So what happened? In short: The launch was an abject failure. The high traffic from so many players logging on all at the same time not only crashed the server but also the gaming forum battle.net as players flocked to it to find out what the hell was happening!

The problem was caused because Blizzard – in an effort to combat piracy – required everyone to log into its server, even those who wanted to play a single player game, in order to authenticate. Unfortunately this meant that all most players got when trying to play Diablo 3 was Error Message 37: ‘The servers are busy at this time; please try again later.’ This upset millions of Blizzard fans some of which had taken the day off work for the game’s launch.

Surely Blizzard should have been anticipated this kind of traffic and made sure they had the capacity to handle it. But no. This was a total and complete Epic Fail: all that hype over the game only for it NOT TO WORK when it was launched!

One tweeter said: “Diablo 3 is super hard. I’ve been playing for 30 minutes and haven’t even defeated the login screen!”

Boy am I glad I decided I’d play through Diablo 1 & 2 before moving on to Diablo 3. Will they have their problems sorted out by then do you think?

Card Art of Martin for the WAGON Webcomic Battle collectable cardgame. Admittedly I might have gone a bit overboard on this one… fun though!

Martin is very charismatic and attracts attention wherever he goes, he also attracts trouble like flies to shit (which may explain why Amuletts hangs around with him). Nobody is quite sure why but there is no denying it!

Basically Martin reflects the luck of his player. I don’t know whether any other gaming groups have a player that the dice always seem to pick on? We do and it’s Martin. If there’s a random roll to see who a monster will attack: it’s Martin. If there’s there’s a random encounter during the night who’ll be on watch? Martin. If there’s a beautiful maiden -or ugly bugbear- who’ll win it’s heart? Fill in the blank: _ _ _ _ _ _ (Clue – it begins with ‘M’).

Diablo II was the most popular game of 2000 and it has been predicted that Diablo 3 will sell 5 million copies this year. Diablo is a Dark Fantasy gaming series with many aspects of horror, lots of undead, and Demons playing a major role. It’s the ultimate dungeon dive descending into the depth of hell itself, and the ultimate monster mash with literally hoards of monsters going after your character (you’ll be racing for those choke points)!

The original Diablo was praised for its quests and replayability, because elements were randomized you got a different gameplay experience every time. There is going to be random levle and encounter generators as well as an enhanced quest system to preserve this aspect in Diablo III.

The story follows on from Diablo 2: the heroes (from the previous game) have been corrupted and are running riot! This is similar to how the Unnamed Hero came back in a possessed form for Diablo 2.

Diablo III will be both single & multiplayer and it has been announced that a PvP mode will be realeased later in a Patch. There will be more character classes: the Barbarian, the Wizard, the Monk, the Witch Doctor and the Demon Hunter. It will also have its own 3D engine which is supposed to allow monsters to ‘climb up from the depths’ and destructable scenery. Runes have been changed so that rather than charging items they can be used to modify skills and make them more powerful.

Diablo is made by Blizzard the same studio behind World of Warcraft, and WOW players can get the game free if they purchase a years subscription. I am slightly worried that this new Diablo might be a bit too similar to World of Warcraft, however Blizzard is a very respectable gaming company that has produced many other great games, so my fears are probably unfounded. What I have heard so far suggests that they have stuck to the spirit of the original.

The announced release for Diablo III is for the PC version only and there is no release date for a Console version as yet, however Blizzard has said that one is in development. This is huge news for console gamers because usually Blizzard does not make games for console. The original Diablo game was released for the PlayStation 2 years after the PC version, but of course that was in the 1990′s. Should we expect a similar timescale for Diablo III?

I actually played the original Diablo on (my sisters) Playstation. Personally I think it is better to design a game for the PC then adapt it for console than it is to do it the other way around. I’ve played both and I find most console-based games are more about button-mashing whereas PC-based games are more tactical. (Just my opinion).

Anyhow it’s looking like a good year for Computer-based Fantasy Role-Play! Excited? You betcha!

This Week in Epic Fail: Our heroes are ready to depart but Tinuvielle has a bug up her butt about the correct usage of the word ‘literally’.

Creator’s Commentary: Okay so my idea here was that they say they’re ready to leave and then they leave, but could I just do that? Noooo.

I had Amuletts saying ‘Time is literally money’ for a long time in my script, then I got really persnickety about the usage of ‘literally’ which it should really be ‘figuratively’ and so this happened. I’m sure logophiles will appreciate it.

I think the text is too small. Can you read it?

He is a half-orc and his ugliness is a result of birth deformities which meant he was picked on by both Orcs and Humans and beaten regularly as a result. This left him with scars, a broken nose, cheekbone etc. that made him look even uglier. Unfortunately people can be cruel and judge by appearance. He also has low intellegence but I think that comes from being beaten round the head a little too often. Sad, eh?

Yeah I’m kinda mean to my characters…

It’s very solid so it won’t fall over (a common problem with GMs screens) not to mention it looks absolutely fantastic! The idea of Dice Towers is new to me but I kinda like them; it adds a drama to rolling the dice plus makes it less likely for players to cheat by hiding/fudging their rolls. There’s also space on the back for the GM to stick all the gaming tables and handy info s/he needs to run the game. And there are little shelves for figures! How cute! And they can stand on top of the turrets! Overall I think it is very deserving of it’s title as the ULTIMATE GMs screen.

I’ve stuck a video below which really shows the GMs Screen in all its glory. You may want to skip to half way as that’s when you start getting a really good look at it. And it is reduced by 25% this week as part of the GMs Day Sale! Click here to go to a list of all the reduced items at DriveThruRPG.

In case the video is not showing up here’s a link to it.

Happy GMs Day! …week.

Man I would have felt bad if it had just been the one day and I missed it because DriveThru sell some really great RPG books and resources. I think 90% of their products are PDFs but that’s awfully handy for storage space, plus most of my Players are looking through RPG PDFs on their iPads during gaming sessions now. Our GM needs about 8 books to run a game and they’re awfully heavy if you have to carry them to the gaming venue. I still love books but I have to admit to being a bit seduced by PDFs particularly when it comes to gaming, largely due to the portability factor. Also they’re cheaper and arrive straight away!

DriveThruRPG apparently have THOUSANDS of things reduced by 25% as part of the GMs Day Sale - which is a lot! So take a look and stock up your gaming table. Click here to go to a list of all the reduced items at DriveThruRPG.

“The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny, chaos will be sown by their passage.”

So sayeth the wise Alaundo.

The tiled character portraits fairly standard layout which gaming companies use as teasers for sequels – harking back to the games past. So should we get excited yet?

Like a good little nerd as soon as I saw the site I looked up who owned it, perhaps Bioware or Elecronic Arts. However there was no information aside from it being registered by godaddy. No clues there then, aside from the fact that gaming companies do not usually conceal their ownership of a domain, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t. GoDaddy is a huge hosting company so it’s possible a gaming company might use them, but it’s equally likely to be a rabid fan.

Looking for more clues I right-clicked and selected ‘view source’ to look at the source code for the site. There could be some clues in the metadata maybe? Well there is something however it is not conclusive to ownership. Still it made me smile. Just before the head tag there reads:

<!– Shadowy Figure- Raise Dead : Infinity Engine –>

<!– Take heart fellow adventurers, for you have curried the favor of Boo, the only miniature giant space hamster in the Realm! –>

The Infinity Engine is the gaming engine under which the original Baldur’s Gate ran. Is it being brought back from the dead? Boo is the animal companion of Minsc, the utterly charming and insane Ranger – possibly the most memorable character from the Balder’s Gate series. I could never resist including him in the makeup of my adventuring party no matter how hard I tried.

and just below the end tag:

<!– I can teach you how to use your wrath. –>

That’s a quote from Sarevok, teh evil dude.

I Googled a bit and discoved that earlier the source code had said something different:

<!– For years, I clung to the memory of it. Then the memory of the memory. –>

<!– And then… it returned. Better than it was before. –>

<!– Pore over the tapestries and works of art hanging from our walls if you wish, Child of Bhaal… perhaps you will find a clue. But patience, ah… patience would reveal it all. –>

This is the most interesting of all because it echoes words spoken by Irenicus: “I clung to the memory of it. Then the memory of the memory. And then nothing.” Yet it is different, for instead of nothing ‘it returned. Better than it was before!‘

Perhaps the old Baldur’s Gate RPG is going to be re-released with a new version of the Infinity Engine? If these ‘clues’ are to be taken seriously that’s where I’d put my money.

A little more searching and my theory appears to be confirmed. There is a Baldur’s Gate Complete Edition coming to Steam. However Game Banshee claim they have solid news that the website what put together by Trent Oster and collegues at Beamdog. Oster said “We’re not related to the Steam Complete Edition, I can tell you that much. Other than that, we’re hoping to announce something soon.”

So what might this something be? Speculation is running wild! Will it be a tactical PC game or an MMO? Baldur’s Gate used D&D rules so perhaps it will have something to do with Dungeons & Dragons online.Will it be a Facebook game or an iPhone app? Will it be a remake, a prequel, a sequel?

Will this be the return of the greatest computer RPG of all time? Will it be as good?

Is there any foundation for any of these rumours? Should we get excited?

OF COURSE we should get excited! We’re GEEKS dude and it’s BALDUR’S GATE! Is there any way we could listen to that stirring music and not get excited?

For me it’s a kick up to ass to finish Baldur’s Gate 2. I was so close to the end but my harddrive went and broke so I lost all my progress. My PC was called Barbie and she was a Barbarian with a Broadsword. (Ridiculous stereotypes make me LOL). Time to dig it out I’d wager.

To conclude, there seems to be at least some shaky foundation to the rumours for a new Baldur’s Gate game.

Crunt is the epitome of low Charisma. Now many, many people get low charisma confused with low Comliness – but comliness is how physically attractive/unattractive you are whereas Charisma is about how attractive your personality is. Look out for an example of low Comliness next week when I’ll be doing the concept art for Crunt’s sidekick Fugly.

Click here if you’ve yet to read the Phinius: Magician for Hire Interview – Part 1.

Q6: Has being a Role-play Gamer helped you with creating stories for Phineus: Magician for Hire?

Yes, definitely. As well as my theater and film background.

Role-playing has gotten me to think as a character, act as a character would act. Being a DM, helped me create worlds, tell stories and create conflict in the stories.

In addition, all the monsters, magic, and Myth are right in there. I know most of the stuff in , say, the Monster Manual, is based on mythology. That said, the various gaming manuals itemize and describe the characters so succinctly that they sort of become my go to Beast-encyclopedia.

There have been stories I’ve done directly lifted from advesntures I’ve played with my game versions of Phin and Sara. I’ve even created a RPG around Phineus, with the help of my friend, John Burris. I’m even working on a second edition.

Q7: You must be very proud of making four complete Phineus stories. How has Phineus evolved in that time?

I’m actually working on my 7th Volume of Phineus! Aside from my daughters, it’s the most monumental thing I’ve ever made!

It has changed a lot, over the last 25 years, mainly because I’ve learned how to be consistent and how to write and draw better.

As a story, it’s grown as the characters have grown. My characters are roughly the same age as I am, and I put them through similar things that I go through. For instance, the heart attack Phineus suffered way back in “Rotwang” (Issue 6, Volume 1) happened as I was going through a divorce. My heart was broken, so I “broke” his heart. That sort of thing.

I have also, planned and made it known that Phineus will turn evil, eventually. I’ve been adding lore that leads to that throughout.I have tried , and largely been successful, in not only writing a comic, but creating a whole world. I’ve learned to world build.

The other thing that has changed in that time is that I publish it on the web. When I started all this there was no internet. I self-published and distributed it in comic stores. I basically put out a book whenever I could afford to do so, like 3 times a year. Since the advent of the internet, I update 3 times a week, that’s over 150 pages a year. That alone makes me do more, reach more people and tell more stories!

Q8: What has the fan response to Phineus been like? Do their comments influence you at all?

I have a growing and very rabid pool of fans.

There are people that I know if I see at a con and I don’t have anything new, they’ll ream me out! The really cool thing is that a lot of the response I get is from other creators that I admire, and find out they are fans of me! That’s cool.

The other nifty thing is, that since I’ve been doing this so long, I have adult artists that have grown up fans of Phineus! The tell tale sign of that is the very large Fans of Phin section of the site that has guest art by some of my favorite artists, yourself included. Plus I have a growing Fan fiction collection, too. Love that.

Facebook has been a boon for connecting with fans and finding out, instantly what they like or don’t like. I’ve even pooled people to find out what story they’d like to see. I’m just thankful people care what I do.

Q9: What’s it like being a part of the the ‘Old Dying Kitty Comics’ Studio?

Old Dying Kitty is really awesome.

I used to be a part of Rampage Network at first then signed on with Wevolt, which was a pretty cool deal for a while. Those other places just didn’t work out. James Riot, of “The Path”, “Bastard Who” & “Anunnaki” who was a Wevolt Studio-mate of mine started up his own website and invited me along.

We are two like minds seemingly separated at birth. We now have a home for the paranormal and sci fi that we love to create. James’ has since added Calvin Garcia and Vaughn Reynolds’ “William Feist”. There’s also another undisclosed comic also coming over to ODK, as well.

The really cool thing is that we have a very “Bullpen” attitude towards each other. Although our books are our own, it feels like we’re all in it, together.It feels like I’m in on the ground floor of something destined to be legendary.

As for Phineus, this is probably going to be the best year, yet. Lots of life changing stuff is happening. Lots of fun stuff. I have great plans for Phineus in the near future & far future. I don’t think I’ll ever stop telling Phineus stories.

The beginning of the year saw fellow Pittsburgh comic creator, Jon Towers’ “Mother of All Monsters”, his very own killer Phineus story. Jon is , if you can believe it, more productive than me. He creates “The Non-Standard Assembly” series of webcomics and books. He’s inspiring.

I am also involved in three crossovers with Phineus, coming up, this year. I have a three-way crossover with James Riot’s “The Path” & Adam Black’s “Locus” called “Trinity”. This was begun a while back, but put on the back-burner, due to scheduling issues.It’s awesome & Lovecraftian.

Next up, we have a yet unnamed crossover with “William Feist”. Vaughn and Calvin and I are in the plotting stages. It will also be Lovecraftian. See a pattern? I’m really loving the process with these guys.

We also have a story in the works with Shawn Atkins & Seth Fronzoli’s “Explorers of the Unknown”. It will be very retro and cool. EOTU is a paranormal superhero book that’s a gas. These guys are hosted on my other studio-mates Strumhaus site, the home of “Weirdlings” and “Gaslight Tales”.

Having so many creative friends is a boon for my drive and creativity.

Thankyou for the interview Barry and good luck with Phinius: Magician for Hire and Bastard Who and all the other bajillion projects you’ve got on!

If you enjoyed this interview why not follow @amuletts on twitter?

Or do you have a webcomic? Interested in being interviewed? Get in touch.