Interviewing the Champion of Heroes, Jason M Waltz

 Simulcast on Black Gate May 29, 2025

Interviewing the Champion of Heroes, Jason M Waltz of Rogue Blades Entertainment and Foundation

Jason M. Waltz has published 16 Books under Rogue Blades Entertainment (RBE), another 3 under Rogue Blades Foundation (RBF), having lured in authors Such as Brandon Sanderson, Orson Scott Card, C.L. Werner, Glen Cook, Steven Erikson, Ian C. Esslemont, William King, Andy Offutt, and spurred the writing careers of dozens. Not all are Sword and Sorcery (S&S), with weird western and pirate anthologies appearing, but most are.  Two of my favorite introductions to anthologies cap the ends of the RBE series: Return of the Sword (2008) and Neither Beg Nor Yield (2024 BG reviewed by Vredenburgh and Mele), the latter JMW refers to as his Swan Song marking a shift toward focusing on his own writing. Coincident with that, he has recently sunsetted the related RBF.  We'll discuss some of his works to date, but note that he has three stories seeing publication in July 2025!

He’s mingled with the Black Gate crew in many ways over the years, invited John O’Neill to pen the introductions, published many contributors here, and now he is interviewing them. Yes, you will be glad to know that even as he steers from publishing to writing more, he is still actively building the community through his 24 in 42 podcast [broadcasted via the Rogue Blades Presents YouTube channel]. Heck he is even hand in the game by guest editing Raconteur Press' first Sword & Sorcery anthology.  He never tires.

As we salute his heroic efforts, let’s learn more about his journey!

“Heroes are those who continue to do the ordinary in extraordinary times, and to do the extraordinary in ordinary times.” -  JMW 2008

Parth Kelkar joins Dyscrasia Fiction Fan Club

 Parth Kelkar survived a PhD Internship at work, and unlocked a trophy achievement of Helen's Daimones T-shirt!  You rock Parth.

Deep Madness - Sanguine Heretics Character and Chronology Guide

The fan publications of Deep Madness materials that have become official canon (Madness Reborn), see here the printable character guide.  Bohen Black and the others led the way for this, but I am proud to have contributed the Chronology Guide within:

Check out the Deep Madness Facebook Page 

Bohun Black  · 

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Rising contributor

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Here is the investigators guide as promised, (Albeit late), pretty much the same content as the last one that was released, but this has been reformatted to stay in line with the compendium that was released last year. And for convenience, I've included the Chronology of Scenarios which does reference the page numbers in the Compendium.

And of corse if you notice any issues please let me know so that I can update the file.

The three files here are: First, (Investigators guide 72.pdf) as the name suggests this is the content of this guide. Second, (Investigators Cover.1.pdf) this is for a hard cover version. And third (DM_Coil Bound_Cover_Character_Guide.jpg) is for the Coil bound version for those that prefer that.

https://drive.google.com/.../1qTpx3MWvchHv4X0gTLA.../view...

https://drive.google.com/.../1Ada8vuGESa84sWwToE1.../view...

https://drive.google.com/.../1Xg1Dk4OcYvRmHx3JS7q.../view...

This next part I nabbed from Phil Blake's post about Lulu.

Hardcover Printing Instructions for Lulu

Since this is a free, fan-made book, we are not morally or legally allowed to set up a print on demand distribution. Which means you will need to set up an account with a print on demand company and upload files for printing (for personal use only). The directions below are for the company Lulu, but you are free to use any print on demand company you choose.

Go to lulu.com and create an account.
Under the CREATE tab, click the PRINT BOOKS option.
Click the button START YOUR PRINT BOOK
Enter your login credentials
In the START YOUR PROJECT section, choose PRINT BOOK
In the SELECT YOUR GOAL section, choose PRINT YOUR BOOK. (Do NOT select Publish your book for sale on Amazon. You will get sued. )
In the BOOK DETAILS section, enter a project title of your choice. I recommend Derailed Dimensions. Enter a language and CATEGORY, which is required; why not choose Gaming?
Click the DESIGN YOUR PROJECT button at the bottom of the page to proceed to the Design page
In the INTERIOR FILE UPLOAD section, upload the file named Investigators guide 72.pdf
Wait for the file to upload and normalize. This may take a while.
When the upload finishes, you will see some warnings. Like most warnings in life, feel free to ignore these.
In the BOOK SPECIFICATIONS section, the BOOK SIZE AND PAGE COUNT should already be pre-filled.
In the INTERIOR COLOR section, choose COLOR PREMIUM for the best quality color.
In the PAPER TYPE section, choose 80# COATED WHITE for the best paper quality.
In the BOOK BINDING section, choose HARDCOVER, or Coil.
In the COVER FINISH section, choose GLOSSY or MATTE, your choice.
Wait a moment for the PRINT COST to load. This is a printing fee for Lulu, and none of us receive a penny of this, nor does Dimension Games.
In the DESIGN YOUR COVER section, make sure the UPLOAD COVER FILE option is selected.
Upload the file named Investigators Cover.1, or DM_Coil Bound_Cover_Character_Guide, based on the binding preference you selected.
After a minute, the PREVIEW will load. This preview will give you a basic idea of what the book will be like, but it is just a preview.
When you are ready, click the REVIEW BOOK link at the bottom.
This brings you to a page where you can review the final specifications. Click the checkbox next to CONFIRM BOOK SPECIFICATIONS AND FILES
Click the ADD TO CART button when it becomes enabled
Click the CART icon at the top of the page and make the purchase. The shipping will vary depending where you are located.
There are almost always discount codes of at least 15% available online - do a quick search!

Feel free to print a copy for yourself or your friends, or even arrange a bulk buy to save on individual shipping, but DO NOT PRINT COPIES FOR SALE.

Note: The hardback book you receive from Lulu will not be perfect. There might be alignment issues with the binding, scratches, the interior margins might be tight, and the endsheets will be a boring white.