Daniel Solis

I'm a big supporter of science and technology, especially teaching both at a young age. There are plenty of good general reasons to pursue science, but I think the ultimate goal should be space colonization. To put it bluntly: Get off the rock. Get as many humans off the planet as possible, as long as possible, as soon as possible. Take a look at this time-lapse video of the milky way . It breaks my heart how much closer those stars could be now. Sadly, I'm not going to go to space any time soon, but here's my tiny attempt at promoting space travel – Four simple words to keep it on top of mind. Clearly, I'm not as tactful as Neil deGrasse Tyson or Carl Sagan. :P UPDATE: Want to use this graphic in your own stuff? Good news! It's released to the Creative Commons. Download the vector EPS below... » Get off the rock (CC-BY-NC)

Hey, you remember Belle of the Ball , right? Well, to be honest, I was never entirely satisfied with how the game turned out, but I couldn't pin down what my problem was exactly. Over time... a long time... I figured out that there was just a mismatch between the theme and the mechanics. In essence, the mechanics are an abstract tile-laying game, which is totally fine on its own. The problem is, I gotta think about the target audience here. Is someone attracted to the Jane Austen theme going to enjoy a slightly layered abstract strategy game? Would they prefer a lighter game that specifically uses cards as, well, cards? Yeah... So, my distant future plans are to retheme this tile-laying game mechanic. That will leave the "Belle of the Ball" theme free for a light card game. Here's the basic outline I have marinating in my head for that new incarnation. Players each have a hand of guest cards. The card shows what this guest is doing: Drinking, eating, flirting, ...

Here's some more art from James Stowe for Pop and Locke's Last Heist ! See his last couple pieces for the game here and here . The main direction for these two pieces were to show Pop and Locke on an actual heist, using the magical household objects to help out in their tasks. Last time, you saw Pop doing the grab and Locke on the assist. This time, I wanted to show Locke in the foreground with Pop in a bit of trouble. (You can spot him in the security cameras.) Locke is using the pocket watch that puts dogs to sleep while grabbing the facility keys off the security desk. She's gotta be careful, though! The watch only works on dogs, not goons. I'm really glad we were able to get James on this project. When your game is about heists, it's hard not to veer into Mission: Impossible, Ocean's Eleven, or Leverage. James' light, cartoonist style was a perfect way to show that this game has a much more goofy kind of atmosphere. Hopefully it makes you want to...

Megan is making earrings and other jewelry from meeples! They're real meeples assembled with high quality materials and unique beads. Perfect gift for the gamer who likes to show off some pizazz! Watch the video above to see her at work. Check out her wares on the Hard Boiled Megg Etsy store.

This is a simple system for "pacifist adventure" role-playing and storytelling games. Here the heroes find non-violent solutions for a big dilemma. The heroes might follow a code of peace, the antagonists could be physically invulnerable, or the heroes are just outnumbered. No amount of punching will help. It's up to you and the other heroes to Talk, Find, and Make a solution. Inspiration Doctor Who, Nancy Drew, Dora the Explorer, Columbo, Daniel Jackson (Stargate), Lyra Silvertongue (Golden Compass), MacGyver, The Question (DC Comics), Veronica Mars, Agent Scully, Penny (Inspector Gadget), Dorothy Gale (Oz), Hermione Granger. Stuff You Need One six-sided die for the whole group. One player (the GM) will take on the role of the antagonists and secondary characters. The other players each need a hero to play. The whole group needs problem scenario for the heroes to solve. The whole group needs twenty stones (or chips, or other small objects). Place nine of th...

Current Projects as of February 22, 2012 Layout The Play's The Thing by end of February Design Spirit of the Century imprint logo by end of February Layout Zeppelin Armada by end of March-ish Writing next draft of Pop and Locke's Last Heist to Tom Cadorette by Mid-March Writing next draft of Rulers in the DMZ to Will Hindmarch by end of March On the Horizon, Pending Kickstarters Prismatic Art Collection with Tracy Hurley and others Layout School Daze from Tracy Barnett Layout VELOCIRAPTOR! CANNIBALISM! from JR Blackwell, Jenn Rodgers, et al Want to do, but isn't immediately paying Graphics for Pebble Rebel Playtesting my own games The next Kickstarter for one of my own games Designing graphics for Kill Your Darlings with Jared Axelrod Layout the Board Game Calendar with Justin Jacobson and Chuck Wendig Design T-Shirt for this quote And this is all "by night." If I ever look dog-tired, this is why. :P

Thanks to Evil Hat Productions, we have a bit of an art budget to hire James Stowe again to create more art for Pop and Locke's Last Heist . The one thing I really wanted to see (as did many others) was Pop and Locke actually pulling a heist. Here is my actual art direction to James. --- I want to show Pop and Locke actually in a trouble during a heist. The game mechanics require you to incur a degree of trouble in order to achieve the best ending. However, most heist movies reflect these troubles with violence, showing heroes pinned down and exchanging gunfire. For example. That's not how Pop and Locke work. After all, part of their advantage is that they are an unlikely heist team. Pop, Locke, and the Target all have access to the weirdly powered Objects, which usually make traditional weaponry impractical. Instead, the Targets use a combination of high-tech surveillance and hired goons to protect their treasures. Meanwhile, Pop and Locke use their Objects' powers t...