Berin Kinsman/UncleBear Update – 11/09

News

UncleBear is hosting the RPG Blog Carnival for November. The topic is “Community: in-game and in real life”. What does community mean to you, as a player, and what do you want from a community? How does the concept of community factor into your game setting?

Office Hours
Because I’ve got a lot on my plate at the moment, I’m now keeping online office hours from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mountain Time, Monday through Friday. That is the only time I will be checking email, RPMN, Twitter, and Facebook. It doesn’t sound like much, but that’s three hours a day, 15 hours per week checking messages, and that’s the limit I’m setting. If you’re trying to reach me, please be assured that I will do my best to get back to you within one business day.

Site Redesign
The current goal is to have UncleBear.com transitioned into a gateway for all of the activities below by the end of the year. Rather than having to remember or bookmark a variety of URLs, I want people to have one place where they can go to find out what’s going on with UncleBear (the company) and Berin Kinsman (the person).

UncleBear

http://UncleBear.com
http://twitter.com/unclebear
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Uncle-Bear/103866327040?ref=mf
kinsman at unclebear dot com

UncleBear is a company dedicated to producing content for and about tabletop roleplaying games. It operates the Role Play Media Network, FandoNM, a small press publishing effort, and offers consulting services to aspiring game designers.

Role Play Media Network
http://RolePlayMedia.net
The RPMN is a social network for anyone who creates content for and about tabletop roleplaying games, including bloggers, podcasters, writers, designers, and gamemasters, as well as their audiences. It offers free blogs, forums, groups, and chat.

FandoNM
http://FandoNM.ning.com
FandoNM (Fan Do, “Way of the Fan”) is an organization created to promote fan-related activies in the state of New Mexico. It is currently in its infancy and seeking officers and volunteers. While it is currently being operated as a private venture, the goal is to spin it off into a 501(c)3 non-profit organization once it finds its legs.

Publishing
In 2010 UncleBear will move into small press publishing, offering systemless game mastering, world building, and setting material. This material will be available via DriveThruRPG, RPGNow, Lulu, and other reputable vendors.

Game Consulting
UncleBear offers affordable consulting services to aspiring game designers. These services include proofreading, editing, ghost writing, and confidential private reviews. Previously offered directly by Berin Kinsman, in 2010 UncleBear will be adding additional consulting staff so that each game can be assisted by an experienced consultant who is the right “fit” for the game’s genre and style of play.

Berin Kinsman

In addition to operating UncleBear, Berin Kinsman works with other organizations to help promote roleplaying games as a creative and healthy hobby.

Phoenix RPG Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-7705-Phoenix-RPG-Examiner
While the focus of this Examiner.com column is on the Arizona gaming scene, the material is of general interest and includes game reviews, interviews, and the popular Twitter Follow Friday 5.

OneBookShelf Featured Reviewer
http://DriveThruRPG.com
http://RPGNow.com
Going into 2010, Berin will be a featured reviewer for the OneBookShelf family of online retail sites.

Southern Arizona Gamers Association
http://SouthernArizonaGamersAssociation.com
The Southern Arizona Gamers Association (SAGA) is a non-profit organization whose charter is to promote a culture of family gaming and to foster a closer relationship between the community at large in Southern Arizona and hobby games industry. We promote the social and developmental benefits of gaming. Many of SAGA members are published game authors, hobby games industry insiders, working professionals, distinguished military and accomplished students.

SAGA operates two monthly game days, Ides of Gaming and the Tucson RPG Guild meetup, as well as seminars and convention events, including RinCon. As a SAGA Marshal, Berin helps to promote SAGA and its events.

RinCon 10
http://RinConGames.com
At the close of RinCon ‘09, it was announced that Berin will be Communications Director for RinCon 10.

Podcasting
A former regular on the Pulp Gamer Out of Character podcast, Berin is currently preparing to launch a brand new tabletop roleplaying podcast in the near future.

Web Presence
http://BerinKinsman.com
http://direking.wordpress.com
http://twitter.com/berinkinsman
http://facebook.com/berinkinsman
http://www.flickr.com/photos/berin_kinsman/
berin dot kinsman at gmail dot com

BerinKinsman.com is currently a personal blog covering mostly non-roleplaying game topics. By the end of the year, that domain will redirect to UncleBear.com, and Berin’s “personal space” will completely transition to a hosted space.

To keep life manageable, Berin’s Facebook page and Twitter feed are restricted to friends only. You can send a request, but don’t be offended if it’s denied or you don’t get a response. If you don’t know Berin personally, in “real life”, the best way to contact him is via the UncleBear accounts.