Of all the pages on all the sites in all the world wide web, you've washed up on mine. I'm Amber Scott, freelance writer and game designer in the RPG industry. That's roleplaying games, not rocket propelled grenade launchers. I've done work for Wizards of the Coast, Blizzard Entertainment, Paizo Publishing, Giant in the Playground Games, the World of Farland, and White Wolf. I'm a frequent contributor to Dragon Magazine. My hobbies include miniature painting and playing in steam tunnels.
Special thanks to S. Baker, who designed these pages, and Carlo-Jesse Miozzi, who designed my logo.
Check the credits page for my latest appearances, and this page for news updates.
News 20/06/09
So much for resolutions!I have returned to the ranks of the gainfully unemployed, which should give me more time for doing things like updating websites and producing free content. Very exciting! I also have a host of new products out!
The newest, and most exciting, is a kid-friendly adventure written with John Ling Jr. and Matthew Christian, illustrated by the incomparable Liz Courts, and produced by Penny Williams of Crystal Unicorn Enterprises. Find it here. Many thanks to the Werecabbages for design help!
I'm also extremely proud of Dark Markets: A Guide to Katapesh for Paizo Publishing, co-written with Steve Greer. It's a mix of Arabian Nights and darkest Africa, with lots of djinn, gnolls, pyramids, and caravans to contend with.
Today I'll also be running a free Pathfinder session at Happy Harbor Comics here in Edmonton (V3) based on Dark Markets.
Check back in a few weeks for the aforementioned free content!
News 30/12/08
Happy New Year!My resolution is to update this page regularly. If there's content you'd like to see, please drop me a line here.
My other intention is to offer more free content on this page, so check back for stories, adventures, and cupcakes! Well probably not cupcakes.
My latest Paizo project, Dark Markets, nears completion. It was a great project, on which I worked with some fabulous writers and developers. I can't wait to see it in print!
Finally, I have some very exciting news which I...can't mention yet! Sound familiar? Stay tuned...and have a great 2009!
News 22/03/08
Of all the happy news ever posted on my news page, this may be the biggest (and the happiest!)Paizo Publishing has announced the launch of the new Pathfinder Campaign Setting, which uses the new 3.P rules (note: 3.P is not its official name, just the one I like the best).
Now, how is this different from the 3.0/3.5 bait and switch (or the current 3.5/4.0 conversion), you might ask? So glad you did. The current Alpha ruleset is FREE. After a few months of playtesting and open feedback, they're releasing a softcover Beta version for $24.99. What's that you say, $25 for a Beta version? Slightly unreasonable? Not to worry -- Beta will also be downloadable FREE.
And after playtesting and open feedback for Beta, they'll release a final hardcover version that's completely backwards compatible with 3.5 so you can still use all your old books. Yes, I'm a Paizo fangirl but I can't hide it. I'm loving this! Pai-zo! Pai-zo!
Oh, and it will hopefully also have lots of stuff written by me.
Did I mention FREE?
News 16/03/08
Attention: I am now officially World Famous! This according to Louis Porter Jr. Designs, for which I and some fellow Werecabbages are producing an adventure arc and sourcebook. The theme: zombies! The adventures: fun! The famousness: worldwide!Adjust your expectations accordingly.
News 4/03/08
Like so many others, I was deeply saddened today to learn of Gary Gygax's passing. Dungeons & Dragons made a huge impact on me, and the industry can only suffer with the loss of such an intelligent and creative man. I wish I'd taken the time to meet him. May he rest in peace.I'm working on many projects right now I should be able to announce soon, though my heart doesn't feel in it at the moment. What sad news.
News 13/02/08
Welcome to 2008! First of all, thank you to everyone who sent warm wishes, flowers, and teddy bears to me during the last few weeks. A rather serious surgery sidelined me for a time, but now I'm looking forward to returning to good health and frequent contributions to the game industry!4th Edition is the term on everyone's lips, sometimes with an inflection more commonly applied to four-letter words. I haven't decided what I think of 4E yet, mainly because I haven't seen it. But I'm not convinced that I want or need a new game system at the moment. I'm withholding judgement, but WotC is going to have to work really hard to convince me 4E is something I need to buy.
Some of my thoughts on 4E, the death of Dragon, and gaming in general appeared recently in D.J. Quinn's article The Last Die Is Cast. Check it out.
Tell your loved ones you love them. Happy Valentine's Day!
News 06/20/07
I subscribed to the Kobold Quarterly. Did you?My reasons for subscribing are threefold: one, it's an independent e-zine full of gaming tidbits and Open Design content, and I love supporting independent industry contributors; two, Wolfgang Baur is in charge of the project as creator and contributor (and we all know how awesome Wolfgang Baur is!); three, my friend and fellow gamer Darren Calvert did the first issue's cover art. A kobold!
Really, what more could you ask for?
News 06/19/07
Monster Ecologies is now out! This "special magazine" contains tons of cool monster ecologies originally published in Dragon Magazine, including two by yours truly. Ecology of the Will-o'-Wisp was my second published ecology, and I still consider it to be my strongest piece. Ecology of the Lizardfolk, co-written with Wes Schneider, talks about hermaphroditic lizardfolk shaman. What more could you want in a supplement?
News 04/22/07
In late 2003, a letter appeared in Dragon Magazine requesting the publishers produce an "Ecology of the Duergar." Then-editor Matt Sernett replied that such a thing was unlikely to happen, because duergar just weren't sexy."I could make them sexy," I told John Ling.
"Then do it," he challenged.
By GenCon 2004, "Ecology of the Duergar" was in print (not as sexy as I'd hoped, but definitely interesting). By then Matt Sernett was planning his move to the WotC offices, and Erik Mona and his gang had taken over Paizo. I met most of them briefly at GenCon that year -- I remember Wes Schneider enthusing about my article -- and produced several more articles for them over the next three months.
Then Jason, my husband, landed a job in Seattle. We moved to Bellevue, just a stone's throw from the Paizo offices. Heart in my throat, I emailed Mike McArtor and Wes and asked them if they'd like to do lunch. They said most certainly, and off we went to have pho.
Everyone showed up. Erik Mona, James Jacobs, Jason Bulmahn, Jeremy Walker...possibly several other people whose names started with J. Young James Sutter wasn't part of the team yet, as I recall. I remember the guys goofing off with the rotating condiment tray in the center of the table, Wes complimenting my shoes, and Erik seeming impressed when I said my favorite setting was Birthright. Afterwards we had ice cream.
At some point in all this, Mike asked, "Hey Jason, can Amber play in our Eberron game?" To which Jason replied, "Yes, alright, stop bothering me, you monkey."
With the news that Dungeon and Dragon magazines are ending, many game designers and industry participants have related their memories of the magazines, and their sorrow at this institution leaving us. Certainly I have fond memories of the magazine; I still recall the first Dungeon I ever held in my hand. I remember reading the short stories in Dragon to my husband when he was in the hospital. Many, many memories.
But those memories pale in comparison to my memories of the people behind the magazine. The hilarious times I spent gaming at the Paizo office. Mike and I teaming up against Bulmahn. The ninja jokes. My camera repeatedly failing at GenCon, to Wes's amusement. The guys' support as I fumbled about learning to be a writer, and their genuine joy when I landed my first WotC project. My grief when I left Seattle and the Paizo crew behind (and then came back and then left again. What can I say? We're tumbleweeds).
The death of the magazines hurts, but my fear for my friends hurt worse. I was afraid for their jobs, their security, their savings, and their emotional well-being. I wished I was in Bellevue again so I could run down to the office, call their names, hug them, sit and cry with them.
Now I see Pathfinder and all the other great things Paizo has to offer, and I'm mollified (somewhat). Of course the guys wouldn't sit around, moping, waiting for weepy girls to rush in and hug them. They sprang into action -- much like a ninja would. Subtlely. Building up their resources. Possibly deploying smoke bombs. I believe shuriken may have been involved at one point.
At any rate, they have plans, and I'm glad to be a part of them as a Pathfinder subscriber. I don't know the whys of the situation, and I don't know what to think of WotC. I've progressed beyond denial to the anger stage, which means I shouldn't say what I think anyway. I do know that Pathfinder is going to rock, that the Paizo team will always land on their feet (like a ninja), and that their little Canadian pirate chick will always stand beside them. Or behind them.
But not in front of them. Those shuriken are sharp.