Woohoo! Here it be!

[Paganini]

And was it worth the wait? Ah yes! James, I continue to be impressed not only by your graphical skills, but in the dramatic construction of your tales. They're in your face, and to the point. I think it's a great idea to have them be in a loosely connected framework with recurring characters and themes, but not slavishly linear. You're really an artist in the full sense of the word, not just with a pen.

I kind of liked the wacky format of the first issue beter than the more standard shape of this one, but I imagine the extra page count (which was greatly appreciated) was a tad awkward going that direction.

I was wondering about your marketing scheme... are you going to agressively pursue renewals, and so on? I think you should. I myself am honestly likely to forget when I need to pay to keep them coming. Some sort of "this will be your last issue of ROCG unless you refresh your account" insert deal would be great.

[jrients]

Got mine last night and I love it too!  I'm totally digging the world of Hof.

Visions seems pretty neat, but am I supposed to know what is meant by "art cards"?  I can be a bit dim at times, I admit, but its just not a term with which I'm familiar.

[Ron Edwards]

Hi James,

Great comics. You know me: Vaughn Bode all the way, so Zarp is just my kind of guy - even got those little "fuk's" too!

I like Visions. It reminds me of Everway in a much cleaner fashion - Everway had a card-system for this, a card-system for that, then another use for one of these systems to do this other thing, and it got all messy. This is nice and clean: cards for inspiration, dice for the what-happens. Oh, and it looks as though you finally got to scratch your "positive and negative traits" itch in a way that works much better.

Best,
Ron

[James V. West]

Hey folks!

First, thanks for the kind words. After toiling over these pages night after night and knowing the cash rewards are going to be just this side of sorry, a kind and honest word makes everything worthwhile!

I will definitely pursue renewals. I'm doing this project one-step-at-a-time, adding some new approach to marketing with each new issue. Btw, ideas are welcomed!

"Art cards"--sorry, in my attempt to get Visions to fit snuggly on 2 pages I probably didn't explain everything in the proper detail. Art cards are simple collectible cards usually manufactured in sets either themed to a genre, or to a specific artist. You can also use collectible card games--any card with an appropriate image on it.

Yeah, I scratched that pos/neg itch, Ron! 'Bout time, too.

Look for issue #3 in April. Also, I'll be at SPACE this year, so if any of you are near Columbus Ohio...come to the show!

[hardcoremoose]

Well, I don't have a helluva of a lot to add here, but if more praise means more publicity for James and his comics, so be it.  I've had ROC #2 for a few days now, and there's some fine writing in there.  Oh yeah, and some fine art too.  I'm always jealous of artists...

Anyway, good stuff James.  I love it.

Take care,
Scott

[James V. West]

Thanks, Moose. Glad you got some enjoyment out of it!

For those interested, it looks like Random Order #3 will feature a role-playing game by a good friend of mine from way back. His name is Eric Alexander and he was partially responsible for The Pool by showing me his own Bayou Country rpg years ago. I dug the "avoid rolling a one" dice mechanic, flipped it over, and used it in my own game.

[lumpley]

Sun & Moon is beautiful too.

-Vincent