Friday, November 30, 2012 Christian Geek Central!

I wanted to let you all in on something that's been bubbling and brewing for a few months now that I'm very excited about and hope you will be, too!

As I mentioned last month, in early 2013 I plan to launch a new website called "Christian Geek Central". I've already secured the domain name but I've been keeping the details under the radar until now.

Christian Geek Central will not be replacing Spirit Blade Productions but will rather be a product of Spirit Blade Productions. One YOU are invited to help me develop!

My goal for Christian Geek Central (or as I've already started calling it, "CGC") is that it will serve as the central hub and gateway for the best "Christian Geek" content that can be found on the web. It will aim to be both a portal to other sites and a producer of content and community that will interest Christian geeks of all kinds.

The idea for Christian Geek Central came out of brainstorming and discussions with my web designer about the new Spirit Blade Productions website (which is still in development with the aim of launching in the first half of 2013). Some great ideas came out of those conversations, but we soon realized we were talking about a new website that would be distinct from the Spirit Blade Productions website. And since the initial content for Christian Geek Central will determine some choices we make for the redesign of the Spirit Blade Productions site, it makes sense to get Christian Geek Central going first.

Christian Geek Central will first launch "unofficially" in early 2013 (I'm anticipating January or February), at which time I will only be telling the existing Spirit Blade Underground community (that's you!) about it. At first, it will be a very simple site, possibly based on the blogger platform, or something similar that will be easy-peasy for me to manipulate. (I'm open to suggestions!) From there, work will continue on the Spirit Blade Productions website as we build content and community for Christian Geek Central. (Speaking of which, if you'd like to recommend a site for inclusion, send me an e-mail with the URL!)

Once CGC has a good amount of content and the kind of community activity supporting it that I'd like to have in place, we'll probably do a complete site redesign for Christian Geek Central and officially launch CGC to the rest of the world!

For those wondering how CGC will impact the production schedule of Spirit Blade 3, have no fear. December is a very busy month, during which it's almost impossible to schedule actors to audition or record. So with the exception of some initial development on the songs for SB3, December was going to be a low productivity month for SB3 anyway. So instead I'll be giving most of my available time in December to exploring the web and collecting potential content links for CGC, including websites, blogs, podcasts and communities.

Speaking of which, community is something that I want to make a big part of Christian Geek Central. I'm currently brainstorming ways to help that happen, so I'm open to ideas and suggestions. I'd love to somehow take the wonderful community we've developed on the Spirit Blade Underground forums and share that experience with those Christian geeks who may have not discovered the SBU yet because of its strong ties to Spirit Blade Productions. (Not everyone is cool enough to be interested in audio drama and podcasts.)

I'm hoping to connect with a few other people to gain some counsel on the subject. In the meantime, I'd value a slice of your prayer time as I work to discern what God may want to do with this idea and how he would want me to do it.

I'll be sure to give you more details as they come. If you have any questions, ask away! I'd love to hear what you're thinking or wondering!

Thanks for your support!

-Paeter Frandsen 

Wednesday, November 28, 2012 Free Song Download!

The Christmas season is here again, and that means it's time for me to put my rendition of "O Come O Come Emmanuel" up on our website again for free download!

I've loved this classic carol for years. In 2006 I decided to try my hand at re-interpreting it as a dark electronic piece that brings the words into today's world and acknowledges the years of violence and conflict that have plagued Israel.

I hope you enjoy listening to it, and also take a moment to pray for peace in Israel, and that Jesus would come quickly to end the violence and conflict that defines so much of our world.

You can download the song from now through the end of December on our Free Stuff page.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012 30% Off Christmas Sale!

Our Christmas season sale has begun!

Now through December 20th, save 30% off all of our CD products!

Get Spirit Blade: Special Edition and Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual (normally $12.99) for just $9.09!

Get The Spirit Blade: Special Edition Collector's Set (normally $23.99) for just $16.79!

Our archive CDs make great stocking-stuffers for "special features" junkies! Get them both for just $3.49 each!

Discounts also apply to our CD/Download combo packs! (The added download version is less than two dollars more!) Buy one today and keep the download for yourself while gifting the CD to a friend!

And as always, tax and shipping are FREE!!

Don't miss out!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012 Two Week GameCon Special Starting This Weekend!

Usually I post the main feature content of the podcast each week in blog format before sharing it on the show, but this week and next that just won't be practical.

The next two episodes of the podcast will focus on two table top game conventions I attended recently, including my thoughts on the games I played and the experiences overall. But the content is just a bit too lengthy as a reasonable blog entry this week, and next week the content is all audio content I recorded at the second "convention" (more on those quotation marks in the second ep.) I attended.

So this is basically a plug to stay tuned and check out the next two episodes of The Spirit Blade Underground Podcast as they are posted right here beginning very soon!

-Paeter

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 Spirit Blade Special Edition Commentary, Part 5!

This week I've released Part 5 of my all-new commentary for Spirit Blade!

I talk about the role music and EQ balancing play in "improving" an actor's performance, how my artistic influences have changed since first creating Spirit Blade, and the mistakes I had to undo when re-mixing "Deadly Game". Plus, how "Deadly Game's" vision of Hell compares with what the Bible actually does or does not teach.

Monday, September 24, 2012 Spirit Blade Special Edition Commentary, Part 4!

After a month off to prepare for the relaunch of the podcast, I'm back on schedule with the release of monthly special features.

Last week I uploaded part 4 of the Spirit Blade Special Edition audio commentary. In this segment, I talk about some new dialogue I inserted and why, and also share a pet peeve about Holly Frandsen, who is both my wife the voice of Ebony Ravenloft!

Download Part 4 of my commentary on our "free stuff" page!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, September 5, 2012 Prepping For Podcast Relaunch

Get ready for this weekend's relaunch of The Spirit Blade Underground Podcast, featuring an "Episode 0" designed to introduce new listeners to the show and remind longtime listeners what we're all about!

This week and last I've been putting in long hours getting all of the podcast episodes switched over to our new host. I'll be "flipping the switch" sometime before Episode 0 is posted, but if you're subscribed to our feed (http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheSpiritBladeUndergroundPodcast) or download your episodes directly from The Spirit Blade Underground, you shouldn't notice a thing in the transition.

As a side note, please forgive me if I haven't responded to an e-mail you've sent me recently. This week and last I've been unexpectedly taken hostage by my side gig (substitute teaching) nearly every weekday (EXTREMELY rare this time of year) and haven't had time to do anything else except make the podcast relaunch my priority. I hope to catch up on my e-mails and other things later this week or the beginning of next week.

Keep an eye here for Episode 0! Coming very soon!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, August 31, 2012 Slight Delay

It's been one of those "randomly crazy weeks" that have long come with the territory at Spirit Blade Productions. As a result, my review of "The Possession" and this week's episode of the podcast will be slightly delayed. Check back here for both to be posted sometime later this weekend.

Thanks for your patience!

-Paeter Frandsen

Sunday, August 5, 2012 The Grove City Blader

My vacation is getting off to a great start. I wasn't planning on doing any posting, but a conversation with my bro-in-law today compelled me  to post.

See, I'm visiting my wife's family right now in Grove City, Pennsylvania, a small town 1 hour north of Pittsburgh. My relatives have told me stories now and then that they heard someone in town has heard of Spirit Blade Productions. My sister-in-law down at the comic store a couple of times. And just today my bro-in-law Frank said he saw someone wearing a Spirit Blade t-shirt, standing outside the Pepperidge Farm store at the outlet mall.

Now, from my perspective, as big as my aspirations are for Spirit Blade Productions, we're a pretty tiny little endeavor. So I'm surprised that somebody that just happens to live in the same small town as my in-laws has heard of us. (For awhile I accused by bro-in-laws of doing some street marketing for me, but they claim they haven't.)

So my curiosity is burning out of control, now. And I'm posting this in a strange "reverse-stalker" effort to track down this mysterious "Grove City Blader". 

If you are "The Grove City Blader" and you are not a sicko serial killer, I'd love to buy you coffee or dessert while I'm here! We fly out on Monday the 13th (just over a week from now) and my schedule 'till then is pretty wide open. If you're interested, shoot me an e-mail at paeter(at)spiritblade(dot)net and let me know. (You'll get an auto-respond message saying I'm away from my office, but I'll be checking about once a day for a message from you.)

If, on the other hand, you are smart enough to not talk to strangers (or strange podcasters who track down their listeners), feel no pressure to get in touch. Just wanted you to know that "I know you're out there" and "thanks for listening"!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, July 13, 2012 Spirit Blade Special Edition Commentary, Part Three!

Part 3 of my commentary for "Spirit Blade: Special Edition" is available now!

Is Spirit Blade "preachy"? Why does it present the Gospel so strongly and how do I feel about the potential "preachiness" of Spirit Blade? Plus, a look at how I choose and utilize musical scoring!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012 30% Off Downloads!

Now through July 31st, don't miss out on the big summer download sale happening at spiritblade.net!

Our premiere audio dramas, Spirit Blade and Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual are just $6.99 each!
Pilgrim's Progress: Similitude Of A Dream is only $3.49! You can also get our song bundles for just $3.49 each!

But the sale only lasts until the end of this month, so don't put it off!

Monday, July 9, 2012 Seeking Producer For SBUA Audio Dramas

This summer I'm taking time to adjust my schedule and leverage my future work hours better. Part of that involves looking for a Producer to take over much of what my role has been in The Spirit Blade Underground Alliance as it pertains to audio dramas.

The role of Producer that I am looking to fill mostly involves being in regular contact with the directors of any audio dramas in production, getting progress reports, encouraging them and asking about how they can help.

This role doesn't require any knowledge of audio mixing. It's primarily about keeping people motivated and moving forward. It requires a weekly e-mail to project directors (there are currently 3 projects in production, which is more than usual) as well as follow-up e-mails to any responses.

The role of Producer is strongly supported by me. A Producer can e-mail, call, or text me with questions any time. Any questions or topics a Producer doesn't feel equipped to address can be forwarded to me.

Again, this isn't a role requiring audio mixing knowledge of any kind. It needs someone who is humble, good with people (via e-mail anyway) and who can be organized and consistent about contacting people in a project, or coordinating connections between people involved in a project. (Such as CCing both a director and a new actor and "introducing them" to each other, or other similar "social/organizational" e-mails.)

For more information, please e-mail me at:
paeter(at)spiritblade(dot)net

I'd love to get this position filled as soon as possible so that the audio dramas in production now (which have slowed a bit due to my time budgeting) can get back on track and out into everyone's ears!

Thanks!

-Paeter

Friday, July 6, 2012 Sound Design Session For SBUA Audio Drama

Check out this video made by Jaron Belboda as he works on mixing audio for The Spirit Blade Underground Alliance (a volunteer/hobby production group supported by Spirit Blade Productions) audio drama "Voyages Of The USS Sasquatch"!

Monday, July 2, 2012 Website Design Meeting/No Podcast

Looks like my "Super-size Board Game Episode" of the podcast last weekend was a little too super-sized. I'm all out of server space with Libsyn until the 10th of this month. 

The good news is, I'm having my first website design meeting tonight, getting us ever closer to a new website, which will include its own hosting for the podcast! That means no more issues with Libsyn's limited service packages, increased audio quality for the podcast and decreased costs for my overall web hosting needs.

No time estimate on any of that yet, but changing our hosting will be step one, meaning that we can get the podcast switched over and given a face-lift as soon as possible.

Honestly, this little hiccup is a great excuse for me to not have to put a show together this week. I could really use the break right now. But for those who were really looking forward to my Amazing Spider-man review, have no fear! The written version will go up this week, as soon as possible, at The Spirit Blade Undergound! (I'm seeing it with my wife tomorrow!)

Next week, be sure to come back to the podcast for our special Listener Created Episode! I've been really excited about the idea since it was suggested to me, and have gotten even more excited as I've received the content for the episode. Don't miss out! This one is made by and for you guys!

Finally, the weekend of July 20th I plan to be back in the monitor room with a review of The Dark Knight Rises. I also plan to share the audio version of my Amazing Spider-man review on that show and pit the two movies against each other. (Even though in truth, I think The Avengers will remain super-hero king of the summer.)

So stay tuned for my Amazing Spider-man written review, and then have a great 4th of July!

Friday, June 29, 2012 Spirit Blade Card Game Update

The first round of playtesting for the Spirit Blade adventure card game finished last week, and I want to thank everyone who participated in that, especially since it was probably a pretty rough experience for you.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, I'm currently developing a non-collectable, self-contained card game based on the characters and world of our Spirit Blade audio drama trilogy. The setting is mostly sci-fi, but with some strong supernatural elements, as the players work together and fight cyborgs, soldiers and demons, while avoiding automated security systems and trying to recover stolen data files.

The card images above give an idea of the game art, even though the layout and info on the cards will be changing as I move forward.

The feedback I got from the first round of playtesting was very helpful. There is a lot to fix in the game, but thankfully, it almost exclusively involves making the game less complicated, which I'm finding easier than I think I would if I needed to add complexity to it.

Even before playtesting ended I began experimenting with some changes and I've really been enjoying the results. The entire experience is being streamlined, and I suspect the rules will be at least 75% shorter, resulting in a game that you can begin playing very quickly without near as much reading beforehand.

Despite this, I've also implemented some changes that increase the tactical options available to each player, and the difference between characters are more clearly defined by their special abilities.

I think the best suggestion I got was to take the various elements of the game that the good guys encounter and put them all in an encounter deck that players draw through as they progress, eliminating the need for an opposing "game master" type of player.

With the game master role removed, I took inspiration from games like Thunderstone that use a victory point system to determine a winner and added something similar to the game. So while players will be working together, they will also individually collect victory points from enemies they defeat and resources they keep until the end of the mission rather than using them. I suspect the end result will have some things in common with a game like Cutthroat Caverns, though far less competitive. And of course with a very different theme.

Once I get the semi-cooperarive rules of the game ironed out, I'm going to also look for alternate co-op rules where the players combine victory points to achieve their goal and have to fight much more intensely for survival than in the normal game.

I'm TERRIBLE with projecting dates and things, and I'm also working on this game mostly outside of my normal work hours so that it doesn't slow progress on the production of Spirit Blade 3 or anything else, which makes seeing the future even more difficult. But my hope right now would be to have another round of playtesting in two or three months and then see what things look like after that.

Stay tuned! 

1. Nathan James NormanJune 30, 2012 at 4:39 PM

   I must admit, I printed out everything, cut it up and was really psyched to be a play-tester. But then I read through the rules and felt completely bogged down (confused) and I knew that I didn't really have anyone who would be willing to dive into a complex game like this with me. 
   
   So I put the set away and resolved to purchase a set just to support Spirit Blade, and enjoy any auxiliary stories included with the game. 
   
   But after reading this post, I'm psyched again! I think the simplification of the rules, and getting rid of the "game master" will greatly improve my odds of roping people into the game. 
   
   I love it! Thanks for all the hard work you're putting into this project!

2. Paeter FrandsenJuly 2, 2012 at 4:31 PM

   Thanks, Nathan! I wouldn't be surprised if your story is a common one. I appreciate you giving me the feedback! Further confirmation that I'm heading in the right direction, which is VERY helpful and encouraging to know!

Thursday, June 21, 2012 Spirit Blade Special Edition Commentary, Part 2!

Part 2 of my commentary for "Spirit Blade: Special Edition" is available now!

In this segment, find out which updated scene is possibly my favorite in all of Spirit Blade! And get the details on how one of my LEAST favorite songs from Spirit Blade became one of the songs I now MOST enjoy listening to from the project!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 Michael Tully Recording Complete!

I've just returned from taking Michael Tully back to the airport this morning. I'm now sitting at my laptop in a daze over the tornado of activity we had in my office over the last two days. It's amazing the amount of work we crammed into two days of non-stop activity.

Tully (I've called him by his last name since we were in college together) arrived on Monday morning at 6:40 and we were back at my place and recording before 8am. Although he took a nap later in the day, I used the time to post on the blog and get some more work done. After he woke up again, we continued recording until after 10pm, taking breaks only for meals.

Yesterday, we were back in my office recording by 8am again and continued recording until around 4:30 when Tully officially finished his work as Raan Galvaanik for Spirit Blade 3 (and for the Spirit Blade Trilogy as a whole!). But his work still wasn't finished.

From 4:30 until 8:30, Tully recorded background lines for crowd scenes, etc. (Probably the most fun we both had the entire time he was here!) He also recorded some material for the Spirit Blade Adventure Card Game (more info on the audio components of the game coming soon!) where he reprises his role as Raan Galvaanik.

We finally finished off the day with two recorded interviews (both audio AND video this time!), one without spoilers that I'll release before Spirit Blade 3 is finished, and another with all kinds of spoilers, which I'll release after Spirit Blade 3 is finished and available. 

I recorded a lot of audio and video while we recorded and worked, and there is a ton of great material I can't wait to share with you guys. But after two extremely long days of constant mental focus... my brain is fried. So editing and sharing some of that footage will have to be a treat for another time.

Stay tuned for this week's podcast, which I plan to release tomorrow. I plan to share some audio from my time with Tully that I hope you'll enjoy!

-Paeter Frandsen

Monday, May 21, 2012 Recording Raan!

At 6:50 this morning I picked up Michael Tully, the voice of Raan Galvaanik, from the airport. After a predictable amount of laughing and screwing around, we settled in and started recording his material for Spirit Blade 3. By 11:30am we had already completed all of his singing for the project, which puts us nicely ahead of schedule. (When recording "Dark Ritual", the songs took most of the first day!)

It's almost 3pm now and Tully is napping in the guest room. We've recorded his first scene and will dive into his second after he's up again. (16 more to go!)

So far things are going great and I'm really confident that we'll have plenty of time to record the remaining scenes, with time left over to relax and hang out some while he's here. (We've also had fun making some videos in between recording in my office. I look forward to sharing them with you!)

I'm going to try and squeeze in some time to finish putting the card game playtest kits together while he's napping. They should be online before the end of the week, but only if I keep at it! So bye for now!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, May 2, 2012 Spirit Blade Special Edition Commentary, Part 1!

Part 1 of the Spirit Blade Special Edition Commentary is available now on our Media Page!

In this first part of the commentary I talk a little about what this commentary as a whole will focus on (compared to my commentary for the original edition of Spirit Blade) and describe the various changes made in the first scenes, including the song "Destiny".

Some of the biggest insight is in relationship to casting my wife, Holly, as Ebony. Apart from being my wife, why did she get that part? What concerns did I have about her performance? Find out in this first segment of the commentary!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 I Want Your Opinions For The Podcast!

Over the summer I plan to make some changes that will help to freshen up the podcast and the Spirit Blade community. I'd LOVE to get your thoughts on the podcast! What would you miss if I took it out of the show? What WOULDN'T you miss if it vanished? I'd also love your brainstorming ideas for potential new content.

Your thoughts and suggestions don't need to be thought out or reasonable. I just want a bunch of ideas to throw in a pot and stew over. EVERY idea will be considered. And who knows, your feedback may result in a new facet of the show that becomes a defining attribute attracting new listeners in the future!

A discussion has already begun on our forums. So drop by the topic thread and give me YOUR thoughts, too!

-Paeter Frandsen

1. AnonymousApril 27, 2012 at 3:38 PM

   I'm not on the forum... maybe one day, but too many geek commitments currently. And school. 
   Still I HAD to make one quick comment. Please, please keep the updates! I love what you're doing at Spiritblade Productions and I love the insight into how you do it (I'm a special features nerd). Sometimes I just listen to the updates on podcasts and catch the rest later.
   Just saying.
   Dif-tor heh-smusma,
   KV

2. Paeter FrandsenApril 30, 2012 at 7:26 PM

   Gotta say, your feedback surprised me! But I'll definitely keep it in mind! Thanks for speaking up!

3. AnonymousMay 2, 2012 at 4:26 PM

   +1 on that! Always cool to hear what your up to! Love all the geeky news to, much of it I don't follow personally but love your outlook on things I still find cool. In fact you even inspired me to find HeroQuest just on some mention of it. Always fun to learn of things I wasn't aware of! Keep up the good work!

4. AnonymousMay 2, 2012 at 7:09 PM

   +1 on that!!! Always enjoy the behind the scenes look at what your up to! Makes you feel more connected to and involved in what your up to.

5. Paeter FrandsenMay 3, 2012 at 10:08 AM

   Thanks, guys! Really appreciate the feedback!