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Almost done!

Thursday, October 23, 2008 by Bill

We’re getting close to having a Gold Master on the DVD, and once we’re happy with that, we’ll have info on how to buy it (hey hey!) in both physical and downloadable forms! We’ve recorded some funny commentary (along with a wives and girlfriend track) and TJ’s cueing up the subtitles.

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The unbelievable truth

Tuesday, September 2, 2008 by Jon

This is it: this is how I roll these days (how I role?? Ugh) I’m just a console gamer. And it’s only one console: Nintendo’s little blue ocean box the Wii. The rpg games I play right now? Paper Mario. In stolen moments after the kids are asleep. You aint hardcore unless you live hardcore!

I am so lame. Though I did blog this from my iPhone, which is cool, right?

Right?

I’ll say this too: Mario? Not much of a Mage, that guy. Sheeeeit.

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Slouching towards Saltmarsh

Saturday, August 30, 2008 by Bill

After a full, full summer (leaving me here on my own), we’re almost ready for the final version of THACO to be made available. Ry and TJ have made the final edits, we’re scheduling studio time for the commentary tracks, and moments ago I emailed off a text file with the English subtitles.

Typing out the movie dialogue, line by line, really made me think about how the script has evolved over time. The first draft which came to an abrupt dead end when the characters got into a fight I couldn’t resolve, the first full version with a third act that made no sense, just because I needed it, where the characters got drunk for no reason; something that’s never happened in all my years of RPGing.

The monologues between the act that I was rewriting up until two weeks before the premiere of the stage show, and the jokes and stories that Jon, Aaron, and Duck contributed that worked their way into the show. Finally, the screenplay, where I knew that the characters would have to get out of the basement, and thinking about the script with a visual point of view, rather than a verbal. Talking with Ry, TJ, and Amanda about what was and wasn’t working, and improvising solutions that turned out beautifully.

And now we’ve almost come to the end of post-production, and moving into promotion. THACO will soon–before the end of the month of September, we hope–be available as a DVD, and as a digital download (DRM free, ‘natch). In addition, I hope to see it have a life at Conventions and film festivals as well.

(Oh, and if you represent a Con or festival where you think THACO would play well, please feel free to contact us with your info!)

How strange and fun this has been. Frightening as well, trying something new. But all that fear evaporates when you hear the first laugh. Well, the first intentional laugh, anyway.

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Long time no see

Saturday, August 23, 2008 by Bill

Brief update: the final tweaks are almost done, we’re scheduling times for commentary tracks, and then we’ll have the DVD for sale as a physical thing and as a download!

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Update

Friday, July 25, 2008 by Bill

The Editing Elves (alignment: NE (true neutral tendancies) are hard at work doing sound and editing tweaks. Soon we will do commentary tracks. My dream: to do a Wives and S.O. track.

Any suggestions about festivals and/or Cons to send this to? Let us know.

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Trailer

Thursday, July 17, 2008 by Bill

The inestimable Mr. Cronk has added a trailer for the film:

YouTube Preview Image

More videos coming soon!

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THACO: The Performance

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 by Bill

CONvergence photographer Peter Verrant has uploaded a whole heapin’ helpin’ of pictures from the Con, including about 500 from THACO: The Play. The performance pictures start here.

Thanks, Peter!

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Better late than never…

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 by Aaron

Okay, so, I basically missed everything. All the recent furor, anyhow. Yes, I’m in the movie and, yes, I was in the stage show back in good ol’ 2005, but it’s fair to say I’ve been on the periphery. Now, that’s simply due to the facts of my life (yeah, there’s a pun in there), so I’m okay with it, but dammit, I can’t actually WAIT TO SEE THE MOVIE FOR THE FIRST TIME! So now, while the twins are using their blast-furnace metabolisms to ingest several metric tons of finger foods, I figured I should at least finally get my ass posting. Yes, my ass is posting this.

I have to really thank Bill for perservering with my ever-disintegrating schedule and being open to flipping his and my parts from the play to the screen. It’s always fun to THAC0 (yes, it’s become almost a verb in my head), and it was particularly fun to play a different part. Amanda, improvising verbal abuse with you was a truly transcendent experience…

I’ve heard all goodnesses about Dawn’s stage performance, not that I’m surprised. Bill, if there’s a recording of that somewhere, I’d like to see it, please.

I’ll admit, when Bill first brought up this project, I was all “Sure!” while thinking “Weeeeel, it’s a nice thought and all…”, but then, you know, it started happening. I met Ry and TJ and Amanda and we shot a scene and any doubts I had faded away.  It’s amazing and wonderful that this play made it to the screen, and all of you (yeah, even Duck and Jon…) deserve endless credit. Good. Job.

Oh, one last thing. Jon mentioned in the comments to his “The First Age” post that I’m always babbling on about the White Box. I am. He also said we should get a game going. We should. He also said that I’ve got the whole thing worked out in my head. I do. And even a bit on paper. I’ll post more about this soon, but the short version is this: I propose a game, once a month to start with, beginning in either late August or early September, using either the White Box or my own newly HOMEBREWED CHAINMAIL RULES. Yes, that’s the Chainmail with the Fantasy Supplement that started the whole damn thing in musty Lake Geneva and Minneapolis basements. Whoever shows up, plays. Which means that YOU, yes YOU, whoever is reading this, are invited.

And no fights over who gets to be Caller.

It’s obviously whoever pays me the most.

–Kesher

 

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Mouse Ears +1

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 by Bill

Mickey, Donald, and Goofy do a little roleplaying.

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Screening pleasures

Wednesday, July 9, 2008 by Jon

Obviously we all had joys and cringes at our visages or voices or editing choices. But one thing that jazzed me was the audience. Here’s something I commented in a friend’s lj that I thought bears repeating here.

First screening, the scene where we argue back and forth about what game we should play (besides D&D) and it’s your basic geek dick measuring contest, right?

And Duck says, “Skyrealms of Jorune.”
And Bill responds, “Is that a real game? I thought that was just a series of ads in Dragon.” (which itself is a hilarious joke)
Then I go, “No Elves!”

talislanta adWell at the screening a dude quite loudly and clearly goes, “That’s Talislanta!” just—and I mean just—before Duck’s giant onscreen head shouts me down with, “That was Talislanta, jackoff!”

The blurter immediately clamps his hand across his mouth. I laughed and laughed. He’s out there with the ruler waggin that thing to and fro and it was like sweet nerd bait. That’s just how the geek dick measuring contest works: we caught the guy and he knew it and I consider it fair game, no harm no foul.

I don’t have a picture obviously, though I do happen to have a copy of Dragon from those days here at my desk…

I’m particularly pleased by the presence of Roger E. Moore’s signature, from the bottom of his monthly editorial.

Talislanta’s website appears to be offline as of this writing.

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