Hi Reader,

Welcome to my regular newsletter! It's a cheery place where we can talk about games and good vibes. I land in your inbox somewhere between once a week and once a month. Please, come in. Sit down. I've put a bunch of garden stars-of-Bethlehem in a bowl of cold water. There's a bowl of dice next to them. Don't put your hand in the wrong one!

Tuesday, June 10th is my target date to relaunch Defy the Gods on Kickstarter. That gives us two weeks. With that ramping up, I'm getting into the publicity game more than ever. I'm engaging with community.

And you know what? I hate community!

Ugh. It's the worst.

Dreary. Pointless. I just wanna be alone. My best ideas come in solitude (she says, trying to look ethereal and wise).

In 4th grade at recess, I was the kid in a dusty corner playing with tiny cars, so I didn't have to play soccer with the boys or try to play Watership Down with the girls. I could be shy. Hide.

For the longest time, my game designs and other artful pursuits were just this turned to 11. They let me retreat from the world and be brilliant on my own.

But that doesn't make any sense. You can't be brilliant on your own.

It's what other people think that makes you brilliant—or doesn't.

I was also learning grade-A helplessness. "Someday, my prince [publisher/patron/rainmaker] will come..." and show everyone my amazing work. Have you done this? It's easier than the alternative ... so long as you don't have a timeline.

But princes keep missing their cues. And when they do show, they like to call the shots.

Why not show everyone how amazing you are yourself?

So. That's what I'm working at. Hawking my wares, ballyhooing. Engaging with community. For starters, I'm posting on social media almost every day. And guess what? I'm going on Plus One Exp's Twitch livestream tonight at 7pm Eastern!

As I get out there, I see that other people have been doing it for a long time. Building communities and creating content for them, some with a lot of effort. They know the value of what they've built, too. I can't get on the really big channels, but there's a thriving ecosystem of smaller ones. If my output is good enough, and if I bang the drum and be a good human, I'll keep raising my profile. It's work, and these folks show how it's done.

Plus I adore some of their personalities. They bring such joy. Watching Superdillin riff about Mass Effect yesterday on Bluesky with their friend Robert was a delight, and I've never even played the game.

I don't know if you need to hear this, but—you don't have to hide. Community isn't dreary or pointless. It's its own artful pursuit, one we can embrace and play with. I'm growing to love community.

Thanks for being in it with me!

Cheers,
Chrys

P.S. No wonder they cut that song from the Snow White remake! Don't wait around, girl.

P.P.S. Two weeks till the new Defy the Gods launches! That's the current date, but the only way to be sure not to miss it is to sign up so you get notified when it goes live. Do that here.