Bhagwan @ Large

It has begun…

This morning, my employer En Masse Entertainment announced sign-ups for Beta tests on our new game, TERA. It’s been a crazy, eventful two years of my life to bring the game to this, and I though I might recap some of my online events in a post.

In early 2010, I was engaged as a Story Consultant, and did a lot of quick writing bits in addition to working on plots and questlines. In a way, it was very similar to the work I did on AION, but the “feel” of the work was a lot different for me. I was more involved, more a part of the creative process, and I think it shows in my work. Here’s some short fiction from that period you may enjoy.

Vekas, the Wicked Tree

The High Elves

An Aman Among Men

The next few links relate to an interview my Senior Producer Brian Knox and I did with ZAM, an online games news source. I just found out they’ve named TERA one of the most important games of 2012, and now so can you

Part 1
Part 2

But the interviews didn’t stop there. This next link is to a podcast I did with our lead writer Dave Noonan, and writer Stacey Janssen. Both of them worked on AION in similar capacities, but I have the great privilege to call them both friends and colleagues in other parts of my life. Dave is a fellow Wizards of the Coast/TSR Alumnus, all three of us worked on the Internet Review of Science Fiction, and Stacey (whom we call Frank around the office) is the Managing Editor of Shimmer

Bow Down to US

Another interview, this time with MMORPG.com

Post-PAX Q&A

Next up, more short fiction that landed at MMORPG.com again. I particularly liked this one, but one of the commenters thinks it was translated from Korean. Go Figure.

Dancing with Demons

Hot on the heels of thaat story, another interview, this time with terafans.com

As regards the Mystic

And here’s a piece I wrote with fellow WoTC alum Brian Campbell that took a while to find the right place. As it turns out, its with our freinds at MMORPG.com once more

Gods of TERA

In December of 2010, I transitioned from a full-time writer to my current position as a Game Analyst. Here’s some essays on the game we’ve put up since then

Redefining the party

And just in case you were wondering what it is a Game Analyst does,

Meet the TERA team : Game Testers

So that’s it up through Jan of 2012. I’ll leave this page live so I can update it should more online goodness come out. And remember that link waaay at the top of the page? You should totally click on it.

in the deep, dark night-time of night

So we have moved. In a new bed which was not cheap, in a new neighborhood which is similarly priced, I still have problems getting and staying asleep. Be it pain, cramps, cold, racing mind, or whatever, it’s two shifts at least a night for me.

Tonight, that first shift was from 10 PM to 3 AM. quite possibly the best non-drunken slumber in quite some time. In one or two hours, I will (hopefully) wake up from the next one, and get myself ready for a day of creatively creating.

Saturday’s party was magic. Much like the theater, it all worked out, for some reason no-one understands. The ground floor was open and accessible to all, the backyard grill area worked to perfection, and the rain held off until the sun set and most grownups were either home in bed or inside drinking from big kid glasses. Many thanks to all that attended, especially those what brought wine. Post party tally shows I have nearly doubled the available bottles here, which is good because the party has much in common with the bed and neighborhood.

I also have no leftovers, you crazed locusts. Two pieces of chicken and a box of veggie burgers somehow survived the swarm, which is awesome because someone else brought the chicken. It would seem I properly estimated the available food exactly, or it could be that y’all were very kind and considerate regarding the MEAT situation.

I take it back. There is still half a bag of GIANT MARSHMALLOWS, waiting to be artfully melted at our next gathering. Stay tuned.

It feels oddly strange and satisfying to have paid the rent 11 days early. It feels doubly so to be “broke” on the day one gets paid, and then to see a large sum of money still there in one’s account waiting to be whisked away in 11 days’ time. One of our overly aggressive party purchases was returned Sat. morning, but those funds will not return until sometime today. Now more than ever I am happy to have paid down all credit cards before heading to Hawaii in May. Much of our move “lives” there at the moment, and my desire to no longer possess that debt is the prime factor in my inability to buy a cup of coffee this week.

Yes. The above statement does indeed mean I had >MORE< money before I got paid last week. go figure. On the bright side, I “found” quite a bit of it sitting in front of other people at a chip-renting game session last week. Things look good for another such session, especially since it’s now a self-sufficient bus ride away from my house.

Not paying 5bux a day for the bus next month will be awesome. Just saying. Last time I checked, that’s 8 days away. Also, twice the price of store-bought coffee beverages. I have coffee here, coffee at work, and the knowledge that I probably shouldn’t drink coffee so much.

Wheeee!

Time to pretend at sleep, so that this morning I may pretend at competence. Hope the day (or the night) holds more success for you.