Masters of Creativity Walking Through Walls - Utah Geek Magazine

Into

Masters of Creativity Tracy and Laura Hickman

Walking Through Walls Chapter 12:

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Publisher & CEO Dennis Lundstrom

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Contributing Editors Karla Alice Renée

Contributing Writers

Alex Sousa, Carter Reid, Daniel Yocom, David J. West, Deborah Moore, Mercedes Roberts, Seth Duncan, Stephanie Sharp, Zac Johnson, Utah Geek Magazine may or may not agree with the views and opinions expressed herein by our contributors. Copyright Utah Geek Media LLC. Reproduction without our expressed permission is prohibited. Utah Geek Magazine, UGeek Media, Cosplay Centerfold, and the UGeek logo are trademarks (TM) of Utah Geek Media LLC. To advertise in Utah Geek Magazine, visit UtahGeekMagazine.com/advertise, or call Dennis at 801.839.4581

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Motivated Mom Article and Photo By Deborah Moore

M

y children motivate me to be a better person. Recently, my oldest daughter River also inspired me to revisit an old project. Every summer the library is our second home. We go there to take advantage of their summer reading programs, activities, and air conditioning. We were visiting the Sprague library, and my daughter River wanted to know where the graphic novels were. I knew the location of these books in our local libraries, but not here. It was a job for a librarian. While the librarian helped River out, my daughter mentioned that I was working on a graphic novel. I found this out because this same librarian mentioned it to me earlier. She told me how proud my daughter was of me. It was wonderful to hear. There was just one problem. I hadn’t worked on that graphic novel for over a year. There were scraps of art in my desk at home and typed pages of dialogue on my computer. None of which had been touched or looked over in a very long time. I felt bad for letting this project go by the wayside. After all it was something I had enjoyed putting together. I felt a bit guilty for leaving it alone. What sort of message was I sending to my children about perseverance? There are some people who think guilt is a bad thing. I’m not one of them. While I believe that shame is damaging and useless, guilt can sometimes be the motivating force for change. This was the situation in my case. Before we left I checked out a few books to get myself back into gear. Then when I got home I went to work fleshing out the plot and a few characters with better detail. My progress has been slow, but methodical. The best part has been taking the time to show the pages off to River. It feels like I’m collaborating with her in a way. Writing can be lonely. However, it doesn’t feel that way with my cheer squad of daughters.

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After a year of neglect, I have already put together the first four pages of my graphic novel and worked out the plot issues that stopped me the first time. Little by little it is coming together. All along the way River asks to see the completed pages and read over them. I am so thankful to have children who still think that I do cool things. Even if I’ve put them on the back burner for a while.

Raising Geeks

There are so many times when we have chances to support our children. I hope that I can learn from her example. I want to encourage them by being excited about the things they have created and are passionate about.

Have you noticed your own children rooting you on? Maybe they are asking to play a video game with you or love the cosplay that you are putting together. Whatever it is, take time to enjoy the compliments. There’s nothing wrong with embracing those moments when your children make you want to be a better geek. We should wear that knowledge with pride.

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Krayt Clan A community family By Seth Duncan aka Morut Naast Photo courtesy Seth Duncan

T

Club Connection

he Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club is an international STAR WARS™ costuming organization dedicated to celebrating the STAR WARS™ universe through the creation, display, and wearing of quality character costumes that represent the Mandalorian characters and culture from the STAR WARS™ sagas. The MMCC unites individuals with a common love for STAR WARS™ and the Mandalorian culture/characters while encouraging self-improvement, personal growth, family involvement, and fellowship with peers. The MMCC promotes interest in STAR WARS™ and facilitates the use of these costumes for STAR WARS™-related events as well as contributing to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work.

MMCC is unique as it encourages is membership to embrace creativity and individualism as opposed to costume organization based on visual accuracy from the STAR WARS™ films and canon reference material. The MMCC is an inclusive and friendly club, following the Mandalorian way of “Clans” or family units

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and a clans’ ability to adopt anyone who wishes to be a Mandalorian. Recognized by Lucasfilm LTD. as “The Elite Mandalorian Costuming Organization”; Mandalorian Mercs Costuming Club set the standards of Mandalorian costuming based on canon film(Boba and Jango Fett), Expanded Universe, “Legends”, action figure, and video/ board game references. Our CRLs (Costume Requirement List) allow official members to be highly creative with their Mandalorian costumes, even though there is a minimum visual and quality standard that must be reached; every Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club member is constantly encouraged to improve their costume to elite standards. The Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club lives up to it’s label as “The Elite Mandalorian Costuming Organization” by promoting the love of STAR WARS™, creation of quality costumes, and spirit of volunteerism.

Established in 2010, Krayt Clan is the Utah chapter of the MMCC. We’ve watched the clan grow from 5 members to 31, with many more on their way. Krayt has long held the ideal of a Mandalorian saying that “Family is more than blood”, and we strive to show the community just how large that family can be. The work we do with the community and various charity organizations is the foundation and primary reason that most of our members are involved in our organization, but the fun we have is the icing on the cake. We look forward to the years ahead and having our family grow. If you’re interested in joining Krayt Clan, please look up our forums at Mandalorianmercs.org and check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/KraytClan . We’re happy to answer any questions you may have and look forward to meeting you.


Savage Worlds RPG By Daniel Yocom www.UGeek.us/DanielYocom Photo credit Kenzer and Company

edges have prerequisites, so you can’t start with them.

One aspect I like about this system is you don’t need to figure out conversions to determine success. Everything is based on the die you roll for your attribute or skill. There are modifiers based on your edges and conditions, but to determine success you roll the appropriate die for the skill you are using. If it is a 4 or greater, you succeed. Initiative is done by using a deck of playing cards, including the two jokers. The highest card decides who goes first or holds their action for later in the round. Jokers are wild cards giving special advantages for the round.

S

avage Worlds role playing game (RPG) has been around for a while. I had heard very little about the system. Simply, it was a good system. So recently I picked up the basic book when I had the opportunity. What I had heard was correct, and here is why. The first words after the table of contents are, “Fast! Furious! Fun!” And, with that as the motto for their RPG, it delivers. The concept of the system is to get people past the rules and into the storyline of the game. Savage Worlds’ basic game book is less than 150 pages. Within the space provided you get the basic rules for creating characters, adventures, etc. for any genre.

Savage Worlds, from Great White Games/ Studio Publishing, developed by Shane Lacy Hensley strives for, and delivers, a quick learning, and quick playing system. For more, check online for the expanded review.

The Forgotten Planet By Daniel Yocom www.UGeek.us/DanielYocom Photo credit giochix.it

Character creation is simple. There are 5 attributes to work with: agility, smarts, spirit, strength, and vigor. Each attribute is based on common gaming dice and start out as a below average 4-sided die (d4) roll. Players then have 5 points they can use to “buy up” to a d6 (average), d8, d10, or d12 roll. Next, you have 15 points for skills, which are based on the attributes and work the same way. Skills are learned abilities such as shooting, fighting, knowledge, and so on. They are broad in scope, so you don’t have to maintain a long list of skills that some systems require (e.g. pistol and rifle skills are both shooting). After that you choose hindrances and edges. These are balanced out for beginning characters, you can’t get an edge unless you have a hindrance. These flaws and innate traits are similar to other games. Some of the

Throughout history, mining has always been an important part of building civilizations. The ores and minerals have provided the material for developing new a greater things. As we have expanded throughout


The Forgotten Planet pits 2–4 players in developing a mining operation on a distant world on the edge of known space. The environment is harsh and the planet is unstable so you have to use robots. Players start with one solar collector, robot, and each energy crystal resource. There is a limited area available for mining, which eventually puts you and the other miners in conflict. Your strategy needs to include collecting power to run your robots, mining, and building more robots, bases, or walls. This allows you to find new mining sites where you can collect the crystals that you need to sell to the merchant guild, or use to build.

Tabletop Games

Characters advance in levels using a twostep approach. All characters start out in the rank of novice and advance up through four other ranks. Each rank effectively has four levels (except the last level, legendary, which is open ended). With each level advancement, you choose between several ways of improving your character.

the galaxy, mining has become no less important. And now, the energy crystals are more important than just about anything else ever mined. A new source of the minerals has been discovered, and the race is on.

Three of us sat down with The Forgotten Planet without looking at the rules beforehand. At first, the rulebook looks imposing. However, the rule book contains four languages, so it’s really not as bad as it seems. In a short time we had the basic concept of the rules and were starting our first turns. The rules are easy to understand and the game is recommended for ages 12+. During our first game, we referred to the rulebook a few times. For the second we only used it to choose a different layout for the board. We had the concepts and were willing to give our strategies a second chance. The game is well balanced. The first game was decided by a tie breakers based on the number of crystals players had. The second would have probably ended with a different winner if there had been one or two more turns, the rules allow a way to push to an end game, which I did. Both games we played we completed in the 75 minute time frame listed on the box. The Forgotten Planet from giochix.it, and designed by Michele Quondam, is a good strategy game. I come to this conclusion based on two aspects. First, how close both games were to determine a winner. Second, I, and the other two players, were discussing strategy options the next day. When a strategy game doesn’t get you thinking about the strategy, it isn’t intriguing enough to play again. This is one game that is not going to be collecting dust in our group. Thanks to giochix.it for a copy of The Forgotten Planet.

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Into

THE VOID can be hard to imagine, because it exists in a nether between the physical and the virtual. It’s an immersive experience that needs to be seen in order to be truly understood. Even then, it’s incredible that it exists. What Jensen and the other co-founders, Curtis Hickman and Ken Bretschneider, are doing is a blend of mediums. Virtual reality is part of it—a huge part of it—but THE VOID is also part movie production, part amusement park, part theatrics, and part illusion. It’s the marriage of all those elements that creates something much bigger, more revolutionary than anything that’s come before. --I faced a blank wall, suited up in patented Rapture gear, THE VOID’s proprietary equipment designed from the ground up for their experiences. I waited in darkness, the visor of my Rapture HMD—the head-mounted display—flipped down over my eyes.

By Alex Sousa

Photos by Nicola Pritchett They call it “Hyper Reality.” “That’s a term we’ve coined to describe what we’re doing,” says James Jensen, Chief Visionary Officer and co-founder of THE VOID. He’s outside their attraction stage, a 30 by 30 ft. arena that’s only a quarter of the size of what their final Dimension Stages will be. “Everyone else is doing virtual reality, but hyper reality is a blend between the physical world and the digital world.”

The headgear looks like a bike helmet, and it fits like one too. It’s packed with equipment, screen, optics, high-end headphones, and a microphone. It’s a snug fit, and any noise around me is muffled. Standing there, waiting, is almost like being in sensory deprivation. The HMD is wired to the backtop computer, which is strapped to the back of the vest. It’s the nerve system of the Rapture equipment. The computer is the first of its kind, built with a custom motherboard and BIOS. It renders the graphics in real-time for the user and communicates the data to a central game server, connecting everyone in the experience together. The whole set-up weighs about 13 pounds, and most of that comes from the hot-swappable battery pack, which allows them to change

the power supply out while the computer still runs so they never have to take a vest offline. Jensen says that the equipment will only get smaller and faster as they move forward, but even now it’s unobtrusive and I hardly notice the weight. The whole set-up has been designed for safety and ease of use. “Most HMDs in the market are bricks strapped to your face,” says Jensen. “If you take a hit in that it crushes your face. You take a hit in ours and you just bounce right off.” He tells me about their plans to implement a donning rig, to help people get in and out of the equipment quickly. When THE VOID finally opens, the plan is for the equipment to be ready to go, pre-loaded with a customer’s profile as soon as they arrive, so once the gear is on they can step into their avatar. For now, I just have to wait in darkness while my photographer gears up, too. We were about to experience “The Curse of the Serpent’s Eye,” an adventure story reminiscent of Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider, more linear than some events, focused on puzzle-solving to give people a taste of what their tech can do. It was the same experience they previewed at TED 2016, where Harrison Ford donned the gear and tried it out for himself. Rumor has it he approved. The technician taps me on the shoulder and I give her a thumbs-up. We’re ready to begin. In a flash of blue, the blackness before me is gone, replaced with the sights and sounds of an ancient temple. The gray wall that I’d been facing, it now looks like it’s made of crumbling stone. I can hear birds call and insects buzz

Part virtual reality, part physical reality, this Utah company is the next big thing in entertainment Page 6


around me. There’s a button on the wall that glows ethereally. “Wow,” my photographer says, her voice crisp and clear in the headset. I turn to look at her, but her digital avatar—a blue outline of a rugged explorer—has replaced her. Eventually the avatars will be fully rendered, giving people the chance to be whomever or whatever they want in a given experience. For now, while the beta continues, the blue, generic outline is the best we have, but it doesn’t ruin the illusion.

support character, or a zombie, or an alien, but it’s a way for audiences to participate outside the Dimension stage as well.

Part of that delay comes from developing new technology, making sure it functions the very best that it can. Another part of the delay is that their plan has constantly evolved as they’ve been approached by a multitude of companies looking to implement their technology in training, teaching, and education practices.

“We want to open it up to that. We don’t feel like we’re competitors in the home market at all, we’re very specific to out-of-home entertainment, and so we want to support those in-home VR systems, participate at that level so that people can play at home.”

“Experiential learning has the highest retention rate, which ticks off the possibilities provided by the Void,” Jensen says. “That’s all based on how vivid the experience is.” Entertainment is their first platform, though, which has given them their first hurdles. TV ratings are up, movie theater attendance is down. It’s an interesting time for show business.

An unprecedented amount of good TV, along with streaming services, and the lowIt’s in this moment that I doubt my senses. I er-cost for home theater systems has made had seen the wall—the real physical wall—in it easy for people to consume entertainment front of me before I flipped the visor of my from the comfort of their own homes. It’s a HMD down, I had just reached out and touched problem that multiplexes are fighting all over a physical button in front of me. But then, in the country. Pair that with a bevy of fresh inthe virtual world, I saw that wall disappear and home VR consoles, and THE VOID is up against heard a voice telling me to walk forward. a gaming revolution that has never been seen I take a leap of faith and step. The wall, it’s before. But, even in a year that’s bombarded gone, just like I had seen, but not believed. The with the release of reality entertainment, Jenconflict between what’s real and what’s not sen says they aren’t concerned. ends as I accept the world as it is being pre“The stuff we’re doing in THE VOID is physisented to me. I’m fully immersed at that point, cally impossible in your home,” he says. “You’re leaving behind the fact that the world I’m phys- not going to have the space we have, you’re ically in is not the same world I’m experiencing. not going to have the physical effects. They I’m looking into THE VOID, and THE VOID is lack the capability to provide the argument looking back at me. that what you’re seeing is actually happening.” ---

The Vision of Infinite Dimensions. That’s what THE VOID actually means. Talking to Jensen, that vision is two-fold—the digital vision that they’re giving to the customers, and the vision of the future they’re creating. Jensen has spent the last fifteen years working on ways to put digital worlds on physical spaces. He talks about THE VOID with passion, and it’s obvious that all his work is finally culminating—the technology has caught up with the ideas and now, as Chief Visionary Officer, he’s able to truly look towards the future. “We’re carving out this new industry. We’re open to all sorts of new terms and phrases, because they don’t exist yet. THE VOID is going to play a big part in creating the culture around it,” he says. One of the major struggles has been educating people on what it is that they’re doing. THE VOID is something that truly needs to be experienced in order to be understood. And while they’ve offered opportunity for beta audiences at events and partnered with Sony to create their Ghostbusters: Dimension experience at

Before that, though, Jensen and his team are developing a mobile companion app, which he proudly shows off. Built for both Android and iOS, the app will be a portal for customers be able to purchase tickets like a movie theater, but because of their gaming foundation, the app will do more than just that. The app will allow for customers to manage their personal profiles. Buy a ticket, and the next step is choosing who to be. Jensen scrolls through pages of avatars, ready to be fully rendered in the virtual world, replacing the blue, glowing outlines that are in place now.

“The profiles that you’ll build will in THE VOID will stay with you. On every experience you go to, you’re increasing your dimensional traveler,” says Jensen. “When you go through the experience, you gain experience points, you pick up items. When you leave the experience, you can leave with those items, or new experience points, or VOID credits, because you did so well in a certain level. You can unlock items, or use credits to purchase new ones.” Audiences will also get to leave with a 15-30 Continued on page 15

After experiencing THE VOID’s arguments, it’s easy to see the draw. What can be accomplished in THE VOID, with their particular blend of physical interaction and virtual storytelling, is the sort of thing generations reading dime-novel science fiction have hoped for, but have so far been denied. ‘We’ve had a lot of people go through this and say they never thought they’d see this in their lifetime,” he says. As sensational as the Oculus Rift or the PlayStation VR or the HTC Vive may be, they can’t convince all the senses that the world they create is real. That’s not to say that THE VOID doesn’t have plans to enter the home market, however. “We eventually want to have versions of our digital worlds that go out on mobile and out to the home market, so people can extend their gameplay,” says Jensen. They’re developing ways for players to participate from home entertainment systems, dropping into the games that people are experiencing in their Virtual Entertainment Center. Maybe that means playing a


Feature

I reach my hand out—it too has been replaced by a translucent blue outline—and touch the glowing button. The button itself is a physical element, a tangible, interactive feature built into the experience. When I press it, I see the ancient wall crumble away and feel a gust of air on my chest, arms, and face. With the wall gone, I see the courtyard of the temple beyond. A voice in the headset tells me to walk forward and enter.

Times Square in July, their official launch— originally scheduled for this summer—keeps getting pushed back.

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Photographer: JW Photography

Character: Wonder Woman

Cosplayer: Sherry Bear Cosplay

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Wonderful advice! What do you think you can make this year?

Get creative and have fun with it!” - Sherry Bear Cosplay

Say you are building a sword and a scabbard, you can create a hidden compartment on the side to hold your items. Have a heavy gun? When designing it see if you can fit a hollow space that you can open and close. My most recent costume is Princess Jasmine from Aladdin. I made the costume from the scene where Jafar turns her tiger Rajah into a little kitty and puts him in a cage. I found a small zip-able case that could act as the base of the cage, painted it to match the cage, and attached it to the bottom. Voila! Prop storage!

“My cosplay tip is to always think about storage with your costumes. You’ll always want a place to put items like your phone, cash, cards, a small touch up kit for your makeup or hair, etc. Not all cosplays include convenient props like a backpack or pouches, and you might not always have a handler available to carry things for you! It’s always a fun touch to make props that can double as storage.

Sherry Bear is a skilled and talented cosplayer here in the Utah community. Her work ranges from super heroes to princesses. Sherry started cosplaying in 2014 when she was inspired by all the cosplayers at Salt Lake Comic Con. She got to know some crafting friends and now shares her own cosplay sage advice.

By Mercedes Roberts www.StitchAndSeam.blogspot.com

Using Props as Storage

Cosplay Tip:

Walking Through Walls Chapter 12: Feast of the Deceased By David J. West The story so far: Kenaz, known as the Mind-Walker, can step outside his own body to gather secrets and information. Now Kenaz has been proclaimed heir to the mysterious Salamander’s great fortune—BUT he was tricked by the Salamander and their bodies have been switched and—did I mention he is trapped in the old man’s body that is pierced with arrows and dying? . . .

W

ith her spyglass in hand, Lysandra watched from the rooftop and through the open window into The Salamander’s palatial villa. She could plainly see past the palm fronds and into the open window revealing the luxurious bedroom and the scene of impending bloody death.

Fiction

The old man’s labored breathing grew heavier as crimson spouted out around the arrow shafts, staining his ivory toga. He reached for the leering young man standing over him in one last desperate attempt for revenge, but his flabby arms grew weak with blood loss and his great bulk fell back against the velvet chair never to rise. The Salamander was finally dead. Kenaz, Lysandra’s only real friend, had been proclaimed his heir, master of all the evil old scut had accumulated. So why did she feel something was wrong? This should have been a joyous occasion. Kenaz would lift the bounty on her head and reward their friendship. Lysandra carefully watched the dark alleys below. Dark furtive shapes were still running about with the occasional gleam of moonlight on their brazen spear points. The Salamander’s Valchiki guardsmen were still hunting her like hounds who had lost the scent. Shouldn’t Kenaz have called them off by now? She went back to watching the window. Kenaz was speaking to The Salamander’s sorcerous assistant, Pike. Odd, they had never been close. Kenaz despised the man, calling him a wastrel conjurer or worse. She wanted to call out to Kenaz, to let him know she was near and that he needed to

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david-j-west.blogspot.com remember to call off the Valchiki. Why wasn’t he doing that yet? A thought crossed her mind. Gathering an iron and flint starter, she signaled at him from behind the spyglass. A weak orange light went out, piercing through the ebony darkness toward his window. As intended, it caught his attention. Kenaz and the little bald sorcerer stuck their heads out the window. Lysandra silently waved to them and mouthed, ‘Call off your dogs!’. Kenaz did not smile at her joke nor wave back. Instead, he glared at her and barked to his Valchiki guardsmen below, pointing at her hiding place. “The assassin is on the rooftop! Kill her!” Lysandra’s smile dropped. “I’ll gut you for this, Kenaz!” She screamed, at him. His bold face, looking so unlike his usual good natured smirk, stung her like salt in a wound. She ran from her rooftop hiding place, his booming, sinister laughter ringing out behind her. How could he betray her? Trust no one! That’s what her mother used to say. Lysandra never wanted to believe that bit of advice, but the truth hurts. Everyone lies. Everyone will turn their back on you when the time comes. She thought she heard Kenaz’s voice in her mind begging her to reconsider and return to the scene of the crime. That’s crazy! she told herself. He betrayed you just like everyone else in her life had. Her running, jumping and panting was the only thing keeping the constant barrage of voices in her head silent. Was she going crazy? Sticking to the rooftops was the only sure way of staying ahead of the long limbed Valchiki. The tenacious men of the south were strong and deadly and it wouldn’t do to be caught by them at any point in the city. What options were left to her? She thought about which of her safe houses were compromised. All but two, she thought and even then there was a chance. After all, if you can’t count on the one person who has saved your life time and again who could you count on? She ducked into a darkened alcove overlooking the city. Why now? Kenaz could have slain her several times over if that was what he really wanted. He could have left her to the devil-fish

in the bay. He could have given her up any number of times. Why now? She held back the tears. They were a luxury she could ill afford. She had to keep moving. Briefly outlined by a jeweled moon, she leapt down the rooftop to a balcony below letting a striped awning break her fall. A woman cooking dinner screamed, but Lysandra ignored her and rushed past. From there Lysandra grabbed a clothesline and swung over to an adjoining tiled roof and then hooked left to another rooftop after jumping the short chasm of an alleyway between. She was gone, so why was the woman still screaming? Lysandra looked back and knew dark paralyzing fear in her gut. Pike, that wastrel of a sorcerer had sent something after her. A green-lit, smoky shape was swiftly snaking its way through the aether toward her. It looked like a bearded dragon, serpentine and fierce, but shimmered and shifted colors almost like it was made of the northern lights she’d once seen when just a girl. Lysandra had heard of this type of magic before, what did men call it? A Lightning Worm! Who would have thought that Pike was capable of such a spell? Lysandra certainly hadn’t believed he was skilled enough for such a cantrip, but there it was, fishtailing through the night sky with its electric mouth agape. Nearly upon her. Take a corner swiftly, it can’t change direction as fast as you. Where had that thought come from? She didn’t know anything about Lightning Worms other than they were deadly sorcerous creations. But still she heeded the thought and dodged right around a corner and dropped down to a balcony below. The Lightning Worm spun thrice in a tight circle to correct itself and keep up the pursuit. It crackled with energy, swimming through the air toward her in a determined zig zag motion. Lysandra tried to remember what it would take to evade such a magical creation and found herself out of breath and thought. There is always a way, but what? A Lightning Worm has but one command for each measure of its creation. Let it complete that command, or at least believe that it has.


That would mean letting it think it had destroyed her. But how? Let it touch you—so long as you’re touching someone else. Perhaps one of the Valchiki? “I must be going mad to think I am hearing advice from Kenaz,” she muttered to herself, as she clambered up a peaked roof and slid down its long opposite side. Will you listen to me? “Kenaz? What do you want?” she asked. She couldn’t see Kenaz but knew his gift of out of body travel allowed him to find her anywhere. He might be trying to slow her down so his men could catch her. “I’m not listening to any more of your lies!” I’ve been trying to tell you for the last three city blocks. That wasn’t me. The Salamander tricked me. He has my body and I have only his dead one. I’m a lost soul. I’ve nothing to return to. She pushed back tears and smirked, saying, “Well, I still have a lot to lose. So I’m afraid you’re on your own. I have to look out for myself now. Since no one else can.” The Lightning Worm was getting closer. The crackle and hum from its energetic body made Lysandra’s hair stand straight out in every direction. She slid down another slanting roof and ducked across an adjoining flat, making the Worm spin like a top once again to adjust its pursuit. Friends help each other. “So they say.” I understand how you feel. You forget, that while I’m in spirit form I know what you’re thinking better than anyone. “Get out of my head!” Lysandra rounded another sharp corner and dropped down into an alleyway, delaying the Lightning Worm’s electrical bite by barely a sword stroke’s length. She ran at top speed over the cobbles, her hard leather boots slapping the stones and echoing through the narrow alley. The Lightning Worm rocketed after her, gaining with every heartbeat. You must touch someone precisely before it gets you. It will discharge the shock. “As if I’d ever trust you again,” she growled, swiftly bolting through an open doorway and dashing through a tavern’s kitchen. The Lightning Worm rocketed after her, much to the horror of the patrons and staff inside. Take the next left and trust me. Despite her misgivings, she took the next left and ran right into a trio of Valchiki guardsman. They roared in triumph at having seized her. “Kenaz, you bastard!” Touch them. Touch them now! Lysandra reached out and took the foremost Valchiki by the arm. He stared at her curious but unafraid. They didn’t fear this red-haired woman. She didn’t even have a

weapon drawn. The Lightning Worm burst around the corner, its neon green mouth wide open and closing over the top of Lysandra. Bright white light erupted all about her and a shockwave slapped her hands like a dozen wasp stings, but it sent the three Valchiki guardsmen careening away like straw in a storm. Trust me now? “That was luck,” she said, continuing her race across the terraced upper city. No such thing as luck. I orchestrated your deliverance. Again. “Perhaps,” she reluctantly admitted. The steam and smells from someone’s supper nearby teased her empty stomach. Why hadn’t she gotten something to eat at the party? Oh yes, she was too busy saving the ungrateful traitorous wretch’s life. From now on, she would trust no one and eat when she felt like it. “Farewell, Kenaz. Whatever we had is over.” I need you and you need me. “Getting involved with you is where my life went to the seven hells.” Help me and you help yourself. We can work together, get our revenge and our lives back. Lysandra shook her head. “He has too many men and your body now. I should just flee Tolburn and go far away. Avaris maybe.” We have options. Let’s ask Ytainlyn for help. “All she gave me for your supposed rescue was a ticket to the celebration, this cloak, and a pair of fancy boots. She said if I got in and slew The Salamander, all would be right in the world; look how wrong that went.” You’re discouraged, that’s fine. Trust me I am teetering upon the precipice but we can’t stay like this. We have to fight. We have to overcome our obstacles. She thought long and hard about options. She didn’t know anyone in Avaris. There was no one to turn to anymore, except a spirit making her look like she was talking to herself on a balcony overlooking the city. Stranger things have happened before she supposed, miracles even. “I’m exhausted and will regret this. But what is your plan? How can we get your body back from that monster and turn all of this around?” We’ll have to trick him into stepping outside himself, and when he does, I’ll be there to take back my body. “I don’t suppose you have any ideas on how to make him do that. He must have wanted your body all along and this was all a ruse to get you into this position. He’ll be more protective than ever. You’ll have to steal your body back.” You make it sound so unseemly. “It is unseemly. He stole your body and presumably was planning to do so for


months!” Do you have any ideas on how we might best accomplish this? Lysandra chewed her lip before responding. “You’re the answer man. But my best idea is to make him think he has to step out because your body is about to die or something.” It irritated Lysandra that she was talking to someone she couldn’t see; she couldn’t read facial expressions or body language. It was funny to think about how much she relied on that to understand people. They give away so much with expression and position, but Kenaz was just a voice in her head now. I’ll owe her an exorbitant amount, but Ytainlyn may be our only chance. She has a grudge against The Salamander and ought to help us trick him. “Maybe I don’t have any friends I can trust, but it seems you do,” she said. We should get help for this!” You’re right. I should get the gang together. “Gang? Who?” Callus Durro, Hershel Burnside, and anyone else with a grudge against Sal. With enough people we can throw so much havoc at him, I’ll be able to get my body back. A sinister voice boomed from the darkness. “Now that sounds like a great plan. But I’m afraid it’s just too late.” Lysandra wheeled to look at Kenaz in the flesh, except she knew it wasn’t really Kenaz but the body snatching Salamander. “You—” “Save your insults precious, they’ll buy you nothing. Take her!” he commanded his guards. Stout arms soon grasped Lysandra about the waist before she could draw her sword. “I may have some use for you yet. And Kenaz, I know you’re here, listening nearby. Thank you for your gift, however unwillingly given it was. You may as well see yourself to the other side of the seven veils. What you’ve missed is that I’m a Mind-Walker myself and have been since before you were born. I know the pitfalls. Why do you think I took your body? You weren’t the first I’ve taken and you won’t be the last.” You’re the shadow demon! You’ve tried to steal my body before! Lysandra winced at the anguish in Kenaz’s mental cry. “Of course, you young fool! By dawns light, you’ll be forced out of this plane of existence. The myriad spirits and demons and gods that surround us every day won’t abide a human spirit to wander the city with them. They’ll destroy you. I wish you a speedy oblivion.” He bid his bodyguard follow him with Lysandra in chains and they marched back to the villa. Kenaz watched in anguish. He guessed he had but a few hours until sunrise. Next time: This Is The End

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Feature

The Masters of Creativity: Tracy and Laura Hickman

Go Ahead. Ask this couple of renowned storytellers how they met - then sit back and enjoy as the tales of their lives unfold. By Stephanie Sharp

B

ack in May, I was pleased to meet Tracy and Laura Hickman at THE VOID’s new studio in Lindon, Utah. My adventure began with a quick introduction before Tracy whisked us down the hall to check out the set. He beamed like a proud new papa as we stepped into the staging area. Laura and I suited up, and we stepped into the experience. For those who don’t know, THE VOID (thevoid.com) is a new virtual reality studio where Tracy works under the direction of his and Laura’s accomplished son, Curtis. Their groundbreaking system overlays a virtual reality environment on top of the physical environment, providing an unparalleled immersive experience. How incredible it felt to “visit” an ancient Mayan temple and walk through as if I were Indiana Jones or

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Lara Croft. (See Into THE VOID in this issue for more on this amazing technology.) Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Tracy Hickman is one of fantasy’s best authors according to ranker.com. His work includes the Dragonlance series, The Immortals novel, and the storyline for the Shroud of the Avatar video game. His career in professional writing began with the famed Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. When first introduced, D&D gameplay was all about the setting. It was Tracy who changed the game from being setting-based to plot-based. The rich storylines you find in RPGs today owe their start to stories he wrote over 25 years ago. Now credited as a pioneer in RPG storytelling, Tracy may have invented a new genre. Laura’s contributions are not as well documented. That’s partly because bias has traditionally leaned toward male writers , but

also because Tracy and Laura have worked side-by-side on many projects in the past 39 years. This creative couple has collaborated on every task thrown their way. Living by the adage “You can do amazing things if you don’t care who gets the credit,” she and Tracy have successfully created their own RPGs, authored novels and gaming modules, designed board games, taught professional writing courses, and raised four extraordinary children together. At the start of their relationship, neither of them knew the other liked science fiction. Even as newlyweds, they danced around the idea of going to see a “new” sci-fi film as a night out. Tracy worried that Laura wouldn’t want to see Star Wars, and Laura wasn’t sure how to tell him she really wanted to go. After all, this would be their first date as a married couple, and sci-fi was not as mainstream as it is today. So they pulled out the newspaper,


scanned the movie listings, and were too shy to admit what they wanted to see. “We both knew we liked science and the Apollo stuff, but I didn’t realize he loved science fiction as much as me!” Laura remembered. A few months later, Laura was invited to act in a local stage production. Upon arrival at the theater, friends began telling her about a new game. After drawing up a quick map and throwing down some weird-shaped dice, several hours passed before Laura realized she hadn’t picked up her new husband from work. He was fuming as he rode his bicycle across town to find out why. When he arrived, he discovered that she was lost in a world of her friends’ creation. He calmed down, they explained the game, and he was intrigued. Later, Laura gave him a basic set of this game, Dungeons & Dragons, as an early birthday present. He immediately vanished into the basement for a month, and when he emerged, great stories came with him. The first dungeon he created was named Orthunk. Their success allowed them to create a home office by the time their eldest children started elementary school. Both Tracy and Laura grew up with parents who worked from home, and they share a feeling of belonging among “the tribe of the makers.” They told me several times: “We love to play. We love to create (and have a nice cup of tea now and then), but we’ve learned that discipline is the key to making anything. It is the disciplined creatives who make things.” Tracy refers to his wife as “the secret weapon in everything I’ve done, credited or not!” They do everything together, and a finished product is neither his nor hers—the credit belongs to the couple. Their most famous Dungeons and Dragons campaign setting, Ravenloft, was originally Laura’s idea. Strahd, the first great villain in D&D, started his life as a product of her imagination. Together, they’ve placed their DNA inside the International Space Station, both figuratively and literally. Their digitized DNA

is included on the ship’s Immortality Drive, and their idea for a new party game eventually became the inspiration for a short film titled Apogee of Fear (youtu. be/2fv3ZJ2J89M), which was the first science fiction movie ever to be filmed in space. This film was produced and directed by game developer Richard “Lord British” Garriott (the creator of Shroud of the Avatar and the Ultima video game series) during his 2008 trip to the ISS, and was written and edited by the Hickmans. Operation Immortality and the Immortality Drive were Richard’s solutions to a possible global catastrophe, as well as a marketing tie-in to his poorly received video game Tabula Rasa. Curtis Hickman, Tracy and Laura’s son, is the Chief Creative Officer and founder of THE VOID. He is a master illusionist and professional magician who designs theatrical illusions for top magicians around the world. Specializing in “mystery and miracle,” his illusions have been performed by David Copperfield and Criss Angel. He’s taken his gift for illusion and applied it to the virtual world. THE VOID allows you to step through a virtual space that’s in complete agreement with your understanding of physical space. It looks real. It feels real. It is real! Being a creative type, Tracy was eager to get involved with his son’s project. He just wasn’t sure how to approach him. “I’d been thinking, ‘How could I possibly ever work there?’” Unknown to him , Curtis approached THE VOID’s co-founders and said, “I can get us a New York Times best-selling writer who can really do the job for us and has all the requirements. He’s perfect for the job, but he’s my dad. What do you think about that?” The other co-founders, Ken Bretschneider and James Jensen, were very supportive. They knew Tracy; he’d done some work for them before. After a good talk


about what the future might hold, they struck a deal. Tracy now works for THE VOID full-time as the lead story designer . The Hickmans have a great love of adventure, family, and one another. As it says in their favorite musical, The Music Man, they’ve each found the one who is “more interested in me than he is in himself and more interested in us than in me.” This theme has a constant presence in their personal and business lives, and so does the belief that an unopened book has never lived. As Tracy puts it: “The actual data density of a book is minimal. The sights, the sounds, the smell, the experience, the meaning of the text is all provided by the reader.” This year, Tracy will be busy with THE VOID and Laura is working on her blog Baking Outside the Box (bakingoutsidethebox.com). The Sword of Midras, the first in a series of books co-written with Richard Garriott and based on their video game Shroud of the Avatar, just came out in June. And the second book in the The Nightbirds series, Unhonored (co-written by the two), will be coming out in October. See them at Dragoncon in September, GenCon next August, and various other signing tours throughout the year. For more information, please visit trhickman.com.

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Reprinted with permission

Geek Cred Pop Quiz

By Zac Johnson

1

In the American Dub for Dragon Ball Z, which Voice actor passed out while recording?

A) Sonny Straight B) Terry Klassen C) Christopher Sabat D) Sean Schemmel

2

In Digimon, which digidestineds’ digimion digivolved to champion first?

3

A) Zabimaru C) Zangetsu

A) Bill B) Dave C) John D) Frank

5

A) Superman C) Aquaman

6

B) Batman D) Green Lantern

What year did Marvel’s Squirrel Girl first appear in comics?

B) Nozarashi D) Tenken

7

A) 1987 B) 1992 C) 1997 D) 2002

Marvel’s Deadpool was based off of which lesser known DC character?

8

In Magic the Gathering, what is the most used “Keyword” not counting revisions?

A) Flying C) Vigilance

Which of the following DC characters did Actor Nicholas Cage almost portray in the 90s?

A) Tai B) Matt C) Sora D) Izzy What is the name of Ichigo’s Zanpakutō in the series Bleach?

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B) Haste D) Poison

9

In the Manga, Yu-Gi-Oh!, what did they originally call the card game now known as Dual Monsters?

A) Duel Battles B) Fantasy Duel C) Magic and Wizards D) Card Battle!

10

Which came first?

A) Pokémon TCG B) Pokémon anime C) The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga D) Pokemon Red and Blue

A) Deadshot B) Anarky C) Human Cannonball D) DeathStroke

Answers at www.UtahGeekMagazine.com

4

In the DC comic series Preacher, what is the name of the main character’s (Jesse Custer) father?


Into THE VOID Continued from page 7 second video of the experience, personalized and dynamically edited for every player, that will live on the app. Like the photos taken of tourists going down the big drop of a roller coaster, the videos will serve as a highlight reel, with footage of what the player saw and what was actually happening. -On a 40-acre plot in Pleasant Grove, Utah, they’re planning to build their studio and corporate campus. Included in that plan is the first, full VEC, with six to eight stages, each home to a unique VOID experience. They plan on that just being the first, though. “THE VOID allows us to have a theme park all over the world. We’ll eventually have thousands of centers across the world and each one of those centers will be connected to each other,” Jensen says, talking excitedly again. “You can have a center in Utah that’s playing with a center in China.” They’re also opening themselves up to the idea of eSports, already

trademarking the term “vSports.” Like a true Chief Visionary Officer, Jensen talks about the far future, about stadiums packed with fans looking down at VOID stages as two teams battle it out. Fans will be able to follow their favorite players, dropping loot for them, sponsoring them, watching their view on huge POV screens. It’s an intriguing premise, and one that doesn’t seem far-fetched having experienced what they have. Even with its rough edges, THE VOID is a remix of so many different mediums, making something that feels fresh. THE VOID taps into primal feelings, to protect, to run, to fight, to react. It’s so convincing that it’s real, it’s bizarre to look back on it and know that all of it was false. It’s strange to think that what was seen and experienced didn’t actually happen. And though THE VOID is selling an experience that’s ultimately illusion, their future is much more tangible than that. As Jensen says, “This is real, and it’s happening.”

What will you print?

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Use code “UTAHGEEK” for $100 Off Your Purchase of a Micro 3D Printer Retail Edition at www.PrintM3D.com www.UtahGeekMagazine.com

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