Where do Ghouls come from?

Get the answers in the latest episode of the GHOULASH Webcomic, as Lake and Gray continue their presentation to the schoolkids:

http://www.ghoulash.com/webcomic/index.shtml

Ever since we stopped offering our scenarios via the Web (and became ruthless, mercenary, capitalistic sell-outs daring to ask people to pay for our game), we’ve had requests for PDF versions of our scenarios that could be downloaded, even at a price.

Well, finally we’ve answered those requests with the posting of our first new Online Scenario Pack.

(Sidenote: We hope this doesn’t get confusing. We’ve numbered the first Online Scenario Pack as Pack No. 1, although it does not contain the same scenarios as the print edition No. 1. But we weren’t convinced that any other number system was better, so it’s OSP1.)

Online Scenario Packs are PDF (Portable Document Format) files that contain an introduction, the Basic Rules, master Scenario Charts of three scenarios, suitable for printing and copying, and Deep Intel on the three adventures. Cost of the download is a mere $2.95 per pack.

OSP1 contains three classic GHOULASH scenarios: “Clone Alley,” in which players run the risk of duplication (you have to save yourself AND your clones); “Ghoul & Plenty,” where the Ghouls are angrier and deadlier; and “Lucky Charms,” in which good-luck charms found along the way save you from some obstacles, but make others more vicious.

Click here to order and download OSP1. You’ll be taken to an order form at our sales representative, Key 20 (don’t worry, they just handle the paperwork; you’re really buying from us), where you can order, pay for and download the pack.

Look for more Online Scenario Packs in the weeks to come. (But fans of the print editions shouldn’t fear; we’re getting back online with our print schedule and hope to have Issue 4 out soon.)

We are expanding the realm of the GHOULASH mythology with the launch of our new Webcomic, conveniently located at GHOULASH.com/webcomic.

Episode One of the continuing saga is ready for viewing, featuring Malectoplasm expert David Lake and Ghoo researcher Pamela Gray, two of our main characters in the GHOULASH Adventures series of stories. Soon, Ghoul hunter Cornealius will join the narrative, as our heroic trio battles to save dozens of youngsters from a massive Ghoul infestation at a public school.

Already these characters have been featured in two short stories,“Control Factor” and “Hunting Party” (with more stories to come), and in mini-comics featured in each Scenario Pack.

In the early episodes of the Webcomic, Gray and Lake are at the school presenting a slide show on the history of Ghouls and the ongoing battle to overcome them. (This is our sneaky gimmick to indoctrinate new readers in the whys and wherefores of Malectoplasm, Ghoo and Ghoul-fighting.) As the story progresses, Cornealius, who is the scientists’ bodyguard, joins the duo, and things turn deadly when a mysteriously high level of Malectoplasm is detected in and around the school.

The Webcomic will be updated on a regular basis (weekly, we hope) and readers will have easy access to previous installments.

Story and art on the Webcomic, by the way, is by Mike, with story assists along the way by Joe.

As you’ve probably noticed, we have redesigned and relaunched GHOULASH.com. What do you think?

If we do say so ourselves, we think the new look is slicker and more professional than before, but the changes, if everything goes according to plan, will be more than merely cosmetic.

First, some philosophy and strategy behind our decision to redesign: While we liked our big, bold, Ghoul-up-in-the-corner design (click here for a reminder), some folks didn’t care for the boldness of the colors and the in-your-face layout. Then there were some typical web-construction considerations, of which we won’t bore you here. (Basically, though, we wanted to go with a centered design rather than a left-connected page. See, boring.)

Mainly, however, the redesign provided us the opportunity to do something we’ve been wanting to do for a long time: We’re giving greater emphasis on the mythology of GHOULASH, which, up to now, had been presented primarily through our sister site for GHOULASH Adventures. We’re going to continue the adventures of Malectoplasm expert David Lake, Ghoo specialist Pamela Gray and Ghoul hunter Cornealius, but we’re bringing the Adventures into the main site, rather than link to a sister site. Those Adventures will continue in short story form, but we’re also going to add other forms, the most prominent of which will be the Webcomic, the first page of which will launch within the next week or so.

In addition to the GHOULASH Adventures portion of the mythos, we’re going to add other elements that will posit a world in which Malectoplasm and Ghouls lurk around every corner. (In fact, if you haven’t already noticed, we’ve split our site navigation into two areas: The Game and The Mythos.) Our FAQs will be expanded, and we’re going to add a reference page called the Ghoopedia, for quick explanations of Ghouls, ‘plasm, Ghoo, spores and the rest of the G mythos. To top it all off … well, let’s leave a few things as a surprise for down the road, OK?

The redesign itself still isn’t quite finished; we’re reconfiguring a few pages and putting the polish on some new features.

In the meantime, we hope you’ll take to our Forums to let us know what you think of the site (and, for that matter, the game, the stories, etc.). Or, just drop us a line.

In any case, thanks for visiting and thanks again for your interest in GHOULASH.

There are big things in store here at GHOULASH Central. The entire site is in the process of a renovation. We think you’ll like the new look, which will be unveiled at some point during the next two weeks or so.

As we shift to the new look, there might be disruptions in the blog and/or forums and/or Merch Market (these templates have to be reconstructed separately), and for that we request your patience.

Just to give you a brief idea of what we’re doing, the plan, besides just a general cosmetic overhaul, is to weave the Mythology of GHOULASH — GHOULASH Adventures, et al –  more closely into the main site, rather than segregate it into a separate GA site. We’ll be adding more background on the World of Ghouls and building our own reference work of GHOULASH terminology.

And we’re launching a webcomic! More on that later.

The GHOULASH Scenario Pack is meant to be used like a puzzle book: You write directly in the book (or pull out the perforated pages), and when you’re done, you simply get a new book and more charts.

But what if you finish out your Scenario Pack and you don’t have the opportunity to run down to the game store to buy a new one? Or, what if you’re about to gather your game club and you want to have enough GHOULASH for everyone? Or, what if you want to give someone the gift of GHOULASH but you don’t want to share your own Scenario Pack?

The remedy for those potential problems is here. More specifically, it is here. Now you can purchase GHOULASH Scenario Packs in bulk, in handy bundles of either six or 12 (there’s also a bundle of three, with one each of Scenario Packs 1, 2 and 3). You can buy bundles that mix the three current Scenario Packs, or bundles that have all of a particular pack.

What’s more, the bundles are priced so that you’re paying less than cover price for each book, and everyone loves a discount!

(Of course, if you want even more of a discount on Scenario Packs, you should consider becoming an Ambassador to the GHOULASH Nation. Click here for more info.)

The order form for bulk purchasing can be found on our Stores page.

So, stock up today. Make sure you’re ready when the urge to go Ghoul hunting strikes.

It’s not the longest entry, but it’s a good one.

GHOULASH finally is represented with its own entry on the legendary Wikipedia.

And no, we didn’t add it ourselves; we understand that it’s bad form to create your own Wikipedia entry. It was created by one of our friends and fans, and to them we are eternally grateful.

Stop by and take a look.

Here, at long last, is the MegaCon edition of the GHOULASH Video Webcast. At first we had hoped to post our webcasts “live” from the con, a new one each day, but there was just too much excitement and merriment. Eventually, once we returned home, we decided to gather all of our footage into one webcast. We hope you enjoy the sights and sounds as much as we did.

On a personal note, we here at GHOULASH Central would like to offer our sincerest thanks to good friend Mark Noah, an Orlando resident, who took the time to help us carry our gear over what seemed like several miles from the parking lot to the convention floor, and who helped us get our table set up. Thanks for all your help, Mark.

Wow, what a great weekend!

Joe and I spent the past few days in Orlando at MegaCon, manning our humble little GHOULASH table, hawking the game, meeting folks and watching thousands of creative, joyful, delightful fans of science fiction and fantasy stroll by.

Although we had Scenario Packs and some other merchandise for sale, we didn’t consider sales to be our priority. We were there mostly for visibility and promotion, and to that end we consider MegaCon ‘08 to have been a great success. We met store owners, players (some of whom had actually played G already!), artists and writers, and passed out a lot of copies of the Test Drive scenario. Several folks came back a day later, after playing the Test Drive scenario at home, and bought copies of the Scenario Packs!

Soon we’ll post our official MegaCon edition of the Video Webcast, with some great shots of costumes and Mega merriment.

We here at GHOULASH Central would like to offer our condolences to the family of Gary Gygax, who died this week at the age of 69.

Mr. Gygax, as most gamers know, was one of the co-creators of the game Dungeons & Dragons, and a lifelong gaming enthusiast and gaming evangelist. He created many games, game products and books, was the founder of GenCon and was the co-founder of TSR Inc. (Tactical Studies Rules).

For many of us budding game publishers and designers, he was a pioneer and, even if we didn’t know him personally, a mentor of sorts. Without Mr. Gygax and his work (play?), many of us would not be where we are today.

A toast to Mr. Gygax, and our sincere thanks for leading the way.