🌈🚀 Reliable wonder engine. I make narrative role-playing games that imagine a weirder, queerer, more connected world.
after the fundraising marathon, a sprint to the finish
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Hi Reader, Welcome! Please come in, sit down. Have some cold fizzy water—it's way too hot out there. On the table are echinacea blooms—they're back! Since the Defy the Gods Kickstarter wrapped, I've been keeping a low profile. Writing the text, fixing things, finishing sections that were rough. I mean, that's what I'm doing now. At first, I just took the weekend off. Went to a movie. I found myself working on an old card game idea—a fast-paced sword duel played in real time instead of turns. Clearly, my brain needed a break. But now I'm back to defying the gods with a will! I'm in love with it again—but I'm also clear-eyed about all the things that can't happen till after I get to final text: layout, diagrams, last illustrations, printer's proofs, printing, shipping, distribution. I'm tempted to update the game based on stuff I've learned recently. I feel like I'm learning all the time, and the state of the art keeps changing. But at a certain point, it has to be done. Especially since every new design or mechanic needs playtesting. A lot. How much is "a lot"? Jay Dragon's design diary on Patreon reminded me. Jay's games raise my sights for what's possible. At the same time, it's reassuring to know even Jay can feel daunted after a developmental editor rakes their red pen over the text. Ok, I'm back at it! More soon! Best, P.S. I almost forgot—I set up pre-orders on BackerKit! If you missed the Kickstarter, you can get most of the items at the preorder store! Thanks! |
Everlasting, Neverending Game Night
🌈🚀 Reliable wonder engine. I make narrative role-playing games that imagine a weirder, queerer, more connected world.
Hi Reader, Welcome! Please, come in, have a seat. The snow is finally starting to melt around here. On the table, we have a tin of shortbread cookies, and in the kitchen, your choice of tea, coffee or hot cocoa. So hey, a few weeks ago I got a little preachy about promises and contracts. Although I wasn’t talking mainly about Jay Dragon, I did imply she'd done some things, or failed to, based on conclusions I drew from the Rascal article I mentioned. I was too hasty. The Rascal piece was more...
Hi Reader, Welcome! Please, come in. On the table, I have a bowl of kiwis—the indie game designer of fruits. They're hard to peel, but I swear it’s worth it. (If you’re into OSR, just beast it and bite right through the fuzzy skin.) I know this talented up-and-coming game designer named Faye Weaver. Faye is a Horizons Fellow this year, like I was last year. And she’s been getting frustrated about, well, the crickets. I think everyone who puts a game out there feels this way sometimes, so I...
Hi Reader, Welcome! Please, come in, out of that snow. My it's cold out there—winter is biting down. But it's cozy in here. Have some hot cocoa. I made it with warm milk this time. Did you read the Rascal article about Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast? It's the kind of cautionary tale that keeps me up at night. If you don't have a Rascal subscription, do get one. But for now, here's my best sum-up: Possum Creek Games, led by Jay Dragon, made some big promises to the writers and artists who helped...