and Engine Publishing will be available to preorder soon: Focal Point: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Running Extraordinary Sessions, by our own John Arcadian, Walt Ciechanowski, and Phil Vecchione!
Here’s the cover, illustrated by Juan Ochoa and designed by Darren Hardy:
Focal Point is a standalone guide to running great gaming sessions, but it’s also the third and final volume in Gnome Stew’s “accidental trilogy” — it follows Odyssey: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Campaign Management and its predecessor, Never Unprepared: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Session Prep. You don’t need either of those books to enjoy Focal Point, but they do go well together.
We’ll be opening preorders for Focal Point soon, likely in late June or early July. It’s so close to being done, with just a little bit of review work and the conversion to other formats (mobi, etc.) still to go.
As always, preorder customers will immediately receive the digital version, giving you access to the book weeks before it’s on sale anywhere else. It will also be available in print at Gen Con, and I’ll be making special arrangements so that customers in the EU can order it as well.
More details to come!
Shut up and take my money!
The graphic designer and I have a few last details to hammer out (widows/orphans in layout, PDF bookmarking, and the link), but once that’s done I won’t make you wait!
I’m very, very excited to get this book out there. And I can’t believe it’s our sixth book!
The other five are tremendously helpful, and this one clearly fills a gap in the series. Looking forward to it.
Awesome.. thanks for finding a Europe option.. will keep an eye out for this one coming through!
Any chance of looking into a triple bundle? Its a tough one to get from stateside at the moment!
Yes yes yes! A triple bundle is a fantastic idea! I already have Never Unprepared, but my friends would love to support Gnome Stew by picking up all three at the same time – for a reasonable discount, of course! *rolls haggling check*
I’m so sorry that there even needs to be a special EU option — this new VAT law makes no sense to me, but it is what it is.
I will definitely be offering a bundle with the other two volumes in the “accidental trilogy,” and of course if EU (and other!) customers want to add other books to their preorder that’s doable as well.
I’m looking forward to this one. It was very fun to do the art direction for and Juan knocked that cover out of the park. The interior art (Avery Liell-Kok, Elizabeth Porter, Matt Morrow, and David L. Johnson) is incredible in it as well.
I like the alien guy on the bottom. Looks kinda like what would happen if Dr. Zoidberg and Momaw Nadon got busy.
I don’t know if that’s what John (AD) and Juan (artist) had in mind, but I have to say that I agree!
I think that is one that we left to Juan’s discretion.
Looking at my mockups and the description, it was”7. A white skinned grey alien with a spaceship background behind him.”
and it morphed from there.
Aliens are always fun to do. There are so many strange concepts you can do to make them unique. Even sticking to a basic bipedal frame and changing some elements you can get some awesome stuff. I do see how it could totally be the lovechild of Dr. Z, so why not? 🙂
You and our artists and graphic designer did lovely work! I’m excited to share more artwork in another preview.
Somehow I have failed to purchase the other two books… but I’d love to pick up all three now that my budget is no longer zero dollars! (It’s still not a whole lot of dollars… but it’s no longer zero!)
Can’t wait!