This weekend is a long weekend in the UK - today (Monday) is a Bank Holiday.

It is the last one of the year and it actually crept upon all of us by surprise (except, I think, Kelly - she knows everything). I only realised late last week when I turned the diary to today...

Anyway, after informing all staff that Bank Holidays were, in fact, entirely optional (an opportunity they have yet to take me up on), I decided to be a little smart this time round. I organised all pressing work-related matters and sorted most of them out so I could have three days free.

Sunday, I had a little rest (taken up mostly by Red Dead Redemption multiplayer and catching up with episodes of NCIS). Saturday and Monday I set aside for a full day's worth writing each. It has been a long time since I have been able to do that and, I have to say, it was glorious to do nothing but each day, rather than trying to squeeze writing in-between meetings and telephone calls. And a day's rest between them (letting the mind go fallow, so to speak) was a good move too.

Saturday was devoted to Project N. This is something that has cropped up quite recently, a brand new setting for A Call to Arms. Fortunately, we have had a revised set of rules (the legendary CTA3) waiting in the wings for quite some time now, so instead of a complete re-write, it was a case of quickly altering the intro passages of each chapter to the new setting (we deliberately write our core rules in this way, so they can be changed quickly and easily - have a look at the text in CTA: B5 II, and you'll see what I mean), and then it was on to the crunch of the game; traits, special actions and the fleet lists. The kind of thing game designers relish working on!

I won't give too much away at the moment, as we are going to be making an announcement very soon (some miniatures need a lick of paint, and rules take much more than a day to get right!). However, there are some very interesting dynamics already appearing in the game which are competely different to Babylon 5 (and to the Star Wars and Star Trek versions we produced in-house), which is very gratifying to see. It is a sign of a good and solid set of rules which can change completely in feel and atmosphere by altering the fleets not the core rules themselves.

There are far less ships than B5 fans will be used to (I think we topped over 200 in CTA: B5 II!), but the differences between them seem far more marked, even though several fleets share the same technological base. Without using anything 'fancy' (and there will be plenty of those options!) there are a wide variety of tactics to get your teeth into, especially as we have added a new phase to the game to cover boarding! We have simplified deck plans (which, incidentally, are crying out for us to print up official 'datacards' for each ship) that allow you to track the progress of your boarders as they head towards the bridge - or of defenders making valiant attempts to stem the flood.

All very atmospheric.

Anyway, as I said, news on this is coming soon, and we are currently looking at a January/February release for this game. However, we may hold a CTA Open Day in the latter part of this year for CTA veterans to come along and try out the new fleets for themselves. Stay tuned.

Today (Monday) was set aside for Project D. This is a game that has been in development for quite some time now (and in itself represents a further development of the Battlefield Evolution engine), and has undergone a fair amount of playtesting already. However, while the game itself is easy to get to grips with, both as a designer and a player (the core rules can fit into perhaps a dozen pages - and that includes the advanced rules section...), the sheer number of options available to players is staggering. This is turning into a very large game, and while we are currently developing all aspects of it in tandem, it is very possible various pieces will get hived out for publication later, either in a supplement or within S&P (or both!).

To give you an idea of what I mean, we drew up a preliminary list of the possible factions/forces we could let players have a go with - and came up with about thirty! Now, this is obviously too many to launch with, as it would make the rulebook massive, and there would be no miniatures for many forces for perhaps years. Added to that, we have a new Mercenaries rule which is used as a balancing system between disparate forces in a campaign, and also allows for the use of miniatures you might not normally get to play with - but that just adds yet more models to the range!

Needless to say, we are not going to be running out of releases for this game any time soon...

The number of miniatures is just the tip of the iceberg though. There is (potentially) a massive range of weapons and equipment that can be used in the game. Heroes have access to various talents and gain new ones as they win battles - powerful heroes have a great many of them. Then there are the spells and other magical effects...

It is all very simple, in play. A typical talent or spell modifies a dice roll or does some blast effect that deals damage. However, there are many, many different flavours of this and the game has enough options to keep people tweaking their forces into the wee small hours!

Despite all of that, it has been very gratifying to see how fast the game is in play, even with people who are not familiar with it. If players are relatively new to the game, a match may take about 45 minutes - between experienced players, it can come down to 20-30 minutes with starting forces. This is good news, as it should encourage campaign play, and we have made sure there are sufficient rules to allow people to take their forces from one camapign to another - whatever the power level - and keep on playing. So, you don't have to play against the usual ugly mugs you are used to seeing round the gaming table just to get a campaign done. You can play the same force for months or years, slowly building it up, and yet it will still balance against a brand new force.

As for today, I have been thoroughly buried in the 'options' part of the rules, and now they all need playtesting. The spell list has (finally) been done - been a bit of a bugbear, that one. Managed to streamline a lot of the disparate rules for spells too, unifying most of them so they are easier to learn. A new force list is in (something the playtesters have been crying out for), along with more mercenaries and a broader range of equipment. I have even started working on new scenarios which, once the core 'stand up and fight' scenario has been written, tend to be one of the last things that get worked on, for various reasons.

We will be announcing Project D later this year, alongside some gorgeously sculpted and painted minis to get you salivating, and the game itself will be appearing in March 2011, if the current production schedule holds true. We are currently planning to release the game as a hardback book, supported by box sets that contain everything you need for a single faction for quite some time into the game. At least two factions will appear alongside the rulebook, and there may well be a deluxe (and _very_ limited) box set containing both faction box sets and the rulebook, along with some other goodies we are working on. Thereafter, we are looking at one faction box a month, maybe attended by some special single figure releases.

This is shaping up to be an absolute cracker of a game, suitable for casual, campaign or tournament play. The rules could not be much easier, but we have ensured the various options mean it will reward the tactical thinkers out there.

Watch our for Project D. It may well be our very best miniatures game yet.

Well, Gen Con is over - and it looks like it was one of the best events ever, for everyone concerned. The number of vendors, as I said before, seemed to be down, but that just made it all the better for the rest of us who went, leaving us to face an increased number of attendees!

And, descending on our booth, they came! We had made sure we were fully stocked, based on past Gen Cons, but it was to prove woefully insufficient. Even a Saturday restock from our warehouse (which is thankfully not too far away from Gen Con) was like sticking fingers in the dyke (so to speak). The first casualty was the main Traveller hardback, followed by the Pocket Edition. Then Paranoia: Troubleshooters went out of stock, followed by Internal Security, Baron Munchausen, vast swathes of the Lone Wolf range, Victory at Sea - the list didn't seem to stop, and we were plugging up holes in the shelves as fast as we could!

Thank you one and all, to those who stopped by our booth. It was very much appreciated, and we hope to see you all next year. For those who ordered items that had run out of stock, our warehouse elves will be getting them off to you as soon as they get back home.

During the show we had many meetings, the results of which we hope to showcase to you all over the next few months. It looks like we will be able to add another language translation service to our range, there is a good possibility of an old but much favoured miniatures game returning very soon, there were several podcasts popping up that we were happy to support, and we were very glad to run into some old friends we had not seen for a couple of years.

We had hoped to be able to announce a new game that will be appearing at next year's Gen Con, but 'twas not to be. We had printed up some posters and were just waiting for a phone call for the go ahead... still, these things happen. It was a real rush before Gen Con, and now we can take things at a more leisurely pace. THere is plenty of time before the next show!

Instead, we were able to preview the green for the all new Holocaust Judge for the Judge Dredd miniatures game. If you are looking for some serious heavy hitting firepower for the Justice Department, then this suit will be just what you are looking for. We are tweaking the model slightly, adding a choice of Lawgiver MkII or Widowmaker (gulp!), and then we'll have a full preview on the site. Before that bad boy appears (and he may well be followed by a heavier Holocaust/2 suit!) you'll see the all new Fatties. These guys have a variety of torsos, heads and arms that can be mixed and matched, allowing you to have a complete Fattie stampede!

In the classic range of Dredd figures, the rest of the ape gang are getting priority, so the Orang Utans will finally make an appearence, allowing you to flesh out your monkey magic force in time to use the latest rules we posted last week (you'll find an ape force to be very agile in a three dimensional urban environment).

We previewed the new GM's screen for Elric of Melnibone, the latest setting for RuneQuest II. The core Elric book has just gone to print and wil be in stores last week of this month/first week of next, all going well. We will be supporting the new Eternal Champion range heavily, with Lawrence working almost non-stop on it for the next year (with the occasional diversion into Zhodani territory). Hawkmoon and hopefully Corum will be standing alongside Elric next year.

On top of all that, we had a preview print out of Chthonian Stars, the latest masterpiece from the Wildfire chaps - marrying Traveller with Cthulhu mythos, this is going to be a serious cracker. Look out for the gorgeous full colour rulebook appearing towards the end of October. You won't want to miss this one.

Now, I am just sitting in the hotel room, getting ready to leave for the long, long trip back to the UK. May it go easier than the trip over here!

So, here I am, in the hotel room after the second day of Gen Con, in between meetings with just enough time to give Planet Mongoose readers a quick briefing of what has been going on. I had wanted to do this yesterday, but we were unbelievably busy.

First, the flight over. Across the Atlantic, with Virgin, an absolute dream. This was mostly down to Kelly being able to convert the air miles we have accumulated through the years to upgrade us to Upper Class on the flight - the only way to travel, I am now convinced. Going through security is a whole different experience when you have the right ticket. Certainly gives you an insight into how the other half live...

It started to go downhill when we hit Chicago and got handed to American Airlines. At first, the connecting flight was delayed. For two hours. Then cancelled. Something about a plane breaking down on a runway, followed by electrical storms. They promised us a flight the next day, going via Detroit. Whichever way you looked at it, that was the wrong way, and the show was due to start the next morning.

We bumped into a group of UK gamers who had the same problem, and we decided to hire a car - road trip!

The first issue was finding a car hire firm that had not run out of cars. After some searching, Hertz came to the rescue. At first they said they only had compacts (visions of a Prius - pronounced 'Pree-us' here - or Smart Car hoved into view), but we managed to bargain them up to a Camry (a Japanese Yank Tank, granted, but afternoon was turning to evening and by this time the exact mode of transport was becoming a distinct non-issue and, frankly, my desire for something with a V8 was a pipe dream).

The next issue was luggage. Now, I always travel light and fast, having everything I need in a holdall. So, I was fine. However, AA had already managed to lose everyone else's bags, and had no clear idea of when they would turn up in Indianapolis. They might get to that airport sometime in the morning. Maybe. Not a huge issue for the guys, but any girls reading this will appreciate this was a problem of massive proportions to the ever-suffering Kelly.

So, we clamboured into the car, and five Brits started to navigate nearly 200 miles of American roads. Driving on the right side of the road was the least of it.

Nevertheless, spirits were high as we spent a little over three hours getting to Indianapolis (we were a little unsure what the attitude of American police were to speeding cars - if we had been on UK roads, we would have been doing 95 all the way down).

Sometime close to midnight, we finally roll into Indianapolis and get to our hotels.

Problems solved? Well, for me, yes. Kelly was still without her luggage and did not have a happy night. Next morning, Rob goes with her to the airport, where there is a prompt showdown - on the one side, Kelly, on the other the masticating woman behind the AA baggage reclaim desk. The latter tried the fobbing off approach, but Kelly informed the woman that she would stage a sit-in right in front of the desk until the luggage arrived. Which she went ahead and did.

The AA staff were less than happy with this ("That crazy English woman is still there!") but, around midday, Kelly finally got her luggage, complete with clean clothes and other necessities.

Meanwhile, the rest of us were fairly under siege at our stand. We reckoned that the number of vendors is down at Gen Con this year, but the number of attendees might well be up. It was very busy, with Traveller, Paranoia and Lone Wolf being the hot favourites of the day.

We ended up the day with a meal for everyone Mongoose at the Conrad, and ran up a bill larger than their dessert servings, mainly through the cocktails that never ceased to flow. We finished the meal decidely stuffed. It was very nice though.

Today, we thought it would be quiet, and it started that way. Kelly and I decided we could take some time to experience some proper American culture - so we had lunch at the local Steak and Shake. After seeing what happens when fries and cheese collide, I will not accept an American having a go at me for putting mayonnaise on chips! The Triple Steakburger was nice though, in a greasy sort of way, and the shake certainly fills you up (does anyone actually order dessert in those places?).

Back to the stand, more meetings, and the pace of gamers wanting the latest RPG goodies really started to pick up. All a bit of a blur at the moment, but it is always fun to chat away over games. Oh, and to all of you who popped by our stand just to say thank you for what we have done with Traveller/Paranoia/RuneQuest - that is _really_ appreciated, and makes things worthwhile.

Right now, I am in my hotel room tapping away at the laptop (after finally getting the Internet to work properly - and that was a whole thing), waiting for our printers to take us out for dinner (one of the benefits of being a prolific publisher!). Apparently we are going to somewhere called St Elmos - no idea what it is like, but I think we will be finishing the night rather worse for wear, as they say!

It is all systems go here at Mongoose, as we get ready to head off to Gen Con next week!

Gen Con is a great show to catch up with fans and various luminaries of the gaming industry, and it looks like we are already booked out for meetings, both during the days and the evenings.

We will be arriving pretty much on the day of the show's opening (well, the evening before), but the chaps at Mongoose US will already have been hard at work, setting up the stand. And, as always, we will have some real treats for you there! Brand new at the show, we'll have;

Traveller Compendium
Cults of Glorantha
Heroes of Magnamund
Shards Collection 2

And we are hoping for a few copies of Darrians, brought personally by our printers, so don't miss out!

We will also have our growing Judge Dredd miniatures range on display and for sale, allowing you to pick and choose a rock hard force to dominate the streets of Mega-City One. I have half a hope that I will be able to get the next version of the playtest rules done over the weekend so those of you who cannot attend the show can at least get some more games ion - but that is probably a pipe dream, given how much is planned to be tweaked and changed! Still, it will be coming soon, along with some all new models.

So, if you are attending Gen Con, please swing by our stand and say hello - you can be assured of a warm welcome.

Went to see Rush on its first leg of the North American Time Machine tour last night. It was a good gig with some highs and lows...

The lows first, just to get them out of the way. The acoustics at the Air Canada Centre are atrocious and the sound was often muddy. Rush are a very tight, competent band, but sometimes the mix and the acoustics rendered some songs into just noise. Geddy's voice faltered badly in a couple of songs. 'Time Stand Still' and 'Far Cry' were the most noticeable. For the most part though, he was in fine fettle.

There were a few other technical issues too. One of Alex's amps kept cutting out which meant guitar parts on some songs were lost. Seemed to get fixed quickly though.

Now the good. The stage design and back projection were just awesome. Best of any Rush concert I've ever seen. The theme is Time Travel but there's something else on this which I'll gush over later. However even the on-stage props and Peart's drum riser and drum kit are styled to reflect the whole time machine motif and it worked brilliantly. The backscreen visuals were extremely well done, with split screen real-time projection and the usual quirky animations. A lot of new visual material had been recorded for the tour, too, which helped power the songs. The lighting rig had to be seen to be believed. It crouched above the stage simply being a lighting rig for the most part, but later (and most sinisterly during 'Witch Hunt') it began to unfold and move like a Martian tripod from 'War of the Worlds'. Told you there was a theme going on here...

Now the set. The first half was classics from past, present and future. Yes, future; we got two new songs from their forthcoming album, 'Clockwork Angels'. First was 'Brought Up to Believe' which sounds very much like a Peart polemic against media, religious and authoritarian manipulation. Great visuals to go with a powerful, driving song. The second is 'Caravan' which is a more melodic, epic track in the mould of 'Far Cry'. So, what's it all about, Geddy? Well, it transpires from the tour programme that this next album is a return to the halcyon days of yore; a concept album. And a fantasy concept album. And not only that, a steampunk fantasy concept album, set in a world Peart has devised and fleshed out. I cannot bloody wait. The whole set and design for this tour is steampunk and the inspiration draws from Wells and Verne. If Peart has decided to turn the clock back to the 1970s and go for a lyrical, SF/fantasy concept, but with all the sensibilities and skill of their 21st Century material, 'Clockwork Angels' is going to be well worth the wait.

Can I persuade Matt to pursue the gaming rights for RQ, I wonder...? I'm only half joking...

Back to the first half. We got some time-honoured classics: Freewill, Time Stand Still, and so on. The sound was patchy, as noted, but some tracks were just terrific. A barnstorming 'Spirit of Radio' kicked-off proceedings, but for me the stand-outs were 'Faithless' and 'Working Them Angels', both newer tracks, but clear and passionate in delivery.

The second half was dedicated to the entire album 'Moving Pictures': every track in order. It just doesn't get better than this. Their most popular album in full. It was worth the wait. The only song that was below par was 'Limelight' which suffered from a faulty guitar amp but nonetheless recovered and was excellent. The absolute highlight for me, though, was 'The Camera Eye'. This is my favourite song - not just Rush song - of all time. Its a masterpiece of music and lyric that has never received the strength of praise it deserves. I've waited 26 years to hear it played live and tonight it happened. With the problems with Geddy's voice and the lousy acoustics I was wondering if the song might get hammered but my fears were unfounded: 'The Camera Eye' was as good as it could have been - rich, layered, melodic, hard, whistful and uplifting. This was Rush at their best. I can now die happy. In addition to 'Moving Pictures' we got 'Overture' from 2112, 'Closer to the Heart' and Neil's drum solo. I didn't think this was one of his best, if I'm truthful, but a Peart solo is always more than just a drummer showing off. He really does build a percussive instrumental track and this, called 'Love 4 Sale' delivered the goods although I think it lacked some of his usual energy and inventiveness.

Encores were 'La Villa Strangiato' and 'Working Man', both crowd pleasers and both well executed.

One thing I should note is that whilst Rush are often dismissed as po-faced prog rockers they didn't take themselves too seriously at all during the night. Two specially filmed comedy vignettes, 'The Real History of Rush' poked fun at their image from the past and present and were an absolute hoot. They also messed around with the arrangements of some classics, adding a more reggae spin to some tracks and a swingy spin to others. This was Rush in a celebratory, playful mood and that engaged the (admittedly partisan) crowd.

To conclude, I hope that Europe gets the Time Machine Tour, although I'm tempted to think you may need to wait until 2011 or even 2012 when 'Clockwork Angels' is released. It was great to see my favourite band in their home city and with such an inventive visual production. Even though Geddy's voice can't hit those notes anymore (or not as frequently) and Neil may be wearying of 8 minute drum solos, this is still a band that can blow the socks off anyone else performing at the moment and deserves the critical acclamation its recently (and belatedly) begun to garner. Mind you, that might all evaporate when 'Clockwork Angels' is released - but you know what? The fans won't care. And neither will Rush.

Set List:
Set One: "The Spirit of Radio" "Time Stand Still" "Presto" "Stick It Out" "Workin' Them Angels" "Leave That Thing Alone" "Faithless" "Brought Up to Believe" (new track, abbreviated to BU2B) "Freewill" "Marathon" "Subdivisions"

Set Two "Tom Sawyer" "Red Barchetta" "YYZ" "Limelight" "The Camera Eye" "Witch Hunt" "Vital Signs" "Caravan" (new track) "Love for Sale" (Drum solo) "Closer To The Heart" "2112" - "Overture" and "The Temples of Syrinx" "Far Cry"

Encore: "La Villa Strangiato" "Working Man"