Friday, December 9, 2011 Our Next Audio Book..."The Golden Knight"!

I'm pleased to finally announce the title of Spirit Blade Productions' next audio book! "The Golden Knight #1: The Boy Is Summoned", by Steve Clark and Justin Clark!

The synopsis is as follows:

In the beginning, the Kingdom was ruled by a wise and just King who ruled by the laws written in the ancient Book. The people were protected by the archangels and the heroic knights. All lived in peace and prospered. Those days are gone...

Flar, the evil fire lord, and his sorcerer, Murlox, have banished the King and his angels behind an energy field known as the Great Divide. The Book has been taken. The angels have fallen. The knights are gone. The people suffer. All that remains is the prophecy and a promise of hope.

Join Marsonee the archangel and Princess Rainna as they embark on a journey to bring an innocent farm boy toward his true destiny.

Given that the book is aimed at an audience of "tweens", and based on that artwork, you might think that this has "sterilized" and "safe" written all over it. But part of what drew me to the story was the inclusion of some "dark" story elements, such as an imposing villain who wears skulls on his armor, a twisted dark sorcerer, and the fact that someone even takes an arrow shot to the face! (I don't think he's gonna pull through.)

So the audio experience will be very much in keeping with what you've come to expect from Spirit Blade Productions.

The production philosophy we've agreed on is one similar to the live action "Narnia" films. Although there are certainly many elements aimed at a young audience, I'm approaching production with the same serious tone I might give to the "Pilgrim's Progress" audio drama series we're already producing.

Speaking of "series", you'll notice that this is book one of a multi-book series. At this point we've only committed to partnering for the first book in the series, but we're hopeful that the results will be successful enough to warrant audio production of the rest of the series as well!

Stay tuned! I'll have more details about my progress on the project and the release as we get closer to February!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, December 7, 2011 Ability Cards

This month I thought I'd showcase a key type of card in the upcoming "Spirit Blade: The Adventure Card Game". The picture you see is the uncropped design for an Ability Card.

Most Seekers ("good guys") and some Enemies have abilities they can use in the game to give them an edge. Abilities are represented by Ability Cards, and can usually only be used once per Mission. (Though some can be used an unlimited number of times.) Abilities are divided into categories of Damage, Healing, Manipulation, Prophet, Enemy and Special. (Special Abilities are usually the ones that can be used without limit, such as Shifting, Resourceful, Security Systems and Counter Attack.)

Ability Cards that Seekers have access to are described on their Character Card. For example, the Sanctafi Seeker can take 9 Ability Cards into a mission with him: 3 Damage, 3 Healing and 3 Manipulation. The Prophet Seeker is the only Seeker that can take any Prophet Ability Cards into a mission.

The pictured card is a Manipulation Ability that immobilizes a human Enemy in battle. The concept is based on the way Saolos used miraclai in "Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual" to torture Merikk. Although most cards don't have quite the dark edge that this one does, as you can see, this card game will be every bit as "unsterilized" as the Spirit Blade audio dramas! And being a Seeker doesn't mean you don't still have some rough edges.

Although this card requires some knowledge of the audio dramas to fully appreciate and serves as a bit of audio drama fan service, most cards are completely approachable for those who have never heard of Spirit Blade before.

Play testing has slowed down a bit due to the Christmas season (and yeah, I'm playing Skyrim these days, too), but the hardest work is done and the game is mostly balanced. At this point I'm mainly polishing and making a few minor adjustments that I look forward to telling you about.

Stay tuned for another update in January!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, December 2, 2011 Audio Books Vs. Audio Drama

Yesterday I finished recording the audio book that I'm working on, which will be released in February. Although my preferred medium is still audio drama, there are some nice benefits to working on an audio book instead. And they're all related to speed.

Since I'm the only performer I can record at a moments notice as I have opportunity. There is also no time spent directing anyone else. I know what I want something to sound like and can do multiple takes quickly in a row until I hit the delivery I want. And although in some cases it can take me some time to "find" a character's voice, mentally directing myself moves the evolution of my performance forward much faster than verbally directing another actor. Unlike "directing myself", directing another actor involves choosing my words as carefully as possible, for the sake of clear communication and sensitivity to the actor's feelings.

Finally, although I create "enhanced audio books" that include some sound effects and a musical score (the free Spirit Blade Audio Book being an example), the sound cues needed are far less per minute than those required for my audio dramas. So the mixing process has a much faster progression compared to audio drama.

All of this increased speed amounts to two significant benefits. As a creator, I get to have that rewarding sense of satisfaction upon completion of a project much sooner. And as a small business owner, I get to present a new, income earning product for sale much faster as well.

My first and greatest love will probably always be audio drama. But doing audio books, the way I like to do them, can be pretty cool too!

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more info about the upcoming audio book release!

-Paeter Frandsen

Thursday, November 24, 2011 Black Friday And Holiday Sale Prices Available Now!

All of our crazy 40% discounts are active RIGHT NOW in our online store through December 18th!

But remember, our BIGGEST savings opportunity is on Black Friday, November 25th only! Get the Spirit Blade: Special Edition CD set for an insane 60% OFF, and tax and shipping are still FREE! Just $5.19 to put it in your hands or those of a potential fan you'd like to introduce to the world of Spirit Blade! Don't miss out!

Visit our online store right now!

Monday, November 21, 2011 Pilgrim's Progress "Read-Through" Video!

This month's new special feature is part 1 of a behind the scenes look at the first read-through for "Pilgrim's Progress"! This marks the first time any VIDEO of our script reading sessions has been available, and also includes the reading of almost an entire scene that was deleted from the final cut!

You can watch the embedded video below or go check it out along with all of our other videos on our Youtube channel!

Enjoy!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, November 18, 2011 Fantasy Audio Book Coming In February!

I'm excited to officially announce that I'm currently producing a new audio book that will be released in February of 2012!

This is new territory for me in that it will be the first professional project I produce that I did not write! But the author approached me having already published the book and seen relative preliminary success with it in the e-book world, and once I read it I knew it was something I wanted to be involved in. After working out the business side of things, we both signed on the dotted line and we're now off to the races!

It's a fantasy story aimed at young adult readers, but with cool action and dark sorcery for those of us with a taste for the unsterilized. If you're familiar with the "Tales Of The Kingdom" books by David and Karen Mains (a favorite of mine from my pre-teen years!) I think you'll find this story to be in the same category in some respects.

I'll have more details, such as title and author, as we get closer, but wanted to let you guys know about the exciting news!

Have a great weekend!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, November 16, 2011 HUGE Savings On The Way!!

Get ready for some BIG opportunities to save in the Spirit Blade Productions Online Store!
From Friday, November 25th through Sunday December 18th, all physical product will be 40% off, and tax and shipping are still FREE!!

This Christmas is a great time to introduce new listeners to the world of Spirit Blade! Get the CD sets for either Spirit Blade: Special Edition or Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual (regularly $12.99) for just $7.79 each!

Or shop for that special "completist" by getting the Spirit Blade: Special Edition Collector's Set (regularly $23.99) for just $14.39!

You can also grab either of our Archive Discs (regularly $4.99) for just $2.99! Great as stocking stuffers!

PLUS, on Black Friday only (November 25th), you can get the CD set of Spirit Blade: Special Edition for a whopping 60% off! Just $5.19!!

So make your list, mark your calendar, and tell those who might be shopping for you! This is NOT an opportunity to miss!

Friday, November 11, 2011 Taking Risks/The "Shifter" Card

Here's another first look at a card from "Spirit Blade: The Adventure Card Game", coming to your game shelf in 2012!

Before getting into the game info, a brief word specifically to fans of the Spirit Blade audio dramas:

One of the risks of developing a card game based on the Spirit Blade audio drama trilogy is imprinting a specific visual interpretation of the world onto minds of fans who may have, to this point, imagined the world very differently. I'd hate to think that I'm taking anything away from a listener's experience.

So before I get into the details about the "Shifter" card I'm showing in this post, let me at least say to fans of the Spirit Blade Trilogy that the visual look and feel of the Spirit Blade world as presented in "Spirit Blade: The Adventure Card Game" is just one of many valid interpretations of the source material. In fact, even I don't have a perfectly fixed idea in my mind of what this world or its characters look like. So feel free to keep a firm grip on whatever cool images you've created in your mind for the world and characters of Spirit Blade.

I've also purposefully kept specific characters from the story separate from their corresponding Seeker character cards in the game. For example, the "Shifter" pictured on this card is not necessarily my idea of what either Vincent Craft or Merikk Scythe look like. And the "Tech" character card (which I'll possibly showcase in the future) pictures a female character, instead of a male character (such as Raan Galvaanik).

With those issues out of the way, let's get an overview of what's on this card, shall we?

First off, this is called a "character card", and specifically one for a Seeker. (Seekers are the good guys.)

The picture obviously represents the character, with an open portal in the background referring to one of his chief abilities.

"Shifter" is the type of Seeker represented here. (Like a "character class" for you RPG fans.)
Standing out prominently in the bottom right of the character card are the character's primary statistics, or "primary stats". Each stat is a point value for a different stat.

AP stands for "Attack Points". When attacking, each Seeker rolls dice equal to their AP. A character's total AP is increased by whatever weapon they are using and most characters have zero AP before any weapons are factored in.

DP stands for "Defense Points", and determines how many dice you roll when defending against an attack.

HP stands for "Hit Points". When a character takes damage, they gain "hit counters" equal to the damage they have taken. When a character has a number of hit counters equal to their HP, they are defeated.

SP stands for "Spirit Points", and represents the strength of a character's convictions (whether that be toward good or evil ends). SP plays a role most often when determining the effectiveness of some abilities, or a character's chances of withstanding abilities used against them.

"Advantages" are special traits that the Seeker can make use of on Missions, to either help themselves or other Seekers with them.

"Limitations" are traits that hinder a character, such as a limitation on what kind of weapons and armor they may use.

"Starts With" indicates the weapon the character starts with. In this case, the Shifter starts with the "Seeker's Blade", a weapon that adds 2 to his AP.

Whew! That's a lot of info and I've just barely scratched the surface! Stay tuned for more!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011 Sick Day

Hey Folks. I was really hoping to post some more info about the card game today along with a new card image, but something nasty decided to come and live in my stomach for a little while and I just don't have it in me to post about what I wanted to. Hopefully Friday!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, November 4, 2011 Live Chat Tomorrow!

Just a quick reminder that the live chat is tomorrow at 6pm-7pm MST! We're hangin' out and talking about whatever you guys want to!

Just go to spiritblade.net/forums for the chat, sign in and join the chat box at the bottom of the main page. I hope to see you there!

-Paeter Frandsen

Monday, October 31, 2011 Following The Creative Impulse

Last week I made the decision to work only on the songs for Spirit Blade 3 that other actors will be singing, and only enough to fully prepare those actors for their recording sessions.

Since making that decision I've felt a significant change in how I've been looking at my work on Spirit Blade 3. Before, I was dreading trying to "summon" good ideas from nothing, where now I'm excited about the creative process again.

Some writers and other creative types are much more disciplined than I am, taking a philosophy of "just write SOMETHING" even when they don't feel inspired. I envy those folks and the skill they've developed to do that. At the same time, it's not as though I never have times in the creative process when I have to take my work to the grindstone and sharpen it up. It just happens at a different time.

I think maybe those "grindstone" periods work better for me after I've built some creative momentum. When I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. That's how it was for me with a couple of songs in "Dark Ritual". I didn't buckle down and create a couple of them until I was well over halfway through mixing the entire audio drama. But by then I was so excited about how far along I was that it was easier to push through and generate ideas that would work well. (Or at least that *I* thought worked well. You, of course, are the final judge.)

So now as I look at the work ahead of me over the next few months, I'm pretty excited! This week I plan to finish working out the basics I need to for the songs in Spirit Blade 3 that will be sung by other performer, such as Michael Tully (Raan), Sean Anthony Roberts (Saolos) and Randy Hesson (Vincent). I'll also probably be contacting cast members to schedule the official reading session for the script, which will likely take place sometime in January. (Woohoo! I can't wait!) Lastly, I plan to get started on the revision of the script for Pilgrim's Progress: Episode 2, which has been sitting on my computer in rough draft form since the release of Episode 1. (I wrote more than needed last time, so now I'm ahead of the game!)

Over the next few months, there may not be a ton to report regarding Spirit Blade 3 and Pilgrim's Progress Ep. 2, but I'd wager that things will be pretty exciting in my office as those projects quietly build momentum! Meanwhile, stay tuned for some exciting news about an audio book project I'm signing the contract for now, and of course for more details about Spirit Blade: The Adventure Card Game!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, October 28, 2011 Spirit Blade 3 Songs

I thought I would be taking a different approach to the pacing of song development for Spirit Blade 3 compared to how it happened for Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual. Before, I worked on songs sporadically, only when inspired. I think this resulted in the best work I had to give, but it also meant that I didn't have more than melodies to give Michael Tully to prepare with before he came to record. (Sometimes less than that!)

I had originally resolved to fully develop the songs that other performers would be singing so that they can have a better feel for what the finished product will be while they record. But as I sat down a few times this week to begin work on those songs, I hit a wall and remembered why I did things the way I did last time.

So rather than risk producing forced song creations that are creatively uninspired, I've decided to fall back on the "Dark Ritual" method of working on the songs only when inspired, or when I arrive at their place in my chronological mix of the audio drama itself.

Sorry, Tully! I'll at least try to have a harmonic structure and temp track for you to learn from!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011 Spirit Blade: The Adventure Card Game!

For the last month or so I've been putting in some extra hours developing a new project that I'm very excited about. (And for you audio drama fans, have no fear. I haven't cut one minute from development efforts on Spirit Blade 3.)

In case you didn't hear the news in last weekend's podcast, I'm thrilled to announce the development of an entirely new kind of product from Spirit Blade Productions! "Spirit Blade: The Adventure Card Game" is planned for release in the first half of 2012, and will allow players to experience the world of Spirit Blade like never before! In addition, the game is designed in such a way as to require zero familiarity with the Spirit Blade universe. So even if you haven't been listening to the audio dramas, you'll easily be able to jump into and enjoy this exciting sci-fi world with your family and friends!

Rather than being competitive, "Spirit Blade: The Adventure Card Game" is a primarily co-operative experience in which one or more players control a group of Seekers as they infiltrate enemy territory to reclaim truth stolen from the world by Atlantis Incorporated and their sinister alien allies, the Sheida.

As the team of Seekers regains valuable information, their resources and capabilities increase, giving new meaning to the expression "knowledge is power"! Meanwhile, one player takes on the role of the enemy forces, choosing who and how they will attack and determining when the Seekers will encounter deadly, automated security measures.

There are countless combinations of enemies, security measures and other obstacles to overcome, meaning that no two games play the same way. And as your group of Seekers gains more resources, they will change as well!

The different types of Seekers you can play are based on the ensemble cast of characters in the Spirit Blade Trilogy and include: Shifter (Merikk), Tech (Raan), Soldier (Vincent), Prophet (David), Sanctafi (Saolos) and Hunter (Ebony).

Enemies featured include types of demons mentioned in the Spirit Blade Trilogy, like Overlords, Demonic Princes and Nephilim. And Seekers will naturally face human opposition as well, such as Shock Troopers, Dark Hunters and Dark Shifters. In addition, Spirit Blade: The Adventure Card Game will expand the Spirit Blade universe by introducing entirely new threats, such as Mercenaries hired to wipe out Seekers and the Atlantis Bio-Mech (pictured above), a hulking blend of cold metal and human flesh.

In the coming months, I'll be showcasing specific cards from the game, highlighting character cards in particular, explaining what each character type can do and how it effects game play. So stay tuned! There is much more coming soon!

Friday, October 21, 2011 Your First Look!

This is an enemy card in raw format. (If it looks familiar, that's because I sneakily posted it on my personal blog while talking about table top games a few weeks ago.) In the finished version the corners will be rounded off and some of the perimeter removed in the cutting process. Otherwise it represents how the card will look...unless of course I change it.

So what in the world is this all about? What is this card for? Listen for the big announcement on this weekend's episode of The Spirit Blade Underground Podcast!

Thursday, October 20, 2011 New Behind The Scenes Video!

Another month, another behind the scenes video!

This one features actor Krystofer James VanSlyke as he records the role of Kaphan for "Pilgrim's Progress: Similitude Of A Dream".

Highlights include my off-topic rant on Heath Ledger's "Joker" and demonstrations of my complete technical ignorance. (It's a wonder I work with computers all day!)

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 Hymns Almost Locked In!

As of today I've got 3 out of 4 hymns selected for adaptation as songs for Spirit Blade 3. They are fairly obscure, have haunting or dark melodic potential (after I monkey with them a bit) and fit the thematic moments of the story they'll be placed in.

The song count remains at 7, which means that more than half of the songs this time will at least be partially based on hymns, which I never imagined would be possible, but I'm pretty stoked about it. For one, I like bringing the wonderful texts of forgotten hymns into awareness, and for two, having an existing song provides a foundation I can build on, rather than having to create something from scratch. The net result is a significant reduction in production time for the songs and the project as a whole.

For a little perspective, songs based on hymns in Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual include Hour Of Trial, Lead Me, and Death Come Quickly.

I hope to have the last hymn selected by the end of the week so I can start developing the sounds and styles of each song next week!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, October 14, 2011 200th Podcast Episode Next Week!

Did some math recently and realized that next weekend (the 21st) will be the 200th episode of the Spirit Blade Underground Podcast! Seems like the big 100th episode was just a few months ago!

I'd LOVE to get some comments from you guys that I can use on the show! Maybe some regular segment you've especially liked about the show, your favorite particular review/interview/"In Search Of Truth" segment, or just something else you want to say or share as we celebrate 200 episodes!

You can e-mail me at paeter(at)spiritblade(dot)net or call and leave a message for me to play on the show at 206-350-1226. I usually put the show together early on Friday nights. I'd love to get something from you for the 200th show!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 Live Chat, Saturday November 5th at 6pm MST!

Woohoo! Time to get excited! I'm scheduling another live chat on Saturday November 5th at 6pm Mountain Standard Time! (Google "Time Zones" if you're unsure how to do the math.)
I'm especially excited because the power (and internet) in my house went out just moments before the last chat I scheduled and I missed the whole thing! Last time was the best turnout we've had yet, but let's see if we can break that record!

The topic will be anything and everything you guys feel like talking about. I'd love to shoot the breeze with you guys and talk geekiness, Spirit Blade productions, or whatever's on your mind.

To join the chat, just go over to spiritblade.net/forums and log in, then scroll down to the bottom of the main page and join the chatbox.

Mark your calendars! I hope to see you there!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, October 7, 2011 Hymn Research

I've spent most of my "creative hours" this week doing hymn research. In Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual, I adapted at least three different hymns for use as songs, some of which you may have noticed, some you may have not. The idea behind the use of hymns is that the Sanctafi, an order steeped in ancient Christian tradition, have retained many of the oldest hymns for use in their worship, though their copies may be fragmented or distorted in some way as a result of the world wide banning of religious texts.

Since the Sanctafi, and of course Brother Saolos, will again play a very significant role in the story, I'm again looking to the past for forgotten nuggets that will fit with the themes I'm exploring in Spirit Blade 3. Although I've had requests for specific hymns from a few listeners, I'm actually aiming to resurrect obscure material. The less familiar, the better.

I have three hymnals I've been using. A Methodist hymnal (not much use, as it sticks to mostly the "popular" tunes), a Presbyterian hymnal (which has a few obscure ones with text that holds a wonderfully high or "big" view of God), and lastly an old Lutheran hymnal.

The Lutheran hymnal may be my favorite. It was the book that I pulled the verses of "Death Come Quickly" from, and most of the verse melody, too. There are a lot of interesting tunes and texts in that hymnal that, because of their language, the specificity of their use, or the complexity of melody or meter, have not become "popular hymns". There are some wonderfully dark melodies in minor, or that otherwise have the feel of a monastery.

As I go through each hymnal I've been making note of the hymns that have potential to fit my needs. I should be done with that first "scan" early next week, at which point I'll start trying them out and narrowing them down to make my selections.

Although some of the effort has been monotonous, I've also really enjoyed scanning some of the wonderful words that even many traditional churches never see in their corporate worship times.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011 Should I Produce Audio Books?

In the last year or so (and again in the last couple of days) the idea of audio book production has been swimming around in my head, partly because of some opportunities that have come my way to produce audio books.

It's something I'm still just toying with, and may be taking on one or more short audio book projects in the coming months to "test the waters" and carefully log my hours so I can better estimate the work involved in doing more audio books in the future.

I don't want to become distracted from projects I already have cooking. But I also want to always be thinking about the company's future, and doing the right audio book projects creates potential income in a much shorter time than producing an audio drama, and it's another way to get the company name out there.

Do you guys have any thoughts about me giving some of my time to audio books? Should I stick to audio drama 100%? Should I ditch audio drama and go with audio books?

I'd be very interested to get some opinions on this. Thanks!

1. Nathan J. NormanOctober 6, 2011 at 9:01 AM

   In any good business model it is generally advised to stick with your product until you become a master at what you produce before expanding into other areas. Right now I think you've mastered the audio that you do (podcast and audio dramas). Expanding into audio books makes logical sense. And while technically different than the dramas . . . it reflects the ethos of SBP, and has the potential of generating revenue more quickly than audio dramas(Have you seen what audio books go for today?!!!!!) if you're able to produce them faster. From a calendar perspective it will help fill in the gaps of your release schedule so that fans of SBP will have more opportunities to buy your products. Audio books (depending how you go about it) will also diversify the company's selection of speculative fiction, which can draw in more people. Finally, assuming that you'll be producing dramas for other authors, SBP will draw in some (not all) of the author's fans when they go to check out what other projects are available through SBP. 
   
   The only major down-side that I'm seeing from your post here is the time factor. If audio books are going to make it difficult to get the podcast out, or push back SB3 by more than three (maybe four months), they might very well have a negative impact on SBP. If their addition, however, has you shorten the length of the podcast (maybe missing a few more than usual) and pushes back the release of SB3 by only a couple of months . . . then I think the benefits will greatly outweigh the consequences. It really sounds like it's a time factor here.

2. Paeter FrandsenOctober 6, 2011 at 1:05 PM

   Thanks, Nathan. I think your words are well thought out. The time factor is the key thing. The project I'm considering now will take an estimated 15 days of my schedule, without impacting regular activities like the blogs, podcast or answering e-mails. I think it will be a good chance to get better at estimating work hours on audio book projects. And your points about pulling in new fans and having more material released between audio dramas have both been part of the appeal for me.
   Thanks again for the input!

3. Greg MitchellNovember 25, 2011 at 1:21 PM

   I would say NEVER stop doing audio dramas, because you're too good at it. But I think an audio book here or there would be incredible, if produced by you.

4. Paeter FrandsenNovember 25, 2011 at 1:53 PM

   Thanks, Greg! I went ahead with the contract for the audio book I was considering and I'm very excited about it! And I don't see ANY chance of me ditching audio drama. I enjoy it too much and it seems to me the best way for me to tell the stories I want with the quality and style in which I want them to be told. I'm excited for what the future may hold!