Well... it's a happy marriage that was bound to happen eventually.

Get the full dealio over at NMP's site.

Well - as you might imagine - I'm super stoked to announce that the print version of Open Game Table, Volume 2 is available NOW. There are three ways to pick up a copy of the book too! First, if you are going to GenCon, swing by Studio 2 Publishing's booth and pick up a copy directly there. Second, the book will also be available at your local hobby shop later this month; let them know you want a copy and pre-order through them (thus also supporting your local game store). And finally, it can also be ordered directly online from the Open Game Table storefront on Lulu.

It get's even better:  a PDF version of the book is available from RPGNow.com for under $10 bucks. Drop by the RPGNow.com page and download your copy right now!

Once again... thanks to everyone who contributed to this amazing project. With over 70 volunteers - how could it _not_ be awesome sauce!

Last week I talked about several problems I had with printing with Lulu.com. Well - another set of proof copies of Open Game Table Volume 2 have arrived -- and they look amazing; I'm psyched to say the least! Finally I have a book in hand that looks like it is supposed to!

Now... why the Lulu + Heart hyperbole? Well... they not only are re-shipping me additional (free copies) for all the misprinted copies I ordered; but they are also refunding me the the full amount for all the orders I made. WOHOO! That's awesome. Lulu.com often gets a bad rap from people on the 'tubes - but, my experience so far with their customer service (Yolanda - you rock!) has been great. I'm honestly super surprised, as I was expecting them to act like a giant faceless corporate Juggernaut. Well, they may still be a corporate juggernaut - but at least they are a nice one.

A print run for GenCon is being organized by Studio2Publishing next week -- so if you are going to GenCon this year; please stop by their booth and pick up a copy!

Question for TCM readers: Would you be interested in getting a preview of what Studio2Publishing will be releasing at GenCon this year before going? Let me know in the comments. If so - I'll see what I can do and if they are willing to provide me with some goodies...

Today I recieved confirmation of some super-excellent news for the 70+ contributors to the Open Game Table, Volume 2 project. It turns out that the owners of ObsidianPortal.com are some pretty generous and classy guys - they are donating more than 70 pre-paid Ascendency Memberships to the Obsidian Portal, one for each and every contributor to the project. I was stunned - when I got the email from Micah Wedemeyer that said he was willing to sponsor the project AND donate premium memberships to the contributors I had to double check. "To the contributors"? That is over 70 people Micah... are you sure? And he wrote back:

I'm dead serious about offering free 6-month subs to all the contributors. Obsidian Portal only survives if the RPG community continues to grow, and initiatives like the OGT are a huge part of nurturing the community.

So - coocookachoo! Whoot!  The contributors to the project have been notified; but I thought the whole community should know how excellent these guys are.

Thanks for being Excellent, Micah. We all appreciate it! This is the type of "coming together" that I really enjoy about the RPG blogging community. It's great to be here.

So - head over to ObsidianPortal.com today and check it out. If you are already an OP user, let us know in the comments and share your experiences!

I posted earlier today that I had finally received a galley / proof copy of the new volume of Open Game Table. Despite a perfect looking PDF, the book Lulu sent me had missing fonts and garbled text on 12 pages in the book. Well, one thing that has surprised me is the "personal" service I've received. They have already refunded my order and, after I resent them the raw postscript file and a re-distilled version of the prepress PDF, they are shipping me a new copy of the book. They even suggested it was likely an error in their file server; or the offset that printed the book. Either way, the email I received indicated (again) that everything was looking good and I should have my book in a few days. I'll keep you in the loop.Although I doubt they physically checked the printing; at least they are responding in a short time during a holiday weekend (trying to stay positive!)

Once the proofs come in and they look 100% to specs - then I'll make use of all the EXTREMELY generous sponsorship funds and place a printing order for 75 copies. Once those come in, I'll box and ship them out to every volunteer who contributed to the project. Stay tuned!

I only pray I haven't run out of time; Studio2Publishing placed a deadline for mid-July for the book to be printed in time for GenCon. We shall see (fingers crossed!). I may have to deliver them myself...