Tag: Jason Cordova

Some Codex numbers (and thoughts)

Here are some stats and thoughts on the first sixteen issues of Codex (including the Discern Realities Annual).

Basic Stats

Number of articles: 79

Number of original illustrations: 143

Number of pages: 338

Things I’m very happy about

Codex is a community effort

Codex is distinctly a product of the Gauntlet, and something only we could pull off. The content comes from so many places: crowd-sourced directly from the community; contests we organize and advertise on our podcasts; paid freelance work; and material from long-running campaigns on Gauntlet Hangouts. It is a space where players, new game designers, and established game designers have their creative work shown side-by-side. And we do all of this on a rigorous schedule that sees us publishing each new, high-quality issue on the first of the month (so far, without fail). More than anything, Codex is a celebration of this amazing community. The Gauntlet could be gone tomorrow, but the creative efforts of our community will live forever, and Codex is emblematic of that.

Number of different game systems featured

Between original games and supplements for existing games, the total number of systems that have been featured in Codex is 36. Most zines (and even larger magazines) tend to focus on a very small number of systems (and most of those are D&D derivatives). I’m very pleased with the overall variety of game content in Codex.

Number of original tabletop games

11 original tabletop games have been published in Codex. Many of these, such as the recent Pack of Strays, have been extensively play-tested before hitting the pages of the zine. The authors of these games are a mix of established game designers and game designers being published for the very first time.

Number of original LARPs

To my surprise and delight, LARPs have become a significant feature of the zine. 9 original LARPs have been published across all issues. This makes me happy because the LARP side of the hobby, in my estimation, hasn’t really come up with a good solution for easy access to these game texts.

Number of paid contributors

41 different contributors, both authors and artists, have received payment from Codex. As in some earlier stats, this a healthy mix of established RPG industry folks and newcomers.

Things I’m less happy about

The number of paid women contributors

Of the 41 paid contributors we have had over the life of the zine, 7 were women. That is not enough, and it’s something we are trying to improve as we go forward. There are a couple of positive caveats here: 1) although the total number of paid women contributors is not high, several of that group have received a significant portion of the available dollars (Claudia Cangini, for example, has received more commissions than any single male artist) and 2) the numbers are getting better in Volume 2 of Codex: In Volume 1, the percentage of paid women contributors was 18%; in Volume 2, the percentage (based off who has already been booked for the next few issues) is currently 28%.

No stats for people of color or queer contributors

Anecdotally, I suspect that Codex is (like the rest of the hobby) white af and straight af. But I haven’t actually done any surveys of contributors, so I’m not sure. The diversity among paid contributors might be better than I realize, but until we do a formal survey, I can’t say with any precision.

Distribution

I’m torn between two powerful urges: 1) to make Codex an exclusive reward for folks who are willing to support the Gauntlet at-large via Patreon and 2) the desire to get this great zine in the hands of more people. I’m not sure how to reconcile these two competing impulses. We can’t do the latter without the former, and I feel a particular loyalty to the former that makes it hard to consider all the various options for the latter. It’s a dilemma.

Closing thoughts

Overall, I’m really happy with how Codex is going. Big thanks to everyone who has had a hand in making it such a successful project!

Today is the first day of Metatopia 2017. I always feel very…hesitant about Metatopia.

(NOTE before I go any further: if you are an organizer of Double Exposure, I am not talking about Metatopia per se. I am talking about my entirely personal feelings about attending Metatopia. Metatopia, like all the Double Exposure cons, is competently organized and largely pleasant. So please save your fire for someone else.)

Here’s the thing: I don’t feel like a member of the roleplaying game community. Point blank. I never have. The Gauntlet exists entirely because I felt the strong need to make a community where I feel personally accepted, and then I happily discovered it’s a place where other people also feel comfortable, and that’s great! But I find the RPG community at-large, particularly the indie community, to be 1) cliquish, 2) white af and 3) very unforgiving of mistakes and/or poorly chosen words (this is particularly the case if you are a person of color who steps out of bounds; I’m an easy example, but you can look to Mark Diaz Truman and others for evidence).

So…I’m going to be at Metatopia. I don’t have much on my game schedule, and I’m not on any panels (see my parenthetical above about being a person of color in RPGs). If you see me, please come say “Hi.” I am not a bad person. I am a really good person, actually, and there’s a strong chance I’d like to get to know you.

Codex – Decay is now free on our website!

The second big Halloween Codex announcement is that Codex – Decay is now the free issue on the website! If you haven’t yet given Codex a chance, Decay is a great place to start. If you already love Codex and want to help spread the word, please reshare, reshare, reshare!

Codex – Decay features a Misspent Youth world by Robert Bohl, an original playset for Jason Morningstar’s Fiasco, an original story game by Joshua Fox, another entry in our Gauntlet Daddies series, and a miscellany about abandoned places. It features artwork by Claudia Cangini (seen below), Evan Rowland, Evlyn M, Jesse Ross and Fabrissou. The layout is by Oli Jeffery.

Get this free issue of Codex and then go support the Gauntlet on Patreon!

http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/codex.html

Codex – Beasts Now Available on Patreon

A couple of Halloween-themed Codex announcements today. The first is that the newest issue, Codex – Beasts, is out today! This Halloween-flavored issue is loaded with werewolves, vampires, cryptids and more! Here are some details of what you’ll find inside:

Gumberoo/The Legend of Bone-Squeezer Caverns

This feature focuses on a squishy, bear-like cryptid called the Gumberoo. It contains Dungeon World monster stats for the beast plus a complete mystery for Monster of the Week. It was written by Daniel Fowler and features a wild illustration by Evlyn M

Snakes!

Continuing our Codex tradition of publishing strange, wonderful LARPs, Snakes! is about a futuristic serpentine hive-mind trying to settle on an ambassador to treat with a group of humans they have just encountered. It was written by Noah Jay-Bonn and features a whimsical illustration by Evan Rowland.

Pack of Strays

This original story game is about a group of misfit werewolves who have been marginalized by society but who find strength in their pack. It was written by Phillip Wessels and features three lovely illustrations by Jesse Ross

Gauntlet Daddies #003

He-Wolf! This sexy ranger has a magical shaft that will make you quiver! Illustrated by Fabrissou

Three Dozen Unique Vampires

This month’s miscellany is all about smashing vampire tropes into tiny little pieces (and probably my favorite of the fifteen miscellanies we have done so far–I want to make each of these an NPC in future games!)

Layout on Codex – Beasts was done by Oli Jeffery

Editing was done by myself and David LaFreniere

The cover art (seen below) is by Claudia Cangini

You can get Codex – Beasts by pledging $4 at patreon.com/gauntlet

(The second Codex announcement will be coming a little later today)