I tell you, this is a bad time to be releasing a new OGL book into the market. What with D&D 4th edition announced and setting the internet ablaze with all manner of weigh-ins. Don't look for an opinion here, I'm in "wait and see" mode. Thank goodness I dropped so many ranks into Hype Resistance and Asshat Noise Cancellation.

By the way, if you have no idea what 4th edition is, you're probably reading the wrong blog. Google it, wiki it, or just head on to more interesting pastures.

Folks who have been following my work (all five of you) will definitely recognize the name of this product. These rules first saw the light of day two years ago, during the life of the ill-fated EN Game Store. Action Maneuvers were a series of eight Pick 'n Mix products (two-page self-contained PDFs with a snatdardized, print-friendly layout that sold for $0.49 each). Each one detailed a new maneuver that helped you move, avoid attacks, or deal damage using your physical skills. The idea was to increase a character's repetoire of options without requiring the player to select new feats, acquire new equipment, or change their character at all. Inspiration was pulled from martial arts movies and the recent Prince of Persia video games. The end result was eight new maneuvers (five written by myself, three by writer/editor savant Charles Baize) that embodied, for me, action.

When the EN Game Store died in the wake of the OneBookShelf merger, Action Maneuvers died with it. After all, they were tied up in the Pick 'n Mix license, so I would have to redo their layout and compile them into a single document before I could think of selling them again. Around the same time, my interest and writing ability were waining in the wake of both MODERNIZED's end and the death of my first publishing venue. When I officially withdrew my membership from OneBookShelf as a publisher shortly after, I thought Action Maneuvers would never come back.

Apparently I was wrong.

Using some slick necromancy and even slicker layout design, I've brought AM back "for a new generation". It'll be a tough sell in the wake of 4th edition's unveiling, but I have a few ideas up my sleeve for some creative marketing.