Twenty years later. And we're still doing it.

Cover Lovin’

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the Clobberin' Times, 'Times founder himself, Tim Watts, who drew the very first CT cover back in 1988 (which he cringes at the thought of...both of the art and how long it's been), has stepped up with a brand new cover to commemorate the occasion, one that was colored for us by regular Forte artist Sean Harrington. Thanks for the cover, and for starting it all, 'Times Founder Tim Watts (tm)!

The 20th Anniversary of the Clobberin' Times!

The cover to Clobberin' Times #1 - September, 1988

Twenty years later.

For those of you who've been around since the premier (we always thought) Champions RPG APA, the Clobberin' Times, first began (or came in soon after), just take a trip back with me. Try to imagine what your life was like back then, as the summer of 1988 ended and fall rolled in. Me, I was still living at home. I was twenty years old and going to (community) college (back when it was still called "junior college"). I had long hair (and a body perm) and rocked out to bands like Whitesnake and Damn Yankees. I wrote things on my Commodore 128. And one night a week, I would go to my friend K.C.'s house, along with my best friend Tim, to play in the Forte Champions campaign - which, in September of 1988, was not yet a year old and was on about its 38th run. It was there that we talked about APAs, and K.C.'s involvement in them, and how someone ought to start one up. It was Tim who took up that challenge, put an ad in the Comic Buyers Guide looking for potential members, and put together the very first issue of the Clobberin' Times. All twenty or so pages of it, with four contributors (that's me, K.C., Tim, and counting Brian Perris and Derek Garrison as one, since they shared a zine).

Twenty years later.

The 'Times is still going on - after a brief recess between the end of the print version and the birth of the online edition. Some of us old-schoolers are still doing it (me, K.C, Martin (who joined in issue #5), Aaron (who joined in issue #3) and Dave (who came in near the end of the print run, starting with CT #56)), and we've even picked up some new blood (Jack). That's twenty years of zines and mailing comments, game reports and character sheets, con gatherings and shared world fiction. Some of us met through this thing and are still friends to this day because of it. A couple of people got married through this thing. It's always been there for us - the constant as our lives went through transformations in career, family, health, religion, politics and geography. I know there's a lot that's changed about me in the past two decades. But one thing hasn't. I still love super-heroes. I still love gaming. And I still love getting together with my buddies to rap about it and tell cool stories, be it in fiction online or at the gaming table. We're an anachronism in the age of World of Warcraft and Everquest. There's a whole generation that uses the word "gamer" much differently than we do, and can't understand how a group of gamers can possible adventure together and save the world without a high-speed internet connection and a Skype account - armed only, instead, with a rule book, a character sheet, and a bag of dice. I completely respect their way of gaming life, and know quite a few folks in the "more dots!" lifestyle. But they'll never fully understand the power of imagination to create the greatest and most memorable adventures of all. That's the essence of role-playing. The essence of Champions. And the essence of the Clobberin' Times.

It's been a great ride. Thanks, everybody, who's been along on it. And thanks, Mr. Long, for somehow keeping Champs alive in the age of all things Massive. Hopefully there are still a few out there in the new generation who will learn the secret and maybe, if they're lucky, have the kind of twenty years that we've all had.

Happy 20th, everybody. If you get a chance, why not jump to the History page and relive the whole 'Times tale?

 

Clobberin’ Con XIV Photos!

Aaron, Jeni, Joel and me in the lobby at the SD Convention Center

Well, darnit, I never got around to writing the big planned day-by-day blog of this past summer's Clobberin' Con in San Diego, but I did manage to get all my photos up at the Nice Guy site. Which, I realized, I've neglected to mention here! So click HERE to check 'em all out, and relive the magic along with we happy few who made the journey (and got our PHDs in HORRIBLENESS!).

 

Twilight Guardian WINS!

In case you missed the news, the voting is DONE, and victory is ours! Well, okay, technically, it's Troy's... Our own Troy Hickman - hopefully with the help of a number of votes from the Clobberin' gang - pulled it off and was one of the two winners of Top Cow's "Pilot Season" with his unique vision called Twilight Guardian. Yes, Troy's book bested sci fi, mythology, assassins and Arthurian lore - all with with a book where no one gets punched and boobies are of natural human size. That's quite a feat. And now WE win as well, because we get more Twilight Guardian come 2009 - first a mini-series, and, depending on sales, hopefully more. So keep an eye out for it and grab the new TG off the shelves when it comes out (oh, but be sure to pay for it, too). And if we're REALLY lucky, maybe we can get a spinoff series following the patriotic adventures of the Flaming Flag! Congrats again, Troy!

 

Holy Middle Age, Batman!

Tim, Aaron and me, a few years back

When the 'Times first started, there were three 'Timers who were all nineteen, and would each turn twenty within a month. So, if you do the math, that means...uh oh!

The big 40 season has begun. Your 'Times founder Tim Watts just hit forty on October 1st. Yours truly will be hitting forty on October 18th. And Mr. Aaron Storck will hit the big number on October 30th. The three of us have had a lot of birthday celebrations together, particularly when we were all roommates (rooming with two others who ALSO had birthdays within the month, including Aaron "A.T." Thompson, who's a year younger than us), but this is the big one! No longer able to reach with the phrase, "I'm in my 30s", we'll now all be joining many of our fellow 'Timers on the other side. So to make sure it's not a somber occasion, Tim and I will be celebrating in Vegas on the weekend of my birthday, along with Mr. I'm-Still-In-My-30s Thompson. So which one of you guys is going to teach us the secret old guy handshake?

 

Next Issue Deadline

Deadline for the next CTO issue is December 6, 2008, for inclusion in the December 7, 2008 issue. Just put your stuff on a web page (or in a PDF) and e-mail the link (or the file) to me at:

oconnellmd@aol.com

Again, a happy 20th to all, and thanks for all the fun and the memories guys. See you next time.

Michael O’Connell
Central Mailer, The Clobberin’ Times Online