Mayhem in the Middle Kingdoms

The news that Archaia Studios Press has returned to active-duty has been swinging its way through the Indy comic book ‘net channels.

Discussion of Mark Smylie’s return to Artesia has been limited, with exactly one (1) mention of the comic series in a photo caption of Beseiged #3.  Artesia was not directly mentioned by Smylie, Kunoichi Head of Development Stephen Christy or owner PJ Bickett in the CBR News article.

LINK

ASP’s forums have been down for several months.  If you’re looking for a place to go, Mayhem will have you.  (sorry, no forum titles here).

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Wowio.com, the United States’ world’s foremost source for free, downloadable books is now available to all persons globally, who can provide a credit card number.  Artesia series 1-3 remain available and popular as daily download choices.  Those who haven’t downloaded Artesia should do so, and make sure to thank the sponsors.  Each download puts money into the pockets of both wowio.com and ASP.

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Archaia Studios Press responded to a thread about discussing what forum regulars were looking for from the company in terms of future releases. Thor Olavsrud, Games Editor for ASP wrote:

Hey everyone!
I can’t discuss exactly what we have in the works, but I can tell you this:
* We’ve got a number of game scenarios in the works at various stages.
* We are actively commissioning more scenarios.
* We are not currently working on any source books. That’s not to say there won’t be any in the future. I would very much like to see source books written.

So what does this seem to mean for the franchise in the near term?

The work entitled “Universities of the Middle Kingdoms” (UOTMK) by A. Dave Lewis may (or may not) be in active production. Mr. Lewis posted an impromptu rough draft of a map on April 8th in the ASP forums, fueling speculation that the project was alive and moving forward. No direct, specific news has emerged since, but Mr. Olavsrud’s statement would seem to imply that UOTMK will be scenario-length, rather than sourcebook-length. (It should be noted that Mr. Olavsrud’s comments on length may be more appropriately compared to Burning Wheel scenarios, which are much longer and complex than typical d20 linear-adventure scenarios. Mr. Olavsrud is a regular editor to the Burning Wheel system).

Cults of the Known World, The Middle Kingdoms Sourcebook, De Re Militaria, and The Book of Secrets are not going to be making any published appearances in the short term, or at least in the form that most forum posters have postulated.

Mr. Olavsrud continued:

I should make it clear that I don’t just see scenarios as one-shot stories that you play and they’re done. Each one should provide setting information, NPCs and even cult write-ups that you should be able to use again and again.
In any case, I’m keeping my eye on this thread. When we are ready to start working on source books, I’ll keep it in mind. So keep the ideas coming.

Interested in discussing this topic? Feel free to visit Archaia’s forums, or start a discussion about the future of Artesia and Artesia: Adventures in the Known World right here at Mayhem’s very own discussion place. It’s quick, easy, and non-invasive.

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For those that dabble with this particular vice, Archaia Studios Press has gone mainstream with a foray into MySpace.

Link

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Artesia comics are now available for free download at Wowio.com.

Note: while the comics are free to read, one must have a valid credit card subject to being entered into their system in order to get access to the books. There are no charges involved in the actual reading and downloading. Also, there is a cap of five (5) downloads per 24-hour period. Therefore, astute math-oriented readers will not that one cannot download the entire first through third cycles of the Book of Dooms in one sitting. Artesia Annual 1-3 are not available, nor is Artesia: Besieged 1 or 2. But come on, this rocks.

I wonder why ASP hasn’t mentioned this?

Link to Wowio.com

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Not exactly an “official” announcement, but a forum poster at the “official” ASP forums has posted that he spoke with Mark S. and Besieged #3 will be delayed past its April release date. We know the issue is in production, but no word on when it will eventually be printed and solicited.

Link to Known World Forums

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New York Comic Convention, (frequently referred to as NY-Comicon or NYCC) is the perennially-massive gathering of comic fans, authors, artists, publishers, distributors, etc. in New York City. The event is happening April 18th through April 20th, 2008. Why is this information being posted here? Mark Smylie, creator of the Artesia series and Artesia: Adventures in the Known World Roleplaying Game will be in attendance, promoting both his company (ASP) and his comic book (Artesia: Besieged). If you live anywhere north of Georgia on the Eastern seaboard, now is your chance to meet the man behind the magic of Artesia and Artesia: Adventures in the Known World.

Find out more about NYCC

Find out what other ASP authors are showing up

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IT DOES EXIST.

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Hot news! I sometimes start my day at the Starbucks outside of the Sony studios in Culver City, and today it was a gold mine. There was a suit talking on his Blackberry at the table next to me and I was eavesdropping. Apparently Sony has opted Artesia: The Movie. I think the guy noticed me listening toward the end, but I did hear that they were looking to get Halle Berry to play the lead, but that she’d probably charge half a billion dollars to do all the sex scenes. Sure, that might get a few more teenagers in the theater, but everyone knows it should be Minnie Driver.

UPDATE: After some frantic Googling I found a trailer. It looks like it’s not final, so I’m not sure how long it will be up.

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From the front page of artesiaonline.com:

“…Mark is looking to clear some space in his flat files. So from now until the end of March, the remaining original art pages from the first three ARTESIA series are available for the low price of $50 a page.”

No list of remaining pieces is available, so interested parties will have to follow the announcement’s advice and contact Mr. Smylie directly by clicking here.

$50.00 dollars seems like a lot of money, but for the true Artesia fan, such an opportunity might be irresistible.

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