Eighteen months ago, I took my games to a comic con in Manchester. It was here I first met Simon J. Curd, an artist whose work blew me away the first time I saw it. After a minute of standing in a fugue like state, taking in the amazing creatures and wonderful scenarios he had put them in, I decided to purchase "Cover to Cover".
The first piece of art I purchased from Simon and my notes from the day we first crossed paths.
Being a writer, my immediate question to him was "What is the story behind these creatures?".
Simon surprised me by telling me that there was no lore. However, he did have a clear idea of what the creatures were doing in the here and now. I ran back to my booth, taped his business card to an A4 legal pad, and began writing down questions and making notes. You can see my orginal notes above.
Two hours later, I ran back round to Simon's booth and presented my notes, asking him if he wanted to create a game.
He said yes.
I am so grateful that I came across Simon's work and that he had confidence in me to create lore, mechanics and stories that would do justice to his creations. Over the past few months, working with him has been a joy.
Most of what we do is over WhatsApp or the occassional video call (we have managed to sneak a couple of chats during conventions). Whilst I concentrate on the words, Simon brings inspiration through his art. We do occassionally step into each other's domains. Simon will discuss rule choices with me and suggest changes. I will offer up my ideas for creative direction. This has been my first collaboration and it feels like a true meeting of creative minds. Long may that continue.
A few weeks ago, Simon played his first role-playing game... it was his own! And, you know what? I pretty sure he really enjoyed it.
I hope our passion and hard work shines through in this game We ultimately have one goal with Wires in The Woods -- it's something I aspire to with all of my games -- to inspire you to create.
Sorry if this update is a bit meandering. Those of you who have backed my previous campaigns know that my updates can wander off on occassion.
I suppose what I really want to say is this: Thank you for your support. Without you, independent creators like us would struggle to make a living from what we love to do. We do not take you for granted and we will always do the best we can for you.
